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Judah begins his short, urgent and intense letter by introducing himself: He is a slave of Messiah Yeshua and a brother of James.
He writes to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves them and keeps them safe in the care of Messiah Yeshua.
He prays for them, that God would give them more and more mercy, peace and love.
He calls the Lord’s people to defend the faith against false teachers who have infiltrated Messiah’s communities ‑ men who twisted God’s grace into permission to sin instead of receiving it as the power to be freed from sin.
He warns that these teachers would be judged just like the unbelieving generation in the wilderness, the rebellious angels, and Sodom and Gomorrah.
He tells us about things that characterize them, which enable us to recognize them. They claim authority from their dreams, live immoral lives, defy authority, scoff at supernatural beings, and are like unthinking animals who bring about their own destruction.
Judgment will come to them like it did to Cain, Balaam and Korah – whose sins they repeat.
He gives us seven vivid illustrations so we can see the danger even more clearly.
He lets us know that their judgment was predicted long ago, by Enoch, who was only seven generations from Adam.
He gives us more characteristics of false teachers that enable us to identify them. They are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want.
He appeals to the authority of the apostles and the reliability of their message. They warned us that scoffers would come among us.
He tells us to do things that will counteract the influence of the false teachers. That’s where we left off. Now Judah tells us more things that we are to be doing. And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.
Grace is receiving something good we don’t deserve. Mercy is not getting punished for what we do deserve – but mercy is not merely refraining from punishing. Mercy alleviates the suffering, helps the weak, restores the fallen, encourages the struggling, forgives the guilty, and rescues those who are in danger.
And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Not everyone in the community of faith is in the same place. There are those who are strong in faith. They believe everything written in the Word of God and are close to God. There are those of average faith who are growing, sometimes stumbling, but moving forward. And there are those whose faith is wavering. They are looking at God, but also looking at the world – and the world is starting to look more reliable, more satisfying, more real. They pray – but aren’t sure God is listening. They read the Bible but wonder if it’s really true. Their confidence is gone. They used to talk about what God had done in their lives, but now they avoid the subject. And they have pulled back from the community.
We must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering because wavering is not the same as gone. The flame is flickering, not extinguished. A flickering flame needs someone to cup their hands around it before the wind puts it out.
We must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering because many of us have had our own times of wavering, and someone came alongside us and encouraged us in our faith. We show mercy because mercy was shown to us.
How do we show mercy to those whose faith is wavering? By paying attention. We see the struggle, the withdrawal, the silence – and we reach out.
We listen. Those whose faith is wavering need to be heard. We stalk to them, ask what is going on, and let them say the things they are struggling with without immediately correcting them.
After we listen, we speak – not harshly, not with shame and condemnation – but with love and truth. We remind them of who God is and what He has done, is doing and will do. We point them back to the Word of God.
We stay with them. Mercy is usually not a one-time effort. It’s presence over time. We are there for them through the questions, doubts and struggle.
We pray for them and with them. There is something powerful about having someone pray for you and with you when your own faith has become weak.
Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Fire and judgment are connected – from the fire that fell on Sodom and Gomorrah, to the unquenchable fire Messiah talked about, to the Lake of Fire described in Revelation.
Those we are to rescue by snatching them from the flames of judgment are those who have moved beyond wavering and are in immediate spiritual danger. They are about to make decisions will ruin their lives. Yet there is still hope. They can still be rescued.
Imagine you are camping with several families. A large fire is burning in the center of the campsite. The flames are roaring, and the heat can be felt from yards away. Suddenly, you notice your neighbor’s two‑year‑old child wandering toward the fire. At first the child is merely curious. Then he gets closer. Then closer still. Suddenly he’s only a few steps away from the flames. The thought comes to you: what if he keeps going or stumbles and falls into the fire? At that moment, you don’t stop to think about whether the child or his parents might be offended by your intervention. You don’t worry about appearing judgmental. You don’t carefully craft the perfect thing to say. You run and grab the child and pull him back to safety. The child may cry. The parents may be startled. But none of that matters because the danger is real and the time to act is short.
When someone is moving close to destruction, we say what needs to be said – even if it’s uncomfortable. We don’t hint or tiptoe around the truth. We speak clearly, lovingly, and honestly.
We involve others if necessary. We bring in a rabbi, an elder, a trusted friend, a mature believer who can help. Rescuing someone from the flames is often a team effort.
We refuse to give up. People who are close to the fire do not always recognize the danger. They may resist, argue or pull away. Yet mercy perseveres.
When someone is heading toward destruction, mercy reaches out, speaks up, intervenes, and does everything possible to bring a person back to safety.
Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives. These are people whose lives are entangled in serious sin. The word “contaminate” is the language of infection. It’s sin that spreads, that has a way of moving from one person to another. It’s that little leaven that leavens the whole batch of dough. We show these people mercy too but we do so with great caution, because the possibility of contamination is real. The sin we want to remove has a way of affecting us. If we are too close for too long, and are too casual with the sin we are trying to overcome – without sufficient spiritual grounding and self‑awareness – we become vulnerable to the sin we are trying to overcome.
Consider a man addicted to alcohol, drugs, pornography or something else that has taken over his life. He needs mercy and practical help. But the person helping must be careful not to be drawn into the deception and manipulation that often come with addiction, and not to lose himself in someone else’s crisis until his own spiritual life begins to suffer.
A mature community of Yeshua-followers not only protects itself from false teaching but reaches out to those whose faith is wavering, rescues others from the flames of judgment, and tries to decontaminate those whose lives have been contaminated by sin.
Judah ends his letter by praising God. After all his warnings and instructions, he praises the One who keeps us from falling away, the One who is Himself so glorious.
Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Messiah Yeshua our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.
Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away. The false teachers were causing people to fall away by deceiving them and corrupting the faith. Judah reminds us that God is stronger. Yes, we defend the faith. Yes, we stay alert and keep ourselves in God’s love – but behind every one of our responsibilities is a greater reality – God Himself is keeping us from falling away. Our confidence isn’t in us keeping ourselves from falling away but God keeping us from falling away.
Now all glory to God, who will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. It is God who will bring us into His glorious presence. We don’t come into His glorious presence because of our own power.
God will bring us into His glorious presence with great joy. We will experience great joy in the glorious presence of God. However, this is not just our great joy, but God’s own great joy. Imagine a father at his son’s college graduation. Years of investment, sacrifice, encouragement and love have finally reached their goal. As his son is handed his degree, the father is full of great joy. In a greater way, God will rejoice when He brings His redeemed, resurrected and glorified sons and daughters into His glorious presence.
God will bring us into His glorious presence with great joy and without a single fault – not because we never sinned, and not because we are faultless, but because we’ll be there with all our faults forgiven because of the atoning work of Messiah Yeshua.
Being brought by God into His glorious presence with great joy and without a single fault is truly the best thing ever: Why?
Because it means complete reconciliation: Every sin, every failure has been fully dealt with. No barrier, no guilt, no shame, no fear of rejection – only total acceptance and closeness with the holy God who created us and loves us.
Because it means overflowing and unending joy: Not fleeting happiness based on circumstances, but deep, soul‑satisfying, eternal delight in the presence of the One who is the source of all goodness and beauty.
Because it means being with God Himself: We were created to know, love, and enjoy God. Every longing for meaning, love, beauty, and belonging finds its perfect satisfaction here. The greatest thing about Heaven is not reunion with loved ones or freedom from pain – it’s being with God Himself.
Judah continues praising God for who He is: All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Messiah Yeshua our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time!
All glory to Him who alone is God. He has no rival, no equal, no competitor. He alone is God, so all glory belongs to Him alone.
All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Messiah Yeshua our Lord. God isn’t just our God or our Creator – He is our Savior. Every aspect of our salvation comes from Him: He planned it, accomplished it, He keeps His chosen ones secure in it, and He will complete it. And He does it all through Messiah Yeshua our Lord – the ultimate prophet, priest and king and sovereign ruler of His people.
All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time!
Glory: God’s infinite worth, honorableness, beauty, splendor.
Majesty: God’s royal, kingly dignity.
Power and authority: God’s ability to do anything He wants – and everything He wants is right and good and beautiful.
And all of these wonderful things that are true about God are eternal. Before creation, God possessed these attributes. He possesses them now. He will possess them forever. Generations pass. Nations rise and fall. False teachers come and go. God remains the same forever – glorious, majestic, powerful and supremely authoritative.
The battle against false teachers is real, and we must defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to His holy people. But our ultimate confidence isn’t in our discernment or our ability to protect ourselves. It’s in the God who saves us, protects us, and who will bring us with great joy into His glorious presence without a single fault. Our future rests securely in the hands of our great God and Savior.
Truly, all glory belongs to Him alone now and forever. Amen? Amen.
Let’s pray:
Father, thank You for the mercy You’ve shown us. Teach us to show that same mercy to others. Help us notice those whose faith is wavering, and gently fan that flickering flame back to life. Give us courage to rescue those drifting toward the flames of judgment, speaking truth in love. And where sin has taken hold, help us show mercy with caution, so we’re not pulled in ourselves.
Thank You that You are able to keep us from falling away, and that You will bring us into Your glorious presence with great joy, without a single fault.
You alone are God and our Savior through Messiah Yeshua our Lord. Truly, all glory, majesty, power, and authority belong to You, before all time, now, and forever.
Amen.