Forgery of Faith

INTRODUCTION:

On April 10, 1912, the RMS Titanic set out from Southampton, England, bound for New York City. 

It was the largest ship in the world, hailed as a floating palace of steel. Newspapers called it “unsinkable.”

There were 2,200+ people on board. The dining rooms sparkled with fine china. The air was filled with music, laughter, and the confidence that nothing could go wrong.

On April 14, Titanic received at least six iceberg warnings from nearby ships. Some were passed to the bridge. Others never made it past the wireless room.

Six warnings… one day… all ignored. That night, Titanic struck an iceberg. It had been spotted earlier but 90% of the ice was beneath the surface.

What looked like a small, manageable threat ripped a long 300-foot gash in her side. Within hours, the “unsinkable” ship lay at the bottom of the Atlantic, and over 1,500 lives were lost.

The greatest dangers are often unseen and the gravest warnings go unheeded.

Set The Table

The Titanic didn’t sink because of what was visible — it sank because of what was hidden.

The danger wasn’t in what could be seen, but in what lurked beneath the surface.

The letter of Jude offers a similar warning about a similar threat to the Jewish Christians in Judea.

There were outside threats like political persecution but the greatest dangers were lurking within. Certain people, he says, have “crept in unnoticed.”

They spoke like believers. But under the surface was a heart of rebellion, shameless immorality and a inclination to lead others astray.

As we’ve seen in prior weeks, Jude was not unclear about the danger they faced. His letter is marked by descriptive condemnations.

Last week he likened the threat to three men from the Old Testament: Cain, Balaam and Korah.

This week he will transition to the present day threat and the nature of those who were more fake than they were faithful.

He gives us six unforgettable word pictures. Each one exposes the true nature of these people.

Jude 11–13 CSB

11 Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, have plunged into Balaam’s error for profit, and have perished in Korah’s rebellion. 12 These people are dangerous reefs at your love feasts as they eat with you without reverence. They are shepherds who only look after themselves. They are waterless clouds carried along by winds; trees in late autumn—fruitless, twice dead and uprooted. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shameful deeds; wandering stars for whom the blackness of darkness is reserved forever.

Just like sailors learned to read the waters for hidden ice, Jude calls us to learn how to spot the difference between fake faith and the faithful

The cost of ignoring it is far too high.

If you want to tell fake Christians apart from the faithful you’ve got to look beneath the surface. The absence of fruit points to faith that is fake. That is the warning of Jude.

WARNING: A life without fruit points to faith that is fake.

SIX DIFFERENT METAPHORS

Jude had already exposed these apostates for the lack of genuine faith but in our text today he goes even further.

The imagery barrage (reefs, clouds, waves, stars…) is not random; it’s the kind of metaphor-stacking you find in OT woe oracles.

In Jude’s context it was a style of writing known as “invective.” It was designed to ridicule and unmask opponents before announcing an inevitable judgment (vv. 14–15).

He is not just making a complaint, he’s delivering a verdict. It’s a masterful way of painting your opponent and their moral deficiency.

Sometimes it’s not enough to just see and avoid evil. You must also call it out so others can be spared.

That’s what we’re going to do this morning. 6 portraits of fake faith and it’s opposite.

Let’s begin by listing the six portraits. .

Hidden reefs

Selfish shepherds

Waterless clouds

Fruitless Trees

Foaming Waves

Wandering Stars

Hidden Reefs

The first metaphor is that of a hidden reef. The KJV/NKJV/NIV use the word, “spots.”

A hidden reef is dangerous.

The image behind the Greek word (spilades) is nautical.

In the ancient world, a reef or submerged rock could sink a ship in seconds. Sailors feared them because - unlike a storm or sandbar - they were unseen.

That’s what “fake faith” is like, especially among “leaders.” On the surface, they blend in with the rest of the church.

They show up for worship.

They eat at the “love feasts” — the early church’s fellowship meals, likely including the Lord’s Supper.

But notice Jude says they do so “without reverence.” (ESV: without fear).

It’s not that they’re unafraid of being found out by others. It’s that they’re unafraid of God or his judgment!

These people don’t just have destructive and hidden sins. They live as if their sin doesn’t matter, as if God doesn’t care, as if they will never be held to account.

They were brazen in their hypocrisy and acted like it didn’t matter. They had no fear of God.

FAKE FAITH = COVERT & HAUGHTY

These people are fully content to continue in sin. In doing so, their attitude corrupts other people at the table.

This is what carnal/fleshly Christianity does. It breeds a culture whereby grace is cheap and sin is trivial and Christian’s are not much different than the culture.

They’re covert and haughty. This is spiritual arrogance: using the community’s trust as cover for their wickedness.

Humble & Candid

If that’s what fake faith looks like then how should genuine faith live?

Just take the negative example and flip it on it’s head.

If a hidden-reef deceives other people about the danger beneath the surface, a true believer is open and honest, ensuring their sin doesn’t surface or cause harm.

1 John says that “our fellowship with one another” requires a commitment to “walk in the light.” (1 John 1:7)

Until sin be bitter God’s grace can’t be sweet.

In place of a haughty spirit we need a spirit of humility. Instead of concealing our brokenness we should be candid and open.

Fake Faith = Covert & Haughty

Real Faith = Humble and Candid

Candid Christians aren’t perfect! They just refuse to be deceptive. Knowing there are no perfect Christians, they are willing to share their struggles.

They are unsettled by their sin. They confess quickly and openly because they know God is gracious.

Not only will God forgive them of sin but he will cleanse them from unrighteousness. ( 1 John 1:9; James 5:16)

Are you hiding any “below the waterline” sins in your life? Is your casual attitude about your sin leading another to shipwreck their faith?

Who, in your life, knows the REAL you and has freedom to call you out.

Imagine the power of a community that is humble and candid about their brokenness and struggles. We may be weak but our savior is strong.

Selfish Shepherds

Jude’s second metaphor is that of a selfish sheperd (lit. shepherding themselves)

A selfish shepherd is exploitative.

Shepherding is an inherently others-centered role.

A shepherd’s eyes are outward, scanning the flock for danger, finding green pastures, protecting from predators.

In the OT, God Himself is the model shepherd (Ps. 23; Ezek. 34:11–16), and in the NT, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd…who lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

To “shepherd yourself” flips the role on its head. It’s like a fireman who saves himself first, or a soldier who abandons his post to seek comfort.

These people are entrusted with the care of others, but they treat the sheep as a resource to be consumed.

Whether its for financial gain, emotional support, or personal platform people are a resource not a stewardship.

Jude’s imagery here echoes Ezekiel 34:2-4 

Ezekiel 34:2–4 CSB

2 “…Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who have been feeding themselves! Shouldn’t the shepherds feed their flock? 3 You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened animals, but you do not tend the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost. Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty.

Fake Faith = Greedy & Selfish

These shepherds don’t feed the sheep; they feed on the sheep. They use people to advance their own comfort, reputation, or agenda.

They might speak the language of ministry, but their ministry is aimed inward, not outward. Like parasites, they draw life from others but give nothing back.

Selfless and Caring

May that never be true of us!

Our Lord has all of the power and privilege in the world and yet “came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom.”

What he embodied in his life he calls us to in community.

We don’t use people for our advantage. We don’t use our position to “Lord over people.”

A selfless and caring believer will use whatever influence or resources they have to strengthen others through service.

Jesus told his disciples, “let the one who desires to be greatest among you be the one who leads in serving.”

Fake Faith = Greedy & Selfish

Real Faith - Selfless and Giving

While this should be MOST true of Lead Shepherds (like me) it is also true for every Christian to the degree that they are shepherding.

One of the core values of our church at Broadview is to “build CARING communities that SERVE like Jesus.”

A husband is a pastor/shepherd of his home: dying to himself and serving his wife and children.

A mother is a shepherd to her children, she doesn’t exploit them for self-advancement. She denies herself for their good!

Older believers shepherd the younger. Friends shepherd one another by warning, encouraging, and protecting.

Application:

Do you view people as a means to an end or as souls entrusted to your care?

Are you invested in the spiritual well-being of those around you, or do you only engage when there’s something in it for you?

Selfless care means your schedule and comfort are not ultimate — love is.

Rainless Clouds

The next metaphor is “clouds without water blown by the wind.”

A waterless cloud is deceptive.

We’ve all seen these kind of clouds in West Texas! They promise refreshment but deliver nothing, unstable and all show.

In an arid, agricultural society, a dark rain cloud was a sign of hope. Crops depended on them. Families prayed for them.

The sight of one would send people’s hearts leaping — refreshment is coming!

But these clouds are dry. They have the appearance of life-giving potential but deliver nothing. They build expectations, then shatter them.

Proverbs 25:14 captures it well: 

Proverbs 25:14 CSB

14 The one who boasts about a gift that does not exist is like clouds and wind without rain.

Faith Fake = Boastful & Disappointing

The addition “carried along by winds” deepens the image.

These people are directionless, at the mercy of whatever cultural wind or theological trend blows next.

The same Greek phrase appears in Ephesians 4:14 for immature believers “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine.”

Their theology is built on trends, culture and fads. They don’t engage the Scripture. They scratch the itching ears.

They speak confidently about blessings, freedom and spiritual power but there is no real Gospel substance behind that rhetoric. They’re driven by hype instead of holiness, style instead of Scripture.

The only thing a cloud without water is useful for is it looks pretty. It’s an empty suit. No substance. NO support. No help.

Dutiful & Helpful

A true believer, however, delivers on what he promises. Instead of leaving others dry they bring refreshment.

True faith doesn’t just talk about grace it gives it. They don’t just talk about holiness they show it.

They’re not hearers of the Word only, they’re doers as well. They - like Isaiah said of the Word of God - do not return void but accomplish that which God intends for them to accomplish.

Fake Faith = Hollow & Disappointing

Real Faith = Dependable and Beneficial

They bring personal refreshment though tangible encouragement, biblical counsel, prayer and ministry presence.

As I said about our core value at Broadview, “we build caring communities that SERVE like Jesus.”

We don’t just want to talk the talk we want to walk the walk. That’s one way you can distinguish the real from the fake.

Application:

Do people leave their interactions with you spiritually refreshed, or spiritually thirsty?

Are you rooted in the Word enough to stay the course when “winds” of opinion or trend blow hard?

When you speak words of encouragement or promise prayer, do you follow through?

Don’t be a dangerous reef - be a light house of righteousness.

Don’t be a waterless cloud - be a waterfall of service to others.

Dead Trees

The third analogy is that of a fruitless tree. Jude 12 “…trees in late autumn—fruitless, twice dead and uprooted.”

Late‑season trees should be heavy with fruit; instead, these are barren.

What good is an apple tree that never bears any apples? It’s ineffective!

A fruitless tree is impotent.

Jesus used the same kind of picture when He cursed the fig tree in Mark 11. From a distance, it had leaves — the sign of life — but when He came close, there was nothing to eat. The tree looked alive, but it was functionally dead.

Jude adds three layers to the indictment: It adds more color and detail to the picture.

Fruitless — failing in their God-given purpose.

Twice dead — not just barren, but spiritually lifeless at the root.

Uprooted — disconnected from the source of life, with no hope of revival.

“Twice dead” likely points to final judgment (“second death”), with “uprooted” clinching the image.

Uprooted trees don’t even provide shade during summer! Uprooted is also a metaphor for judgment. (Ps 52:5; Pro 2:22)

This is “fake faith” in full bloom — all appearance, no substance.

They may have a religious vocabulary, a place in the assembly, even a history of activity… but there’s no abiding in Christ, no Spirit-produced fruit.

Fake Faith = Fruitless & Rotten

When a tree bears rotten fruit or no fruit at all, it’s not just useless — it can be harmful.

Rotten fruit attracts pests, spreads disease, and can infect the healthy trees around it.

These false believers don’t just fail to nourish others; their lifeless example can demoralize the faithful.

Rooted & Fruitful

The opposite is a believer who is rooted — planted deep in Christ, drawing daily nourishment from His Word and Spirit.

Psalm 1:3 paints the picture:

Psalm 1:3 CSB

3 He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

Fake Faith = Fruitless & Rotten

Real Faith = Rooted & Fruitful

Rooted believers are fruitful because they abide in the True Vine (John 15:5).

The life of Christ flows through them, producing visible, tangible love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

It’s one of our discipleship measures at Broadview Baptist Church. Disciples of Jesus (1) Abide in the Word, (2) Love One Another and (3) Bear Much Fruit.

This isn’t self-made fruit; it’s Spirit-grown fruit. And the harvest blesses others — strengthening the weak, feeding the hungry, refreshing the weary.

Application

Are you producing spiritual fruit, or just religious leaves?

What “nutrients” are you drawing from — God’s Word and Spirit, or the empty soil of self-reliance?

In what ways is your life nourishing others in the body of Christ?

Foaming Waves

Jude’s fifth metaphor is: “wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shameful deeds.” Jude 13

The picture is of a storm-tossed shoreline after a violent surge — littered with debris, trash, and filth churned up from the depths.

Foaming Waves are DISRUPTIVE.

Jude’s hearers, familiar with the unpredictable and dangerous Mediterranean, would instantly recognize the image.

The “wild” waves are restless, unrestrained, and driven by chaotic forces.

Instead of carrying life-giving trade ships into harbor, they batter the shore and leave pollution behind.

Their presence contaminates the waters and soils the shore. If hidden reefs deceive and destroy then wild waves disrupt and defile.

In Isaiah 57:20, the prophet says,

Isaiah 57:20 CSB

20 But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea, for it cannot be still, and its water churns up mire and muck.

Fake Faith = Chaotic & Defiling

These people’s lives are not marked by peace, order, or purity, but by disorder, instability, and moral pollution.

Like waves that never rest, their inner turmoil spills over into destructive words, reckless choices, and shameful deeds — and those deeds leave a residue.

Do you understand what I’m talking about with these people? The chaos in their life spills over and affects everyone else.

They “foam up” — a verb used of surf that splashes and leaves frothy scum. Their moral wreckage spreads to the shoreline of the community.

BY nature they are pollutive. The storms don’t CREATE their moral filth. They just create conditions so that what was below comes to the surface.

Imagine the footage of a Florida beach the day after a hurricane. It’s littered with seaweed, trash and bloated fish remains. It takes weeks to restore the shoreline. But the storm didn’t cause the pollution - it just brought what was hidden up to the surface.

That’s exactly how the “wild waves” Jude warns about operate. They churn up and spread the hidden corruption of their hearts.

Disciplined & Cleansing

But the follower of Jesus should be just the opposite — when storms hit our life it produces something else.

Our waves are not “wild” because the Prince of Peace rules our heart. He speaks to the storm, “Cease. Be still.”

The opposite of chaotic waves is a life well-ordered under the Lordship of Christ — disciplined, steady, and marked by true peace.

Our lives don’t defile the environment around us. Instead, our life should have a cleansing affect. Contact with a true Christian - even in storms - refreshes, purifies, and establishes peace.

Fake Faith = Chaotic & Defiling

Real Faith = Disciplined & Considerate.

The faithful believer, indwelt by the Spirit, brings life-giving refreshment to others.

Instead of stirring up filth, a Christian seeks to redeem. Allowing Christ to restore what was lost to sin and brokenness.

Application:

What is the wake you leave behind in conversations with other people?

Do your decisions and relationships create chaos and bring defilement? Or, do they establish a calming sense of peace?

Do your habits and lifestyle show Christ’s peace and order, or do they broadcast chaos and instability?

Are there polluted places in your own life where Christ’s cleansing work needs to flow?

Wandering Stars

The last analogy by Jude is that of “wandering stars”

In antiquity, “wandering stars” referred to planets, comets, or meteors that deviated from the fixed celestial order.

In navigation, stars were fixed reference points; wandering bodies were unreliable and potentially misleading.

Jude is using this language to describe unstable or morally adrift people. They may know God’s design and created order but they refuse to live by it.

Wandering Stars are erratic.

But this description isn’t just about unpredictability; it’s about false guidance.

These individuals appear to shine, but they’re doing so outside of God’s created order or will.

They have no anchor point in Christ, no submission to God’s design, no stability in sound doctrine. Like shooting stars, they dazzle briefly but fade into nothing.

Jude’s phrase “blackness of darkness forever” intensifies the warning — it’s eternal separation from the Light, the very fate they lead others toward.

This is the trajectory of spiritual erraticism: not just personal ruin, but the ruin of anyone misled by them.

Those who were meant to guide instead misguided those they led. As a result, their destiny matched their nature.

GPS that sends you into a lake; a lighthouse that moves with the tide; a “star” in Christian celebrity culture whose course ends in moral collapse.

Fake Faith = Trackless and Fickle

They are “trackless” because they have no fixed course in God’s Word. They are “fickle” because their commitments shift with convenience or cultural pressure.

You can’t set your course by them because they’re driven by personal impulse rather than God’s will.

Faithful & True

The opposite is a life fixed on the Morning Star, Jesus Christ. Revelation 22:16

Jude’s analogy of wandering stars seems to contrast with Balaam’s prophecy (who he mentioned in verse 11) Num 24:17

Numbers 24:17 CSB

17 I see him, but not now; I perceive him, but not near. A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will smash the forehead of Moab and strike down all the Shethites.

The morning star is the first star you see after the darkness of night. It’s portends that the day is coming and night will be no more.

To call Jesus the “Morning Star” is to declare Him the promised ruler who will bring light after the world’s long night.

It represents the prophetic promise that Christ will come again. True Christians live with that forward looking orientation. The darkness of night is only temporary.

He who is faithful and true will soon return.

Fake Faith = Trackless & Fickle

Real Fatih = Faithful and True.

To live faithful and true means to reflect the constancy and guidance of Christ in our own lives.

We do not drift or flicker out like a meteor; we shine with a steady, God-oriented light.

Faithful: Grounded in God’s Word, consistent in prayer, steady in our devotion, enduring through trials and tribulations.

True: Our life is aligned with the truth of God’s Word. We refuse to distort it for personal comfort or gain. We live the truth as a concrete example of Jesus and his love.

When a believer is faithful and true, they become a secondary guiding light — not the source, but the reflection — pointing others toward the ultimate Light

Application

Just as sailors take their bearings from fixed stars, Christians navigate by the unchanging Christ revealed in Scripture.

Is your life a point of reference for other people? Your consistency in prayer, doctrine, and love keeps others from being tossed about.

A wandering star burns bright but briefly; a fixed star endures for a lifetime. Faithful and true believers aren’t about flash but finish.

CONCLUSION:

In 1912, the Titanic ignored six separate warnings in a single day. Each one was a chance to slow down, change course, and save lives.

But they kept steaming ahead, confident nothing could touch them… until it did. And when it did, it was too late to turn back.

Jude’s letter is God’s way of putting six warnings in our lap; Not about icebergs, but fakes in the local church.

These are people and patterns that, left unchecked, sink a church, ruin a testimony, and shipwreck a soul.

Six warnings. Six dangers. Six ways to shipwreck a soul if we refuse to pay attention.

But Jude doesn’t just give us a list of negatives. In every image, we see the contrast of real faith — the kind Christ produces in His people:

Humble and candid like a lighthouse above the reef.

Selfless and giving like the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep.

Dutiful and beneficial like clouds that pour out refreshing rain.

Rooted and fruitful like a tree planted by streams of living water.

Disciplined and considerate like waves that purify and restore the shore.

Faithful and true like the Morning Star, steady and guiding until the day dawns.

The difference between the two isn’t subtle — it’s night and day. And the gap between them is the gap between spiritual life and death.

Which path are you on? Are we listening to the warnings, or brushing them off as if they’re for someone else?

If you realize there’s some “fake faith” in you — hidden sin, selfish motives, lack of fruit where it matters — the good news is it’s not too late to change course.

The grace of God in Christ is strong enough to cleanse you, root you, and make you fruitful again.

But you can’t ignore the warnings. You have to humble yourself, repent, and fix your eyes on Jesus — the Bright Morning Star — and follow Him with a steady and obedient heart.

The day is coming when the night will be over Let’s be the people who navigate there faithfully — not wrecked, not drifting, not lost — but guided safely home by the One who never fails.