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What stops you from telling others about Jesus? Is it the fear of rejection, or just a busy distraction? Discover how the Holy Spirit can empower you with explosive courage. Learn how to step out of your comfort zone, ask spiritual questions, and experience the thrill of bringing someone to Christ.

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Praying to God should be the delight of every Christian—as natural as breathing. But as every believer knows, there are seasons of life when praying consistently isn’t easy. So how do you cultivate the type of prayer life that honors the Lord? Get answers as John MacArthur continues his study called Don’t Be Afraid to Ask.

Chaplain Ted Stackpole shares his family’s journey of welcoming six adopted children into their home. He compares fostering to a mission field, encouraging believers to consider foster care and adoption. He also acknowledges the importance of supporting families who have adopted or fostered.

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Do you have a story or comment on how Focus on the Family impacted you or your family? Leave a message for Jim Daly!

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Imagine driving past a house on fire and doing nothing. Spiritually, many of us do this every day. Discover how to open your eyes to the deeper, unmet spiritual needs of the people in your life, and learn how to view others through the same lens of intense compassion that drove Jesus' ministry.

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Now that the election results are in, what can you do as a christian to survive a post-christian America.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Jude 1:11

False doctrine is poisonous to the Church of Jesus Christ; it is the devil’s preferred way of infiltrating the Church and destroying it from within.

The Book of Jude reveals the marks of apostasy. Apostates are like snakes in the garden, hiding in the grass, preparing to strike.

An apostate is someone who has received the truth and rejected it—and has begun ridiculing it.

Jude 11 says, “Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.”

This verse mentions three men who illustrate the marks of an apostate: Cain, Balaam, and Korah.

The first snake in the garden is Cain, who represents those who pervert the Gospel.

In Genesis 4, Cain murdered his brother Abel out of jealousy. Abel, who understood the things of God, had offered to the Lord a blood sacrifice, which pleased Him. Cain, who did not understand the things of God, brought the fruit of the ground, which represented his own efforts.

Adrian Rogers says, “There are only two religions: the true and the false—one is the way of Cain, and the other is the way of the cross.”

The second snake in the garden is Balaam, who represents those who prostitute the Gospel.

In Numbers 22-25, the very clever and gifted prophet Balaam, exploited the message of God for his personal advantage. This story is not arguing against paying those in ministry positions. Rather, it condemns those who will do anything for personal gain, including prostituting the Gospel.

The final snake in the garden is Korah, representing those who protested the Gospel.

In Numbers 1, Korah protested Moses and Aaron, God’s appointed prophet and priest. Korah did not respect their authority, so he rallied others to defy the prophetic message and priestly mediator God had established.

Apostates seek to replace the truth with false religion, but like Korah, they stand on shaky ground; God is not pleased and will not be replaced.

This is why we must know the truth of Scripture and live accordingly, lest we find ourselves struck by the snakes in the garden—or worse, become one.

Apply it to your life

We must know the marks of an apostate to recognize the snakes in the garden. Learn the truth and abide by it, living accordingly.

Psalms 3–8 E1 — We’re starting a short series on Psalms 3–8, the next literary bundle following the introduction to the Psalms scroll. Psalm 3 begins with a very specific heading that informs how we should read it: “A psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom.” What story does the heading refer to and how does it help us interpret David’s words in the psalm? In this episode, Jon and Tim explore David and Absalom’s debacle in 2 Samuel, alongside a desperate yet hope–filled psalm from the king’s darkest hour.

PSALMS 3–8 BIBLEPROJECT TRANSLATION

View Tim’s full translation of Psalms 3–8.

CHAPTERS

1. Overview of Psalm 3 (0:00–14:46)
2. Verses 1–4 and the Story Behind the Psalm (14:46–31:55)
3. Verses 5–7 and Comparisons to Psalm 2 (31:55–1:01:33)

OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

View this episode’s official transcript.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

• Jon and Tim reference our short series on Psalms 1 & 2.
• Check out Tim's extensive collection of recommended books here.

SHOW MUSIC

• “Solace” by Lofi Sunday feat. ahmo
• “Gentle Lamb” by Lofi Sunday feat. Yoni Charis
• BibleProject theme song by TENTS 

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey and Aaron Olsen edited today’s episode and provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty wrote the show notes. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie.

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