How to Recognize Self-Serving Spiritual Leaders | Jude 11–13

Our text today is Jude 11-13

Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever. — Jude 11-13

Not every spiritual voice wants to help you. Some want to use you.

That sounds harsh, but Jude is not interested in softening the truth. These false teachers had worked their way into the church, used spiritual language, and gained their trust. But underneath it all, they were serving themselves.

So Jude reaches back into the Old Testament and gives us three names:

1. Cain.
2. Balaam.
3. Korah.

Three men. Three different stories. But one shared problem. They wanted something from God without wanting to live under God.

So take Cain. Cain worshiped God, but he wanted to worship on his own terms. When God accepted Abel’s offering and confronted Cain’s heart, Cain refused to repent. He became angry, jealous, and ultimately violent.

Cain’s problem was not simply that he had strong emotions. His problem was that he refused correction. God warned him that "sin was crouching at the door." But he walked through the door anyway. That is the way of Cain.

It looks religious on the outside but resists God on the inside. It compares, competes, and resents anyone whose faithfulness exposes its compromise. And when pride will not accept correction, it eventually turns against the person telling the truth.

Then Jude mentions Balaam. We talked about him in our last study. Balaam was a spiritual man with a greed problem. He knew how to speak about God, but money kept pulling at his heart.

He wanted the reward offered by a pagan king, so he kept searching for a way to get paid without appearing to disobey God. And when he could not curse Israel directly, he helped draw them toward compromise. We call it Balaam’s error. Using spiritual influence for personal gain.

Today, that may look like someone using God’s name to build a platform, manipulate an audience, sell a promise, or pressure people into giving. The problem is exploitation. It is telling people what they want to hear because it keeps them watching, clicking, buying, or giving. And it's everywhere today.

Then Jude brings up Korah.

Korah rejected the authority God had established through Moses and Aaron. He gathered people around himself, questioned their leadership, and presented his rebellion as though it were a righteous cause.

That is what rebellion often does. It rarely introduces itself by saying, “I’m ambitious and unwilling to submit.” It usually sounds more spiritual than that, like “I’m standing up for what is right.”

But Korah was not correcting ungodly leadership. He was rejecting God’s order because he wanted more authority for himself.

So here is what we have. Cain refused correction. Balaam used spiritual influence for gain. Korah rejected authority to gain power. And Jude says the false teachers followed all these paths.

Then he gives us a series of pictures, and none of them are flattering.

They are hidden reefs. A hidden reef sits below the surface where no one can see it. Everything looks safe until a ship strikes it and breaks apart.

That is what deceptive teaching does. It does not always look dangerous at first. But beneath the surface, it can wreck faith, families, churches, and lives.

They are shepherds feeding themselves. A shepherd is supposed to protect and feed the sheep. But these leaders were using the sheep to feed their own appetites. They took more than they gave. They wanted the position without the sacrifice.

They are waterless clouds. They look promising. They sound promising. But when thirsty people come looking for water, there is nothing there. A lot of spiritual content works this way. It creates excitement without substance. It offers inspiration without truth. It promises a breakthrough without repentance, maturity, or obedience. It looks like rain, but nothing gets wet or grows.

They are fruitless trees. Plenty of appearance. No fruit. That is why Jesus told us to pay attention to fruit. Not charisma. Not confidence. Fruit. Does this person’s life increasingly reflect humility, holiness, truth, love, self-control, and submission to Christ?

Jude also calls them wild waves and wandering stars. Wild waves make noise and throw debris onto the shore. Wandering stars offer no reliable direction.

This passage makes me seriously examine my own heart. It is easy to read Jude and think about corrupt pastors, celebrity teachers, or manipulative ministries. But I also have to ask whether I am serving people or using them. Am I pointing people toward Jesus, or quietly drawing attention toward myself?

That is a question every spiritual leader should ask. Every pastor, teacher, small-group leader, parent, and every believer. Because influence always carries responsibility. So be careful who you follow. But also be careful how you lead.

Do not be impressed by the cloud. Look for rain.
Do not be impressed by the leaves. Look for fruit.
Do not be impressed by the platform. Look for a shepherd who looks like Jesus.

DO THIS:

Choose one spiritual voice you regularly listen to—a pastor, teacher, author, podcaster, or online influencer. Do not evaluate charisma or popularity. Examine the fruit. Ask: Does this person consistently point me toward Jesus, Scripture, repentance, and obedience—or toward themselves, their platform, and their promises?

ASK THIS:

1. What warning from Cain, Balaam, or Korah do you most need to take seriously in your own life?
2. Have you ever confused charisma, confidence, or popularity with spiritual maturity?
3. In the areas where you have influence, are you genuinely serving people or quietly using them to meet your own needs?

PRAY THIS:

Jesus, protect me from deceptive voices, expose every selfish motive in me, and teach me to serve others with the humility and sacrifice of a faithful shepherd. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

More Like Jesus.