In Times Of Pressure, Stand Firm In The Lord | Marty Ocaya | October 25, 2026

0:00 Have you ever felt pressured to compromise your faith just to fit in with the world in a culture where it's becoming harder to stand for what is right? How can we remain faithful to God? You know, as we wrap up our minor league major impact series, let's discover powerful truths from the book of Jude and learn how to stand firm in the Lord by remembering his justice, recognizing his authority, and remaining in his presence. No matter what pressures we face, we can trust that God is able to keep us from stumbling and help us stand firm in our faith. Be encouraged and reminded that even small acts of obedience can make a major impact for God's glory. Watch this video.

0:53 As we close our series on minor league major impact, let me explain why this is the title of this series and how it's connected to the youth month. Now the reason why this is the title of the series because there are a lot of people they feel that their contribution to God's kingdom is insignificant. So they get insecure. My skills are not that big. I'm not that talented. I don't think I can contribute a lot to the kingdom of God. But that's why we're going through different books that are short. And the importance is not how much we can contribute. The importance is our obedience. Look at this statement. We have no idea of the major impact that a minor act of obedience can

1:42 have. What God wants from us is our heart. We obey. No matter how small that is. And some young people they feel insecure, insignificant, no matter your age, whether you're too young or you're too old or whatever you feel, as long as you do the minor act of obedience, I believe God can expand that. Look at the books that we have studied so far. These are short books. In the Old Testament, they are called minor prophets. Minor doesn't mean insignificant but mean it means that they have short books. For example, Habac had three have three chapters. Hagi only two chapters. The book of Joel three chapters. These books are short but the impact is not just in

2:30 the lives of the Israelites but even until today the impact is happening. And that's why as we close this series we are going to look at another book. This book is not in the Old Testament. It is not a minor prophet, but it is in the New Testament and it's one of the shortest books in the Bible. Only one chapter. So, we're going to look at the book of Jude. Now, who is Jude? Here's a brief description of Jude. Jude is a brother of Jesus. Some scholars would say halfbrother because Jesus is the son of God, but regardless, he was a brother of Jesus. And at first he did not believe in Jesus. Why? A older brother making miracles. Of course, for him, I

3:17 grew up with this guy. I don't think he's the Messiah. So, he rejected that idea until the resurrection. When Jesus died and he rose again, it convinced him. It changed his mind. It changed his heart. You see the resurrection is the pinnacle the core that will convince us that Jesus is indeed the savior and lord. So as a result of that he became one of the leaders of the early church together with his brother James who wrote the book of James and he wrote a brief letter one chapter only the book of Jude. Now the question is why did he write that letter? What was his intention? You see, he was bothered.

4:05 That's why he wrote that. He was bothered with what's happening in the early church. And the reason why he wrote it is so relevant to our situation today. You know why he wrote it? Because look at this. Everyone is pressured to conform to the patterns of this world. Do you know that? that every single person whether it's in the past it's in the early church or today we are conformed to we are pressured to conform to the patterns the ways of the world to compromise to give in what's my proof do you know statistically today there are more and more people addicted to online gambling I did a research 66% of ages 18

4:51 to 24 years old all over the Philippines are doing online gambling. How come there are a lot of people today into debt? How come there are a lot of people today they don't have money anymore? They spend so much on online gambling because of the pressures of the world. How come there are more and more people not wanting to get married? Instead, they just want to live in with their partner because of the pressures of the world. How come there are more and more leaders into corruption even though they know it's hurting our country? Why are they doing that? Because of the pressures of the world. And how come more and more people in the schools, they're hurting fellow students? We hear news like that. And more and more people as well, they

5:37 want to give up on their life because of the pressures that we are facing here on earth. Let me give you some of those pressures. I divided it into two parts. The external pressure and the internal. The external is what you call outside the church. Look at the pressures we are all everybody they're experiencing. For example, crisis in our country, in this world. So people make this as their justification. Pastor Marty, the life right now is so hard. Look at what's happening in the world and there are people compromising. let me just join their compromises because if I don't compromise, I won't have the money. If I don't compromise, I won't get what I want. So, they make this as a

6:23 justification. How come they're doing it and I can't do it? It's okay to do it a little bit. So, the compromises are happening because of the external pressure. Another one is what you call ungodly influencers. I mean, these are just some examples. When I say ungodly influencers, let's say there are people that you follow online. There are influencers that you love to watch, love to get to know, and then let's say you have a solid biblical conviction. Let's say your conviction is you're not going to do immoral things. But then your idol that you follow, social influencer, social media influencer, suddenly posts things about his relationship with someone and they're not married, but they're enjoying their relationship.

7:09 They're living in together and they're enjoying. So some young people, their mindship minds, their mindset shifts. It changes. Instead of going back to the scripture now, they're starting to argue, "Oh, how come that's working? How come it seems like they're doing not according to the Bible, but they're happy now? They are being pressured to do something that's wrong. What about social media? What about wrong friends? I remember this story of this young lady. He grew up in she grew up in church and she made the commitment in high school. So, she was so committed to the Lord. She made a commitment. I'm not going to be in a romantic relationship while I'm still studying. And she also made a commitment. I'm not going to be in a romantic relationship when with

7:55 let's say I graduate already. I'm not going to be in a romantic relationship with somebody who doesn't love the Lord. He she was so solid with that conviction. So throughout high school, no romantic relationship. Didn't entertain any guys. But come college, she became surrounded by the wrong crowd. Convincing her that it's okay to have a romantic relationship when you're still studying. It's okay to like this guy who is pursuing you because there was a guy pursuing her and the guy doesn't love the Lord. But because the guy was handsome, the guy was persistent. Eventually the girl gave her heart and not just her heart, her purity and there were consequences. As a result of that, she became so far away from God. Why did that happen? Because of the

8:44 influences in this world. And the reality is this. There will be pressures that we are all going to face. But to make matters even worse, okay, to make matters even worse, I mean this is already hard external pressure. And these are not the only the external pressure that we face. To make matters even harder, there is what we call internal pressures inside the church that causes us to compromise. For example, compromising quote unquote Christians. The reason why I put quote in quote there because I don't know if they are really Christians. But this is what you call those people who know a lot about the Bible but they don't live it out. This is the people that goes to church on a

9:30 regular basis. They're part of a small group. Maybe they're serving but they don't live out Christian values. There's no Christlikeness. There's no transformation. And that's reality. We're not here to point fingers. Who are those people? But we need to be aware because some people they are pressured. Oh, how come he's a Christian but he's acting like that? Might as well act like that too. So we are being pressured. Another one are people in the church that will hurt you and me. Now let me ask you who among you you've been hurt by people in the church. Can you raise your hand? You've been hurt by the people in the church. Wow. There are many people who didn't raise their hand. Don't worry. You're going to get hurt by the people of the church because the re that's the reality. We are all imperfect

10:17 people. We're going to get hurt. We're going to get disappointed because sometimes we have expectations of people who are attending the church. We feel like they're not going to make a mistake. But we make mistakes. I remember before when my when I was watching my son uh cuz he's part of the varsity team of Lai. So when I was watching him play basketball and I'm the type of person that I am loud when I cheer for my team. I'm loud. I'm very expressive. So I was cheering for my team whenever they score. Whenever my son scores, yeah, I I'm loud. I'm cheering them. You can do this. You can win this game. But then the game was so close and it reached the overtime. And since I was intense, and I have to be honest with you, I started trash talking the other team. [gasps] I was telling

11:03 the other team cuz there's only one guy there who's really good in the opponent's side. There was this one boy. He's the one that's really good. He was the one who's making so much scores. So, I kept telling the team, "Just guard THAT GUY. GUARD THAT GUY. DON'T GUARD THE OTHER GUYS. THEY'RE NOT GOOD." IMAGINE, I WAS SAYING THAT out loud cuz I was passionate. I It was intense. And every time the guy misses a layup, I WILL CLAP MY HANDS. YES. RIGHT. SO, it just came out of me. I was I was so passionate and I was cheering my team. COME ON, BLOCK THAT SHOT. THEY'RE NOT GOING TO WIN. you can do this. And even the other LAI parents were approaching me. They were laughing and they were saying, "Okay, galang, pastor Marty, I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm

11:49 okay." But you know what? At the end of the game, we lost. I think only by two points overtime. I mean, it was so intense. So after the game, everybody, they were shaking hands, they were congratulating each other. And two boys from the other team went to our side and they approached me. And then they said, "Hi, Pastor Marty." Manu po. And I was like, "Oh, no." They heard me shout. I said, "Oh, wow. GOOD JOB." IMAGINE. I was so ashamed. [laughter] Okay. No, that's the reality, guys. We're not perfect. We make mistakes. We get disappointed by what we see from other people. Definitely, we're going to get hurt by the people of the church. And then there's also what we call false

12:34 teachers. These are wolves in sheep's clothing. They teach unbiblical things. They teach us not to focus on God, but to focus on themselves. Things that will draw us far away from the Lord. And these internal pressures are the reasons or is the reason why Jude wrote this letter. This is the reason why Jude wrote the letter. It's to warn the people. It's to prepare them. Look at what he said in Jude chapter 1:es 1 to3. Look at what it says here. He described himself Jude a bond servant of Jesus Christ, brother of James. And he was declaring to whom he's writing it to

13:20 those who are called beloved in God the Father kept for Jesus Christ. Those who are genuine Christians, followers of Jesus. Look at what he said. May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you. Beloved, he explained also his original intent. He was, I think, planning to write a longer letter. Look at what he says here. Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation. What do you mean by that? His original plan was just to encourage the people just like Paul. Our identity in Christ, the grace of the Lord, how God saved us. That was his original intent in writing the letter. But it shifted. It changed. Why? Look at the next part. I felt the necessity. I

14:08 need to write something else to write to you. Appealing. Look at the strong words. I'm appealing to you. What is he appealing on? That you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. That word contend means to struggle, to strive, to fight for the faith that was handed on to all of us. In other words, Jude knows that there was something happening in the early church that was causing them to stumble, causing them to compromise, causing them to leave their Christian values, Christian faith. And Jude is saying, I contend, please contend earnestly. Fight for the faith. Do not

14:55 give in to the pressures that we are experiencing. And based on this verse, this is our message today. What's our message? Let's read this together. In times of pressure, stand firm in the Lord. Can you tell your seat mate? One, two, three, go. In times, >> what do we do? Stand firm. Because here's here's the reality with all of us. We are all pressured to compromise. Whether you have been a Christian for so long, whether you're just new in your Christian faith, every single person is compromised. We we are pressured to compromise. That's why we need to stand firm in the Lord. And I'm so glad that Jude in his letter explained how we can

15:42 do that. In fact, the question that we're going to answer in this message is this. How do I stand firm when the pressures are so strong? cuz I know all of us are experiencing that even those people joining us online there's that pressure there's that temptation we already have a pressure internally inside of us and now the pressure is outside of us meaning to say outside the church and then inside the church there's also pressure to compromise how do I fight these things and be able to stand firm in the rest of that book one chapter Jude explained three things. How can we stand firm? Number one, we need to remember God's justice. Number two, we need to recognize God's authority.

16:28 And number three, we need to remain in God's presence. So, let's look at the first one. How can I stand firm in the midst of pressures that I'm experiencing here on earth? Number one, remember God's justice? Look at what Jude said in Jude 1:4. He explained the problem in the early church. What's the problem? Let's read it together. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed. We're not aware. They are inside the church already. Those who are these people who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation. These people are not genuine follower of Jesus. But they're inside the church. And look at the

17:14 description. They are ungodly persons who turn the grace of God into lensiousness and they deny our only master and lord Jesus Christ. And you know Paul also gave this warning. Paul gave this warning before he went back to Jerusalem. He was talking to the leaders in Ephesus and he explained in Acts chapter 20. This is what he said. Be on your guard for yourselves. In other words, be alert. You first. you guard yourself and also the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. So he was talking to the leaders. He was telling them protect yourselves. There's going to be wolves in sheep's clothing. There's going to be evil people in the

17:59 church. Just like in an airplane, put the mask on first and then put it let the others help the others put the mask on as well. So why is he saying that? You have been assigned by God as an overseer to shepherd the church of God which he purchased with his own blood. You know what Paul is saying? This is so important that we protect, we contend for our faith because Jesus died for these people. Jesus died for us. And you know why he's saying that? Look at verse 29. I know that after my departure, what's going to happen? Savage wolves will come in among us. among you is in the church. In other words, they're just like they're part of a maybe part of a small group. And then they will not

18:45 spare the flock. They will lure the flock to sin. They will lure other people to compromise. And from among your own selves, in other words, he was talking to the leaders. It could be a leader who doesn't really love the Lord. Men will arise speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them. Again, wolves in sheep's clothing. Can you ask your seatmate, do I look like a wolf? Of course, none of us here, okay, look like a wolf. And but I hope that and we're not here to point fingers. Oh, you're that guy is a wolf. That guy is a false teacher. No, what Jude and what Paul is saying here is we need to be careful. We need to be alert. And not just that, look at what he says here. Look at how he continued. But before that, let's read this quotation. There

19:32 are people who know a lot of Bible verses, but they don't what? Live it out. That's what Judah was saying. That's what Paul was saying. You can say the right things, but live the wrong way. And that's so dangerous. It's hurting the church. It's hurting the body of Christ. That's why he also explained, who are these people? These are the people that are ungodly and they turn the grace of God into what? Lensiousness. The word lensiousness doesn't mean license to sin. It means sensuality. It means filthy. It means sexual sins. These are the people who are doing

20:18 sensual sexual things in the body of Christ hurting the people. But also these are the people who take the grace of God for granted. You know what's so sad about this? They know God's grace. They have heard about God's sacrifice. They know the love of Jesus, but they still choose to sin. And the reality is sometimes we're guilty. Look at how we take for granted the grace of God. You know how we take for granted the grace of God? Look at the verse one. Here are some key examples that we see in the church. First, ungrateful behavior. You keep complaining, complaining, complaining. You go into the church, always complaining. Wherever you go, always complaining. I'm not saying it's wrong to complain. Complaining has its

21:03 place. At the right time, at the right place, definitely we can complain. But if always what comes out of our mouth is just negativity and complaining, then we are just like the Israelites. When they went out of Egypt, they've experienced the mana from God. They've experienced the power of the Lord, but they still complain. I want to go back to Egypt. I want my previous life. That's what you call ungratefulness. And that's the sin of rebellion. The sin that God dealt with with the Israelites. That's taking the grace of God for granted. Another one is this, holding grudges. There's bitterness. There's unforgiveness. You know why that's taking the grace of God for granted?

21:48 Imagine you know God has forgiven you. You know that God is gracious to you and you couldn't forgive other people. You cannot let go of your bitterness. That's taking the grace of God for granted. Have you ever noticed those people who have bitterness in their heart, unforgiveness in their heart, they sin more? Let me repeat. Those people that have grudges, bitterness, unforgiveness in their heart, they sin more. Paul mentioned this that when there is unforgiveness, there's a foothold of Satan in our hearts. Satan is not inside the heart, but his foot is outside the door and the door of our heart is open and other sins enter our hearts. That's

22:36 why it's taking the grace of God for granted. Another one is this living in sin. You already know adultery is wrong. You already know cheating is wrong. You already know that all of these evil practices are wrong, but you still keep on doing it even if you listen to messages like this. That's taking the grace of God for granted. And then you abuse the verse first John 1:9. Do you know first John 1:9? If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. There are people who grew up in Sunday school who know this verse and this is their justification. I'm going to sin, but I'm going to just pray. First John 1:9, first John 1:9. You know, eventually

23:22 you're going to be callous man. Eventually, the message doesn't affect you anymore. So whenever we do things like this then we take the grace of God for granted. Another one is this no evidence of life change. If there's no evidence of life change then I'm not sure if we truly accepted and received the grace of God. You know the reason why I'm also saying this because there are times there are so many people today or young people today that they feel like since they've received Jesus as their Lord and Savior for example they've accept accepted Jesus. Yes, I've accepted Jesus in my life as my Lord and Savior. They feel like they since they have the ticket to go to heaven. That's it. They can live their own life. I have the ticket to go to heaven. I can do

24:08 whatever that I want. It's okay. I'm saved anyway. You know, this is problematic because that is so dangerous. Look at what happened in the book of Look at Look at what happened in Romans chapter 5. what Paul mentioned, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. You know what Paul is saying here? Because of sin, there's death. That's what he's saying. Because of sin, there's death. Our identity before is the identity of death. We are sinful. We are doomed. We are damned. But because of God's grace, there is righteousness.

24:54 In other words, we are declared not guilty. Forgiveness of sin. There's purity. And as a result of that, what's the result of God's grace? There is eternal what? Life. That's the blessing. So imagine God transformed us from darkness to light. From lost to found. Definitely that should change our hearts because we have understood the grace of God. That's why after saying this he wrote in chapter 6 because this is all connected. It's just divided by chapters but this is one straight statement. This is what Paul said. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? And I'm so glad Paul mentioned that because in the church

25:41 there are people who think like that. Oh, God is gracious. He showed me his grace. I can live my own life. No, that that's not real acceptance of God's grace. Look at what Paul said. May it never be. Why? How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Why would you keep coming back to the place where God has rescued you? Why do you keep coming back to the dirt? Why do you keep coming back to the place that you're in darkness? You're lost. There should be a change, a transformation. Look at verse four. Therefore, let's read this together. We have been buried with him through baptism into death. So that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father, what's going to

26:27 happen to us? We too might walk in newness of life. That's why Jesus Christ said to Nicodemus in John chapter 3, "Unless you are born again, that's why it's born again." Because your life before, that's not your life now. When you are in Christ, you know what? Here's a sobering reminder to us. If I say that I am a follower of Jesus and there are no changes in my life, I should be worried. If you say you're a follower of Jesus and there are no changes in your life, you should be worried. Why should we be worried? Look at what Jude said in Jude 1:5. This is

27:12 what he said. Now I desire to remind you though you know all things once for all that the Lord after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, he saved all of these Egypt all of these Israelites from Egypt. Subsequently, he also destroyed those who did not believe. Imagine that. The people who saw the parting of the Red Sea, the people who saw water coming out of the rock, the people who saw mana from heaven, they still did not believe God. What did God do? Destroyed them. And he made another example. Verse six, and angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode. These are the fallen angels led by the angel of light Lucifer who wanted

28:01 to be the king of heaven who wanted God's throne. So he wanted to overthrow God. So other angels followed him. What's the punishment for them? He has kept them in eternal bonds. They're in chains until under darkness for the judgment of the great day. In other words, there's judgment. same as Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality like lentiousness and went after strange flesh. Immorality that is so strange already, not the design of God are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire, the judgment of God. You

28:50 know what Jude wrote here is both a warning and an encouragement. It's a warning because the pleasures of sin will never outweigh its consequences. You know, some people they give into the pressure because they see other Christians, other people giving into sin and it seems like their life is okay. Don't get me wrong, sometimes you will feel a little bit of happiness when you do sin. Sometimes it's a big happiness, but the consequences is worse. You don't want to exchange what God has given to us, the grace that he showed us for something temporary. That's why Jude was warning the people, do not give into this pressure. I know

29:36 the pressure is real. I know you feel like you're being squeezed to sin and to compromise. But the pleasure of sin will never outweigh its consequences. And this is not just a warning. It's also an encouragement. Why is it an encouragement? Because evil people will not what? Escape God's judgment. And sometimes that's our complaint. I remember talking to a young lady. She was saying, "Pastor Marty, how come it seems unfair? How come there are people who are doing evil things and then they're corrupt? They're stealing money from people. And what if before they die in their deathbed, what if they receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior? Savior. You mean to say, I'm going to see them in heaven. I might slap them when I see

30:22 them in heaven. Okay? And that's why sometimes that's in our hearts. I don't want to share the gospel to that guy. Why? Because if he receives, he's a bad person. You mean to say he's going to go to heaven? You know, sometimes we don't understand the grace of God. And sometimes we also don't understand the justice of God. Sometimes what we desire is to see God do the justice that we want to see. I want you, for example, corrupt officials. I want you, Lord, not just to expose them and make them pay. Bring back the money that they stole. Of course, we desire that. But I realize God's justice is different from ours. Sometimes we don't see the judgment, but I believe the judgment is happening. Sometimes we don't see how he's punishing people, but I believe he is. It could be emotional punishment. It

31:09 could be shame. It could be sickness. Whatever that is, evil people will not escape God's jud judgment because he is the vindicator. Can you tell your seatmate my arrow? [laughter] Okay. I mean, it's just a warning and an encouragement to us cuz sometimes we get so frustrated like what's happening now? I know you're frustrated. I'm frustrated. But this reminder tells me, "Okay, Lord, I know you are punishing them. I may not see it right now, but I know you're doing it because you are the God of justice." So, while I don't see what's happening, what's my responsibility in times of pressure? What do we do? Stand firm in the Lord.

31:54 Tell your seatmates, "Stand firm in the Lord." That's my part. That's your part. So, how do we stand firm? First, we need to remember God's justice. Second, we need to recognize God's authority. Why do we need to recognize God's authority? Because here's the reality. These pressures that we are experiencing, I tell you and I promise you, we cannot perfectly and completely overcome them. Even if your will is so strong, our authority and power is limited. Why is it limited? Because our enemy is powerful. Look at what Paul wrote in Ephesians chapter 6. This is what he said in Ephesians chapter 6. He said, "Finally, be strong in the Lord." Same

32:41 in the book of Jude. Contend for your faith and in the strength of his might. How do you do that? Put on the full armor of God. It's not you. It's his armor. It's him. So that you will be able, there you go, to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Why? Because our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places, things that we don't see. It's what we call the spiritual warfare. Yes, there are people who are doing evil things. Yes, we see things on social media, in the internet, ungodly

33:26 influencers doing bad things that forces us or pressures us to compromise. But our enemy, number one enemy are not them, it's Satan, it's the devil. So tell your seatmate, you're not my enemy, even if you look like one sometimes. Okay? So we are not enemies here. The reality is we're all being pressured to sin. We are all being pressured to compromise. Look at what Jude said in verse 8. These are the men that he he's talking about. And he's proving that it is a spiritual warfare. Look at what he says here. Yet in the same way, these men who's taking the grace of God for granted, who's doing lensiousness, acts of sin also by dreaming. What does that

34:15 mean? They receive vision. These men received vision. They told the people, you know, I've seen a vision and this vision tells me to defile the flesh. Look at the verse. The vision tells them to defile the flesh, to do immoral acts. This is a vision, a heavenly vision. And they reject authority. What does that mean? They reject the teachings of Peter. They reject the teachings of James, of Jude, of the church leaders. The church leaders have been rebuking them, but they won't listen. They even revile angelic majesties, curse angelic beings. They are proud. Basically, what Jude is saying, these people are proud. They won't listen to anyone. They will

35:01 only listen to themselves and to the vision they think they have received. And we don't know where they receive that vision. But this is what we call a spiritual warfare. We are dealing with people who are proud, unwilling to listen. Now, how do we deal with that? How do we say no to these pressures? Jude gave an example. What's the example? Verse 9. Let's read verse 9. But Michael the archangel when he disputed the devil and argued about the body of Moses did not pronounce against him a railing judgment. Now, we don't know when this happened, but we believe God, the Holy Spirit, revealed these things to Jude. We don't know when this happened, but Michael the Archangel, one

35:47 of the chief angels, had a fight, a dispute against Satan over the body of Moses. Instead of Michael using his power and authority, he could have done that because he's a powerful being, an angelic being, one of the chief angels, he could have used his power. But what did Michael do instead of railing judgment? What did he do? He said, "The Lord rebuke you." You know what Jud is saying? If an angelic being depends on the power and authority of God, how much more human beings like us when we are pressured by the spiritual forces of darkness, we cannot do this on our own.

36:34 We need the power and authority of God. That's why Jesus Christ said this when he sent the 72 in Luke chapter 10. He sent his disciples, "Go out there, preach the good news, heal the sick, and then bless the people, cast out demons." So they did an OJT ministry. After doing the ministry, they all went back together for reporting. And all of them were shocked, they were amazed, and they were so happy. And this is what they said to the Lord. Lord Kra, it's so amazing. Even the demons are subject to us in your name. They were so amazed with their power. They're starting to become proud, to become self-reliant. So what did Jesus remind them? Jesus

37:22 told them, look at what he said. He said to them, I know, I know you're excited, but I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. It was a quick destruction of Satan. I saw him destroyed. He is defeated. That's why you're experiencing that. But he also explained, "Behold, let's read that together. I have what? Given you authority to tread or to overcome serpents and scorpions, and you have power over all the power of the enemy." Who gave that authority? It was Jesus. Who gave that right and power? It was Jesus. It was not them. Jesus was reminding them, do not depend on your own skills, on the miracles that you have done. It's my authority and power.

38:09 That's why you are victorious. And look at the promise of Jesus. Let's read the last line. And nothing what? Nothing will. Can we just applaud our God for his protection [applause] that the things we don't see, the spiritual warfare that we don't physically see, he's in control. He has authority and he's going to protect us. You know, Jesus could have ended with this verse, with this statement. But he didn't end here. You know why? Because something much more important than this. Jesus said in verse 20, this is what he said. Let's read this together. Nevertheless, I I love that. Let's look at what he says here. Nevertheless, in other words, I know you're excited with the authority. I know you're excited

38:55 that you did this thing, but please, nevertheless, do not rejoice in this. Do not be so proud, amazed that you can cast out demons, heal the sick. No, no, no, no. That's not the main point that the spirits are subject to you. Those are good things, but that's not the most important thing. What should we rejoice in? rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven, that you're going to be with me for the rest of eternity, that sin doesn't have power over you anymore, that you are forgiven, that the grace of God has embraced you and he's going to bring you to eternal life. That's what Jesus is saying that we focus on him. And I love that he said this because

39:42 it's a reminder of humility. You know, humility is key in overcoming the pressures of this world. Humility is key to overcoming the temptation to compromise. Why? Once pride kicks in, that's going to be our downfall. Jesus said that because this remembering what Jesus did for us will keep us humble and dependent on the Lord. The moment that I'm no longer depending on God, like the people that Jude was talking about, these men who were proud, not listening to authorities anymore, sin is going to creep in. Sin is going to take over their lives. And look at what what Paul

40:28 said. Why this is very dangerous. Paul mentioned this in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. Therefore, let him who thinks he stands, you think you can handle it. I'm strong. I'm a strong Christian. I've read the Bible so many times. Of course, you we should read the Bible. But some people, they're just they're just so proud. They've got they've known everything already. They've gone through so many Bible lessons. Look at what Paul said. Therefore, let him who thinks he stand heed. Be alert. Be careful that he does not fall. Because pride is going to be our downfall. That was the downfall of Satan. No temptation has overtaken you, but such is common to man. Everybody's going to be tempted. But what's the key to overcome this

41:13 temptation? Not our power, not our authority, but God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you're able. He's going to provide the way of escape. And he's going to help us endure the temptation. That's why as we go back to the book of Jude, look at what it says here. These men who are proud, they don't listen to authorities. In fact, these men revile the things which they do not understand. They think they understood so many things. They think they don't need the Bible. They don't need the church. But they're still part of the church. And they're convincing other people to believe what they believe. And when you try to reason with them, you can't. Look at what Jude said. The things which they know by instinct, they're like unreasoning

42:01 animals. You can't reason to an animal. If you talk to them, they're just going to they're not going to respond the way you want them to respond, the way to explain what's happening. No, you can't reason to animals. That's the problem of these people. You cannot reason with them. Why? Because their minds are clouded. They are proud people. And what's the consequence of this? Look at what happened. He gave an example. Gave three examples of proud people. Woe to them. They have gone the way of Cain and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balam and perished in the rebellion of Kora. Who are these three people? You know they have a common denominator. These three people they are proud. And let me show you why. Cain, he

42:48 knew what offering the Lord what offering pleases the Lord. Alam Cain, he knows that. Do you know that God was speaking directly to Cain in Genesis chapter 4? He knew what pleases the Lord. That's why when God told him, "Where's your brother?" What did Cain say? "Am I my brother's?" Oh, he's talking to God. But out of his jealousy, it controlled him. He killed his brother Abel. Blatant rebellion. Balam. Balam was hired by Bailo, the king of the Moabitete, to curse the Israelites when the Israelites were in the desert. So, he was in the on the mountain. He was

43:33 about to send curses on the Israelites. But when he talked to God, God, I want to curse these people. Everything that comes out of Balam's mouth was blessing. It were, it was all blessing, blessing, blessing. And Bailo WAS FRUSTRATED. WHY IS THIS ALWAYS BLESSING? CURSE THE PEOPLE. AND then Ba Balam said, "I cannot do it. This is the only thing that I can say. This is the only thing that God wants me to say." In other words, he knew that God wants to bless the Israelites. But what did he do? Eventually, he decided to lure them, the Israelites, to immorality. He told Bailo, the king, Bailo, I cannot curse them. But here's a secret. You want them to fall, send beautiful women. And once they do immoral acts, let God punish

44:19 them. And that's what happened. He knew. How about Kora? Kora saw the the parting of the Red Sea. Kora saw the water coming out of the rock. Kora saw the mana from heaven. He knew how powerful God is. And he knew that Moses was the one that God is using. He was the servant of the Lord to lead the Israelites. Moses was there on the parting of the Red Sea. Moses was there when the water came out of the rock. Kora saw that but still he chose to rebel against God's appointed leaders. You know their problems? They were proud. Their problem was this common denominator? They all saw the power of God. They all had an encounter with the

45:05 Lord. But they were so proud they chose rebellion. What's their punishment? This is their punishment. Look at what Jude said. These are the men who are hidden reaps in your love piece. when they feast with you without fear. In other words, it's their sensuality that controls them. They just care for themselves. And it's not just their sensuality that controls them. Everything that they do is fruitless. What do I mean? Clouds without water, there's no rain. When there's no rain, it doesn't bear fruit. So, everything that they do is fruitless. Carried along by winds. Autumn trees without fruit, double dead. I mean, usually autumn trees, they're not fruitful. But what Jude is saying here, they're double dead, uprooted, wild waves of the sea,

45:51 casting up their own shame like foam, wandering stars for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever. There's no fruit. Everything that they do is worthless and useless. And here's their punishment in verse 14. It was also about these men that Enoch in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied. Let's read that together. What did Enoch say? Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of his holy ones. What will the Lord do? To execute judgment upon all. And look at how Jude described this. To convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds. Let's read that. Which they have done in an ungodly way. You know what Jude is saying? He was so emphatic. They are evil people. and of

46:41 all the harsh things which ungodly sinners. I mean sinners are already ungodly but to call them ungodly sinners is pure evil. Jude was saying these people are pure evil. They are grumblers faultfinders following after their own lust. They speak arrogantly because they're proud. Flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage. You know why they're pure evil? They know the grace of God. They know the word of God. They attend the early church. But they cause evil to happen in the body of Christ. That's why it's pure evil. That's why God will execute judgment upon them. You

47:29 know, here's the truth. God wins whether we like it or not. Either we win with him or he wins without us. This book is so important because some of us are not convicted to give up with our compromises. Give up our compromises. And here's a sobering reminder. God is going to be the winner. If you're not going to be with him, then don't expect to win. You may experience some winning here on earth, but without him, we don't win at all. I remember this story of this Christian rapper. This happened recently. His name is Hulvi. He's a famous Christian rapper now among the Gen Z's. He was supposed to have a concert last October 16 in Amsterdam. There was a change of v venue and then

48:14 they visited the venue the day of the concert October 16. And when HV went there and together with other organizers they saw that in that venue there were graphic images, sensual images posted all over the venue, inside the venue. So HBY said, "Could you cover all of these things?" He told the the one in charge of the venue, could you cover all of these graphic images because we have children coming in and this is a Christian rap concert. And the people in that who's in charge of the venue said, "No, no, we can't do that. Just let it be there and it's okay. Just let it be there." And because Kalvi had a strong conviction not to allow these people to get exposed, he canled the day an hour before the concert started. He canceled it. He went out of the venue. The people were lining up and he told the people,

49:00 "Guys, we need to cancel the concert. There are things inside that I don't want you to see. And I know it's going to cost a lot of money on my end, but I'm willing to take up that cost. We are going to have another schedule. We we're going to reschedule it and we're going to inform you. But for today, we need to cancel it because for me, I stand for Jesus only." You know that's a very important emphatic decision that we need to have in spite of the pressures here on earth. We stand for Jesus only. What's our message again? In times of pressure, what do we do? Stand firm in the Lord. Now I want you to listen to this testimony of one of the leaders in elevate that in spite of the pressures that she experienced and she gave in in the past but God restored her and God is

49:46 using her now mightily. Let's all welcome Yen. For most of grade school and high school, I studied in an all girls school. Even though I had a friends, I often felt invisible. I desperately wanted to be accepted and seen. So, I learned to curse, put others down, and develop romantic feelings towards other girls. I was in grade eight when my family started attending CCF. I was beginning to learn about God, but my heart had not yet changed. Joining the dance club gave me a good reputation. I became more sociable and people began to see me as cool. Eventually, I started liking a girl and entered a romantic

50:31 relationship with her. My peers celebrated and supported me and I felt affirmed by their approval. I tried hiding this relationship from my parents, but God didn't allow this wrong relationship to continue. One month later, my parents confronted me about it and completely cut off my relationship with her, including my friends who were a bad influence to me. Despite my parents lovingly guiding me back to God, I was angry at him. I blamed God and questioned, "Why can't I love anyone I want to? Why can't my family understand and accept me for who I am? As I battled with these questions, my parents signed me up to attend a youth retreat organized by Elevate,

51:18 CCF's youth movement. Reluctantly, I went to the retreat, planning to regain my parents' trust and eventually get back with my girlfriend. But while I was determined to fool my parents, God was determined to pursue me. [snorts] During that retreat, I encountered Jesus. My eyes were open to what love truly meant. That only in God can I find the love and acceptance I had been searching for. I learned that God is a good God and he wants what is best for me. That there is no sin too big that he cannot forgive. As I surrendered my life to Christ, I discovered my true identity. that I am a child of God and in him I find my worth

52:03 and purpose in life. I was a new person after the retreat. God helped me grow in my relationship with him by removing lies about my identity, surrendering sinful habits and forming biblical convictions that I was ready to live out. God also began changing the way I related with others. I grew in my love towards my family and trusted my parents' guidance more. My group in the retreat became my disciplehip group which I am part of until now. Being in a droup encouraged me to keep growing in the faith. And since my disciper was a campus missionary and elevate, I was exposed to campus ministry.

52:50 This helped me grow in compassion towards people and my desire to share the gospel to my friends. For three years, I was walking closely with God. Then the pandemic lockdown came and tested my faith. The isolation took a toll on my mental health. I also spent more time on social media and was exposed to worldly beliefs that were not aligned to God's word. Gradually I began to drift away from God and focused on chasing perfection, worldly achievements and recognition from peers. This went on for about two years. And [snorts] then one day, feeling empty and tired, it hit me. I felt like the prodigal son in Jesus parable who

53:39 suddenly came to his senses. I realized that I had strayed too far from God. >> [snorts] >> And I knew what I needed to do. I needed to repent and run back to my heavenly father. Feeling helpless, I pleaded to God. Lord, I know I got myself into these messes, but I know you are the only one who can redeem me. Like a prodigal daughter returning home, God [snorts] received me with overflowing grace and forgiveness. He helped me surrender the things that were keeping me from him. I let go of a good job opportunity. I had to step away from ungodly friendships. And I also ended things with a suitor who I know

54:25 did not align with my faith. None of it was easy, but God surrounded me with a Christian community, giving me the support and encouragement I needed. In 2024, I graduated magnaum laude. The natural next step might have been to pursue a target company and build my career. But God was calling me toward a different path. My dgroup leader knowing I had the heart for missions invited me to join Elevate's mission program called Elevate Go. I believe this was God opening a door for me to respond to his call. And so in March 2024, I joined. God truly has his perfect timing because

55:13 on the last day of our Elevate Go training where we would be commissioned and deployed to our mission assignments, I discovered that it was the same day I gave my life to Jesus six years ago. April 24, 2018 and April 24, 2024. Praise God. [snorts] This divine coincidence was God's personal affirmation for me that he will use me to cause a spiritual revival among the youth. Today, by God's grace, God led me to serve him through Life College International where I work with a marketing team helping build a Christ centered school. I helped lead a campus

55:59 ministry movement at LCI equipping students in their faith. I am also now leading a DGroup and some of our students are now beginning to lead drgroups of their own. I also continue serving with Elevate Go Core team helping new batches be trained and deployed in mission trips. I remain available to wherever and whenever God wants to call me. I am Yen Estiggoy and I give all praises to my father who lovingly renews me and gives me a purpose worth living for. What's our message again? In times of pressure, what do we do? Stand firm in the Lord. Look at what Jude said here in the next verses in verse 17. But you, beloved, ought to remember the words

56:46 that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. What was what was he saying? that they were saying to you in the last time there will be mockers in the last days as we get closer to the second coming of Jesus there will be people who are mockers following after their own ungodly lust and what's so sad are these people are the ones who will cause division in the body of Christ they are worldly minded devoid of the spirit in other words the Holy Spirit is not in them they're not Christians and what breaks my heart is they are the ones who will cause many people to stumble. They are the ones who will cause young people to stumble. You know, we have to understand that one

57:34 major reason why many youth are far away from the Lord is because of the ungodly people they look up to. Yes, we disciple young people. But if they see their parents living immoral lives, if they see their parents compromising in their sin, compromising sinning, if they see their parents not loving one another, they're going to justify their actions. Young people who wants to follow the Lord and then they see church people they're doing this, they're doing that. All the more makes discipling young people harder. That's why all of us plays an important role here. We want to change this nation. We want people to be protected from these evil things. Then we need to stand firm. You know, I've

58:20 been in the youth ministry for almost 30 years serving as a volunteer and a youth pastor. And I've seen the lives of these young people. At first, of course, they're naive. They're not exposed to anything wicked. But when they see their role models living a life of wickedness, it became their justification. I want to do that. I'm going to do that as well. It's not worth it. We need to do our part to stand firm. If we're not going to stand firm, they're not going to stand firm. But if we are not going to compromise, if we're going to say no to these things, then they will see that as a role model to follow as well. You know, I I don't know if you noticed that in the video I showed earlier, but in

59:05 our Elevate Go mission trip, our team went to the school in Tacloan where the shooting happened. They went there. There was a team who went there and they were doing prayer walk outside the school cuz they couldn't enter the school. There were security guards. There was police. So, they couldn't enter. But the teacher, one of the teachers went out and they saw them and they know them, they know one of the guys who were doing the prayer walk. And then they the teacher said, "Oh, why don't you come in the school?" So eventually they were able to go into the school and they had an opportunity to pray for all the students as in every student and they were able to share the gospel to every student in that campus. Praise God indeed. You know what's more

59:52 amazing? When they were doing that, these students were crying. They were broken because of what happened recently. They were still shaken up. We are living in a world where young people are being lured to compromise. What makes it hard to disciple them are older people who are not willing to stand firm. That's why this is our message. What's our message again? In times of pressure, stand firm in the Lord. And how do we do that? As we're about to close, we need to remember God's justice. We need to recognize God's authority. And we need to remain in God's presence. It's him. Why? Because the closer I am to the Lord, the stronger I can resist the worldly pressures. The closer I am, I can't

1:00:40 expect to win this battle all the time and to finish this race strong without the presence of God. That's why I like how Jude ended because he gave some practical tips here. Look at what he said in verse 20. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your faith. How do you build yourself up? How do you become strong in the Lord? This is how you do it. Praying in the Holy Spirit. Look at how practical this is. We need to pray. You can't expect to grow if you're not spending time with the Lord. You need to keep yourselves in the love of God. You won't grow in the love of God if you don't know God's word. So, we need to know God's word. Waiting anxiously. Jude is not saying you become worried. No, waiting anxiously in Greek means anticipation.

1:01:25 I'm excited for the second coming of the Lord. Eternal perspective. And look at the next part that he said. [music] For the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life and have mercy on some who are doubting. You know what that is? That's the great commission. You evangelize. You disciple people. save others, snatching them out of the fire, and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. In other words, if we are going to be an effective witness, we have to reflect Christ likeness. That's what he's saying here. If we want to grow in Christ, you know what he said? Here are some practical things. We need to pray. I

1:02:12 mean, these things are basic. We need God's word. What else? We need God's community, the Dgroup, the church. We need to have an eternal perspective that's waiting anxiously excited for the Lord. We need to make disciples. We can't expect to grow and to stand firm without doing this discipline. I mean, I know most of us, we know these things, but I I also know a lot of us are struggling. Maybe some of you are saying, "I I know that, Pastor Marty. I know I need to pray. I need to I know I need to read God's word. I know I need to do all of these discipline, but it's just hard. I'm being pressured to compromise. I can't do it on my own." And I'll be honest with you, that's also my

1:02:59 struggle. I know on my own I cannot perfectly, completely stand firm in the Lord. I know on my own I cannot continually say no to the pressures of this world because you're being squeezed [music] with what's happening in our country with the external pressures with the internal pressures around it's just so hard but I'm so glad that Jude ended with a one of the most famous doxology to encourage every single one of us. Look at what Jude said at the end of his book. He said, "Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to

1:03:47 make you stand in the presence of his glory, blameless with great joy. To the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time and now and forever more. Amen. It's because of our Lord Jesus Christ. [music] You know guys, we live in a society. It's really going to pressure us to compromise. I understand what you're going through. I'm also going through that. And on my own, I really can't. I can't. There's so many pressures, so much pressure. There's so much temptation, so much evil in this world. It's just hard. [music]

1:04:32 But seeing that verse gives me hope that I can stand firm. Why? Because of him who is able to keep me from falling. He's going to be the one to do that. Because of him who is able to make me stand for the rest of my life until I see Jesus face to face. I'm going to be blameless, full of joy because of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. [music] It's now to him who is able. Let's give glory to our Lord. It's because of him. [applause and music] It's because of him that in times of pressure I can stand firm. Can we bow down our heads? I want to pray for every single

1:05:17 person here tonight today. I don't know what this message is telling you, but I really believe that God is speaking, nudging your heart, convicting you. I know God's grace is being spread all over this place, embracing each and every person here, even those joining us online. So, I want to pray for two specific groups of people here today. First of all, I want to pray for those people who doesn't have a genuine relationship with Jesus. You know Jesus in the head. You've been attending church, but it hasn't transformed your life. And maybe right now you're questioning, am I really saved? Do I have I have a personal relationship with Jesus? If you want to genuinely receive Jesus, you can say a

1:06:04 prayer. But what's more important is the transformed life. So if you're that person, tell Jesus this prayer. Jesus, thank you for loving me. Forgive me for all my sins. Forgive me for taking your grace for granted. Today, Jesus, I humble myself. I realize I haven't embraced your grace and your gift fully. So, with all of my heart, I confess my sins. I repent from these sins. I ask you to be my Lord and my Savior. And I commit starting today to follow you all the days of my life. Thank you for the gift of eternal life. Thank you for declaring me righteous in

1:06:50 your eyes. For the second group of people I want to pray for, Lord, majority of us who are here, we have a relationship with you, but please forgive us for compromising. Forgive us for giving into the pressures of this world. God, please, we want to finish well, but we can't do this on our own. Help us stand firm in the truth, in your word. Help us stand firm in our faith to contend earnestly. We can't do this without your power and grace. Remind us Lord God of your justice and may your justice be a wakeup call for us not to compromise and not to give into sin. Remind us Lord God of your authority that we cannot handle this on our own. We need your power and your authority. And finally, let us stay in

1:07:36 your presence because you are the only one who can make us not stumble. You're the only one who can make us stand for the rest of your life until we see you face to face. To you be all glory, honor, and praise in Jesus name we pray. And everybody say amen and amen. God bless you guys. >> Good day CCF family. Welcome to Sunday Fastrackk. We ask real life questions and we give you biblical truths. I'm Elijah Feralino from NextGen Kids Ministry and we're here with Pastor Marty Okaya to answer some of your questions. Happy youth month, Pastor

1:08:22 Marty. >> Happy youth month, Elijah. >> Thank you for your message on the book of Jude. Are you ready to answer our questions? >> Reading. Ready. >> Question number one. Wouldn't it be better to be a good person and have no knowledge of the Bible than to be someone who knows the Bible and its doctrines but still have a bad attitude or personality? >> Well, if we look at biblically, what God wants is not just that we know him, but there's also life change. So, you cannot say that okay, if I'm a good person, I don't know God, that's okay in the Lord. No, it's both. We need to know God. We need to know him personally, genuinely. We need to know his word. And it should translate to transformed life. So that's the requirement of God. That's what God is asking from us. It's not I know him

1:09:10 but I'm not obeying him or I'm do doing certain good things but I don't know him. In fact, we cannot fully obey God or obey him properly if we don't know him genuinely. So they go hand in hand. Thank you for your answer. Second question, when it comes to convictions, is there an occasion where we can meet halfway with other people? >> You know, when it's clear in the scripture, we are to obey fully. There's no halfway. So, for example, when it comes to money, we know corruption is wrong. And let's say you're going to partner with somebody who's not a follower of Jesus. Of course, that in itself is also not pleasing to God. But let's just say you're already there. and then you're gonna do the right thing,

1:09:57 but the other person doesn't want to do the right thing. And then there's that conversation. Oh, let's just meet halfway so that you're pleased and I'm pleased. Let's just do a little bit of corruption so that you know it's not that bad. But the problem is any amount of corruption is evil in the eyes of God. So when it's crystal clear in the Bible, there's no such thing as meeting halfway. It's either we obey him fully or we don't obey him at all. >> Thank you for answering our questions, Pastor Marty. But wait, we also have two Tagalog questions. For a third question this time in Tagalog,

1:10:44 well, the basis of truth, the basis of what's right and wrong. for me person. And once Lord. And for our last question,

1:11:42 question. I mean faith in God. provide. Then you take the step of faith [snorts] now to him who is able on our own. We need God's power.

1:12:35 Thank you so much for answering our questions. And that's it for CCF Sunday FastTrack. God bless everyone. >> God bless.