🔥 Smells Like Smoke — Part 3: Stay Rooted. Stay Ready.

Over the past two weeks, Jude has been confronting us with what it looks like to follow Jesus faithfully in a world where truth is distorted, compromise is easy, and people are standing dangerously close to the fire.

In Part 1, we were reminded that believers are called to contend for the faith—to recognize false teaching, refuse compromise, and remain anchored to the truth that has been entrusted to us (Jude 3–4).

In Part 2, the focus turned outward. Jude calls us to respond differently to people who are struggling: “Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire” (Jude 22–23). Pastor Trevor gave us an image that has stayed with me ever since:

If we don't smell like smoke, maybe we aren't close enough to the fire.

Following Jesus isn't about retreating safely from broken people. We are called to move toward them—with truth, mercy, discernment, and love.

But that raises an important question:

🔥 How do we get close to the fire without being pulled into it ourselves?

That's where Part 3 takes us.

Before Jude tells believers how to reach others, he tells them how to remain standing.

Jude 17–21 calls us to remember what we have been taught, build ourselves up in the faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, remain in God's love, and wait expectantly for the mercy of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Trevor summed it up simply:

🌳 Stay rooted. Stay ready.

Roots aren't developed merely by attending church, singing worship songs, or owning a Bible. Deep roots grow through intimacy with Jesus—through Scripture, prayer, obedience, perseverance, and remembering what is true when our feelings tell us otherwise.

Because spiritual amnesia is dangerous.

We forget who God is.
We forget what Jesus has done.
We forget who we are because of Him.
And when we forget the truth, we become much easier to shake.

So Jude tells us:

Remember. Build. Pray. Remain. Wait.

And then—

Reach.

This week, Pastor Trevor challenged us to read Jude 17–21 every day, spending five minutes in Scripture and five minutes in prayer.

Ten minutes.

Not to check a religious box.

But to put down roots.

Because if we're going to get close enough to hurting people to smell like smoke, we'd better be rooted deeply enough in Jesus to withstand the heat.

Stay rooted. Stay ready. 🌳🔥

🪄Jenny🪄

Pastor Devage packed a LOT into Part 3. And I see exactly where this connects to the first Smells Like Smoke sermon from Jude 22–23.

The line that grabs me most is:

“If we don’t smell like smoke, we’re not close enough to snatch someone from the fire.”

But today he seems to have moved backward one step: before you can reach into the fire for somebody else, you had better have roots deep enough that you don't get pulled into it yourself.

Your notes have a really clear progression:

🌳 STAY ROOTED → REMEMBER → BUILD → PRAY → WAIT

And all of it is sitting right inside Jude 17-23.

🌳 “Stay rooted, stay ready.”

His tree illustration is excellent:

Trees grew but didn’t reach full maturity—it didn’t have stress—winds—storm and fell under their own weight.

That is such a biblical principle. Strength isn't produced by merely existing as a Christian. Roots deepen through truth, obedience, testing, prayer, and persevering with God.

And then this:

“Roots don’t grow from simply singing at church or owning Bibles.”

Ouch. 😳

Jesus said something remarkably similar in John 15:5:

John 15:5 — “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Christian activity isn't the same thing as intimacy with Christ.

Which makes your next note especially important:

“Intimacy with Jesus—that’s commitment.”

🧠 Remember the truth.

I LOVE the phrase you wrote down: “spiritual amnesia.”

Because Jude actually structures his letter around remembering.

Jude 5 — “Though you already know all this, I want to remind you…”

The enemy doesn't necessarily need to convince a Christian that God isn't real. Sometimes getting us to live momentarily as though we've forgotten what is true is enough.

Forgotten who God is.
Forgotten what Christ accomplished.
Forgotten what God has already brought us through.
Forgotten who we belong to.

And your note underneath is important:

“Remember God is real—our feelings don't lead us well.”

Feelings are real. But they aren't always reliable interpreters of reality.

🧱 Build your faith.

Then Pastor goes straight into Jude:

Jude 20 — “But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit…”

And I noticed your note:

“Remind when you're tired. Celebrate what God is doing in others. Serve.”

That's significant because Jude isn't describing passive Christianity.

Build. Pray. Keep. Wait. Show mercy. Save others.

They're action words.

And this line you caught sums it up beautifully:

“We need to feed on God's Word often—constantly.”

Not because Bible reading earns anything from God, but because roots need nourishment.

🙏 “Pray in the Spirit.”

Again, straight from Jude 20.

And you wrote:

“Pray with resurrection power. Prayer is surrender. Prayer is relationship with God. Pray with raw honesty.”

That last one especially.

Biblical prayer isn't polished performance. David certainly wasn't polished in the Psalms. 😂 Sometimes his prayers essentially amount to, “GOD. WHAT IS HAPPENING?!”

God already knows what's in us. Prayer brings it honestly before Him.

❤️ “Wait for mercy.”

Then comes Jude 21:

Jude 21 — “keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”

And I LOVE what you wrote beside it:

“Biblical waiting = active trust.”

YES.

Biblical waiting isn't sitting around doing nothing.

It's remaining faithful while God hasn't finished the story yet.

And notice where Jude ultimately puts our hope:

“the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Not Sherri did Christianity perfectly.

Not Sherri understood every prophecy correctly.

Not Sherri never struggled.

Not Sherri never screwed anything up.

The mercy of Jesus Christ.

That connects beautifully with another line you wrote on page one:

“Your wrongs do not get the final word.”

No.

Jesus does.

And then—only after Jude has told believers to build themselves up, pray in the Spirit, remain in God's love, and wait for Christ's mercy—does he tell them:

Jude 22–23 — “Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire…”

There's the smoke again. 🔥

So I think Part 3 gives us the other half of Pastor's message:

You cannot safely reach toward the fire unless you are anchored to Christ.

And THAT gives me an idea for today's church study/card set, because I think the centerpiece practically wrote itself: