150315 To Him Who is Able

Jude 24-25 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, ²⁵ to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

We come to the final words of Jude. “Doxology” means to give praise to God. And what a wonderful praise this is! In these two verses Jude gives us reasons to praise and worship our God. We’re going to take it apart and look at each aspect as it unfolds before us. I praise God that he who keeps Israel never slumbers nor sleeps. I praise God that he is always able to keep us. I praise God that he who began a good work in us will complete it. I praise God that he can take our shattered lives and present us blameless before the presence of God. I praise God that he meets all our needs according to his riches in glory. Thank you Lord!

Now to him who is able. Paul used exactly the same words to describe God’s ability. Turn with me to Ephesians 3:20-21. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Jude tells us that our Lord Jesus Christ is able to keep us from stumbling. It is sad to see Christians struggling along trying to maintain their spiritual life in their own strength. Instead we need to focus on the fact that he is able to keep us. In point of fact, Paul tells us, through the Ephesian letter, that he is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think.

It is the power of God that raised Jesus Christ from the dead that is at work in us to make us able to be present with him in the glory that is to come. In fact the book of Revelation tells us that we will live continually in the atmosphere of the glory of God in the new Jerusalem! It is not by works of righteousness that we’ve done but instead it is God’s work in us that allows us to have confidence in God’s ability to take care of us.

In fact…

It is beyond our imagination. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 2:9-10. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— ¹⁰ these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

I have a pretty active imagination and yet the Bible assures me that God has prepared blessings beyond my imagination. We have not seen with our eyes nor have we heard with our ears all the blessings that await us. The things God has prepared for us are amazing! The Bible tells us that the new creation will be a holy city where there will be no mourning, nor crying, nor pain, where death will be no more. The city is of immense size and is free from all evil and filled with the glory of God. We will be able to enjoy fellowship with God and all God’s people from all nations and all periods of time. Revelation 21 tells us that “God himself will be with them he will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Along the way, we will experience hints of that great future time of blessing. God is able to do more than we can imagine and he is…

Not only able but also willing. Turn with me to 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

We are in the process of being made completely holy. Only God is able to do that in our lives. We can’t do it! No matter how hard we struggle we will always fall short. But God is faithful! It is God who began our spiritual life and it is God who will finish it. He is not waiting on us to perform he is willing and able to bring us to a place of complete sanctification.

This is not just a matter of keeping us from stumbling, which he promises to do. It is a matter of being able to present us blameless. He is working in our lives to make us able to be presented in the presence of God.

Everything that comes into our life is designed by God to bring us to the place where we can be brought into the courtyard of heaven. We may suffer hardship and difficulty along the way but we may rejoice and be glad because while we share in his suffering we will certainly share in his glory.

All of this prepares us for presentation. Turn with me to Colossians 1:21-23.  And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²² he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, ²³ if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

He has reconciled us in his body by his death. As Peter tells us he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. (1 Peter 2:24) You see, when Jesus went to the cross he took us with him.

We are part of the bride of Christ that he gave himself for. He loves the church and will prepare us through all the events of life to be able to be presented to him at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Paul writes about the things that we are passing through in order to be presented to the Lord. He said to Timothy “I endure everything for the sake of the elect that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” (2 Timothy 2:10) He was willing to endure everything, including all kinds of hardship and suffering that God’s eternal plans might come about. The fact that he spoke of those people he was serving as “the elect” does not discourage him from doing everything he could on their behalf. We know from the life of Paul that he endured much hardship! He spoke of being imprisoned for the gospel sake. He told about countless beatings. He spoke of often being near death.

The great apostle, who called himself the chief of sinners, endured much hardship in the process of being shaped into the image Jesus Christ. There is no reason why we should not consider that we also will endure hardship.

Jude tells us that we are to give glory to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord. And we are to do this because he is able to prepare us to be presented…

To God through Jesus. Turn with me to 1 Timothy 2:5-6. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

In order for us to be reconciled to God we needed a mediator to represent us to God who could also represent God to us. There’s only one person who ever filled that requirement and that is the man Christ Jesus. In order to fulfill the role of mediator Jesus had to be fully man as well as fully God.

We are to rejoice in him, Jesus, who is able to keep us from stumbling and present us blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy. He is able to and willing to do this because he is the one mediator between God and man.

Sometimes I wonder if we really begin to realize what was involved in Jesus becoming man. Jesus did not come into the world in an adopted human body that he would lay aside after the resurrection.

Jesus had to be fully man and fully God at the same time in order to serve as our Savior and Lord. In becoming man he could represent us before the Father as man without sin. He had to be a man in order to be our representative and obey in our place. He was able to represent us because he paid the penalty that was due to us. You see, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And, the wages of sin is death! Therefore we’re all in trouble when we are born. Jesus became a man because God was concerned with saving men. He had to be made like us in every way in order to satisfy the wrath of Almighty God and present us to him “blameless”. We are able to come before his presence with great joy because we realize that, while we deserve death and hell, we can receive life and heaven by putting our faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

There is only one way that a person can come into the presence of God without fear of destruction and that is through Jesus Christ. As Peter told the Sanhedrin, “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved”. (Acts 4:12) And he’s clearly talking about Jesus Christ of Nazareth! This Jesus gave up heaven’s glory for Earth’s gloom permanently! He had existed eternally with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He gave that up in order to be born in a human body in a stable and raised the son of a carpenter. He was tempted in every way that we are yet without any sin of his own. (Hebrews 4:15) But just as he became man he also became sin so that we could become the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Through Jesus Christ our Lord we are able to be presented blameless. Without Jesus we have no hope in this world or the world to come. And, however we are presented, we must always remember that it is…

To God be the glory. Turn with me to Romans 11:36. For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Our doxology needs to be to him who is able and willing — the Lord Jesus Christ! He, and only he, can present us to God. Everything in heaven and on earth have as their intended purpose the glory of God.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism tells us that the chief end of man is to glorify God, and enjoy him forever. John Piper, in his writings, have change the wording somewhat to: The chief end of man is to glorify God BY enjoying him forever!

The fact that God created us for his own glory tells us that we were created for that very purpose: to glorify him. In fact everything in the material universe was placed into the glory of God. The psalmist cried out, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there’s nothing upon earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:25-26) Fullness of joy is found in knowing God and delighting in him. Just to be in his presence and enjoy fellowship with him is a greater blessing than anything that can be imagined.

The normal attitude of a Christian is rejoicing in the Lord and in the way he instructs us. The Bible tells us that God will rejoice over us in his love. (Isaiah 62:5) When we realize that God created us to glorify him and we begin to act in ways that we fulfill that purpose we experience an intensity of joy in the Lord that we have never known before.

Then we will join with the twenty-four elders before God’s throne in saying, “You are worthy our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. (Revelation 4:11) The infinitely perfect creator deserves all praise. Jesus said that we are to “love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30)

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory 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. Amen.”

Are you prepared for your presentation? The Bible tells us that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what is done in the body, whether good or evil. The Bible also tells us it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:31) I praise God that we are able to come before the judgment seat in the name of Jesus Christ. Our faith in him as lived out in our day-to-day lives gives us confidence to say, “he is able to keep us from stumbling and present us blameless before the presence of his glory.” We should search ourselves to see if we are in the faith. It is not by works of righteousness but “in him” we that have hope that “he who began a good work in (us) will bring it to completion.” If Jesus is Lord in our lives then we have hope of salvation. Have you confessed him as your Lord? Today can be the day that you let the world know that he is your Savior.

All scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

150301 Kept in the Love of God

  Jude 17-23 But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” ¹⁹ It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. ²⁰ But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. ²² And have mercy on those who doubt; ²³ save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

Jude, the brother of James and probable brother of Jesus was deeply concerned about his fellow believers. He called them “beloved”! He then calls on them to remember what the apostles of the Lord Jesus said with regard to the things that will happen in the last days. We do not know who the recipients of this letter was but we do know that Jude had a tremendous concern for them. He wanted to teach them about the faith we share in common but he found he had to warn them about the wolves who would come in and decimate the flock. Jesus had said that these false prophets would come in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they would be ravenous wolves. When Paul was on his last trip to Jerusalem he told the people of Ephesus that after he departed fierce wolves would come in among them decimating the flock. Let’s look at Jude’s take and consider what will happen…

In the last time. Turn with me to 2 Peter 3:1-4. This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, ² that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, ³ knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. ⁴ They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming?

The last days began with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The last days will continue until he returns again! The predictions of the apostles and prophets have been fulfilled over and over again. Peter agrees with Jude that scoffers had come in their day. We are certainly surrounded by scoffers today. Jude describes them as people who are “following their own ungodly passions”. Peter tells us that these scoffers will ask, “Where is the promise of his coming?”. No doubt the scoffers of our day are involved in the same conditions and questions.

Jude tells us that these people will always be…

Creating division. Paul warns us about the same kind of people. Turn with me to Romans 16:17-18. I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. ¹⁸ For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve.

We need to focus on the positive teachings of the word of God and avoid those who cause divisions and create obstacles. They are among those that Paul had told the Ephesians about. These “fierce wolves” come into the churches to destroy the flock. (Acts 20:29) They do not serve the Lord Jesus Christ no matter how much they claim to. They have an appetite for power and money and with smooth talk and flattery they will deceive, if possible, the very elect. They invade through the Internet, television and radio. If they are allowed to they invade the very church itself by becoming part of the flock as “wolves in sheep’s clothing”. (Matthew 7:15) We must be very careful of these people. No matter how smooth they present themselves they are…

Without the Spirit. Turn with me to 1 John 4:1-6 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. ⁴ Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. ⁵ They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

No matter how persuasive a person is there will always be evidence whether he/she is of God or the enemy. Jude and John agree that we are to be very careful to avoid those who do not have the Spirit. Those who cause division and do not follow the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus and his apostles prophesied that such people would come into the churches in an attempt of the enemy to destroy the church. We are to determine who these people are and avoid them.

However, we do not just guard against these enemies we need to be in the process of…

Building ourselves up. Turn with me to Colossians 2:6-7. Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

When Jude says that we are to keep ourselves in the love of God he first says that we are to build ourselves up in our most holy faith and we are to be praying in the Holy Spirit. Now, let’s look at what is meant by building ourselves up.

“Building up” is part of the process of sanctification leading to spiritual maturity. While it is true that God does the work of spiritual growth in us we have an active role to play. Remember that Paul told the Philippians to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. This is not earning our salvation, this is allowing salvation to flow into all parts of our life.

There are many things that lend themselves to the Christian “building up” his/her life. We are to strive for holiness; and abstain from immorality; we are to purify our self as Christ is pure; we are to cleanse ourselves and make every effort to grow godly character traits. We are to continually build up patterns and habits of holiness. The writer of Hebrews tells us that mature Christians “have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14). There are no shortcuts to building ourselves up we are to focus on the old-fashioned time-honored means of Bible reading and meditation, prayer, worship, witnessing, Christian fellowship and self-discipline. We are to continue to grow both in our trust in God to sanctify us and our active striving for greater obedience in our lives. Jude also said we are to be…

Praying in the Holy Spirit. Turn with me to Ephesians 6:18. Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.

Jude and Paul are both in agreement that we are to pray “in the Spirit”. Now, what does this mean? Is this some kind of spiritual gift like speaking in tongues? After all Romans eight tells us that “the Spirit” helps us pray with sighs too deep for words. The word for help here is the same word that Martha used when she wanted Mary to help her with the housework. The word does not indicate that the Holy Spirit prays instead of us but that the Holy Spirit takes part with us and makes our weak prayers effective.

In order to truly understand what Paul and Jude are telling us we need to realize that the New Testament speaks of many activities that can be done “in the Holy Spirit”. It’s possible to be “in the Spirit” as John was on the Lord’s day when he received the Revelation. It’s possible, as Jesus did, to rejoice in the Holy Spirit (Luke 10:21). We can decide something in the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:21). We can love in the Holy Spirit (Colossians 1:8). To pray “in the Holy Spirit” is to pray with the conscious awareness of God’s presence surrounding us and sanctifying both us and our prayers.

We are to live lives strengthened by the Holy Spirit enabling us to keep ourselves in the love of God while we are…

Waiting for the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn with me to 2 Peter 3:11-13. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, ¹² waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! ¹³ But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Jude says that we are to wait for the “mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life”. Peter, strengthens that admonition. He has reminded his readers that the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise to return for them. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief and all the material things surrounding us are to be dissolved! Since that is true we ought to focus our lives on being ready when he comes.

Jesus often spoke about his return. When he ascended into heaven after his resurrection and having spent 40 days with his disciples two angels told his disciples, “This Jesus… will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Paul taught that, “The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). The writer of Hebrews and James the Lord’s brother along with Peter and John were all expecting his return “soon”! The book of Revelation closes with, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

Christ’s return is the dominant hope of the New Testament church. They believed that he would soon return and that his return would be dramatic and visible. His appearing will not be a mere spiritual coming to dwell within people’s hearts, but will be a personal and bodily return just as he went into heaven he will come back again.

While we are waiting on him we are to…

Have mercy on doubters. Let’s look at Jesus’ concluding statement found in Matthew 28:16-20. Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷ And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. ¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Jude has told us that, “while we are waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads eternal life”, we are to “have mercy on those who doubt”. I’m afraid that we treat doubters with more disrespect than we should.

Look at what Matthew said about those that stood and watched Jesus ascend into heaven. They worshiped him, “but some doubted”. These were people who had seen him crucified. They had recognized him as having been resurrected from the dead into a perfect resurrection body. They had walked and talked with him after his resurrection. They had every reason to believe but “some doubted”. How could they doubt? I think the question is really why would they not doubt? They had seen many miracles performed by Jesus but now they were seeing him ascending into the clouds. Seeing the impossible being done before your very eyes is what doubt is fed by.

Jude says that we are to have mercy on those who doubt. I wonder, was he one of those who stood there seeing Jesus ascend into heaven who doubted? There is no question that, during Jesus ministry, his brothers in the flesh doubted who he was. Today, with all the anti-Christian activity around us, the temptation to doubt is very strong.

Today we live among many ravenous wolves who were able to come into the flock in sheep’s clothing. We see many who build up a following in the church and then lead them astray. It is very important that each of us test the spirits and see if they are from God. John the apostle spoke of the fact that many false prophets have gone out into the world in his day. Today the false prophets have the advantage of the Internet, television and radio. The standard by which they are to be measured is the whole counsel of God found in the Bible.

All scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.