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.
Jude 1:24-25 ESV
As Jude, concludes his books with these two verses he has earlier warned the people about false teaching, deception, and doom that would come to those who fall away and are being led astray and who are leading others astray. He had warned them of the likes of Balaam who for the sake of material gain wanted to curse God’s people of Korah who in his rebellion had started a revolt against God’s chosen person, and Cain who because of jealously and envy murdered his own brother. Indeed, the picture must have looked very gloom and doom in the reader’s minds as they were reading Jude comparing their current state and the false teaching and deception around them to the ones in the examples he gave from the old testament.
Jude however, concludes his book with a message of Hope about God’s power through Jesus to keep His people from falling into such doom. He speaks of Christ’s ability to present them Blameless and with Great Joy to his Father. Jude assures his listeners of the power of Jesus to keep them from being ensnared by the current evils that are going on and to even present them unashamedly to the Father.
As Authors, I believe that we are also in the context of a world faced with the deception, immorality, and false teachings that Jude warned his listeners about, and there are three things I would like us to keep in mind from the passage today:
- In mountain climbing, the beginning hiker attaches himself to the expert so that if he loses his footing he won’t stumble and fall to his death. In the same manner, if we keep connected with God, we cannot fall. He keeps us safe.
2. By comparing passages of Scripture, we also find out who is responsible for our safekeeping. Jude began the letter by addressing those who are preserved in Jesus (Jude 1). Then he exhorted Christians to avoid dangerous men and to keep themselves in the love of God (Jude 21) Here at the end he concluded with the recognition that it is ultimately God who keeps us from stumbling and falling. Paul put the same idea in Philippians
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
(Philippians 2:12-13:)
3. Keeping us spiritually safe is God’s work. But you can always tell the people He is working in because they are working also. God doesn’t call us to let the Christian life happen to us, and He doesn’t command us to save ourselves. He calls us to a partnership with Him.
Conclusion
So as we start a new week, let us all join Jude in thanksgiving, and praise towards Jesus who has dealt so kindly and mercifully to us, who is our only God and Saviour, who deserves all the glory, majesty, dominion, authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen!
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