Jude 24-25

Good morning, CFC. Thanks, Chris. Go ahead and take your copy of God's Word and open up to Jude, verse 24.

! Jude, verse 24. We're going to be wrapping up our study in Jude this morning. I am getting over some sickness. I'm not contagious, so nobody be alarmed.

So I hope I'm able to remain standing by the end of this, that my voice will not give away.

And I also just want to take a minute just to thank so many of you. I'm just very thankful to be in a church where I know that I'm loved and supported,

and I've just had a lot of really great encouragement from so many of you as a young person who's growing as a preacher and trying to get this thing down.

So I'm very thankful for the opportunities I've had, and I'm sorry that you had to deal with me awkwardly saying okay whenever you were encouraging,

because I'm just weird about receiving any kind of compliments. I blame it on my siblings, because I never really got many,

but that's why I'm just a little awkward about these things. But I really do appreciate it, and it really has been encouraging in so many ways.

So our text today is Jude 24 through verse 25. As I said, it's the last bit of Jude.

And this text is a doxology, and this one in particular is probably the most famous, or it's at least up there.

What is a doxology? Doxology is a compound word. It comes from the Greek.

The first word is doxa, which means glory, and the second word is logos, which means word or saying.

And so a doxology is simply a glory saying.

Or you might say it is a statement of praise, worship, and adoration.

So simply put, it is a statement that conveys something glorious about God.

Now I once heard a story about John Piper, a former pastor and seminary president in Minnesota.

Piper was giving a speech to a bunch of incoming seminary students at his seminary.

And basically, Piper gave this whole speech about the glory of God,

and how God is infinite and eternal, and therefore his glory is infinite and eternal.

And with this, he discussed how God as an academic subject, right, which we call theology,

is the only academic subject that is inexhaustible.

So this simply means you will never fully know everything about God,

because God is infinite, eternal, and inexhaustible, whereas we are finite.

So the math does not work for somebody like us, right, creatures.

Finite creatures to fully know and understand the infinite God.

And Piper then turned to his audience, and remember, his audience is a bunch of nerdy,

geeky, know-it-all seminary students, right, who love theology, who love the Bible.

And Piper said to that crowd of knowledgeable, studious types, he said,

God will not be dissected.

He will be worshipped.

So God is not a field of study like biology or chemistry, which are exhaustible.

Have we exhausted those fields?

No.

But anyone will tell you there is an end or a limit to those fields.

Eventually, we can know everything there is to know about those studies,

but not so with God.

God is one in essence, three in person, without beginning and without end.

He cannot be dissected.

There is no limit.

And Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2, verse 10,

1 Corinthians 2:10

he says,

So this morning I have no points.

I just want to walk through the text together so that we can understand what Jude is saying.

And by doing this, my goal this morning is simple,

that we would glorify God together in light of the doxology that Jude gives us

through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

So worshiping God is a demand that runs throughout Scripture.

Psalm 150, verse 6 says pointedly,

Psalms 150:6

Let everyone who has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

And worship is not only the demand, but it is also the reward.

So remember the psalmist we read a few weeks ago, Psalm 27, verse 4.

Psalms 27:4

David says,

One thing have I asked of the Lord, one thing that I seek after,

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

and notice this language,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

That is worship language.

David wants to adore God by gazing upon him

and learning about him with him, with God.

So I invite you all now to read Jude 24 through 25 with me

and to worship God with me.

There is nothing greater, nothing higher, nothing more meaningful

than what we are about to do,

to reflect on the glory of God and worship him.

So verse 24, Jude writes, to end his letter,

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.

So Jude begins by saying now to him.

And throughout the letter of Jude,

he has switched his address numerous times.

He starts off by addressing the believers

who are called, kept, and beloved by God the Father

in verse 1 for Jesus Christ.

But because of the occasion, as we've studied,

of these false teachers who have wormed their way in,

Jude had to switch plans and address them.

And so throughout the letter, we saw him say these, these, and these.

But here, at the end of Jude's letter,

he says now to him, to God.

And this doxology at first glance might seem oddly placed.

We just spent weeks unpacking text after text

that speak of false teachers

and their damning threat to the church.

We've talked about the dire situation that the church is in.

Yet here, at the end of Jude's letter,

he concludes not with some word on how to fight these people,

nor how to contend for the faith.

That was last week.

Nor does he offer any kind of further arguments to give,

or anything like that,

for the believers to defend themselves with.

No personal greetings of any kind,

as you might expect with Paul's letters.

Rather, he ends by worshiping God.

Jude addresses God to worship God.

So think of all the times in your life

when you put worship to the side.

I have a lot of work this week.

I better forget about prayer.

Or I'm tired this week,

so I better skip church.

Or my spouse and I are getting into it again,

so I can't afford to read my Bible this week.

All these petty excuses,

and many more like them,

have dominated so much of our calendar

far too many times.

And you can imagine someone in Jude's church

using a pretty good excuse.

They might say,

I'm going to have to put aside

my relationship with God for now

because of all these false teachers.

This threat that is opposed to the people I love,

my brothers and sisters of the faith.

I don't have time for all that stuff.

I've got to contend with these guys.

And yet, that's not what we see.

We have an amazing example from Jude.

He begins this letter in verse 3

by saying he can't write about the gospel

because of the occasion of the false teachers.

So notice this.

This is an extremely important and dangerous occasion,

so much so that Jude is unable to write

about the gospel,

our common salvation, as he puts it.

Rather, he has to address the threat

of the false teachers,

these antinomian false teachers.

So wouldn't you also conclude

that Jude has no time to write a doxology

if the situation is so lethal,

so important,

and so consequential?

That's where my mind goes at first.

And yet, here Jude writes a long, beautiful,

glory-saturated doxology to God.

So let Jude's example be a cue to us.

No matter the life circumstance,

we are to be a people characterized

by worshiping God.

If any one of us should ever be written about

in the history books,

live in such a way that your biography

would scream,

one who worshipped God.

So now Jude goes on to describe God

in the doxology,

and refers to him as the one who is able.

He is the one who is able.

Just think for a moment

about the power of this phrase,

God is able.

You cannot be confused about

who this person is

whom Jude is addressing,

because there is no one else

who is able.

Able to do what?

To save us and keep us from sin,

which we'll see in the next two phrases.

But do not miss the underlying point

in this phrase.

Jude singles out God

as the only one who is able.

There is no one like him.

So God is the one

who is able,

verse 24,

to keep you from stumbling.

So last week we discussed

the reality of divine sovereignty

and human responsibility.

So yes,

we are called to keep ourselves

in the love of God,

as Jude says in verse 21.

But as I said then,

and as Jude reminds us now,

ultimately it is God

who keeps us from stumbling.

The idea of stumbling

is found throughout the Bible,

especially in the Psalms,

which I think influenced

Jude's writing of this phrase.

Psalm 56, verse 13,

Psalms 56:13

the psalmist writes,

For you, God,

have delivered my soul from death.

Yes, my feet from falling.

There's the stumbling idea.

That I may walk before God

in the light of life.

In Psalm 66, verse 9,

Psalms 66:9

refers to God as the one who,

quote,

So the idea of stumbling, right,

it usually connotes the idea

of falling into sin

in such a way that we apostatize.

When someone stumbles, biblically,

they are embracing sin

and intentionally rejecting Christ.

So here's part of the good news.

God is able to keep you

from stumbling.

Or you might say,

Well, what about the false teachers?

Aren't they a threat to us?

And the Psalms have a wonderful prayer

for you to use.

Psalm 140, verses 4 through 5.

Psalms 140:4–5

The psalmist writes,

Guard me, O Lord,

from the hands of the wicked.

Preserve me from violent men

who have planned to trip up my feet.

The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,

and with cords

they have spread a net.

Beside the way

they have set snares for me.

So the psalmist prays to God

because he knows God is able.

This is true of God over the devil too.

2 Thessalonians 3, 3.

But the Lord is faithful.

He will establish you

and guard you against the evil one.

So no one will snatch us

from the salvation of the Lord.

So essentially,

Jude is praising God

for his ability

to preserve his elect

unto salvation.

This is what we often call

the doctrine of the perseverance

of the saints.

This biblical doctrine teaches

that those who are truly saved by God

will never lose their salvation.

Rather, they will persevere to the end

by faith in Christ.

And again,

this does not negate

our responsibility to obey.

As Paul so concisely describes

the relationship

between divine sovereignty

and human responsibility

in 2 Timothy 1, 12,

he writes,

But I am not ashamed,

for I know whom I have believed.

And I am convinced

that he,

referring to God,

that God

is able to guard

until that day

what has been entrusted

to me.

So likewise,

we are entrusted

with keeping

our salvation,

yet ultimately,

it is God

who guards us.

And that is very

good news.

That news means

we who are in Christ

already have victory

over any and all

false teachers,

any and all

traps in this world.

So praise the Lord

for his steadfast

faithfulness

to uphold us

against any

and all foes,

any and all

traps,

any and all

temptations.

And not only is God

able to keep you

from stumbling,

but the second half

of verse 24,

he's able to present you

before the presence

of his glory

with great

joy.

So truly,

this is

an astounding

statement.

Jude

is assuming

the gospel

underlying

this statement.

Otherwise,

he would not be able

to make such

a statement.

And I guarantee

you that

Jude's audience

who knew this

gospel well,

as we know

from the earlier

parts of the letter,

that Jude's audience

would immediately

think of the gospel

when they hear

this phrase.

We are not able

to present ourselves

before the presence

of God.

We are sinners.

The Lord says

in Exodus 33,

Exodus 33:20

verse 20,

no man can see

me and live.

This is because

all of mankind

has fallen in sin.

We are unholy

from the moment

of our conception,

and therefore,

we cannot stand

in the presence

of a holy God.

Psalm 51,

Psalms 51:5

verse 5,

David says,

behold,

I was brought forth

in iniquity,

and in sin

did my mother

conceive me.

And this is true

of all of mankind.

We are totally

depraved.

And so we are told

from very early on

in the Old Testament

that we need a priest

to intercede for us

so that we can come

before God.

Numbers chapter 3,

Numbers 3:10

verse 10,

God says to Moses,

So you shall appoint

Aaron and his sons

that they may keep

their priesthood.

But the layman

who comes near,

near to the tabernacle

of God,

that is,

for the layman

who comes near,

he shall be put

to death.

So no one

can stand before

the presence of God

apart from a priest.

We also need

a perfect,

spotless,

blood sacrifice

to atone

for our sins.

And this also

is apparent

in the Old Testament.

Deuteronomy 17,

Deuteronomy 17:1

verse 1 says,

You shall not

sacrifice to the Lord

your God

an ox or a sheep

in which is a blemish,

any defect whatsoever,

for that is an abomination

to the Lord

your God.

In the New Testament,

Hebrews 9,

Hebrews 9:22

verse 22,

echoes the need

for blood atonement

and says,

Without the shedding

of blood,

there is no

forgiveness of sins.

But of course,

the constant sacrifice

of goats and bulls

would never atone

for sin.

We needed

a better sacrifice,

a full

and final sacrifice.

We needed

a perfect priest

and a perfect sacrifice

because God's

glorious justice

demands it.

Justice is an

attribute of God

and therefore

it is part

of His glory.

So it is astounding

that Jude is saying

we are presented

as blameless

before the presence

of His glory

because we should die

in the presence

of His glory

since we are not

blameless

in and of

ourselves.

So how can that

be?

Who is our

priest

and who or what

is our

sacrifice?

How could we

possibly stand

in the presence

of God?

And as Jesus

told the disciples

in Matthew 19,

Matthew 19:26

verse 26,

He said of salvation

with man,

this is impossible.

There is no one

worthy to be a priest

on our behalf

who is among us

nor any sacrifice

that we can make

that will save

our souls,

that will atone

for our sin.

But Jesus goes on

in Matthew 19,

Matthew 19:26

verse 26,

and says,

but with God

all things

are possible.

Or as Jude

puts so simply,

to Him

who is able.

God Himself

is able to present

us before Himself

through the God-man,

Jesus Christ.

That is in the next

phrase of Jude's

doxology.

He says in verse 25,

to the only God,

our Savior,

through Jesus Christ,

our Lord.

So there it is.

God

is our Savior.

Somehow

and in some way,

God is the one

who is able

and the one

who is desiring

to save a people

to Himself

because He is a Savior.

It's in His nature.

And because He is Lord,

He has the authority

and the means

to accomplish

such a task.

And so we know,

like Jude's audience,

we know the gospel.

This is not

some mystery to us

in the fullest sense.

We know Christ

is our high priest

who intercedes

on our behalf.

Paul says

in 1 Timothy 2,

1 Timothy 2:5

verse 5,

there is one God

and there is one

mediator between

God and men,

the man,

Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 3,

Hebrews 3:1

verse 1 says,

therefore,

holy brothers,

you who share

in a heavenly calling,

consider Jesus

the apostle

and high priest

of our confession.

So God the Son

intercedes

before God the Father

on our behalf.

Christ is also

our perfect sacrifice.

Hebrews 9,

Hebrews 9:12

verse 12 says,

Christ entered once

for all

into the holy places,

not by means

of the blood

of goats and calves,

but by means

of His own blood,

thus securing

an eternal redemption.

Hebrews 10,

Hebrews 10:14

verse 14 says,

for by a single offering,

He has perfected

for all time

those who are

being sanctified.

sanctified.

So notice the language here.

We are perfected

for all time.

Another way of saying

we are blameless.

The author of Hebrews

is speaking

in a judicial sense

in which we are

declared righteous

in a court of law,

though practically

we still give way

to sin.

But he also speaks

of a practical righteousness

that we partake in

as we are being

sanctified,

as the author says.

It's an ongoing process.

So, though we sin,

we are growing

in real obedience

every day.

So, through Christ,

you might say,

on account of Christ,

we are saved.

Now remember,

worship is not only

in demand of God,

but it is also

the reward of God

to the elect.

We are so blessed

because we alone,

who are spiritual,

by God's grace,

are able to worship God.

And it is all

of grace.

And I think Jude

primarily intends that

when he says,

through Jesus Christ.

Notice verse 25,

Jude is readdressing God

more explicitly

in the doxology

and says,

to the only God,

our Savior,

through Jesus Christ.

In other words,

Jude is saying,

we are able to offer up

this doxology

on account of

or through

Jesus Christ.

Only through Christ

could we approach

God and worship him

without being slain

where we stand.

Because Christ

has interceded for us.

Because Christ

has made the once

and for all

sacrifice

that seals

our salvation

in him.

So only through Christ

can we approach God

who sits

on the throne

of grace.

And to think

that Christ died

not only to save us

from hell,

which we deserve,

but then we are rewarded

to be able

to worship him.

Why on earth

are we rewarded?

We did nothing.

The only thing

we contributed

to our salvation

is the sin

which made it necessary

as somebody

once said.

And all this stuff

we're talking about

is captured so well

in 1 Peter 2,

1 Peter 2:9

verse 9.

Peter writes,

but you believers

are a chosen race,

a royal priesthood,

a holy nation,

a people for God's

own possession,

that you may,

so there's a purpose statement

in what Peter's about to say,

that you may

proclaim the excellencies

of God

who called you

out of darkness

into his marvelous light.

We are saved

from death,

from hell,

and we are saved

to worship.

And don't miss this.

Go back to the end

of verse 24.

Jude says,

we will be presented

with great joy.

So in your English translation,

you kind of assume

that Jude is saying

that God himself

presents us

with great joy,

which is theologically

true and wonderful.

But the Greek indicates

that Jude is saying

we will be

with great joy

in the presence of God.

And for obvious reasons,

right?

We are spared

eternal torment

and give an eternal life

dwelling with our

all-glorious God,

whom we get to enjoy

forever

by worshiping him.

No longer ashamed

to be in the presence

of God

as Adam and Eve were

when they hid in the garden.

No longer afraid

to be in the presence

of God

as Isaiah was

and the disciples

on the Mount

of Transfiguration.

But with great joy

we will be

in the presence

of God

because Christ

has removed

all of our guilt,

all of our shame.

Praise the Lord.

And Jude goes on.

He says,

to this Savior God,

he says,

be glory,

majesty,

dominion,

and authority.

So be glory.

This term glory

you might say

is shorthand

to describe

all of God.

God.

Again,

we can't know God

exhaustively,

but because he has revealed

to us that he is

all-glorious,

we can know that

in his totality

he is glorious.

Not one aspect

of his three persons,

of his one divine essence,

not one aspect

of his attributes

or anything else

about him

is not glorious

because he is

all-glorious.

And this serves

as a statement

to undermine

the false teachers

whom Jude writes against.

They attempt

to profane

the glory of God

by teaching

their wicked

lifestyles,

but that does not

add up

when you worship

an all-glorious

God.

And Jude says,

be majesty.

And this term

follows glory

in many ways.

It captures

the grandeur

and awe

of God.

So majestic

are his ways

and so glorious

are his ways.

Jude cannot

help himself

but find a synonym

to double down

on the majesty

and glory

of God.

Again,

what a counter

to the false teachers

who want to pervert

everything.

How could they

possibly worship

such a God

with their teachings

and their

living?

And Jude says,

be dominion

and authority

to this God.

Again,

Jude uses

two similar words

to give

a description

to a general

idea,

to give a general

idea much

weight.

And the idea

is simply

God's sovereignty

over all

things.

Everything is

within his

dominion.

And dominion

is another way

to say his

power in this

context.

God has power

to do

what he

wills.

And rightfully

so because he

has the authority

to carry it

out.

There's no one

higher than our

king of kings.

There's no one

whom God must

give an account

to or answer

to.

God reigns

far above

the heavens

and the earth.

And he is the

creator

of the universe

and therefore

has authority

over all

things.

All things

give an account

to him.

From every

blade of grass

to every

person,

to every

planet,

all things

are under

him.

And what a

comfort it

must be

to Jude's

audience to

worship such

a God.

A God

who has the

power and

the authority

to keep

them guarded

against false

teaching.

And think

more broadly

too.

A God who

is able to

guard them

against their

own flesh

or against

the devil

and against

any and

all who

oppose him.

Who can

contend

with the

Lord?

Nobody.

God.

And all

of these

attributes of

God have

been his

from all

eternity

past and

future.

God does

not change.

He is

immutable.

So something

to know

about doxologies

is that they

always include

the duration

or the time

for which the

author believes

the praise

or worship

should endure.

And here

is the

duration for

which a

Jew believes

God should

be worshipped.

He says

in the second

half of verse

25,

before all

time and

now and

forever.

This is the

great I am

who we are

talking about

after all.

The Alpha

and the Omega,

the only one

who is without

beginning or

end.

And because of

his eternality,

because of his

infiniteness,

because he is

unchanging and

immutable,

because he is

all glorious,

he must be

worshipped

always.

He is worthy.

So finally,

Jude concludes

with the only

word fitting

to end

this epistle,

and the only

word fitting

to end

this magnificent

doxology.

He says,

Amen.

In verse

25.

Now this

word connotes

a great deal

and has such

a variety

to its potential

meaning.

I heard Al

Mulder preach

on this text

once,

and he said,

of all the

words in

this text,

this is the

word he is

the most

unsure of

as to what

exactly it

means,

so that is

pretty intimidating.

He is a

very smart

guy.

But the

gist of the

meaning of

this word

in this

context

is truly.

Jude writes

the word as

a way of

acknowledging

the truthfulness

of everything

that has been

said so far.

This is the

very same

word in

Greek that

our Lord

uses often

when we

translate

truly,

truly,

I say unto

you.

He is actually

saying,

Amen,

Amen,

I say unto

you.

It is a

word one

would use

to express

their total

agreement to

something,

or their

total commitment

to something.

And so

Jude is saying

that with all

this truth,

he is in

total agreement.

There is not

one aspect of

this letter

that he has

written that

he is concerned

about or somehow

secretly against

or not in

line with,

but he is in

total agreement.

covenant.

And this

also is a

writing convention,

right?

In the New

Testament era,

the epistles

would be read

aloud to the

congregation.

And when they

ended with

Amen,

it was understood

that the

congregation as

a whole would

recite this

special word

as well,

a way to

signify that

we, the

church,

are unified

in Christ,

that we are

one in

Christ,

and that we

are in

agreement with

these things,

that we hold

these things

to be true

and will

therefore live

in light of

these truths.

It's a way

for the church

to respond

to this

epistle,

a way for

the church

to say,

yes,

we too

are in

line,

we too

will submit

and find

these things

to be true

and wonderful

and good.

So we,

the church,

affirm these

things.

We are

in

agreement.

That is

what Jude's

audience would

signify when

they say

together,

amen.

And so

in a

similar

spirit,

I would

like to

read the

doxology

one more

time in

full.

And at

the end,

I would

like for

us all

to say

amen

together

as well.

But I

will warn

you,

do not

say so

lightly.

Let your

yes be your

yes and your

no be your

no,

only affirm

these things,

all of what

Jude has

said,

if you

actually

believe it,

if you're

actually going

to live

in light

of it.

And I'll

tell you that

a good

indication of

whether or

not you

say amen

with sincerity

is whether or

not you go

about this

week

worshiping

God,

whether or

not you

are able

to think

over the

truths

that we

have dwelled

on these

last few

weeks with

agreement,

joy,

and sobriety.

Whether or

not you

are able

to consider

Jude in

light of

all of

scripture

and God's

plan to

judge the

wicked and

save his

chosen,

whether or

not you

are working

to obey

him,

these things

will indicate

whether or

not you're

sincere.

Because only

in these

things then

are you in

submission to

the will

of God,

because you

delight in

God and

all that he's

doing and

all that he

is and

all that he

demands,

then you

can say

amen.

So in

closing,

I'm going to

read it one

last time,

and again,

I'd like for

us all to

say this in

agreement,

as the

church,

in Christ.

So Jude

writes,

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.