Our Glorious Destiny (Jake Enns)

Good morning. It's a joy to be together again

to worship like this. And thank you worship team for

that wonderful singing. This morning, we are concluding

our four-part series of sermons on the letter of Jude.

Our sermon title this morning, is our glorious Destiny, the

writer Jude. He had written to the church.

And at and reminded them to contend for the faith.

He had wanted to write about their glorious salvation, which

have been imparted to them, but he felt it urgent.

He felt it necessary that he write instead about the

situation that they were facing with the false teachers coming

in and so he cautioned them. He told him contend for the

faith and in explaining what he meant.

He referred to the Past, he talked about how the children of

Israel had been let out of Egypt and yet.

Because they were not committed to God.

They were rebellious. God punished him.

He talked about the Angels kept in, darkness to the day of

judgment. He talked about Sodom and

Gomorrah. He used these stories as

illustrations on what not to do, or where to draw attention,

where to look and see what God, what kind of God we serve how

serious God is last Sunday. We looked at how God expected

the church, what God was expecting from the church.

He wanted them to persevere in the faith.

He wanted them to serve and close relationship with God.

And focus on helping those who are struggling.

And nothing has really changed. In terms of humanity.

We are the same kinds of people that they were back.

Then God is staying, God is still the same God.

He was back, then, nothing has changed.

Not from the time of the Israelites.

Not from the time of Sodom Gomorrah, it's all one present.

Now in God's eyes. And this morning we come to the

close of this short little letter and we see the rich and

the Glorious Promises to the church.

And again we need to remind ourselves and mention these Our

God's promises for God's Church. Therefore our times as well.

So I want us to absorb just saturate, our hearts and Minds

with this thought. We have a glorious Destiny.

According to Jude, I want to just speak a little bit about an

introduction to speak at Midway of an introduction before I

focus on the passage for this morning, so it'll be a few

minutes, but I want to draw our attention to form a foundation

so to speak, for what I want to say.

As God's people, we know. That we're supposed to repent

and believe we've been taught that.

We believe that, we know, we also know that we're supposed to

live morally, upright, and pure lives.

We know, we also know that that means sacrificing ourselves for

the other people. We know all that.

But again, before we dig into the scripture passage, I want to

ask ourselves. Why?

Why are we to do that? What's the big deal with?

So to speak playing by the rules?

Are we to do that? So God will be more pleased with

us or do that so God will look at us and give us some credit

may be. No no that's not it.

We are to do the things God commands.

Yes. But not to gain a few more marks

on the approval register so to speak.

Or as if God would say you know what actually he's so good.

I can't we can turn the grace tap down a little bit.

That's not how this works. It's not what happens.

We cannot work up some credit system before God.

And yet, this is a place where many people have a lot of

misunderstanding. It's like people may get

understand and grasp the what of what they're supposed to do.

But we never get to the why? We never get to the why?

The reason for it and this is where we come somehow get

off-track, we get off the rails. As followers of Jesus, we do the

things or at least I trust we do that God wants us to do and get

this. We do them in response to God.

But not to gain or receive or to earn.

We do good things in response to God because that's our purpose

on Earth, doing good as our purpose, like, bringing glory to

God. That's our reason, for being And

it is that truth. That's where the fork in the

road is where people Branch off. You see?

A lot of people have an idea of God, they know the laws, they

know the Ten Commandments. They know the stories of Jesus.

His teaching his death on the cross.

His resurrection. But it may as well be, that

person is still missing the mark because to them, it's a

transaction. It's an exchange of goods.

It's a deal. If I do this for God, God will

do for me. X y z, that is the wrong view of

God and the wrong view of a relationship with God.

And I'll explain later how this ties into the title of our

misery. Sermon people.

May get the truth right. That God loves them and God

wants them to obey him. But the reason or the wife or it

is missing it it's it's it's confused.

They get the what, but not the, why they get the content but not

the purpose of it. They miss it at the core.

They missed the relationship part of the whole thing.

And we can see this working out in human relationships all the

time, but it happens between us and God as well.

Let me, let me go at it from a little bit of different angle

once more and expand it a different way.

Let me ask this question. Why did Jesus even come to save

us? You and me?

Why did he do that? And perhaps some of you think?

Well, don't insult us. Okay.

Come on, you know, better and I do, but I truly mean this.

Why did he come to save us? And some of you will instantly

in your mind, say John 3:16 for God.

John 3:16

So loved the world, he gave his only begotten, son, whoever

believes in him should not perish but have eternal

everlasting life. That's we just get that.

We just write it off so fast in our minds.

We just don't even think about it.

Okay? True.

But that doesn't still answer the question.

Yes. That message is for my benefit

and yours. That's it's written.

But from God's point of reference.

Why did he love us? Why did he love us?

Let's go a bit deeper again ask, why does God love us?

Because of us. Or does God love us?

because of God, That's the question.

The does God love me because of me or does God love me because

of his own character who he is? Because that's who God is.

That's the fork in the road. And this is where a lot of

people separate sad to say. Some people think very highly of

themselves and take credit for themselves.

Think God is getting a good deal by saving them as this one,

cartoons of God's lucky to have us.

That is about as fault as it can get, nothing could be further

from the truth. Everything hinges on the

principal who God is. And what that does in terms of

what God does, if God loves me because of how good I've turned

out. How good I have done things how?

Well I've performed then the whole thing is a reward

performance and workspace situation and it will fall flat.

But the actual truth is that every human has lost.

No one makes the grade. Everybody falls short of the

mark, nobody gets passed inspection post.

Every human being is lost. You see, some people have this

View and they would, they wouldn't outright say it, but

this is there. There are thinking, if you dig

down into it, I'm a pretty good guy.

I do a lot of good deeds. Sure, I'm not perfect but

compared to a lot of people, I know I'm a pretty good guy.

I can't see why God would not think of a great benefit to

cause me to have me on his team actually like God loving me.

He's gaining quite a bit. The way I see it.

God's actually bit worse off without me than he is with me.

We may not say these words but we sure think them maybe not

even verbally that way but it's the essence of what our minds

are. I know I get it.

It's foolish to even say these words and it's deeply flawed.

Maybe. But this is the human mentality.

It's the epitome of self worship.

Its idolatry what the Pharisees did member.

The Pharisee goes into the temple.

I thank you, Lord, that I'm not liking.

He rattled off this guide standing next to me here.

A little bit further away, I don't do what he does and I'm a

good guy, and Jesus condemns it. Let me say it again.

If God loves me because of me, it's merit-based value-based.

Quality based Performance Based its false.

The Bible does not teach that, but if it's the other way

around, it changes everything. If God loves me because of who

he is of his nature of his character, the whole picture is

changed completely because then it is and get this.

It is Grace based. What a relief, what a big weight

falls off our shoulders. I'm being kept by him, he's

holding me. Oh yes.

I have to respond to the gift after receive salvation.

I have to repent it, true but all in response to him and then

I don't have to worry, will I make it?

Will I be able to stand? Is my destiny?

Really secure? And then because of what God has

done for me, what God is doing in me, what he will get, do I

have a future and a glorious Destiny.

Then that Destiny is eternally, secure, many people in the world

today they wonder about what I lose it and whatnot, that's

focusing the wrong direction. I must remain faithful.

The question is, not how good am I going to do it?

It can I trust him? Many people the world today

where there's specially when there's persecution.

They get this, they understand this and they are so completely

100% devoted and dependent on God.

He's everything to them 100%. And they suffer for this and

they know they have, no, they have no political power, they

have no no handle on society. They just suffer the persecuted.

But in all of that, they just rest in a deep abiding, peace.

Knowing that. As long as they're suffering

continues, its pain, but it will end and their Destiny is

secured. And another note, I just like to

say this this morning as well, I do believe we Western Christians

will yet suffer for our faith right now.

We're still being spared, we're still being protected under some

charters of Rights, what we have and that's good.

I'm not knocking that. But that will May well end even

in my lifetime. And if it was not for the

destiny of God's people this assurance of what still to come,

we would indeed be in a dark place, but as followers of

Jesus, this life is only for a little bit and then we will be

presented as a want to read in a minute here.

In a few minutes, we will be presented gloriously before the

father, that's what the scriptures teaches.

So this morning once again, look at Jude a little bit, what he

wrote in relation to the destiny.

Started out with again, as appealing to them contend for

the faith deal with the false teachers that have infiltrated,

the church? And plenty of the consequence of

rebellion and the denial. He reminded them of the

predictions of the Apostles of the Lord, Jesus.

He instructed them, how to live out their faith, but building

themselves up praying in the Holy Spirit keeping themselves

in God's love waiting, for the mercy of the Lord Jesus.

And today we see that he points his audience to God.

I want to pause just for a moment before read this.

Think about this, if you could choose to look like someone you

admire, who would you like to look like some celebrity some

sports star? Who would you like to look like?

But just imagine you, let's just imagine you.

If you were perfect. And I mean, perfect, in every

sense of the word a perfect human specimen Imagine God,

looking at you as his creation saying, that's very good because

that's what he did in Genesis. He created people said, it's

very good. That's what the Book of Genesis

tells us God made humankind In His Image.

It means we are representations of God in this world.

We are limited. Sure, we're not God.

And of we're falling. That's worse.

We need salvation. We're not perfect.

We're not perfect, really not perfect.

But, God did something with a fallenness.

The Brokenness in the Sin, he gave his Commandments Teachers

who he is what he is. And then He sent Jesus to model

that and since we could not keep the law, Jesus gave his life in

our place died, for our sins to bring Salvation, not because of

him only as anything or having any Merit or credit that we had.

But simply because of who is who is Nature's character and so on

and then he then I want to read. Now you want to read the verse.

Jude one was 24. He and this is just a powerful

passage. He says, now to him, meaning God

or Jesus, 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.

Where's the focus? It's the Lord.

That is who Jude is directing the attention of his readers to

It's a very inclusive, a very powerful statement, Jude is

using words that explain the nature and character of Jesus.

He's talking about Jesus, he's explaining what Jesus able to do

in relationship to us. He brings in the stability, the

security, and the steadfastness were Anchored In Christ.

It boils down to this point. Now, I have few points here, God

does the keeping number one? God does the keeping He reminds

his readers of their position in Christ, it is he who is able to

keep them. God is doing the keeping,

because of who God is what he's doing.

We remain intact because of that, we remain connected with

Jesus. And we keep on Walking With

Jesus in relationship, or we all have instances, where we stumble

and fall in a relationship with God.

And with each other, you see When a person stumbles in their

life, it can be very disheartening and very

deflating. And we're so flawed and that's

when we repent, but it does not negate who God is or what God

is, and he's not going to let us fall.

He's not going to get rid of us. It's not like something.

God is some absent-minded Dad or Mom?

Oops, there goes that one. Sorry should have watched him a

bit closer. Is he even after repenting of

our sins and receive salvation we still need to go on to

perfection. I want to share a little story

here. That happened to my wife and I

many years ago, we were young, Pastor couple and one weekend.

One of our young Church volunteers gotten to a party and

got drunk. This young volunteer was

terribly, just just totally crushed knowing what she'd done

and very sorry and repented, and all that stuff.

And and we worked with her and because she repented and

confessed and we remind her of God's love for her and she had

confessed and she had repented, she was Sorry, we supported her.

Well, lo and behold. Not everybody in the church.

Was that generous or not saying this to tell her own horn here,

but we knew what she needed, and we wanted to help her.

But one of the other guys, one of the other things, he got

winded, but he wasn't happy. Talk to me on the phone and

start accusing him blaming and stuff like that.

And saying should have done this and should have done that and so

on if we'd done, this wouldn't have happened and so on and I

didn't like it. I was very uncomfortable with

all of this and I find that just brought it out and sit and

wonder if God did the same in Adam and Eve sin in the garden

of God said, I should have been there, it would have taken the

Route. God did God think that to the

discussion was over? You see folks?

When it comes to people who are seeking God in Repentance and

even when they struggle, what this world needs is less

finger-pointing and more compassion.

We talked about that last Sunday, rescuing those who fall

snatching them out of the fire hating.

Even the Garment stained by sin, we get busy with showing Mercy

the false teachers. They get confronted they need to

be but repentant Sinners receive Grace.

It's true. We have the freedom to do and

decide things but our preservation security rest in

God's mercy towards us, we don't have to undertake other you're

still watching. God, are you still on track with

us know? God loves us.

He keeps us. Yes, we sin.

We repent, we confess, we keep going.

But here's the truth. It was not God.

Keeping us, we would be falling. The most perfect.

Saint is not so good that he won't fall.

If God doesn't keep him the most struggling, Sinners not so far.

Gone that if God draws him and he repents, he's not saved.

It's amazing how self to see if people can become when they

think they're strong and start blaming and pointing fingers.

The bottom line is, it's the Lord who does the keeping God,

does the keeping. And the other thing is too, like

let's look at Point number two, he presents them blameless, this

is the beautiful part. Hard to know what to do with

this, passage, never mind. What is it?

Like, did some possible almost? And the best I can do is picture

Life as a journey. A lot of pain and suffering and

God's children often. Don't do too well.

We fail a lot, but the time we reach the Finish Line, things

don't look good with us. We haven't treated our bodies,

right? We haven't done what we should

be doing a lot of times. There's a lot of pain and

suffering and we fail a lot when we, when we were trying to reach

the Finish Line things. Don't look that good.

Made this mistake and that mistake and sent here and there

and the landscape is littered with bad choices.

And by the grace of God, were still being kept because he's

kept us now, he will be presented blameless.

Love, God can present Peter, the liar blameless and Paul the

Christian killer blameless. We must ask on whose account who

paid for it, who arranged the presentation, and we know it's

Jesus, Paid the price in the work he did.

And he made it possible present as a blameless before God, we do

know from the gospel writer Matthew, Jesus is not going to

come to us, put us before God and some kind of half apologetic

was a father. I know this guy's kind of

shabby, you know, but can we still let him in?

It's not that way at all. He will welcome us home with

great celebration and joy. Cuz of how he presents us being

blameless before. God is just more than just

barely, making a cross, the finish line and stumbling in.

Okay, here they are. Lord pretty Bangin beaten up but

sure, hey here they are no, it's a glorious.

Victory, Parade. He presents us perfect.

Paul rights. In his letters.

I know it boggles the mind. How does it even work?

But think of it, when Jesus died on the cross, every sin was paid

for even the thief. On the cross, who was a

murderer, came to his senses, and in remorse and convictions,

that think of me when you come into your kingdom, just before

he died. And Jesus today will be with me

in Paradise. The man repented in response to

what the conviction, he had sinned, he deserves to die and

he's sorry, he wanted a relationship with Jesus.

You see folks, that's it. That's it.

I mentioned earlier a perfect, you You know, that when you

arrive on the other side, that's what you'll be.

As a saint perfect, 100% blameless.

Through the work of Jesus on the cross.

God sees us fully forgiven. He sees us blameless.

And it all would be that because the debt is paid his.

Blood, paid for the sin, the penalty of sin is death sure but

Jesus did that already. Now, we are blameless in God's

eyes. All those who have received

eternal life, they are redeemed when Jesus presents them to the

father, and they will be presented.

Yes blameless. And again this goes back towards

the work of redemption. He is carried out on our behalf

and Jude says, it will happen with great joy.

Think about that, we may think of celebrations.

In this life, we have seen nothing yet.

There will be a celebration, the likes of which on Earth, we

can't even dream about For me, when I read stuff like this, and

when I meditate on stuff like this, it's kind of like, I

think, if c.s. Lewis the writer, he's a good

writer and his line of thinking when he says that just as we

have need for air and food and water.

We do so in relation to the existence of these substances

food and air and water he says equally so we sense a need for

fulfillment or satisfaction and for Joy which are the counter

parts of the reality of fulfillment and satisfaction,

and joy. I think it's brilliant.

And if the physical states of being can be satisfied, then we

have to conclude that the very fact that these have we have

these longings, they are a shadow of the real thing.

Which means one day they will be completely satisfied.

I'm reminded of this in the letter Paul writes to the

Romans, the very existence of the physical world which we

live, as a reflection of God's glory.

It's a message we must not ignore.

Jude was so full of joy and praise.

He continues in this letter. The last part was 25 and 3.1

again to the only God our savior through Jesus Christ.

Our Lord be glory Majesty dominion and Authority before

all time now and forever. Amen.

Look where he's focusing. Now, he's focusing in on God,

he's offering worship to God. He's recognizing God for who and

what God is. This is not about Jude at or

about anyone or anything else anymore.

It's all about God. When a person does that, then

they are close to God. Let me again.

Bring it back to original earlier.

Thoughts, if someone would ask you this question.

Why do you want to go to heaven? What would your answer be?

Or maybe they would ask you, why do you want to see Jesus?

What would you say? And we may have different ways

of articulating. This question of verbalizing it

and not saying God has a specific way.

What he wants us to answer the question necessarily.

But you see friends, we're not saved for the sake of ourselves.

We are not saved for the sake of ourselves.

Oh yes. God loves us.

But goes back to who God is. Why does God love us?

Not because we're lovable but because he is love.

We saved by grace through God's love through Christ sacrificed.

Yes. But not because of what a lot of

people think. No, we didn't earn anything.

We can turn anything, we can't pay back.

We're saved by God for God's glory for his honor and not

ours. That's Point.

Number 3, we're saved for God's glory.

Again it's c.s. Lewis who once reminded

mentioned in his writings that is different as human beings are

like, we're all very unique. They say there's no two humans,

exactly alike. We live out our unique

giftedness and how were wired and how were created.

So our unique individuality as we live that out.

It's then that were most like Jesus.

With the Holy Spirit, leading us in our unique gifts as

individual, as we are, it's just like Paul writes and Corinthians

the parts of the body. Like, there's a vast, vast

difference between the ear, and the fingers.

Or the toes and the eyes. You know how very different they

are, but they all make one body. There's no selfishness among

them, they shouldn't be. And Jesus incorporates us into

his body, the church, all of us belonging to one Humanity in

Christ made up of individual members.

Each one Desiring to serve and glorify God with the gifts.

We have received, God is a god of Joy, a god of love, God of

Grace, the god of Truth, God of mercy and all of that.

He quips his people to live these things out.

He's also got of Holiness, God of Truth and God of Justice.

Nothing will be ever, get past him.

We know that he is eternally good, he's eternally.

Holy his whole being his power, his knowledge.

His love, his Mercy. His whole being an infinite

existence of all that is good in Eternal.

That is who we are dealing with. That is the one who we will

stand before. That is the one who will welcome

in Us in his presence and it will happen with great joy and

celebration. Will be blameless.

That's the destiny of God's people.

We're not there yet, at least, not yet, but we have a role to

play. We have a job to do.

Again, a word picture that comes to my mind is the as music.

I love good music. And when I listen to some good

music, let's say there's an orchestra playing and I'm always

drawn into the sound how that flows.

I'm just amazed at how the different players, one plays the

cello and one plays the trumpet, and one plays the piano and one

plays a violin, and there's many more, each one in their own

unique way playing, but the same tune very different but the same

Harmony, it just Blends and flows together.

It is glorious. Serious.

But I would say anything that's good on Earth is only a shadow

of what still to come. Now here in the meantime, of

course, the worlds are very broken Place governments

politics culture and what have you people are not following

Jesus. But We are waiting for God's

glory. When Jude wrote to the church,

he gave them warnings. He gave them hope and he gave

him Assurance that's for us today as well.

We do not have to fear or worry what's going on around us.

The destiny is secured that is going to happen.

The path. There may be littered with pain

and frustration and who knows what all?

But we can continue, we need to be on alert and on guard but our

hope is not in this world. Our hope is in Christ, not

insist. Eames not new ideas, new truths,

perhaps. But the same gospel that was

revealed to the people of old. We are given the same Assurance.

God will keep us. We will be presented before God

for God's glory and majesty and power.

I want to encourage us as a church to walk close with Jesus

rest in him. Make him our Focus.

And our destiny will be glorious.

Let us pray. Thank you.

Lord, for the words of scripture, you've left us to

your Faithful Servants, the prophets the gospel writers and

your apostles. Lord, we recognize our need for

you. We're aware that we're dependent

on you for everything our safekeeping for the journey we

face and all of its differences. Lord we pray that you'll draw

us, you'll make us. Holy help us to see to

understand. Bring us conviction and see us

through you created Us For Your Glory.

Help us to realize that and leave that out in Jesus name.

Amen.