Preserved by God

Next on Renewing Your Mind. God is our Creator God is our ruler. God is our judge. But he is more than that to those who are in Christ, he is our Savior and as such he is worthy of exclusive praise in this God was worthy of exclusive praise is also worthy of highest price versus the book of Jude for a doxology expression of praise to God. Many books of the New Testament, in the doxology. Unfortunately, though these passages are so familiar to many that we can tune them out. They lose their meaning this week on Renewing Your Mind. Dr. HB Charles Junior is helping us rediscover the rich meaning of these often overlooked benedictions and doxology this talk I want to turn your attention to Jude versus 24 and 25 young boy was walking down the street with his dad. He reached up and gripped his daddy's finger as tightly as he could, but as they walked. He stumbled lost his grip fell to the ground that he helped him up.

They begin to walk again and the little boy again grabbed honest tightly as he could, but again at some point he stumbled, lost his grip and slipped and fell.

After going through this a few more times that he helps him up and he looks up and says daddy I have a better idea. Instead of me holding your hand. How about you hold my and daddy clutched his sons little hand in his big grip.

He stumbled again, but his father was there to hold them up in a greater, deeper, higher way. I want you to know that God is able to keep you when you cannot keep your self. That is the wonderful news of Jude versus 24 and 25 Jude is one of the New Testament letters may be called postcard, because it's so brief, consisting of 25 versus only one chapter, the author of Jude is the half-brother of Jesus, but he introduces himself in verse one is Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who are called, beloved in God the father and kept for Jesus Christ. There are books of the Bible where you have to day the to get the purpose of the book, then there looks like Jude where right up front. He tells us what he is trying to communicate. The point of this letter is recorded in verse three is purpose. Is this beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints, Jude is a call to arms. They must stand firm to defend the truth of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The threat is stated in verse four for certain people have crept in on notice too long ago were designated for this condemnation, godly people who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ.

False teachers had infiltrated the church and seduce them with error professing believers were straying away from the faith. Verses five through 16. Jude warns of divine judgment on these apostates verses 17 to 23 he calls the saints to persevere in the faith. Specifically, notice verse 21, where he exhorts keep your sales in the love of God. This is a call for the perseverance of the saints. True believers endure to the end. Keep your self in the love of God keep yourself, Jude says, but what you do when you cannot keep yourself. We must keep ourselves in the love of God. What do you do when you cannot keep yourself verses 24 and 25 Jude aliens. This little letter with this glorious doxology now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy. The only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory and majesty, dominion and authority before all time and now and for ever. A man. This passage declares to us that God is able to keep you when you cannot keep your self it would finna cause wrote this is the greatest theme of victory to be sounded. This is the highest note of praise and adoration possible.

The greatest assurance of the redeemed. Indeed, it is God is able to keep you when you cannot keep your self and in the two verses of this doxology, Jude says, first trust the God who is able to keep you and then he says, praise the God who is able to keep you first trust the God who is able to keep you now to him who is able. This is one of three doxologies that praise God for him being able Ephesians 3 verse 20 says now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that you could ask or think. Romans chapter 16 verse 25 says now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel hearing, Jude 24. Jude says now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling say that God is able is to say that he is omnipotent. He has perfect power over all creation hear the term able refers to the ability to get things done is not merely wanted has good intentions. It is one who is able to accomplish what he intends. This is our God, what you consider that this is not a remembrance as he looks back at a time when God was able to listen out a promise of the future to look forward to a time where God will be able this is a real time assurance. It doesn't matter when it is or where you are or what's going on. This assurance abides God is able fireman asked Jesus for help. In Matthew 928 Jesus replied to the request for help by asking do you believe that I am able to do this really all of life gets down to that. This is the bottom line he is able to question is not his ability.

The question is do we believe verse 24 minutes us to trust the God was able to keep you where to trust that on one hand, God is able to preserve us on earth and on the other hand he's able to present us in glory. God is able to preserve you on earth. Verse 24. He is able to keep you from stumbling were there keep his military language pictures God as the divine warrior.

God is able to keep you he is the God who is on guard and he is able to keep you from stumbling the translation. I grew up with of this passage when I was a boy that he's able to keep you from falling in later years, but the word used here is more emphatic. He is able to keep you from stumbling. Thank God for that, stumbling, proceeds falling is not able only to pick you up again. He is able to keep you on your feet. He is able to prevent you from stumbling. It is the picture of a sure footed horse rides confidently through rugged terrain.

God is able to keep you from stumbling over friends were not able to do this for ourselves. God is able to keep you he's able to keep you from error.

He's able to keep you from sin is able to keep you in the midst of temptation. First Corinthians chapter 10 verses 12 and 13 says no temptation overtaken you except that which is common to man.

God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, along with the temptation will provide a way to escape, so that you might bear up under it is able to keep you from error. He's able to keep you from sin is able to keep them from temptation, but I think more emphatically. What do the saying here is that he is able to keep you from falling away from the faith, he is able to keep you from falling away from the faith. There is been the rise of the nuns these days. Those who when asked their religious affiliation mark, none of the above.

Many pastors and churches and denominations are in a panic about people leaving the church in all kinds of explanations are given for one of the explanations given right in Scripture is rarely mentioned. First John chapter 2 verse 19.

John says they departed from us because they were not truly of us true believers persevere in the faith to the end because God is able to keep him from stumbling and falling away from the faith. Have you ever experienced a miracle personal life. You are in Christ Jesus of you have been born again. If you've been saved by grace through faith in Christ alone. You have experienced two miracles first friends. It's a miracle that you are saying. Ephesians 2 verse once his wayward dad in trespasses and said the metaphor of death means separation from God and it means inability that people can't try harder that people can't turn over a new leaf that people can't do better that people don't need rules and ritual or regulation that people need resurrection can only take place by the transforming grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a miracle that you are saved, if you have been say you have experienced two miracles is a miracle that you are say and secondly it's a miracle that you are steel say if you could lose your salvation you would've lost it already.

You are still in the faith, because God is able to keep you. Indeed, the true believer perseveres until the end, but hear me the steadfast perseverance of the saints is enabled by the sovereign preservation of God.

God keeps us when we cannot keep our selves. He's able to preserve us on earth.

He is also able to present us in heaven.

Verse 24 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. This is a great verse to be friends with, because it encompasses the entire Christian journey from Earth to glory.

Fact is a play on words hear the term here present means to make you stand, the God who keeps you from stumbling on earth will make you stand in glory. He will present you two ways blamelessly and joyfully. Again we are reminded we cannot do this. We cannot keep ourselves on earth from stumbling.

We cannot do that, of ourselves that we most definitely cannot present ourselves in glory blamelessly before God without divine help our doom. As stated in Psalm one. Write the ungodly are not so are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the congregation of the righteous. We cannot present ourselves before God, but he is able to present us before himself. He is able to present us before his glory is glory. Here is a euphemism for God himself. We will be trophies of his amazing grace. He will keep us on earth and present us before his own glory. Notice the two ways he will do so.

He will present us blamelessly. Here is a reminder of our neediness are absolutely neediness. Here is a reminder of the total sufficiency of Jesus Christ. We can only stand blameless before God as we are covered in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. First Peter chapter 1 verses 18 to 19 says you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish and without spot, he presents us in Christ.

Blameless, we can do that. Left to our own devices. There is plenty to blameless with plenty of blame's guilt weighs us down, he has chosen us in crisis. Ephesians 1 before the foundation of the world that we might be holy and blameless before him.

Not only will he present us blamelessly. He will present us joyfully. He will present us blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy. Literally, with much leaving Adam and Eve enjoy the manifest presence of God in the Garden of Eden when they fell into sin. This sense of God's presence brought guilt and fear and shame because of their sin, we have inherited this from Adam and Eve as a result of the fall, but in Christ Jesus. We don't have to fear that day when we will meet God.

He shall present us before his glory with great joy. Psalm 16 verse 11 that you will show me the way of life in your presence is the fullness of joy and at your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

This is the hope of the believer, he shall come with trumpet sound old.

May I've been in him be found, dressed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. He will present us before the presence of his glory with great joy. Matthew Henry comments here that where there is no sin. There will be no sorrow where there is perfection of holiness that will be perfection of joy, he will present us before his presence with great joy and I might add, I don't think that is merely the joy of the presented I believe is also the joy of the presenter. Hebrews 12 verse two describing Christ says for the joy that was set before him. He endured the cross, and despise the shame, and is seated at the right hand of God the father. So verse 24 business the trust the God who is able to keep you and then verse 25 says praise the God who is able to keep you. Verse 24 is filled with assurances of what God will do for you now. Verse 25 before the doxology and benediction ends.

You want to be real clear what God does for you is not about you is all about him and the trust the God who is able to keep you is to praise the God who is able to keep you. Verse 25 declares that God is worthy of exclusive praise highest praise on ending price, God was able to keep us is worthy of exclusive praise.

Notice the parallel language to him who is able verse 24 begins verse 25 to the only God. God is worthy of exclusive praise because he is the only God. Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse four hear, O Israel, the Lord Lord your God is one in first Timothy chapter 2 verse five declares that there is only one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for us all. There is only one God and is one God is worthy exclusively of praise because this one God is our Savior, say, review some 24 times in the New Testament and it is usually a reference to Christ but here it features God as our Savior. This is important because it is saying that Jesus didn't come as a saver to protect us from God, the judge what Christ did. God did second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21 he God made him Christ, who knew no sin to become sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

God is our Creator God is our ruler. God is our judge. But he is more than that to those who are in Christ, he is our Savior and as such he is worthy of exclusive praise in this God was worthy of exclusive praise is also worthy of highest price.

The only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord the glory and majesty, dominion and power and authority that is praise God for his glory and praise God for his Majesty term Majesty is used in Hebrews 1 verse three and Hebrews 8 verse one as a euphemism for God. Here it is ascribing praise to God… Awesome presence is majestic power is his dominion. Praise God for his dominion.

Dominion here means the God's power is not just theoretical or ceremonial God is a God of manifested power. His power is at work in the world. Praise God for his authority is the fuel of the great commission. Great commission is recorded in Matthew 28 verses 18 to 20, but the commission is just verses 19 and 20 verse 18 of Matthew 28 is no commission. It's a claim that verse 18 is not true verses 19 and 20 are meaningless. Before he tells us to go into the world and make disciples.

Jesus first declares all authority in heaven and on earth belong to me.

God is worthy of exclusive praise God is worthy of highest praise God is worthy of on ending price to this God be glory Majesty dominion and authority before time and now and for ever. 80. Robinson said this is the most comprehensive statement of eternity that tongue can use eternity past history eternity future God is worthy of praise.

Hebrews 13 verse eight says it this way, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever before time and now and forever we praise the God who is able to present us before the presence of his glory and men and a great reminder of such a profound reality. Our God is worthy of exclusive praise and the highest praise were glad you joined us for the wings the addition of Renewing Your Mind. We web Dr. HP Charles Junior's are teacher this week as we highlight his new teaching series, blessing and praise benedictions and doxologies in Scripture.

This is the first time we bear these messages so this is also your first opportunity to have a copy of the series for your own library will send you the eight messages on a single DVD when you call us with your donation of any amount at the dinner ministries are numbers 800-435-4343 but you can also make your request securely online. When you go to Renewing Your Mind.org Renewing Your Mind is a listener supported outreach of Whittier ministries. We exist to proclaim, teach, and defend the holiness of God in all its fullness to as many people as possible.

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Dr. Charles will show us God's love in the benediction we find in second Corinthians.

Mercy is his restraining love, grace is his forgiving love Providence is over seeing the his wisdom is his guiding love Calvary is his proven love heaven is his eternal love and have to do with God. It has to do with love, we hope you'll join us Thursday for Renewing Your Mind