Okay, we're gonna continue one
more time in the book of Jude and study that we've been in
and looking at the book of Jude. And we're down to the last couple
of verses. We've been looking at verse 24
for a bit now, 24. And I'd like to start like we
have been with reading the last two verses of the book of Jude.
It says, now unto him that is able to keep you from falling
and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory
with exceeding joy, to the only wise God, our Savior, be glory
and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. And
where this brings us to in this letter, this book that Jude has
written, that God has given him to record down for us to have,
it starts out by, this letter is given to God's people. It
talks to those in the first couple of verses, it says, to them that
are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ
and called. Mercy unto you and peace and
love be multiplied." And this is who it's given to. It's
given to God's people. And there's a lot of warnings
and some things that are dealt with in the book here that that
show that the church is not always made up physically just of God's
people. There are unbelievers in the
midst, and in the case in that time that Jude is writing to,
there were those that were in the church that were, it says,
crept in unawares, and they were not just unbelievers, they were
up to no good. They were causing dissent. It
said that they turned the grace of God into lasciviousness, or
that which is not proper, and they denied our Lord and Savior. And so these were definitely
ones that were contrary to what the scriptures
teach and what the church stands for and who they stand in. And there's some warnings to
stand in the faith. He starts out saying to stand
and defend the faith that was once delivered to the saints
and delivered to us and to stay in those things and gets past
that and to deal with and how to deal with some of those things
and characteristics of what the, what the unbeliever is like,
and in other places that there's an accounting of what by nature
man is like, and it's not good, and it fall in nature, and that
at least one writer says, such were some of you. And I think
the implication is such were all of you were in this same
state until God indeed delivers us. And so we get down to the
last couple of verses here and it gets back again to good ground as far as what we
like to see and like to hear about our Savior and about what
we have gained in Him. And we looked at last Last week,
we started in a couple of thoughts about verse 24, and we called
that lesson He is Able. And the couple of points that
we made that we're gonna look at just a minute today is two
points. One, He is able to keep you from
falling. And two, to present you faultless
before the throne. in glory and with joy, it says. So he is able, he is only is
able to do that, keep us from falling and to present us faultless. And so I would like to start
with a couple of verses we looked at last time in Hebrews chapter,
book of Hebrews first chapter. and just in what way of a review,
just a couple of thoughts. First chapter of Hebrews in the
first few verses say, God who at sundry times and in diverse
manners spake in time passed unto the fathers by the prophets,
hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son. whom he hath
appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds,
who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image
of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his
power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on
the right hand of the majesty on high, being made so much better
than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent
name than they. and that the one that we have to deal
with that is dealing with us. It says here, he is the brightness
of his glory, the express image of his person, and uphold all
things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged
our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high. And this has directly to deal
with him presenting us faultless. and preserving us from falling.
And again, as the first verse there in Jude says, that we are
preserved in Jesus Christ, we are preserved in Him. We have
no preservation or salvation or future apart from in Him. And that's That's the crux to
the matter is that all the things that we can hope for or hope
to have now or hereafter are in the Lord Jesus Christ. And
in the book of Romans, turn to the Romans chapter 16 for just
a minute. for just a thought here. And
this is still by way of kind of review what we looked at of
who we stand in and what we have. In Romans chapter 16, in the
last little bit, starting with verse 25, Now to him that is of power to
establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus
Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept
secret since the world began, but now is made manifest and
by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment
of the everlasting God made known to all nations for the obedience
of faith. To God only wise, be glory through
Jesus Christ forever. And here in verse 25, him that
is of power to establish you according to my gospel and the
preaching of Jesus Christ. He is the only one that is of
power to do that, to establish us and to keep us on that firm
ground and foundation that he places us on and keeping our
eyes on him. As one scripture we've looked
at a few times says, and looking to Jesus, the author and finisher
of our faith, finisher of our faith, and the one that is able
to carry us on and present us through to the end and how that
will be. In 1 Thessalonians, in 1 Thessalonians, in chapter
four, First Thessalonians chapter four,
and starting with verse 14, it says, for this we say unto you
by the word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain
unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent or preclude or go
before them which are asleep or are dead. For the Lord himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ
shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore,
comfort one another with these words." And this speaking of the second
coming and some questions that came up, but as it says here
that the Lord himself, it says, shall descend from heaven with
a shout, voice of the archangel with the trump of God, and the
dead in Christ shall rise first, and we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air, so shall we ever be with the Lord. There are those over time that
had different arguments and thoughts about what would happen that
day. This is pretty clear. Dead in Christ shall rise. And
there's other passages too that speak to this. And us that remain,
it says, will be caught up together to meet the Lord. And the point
of it is, so shall we ever be with the Lord. And that's the
presenting us faultless, keeping us from falling and keep presenting
us faultless, how that fits in there. And then in 1 Corinthians
chapter 15, turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. And, And then verse 45, I'd like to
read just by itself for just a second here. 1 Corinthians
15, 45, and it says, verse 44, it's sown a natural
body is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and a
spiritual body. And so it is written, the first
man Adam was made a living soul. And the last Adam was made a
quickening spirit. And we have to remember it says
46, how be it that was not first, which is spiritual, but that
which is natural. And afterward, that's what is
spiritual. The first man, Adam is of the
earth earthy. The second man is the Lord from
heaven. And then over to verse 51, of 1 Corinthians 15, it says,
behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we
shall all be changed. in a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, at the last trump. For the trumpet shall sound,
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed. For this corruptible must put
on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when
this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal
shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass
the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O
death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ. And verse 58, therefore, my beloved
brethren stand you steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in
the work of the Lord for as much as you know that your labor is
not in vain in the Lord. And this, again, pointed that
this is not the end. The Lord, when he comes, it says,
we shall put on incorruptible. Mortals shall be incorruptible.
We shall be like him, and we will see him as he is. And then
in 2 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians chapter five, 2 Corinthians chapter five, starting with verse 17 of chapter
five of 2 Corinthians. It says, therefore, if any man
be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things are become new. And all things are of God who
hath reconciled us unto himself by Jesus Christ and hath given
unto us the ministry of reconciliation. to it that God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespass unto
them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech
you by us. We pray you in Christ's stead
be reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin
for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. And this a lot said in all of
these passages, but in this passage, the way that we can be presented
faultless before his throne is that in him we are made the righteousness
of God. That righteousness is not of
us, that righteousness is him. It says we might be made the
righteousness of God. It is a new. creation. It is a new creature. That covering
we have that we've mentioned, that robe of righteousness, is
not one that we put together but is his totally. And that's
the only way by his reconciling and as it says here that He hath made him to be sin for
us. He took on our sin. And in a
message I was listening to from some years back by Brother David
Morris, a familiar saying that we have is that he paid a debt
he didn't owe, And we had a debt we could not pay. He paid that
debt. And that's what it's referring and saying here. He was made
sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. And it's not made the righteousness
of God, period. We have to do that. There is
always a caveat. We are made those things and
have those things in him and through him and because of him. He presented to the church the second
part of this. I have to put a title on this. The lesson of this is our inheritance
and what we have. A few passages and some things that show what we
have in a couple of passages in the book of Revelation, and
I think a lot of people don't turn to the book of Revelation
or read it or study it or approach it or see
what it says compared to other scriptures, they think it's a
sealed book of strange things. And it says at the beginning,
we're gonna read this, it says what the book is and God's people
have to approach that in the spirit and have the spirit reveal
these things to us because otherwise some of it is Sounds like science
fiction to people, and it is not. It says, Revelation, first
chapter, first verse. It says, the revelation of Jesus
Christ, which God gave unto him to show unto his servants things
which must shortly come to pass. And he sent and signify it by
his angel unto his servant, John, who bear record of the word of
God and of the testimony of Jesus Christ and of all things that
he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and
they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things
which are written therein, for the time is at hand. John, to
the seven churches which are in Asia, grace be unto you and
peace from him which is, and which was, and which is to come,
and from the seven spirits which are before his throne. And from
Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness and the first begotten
of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth, unto
him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
and verse six, and hath made us kings and priests unto God
and his Father. To him be glory and dominion
for ever and ever, amen. Behold, he cometh with clouds,
and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him,
and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, amen. And the verse
eight, it says, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the
ending, saith the Lord, which is and which was and which is
to come, the Almighty. So this introduction to the book
of Revelation here that is given to John is of our Lord himself
and the one that washed us from our sins in his own blood. and
purchased us, and is the beginning and the ending of all things,
and especially of our salvation, of our redemption. He is the
beginning and the ending of it, of those things. In chapters
two and three of Revelation, There are seven points that are
brought out that it says, and it's to the seven churches it
speaks about. And those are not just to those
seven churches, but they are given to all of God's people.
They are all, I think, attributes and faults and gains that all
of God's people have earned part of. And I don't think they were
just given to those individual churches only for their sake,
but they were given for our sake. And here are things that, in
those two chapters, and I'll let you read through them on
your own, to those churches, there are seven things that believers
gain, and it says two overcomers, and the overcomers are those
that were overcomers by the blood of the Lamb. And as it's to those
ones, and the seven points are, they shall eat of the tree of
life in the midst of the paradise of God, the tree of life. They shall, number two, shall
not be hurt of the second death. And that's a big deal. The second death is the big deal. And by his blood and his righteousness,
we shall not be hurt of that second death. We shall eat of
the hidden manna and get the white stone with a new name.
And we had a few messages years ago now in that about the white
stone. And the white stone was a way
of voting. for or against a person in a
situation, and those that voted had black stones and white stones,
and they could put a black stone in or a white stone in. And here
it says that, eat of the hidden manna and a white stone with
a new name written in it. He has cast the white stone for
God's people and his people. Number four, we shall have power
over the nations. That does not mean that we will
be the rulers as people would like to make that believe. It
means that we believe on Christ by his doing. And it says, you
shall have the bright and morning star. He is the bright and morning
star. That is the power that we have
is like the gospel, the spiritual power by the gospel and the spirit
of God. In read Ephesians one, it speaks
to that issue. But that power is God has revealed
to his people those things. And it doesn't mean we rule over
people, but we have light that's given that the world does not
have. only by the Spirit of God and
by his gospel. And that is, it speaks to preaching
the gospel and by the power of God that he uses that to redeem
and bring his people in and to call them, as it says, sanctified
in God the Father, preserved in Jesus Christ and called by
the Holy Spirit. And that, you can read on some
of these things, you can read a lot of different comments that
are off to the side. The fifth thing it talks about
is our names are not blotted out of the book of life. Clothed
in white raiment, name is confessed before the father. That's a pretty
good spot to be in. Our name is not blotted out of
the book of life. It is in there. And if God has
put it in there, that's where it is. The sixth point that speaks
about, that the overcomers gain and have, are made a pillar in
the temple of God and write upon them the name of God, the new
Jerusalem comes down, the city whose builder and maker is God,
and Christ's name written in us. And then seven, We sit with
Christ in his throne as he overcame and sat with the father in his
throne. And that's the place we will
be and not sitting in the throne as the ruler, but sitting in
the throne, praising the one that has had his redeemed us
to God and put us there. These things, each of these spots
can be made more than one message out of
a sermon, and I'm sure I've been preached on these, but to the
overcomers, and in him, we are overcomers in him, and not overcomers
of oneself, but overcomers in him. And then in Ephesians chapter
five, so that was all kind of an aside and a review somewhat,
but in Ephesians chapter five, speaking about the church in
Christ, and starting with verse 25. It's talked above here about walking
in love as Christ hath loved us. and giveth himself for us,
but verse 25, it says, husbands, love your wives, even as Christ
also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might
sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.
that he might present it to himself a glorious church,
not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should
be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives
as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth
himself." And that the love that he brings out and speaks to about
husbands and wives here and likens it that to what he has done,
but verse 26 and 27. that he might sanctify the church
and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he
might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle
or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish."
And that's as what Jude speaks about presenting us faultless
and faultless is one word, but it covers a whole lot of ground,
what that actually means and what it speaks about in here.
Having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, and that it should
be holy and without blemish. And that not just spot as we
think spot or blemish, but that we have no taint of sin. And I think about the three Hebrew
children that were in the furnace and didn't smell like smoke.
that they were completely free of that in that picture of what
sin is like and his cleansing and his making us indeed clean. And then in the book of Colossians,
if you would please, in the first chapter of Colossians, Colossians chapter one, and starting
with verse 13, and as always, read the before and afters in
these passages. These are thoughts taken out,
but not taken out of context as far as what the meaning is,
but taken out of the middler part of the text. But starting
with verse 13, it says, or verse 12, giving thanks unto the Father
which hath made us meet, or able, or fit to be partakers of the
inheritance of the saints in light, who hath delivered us
from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom
of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood,
even the forgiveness of sins, who is the image of the invisible
God, the firstborn of every creature, For by him were all things created
that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All things were created by him and for him. And he is before
all things and by him all things consist. And he is the head of
the body, the church. who is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence.
For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell.
And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him
to reconcile all things unto himself, by him I say whether
they be things in earth or things in heaven, and you that were
sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works,
now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death
to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight.
if ye continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and be
not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have
heard, and which was preached to every creature, which is under
heaven, whereof I, Paul, am made a minister." And some, again,
very important and big points in some of this that, that, There's a lot to it, there's
a lot of it. And that, again, that who has delivered us from
the power of darkness and translated us into the power of his light.
Redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, it says,
that made peace through the blood
of his cross. by him to reconcile all things
unto himself. In verse 21, you that were sometime
alienated, and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now
hath he reconciled. He has reconciled, and he is
the one that keeps us not moving away from the gospel. It says
not away from the gospel. And in Jude where it says build
up, your most holy faith. That is not a building up that
we can do. It's a building up that God causes.
And if we are not kept by him, we are not kept. It's not a keeping
that we do. In 2 Timothy, let's turn over
to 2 Timothy. And the first chapter, 2 Timothy
chapter one, And starting with verse eight,
it says, be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our
Lord, nor of me, his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions
of the gospel according to the power of God. who hath saved
us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was
given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made
manifest by the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who
hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel. whereunto I am appointed a preacher,
and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For the which
cause I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed,
for I know who I have believed, and am persuaded that he's able
to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. Hold
fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me in
faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus, that good thing which
was committed unto thee by the Holy Ghost, which dwelleth in
us." And here, once again, saying how we have the standing, how
we have, how we have standing that by that holy calling of
his, that we are, He said, with a holy calling, not according
to our works, but his own purpose and grace, which was given us
in Christ Jesus before the world began. So these things that we
see that in Revelation, those things that the overcomers, to
the overcomers these things come, these things were, as it says,
were given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. And it's
not a wait and see what's gonna happen and how things will turn
out. This was a determined, it's a
determined church. It's a determined glorified church.
It's a determined how it came about and the keeping of it has
been determined and is determined. And then I'd like to turn one
more time to the book of Revelation in the 21st chapter. There are some wonderful descriptions
of our Lord and the things that he has done and is doing and
will do for his people in this book. But in Revelation 21, Just a couple of spots. Start
with verse six, it says, and he said unto me, it is done.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto
him that is a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his
God and he shall be my son. but the fearful and unbelieving
and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers
and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. And primarily up here where it
said, I will give to him that is a thirst of the water of life
freely. He that overcometh shall inherit
all things. I will be his God and he shall
be my son." And this thirst is not of our doing, of our reckoning. coming to ourself and thinking
those things. God causes that thirst, that
drawing. He's the one that, as it said
in that first verse again of Jude, and called by the Holy
Spirit. Otherwise, we are dead in who
we are by nature. We are dead in those things.
And then in verse 21 of the same chapter, 21, starting with 22,
21, 22, it says, and I saw no temple
therein, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of
it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon,
to shine in it. For the glory of God did lighten
it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them
which are saved shall walk in the light of it. And the kings
of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. And the gates
of it shall not be shut at all by day, for there shall be no
night there, and they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations
into it. And there shall in no wise enter
into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination,
or maketh a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb's book
of life." And this by these scriptures show some picture of that he
is able to keep us from falling and presents us faultless and
how that comes about in his doing of it. And it's It's more than
we can take in. He has to reveal that to us.
And that glory that is brought in is him, our Lord himself. It's not the, or it says the
glory and honor of the nations. He is that glory and honor. And
so, Next time, we're going to look
at verse 25. We'll look at a couple of these
verses again, and who our great God is in that doxology to God's
people and to Him. Once again, thank you for