We're going to be in the book
of Jude once again, and we're kind of closing in on the end
of this book, and it's been a good spot to be in.
Today we're going to call this lesson we're going to look at,
He is Able. And let's start by reading the last two verses of
Jude, verses 24 and 25. It says, now to 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 we're gonna look at a couple
of things. I said we're gonna call this, look at the scripture
this morning. He is able, and there's only
two points we're gonna look at today. in this verse 24, first one is
he is able to keep you from falling, and the second point, to present
you for faultless, and he's able to do both those. I'd like to
look again at the first couple of verses, a first verse
of Jude that says, Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ and the
brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father
and preserved in Jesus Christ and called, mercy be unto you
and peace and love be multiplied. And sometime back in verse one,
we looked at what those three things there have to say to us,
them that are sanctified by God the Father, them that are preserved
in Jesus Christ and called by the Holy Spirit. And that point
we looked at, preserved in Jesus Christ, what that meant and what
the scripture had to say about that, that we are kept in him
by his righteousness, alone that we are kept in him and by his
power. And here in verse 24 of Jude, where it says, he is to him that
is able, unto him that is able to keep you from falling. And
a couple of the commentators, three of them that I read, they
say this is pretty self-explanatory kind of thought based on what's
gone before. And one of them said that him
that is able, and it says, Because of all what the scripture says
about with him who we have to do with and that does with us,
this is speaking of none other than our Savior himself. That
the Lord Jesus Christ is the one that by His own self redeemed
us and by His own self keeps us by His power. And that He
is the one that deals with us in that way. The Holy Spirit,
obviously God the Father and God the Holy Spirit and Christ
are all one. They're never separated. So if
one has to do with us, the others have to do with us. But directly
as the scripture showed that He is the one that took on flesh
and blood, He's the one that became took on the body and the
form of his kindred, the ones he was gonna redeem, and the
only way that that could be done, and he was the one that did that. And they say that, Brother Hawker
said that is part and parcel with his office of our Savior
and mediator, that this is, can be speaking at none other than
him. And I'm not gonna, argue about that, we're gonna look
at some of what the scripture says and it deals with these. And as far as keeping his people,
and some of the things we'll read here, some of these passages
have to do with both parts, both to keep from falling and to present
faultless. We're gonna read several places. In 1 Thessalonians, in 1 Thessalonians, and if you
go through some of the commentators and stuff, you'll find one or
two verses that deal with some of these things, but there obviously
is more that the scripture has to say. But in 1 Thessalonians
chapter 5, starting with verse 23, it says,
and the very God Peace sanctify you holy and I
pray God your whole Spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless
unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ Faithful is he that calleth
you who will also do it Faithful is he that calleth you
who also do it and the doing of it is the preserving blameless
under the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, it says. And he
is the only one that can do that by his power and by his might. And you could sum up that thought
about he is able is he's God. So, you know, kind of what more
can you say? He is the only one that can be
said of him that he is able, no matter what that, may follow
that, he is able to do those things. And there in 1 Thessalonians
where it says, he is able to preserve us blameless under the
coming of the Lord. And then in 1 Peter, in 1 Peter, It says in this, who it's speaking
to, chapter one of First Peter, first verse, it says, Peter,
an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according
to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification
of the spirit, and unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus Christ, be grace be unto you, and peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy
hath begotten us again into a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and unfiled, and
that fadeth not away, reserved for you in heaven, who are kept
by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed
in the last time. In the, here it's speaking verse
five, kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation,
ready to be revealed in that last time, in the last time.
Again, he is able to keep his people. We can't keep it, we can't keep
anything of our own self. Physically, and surely not spiritually,
If it's not His keeping, we are not kept. It's not as a lot of
religion seems to say that once a person is so-called comes to
God or is saved or whatever term they want to use, that it's kind
of up to them then to make sure that you're staying good stead
with God. And we know what Paul has to
say about that. And every one of us have to say
amen to what Paul says and amen to who can save us from this
body of death that we are in. And there's no argument to that.
In John chapter 10, in John chapter 10, And there's quite a bit in the
book of John that the Lord himself sheds a lot of light on and puts
a lot of truth to who takes care of God's people and who takes
care of the sheep and where that comes from. And so in chapter
10 of John, starting with verse 25, up above here, he speaks,
he's the good shepherd that taketh care of the sheep. But in verse
25, it says, and Jesus answered them I told you, and you believe not,
the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
But you believe not, because you're not of my sheep. As I
said unto you, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they follow me. And I give unto them eternal
life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. My Father which gave them me
is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of
my Father's hand. I and my father are one, and
the Jews took up stones again to stone him." And as it says
here, no one can pluck them out of his hand. It's not of our
doing that were not plucked out of his hand. It's of his doing
and his holding alone and doing alone. And there's a saying that
people have on their walls and whatnot about God walking, then two sets of
footprints, and then there's one set of footprints in the
sand when he carries us, and then there's another two sets
and stuff. But there's only one that He carries us all the way and
not just part of the way. And not just when it appears
we need Him because that's never the case. God's people never
have a time when they're not kept by Him and preserved by
Him completely. In Psalm 121, a lot of the Psalms
speak about God's care of his people and his strength
and the high tower he is, the fortress he is, all those many
things about his strength and the position that God's people
are in him. And that where we stand in a
verse, a chapter, Psalm 121, it says, I'll lift my eyes unto
the hills from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from
the Lord which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy
foot to be moved. He that keepeth thee will not
slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper. The Lord
is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee
by day nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee
from all evil. He shall preserve thy soul. The
Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this
time forth and even forevermore. In Psalm 125, while we're that
close, it says, They that trust in the Lord,
verse one, shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed,
but abideth forever. As the mountains are round about
Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth
even forever. For the rod of the wicked shall
not rest upon the lot of the righteous, lest the righteous
put forth their hands into iniquity. Do good, O Lord, unto those that
be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts, as for
such As turn aside unto their crooked ways, the Lord shall
lead them forth with the workers of iniquity, but peace shall
be upon Israel. And here are several things that
he is the strength of Israel, the strength of the church, the
true Israel of God. And it says, verse four there,
do good, O Lord, unto those that be good and to them that are
upright in their hearts. And that's only of his doing,
we know that there is none good in and of themselves. And the
only one that has done good for us is the Lord himself, who is
our keeper, he's our deliverer, he's the shepherd, he's the keeper
of the church. In John chapter 17, and we spent
a lot of time in John 17, in recent months in a lot of
different times and places. But in John chapter 17, and start down with me at about
verse 11. Actually verse nine, it says,
I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for them which
thou hast given me, for they are mine. And all mine are thine,
and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now I
am no more in the world, but these are in the world. And I
come to thee, Holy Father, keep through thine own name those
whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are." Verse 12, while I was with them
in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest
me, I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of
perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come
I to thee, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have
my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word, and
the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even
as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest
take them out of the world, but thou shouldest keep them from
the evil." And our Lord's speaking about that, that he is the keeper
of his people and also in all sense, in all times, in all situations
in verse 15, where he says that, not take them out of the world,
but that thou should keep them from the evil. And indeed, he
is the one that keeps his people and keeps them safe. In Philippians, while we're here on the keeping from falling
and keeping us, his people, in Philippians, the first chapter, Philippians in the first chapter,
in the first little bit, it says, starting with verse one, Paul
and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ to all the saints
in Christ Jesus, which are at Philippi with the bishops and
deacons. Grace be unto you and peace from
God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God
upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine
for you. all making request with joy for your fellowship in the
gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this
very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will
perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. And again here, he that
hath begun a good work in you will perform it, will keep it,
will not allow that to be unfruitful or to turn back from that. In
2 Timothy, while we're on this of him keeping
us, 2 Timothy chapter one, and starting with verse eight. It says, be not thou therefore
ashamed of the testament of our Lord or 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 an 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 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 whom
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. And here again, he's persuaded,
and God's people, by his doing, his witness to us, we are persuaded
that he is able to keep these things, that he is able to keep
us from falling and keep us in himself. Psalm 65 talks about that. We're
not gonna read that right now, but Psalm 65 relates to that. In Psalm 37, many of the psalms
do, but in Psalm 37, a couple verses. So to the verse 23, it says,
the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth
in his way. Though he fall, he shall not
be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and I now
am old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed
begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth,
and his seed is blessed. Depart from evil, and do good,
and dwell forevermore. For the Lord loveth judgment,
and forsaketh not his saints. They are preserved forever, but
the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall
inherit the land and dwell therein forever. The Lord loveth judgment and
forsaketh not his saints. They are preserved forever. The
seed of the wicked shall be cut off. And then we know in Psalm
23 that speaks to us of his keeping and feeding and care for the
care for the sheep, for the people, that it's of his hand that we
get those things. And that he is, it says, we shall
not want. He'll provide and provides all
those things and he shall keep us. And it says they should be
in the house of the Lord forever and shall be representative of
him. And then the second thought we wanna look at, and by no means,
all the thoughts that are in these verses, but the second
thought in verse 24, he's able to present us faultless before
his presence. If, I guess a couple of thoughts
about that, comments about that is that that's the only way that we can be presented faultless
as in Him. It has to be of His doing. There's
gonna be none that is, as he says, be perfect as I am perfect.
And another thought along with that is be perfect as you are
in me perfect, not of our own selves and our own standing.
But of His doing, we are perfected in Him and we're gonna see that.
And that nothing that's not perfect is gonna stand before God. So
the thought that people have that me and Jesus will make it
there or something type of thing, it's not gonna cut it. Or the common thought that natural
man has is, well, I do pretty good. that should put me in pretty
good standing. If it's not perfect, it's not,
there is no standing and there's only condemnation. It's either
perfect or not. It's not, that was the problem
or a problem with man and the first covenant. It was not intended
for life and it could not be to life. They couldn't keep even
the simple parts of it. They could do nothing of their
own. And the picture there of Israel in the Old Testament,
all the times that they failed and all the pictures that we
have of the Lord in the sacrifices and the different pictures is
because people couldn't do it. It just showed all the times
that the inability of man to, to do outward things, let alone
do spiritual things. They couldn't do the outward
parts of things. And if it's of man, it's failure. And all the pictures we show
and see in the Old Testament, as well as the New, are the perfection
and the only standing that men can have is to be covered with
his righteousness and be perfect as he is perfect. In Hebrews, I resent that, I
guess. Hebrews chapter one, in the first,
the start, very start of the book here, and we're gonna look
at a couple places through it. It says, God, who at sundry times
and in diverse manners spake in time past 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 he also
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 by inheritance
obtained a bit more excellent ministry than they. And here
it says, 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. And purged our sins goes along
with how we could be presented faultless. And either in him
those sins are purged or they're not. It's not part his righteousness
and part our righteousness. righteousness. It's all of his
keeping and doing. If he, as it says, he's able
to do this, we are not. And if we are not, then we, on the
other hand, he has to be the one, the only standing we have. In chapter 10 of Hebrews, and
all the way through this, the book of Hebrews is a wonderful
book that explains an awful lot that was confusing to me about
what was going on in the Old Testament. of the sacrifices,
of the priesthood, all those things at one time seemed so
kind of confusing, and what did they have to do with anything,
you know? And the book of Hebrews explains
very well about those pictures of what those things were is
pictures of our Lord. and who, how, and why he delivered
his people, and how we can be just before him and stand before
him. And the book of Hebrews is a
great explanation to a lot of Old Testament happenings. But
in chapter 10, starting at verse 12, Speaking of the Lord, where it says we are sanctified
through the offering of him, but verse 12 of chapter 10, Hebrews
says, but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice forever,
for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God. from henceforth
expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected
forever them that are sanctified." whereof the Holy Ghost also is
a witness to us. For after that he had said before,
this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,
saith the Lord. I will put my laws into their
hearts and in their minds will I write them, and their sins
and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission
of these is, there is no more offering for sin. And saying
that he as the Lamb of God, slain before the foundation of the
world, if indeed, and it is so that in him these things have
done that we have our sins and iniquities remembered no more.
He paid those and offered the sacrifice that was acceptable.
And it says in verse 17, 18, there's sins and iniquities I'll
remember no more. Now where remission of these
is, there's no more offering for sin. There's no going back
to the picture. We have the, this is the explanation
and the showing of the reality, the true sacrifice that was acceptable
to God. And all those other sacrifices,
there's a passage that says, I'm tired of that. They serve
no purpose. I'm sick of those things. And
all the vain oblation, the vain things that they brought because
there were a lot of sacrifice offered that had no meaning to
those that offered them and surely not to God. And this is the end of that law. He is the end. There is no more
remission. of sin, there's no more offering for sin, it's been
paid for. And then in chapter 13, Hebrews
also, a couple of verses, chapter 13,
verses 20 and 21 say, now the God of peace that brought
again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of
the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
make you perfect in every good work, to do His will, working
in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ,
to whom be glory forever and ever, amen. And here, again,
that through the blood of the everlasting covenant, not the
first covenant, that was not to salvation, was a picture of
the true covenant, but through this blood of the everlasting
covenant, we are made perfect in Him. And that's what Hebrews
has to say about it. In the book of Romans, we have
just a few minutes here, but in the book of Romans chapter
eight, I'd like to read a little bit of this that speaks to this. up above here, the passage there
in Romans 7 that Paul's lamenting or recounting at least what,
in the flesh, what we are like, what the situation seems. hopeless in the flesh, and indeed
it is hopeless in the flesh, but through our Lord we are served
the law of God, it says. But in chapter eight, verse one,
it says, there is therefore now no condemnation to them that
are in, which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the spirit. For the law, the spirit of life
in Christ Jesus, hath made me free from the law of sin and
death. For what the law could not do, and that it was weak
through the flesh, God sending his own son in the likeness of
sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness
of the law might be fulfilled in us. who walk not after the
flesh, but after the spirit. For they that are after the flesh
do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the spirit,
the things of the spirit. For to be carnally minded is
death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity
against God, it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed
can be. So then they that are in the
flesh cannot please God, but you are not in the flesh, but
in the spirit. If so be that the spirit of God
dwell in you. Now, if any man have not the
spirit of Christ, he's none of his. And if Christ be in you,
the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because
of righteousness. but that the spirit of him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you. He that raised
up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies
by his spirit that dwelleth in you. And quite a passage here,
but quite a content in this of where our standing is. A couple
of things, there's therefore no condemnation for them that
are in Christ Jesus now or at his coming and presenting the
church to himself. There's no condemnation. And
another point that here along what we're speaking about is
that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us
who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. That righteousness
that isn't after the flesh, but that righteousness that is in
him. And that we are called the righteousness of Christ. We are
called the righteousness of God in him. And then Versus, in the same chapter,
verse 26. Two other spots we gotta look
at in the reclosed. Chapter eight of Romans, verse
26. And it says here, verse 26. Likewise, the Spirit helpeth
our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as
we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searches the hearts
knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession
for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that
all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover, whom he did predestinate, whom he called, them he also
glorified, and whom he justified, and them he also glorified. What shall we say then to these
things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared
not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall
he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of
God, who also maketh intercession for us. who shall separate us
from the love of Christ, shall tribulation, distress, persecution,
famine, nakedness, or peril, or sword, as it is written, for
thy sake we are killed all the day long. We are counted as sheep
for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are
more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I'm persuaded
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And again to Jude, one more time
we're gonna read that. End of Jude there, verses 24
and 25 say, now to him that's 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 again, as it starts and as
it concludes, it's to God's people that are in him, that he is not
only able, but he's able to keep us from falling, to preserve
us in Christ, and to present us faultless before his throne.
And it says, present himself a glorious church. And there's
a couple spots we're going to look at. in conclusion of today and on
to tomorrow, next week. But we're going to have, he is
able part B next time. There's still a little bit more
there to say. Thank you.