One of the characteristics or
evidences of the grace of God at work in the lives of God's
people is humility. To this end, we see the words
of the Apostle Paul. For I say, through the grace
given unto me to every man that is among you, not to think of
himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly,
according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. Thus we see Jude identifying
himself as the servant of Jesus Christ. A man cannot be a servant
of Christ unless he is the servant of his fellow saints. Even as
the Lord had said, and whosoever will be chief among you, let
him be your servant. Even as the Son of Man came not
to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life
a ransom for many. And as they departed from Jericho,
a great multitude followed him. Many who are given places of
leadership clamor to occupy the chief seats among the saints,
desiring the accolades of men. and to be esteemed highly for
their gifts and calling, some even glory and titles bestowed
upon them. Yet the Lord demonstrated His
own mastery not by demanding servitude, but by girding Himself
with a towel and washing the feet of His disciples. He set
an example which is completely contrary to the reason of the
flesh. Most problems that arise in the
assemblies of the saints are solved by the manifestation of
God's grace as the Spirit moves the saints to demonstrate humility
before one another. By the same token, when the Spirit's
work of humility is absent from an assembly, there will be a
clamoring for position and influence, backbiting, that is, criticism,
one against another, and a general disregard of the very essence
of what it is to walk in a Christ-like fashion. If a man say, I love
God and hateth his brother, he is a liar. He that loveth not
his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath
not seen? To love the brethren is to hold
them in high esteem and to regard their needs and desires above
our own. Some think that sound doctrine
is a substitute for humility. But any doctrine which does not
promote humility cannot be the doctrine of Christ. Regardless
of what a man knows, he cannot be walking in truth if he is
not desiring the fruits of righteousness which are bestowed by Him who
has demonstrated a meek and humble spirit. Jude says the saints
were sanctified by the Father. He does not speak of some ongoing,
incomplete work but rather refers to an action taken by the one
true and living God to set apart a people whom he has loved everlastingly
unto salvation. Thus the sons of God are completely
sanctified by an activity entirely outside of themselves. Paul refers
to this when he says, But of him are ye in Christ Jesus. who
of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification,
and redemption, that according as it is written, He that glorieth,
let him glory in the Lord. Then Jude says that these same
saints are preserved in Jesus Christ. This preservation is
rooted in the past and had its beginning from before the foundation
of the world. It does not begin when a man
believes, but rather a man will be caused to believe as a result
of this preservation. The saints are preserved unto
the obtaining of glory, and then kept from falling by the faithfulness
of Him who is their Keeper. Jude says that they are preserved
in Jesus Christ. He is the life of His people.
He that hath the Son hath life. They are preserved according
to the covenant promise which was given to the Son by the Father. They are preserved from the condemnation
of the law, since he has stood as their substitute in satisfying
the justice of a broken law. They are preserved from the darkness
of death, because he has triumphed over the grave, and they are
kept from it by the imputation of his righteousness and his
resurrection. Who can overturn it? If you would
like a free transcript of this broadcast, email us at 4the4
at windstream.net.