He Is Able

Q: What does the Bible say about God keeping us from falling?

The Bible assures us that God is able to keep us from falling and present us faultless before His glory. Jude 24 states, '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.' This verse emphasizes God's omnipotence and His role as our protector against spiritual failure. It acknowledges that true believers are entirely dependent on God's grace for salvation and security. Despite the dangers we face in our sinful nature and the temptations of the world, the assurance lies in God's ability to keep His elect safe, ensuring that they will persevere to the end.

Q: How do we know God is able to keep us from falling?

We know God is able to keep us because of His covenant promises and the redemptive work of Christ. The assurance that God is able to keep us from falling is rooted in His unchanging nature and the covenant He established with His people. According to Jeremiah 32:40, God declares that His covenant will not be disannulled, ensuring our persevere in faith. Furthermore, Christ's sacrificial death guarantees that all who are His will be presented faultless before God's glory. The blood of Christ is powerful enough to redeem us, and the seal of the Holy Spirit marks us as God's own, affirming that we are secure in His grace. His power maintains the work of salvation in our lives until the day of Christ's return.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to understand that they cannot keep themselves from falling?

It's vital for Christians to recognize their inability to keep themselves from falling to foster reliance on God's grace. Understanding that we cannot keep ourselves from falling is crucial for maintaining humility and dependence on God's grace. Jude reminds believers of the historical failures of Israel and fallen angels, highlighting our shared vulnerability to sin and error. Just as Adam and even the holy angels fell, we too are susceptible to despair if left to our own strength. This truth drives us to seek refuge in Christ, who alone can sustain us. Moreover, acknowledging our weakness allows us to appreciate the power of God's grace and the work of the Holy Spirit in keeping us from spiritual destruction, steering us back to Him time and again.

Q: What does it mean that God will present us faultless before His glory?

Being presented faultless before God's glory means we are justified and accepted based on Christ's righteousness. To be presented faultless before God's glory signifies complete acceptance in Christ due to His imputed righteousness. Jude 24 speaks to the divine assurance that, despite our sinful nature, we will be presented before God without blame. This act of grace involves three significant aspects: first, our sins are fully atoned for through Christ's sacrifice; second, we are given His righteousness, which qualifies us for heavenly glory; and third, at the resurrection, we shall be transformed into perfect likeness. This gives believers profound hope and assurance of our eternal status before our holy God, celebrating the richness of His saving grace.

from a young man that has been greatly helped by listening to some of the tapes and messages here. And he said, I sure would like to hear you preach from June 24 and 25. And I thought, well, I'll have Shelby to dig out the tape and we'll send him a copy of the last message I preached from this text description. And much to my surprise, when I started looking for it, I realized it had been over 20 years since I preached a message from these two verses. I was astounded by that. I quote them so often and refer to them so frequently that I just presumed that I had preached a message from these two verses just in at least the recent past. So this morning I'm going to go to this passage of Scripture that I love so much, and I'm going to be bringing my message this morning and also this afternoon from these two verses. Actually, this afternoon's message is just sort of inspired by a comment within these verses. I'll give you that much and hope you'll be here this afternoon.

Jude, verse 24, now unto him that is able to keep you from fault, and to present you before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. To the only wise God, our Savior, be glory, majesty, dominion, and power, both now and ever. Amen. If you're taking note of the title of my message, in these three words, he is able. He is able. That simply means that nothing's too hard for the Lord. No problem's too great for Him to carry, no difficulty too great for Him to solve, no burden too heavy for Him to bear, no problem you have too great for Him to deliver you. He is able. And He is able, according to our text, to keep you and to keep me from falling. He's able at last to present us, sinners though we are by nature, faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy."

Now, notice the circumstances which were influencing Jude when he wrote this passage of Scripture. In writing his letter, this brief brief but so very full and instructive epistle. Jude was led by the Spirit of God to discuss some terribly troubling, grievous, heavy, heavy things. He talks to us about the failures of others and the judgments of God upon them. He writes to us to encourage us to keep ourselves in the love of God, to encourage us to continue in the faith, but he's been talking about failure and apostasy and judgment.

He told us about those men and women that God brought out of Egypt in verse 5. He delivered them by might and by power, by miraculous works. They came out of Egypt. Looks like surely they'd follow God. But then he destroyed them in the wilderness because of their unbelief. Then he tells us about the fallen angels, those holy creatures created in holiness, created upright, created by God in righteousness were themselves led astray and fell in rebellion by the leadership of Satan when he rebelled against the Lord God. And they're kept in chains of judgment, and chains of darkness into the judgment of the last day. Now, then in the 11th verse, he speaks of those who have followed the way of Cain and ran greedily after the way of Balaam, the error of Balaam, and were made to perish by the game, saying, That is, those self-righteous, self-serving, proud religious rebels, men and women who will not bow to the word of God and the truth of God, who will not surrender to the rule of the Lord Jesus Christ, who will not yield themselves to the will of God. But rather, they serve themselves, and they work for themselves in a greedy manner, so that all they do is to serve the lusts of their flesh, though they do it in the name of religion.

And it's against this background, this backdrop so grievous and so difficult, Jude encourages us now to keep ourselves in the love of God. And you read that in verse 21, and you say, well Jude, if these fellows couldn't make it, if they couldn't do it, how on earth are we going to? How on earth are we going to? And Jude gives us this word of assurance.

Now unto him that is able, to keep you from God. What a word of grace! In the midst of great adversity, in the midst of terrible opposition, in the midst of terrible, terrible danger, all true believers are completely safe and totally secure because our Savior, our God, is able to keep you from God and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. I want this morning to show you six things in these two verses, in this great doxology by which I trust the Holy Spirit will both encourage you to believe God and inspire your hearts to give praise to God. First understand this, we all need to be kept from falling. We need to be kept from falling. Now I'm talking specifically to you who are believers, and this text is addressed to you specifically.

You and I who are born of God's Spirit, you and I who are redeemed by the great blood of Jesus Christ, saved by the grace of God, justified and sanctified, we need to be kept from falling, because we cannot keep ourselves. We can't. Jude says, keep yourselves in the love of God in verse 21, but we can't keep ourselves in the love of God. We can't do it. It's not possible.

When Adam was in the garden, Adam was an innocent man. He had no inclination towards sin. He had no evil thought, no evil desire, no evil passion, no evil nature. He didn't have to struggle with sin. There was no such thing as sin in him or around him. He knew no sin. He was in the garden upright, perfect, made in the image and likeness of God. But Adam couldn't keep himself from falling. He soon fell.

The angels of God created in holiness those spirit beings who have no such thing as the lust of the flesh. could not keep themselves from falling. How much more, then, is it impossible for you and I, who are sinners, to keep ourselves from falling? Most especially, now, for you who are yet without Christ, you who are yet unbelievers, you who yet don't know our God, who are yet without the grace of God. Oh, how much more impossible it is for you to keep yourselves from falling into the corruption of your own nature.

I pray for you. I pray for you who are adults, and I pray for our children. I specifically get a little concerned for our children who are out of the nest, you know. They're making their way in this world, and I keep praying God keep us. and keep them from the evil that's in them. Save us from ourselves. Save us from the passions of our hearts. Save us from the corruption of our nature.

Don't ever, don't ever, don't ever presume that you will not do those things that other people do. Don't ever. Whenever that thought comes to your mind, Confess it as the most horrible of all sins before God. It's called pride. Don't ever imagine such a thing. I don't see how on earth you could do that. I don't see, I don't see how on earth you could do that. Oh, my soul.

If God would let you just stand in the mirror and open your heart, you could see how anybody would do anything. Well, it's in us. It's in us. going before the ball in a haughty spirit before destruction. The outward balls of men and women, the outward balls of young and old, into open, demonstrative sin, are horrible. Horrible.

You young people You listen to your pastor for a minute. I know you kind of think your pastor, you think, you think mom and dad are old fuddy-duddies and everything. I'm a real stick in the mud, but just listen for a minute. Listen to me for a minute.

You give yourself to your lust and you'll live with the pain and the torment and the conscience of your lust and your unbridled passion for the rest of your life even when God forgives you a sin, your conscience is still aware of your natural dependence and your acts of sin. You're still aware of that. I would to God, I would to God somehow, I could remove from my mind the scars of memory of things gone by. Don't you? I thank God he's removed them and I'm not guilty before he But I hurt so many along the way. I did so much damage along the way. Didn't just hurt myself, Bob. Hurt everybody around me. Everybody around me. Don't be so foolish. Don't be so foolish. And we who are believers, we can't keep ourselves from falling either.

Don't you ever imagine, don't you ever imagine when you see one of your brethren inconsistent. You see one of your brethren a little negligent. You see one of your brethren behaving in a manner that doesn't portray love and faith and commitment to the gospel. I was talking to a pastor, friend, and we all get a little discouraged because we see folks are just indifferent and they They do this, and they don't do that, and they behave this way, and they don't behave that way, and you get a little upset because we begin to think, why can't they be like me? Why can't you be like I am? Because we all think far more highly of ourselves than we ought to think.

That's what got Peter in trouble. That's exactly what got him in trouble. Turn over to Matthew chapter 25, 26 for a minute. Matthew 26. When I begin to look at Merle's heart, and I say, well, now Merle, he's not doing this, he's not being this, he's not measuring up to me. When I begin to think like that, concerning Merle's heart or anybody else in the kingdom of God, I'm in real danger. I'm in real danger. Look here in Matthew chapter 26 and verse 30. We're going to come together this afternoon at the Lord's table, just like these disciples were here with our Lord Jesus.

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the Mount of Olives, and Jesus saith unto them, All you shall be offended because of me this night, every one of you, every one of you. For it is written, I will smite the shepherd and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I'm risen again, I'll go before you into Galilee." In other words, you're going to be offended, you're going to scatter because I'm going to be smitten, and the prophet must be fulfilled. But when I've risen again, I'll gather you again, I'll meet you in Galilee. And Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of yet will I never be afraid.

Oh, that puts you in a real precarious position, my friend. I wouldn't do that, I wouldn't say that, I would never think about that. Oh, don't, don't, don't even think such a thing. We need to be kept because our hearts by nature are full of sin. The apostle Paul in first in Romans chapter 7 says, I know that in me, that is in my flesh, in my nature, dwelleth no good thing. Nothing. There's no righteousness in me, no holiness in me, nothing naturally good in me, in my flesh is nothing but sin. Oh, thank God, he's given me a new nature, a new heart, a new will, but that new nature, the spirit, lusts against the flesh, and the flesh against the spirit, so that I can't do the things I would. And there is within us, in each of us, by nature, an evil heart of unbelief that would depart from the living God. Now you market that. There is in us an evil heart of unbelief by nature that would depart from the living God.

So the hymn writer expressed himself exactly according to the experience of my soul, and according to the record of Holy Scripture. Prone to wander, O Lord, I fear thee. Prone to leave the God I love, unless you hold me. Here's my heart, O take and seal it for thy courts above.

We need to be kept because our adversary the devil is a roaring lion walking about seeking whom he may devour. I know folks think, well you folks are superstitious, you talk about devils and Satan and all those things and demons. Let me tell you something, I'm not talking about the nonsense that goes on in theaters and I'm not talking about the nonsense that folks play games about when comes Halloween night. And I'm telling you, Satan is real. His temptations are real. His power is real. His conquest is real. Remember Lot's wife?

She started out pretty good. She left the city with her husband, and she left a whole lot in that city. She left her grandchildren in that city. She left her sons-in-laws in that city. She left her married daughters in that city. She left everything. She also left her heart in that city. And when she looked back, she was smitten in the judgment of God.

Judas. I'll tell you what, as far as outward uprightness and morality is concerned, I dare say no man among the apostles was a match for Judas, but Judas had a heart of a betrayer, and Satan overcame him. Demas traveled with Paul, he worked with Paul, side by side he worked with him, he labored with the Apostle Paul, he served the Apostle Paul, but Demas after a while was overcome with the love of this world and forsook it.

We need to be kept from falling, in the sense that we need to be kept and preserved from all the dangers that we face as believers in this world. Now, listen carefully to me, listen carefully. There is no possibility of a danger of a true believer falling away from Christ and being lost. There is no possibility of a danger, but there are real dangers that we face with regard to this matter of falling. We need to be kept from falling into doctrinal error in this age when every man believes that which is right in his own eyes.

We live in the most perverse, most wicked most abominable generation imaginable. I can't imagine a generation more perverted than our generation is. I thought, I honestly thought ten years ago, it just can't get any worse than this. I really did. But my soul wants to happen in ten years.

And not only is the world perverse, the religious world around us is perverse, and the thinking of men, even in the kingdom of God, becomes perverted unless God preserves us. These days every man believes that which is right in his own eyes. Every man by nature is a rebel and we live in a society that promotes rebellion so that nobody submits to authority, nobody is willing to bow, nobody is willing to learn anything.

We know everything. I travel around the world and I talk to folks and I declare every mother's son is an authority on this book. Every mother's daughter too these days. And they don't mind telling you right now exactly what I think. And folks get together in rap sessions. They sit in their homes and they have their, what they call Bible studies. And I'll tell you what it comes down to. I'll tell you exactly what it comes down to. Everybody sits down and they read a passage and what do you think about that? Oh, this is what I think. What do you think? Oh, this is what I think. What does Brother Thornton think? This is what Brother Thornton thinks. What does Brother Mahan think? This is what Brother Mahan thinks. What you think, what I think, doesn't matter to him or me. What we think about this book is irrelevant. What does the book say? We need to be kept from error when every man believes what he thinks.

Bow to the Lord, and bring your reason, and bring your experience, and bring your thoughts to the Word of God. What does God say? That's the reason he gave pastors and teachers so that in his church men and women would not be tossed about with every wind of doctrine by the cunning of Satan, the craftiness of men, and the slight of men who believe what they think. God's servants are here to tell you what the book says, so that you bow to the word of God.

We need to be kept from falling into error of spirit as well. That error of spirit that lives for self. God keep us from living to ourselves. Keep me from living to myself. Neglecting my brethren, indifferent to the souls of men, in haughtiness, arrogance, and conceit. We need to be kept from outward sin. I say outward sin because I know we're not going to be kept in inward sin.

God could do it if it were his will, I'm aware of that. But so long as we're in this world, we're going to have to live with sin. We're going to have to live with sin in our members. Sin marring everything that we do so that our righteousness, our very righteousnesses are as filthy rags in God's sight. We recognize that everything we touch we defile. Everything we do is marred with sin. We recognize that.

Our inward lust, however, must be held in check by God's omnipotent grace, so that our inward lust does not break out in the outward acts of evil that bring reproach upon the name of our God. I'll give you an example. God gives us many of David, God's servant, the man after God's own heart, is a man whose heart, by nature, is full of lust, just like yours and mine. And David, when God left him to himself for a little while, took another man's wife to be his own.

I know we're living in a day when that's acceptable. I had a friend of mine in Europe, I wrote to him, told him about faith getting married. He said, well, it's such a good thing to know that somebody getting married, and so many Christians these days just live together. I thought, what? What? No, no, it's not acceptable. These days, a girl is considered virtuous if she doesn't sell herself. When she just gives herself away, she's virtuous.

No, no. God will keep us from falling into that kind of behavior that brings reproach to the name of God. David, you gave the enemies of God cause to blaspheme. Don't give God's enemies cause to blaspheme. Don't do it. David took a man's wife, and took that man's life, because he was left to himself. And if God leaves you, or leaves me to ourselves, we'll do the same and worse. We need to be kept in the path of duty, and kept from the neglect of duty, kept from giving in to the flesh, and descending into a state of apathy and indifference like the Laodiceans were.

I've worked so hard to it. But man, I was driving down the road one day years ago. He's helped me so much along the way. I'm still young compared to some, but I was real young then. And I was talking about this thing of lack of faithfulness and so forth.

And he said, well, Mother Dawn, we've got a lot to A lot to kind of hold us in check. Everybody expects us to be there. Everybody expects we're preachers. It's just expected. We couldn't bear the embarrassment of not being outwardly faithful. Oh, how true that is. But we need to be kept faithful. Inwardly. Every one of us. Every one of us. Lest we be like the Church in the song of Solomon, sleeping, sleeping, when our hearts ought to be very much alive. Lest we become like the Laodiceans, just kind of apathetic, lukewarm, and indifferent. We must be tempted.

This is what David prayed for in Psalm 119. Turn back there if you will. Psalm 119. in verse 133, I believe it is. Psalm 119. Yeah, 133. He says in verse 132, Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do to those that love thy name.

Order my steps in thy word, and let not Any iniquity has dominion over me. We must be kept or we will surely fall. That's the first thing. Second, none can keep us but God our Savior. None can do it. I've already told you how we cannot keep ourselves from falling. And that doesn't need much preaching, just a little remembrance. How quickly sin steals our joy.

You sit here and you listen to someone sing a hymn or praise to God and your heart's just lifted up with joy. Or you read a passage in the scriptures and you think, oh, what blessings. And your heart's lifted up with praise to God. Are you listening to the Word and your soul is moved in love and joy and gratitude?

And then, before you have time to even realize what's happened, sin invades your heart and steals everything. How quickly sin interrupts our communion with God. Destroys our worship and floods our thoughts. And you can't put it out. You can't put it out. Try as you may, you can't push it out. I'm not going to think like that anymore. You can't push it out of your mind. Now let me tell you something. If sin invades your mind so quickly, if God leaves you alone, it will just that quickly rule your life. Just that quickly. Oh, not me. Well, you got some things to learn. You got some things to learn if you think.

Not only are we unable to keep ourselves, but there's no place of security in this world. There's no place into which temptation cannot enter. No place from which we cannot fall. Churches get the idea somehow to get folks busy and keep them in church every night. Boy, let's have Bible studies every night. Let's go to church every night.

That's not worshiping God. I'm just telling you the truth. That's not worshiping God. You fellas got jobs by which you gotta make a living, provide for your families, and take care of things. Worshiping God is setting aside your time properly to worship God, to meditate on the things of God, and to use those things properly in the day-by-day functions of life. God did not put us in this world to be hermits set aside studying the Bible seven nights a week. That's not worshiping him.

And I'm telling you, if you do, you say, well, I've got to do that or I'll get in trouble. You'll get in trouble here, too. The idea of the Catholics has been from the beginning of their system of works religion. If you can just get the priest And the nuns, to separate themselves and live in cloisters, live in monasteries, if they can live away from the evil influence out there, then they'd be good. Read the history of the church and you'll find that is nothing so good.

You don't separate yourself from the evil around you in hoping thereby you will not be tempted to sin. The temptation doesn't come from without, it comes from within. Every man's tempted when he's drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Oh, if I could just do like you do, brother Don, and spend all my time studying the Word, that won't help you in it. That won't help you in it. That won't keep you from following it. If I could just spend all of my time listening to teach, that won't keep you from following it. Won't do it.

You know how your mind wanders sitting here? You know where your mind just It'll travel a thousand miles, just like that, to get in the gutter while you're sitting and reading the Word of God. No place keeps you from falling. There's no closet into which you can hide.

I'll go in and spend more time in prayer. By all means, spend more time reading the Word, spend more time in prayer, spend more time studying, but it won't keep you from falling. We'll come to the communion table. Boy, it's been a long time since I had the Lord's Supper, I need to get started back observing the ordinance.

I want you to follow it. And there are no rules, no regulations, no laws, no threats. You understand that? People think that I'm around religious people most of the time, and I'm not talking now You know better than that, I'm around folks all the time who enjoy and believe and rejoice in the gospel of God's free grace. But there is such a permeation of religious perversion that the vast majority of people I'm around imagine that somehow if they just start acting religiously, If they just talk piously, if they just have a constant religious overflow of language that somehow that keeps you from sin, all that does is puts up a front. That's all. It just hides what's in you from folks out there, and Satan uses it to hide it from you. No place, no place to hide. No experiences will keep us from falling into sin. Sin will not be eradicated from us while we live in this world.

You say, well, why? Why did God just, why did he just take it away? He could. He certainly could. Well, why doesn't he? Because the Lord God would keep us in sympathy with other fallen men and women. We're so blooming proud, hard, arrogant, no words disgusting enough to describe what I'm talking about, that we think it's impossible for us to sympathize with fallen men and women without condoning the fall. You be sympathetic. God teach me to be sympathetic, kind and gracious, and never condone the evil. Never. Who maketh thee to differ from another? The most honorable woman I've ever met in my life is that one sitting right there, the one I take to bed with me every night.

But the only difference between that dear lady and any hearted in the street is the grace of God. You understand that? And the only difference between you and any murder on death row is the grace of God. And the only difference between me and any devilish man in hell is the grace of God. Now that's all. That's all.

God leaves us in this condition in this world because he would keep us always looking to Christ alone as Savior. trusting Christ alone for all wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. And he leaves us in this condition because he would keep us aware and ever grateful for the fact that we are saved by free grace alone.

John Newton put it so well, he said, I'm not what I ought to be and I'm not what I want to be, and I'm not what I'm going to be. But bless God, I'm not what I once was. And by the grace of God, I am what I am, only by God's grace. Now listen to this.

The Lord God, our Savior, is able. He's full of wisdom and full of power too. He's able to keep us from falling And it does so in many ways. First, he keeps us from falling into doctrinal error by teaching us his truth. He's given pastors and teachers that you be built up in the faith, that you not be tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine. That's what Ephesians 4 is all about. God has given men gifted with understanding in his word to teach you his word. And he uses those men by the power of his spirit to instruct you in the way of truth. So that God's people are built up in the faith. And you don't all become theologians. It's not reasonable that you do. Your pastor's not even a theologian. I don't even make any claims today.

But I proclaim to you the truth of God. And as I proclaim to you the truth of God in the context of Holy Scripture, God the Holy Spirit teaches the word to you and seals it to your heart so that you, having the unction of the Spirit, you're not overcome with the wicked one and you're not deceived with the error that floats around you.

He keeps us from falling into outward sins of the flesh by warning us. He warns us through the falls of others. I've seen so many, so many, so many ways bring reproach upon His name. And God says, now, there you are. There you are. He shows us our inward corruptions, makes us aware of what we are. I don't suppose we could stand it if he showed us everything about ourselves. But you give thanks to God, he makes you know something about what you are. Give thanks to God, he's given you a glimpse of your heart's depravity and corruption.

I'll tell you this, I don't ever want to do what I know I am. I don't ever want to behave at the fashion of my heart's lust. He reveals our Savior's love to us. Here I am, a sinner unfit for society of decent men, much less society of God Almighty. But I'm washed, redeemed, and sanctified in the blood of Christ and by the grace of God. Oh, what a debt of love I owe. McShane wrote, when this passing world is done, when has set yon glaring sun, then, Lord, shall I fully know but not to bend.

And he reminds us of our responsibilities to others. And that keeps us from outward acts, you see. Every one of you, every one of you, you who profess faith in Christ, listen to me now, every one of you, you are to somebody a representative of what Christianity is, to somebody. Or say that you represent the Savior.

He uses the powerful influence of his word, and then he arouses our hearts from the sleep of indifference. He puts his hand in by the hole of the door and stirs up our souls. Oh, God come. Blessed Savior come. Stir up these things. He knocks and says, if any man will open to me, I'll come in to him and sup with him and he with me. And by the blessed rule of his providence, ordering everything, God keeps us from doing what we would naturally do. There's a beautiful illustration. We won't turn there and look at it, but I encourage you to write it down.

In first Samuel 25, you remember David sent his his army over to Nabal to just ask for some provisions. After all, he's king and he's defending Nabal and defending Nabal's land and defending everything in the name of God. Nabal humiliated his servants. David says, fellas, get your swords on. We're going to do business. And he said, God do so to me and more if I don't kill every man and every man child in Nabal's house.

And Abigail heard what was going to happen, Nabal's wife. And she saddled her asses and she commanded the service to get goods together. And she went out to meet David. And God in his providence stopped David from foolishly avenging himself with the blood of that foolish man, Nabal. And when God killed him, David said, I want that gal for my wife.

And he looked on her with great honor. because God intervened through her to stop him from what he would naturally have done. Now, we can't see all the Abigail's in our lives, but oh, how often God and his providence has stopped us from doing what we would naturally do, lest we bring the post to his name. Thank God for providence. He graciously gives us a bitter sense of sin, which makes us fear sin, like one who has been burned with fire.

I can picture Peter in Acts chapter 4 standing before the Sanhedrin, his life at stake. These fellows have crucified the Lord of Glory. And they asked him by what power and by what authority he and John had healed the lame man. And Peter is looking at these fellows. And I can see exactly what he sees, I think.

As he looked in their faces, all he could see was that little maiden girl by whom he was persuaded in terror to deny his Lord. And he said, God help me not again. God help me not again. God had given him a bitter sense of his sin, and he never wanted it again. Never again. And he said, in the name of Jesus Christ, whom you crucified and slew, whom God raised up from the dead, this man stands here before you whole. Oh, thank God for a bitter sense of my sin. When God makes a man hate his sin, he flinches from it. While his flesh revels in it, his heart, the renewed heart of grace, flinches from it.

When I was, let's see, 14 or 15 years old, I went to work at a service station, and I'm not a mechanic. Never was a mechanic. I'm better now than I ever was, but back then, all I knew about cars was stick a key in them, turn them on, and here we go. I was at a service station one day, and a fellow drove up and asked me to check the water in his radiator.

And it must have either been early spring or late fall, because I had a long sleeve start shirt on, never will forget it. One of those 55 or 56 Buick's. And I reached in there and took that cap off. And man, when I did, I was scalded. That water got all over me. When I pulled my shirt off, the high came right off with it. I mean, it just peeled it off. You know how many more hot radiator caps I've taken off? You couldn't pay me enough money to take the hot radiator cap off. Now, I've been burned once. Ian, are you interested in going walking on ice this winter? Can't pay that boy to go walk on ice. He fell through one time.

And folks who have been made to have a bitter sense of their sin, God graciously uses it to keep them from falling. He graciously keeps his people from falling by his holy influence, by his Holy Spirit, effectually renewing our hearts day by day, so that though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed every day by God's holy grace. Not only is God able to keep us from falling, but he's absolutely certain to do it. The only wise God our Savior will assuredly keep you from falling.

He will not keep you from being tempted. He won't do that. But he'll keep you from the temptation and keep you from the evil one. He will not keep you from the being of sin or even the commission. Strive against sin. Don't ever become comfortable with sin. Seek to overcome sin, but don't ever be so foolish as to imagine that you're without sin. God won't keep you from it, not in this world, but he will keep you from the dominion of sin. He will keep you from falling into damnable heresies. He will keep you from falling into absolute unbelief. He will keep you from falling into utter apostasy if you're his.

I can't preach them. Let me give you these though. I'm sure they're worth you going home looking up. Here are nine reasons why I say absolutely God will keep his people from falling. First, his covenant grace cannot be disannulled. In Jeremiah 32 verse 40, he said, this is my covenant. They'll not depart from me. Secondly, the blood of Christ cannot be made of none effect. And Christ said in Ephesians 5, 25, that this is the reason he shed his blood to present you faultless before the presence of his glory.

Thirdly, the seal of the Holy Spirit cannot be broken. We are sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, according to Ephesians 1, 14. The power of God cannot be nullified. And Peter tells us we're kept by the power of God. Sixthly, the will of God cannot be frustrated. And this is the Father's will, which has sent me, our Savior, said that I should raise them up at the last day. Seventh, the work of God, the work of His grace, can never be broken.

It can never be undone. And He says, I give unto them eternal life. and they shall never perish. Again, the immutability of God cannot be destroyed. He said, I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore, you sons of Jacob are not consumed. The prayer of Christ, his intercession for us cannot be useless and in vain. And he prays, Father, keep them, keep them, keep them, and keep us, he will.

And the gifts and callings of God can never be rescinded. The gifts and callings of God are without repentance. Not only will he keep us from falling, but the only wise God, our Savior, will in the end present us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. You cannot enter into heaven unless you're perfect. Now let it settle in. You cannot enter into glory unless you're perfect. I mean perfect. It shall be perfect to be accepted.

Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart and has never lifted up his soul into vanity. How can a man be accepted with God? when he's as holy as God is. That's the only way. And I know that no one can make guilty souls guiltless and sinful souls sinless. No one can make unholy men and women perfectly holy except God our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

And he does it by three marvelous acts of grace. First, by redemption. He took our sin, put it away, and gave us his perfect righteousness. And his righteousness is imputed to us for justification. And now we're made the righteousness of God in him. Secondly, he does it by regeneration. In regeneration, by the power of his spirit in the new birth, God the Holy Spirit has imparted to every believer a righteous nature.

So that there is a holy thing created in you, which is Jesus Christ the Lord. And then thirdly, in resurrection glory, These bodies, now defiled with sin, shall be raised up, glorified bodies, and we shall be perfectly holy, body, soul, and spirit, perfect before God.

Now look at this. Our text says, He will present you faultless before the presence of His glory with ecstasy and joy. Joy for us, That's obvious. Joyful gospel preachers, you are my crown and my rejoicing and my joy in the Lord at the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Apostle Saint. Joy of the holy angels who are ministering spirits who have all their days been ministering to us who shall be the heirs of salvation. An extending joy for God the Father. God the Son and God the Holy Spirit by whom all things have been done for the saving of his people and he will present us with joy, exceeding joy before the presence of his glory in the last day. Now one last thing.

Since Christ alone has saved us and Christ alone keeps us and Christ alone shall present us thoughtless before the presence of his glory. Let us ascribe to Christ alone all glory, majesty, dominion, and power. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory for thy work's sake. To the only wise God, our Savior. There's his glorious person. He is the only wise God. And he is our Savior. To Him be glory now! To Him be glory ever! To Him we ascribe glory, earth and man. Amen. Amen. To God be the glory. To God be the glory.

We're in our Savior's hands like a cane is in the hands of a man. Take away the hand and the cane falls. Our flesh says, I will fail. The world says, I will deceive. The devil says, I will destroy. But the only wise God, our Savior, says, I'll keep them. I'll preserve them. I'll protect them. I'll present them in the presence of my glory, holy, unflammable, and heavenly glory. That's our safety. That's our security. That's our hope. Come trust this Savior, the only wise God. Trust His blood and His righteousness. Trust His free grace and He will keep you from falling and present you only blamable and unapprovable. in the presence of the divine glory.

He Is Able

What does the Bible say about God keeping us from falling?

How do we know God is able to keep us from falling?

Why is it important for Christians to understand that they cannot keep themselves from falling?

What does it mean that God will present us faultless before His glory?

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He Is Able

What does the Bible say about God keeping us from falling?

How do we know God is able to keep us from falling?

Why is it important for Christians to understand that they cannot keep themselves from falling?

What does it mean that God will present us faultless before His glory?

Sermon Transcript

About Don Fortner

Comments

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