Would you turn with me to the
book of Jude, Jude's epistle? The last book before Revelation,
the epistle of Jude. I'd like to start by reading
verses 1 and 2. Jude, verse 1. Jude, the servant
of Jesus Christ. and brother of James 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. Of course, the writer is Jude
and he identifies himself as the brother of James and the
servant of Jesus Christ. And like his brother James, Jude
was our Lord's half-brother. He was among those that were
named as being our Lord's family. When he came to Nazareth, that
is the Lord, came to where he'd been brought up and taught in
the synagogues. And the people asked, who is
this man? Where does he learn these things?
These things he's saying. We know who he is. And their
whole intention was to influence the people not to listen to him. They said, he's nobody special. We know his brothers, James and
Jude. We know his sisters. But notice
what grace has done. Because we also read in another
place, John chapter 7, that his brethren, James, Jude, others,
neither did they believe on him. Didn't believe on him. Didn't
believe his claims. Didn't believe the things he
said concerning himself. Neither did his brethren believe
on him. In the very first sentence of
Jude's epistle, the way he describes himself is another example of
God's grace, is it not? Like we sang a moment ago, grace
that is greater than all our sin. Jude's very identification
of himself is no longer one that doesn't believe in Jesus Christ. He says, I'm a servant of Jesus
Christ. Grace had brought Jude down. Where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound. Now he says, oh, I not only claim
Him, I not only believe in Him, I'm His servant. I bow before
the throne of Jesus Christ." Like Zacchaeus, he was brought
down and he was thankful that it was so. He was thankful that
he was brought down. In Acts chapter 15, James, Jude's
brother, also a half-brother of the Lord Jesus, he's the pastor
of the church at Jerusalem. And Paul and Bartimaeus come
to Jerusalem because they had been preaching the gospel in
Antioch, and many people believed. And it stirred up the religious
leaders. They were jealous. And they said,
well, except you keep the law of Moses and are circumcised,
you can't be saved. And Bartimaeus and Paul said,
no, we won't allow that. We won't give an inch. It's salvation's
all of greats apart from the deeds of the law." So they made
a journey back to Jerusalem to settle this issue with James,
the Lord's brother, who, as we said, was the pastor of the church
there. And Peter is also there on that
occasion. And these Judaizers, these legalists
who said they must keep the law, you must add that to Christ.
It's not Christ alone, they said. I mean, we won't deny that you
must have Christ, but you must also have the Law. It's Christ
in addition instead of Christ alone. And of course, they had
what some refer to as the First Bible Conference. In Acts chapter
15, Peter speaks. Then Paul speaks. And then James,
Jude's brother, and our Lord's half-brother, he stands with
them. Another example. of our Lord's
great grace. Isn't it encouraging to know
that His grace reaches deeper, that His grace can do for my
sons and yours and your children, your loved ones, what it did
for His own brethren? Because James stands with Peter
and John and bears witness with their testimony that we believe
We believe through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, they
said, in one united voice, we believe through the grace of
Jesus Christ, we shall be saved, even as those Paul has preached
to. No difference in Jew and Gentile. The grace of God is sufficient
for everyone. Oh, thank God for such amazing
grace. And notice how Jude describes
believers. Isn't this a blessing? And he
writes to all those, Jude the servant of Jesus Christ and brother
of James, to them, to them, all believers, no matter where they
lived, no matter when they lived, to you and I gathered here tonight,
this word is to you, to them that are sanctified by God the
Father. Oh, I like that. And preserved
in Jesus Christ, and called. All three are necessary, and
all three are works of God's grace. In verse 3, he refers
to the salvation of believers as a common salvation. It doesn't
mean that it's ordinary. It means that all these things
that he refers to, believers have among themselves. They all
enjoy. Every child of God is sanctified
by God the Father. Every one of them is preserved
in Jesus Christ. Every one of them in time is
called to Christ to be saved. Therefore he refers to them as
enjoying these things and having them all in common. Sanctified
by God the Father. That speaks of what God did.
Not what you did, or not what I did, not what people do for
God, but what God has done for them. Now in the part of the
world that I come from, originally, And I don't suppose that we had
a monopoly on this, but people taught and preached sanctification
as something the sinner does or something the professed Christian
does. And what it consisted of, their
sanctification, their holiness. Some even taught a second work
and they called it complete sanctification. The old nature is eradicated. And what it boiled down to was
touch not and taste not. That's what holiness was. where
you went and how you dressed. It was all an outward show. That's not what sanctification
is. It's not what we do to make ourselves
holy. It's what God Almighty has done. And in the context here, how
it's used, it simply means we that were set apart in eternity
past, sanctified by God the Father, Chosen unto salvation is what
it means. God the Father set apart, chose
a people for Himself unto salvation. Eternal election. The same thing
Jude is speaking of here when he says sanctified by God the
Father. The apostles, you see, weren't
afraid of that word, were they? In every epistle, they all used
it. Peter used it. Jude speaks of
it. Paul spoke of it often. They
all spoke of God's eternal election of sinners to salvation, didn't
they, Lord? It wasn't something they swept
under the rug. No, it's something they preached.
It's something they taught. It's something they enjoyed.
It's something that they thanked God for. Imagine that. Imagine that. God Almighty. Now, I know folks say, well,
if you believe that, it'll make you proud. Well, you tell me
any doctrine in God's Word that won't make a rebel proud. Oh
no, it has the opposite effect. When applied by God's Holy Spirit,
there is not a more humbling truth. There is not nothing more
conducive to bow us down before the footstool and bow before
Him in adoration and true worship from the heart and exclaim, my
soul, He chose me. He chose me, God Almighty, before
He created the heaven and the earth, before He placed the stars
in their course, before any of those creative acts. He loved
me with an everlasting love. You mean there's never been a
time? Can you wrap your brain around
that? I can't. but I can adore it, I can bow
to it, I can rejoice in it and exclaim, thank God from whom
all blessings flow. He chose me to salvation and
He gave me to His Son to redeem. And God the Son became accountable
for me. And in the fullness of time,
He came for me. He lived for me. He died for
me. He arose for me. He interceded
for me. And one day He'll bring me back
to God the Father and present me without spot or wrinkle or
any such thing. Oh, is that not anything less
than amazing grace? Thank God. Thank God for his
eternal election, preserved, he says, also in Jesus Christ. Not only sanctified by God the
Father, but preserved in Jesus Christ, child of God. The word
means kept, guarded, protected, always being watched over by
our Lord Jesus Christ. Though Adam fell, and we fell
in Him, we were preserved in the second Adam, the Lord Jesus
Christ. We were preserved during all
of our days of rebellion and unbelief, preserved by Jesus
Christ, not allowed to perish. In Hebrews chapter 1, it speaks
of the angels as being ministers of those that should be heirs
of salvation. watching over them, still preserved
and kept until that day, until that time of love when He came
to us and called us by His grace. Jude mentions that too, doesn't
he? We were sanctified by God the
Father in eternity, preserved in Jesus Christ, kept and called. called out of darkness into his
marvelous light. But God's grace doesn't stop
there, does it? We're kept unto glory. We're
kept unto heaven. We'll look back when we enter
glory and sing in a way that we just can't now because now
we see through a glass darkly. That's just how it is. Oh, but
then we'll look back brother Lord. and be able to sing with a heart
full of praise to our Redeemer all the way my savior led me
all the way My Savior led me. Truly, God worked all things,
all the heartaches, all the tears. He worked all things together
for my good. Oh, all the way he led me. And then in verse 2, until we're
brought home, those who have been sanctified, preserved, called,
until we're brought all the way to glory, Jude says, mercy unto
you. God's great mercy and peace and
love be multiplied. As he's bringing you home, preserving
you, guarding you, keeping you, and bringing you to be in His
very own presence. While you're here, mercy, peace,
and love be multiplied. Grace, you see, all the works
shall crown through everlasting days. It lays in heaven the topmost
stone and very well, very well deserves the praise. We believe
that through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be
saved. And then beginning at verse 3
of Jude, all the way down to verse 19, he warns them and tells
them why he wrote his epistle. because of false teachers and
false prophets that it crept in unawares and brought in damnable
doctrine. Jude warns them of that. He says,
beware. And it was only 35 years. It had only been 35 years since
the Lord Jesus Christ ascended back to glory. That's when Jude
wrote his epistle, about 35 years after that. And already, already
the church was infected with false prophets and teachers and
false doctrine, heresies. And therefore, Jude says, be
warned. But then in verse 20, he comes
back to this. But ye, beloved, but ye, beloved,
building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the
Holy Ghost, ye beloved, even though there are false teachers,
false prophets, false doctrine, oh beloved, you'll be kept by
the power of God. You've been loved with an everlasting
love. led by grace that loved to know,
and it'll never let you go. God's love will never cease.
God's love will never be less. He's loved you everlastingly. led by grace that loved another. Would God love me from everlasting
and then stop in time? Is there anything or anyone that
can separate me from the love of God that's in Christ Jesus? What can that be, Lonnie? What
power? What devil? What man? falsehood can separate me from
the love of my God. That's in Christ Jesus. And of
course, I'm glad to tell you what you already know. Nothing. Nothing, Paul said. Nothing can
separate me. When I lie on my bed, whether
it be in a bed at home or in a hospital bed, while I lie on
a bed of peace, whether I'm lying on a bed rejoicing, or whether
I'm lying on a bed with a breaking heart and the tears rolling down
my cheeks, nothing can separate me from the love of God that
is in Christ Jesus. No. He'll never love one of His
own and not love Him eternally. Christ loved me and gave Himself
for me. He purchased me. He paid the
price of my redemption. And the atonement that it required
was His own blood. He shed His precious blood for
me. Would He purchase me at such
a great cost and then lose me? Let me go. Oh no, he loved me
and gave himself for me. He said, I am the Lord and I
change not. Heaven and earth will fade and
flee. Firstborn light and gloom decline. But while God and I
shall be, I am his and he is mine. But while God and I shall
be, I am his, and he is mine. Now look at what Jude says in
verses 24 and 25, how he concludes his epistle. Oh, on a very happy
note. 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. Now unto Him that is able."
We could stop right there and receive much comfort, couldn't
we? If we didn't read past that. Now unto Him, of course, speaking
of our God, unto Him that is able, That's happy news, is it
not? Unto him that is able, James,
Jude's brother, in his epistle said, whereas you know not what
shall be on tomorrow. Be careful, he said, about saying,
we're going to do this, and we're going to do that, we're going
to get much gain. He said, you don't know what
shall be on tomorrow. You don't know what a day may
bring forth, and so it is. We don't know. We do not know,
do we? Sunshine today and dark clouds
tomorrow over our soul. Rejoicing today and weeping an
hour later. We just don't know. Oh, but we
know this. To Him that is able. Our God is always God. Our God is always sovereign. Our God is always ruling. He's God everywhere. Unto him that is able we're kept
by his purpose and will. Do you not find comfort in that? We hear so much today about a
God who's not able. Don't you? Hear about a God who
can't. A God who is trying. A God who
wants to. But what he wants to do, he's
prevented from doing. I don't find any comfort in that
whatsoever. Do you? The very opposite. But that's not the God that Jude
speaks about. It's not the God that he declares
himself to be. Nowhere in the Word. It's always
the God that is able. Without my assistance. without
the assistance of anyone. And who would that be? Who would
that be that would assist the God of glory to accomplish His
purpose? Who would that be? No, our God
is in the heavens. This is what David fell back
on, so to speak, when the enemies gathered around during a time
of trial and difficulty. Where's your God now, David? Men do that, don't they? Where's
your God now? And look at God's amazing grace.
David was able to lift his eyes toward heaven and answer Him.
My God. He's still my God. No matter
what He does with me, He's my God. He can do no wrong. And you ask me where He is? I'll
tell you where He is. He's in the heavens. He's on
His throne. Bless His glorious name. And
He's doing whatsoever. He's doing whatsoever He hath
pleased. Turn, if you will, back to Isaiah.
Let's read a few passages there, and I trust it will be of comfort
to you. We don't know what a day may
bring forth. We don't know what tomorrow holds.
Oh, but it's good to be reminded of Him who holds all of our tomorrows. Look in Isaiah chapter 40. Look
what our God says here, Isaiah chapter 40. He compares us to
himself. Verse 8 describes us. The grass
withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall
stand forever. O Zion, that bringeth good tidings,
get thee up unto the high mountain. O Jerusalem, that bringeth good
tidings, lift up thy voice with strength. Lift it up. Be not
afraid. Say unto the cities of Judah,
Behold your God. Behold, the Lord God will come
with strong hand, and His arms shall rule for Him. Behold, his
reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his
flock like his shepherd. He shall gather the lambs with
his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead
those that are with young. He shall do all those things
for his own. Look in chapter 44 of Isaiah,
verse 21 of chapter 44. Remember these, O Jacob and Israel,
Verse 21. Remember these, O Jacob and Israel,
for thou art my servant. I have formed thee. Thou art
my servant, O Israel. Thou shalt not be forgotten of
me. Thou shalt not be forgotten of
me. Friends may desert you, may forget
you. Children may forget you. But
you won't be forgotten to me. I have blotted out as a thick
cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins. Return unto
me, for I have redeemed thee. I have redeemed thee. You're
mine. You belong to me. I'll never
forget you. I'll never leave you. I'll always
do what's best for you. All the time. Oh, if that is
so, and it is, look at the response. Sing, O ye heavens, for the Lord
hath done it. Shout, ye lower parts of the
earth. Break forth unto singing, ye mountains, O forests and every
tree therein. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob
and glorified himself in Israel. Look in chapter 45. Chapter 45,
verse 17. But Israel, God's true Israel,
God's people, His redeemed, His chosen, the church, shall be
saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation. Ye shall not be ashamed,
nor confounded, world without end. Verse 25. In the Lord shall
all the seed of Israel be justified and shall glory. One more, chapter
46. This is becoming more and more
a favorite of mine as time swiftly goes by. Verse 3, hearken unto
me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel,
which are born by me from the belly, which are carried from
the womb, And even to your old age I am he, and even to whore
hares will I carry you. I have made and I will bear,
even I will carry and will deliver you. To him that is able." Jude
says, to him that is able. our God. He's able to deliver
things. He's able to keep that which
I've committed unto Him against that day. He's able to keep us
from falling and to present us faultless before the presence
of His glory with exceeding joy. Five years ago, a little longer
than five years ago, I was privileged. I was blessed. to hear Brother
Henry Mahan bring his last message at the church in Danville, Kentucky.
I remember him saying that his traveling days were just about
over. He was 80 years old then, five years ago. And as far as
I know, that was the last time he came to Danville and preached.
And I made notes of his message. I'm glad I did. The title of
it was Reflections of 80 Years. Reflections of 80 Years. And he took as his text the scripture
reading we had when we began the service in Psalm 39. Henry said he'd been preaching
the gospel for 57 years at that time. And he says, I've learned
some things. He said, one thing I've learned
is about the brevity of life. He said, I can't hardly believe
how fast these 80 years have gone by. And in Psalm 39, he
read, Lord, make me to know mine end and the measure of my days,
what it is that I may know how frail I am. A vain show, a shadow. Henry said, a shadow leaves nothing
behind. It's like a vapor. You see it,
and then it's gone. And he said, something else I've
learned. He said, salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is not
an offer, but it's a gift of God. Salvation is not my choice,
but God's choice. And now, Lord, what wait I for? Brothers and sisters in Christ,
the hope set before us couldn't be on firmer ground. Lord, what
wait I for? My hope is in thee. My hope's in him, Todd. It's
as secure, as certain as the throne of God. What wait I for? My hope is in thee. And Henry
said not only that salvation is of the Lord, but that that
salvation is in a person. In a person. My hope's in thee. Abraham didn't simply believe
in God. That's not what the Scripture
says. It says he believed God. There's a difference. And the
results of believing God, the results of true faith, God-given
faith, it produces joy. Oh yes, in the world you'll have
tribulation, but it produces joy. And true faith glorifies
God. It glorifies God to trust Him.
It honors Him. And it produces humility, does
it not? What do we have that we didn't
receive? And if we received it, why do
we boast as if we had not received it? And Henry said he learned
that God will provide. During all those 80 years, Henry
said God taught him, he will provide. And he said the death
of a believer is God's appointment for him. It's inevitable, but
it's also acceptable. God make us willing to accept
it. It's timely. It's God's time. My times are in thy hands. And it's according to God's purpose. And it's for our good. You remember
what the Apostle Paul said? To depart and to be with the
Lord, to be with Christ, is far better. You mean, when I leave
this life, I'll be with Christ? What can compare to that? Far
better. Far better than what? Anything. Everything. To be with Christ? Paul said, I'm sort of between
a rock and a hard place. I want to stay here, he said
to the church at Philippi. and continue to minister to you.
Oh, but he said, I have another desire to depart and to be with
Christ, which is far better. Yes, Jude says, God is able to
preserve you, to keep you from falling, and to present you in
his very presence, kept from falling. He's able. That requires great power. That
requires great grace. That's a full-time job. To keep
this sinner, to keep me from falling, I can't do it myself.
I'm not able to do that. Oh, but bless God, the great
shepherd does and can. He that keepeth Israel shall
neither slumber nor sleep. Isn't that a good thought? Isn't
that sweet? As you're sawing logs tonight,
your Heavenly Father is watching over you. Kept from falling as
we journey homeward. And then last, he says, to present
you faultless. To present you faultless before
the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. to present. The word means to set, to set
in place. Like an artist finishes a painting,
he hangs it in a prominent place for everybody to see. This is
what Jude is speaking of. God in glory, the Lord Jesus
Christ, our God and Savior, shall present us faultless before the
presence of his glory and say, see what grace has done. This
is what Paul said in Ephesians 2. In the ages to come, he shall
show the exceeding riches of his glory and his kindness toward
us in Christ Jesus. Oh, what grace. You see the word
there the Jew uses? Faultless. faultless. Christ does the presenting. Those
he redeemed. Those he kept. Oh, glory and
honor, majesty and power, dominion, be unto Him forever. Because
He presents us to God the Father as monuments of His grace, faultless,
without blemish, without spot, without trace of sin. All that
the Father gave Him, He lost none. You remember what the bride? The bridegroom said to the bride
in the song of Solomon, this is God, this is our Redeemer
speaking to his church. Thou art fair, my love. There
is no fault in thee. Presents you faultless with exceeding
joy. Joy in the presence of our Redeemer. The joy in Thy presence is exceeding
joy, and at Thy right hand are pleasures for evermore. They
shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy
upon their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." That's the joy of
the redeemed. But there's also the joy of the
Redeemer. Christ himself. The joy of bringing
many sons unto glory. The joy of seeing of the complete
salvation of all those given to him by the Father. The joy
of the reveal of his soul. Let me read that in Zephaniah
and then we'll close. This is the joy of our Redeemer.
Sing, O daughter of Zion. Shout, O Israel. Be glad and
rejoice. with all the heart, O daughter
of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken away thy
judgments, hath cast out thine enemy. The King of Israel, even
the Lord, is in the midst of thee. Thou shalt not see evil
any more. In that day it shall be said
of Jerusalem, Fear thou not, and to Zion let not thine hands
be slack. The Lord thy God in the midst
of thee is mighty. He will save. He will rejoice
over thee with joy. Did you hear that? The Lord thy
God in the midst of thee is mighty. He will save. He will rejoice
over you with joy. He will rest in his love. He
will joy over you with singing. To our great God and Savior be
everlasting praise. 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 forever. Amen. Amen. God bless you.