Time. And for those who have requested prayer, do you have any prayers or any cakes? Moosebox is doing okay. Should be back in the pool pit next week. Things are going as planned. I can't think of any announcements to make. I will observe the Lord's stable after the morning worship service. There will be no action on the service this afternoon.

Let's begin our worship service with hymn number seven.

Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty
Early in the morning, a song shall rise to thee.
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty,
God in three persons.
Holy, holy, all the saints adore Thee.
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea.
Holy, holy, holy!
Those in darkness hide Thee
The holy eye of sinful men Thy glory may not see
Only Thou art holy
There is none beside Thee
Perfect in power, in love and purity
holy holy holy holy

After Scripture reading and prayer, we'll sing hymn number 125.

Jesus paid it all, all the debt I owe.
If you have your Bibles, share with me the epistle of Jude. We'll read two verses of Scripture, verses 24 and 25.

unto Him that is able to keep you from falling and 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.

Let us pray. We do glorify thy name as much as we are able. Thou art worthy of all praise and honor and glory, as God our Savior, who sits at the right hand of the majesty on high, ever living to make intercession for his people. We praise you and thank you. that you have been gracious and merciful to such as we are. We have nothing to offer you, save for praise and thanksgiving, which attributes all our salvation to you and you alone.

We pray for those who are sick, those who've been added to the prayer list, we ask Lord your help for them. to watch over those who are infirmed and aging, those who are going through trials and troubles of the heart and mind. I know it's every case. I pray for Julie. She's got this bad chest cold. I pray it's not the flu. I pray you bring her back to a good measure of health. I pray for her in case. I pray for Rain. She's bringing back to the res pretty soon. I pray for Sharon. She ministers too.

We pray for ourselves this morning that we gather here for this day in which we will hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. And feast on the table that reminds us of his glorious sacrifice that satisfied your law and justice. And put away our sins, buried them at the bottom of the sea, cast them behind your back, separated them from us as far as the east is from the west. As you bore our sins in his body on the tree, We made the least sin for us. He knew no sin. And all we that knew nothing but sin are made the very righteousness of God in Him.

We marvel at the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ, that blessed good news. As far as salvation is concerned, that all the glory belongs to Christ alone. Father, help us to worship you this day. Fix our minds and hearts upon him who is worthy of praise. When he had purged our sins, he sat down at your right hand. Cause us to enter into the dust and sing the praises and glories of his name. We pray in Christ's name, amen.

I hear the Savior say, Life's a dream, keep it small. Halloween is watching me, I may be mine all in all. Jesus paid it all, all the debt I owe. Sin has been my Prince of Spain, He washed me white as snow. Lord, now in Thee I find, Thy power when I'm alone, Can change the land where it's lost, And build the heart of stone. Jesus paid it all, All the debt I owe, In the blood of Calvary's lambs Jesus paid it all, all the debt I owed. Sin had hit the prince on stay. He washed his feet by the snow. And like wind before the throne, I stand infinitely Jesus died and my soul to save My lips shall still repeat Jesus paid it all, all the debt I owe

Father, again, we approach in the name of Jesus Christ, our majestic Lord and Savior, who is that unspeakable gift that you gave to all your children. And with him, you gave all things that pertain to godliness and life, every perfect gift from above, through the Father of lights, in whom there is no variables in the shadow of time. Everything we have, we know we have by mercy and by grace. Because if you gave us what we deserve, we would perish in eternal damnation. We thank you that our giving reflect our understanding of what you have given to us. For in Christ's name, amen.

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It's my favorite opera number. Couldn't have been any better. She'd have played with both eyes.

Jude, verse 24 and 25, is the sign-off of Jude's epistle. And it's an estimation or a declaration of comfort for the child of God. I remember when I was a young believer, The spiritual struggle, the spirit in the flesh might become easier. Maybe if I lived long enough and studied the Bible long enough and preached long enough, I wouldn't have a problem with the flesh. But I found that an old rebel is just as bad as a young rebel. My heart still struggles with the same things, even to a greater extent actually. and weak physically, fading in years, and I find that my sin today is darker and blacker, and I am weaker and more frail and unable to do anything about it.

This entire epistle of Jude addresses two basic things pertaining to the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was first an admonition to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. The wording is important because it sets forth a positive rather than a negative action. Usually contending involves a contest, a for and against. But here the believer is admonished to contend for and nothing is said about the against except explaining what all the false prophets are. We're condemned to contend for the gospel. That is the faith that was once delivered for the saints.

Though the enemies of the gospel are ever present and as numerous as the imaginations of men can conjure, the believer's contending is not against them, but rather it's for something. It's for the gospel. That's the language that Paul uses in Romans, in Romans chapter 6 and verse 17. And that's why this takes place, by the way. God be thanked that you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered to you, and to which you were delivered. That's what he's talking about, contending to the faith. And God is to be thanked for that.

It simply states that the matter of contending is the employment of a singular thing, and that is the preaching and the declaration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. A believer is not to waste his time in studying the tactics or doctrines of those who oppose the gospel. It is to contend for the faith by continually declaring the faith.

Old Henry Mahan used to say, the only way you can tell a stick is crooked is by laying a straight stick down the side of it. That's what you know, a stick is crooked. Only light. The gospel is light because the gospel is Jesus Christ. He's the light of the world. The light of all men that come into the world. Only light discloses what lurks in the darkness. That's what Paul told the Ephesian church in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 13. He says, But all things that are reproved or discovered are made manifest by the light. For whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

Light is a wondrous thing. And light is here today. It's touching all of us. It's surrounding us. It's enveloping us. And yet it's not taken by any of us. It's not moved. It's not touched. John Chandler wrote about that in his little book on 1 John. He wrote, in the first place, light is clear. It's transparent, translucent, patent, and open. always and everywhere, as far as the free, as its free influence extends. The entrance of life, which itself is real, spreads reality all around. Clouds and shadows are unreal. They breathe and foster unrealities. Light is the naked truth. Its very invisibility is, in this view, its power. It is not seen because it is so pure.

Secondly, a certain character of inviolability belongs to it, in respect of which, while it comes in contact with all things, it is itself affected by nothing. It kisses carrion. It embraces foul pollution. It enters into the innermost recesses of rottenness in which worms unpleasantly revel. It is still a clear element of light, taking no soil, contracting no stain, its brightness not dim, nor its beauteous beauty marred. It endureth forever clean and clear. The darkness is laid hold of by light. He who is light enters into the darkness, sounding its utmost depths, searching its innermost recesses, where guilty fear crouches where foul corruption festers. He penetrates. He even makes the darkness his own. He takes it upon himself. It's power. The power of darkness is upon him. It's a power of wrath, a sin-laden spirit, and a horror, a thickest night, and the gloom of hell. Yes, for you are our sakes, and our stead, and our nature. He was light. He who is light is identified with our darkness. And yet, in him is no darkness at all. He is light. That's what the gospel does. Gospel discloses. Discloses. It always does. It simply tells a person what he is. It reveals that.

It is clear by the manner of the enemy's approach in Jude, the crypt in other words, that they operate covertly as to intention, but overtly as to physical presence. The gospel reveals their intention. by setting the truth in proximity to the error, contending for the faith is a declaration of the gospel.

Secondly, this epistle is a warning to believers to be careful, because these enemies are clever, and they seek to take advantage of men, and since this is a warning, as are all admonitions in scripture, it stands to reason that the believer is vulnerable to their appeal, to the appeal to the flesh. These men who have crept in unawares are described as to their character and their tactics and because of their ability to blend in with the church. The believer's at risk of falling into temptation.

Temptation. We are tempted because our flesh responds positively to the temptation. It wouldn't be a temptation otherwise. It wouldn't even be called that. It'd be called something else. Because whatever the temptation is, something in us finds it desirable. And that's why we're tempted by it. The concept of temptation would be moot otherwise.

It's however made clear that the presence of these men in the church is ordained. And it says that in this very chapter in verse 4. It says, For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now they don't do that openly, but they do it. They do it in a way which makes them seem like they're a child of God. That's how they do it. They fooled Peter, and Barnabas, and Antioch. They fooled Peter, who walked with Christ. Peter, who set it on fire and promised God he would always feed his sheep. Peter, who stood fast, yet fell often, was fooled with Antioch. by those who would have the believers go back under the law rather than live in the grace of God.

So it was marvelous. And Paul said, Peter, you despise the grace of God when you do that. You despise the grace of God. I do not despise the grace of God where salvation comes by the work of Christ that died in vain, Paul said to him. They crept in unawares. But they were ordained to do so.

You mean they were ordained in churches full of tares? Tares are planted in the field just like the wheat is planted in the field. Why are they planted? They are planted there for a good reason. Our Lord said in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 19, there must needs be heresies among you that that which is true might be manifest. Might be manifest.

also said these men are things of time and tide, their presence will work together for good to them that love God or call according to His purpose. How does that work? Ask God, I don't know. You seek wisdom, ask the Lord.

Scripture says, having been given this information, the believer is not to contend with these ordained creepers, but rather is to declare the faith and take care and watch and pray that he does not succumb to their wiles. But if he lives long enough, he probably will. Since the warning exists, don't say them folks aren't listening. Since the warning exists, there is the real possibility that some believers or any believer may fall prey to error.

It's probably not only possible, it's probably with the abundance of information given, the singular solution to all of this is clearly stated in the last two verses of this epistle. If the believer indeed may fall, he may succumb to temptation, and being a believer and aware of his frailty, does not trust or rely on his own integrity, how can he find assurance that he will not be drawn away by these false teachers and fall into their web of deceit?

The Word of God is a two-edged sword, and it's a wonder. You read the epistle in its entirety, it's almost as if it falls between verses 3 and verse 24 are all parenthetical. You can tie in verse 3 with verse 24. If you read verse 23, it says this. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, which was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you, that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was delivered to the saints, and go over to verse 24 now, unto him that is able to keep you from falling, to keep you from falling, to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, exceeding joy.

If the possibility Even probability of falling exists. We are to look and to consider Him who is able to keep us from falling. This is how we contend for the faith. Could not be any plainer. If you are at risk of falling, there is one who is able to keep you from it. That's what it says. It says you're at risk. That's why the warnings exist. But there's one who is able to keep you from that. Where else would you look if the solution were nigh?

In fact, we live and move and have our being in Him who is able to keep us from falling. As complex and unfathomable as the workings of God's purpose are, the solution is singular and plain as can be. We cannot keep ourselves from falling, even while continuing with the faith. But Christ is able to keep us from falling. This is good news to anyone who knows something of the influence of his own carnal nature.

Still, better news follows. If we fall, when we fall, that sin will not be imputed to us if we're believers. This does not suggest that we should not be diligent and cognizant of the errors that abound, and it surely does not suggest, as many might say, that we should sin that grace may abound. This is the assurance of the faith. Our sin, all of it, all of it was imputed to Jesus Christ, and we will never be charged with it. We will never be charged. religion keeps people in the pews and keeps them afraid and holds judgment over their head like the sword of Damocles by telling them that they're going to be judged for their sin. I remember many years ago, I preached a message in a little place. I was invited to preach down in Rutherfordton. I never can say that quite right. Rutherfordton, Rutherfordton. But anyway, I was invited to preach. I preached down there for six, eight weeks. once a week or once a month, I can't remember when it was, several times. And I preached a message on gospel is only for dead worms. And in that message, I said that God has forgiven us all our sins, past, present, and future.

I got a call the next day from the man who had invited me for many times to preach in his house. He said, I'll never hear you again. And I says, how come? He said, could you say that Christ died for our future saviors? I said, well, if he didn't, who's going to? Christ died for our saviors. That's a wonderful little generic word, Howard. our sins. It doesn't say our sins of omission, our sins of commission, our sins of blasphemy, our sins of frailty, our sins of erroneous thinking. It doesn't say that. It just says our sins. That covers the whole gamut. He died for our sins.

It says in Romans chapter 4 and verse 8 that there are men that walk on this earth and God will not impute sin to them. He will not. Paul calls to account anybody anywhere from heaven all the way down to hell. He said, who can lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that could die? It is Christ that died. Our sins are gone. He said, well, I feel them. I know them. I commit them. And I'm before God. This transaction. that took place on Calvary 20 centuries ago was not between Christ and us. It wasn't even for us. It was between Christ and His Father. It was between Christ and God Almighty. That transaction, that sacrifice was made to God for our sins. And God accepted that sacrifice. and glorified Him in that sacrifice. And in the glory of that sacrifice, our sins, as Scripture says, were put away before God. So much so, that God says there'll never be need of any other sacrifice. Never be in need of any other sacrifice, for the remission of these things, there is no more need for sacrifice. And your sins, your missing of the mark of righteousness, and your iniquities, your crookedness, your inequity, will God remember no more. This is a wondrous thing.

Now, to Him who is able to keep you from falling and present you faultless, presents you faultless. He suffers us to fall. But we will not be charged with it. I can't begin to understand that, but I sure am glad the Bible says it. He will yet present us faultless. We will blame ourselves every day of our lives for our failings and our fall, our faulters and our weaknesses. But he will never say, never say that it's our fault. He'll never say that.

Over in Ephesians chapter 5, it talks about the church using husbands and wives as examples. He says this, verse 25 of chapter 5, Husbands, love your wife as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. that he might sanctify it and make it holy, and cleanse it, put away its sin, with the washing of the water by the word, that he might present it to himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. That's what he did on Calvary. His children stand before him without spot of blemish.

The word present carries with the idea of proudly display. As a bride, you know, the groom does all right. He wears a nice suit, looks pretty good. As a bride, everybody pays attention to you. Because she's adorning a gorgeous gown. And everybody turns and looks at her and oohs and aahs, why? Because He makes her beautiful. Christ makes His bride beautiful. She dresses up not for the crowd. She adorns herself not for the crowd but for Him.

Our Lord said this over in Ezekiel chapter 16. after the Lord has taken that child that was cast out and abandoned and made her his bride. It's not Ezekiel, is it? Well, it's not Ezekiel. Can't think of where it is. But anyway, the story is, you know this, that the child was cast out because of the journey. She was a female child, a female child in Eastern thinking. The female child was not really as valuable as the male child was. The male could grow up and herd cattle and keep sheep. The female was a second class citizen. To some Eastern thinking today, women are still, possessions and chattel. They're not individual persons with their own personalities.

But this child was cast aside and it died. And the Lord came alongside this dead little child and said, live. And he repeated it. I said, I'm going to leave. Live. And the child lived. And he took that child and raised it up. And she became a woman, he adorned her, put on nice clothes, earrings, necklaces, so she was beautiful. And he married her, she became his own. But this is what he said to her, your beauty is renowned throughout all the earth, because your cuddliness comes from me.

The Church of God is a beautiful thing that He presents to this world. One day, this group of worms of the dust, maggots from a dungeon, vile and unclean things, one day the Bride is going to come forth from His chamber, it says in Psalm 19, with her on His arm, and the world is going to be at awe. As they look at the most beautiful creature that's ever seen in the universe, the bride of Jesus Christ.

Present you faultless, faultless, faultless before Him. Faultless. The Lord said that He can find fault in you. The Lord should mark iniquity. No one can stand. So she can't have no iniquity in her, because she's standing beside the Son of God. And that presentation is before the presence of His glory. This is an interesting phrase and may be interpreted to mean Christ's own glory, or before the glorified, justified spirits made perfect His saints. Before the angels who sing of His glory before God over one sinner that repents. These are all reasonable interpretations that are certainly true because in the end Christ will be glorified in His saints and will give glory to the Father.

The last two words of verse 24, exceeding joy. Exceeding joy. When he talks about this new covenant that the Lord establishes for His people. In Lamentations, not Lamentations, excuse me, Zephaniah chapter 3 talks about turning their people to a pure language and gathering together Jesus Christ. He says this about what he will do with his people and for his people.

This is always something that has peaked my imagination. I'm trying to get it in my head. Sometimes it's difficult for me to understand. of chapter 3 of Zephaniah, it says, the Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty. He will save. He will rejoice over thee with joy. Over thee with joy. He will rest in his love. He will joy over thee with singing.

I wonder what it sounds like to hear the voice of God singing over me. I wonder what that'll be like. It's a wondrous thing. There's joy there in the presence of angels over one center that repents. It is this magnificent one that is able to keep us from falling, who sings over us with joy and presents us before the presence of his glory.

His success in this endeavor and glory for it is without question because it says He's the only wise God. And notice how this says it. God, our Savior. Jesus Christ is God. The only wise God, our Savior. All wisdom is vested in Him. Christ is the wisdom of God according to Proverbs chapter 8. He's the power of God. Our Lord said, fear not little ones, it is the Lord's pleasure to give you the kingdom. You may fall, you will fall, but you will rise victorious.

Because there's one who sits in heaven, having accomplished the salvation and redemption of your soul, and is able to keep you from falling, and presents you falling before his throne. So as the believer contends for the faith once delivered to the saints, his only weapon being the gospel to expose and disclose those who have crept in unawares and are ordained to this condemnation. He does so in the assurance that his hope is well founded in the absolute sovereign God of all glory.

Because that God, the God who spoke and the world was formed. The God who sat there and said, let there be light and there was light. The God who took dust from the earth and formed it and fashioned it into a human creature and breathed the breath of life into it. That God, the same one, is able to keep you from falling. I'm so glad. I'm not able to, but He is.

The table that we take now at the Lord's table is in a recollection of the one who died in our room instead. The same who is risen and sits at the right hand of the Father, having accomplished redemption for his people. He's the one who'll keep us from falling. Praise his holy name.

Eric, would you help me serve today?

May it? Sacrificial death by the blood of Jesus Christ. He made his sacrifice to God and was accepted. God was pleased and satisfied and propitiated. Before he did that, he told his disciples that he was going to the cross. They didn't understand it. They didn't even believe it, mostly. And they didn't understand it until Pentecost would have taken place. But he told them when he took the I'm having bread of the Passover, and the wine of the Passover, and gave it to him. He said, this is my body broken for you. So I'm going to let you do it, do it in remembrance of me. Then he took the cup and he blessed it and said, this cup of mine is the new covenant, new testament in my blood. As often as you drink it, do it in remembrance of me. He said, because you're going to show forth something. You're going to show forth my death until I come again. This is what we're doing. It's a simple show. Of the one who's able to keep us involved. It's a simple show. A display. We take this breath. No magic in the breath. Nothing spiritual about this natural breath. You will be cast in, you'll be taken in yourself, you'll be cast out in the draft. Just like the wine. Nothing spiritual here.

Some churches say this is transubstantiation. They say that this bread and this wine actually becomes the body and the blood of Jesus Christ. It doesn't. Some say consubstantiation. Those who left the Catholic Church and formed the Anglican Church under Henry VIII so he could marry Anne Boleyn come up with consubstantiation. He said the bread and the wine spiritually become the body and blood of Christ. No they don't.

This is something we do to remember and recall and commemorate what Christ did on Calvary 2,000 years ago. He who is without sin and knew no sin was made sin for us. In those three hours of darkness, how Lord Jesus Christ bore the punishment due us for an eternal hell. And then did what only one person has ever been able to do in the whole wide world. He, by himself, stopped living by the power he possessed. Didn't commit suicide, it wasn't deicide. There was a price. We sang it. Jesus paid it all.

What did he pay? What we owe. What do we owe? We owe God a death. But our death won't conquer salvation. Hell is eternal because sin can never be paid for by a human being. Save the one human being is both God and man, the Lord Jesus Christ. He took our sin on the cross. And he put it away. And so we, as old sinners saved by grace, gather once a month and we sit here and we take this wine and this bread and we're saying something. I'm alive. I have eternal life. I live forever in the presence of Almighty God, presented to Him faultless, without spot or blemish for one reason. Because Jesus Christ died, paid that debt that I owed Him.

So I don't know the debt. Let's ask the Lord's blessing upon the table.

Father, when we take this table, let us do so in remembrance of the fact that we are celebrating and commemorating that 2,000 years ago on Calvary Street, our Lord Jesus Christ actually, truly redeemed His people, saved His people, sanctified His people. and was made unto them to be, made unto them to be righteousness before God. We stand in awe, and with thanksgiving and praise we take this table, knowing that Christ did everything necessary for our salvation, and in doing so, secured it before the thrice holy God. Help us now to worship you, we pray in Christ's name.

They say it does hurt. On the night our Lord was betrayed, He took bread and He broke it. It was unleavened bread, which is called the bread of haste. It was the bread used when they left Egypt after the Passover, when the Lord had passed over the houses that had blood on the doorposts and lentils. It was bread that had no leaven in it, which meant it pictured Christ's body without seed. He said, take this bread, it's broken. Broken as my body is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. On the same night he took the cup and after he blessed it, he introduced something they'd never heard of. A new covenant. A new testament. He said this cup It's my blood. The blood, the death of the new covenant. The old covenant had millions of deaths. Lambs, rams, kids, turtlenecks. None of them had done anything. This is the new covenant in my blood. The covenant is going to actually take away sin. As often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do show forth my death, until I come again, you and your remembrance of me."

And that night, they gathered around the table and stood, and they sang a hymn, and I rolled them out onto the tray.

Let's stand together.

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh, precious is the flow.
That makes me white as snow.
No other mount I know.
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

This is all my hope and peace.
Nothing but the blood of Jesus. This is all my righteousness.

Paul said that if I lay man, I And I do that for everyone in this congregation. I'm thankful that I'm your pastor. I'm thankful for the love you show me. And I don't guess I'll ever get old. God bless you.