Well, it's good to see you out
this morning. I remember those who requested prayer. Added to
the prayer list, Logan Brookshire, Perry Schell, Carla Henson, Loretta
Crowe. So I remember those folks in
your prayers. More folks coming. Here come Jules. Other than that,
I can't think of any announcements. Good bulletin articles today.
Hope you'll read them. Let's begin our worship service
with hymn number 256. It is well with my soul. sea bellows roll. Whatever my lot, thou hast taught
me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul. It is well. with my soul. It is well, it is well with my
soul. Though Satan should come, though
trials should Let this blest assurance control, that Christ
hath regarded my helpless estate, and hath shed his own blood. It is well with my soul. It is well, it is well with my
soul. I sin not in part, but the whole,
is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. It is well with my soul. It is well, it is well with my
soul. And the clouds be moved back
as a scroll. The trump shall resound, and
the Lord shall listen. Even so, it is well with my soul. It is well. with my soul. It is well, it is well with my
soul. After scripture reading and prayer,
we'll sing from the handout, Christ to the Cross. If you have your Bibles, turn to
the epistle of Jude, just before the revelation. I'm going to read the entire
book. It's only one chapter. Jude, who is the brother of James.
Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ and brother James, to them that
are sanctified by God the Father, preserved in Jesus Christ, and
called Mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. Beloved,
when I gave all diligence to write unto you the common salvation,
it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that
you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once
delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept
in unawares who were before ordained to this condemnation. ungodly
men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying
the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. I will therefore
put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the
Lord, having saved his people out of the land of Egypt, afterward
destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept
their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath
reserved in everlasting change unto darkness, unto the day of
judgment, that great day. even as Sodom and Gomorrah and
the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over
to fornication, going after strange flesh, and set forth for an example,
suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise also these are
filthy dreamers, defile the flesh, despise dominion, speak evil
of dignities. Yet Michael, the archangel, when
contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses,
doth not bring any Against him any railing accusations, but
said the Lord rebuke thee. But these speak evil of those
things which they know not, but what they know naturally as brute
beast, in these those things they have corrupt themselves.
Woe unto them, for they've gone the way of Cain, and ran greedily
after the heir of Balaam, and for reward and perished in the
gainsaying of Korah. These are spots in your feasts
of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without
fear, clouds they are without water, carried about for winds,
trees whose fruit withereth without fruit, twice dead, plucked up
by the roots, raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own
shade, wandering stars to whom reserve the blackness of darkness
forever. And Enoch also, the seventh from
Adam, prophesied of them, saying, behold, The Lord cometh with
10,000 of his saints to execute judgment upon all and convince
all that are ungodly among them all their ungodly deeds which
they have ungodly committed, and all their hard speeches which
ungodly sinners have spoken against them. These are murmurers, complainers
walking after their own lusts, and their mouths speak of great
swelling words, having men's persons in admiration of the
cause of advantage. But beloved, remember ye the
words which were spoken before the apostles of our Lord Jesus
Christ, how that they told you there should be mockers in the
last times who should walk after their own godly lust. These are
they who separate themselves sensual, having not the spirit
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy
faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keeping yourselves in the love
of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto
eternal life, and of some having compassion, making a difference,
and others saving with fear, pulling them out of the fire,
hating even the garment spotted with the flesh. 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, the only
wise God, our Savior, be glory, majesty, dominion, and power
both now and forever. Amen. Let us pray. Our Father, we are thankful for your word
for it is the truth about humanity as we can see this A book written
20 centuries ago pretty much describes that which is going
on in this world today. We find in the words of Solomon,
there is nothing new under the sun, just different people doing
the same old things. But we are thankful, Father,
that Jesus Christ our Lord is able to keep us from falling.
For surely the temptations and the enticements of this world
are great. They play on the mind and the
will of men. They even draw believers away
from the truth for a time. Though they may fall, they will
not be utterly cast down. They will rise up because Jesus
Christ will lift them out of the miry clay and set their feet
on the rock. We praise you, Father, that we
have confidence and assurance that our life eternal is secure
in Jesus Christ and that we are immortal here until you're done
with us. Help us, Lord, to realize that
you are on the throne and what happens in this world happens
according to your purpose and ordination and it's for our good
and for your glory. Father, help us to worship you
this hour We pray for those of our company who are sick and
awaiting different tests. We ask, Lord, you be with them.
Watch over them. Pray for those who are lost.
Pray for those who've lost loved ones. Pray for those who live
in fear and torment. Ask, Lord, your comfort and strength
for them. Father, we ask for ourselves this hour that you
might be pleased to cause us to catch a glimpse of him who's
altogether lovely, the chiefest among 10,000. the lily of the
valley, the bright and morning star, the rose of Sharon. Help
us, Lord, to see Him, because if we see Him, all will be well. We pray in Christ's name. Amen. Christ of the Cross. On a hill far away Died the Christ
of the cross He yielded to suffering and shame And there in His grace
He died in my place The purpose of God to fulfill So I'll cherish
the Christ of the cross And before His throne I'll bow down I will
cling to the Christ of the cross For He is the King I must follow Christ on the cross, so despised
by the world, has a wonder of attraction to me. He, the dear Lamb of God, left
His glory above to bear all my sin on the tree. So I'll cherish the Christ of
the cross And before His throne I'll bow down I will cling to
the Christ of the cross For He's the King I must crown ? In the
Christ on the cross ? And His blood so divine ? A marvelous
beauty I see ? For He opened my eyes ? That long had been
blind ? To behold Him now on His throne ? So I'll cherish
the Christ on the cross ? And before His throne I'll bow down
? I will plead to the Christ on the cross ? For He is the
King On the cross I must ever be true
His shame and pain rose gladly there For in love he won the
strains Till all shall be gain His glory forever I'll share
? So I'll cherish the Christ on the cross ? And before His
throne I'll bow down ? I will cling to the Christ of the cross
? For He is the King I must follow Steve looks like he's by himself
today. Let us pray. Father, again we
approach in the name of our Savior, our Master, our Sovereign, our
King, whoever lives to make intercession for his people, who is even at
Thy right hand, even now making intercession. He is our Advocate,
Jesus Christ the Righteous. Father, we pray the prayer of
Thanksgiving for all you've done for us. We know that what we
are is useless, unclean, and undone by nature.
But you by your grace and through your mercy have made Christ to be under
us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. have clothed
us with the garments of salvation, and made us stand before you,
accepted in the beloved, to the praise of the glory of your grace.
We know all we have, we have by mercy and grace. As we render
unto thee, let us be with David, and see who am I to offer unto
thee from that which you've given us. Help us now, we pray in Christ's
name. Thank you. you. It's nice to have the duet back
together again, eh? Y'all help each other out. Jude is the last epistle in the word
of God before the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
Jude, the brother of James, sets forth some powerful words, and
as I read it, study like I was reading newspaper much like those
words Isaiah chapter 3 spoke to what God does to a nation
he's done with it takes away all things people count on places
those things paid do nothing people who hold the power. But as I read this passage, two
verses really came to my thinking. That was after all he had said
about those people who creep in unawares, who are ordained
for this condemnation and seem to destroy the children of God
and the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. That the people of God still
have hope in Jesus Christ. The entire epistle of Jude addresses
two basic things that pertain to the gospel. It is first an
admonition to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. Now when you see the words the
faith, faith with a devin article thee before it, it's talking
about the gospel, the preaching of the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. That is the faith that was once delivered to the saints.
The wording is important because it sets forth a positive rather
than a negative. Usually contending involves a
for or an against. When you're contending, you have
a contender, a for and an against. But here the believers contend
for or on behalf of the gospel. And though the enemies of the
gospel are ever present and as numerous and as broad as the
scope of the depraved mind, the believers contending is not against
them, but for the gospel. For the gospel. It simply states
that the manner of contending is the redundant declaration
of the truth of the word of God. A believer is not to waste his
time spending himself in studying the tactics and doctrines of
those who oppose the gospel. He is to contend for the faith
by continually declaring the faith. You see, only light discloses
darkness. Only light discloses darkness.
That's what Paul said to the Ephesian church in Ephesians
chapter 5. Verse 13, he said, but all things
that are reproved are made manifest by the light. By the light. Whatsoever doth make manifest
is light. The design of the light is to
dispose of darkness. It is clear by the manner of
the enemy's approach spoken of in most of this chapter. They
said, are crept in unawares. full of subterfuge, that they
operate covertly as to intention, but overtly in a physical sense.
They are present in the church of the living God. The gospel
reveals their intention by setting the truth in proximity to their
error. Contending for the faith is the
declaration of the gospel. Secondly, this epistle is a warning
to believers to be careful, because these enemies are clever. and
seek to take advantage of men. And since this is a warning,
it stands to reason that the believer is vulnerable to their
appeal to the flesh. Remember the words of Paul in
Colossians and Galatians. He said the Galatian believers
had been bewitched. They'd been bewitched to listen
to the law keepers. These men who kept in unawares
are described as to their character and their tactics because of
their ability to blend in with the church. They're part of it. A believer is at the risk of
falling into temptation. It's however made clear that
the presence of these men in the church is ordained. It's
ordained. So no matter their intentions
and tactics, they will ultimately prosper. In 1 Corinthians chapter
11, verse 13 verse 18 excuse me he says well
first of all when you come together in the church I hear that there
are divisions or schisms or troubles among you and I partly believe
it for there must also be heresies among you also must be heresies
among you that that which is proved may be manifest among
you When you come together, therefore,
in one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. And he
goes on to explain what the Lord's supper is. But there must needs
be heresy among you. And these are said, these men
who creeped in unawares were ordained of old and ordained
to this condemnation, the condemnation to come in and try to dispel
or destroy the light of the gospel. Also, since these men are entities
of time and tied their presences, we know we'll work together for
good to them that love God, to them that are called according
to His purpose. Having been given this information, the believers
not to contend with these ordained creepers, but rather to declare
the faith, to declare the gospel and take care to watch and pray
that He does not succumb to their wiles. However, since the warning
exists, there's a real possibility that some believers or any believer
may fall prey to the error. You say, well that can't happen
if you're a believer. That will happen if you're a believer if you hang
around it long enough. Because we are sinners saved
by grace. But the warnings in scripture
are given because the probability and possibility of us falling
into error were warned about. Why warn us if it isn't a possibility
and a probability? With the abundance of information
given the solution to all this is clearly stated in the last
two verses of this epistle. says in verses 24 and 25, now
unto him that is able to keep you from falling. Boy, I'm glad
these words are added. 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 and dominion and
power both now and forever. Amen. If the believer may indeed
fall as he said to do in scripture. If he may yield to temptation
in being a believer and aware of his frailty, does not trust
his own integrity, how could he find assurance that he will
not be drawn away to these false teachers and fall into their
web of deceit? Word of God says Christ is able
to keep you from falling. Think about that. Word of God
is a two-edged sword, and it is a wonder. You read the epistle
in its entirety, it's almost as if what falls between verse
3, where we're told to contend for the faith, and verse 24,
which says we are guarded from falling or kept from falling.
All the rest of it seems almost parenthetical. Let's read verse
3 with verse 24. Verse 3 says, Beloved, I gave
all diligence to write unto you the common salvation. Word common
salvation doesn't mean that salvation is common. It means it's the
same to all God's people. There's no difference. The way
they're saved is exactly the same. That is described in verse
1. They are sanctified by God the
Father. That is set apart in election.
Sanctified, made holy by the presence of Jesus Christ. Preserved
in Jesus Christ. They're preserved. You know what
preserves do? You know what preserves are,
they're jammed with chunks of fruit in them and they don't
go bad, they just turn to sugar and that's what will happen to
you too, you won't go bad, you'll just turn to sugar one of these
days. Preserved in Jesus Christ and called, all these three things
happen to every child of God. Sanctified by the Father, preserved
in Christ Jesus and called, called to be saints. Paul said in 1
Corinthians chapter 1, called to be saints. If you read this epistle, Beloved,
when I gave all diligence to write unto you the common salvation,
it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that
you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once
delivered to the saints, now unto him that is able to keep
you from falling, and present you faultless before the presence
of God presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only
wise God, our Savior, be glory and majesty and dominion and
power forever. If the possibility of falling
exists, we are to look to and consider him who is able to keep
us from falling. It could not be any plainer or
any clearer than that. If you are at risk of falling,
there is one who is able to keep you from falling. Does that make
sense? Where else would you look if that solution were so nigh?
In fact, Scripture says within Him we live and move and have
our being. As complex and unfathomable the
workings of God are, the solution is singular and plain and always
is. We cannot keep ourselves from
falling. We can't. Even while contending
for the faith, Christ is able to keep us from falling. And
this is good news to anyone who knows something of the influence
of his own carnal nature. And still better news follows
in this passage. If we fall, that sin will not
be charged to us. This does not suggest that we
should not be diligent and cognizant of the errors that abound, and
it certainly does not suggest that as some might accuse us
of saying we should sin that grace may abound. This is assurance
of the faith. Our sin, all of it, was imputed
to Christ. We will never be charged with
it. Romans 4 says there are folks walking around right now, and
the Lord will never charge them with sin. He will never charge
them with sin. You're His child. You will never
be charged with sin. Your sin was charged to Jesus
Christ, your substitute. He is able to keep us from falling,
and if He yet suffers us to fall, we are not charged with the falling.
Think about that. So the following must ultimately
be for our benefit somehow. I don't understand. Don't begin
to try. How marvelous is His sovereign, immutable grace. Faultless
is how He's going to present us. Faultless. Will you fall? Yeah. How's He going to present
you? Is a fallen one? No, it's faultless. To present
you faultless before His glory. It's a wonderful concept, unbelievable,
except unless God gives you faith to believe it. It's an unbelievable
concept, faultless. You know what you are, and I
know what I am, and it just don't, those two things, to think about
it, I'm going to appear before God as absolutely faultless in
the natural thinking. It doesn't make sense at all.
How can that be? It's all by the blood of the
cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. What we just sang about the Christ
of the cross in Colossians chapter 1 and verse 19 and 20 it says,
for please the Father that in him should all fullness dwell
and have him made peace through the blood of his cross by him
to reconcile all things to himself. By him I say whether they be
things in earth or things in heaven. And you who are sometimes
alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works Yet now
hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to
present you holy, unblameable, and unreprovable in his sight. The word present carries with
the idea of proudly displaying, proudly displaying, establishing,
or causing to stand eternally as one who is without fault because
of the perfect salvation wrought by Jesus Christ. Look over at Psalm 130. This
describes it about as good as it gets. In Psalm 130, David said, O out
of the depths have I cried unto the Lord, O Lord. Lord, hear
my voice. Let Thine ears be attentive to
the voice of my supplications. If Thou, Lord, shouldst mark
iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? If He looks at one sin in us
and counts it as such, there's no hope for us. But there is forgiveness with
thee, that thou mayest be feared, loved, worshipped. I wait for
the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My
soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the
morning. I say more than they that watch for the morning. Let
Israel hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy.
With him plenteous redemption, and he shall redeem his people
from all their iniquities. bowing back from all their sin. If he should mark a necklace,
who should stand? And yet in Revelation 7 and verse
9 we find that there's a multitude standing before Him. Standing. He's on the throne. The Lamb
on the throne at the right hand of the Father surrounded by the
four and twenty elders with the cherubim and seraphim singing
holy, holy, holy before Him. here we have people standing
in his presence so that must mean that God doesn't mark their
iniquities because they're standing because if he should mark them
iniquities who should stand they're standing robed in white robes
which were washed in the blood of the lamb that's what it is
to be presented like a bridegroom presents his bride The presentation
is therefore 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 just saints made perfect, spoken of in Hebrews
12, or before the angels who continuously sing of His glory,
or before God, the God of all glory. These are reasonable interpretations
that are continually or certainly true because in the end Christ
will be glorified in his saints according to 1 Thessalonians
and will give all glory to God the Father. The last two words
of verse 24 I think give more centered interpretation of the
presence of his glory. Back in our text. With exceeding joy. with exceeding joy. These words, exceeding joy, speak
of the sacrifice of Christ and the result of that perfect offering.
What he did was for the joy set before him. It says in Hebrews
chapter 12 and verse 3, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher
of our faith, who for the joy that was sent before him endured
the cross and the word despising is actually disregarding, counting
the shame as nothing. He is now set down on the right
hand of the Father. In Zephaniah chapter 3 verse
17 it says, The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty.
He will save he will rejoice over thee with joy he will rest
in his love he will joy over thee with singing with exceeding joy it is this
magnificent one that is able to keep us from falling to him
belong all glory all glory To the only wise God, our Savior,
be glory and majesty and dominion and power, both now and forever.
Amen. His success in this endeavor and the glory for it is without
question. He is the only wise God, our
Savior. Our Savior is God. He's the Son
of God. He is God, and He's the Spirit
of God. For in Him dwell the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. All wisdom is vested in Him.
Christ is the wisdom and power of God and made to be the wisdom
of His people. He said to His children, Fear
not, little ones. It is the Father's pleasure to
give you the kingdom. You may fall, but you will rise
again. That's what He says in Psalm
37. You may fall, but you will rise. You will rise. Many times
through these years of being a child of God, knowing full
well the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, I found that my life
on this world has been pretty much of a daily do-over. I fall. I'm frail. I'm weak. I tremble. But I never
go all the way down. The one that assures that to
be so is him to whom all glory and majesty and dominion and
power belong. So as the believer contends for
the faith, setting forth the gospel of Jesus Christ, the faith
once delivered to the saints, his only weapon being the gospel,
to expose and disclose those who crept in unawares that were
ordained to this condemnation. He doesn't talk about them so
much. He talks about the gospel, because
the gospel is what does it. And your man used to say, the
only way you can tell a stick is crooked is to lay a straight
stick beside it. That's the only way you can tell.
And this world is crooked, and the gospel is a straight state.
The only way to tell how crooked it is, is to preach the gospel
of Jesus Christ. A believer does so in assurance
that his hope is well founded in the absolutely sovereign God
of all glory, who is able to keep him from falling. I think
I'll, if I ever get a tattoo, I think that's what I'll put
on the tattoo. able to keep you from falling. Father bless us
to understand and pray in Christ's name. Amen.