Doxology

The letter that Jude wrote and we'll begin reading at verse 17 and read through the end of the chapter. Hear now the word of God. Jude 17. But dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.

They said to you, in the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires. These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the spirit.

But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Be merciful to those who doubt. Snatch others from the fire and save them. To others show mercy mixed with fear, hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

To him who is able to keep you from falling. And to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy. To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord before all ages, now and forevermore. Amen. Well, without a sense of danger, warnings seem irrelevant, even foolish, don't they?

Beware of falling rocks. If you saw that warning sign on 331 coming south out of Wyatt. I doubt you'd slow down and be more careful.

What? Are they going to fall out of the sky? But if you saw that same sign driving through the Smoky Mountains.

With sheer rock cliffs on each side of the road. And as you proceed, you begin to see huge boulders that have broken off of the mountain. And fallen right beside the road.

You would be more cautious as you drive. Is religious deception? Is false teaching really a danger after all?

Is falling away something that is a real threat today?

If you don't think so, then Jude's letter will seem like a beware of falling rocks sign outside of Wyatt. Irrelevant. Unnecessary for me.

Certainly nothing here that would make me live differently in the world today. But if you realize that the danger is real, then you will take heed to these orders from our captain.

On not only how to survive, but how to triumph in this battle for the truth. We come today to the end of Jude's letter. And the last two verses of this letter are probably the most well-known verses of the whole letter.

They form a doxology, which literally means words of praise. And these words of praise are often used at the end of a worship service.

And they are fitting for any worship service. But having studied the first 23 verses, I trust that this morning we'll see just how fitting they are as an ending to this letter.

Everything that is gone before has brought us to this final word. And so may we come to love these words more this morning.

And to have our hearts warmed and moved along with them to ascribe all glory and praise to God alone. See if your heart can add your own amen to Jude's amen at the end of this letter.

We'll see three things this morning in this doxology. God in Christ preserving. God in Christ presenting.

And God in Christ receiving all praise. So first of all, God in Christ preserving. To him who is able to keep you from falling.

Verse 24 says. Now in this letter we have been confronted with a serious. Danger. Certain godless false teachers have secretly snuck in among the believers.

Teaching that the grace of God is a license. A coupon. For immorality. And denying the sovereignty. The lordship of Jesus Christ.

And the situation is so dangerous. And so urgent that Jude sets aside the letter he wanted to write. About their shared salvation. And instead he writes this letter. To warn them.

And to urge them. To earnestly contend. And that is to fight for the faith once for all delivered to the saints. A battle for truth is raging.

That's what we've seen. At stake are the eternal bodies and souls of man. The danger is real. It's not rocks falling. It's people falling.

Falling for the seductive doctrines and lifestyles of these godless men. Falling away from the truth. As it is in Jesus. Jude says it's happening.

It's already happening. It's here. It's come. And he tells us that whoever follows these false teachings. And false lifestyles. Are under the same condemnation of eternal punishment in hell.

So the danger is real. We've seen that in Jude. We can look elsewhere in the New Testament. There's hardly a book in the New Testament that is not filled with serious warnings about falling away.

About false teaching that would pull us away from Christ. And God does not post warning signs where there is no real danger.

He doesn't put beware of falling rock signs outside of Wyatt, Indiana. He puts them where there really is danger. So that if we find our New Testaments littered with warning signs to beware of false teaching.

And beware of falling away. Then we ought to sit up. And let them who think they stand. Take heed. Lest they fall. The danger is real.

Jesus warned of a time. That is coming. When many. Quote many. Will be. Will turn away from the faith.

Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness. The love of most. Will grow cold.

But he who stands firm to the end. Will be saved. Matthew 24. He goes on to speak of a coming deception that is so crafty.

That if it were possible. Even the elect. Would be deceived. So don't. Don't think this is not a danger to me. No. The deception is so great that left to yourself.

You would be deceived. Even the elect. Jesus says there will be many at the judgment day. Not a few. But many.

Who will say Lord Lord. And then we'll start rehearsing to him. All the religious things that they have done. They were clearly religious. But it was false religion. And Jesus will say depart from me.

I never knew you. Many. Recent studies have shown that 70% of young people. Who regularly attend church in high school.

Will drop out of church by age 23. Many of them in their first year away from home. Seven. Out of ten.

High schoolers. Who are in Sunday school and church. Regularly. Seven out of ten. Will be gone from the church scene. By age 23.

One out of four will never return. People are falling. Young people are falling. It's a real danger. That Jude is confronting us with.

Didn't he tell us about some sinless angels. Who knew the joy of serving God. Who were not able to keep themselves from falling. Haven't we read about a sinless man and woman.

Placed in a garden. Who were not able to keep themselves from falling. Did you not talk about some Israelites whom God rescued out of Egypt with great wonders and signs.

Who were not able to keep themselves from falling into disbelief and unbelief. Later on in the desert. Does Jude not told us about false teachers.

Who themselves have fallen from the truth that was once for all delivered. And of others who are now falling to that same teaching. And we begin to wonder.

Will I be able to keep from falling. And on top of it. Jude is telling us. That we are to go out and to rescue those who doubt.

And who are confused about the truth. And those who have already fallen into air. We are to go and to snatch out of the fire. And yet we know the danger that some people are burned as they snatch others from fire.

And some people fall when they're trying to help others who are falling. Have fallen. So Jude comes to us at the end with these closing words of comfort. To him who is able to keep you from falling.

Yes, the dangers of falling are real. Yes, there's a lot to make you fall. There's a flesh in you that likes the seductive doctrine and lifestyle that's being offered.

There's a devil behind it all that is more than a match for yourself. Yes, others are falling and have fallen. And yes, you are not able to keep yourself from falling.

But there is one who is able to keep yourself. To keep you from falling. He has the ability that you lack. The only God our Savior can keep you standing firm to the end.

So commit yourself into his capable hands. Cast yourself upon him. He will lose none of those the Father has given him, but will raise them up at the last day.

He is able to save not for a day, a week, a month, a year. He is able to save to the uttermost. All who come unto God through him. So keep coming to him.

And he is able to keep you from falling. So onward, Christian soldiers, with confidence in your captain's keeping power. By the way, brothers and sisters, did you know that that's why you are still a Christian?

Did you know that's why you haven't fallen away from the faith? Why is it that you haven't fallen when others have?

Left to yourself, you would have fallen a long time ago. But he has been able to keep you from falling. And that's why we can have assurance of arriving safely in heaven someday through all the seductive voices that call to us in this life, tempting us to fall because he's able and he will keep you from falling.

This assurance of being kept all the way through life is the note that Jude ends on. It's on purpose. It's the note he started on, too.

You remember back in verse two? He's writing to you who are what? Kept by Jesus Christ. There you are. You're the sheep under his care and he's protecting you.

He's keeping you. That's you. Verse two. And now at the end at verse 24, to him who is able to keep you from falling. So we've got this keeping power of Jesus Christ bookending this whole letter that's full of dangers and threats and falling away due to false teaching and false living.

Soldiers fight best when they're confident of their safety and their security in Christ. They snatch others from the fire best when they are assured that one will keep them from falling in the process.

Now, how does he do this? How does God keep us from falling? That's something that he can answer in many different ways.

His methods are legion. But I'd like you to consider, even in the context, some of the ways that he keeps us from falling. He keeps us from falling by building us up in our most holy faith.

It's it's what he's doing right now. He calls us together once a week to hear his word preached so that we will understand the truth and be kept from error so we won't be carried about by every wind of doctrine.

It's what he will be doing tomorrow when you open your Bibles in the privacy of your own home. And he will enlighten your mind to the truth and point out error.

And you will see it not only in the scriptures in the original context, but you'll say, yes, I heard that in in her yesterday. I I found that in myself last week and and we're made to hear the voice of our good shepherd so that we'll not follow after a hireling.

You see, he's doing that through his word as he's building us up in our most holy faith. He does it in answer to our prayers. To praying in the Holy Spirit.

We we see our weakness. We see others falling. And it stirs us to pray. Oh, Jesus, keep me from falling. And we pray, teach me, oh, Lord, to follow your decrees.

Then I will keep them to the end. But you must teach me. Turn my heart away from worthless things. Renew my life according to your word. Teach me.

Make me to go in the way of your commands. For there I delight. And so as we pray in the Holy Spirit, he's keeping us from falling. For he answers those prayers.

He instills in us a love for the truth. And then he keeps us from falling by not letting. But let me just say it this way.

By by his providence and his care over our temptations and trials. He weighs our temptations, knowing our limits. And he doesn't allow us to be tempted more than we are able to bear.

But with the temptation makes a way of escape so we can stand up under it and not fall away from him. And he does it by working in us a desire to keep ourselves in God's love.

By correcting us. By disciplining us. By making us miserable in our sins. So that we come to hate sin. And hate even the garment that is stained by corrupted flesh.

That's why. Believer, none of your falls have been fatal falls. Oh, we've all fallen, haven't we? We've all stumbled and fallen.

But a righteous man, though he stumbles seven times, always gets up. Why is that? Why is it that you get up? Others haven't. And they will fall to destruction in hell.

Why is it that you? Because he is able to keep you from falling. And when we begin to stray, the good shepherd comes after us. And he puts the heat on us. And we feel miserable in our sins.

What's he doing? He's keeping you from falling. He's making you vomit out your own sin. He's renewing by his Holy Spirit your faith and your repentance. So that you come back to him with your confession of sin.

And pleading for grace to keep you from falling. That's how he does it. And oh, so many other ways. And that's why we're still Christians today.

It's not because we're so determined. We're so smart. We're stronger than the devil. No, it's because we have one who keeps us from falling. Who has all the resources and power of the Godhead.

And the world, the flesh, and the devil combined are no match for him. So commit yourself into his capable hands. But he is able to do so much more than keep you from falling.

All the way through your life. We notice secondly that he is able to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy. Now the Bible says that we all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ.

That we all have an appointment with God. Personally. To have him. Judge us for the things done while in the body.

Now that's an appointment we'll all keep. We must appear before his glorious presence. It's not appearing before him as Jesus was in the days of his flesh when his veil, his glory was veiled.

No, it's coming before his glorious presence. And the Bible portrays that scene for us. We come before him and all of his glory is now unveiled.

And with him are who? All the angels. These court attendants to the great king and something of his glory is seen. Here he is on his throne and all of his glorious angels.

Isn't that what Jude said in verse 14? That the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone. And so on.

And the result of this judgment is that the righteous will go away to eternal life and the wicked will go away to eternal punishments. This is a glorious presence of God. This is an awesome scene to take away all.

Of our breath. It was shown to John and vision and John and Revelation 20. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence.

That's the question. Who can stand before the glorious presence of God? You know, when we read in our Bibles of of any mortal man that.

Came before the glorious presence of God, they were traumatized. Weren't they? We read of Isaiah when he sees the Lord in his glory. He calls a curse upon his own head.

Woe is me. I am ruined. For I'm a man of unclean lips. My eyes have seen the king. John.

Sees the presence, this glorious presence. And he says, when I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Ezekiel had the same experience. Who can stand before his glorious presence?

Kids, you you've heard in the Sunday school how that the Israelites were told to construct a tabernacle. And it was after the plan of the real dwelling place of God in heaven.

And so this tabernacle was all set up. And when it was first set up in the wilderness, before they started worshiping God, we're told the cloud came down and filled the temple.

And Moses could not enter it because the cloud had settled upon it and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

Exodus chapter 40. The same thing happens in 2 Chronicles chapter 5 when they're now constructing a more permanent dwelling place for God's glory. The temple under Solomon.

And they've now constructed the temple. And the cloud appears again. And the glory of God so filled the temple that the priest couldn't even go in and worship.

They couldn't go in and start the service. And then all the way from then on in the Old Testament, we find that the glorious presence of God. Was in the most holy place in that temple complex.

The holy of holies. That's where the glory was. Well, who can stand before the glorious presence of our God? And the whole Old Testament is saying it's not an easy thing.

This is not a slam dunk situation. Just to go into the holy of holies. No. Only priests. No. Only high priests. No.

Only once a year the high priest. No. Only once a year with the blood of a sacrificial victim. Can he venture into the glorious presence of God?

And even the animals. Remember in Exodus 19. When God's glorious presence came and met with his people on Mount Sinai. Even the animals that touched the mountain on which God's glory came were put to death.

Who can stand before his glorious presence? He's not different, folks. He's no different today than he was then. He won't be a different God that you will stand before in judgment.

It will be this glorious God. And now it's your turn to go in before the Holy One. It's your turn. And here is Jude.

Speaking about appearing before God's glorious presence. And not cringing with fear. But with great joy. Would you tell me what in the world can cause a man, a mortal sinner, to go into the glorious presence with great joy?

The hymn writer talks about it, doesn't he? Bold I approach the eternal throne. How can that be possible?

Have we forgotten who's on the throne? No. His glorious presence, Jude says. And yet with great joy. Bold I approach the eternal throne.

And claim the crown through Christ. Through Christ. My own. We do not approach on our own.

But the same one who kept us all of our life from falling will present us in that day. Isn't that a beautiful thought? The one who every day of our life kept us from falling away from him.

At the end of our life and in the great day of judgment, he will present us. In other words, we come into God's glorious presence in judgment day upon the arm of our gracious Lord Jesus Christ.

He makes the presentation of us to God. Here I am and the children you have given me. They are mine. I have purchased them.

And then will he own my worthless name before the father's face. And he will acknowledge me. As he presents me to his glorious presence.

Notice it's the same people who are kept in life who are presented faultless and without joy in that day. It's the ones who are kept from falling who are presented.

So here you come, believer. Before this glorious presence of God. All of his angels. You who all of your life were so conscious of your own sin. So conscious of all your falling short of the glory of God.

How your conscience has smote you every day perhaps for your faults. And yet this one on whose arm you come is able to present you without fault.

Without fault. That means not one thing against you. Not one law of God that has been broken. Not one duty ever left undone. Nothing done in halves.

Nothing to blame you for. You see, it's only the faultless who are fit to live with this glorious presence of God. And it is such that Jesus Christ will present you in that day as faultless.

It almost seems too good to be true, doesn't it? We know ourselves too well. There's an encouragement back in Jeremiah chapter 50 for us. Jeremiah 50 20.

God predicted such a faultless condition in Israel. Now when this prophecy was made, Israel was anything but faultless.

You can read the opening chapters of Jeremiah where he charges them for their guilt. He says, Has a nation ever changed its gods? But my people have exchanged their glory for worthless idols.

My people have committed two sins. They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns, that cannot hold water.

Their idols. Forsaken me and gone to their idols. Now that is the sinning nation that he makes this amazing announcement to in chapter 50 and verse 20.

Listen to it. Search will be made for Israel's guilt, but there will be none. And for the sins of Judah, but none will be found.

For I will forgive the remnant I spare. Here is a search being made. Kids, you have played hide and seek. You have gone searching.

You have lost things. You have searched. Here is a search underway in Jeremiah 50 that is talking about this search. And what they are looking for is for sin and guilt.

And so all the books are opened to find sin and guilt. And all the rugs are pulled up to see what has been swept underneath them. And all the closets are opened up to see any skeletons that might have been buried in the past.

And all the Internet history is viewed. And all the cell phone records are read. Every word spoken. Every word spoken. Every deed done.

Every thought. Every desire. Undergrowing scrutiny for one thing less than perfection. Sin. Sin. And the search party comes to an end and they come up empty.

Nothing on them. No sin or guilt could be found. And notice it's not that they failed to find it, that it was there and they just didn't dig long enough.

No, the reason they found nothing is because there will be none. There will be none to find. That would be amazing if mortal men were conducting the search.

But it's more amazing because God himself is conducting the search. The one before whom nothing in all creation is hidden from his sight.

Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. To him who seen in the dark is as easy as seen in the light.

And he looks and looks and finds nothing. Because there is nothing. How is that possible?

Well, he says, for I will forgive the remnant I spare. You see, forgiven sins are paid for sins. Forgiven sins are buried sins.

Forgiven sins are forgotten sins. Forgiven sins are remembered no more. They're taken away. They're hurled into the depths of the sea. They're washed, made whiter than snow till not a trace remains.

Who is able to do that? Not I in a billion eternities. I cannot cleanse myself from one of my sins. Not a lifetime of self-sacrificing service to God will ever undo one of my sins.

So great is my offensiveness to God and his holiness. Then what can wash away my sins?

Who can cleanse me that clean that I will be faultless in that day? The blood of Jesus, his son, purifies us from all sin.

First John 1 7. Just that clean. Colossians 1 22. It was through his death, through Christ's physical body, through his death that he reconciled you to God to present you wholly in his sight without blemish and free from accusation.

It's only in Christ through his death that we're presented faultless. You see, because in dying for us, he suffered the entire punishment for sin. So if sin is paid for in full, then it's obliterated.

It is no longer existing on the books. It's gone. There's just that much merit, that much power in the blood of Jesus, in the righteous life of Christ to make us faultless before God.

In fact, as the all-seeing eye of God looks upon us in that great day, he will see us as faultless as Jesus Christ himself.

How is that? Because his righteousness, Christ's righteousness, has been imputed, counted over to us. That's the doctrine of justification.

That's the biblical word for it. Justification. Wherein God declares guilty sinners righteous on the basis of Christ's righteousness imputed to us and received by faith alone.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us on Calvary so that in him we might become the righteousness of Christ. So he sees us and he sees the righteousness of Jesus.

It's a wonderful exchange in justification. He gives we give him our sin and he gives us his righteousness. Now, that's how we appear in the day of judgment, in the righteousness of Jesus.

Our sins all paid for at Calvary. And so we'll be presented before his glorious presence without fault, not a trace of sin found on the books.

In the record books of heaven, you right now, upon believing, are faultless before this holy God. But now my heart and life here on earth is another matter, isn't it?

I am far from faultless here on earth. My record in heaven is faultless thanks to Christ's righteousness that that was put in the place of my sin. But here on earth, I'm.

You don't have to conduct the search very far to find that I am not faultless. My own family can give daily attestation to the fact that I am still with fault.

Not only before them, but before God. But what Jude is telling us is that there will be a day when I will be without fault.

Not just my record in heaven, but my heart, my life, the whole thing. That's sanctification. That's glorification. It's already begun. God has said, sent his Holy Spirit into my heart to do what?

To cleanse me from sin and to to cause me to die to self, to put to death sin, to live for righteousness. And he's in this process of sanctifying me.

But one day the process will be finished. Glorification. Glorification. It will be complete. When he makes that presentation of me before his glorious presence.

We do not yet know what we shall be, but we know that when Christ appears, we will be like him for we will see him as he is. And that will be glorification.

That will be sanctification process completed on the spot. There is enough virtue in Christ that at the moment we see him, all spots and wrinkles in our hearts and life will be gone forever.

We'll be immediately purged from any and all remaining sin. Not a trace of the flesh will be found in us so that both our record in heaven and our heart. Will be spotless, faultless.

And so we'll be made fit to live with the Holy One for all eternity. Because only the faultless can live with the faultless one. And that's what Jesus does.

He makes us faultless. Ephesians 5. Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word and to present her to himself as a radiant church without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish.

But holy and blameless. And Jude is putting his amen to that faultless, he says. Not a blemish. And our response is, oh, come Lord Jesus.

Finish then thy new creation, pure and spotless. Let us be. You say, well, sanctification process is messy.

It's hard. I'll just wait to the end. I'll live a sloppy, unholy life now and just hope that in the end when I see Jesus, he'll fix it all and I'll be spotless. Folks, it doesn't work that way.

Because you know what John says immediately after that we're waiting for him from heaven and the moment we see him will be made like him. The very next verse is everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure.

Would you know those who when they see him, they'll be like him? You want to know who those people are right now in this life? They're very concerned about purifying themselves even as he is pure.

But they go about it with the confidence that he has power. He is able to present us faultless before him in that day.

You ready to stand before the Holy One? If he was back in this room, are you ready to go in and meet him today? Someday he's going to be that near. It will be that real.

And you'll appear before him as much as you're appearing before me. Oh, you must be in Christ. You must be in Christ. There's there's no hope outside of Jesus of being declared faultless in his presence.

Be sure you have him presenting you in that day. Be sure you're not alone. But notice it's not only without fault. It is with great joy.

It's hard to understand, isn't it? Because we're in the flesh and we still have a sense of our sin and our faults. But but Judas telling us that when that day unfolds and we come before God with perfectly sanctified heart and life, it will be with great joy that we come before his judgment throne, that we are presented before him.

Believers, we will only be perfectly happy when we are perfectly holy. That should be a clue to us even now where happiness is to be found. The the holier you are, the happier you are.

And in that day, you will be perfectly happy because you will be perfectly holy. What will be our joy when we see Christ presenting us faultless before the throne of God's glorious presence?

When we see ourselves clothed in the garments of Christ's righteousness and we feel our hearts that have been purified once and for all, not a tinge of pride, not a tinge of of self-centeredness.

What will it be like to look upon the glorious presence of God and for the first time without sin to worship him? First time in our lives to to enjoy sinlessness.

Folks, it will be great joy, Jude says, for us. It's it's it's it's a word for extreme, unrestrainable, exultant joy.

That desire for perfect holiness that was planted in our hearts at the new birth will now be fully realized. And we will be a happy group of campers. We will be happy in the Lord.

Now, in Isaiah nine three, the Bible likens it to the joy of victors dividing the spoils. As men rejoice when dividing the plunder. What will be our extreme joy when the war is over?

Some of you live through World War Two and, you know, something of the joy of the end of the war of victory. This will be our D-Day. And we'll be we'll be happy. As we divide the spoils, the glories of Christ, inheritors of it all.

No more battling, no more contending for the faith, no more fighting against temptation, against the flesh. No more danger of falling eternally out of reach of temptation.

The devil will be in hell and all of his agents with him. Never again to sin against our Savior's love. No more straying heart.

No more this. Lord, I know your love is so great to me that I'm I'm ashamed of the pittance of my love back to you. It will be perfect love in that day. When we stand complete in Christ, faultless before the throne and hear him say, come and share your master's happiness.

Isn't that a good name for heaven? Your master's happiness. And oh, how happy will be as we enter into the joy of the Lord. He will rejoice in doing us good.

Folks, this joy. Is something that Christ will have in that day as well as us. This is the joy that was set before him.

That enabled him to endure the cross. This is the joy he had on Calvary's cross that caused him to keep going and to count his shameful death as a as a nothing compared to what?

Compared to the joy that was set before him. What was that joy? It was the joy of one day being able to present us his blood bought children as faultless to the father. How happy Jesus will be.

And as he presents us and we see his joy in that day. It'll cause our joy to just multiply ten thousand times. As we rejoice in his joy.

To present us faultless. Dressed in his righteousness alone. Faultless to stand before the throne. And I must tell you that at the same time.

That this is happening to us who are in Christ. Those who are outside of Christ. Are being condemned to eternal torments. You read the passages in the Bible.

It's one judgment seat. It's all the nations of the world gathered before him. And what a contrast Jude is drawing. You see he draws this contrast throughout his letter doesn't he?

Talking all about the false teachers and those going astray. Those with following their evil desire. But you he says at the end. But you. But you dear friends. It's different with you.

And never does the contrast between. The righteous and the wicked. Show up more clearly than in this day. The last day.

Of judgment. For we're told that their damnation is sure. It's all throughout the book of Jude. The whole book of Jude smells with. With fire doesn't it? Their damnation is sure.

Their sin clings to them like their shadow. So when they appear before the presence of his glory. They appear not without fault. And with great joy. But they appear with great fear.

Cringing and cowering. Before the almighty. The holy one. And they do not appear with great joy. Without fault. They appear with their faults.

Still on them. And they don't appear on the arm of Jesus. They appear alone. Now to receive the sentence. For all their sins. And I know it's hard to understand.

In our unperfected state below. But the Bible insists. That in that day. Their condemnation. Will enhance your joy.

Your great joy. In the mercy that you. Are then experiencing. For you will then know perfectly.

What you know now. In part. That if you got what you deserved. You would be in that crowd. To whom he says.

Depart from me. I never knew you. That would be me. That would be me. You'll know that in that day perfectly. No. That should be me.

That would be me. Had it not been for Christ. And oh. The joy. That will flood our souls. When we see it. With unsinning eyes.

For the first time. With a mind. Unclouded. With our own self-importance. And we will see. That's what I should have received. But this is what I get. All for the grace.

Of my Lord Jesus Christ. How you will stand before him. With great. Joy. Joy. When I see.

When I hear the wicked call. On the rocks and hills to fall. When I see them start and shrink. On the fiery deluge brink. Then Lord.

Shall I fully know. Not till then. How much I owe. We know something in part. But then Lord. In that great day.

When we appear before him. We will know fully. Just how much we owe. To our Lord Jesus Christ. And oh. What joy. Will ooze out of every pore. Of our being. In love.

And joy. And happiness. In our Savior. You see how this. This. Doxology. Forms a fitting conclusion. To this letter. We're in the battle of the ages.

Folks. We're called to contend for the faith. Not only to go on. Believing the truth. But go on. Living the truth. Proclaiming the truth. Reclaiming people.

With the truth. And in ourselves. We're so weak. And we're so liable. To fall. But the only God. Our Savior. Is able to keep us.

From falling. He is mighty. To save. And he's able. Not only to keep you. From falling. All the days of your life. Here on earth. But he's able then. To present you. Before. The glorious presence.

Of God. Without fault. And with great joy. So onward. Christian soldiers. Marching. As to war. With the cross of Jesus.

Going on before. Confident. That he will keep you. And he will present you. All glory. And might. And power. And authority.

Is his. The outcome is sure. Christ has triumphed. And is leading. His army. In triumph. And knowing this.

Is what makes. Soldiers. Fight better. So to arms. And let the joy. Of that coming day. Spill over. And be your strength. For this battle day.

God in Christ. Preserving. God in Christ. Presenting. And lastly. God receiving. All the praise. Well. Commentators point out. There's no doxology.

Like this. In the Bible. It's peculiar. To Jude alone. He. He tailor makes it. To his letter. As the others. Do as well. But the one thing. It has in common. With all doxologies.

Is that it lays. All the glory. And praise. At the door. Of God. To him. Be glory. Majesty. Power. And authority.

You can read. Your Bible through. And find all the doxologies. And you'll find. They all have that. In common. David. Not unto us. Oh Lord.

Not unto us. But to your name. Be the praise. John. To him. Who loves us. And has freed us. From our sins. By his blood. Be glory. And power. Paul.

For from him. And to him. And through him. Are all things. To him. Be the glory. Forever. And ever. Isn't it something. That. That every. Single.

Bible writer. Who has been snatched. As a burning stick. From the fire. All agree on this. That if they're saved. It's because. Of what God has done. And they give him.

All. The glory. Anybody who's walked. More than two steps. In the Christian life. Gives glory to Christ. For having kept him. And you can bet. That in that last day.

When. We are presented. Faultless. Before his presence. Every single one. Will have glory. And praise. For one alone.

That is for God. Father. Son. And Holy Spirit. That's where Jude. Is bringing us. Has he brought you there. This morning. Has he had you along. In his argument. Throughout this letter.

Has he brought you. To the place. Where you can now. Say with him. To him. Not unto us. To him. To the only. God. Our savior.

Isn't that a beautiful. There's only. One God. And he's our savior. Isn't that wonderful. The only God. Our savior. Through Jesus Christ.

Our. Lord. There's only one. God and savior. He's ours. There's only one. Christ. Jesus. And he's. Our Lord. Can you say that?

If not. You're not ready. For that final day. If you can. You're ready. What a wonderful thing. For believers. To end this. This letter. Knowing that. The only God.

Our savior. Is ours. And Jesus. Is our Lord. Lord. And so. We. Seek to bring. All honor. And glory. To him. So now.

To him. Who is able. To keep you. From falling. And to present. You. Before his. Glorious presence. With. Without fault. And with great joy.

To the only. God. Our savior. Be glory. Majesty. Power. And authority. Through Jesus Christ. Our Lord. Before. All ages.

Now. And forevermore. And all God's people said. Amen. Let's pray. Our God.

There is none like you. We've sung of your greatness. This morning. Your majesty. Your glory. Your power. Oh. We live half awake.

To it. Who is this God? Oh. We think so small. Thoughts about you. Please come. And shatter those thoughts. And give us to think. As we ought. And give us to glory.

In Jesus Christ. Our savior. Who enables us. To stand. Every last day. Of our lives below. And then. That day. Will present us. Faultless. And with great joy.

Before your presence. And glory. Draw others. And help us. To go then. And to fight this fight. And to seek to rescue others. With all the confidence.

In Christ's keeping power. We pray in his mighty. His effective name. Amen. Amen.