We turn for a second time and a final time to our two-part series of the book of Jude near the end of the Bible, right before the book of Revelation. And I invite you to turn there with me if you would at this time. The book of Jude is only one chapter. In our last study of the book, we considered the fact that most biblical scholars believe that this Jude was in fact a brother of our Lord Jesus Christ. We built the biblical case for that. We also talked about the fact that some scholars have said that the book of Jude is the most neglected book in all of the Bible. That may or may not technically be true, but that's what many think, how many have viewed the book. We also commented on the fact that it is called a general or Catholic epistle because it is not directed to any particular person or congregation, but it's written to the Church of Jesus Christ universal worldwide down through the ages. So not only in the first century AD, but also in our own century as well. In the first study we did, brothers and sisters, of this book, we focused especially in on verse 3, the exhortation here which Jude gives to contend earnestly for the faith once for all entrusted to the saints. And the reason why he gives that exhortation is expounded upon in the next many verses. But we're going to not only read all those verses, but we're going to focus in only tonight, especially on the last two verses of this chapter, verses 24 and 25, as they will constitute our text for this evening. Well, let us hear then the word of the Lord as it begins for us in Jude, verse one. Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. to those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ. Mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance. Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only sovereign and Lord. Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority, but abandoned their own home, these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great day. In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority, and slander celestial beings. Even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, the Lord rebuke you. Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand. And what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals, these are the very things that destroy them. Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain. They have rushed for profit into Balaam's error. They have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion. These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm, shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind, autumn trees without fruit and uprooted, twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea foaming up their shame, wandering stars for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever. Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men. See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones to judge everyone and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way. And of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. These men are grumblers and fault finders. They follow their own evil desires. They boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. 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. As far as the reading of God's holy word, and as always, dear friends, I ask and urge you to keep your Bibles open and handy as you look to God's word together this evening. Dear congregation of Jesus Christ, perhaps you have read or heard the recent news account concerning the back doors of a Brinks armored truck malfunctioning and allowing two bags of cash totaling over $500,000 to spill out on Route 23 in East Rutherford just several days ago resulting in the following headline appearing in the Bergen record this past Thursday, and I quote I Did you grab Rink's truck cash? Return it now before the police ID you. Did you grab Rink's truck cash? Return it now before police ID you. And hopefully no one here tonight is being looked for by the police. But friends, think about this. Think about this. What would cause people during rush hour on a weekday morning to literally jump out of their cars, run into traffic, risk their lives to simply grab some cash. And by the way, a couple of accidents resulted from that kind of craziness. What would cause people to literally risk their lives, rush out of traffic, running out into the middle of the street to grab some cash? Well, I suppose one reason might simply be sinful greed, sinful greed. I suppose another reason would be wanting to store up treasures on earth rather than storing up treasures in heaven. I guess another reason would be living according to a this worldly rather than an other worldly worldview. And that is a worldview with which we are continually being bombarded virtually each and every day of this worldly worldview. In fact, I was reflecting as I was reading that article, way back into young people, the days of my youth. And there was a commercial that aired in the days of my youth, it was a beer commercial. And I've never drank beer my whole life. I was landscaping back when I was about 16 years old, and we were working in a new development, Brother Michael, and laying sod and railroad tie walls and everything, and there was no water in the house. So one of the guys went and got beer, and I took one sip and I spit it out. I couldn't stand the taste and never again. I was just so that never again. And so I haven't tried it since. But anyway, there's this beer commercial airing in that day. And I want to test you to see if it had any effect on you. It was a it was a commercial of a yacht race and the yachts are racing through the waves in the ocean and the ocean spray is flying. And as these these huge yachts are racing along with each other, the announcer in this deep masculine voice comes over the airwaves and he says, you only go around once in life. And so you've got to grab for all the gusto that you can. Commercials apparently have no effect on us whatsoever. You've got to grab for all the gusto you can. Now my young friends, think about that. That is a philosophical worldview. When we are listening to commercials or viewing commercials or listening to music or whatever the case may be, Satan may very well, and I'll say most likely, is trying to seduce us away from the way God would have us live. And that seems to be happening especially during the Christmas season with what I call the materialization of Christmas. Now by way of contrast, however, I looked up the first question and answer of the Westminster Larger Catechism. And that question asks, what is the chief and highest end of man? Now think about that question. How would you answer it? What is the chief and highest end of man? And the answer in the Westminster Larger Catechism is, man's chief and highest end is to glorify God and fully to enjoy Him forever. I love that. Man's chief and highest end is to glorify God and fully to enjoy Him forever. Now think about that. You see, friends, that is why, if you'll go back to those first few verses of Jude, which we looked at a couple of weeks ago, that is why, with Jude having begun his epistle by professing the paternal love of God for his people, as well as the eternal security that we have in Christ alone. Now, Jude concludes his epistle, not simply by affirming those precious and priceless spiritual gifts, but he concludes by ascribing them to the divine giver. And he does so under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by offering to the Lord our God a doxology of praise, by offering to the Lord our God, who alone is worthy, a doxology of praise. Now then. As we begin to work our way through the words of our text and consider this doxology of praise, let us consider first of all the reasons for the praise. Look at verse 24 of Jude 11 with me, if you would please. Jude writes, Greek word is dunamai, it's similar to the word dunamis with which we are more familiar. It's a similar term and it means that he has the power, he has the ability, he has the wherewithal to him who is able to keep you from falling or to keep you from stumbling, the new American standard says. Now friends, if you've got your own Bible and you don't mind underscoring things in your Bible, underscore that word keep, where it says, to him who is able to keep you from falling. You know, we came across that word in verse 21, where it says, keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Same word in the English, different word in the original. In verse 21, the Greek word is tereo, tereo. And tereo means to keep, to watch, to observe, to pay attention to. But here in verse 24, again, even though it's translated the same in the English, it's a different word in the original. In the original, the word is phulaso, and phulaso literally means to watch in the sense of keeping safely under guard. To watch in the sense of keeping safely under guard. And friends, that is the word philoso, interestingly enough, used in the Christmas story in Luke 2, verse 8, where we read at the time of the birth of Christ, and there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over, that's the word philoso, that's the word used here, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And so the implication which Jude is giving us here is that that God, as our Heavenly Father, serves as our Good Shepherd through the person and work of our blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And He keeps us from falling. He keeps us from stumbling. In fact, this is so exciting. In verse 24, that word falling, It's the only place in the original, it's used in the entire New Testament, in the original language. It's the only place right here that it is used. And it's a term that was used by Greek philosophers, and it's also a term that I looked up in the Greek lexicon. that references a horse that doesn't trip or stumble. It has sure footing. And so what Jude is saying here is that this God that we serve is able to watch over us as a shepherd keeping his sheep and keeping us from falling or stumbling, that is, irrepentantly, persistently, irredeemably into the kind of apostasy and immorality and theological heresy that he's been condemning throughout the entire course of the chapter. Think about the power of our God and his love for us as a good shepherd in keeping us from falling that way. All glory be to God, to him who is able to keep you from falling. And there's a second reason that's given here as to why he offers this doxology of praise. Not only is he praising God for keeping us from falling, that is the ability to do that. Look with me again at verse 24. It says, and to present you or to cause you to stand firm before his glorious presence or in the presence of his glory without fault. Stop right there, without fault. That verb, without fault, that word is used by Peter in 1 Peter 1, 18 and 19. And in 1 Peter 1, 18 and 19, Peter says, for you know that it was not with perishable things, such as silver or gold, that you were redeemed from the empty way of life that was handed down to you by your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. That word blemish used in 1 Peter 1, 18 and 19 is the word translated fault here. Now, Matthew Henry makes a great comment in his commentary on that particular portion of the text, and listen carefully, please, I love this. Matthew Henry writes, God is able, and he is as willing as he is able, to keep us without fault, without this blemish. Not as those who have never been faulty, but as those whose faults have not been taken into account. Glory be to God. I'm gonna read that again. God is able, and he is as willing as he is able, to keep us without fault, not as those who have never been faulty, but as those whose faults shall not be taken into account, end of quote. Reason. How could God possibly do that? How could a perfectly holy, righteous judge Look at you and me, hell-deserving sinners though we be, as being without fault because of the gospel, the good news of the gospel. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5, 21, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Young people, I've often used an illustration in youth meetings and even catechism classes and pastor's classes down through the years of this. I say, pretend this book is a record of all of our sins, and we're weighed down by our sins. And here, let's say this represents Jesus Christ, the perfectly sinless, no mark or blemish in Him, the perfect Lamb of God. On Calvary's cross, a great exchange took place. God took all of our sins, and Isaiah 53 talks about this too. He took all of our sins, our wickedness, our rebellion, our unrepentance, our everything, and he laid it on Christ. And we were set free. And God looks at us, sinless, spotless, holy in his sight, because Jesus took our sin and then experienced the equivalent of you and me spending an eternity in hell because of him. If that isn't love, John, there's a great gospel song. If that isn't love, then the oceans are dry and the spiral can't fly and all that sort of thing. What a great gospel. To him who is able. To keep you from falling and. To present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy. There's a couple other New Testament texts that use that word, translated here, great joy, in the original. And I want you to look at them with me, if you didn't mind turning. If you wanna just listen, that's okay. But otherwise, turn over to Acts 2 with me, please, just for a moment. Acts 2, verses 22 through 28. Acts 2, 22 through 28. The context, my friends, is Pentecost. Peter is preaching in the power of the Holy Spirit. And the reason Peter could preach at threat of the religious leaders after having denied Christ before a little servant girl is because he saw Jesus alive. And in Acts 2, 22 and following, he says, Men of Israel, listen to this. Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you with miracles, wonders, and signs which God did among you through him as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge. And you with the help of wicked men put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. David said about him, I saw the Lord always before me, because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. That's the word translated great joy back in our text. My body also will live in hope because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your holy one see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life. You will fill me with joy in your presence. Think about that. My father's been asking me a lot lately. about sin, salvation, confession, death, dying. And when you have an elderly parent talk like that, you wonder if they have a sense that they're gonna pass away. But it's kinda cute. My father never even graduated the eighth grade. He was a farmer, a laborer all his life. Hard worker, honorable father. Very grateful for him. And I said, Dad, it's really quite simple. I said the Bible says if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And he goes, well, when you die, you go right to be with the Lord, right? And I said, yeah, yeah, the apostle Paul says to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. And I share all that with him. And he goes, but my body is going to rise again on the last day, right? Well, yeah, that is, you know, it says in 2 Corinthians 4, 13 and 2 Thessalonians 4, 13 and following that, that, you know, our bodies go in the ground, our spirits go to be with the Lord. And he started talking about, you know, well, I know, mom, when I go to heaven and everything. And we talked about that. I said, yeah, but you'll know her, I think, but it's not like marriage, because we're like the angels and everything. We talked all about that. And I said, but Dad, if you and I are alive when the Lord returns, before anything happens to us, it says we're going to hear the voice of the archangel, the trumpet call of God, the dead in Christ will rise first. Those of us that have lost loved ones, we have widows, widowers, those that have lost loved ones, if they died in Christ, Their bodies are going to rise first, be reunited with their spirits, which are returning with the Lord. We who are left in a flash and a twinkling of an eye will be changed instantly. Our corruptible will put on the incorruptible. The mortal will put on immortality. We will be changed in a flash and a twinkling of an eye and be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And that's why at the end of that passage, the apostle Paul says, therefore, parakaleo, comfort. Encourage each other with these words. It's a glorious gospel. And he's giving us a hint of that here in Acts chapter two. And then if you're there with me, let's go over to 1 Peter chapter four, right before Jude. 1 Peter chapter four, verses 12 and 13. In 1 Peter four, 12 and 13, the apostle Peter says, Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. Don't lose your place. I've been thinking about that. You know, we go through hard times in life and frustrations and all kinds of things. And we really shouldn't be surprised because ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, there's been a curse on creation. The Lord looked at mankind that he repented that he regretted that he had been made man because all the intentions of his heart were only evil all the time. And so we ought not to be surprised when we go through the sorrows and the sufferings of this corrupt and decaying world. So, Peter says, Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you, but rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ. so that you may be overjoyed." That's the word translated, great joy, in our text. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. All glory be to God. So we bring that information to bear back on the words of our text in Jude 24. To Him who was able to keep you from falling, that's reason number one. And to present you before His glorious presence without fall and with great joy, that's reason number two. As to why Jude lets forth in the power of the Spirit with this doxology of praise, this doxology. Well, friends, we only have one more verse left here. It's verse 25, and we're going to look at that from the vantage point of the reality of the praise. Now he kind of gives the substance of what this praise consists of, the substance, or I'm calling it the reality of the praise in this doxology. Verse 25. He says, to the only God. You know, that's not a popular theological position today. It said there's only one God and there's only one way to God through Jesus Christ. We're called closed-minded and intolerant and bigoted and everything else if we believe that, but it's not loving to tell people that that's not true because it is true. In fact, there's a great text, if you would care to turn in Isaiah, Isaiah 42, verse 8. We read, I am the Lord, all capitals, Yahweh. I am the Lord, that is my name. I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. And I often think, brothers and sisters, when we look at all the idolatry in our land and the and the almost worshipful reverence which people give to to movie stars or music celebrities or sports athletes, professional athletes in the like, I wonder what that does to the heart of God. When he declares, I am the of it, that is my name, I will not give my glory to another. Or my praise to idols, think about that. If you're in Isaiah with me, flip over a page or two, please, to Isaiah 46. Isaiah 46, verses 9 and 10. We read, Remember the former things, those of long ago. I am God, and there is no other. I am God, and there is none like Me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times what is still to come. I say, My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. Now think about that in relation to what Jude writes here in verse 25. To the only God, to the only God, our Savior, be glory, be doxa. That's where we get our word, English word doxology from. In the Old Testament, the word for glory is kabod. Kabod conveys a sense of heaviness and weightiness and seriousness. New Testament's doxa, divine radiance and brilliance and light and everything like that. To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, that which is characteristic of a king, power, power. Think about the unlimited power of our God. The Greek word is kratos. Kratos means dominion, the control and rule he has of this world. Power and authority, authority, exousia in the original. Exousia means his sovereign power, ability, and strength to do whatever he pleases. Authority. If you care to turn with me, brothers and sisters, back in 2 Chronicles 20, in 2 Chronicles 20, verses 5 and 6, we get a sense of that exousia, that dominion, that authority. In 2 Chronicles 20, verses 5 and 6, we read, Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard. and said, O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms and of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, notice, and no one can withstand you. That is who our God is, and that is what our God can do. No one can withstand Him. And Jude is bringing that forth, brothers and sisters, in this word, exousia, authority. And now notice, if you've got a King James, you've got to pay attention here. Because the next words in the NIV, in Jude verse 25, after saying, glory, majesty, power and authority, it says in the NIV, through Jesus Christ our Lord, and that is not in the King James. Right, correct, correct, right, okay, correct. And I won't go into all the reasons theologically, but there are some different manuscripts that some of the translators depend on and in their judgment give more authority to than others. And so the King James does not depend on the manuscripts that have those words through Jesus Christ, our Lord. I noticed in my new King James Bible, the Reformation Study Bible, they do have it in a footnote. They reference the manuscripts that do have it. So it's kind of a judgment call on behalf of the translators. But the NIV has it through Jesus Christ, our Lord. And young people look at that name. Whenever we read the name Jesus Christ, our Lord, you think of Jesus meaning Savior. You think of Christ, meaning the anointed one. He's our prophet, priest, and king. You think of Lord, that's kurios, he's the master, he's the boss, he's the one to whom we give an account. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, it's by God's grace alone, through faith alone, and Christ alone that we come into this glorious relationship with the God whom we can praise. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, and now stay with me, these last few words are so critical as well. Before all ages, that is, friends, from eternity past, now, also today, and forevermore, unto all eternity. Think of it. To the only God, our Savior, be glory, majesty, power, and authority through Jesus Christ, our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore. Hebrews 13, eight says, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. conveys the same idea. And then that glorious little four-letter word that we read a few moments ago in question and answer 129 of the catechism, amen, amen. This is sure to be, this is sure to be the reality of the praise, the reality of the praise. You know, friends, I was reading recently about a missionary in China, and they were serving out in a very remote area of the country. It was a very, especially dark area spiritually in China. And they were becoming very discouraged, very depressed, very despondent, and couldn't shake it. No matter how they prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed, couldn't lose the darkness. So this man decides to go back to the main mission station to kind of get off the field, to go back to the main mission station. And he says, you know, I am just going to hole up. I am just going to isolate myself and I'm just going to keep praying and praying and praying until this spiritual darkness disappears. So he goes back to the main mission station and he's invited to dinner by a fellow missionary and his wife. And he goes to their home and they're having dinner. And as he's having dinner, he looks up at the wall behind, on the side of the table where they were sitting, and it says simply, this plaque on the wall says simply, try Thanksgiving. Try Thanksgiving. And according to what I read, those words so convicted him and gripped his spirit that he asked himself in his heart of hearts, he says, oh my goodness, have I been praying? And not praising? Have I only been praying and not thanking God for all of his blessings? And he started just recounting in his heart and mind all of the blessings upon blessings upon blessings that God had given to him. The way he had delivered him and provided for him and protected him. And he started giving God all that praise and all that thanks. And as he did so, he realized that the darkness had dissipated. And the depression was lifting. And he decided not to stay in hiding to keep praying. He decided to go back to the mission field to tell his waiting flock that praise changes things. That praise changes things. And according to what I read, the spirit attended that testimony of praise, and many people within his little flock on the mission field started having the bonds of depression and discouragement and darkness lifted. Think about that. In fact, I suppose that is why the sacred poet has put it this way. Praise him when the sun is shining, when the winds of trouble blow. when you see no silver lining on the clouds that hang so low. Praise illumines clouds of sorrow, turns the gray skies into gold, giving promise of a morrow bright with blessings manifold. Praise Him when your load is heavy and the day no comfort brings. Then your burden God will carry, bear you as on eagle's wings. God delights to have us praise Him and believe His holy word. and he knoweth them that trust him, for they always praise the Lord. Amen. Let's bow our heads and our hearts in prayer together. O Lord our God, even and perhaps especially in the midst of these dark and at times depressing days of December, Having prayerfully and carefully contemplated both the reasons and the reality, grant us all, Father, the grace through faith to daily join Jude in offering to you a doxology of praise. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, alone do we pray. Amen.