Good morning. It's a joy to be together again
to worship like this. And thank you worship team for
that wonderful singing. This morning, we are concluding
our four-part series of sermons on the letter of Jude.
Our sermon title this morning, is our glorious Destiny, the
writer Jude. He had written to the church.
And at and reminded them to contend for the faith.
He had wanted to write about their glorious salvation, which
have been imparted to them, but he felt it urgent.
He felt it necessary that he write instead about the
situation that they were facing with the false teachers coming
in and so he cautioned them. He told him contend for the
faith and in explaining what he meant.
He referred to the Past, he talked about how the children of
Israel had been let out of Egypt and yet.
Because they were not committed to God.
They were rebellious. God punished him.
He talked about the Angels kept in, darkness to the day of
judgment. He talked about Sodom and
Gomorrah. He used these stories as
illustrations on what not to do, or where to draw attention,
where to look and see what God, what kind of God we serve how
serious God is last Sunday. We looked at how God expected
the church, what God was expecting from the church.
He wanted them to persevere in the faith.
He wanted them to serve and close relationship with God.
And focus on helping those who are struggling.
And nothing has really changed. In terms of humanity.
We are the same kinds of people that they were back.
Then God is staying, God is still the same God.
He was back, then, nothing has changed.
Not from the time of the Israelites.
Not from the time of Sodom Gomorrah, it's all one present.
Now in God's eyes. And this morning we come to the
close of this short little letter and we see the rich and
the Glorious Promises to the church.
And again we need to remind ourselves and mention these Our
God's promises for God's Church. Therefore our times as well.
So I want us to absorb just saturate, our hearts and Minds
with this thought. We have a glorious Destiny.
According to Jude, I want to just speak a little bit about an
introduction to speak at Midway of an introduction before I
focus on the passage for this morning, so it'll be a few
minutes, but I want to draw our attention to form a foundation
so to speak, for what I want to say.
As God's people, we know. That we're supposed to repent
and believe we've been taught that.
We believe that, we know, we also know that we're supposed to
live morally, upright, and pure lives.
We know, we also know that that means sacrificing ourselves for
the other people. We know all that.
But again, before we dig into the scripture passage, I want to
ask ourselves. Why?
Why are we to do that? What's the big deal with?
So to speak playing by the rules?
Are we to do that? So God will be more pleased with
us or do that so God will look at us and give us some credit
may be. No no that's not it.
We are to do the things God commands.
Yes. But not to gain a few more marks
on the approval register so to speak.
Or as if God would say you know what actually he's so good.
I can't we can turn the grace tap down a little bit.
That's not how this works. It's not what happens.
We cannot work up some credit system before God.
And yet, this is a place where many people have a lot of
misunderstanding. It's like people may get
understand and grasp the what of what they're supposed to do.
But we never get to the why? We never get to the why?
The reason for it and this is where we come somehow get
off-track, we get off the rails. As followers of Jesus, we do the
things or at least I trust we do that God wants us to do and get
this. We do them in response to God.
But not to gain or receive or to earn.
We do good things in response to God because that's our purpose
on Earth, doing good as our purpose, like, bringing glory to
God. That's our reason, for being And
it is that truth. That's where the fork in the
road is where people Branch off. You see?
A lot of people have an idea of God, they know the laws, they
know the Ten Commandments. They know the stories of Jesus.
His teaching his death on the cross.
His resurrection. But it may as well be, that
person is still missing the mark because to them, it's a
transaction. It's an exchange of goods.
It's a deal. If I do this for God, God will
do for me. X y z, that is the wrong view of
God and the wrong view of a relationship with God.
And I'll explain later how this ties into the title of our
misery. Sermon people.
May get the truth right. That God loves them and God
wants them to obey him. But the reason or the wife or it
is missing it it's it's it's confused.
They get the what, but not the, why they get the content but not
the purpose of it. They miss it at the core.
They missed the relationship part of the whole thing.
And we can see this working out in human relationships all the
time, but it happens between us and God as well.
Let me, let me go at it from a little bit of different angle
once more and expand it a different way.
Let me ask this question. Why did Jesus even come to save
us? You and me?
Why did he do that? And perhaps some of you think?
Well, don't insult us. Okay.
Come on, you know, better and I do, but I truly mean this.
Why did he come to save us? And some of you will instantly
in your mind, say John 3:16 for God.
So loved the world, he gave his only begotten, son, whoever
believes in him should not perish but have eternal
everlasting life. That's we just get that.
We just write it off so fast in our minds.
We just don't even think about it.
Okay? True.
But that doesn't still answer the question.
Yes. That message is for my benefit
and yours. That's it's written.
But from God's point of reference.
Why did he love us? Why did he love us?
Let's go a bit deeper again ask, why does God love us?
Because of us. Or does God love us?
because of God, That's the question.
The does God love me because of me or does God love me because
of his own character who he is? Because that's who God is.
That's the fork in the road. And this is where a lot of
people separate sad to say. Some people think very highly of
themselves and take credit for themselves.
Think God is getting a good deal by saving them as this one,
cartoons of God's lucky to have us.
That is about as fault as it can get, nothing could be further
from the truth. Everything hinges on the
principal who God is. And what that does in terms of
what God does, if God loves me because of how good I've turned
out. How good I have done things how?
Well I've performed then the whole thing is a reward
performance and workspace situation and it will fall flat.
But the actual truth is that every human has lost.
No one makes the grade. Everybody falls short of the
mark, nobody gets passed inspection post.
Every human being is lost. You see, some people have this
View and they would, they wouldn't outright say it, but
this is there. There are thinking, if you dig
down into it, I'm a pretty good guy.
I do a lot of good deeds. Sure, I'm not perfect but
compared to a lot of people, I know I'm a pretty good guy.
I can't see why God would not think of a great benefit to
cause me to have me on his team actually like God loving me.
He's gaining quite a bit. The way I see it.
God's actually bit worse off without me than he is with me.
We may not say these words but we sure think them maybe not
even verbally that way but it's the essence of what our minds
are. I know I get it.
It's foolish to even say these words and it's deeply flawed.
Maybe. But this is the human mentality.
It's the epitome of self worship.
Its idolatry what the Pharisees did member.
The Pharisee goes into the temple.
I thank you, Lord, that I'm not liking.
He rattled off this guide standing next to me here.
A little bit further away, I don't do what he does and I'm a
good guy, and Jesus condemns it. Let me say it again.
If God loves me because of me, it's merit-based value-based.
Quality based Performance Based its false.
The Bible does not teach that, but if it's the other way
around, it changes everything. If God loves me because of who
he is of his nature of his character, the whole picture is
changed completely because then it is and get this.
It is Grace based. What a relief, what a big weight
falls off our shoulders. I'm being kept by him, he's
holding me. Oh yes.
I have to respond to the gift after receive salvation.
I have to repent it, true but all in response to him and then
I don't have to worry, will I make it?
Will I be able to stand? Is my destiny?
Really secure? And then because of what God has
done for me, what God is doing in me, what he will get, do I
have a future and a glorious Destiny.
Then that Destiny is eternally, secure, many people in the world
today they wonder about what I lose it and whatnot, that's
focusing the wrong direction. I must remain faithful.
The question is, not how good am I going to do it?
It can I trust him? Many people the world today
where there's specially when there's persecution.
They get this, they understand this and they are so completely
100% devoted and dependent on God.
He's everything to them 100%. And they suffer for this and
they know they have, no, they have no political power, they
have no no handle on society. They just suffer the persecuted.
But in all of that, they just rest in a deep abiding, peace.
Knowing that. As long as they're suffering
continues, its pain, but it will end and their Destiny is
secured. And another note, I just like to
say this this morning as well, I do believe we Western Christians
will yet suffer for our faith right now.
We're still being spared, we're still being protected under some
charters of Rights, what we have and that's good.
I'm not knocking that. But that will May well end even
in my lifetime. And if it was not for the
destiny of God's people this assurance of what still to come,
we would indeed be in a dark place, but as followers of
Jesus, this life is only for a little bit and then we will be
presented as a want to read in a minute here.
In a few minutes, we will be presented gloriously before the
father, that's what the scriptures teaches.
So this morning once again, look at Jude a little bit, what he
wrote in relation to the destiny.
Started out with again, as appealing to them contend for
the faith deal with the false teachers that have infiltrated,
the church? And plenty of the consequence of
rebellion and the denial. He reminded them of the
predictions of the Apostles of the Lord, Jesus.
He instructed them, how to live out their faith, but building
themselves up praying in the Holy Spirit keeping themselves
in God's love waiting, for the mercy of the Lord Jesus.
And today we see that he points his audience to God.
I want to pause just for a moment before read this.
Think about this, if you could choose to look like someone you
admire, who would you like to look like some celebrity some
sports star? Who would you like to look like?
But just imagine you, let's just imagine you.
If you were perfect. And I mean, perfect, in every
sense of the word a perfect human specimen Imagine God,
looking at you as his creation saying, that's very good because
that's what he did in Genesis. He created people said, it's
very good. That's what the Book of Genesis
tells us God made humankind In His Image.
It means we are representations of God in this world.
We are limited. Sure, we're not God.
And of we're falling. That's worse.
We need salvation. We're not perfect.
We're not perfect, really not perfect.
But, God did something with a fallenness.
The Brokenness in the Sin, he gave his Commandments Teachers
who he is what he is. And then He sent Jesus to model
that and since we could not keep the law, Jesus gave his life in
our place died, for our sins to bring Salvation, not because of
him only as anything or having any Merit or credit that we had.
But simply because of who is who is Nature's character and so on
and then he then I want to read. Now you want to read the verse.
Jude one was 24. He and this is just a powerful
passage. He says, now to him, meaning God
or Jesus, who is able to keep you from stumbling and to
present You blameless before the presence of his glory with great
joy to the only God our savior through Jesus Christ.
Our Lord be glory Majesty dominion and Authority before
all time and now and forever. Amen.
Where's the focus? It's the Lord.
That is who Jude is directing the attention of his readers to
It's a very inclusive, a very powerful statement, Jude is
using words that explain the nature and character of Jesus.
He's talking about Jesus, he's explaining what Jesus able to do
in relationship to us. He brings in the stability, the
security, and the steadfastness were Anchored In Christ.
It boils down to this point. Now, I have few points here, God
does the keeping number one? God does the keeping He reminds
his readers of their position in Christ, it is he who is able to
keep them. God is doing the keeping,
because of who God is what he's doing.
We remain intact because of that, we remain connected with
Jesus. And we keep on Walking With
Jesus in relationship, or we all have instances, where we stumble
and fall in a relationship with God.
And with each other, you see When a person stumbles in their
life, it can be very disheartening and very
deflating. And we're so flawed and that's
when we repent, but it does not negate who God is or what God
is, and he's not going to let us fall.
He's not going to get rid of us. It's not like something.
God is some absent-minded Dad or Mom?
Oops, there goes that one. Sorry should have watched him a
bit closer. Is he even after repenting of
our sins and receive salvation we still need to go on to
perfection. I want to share a little story
here. That happened to my wife and I
many years ago, we were young, Pastor couple and one weekend.
One of our young Church volunteers gotten to a party and
got drunk. This young volunteer was
terribly, just just totally crushed knowing what she'd done
and very sorry and repented, and all that stuff.
And and we worked with her and because she repented and
confessed and we remind her of God's love for her and she had
confessed and she had repented, she was Sorry, we supported her.
Well, lo and behold. Not everybody in the church.
Was that generous or not saying this to tell her own horn here,
but we knew what she needed, and we wanted to help her.
But one of the other guys, one of the other things, he got
winded, but he wasn't happy. Talk to me on the phone and
start accusing him blaming and stuff like that.
And saying should have done this and should have done that and so
on if we'd done, this wouldn't have happened and so on and I
didn't like it. I was very uncomfortable with
all of this and I find that just brought it out and sit and
wonder if God did the same in Adam and Eve sin in the garden
of God said, I should have been there, it would have taken the
Route. God did God think that to the
discussion was over? You see folks?
When it comes to people who are seeking God in Repentance and
even when they struggle, what this world needs is less
finger-pointing and more compassion.
We talked about that last Sunday, rescuing those who fall
snatching them out of the fire hating.
Even the Garment stained by sin, we get busy with showing Mercy
the false teachers. They get confronted they need to
be but repentant Sinners receive Grace.
It's true. We have the freedom to do and
decide things but our preservation security rest in
God's mercy towards us, we don't have to undertake other you're
still watching. God, are you still on track with
us know? God loves us.
He keeps us. Yes, we sin.
We repent, we confess, we keep going.
But here's the truth. It was not God.
Keeping us, we would be falling. The most perfect.
Saint is not so good that he won't fall.
If God doesn't keep him the most struggling, Sinners not so far.
Gone that if God draws him and he repents, he's not saved.
It's amazing how self to see if people can become when they
think they're strong and start blaming and pointing fingers.
The bottom line is, it's the Lord who does the keeping God,
does the keeping. And the other thing is too, like
let's look at Point number two, he presents them blameless, this
is the beautiful part. Hard to know what to do with
this, passage, never mind. What is it?
Like, did some possible almost? And the best I can do is picture
Life as a journey. A lot of pain and suffering and
God's children often. Don't do too well.
We fail a lot, but the time we reach the Finish Line, things
don't look good with us. We haven't treated our bodies,
right? We haven't done what we should
be doing a lot of times. There's a lot of pain and
suffering and we fail a lot when we, when we were trying to reach
the Finish Line things. Don't look that good.
Made this mistake and that mistake and sent here and there
and the landscape is littered with bad choices.
And by the grace of God, were still being kept because he's
kept us now, he will be presented blameless.
Love, God can present Peter, the liar blameless and Paul the
Christian killer blameless. We must ask on whose account who
paid for it, who arranged the presentation, and we know it's
Jesus, Paid the price in the work he did.
And he made it possible present as a blameless before God, we do
know from the gospel writer Matthew, Jesus is not going to
come to us, put us before God and some kind of half apologetic
was a father. I know this guy's kind of
shabby, you know, but can we still let him in?
It's not that way at all. He will welcome us home with
great celebration and joy. Cuz of how he presents us being
blameless before. God is just more than just
barely, making a cross, the finish line and stumbling in.
Okay, here they are. Lord pretty Bangin beaten up but
sure, hey here they are no, it's a glorious.
Victory, Parade. He presents us perfect.
Paul rights. In his letters.
I know it boggles the mind. How does it even work?
But think of it, when Jesus died on the cross, every sin was paid
for even the thief. On the cross, who was a
murderer, came to his senses, and in remorse and convictions,
that think of me when you come into your kingdom, just before
he died. And Jesus today will be with me
in Paradise. The man repented in response to
what the conviction, he had sinned, he deserves to die and
he's sorry, he wanted a relationship with Jesus.
You see folks, that's it. That's it.
I mentioned earlier a perfect, you You know, that when you
arrive on the other side, that's what you'll be.
As a saint perfect, 100% blameless.
Through the work of Jesus on the cross.
God sees us fully forgiven. He sees us blameless.
And it all would be that because the debt is paid his.
Blood, paid for the sin, the penalty of sin is death sure but
Jesus did that already. Now, we are blameless in God's
eyes. All those who have received
eternal life, they are redeemed when Jesus presents them to the
father, and they will be presented.
Yes blameless. And again this goes back towards
the work of redemption. He is carried out on our behalf
and Jude says, it will happen with great joy.
Think about that, we may think of celebrations.
In this life, we have seen nothing yet.
There will be a celebration, the likes of which on Earth, we
can't even dream about For me, when I read stuff like this, and
when I meditate on stuff like this, it's kind of like, I
think, if c.s. Lewis the writer, he's a good
writer and his line of thinking when he says that just as we
have need for air and food and water.
We do so in relation to the existence of these substances
food and air and water he says equally so we sense a need for
fulfillment or satisfaction and for Joy which are the counter
parts of the reality of fulfillment and satisfaction,
and joy. I think it's brilliant.
And if the physical states of being can be satisfied, then we
have to conclude that the very fact that these have we have
these longings, they are a shadow of the real thing.
Which means one day they will be completely satisfied.
I'm reminded of this in the letter Paul writes to the
Romans, the very existence of the physical world which we
live, as a reflection of God's glory.
It's a message we must not ignore.
Jude was so full of joy and praise.
He continues in this letter. The last part was 25 and 3.1
again to the only God our savior through Jesus Christ.
Our Lord be glory Majesty dominion and Authority before
all time now and forever. Amen.
Look where he's focusing. Now, he's focusing in on God,
he's offering worship to God. He's recognizing God for who and
what God is. This is not about Jude at or
about anyone or anything else anymore.
It's all about God. When a person does that, then
they are close to God. Let me again.
Bring it back to original earlier.
Thoughts, if someone would ask you this question.
Why do you want to go to heaven? What would your answer be?
Or maybe they would ask you, why do you want to see Jesus?
What would you say? And we may have different ways
of articulating. This question of verbalizing it
and not saying God has a specific way.
What he wants us to answer the question necessarily.
But you see friends, we're not saved for the sake of ourselves.
We are not saved for the sake of ourselves.
Oh yes. God loves us.
But goes back to who God is. Why does God love us?
Not because we're lovable but because he is love.
We saved by grace through God's love through Christ sacrificed.
Yes. But not because of what a lot of
people think. No, we didn't earn anything.
We can turn anything, we can't pay back.
We're saved by God for God's glory for his honor and not
ours. That's Point.
Number 3, we're saved for God's glory.
Again it's c.s. Lewis who once reminded
mentioned in his writings that is different as human beings are
like, we're all very unique. They say there's no two humans,
exactly alike. We live out our unique
giftedness and how were wired and how were created.
So our unique individuality as we live that out.
It's then that were most like Jesus.
With the Holy Spirit, leading us in our unique gifts as
individual, as we are, it's just like Paul writes and Corinthians
the parts of the body. Like, there's a vast, vast
difference between the ear, and the fingers.
Or the toes and the eyes. You know how very different they
are, but they all make one body. There's no selfishness among
them, they shouldn't be. And Jesus incorporates us into
his body, the church, all of us belonging to one Humanity in
Christ made up of individual members.
Each one Desiring to serve and glorify God with the gifts.
We have received, God is a god of Joy, a god of love, God of
Grace, the god of Truth, God of mercy and all of that.
He quips his people to live these things out.
He's also got of Holiness, God of Truth and God of Justice.
Nothing will be ever, get past him.
We know that he is eternally good, he's eternally.
Holy his whole being his power, his knowledge.
His love, his Mercy. His whole being an infinite
existence of all that is good in Eternal.
That is who we are dealing with. That is the one who we will
stand before. That is the one who will welcome
in Us in his presence and it will happen with great joy and
celebration. Will be blameless.
That's the destiny of God's people.
We're not there yet, at least, not yet, but we have a role to
play. We have a job to do.
Again, a word picture that comes to my mind is the as music.
I love good music. And when I listen to some good
music, let's say there's an orchestra playing and I'm always
drawn into the sound how that flows.
I'm just amazed at how the different players, one plays the
cello and one plays the trumpet, and one plays the piano and one
plays a violin, and there's many more, each one in their own
unique way playing, but the same tune very different but the same
Harmony, it just Blends and flows together.
It is glorious. Serious.
But I would say anything that's good on Earth is only a shadow
of what still to come. Now here in the meantime, of
course, the worlds are very broken Place governments
politics culture and what have you people are not following
Jesus. But We are waiting for God's
glory. When Jude wrote to the church,
he gave them warnings. He gave them hope and he gave
him Assurance that's for us today as well.
We do not have to fear or worry what's going on around us.
The destiny is secured that is going to happen.
The path. There may be littered with pain
and frustration and who knows what all?
But we can continue, we need to be on alert and on guard but our
hope is not in this world. Our hope is in Christ, not
insist. Eames not new ideas, new truths,
perhaps. But the same gospel that was
revealed to the people of old. We are given the same Assurance.
God will keep us. We will be presented before God
for God's glory and majesty and power.
I want to encourage us as a church to walk close with Jesus
rest in him. Make him our Focus.
And our destiny will be glorious.
Let us pray. Thank you.
Lord, for the words of scripture, you've left us to
your Faithful Servants, the prophets the gospel writers and
your apostles. Lord, we recognize our need for
you. We're aware that we're dependent
on you for everything our safekeeping for the journey we
face and all of its differences. Lord we pray that you'll draw
us, you'll make us. Holy help us to see to
understand. Bring us conviction and see us
through you created Us For Your Glory.
Help us to realize that and leave that out in Jesus name.
Amen.