1 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:06,480 It's good to see you guys this morning. 2 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:09,560 It's good to be here. I agree with Alan. 3 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:13,160 You guys sound great singing. I know we've got a lot of people 4 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:15,200 out this morning. I think we've officially entered 5 00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:18,120 into to cold season here right before Christmas. 6 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:20,400 So we've got some some folks that are sick and out. 7 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:22,560 But man, I'm glad to see everybody here today. 8 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:25,400 It's good to be here. It's good to worship together. 9 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:28,240 It's good to sing together, to study God's word together. 10 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:31,560 I'm very grateful for the opportunity to be able to do 11 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:35,280 this each week if you are visiting and you are new here. 12 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:38,560 My name is Jasper, I'm the associate pastor here and it's a 13 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:40,560 great honor to be able to preach today. 14 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:45,600 And so we are going to be continuing our Advent series. 15 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:48,800 And so we started this a couple of weeks ago and we have been 16 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:52,560 just approaching Christmas through the Advent season with 17 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:56,080 several different sermons that follow the Advent theme. 18 00:00:56,080 --> 00:01:01,040 And so a couple of weeks ago, Kyle kicked us off with the 19 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:05,920 Light of Hope where he walked us through first Peter, 1 verses 3 20 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:09,280 through 9. Last week, Dustin walked us 21 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:14,080 through the light of peace in Colossians 115 through 23. 22 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:18,600 And today we are going to be looking at the light of joy and 23 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:21,880 we will be in the book of Jude. So if you have your bibles, go 24 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:23,800 ahead and turn to the book of Jude. 25 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:25,680 It is right before the Book of Revelation. 26 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:27,480 So it's all the way there at the back. 27 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:30,000 Pretty easy to find, but it's a short little book. 28 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:37,240 Now when I found out that that me and and Dustin would be 29 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:41,480 preaching part of the Advent series, Kyle had already kind of 30 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:43,440 mapped out. The series already had in mind 31 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:46,440 what we wanted to preach on certain days and even the texts. 32 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:49,240 And so we started talking through this and figuring out 33 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:53,040 who was going to preach what. And I found out Dustin got 34 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:56,560 Colossians one and had nine verses to preach. 35 00:01:56,720 --> 00:02:01,600 And in those nine verses were some of the most misinterpreted 36 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:04,320 passages in all of Scripture. And he talked about that there 37 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:06,960 are a lot of heresies that have been born from a 38 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:10,720 misinterpretation of his text. So I saw that's what he got. 39 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:14,840 And I saw that I got 2 little verses at the end of a doxology 40 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:17,120 in the book of Jude. And I thought to myself, I 41 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:20,320 thought, well, self, you got the better end of that deal. 42 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:25,400 But to steal a line from Dustin, he's not here, I can do this. 43 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:29,440 What's the problem with that? The Bible Boy did I have another 44 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:31,200 thing coming. I started studying these two 45 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:34,800 verses this week, actually two weeks ago, and realized that 46 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:37,960 even though this is 2 verses tacked on to the end of a short 47 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:40,640 little book, it's just a small little doxology. 48 00:02:40,640 --> 00:02:45,480 It is absolutely packed with theology, with doctrine. 49 00:02:45,640 --> 00:02:49,360 It is just overflowing full to the brim with all sorts of 50 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:53,200 spiritual, just foundational stuff for us as Christians. 51 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:55,760 And the more I studied this and the more I started to try to 52 00:02:55,760 --> 00:03:00,360 unpack it, I realized there's so much in these verses, so much. 53 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:03,640 And so I did the thing that the preachers sometimes do. 54 00:03:03,640 --> 00:03:05,840 And I started to feel like, well, I have to cover all of 55 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:07,760 that. I have to unpack all of that. 56 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:09,840 If I don't mention this or this or this, and they're going to 57 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:11,760 think I didn't know what I was doing and I didn't study it. 58 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:13,800 And I started to get really overwhelmed. 59 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:18,400 But I'm going to tell you that today we are going to look at 60 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:20,160 this text. We're going to talk about a lot 61 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:23,600 of those things. But there's really one aspect of 62 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:27,000 these two verses that I want us to really, really dial in on 63 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,840 today. And it's one little word, 3 64 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:32,280 letters, and it's Joy. Joy. 65 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:34,200 We're going to talk about Joy today. 66 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:37,720 So again, we're in Jude. We're going to be looking at 67 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:41,600 verses 24 and 25 at the very end there of the Book of Jude. 68 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:45,200 So as I've mentioned, there's a lot here. 69 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:50,640 You could literally preach 5 or 6 sermons from just this text. 70 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:53,880 You could preach a whole series, if you wanted, on the 71 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:56,760 Perseverance of the Saints, which we will talk about in this 72 00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:59,040 text today. You could preach a four part 73 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:02,560 series on God's glory, majesty, dominion and authority. 74 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:06,200 You could preach a three-part series on God's glory, past, 75 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:08,680 present and future. I mean, there's so many 76 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:11,480 different directions you could go with this, but we're not 77 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:13,840 going to do all of that. We're going to focus on what 78 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:15,840 joy. We're going to talk about joy 79 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:18,600 today. So before we jump in and read 80 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:21,240 the two verses, I want to give you a little bit of context, 81 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:23,840 right? Because context matters when 82 00:04:23,840 --> 00:04:27,240 you're reading, especially 2 verses isolated from the rest of 83 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:28,920 the book. Ideally we would read the whole 84 00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:31,640 book, we would study the background of it and all that. 85 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:33,360 But we don't have time for that this morning. 86 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:38,280 So let me give you some context. The book of Jude was written by, 87 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:40,960 guess who Jude. That's right. 88 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:45,560 Jude was the brother of James and the half brother of Jesus. 89 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,480 Now we don't know which church or group of Christians he wrote 90 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:51,880 this to. A lot of times a letter in the 91 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:54,640 New Testament would be written to a specific church, the 92 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:57,960 Corinthians or the Romans. This one we're not sure, but we 93 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:01,640 know that the audience was a mixture of Jews and Gentiles 94 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:05,640 that would have known Jewish customs and traditions and 95 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:10,520 teachings. In verse 17, Jude tells them to 96 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:13,320 to follow and remember the predictions of the apostles. 97 00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:16,920 So they would have been familiar with the apostles teaching of 98 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:18,880 the New Testament. They would have been familiar 99 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:21,440 with all the Old Testament laws and all of that. 100 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:24,360 The main point of the letter is this. 101 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:29,440 He wrote it to warn these people, his his listeners, about 102 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:33,920 false teachers that had crept into the church unnoticed and 103 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:36,760 perverted the grace of God. Those are his words. 104 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:41,000 He says this in verse 4. He is urging believers to 105 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:44,160 contend for the faith, to stay in the faith. 106 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:47,440 He even says keep yourselves in the love of God in verse 21. 107 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:52,680 So this is an exhortation to these people to not fall for the 108 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:56,400 false teaching of the day and to keep themselves rooted and 109 00:05:56,400 --> 00:05:58,360 grounded in the gospel of Christ. 110 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:02,320 And then he ends this letter with one of the most beautiful 111 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:05,160 little doxologies, probably in the whole Bible. 112 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:09,720 One commentary even said that these two verses are the heart 113 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:13,800 and soul of the Christian life. And it is essentially a call to 114 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:18,120 praise God for what he has done, is doing, and will do in the 115 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:21,800 life of a believer. It's a call to glorify him and 116 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:24,000 give him all the glory and all things. 117 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,680 And so here's my big idea for you today. 118 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:29,360 This is what the point I'm trying to make what I want you 119 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:31,200 to take away from this and. And it's this. 120 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:33,200 And I stole some of these words from Dustin. 121 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:35,680 We talked through this and I'm. I'm stealing his words again. 122 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:43,000 Christians can joyfully persevere because God joyfully 123 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:45,520 preserves us. OK. 124 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:49,840 Christians can joyfully persevere because God joyfully 125 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:53,320 preserves us. So let's go ahead and and read 126 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,080 Jude 24 and 25. If you can please stand to your 127 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:59,640 feet. We will read these verses and 128 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:02,040 then when I finish, I will say this is the word of the Lord. 129 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:04,440 You guys know room to respond with thanks be to God. 130 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:10,280 So let's read you 24 and 25. Now to him who is able to keep 131 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:13,480 you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the 132 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:19,240 presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God our Savior, 133 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:24,320 through Jesus Christ our Lord, the glory, majesty, dominion and 134 00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:27,760 authority, before all time and now and forever. 135 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:31,040 Amen. Lord, we thank you for your word 136 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:33,800 and we pray God that you speak to us now, that you open our 137 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:37,280 hearts and minds, that you are glorified through this today, 138 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:40,560 that you were magnified. I pray that you speak through 139 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:42,320 me, That you just moved me out of the way. 140 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:45,320 That you would have us hear your words and not mine and God. 141 00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:46,960 We do it all for your glory and honor. 142 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:49,000 We praise you and we thank you in Jesus name. 143 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:51,000 Amen. This is the word of the Lord. 144 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:53,880 Almost forgot it. You guys can have a seat. 145 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:58,360 All right. So let's jump into this. 146 00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:01,920 I'm going to do some basic just interpretation. 147 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:03,720 We're going to kind of breakdown the sentence structure in a 148 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:06,480 couple of spots before we really start getting into what it means 149 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:10,360 in the application. So June 24 and 25, again, packed 150 00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:13,280 to the brim. It seems like 2 simple little 151 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:15,320 verses, but we are going to see that it is not. 152 00:08:15,320 --> 00:08:20,000 So we start out with to him. So who are we talking about? 153 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:21,400 We have to ask that question. Who is? 154 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:23,840 Who is him? And says to him, who is able. 155 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:25,520 And then it gets into what he's able to do. 156 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:32,960 Later in verse 25, Jude comes back around and says to the only 157 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:35,960 God our Savior. And so he literally is saying 158 00:08:36,159 --> 00:08:38,919 that to him who is able to blah blah blah blah blah, to the only 159 00:08:38,919 --> 00:08:40,600 God our Savior, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. 160 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:43,400 So he, he comes back around and says who he's talking about. 161 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:46,040 It's God. We're talking about God, our 162 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:48,120 Savior. That's who this is about. 163 00:08:48,120 --> 00:08:49,400 That's who we're discussing here. 164 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:54,240 Now, what does he say about God? He says to him who is able, and 165 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:56,560 we're going to talk about what he's able to do in just a 166 00:08:56,560 --> 00:08:58,360 second. But let's talk about that. 167 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:02,800 Let's not skip over that when it says he is able. 168 00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:09,840 Jude did not have in mind that God might do this or that he is 169 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:12,320 able to do this, but he might or might not. 170 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:16,160 When he says that he is able to do this, he is saying that he 171 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:19,600 will do this. He is qualified to do this, and 172 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,880 he is very capable of doing what we're about to talk about. 173 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:24,440 OK. So it's not just that he might 174 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:26,920 do it. No, he's the man for the job. 175 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:29,040 He can do it. No one else can. 176 00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:32,280 But he can. So that's important to remember. 177 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:35,560 He does, and he will do things we're about to discuss. 178 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:41,240 So to him, who is able and what is he able to do to keep you 179 00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:43,920 from stumbling? Let's just pause there and talk 180 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:46,920 about that. In other translations, it might 181 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:50,600 say, keep you from falling. But the idea here is not 182 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:54,160 sinlessness. Jude is not saying that God will 183 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:57,000 prevent you from sinning. We know that's not true. 184 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:00,040 We know that the Bible teaches in other places that even though 185 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:03,560 we are redeemed people, we still struggle with our flesh, that we 186 00:10:03,560 --> 00:10:08,240 still struggle with sin, right? The idea here is that he will 187 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:11,400 keep you from falling from the faith altogether. 188 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:14,600 He will keep you from falling from the faith. 189 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:18,520 Remember, false teaching was floating all around, and these 190 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:21,080 false teachers were leading people astray through their 191 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:26,120 false teaching, and so many had fallen from the faith, or so it 192 00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:27,640 it seemed. That was the appearance. 193 00:10:27,640 --> 00:10:30,960 You have people who claim to be believers falling away from 194 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:33,480 Christianity altogether. There's a word for this, and 195 00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:36,360 it's called apostasy. So you had these people that 196 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:39,800 were apostatizing and it was really striking fear into the 197 00:10:39,800 --> 00:10:42,400 hearts of Christians. Now The thing is, is we're going 198 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:45,080 to look at here in a minute. Well, I don't want to get ahead 199 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:46,280 of myself. We'll get into that here in a 200 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:47,880 minute. But that's what was going on. 201 00:10:47,880 --> 00:10:51,800 And that's why Jude is saying he is able to keep you from 202 00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:55,080 stumbling. He is saying that for true 203 00:10:55,080 --> 00:11:00,120 Christians, for those who are truly gods, those who are truly 204 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:03,600 in the faith, not just someone who says they're a Christian, 205 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:05,200 but there's no evidence to back that up. 206 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:08,520 People who are truly in the faith, God will keep you from 207 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:10,680 stumbling. You will not fall. 208 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:15,560 We're going to talk about this. So this is a big doctrine. 209 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:18,040 OK. There there's a name for this 210 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:20,920 doctrine, and it is called Perseverance of the Saints. 211 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:24,480 All right, One way you might have heard it said in the 212 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:27,480 culture that we live in is once saved, always saved. 213 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:31,120 Now there's a big difference really between those two. 214 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:34,880 And I want to define what we mean and what Jude's talking 215 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:37,320 about here. OK, We're going to talk about 216 00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:39,080 what it isn't, and then we'll talk about what it is. 217 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:43,800 So a lot of times when we hear people talk about once saved, 218 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:46,720 always saved, it's in a negative way. 219 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:49,840 A lot of people don't like that and it for good reason. 220 00:11:50,680 --> 00:11:54,920 There are many who maybe claim to be Christians think that they 221 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:56,360 are Christians or they're going to heaven. 222 00:11:56,360 --> 00:11:59,200 They've got their ticket punched because they just walked an 223 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:01,800 aisle one time when they were a kid and said a repeat after me 224 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:03,800 prayer. One time they did that one 225 00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:06,600 thing, that one time that they were told to do ticket punched, 226 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:08,000 I'm good. And then they don't think about 227 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:11,480 it ever again, right? That is a lot of times what 228 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:14,960 people think when they think of once saved, always saved. 229 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:19,760 And it gets a very bad rap. Now that is not really it, that 230 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:21,720 that term can be used in a good way. 231 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:24,680 But perseverance of the Saints is a better way to put this. 232 00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:30,680 And what this means, what what it truly means is it has in mind 233 00:12:30,680 --> 00:12:34,400 those who are truly redeemed by Christ, not just someone who 234 00:12:34,400 --> 00:12:36,560 says, well, I'm a Christian because I walked an aisle one 235 00:12:36,560 --> 00:12:38,200 time. Not that you can't become a 236 00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:41,040 Christian by going down an aisle and confessing your sins and 237 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:42,960 doing all those things. I'm not saying if you walked an 238 00:12:42,960 --> 00:12:46,520 aisle, you're not a Christian. But when someone, when you have 239 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:49,080 to consider why you're a Christian, it shouldn't be based 240 00:12:49,080 --> 00:12:51,560 on anything you did. It should be based on what 241 00:12:51,560 --> 00:12:53,680 Christ did. And your faith is in him alone 242 00:12:53,680 --> 00:12:56,320 and what he did for you on that cross. 243 00:12:56,320 --> 00:12:58,800 You're not a Christian because you said a prayer or walked an 244 00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:02,720 aisle, right? OK, So in Perseverance of the 245 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:05,720 Saints, we have in mind true Christians, people who are 246 00:13:05,760 --> 00:13:10,080 actively trying to follow Christ, who are repentant, who 247 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:13,240 confess their sins, who love the Lord and are actively seeking 248 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:15,080 him and trying to grow in their faith. 249 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:18,760 People who have been bought and paid for with the blood of 250 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:21,320 Christ. Those who are truly in the 251 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:24,920 faith, those will not fall. These aren't what's called the 252 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:31,400 Bride of Christ in Ephesians 5. These are the people that he 253 00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:33,440 gave his life for. These are the people that he 254 00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:35,800 went to the cross for. He's paid for their sins. 255 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:38,600 They are his and he will not lose them. 256 00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:40,280 So how can we know the difference? 257 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:43,160 How can you know the difference between someone who's claiming 258 00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:44,760 to be something and someone who is? 259 00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:47,840 Well, how can you tell the difference between an apple tree 260 00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:50,920 and an orange tree? The fruit, right. 261 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:53,600 You can look at it and tell. It's not that hard. 262 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:55,160 They're two very different things. 263 00:13:55,440 --> 00:13:58,680 The fruit, the evidence. There should be evidence there. 264 00:13:59,280 --> 00:14:03,720 There's a a really goofy video on YouTube. 265 00:14:03,720 --> 00:14:06,360 Anybody that knows me knows I love YouTube videos. 266 00:14:06,360 --> 00:14:07,880 I love clips. I like to laugh. 267 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:09,440 I like to joke too much sometimes. 268 00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:12,520 There's a goofy YouTube video that came out a long time ago. 269 00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:15,920 The quality on it's really bad, but it's this guy that wears 270 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:18,600 like khaki shorts and a vest and a funny little hat like 271 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:20,200 sunscreen. He looks like a tourist and he's 272 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:23,040 out in the woods and he does all the stuff that's really neat and 273 00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:25,600 it's called natures, like adventures that are neat. 274 00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:27,800 And there's one part that's so great. 275 00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:31,240 He walks up to this Aspen tree and he says this is an Aspen. 276 00:14:31,360 --> 00:14:33,320 You can tell that because of the way that it is. 277 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:36,760 And it's true. Like all you got to do is look 278 00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:38,800 at it and you know, it's not a pine tree, It's an Aspen tree. 279 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:41,560 Because the leaves and the bark and all things you can tell 280 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:44,080 that's a Christian because of the way that it is, because it 281 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:47,600 acts like a Christian. It acts like Christ and it loves 282 00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:49,920 Christ. There's fruit. 283 00:14:49,920 --> 00:14:53,240 There's fruit of repentance. There's fruit of faith there. 284 00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:57,520 It's it's evident to the people around them you can't claim to 285 00:14:57,520 --> 00:14:59,760 be something and not be that thing. 286 00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:01,200 You're you're going to look different. 287 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:04,920 And so with Christians, it's E it should be pretty easy to 288 00:15:04,920 --> 00:15:07,400 tell, or at least within a conversation. 289 00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:10,880 But we're talking about those who are truly in the faith for 290 00:15:10,880 --> 00:15:13,720 those people. Now that we've established that 291 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:16,880 for those people, Christ will never fail you. 292 00:15:16,880 --> 00:15:19,760 He will not let you fall. You will not stumble, You will 293 00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:22,080 not fall. You cannot lose your salvation. 294 00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:24,280 OK, now again, this is a big doctrine. 295 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:26,440 A lot of, a lot of people would argue this. 296 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:28,760 We're not going to chase this rabbit all day because there's a 297 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:30,920 lot more in these two verses to unpack. 298 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:36,280 But we are told through multiple verses in Scripture that Christ 299 00:15:36,320 --> 00:15:40,320 will not fail us. OK, Romans 838 through 39. 300 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:45,400 For I am sure that neither death nor life, angels or rulers, 301 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:50,000 things present or things to come, powers nor height, nor 302 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:52,840 depth, nor anything in all creation, will be able to 303 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:56,200 separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 304 00:15:56,840 --> 00:15:59,720 Nothing. Nothing on this earth, nothing 305 00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:02,480 in heaven or hell, nothing to come, nothing that's already 306 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:04,800 happened. Nothing can separate you from 307 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:07,680 the love of Christ. If He bought you and paid for 308 00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:10,960 you on that cross, you are bought and nothing's going to 309 00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:15,200 undo that, OK? We need to understand that deep 310 00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:19,040 in our hearts, when I put my faith in Christ and I'm trusting 311 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:22,880 him to be my Savior, that is a trust that I don't have to worry 312 00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:24,080 about. I don't have to worry about 313 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:27,240 whether that's going to go away. I can trust Christ every day 314 00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:30,160 that he's got me, that I am secure in his arms. 315 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:34,840 John 1712 says while I was with this is Jesus talking to God the 316 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:38,320 Father about his disciples while I was with them, I kept them in 317 00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:40,400 your name which you have given me. 318 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:43,800 I have guarded them and not one of them has been lost except the 319 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:46,520 Son of destruction that the scriptures might be fulfilled. 320 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:51,000 Jesus says I will not lose those that are mine. 321 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:53,320 You've given them to me. They are mine. 322 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:56,440 I will not lose them. This doesn't mean that true 323 00:16:56,440 --> 00:16:58,960 Christians don't sin. It doesn't mean that we won't 324 00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:03,520 stumble at times in sin, not stumble away from the faith. 325 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:06,640 Now it's the Christians can become hard hearted, we can 326 00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:09,640 backslide, we can go through seasons of life where our hearts 327 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:11,920 have been hardened. But God will always bring us 328 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:15,160 around to repentance. He will always call us back to 329 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:18,000 himself. Luke 15 says he will leave the 330 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:22,280 99 to go after the one, and it says in that same passage that 331 00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:27,599 there is more joy in heaven over 1 Sinner who repents first. 332 00:17:27,599 --> 00:17:31,680 John 19 says if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to 333 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:34,920 forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 334 00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:38,600 So of course there will be times in our lives where we don't feel 335 00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:41,760 like we're at the peak of our Christian performance here. 336 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:43,560 But that's what repentance is for. 337 00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:46,960 We can come to the foot of the cross always knowing that he's 338 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:50,000 there to welcome us and we can repent and we can continue to 339 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:52,200 grow. We don't fall from the faith, 340 00:17:52,480 --> 00:17:56,120 OK? And what's beautiful is that 341 00:17:56,440 --> 00:18:01,440 none of this depends on us and on our strength to muster up 342 00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:04,720 enough Christianity to do all of these things. 343 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:09,760 It's all by God's grace. The way that the Saints 344 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:14,000 persevere, the way that we, the Church, persevere in the faith 345 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:17,720 in a wicked world is through God's grace. 346 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:22,040 The only chance we have at running a good race, as Paul 347 00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:25,160 talks about, is through God's grace. 348 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:28,200 If it depends on our performance, we are going to 349 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:30,760 fail. But thank God we are not 350 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:34,920 responsible to keep ourselves saved because we didn't save 351 00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:37,720 ourselves, right? He did that and he's the one 352 00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:42,480 that keeps us that way. It is his work and the life of a 353 00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:46,040 believer. His strength, our salvation, was 354 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:50,120 secured by him and our sanctification is guaranteed by 355 00:18:50,120 --> 00:18:52,440 him. This doesn't mean that we just 356 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:54,880 get to sit back and enjoy the ride, right? 357 00:18:54,880 --> 00:18:56,960 We are not, was known as Antinomians. 358 00:18:56,960 --> 00:18:59,360 We don't say, well, I got my ticket punched. 359 00:18:59,360 --> 00:19:02,240 I can go live like a child of hell now, Paul says. 360 00:19:02,360 --> 00:19:04,640 Should we keep on sinning that grace may abound? 361 00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:09,320 By no means no, not at all. Like true Christians love the 362 00:19:09,320 --> 00:19:11,440 Lord and don't want to do that anymore. 363 00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:13,800 Our hearts have been changed by Christ. 364 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:17,400 We want to pursue what is what brings him joy and pleasure. 365 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:21,640 We want to be more like Christ. So yes, we work toward 366 00:19:21,720 --> 00:19:25,600 sanctification, but we know that it's God's grace that gives the 367 00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:30,240 increase always. None of it is on in our own 368 00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:34,240 strength and based on us. He has promised that He will not 369 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:37,160 leave us or forsake us. Hebrews 13, Five. 370 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:40,520 He has promised that He will be with us always, even until the 371 00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:45,040 end of age. Matthew 2820 So over and over we 372 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:47,320 see throughout Scripture that God is with His people. 373 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:49,800 He will not abandon them, He will not lose them. 374 00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:52,240 They are His bought and paid for. 375 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:54,400 Amen. So we've covered that. 376 00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:56,640 I've spent too much time on it. Let's let's keep going through 377 00:19:56,640 --> 00:20:00,240 our text even in by the way, even in verse one. 378 00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:02,920 The second part of verse one, Jude says to those who were 379 00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:06,960 called beloved in God the Father and kept for Christ. 380 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:10,840 We are kept, we're kept for Christ, kept by Christ. 381 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:13,920 OK at His. Work. 382 00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:17,840 His work of keeping us does not end right. 383 00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:20,760 We've talked about this. This is for all eternity. 384 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:23,880 It's to the end of the age, all the way to heaven. 385 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:27,560 Look again at verse 24 to him who who is able to keep you from 386 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:32,280 stumbling and present you blameless before the presence of 387 00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:37,000 his glory. With great joy the NASB says he 388 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:40,560 is able to make you stand in the presence of his glory, 389 00:20:40,560 --> 00:20:43,680 blameless. With great joy the NIV says he 390 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:47,040 is able to present you before his glorious presence, without 391 00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:52,280 fault and with great joy. To that I say Amen and 392 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:54,960 Hallelujah. Amen and Hallelujah. 393 00:20:55,200 --> 00:21:01,320 He will keep us until the very end, and on that day present us 394 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:05,960 faultless, spotless and blameless before the throne of 395 00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:09,400 God. That is reason to celebrate as 396 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:12,520 Christians, as we live in a sinful world and we struggle 397 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:16,400 with sin every day, knowing because of what he's done. 398 00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:20,160 He will present US one day and we won't have to be. 399 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:23,880 We won't have to deal with all that sin and all that shame. 400 00:21:23,880 --> 00:21:29,240 We will be presented spotless as Christ is spotless, Colossians 401 00:21:29,240 --> 00:21:33,760 121 through 23 says you who were once alienated and hostile in 402 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:38,000 mind, doing evil deeds. He has now reconciled in his 403 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:43,040 body of flesh by his death in order to and just pause. 404 00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:45,400 Don't miss this. We're talking about the 405 00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:50,760 Crucifixion and it says in order to This is why he did it, in 406 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:54,560 order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach 407 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:57,160 before him. If indeed you continue in the 408 00:21:57,160 --> 00:22:00,680 faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the 409 00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:03,800 gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation 410 00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:06,200 under heaven and of which I, Paul, became a minister. 411 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:09,280 If you continue in the faith, it's going to happen. 412 00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:11,600 We know that because he's going to be the one to keep us. 413 00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:16,240 But he did it so that we can be presented spotless, sinless, 414 00:22:16,360 --> 00:22:18,240 without sin. It's done. 415 00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:20,200 It's been paid for. It is finished. 416 00:22:20,360 --> 00:22:22,160 I don't have to deal with that anymore. 417 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:27,480 We will be presented spotless, done with the sins of this 418 00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:31,200 world. Now, I had to kind of really 419 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:35,720 rewire my thinking on this a little bit because I remember 420 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:40,080 being taught as a kid that one day when you get to heaven, even 421 00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:42,560 if you're a Christian, that you're going to stand there 422 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:47,040 before God and all your sins are going to be broadcast before 423 00:22:47,040 --> 00:22:48,920 everyone to see. You're going to have to answer 424 00:22:48,920 --> 00:22:52,760 for all of that, But then, but then you just won't be guilty. 425 00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:55,240 You won't have to, like, deal with the punishment. 426 00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:57,360 You'll still get to go to heaven, but it's all going to be 427 00:22:57,360 --> 00:22:58,520 there. Everybody's going to know what 428 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:02,760 you did, so you better be good. Is that what this says? 429 00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:05,840 Does it say One day when you get to heaven, he's going to present 430 00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:08,120 you with a lot of shame and guilt over all the things you 431 00:23:08,120 --> 00:23:09,800 did when you lived on earth. And you're going to have to 432 00:23:09,800 --> 00:23:11,880 answer for all that. But he won't punish you for it. 433 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:14,200 He'll still let you in. But you're going to have to tell 434 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:16,360 him why you did what you did. No. 435 00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:21,600 He's going to present you faultless with great joy, joy. 436 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:24,040 You're going to be joy, joyous to be there. 437 00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:25,760 It is going to be the greatest day ever. 438 00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:28,760 You're not going to have to deal with that sin and that shame and 439 00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:30,600 that guilt that has been paid for. 440 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:33,360 It's as far as the East is from the West. 441 00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:37,680 He bought it and paid for it. It's his to deal with, not ours 442 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:40,360 anymore. And that's why it's so important 443 00:23:40,360 --> 00:23:44,160 that as Christians we persevere in the faith and we continue to 444 00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:46,920 grow in our sanctification, not hanging on to that sin. 445 00:23:47,080 --> 00:23:49,320 That's not your sin anymore. He bought that. 446 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:51,680 He died for that. Let it go. 447 00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:53,760 You don't have to keep dealing with that. 448 00:23:54,400 --> 00:24:00,520 Praise God, so, so, that idea, let's just get that out of our 449 00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:01,840 minds. If you grew up thinking that 450 00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:04,560 too, when you stand before the throne one day, if you were 451 00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:08,440 truly in Christ, you will be filled with nothing but joy to 452 00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:13,000 be there. So not only does does He present 453 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:14,400 us, I've already kind of started to get into it. 454 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:17,160 Not only does He present us blameless and faultless, but 455 00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:19,960 joyful. And this is really what I love 456 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:22,400 about this passage. And what I wanted to focus on 457 00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:26,160 the most is the fact that we will be presented joyful with 458 00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:29,880 great joy. Not just joy, but with great 459 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:33,400 joy. There is no greater joy for a 460 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:37,360 believer than the joy that we get to look forward to on that 461 00:24:37,360 --> 00:24:40,800 day. The joy of standing before God, 462 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:45,080 the Creator being found sinless, having put all of this world, 463 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:48,560 all the sin behind us, and just standing in His glorious 464 00:24:48,560 --> 00:24:53,200 presence. As the old hymn says, what a day 465 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:56,000 of rejoicing that will be. Amen. 466 00:24:56,200 --> 00:25:00,440 You do not have to wait until after you've answered for your 467 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:02,920 sins. If you were in Christ, it's been 468 00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:04,280 paid for. It's done. 469 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:06,480 You will be there with great joy. 470 00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:10,720 And that joy, knowing that that is coming, that is our 471 00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:14,240 motivation, day in and day out now, to live with joy. 472 00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:16,000 That's what gets us through each day. 473 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:18,720 Now that's what is my joy today, right? 474 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:21,440 Like we don't. We don't set our minds on this 475 00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:24,760 world, but on things above. When we say that, when we say 476 00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:27,280 that, don't, don't, don't dwell on earthly things, think about 477 00:25:27,280 --> 00:25:29,360 heavenly things, That's what I'm thinking about. 478 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:33,360 And that brings me joy even now to know what's coming ahead. 479 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:37,720 And we know, as Second Corinthians 417 tells us, that 480 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:43,200 our present suffering is only light momentary affliction. 481 00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:47,320 And then, as Romans 818 tells us, it is not even worth 482 00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:50,240 comparing to the glory that awaits us. 483 00:25:51,400 --> 00:25:54,280 You guys, I am not doing this justice. 484 00:25:54,960 --> 00:26:01,960 That day is going to be so glorious, so joyful, to finally 485 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:05,160 be able to stand before our creator in great joy and not 486 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:09,240 feel shame or guilt or any of that, but just overwhelming awe 487 00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:14,280 and his presence and joy. I I You can't put it in words. 488 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:18,320 You can't put it in words. It's going to be a day of 489 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:21,280 rejoicing, for sure. But that joy then can lead us to 490 00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:25,160 joy now. And we can do as first Peter 413 491 00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:28,640 says. We can rejoice in so far as we 492 00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:33,000 share in Christ's sufferings, so that we can also rejoice and be 493 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:38,040 glad when his glory is revealed. And so if we rejoice now in 494 00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:42,440 these present sufferings and and that is what gets us through the 495 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:45,680 present sufferings, when life throws you lemons, you can still 496 00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:48,520 be joyful because we know what awaits US1 day. 497 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:51,640 And if we do that, if we persevere in the faith in one 498 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:57,360 day, we get that joy in heaven. So a really cool thing about 499 00:26:57,360 --> 00:26:59,640 this when I was reading this, I'm I'm studying different 500 00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:01,720 commentaries trying to figure it out and I'm like wait a minute, 501 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:03,600 the way it's worded it's a little tricky. 502 00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:06,280 Does that mean that he's going to present us with great joy? 503 00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:09,040 Does that mean our joy? Or does that mean his joy like 504 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:13,480 he's going to present us like joyful we will be joyful to be 505 00:27:13,480 --> 00:27:16,000 presented? Or does it mean he will be 506 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:19,600 joyful to be presenting? I I started to really get 507 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:23,240 confused in my mind on this, and the answer is both. 508 00:27:24,160 --> 00:27:27,000 It's going to be our great joy and it's going to be his great 509 00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:29,960 joy to present us blameless before the throne, right? 510 00:27:30,320 --> 00:27:35,600 Hebrews 12/2 says, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter 511 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:40,720 of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured 512 00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:43,800 the cross. I have read that verse. 513 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:46,120 I don't know how many times. I never thought about that for 514 00:27:46,120 --> 00:27:49,360 the joy set before him, he endured the the cross. 515 00:27:49,600 --> 00:27:52,920 Was the cross a joyful thing? Was that a fun event for him? 516 00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:56,440 Not at all. What was joyful about that? 517 00:27:57,280 --> 00:28:04,000 It wasn't the crucifixion that Jesus was thinking about, It was 518 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:07,080 what He was accomplishing through the crucifixion. 519 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:13,680 He was securing the salvation of His bride, and that is what 520 00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:18,160 brought him great joy in that moment and what made him do it. 521 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:21,320 That's what that was the motivation for going to the 522 00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:26,360 cross in the 1st place I'm redeeming my bride and I'm glad 523 00:28:26,360 --> 00:28:32,760 to do it. It will be to His great joy and 524 00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:37,240 his great glory that He presents his bride perfect before the 525 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:41,960 throne of God, the bride that he gave his life for, so that we 526 00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:45,720 might be found faultless, and so that he might receive glory. 527 00:28:46,720 --> 00:28:49,560 So just imagine this with me for just a moment. 528 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:55,000 We think that that when we get to heaven one day and we stand 529 00:28:55,000 --> 00:29:00,080 there before the throne guiltless, that we will have 530 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:05,160 great joy. But Can you imagine the joy that 531 00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:09,760 Christ will have on that day? Just think about that for a 532 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:14,600 minute. He finally is able to receive 533 00:29:14,680 --> 00:29:20,680 and present His bride before the throne spotless without blemish. 534 00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:26,160 It is going to be the culmination of all of it, right? 535 00:29:26,160 --> 00:29:31,560 What started in the Garden and then led to the Incarnation, 536 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:35,320 which is what we're celebrating right now, but then led to the 537 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:40,320 Crucifixion and then the Ascension, and will finally end 538 00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:43,840 with our glorification in heaven, with the joy of Christ 539 00:29:44,080 --> 00:29:47,360 and His people standing together in God's presence. 540 00:29:47,720 --> 00:29:51,560 All of it will culminate in Him presenting His bride spotless 541 00:29:51,560 --> 00:29:55,400 before the throne. Mission accomplished. 542 00:29:56,240 --> 00:30:01,720 I cannot waste His joy, and our joy are going to be beyond 543 00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:05,960 measure on that day. This is what we look forward to. 544 00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:10,520 This is why we persevere. This is our great assurance that 545 00:30:10,520 --> 00:30:13,320 we hold on to when doubt starts to creep in. 546 00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:18,120 He went to great lengths to secure a salvation for us. 547 00:30:18,280 --> 00:30:20,840 And that salvation doesn't just end when you put your faith in 548 00:30:20,840 --> 00:30:22,400 Him. That goes all the way to the 549 00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:25,720 throne of Christ. Your salvation has been secured 550 00:30:25,840 --> 00:30:28,400 all the way. It's not just partially done. 551 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:30,640 You are saved. Period. 552 00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:34,440 If you are in Christ, let's continue on. 553 00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:35,160 I'm sorry. I'm getting. 554 00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:37,800 I'm getting sidetracked. Jude chapter, verse 25. 555 00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:40,920 Let's look at verse 25. To the only God our Savior. 556 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:42,480 So again we're we're coming back around. 557 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:43,800 We know who we're talking about here. 558 00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:48,240 Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and 559 00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:50,840 authority before all time and now and forever. 560 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:53,520 Amen. So he he restates who he's 561 00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:57,920 talking about and then he says through Jesus be glory, majesty, 562 00:30:57,920 --> 00:31:02,320 dominion and authority 'cause there some translations put the 563 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:05,360 through Jesus part after all those things. 564 00:31:05,360 --> 00:31:09,080 So some of them say to the only God our Savior, be glory, 565 00:31:09,080 --> 00:31:11,760 majesty, dominion, authority through Jesus. 566 00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:18,360 And so these these qualities here could be summed up as the 567 00:31:18,360 --> 00:31:21,800 praiseworthiness of God, right? His glory, His Majesty, his 568 00:31:21,800 --> 00:31:26,560 dominion, his authority, and all of that is going to come about 569 00:31:26,800 --> 00:31:30,440 through Jesus. That's how God gets all the 570 00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:33,720 glory, all the majesty, all the dominion, all the authority is 571 00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:37,720 through Christ. Think about this glory all 572 00:31:37,720 --> 00:31:39,480 right. How does how does God get all 573 00:31:39,480 --> 00:31:43,000 the glory through Christ? One of the commentaries I read 574 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:45,520 said glory is the sum total of all God is and does. 575 00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:47,000 Everything about him is glorious. 576 00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:51,640 But what's more glorious than Christ than his Son, right? 577 00:31:51,960 --> 00:31:55,760 Second Corinthians 4/6 For God, who said, let light shine out of 578 00:31:55,760 --> 00:31:58,920 darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the 579 00:31:58,920 --> 00:32:03,400 knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 580 00:32:04,040 --> 00:32:07,960 Jesus Christ is the glory of God Incarnate. 581 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:12,440 Another commentator that I read said that the purpose of the 582 00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:16,080 cross and salvation was not simply to rescue sinners from 583 00:32:16,080 --> 00:32:18,520 hell. As wonderful as that is, the 584 00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:22,840 grand purpose is that God may be glorified for all eternity. 585 00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:27,280 That's the purpose of the cross, to secure a bride for himself, 586 00:32:27,480 --> 00:32:29,080 to present a spotless and blameless. 587 00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:30,760 But why? Why even that? 588 00:32:30,960 --> 00:32:35,560 Because God gets the glory. His glory is the ultimate point 589 00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:41,240 of it all, and he does that through Jesus Christ majesty. 590 00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:42,520 Let's talk about that for a minute. 591 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:46,760 Majesty just means magnificence or his greatness, which how is 592 00:32:46,760 --> 00:32:49,880 that manifested? How is God's magnificence 593 00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:53,800 manifested through Jesus Christ dominion? 594 00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:55,040 Let's talk about that for a minute. 595 00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:58,040 This is God's sovereign rule over all creation. 596 00:32:58,360 --> 00:33:02,160 We know that one day at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow 597 00:33:02,160 --> 00:33:05,960 and every tongue will confess under earth and on earth and 598 00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:10,760 above earth that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the 599 00:33:10,760 --> 00:33:14,000 Father. So dominion one day will be 600 00:33:14,120 --> 00:33:17,360 through Christ and is happening through Christ and then 601 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:22,000 authority again through Christ. That authority is the power or 602 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:25,480 the right to rule. We know that he will be our 603 00:33:25,480 --> 00:33:28,480 ruler. He every everything will happen 604 00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:31,560 under his authority, He says in Matthew 2818. 605 00:33:31,560 --> 00:33:35,560 All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 606 00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:39,760 So all of it happens through Christ. 607 00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:44,920 God deserves all the glory, but it gets even better. 608 00:33:45,640 --> 00:33:48,200 Remember the the joy we were talking about? 609 00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:50,320 Right where we were focusing on joy? 610 00:33:51,440 --> 00:33:53,840 This is what's so crazy. And it's amazing because it's 611 00:33:53,840 --> 00:33:58,320 part of God's design when he gets the glory and when we give 612 00:33:58,320 --> 00:34:02,560 him glory, when we seek to glorify him through our lives, 613 00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:06,120 guess what else happens? We get joy. 614 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:11,239 As Christians, God's glory is our greatest joy. 615 00:34:11,719 --> 00:34:14,760 As we seek to glorify God, we get joy in the process. 616 00:34:14,760 --> 00:34:18,360 It's a natural byproduct. They are they are tied together. 617 00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:22,320 That is why if you look back through the Christian faith that 618 00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:27,199 all of the old documents, all the old confessions, catechisms, 619 00:34:27,199 --> 00:34:30,520 the the Greater Catechism, the Shorter Catechism, all of them 620 00:34:30,520 --> 00:34:34,360 at the Baptist Catechism, Keach's catechism, question and 621 00:34:34,360 --> 00:34:38,040 answer #1 or #2, usually in every one of them at the very 622 00:34:38,040 --> 00:34:41,000 beginning is what is the chief end of man. 623 00:34:41,800 --> 00:34:44,840 Does anybody know? I know some of y'all know. 624 00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:48,360 It's to glorify God and enjoy him forever. 625 00:34:48,520 --> 00:34:52,320 That's why we are created. That is the purpose of mankind 626 00:34:52,320 --> 00:34:55,159 is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. 627 00:34:55,280 --> 00:34:58,160 And the more we do, the one, the more we get the other. 628 00:34:58,800 --> 00:35:01,440 It's the way God designed it. It's it's beautiful. 629 00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:06,600 So God's glory is our joy. It's our greatest joy. 630 00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:11,680 So to God we ascribe glory, majesty, dominion and authority 631 00:35:11,720 --> 00:35:17,840 through Christ when the text tells us before all time and now 632 00:35:18,240 --> 00:35:20,840 and forever. All right, so this isn't just 633 00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:24,120 right now, in 2023, in your life. 634 00:35:24,120 --> 00:35:27,080 This has been forever and will be forever. 635 00:35:27,080 --> 00:35:33,640 It is happening now. God doesn't need us to give him 636 00:35:33,680 --> 00:35:37,320 the glory to get it. He already has it. 637 00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:40,800 It's already his to have. He is glorious. 638 00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:43,920 It is who He is. When we give God glory, we are 639 00:35:43,920 --> 00:35:46,920 simply acknowledging what we have discovered to be true. 640 00:35:47,400 --> 00:35:52,000 That God deserves the glory. And He is glorious before all 641 00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:54,960 time in our lives now and forevermore. 642 00:35:56,040 --> 00:36:00,880 And He will certainly, certainly get all the glory through 643 00:36:00,880 --> 00:36:03,200 eternity. Future on that day when we are 644 00:36:03,200 --> 00:36:08,040 presented and all of it is is kind of finally happening. 645 00:36:08,480 --> 00:36:11,320 God will get the glory. We will not stand there 646 00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:13,680 faultless one day and think we did that. 647 00:36:14,280 --> 00:36:20,880 He gets the glory ultimately. One more quote for you here said 648 00:36:20,880 --> 00:36:25,160 that this is exactly what Jude was trying to do by writing 649 00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:28,040 this. Doxology is to help his readers 650 00:36:28,040 --> 00:36:32,000 understand the greatness and the glory of God. 651 00:36:32,960 --> 00:36:35,360 If he would. If they would just do that, if 652 00:36:35,360 --> 00:36:39,600 they could grasp God's goodness and his greatness and his glory, 653 00:36:40,080 --> 00:36:43,560 then they would never again follow false teachers and fall 654 00:36:43,560 --> 00:36:50,000 for false teaching if they could truly grasp the goodness of God. 655 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:54,360 If we can do this, if we can give God the glory and 656 00:36:54,360 --> 00:36:57,200 understand his glory and seek it and all that we do which brings 657 00:36:57,200 --> 00:37:00,280 about our joy, then there is no room for anything else. 658 00:37:00,280 --> 00:37:03,520 There is no room for false teaching, right? 659 00:37:03,520 --> 00:37:06,640 We are just saturated with the goodness of God. 660 00:37:07,960 --> 00:37:11,480 Now, I pray, as we've looked at this text and we've talked about 661 00:37:11,480 --> 00:37:16,600 this today, that everybody in this room knows the kind of joy 662 00:37:16,600 --> 00:37:19,560 that we've talked about. I pray that you know that 663 00:37:19,560 --> 00:37:22,440 assurance of your faith that you're not living every day 664 00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:24,840 wondering if you're saved or not wondering if I'm going to do 665 00:37:24,840 --> 00:37:26,480 something today that's going to take all that away. 666 00:37:26,480 --> 00:37:28,600 Like I know that joy of salvation. 667 00:37:28,600 --> 00:37:31,440 I pray that you know that assurance of salvation. 668 00:37:31,480 --> 00:37:33,840 I pray that what we've studied today has helped you understand 669 00:37:33,840 --> 00:37:38,360 that. But no matter. 670 00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:43,480 I pray that you have the kind of joy and the kind of assurance 671 00:37:43,720 --> 00:37:48,720 that no matter what the world throws at us and no matter what 672 00:37:48,720 --> 00:37:53,160 kind of false teachings start to swirl around in the world around 673 00:37:53,160 --> 00:37:56,560 us, no matter what false teachers might rise up that are 674 00:37:56,560 --> 00:38:00,240 so popular and so, you know, prominent in our culture. 675 00:38:00,680 --> 00:38:04,160 I pray that you know the kind of assurance and the kind of joy 676 00:38:04,160 --> 00:38:07,720 that you will not stumble, that you can rest assured knowing 677 00:38:07,720 --> 00:38:12,320 that God will preserve you and because he does so with joy, you 678 00:38:12,320 --> 00:38:17,560 can joyfully persevere. He will hold you fast, as the 679 00:38:17,560 --> 00:38:24,360 song says. But this only happens through 680 00:38:24,400 --> 00:38:26,640 Christ, as we've talked about today. 681 00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:31,400 Without Christ, you cannot have that assurance. 682 00:38:33,240 --> 00:38:37,120 So if you're in this place today and you've never put your faith 683 00:38:37,120 --> 00:38:41,840 in Christ, never tried to seek to follow him with your life, 684 00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:44,840 never repented of your sins, cast them at the foot of the 685 00:38:44,840 --> 00:38:48,360 cross, you've never committed to to follow him and make him the 686 00:38:48,360 --> 00:38:52,520 Lord of your life. You cannot have this assurance. 687 00:38:53,480 --> 00:38:58,440 There is something that is sure, but it is not eternal joy as you 688 00:38:58,440 --> 00:39:01,080 stand blameless before the throne. 689 00:39:02,160 --> 00:39:06,120 And so if that is you in here today, for anyone in here that 690 00:39:06,120 --> 00:39:08,720 maybe is an unbeliever, that's never truly put their faith in 691 00:39:08,720 --> 00:39:12,320 Christ, I want to invite you to do that today. 692 00:39:13,240 --> 00:39:16,640 Truly repent of your sins, truly follow Christ. 693 00:39:16,640 --> 00:39:20,920 Seek to love the Lord in such a way that you abandoned 694 00:39:20,920 --> 00:39:23,880 everything for him, that you want to grow in your 695 00:39:23,880 --> 00:39:26,600 sanctification and bear that fruit that we talked about 696 00:39:26,600 --> 00:39:29,840 earlier. You do not have to go through 697 00:39:29,840 --> 00:39:31,640 life wondering whether you're saved. 698 00:39:31,720 --> 00:39:33,760 You don't have to go through life wondering if you're going 699 00:39:33,760 --> 00:39:36,880 to lose your salvation. You can have that assurance 700 00:39:36,880 --> 00:39:40,320 knowing God will keep you from stumbling, that he will hold you 701 00:39:40,320 --> 00:39:42,120 fast and present you joyful one day. 702 00:39:42,120 --> 00:39:44,960 But that only comes through submitting your life to Jesus 703 00:39:44,960 --> 00:39:48,120 Christ. So I I implore you today, if you 704 00:39:48,120 --> 00:39:50,760 have never done that, to do that, we're going to have a 705 00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:53,760 moment here in just a little bit of response. 706 00:39:53,760 --> 00:39:56,760 And in that time, that'll be a great time to pray and confess. 707 00:39:56,880 --> 00:39:59,240 If you need to talk, have questions, I'd love to talk to 708 00:39:59,240 --> 00:40:02,240 you, seek to glorify God in all that you do. 709 00:40:03,200 --> 00:40:07,600 But if you're in this place today and you know, you know 710 00:40:07,600 --> 00:40:11,000 beyond a shadow of a doubt that I belong to the Lord, I've given 711 00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:14,560 my life to Christ. I believe I've repented of my 712 00:40:14,560 --> 00:40:17,640 sins and I'm seeking to follow the Lord, if that is you today. 713 00:40:18,160 --> 00:40:21,800 Then you get to know the joy of your salvation. 714 00:40:22,360 --> 00:40:25,880 This is such a good reminder for us that our salvation should 715 00:40:25,880 --> 00:40:29,200 bring such a joy to our hearts and in our lives. 716 00:40:29,200 --> 00:40:33,720 We can have joy on this earth as we seek to glorify God and all 717 00:40:33,720 --> 00:40:37,000 that we do, if we will remember that salvation. 718 00:40:37,200 --> 00:40:40,000 This is what the psalmist was talking about in Psalm 51. 719 00:40:40,160 --> 00:40:42,640 This is what he says. It created me a clean heart, O 720 00:40:42,640 --> 00:40:46,440 God, and renew a right spirit within me. 721 00:40:46,600 --> 00:40:48,440 Cast me not away from your presence. 722 00:40:48,720 --> 00:40:54,040 Take not your Holy Spirit. Restore to me the joy of your 723 00:40:54,040 --> 00:40:58,240 salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit. 724 00:40:59,240 --> 00:41:04,080 Remember your salvation. Remember why you gave your life 725 00:41:04,080 --> 00:41:05,720 to Christ. Remember that moment. 726 00:41:05,720 --> 00:41:10,680 Remember that you have been redeemed and that one day Christ 727 00:41:10,680 --> 00:41:13,640 will present you blameless before the front of God to your 728 00:41:13,640 --> 00:41:16,680 great joy and his great glory. Amen. 729 00:41:17,800 --> 00:41:22,880 Christians, we can joyfully persevere because God joyfully 730 00:41:23,240 --> 00:41:25,000 preserves us. Let's pray. 731 00:41:25,760 --> 00:41:27,360 Lord, we thank you for your word. 732 00:41:28,600 --> 00:41:30,080 And God, we thank you for this truth. 733 00:41:30,960 --> 00:41:34,640 There's a lot of big theology in this text. 734 00:41:35,560 --> 00:41:37,840 And God, I just pray that you've helped us to understand it. 735 00:41:38,720 --> 00:41:41,800 I pray God that everyone that leaves this place today leaves 736 00:41:42,240 --> 00:41:46,080 knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that their salvation is 737 00:41:46,080 --> 00:41:50,320 secure through Jesus Christ. I pray that they leave joyful, 738 00:41:51,160 --> 00:41:55,680 knowing your joy that only you can give, and that we look 739 00:41:55,680 --> 00:41:58,920 forward to that day when we were presented faultless before the 740 00:41:58,920 --> 00:42:04,280 throne to our joy to your glory. God, we do. 741 00:42:04,280 --> 00:42:07,240 We give you all the glory, all the majesty, all the dominion 742 00:42:07,240 --> 00:42:10,160 and authority in this place. Today we humbly submit to you as 743 00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:13,000 Lord of our lives. We thank you for what you've 744 00:42:13,000 --> 00:42:16,840 done in and through us. We pray God you continue to 745 00:42:16,840 --> 00:42:19,480 receive glory in this church and through each one of us. 746 00:42:20,840 --> 00:42:24,080 I pray God again for anyone in this place that has never put 747 00:42:24,080 --> 00:42:27,760 their faith in Christ, that they would do that today, and we pray 748 00:42:27,760 --> 00:42:29,440 it to your glory. Amen.