Doxology Of Praise For Jesus Series

We close out our study of Jude tonight. Please join me in verses 24 and 25. If you are not familiar with this doxology, you are in for a treat. We may have labored through Jude’s various descriptions of the false teachers, but we can now feel his ecstasy of praise for the Lord.

24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling

This verse emphasizes the ableness of God. God is able to keep you – to prevent you; to help you avoid. God is strong enough and powerful enough to do it.

You may remember Jesus told Peter Luke 22:31, 32

31“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

When Jesus prayed for Peter’s faith to not fail, He was keeping Peter from stumbling any further.

In 2 Corinthians 12 Paul shares his prayer that God would remove something he described as his “thorn in the flesh”. Historians have long speculated what that meant, whatever it was whether poor eyesight or another health issue Paul admits it keep him humble. I quote verse 7 “so to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations a thorn was given me in the flesh”.

Jude specifically informs us that God is able to keep us from stumbling or KJV falling. Do you think there is a difference in stumbling and falling?

This is not a reference to losing your salvation, but stumbling or falling into sin in your daily life.

"Keep" is a word that functions like a military guard or sentinel. It is the same word used to describe the shepherds on the night Jesus was born in Luke 2:8 “shepherds were keeping watch over their flock”. God is keeping His eye on us to stop us from falling and failing as a Christian. You may question that thinking I know a Christian who did ruin their life and witness. There is a delicate balance between God’s keeping/guarding and a person’s free will. This verse applies when a person wants to follow Christ and desires to be in His will and abides in Christ and those who don’t. It also addresses specifically the concern of the false teachers – people were worried they would be deceived and stumble and fall from the true faith and Jude is encouraging them, God would protect them from that happening.

I read the story about a soccer goalie Edwin Van Der Aar who plays for the professional team Manchester United. He keeps the soccer ball from scoring for an amazing 1,302 minutes or 15 - 90 games in one season and it set a world’s record. Finally, in March 2009 the record ended. God’s record for keeping us from stumbling has never failed!

and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—

Jesus came to redeem lost humanity from sin and keep us from going to Hell, but God has much greater purposes in mind and this phrase shares that with us – to present you – everyone who is saved and trusted Jesus as their Savior – we become Jesus’ gift to God the Father. Jude refers to God the Father as “His glorious presence”. KJV - before the presence of his glory. God’s glory is the brightness that surrounds His presence.

In what kind of condition will Jesus present us to God the Father? We will be without fault or KJV faultless; ESV and NASB blameless. In this world we have plenty of faults, blemishes and shortcoming and through the blood of Jesus we have been washed in the blood of the Lamb and declared righteous.

None of us would ever present a gift to our spouse that was dirty, worn out or ugly and neither would Jesus to the Father. Would it help you to live differently today if you thought of yourself as Jesus’ gift to the Father?

25 to the only God our Savior

Those with the KJV have “only wise God”. Sorry to say but that word in not in the Greek texts. God is wise so it isn’t a wrong statement. I like the NLT “all glory to Him who alone is God”.

Jude makes the appropriate comment there is only one God. This has been a foundational point in the OT teachings. This was one problem Judaism had with Jesus’s teachings about a triune God – Father, Son and Spirit. Jesus taught that it wasn’t a problem because of the complete unity and oneness of the Trinity.

This is the only place in the book of Jude he describes God as our Savior. Dr. Warren Wiersbe observed, “it is not enough to say that Jesus Christ is “a savior”, or “the savior”; we must say that He is “our Savior -- my Savior”.