Plan for: Thanksgiving | Advent | Christmas
This sermon explores understanding God's divine plan and sovereignty through the verses of Jude, emphasizing the importance of faith and community in this journey.
Welcome, dear friends, to this blessed gathering where we find ourselves nestled in the comforting embrace of our shared faith. A faith that is not just a tradition, but a living, breathing testament to the power of our Lord. A faith that binds us together, not just as fellow believers, but as a family, a community, a collective body of Christ.
As we gather here today, let us turn our hearts and minds to the profound wisdom found in the book of Jude, specifically verses 24-25, which reads: "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless 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."
These verses, dear friends, are not just words. They are a divine promise, a heavenly assurance of God's supreme sovereignty, His guardianship against false teachings, and the glory and grace we find in His presence.
Today, we stand on the precipice of a profound understanding, a deeper comprehension of these divine truths. And as we do, I am reminded of a quote by the great Christian theologian, J.I. Packer, who once said, "Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life's problems fall into place of their own accord."
Indeed, dear friends, our main business here is to know God, to understand His word, and to live our lives according to His divine plan. And today, we are here to do just that, to know God through His word, to understand His divine plan for us through the verses of Jude.
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we come before you today with open hearts and minds, ready to receive your divine wisdom. We ask that you guide us as we seek to understand your word, that you illuminate our minds and fill our hearts with your divine truth. Help us, Lord, to see your supreme sovereignty, to understand your guardianship against false teachings, and to experience the glory and grace of your presence. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
As we embark on this sacred endeavor, may we always remember that we are not alone. We have each other, and more importantly, we have God, our ever-present help in times of need. So, let us proceed with courage, with faith, and with a heart full of love for our Lord. Let us proceed, dear friends, and may God guide us every step of the way.
In the verses we've read today, we find a clear depiction of God's absolute power and authority. He is presented as the One who is able to keep us from stumbling, the One who can make us stand in His presence blameless and filled with joy. This is not a mere assertion of God's power. It is a declaration of His supreme sovereignty over all things, a sovereignty that is not bound by time or space, but is eternal and unchanging.
Let's consider the idea of God's ability to keep us from stumbling. This is not just about physical stumbling, but about spiritual stumbling as well. We all know how easy it is to lose our way, to be led astray by false teachings or to be tempted by worldly desires. But God, in His supreme sovereignty, has the power to keep us from falling into these traps. He is like a shepherd who guides His flock, leading us along the right paths and protecting us from danger.
God's sovereignty is also about transformation. The verse tells us that God is able to make us stand in His presence blameless and filled with joy. This is not something we can achieve on our own. It is only through God's sovereign power that we can be transformed from sinners into saints, from people filled with guilt and shame to people filled with joy and righteousness.
This transformation is meant to be a permanent shift in our identity, a change that lasts for eternity. This is because God's sovereignty is not bound by time. It is eternal, just as He is eternal. His power to transform us does not diminish with time. It remains constant, unchanging, always available to us whenever we turn to Him.
The verse also tells us that God's sovereignty extends to all aspects of creation. He is described as the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord. This means that God's sovereignty is not limited to certain areas or certain people. It encompasses everything and everyone. He is the only God, the only Savior, the only Lord. There is no one else who can claim this title. There is no one else who has this kind of authority.
Transition. God's supreme sovereignty is a central theme in the verses we've read today. It is a theme that is woven into every word, every phrase, every sentence. It is a theme that speaks of God's absolute power and authority, His ability to protect and transform us, His eternal nature, and His universal dominion. It is a theme that invites us to trust in Him, to rely on Him, to submit to Him, and to find our joy and our identity in Him.
In our walk with God, we are not left to wander aimlessly, susceptible to the whims and wiles of false teachings that seek to lead us astray ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO