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.