Kept by The Power Of God

We're going to be reading from Jude 20, Jude 20 to 25, Jude 20. But you, beloved, building yourself up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life and have mercy on those who doubt, save others by snatching them out of the fire to others, show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. Now, to him 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. Well, the men can come and hand out the bread and the drink. We're going to take Lord's supper right now.

If you're visiting, you're a Christian and you've been baptized, you've trusted Christ and obeyed his command to be baptized. You're welcome to partake with us as well. These are symbols, right? Symbols that point to a greater reality.

In this case, Christ's body and his death. But what a text in Jude. Just let me give a very brief thought here that can help stir us up before we actually eat and drink these symbols to have something specifically on our mind about the Lord Jesus Christ.

First thing here is look at the statements in verse 23 and apply them to yourself. If you're a Christian here today or start in verse 22, he calls us to have mercy on those who doubt, right? But think about yourself. Have you ever doubted? Have you ever had doubts as a Christian? You're not had assurance in a season of your life or prior to being saved, been full of doubts.

It's not just that we're called to have mercy on those who doubt, but that's what Christ has done for you, Christian. Think of the times he's been merciful to you in the midst of your doubts. Then the next statement, verse 23 says to save others by snatching them out of the fire.

Remember when you were saved, snatched out of the fire, right? Whatever that fire might have been, you know, what's he alluding to here? I've not had time to look into what that specific fire is referring to, but saved others by snatching them out of the fire. We get the sense, ultimate fires of hell in the ultimate sense. So I was, God had mercy on me when I was doubting, saved me out of the fire.

And then he says, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. You know, some of us have got work jeans that are covered with stains. You eventually get rid of those work jeans, but oh man, remember all the stains of your sin.

You don't even want to think about the things done in darkness, Paul says to the Ephesians. But to be saved out of all of that, all the stain, all the defilement, the horrible things. And so we're, you know, he's calling the Christian here to build others up and to keep ourselves in love of God, waiting for the mercy of the Lord.

And then he's calling us to have mercy. So he's calling us to be merciful to those who doubt. But my point is we've all doubted at some time, probably in the Lord was merciful to us.

We've been snatched out of the fire. We've had garments stained by the flesh and we've received mercy. And look at the language here.

Keep yourselves in the love of God. What's Jude is hitting on great need for the Christian to persevere to the end, right? Is that a biblical reality? It is. And one of the means God uses in this great fight of faith is us even being here today to stir each other up.

It's even us partaking of the Lord's Supper every week to be reminded of what Christ has done. And he says, keep yourselves in the love of God. But then look at verse 24.

What's that say? Now, to him who is able to keep you. Right, so if you focus on the first keep too much, I've got to keep myself in the love of God. That speaks to man's responsibility.

But what's the next keep speak to now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy to the only God, our Savior through Jesus Christ. So, brethren, what a reality we're being kept by the power of God. When you just look back, however long you've been saved, for me, it's been 19 years.

You look back and God has kept me. He really has. And he's kept you too, Christian, in the midst of doubts, in the midst of stains that get on your conscience, in the midst of fiery temptations and trials.

And yet we are called to keep ourselves in the love of God. He says right there, verse 20, but you, beloved, building yourselves up in the most holy faith. That's part we're doing today, building ourselves up.

He says, praying in the Holy Spirit, by praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God. John Piper has a wonderful sermon on that text. Not just am I praying, I'm praying in the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8 speaks about the spirit interceding with us with groanings that are too deep for words. So, brethren, this is this is just symbols to be another encouragement and another reminder to our conscience that our sins have been washed away by the blood of Christ. Redemption has already been applied.

The moment it was already accomplished 2000 years ago. But the moment you and I believe redemption was applied to our account. And here I am today with redemption.

Still, it's not unapplied. But here's another reminder of the redemption that was applied. Here's another reminder of a savior who is merciful, a savior who is going to keep me from stumbling.

He's able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless. And so you're going to make it because the Lord's the one who's going to be with you, making it to the end. Right.

And that's part of what praying in the spirit, you're giving up on your own powers. And you're going to the Lord and asking for help. And so Christians are weak people who rely on a great and a powerful God.

And so let's eat this in remembrance of Christ, persevering grace in our life to get us to the end. Let's drink this in remembrance of him. Father, we hear.

Matthew 10, 22. Those who endure to the end will be saved. And Lord, we can rightly tremble at that reality, that this is a race.

And yet here we read in these words of one who is able to keep us from stumbling and to present us blameless. And Lord, we think about Paul at the end of his life. And second, Timothy, he said you had delivered him from every evil deed and you will bring him safely into your heavenly kingdom.

And so, Lord, that is our great hope. Lord, we are thankful to be reminded of what your son has done, what he has accomplished. That's where our confidence is at this morning.

It's in the shed blood of your perfect son. Lord, that is our boast. Father, we're trusting in your in your son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Lord, we dare not trust the sweetest frame, but will wholly lean on Jesus name. And so, Lord, would you stir us up right now as we sing? Would you stir us up through the preaching of your word? Lord, would you keep the brethren? Lord, keep my brethren, keep me. Lord, help us to not fall away from the living God with an evil and unbelieving heart.

Lord, be gone unbelief. Lord, we pray you'd purge unbelief out of our lives and help us to trust you by faith. In Christ's name, Amen.