The Keeping Power of God
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An airplane flew into a violent thunderstorm and was soon swaying and bumping around in the sky. One very nervous lady happened to be sitting next to a preacher and knowing he was a preacher she turned to him for comfort.
She said, "Preacher, can’t you do something?" she demanded. He replied, "I’m sorry, ma’am, I’m in sales, not management."
Are you thankful this morning that you know the One Who is in management?
Turn with me to Jude 24-25 and stand with me…read…
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.
Here in this great little epistle, Jude, the brother of James and one of Jesus’ step-brothers warns his readers of the apostates around them – those and things that were working to try and lead them away from God and make them fail in their faith. Recognizing how his message might be discouraging and depressing, Jude explodes with this most elevated doxology – answering the unexpressed question: “But who will deliver us from the apostates and evil efforts around us trying to lead us astray and make us fall. The answer: only by the power of God! And Jude points out 2 glorious truths every Christian needs to anchor in his or her soul. The 1st one:
1. God Is Able To Keep You From Stumbling.
1. God Is Able To Keep You From Stumbling.
- Never forget or lose sight of this fact: you have an enemy…someone who is constantly battling you – fighting you - trying to cause you to stumble…to take you down?
- And the enemy today is using our culture to fight against us – False teaching and worldly philosophy is being crammed down our throats to our big screen tv’s, mobile devices through social media and the movie screens from Hollywood.
- There is an intensity to it that is being ratcheted up greater than anything we’ve seen before!
- 1 Peter 5:8 warns us…
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
- Eph. 6:10-12 warns us...
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
- and Luke 22:31 tells us what the enemy is wants to do to all of us
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;
- The verb “to keep” used here means providing protection from external attack.
- Literally it means to keep you from being tripped up
- It is a translation of a military word meaning to guard, to watch over.
- What Jude emphasizes here is this: God is on His post, standing guard over His children to ensure their safety and victory during any and every assault.
- This reminds us of Psalm 23:1-4 …
The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
- Know today that God is able = has the power - is all-powerful – to stand guard over you and help you to overcome! Our Shepherd watches over His children!
- 1 John 4:4 – greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world!
1 John 4:4 (NASB95)
...greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
- What is He able to do? To keep you from stumbling = falling into sin and going astray from Him.
- 1 Cor. 15:57
but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Know this today: God will give you the power to keep you from falling, stumbling, sinning!
- God doesn’t want you to stumble, be tripped up, to be led astray, to fall, fail in your faith and walk with Him!
- He wants you to stand firm, stand strong, be strong, be steadfast, persevere – determined you’re not going to be taken down, taken out!
- God will give you the power to overcome = He’ll do His part…what do you have to do?
- Galatians 5:16 ...
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
- Heb. 12:2 ...fixing your eyes on Jesus
Hebrews 12:2 (NASB95)
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith,
- These 2 things (walking by the Spirit / fixing your eyes on Jesus) will help you experience God’s power!
TS – The 2nd thing he notes:
2. God Is Able To Make You Stand In His Presence.
2. God Is Able To Make You Stand In His Presence.
- The verb used here means “to present, to set, to confirm, to establish.”
- Jude says here that God is able to present you in the presence of His glory!
- He’s talking about the blessed assurance you have that one day He is going to bring you home (your heavenly home)!
- Paul tells us In Philippians 1:6 …
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
- What does this mean?…He will see you through…bring you through the journey of this life…with His Hand of protection, blessing, watchcare, mercy, with His great power…and one day – one glorious day, you will stand before Him in His glorious presence!
- Notice what he says her: 2 things - you will stand in His presence…
(1) Blameless! - the word means faultless and describes the sinless state you will one day finally enjoy! Praise God – Hallelujah!
(2) With great joy!
- Listen to what these verses shout out to us: Psalm 103:9-14 ; John 5:24 ; Rom. 8:18 ; 2 Cor. 4:17 ; 1 Pet. 4:13 .
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
For He Himself knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.
- As the great hymn When We All Get to Heaven says “When we all get to Heaven what a day of rejoicing that will be. When we all see Jesus we will sing and shout the victory!”
- And when you grasp this glorious truth – you will explode with the same praise Jude did in Jude 1:25!
Conclusion
· If God is able to place the stars in their sockets and suspend the sky like a curtain – if He is able to ignite the sun- if He is able to create the vast universe we exist in = then He’s able to give you the power you need to help you not stumble in your life/walk with Him and bring you home one day.