Today, Wednesday December 01
Focus on Jesus Christ
Jude 1:24-25 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.”
Jude has been describing the apostates and false teacher in order for us to identify them and know what their true motives are. It is not a pretty picture! They are hypocrites, liars, mockers, murmurers, complainers, deceivers, sensual, and use innocent young immature believers to their own benefit and laugh and brag about it as they do it.
Then Jude gave us four instructions on what we should do in response: We should remember the Word of God (vs. 17-19), we need to build up our Christian life (vs. 20-21), we must exercise spiritual discernment (22-23), and lastly, we should commit and yield ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ (vs. 24-25).
When we come to these last two verses that close this little epistle, it is if Jude is saying, “I’ve focused enough on these false teachers, now I want you focus on the Lord Jesus Christ, Who He is and what He is doing for you! The writer to Hebrews put it this way, ”But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.” (Hebrews 2:9) And, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)
It is so easy to get distracted with the garbage and evil of the world around us and forget who we are in Christ and what He is doing for presently and what His great plan for us in the future is! Jude here gives us one of most famous benedictions in the Bible to help us “refocus”! This well-known benediction contains a wealth of spiritual truth for the believer to receive. If we want to keep our feet on the ground spiritually, walk straight, and not stumble, then we must yield ourselves fully to the Savior. He alone is able to guard us, but we must "keep ourselves in the love of God" (Jude 21). He is able if we are willing!
Jude was not writing about the possibility of the believer sinning and falling from God's family. We have noted before that he made it clear in Jude 1 that true believers are "preserved" and cannot be lost. He was writing about the believer's daily walk with the Lord and the danger of going astray and stumbling. If we do disobey God, we may confess our sins and receive His forgiveness (1 John 1:9). If we persist in disobedience, He will chasten us in love (Heb. 12:5-11). But He will never permit one of His own to be lost.
The Father has covenanted with the Son that all of His people will one day see and share His glory (John 17:22-24). Jesus Christ will have the special joy of presenting His bride, the church, before the Father's throne! The purpose of salvation is not simply to rescue sinners from hell, as wonderful as that is. The grand purpose is that God may be glorified for all eternity (Eph. 1:6, 12, 14).
Today, take heart and look up! And be encouraged with this great promise from Jude!
God bless!