Jude 17 – 25 “But you, beloved, remember what was foretold by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ 18 when they said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow after their own ungodly desires.” 19 These are the ones who cause divisions, who are worldly and devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God as you await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life. 22 And indeed, have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; and to still others, show mercy tempered with fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh. 24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.”
From Jude’s previous remarks, you would think that he was a horrible judgmental type whose view of things was so narrow that he could look through a keyhole with both eyes! And you would be wrong. True, Jude wants to sound a warning; but at the same time, he is also aware that there are many who are not actually rebellious but rather naive and confused.
Jude wants believers to reach out to those around them, but there is a process to follow. First, believers are to build themselves up in their faith by praying. Nothing can happen in the Kingdom of God without asking God for guidance and praying. Someone once visited Mother Teresa and found her praying. But this man was surprised to find that Mother Teresa was doing very little talking. “Mother Teresa,” her visitor asked, “Why aren’t you speaking more when you pray?” “Oh, I do speak,” Mother Teresa answered, “but how can I receive guidance from God if I refuse to listen? The times when I am silent, I am listening intently.”
When we pray, we must first ask God to prepare our hearts and minds. We must then ask God to prepare the hearts and minds of those to whom He wishes to send us and then ask Him to lead us to those people. We are to minister in love and in mercy, realizing that we too have been snatched from the fires of hell by others who prayed and helped us in our faith.
The ground is level at the foot of the cross; there are no first class/second class/ third class citizens in the Kingdom of God. There are only sinners saved by God’s grace and mercy. We are to hate those things that have hurt our brothers and sisters and have kept them from approaching God, but we are never to hate our brothers and sisters!
Many times, believers feel anxious and uncertain about the future and about how they will cope with the problems they are facing. Verses 24 and 25 contain one of the most powerful blessings in the Bible.
“24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy”… God IS able to keep us from stumbling! By ourselves, all we can do is to stumble, but God is all – powerful and He can keep us. Because of the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary, our sins have been covered, allowing us to be presented without any blemish.
“25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.” God truly is the only God and He truly is our Savior! He truly deserves all glory, majesty, dominion, and authority! He is the only One who deserves such praise and such worship! Come, let us adore Him!
PRAYER: Father God, there are no words sufficient to describe your beauty, your majesty, your glory, your splendor, your power, and your authority! All we can say is thank you for loving us! Thank you for saving us! And thank you for your precious and secure promises of eternal life! May your Name be lifted up! May your Name be praised! And may we always glorify you, both now and forever! Amen!
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