Don’t be Fearful, Be Joyful! (Jude 24-25 Part 2)

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, 25 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.

THE STUDY:

          Yesterday we looked at the first thing Jude list of what God is able to do: keep us from stumbling. Today we will be looking at the second thing which is God’s ability to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy. The presence of his glory refers to the day of judgment when all people will stand before God to give an account of their lives. Jude assures his readers that God is able to protect them from sin so they can stand before him blameless (amōmous). Amōmous was originally used to describe acceptable sacrifices (Heb 9:14). But it came to be used generally to describe moral purity. Peter uses this word to describe Jesus as the perfect sacrificial lamb (1 Pet 1:19). God’s ability to keep you from stumbling will be abundantly evident when believers stand before his throne blameless. As a result, the day of judgment will not be a time of fear or dread for believers. Because of “him who is able,” believers will celebrate that day with great joy.^[1]

           

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that Jesus was and is the prefect sacrificial lamb. It’s within this faith that believers can stand before God on the day of judgment with joy in their hearts and not fear.

APPLICATION:

           Early on in my walk with Jesus I had come to an understanding that this whole Trinity of God looked something like a court room: God is the judge and Jesus is my defense lawyer. After spending many years in studying the scripture I have come to the conclusion, this analogy is wrong!

          We will not be standing before God on judgment day! Our defense Lawyer will be the Holy Spirit and Christ will be the judge. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. (2 Cor. 5:10) We will be judged on what we have done since accepting Christ as our personal savior. Christ is the one who will present us to the Father. God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. (Romans 2:16) If you think about it, this is how we want it to be.

          Today, if Christ is Lord in your life don’t be fearful of the second coming, rejoice in it. But, if you have not accepted Christ as your personal savior then let fear be the motivation for you to turn your life over to the one who stands at the right hand of the Father for you: Christ! Don’t be fearful, be joyful!

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Powers, D. G. (2010). 1 & 2 Peter/Jude: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (300). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

No Greater Joy! (3 John 4)

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

THE STUDY:

John was extremely pleased—no greater joy —that his children were following the Christian path. To walk in the truth emphasizes both concepts to be believed and lifestyle to be practiced. The present participle translated are walking conveys the image of an ongoing journey.

The phrase my children identifies a close spiritual relationship between John and this community of faith. Perhaps Gaius and others had come to faith through John’s ministry. Perhaps his mentoring of these young Christians had established a family-like emotional attachment between them.^[1]

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

We walk away this morning with the understanding that the concepts we believe in and the lifestyle we live will identify the truth to which we walk in. If it is a Christian faith that I believe in and a Christian lifestyle I practice then this is the truth to which myself as well as others will find great joy.

CONCLUSION:

  I preached a sermon last week entitled “Movement of God” in which I talked about expressing joy. The statement I made was to the fact that the joy that is described in the scriptures is not usually the joy that is defined by the world today. Our joy comes from the Lord! It is found in Christ!

You might think all the money, the nice cars, big houses, that perfect job, etc., will give you the joy you are missing in your heart. The truth of the matter is, you will only find that joy filled by Christ! There is no greater joy than what is found is Christ!

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (207). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

Complete Joy! (2 John 12-13)

          Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete. 13 The children of your elect sister greet you.

          .

THE STUDY:

The theme of joy appears in all the letters (1 John 1:4; 2 John 4, 12; 3 John 3, 4). This joy likely was associated with the friendship of the elder and his churches. He rejoiced in their growing doctrinal clarity.

The letter ends with a hopeful tone. The outcome from the exchange of this letter, and the expected face to face visit must have had positive result. Had the “chosen lady and her children” (v 1) not embraced the elder’s views, the letter probably would not have survived.

The word for complete (peplērōmenē) carries the sense of “filled up”—their mutual joy was nearly overflowing. The tense indicates an event with continuing effect: we receive joy and continue to live in that joy. Such complete joy among Jesus and his followers is characteristic of John’s writings (John 3:29; 15:11; 16:24; 17:13; 1 John 1:4).^[1]

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that John’s readers were not believers who didn’t understand the teachings of Christ. They were believers who understood the teachings of Christ and through that understanding they found JOY. Not just a good feeling for the moment but a joy that was fulfilling and lasting.

CONCLUSION:

A.   W. Tozer wrote:

George Mueller would not preach until his heart was happy in the grace of God; Ian Ruybroeck would not write while his feelings were low, but would retire to a quiet place and wait on God till he felt the spirit of inspiration. It is well-known that the elevated spirits of a group of Moravians convinced John Wesley of the reality of their religion, and helped to bring him a short time later to a state of true conversion.

The Christian owes it to the world to be supernaturally joyful. I pray that we pursue Christ more and more each day so that our Joy will be found in Him and poured out through our obedience. I close 2 John with the lyrics from a childhood song: “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart. Where”? I pray for joy this morning for us all.

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (196). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.