Hallelujah! What a Savior

Jude 24-25

24 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.

I’m sure this benediction is very familiar to most of you. It’s important to realize that while we stumble, we will not fall. We are saved to a glorious end.

I remember as a teenager reading this passage. When I saw the words “without fault,” I thought that was pretty amazing. But I didn’t fully comprehend the significance of it. Now I understand that we are going to be presented blameless, and with great joy, before the presence of His glory. This morning, I want to remind you of the graduation ceremony that awaits us when Christ returns—the completion of our race, not by our strength, but only by His.

Another benediction in 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 says:

"Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus. Faithful is He who calls you, and He will bring it to pass."

We will finish the race, but not in our own power—it is only through God’s power. That is why I have entitled this sermon Hallelujah! What a Savior.

Jude: A Brother of James, Half-brother of Jesus

The book of Jude was written by Jude, the half-brother of James and also of Jesus. It always strikes me that neither Jude nor James believed in Jesus during His earthly ministry—they didn’t come to faith until after the resurrection, even though they grew up with Him.

Jude is writing to what most scholars believe were Jewish believers at a time when Christianity was under heavy persecution. He begins his letter with comforting words, saying, “To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ” (Jude 1). The word “kept” here means "placed under guard." It is such a comfort to know we are guarded by God.

When God spoke to Moses in Exodus 3:12, He said, “Certainly, I will be with you.” And in Isaiah 41:10, God said, “Surely I will uphold you.” Psalm 91:11 reassures us, “For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” Knowing that we are guarded and kept by God should bring us great comfort.

Jude originally planned to write about their common salvation, the blessings all Christians share. But he felt compelled to change direction because apostates had infiltrated the church. Like Paul and Peter before him, Jude warned of false teachers who had come from within the church. Paul had warned in Acts 20:29 that “savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.” And now, in Jude’s time, they were already there.

Jude is concerned about the purity of the church, about doctrine, and about the faith being distorted. He urges believers to contend for the faith (Jude 3), emphasizing that it will be a struggle, but it’s a struggle worth engaging in. It’s worth fighting for the faith because of what awaits us.

Three Certainties in Jude 24-25

As we reach the end of the book, we come to verses 24-25:

"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."

This morning, I want to encourage you with three certainties from these verses: one that is comforting and two that are astounding.

Believers Are Entrusted to a Divine Guardian (Comforting)
The first certainty is that believers are entrusted to a divine guardian. Jude 24 says, “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling.” The idea here is not that we will never sin. We will sin—that’s part of our fallen nature. But this verse assures us that God will keep us from falling away from the truth, from losing our faith.

The RSV and King James Version use the word “falling” instead of stumbling, and I like that. The emphasis is on God’s ability to keep us from falling away from the truth. Without God’s power, we would fall away because, left to our own strength, we are prone to wander.

Thomas Manton once wrote, “We do not fall because God does not let our hands slip from His.” Our faith is fragile. We are prone to wander, as the hymn "Come Thou Fount" says: “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.”

The good news is this: we are not holding on to God. God is holding on to us.

You might remember the old commercial slogan from the dairy industry, “Got Milk?” In recent years, some churches have borrowed that idea and started saying “Got God?” But often, the God they promote is not the God of the Bible. They present a God who exists to solve all your problems and give you health and wealth. That sounds great—who wouldn’t want to sign up for that? But it’s completely contrary to Scripture.

Scripture warns us that following Christ will bring trials and difficulties. In Matthew 10:22, Jesus says, “You will be hated by all because of my name, but the one who endures to the end will be saved.” In 2 Timothy 3:12, Paul tells us, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” In John 16:33, Jesus says, “In this world you will have trouble.” And in Philippians 1:29, Paul says, “For it has been granted to you for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.”

Persecution, hatred, suffering— these are realities for Christians. They are not messages that churches who promote a “got God” philosophy want to address. But Christ warns us to expect them.

We also have commands from Scripture that require great commitment: “Take up your cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24); “Present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice” (Romans 12:1); “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

These demands remind us that following Christ is not easy—it’s a demanding commitment, which is why we need to be kept from stumbling. Without God’s divine protection, without the supernatural gift of faith, we wouldn’t survive the trials of Christian life.

Left to ourselves, we wouldn’t even want to follow Christ. Romans 3:10-11 says: “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God.” Before God moved in our hearts, we wanted no part of Christ—we were His enemies (Romans 5:10).

Our human faith is weak. In Matthew 17:19-20, when the disciples asked Jesus why they couldn’t cast out a demon, He said: “Because of the littleness of your faith. For truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.” Even the disciples, who were with Jesus daily, had little faith. How do you think our faith compares?

Our human faith is also ever-changing. Experience can change what we believe. Think about the things you believed to be true when you were younger, and how they’ve changed over time as you’ve encountered life. For instance, young parents often have preconceived ideas about raising children, but when reality hits, they have to adjust those expectations.

Finally, our human faith is often selfish. In a “got God” mindset, God is there to serve us, but Scripture says otherwise. Paul Washer has said, “One of the greatest distinguishing marks of a false prophet is that he will tell you what you want to hear.” But what happens to your faith when the things you want don’t come to pass? A faith built on self-serving doctrines will crumble when trials come.

And we are weak. Even the apostle Peter, who confidently said, “I will never deny you” (Matthew 26:35), denied Christ three times. Our human faith is weak, but the good news is that God’s power keeps us from falling.

Believers Are Presented to God as a Complete Project (Astounding)
The second astounding truth is that believers are presented to God as a complete project. Jude 24 says we are presented blameless before the presence of His glory. This is astounding because standing in God’s presence is incredible in itself. Throughout Scripture, when people are confronted with God’s glory, they fall to the ground.

At the Transfiguration in Matthew 17, when Peter, James, and John saw Jesus with Moses and Elijah, they were terrified and fell face down. In Revelation 1:17, when John saw the risen Christ, he fell at His feet like a dead man. Abraham fell to the ground in Genesis 17:3, Ezekiel fell in Ezekiel 1, and Isaiah cursed himself in Isaiah 6, saying, “Woe is me, for I am ruined!”

For us to stand in God’s presence—blameless—is unimaginable. Yet that is what will happen. We will be presented faultless before God, not just justified, but sanctified and glorified. Christ will present us without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27). This is the ultimate graduation ceremony, the day when the work is finished, and all the cares of this world are gone.

Colossians 1:22-23 says, “He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.”

This is the graduation ceremony—the ultimate retirement, where the work is complete, and the cares of the world are gone.

Christ Rejoices in Presenting Us to God with Great Joy (Astounding)
The third certainty is that Christ rejoices in presenting us to God with great joy. Jude 24 says, “to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy.” This joy is not only ours—it is Christ’s joy as well.

Hebrews 12:2 says, “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross.” Zephaniah 3:17 says, “He will exult over you with joy; He will be quiet in His love; He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” Christ rejoices over us because He sees the fruit of His work.

Spurgeon once said, “None will be so happy as the great Surety in that day.” Christ will rejoice over the completion of His work, and we will be presented faultless before God.

The closing benediction in Jude 25 is a beautiful reminder of God’s majesty and power:
“To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time, now and forever. Amen.”

Let us rejoice in the God who keeps us from falling, presents us faultless, and rejoices over us with great joy. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

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