Joy in the presence of His glory

Joy in the presence of His glory
Robert Wurtz II

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. (Jude 1:24-25)

Our passage contains a wonderful promise of the the expression of the power of God. Jesus Christ, our savior from sin, is not only able to keep us from falling, but to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. Christ can do it, if we allow Him. We cannot in our own strength keep our own selves from falling. As it has been said, “our responsibility is to respond rightly to His ability.” (R. Bailey) My response to His ability will determine how my life turns out. Christ is the savior that saves from sin. If we are not being saved from our sins it is because we are not allowing the savior to save us. 

The wisdom of the Savior

When we come to Christ, whether or not we know it, our lives are in total shambles and we need “the only wise God” to be our savior. We might be able to correct certain facets of our life through our own human ability, but we cannot get all of our lives into a ‘faultless state’ in our own strength. there are too many variables and we have spent far too much time passing down the road of life by our own directions to ever find our way back home on our own. We are lost and we need a savior. Life is like a labyrinth without Christ. We had all turned aside after our own way landing us (as the old hymn writer said) far from the peaceful shore. We have no compass or sense of direction. We need the only wise God our Saviour to light the path of righteousness before us. We need direction from the Holy Spirit. 

The Joy of God’s guidance

Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. (Jeremiah 15:16)

The road to the Joy of the Lord is opened up to us as we respond to what God is saying to us. God can speak to our hearts in many splendored ways. The key is to submit to God when we know it’s Him. The Spirit and the word agree, so there is no need to fear that the Holy Spirit will lead us astray. Nay, He will guide us into all truth. When the word comes to us, how will we respond? Jeremiah was a man often vexed and depressed by the sin of the people and the judgment that was coming their way. But He found a place of joy when the Holy Spirit spoke. Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. Many people have tried a great many things trying to bring a sense of happiness to their lives, when all they needed was a fresh Word from God. 

First steps

The cure for sin is to turn to God. The cure for vexation is to turn to God. It is only as we face God, that we can face our tomorrows. The challenges of life are too great. The opportunities to sin are too many. We need the only wise God, our Savior, to take the lead and keep us from falling. But if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father. Sin is joys greatest enemy. David the king understood this when he had sinned with Bathsheeba. He knew that he needed the joy of His salvation to even think about going forward. When joy is gone, men and women will seek to entertain themselves. Sin can never replace joy, but many of men and women have given it a go. The despair and grief only magnifies the joylessness. David writes in Psalm 51, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. That is to say, restore unto me the joy that I knew before I decided I didn’t need you to save me from my sins. Restore to me the joyful sense of feeling welcome in thy Kingdom and in Thy presence. David knew he had sinned, and like the prodigal son, was running from God. His soul dried up. How could he face the morning when he was no longer face to face with God. thanks be to God that David acknowledged his sin and the process to restoration was begun. 

Faultless and full of Joy

I wish to end these thoughts by looking at a key component to what Jude has said, “to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.” The writer to the Hebrews tells us to obey those that have the oversight because they watch for our souls that they may give an account with joy and not grief. (Hebrews 13:17) There is a place where we can submit to God that He can present all parties at the judgment faultless and joyful. the Greek work gives the impression of a joy so great, that the rejoicing one is jumping up and down. Praise the Lord! Amen. Not downcast. Not fearing the next moment. But with a joy-filled confidence that only God can bring. It is no accident that these words are placed just before the book of Revelation. God wants us to know that there is a place in Him, where He can lead us by His word that we can rejoice all the way to and through the finish line.