Imagine yourself in a crowd (with no claustrophobia). Looking around, you half expect to see banners and streamers, or at least hear a band playing off to the side. This is no common earthly celebration, however. Here, everyone is facing only one direction--facing the One Who has kept them from falling. For you are in heaven, and Christ is presenting you to God. There are no special thanks, honourable mentions, or participation ribbons for anyone in the crowd. Right now, in His glorious presence, we are ascribing all glory, majesty, power, and authority to Him alone.
No capturing this unbelievable moment in pictures with a cell-phone. No crumpled paper in your pocket listing recent sins you were worried about. No customer-service counter declining entrance or approving your updated requests for forgiveness. No urge to wave your hand and say, "Excuse me, but I shouldn't be here--you don't know what I'm really like." You are being presented--by Christ-- as faultless...unblamable... before His throne.
Your heart is full of a new emotion, but the flimsy word joy does not explain what is there. You hope you won't be called on to describe it, because no thesaurus on earth could help you now. An eternity of happiness awaits you, and nothing else matters.
The tiny book of Jude, tucked away among the other 66, has a benediction packed with hope. We cling to it, because we are not yet with the Lord. Jude promises his readers that, although they were surrounded by false teachers snatching at their faith, the Lord could (and would) keep them from any possibility of stumbling and falling into error. There is victory over sin! This victory in Christ has been there since the beginning, we have it now as believers, and we will have it forever. It is given to us by the only God, the only One Who has the ability to keep our salvation.
Though these verses are often prayed as the benediction to a sermon-- a time when many of us are zipping our Bible cases, grabbing a mint, and thinking of food-- they are too precious to leave there.
"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 Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Jude 24,25
