To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy.

Jude 24

Jude is aware of the fact that even though we are solidly committed to Jesus Christ and all he represents; we sometimes stumble a bit on the way.  For some, doubts enter the soul.  For some, a besetting sin returns to plague the heart.  Praise God because he has ways of making us aware of our stumblings and gives the courage and grace to repent and then get back on the way, strengthened by a new awareness of our weakness and need of his assistance.

I note that the promise is that the presence of Christ in our lives can keep us from stumbling.  That is the best.  But, as we just noted, even a believer finds that he or she inadvertently stumbles.  However, when we become aware of that we repent and get back on the way.

Then Jude paints a glorious picture – it is me,  you and other believers, being presented by Jesus Christ to the Father with great delight, because we are Christ’s by adoption as children of His grace.  We will be presented as faultless!  Can it be?  That is the promise and is possible only because Jesus shed his blood to cleanse us from all sin.  Jude uses the phrase, without fault.  This is only possible because of the cleansing that is available through Christ’s death and resurrection.

So?  There is great joy in the heart of God, in the heart of Jesus Christ and in the heart of the saved believer.  This is the greatest joy that the human heart can ever desire.  It surpasses all joys.  That is a promise that we can grasp with all our hearts.  Jude closes his short letter with this glorious scene, a scene that sets the heart to praise.  May we all who love Jesus, praise God with all our strength, as we are presented before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy. Amen.