Oceans in the Desert

by Kathi Pelton

The Book of Jude, which contains only one chapter, is truly playing out before our eyes as God cleans His house and exposes “scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires.” (Jude 1:18)

The Church must increase in discernment because not all who shout the name of Jesus have made Him Lord of all. The grace of our Lord and the fear of the Lord are not to be separated. The fear of the Lord is to be the only standard of true believers, for then there is nothing before Him and no compromising of the full Word of God. It is through grace that we are saved and are able to live in the reverent fear of the Lord.

To witness the deceptions in doctrine (such as no hell, no judgment, a redefining of love and grace, and occult practices in the name of our God) is heartbreaking. To see vile perversions and manipulation, without repentance and disregarding the fear of the Lord, is nothing short of shocking. Yet, the Book of Jude warns us that those who follow the desires of the flesh will arise within the church. They will scoff truth and lead many astray.

But Jude finishes this warning chapter with these words,

“Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen. To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever.Amen.”

Note: “To Him who is able to keep you from falling away.” This makes clear that there can be “a falling away” which is why we need to walk in the fear of the Lord, and not make up our own doctrines that redefine the grace by which we are saved (saved from what if there is no final judgement? Jude 1:8 speaks of a punishment of eternal fire). We must pray for those who are even now falling away because they have moved out of the fear of the Lord into deceptions and doctrines of demons.

“For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” Jude‬ ‭1:4‬ ‭

When we try to make God in our own image to appease our wounds, our compromises, our lack of understanding or our fleshly desires, then we scoff at truth and the One who is all truth. Why do many separate the love of God from the judgements of God? His ways are higher than our ways and we must know that His judgements are not separate from His absolute agape love. His discipline is love, His wrath against sin is love, and His grace is found within that love. His love has given us a free will to choose life or death, full surrender or the demand for our own way, purity or perversion. He will not force us into the fear of the Lord (which is our hiding place, peace, security and refuge) but He invites us into the standard that grace opened up for us.

Yes, this is a very different post than my normal encouragements; but this too is encouragement! I encourage you, even entreat you, into a life of full surrender. Grace will meet you and He is able to keep you from falling away. It’s not works but it is a choice! Only the grace and love found in the fear of the Lord keeps us from stumbling and presents us before our Father without fault. Yet we must heed the warning in the rest of Jude 1. We must turn away from the desires of the flesh

“It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”” Jude‬ ‭1:14-15‬ ‭

To “execute judgement and convict of all ungodly deeds” so that they might turn back to God and escape eternal punishment. His love give us an invitation to repent and be saved. There is a grace to turn back to God and be presented as “faultless” because of the blood of Jesus.

I’m sure that this will not be a popular post or gain many “likes,” but it is truth and the truth is what sets us free.

Let’s walk with Jesus as the plumb line of our way of living. “To Him who is able to keep you from falling…be all glory!”

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