Order of Service

Jude 24-25

(24) 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, (25) To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.      

Introduction

God’s Word is amazing. It is both timely and timeless. Like a multifaceted diamond, it looks differently as you view it from various angles. Yet, each point of perception is just as beautiful as all the rest. Like the ocean, where a small child can wade safely or a cargo ship can sail across continents, God’s Word has depths of a few inches and depths of several miles to accommodate various uses. If I may repeat what I often say, “God’s Word has an app for every situation.”

I have preached and taught about doxologies and benedictions many times before and have preached from these two verses numerous times. This time, I was inspired as I gathered used Sunday School quarterlies to recycle them for ministries who do not have the material resources as Antioch-Lithonia. I was reminded that these verses were included in the lesson for March, 9, 2025. I am sure the Sunday School teachers did excellent jobs teaching these verses. (We have great teachers at Antioch-Lithonia!) As I perused these two verses, like that multi-faceted diamond, I saw things that I had never seen in the text. Not only do these verses exalt God, but they also encourage and exhort the believer.  This is a two-pronged doxology.

To quote Spurgeon one more time, “It’s the same soup warmed over and we dare not change the recipe.” Today, we will just reheat it and put it in a different colored bowl.

A doxology, originally, was a poem written to praise a king. It comes from two Greek words: doxa, which means glory or praise, and logos, which means word. The term doxology literally means “praise words” or “glory words.”   It was customary when one was allowed an audience with the king, to recite a doxology upon entering and another doxology upon leaving. It was a rare occasion and an honor to speak directly to the king; therefore, upon anticipation of the meeting, a subject would spend much time getting the doxologies “just right.” While reciting the exiting doxology, the subject was not allowed to turn his back to the king and walk away. He had to walk backward away from the king, bowing repeatedly, as he recited the second doxology. He had to “respect” the king. To put it another way, he could not turn his backside to the king. That would have been insulting to the king, and would have resulted in the subject being dragged off to prison or even executed. He had to keep looking at the king as he made his exit by backing humbly and adoringly away. Our English word “respect” literally means to look at continually. Remember, the Romans called their kings emperors. The “emperor” was the king of the “empire.”

There are many doxologies recorded in the Bible. Many have been set to music. In fact, The Lord’s Prayer, which is our model, ends with a doxology. Jude’s doxology is unique because it comes after a laundry list of sins, corruption, and heresies, which were running rampant at the time. Many had crept into the church congregations. Yet, despite these negative acknowledgements, Jude could still give God praise and adoration. It also edified believers. In his praise, he tells how God protects believers. This is the right doxology for such a time as this.  Our faith must not let us ignore the many disturbing facts we hear on the news each day. Our faith must let us respond to the facts with reason, wisdom, and love. Some medicines have a negative side effect, and many, to the initial surprise of pharmaceutical professionals, have a positive side effect. Praise, worship, and adoration of God always have a positive side effect. Let’s look at three of the positive side effects of this beautiful doxology.

Exposition 

1. Preservation During Our Earthly Existence.

    (He Will Keep Us From Falling/Stumbling.)

    (We Will Not Fall Because Of Our Missteps.)

    (We Will Not Fall Because Others Put Stumbling Blocks In Our Way.)

2. Presentation To Our Eternal King.

   (To Present You Faultless/Blameless.)

   (We Will Have A Special Formal Audience With The King Of Glory.)   

   (Our Record Of Sinful Deeds Is Expunged.)

   (His Blood Is Really A Stain Remover.)

3. Perpetual Joy In Our Everlasting State.

   (With Exceeding Joy.)

   (Both The Saints And The Savior Will Rejoice.)

   (No English Translation Can Express The Magnitude Of This Joy.)

   (Tense Of The Greek Verb Indicates Something That Will Continue

    Indefinitely.)

Closing Thoughts

Our text is a commingling of two sacred things: a doxology and a

benediction. “Benediction” literally means “beneficial words.” As you

know, it is a pronouncement of divine favor at the end of a worship

service, by an officiant, or at the end of a letter. In the Baptist

tradition, the only times a benediction is not given at the end of a

worship service is after Holy Communion or during Holy Week. The

thought is that, there are no good or beneficial words because Jesus

is about to be crucified. However, on Resurrection Sunday, there are

some very, very good words. Now back to Jude, what better way to

give worshippers some good words than to remind them of the power

of our almighty God. This is what Jude did. After considering His glory,

majesty, dominion, and power, how could you not have some good

words in your spirit, positive thoughts in your minds, and love in your

heart?

Related Scriptures

Matthew 6:13b; Romans 16:25-27; Ephesians 3:20-21.

End Notes

1. You know Aretha Franklin sang about respect. If you remove the prefix “re” from respect you have the morpheme “spect” left. It is from the Latin word specere, which means to look. From this we get spectator, one who looks at an event; spectacular, which describes something exciting and worth taking the time to view; spectacles, which are eye glasses; and speculate, which is the mind’s eye viewing possibilities.

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