Introduction: Power is the ability to MAKE things happen. The power in your car makes it able to go. The power of electricity makes your appliances able to work. If you have power in your business, you are able to make decisions and make things happen. What about spiritual power? What IS spiritual power? Can Christians actually have spiritual power? Are we able to "make things happen" in the spiritual world? What does Jude say about the Christian's power?

I. We don't have power to keep ourselves "from stumbling."
A. "Stumbling" means stumbling and falling into the fire just mentioned in vs. 23.
B. This means that it is God who has the power to keep His children from sinning.
C. There are two Christian teachings that could be referred to here:
1. Preservation of the Saints (God will preserve His children until the
end of time.)
2. Sanctification (God will make His children more holy as time goes by.)
D. We don't have this power, but God is willing to use His power in our lives.

II. We don't have power to present ourselves "faultless before the presence of His glory."
A. Paul wrote of this in Ephesians 5:25-27, where He said that it was Christ's
will to sanctify and cleanse the Church, and present her without blemish
to Himself in Heaven.
B. Regeneration is a gracious act of the Holy Spirit. We have no power to create repentance or new spiritual life in our own hearts. Missionaries have no power to make their listeners repent and be saved.
C. Sanctification is also a gracious act of the Holy Spirit. We have no power to eradicate sins from our lives. The missionary has no power to create righteousness in the lives and hearts of his listeners.

III. All spiritual power and dominion belong to Jesus.
Verse 25 of Jude tells us five facts about Jesus:
1. He is the one and only God (See also John 20:28-29 and John 8:58).
He is the "I AM," the Jehovah of the Old Testament.
2. He is our Savior. We all stand in need of saving. This is the key to evangelism and missions. When people see that they are only lost sinners, then they will seek the Savior.
3. He is the only Wisdom. It has been said that "all truth is God's truth." That is correct. It is also true that no knowledge or truth is ever fully realized except as it is related to Jesus Christ, the eternal God and Creator.
4. He is completely "sovereign." To Him belong all glory, majesty, dominion and power. He is the King. He has the right to reign. He not only has the right, but He has the power. He is reigning now from Heaven, in a very patient way: today is the day of salvation. The day will soon come when He will return in the flesh to this earth, and reign from David's throne in Jerusalem.
5. He is all these things "now and forever," eternally.

Conclusion: So what is our power? What is the missionary's power? Jesus said, "All power is given to me in Heaven and on earth, Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations." Our power is the delegated authority of Jesus Himself. We have been given authority to preach the Gospel. We have been given authority to win the nations to Christ. We are laborers together with the Holy Spirit. Let's do it!