The Ultimate Transporter

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy” (v24).

In the action flick franchise “The Transporter,” Jason Statham’s character always delivers. He will transport anything, anywhere—for the right price. He’s the best in the business. But Jude would beg to differ. Not so fast, my friend. His big Brother makes Statham look like a lazy slacker. Jesus has the power and skills to keep you from falling flat on your face. He will always get you from where you are into the presence of God without one smudge. Jesus is the ultimate Transporter.

We desperately need our divine action Hero because of the bad guys who stand between us and our destination. Jude tells us that a crew of false teachers are infiltrating local congregations looking to blow them up with their perverted message (Jude 4, 10-13). This is no chick flick. This story is loaded with sex (Jude 4, 7-8), prison (Jude 6, 15), wild animals (Jude 10), corruption (Jude 10), rebellion (Jude 10), meteors (13), slander (Jude 8), trash talk (Jude 16), citywide infernos (Jude 7, 23), and amazing rescues (Jude 14-15, 23). But this isn’t some formula film manufactured in the mind of some hack screenwriter. This is a TRUE story! And it stars the greatest action Hero of all time. Jesus is the ultimate Transporter.

Jude wraps up his little letter by reassure us that our Hero can and will come to our rescue. Just about every Bible translator tells us that God is the One “who is able” to make this happen. Can I be honest with you for just a second? That phrase just doesn’t deliver the goods, in my humble opinion. In the original Greek, Jude uses the verb dunamai. This is the same word where we get our words dynamo and dynamite. We’re talking incredibly power here. It means to have the power by virtue of one’s own ability and resources. It describes someone or something to be capable, strong, and powerful. Is God able? You betcha. But that makes it sound like He just barely has the strength to inch the ball over the goal line. No, our Lord lowers His shoulder and throws off defenders like they’re rag dolls. 

God is not barely able to get the job done. He’s not just hoping that all the breaks fall His way so that maybe and just maybe, possibly, hopefully accomplish His mission. Nope. That’s not what Jude means at all. He wants to know without a doubt that God easily has the power in Himself to make it happen. He ripples with strength. He drips with raw energy. As impossible as it would be for me to do this, this is a walk in the park for God Almighty.

God fills His Word from cover to cover with promises of His limitless ability. Think of them as scriptural power gauges. When Abraham doubted Yahweh’s ability to give his family a child, God asked him, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (Gen 18:15). David’s buddy Jonathan knew “nothing can hinder the LORD” (1Sam 14:6). Once God saw Job through his horrible storm, he made it clear, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2). As the Babylonians attacked Jerusalem, Jeremiah declared, “Nothing is too hard for You” (Jer 32:17). Gabriel the angel assured a pregnant teenager named Mary, “Nothing is impossible with God” (Lk 1:37). And Jesus let His team know, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Mt 19:26). Without God, there’s no way. When He gets involved, Mission Possible.

Now that we know that God is more than powerful enough to accomplish His mission, Jude tells us that a big part of that work is “to keep us from stumbling” (v24). A closer look at the original language lets us in on the fact that Jesus is closely guarding and protecting you and me. He’s our Bodyguard. He’s right there with us every step of the way to make sure we don’t trip and fall. Now that doesn’t mean that I don’t stub my toe every so often. As King David’s lyrics say, “Though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his right hand” (Ps 37:24). I may trip and fall but He will make perfectly sure that any fall is not spiritually fatal. Our divine Bodyguard is always on the job, 24/7/365. He never sleeps. He never slumbers (Ps 121:4). That’s because Jesus is the ultimate Transporter. 

So where is He taking us? Who’s on the receiving end of His delivery? You’ll be interested to know that Jesus is making the delivery to Himself. Christ transports us “to present us blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy” (v24). We’re headed to His presence. Back in verse one, Jude gets the ball rolling by telling his readers that they are “called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ” (Jude 1). The Apostle Paul confirms the delivery when he writes to the Ephesians does all of this “so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor” (Eph 5:27).

Not only can I can count on God who has the power to keep me from stumbling and eventually present me blameless before God, He makes sure I have joy all along the way. This is just the opposite of what Isaiah experienced on His stunning visit God’s throne room (Is 6:1-7). The holy-holy-holiness of Jesus so exposed his own sin that the prophet was a totally broken man. For Ike, there was awe and worship. For you and me, there will also be joy unthinkable when we arrive. We have absolutely nothing to fear. Nothing to worry about. There’s unspeakable joy once He delivers us into His glorious and holy presence. 

Statham’s character is pretty good. But there’s absolutely nobody better at delivering believers from wherever they are into the presence of God than our Savior. That’s because Jesus is the ulti