EVENING
SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/30/2025 9:42 PM
My
Worship Time Focus: PT-2 “To The Committed”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: Jude 23b
Message of the verse: “and on some have mercy with fear, hating even
the garment polluted by the flesh.”
It would be best
if you look at the first SD on this section so you can better understand what
is being said here.
I
will begin by quoting from John MacArthur’s commentary “When the church does
not deal properly with the spiritual contamination that false teachers can
spread, the results can be disastrous.
For example, the Lord told the church at Sardis, ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you
are dead’ (Rev. 3:1). That was
because only a few in Sardis had not ‘soiled
their garments’ (v. 4). The rest had
indiscriminately embraced apostasy, which damned their souls and killed the
church. Sardis, along with some of the
other seven churches in Revelation (especially Pergamum, Thyatira, and Laodicea),
failed to heed the apostle Paul’s warning:
Now
I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and
hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord
Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech
they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting (Rom. 16:17-18).
“The
spiritual survival and prosperity of us who love Christ, especially in times of
growing apostasy, requires the utmost perseverance and care. We must be defensive—remembering what
Scripture teaches about the presence of false teachers. And we must also be proactive—diligently practicing
the disciplines of Bible study, prayer, and obedience as we eagerly anticipate
Christ’s return. Finally, we must
exercise bold discernment in taking the offensive and reaching out to apostates
and those influenced by their heresies.
The Christian life has always been a pilgrimage (Heb. 11) and a
spiritual battle (Eph. 6:10-18), but its end will be triumphant (Rev.
18-22). With that truth in mind, we can
take great solace and encouragement in the words of the well-known hymn ‘Onward,
Christian Soldiers’:
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with
the cross of Jesus going on before!
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe; forward into battle see
His banners go!
As the sign of triumph Satan’s host doth flee; on,
then, Christian soldiers, on to victory!
Hell’s foundations quiver at the shout of praise; brothers, lift your
voices, loud your anthems raise!
This
Spiritual Diary from this evening will end this chapter from John MacArthur’s
commentary on Jude 23b, and then we only have one more chapter from his
commentary to look at which is verses 24-25 of Jude and that will end this
little letter that our Lord’s half brother penned. After spending much in this letter I have
certainly learned much from it, especially about apostates, knowing that many
are still around this world today.
8/30/2025 10:02 PM
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