Faultless Before His Glory: Can You IMAGINE?!

"Faultless before the presence of His glory." — Jude 1:24

Charles Haddon Spurgeon:  Revolve in your mind that wondrous word, faultless!" We are far off from it now; but as our Lord never stops short of perfection in His work of love, we shall reach it one day. The Saviour who will keep His people to the end, will also present them at last to Himself, as "a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but holy and without blemish." All the jewels in the Saviour's crown are of the first water and without a single flaw. All the maids of honour who attend the Lamb's wife are pure virgins without spot or stain. But how will Jesus make us faultless? He will wash us from our sins in His own blood until we are white and fair as God's purest angel; and we shall be clothed in His righteousness, that righteousness which makes the saint who wears it positively faultless; yea, perfect in the sight of God. We shall be unblameable and unreproveable even in His eyes. His law will not only have no charge against us, but it will be magnified in us. Moreover, the work of the Holy Spirit within us will be altogether complete. He will make us so perfectly holy, that we shall have no lingering tendency to sin. Judgment, memory, will—every power and passion shall be emancipated from the thraldom of evil. We shall be holy even as God is holy, and in His presence we shall dwell for ever. Saints will not be out of place in heaven, their beauty will be as great as that of the place prepared for them. Oh the rapture of that hour when the everlasting doors shall be lifted up, and we, being made meet for the inheritance, shall dwell with the saints in light. Sin gone, Satan shut out, temptation past for ever, and ourselves "faultless" before God, this will be heaven indeed! Let us be joyful now as we rehearse the song of eternal praise so soon to roll forth in full chorus from all the blood-washed host; let us copy David's exultings before the ark as a prelude to our ecstasies before the throne.  

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Spurgeon unpacks this profoundly simple verse beautifully.  My mind is so often stubbornly fixed upon that most microscopic speck of the universe:  me.  This of course, causes untold calamity when I, as the proud captain of my own ship, continue to run it aground at every turn, while never seeming to run out of others to blame.   The sails were improperly set; the deck hands screwed up, etc., etc.  Yielding to His will as a matter of course is a struggle for me, and while it does become less so over time, I know the struggle itself will remain until my last earthly breath.  These words from Jude are a great comfort, knowing that it is God, not me, who is able not only to save me (as if that were not enough!), but to keep me, sustain me, and ultimately present me, spotless before the Father and robed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ!  When I think about how  graciously and completely He covers over every ugly, painful and sin-scarred part of my life, I am overwhelmed with a gratitude that cannot be captured in words.

Looking forward to worship this morning!