GIVING EXALTATION

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Jude 1:24-25

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Everyone loves a good ending. It’s true whether we are watching a movie, television series, or reading a book.

In regard to the latter, as we finish reading the letter written by Jude, the half brother of Jesus, we just don’t get a good ending but a great one, one that serves as a model for giving exaltation to the only One who is worthy of it. Let’s look at these two closing verses again here:

To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. 1:24-25

Before we dive into this declaration of honor to the God Most High, we should look at the definition of the word “exaltation”. In the dictionary, we find this:

The act of raising someone to a higher rank or more powerful position.

With this, we see that the matter of exalting has to be intentional by the exalter. It’s an act that needs to be carried out. In regard to giving exaltation to God, we shouldn’t see this as a duty. We shouldn’t treat it like, the Bible says I should do it and so I had better comply.

Rather, true exaltation comes naturally, born out of one’s natural awestruck adoration and humble acknowledgement of insubordination and servitude toward the Maker and Master of all things, the sole all powerful, sovereign authority over all mankind.

We see this mindset clearly modeled in the word of Jude in these last two verses of his letter. Let’s break down the specific elements we find within it.

1. An affirmation of God’s ability to help guide us away from sin and into righteousness in life.

To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling...

Without the strength found in God, we would be too weak to withstand the attacks of our archenemy, Satan. This is why we need to always be connected to Him as the Apostle Paul exhorts by using the analogy of wearing armor, much like a soldier would as they stepped out onto the battlefield. Here’s what he wrote in the sixth chapter of his letter to the Ephesians:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Vv.10-17

If we have any hope of not stumbling, we must carefully ensure we are following this important guidance for when we do, and only when we do, will we be “strong in the Lord and in His mighty power”.

2. A confession and profession of God’s saving goodness and grace.

To Him who is able to...present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy- to the only God our Savior.

In what is probably the best known Bible verse, John 3:16, we are told by Jesus that God, His Father and ours, so loved the world that He would be willing to surrender and sacrifice His one and only Son (Jesus speaking about Himself) so that whoever would believe in Him wouldn’t perish but have eternal life.

In other words, the God of all creation willingly chose to take people who had stumbled into sin, sin He despises, sin that warrants the penalty of death, and offer up His perfect, sinless Son Jesus as a substitutionary sacrifice, one that atoned for all sin committed by anyone who would believe in Him as Savior.

The end result of this amazing act of mercy, forgiveness, and compassion was that the saved sinner, the Christ believer, would one day be presented before the glorious presence of God “without fault and with great joy”.

Brothers and sisters, isn’t this reason enough to give full exaltation to God along with the fullest measure of our praise?

Let’s make sure that we proclaim it every chance we get, declaring the goodness and grace of our Lord.

3. A total pouring out of respect, tribute, and honor for who God is.

...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

First here, we find a proclamation of God’s exclusiveness. For He is “the only God” and has no rival. His power and authority are unmatched. This is why He and He alone is the divine, endless fount of all glory, majesty, power, and authority. This has been true before anything was created and it will be true “now and forevermore” by way of “Jesus Christ our Lord, the only One who can bring anyone to God the Father for all eternity John 14:6).

Friends, as we begin each day with a renewed sense of thanksgiving for the gift of life God has given, now and forever through His Son, let us never miss a chance to give Him our praise and exaltation, showing our appreciation for all He has done, is doing, and is yet to do.

And as the letter ends...

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.