False ideas of holiness are common, not only among those who profess false
religions, but among those who profess the true. For holiness is a thing of
which man by nature has no more idea than a blind man has of the beauty of
a flower or the light of the sun. All false religions have had their “holy
men,” whose holiness often consisted merely in the amount of pain they could
inflict upon their bodies, or of food which they could abstain from, or of hard
labor which they could undergo. But with God, a saint or holy man is a very
different being. It is in filial, full-hearted love to God that much of true
holiness consists. And this cannot even begin to be until the sinner has found
forgiveness and tasted liberty, and has confidence towards God. The spirit of
holiness is incompatible with the spirit of bondage. There must be the spirit
of liberty, the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. When the
fountain of holiness begins to well up in the human heart, and to fill the
whole being with its transforming, purifying power, “We have known and
believed the love that God has to us” (1 John 4:16) is the first note of the
holy song, which, commenced on earth, is to be perpetuated through eternity.

We are bought with a price, that we may be new creatures in Christ Jesus. We
are forgiven, that we may be like Him who forgives us. We are set at liberty
and brought out of prison, that we may be holy. The free, boundless love of
God, pouring itself into us, expands and elevates our whole being; and we
serve Him, not in order to win His favour, but because we have already won it
in simply believing His record concerning His Son. If the root is holy, so are
the branches. We have become connected with the holy root, and by the necessity
of this connection are made holy too.

Horatius Bonar, The Everlasting Righteousness

Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels.
Revelation 12:7

War always will rage between the two great sovereignties until one or other be crushed. Peace between good and evil is an impossibility; the very pretence of it would, in fact, be the triumph of the powers of darkness. Michael will always fight; his holy soul is vexed with sin, and will not endure it. Jesus will always be the dragon’s foe, and that not in a quiet sense, but actively, vigorously, with full determination to exterminate evil. All his servants, whether angels in heaven or messengers on earth, will and must fight; they are born to be warriors–at the cross they enter into covenant never to make truce with evil; they are a warlike company, firm in defence and fierce in attack. The duty of every soldier in the army of the Lord is daily, with all his heart, and soul, and strength, to fight against the dragon.

The dragon and his angels will not decline the affray; they are incessant in their onslaughts, sparing no weapon, fair or foul. We are foolish to expe
ct to serve God without opposition: the more zealous we are, the more sure are we to be assailed by the myrmidons of hell. The church may become slothful, but not so her great antagonist; his restless spirit never suffers the war to pause; he hates the woman’s seed, and would fain devour the church if he could. The servants of Satan partake much of the old dragon’s energy, and are usually an active race. War rages all around, and to dream of peace is dangerous and futile.

Glory be to God, we know the end of the war. The great dragon shall be cast out and forever destroyed, while Jesus and they who are with him shall receive the crown. Let us sharpen our swords tonight, and pray the Holy Spirit to nerve our arms for the conflict. Never battle so important, never crown so glorious. Every man to his post, ye warriors of the cross, and may the Lord tread Satan under your feet shortly!

Charles H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening

Awake, my heart; arise, my tongue,
Prepare a tuneful voice;
In God, the life of all my joys,
Aloud will I rejoice.

‘Tis he adorned my naked soul,
And made salvation mine;
Upon a poor polluted worm
He makes his graces shine.

And lest the shadow of a spot
Should on my soul be found,
He took the robe the Savior wrought,
And cast it all around.

How far the heav’nly robe exceeds
What earthly princes wear
These ornaments, how bright they shine!
How white the garments are!

The Spirit wrought my faith, and love,
And hope, and every grace;
But Jesus spent his life to work
The robe of righteousness.

Strangely, my soul, art thou arrayed
By the great Sacred Three!
In sweetest harmony of praise
Let all thy powers agree.

Isaac Watts, Psalms and Hymns