Jun 17
25
The Prince of Life
“And killed the Prince of life whom God raised from the dead” (Acts 3:15).
Did they merely kill a great prophet, a good man or a kind miracle-worker? Jesus of Nazareth was infinitely more. Peter identified Him as being “the Prince of life.”
Who died on that cross? Who was murdered? Who was killed? Who was nailed to a Roman cross to die in agony and blood? They “killed the Prince of life!” He died at the hands of wicked men, but by the appointment of Jehovah, and by His death, vile sinners were redeemed back to God and shall live forever.
This is matchless love indeed! “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). Satan wreaked his heinous wrath in stirring up the hearts of the ungodly who “killed the Prince of life,” but by the death of Christ the enemy of our souls has been mortally wounded. Sin did its worst and showed its venom against Christ, but by the sacrifice of Himself He washed away the sins of His people.
The law and justice of God, which must slay the guilty, exacted from our Savior the full redemption price for His people and was completely satisfied in His death. All hail to the Prince of life! He died and as a result, all for whom He died shall live forever with Him!
Author unknown
Children of God, the paths of our lives are well ordered; for they are ordered by our heavenly Father, who is too wise to err, too strong to fail, and too good to do wrong.
Don Fortner
You Can’t Wash Yourself Clean
Matthew 27:24
When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.
Pilate seemed noble enough when he washed his hands and claimed to Christ’s accusers that he found no fault in Him. However such sin as his is not easily removed. There is an “idiom” (a saying), which is commonly used today that goes, “I am washing my hands of such and such a person.” That simply means that one is claiming to end their association with another, that they will stop being involved with them. “I am washing my hands of the situation,” means, “I will relieve myself of all responsibility in the matters which concern them.” I can assure you that this did not work for Pilate. His “washing” was ineffective. Men and women cannot wash themselves clean of their guilt and shame in sin. Pilate’s confession was, “I am innocent of the blood of this just person.” Men and women cannot claim or declare themselves to be innocent of the shedding of Christ’s blood. God is the Eternal Judge, and He declares that we are all guilty of that charge! Pilate washed his own hands with water. Pilate confessed Christ’s innocence with his own mouth, yet his actions proved both his washing and his confession to be false!
Notice carefully his words. “I am innocent of the blood of this just person, SEE YE TO IT.” In other words, “I won’t condemn and kill Him, but you can!” Pilate played a major role in the judgment, condemnation and death of Jesus Christ the Righteous. He should have acted the part of an upright judge, not hastening or yielding to the unrighteous and evil request of the people. He should have let Christ go free, instead of turning Him over into the hands of those who hated Him without a cause.
His washing and his profession meant nothing! Sinner, neither will yours! We too are guilty of crucifying the Savior. Though the Lord Jesus Christ was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, the scriptures declare that, “YE have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.” (Acts 2:23) I have, you have, we all have, in our wicked hearts have taken, crucified and slain the Lord of glory over and over again.
Has God caused you to feel the guilt and the shame of it? If He has, you cannot declare yourself to be innocent. God must declare you so in Christ! You cannot wash yourself clean with water (baptism). Christ must wash you clean with His own blood. Will men and women ever learn that salvation is the work of God alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone? They won’t unless God be their teacher.
David Eddmenson
“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the
ends of the earth; for I am God.”
I suppose when we say, ‘Look to Christ’ or ‘Look unto Christ,’ this puzzles a lot of people. One will say, ‘If Christ were in Jerusalem, I would sell out and go and look upon Him, and listen to Him.’ Another might say, ‘If Christ were here today, I would sit at His feet and look upon Him.’ Oh my friends, like Nicodemus, we are bound to the flesh. ‘How can I be born again, shall I enter my mother’s womb? Our saving connection with Christ has nothing to do with our natural eyes, ears, or hands, but with the mind and heart. It is to hear Him in the mind, look to Him in the will, love and believe Him in the heart.
One does not need a college degree to look! You may not be able to read, but you can look; you may be destitute of virtue, but you can look; you may have no merit, but you can look. Looking only requires my personal interest and attention. Another can pray for me, but no one can look for me; I must look to Him myself. I look not to His disciples, His church, or His law; I am exhorted to look to Him. Salvation is in Him (I John 5:10-12).
Pastor Maurice Montgomery
God’s High Priest
Some time ago I spoke to a man who told me he was a member of the “Order of Melchizedek”. He seemed to be very proud of the fact that his group had discovered some deep mystery that was known only to themselves. Their leaders had written some books that gave them insight into these lost ancient secrets. It was clear to me that this man was infatuated with a hard to pronounce name that had the sound of profundity. However, it was also clear that though he thought he understood all mysteries, he was, in fact, clueless.
Isn’t that the way religious people are? They aquire a vocabulary that makes it sound like they have uncovered the deep meaning of life while blind and ignorant to the most basic truths.
So, who is Melchizedek and what does His name tell us? Hebrews 7:2 makes it clear that His name means: 1) King of Righteousness, and 2) King of Peace. The two things men can never do for themselves, Righteousness and Peace. Melchizedek was a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ as God’s High Priest. Only as He intercedes for us with His perfect righteousness, can we enjoy peace with God. The only way to be of the “order of Melchizedek” is to be “in” Melchizcdek. When that is done, men don’t boast of their knowledge. They boast of their Lord.
Greg Elmquist
Have you seen the Glory of God
Divine truth is like a perfect diamond. It is one – yet it has many facets, cut and polished by the hand of our God. When the whole message is preached, “all the counsel of God” is declared; the glory of God is seen sparkling and shining in all its beauty and grace. Not to understand this is what makes most preaching dull, lifeless, and uninteresting. Instead of looking at the gem of truth in its entirety men choose to single out and exaggerate one facet, magnifying it until the congregation is looking at one flat surface which only serves to reflect the image of the preacher, the movement or the denomination! What is taught may be true and may have much value when understood in its relationship to other truth, but taken alone, it is powerless to reveal the glory of Christ and really presents a distorted view of His gospel.
1. Divine sovereignty without human responsibility leads men to fatalism and indifference. “Who can resist His will? Then why blame me for sinning?” Rom. 9:18-19
2. Human responsibility without divine intervention leads men to despair and helplessness. “How then can man be just with God? How can he be clean that’s born of a woman?” job 25:4
3. Sovereign election without means and the response of repentance and faith leads men to idleness and an unjust view of God. “I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, so I did nothing.” Matt. 25:24.
4. Human effort and means without divine purpose leads men to pride and self-righteousness. “Being ignorant of God’s righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness” Rom. 10:3
5. The kingdom of Christ or the reign of Christ on earth without the reign of Christ in the heart leads me to seek rewards, position; and selfglory. “Grant that my sons may sit one on thy right hand and one on they left, in thy kingdom.” Matt. 20:21
6. Religious activities and even outstanding gifts and services without love for Christ and others leads men to empty service and worthless sacrifice. “Though I bestow my goods to feed the poor and my body to be burned and have not love, it profiteth me nothing.” I Cor. 13:3
7. Spirit without truth is wildfire; truth without spirit is dead orthodoxy. Grace without obedience is disgrace; obedience without grace is hypocrisy.
Christ our Lord receives sinners. He received them as a gift from the Father. He received them as a purchased possession when He redeemed them by His blood. “Ye are not your own, ye are bought with a price.” He receives them from the hand of the Holy Spirit when they are regenerated and called to faith. But sinners also receive Christ. Being awakened to the curse of the Law, the sinner cries for mercy. “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Being awakened to the guilt of his own sin, the sinner repents in sackcloth and ashes crying, “Wash me and I shall be clean.” Being awakened to his own inability and the sufficiency of Christ, the sinner receives Christ as his sole redeemer and mediator. Being awakened to the Lordship of Christ the sinner bows before Him in total submission and surrender, “Lord, what will you have me do?” Being awakened to an understanding of the fullness of God vested in Christ the sinner commits all things, all hope, and all desire unto Him against that day!
My Prophet
Thou art the truth, Thy word alone,
true wisdom can impart;
to Thee I yield a willing mind,
and open all my heart.
My Priest
I all other Priests disclaim,
and laws and offerings, too;
None but the bleeding lamb
the mighty work can do.
My King
My King supreme, to thee I bow,
A willing subject at thy feet;
All other lords I disavow,
And to thy government submit.
I am not wise enough to know what facet of divine revelation a person has missed; I’m not smart enough to devise plans of study and growth for a particular group! If I take upon myself to organize and direct your worship, faith, and understanding you will (perish the thought) only be like me and not like Christ. How many professors of theology, pastors of assemblies, and teachers of scripture are turning out carbon copies of themselves. The solution is found in Paul’s words to the Elders in Acts 20. “I have kept back nothing profitable unto you – I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God – Brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace which is able to build you up.” Did not the apostle warn us of following men to the point of divisions, envying, and strife? “I am of Paul; I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who is Paul and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?” I am a Calvinist, one says, or I am pre-millenial, or I am reformed. If you really mean that in all that it implies, its unfortunate, for the diamond of truth is infinitely greater and more glorious than Calvin, all of the reformers put together, and every religious system that ever existed. It is the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We preach Christ and ourselves your servants for Christ’s sake!
Henry Mahan.