Jun 18
3
A Four Word Description
If we chose four words to describe the life of a believer–that is, what
the Lord Jesus does for the believer from the first hour we believe
until we come into final glory–these four words might sum it up:
converted, healed, filled, and raised.
If you will read the ninth chapter of Acts, you will find that in three
different people the Lord performed these four things. The Lord Jesus
Christ converted Saul of Tarsus. Jehovah Rapah healed Aeneas from his
sick bed. The Faithful Son of God filled Tabitha with good works. Our
King, who has taken away the sting of death for his people, raised
Tabitha from the grave. The names of the people change, but what Christ
worked for them and in them tells us what he does for every chosen child
of God from the first hour of grace to the last.
Every time the Lord does one of these for us he does all of these for
us. When the Lord first converted you, he healed you spiritually, he
filled you with his Spirit, and he raised you from death to life. Every
time he has healed us from our sickness of self-righteousness and trial,
he has converted us from darkness to light, filled us with good works,
and raised us from the dungeon of dead deeds. As he continually fills us
with good works, he continually converts us from the lies of our hands
to the truth of his, continually heals us from all our sinful doubts,
and raises us to behold him and all the good which He accomplished on
our behalf. He has raised us over and over, but there is coming a day
when he shall raise us one last time. Then we will be converted from
this mortality to immortality, healed from this body of death, filled
with knowledge and understanding like we have never had, raised
incorruptible to be with our Lord forever more.
Clay Curtis.
From Elim to Sinai
And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the
children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between
Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their
departing out of the land of Egypt. Exodus 16: 1
Using Elim as a type of the local church, I see God’s true Israel embark
on a journey that will be repeated in their experience time and again.
The believer’s life is a journey. It begins to be seen at his conversion
and then made known to him over and over every step of the way. What I
see in Israel’s journey to Sinai is the believer’s experience of grace
as it is brought to him on a continual basis until he reaches his
promised destination. This type fits his first revelation of grace and
fits all that will yet come his way.
Many professing Christians look at the believer’s experience in parts.
They see a convincing of sin and then a convincing of righteousness and
then a convincing of judgment satisfied. Now, having experienced these
things he moves on to other things such as how to live, conduct himself
in the world, duties to his wife and children, and so on. He says
concerning the cross “I get it, now lets move on to other things” This
is not how the believer’s life is typified by Israel and it is not the
experience recorded by the New Testament apostles and the saints they
ministered too.
The believer’s experience of grace and the ministry of the Holy Ghost to
him involves a continual journey from Elim to Sinai. It begins with a
thirsty sinner being led to drink from the deep wells of Elim. The
church is the pillar and ground of the truth. It is in these assemblies
where the water of Christ is dispensed to Jacob’s chosen sons. His
churches are raised up and carefully placed where his wandering children
can benefit by them. >>>>>>>>>>
Having tasted of the good waters of Elim they are now led to experience
a wilderness of sin. Sin in them and sin around them. God will have the
believer to fully experience and know this wilderness. He leaves him to
sleep in it, wake in it, walk in it, and live in it. This wilderness
experience is to teach him that salvation is of the Lord. This world has
nothing to contribute to the salvation of God’s elect except such things
God has placed in it for a means to that end.
This wilderness experience is to lead him to Sinai. It was out of the
wilderness of sin that Israel was brought to receive God’s law. It is
out of the spiritual wilderness of our old nature that the apostle Paul
brings us, in Romans 3, to see the law. The law, received in the light
of a fallen nature is to shut us up to the sovereign grace we tasted
back in Elim. It is to shut our mouths and take away our excuses and
cause us to look to the mercy and grace of God in Christ.
It is to this end that each time we hear his gospel we are led down this
path. It is the believers constant and continual experience. This, I
believe, might be a good commentary on Romans 8:1; “There is therefore
now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
Everything else the believer is taught is taught in the light of this
experience. Duties, ordinances, and service are all born along this
journey. God help us to see it, taste it, and profit by it and give him
all the glory for it. – Darvin Pruitt
Proof of Spiritual Life
Joe Terrell
“Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before
me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even
the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall
come, saith the LORD of hosts.” ~Malachi 3:1
A believer is a mass of contradictions so when he looks at himself he
often wonders if he knows God at all. Is there such a thing as proof of
spiritual life? Here it is given: all believers delight in Christ. Much
to a believer’s shame, there may be other things which can also delight
him, but none of these other delights can ever fully displace his desire
for Christ. The Lord used this very principle with Peter when restoring
his confidence of an interest in Christ: Peter do you love me more than
these things? Peter’s conscience must have once again burned with shame
when the Lord asked Him this question a third time for it reminded him
of his three-fold denial of the Lord Jesus a little while ago. His
broken heart gushed forth in a proclamation he likely felt unworthy to
give but still could not deny, “Lord, you know I love you!” Many years
later, Peter would express that sentiment in his own epistle: To you who
believe, He is precious.
We delight in Christ’s Person. Yes, we love his doctrine and we love His
church; but we love Him more. His doctrine is dry without Him, His
church a disappointment apart from His presence. Is there anything you
long for more than to behold His face? Does not every rival attraction
fade to insignificance in His presence? Is there any burden of your
heart that will not find relief when you see Him? Does not His presence
signal to you, “All is well”?
We delight in Christ’s Lordship. It is the Lord who comes. In this case,
“Lord” is not a translation of God’s name, Jehovah, but is His title,
“Adonai”: Lord, Master, Owner. He is our Lord and we love to have it so!
He is Lord of all, and we find comfort in His sovereign rule over all
things.
We delight in His message. He is the messenger of the New Covenant in
His blood. To hear His name spoken; to hear His work described; and to
have those things sealed to our hearts by His Spirit is heaven. Indeed,
“His lips with grace o’er flow”. We say “You who dwell in the gardens
with friends in attendance, let me hear your voice!” (Song of Songs 8:13)
Our delight in Christ is not our boast, neither before men nor before
God; but it is proof in our hearts that we are, indeed, born of God. If
Jesus Christ is not our delight, then we are yet dead in trespasses and
sins. But if He is our delight, then we are alive unto God.
Clothes And Shoes For Life
Tommy Robbins
“I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not
waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.”
Deuteronomy 29:5
This miracle wrought by God for the children of Israel as they journeyed
through the wilderness represents a far greater miracle of grace.
The forty years in the wilderness represents the believer’s life in this
world.
Their ageless clothes represents the righteousness of Christ by and in
which we adorned before God as He leads us to our predestinated abode.
The shoes upon their feet represents His sustaining grace in Providence
as we walk by faith through this world of adversity.
Every day, for forty years, as they grew and persevered, their clothes
and shoes remained new and suited for them. He has lovingly clothed His
children with an everlasting righteousness – “Thy righteousness is an
everlasting righteousness, and Thy law is the truth” Psalms 119:142 and
“shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace” Ephesians
6:15. – And His mercies are new every morning – “It is of the LORD’S
mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They
are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness” Lamentations 3:22-23.
Our Lord in love, mercy and grace has provided for His people all that
we will ever need for time and eternity in His blessed Son. We are kept
by the power of God through faith in Christ Jesus as we journey through
this valley of the shadow of death. We are clothed with the
righteousness of Christ to one day stand in His glorious presence. My
friends, nothing grows old in Christ. He is the same yesterday, today
and for ever. That which is in Christ remains the same, yet is always
new! – “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that
which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing
under the sun” Ecclesiastes 1:9. This verse speaks specifically of
Christ and His redemptive work in its infinite purpose and perfection.
The salvation of the Lord is as old as God Himself, yet will remain new
and enjoyed by the elect for all eternity.
Calling the Dead to Live
If you’re going to command a lame man to take the first step . . . If
you’re going to call upon dead sinners to live . . . If you’re going to
insist that a maniac make a right decision . . . you’d better have a
Gospel that is the power of God unto salvation, or else you mock the
souls of men. You’d better be speaking for the One, of the One, and with
the power and blessing of the One Who is able to save to the uttermost
those who come unto God by him. Salvation is not in the ability of the
preacher, nor is it contingent upon what men will do, but it is sure to
all of God’s elect, because of Christ and what He did do. Christ does
not taunt the lame with the bargain that if they will only take a step,
He will save them. He saves them, by the preaching of the gospel, and
then they leap and shout and praise God. Chris Cunningham
Behold me
We come into this world crying for attention, literally. As we grow
older and more independent, our desire for the eyes of men only gets
worse. We have perfected the art of calling attention to ourselves with
modern day social media. It all goes back to our perverted desire to be
like God. (Gen. 3:5). For God says, “Behold me. Behold me.” Is. 65:1.
What is the difference when God says, “look at me” and when we say it?
For us it is a desperate attempt to shore up our feelings of insecurity
with the approval of men. It is filled with pride and
self-righteousness. When God says, “Behold me”, it is a gracious call
for sinners to be saved. -Greg Elmquist.