Dec 24
28
Jesus Is My Glory And My Salvation
“Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice…for my Name is in him.”
—Exodus 23:20-21.
Who can this be, my soul, but Jesus?
He, and He only, Who is the whole of the covenant, is also the Messenger and the Angel of the covenant.
JEHOVAH hath never put His name in any other; neither given His honour to any other.
But in Jesus He is eternally well pleased, and hath given all things into His hand.
Pause then, my soul, and contemplate this holy, this blessed, this only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
I see in Him all the glory, the sovereignty, the wisdom, grace and goodness of the Father, and He is JEHOVAH’S salvation to the ends of the earth.
And wilt thou then, my gracious God and Father, send Jesus before me in all my way, to keep me, to guide me, and to bring me in, to behold thy glory in the face of Jesus Christ, and to dwell with thee for ever?
Oh Lord Jesus! I would desire grace so to beware of thee, so to love thee, so to obey thee, so to adore thee, so to make thee my all in all, my life, my love, my joy, my present, my everlasting hope and portion, that in life and death, in time and to all eternity, Jesus may be my glory and salvation for ever and ever.
Robert Hawker
How can we know whether we have gone, not only from ignorance to knowledge, but also from knowledge to submission? It is primarily revealed in this: we cease from establishing our own righteousness before God. We glory in nothing other than Christ’s cross, soothe our conscience with nothing but His blood, and rest our hope for favour with God on nothing other than Christ’s acceptance before the Father.
Joe Terrell
“Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” Jn. 4:29
The woman who spoke these words had come to the well for nothing more than regular water and surely had no thought of her eternal soul. But the Lord, who providentially was there, obviously worked a powerful work of grace in her heart. He revealed that He knew who and what she was…a sinner! And being truly stirred in her heart by His powerful and gracious revelation, she went back into the city and admonished the men there to come see a man that had done something for her…exposed her need of Him…”is not this the Christ?” was her plea. If the Lord has done something for us, let us be unashamedly inviting others to come hear the message of the Christ that we worship. The Lord may be pleased to call one of them out of the darkness of sin and unbelief.
Marvin Stalnaker.
THIS IS THE RECORD
“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (I John 5:11-12).
This is the record or the witness of the gospel: God has given eternal life to His people. They didn’t earn it or deserve it. They were dead in trespasses and sins but God gave them eternal life as a free gift of His grace.
If you desire to have this life, go to Christ. Eternal life is not in our decision, our morality, or our religious activity. Eternal life is in Christ because Christ is life. There is nothing more important than knowing and trusting Christ. Knowing Christ is so important that whoever knows Christ and believes on Him has eternal life and whoever does not believe Him cannot have life. (John 3:36)
Frank Tate
LOVEST THOU ME?
This is the point on which a man’s relationship with God hinges. As
simple as the question may sound, it is most searching. If a man has
no love for Christ, he has no faith. If a man truly loves Christ, all is right;
if not, all is wrong.
Henry Mahan
LIKE A CHILD
“Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as
little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven”
(Matt. 18:3).
One of the wonderful and amazing things about little children is their implicit trust and confidence in their parents. They only need a simple statement or promise from Mom or Dad as the foundation of that trust and confidence. Lengthy explanations are not required nor asked for. Simply make them a promise and sincere belief and trust springs up in their hearts. How is this manifest? They follow Mom and Dad around, living on that promise, continually reminding them of it, and awaiting its fulfillment!
Is not that the way the children of God live before their heavenly Father? “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13).
Maurice Montgomery
HAVE YOU BEEN BORN AGAIN?
Most people look for some outward evidence of the new birth. They look for a changed life. They look for a more religious demeanour. But the only evidence that there is of the new birth is inward not outward. The only evidence of the new birth is faith in Christ. “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God” (I John 5:1). If you believe that Jesus Christ is the Saviour that the Father sent into the world to save His elect, then you have been born again. If you believe that the only way that your sinful soul can be saved is by the Lord Jesus Christ, then you have been born again. The only people who can believe on cChrist that way are people who have been born again with a new nature of faith.
Frank Tate
‘Now I believe that for the most part, those who have nothing else but a birth ‘of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man,’ have no doubts nor fears, no strong exercises nor sharp temptations as to their eternal state before God: whilst, on the other hand, those whom the Lord is teaching by the blessed Spirit, are often tried and exercised in their minds whether the feelings which they from time to time inwardly experience spring from a real work of God upon their souls, or whether they are mere counterfeits and imitations of a work of grace. Thus, in God’s mysterious providence, those who have every reason to fear have for the most part no fear at all, and those who have no reason whatever to fear, but stand complete in Christ, the objects of God’s eternal love, and the sheep for whom Jesus died, are the only persons who are plagued and pestered with the fears that spring from their own unbelieving hearts, and the temptations with which Satan is continually distressing their minds. It is the object of Satan to keep those secure who are safe in his hands… So that whilst those who have no work of grace upon their hearts at all are left secure, and free from doubt and fear, those in whom God is at work are exercised and troubled in their minds, and often cannot really believe that they are the people in whom God takes delight.’
J.C. Philpot
Jehovah Tsidkenu: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS
Have you ever wondered how the Holy God of the Bible could make a guilty, defiled, hell-deserving sinner righteous (HOLY)?
The Scriptures are quite clear that PERFECT
RIGHTEOUSNESS (HOLINESS) is the requirement for any sinner’s entrance into God’s presence.
Christ said: “For I say unto you, that except YOUR righteousness EXCEED the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt.7:20)
We learn several lessons from Christ’s words in this verse.
First of all, this righteousness required by God to bring us into His presence has to be legally MINE – Except YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
But Scripture tells us that “all OUR RIGHTEOUSNESSES are as filthy rags”
(Isa.64:6)
Paul said “There is NONE RIGHTEOUS, no not one”
(Rom.3:10)
Secondly, our righteousness has to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees righteousness.
What kind of righteousness did they have?
They had a righteousness of their own creation, consisting of their obedience to God’s law and their participation in the ceremonies and rituals of the Mosaic covenant.
Their righteousness impressed other men.
And He said unto them, “Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.”
(Lk.16:15)
These men prayed, they gave tithes of all that they had, they attended synagogue regularly, and they obeyed every outward commandment.
Yet our Lord tells us their righteousness is not the righteousness required to bring a sinner to heaven.
The question remains: Where do we find the righteousness God requires?
This is what the grace of God is all about.
In the person of Christ, God’s grace and mercy provided what His holiness and justice demanded . His holiness demands that we keep His holy law perfectly in thought, word, and deed from the cradle to the grave.
In other words, we have to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul, not just for our whole lives, BUT ETERNALLY. Also, God’s justice demands we suffer the eternal punishment due unto our sin.
The soul that sinneth, IT SHALL DIE
If you break just one of God’s laws, it demands that you suffer eternal condemnation, with no possibility of parole.
This dear sinner is why Christ Jesus is called The
Lord OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Christ loved God with all His heart, mind, and soul from the cradle to the grave, and He suffered sinlessly for all the sins of all God’s elect.
He didn’t do it as a private Person, but as the representative and substitute of His people, and His finished work at Calvary (HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ) has become theirs legally in God’s sight, just as much theirs, because in God’s sight they had performed it in Christ in their eternal union in Him.
The writer of Pilgrims Progress, John Bunyan said it best: “And indeed, this is one of the greatest mysteries in the world, namely, that a righteousness that resides with a Person in heaven should justify me a sinner, on earth!”
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CONTEMPORARY RELIGION
NEVER in the history of the world has there been so much
religious activity. Religious men and women, young and old, are
actively involved in political, social, and moral issues in the name
of God (and for the good they do, I am truly thankful).
In the matter of “soul-winning,” evangelists, missionaries,
pastors and personal witnesses “compass sea and land” (Matt.
23:15) in their efforts to “win” sinners to Jesus (and for the success
they have, generally speaking, I am truly sorry!). The true “soul-
winners” are those evangelists, missionaries, pastors and
witnesses whose chief endeavour is to set forth the Lord Jesus
Christ and him crucified before sinners as He is revealed in the
Word of God (I Cor. 2:2; Gal. 3:1), leaving the results to God the
Spirit.
The Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory, is not standing by
someplace waiting for “soul-winners” to bring sinners to Himself.
The Christ of God comes to the sinners He saves, where they are,
as they are, through the preached Word, opening their hearts and
taking up residence there by the Holy Spirit. Sinners cannot come
to the Lord Jesus, nor can they be “won” to the Lord Jesus by the
wiles of some alleged “soul-winner.” The Lord Jesus Christ came
into this world to SAVE sinners, and He is doing just that! He
pursues, subdues and renews whom He wills (John 5:21).
“Salvation is of the Lord.” “Lord Jesus, come quickly.” Come to
your saints here today. Come to lost sinners here today. “Draw
us and we will run after Thee” (Song of Solomon 1:4; John
6:44,45; Ps. 110:3).
“Pass me not, O gentle Saviour – Hear my humble cry!
While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by .”
Maurice Montgomery
Too many people in religion want to find out “when.” When was I
saved? When was I justified? When was I born again? But we
should be spending our time considering how glorious it is that
God would save a sinner like me; justify the ungodly like me; and
give life to a dead sinner like me. Frank Tate