Take up the cross, and follow me!!

“Take up the cross, and follow me.”
Mar_10:21

You have not the making of your own cross, although unbelief is a master carpenter at cross-making; neither are you permitted to choose your own cross, although self-will would fain be lord and master; but your cross is prepared and appointed for you by divine love, and you are cheerfully to accept it; you are to take up the cross as your chosen badge and burden, and not to stand cavilling at it. 
This night Jesus bids you submit your shoulder to His easy yoke. Do not kick at it in petulance, or trample on it in vain-glory, or fall under it in despair, or run away from it in fear, but take it up like a true follower of Jesus. Jesus was a cross-bearer; he leads the way in the path of sorrow. Surely you could not desire a better guide! And if he carried a cross, what nobler burden would you desire? The Via Crucis is the way of safety; fear not to tread its thorny paths.
Beloved, the cross is not made of feathers, or lined with velvet, it is heavy and galling to disobedient shoulders; but it is not an iron cross, though your fears have painted it with iron colours, it is a wooden cross, and a man can carry it, for the Man of sorrows tried the load. 

Take up your cross, and by the power of the Spirit of God you will soon be so in love with it, that like Moses, you would not exchange the reproach of Christ for all the treasures of Egypt. Remember that Jesus carried it, and it will smell sweetly; remember that it will soon be followed by the crown, and the thought of the coming weight of glory will greatly lighten the present heaviness of trouble. The Lord help you to bow your spirit in submission to the divine will ere you fall asleep this night, that waking with to-morrow’s sun, you may go forth to the day’s cross with the holy and submissive spirit which becomes a follower of the Crucified.

WE ARE ALL AS AN UNCLEAN THING!

“We are all as an unclean thing.”
Lev_13:12-17; Lev_13:45-46

The fearful disease of leprosy was so common among the Israelites that laws were made for its regulation, and ordinances by which cleansed persons were restored to the society of Israel, from which their leprosy had excluded them. Among the laws was one singular one which we will read because it is full of teaching.
Lev_13:12-13
This seems very strange, and we cannot stay to account for it; but assuredly when a soul appears to itself to be nothing else but sin it is very near to salvation. Corruption hidden within is far more dangerous than that which the eye sees and laments. When the sinner’s iniquity comes out to view, he will fly for cleansing to the Lord Jesus. As long as we think there is some soundness in us, we boast ourselves proudly and are in a sorry case; but when we see that, from the sole of the foot even to the head, we are only wounds and bruises and putrifying sores, then are we humbled and our cure begins.
Lev_13:14-15
Just what our ignorance values most in our nature the Lord considers to be our deadliest mark.
Lev_13:16-17
When to the eye he seemed worst he was really better. The Lord sees not as man sees. When the disease is all upon the surface, all beneath the man’s own view, he is clean. When self-righteousness is gone, when we have no soundness in us, then is the hour of grace. If the priest found the man to be unclean, the law shut him out from the camp.
Lev_13:45
He was made to wear the rent garments of woe, his head was laid bare as though he mourned for himself as dead, and his lip was covered as though for ever closed from all intercourse with men. To prevent others from coming near him, and catching the dreadful infection, he had to utter the warning cry, “Unclean, unclean.”
Lev_13:46
He sat without, and none dare approach him, neither was he permitted to come near to any man. His disease was foul, painful, wasting, and deadly. Such too is sin, and such is the sinner’s condition before the Lord. He is excluded from the divine presence, and dead in trespasses and sins. The principle of health or holiness is gone from him; his spiritual powers are withered, and every smew shrunk. Streams of impurity burst forth in his soul, and render him utterly loathsome to God. Upon him has fallen the shadow of death. No human hand can heal him, there is no balm in Gilead, there is no physician there. The sinner is sick unto death, and is far past all earthly help. Yet one there is who can heal with a word, and he is present here, saying to each one of us, “Look unto me and be saved, for I am God, and beside me there is none else.” He who refuses this Physician deserves to die; and die he must. Will it be so with any one of us? Rather let each one of us put our trust in Jesus from this hour.

Physician of my sin-sick soul,
To thee I bring my case;
My raging malady control,
And heal me by thy grace.

It lies not in a single part,
But through my frame is spread;
A burning fever in my heart,
A palsy in my head.

Lord, I am sick, regard my cry,
And set my spirit free:
Say, canst thou let a sinner die,
Who longs to live to thee?

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean!

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean.”
Lev_14:1-7
Lev_14:3
perhaps the priest was otherwise occupied, and then the leper must wait until he could leave the camp and come to him, but Jesus is always ready to hear the sinner’s cry. Moreover all that the priest could do was to pronounce a man ceremonially clean who was already healed, but Jesus actually heals the sin-sick soul
Lev_14:7
See how the two streams of blood and water meet in the type as they do yet more fully in Jesus. He, as slain for us, purges away our guilt; and, as living for us, he is our righteousness. “He was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” He came not by water only, but by water and blood, and we also are now born of water and of the Spirit. Now also we fly in the open field, and a new song is in our mouth, even praise unto our God.
Mar_1:40-45
In the Evangelists we meet with the cure of a leper by our Lord, in which the Jewish rites and ceremonies are alluded to.
Mar_1:40
Here was faith enough to believe that Jesus could remove an incurable disease, but there lingered a sad “if” in his faith, like a dead fly in the pot of ointment. Nevertheless, the Lord Jesus accepted the imperfect faith, and gave in return a perfect cure.
Mar_1:41
What a blessed “I will.” Christ’s will is omnipotent. He can save us even with his wish. He can save us at this present moment.
Mar_1:42
Salvation is instantaneous. The moment we believe in Jesus we have eternal life.
Mar_1:44
While the law stood our Lord observed it; how much more should we obey the gospel in every point of precept and ordinance.
Mar_1:45
Jesus was modest and retiring, and sought not honour of men. But the man’s gratitude would not let him be silent. He told his story, and the news ran along like fire over a prairie—it blazed abroad, to the praise of the Good Physician.

Lord, I am vile, conceived in sin,
And born unholy and unclean;
Sprung from the man whose guilty fall
Corrupts the race, and taints us all.

Behold I fall before Thy face,
My only refuge is Thy grace;
No outward forms can make me clean;
The leprosy lies deep within.

No bleeding bird, nor bleeding beast,
Nor hyssop branch, nor sprinkling priest,
Nor running brook, nor flood, nor sea,
Can wash the dismal stain away.

Jesus, my God! Thy blood alone
Hath power sufficient to atone;
Thy blood can make me white as snow;
No Jewish types could cleanse me so.

He is altogether lovely!

“He is altogether lovely.”

2Cor_3:7-18
The apostle Paul gathers instruction from the veiled face of Moses, and presents it to us in 2 Cor_3:7-8.

1Cor_3:8
Moses taught the letter—the outward signs and details of rule and order—but the gospel reveals the inner secret, the essence, the spirit of truth; surely this is more glorious than forms. Babes in knowledge may be most impressed with the glory which blazes before the eye, but men esteem most that inner light of spiritual beauty which irradiates the soul.
1Cor_3:9
The law only reveals condemnation and death, how much more glorious is the gospel, which reveals righteousness and life! If the halberts and trumpets of a judge, when he opens an assize, are held in esteem, how much more the chariots of love and the banners of grace which adorn the procession of a beloved Prince!
1Cor_3:10
As the moon’s light is no more bright when the sun appears, so is Moses eclipsed by our Lord.
1Cor_3:11
Transient things can never, to the eyes of wisdom, shine with the same lustre as eternal realities. Sparks can never rival stars. It is the crowning excellence of the gospel that it shall never pass away. It is “the everlasting gospel”. Blessed be God for this.
Our Lord’s transfiguration was a visible token of the superior glory of the gospel, for not His face alone but His whole body glowed with a light excessive, which quite overpowered the three disciples. The glory of the gospel of grace astounds the angels, delights the perfect spirits, and deserves to be the constant theme of our reverent wonder. God in the gospel has laid open more of the glory of His nature and character than in all the world besides.
1Cor_3:12-14
The glory of the gospel, in the types, was too great for the Jews, and a veil was needed; and now, alas, the glory of the unveiled truth has quite confounded them; but it is not so with us, we delight in a plain, unveiled gospel.
1Cor_3:15
Or else they would clearly see Jesus revealed in their law, and would at once accept Him as Messiah. A veil over the intellect is bad, but a veil upon the heart is worst of all.
1Cor_3:16
Poor Israel shall yet see her Messiah. The heart-veil shall be removed by His Spirit.
1Cor_3:17
The Spirit of God forbids our standing afar off because of the terrible presence of the Lord, and gives us in lieu thereof liberty to draw near to our heavenly Father in the sweet familiarity of reverent love.
1Cor_3:18
Ours it is to possess a spiritual faith which looks into the inner truth, whose brightness is too great for unregenerate eyes. The Spirit of the Lord has brought us near to God, opened our purblind eyes, and given us to see the character of the Invisible God, and to become partakers of it.

Thou glorious Bridegroom of our hearts,
Thy radiant smile a heaven imparts;
Oh lift the veil, if veil there be.
Let thy redeem’d thy beauties see.

Then on our faces shall the sight
Kindle a blaze of holy light,
And men with awe-struck wonder see
The glory we derive from thee.

You are Christ’s!

“You are Christ’s.”
Exo_35:4-5; Exo_35:20-29
Exo_35:4-5
The Lord loves a cheerful giver. His revenues are His due, yet they are not levied as a tax, but given spontaneously by willing minds. Every Israelite should be a giver, for he is a receiver.
Exo_35:20
They went off at once to fetch their offering; promptness is a sign of willingness.
Exo_35:21
Some there were who loved their gold better than their God, but the majority were free hearted, and gave not of constraint but joyfully.
Exo_35:22
This is a good example. If Christian women would cast their ornaments into God’s treasury, and if godly men would present their superfluity of gold, there would be enough and to spare.
Exo_35:23
The gifts varied in value but not in acceptance; where they were willingly given they were graciously accepted.
Exo_35:25-26
Work is as good as material. The women worked with their best skill. When the needle is used for the Lord it ought to be the best needlework in the world.
Exo_35:29
Shall we allow those who were under the law to outstrip us who are under the gospel? Nay, rather let us far exceed them in gifts unto the Lord our God.
Paul gives admirable directions for contributing to the cause of God in
2Co_9:6-8
2Co_9:6
Both in temporals and spirituals men will find that this rule holds good. Those who stint the Lord stint themselves. Little give, little have.
2Co_9:8
Notice the many “alls” here, may we have them all, and then abound in giving.
1Co_16:2
1Co_16:2
This is the true Christian custom to lay by the Lord’s portion weekly and then give from the Lord’s purse to the various works which need our help. From the oldest to the youngest let us all be cheerful givers.

The mite my willing hands can give,
At Jesus’ feet I lay;
Grace shall the humble gift receive,
And heaven at last repay.

Ne’er shall thy service stand in need
While substance, Lord, is mine;
To give to thee is bliss indeed,
For all I have is thine.

THE REFINER'S FIRE

THE REFINER'S FIRE

"He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver" Mal_3:3.
"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."1Pe_1:7.

NOTHING IS harder to bear than the apparent aimlessness of suffering.
They say that what breaks a convict's heart in jail is to set him to say carry stones from one side of the prison to the other, and then back again! But we must never look upon the trials of life as punishments, because all penalty was borne by our Lord Himself. They are intended to destroy the weeds and rubbish of our natures, as the bonfires do in the gardens. Christ regards us in the light of our eternal interests, of which He alone can judge. If you and I knew what sphere we were to fullfil in the other world, we should understand the significance of His dealings with us, as now we cannot do. The Refiner has a purpose in view, of which those who stand beside Him are ignorant, and, therefore, they are unable to judge the process which He is employing.

Dare to believe that Christ is working to a plan in your life. He loves you, so be patient! He would not take so much trouble unless He knew that it was worth while. "We do not prune brambles, or cast common stones into the crucible or plough sea-sands!" You must be capable of some special service, which can only be done by a carefully-prepared instrument, and so Christ sits beside you as the 
Refiner, year after year, that you may miss nothing.
Whilst the Fire is hot keep conversing with the Refiner. Ponder these words: "He shall sit as a Refiner and Purifier of silver." The thought is specially suitable for those who cannot make long prayers, but they can talk to Christ as He sits beside them. Nicholas Hermann tells us that, as he could not concentrate his mind on prolonged prayer, he gave up set times of prayer and sought constant conversations with Christ. Speak to Him, then, in the midst of your daily toil. He hears the unspoken prayer, and catches your whispers. Talk to Christ about your trials, sorrows, and anxieties! Make Him your Confidant in your joy and happiness! Nothing makes Him so real as to talk to Him aloud about everything!

PRAYER
Let the Fire of Thy Love consume in me all sinful desires of the flesh and of the mind, that I may henceforth continually abide in Jesus Christ my Lord, and seek the things where He sits at Thy right hand. AMEN.

The New Covenant of Grace: A Holy Spirit Covenant

The New Covenant of Grace: A Holy Spirit Covenant

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgement's and do them.  (Eze_36:26-27)
As noted earlier, the new covenant is about grace, as contrasted with the old covenant, which is about law. "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John_1:17). The connection between grace and the Holy Spirit can be seen in various scripture passages on the new covenant, including this glorious prophecy. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." 

The first verse in this prophetic promise concerns regeneration, spiritual new birth. Through faith in the Lord, our original, hard, lifeless heart is removed, and a new, pliable, living spirit is given to us. 
The second verse pertains to transformation, the ongoing development of this new life. "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes." The developing of a life that increasingly complies with the will of God depends upon the work of the Holy Spirit within us. We know that un-redeemed humanity has no hope of living a life that is pleasing to God. Yet, many Christians could be unaware that even the new creature in Christ cannot please God on his own resources. The Spirit of God must be the heavenly cause that produces a heavenly lifestyle in believers. 
What is promised here is not an automatic experience. The life of many Christians does not consistently match what is described here in Eze_36:27. The reason is that they are not relating properly to the Lord in humble dependence. Yes, these two relational realities (humility and faith) also determine whether or not the Spirit of God is our resource, just as they were determinative concerning grace. 
Two statements by Jesus expound upon this fact. "You have no life in you . . . It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing". We do not innately possess life as God intends it to be lived. Natural human resources are of no benefit in developing a godly life. Such revelation is very humbling. If we embrace Jesus' evaluation of our personal inadequacy, then we are willing to relate to God in humility. Further, there is truth in which we are to place our trust. "It is the Spirit who gives life."  As we count on this truth, we are relating to the Lord in faith. The result of such humble reliance is God's Spirit becomes our vitality for living godly.

O Lord, the source of true life, thank You for establishing such a gracious arrangement as the new covenant. I praise You that Your Holy Spirit is my heavenly dynamic for godliness. I confess that my fleshly attempts to please You are so inadequate. I humbly ask You to cause me to walk in Your good will, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

The Promise of Another Helper!

John 14:17  This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can't take him in because it doesn't have eyes to see him, doesn't know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you! 
John 14:18  "I will not leave you orphaned. I'm coming back. 
John 14:19  In just a little while the world will no longer see me, but you're going to see me because I am alive and you're about to come alive. 
John 14:20  At that moment you will know absolutely that I'm in my Father, and you're in me, and I'm in you. 
John 14:21  "The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that's who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him." 

John 14:15-26

The Promise of Another Helper (14:15-26)

14:15   The Lord Jesus was about to leave His disciples, and they would be filled with sorrow. How would they be able to express their love to Him? The answer was by keeping His commandments. Not by tears, but by obedience. The commandments of the Lord are the instructions which He has given us in the Gospels, as well as the rest of the NT.

14:16   The word translated pray that is used here of our Lord is not the same word used to describe an inferior praying to a superior, but of one making request of his equal. The Lord would pray the Father to send another Helper. The word Helper (Paraclete) means one called to the side of another to help. It is also translated Advocate (1Jo_2:1). The Lord Jesus is our Advocate or Helper, and the Holy Spirit is another Helper—not another of a different kind, but another of similar nature. The Holy Spirit would abide with believers forever. In the OT, the Holy Spirit came upon men at various times, but often left them. Now He would come to remain forever.

14:17   The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of truth because His teaching is true and He glorifies Christ who is the truth. The world cannot receive the Holy Spirit because it cannot see Him. Unbelievers want to see before they will believe—although they believe in wind and electricity, and yet they cannot see them. The unsaved do not know or understand the Holy Spirit. He may convict them of sin, and yet they do not know that it is He. The disciples knew the Holy Spirit. They had known Him to work in their own lives and had seen Him working through the Lord Jesus.

“He dwells with you, and will be in you.” Before Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon men and dwelt with them. But since Pentecost, when a man believes on the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit takes up His abode in that man's life forever. The prayer of David, “Do not take Your Holy Spirit from me,” would not be suitable today. The Holy Spirit is never taken from a believer, although He may be grieved, or quenched, or hindered.

14:18   The Lord would not leave His disciples as orphans, or desolate. He would come to them again. In one sense, He came to them after His resurrection, but it is doubtful if that is what is meant. In another sense, He came to them in the Person of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. This spiritual coming is the true meaning here. “There was something about Pentecost which made it a coming of Jesus.” In a third sense, He will literally come to them again at the end of this age, when He will take His chosen ones home to heaven.

14:19   No unbeliever saw the Lord Jesus after His burial. After He was raised, He was seen only by those who loved Him. But even after His Ascension, His disciples continued to see Him by faith. This is doubtless meant by the words “but you will see Me.” After the world could no longer see Him, His disciples would continue to see Him. “Because I live, you will live also.” Here He was looking forward to His resurrection life. It would be the pledge of life for all who trusted Him. Even if they should die, they would be raised again to die no more.

14:20   “At that day” probably refers again to the descent of the Holy Spirit. He would instruct believers in the truth that just as there was a vital link between the Son and the Father, so there would be a marvelous union of life and interests between Christ and His saints. It is difficult to explain how Christ is in the believer, and the believer is in Christ at the same time. The usual illustration is of a poker in the fire. Not only is the poker in the fire, but the fire is in the poker. But this does not tell the full story. Christ is in the believer in the sense that His life is communicated to him. He actually dwells in the believer through the Holy Spirit. The believer is in Christ in the sense that he stands before God in all the merit of the Person and work of Christ.

14:21   The real proof of one's love to the Lord is obedience to His commandments. It is useless to talk about loving Him if we do not want to obey Him. In one sense, the Father loves all the world. But He has a special love for those who love His Son. Those are also loved by Christ, and He makes Himself known to them in a special way. The more we love the Savior, the better we shall know Him.

14:22   The Judas mentioned here had the misfortune to have the same name as the traitor. But the Spirit of God kindly distinguished him from Iscariot. He could not understand how the Lord could appear to the disciples without also being seen by the world. Doubtless He thought of the Savior's coming as that of a conquering King or popular Hero. He did not understand that the Lord would manifest Himself to His own in a spiritual manner. They would see Him by faith through the Word of God.

By the Spirit of God, we can actually know Christ better today than the disciples knew Him when He was on earth. When He was here, those in the front of the crowd were closer to Him than those in the rear. But today, by faith, each of us can enjoy the closest of fellowship with Him. Christ's answer to Judas' question shows that the promised manifestations to His individual followers is connected with the Word of God. Obedience to the Word will result in the coming and abiding of the Father and the Son.

14:23   If a person truly loves the Lord, he will want to keep all of His teachings, not just isolated commandments. The Father loves those who are willing to obey His Son without questions or reservations. Both Father and Son are especially near to such loving and obedient hearts.

14:24   On the other hand, those who do not love Him do not keep His sayings. And they are not only refusing the words of Christ, but those of the Father as well.

14:25   While He was with them, our Lord taught His disciples up to a certain point. He could not reveal more truth to them because they could not have taken it in.

14:26   But the Holy Spirit would reveal more. He was sent by the Father in the name of Christ on the day of Pentecost. The Spirit came in Christ's name in the sense that He came to represent Christ's interests on earth. He did not come to glorify Himself but to draw men and women to the Savior. “He will teach you all things,” said the Lord. He did this first of all through the spoken ministry of the apostles; then through the written Word of God which we have today. The Holy Spirit brings to remembrance all the things which the Savior had taught. Actually, the Lord Jesus seems to have presented in germ form all the teaching which is developed by the Holy Spirit in the rest of the New Testament.

The Wise Men and the Star

The Wise Men and the Star

There came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him— Mat_2:1-2

God Speaks Our Language
One of the first lessons of this passage is that God speaks to men in ways they can understand. These Chaldeans had been stargazers from childhood; the study of the nightly heavens was their passion. They had watched the stars with a patience and an accuracy such as are never suffered to go unrewarded. And now by the aid of the stars they loved so well and on which they had meditated with such unwearied devotion, they are brought to the feet of the Infant in the manger. The shepherds were not Chaldeans, they were Jews. They had been trained in the doctrines of the angels. I dare say they never went out to the pasture at night without hoping to see some shimmer of angel's wings. So it was by the long expected voice of angels that the shepherds received the tidings of the Christ. But the Chaldeans had not learned the lore of angels; it was the lore of stars they were familiar with; God spake to the separate companies in separate voices, but the voices were those that each could understand. That is always true. His voice is as the sound of many waters. He is a Father, and you never heard of a father who took his children on his knee and answered their questions in Latin or in Greek. We shall never understand the Bible truly, nor shall we ever value aright all that we learned in childhood, until we have grasped this simple yet profound truth, that God speaks to men in ways they can understand.
People Led to Christ in Unlikely Ways
Another lesson of this passage is the unlikely ways in which men may be led to Jesus. We know that the prophets pointed to Jesus; so did the law—Christ was the end of the law. So did the sacrifices on the Jewish altars, and the stern summons to repentance of the Baptist. All these things were intended and adapted to guide men into the presence of Messiah, and multitudes journeyed to His presence so. But a star—do you think that was a likely leader? Is that the duty and the function of a star? Yet by a star, as surely as by the angels, were men conducted to Bethlehem. Let us be taught, then, that by unlooked-for ways men may be led to light and love and liberty. Let us never limit the power of the Almighty in opening up avenues to Jesus' feet. There are men who have heard a thousand sermons, and been deaf to the whole range of evangelical appeal, who have yet been won for Christ by a stray word in passing, or by some act of self-sacrificing kindness. There are women whom all the praise of the sanctuary has not moved, but who have been turned to God by the ceasing of childish laughter. The star is a type of the strange and unlooked-for ways in which men are led to the feet of Jesus Christ.
The Intense Curiosity of the Wise Men
A third lesson of this passage is the intense curiosity of these men about the King. Nothing would satisfy them but that they must leave home and kindred, and set out on a long and toilsome journey, and brave a hundred dangers on the road, all for the sake of worshiping Christ. Had it been a king of the whole East who had been promised them, I could have better understood their curiosity. For there is a strong desire in the heart of a loyal subject to get a glimpse of his own future sovereign. But it was not a king of Chaldea they were seeking—"Where is He that is called King of the Jews?" And when I think of that passionate inquiry for the unknown monarch of an alien race, and how they traveled hundreds of miles to see Him—and how they troubled Jerusalem about Him, and would not be baffled nor beaten in the search, I am amazed at the mysterious interest excited by the new-born Savior. The strange thing is that from that hour to this, that curiosity has never died away. In the whole of history Jesus is the supremely fascinating figure. More thoughts are directed to Jesus in one day than to Caesar or Napoleon in ten years. More books are written about Jesus now than about any hundred of earth's greatest men. There is an inexplicable mystery and charm about that simple Galilean figure; and the world is still as curious about Him as were the wise men when they saw His star.
Anxious Inquiries by Those Far Away
Again, the most anxious inquirers about Jesus were men who were very far away from Him. I wish you to compare these pilgrims from the East with the men gathered in the inn at Bethlehem. The Chaldeans were many a long mile away, and the company in the inn were at the manger. Yet it was not the latter band, it was the former, who were eager about the newborn Savior.
There were ninety-and-nine that safely lay
In the shelter of the fold,
But some were out on the hills away,
Far off from the gates of gold.
Away on the mountains wild and bare,
Away from the tender shepherd's care—
yet who were the nearest to Jesus Christ that night—was it not those who were so far away? That is a parable of what often happens. At home, in the bosom of a Christian country, we are always in danger of careless unconcern. We are exposed to that worst indifference that springs from the dying of the sense of wonder. Meantime, from distant countries like Chaldea, come tidings of the kingdom being taken by violence. Once again the most anxious seekers are men whom we should say were far away.
The Apparent Insignificance of What They Found
Lastly, let us not fail to observe the apparent insignificance of what they found. When the Queen of Sheba set out from Arabia, and entered with her fine retinue into Jerusalem, she saw such lavish glory there that her heart sank under the wonder of it. But when the wise men from the East came to the inn, expecting perhaps some sight of royal majesty, they found in happy innocence—a Child. I wonder if they felt a touch of disappointment? Was it worthwhile to make that tedious journey, and this—this little Babe—the end of it? We know now that it was well worthwhile; that Infant of days was the eternal Lord. So there come times to everyone of us when we are tempted to ask, "Is all our effort worthwhile?" We pray and serve and struggle through the darkness, and the end of it all seems (as it were) a manger. But for us, too, the eternal dawn is coming when the King in His beauty shall meet us with a welcome; and I think we shall find then, like the wise men from the East, that the journey to Bethlehem was well worthwhile. morrison

The Shout of Grace!

The Shout of Grace!

“The glory of the latter house shall be greater than that of the former.” (Hag_2:9).

Apollos had captured our imaginations as he described the Rubble of Zerubbabel in great eloquence. And he stirred our hearts with faith and hope when he then made application of his message to our lives.

“In the old days great stories were written about the lives and lore of an ancient people who were chosen by God to bear His presence and message to the whole world,” Apollos said. “We see and learn in them many great truths for ourselves.

“They were not chosen because they were worthy; neither are we. They had no merits that qualified them to serve and represent God to the world; neither do we. They were stubborn and stiff-necked, disobedient and slow to understand; and so are we.

“But God loved them; and He loves us. He blessed them, and redeemed them. At times He humbled them, and then heard their cries and turned again to save them.

“The one epic story that illustrates this perhaps better than any other is The Return From Captivity, and the Rebuilding of the Temple.

“Seventy long years had passed slowly as the children of the Lord languished in Babylonian Captivity. The last sight they had of the City of the Great King was a fading memory of horror and shame. The armies of Nebuchadnezzar had invaded, ravaged, desecrated, destroyed, and burned much of the Holy City. Billowing plumes of blacken smoke rose high into the hot sky as the oil-coated rocks burned until nothing was left but charred stones covered in greasy dirt.

“The Temple of the Lord had now become the habitation of jackals, snakes, and assorted desert wildlife. And when things looked the most hopeless, God stepped in and wrought a miracle of resurrection.

“The king of the pagan nation in which God’s people were held captive had a change of heart toward God and let His people go. Moreover, he charged them in the name of the Lord to rebuild the Temple and the Holy City, raising it up out of the burnt ruins. And, get this – he provided them all the resources they would need out of his own royal treasury! It was miraculous indeed.

“The people rallied with a renewed faith and set out for the Holy City. They talked excitedly all along the way of their return; each day growing more and more enthusiastic about the job that lay before them.

“But then they saw The City. It was worse than they had imagined; far worse. In fact, it no longer even looked like a city at all. Rather, its appearance was that of a huge pile of disjointed rocks; burnt and covered with years of untouched dirt. The only signs of life were peasants who had established makeshift tent cities, strewn about the colossal debris. And there were the wild animals roaming freely amid the ruins.

 The challenge they faced in rebuilding a holy temple from the ruins of toppled debris is not at all different from what we face in seeing our own ruined and ravaged lives redeemed and set right before the Lord today.
we not lived in a long captivity to Confusion? Has not the Temple of the Lord been desecrated in our hearts and lives. Haven’t fires burned, and windstorms blown, and dust accumulated on the altars of our devotions to God? And does not a dark and intimidating presence taunt us with our powerlessness to do anything about it?

The word which God gave to Zerubbabel is now given to us. “It’s not by might, it’s not by power; but it is by My Spirit,” says the Lord.

And like those faithful re-builders of old, we too will lift The Shout of Grace up to heaven. Yes, we will boldly bear witness to the power of Christ at work in our lives, enabling us to be who God created us to be and to do what He has called us to do – right where we are.

“So, my dear friends and fellow-builders, take heart. Whatever obstacle it is that you face, stare it down and shout, “Grace! Grace!” For when you do so, you are actually releasing God’s empowering presence into the circumstance and He will work His wonders of love – redeeming your lives from the rubble of Zerubbabel!”

Then Apollos lifted his hand and spoke this blessing over us, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. (2Co_13:14).

When Apollos concluded he was joined on stage by all the other speakers. And we all stood and honored them for their faithful service and inspiring words.

Once the series of stimulating Lectures concluded and we all tarried in the lobby, interacting with the speakers and other groups who had also journeyed to this place called Grace. There was a deep sense of privilege in all our hearts for being in this place of Grace together.

“Across the Way from the Great Hall of Truth is Monumental Park,” Paul said. “Let’s all meet there tomorrow. There is going to be a concert you will not want to miss!”

God looks on the heart.”1Co_10:1-12 \ Make thy face to shine upon thy servant!

“God looketh on the heart.”1Co_10:1-12

1Co_10:1
Ignorance about Old Testament history is very undesirable, for thereby much of spiritual instruction is lost. The Israelites were intended to be practical lessons to us. They had all the outward ordinances and privileges of religion, and yet they perished, and we ought to take heed lest we do the same. Were we baptized with an outward baptism at the outset of our religious history? So were they, with the cloud above them and the sea on either side, buried in baptism with their leader.
1Co_10:3-4
Thus they had the analogy of the Lord’s Supper; they ate manna, and drank from the riven rock; the bread and wine of the Communion are similar types of him whose flesh is meat indeed, and whose blood is drink indeed.
1Co_10:5
They died, notwithstanding their participation in divine ordinances, and so shall we, unless by faith we avoid their faults.
1Co_10:12
Our baptism, participation in the Lord’s Supper, and other privileges, may make us think ourselves secure, but we must take heed, for far more is needed.
In the Psalms we find the same lesson set to music.
Psalms 95
Psa_95:1-11
They were outwardly his people, and had every means used upon them to make them worthy of their calling, but as they never became a spiritual people, their privileges were of no avail, and they died in the wilderness. Let us beware of resting in anything short of saving faith, and a real change of heart. “Ye must be born again.”

Come, sound his praise abroad,
And hymns of glory sing;
Jehovah is the sovereign God,
The universal King.

Come, worship at his throne,
Come, bow before the Lord:
We are his works, and not our own;
He form’d us by his word.

Today attend his voice,
Nor dare provoke his rod;
Come, like the people of his choice,
And own your gracious God.
Exodus_34:28-35

“Make thy face to shine upon thy servant.”
Exodus_34:1-5; In our present reading we shall see how the Lord reopened his communications with Israel, though their sin had abruptly broken up all the treaty engagements almost before they were ratified.
Exodus_34:1
Here let us learn that although man has broken the law of God, yet the Lord in infinite mercy to his people visits them again, causes their hearts to be hewn and prepared by his prophets and ministers, and then writes the law upon those fleshy tablets. The law in the heart is better than the law on stone.
Exodus_34:2
Moses must go up a second time and sojourn with the. Lord, and the people must thus be tried to see if they can wait upon God in their leader’s absence.
Exodus_34:3
Distance was always the rule of the law. Moses went up to God alone, but Jesus takes all his people with him.
Exodus_34:4
Note, that Moses, like other good men, was up betimes in the morning. Matthew Henry says, “the morning is as good a friend to the graces as it is to the muses.” God loves punctual servants.
Exodus_34:5
He declared the nature and the attributes of Jehovah.
Exodus_34:28
In being miraculously supported for forty days without food, Moses, as the law, is followed by Elijah, the chief of the prophets, and our Lord Jesus, in whom the gospel is revealed.
Exodus_34:29
After such long communion Moses came down enriched with the best treasure, and adorned with the best beauty. What he had seen was unconsciously reflected from him, as it always is from those who have had fellowship with God.
Exodus_34:30
Everybody could see the brightness of Moses face except himself; and the same may be said of the man who communes with God.
Exodus_34:33
In this he was unlike most men, for they are usually far too ready to show their brightness to everybody, coveting admiration. Modesty dwells with true excellence.
Exodus_34:34
Before God we must be all unveiled. All things are open before him.
Exodus_34:34
God’s ministers may learn here their only theme.

Lord, from thy burning throne on high,
Thy law comes forth in majesty;
Its glory shines with beams so bright,
No mortal can sustain the sight.

But through thy Son, the’ incarnate God,
Thy milder radiance shines abroad;
His flesh becomes the Godhead’s veil,
And beams of grace and love prevail.

He Spoke with Great Fervour in spirit!

He Spoke with Great Fervour in spirit! Yet..

John Francis

Back to the Bible daily by disciple John

Acts 18:25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.

This reading from the Acts of the Apostles, told by Luke, tells of a man called Apollos, who was very intelligent and well educated, described in earlier verses as an eloquent man, and we read here he knew the way of the Lord. We read he was fervent in Spirit. Yet it says “knowing only the baptism of John".

What does that mean? Aquila and his wife Priscilla knew there was something missing. The answer is in the gospels in what was said by John the Baptist. Matthew 3:11 He shall baptise you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: So we learn from this, that Apollos had received the baptism of repentance from sins, and although he knew and taught about Lord Jesus he had not received the Baptism with the Holy Ghost.

As mentioned by John the Baptist this further baptism comes from Lord Jesus, and even today, there are many who are eloquent talking about Lord Jesus from many pulpits around this land, who do not know of this second baptism, and some even deny that there is a second baptism. It is wonderful that even today God has his Aquila and Priscilla equivalents, who are able to explain the way of God more accurately.

Prayer: Thank you our Heavenly Father for the truth of scripture and we pray that through the Holy Spirit we will always be aware of your total truth, and nothing will be hidden from us, that we may be more able to serve you, that your will be done, your kingdom come, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Bill Johnson God Has Given Us an Assignment

Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking

Matthew 7:7-12


 Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking MATT 7:7-12  

If we think that we can live out the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount by our own strength, we have failed to Realize the supernatural character of the life to the which the Savior calls us. The wisdom or power for such a life must be given to us from above. So here we have an invitation to ask and keep on asking; to seek and keep on seeking; to knock and keep on knocking. Wisdom and power for the Christian life will be given to all who earnestly and persistently pray for it.
Taken out of context, verses 7 and 8 might seem like a blank check for the believers, ie, we can get anything we ask for. But this is simply not true. The verses must be understood in their immediate context and in light of the whole Bible's teaching on prayer. Therefore, what seems like an unqualified promises here are actually restricted by other passages. For example, from Psa_66: 18 we learn that the person praying must have no un-confessed sin in his life. The Christian must pray in faith ( Jam_1 :6-8 ) and in conformity with the will of God ( 1Jo_5: 14 ). Prayer must be persistently Offered ( Luk_18 :1-8 ) and sincerely ( Heb_10: 22 a ).
7:9, 10   When the conditions are met for prayer, the Christian can have utter confidence that God will hear and answer. This assurance is based on the character of God, our Father. On the human level, we know that if a son Asks for bread, his father will not give him a stone. Neither would he give him a serpent if he had asked for a fish. An Earthly father would deceive his hungry Neither son nor give him anything that might inflict pain.
7:11   The Lord argues from the lesser to the greater. If human parents reward their children's requests with what is best for them, how much more will our Father who is in heaven do so.
7:12   The immediate connection of verse 12 with the preceding seems to be this: since our Father is a giver of good things to us, we should imitate Him in showing kindness to others. The way to test Whether an action is beneficial to others is Whether we would want to receive it ourselves. The "Golden Rule" had been Expressed in negative terms at least one hundred years before this time by Rabbi Hillel. However, by stating the rule in positive terminology, Jesus goes beyond passive restraint to active benevolence. Christianity is not simply a matter of abstinence from sin; goodness it is positive.
This saying by Jesus is the Law and the Prophets, that is, it summarizes the moral teachings of the Law of Moses and the Writings of the Prophets of Israel. The righteousness DEMANDED by the OT is fulfilled in converted Thus believers who walk According to the Spirit (Rom_8: 4 ). If this verse were universally obeyed, it would transform all areas of international relationships, national politics, family life, and church life.

REVIVAL WITHIN YOU!

IF CHRIST IS IN YOU THEN HE NOT THE PERFECT ONE YOU CAN LIVE IN
IF YOU WANT HIM TO. HE WILL NOT FORCE YOU UPON himself. HE IS YOUR CREATOR
BECAUSE HE WAS IN THE BEGINNING. HE IS THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA.
JUST ASK HIM TO COME INTO YOUR LIFE BUT FIRST OF YOUR SINS Repent AGAINST HIM. BECAUSE HE CAN NOT LOOK AT YOU UNTIL YOU HAVE JESUS ​​IN YOU!
HE IS OUR Righteousness! (NOT I BUT YOU!)
HE IS OUR PERFECT Holiness!
I HAVE THE Fullness OF HIS LIFE IN ME!
HE IS MY LOVE!
HE IS MY HEALING AND MY HEALER WITHIN ME!
HE IS YOUR POWER! (My power is made perfect in your weakness!)
HE IS YOUR STRENGTH!
INSIDE THE ONE YOU CAN NEVER BE Defeated, HE IS THE OVER COMER!
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS WITHIN YOU!
THE KINGDOM IS WITHIN YOU!
YOU HAVE THE Fullness OF HIS GRACE!
YOU HAVE THE Fullness OF HIS MERCY!
WE ARE CO Heirs WITH CHRIST!
HE ALREADY HAS BLESSED YOU WITH EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING IN HEAVENLY PLACES!
THEREFORE YOU LACK IN NO SPIRITUAL GIFT!
IF YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE CHRIST!
YOU ARE MY LIFE!
GIVE HIM NOW AND THEN YOUR Repentance YOUR PRAISE!

AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO CONSIDER READING JAMES

James

Outline of the Epistle of James 


The Measure of a Christian
Salutation, Jam_1:1
 1. Tested Character, Jam_1:2-18
 2. Hearing and Doing, Jam_1:19-27
 3. The Hypocrisy of Class Distinctions, Jam_2:1-13
 4. The Evidence of True Faith, Jam_2:14-26
 5. The Unruly Tongue, Jam_3:1-18
 6. The Grace of Humility, Jam_4:1-17
 7. The Curse of Ill-Gotten Wealth, Jam_5:1-6
 8. The Need of Patience and Prayer, Jam_5:7-20 

Introduction
The author of this Epistle was probably the Lord’s brother, mentioned with Joses, Simon and Judah, and often in the Acts of the Apostles. See Mar_6:3; Act_12:17; Act_15:13; Act_21:18. He was bishop, or president, of the church at Jerusalem, and this letter was probably written from that city. The emphasis laid on the nearness of our Lord’s advent points to a date near a.d. 70. The Epistle may have been written in Hebrew, and was addressed to the Hebrew section of the Church. It lays great emphasis on the sublime ideal of character which Christianity had raised, and to maintain which demanded the constant diligence of all professing Christians. 

The following material was presented at the end of James in the printed edition}

Review Questions on the Epistle of James 

Outline
(a) What is the theme of the Epistle?
(b) How is it developed?

Introduction
(c) What information does the New Testament afford with regard to the author of this Epistle?
(d) When was the Epistle written?
(e) To whom was it addressed?

James 1-5
Each question applies to the paragraph of corresponding number in the Comments.
 1. How may our need of wisdom be supplied?
2. What is the source of temptation?
3. How does pure religion find expression?
4. What is the royal law?
5. What is the relation between faith and works?
6. Why is there special need of controlling the tongue?
7. What is the character of heavenly wisdom?
8. Why are our prayers often unanswered?
9. To what extent are our lives under providential control?
10. Why are dishonest gains a curse? What is the reward of patience?
11. What is recommended for the joyful? For the sick? What did Elijah accomplish through prayer? What great opportunity for service is open to the Christian? 

Draw Nigh to God!!

James 4:1-10

“Draw Nigh to God” 



The Apostle returns to “the jealousy and faction” of the previous chapter, James_3:14, and says that these evils are traceable to lust, that is, to inordinate desire. The restless inward war is the prolific parent of failure in speech and act. If we would pray more and better, we should soon find the inner fires dying down.
In James_4:5, r.v., margin, we learn that God has placed His Spirit within us, and that He yearns for complete control over our hearts. He can best overcome inordinate desire and teach us how to pray. God wants more of us. 

His love is insatiable in its yearning for every room and cupboard of our inner life, and He is ever wishful to give more grace.
There are four conditions which we must fulfill, if God is to have full possession:
1. We must be subject to the will of God, James_4:7; 
2. We must draw nigh to God, James_4:8; 
3. We must cleanse our hands and purify our hearts, Jam_4:8; 
4. We must humble ourselves in His sight, James_4:10.
Then God will fill the soul, the sluice gates of which are open to Him.

What the Father does, the Son does.

Joh 5:1  Soon another Feast came around and Jesus was back in Jerusalem. 
Joh 5:2  Near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there was a pool, in Hebrew called Bethesda, with five alcoves. 
Joh 5:3  Hundreds of sick people--blind, crippled, paralyzed--were in these alcoves. 
Joh 5:5  One man had been an invalid there for thirty-eight years. 
Joh 5:6  When Jesus saw him stretched out by the pool and knew how long he had been there, he said, "Do you want to get well?" 
Joh 5:7  The sick man said, "Sir, when the water is stirred, I don't have anybody to put me in the pool. By the time I get there, somebody else is already in." 
Joh 5:8  Jesus said, "Get up, take your bedroll, start walking." 
Joh 5:9  The man was healed on the spot. He picked up his bedroll and walked off. That day happened to be the Sabbath. 
Joh 5:10  The Jews stopped the healed man and said, "It's the Sabbath. You can't carry your bedroll around. It's against the rules." 
Joh 5:11  But he told them, "The man who made me well told me to. He said, 'Take your bedroll and start walking.'" 
Joh 5:12  They asked, "Who gave you the order to take it up and start walking?" 
Joh 5:13  But the healed man didn't know, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd. 
Joh 5:14  A little later Jesus found him in the Temple and said, "You look wonderful! You're well! Don't return to a sinning life or something worse might happen." 
Joh 5:15  The man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 
Joh 5:16  That is why the Jews were out to get Jesus--because he did this kind of thing on the Sabbath. 

Joh 5:20  The Father loves the Son and includes him in everything he is doing. "But you haven't seen the half of it yet, MSG

Joh 5:17  But Jesus defended himself. "My Father is working straight through, even on the Sabbath. So am I." 
Joh 5:18  That really set them off. The Jews were now not only out to expose him; they were out to kill him. Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was calling God his own Father, putting himself on a level with God. 
Joh 5:19  So Jesus explained himself at length. "I'm telling you this straight. The Son can't independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does. 
Joh 5:20  The Father loves the Son and includes him in everything he is doing. "But you haven't seen the half of it yet, 
Joh 5:21  for in the same way that the Father raises the dead and creates life, so does the Son. The Son gives life to anyone he chooses. 
Joh 5:22  Neither he nor the Father shuts anyone out. The Father handed all authority to judge over to the Son 
Joh 5:23  so that the Son will be honored equally with the Father. Anyone who dishonors the Son, dishonors the Father, for it was the Father's decision to put the Son in the place of honor. 
Joh 5:24  "It's urgent that you listen carefully to this: Anyone here who believes what I am saying right now and aligns himself with the Father, who has in fact put me in charge, has at this very moment the real, lasting life and is no longer condemned to be an outsider. This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living. 
Joh 5:25  "It's urgent that you get this right: The time has arrived--I mean right now!--when dead men and women will hear the voice of the Son of God and, hearing, will come alive. 
Joh 5:26  Just as the Father has life in himself, he has conferred on the Son life in himself. 
Joh 5:27  And he has given him the authority, simply because he is the Son of Man, to decide and carry out matters of Judgment. 
Joh 5:28  "Don't act so surprised at all this. The time is coming when everyone dead and buried will hear his voice. 
Joh 5:29  Those who have lived the right way will walk out into a resurrection Life; those who have lived the wrong way, into a resurrection Judgment. 
Joh 5:30  "I can't do a solitary thing on my own: I listen, then I decide. You can trust my decision because I'm not out to get my own way but only to carry out orders. 
Joh 5:31  If I were simply speaking on my own account, it would be an empty, self-serving witness. 
Joh 5:32  But an independent witness confirms me, the most reliable Witness of all. 
Joh 5:33  Furthermore, you all saw and heard John, and he gave expert and reliable testimony about me, didn't he? 
Joh 5:34  "But my purpose is not to get your vote, and not to appeal to mere human testimony. I'm speaking to you this way so that you will be saved. 
Joh 5:35  John was a torch, blazing and bright, and you were glad enough to dance for an hour or so in his bright light. 
Joh 5:36  But the witness that really confirms me far exceeds John's witness. It's the work the Father gave me to complete. These very tasks, as I go about completing them, confirm that the Father, in fact, sent me. 
Joh 5:37  The Father who sent me, confirmed me. And you missed it. You never heard his voice, you never saw his appearance. 
Joh 5:38  There is nothing left in your memory of his Message because you do not take his Messenger seriously. 
Joh 5:39  "You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you'll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! 
Joh 5:40  And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren't willing to receive from me the life you say you want. 
Joh 5:41  "I'm not interested in crowd approval. 
Joh 5:42  And do you know why? Because I know you and your crowds. I know that love, especially God's love, is not on your working agenda. 
Joh 5:43  I came with the authority of my Father, and you either dismiss me or avoid me. If another came, acting self-important, you would welcome him with open arms. 
Joh 5:44  How do you expect to get anywhere with God when you spend all your time jockeying for position with each other, ranking your rivals and ignoring God? 
Joh 5:45  "But don't think I'm going to accuse you before my Father. Moses, in whom you put so much stock, is your accuser. 
Joh 5:46  If you believed, really believed, what Moses said, you would believe me. He wrote of me. 

Joh 5:47  If you won't take seriously what he wrote, how can I expect you to take seriously what I speak?" 




John 5:1-47

chapter 5 contrasts the quickening power of Christ, the power and the right of giving life to the dead, with the powerlessness of legal ordinances. They required strength in the person that was to profit by them. Christ brought with Him the power that was to heal, and indeed to quicken. Further, all judgment is committed to Him, so that those who had received life would not come into judgment. The end of the chapter sets forth the testimonies that have been borne to Him, and the guilt therefore of those who would not come to Him to have life. One is sovereign grace, the other responsibility because life was there. To have life His divine power was needed; but in rejecting Him, in refusing to come unto Him that they might have life, they did so in spite of the most positive proofs.
Let us go a little into the details. The poor man who had an infirmity for thirty-eight years was absolutely hindered, by the nature of his disease, from profiting by means that required strength to use them. This is the character of sin, on the one hand, and of law on the other. Some remains of blessing still existed among the Jews. Angels, ministers of that dispensation, still wrought among the people. Jehovah did not leave Himself without testimony. But strength was needed to profit by this instance of their ministry. That which the law could not do, being weak through the flesh, God has done through Jesus. The impotent man had desire, but not strength; to will was present with him, but no power to perform. The Lord's question brings this out. A single word from Christ does everything. "Rise, take up thy bed and walk." Strength is imparted. The man rises, and goes away carrying his bed. [24] It was the Sabbath — an important circumstance here, holding a prominent place in this interesting scene. The Sabbath was given as a token of the covenant between the Jews and theLord. [25]
But it had been proved that the law did not give God's rest to man. The power of a new life was needed; grace was needed, that man might be in relationship with God. The healing of this poor man was an operation of this same grace, of this same power, but wrought in the midst of Israel. The pool of Bethesda supposed power in man; the act of Jesus employed power, in grace, on behalf of one of the Lord's people in distress. Therefore, as dealing with His people in government, He says to the man, "Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee." It was Jehovah acting by His grace and blessing among His people; but it was in temporal things, the tokens of His favour and lovingkindness, and in connection with His government in Israel. Still it was divine power and grace. Now, the man told the Jews that it was Jesus. They rise up against Him under the pretence of a violation of the Sabbath. The Lord's answer is deeply affecting, and full of instruction — a whole revelation. It declares the relationship, now openly revealed by His coming, that existed between Himself (the Son) and His Father. It shews — and what depths of grace! — that neither the Father nor Himself could find their Sabbath [26] in the midst of misery and of the sad fruits of sin. Jehovah in Israel might impose the Sabbath as an obligation by the law, and make it a token of the previous truth that His people should enter into the rest of God. But, in fact, when God was truly known, there was no rest in existing things; nor was this all — He wrought in grace, His love could not rest in misery. He had instituted a rest in connection with the creation, when it was very good. Sin, corruption, and misery had entered into it. God, the holy and the just, no longer found a Sabbath in it, and man did not really enter into God's rest (compare Hebrews 4). Of two things, one: either God must, in justice, destroy the guilty race; or — and this is what He did, according to His eternal purposes — He must begin to work in grace, according to the redemption which the state of man required — a redemption in which all His glory is unfolded. In a word, He must begin to work again in love. Thus the Lord says, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." God cannot be satisfied where there is sin. He cannot rest with misery in sight. He has no Sabbath, but still works in grace. How divine an answer to their wretched cavils!
Another truth came out from that which the Lord said: He put Himself on an equality with His Father. But the Jews, jealous for their ceremonies — for that which distinguished them from other nations — saw nothing of the glory of Christ, and seek to kill Him, treating Him as a blasphemer. This gives Jesus occasion to lay open the whole truth on this point. He was not like an independent being with equal rights, another God who acted on His own account, which, moreover, is impossible. There cannot be two supreme and omnipotent beings. The Son is in full union with the Father, does nothing without the Father, but does whatsoever He sees the Father do. There is nothing that the Father does which He does not in communion with the Son; and greater proofs of this should yet be seen, that they might marvel. This last sentence of the Lord's words, as well as the whole of this Gospel, shews that, while revealing absolutely that He and the Father are one, He reveals it, and speaks of it as in a position in which He could be seen of men. The thing of which He speaks is in God; the position in which He speaks of it is a position taken, and, in a certainsense, inferior. We see everywhere that He is equal to, and one with, the Father. We see that He receives all from the Father, and does all after the Father's mind. (This is shewn very remarkably in chapter 17). It is the Son, but the Son manifested in the flesh, acting in the mission which the Father sent Him to fulfil.
Two things are spoken of in this chapter (Joh_5:21-22) which demonstrate the glory of the Son. He quickens and He judges. It is not healing that is in question — a work which, at bottom, springs from the same source, and has its occasion in the same evil: but the giving of life in a manner evidently divine. As the Father raises the dead and quickens them, so the Son quickens wham He will. Here we have the first proof of His divine rights, He gives life, and He gives it to whom He will. But, being incarnate, He may be personally dishonoured, disallowed, despised of men. Consequently all judgment is committed unto Him, the Father judging no man, in order that all, even those who have rejected the Son, should honour Him, even as they honour the Father whom they own as God. If they refuse when He acts in grace, they shall be compelled when He acts in judgment. In life, we have communion by the Holy Ghost with the Father and the Son (and quickening or giving life is the work alike of the Father and the Son); but in the judgment, unbelievers will have to do with the Son of man whom they have rejected. The two things are quite distinct. He whom Christ has quickened will not need to be compelled to honour Him by undergoing judgment. Jesus will not call into judgment one whom He has saved by quickening him.
How may we know, then, to which of these two classes we belong? The Lord (praised be His name!) replies, he that hears His word, and believes Him who sent Him (believes the Father by hearing Christ), has everlasting life (such is the quickening power of His word), and shall not come into judgment. He is passed from death into life. Simple and wonderful testimony! [27] The judgment will glorify the Lord in the case of those who have despised Him here. The possession of eternal life, that they may not come into judgment, is the portion of those who believe.
The Lord then points out two distinct periods, in which the power that the Father committed to Him as having come down to the earth, is to be exercised. The hour was coming — was already come — in which the dead should hear the voice of the Son of God, and those that heard should live. This is the communication of spiritual life by Jesus, the Son of God, to man, who is dead by sin, and that by means of the word which he should hear. For the Father has given to the Son, to Jesus, thus manifested on earth, to have life in Himself (compare 1Jo_1:1-2). He has also given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of man. For the kingdom and the judgment, according to the counsels of God, belong to Him as Son of man — in that character in which He was despised and rejected when He came in grace.
This passage also shews us that, although He was the eternal Son, one with the Father, He is always looked upon as manifested here in the flesh, and, therefore, as receiving all from the Father. It is thus that we have seen Him at the well of Samaria — the God who gave, but the One who asked the poor woman to give Him to drink.
Jesus, then, quickened souls at that time. He still quickens. They were not to marvel. A work, more wonderful in the eyes of men, should be accomplished. All those that were in the grave should come forth. This is the second period of which He speaks. In the one He quickens souls; in the other, He raises up bodies from death. The one has lasted during the ministry of Jesus and 1800 years since His death; the other is not yet come, but during its continuance two things will take place. There will be a resurrection of those who have done good (this will be a resurrection of life, the Lord will complete His quickening work), and there will be a resurrection of those who have done evil (this will be a resurrection for their judgment). This judgment will be according to the mind of God, and not according to any separate personal will of Christ. Thus far it is sovereign power, and as regards life sovereign grace — He quickens whom He will. What follows is man's responsibility as regards the obtaining eternal life. It was there in Jesus, and they would not come to Him to have it.
The Lord goes on to point out to them four testimonies rendered to His glory and to His Person, which left them without excuse: — John, His own works, His Father, and the scriptures. Nevertheless, while pretending to receive the latter, as finding in them eternal life, they would not come to Him that they might have life. Poor Jews! The Son came in the name of the Father, and they would not receive Him; another shall come in his own name, and him they will receive. This better suits the heart of man. They sought honour from one another: how could they believe? Let us remember this. God does not accommodate Himself to the pride of man — does not arrange the truth so as to feed it. Jesus knew the Jews. Not that He would accuse them to the Father: Moses, in whom they trusted, would do that; for if they had believed Moses, they would have believed Christ. But if they did not credit the writings of Moses, how would they believe the words of a despised Saviour?
In result, the Son of God gives life, and He executes judgment. In the judgment that He executes, the testimony which had been rendered to His Person leaves man without excuse on the ground of his own responsibility. In chapter 5 Jesus is the Son of God who, with the Father, gives life, and as Son of man judges. In chapter 6 He is the object of faith, as come down from heaven and dying. He just alludes to His going on high as Son of man.
Note #24
Christ brings the strength with Him which the law requires in man himself to profit by it.
Note #24
The Sabbath is introduced, whatever new institution or arrangement is established under the law. And in truth, a part in the rest of God is, in certain aspects, the highest of our privileges (see Hebrews 4). The Sabbath was the close of the first or this creation, and will be so when fulfilled. Our rest is in the new one, and that not in the first man's creation state but risen, Christ the second Man being its beginning and head. Hence the first day of the week.
Note #26
God's Sabbath is a Sabbath of love and holiness.
Note #27
Remark how full the bearing of this is. If they do not come into judgment to settle their state, as man would put it, they are shewn to be wholly dead in sin. Grace in Christ does not contemplate an uncertain state which judgment will determine. It gives life and secures from judgment. But while He judges as Son of man according to the deeds done in the body, He shews us here that all were dead in sin to begin with.