Jun 13
29
THE BELIEVER SEEKING JESUS
Spurgeon, “Lions Lacking– But the Children Satisfied”
Once a man is saved, he seeks Jesus that he may
praise him and put a crown on his head.
His desire is– Oh, that my heart could find you!
that all its strings might sing sweet music to you.
Oh that my mouth could find your ear, and that I might
bid it open and listen to the whisper of my song.
Oh that I knew where you did dwell,
that I might sing by the eaves of your habitation,
and that you might hear me forever-
that I might perpetually send the songs
of my gratitude up to your sacred courts!
I seek you that I may break the alabaster box
of praise on your dear sacred head.
I seek your that I may put my soul upon the altar,
and sacrifice my living self to you.
I seek you, that I may go where cherubim are singing,
whom I envy, because they–
“All night long unwearied sing
High praises to the Eternal King.”
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CHRIST IS ALL, AND IN ALL
“The Lord is my portion, says my soul.”
“Christ is all, and in all.”–Col. 3:11
We close these devout meditations with a magnificent Doxology–Christ all, and Christ in all! It is an epitome, the substance, the consummation and crown of the whole. Each theme has been a wider opening of the Divine jewel box, presenting another and a closer glimpse of the precious, priceless gem it contained. We now uplift and remove the lid, and, lo! it stands before us in all its grandeur, luster, and completeness–CHRIST, ALL AND IN ALL. Language is exhausted, imagery supplies its last symbol, imagination drops her wing, for inspiration can bear it no higher–Christ is all, and in all!
“Blessed Jesus! You are all in all, in creation and redemption, in pardon, grace, and glory. You are all in all in Your Church, and in the hearts of Your people–in all their joys, all their happiness, all their exercises, all their privileges. You are all in all in Your word, ordinances, means of grace, the sum and substance of the whole Bible. Do we speak of promises? You are the first promise in the sacred word, and the whole of every promise that follows; for all in You are ‘Yes and Amen’. Do we speak of the law? You are the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes. Do we speak of sacrifices? By Your one sacrifice You have for ever perfected those who are sanctified. Do we speak of the prophecies? To You give all the prophets witness, that whoever believes in You shall receive the remission of sins. Yes! blessed, blessed Jesus, You are all in all. May You be to me, Lord, the all in all I need in time, and then, surely, You will be my all in all to all eternity!”
My soul! all that Jesus has is yours! Every perfection of His nature, every throb of His heart, every thought of His mind, every drop of His blood, every shred of His righteousness, every atom of His merit, is yours! How rich and vast the inventory! How precious and boundless the wealth! Draw largely upon His opulence–He will honor every draft–sink deeply into His fullness–He will supply every need–“for all is yours.”
But, my soul, Jesus is not only all to you, but He is in all that concerns you. He is in every event of your history, and He is in every circumstance of your life. He is in every affliction–sanctifying it; He is in every sorrow–sweetening it; He is in every cloud, brightening it–He is in every burden–sustaining it; He rides upon every storm and walks upon every billow, saying to the winds and the waves, “Peace! be still.” Oh, never meet an event or a circumstance in your daily life, be it sad or joyous, but let your faith exclaim, “Jesus is in this! He sent it, He comes with it, He will control it, and I shall prove the all-sufficiency of His grace, and He shall have every ascription of my praise!” And if the Lord has seen fit to remove from you the one you loved–the blessing you prized–the supplies you needed–the prop upon which you leaned, it is only that He Himself should be your all in all. Jesus can fill every blank, replace every loss, and be infinitely more to you than the fondest and most essential treasures He ever gave or took away!
Christ will be all in all when eternity is nearing, and the eye is closing, and the heart is chilling, and the pulse is sinking, and the countenance is changing, and earth is disappearing, and heaven is opening, and friends are weeping–oh then, then, JESUS will be ALL AND IN ALL! Down the shaded valley–across the swelling flood–up the celestial hills–onward to the throne high and lifted up–glory bathing it, saints and angels circling it, anthems floating around it–Jesus will then appear as never before–THE ALL AND THE IN ALL of His Church.
“My flesh and my heart fails; but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever.”
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MERCY SOUGHT, MERCY FOUND-Clay Curtis.
Matthew 8:1-2
These are shocking words, “there came a leper.” Leprosy was so horrible that lepers were quarantined. If a leper came near another person he had to cry “Unclean, unclean.” Can you picture this scene? As the people stand clear for fear of touching this leper finally he gets to the Lord Jesus Christ “and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” I picture the crowd silent in suspense. What will the Master do? “And Jesus put forth his hand, and TOUCHED him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” Mercy is obtained when mercy is truly sought. May we see in this leper what it is to truly seek mercy in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Come to Christ in Desperate Need
Leprosy is one of the best representations of the plague of sin: sin makes everything we touch unclean, sin is incurable by us and sin means death. The leper realized his desperate case. Do you? You may not have leprosy but you have a disease worse than that, you have the disease of sin. Do you know your need of cleansing? Do you know that without Christ you will surely perish forever? Before any sinner will seek mercy, he must first have this desperate need. Seeking mercy is to come to Christ with a need none but Christ can cure.
Come to Christ in True Humility
The leper came and worshipped him. Luke says, “Seeing Jesus, he fell on his face.” Christ is worshipped with a heart broken and contrite. When the Spirit of God gives a new heart then we see who and what we are in the Light of who Christ is. Our best deeds are filthy rags; Christ is Holy and Righteous. We are full of uncleanness; Christ is the Fountain open for cleansing. Seeking mercy is to come down: down from pride, down from self-righteousness, down from self-sufficiency, all the way down to the feet of Christ. Has your heart been broken and humbled at the feet of Christ? (Mt 5: 3-6). Only when we become poor in spirit will we repent from ourselves, fall on our face and worship Christ (Job 42: 5-6).
Come to Christ Submitting in Faith
The leper said, “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” As bad as his disease was yet Christ had said, “Ask, and it shall be given you” (Mt 7: 7). He came making no demands but casting himself on the will of another, “Lord, if thou wilt.” Are you depending on your will or the will of God? Salvation glorifies the will of the Lord not our will (Ro 9: 15-16). The leper acknowledged Christ’s sovereign right to give or withhold grace according to his own sovereign pleasure. Mercy seekers come to Christ believing he is able to do what no one else can, “thou canst make me clean.” Do you believe Christ is who he says he is?—the Son of God. Do you believe Christ has finished the work of salvation so that there remains nothing for you to do? Do you believe that if it is his will Christ can make you clean? Come to Christ submitting to his will, believing on him (Heb 11:6).
Mercy Found
The God of all grace has never rejected a sinner who cast himself upon the King, Christ Jesus.
I can but perish if I go,
I am resolved to try;
For if I stay away I know,
I must forever die.
But if I die with mercy sought,
When I, the King have tried;
This were to die (delightful thought!)
As sinner never died.
“And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed” (Mt 8: 3).