Nov 21
21
Unto you who believe — He is precious!
(“Every Day!” Author unknown, 1872)
“Unto you who believe — He is precious!” 1 Peter 2:7
It is to unbelievers only, that Christ is “as a root out of a dry ground” — having no form nor loveliness.
To those who know Him, and put their trust in Him — He is the chief among ten thousand, and altogether lovely! To those who believe, He is precious . . .
in all the offices He sustains,
in all the relations He bears,
as their atoning Sacrifice,
as the Lord their righteousness,
as the source of their spiritual life,
as their Teacher,
as their Example,
and as their Guide.
O my soul, is Jesus precious to you?
Do you realise something of His worth?
Is He your Refuge, your Hiding-place?
Are you sheltered in Him?
Is He your Shepherd, your Guardian, your Friend?
Do you feel that, whatever you are called to part with — you cannot part with Christ?
Do you feel that that He is your Saviour, your Life, your All?
Oh, then cleave to Him, serve Him earnestly, and live to His glory!
And know to your comfort, that as unworthy and sinful as you are — you are precious to Him. He bought you with His precious blood, He claims you as His own, and He will treasure you among His jewels when He comes to gather them up!
“Yes, Christ is precious to my soul,
My transport and my trust;
Jewels to Him are gaudy toys,
And gold is sordid dust!”
“In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.” Hebrews 2:10
J.C.Philpot
When, with believing eyes, we can view God the Son as the eternal salvation of all whom the Father gave unto him; when we can see him, by the eye of faith, coming down into this lower world, taking our nature into union with his own Divine Person; when, by faith, we can accompany the Man of Sorrows into the gloomy garden of Gethsemane, or behold him groaning, bleeding, and dying on the cross, an object of ignominy and shame, and believe that in this way, and this alone, salvation could be wrought out, O, what a view it gives us of the demerit and dreadful nature of SIN, that nothing short of the incarnation of God’s only begotten Son, nothing short of such a tremendous sacrifice could put away sin, and bring the elect back unto God!
On the one hand, as we take a glance at the suffering and dying Lamb of God, how it shows us the dreadful and abominable nature of sin; and, on the other hand, when we can see by the eye of faith what that work is, by whom that work was wrought out, and how glorious and efficacious that work must be which the Son of God, equal with the Father in glory and majesty, undertook and went through to the uttermost–how it exalts SALVATION in our eyes!
Thus a believing sight of the Lord Jesus hanging upon Calvary’s tree, not only, on the one hand, shows us the dreadful nature of sin, but, on the other, how full, how complete, how glorious, and how effectual must that salvation be, of which the expiring Son of God could say, “It is finished!”
He who believes shall be saved, be his sins ever so many
(Charles Spurgeon)
“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life!
He who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him!” John 3:36
He who believes shall be saved, be his sins ever so many.
He who does not believe shall be damned, be his sins ever so few.
There is no sin which can damn the one who sincerely believes.
There is absolutely nothing which can save the one who does not believe.
“The only way to be saved is by faith in Christ. Apart from faith in Him—no one, anywhere, at any time, in any culture, at any period in history, at any age, is saved.”
If I was qualified to search out the best Christian in the kingdom
(Letters of John Newton)
“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at My Word.” Isaiah 66:2
Indeed, I believe that the most lively graces, and the most solid comfort — are known among the Lord’s poor and unlearned people. Every outward advantage has a tendency to nourish the pride of the human heart — and requires a proportionate knowledge of the deceitful self and the evil of sin to counter-balance them.
It is no less difficult to have great abilities, than great riches — without trusting in them. 1 Timothy 6:17
If I was qualified to search out the best Christian in the kingdom — I would not expect to find him either in a seminary or in a pulpit. I would give the palm to that person who had the lowest thoughts of himself, and the most admiring and loving thoughts of the Saviour. And perhaps this person would be some bed-ridden old man or woman — or a pauper in a parish workhouse.
The Lord’s regard to us, is not to be measured by our theological knowledge — but rather by the simplicity of our dependence, and the uniform tenor of our obedience to His will.
“Humble yourselves before the Lord — and He will lift you up.” James 4:10
The best man!
(Charles Spurgeon)
It seems to me that the best and most tender duty that Christians do for their Lord Jesus, is that which is touched with the blood-mark — which bears the stamp of the cross.
The best preaching is, “We preach Christ crucified!”
The best living is, “We are crucified with Christ!”
The best man, is a crucified man!
The more we live beholding our Lord’s unutterable griefs, and understanding how He has fully put away our sin — the more holiness we shall produce.
The more we dwell where the cries of Calvary can be heard — where we can view Heaven, and earth, and Hell, all moved by His wondrous suffering — the nobler will our lives become.
Nothing puts life into men, like a dying Saviour!
Come, let us slay sin — for Christ was slain.
Come, let us bury all our pride — for Christ was buried.
Come, let us rise to newness of life — for Christ has risen.
Let us be united with our crucified Lord in His one great objective. Let us live and die with Him — and then every action of our lives will be very beautiful.
“Whosoever Believeth”
John 3:14-16
The one speaking in these three verses is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. He is talking to a lost man, Nicodemus. Though Nicodemus was an educated, religious, moralist, highly respected by his peers, he was a lost man, alienated from God and perishing under the wrath of God. In these three verses our Lord tells a lost sinner THE ONLY WAY OF SALVATION.
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up” (v. 14). IN ORDER FOR SINNERS TO BE SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD CHRIST HAD TO DIE AS THE SINNER’S SUBSTITUTE UPON THE CROSS. “The Son of man must be lifted up.” God could never have saved a sinner if Christ had not satisfied his offended justice by suffering the penalty of sin for his people. But now, through the merits of Christ’s blood, God is both just and the Justifier of all who believe. This is the result of Christ’s death.
“That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (v. 15). SINCE CHRIST DIED, ALL WHO BELIEVE ON HIM HAVE ETERNAL LIFE AND SHALL NOT PERISH UNDER THE WRATH OF GOD. Faith in Christ is the proof that he died for you and satisfied the justice of God for you.If you, knowing your sin and guilt before God, trust Christ as your only, all-sufficient Saviour, you have been redeemed by him, you are born of God, you shall never perish, you have eternal life! Faith in Christ does not cause you to be born again; but it is the proof that you are born again. Faith does not merit eternal life, (Only the death of Christ could do that!); but it does prove that you have eternal life.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (v. 16). THE CAUSE OF CHRIST’S DEATH, THE CAUSE OF SALVATION IS THE LOVE OF GOD. There is a people scattered throughout the ages and realms of this world who are loved of God, a people whom God is determined to save. God so loved those people that he gave his Son to redeem them. Who are they? “Whosoever believeth in him!” The question that must be answered is this – Do you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? If you do, your faith is the gift of God’s grace, the fruit of his love, Christ’s death, and the Spirit’s call. If you do not trust Christ, the wrath of God is upon you!
Don Fortner
Who holds whom?
by Spurgeon–
Remember, sinner, it is not YOUR HOLD
of Christ that saves you– it is Christ.
It is not YOUR JOY in Christ that saves you– it is Christ.
It is NOT EVEN FAITH in Christ (though faith is the instrument)
–it is Christ’s blood and merits.
Therefore, do not look to your hope,
but to Christ, the source of your hope.
Do not look to your faith, but to Christ,
the author and finisher of your faith.
If you do that, ten thousand devils cannot throw you down.
It is not prayer, it is not faith, it is not our doings,
it is not our feelings upon which we must rest,
but upon Christ and ON CHRIST ALONE!
Let me beseech you, look only to Christ; never expect
deliverance from self, from ministers, nor from any
means of any kind apart from Christ.
Keep your eye simply ON HIM!
Let His death, His merits, His glories,
His intercession be fresh upon your mind.
When you wake in the morning, look for HIM.
When you lie down at night, look for HIM.
“This is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord our Righteousness.” Jeremiah 23:6
J.C.Philpot
What a sweet view does this give of Jesus! We look sometimes at Christ’s righteousness as distinct from Christ. Shall I use a figure? We look at the garment as distinct from the maker and wearer of the garment. We look at the righteousness so much, that we scarcely look at him who wrought out that righteousness. Now, we must not separate Jesus from his righteousness. We must not look merely at the garment, the imputed robe, and forget him that wrought it out, that puts it on, and that keeps it to this day in firm possession. But when we can see, that not only the obedience of Christ, but Christ himself–all that Jesus is–all that Jesus has, as head of his Church, as the risen Mediator, as the great High Priest over the house of God–when we can see that this God-man, Immanuel, is made unto his people righteousness, how it expands the prospect! Then we look, not merely at the robe itself, beautiful, lovely, and glorious; we look farther–we look at Him that made it. We do not look merely at the robe as distinct from him. We look at him who made that robe what it is–Jesus, who ever lives at the right hand of the Father to make intercession for us. This, to my mind, is a sweet view.
If I sink down into creature sinfulness, shame, and guilt, and see Jesus made of God unto me righteousness, what need I more? Has God made him so? Who can unmake him so? Has God made the Son of his love, righteousness to my soul, that I may stand in him without spot, speck, or blemish? Who is to alter it? Can sin alter it? That is atoned for. Can the devil alter it? He is chained down unto the judgment of the great day. Can the world alter it? They cannot stretch forth their finger to touch one thread of that robe, to touch one lineament of the Redeemer’s countenance. If he is made unto me righteousness, what more do I need? If I can find a shield, a shelter, and a refuge in him as my righteousness, what more can I need to preserve me from the charge of men or devils?
What are those wounds?
Spurgeon, “The Evidence of Our Lord’s Wounds”
O Lord Jesus, what are those wounds in your side,
and in your hands?
He answers–
“These I endured when suffering for you.
How can I forget you?
I have graven you upon the palms of my hands.
How can I ever fail to remember you?
On my very heart the spear has written your name.”
Look at Jesus, dead, buried, risen, and then say,
“He loved me, and gave himself for me!”
There is no restorative for a sinking faith like
a sight of the wounded Saviour.
Look, soul, and live by the proofs of his death!
Come and put your finger, by faith, into the print of the nails,
and these wounds shall heal you of unbelief.
The wounds of our Lord are the tokens of his love.
“Those who are whole have no need of the physician, but those who are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Mark 2:17
Octavius Winslow
The Spirit glorifies Christ by revealing what Christ is to an emptied, lowly, penitent soul. And this He does by unfolding the great truth of the Bible- that Jesus died for sinners. Not for the righteous, not for the worthy, but for sinners, as sinners; for the unrighteous, for the unworthy, for the guilty, for the lost. Precious moment, when the Eternal Spirit, the great Glorifier of Jesus, brings this truth with power to the heart! “I had believed,” exclaims the transported soul, “that Jesus died only for those who were worthy of so rich a sacrifice, of such immense love. I thought to bring some price of merit in my hands, some self-preparation, some previous fitness, something to render my case worthy of His notice, and to propitiate His kind regard. But now I see His salvation is for the vile, the poor, the penniless. I read that ‘when we were without strength, Christ died for the ungodly,’ that ‘while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,’ that ‘when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son,’ that ‘it is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,’ that it is ‘without money and without price,’ that it is ‘by grace we are saved,’ and that it is ‘of faith, that it might be by grace.'” This good news, these joyful tidings, this glorious message of free mercy for the vilest of the vile, believed, received, welcomed, in a moment the clouds all vanish, the fogs all disappear, the face of God beams in mild and softened luster, and, amid light and joy, gladness and praise, the jubilee of the soul is ushered in. Oh, what glory now encircles the Redeemer! That soul venturing upon Him with but the faith of reliance, traveling to Him in all weakness, and in the face of all opposition, brings more glory to His name than all the hallelujahs of the heavenly minstrelsy ever brought.