Rev. Patrick Vincent
“They came to Him from every quarter.”— Mark 1:45
People of all types came to Jesus from every direction. Their paths were different, but their center was the same.
Still true today.
I refer you to Spurgeon’s wonderful sermon, “Gathering to the centre.”
https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/gathering-to-the-centre
“This is my comfort in my affliction: for Thy word hath quickened me.” – Psa. 119:50
God’s word will resuscitate you, bring you back from the dead, and revive you.
“yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.” – 1 Cor. 8:6
It is through the Lord Jesus Christ that we live.
“But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,” – Rom. 4:5
The person who’s faith is accounted for righteousness is the person who does not lean on his or her own works, but rather, who relies solely on God.
God is the one who justifies the sinner, not the sinner’s actions or accomplishments.
It’s not based on us, but Him.
“that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge,” – 1 Cor. 1:5Everything is enriched by Jesus.
Everything is improved, enhanced, upgraded, sweetened, and adorned by the Son of Man.
Without Him, everything is dulled, decreased, reduced, and lessened.
Do you know Him?
I should read the Old Testament more, but I don’t. I get lost in all the names & places. Then I just give up. I hear this all the time. Maybe this will help.
How are you approaching the OT?
Like a desert; lots of sand & rocks but little life? Stretches of dryness with the occasional oasis? Well yeah, that would be pretty boring.
Like a gymnasium; people & examples of how you should be? Exercises you need to train yourself in? Well yeah, that would be pretty daunting.
So, you can see how these are dead-end approaches.
Try this instead.
On the road to Emmaus (Luke 24: 13-35), Jesus showed us His approach to the OT:
“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself” (verse 27).
And again Jesus said, “You pore over the Scriptures because you presume that by them you possess eternal life. These are the very words that testify about Me.” – John 5:39
“Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, the One the prophets foretold–Jesus of Nazareth” – John 1:45
The question to ask when reading the OT is: How does this concern, testify about, or reveal Jesus? What can I learn about Jesus in this text? Where is Jesus in this account?
Let me give you an easy example: Noah and the Ark. Using the gymnasium approach only scratches the surface. God asked Noah to do something incredible for which he was ridiculed, but he was obedient and therefore triumphant. Likewise, we should be equally obedient and thereby will be triumphant. Right? Well, that approach totally misses Jesus. The Ark is a type & shadow pointing to perfect fulfillment in Jesus. You can unpack this one easily for yourself, but you get the idea. To not seek Jesus in this account is to miss the whole point!
This way the OT comes alive in a way you never knew it could! The OT conceals what the NT reveals in Christ. You cannot fully appreciate the fulfillment that Jesus offers, if you don’t know how, where, & why it was promised in the first place. The two testaments are sides of the same coin and that coin is the revelation of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
So open the OT because it opens Jesus!
Ref: https://www.anointedlinks.com/one_solitary_life_original.html
In Romans 2:16, Paul does something curious; he calls the gospel, “my gospel.” Funny. In most other places he uses the plural possessive,”our gospel.” But here he calls it his own.
Why?
Paul doesn’t mean that he is the author of it or that he has some sort of exclusivity with it. What he is doing is taking ownership of it and (as Spurgeon says) “holding it with both hands, grasping it as his very own.” He is binding it to his heart. He’s making it personal.
I join Paul in calling the gospel of Jesus Christ mine. It is my very own. All else is vanity and lies.
This is my gospel. Is it yours?
Augustine of Hippo said “he who sings prays twice,” once with our music and once with our words. This song has pierced my heart as only music can. It is my anthem of freedom.
My fears were drowned in perfect love. Jesus, You rescued me. No longer a slave to sin: I am a child of God!
Pray this song. “No Longer Slaves,” by Jonathan David & Melissa Helser
I would like to share a verse with you that has encouraged me & fed me on many difficult nights:
“For the eyes of the Lord run to & fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” – 2 Chronicles 16:9a
I know many of you are facing awful times. Difficulty & trial seem to be your only trusty companions. Life seems impossible. You feel like you are being crushed under the weight of it all. You can hardly even breathe.
The eyes of the Lord continuously search. He’s looking for just a chance to show how strong He is on the behalf of His children. Claim this promise! Write it over your heart. Repeat it to your dark night.
The Hebrew word for “run to and fro” (shuwt) also holds within it the word picture of a “mariner rowing the sea with oars.” That, to me, seems more appropriate. The storm is raging. The waves are roaring. Each row of the oar is met with strenuous resistance. The mariner puts his full body into moving the vessel into more tranquil waters.
He sees. He sees your tears. He is on your side. He will supply. His arm is not short. He will show Himself strong on your behalf!
It is true, we have a relentless enemy. It is true, he will not give up. He attacks and then attacks again. But what’s also true is that he’s already defeated.
Our Champion is even more relentless. Jesus will not give up. He pursues us and then He pursues us some more. Jesus is victorious.
Is your heart loyal to Him?
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