VIDEO Jesus Of Nazareth Jesus Speaking A Parable To The Children

One of the methods Jesus employed in communicating His message was through parables. A parable is basically an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. When Jesus started telling parables to the people, His disciples asked the obvious question, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” (Matthew 13:10).

Jesus Gives A Revealing Answer

Jesus’ answer to the question was quite revealing.

Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given . . . . And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive, for the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their heart and turn, so that I should heal them’ (Matthew 13:11,14,15).

Unwillingness on the part of the people to receive Jesus’ message of the kingdom was the reason that He taught in parables. The truths of the kingdom of God were heard by them but not understood. It was not because God was hiding the truth from them-it was because they did not want to hear.

They Had The Chance To Believe

This points to a great truth. God has given the people every chance to accept the message of Jesus. His ministry was attested by miracles. He offered the proper credentials as the Messiah, yet they did not believe Him. The realities of the kingdom, therefore, were not theirs to know. The people who believed in Jesus as the Messiah would understand the parables. They would comprehend the great truths of the kingdom of God.

They Are To Be Understood Spiritually

Some years later the Apostle Paul would echo the same truth:

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known they would not have crucified the Lord of glory . . . For what man knows the things of man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God . . . But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:7,8,11,14).

Most People Were Not Interested In The Truth

The truth of God is to be understood spiritually. The great majority of the people in Jesus’ day were not interested in God’s truth. Jesus clearly said,

Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand (Matthew 13:13).

Summary

Jesus spoke in parables – earthly stories with a heavenly meaning. He did so that his disciples would comprehend his teachings and that unbelievers would be without comprehension. Those interested in understanding the truth of his message would understand while those not interested would remain without understanding.

By Don Stewart 

https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_1345.cfm

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Jesus Of Nazareth Jesus Speaking A Parable To The Children

“I AM”

God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” Exodus 3:14

Jack, a professor of philosophy and literature, had a brilliant mind. He’d declared himself an atheist at the age of fifteen and in adulthood adamantly defended his “atheistic faith.” Christian friends tried to persuade him. As Jack put it, “Everyone and everything had joined the other side.” But the Bible, he had to admit, was different from other literature and myths. About the Gospels he wrote: “If ever a myth had become fact, had been incarnated, it would be just like this.”

One Bible passage became most influential to Jack—Exodus 3. God was calling Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses asked God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” (v. 11). God responded, “I am who I am” (v. 14). This passage is a complex play on words and names but reflects God’s eternal presence from the beginning. Interestingly, later Jesus echoed the same when he said, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58).

Jack, better known as C. S. Lewis, was deeply persuaded by this passage. This was all that the one true God should need to say—simply that He is the “I am.” In a life-changing moment, Lewis “gave in, and admitted God was God.” This was the beginning of a journey for Lewis toward accepting Jesus.

Perhaps we struggle with belief, as Lewis did, or maybe with a lukewarm faith. We might ask ourselves if God is truly the “I am” in our lives.

By:  Kenneth Petersen

Reflect & Pray

What does it mean to you to hear God say, “I am”? How might it influence your days ahead?

Dear God, I come to You in awe of who You are. You are the “I am” in my life, and there is no other.

Answering Objections To The Divinity Of Christ

The cornerstone of Christian belief is the deity of Jesus Christ. If he is not fully God and fully man, he cannot save us. Nor would he be an object of worship, or seen as equal to God the Father. But all these things are clearly affirmed in the New Testament and at least hinted at in the Old.

So it is imperative that we get it right when it comes to thinking about who Jesus is and what he did. The case for his deity is one I have made elsewhere, so those articles need to be consulted along with this one. Here I wish to look at just two common objections, based on two passages of Scripture, both found in John’s gospel.

Those in the Christian cults and those affirming Christological heresies will regularly appeal to these two texts, but will ignore the mass of data which gives another view. If these two verses were all we had on Christ, then maybe it could be argued that he was not God in the flesh.

But all the biblical data must be examined, and we must compare Scripture with Scripture. As is well known, of all the four gospels, John is the one filled with texts stressing the divine nature of Jesus. What he said about himself, what he did, and what others said about him all point to a divine figure.

So these two problem passages must be read in light of the entire gospel, as well as the entire New Testament. Let me therefore examine each of these two verses in some detail.

John 5:19

The first passage used to try to prove Jesus is not God says this: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself.” Those using this verse claim Jesus is not equal to God. But as always, context is king, and John 5 turns out to be quite a highly Christological chapter, one which clearly holds up the divine status of Jesus.

Indeed, the immediate context of 5:16-30 needs to be read here to help us understand what Jesus was saying. And the slightly larger context – including the story of the healing of the man at the pool at Bethesda at the beginning of the chapter – makes it clear just how wrong the cultic interpretation is.

The whole chapter involves Jesus defending himself and what he has done, and the two verses prior to v. 19 make it clear that this is all about the divine nature of Jesus. Verse 17 says this: “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.”

Much can be said about all of this, but since I just reread a helpful little volume which deals with this by D. A. Carson (Jesus the Son of God – Crossway, 2012), let me rely just on him. He says this about the importance of verse 17:

This utterance establishes at least three things. First, by referring to God as “my Father,” Jesus is implicitly saying that he himself is God’s Son. Second, because in the context Jesus is arguing that he has the right to do things on the Sabbath that other human beings do not have the right to do, he is declaring his sonship to be unique. Third, because the warrant for Jesus’ work on the Sabbath is grounded in the fact that God, his Father, works on the Sabbath, Jesus is implicitly claiming he has the prerogatives of God. Small wonder that we read, “For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God” (5:18).

That verse alone should make it clear that the subordination spoken of here is a functional one, not an ontological one. That is, Jesus always does the work of the Father and he always does the will of the Father. This is because he is one with the Father in his very being or essence.

As Carson concludes:

Here, then, is Jesus’ explanation to the Jewish leaders of his peculiar sonship. He does not back away one millimeter from his claim that he has all the prerogatives of God, that he does all that his Father does, that he is to be revered as his Father is revered. And yet he makes his claim with arguments that carefully avoid giving any impression that he is a separate God-center, a second but equal God. Although his language is largely functional, it is simply impossible to overlook the ontology that is presupposed behind it.

John 14:28

The second passage appealed to by the critics of orthodox Christianity says this: “the Father is greater than I”. Again, context is crucial. Jesus is talking about returning to the Father where he will again enjoy the full glory he always had with Him.

But in his incarnational state he does not have that full glory on display. It is veiled. But he rejoices that he is now returning to the Father, and he wants his disciples to rejoice as well. As Carson says in his commentary on John:

If Jesus’ disciples truly loved him, they would be glad that he is returning to his Father, for he is returning to the sphere where he belongs, to the glory he had with the Father before the world began (17:5), to the place where the Father is undiminished in glory, unquestionably greater than the Son in his incarnate state.

Again, we see the relationship between Father and Son, and in this case, it is a very unique relationship. As Rodney Whitacre comments, “The Father is greater in that he is the origin (eternally) of the Son, but he and the Son are equal in that they share the same nature.”

There is a subordination to the Father, which is part of his eternal sonship. Thus the other clear pronouncements of deity in John’s gospel must always be kept in view here, such as John 10:30: “I and my Father are one.” As Craig Keener says,

In the whole of his Gospel, John plainly affirms Jesus’ deity (1:1; 8:58; 20:28) but distinguishes Jesus from the Father (1:1b, 2)… The issue is not Jesus’ nondeity, or even his distinction from the Father (which is assumed), but his subordination to the Father, which portrays Jesus as the Father’s obedient agent and therefore appeals to those who honor the Father to honor him.

So these two passages, long appealed to by early heretics and more recent cultists, do not make the case they seek to make with them. Admittedly, they can be difficult to fully comprehend correctly, and as mentioned, if this were all we had on Jesus, it might well seem to make the case for his lack of deity.

But we have the entire New Testament to look at, which throughout makes a clear and strong case for the eternally divine Son. In sum, we insist upon the full deity of Christ. As Wayne Grudem reminds us, we must insist on this not only because it is clearly taught in Scripture, but also because (1) only someone who is infinite God could bear the full penalty for all the sins of all those who would believe in him—any finite creature would have been incapable of bearing that penalty; (2) salvation is from the Lord (Jonah 2:9 NASB), and the whole message of Scripture is designed to show that no human being, no creature, could ever save man—only God himself could; and (3) only someone who was truly and fully God could be the one mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5), both to bring us back to God and also to reveal God most fully to us (John 14:9).

Thus, if Jesus is not fully God, we have no salvation and ultimately no Christianity. It is no accident that throughout history those groups that have given up belief in the full deity of Christ have not remained long within the Christian faith but have soon drifted toward the kind of religion represented by Unitarianism in the United States and elsewhere. “No one who denies the Son has the Father” (1 John 2:23). “Any one who goes ahead and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God; he who abides in the doctrine has both the Father and the Son” (2 John 9).

by Bill Muehlenberg

https://barbwire.com/2017/12/19/answering-objections-divinity-christ/

Go Thy Way: The Centurion’s Faith

Background: Jesus recently had preached the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), then healed the leper (Matt 8:1-4). He then was approached by a Roman centurion (leader of 100 men) who asked for help. What would Jesus do or say in this situation?The text is Matthew 8:5-13: “And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this [man], Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth [it]. When Jesus heard [it], he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, [so] be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour” (KJV).

Introduction: Centurions were commanders of 100 Roman soldiers. These men were assigned to various parts of the Roman Empire for various duties, including peacekeeping. Certainly some of these men were employed in the execution of people condemned to death for any number of misdeeds and crimes, of which Jesus Christ had been accused.

This centurion had a problem. One of his servants (we’re not told how many he might have had) was suffering, “sick of the palsy.” Strong’s Concordance indicates the phrase as paralytikos, which is the Greek word from which we get paralytic; there was little if any hope that this servant would be well again.

I. The Centurion Made an Appeal
We’re not told which mountain was where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. It could have been one around Capernaum, which itself was near the Sea of Galilee. After all, this is where Jesus was going. Regardless, when He arrived in Capernaum, He met a centurion who made a personal appeal to Jesus.

This centurion first made a respectful greeting. He had the authority to demand to see Jesus (or anyone else for that matter) and could have said something such as, “Hey, you, Teacher, heal my servant, and I mean right now!” He could have employed threats, imprisonment or any weapon in his arsenal. He could have done it without any fear of reprisal. The Romans were the masters, politically speaking, and all others were under their rule. Roman citizens had special privileges and protections. The centurion could have issued an order for Jesus to appear. In person. Right here. Right now.

Yet he didn’t do that. He approached Jesus with respect, giving Him a great deal of dignity in the process. Notice he called Jesus Lord or Sir, from the Greek word kurios (according to Strong’s Concordance). This is more remarkable, as the centurion didn’t have to give any kind of respectful greeting to anyone except perhaps his superiors. This is all the more remarkable given that Jesus was a Jew, and the Romans had no obligation to pay any kind of respect to their subjects.

Further, he didn’t make a direct appeal for healing. He simply reported the servant’s condition: “My servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.”

Did he have faith? How did he come to understand Jesus could heal someone as sick as his servant? Where did he come to learn anything at all about Jesus?

Jesus replied, “I’ll come and heal him.”

II. Jesus Gave Him an Answer
“I will come and heal him.” These six words were some of the most profound ever spoken. Why was this remarkable?

For one thing, Jews were forbidden to enter the houses of anyone who was not Jewish. Simon Peter ran into that problem a few years later after he went to the house of Cornelius, after he reported that Cornelius and his household became believers in Jesus! Did I mention Cornelius was a Roman centurion, also? This story is told in Acts 10. So we can see Jesus was willing to break tradition and visit the home of a Gentile to perform an act of mercy.

Second, Jesus could have healed the centurion’s servant from a distance away. He did so for the son of a nobleman of Capernaum (see John 4), as well as for the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman (see Mark 7). It is never explained why Jesus was willing to heal this servant in person, and there is no need to speculate or guess. We can be grateful He was willing to show this kindness and personal touch in this moment of need.

Third, and this is a bit ominous, this could have been one of the last miracles Capernaum ever saw. Just a few chapters later (Matt 11:23), Jesus condemned Capernaum because the people didn’t repent when Jesus preached. Incredible as it sounds, Capernaum was the sight of several miracles, and some of Jesus’ own preaching and teaching, yet the people didn’t repent. They didn’t accept God’s message, so they endured God’s judgment. Was this healing of the centurion’s servant one of the mighty works Jesus spoke of in Matthew 11?

Finally, this willingness to go to the centurion’s home shows just how much Jesus loved all people. It’s no secret the Jews hated the Romans (why else would there have been the Zealots and other revolutionary groups, plus Judas and Theudas, mentioned by Gamaliel in Acts 5?), but Jesus put a stop to (at least some of) this thinking. If He, as the promised and expected King, was willing to love the enemies of His subjects, wouldn’t and shouldn’t they do the same thing?

III. Note the Centurion’s Reply
Imagine the centurion’s reaction to the words of Jesus in the previous verse! He had made a polite request or inquiry, not asking Jesus specifically for his servant to be healed. In response, Jesus broke at least two of the greatest social taboos of that time and went to a Gentile home to heal a servant. We could guess the centurion was flabbergasted.

In so many words, he said to Jesus, “You don’t have to do all that! I’m not worthy to have a visit from You. Just say the word, and my servant will be healed!” He further showed his understanding of who Jesus was by saying, “I have authority and tell a soldier to go, and he does; I tell another to come, and he does; and I tell my servant to do something, and he does it.” Many of us who have served in the military are quite aware of the chain of command in that everyone has a superior and subordinates. This centurion had 100 soldiers under his supervision, but he also reported to higher ranking officers (for example, chiliarchs, commanders of 1,000 men; sometimes called chief captains in Acts, e,g.  Claudius Lysias). He recognized something in Jesus that many of the Jewish people never comprehended.

If the centurion had anything else to say, we’re not privy to the conversation. We can see that his words had an effect on Jesus unlike many others.IV. Jesus Was Amazed
This is one of the few times in Scripture when Jesus was amazed or marveled at something. This recognition of faith that Jesus could heal the centurion’s servant—from a distance—and the parallel of authority (coming from a Gentile!) must have been amazing indeed for Jesus. One thing that we sometimes forget is Christ’s absolute humanity, and the ability to love, show anger, experience hunger and thirst, and to be amazed or to marvel at certain things.Jesus expressed something that may be easily missed. He mentioned He hadn’t seen such great faith in all of Israel. This is so true in that the centurion didn’t specifically ask for healing or for any other thing. Most, if not all, the other miracles in which people came to Jesus were based on someone making a request. Examples include the son of the Capernaum noble, the Syrophoenician woman, the catch of fish in Luke 5, the miraculous feeding of two different multitudes of people, and the healing of Lazarus in John 11. This man, let it be repeated, made no demand of Jesus. All he did was express a concern. Did he trust Jesus to do what was best? We may never know the extent of his faith, but we will have the record that Jesus provided healing and was amazed by this Gentile’s faith!V. Jesus Gave Additional Information
One thing to remember, especially in the Old Testament and gospels, is there was a distinction between the Jewish people, God’s chosen people, and the rest of the human race. Gentiles were not part of God’s dealings with Israel in regard to the Law of Moses and the promises of Israel’s future. Some Gentiles did become believers (e.g., Rahab, the former harlot; Ruth of Moab). The Book of Esther tells how many people in the Medo-Persian Empire became Jews (see Esther 8). Later, Nicolas of Antioch, a Gentile proselyte or convert to Judaism, was one of the first seven deacons in the early church.

Following this declaration (v. 10) that Jesus hadn’t seen such faith in all Israel, He went on to startle the listeners. Isaiah and other prophets gave glowing promises of the glory to come in Messiah’s kingdom but didn’t say very much about the role of the Gentiles in that kingdom. Jesus told the listeners that many would come from the east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. To the east were mountains and the land of Moab, Ammon and Syria; farther away were Babylon, Assyria and other locations. We can read in 2 Kings 17 that the king of Assyria carried many captives from the 10 Northern tribes to these and other locations. To the west was the land of the Philistines and the Mediterranean Sea. The Jews of Jesus’ day also knew about Cyprus, Crete and other territory along the sea. Surely they knew of the Romans coming from the west, as they conquered the land of Israel and was governing that land under their own laws.

However, for these people to have fellowship with the founders of the faith was something they weren’t expecting! Even more, I doubt they expected to hear these words of warning, as spoken by Jesus that the children of the kingdom would be cast into outer darkness and experience weeping and gnashing of teeth. Did anyone ask Jesus for any additional information or to have Him explain this? Certainly they would lose God’s blessings if they didn’t repent and believe the gospel.

VI. Conclusion
We have seen how the centurion, a Gentile, a member of the ruling powers, came to Jesus but didn’t make any demands, requests or anything else. He simply said, “My servant is grievously tormented, sick of the palsy.” Actually, this isn’t so much an appeal as a statement, but there’s an undercurrent of hope for healing.

Jesus didn’t turn the man away, but offered to follow him home and heal the servant personally. Though this violated social taboos, Jesus was and is Lord and had the authority to go anywhere His presence was requested.The centurion recognized authority. This amazed Jesus and led Him to declare that many (Gentiles) would sit with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. He also warned that the children of the kingdom would be cast into outer darkness, where there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth. What a solemn warning for us all.

Jesus told the centurion, “Go thy way, as you have believed, so it has been done.” This may seem to be anticlimax or less important part of the story, but this is the most important part. Matthew recorded that the servant was healed in the very same hour! This is proof positive that Jesus met the servant’s needs and honored the centurion’s faith. The centurion came in faith. Jesus honored that faith, and the centurion went his way, receiving the promise. May we have the same kind of faith he had!

by Jonathan Spurlock

The Business Of Discipleship

Recently, a friend called and asked me HOW TO GO ABOUT THIS BUSINESS OF DISCIPLESHIP.

Following are excerpts of my letter to him:

“Doug, it seems to me that the essence of discipleship is this:

(1) Select people to disciple who have F-A-A-T qualities: (Faithful, Available, Able [to teach others], Teachable.) (See Luke 6:12, 13; 2 Timothy 2:2). Understand that in shepherding all are included (See 1 Peter 5:2; Romans 15:1, 2). But here the discussion is discipling, and that involves selection.

(2) Spend quality time with these people:

• Developing friendship and trust (See Proverbs 17:17)
• Encouraging them in their walk (See Hebrews 3:13)
• Modeling what they need to become (See 1 Corinthians 11:1; Proverbs 23:26)
• Listening to them in order to learn who they are and what they need (See James 1:19)

(3) Help them rearrange their priorities in order to develop the discipline and desire for consistency in the quiet time, Scripture memory and Bible study. (See 1 Timothy 4:7)

(4) You can pretty well count on the fact that they have unresolved problems in at least one of the following areas which you will need to address with them:

• Financial – Greed, debt, co-signing, fear that God won’t provide for their needs
• Sexual – Pornography, sexual fantasies, unfulfilled expectations in marriage, etc.
• Relational – Unresolved anger toward God, parents, spouse, friends, etc.

(5) Keep in mind that behind everything we do must be Compassion and Intercession:

“Those who sow in tears will reap in joy. He who goes out weeping, and carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.“(Psalm 126:5, 6)

Oh yes… One more thing, Doug, Remember that God uses clean vessels:

“In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.“(2 Timothy 2:20-21)

So be sure to focus first on the quality of your walk with God. Then seek to help others!”

“Let all things be done unto edifying.”

Nehemiah 13:1-17

After Jerusalem had been walled in, Nehemiah took great care to reform the manners of the people, and to celebrate the ordinances of religion as the law of God directed. We will read of one of their great assemblies.

Nehemiah 13:3

They were not wearied with five or six hours’ devotion, whereas in these times there is much complaint if the service lasts longer than an hour and a half.

Nehemiah 13:4

So that the pulpit was a roomy one. The presence of these eminent persons added authority and honour to the preacher’s office before the eyes of the people.

Nehemiah 13:5-7

As they could not all hear the same person’s voice, they were divided into companies, and were instructed by the good men just named.

Nehemiah 13:8

The reading of difficult passages of Scripture in public is of small use to the many: the preacher should explain what he reads.

Nehemiah 13:10

Even our sorrow for sin must not prevent our grateful joy. While God is so good, we ought to rejoice in him, however much we may see to weep over in ourselves.

Nehemiah 13:11, 12

Good cause for gladness have those who understand the Scriptures. A service which is above our comprehension must be dreary to us; but if we can enter into it, we may well be glad.

Nehemiah 13:13-17

The joyous feast of Tabernacles followed the day of atonement, and on this occasion the people, having entered, by deep sorrow, into the humiliation of the atonement, were all the more ready to enjoy the delights of the after feast. They kept it after a better fashion than in any former period. Let us also keep the feast, for our sins have been put away by our great Substitute. Let us joyfully sojourn here below in these frail tabernacles till we enter into our house eternal in the heavens.

O my soul, what means this sadness?

Wherefore art thou thus cast down?

Let thy griefs be turned to gladness,

Bid thy restless fears be gone:

Look to Jesus,

And rejoice in his dear name.

Oh that I could now adore him,

Like the heavenly host above,

Who for ever bow before him,

And unceasing sing his love!

Happy songsters!

When shall I your chorus join?

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Thou shalt arise, and mercy have

Upon thy Sion yet;

The time to favour her is come,

The time that thou hast set.

For in her rubbish and her stones

Thy servants pleasure take;

Yea, they the very dust thereof

Do favour for her sake.

When Sion by the mighty Lord

Built up again shall be,

Then shall her gracious God appear

In glorious majesty.

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Oft in sorrow, oft in woe,

Onward, Christians, onward go;

Fight the fight, maintain the strife,

Strengthen’d with the bread of life.

Let your drooping hearts be glad;

March in heavenly armour clad;

Fight, nor think the battle long,

Soon shall victory tune your song.

Let not sorrow dim your eye,

Soon shall every tear be dry;

Let not fears your course impede,

Great your strength if great your need.

Onward, then, to glory move,

More than conquerors ye shall prove;

Though opposed by many a foe,

Christian soldiers, onward go.

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Now doth my soul resolve indeed

To wound her Lord no more;

Hence from my heart, ye sins, begone,

For Jesus I adore.

Furnish me, Lord, with heav’nly arms

From grace’s magazine,

And I’ll proclaim eternal war

With every darling sin.

No more, ye lusts, shall ye command,

No more will I obey;

Stretch out, O God, thy conqu’ring hand,

And drive thy foes away!

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Look upon me, Lord, I pray thee,

Let thy Spirit dwell in mine;

Thou hast sought me, thou hast bought me,

Only thee to know I pine.

Let me find thee!

Take my heart, and own me thine!

Nought I ask for, nought I strive for,

But thy grace so rich and free;

That thou givest whom thou lovest,

And who truly cleave to thee.

Let me find thee!

He hath all things who hath thee.

The Crowd Turns Back

From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. (John 6:66)

Our Lord Jesus Christ called men to follow Him, but He plainly taught that “no man can come unto me, except it were given him of my Father” (John 6:65).

It is not surprising that many of His early followers, upon hearing these words, went back and walked no more with Him. Such teaching cannot but be deeply disturbing to the natural mind. It takes from sinful men much of the power of self-determination. It cuts the ground out from under their self-help and throws them back upon the sovereign good pleasure of God—and that is precisely where they do not want to be!

These statements by our Lord run contrary to the current assumptions of popular Christianity. Men are willing to be saved by grace, but to preserve their self-esteem, they must hold that the desire to be saved originated with them.

Most Christians today seem afraid to talk about these plain words of Jesus concerning the sovereign operation of God—so they use the simple trick of ignoring them!