The Empowering Gospel
There is power in the gospel of Christ, a power that comes from God to enable the lost sinner to first see his need of a Savior, and then, to reveal by God's grace the answer to that need, with the power and authority to believe and be saved. Only God can do this, and do it He will. God has proven His intent and will by sending His Son to die on a cross to save the souls of men.
Christ Our Very Present Stability
Stability in the storm requires strength, power, and resolve. To overcome the crashing waves of opposition and difficulty there must be a superior strength and power to overcome. Christ is that stability and power. The call to the believer in Christ is that he should trust fully, and wholly in Christ to be His rock, high tower, and overcoming strength. God strengthens those who wait upon Him.
Totally Poor Indescribably Rich
It is God who gives worth to men's souls. How could we otherwise even begin to understand why God loves the individual for whom Christ died? The comparison of what lost man has and is in and of himself, to that of which is true of him in Christ, saved for time and eternity, is indescribably vast. Only faith in the eternal goodness and love of God can span such a difference, seeing Christ the lost soul to win.
The Suffering Servant
It is hard to understand why the Eternal God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, could give His only begotten Son to die on a cross to pay the sin debt for every guilty sinner. But then again, it is impossible to fully grasp the love of God, which is eternal, perfect, and unchanging. Faith is the means by which one begins to grasp such a wonder.
The Holy Name Of God
The name of God is holy. This means that it not only belongs to Him alone, but that the very unique nature of God is fully associated with it. His nature is perfect, right, love, light, and Life, and a thousand things more as revealed in the Scriptures. The one who will honor Him, the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, will God honor.
The Believer's Commitment To Christ
The commitment of an individual to Christ is a commitment not only to believe, but to follow. It is a commitment that is specific and whole-hearted, directed by the revealed will of God in the Scriptures and empowered by dependance upon the Spirit of God. All things then become possible to and through the believer to the one who is committed to believing Christ according to His word.
Revelation And Realization
God reveals the things of Christ to the heart by His Spirit. He takes the objective word of God, then quickens it to the heart, in order to reveal His glory in the fulfilling of it. This is called the faithfulness of God, who will do that which He declares, seeking to bring men to Himself, to save those who are lost, and to edify or build up those who are followers of Christ.
Living In Light Of Things To Come
Throughout Scripture God declares many things "to come," but not yet apparent. To Elijah, He gave him a promise of rain. It would only be after praying seven times that he would be told that a cloud was rising out of the sea. Elijah knew that God had fulfilled His declared word. And so God speaks to the heart today, declaring what He will do to the one who will inquire of Him. To Jeremiah He would command, "Call unto Me, and I will show you great and mighty things which you do not know."
Weak And Foolish Things
God's ways are not those of men, especially when it comes to reality. Man compared with God is less than nothing from a human standpoint. It is only when man in his pride thinks that he is truly something, especially when it concerns him being saved from sin and death, that the littleness of man, and his pride is revealed most flagrantly. True humility results in one being cast upon Christ alone for forgiveness of sins, and a new, clean heart.
The Time For Sowing And Reaping
In the eternal scheme of things, the time on this earth for sowing and reaping is in the present moment, "while it is day." Jesus said that the "night" comes when no man shall reap. This is true of individuals, families, nations and empires. The great question is whether we believe God or not. If we believe Him, then we have chosen to submit to His will and purposes, as the Lord Jesus put it, being "in the affairs of My Father." Today is the day for sowing and reaping.