THE INCOMPARABLE CHRIST

He came from the bosom of the Father to the bosom of a woman. He put on humanity that we might put on divinity. He became Son of man that we might become sons of God. He came from Heaven where the rivers never freeze, winds never blow, frosts never chill the air, flowers never fade and no one is ever sick-no undertakers and no graveyards-for no one ever dies, no one is ever buried.

He was born contrary to the laws of nature, lived in poverty, reared in obscurity-only once crossed the boundary of the land, in childhood. He had no wealth or influence and had neither training nor education. His relatives were inconspicuous and not influential. In infancy, He startled a king; in boyhood, He puzzled the doctors; in manhood, He ruled the course of nature. He walked upon the billows and hushed the sea to sleep. He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His services. He never wrote a book, yet not all the libraries of the country could hold all the books that have been written about Him. He never wrote a song, yet He has furnished the theme of more songs than all writers combined. He never founded a college, yet all the schools together cannot boast of as many students as He has. He never practiced medicine, and yet He healed more broken hearts than the doctors healed broken bodies.

He never marshaled an army, drafted a soldier or fired a gun, yet no leader ever made more volunteers who have, under his orders, made rebels stack arms or surrender without a shot being fired. He is the Star of astronomy, the Rock of geology, the Lion and the Lamb of zoology, the Harmonizer of all discords and the Healer of all diseases. Great men have come and gone, yet He lives on. Herod could not kill Him, Satan could not seduce Him, death could not destroy Him, and the grave could not hold Him.

He laid aside His purple robe for a peasant's gown. He was rich, yet for our sake He became poor. How, poor? Ask Mary! Ask the Wise Men! He slept in another's manger. He cruised the lake in another's boat. He rode on another man's ass. He was buried in another man’s tomb. All failed, but He, never! The ever Perfect One, He is the Chief among ten thousand. He is altogether lovely and He is my Saviour! (Writer unknown)

JESUS WEPT

SCRIPTURE MEDITATIONS FROM W.F. BELL

(Since we have been looking at prayer, and revival, this fits so very well. Thanks, brother.)

Luke 19:41 and John 11:35 and Hebrews 5:7 = These are the three specific times Scripture records the "tears" of the Son of God. Nothing endears Christ more to believers than His great compassion, love, and tears for sinners! "Jesus wept" over Jerusalem, He "wept" at the tomb of Lazarus, and He "wept" greatly, "with strong crying and tears," in Gethsemane. May we never be "too good" to weep! And note that in Luke 22:41 we are plainly told Christ "kneeled down, and prayed," and we do not understand at all why many people "go to church" and never get on their knees! Or never kneel anywhere! Beloved, it is praying time, it is kneeling time, it is weeping time! The modern church has lost its testimony before the world, and lost its power with God, but we don't seem to care! But now may these lines from Benjamin Beddome encourage us:

So fair a face bedewed with tears; What beauty even in grief appears!

He wept, He bled, He died for you; What more, ye saints, could Jesus do?

Enthroned above, with equal glow His warm affections downward flow;

In our distress He bears a part, And feels a sympathetic smart.

Still His compassions are the same; He knows the frailty of our frame;

Our heaviest burdens He sustains; shares in our sorrows and our pains.

Gadsby's Hymns

WE MUST SEE CHRIST

Scripture Meditations from W.F. Bell

How grateful to God I am that I was brought up in church (a fairly large town church), and through this church I first learned of my need of Christ. I was convicted greatly of my sins when just a young boy, which kept me from a lot of wild ways growing up. This is the great grace of God, bestowed upon me sovereignly, in plenteous, undeserved mercy. With David I can truly say, "I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; yea, I will praise Him among the multitude" (Psalm 109:30). I could never be ashamed of my precious Savior, and what He has done for a poor sinner like me, and for all believers. I gladly sing, "I'm a poor sinner, and nothing at all, but the Lord Jesus Christ is my All in All."

The question now is, Have you seen Christ by faith? All who "see" Christ "believe on Him," and these only have "everlasting life," with the promise of resurrection glory (John 6:40). It was Ferrell Griswold (1928-1982) who wrote the following, and I can do no better than quote him, which plainly clears up a lot of misunderstanding many people have about salvation:

Salvation is in a Person, and not in a doctrine, church, or the works and will of the flesh (John 1:12-13). Salvation is to know Christ, to be in union with Him, to have His righteousness upon your record, to be seen in Him as complete. "And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness" (Philippians 3:9). "And ye are complete in Him" (Colossians 2:10).

f you have Christ, you have life. "He who has the Son has life" (I John 5:12). If you have missed Christ, you are condemned, for "He that believeth not is condemned already" (John 3:18). To miss saving faith is to miss union with Christ, and to miss union with Christ is to miss spiritual life. Jesus said, "Ye in Me, and I in you" (John 14:20). And if we miss spiritual life we rest under the condemnation of the law of God. "For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified" (Galatians 2:16).

So, you must see Christ! You must come to Him! You must lay hold upon Him! This you cannot do within yourself. This is His work within you. If you feel now your heart drawn toward Him, this is His work, and not the work of your hard heart. Throw yourself upon the mercy of Christ as a hell-deserving sinner, and if you perish, do so lying at the foot of the cross. Cry out, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner" (Luke 18:13).

Come to Christ only! He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). And His promise is, "All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will by no means cast out" (John 6:37).