Easter: the Firstfuits of the Resurrection

Do you realize the far-reaching continuing importance of Easter and why we celebrate it so joyfully every year? Think of the tremendous sudden change brought about by this most important historical event!

Remember the crucifixion: Jesus is dead! And then buried at the command of the greatest political power in the world at the time. He suffered great shame and agony. His closest followers are nowhere to be seen; they’re in hiding. Only a few are there at the cross with the women. They huddle together in mourning, frustration, wonderment, confusion, and despair. They had staked their entire lives on the truth that Jesus was the Messiah. What could life hold for them now?

Suddenly life is transformed because Jesus rose from the dead! He is no longer captive or under the power of Rome. He is alive and well–and in His glorified body that can come and go from this world at will. He appears to his followers and eats with them and shows them his scars. The same man who died is now alive! He has fulfilled the scriptures and did just exactly what God had said he would do long ago.

Then we see the complete transformation of the apostles–part of this whole miracle. Particularly in the early chapters of the book of Acts where these scared and demoralized followers, hiding in a locked upper room in Jerusalem suddenly became witnesses of the Resurrection and turned the world upside down as Jesus' servants in the power of the Holy Spirit.

         The death of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection from the tomb on the 3^rd Day is the most important event in all human history. Nothing else comes close to its overwhelming importance.

We have empirical evidence, eyewitness evidence proving that Jesus Christ did in fact rise from the dead and has power over sin, death, and the grave. He did this visibly, physically, in time and space and history. This is historical reality–just as tangible and visible as your presence this morning is historical reality.

Colossians 1:18 tells us that Jesus is “the beginning, the firstborn from the dead;” the first person to be resurrected from the dead. Elsewhere scripture tells us that Jesus is the “firstfruits” of the Resurrection. 1 Cor. 15:20-26 “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. [For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then comes the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”

Christ is the firstfruits and all of us who believe in Him will be the full harvest. Do you realize that Jesus is in fact the ONLY one who has ever actually been resurrected from the dead? A number of others have been brought back to life–as when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. But Lazarus died a second time. And so did the several other people raised in scripture.

But Jesus is the firstfruits, the only one with a glorified body after the resurrection–and this is proof to us that we, too, will receive our glorified body in the Resurrection. “It will be like unto His glorious body” and we will have some of the same abilities that Jesus demonstrated during the 40 days after His resurrection. “. . . we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” Phil. 3.20-21

Just as the firstfruits tell what kind of fruit or grain the rest of the harvest will be, so Christ’s resurrection body indicates what our glorified bodies will be like. 1 Cor. 15:42-44 “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.”

      Jesus promised His followers at least twice in scripture, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” John 11:25-26 ESV

         What an amazing promise! My wife's body died three years ago—but she didn't! She is still alive and with the Lord at this very moment. “Absent from the body, present with the Lord,” 2 Cor. 5:8 AND when Christ returns, her body which is buried in Tahoma National Cemetery near Kent, Washington, will be transformed and raised as her glorified body in which she will live throughout all eternity.

        Jesus' resurrection from the dead in His glorified body is observable evidence, the firstfruits of what our resurrected bodies will be like. On the cross and in His resurrection, Jesus won the victory over death, hell, and the grave. We should marvel at this constantly and be ever deeply grateful to our Lord.

       Jesus has already won the victory, but our bodies in this fallen world are still under the curse and still subject to death. But now we have “the Blessed Hope,” the evidence in front of our eyes, the absolute certainty that death itself will be destroyed. “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” 1 Cor. 15:26 The death and resurrection of Christ brought about the death of death! As John Owen wrote so many years ago in “The Death of Death in the Death of Christ.” And John Donne's poem tells us triumphantly, “Death, thou shalt die!” Thanks be unto God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

        “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Cor. 15:58

January 13, 2013

The Wonder and Mystery of our God-directed Lives

        Today is the 3^rd Anniversary of Minnie's Homegoing to be with the Lord. She is with Him now and “in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Psalm 16:11; 17:15

         Minnie never lost her sense of wonder at the goodness of God and the intriguing fascination of God's works in Creation. She herself was one of God's glorious works. She lived life with a sense of expectancy and joy. And at the end [though it was not the End, but the Beginning] she told Jeannine and me, “I feel that God has given me so much happiness in life! One of her favorite verses that she shared with me often was Ephesians 3:20 “He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. . . .”

         One of the books she delighted in was Ravi Zacharias, Recapture the Wonder—which Minnie never lost! She was always so delighted in babies and little children and their enthusiasm, which she shared. She loved to do things for them and with them. And she laughed a lot as she took pleasure in life. She told one of our granddaughters that even with cancer she tried to take pleasure in the good of that day and enjoy the company of whoever was with her that day.

          Ravi points out that to maintain our sense of wonder we need a thankful spirit guided by truth. And that truth is personal; it is personified in Jesus Himself who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. One of the marvelous names given to Jesus 700 years before He was born was “Wonder” ! It comes from that marvelous Christmas passage in Isaiah 9:6

^“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

        All those names mean so much. This child who was to be born for us, sent from God Himself, is Wonder.” In Hebrew the word is a noun instead of an adjective, adding even additional strength to the meaning. Isaiah uses the same Hebrew word used to describe the marvelous wonders that God did in bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt. Implied is not only marvel but mystery. It is a personal relationship with the God of Wonder Himself that gives meaning, excitement, and joy to our lives. He is the “Emmanuel,” God Himself with us in the person of Jesus, the Sent One, the Messiah from God the Father.

       “Great God of wonders! All thy ways are worthy of thyself—divine.

And the bright glories of thy grace Among thine other wonders shine.

Who is a pard'ning God like thee? Or who has grace so rich and free?”

         It is in communion with God that we find that sense of wonder, rejoicing in the works of God and always aware of the mystery of knowing Him, “whom to know aright is life eternal.” “Enchantment in life can never be realized in some thing; it must ultimately culminate in a person.” “Just as gratitude requires someone to whom we can be grateful, truth requires someone because of whom truth is possible. In both instances personhood is indispensable to wonder.” p. 104 Ravi Zacharias

       An essential part of wonder is to understand and experience love. And that happens in our relationship with Jesus. Love is “the quiet confidence of belonging to someone other than oneself; a commitment to a cause greater than oneself; a relationship that makes choices apart from the self; it is the root of unending sacrifice. When that love is found, wonder is sustained even in moments of great fear. But the how and why of such a love is a challenge.”

         ^“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the [atoning sacrifice] for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” 1 John 4:10-11

                                                                         --Bill Burnside

“They found it just as he had told them”

“They found it just as he had told them”

           This morning while I was eating breakfast, I listened to Luke 22. That's the story of how Peter and John prepared the borrowed Upper Room for Jesus and His disciples to eat the Last Passover together (which included the First Lord's Supper). As I was listening carefully, one phrase captured my imagination.
⁷ Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. ⁸ So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” ⁹ They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” ¹⁰ He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. [That's the first unusual part of it because usually it was women who carried the jars of water from the spring or well and not men.]

          Follow him into the house that he enters ¹¹ and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹² And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” [What sort of contact Jesus had earlier with this man, we are not told, but we do know that Jesus had made all the arrangements. It was God's time and He was ready.]

^{13 “}And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.”

        All this is preliminary, of course. The really important part is what happened after they met for the Passover Meal and Jesus washed their feet and ate the Passover meal with them and gave them those wonderful promises that we all love so much from John 13-16.  But what gripped my attention this morning were these marvelous words which seem so ordinary and perhaps expected: ”And they went and found it just as he had told them,”

         Isn't that what you would expect? Well, yes it is, of course. But think of how we can apply this to ALL the words that Jesus tells us. Haven't you already found that true?   Remember how Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation.” Hasn't that happened to you? But don't forget His words of comfort which are also true, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

         And through one of His servants He told you, “No temptation [or testing] has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let [or, allow] you to be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Cor. 10:13 ESV And you found it just as he had told you.

          And you received with joy Jesus' legacy that He left for us when He said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. . . . Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27 ESV And you found it just as he had told you. You found that you didn't have to allow yourself to be troubled or afraid.

          Some of you are getting older and more tired. And you realize the truth of 2 Cor. 4:16, that we are “outwardly wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” That's a promise and you found it just as he had told you. And some of you find your strength ebbing away as the years progress and the demands of life seem to multiply. And you remember the promise to Asher, “as thy days, so shall thy strength be.” Deut. 33:25 And you found it just as it was told you.

           You thought you didn't have any strength and then you remembered this promise, ^“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” Psalm 27:14 You waited on the Lord and you were of good courage and He did strengthen your heart. You found it just as it was told you.

          And with anticipation and expectation you read of Jesus' promise, John 14:3 (ESV)
^“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” How comforting to your heart to look forward to that blessed day you enter eternal life in His Presence. And you will find it just as He told us. He will take you to Himself that you may be where He is.

That Christ may be all and in all 

       We stand in an unbroken historical line straight back to Jesus. And it is Jesus who many times attested to the truth and reliability of scripture as given by God Himself. ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” Matthew 4:4 ESV And He was quoting Old Testament scripture when He said that. And in another place He testified, “the Scripture cannot be broken.” John 10:35 And in that wonderful scene on the Emmaus Road after the Resurrection, Jesus walked along with the two disciples “and beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” Luke 24:27 The Old Testament scriptures are about Jesus.

       The New Testament scriptures are also about Jesus—all of them. It was He who inspired them and gave them authority. Jesus told the disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Mt. 28:18 ESV The night before He died, Jesus told the disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit who would “bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” So it was the authoritative words of Jesus that brought about the New Testament. He told the disciples that they had two Comforters or “paracletos” “called alongside to help” first Jesus and then the Holy Spirit. “I will not leave you as orphans,” He told them, “I will come to you.” And He came in the person of the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit inspired or “God-breathed” all the New Testament scriptures as well as the Old Testament.

       So everything centers around Jesus Himself, including the inspiration of scripture, “that in all things he might have the preeminence.” Colossians 1:18 That's why we can sing, “From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.” Be thankful that you were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4) and that He gave us the scriptures and preserved them for two thousand years so that you were able to hear the gospel and were convicted by the Holy Spirit so that He brought you to Christ.

                                                               --Pastor Burnside

"Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!" 2 Cor. 9:15

Recently we studied 2nd Corinthians chapter 9 with its emphasis on giving and ministering, not out of compulsion or pressure, but with a willing heart and a kind, generous spirit.  And Jesus, as always is the example who, you remember, told us, "It is MORE blessed to give than to receive."  Acts 20:35  We were "ordained to walk in good works" Eph. 2:10 so we should live a life of good works with a willing heart, serving the Lord.

        The chapter ends with this marvelous verse of God's grace, "Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!" 2 Cor. 9:15  How can it be that Christ not only saves us and takes us to glory, but actually comes to live within us:  "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Col. 1:27

"Christ liveth in me." Gal. 2:20

        Listen to John Piper, writing in Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ:

1. "Christ does not exist in order to make much of us. We exist in order to enjoy making much of Him. . . . To know the glories of Christ is an end, not a means. Christ is not glorious so that we get wealthy or healthy. Christ is glorious so that rich or poor, sick or sound, we might be satisfied in Him.    "He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness." Psalm 107:9   He quenches the deepest soul thirst of all humans--that he is ultimately what all people long for."

2. The glory of who Christ IS in Himself–His excellencies, His attributes, His perfections and His beauty, e.g.  "The first particular glory that upholds all the rest is the . . . eternal existence of Christ. If we will simply ponder this as we ought, . . . Sheer existence is, perhaps, the greatest mystery of all. Ponder the absoluteness of reality. There had to be something that never came into being. Back, back, back we peer into endless ages, yet there never was nothing. Someone has the honor of being there first and always. He never became or developed. He simply was. To whom belongs this singular, absolute glory?  "The answer is Christ, the person whom the world knows as Jesus of Nazareth. . . . ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almghty" Rev. 1:8  ". . . There is no ‘before’ God and no ‘after’ God. He is absolutely there, no matter how far back or how far forward you go. He is the absolute, ultimate Reality. He has the honor of being there first and always. To Him alone belongs this unique glory. He is the Great IAM. The very name for God Yaweh is built on the verb "to be."

3. . . . Jesus Christ is the Creator of the universe. He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. Jesus Christ the Person, never had a beginning. He is absolute Reality. . . .He never came into being. He was eternally begotten. He is God, the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature. Heb. 1:3

4. Seeing and enjoying Christ and His glory is the goal of our salvation. "Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me" "which I had with you before the foundation of the world. John 17:24 To feast on this truth forever is the aim of our being created and our being redeemed."

5. Think of the works of Christeternal life. The life of joy (15:11; 16:24; 17:13) and peace (14:27; 16:33) and purposefulness (17:18; 20:21) which we have begun with him in this age will be perfected for ever and ever and ever.

6. He has given us eternal life. The life of joy (15:11; 16:24; 17:13) and peace (14:27; 16:33) and purposefulness (17:18; 20:21) which we have begun with him in this age will be perfected for ever and ever and ever.

7. Jesus removes our guilt and makes us a completely new creation.  He takes away the guilt of all who trust in him; he takes the sting out of death and offers eternal life and resurrection and everlasting glory and joy to all who believe.  He transforms fearful, greedy hearts into peaceful, loving hearts and gives us a deep-seated sincerity that we didn’t have before. He puts all relationships, especially husband-wife and parent-child relations, on a new, solid footing; and  He satisfies our deepest longing for beauty and wonder."

 

         "I appeal to your own self-knowledge. Does not your heart instruct you that if your inner self is the end point and measuring rod for all authenticity and purpose, apart from anything ultimate, life is meaningless? If there is no ultimate reference point by which you can gain your bearings in the world, then your inner life is a pointless bubble on the ocean no matter how much harmony there is with your outer life. Is it not true that the authenticity you desire is to fit perfectly with some ultimate reality? Isn't what we long for that our inner life not drift and float and be tossed and blown, but that it have a genuine, permanent identity, by virtue of being rooted in and formed by some ultimate reality. The great irony of secular humanism is that it can never satisfy the human heart. For it is written on our hearts that we are inauthentic until what we are within corresponds to the eternal reality that gives meaning to all things."  And that eternal reality is Jesus Christ.

–in Creation, in human history, in His providence in your life.

"Jesus commands my destiny."

"No guilt in life, no fear in death,

    this is the power of Christ in me;

    from life's first cry to final breath,

    Jesus commands my destiny.

   

    No power of hell, no scheme of man,

    can ever pluck me from His hand,

    'til He returns or calls me home;

    here in the power of Christ I'll stand."

                        --"In Christ Alone"

 

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem and the angels announced His birth to the shepherds, they told them, "Fear not!"  And that's what Jesus told the disciples during the storm at sea.  And He told them again the night before He died, "Let not your heart be troubled . . . neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

        That command and the promises that go with it are throughout scripture.  One of our favorites that is underlined in Minnie's Bible and on which she relied was

Isaiah 41:10
    fear not, for I am with you;
        be not dismayed, for I am your God;
    I will strengthen you, I will help you,
        I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  

That verse gives us five reasons not to be afraid--or even be dismayed:  because God Himself has spoken:

        1. I am with you.

        2. I am your God.

        3.  I will strengthen you.

        4. I will help you.

        5. I will uphold you.

        God who created the universe and holds it together has promised to be with us.  What greater resource do we need than that?  He promises us His strength, His help, and His Presence.    Go in the strength He gives you today. . . .

            And He said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Exodus 33:14

                                                                                   

 

Keeping Perspective in Hard Times

Keeping Perspective in Hard Times

"Therefore we do not lose heart. . . ." 2 Cor.3:18-4:6

How do you deal with massive disappointments and disasters in life?

(Therefore>>because) Because our gaze is fixed on the Glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ–we are looking intently at Jesus! That’s what sustains us because as we do that, the Holy Spirit is transforming us into the likeness of Christ. 2 Cor. 3:18 "But we all, with open face (unveiled face) beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being changed (or transformed) into the same image from glory to glory,(from one degree of glory to another) even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.)"

This leads into 2 Cor. 4:6 "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

So we are looking intently at Jesus. And what are the characteristics of that intent gaze upon Jesus? What is our vision of Christ?

1. It is a clarifying look.: 3:18 veil is removed in Christ. Moses had a veiled revelation of God–but that is removed in Christ. We have full access to God’s glory revealed in Jesus."The mirror of Scripture reveals the face or reality of Jesus Christ."

James 1.22-25 pictures the word of God as a mirror:"like a man observing his natural face in a mirror" –he sees what he is really like in the mirror of God’s Word

Heb. 11 says that God provided something better for us–i.e., the clarity of the vision of God that comes to us from Christ, the mystery unfolded and revealed.

Everytime you listen to a sermon, ask, "where is Jesus in all this?" I want to know my God and He is revealed in Christ.

Suffering weakens our dependence on self so that the power of God can be demonstrated in our lives–as we learn to depend on Him and not on ourselves.

2. It is a transforming look. 3:18 We are NOW being transformed: God is acting on us as we are preoccupied with Christ and gaze upon Him.

3. It is a grateful look. 2 Cor. 4:1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not" –overwhelmed with gratitude for God’s mercy–both your salvation and your ministry. God has given you both. You’re there by mercy when you realize the wretched soul you were before God brought you to Himself in Christ. "By the grace of God I am what I am." "I was shown mercy.

4. It is a purifying look. 2 Cor. 4:2 "But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness. . . . "

i. When you see Christ, you will be pure.

ii. There "won’t be two of you"--double-minded –things hidden because of sin and dishonesty

iii. We renounce any hidden secret–my conscience is clear because we so conduct ourselves that we don’t have an accusing conscience.

The more you see who God is, the more you will desire His beauty and holiness to be reflected in your own life–as the moon reflects the glory and light of the sun.

5. It is a truthful look. 2 Cor. 4:2 " nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." We do not distort the Word of God by ignoring the context or the whole counsel of scripture–instead we compare scripture with scripture; we do not "read into it" something that is not there.

Committed to the pure truth–the Gospel of Grace and nothing else–no deception and no cunning.Ephes. 1:6 "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved."

6. It is a privileged look. 2 Cor. 4:3-4 Delivered out of blindness, darkness, and unbelief into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Not everyone has the privilege of looking into the face of Jesus as Savior. Many are lost. Jesus Himself said "the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life and there are few who find it." Mt. 7:14 God Himself awakened us as from the dead and regenerated us and made us alive in Christ and accepted in the Beloved.

"My cleverness, technique, or evangelistic strategy cannot break the bonds of sin." It is simply NOT true that "they" will respond to the gospel "if it is presented in a clever enough way." They are in wilful rebellion against God and most will remain that way no matter how much we pray and give them the Word. God is working, drawing them to Himself–by affliction and trouble, knocking out all visible means of support.

But most still harden their hearts. For our part we keep faithfully bringing them the gospel, praying the glorious light will shine through, break their hearts into a broken and contrite spirit, and that the goodness of God will lead them to repentance.

1 Cor. 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Cor. 1:18 "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."

It is a privileged look when we can see and discern and know Jesus personally.

7. It is a humbling look. 2 Cor. 4:5 "For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake." (That’s church leadership, by the way; that’s the way we all minister if we are going to be useful in the hands of the Lord, "Jesus is Lord" and He alone is Lord.

i. Cannot preach ourselves or our own authority or our message–ONLY CHRIST and Him crucified.

ii. Any true look will humble us the more we realize who He is and who we are in contrast.

iii. We cannot promote ourselves or our own glory–but only the glory of Jesus who alone is worthy of all honor, glory, and praise.

iv. We are "slaves called to a duty"–to preach Jesus and ourselves as His servants for Jesus’ sake. What an honor and privilege to be a servant of the Living God!

8. A sovereignly-granted look. 2 Cor. 4:6

"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

i. The Sovereign Lord–the Triune God–alone in eternity past with the perfection and blessedness of the relationship among the three persons of the Godhead–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It was He and He alone who spoke the worlds into existence, who created the universe by the Word of His Power, it was He who said, "Let there be light." "And there was Light!."

ii. This verse points out that the same God who created physical light of course ALSO creates spiritual light the light of the knowledge of the glory of God and where do we see that? in the face of Jesus Christ." Spiritual darkness envelopes the lost. So we pray for them that God will do for them what He did for us when He "delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:" Col. 1:13

iii. Don’t you hear the invitation of Jesus, Rev. 22:17 "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."

Jesus has given you His own personal invitation–but you must respond in repentance and faith and bow your knee before Him as your own Lord and Savior.

The Christian life centers around Jesus, of course, so we fix our eyes on Him, the Author and Perfecter of our faith." Heb. 12:2

Looking to Him begins the Christian life: justification: look and live, my brother live, look to Jesus now and live.

Looking to Him is the basis and the way for living His life in reality in your own life: sanctification–being gradually transformed more and more like Him

Looking to Him will be our joy and delight throughout all eternity future: glorification.
--Pastor Burnside