Tuesday, April 29, 2014

DO YOU KNOW CHRIST BY PERSONAL REVELATION?-W.F. BELL



“He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matt 16:15-17).

The most important question you could ever be asked is simply this: Do you in reality know the living Christ? The question is not, Are you religious? — Are you a church member? — Do you read the Bible? You may be very religious, yet not know Christ in the heart. You may be a loyal church member, a regular reader of God's Word, a person who “says” their prayers, or one who loves to study religious books and doctrine. But, these soul-searching questions still remain — Have you ever seen yourself a lost, vile sinner before a holy God? Have you ever been stripped of your self-righteousness and laid low in the dust of humility? Have you ever viewed by faith the glorious person of the Lord Jesus Christ, all because of a direct and personal revelation to you of God the Holy Ghost?

Sinner friend, I plead with you to not be deceived. Do not rest in your religious creeds, your attendance of religious worship, your so-called righteous acts. Rest only in Christ! Look only to him! Be not content with any religion if Christ is not the center and substance of it! Do not be deceived by man-made religion! Seek that which comes by divine revelation, as that which Simon Peter had in the opening Scripture. Simon was blessed to know who Christ was by a personal revelation to him of God the Father! This must also be true of us.

If Christ Jesus is not known to you by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, he is not known as the very wellspring of blessedness to the soul. If you only know Jesus by no more than the world knows, than the learned among men know, you have not the real blessing. If you only know the Lord of glory by what you have found out yourself, in reading or in talking to others, unaided by the Father's drawing power, you are not blessed with true salvation. If you know no more of Christ than what flesh and blood has revealed to you, you are nothing more than a Pharisee or Sadducee — religious, but lost without God — a separatist or a rationalist, but not a recipient of revelation and regeneration. May the eternal Jehovah reveal to you your true and undone condition before him!

Among the vast religious throngs of this earth there is to be found the true people of God. These chosen of the Father are also redeemed by the Son, and quickened by the Spirit. The elect of God know by deep acknowledgement of their sin that they are blind and ignorant by nature. The true children of God have been made humble; they confess their total dependence upon the grace and mercy of Christ, and place their entire confidence and faith in his meritorious righteousness and shed blood. In the Lord Jesus Christ alone do “we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

Reader, what do you know of this once-crucified, yet now living Christ? Does his name bring gladness to your heart? Do you love the fragrance of his person? Is he more than just a religious leader to you? Beware of misty and cloudy views of King Jesus! Beware that you only have a head knowledge of him! Make sure that Christ is your Surety, your Substitute, your Sacrifice, your Savior. Beware of any religion which belittles him, or that does not exalt him as the only way to God.

Do you believe in Jesus by an inward discernment of him? Do you clearly see him as the Son of man and the Son of God? Is he definitely your Lord and Savior, your propitiation (satisfaction) before God? If you know him thus you have not learned this by the instruction of men. You have had a direct and personal revelation made to you and in you by the Father concerning who Jesus Christ really is (Galatians 1:16).

It is only when the Lord himself deals with you, taking you in his powerful hand that you are truly taught who Christ is. You may have heard about Jesus, but you only know him as “the Son of the living God” when illuminated and quickened by God the Spirit. Jesus came forth from God, and the power to know Christ comes forth from God also. If you have Christ, you have the new birth! If you have Christ, you have eternal life! If you have not Christ, you have nothing but dead, lifeless, counterfeit religion! Said our blessed Master: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him” (John 6:44). May divine power draw you this day, poor sinner! May you see Christ in all his beauty! May you come to worship and serve only him! Christ is to be seen, but in the light which he himself supplies. May that light shine unto you even now, and to our glorious God be all the glory!

Thursday, April 03, 2014

THE LITERALTRUTH


                                             CHARLES WOODRUFF

You cannot believe everything you read; nor everything you see; nor everything you hear; neither everything you think you know. One of the supposed dilemmas of man is “the quest for truth.” All of us may have asked at one time or another “why am I here?” We can certainly see that in the present difficulties of America, and for that matter, the entire world, it is almost impossible to discern the real truth. For instance, how did the economy get in the present mess? Why were we told that gas prices a couple of summers ago were so high because China and India, etc. were developing rapidly and using much more oil now? Now that gas prices are sinking, does this mean that China, India and other developing nations have stopped developing? What is the literal truth?

We were not told the truth about illegal aliens. We are told that the illegals are not taking jobs from American citizens, that they are mostly taking jobs no American wants to do. Ask an American construction worker if this is the truth and see what answer you get. Also, what about the border fence that was approved and started almost five years ago. Is it finished yet? No, and we are told there were many technical problems involving buying border land that caused the problems. What about “global warming?” Are we being told the truth? We are told the pollution from industrialized nations is the cause of temperatures rising and polar ice melting. I have great respect for scientists. I wanted to be one when I was young. But we definitely are not being told the whole truth regarding global warming and its dangers. There is a political agenda here. It is to penalize the productive nations. Actually they cannot give a good explanation why the USA has had a very cold autumn and winter this year. Does that appear to be “global warming?”

One thing is sure; the politicians are not going to give us the truth. The news media is not going to give us the truth. Hollywood is not going to give us the truth. Where is the truth? The same place it has always been --the word of God! That old despised book that has been ridiculed, hated, dissected and diluted is still the place of straight answers. Even more so, the old book tells us the truth about THE TRUTH, Jesus Christ. He said “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6). Some have said “How do we know that Jesus really existed?” Well, we could ask how we know that George Washington, or Abraham Lincoln, or Napoleon Bonaparte, or even Princess Diana even existed since they are not here now on earth in the flesh. There is as much or more proof that Jesus Christ existed, and that He still exists today, than any of these other persons, or anyone else you can name. Just one proof is the transformed lives of millions, both today and in the past. Jesus said; “Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). In spite of attempts over the centuries to destroy Christ’s church, it still exists and grows. Even in China where it was persecuted, and hated by the communist regime for over 50 years, the church is vibrant with millions of professed believers. The truth prevailed in spite of persecution.

Yes, literal truth exists in the person of Christ and His word. “And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:11-12). Also, this about Jesus Christ and His book: And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:30-31). “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things (our needs, such as food, housing clothing etc...) shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).
                                                 
                                                  THE SCRIPTURE                                                     
"The Scripture is both the breeder and feeder of grace. How is the convert born, but by `the word of truth'? (James 1:18). How doth he grow, but by `the sincere milk of the Word.'?"
(1 Peter 2:2)   - Thomas Watson