On Sunday we looked at some treasures that Luke uncovered about Jesus Christ in his Gospel, Luke 4:16-21. I said that this is in keeping with what has happened through the history of the church, as teachers have called the church to focus upon the greatness of Christ for the sake of worship and faith. Here are some examples.
1. John Calvin (16th c. French pastor in Geneva) in his commentary on Col. 1:12 writes: "For how comes it that we are carried about with so many strange doctrines, (Hebrews 13: 9) but because the excellence of Christ is not perceived by us? For Christ alone makes all other things suddenly vanish. Hence there is nothing that Satan so much endeavours to accomplish as to bring on mists with the view of obscuring Christ, because he knows, that by this means the way is opened up for every kind of falsehood. This, therefore, is the only means of retaining, as well as restoring pure doctrine—to place Christ before the view such as he is with all his blessings, that his excellence may be truly perceived."
2. John Owen (17th c. British author and teacher), in Communion With God, 104, writes: “Christ is [the saints’] delight, their crown, their rejoicing, their life, food, health, strength, desire, righteousness, salvation, and blessedness. Without Christ they have nothing. In Christ they shall find all things. Christ has, from the foundation of the world, been the hope, expectation, desire, and delight of all believers.”
3. Robert Murray McCheyene (19th c. Scottish pastor) adds: "Learn much of the Lord Jesus. For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ. He is altogether lovely. Such infinite majesty, and yet such meekness and grace, and all for sinners, even the chief. Live much in the smiles of God. Bask in His beams. Feel His all-seeing eye settled on you in love, and repose in His almighty arms. . . . Let your soul be filled with a heart-ravishing sense of the sweetness and excellency of Christ and all that is in Him."
4. Modern-day teacher and writer, Michael Reeves, Rejoicing in Christ, 9-10, comments: "Jesus Christ, God’s perfect Son, is the Beloved of the Father, the Song of the angels, the Logic of creation, the great Mystery of godliness, the bottomless Spring of life, comfort and joy. We were made to find our satisfaction, our heart’s rest, in him."
"He is not a mere topic, a subject we can pick out from a menu of options. Without him, our gospel or our system—however coherent, “grace-filled” or “Bible-based”—simply is not Christian. It will only be Christian to the extent that it is about him....
"I’m going to dare to say, in fact, that most of our Christian problems and errors of thought come about precisely through forgetting or marginalizing Christ.
"...consider Christ, that he might become more central for you, that you might know him better, treasure him more and enter into his joy. That, happily, is just how we will most honor the Father: by sharing his own everlasting delight in his Son (Jn 5: 23)."
One of the treasures we looked at in the sermon was that Jesus serves as our standard and source for the development of godly habits. A “habit” means that which has become customary to do (i.e. what is almost always done) through repetition. Another way to word this is that through much repetition an attitude or action becomes more entrenched and second-nature to a person.
Some key Bible passages that deal with the importance of developing godly habits include the following:
1. “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness” (1 Tim. 4:7)
2. “But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil: (Heb. 5:14).
The Bible also speaks of the reality of bad habits, even to the point they can feel like they are enslaving:
1. “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Heb. 10:24-25)
2. “They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! … They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.” (2 Peter 2:14, 19)
Joyfully Glorying In Our Savior With You,
Tom
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