The Magnitude Of The Gospel
How great is the Gospel, and how powerful is it in addressing, and meeting the needs of sinful, and lost men? It is as powerful as God Himself, because God in Christ is the fulfillment of every detail of the gospel, and the One who, according to the truths of it, will work the impossible thing in the souls of men. How then are we to look at the Gospel? NOt as an object of worship but for what it is, "...the power of God unto salvation."
The Extended Scepter
A scepter is a staff which is a symbol of the authority of a monarch. In the book of Ester, this scepter of the King declared to all that the king could give life, or take life. He had such power. It would be to Ester that the King of Persia extended his scepter, thus saving her life, but also, giving her access to him. The power that could take life would be used to save multitudes because of a scepter extended to Ester who would be given access to the king to plead for the lives of her people.
The Eternal And Sovereign God
The Great Constant throughout the ages and all of time is Christ. Scripture tells us that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. What a wonderful reality this is, for in believing it, one can count on God at every moment of every day, and in every place, having the possibility to prove Him, and to see His glory revealed. Christ is the ever present Savior and Lord, sufficient for all things at all times, perfectly and eternally trustworthy.
The Essential Of Fellowship With Christ
The great truth of salvation is not just that one can be forgiven of his sins, nor one can be born of the Spirit. Those these things are essential to having a right relationship with God, their purpose is to bring the believer into a true, and deepening, fellowship or communion with the Father, and the Lord Jesus by the Spirit. The calling is to KNOW God, not to just know about Him.
Claiming The Blood And The Cross
It is one thing to "say" one lives by faith. It is another to stake one's all specifically on the power of the blood of Christ to save and to sanctify, and also on the cross, by which "the world is crucified to me, and I to the world." It is in truly laying hold of the truth as it is in Christ that it becomes real in the life, and powerfully effective in its working.
Access To The Father
When Christ entered into the holiest of all with His own precious blood, He created a pattern and a way to know the Father. Simply put, He provided the incalculable blessing of having access to the Father. It is by Another's worth, Another's life and death, or sacrifice, that the believer can come to the Father with assurance of being accepted before Him, there to have fellowship with Him.
A Life Hid With Christ In God
Christianity begins with Christ's words on the cross: "It is finished." Sinful man did not utter those words, nor could he ever do so. Only the sinless Lamb of God, "slain from the foundation of the world." This life is to be lived by what has become true of the believer in Christ, and this by faith. It is in the appropriation of Christ as one's life that all becomes possible for the glory of God.
The True Disciple Of Christ
The true disciple is a learner, one who first hears, but then takes that which is heard, and applies it to his life. He is that one who learns to receive all from Christ, His fulness, for His glory. This is why the true disciple of Christ is to be one who lives and walks like the Lord Jesus Christ, for the very Spirit of Christ dwells in him, and will never leave him.
The Spiritual Point Of Attack
There is usually only one salient feature, one point of attack, in a battle. It is that point of greatest vulnerability. It is there that not only Satan will attack the believer, but where the believer is to attack the citadels of Satan. It is there that the attack is directed, in order to overcome, and make the breach in the walls of defense. Once the breach is made, the city can be taken.
Christ's Life In A Crooked And Perverse Generation
What makes a generation one that is perverse? It is discovered in all that the word "perverse" means by the revelation of who Christ IS. He is not only the standard of perfection, goodness, and love, but the very creator of all that is holy. Without looking unto Him, one is a slave to the thoughts of sinful men, who naturally love darkness rather than light. However, God is determined to save the most, to the uttermost.