Gospel Message

The Signs of the Saviour

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 11:07:14 +0100

And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disicples, 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)

Here is John the beloved disciple. He is writing of the risen Lord Jesus Christ. He loves this subject, for he has more to say on it than any of the other evangelists. He reminds us of another famous penman of Scripture who said; “My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer” (Psa.45:1).

When John comes to the verses of our text it is as though he pauses in his flow. He would continue with his theme but he is constrained by the Holy Spirit to write these striking verses about the signs of Christ. He understands that what he has already written is really enough. These signs, the signs he has just described, are the signs of the Saviour that sinners need to know. Let us consider them.

Firstly we must consider the signs which Jesus did. They were abundant. Peter testified to his audience at Pentecost of “Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know” (Acts 2:22). Yet the reference in our text is quite specific. John writes of those signs which Jesus did “in the presence of his disciples.” While Christ performed miracles publicly prior to His death it is notable that after His resurrection His signs were confined to believers.

There is ample evidence in the Bible for the resurrection of Christ. In this chapter John describes the Lord’s appearances to Mary Magdalene, then to the apostles except Thomas, and finally to the apostles including Thomas. The Lord was careful to leave His disciples in no doubt that it was Himself. He showed His disciples His hands and His side; He invited Thomas to touch the places where He had been wounded. These were convincing tokens of a risen Saviour. Luke says concerning Christ and the apostles, “To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days” (Acts 1:3).

The resurrection is the great sign of the Messiah. Others have made known the Word of God and worked miracles, but none has been raised from the dead “after the power of an endless life” (Heb.7:16). It was the sign which Jesus Himself spoke of to the scribes and Pharisees – the sign of Jonah. “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt.12:39,40).

Then there are the Scriptures which John wrote. Do we ever ask ourselves what the real purpose of the Bible is? God has not given His Word simply to teach us history, or to satisfy our curiosity, but for reasons of faith. It is essential to saving faith that the sinner grasps the true identity of the man Jesus of Nazareth. He is revealed in the Scriptures to be the only begotten Son of God and His resurrection from the dead is the supreme testimony to this fact. Death could not hold the One who as God has life in himself and who as the Mediator satisfied for sin that He might be “the Prince of life” to His people (Acts 3:15).

There are those who say that they will believe in Jesus if He will appear to them personally. They are perhaps hoping for a vision or a voice. But we should look no further than the Word of God. John is saying here that the Scripture evidences themselves, with the blessing of God, are sufficient to convince us of the resurrection of Christ. By the wonder of inspiration andpreservation the signs which Jesus displayed before the eyes of His disciples become our signs too.

Finally there is the salvation which we are promised. The doctrine of the resurrection of Christ is seen to be essential to salvation. As sinners we only have life, eternal life, because our Saviour rose from the dead. The wages which God’s people have earned by their sins were paid to Christ – and so Christ suffered and died. But through His sufferings Christ paid for those sins – and so Christ rose again. We must repent of our sins and put our trust in this mighty Redeemer. It is not enough to believe that Jesus is the Son of God: we need to be able to say as Thomas did of Christ, “My Lord and my God” (v.28).

Salvation from sin is promised only through faith in the risen Christ. Let us set ourselves to seek this Saviour where He is to be found – in the sure and certain Word of God. For our encouragement we should remember the words of Jesus in this chapter: “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (v.29).

The Pardon of Sin

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 11:22:42 +0000

He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:19)
You and I are sinners. There can be no doubt about that. It does not matter what our background, temperament, status or even our religion is. The apostle Paul wrote: “we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin....all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom.3:9,23). Sin is an inescapable fact.
The pardon of sin is therefore something that every soul should be concerned with and something that every awakened soul is concerned with. To these sin becomes a great burden. An impossible burden. Is there any hope for such? This verse reveals that there is!
The prophet Micah is living in barren times spiritually. Israel’s politicians and priests have departed from God’s standard for government and authority. There is violence, fraud and deceit. Faithful Micah tells his people that God has a controversy with them and that He will bring judgment upon them. But there is also the hope of future forgiveness. He highlights the character of God, that He “delighteth in mercy” (7:18). We should never doubt God’s readiness to be reconciled to us. The question is, Are we ready to be reconciled to Him? In our text Micah encourages us to believe that God will pardon our sins if we turn to Him. Let us consider this pardon.

Firstly it is a gracious pardon. When man first sinned God in righteous anger turned from him as though determined to punish him. But, to use our language, He ‘repented’. He laid aside His wrath and turned again to man to be reconciled to him. Like the father towards his prodigal son, God “had compassion” (Luke 15:20). He sent His dear Son, giving Him up to die on the cross in the place of sinners. Christ received at the Father’s hand the penalty we ought to pay. “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Col.1:14). Friend, you cannot buy God’s pardon. You can never deserve it. Even as a believer that pardon must be renewed to you daily as you confess your sins to God. How sweet a pardon it is – because it is all of grace!

Secondly it is a full pardon. What does God do with the sins of His people? He “subdues” them or “treads them down.” God will pardon the guilt of all who trust in His Son. But there is more to salvation. The power of sin in our lives needs to be broken if we are ever to be holy and fit to enter heaven. Sanctification is required as well as justification. “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Rom.6:14). Guilt must be removed from our persons and grace must be at work in our hearts.

Finally it is an everlasting pardon. The prophet uses a vivid image to convey this blessed truth. He speaks of the sea in all its vastness. He says this is where God puts the sins of His people. There is something very precious about what he says.
Imagine a vessel afloat in the middle of the ocean. The crew cast all their refuse overboard. It floats away and is soon out of sight as the wind, wave and tide carry it this way and that. It seems to be gone forever but, in the fulness of time, the jetsam is washed up on a distant shore. It is possible that the rubbish could be traced back to the ship from which it came. The crew might even be fined for fouling the ocean!Now it is not like this with a believer and his sins. They will never return to him to find him out. See what Micah says: “thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” We might think of the sacrifice of Christ as a ‘ballast’ that prevents our sins from ever surfacing again. Such is the satisfaction that Jesus rendered to divine justice that it is impossible that a Christian should have to answer for his sins at the day of judgment.

The Bible emphasises this fact repeatedly. “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us” (Psa.103:12). “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins” (Isa.44:22). “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Heb.10:17). Could there be a greater blessing than this perfect pardon of all your sins? Will you not seek the Lord for it with all your heart?

Hope

Tue, 2 Nov 2010 11:24:54 +0000

IS THERE ANY HOPE?
People will agree that Christianity is about faith. Even circumstances in common life will indicate for us the sort of thing involved in the exercise of faith. You go to the doctor with an ailment. He or she will diagnose what is wrong and will prescribe what they consider to be suitable medicine. You will take the medicine because you have confidence in the doctor and are prepared to take their word. This will also involve an element of hope: you will hope both that the diagnosis is right and that the medicine will work. In such a case the ‘hope’ will be real and not just wishful thinking.
Now, far more importantly the Bible calls us to exercise faith in God as revealed in Holy Scripture. This Word tells us that if we are to be right with God we must believe in Him: “he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). It tells us that there must be trust in Jesus Christ as Saviour: “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). It tells us, indeed, that “without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6). The gospel is a call to all people to come to personal faith in Jesus Christ. That will involve believing and receiving what God has given to us in the Holy Scriptures.
It’s like this: God gives us the true medicine for our souls in His Son as the only way and truth and life (John 14:6). It stands to reason that this will bring real hope to those who receive Him. Hope for the believing soul will always rest on what Christ has done and will yet do, because He is risen from the dead and a glorious future awaits all who trust in Him with their lives (1 Corinthians 15:19-20). As we read in Hebrews: “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (11:1).
Without such godly faith (Ephesians 2:8) there is no hope for eternity. People tend only to think of this life here and now. It is sad to see such a hope-less generation, when after all through evangelical faith in Christ there is a hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).
Rev John W Keddie

The Gospel, as it is in Jesus

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 11:33:29 +0100

The gospel, then, is good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, about what He is, and what He did. He is “the Word made flesh” (John 1:14). It is He whom the Father sent “in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin” (Romans 8:3). He was “lifted up” (John 3:14) and crucified – He died – He was buried – He rose again on the third day – He went up to heaven, and sat down on the Father’s right hand – He ever lives to make intercession for us. In these simple facts, which a child can understand, is contained the glorious gospel of the blessed God.
The remarkable thing about this good news is, that it is wholly respecting Jesus – not a word about ourselves. It is of His goodness, not ours, that the gospel speaks. It is of His love to us, that it brings us the news; and it is the riches of His grace that it spreads out before us. A description of Jesus, and the things concerning Him – His person, His life, His death, His resurrection – this is the gospel; and whosoever believeth this gospel, is a saved soul.
Horatius Bonar

The older brother 3

Tue, 11 May 2010 11:51:43 +0100

Luke 15v25-32, The older brother in the parable of the prodigal son

Works, Blame and Contempt, v29-32

In v29-30 the son really gets it all off his chest. In an astonishing quadruple attack he stands proud over his own life as worthy of grace, he blames his father for not doing more for him and he spits out contempt towards his younger brother. He ends with pouring scorn on his father’s welcome of the younger son (Remember v2: it is the key to the chapter!).

Now this scorn is a bitter and vile slur on his father.
Perhaps, being generous, you could say that you might detect a cry to be saved in there.

But how does the father respond? It is the Father’s kindness that catches our breath, even more than the son’s malice.
He responds once more with the Gospel.
The Lord Jesus pictures himself for the third time as bringing the same Gospel to the older brothers of the world as to the rogues and the down-and-outs; the publicans & sinners.
V31 is difficult. But remember the context. The older son has blamed the father for not favouring him. The father shows him the real issue. Instead of the father not giving, it is that the son did not take. It was all his to take. It was all his to make use of.
Dear soul, have you long held this grudge with Jesus, that he has never yet chosen you, never yet favoured you?
Oh, friend, he says to you in his Gospel - it is here. Take of it. I have again and again intreated you. That was not the problem. Soul, realise what you have, that you have the Gospel. The whole of Christ’s redemption is offered to you every week. You stand at the threshold of untold wealth.
Thou art ever with me - you are always here. Always at the gate, always welcome to come in. If only the older brothers here would realise the wealth of their position.
Do you want to know tonight if you may come in? Christ says, you may.
In closing, in v32, the father puts him right back where he was. He captures once more the very scene that had so annoyed his older son. How will he react this time?

Yes, others, others who may have sinned less than you - right now they revel and rejoice in free, sovereign and amazing grace. How will you react?