Archives for October 2019

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

I don’t recall where I read it, but one of the old divines has said that all the great philosophers wrote momentous works, but there’s only One who has said: “Come to me . . . and I will give you rest.” The endless pages of the world’s philosophers pale in comparison with His invitation and guaranteed benefit.

This verse is even more amazing in light of what it implies. What are some of the burdens that we carry? While we can certainly think of numerous ones, what about the burden of sin or the burdens that doubt produces? Every Christian knows this by heart.

Nevertheless, Jesus invites usto come to Him and experience rest. Our sins and doubts are no deterrent for coming. Astoundingly, self-inflicted burdens pose no restraint to His invitation. Whatever it is, the mandate is clear: “Come to me . . . and I will give you rest.” The sooner we do so, the better it is.

Here’s solid hope for the backslider and the one who has neglected the means of grace. With His invitation, Jesus cleared the path to obtain deep rest for our soul. Is anything more priceless? Many would be willing to do or give anything for such peace of mind. Yet, Jesus offers it freely.

Will you come to Him? Will you cast yourself upon Him? His promise is certain. Nothing can withstand His declaration: “I will give you rest.” Not just for a few brief moments, but continually as you come to Him.

One more thing…

This devotional comes from It’s All about Jesus, a one-year devotional about the person and work of Jesus Christ. It’s used as a fundraiser for the spread of His gospel through 100 reputable ministries. For more info, please go to: www.happybirthdayjesuschrist.com

Yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

John 5:40

Needless to say, John 5:39 is one of my favorite verses. It changed my life, from being extremely legalistic to becoming wholeheartedly Christ-centered. I don’t apologize for constantly emphasizing His centrality because we’re commanded to hold fast to Him: “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain” (1 Cor. 15:1-2).

Are you daily holding fast to Jesus? As believers, there’s a vital need to persevere in faith, lest we “be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” The author then continues: “For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end” (Heb. 3:13-14).

After stating that the Scriptures are “they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39), Jesus said: “Yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” How do the Scriptures relate to testifying of Jesus and our coming to Him? The best way to describe this relation is to understand that the written word—the Bible—testifies of the living Word—Jesus. He’s the embodiment of all God’s commandments, blessings, and promises. There’s a direct link to Him.

Charles Spurgeon wrote: “A sermon without Christ as its beginning, middle, and end is a mistake in conception and a crime execution.” When we see Jesus revealed in God’s word, we receive Him by faith and acknowledge Him as the source, substance, and sustainer of that commandment, blessing, or promise. As we do so by faith, we come to Him and experience His life.

One more thing…

This devotional comes from It’s All about Jesus, a one-year devotional about the person and work of Jesus Christ. It’s used as a fundraiser for the spread of His gospel through 100 reputable ministries. For more info, please go to: www.happybirthdayjesuschrist.com

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities.

Hebrews 10:1

When Jesus started His ministry, He declared: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matt. 5:17). What does it mean that He came to fulfill God’s law?

As we saw yesterday, the sacrificial system was a shadow of His sacrifice. Additionally, God’s commandments are also a shadow of His Son. He’s the embodiment of them. The law doesn’t only reveal Jesus through its sacrifices, but also through the Ten Commandments and God’s statutes.

Apart from Jesus being the embodiment of God’s law, we’re left with Peter’s words and the crushing reality of His law: “Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke [God’s law] on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?” (Acts 15:10). It’s only because Jesus fulfilled the law that we’re not under its eternal condemnation.

The law gives us the knowledge of sin and declares God’s just wrath against them (see Rom. 3:20 and 4:15). Furthermore, it also foreshadowed Jesus’ perfect righteous life as the Son of Man. It foretold Him. Amazingly, what God requires in His law He freely gives in and through His Son.

As Christians, our obedience to God’s law is only possible because we’re in Christ. It’s wholly connected to Him: “I am the vine; you are the branches” (John 15:5). It’s only when we’re united to His life that we’re able to obey God.

One more thing…

This devotional comes from It’s All about Jesus, a one-year devotional about the person and work of Jesus Christ. It’s used as a fundraiser for the spread of His gospel through 100 reputable ministries. For more info, please go to: www.happybirthdayjesuschrist.com

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities.

Hebrews 10:1

God’s law has two major parts—the commandments and the sacrificial system. Through His law, He teaches us what’s right and wrong, commanding us how we should live. Since He’s our Creator and we’re His creatures, He has the full rights over our lives.

Since we’ve fallen into sin with Adam, He also instituted the sacrificial system, teaching us substitutionary atonement. An animal had to be killed and its blood had to be shed for one’s forgiveness and acceptance. These sacrifices demonstrated the seriousness of sin and what was needed to be reconciled with our Creator.

The author of Hebrews wrote that it was “impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (v. 4). Why, then, did God institute the sacrificial system? Through it, He proclaimed His Son as “a shadow of the good things to come.”

All the sacrifices were a shadow of Jesus and His sacrifice. They provided a daily reminder of sin and salvation. They weren’t an end in themselves; they were meant to anticipate Jesus’ promised coming. He’s “the true form of these realities,” the very substance of them.

When we see a shadow around the corner, we know that someone is right there. The same was true with God’s sacrificial system. While “the fullness of time” (Gal. 4:4) hadn’t come yet, the Father revealed His promised Son through these shadows. The prophesied of Him (see Matt. 11:13).

One more thing…

This devotional comes from It’s All about Jesus, a one-year devotional about the person and work of Jesus Christ. It’s used as a fundraiser for the spread of His gospel through 100 reputable ministries. For more info, please go to: www.happybirthdayjesuschrist.com

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities.

Hebrews 10:1

Jesus once said: “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34). Doesn’t that also apply to God? When He communicates, He expresses His heart. He reveals who He is and what’s meaningful to Him.

In the Psalms, we read that He communicates through creation: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge” (Ps. 19:1). Since creation is through Christ and for Christ, doesn’t that mean that it proclaims His glory? The Father’s heart overflows with the beauty and glory of His Son.

At the beginning of Hebrews, we read: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Heb. 1:1-2). Jesus is the supreme expression of the Father.

Paul wrote that he was, “set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son” (Rom. 1:1-3). From the beginning, the Father has communicated the good news of Jesus.

In today’s verse, we read that the law is “but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities.” In the next two days, we’ll consider how God’s law communicates Jesus in two significant ways—the sacrificial system and God’s commandments.

One more thing…

This devotional comes from It’s All about Jesus, a one-year devotional about the person and work of Jesus Christ. It’s used as a fundraiser for the spread of His gospel through 100 reputable ministries. For more info, please go to: www.happybirthdayjesuschrist.com