Colin S. Smith's Blog, page 40

Why Jesus Christ Is of Supreme Value

Jesus Christ is the pearl of great price. He is the treasure hidden in the field, and He is of supreme value. He is worth more than anything else in this world, more even than life itself. Do you see that? Or is it hidden from you?

Why Jesus Christ Is of Supreme Value  



i. Who He Is 

In him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell (Colossians 1:19). 

In [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). 

Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. He is Almighty God, the Creator of the universe, and He came into this world, born as a baby.  

Think about it: Jesus is God in a human body! He is God with a human psyche! He is God tempted in human flesh, God pressed on by the demands of people with every kind of need, God-loving and working, weeping and blessing, God with us and God for us. 

Jesus Christ is of supreme value because nobody else can be who He is! 

ii. What He Has Done 

Jesus has lived the life that God requires of every man and every woman. He lived the life that I have not lived. He lived the life that God has called you to live. 

Jesus Christ has fulfilled the whole law of God in a life of perfect holiness. Then He laid down this life as a sacrifice. He gave that life on behalf of sinners. He took on himself what is due, by the justice of God, to us. And He bore it.

The story does not end there. Jesus went into death, but death could not hold Him. He rose in the power of an endless life, and he ascended to the right hand of his Father in heaven, where He stands as the Savior and the Advocate for all His people.  

Jesus Christ is of supreme value, not only because of who He is, but because of what he has done. Nobody else can do what he has done. 

iii. What He Offers 

Jesus says to you, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest for your soul. My peace I give to you, a peace that this world cannot give. I have come that your joy may be complete. I am come that you may have life more abundantly.” 

He stands before you today and offers to:

breathe his Holy Spirit into you and fill you with the power and presence of His own life,  cleanse you from your past and present sins, removing them from you so completely that they cannot be charged against you now or at any time in the future, andreconcile you to God the Father, transforming your relationship with God from that of a sinner facing impending judgment, to that of a son or daughter anticipating a glorious inheritance.  

Jesus Christ is of supreme value, not only because of who He is and what He has done, but because nobody else has what He offers. 

iv. He Can Never Be Taken From You 

Alexander Maclaren has this very insightful comment, “Nothing that can be taken from me is truly mine.” [1] Think about the big pearls of your life: Your job, your family, your friends, your freedom, the various pleasures of your life, your health, your money, your independence.  

All of these things can be taken from you, and one day all of them will be. Every pearl you gather in this life you will have for a time, except for one: Jesus Christ. He can never be taken from you. He is the only pearl that you can ever truly say, “Mine.” 

Jesus Christ will stay with you in every circumstance of life. When you walk through the fire, He will be with you. He will walk with you through death. When you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, His rod and staff will comfort you. 

He will stand with you on the other side in the presence of the Almighty, where He is able to present you without fault and with great joy. Jesus Christ alone is able to say to you, “I will never leave you; I will never forsake you.” 

When the pearl merchant saw this pearl, He immediately knew its value. If you are still trying to work out if it is really worth being fully committed to Jesus Christ, you have not yet seen the true value of this treasure. If you feel that it would be too hard to give up your sins, you have not yet seen the unique glory of Jesus Christ   

When you see the value of all that Christ is, of all that He has done, and of all that He offers, and when you see that He is the only treasure that you can have always, you will say: “What do I need to do to get this treasure? How can I get this pearl?” When you see the glory of Jesus, you know you have to make it yours and you’ll be ready to do whatever it takes.  

Photo Credit: Unsplash 



This article was adapted from Pastor Colin’s sermon, “Joy,” from his series Ministry Matters.  

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[1] http://www.ccel.org/ccel/maclaren/matt2.ii.xxx.html 

5 Key Connections: The Tongue, Children, and more

Here are 5 key passages from recent Christian articles around the web, including an article on sanctification and the tongue, one on the impact of mom’s faith on children, and more!

How Can I Avoid A God-Centered Life? (Colin Smith, Unlocking the Bible)

Jonah was one of the spiritual leaders of his day. He is introduced as “God’s servant Jonah—the prophet from Gath Hepher.” He is called “the prophet,” not “a prophet,” as if there wasn’t another one worth mentioning in that generation. 

How Should Sanctification Affect the Tongue?(Josh Buice, DBG)

Occasionally you will hear someone talk about how they can’t control their tongue. They readily and almost with a prideful attitude boast about not having a filter to control their speech. Not only is a loose tongue nothing to boast about, but it’s simply not the way a Christian should behave.

Children, Come and See: Displaying Mom’s Faith in Christ (Christine M. Chappell, Risen Motherhood)

For me, Christ didn’t offer a long list of how-to’s and to-do’s pertaining to motherhood. Rather, he offered the satisfying love I desperately needed—a gift my daughter watched me unwrap day after day.

The Vow of Christ (Jared Wilson, TGC)

Christ’s vow has been made. It has been made out of love for the Father and love for you. Jesus was willing to venture even to death on a cross because his love was greater than his fear. And because his love is greater your sin.

The Gospel for People Pleasers (Katie Deckert, Hospitable Homemaker)

In Christ I don’t have to work for God’s favor. In Christ, I already have His approval. In Christ, because of what He has done, not what I have done, I have the joy of God’s presence and the closeness of His love. 

5 Key Connections: The Tounge, Children, and more

Here are 5 key passages from recent Christian articles around the web, including an article on sanctification and the tongue, one on the impact of mom’s faith on children, and more!

How Can I Avoid A God-Centered Life? (Colin Smith, Unlocking the Bible)

Jonah was one of the spiritual leaders of his day. He is introduced as “God’s servant Jonah—the prophet from Gath Hepher.” He is called “the prophet,” not “a prophet,” as if there wasn’t another one worth mentioning in that generation. 

How Should Sanctification Affect the Tounge?(Josh Buice, DBG)

Occasionally you will hear someone talk about how they can’t control their tongue. They readily and almost with a prideful attitude boast about not having a filter to control their speech. Not only is a loose tongue nothing to boast about, but it’s simply not the way a Christian should behave.

Children, Come and See: Displaying Mom’s Faith in Christ (Christine M. Chappell, Risen Motherhood)

For me, Christ didn’t offer a long list of how-to’s and to-do’s pertaining to motherhood. Rather, he offered the satisfying love I desperately needed—a gift my daughter watched me unwrap day after day.

The Vow of Christ (Jared Wilson, TGC)

Christ’s vow has been made. It has been made out of love for the Father and love for you. Jesus was willing to venture even to death on a cross because his love was greater than his fear. And because his love is greater your sin.

The Gospel for People Pleasers (Katie Deckert, Hospitable Homemaker)

In Christ I don’t have to work for God’s favor. In Christ, I already have His approval. In Christ, because of what He has done, not what I have done, I have the joy of God’s presence and the closeness of His love. 

A Quiet Life Speaks for Christ

Zacchaeus was killing it. As a Roman tax collector, he learned the art of extortion. He knew he was asking for more than Rome required, but what were his victims going to do about it? He could just turn them over to the authorities for tax evasion.  

His tactics paid off—financially, at least. He was raking in money. But his scheming wasn’t earning him any friends. No matter how much wealth Zacchaeus built, his shady life continually undermined his financial success.

If you’re not careful, the same will be true of you. Your successes and accomplishments can be easily overshadowed by a disingenuous life. This is especially important for followers of Jesus, whom Paul refers to as “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20) because their very lives are making an appeal to others for God. 

If you want to represent God well and point people to Jesus, Paul has three pieces of advice for you.  

The Quiet Life

In his first letter to the Thessalonian church, Paul writes, 

We urge you, brothers, to [love one another] more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you. (1 Thessalonians 4:9–11)

Paul’s goal here is to instruct believers in how to live in a way that pleases God (1 Thessalonians 4:1). Now, “pleases” is different than “appeases,” as Tim Keller points out. The Christian doesn’t have to do anything to appease God. That’s been done through Jesus’s atoning death on the cross that paid for our sins and allowed us to receive His righteousness.  

Instead, the Christian aims to please God through living a life worthy of the calling they have received (Ephesians 4:1). They desire to live this way because it makes God happy, not because it earns His favor (it can’t).  

Living in a way that pleases God, according to Paul, includes loving others and living a quiet life. The Thessalonians didn’t need more instruction on loving well, Paul said earlier in the letter. But they did need further instruction in living a quiet life, and I think we do too. His advice for living the quiet life includes staying calm, minding your own business, and doing your own job.i 

Stay Calm

In the phrase “aspire to live quietly,” Paul seems to contradict himself. Aspire “means to be zealous and strive eagerly, even to consider it an honor,” notes John MacArthur, whereas live quietly “means to be silent, not speaking out inappropriately, remaining at rest and tranquil.” This means that Christians are to “lead peaceful lives, free of conflict and hostility toward others,” MacArthur adds.  

The words “peaceful” and “free of conflict” don’t always describe my life. “Frenetic” might be more appropriate. I’m often involved in a flurry of activity as I race through my days. There are times when I tweet first and think later, times when my tongue is sharp and my cynicism biting. I linger over the crazy comments on Facebook because train wrecks are hard to look away from. They’re also hard to stop talking about.  

Then there’s my performance mindset. I think I have to produce a certain amount to earn respect. So I make myself crazy busy and pick up side hustles and try to fit work into the margins of my day.  

To all of this, Paul says, “Stop! Stay calm.” Instead of leading a chaotic life, “lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Timothy 2:2). And once you calm down, it’s time to mind your own business. 

Mind Your Own Business

We know from Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians (see 2 Thessalonians 3:10–12) that some of them were “busybodies”—people that generated a lot of noise but did little work. They were busy meddling in other people’s affairs.  

This is a message for us today, when there’s an entire “entertainment industry” whose goal is to tell us what other (more famous) people are doing. But we are as guilty as any industry. Office gossip, Facebook stalking, hushed conversations about what someone’s wearing or what they did. These reveal hearts that are concerned not with our own affairs, but with the affairs of others.  

The problem with meddling in everyone else’s life is that you have little time to do anything productive in your own. We should spend less time judging others, knowing that each of us will be judged by God (Romans 14:12–13), and instead keep our heads down as we strive for godliness. This striving for godliness includes how we do our work. 

Do Your Own Job

Besides meddling in others’ affairs, there was another problem with the busybodies Paul was addressing: they weren’t doing honest work. John Piper says, “Some in the church seem to be idlers, lazy, not working for a living, mooching off of others.”   

Paul is not addressing people who want work but can’t find it, but people who could work yet aren’t. Dorothy Sayers wrote, “A human being must have an occupation if he or she is not to become a nuisance to the world.” In other words, without work, you will become a piece of work.

By telling the Thessalonians (and by extension, us) to work with their hands, Paul is telling them to roll up their sleeves and get to work. Along with staying calm and minding their own business, Paul knew that this would serve a very important purpose in God’s mission. 

Why Lead A Quiet Life?

You might be wondering why you would want to lead a quiet life. After all, aren’t you supposed to be building your platform and promoting your brand? After telling the Thessalonians how to live quiet lives, Paul tells them why it’s so important. He writes,  

Aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. (1 Thessalonians 4:11–12)

The point of living a quiet life to be a good witness for Christ. Staying calm, minding your own business, and doing your own job is all about evangelism. And your witness is connected to your integrity.  

John Macarthur explains that “when believers display diligent work attitudes and habits and live in a loving and tranquil manner that respects others’ privacy and does not intrude or gossip, it constitutes a powerful testimony to unbelievers and makes the gospel credible.” 

Ready to Live A Quiet Life?

If you’re ready to lead live a quiet life and make the gospel credible, consider starting by making this prayer for “restoring public peace at home” part of your time with God: 

O ETERNAL God, our heavenly Father, who alone makes men to be of one mind in a house, and stills the outrage of a violent and unruly people; We bless your holy Name, that it has pleased you to appease the seditious tumults which have been lately raised up amongst us; most humbly beseeching you to grant to all of us grace, that we may from this time on obediently walk in your holy commandments; and, leading a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, may continually offer unto you our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for these your mercies towards us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.ii 

Photo Credit: Unsplash



Editorial Note: Check out today’s article on Gospel-Centered Discipleship, posted in tandem with this article.

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i. These phrases are adapted from Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of 1 Thessalonians 4:11 in The Message.

ii. This is my updated version of “A Prayer for Restoring Public Peace at Home” from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.

Q&A: What Could We Listen to During Our Road Trip?

Question from a Listener:

Hi, I am taking a road trip with a friend who was not raised in an evangelical church.

He believes in God but does not know Jesus. He has a heart for God but also has some cynicism toward the church and Evangelicals, as his experience has been they are pushy and hypocritical.

I want him to learn more about the true nature of God and His promises. I want his heart to be uncovered and softened and his eyes to be opened to the person of Jesus.

Can you recommend something for us to listen to that would be a good starting point? My plan is to play this in the car while we drive. Thank you for any suggestions.

I would recommend an online study called Open.

Open takes you through the Bible story – from Genesis to Revelation. It will help your friend see the big picture of who God is and what He has done, as well as the significance of Jesus.

Open also has a set of discussion questions for each session that are geared especially for you to walk through together. And you can listen to it together right from your phone.

This study has 50 sessions, and you could begin it on the trip. If your friend is interested, you could finish it together afterward.

When you return from your road trip, you could do a session a week together. Or, adjust the pace to fit your schedules.

The website is www.openthebible.org, and it is completely free to use with no log-in required.

Gospel Encouragement Knocks out Satan’s Lies

Encouragement is a potent tool the Lord has given to
His people to care, love, and serve one another and others all around them.

It was a tough day. I had dealt with some very
challenging situations as a substitute teacher, and went to sit with one of my
pastors, who is also one of my very closest friends.

I remember feeling so frustrated, upset, and ready to
throw in the towel. And I will never forget that he sat there and listened
attentively. When I was done, he came around from his side of his desk to my
side and asked if I would stand up and then proceeded to hug me. Then after the
hug, we sat down in our chairs across from each other, and he clasped my hand,
and he prayed for me.

That day I left his office and headed home a lot
lighter than when I walked in. When I walked into his office, I felt like the
whole world was going to cave in on me, but when I left, I felt loved by God
and by my pastor.

Encouragement for the Christian

Encouragement for the Christian is like the heavyweight boxer going into the ring. Satan is about to land the knockout punch, and then—bam!—before that big-time moneymaker reigns down its terror in comes the counter-punch. Encouragement is the counterpunch to Satan’s lies.

The devil comes in to steal, devour, and to kill, whispering
his evil wiles and saying to the Christian: “Yeah, you’re not good enough. You
are rotten. You are a loser. Just give up. Lay down that sword of God—the Word.
It doesn’t matter at all.”

Many times we are so in need of encouragement, and we
don’t even know we need it. And the truth is all around you are people who need
your encouragement. They are facing what they feel is that heavyweight prize
boxers blow about to land on them and they just sitting there waiting for it.

I have known many Christians who are like this. They want love and care. I have friends in ministry who are desperate for encouragement. And how do I know? I ask, and they tell me. Most of my friends are either in some form of writing/editing ministry or vocational pastoral ministry. And yet we haven’t even gotten to the person in the pew right next to you Sunday in and Sunday out who also needs encouragement.

Encouragement Vs. Sin

As Christians, we aren’t left without encouragement.
We have the grace of God. Jesus also has promised to be with us (Hebrews 13:5),
and summons us before the throne of the grace of God (Hebrews 4:16) to receive
His help.  

See all of this is why Hebrews 3:13 is so powerful.
This verse says, “But exhort one another every day, as long as
it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of
sin.”

What Hebrews 3:13 is telling us that
today is vital. Today is the day to encourage one another. Perhaps that is
right now even. Why? Hebrews 3:13 tells us why: “that none of you may be hardened
by the deceitfulness of sin.”

Sin will take you further than you
want but will do so seductively. Sin comes prancing around the ring saying, “Oh
just sin a little here” and then—wham!—it comes with that full right cross and
then the left jab, and then it goes for the money maker—the knock-out blow.

Today, you may be facing what feels like the knockout blow, and you don’t know where to turn, dear Christian. And I want to say this to you—you do not need to be knocked out. You do not need to go out of commission. You do not need to hit the mat; you need to hit the Bible. You need to get in a local church, and you need to get involved in the life of the local church.

An Encouragement for You

Many Christians want to know if they can be used by God but believe that they can’t, which isn’t true. You today, dear Christian can be used by God.

All around you are people facing challenging situations and people. See, I need you, and you need me. Together we need one another in our local churches. Sometimes well, that is going to mean I need hard loving words spoken in love. Other times it’s going to mean I need you to tell me soft words spoken gently. Sometimes that is going to mean like my former pastor and good friend I am going to need an arm around the shoulder, a hug, and a prayer after listening to me talk. So, I don’t know where you are at or what’s going on in your life or if you feel like today you are about to face that seeming knockout punch but understand the following.

Satan may be primed, locked, and loaded to unload on
you and land the knockout punch but that punch can never fully take you out,
Christian. The death of Jesus forever satisfied the wrath of God in the place
of sinners and for their sin. Now through Him, Christians are friends of God.
All of this is why Christians can care, love, and encourage one another because
of the grace of God.

If you want to be used by God, and my guess is yes,
you do, dear Christian, then take time today to encourage someone in your home and
local church. Church member, get to know fellow church members so you can pray
for one another, so you know how to encourage one another specifically.

When you do encourage another church member, do so
because you see the grace of God at work in their lives and want to encourage
them to press on in Christ.

He Can

The next time you think, “The Lord can’t use me,”
remember He can. He has done all He has done for you and me in His finished and
sufficient so we can encourage and spur one another to love and good deeds.

Let’s you and I as Christians have Hebrews 3:13 be our aim whether in our local churches or outside of it as the Body of Christ. Let’s encourage one another today lavishly with the grace of Jesus so we can bear each other’s burdens and thus fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2) both in our local churches and outside of it in our vocations and communities.

Photo Credit: Unsplash

How Can I Avoid a God-Centered Life?

I previously wrote that Christians aim to live a life that is centered on God, but you can also avoid one. I want to discuss this by looking at the life of Jonah so that you won’t avoid a God-centered life but cultivate one. 

You can avoid it for a lifetime. 

Jonah was running from God at the beginning of the story, but he was also arguing with God at the end of the story. Even after God used him in a remarkable way to evangelize to a pagan city, he was still out of sorts with God. 

That raises the interesting question of when Jonah wrote the book. I assume that the book was written late in Jonah’s life, because I don’t think you can write under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit while you are arguing with God! So, later in his life, Jonah looks back on his ministry and sees how he avoided a God-centered life.  

He gives us this account of his experience, essentially saying, “God used me in a remarkable way, but what’s of real value to you is that I spent much of my life avoiding the God I purported to serve.” 

The great irony of Jonah’s life is that while he was teaching God’s Word, he was actually avoiding God’s call. Jonah wrote the book so that we would not be like him. He reflects on his experience, and in his book he tells us: “Choose a different path!” 

You can avoid it behind the disguise of a good reputation. 

There is only one place in the Bible where we learn about Jonah outside of his own book: 

In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel became king in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. 

He did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. 

He was the one who restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, in accordance with the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher. (2 Kings 14:23-25) 

Jonah was one of the spiritual leaders of his day. He is introduced as “God’s servant Jonah—the prophet from Gath Hepher.” He is called “the prophet,” not “a prophet,” as if there wasn’t another one worth mentioning in that generation. 

This was a man who spoke the Word of God. His prophecies came true because they were wonderfully from God. The borders of Israel were extended during the time of Jeroboam “in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken through his servant Jonah.”  

This is a man who hears the Word of God, walks in the presence of God, and is filled with the Spirit of God. 

You can avoid it by protecting your own comfort. 

Against the backdrop of that extraordinary reputation: 

The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me” (Jonah 1:1-2).

It’s hard for us to grasp how shocking this must have been for Jonah. In Jonah’s lifetime, there was one world superpower: the Assyrians.   

The Assyrians were known for their brutality. They had refined the art of torture in a way that would make your hair stand on end. They were the terror of Jonah’s time. 

Nineveh was one of the major Assyrians cities. The prophet Nahum describes it as “the city of blood, full of lies, full or plunder, never without victims” (Nahum 3:1). This was not a place you would want to visit. 

The Word of God came to this successful prophet. He was highly esteemed in Israel. His wonderful prophecies about extending the borders of the Promised Land came true. He was settled and secure in what he was doing for God. Then God said to him “Go to Nineveh!” 

Suddenly, the music stops in Jonah’s life. 

“Live Your Dreams” 

Put yourself in Jonah’s shoes: This man has a successful ministry among God’s people. He was known for prophesying good things like extending the borders of Israel. He has a good life in a good place, doing good work. And now the Word of the Lord disturbs his comfortable life. 

Our culture says, “live your dreams,” but God has a way of disturbing our dreams. We all have hopes and dreams of what our lives will be. We plan our families. And, we plan our futures and our finances. Then God breaks into the plan: A child is born, a loved one dies, the market crashes, you lose your job, and suddenly your life is not going according to your plan.

When God stepped into Jonah’s plan, his heart was revealed. Jonah’s self-centeredness had been hidden under the surface of his successful ministry. But, his desire for a comfortable life was exposed when God called him to leave something old and to start something new. 

You can avoid it by running after your own plans. 

But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. (Jonah 1:3) 

Jonah was a prophet, well-schooled in the Scriptures written during that time. He knew that God is present everywhere. Jonah would have known David’s words: 

Where can I go from your Spirit? 
Where can I flee from your presence? 
…if I settle on the far side of the sea, 
even there your hand will guide me, 
your right hand will hold me fast. (Psalm 139:7-10) 

Jonah knows he can’t escape from God’s presence. What he is running from is God’s call. That’s the issue here. When he gets in the boat, he is giving up being a prophet. He is resigning from the work God called him to do. He is saying, in effect: 

“There are other things in life that I could do, besides bringing the Word of the Lord. I’m quitting this ministry and I’m going to make a new life in Tarshish.” 

Jonah is dodging a God-centered life: He planned where he wanted to live and what he wanted to do. When God disrupted his plan, he quit. 

Your Plan and God’s Plan 

If your plan becomes more important than God’s plan, you cannot live a God-centered life.  

What if God wants you in another place? What if God wants you to do another kind of work? Or, what if God has another purpose for you for the sake of people who need to hear the Gospel?

Don’t avoid a God-centered life. Cultivate one! 

Photo Credit: Unsplash 

5 Key Connections: Evangelism, Creation

Here are 5 key passages from recent Christian articles around the web, including an article on evangelism, one on creation, and more!

But God: The Two Sweetest Words In The Bible (Stephen Altrogge, the blazing the center)

If we’re going to understand the beauty of the words “But God” then we must come to terms with who we were. We truly were spiritually dead. We were gladly following Satan. And we were actively, zealously carrying out the sinful desires of our flesh.

How Can I Cultivate a God-Centered Life? (Colin Smith, Unlocking the Bible)

The world wants you to believe that everything is stable, secure, and permanent. But it is not so. The home that you live in is yours for a time. The work that you do is yours for a time. The people you love are yours for a time.

How Jesus Prays for You (Hywel R. Jones, Core Christianity)

John 17 has been known as the “High Priestly Prayer” of the Lord Jesus Christ for many years. Its opening words make it clear that it was a prayer Jesus himself prayed, and it is essential to give full weight to that fact. But this does not mean that Christians may not use this prayer in appropriate ways. It is important that they should do so. It has significant bearings on the faith and life of the church because the incarnate Son was talking with his own Father about their saving intervention in a fallen world.

God’s Commitment to Creation (Ian K. Smith, Crossway)

Is the world so broken that God will abandon it, and we will need to find a home elsewhere? Is heaven a place for eternal refugees, that we might live in a home that was not made for us (unless we are angels)? The recurring answer of both Testaments of Scripture is that the world is not so broken that God cannot fix it. 

College Students Are Back: Are You Ready to Disciple Them? (Tony Beard, GCD)

It’s vital to pass along the gospel to the next generation. If we don’t prepare and equip them, who will preach to the generation after them? Here we can learn from the Old Testament.

Hagar and El Roi, the God Who Sees

She’d been mistreated by her mistress. She’d not wanted to
do what was asked of her, but as a slave with no rights or opinions, she’d had
no choice. Out of desperation, she finally fled because she couldn’t take the abuse
and the pain anymore; but she quickly found herself alone and defenseless,
without shelter or sustenance. And pregnant, no less.

To say she felt scared, lonely, and unloved is an
understatement. She wondered, in her despair, if anyone cared about her or what
was happening to her or her unborn baby.

This is Hagar’s
story in Genesis 16:1-13.

Can you relate to her? Perhaps not to her situation, but to
the emotions she experienced: fear, loneliness, feeling unloved? Maybe your
husband has abandoned you and your children. Maybe you’ve lost your job or your
home. Maybe your parents neglected or abused you as a child. Maybe your
employer overlooks you and the hard work that you do. Maybe a friend has hurt
or betrayed you.

Perhaps you’ve wondered the same as Hagar when she found
herself alone at a desert well: “Does anyone care about me? Does anyone know
what I’m going through?” Perhaps you’ve even wondered if God cares and you’ve
even cried out, “Do you see what I’m going through, God, and how bad it is?”

The answer to all these heart-rending questions, as it was
for Hagar, is: Yes, he does! Because, as with Hagar: God sees you.

God Sees You

You may have wondered, out of all the billions of people in
this world, does God even know that you exist? Could he single you out as an
individual, or are you just unknown in the mass of humanity?

Know that God sees you! As an individual, you are known by
Him!

He knows the very number of hairs on your head (Matthew 10:30). Consider that your worth is more than the many sparrows in the sky (Luke 12:7). And, consider that He took an intimate interest in forming you, that you are “fearfully and wonderfully made; that all of His “works [that being you!] are wonderful” (Psalm 139:13-14).

He loves you so much, that He sent His only son, Jesus Christ, to die a horrific death for you and your sins, so that you could be forgiven and reconciled back to God, because He wants a relationship with you (John 3:16; Romans 5:8).

Consider that you are his “workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in
them” (Ephesians 2:10).

That is how much you are known by God. And not only does He
know you, but he also knows your name.

God Knows Your Name

One of the things that struck me in this short passage is
that every time Sarah or Abraham mentioned Hagar in their conversations, she was
simply referred to as “my slave” or “your slave” (Genesis 16:2, 5, 6). This leads
me to conclude that she had no value in their eyes other than someone to be
used for their own selfish gain: to manipulate God’s plan to provide an heir.

I can only imagine how demoralizing that must have been for
Hagar.

But when God found Hagar at the well, the first word out of
His mouth was, “Hagar” (16:8).

When no one else cared enough to show Hagar any decency, God
did. Up until this point in the narrative, we don’t even know if Hagar knew who
God was, but He certainly knew who she was. In fact, He knew her name, and He
showed her respect by using it.

It’s the same with you. God knows your name. As His precious
child, He knows each and every “sheep” by name (John 10:3). And, not only is
your name known, it is “engraved” on the palm of his hand (Isaiah 49:16). Being
engraved carries a deeper implication than being written. Being engraved means
it is “cut, carved” into God’s palm, implying permanence, something that cannot
be erased.

Furthermore, if you are in Christ—if you’ve believed in His name, having accepted the free gift of grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9)—then your name is immortalized forever, because it is written in The Book of Life. As a born-again believer, your precious name is now eternal!

Later in the story, Hagar, out of gratitude, gives God a name: El Roi, the God Who Sees (Genesis 16:13). Interestingly, Hagar is the only person in the Bible—male or female, Jew or Gentile—who’s named God personally.

God Sees Your Situation

El Roi is not blind to your plight. Your situation has not
taken Him by surprise, although it may have taken you by surprise. Being omniscient
(all knowing), He sees exactly what is happening to you every second of the day—good
and bad. Your situation—your very life—is always before his eyes. Nothing escapes
His divine notice or attention.

Stephen
Altrogge writes, “Jesus knows us fully… He knows every nook and cranny of
us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. And He also knows suffering on
an intense, personal level… He meets us in our downcast state and pours out
grace upon us.”

God Sees Your Need

I love the fact that El Roi came to Hagar. He sought her out
and arrived at the moment of her greatest need. At that moment, it was to be
reassured that she was seen, that she was loved and not forgotten, that she and
her unborn child (a son whom God named personally; yet another special blessing
God showed Hagar) would be cared for.

As “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (Psalm 147:3) God soothed Hagar’s worries and gave succor to her wounded, weary heart.

As with Hagar, God also promises you that He will “never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). It is during your greatest times of need that El Roi pours out His grace and mercy upon you (Hebrews 4:14-16).

He will also meet your physical needs when necessary:

Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew 6:25-34).

Rejoice, dear believer, God sees you! He sees exactly what
you’re going through, because, to quote Hagar, “You are [El Roi] a God of
seeing. Truly, here I have seen Him who looks after me” (Genesis 16:13).

Claim that promise, and “cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

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3 Concise Overviews of Salvation from Scripture

As Christians, we know that salvation is a wonderful and incredibly important reality for our lives. We know on an individual level. We believe that Jesus Christ paid for our sins on the cross; If we are in Him, then we have salvation. But what about on a larger scale? What is the overview for salvation for all believer in Jesus Christ? 

The New Testament offers these (at least) three overviews of the whole of salvation (idea originally from Sinclair B. Ferguson’s The Christian Life: A Doctrinal Introduction). Read these and reflect on how they reveal God’s glory.

1.) Romans 8:28-30  

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. 

These verses are some of the most joy-bringing verses in the whole Bible! Romans 8:28-30 is God’s promise to His people that He has a plan, and that He always had that plan!  

I’ve often heard the first part of this verse personalized: “God will work all things for my good.” Yes, it’s certainly true that God cares and has a plan for individuals. However, it seems to me the full glory of this passage comes from its grand perspective. It’s talking about God’s intimate plan for His bride—all believers in the Church. 

So, this passage reveals to us that God’s plan of salvation is secure. He knows what He is doing and He has never wavered from His plan.  

2.) Ephesians 1:3-14   

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.    

Everything related to salvation happens in, through, and for the Lord Jesus Christ. The blessing of God comes in Jesus, God chose us in Jesus, God is making us holy and blameless so we can stand before Jesus, and God adopted us into His royal family through Jesus.   

Jesus Christ is the center of biblical salvation. Is He the center of your life?  

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.   

When you think of God’s salvation for His people, do you think of God begrudgingly looking over sins? Waiting to see what you do next? This is so far from the truth! Paul describes God’s grace here as “riches” that He “lavished” on us.

There is a great inheritance to enjoy! Consider, the riches of a relative passed on after their death are a testament to their achievement, not the recipients’. And so, this biblical inheritance is not a testament to our glory. It is a testament to Christ’s glory! 

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.  

Biblical salvation includes the work of all three persons in the Trinity. It necessarily includes God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

3.) John 1:12-13  

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.  

This passage leads you into greater worship of the Lord the more you reflect on its word. First, it shows the importance of God’s people receiving Christ. So this is a charge to everyone out there: Make sure you receive Christ. Believe in His name. 

Then, it ends by talking about that those who believe in Him are born “of God.” If we are to ask God, “How is this possible for man to do? How we obtain salvation if we must be born of God?” perhaps we would receive the same answer our Lord Jesus gave to His disciples: 

With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God. (Mark 10:27)  

Praise God for His grace, and His wonderful truth about salvation as revealed in His Word!  

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