Jesus Has A Need Only You Can Meet
Jesus Christ had a need on the great day of His triumphant entry into Jerusalem. There was only one person who could meet it. Jesus needed a simple donkey. Yet, that donkey was essential to the plan God laid before the foundation of the earth.
The owner of the donkey sent it “immediately” (Mark 11:3). Such should be our response.
Jesus had the authority to command the donkey, but He gave the owner a free will to choose. He does the same for us.
Today Jesus has a need. He needs you to take a stand for Him. He needs for that to be consistent and continual. He has given you the free will to give Him what He needs, you. In turn He has promised to be with you and bless you. His commitment to us is consistent and continual.
For sometime I carried in my wallet a little verse often read as a reminder of His presence.
“The light of God surrounds me
The love of God enfolds me
The power of God protects me
The presence of God watches over me
Wherever I am, God is!”
I have a newspaper clipping that reminds me of an occasion when I took it out and reread it. It tells of a Delta 727 carrying 133 passengers, and a Cessna narrowly avoiding a mid-air collision approaching the Memphis International Airport. The report describes the two planes engaging in “evasive action” resulting in them missing each other by 200 feet. The report describes the pilot of the 727 making a nose dive to avoid the collision. All shook up physically and emotionally, I re-read my poem. Whew!
When you have your near misses in life, in whatever form they may come, you can be sure He is with you.
The Word of God still applies that ancient directive to folks like us: “The Lord has need …” How will you respond?
One of the most joyous days in a person’s life is when it is realized the Lord has need of them. That gives a sense of personal importance, a sense of self-worth.
As it was said of Jesus we need to confirm: “Lo, I came to do Your will, O God” (Hebrews 10: 5, 7)
In our former home town of New Orleans a walk along the docks is always refreshing and enlightening. Occasionally a person will try to stowaway on a ship to go to another country. Once I saw a sign there stating: “Stowaways will be prosecuted on the other side.” That is to be true spiritually in the judgment.
Instead, when you arrive on the “other side,” may you be greeted with, “Well done good and faithful servant.”
Rock of Ages
“We have a strong city; God will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks. Open the gates, That the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in. You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength.” (Isaiah 26: 1b – 4)
In using the illustration of a city of his day, Isaiah likens it to our relationship with the Lord.
It is a “strong city.” Such a city was secured by its walls. If you trust Him you have the security He offers.
For the protection of the city walls to be yours, you must enter. (Vs. 2) Two traits are essential for entry.
Character. It is described as “righteous.” Scripture says, “There is none righteous…?” It is only possible by applied righteousness which in reality is acquired righteousness, acquired from Jesus. When a person trusts in and commits to Jesus as Savior, the righteousness of Jesus is credited to that person.
Commitment. One must “keep the truth.” Live by it. Keeping the truth is like a sailor who keeps a ship. In times of trouble the ship keeps the sailor. You keep the truth and the truth keeps you.
Our Lord gives “perfect peace.” (Vs 3) Our word “peace” is derived from the Latin PAX. In Greek and in English the word means to agree. When we agree with God, peace prevails. It is inner harmony. It is “perfect,” meaning it can sustain any test. It is perfect because it is His.
Until such an agreement is reached, there is no peace. Anxiety, fear, worry, depression, and a lack of contentment prevail. Peace is inner harmony. Transfixation: “whose mind is stayed on thee.” (Vs. 3)
Our deep space probes have an on-board guidance system. It is housed in the missile on a gyroscopically stable platform. This sensitive guidance device is pre-programmed in advance of launch. It is locked on to a specific target in space, such as a star. No matter what the missile is doing or what tasks are undertaken by it, this device stays fixed on the target. It is guided by the object it is locked on to. So our minds must be fixed on Christ.
Trust: “he trusts in You.” (Vs. 3b) This means to rely on Him.
If our minds are “stayed on Him” and our trust is strong in Him, He will “Keep” us. That means He will sustain and maintain us.
Our Lord gives power. “YAH is everlasting strength.” (Vs.4)
JAH is short for Jehovah and the name Jehovah speaks of God’s eternal
nature. By using the name Jehovah along with Lord, these two names emphasize His eternal strength. He is the One who always has been and always will be, the eternal God.
It is He who is our everlasting strength. The expression “everlasting strength” means He is “the Rock of Ages,” really the ageless Rock This speaks of His unchanging consistency. In a world of relativity He is the ultimate absolute. He doesn’t change. Now it simply remains for you to accept these principles and to apply them.
Pray, “Rock of Ages … let me hide myself in thee.”
The Helper 3/21/99
“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever;” (John 14:16).
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26).
Jesus Christ has left you a legacy. He has provided a very special gift, a heritage, for all who commit to Him.
On the eve He was ending His earth walk He shared news of this gift with those who shared this walk for three years. In the upper room He related the nature of the gift. He said:
“I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever” (John 14:16).
His reference was to the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ came to earth to seek and to save. He planted His flag of victory at a place called Calvary. There He won for us a victory. Our future is secure. Because our future is secure we can throw ourselves into the present. Death for the believer is behind us only life eternal is before us. Though the spiritual victory has been won there are still mopping up battles to be fought. To guide us into victory Christ has left us His Commander-in-Chief, the Holy Spirit.
We live in a spirit world. It is strange that there has never been a time when people believed more in the spirit world than today. Nor has there been a time when there has been more Biblical ignorance regarding it. The growing new age movement is based on belief in the spirit world. Satanism is predicated on it. Books on angels are among the most popular sellers. The entertainment fields of TV and movies thrive on it. The world of evil spirits has the most rapidly growing holiday in our era, Halloween. Yet, the church with the greatest heritage of belief in the Spirit world is basically mute on the subject.
There is a Spirit dimension to life. Though unseen it is as real as the physical world we see. Let me illustrate!
Most persons adhere to the long standing belief that there are four dimensions to an object: height, depth, width, and breath. Now physicists are telling us there may actually be as many as 26 physical dimensions to any object.
Along comes Mr. and Mrs. Flat and they see everything in one dimension —- flat. Therefore, they don’t see and consequently don’t believe in what is right above or below them. They don’t believe in height or depth. That doesn’t change the fact there is height and depth. They just miss out on it. Likewise, unfortunately many people are missing out on the spirit aspect of life. Christ said:
“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me” (John 15:26).
The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to call attention to Christ not to Himself. In that sense our mission is like His. If a person has an experience that leaves him or her talking more about the Holy Spirit or the experience than about Christ it is not of the Holy Spirit.
Such an experience is of the spirit, but it is not the Holy Spirit. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God” (I John 4:1). There are evil spirits in the spirit world that counterfeit experiences in order to confuse and deceive. If you were going to make a counterfeit $20.00 bill what would you make it look life? You would want it to look as identical to a $20.00 as possible to deceive. Satan causes some persons to be deceived by counterfeit spiritual experiences.
The mission of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Christ, not us, our experience, or Himself, but Christ.
The word translated “Helper” in some translations and “Comforter” in others is PARAKLETOS. It is a compound word one of which means “to cry [for help]” and the other means “to run.” The word pictures the Holy Spirit as one ready to run to help us when we ask for help.
The word was also used in a court of law to denote a legal assistant, the counsel for the defense, and advocate. It is used for one who pleads the case of another.
The reason modern translations use the familiar word “Helper” it the term PARAKLETOS literally means, “one call to assist another, one present to provide beneficial service.”
If you are a Christian you have already received this wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit whether you know it or not.
When Christ’s righteousness is imputed to the believer the Holy Spirit is imparted. Get this —-
It is not our attainment but because of Christ’s atonement that we have the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The fact every believer has the Holy Spirit is contrary to some teaching by some churches, therefore, it must be sustained by Scripture in order to be accepted. Consider:
“Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Romans 8:9).
If you are His, you have received the gift of the Helper.
In dealing with a matter of belief Paul asked persons in Corinth: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” (Acts 19: 2). When they answered no Paul ascertained they had believed in John not Jesus. The test for them and for us is if you have believed on Christ as Savior you have the Helper.
The Holy Spirt was Christ’s birthday gift to the church. It is His birthday gift to every believer on the day of their new birth.
When we rely on organization we get what organization can do.
When we rely on education we get what education can do.
When we rely on eloquence we get what eloquence can do.
When we rely on the Holy Spirit we get what God can do.
(A.C. Dixon)
Unfortunately, if the Holy Spirit were to die 95% of the churches would go right on like they are. So would most believers.
The issue isn’t how much of the Holy Spirit we have. We have all of Him. The issue is how much of us does the Holy Spirit have.
Dwight L. Moody was the Billy Graham of his day. When as a young man he visited England he heard Henry Varley say, “The world has yet to see what God can do through a man who is fully consecrated to the Holy Spirit.”
Moody reasoned: “He said ‘a man.’ He did not say ‘a great man,’ nor ‘a rich man,’ ‘nor a wise man,’ nor ‘an eloquent man,’ but simply ‘a man.’ I am a man, and it lies within a man himself whether he will or will not make that entire and full consecration. I will try my utmost to be that man.” Moody did and was used of God in a wonderful way.
When Moody was at his height a group of ministers met in Philadelphia to consider inviting him to preach a revival in that city. A number favored the idea and shared what great things God had done through Moody. Finally, one who opposed the idea spoke up and said, “To hear you talk, one would think D.L. Moody has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit.”
A wise minister responded, “We did not intend to create that impression, but I do believe the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on D. L. Moody.”
Every believer is the recipient of the Holy Spirit. Does He have a monopoly on you?
“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…” (I Corinthians 12: 13).
In considering this text it is important to note one little word first. It is the word “by.” It is not “of” or “with,” but “by.” Often persons of a certain persuasion will ask if you have been baptized “with” the Holy Spirit or if you have been baptized “by” the Holy Spirit. The Scripture does not use those words. It is the Holy Spirit who does the baptizing into the body of Christ.
“All” refers to every believer. Therefore what is spoken of here is universal among all Christians.
“All” were “baptized into one body.”
The word “baptized into” means identified with.
Matthew 10: 2 speaks of being baptized into Moses referring to those who followed him who became identified with him as a follower.
The “one body” refers to the “body of Christ,” as reference to the community of believers.
There is an obvious fact here. If this act is for all, that is, it is universal, it has to be initial. That is, at the moment of salvation.
To understand this consider all in this room were saved at 10:00 AM one morning. At that moment one segment of the crowd was baptized “by” the Holy Spirit, that is, received the Holy Spirit. Another segment didn’t receive the gift of the Helper until 6:00 PM that same day. That means part of the group was without the Helper for eight hours. The Scripture says “all” have the Helper.
Instant replay: If the act is universal it has to be initial.
The Helper is perpetually with you. He is there in one of three states. You alone determine which. Preferably:
I. YOU ARE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
Everybody is full of something. Some are full of football, some of bull. At this time of year some wives are “fed up with” basketball.
When drunk a person is under the influence of alcohol. The expression “filled with the Spirit” means to be under Christ’s controlling influence. The Helper is His advocate Who indwells every believer to advocate Christ’s cause in life.
Three things need to be noted regarding this text:
1. It is a command. It is in the imperative mood meaning do it. Anything short of being filled is sin, it is disobedience to the Word of God.
2. It is continuous action. It is in the perpetual present tense meaning “keep on being filled with the Spirit.” Let your continuous norm be being filled with the Spirit.
3. It is in the passive voice, meaning this is something God does for us but we must let Him.
You can tell if you are Spirit filled by whether you are bearing the “fruit of the Spirit” spoken of:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:23).
Are these traits characteristic of your life?
Observe the word “fruit” is singular and the result plural. The old English word “fruit” was used to speak of harvest. Therefore, there is one harvest and all of these traits are the crop.
We are commanded to be “filled with the Spirit.” One person responded “I can’t hold much, but I can overflow a lot.”
We are called to be consistent in Christ, constantly being filled. We are not to be spiritual chameleons. A chameleon is a lizard that changes colors depending on the color of the surface on which it is. If on green it turns green. If on brown it turns brown. Supposedly a chameleon crawled on a piece of plaid and exploded trying to conform. Many Christians do the same.
Are you living a Spirit filled life? If not there are only two reasons. One is:
II. YOU ARE GRIEVING THE HOLY SPIRIT
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30).
“This is not a promise to be claimed. This is a command to be obeyed” Charles Spurgeon.
We grieve the Holy Spirit when He is leading us not to do something and we do it. Remember, He is Christ’s advocate. He is constantly advocating Christ’s cause in our lives. If He advocates us not doing a particular thing and we do it we grieve Him. He does not leave us. He is still in us but not being allowed to fill us, therefore, He is grieved.
Attitudes which we must put away in order not to grieve the Holy Spirit are identified for us.
“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice” (Ephesians 4:31).
Monitor yourself. If any one of those exist in your life you are not a Spirit filled believer. You are presently grieving the Holy Spirit. You can never be filled, that is controlled by the Holy Spirit, until you get all of these out of your life.
It is He who seals us “for the day of redemption.” That means He keeps us once we are saved. A seal was used by a monarch. When placed on an item that meant the item was
The POSSESSION of the King. Believers are Christ possessed.
It meant it was the PROTECTORATE of the King.
III. YOU ARE QUENCHING THE HOLY SPIRIT
“Do not quench the Spirit” (I Thessalonians 5:19).
We grieve the Holy Spirit when He is leading us not to do a thing and we do it.
We quench the Spirit when He is leading us to do a certain thing and we don’t do it. “To quench” means to “put out, cool down, or subdue.”
In either and both states He does not leave us. He is with us but not in control of us. When He is out of control we are out of control of Christ.
Let’s have a rerun on one phase of this message. If you are not living a spirit filled life you are disobeying the Lord. Isn’t this a wonderful time to begin to obey Him.
Follow the Leader
While on a road trip with my collegiate basketball team we went to an afternoon movie entitled “Viva Zapata.” This is not an endorsement of the cause of their revolution. It is an extraction of a line from the deathbed scene of the dad of Zapata. Amid the brewing turmoil the dad said to the son, “Trouble is coming, find a leader. If you can’t find a leader, be a leader.” Unable to find a leader, the son became the leader of the successful revolution.
With potential storm clouds brewing on our national horizon that line has a place today. Be a leader.
Believers have found a leader in Jesus Christ and the final score of the contest in which He is leading is known by His followers, “We win.”
However, there is a lot to be played out in the contest. There are times, “teammates,”we will inevitably get behind. It is then our individual role becomes most important. Don’t let your head hang down. Don’t sit on the bench, get in the game.
Talk to the coach often. It is called prayer. We are told to pray without ceasing. An understanding of what that means is seen in the navigator of an airplane. He does not speak constantly, but he keeps the communication channel open knowing he can speak at any time. Keep your prayer channel open so you can check in at any moment. You will find the following communications coming in at all times:
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34)
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
Be well versed on the play book. For our contest, that is the Bible. At difficult times in the game immediate access to game strategy is needed instantly. There isn’t time to look up the strategy, immediate recall is needed. Therefore, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Timothy 2:15)
Be ready to apply the Divine game plan.
Don’t expect the contest to be easy. Coach Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Be a spirited competitor, talk it up, express your enthusiasm for the cause.
Don’t let the opponent fake you and get you off your game as in the days of Isaiah.
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20)
Don’t whine or show a defeatist’s attitude. You are in it to win it. Got it? Good.
These are essential elements to play your best: talk to the coach often, read, rather study, the play book, expect the competition to be difficult, express your belief, and don’t get off your game.
Having found a leader, the Leader, be a leader for Him. You were born to be an overcomer.
Christ’s Ultimate Upper 3/7/99
John 14:1-7
Page 1578 Come Alive Bible
Jesus Christ gathered for the last time with His disciples. He was about to finish His earth-walk and return triumphant to the Father. This meant the disciples’ world was about to unsuspectingly go into eclipse at mid-day. Their world is about to fall apart. Their hearts were a medley of emotions. They had feelings like us. They were sad because of the gloomy prospect of Christ going away; ashamed because of their demonstrated selfishness; perplexed because one of them was predicted to betray Christ.
In Chapters 14 through 17 of John we are allowed to look into the very soul of Christ.
He spoke, “Let not your heart be troubled…” (Vs. 1). This statement has become the pillow on which many broken hearts have found comfort. The expression meant “Stop letting your hearts be troubled!” Literally, “Let not your hearts any longer be troubled…” How?
Christ compounded an antidote for their trouble; believe in the Father and Me.
Both words “believe” in the Greek text are the same, PISTEUET. They can either be a statement of fact or a command. The first is a statement of fact, the latter a command. No matter what was to happen in the next three days, they were to believe in Him.
Christ has always honestly told His followers of both the GLORY and the PAIN involved in following Him. Every believer should realize you should not expect to eat the honey, unless you are willing to take the stings. Anticipating the honey of earthly victory, they are about to receive temporal stings.
Jesus Christ’s time of sharing in the Upper Room had repetitiously been interrupted by Peter. He, at first, refused to let his feet be washed and then asked to be completely bathed. He had inquired as to who would betray Christ. His pendulum personality had swung so often he had virtually worn out his mood-ring. Then (13:36) he asked, “Lord, where are you going?” In answering Peter’s question, Christ reveals that:
I. DISTRESS CAN BE DIVERTED by realizing:
A. He Is Reliable. Trust in God the Father gives confidence in Christ, God the Son. Jesus asked, “Will you also go away?” The disciples responded, “Lord, where else is there to go?” Christ’s statement is actually a double plural imperative: “Have faith in God, and in me have faith.” Prophecy reveals Him to be reliable. The chances of an Old Testament prophet writing eight prophecies and having them come true in one person is one to the seventeenth power; that is, 1000 quadrillion. That many silver dollars spread over the face of the land mass of Texas would cover it two feet deep. If one dollar in that mass were marked and a person blind-folded and asked to pick out that one, he would have a better chance than for eight prophecies to be fulfilled in one life. There are 332 prophecies related to Christ that have been fulfilled. That is a mathematical impossibility.
Faith is merely confidence in God’s character. The origin of trouble in every life is failure to have faith in God. Adam and Eve are Exhibit A.
Without faith life is like the disciples’ night on the Sea of Galilee; night-bound and storm-tossed.
There is an oft-seen poster which reads: “All that I have seen of my Creator teaches me to trust Him for all I have not seen.” This indicates that faith is submission of your reason to all He has revealed. Faith does not ignore facts; it introduces facts, the facts of revelation.
Faith is a daily practice in every life. For example, you go to a doctor you do not know, whose degree you cannot verify. He gives you a prescription you can’t read. You take it to a pharmacist you have never seen. He gives you a chemical compound you do not understand. You then take the medicine according to instructions. That’s faith.
The object of faith is more important than the amount of faith. You might have great faith that a well-known general of the army who is a friend of yours can fly you across the Pacific even though he has never flown a plane. You would likely end up drowned in spite of your faith. The problem would be the object of your faith is unreliable in this given area. By contrast you may have little or no faith in an unknown 2l year old with 5,000 hours flying time. Yet, he would be able to get the job done because he is a reliable object of faith.
You have faith. How reliable is the object of your faith?
Is there an area of your life in which Christ is not trusted with complete control? Is He dormant in your life while wanting to be dominant? Do you want Him to be only your Savior Lord while He wants to be your Sovereign Lord; the one in absolute control?
B. He is Responsible. “I go (before) you to prepare a place for you…” PRODOMOS, meaning forerunner, is the word used to describe Him going before us. This is comparable to a pilot ship that goes before to guide another vessel to a safe harbor. Jesus is our PRODROMOS (Heb. 6:30). He went before us to prepare a place for us. Having provided the ultimate, heaven, surely He will provide all else. Heaven is a place prepared for prepared people. He never takes us to an unprepared place on earth or in heaven.
Heaven is no poets dream; it is a reality. Christ said, “If it were not so, I would have told you” (Vs.2). He is too wise to be mistaken. He is too truthful to misrepresent. He is too kind to deceive. It is the “Father’s house.” Here all hearts are focused on the Father as the head of the Family. It is harmonious.
C. He is Returning. This is present tense meaning He is coming again to take them to Himself in time for eternity.
II. DESTINATION CAN BE DECIDED
Ultimately one of two destinations inevitably await us. There are only two choices: heaven and hell. The choice is ours.
On a lighter vein the story is told that God decided He had it with earth and was going to end things. He called Boris Yeltsin, Bill Clinton, and Bill Gates to heaven. He told them He was going to destroy the earth the next day and he wanted the three smartest people to spread the word.
Yeltsin returned to Russia and called a cabinet meeting. He announced he had good news and bad news. The good news is, God does exist. The bad news is, He is going to destroy the world tomorrow.
Clinton returned to America and called an emergency meeting of Congress. He said, “I have bad news for some of us, and terrible news for all of us. The bad news is, God is real and He does exist. The terrible news is, He is going to destroy the world tomorrow.
Bill Gates happily returned to Microsoft and said, “I have some fantastic news! First of all, I am one of the three most important men on Earth, and secondly, the Y–2-K problem has been solved.”
Heaven has many abiding places, “many mansions” MONAI, (Vs. 2). There is plenty of room. The best thing that can be said about heaven is that Christ spoke of it as “where I am” (Vs. 3). That is what makes heaven.
Dr. Kubler-Ross, Swiss-born psychiatrist, says, “Beyond the shadow of any doubt, there is life after what we call death.”
Jesus didn’t tell us all there is to know about heaven for a very good reason. We would be like a child sitting at one end of a table with a large bowl of spinach before him. At the other end of the table is his favorite cake. With that cake in sight, the spinach isn’t very appealing. If we know all there is to know of heaven, our present equivalent of spinach would not be very appealing.
It is imperative that we be prepared and assured our ultimate destination is the right one. Proper preparedness involves forgiveness: our forgiveness of others and God’s forgiveness of us.
Are you willing to forgive others? A little boy and his little sister ended their day long argument and quarrel angry with each other. About 2:00 AM the household was awakened by a terrific thunderstorm. The parents heard an unusual noise in the area of their bedrooms. The parent called out to find out what was going on. A little voice answered, “We’re in the closet forgiving each other.”
Is there someone with whom you need to spend a bit of time in the closet.
Second, have you sought God’s forgiveness and requested the gift of eternal life? If not do it now.
III. DIRECTIONS CAN BE DETERMINED
Christ makes a categorical statement to all the disciples which raised another question, this time in the mind of Thomas.
A. He Is The Way. “Teach me Your way, O Lord” (Ps. 27:11). Jesus’ death opened the way (Hebrews 10:20). The way is not a PROCESS but a PERSON.
“I” is emphatic, meaning, “I and no other always am the only way.” He wanted to make this perfectly clear. There is one way.
The first time the Romans assaulted the Saxons at Dover, they were defeated. The next time they landed and unloaded their provisions, set their ships on fire, and pushed them out to sea. The watching Saxons, seeing their determination, fled in defeat. With such determination, we must follow Him.
B. He Is The Truth. “Teach me Your way; I will walk in thy truths” (Ps. 86:11). He is truth personified.
C. He Is The Life. “He who keeps instruction is in the way of life…” (Prov. 10: 17). The first instruction to follow is to repent. Repentance is a picture of persons standing in a circle facing outward as they hold hands. Christ stands in the center. Facing away from Him, one sees his own shadow and cannot see his fellow persons properly. To repent is to TURN and face Him. One’s shadow is behind, the repentant now faces Christ, and can see his fellow persons properly.
Older theologians defined saving faith in terms of three words:
NOTITIA, that is KNOWLEDGE.
ASSENSUS, that is INTELLECTUAL ASSENT.
FIDUCIA, that is TRUST AND PERSONAL COMMITMENT.
Do you have all three? Don’t stop short of the third.
The expression “to obey” and the word “faith” both come from the same root. “Faith,” PISTIS, means “firm persuasion.” The expression “to obey” comes from PISTEUO and speaks of acting out of firm persuasion.