Getting to the Heart of Christ's Coming
GETTING TO THE HEART OF CHRIST’S COMING
Each year at this time we celebrate and rejoice in the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, coming from heaven and entering into our world two thousand years ago as a man in order to save us. But do we take pause to truly consider the indescribable depths of love and grace demonstrated by our God in doing this?
We do rightly to take time to stop and ask some deep, underlying questions, such as:
What kind of people did Jesus come to save?
What kind of world did He leave the glories of heaven to come for and to give His life for?
Who were we, truly, before He saved us?
And who would we be today, if we were still apart from Him?
Another way we can look at this is by asking the weighty question:
What if the Lord Jesus had never been born?
In 1 Timothy 1, the apostle Paul writes words to Timothy, his son in the faith, that are so honest, humbling, and sobering, you could imagine Paul weeping as he wrote them. And yet these words are simultaneously so awe-inspiring that they could uplift your spirit right into shouting high praises to our God. For in these words we get a glimpse of who Paul really was, and who we really were, apart from Jesus, and in turn, what we actually deserve from God. But it is in contrast to that pitch black backdrop that the ABOUNDING GRACE and the ASTOUNDING LOVE of our God in Christ shines magnificently, brighter than a million suns!
As you read these words once again, may I encourage you to read them slowly, carefully, and prayerfully….
1 Timothy 1:12-15
"And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."
As we consider these words, we are reminded that, before Jesus came to save us, we were not a world of basically good people who had simply made some mistakes. And we were not a people looking for Jesus, glorifying Jesus, desiring Him and ready to receive Him when He came. Because of original sin, we were all born as sinners through and through, with hearts that are wicked and evil, bent away from God toward sin, and even hating the very God who gives us our very breath.
While we often like to compare ourselves to others and point at the sinfulness of others so as to feel good about ourselves, the apostle Paul identified himself as “the chief of sinners”. In commenting on Paul’s self-assessment here, Pastor Dave Harvey excellently captures the essence of what Paul is getting at, saying:
“Paul is saying, in effect, ‘Look, I know my sin. And what I’ve seen in my own heart is darker and more awful; it’s more proud, selfish, and self-exalting; and it’s more consistently and regularly in rebellion against God than anything I have glimpsed in the heart of anyone else. As far as I can see, the biggest sinner I know is me.”
We do well to take on the same perspective. When we do, it is a complete game-changer for every aspect of our lives, especially how we respond to and depend upon God’s grace, as well as how we treat others with regard to their sin.
How sinful am I? All I need to do is look at the cross.
I’m so sinful that the only way I could be saved was for the Son of God to come to earth from heaven and die on a cross for me. And in my sin, what do I deserve from God? Nothing but His anger, hatred, and fury, His judgment, His wrath, and an eternity in hell.
And yet, it is for this world of sinners, for wicked, guilty rebels like you and me, for whom Jesus came and willingly gave His life, so that we could be forgiven, cleansed, given new hearts, and forever reconciled to God!
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners! Hallelujah!
How loved am I? All I need to do is look to the cross.
There I see how extraordinary and incomprehensible is the love and grace of God toward me.
Charles Spurgeon said it beautifully:
“Too many think lightly of sin, and therefore think lightly of the Savior. He who has stood before his God, convicted and condemned, with the rope about his neck, is the man to weep for joy when he is pardoned, to hate the evil which has been forgiven him, and to live to the honor of the Redeemer by whose blood he has been cleansed.”
In light of these great gospel truths, would you examine yourself in three key categories:
1. Yourself - Do you see how vile your sin is, and how urgent it is that you turn from sin, resist sin, and take sin seriously? Have you ever truly repented of your sin, and are you continuing to repent of it? May God give you the grace to do so today.
2. Jesus - Do you see your great daily need for Jesus and His strength in your life, and how desperately you need to be yielded to His Spirit every day, so as to not be led and influenced by the wicked flesh that remains in you? And do you see why you have such reason to rejoice in His coming in this Christmas season and all year long?
3. The World - When you see nonbelievers who are living in sin, do you self-righteously look down on them as “those wicked people”, as though you are spiritually superior? Do you sometimes even slander them or even hope for bad things to happen to them? Or, does your heart break for them, and do you weep for them, considering that, were it not for God’s grace, you would be in the same boat today? Do you pray for them, and seek to bless them and love them and extend to them the invitation of the gospel, so as to introduce them to the One who came to seek and to save the lost?
May we be so utterly transformed and compelled by the love of Christ, that nothing would be able to stop us from giving all of ourselves for all of who He is and for all the glory He rightly deserves!
Each year at this time we celebrate and rejoice in the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, coming from heaven and entering into our world two thousand years ago as a man in order to save us. But do we take pause to truly consider the indescribable depths of love and grace demonstrated by our God in doing this?
We do rightly to take time to stop and ask some deep, underlying questions, such as:
What kind of people did Jesus come to save?
What kind of world did He leave the glories of heaven to come for and to give His life for?
Who were we, truly, before He saved us?
And who would we be today, if we were still apart from Him?
Another way we can look at this is by asking the weighty question:
What if the Lord Jesus had never been born?
In 1 Timothy 1, the apostle Paul writes words to Timothy, his son in the faith, that are so honest, humbling, and sobering, you could imagine Paul weeping as he wrote them. And yet these words are simultaneously so awe-inspiring that they could uplift your spirit right into shouting high praises to our God. For in these words we get a glimpse of who Paul really was, and who we really were, apart from Jesus, and in turn, what we actually deserve from God. But it is in contrast to that pitch black backdrop that the ABOUNDING GRACE and the ASTOUNDING LOVE of our God in Christ shines magnificently, brighter than a million suns!
As you read these words once again, may I encourage you to read them slowly, carefully, and prayerfully….
1 Timothy 1:12-15
"And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."
As we consider these words, we are reminded that, before Jesus came to save us, we were not a world of basically good people who had simply made some mistakes. And we were not a people looking for Jesus, glorifying Jesus, desiring Him and ready to receive Him when He came. Because of original sin, we were all born as sinners through and through, with hearts that are wicked and evil, bent away from God toward sin, and even hating the very God who gives us our very breath.
While we often like to compare ourselves to others and point at the sinfulness of others so as to feel good about ourselves, the apostle Paul identified himself as “the chief of sinners”. In commenting on Paul’s self-assessment here, Pastor Dave Harvey excellently captures the essence of what Paul is getting at, saying:
“Paul is saying, in effect, ‘Look, I know my sin. And what I’ve seen in my own heart is darker and more awful; it’s more proud, selfish, and self-exalting; and it’s more consistently and regularly in rebellion against God than anything I have glimpsed in the heart of anyone else. As far as I can see, the biggest sinner I know is me.”
We do well to take on the same perspective. When we do, it is a complete game-changer for every aspect of our lives, especially how we respond to and depend upon God’s grace, as well as how we treat others with regard to their sin.
How sinful am I? All I need to do is look at the cross.
I’m so sinful that the only way I could be saved was for the Son of God to come to earth from heaven and die on a cross for me. And in my sin, what do I deserve from God? Nothing but His anger, hatred, and fury, His judgment, His wrath, and an eternity in hell.
And yet, it is for this world of sinners, for wicked, guilty rebels like you and me, for whom Jesus came and willingly gave His life, so that we could be forgiven, cleansed, given new hearts, and forever reconciled to God!
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners! Hallelujah!
How loved am I? All I need to do is look to the cross.
There I see how extraordinary and incomprehensible is the love and grace of God toward me.
Charles Spurgeon said it beautifully:
“Too many think lightly of sin, and therefore think lightly of the Savior. He who has stood before his God, convicted and condemned, with the rope about his neck, is the man to weep for joy when he is pardoned, to hate the evil which has been forgiven him, and to live to the honor of the Redeemer by whose blood he has been cleansed.”
In light of these great gospel truths, would you examine yourself in three key categories:
1. Yourself - Do you see how vile your sin is, and how urgent it is that you turn from sin, resist sin, and take sin seriously? Have you ever truly repented of your sin, and are you continuing to repent of it? May God give you the grace to do so today.
2. Jesus - Do you see your great daily need for Jesus and His strength in your life, and how desperately you need to be yielded to His Spirit every day, so as to not be led and influenced by the wicked flesh that remains in you? And do you see why you have such reason to rejoice in His coming in this Christmas season and all year long?
3. The World - When you see nonbelievers who are living in sin, do you self-righteously look down on them as “those wicked people”, as though you are spiritually superior? Do you sometimes even slander them or even hope for bad things to happen to them? Or, does your heart break for them, and do you weep for them, considering that, were it not for God’s grace, you would be in the same boat today? Do you pray for them, and seek to bless them and love them and extend to them the invitation of the gospel, so as to introduce them to the One who came to seek and to save the lost?
May we be so utterly transformed and compelled by the love of Christ, that nothing would be able to stop us from giving all of ourselves for all of who He is and for all the glory He rightly deserves!
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