We studied in our Friday meetings the great importance of meditation. David in Psalm 119:15-16 said, “I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.” That is what we are trying to do in our communion meditation. We are recalling and meditating on what we already know about Jesus and contemplating it so we can experience divine delight and strength from that truth. We have looked to Jesus pre-creation, looked to Jesus in the Old Testament. In Adam, He will be a seed. In Abraham, He will come through a nation. In Moses, He will fulfill the Law. In David, He will establish an eternal Kingdom. In the prophets, He will bring a New Covenant. And we looked to Jesus at His birth. Now we come to looking unto Jesus in His three years of earthly life.
If we were to study all the life and works of Jesus, John said the world is not big enough to keep the records. To know the life of Jesus, we have four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—the life of Jesus presented in monumental, blessed majesty and divine harmony. We should read them over and over and ask the Holy Spirit to open our eyes. Paul’s eyes were opened to see such infinite glory in Christ, he accounted all things but dung for the surpassing excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord. Others have read and read and grasped so much glory; they have spent their whole lives writing large volumes on the glory of Christ’s life. Men have been writing and preaching for 2000 years about the life of Christ, and they are writing and preaching still, even this very second; so many are writing and preaching. They will continue until the end of the world.
When we began our ministry, for four years we studied Jesus’s life through the Gospel of John, and then for the last seven years, we studied Matthew. We know the historical details of the life and ministry of Jesus. But that is just the beginning of knowing Jesus. All those truths God taught us were not for us to simply study and understand and then put into the archive of our memory and forget. No, God wants us to recall and meditate on those truths until we bring them to some profitable, practical use. When we face life situations, we have to recall suitable situations in Jesus’s life and meditate, “Look unto Jesus.” We may then feel a kind of sensible change; that is how we really know Jesus experientially, as Paul did, and truly grasp the surpassing excellence of His knowledge, realizing that nothing compares to it.
Today, in 40-50 minutes, let us walk with Jesus through His three years of life on earth and His ministry. Just to see one Gospel, we took seven years. Today, it is very broad, an eagle’s aerial eye from 50,000 feet. We will skip a lot of things. There are a few things that we can cover in one sermon and prepare your hearts for communion. Remember this is not a historical study, but a devotional, experiential study.
We will cover:
- The Preaching of John
- The Baptism of Jesus
- The Temptation of Jesus
- The Nature of Christ
- The Ministry of Jesus
First, we see the preaching of John the Baptist. He is the forerunner of Christ, sent to prepare the way. As we sit under his preaching, what do we see and feel? His ministry prepares us to see the glory of Christ, which is why all the Gospels begin with him. Though the man has not performed one miracle, the entire nation went to hear his preaching. Why? We see a strict, uncompromising, holy life, a rare example of self-denial and mortification, a man who rejected the world, despised its honors, fame, and name, and resisted temptations. He was clothed in camel’s hair, and his food was locusts and wild honey. He preached about repentance and coming judgment. By his life and preaching, he was a great means to prepare men to see the glory of Christ.
Can I ask you to imagine you are sitting for a while under this preacher? He stands here preaching righteousness with his posture. See what effect it will have on your heart. You see a man living such an austere, economical, and strict life, but living such a glorious, useful life. The whole nation goes to hear him; God chose him as the forerunner, filled him with the Holy Spirit from birth, and Jesus calls him the greatest born among women. In God’s sight, he is the most useful man, the greatest prophet, and did a great ministry. Doesn’t this man prick our consciences somewhere? With all we have, all our luxury, doesn’t it make us blush about what meaningless, useless lives we live? We are regularly running after worldly pleasures, honors, and names, and so poor in obeying and serving God, or doing anything useful for God’s kingdom. Doesn’t his message of repentance—the axe is on the root, every tree that doesn’t bear fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire—make us feel ashamed of our lives and sins, creating a sorrow and hatred for sins? It makes you see the emptiness of worldly pleasures. What life am I living? What is the use of all our worldly pomp and rush? When I meet God, what account will I give of my life to God on judgment day? How will the world remember me? If I have any sense, I have to change. Do you feel a spirit of mortification of sin? It urges you to deny yourself and die to the world. This is the effect you need to feel if you properly look to the forerunner. Read about him and keep looking at John the Baptist until you have that effect, because that effect is called repentance, which is the great preparation through which the Holy Spirit opens your eyes to see the glory of Christ. Without this, you can never see the glory of Christ in any of His ministry. If you feel your disease of sin, you will see the Savior’s glory as a great physician, you will run to Him in faith, and you will be saved. Repentance—that is where gospel blessing starts.
Then, we see Christ coming to this man and being baptized, the Holy Spirit coming from heaven like a dove and anointing Him. Yesterday we had one baptism. We were all baptized once. We repented, saw Christ’s glory, and were baptized. Sit by that Jordan river and see the sinless Son of God. What need did He have to be baptized? Even John says, “Lord, You should baptize me.” He shows by baptism that He took our place, and He wants to fulfill all righteousness so that He can impute all that fulfilled righteousness on us and justify us before God. He was baptized not for Himself, but for us. Aren’t you interested in that? What a sight! The holy Son of God stands in a sinner’s place. He went down into the waters of baptism so that we who believe in Him might find the effects of it in our lives. Do you know that all our baptism gets virtue because He was baptized in our place? It is because He was baptized and the Holy Spirit came upon Him that the same Holy Spirit comes on you and me and gives us a new birth and unites us to Christ. By that one Spirit, we are baptized into His death, burial, and righteousness; we are identified as one, as if we died with Him, were buried, and rose, and so now we can partake of all the benefits of His life and death. How precious His baptism meditation should be to us!
See, when you have repented by John’s preaching of repentance, believed in Christ, and been baptized, you can expect something: the devil’s temptation. So after baptism, we see Him fasting for 40 days and tempted by the devil in the wilderness. Meditating on His temptation will help us see what kind of enemy we have, how he fights, how he is resisted, and how he is overcome. His first assault was when Satan moved Christ to doubt His Father’s providence by turning stones into bread. When that didn’t work, the second was directly opposite, to presume on His Father’s providential protection by jumping, believing angels will protect Him. And when neither doubt nor presumption could make Christ fall, he tempted Him with all the pleasures, lusts, honors, and allurements of the world.
This is exactly the way you and I are regularly tempted. If he cannot drive us to despair and doubt, he tries to lift us up to presumption. And if neither of these works, then he brings out all the pleasures, lusts, profits, and honors, which are so appealing to us. Many times we fall. Oh, how terrible when we get caught in his temptation. Yes, the Lord says, “Pray you will not enter temptation.” When we pray and watch, we can live victoriously. But when we enter and get caught, what a sad person I become! What struggles with remaining sin! I cannot read or pray. What horrid, dirty thoughts come into our minds, as if the worst gutter is pouring into my mind. Sometimes even terrible dreams. Sometimes it truly makes us think, “We are so bad. We are not a child of God. We are the devil’s children. We will definitely go to hell.” What a warfare! We resist one temptation, and another comes. Sometimes it feels like waves; we feel we will sink. What do you do when you are so discouragingly caught in waves of temptation? How do we come out of it? Some of you today, this morning, may be caught in temptation. Oh, look unto Jesus’s temptation.
But here is your comfort: remember you have such a Savior who was in all things tempted in like manner, yet without sin. He knows what you are going through; He knows the horror of temptation. The devil poured all the world’s gutter into His mind. For us, depraved but saved sinners, it is a horror. How would the sinless, holy Son of God have felt? He knows all. He has seen the height and maximum power of temptation pressure and never fell. We break at some point; He never fell. Satan became tired and left. Now, you are united to Him. You are not tempted alone; Christ is with you in the temptation. See to what extent He went to feel the height of my temptation. If we don’t eat for four days, we have to go to the ICU. Forty days… body juices, eyes all gone, body skin and bones. He could in a second eat a feast, but He fasted to identify with and help me in my temptation.
He says, “My child, I know your temptation. Come to me.” When you are tempted, “I am praying for you that your faith fail not, while the devil is shifting you.” He knows what torture temptation is by experience. His love, mercy, and tenderness are most of all at work when you and I are most tempted. As dear parents are ever tender of their children, but then especially when they are sick and weak, so, though Christ is always tender of His people, He is especially so when their souls are sick and under temptation, struggling. Then His bowels yearn over them indeed. He says, “Tempted Child of God, come to me.” When you know His compassion, how boldly, therefore, can we go to the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace to help in time of need! Christ was tempted in all ways, so that He might comfort, strengthen, assist, and help those who are tempted. That is His job as our high priest. What comfort! Remember when you face temptations, remember Christ’s temptations. Look unto Jesus. Go to Him for help. What strength He gives us! See that desert. He stands victorious. The devil ran away. In your temptation, when the devil tortures you, look at Him. He will give you strength to overcome temptation, and the devil will run away.
See, when you have repented by John’s preaching of repentance, believed in Christ, and been baptized, why does God allow us to be tempted? See, it is such temptation that makes us grow in holiness and become useful for God’s kingdom. Temptations create perseverance, do their work, and create character, so we lack nothing and become useful for God’s kingdom. That pattern is seen in Christ’s life. Once He was baptized and tested, and overcame temptation, He started His ministry. He called His disciples and started His ministry.
Usually in ministry, they say, “First the man, and then his ministry.” So let us see the nature of Christ and His ministry.
Nature and Ministry of Christ
We already saw He was born with complete divinity and complete humanity. We cannot imagine what an infinitely wonderful person this combination has made Him. Such a glorious, esteemed person as the Son of God, He united human nature to Himself. Oh, the wonderful, glorious, perfect union of the divine and human nature in Christ renders Him an object of admiration and wonder. Now at His baptism, His human nature is anointed with the Holy Spirit without measure. It is overflowing with all the graces of the Spirit. Do you realize what a man Christ must be! If a small measure of grace in the saints makes them sweet and desirable companions like Paul, Epa, and Tim, we say, “What a man!” What must the riches of the Spirit of grace filling Jesus Christ without measure make Him, having in Him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge?
What beauty He must be who is anointed without measure by the Holy Spirit. Oh, what a glory must it fix upon Him! All the fullness of the Godhead bodily dwelt in Him. Hebrews says He became holy, harmless, undefiled, full of grace, truth. John’s reason that He is so full of this is so that we empty sinners can behold His glory, the glory of the only begotten Son, full of grace and truth, and receive grace upon grace. What an appearance Christ must be! Try to imagine with your eyes to see this glorious person—not only in His person as God, but as man—not just a perfect man without sin, but anointed with the Holy Spirit not just in a drop, or what a man’s capacity could hold, but without measure, overflowing with all good graces of the Holy Spirit. How beautiful must He be! If God could open our eyes, if you could but clearly see His glory, oh, we would faint. Someone said Christ’s inward beauty would ravish love out of all the devils, if they had but grace to see His beauty. This loveliness of Christ ravishes the souls of the glorified. This is the person who walked on this earth 2000 years ago.
What kind of life did He live? The holiness of His life is stunning. As God’s Son with almighty power, the heir of all things, think of His great patience when He lived among sinners. With one breath, the whole universe can go to ashes. But what patience in intense suffering, what love in most terrible enmity, His self-denial, His mercy, His generosity, His meekness, His pity, His humility, His obedience to His Father. “He was made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” Living under the whole law, half of the law needs active obedience. How He satisfied it by His holy life without breaking one jot or tittle of the law, even living the most poor life, in the midst of unjust enemies, and even in the horror of the cross, not one murmur or bitter complaint. His life was a miraculous life.
The Bible says He never sinned. Have you heard of a man from birth to death who never did one wrong, not one lie? Not only outside, because God gauges sins as not only what we do outside but also what we do in our hearts. He never had a bad thought in His heart, hate, lust, or wrong desires. Everyone who met Him said He is without sin. The closest who lived with Him—Peter, John, even Judas who betrayed Him, who would have loved to have found some reason to justify the betrayal that he did—couldn’t find it. He said, “I betrayed innocent blood.” The whole religious court, the Sanhedrin, couldn’t find one thing. The civil Roman court governor couldn’t find any, finally to pacify his conscience, “Washes his hand and gives him to be crucified.” Even the centurion who crucified Him, seeing how He behaved through the unjust horror of the cross, cried out that He is truly a righteous man. No one could find one sin. History couldn’t. Nobody could because there wasn’t any. One perfect life. Oh, what a marvel He was.
Not only His active obedience, but then passive obedience: He underwent all the penalty of our sins and satisfied it by suffering a wrongful death, not in any way deserved. For whom is all this? It is only for us, that we might be redeemed and adopted; redeemed from all evil, and adopted into all good. Consider the nature and perfect life of Christ, O my soul, until you feel some virtue to come out of Christ’s life into yourself.
Next, we can see His ministry. We can summarize all of His ministry into His word and works ministry. Word is preaching; works are miracles. What a word ministry! As the final anointed prophet, He spoke like no other man. His words were unsurpassed. The Gospels repeatedly say that those who heard Him were continually amazed and stunned at His teaching. Police came to arrest Him, but got arrested by His words. Just read the New Testament in the Bible. Who has spoken such life-giving words, words that can pierce a man’s mind, heart, conscience, and soul and transform and make him a new man? His words have the power to change any man. His words changed harlots into pure girls; robbers and murderers became saints. The comprehensiveness of His teaching… He taught about God, angels, the devil, demons, men, the earth, heaven, hell, the past, the present, and the future, how the world began, what will happen in history, and how the world will end, and what happens after death. His words were supernatural. He said heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 2000 years later, His words are still the most popular, still changing people. The words of the book called the Bible are the most popular book in all of history, translated into more languages in the world, the most printed, sold, and read book in the world.
A question we have to ask is, “Has His teaching changed me?” Is there anything comparable to His Sermon on the Mount? Not only the first time when it was preached, but anyone who reads it now stands stunned and shocked with its high moral standard. It is the greatest standard of moral purity the world has ever known. It splits open the moral hypocrisy of any man’s heart and shows him as a depraved, guilty sinner before this mountain. “If you look at a woman to lust, it is adultery. Anger is murder. Covetousness is robbery.” Realizing his guilt, Nicodemus, the greatest teacher, comes and says, “Lord, how can a man live like that?” He says, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” His teaching forces every man to ask, “Am I born again?” When you see Jesus’s teaching, that is the first question you have to ask. “Am I born again?” Without that, none of His teaching will make sense. Imagine as if Christ Himself is standing by you and opening His mouth and telling you, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Was ever such a thing done upon me? Do you have that experience? Are all old things done away, and all things now become new? Has the old person, the old lusts, the old talk, changed in your life? Are my aims and ends new? Only when you are born again can you begin the kingdom life. Or else we will be blind. If we are born again, His commands are not burdensome. Jesus Christ is the final prophet. He not only teaches through preachers to our ears and minds, but He preaches through His spirit to our hearts. Have you experienced His spiritual, inward prophetic ministry? This illumination I am talking about. His illumination makes us see His commands are not a burden, but ways of blessedness, ways of rest. We will be able to say with David, “Words of God are more to be desired than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. And in keeping them there is great reward.” If you have not started realizing that, you have not experienced the prophetic ministry of Jesus. Men can only teach your minds, which will make you experience this sweetness. Flesh and blood cannot teach you that. Only when the final prophet teaches you inwardly will you receive His illumination. Oh, Christ may speak to our hearts so we know what ravishing sweetness there is in the words of Christ.
Think of His works ministry. The supernatural works of Christ are absolutely staggering. I mean, there are eyewitnesses, hundreds and thousands of them. He showed that He was God and He had authority and power over disease, nature, demons, and even death, such miracles as never man did before. Have we deeply looked at Jesus’s miracles and meditated on them? They are heavenly arguments that prove who He is: that He is truly the Son of God and all He taught are infallible truths. You have to believe in Christ and His teaching because of the miracles.
Do you realize that His works and words are divine means to make us see the infinite glory of Christ? The Holy Spirit opened many eyes to see His glory by His works and words. Can I ask you, has He done that to you? The Father gave witness that He is the Son of God from heaven; John the Baptist gave witness; demons confessed; disciples confessed; and even to this day they confess as witnesses of seeing the glory of God’s Son. 1 John 1:1-3 says, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us.”
You know about the Bible, Christ, and the Gospel, but the most important question is, “Has all that knowledge manifested the glory of Christ to your heart?” Above all! It is this manifestation within our heart that concerns you most. God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son by using His words and works. Christ should manifest the glory of Christ into your hearts. If Christ is not manifested in your heart by His blessed Spirit, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 13:4, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Christ Jesus is in you?—unless, of course, you fail the test?”
Is Christ manifested in you? The bare history is a manifestation of Christ to all, but there is a mystery in the inward manifestation. The apostle, speaking of the saints, adds, “the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints: ‘To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.'” (Colossians 1:26-27). Oh, the riches of the glory of this mystery! See, this is the glorious revelation God hid in the ages, but now to His saints. The question is, “Has He let you see into the wonders of His glory? Has He given you the light of His glory within?” This only the experimental Christian feels. I am not asking this to discourage you, but to encourage you and make you realize there is so much for us to know and grow in Christ. I am asking this to wake you up from any dangers of perfectionism that make you lazy in Christian life. I’m pushing you like Paul to run the race, reaching forward to what is ahead.
So here is a bird’s-eye view of the life of Christ: The Preaching of John, The Baptism of Jesus, The Temptation of Jesus, The Nature of Christ, and The Ministry of Jesus.
Can I bring three applications? Believe, Bless, and Become.
Three Applications
Believe Christ
Great good news of the Gospel, this glorious person, all His nature of divinity and humanity, in all the treasures of all His wisdom and knowledge, the fullness of the Godhead dwelling in bodily form, His. He is my wealth that will not be taken away! Not only Christ, but all His life, His baptism, His ministry, His active and passive obedience are mine and are imputed to me. It is because of this infinitely worthy, glorious person being my Savior that when I come today before God, I am not only treated as righteous, but I am an adopted, beloved child of God, just as Christ is treated, with all His freedom and privileges.
Do you believe that? All comfort and joy begin with that faith. This is a free gospel offer. Many don’t experience joy because they stand aloof, not daring to make a personal application of Christ and His life to themselves; they do not progress because of a lack of faith. But here is the property of saving faith: it sees the glory of Christ, apprehends and appropriates to itself, and makes use of whatsoever Christ is, or does, for its personal benefit.
We should come to communion not spiritually numb, but we should stir and exercise our faith. Faith must directly and immediately go to Christ. Yes, we must with the eye of our faith believe Christ was God in human flesh, born under the law. He took on our penalty of sins and atoned for them and fulfilled our duty to the law on our behalf. He both satisfied the curse and fulfilled the commandments! He purchased everlasting righteousness. By exercising faith only, we experience and feel the virtue and efficacy of Christ’s righteousness flowing into our own souls. Communion is a celebration of our union with Christ. We come to it with faith. The confession says the glorious effects of life and death flow out of Christ’s life, into a believer’s soul! It comes through faith. Oh, exercise that faith as you participate: “Christ is mine. All my trust is in Him. I come to partake in the benefits and virtues in Christ.”
Bless and Love Christ
We have seen that we have to believe first. Second, let your faith take you by the hand and lead you from one step to another, making you love Christ at every step, what He did for you. See His baptism, standing as a sinner in your place. When He saw you full of filth, He goes down into the waters of baptism so that He might prepare a way for the cleansing of your polluted soul. When He saw the devil ready to swallow you up by the power of temptation, He Himself enters into a battle. He allows Himself to be tempted. See the God of heaven’s blessedness forever, in whom dwells all fullness, emptying Himself, fasting for 40 days to know the height of the temptations you and I face, and then overcame the devil so we can overcome our temptations through Him.
His outward and inward ministry is to meet all our spiritual needs. He knows that you and I are stubborn like a donkey, how many times we are taught, we don’t learn, whatever we learn we forget, not having understanding. See Him as the final prophet. How He gave teaching upon teaching, adding line unto line, and precept on precept, repeating the same truths in different forms and examples, teaching and preaching the gospel of the kingdom. Then He doesn’t stop with external teaching; by His spirit He inwardly illuminates and teaches your hearts so you may understand the truth and believe, and in believing might have life through His name.
When He saw you as a sinner of the Gentiles, without God in the world, He even appointed apostles and sent them to all the nations. Even though we were like gentile dogs, He sent them, commanding them to make them disciples, and teach them all I taught you. “Go to Murali, Dass, Robert, wherever corner of the world they are… tell such a soul that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom he is one.” When He saw that you will perish in unbelief, He condescends so far to help your unbelief. So many ways He manifested His power on earth to thousands and thousands; “the world could not contain the books that should be written.” All those things were done to make you believe in Him and trust His truths, and you receive spiritual illumination through faith. When He saw you discouraged and refusing to believe the gospel, He knew you would ask, “What! Is it possible that Jesus Christ should send a message to such a dead dog as I am?” He then appeared spiritually, and even then spread His arms wide and effectually called you by a divine voice. “Come unto me, you that are weary and heavy laden with sin, and I will give you rest.”
See His nature: not only God-man, a man born without original sin, but fully equipped by the anointing of the Holy Spirit without measure. All this for you. And His works, all for you. See, O my soul, if there is one word for all this, the sum of all this is: Christ loves you, and Christ is infinitely lovely; His heart is set upon you. This double engine should push our hearts to love Christ. His history is nothing but the greatest love story. It is a history of love for you, not an atom of self-interest from beginning to end. All for love. How hardened must we be not to be all on a flame? Come, read again!
If Christ loved me with such earnest and burning love, how chill and cold is our love for Christ? May all these things make us burn in our love for Christ. “O Christ, I am ashamed that I love you so little. I perceive your love in every step of your life… all those actions in your life are a form of love. Come, Lord, blow upon my heart… kindle the fire of love by the Spirit, that I may love you. Many sins are forgiven me; O that I may love you much!”
Become Like Him
Finally, we saw that every Christian’s goal should be to become like Christ. That should be our pursuit. All this looking should result in that. When we intently look, we are transformed to His image. Scripture says Christ’s life is a pattern, an example for our lives. Christ is the best and most perfect, highest exemplar of holiness in human form. We must look at His life as people at sea look at a compass to go in the right direction. Christ repeatedly commanded us to follow Him. Paul and even the Hebrew writer say that in the race that is set before us, we must have our eye on Jesus, our blessed pattern. This must be our constant query in life situations: “Is this the way Jesus would have taken?” “What would Jesus do?” The “WWJD” movement. We should take that seriously if we want to become like Jesus.
Yes, there are a few areas we don’t have to follow Jesus, in those works of His Godhead, as in working miracles, His unique work as redeemer—in some things He had to do to redeem us, such as His voluntary poverty, not marrying, and voluntarily suffering infinitely as an atoning sacrifice. But we must conform to Christ’s life in every way; He is our example. Even in thoughts, feelings, and actions, we should be like Christ. “Let the same mind be in you which was in Christ,” Philippians 2:5. “Learn of me,” says Christ, “for I am meek and lowly in heart.” In all other graces we should follow Him; for He had them all in fullness: “And of his fullness have we all received, grace for grace.” We should in our lives and conversations express those graces and virtues which were so eminent in Jesus Christ; that you should not only have them, but that you should hold them forth, as if our lives were so many sermons of the life of Christ.
How must we become like Christ? We saw this is the great goal of redemption: that we should become like Christ. We should, like Paul, stir ourselves to pursue this in our life. Remember DDIS.
When we study the life of Christ, oh, how much dissatisfaction increases!
- If anything, this study has made me so dissatisfied and made me seek more of Christ. What an excellent original example is here before us; and how far, how infinitely, do we come short! When I come to examine my own heart according to this original, I am as opposite to Christ as hell is to heaven. O woe is me! What a vast disproportion there is between Christ’s life and mine! We should regularly make it a practice to compare our life with Christ’s and humble ourselves every day by self-examination, by meditation, and by prayer. This is the first step. God fills empty vessels. We should empty ourselves. He gives grace to the humble; we should ourselves. This dissatisfaction should create a vehement desire to become like Christ.
- Desire Christ. Do you have a desire for Christ? See His nature: He is a treasure house stored with all fullness, so you can receive grace upon grace. We are all challenged by Paul’s desire to pursue Christ. He sees all things as dung compared to Christ. Christ is pure gold. If we know the value of something like gold, we will desire even the dust of the gold. We see in the Gospel a woman who desired earnestly to wash Christ’s feet, to kiss, and to wipe with her hair; her eyes were opened to see such value in Christ. One woman had the desire, “If I may but touch the hem of his garment, I shall be whole.” John the Baptist thinks it an honor to untie His sandals; Moses considered the reproach of Christ more precious than the treasures of Egypt. If all the saints earnestly desire Him, if the angels yearn and melt before Him, if Christ is adored by the highest heaven, how blind we are if we don’t develop a growing desire for Him.
See his love, his patience. Are you like him? See his peace, his holiness, his heavenliness, his tender pity, his constant efforts, his unwearied pains, and his self-denial. Look at his continual love for God, living every second for the Father’s glory, and his compassion for precious and immortal souls. See how graciously he talks. What a sweet temper and mood he always has, with not the slightest bitterness or irritation. Oh, the sweet countenance, the ravishing demeanor of Jesus Christ!
Now see yourself. Oh, the wide disproportion! I should follow this Christ and become more and more like him. In this pursuit, all my roughness, my sinful moods and behaviors, my uneven attitudes, my sensuality, my brutishness, my deformity should be thrown out. Oh, when I compare myself to the blessed life of Jesus, all my great faults are so clearly seen.
- We should make intense efforts to quicken our sluggish souls to become like Christ. If this was one of the ends of Christ’s coming—if he lived a life and set an example for me—if this is the goal for which Christ saved me, it is not only to justify me but to sanctify me and make me like him. Thus, let us provoke our souls to become like this. We have to excite our faint, drooping, languishing affections, desires, and endeavors. Let us with intense efforts engage and encourage our backward spirits to move forward in this duty.
Like Paul, remember, I press on to hold what is ahead, toward a higher life, to be more like Christ. I should have the same mind, the same mouth, and the same life that was in Jesus Christ. So we follow his footsteps in our life and continually aspire toward him and grow up to him, even to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
- We should do this with a single-minded focus. “One thing I do,” forgetting all past things and moving forward. The one priority in life is to become like Jesus.
Let us regulate ourselves by the life of Christ. Whatever action we go about, let us do it by this rule: Would Christ have done this? We do this in two ways:
- We must avoid all sinful actions like Christ. When I am tempted to sin, I must seek his help and ask, “Would Christ have sinned if he were on earth? If he were to live again, would he live in this manner? Would this be his language? Would such speech drop from his lips?”
- He is our pattern not only in avoiding sins but also in all moral duties. Did Christ frequently pray with his disciples and alone? And shall I never pray in my family or in my closet? Did Christ know so much of the Bible, and yet I continue to live in ignorance? Did Christ love his enemies, and shall I hate my brothers? He is the original pattern for all duties. Start measuring your life by the holiness of Christ!
If we had these thoughts every day, in our morning and evening prayers, if we would look unto Jesus and keep Christ continually before our eyes, the Holy Spirit will transform us into becoming more like Christ.
Do not be discouraged; just understand that our conformity must be gradual. “We all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” That is, from grace to grace, or step by step.
This is to follow Christ’s steps. This is a gospel command. Let me charge, in God’s name, with this gospel duty and responsibility all those who partake in communion: to become more like Christ. He descended from heaven to earth for your sake. We have to rise from earthly things to follow him, to “seek after the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” Just as he said to Peter, Andrew, James, and John, he says to you and me, “Come, follow me.” Let us follow him.
Let us look fixedly at the life of Jesus Christ. Let us keep our spiritual eyes on the pattern until we feel ourselves becoming more like him. Let us set the copy of Christ’s life in our view and look upon it with the eye of reason and the eye of faith. But how should we keep the eye of our faith on this blessed object until we feel this conformity in us? I answer:
- Let us set apart some time on purpose. When the day begins to close, if together with our closet prayer we would fall on this duty of looking unto Jesus by lively faith, what a blessed season this might be!
- Let us remove hindrances. Satan labors to hinder the soul from beholding Christ with the dust of the world. The god of this world blinds the eyes of men. Oh, take heed of fixing our eyes on this world! Our own corruptions are also great hindrances to this view of Christ. Away with all carnal passions and sinful desires; unless the soul is spiritual, it can never behold spiritual things.
- Let us fix our eyes only on this blessed object. A moving eye sees nothing clearly. When the angels are said to look into these things, the word signifies that they look into them narrowly, as they who, bowing or stooping down, look into a thing. So should we look narrowly into the life of Christ. Our eye of faith should be set upon it in a steady manner, as if we forgot all the things behind and had no other business in the world.
- Let us look on Christ with a craving eye, with a humble expectation to receive a supply of grace. Lord, you are not only anointed with the oil of gladness above your fellows, but for your fellows. I am earthly-minded, but you are heavenly. I am full of lusts, but the image of God is perfect in you. You are the fountain of all grace, a head of all influence, as well as of eminence. You are not only above me, but you have all grace for me. Oh, give me some portion of your meekness, lowliness, heavenly-mindedness, and of all the other graces of your Spirit. Surely you are a heaven of grace, full of bright shining stars. Oh, that of that fullness you would give me to receive grace for grace.
- Be assured that our prayer (if it is in faith) is even now heard. Never has anyone who came to Christ with strong expectations to receive grace, or any benefit prayed for, been turned away empty. Besides, Christ has engaged himself by promise to make us like himself. “As he which hath called us is holy, so should” (yes, and so shall) “we be holy in all manner of conversation.” Oh, let us build on his gracious promise. Heaven and earth shall pass away before one tittle of his word shall fail. Only understand that our conformity must be gradual. “We all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being changed into the same image from one degree of glory to another,” that is, from grace to grace; or from glory that begins in obedience, to glory that is complete in heaven.
- If, notwithstanding all this, we do not feel this conformity in us, at least in such a degree, let us act over the same particulars again. The gifts of grace are therefore communicated by degrees, so that we might be taken off from living on a received stock of grace and so that we might still be running to the spring. We have continual need of Christ’s letting grace into our hearts, and therefore we must wait at the well-head, Christ. We must look on Christ as appointed on purpose by his Father to be the beginner and finisher of our holiness, and we must believe that he will never leave that work imperfect whereunto he is ordained of the Father. Oh then, do not be weary of this work until he accomplishes the desires of your soul.
I have now finished with this subject; only, before I finish, one word more. I do not deny other helps, but among them all, if I would make a choice to call upon that I may become more and more holy, I would set before me this glass: Christ’s holy life, the great exemplar of holiness. And this image we lost through our sin, and to this image we should endeavor to be restored by imitation. And how should this be done but by looking on Christ as our pattern? In this respect, I charge you, O my soul (for to what purpose should I charge others, if I begin not at home?), that you make a conscience of this evangelical duty. Oh, be much in the exercise of it! Not only in the day, but when night comes and you lie down on your bed, let your pillow be as Christ’s bosom, in which John the beloved disciple was said to lean. There lean you with John. Thus may you lie down in peace, and the Lord only will make you to dwell in safety. And when day returns again, have this in mind, yes, in all your thoughts, words, and deeds—even look unto Jesus as your holy exemplar. Say to yourself, “If Christ my Savior were now on earth, would these be his thoughts, words, and deeds? Would he be thus disposed as I now feel myself? Would he speak these words that I am now uttering? Would he do this that I am now putting my hand to?” Oh, let me not yield myself to any thought, word, or action which Jesus would be ashamed to own. Yes, if it were possible, going and standing, sitting and lying, eating and drinking, speaking and holding your peace, by yourself or in company, cast an eye upon Jesus. By this means you cannot help but love him more, and joy in him more, and trust in him more, and be more and more familiar with him, and draw more and more grace, virtue, and sweetness from him. Oh, let this be your wisdom, to think much of Christ so as to provoke you to imitation. Then you shall learn to despise the world, to do good to all, to injure no man, to suffer wrong patiently, yes, to pray for those that spitefully use and persecute you. Then you shall learn to “bear about in your body the dying of our Lord Jesus Christ, that the life of Jesus may be made manifest in your body.”
This is to follow Christ’s steps. He descended from heaven to earth for your sake. Do you trample on earthly things, “seek after the kingdom of God and his righteousness,” for your own sake. Though the world is sweet, yet Christ is sweeter. Though the world proves bitter, yet Christ sustained the bitterness of it for you. And now he speaks to you, as he did to Peter, Andrew, James, and John, “Come, follow me.” Oh, do not faint in the way, lest you lose your place in your country, that kingdom of glory.
Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Bangalore 