12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14  so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15  “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16  the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”
17  From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matt 4:12-23 (ESV)

Reading through the above passage of Scripture, just as with the testimony of all the Gospel accounts, it becomes obvious that the whole of Scripture focusses fully and squarely on Christ Jesus the Messiah. All of the prophets of the Old Testament testified to Him, and to all that He would do. The tangible things of old, such as the Old Testament sacrifices, ceremonies and feasts, pointed forward to Him. The protection of God’s people in Goshen, and the calling out from the slavery of Eygypt, prophetically proclaim the work of the Messiah in the plan of God. In fact, I can think of no part of the Old Testament Scriptures that fail to point forwards to Christ and His Gospel.

Then on into the New Testament, and the eye witness accounts of the disciples, as with the passage above. All clearly tie the Jesus they followed, to the Saviour, the Messiah prophesied of old. From His birth place, to the pathways He travelled with His disciples, as in the passage above, to the words He spoke, to the miracles He performed; all testified that He was, is, and always will be the Anointed One of God, sent by the Father into the word to save sinners.

Whereas today we know with hindsight that the Christ would be crucified, and the Gospel would be sent forth to every nation by the power of the promised Holy Spirit, it must be said even today there remains a striking similarity when the Saviour calls. Though Christians can make a good case for the Gospel message being true, and if read sincerely, the Old Testament prophecies testify to Christ as Saviour in a strikingly accurate way. And though the love of the saints for one another, and even for their enemies, can speak loudly to a selfish and dying world; it has to be said that none of these things can truly convince anyone to follow Christ on their own. As with the call of the Saviour to the disciples in the account above, in itself it simply defies logic. There they were, going about their daily business, and when Jesus Christ gave the call to follow Him, “ Immediately they left their nets and followed him.”

This is in no way intended to diminish the need for the Gospel to be preached, for the Bible itself says “it is the power of God unto salvation, for everyone who believes.” [Rom 1:16] The Gospel is the means given to us by God Himself, that it may be proclaimed to every creature, and all who believe and call upon His name will be saved. Yet the truth is, if we were to proclaim the Gospel to every creature upon earth, by and of itself our greatest efforts would save not one soul, no matter how accurately or passionately we preached the message. But what saves, is the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit working upon the heart of those He has chosen, that saving faith comes alive within them, and they suddenly believe what was previously a foolish message, to be the truth they are willing to stake their lives upon.

Know this without any doubt. You may have heard the Gospel message a thousand times over and considered it foolishness. You may have read the Bible from cover to cover and back again, but it has made no sense to you at all. You may have prayed in the mighty name of Jesus, and experienced nothing more than if you were simply talking to the wall. But should one day the Saviour Himself call you to follow Him, without doubt you will believe He is who the Gospel message declares Him to be. You will believe that the Scriptures proclaim Him to be none other than God Himself, lowered even into the flesh of man, and humiliated, punished, abused and crucified for your sins. And you will be broken in two as this truth is revealed to you.

Even now if you hear that call, hear the command of Christ Himself to “repent and believe the Gospel!” He is not a weak and sickly being desperate for followers, He is the Lord of the whole universe, and upon His return, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that He is Lord. He is not meekly “knocking on the door of your heart” and patiently waiting for your response, as some suggest. Rather He has broken down the very doors of death and hell itself, and right now holds back the furious vengeance and wrath of the Father, until all who are His are rescued. If you hear His voice calling, then you are COMMANDED to follow Him, or perish eternally.

But the good news doesn’t end there by any means. Not only does the blood of Christ wash away the sins of the perishing, that they may stand before God as innocent as lambs in springtime. But because of His great mercy, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” [2 Cor 5:21] In other words, the reward for perfect obedience obtained only by the perfect life of Jesus Christ, has freely been given to those who believe upon Him as Saviour. Those who believe are now considered both perfectly innocent before Holy God Almighty, and perfectly obedient even unto death.

One last thing is concerning our life upon earth until we are taken into glory. Just as it has been stated already that the innocence of Christ has been imputed to us, along with His perfect righteousness. It is by His promise, and by His Holy Spirit that we are sustained in our walk on earth. We don’t have to worry ourselves about wrecking all that He has done for us, but surrender ourselves in faith to His sovereignty over our lives. He is our Lord and King, and we are His bondservants, and our lives are no longer our own. Just as it was in the call given to the disciples, accompanied with the promise ““Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” So it is now that way with us, as we rely upon His Spirit to sustain us, empower us, and lead us into the “good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” [Eph 2:10] It is He who chooses, He who calls, He who sustains, He who empowers, and He who “makes us” into that which He desires us to be.

If you hear His call today, and all you want to do is drop your nets and run to Him, then don’t harden your heart to His call. You have just been called by the One whom “all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” [Col 1:16] So put your trust in Him wholeheartedly, for if He is for you, who could possibly be against you?

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Moses says that God “created the world”; Gen. 1:1 and John says that “all things were created by the Word,” John 1:3 which he calls God. The apostle says that “God made the world by his Son.” Heb. 1:2 He also says that “God created all things by Jesus Christ.” Col. 1:16 And so it must follow that he who is called God, the Word, the Son, and Jesus Christ already existed when all things were created by him.

Therefore the prophet Micah says that his origin is “from ancient times, from eternity.” Mic. 5:2 And the apostle says that he has “neither beginning of days nor end of life.” Heb. 7:3

So then, he is the true eternal God, the Almighty, whom we invoke, worship, and serve.” Belgic Confession – Article 10

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1. In Wonder

The titles of the messages are:-

The Lordship of Christ The Nature of Saving Faith The Call to Repentance The Cost of Discipleship

By way of an introduction the first message focuses on the Lordship of Christ and whether it is necessary to recognise and submit to Christ’s lordship in order to be saved. Topics covered in this sermon include easy believism, carnal christians, liberalism, the doctrine of hell, evangelism and the evangelism of Jesus.

A quote from today’s sermon:-

Nowhere in Scripture does it ever say a Christian is to make Christ Lord.  If you’re a Christian, He is Lord.  And it does say, very explicitly in Scripture, that unless you acknowledge that fact that He is Lord, you could never be saved in the first place.

Click below to listen to this sermon

The Lordship of Christ

Click below to read this sermon

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1. The Gospel According To Jesus (Pt. 2 of 4)
2. The Gospel According To Jesus (Pt.4 of 4)
3. The Gospel According To Jesus (Pt. 3 of 4)
4. Hard To Believe (Pt. 1 of 5)
5. Hard To Believe (Pt.4 of 5)

Has the Gospel of Jesus made your temper milder, your heart purer, your life holier?

Has it softened your churlishness, subdued your moroseness, sweetened your disposition, rendering you more attractable, admired, and loved?

Has it converted your penuriousness into liberality, your pride into humility, your selfishness into generosity, your love of ease and sloth into active service for the Lord?

O remember that the Gospel of Jesus has done but little for us if it has not done this!

Octavius Winslow 1808-1878, “The Desire to See Jesus”

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1. Are we Christians? Or are we worldlings?

As a Christian you know who you need? Jesus Christ, you know what else you need, Nothing! He is all in all, isn’t He? Christ plus nothing. You don’t need special visions. You don’t need conversations with angels. You don’t need some kind of self-imposed piosity. You don’t need to keep a bunch of rules. You just hold fast to the head, from whom all the body by its joints and ligaments is nourished and knit together and increases with the increase of God. You just hold to the one who holds the whole church together.

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1. Assurance of salvation comes from God alone

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Sinclair Ferguson

Preaching Jesus from the Old Testament

Jesus is the true and better Adam who passed the test in the garden and whose obedience is imputed to us.

Jesus is the true and better Abel who, though innocently slain, has blood now that cries out, not for our condemnation, but for acquittal.

Jesus is the true and better Abraham who answered the call of God to leave all the comfortable and familiar and go out into the void not knowing wither he went to create a new people of God.

Jesus is the true and better Isaac who was not just offered up by his father on the mount but was truly sacrificed for us. And when God said to Abraham, “Now I know you love me because you did not withhold your son, your only son whom you love from me,” now we can look at God taking his son up the mountain and sacrificing him and say, “Now we know that you love us because you did not withhold your son, your only son, whom you love from us.”

Jesus is the true and better Jacob who wrestled and took the blow of justice we deserved, so we, like Jacob, only receive the wounds of grace to wake us up and discipline us.

Jesus is the true and better Joseph who, at the right hand of the king, forgives those who betrayed and sold him and uses his new power to save them.

Jesus is the true and better Moses who stands in the gap between the people and the Lord and who mediates a new covenant.

Jesus is the true and better Rock of Moses who, struck with the rod of God’s justice, now gives us water in the desert.

Jesus is the true and better Job, the truly innocent sufferer, who then intercedes for and saves his stupid friends.

Jesus is the true and better David whose victory becomes his people’s victory, though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves.

Jesus is the true and better Esther who didn’t just risk leaving an earthly palace but lost the ultimate and heavenly one, who didn’t just risk his life, but gave his life to save his people.

Jesus is the true and better Jonah who was cast out into the storm so that we could be brought in.

Jesus is the real Rock of Moses, the real Passover Lamb, innocent, perfect, helpless, slain so the angel of death will pass over us. He’s the true temple, the true prophet, the true priest, the true king, the true sacrifice, the true lamb, the true light, the true bread.

The Bible’s really not about you – it’s about him.

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What condemnation do these words pronounce upon the shallow, meager religion so common among us–making us feel that hardly any description of its professors could be more exaggerated or unreal, than that of being “new creatures.”

Take yon member of the church. He wears the garb and bears the name of Christ. He is a fair average specimen of a large class. He has the profession of being a Christian; yet …

he is fond of the world;
he grasps at its gold;
he loves its fashionable gaiety;
he reads its novels;
he frequents its haunts of amusement;
he enjoys its company;
he relishes its foolish talking and jesting.

Is he “a new creature” in Christ Jesus?

Is it possible that, with . . .

so much worldliness,
so much selfishness,
so much self-indulgence,
so much pleasing of the flesh,

he can have been “born again,” whatever his profession may be?

“A new creature!” Then . . .

old feelings,
old habits,
old tastes,
old hopes,
old joys,
old sorrows,
old haunts,
old companionships

–all are gone! Old things have passed away, all things have become new!

Formerly, I sought the things of this world. So now, by the necessity of my new nature, I seek the things above. Sin has become hateful, holiness supremely attractive.

My vision has been purged, so that now I see everything as with a new eye; the evil, with an eye which loathes it; the holy, with an eye which loves it. I approach everything with . . .

new feelings,
new tastes,
new sympathies,
new antipathies.

I behold everything in a new light, and from a new point of view. Myself, this world, the world to come, God, Christ, and the everlasting joys–all these are to me now, what they have never been before! My whole inner man has changed respecting them. There has been a new creation! What, then, have I to do with sin, with the flesh, with the vanities of so vain a life, as the men of this world are leading?

Oh, the unimaginable blessedness of those on whom this new creation has taken place! Oh, the unutterable, the endless misery of those on whom no change has passed–in whom old things still remain!

Horatius Bonar 1808-1899 (Christ and The New Creation)

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=Chfxr6kK7as

Hebrews 1:1-3
1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

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