Solus Christus – Part Two – one of the Five Solas of the Reformed Faith -

Part Two

32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. (John 6:32-33)

47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. 48 I am that bread of life. 49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 

51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any maneat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 

(John 6:47-51)

           Bread of Heaven and Bread of Life! That sums up the gift of Christ in salvation to us; and not only salvation, but a joyful and victory-filled life in Him as we consume, and digest, that Bread of Heaven. The wilderness church subsisted on Manna from Heaven, too, but it was a bodily sustenance that Manna provided. It was their diet ALONE just as Christ is our Bread ALONE! 

    When there was no other source of food in the Wilderness, God sent them Manna from Heaven that typified that better Manna that was to come. For the Lord’s elect, there is no other spiritual nourishment than that of our Lord Jesus Christ that can grant life eternal.

He ALONE can save. He ALONE died for the remission of our sins.

 THE SEEKING SON

"What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."

Luke 15:4-7

    This parable is set forth in the Shepherd who leaves the ninety and nine and goes after that which was lost—

"Out in the desert He heard its cry-

Sick, and helpless, and ready to die."

    Pity touched His heart, and His un-wearying love took Him " over rocks, and waste, and wild," until He gladly laid hold upon the strag-gler, and lifted it upon His shoulders.

    The home scene is beauti-ful. Friends and neighbours throng in and rejoice together.

    A glimpse is given into heaven itself, but what over, think you, "one sinner that repenteth." This forms the third strand of the blue cord upon which the golden beads of repenance are strung. It does seem wonderful that the silly sheep who was carried back, and the coin that could never come back, but was lifted up by the eager seeker, should be called repentance; but then they each arrived back at the broper place whence they were lost; so also the younger son, but in him are seen the true emotions resulting from turning to the father.

    "Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die?" Like the lost son, return unto the Heart of Love and the Home of Plenty.

1. O turn ye, O turn ye, for why will ye die?

When God, in great mercy, is coming so nigh?

  Now Jesus invites you, 

the Spirit says Come,

                    And angels are waiting to welcome you home.

           

Wash me and I shall be Whiter than Snow - 8 August 2014, Anno Domini

 

Wash me and I shall be Whiter than Snow - 8 August 2014, Anno Domini

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (Psalms 51:7)

            Job asks some intriguing questions among which are these: “Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war? By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?” (Job 38:22-24) God loves to relate His mysteries to us through the medium of His natural Creation. The phenomenon that I wish to emphasize in this devotion is the Treasures of the Snow, that is, the nature of snow, its formation, and how God relates it to our salvation in Christ; but first, let us examine the nature of hyssop.

            God has told us in the 7^th verse of the 51st Psalm the process by which we are made to appear clean and righteous before God. It is a double featured process. He cleanses our inward soul first, and then our outward being. Though hyssop is sometimes used to denote an outward application of cleansing (as in Leviticus 14:1-7 & Numbers 19:1-19), the Psalmist has another cleansing in mind for this particular verse of Psalm 51. David is concerned with the cleansing of the unseen filth which lies hidden in the heart of man – even in his own heart.  Just as the in the purification of the leper and offering of the red heifer as mentioned in Leviticus and Numbers, the hyssop was dipped in blood and water to apply.  The application of the blood and water is figurative to the washing away of sin from the heart. “….the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) The Blood and Water of old represent the cleansing Blood of Christ in His sacrifice for us and the efficacy of His Word. The Water represents the WORD. “….he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.” (Eph 5:26)  You will note that this cleansing is of an inward nature, and not of the outward form. That is the purpose of the plant herb, hyssop. It is a purgative that cleanses the intestinal tract of unhealthful waste products (which sin is.)

            So, God cleanses our inward being before we appear clean without in our outward appearance.  If we are cleansed inwardly, our outward appearance and conduct will reflect that sanctified inward nature…. “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean!”

            Now we come to the outward cleansing that results in our being whiter than snow. Perhaps you may wonder, “How can anything be whiter than snow since snow is one of the whitest compounds known to man?” The answer to that question lies in the manner in which snow is formed. First of all, it is formed high in the heavens – in the upper atmosphere. Our salvation also begins in the highest of heavens. Water vapors begin to condense around some particle of dust, smoke, or sand. A solid substance is necessary for that condensation to take place just as dew forms on blades of grass or leaves. As the water droplets formed from that condensation rise to high altitudes in the atmosphere, they are cooled to the point of forming ice crystals. The secret of every snowflake is that, at the center of each, is a tiny particle of impurity around which that snowflake formed. Regardless of our outward appearance of righteousness, there remains in the heart of man some impurity at his core. But when we are purged first by the blood of Christ, that inward impurity is neutralized by His imputed righteousness and imputed purity. We are clean both inside and outside.

            The spiritual properties of snow are scattered throughout God’s Word. The connotation is always of cleanliness and holiness. There are four major areas in which SNOW represents the divine and spiritual:  

I.               GOD’S POWER:


                  “God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.  For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth.” (Job 37:5-6)
 

II.              THE WORD OF GOD:


 “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11)
 

III.           HOLINESS AND PURITY:
 
“His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow.” (Matt 28:3) “His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire.” (Rev 1:14)
 

IV.          THE SOUL CLEANSED:
“….me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” (Psalms 51:7b) & “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

We are incapable of both purging and washing ourselves. We cannot command the snows, and we cannot cause hyssop to grow without the natural resources that God has provided. So we are also totally dependent upon the Blood (inward purge) of Jesus and the outward sanctification (washing of water – or snow) to make us clean before God. Our outward actions will be determined by our inward values that derive from the Holy Ghost indwelling the deep chambers of our hearts.


            Being dead in trespasses and sin, it is just as impossible for us to revive from that sleep of spiritual death as it is impossible for a dead man to return to life in the body. (Eph 2) Our souls need to be separated from the mud and grime of the world, wafted on high by the winds of God, and cleansed by the crystallized formation of the snows of heaven. The blood of Christ cleanseth from all sins!


Is there snow in your forecast?


    WHITER THAN SNOW

    There is something whiter than snow, and if you do not know, I pray that you will yet find it out for your own self. White is an emblem of holiness, and is used so all through the Bible.

    When Christ was transfigured upon the Holy Mount His raiment is described as being "white as the light," "white and glistening,"  "shining exceeding white as snow." 

    The countless multitudes of white-rohed saints are said to have been "washed, made white in the blood ot the Lamb." Remember, God says, "naught that defileth" shall enter into the Holy City. So if you would be there it is only by trusting in Jesus and His precious blood that you can be made fit to " dwell with God's beloved through God's eternal day." His invitation is

 "Come unto ME all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Mat. 11:
28).

His promise is, 

"Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out " (JOHN. 6:37).

To come to know Him NOW, and pray from the heart the "snow prayer' of Psalm 51. 7, which says

"WASH ME AND I SHALL BE WHITER THAN SNOW."

 THE FAMILY ALTAR

August 9.

"Cause me to hear Thy loving-kindness in the morning; for in

Thee do I trust; cause me to know the way wherein I should

walk ; for I lift up my soul unto Thee." Ps. 143:8.

"It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to

sing praises nnto Thy name, 0 Most High; to show forth Thy

loving-kindness in the morning and Thy faithfulness at night."

Let us greet each new-born day with glad strains of thanksgiving

to our ever kind and merciful God. Under the shadow of His

guarding wing have we slept securely during the night. His

loving-kindness protected us from all betiding harm and danger.

In the light of His loving-kindness would we begin and end

this day. His loving-kindness and tender mercy has made us

His own in Christ Jesus, our blessed Savior. Trusting in His

faithful kindness and mercy, we can every morning joyously go

forth to our accustomed tasks, knowing that He is with us to

guard and direct our way that no evil befall us. 0 blessed,

0 perfect day we spend thus in the communion of our kind and

loving God ! What greater joy could we wish for than to know

that He is with us; that we have found forgiveness for all our

sins with Him; that all the rich bounties of His grace are opened

to us and we shall not want for any good thing? In His precious

Word He causes us to know this His great loving-kindness, assuring

us of His unfailing grace and mercy. In His Word He makes

known unto us the ways in which we should walk before Him.

Or how? Should we willingly trespass His holy Law because we

know what a kind and loving Father He is to us? "Shall we

continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid!" (Eom.

6, 1.) A Christian heart that has tasted God's loving-kindness

longs for nothing more fervently than to walk in God's holy ways

and to praise Him in body and soul who has taken such marvelous

saving compassion on him, the dying sinner, and blesses and pro-

tects him so mercifully every day.

Lord of my life! O may Thy praise

Employ my noblest powers,

Whose goodness lengthens out my days,

And fills the circling hours.

Smile on my minutes as they roll,

And guide my future days;

And let Thy goodness fill my soul

With gratitude and praise.