Looking at Christ

There's a crucial theme in the New Testament that I don’t think I’ve properly recognised before: Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:37) Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me (John 8:42) If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him (John 14:23 cf. 14:15) Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” (John 21:15 cf. v16, v17) …what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Cor. 2:9) If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. (1 Cor. 16:22) Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible. (Eph. 6:23) Though you have not seen him, you love him (1 Peter 1:8) I hold this against you: you have forsaken the love you had at first (Rev. 2:4) Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow co...

"How are you doing?" Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing . (Acts 15:36) What were they looking to see? What were they checking? As we enter Covid-19 lock down and have that same concern to find out how people are doing, what do we need to be most concerned about? Obviously we'll be concerned for how they're doing physically, financially and emotionally. That's completely right. That's love. But what specifically was the Apostle Paul concerned about? There's a window into his greatest concern in the first letter he sends to the Thessalonian church - a group of young Christians he'd been ripped away from and was desperately worried about.  For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labours might have been in vain. (1 Thess 3:...

Richard Sibbes: "Many men will be glad to own Christ to be great by him, but as Augustine complains in his time, Christ Jesus is not loved for his own sake but for other things that he brings with him, peace, plenty etc. as far as [owning Christ] stands with these contentments. If Christ and the world part once, it will be known which we followed. In times of peace this is hardly discerned." ( Second Sermon on the Song of Songs ) This is basically what the Book of Job is all about. Does Job love God just because of what He has given him or because of who the LORD God is in Himself? "The Satan, for all his malice, is doing something necessary for the glory of God. In some deep way it is necessary for it to be publically seen by the whole universe that God is worthy of the worship of a man and that God’s worth is in no way dependent on God’s gifts." ( Christopher Ash, Job: The Wisdom of the Cross , Crossway ) Jonathan Edwards, after commenting on Job 1:9-10 conclu...