To be another than I am, I must abandon that which I am.
~Saint John Chrysostom (c. 347-407)
…I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
~ from Ephesians 3
Oh beloved, it is true, we are all going through the process of being made like Him.
But in the process, we often forget what the process is all about. We know that the the behavior and attitudes and actions and stances of a believer set apart for His purposes are going to change for the better and for His glory. However, this is exactly the problem.
In fact, we totally miss the point sometimes. Rather, sanctification – this being made like Jesus – is antithetical to what we often think it is. Said simply, we seem to run under the mantra of: “What would Jesus do?” And while this question is honorable, and even useful in a pinch, it is out on the outer edge of the situation (nearly out of the ballpark altogether).
May this fool of a writer preach for a moment? Ask these two questions instead: “Who is Jesus, and what is He like?” And… “who does Jesus say that i am?” If we, beloved, dig into His Word and listen to His Spirit on these two issues we come to an astounding set of truths that comprise the exceedingly good new of the Gospel.
For the subject of Who Is Jesus… There is an expert on the subject to whom i will defer…. Dr. Shadrach Meshach Lockridge (S.M. Lockridge)- (March 7, 1913 — April 4, 2000)
Dr. S.M. Lockridge – “That’s My King”
The Bible says my King is a seven way King,
He’s the King of the Jews, that’s a racial King,
He’s the King of Israel, That’s a national King,
He’s the King of righteousness,
He’s the King of the ages,
He’s the King of Heaven.
He’s the King of glory.
He’s the King of Kings and He’s the Lord of Lords.
That’s my King. Well, I I wonder do you know Him?
David said the Heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament showeth His handiwork.
My King is a sovereign King.
No means of measure can define His limitless love.
No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility
the coastline of His shoreless supplies.
No barriers can hinder Him from pouring out His blessings.
He’s enduringly strong.
He’s entirely sincere.
He’s eternally steadfast.
He’s immortally graceful.
He’s imperially powerful.
He’s impartially merciful.
Do you know Him?
He’s the greatest phenomenon that has ever
crossed the horizon of this world.
He’s God’s Son.
He’s a sinner’s Savior.
He’s the centerpiece of civilization.
He stands in the solitude of Himself.
He’s august and He’s unique.
He’s unparalleled.
He’s unprecedented.
He is the loftiest idea in literature.
He’s the highest personality in philosophy.
He’s is the supreme problem in higher criticism.
He’s the fundamental doctrine of true theology.
He is the cardinal necessity for spiritual religion.
He’s the miracle of the age.
He’s He yes He is He is the superlative of
everything good that you choose to call Him.
He’s the only one qualified to be an all-sufficient Savior.
I wonder if you know Him today?
He supplies strength for the weak.
He’s available for the tempted and the tried.
He sympathizes and He saves.
He strengthens and sustains.
He’s guards and He guides.
He heals the sick.
He cleansed the lepers.
He forgives sinners.
He discharges debtors.
He delivers the captives.
He defends the feeble.
He blesses the young.
He serves the unfortunate.
He regards the aged.
He rewards the diligent and He beautifies the meager.
I wonder if you know Him?
Well, My King He’s is a key,
He’s the key to knowledge.
He’s the wellspring of wisdom.
He’s the doorway of deliverance.
He’s the pathway of peace.
He’s the roadway of righteousness.
He’s the highway of holiness.
He’s the gateway of glory.
Do you know Him?
Well, His office is manifold.
His promise is sure.
His life is matchless.
His goodness is limitless.
His mercy is everlasting.
His love never changes.
His Word is enough.
His grace is sufficient.
His reign is righteous.
And His yoke is easy.
And His burden is light.
I wish I could describe Him to you but..He’s inde…
Yeah, yeah, yeaaaah. He’s indescribable. Yes He is,
Good God. He He’s indescribable. Yes. He’s indescribable,
He’s incomprehensible,
He’s invincible.
He’s irresistable.
Well, you can’t get him out of your mind.
You can’t you can’t get Him off of your hand.
You can’t outlive him.
And You can’t live without Him.
Well, the Pharisees couldn’t stand Him,
but they found out they couldn’t stop Him.
Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him.
The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree.
Herod couldn’t kill Him.
Death couldn’t handle Him and the grave couldn’t hold Him.
Yeah, That’s my king. That’s my King, Yes.
And Thine is the kingdom and the power and the
glory, forever, and ever, and ever and ever.
How long is that?
And ever, and ever, and when you get through
with all of the forevers, then Amen.
Good God Almighty, Amen. Amen!
And beloved, regarding the question of Who Does Jesus Say i am? Jesus has said that He is making us like Him. And He has said that we will do greater things than He did in His earthly ministry. This is the very Word of G_d on the matter. What if – WHAT IF – we simply began to believe just a few things implied in this truth?
What if we simply believe this is true?
What if we quit trying to come up with some pathway of good obedience and began to run along the super-highway of the goodness He has already laid out ahead of us?
What if we came to the utter end of believing any of our own garbage, and simply began to believe that His Power at work within us is incomprehensibly more infinitely powerful – AND IS RIGHT NOW – at work within us?
Yes dear friends, we already know the answer. But are we ready for the Life this implies?
Let Him beloved. Tonight is the night.
When in his mercy God leads a soul in the higher path of sanctification, he begins by stripping it of all self-confidence, and to this end he allows our own schemes to fail, our judgment to mislead us. We grope and totter and make countless mistakes until we learn wholly to mistrust ourselves and to put all our confidence in him.
~Jean Nicolas Grou (1731-1803)
