Month: March 2014

The Twelve Apostles – Part 3

Judas Iscariot

Judas will be forever remembered as a traitor, and the betrayer of the Lord Jesus. “Judas, which betrayed Him” (Matthew 26:25). He was also the treasurer for the disciples as indicated by the statement, “Judas had the bag” (John 13:25). He is called “the son of perdition” (John 17:13).

It is serious to think that Judas walked with the Lord and the other eleven apostles for over three years, and it never changed his heart. He heard the same words, saw the same miracles, was treated with the same love, but remained a hardened sinner to the end of his days, and left himself open as a candidate for Satan to enter into him and use him as the instrument to carry out the awful deed of betrayal. Afterwards he hung himself because of remorse but there was certainly no repentance. “Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place” (Acts 1:25). In other words, he went to a lost eternity! After his death he was replaced by Matthias as mentioned in Acts 1:26.

The life of Judas Iscariot is a warning to anyone who would pass as a follower of Christ and not be real, but simply a pretender or professor. The truth will come out in the end.

 

What’s in a Kiss?

“Orpah kissed…but Ruth clave” (Ruth 1:14).

How Naomi’s heart must have rejoiced as “Ruth clave unto her.” Orpah kissed and departed. Judas kissed and betrayed his master. We need to distinguish between kissing and cleaving. It is possible to give great outward demonstration of affection, yet there may be no depth in it.

The cleaving love of Ruth accompanied by her passionate words of love and loyalty meant so much more than the demonstrative kiss of Orpah who returned to her own people and gods.

Kissing may be lip service and no more, a token acknowledgement without heart affection. May it not be so between Christ and us.

May we rather pray:

“Keep us Lord, oh keep us cleaving

To Thyself and still believing.

In this way our love will be revealed and revived.

 

Amazing Love

“He loved them unto the end” (John 13:1).

What a staggering thought it is that He who knows us best loves us most. The more we know of some people the less we like them, and the less likely we are to love them, apart from the grace of God enabling us.

When we think of the love of Jesus we must think of a love which is never false, never changing, but stedfast and true.

“Ere He called me well He knew

What a heart like mine would do.”

That He should love us who are so unlovely must, and should, ever amaze us.

His wounded hands, feet and side provide unchallengeable proof of a love which surpasses our understanding but, thank God, does not pass our knowing.

Paul knew this, for he wrote, “The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Can you say this?

 

Dear Young Christian:

By this time of year we in Eastern Canada are looking for any signs of spring and warmer weather that might be starting to appear. The melting of snow, warmer days with some sunshine…anything! There can still be plenty of winter left, but we are looking beyond that to the hope of better things.

I sometimes wonder if we are looking for the Lord’s coming in that same way? Spring is bound to come and we count on it just around the corner, but there is another event that is more certain than the coming of another season, and that is the rapture. “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast” (Hebrews 6:19).

Just as we look for signs of spring and warmer weather in many parts of the world this time of year, so we should be looking for the Lord to come all year round. “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). Will you be looking for the Lord to come as you go about this week?

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

We would love to hear from you. Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Our Sins

“The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).

The work of the cross was God’s work. He chose to lay on Jesus our iniquity. And then He punished Him for it as if it were His own. That is really the meaning of the words of the Lord prophetically, when He says, “O God, thou knowest My foolishness; and My sins are not hid from Thee” (Psalm 69:5). The Lord had no sins of His own personally…FAR BE THE THOUGHT! He was “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners” (Hebrews 7:26). This was the punishment that we deserved but Jesus took it for us.

As we remember the Lord Jesus again today, let’s think about the tremendous cost of our salvation. It cost Jesus His life. It cost God the giving up of His Son.

“Christ also suffered for us…who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth…who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree…by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:21-22,24).

 

One Way

“Jesus saith…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).

Eighty men fighting a forest fire were trapped without knowing it. An unknown airplane pilot, seeing their plight, risked his life by flying low enough to drop weighted paper notes. Three times he did this, and the notes told the men that they were trapped, that the pilot could see the only way out, and that he would guide them to safety. The men believed his words and obeyed him instantly. They ran through a narrow, flame-lined corridor and all reached the highway safely.

The men did not stop to argue about the notes that came from above, to see whether they were genuine. Neither did they take any chances by trying to find some other way out. They believed the only one who could view the whole situation, and ran for their lives — and were saved.

God, who alone can view the whole situation of this troubled world, sent His Son to save us, and calls us to believe His Word, the Bible. How futile to try to find other ways out!

 

Persecution

“All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).

Many years ago the Evangelist George Whitefield made the following remarks:

“Persecution is necessary for the godly. If we have not all manner of evil spoken against us, how can we know whether we seek only that honor which comes from above? If we have no persecutors, how can many Christian precepts be put into practice? How can we love, pray for, and do good to those who despitefully use us? How can we overcome evil with good? In short, how can we know we love God better than life itself?”

George Whitefield lived and served the Lord in the 1700’s. He helped to bring the gospel to North America, and was used of the Lord to preach to thousands of souls. Read about his life and you will find that when he talks about suffering for Christ and persecution, he was talking from experience.

 

Promises

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4).

We don’t just have “great…promises,” we have “exceeding great…promises.”

Not only are they “exceeding great…” they are “exceeding great and precious…”

The Word of God is full of these wonderful promises. Furthermore, these promises will never fail. “There hath not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised” (1 Kings 8:56).

Don’t forget, “All the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

The result of appreciating these promises will have a practical effect on our life. “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1).