That we may know CHRIST JESUS

"That I may know Him." —Philippians 3:10 [KJV]

"There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four... the fire which saith not, It is enough."—Proverbs 30:15, 16 [KJV]

So true is this, of the fire of love when kindled in believing hearts. It burns with insatiable desire towards Jesus. Amazing! Had Paul so long known, loved, and preached a crucified, risen Jesus, and yet now desires to know Him! Yes. Such is the nature of faith, that like riches to a miser, the more they increase, the more the desires of his heart increase after them. His wants are greater than his possessions. So the living members of precious Jesus see such inexhaustible treasures in Him their living Head, and such numerous wants in themselves, that their hearts are ever crying after, looking to, and longing for more of His presence, blessings and comforts in knowledge and experience. 

And, like a chaste virgin espoused to an affectionate lover, her desires will never be completely satisfied till he is brought into the nearest relation and closest embraces, when she takes up her abode, and enjoys the presence of the object of her love. Lovers of Jesus can never be satisfied with any other but Him, nor will they be fully satisfied nor perfectly happy, till they are for ever present with their ever-loving Lord. But the knowledge of Him, even now, creates a paradise of peace, a heaven of love and holiness in the soul. Hence there is a godly jealousy in espoused souls, lest other objects should steal upon their affections. 

If at any time their eyes have been turned from their Lord, there is a holy shame; they blush at their folly, and cry, O that I may know Him who rests for ever alike in His constant love to me a poor sinner. In this consists the life and joy of the heart, to know that Jesus hath made peace for us by the blood of His cross; that He hath wrought out a robe of righteousness by the obedience of His life to adorn us; that He ever lives to pray for us. Yea daily, constantly to know Him, as dwelling in my heart by faith, ever present with me to the joy of my mind, and to the peace of my conscience. 

And truly, beloved, if thou art not thus kept knowing Jesus, looking to Jesus, feeding upon Him continually in thy heart by faith, thou wilt know and feel other things, which will creep in and sadly distress thy mind. The voice of the law will be heard in thy conscience, backed by Satan's injections, and thou wilt find anguish of spirit and bitterness of soul. But by sweetly abiding in the knowledge of Jesus, by faith, thou shalt manfully stand thy ground, and courageously conquer and triumph. "So shall grace and peace be multiplied through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." —II Peter 1:2.

-preacher William Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

JESUS - Rock of Ages

Jesus remains the same in all ages. He is the One who is constant when everything and everyone else fails. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever; the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is our R ock [I SAMUEL 2:2 ] . In the Old Testament, in Exodus 33, Jesus is pictured as the Cleft Rock. In that chapter, verse 18 and following, Moses desired to see the glory of the Lord, but was told, "You cannot see My face; for there shall no man see My face and live.” And the Lord said, “There is a place by Me, and you shalt stand upon a rock: and it shall come to pass, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by." Notice that as Moses stood upon the rock, the Lord hid him in the cleft. This wonderfully applies to us today! Believers are both standing on and hidden in Christ [COLOSSIANS 3:3 ] . We are both in and on the Rock. As life with its many bitter events presses upon us, ...
Read more

CHRIST OUR ONLY AND PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS

" The flesh lusteth against the Spirit." —Galatians 5:17 [KJV] Christian experience fully proves this apostolic truth. Hence the children of God cannot do the things that they would: nor have we any authority from God's word to conclude this lusting ever ceased in any of the saints till they got to glory; none are delivered from it while in the flesh. For, as the renewed soul or spirit loves to enjoy spiritual and heavenly objects, so the flesh, or unrenewed part, lusts after those objects it is naturally conversant with, and from which it derives its happiness.  Here is thy conflict, O Christian. Hence the necessity of thy Lord's command, "Watch always." This is the use of the doctrine. What woeful effects have fulfilling the lusts or desires of the flesh produced in eminent saints! Thou standest by faith, be not high-minded, but fear. The conceptions of lust are the productions of sin.— see James 1:15 . The commission of sin contracts fresh s...
Read more

GLORY ALONE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

" Lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me." -Judges 7:2 [KJV] Thus the Lord reasoned with Gideon. He knows what is in man. He sees the pride of the human heart: how prone we all are to boast in an arm of flesh. The Lord is jealous of His own glory. Gideon’s army of two and thirty thousand, is brought down to three hundred. By this handful of men, and no more, did Gideon gain the victory of the Midianites. The Lord’s wisdom in this was, “Lest Israel should vaunt themselves, and say, Mine own hand hath saved me.”   But I have not transcribed the text right. There are two little words of great import, which I have omitted. Mind then, O Christian— against Me. Now remember, whenever thou dost boast of thy power, thy free-will, thy human goodness, thy works, ditties, conditions, and performances in order to be saved, thou art then, as it were, two and thirty thousand strong. Thou vauntest thyself against the Lord . Thou art gloryi...
Read more