God's Peculiar people are Wondered At

"Hear now, O Joshua, the high-priest, thou, and thy fellows who sit before thee: For they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth My Servant, the BRANCH." -Zechariah 3:8 [KJV]

Say, Christian soldier, did the Captain of thy salvation ever deceive thee? Did He not tell thee, before thou listed under His banner, who were His enemies, and what treatment thou wast to expect from them. His word speaks full and express on this point. Almost every page furnishes accounts, how the men of this world look upon the children of God. Here is Joshua the high-priest, with the prophets and people of God, wondered at. Jehovah Himself takes notice of it, and acquaints them with it. Sweet to observe, there cannot be a disdainful frown, a contemptuous sneer, nor a reproachful word cast upon God’s people, but He notices all. 

But why are we so much wondered at? Why truly, we are a set of visionaries. We see invisible objects; walk by faith; and have our conversation in heaven. But carnal men cannot see any of these things: how then can they wonder at us for this? Here lies the mystery. They see plain enough that you cannot live as they do, and enjoy yourself in their ways, (woe be to that Christian who does) and therefore they wonder what is come to you, and what you would be at. Soul, were you never wondered at? If not, you ought to question whether you have been faithful to your Lord, Who is styled wonderful (Isaiah 9:6.) 

And He says, “Behold I, and the children which the Lord hath given Me, are for signs and wonders in Israel” (Isaiah 8:18.) Better be a wonder of Satan’s children, than a slave to their master. For while the wicked wonder at, and despise us, see the reward God gives us. Here is a blessed promise for us, which infinitely overbalances all. Behold, I will bring forth My Servant, the Branch. Jesus, your Saviour: that Branch of the Lord, Who shall be beautiful and glorious (Isaiah 4:2.) 

That “righteous Branch” (Jeremiah 23:5.) I will bring forth to your view: so display His beauty, glory, and righteousness to the faith of your hearts, that you shall rejoice in Him, with joy that is unspeakable and full of glory. Now Christian, you have two things to wonder at, 

(1st.) The astonishing rich grace of thy God. 

(2d.) At thyself. Art thou not a mere lump of sin, yet a miracle of mercy, and a monument of grace? 

 

Dear Lord, my soul would Thee confess 

Before a wond’ring, throng: 

Thou art my glorious righteousness, 

My love, my joy, my song. 

Lord, while I live and own Thy grace, 

Give me to prove its pow’r; 

Lest I disgrace Thy holy way, 

In an unguarded hour.

 

-preacher Wm. 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