JESUS ALONE
W.S.Chellberg
1 Timothy 6: 17-19; Luke 7: 40-43; John 20: 11-13
The Lord Jesus says in John 10, “I am come that they might have life, and might have it abundantly” (v 10). Paul calls it “really life” in the scripture we read. This is what I would like to speak about.
There is no more miserable person than a believer who is backsliding, and I have a scripture for that. Jonah was a backslider. He was a prophet whose word had come to pass. He had prophesied and what he said came to pass (see 2 Kings 14: 25). Then God told him to go to Nineveh, but he did not want to do that, he had someplace else to go. He headed to Tarshish – I think Tarshish is in principle the world. It is thought to be toward Spain in the Mediterranean. That is where he was headed; Nineveh was to the east, but he was going west!
He became more and more depressed and miserable the longer he was on that ship. God sent a great storm – He was going to have His way with him. Jonah had to confess to the men on the boat. He did not want to, but finally he had to witness, but then he was more miserable than ever. He came to the point where, we could say, he was ready to commit suicide, because he said, “throw me overboard and then it will be well with you”. What a point for a believer to come to! I trust there is no one here today whose Christian life has backslidden so far.
I read about these two women (they may be the same woman). Simon invited Jesus into his house for a meal, but was not at all sympathetic with Jesus; he wondered who this Man was. He did not know who He was, but this woman knew who He was. She slipped in when Simon was not looking. Something had touched her heart about Jesus. Something had transpired with her before she came in there. It says of Mary of Magdala, “from whom seven demons had gone out”, Luke 8: 2. This may be what happened before she went into the house. She brought this ointment; she planned and premeditated what she would do. She had one person in mind, and it was not Simon, much to his disappointment. She had Jesus in her affections. She had only Jesus in mind. She came into the house for one specific purpose. Jesus tells us why. He says that “Her many sins are forgiven; for she loved much; but he to whom little is forgiven loves little”, Luke 7: 47.
How much do you love Jesus? Have you had many sins forgiven? This woman came in here because she loved much. She was prepared to do anything to be near Jesus. The burden of my exercise is that each of us gets through to the kind of life that is found in Jesus alone. The life of faith, that is the life that is found centred in Him. He must be first in our lives.
The subject of these meetings is stability. This woman, in John 20, is an example of one who gets through to stability. She goes to the tomb. She did not understand everything, but she went and wept. Put yourself in her position, standing at the tomb. It was the place where Jesus had lain. He was everything for her! She was nothing without Him, so she stood there weeping. She says, “… they have taken away my Lord”.
Peter had come and stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloths lying folded in their place. He had seen the order of the tomb. John came and stooped and went into the tomb, and he believed. He saw and believed. He and Peter went to their homes. Anyone of us might be like Mary, not fully understanding, and yet Jesus was everything to her. She did not want anything else! She said later, when she spoke to Jesus as the gardener, “tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away”. She could not have done it, but that is how she thought. Jesus was everything to her, and like the woman in Luke 7, the world was nothing.
What is it with us that causes us to hold on to the world? We continue to keep the world inside. It is attractive to us. Timothy was enjoined to speak to those who are rich in the present age. He is talking about being physically rich. It is true that there is no one in want here. In varying degrees we are all rich in the present age. What committal will we make, or how will we change as having been to these meetings? What did we come here for? Was it for a good time, or to see our friends? Was it to get more for our heavenly deposit; something more to be laid up in heaven? We will find, if we put Jesus first, that He will become the whole reason for our life. It took her a few seconds to realise to whom she was speaking, and we can understand that. That is the way it was with Mary, but she got one of the most wonderful messages from Jesus.
Many times we come down hard on Mary, saying she was not intelligent. Through her tears she did not recognise Him, even though He was all she wanted. She stood and wept! He said, “Mary”. When He says your name, you will know who He is. The tears disappeared as she turns around again and she said, “Rabboni” (my teacher). Then she understood. He says to her to carry this message, this wonderful message to “my brethren”.
Paul says, “to do good, to be rich in good works, to be liberal in distributing, disposed to communicate of their substance, laying by for themselves a good foundation”, 1 Tim 6: 18. Are we doing this, dear brethren? Have you put any gold bars in your heavenly treasure lately? Paul goes on to say, “that they may lay hold of what is really life”. I would like to encourage you that there is that which is “really life”. Jesus desires that we might have it “abundantly”. There is a life that is outside of the world, and I would like everyone that is of accountable age to taste it. Go in for this kind of life – lay hold of what is “really life”.
The writer of Hebrews uses the words “on account of habit, have their senses exercised for distinguishing both good and evil”, Heb 5: 14. That is, we have to form good habits. We talk about habits and about what is habit-forming. We need to form good habits – work at it! It is not all going to happen this weekend. We need to work at forming good habits. We spoke about weeknight meetings; they are a good habit. Prayer is another good habit – how important it is to have our continuing links with Jesus.
I trust what has been said will have touched us in relation to Jesus. The martyrs were mentioned in an earlier meeting. They have had a great place in my life. To think of persons who would burn at the stake for the name of Jesus. They were required by the church, or ‘bishop somebody’ to recant their faith in Jesus. Would they regard this as sound advice? They stood firm in their faith – that is the resolve we need today. When Mary was standing by the tomb nobody could have dragged her away. She wanted Jesus and nothing, nor no one else.
After today, I hope each of us will decide to commit ourselves to Jesus – no one but Him. I trust that would be so, particularly for the young people. It is so important because as being young you are forming habits and tastes now. The blurring of good and bad is ever more prominent, and in this environment you are developing tastes for things, which in the end will not be ‘life’. If there is something that interests you trace it to its end. You may be amazed where some things end. Particularly music; Nebuchadnezzar used music to elevate himself to be an idol. The world uses music in the same way. It is very invasive and momentarily satisfying. I would urge you to think of the way you are going – what course your life is on. Is it leading you into a pursuit where Jesus can always be first? May it be so for His Name’s sake.
CALGARY
July 2001