THE LOVELINESS OF CHRIST

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds

In a Believer’s ear!

It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,

And drives away his fear.

It makes the wounded spirit whole,

And calms the troubled breast;

‘Tis Manna to the hungry soul;

And to the Weary, Rest.

-John Newton-

The Lord Jesus Christ is "Lovely" to the Godly man. To him, Jesus is all he desires, and therefore to him, He is exceedingly desirable --"Yea, He is altogether Lovely."

Every perfection is consummated in Christ. He is the "Brightness of the Father’s Glory." (Heb. 1:3) In Him is no flaw --Only "perfect

exactness." On account of His moral excellency, He is Lovely in His Purity, in His Righteousness, and in His Wisdom.

He is the "express image of the Father." (Heb.1:3) He could declare, "Who hath seen Me hath seen the Father also." (John 14:9)

His Power is therefore lovely because He is Almighty --all power in Heaven and Earth is at His disposal. (Matt. 28:18) His Word is

Lovely because He will not deceive. His Goodness is Lovely because He will not Forget. His Truth is Lovely because He is Changeless. "Yea, He is altogether Lovely."

He is Lovely in His Works. In Creation He was Lovely when He "hung the earth upon nothing," (Job 26:7), and moment by moment His Loveliness is evidenced as He turns the Earth on its axis "as clay is turned to the seal." (Job 38:14) He was Lovely when He gathered the waters together into "seas", and caused the dry land to appear. (Gen. 1:9) He was Lovely when He divided the Lightning from the Thunder, and He appears Lovely still when He His hand and satisfies the hunger of the animals of earth. (Ps. 104:27,28) The Loveliness of Christ is seen when He brings forth the flowers in a thousand fields. He was Lovely when He planted in the Hawk the wisdom to fly (Job 39:26), but Lovelier still when He "breathed into man the Breath of life and man became a living soul." (Gen. 2:7)

The Loveliness of Christ is seen in His Salvation, for He continued to bear with us all the days wherein we lived in contempt of Him and dwelt under His just judgment. By the Blast of God we might have perished, and by the Breath of His nostrils we might have been consumed. (Job 4:9) He was under no obligation to preserve us until the time of our conversion -- there was none to order Him to pardon us --He

was compelled by no Law to Redeem us, yet,

On Him Almighty Vengeance fell,

Which must have sunk a world to Hell!

He bore it for a sinful race,

And thus became their Hiding Place.

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What Thou, my Lord, have suffered,

Was all for sinners’ gain:

Mine, Mine was the transgression,

But Thine the deadly pain.

Lo here I fall, my Master,

‘Tis I deserve Thy place.

Look on me with Thy favor;

Vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

What language shall I borrow

To thank Thee, Dearest Friend

For this Thy dying sorrow,

Thy pity without end?

O, make me Thine forever,

And should I fainting be,

Lord, let me never, never,

Outlive my love for Thee.

When He struck us down in Godly sorrow, He could have stricken us dead; is it any wonder that at the time of our conversion, He began to appear to us "altogether Lovely? At that time "the Just One" suffered for us "the Unjust." (I Pet. 3:18)

The Lord Jesus Christ was Lovely in His work of Preservation when He graciously supplied our needs when in times past we walked according to the desires of our flesh and mind, and were by nature the Children of Wrath, even as others. (Eph. 2:3) He was Lovely when in His Goodness He brought us to repent of our sins, but He appears Lovelier still by His intimate and innumerable thoughts of us! If we should count them, "they are more in number than the sand." (Ps. 139:17,18)

He is Lovely because He is present with us here--now, and when we turn to go, He will go with us. But He appears Lovelier still --for "He that keepeth Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps" (Ps. 121:3,4), and when we awake, He is still with us! (Ps. 139:18)

He is Lovely in His work as Mediator. How Lovely does the Lord Jesus appear as our Prophet by the Guidance He gives! How Lovely is He as our Priest by the Sacrifice of Himself! How Lovely is He as our King by His Rule over us!

The Lord Jesus Christ was Lovely in His Humiliation when He condescended to men "of low estate." He was Lovely in His Incarnation, in His Suffering, in His Redemption, and in His Resurrections.

He is Lovely in the "Riches of His Grace" which He freely bestows upon His people. He is Lovely in His Changelessness: "I Am the Lord, I change not" was the identification He gave of Himself to the sons of Jacob. (Mal. 3:6) He is Lovely in His Advocacy--in His Counsels, in His Judgment, and in His Faithfulness! He is Lovely in His Forgiveness and in His Sanctification, and He will appear even more so in the ages to come when He glorifies them on whom He has set His affections. He alone is worthy of our Worship, our Prayers, and our Praise.

He appeared "Lovely" to the "Strangers" and "Pilgrims" of earth in time past, like who chose rather to "suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season," (Heb. 11:25), and He is Lovely to present-day Believers.

Jesus! My Shepherd, Brother, Friend, My Prophet, Priest, and King; My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End—Accept the Praise I bring.

ETERNAL PROSPERITY

Most Christians live their lives for the acquiring of material possessions. Their purpose in life is very little different from the Ungodly, for as Jesus said, "After all these things do the Gentiles seek!" (Matt. 6:32) However, the people of God, instead of pursuing temporal prosperity are to be willing to give up houses and lands, honors and comforts, life and limb –if need be, in order to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of being, a thing of

Shame, Dedication is rather a Blessing, and like a spiritual thermometer, indicates our love for Christ and His Kingdom. It is Materialism that when allowed to fester within a man will cause him to despise devotion.

Yet how rare is it to find saints who know what to do with material things other than to make gods of them, or: to consume them upon their lusts! Like all God’s gifts to us, possessions are committed to us to use for His Honor and Glory. We are but stewards who will one

day be called upon to give account as to how we have Used or Abused His gifts. On that we will all wish to be found SEVERELY dedicated.

While a Selfish man declares, "A man’s first responsibility is to himself!" and the Materially-minded man claims "A man’s first responsibility is to his family!" yet, Jesus was most emphatic when He said, "If any man come to Me and hate not his father and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple!" and, "Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not ALL that he hath he cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:26,33) He who is not willing to deny himself comforts to be a disciple of the Lord --who is not willing to hazard his life to be one, is not worthy to be one. And he who is more in love with his family or his possessions cannot be one.

The man who regards the excellency of a thing by its temporal benefits is a Worldly man--he is Wise in Time but a Fool in Eternity. To measure the value of Dedication to Christ by monetary value is the height of Carnality, and he who does so is no better than Lot’s wife, or he who puts his hand to the plough and looks back --he is not fit for the Kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62)

The disciple of the Lord may be called upon --

But such is not to his shame but to theirs among whom he has labored. A life of Dedication and Devotion to Christ lived in a place like Uganda or Cambodia may be regarded with great admiration, but lived in the midst of affluence, it becomes a constant irritation to materially- minded people.