THE PRECIOUSNESS OF CHRIST

Text: "Behold, I lay in Zion a Chief Cornerstone, Elect, PRECIOUS: and He that believeth on Him shall not be confounded. Unto YOU, therefore, which believe, He IS PRECIOUS." (I Peter 2:6,7)

As Precious as Rain in Drought, so is Christ Precious to the soul Thirsting after RIGHTEOUSNESS.

The Hebrew word "jakar" is rendered "honorable", "much set by", "splendid", "glorious", and "Precious"; and here, the Greek word "entimos" signifies "valuable." Such is Christ in the estimation of His children: He is Comparatively Precious to them; He is Superlatively Precious to them.

To them, Christ is the Author of Eternal Salvation, their Lamb, their Golden Altar, their Unspeakable Gift (Hebrews 5:9; Isaiah 33:22; Revelation 8:3; II Corinthians 9:15)

Christ is their Advocate, the Bishop of their Soul, the Captain of their Salvation. To them, He is the Great Physician, the Good Shepherd, the Faithful Witness, He is their Commander, their Messiah, their Judge, their Surety, their Hope, and their Friend. (I John 2:1;

I Peter 2:25; Hebrews 2:10; Matthew 9:12; John 10:11; Revelation 1:5; Isaiah 55:4; John 4:26; II Timothy 4:8; Hebrews 7:22; Acts 28:10; Song of Solomon 5:16)

To them, the Lord Jesus Christ is their Life, their Light, their Bread, and their Way. He is their Rock, their Root, their Rose and their Lily. He is their Sun, their Foundation, their Saviour, and their Treasure. He has become their Ensign, their Diadem, --their Beloved.

(Colossians 3:4; John 2:46; 6:51; 14:6; Isaiah 32:2; Revelation 5:5; Song of Solomon 2:1; same; Malachi 4:2; Isaiah 28:16; Luke 2:11; Matthew 13:44; Isaiah 11:10; 28:5; Ephesians 1:6.)

Have the Martyrs found Christ Precious who through the centuries have been " ...tortured not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; OF WHOM THE WORLD WAS NOT

WORTHY; they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth." (Hebrews ll:35b-38) --I say, let me ask you whether or not you think Christ was Precious to them.’

Is Christ Precious to His people who have renounced the Frivolities of Madame "Bubble" and the Tyranny of Mammon?

Christ is Precious to every believer, He is all they esteem; He is their Exceeding and great reward; and therefore, He is to them Exceedingly Desirable. The saints cry out, "The Desire of our souls is to Thy name, and to the Remembrance of Thee. With my soul have I desired Thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek Thee early.... " --(Isaiah 26:8b,9a)

He is Precious to them because He is an Excellent Person. All the created and uncreated excellencies are to be found in Him. He is the "brightness" of the Father’s glory. In Him is no defect, and no excess. In Him is Perfect Proportion, and Perfect Harmony.

He is Precious for His Purity, for His Righteousness, and for His Wisdom.

He is the "express image" of the Father, and therefore, His Word is Precious; but then, so is His Goodness, His Truth and His Power.

Christ is Precious in His Work as Mediator. As Prophet, He is Precious because of the Guidance He exercises over His Sheep. As Priest, He is Precious in the Sacrifice of Himself for His Church. As King, He is Precious on account of the Government He administers over

His people.

He is Precious because of the Mercy He shows to His children by his Assumption of the Likeness of sinful flesh; by His Suffering the pangs due them on account of their sin; by His Entering into Heaven in their Name; as well as by the Riches of His Grace which He confers upon them. He is Precious on account of the Counsels He gives them, and by His Love and Faithfulness to them.

Moses esteemed Him to be Precious when he chose rather "to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.

The Wisemen considered Him to be Precious when they journeyed the greater part of two years to find Him.

But people who are worldly-minded do not see any such excellencies in the "King of Saints." Though He is the "Desire of Nations" they know it not.

Friend, has the Lord Jesus Christ Justified you? Has He Sanctified you? Has He Forgiven you? Have you Access as His Son into His Presence? Does He daily lead for you in the Court of Heaven? Does He carry you in His Providential care? Are you daily the Object of His Preservation? Has He acted Tenderly with you? "Unto you, therefore, which believe, He is Precious."

Is it any wonder that when the Apostle John refers to his Seraphic vision, he reports, "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands

of thousands; saying with a loud voice, ’Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive Power, and Riches, and Wisdom, and Strength, and Honor, and Glory, and Blessing.’ And every creature which is in Heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them heard I saying, ’Blessing, and Honor, and Glory, and Power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.’ And the four beasts said, ’Amen.’ And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped Him that liveth for ever and ever." --(Revelation 5:11-14)

"Unto YOU, therefore, Which BELIEVE, HE IS PRECIOUS."

March 18, 1518 --France. Francis I having delivered France to the ecclesiastical dominion of the Pope, Leo X, in the Concordat, today a solemn procession of University students and bachelors dressed in their gowns, walk to the Church of St. Catherine des Ecoliers to pray that God Will preserve the liberties of the Church and of the state.

March 22, 1622 --Virginia. Indians swoop down upon unsuspecting English settlers, and in one hour, three hundred and forty-seven Englishmen are killed. Last night, a converted Indian warned the inhabitants of Jamestown and the nearby settlements, and these were thus prepared for the attack. As a result, this day will be set aside annually to commemorate the" deliverance of the colony from utter extermination.

A Comment: "And the disciples came, and said unto Him, ’Why speakest Thou unto them in parables’? He answered and said unto them, ’Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them IT IS NOT GIVEN.’" --Matthew 13:10,11.

"If we shrink sensitively from the idea that the ’Lord of Heaven and Earth’ reveals to some and hides from others, we are strangely out of sympathy with the feelings of Jesus and of Paul who found in this idea not only occasion of resignation, but of adoration and joy. (Matthew 11:25; Romans 9:18; 11:30-36)." --John A. Broadus, Matthew