BibleWare/BibWare.bin/bibstudy/morneven.exe/ME04.AM

Text File | 1993-09-05 | 60KB | 1,109 lines

* 04/01/AM

"Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth."
                                           --Song of Solomon 1:2

   For several days we have been dwelling upon the Saviour's
passion, and for some little time to come we shall linger there.
In beginning a new month, let us seek the same desires after our
Lord as those which glowed in the heart of the elect spouse. See
how she leaps at once to _Him_; there are no prefatory words;
she does not even mention His name; she is in the heart of her
theme at once, for she speaks of _Him_ who was the only Him in
the world to her. How bold is her love! it was much
condescension which permitted the weeping penitent to anoint His
feet with spikenard--it was rich love which allowed the gentle
Mary to sit at His feet and learn of Him--but here, love,
strong, fervent love, aspires to higher tokens of regard, and
closer signs of fellowship. Esther trembled in the presence of
Ahasuerus, but the spouse in joyful liberty of perfect love
knows no fear. If we have received the same free spirit, we also
may ask the like. By kisses we suppose to be intended those
varied manifestations of affection by which the believer is made
to enjoy the love of Jesus. The kiss of _reconciliation_ we
enjoyed at our conversion, and it was sweet as honey dropping
from the comb. The kiss of _acceptance_ is still warm on our
brow, as we know that He hath accepted our persons and our works
through rich grace. The kiss of daily, present _communion_, is
that which we pant after to be repeated day after day, till it
is changed into the kiss of _reception_, which removes the soul
from earth, and the kiss of _consummation_ which fills it with
the joy of heaven. Faith is our walk, but fellowship sensibly
felt is our rest. Faith is the road, but communion with Jesus is
the well from which the pilgrim drinks. O lover of our souls, be
not strange to us; let the lips of Thy blessing meet the lips of
our asking; let the lips of Thy fulness touch the lips of our
need, and straightway the kiss will be effected.

* 04/02/AM

"He answered him to never a word."
                                                 --Matthew 27:14

   He had never been slow of speech when He could bless the sons
of men, but He would not say a single word for Himself. "Never
man spake like this Man," and never man was silent like Him. Was
this singular silence _the index of His perfect self-sacrifice_?
Did it show that He would not utter a word to stay the slaughter
of His sacred person, which He had dedicated as an offering for
us? Had He so entirely surrendered Himself that He would not
interfere in His own behalf, even in the minutest degree, but
be bound and slain an unstruggling, uncomplaining victim? Was
this silence _a type of the defenselessness of sin_? Nothing
can be said in palliation or excuse of human guilt; and,
therefore, He who bore its whole weight stood speechless before
His judge. Is not patient silence _the best reply to a
gainsaying world_? Calm endurance answers some questions
infinitely more conclusively than the loftiest eloquence. The
best apologists for Christianity in the early days were its
martyrs. The anvil breaks a host of hammers by quietly bearing
their blows. Did not the silent Lamb of God furnish us with _a
grand example of wisdom_? Where every word was occasion for new
blasphemy, it was the line of duty to afford no fuel for the
flame of sin. The ambiguous and the false, the unworthy and
mean, will ere long overthrow and confute themselves, and
therefore the true can afford to be quiet, and finds silence to
be its wisdom. Evidently our Lord, by His silence, furnished _a
remarkable fulfillment of prophecy_. A long defence of Himself
would have been contrary to Isaiah's prediction. "He is led as a
lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is
dumb, so He openeth not His mouth." By His quiet He conclusively
proved Himself to be the true Lamb of God. As such we salute Him
this morning. Be with us, Jesus, and in the silence of our
heart, let us hear the voice of Thy love.

* 04/03/AM

"They took Jesus, and led Him away."
                                                    --John 19:16

   He had been all night in agony, He had spent the early
morning at the hall of Caiaphas, He had been hurried from
Caiaphas to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod, and from Herod back
again to Pilate; He had, therefore, but little strength left,
and yet neither refreshment nor rest were permitted Him. They
were eager for His blood, and therefore led Him out to die,
loaded with the cross. O dolorous procession! Well may Salem's
daughters weep. My soul, do thou weep also.

   What learn we here as we see our blessed Lord led forth? Do
we not perceive that truth which was set forth in shadow by _the
scapegoat_? Did not the high-priest bring the scapegoat, and put
both his hands upon its head, confessing the sins of the people,
that thus those sins might be laid upon the goat, and cease from
the people? Then the goat was led away by a fit man into the
wilderness, and it carried away the sins of the people, so that
if they were sought for they could not be found. Now we see
Jesus brought before the priests and rulers, who pronounce Him
guilty; God Himself imputes our sins _to Him_, "the Lord hath
laid on Him the iniquity of us all;" "He was made sin for us;"
and, as the substitute for our guilt, bearing our sin upon His
shoulders, represented by the cross; we see the great Scapegoat
led away by the appointed officers of justice. Beloved, can you
feel assured that He carried _your_ sin? As you look at the
cross upon His shoulders, does it represent _your_ sin? There is
one way by which you can tell whether He carried your sin or
not. Have you laid your hand upon His head, confessed your sin,
and trusted in Him? Then your sin lies not on you; it has all
been transferred by blessed imputation to Christ, and He bears
it on His shoulder as a load heavier than the cross.

   Let not the picture vanish till you have rejoiced in your own
deliverance, and adored the loving Redeemer upon whom your
iniquities were laid.

* 04/04/AM

"For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we
might be made the righteousness of God in Him."
                                            --2 Corinthians 5:21

   Mourning Christian! why weepest thou? Art thou mourning over
thine own corruptions? Look to thy perfect Lord, and remember,
thou art complete in Him; thou art in God's sight as perfect as
if thou hadst never sinned; nay, more than that, the Lord our
Righteousness hath put a divine garment upon thee, so that thou
hast more than the righteousness of man--thou hast the
righteousness of God. O Thou who art mourning by reason of
inbred sin and depravity, remember, none of thy sins can condemn
thee. Thou hast learned to hate sin; but thou hast learned also
to know that sin is not thine--it was laid upon Christ's head.
Thy standing is not in thyself--it is in Christ; thine
acceptance is not in thyself, but in thy Lord; thou art as much
accepted of God to-day, with all thy sinfulness, as thou wilt be
when thou standest before His throne, free from all corruption.
O, I beseech thee, lay hold on this precious thought,
_perfection in Christ_! For thou art "complete in Him." With thy
Saviour's garment on, thou art holy as the Holy one. "Who is he
that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is
risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also
maketh intercession for us." Christian, let thy heart rejoice,
for thou art "accepted in the beloved"--what hast thou to fear?
Let thy face ever wear a smile; live near thy Master; live in
the suburbs of the Celestial City; for soon, when thy time has
come, thou shalt rise up where thy Jesus sits, and reign at His
right hand; and all this because the divine Lord "was made to be
sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him."

* 04/05/AM

"On Him they laid the cross, that He might bear it after Jesus."