Christ Beyond Understanding

Berean Baptist on October 24, 2016

Psalm 61

“From the end of the earth I will cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”  Never has a verse been a more heartfelt cry of dependence than this. In the worst of times when we feel we are literally at the end of the earth, with despair like the fear of dying and helpless to go on living, we cry out to the only sure refuge in our awful desperation. What do you do when your world is crushed in heartache and you feel utterly alone?

In the past few weeks, many have reached out to ask for prayer because they face these kinds of circumstances. They are overwhelmed in their grief and may not know what to say, but only to ask, pray for me. Overwhelmed, the burdens are too heavy and there is nothing on the inside that can ease the pain or make them lighter. It is in these times that we seek someone higher. Not a nameless undefined higher power, but a rock of refuge who has proved His ability time and time again. The rock David refers to is Jehovah God for never in scripture is any mortal man referred to as a rock. For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God? (2 Samuel 22:32)  This rock is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, the spiritual Rock who is always there (1 Cor. 10:4).

David is filled with metaphors for the one who always sustained him. Christ is a rock, a shelter, a strong tower, a tabernacle, a winged cherub, and a king. We might as easily say He is all in all, the one who is everything and from us withholds nothing. It is impossible to remain in despair when we know such incredible help is always available.

Those of you that are most familiar with my favorite subjects might well suppose I would be drawn to verse 4 with its references to the tabernacle. The person of Christ shines no brighter in any place in scripture than in the building and articles of this sacred structure. David would dwell in the tabernacle forever for there he sees God as the covering of salvation. There is a door through which we reach the incomparable glories of Christ. The door is faith and it opens to a golden room where the Holy Spirit lightens the believer to a world never remotely imagined.

Here is Christ as the nourishment of life in the shewbread. He is the sweet smell of incense on the altar as He lifts our prayers to the Father. He is the mercy seat where atonement is selflessly made for our sins. There is no beauty like Him so that He defies any adequate description. In verse 6, Christ is the eternal king whose days are prolonged to provide unceasing intercession. As long as He lives we live, enabling us to perform our vows of worship to the one who deserves love and adoration beyond all others.

It is difficult to express the sentiments of this psalm until you have been to the lowest place and been lifted out. When you reach the bottom and there is nowhere to look but up, this is when Christ means more than you can ever imagine. If He is this lovely through sinful eyes, think how matchless He will be when we reach perfection! Like heaven itself it is too much for mortal comprehension. Christ beyond understanding must satisfy us for now.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

 

 

The Secrets of the Lord

Berean Baptist on September 14, 2015

The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant. (Psalms 25:14)

 As I was looking over the 25th Psalm, my attention was drawn to the 14th verse. This is an intriguing verse as David speaks of the secret of the Lord. What did he mean when he said God shows secrets to those that fear Him? The first thought that came to mind is how God’s people have a special relationship with Him that is unknown to unbelievers. There is no way to explain how it feels to know the Lord, and to have full confidence He controls your life. In Matthew 6, we are told not to take thought for our lives. There really shouldn’t be anything that worries us because the Father has promised to take care of us. No one apart from Christ can get rid of fears and anxieties because they handle all their burdens themselves. They have no idea there is a God who faithfully performs for His children and takes all their cares away. This is secret territory hidden to the faithless uninitiated.

I have no doubt this is true and I believe every child of God knows and can claim this secret of God’s providence. However, I tend to believe there was more on David’s mind as he thought about God’s secret. There are higher levels attained in the Christian life and there are other secrets obtained as you pass these levels. For example, the understanding of scripture is a secret until the Holy Spirit enlightens our eyes by faith. Many Christians live their entire Christian lives without unlocking many of the Bible’s secrets. There are doctrinal matters you will never understand until you decide to lock yourself down into the study of God’s word. You need not expect to reach the level of your teachers until you have spent the time they have in the word. The secrets of the word are not intentionally kept because God wants only a select few to know them. No Christian is without the capability of being a Samuel or a David or an Isaiah.

But I also believe there is still another higher level of God’s secrets. I do not believe these secrets are revealed until we truly learn to give God our whole heart, mind, soul, and body. This is when we reach the level that we truly mean, “For to me to live is Christ.” Christ consumes us at this point. Who are those that have reached the level of receiving God’s best kept secrets? I believe they are men like Daniel. Daniel’s eyes of understanding were sharp and clear, so that he saw the future world. He saw from his time to the end times. Daniel pinpointed the first advent of the Lord to the exact time He would come. Read about Daniel’s life and how he would not defile himself with the pleasures of Babylon. He steadfastly turned his face towards Jerusalem to pray to the living God.

Another such person was John. He is self-described as the disciple Jesus loved. There was a special bond between Jesus and John. John was the apostle of the secrets of Revelation. No one has seen what John saw. There was something very special about his character and his love for the Lord that opened up secrets only such servants could know.

And then I think about Paul. Think how many times Paul spoke of mysteries, secret things, God revealed through him: the mystery of the hidden wisdom of God (1 Cor. 2:7); the mystery of the rapture (1 Cor. 15:51); the mystery of God’s will in the doctrines of grace (Eph. 1:9); the mystery of the church (Eph. 5:32). There was so much he knew and was able to tell the church because God opened His secrets to him.

What level are you on? Do you know some things you could not have known before? All the secrets I have spoken of are in the Holy Scriptures, so do not expect to get the new kind of revelation the apostles and prophets received. There is more than enough in the Bible that you do not know to occupy the rest of your life. Secrets are not found out by treasure maps and cryptic messages. Learning God’s secret is a function of your dedication. The less you give of yourself, the less you will now who God is. Consider your ignorance—why don’t you know more than you do?

Pastor V. Mark Smith