Gaining Christ
Gaining Christ
2015-10-25 Christ is a gift to us from the Father. We are not worthy of this gift. We cannot earn this gift by working for it. He is the Father's gift to us. However, like the gift of a piano, we only get out of the gift what we put in to it.
Someone, a rich relative perhaps, might give us a Steinway grand piano. We did not earn the gift of the piano by working for it. It is a gift, freely given.
Unless we have a large house with many rooms we might have to sacrifice a living room in order to accommodate the piano. There it sits in all its gleaming, illustrious splendor.
In that piano are the great masterworks of Chopin, Beethoven, Brahms, and Bach. But the piano is silent. Why? Because in order for the European composers to yield their Divine gifts, someone will have to spend many, many hours of disciplined effort under the guidance of a qualified teacher. Time and money must be expended if the piano is to give us its treasures. Isn't it so?
The piano was given to us without cost. But it will be nothing more than attractive furniture until we are willing to devote a significant part of our life to its mastery.
So it is with the Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot earn Christ with any amount of good works. But Christ will be nothing more than a piece of furniture, so to speak, until we set out to develop what God has given to us.
They used to say that the world was waiting for someone to go all the way with Christ. I do not know if this the case. But I do realize that the Apostle Paul toward the end of his life was still pressing forward to know Christ.
Why isn't this preached more? Why do we give people the impression they can "confess Christ" and this is all they need to do? Why aren't we explaining to them that they will get out of Christ only what they put into Christ, just as in the case of the grand piano. Why have we made "accepting Christ" a ticket instead of what is in actuality—a gate that opens into the rugged path that leads finally to eternal life?
Where and when did the "ticket" doctrine originate? Why are we making church members instead of disciples?
Sunday morning I presented the idea that the name Son is greater than that of any angel; that God has called the Logos, God, and has given Him an eternal throne.
In addition, the point was made that when people have an outstanding gift, such as in music, or art, or athletics, or whatever else, we ought to give glory to God for the gift, and not idolize people who, apart from Christ, are nothing more than intelligent dust.
Because of the righteousness of the Logos, the Word who proceeded from the Father, the Father has anointed Him with the oil of gladness above His fellows.
This is two Sundays in a row that we have concentrated on the first chapter of the Book of Hebrews.