Bits and Pieces – 177th Edition – July 30, 2023

     The Greatest Person who ever occupied a human body is undoubtedly Jesus Christ.  Such a life is well worth our detailed study.  Consider:

     THE MAJESTY OF HIS PERSON.  Great men and women have lived and influenced others.  Sadly their faults are often overlooked in their biographies.  But the Bible never hides the sins of its characters.  We do not fear minute study – the microscope of research finds no flaw in the Diamond of deity – This man is “the Son of God.”

     THE MYSTERY OF HIS INCARNATION.  The incarnation of Christ is a miracle of mammoth proportions.  It was no ordinary birth.  He is the theanthropic Christ – the God/Man.  “The Word was made flesh”  [John 1:14].

     THE MANNER OF HIS LIFE.  It was different from all others.  He was Sinless, Selfless, and Spiritual.  True religion is not in externals but in the soul.  Jesus taught that “God is a Spirit”   [John 4:24].  He is strong – “all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth”   [Matthew 28:18].

     THE MEANING OF HIS DEATH. The Cross is not to be seen in isolation but in the whole context of Christ’s life.  His death is the culmination of the Old Testament prophecies.  John the Baptist cried out “Behold the Lamb of God” [John 1:29].  The crucifixion is the sacrifice for sin, where the fire of God’s wrath was extinguished, and the price of salvation paid.

     THE MOMENT OF HIS COMING.  Soon the end shall come, and God’s promise will be fulfilled. “For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry” [Hebrews 10:37].

     THE MODERNISM OF THE CHURCHES. We are now in the age of apostasy, and many churches have called into question His Deity, His Word, His Miracles, His Blood, His Resurrection, and His Second Coming.  They are to be blamed. The study of the real life of Christ is the best antidote for modernistic heresy.

     Many in the Toronto church, who knew her, were deeply saddened at the sudden death of Colleen who died after a lifetime of suffering at 52.  Our sympathy goes out to her husband, Alan, daughters Hannah, Holly and Sarah, and parents Rick and Noreen Glover.  We can rejoice that Colleen is now in a better land without pain.

“Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone” [Ephesians 2:20]

     It was in 1963 when we first came to Toronto.  It was a beautiful city, and the largest building was the Royal York Hotel.  That great hotel is now almost hidden by the multitude of skyscrapers and other buildings erected in the last sixty years.  The city of 2023 bears little resemblance to the one of 1963. But there is a day coming, perhaps sooner rather than later, when all the great cities of the world will be destroyed.

     Jesus promised, “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” [Matthew 16:18].  Ephesians tells us that the Lord is building a great eternal structure.  Let us consider God’s great house.

     THE PLAN MUST BE PREPARED.  The Lord did this before the world was made.  [Ephesians 1:4].  Just as the Lord gave explicit instructions for the Tabernacle so God planned this eternal edifice.

     THE FOUNDATION MUST BE LAID.  The foundation is a vital part of the building – you must go down to bedrock before you rise up.  Jesus Christ is the Rock on which the church is built.  He is “The Chief Corner Stone.”

     THE MATERIAL MUST BE MADE READY.  Stones, wood, and gravel cannot be used as is.  Work must be done on them to make them usable.  Likewise, we, who make up the building, must be made ready.  Paul tells us, “We are His workmanship created in Christ”  [Ephesians 2:10]. That work is the work of the cross.

     THE STRUCTURE MUST BE ERECTED.  The bricks in God’s building are believers.  “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house”  [1 Peter: 2:5].  There is a unity in the building.  “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity”  [Psalm 133:1].

     THE BUILDING MUST BE OCCUPIED.  The Tabernacle was erected, finished, and occupied [Exodus 40:33-34].  The Temple was erected, finished, and occupied  [2 Chronicles 7:1].  God’s holy temple will be complete when the last saint crosses over Jordan.  Will you be there? [Rev.21:3].

“I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me”   [John 12:32]

“Music will not draw to Jesus, neither will eloquence, logic, ceremonial. or noise.  Jesus Himself must draw men to Himself; and Jesus is quite equal to the work in every case.  Be not tempted by the quackeries of the day…. Draw to Christ, and draw by Christ, for then Christ will draw by you” [C.H. Spurgeon].