Digibron cookies

Voor optimale prestaties van de website gebruiken wij cookies. Overeenstemmig met de EU GDPR kunt u kiezen welke cookies u wilt toestaan.

Noodzakelijke en wettelijk toegestane cookies

Noodzakelijke en wettelijk toegestane cookies zijn verplicht om de basisfunctionaliteit van Digibron te kunnen gebruiken.

Optionele cookies

Onderstaande cookies zijn optioneel, maar verbeteren uw ervaring van Digibron.

Bekijk het origineel

A Rest Better Experienced Than Explained

Bekijk het origineel

+ Meer informatie

A Rest Better Experienced Than Explained

5 minuten leestijd Arcering uitzetten

“And His rest shall be glorious” (Isaiah 11:10c).

Rev. M. Heerschap (1911-1993)

Every child of God, if he is on the right place, when he views all the benefits in his life, has to agree with the centurion, “Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldest come under my roof.” Within us there is no desire to seek this rest, no, nor ask after God.

How is it possible, then, that the Lord has come into communion with us and that people may come to His table and find rest in the Lord Jesus Christ? Is that because they are such good people? Oh, no. Is the reason in us, my beloved? Oh, no. The cause is not on our side, but the first cause and the original fountain is at the side of God, that is, God Himself. It is only free and sovereign grace and the good pleasure of the Lord to choose a people whom He may take to Himself as His possession, in whose heart He would manifest His love and magnify His perfections and give them rest in His beloved Son. That is a glorious rest, and this rest, love, and favor surpass all knowledge.

So great is the love of the Son that Christ, already from eternity, had surrendered Himself willingly to appear as Surety for His people in time to purchase them with His precious blood, deliver them out of hell, out of the power of the devil and the dominion of sin and out of the righteous judgment of God so that He would become the Author of eternal salvation for that people.

So great is the love of the Holy Spirit that He took upon Himself the complete work of gathering those people, who lay in the open field, into that rest by faith, to bring them to God who subdueth all their enmity and sheds forth the love of God in their hearts—nothing in us, all in Him.

Beloved, we have need of the saving work of the Holy Spirit, a discovery of the state of our misery and the necessity of this Jesus shall we ever find rest in Him for our poor soul. When the Word of God, blessed by the Holy Spirit, enters our heart in a saving manner, then we begin to see that we are in a terrible state of misery. When that great change takes place in our life, we begin to see our lost condition, and it fills us with fear on every side because we stand accountable before a holy and a righteous God.

It is only the work of the Holy Spirit which drives us to Jesus. Through the enlightening of the Holy Spirit, such souls know what this Person really means. Through the alluring love of God and the discovery of the Holy Spirit, there comes a seeking after this precious Person. They learn to know Him in all His necessity as a refuge from all the dangers wherein they find themselves. They see that by Him they are safe from all their enemies and that in His service there is all blessedness and a glorious rest for their soul. See, thus, that Christ becomes precious, amiable, suitable, and necessary. They see so much in this Person and in His service, and these people become restless with a strong desire to know Him as their Savior.

In short, my beloved, asking or seeking for this Mediator implies seeking Him in all ways and means wherein He may be found. We find throughout the whole Bible that God’s people are a seeking people. They seek Him in His Word and in His house; then your place will not be empty. They seek Him in the sacraments with His people. They seek Him in private, and they will seek and ask after Him until they have found rest in Christ for their weary soul.

How many of God’s people have tried to find rest in their own works, in their own righteousness? In the end they find that all their good works produce no rest, no, and can never obtain the blessing and favor of the Lord. They realize that without His gracious help and communion by faith they can never find that true rest and true peace in their heart. The moment when the people of God truly believe in Him and in His merits, also at the communion table, they enter into rest which is only to be found in Him as their Savior. Believe me, beloved, this rest is better experienced than explained.


God’s Strength Made Perfect in Our Weakness

As the strongest faith may be shaken, so the weakest, where truth is, is so far rooted that it will prevail. Weakness with watchfulness will stand when strength with too much confidence fails. Weakness, with acknowledgement of it, is the fittest seat and subject in which God perfects His strength. Consciousness of our infirmities drives us out of ourselves to Him in whom our strength lies.

Richard Sibbes

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Bekijk de hele uitgave van zondag 1 februari 2015

The Banner of Truth | 24 Pagina's

A Rest Better Experienced Than Explained

Bekijk de hele uitgave van zondag 1 februari 2015

The Banner of Truth | 24 Pagina's