Essence Of Dependance

Transcript

Alright, thank you very much. And how in the world are you my dear friend? Doin’ Alright? Well I trust so. This is your good friend, Bob Cook. And you and I are back together again for some precious moments that we can invest together in looking at God’s inherent Word, the Bible.

These days we’re in the book of Ephesians chapter 2 now and verse 4 and 5 and on. “God who is rich in mercy for His great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace you are saved). Quickened us together with Christ. I think it was Wendell Loveless who’s now with the Lord, a friend of mine through many years I first met him in 1928. Can you believe it? He lived to be almost a hundred. But I think he wrote the chorus, “For me to live is Christ, for me to live is Christ. I died with Him, I rose with Him. For me, to live is Christ.” Little chorus that he wrote, he wrote many of them.

This is the truth, quickened us together with Christ. Everything that the Lord Jesus Christ experienced on Calvary was for you. And you can identify with it. Was he condemned? So are you. Was he crucified as a transgressor paying the price of wrong deeds? Although He never was sinful in any way, yet there He was numbered, Isaiah says, “Among the transgressors,” there you were. You and I, guilty and sinful and the Lord Jesus Christ is hanging on the cross in our place. And then He rose again from the dead, we rose with Him in that newness of life. Read in Romans chapter 6, that we should live in newness of life. Why? Because we’re identified with the Lord Jesus Christ.

And now what is our condition now? We’re seated it says, in heaven, lives with Christ. Where is our savior now? He ascended on that ascension day 40 days after His resurrection, and He’s at the right hand of God, the Bible says, “He ever liveth to make intercession for them that come unto God by Him.” And there by faith we’re represented, we’re seated with Him. Why? Because He’s naming your name, believer. He’s representing you. You look at me and I look at you and we say we’re unworthy, we’re faulty, we have shortcomings and sins and failures. There’s so much that we wish were different in our lives but we trust a faultless Holy Savior, the Lord Jesus. And we’re accepted in Him. Ephesians 1 says we’re accepted in the beloved One. We’re accepted before Holy God because Jesus is there. He paid the debt, he paid the debt. He took it for us. And so we’re with Him, we’re seated with Him in the heavenlies.

J.C. Massie was one of my professors in the seminary when I went to Eastern Baptist Seminary years ago. Dr. Massie was a world renowned evangelist in his salad days, his best days. And then he pastored the Tremont Temple in Boston for some years and then came and taught us young preachers at the seminary. He told a story on my hearing that has lingered with me through the years. I think I have shared it with you once or twice through this nearly thirty years, but let me tell it to you again. J.C. Massie was brought up in the south. And they lived on a plantation. His family lived in an old rambling house that was surrounded by a veranda that surrounded all of the bedrooms and the parlors and all. Porches all the way around the house. Before the days of air-conditioning people used to sit on the porch, in the shade to keep cool. And his mother was a fine housekeeper said he, and was very proud of her house, her snowy white curtains and the lacey coverlets on the bed and all of that. Beautiful and much of it made of cotton that was grown in her own fields and ginned on her own cotton gins and woven there. So she was proud of a very fine house that she kept in those days.

He had an older brother who had just turned 21. When he told the story, he would chuckle when he said he was 21, he would chuckle and say free from the law oh happy condition. But J.C. Massie was a little boy. Maybe 5 or 6 at most. And so what happened that he was out one day playing mud pies as boys will. And tiring of his play, he came on in the house. And as he went down the hall, he looked into one of these bedrooms and saw this beautiful white bed covered with a lovely white handmade coverlet and looked so inviting and he was hot and tired and so before he knew it, he was in the middle of that bed tossing and turning and just having a great time. Suddenly, he heard the rustle of petticoats and there was his mother framed in the doorway one hand held behind her and he knew that that hand contained a switch that was often used to emphasize her discipline. And so instinctively he buried his head and his hands waiting for the blow that was to come because he had dirtied this beautiful white bedspread with his muddy feet and hands.

At the same moment however he said his brother, this 21-year old strapping handsome youth had been out in the fields and came on horseback riding on into the yard, got down from his horse and was up on the porch. And in a moment, he looked in and saw what was happening and sprang through the open window from the porch and placed his great young body over the body of J.C. Massie, the little muddy boy. And he said, “Alright mother, lay on. I’ll take it for him.” “Lay it on, I’ll take it for him.” Well of course this was too much for her and she broke into a chuckle and she said, “Get out of here before I skin you both.” And that was the end of that.

You know there was one time when the Lord Jesus became aware of the fact that you and I were pretty muddy with sin, covered with sin and shame and the judgment of God was all that we could expect. But then on Calvary he said, “Father lay it on, I’ll take it for them.” Lay it on, I’ll take it for them. “He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was on Him. And with His stripes, we are healed.” Even when we were dead in sins, He had quickened us together with Christ. Raised us up together, made us sit together. And you got three togethers there. Quickened us together: that gave you life. Raised us up together: that gave you activity. Made us sit together: that gave you status.

That’s what God has for every person who puts his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ together. Together with the Lord Jesus. Have you thought about the fact that you are actually together with Christ in this whole business of being a Christian? So many of us think of being a Christian as a sort of a point of view or a status that we maintain like being a democrat or a republican or being a member of the Daughters of the Revolution or being an older man or a mayor or something, a position involving status and relationship. Well, hey, think about it for a moment. This is far more than that. You are together with the Lord Jesus in the agony of Calvary, the victory of the open tomb, the thrill of the ascension to glory and the status of being at God’s right hand because of Him together with Christ, made us sit together in the heavenlies. In Christ. Think about that today and thank your Savior that He took you in and that He has you with Him. Writer to the Hebrews says that He’s not ashamed to call you brethren, members of His own family. Not ashamed. That’s wonderful. That’s wonderful. Together with Christ, it’s you and Jesus.

Now think of the phrase that was given by a boy in Los Angeles many years ago when my cousin, Irvin Hague was vice principal of a high school. Irvin handled all the discipline cases which is not really too pleasant a job but that’s what he had. And there was this one boy who was a chronic offender and he was finally suspended from school because of his proclivity to curse and swear terribly when upset and also to steal anything that wasn’t nailed down. And we call him George, that wasn’t his real name. But when he was being suspended from school for a period of time, Irvin said to him now I want you to remember I’ve talked to you about this before, but I want you to remember there’s somebody that can make you different. His name is Jesus. And if you’ll give your life to Him, give your heart to Him, trust Him to be your savior, He’ll make you different if you want to be. The little boy took his suspension and kept up with his homework by the kindness of his buddies and ultimately he was back in school Irvin said. And of course he had to have an entrance interview just like he had an exit interview. So he’s back in Irvin’s office once again and Irvin said to him, “And finally, have you thought anymore about who talked about?” “Oh yes,” he said “Mr. Hague, we’re going to make it.” And so he smiled broadly as he said it, “We’re going to make it.” And Irvin said, “We? Who do you mean? Why?” He said, You and me and Jesus, we’re going to make it.” He had the idea, didn’t he? He did together with Christ seated in the heavenlies together with Christ, He’s naming your name right now.” He ever liveth to make intercession for them that come unto God, by Him.”

When you fall and stumble and fail, what? Says if any man sinned we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. That’s what John says of Him. Oh beloved, rejoice in the fact that you belong to God because of Jesus. You’re together with Him. Now that gives some force then to the thing that I often tell people, told my students that, at the college during those 23 years that I was privileged to spend as President of the college. Told them, “Pray your way through day.” Why? Get Jesus into the act. Get Jesus into the act. Let Him do something because you’re together with Him. You belong to Him. He’s interested in you. He knows your name. He knows all about you, so let Him take charge. Pray your way through the day. Seated together in the heavenlies with Christ. He’s there to help if you stumble. He’s there to pray for you, intercede for you, represent you to a holy God. You’re together with Him. Depend on it and make it part of the working procedure of your life today.

Dear Father today, thank you for Jesus. Help us to depend on Him. I pray in His name. Amen.

Till I meet you once again by way of radio, walk with the King today and be a blessing!