Those Who Look to Jesus

These are the notes of a Question Meeting held at a Communion Season in Stratherrick in the Scottish Highlands in 1961. The verse, Isaiah 45:22, ‘Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else,‘ was put to the men present and one by one they were asked to comment on what the marks were of those who always looked to Christ alone. Apart from the minister these men had had the most rudimentary education, leaving school at the earliest legal age, and yet how they knew Scripture and could respond to this question, what was it to look to Christ alone, as distinct from those who make a profession of godliness but whose conduct proves that it is not to Christ they are looking at all. Some speakers made remarks which, though apparently general, were intended to apply to their personal experience. There is no record of what was said by the minister who opened the Question, whose duty, basically, was to explain the verse given out. Apart from Mr. E.A. Rayner, now minister of Grafton, all the other speakers included here have passed into eternity. Rev. D.J.Matheson, who closed the Question – summing up what has been said – was the then minister of the joint congregation of Daviot, Stratherrick and Tomatin.

Finlay Beaton, Inverness: One mark of those who look to the Lord Jesus Christ is that old things have passed away and all things are become new. This is seen by their walk in the world. They have the fruit of this in their heart, but it is another thing to speak about it. They will be wondering if it is the right thing they have and learning more and more of what is in their hearts. They desire a token for good that they are of God’s people. They have learned their great need of Christ; others do not feel this need. They had a real taste of pardon; but though having no doubt of it at one time, they now doubt it many times. They will be praying: “O send Thy light forth and Thy truth” (Ps 43:3). The Bible becomes a different book to them; they will be saying with Jeremiah: “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by Thy name, O Lord God of hosts” (Jer 15:16).

In all their trials they turn to God’s Word. They are a praying people, yet complain they cannot pray. They have a hunger in their souls, that they did not have before, which leads them to the Word, to search the Scriptures, where they get light. They can discern between good and evil, but complain they cannot discern this mark in themselves; yet they can discern it in others. They seek to Christ as much for their sanctification as they did for their justification. They will be saying, If I was of the number of the Lord’s people, things would not be with me as they are. They desire to be delivered from sin; they suffer from heart disease. The Lord says to them: “I am the Lord that healeth thee” (Ex 15:26). They desire to keep His statutes.

Having a high opinion of Christ, they love Him; yet they will be saying, I wish I had a drop of love to Christ. Their language betrays them. Before this change they said, “We hid our faces from Him”. They seek holiness and find they are not attaining to it. When He visits them, they say, “My beloved is mine, and I am His” (Song 2:16). They desire to praise the Lord that, when He passed over others, He looked on them in mercy. He will acknowledge them as all His own.

John MacLennan, Muir of Ord: We think that those who were brought in mercy to look to Christ will be wondering that ever such a conviction would be given to sinful men, and especially to themselves. They are saying with the Psalmist: “In our low state who on us thought” (Ps 136:23). By nature, man has no consciousness of his need of looking to Christ; he is quite satisfied as he is. The question is: What gets the chief place in our hearts? Christ gets that place from His people – those who have been brought to seek Him with their whole heart, soul and mind. They are sure that, unless the Holy Spirit came to convince them of their sins, they would never have come to feel their need of the Holy Spirit to quicken them. “Revive and quicken me, O Lord, even for Thine own name’s sake.” They bear many marks which, although they can see them in others, they cannot see them in themselves. They seek to hear a token for good in hearing the gospel preached. They are a poor and needy people, in need of the prayer of the Psalmist daily: “Turn Thou away my sight and eyes from viewing vanity” (Ps 119:37).

E A Rayner, New Zealand: Man by nature is dead in trespasses and sins; he has no eye for things that are important for eternity. It is to be believed that those who are looking to Christ are mourning for their sins. If they do not look to Christ they do not realise that Christ is the burden-bearer. The hypocrite gets angry when he is told that such and such is wrong, but those who are born again will be willing to discover whether they are the true children of the Lord; they are not afraid to be among the people of God, where they will be examining themselves whether they are the true people of God. Those who do not look to Christ are not willing to give up whatever is offensive to the Lord. Saul was told to slay all the Amalekites, but he only destroyed some and kept what he wanted. So with those who are not looking to Christ truly, they keep their darling sins. This people are a praying people; they look to Christ for nourishment, looking for crumbs in public and in private.

Alex MacPherson, Daviot: We believe it will be a question with this people: “How can I speak of these matters? There is so much darkness and deadness in me!” Yet there is something within them that they would not exchange for all in this world. The Church said, “I am black, but comely” (Song 1:5). Most of us have heard all our lives that sin separated us from God and would separate us eternally unless God would deal with us in mercy. When God began to take to do with us, there was much encouragement in His Word, even in this passage itself.

They tried to do things for themselves, but God showed them that “vain is the help of man” (Ps 60:11), and: “Trust not in princes, nor man’s son” (Ps 146:3). Death reigned in the soul, but when God opened their ears, they had to consent to the sentence against them: “The wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23). However, God says “He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Heb 11:6). When they are brought to look on their past life, they wonder how they have been preserved among so many troubles. Is their comfort not in this: “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee” (Jer 31:3)? They say, “Not unto us Lord, not to us, but do Thou glory take”. They know the reality of sin; in the day of justification “they looked to Him, and lightened were” (Ps 34:5). They enjoy the sweetness of the forgiveness of their sins, yet sin cleaves to them.

Recently I saw a tree that had been frosted, the leaves all withered early, and one would say the tree was dead, but now, after the rain and warmth, the tree has produced fresh green leaves again, even better than before. The tree had been planted in good soil and well rooted. So with these people: “Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God” (Ps 92:13). They have their roots in a rich place like this tree and shall flourish. Desiring to grow in grace and be enabled to show some fruit, they would like to see others having their roots fixed in a sure place – found in Christ without their own righteousness. They have many troubles and trials, yet they have One who says, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb 13:5). They are liable to all the miseries of this life and yet how little of them we have to bear, and that is of His mercy and loving kindness.

A Cameron-MacKintosh, Tomatin: It is true of this people that they would seek to praise the Lord that salvation is all of grace and not of works. In them dwelleth no good thing; within them is a wicked heart, desperately wicked, and in themselves they can do nothing. They would like to take their place at the feet of Jesus and walk to the glory of God. They seek that they would be upheld and their prayer is: “Hold up my goings, Lord, me guide in those Thy paths divine” (Ps 17:5).

William MacQueen, Daviot: This people desire to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ; if not, they will have to appear in their nakedness before an assembled universe. They do not trust in themselves, or in any thing pertaining to self – not in their prayers or anything else. Yet, they will be praying: “Lord God of hosts, my prayer hear” (Ps 84:8). When they come to the house of God they desire to hear about Christ and Him crucified, who is their all and in all, for time and for eternity; they desire to have their minds instructed, to be fed with the finest of the wheat. It is said: “Learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matt 11:29). Their cry will also be: “Woe’s me that I in Mesech am a sojourner so long” (Ps 120:5).

I was reading a sermon in the hearing of some of you, and these words struck me very much: “There is a way to hell that sails past the gates of heaven”. As we have in Philippians: “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ” (3:18). I will finish with the words of Luther: “Learn, my dear brother, to know Christ and Christ crucified, learn to despair of thyself and to sing to the Lord this song: Lord Jesus, Thou art my righteousness, but I am Thy sin; Thou hast taken what belonged to me; Thou hast given me what was Thine; Thou becamest what Thou wast not in order that I might become what I was not myself”.

Rev D J Matheson: If sin becomes a reality to any sinner, it is something supernatural. The Lord Jesus Christ becomes a reality, also the three Persons in the Godhead. God is the author of salvation and the Holy Spirit applies the redemption that Christ purchased. They are led to a crucified and risen Saviour. Men may have much wisdom, but this carnal wisdom will not lead them to Christ. Where there is faith, there is repentance and real godly sorrow. I have read that this was the passage which the Lord used to bring Spurgeon to close in with Christ, when preached on by a poor layman; it is all of grace. The Holy Spirit causes the sinner to feel his lostness and darkness, that he will be in outer darkness if deliverance will not come. Those in whom the Lord has implanted saving faith will not be bereft of it, no matter what unbelief will say. They will be praying: “Lord, increase our faith”; “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” (2 Cor 9:15), the Lord Jesus Christ. Some girls were asked why He was called this. After a time one child said, “Because Christ is so precious. No one will ever tell of all His preciousness; He is more precious than our very life.”

These people are enlightened, such as were sometimes in darkness. They need prayer more and more; “this poor man cried, God heard, and saved him from all his distresses” (Ps 34:6). They desire that the Lord would look upon them; “in our low state who on us thought” (Ps 135:23). If He had not purposed to save them, they would never have looked to Him. However, we are duty-bound to seek the Lord, depending on Himself: “Look on me, Lord, and merciful do Thou unto me prove” (Ps 119:132). If anyone is boasting apart from the grace of God, they are deceived for eternity. “By the grace of God I am what I am”, “less than the least of all saints”.

Taken with the permission of its editor K.D.Macleod (leverburgh@lineone.net) from the Free Presbyterian Magazine, June 2005. www.fpchurch.org.uk