WITHOUT CHRIST

“But supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances” (Luke 2:44 NKJV).

When the Lord Jesus was twelve years old, Joseph and Mary took Him to Jerusalem for the Passover celebrations. On the way back home, they thought that He was with them, but He was not. Thus, we want to note the realization of Christ’s absence, the results of Christ’s absence, and the reasons for Christ’s absence.

Realization of Christ’ absence – “Went a day’s journey.” Joseph and Mary did not realize Christ was absent until after they had traveled a whole day’s journey towards home. Similarly, there are many in our society who travel without Christ and do not realize their great lack for years. Many will find out too late that they are without Christ. If there is one thing we need to have in this life, it is to have Christ as our Savior.

Results of Christ’s absence – “Went a day’s journey.” The results of traveling without Christ were considerable. It cost Joseph and Mary progress, pleasure, and peace. They lost progress in that they had to return to Jerusalem to look for Christ. They lost pleasure. Mary told the Lord Jesus that they sought Him sorrowing. Traveling without Christ brings sorrow, not joy. They also lost peace. When they discovered they were without Christ, they experienced great troubling of their hearts.

Reasons for Christ’s absence – “Supposing Him to have been in the company.” There are at least three reasons why they were without Christ. First, haste. The Lord Jesus “lingered behind in Jerusalem” (cf. Luke 2:43), but Joseph and Mary did not. Second, occupied. They were so occupied with other concerns that they did not miss Christ. These concerns were not unimportant, but they must not have priority in our lives. Third, inattention. They “supposing” He was in their company. Spiritual inattention is not good. We must never suppose or guess when it comes to spiritually. We must always be certain.

(Adapted from Butler's Daily Bible Reading 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“You will never know the fullness of Christ until you know the emptiness of everything else!”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834 - 1892)

English Particular Baptist Preacher

Word Study

Explained

In John 1:18 we read, “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him" (NASB).

“Explained” is the Greek word exēgéomai (ἐξηγέομαι = ex-ayg-eh'-om-ahee). It means to tell the meaning of something, especially to tell it fully, to thoroughly explain. We get our English words exegete and exegesis from this word. Here we are told that the Lord Jesus is the “exegesis” of God! He narrates or relates the full story about God! He is the Word of God and the Word about God. The Lord Jesus is the only One qualified to exegete or interpret God to man, since “no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him” (Matt. 11:27). We simply cannot understand God apart from knowing His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known” (Matt. 10:26 KJV).

Did You Know…

According to the Book of Proverbs, interfering in someone else’s quarrel when you are just passing by is asking for trouble – it is like taking “a dog by the ears” (Prov. 26:17).

Bible Quiz

According to the Book of Acts, what Roman ruler killed the apostle James with the sword?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: According to the Book of Acts, who brought a message to Cornelius, a centurion in the Italian regiment? An angel (Acts 10:3).

Names For the Lord Jesus in the Bible

“PRINCE OF LIFE”

"But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses” (Acts 3:14-15 NKJV).

1. Meaning – PRINCE OF LIFE speaks of the Lord Jesus not only as the Source of all physical life, but also the Source of all spiritual life.

2. Insights – The word “Prince” is the Greek word archēgós (ἀρχηγός = ar-khay-gos'). It refers to the originator, pioneer, or beginner of something. Here the apostle Peter uses it to describe the Lord Jesus as the originator of life. This is a reference to the deity of the Lord Jesus, since Psalm 36:9 describes God as the “fountain of life.” Further, the New Testament repeatedly describes the Lord Jesus as the source of life (cf. John 1:4; 1 John 5:11, 20). The Lord Jesus also claimed to be the source of life (cf. John 5:26; John 11:25). In the current context, there is a striking contrast - the Jews killed the Author of life, but He was raised to life from the dead. They gave death to the One who had given them life, and who wanted to give them eternal life!

Did You Know – Christian History

Sister Mary Anthony O’Connell was born on August 15, 1814 in Limerick, Ireland. She was an Irish American nun, nurse, and administrator.

In 1821, Mary O’Connell and her family immigrated to Boston, Massachusetts. Mary dreamed of becoming a nun the way many girls dream of a husband or a career. She attended the Ursuline Academy in Charlestown, Massachusetts. In June 1835 she joined the community of American Sisters of Charity in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Not quite two years later, she took her final vows, becoming Sister Anthony. She was then assigned to open an orphanage in Cincinnati, Ohio. This she completed within six months.

With her task completed, she asked permission to remain in Cincinnati. The city had many other needs. Although homes for the aged existed, they were miserable places. Sister Anthony believed that the Sisters of Charity would be performing a holy act by providing a better place for invalids of the city. The result was St. John’s Hotel for Invalids. Cheerful and well-lit, it provided a pleasant alternative to similar homes. However, there was a problem - their medical care was dependent upon emergency calls to doctors. Sister Anthony saw female nurses as a better solution. At that time, however, training for women nurses was almost nonexistent.

The Civil War changed that. In 1861, when Confederate ships fired on Fort Sumter at Charleston, South Carolina, the United States was plunged into civil war. As casualties mounted and the need for nurses became painfully evident, the Sisters of Charity volunteered as nurses. More than one-third of the community served. The Sisters of Charity also served at the battle of Shiloh. In fact, it was at the battle of Shiloh that Sister Anthony became known as the “Angel of the Battlefield” and “the Florence Nightingale of America.” She also won her campaign for nurse’s training.

Sister Anthony retired from active service in 1880, and died quietly in her sleep in 1897 in Cumminsville, Cincinnati, Ohio. Her portrait hangs in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.

A Little Humor

There was two old bills - one was a $100 dollar bill and the other was a $1 dollar bill. The $100 dollar bill said, “I’ve lived a good life. I’ve been to the amusement park, the theater, the zoo and baseball games.” “Wow,” said the $1 dollar bill. “You sure have had a good life.” “And where have you been?” asked the $100 dollar bill. “Oh, I've been to a Baptist church, a Methodist church, a Lutheran church and an Episcopal church.” The $100 bill said, “What’s a church?”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Because Christ died for sin, we can die to sin!”