Comfort: Belonging to Jesus

Minister:
Date: AM
Text: Isaiah 51; Lord's Day 1
Psalters: 269, 215, 201, 203
  1. The meaning.
    1. To belong to Jesus Christ is a thoroughly biblical concept.
      1. Jesus speaks of “My sheep” (John 10:14) whom the Father gave to Him (John 17:2,6,9,11); whom He “purchased.”
      2. His Lordship is exclusive and all comprehensive.
    2. How did I become His property?
      1. I did not give myself to Him, but God gave me and the church to Christ.
      2. Secondly, we become His sheep by the act of Christ purchasing and redeeming the sheep.
      3. Thirdly, we become His sheep by an act of the Holy Spirit branding (sealing) us as Jesus’ sheep.
  2. The comfort of belonging to Christ.
    1. This comfort is a knowledge (a reckoning or a being persuaded) of certain Biblical facts (Rom. 15:4).
    2. First, comfort implies a contradictory experience, i.e., the guilt of my sin and of my sinfulness.
    3. But God gives me knowledge of what He has done.
      1. First, I belong to my Lord.
      2. Second, His Spirit within delivers us from the dominion and power of sin, so we can be sorry and hate evil.
  3. The assurance of belonging to Christ.
    1. God gifts us with the ability to believe, to say that we belong to Him in spite of the constant presence of our sin and sinfulness.
    2. This assurance can be lacking because we are aware of our great and many sins.
    3. Assurance comes in the way of our finding within us not only godly sorrow for sin, but also a hungering after righteousness.
    4.  This is the awareness that I belong to Christ body and soul and am His servant called to obey Him.
    5. The fruit of this assurance is that we become sincerely willing and ready to live unto Him.