Jesus Only

"This shall be their inheritance: I am their inheritance: and you shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession. (Ezekiel 44:23-24, 28 ESV)

Observation: The possession of the priests was the Almighty. The boast of the christian is Christ. As David wrote in the Psalms: 

"Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry. But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all Your works." (Psalms 73:25–28 NKJV)

There is no better possession than Jesus. No better proximity than His presence. It is good to draw near to God. Good to be in his midst. Good to know that when the glory of mountain heights has faded, we still have Jesus only (see Matthew 17:8):

The best thing after all for Peter, was not the excessive strain of the transfiguration, nor the delectable company of the two great spirits who appeared with Jesus, but the equally glorious, but less exciting society of "Jesus only." 

Depend on it, brethren, that ravishing and exciting experiences and transporting enjoyments, though they may be useful as occasional refreshments, would not be so good for every day as that quiet but delightful ordinary fellowship with "Jesus only," which ought to be the distinguishing mark of all Christian life. As the disciples ascended the mountain side with Jesus only, and as they went back again to the multitude with Jesus only, they were in as good company as when they were on the mountain summit, Moses and Elias being there also; and although Jesus Christ in his common habiliments and in his ordinary attire might not so dazzle their eyes as when they saw his raiment bright as the light, and his face shining as the sun, yet he really was quite as glorious, and his company quite as beneficial. When they saw him in his everyday attire, his presence was quite as useful to them as when he robed himself in splendor. "Jesus only," is after all upon the whole a better thing than Jesus, Moses, and Elias. "Jesus only," as the common Jesus, the Christ of every day, the man walking among men, communing in secret with his disciples, is a better thing for a continuance while we are in this body, than the sight even of Jesus himself in the excellence of his majesty.

A Sermon

(No. 924)

Delivered on Lord's-Day Morning, April 3rd, 1870, by

C. H. SPURGEON,

At the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington

Application: 

What I need is not always a greater revelation… 

What I need is a greater appreciation. 

An appreciation that through the Spirit my Humble Savior indwells. 

An appreciation that the everyday is amazing, and the mundane a blessing. 

Yes, there is glory to be seen in the simplest of things. 

Wonders to behold in the same old same old. 

For when Jesus only is my creed, 

All of life glows with the hue of grace. 

When Christ alone is my plea, 

He changes everything. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus be my prayer today. Be my plea. Consume my thoughts and actions. Be the Friend closer than a brother. My heart is filled with wonder at the beauty of Your name. My eyes are filled with tears to think You're here with me. I want to bow before Your Splendor and sing thanks for Your quiet strength. To think that You would condescend. To think that You would stoop sow low. Who am i? 

Who Am I

by Casting Crowns

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth

Would care to know my name,

Would care to feel my hurt?

Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star

Would choose to light the way

For my ever wandering heart?

Not because of who I am

But because of what You've done.

Not because of what I've done

But because of who You are.

I am a flower quickly fading,

Here today and gone tomorrow.

A wave tossed in the ocean.

A vapor in the wind.

Still You hear me when I'm calling.

Lord, You catch me when I'm falling.

And You've told me who I am.

I am Yours, I am Yours.

Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin

Would look on me with love and watch me rise again?

Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea

Would call out through the rain

And calm the storm in me?

Not because of who I am

But because of what You've done.

Not because of what I've done

But because of who You are.

I am a flower quickly fading,

Here today and gone tomorrow.

A wave tossed in the ocean.

A vapor in the wind.

Still You hear me when I'm calling.

Lord, You catch me when I'm falling.

And You've told me who I am.

I am Yours.

Not because of who I am

But because of what You've done.

Not because of what I've done

But because of who You are.

I am a flower quickly fading,

Here today and gone tomorrow.

A wave tossed in the ocean.

A vapor in the wind.

Still You hear me when I'm calling.

Lord, You catch me when I'm falling.

And You've told me who I am.

I am Yours, I am Yours, I am Yours.

Whom shall I fear?

Whom shall I fear?

'Cause I am Yours, I am Yours.