The Heart of the Matter
The sermon emphasizes the personal and intimate nature of the Father's love, which is experienced through the Son and is the secret to true devotedness.
Miles J. Stanford preaches about the personal love of the Father demonstrated through the reconciliation in His Son, emphasizing that our identity and position are found in Christ, not in our own shortcomings. He challenges believers to focus on intimacy with Jesus as the key to true devotion, discerning His voice above all others. Stanford highlights the journey of realizing that earthly desires cannot satisfy our new affections, leading us to seek fulfillment in God alone, ultimately aiming to be presented blameless before Him.
Text
"You. . . hath He reconciled" (Colossians 1:21).
Our Father's Cross-love was personal; we were there in the Son. Our Father's heart-love is personal; we are hidden there in the Son.
"Have you ever thought of the Father dealing with you not as to what you are in yourself, but as to where He has positioned you in His Son? Have you ever thought that it is the affections of the Father's heart which flow down to us where we are, seeing us in the Son, not in our poor wretched selves? What we are in the old man is not the thing to scan, but what we are, and where we are, in the Son; and what there is in the living affections of the Father, who has raised us up together with His Son, and has given us all heavenly blessings in Him." -G.V.W.
"Nothing can make up for a lack of personal acquaintance with the Lord Jesus. Intimacy with Himself is certainly the secret of true devotedness. Occupation with Him, the heart readily detects, and rejects the voice of the stranger, and cannot but own the Lord's claims to be paramount. Nothing so thoroughly tests the state of our hearts, as whether or not we have intimacy with the Lord Jesus Himself." -H.H.S.
"A great deal of our time is spent in learning that there is nothing here to meet the requirements of our new affections. There is a wandering in the wilderness in a solitary way, and yet no city is found to dwell in. But our Father allows this in order that His children may find that their desires can only be satisfied by and in Him. We must learn that we are not of this world." -J.B.S
"To present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in His sight" (Colossians 1:22).
Sermon Outline
- The Personal Love of the Father
- The Affections of the Father's Heart
- The Importance of Intimacy with Christ
- Intimacy with Christ is the secret of true devotedness
- Occupation with Christ tests the state of our hearts
Key Quotes
“Have you ever thought of the Father dealing with you not as to what you are in yourself, but as to where He has positioned you in His Son?” — Miles J. Stanford
“Nothing can make up for a lack of personal acquaintance with the Lord Jesus.” — Miles J. Stanford
“To present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in His sight” — Miles J. Stanford
Application Points
- We must learn to see ourselves in the Son, not in our own selves, in order to experience the Father's love.
- Intimacy with Christ is essential for true devotedness and a right relationship with God.
- Our desires can only be satisfied by and in the Father, and we must learn to trust in Him alone.