For Your Sake

Father, glorify Your name. Then a voice came from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. Therefore, the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, An angel has spoken to Him. Jesus answered and said, This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.

John 12:28-30

God does not want us to have any doubts about Christ. To that end He has made Him the theme of His revelation. Scripture begins and ends with Christ. The overarching message of it is His Person and work. God reveals the importance He places upon Christ in various ways. He does so through the types and symbols of the Old Testament. He relates occasions where Christ appears in pre-incarnate form. He sets Christ before us in the gospels as the King of Israel, the Servant of Jehovah, the Son of man and the Son of God. He relates to us the meaning and practical results of Christ’s Person and work in the rest of the New Testament. He completes His message with the revelation of Christ in the book that bears that name. Lest there be any shadow of doubt, He has on several occasions spoken audibly from heaven. He spoke of His approval of Christ at His baptism. He spoke again when Christ was with the disciples on the mount of transfiguration. Our text narrates another occasion when God the Father spoke audibly from heaven to declare His approbation of Christ. Why did He do this? It is for our sake. He intends for us to believe. The account before us is sober history where John was present. He recorded what happened and included Christ’s explanation. God could make it no clearer than this. Christ is His Son in Whom He is well pleased.

Our Wise and Holy God,
we rejoice that Your revelation of Christ is clear.
We praise You that it leads us in every way
to believe in Him.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning