I was listening to Alistair Begg preach on the life and ministry of Martyn Lloyd-Jones. He recounts an incident early in the ministry of Lloyd-Jones where he was being brought to a church to preach and they had made a great big poster of him announcing the event. Arriving at the church and seeing it Lloyd-Jones told the church secretary, “I don’t like that! Don’t do it again!” Over time Lloyd-Jones went on to become a great man of God who made a mark and left a legacy on the church all over the world, but the most wonderful thing about it is that he always knew it was never about him. His greatness was in knowing he wasn’t great! Speaking of this, Alistair Begg commented, “You cannot make much of yourself and much of Jesus simultaneously.”
If there were ever words to live by, these are it!
“You cannot make much of yourself and much of Jesus simultaneously.”
In the words of John the Baptist, “I must decrease and He must increase.”
It’s either that, or, “I must increase and He must decrease”. You can’t have it both ways. The thing about a spotlight is that it focuses attention on one thing. Either you’re in the spotlight or Jesus is. Choose this day which it will be!
“Not to us, O Yahweh, not to us, but to your name give glory!” -Psalm 115:1
Do you remember the account where Peter, James and John hiked up high on a mountain with Jesus?
“And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.” -Matthew 17:2
The face of Jesus was shining like the sun!
You will remember that Moses and Elijah also appeared before them on the mountain and began talking to Jesus. This must have been an amazing thing to witness! If you read the story you will see that Peter was quite impressed, as I’m sure you and I would be. But a voice came out of a cloud from the Majestic Glory and singled out Jesus. There is no mention of the face of Moses or Elijah shining like the sun in this story, is there?
Now I think that’s interesting because we know that when Moses was alive here on Earth he also went up on a mountain and met with God and when he came down the mountain his face was shining on that occassion.
“Now it happened when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him.” -Exodus 34:29
But now on this mountain the only face that’s shining like the sun is the face of Jesus. Not Elijah, not Moses- Christ only, Jesus alone.
Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the Prophets and God was making it plain that those days are over. God has sent His Son!
“While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” -Matthew 17:5
This isn’t about Moses. This isn’t about Elijah. THIS IS ABOUT GOD’S SON.
And I don’t hesitate to say that this is not about you and me either. Don’t dare to take the spotlight because God will not give it to you! God is making everything about His Son, and the sooner we see that the better off we are!
“The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.” -Zechariah 14:9