TEXT: 1COR.15:20
'But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.'
Jesus is God's commandments, precepts, promises, instructions, testimony, witness and love to man: whatever Jesus did in the flesh, we see in it God commanding all men to do; in His actions, we see God's instructions to us; in Him we discover God's testimonies over the creatures. The Lord Jesus exists to tell us how God views humanity: in Him God promises man love and care; God's attitude toward Christ remains His original attitude toward the sons of men: whatever He cannot do to Christ, let us not expect Him to do toward us who are in Christ Jesus. Jesus is the firstfruit of all mankind: we see in Him our real nature, person and expectation. He is our earnest and pledge; nothing in and of Him is meant to be absent in us; His fate is our fate, as the fate or constituent contents of the firstfruit are expected to be seen in the subsequent fruits of the same tree. It is therefore wrong to measure our life by any other standard save Christ's. Christ is our touchstone, barometer and bench mark, respecting holiness, purity, grace, patience, yes, for life and ministry: it then concerns every serious minded Christian to constantly look out for the movement of this mulberry tree and act accordingly. Friends, we have a stand whereby to tailor all our actions, Christ Jesus! Non-conformity with Christ's life style, makes all our services and actions obnoxious to God. He lives not in the sight of God, nay, he stands not in the presence of God, who makes not Christ his barometer! In Christ we see all our available opportunities, God's promises, strength, vigour and how victorious any can be on this side heaven. Jesus is our firstfruit!