Oct 14
25
Think for a moment of the glory and majesty of Almighty God. If a believer ponders in his heart the wonder of God’s grace, he soon realizes his own unworthiness and utter vileness. How could it ever be that He, before whom the moon and stars are not pure in His sight, accepts such sinners? Yet the infallible Word of God declares that He indeed has accepted some men in the Beloved.
Who are they? How are they made accepted? According to Ephesians 1:3-14, they are those who have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ. They are those who have been chosen in Christ from the foundation of the world. They are those who have been predestinated to the adoption of children by Christ. They are those who have been accepted in Christ. They are those who have been redeemed by Christ, forgiven their sins by Christ, illuminated in Christ, gathered in Christ, and given an inheritance in Christ. They are those who have been given faith after they heard the Gospel. They are those who have been sealed by the Holy Spirit in Christ.
This was all done for them to the praise and the glory of God’s grace. This was accomplished for them by Him Who doeth all things after the counsel of His own will. To the hopeless, and only the hopeless, this is good news! – Tim James
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Consider Jesus– in the Exercise of Praise
“I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.” –Hebrews 2:12
These are the words of Jesus quoted by the apostle from a prophetical psalm concerning Him. We have considered Him as teaching us by His example to pray; it may promote our personal holiness by considering Him as teaching us to PRAISE. Praise is an element of the gospel. It entered essentially, if not prominently, into our Lord’s personal life. “A man of sorrow,” though He was–oftener seen to weep than to smile–yet there were moments when gleams of joy shone upon His soul, and strains of praise breathed from His lips.
Our Lord was of a THANKFUL spirit, and a thankful spirit is a praiseful spirit. How often the words were on His lips, “I thank You, O Father.” He thanked God for the sovereignty of His grace for manifesting Himself to His disciples, for the food He was about to distribute, and over the grave of the friend He was about to raise from the dead. In all things Jesus was of a thankful, and therefore of a praiseful spirit.
And so, my soul, should you be! You have everything to praise God for. For the GLORIOUS GOSPEL of the blessed God; which, in the blessed announcements it makes of full pardon, of free justification, of gracious adoption, of present grace and future glory–is praise, all praise, eternal praise. There is not one announcement in the gospel to dishearten or repel a poor, penitent sinner. To such it is a ‘joyful sound’ without one jarring note, a salvation without a condition, a righteousness without a work, a pardon without money, a heaven without human merit or purchase–all the free gift of God’s most free and unmerited grace. Is not this sufficient to awaken the deepest gratitude and the loudest praise in your soul?
And, O my soul! what shall be said of the praise due from you for the GIFT OF JESUS? Can you think of Him for a moment, and not feel your whole soul thrilling with thanksgiving and tremulous with praise? Oh, praise God for Jesus–for such a divine yet such a human Savior–for such a life, for such a death, for such a righteousness, and for such an Atonement as His. Is there no deep response of your heart to the thankful, praiseful words of the apostle–“Thanks be unto God, for His unspeakable gift?” Oh, praise Him for such a lovely and loving, for such a gracious and precious Savior, but for whom, you had been lost forever!
And have you not reason to praise God for YOUR CONVERSION? Oh, what a wonder of sovereign grace that ever you were brought out of nature’s darkness into God’s marvelous light! That, ever divine power drew you, and divine love chose you, and divine blood cleansed you, and a divine righteousness was imputed to you! That, ever you did hear the voice of Jesus, when lying in your blood, cast out to the loathing of yourself, saying to you, “Live!” And that then He washed you, and clothed you, and decked you with ornaments, and put a fair chain on your neck, a crown and a mitre on your head, and you became lovely through His loveliness put upon you–a king and a priest unto God! Praise, oh, praise Him loudly for that happy day when, having betrothed you in eternity, He savingly drew you to Himself, and you became His. Can you recall the memory of that blissful hour, and not make the desert ring with your loudest, sweetest praise?
“Oh! to grace, how great a debtor!”
My soul! seek from God the spirit of thankfulness, and cultivate habitually the grace of praise. It is a soul-purifying and a God-glorifying grace. It keeps the heart in perpetual bloom, and converts the life into a daily psalm! Praise God for all–praise Him for the blessings–of His providence, for the barrel of meal and for the cruse of oil that have not failed, for the providence that brightens, for the sorrow that shades, for the mercy that smiles, and for the judgment that frowns–for God’s love breathing through all. Thus shall you be learning to sing the ‘new song,’ and to unite in the never ending music of heaven, where–
“Praise shall employ our noblest powers,
While immortality endures.”
Octavius Winslow.
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THEY FEAR BECAUSE GOD IS IN US
Psalm 14: 5: There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.
Have you noticed the closer this world comes to the Day of Judgment the more fearful the unregenerate world becomes? They are fearful we will run out of water, fearful of climate change, fearful of guns, fearful of terrorists. Their fear is of things. One of the false doctrines of our day is separatism—the teaching that good and evil is in things rather than in the sinner’s own heart. So with all man’s might he is trying to avoid some things and save other things. He is full of fear. But most of all, God says they are “in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.”
God is in his people. He has made us righteous. Through the Holy Spirit, Christ our God abides within each believer and Christ is in his church. (Jn 6:56; 17:23; Gal 2:20; Rev 1:13; Phil 1:6; 2:13) Therefore our fear is of God himself. Believers are not fearful of things, nor of things the unregenerate are fearful of, not even of the ungodly themselves. By this the reprobate is reminded he is an enemy of God, “which is to them, an evident token of perdition.” (Phil 1:28) The Holy Spirit exhorts us “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.” (1 Pet 4: 14) We have no reason to even fear their anger toward us. When they feared in Moses day it was for this reason, “Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.” (Ex 15: 16) Everything—good and evil—God is working together “for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8: 28) “What can we say to these things? If God be for us who can be against us?” (Rom 8: 29-31) Clay Curtis.
The weaker we feel, the harder we lean. May God ever make me to know my weakness and give me grace to lean only and always upon Christ my Strength. Don Fortner, pastor of Grace Baptist Church, Danville, KY
Found in the Rock-clefts in all the times of our present TRIBULATIONS, are we able, amid the fragile blessings and fleeting pleasures of earth–to claim a better and more enduring portion, and to say, “My flesh and my heart fails, but God is the Rock of my heart and my portion forever?”
Found in the Rock-clefts in all time of our present BLESSINGS; are we able to disown perishable refuges; and exulting in divine and more enduring confidences, to tell as the secret of true happiness–“In the Lord put I my trust, why do you say to my soul, flee as a bird to your mountain?”
Found in the Rock-clefts in the hour of DEATH; while the silver cord is fast loosing, and the golden bowl is in the act of being broken; as life, and those whose presence and smile have made life joyous, are fast dimming from sight, shall we be able thus to triumph in Him who alone is “without change”–“The Lord lives, and blessed be my Rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted?”
Found in the Rock-clefts on the Day of JUDGMENT–shall we be able then, as we look unawed on passing heavens, a dissolving earth, and burning worlds, to exclaim–“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”
Found in the Rock-clefts through all ETERNITY; under the consciousness of their unassailable security, shall we be able to enter into the Apostle’s words, when (conjuring up in his enumeration every possible form of antagonism and evil), among others, he defies “things to come“–the cycles of eternity–ever to separate from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord?
“And now, all glory to God, who is able to keep you from stumbling, and who will bring you into his glorious presence innocent of sin and with great joy. All glory to him, who alone is God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Yes, glory, majesty, power, and authority belong to him, in the beginning, now, and forevermore. Amen.” Jude 1:24-25
O ROCK OF AGES! swathed in clouds of light,
Whose heights unclimbed, never foot of angel trod–
Ancient of days–Almighty–Infinite!
Older than Nature’s eldest-born–Great God–
We praise, we bless, we magnify Your name!
And as before the birth of Time were Thou,
So, through unending ages still the same,
Past, present, future, one eternal Now!
You did descend from everlasting bliss,
In manger born, to raise us up on high;
A woe-worn Pilgrim in earth’s wilderness,
Wedding our finite dust with Deity.
Around Your path no blazoned banners wave;
No jeweled diadem Your brows adorned;
Your cradle borrowed, and a borrowed grave;
Servant of servants, poor, despised, and scorned!
The spotless Lamb is to the slaughter led,
The Son of man and Lord of Glory dies;
For us! for us! He bowed His thorn-wreathed head:
O mystery transcending mysteries!
The mighty triumph is at last complete,
Hell’s myriad hosts are vanquished and uncrowned,
Death lays his scepter at the Victor’s feet,
And captive millions rise with chains unbound.
Nor this alone–He left His Throne of light!
The secret hid from ages past to tell;
The Revelation of the Infinite,
The Image of the Great Invisible.
A Father’s love disclosing unto all;
The poor, the lost, the burdened, the oppressed
Not one of His, excluded from the gracious call–
“Come unto Me, you weary, and have rest!”
Peace for the guilty, stung with conscious sin;
Peace for bereaved ones wailing for their dead;
Peace amid waves without and storms within,
The troubled soothed, the mourner comforted.
O Savior God, ascended up on high,
You true High Priest within the Temple-veil,
To all that call upon You ever nigh,
“Prince who has power with God, and must prevail;”
You who do reign Your Church’s Lord and Head,
With many crowns upon Your regal brow,
You who shall come to judge both quick and dead,
Great Rock of Ages! hide Your servant now–
That when archangel’s trumpet is pealing loud,
“When every mountain shall a Sinai be”
When sun and moon shall wear their sackcloth shroud,
Creation in her final agony–
“Found” in Your clefts, and shielded by Your might,
From Your blest love and presence nothing may sever;
Earth’s shadows merged in Heaven’s unclouded light,
Securely sheltered in THE ROCK, FOREVER! John MacDuff