Bulletin Edition July 2017

Blessed Assurance

John 6:37

There is something very comforting to the believer when he sees the

“wills”, “shalls”, and “musts” within the scripture. Those words speak

of certainty. When it comes to the God of the Bible, we behold there One

who is sovereign — One Who does as He wills and One who owes no

explanation of His actions to anyone. The God of scripture is not one

that can be bargained with, but is One to be bowed to. His Word always

goes forth and accomplishes the purpose for which it has been sent

(Isaiah 55:11). One such scripture plainly sets forth the certainty of

salvation for God’s people is John 6:37. Listen to the unwavering words

of our Lord: “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him

that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” Within this one scripture

three undeniable and unchangeable facts are established by the Holy

Spirit, and in these facts the eye of faith most assuredly beholds God’s

glory: 1) God the Father has given a blessed gift to the Son, 2) the

Lord Jesus Christ will most assuredly possess that gift, and 3) that

gift is eternally secure.

1. God the Father has given a blessed gift to the Son. “All that the

Father giveth me” — Here the Lord Jesus speaks of a definite number and

group of people that has been given by eternal election unto the Son.

Those given by the Father were chosen in Christ from the foundation of

the world unto eternal life. It was for these elect sinners that our

Lord prayed in John 17. Hear the words of the interceding Master as His

heart is revealed in prayer to His Father: “I have manifested thy name

to the men which thou gavest me out of the world” (vs. 6). “I pray for

them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me;

for they are thine” (vs. 9). The apostle Paul wrote to the church at

Thessalonica: “But we are bound to give thanks unto God for you,

brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen

you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the

truth” (2 Thess. 2:13). Men may talk of their desires or their

intentions, but how marvelous it is that the Holy Ghost would reveal

God’s choice. Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus clearly states that

God has “chosen us in Him (that is, Christ Jesus) that we should be holy

and without blame before Him (the Father) in love (Eph. 1:4). That the

Father has given a blessed gift to the Son is to the praise of the glory

of His grace. With this truth established, let us now consider the next

unchangeable fact of John 6:3:

2. The Lord Jesus Christ will possess that gift. One may ask, “what is

the sign that a man has been chosen of God unto salvation?” Again, the

scripture is plain and emphatic when it comes to the salvation of God’s

elect. “All that the Father giveth me shall come (by faith) to me.” Can

there be anything more certain than these words? Does the Lord leave

anything to chance? NO! Based on the authority of the word of God, those

that the Father has given to the Son shall come to the Son for

salvation. These elect behold by faith that God is pleased with them

only on the merit of being found in Christ. The blood that Christ shed

at Calvary to cover the guilt of all the elect is the only atonement

that will be accepted by a Holy God. God’s elect shall in time perceive

the beauty of Christ as their Substitute, their Redeemer, their

Representative, and their Savior. They shall come to Him for life and

mercy as needy spiritual beggars. They come because they are made

willing in the day of His power (Psalm 110:3). They long to drink of

Christ because they are thirsty for the Water of Life (John 7:37). They

come to eat of His flesh (John 6:53) because they see Him to be the

Bread from heaven. The eternal purpose of the Almighty God cannot be

frustrated. The sovereign will of the Most High God shall be

accomplished. This then brings us to the last great truth of John 6:37:

3. That gift is eternally secure. The Lord Jesus said “him that cometh

to me” shall not be cast out! Here is eternal security for everyone that

truly comes to Christ. This is the foundation that stands secure. This

is blessed assurance for those spiritual beggars that come by faith to

the Savior. Never cast out — O how wonderful that sounds to one who

recognizes his tendency to wander from God. Every time a saint sees

something of his inability to keep himself faithful (which is

constantly), he is reminded of the faithfulness of God Who never leaves

nor forsakes His own. The words “I will in no wise cast out” are an

anthem of hope to every one that truly needs the Savior.

God’s word stands sure. When it comes to the salvation of God’s people,

one can rest on these truths: God has given (and chosen) to His Son a

people that He has eternally loved. Those that the Father has given to

Christ shall by Spirit-given faith surely come unto salvation. All that

come to Christ by faith unto salvation shall surely be preserved by

Christ, for He will in no wise cast them out. For these blessed truths,

we praise and give thanks to our matchless Lord.

Marvin Stalnaker

The Union Of Christ And His People

It often happens, in the Psalms, that you can scarcely tell whether it

is David, or the Lord Jesus, or both of them, to whom the writer is

referring. Oftentimes you lose sight of David altogether, and are quiet

certain that he is not there; while, at other times, the words seem equally

suited either to David as the type, or to Jesus as the antitype. I think

that this fact is very instructive to us. It is as the Holy Ghost intended,

even in those ancient times, to let God’s saints know that there is a

mysterious union between Christ and His people, so that almost all things

which may be said concerning Him may be said, also, concerning those who are

in Him. They are so completely one, they are so intimately united in bonds

of mystic, vital, conjugal, eternal union, that it would not be possible

always to keep the sayings concerning them apart. — Charles Spurgeon

The Angel of His Presence Saved Them

In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence

saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare

them, and carried them all the days of old. (Isa. 63:9).

Who is the angel of God’s presence spoken of here in this verse quoted?

It is none other than the same person who speaks in verse 1 of this same

chapter; “I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” It is none

other than our blessed God and Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. This

angel is not a created angel but rather the Mediator and messenger of

the everlasting covenant of grace (Mal. 3:1).

Who else could it be said, “in all their affliction he was afflicted?”

Indeed, Christ was afflicted for our transgression, “Surely he hath

borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him

stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted (Isa. 53:4).

Who else but the Lord Jesus Christ could it be said, “in his love and

pity he redeemed them?” None but Christ! “Herein is love, not that we

loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation

for our sins” (1John 4:10). We are indeed redeemed with His precious

blood (1 Peter 1:18; Heb. 9:12).

The Lord Jesus Christ has always appeared before God as our Intercessor

(Heb. 7:25). He is the Surety and sacrifice of the everlasting gospel

(Heb. 7:22; 13:20). He is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the

world (Rev. 13:8). The very presence of the Lord Jesus Christ before the

throne of God as our Representative, Substitute and Mediator is the

guarantee of our salvation (Eph. 2:4-6: Rom. 8:34).

The Lord Jesus Christ having accomplished our righteousness and

redemption is now entered in and now occupies the throne of glory for us

as our Forerunner; that, “we might have a strong consolation, who have

fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us. Which hope we

have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which

entereth into that within the veil; whither the forerunner is for us

entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of

Melchisedec.” (Heb. 6:19-20). – Tom Harding

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” I may be the weakest of the

sheep, but I shall not want. I may be the dumbest, I may wander and

stray, I may grow old and feeble; but I shall not want. I may not have

all that I desire or wish, but I shall not want. I will endure trial,

sickness and sorrow, I will walk through this valley of death, and I

will one day stand before God’s throne, but I shall not want. My

Shepherd is able to save to the uttermost, to do all that He promised,

to keep that which I have committed to Him, and to present me faultless

before His throne, I shall not want.

I shall not want for rest, for He maketh me to lie down in green

pastures and leads me by the still waters. I shall not want for

redemption, for He restoreth my soul. I shall not want for holiness, for

He leads me in paths of righteousness. I shall not want for comfort, for

He is with me. I shall not want for provisions, for He prepares my

table. I shall not want for anything in this life nor in the life to

come; for His goodness and mercy follow me, and I shall dwell in the

house of the Lord forever!

Pastor Henry Mahan

HAVE YOU SEEN THE LORD?

By Pastor Frank Tate

No sinner can be saved until he sees the Lord by faith. Many people

claim to be saved, but I question whether or not they have truly seen

Christ in faith. If you wonder whether or not you have seen the Lord,

let me give you two evidences of everyone who has seen the Lord and

believes on Christ.

First, everyone who has seen the Lord shuts their mouth before the Lord.

When Job finally saw the Lord, he shut his mouth and quit speaking (Job

40:4). To shut your mouth before the Lord means that you quit talking

about what you have done to justify yourself. You shut your mouth

because you see your own guilt of sin and you are ashamed of everything

you are and everything you have done.

Second, everyone who has seen the Lord opens their mouth before men and

publicly confesses Christ. (Romans 10:9). When the apostle Paul saw the

Lord, he quit talking about all of his deeds because he counted them all

nothing but dung (Philippians 3:8), and he began to boldly tell everyone

who would listen that salvation from sin is in Christ alone. If you have

seen the Lord you will quit talking about the things you have done to

make yourself righteous and you will start to talk about Christ your

righteousness.

Have you seen the Lord?

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