{"id":252,"date":"2010-10-27T14:12:12","date_gmt":"2010-10-27T14:12:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=252"},"modified":"2010-10-27T14:13:03","modified_gmt":"2010-10-27T14:13:03","slug":"bulletin-articles-issue-42-october-2010","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=252","title":{"rendered":"Bulletin Articles Issue #42 October 2010"},"content":{"rendered":"

John Gill<\/strong>
\n\u201cThis word of God has been quick and powerful, sharper than a
\ntwo edged sword; it has pierced and penetrated into the recesses
\nof the heart, and laid open the secrets of it; it has been the means
\nof enlightening the mind, bringing life to the soul, regenerating
\nand sanctifying the heart, and of producing faith, and every
\nother grace in it, and of strengthening, comforting, and reviving
\nthe spirits of the people of God when in distress, by afflictions,
\nor Satan\u2019s temptations; so every true believer has a testimony
\nwithin himself of it\u2019s divine authority.\u201d 1 John 5:9-10
\nJohn 5:9 a.If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of
\nGod is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that b.He has
\ntestified concerning His Son.
\n1John 5:10 The one who believes in the Son of God a.has the
\ntestimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has
\nb.made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony
\nthat God has given concerning His Son.<\/p>\n

The Bible<\/strong>
\nIt is the first book and the best book and the oldest book in all
\nthe world. It contains the choicest matter, gives the best
\ninstruction, and affords the greatest pleasure and satisfaction
\nthat was ever revealed. It contains the best laws and
\nprofoundest mysteries that were ever penned. It brings the best
\nof tidings, and affords the best of comfort, to the enquiring, and
\ndisconsolate. It exhibits life and immortality from everlasting,
\nand shows the Way to eternal glory. It is a brief recital of all that
\nhas passed and a certain prediction of all that is to come. It
\nsettles all matters of debate, resolves all doubts and eases the
\nmind and conscience of all their scruples. It reveals the only
\nliving and true God, and shows the way to him: it sets aside all
\nother gods, and describes the vanity of them, and of all who
\ntrust in them. In short, it is a book of law, to show right from
\nwrong, a book of wisdom, that condemns all folly, and makes
\nthe foolish wise; a book of truth, that detects all lies, and
\nconfutes all errors; and a book of life that gives life, and shows
\nthe way from everlasting death\u2026. It is a complete code of laws, a perfect body of divinity, an unequalled
\nnarrative, a book of lives, a book of travels, a book of voyages. It is the
\nbest covenant that was ever agreed upon, and the best deed that ever
\nwas sealed, the best evidence that was ever produced, the best will that
\nwas ever made, the best testament that was ever signed. To understand
\nit is to be wise indeed, to be ignorant of it, is to be destitute of
\nwisdom\u2026\u2026
\nAnd that which crowns it all is, that the Author is without partiality,
\nand without hypocrisy; in whom there is no variableness, or shadow of
\nturning.\u201d
\nWilliam Huntington<\/strong><\/p>\n

God’s promises!
\nfrom Spurgeon’s sermon, “Three Precious Things” #931<\/strong>
\n“…He has given us His very great and precious promises…”
\n2 Peter 1:4
\nGod’s promises are precious because they tell of
\nexceeding great and precious things. We have
\npromises in the Bible which time would fail us to
\nrepeat, which for breadth and length are immeasurable.
\nThey deal with every great thing which the soul can need:
\npromises of pardoned sin,
\npromises of sanctification,
\npromises of teaching,
\npromises of guidance,
\npromises of upholding,
\npromises of ennobling,
\npromises of progress,
\npromises of consolation, and
\npromises of perfection.
\nIn this blessed book you have….
\npromises of the daily bread of earth;
\npromises of the bread of life from heaven;
\npromises for time;
\npromises for eternity. You have so many promises, that all the
\nconditions and positions of the believer are
\nmet. I sometimes liken the promises to the
\nlocksmith’s great bunch of keys, which he brings
\nwhen you have lost the key of your treasure chest,
\nand cannot unlock it. He feels pretty sure that out
\nof all the keys upon the ring some one or other
\nwill fit, and he tries them with patient industry.
\nAt last! yes! that is it, he has moved the bolt,
\nand you can get at your treasures!
\nThere is always a promise in the volume of
\ninspiration suitable to your present case.
\nMake the Lord’s promises your delight and your
\ncounsellors, and they will befriend you at every turn.
\nSearch the Scriptures, and you shall meet with a
\npromise, which will be so applicable to you as to
\nappear to have been written after your trouble
\nhad occurred! So exactly will it apply, that you
\nwill be compelled to marvel at the wonderful
\ntenderness and suitableness of it.
\nAs if the tailor had measured you from head to foot,
\nso exactly shall the garment of the promise befit you.
\nThe promises are precious in themselves….
\nfrom their suitability to us,
\nfrom their coming from God,
\nfrom their being immutable,
\nfrom their being sure of performance, and
\nfrom their containing wrapped up within themselves all that the
\nchildren of God can ever need.
\n“…He has given us His very great and precious promises…”
\n2 Peter 1:4<\/p>\n

This life is a life of faith,<\/strong> for God will try the truth of our
\nfaith, so that the world may see that God has such servants
\nas will depend upon His bare word; it were nothing to be a
\nChristian if we should see all here; but God will have His
\nchildren to live by faith, and take the promise upon His
\nword. Richard Sibbes<\/strong>
\nChrist is our pattern whom we must strive to imitate; it is
\nnecessary that our pattern should be exact so that we might
\nsee our imperfections and be humbled for them, and live by
\nfaith for our sanctification.
\nRichard Sibbes<\/strong><\/p>\n

A life-giving stream for parched pilgrims!
\n(Arthur Pink, “The Word of Grace”)<\/strong>
\nThe Word and the Spirit are so intimately conjoined, that we are scarcely
\nwarranted in thinking of the one, without the other. The Word does not
\noperate without the Spirit’s agency\u2014and the Spirit does not work apart
\nfrom the Word.
\n*It was by the Spirit’s inspiration, that the Word was first given, for
\n“holy men of God spoke, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2
\nPeter 1:21).
\n*It is by the Spirit, that we are enlightened (Eph 1:17, 18), yet the Word
\nis the means He employs.
\n*It is by the Spirit, that we are sanctified (Rom 15:16), yet not apart
\nfrom the Truth (John 17:17).
\n*It is by the Spirit, that we are strengthened (Eph 3:16) as He causes
\nthe Word to dwell in us richly (Col 3:16).
\n*It is by the Spirit, that we are comforted (Acts 9:31) as He applies the
\nDivine promises to our hearts.
\nHow appropriate, then, that the grand instrument employed by the Spirit
\nof grace, should be termed “the Word of His grace.”
\nThe “Word of His grace” proclaims . . .
\nrest for the weary, pardon to the guilty, justification to the ungodly,
\nadoption to the outcast, eternal heavenly treasures for spiritual paupers!
\nIt is “the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind” who are to be called to
\nthe feast which free grace has spread! (Luke 14:13)
\n“The Word of His grace” not only instructs us where grace is to be
\nfound, and how further supplies of it are to be obtained\u2014but it is the
\nprincipal medium through which grace is actually imparted to the soul.
\nIt is a life-giving stream for parched pilgrims\u2014as they journey
\nthrough this “wilderness of sin.”
\nAs its sacred pages are reverently perused\u2014
\nthe mind is instructed, the conscience is enlightened, the affections are
\nwarmed, and the will is moved.
\nAs its exceeding great and precious promises are meditated upon and
\ntreasured up in the heart\u2014new strength is imparted to the soul.<\/p>\n

As its holy precepts are turned into earnest prayer\u2014help is obtained
\nfor the discharge of duty.
\nAs its timely warnings and admonitions are heeded\u2014temptations
\nlose their power and the snares of Satan are avoided.
\nAs its cheering revelation of what God has prepared for those who
\nlove Him is received by faith\u2014new hope is kindled in the heart, and
\nthe trials of life are borne with greater fortitude. And as the end of
\nthe journey is neared\u2014death loses its terrors and the call to leave this
\n“valley of tears” becomes more desirable.
\nWithout “the Word of His grace” we would be mariners upon the sea of
\nlife\u2014without chart or compass!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

John Gill \u201cThis word of God has been quick and powerful, sharper than a two edged sword; it has pierced and penetrated into the recesses of the heart, and laid open the secrets of it; it has been the means of enlightening the mind, bringing life to the soul, regenerating and sanctifying the heart, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bulletin-editions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=252"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":254,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252\/revisions\/254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}