{"id":3256,"date":"2015-04-04T09:31:40","date_gmt":"2015-04-04T09:31:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=3256"},"modified":"2015-04-04T09:32:13","modified_gmt":"2015-04-04T09:32:13","slug":"bulletin-edition-249-april-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=3256","title":{"rendered":"Bulletin Edition #249 April 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

A living personal Jesus<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Archibald Brown)<\/p>\n

Christianity is all centered in a person<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Conversion is not a mere change of human opinion; it is the devotion of heart to a person<\/em>. A converted man is not a man who just changes his views concerning certain facts, or theories, or doctrines \u2014 but he is a man whose heart has become devoted to a living Christ.<\/em> All of your religion, if it is worth anything, will just be centered in a living personal Jesus<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Unto God be Glory<\/p>\n

The true and living God is able to do. To do means \u201cto effect or work out or accomplish whatsoever one is pleased to do.\u201d\u00a0 The true and living God is the mighty, omnipotent God. God is so mighty and so able to do, he tells us beforehand what pleases him then he does it. (Is 46: 10)<\/p>\n

If we said that we do what pleases us but we never told anyone beforehand what we are pleased to do then it might be that we had to go to plan b or c because we were frustrated from doing it the way we were pleased to do it. But God tells us from the beginning what pleases him then God does it that way. (Jn 14:29)<\/p>\n

What is God pleased to do?\u00a0 God has told us in the scriptures what God is pleased to do. It pleased God to save through the foolishness of preaching (1 Cor 1: 21); it pleased God for all preeminence and all fullness to dwell in Christ (Col 1: 18-20); it pleased God to save each child through faith in Christ (Heb 11: 6); <\/strong>God calls each child and gives them faith when it pleases God (Gal 1: 15; Jn 6: 37); <\/strong>God gifts and sets each member in his church as it pleases God (1 Cor 12: 18); it pleases God never to forsake one of his children (1 Sam 12:22); God works in each believer by the power of Jesus Christ that which is well-pleasing in his sight. (Heb 13: 20-21; Phil 2: 13); it pleased God in the end to gather all his elect in Christ (Eph 1: 9-10); lastly, Luke 12: 32: Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father\u2019s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.<\/p>\n

Now notice, all of the things God is pleased to do bring glory to God. They bring his people\u2014the church\u2014to give God all the glory and leave us no room to boast in ourselves.\u00a0 And this verse tells us that all these things are done in the church by Jesus Christ.\u00a0 \u201cThe pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.\u201d (Is 53: 7) <\/strong>God the Father gave the work to his Son in eternity to bring all the glory to God.\u00a0 The worlds were made by Christ Jesus to glorify God.\u00a0 Christ Jesus upholds all things by the word of his power to glorify God.\u00a0 Christ Jesus is the Head over his church, with all power, over all, to fill all, in all his people, to glorify God.\u00a0\u00a0 Christ Jesus works all providence to glorify God.\u00a0 He shall put down all his enemies to glorify God.\u00a0 Not one elect child of God shall be lost but all shall be saved by Christ Jesus to glorify God.<\/p>\n

Right now, the church in heaven and in earth glories only in God because Christ said, \u201c<\/strong>I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.\u201d (Ps 22: 22) <\/strong>Christ did so when he walked this earth, but he continues to bring glory to God by the gospel his preachers preach and by commanding it in the heart of his people. (Ps 111: 1) <\/strong>The chief song leader leading the choir of the blessed is Christ Jesus. Have you ever noticed the purpose why every tongue, in the end, shall confess Jesus Christ is Lord? \u201cAnd that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.\u201d (Php 2: 11)<\/p>\n

<\/strong>So then it is impossible for anyone to deny God all the glory in all these things without calling Christ a failure because all of these things are by Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Oh, sinner, come bowing to Christ\u2019s feet now giving God all the glory, for rest assured, at Christ very presence on judgment day your knee shall bow, your tongue shall confess Christ to be Lord and you shall glorify God.\u00a0 And for all who do so now, delight that God\u2019s power is working in us by Christ Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cUnto God be glory in the church by Christ Jesus.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 -Clay Curtis.<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let us not sleep<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet us not sleep, … but let us watch and be sober\u201d (1 Thessalonians 5:6)<\/p>\n

I had not seen my darling wife for a long time. But she was on her way to me. And I had made preparations for her arrival. I had for some days exerted considerable time and energy in painting, cleaning, dusting, sweeping, mopping, and tidying the apartment. Just before the hour of her arrival I had a sumptuous meal ready. Then, being quite tired, and having a few minutes before the time to depart for the airport, I sat in an easy chair to watch the news on the television. I was suddenly awakened by the telephone ringing, and then heard my darling ask, \u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

May I not be so slack in being ready for the coming of my Lord!<\/p>\n

But, sadly, many will be so. They have in the past exerted considerable time and energy in what they think is proper preparation for being ready for the coming of Christ, then rested in what they have done, and therefore will be asleep when He returns. There is the decisionist, who \u201cdecided for Christ\u201d and was told that was sufficient, and sleeps in his decision. There is the moral reformer, who cleaned up his life and sleeps in his reformation. There is the self-righteous, who believes he has made himself blameless before God, and sleeps in his personal righteousness. There is the \u201ccarnal Christian\u201d, who was told he may accept Jesus as Savior but not as Lord, and sleeps in \u201conce saved, always saved\u201d. Manmade religion has manufactured many such places in which one may be deceived into thinking that he sleeps in confidence of being received by Christ when He returns.<\/p>\n

Happily for me, my sleep proved only to be embarrassing. Unhappily for those cited above, being \u201cfoolish virgins\u201d, their sleep will prove to be fatal (Matthew 25:1-13).<\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober\u201d (2 Thessalonians 5:6).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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<\/td>\nDaniel Parks<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Are you as righteous as God?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a question I would like to ask you. It is a most serious question; it is a telling question. It is this: What is God’s justification for accepting you, and allowing you to be in His presence eternally? The Eternal, Sovereign, Immutable God of heaven and earth will not allow sin to be in His presence. He will only allow those into His presence who are as Holy and who are as Righteous as Himself.<\/p>\n

Are you without SIN? Are you as Righteous as God? If not, then He has no justification to allow you into His presence NOW, nor eternally. “All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God. The soul that sinneth shall die; the wages of sin is death\u201d (Rom. 3:23, 6:23). God is Just. His truth must be upheld, His holiness must be glorified, and His justice must be satisfied. The only way this can be done is \u201cthe soul that sinneth die.\u201d God must punish sin; He would not be Just nor Righteous if He allowed one sin to go unpunished. His justice demands “death” for sin. How can you be punished for your sin and be made righteous as God at the same time? Your answer will be very telling. I know the answer, let me tell you.<\/p>\n

God sent his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ into this world as a Sacrifice for sin, a Substitute for sinners. The Lord Jesus lived a perfect, sinless, obedient life before God. The Father testified \u201cThis is my beloved son in whom I\u2019m well pleased.\u201d Christ came into this world as God’s lamb to Die! Why? As the believing sinners substitute. Only God can satisfy God, but God cannot die. Man can die, but man cannot satisfy God. God and man are united in Christ, the God-Man. As God he could satisfy God as Man he could die. God “laid on Him the iniquity of us all, He was wounded for our transgressions, it pleased the Lord to bruise Him, he saw the travail of his soul and was satisfied” (Isa.53).<\/p>\n

God inflicted the just punishment for sin, by inflicting death on Christ. This is the reason for the Cross. For whom did He suffer death? For those who believe on him with all their heart and soul. The “wages of my sin was paid” by my Substitute, the Lord Jesus. God’s Justice has been satisfied, his truth upheld, but what about having a Righteousness that satisfies God? The same way our sins were put away is the same way we are made righteous. “God Made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). Christ’s righteousness is GIVEN to them who believe on Him. God is just to justify them who believe On Christ Jesus the Lord (Rom. 3:24-26). Christ Is God’s justification for receiving me, He is also my only justification before God. Sinners are justified by believing not by doing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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<\/td>\nDon Bell<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The Friend and Brother<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Proverbs 17:17: A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.<\/p>\n

Now I will confess that this verse indeed speaks of each and every redeemed of the Lord as they are friends one to another and brothers and sister\u2019s one towards another. Yet, we must see Christ as having the ultimate fulfillment in this verse as in every passage of Holy writ! I can not nor can you \u2018LOVE\u2019 at all times, but I known one who as the Friend of sinners has and does love at all times! If this is not the case then salvation is only a dream and we are of all men most miserable.<\/p>\n

Also, who but our dear and sweet Elder Brother was born to carry our adversities and bare our iniquities? Never was there a brother like this ONE; he by Himself took upon Him our trouble, our tight place as we came into trouble from the womb and because of God\u2019s Holy Law were indeed in a tight place. I remember my brother Scott Richardson telling me often that there are 3 phases in a believer\u2019s life: we are either in trouble, heading into trouble or just coming out of trouble! Yes, yet in our adversity we have a brother who was born for this very issue and He became poor that we might through His poverty become rich.<\/p>\n

At all times and in every trial or trouble my soul shall find its peace and rest in MY FRIEND AND IN MY BROTHER, the high, holy and lifted up one we reverently call Jesus The Christ.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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<\/td>\nDrew Dietz<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A living personal Jesus (Archibald Brown) Christianity is all centered in a person. Conversion is not a mere change of human opinion; it is the devotion of heart to a person. A converted man is not a man who just changes his views concerning certain facts, or theories, or doctrines \u2014 but he is a […]<\/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-3256","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\/3256","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=3256"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3260,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3256\/revisions\/3260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}