{"id":4508,"date":"2018-03-04T08:50:18","date_gmt":"2018-03-04T08:50:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=4508"},"modified":"2018-03-04T08:50:18","modified_gmt":"2018-03-04T08:50:18","slug":"bulletin-edition-february-2018-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=4508","title":{"rendered":"Bulletin Edition February 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"For A Certain Woman\"<\/pre>\n
Mark 7:24-30<\/pre>\n
<\/pre>\n
The brightest jewels are usually found in the darkest places. And our<\/pre>\n
Lord Jesus Christ usually finds jewels for his crown not among moral,<\/pre>\n
enlightened, refined, religious people, but among the depraved,<\/pre>\n
despised,degraded,and degenerate(I Cor.1:26-29).He digs his diamonds<\/pre>\n
from the pit of fallen humanity and hews his gems from the quarry of<\/pre>\n
transgressors (Isa. 51:1).<\/pre>\n
For three years the Lord of glory had walked among his kinsmen, the<\/pre>\n
children of Israel. He taught in their synagogues, performed miracles in<\/pre>\n
their streets, preached upon their mountains, and revealed himself in<\/pre>\n
their temple. But the Jews had no faith. \"He came unto his own and his<\/pre>\n
own received him not\" (John 1:11). They were content to observe their<\/pre>\n
meaningless ceremonies, practice their useless rituals, perform their<\/pre>\n
legal services, and defend their religious traditions. Disgusted with<\/pre>\n
their unbelief, the Lord departed from Jerusalem and went into the<\/pre>\n
borders of Tyre and Sidon. There he would hide himself from the<\/pre>\n
self-righteous, religious crowd and put himself in the path of an elect,<\/pre>\n
Canaanite woman, who was in desperate need of mercy. Her darling<\/pre>\n
daughter was \"greivously vexed with a devil.\"<\/pre>\n
Who is not familiar with her story? Every reader of God's Word knows<\/pre>\n
about the Syrophenician woman. What parent has not felt her pain? Her<\/pre>\n
darling daughter was in the hands of the devil. Satan had taken<\/pre>\n
possession of her child's body and was determined to destroy her soul.<\/pre>\n
But this mother was not willing for her daughter to be damned. As soon<\/pre>\n
as the Lord Jesus came into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, she \"heard of<\/pre>\n
him\", sought him out,and spread her case before him. Read the story<\/pre>\n
carefully and learn these four things: (1.) Whenever God is pleased to<\/pre>\n
give mercy and faith to a sinner, he will cause that sinner to \"hear of<\/pre>\n
Christ\" (v. 25). (2.) Wherever there is a seeking sinner, there is a<\/pre>\n
seeking Savior (vv. 24-25). Christ went to where she was before she<\/pre>\n
could come to where he was. (3.) Sinners in need of mercy will take<\/pre>\n
whatever ground God gives upon which they may plead for mercy (vv.<\/pre>\n
27-28). (4.) All who need mercy and seek mercy by faith in Christ shall<\/pre>\n
obtain mercy (vv. 29-30).<\/pre>\n
<\/pre>\n
Don Fortner<\/pre>\n
<\/pre>\n
<\/pre>\n
<\/pre>\n
The will that cleanses<\/pre>\n
Mark 1:40<\/pre>\n
40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to<\/pre>\n
him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.<\/pre>\n
Salvation is not by the sinners will but by the will of the Lord Jesus<\/pre>\n
Christ. This leper did not come to Christ making demands or boasting of<\/pre>\n
his will\u2014he said unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.<\/pre>\n
This man knew he was full of leprosy. The Spirit of God must reveal to<\/pre>\n
us our desperate need. We only come to Christ asking his will to be done<\/pre>\n
when we believe we are nothing but sin and only Christ can cure us. The<\/pre>\n
will of Christ by which we are saved begins by Christ sending us the<\/pre>\n
Holy Spirit to purge our conscience from dead works by his blood and<\/pre>\n
convince us that we are nothing but sin\u2014a loathsome disease in God\u2019s sight.<\/pre>\n
Salvation is by the will of our Lord giving us a new heart that is<\/pre>\n
broken and believes on Christ. The leper did not come to the disciples.<\/pre>\n
He did not merely come to Christ\u2019s teachings. He came to Christ. When<\/pre>\n
you have a little sniffle then you might get curious. You might pick up<\/pre>\n
a book and try to learn what causes these symptoms. But when you are<\/pre>\n
deathly ill you go directly to a physician! When a sinner is given faith<\/pre>\n
to believe God\u2019s own word against him and taught that Christ alone is<\/pre>\n
the Righteousness of God who heals then he will come to the great Physician!<\/pre>\n
How does Christ receive the sinner that he has made willing in the day<\/pre>\n
of his power? Our Lord Jesus moved with compassion. He said, \u201cI will<\/pre>\n
have compassion on whom I will have compassion.\u201d Christ is our<\/pre>\n
compassionate High Priest! (Heb 4:15) Christ put forth his hand and<\/pre>\n
touched him and cleansed him immediately. We are cleansed by a living<\/pre>\n
union with Christ! We were in him on the cross and he is in us by the<\/pre>\n
new birth that we might be made perfect in one, Christ Jesus. (Jn 17:23)<\/pre>\n
Clay Curtis.<\/pre>\n
<\/pre>\n
<\/pre>\n
<\/pre>\n
<\/pre>\n
LORD, DON'T LEAVE US ALONE<\/pre>\n
Mark 1:23-24<\/pre>\n
And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he<\/pre>\n
cried out, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou<\/pre>\n
Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou<\/pre>\n
art, the Holy One of God (Mark 1:23-24).<\/pre>\n
<\/pre>\n
When the Lord Jesus went among the people preaching the gospel of the<\/pre>\n
kingdom of God, the people in the synagogue were astonished at His<\/pre>\n
doctrine, for He taught them with authority. They did not recognize,<\/pre>\n
acknowledge nor confess His person as God the Son, but they were amazed<\/pre>\n
at His words. What is most remarkable the \"unclean spirit,\" knew exactly<\/pre>\n
Who He was and confessed that Jesus Christ is the, \"Holy One of God.\"<\/pre>\n
The demon spirit also confessed he was deserving of God's righteous<\/pre>\n
judgment, \"art thou come to destroy us.\" The demon spirit also cried out<\/pre>\n
and said, \"Let us alone; what have we to do with thee.\"<\/pre>\n
The believer's cry before the Lord is similar, yet completely different.<\/pre>\n
We, by His grace do confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour<\/pre>\n
(Phi. 2:9-11), but not only acknowledging His Lordship over us, but we<\/pre>\n
willingly submit to Him and love Him supremely (1Pet.2:7). We say with<\/pre>\n
Thomas, Jesus Christ is, \"My Lord and my God\" (John 20:28).<\/pre>\n
Believers also confess they are deserving of God's righteous judgment<\/pre>\n
against our sin and plead for mercy (Psa. 51: 1-4; Luke 18:13-14). Our<\/pre>\n
plea before the Lord is, don't leave us alone , we need thee every hour<\/pre>\n
in everyway. We need Thee, to be Surety and Sacrifice for us (Heb.<\/pre>\n
7:22), Mediator representing us (1Tim. 2:5), Advocate pleading for us<\/pre>\n
(1John 2:1), Captain guiding and fighting for us (Heb. 2:10), Redeemer<\/pre>\n
delivering us (Heb. 2:14-17), Great High Priest interceding for us (Heb.<\/pre>\n
4:14-16), the Chief, Great, and Good Shepherd providing all things for<\/pre>\n
us (Psalm 23:1-4; Phil. 4:19).<\/pre>\n
This is the Lord's unwavering and steadfast promise to His covenant<\/pre>\n
people that, He never will leave us. \"Let your conversation be without<\/pre>\n
covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath<\/pre>\n
said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee\" (Heb. 13:5). What sweet<\/pre>\n
comfort this affords the believer! As one old writer put it, \"The Lord<\/pre>\n
Jesus Christ freely gives us all grace now and all glory hereafter\"<\/pre>\n
(Rom. 8:32).<\/pre>\n
Tom Harding<\/pre>\n
<\/pre>\n
<\/pre>\n
<\/pre>\n
DROSS OF GOLD<\/pre>\n
If someone handed you a piece of gold ore, would you take it, or would<\/pre>\n
you cast it aside saying, \u201cMost of this is just junk rock, worthless<\/pre>\n
dross\u201d? I doubt you would let the predominance of dross move you to<\/pre>\n
reject the small amount of precious metal contained in it. You would be<\/pre>\n
glad to take it recognizing that the value of the relatively small<\/pre>\n
amount of gold is well worth enduring however much dross may encompass it.<\/pre>\n
<\/pre>\n
Over the years I have come to realize that God\u2019s people on this earth<\/pre>\n
are much like gold ore: they are mostly the dross of human weakness,<\/pre>\n
fleshly failure, and natural foolishness. But there is gold in them. The<\/pre>\n
grace of God has done a work in them, and that work of God in them is so<\/pre>\n
precious and valuable that it overwhelms any detraction the dross of the<\/pre>\n
flesh might cause.<\/pre>\n
<\/pre>\n
I believe that if someone handed me a handful of gold ore, I would not<\/pre>\n
consider the dross at all in my estimation of its value. Let us esteem<\/pre>\n
our brethren the same way. Let us be done with looking for dross and let<\/pre>\n
us be occupied with looking for gold. And even if the dross is so<\/pre>\n
evident that it cannot be missed, let us simply ignore it, counting it<\/pre>\n
irrelevant to the value of the person. Let us highly esteem one another<\/pre>\n
for Christ\u2019s sake, counting the gold of His gracious work worthy our<\/pre>\n
tolerance of all the dross that surrounds it. -JoeTerrell<\/pre>\n
_____________________________________________<\/pre>\n
<\/pre>\n
<\/pre>\n
<\/pre>\n
<\/pre>\n
<\/pre>\n
Evening\u2014Mark 16:9<\/pre>\n
\"Now when Jesus was risen early, the first day of the week, he appeared<\/pre>\n
first to Mary Magdalene, put of whom he had cast seven devils.\"\u2014Mark xvi. 9.<\/pre>\n
<\/pre>\n
My Lord! I have often found occasion to stand amazed at the wonders of<\/pre>\n
thy grace, as set forth in thy blessed word. Every thing manifests that<\/pre>\n
it is altogether free and undeserved; nothing, in the objects of it,<\/pre>\n
having the least tendency to call it forth into exercise; no, not even<\/pre>\n
our misery: for though our misery afforded an opportunity for the<\/pre>\n
greater display of it, yet thy grace was long before our misery,<\/pre>\n
originating as it did in thine own everlasting love. Every circumstance<\/pre>\n
connected with the manifestation of thy grace calls forth astonishment.<\/pre>\n
The greatness, the continuance, the unceasing nature of it,<\/pre>\n
notwithstanding all the undeservings of the objects of thy rich bounty;<\/pre>\n
all tend to excite astonishment in my soul. But, Lord! when at an time I<\/pre>\n
behold abounding grace shewn, where there have been abounding<\/pre>\n
transgressions ; and, as the apostle expresseth it, \"where sin hath<\/pre>\n
reigned unto death, that there more eminently grace should reign unto<\/pre>\n
eternal life;\" my soul is overwhelmed in the contemplation; for here I<\/pre>\n
discover, as upon numberless other occasions, that \"thy thoughts are not<\/pre>\n
my thoughts, nor thy ways my ways.\" Will Jesus, this evening, graciously<\/pre>\n
tell me, why the poor Mary Magdalene was first blessed, before any of<\/pre>\n
the disciples, with the sight of her risen Saviour? Was it to teach her,<\/pre>\n
and all poor:sinners like her, that \"where sin hath abounded, grace<\/pre>\n
shall much more abound?' Was it indeed to encourage every poor<\/pre>\n
broken-hearted sinner, long exercised with the power and temptations of<\/pre>\n
Satan, that it is to such more especially that Jesus hath an eye, that<\/pre>\n
he knows their sorrows, and will assuredly relieve them? Did my honoured<\/pre>\n
Lord mean, by this wonderful act of grace, to shew that he will take yet<\/pre>\n
delight to inhabit that I precious soul out of which more he hath cast<\/pre>\n
seven devils, than where legions of evil spirits have not been, suffered<\/pre>\n
so long, and so powerfully to triumph? Am I, blessed Lord, authorized by<\/pre>\n
this gracious act of thine, so to construe thy wonderful love? Shall a<\/pre>\n
poor Magdalene, who only ventured, while thou wast upon earth, to fall<\/pre>\n
at thy feet, behind thee, weeping, be first blessed with a sight of thy<\/pre>\n
Person after redemption-work was finished, before the beloved apostle<\/pre>\n
who lay in thy bosom at thy table? Oh! thou dear, thou gracious thou<\/pre>\n
condescending Lord! what am I to interpret of this kind act of thine,<\/pre>\n
but that the heart of Jesus yearns over poor sinners, and can and will<\/pre>\n
administer consolation to them in their most desperate circumstances?<\/pre>\n
Yes! thou dear Lord! such hath been thy mercy, love, and grace, in every<\/pre>\n
act. Rebellious angels are passed by, and fallen man calls forth thy<\/pre>\n
pity! And among men, thy grace is shewn, not to the wise, and noble, and<\/pre>\n
self-sufficient; but to the poor, the needy, the maimed, the, halt, the<\/pre>\n
blind. Yea, Lord! thy grace is frequently manifested to tempers the most<\/pre>\n
unpromising, to stubborn and rebellious persons; whilst those who are<\/pre>\n
wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own conceit, starched in<\/pre>\n
the ceremonies and forms of religion, live, and it is to be feared die,<\/pre>\n
without the knowledge of salvation by Jesus. Hence the young man in the<\/pre>\n
gospel, who thought himself from his own goodness just ripe for heaven,<\/pre>\n
shall go from thee sorrowful, while Jesus will take up his abode in the<\/pre>\n
heart of a Magdalene, which had before been occupied by seven devils!<\/pre>\n
Oh! for grace \"to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth and<\/pre>\n
length, and depth and height; and to know the love of Christ, which<\/pre>\n
passeth knowledge, that I may be filled with all the fulness of God.\"<\/pre>\n
Robert Hawker<\/pre>\n
Poor man's morning and evening potions.<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
“For A Certain Woman” Mark 7:24-30 The brightest jewels are usually found in the darkest places. And our Lord Jesus Christ usually finds jewels for his crown not among moral, enlightened, refined, religious people, but among the depraved, despised,degraded,and degenerate(I Cor.1:26-29).He digs his diamonds from the pit of fallen humanity and hews his gems from […]<\/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-4508","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\/4508","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=4508"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4508\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4510,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4508\/revisions\/4510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}