\u201cThe wicked flee when no man pursueth\u201d (Proverbs 28:1). \u2014 Terrified by
\nhis own guilty conscience, a wicked man presumes someone is after him.
\nFrightened by his own dark shadow, he strikes out at nothing but his own
\nguilt (Judges 9:36). Like Cain, he presumes somebody is out to get him
\nwhen, in reality, it is only the torment of a guilty conscience that
\nmakes him mad.<\/p>\n
Two Thieves
\nLuke 23:32-43
\nHow willing, how anxious the Lord Jesus Christ is to save poor, lost
\nsinners! The cross of Christ is a vivid declaration that \u201cwhere sin
\nabounded grace did much more abound!\u201d What is the meaning of the cross?
\nWhy was our Lord Jesus nailed to the cursed tree? Behold the dying thief
\nand hear the answer. The Son of God came into the world to save sinners.
\nChrist came to seek and to save that which was lost!<\/p>\n
The Dying Thief
\nThe dying thief is a true specimen of God\u2019s elect. This man appears to
\nhave done nothing but evil all his life. We know nothing about him,
\nexcept that he was a thief, a thief who had executed his crimes with
\nviolence, a thief who continued to blaspheme, even as he was being
\nexecuted, a thief who was loved and chosen of God (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).
\nWhy was Immanuel\u2019s blood poured out at Calvary? Christ Jesus poured out
\nhis life\u2019s blood upon the cursed tree to wash away sin. Here I see it
\nwashing away the sins of one like myself, whose heart and life were as
\nblack as hell. Why did Christ suffer and die? It was to pardon the most
\nguilty. It was not merely to save us from hell, but to open Paradise to
\nthe chief of sinners, to open it at once; not after years of torment,
\nbut \u201ctoday.\u201d Today \u201cshalt thou be with me.\u201d Yes, the Lord Jesus went
\nback to heaven with this saved thief in his hands.
\nBy his death upon the cursed tree, the Son of God delivers and saves his
\npeople from their sins. Satisfying the justice of God, He plucked us as
\nbrands from the burning, conquered hell, and defeated the devil and cast
\nhim down to hell. The first sinner saved by the cross, after it had been
\nerected upon Calvary\u2019s hill, was a wretched, justly condemned thief; and
\nthe Son of God went up to heaven with him to join in that joy that is in
\nheaven over one sinner who repents.<\/p>\n
The Brink of Hell
\nHow near a person may be to hell and yet be saved! That thief was, as it
\nwere, upon the very brink of hell. He had one foot in the pit. Hell was
\nin his heart. Hell had been his life. Soon, hell must be his portion
\nforever! He had done nothing but evil continually all the days of his
\nlife. In the very last hour of his life, he is heard blaspheming and
\nrailing against the Lord Jesus. Yet, he was plucked from the fire by
\nomnipotent mercy! \u2014 Saved by the Son of God! He was just about to step
\ninto everlasting damnation when the omnipotent hand of the Son of God
\nseized him and lifted him up to Paradise! Oh, what grace is here! What
\nboundless love! What power to save! Who after this need despair? Truly
\nour Lord Jesus Christ is mighty to save!<\/p>\n
The Other Thief
\nHow near you may be to Christ and yet be lost forever! The other thief
\nwas as near the Savior as the one who was saved. Yet, he perished. He
\nwent to hell from the very side of the Son of God, from the very
\npresence of Immanuel! Can anyone be nearer to Christ than that thief
\nwas? Looking at him, hearing him, speaking to him, he was lost after
\nall! Be warned. Outward nearness, religious
\nduties, familiarity with the Word of God, baptism, eating and drinking
\nthe symbols of the Savior\u2019s body and blood, none of these things can
\nsave. You may be very near Christ, and yet not be in Christ. Salvation
\nis not being near Christ. Salvation is being found in Christ.
\nHere are two men. Both are thieves. Both are damned. Both are lost. Both
\nare without God, without Christ, without hope. Both are in the immediate
\npresence of the crucified Christ. One is taken up to glory. One is taken
\nup to heaven. The other is cast down to hell. What made the difference?
\nTwo Facts
\nHere\u2019s the difference. \u201cThe wages of sin is death; but the gift of God
\nis eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord\u201d (Romans 6:23). \u2014
\nThroughout the Word of God, we are constantly assured of two facts. (1)
\nIf anyone goes to hell, it is his own fault alone, his own
\nresponsibility, altogether the result of what he has done, and that for
\nwhich he alone must bear the blame forever. (2) If anyone is saved, if
\nanyone goes to heaven, it is God\u2019s work alone, altogether the result of
\nthat which God has done, and that for which God alone must have the
\npraise forever.<\/p>\n
Wages Paid
\n\u201cThe wages of sin is death!\u201d \u2014 Sin is what we all are by nature; and sin
\nis all that we do in a state of rebellion against God. It is as
\nimpossible for a sinner to do good as it is for water to be dry. Our
\ncorrupt nature corrupts all our thoughts, feelings, words, and deeds. As
\na corrupt fountain only brings forth corrupt water, so a corrupt heart
\nonly brings forth corruption. That means that the very plowing of the
\nwicked is an abomination to God, and even our righteousnesses are filthy
\nrags in his sight (Proverbs 21:4; Isaiah 64:6). Sin is also our choice.
\nWe all drink iniquity like water (Job 15:16). And that which sin
\ndeserves is death, eternal death, which is eternal separation from God
\nand the eternal vengeance of his holy wrath. Death is the debt God owes
\nto sin. And God always pays his debts. The reprobate thief went to hell
\nbecause he ate the fruit of his own way.<\/p>\n
Gift Bestowed
\n\u201cBut the gift of God is eternal life!\u201d \u2014 Eternal life comes to guilty
\nsinners not as a debt, or a reward for something we have done, but as
\nthe free grace gift of God. The new birth, which is the beginning of
\neternal life in the soul, is the gift of God. Faith in Christ is the
\ngift of God. Heavenly glory, which is the consummation of eternal life,
\nis also the gift of God. Death, hell, and judgment are things we earn by
\nsin. But grace, life, and heaven are things freely given to sinners
\n\u201cthrough Jesus Christ our Lord!\u201d
\nChrist paid the debt of sin for his people by his death upon the cross,
\nmaking it right and just for the holy Lord God, who must punish sin, to
\ngive eternal life to all for whom he died. Through the merits of his
\nblood and righteousness, God gives eternal life to everyone who believes
\non him. Even the faith by which we receive this gift is the gift of God
\nand the result of his operation of grace (Ephesians 2:8; Colossians
\n1:12). Faith in Christ is not the cause of God\u2019s gift, but the result of
\nit. If you now believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, God has given you
\neternal life. It is altogether his work. \u2014 \u201cSalvation is of the Lord!\u201d
\nDon Fortner.<\/p>\n
Outward or Inward
\nIn the Old Testament, worship was fleshly and outward \u2013 circumcision in
\nthe flesh, killing animals, sprinkling blood, cleaning pots and pans,
\ndancing and shouting when the ark, full of physical objects (tables of
\nlaw, pot of manna, Aaron\u2019s rod) was returned. This was all carried out
\nin the nation of Israel, physical Jews, direct descendants of Abraham.<\/p>\n
In the New Testament, worship is spiritual and inward \u2013 circumcision in
\nthe heart, faith in the righteousness and blood of Christ, carried out
\nby spiritual Israel, spiritual Jews (elect believers) \u2013 \u201cFor we are the
\ncircumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ
\nJesus, and have no confidence in the flesh\u201d (Phil 3:3). If during the
\npreaching of the Gospel, I started clapping and shouting, eyes would be
\ndrawn to me, and off of Christ \u2013 that is idolatry, that is
\nflesh-worshipping, that is self-serving and self-glorying\u2026. Scripture
\nsays, \u201cNo flesh should glory in His presence.\u201d But \u201cHe that glorieth,
\nlet him glory in the Lord\u201d (I Cor. 1:29,30). ~ Brian DuFour<\/p>\n
Two Troubled Souls
\n(1 Kings 2:26-34 & Gen. 32:24-26)<\/p>\n
Here we see two men in some pretty difficult situations, two men very
\nanxious about situations that have confronted them because of their
\nstubbornness and sin of days gone by.<\/p>\n
One man (Joab) lays hold of the HORNS of the altar and will not let go.
\nThe other man (Jacob) lays hold of, SOMEONE and will not let go. One man
\nis cursed and will die right where he stands, the other one is blessed
\nand will live a life of honor and glory to God.<\/p>\n
One man will not let go of HIS TRADITION, religious forms and trinkets
\nand will perish with them. The other will not let go of HIS GOD and will
\nbe blessed to see the almighty Sovereign workings of the Triune God in
\ndealing with his past sins, and his future pilgrimage!<\/p>\n
Which man are you? Will you sit in the church building and hang on to
\nyour religion without Christ, never letting go of its form, ritual,
\ntradition and legalism? Or are you that man who has seen the Son and
\nyour abominations, foolishness, and sinful trickery and must have the
\nSon\u2019s blessings, substitution and Redemption before you go on in this
\nworld?<\/p>\n
May God give us much grace and daily mercy to wrestle with Immanuel and
\nnever let go. For in Him and by Him and through Him are all blessings
\nwhether they be on earth or in the Heavens !
\nDrew Dietz<\/p>\n
What is your Ground of Assurance?
\nTo those who struggle with assurance, saying, \u201cThere are so many times
\nthat I do not feel saved,\u201d I would remind you that, before you came to
\nChrist, there were many times you did not feel lost! Did your lack of
\n\u2018lost feeling\u2019 at that time mean that you were not lost? Of course not!
\nFor feelings have nothing to do with whether or not we are lost. Do you
\nnot see that it is the same with respect to whether or not we are saved?
\nMartin Luther said it well when he wrote:<\/p>\n
For feelings come and feelings go
\nAnd feelings are deceiving<\/p>\n
My warrant is the Word of God<\/p>\n
Naught else is worth believing.<\/p>\n
There it is! God\u2019s Word! There is our foundation. The Scriptures never
\ninstruct us to feel, but to believe. If you do not feel, believe anyway!
\nIt does not say, \u201cFor by grace are you saved through feelings.\u201d Feelings
\nare a look inward, at ourselves. Faith is a look outward at Christ.
\nFeelings change because they look at a changing object \u2013 ourselves.
\nFaith never changes, for it looks at an unchanging object \u2013 Christ! May
\nGod grant you grace to look to Him. ~Joe Terrell<\/p>\n
Two Great Evils
\nJeremiah 2: 13
\n\u201cFor my people have committed two evils; They have forsaken me the
\nfountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns,
\nthat can hold no water.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are two great evils that describe the condition of man in every age.
\nFirst, he has forsaken the promised redeemer. It was not moral reform or
\nthreat of punishment by which the Lord reconciled Adam in the garden. It
\nwas by a substitutionary death of a chosen sacrifice and the promise of
\nhim who would accomplish it. What Cain forsook at his altar was the
\npromised redeemer. He forsook him who is the fountain of living waters.
\nSecondly, he has attempted by his own hand to make a way to have his own
\nsource of water. He hews and chips away until he has what he believes
\nwill provide that precious water but, it is broken and cannot hold the
\neternal drink. Man has been laboring for thousands of years to make
\nthese watering holes but the results are always the same \u2013 They are
\nbroken and cannot hold water. The water of life is in the Lord himself.
\nThirsty souls are bidden of him. Come and drink.
\nDarvin Pruitt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cThe wicked flee when no man pursueth\u201d (Proverbs 28:1). \u2014 Terrified by his own guilty conscience, a wicked man presumes someone is after him. Frightened by his own dark shadow, he strikes out at nothing but his own guilt (Judges 9:36). Like Cain, he presumes somebody is out to get him when, in reality, it […]<\/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-5126","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\/5126","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=5126"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5126\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5127,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5126\/revisions\/5127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}