OUR RULE OF LIFE
\n
\nMany religious people claim to believe a sinner is saved by grace but
\nthen they also claim that the believer must still strive to keep the
\nlaw. They say, \u201cHow else will you control people?\u201d One big concern is
\ngiving. False religion keeps people under the law of the tithe because
\nthey know stingy, selfish people will never give 10% unless they are
\nforced to by the law.
\n
\nThe answer is very simple. What saith the scripture? \u201cKnowing this, that
\nthe law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and
\ndisobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane,
\nfor murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
\nfor whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for
\nmenstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other
\nthing that is contrary to sound doctrine.\u201d (I Tim. 1:9-10) The law is
\ngiven for the lawless and the disobedient not a believer. The law
\nthreatens the disobedient but does not make them obedient. The gospel is
\ngiven to the believer who has been made a new creature in Christ. A
\nbeliever is not controlled or motivated by the law. A believer is
\ncontrolled by love for Christ. A believer will be faithful in worship,
\nloving in attitude, and generous in giving out of a thankful spirit
\nbecause God has been merciful.
\n
\n
\n
\nThis Man Receives Sinners
\nAnd the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth
\nsinners, and eateth with them. Luke 15:2
\nOur English word \u201creceives\u201d fails to convey the full meaning of the
\nGreek word in the original text (dechomai), which indicates \u201ca welcoming
\nor an appropriating reception\u201d. It is the same Greek word used to
\ndescribe the attitude with which ancient saints \u201clooked for redemption\u201d
\n(Luke 2:38) and were \u201cwaiting for the kingdom of God\u201d (Luke 23:51), and
\nthe attitude with which present-day saints are \u201clooking for the blessed
\nhope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ\u201d
\n(Titus 2:13) and \u201clooking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto
\neternal life\u201d (Jude v.21). Daniel Parks
\n
\nJesus Christ and Him Crucified
\n\u201cFor I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ,
\nand him crucified.\u201d (1 Cor. 2:2)
\nThere is only one message to preach and to hear because there is only
\none message in all of the scripture – \u201cJesus Christ, and Him crucified.\u201d
\nEvery page, every story, every commandment, every word speaks of \u201cJesus
\nChrist, and Him crucified.\u201d What is the only remedy for sin? \u201cJesus
\nChrist, and Him crucified.\u201d What is the only hope of standing before the
\nthrone of God justified and accepted? \u201cJesus Christ, and Him crucified.\u201d
\nWhat is the only message of comfort and rest? \u201cJesus Christ, and Him
\ncrucified.\u201d What message breaks a hard heart? And what message binds the
\nbroken heart again? \u201cJesus Christ, and Him crucified.\u201d What message
\ninstructs, and motivates the heart of a sinner to obedience? \u201cJesus
\nChrist, and Him crucified.\u201d What message produces true love, unity, and
\nforgiveness among brethren? \u201cJesus Christ, and Him crucified.\u201d Just
\npreach \u201cJesus Christ, and Him crucified\u201d and husbands will love their
\nwives \u201cas Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it\u201d (Eph. 5:25);
\nwives will submit to the leadership and direction of their \u201cloving\u201d
\nhusbands; and children will \u201cobey (their) parents in the Lord\u201d, as
\nChrist submitted and obeyed to the loving will of His Father. Everything
\nthat a child of God needs for growth in grace, and growth into the image
\nof his Lord is produced through the preaching of \u201cJesus Christ, and Him
\ncrucified.\u201d Christ is ALL! All we preach, all we hear, all we believe,
\nall we have! By God\u2019s grace, all of His people say with Paul: \u201cWe are
\ndetermined to know nothing among us, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.\u201d
\nPastor Gabe Stalnaker
\n
\nDivine sovereignty, total depravity, unconditional election, limited
\natonement, irresistible grace, and the certain preservation of God\u2019s
\nelect are like salt and pepper and bread and butter on the table.
\nWherever the gospel feast is spread they are always on table.
\n
\nPastor Don Fortner
\n
\n
\n
\nRun in with Moses ( John Bunyan extract from pilgrims progress.)
\nNow when I had got about half-way up, I looked behind, and saw one
\ncoming after me, swift as the wind; so he overtook me just about the
\nplace where the settle stands.
\nChristian: Just there, said Christian, did I sit down to rest me; but
\nbeing overcome with sleep, I there lost this roll out of my bosom.
\nFaithful: But, good brother, hear me out. So soon as the man overtook
\nme, he was but a word and a blow, for down he knocked me, and laid me
\nfor dead. But when I was a little come to myself again, I asked him
\nwherefore he served me so. He said, because of my secret inclining to
\nAdam the First; and with that he struck me another deadly blow on the
\nbreast, and beat me down backward; so I lay at his foot as dead as
\nbefore. So, when I came to myself again, I cried him mercy; but he said,
\nI know not how to show mercy; and with that he knocked me down again. He
\nhad doubtless made an end of me, but that one came by, and bid him forbear.
\nChristian: Who was that that bid him forbear?
\nFaithful: I did not know him at first, but as he went by, I perceived
\nthe holes in his hands and in his side; then I concluded that he was our
\nLord. So I went up the hill.
\nChristian: That man that overtook you was Moses. He spares none, neither
\ndoes he know how to show mercy to those that transgress his law
\n
\n
\n\u201cHe is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where
\nthe Lord lay.\u201c (Matthew 28:6)
\nWhat does it mean for sinners like us to know that the Lord is risen?
\nFirst of all it means, He died! The sinless one died! Why did he die?
\nHow could he die? He died because the sin of His people was pressed into
\nHim, and He was judged before the throne of God for the sin that He
\ncarried. The only way that the spotless, holy Lamb of God could die was
\nby bearing the sin of His people. So the fact that He died means, that\u2019s
\nexactly what He did! But The glorious announcement continues\u2026
\n
\nHe was laid in a tomb after suffering the righteous judgment and
\npunishment of God so that His people wouldn\u2019t have to, but He is not
\nstill in that tomb! He is risen! That means: the sin is gone, the
\npunishment is over, and God is satisfied! God the Father is satisfied
\nwith Christ, and He is satisfied with us IN CHRIST! Every bit of that
\nhappened, exactly as the Lord Jesus Christ said it would happen. Which
\nmeans, the all knowing God is the very One who saved us. And to all
\nwho\u2019s sins were put away in His death, burial, and resurrection, He
\nsays: \u201cCome! Come see the place where I laid for you. Come unto Me and
\nyou will find rest for your weary soul.\u201d
\n
\nWhen the burden and guilt of our sin begins to bring us down into utter
\ndespair, let\u2019s remember the word that He sent to us through His
\nmessenger: \u201cHe is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the
\nplace where the Lord lay.\u201d Pastor Gabe Stalnaker
\n
\nWHY CHRIST\u2019S CHURCH PREACHES GOD\u2019S RIGHTEOUSNESS
\nPsalm 22: 24: For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of
\nthe afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried
\nunto him, he heard.
\n
\nWhen Christ finished the work of manifesting God\u2019s righteousness in the
\njustification of his people, God heard him. Therefore, the Father raised
\nChrist and gave him the glory of revealing his righteousness in our
\nhearts, the same as God gave him the glory of revealing God\u2019s
\nrighteousness on the cross. So it is Christ, through the preaching of
\nthe gospel of God\u2019s righteousness, through the Holy Spirit, that reveals
\nGod\u2019s righteousness in our hearts. He said, \u201cI will declare thy name
\nunto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
\nYe that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify
\nhim; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.\u201d (vv22-24; Heb 2: 11-12).
\nGod truly has rewarded us double! The same Redeemer who justified us by
\nmanifesting the righteousness of God on the cross is our Prophet who
\nreveals the righteousness of God in our hearts so that we experience
\nbeing made righteous through faith.
\nDoes any wonder why we preach the glorious good news of the
\nrighteousness of God continually? It is because the righteousness of God
\nis the message that Christ, himself, effectually makes his church
\nproclaim and the one message by which Christ makes his lost sheep to be
\nborn of him. It is God\u2019s righteousness that makes those newly born of
\nGod willing to unite and proclaim this good news with us! How do we know
\nthis? It is what Christ himself said he would accomplish in his people
\nby declaring God\u2019s name through the gospel, \u201cA seed shall serve him; it
\nshall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. They shall come, and
\nshall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that
\nhe hath done this\u201d (Ps 22: 30-31).
\nBrethren, is not the righteousness of God great comfort to you? Are you
\nnot thankful that the LORD loveth righteous judgment? This is all our
\nsalvation! The righteousness of God that required Christ bear our sin is
\nthe righteousness that made the just Judge forsake our Substitute by
\nwhich Christ justified us on the cross. It is the righteousness that
\ndemanded we hear the gospel and be given life. It is the righteousness
\nwe heard preached by which we were born again. It is the righteousness
\nby which we are established and no weapon can harm us (Is 54:14-17). And
\nit is the righteousness by which God assures us that he shall never
\nforsake us but shall preserve us forever\u2014”For the LORD loveth judgment,
\nand forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved forever.\u201d (Ps 37: 28)
\nThis is why Christ\u2019s church preaches the righteousness of God. It is who
\nour God is and it is all our salvation!
\nClay Curtis.
\n
\n
\n
\nIs There Any Real Hope For Real Sinners?
\nIs there any real hope for real sinners? I know that men and women who
\nthink of themselves as good moral people have no problem in this matter.
\nThey think they are okay. They look upon their good works, their
\nreligious devotion, and their moral integrity with much approval. In
\ntheir proud self-righteousness they presume that God owes them something
\nand that he will accept them. They are highly offended when they are
\ntold by a plain spoken preacher that they are sinners and that their
\nsupposed righteous deeds are filthy rags, abominable in the sight of
\nGod. I am not speaking to you of good people”.
\nI am speaking to you men and women who know yourselves to be guilty
\nsinners before a holy God. You have no good deeds to boast of. Your life
\nis as vile as your heart. You are an outcast of society. Both your
\nfamily and friends avoid your company. You are so abominably evil that
\nyou can hardly endure living with yourself. You know that you are guilty
\nbefore a holy God. You know that if you had your just reward from him,
\nyou would be in hell. Is there any real hope for real sinners like you
\nand me?
\nI know that we have no hope in ourselves. We have all tried religious
\ndecisions and moral reformation. But these things cannot atone for our
\nsins. These things cannot silence our guilty consciences. Preachers tell
\nus to join the church, or start living right, or start serving the Lord.
\nYou may have tried it all. But the fact remains that you cannot do
\nanything that God will accept. You may have joined the church and become
\nreligious, but your conscience still torments you. You have no peace
\nwith God. Is there any real hope for real sinners?
\nYes, blessed be God, there is real hope for real sinners like us! That
\nHope is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He came to this earth to
\nbe the Friend of sinners. He came to be the sinner’s Substitute before
\nGod. As the Substitute for sinners, the Lord Jesus Christ lived in this
\nworld accomplishing a perfect righteousness, the only righteousness
\nwhich God will accept. Then he willingly laid down his life in the place
\nof sinners at Calvary. As the Substitute for guilty sinners the Son of
\nGod took our sins upon himself, and in his death he paid the penalty due
\nunto us. Now it is promised that all who believe on him shall be saved
\nand have everlasting life. “He that believeth on the Son hath
\neverlasting life” (John 3:36). That includes both you and me. If we, as
\nguilty sinners, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as our only Savior, our
\nonly Righteousness, and our only Pardon for sin, we shall be saved!
\nJesus Christ is the only One who gives real hope to real sinners. I
\ntrust him. Most gladly do I trust Christ. I have no righteousness but
\nhis righteousness. I have no cleansing from sin but his blood. I have no
\npardon but his pardon. I have no acceptance before God but Christ. I
\nhave nothing to plead before God but this, Jesus Christ lived and died
\nfor me. Though I am a real sinner like you, I have a REAL HOPE BEFORE
\nGOD. My Hope is Jesus Christ the Lord. And HE GIVES HE REAL PEACE BEFORE
\nGOD. Will you trust Christ alone? THERE IS REAL HOPE FOR REAL SINNERS IN
\nCHRIST.
\n
\nDon Fortner<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
OUR RULE OF LIFE Many religious people claim to believe a sinner is saved by grace but then they also claim that the believer must still strive to keep the law. They say, \u201cHow else will you control people?\u201d One big concern is giving. False religion keeps people under the law of the tithe because […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-believers-rule-of-life","category-bulletin-editions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5305","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=5305"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5305\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5306,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5305\/revisions\/5306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}