{"id":5438,"date":"2019-09-29T10:24:51","date_gmt":"2019-09-29T10:24:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=5438"},"modified":"2019-09-29T10:24:51","modified_gmt":"2019-09-29T10:24:51","slug":"bulletin-edition-september-2019-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=5438","title":{"rendered":"Bulletin Edition September 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“THE\nLAW IS NOT MADE FOR A RIGHTEOUS MAN”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I Timothy\n1:9<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Henry\nMahan<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No man is\nrighteous in himself. The righteous man here intended is the man who believes\nin Christ with the heart unto righteousness and who lays hold on Christ’s\nrighteousness by faith, in consequence of which he lives soberly, righteously,\nand godly, though not without sin! The law of God does not lie as a weight and\nburden on him. (1) He delights in the law of God, and God’s commandments are\nnot grievous to him; (2) nor do its curse and penalty lie on him as a\npunishment to be borne; (3) nor is it to him a terrifying law, bringing him\ninto bondage and fear; (4) nor is it a despised law, forcing him into a way of\nlife he detests. But the law is enacted for the ungodly, the evil, and the\nprofane; for it is against such persons and their deeds as an accusing,\ncondemning, and terrifying law. Locks on doors are not made for honest men, but\nfor crooks. “Do not steal, kill, lie, etc.” are not rules needed by\nrighteous men, but laws enacted to control and convict ungodly men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“ANYTHING\nTHAT IS CONTRARY TO THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST” <\/strong>the law lies against it, takes notice of\nit, and condemns it. We observe the harmony between God’s law and His gospel,\nrightly understood and used. What is contrary to the one is contrary to the\nother. The gospel no more excuses sin than the law does. What is repugnant to\nthe moral law of God is also contrary to the gospel of Christ, who said,\n“I came not to destroy the law, but to fulfil it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poor,\nmiserable, paltry works of a polluted worm!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Philpot,\n“The Loss of All Things for Christ’s Sake”)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We\nare all infected and impure with sin. When we<\/p>\n\n\n\n

proudly\ndisplay our righteous deeds, we find they<\/p>\n\n\n\n

are but\nfilthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and fall.\nAnd our sins, like the wind, sweep us away.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isaiah\n64:6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We once\nthought that we could gain heaven by<\/p>\n\n\n\n

our own\nrighteousness. We strictly attended to<\/p>\n\n\n\n

our\nreligious duties, and sought by these and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

various\nother means to recommend ourselves<\/p>\n\n\n\n

to the\nfavour of God, and induce Him to reward<\/p>\n\n\n\n

us with\nheaven for our sincere attempts to obey<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His\ncommandments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And by\nthese religious performances we thought we<\/p>\n\n\n\n

would\nsurely be able to make a ladder whereby we<\/p>\n\n\n\n

could\nclimb up to heaven. This was our tower of<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Babel,\nwhose top was to reach unto heaven, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

by\nmounting which, we thought to scale the stars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the\nsame Lord who stopped the further building<\/p>\n\n\n\n

of the\ntower of Babel, by confounding their speech<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and\nscattering them abroad on the face of the earth;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

began to\nconfound our speech, so that we could not<\/p>\n\n\n\n

pray, or talk,\nor boast as before; and to scatter all<\/p>\n\n\n\n

our\nreligion like the chaff of the threshing floor. Our<\/p>\n\n\n\n

mouths\nwere stopped; we became guilty before God;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and our\nbricks and mortar became a pile of confusion!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When,\nthen, the Lord was pleased to discover to our<\/p>\n\n\n\n

souls by\nfaith, His being, majesty, greatness, holiness,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and\npurity; and thus gave us a corresponding sense of<\/p>\n\n\n\n

our\nfilthiness and folly; then all our creature religion<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and\nnatural piety which we once counted as gain, we<\/p>\n\n\n\n

began to\nsee was but loss; that our very religious duties<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and\nobservances, so far from being for us, were actually<\/p>\n\n\n\n

against\nus; and instead of pleading for us before God as<\/p>\n\n\n\n

so many\ndeeds of righteousness, were so polluted and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

defiled\nby sin perpetually mixed with them, that our<\/p>\n\n\n\n

very\nprayers were enough to sink us into hell, had<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we no\nother iniquities to answer for in heart, lip or life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when\nwe had a view by faith of the Person, work,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

love, and\ngrace of the Lord Jesus Christ, then we began<\/p>\n\n\n\n

more\nplainly and clearly to see, with what religious toys<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we had\nbeen so long amusing ourselves, and what is<\/p>\n\n\n\n

far\nworse, mocking God by them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had\nbeen secretly despising . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus and\nHis sufferings,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus and\nHis death,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus and\nHis righteousness,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and\nsetting up the poor, miserable, paltry<\/p>\n\n\n\n

works of\na polluted worm in the place of<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the\nfinished work of the Son of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pardon!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From\nSpurgeon’s sermon, “HIS NAME — WONDERFUL!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once upon\na time, there came one to my house of a black and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

terrible\naspect. He smote the door; I tried to bolt it- to hold<\/p>\n\n\n\n

it fast.\nHe smote again and again, till at last he entered,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and with\na rough voice he summoned me before him; and he said,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I\nhave a message from God for you–<\/p>\n\n\n\n

you are\ncondemned on account of your sins.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I looked\nat him with astonishment; I asked him his name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said,\n“My name is the Law.” and I fell at his feet as<\/p>\n\n\n\n

one that\nwas dead. “I was alive without the law once:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

but when\nthe commandment came, sin revived, and I died.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I lay\nthere, he smote me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He smote\nme till every rib seemed as if it must break,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and the\nbowels be poured forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My heart\nwas melted like wax within me;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I seemed\nto be stretched upon a rack-<\/p>\n\n\n\n

to be\npinched with hot irons-<\/p>\n\n\n\n

to be\nbeaten with whips of burning wire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A misery extreme\ndwelt and reigned in my heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I dared\nnot lift up mine eyes, but I thought within myself,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“There\nmay be hope, there may be mercy for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps\nthe God whom I have offended may accept my<\/p>\n\n\n\n

tears and\nmy promises of amendment, and I may live.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when\nthat thought crossed my mind, heavier were the<\/p>\n\n\n\n

blows and\nmore poignant my sufferings than before, till hope<\/p>\n\n\n\n

entirely\nfailed me, and I had nothing wherein to trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Darkness\nblack and dense gathered round me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I heard a\nvoice as it were, of rushing to and fro, and of wailing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and\ngnashing of teeth. I said within my soul, “I am cast out from<\/p>\n\n\n\n

his\nsight, I am utterly abhorred of God- he has trampled me in<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the mire\nof the streets in his anger.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there\ncame one by, of sorrowful but of loving aspect,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and he\nstooped over me, and he said, “Awake you that sleep,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and arise\nfrom the dead, and Christ shall give you light.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I arose\nin astonishment, and he took me, and he led<\/p>\n\n\n\n

me to a\nplace where stood a cross, and he seemed to<\/p>\n\n\n\n

vanish\nfrom my sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But he\nappeared again hanging there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I looked\nupon him as he bled upon that tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His eyes\ndarted a glance of love unutterable into my spirit,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and in a\nmoment, looking at him, the bruises that my soul had<\/p>\n\n\n\n

suffered\nwere healed; the gaping wounds were cured;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the\nbroken bones rejoiced; the rags that had covered me<\/p>\n\n\n\n

were all\nremoved; my spirit was white as the spotless snows<\/p>\n\n\n\n

of the\nfar-off north; I had melody within my spirit, for I was<\/p>\n\n\n\n

saved,\nwashed, cleansed, forgiven, through him that did hang<\/p>\n\n\n\n

upon the\ntree!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, how I\nwondered that I should be pardoned!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was\nnot the pardon that I wondered at so much;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the\nwonder was that it should come to ME.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nwondered that he should be able to pardon such sins as mine;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

such\ncrimes, so numerous and so black, and that after such an<\/p>\n\n\n\n

accusing\nconscience he should have power to still every wave<\/p>\n\n\n\n

within my\nspirit, and make my soul like the surface of a river,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

undisturbed,\nquiet, and at ease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

By J. C.\nPhilpot<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As from\nthe cross flows all salvation, so from the cross flows all sanctification. What\nhave not men done, to make themselves holy; and by this means render\nthemselves, as they have thought, acceptable to God! What tortures of body,\nwhat fastings, scourgings, self-imposed penances to sanctify their sinful\nnature, and conform their rebellious flesh to the holiness demanded by the law!\nAnd with what success? They have landed either in self-righteousness or\ndespair\u2014though at opposite points of the compass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flesh\ncannot be sanctified. It is essentially and incurably corrupt; and therefore,\nif we are to possess that inward holiness, “without which no man shall see\nthe Lord,” it must be by Christ being “of God, made unto us\nsanctification,” as well as righteousness\u2014sanctifying us not only\n“with his own blood,” (Heb. 13:13,) but by his Spirit and grace. If\nwe believe in Him, we shall love him (“unto you which believe, he is\nprecious;”) if we love him, we shall seek to please, and fear to displease\nhim; if we believe in Him, by the gift and work of God, this divine and living\nfaith will purify our heart, overcome the world, produce that spiritual\nmindedness which is life and peace, give union and communion with the Lord of\nlife and glory; and every believing view of him, every act of faith upon him,\nand every visit from him, will conform us to his likeness, as the Apostle\nspeaks: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of\nthe Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit\nof the Lord.” (2 Cor. 3:18.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If, then,\nwe are to feel an inward power sanctifying our hearts, drawing up our minds to\nheavenly things, subduing our sins, meekening and softening our spirit,\nseparating us from the world, filling us with holy thoughts, gracious desires,\nand pure affections, and thus making us “meet for the inheritance of the\nsaints in light,” this inward sanctification must flow wholly and solely\nfrom the Blessed Spirit, as the gift of a risen Jesus: as he himself said, “Nevertheless\nI tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not\naway, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him\nunto you.” “He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and\nshall show it unto you” (John 16:7, 14).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is\nnot, then, the hair-shirt, the monk’s cell, the midnight vigil, the protracted\nfast; no, nor the soothing strains of the swelling organ, the melodious chant\nof surpliced choristers, the “dim religious light” of the stained\nGothic window; no, nor the terrors of the Law, the accusations of conscience,\nthe tears, cries and resolutions of a heart that still loves sin, though\nprofessing to repent of it; no, nor gloomy looks, neglected apparel, softly\nuttered words, slow walk, holiness of face, manner, and gesture, hollow voice,\ndemure countenance, a choice assortment of Scripture words and phrases on every\noccasion, or no occasion; no, nor all the array of piety and sanctity which\nSatan, transformed into an angel of light, has devised to deceive thousands,\nthat can purge the conscience from the guilt, filth, love, power and practice\nof sin, or raise up that new man, which after God is created in righteousness\nand true holiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like the\nblood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean,\nthey may, and even that very imperfectly, sanctify to the purifying of the\nflesh; but it is the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit, offered\nhimself without spot to God, which can alone purge the conscience from filth,\nguilt, and dead works, to serve the living God; and it is the work of the\nblessed Spirit alone which, by revealing Christ, and forming him in the heart,\n“the hope of glory,” can create and bring forth that new man of grace\nwhich is renewed in knowledge after the image of him who created him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“THE LAW IS NOT MADE FOR A RIGHTEOUS MAN” I Timothy 1:9 Henry Mahan No man is righteous in himself. The righteous man here intended is the man who believes in Christ with the heart unto righteousness and who lays hold on Christ’s righteousness by faith, in consequence of which he lives soberly, righteously, 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-5438","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\/5438","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=5438"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5439,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5438\/revisions\/5439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}