{"id":560,"date":"2011-06-03T14:33:10","date_gmt":"2011-06-03T14:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=560"},"modified":"2011-06-03T14:33:10","modified_gmt":"2011-06-03T14:33:10","slug":"bulletin-articles-issue-74-june-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=560","title":{"rendered":"Bulletin Articles Issue #74 June 2011"},"content":{"rendered":"

The “illuminated” Bible?
\n<\/strong>
\n<\/em> You may read the Bible continuously and yet never learn
\nanything by it, unless it is illuminated<\/strong> by the Spirit.
\nThen the words shine forth like stars. Then the book seems
\nmade of gold leaf; every single letter glitters like a diamond.<\/p>\n

Oh! it is a blessed thing to read an “illuminated Bible”
\nlit up by the radiance of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n

Have you read the Bible, and yet have your eyes been
\nunenlightened? Go and say, “O Lord, illuminate it; shine upon
\nit; for I cannot read it to profit, unless You enlighten me.”
\nBlind men may read the Bible with their fingers,
\nbut blind souls cannot.
\nWe need a light to read the Bible by;
\nthere is no reading it in the dark.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Spurgeon<\/em><\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

One continued dream and delusion<\/span><\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

(Thomas Boston, “Human Nature in its Fourfold State<\/a>“)<\/p>\n

“There is no one who understands.” Romans 3:11<\/p>\n

“They are darkened in their understanding and separated
\nfrom the life of God because of the ignorance that is in
\nthem due to the hardening of their hearts.” Ephes. 4:18<\/p>\n

The natural man’s apprehension of divine things is corrupt.
\nThe understanding<\/strong>, that leading faculty, is despoiled of
\nits primitive glory, and covered over with confusion.
\nTell them how they may advance their worldly wealth, or how
\nthey may gratify their lusts\u2014and they will quickly understand
\nthese things. But it is very hard to make them know how their
\nsouls may be saved, or how their hearts may find rest in Christ.
\nThey are very stupid and unteachable<\/strong> in the matters of God.
\nWhat woeful delusions prevail over them! Do we not often see
\nthose, who in other things are the wisest of men\u2014yet are
\nnotorious fools with respect to their soul’s interest?
\nMany who are eagle-eyed in the trifles of time\u2014<\/em>yet are like
\nowls and bats in the light of eternal realities<\/em>. Nay, truly, the
\nlife of every natural man is but <\/em>one continued dream and
\ndelusion<\/strong>, out of which he never awakes, until either, by a
\ndivine light darted from heaven into his soul, he comes to
\nhimself\u2014or, in hell he lifts up his eyes in torment!
\nSin has closed the windows of the soul; darkness covers the
\nwhole. The prince of darkness reigns there, and nothing but<\/p>\n

the works of darkness are framed there. We are born spiritually
\nblind\u2014and cannot be restored without a miracle of grace.<\/p>\n

“For though your hearts were once full of darkness<\/strong>, now
\nyou are full of light <\/strong>from the Lord!” Ephesians 5:8<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

THE LORD’S JEWELS<\/span><\/strong>
\n<\/em><\/strong>
\nby Spurgeon-<\/em><\/p>\n

Goldsmiths make exquisite forms from ‘precious materials’.
\nThey fashion the bracelet and the ring from gold.<\/p>\n

But God makes His precious things out of ‘base materials’.
\nFrom the black pebbles of the defiling brooks He has
\ntaken up stones which He has set in the golden ring of
\nHis immutable love, to make those gems to sparkle on
\nHis finger forever!<\/p>\n

—-<\/p>\n

Nothing can tame savage hearts!<\/span><\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

(John MacDuff<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Oh, the human heart is deep in its corruptions,
\ndeep in its self-deceptions. “The human heart
\nis most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who
\nreally knows how bad it is?” Jeremiah 17:9<\/p>\n

Nothing can tame savage hearts<\/strong>, but the
\nregenerating power of the blessed Gospel.<\/p>\n

“I will cleanse you from all your impurities
\nand from all your idols. I will give you a
\nnew heart and put a new spirit in you; I
\nwill remove from you your heart of stone
\nand give you a heart of flesh. And I will
\nput My Spirit in you and cause you to
\nfollow My decrees and be careful to
\nkeep My laws.” Ezekiel 36:25-27<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

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

Paying for admittance into heaven<\/span><\/strong>
\n(Horatius Bonar<\/a>, “Bible Thoughts and Themes”)<\/p>\n

“He saved us–not by works of righteousness that
\nwe had done, but according to His mercy.” Titus 3:5<\/p>\n

Ritualism, or externalism, or traditionalism<\/strong>
\nare all different forms of self-righteousness; man’s
\nself-invented ways of pleasing or appeasing God,
\nor paying for admittance into heaven<\/strong>. These
\nforms of self-righteousness are a human apparatus
\nfor procuring God’s pardon. They are the means by
\nwhich the performer of them hopes to win God’s
\nfavor–perhaps, also, man’s praise–most certainly,
\nhis own esteem.
\nEvery act, or performance, or ceremony, which honors self,
\nexalts self, or gives prominence to self–is an accursed thing.
\nIt is an abomination in the sight of God–however religious,
\nor sacred, or solemn, or devout, it may seem to man.
\nIt is to self-righteousness in some form or other, that man
\nis always tending. Man attempts to make up for this badness,
\nor to cover it over, by works, and devotions, and ceremonies.
\nAll this is pure self-righteousness.
\nThe religion of self-righteousness in our day consists
\nof works, feelings, fancies, music, rites, festivals, fasts,
\ngestures, postures, garments. It is something which
\ngratifies self; which pleases the natural man; which
\nmakes a man think well of himself; which gives a
\nman something to do <\/strong>or to feel <\/strong>in order to earn
\npardon and merit heaven. Pride, religious pride, is
\nat the root. Ritualism is man’s expression of rejection
\nof Christ. It was self-righteous religion which crucified
\nthe Son of God. All human rites and ceremonies are
\nman’s ways of getting rid of Christ. What can all
\nthese things do? Can they save?
\nCan religious postures save?
\nCan religious garments save?
\nCan religious candles save?
\nCan religious music save?
\nCan religious architecture save?
\nCan religious cathedrals save?
\nNo! They lead away from Jesus! They make void
\nthe cross, and trample on His blood!<\/p>\n

“He saved us–not by works of righteousness that
\nwe had done, but according to His mercy.” Titus 3:5<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Is My God The God?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Isaiah 41: 21-29<\/p>\n

An idol is an image made to represent God (Deuteronomy 4: 15-19). But idolatry is man worshipping himself (Romans 1: 22-25). Just as an image is the work of man\u2019s hand, every man whose salvation is in some aspect dependent upon what he has done is worshipping himself regardless of if he worships an image or not. The god of man\u2019s imagination truly has no hands but man \u2019s hands and no feet but man\u2019s feet because the god of man\u2019s imagination is no greater than himself.<\/p>\n

The God of heaven and earth saves whom he will apart from the sinner\u2019s contribution (Romans 9: 16). No child born of Adam has power to save himself (Psalm 14: 2-3). The very term \u201csalvation\u201d declares that the one being saved has no power to save. If one has power to save himself then he does not need to be saved. But the one being saved is entirely dependent upon another to save him. \u201cSalvation-is-of-the-Lord\u201d (Jonah 2: 9; Acts 4: 12). The God of heaven and earth calls on every man to answer this question, \u201cIs My God THE God?\u201d-Clay Curtis<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The “illuminated” Bible? You may read the Bible continuously and yet never learn anything by it, unless it is illuminated by the Spirit. Then the words shine forth like stars. Then the book seems made of gold leaf; every single letter glitters like a diamond. Oh! it is a blessed thing to read an “illuminated […]<\/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-560","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\/560","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=560"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":561,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560\/revisions\/561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}