“Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” Genesis\n6:8<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What sad\nconsequences there are to sin! That horrible, heart-hatred of God, which\nresides in the hearts of each of Adam’s sons and daughters \u2014 works havoc in the\nearth and will bring us all down to Hell in the end \u2014 unless God intervenes to\nsave. The only hope there is for fallen, depraved, helpless sinners \u2014 is the\nomnipotent intervention of God’s irresistible grace!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The whole\nworld was lost. The whole world was corrupt. The whole of Adam’s race was\ndegenerate and walked in wickedness, provoking the wrath of God. But God, in\ngreat pity, mercy and compassion \u2014 showed Himself gracious to one man.\n“Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” God spared Noah. God\nsaved Noah. Through Noah, God preserved his family, preserved our race and thus\npreserved His elect for all generations to come!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blessed be\nHis name, God does intervene to save! He does not have to save. No mortal will\never seek salvation from Him \u2014 until first he is sought by Him. But God has, in\nindescribable, infinite mercy, chosen to save a people for His own glory \u2014 and\nsave them, He will!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I\nhave loved you, My people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have\ndrawn you to Myself!” Jeremiah 31:3<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nDon Fortner<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nreligionists of the day<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (J. C.\nPhilpot, “Faith’s Standing-Ground” 1862)<\/p>\n\n\n\n “And\neveryone will hate you because of your<\/p>\n\n\n\n allegiance\nto Me.” Luke 21:17<\/p>\n\n\n\n Professors\nof religion have always been the<\/p>\n\n\n\n deadliest\nenemies of the children of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who were\nso opposed to the blessed Lord as the<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scribes\nand Pharisees? It was the religious teachers<\/p>\n\n\n\n and\nleaders who crucified the Lord of glory!<\/p>\n\n\n\n And so in\nevery age the religionists of the day<\/p>\n\n\n\n have been\nthe hottest and bitterest persecutors<\/p>\n\n\n\n of the\nChurch of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nor is the\ncase altered now. The more the children<\/p>\n\n\n\n of God are\nfirm in the truth, the more they enjoy its<\/p>\n\n\n\n power, the\nmore they live under its influence, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n the more\ntenderly and conscientiously they walk in<\/p>\n\n\n\n godly\nfear, the more will the professing generation<\/p>\n\n\n\n of the day\nhate them with a deadly hatred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let us not\nthink that we can disarm it by a godly life;<\/p>\n\n\n\n for the\nmore that we walk in the sweet enjoyment of<\/p>\n\n\n\n heavenly\ntruth and let our light shine before men as<\/p>\n\n\n\n having\nbeen with Jesus, the more will this draw down<\/p>\n\n\n\n their\nhatred and contempt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “And\nthe world hates them because they do not<\/p>\n\n\n\n belong to\nthe world, just as I do not.” John 17:14<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\ntouchstone…<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n -Spurgeon,\nTHE NECESSITY OF INCREASED FAITH<\/p>\n\n\n\n “He\nthat believes on the Son of God has eternal life abiding in him.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n It becomes\neach of us more earnestly to inquire<\/p>\n\n\n\n whether we\nhave true faith or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n O, my\nbrethren, there are a thousand shams in the world-<\/p>\n\n\n\n a thousand\nimitations of faith; but there is only one true<\/p>\n\n\n\n vital\nsaving faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are\nscores of “notional” faiths- a faith which consists in<\/p>\n\n\n\n holding a\nsound creed, a faith which bids men believe a lie,<\/p>\n\n\n\n by\nwrapping them up with assurances of their safety, when<\/p>\n\n\n\n they are\nstill in the gall of bitterness and the bonds of iniquity,<\/p>\n\n\n\n a faith\nwhich consists in presumptuously trusting to ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are\nscores of false faiths; but there is only one true one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh! as you\nwish to be saved at last; as you would not be<\/p>\n\n\n\n self-deceived\nand go marching to damnation with your<\/p>\n\n\n\n eyes shut,\ntake your faith in your hand this morning and<\/p>\n\n\n\n see\nwhether it is genuine sterling coin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We ought\nto be more careful concerning our faith than of<\/p>\n\n\n\n anything\nelse. True, we ought to examine our conduct,<\/p>\n\n\n\n we ought\nto search our works, we ought to test our love, but,<\/p>\n\n\n\n above all,\nour faith: for if faith is wrong all is wrong;<\/p>\n\n\n\n if faith\nis right, we may take that as the touchstone<\/p>\n\n\n\n of our\nsincerity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Such is\nthe effect of the grace of God in the heart of a pilgrim; while on one hand he\nsees the propensity of his evil nature to every sin which has been committed by\nothers, and is humbled. He also confesses, that, by no power of his own, is he\npreserved\u2014but ever gives the glory to the God of all grace, by whose power\nalone he is kept from falling. John Bunyan<\/p>\n\n\n\n THE GOSPEL\nOF GOD’S GRACE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n by Don\nFortner–<\/p>\n\n\n\n “However,\nI consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I<\/p>\n\n\n\n may finish\nthe race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has<\/p>\n\n\n\n given me–\nthe task of testifying to THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S<\/p>\n\n\n\n GRACE.”\nActs 20:24<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grace is\nthe solitary source from which the goodwill,<\/p>\n\n\n\n love, and\nsalvation of God flow to his chosen people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grace is\ncompletely unmerited and unsought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is\naltogether unattracted by us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grace\ncannot be bought, earned, or won by anything in us or done by us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If it\ncould, it would cease to be grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grace is\nbestowed upon sinners without attraction,<\/p>\n\n\n\n without\ncondition, without qualification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When God’s\nsaving grace comes to a sinner, it comes as a<\/p>\n\n\n\n matter of\npure charity, unsought, unasked, and undesired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\nsearch the Scriptures, you will find that there are five things<\/p>\n\n\n\n which\nalways characterize the grace of God. Whenever men speak contrary<\/p>\n\n\n\n to these\nfive things they deny the grace of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. The\ngrace of God is eternal (Rom. 8:28-30; 2 Tim. 1:9).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. The\ngrace of God is free (Rom. 3:24).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. The\ngrace of God is sovereign (Rom. 9:16).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. The\ngrace of God is distinguishing (1 Cor. 4:7).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. The\ngrace of God is in Christ, only in Christ (Eph. 1:3-14).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grace is\nnot something God offers to sinners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grace is\nthe operation of God in sinners, by which he<\/p>\n\n\n\n effectually\nsaves the objects of his everlasting love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The gospel\nof God is the message of grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To the\nself-righteous religionist, it is a stumbling block.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To the\nlearned, philosophical worldling, it is foolishness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because\nthere is nothing in the gospel to gratify the pride of man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The gospel\nof God declares that man can never be saved,<\/p>\n\n\n\n but by the\ngrace of God. It declares that apart from Christ,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nunspeakable gift of God’s grace, there is no salvation,<\/p>\n\n\n\n and that\nthe state of every human being is desperate, hopeless,<\/p>\n\n\n\n and\nirretrievable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The gospel\naddresses men and women as depraved,<\/p>\n\n\n\n guilty,\ncondemned, perishing sinners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It puts us\nall upon one level-<\/p>\n\n\n\n The gospel\ndeclares that the purest moralist is in the same<\/p>\n\n\n\n condition\nas the vilest profligate, that the zealous religionist<\/p>\n\n\n\n is no\nbetter than the most profane infidel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Without\nChrist, without grace, all are lost!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The gospel\naddresses every descendant of Adam as a fallen,<\/p>\n\n\n\n polluted,\nhell-bent, hell-deserving sinner, utterly incapable<\/p>\n\n\n\n of\nchanging his ruined condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The grace\nof God in Christ is our only hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All men,\nby nature, stand before God’s holy law as justly condemned<\/p>\n\n\n\n felons,\nawaiting the execution of his wrath upon us (John 3:18,36;<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rom.3:19).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our only\nhope is grace!<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Grace\nis a provision for men who are–<\/p>\n\n\n\n so FALLEN\nthat they cannot lift the ax of justice,<\/p>\n\n\n\n so CORRUPT\nthat they cannot change their own nature,<\/p>\n\n\n\n so AVERSE\nTO GOD that they cannot turn to him,<\/p>\n\n\n\n so BLIND\nthat they cannot see him,<\/p>\n\n\n\n so DEAF\nthat they cannot hear him,<\/p>\n\n\n\n and so\nDEAD that God must himself open their graves<\/p>\n\n\n\n and lift\nthem into resurrection” (George S. Bishop).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The only\nhope any sinner has of salvation and eternal<\/p>\n\n\n\n life is\nthe grace of God freely bestowed upon sinners<\/p>\n\n\n\n through\nJesus Christ, the sinner’s Substitute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The only\nbestower of grace is God the Holy Spirit,<\/p>\n\n\n\n who is\ncalled “the Spirit of grace” (Zech. 12:10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n He is the\nOne who applies the gospel to the hearts<\/p>\n\n\n\n of chosen,\nredeemed sinners by his effectual, saving power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\nQUICKENS God’s elect while they are yet spiritually dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\nCONQUERS the rebel’s will, MELTS the hard heart,<\/p>\n\n\n\n OPENS the\nblind eye, and CLEANSES the soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He gives\nears to hear, eyes to see, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n a heart to\nbelieve on the Lord Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “And\nwhat is the exceeding greatness of his power to us who believe, according to\nthe working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him\nfrom the dead.” Ephesians 1:19-20<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n J.C.Philpot<\/p>\n\n\n\n Man needs\nto be roused by a mighty and effectual power out of his state of sleep and\ndeath. It is not a little pull, a gentle snatch at his coat, a slight tug of\nhis sleeve, which will pull him out of his sins. He must be snatched from them\nas a person would be snatched out of bed when the house is on fire, or pulled\nout of a river when sinking for the last time. Let us never think that the work\nof grace upon the heart is a slight or superficial one. Indeed, there needs a\nmighty work of grace upon a sinner’s heart to deliver him from his\ndestructions. We always, therefore, find the work of grace to begin by a\nspiritual sight and sense of our ruined condition before God. But this alone\nwill not suffice to make us true-hearted disciples of Jesus. It is a\npreparation, a most needful preparation for a sight of the King in his beauty,\nbut it is not the same thing as to see and believe in the Son of God unto\neternal life. We must have something far beyond any convictions of sin or any\nsense of our lost and ruined condition. We must have by faith a view of the\nblessed Lord more or less manifested to our souls by that Holy Spirit whose\noffice it is to take of the things of Christ and to reveal them to the heart so\nas to see his suitability, his grace, his glory, his work, his blood, his\nobedience; and to so see these divine and blessed realities by the eye of\nfaith, as to know and feel for ourselves that they are exactly adapted to our\ncase and state; that they are the very things we require to save us from the\nwrath to come; and that so far as we have a saving interest in them we are\nsaved from the floods of destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wherever\nthis believing sight of Christ is given to the soul, it creates and maintains a\nfaith that works by love. Thus wherever there is a view of Jesus by the eye of\nfaith, wherever he manifests and makes himself in any measure precious to the\nsoul, love is the certain fruit of it; for we love him because he first loved\nus, and, when we begin to love the Lord, love gives us a binding tie which\ncreates union and communion with him. As, then, he unveils his lovely face, and\ndiscovers more and more of his beauty and blessedness, it gives him a firm\nplace in the heart’s warmest, tenderest affections, and then he comes and takes\nup his abode in the soul and rules there as its rightful Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nfollowing things therefore are indispensably necessary to true discipleship;\nfirst, a spiritual sense of our lost, ruined condition; then a knowledge of\nChrist by a gracious discovery of his suitability, beauty, and blessedness; and\nthirdly, a faith in him that works by love and purifies the heart, overcomes\nthe world, and delivers from death and hell.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” Genesis 6:8 What sad consequences there are to sin! That horrible, heart-hatred of God, which resides in the hearts of each of Adam’s sons and daughters \u2014 works havoc in the earth and will bring us all down to Hell in the end \u2014 unless God […]<\/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-5727","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\/5727","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=5727"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5727\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5728,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5727\/revisions\/5728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}