{"id":5759,"date":"2020-07-20T00:03:55","date_gmt":"2020-07-20T00:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=5759"},"modified":"2020-07-20T00:03:55","modified_gmt":"2020-07-20T00:03:55","slug":"bulletin-edition-july-2020-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=5759","title":{"rendered":"Bulletin Edition July 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“Therefore brethren,\ngive diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if you do these\nthings, you shall never fall.” \u20132 Peter 1:10<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

J.C.Philpot<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you any testimony to\nyour effectual calling? Has grace indeed laid hold of your heart? O that you\nmight know more fully\u2014more powerfully\u2014what a blessed hope of eternal life is\nlaid up in the bosom of this heavenly calling, that it might cheer and\nencourage you to press on more and more to realize all that is given you in\nChrist, both for here and hereafter, in present grace and in future glory! In\nknowing what is the hope of their effectual calling, the saints of God learn\nthat this hope embraces all things which are made theirs in Christ, whether\nlife or death, or things present or things to come, that all are theirs; and\nfor this blessed and all-sufficient reason, that they are Christ’s and Christ\nis God’s. It is by making sure our calling that we make sure our election\u2014for\nthe one is the sure evidence of the other; and thus, if doubt and uncertainty\nhang over our calling, the same doubt and uncertainty must rest upon our\nelection to eternal life. But as these doubts and fears are removed by the\nspirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ, and we can clearly\nsee and fully believe that the grace of God effectually called us out of\ndarkness into his marvelous light, then we see by faith what is laid up in the\nbosom of this calling, and what a glorious hope of eternal life is thereby\nafforded as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and thus abound in\nhope through the power of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

John MacDuff<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This is the resting\nplace, let the weary rest; and this is the place of repose”\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“What is more, I\nconsider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing\nChrist Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them\nrubbish, that I may gain Christ.” Philippians 3:8<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The “loss of all\nthings” bringing with it rest\u2014tranquility! This seems a contradiction in\nterms. Worldly loss generally, and as an almost necessary consequence, leads to\nunrest, unquiet, trouble. Yet in Paul’s case it was sublimely true\u2014the\nsurrender of former grounds and subjects for exultation and boasting led him to\nthe truest, to the only stable rest. We are reminded of another of his seeming\nparadoxes: “Having nothing, yet possessing all things.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We may readily believe,\nindeed, that it would be no small effort for him to discard what he once so\nfondly loved and prized, and to which he so proudly clung. Sad to go to that\ngallery of pleasant pictures which he himself had hung in the chambers of his soul,\nand with his own hand to wrench one by one from its place\u2014to tear sculpture by\nsculpture from niche and pedestal, and to write upon these walls, so lately\ngleaming with fancied righteousness, “All loss for Christ!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of the entire\npassage, he has undoubtedly reference to that wild night in the Adriatic Sea,\nto which in former pages we have incidentally referred, when pursuing his\nvoyage to Rome in the Alexandrian ship. The tempest was threatening; the safety\nof the ship seemed to demand a lightening of the cargo. But that precious corn!\nmust it be sacrificed for the safety of the vessel? It was “gain;”\nbut must it come to be counted as “loss,” and tossed overboard? Yes,\nthe tempest decides the question. It must be consigned to the waves, otherwise\nthe vessel will sink. There is no room for debate; the crew make up their minds\nto “suffer the loss of all.” No, more, when the tempest howls with\ngreater fury, and danger and death stare them full in the face, they go a step\nfurther. The “loss” is never thought of. They do not now pause in\nuncertainty and indecision, saying, ‘Cannot we save these precious barrels of\nmerchandise?’ Imminent danger makes them glad to plunge them into the roaring\nsea. When the question is between the loss of the wheat, and the loss of the\nship, there can be no hesitation. They account them as absolutely worthless\u2014of\nno value. They are glad to see them pitching against one another in the dark\nabyss. They look upon them now, not as gain or treasure, but as having proved an\nabsolute hindrance, endangering their safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And this was the process in\nPaul’s mind. First, there was a clinging to all these birthright gains and\nself-righteous confidences. He was unwilling to part with them. Secondly, he\nunderwent the “loss,” but it was accompanied with\n“suffering.” It was an intense effort for him to renounce that which\nhe had once so fondly treasured and trusted in. But the third stage of feeling\nwas when he was brought to say, ‘I hate them all! they are as rubbish\u2014they are\nworthless: they are endangering the vessel’s safety; they are endangering my\nsoul’s interest; let them go, every one of them! They were once “gain to\nme;” once I endured “suffering” at the thought of losing them;\nbut now, heave them into the raging sea. I count them as refuse, sweepings,\nhusks, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is this our case? Can we, as\nvoyagers on the sea of life, make such a declaration, that all in which we once\ntrusted and gloried, as a ground of justification in the sight of God, we toss\noverboard, in order that the giant deed of Christ’s doing and dying may stand\nout alone in solitary grandeur? “Not having my own righteousness, which is\nof the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness\nwhich is of God by faith.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Accepted in the\nBeloved,” says Hedley Vicars, “What a healing balm is there here, for\na weary, heavy-laden sinner!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if being clothed in the\nimputed righteousness of Immanuel is a blessed truth to live on, what a blessed\ntruth to die on! What a joyous garment this, with which to wrap around us when\nthe billows are high, and we are plunging into Jordan! We can imagine, when\nthat solemn hour arrives; when, perhaps suddenly, we are laid on the pillow\nfrom which we are to rise no more; and when, despite our well-grounded\nconfidence in the Gospel, gloomy visions and memories of former guilt will\ngather around, filling us with trembling and dismay\u2014oh! in the midst of the\nthick darkness, to feel clothed with a garment, which the rush of waters cannot\npenetrate, and of which the King of terrors cannot rob us\u2014the robe which we\nreceived at the cross, and which we are to wear before the throne!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, children of God, of\nevery age and rank and experience, tune your hearts and lips for the joyous strain.\nAged believers, sing it! you whose earthly pilgrim-garments are soiled and\ntravel-worn, but whose robe of righteousness is fresh as in the day of your\nbetrothals with the Heavenly Bridegroom. Young believers, sing it! you who may\nhave but recently stood at the marriage-altar with your Lord, and received at\nHis hands the glistering apparel; who may have a long journey, it may be, still\nto travel, before you reach the King’s Palace. Sorrowing believers, sing it!\ntake down your harps from the willows of sadness. You are in mourning attire;\nbut through your garments there shines this “clothing of wrought\ngold,” which the shadows of death and the grave cannot dim or alloy. Let\nthe whole Church of the living God, divided on other themes\u2014mute with other\nsongs\u2014kindle into holy rapture with this\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Jesus, Your blood and\nrighteousness<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My beauty are, my glorious\ndress;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Mid flaming worlds, in\nthese array’d,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With joy I shall lift up my\nhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This spotless robe the\nsame appears<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When ruined nature sinks in\nyears;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No age can change its\nglorious hue\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The robe of Christ is ever\nnew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“And when the dead\nshall hear Your voice,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And all Your banish’d ones\nrejoice,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their beauty this, their\nglorious dress\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JESUS THE LORD OUR\nRIGHTEOUSNESS!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“To the praise of His\nglorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Lord God has\ngiven me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in\nseason to him that is weary.” Isaiah 50:4<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Octavius Winslow<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE Lord Jesus gives His\npeople the tongue of the learned, the they may sometimes speak a word in season\nto His weary ones. Have you not a word for Christ? May you not go to that tried\nbeliever in sickness, in poverty, in adversity, or in prison, and tell of the\nbalm that has often healed your spirit, and of the cordial that has often\ncheered your heart? “A word spoken in due season, how good is it!” A\ntext quoted, a sentiment repeated, an observation made, a hint dropped, a kind\ncaution suggested, a gentle rebuke given, a tender admonition left\u2014oh! the\nblessing that has flowed from it! It was a word spoken in season! Say not with\nMoses, “I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue;” or with Jeremiah,\n“Ah! Lord God! behold, I cannot speak; for I am a child.” Hear the\nanswer of the Lord: “Who has made man’s mouth? have not I, the Lord? Now\ntherefore go: I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall\nsay.” And oh! how frequently and effectually does the Lord speak to His\nweary ones, even through the weary. All, perhaps, was conflict within, and\ndarkness without; but one word falling from the lips of a man of God has been\nthe voice of God to the soul. And what an honor conferred, thus to be the\nchannel conveying consolation from the loving heart of the Father to the\ndisconsolate heart of the child! to go and smooth a ruffled pillow, lift the\npressure from off a burdened spirit, and light up the gloomy chamber of sorrow,\nof sickness, and of death, as with the first dawnings of the coming glory! Go,\nChristian reader, and ask the Lord so to clothe your tongue with holy, heavenly\neloquence, that you may know how to speak a word in season to him that is\nweary. Ah! it is impossible to speak of the preciousness of Christ to another,\nand not, while we speak, feel Him precious to our own souls. It is impossible\nto lead another to the cross, and not find ourselves overshadowed by its glory.\nIt is impossible to establish another in the being, character, and truth of\nGod, and not feel our own minds fortified and confirmed. It is impossible to\nquote the promises and unfold the consolations of the gospel to another, and\nnot be sensible of a tranquillizing and soothing influence stealing softly over\nour own hearts. It is impossible to break the alabaster box, and not fill the house\nwith the odor of the ointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contending for the faith,\nremember that the Lord Jesus can give you the tongue of the learned. Listen to\nHis promises\u2014”I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your\nadversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.” Thus the most\nunlearned and the most weak may be so deeply taught, and be so skillfully armed\nin Christ’s school, as to be able valiantly to defend and successfully to\npreach the truth, putting to “silence the ignorance of foolish men.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Therefore brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if you do these things, you shall never fall.” \u20132 Peter 1:10 J.C.Philpot Have you any testimony to your effectual calling? Has grace indeed laid hold of your heart? O that you might know more fully\u2014more powerfully\u2014what a blessed hope of eternal life […]<\/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-5759","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\/5759","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=5759"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5759\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5760,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5759\/revisions\/5760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}