{"id":5802,"date":"2020-08-23T05:23:34","date_gmt":"2020-08-23T05:23:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=5802"},"modified":"2020-08-23T05:23:34","modified_gmt":"2020-08-23T05:23:34","slug":"bulletin-edition-august-2020-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=5802","title":{"rendered":"Bulletin Edition August 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“And if children, then heirs; heirs of\nGod, and joint-heirs with Christ.” Romans 8:17<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

This is the especial blessedness of being a child\nof God\u2013 that death, which puts a final extinguisher on all the hopes and\nhappiness of all the unregenerate, gives him the fulfillment of all his hopes\nand the consummation of all his happiness; for it places him in possession of\n“an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fades not away,\nreserved in heaven for those who are kept by the power of God through faith\nunto salvation.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this present earthly life, we have sometimes\nsips and tastes of sonship, feeble indeed and interrupted, so that it is with\nus as Mr. Deer speaks\u2013 “Though you here receive but little, scarce enough\nfor the proof of your proper title;” yet are they so far pledges of an\ninheritance to come. But this life is only an introduction to a better. In this\nlife we are but children, heirs indeed, but heirs in their minority; but in the\nlife to come, if indeed we are what we profess to be, sons and daughters of the\nLord Almighty, we shall be put into full possession of the eternal inheritance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what is this? Nothing less than God himself.\n“Heirs of God,” says the Apostle. For as the Lord said to Abraham,\n“I am your shield and exceeding great reward;” as he said to the\nLevites, “I am their inheritance,” so God himself is the inheritance\nof his people; yes, he himself in all his glorious perfections. All the love of\nGod, the goodness of God, the holiness of God, all his happiness, bliss, and\nblessedness, all his might, majesty, and glory, as shining forth in the Person\nof his dear Son in all the blaze of one eternal, unclouded day–this is the\nsaint’s inheritance. Let us not then be weary in well-doing; nor faint and tire\nin running the race set before us, with this prize in view; but press on by\nfaith and prayer to win this eternal and glorious crown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tis but a taste!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Charles Spurgeon)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“A pledge of our inheritance.” Ephesians\n1:14<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh! what enlightenment, what joys, what\nconsolation, what delight of heart\u2014is experienced by that man who has learned\nto feed on Jesus, and on Jesus alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet the realization which we have of Christ’s\npreciousness is, in this life, imperfect at the best. As an old writer says,\n“Tis but a taste!” We have but tasted “that the Lord is\ngracious,” but we do not yet know how good and gracious He is. We know\nsomewhat of His sweetness, and this makes us long for more. We have enjoyed the\nfirst fruits\u2014and they have set us hungering and thirsting for the fullness of\nthe heavenly vintage. Here on earth, we are like Israel in the wilderness, who\nhad but one cluster from Eshcol\u2014there we shall be in the vineyard!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are but beginners now in spiritual education;\nfor although we have learned the first letters of the alphabet, we cannot read\nwords yet, much less can we put sentences together. As one says, “He who\nhas been in heaven but five minutes\u2014knows more than all the theologians on\nearth combined!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have many ungratified spiritual desires at\npresent\u2014but soon every wish shall be satisfied; and all our powers shall find\nthe sweetest employment in that eternal world of joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O Christian, within a very little time you shall\nbe rid of all your trials and your troubles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your eyes which are now suffused with tears, shall\nweep no longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You shall gaze in ineffable rapture upon the\nsplendor of Him who sits on His glorious throne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nay, more\u2014you shall sit with Him upon His throne!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The triumph of His glory shall be shared by you!\nHis crown, His joy, His paradise\u2014these shall be yours!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You shall be co-heir with Him who is the heir of\nall things!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord\nJesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope\nthrough the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance\nthat can never perish, spoil or fade\u2014reserved in Heaven for you!” 1 Peter\n1:3-4<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All, all is ours!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Winslow, “Daily Need Divinely Supplied”\n1870)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Lord is my portion, says my soul;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

therefore I will hope in Him.” Lament. 3:24<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is our great privilege, beloved, that we live\nin a<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘portionless’ world. When God parceled out the\nland<\/p>\n\n\n\n

of Canaan among the tribes of Israel, He made an<\/p>\n\n\n\n

exception in the tribe of Levi, to whom He said,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“You shall have no inheritance in the land,\nneither<\/p>\n\n\n\n

shall you have any part among them;”\nassigning as<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His reason, “I am your share and your\ninheritance.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gospel teaching of this is obvious and\nsignificant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the Lord’s true priesthood, this world is not\nour<\/p>\n\n\n\n

portion, nor earth our rest. It may have required<\/p>\n\n\n\n

some painful discipline, and no small measure of\nfaith,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

on the part of the devout Levite, as he gazed upon\nthe<\/p>\n\n\n\n

fertile meadows, the watered plains, and the vine\nclad<\/p>\n\n\n\n

hills of the Promised Land, before he was made\nwilling<\/p>\n\n\n\n

to relinquish it all for Him who is invisible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It needs no little teaching and discipline<\/p>\n\n\n\n

of our God, and no little faith on our part,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

before we are led to give up . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the world,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the creature,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

self,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and all,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

for Christ; satisfied to have the Lord alone as<\/p>\n\n\n\n

our Portion, and heaven only as our inheritance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Lord is my portion, says my soul.”\nHis love<\/p>\n\n\n\n

to us was so great, that when He could give no<\/p>\n\n\n\n

greater proof of that love, He gave HIMSELF!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nothing more could have expressed the yearnings<\/p>\n\n\n\n

of His heart, nothing less could have satisfied\nthe<\/p>\n\n\n\n

desires of ours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And oh, what a Portion is God!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All that He is, and all that He has is ours . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

every attribute of His being is over us,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

every perfection of His nature encircles us,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

every pulse of His heart beats for us,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

every glance of His eye smiles upon us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We dwell in God, and God dwells in us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is not the world which is our portion, but<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HE who made, upholds and governs the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is not the creature who is our portion, but<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the Lord of angels and the Creator of men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Infinite portion!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Illimitable power!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Immeasurable grace!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boundless love!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All satisfying good!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All, all is ours!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what a Portion, O my soul, is Christ . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a divine Christ,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a redeeming Christ,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a full Christ,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a sympathizing Christ,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

an ever present Christ,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

an ever precious Christ,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

an ever loving Christ!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Lord, I bless You for the discipline that\nbrought<\/p>\n\n\n\n

me to realize what a divine, all satisfying\nPortion<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have in Yourself. You took from me an earthly<\/p>\n\n\n\n

portion, only to enrich me with a Heavenly one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You removed from me the human prop upon which<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I too fondly and idolatrously leaned, that I might<\/p>\n\n\n\n

learn what Christ was, as my soul’s all\nsufficient,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

all satisfying, and everlasting Portion. I can now<\/p>\n\n\n\n

admire the wisdom, and adore the love, that\nblasted<\/p>\n\n\n\n

my gourds and emptied me from vessel to vessel;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

that, rising superior to the broken staff, the\ndrooping<\/p>\n\n\n\n

flower, and the failing spring of creature good, I<\/p>\n\n\n\n

might claim my portion as a true spiritual Levite<\/p>\n\n\n\n

in Yourself alone.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“They will ask the way to Zion and turn\ntheir faces toward it. They will come and bind themselves to the Lord in an\neverlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.” Jeremiah 50:5<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Zion is the seat of all gospel blessings. In it is\nlaid “the precious corner-stone” (Isaiah 28:16); in it is\n“placed salvation for Israel” (Isaiah 46:13); the Lamb of God stands\nupon it (Rev. 14:1); mercy, redemption, pardon, comfort, strength, deliverance,\nand glory come out of it. In turning the face then Zionwards, is implied the\nseeking of gospel blessings. The redeemed are therefore said “to seek the\nLord their God,” who is only to be found in Zion, his dwelling-place, and\nwhere praise waits for him (Psalm 65:1). But they ask the way to Zion with\ntheir faces there in no light and trifling spirit, and in no presumption that\nthey shall ever arrive there. They have to ask the way step by step, often\ndoubting and fearing whether they be in the way. Having been so often deceived\nand deluded, they dare no more trust their own hearts; but have to beg of the\nLord to show them every inch of the road. They can no longer blindly follow\nevery presumptuous guide, but have to cry to the Lord himself to teach and lead\nand quicken them in the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And as they go, they weep. They mourn over their\nbase backslidings, over the many evils they have committed, over the levity of\nmind which they have indulged, over the worldliness of spirit, the pride,\npresumption, hypocrisy, carnality, carelessness, and obstinacy of their heart.\nThey go and weep with a broken heart and softened spirit; not resting in their\ntears as evidences, but seeking the Lord their God; seeking the secret\nmanifestations of his mercy, the visitations of his favor, the “lifting up\nof the light of his countenance;” seeking after a revelation of the love\nof Jesus; to know him by a spiritual discovery of himself. Being thus minded,\nthey seek not to establish their own righteousness; they seek not the applause\nof the world; they seek not the good opinion of professors; they seek not the\nsmiles of saints; they seek not to make themselves Christians by their own\nexertions. But “they seek the Lord their God,” seek his face day and\nnight, seek his favor, seek his mercy, seek his grace, seek his love, seek his\nglory, seek the sweet visitations of his presence and power, seek him wrestling\nwith him until they find him to be their covenant God, who heals all their\nbackslidings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Heaven?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Beloved, what is Heaven? What is the final glory\nof the saints? It is the best place, the richest inheritance provided by the\nFather for the people ransomed and redeemed by the precious blood of His dear\nSon! And when we enter there, we shall enter as children welcomed to a Father’s\nhome! It will be the best that God can give us! He will bestow upon us, who\ndeserved the least \u2014 the best in His power to bestow:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the best Savior,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the best robe,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the best banquet,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the best inheritance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Heaven, there will be . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

nothing more to taint,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

nothing more to sully,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

nothing more to embitter,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

nothing more to wound,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

no serpent to beguile,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

no Eve to ensnare,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

no spoiler to destroy,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

no sin to defile,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

no adversity to sadden,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

no misunderstanding to alienate,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

no tongue to defame,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

no suspicion to chill,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

no tear,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

no sickness,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

no death,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

no parting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It will be the best part of the pure, radiant,\nglorified universe which God will assign to His redeemed people!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let the prospect cheer, sanctify, and comfort you!\nIt will not be long that you are to labor and battle here on earth. It is but a\nlittle while that you are to occupy your present sphere of conflict, of trial,\nand of sorrow. The time is coming \u2014 oh, how fast it speeds! Soon the Lord Jesus\nChrist will bring you home to Heaven!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“In My Father’s house are many rooms; I am\ngoing there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for\nyou, I will come back and take you to be with Me \u2014 that you also may be where I\nam!” John 14:2-3<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rich to all eternity!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Charles Spurgeon)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter how great your wealth, if you have not\nChrist \u2014 you are miserably poor! “The rich man also died and was buried.\nIn Hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with\nLazarus by his side. So he called to him: Father Abraham, have pity on me and\nsend Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because\nI am in agony in this fire!” Luke 16:22-24<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter how great your poverty, if you have\nChrist \u2014 you are rich to all eternity! “We have a priceless inheritance \u2014\nan inheritance that is kept in Heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the\nreach of change and decay!” 1 Peter 1:4<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As though it had never been!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Beloved, soon, O how soon! All that now loads the\nheart with care, and wrings it with sorrow \u2014 all that dims the eye with tears,\nand renders the day anxious and the night sleepless \u2014 will be as though it had\nnever been!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emerging from the entanglement, the dreariness,\nthe solitude, the loneliness, and the temptations of the wilderness \u2014 you shall\nenter upon your everlasting rest, your unfading inheritance, where there is no\nsorrow, no sin, no sunset, no midnight darkness! But all is one perfect,\ncloudless, eternal day \u2014 for Jesus is the joy, the light, and the glory\nthereof!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“No longer will there be any curse. The\nthrone of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will serve\nHim. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. There\nwill be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of\nthe sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever\nand ever!” Revelation 22:3-5<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.” Romans 8:17 J.C.Philpot This is the especial blessedness of being a child of God\u2013 that death, which puts a final extinguisher on all the hopes and happiness of all the unregenerate, gives him the fulfillment of all his hopes and the consummation of […]<\/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-5802","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\/5802","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=5802"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5802\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5803,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5802\/revisions\/5803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}