{"id":5888,"date":"2020-12-12T11:07:43","date_gmt":"2020-12-12T11:07:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=5888"},"modified":"2020-12-12T11:07:43","modified_gmt":"2020-12-12T11:07:43","slug":"bulletin-edition-december-2020-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=5888","title":{"rendered":"Bulletin Edition December 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

J.C.Philpot
\n“They will come with weeping; they will
\n pray as I bring them back.” Jeremiah 31:9
\n
\nAs they come, they weep. They mourn . . .
\n  over their base backslidings,
\n  over the many evils they have committed,
\n  over the levity of mind which they have indulged,
\n  over the worldliness of spirit,
\n  over the\u2014
\n    pride,
\n    presumption,
\n    hypocrisy,
\n    carnality,
\n    carelessness, and   
\n    obstinacy of their heart.
\n
\nThey go and weep with a broken heart and softened
\nspirit\u2014seeking the Lord their God\u2014seeking the secret
\nmanifestations of His mercy, the visitations of His
\nfavor, the “lifting up of the light of His countenance”\u2014
\nseeking after a revelation of the love of Jesus\u2014to know
\nHim by a spiritual discovery of Himself.
\n
\nBeing thus minded . . .
\n  they seek not to establish their own righteousness;
\n  they seek not the applause of the world;
\n  they seek not the good opinion of professors;
\n  they seek not the smiles of saints. But they . . .
\n  seek the Lord their God,
\n  seek His face day and night,
\n  seek His favor,
\n  seek His mercy,
\n  seek His grace,
\n  seek His love,
\n  seek His glory,
\n  seek the sweet visitations of His presence and power,
\n  seek Him until they find Him to be their covenant God,
\nwho heals all their backslidings.
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\nOh encouraging truth!<\/strong>
\n(Octavius Winslow “Morning Thoughts”)”I the Lord search the\nheart.” Jeremiah 17:10.
\n
\nSolemn as is this view of the Divine character, the
\nbelieving mind finds in it sweet and hallowed repose.
\n
\nWhat more consolatory truth in some of the
\nmost trying positions of a child of God than
\nthis; the Lord knows the heart.
\n
\nThe world condemns, and the saints may
\nwrongly judge, but God knows the heart.
\n
\nAnd to those who have been led into deep discoveries
\nof their heart’s hidden evil, to whom have been made
\nstartling and distressing unveilings, how precious is
\nthis character of God, “He that searches the heart!”
\n
\nIs there a single recess of our hearts we
\nwould veil from His penetrating glance?
\n
\nIs there a corruption we would hide from His view?
\n
\nIs there an evil of which we would have Him ignorant?
\n
\nOh no!
\n
\nMournful and humiliating as is the spectacle, we would
\nthrow open every door, and uplift every window, and
\ninvite and urge His scrutiny and inspection, making no
\nconcealments, and indulging in no reserves, and framing
\nno excuses when dealing with the great Searcher of hearts,
\nexclaiming, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test
\nme and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that
\noffends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
\n
\nAnd while the Lord is thus acquainted with the evil of
\nour hearts, He most graciously conceals that evil from
\nthe eyes of others. He seems to say, by His benevolent
\nconduct, “I see my child’s infirmity.” Then, covering it
\nwith His hand, exclaims, “but no other eye shall see it,
\nbut my own!” Oh, the touching tenderness, the loving
\nkindness of our God! Knowing, as He does, all the evil
\nof our nature, He yet veils that evil from human eye,
\nthat others may not despise us as we often despise
\nourselves. Who but God could know it? Who but God
\nwould conceal it?
\n
\nAnd how blessed, too, to remember that while God
\nknows all the evil, He is as intimately acquainted
\nwith all the good that is in the hearts of His people!
\n
\nHe knows all that His Spirit has implanted;
\nall that His grace has wrought.
\n
\nOh encouraging truth!
\n
\nThat spark of love, faint and flickering;
\nthat pulsation of life, low and tremulous;
\nthat touch of faith, feeble and hesitating;
\nthat groan,
\nthat sigh;
\nthat low thought of self that leads a man to seek the shade;
\nthat self-abasement that places his mouth in the dust;
\noh, not one of these sacred emotions is unseen, unnoticed by God!
\n
\nHis eye ever rests with infinite complaisance and
\ndelight on His own image in the renewed soul.
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n\u201cSovereign Grace Hated by the Modern Religionist\u201d<\/strong>
\n    By C H Spurgeon
\nIf anything is hated bitterly, it is the out-and-out gospel of the
\ngrace of God, especially if that hateful word “sovereignty” is
\nmentioned with it. Dare to say “He will have mercy on whom
\nhe will have mercy, and he will have compassion on whom he
\nwill have compassion” (Romans 9:15), and furious critics will
\nrevile you without stint.
\n
\nThe modern religionist not only hates the doctrine of sovereign
\ngrace, but he raves and rages at the mention of it. He would
\nsooner hear you blaspheme than preach election by the Father,
\natonement by the Son, or regeneration by the Spirit.
\n
\nIf you want to see a man worked up till the Satanic is clearly
\nuppermost, let some of the new divines hear you preach a
\nfree grace sermon. A gospel which is after men will be
\nwelcomed by men; but it needs divine operation upon the
\nheart and mind to make a man willing to receive into his in
\nmost soul this distasteful gospel of the grace of God. My
\ndear brethren, do not try to make it tasteful to carnal minds.
\n
\nHide not the offense of the cross, lest you make it of none effect.
\nThe angles and corners of the gospel are its strength to pare them
\noff is to deprive it of power. Toning down is not the increase of
\nstrength, but the death of it.
\n
\nLearn, then, that if you take Christ out of Christianity,
\nChristianity is dead. If you remove grace out of the gospel,
\nthe gospel is gone. If the people do not like the doctrine
\nof grace, give them all the more of it.
\n
\nI preach the doctrines of grace because I believe them to be true;
\nbecause I see them in the Scriptures; because my experience endears
\nthem to me; and because I see the holy result of them in believers.
\n
\nThe doctrine which I preach to you is that of the Puritans:
\nit is the doctrine of Calvin, the doctrine of Augustine,
\nthe doctrine of Paul, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
\nThe Author and Finisher of our faith himself taught the
\nmost blessed truth which well agreed with our text-
\n“For by grace are you saved through faith;
\n and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” Eph 2:8
\n
\n
\n
\nThis abominable thing that I hate!<\/strong>
\n
\n(J.C. Philpot, 1858)
\n
\nAs no heart can sufficiently conceive, so no tongue can adequately express\u2014the\nstate of wretchedness and ruin into which sin has cast guilty, miserable man.\nIn separating him from God, sin has severed him from the only source and\nfountain of all happiness and all holiness. Sin has ruined him, body and soul:
\n  it has filled the body with sickness and disease
\n  it has defaced and destroyed the image of God in which man was created.
\n
\nSin has:
\n  shattered all of man’s mental faculties;
\n  broken his judgment,
\n  polluted his imagination,
\n  and alienated his affections.
\n
\nSin has made man love evil and hate God!
\n
\n“Oh, do not do this abominable thing that I hate!” Jeremiah 44:4
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\nFour facts of Scripture<\/strong>
\n(The following is by Don Fortner)
\n
\nHere are the four facts revealed in Holy Scripture which I most
\ncherish. Those four, blessed, gospel truths are the pillars of our faith,
\nthe joy of our hearts, the comfort of our souls, and the constant
\nthemes of our songs in worship and of the message we preach.
\n1.  The God we worship and serve, our Heavenly Father
\nis absolutely sovereign in all things – (Dan. 4:34-37).
\n2.  The Lord Jesus Christ, God’s dear Son, our Savior has
\neffectually redeemed his people from all sin – (Gal. 3:13).
\n3.  Salvation is by grace alone through faith in Christ – (Eph. 2:8-9).
\n4.  And the Lord our God sovereignly rules, controls, and disposes
\nof all things in providence according to His own wise and holy will –
\n(Isa.46:9-13; Rom. 8:28; 11:36; II Cor. 5:18).
\n
\n
\n
\nYour  beloved?<\/strong>
\n(by Henry Mahan)
\nEvery soul has a beloved; something or
\nsomeone in which to glory, rejoice, and enjoy.
\n
\nWith some it is THE WORLD (its vanity,
\n materialism, and honors) .
\n
\nWith others it is THE FLESH. They live
\nto entertain the flesh, to satisfy the
\nflesh, and to pamper the flesh.
\n
\nWith others it is THE FAMILY. Close and distant
\nrelatives, family trees, family reunions make
\nup their past, present, and future.
\n
\nWith others it is RELIGION and works of
\nrighteousness. Their religion is not a PERSON;
\nit is a CAUSE to which they are devoted in
\nhope of a suitable reward.
\n
\nAnd with some it is SELF, pure and simple;
\nwhat can we do for me?
\n
\nTo a believer, it is CHRIST!  He worships,
\nloves, rejoices, and glories in the Lord Jesus
\nabove all things.
\n
\nChrist is my Beloved and I am His.
\n
\nChrist; His fellowship, His love, and His
\napproval, are preferred above people,
\npossessions, pleasures, or pursuits. Could One
\nso illustrious and supreme deserve any less?
\n“Whom have I in heaven but You? And there
\nis none upon earth that I desire beside You!” (Ps. 73:25)
\n
\n
\n
\n
\nWhen we are reduced to poverty and beggary<\/strong>
\nJ.C.Philpot
\nHow often we seem not to have any real religion,
\nor enjoy any solid comfort! How often are our minds
\ncovered with deep darkness! How often does the
\nLord hide Himself, so that we cannot behold Him,
\nnor get near to Him! What a painful path is this
\nto walk in, but how profitable!
\n
\nWhen we are reduced to poverty and beggary,
\nwe learn to value Christ’s glorious riches.
\n
\nThe worse opinion we have of our own heart, and
\nthe more deceitful and desperately wicked that we
\nfind it\u2014the more we put our trust in His faithfulness.
\n
\nThe more black we are in our own esteem\u2014the more
\nbeautiful and lovely does He appear in our eyes.
\n
\nAs we sink\u2014Jesus rises.
\n
\nAs we become feeble\u2014He puts forth his strength.
\n
\nAs we come into danger\u2014He brings deliverance.
\n
\nAs we get into temptation\u2014He breaks the snare.
\n
\nAs we are shut up in darkness and obscurity;
\nHe causes the light of His countenance to shine.
\n
\nNow it is by being led in this way, and walking
\nin these paths, that we come rightly to know who
\nJesus is; and to see and feel how suitable and
\nprecious such a Savior is to our undone souls!
\nWe are needy, He has in Himself all riches.
\n
\nWe are hungry\u2014He is the bread of life.
\n
\nWe are thirsty\u2014He says, “If any man thirst,
\nlet him come unto Me, and drink.”
\n
\nWe are naked\u2014and He has clothing to bestow.
\n
\nWe are fools\u2014and He has wisdom to grant.
\n
\nWe are lost, and He speaks\u2014
\n“Look unto Me, and be saved.”
\n
\nThus, so far from our misery shutting us out
\nfrom God’s mercy\u2014it is the only requisite for it.
\n
\nSo far from our guilt excluding His pardon,
\nit is the only thing needful for it.
\n
\nSo far from our helplessness ruining our souls,
\nit is the needful preparation for the manifestation
\nof His power in our weakness.
\n
\nWe cannot heal our own wounds and sores. That is
\nthe very reason why He should stretch forth His arm.
\n
\nIt is because there is no salvation in ourselves, or
\nin any other creature, that He says, “Look unto Me,
\nfor I am God, and there is no other.”
\n
\n
\n
\nBring your wounded heart!<\/strong>
\nfrom Octavius Winslow’s, “Morning Thoughts”
\n
\n“Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?”
\n  Jeremiah 8:22
\n
\nThere is!
\n
\nThe physician is Jesus, the balm is His own most precious blood.
\n
\nHe binds up the broken heart, He heals the wounded spirit.
\n
\nAll the skill, all the efficacy, all the tenderness
\nand crucial sympathy needed for the office meet
\nand center in Him in the highest degree.
\n
\nHere then, disconsolate soul, bring your wounded heart!
\n
\nBring it simply to Jesus.
\n
\nOne touch of His hand will heal the wound.
\n
\nOne whisper of His voice will hush the tempest.
\n
\nOne drop of His blood will remove the guilt.
\n
\nNothing but a faith’s application to Him will do for your soul now.
\n
\nYour case is beyond the skill of all other physicians.
\n
\nYour wound is too deep for all other remedies.
\n
\nDo not let the freeness of the remedy keep you away.
\n
\nThe cost is “without money, and without price.”
\n
\nThe ground on which the healing is bestowed is….
\n  not worthiness on the part of the applicant,
\n  not merit of the creature,
\n  not tears,
\n  not convictions,
\n  not faith.
\n
\nOh no! It is all of grace!
\n
\nIt is all God’s free gift, irrespective
\nof any worth or worthiness in man.
\n
\nYour only motive to come to Christ is your very sinfulness.
\n
\nThe reason why you go to Him is that….
\n  your heart is broken, and that He only can bind it up;
\n  your spirit is wounded, and that He only can heal it;
\n  your conscience is burdened, and that He only can lighten it.
\n
\nIt is enough for Christ….
\nthat you are covered with guilt;
\nthat you have no plea that springs from yourself;
\nthat you have no money to bring in your hand,
\n  but have spent your all upon physicians, yet
\n  instead of getting better you only grow worse;
\nthat you have wasted your substance in riotous
\n  living, and now are insolvent; and
\nthat you really feel a drawing towards Him, a longing for Him;
\nthat you ask, you seek, you crave, you earnestly implore His
\ncompassion; that is enough for Him.
\n
\nHis heart yearns!
\n
\nHis love is moved!
\n
\nHis hand is stretched out!
\n
\nCome and welcome to Jesus, come!
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\nThus Says the Lord!<\/strong>
\nThe following is from Spurgeon\u2019s sermon,
\n\u201cThus Says the Lord\u201d   No. 591.  Ezekiel 11:5.
\n
\n\u201cThus says the Lord\u201d is the only authority in God\u2019s Church.
\n
\nThe faintest whisper of Jehovah’s voice should fill us with
\nsolemn awe, and command the deepest obedience of our souls.
\n
\nBrethren, how careful should we be that we do not set up in
\nGod\u2019s church anything in opposition to his Word, that we do
\nnot permit the teachings of a creature to usurp the honor due
\nto the Lord alone.
\n
\n\u201cThus says antiquity.\u201d
\n\u201cThus says authority.\u201d
\n\u201cThus says learning.\u201d
\n\u201cThus says experience.\u201d
\n   -these are but idol-gods which defile the church of God!
\n
\nBe it yours and mine as bold warriors to dash them in pieces
\nwithout mercy, seeing that they usurp the place of the Word of God.
\n
\n\u201cThus says the Lord,\u201d -this is the motto of our standard;
\nthe war-cry of our spiritual conflict; the sword with which
\nwe hope yet to smite through the loins of the mighty who
\nrise up against God\u2019s truth.
\n
\n\u201cThus says the Lord God.\u201d This is the trowel, and this the
\nhammer of God\u2019s builders; this the trumpet of his watchmen
\nand the sword of his warriors.
\nWoe to the man who comes in any other name!
\n
\nIf we, or an angel from heaven, shall preach unto you anything but
\na \u201cThus says the Lord,\u201d no matter what our character or standing,
\ngive no heed to us, but cleave unto the truth as it is in Jesus.
\n
\nTo the law and to the testimony, if we speak not according
\nto this word, it is because there is no light in us.
\n
\nThat test which we demand to be exercised upon others we
\ncheerfully consent to be exercised upon ourselves, praying
\nthat we may have grace to forsake our errors as we would
\nhave other men forsake theirs.
\n
\nWe will listen to the opinions of great men with the respect
\nwhich they deserve as men, but having so done, we deny that
\nwe have anything to do with these men as authorities in the
\nChurch of God, for there nothing has any authority, but
\n\u201cThus says the Lord of hosts.\u201d
\nYes, if you shall bring us the concurrent consent of all tradition-
\nif you shall quote precedents venerable with fifteen, sixteen, or
\nseventeen centuries of antiquity, we burn the whole as so much
\nworthless lumber, unless you put your finger upon the passage
\nof Holy Writ which warrants the matter to be of God.
\n
\nTo the true Church of God the only question is this, is there
\n\u201cThus says the Lord\u201d for it? And if divine authority be not
\nforthcoming, faithful men thrust forth the intruder as the cunning
\ncraftiness of men.
\n
\nLet us use much of Scripture, much of the pure silver
\nof sacred revelation, and no human alloy.
\n\u201cWhat is the chaff to the wheat, says the Lord?\u201d
\n
\nMany sorrows shall be to those who dare to dash themselves
\nagainst the thick bosses of Jehovah’s buckler by opposing his
\n\u201cThus says the Lord.\u201d Upon whomsoever this stone shall fall
\nit shall grind him to powder, and whosoever shall fall upon it shall
\nbe broken to his own lasting damage.
\n
\nO! my brethren, I would that we trembled and stood more in awe
\nof God\u2019s Word. I fear that many treat the things of God as
\nthough they were merely matters of opinion, but remember that
\nopinion cannot govern in God\u2019s house.
\n
\nGod\u2019s Word, not man\u2019s opinion, claims your allegiance.
\nO for a stern integrity that will hold the Word and will never
\n  depart from it, come what may.
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\nTHEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE<\/strong>
\n  by Don Fortner
\n
\n“And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord:
\n   and they shall be my people, and I will be their God:
\n   for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.\u201d
\n      — Jeremiah 24:7
\n
\nThere are some men and women in this world whom
\nGod has chosen to salvation from eternity, who must
\nand shall be saved (John 15:16; 2 Thess. 2:13).
\nThere is a multitude, scattered among the fallen sons of
\nAdam, in every age, in every nation who must be saved.
\nThe number of God\u2019s elect is so great that no man can
\ncalculate it, though it always appears as only a remnant
\nat any given time.
\n
\n    The number is unalterably fixed by God.
\n    All the elect must be saved.
\n    Nothing can prevent their salvation.
\n
\nThe Lord Jesus Christ has made atonement for the sins of
\nGod\u2019s elect and redeemed them from the curse of the law by
\nhis own precious blood (Gal. 3:13). Contrary to popular
\nopinion, Christ did not die for all men. He refused to even
\npray for all men (John 17:9, 20). All his work was and is for
\nhis elect alone. To say otherwise is to declare that his work,
\nhis atonement, his intercession, all his work as the sinner’s
\nSubstitute was and is futile, meaningless, and vain.
\nThe death of Christ was for his particular, chosen, elect people
\n(Isa. 53:8; John 10:11) for the satisfaction of justice on their behalf.
\n
\nAll God\u2019s elect, having been redeemed by the blood of Christ, shall
\nbe called from death to life by the irresistible power and almighty
\ngrace of God the Holy Spirit (Gal. 3:13-14; Psa. 65:4; 110:3).
\nRepentance toward God, faith in Christ, and eternal life are the
\nresults of the Spirit’s call. Theses are things effectually wrought
\nin God\u2019s elect (not offered to them) by his almighty grace.
\nThere is specific day appointed by God in which each of
\nhis elect will be called to life and faith in Christ by the gospel
\n(Psa. 110:3; Ezek. 16:68). God will see to it that the sinner whom
\nhe has chosen will be in the place he has ordained, with his heart
\nthoroughly prepared to receive the gospel, at the appointed time.
\nAnd he will send his Word to that sinner in the irresistible power
\nand grace of the Holy Spirit. In that day, God says, regarding
\nevery chosen, redeemed sinner, \u201cThey shall be my people.\u201d
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\nAll true religion<\/strong>
\nJ.C.Philpot
\nJesus is . . .
\n  our sun, and without Him all is darkness;
\n  our life, and without Him all is death;
\n  the beginner and finisher of our faith;
\n  the substance of our hope;
\n  the object of our love.
\n
\nIt is the Spirit who quickens us . . .
\n  to feel our need of Christ;
\n  to seek all our supplies in Him and from Him;
\n  to believe in Him unto everlasting life, 
\n  and thus live a life of faith upon Him.
\n
\nBy His . . .
\n  secret teachings,
\n  inward touches,
\n  gracious smiles,
\n  soft whispers,
\n  sweet promises,
\n  manifestations of Christ’s glorious Person and work,
\n  Christ’s agonizing sufferings and dying love,
\nthe Holy Spirit draws the heart up to Christ.
\n
\nHe thus wins our affections, and setting Christ
\nbefore our eyes as “the chief among ten thousand
\nand the altogether lovely One,” draws out that love
\nand affection towards Jesus which puts the world
\nunder our feet.
\n
\nAll true religion flows from the Spirit’s grace,
\npresence and power.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

J.C.Philpot “They will come with weeping; they will  pray as I bring them back.” Jeremiah 31:9 As they come, they weep. They mourn . . .   over their base backslidings,   over the many evils they have committed,   over the levity of mind which they have indulged,   over the worldliness of spirit, […]<\/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-5888","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\/5888","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=5888"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5888\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5889,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5888\/revisions\/5889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}