{"id":5902,"date":"2021-01-18T09:27:17","date_gmt":"2021-01-18T09:27:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=5902"},"modified":"2021-02-13T20:10:10","modified_gmt":"2021-02-13T20:10:10","slug":"bulletin-edition-january-2020-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=5902","title":{"rendered":"Bulletin Edition January 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cBefore I formed\nthee in the belly, I knew thee.\u201d \u2013 Jeremiah 1:5<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Todd Nibert<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If God knew us before our\nconception, that means He knows us eternally. I do not understand that but I\nbelieve it. While He knows His elect eternally, there was One He knew before\nthem\u2026 the Lamb having been slain before the foundation of the world. Before\nthere was a sinner, there was a Savior, and before the actual commission of\nsin, the payment for sin had already been made. Hence, the eternal security of\nthe believer. A salvation accomplished in eternity is eternally secure! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Free grace! Unmerited mercy! Sovereign love!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Octavius Winslow, “The Soul After Conversion”)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No truth shines with clearer luster in the Bible<\/p>\n\n\n\n

than that salvation, from first to last, is of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God is sovereign in salvation!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He often selects . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  the poorest,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  the vilest,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  the most depraved,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  the most fallen,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

as if utterly to explode all idea of human<\/p>\n\n\n\n

merit, and to reflect the free grace of His<\/p>\n\n\n\n

heart in its richest luster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O precious truth!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It stains the pride of human merit!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It lays the axe at the root of self!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It humbles and abases!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It empties and lays low!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It ascribes all the praise, honor and glory,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

might, majesty and dominion, of the new<\/p>\n\n\n\n

creation in the soul, to the Triune God!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No worthiness of the creature allures Him to the<\/p>\n\n\n\n

sinner’s heart! What worthiness can be supposed<\/p>\n\n\n\n

to exist–what merit can there be in . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  a guilty criminal,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  an outlawed rebel,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  a poor insolvent,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  one whose mind is enmity,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  one whose heart is swelling with treason against<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God, His government, and His Son? One who owes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

millions, but has ‘nothing to pay’? None whatever!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that the eternal Spirit should enter<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the heart of such a one . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  convincing of sin;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  subduing the hatred;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  breaking down the rebellion;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  leading to Jesus, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  sealing pardon and peace upon the conscience;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

oh! what but free grace, unmerited mercy, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

sovereign love could thus have constrained Him?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Lord, what did You see in me,” exclaims the<\/p>\n\n\n\n

converted soul, “that moved You with compassion,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

that drew You to my heart, and that constrained<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seven Sacred Cows<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greg Elmquist<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do we believe about the presuppositions of manmade religion?\nWhat are the sacred cows of paganism that need to be put to death in order to\nhear the truth? To answer this question properly, much needs to be said by way\nof introduction. However, for the sake of time, allow us to outline the\ndifference as simply as we can. We will only make three brief introductory\npoints. First, what we believe is rooted in WHO we believe. This is not an\nintellectual or academic exercise. It is a living relationship with Jesus, THE\nChrist, the Lord of glory, our Savior. That is the reason we refuse to allow\nour desire to be a witness for Him to be reduced to a debate. Second, the\ndifferences in what we believe are not a matter of theological emphases.\nDenominations have been created over one doctrine or tradition being emphasized\nover another. The difference in what we believe and what most believe is the\ndifference in eternal life and eternal death. Third, we understand from\nscripture and from personal experience, that the only way to savingly see the\ndifference between the truth and a lie is by the free and sovereign grace of\nGod. He is the only one that can make us to differ from another. So, what are\nthe differences? Don\u2019t sacrifice the truth to protect your sacred cows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. We do not believe God loves everybody. We believe the love of\nGod is only to be found in Christ, and that was determined by God before the\nworld began. Eph.1:4<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. We do not believe Christ died for everybody. He laid down His\nlife for the sheep not the goats. It is not for us to try to figure out which\none men are. His sheep will hear His voice and they will follow Him. Christ\npurposed to save His elect, and He fulfilled all He came to do. Jn.10:26-27;\nIs.42:1-4<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. We do not believe God, in any way, wills all men to be saved.\nGod is God. His will is always accomplished. If He willed all men to be saved\nthen all men would be saved. The purpose of God according to election will\nstand Rom.9:11, 8:28 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. We do not believe man has a \u201cfree will\u201d. Man’s will is in\nbondage to his sinful nature. It is not free to choose Christ. Man left to\nhimself is unable to believe. God must make him willing through the miracle of\nthe new birth. Jn.3:3<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. We do not believe the gospel is an \u201coffer\u201d of salvation to be\naccepted by man. The gospel is the declaration of the \u201cgood news\u201d that Christ\nhas DONE everything necessary to secure the salvation of His people. God is not\nwaiting for us to DO something to make what Christ did work for us. 2Tim.1:9\n\u201cIt is finished!\u201d Jn.19:30 This message of grace is irresistible to the elect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. We do not believe our faith is the effectual cause of our\nsalvation. The Faith OF Christ is the only faith that makes us accepted before\na holy God.Gal.2:16 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our faith is a gift of God given IN, not FOR salvation. Eph.2:8-9<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. We do not believe the Bible is a rule book for Christian\nliving. We believe it is in its entirety a revelation of the glorious person\nand accomplished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. He Himself is our rule of life.\nLk.24:44-45<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, we believe that \u201csalvation is of the Lord\u201d. He gets all\nthe glory for saving a dead dog sinner such as I. He is the alpha and the\nomega, the beginning and the end. God, our Heavenly Father, purposed the\nsalvation of His chosen people in the covenant of grace before the world began.\nChrist, the Son of God, accomplished everything necessary for Righteousness and\nJustice on behalf of those chosen. The Holy Spirit, at the appointed time,\ngives the elect ears to hear and hearts to believe. He then keeps them in\nChrist until their sojourn in this world is over. At that time, they will see\nChrist in all His glory and be made like Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We know there are some who will want to argue these points with\nverses of Scripture they think refute what we believe. Remember the first point\nin the introduction. We will not shame Christ by making Him the subject of a\ndebate. \u201cI know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep\nthat which I have committed unto Him against that day.\u201d If you have an interest\nin this gospel we would encourage you to listen to the gospel preached by a\nfaithful gospel preacher. The Lord uses the preaching of Christ crucified to\nsave them which believe. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written in 2011 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRIDE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pride is such a groundless thing. We have reasons for almost\neverything, but we have no reason to be proud. Pride should be unnatural to us,\nfor we have nothing to be proud of. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our CREATION ought to humble us, for we are frail creatures who\nare here today and gone tomorrow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our IGNORANCE should be sufficient to lay us low. We spend a\nlifetime trying to learn a few things in part; then, in old age, we can\u2019t\nremember where we left our glasses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our SINS should lay us in the dust, for it would be embarrassing\nfor the most trusted friend to view our hearts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our BLESSINGS ought to humble us; for the more we have, the more\nwe are in debt to God who makes us to differ. A great debtor has no cause for\npride. Certainly a believer has no cause for pride, for our SALVATION is all by\ngrace! Mephibosheth accurately summed up our confession, \u201cWhat is thy servant,\nthat thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?\u201d Let us pray to be\ndelivered from pride, for it is such a subtle enemy that only the Lord can\ndeliver us; but we MUST be delivered, for God resisteth the proud and giveth\ngrace to the humble. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Henry Mahan<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If salvation is in any measure to any degree dependent upon me, I\nwould have no hope! But since it really is not dependent in any measure to any\ndegree upon me, but predicated wholly on Christ doing everything\u2026I have a good\nhope! It is what Paul called, \u201cA good hope through grace\u201d (II Thess. 2:16).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Todd Nibert <\/p>\n\n\n\n

~Henry Mahan (1926-2019)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The miserable dregs of self<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(J. C. Philpot, “Meditations on Matters<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 of Christian Faith & Experience”)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 hath made us accepted in the Beloved.” Ephes. 1:6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are ever looking for something in self to make<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ourselves acceptable to God, and are often sadly<\/p>\n\n\n\n

cast down and discouraged when we cannot find . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  that holiness,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  that obedience,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  that calm submission to the will of God,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  that serenity of soul,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  that spirituality and heavenly-mindedness<\/p>\n\n\n\n

which we believe to be acceptable in His sight. Our . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  crooked tempers,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  fretful, peevish minds,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  rebellious thoughts,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  coldness,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  barrenness,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  alienation from good,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  headlong proneness to ill,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

with the daily feeling that we get no better but rather<\/p>\n\n\n\n

worse, make us think that God views us just as we view<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ourselves. And this brings on great darkness of mind<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and bondage of spirit, and we seem to lose sight of<\/p>\n\n\n\n

our acceptance in Christ, and get into the miserable<\/p>\n\n\n\n

dregs of self, almost ready to quarrel with God because<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we are so vile, and only get worse as we get older.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now the more we get into these dregs of self, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the more we keep looking at the dreadful scenes of<\/p>\n\n\n\n

wreck and ruin which our heart presents to daily view,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the farther do we get from the grace of the gospel,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and the more do we lose sight of the only ground of<\/p>\n\n\n\n

our acceptance with God. It is “in the Beloved” that<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we are accepted, and not for any . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  good words,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  good works,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  good thoughts,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  good hearts, or<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  good intentions of our own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If our acceptance with God depended on anything in<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ourselves, we would have to adopt the Wesleyan creed,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and believe we might be children of God today and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

children of the devil tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What, then, is to keep us from sinking altogether<\/p>\n\n\n\n

into despair, without hope or help? Why, a knowledge<\/p>\n\n\n\n

of our acceptance “in the Beloved,” independent of<\/p>\n\n\n\n

everything in us, good or bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Their righteousness is of Me, says the Lord.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Ye are complete in Him.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What a universal chorus of harmonious voices do<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we hear all sounding forth the same melodious<\/p>\n\n\n\n

strain–that we are accepted in the Beloved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot by works of righteousness which we have done, but according\nto His mercy He saved us.” Titus 3:5<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need grace, free grace<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Philpot, “Precious Faith, with its Benefits and\nBlessings”)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     2 Peter 1:2<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we see and feel how we need grace every<\/p>\n\n\n\n

moment in our lives, we at once perceive the beauty in<\/p>\n\n\n\n

asking for an abundant, overflowing measure of grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We cannot walk the length of the street without sin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our carnal minds, our vain imaginations, are all on the<\/p>\n\n\n\n

lookout for evil. Sin presents itself at every avenue, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

lurks like the prowling night-thief for every opportunity<\/p>\n\n\n\n

of secret plunder. In fact, in ourselves, in our fallen nature,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

except as restrained and influenced by grace, we sin with<\/p>\n\n\n\n

well near every breath that we draw. We need, therefore,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

grace upon grace, or, in the words of the text, grace to be<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“multiplied” in proportion to our sins. Shall I say in<\/p>\n\n\n\n

proportion? No! If sin abounds, as to our shame and sorrow<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we know it does, we need grace to much more abound!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the ‘tide of sin’ flows in with its muck and mire,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we need the ‘tide of grace’ to flow higher still, to carry<\/p>\n\n\n\n

out the slime and filth into the depths of the ocean,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

so that when sought for, they may be found no more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need grace, free grace . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  grace today,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  grace tomorrow,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  grace this moment,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  grace the next,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  grace all the day long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need grace, free grace . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  healing grace,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  reviving grace,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  restoring grace,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  saving grace,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  sanctifying grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And all this multiplied by all our . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  wants and woes,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  sins,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  slips,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  falls, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  unceasing and aggravated backslidings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need grace, free grace . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  grace to believe,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  grace to hope,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  grace to love,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  grace to fight,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  grace to conquer,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  grace to stand,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  grace to live,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  grace to die.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every moment of our lives we need . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  keeping grace,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  supporting grace,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  upholding grace,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  withholding grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     2 Peter 1:2<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only thing that makes you differ<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Octavius Winslow, “Jesus, Full of Grace”)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But by the grace of God I am what I am.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     1 Cor. 15:10<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christian! the only thing that makes you differ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

from the vilest being that pollutes the earth, or<\/p>\n\n\n\n

from the darkest fiend that gnaws his chains in<\/p>\n\n\n\n

hell, is the free grace of God!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The free grace of God!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Letters of John Newton)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“By the grace of God I am what I am!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 1 Corinthians 15:10<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The true Christian is sensible and mindful of<\/p>\n\n\n\n

indwelling sin. He confesses that in everything<\/p>\n\n\n\n

he comes exceedingly short, and that his best<\/p>\n\n\n\n

services are not only defective\u2014but defiled. He<\/p>\n\n\n\n

accounts himself as an unprofitable servant\u2014and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

is abased in his own eyes. He knows that all that<\/p>\n\n\n\n

distinguishes him from the vilest of men\u2014is the<\/p>\n\n\n\n

free grace of God!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He derives all his hope and comfort, as well as his<\/p>\n\n\n\n

strength\u2014from Jesus, whom he has known, received<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and loved, and to whom he has committed his soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He renounces all confidence in the flesh, and esteems<\/p>\n\n\n\n

all things as loss\u2014compared to the surpassing greatness<\/p>\n\n\n\n

of knowing Jesus Christ his Lord, for whose sake he has<\/p>\n\n\n\n

lost all things\u2014considering them rubbish, that he may<\/p>\n\n\n\n

gain Christ!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cBefore I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee.\u201d \u2013 Jeremiah 1:5 Todd Nibert If God knew us before our conception, that means He knows us eternally. I do not understand that but I believe it. While He knows His elect eternally, there was One He knew before them\u2026 the Lamb having been slain […]<\/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-5902","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\/5902","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=5902"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5902\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5918,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5902\/revisions\/5918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}