{"id":5907,"date":"2021-02-02T00:32:41","date_gmt":"2021-02-02T00:32:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=5907"},"modified":"2021-02-13T20:10:59","modified_gmt":"2021-02-13T20:10:59","slug":"bulletin-edition-january-2020-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=5907","title":{"rendered":"Bulletin Edition January 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NONE CAST OUT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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

\u201cHim that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out” John\n6:37<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An invitation to every burdened Israelite\u2014every way-worn pilgrim\nof the wilderness, to come for shelter under the branches of the Heavenly Palm!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How these and such like gracious words which proceeded out of\nthe mouth of Jesus, must have told on the wondering multitudes He addressed,\nthose who never heard kind sayings before\u2014who were led to imagine that it was\nlearned scribes, or devout Pharisees, or austere Sadducees, or elaborate-robed\npriests, who alone had any hope of salvation! Can we marvel that “the\ncommon people heard Him gladly,” when He lifted them up from the dust of\ndegradation; when He proclaimed boldly\u2014”I came not to call the righteous,\nbut sinners to repentance.” I came not to call you rich\u2014you learned\u2014you\nwho pride yourselves on your religious formalism and self-righteous\nausterities\u2014but you broken-hearted penitents, weeping prodigals, despairing\nMagdalenes\u2014you the most erring wanderers from the fold, who are really and\nearnestly seeking to return. “If ANY man thirsts, let him come unto Me and\ndrink.” “If ANY man enter in he shall be saved, and shall go in and\nout and find pasture.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reader! say not, ‘This invitation cannot be for me. I cannot\ntake my place under the gracious palm-shade, just as I am, with the memory of\ncountless transgressions.’ Yes! it is just because you are wretched, and\nmiserable, and poor, and blind, and naked, that He invites you to come. Come,\njust as you are. Christ does not require any previous qualifications. It is\nbecause you are weary He asks you to partake of the shelter. It is because of\nyour poverty that He so importunately exclaims\u2014”Behold, I have set before\nyou an open door.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When, in a season of scarcity and poverty, thousands thrown out\nof employment are forced to avail themselves of bread doled out to stop the\nrage of hunger, they are not heard to say, ‘We must have proper clothing first.\nWe must first cover these children’s bleeding, frost-bitten feet, before we can\nventure to appear before the distributors of a city’s or a nation’s bounty.’\nNo; if they did so, it would invalidate their plea\u2014it would send them home\nagain to a cupboard, and hearth, and wardrobe, as empty as they left it. It is\nbecause they appear in tattered rags, and because hunger has written its appeal\non their emaciated faces and in the hollow eyes of the hapless children at\ntheir side, that the door opens for relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no desert wanderer, haggard and footsore, who may not\ncome to that grove of “exceeding great and precious promises.” God\nhas made provision not for the strong only, but for the weak, the tempted, the\nsorrowful, the suffering. The feeblest bird may make a perch of these branches.\nThe anointing oil of blessing poured on the head of the true Aaron, flows down\nto the very skirts of His garments, so that the least and lowliest are made\npartakers of His covenant grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is well for us, however, to remember that there is but one\nRedeemer; and “neither is there salvation in any other.” A few days\nprevious to the Elim encampment, there was but one way for the Hebrew host\nthrough the Red Sea from the pursuing hosts of Pharaoh. There was but one way\nfor evading the destroying angel\u2014by the sprinkling of blood on the doorposts of\ntheir dwellings. There was but one way, in a subsequent age, for Rahab escaping\nthe general destruction of Jericho\u2014by hanging out from her window the scarlet\nthread. There was but one way\u2014by washing in the river of Jordan\u2014that the proud\nSyrian captain of a yet later day, could have his leprosy healed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hebrews, on that memorable night of the death of the\nfirstborn, might have built up Egyptian pyramid on pyramid to keep out the\nmessenger of wrath. It would have been of no avail. Or the army of a million,\npassing through the sea, might have piled its coral rocks to make an avenue\nthrough the waters. The wild waves would have laughed them to scorn and made\nthem the plaything of its tide! Naaman might have made a toilsome pilgrimage to\nevery river of Asia\u2014from Abana and Pharpar, to the Euphrates and the Indus\u2014but\nall would have been to no purpose. Nothing but ‘the waters of Israel’ would\nprove efficacious in curing his malady.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us make sure of a personal interest in the one great\nSalvation. That Almighty Redeemer remains, to this hour,\nimmutable\u2014all-sufficient\u2014faithful among the faithless\u2014changeless among the\nchangeable. Bernard beautifully sang in the words of his familiar hymn\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Jesus, Thou joy of loving hearts!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thou Fount of life, Thou Light of men!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the best bliss that earth imparts,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We turn unfilled to Thee again.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes! you who are weary, sick at heart it may be of the world\nwhich has deceived you\u2014bubble after bubble bursting in your hands; that\ngracious Savior, with outstretched arms, is waiting to welcome you back. With\nthe hoarded love of eternity in His heart, He is ever repeating the\n“faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance” which heads this\nmeditation\u2014”whoever comes to me I will never drive away!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“With a heart full of anxious request,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which my Father in heaven bestowed,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wandered, alone and distressed,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In search of a quiet abode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Astray and distracted, I cried<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lord, where would You have me to be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the voice of the Lamb that had died<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Said, ‘Come, My beloved, to ME!’<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I went\u2014for He mightily wins<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weary souls to His peaceful retreat,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And He gave me forgiveness of sins,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And songs that I love to repeat;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Made pure by the blood that He shed,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My heart in His presence was free,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was hungry and thirsty\u2014He fed;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was sick, and He comforted me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“He gave me the blessing complete,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hope that is with me today;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And a quiet abode at His feet,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That shall not be taken away.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid,\nwhich is Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:11<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

We are very eager to put our hands to work. Like Uzzah, we must\nneeds prop up the ark when we see it tumbling; when faith totters, we must come\nto bear a helping hand. But this is prejudicial to the work of God upon the\nsoul. If the whole is to be a spiritual building; if we are “living\nstones” built upon a living Head, every stone in that spiritual temple\nmust be laid by God the Spirit. And if so, everything of nature, of creature,\nof self, must be effectually laid low, that Christ may be all–that Christ, and\nChrist alone, may be formed in our heart, the hope of glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How many trials some of you have passed through! how many sharp\nand cutting exercises! how many harassing temptations! how many sinkings of\nheart! how many fiery darts from hell! how many doubts and fears! how much hard\nbondage! how many galling chains! how often has the very iron entered into your\nsoul! Why? That you may be prevented from adding one stone by your own hands to\nthe spiritual building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Apostle tells us that “Other foundation can no man lay\nthan that is laid,” even Jesus Christ. He then speaks of those who build\n“wood, hay, and stubble,” as well as of those who used “gold,\nsilver, and precious stones;” and that the “wood, hay, and\nstubble” must be burned with fire. It is after the Lord has laid a\nfoundation in the sinner’s conscience, brought him near to himself, made Jesus\nprecious to his soul, raised up hope and love in his heart, that he is so apt\nto take materials God never recognizes, “wood, hay, straw, stubble,”\nand rear thereby a flimsy superstructure of his own. But this gives way in the\ntrying hour–it cannot stand one gust of temptation. One spark of the wrath to\ncome, one discovery of God’s dread majesty, will burn up this “wood, hay,\nand stubble” like straw in the oven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lord’s people, therefore, have to pass through troubles,\ntrials, exercises, and temptations, doubts and fears, and all that harassing\npath that they usually walk in, that they may be prevented from erecting a\nsuperstructure of nature upon the foundation of grace–“wood, hay, and\nstubble” upon the glorious mystery of an incarnate God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faith, in its practical exercise<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(John Newton’s Letters)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That faith which justifies:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  purifies the heart,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  works by love, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  overcomes the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That faith which justifies the soul, does likewise<\/p>\n\n\n\n

receive grace from Jesus, whereby the heart is<\/p>\n\n\n\n

purified, and the life regulated as befits the<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gospel of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faith is of great use and importance in the daily<\/p>\n\n\n\n

concerns of life. Faith gives evidence and reality<\/p>\n\n\n\n

to things not seen, and realizes the great truths<\/p>\n\n\n\n

of the Gospel\u2014so that they become abiding and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

living principles of support and direction while<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we are passing through this wilderness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a believer’s privilege to walk with God in the<\/p>\n\n\n\n

exercise of faith, and, by the power of His Spirit,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

to mortify the whole body of sin, to gain a growing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

victory over the world and self, and to make daily<\/p>\n\n\n\n

advances in conformity to the mind of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faith, in its practical exercise, has for its object<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the whole word of God; and forms its estimate of all<\/p>\n\n\n\n

things with which the soul is at present concerned,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

according to the standard of Scripture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When our Lord was upon earth, and conversed with<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His disciples, their eyes and hearts were fixed upon<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Him. In danger He was their defender; their guide<\/p>\n\n\n\n

when in perplexity; and to Him they looked for the<\/p>\n\n\n\n

solution of all their doubts, and the supply of all their<\/p>\n\n\n\n

needs. He is now withdrawn from our eyes; but faith<\/p>\n\n\n\n

sets Him still before us, for the same purposes, and,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

with the same effects, as if we actually saw Him!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His spiritual presence, apprehended by faith, is . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  a restraint from evil,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  an encouragement to every service, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  affords a present refuge and help in every time of\ntrouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sweetest mercies of God!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Robert Hawker, “Zion’s Pilgrim” 1827)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All afflictions which tend to . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  bring the soul to God,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  keep up a life of communion with the Redeemer,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  make us sensible of the gracious influence of the Holy\nSpirit,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  spiritualize our affections,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  wean our hearts from a world from which we must soon\npart,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and promote a more intimate acquaintance with that world in<\/p>\n\n\n\n

which we are shortly forever to dwell\u2014are undeserving the name<\/p>\n\n\n\n

of afflictions! They are among the sweetest mercies of God!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God removes earthly comforts\u2014in order to make room for heavenly<\/p>\n\n\n\n

delights. He empties the soul of all creature-comforts\u2014that He\nmay<\/p>\n\n\n\n

fill it with Creator-mercies. We should embrace our afflictions,\nas<\/p>\n\n\n\n

affording the choicest proofs of divine love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Divine guidance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(John Newton’s Letters)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In general, God guides and directs His people, by affording<\/p>\n\n\n\n

them, in answer to prayer, the light of His Holy Spirit, who<\/p>\n\n\n\n

enables them to understand and to love the Scriptures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The word of God furnishes us with just principles, and right<\/p>\n\n\n\n

apprehensions, to regulate our judgments and affections, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

thereby to influence and direct our conduct. Those who study<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the Scriptures, in a humble dependence upon Divine teaching,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

are taught to make a true estimate of everything around them,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and are gradually formed into a spirit of submission to the will<\/p>\n\n\n\n

of God. They thereby discover the nature and duties of their<\/p>\n\n\n\n

several situations and relations in life, and the snares and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

temptations to which they are exposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The word of God dwelling richly in them, is a preservative from<\/p>\n\n\n\n

error, a light to their feet, and a spring of strength and\nconsolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By treasuring up the doctrines, precepts, promises, examples,\nand<\/p>\n\n\n\n

exhortations of Scripture, in their minds, and daily comparing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

themselves with the rule by which they walk, they grow into a<\/p>\n\n\n\n

habitual frame of spiritual wisdom, and acquire a gracious\ntaste,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

which enables them to judge of right and wrong with a degree of<\/p>\n\n\n\n

readiness and certainty, as a musical ear judges of sounds. And<\/p>\n\n\n\n

they are seldom mistaken, because they are influenced by the<\/p>\n\n\n\n

love of Christ, which rules in their hearts, and a regard to the<\/p>\n\n\n\n

glory of God, which is the great object they have in view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lord, whom they serve, does not disappoint their\nexpectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He leads them by a right way, preserves them from a thousand snares,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and satisfies them that He is and will be their guide even unto\ndeath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels.” 2\nCorinthians 4:7<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Gold and silver, those precious metals, take no injury, receive\nno spot of corruption from the vessel in which they are contained; let them be\nburied in the damp earth, no tarnish or rust forms upon them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So spiritually, the grace of God in the heart, surrounded as it\nis with corruption, is not tarnished by it, the heavenly treasure is not contaminated,\nthough lodged in an earthen vessel. Christ in the heart is not defiled by the\ninward workings of depravity, and by the base thoughts that strive perpetually\nagainst his grace, any more than the gold of the Bank of England is defiled by\nthe dark and damp cellars in which it is stowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what a mercy it is, that our corruptions cannot tarnish the\ngrace of God; that our unbelief cannot mix with, and adulterate the faith of\nGod’s elect; that our despondency cannot spoil and ruin a gospel hope; that our\ndeadness, darkness, coldness, and rebellion cannot mingle with and defile the\nlove of God in the soul! This heavenly treasure remains still as unpolluted and\npure as when God first put it there; being a part of “the divine\nnature,” it remains uncontaminated by the filth and corruption that\nsurround it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is not this a mercy for God’s tried people, that spiritual\nknowledge, living faith, gospel hope, heavenly love, and the fruits and graces\nof God’s Spirit in the soul can never be defiled; but, like the streams of a\nfountain, are ever gushing forth in pure water? What a blessing it is, that the\npure grace of God in a man’s heart cannot be contaminated by the filthy streams\nthat are dashing from a vile nature against it, like the torrents of water from\na fire-engine against a burning house, but remains as pure as when God the\nSpirit first breathed it into the soul.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NONE CAST OUT John MacDuff “This is the resting place, let the weary rest; and this is the place of repose”\u2014 \u201cHim that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out” John 6:37 An invitation to every burdened Israelite\u2014every way-worn pilgrim of the wilderness, to come for shelter under the branches of the […]<\/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-5907","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\/5907","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=5907"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5907\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5920,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5907\/revisions\/5920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}