{"id":6222,"date":"2022-07-27T12:08:02","date_gmt":"2022-07-27T12:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=6222"},"modified":"2022-07-27T12:08:02","modified_gmt":"2022-07-27T12:08:02","slug":"bulletin-edition-july-2022-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=6222","title":{"rendered":"Bulletin Edition July 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What\nDoes God Require Of\nMan?          <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

John 6:29<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

     The Jewish Talmud says, “The\nwhole law was given to Moses in six hundred thirteen precepts.” It was\nsummarized and given to the children of Israel in ten\ncommandments (Ex. 20:1-17). Those ten commandments are, like all\nthe other precepts of the law, holy, just, and good. They reveal something of\nGod’s character and our sin. They identify sin for us, condemn sin in us, and\nshow us our need of a Savior, a Mediator, a Substitute and Representative, One\nwho can stand between God and man to meet the demands of a holy God and the\nneeds of fallen men. That Mediator is Jesus Christ, the Son of God (I Tim.\n2:5-6).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Isaiah, writing by Divine\ninspiration, reduced all the commandments to six (Isa. 33:15-16). The prophet\nMicah reduced them to just three (Mic. 6:8). The incarnate Son of God reduced\nthem all to just two (Matt. 11:37-40). All the commandments of\nGod, when reduced to their essence, require only two things from us: that we\nlove God and love one another perfectly. Yet, these two great commandments\ncondemn us all. Not one of us loves God or his neighbour perfectly. But hope is\nnot gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     The gospel of Christ declares that\nit is yet possible for fallen man to fulfill all the law of God perfectly.\nThere is one commandment to which God promises eternal life. If you will obey\nthat one commandment, if you will do this one thing you will live forever. Obey\nthis one commandment and you fulfill all the law of God. Are you interested?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     “This is the work of God, that\nye believe on him whom he hath sent” (John 6:29). “This is his\ncommandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ”\n(I John 3:23). By believing on the Lord Jesus Christ sinners fulfill the\nwhole law of God, offering God perfect obedience and complete satisfaction in\nthe person of Christ (Rom. 3:31; 8:4). There is no fulfilment of the law but by\nfaith in Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     If you now obey God’s commandment,\nif you now believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, your faith in him is the gift of\nGod’s grace, the result of his grace operating on you and in you (Eph.2:8;\n1:19; Col. 1:12).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don Fortner<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cTherefore, it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to\nthe end the promise might be sure to all the seed\u201d (Romans 4:16).  The\nonly way that salvation can be sure is if it is all by grace.   If salvation\nis dependent on some contribution from man, the only thing that is sure is that\nnone will be saved.                \n                  ~Todd Nibert<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Payment God cannot twice demand,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First at my bleeding Surety’s hand,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then again at mine!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

~Augustus Toplady<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Thy people, blessed Jesus, are everlastingly pursuing what\nthey have proved a thousand times to be vain and unsatisfying; yet they pursue\nit again, and do not learn \u201cto know the judgment of the Lord.\u201d Blessed Lord!\nUndertake for me: pity, compassionate, direct, guide, keep me! Oh! For grace to\nlearn, and rightly to value the things of salvation! And, convinced that Christ\nis all and in all, may I never seek from the creature what only can be found in\nthe Creator!                  \n                     \n                     \n <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 ~Robert Hawker<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gospel of grace and salvation is above all doctrines the most\ndangerous, if it be received in word <\/em>only by graceless men\u2014if\nit be not attended with a sensible need of a Saviour, and bring them to him.\nFor such men as have only the notion <\/em>of it, are of all men\nmost miserable\u2014for by reason of their knowing more than heathens, this only\nshall be their final portion, that they shall have greater stripes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Bunyan<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faith is not believing\nthat God will do what I want Him to do, or what I think I need Him to do. Faith\nis believing that God will do what He said he would do. Faith in Christ is an\nabandonment of our own thoughts and ways, and a complete, unreserved trusting\nof Him as our Righteousness, Sin-offering and\nSovereign.                                      \n            \n                       \n ~Chris Cunningham<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a very short time\nfor some of us, not very long for any of us, and it could be today for all of\nus! …we are going to be called to stand before God, our sovereign Creator and\nholy Judge. In that solemn hour those things which most men hold closest to their\nhearts will be of no importance whatsoever. Why, in that hour a thousand dollar\nbill will be as a mere piece of scrap paper. In that solemn hour of judgment it\nwill not matter whether one is black or white, educated or uneducated, rich or\npoor, president or prisoner, king or slave. Whether one is accepted or rejected\nof God and spends eternity in heaven or hell, that will be the only thing that\nmatters; and that hinges upon one thing, and one thing only….What one thinks\nof God\u2019s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. What do YOU think of the Lord Jesus\nChrist? What is HE to YOU?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

       \n~Maurice Montgomery<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The soul’s natural element<\/strong>
\n
\nJ.C.Philpot<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the soul can know anything about salvation,
\nit must learn deeply and experimentally the nature
\nof sin, and of itself, as stained and polluted by sin.
\n
\nIt is proud, and needs to be humbled.
\n
\nIt is careless, and needs to be awakened.
\n
\nIt is alive, and needs to be killed.
\n
\nIt is full, and requires to be emptied.
\n
\nIt is whole, and needs to be wounded.
\n
\nIt is clothed, and requires to be stripped.
\n
\nThe soul is, by nature . . .<\/strong>
\n  self-righteous;
\n  self-seeking;
\n  buried deep in worldliness and carnality;
\n  utterly blind and ignorant;
\n  filled with . . .
\n      presumption,
\n      arrogance,
\n      conceit
\n      and enmity;
\n  hateful to all that is heavenly and spiritual.
\n
\nSin, in all its various forms, is<\/strong>
\nthe soul’s natural element.<\/strong>
\n
\nSome of the features of the unregenerate
\nnature of man are . . .
\n  covetousness,
\n  lust,
\n  worldly pleasure,
\n  desire of the praise of men,
\n  an insatiable thirst after self-advancement,
\n  a complete abandonment to all that can please
\n    and gratify every new desire of the heart,
\n  an utter contempt and abhorrence of everything that
\n    restrains or defeats its mad pursuit of what it loves.
\n
\nEducation,
\nmoral restraints,
\nor the force of habit,
\nmay restrain the outbreaking of inward corruption,
\nand dam back the mighty stream of indwelling sin,
\nso that it shall not burst all its bounds, and desolate
\nthe land. But no moral check can alter human nature.
\n
\nA chained tiger is a tiger still.
\n
\n“The Ethiopian cannot change his
\n skin, nor the leopard his spots.”
\n
\nTo make man the direct contrary of what
\nhe originally is; to make him . . .<\/strong>
\n love God instead of hating Him;
\n  fear God, instead of mocking Him;
\n  obey God, instead of rebelling against Him;
\nto do this mighty work, and to effect this wonderful
\nchange, requires the implantation of a new nature
\nby the immediate hand of God Himself.
\n
\nNatural light,
\nnatural love,
\nnatural faith,
\nnatural obedience,
\nin a word, all natural religion,
\nis here useless and ineffectual.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is I<\/strong>
\n
\nJ.C.Philpot<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBe of good cheer: It\nis I;<\/strong> Be not afraid.” Mark 6:50
\n
\nIt is I<\/strong> who formed you in the\nwomb, and brought you
\nforth into your present existence. It\nis I<\/strong>, the Lord your
\nGod, who has fed you, and clothed you from that hour
\nup to the present moment. It\nis I<\/strong>, the Lord your God,
\nwho has preserved you on every side. When you were
\nupon a sick bed, it was I<\/strong>, the Lord your God, who
\nvisited your soul, raised up your body, and gave you
\nthat measure of health which you do now enjoy. It is<\/strong>
\nI<\/strong>, the Lord your God, who\nplaced you in the situation
\nof life which you do now occupy.
\n
\nIt is I<\/strong>, the Lord your God . . .
\n  who deals out to you every trial,
\n  who allots you every affliction,
\n  who brings upon you every cross,
\nwho works in you everything according
\nto My own good pleasure.
\n
\nWhen we can thus believe that the Lord our God is
\nabout our bed and our path, and spying out all our
\nways; when we can look up to Him, and feel that
\nHe is the Lord our<\/strong> God, there is no feeling . . .
\n  more sweet,
\n  more blessed,
\n  more heavenly!
\n
\n“Take courage! It is I<\/strong>.\nDon’t be afraid.” Mark 6:50
\n
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have I then no work to work in this great matter of my pardon?\nNone! What work can you work? What work of yours can buy Divine forgiveness\u2014or\nmake you fit for the Divine favour? What work has God bidden you work in order\nto obtain salvation? None. His Word is very plain and easy to be understood,\n“To him who works not\u2014but believes in Him that justifies the ungodly, his\nfaith is counted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5). There is but one work by\nwhich a man can be saved. That work is not yours\u2014but the work of the Son of\nGod. That work is finished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Horatius Bonar<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unto you who believe \u2014 He is\nprecious!<\/strong>
\n
\n(“Every Day!” Author unknown, 1872)
\n
\n“Unto you who believe \u2014 He is precious!<\/strong>” 1\nPeter 2:7
\n
\nIt is to unbelievers only, that Christ is “as a root out of a dry\nground” \u2014 having no form nor loveliness.
\n
\nTo those who know Him, and put their trust in Him \u2014 He is the chief among ten\nthousand, and altogether lovely! To those who believe, He is precious . . .
\n  in all the offices He sustains,
\n  in all the relations He bears,
\n  as their atoning Sacrifice,
\n  as the Lord their righteousness,
\n  as the source of their spiritual life,
\n  as their Teacher,
\n  as their Example,
\n  and as their Guide.
\n
\nO my soul, is Jesus precious to you?
\n
\nDo you realise something of His worth?
\n
\nIs He your Refuge, your Hiding-place?
\n
\nAre you sheltered in Him?
\n
\nIs He your Shepherd, your Guardian, your Friend?
\n
\nDo you feel that, whatever you are called to part with \u2014 you cannot part with\nChrist?
\n
\nDo you feel that that He is your Savior, your Life, your All?
\n
\nOh, then cleave <\/em>to Him, serve <\/em>Him earnestly,\nand live <\/em>to His glory!
\n
\nAnd know to your comfort, that as unworthy and sinful as you are \u2014 you are\nprecious to Him. He bought you with His precious blood, He claims you as His\nown, and He will treasure you among His jewels when He comes to gather them up!
\n
\n“Yes, Christ is precious to my soul,
\n My transport and my trust;
\n Jewels to Him are gaudy toys,
\n And gold is sordid dust!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why are we so apt to be\ncaptivated with the gewgaws of the world?<\/strong>
\n
\n(Letters of John Newton<\/a>)
\n
\nThe holiness of a saved sinner consists chiefly of low thoughts of self<\/em> \u2014\nand high thoughts of the Savior<\/em>. These will always be in\nproportion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lower we appear to ourselves \u2014 the more highly we shall esteem\nHim.
\nThe more we are enthralled with His glory \u2014 the more we shall sink in our own\neyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Could you find the man who has most of these properties \u2014 you\nwould find the most holy man upon earth<\/em>. And as we advance in these\n\u2014 we shall, in the same degree, attain to everything else that properly belongs\nto holiness.
\n
\nWhy are we liable to anger, pride, selfishness, and other evil tempers?
\nBecause we think too highly of ourselves, and suppose that we are not treated\nas we deserve to be.
\n
\nWhy are we so apt to be captivated with the gewgaws of the\nworld?<\/strong>
\nBecause we are so faintly impressed with a real sense of the excellence of\nJesus.
\n
\nWe say indeed that His loving-kindness is better than life, but if we really\nand fully thought so \u2014 then hard things would be easy, and bitter things would\nbe sweet, and there would be no room for impatience or discontent in our\nhearts.
\n
\nBut alas! all within us, and all around us \u2014 is defective and polluted!
\n
\n“Hold me up \u2014 and I shall be safe!” Psalm 119:117<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Pilot!<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Charles Spurgeon<\/a>,\n“Multitudinous Thoughts and Sacred Comforts”)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember that your way is ordered by a higher power than your<\/em> will\nand choice.
\n
\nThe eternal destiny of God has fixed your every footstep. Believe that wisdom,\nnot blind fate, but God’s wisdom, has ordained the bounds of your life, and\nfixed your position and your condition so definitely that no fretfulness of\nyours can change it for the better.
\n
\nIn the decree of God, all your history is fixed\u2014so as to secure His glory and\nyour soul’s profit.
\n
\nYour present sorrow, is the bitter bud of greater joy.
\nYour transient loss, secures your ultimate and never ceasing gain.
\n
\nHow I rejoice to believe that the Lord shall choose my inheritance for me!
\n
\nAll things are fixed by my Father’s hand\u2014by no arbitrary and stern decree, but\nby His wise counsel and tender wisdom. He who loved us from before the\nfoundations of the world, has immutably determined all the steps<\/em> of\nour pilgrimage!
\n
\nWhy then, should you worry yourself?
\n
\nThere is a hand upon the helm which shall steer your vessel safely enough\nbetween the rocks, and by the quicksands, and away from the shoals and the\nheadlands, through the mist, and through the darkness\u2014safely to the desired\nhaven!
\n
\nOur Pilot<\/strong> never\nsleeps, and His hand never relaxes its grasp.
\n
\nIt is a blessed thing, after you have been muddling and meddling as you\nought not to do with the affairs of providence, to leave them alone\nand cast your burden upon the Lord.
\n
\nI charge you, therefore, children of God\u2014in times of dilemma, toroll\nyour burdens upon God, and He will sustain you, and make you\nto rejoice in beholding His wisdom and His love.
\n
\n“My times are in Your hands!” Psalm 31:15<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What Does God Require Of Man?           John 6:29      The Jewish Talmud says, “The whole law was given to Moses in six hundred thirteen precepts.” It was summarized and given to the children of Israel in ten commandments (Ex. 20:1-17). Those ten commandments are, like all the other precepts of the law, holy, just, and good. They reveal something of God’s character […]<\/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-6222","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\/6222","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=6222"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6222\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6223,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6222\/revisions\/6223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}