God must save us before we\nwill desire to be saved. God must give light before we know we were in\ndarkness, God must give life before we will know that we were dead. God must do\neverything in our salvation. \n \n ~John Chapman (Spring Lake Nth Carolina)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of\nthe Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve him:\u201d <\/em><\/strong>Rev. 22:3.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/em><\/strong>The\npronouncement of a curse by God is for one reason, disobedience<\/em>,\nand there\u2019s no disobedience in the holy city. The Lord Jesus Christ,\nbeing made sin for His people that they might be made the righteousness of God\nin Him, has eternally answered God\u2019s demand for righteousness and judgment with\nHis blood, (II Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13). No curse is found in heavenly Jerusalem\nbut rather, \u201cthe throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it.\u201d<\/em> \nAll, with Him, who are found there are those whose robes have been washed white\nin the blood of the Lamb and they \u201cshall serve Him\u201d<\/em> in\neternal worship for He is alone worthy of eternal praise and adoration, Rev.\n19:1-7. <\/em><\/strong>MS<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n WE HAVE AN ADVOCATE<\/p>\n\n\n\n And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus\nChrist the righteous.\u201d <\/em>(1 John 2:1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n This scripture recognises our frail, sinful, human nature. A\nbeliever does not love sin, does not excuse nor justify sin, but grieves over sin\nand desires to be without sin. Yet he owns and confesses his sin! As Spurgeon\nonce said, \u201cSin is my name, sin is my nature; and to deny it is to deny the\nWord, deceive myself, and call God a liar. My old nature is such that I will\nsin until I die, for sin even pollutes the best thing I do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This scripture encourages the believer to trust and hope in the\nmercy of God AT ALL TIMES! It does not say, \u201cIf any man is holy, prayerful, and\nalways faithful, he has an advocate\u201d; but, it says, \u201cIf any man SIN, he has an\nadvocate with the Father.\u201d It does not say, \u201cIf any man sins, he forfeits his\nright to Christ\u2019s advocacy.\u201d Grace that can be forfeited because of human\nfailure is not grace at all. Mercy that is conditioned upon the merit of the\ncreature is not mercy at all. If my title to glory rests upon my works, either\nBEFORE OR AFTER conversion, it is a total failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This scripture declares that at all times, under all\nconditions, Jesus Christ is our righteousness, our sanctification, our\nadvocate, and our redemption. So, when I sin, when I consider my past or\npresent and come creeping to my closet with a guilty conscience and an aching\nheart, I can rejoice in the mercy of my Father; for I have an Advocate, JESUS\nCHRIST THE RIGHTEOUS! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pastor Henry Mahan<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Adam, the First and the Second<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We fell in the first Adam through no fault of our own, we rise\nin the second Adam through no merit of our own, so we rise in the same manner\nas we fell, only in a different person. It is the Free Grace of God that we are\ntaken back into His favour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I wish we could understand that just as we were condemned in\nAdam and came under the just sentence of death, if we believe in the Lord\nJesus, we shall be cleansed from our many offenses, and God will look on us as\nperfectly just in Christ Jesus. We shall by faith have peace with God and there\nshall be good reason for peace, for everything which made God angry with us\nshall have been put away, and we will be able with confidence to say, \u201cThere\nis therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if the devil was base enough to fabricate a charge against\nthe believer, yet we could say, \u201cIt is God that justifieth who is He that\ncondemneth?\u201d Since Christ has died and risen again, and now sits at the right\nhand of God and makes intercession for us, what judgment have we to fear? Glory\nto God for that free gift (Romans 8)!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pastor\nScott Richardson<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe Love Him\u201d 1 John 4:19<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n We readily acknowledge that God\u2019s love for us precedes our love\nfor him. \u201cThe<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved\nthee with an<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn\nthee\u201d (Jeremiah<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 31:3). His love is without beginning, without cause, without change,\nand without<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n end. God loves his own elect with an eternal love!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n We gladly confess that God\u2019s love for us is the cause of our\nlove for him. If<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n he had not loved us first, we would never have loved him at all.\nWe had no love<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n for God. But he loved us. In everlasting, covenant love he chose\nus and<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n determined to save us. And in time he created love in our hearts\nfor him by his<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n almighty grace (Hosea 2:6-23).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n But we do love him. This is the testimony of all true believers.\nWe love our<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n God and Savior. We do not love him as we should, as we would, or\nas we shall;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n but \u201cwe love him.\u201d Those who are born of God love God. We love\nthe triune<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n God as he is revealed in the Scriptures. We love everything\nabout him because<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n everything about him is perfect. Show me a man who has any\nquarrel with<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n anything God is, or anything he says, or anything he does, and I\nwill show you a<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n man whose heart is enmity against God. I will show you a man who\nis lost,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n altogether without faith.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n We who are born of God love God the Father, our covenant keeping\nGod.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n We love his will, his Word, his works, and his ways. We love all\nthat he is and<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n all that he does. His attributes are not distasteful to us. They\nare his beauty, his<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n character, and his glory. His holiness, sovereignty, love,\nmercy, and truth are<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n the very things that cause us to love him.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n We love God the Son, our Surety, Substitute, Mediator, Redeemer,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Advocate, and Friend. There is nothing about Christ that is the\nleast disturbing<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n or distressing to us. We love him entirely because he is\nentirely perfect and<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n lovely. We love Christ in all his offices and works. We love him\nas our Prophet<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n who teaches us, our Priest who redeemed and intercedes for us,\nand our King<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n who rules over us.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n And we love God the Holy Spirit, our Divine Comforter, Teacher,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Preserver, and Guide. His irresistible grace charms us. His\nwitness within<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n assures us. His power preserves us. Because we love our God, we\nrejoice in<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n anything by which he is exalted, magnified, and honoured. And we\nare distressed<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n and angered by anything that would rob him of his glory.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Don Fortner<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA Word Fitly Spoken\u201d Proverbs 25:11<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the year 1740, James Hervey was a preacher in\nNorthamptonshire, England.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He was a man of moral strictness and religious principle, highly\nregarded by<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n men. But he was entirely lost, without understanding in the\ngospel of Christ. The<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n means of his conversion was a conversation he had with an old\nfarmer who had<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n learned the gospel form the lips of Philip Doddridge.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The two men were working in the field together, when Hervey\nasked the<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n farmer, \u201cWhat do you think is the hardest thing in religion.\u201d\nThe old farmer<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n replied, \u201cSir, I am a poor man, and you are a minister. I beg\nleave to return the<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n question.\u201d Then Mr. Hervey said, \u201cI think the hardest thing is\nto deny sinful<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n self.\u201d And he went on to defend his statement. After he had\nfinished talking, the<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n old farmer said, \u201cSinful self must be denied, it is true; but\nthat which is the<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n hardest thing in religion is to deny righteous self. I go every\nSunday with my<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n family to hear Dr. Doddridge at Northampton. We rise early in\nthe morning and<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n have prayer before we set out, in which I find pleasure. Walking\nthere and back<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I find pleasure. Under the sermon I find pleasure. When at the\nLord\u2019s Table I<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n find pleasure. Yet, to this moment, I find it the hardest thing\nto deny righteous<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n self. I mean to renounce my own strength and righteousness, and\nnot to lean on<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n that for holiness or rely on this for justification.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Later, Hervey said, \u201cI hated the righteousness of Christ. I\nlooked at the man<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n with astonishment and disdain, and thought him an old fool.\u201d But\nthe old<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n farmer\u2019s words were blessed of God. Like sharp arrows, they\npierced the young<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n man\u2019s heart. And in time, they brought that man to repentance\nand faith in<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Christ.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n An old, uneducated farmer spoke a word in season for his God.\nAnd it was<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201ca word fitly spoken.\u201d And under the blessing of God, it was the\nmeans of<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n converting one of the most brilliant men in the eighteenth\ncentury. James<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hervey became a mighty preacher of free grace. By his preaching\nand his<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n writings, thousands were brought to faith in Christ. But he was\nbrought to Christ<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n by the faithful witness of a farmer, whose name we will not know\nuntil we get to<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n heaven. Go today, as God opens the door, and speak to someone\nabout Christ,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n like this farmer.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Blessed Solace Of Substitution<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing is more comforting and encouraging to my heart than the\nblessed gospel<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n doctrine of substitution. When I am distressed by the awareness\nof my personal<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n sin, I am cheered by the assurance that Christ, my Substitute,\nhas both removed<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n my sin by his death in my place and imputed to me his righteous\nobedience to<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n God. When I am depressed by the circumstances of my life, I find\ncomfort in the<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n fact that Christ, my Substitute, rules all things by sovereign\npower. He who<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n loved me and gave himself for me is the almighty Monarch of the\nuniverse!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n (Don Fortner, May 31, 1987)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Reformation?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I hear a lot about \u201creformation\u201d in our day. There are reformed\nchurches, reformed doctrine, reformed preachers and reformed believers,\neverything seems to be \u201creformed.\u201d The word \u201creform\u201d means to \u201cimprove or to\nmake better.\u201d If \u201creformation\u201d means to improve myself or make myself better,\nthen, I do not need reformation! What I need is a perfect righteousness. I\nsurely cannot find any hope of eternal life in trying to make myself better,\nespecially when God requires perfection. I do not need \u201creformation\u201d; I need\n\u201cregeneration.\u201d I do not need to get my heart right; I need a new heart that is\nright. The lost sinner does not need to just change their way; they need to\nchange their God. I do not need to make myself \u201cbetter\u201d, I need to be made\n\u201cperfect.\u201d I do not need reformation, I need a \u201cnew creation\u201d, which can only\nbe found in\nChrist. \n \n ~David Eddmenson<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before,\nDuring and After the Sermon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There is not one heart alive that does not need to be prepared\nto worship, to enter into the presence of God, and to hear the Word of God for\nthis hour. We would do well to rise a little earlier, to read the Scriptures,\nand to arrive at the house of God in time to get our greetings over with and\nprepare to worship the King in an attentive and prayerful fashion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the sermon, with the open Bible before us, we should give\nthe most sincere attention to the minister. Let our eyes, ears, and thoughts be\ndirected to the message not to those about us. The birds of night use every\nsubtle means to rob us of the life-giving seed. A crying infant, a late comer,\na sleeping companion, a slip of the tongue by one who speaks – any and all\nthings are used to make one turn attention from the Word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And I am certain that many serious impressions have been lost\nthrough the idle chit-chat and foolish talk after the sermon. We feel that we\nmust talk, and I suppose that we must, for we cannot stand around and stare at\none another. Love and fellowship must be expressed. But wouldn\u2019t it be more\nprofitable for us to direct our conversation toward the message, the\nScriptures, the mercies and blessings of God in Christ that our hearts not\nwander from spiritual impressions made by the\nWord? \n ~Henry Mahan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" God must save us before we will desire to be saved. God must give light before we know we were in darkness, God must give life before we will know that we were dead. God must do everything in our salvation. ~John Chapman (Spring Lake Nth Carolina) \u201cAnd there shall be no […]<\/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-6245","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\/6245","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=6245"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6246,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6245\/revisions\/6246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}