{"id":6417,"date":"2023-03-14T07:31:42","date_gmt":"2023-03-14T07:31:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=6417"},"modified":"2023-03-14T07:31:42","modified_gmt":"2023-03-14T07:31:42","slug":"bulletin-edition-march-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=6417","title":{"rendered":"Bulletin Edition March 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cNow\nI See\u201d          <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

John\n9:25<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

David\nBrainard described his experience of God\u2019s saving grace by declaring that five\npowerful truths dawned upon his soul, by which all his carnal hopes were slain,\nby which he was at last brought to faith in Christ. My own experience of grace\nis an echo of his.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nsaw my sin. <\/strong>God the Holy Spirit convinced me of my sin (John 16:8), of the\nsinfulness of my sinful deeds, the sinfulness of my heart and nature, and the\nsinfulness of my righteousness. I saw that even my noblest deeds are filthy\nrags in God\u2019s sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nsaw the infinite holiness of God\u2019s law<\/strong>. The law of God requires\nperfection. God cannot and will not accept anything less than absolute\nperfection (Lev. 22:21). Whatever I bring to God, if he accepts it, must\nbe perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nsaw that the only hope for sinners is a perfect substitute<\/strong>. I\nmust have someone to obey the law and accomplish righteousness for me. I must\nhave someone to make an infinite, justice satisfying atonement for my sins.\nThat Substitute I found in Jesus Christ the Son of God (Rom. 3:24-26; 2\nCor. 5:21).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nsaw that faith in Christ is the only way a sinner can ever find acceptance with\nGod<\/strong>. God\u2019s gracious salvation comes to sinners through faith in\nChrist (Eph, 2:8). All who believe on the Son of God have everlasting life\n(John 3:36). But I could not believe. I could not muster faith from within\nmyself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And\nI saw that faith in Christ is the gift of God<\/strong>. Faith in Christ is\nnot within the realm of human ability. It is the gift of God\n(John 1:12-13; Eph. 2:8-9). Faith is the operation of God, the work of\ngrace in a man\u2019s soul (Col. 2:12). It is not the result of man\u2019s \u201cfree will.\u201d\nFaith is given to sinners according to God\u2019s sovereign will (Rom. 9:16).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            By\nthese five truths I was slain; all hope in myself was gone. And I was compelled\nto fall down before Christ, suing for mercy, crying, \u201cGod, be merciful\nto me, the sinner\u2026Lord, if you will, you can make me whole.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, \u201cI\nthrough the law am dead to the law,\u201d <\/em>because I have been crucified\nwith Christ<\/strong> (Gal. 2:19-21), dead to the law absolutely! There is\nno hope held out to any man in the law. The sinner\u2019s only hope of salvation is\nfaith in Christ. You must trust the Son of God. By faith in Christ, we who believe\nfulfil the law of God (Rom. 3:31). We must never allow anyone to bring us\nback under the yoke of the law (Gal. 5:1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

“By\nthe grace of God I am what I am!<\/strong>“
\n1 Corinthians 15:10<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

As believers, we are often affected with a sense of God’s distinguishing\nmercy <\/em>to us. We are debtors, great debtors to the sovereign grace of\nGod, which alone makes us to differ from the perishing world around us!
\n
\nYet it does not yet appear what we shall be<\/em>. We\ncannot form a just conception of the misery from which we are redeemed<\/em>,\nmuch less of the price paid for our redemption!<\/em> How little do we\nknow of the Redeemer’s surpassing excellency, and of the unutterable agonies He\nendured, when His soul was made an offering for sin, and it pleased the Father\nto bruise Him \u2014 that by His stripes we might be healed! These things will\nstrike us in quite another manner \u2014 when we view them from the light of\neternity!
\n
\nMay the cheering contemplation of the glorious hope set before\nus \u2014 support and animate us to improve our short interval on earth, and fill us\nwith a holy  ambition of shining as lights in this evil world, to the praise\nand glory of His grace \u2014 who has called us out of darkness, into His glorious\nlight!
\n
\nEncompassed as we are with snares, temptations, and infirmities,\nit is possible (by His promised assistance) to live in some good measure above\nthe world<\/em> \u2014 above the influence of its cares<\/em>, its smiles<\/em>,\nor its frowns<\/em>. Our citizenship is in heaven \u2014 we are not at home \u2014\nbut only reside here on earth for a season, to fulfil our appointed service.\nThe Lord, whom we serve, has promised that He will guide <\/em>us by\nHis wisdom, strengthen <\/em>us by His power, and comfort <\/em>us\nwith the light of His countenance, which is better than life. Every temporal\nblessing we receive from Him, is a token of His favour, and a pledge of that\nfar more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, which He has reserved for us in\nheaven. Oh! to hear Him say at last, “Well done, good and faithful\nservant! Enter into the joy of your Lord!”<\/em> will be rich amends\nfor all that we can lose, suffer, or endure, for His sake!
\n
\n“No eye<\/em> has seen, no ear<\/em> has\nheard, and no mind<\/em> has imagined \u2014 what God has prepared for\nthose who love Him!” 1 Corinthians 2:9<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such a poor, blind, ignorant creature as I<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He who knows himself by divine teaching, and has had a glimpse\nof future bliss and glory, will often reason with himself, “How is\nsuch a poor, blind, ignorant creature as I<\/strong>\u2014surrounded by so many\nenemies\u2014oppressed or beguiled by so many of Satan’s temptations\u2014beset by the\nworkings of a depraved nature\u2014how am I ever to enter the heavenly inheritance,\nand enjoy the promised rest?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get to heaven we must wade through difficulties,\nimprobabilities, and impossibilities. We shall meet with hindrances, impediments,\nobstacles. And yet, for the Christian, grace superabounds over all the\naboundings of sin, and lands him safe in glory!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

This sacred teaching<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All God’s people are sooner or later brought to this point in\ntheir experience\u2014they are all brought to know their own sinfulness, ignorance,\nand helplessness. And when their eyes are thus anointed with eye-salve to\ndiscover their own wretchedness, the same unction from the Holy One reveals to\nthem what Christ has done to save them from it! They learn by this\nsacred teaching<\/strong>, their own iniquity\u2014and His atoning blood; their misery\u2014and\nthe bliss and blessedness which is secured up in Him! And when these two\nextremes meet in the quickened soul, it is brought in one and the same\nmoment\u2014while it debases itself\u2014to exalt the Lord of life and glory! And while\nit thus sinks down in the depth of creature wretchedness\u2014it learns to glory in\nthe Lord Jesus alone, as it\u2019s all in all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

When the eye is spiritually opened<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the eye is spiritually opened<\/strong> to\nsee the glory of Jesus, it follows Him as a suffering Mediator to Calvary\u2014there\nto view Him as a crucified Jesus\u2014as the Lamb of God bearing our sins in His own\nbody on the tree. And as the child of God looks by faith to the bleeding Lamb,\nhe desires to have a spiritual revelation and manifestation of the mystery of\nthe cross to his heart. And by this dying love entering into his soul, he is\nable to understand how wide, how long, how high, and how deep the love of Jesus\nreally is!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only the dying love of Christ spiritually felt and realised, can\nwean the soul from the world, and make the things of time and sense to appear\nin their true light\u2014as stamped with vanity and vexation of spirit. The dying\nlove of Christ, also, revealed to the soul, is the only thing that can make us\nlove Jesus, and cleave to Him with full purpose of heart. Nothing but the dying\nlove of Jesus can make us willing to leave the world, and part with the things\nof time and sense, so that we may forever be with the Lord. As the Lord Jesus\nin His endearing relationships is presented to the eyes of the spiritual\nunderstanding, faith<\/em> flows out towards, hope<\/em> anchors\nin, and love<\/em> clasps firm hold of Him as thus revealed\u2014and thus\nardent desires and fervent longings are kindled in the soul to know Him\nexperimentally in all these relations\u2014and inwardly realize their sweetness and\npower!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Have You Submitted To\nGod\u2019s Righteousness?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Romans 10:2-3<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

THERE\nARE MANY WHO EARNESTLY DESIRE SALVATION AND ETERNAL LIFE, WHO WILL NEVER BE\nSAVED.<\/strong> There are many thoughtful and zealous men and women who\nvery eagerly seek salvation, who will perish under the curse of God\u2019s holy law.\nThey want to be saved, but they will not bow to God\u2019s way of salvation. \u201cI\nbear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.\nFor they being ignorant of God\u2019s righteousness, have not submitted themselves\nunto the righteousness of God\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark\nthose words, \u201csubmitted themselves\u201d. <\/em>Many will not be saved,\nmultitudes will perish forever in hell under the wrath of God because they will\nnot submit to God\u2019s righteousness, that righteousness established by God in the\nPerson of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As\nyou read these words, if you are not yet saved, if you are yet without Christ,\nif you are yet under the wrath of God, it is simply because you will not submit\nto salvation by grace alone through the imputed righteousness of Christ the\nsinners\u2019 Substitute. You may talk about grace, waiting for grace, and praying\nfor grace. You may talk about wanting to trust Christ. But you only deceive\nyourself. Your problem is that you keep trying to do something, find something,\nfeel something, or experience something, anything of your own that you can\nbring to God with the blood and righteousness of Christ for salvation. You are\ntrying to mix merit and mercy. You want to mix works and grace. You want to be\na co-savior with the Son of God. That will never happen. God will not allow it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PROUD\nMAN WANTS TO SAVE HIMSELF.<\/strong> You believe you can do it. You\nwill not submit to salvation by Christ alone. If you would be saved, you must\nmake your suit before the bar of God as an undeserving, hell-bent sinner,\nseeking the unmerited gift of his salvation on the footing of mercy alone! This\nis the thing the carnal mind cannot do – it cannot beg for grace. You think\nthat you can work out a righteousness of your own that God will accept, or at\nleast you can say, or do, or think, or feel some good things that will\nsupplement the righteousness and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. You will not\nbe saved by pure grace alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            IN\nORDER TO BE SAVED<\/strong>, you are going to have to throw away your filthy rags of\nself-righteousness. You will have to come to Christ in your naked guilt, sin,\nand loathsomeness, or you will never be an heir of eternal life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNothing in my hands\nI bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naked come to Thee\nfor dress, Helpless look to Thee for grace;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foul, I to the\nfountain fly; Wash me, Savior, or I die.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            THE\nONLY WAY FOR A SINNER TO OBTAIN RIGHTEOUSNESS BEFORE GOD IS BY SUBMITTING\nHIMSELF TO THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN CHRIST BY FAITH.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don Fortner<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n Supernatural light<\/strong>
\n
\n (Joseph Philpot, “The Heir of Heaven Walking in
\n Darkness, and the Heir\n of Hell Walking in Light<\/a>“)
\n
\n “For God<\/strong>, who commanded the light to shine\n out
\n  of darkness, hath shined in our hearts<\/strong>, to\n give the
\n  light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the
\n  face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Cor. 4:6
\n
\n Until, then, this supernatural\n light<\/strong> of God
\n enters into the soul, a man has no saving
\n knowledge of Jehovah. He may . . .
\n   say his prayers,
\n   read his Bible,
\n   attend preaching,
\n   observe ordinances,
\n   bestow all his goods to feed the poor,
\n   or give his body to be burned;
\n but he is as ignorant of God as<\/strong>
\n <\/strong>the cattle that graze in the fields!<\/strong>
\n
\n He may call himself a Christian, and be
\n thought such by others, talk much about
\n Jesus Christ, hold a sound creed, maintain
\n a consistent profession, pray at a prayer
\n meeting with fluency and apparent feeling,
\n stand up in a pulpit and contend earnestly
\n for the doctrines of grace, excel hundreds
\n of God’s children in zeal, knowledge and
\n conversation.
\n
\n And yet, if this ray of supernatural\n light<\/strong> has
\n never shone into his soul, he is only twofold
\n more the child of hell than those who make
\n no profession!\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n “Thy word is a lamp\n unto my feet<\/strong>, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105<\/a>
\n
\n How necessary is a lantern <\/em>when we are\n walking in a dark night in an unknown and dangerous path!
\n
\n We cannot walk safely in the devious paths of life, amidst the\n darkness of error and sin\u2014without the lamp of God’s Word, lit by the Holy\n Spirit. How many have stumbled and fallen to their eternal ruin\u2014by neglecting\n to take this lamp!
\n
\n Beloved reader, have you taken the Word of God as a lamp unto\n your feet? Is the lamp lit, in answer to prayer for the light of the Holy\n Spirit\u2014and are you walking in the light of it?
\n
\n If so, it is well. You will see the dangers of the way on the\n right hand and on the left, and will be preserved from harm, notwithstanding\n the snares and pitfalls that lie in your course.
\n
\n Walk on still in the light of God’s blessed Word\u2014and so will\n you be brought in safety to that land where there is no night, and to that\n city that has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it\u2014for the\n glory of God does lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.\n  \n Author unknown\n <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cNow I See\u201d           John 9:25 David Brainard described his experience of God\u2019s saving grace by declaring that five powerful truths dawned upon his soul, by which all his carnal hopes were slain, by which he was at last brought to faith in Christ. My own experience of grace is an echo of his. I saw […]<\/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-6417","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\/6417","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=6417"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6417\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6418,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6417\/revisions\/6418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}