{"id":6447,"date":"2023-06-25T07:46:41","date_gmt":"2023-06-25T07:46:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=6447"},"modified":"2023-06-25T07:46:41","modified_gmt":"2023-06-25T07:46:41","slug":"bulletin-edition-june-2023-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=6447","title":{"rendered":"Bulletin Edition June 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>\u201cHear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come\nunto Thee. Hide not Thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline\nThine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me\nspeedily.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/em>Ps.\n102:1-2<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>of the LORD.\u201d Ps. 122:1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cChrist is all!\u201d Without him we are nothing and have nothing, but\nsin and death (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All that God has for guilty sinners,&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>all that he does for guilty sinners,&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>all that he requires of guilty sinners is in Jesus Christ, our\nincarnate, crucified, risen, exalted Substitute.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don Fortner<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Needless Fears &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <\/strong>Isaiah 51:12-13<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cI, even I, am he that\ncomforteth you.\u201d<\/em> Our\nComforter is the Triune God, the God of omnipotence, sovereignty, immutability,\nand grace! He comforts us by assuring us of his presence (Isaiah 41:10), his\npurpose (Hebrews 6:14), his providence (Romans 8:28), his provision (Psalm\n34:10), his protection (Psalm 91:4-11), and his preservation (Jude 24-25).\nRepeatedly our God calls for us to look to him, to trust him, and to quit being\nafraid of anything or anyone. He says, <em>\u201cFear not,\u201d<\/em> and assures us that\nwe have nothing to fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cWho\nart thou, that shouldest be afraid of a man?\u201d<\/em><strong> <\/strong>What a\nrebuke this question is to every child of God who walks in fear! Remember who\nyou are \u2013 A child of God, chosen, redeemed, called, and adopted by grace!\nRemember also that your enemies are mere creatures<em>, \u201cMan that shall die\u2026the\nson of man which shall be made as grass!\u201d <\/em>Why should the children of the\neternal God fear the wrath of perishing men?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em>\u201cAnd\nforgettest the LORD thy maker!\u201d <\/em>Fear is the forgetfulness of\nGod. Whenever we are engaged in fear, we have forgotten the promises, power,\nprovidence, and past performances of our God for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em>\u201cWhere\nis the fury of the oppressor?\u201d <\/em>Even when the oppressor is\nreal and furious, there is no cause for fear. His fury shall never be satisfied\nupon God\u2019s elect, for he has absolutely no ability to hurt us. How much more\nthis word applies to those many imaginary dangers we invent in our unbelieving\nminds! May God give us grace to trust him and not be afraid (Matthew 6:25-34).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Faith is like an empty, open hand stretched out towards God, with<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>nothing to offer and everything to receive.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John Calvin<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cTo The Glory Of God\u201d &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <\/strong>1 Corinthians 10:31<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are serious about the\nglory of God, if you really want to do all things <em>\u201cto the glory of God,\u201d <\/em>you\ndo not have to guess about how to do so. God tells us how to do so by the pen\nof Solomon in Proverbs 3:1-12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u00ef<strong>Our lives must be ruled by the Word of\n     God. <\/strong><em>\u201cMy\n     son, forget not my law<\/em><strong> <\/strong>(v. 1). The word that Solomon\n     uses for law comes from a root word which means \u201cto instruct,\u201d or \u201cto\n     direct.\u201d It refers not to the letter of the law, but to the teaching of\n     the law, the teaching of the Word of God. As the ark of God was the\n     keeping place of God\u2019s law, so our hearts must keep the gospel of Christ.\n     A godly life begins with the doctrine of Christ being laid up in the\n     heart. Thus we obtain eternal life.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u00ef<strong>We must imitate the character of God\n     in our lives. <\/strong><em>\u201cLet\n     not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them\n     upon the table of thine heart\u201d<\/em><strong> <\/strong>(v. 3). We do not obtain God\u2019s\n     mercy by being merciful, but any who have God\u2019s mercy, any who have\n     experienced his grace are transformed into the image of God and bear in\n     their lives the stamp of his character. God\u2019s people are merciful,\n     gracious, and true (Ephesians 5:1-2).&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u00ef<strong>We must trust the Lord our God in all\n     the affairs of our lives. <\/strong><em>\u201cTrust in the LORD with all thine\n     heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways\n     acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths\u201d<\/em><strong> <\/strong>(vv. 5-6). We\n     must lean upon him entirely. There is no other way to please and honour\n     him (Hebrews 11:5-6). Any limit to this confidence in God is a heinously\n     evil thing. Unbelief is the most ignominious thing in the life of a\n     believer (Psalm 78:18-23).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u00ef<strong>We must carefully avoid\n     self-confidence and seek to live in the fear of God. <\/strong><em>\u201cBe not wise\n     in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil\u201d <\/em>(v. 7). The\n     fear of God and the fear of sin always go hand in hand. Where God is\n     honoured, sin is hated. Our souls are healthy and strong only when we <em>\u201cfear\n     the LORD and depart from evil.\u201d<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u00ef<strong>We must use what we possess for the\n     honour of God. <\/strong><em>\u201cHonour the LORD with thy substance, and with the\n     firstfruits of all thine increase\u201d<\/em><strong> <\/strong>(v. 9). To the\n     religious hypocrite, this is a demanding sacrifice and hard duty. To the\n     believer it is a great privilege to lay aside a portion of his substance\n     with this sacred stamp upon it \u2013 \u201cThis is for God.\u201d <em>\u201cUpon the first day\n     of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath\n     prospered him\u201d<\/em>(1 Corinthians 16:2).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u00ef<strong>We must submit to our Father\u2019s chastening\n     rod. <\/strong><em>\u201cMy\n     son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his\n     correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the\n     son in whom he delighteth\u201d&nbsp;<\/em><strong> <\/strong>(vv. 11-12).\n     Divine chastisements are gracious in design and in execution. Therefore,\n     we must never despise them or faint because of them. We must learn from\n     the afflictions of providence and be content with our Father\u2019s discipline.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cSalvation is of the\nLord.\u201d&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <\/strong>Jonah 2:9<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All men and women, since the\nfall of our Father Adam, are born in a state of sin, total depravity,\nalienation from God, and spiritual death.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Man is not just poor. He is\nbankrupt.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Man is not just weak. He is\nhelpless.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Man is not sick. He is dead.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We are all by nature totally\ndepraved (Genesis 6:5), haters of God (Psalm 81:15; Romans 1:30; 8:7), and\nincapable of doing good, or even coming to Christ in faith (John 6:44; Romans\n3:9-10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em>\u201cSalvation\nis of the Lord.\u201d<\/em> Salvation is God\u2019s work alone. It is a work of eternal, covenant\ngrace (2 Timothy 1:9), beginning with sovereign, electing love (2 Thessalonians\n2:13), secured for God\u2019s elect by Divine predestination (Ephesians 1:4, 5, 11),\npurchased for the chosen by the effectual atonement of Christ\u2019s death as our\nSubstitute (Hebrews 9:12), effectually applied to the redeemed at the appointed\ntime of love by God the Holy Spirit&nbsp;\n(Psalm 65:4; Romans 9:16), and infallibly secures the perseverance of\nevery true believer (Ecclesiastes 3:14). Every sinner who trusts the Lord Jesus\nChrist is saved, has passed from death to life, and must possess all the\nblessedness and glory of heaven forever. <em>\u201cHe that heareth my word, and\nbelieveth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into\ncondemnation; but is passed from death unto life\u201d<\/em> (John 5:24).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The strongest inducement for a Christian to obey God is the fact<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>that he has already been graciously pardoned in Christ for having<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>disobeyed.&nbsp; ~Author unknown<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whatever we have of this world in our hands, our care must be to<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>keep it out of our hearts, lest it come between us and Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>~Matthew Henry<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In respect to GOD, the death of Christ was justice and mercy. In<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>respect to THIS WORLD, the death of Christ was murder and<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>cruelty. In respect to HIMSELF, the death of Christ was<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>obedience and humility. In respect to HIS ELECT, the death of<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Christ was wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>redemption.&nbsp; &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John Flavel<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool. Prov. 28:26b.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We hear men say, \u201cFollow your heart\u201d. When God makes you to<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>be a sinner, you know your heart is deceitful and desperately<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>wicked. As we grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ, we<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>become more painfully experienced with deceitfulness of our<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>sinful hearts. The rest of the verse quoted above says, \u201cbut<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>whosoever walketh wisely, he shall be delivered\u201d. To walk<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>wisely is to look to and trust in Christ. To be delivered is to\nhave<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>our hearts exposed and to have Christ revealed. Don\u2019t follow<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>your heart, follow Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Greg Elmquist<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Faith, not a Feeling<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Salvation is not a question of feeling, as so many would make it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is entirely a matter of faith in a person, in an accomplished\nfact<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>faith wrought in the soul of a sinner by the power of the Holy<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ghost. This faith is something quite different from a mere feeling<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>of the person or an assent of the intellect. Mere feeling and<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>sentimentality (or emotion) can never rise above the source from<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>whence they come, and that source is self; but faith has to do\nwith<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>God and His eternal Word, and is a living link, connecting the<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>heart that possesses it with God who gives it. Feelings and<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>sentiments can never connect with the soul of God. No doubt,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>faith will produce feeling and sentiments (spiritual feelings and<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>truthful sentiments)\u2014but the fruits of faith must never be<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>confounded with faith itself. He can only be known by His own<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>revelation and by the faith which He Himself\nimparts.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scott Richardson<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>WEAK faith is TRUE faith; for the Author and Finisher is the<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>same as the Object \u2013 Our Lord Jesus Christ. A weak and frail<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>hand can put food in the mouth as well as if it were a strong\nhand,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>seeing the body is not nourished by the hand at all but by the<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>meat. It is not faith that justifies, sanctifies, and redeems \u2013 IT\nIS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CHRIST!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John Rogers<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If there be anything plainly taught in Scripture, it is that the<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>sacrifice of Christ was made for those only who shall eventually<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>be saved by it.&nbsp; If the wisdom of men cannot reconcile this\nwith<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>their views of what is right, let them be prepared to dispute the<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>matter with the Almighty in the Day of Judgment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alexander Carson<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Faith<\/em>, not a\nFeeling<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Salvation is not a question of\nfeeling, as so many would make it. It is entirely a matter of faith in a\nperson, in an accomplished fact faith wrought in the soul of a sinner by the\npower of the Holy Ghost. This faith is something quite different from a mere\nfeeling of the person or an assent of the intellect. Mere feeling and\nsentimentality (or emotion) can never rise above the source from whence they\ncome and that source is self; but faith has to do with God and His eternal\nWord, and is a living link, connecting the heart that possesses it with God who\ngives it. Feelings and sentiments can never connect with the soul of God. No\ndoubt, faith will produce feeling and sentiments (spiritual feelings and\ntruthful sentiments)\u2014but the fruits of faith must never be confounded with\nfaith itself. He can only be known by His own revelation and by the faith which\nHe Himself\nimparts.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>Pastor\nScott Richardson<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><em>\u201cThe lot\nis cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD\u201d&nbsp;<\/em>Prov.\n16:33.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\nIs it not wonderfully settling to the heart of a redeemed and regenerated\nsinner to know that our God does all things well? We plan according to the way\nwe think things should go, but He Who rules in heaven and earth is the\nDeterminer and Director of all things. As we consider the way that our precious\nLord has been pleased to move in our midst, may we be reminded that He,&nbsp;<em>\u201cworketh\nall things after the counsel of His own will,\u201d&nbsp;<\/em>and that as we behold\nHis gracious hand of providence, may we remember too that,&nbsp;<em>\u201call things\nwork together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called\naccording to His purpose.\u201d&nbsp;<\/em>If we could see the end, as He sees, we\nwould never doubt, question, or complain<em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Marvin Stalnaker&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;\n&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cHear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto Thee. Hide not Thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline Thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ps. 102:1-2 \u201cI was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house [&hellip;]<\/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-6447","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\/6447","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=6447"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6447\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6448,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6447\/revisions\/6448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}