{"id":6475,"date":"2023-10-10T01:39:10","date_gmt":"2023-10-10T01:39:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=6475"},"modified":"2023-10-10T01:39:10","modified_gmt":"2023-10-10T01:39:10","slug":"bulletin-edition-october-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=6475","title":{"rendered":"Bulletin Edition October 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What a beautiful image of the true Christian is light! <\/em>The\nchild of the light!” The saints in light!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking in the light of a Father’s reconciled face;
\nwalking in the light that beams from the cross of Jesus;
\nwalking in the light of an indwelling, teaching, sanctifying\nSpirit;
\nwalking in that bright, luminous path, which “shines more\nand more unto the perfect day.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Octavius Winslow<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 LIGHT <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is another of the characters of the Lord Jesus Christ; for as\nJesus is the life, so is he the light of men. Coming up from all eternity in\nthe councils of peace, for the salvation of his people, he is the everlasting\nlight and glory of his people. He it is that first caused the light to shine\nout of darkness in the original creation of nature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In like manner, he is the first to cause light to shine out of\ndarkness in the new creation, when the day spring from on high first shines in\nupon the soul, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the\nface of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor. iv. 6.) Oh! rise, thou Son of righteousness, on\nthe souls of thy redeemed with healing in thy wings that they may go forth and\ngrow up as calves of the stall, (Mal. iv. 2. Luke ii. 32. Ps. iv. 6. John viii.\n12, &c.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert Hawker<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Light<\/strong> shines the earliest wonder of the world. Who can depict\nits beauties and its properties! But it is more than nature’s charm and earth’s\nbenefit. It is a treasure of Gospel-truth. Its lovely rays show the more lovely\nimage of the Lord. It is written, “That was the true light which\nenlightens every man who comes into the world.” (John 1:9) Jesus, also,\nselecting it as a typical mirror, cries, “I am the light of the world: he\nwho follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of\nlife.” (John 8:12) The prophet, anticipating the rising of the true\n“Dayspring from on high,” sweetly sings, “The people who walked\nin darkness have seen a great light.” (Isa. 9:2) Thus from early morn to\nevening’s close we are encompassed by an atmosphere, the Truth of which is\nChrist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Henry Law<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given\nhimself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.\nEphesians 5:2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Octavius Winslow<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was an entire sacrifice. It was Himself He offered up. More\nHe could not give; less would not have sufficed. He gave Himself- all that He\npossessed in heaven, and all that belonged to Him on earth, He gave in behalf\nof His people. His life of obedience, His death of suffering, He gave as\n“an offering and is sacrifice to God.” It was an entire surrender.
\nIt was a voluntary offering. “He gave Himself.” It was\nnot by compulsion or by constraint that He surrendered Himself into the hands\nof Divine justice- He went not as a reluctant victim to the altar- they dragged\nHim not to the cross. He went voluntarily. It is true that there existed a\nsolemn necessity, why Jesus should die in behalf of His people. It grew out of\nHis covenant engagement with the Father. Into that engagement He voluntarily\nentered: His own ineffable love constrained Him: But after the compact had been\nmade, the covenant of redemption ratified, and the bond given to justice, there\nwas a necessity resting upon Jesus why He should finish the work. His word, His\nhonour, His truth, His glory, all were pledged to the entire fulfilment of His\nsuretyship. He had freely given Himself into the power of justice; He was\ntherefore, on His taking upon Him the form of a servant, under obligations to\nsatisfy all its claims; He was legally bound to obey all its commands. And yet\nit was a voluntary surrender of Himself as a sacrifice for His people. It was a\nwilling offering. If there was a necessity, and we have shown that there was,\nit grew out of His own voluntary love to His Church. It was, so to speak, a\nvoluntary necessity. See how this blessed view of the death of Jesus is\nsustained by the Divine word. “He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet\nHe opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a\nsheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opens not His mouth.” His own\ndeclaration confirms the truth. “Therefore does my Father love me, because\nI lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man takes it from me, but I\nlay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it\nagain.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth\nmore and more unto the perfect day.” Proverbs 4:18<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Octavious Winslow<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first light that dawns upon the soul is the daybreak of\ngrace. When that blessed period arrives, when the Sun of Righteousness has\nrisen upon the long-benighted mind, how do the shadows of ignorance and of\nguilt instantly disappear! What a breaking away of, perhaps, a long night of\nalienation from God, of direct hostility to God, and of ignorance of the Lord\nJesus, then takes place. Not, however, strongly marked is this state always at\nthe first. The beginning of grace in the soul is frequently analogous to the\nbeginning of day in the natural world. The dawn of grace is at first so faint,\nthe daybreak so gentle, that a skilful eye only can observe its earliest tints.\nThe individual himself is, perhaps, ignorant of the extraordinary transition\nthrough which his soul is passing. The discovery of darkness which that\nday-dawn has made, the revelation it has brought to view of the desperate\ndepravity of his heart, the utter corruption of his fallen nature, the number\nand the turpitude of his sins, it may be, well near overwhelms the individual\nwith despair! But what has led to this discovery? What has revealed all this\ndarkness and sin? Oh! it is the daybreak of grace in the soul! One faint ray,\nwhat a change has it produced! And is it real? Ah! just as real as that the\nfirst beam, faintly painted on the eastern sky, is a real and an essential part\nof light. The daybreak, faint and glimmering though it be, is as really day as\nthe meridian is day. And so is it with the day-dawn of grace in the soul. The\nfirst serious thought- the first real misgiving- the first conviction of sin-\nthe first downfall of the eye- the first bending of the knee- the first tear-\nthe first prayer- the first touch of faith, is as really and as essentially the\ndaybreak of God’s converting grace in the soul as is the utmost perfection to\nwhich that grace can arrive. Oh, glorious dawn is this, my reader, if now for\nthe first time in your life the daybreak of grace has come, and the shadows of\nignorance and guilt are fleeing away before the advancing light of Jesus in\nyour soul. If now you are seeing how depraved your nature is; if now you are\nlearning the utter worthlessness of your own righteousness; if now you are\nfleeing as a poor, lost sinner to Christ, relinquishing your hold of everything\nelse, and clinging only to Him; though this be but in weakness, and\ntremulousness, and hesitancy, yet sing for joy, for the day is breaking- the\nprelude to the day of eternal glory- and the shadows of unregeneracy are\nforever fleeing away. And as this day of grace has begun, so it will advance.\nNothing shall impede its course, nothing shall arrest its progress. “He\nwhich has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus\nChrist.” The Sun, now risen upon you with healing in His beams, shall\nnever stand still- shall never go back. “He has set a tabernacle for the\nsun” in the renewed soul of man; and onward that sun will roll in its\nglorious orbit, penetrating with its beams every dark recess, until all mental\nshadows are merged and lost in its unclouded and eternal splendour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let\nthem bring me to thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.” Ps 43:3<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Henry law<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Left to ourselves, we are in darkness, and we surely stray.\nConscious of need and guidance, the disconsolate Psalmist prays for heavenly\naid, and that light from above would clearly shine upon his path; and that all\nevents in providence would be in accordance with the provisions of the\neverlasting covenant. Those who truly follow the Lamb shall not walk in\ndarkness but shall have the light of life. They know that the conditions of the\ncovenant secure their everlasting happiness, and they confidently plead that\nGod would do to them in accordance with its terms. He prays especially that he\nmay be restored to the joys of holy worship. He thinks not so much of the\ncomforts and splendour of his palace, of his costly provisions, and luxurious\ndelights\u2014his heart is fixed on the hill of Zion and the house of God. There he\nhad sought spiritual communion\u2014in comparison with this, he counted other things\nas less than dross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,\nhath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of\nGod in the face of Jesus Christ.”<\/em><\/strong> 2 Corinthians 4:6<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

When a man is walking in the darkness and death of unregeneracy,\nhe has no true light. He may indeed have a false light, as the light of\npresumption, delusion, or vain-confidence; but all such borrowed light is worse\nthan darkness; as the Lord says, “If the light that is in you be darkness,\nhow great is that darkness!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only saving light is the light of God shining into the soul,\ngiving us to see and know “the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has\nsent.” A man may have the clearest light in his judgment, and yet never\nhave the penetrating light of the Spirit producing conviction in his soul; he\nmay have the soundest knowledge of the doctrines of grace, and see the\nharmonious scheme of salvation; and yet never have seen a holy God by divine\nteaching, nor have ever felt the spirituality of God’s righteous law condemning\nhim as a transgressor. But “the light of life,” as the Lord calls it,\nis sure to guide its possessor aright. If we have it not, we shall be sure to go\nastray; we shall be entangled in some error, plunge into some heresy, imbibe\nsome doctrine of devils, drink into some dreadful delusion, or fall into some\ndreadful sin, and “concerning faith make shipwreck.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A false light is something like the lights which pirates hold up\nto entrap ships to their destruction; or like the fires, which the\n“wreckers,” those dreadful characters in Cornwall, used to kindle on\ntheir iron-bound coast, in order that the mariner might mistake them for some\nfriendly light-house, and run his vessel on the rocks, where those heartless\nwretches plundered it. A false light can but wreck us on the rocks of\npresumption or despair. But the light of divine life in the soul is accompanied\nwith all the graces of the Spirit. It is the light of the glory of God, the\nlight of Jesus’ countenance, and the light of the Spirit’s teaching, and\ntherefore an infallible guide and guard; as the Apostle says, “You have an\nunction from the Holy One, and know all things.” And this infallible pilot\nwill guide the soul to whom it is given safe into the harbour of endless rest\nand peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Divine guidance<\/strong>
\n
\n<\/strong>(John Newton’s Letters<\/a>)
\n
\nIn general, God guides and directs His people, by affording
\nthem, in answer to prayer, the light of His Holy Spirit, who
\nenables them to understand and to love the Scriptures.
\n
\nThe word of God furnishes us with just principles, and right
\napprehensions, to regulate our judgments and affections, and
\nthereby to influence and direct our conduct. Those who study
\nthe Scriptures, in a humble dependence upon Divine teaching,
\nare taught to make a true estimate of everything around them,
\nand are gradually formed into a spirit of submission to the will
\nof God. They thereby discover the nature and duties of their
\nseveral situations and relations in life, and the snares and
\ntemptations to which they are exposed.
\n
\nThe word of God dwelling richly in them, is a preservative from
\nerror, a light to their feet, and a spring of strength and\nconsolation.
\nBy treasuring up the doctrines, precepts, promises, examples,\nand
\nexhortations of Scripture, in their minds, and daily comparing
\nthemselves with the rule by which they walk, they grow into a
\nhabitual frame of spiritual wisdom, and acquire a\ngracious taste<\/em>,
\nwhich enables them to judge of right and wrong with a degree of
\nreadiness and certainty, as a musical ear judges of sounds. And
\nthey are seldom mistaken, because they are influenced by the
\nlove of Christ, which rules in their hearts, and a regard to the
\nglory of God, which is the great object they have in view.
\n
\nThe Lord, whom they serve, does not disappoint their\nexpectations.
\nHe leads them by a right way, preserves them from a thousand\nsnares,
\nand satisfies them that He is and will be their guide even unto\ndeath.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What a beautiful image of the true Christian is light! The child of the light!” The saints in light!” Walking in the light of a Father’s reconciled face; walking in the light that beams from the cross of Jesus; walking in the light of an indwelling, teaching, sanctifying Spirit; walking in that bright, luminous path, which “shines […]<\/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-6475","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\/6475","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=6475"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6475\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6476,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6475\/revisions\/6476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}