{"id":6758,"date":"2024-09-08T11:26:04","date_gmt":"2024-09-08T11:26:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=6758"},"modified":"2024-09-08T11:26:04","modified_gmt":"2024-09-08T11:26:04","slug":"bulletin-edition-september-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=6758","title":{"rendered":"Bulletin Edition September 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This most precious and\nsuitable Savior!<\/strong>
\n
\n(Letters of J. C. Philpot<\/a>)
\n
\n“For we have not an high priest which can not be touched with the feeling\nof our infirmities.” Hebrews 4:15
\n
\nWhat a mercy it is to have a faithful and gracious
\ncompassionate High Priest who can sympathise with
\nHis poor, tried, tempted family–so that however
\nlow they may sink <\/strong>. . .
\n  His pitiful eye <\/strong>can see them in their low estate,
\n  His gracious ear <\/strong>hear their cries,
\n  His loving heart <\/strong>melt over them, and
\n  His strong<\/strong> arm <\/strong>pluck them from their\ndestructions!
\n
\nOh what would we do without such a gracious and
\nmost suitable Saviour as the blessed Jesus! How He
\nseems to rise more and more . . .
\n  in our estimation<\/strong>,
\n  in our thoughts<\/strong>,
\n  in our desires<\/strong>,
\n  in our affections<\/strong>,
\nas we see and feel what a wreck and ruin we are,
\nwhat dreadful havoc sin has made with both body
\nand soul, what miserable outcasts we are by nature.
\n
\nBut oh how needful it is, dear friend, to be brought
\ndown in our soul to be the chief of sinners, viler than
\nthe vilest, and worse than the worst–that we may
\nreally and truly believe in, and cleave unto, this
\nmost precious and suitable Saviour!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 The believer is\nperfect in Christ, but in himself is a poor feeble creature, ever liable to\nfall. Oh, the blessedness of having One who can manage all his affairs for him\nat the right hand of the Majesty in the Heavens: One who upholds him continually\nby the right hand of His righteousness: One who will never let him go: One who\nis able to save to the uttermost: One who is the same yesterday, today, and\nforever: One who will bear him triumphantly through all the difficulties and\ndangers that surround him and finally, present him faultless before the\npresence of His Glory with exceeding joy. Blessed forever be the grace that has\nmade such ample provision for all our sins in the Blood of a spotless victim\nand the intercession of a Divine High Priest.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

       \n                     \n                     \n                   ~Scott\nRichardson<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NO DEALINGS<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen saith the woman of Samaria unto\nhim, how is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of\nSamaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.\u201d Jn 4:9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The woman of Samaria told the Lord Jesus\nthat the religious Jews, out of their self-righteous pride would have no\ndealings with the Samaritans, people who the Jews considered to be too sinful\nfor salvation. But thank God, the Lord Jesus Christ came to save and to have\ndealings with sinners. He is the friend of sinners (Matt. 11:19). Christ did\nnot come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance (Matt. 9:12:13). The\nLord Jesus Christ came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). Now the\nquestion for us to consider, are we sinners? Yes! Do we need the salvation from\nthe hand of the Lord?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes! This is a faithful saying, Christ\ncame to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15).       <\/p>\n\n\n\n

         \n                     \n                     \n        By preacher, Tom Harding<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“That they all may be one:\nas Thou, Father, are in me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in\nus” (John 17:21). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know that there is a oneness\nbetween the Father and the Son in nature, essence, power, and purpose which\ntranscends any kind of union among men. But our Lord prays that “all\nbelievers may be one; as Thou, Father, art in me, and I in Thee.” So here\non this earth, WE ARE ONE IN FAITH. We all believe Christ, receive Christ, and\nagree in the main point of the gospel–salvation only in, by, and through our\nLord Jesus. WE ARE ONE IN AFFECTION. He is our first love; but, by His grace,\nwe do love one another and are forever knit together in that love. WE HAVE ONE\nCOMMON GOAL\u2013the glory of our blessed Lord. In works of faith and labors of\nlove, in trials or in prosperity, in giving or receiving our song is the same,\n“To God be the glory.” WE HAVE THE SAME CARE ONE FOR ANOTHER (I Cor.\n12:26), “and when one member of His body suffers, all the members of the\nbody suffer with it; or if one member of His body be honored (fulfilled and\nhappy), all the members rejoice with it.” AND BY THIS SHALL ALL MEN KNOW\nTHAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES!        <\/p>\n\n\n\n

       \n                     \n                    ~Henry\nMahan<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He will carry the lambs\nin His bosom!<\/strong>
\n
\n(Charles Spurgeon<\/a>)
\n
\n“He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall\ngather the lambs with his arm, and carry them<\/em> in his\nbosom, and<\/em> shall gently lead those that are with young.” <\/strong>Isaiah\n40:11
\n
\nWho<\/em> is He of whom such gracious words are spoken?
\nHe is the Good Shepherd<\/em>.
\n
\nWhy<\/em> does He carry the lambs in His bosom?
\nBecause He has a tender heart, and any weakness in His people at once melts His\nheart. The sighs, the ignorance, the feebleness of the little ones of His\nflock-draw forth His compassion. It is His office as a faithful High Priest, to\nconsider the weak<\/em>. Besides, He purchased them with blood, they are\nHis property-He must and will care for that which cost Him so dear!
\n
\nHe is also responsible for each lamb, bound by covenant engagements not to lose\none. Moreover, they are all a part of His glory and reward.
\n
\nBut how may we understand the expression, “He will carry<\/em> them”?
\n
\nSometimes He carries them by not permitting them to endure much trial.\nProvidence deals tenderly with them.
\n
\nOften they are “carried” by being filled with an unusual degree of\nlove-so that they bear up and stand fast. Though their knowledge may not be\ndeep-they have great sweetness in what they do know.
\n
\nFrequently He “carries” them by giving them a very simple faith-which\ntakes the promise just as it stands, and believingly runs with every trouble\nstraight to Jesus. The simplicity of their faith gives them an unusual degree\nof confidence, which carries them above the world.
\n
\n“He will carry the lambs in His bosom<\/strong>.”
\n
\n  1. Here is boundless affection<\/em>. Would He put them in His\nbosom-if He did not love them so much?
\n
\n  2. Here is tender nearness<\/em>-so near are they, that they could\nnot possibly be nearer.
\n
\n  3. Here is hallowed familiarity<\/em>-there are precious\nlove-passages between Christ and His weak ones.
\n
\n  4. Here is perfect safety<\/em>-in His bosom, who can hurt them?\nThey must hurt the Shepherd first.
\n
\n  5. Here is perfect rest <\/em>and sweetest comfort<\/em>.\nSurely we are not sufficiently sensible of the infinite tenderness of Jesus!
\n
\n“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they\nfollow me: <\/strong>28 <\/sup><\/strong>and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish,\nneither shall any man<\/em> pluck them out of my hand.<\/strong>”\nJohn 10:27-28<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All kinds of trials…
\n<\/strong>
\n-Spurgeon, “The Christian’s Heaviness and Rejoicing”<\/em>
\n
\nAh! even when the Christian is most “in heaviness through
\nall kinds of trials<\/strong>,” what a mercy it is that he can know that
\nhe is still elect of God!
\n
\nAny man who is assured that God has “chosen him from
\nbefore the foundation of the world,” may well say, “In this we
\ngreatly rejoice.”
\n
\nLet me be lying upon a bed of sickness, and just revel in this
\none thought– Before God made the heavens and the earth,
\nand laid the pillars of the firmament in their golden sockets, he
\nset his love upon me; upon the breast of the great high priest
\nhe wrote my name, and in his everlasting book it stands,
\nnever to be erased- “elect according to the foreknowledge
\nof God.”
\n
\n“In this we greatly rejoice.”
\n
\nCome, Christian! you are depressed and cast down.
\nThink for a moment.
\nYou are chosen of God and precious to him!
\n
\nLet the bell of election ring in your ear,
\nand let your name be heard in its notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On our learning this\nlesson, depends our comforting walk heavenward<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Letters of William Romaine<\/a>,\n1714-1795)
\n
\nWhen the Holy Spirit takes of the things of Christ and preaches them to the\nheart-oh, what a sweet peace follows! The believer then finds himself saved\nfrom all the miseries of sin, and entitled to all the blessings of eternal\nglory.
\n
\nBeing thus persuaded of his safety by believing in the sin-atoning death of our\nGreat High Priest, the Holy Spirit then teaches him how to live upon\nChrist, and how to make use of Christ’s fullness. <\/em>On our learning\nthis lesson, depends our comforting walk heavenward<\/strong>. For Christ does not\ngive us a stock of grace and expect us to improve it by being faithful to grace\ngiven. No, no, that is not His way. Our souls must depend upon Him, just as our\nbodies do upon the elements of this world. We must\nlive by faith in Jesus, and be every moment receiving grace upon grace out of\nHis fullness.
\n
\nAnd this is our happiness-to have all in Christ!
\n
\nA beggar in myself, but rich with unsearchable eternal riches in Him.
\n
\nIgnorant still in myself, but led and taught by His unerring wisdom.
\nA sinner still, but saved by His blood and righteousness.
\n
\nWeak and helpless still, but kept by His Almighty love.
\n
\nNothing but sorrow in myself, nothing but joy in Him.
\n
\nOh, this is a blessed life!<\/em>
\n
\nNo tongue can tell what a Heaven it is, thus to live by faith in the\nSon of God. <\/em>Thanks be to Him, that I do know a little of it. Surely I\ncould not have thought, some years ago, that there was such a Heaven\nupon earth<\/em> as I now find.
\n
\n“I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for\nme!” Galatians 2:20<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Newton’s Letters<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Union with Christ<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear Sir,
\nThe union of a believer with Christ is so intimate, so unalterable, so rich in\nprivilege, so powerful in influence, that it cannot be fully represented by any\ndescription or similitude taken from earthly things. The mind, like the sight,\nis incapable of apprehending a great object, without viewing it on different\nsides. To help our weakness, the nature of this union is illustrated, in the\nScripture, by four comparisons, each throwing additional light on the subject,\nyet all falling short of the thing signified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our natural state, we are\ndriven and tossed about, by the changing winds of opinion, and the waves of\ntrouble, which hourly disturb and threaten us upon the uncertain sea of human\nlife. But faith, uniting us to Christ, fixes us upon a sure foundation, the\nRock of Ages, where we stand immovable, though storms and floods unite their\nforce against us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By nature we are separated\nfrom the divine life, as branches broken off, withered and fruitless. But\ngrace, through faith, unites us to Christ the living Vine, from whom, as the\nroot of all fullness, a constant supply of sap and influence is derived into\neach of his mystical branches, enabling them to bring forth fruit unto God, and\nto persevere and abound therein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By nature we are hateful and\nabominable in the sight of a holy God, and full of enmity and hatred towards\neach other. By faith, uniting us to Christ, we have fellowship with the Father\nand the Son, and joint communion among ourselves; even as the members of the\nsame body have each of them union, communion, and sympathy, with the head, and\nwith their fellow-members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our natural estate, we\nwere cast out naked and destitute, without pity, and without help, Ezek.\n16:1-63; but faith, uniting us to Christ, interests us in his righteousness,\nhis riches, and his honours. Our Redeemer is our husband; our debts are paid, our\nsettlements secured, and our names changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus the Lord Jesus, in\ndeclaring himself the foundation, root, head, and husband, of his people, takes\nin all the ideas we can frame of an intimate, vital, and inseparable union. Yet\nall these fall short of truth; and he has given us one further similitude, of\nwhich we can by no means form a just conception until we shall be brought to\nsee him as he is in his kingdom. John 17:21: “That they all may be one, as\nyou, Father, are in me, and I in you; that they also may be one in us.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well may we say, What has\nGod wrought! How inviolable is the security, how inestimable the privilege, how\ninexpressible the happiness, of a believer! How greatly is he indebted to\ngrace! He was once afar off, but he is brought near to God by the blood of\nChrist: he was once a child of wrath, but is now an heir of everlasting life.\nHow strong then are his obligations to walk worthy of God, who has called him\nto his kingdom and glory!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who\nMust We\nKnow?                <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

John\n17:3<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

     In\nrecent weeks and months I have read numerous articles and heard several sermons\non the general subject, “How Much Must You Know Before You Can\nBe Saved?” In essence the men were attempting to prove that Arminians,\nfree-willers and legalists are saved people and are to be embraced as brethren.\nUpon the surface that seems to be a charitable thing. And I am sure it is the\nintention of those men to be charitable. But I fear their charity is a\ndelusion. I know it is contrary to both the spirit and letter of Holy Scripture\n(Rom. 11:6; Gal. 1:6-9; Phil. 3:18; Col. 2:23; Gal. 5:1-4). Anyone who\nbelieves that salvation is determined by his free will rather than God’s\nsovereign will is lost. Anyone who believes that salvation is dependent upon\nhis works to any degree rather than upon Christ’s finished work alone is lost.\nTo tell them that they are saved is not charity, but cruelty! Would you think a\ndoctor charitable who saw a man dying with cancer, if he told the man he was in\ngood health, because he did not want to hurt his feelings? Of course not! Only\nin the name of religion can a man be applauded for such senseless cruelty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     The\nissue of a man’s salvation has nothing to do with how much he must know. The\nissue is who we must know! No man can be saved who does not know the one true\nand living God as he is revealed in Christ by the gospel. And the Arminian,\nfree-will, works religionist does not know the living God, his Christ, or his\ngospel. GOD IS SOVEREIGN. If the god you worship can be resisted, defeated, or\ncontrolled, you worship a false god, an idolatrous figment of your own\nimagination. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS GOD ALMIGHTY. If the Christ you trust is\na failure, he is not God, he is a false Christ. If he lived and died to redeem\nand save a multitude of sinners  whom he fails to save, he\nis a failure. And a failure cannot be God!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     The\ngospel of the grace of God is the revelation of God in Christ. It is a\ndeclaration of Christ’s finished work of redemption for sinners. The gospel\ndoes not present the possibility of salvation upon some condition to be met by\nthe sinner. It declares the accomplishment of salvation by Christ for every\nsinner who trusts him. Salvation is not in how much you know, but in who you\nknow. Do you know the Christ of God?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\nFortner<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This most precious and suitable Savior! (Letters of J. C. Philpot) “For we have not an high priest which can not be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” Hebrews 4:15 What a mercy it is to have a faithful and gracious compassionate High Priest who can sympathise with His poor, tried, tempted family–so that however […]<\/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-6758","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\/6758","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=6758"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6758\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6759,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6758\/revisions\/6759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}