{"id":6813,"date":"2025-02-20T09:48:36","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T09:48:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=6813"},"modified":"2025-03-03T01:44:24","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T01:44:24","slug":"bulletin-edition-february-2024-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=6813","title":{"rendered":"Bulletin Edition February 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n


\n“LET THESE GO THEIR WAY”<\/strong>      John\n18:8<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Our\nLord Jesus Christ was in the garden, and the soldiers came to arrest him. When\nthey came to take him away, our Saviour gave this commandment to the soldiers\nconcerning his beloved disciples – “If therefore ye seek me, let these go\ntheir way: that the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, of them which\nthou gavest me have I lost none.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Do\nyou see the love and care which our Lord manifested toward his people, even in\nthe hour of his trial? His love is strong as death. He voluntarily gave himself\nup to the enemy, but demands that his people be set free as a condition of his\nsurrender. As a sheep before her shearers is dumb, he opens not his mouth for\nhis own sake; but for the sake of his disciples he gives a commandment of\nsovereign authority. This is love, constant, free, self-denying, unchanging\nlove. But there is far more here than is to be found upon the surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                This\nis a beautiful picture of our great Substitute in his work of redemption. The\nGood Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep, but the condition is this – THOSE\nSHEEP FOR WHOM HE DIED MUST THEREFORE GO FREE<\/strong>. Our Surety was bound and\nslain for us; and justice demands that those for whom he stands as a Substitute\nmust be set free to go their way. In the midst of Egyptian bondage, that voice\nrings out as a word of power, “Let these go their way”. Out of the\nslavery of sin, out of the bondage of Satan, out from under the curse of the\nlaw the redeemed of the Lord must come. He says, upon the merits of his own\ninfinite sacrifice, “Let these go their way”. With the eye of his\njustice upon the blood of his Son, the Lord God says of all his elect,\n“Let these go their way. Deliver them from going down to the pit: I have\nfound a ransom.” The thunder-cloud of Divine wrath burst upon our Savior’s\nhead, as he hung upon the cross of Calvary, and God’s elect, his chosen sheep,\nthose sinners who, being called by his grace, believe on Christ shall never be\nsmitten by the bolts of the law’s justice and vengeance. They must go free!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\nFortner<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Holiness,\nwithout which no man shall see the Lord.” \u2013Hebrews 12:14<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

To possess this holiness is\na necessary and indispensable fitness for the inheritance of the saints in\nlight; but this fitness must be wrought in us by the power of God’s grace, for\nI am sure that in ourselves of it we have none. But see its necessity. What\nhappiness could there be in the courts of bliss unless we had a nature to enjoy\nit? Unless we were made capable of seeing Christ as he is, and enjoying his\npresence for evermore, heaven would be no heaven to us. Nothing unclean or\nunholy can enter there. Sanctification therefore must be wrought in us by the\npower of God, to make us fit for the heavenly inheritance, and he therefore\ncommunicates of his Spirit and grace to give us heavenly affections, holy\ndesires, gracious thoughts, tender feelings; and above all that love whereby he\nis loved as the altogether lovely One.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the sanctifying\noperations of his Spirit, he separates us from everything evil, plants his fear\ndeep in the heart, that it may be a fountain of life to depart from the snares\nof death; and works in us a conformity to his suffering image here that we may\nbe conformed to his glorified image hereafter. Thus there is a perfect and an\nimperfect sanctification–perfect by imputation, imperfect in its present\noperations. But the one is the pledge of the other; so that as surely as Christ\nnow represents his people in heaven as their holy Head, so will he eventually\nbring them to be forever with him in those abodes of perfect holiness and\nperfect happiness which are prepared for them as mansions of eternal light and\nlove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Jesus Christ\nhimself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fully framed\ntogether groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord.”–Ephesians 2:20-21<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Christ is the Head of every\nmember individually, as he is the Head of the whole body collectively. Growth\nof the body, from babyhood to manhood, is the growth of individual members in\nthe body. If, then, I am a member of the mystical body of Christ Jesus, I shall\ngrow. My growth may be so slow and gradual as to be scarcely perceptible; but\nit will be growth still. If I have union with Christ, I shall be supplied, at\nleast in some measure, out of his fullness. He is my life, and he has promised,\nbecause he lives, I shall live also; and if I live by him, I shall live upon\nand unto him. Paul could say, “The life which I live in the flesh I live\nby the faith of the Son of God;” and also, “And that he died for all,\nthat they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him\nwhich died for them, and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:15).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By a sound gospel ministry\nour souls are fed. Christ is set before us in all the glories of his divine\nPerson–in his Deity and Sonship, and in all the graces of his suffering\nhumanity. His covenant characters and gracious relationships, his blood and righteousness,\nhis death and resurrection, his ascension and glorification at the right hand\nof the Father, his present mediation and intercession, his sympathy as a once\nsuffering but now exalted high Priest, and his ability to save to the uttermost\nall that come to God by him, are brought before us as the food of our faith;\nand as we taste that he is gracious, and feed upon him as the bread of life,\nthere is a growth into him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the\nbeginning was the Word.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

John 1:1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

John calls our Lord Jesus Christ \u201cthe Word<\/em>.\u201d This is a\nterm used in the New Testament almost exclusively by John, identifying Christ\nas one who is God, and yet a distinct Person from the Father. I can think of\nonly two places in which other inspired writers used this term in the New\nTestament with reference to our Saviour. In Hebrews 4:12-13 we read: \u2014 \u201cFor\nthe Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword,\npiercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and\nmarrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is\nthere any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things <\/em>are naked\nand opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do<\/em>.\u201d In 2nd<\/sup> Peter 3:5 we read, \u201cthat by the Word\nof God the heavens were of old<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deity\nExpressing Itself<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A word is\nan expression, a means of manifestation, communication and revelation. Christ\nmanifests the invisible God, communicates the love, mercy and grace of God, and\nreveals the attributes and perfections of God. The Word of God, then, is Deity\nexpressing itself. Therefore Christ is called the Word of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heb. 1:1 God, who at\nsundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the\nprophets,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heb. 1:2 Hath in these\nlast days spoken unto us by his<\/em> Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all\nthings, by whom also he made the worlds;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heb. 1:3 Who being the\nbrightness of his<\/em> glory, and the express image of his person, and\nupholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged\nour sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heb. 1:4 Being made so\nmuch better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more\nexcellent name than they.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Revelation 1:8 our Saviour declares himself to be God\u2019s\nalphabet. \u2014 \u201cI am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith\nthe Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty<\/em>.\u201d\nChrist is the Word in and by whom the triune God makes himself known to men,\nthe personal enunciation of Jehovah. \u2014 \u201cNo man hath seen God at any\ntime; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath\ndeclared <\/em>him\u201d (John 1:18).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Record in\nHeaven<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christ,\nthe Word, is one of the Holy Three-in-One that bear record in heaven. \u2014 \u201cThere\nare three that bear record in heaven<\/em>\u201d (1 John 5:7). Bear record of what?\nThat Jesus is the Son of God? No. Heaven needs no evidence of that! These three\nbear record in heaven that God has given us eternal life, in strict accordance\nwith his just and righteous law, by the merits of Christ\u2019s obedience and death\nas our Substitute. The three Persons of the Holy Trinity bear record in heaven\nthat Christ has accomplished redemption for God\u2019s elect by his blood<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11<\/p>\n\n\n\n

atonement.\n\u2014 \u201cThere are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the\nHoly Ghost: and these three are one<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God the Father bears record that redemption is accomplished by\nhis acceptance of Christ as our Representative and Surety (Hebrews 1:1-9;\n6:19-20; 10:11-14). When the Father raised Christ from the dead and received\nhim back into heaven as our Mediator, he accepted all his elect in Christ and\nbare record that redemption\u2019s work was done (Ephesians 1:6; John 17:1-5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God the Son, the living, eternal Word, the second person of the\nblessed Trinity, bears record of his people\u2019s right to eternal life by his\nperpetual advocacy and intercession at the Father\u2019s right hand (Romans 8:34; 1\nJohn 2:1-2; Hebrews 6:20; 7:24-25). The record he bears, which secures the\neternal salvation of God\u2019s elect, by which we merit heaven and eternal life, is\ntwofold: \u2014 His righteousness as our Representative and his satisfaction as our\nSubstitute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God the Holy Spirit, the third person of the holy Trinity, bears\nrecord of the accomplishment of redemption, by effectually applying the blood\nof Christ to the hearts of God\u2019s elect in effectual calling (John 16:14;\nHebrews 9:13-14). The Spirit of God takes the merit of Christ\u2019s blood and\nrighteousness and reveals our acceptance with God to us by the gospel. In\neffectual calling chosen, redeemed sinners hear the gospel. But they hear more\nthan the bare word of the gospel. They hear the Spirit of God speak in their\nhearts! Each one hears God speak pardon to his own soul by the gospel of his\nsalvation (Ephesians 1:13; 2 Corinthians 5:16). \u2014 This is the record of heaven.\nThe Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit point to the blood and righteousness\nof Christ and say, \u201cIt is finished! <\/em>Redemption is accomplished!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd these three are one<\/em>.\u201d \u2014 The three Divine Persons are\none God. But more, the record of the Father, the record of the Word, and the\nrecord of the Spirit are one. What is that record? \u2014 Redemption is accomplished\nby Christ alone! Every chosen sinner has the right to enter into heaven by the\nblood gate, through the merits of Christ. \u2014 \u201cGod hath given us eternal life,\nand this life is in his Son<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Word<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look at\nthis name and title John gives to the Lord Jesus again, \u2014 \u201cThe Word<\/em>.\u201d \u2014\n\u201cIn the beginning was the Word.<\/em>\u201d That is a statement so full of meaning\nthat I have no hope of expounding it. Christ is called the Word because he is\nthe Wisdom of God. He is called the Word because he is the Person spoken of in\nall the Old Testament prophecies and the sum of all the promises. Our Redeemer\nis called the Word because he is the Speaker, the Revealer and the Interpreter\nof the Father\u2019s will. And he is called the Word because he is the Image of the\ninvisible God, the Offspring of the Father\u2019s mind, the Express Image of his\nPerson, just as our words (if honestly spoken) are the express image of our\nminds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\nFortner<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On our learning this\nlesson depends our comforting walk heavenward
\n
\n<\/strong>(Letters of William Romaine, 1714-1795)
\n
\nWhen the Holy Spirit takes of the things of Christ and preaches them to the\nheart – oh, what a sweet peace follows! For the believer then finds himself\nsaved from all the miseries of sin, and entitled to all the blessings of\neternal glory.
\n
\nBeing thus persuaded of his safety by believing in the sin-atoning blood 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>
\n
\nOn our learning this lesson depends our comforting walk heavenward<\/strong>. For\nChrist does not give us a stock of grace and expect us to improve it by being\nfaithful to grace given. No, no, that is not His way. Our souls must depend\nupon Him, just as our bodies do upon the elements of this world. Every\nmoment we must live by faith upon His fullness, and be every moment receiving\nout of it grace upon grace.<\/em>
\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 upon 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. May you find it more and more! Sweet Jesus\nkeep you, my dear friend!
\n
\nYours,
\nWilliam Romaine<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living upon Christ!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Octavius Winslow<\/a>,\n“The God of Grace”)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are as much to live\nupon Christ<\/strong> for sanctification<\/em> – as for pardon\nand justification<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grace which delivers us\nfrom Hell – also fits us for Heaven.
\nThat grace which cancels our guilt – also subdues our corruptions.
\nThat grace which emancipates us from our bondage to sin – equally dethrones the\ntyrant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O wondrous, precious grace\nthat, by its divine sanctity and power – brings first one, and then another\nindwelling corrupt principle, passion, and desire of our hearts – into\nsubjection to Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Precious and marvellous grace –\nthat moulds and fashions us into the image of Jesus!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is good to live near the grave\nfor it is in the light of the grave that we see this life as it really is \u2013\nvanity. No matter the kind of life a person lives, it comes to the grave. The\ngrave also teaches us that our hope must lie beyond what is found in this\nworld: If everything here is vanity, then things of value and substance must be\nfound elsewhere. The grave also teaches us how to live this present life: We\nmust live our lives in the pursuit of Christ and the things concerning Him.\nEven as we enjoy the transient things of this life, let our eyes be fixed on\nthings above, where Christ is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the one whose heart is in\nthis world, the grave puts an end to all he hoped for. But for the one whose\nheart is set on the world beyond the grave, the grave is merely the portal to\nthe realization of all he has hoped for.          \n     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joe Terrell <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“LET THESE GO THEIR WAY”      John 18:8                 Our Lord Jesus Christ was in the garden, and the soldiers came to arrest him. When they came to take him away, our Saviour gave this commandment to the soldiers concerning his beloved disciples – “If therefore ye seek me, let these go their way: that the saying might […]<\/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-6813","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\/6813","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=6813"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6821,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6813\/revisions\/6821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}