The natural man may express thanksgiving\nfor what he has in his hand; but the believer is thankful for what he has in\nhis heart and what he has in Christ, even if he has nothing in his hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don Fortner<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cExtraordinary\nafflictions are not always the punishment of extraordinary sins, but\nsometimes the trial of extraordinary\ngraces.\u201d \n <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew Henry<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn\nAdam All\nDie\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1\nCorinthians 15:22<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are four words which reveal what happened when our father\nAdam sinned in the garden. These four words must be understood. They are so\nnecessary, so vital that I think I can safely and accurately say, until\nthese four simple words are understood there is no understanding of anything\nelse taught in the Bible<\/strong>. This is what God the Holy Spirit tells us about\nthe sin and death of our father Adam and of all the human race in him. May he\ngrant us grace and wisdom to understand it – \u201cIn Adam all die!\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When God gave his law to Adam, the sanction of the law was\ndeath: physical death; spiritual (moral) death, and eternal death. \u201cThe\nwages of sin is death!\u201d <\/em>As soon as Adam\nsinned, he and all his posterity were stripped of that immortality of body\nwhich God had given him in creation and became mortals, subject to and infested\nwith all the corruptions of sickness, disease, and death. A spiritual,\nmoral death seized his being, a spiritual, moral corruption and death which is\npassed upon all men, generation after generation. <\/strong> \u201cIn Adam\nall die!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Because\nof Adam\u2019s sin, and our sinning in him, the understanding of man is\ndarkened<\/strong>. – His mind and conscience are defiled<\/strong>. – We are filled\nwith inordinate affections<\/strong>. – Our wills, by nature, are biased\ntoward everything that is evil<\/strong>. We have a natural taste and relish for sin!\n– Yet, until regenerated and saved by the grace of God, all the sons and\ndaughters of Adam are to every good work lifeless and reprobate<\/strong>.\nEveryone by nature is born in a state of spiritual death, being dead in\ntrespasses and in sins. This is the language used by the Holy Spirit to\ndescribe man\u2019s lost condition (Rom. 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3).<\/p>\n\n\n\n As\nwe were all born sinners, in a state and condition of spiritual death, we were\nall also born \u201cchildren of wrath,\u201d<\/em> under the curse of God\u2019s\nholy law and subject to eternal death. Eternal death is the just wage\nand retribution paid to sin by God<\/strong>. Eternal death is the wrath of God\nrevealed against all unrighteousness. It is that which shall forever torment\nthe children of disobedience, unless we are saved from it by the obedience and\ndeath of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the last Adam. This eternal\ndeath is the curse which Zechariah saw in his vision, as a flying roll flying\nover the whole earth, by which all the wicked are cut off forever (Zech.\n5:1-3).<\/p>\n\n\n\n God\u2019s elect are saved from this universal curse, because (and\nonly because) Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law and delivered us\nfrom the wrath to come. He is made of God unto us both righteousness and\nredemption; and we are now made righteous in him<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\nFortner<\/p>\n\n\n\n Christians! we can turn now\naside and see this great sight\u2014death closing the lips of the Lord of life\u2014a\nborrowed grave containing the tenantless body of the Creator of all worlds! Is\ndeath to hold that<\/em> prey? Is the grave to retain in gloomy\ncustody that immaculate frame? <\/em>Is His living temple to lie\nthere an inglorious ruin, like other crumbling wrecks of mortality? The\nquestion of our eternal life or eternal death was suspended on the reply! If\ndeath succeeds in chaining down the illustrious Victim, our hopes of\neverlasting life are gone forever. In vain can these dreary portals of death be\never again unbarred for the children of fallen humanity. Jesus has gone there\nas their surety-Saviour. If His suretyship be accepted\u2014if He meet and fulfil\nall the requirements of an outraged law, the gates of the dismal prison-house\nof death will<\/em>, and must<\/em> be opened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n John MacDuff<\/p>\n\n\n\n The following is from\nSpurgeon’s sermon, “I am He who liveth,\nand was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of\nHell and of death!” <\/em>Revelation 1:18<\/p>\n\n\n\n John MacDuff<\/p>\n\n\n\n An enthroned <\/em>Saviour\nspeaks! “I am the LIVING One! Others have passed away \u2014 but I ever live<\/em>,\nand ever love! <\/em>I am now <\/em>living \u2014 a personal <\/em>Saviour!\nAre you stooping over some treasured house of clay <\/em>which\nthe whirlwind <\/em>has made a mass of ruins? I Myself roused\nthe whirlwind <\/em>from its chamber! I Myself appointed the\nstartling dispensation. I Myself ordered the shroud<\/em>, and prepared\nthe grave! <\/em>Do not let ‘accident,’ ‘chance,’ or ‘fate,’ enter\ninto the vocabulary <\/em>of your sorrow. I am the Lord of death<\/em> \u2014\nas well as of life<\/em>. I have the keys <\/em>of ‘Hell <\/em>and\nof death<\/em>‘ suspended at My belt. The tomb <\/em>is never\nunlocked \u2014 but by Me. Let others talk of the might of the King of\nTerrors \u2014 <\/em>he has no might, but by My permission!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n More than this, mourning one!\n“I was DEAD. I Myself once entered that gloomy portico! I sanctified and\nconsecrated it by My presence! I was a tenant of the tomb<\/em>. This now\nglorified body \u2014 was once laid by human hands in a borrowed grave!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Can you dread to walk the dark\nValley <\/em>which was trodden by your Lord \u2014 to encounter the ‘last enemy,’\nwhich He fought and conquered. Death! It has been converted <\/em>by\nHim \u2014 into a “parenthesis in endless life.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I am He who was\nDEAD;” “I Am He who lives.” What more could the Christian desire\n\u2014 than this twofold assurance? On the Day of Atonement of old, the blood was\nsprinkled alike on the mercy seat; the voice of blood arose from the floor below,\nand the mercy seat above. So it is with the voice of our Elder Brother’s blood.\nIt cried first from earth beneath \u2014 and now from Heaven. His dying love, is now\nas ever \u2014 living, imperishable and immutable as His own being!<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the Rainbow in the material\nskies can never cease to appear so long as the present laws of nature continue,\nand there is a sun in the heavens; so the Rainbow of the Everlasting Covenant\nand all its blessings can only fail when Christ, the Sun of Righteousness,\nceases to shine and ceases to be! With such a Rainbow over-arching the future,\none limb resting amid the cloud-lands of life \u2014 and the other melting its hues\ninto the deeper shadows of the Valley of Death \u2014 say, “I will fear no\nevil, for You, O SAVIOUR GOD, are with me, Your rod and Your staff comfort\nme.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n DEAD\nTO THE LAW<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Another\nof my well-meaning friends has written to me, trying to persuade me that,\nthough I am redeemed by Christ, justified by his blood and saved by his grace,\nI am still under the law. Will proud, sinful flesh never cease to seek\nrighteousness by the law? What a proud, self-righteous fool that man must be\nwho says, “I live by the law”! The law demands, perfection, not\nsincerity, not good intentions, not moral uprightness, not pious actions, but\nperfection! “Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear\nthe law?” “It is written, cursed is everyone that continueth not in\nall things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” “The\nsoul that sinneth, it shall die.” To live under the law is to live in\ndamnation! <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\nis my heart\u2019s great joy to know that in Christ every believer is free from the\nlaw. What does the Scripture say? “We are not under the\nlaw, but under grace.” “Christ is the end of the law for\nrighteousness to everyone that believeth.” Paul could not have used more\nemphatic language. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the\nlaw. If we are in Christ, we are free from the law!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Free from the law,<\/p>\n\n\n\n O happy condition!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus hath bled and there is\nremission;<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cursed by the law and\nbruised by the fall,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grace hath redeemed us once\nfor all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not\nonly are we free from the law; but in Christ we are dead to the law. “My\nbrethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ.” The\nlaw of God demanded death upon every transgressor. And the sentence of the law\nhas been executed upon all of God’s elect in Christ, our Substitute. When our\nLord was crucified, we were crucified in him. The law and justice of God\ndemanded death; and our great Substitute has satisfied that demand for us. When\nChrist died, we died. The law has no more claim upon us! We are dead\nto the law! It cannot demand anything from us, because we are dead to it. It\ncannot execute any punishment upon us, because we are dead to it. “Stand\nfast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\nFortner<\/p>\n\n\n\n Christ’s love-letters<\/strong> There is a virtue in the\ndeath of Jesus, so precious, so mighty, that it has resistless power with\nGod. Whenever the poor sinner presents it, there is new chorus to the\nhymns on high; “again they say Hallelujah.” How important is it, that\nthis truth should be as a sun without a speck before us! Hence the Spirit\nrecords, that when Noah shed the blood which represented Christ, “The Lord\nsmelled a sweet savour.” Thus the curtains of God’s pavilion are thrown\nback; and each attribute appears rejoicing in redemption. The Lamb is offered,\nand there is fragrance throughout heaven. O my soul, these are blessed tidings.\nThey show the irresistible plea, by which we may obtain pardon, and every\nneedful grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Henry Law<\/p>\n\n\n\n Salvation in the Lord Jesus\nChrist revealed in words beginning with the Letter S<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1Tim. 3:16 And without\ncontroversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh,\njustified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed\non in the world, received up into glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked to give a reason for\nthe hope within us here is, I pray, a helpful way to briefly declare the gospel\nin declaring how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. All\nreveal aspects of The One True Saviour of sinners. Our God and our Saviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sovereign<\/strong> Daniel\n4;35, Psalm 115:3 \u201cI will and they shall\u201d declares the sovereignty and the\nexercise of that power John 17:2 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Saviour<\/strong> Matt. 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou\nshalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Successful<\/strong> Is. 42:4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till\nhe have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sufficient<\/strong> – This\nis My Beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased. Heb. 1:3 Who\nbeing the brightness of his<\/em> glory, and the express image of his person,\nand upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself\npurged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sacrifice <\/strong>2Cor. 5:21 For he hath made him to be<\/em> sin for\nus, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Satisfaction<\/strong> Is. 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and<\/em>\nshall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many;\nfor he shall bear their iniquities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spirit filled Saviour <\/strong>John 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the\nwords of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sent <\/strong>by the\nFather John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into\nthe world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Subject of salvation<\/strong> 1Cor. 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing\namong you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shining in the hearts<\/strong> in the\nnew birth 2Cor. 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine\nout of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give<\/em> the light of the\nknowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Surety of the eternal\ncovenant <\/strong>Heb. 7:22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a\nbetter testament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Isaiah 42:6, 49:8<\/p>\n\n\n\n Slain Lamb<\/strong> John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto\nhim, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rev 5:6 Zechariah 13:7<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sin bearer <\/strong>1Pet. 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own\nbody on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness:\nby whose stripes ye were healed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sacred one <\/strong>consecrated\nfor the work of redemption Heb. 9:12 Neither\nby the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into\nthe holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shalom <\/strong>our\npeace with God made through His blood. Eph. 2:13 But now\nin Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of\nChrist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eph. 2:14 For he is our\npeace, <\/p>\n\n\n\n Safe <\/strong>and\nreconciled our refuge from the storm You cannot trust Him too strongly Isaiah\n4:6<\/p>\n\n\n\n Salted sacrifice <\/strong>Numbers\n18:19; 25:12 Covenant of peace is a covenant of salt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Samaritan<\/strong> saving\nand delivering. Coming to our place of need saving from enemies and death and\ncarrying His own to His inn (church) \nLuke 10:25-37<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sanctified <\/strong>– set\napart by God Almighty for this purpose from eternity John 17<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sanctifier<\/strong> Heb. 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified\nthrough the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sanguine<\/strong> (stained\nwith blood) Is. 63:2 Wherefore\nart thou<\/em> red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth\nin the winefat?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scripture fulfilling.<\/strong> John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye\nthink ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All the promises of God in Him\nare yea and in Him amen unto the glory of God by us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seal of the covenant<\/strong> Isaiah\n42 49 Hebrews 13:20<\/p>\n\n\n\n Secret revealed <\/strong>Psa. 25:14 The secret of the LORD is<\/em> with them\nthat fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eph. 1:9 Having made\nknown unto us the mystery<\/strong> of his will, according to his good pleasure\nwhich he hath purposed in himself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sword of God\u2019s justice\nsheathed in the Son on the cross <\/strong>Zech. 13:7 Awake,\nO sword<\/strong>, against my shepherd, and against the man that is<\/em> my\nfellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be\nscattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seen of angels <\/strong>– at His\nbirth, temptation, agony in the garden, at His resurrection, exaltation, now\nsinging the 7 fold declaration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rev. 5:12 Saying with a\nloud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and\nwisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Seated<\/strong> on the\nthrone of glory<\/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 The sweet scent <\/strong>– the aroma of\nChrist speaks of all these truths as One glorious God and Saviour of sinners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “This fountain so dear,\nhe’ll freely impart;<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlocked by the spear, it gushed\nfrom the heart,<\/p>\n\n\n\n With blood and with water; the\nfirst to atone,<\/p>\n\n\n\n To cleanse us the latter; the\nfountain’s but one.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The natural man may express thanksgiving for what he has in his hand; but the believer is thankful for what he has in his heart and what he has in Christ, even if he has nothing in his hand. Don Fortner \u201cExtraordinary afflictions are not always the punishment of extraordinary sins, but sometimes the trial of […]<\/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-6863","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\/6863","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=6863"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6864,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6863\/revisions\/6864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n“The Messages of Our Lord’s Love” #2060. Mark 16:7
\n
\nDo you know what communion with Christ is?
\n
\nOr are you altogether taken up with doctrines
\nabout Him, or with ceremonies that concern
\nHim? If so, yours is a poor life.
\n
\nThe joy of the Christian life is to know and to
\nspeak with and to dwell with the Lord Jesus.
\n
\nDo you understand this?
\n
\nI charge you, do not be satisfied
\nuntil you come to personal and
\nintimate fellowship with your Lord.
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\nPerpetual love!<\/strong>
\n(The following is from “The Gospel
\n in Exodus” by Henry Law)
\n
\nBeliever, Jesus’ love towards you is perpetual.
\n
\nHe loved you first when, in the councils of
\n eternity, He received you into His heart.
\n
\nHe loved you truly when, in the fullness of time,
\nhe took upon Himself your curse, and drained
\nyour hell deep dues.
\n
\nHe loved you tenderly when He showed you,
\nby the Spirit, His hands and His feet, and
\nwhispered to you that you were His.
\n
\nHe loves you faithfully while He ceases not
\nto intercede in your behalf, and to scatter
\nblessings on your person and your soul.
\n
\nHe will love you intensely in heaven when
\nyou are manifested as His purchase and
\ncrowned as His bride.
\n
\nDrink hourly of this cup of his love.
\n
\nDo not raise the objection, if He thus
\nloves me, why am I thus? Why is my
\npath so rugged, and my heart like flint?
\n
\nYou will soon know that your bitterest
\ntrials and your sorest pains are sure
\ntokens of His love.
\n
\nThe father corrects because he loves.
\nIn anxious care the physician deeply
\nprobes the wounds.
\n
\nThus Jesus makes earth hard, that you
\n may long for heaven’s holy rest.
\n
\nHe shows you your self vileness that
\nyou may prize His cleansing blood.
\n
\nHe allows you to stumble that you
\nmay cleave more closely to His side.
\n
\nHe makes the world a blank that you
\n may seek all comfort in Himself.
\n
\nHe hides His face that you may look towards Him.
\n
\nHe is silent, that you may cry more loudly.
\n
\nHe saves from real hell, by casting into seeming hell.
\n
\nBut His love fails not. All His dealings
\nare love’s everflowing, overflowing tide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n(C.H.Spurgeon)
\n
\n“<\/em> <\/sup><\/strong>Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal\nlife: and they are they which testify of me.“<\/em> John\n5:39
\n
\nJesus Christ is the Alpha <\/em>and Omega <\/em>of the\nBible. He is the constant theme<\/em> of its sacred pages; from\nfirst to last \u2014 they testify of Him!
\nWe catch a glimpse of Him in the promise of the woman’s seed;<\/em>
\nwe see Him typified in the ark of Noah;<\/em>
\nwe walk with Abraham, as He sees Messiah’s day;<\/em>
\nwe dwell in the tents of Isaac and Jacob, feeding upon the gracious\npromise;<\/em>
\nwe hear the venerable Israel talking of the coming Shiloh<\/em>; and
\nin the numerous types of the law<\/em>, we find the Redeemer abundantly\nforeshadowed.
\nProphets and kings, priests and preachers, all look one way \u2014 they all stand as\nthe cherubim did over the ark \u2014 desiring to look within, and to read the\nmystery of God’s great atoning sacrifice!
\n
\nStill more manifestly in the New Testament we find our Lord \u2014 the one pervading\nsubject. It is not a single gem<\/em> here and there, or dust of\ngold thinly scattered \u2014 but here you stand upon a solid floor of gold; for the\nwhole substance of the New Testament is Jesus crucified<\/em>, and even its\nclosing sentence is bejewelled with the Redeemer’s name!
\n
\nWe should always read Scripture in this light \u2014 we should consider the Word to\nbe as a mirror, into which Christ looks down from heaven. And then we, looking\ninto it, see His face reflected as in a mirror \u2014 darkly, it is true \u2014 but still\nin such a way as to be a blessed preparation for seeing Him \u2014 as we shall see\nHim face to face!
\n
\nThis volume contains Christ’s love-letters <\/strong>to us, perfumed by\nHis love. These pages are the garments of our King, and they all smell of\nmyrrh, and aloes, and cassia. Scripture is the royal chariot in which Jesus\nrides, and it is paved with love for His children. The Scriptures are the swaddling\nbands <\/em>of the holy child Jesus \u2014 unroll them and you find your Saviour!
\n
\nThe quintessence of the Word of God \u2014 is Christ!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n