It has been often said that justification is the article upon which a church stands or falls. While I do not disagree with that statement, it certainly is not complete. Perhaps a better word would be sanctification. Sanctification (being set apart to be holy) encompasses the whole spectrum of salvation. The believer was set apart by the Father in eternal election to be holy. The believer was set apart and declared to be holy by the redeeming work of Christ on the cross. The believer is set apart from the rest of the world in regeneration when he is given a holy nature by the Spirit of God. Sanctification describes the work of all three Persons of the Godhead and encompasses every aspect of salvation from election to glorification. Yes, justification is of infinite importance. But so is every other part of God\u2019s salvation. What word is used most in Scripture to describe God\u2019s children? ….. Saints (Sanctified Ones). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Todd Nibert<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Men Who Crave Preeminence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDiotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence.<\/em>\u201d (3 John 9)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Faithful men love, promote, and serve one another. Unfaithful men serve themselves and use others. Faithful men seek to build the church and kingdom of God, preaching the gospel of Christ. Unfaithful men build nothing, and only seek to tear down and destroy. Faithful men promote brotherly love, kindness, and forbearance. Unfaithful men promote strife, division, and hardness. Let me warn all who read these lines to beware of those men who, pretending to serve Christ, serve none but themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout history self-serving men have arisen by whom Satan has attempted to destroy Christ\u2019s church. They have \u201ccrept in unawares,<\/em>\u201d pretending to be gospel preachers and God\u2019s ordained leaders for his people. These egotists are always dangerous because they have no regard for anyone except themselves. They crave recognition and honour; and they do not care who they injure or what they destroy to get it. If they divide brethren, if they disrupt the fellowship of the church, if they divide friends, if they destroy families, they consider it of no consequence. After all, no one and nothing is significant to the egotist except himself. Two examples of such evil men, held before us in the Word of God, are Diotrephes and Absalom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diotrephes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Diotrephes was such a man. That little man, who lived nearly two thousand years ago, has many sons today. They are overwhelmed with a lust for preeminence. Like their father, they long to be first (not in usefulness, but in recognition) among the brethren. They want to be in charge. They want to be king of the mountain. They would usurp Christ\u2019s place as Head of the church if they could!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diotrephes so greatly craved the preeminence that he would go to any length to get it. Read 3 John 9-10. He rejected the authority of the apostles. He turned his back on and slandered faithful men, and did everything in his power to persuade others to do the same. He would have excommunicated the Apostle John and all who associated with him as vile rebels, had it been within his power to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Absalom<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n David\u2019s son, Absalom, was the forerunner of Diotrephes. He had a plan. Anyone who craves preeminence plots and schemes to get it. And the plan never changes. It is the same with all egomaniacs. Absalom wanted to be king in Israel. The sad little man convinced himself that he ought to be king and tried to convince everyone else. And he hatched a plan for stealing his father\u2019s throne and kingdom. His hellish scheme is revealed in 2 Samuel 15. It is the same plan used by such little imps today. It goes like this\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5<\/p>\n\n\n\n First<\/em>, the first thing the man craving preeminence must do is slander those who are obviously honored in the kingdom. So Absalom got up early every morning, went to the gates of the city, and passed out flatteries to everyone who came by. People he had ignored, used, and abused his whole life, he began to hug, kiss, and extol. Then, he would very humbly<\/em> and with great personal pain <\/em>tell the people how self-serving David had become. Then, with even greater humility, <\/em>let them know what a great and good king he would be. All of this he pretended to do for the good of the kingdom and the glory of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Second<\/em>, anyone who lusts for recognition knows that he is so insignificant that the only way he can get it is by tooting his own horn. So self-adulation is obvious in everything he says and does. Pointing out what a horrible king his father was, Absalom said to all who would give him an ear, \u201cOh that I were made a judge in the land, I would do everybody good.\u201d This man who could not even run his own house was trying to convince everyone that he could and would rule the kingdom with wisdom, grace, and justice. Remember, he had been a fugitive for three years. When his scheme temporarily succeeded, as soon as he was made king, the very first thing he did was make a shameless parade of incest with his father\u2019s wives!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Were it not so common, it would be astonishing to observe that those who are quickest to tell you how to run your life usually have terribly messed up lives. Those who are quickest to tell you what you should do, often have a long history of inconsistencies. Those who are quickest to tell you how to succeed are themselves miserable failures. And those who are quickest to point out your faults generally do so only to promote themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Third<\/em>, those who crave recognition, honour, and preeminence always use people. As he stood in the gate, Absalom reached out to everyone who came by and kissed him. He had no real love for them. He had no sympathy for them. He had no concern for their welfare. Yet, he embraced and kissed them. Why? Because Absalom knew that shallow, self-serving people are easily swayed by a show of humility, sincerity, and affection, even when the showman has repeatedly proved himself an utterly self-serving hypocrite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Absalom was, perhaps, the most physically handsome man in Israel. But he was the ugliest in character. He was the embodiment of everything evil in the nation: Saul\u2019s conceit, Nadab and Abihu\u2019s self-righteousness, Balaam\u2019s covetousness, Korah\u2019s presumption, and Achan\u2019s deceit. Yet, he conned the nation into overthrowing David and making him king, and started a civil war in Israel that cost 20,000 men their lives! Ironically, it was Absalom\u2019s own arrogant head that destroyed him, too. A proud, crafty, ambitious spirit destroyed him. When Absalom was dead, David was still king in Israel and his kingdom was stronger and better off than it had been before. \u2014 \u201cThere must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you<\/em>\u201d (1 Cor. 11:19).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don Fortner<\/p>\n\n\n\n That the religion of our adorable Immanuel is a reality- no airy fiction, as is the Mohammedan, and no “cunningly devised fable,” as is the Romish- many, conclusive and precious are the evidences. There is however, to the true believer, one evidence which, apart from, and superior to all others, affixes the seal of credibility; this is the conviction of its truth arising from the indwelling of the Spirit in the heart. There is in this great truth, something so palpable, so undoubted and so self-evident, that no sophistry of man, no ingenuity of Satan and no knowledge of the deep evil of our fallen nature can weaken or overthrow it. It is God Himself, as it were, taking the witness-stand and, setting aside all other testimony, challenging everything that would reduce His own work to a mere non-entity and exclaiming, “Who is he that condemns?” Clad in the armour of this evidence, the feeblest disciple of Jesus takes higher ground in vindication of the truth of the Gospel than the acutest reasoner who is destitute of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It is true that the conviction arising from this source of evidence is the strongest and most convincing to his own mind; yet there is, in the simplicity, the honesty and the boldness with which his belief is declared, that which carries a powerful conviction to the minds of others. He may be challenged by the sceptic, there may be objections which he cannot meet, arguments which he cannot answer, difficulties which he cannot explain and sophisms which he cannot unravel; and yet the “witness within himself” shall throw such vigour into his reasoning and tenderness into his spirit, and shall invest his whole demeanour with an air of sincerity so touching that his accusers shall be compelled to pay him the tribute once awarded to his Lord, “he speaks as one having authority.” He believes and has experienced what he declares, and thus God has given him a “mouth and wisdom, which all his adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Octavius Winslow<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Word of God engraved within the soul<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n C.H.Spurgeon Luke 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Luke 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A hundred doctrines floating in the head One truth written by the Spirit in the heart, “Ye Have An Unction From The Holy One<\/strong>” I John 2:20<\/p>\n\n\n\n This unction, or anointing, is the Holy Spirit. He was poured out upon the church and kingdom of Christ on the day of Pentecost, demonstrating and confirming the fact that Jesus Christ, God’s Messiah, had finished his work upon the earth and was seated upon his throne in glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was a once and for all act, inaugurating the Messiah’s kingdom, it will never happen again. Let us pray for the power of Pentecost, the joy of Pentecost, and the influence of Pentecost, but not for a new Pentecost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All of God’s elect have the Holy Spirit. He is given to us by virtue of Christ’s redeeming satisfaction. As Christ our Head, was anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows, so that Holy Spirit which came upon him has come upon every member of his spiritual body, the church. We have this anointing to enlighten us, to guide us, to comfort us, to sanctify us, and to preserve us. Christ, theHoly One, has given us the Holy Spirit. By Him we know all things, all that is needful to be known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don Fortner<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It has been often said that justification is the article upon which a church stands or falls. While I do not disagree with that statement, it certainly is not complete. Perhaps a better word would be sanctification. Sanctification (being set apart to be holy) encompasses the whole spectrum of salvation. The believer was set apart […]<\/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-7081","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\/7081","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=7081"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7082,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7081\/revisions\/7082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Psalm 119:11, “I have hidden Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”
Your Bibles printed on paper<\/em> are a blessing, but to have the Scriptures written on the heart<\/em> is far better. We need not so much the doctrine which has been driven into the brain by reason, but the truth wrought into the soul by experience, through the teaching of the blessed Spirit.
Charles Spurgeon, with his unmatched clarity and spiritual insight, reminded believers that truth must not merely reside in the intellect<\/em>, but must be etched upon the heart<\/em>. While printed Bibles are a precious treasure, there is a deeper blessing in having the Word of God engraved within the soul<\/strong>. It is not enough to possess a well-marked Bible; what matters most is a Bible marked in the heart.
The doctrines of Scripture, no matter how sound, are worthless if they dwell only in the intellect. Theology can sharpen the mind, but only the Holy Spirit can soften the heart. What the Christian cannot do, the Spirit accomplishes–He takes divine truth and applies it personally, experimentally, and powerfully to the soul. This is not merely understanding, but transformation. It is not cold assent, but warm submission. When God’s Word is written on the heart, it becomes the believer’s compass, comfort, and conviction.
Paul did not say, “Let the Word of Christ dwell in your minds richly,” but rather, “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly” (Colossians 3:16). That is, in the very core of your being–where affections are stirred, where the will is moved, and where life is directed. Truth must not merely be driven into the brain by logic, but planted in the soul by the Spirit. Only then does it become fruitful, issuing forth in godliness and devotion.
This heart-written Word arms us against temptation, strengthens us in trials, and sustains us in suffering. It is living and active, only when it abides<\/em> in us. Oh, how we should long that God’s principles would be sown and cherished in our heart, and manifested in our lives–not just known in our head.
Pray, then, not merely for knowledge–but for heart-experience. May your soul be the tablet upon which God Himself inscribes His truth.
“<\/strong>Accept instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart.<\/strong>” Job 22:22<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The things which men despise<\/strong>
(J. C. Philpot, 1847)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pride, ambition, pleasures, and amusements<\/strong>, in
which we see thousands and tens of thousands engaged
\u2014and sailing down the stream into a dreadful gulf of
eternity\u2014are all an abomination in the sight of God!
Whereas the things which men despise<\/strong>, such as . . .
faith,
hope,
love,
humility,
brokenness of heart,
tenderness of conscience,
contrition of spirit,
sorrow for sin,
self-loathing,
self-abasement,
looking to Jesus,
taking up the cross,
denying one’s self,
walking in the narrow path that leads to eternal life,
\u2014are despised by all\u2014and by none so much as mere heady
religious professors\u2014who have a name to live, while dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(J.C.Philpot)
By five minutes real communion<\/strong> with the Lord . . .
we learn more,
we know more,
we receive more,
we feel more, and
we experience more
than by a thousand years of merely studying
the Scriptures, or using external forms, rites,
and ceremonies.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
will bring forth more fruit in the life, than
a hundred doctrines floating in the head<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The continued teachings of the Spirit<\/strong>
(J.C.Philpot, “The Woman at the Well of Samaria”)
When once, by the operation of the Spirit<\/strong> on
our conscience, we have been stripped of . . .
formality,
superstition,
self-righteousness,
hypocrisy,
presumption,
and the other delusions of the flesh that hide<\/strong>
<\/strong>themselves under the mask of religion<\/strong>\u2014we have
felt the difference between having a name to live
while dead, and the power of vital godliness\u2014and
as a measure of divine life has flowed into the
heart out of the fullness of the Son of God\u2014we<\/strong>
<\/strong>desire no other religion<\/strong> but that which stands<\/strong>
<\/strong>in the power of God<\/strong>\u2014by that alone can we live,
and by that alone we feel that we can die.
And, at last, we are brought to this conviction and
solemn conclusion\u2014that there is no other true<\/strong>
<\/strong>religion but that which consists in<\/strong> the continued teachings of the Spirit<\/strong>, and the communications<\/strong> <\/strong>of the life of God to the soul.<\/strong>
And with the Spirit’s teachings are connected . . .
all the actings of faith <\/strong>in the soul,
all the anchorings of hope <\/strong>in the heart,
all the flowings forth of love<\/strong>,
every tear of genuine contrition <\/strong>that flows down the cheeks,
every sigh of godly sorrow<\/strong> that heaves from the bosom,
every cry <\/strong>and groan<\/strong> because of the body of sin,
every breath of spiritual prayer<\/strong> that comes from the heart,
every casting <\/strong>of our souls upon Christ,
all submission <\/strong>to Him,
all communion <\/strong>with Him,
all enjoyment <\/strong>of Him, and
all the inward embracements <\/strong>of Him
in His suitability and preciousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n