Sep 18
16
GOD’S SUCCESSFUL WORD
Isaiah 55: 10: For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven,
and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring
forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the
eater: 11: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it
shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I
please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
God made the rain and snow to illustrate his word. It is not an
afterthought that God uses creation to illustrate the truth. Everything
was created “by [Christ] and for [Christ] and he is before all things,
and by him all things consist…that in all things he might have the
preeminence.” (Col 1: 16-18) If we have not preached Christ from
creation we have preached creation in vain.
The rain and snow come down from God above. This illustrates how God’s
word comes down from God above. (Ps 104:13; Job 37:6) Christ the Word
came down from above. He is God in human flesh, the Word made flesh who
dwelt among us. (Jn 1: 1, 14) Likewise, it is God above who sends his
gospel to his child. (Deut 32: 2)
Furthermore, as the rain and snow always accomplish God’s purpose so
does God’s word. The Word came down and is now returned to God but not
before accomplishing the purpose for which God sent him. He finished the
transgression, made an end of sins, made reconciliation for iniquity,
brought in everlasting righteousness, fulfilled all scripture, is
anointed the most Holy and has anointed the Holiest giving his people
welcome access into God’s presence. (Dan 9: 24; Jn 17: 4; 19: 30; Heb
10: 19-22) Likewise, the word preached in truth always accomplishes
God’s purpose, “For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them
that are saved, and in them that perish.” (2 Cor 2: 15) “the LORD shall
satisfy thy soul in drought…and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and
like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” (Is 58: 11) Christ
quickens and Christ grows us through the gospel “as the latter and
former rain unto the earth.” (Hos 6: 3-4)
Finally, as the snow and rain gives seed to the sower and bread to the
eater, God accomplishes his purpose, giving us bread to live on and seed
to sow. Believer, live upon Christ the Bread and we shall never hunger.
And as we sow seed from the harvest for a future harvest so God causes
his church to sow the word and calls out his lost sheep. “He that
observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall
not reap. As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the
bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou
knowest not the works of God who maketh all. In the morning sow thy
seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not
whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall
be alike good.” (Ecc 11: 4-6) Free will preachers are like rain-dancers.
But as we depend upon God to give snow and rain and bring forth seed, we
depend upon God to give life and fruit in our hearers, as well as
ourselves. (Job 38: 22-29, 37-38) “Now he that ministereth seed to the
sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown,
and increase the fruits of your righteousness.” “God is able to make all
grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all
things, may abound to every good work: Being enriched in every thing to
all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.” (2 Cor
9: 8-11) So preach the word!
Clay Curtis.
Dry sand and deep wells
“And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore
and ten palm trees; and they encamped there by the waters.” Exodus 15:27
A great wilderness lay between Israel and Canaan; a vast unfriendly,
harsh land that stretched out before them across which they could not
survive without the presence and power of God. This wilderness is in
figure a picture of this world. What they experienced physically all
believers experience spiritually. Spiritually there is nothing in this
world to sustain, nourish, or preserve the child of God. Everything he
needs must be supplied of God and come to him by sovereign irresistible
grace. It is exactly the harsh environment of this wilderness that
brings to the believer’s heart the sweet experience of grace. Elim
offers nothing to the intellectual; just palm trees and wells. Elim
offers nothing to the mystic; its waters and trees were just waters and
trees. But, oh, to the man whose tongue cleaved to the roof of his
mouth, to the sojourner whose back had been burnt under that blazing
son; to him those seventy palms and twelve wells was nearly Canaan
itself. Looking at Elim as a place of refreshing in the wilderness I see
it manifest in figure three ways.
First, I see this blessed place of rest in the wilderness represented in
Christ. “Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest.” (Matthew 11: 28) It is Christ himself who is our rest.
It is his blessed person that refreshes the heart and satisfies the soul.
Secondly, Elim and its refreshing wells are represented to us in this
gospel age as the local church. God’s church is the pillar and ground of
the truth. He has put them strategically so that all who journey through
this wilderness, on their way to Canaan, are sure to drink from its
wells and rest in its shade.
Thirdly, Elim is represented in our day by the regenerating, renewing,
and converting work of the Holy Spirit of God. All of the refreshing
waters of Christ are drawn up for us by his presence and power.
It is the wilderness experience that makes Elim’s water so precious.
Never till we are weary and heavy laden will we appreciate Elim’s rest.
Thank God for dry sand and deep wells. – Darvin Pruitt
Darvin Pruitt
Sent to Preach Good Things
And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How
beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and
bring glad tidings of good things! Romans 10:15
This passage is quoted from Isaiah 52 and is the beginning of the
immediate context of chapter 53 which tells the good tidings themselves.
Namely, how that our Lord Jesus Christ was despised and rejected by us.
And that He was a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief, and how that
He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities.
It proclaims the glad tidings that the chastisement of our peace was
upon Him and that with His stripes we are healed. He actually and
eternally healed our souls by His stripes. His sin-atoning death
accomplished our salvation. His death was victorious and successful and
those for whom He died obtained eternal redemption thereby (Heb 9:12).
You see why these feet are so beautiful; because they bring tidings of
the sovereign, gracious, almighty Savior Who died for and saved His
people from their sins. The One prophesied of there in Isaiah 52:7 is
Christ Himself. He said in Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon
me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel (glad tidings) to
the poor . . . The Apostle Paul correctly uses this prophecy to apply to
all of God’s preachers, because we are sent with one message, and it is
His message, the message of Isaiah 53, and the whole Bible. The glad of
tidings of Jesus Christ the Lord and what He did for sinners.
Chris Cunningham
The King’s Matter
“…thou hast made known unto us the KING’S MATTER.” Dan. 2:23
A death sentence had gone out from King Nebuchadnezzar for Daniel and
his friends. The only way their lives could be saved was for the Lord to
reveal the mystery of the king’s dream. So, it is with us. The wages of
sin is death. None of the magicians, astrologers or sorcerers of our day
can interpret the King’s Matter. The truth of the gospel of God’s free
grace in Christ (which is the King’s Matter) can only be known by divine
revelation. If the Lord doesn’t open the eyes of our understanding, we
will die.
Oh Lord, show us our total inability. Show us the glory of thy beloved
Son. Enable us to cast all our care on Him who cares for us. ~Greg
What Is It To Preach The Gospel?
Psalm 130:5-6
The Apostle Paul said, “Though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to
glory of” (I Cor. 9:16). What is it to preach the gospel? Is everybody
preaching the gospel? Regrettably no! It would be great if all the
churches everywhere did preach the gospel, but this certainly is not the
case. Preaching the gospel involves telling the truth as it is revealed
in the Holy Scriptures. Telling the truth about God, man, Jesus Christ,
and salvation; lets take a closer look at those four things.
TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT GOD!
God is not who we think He is, He is who He is as revealed in the
scriptures. All men by nature have an incorrect and false notion about
the true and living God. The God that is revealed in scripture is
absolutely HOLY. “Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name?
For thou only art holy” (Rev. 15.4). God is also sovereign in all things
(Psalm 135.6). Divine sovereignty simply means that God is God, beside
Him there is none else. God is also immutable in all His attributes and
actions (Mal. 3: 6). All that He is today, He has been, and ever will be
(Heb. 13: 8). He is the etemal I AM (John 8: 24).
TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT MAN!
Men don’t like to hear the truth about God nor about themselves. But we
must be faithful to God and His word. Man is the exact opposite of
everything that God is. He is holy, we are unholy. He is omnipotent, we
are impotent and frail. He is unchanging, we change all the time. The
truth is, man is fallen, totally depraved, sinful in all thoughts,
actions, and dead in sin (Rom. 3:9-19).
TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT JESUS CHRIST!
Who is Jesus Christ? Fully and totally almighty God, and fully and
totally a real man (I Tim 3:16). What did He accomplish? He is the
God-Man Mediator sent of God to effectually and eternally redeem His
people from all their sin (Heb. 9.12, Matt. 1:2 1). He did not fail to
secure the eternal salvation of His blood-bought people (Isa. 42:4; John
19:30).
TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT SALVATION!
Every aspect of salvation from the beginning in election (I Thes. 2:13);
to the end in glorification (Rom. 8.30), is of the Lord.
Salvation is all of grace not of works (Eph. 2:8-9)!
Tom Harding