Oct 18
24
The prophet Jeremiah once said, “Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.”
Yesterday a friend wrote to me of the death of her brother. He had just let his wife off at the airport to go and celebrate her birthday with friends. As he drove home he took ill. His car crossed the road and collided with a truck. He was killed. As his wife waited for her flight her husband’s soul was entering eternity.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, none of us can boast of tomorrow. We cannot tell what a day will bring. Soon it will be us who are going to meet the Lord. What a comfort belongs to us who can say with good hope, “In Christ Jesus, it is well with my soul”. Peter Meney
2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we have been taught by God the Holy Spirit that all our assurance, hope and confidence of eternal life is founded upon the promises of God the Father, and the work of our blessed Saviour. We neither look to ourselves and what we have done, nor to any imagined righteousness we possess in our flesh. The ground of our hope is Another, both for our justification before the Father, and our sanctification in the Spirit. For Christ has been made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30).
_Peter Meney________________________________________________
2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
Our physical body, is likened in scripture to a house. Houses are fitted for a purpose and our bodies are fitted as the dwelling place of our souls. This shows us immediately that our soul is more important than our body. Last week, I read on a shop board in Sydney, “Your body is the most important thing you possess. Take care of it.” I beg to differ. On the authority of God’s Word, your soul is the most important thing you possess. Take care if it!
Notice, also, if, or rather when and though, this body of flesh be dissolved, those who trust and believe in the accomplished work of Christ have a hope beyond this poor, wasting house. “We have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
This house is also designed for purpose but a greater and more glorious purpose than ever we can imagine. It is constructed by God for the eternal comfort of His people. If David could say of this body of flesh “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:” (Psalm 139:14), how much more shall we declare in the eternal realm of heavenly mansions, “marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”
Brothers and sisters in Christ, we have a promise of God, who cannot lie, a promise to have as our personal assurance, to hold and trust every day of our lives. It is this: By the grace of God we have everything needful for our everlasting habitation; all justification, all holiness, all riches of grace and glory. It is already set up and secured for us in heaven. It is only a matter of time until this present shall be dissolved and the eternal realities shall break upon us.
The Lord God Himself has prepared this for them that love Him. It is a building not made with hands, not of the creature’s efforts, not of works or human righteousness.
And saints have a present interest in it; they have it already built and prepared for them; they have an indubitable right and title to it in and through the righteousness of God in Christ; they have it secured to them by Divine unconditional promise.
And we have the earnest of it, the Spirit of God in our hearts; of all which we have sure and certain knowledge: “for we know” says Paul; we know because God has declared it in the Gospel, we know because we have the testimony of the Spirit, and we know because there is a close and inseparable connection between the grace we have already received, and the glory that shall be hereafter.
Peter Meney
Many treasure things associated with Christ, more than the Christ of
those things; few treasure Christ more than things associated with Him.
Many celebrate the birth, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ; few
celebrate the Christ who was born, crucified, and resurrected. Many
cherish the cross of Christ; few cherish the Christ of the cross.
Many boast of being in the church of Christ; few know what it is to be
in the Christ of the church. Many debate the gospel of Christ; few
believe in the Christ who is the gospel.
Many profess what is called the finished work of Christ; few profess the
Christ who finished His work.
Many declare justification and sanctification to be through Christ; few
declare Christ to be their only righteousness and holiness.
Many partake of bread and wine in what is called the Lord’s Supper; few
partake of the Christ represented by those elements.
Many speak of the return of Christ; few speak of the Christ who is
returning.
Many look for the coming kingdom of Christ; few acknowledge the Christ
who is presently King.
Many hope to go to the heaven of Christ; few want to go to the Christ of
heaven.
Many claim to believe in all the things associated with Christ; few
confess “Christ is all, and in all” (Colossians 3:11) – and everything
apart from Christ is nothing. — Daniel Parks
AN OUTLINE WORTH REPEATING
Psalm 23
Henry Mahan
The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want–
1. For REST – “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.”
2. For PEACE – “He leadeth me beside still waters.”
3. For FORGIVENESS – “He restoreth my soul.”
4. For HOLINESS –”He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His
name’s sake.”
5. For FELLOWSHIP – “For Thou art with me.”
6. For COMFORT – “Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.”
7. For PROVISIONS – “Thou preparest a table before me.”
8. For ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD –”Surely goodness and mercy shall follow
me all the days of my life.”
9. For IN THE WORLD TO COME – “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.”
There is forgiveness
….But there is FORGIVENESS with thee that thou mayest be feared (Psalms
130: 3,4)
What a wonderful, soul stirring and heart warming word this is:
Forgiveness! Just ask those down trodden, weary captive servants in
Leviticus 25 when they heard the most melodious, charming and amazing
sound ever heard among sinful men: the trumpets of Jubilee! You are
released; you can go free, your debt is gone. I’m almost beside myself
when I think of myself as one of those wretches, one of those poor
miserable folk! Yet, through the sweet sound of the gospel of peace I
hear forgiveness, I see in Christ my complete forgiveness, and I
experience the cleansing flow of the free grace of God upon such as is
the least of all those in the kingdom.
Such a word is always good news to the thirsty, needy sinner. When we
hear Forgiveness: we are constrained to love, follow and worship Him
whom our hearts adore. Look at the pit from which you where brought,
look at the daily struggles you still have. Look at that thief upon the
cross and rejoice, weep and reverence your God: Forgiveness! At any time
and at any season, this word still has the same effect upon every sinner
ever chosen in the Son….wonder, amazement and extreme thankfulness which
always shows itself in love and obedience unto our Great God.
Forgiveness; I think I have a word for you my fellow outcasts of this
world, but brethren beloved of the Lord.
Drew Dietz
withering in self-righteousness
I’ve never met a Christian who desired too much of himself; but I have
met some who, for some reason or another, expected too much of
themselves. I mean this: they look at themselves, at the old Adamic
nature, and expect to see it improving, getting better or more holy, but
that shall never be! If, indeed, one looks at himself and feels
progressively cleaner, purer, and holier, he isn’t “growing in grace”
but “withering in self-righteousness!” Even a casual examination of self
will reveal that such a person’s need of Christ is diminishing rather
than increasing , and that is not grace!
Maurice Montgomery
Labor, therefore to enter into that rest. ~Hebrews 4.11
The rest spoken of is the rest of simply believing. Often, you may find
believing a very difficult thing to do. Persecution, trial, failure, the
world, flesh and sin all provide strong resistance to simple faith. In
such a state, one may wonder if he believes at all: “If I were really a
believer, I would not have such a hard time believing.” But, the
apostle’s exhortation arises from the very fact that it is often quite
hard to believe; we must labor to believe. Salvation is had without
works, but not without work. No works – no meritorious acts – are
required for salvation, but such is the nature of believing the gospel
that much spiritual labor is expended in the process.
Does it seem to you that now it is a time of great labor to believe?
Then rejoice that you can believe at all and give your whole heart to
the task. Look to Christ with a single eye, and do not be discouraged as
though the difficulty of the way indicates that you are on the wrong
way. Press on, knowing that there is great reward to him that overcomes!
Joe Terrell
Those with need of healing
The Lord Jesus Christ went about healing everyone that had need of
healing. He was and is Jehovah Rapha: the Lord that healeth thee. He
healed all manner of diseases. He came to save and He came to heal. And
He sent out His disciples with the same mission, saying: “Go, preach,
saying, The kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the
lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils” (Matt.10:7-8). What a word this
is to every preacher of the gospel.
In every congregation we face there is someone who ‘has need of
healing.’ In every service there is someone who is sick and dying with
the leprosy of sin; someone who is blind, halt, and lame; someone who is
vexed with a devil; someone who is dead in trespasses and sins. While we
cannot literally heal the sick, we do have a gospel that will heal the
spiritually sick.
While we are told to reprove, rebuke, correct, and warn, we need to take
care that we always try to comfort His people and heal them that have
need of healing. May we always lift up Christ and Him crucified, as
Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, that every sin-sick soul
may look and be healed. With every message we need to tell of Him Who
will . . . remove the burden of the laboring and heavy laden; Who will
lift the fallen, cheer the faint; Who will receive the prodigal; Who
will forgive the forlorn; Who will comfort the sorrowing; Who will heal
all that have need of healing.
Paul Mahan
The Angel of His Presence saved them
In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence
saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare
them, and carried them all the days of old. (Isa. 63:9).
Who is the angel of God’s presence spoken of here in this verse quoted?
It is none other than the same person who speaks in verse 1 of this same
chapter; “I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” It is none
other than our blessed God and Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. This
angel is not a created angel but rather the Mediator and messenger of
the everlasting covenant of grace (Mal. 3:1).
Who else could it be said, “in all their affliction he was afflicted?”
Indeed, Christ was afflicted for our transgression, “Surely he hath
borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him
stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted (Isa. 53:4).
Who else but the Lord Jesus Christ could it be said, “in his love and
pity he redeemed them?” None but Christ! “Herein is love, not that we
loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation
for our sins” (1John 4:10). We are indeed redeemed with His precious
blood (1 Peter 1:18; Heb. 9:12).
The Lord Jesus Christ has always appeared before God as our Intercessor
(Heb. 7:25). He is the Surety and sacrifice of the everlasting gospel
(Heb. 7:22; 13:20). He is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the
world (Rev. 13:8). The very presence of the Lord Jesus Christ before the
throne of God as our Representative, Substitute and Mediator is the
guarantee of our salvation (Eph. 2:4-6: Rom. 8:34).
The Lord Jesus Christ having accomplished our righteousness and
redemption is now entered in and now occupies the throne of glory for us
as our Forerunner; that, “we might have a strong consolation, who have
fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us. Which hope we
have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which
entereth into that within the veil; whither the forerunner is for us
entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of
Melchisedec.” (Heb. 6:19-20). – Tom Harding