Aug 24
25
“Hope is …. love extending itself beyond the bounds of sight.” Joe Terrell
CHRIST IS SALVATION
All spiritual blessings that sovereign, gracious God has
for sinners IN our Lord Jesus Christ, BY the merits and blood of
our Lord, and FOR the glory of our Redeemer. Simply
put, CHRIST IS SALVATION!
It is Christ, not the cross, who saves.
It is Christ, not the church, who justifies.
It is Christ, not my faith, nor my confession, nor my profession, who unites me to God.
It is the Master, not the mother, who is our Mediator.
It is His blood that cleanses,
His obedience that sanctifies,
His love that will not let me go,
His faithfulness (not mine) constant and steadfast, and
His promise, spoken to Peter but true of every believer, I HAVE PRAYED FOR YOU.
Henry Mahan
I asked the Lord, that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace;
Might more of His salvation know;
And seek more earnestly His face.
Twas He who taught me thus to pray,
And He, I trust has answered prayer;
But it has been in such a way,
As almost drove me to despair!
I hoped that in some favoured hour,
At once He’d answer my request;
And by His love’s constraining power,
Subdue my sins–and give me rest!
Instead of this, He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart;
And let the angry powers of hell
Assault my soul in every part!
Yes more, with His own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe!
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Blasted my gourds–and laid me low!
“Lord, why is this!” I trembling cried,
“Will you pursue your worm to death?”
“This is the way,” the Lord replied,
“I answer prayer for grace and faith.”
“These inward trials I employ,
From self and pride to set you free;
And break your schemes of earthly joy,
That you may seek your all in Me!”
John Newton
“The promises of God,” said one man, “are like the clothes we wear; if there is life in the body, they warm us, but not otherwise.” Where there is living faith, God’s promises afford warm comfort. Thus the true believer can say with Luther, “Although I am a sinner, yet I despair not; for Christ, who is my Redeemer and righteousness, liveth. In Him I have no sin, no fear, no sting of conscience, and no fear of judgment. In Christ there is no condemnation. I am indeed a sinner as touching this present life, but I have a righteousness of God which is above this life, Who is Christ my Lord. In Him I rejoice.”
Maurice Montgomery,
In The Midst of Troubles
Any man or woman who claims continual, uninterrupted joy, rest, and peace in this world is either not telling the truth or has no connection with reality! True joy, rest, and peace are things we enjoy in Christ in the midst of troubles, afflictions, and infirmities. Paul’s exhortation was “rejoice in the Lord.”
When I am conscious of my weakness, failures, and sins, I rejoice in Christ, my righteousness.
When I am concerned about food, clothing, and shelter, I rejoice in Christ my provider.
When I am sick, Christ is my healer.
When I am grieved, Christ is my comfort.
When I am faced with death, Christ is my life!
So it is not necessary to put on a false face and deceive others. We are still human; but our peace, rest, and joy is Christ.
Henry Mahan
The Conditions for Salvation
Remember, that the conditions of fallen man’s salvation are two — and no more — namely, perfect atonement for sin, and perfect obedience to the law.
Both of these conditions Christ has completely fulfilled, in the stead, and for the infallible salvation of every soul that comes to His blood for cleansing, and to His righteousness for clothing.
“To what end, then serves faith?” To let thee into the knowledge, possession, and enjoyment of this free and finished redemption!
Augustus Toplady
What a beautiful rest it is WHEN we believe Christ and what He has accomplished!
In Him we have all we need. His works, not mine have secured my salvation.
The flesh is so strong and so deceitful that it thinks it actually accomplishes something -Law keeping … even if it isn’t for salvation – and yet law keeping CANNOT accomplish anything.
God says we “labor to ENTER that rest” – His rest!
The battle isn’t to keep the Law. The battle is to BELIEVE Christ.
Law keeping doesn’t bring rest because law keeping only speaks to the flesh – “that which is born of the flesh is flesh; that which is born of the Spirit is spirit”.
But we “are carnal, sold under sin.” We are 100% flesh, which NEVER improves and 100% Spirit (Christ in us, the hope of glory) which is perfect!
Law keeping is condemnation and has nothing -nothing to do with grace.
The REAL battle is to believe Him. Either we are complete in Him OR we are NOT.
“IN CHRIST we have no curse from the law.
IN CHRIST we have no covenant with the law.
IN CHRIST we have no constraint by the law.
IN CHRIST we have no commitment to the law.
We are saved by grace.
We are justified by grace.
We are sanctified by grace.
We are kept and preserved by grace.
We are motivated by grace.
We are governed by grace.
We shall be glorified by grace.
There is no room in the household of grace for the whip of the law.”
–Don Fortner
“How Do I Know If I Have True Faith?”
Hebrews 11:1-6
Don Fortner
Last week I received a letter from a young lady who seems to be genuinely seeking the Lord. She is going though the struggles and conflicts of soul that all experience in the process of conversion. She asked a question that commonly vexes the people of God. It does not vex the carnally secure religious hypocrite who has made his decision for Jesus and never doubts it. But it does vex one who, by the Spirit of God, sincerely seeks the Lord. And it is most vexing to the precious babes in grace. The question is this: “How do I know if I have true faith?”
None but God the Holy Spirit can answer that question to the satisfaction of your soul and conscience. And he answers it by means of the gospel, effectually applying the blood of Christ to your heart and enabling you to rest in the Savior’s finished work. Yet, there are several evidences and characteristics of true faith, by which we may know whether our faith is true or false.
l. TRUE FAITH ACKNOWLEDGES AND CONFESSES PERSONAL DEPRAVITY, SIN AND GUILT (Ps. 51:3-5; I John 1:9). No one has true faith in Christ who does not, from his heart, take sides with God against himself and justify God in his own condemnation.
2. TRUE FAITH TRUSTS CHRIST ALONE FOR ACCEPTANCE WITH GOD (Acts 8:26-37). Faith looks to Christ alone for peace, pardon, justification, sanctification, preservation and ultimate glorification.
3. TRUE FAITH SURRENDERS TO, FOLLOWS AND OBEYS CHRIST AS LORD IN ALL THINGS AND OVER ALL THINGS (Luke 14:25-33). The believer’s submission to Christ in this life is not perfect; but it is sincere and entire. God’s children are not rebels to Christ. They do not rebel against his doctrine, his will or his word. They submit to him, willingly.
4. TRUE FAITH LOVES CHRIST, HIS PEOPLE AND HIS WORD (I John 5:1-3). Faith always works by love. Where love is absent, faith is absent. Where genuine love is found, faith is found.
How intricate is often the believer’s way! So hedged up that he cannot discern a single step before him. All is dark. He here and there goes too often to the creature for counsel, and perhaps for sympathy, but finds all broken cisterns. But Jesus is at hand; a Fountain of living waters, ever ready to impart all comfort, wisdom, and direction. But, oh, how slow to approach this Fountain! How base and ungrateful the heart, and wretched the unbelief that still lurks within, ever leading us away from Him who is a present help in every time of need. Take up your rest, O my soul, in Him who has loved you with an everlasting love, and will love you unto the end!
Octavius Winslow
Have faith in God
Have faith in Him as God. His character justifies it, His word invites it, His promises encourage it, His blessing crowns it. How frequently in the word does God condescend to invite the exercise of faith in Himself by a declaration and on the ground of what He is. Thus to Abraham: “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God: walk before me, and be perfect.” And again to His Church: “I am the Lord God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” How kind and condescending in God is this mode of asking and encouraging the confidence of His people! How signally does He come down to our weakness and infirmity! What a foundation for faith to build upon does He reveal! what a field for faith to work in does He open! what amplitude, what scope, and what riches amid which it may revel! “I am God all-sufficient. Is anything too hard for me?” Faith needs and asks no more. Less than this would not meet its case more than this it could not have. When faith feels that it has God’s word for its warrant in believing, God’s command for its rule in obeying, God’s promise for its encouragement in suffering, and God Himself as the foundation of its confidence and the centre of its rest, it becomes invulnerable, and almost omnipotent. The exact measure of our faith is the extent of our experimental knowledge of God. Acquaintance with God must inspire the mind with confidence in Him. The more truly we know, the more implicitly we trust in Him. It is in this way, among others, that He answers the prayer of His people, “Establish Your word unto Your servant, who is devoted to Your fear.” God establishes the truth of His word by enlarging the believer’s knowledge of Himself, and this knowledge is mainly attained through the truth. The word reveals God, and an experimental knowledge of God confirms the truth of the word; the one thus establishing the other. Our faith, then, if it be a real principle, must have respect to God as God. “Have faith in God.”
Octavius Winslow
The duty, the privilege,
the safety, the unspeakable happiness!
(John Newton)
“Looking unto Jesus!” Hebrews 12:2
Look unto the Lord Jesus Christ!
Look unto Him as He hung exposed, wounded, bleeding, dead, and forsaken upon
the cross!
Look unto Him again as He now reigns in glory, possessed of all power in Heaven
and in earth, with thousands of thousands of saints and angels worshiping Him!
And then compare . . .
your sins – with His blood,
your needs – with His fullness,
your unbelief – with His faithfulness,
your weakness – with His strength,
your inconstancy – with His everlasting love!
If the Lord opens the eyes of your understanding, you would be astonished at
the comparison!
“Looking unto Jesus” is the duty, the privilege, the safety,
the unspeakable happiness, of a believer – are all comprised in that one
sentence!
It is by looking to Jesus, that the believer is enlightened and strengthened,
and grows in grace and sanctification.
SELF vaulted into the vacant throne!
Octavius Winslow
“Looking unto Jesus!” Hebrews 12:2
We must look away from ourselves. SELF is, perhaps,
the most common and insidious object that comes between the eye of the soul and
Jesus.
When God was ejected from the heart of man, SELF vaulted into the
vacant throne and has ever since maintained a supremacy.
We must look fromrighteousself:
from all works of righteousness which we can perform,
from our almsgivings,
from our charities,
from our religious observances, our fastings, and prayers, and
sacraments,
from all the works of the law by which we are seeking to be justified,
from all our efforts to make ourselves better,
and thus to do something to commend ourselves to the Divine
notice, and to propitiate the Divine regard.
>From all this we must look, if we rightly look unto Jesus to be saved
by His righteousness, and by His alone.
“I once thought all these things were so very important, but now I
consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless
gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else,
counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with Him.
I no longer count onmy own goodness or my ability to obey God’s
law, but I trust Christ to save me. For God’s way of making us right with
Himself depends on faith.” Philippians 3:7-9
Paul said to the Philippians ….. “Be careful for nothing.” Do not worry about anything! Why? Here are two powerful reasons.
1. Our worrying changes nothing. We really have no control!
2. The Lord has absolute control over everything. When we worry we say we believe neither of those absolute truths! As Peter said, “Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you.” ~Todd Nibert
What is Vital Godliness?
What is vital godliness? To make myself good and holy? To make myself religious and serious, and a decidedly pious person? Such husks may satisfy swine—but they will not satisfy a living soul. What must I do, then, to make myself better? Nothing! Can I, by any exertion of creature-will or power, change my Ethiopian skin, or wash out my leopard spots? To feel day by day less and less in self—to become more foolish, weak, and powerless—and yet, as poor, needy, weak, and helpless, to be drawing supplies out of Christ’s fullness, and to live a life of faith on the Son of God—to know something of this, is to know something of what true religion is. And to know a little of this, will make a man more outwardly and inwardly holy, than all the good works or pious resolutions in the world. ~J.C. Philpot