Nov 24
3
Atonement and Intercession
John 17:9
You cannot separate the atonement of Christ from the intercession of Christ. In Hebrews 7 we read that Christ, our High Priest in heaven, is always interceding for us. But our Saviour tells us in John 17, that he only makes intercession for his elect. There he says, “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine” (v. 9).
That’s pretty clear, isn’t it? The intercessory work of Christ is based upon his atonement, just as the intercession of the Old Testament priest was based upon the sacrifice (Numbers 6:24-26).
That means that if the Lord Jesus Christ does not pray for the world, the world can never be saved. If he prays for you, you cannot not be saved. If he died for you, you cannot not be saved!
Don Fortner
There are many who go on in a round of religious duties, who think that they will go to Heaven when they die. But if you examine them, though they have a Christ in their heads—they have no Christ in their hearts.
George Whitfield
Man has a free will to go to Hell—but none to go to Heaven, until God works in him. You dishonour God by denying sovereign election. You plainly make salvation depend, not on God’s ‘free grace’—but on Man’s ‘free will.’
George Whitfield
I Don’t Know What to Say
II Corinthians 9:15
“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.”
Have you ever received such a wonderful, marvellous, gracious gift
and the only words that would come out of your mouth were, “I don’t know what to say.” That is what every believer says concerning the Gift that God gave to them. It makes us unable to speak. Three amazing things about this Gift of God…
First, it is God’s Gift. It could not be a gift from God if it was not His to give.
Secondly, this Gift from God is unspeakable. It is an unspeakable gift. This word translated “unspeakable” means, “indescribable and unexplainable.” Mere words will not allow us to describe or explain this Gift.
Thirdly, this Gift from God makes everyone that it was given to thankful unto the Giver, Who is God! This is His unspeakable Gift. The Gift is Jesus Christ Who is salvation! Every time I think about Christ dying – the just for the unjust – to bring me to God, putting away my sin and giving me His perfect righteousness, the only
words I can muster are, I don’t know what to say except, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” ~David Eddmenson
Justified
Romans 8:33
There are those who talk more about the time of justification than the One who justifies. The scripture says, “It is God that justifieth…” I would rather know the One who justifies the ungodly than to know when He justified them. When a man finds out Who He is, what He did and who He did it for, when will be replaced with Him.
John Chapman
Everything that comes to pass in time is brought to pass “According to His purpose,” according to the sovereign, eternal, unalterable purpose of God, “Who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will” (Ephesians 1:11). The Word of God assures us that behind and beneath all the apparent confusion of this world lies the purpose of God. It is God’s purpose to perfect the people He has chosen and restore the world He made to Himself through the mediatorial work of the Lord Jesus Christ. To this end, He arranged all the affairs of human history from eternity and sovereignly brings them to pass in time. History is “His Story!” Nothing happens in His story by accident. Nothing comes to pass that He has not purposed. Nothing can thwart, or even hinder His purpose.
~Don Fortner
TO GLORIFY THE LORD JESUS
“The God of our fathers hath glorified His Son Jesus “ (Acts 3:13). See, my soul, how every part and portion of scripture is directed to this one subject— to glorify the Lord Jesus. What is the very design of redemption but to glorify the Lord Jesus? What hath God constituted a church for, but to glorify the Lord Jesus? To what do all the precepts, promises, ordinances, sacrifices under the law, and institutions under the Gospel, minister, but to this one end — to glorify the Lord Jesus? Talk they of promises? Why, all the promises of God are “in Christ Jesus, yea and amen, to the glory of God the Father by us.” Talk they of the law? “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Talk they of commandments? “This is the commandment, that ye believe in
the name of the only begotten Son of God; and that believing, ye might have life through His name.”
Robert Hawker
WHO GETS THE GLORY?
If you wish to know if the gospel you are hearing preached is the
Gospel of God, ask yourself this question, “Who gets the glory?” If you wish to know whether your religious experience is of the flesh or of the Lord, ask yourself the same thing, “Who gets the glory?” Also, examine all your gifts, works, and missionary efforts by the same rule, “Who gets the glory?” God will not share His glory! That which is of God, from God, and for God’s glory will be blessed with His presence and power, “That no flesh should glory in His presence…. that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (I Corinthians 1:29,31)
Were we only to look to Christ as our Priest, for pardon of sin, peace of conscience, and comfort of heart, without accepting Him as our Prophet, to instruct us in His holy ways, and submitting to Him as our King, to rule in our hearts, to reign over our lust, and to bring all that is in us into subjection to Himself, verily He might justly say to us, as He did to those of old, Ye only seek me for the loaves and fishes,(John 6:26). Lord, give me the heart of a disciple to follow Thee unto death, as well as to believe on Thee as a sinner unto justification of life, (Romans 5:18).
William Mason
THE GOSPEL THAT SAVED
Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
The gospel that saves is the gospel that saved. That is, it is a finished work that is so perfect, by a suitable sacrifice that is inherently perfect in which God himself cannot find a flaw. It is the establishment of a perfect righteousness through Christ’s obedience unto death that exceeds every other righteousness, to the point that everything else is viewed as unrighteousness in the light of it.
This is a righteousness accomplished and established for a select people, according to God’s eternal good purpose and will, and charged to their account by his just decree so that it becomes their very own. By revelation they renounce all their former works that they once saw as meritorious before God and count them as fruit unto death and dung.
While the religions of this world feverishly seek to produce a righteousness that their god finds pleasing, the elect of God rest in all the perfections of THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS and place no confidence in the flesh. They marvel at this great work of grace and are yet assured that they have a Mediator, they have a Substitute in which God is well pleased, they have an Advocate, they have a Righteousness which is seated at the right hand of the Father. He ALONE is Jesus Christ, the Righteous One who HAS saved his people from their sins. Glory to God, IT IS FINISHED!
Romans 8
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
2 Corinthians 5
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
copied
Christian, let God’s distinguishing love to you be a motive to you to fear Him greatly. He has put His fear in your heart, and may not have given that blessing to your neighbour, perhaps not to your husband, your wife, your child, or your parent! Oh, what an obligation should this thought lay upon your heart to greatly fear the Lord! Remember also that this fear of the Lord is His treasure, a choice jewel, given only to favourites, and to those who are greatly beloved.
John Bunyan
To lay hold of and receive the gospel by a true and saving faith is an act of the soul that has been made a new creature, which is the workmanship of God. Whoever receives the grace that is offered in the gospel . . .
they must be quickened by the power of God,
their eyes must be opened,
their understandings must be illuminated,
their ears must be unstopped,
their hearts must be circumcised,
their wills must be rectified,
and the Son of God revealed to them.
John Bunyan
We know that in our flesh dwells no good thing (Rom. 7:18).
We find that our hearts are deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9). What then? Must we wait for hope, and refuse all comfort till we get a better opinion of ourselves? No, for grace reigns in the heart of God, through the righteousness of Christ, unto eternal life towards them in whom sin hath reigned unto death,(Rom. 5:21). Though sin abounds in us, yet grace does much more abound in Christ; Christ knows all that is in us better than we do or can (John 2:25). Eternal praises to Him. Because He knew we were lost, He came to seek and to save us, (Matt. 18:11). Because He knew we were hopeless, He came to be our hope (1Tim. 1:1). Because He daily sees that we are miserable by sin, and heavy-laden with sin, He lovingly invites, Come unto Me, and sweetly promises, I will give you rest, (Matt. 11:28). And because we are full of every discouragement in ourselves, He solemnly assures us, Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out, (John 6:37). Let us take heed of getting a good opinion of ourselves, or thinking highly of ourselves as though we were, in ourselves, any thing but lost and hopeless sinners, who constantly need the blood of Christ to cleanse us, His righteousness to justify us, His tender heart to feel our infirmities, His powerful arm to save us, His fullness of grace to supply us, and His loving Spirit to guide and sanctify us. Let us be content to live by faith, as daily pensioners on His grace, and constant petitioners at His feet. Try Christ constantly: He is a tried stone always (Isaiah 26:16).
He ever lives to save to the uttermost, (Heb. 7:25).
William Mason
God’s love is revealed and made known by these six deeds of indescribable love!
(Don Fortner)
“Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God!” 1 John 3:1
We rejoice to know that “God is love!” Love is an attribute of His holy Being, without which He would not be God. We know that God is love, because His love is revealed and made known by His deeds. Love is active. It is never dormant. Like fire, it must break out. It cannot be contained. It is known only when it is experienced – not by words, but by deeds. We know the love of God is that love that “surpasses knowledge.” Yet, God’s love is revealed and made known by these six deeds of indescribable love:
1. The first act of God’s love was our ELECTION in Christ (Deuteronomy 7:7-8). Election is not a hard doctrine. It is a delightful doctrine. Were it not for God’s electing love toward sinners, there would be no salvation (Ephesians 1:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:13). We would never have come to know and love Christ, had He not first loved us (John 15:16; 1 John 4:19).
2. The second act of God’s love was our REDEMPTION by Christ (Romans 5:8; 1 John 3:16; 1 John 4:9-10). Because He loved us, the Son of God assumed our nature, assumed our sin, assumed our guilt and died under the wrath of God as our Substitute, to put away our sins. “The Son of God loved me and gave Himself for me!”
3. The third act by which God reveals His love to sinners is His EFFECTUAL SAVING GRACE (Jeremiah 31:3).
Those whom the triune God loved-the Father chose to save.
Those whom the Father chose to save-the Son redeemed.
And those whom the Son redeemed-the Holy Spirit will effectually call by His irresistible grace to life and faith in Christ.
4. The love of God is revealed fourthly in the absolute PRESERVATION of His elect in a state of grace (John 10:28; Romans 8:39). Can you imagine one who is loved of God-falling from a state of grace, perishing and suffering the wrath of God forever in Hell? Such a notion is worse than nonsense, it is utter blasphemy! The love of God is . . .
without cause,
without beginning,
without condition,
without change,
and without end!
It is free.
It is sovereign.
It is indestructible.
It is everlasting.
5. Fifthly, God’s love for His elect is seen in our Saviour’s TENDER, PROVIDENTIAL CARE for us (John 11:35-36). Our Saviour really is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. We really are the apple of His eye.
6. But there is one act of love that goes beyond election, redemption, effectual calling, preservation, and providential care. As great and marvellous as those things are, there is one act of God that goes beyond them all. If the climax of God’s love is our redemption by Christ, then the apex of God’s love is our ADOPTION into the family of God! (1 John 3:1-3)
By birth, we are all fallen, depraved and spiritually dead (Romans 5:12).
By our deeds, we show ourselves to be children of the devil, sinful, deceitful, and wicked (John 8:44).
By nature, we are all children of wrath (Ephesians 1:3), a people deserving the wrath of God.
But by grace, we who believe are the sons of God!
Election is the great fountain of grace.
Redemption is the greatest mystery of grace.
And adoption is the greatest privilege of grace.
“Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God!”