Water baptism by immersion is a public confession of our identification with the Lord Jesus Christ. Though we confess many things concerning Him, chief among them is our union with Christ in His death. The same is true of the Lord’s table, we do show His death till He come. There are many things that could be meant by Christ’s words to John when He said, “suffer it to be so now for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.” In this baptism, Christ Himself, showed us what the fulfillment of righteousness is, His death. His being obedient in baptism demonstrated the way He would fulfill all righteousness, by His being obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. This is also the way we are made the righteousness of God in Him. It is through our having died in Him and our resurrection in Him.

GS

God’s love for His people is unchanging and true. He has loved them with an everlasting love. He has given His only begotten Son for them as the sacrifice for their sins. He gives them spiritual life and faith to believe on Him, trust Him and look to Him daily for all things. But they are a persecuted, tried and cast out people by the world with all its God-mocking religions. The gospel of their Savior meets rejection. Their concern for the souls of men is mocked. Their attempts to tell eternity bound sinners the truth of God’s grace in Christ meet with wicked words and deeds. Religious men laugh as they confess themselves to be righteous in Christ alone. As they suffer at the hands and tongues of men, God may appear silent but He is not. “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready. He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.” (Ps 7:11-13) God is angry with the wicked every day! He has ordained His arrows against the persecutors of His people and lets them fly every day. Mouths of mocking are silenced. His sword takes the memory of them from the earth in a single blow. “Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth, That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment? Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds; Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?” (Job 20:4-7”

GS

THE NATURAL MAN

As I was putting together the bulletin, a housefly landed on an article I was copying, walked around a bit, and then flew over to my Bible. I watched as the little creature moved over the page from here to there in "fits and starts." I suppose it was looking for something to eat, some morsel, some crumb to sustain it for its brief existence. It didn't stay long. After moving over just about an entire page and finding nothing to fulfill its hunger, it took wing and went elsewhere. That fly is like natural man. Man, as he is born, has EXACTLY as much ability to understand scripture as that fly. He, in his search to sustain his existence, may happen upon the Bible for a time, he may move across the pages, even stop here and there, but soon will fly away as empty as when he arrived. The feast of fat things that is the Word of God is not food for natural man any more than it is for the fly. It is FOOD, but food for the spiritual man, the man whom God has made alive by the new birth. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (I Cor. 2:14). "But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God" (I Cor. 2:9-10).

Tim James

Survey this treasure-house of grace; how rich! how full! The believer may say, This heritage is all my own. Measure, if it be possible, the golden chain, which extends from one hand of God in eternity past to the other in eternity to come. Every link is a Blessing. Behold the starry canopy. The glittering orbs outshine all beauty, and exceed all number. Such is the firmament of Christ. It is studded with blessings. But millions of worlds are less than the least; and millions of tongues are weak to tell them. Mark how they sparkle in the eye of faith. There are constellations of pardons. "In Him we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins."

Henry Law

O SAVIOR GREAT

O for the eye of faith to see,

The bleeding Christ upon that tree.

To there behold His sacrifice;

And see Him pay the awful price.

If left in our own blinded state,

We’d not behold His glory great.

Unless the Spirit give us sight,

Our souls would stay in endless night.

One sacrifice for sins He made,

To holy justice then He paid,

The price of our redemption full,

His blood has made us white as wool.

O Savior great, O Christ the Son;

Who by Yourself our vic’try won.

We thank You for your mercy great;

And patiently for You we wait!

88.88

Gary Shepard

Let us learn never to despair of the salvation of anyone--as long as he lives. Fathers ought never to despair of prodigal sons. Mothers ought never to despair of self-willed, headstrong daughters. Husbands should never despair of wives, nor wives of husbands. There is nothing impossible with God. The arm of grace is very long, and can reach those who seem very far off. Let us pray on, and hope on, for others--however unlikely their salvation may appear to be at present. "Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save!" Isaiah 59:1