Poor, weak and worthless though I am I have a rich almighty Friend; Jesus, the Savior, is His Name;
He freely loves, and without end.
He ransomed me from hell with His blood, And by His power my foes controlled; He found me wandering far from God,
And brought me to His chosen fold.
He bids me always freely come, And promises whatever I ask:
But I am straitened, cold and dumb,
And count my privilege a task
But He cheers my heart, my wants supplies, And says that I shall shortly be, Enthroned with Him above the skies; O what a Friend is Christ to me!
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross Pg. 118
(Written by John Newton - 1779)
“I WILL LOVE THEM FREELY” (Hosea 14:4)
This is the only way in which God can love such as we are, who neither deserved it, purchased it, nor sought after it.
Freely means that which is given without money and without price opposed to all ideas of bargaining. God accepts no works; God will receive no love as a recompense for His love; God will love them, unworthy and sinful though they be. Love for His chosen people existed before there was any man. He loved them before any one of them had been created, before the world had been made. He set His heart upon His beloved and ordained them unto eternal life.
– Terry Worthan, Pastor in Winston, Georgia
~~~ O ~~~
How Could I?
I was thinking this week how impossible it would be for a true, God-called preacher, to preach anything other than the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified. How could I, a desperately wicked sinner, stand week after week, and service after service and tell men how to live when I struggle and fail daily myself? How could I, the wretched and depraved man that I am, tell others how to become better spouses, parents, children, friends, employers and employees when I have failed and continue to fail miserably at these things myself? What hypocrisy and vanity that would be! It is not my place to try to straighten people out. A wise and older friend of mine told me not long ago that concerning preaching, to always remember that a man could shear a sheep many times, but he could only slay a sheep once. Friends, it is the preaching of Jesus Christ only that causes us to decrease (sheared). My responsibility is not to tell people how to live, but proclaim to them how our Saviour lived, died and resurrected, doing everything perfectly for and in the place of hell-deserving sinners. If God is pleased to save a man or woman, they will want to hear only one message and one message only. That Christ came into the world to save sinners, and that sinners come to Christ by free and sovereign grace alone for eternal life.
- Pastor David Eddmenson
Why Must Every Sermon Be Christ?
1. Christ is our Deliverer. (Col. 1:13) Why do we need deliverance? For we are captives of sin and Satan (2 Tim. 2:24-26). So I preach Christ, the Deliverer.
2. Christ is our Reconciler. (Col. 1:20-21) Why do we need reconciliation? Because we are at enmity with God Almighty (Rom. 5:10). Can you imagine that awful fact? So I preach Christ, the Reconciler.
3. Christ is the Bringer of Grace. (Rom 3:24) You do not go get grace; Christ brings grace. How will poor sinners get grace if we preach not Christ the Bringer? So I preach Christ, the Bringer of Grace.
4. Christ is Completeness. (Rom. 8:2-4) Who does not want to be complete? So I preach Christ, our Completeness.
5. Christ is our Comfort. (2 Thess. 2:16-17) In all the perplexities of life, people need comfort. It is found only in Christ. So I preach Christ, the Comforter.
6. Christ is the Supplier of Need. I said need, not want (Phil. 4:19). How can poor sinners have any hope without Him who fulfills spiritual and physical need? So I preach Christ, the Supplier of Need.
So, there is not more than Christ. He is the whole counsel of God. Preach more than Christ? God Himself summed it up. Christ is all. What is more than all?
–Pastor Bruce Crabtree
~~~ O ~~~
Behold A Judge Who Weeps.
Some time ago I was sitting in a court room watching a Judge deal with several of his subjects; he was very cold toward them and had mercy on none. I thought of these scriptures, John 11:35“Jesus wept” and Heb 4:15 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” I thought behold a Judge who weeps and a Priest who can be touched with the fillings of our infirmities. O let us thank God for this Judge who receives sinners and eats with them, weeps with them and prays for them.
If we would remember that we live among people who are imperfect, we would not be in such a fever when we discover one another’s failings. Old cloth will tear and cracked pots will leak. Blessed is he who expects nothing of poor flesh and blood, for he will seldom be disappointed. The best of men are only men at best.
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