Engraved! "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands!" Isaiah 49:16 "Behold," says Immutable One, "I have engraved you on the palms of My hands." Not on the mountains, colossal as they are, for they shall depart; on no page of nature's vast volume, for the last fires shall scorch them; not on blazing sun, for he shall grow dim with age; not on glorious heavens, for they shall be folded together as a scroll. But on . . . the hand which made the worlds, the hand which was transfixed on Calvary, the hand of might and love; I have engraved you there! No corroding power can efface the writing, or obliterate your name! You are Mine now, and Mine forever! “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands!" Isaiah 49:16 --John MacDuff, "The Immutability of Christ" 1874
***** Lord Jesus Christ, We Seek Thy Face By: Alexander Stewart (Tune: "Doxology")
1. Lord Jesus Christ, we seek Thy face; O let Thy glory fill this place; Within the veil we bow the knee; O bless us while we wait on Thee.
2. We thank Thee for Thy precious blood That purged our sins and brought us nigh; All cleansed and sanctified to God, Thy holy name to magnify.
3. Here may we prove the pow'r of prayer, To strengthen faith and sweeten care, To teach our faint desires to rise, And keep Thy love before our eyes.
4. When from the dust of death I rise To take my dwelling in the skies, E'en then shall this be all my plea, That Christ the Savior died for me! *****
“It is FINISHED” (John 19:30) Children of God, let those words fill your hearts with joy and hope. All that God required for your salvation has been accomplished by Christ. There is no more ransom to be paid, “Jesus paid it all!” There is no more righteousness to be wrought out for He is “The LORD our Righteousness.” All that needed to be done to reconcile us to the Father has been accomplished. No barrier remains between God and the sinners for whom Christ tasted death. By His substitutionary atonement, Jesus put our sins away. The good news is not “Sinner do this,” but “Sinner it’s done!” Everything a holy God required for the salvation of a multitude of sinners has been satisfied by our All-sufficient Savior! And here’s one more thing, He even gives us faith to believe Him. This is good news indeed! “It is finished!” --Pastor Jim Byrd
***** He is Sovereign Lord of All! Christ, as He is God, is infinitely great and high above all. He is higher than the kings of the earth, for He is King of kings, and Lord of lords. He is higher than the heavens, and higher than the highest angels of heaven. So great is He, that all men, all kings and princes, are as worms of the dust before Him. All nations are as the drop of the bucket, and the light dust of the balance, yes, and angels themselves are as nothing before Him. He is so high, that he is infinitely above any need of us, so above our reach that we cannot be profitable to Him, and so above our conceptions that we cannot comprehend Him. Christ is the Creator and great Possessor of heaven and earth. - He is sovereign Lord of all! - He rules over the whole universe, and does whatsoever pleases Him. - His knowledge is without bound. - His wisdom is perfect, and what none can circumvent. - His power is infinite, and none can resist Him. - His riches are immense and inexhaustible. - His majesty is infinitely full of awe. Yet, His condescension is sufficient to take a gracious notice of the most unworthy, sinful creatures, those that have no good deservings, and those that have infinite ill-deservings. --Jonathan Edwards, "The Excellency of Jesus Christ" *****
Philemon 1:4-7 “I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints; That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.”