Proverbs 17:15-17

Come And I Will Give You Rest

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).

Pray for me as I preach today. Let us all pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to be the Spirit of revival, conviction, and praise; I be­lieve that God is moving in our congregation in a very special and unusual way. Find a place to pray, and take your pastor, your children, and your friends to the throne of grace. Brethren, let us pray for one another. I have never felt the need for intercessory prayers as much as I feel it today.

This word to sinners: God has been good to let you hear the gospel of redemption again. He has again commanded you to repent and hear His Son. How long will He permit you to rebel? Can you not say, 'Lord, I believe! Help thou my unbelief!' The Mas­ter says 'Come I will give you rest.' Christ re­ceives sinners. The Pharisees declared, 'This man receiveth sinners.' Praise God that He still does.

Pastor Henry T. Mahan (1962)

A New Year’s Prayer

“Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name” (Psalms 86:11).

There is no better way for us to begin the New Year than by earnestly seeking the will of God in it. It is certain that God sovereignly accomplishes his will, his eternal purpose, in all things (Isaiah 46:9-11). Nothing comes to pass in time except that which God purposed in eternity. Yet nothing is more important, and nothing more difficult to a believer than seeking the will of God in making responsible choices and decisions about his actions in life.

We know by painful experience that it is possible to make the wrong choices. We rejoice to know that God graciously overrules our errors in judgment for our spiritual, eternal good and for the glory of his own great name (Romans 8:28). And we praise him for that. But when a believer walks contrary to the will of his Lord, he brings grief and trouble to himself. Be wise, therefore, and seek grace both to know and do the will of God in all things.

“Teach me thy way, O Lord.” — Do you desire to know the will of God in all things? Then ask God himself to reveal his will to you, by his Spirit and by his Word. He alone can teach you his way, and he will if you are willing to walk in it.

“I will walk in thy truth.” — In essence, David is saying, “Lord, if you teach me your way, by your grace, I will gladly walk in it. If you will mark out my path in providence, I will stick to it.” This is the attitude of submission and faith before the Lord our God. And where there is true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and submission to his will, there will always be an acknowledgement of weakness and sin and the need for divine grace.

“Unite my heart to fear thy name.” — We can walk in God’s will only as he gives us grace to do so. When we do make errors concerning the will of God, it is either because we have not earnestly sought his will, or because we are rebellious to it. Of this one thing we can be sure: God always reveals his will to the person who is willing to do his will. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path.” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Pastor Don Fortner

HOW THAT

“Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached” (Luke 7:22).

The many miracles the Lord performed while dwelling among men; are all mighty wonders of His power and grace. The Lord Jesus Christ has all power in heaven and earth to do for us what we need right now (Matt. 28:18-20; John 17:2).

The gospel of Christ is not about the great things we have done but rather the great things He has done for us (Psalm 57:2).

Everything that is mentioned in Luke 7:22 are exactly what the Lord has done for every sinner who He has wisely and powerfully saved by His sovereign grace. How that He saved us (Luke 4:18; 8:39)!

1). We were blind; blind to our sin, blind to salvation revealed in Christ;He gave us spiritual eyes to behold Him and faith to trust Him (John 1:29; 2 Cor. 4:6).

2). We were lame; unable to come to Christ and unable to walk in faith believing Him (John 6:44). He gave us life and faith in Christ to come unto Him (1 John 5:1; Eph. 2:8-9).

3). We were full of sinful leprosy; diseased with a terminal and incurable evil condition (Isa. 1:5-6) and Christ made us clean according to His sovereign will, almighty power and blood sacrifice (Matt. 8:1-4; John 1:7-9).

4). We were deaf; hadno ears to hear the gospel, but He opened our ears and made us to hear His voice (Matt. 13:16; John 10:27).

5). We were dead in trespasses and sin; the Lord Jesus Christ raised us from the graveyard of sin and total ruin and made us new creatures in Christ (John 5:21; Eph. 2:1-4; 2 Cor. 5:17).