Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured. As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man. Proverbs 27:17-19
To See His Glory
When Isaiah saw His glory, he spake of Him” (John 12:41).
When a man sees the glory of the Redeemer, CHRIST BECOMES HIS MESSAGE. Everything else fades into insignificance before the glory of Jesus Christ; His creative glory, His incarnate glory, His redemptive glory, His resurrected glory, His mediatorial glory, and His coming glory.
When we see His glory, we will speak in HUMILITY, “Woe is me.” We will speak of OUR SINS, “I am a man of unclean lips.” We will speak in OBEDIENCE, “Here am I, send me.” We will make known His greatest glory, “He was wounded for our transgressions, and by His stripes we are healed.”
“I am determined,” Paul said, “to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Paul had seen His glory, too. I may be accused of having only one message and playing a one-string fiddle, so be it! I have seen His glory, therefore everything else is vanity. My one desire is that you see it, and the only way you will see His glory is for us to preach it!
Pastor Henry T. Mahan (Bulletin 1983)
Wrong On The Fall, Wrong In It All
God said to Adam, “In the day you eat thereof you shall surely die.” When Adam ate, he most surely died. Not physically, but spiritually. Just as a dead man is unable and incapable of performing the functions of life, a spiritually dead man is unable and incapable of performing the functions of spiritual life. He can no more repent and believe then a dead man can breathe or see. Any doctrine that denies or contradicts the total inability and depravity of man, his spiritual death at his birth, is a false doctrine. It is impossible to receive any doctrine that denies this and still believe the Gospel of Grace. Somebody once said, “Wrong on the fall, wrong in it all.” All false doctrine has this at its core: making man more than he is…dead in sins. And something that always goes along with that is making God less than He is. The two always go together. And wherever they are taught and believed, the Gospel is rejected.
Pastor Todd Nibert
Saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation.”
(Isa. 45:17).
The longer I live, the more I feel that if there were one thing left undone, if the devil were not conquered, sin not expiated, justice not satisfied, the law not honored and magnified, death not overcome, and every burden not carried, I should not have a ray of hope. I used to think I saw this as clear as the noon day thirty or forty years ago; but I saw it very differently then to what I see now, for I see and feel now that if one hair-breadth is left for me to do to merit heaven, or bring as a plea before God, I am undone for ever and ever. But on the Mount of Calvary, the Lord Jesus Christ undertook the cause of His people; and there is not a jot nor a tittle that He left undone, but, “By one offering He perfected for ever them that are sanctified” and “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Here is complete perfection, “Saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation.” John Warburton (1853)
BE CONTENT WITH SUCH THINGS AS YOU HAVE
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Hebrews 13:5-6).
We are instructed in the scriptures to be content with the things God has been pleased to graciously give us, "Having food and raiment let us be therewith content"(1Tim. 6:8). A covetous and grumpy spirit is unbecoming in a believer and will only grieve your heart. "Be content with such things as you have" (Heb. 13:5-6). I ask myself and you this question. What things do we have? God has sovereignly given to every believer, Himself, "I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one" (John 17:23). When we consider that the Almighty God, possessor of all things is our Heavenly Father who cares for our soul, and provides all things for us, what peace and comfort this should afford us. Having Him we have all things, "Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours" (1 Cor. 3:20). So then, let us take this scriptural advice, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you" (Matt.6:33). "They that seek the Lord shall not want for any good thing" (Psalm 34:10). This lesson is not something we learn by intellect nor instantly, but through hearing the word of God constantly and receiving it by God wrought faith. Listen to the Apostle, "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content" (Phil. 4:11).
God's Salvation
The whole scheme of works salvation is totally dependent upon man and looks inward for all hope, happiness, help, and holiness; making man the principle object of worship, preeminence and glory. But, the whole scheme of God’s salvation is dependent upon Jesus Christ, the appointed Mediator and Substitute for sinners. This scheme of salvation looks God-ward for all hope, happiness, help, and holiness; making Jesus Christ the principle object of all worship, preeminence and glory. “God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.” The grand design of God’s salvation is the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 17:4-5).