We Preach Christ and Him Crucified - 1 Corinthians 1:23 __________________________________________________________________
He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 1st John 5:10
Comfort From The Psalms: Psalm 147:11-12 The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.
There are two songs that are a source of comfort. One has to do with the providence of God over all things- over me. And the other has to do with the atonement of Christ – what happened on the cross of Calvary. The first one is “How Firm A Foundation.” The last portion of verse four says, “The flame shall not hurt thee – I only design Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.” Think about that dear child of God. How often does a fiery trial threaten to destroy you – at least in your own eyes? The heat seems so intense you begin to think it’s going to melt your poor soul. “Their soul is melted because of trouble,” the Psalmist said (Ps.107:26).There are troubles which come and go that you and I can cope with without much thought, but there are those troubles that are deep and prolonged and melt our hearts like wax. What if in the mist of such melting we could remember this song and really take it to heart – “This flame shall not hurt thee.” Well, this calms my fear, because that is exactly what I was thinking to myself, “This flame will hurt me, it is hurting me.” But “No” the song says, God has a purpose in putting you in the flame. He has designed it for your good and his glory – “I only design thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.”
We have all this dross – this flesh and it’s schemes and self-will etc. and it keeps the gold of Christ’s grace and power from shining. Putting fire to it is the only way to accomplish a good end. Fire will not consume gold, only the dross. Repeat this in every trial, “This flame shall not hurt thee.”
The second song is “It Is Well With My Soul.” The third verse says, “My sin – O the bliss of this glorious thought –My sin, not in part, but the whole, Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more: Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul.” This gives me comfort to believe this because my sins often worry me. They sometime make me afraid. I have these apprehensions of the holiness and justice of God and death and the judgment to come and eternity. I have noticed there are times when these things appear awful to my thoughts – even unbearable, but I have noticed what makes them appear awful, it is the thoughts of my sins mixed with the thoughts of these things. I don’t fear God’s face or fear facing God when I remember the reality of this song; “My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more.” If it’s my sins that are making me afraid, then fear not, “I bear them no more.” Jesus has borne them in my stead and has satisfied for them in my stead too. Let this comfort you, dear believer, as it has me.
Let us look upon a crucified Christ, as the remedy of all our miseries. His cross has procured a crown—and His passion has expiated our transgressions. His death has disarmed the law—and His blood has washed a believer's soul. His death is the destruction of our enemies, the spring of our happiness, and the eternal testimony of divine love!
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