Rejoice

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice” (Phil. 4:4).

Let us learn the meaning of the word “rejoice,” not just in doctrine, but in experience.

There is always cause to rejoice in the Lord:

In His BLOOD that cleanses (1 John 1:7-9).

His RIGHTEOUSNESS that perfects (Rom. 4:6; Phil. 3:9).

His LOVE which never fails (Jer. 31:3; Cor. 13:8).

His PROVIDENCE which works all things for our good (Rom. 8:28).

His INTERCESSION, which is continual (Heb. 7:25).

And in the fact that our names are in the Book of Life (Rev. 13:8).

All by His grace!

Pastor Henry T. Mahan (bulletin 1988)

AMAZING THINGS

The most amazing thing that ever took place in this world is that Almighty God became a man, made in the likeness of sinful flesh, lived in perfect obedience to His own holy law to establish righteousness for sinners, was made to be sin with the sin of those same sinners, suffered and died under the guilt, condemnation and curse of their sins, arose from the dead, walked out of the grave, forty days later ascended back into heaven with power over all flesh, that He might give eternal life to these sinners, and He has been interceding for these sinners, and shall continue to do so, until they are all where He is and as He is, to dwell with Him forever. That’s amazing!

The next most amazing thing to me is that when sinners are told this story, they treat it so lightly. Surely nothing more fully reveals their total depravity; and nothing more fully shows their desperate need of just such a Saviour.

The next most amazing thing to me is that, though I am as totally depraved as a sinner can be, yet somehow, by the grace of God, I DO BELIEVE IT! Pastor Maurice Montgomery

Young Now Old

When I was young, I was sure of many things. But now that I am old, there are only two things which I am sure of: One is that I am a miserable sinner! Secondly, that Christ is an all-sufficient Savior! He is well taught—who learns these two lessons. "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief" (1 Timothy 1:15).

John Newton

By The Grace Of God

I am not what I ought to be, ah, how imperfect and deficient. I am not what I wish to be; I abhor what is evil, and I would cleave to what is good. I am not what I hope to be; soon I shall put off, with mortality, all sin and imperfection. Though I am not what I ought to be, nor what I wish to be, nor what I hope to be, I can truly say that I am not what I once was, a slave to sin and Satan. And I can heartily join with the apostle and acknowledge that, “By the grace of God I am what I am.” John Newton

YET NOT I, BUT THE GRACE OF GOD

“For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (1 Cor. 15:9-10).

Salvation is all of God’s grace. By God’s grace Christ redeemed those chosen of God making us complete and accepted in the Beloved. By God’s grace, the same power that raised Christ from the grave raises his child to newness of life, making us willing to believe and serve Christ, while giving God the glory for all (Eph. 1: 19-2:2; 3: 7; 4: 7, 16).