Sunday, January 2, 2022

HYMN OF THE DAY

O give thanks unto the Lord;
Praise His name with one accord;
Tell the wonders of His power;
Praise His goodness every hour.

Let the ransomed church begin,
Whom He has redeemed from sin,
Gathered from the east and west,
North and south to enter rest.

Through the wilderness they stray
In a lonely, weary way,
Hungry, thirsty, tired, and faint,
God attends to their complaint.

O that men would praise the Lord
While His goodness they record,
All His wondrous works rehearse
Who redeemed them from the curse.

Tune: Depths of Mercy, p. #233

This is the first Sunday of the New Year and by God's Grace all that will be preached at Lantana Grace will be what has been preached for many years, the Gospel of God's free and sovereign grace IN CHRIST. The Gospel is what He uses to call and regenerate His people, and to bring forth spiritual growth to his church. I don't need to make a resolution to preach the gospel, do you need to make one to come and hear it? If you do, why? - Pastor

A LOOK BACK

It has been my custom for several years to take a LOOK BACK as the year draws to a close. The year just passing, as every year leaves us with a sense of thanksgiving and joy, but also a sense of melancholy. As far as God and His purpose is concerned we have had a very good year. I can say that because “And we know all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose”. (Rom 8:28).

God does all things well, He has never failed us. Christ our Lord continues to love us and keep us by His intercession for us. We may not have been as faithful as we should have been; our hearts, no doubt, many times were very cold and lifeless toward the things of God and towards the gospel. Even as Christ has been preached, how many times were we untouched and unmoved? But thank God he refuses to let those for whom He loves, those for whom Christ died, to remain in such sad condition. He quickens us and in that quickening He makes us to mourn over not loving him and honoring him as worthily as He should be. Though we are more often than not unfaithful, He is never unfaithful. Though we fail Him, He never fails us. He is oftentimes not in our thoughts, but we are ever in His mind and heart.

We cannot see into the future, we cannot know what a day will bring forth. It may bring life or it may bring death, it may bring news that will either break our hearts or cause them to rejoice. But I do know this: I know Who holds the day, no matter what it brings forth. I know Who holds our very souls in His hand. (Job 12:10 Dan.5: 23).

As we LOOK forward to the New Year I also know this: that I want to continue to worship God in spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in my flesh. I want to be faithful to My God, to Christ Jesus My Lord, and to the gospel of free and sovereign grace in Christ. I want to be faithful to love you, forgive you, encourage you and pray for you. I want to continually preach in such a way as to never let you or me find any hope for salvation or righteousness, except only in the righteousness of Christ.

Oh, God give us your grace to know you, to know your Son Jesus Christ in such a way that we find Him to be our ALL in ALL. - Pastor

WITHOUT GOD – WITHOUT CHRIST
(Eph. 2:12)

Believers have a relationship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ that is more blessed and intimate than any other on earth, or in this life. Christ is, to us who believe, “precious”. Everything about Him is precious – His blood is precious, for it washed us from all our sins. His promises are precious; they are all “Yea” (no wavering, no conditions) and “Amen”. His promises are like Himself; sure, steadfast, and faithful. Our faith is precious, for He gave it to us, He worked it in us, He sustains and He will keep us believing to the saving of our souls (Heb. 10:38-39). Is the Lord Jesus Christ precious to you?

He is to us our Redeemer. We have experienced the sprinkling of the blood to our hearts and consciences (I Pet. 1:2). God’s people are like Job; “I know my Redeemer liveth!” (Job 19:25:27). He is, to believers, their Shepherd. He is the Great Shepherd who rose again from the dead by the everlasting blood of the covenant (Heb. 13:20). He is the Chief Shepherd who will appear to give a crown of glory that fades not away (I Pet. 5:4). Oh yes, to the child of God “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want” (Ps. 23).

Another blessed relationship we who believe have with God is that of Father. He said, “I will be a Father unto you, you shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (II Cor. 6:18). There are many other relationships I could mention that believers have with the Lord Jesus, but I’ll mention just one more: He is our Righteousness. Before God, a man must be as without sin and have a perfect obedience to the law. He must be as righteous as God! Well – believers are in the Lord Jesus. God made Him to be sin (our sin), that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (II Cor. 5:20).