We plan to observe the Lord’s Table after the morning service and enjoy lunch together.

Walk in Love

And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour (Ephesians 5:2).

Here is the key to all that is commanded, expected, and needed for godliness and sanctification.

1.) Walk in love to God our Father, who has given us all things in Christ (Eph. 1:3).

2.) Walk in love to Christ for the love He has for us, the relationship we have with Him, and the things He has done for us (1 John 4:19-21).

3.) Walk in love one to another (Eph. 4:32).

Our example of love is Christ our Lord, who loved us and gave Himself for us. If Christ so loved us, we ought also to love one another. This principle of love is the gift of God and is sufficient motivation for mercy, forgiveness, kindness, and all godliness.

Pastor Henry T. Mahan (bulletin 1988)

THE PERFECT PRIEST WITH THE PERFECT SACRIFICE

Lev. 21 and 22

In Leviticus 21 and 22 the Lord instructed Moses and Aaron with the most vital and fundamental information on how to approach and worship Him. The high priest could not have any defect, deformity or blemish (Lev. 21:16-21). Likewise, the sacrifice could not have any blemish at all (Lev.22: 17-24). If the priest had no defect, yet brought a sacrifice with blemishes it would not be accepted, for it "must be perfect to be accepted" (Lev. 22:21). Likewise, if the sacrifice had no blemish, but the priest that offered it had any blemish, the sacrifice would not be accepted at all, for it "must be perfect to be accepted."

All of this declares the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the perfect and great High Priest without blemish, spot, defect, deformity or sin (Heb. 4:14-15; Heb. 7:26; 8:1). Not only is that true, but He is also the perfect sacrifice. He is the Lamb without blemish or spot (John 1:29; 1Peter.1: 18-20). It is only through the Lord Jesus Christ and His glorious sacrifice, that we can be justified from all sin (Acts 13:38-39; Heb. 9:12). In the Lord Jesus Christ every believer is a priest with no blemish, no sin (Rev. 1:5-6; 5:9-10).

Likewise, in Christ's precious blood atonement we can approach the throne of grace with boldness (Heb. 4:16), because we have a perfect sacrifice that fully, eternally satisfies the holy justice of God (Rom. 3:24-26; Col. 1:19-22; Jude 1:24-25). Through Christ, we meet God's standard, "It must be perfect to be accepted," all of this, "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved" (Eph. 1:6).

UNDERSTANDING THE GOSPEL

“These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him” (John 12:16).

When the Lord is pleased to glorify and reveal Himself to us and in us, in the way of mercy and grace, then He also gives us an understanding of the gospel of Christ (1 John 5:20). Consider these four things:

1). When we see the glory of His electing grace (Eph.1:3-6), then He gives us an understanding, that had Christ not chosen us we never would have believed and loved Him (2 Thes. 2:13).

2). When we see the glory of His atonement for our sin, how complete, how eternal, how full and how powerful it is, that our sin is put away forever (Heb. 9:26; 10:14-17), then He gives us an understanding to see and know the absolute necessity for Christ to put away our sin (1 John 1:7)) and how futile and useless is our vain attempts to redeem ourselves by the deeds of the flesh or law, “by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified”(Rom. 3:19-24). We are redeemed by the blood of Christ alone (1 Peter 1:18-20).

3). When we see the glory of His salvation, taking the rebel and making him righteous in Christ, taking the ignorant and the foolish and making them new creatures in Christ, taking those dead in sin and giving them spiritual life (Eph. 2:1), then we understand the need of the new birth, regeneration and being reconciled to God in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17- 21). “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see (understand) the kingdom of God ” (John 3:3-8).