August 28^th 2022

9:30 am ------------------------------------------------Christ: The Afflicted Man – Lamentations 3

10:00 am ---------------------------Christ: Hated by the World, Loved by the Elect – John 7:1-31

A Prayer Sure to Be Heard -- “Grant me never to lose sight of . . . the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the exceeding righteousness of salvation, the exceeding glory of Christ, the exceeding beauty of holiness, the exceeding wonder of grace.” – unknown

The Stumbling-block of Prosperity – by Thomas Brooks

There is no greater misery in this life than to not be in misery; no greater affliction than not to be afflicted. Woe, woe to that soul that God will not spend a rod upon! This is the saddest stroke of all, when God refuses to strike at all, “Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone” (Hosea 4:17). . . “Why should you be smitten any more? You will only revolt more and more” (Isa.1:5). When the physician gives up on the patient, you say, ‘ring out his knell, the man is dead.’ So when God gives over a soul to sin without control, you may truly say, ‘This soul is lost,’ you may ring out his death knell, for he is twice dead, and plucked up by the roots. Freedom from punishment is the mother of security, the step-mother of virtue, the poison of religion, the moth of holiness, and the introducer of wickedness. Someone said, ‘Nothing seems more unhappy to me than he to whom no adversity hath happened.’ Outward mercies oft times prove a snare our souls. “I will lay a stumbling-block

(Ezek.3:20) . . . the stumbling-block is that God will prosper him in all things, and not by affliction restrain him from sin. Augustine said: ‘Prosperity hath been a stumbling-block at which millions have stumbled and fallen and broke the neck of their souls for ever.’

“In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.” – Ecclesiastes 7:14

What Good Does the Love of God Do You? – by Donald Bell

Men have been told over and over again that God loves them, I would ask you what good does the love of God do you? Does it make you desire to live to His glory, or cause you to call on Him daily, or attend a place where the gospel is preached? Do you ever even think about the love of God? Does God enter your thoughts at all?

When God loves a sinner He does something effectual for that sinner; “In the time of love I passed by thee and said unto thee live, I said live” (Ezek.16: 5-8). He loved Jacob before he was born; he had not done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand. The same thing will happen to Gods elect that happened to Paul, hear his words; “When it pleased God who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by His grace to reveal His Son in me” (Gal. 1:15). “ In love having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will” (Eph.1: 4-5)

The average person absolutely doesn’t care at all about the love of God, and to be told over and over again that God loves them is obscene. God loves his elect and he will manifest his love to them in time. If you would take a close look into Gods word you would see that no one told men indiscriminately that God loves them. Those to whom the love of God was manifested were overwhelmed by the truth that God loved them, and had always loved them, with an everlasting love (Jer. 31:30). Men today are not enthralled with the love of God, it is just ho-hum, so what else is new?

An old timer wrote: “My friend, you may think to live very well without Christ, but death will be unbearable without Him. You are confident and secure at present, but death will destroy your confidence. Your tree is fair and strong now; but when the wind comes, if your root is not in the Rock of Ages, down your tree must come forever. You may think these worldly pleasures and ways of flesh are so good; but when your years increase and you reach the bottom of this poisoned bowl, they will be as bitter as wormwood; and worse than gall shall be the daintiest of your drinks.”

The Grand Purpose of God . . . is in bringing Christ and His chosen family together (Eph.1:10); and that purpose is by a covenant between God the Father and God the Son; which covenant was ratified and confirmed by the death of Christ; and into the bond of this covenant are all the elect brought, and are bound up in the bundle of life with the Lord our God.