God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. Psalm 46:1-4

Who Can Hear It

In John 6:60 the scripture declares, "When many of His followers HEARD THIS, they said, this is a hard saying; who can hear it?" or "Who can be expected to listen to such teaching?"

What had they heard? They heard our Lord declare His deity (Vs. 35). They heard our Lord declare His divine sovereignty in salvation (Vs. 37-39). They heard our Lord declare man's inability to come to God or even to desire to come to God (Vs. 44-45). They heard our Lord declare that true salvation is CHRIST IN US, received in us as one eats bread and drinks liquid; true salvation is a living union with our Lord (Vs. 53-54).

These people heard Him speak, and they understood His words. His language was not unintelligible; He meant exactly what He said, and He said exactly what He meant to say. But the religious people found it to be a HARD SAYING because what He said was irrecon­cilable with their own view of salvation by law and works. "Who can hear it?" Only those who by grace have been taught of God and learned of the Father (Vs. 44-45). Pastor Henry T. Mahan (bulletin 1994)

God Is God

God is not who we think He is, He is who He is. Hebrews 11:6; “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

We must subject our thoughts of God as He has revealed Himself in His word. We are not at liberty to have rogue thoughts of God. Our thoughts of God must be according to the scriptures. Therefore if we would truly know God as He is we must go to the scriptures and ask Him to reveal Himself to us. “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke24:27). “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39).

Pastor John Chapman

TRUTH SEPARATES

“From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.” (John 6:66).

A great multitude had left off following the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord had preached things they found to be “hard sayings.” Without

going into great detail on what Christ said that offended the followers, I want us to see that the preaching of the truth of the doctrine of Christ is one of the means of separating sheep from goats, wheat from chaff, true disciples from the false. Often afflictions, temptations, and persecutions will separate the true from the false, but the preaching of the Gospel is in itself the means of dividing the true believer and those who are disciples only in name. “Then said Jesus unto the twelve; will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” (John 6:67-68)

My dear brethren, is there anything Christ has said that would make

you leave him? Is there any truth he preached that offends you? Have

you someone else that you can go to who has words of eternal life? It is a sad fact that if you can leave Christ and walk no more with him, some day you will.

Pastor Donnie Bell

HATING SELF AND LOVING CHRIST

“He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal” (John 12:25).

Every believer is an ardent and passionate lover of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is only by His sovereign grace (1 John 4:19). Because we are in love with Christ, we hate ourselves, what we are by nature, sinners by birth, practice and choice. We love what the Lord has made us by His grace, objects of His mercy, grace and love (1 Cor. 15:10; 2 Tim. 1:9). Saving faith forsakes all else, and every false refuge of lies, every phony hope and every wild experience and looks to Christ, cleaves to the Lord and trusts Him for all salvation.

However, we still have this old sin nature to daily contend with of which we are told to “put off the old man with his deeds and put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness” (Eph. 4:23-24). This is the same testimony of those sinners, like, Job, Isaiah, David and the apostle Paul recorded in the Word of God, who were saved by grace and in love with Christ but hated what they were by nature.

Job said, “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor (hate) myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5-6). Isaiah said, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). David said, “For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight” (Psalm 51: 3-4). Paul said, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death” (Romans 7:24)?

Those who are in love with themselves, are those who look to themselves for salvation, loving their self-righteousness, embracing their works and will for salvation instead of looking to Christ alone (Isa. 45:20-24). Those who are in love with themselves are certainly strangers to the way God saves sinners in Christ. (Isa. 64: 6-7; Luke 16:15; John 14:6; Acts 4:12).