THE NECESSARY REVELATION

In spite of what false religion says in our day, Christ and His word still say, “All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.” (Mt 11:27) No man can by searching find God out, God must reveal Himself to us and in us. This He does to His people through the word of the truth of the gospel and by His Holy Spirit. He does this as Paul says when it pleases Him to do so. He cannot be hurried and His hand cannot be stayed. Paul’s description of his own experience is the same with all that God saves: “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:” (Gal. 1:15-16) Not even the clearest preaching of the gospel alone will avail for sinners who are dead spiritually and blind to all that is of God. But God will bring this work to pass in all those He loved, chose and redeemed in Christ. His sheep will hear His voice. They will be all taught of God and when they learn of Him they will come to Christ. Christ promises that the Holy Spirit whom He would send would do this: “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” (John 16:13-15) It is the command of God to His servants to “preach the word” and it His command to all to “seek the Lord.” As this is done, He graciously reveals Himself to the objects of His saving mercy. “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (1Co 2:9-12) But there is another “but” also: “ But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit…” What does He reveal to us? “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”

GS

What thick clouds of darkness spread themselves at times over our souls; all things out of sight; our signs and tokens buried, as it were, in mist. It is like a sea fog, that comes out of the bosom of the vasty deep, and hides all objects from view. The ships are on the sea, notwithstanding, but this deep fog prevents their being seen. So with our souls at times—all is misty, cloudy, and no signs can be seen of the work of God upon our hearts. And yet we "know" them, by receiving the Spirit of God, for it is the only way whereby they can be known. We can only see light in God's light; only believe by God's faith; only love by God's love; therefore can only know the things freely given to us of God by the revelation of the Spirit.

What we know savingly, experimentally, feelingly, we know only by divine teaching. How dark our mind often is; how low we sink at times; it is only the Son of God that can enable us to rise; only by the revelation of his Spirit can we believe that we are his. We know he is God when he shines forth, as we know the sun when it blazes forth in the summer sky. We know him by the teaching of the Spirit, but cannot see him until our eyes are divinely opened. The sun may shine in all its glory—does that communicate light to the eyes of the blind? or warm the corpse lying in the coffin? The blind see not; the dead hear not; the living, the living alone see and know the Son of God.

J. C. Philpot

Many will say in these days that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. My question is, who was He really? Why did He come? What did He do while here? Who did He do it for? Where is He now?

“the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

GS

THE ABSURDITIES OF FREE-WILL

Free-will brings with it so many absurdities that it cannot be received.

(a) It makes man the cause of his own salvation.

(b)It puts grace into man's power, not man's will under the power of grace.

(c) It robs God of the honour of making one to differ from another, and ascribes it to man.

(d) It allows man a liberty of boasting to God, saying, "God, I thank Thee that Thou gavest me power to will (yet Thou gavest that to Judas as well as me), but I thank myself for the act of willingness, since I receive from Thee no more than Judas did."

(e) It exempts the creature from the power of God, as if man, spider-like, could spin a thread out of his own bowels whereon to climb to Heaven.

(f) It maketh man the cause why God willeth this or that; so God must attend on the will of man, and not be infallible in His decrees, nor working all things according to the counsel of His own will (Eph 1:11, Ps 115:3).

(g) Then the apostle James lied in saying "every good gift" is from God (Jas 1:17); and Paul also was mistaken in Romans 9:11. He should have said, "It is of man that willeth and runneth," and not, "Of God that showeth mercy."

John Gill

NO OTHER ONE

There is no other Light or Life

In this sad world of sin and strife;

But Christ alone my Righteousness

Who gives me life through His own death.

There is no other hope or peace

Where sin has bound and won’t release;

But Jesus’ blood once shed for me

Both gives me peace and sets me free.

There is no other love or rest

In all the earth with all its best

But Jesus Christ, the Son of love

Has brought me rest from God above.

There is no other name I’ll praise

None other trust for all my days;

But Jesus only be my ALL

And give me grace until He call.

Gary Shepard