It is Christ alone Who makes heaven to be heaven. ******************************************************
"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." (Psalm 16:11)
BEHOLD THE DYING SUBSTITUE Tune "THERE IS A FOUNTAIN" CM/DOUBLE Words by JIM BYRD
1. When to the cross I turn my eyes, Where Christ my Lord once died; I see my ransom paid in full, And justice satisfied. The holy law of God condemned This sinner, lost, undone; But look Who came to rescue me, God’s well-beloved Son.
2. The scheme to rescue fallen man, Required that Jesus die; He hung upon the cursed tree, The Law to magnify. Behold Him suff’ring for the sins, Of all His chosen bride; He brought in perfect righteousness, "‘Tis finished," Jesus cried!
3. Behold the dying Substitute, Who took the rebel’s place; And with the Father made our peace, O what an act of grace! Now Jesus reigns forevermore, Before His throne I fall; Such wondrous grace demands from me, My life, my soul, my all. ************************************
SCRIPTURE READINGS TODAY: MORNING: REVELATION 21:1-11 EVENING: LUKE 3:1-22
**************************** In proportion as God sends the trial, so He sends the help. Be not afraid, therefore, of great trial. Look for it and say, "Now for great grace." –C. H. Spurgeon ********************************************************************** PRIDE 1. Pride is an ancient sin. It was pride that destroyed Lucifer. He sought to sit upon the throne of God and rule the universe. He could not bear the thought that human nature, in the person of the Son of God, should be exalted above himself. It was also pride that cut down our parents in the garden when Adam set himself above the command of God to abstain from eating the forbidden fruit (read Genesis 2:16-17). He and Eve were ambitious to be gods. 2. Pride is a universal disease. It is the common malady of all Adam’s race to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. Pride is self-righteousness which is directly opposed to the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Pride is, quite simply, the exaltation of self. What a hideous, odious and baseless thing it is. 3. Pride keeps men from seeking the Lord. "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts" (Psalm 10:4). 4. Pride is a divisive sin. "Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom" (Proverbs 13:10). "He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat" (Proverbs 28:25). 5. Pride is obnoxious to the Lord. "Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished" (Proverbs 16:5). "These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren" (Proverbs 6:16-18). 6. Pride keeps men from coming to Christ. It blinds a man to his own neediness before God and prevents him from seeing the necessity of being washed in the blood of Christ and robed in His perfect righteousness. Arrogance was the root problem of Paul’s brethren according to the flesh (read Romans 10:3-4). Pride prevented them from seeing that no sinner can be accepted by a holy God because of their own goodness because "all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). They would not submit to be saved by the person and merits of Christ. "There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up" (Proverbs 30:13). 7. Pride, if not broken, will bring everlasting condemnation. "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). "And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible" (Isaiah 13:11). "The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low" (Isaiah 2:11-12). "Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD" (Obadiah 1:4). -- Pastor Jim Byrd ****************************************************************** There is something in the Lord Jesus Christ more excellent than the salvation which He wrought; and that something is the greatness of His Person. –Scott Richardson
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