"The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works." (Psalm 145:8-9) *************************************************************************** BE JOYFUL CHILDREN OF THE LORD TUNE "THERE IS A FOUNTAIN" CM/DOUBLE WORDS BY JIM BYRD
1. How truly gracious is the Lord, Compassionate and kind; And those who trust His promises, Will comfort in Him find. In love He purposed to bestow, Upon a chosen race; The honor to be sons of God, According to His grace.
2. In time the Father sent His Son, Our ransom price to pay; And by His bloody sacrifice, Christ washed our sins away. He reconciled us to our God, And brought in righteousness; We are redeemed, set free, forgiv’n, His beauty we possess.
3. Our Savior ever lives above, For us to intercede; Those wounds received on Calvary, Shall for us ever plead. Be joyful children of our God, The Lord shall soon appear; Then sin and sorrow will be past, And gone will be each tear.
*************************************************************************** Daily Readings- October 2-8 Sunday - Matthew 1-4 Monday - Matthew 5-6 Tuesday - Matthew 7-9 Wednesday- Matthew 10-11 Thursday - Matthew 12 Friday - Matthew 13-14 Saturday- Matthew 15-17
GOOD NEWS No message deserves the name "gospel" which does not set forth the good news that everything the thrice holy God required for the salvation of His people was fully and finally accomplished by the substitutionary sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. He satisfied the demands of a broken law for His people when for our sins He suffered, bled and died. "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (Galatians 3:13). The strokes of divine justice fell upon that blessed One Who died upon the cross in the stead of His people. The salvation of a chosen race was conditioned upon His obedience "unto death, even the death of the cross." God Almighty looked to His Son for complete satisfaction to His every demand and He was not disappointed.
It is not good news to set before me any conditions which I must meet before sin can be put away and God can declare me to be righteous. If you lay down certain ceremonies I must observe, spiritual advances I must make, specific duties I must perform or rigid precepts I must obey, you give me no hope at all; in fact, you mock me in my misery. If my salvation is dependent upon any contribution on my part, I must forevermore be lost because I am a sinful man, alienated from God because of my iniquities and there is no possibility of me ever winning His favor.
"The gospel of the blessed God" is good news for helpless sinners because it declares, "salvation is of the LORD." He appointed a people unto salvation and the Lord Jesus has cancelled the indebtedness of all the chosen ones. By His death He removed their sins and brought in everlasting righteousness. The exalted Sovereign sends to them the Holy Spirit Who grants to His people life, repentance and faith. He gives them the blessed assurance that Christ accomplished everything that needed to be done to justify them before God. This is a salvation conditioned, not upon the sinner, but upon Christ. Here is good news indeed! --Pastor Jim Byrd ***************************************************************************
FORGIVENESS "But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared." (Psalm 130:4) This forgiveness that is with God, is such as becomes Him; such as is suitable to His greatness, goodness and all other excellencies of His nature; such as that therein He will be known to be God. What He says concerning some of His works of providence, "Be still, and know that I am God," may be much more said concerning this great effect of His grace; "still your souls and know that He is God." It is not like that narrow, difficult and limited forgiveness that is found amongst men – But it is full, free, bottomless, boundless, absolute; such as becomes His nature and excellencies. It is, in a word, forgiveness that is with God, and by the exercise whereof He will be known so to be – God Himself doth really separate and distinguish His forgiveness from anything that our thoughts and imaginations can reach unto; and that because it is His, and it is like Himself. Forgiveness is an object for faith alone which can rest in that which it cannot comprehend. Faith is never safer than when it is, as it were, overwhelmed with infiniteness. –John Owen *************************************************************************** ALL OF GRACE How perfectly suitable is the free grace of God in Christ to fallen sinners. Are we miserable? God is merciful. Are we unworthy? God is gracious. Are we poor and needy? God is infinitely rich in mercy. Are we defiled? We are forgiven through the blood of Christ. Are we guilty? Upon the basis of the death of our Substitute, we are made the righteousness of God in Him.
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