"I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor. Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto Thy name: the upright shall dwell in Thy presence." (Psalm 140:12-13)
LET US PRAISE THE NAME OF JESUS TUNE TO "LOVE DIVINE" 8.7.8.7. DOUBLE WORDS BY JIM BYRD
1. Let us praise the name of Jesus, Prophet, Priest and sovereign King; To Him render adoration, Laud and homage to Him bring. Let us praise the name of Jesus, God Incarnate from above; Lo! He came to save His people, Sent by God in cov’nant love.
2. Let us praise the name of Jesus, Who upon Mount Calvary; Shed His blood to seal our pardon, Died from sin to set us free. Let us praise the name of Jesus, Risen, conquering, reigning Friend; Advocate and Mediator, All our hopes on Him depend.
3. Let us praise the name of Jesus, For He brought us to His fold; Come exalt His Name and worship, May the Savior be extolled. Let us praise the name of Jesus, Till we see Him face to face; Then throughout the endless ages, Praise Him for His love and grace.
SCRIPTURE READINGS TODAY: MORNING: PSALM 85 EVENING: JOHN 1:15-34
THE WINE OF THE GOSPEL "Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more" (Proverbs 31:6-7). The wise mother of king Lemuel gave her son gracious directions when she spake these words. It is when we begin to feel the misery into which we have been cast by sin, and thus become ready to perish and of heavy hearts, that the pure wine of the gospel of grace is suitable to our lost condition. As the holiness and justice of God are discovered to the conscience, and we are made to see and feel the depths of the Adam-fall, we look out of ourselves for a salvation which we could not find in our fallen nature or in our deeply corrupt and unbelieving heart. When, then, we obtain by living faith a view of the Son of God as Mediator between God and men, when we see by the eye of faith the blood of the cross, and the full and complete atonement which He, as the Lamb of God, made for sin, then we heartily embrace Him as "of God made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (1 Corinthians 1:30). We see and feel that there is salvation in Him and in no other (Acts 4:12); and as this salvation is seen to be worthy of God and suitable to us, as it answers all the demands of God’s holy law, and glorifies it by rendering it an obedience as far excelling ours as heaven excels earth and God surpasses man, we embrace it as our justifying righteousness and covering robe from the eyes of Him Who, out of Christ, is "a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29).–J. C. Philpot, English preacher of the 1800's
IN THE SHIP WITH THE MASTER Matthew, Mark and Luke record the incident when the Savior gave command to His disciples to sail across the Sea of Galilee and all three writers confirm their safe arrival on the distant shore. Along the way, however, a storm arose which terrified His followers. Though Christ was in the ship with them (asleep), they were afraid they would perish. When the Master was awakened, He stilled the wind and the waves and rebuked His disciples for their lack of faith. With Him in the ship, they were never in any real danger.
God’s people, like all men, are on a voyage across the sea of life, but we are sailing in the ship of grace. To be sure, we will encounter some dark skies and rough seas along the way. The winds of trouble will assail us and the waves of adversity will beat upon us, but we cannot be ship-wrecked for the Lord is with us.
An English author wrote a poem in which he likened death to crossing a dark sea. Here are a few lines from Crossing the Bar, by Tennyson.
Sunset and evening star, and one clear call for me; And may there be no moaning of the bar, when I put out to sea. Twilight and evening bell, and after that the dark; And may there be no sadness of farewell, when I embark.
Those words do not set forth the death of a child of God. For a believer, death is not a journey across a dark sea. Our voyage is across the sea of life, and when we die we immediately arrive at our "desired haven" (Psalm 107:30) and "there shall be no night there" for "the Lamb is the light in the city of God" (Revelation 21:23, 25). As we continue life’s voyage, we are certain to face dark and stormy days, but God’s people should not be anxious about our security. Our Pilot redeemed us by His blood, justified us by His righteousness and indwells us by His Spirit. He not only charted our course, but also guides us across the sea of life. The Savior said, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." His presence and His promises assure us of safety no matter what storms may lie ahead. –Pastor Jim Byrd
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