September 22, 2013

Our Almighty God

Our Almighty God doth rule among men.
They would have no pow'r lest given to them.
He is the Creator who sustains it all.
He purposed His mercy for all those He calls.

Our Almighty God made sinners His own.
All those that He loves will stand at His throne.
He is their Redeemer who died for their sin,
The Justifier of ungodly men.

Our Almighty God is Jesus, the Lord,
The King of all kings, the Lamb, and the Word,
The Friend of vile sinners, the God of Jacob.
He's my salvation, my Lord and my God.

(Tune: 'O Worship the King', #1)

How can we know whether we have gone, not only from ignorance to knowledge, but also from knowledge to submission? It is primarily revealed in this: we cease from establishing our own righteousness before God. We glory in nothing other than Christ's cross, soothe our conscience with nothing but His blood, and rest our hope for favor with God on nothing other than Christ’s acceptance before the Father.

- Pastor Joe Terrell

SAVING FAITH

SAVING FAITH is a mysterious and wonderful thing, and also very rare. While it is true that all religious folks have some kind of faith, and some of them have much faith or great faith; yet there are very few who have saving faith. The one who has this precious, saving faith knows that his faith is a gift of God and that it came to him through the hearing of God's Word (Eph. 2: 8,9; Rom. 10:17). He knows that his faith is sustained by the power of God and would wither and die apart from that Divine power and grace (I Pet. 1:5).

Saving faith does not lead a man to be always looking back to a time in history when he believed, but causes him to be concerned with Christ at the present. Saving faith never causes a man to look to his faith, but to God, to Christ, the origin and object of his faith; thus he doesn't glory in self but in the Lord (I Cor. 1: 30, 31). Saving faith never causes a man to look to his attainments and experiences as a ground or basis of his safety and assurance, but to Jesus Christ and him crucified and nothing else. Saving faith will cause a man to be obedient and submissive to the Lord, but will never lead that man to look to his obedience and submission as any part of that righteousness wherein he is accepted of God. Saving faith, as a friend and protector of our souls, stands up against that natural self-righteousness which we have and rebukes that hypocrite which dwells within each of us. Saving faith will never lead a man to measure and compare himself with other sinners, but with the Saviour of sinners, so that he may understand what the apostle Paul meant when he said, "I am the chief of sinners." Saving faith will lead a man to say, "All of my righteousnesses are as filthy rags, but I am complete in Him." Saving faith will bring a man to say "I abhor myself, but my Saviour and Lord is altogether lovely." Do you have saving faith?

- Pastor Maurice Montgomery

'He led them forth by the right way.'
Psalm 107:7

Changeful experience often leads the anxious believer to inquire 'Why is it thus with me?' I looked for light, but lo, darkness came; for peace, but behold, trouble. I said in my heart, my mountain standeth firm; I shall never be moved. Lord, thou dost hide thy face, and I am troubled. It was but yesterday that I could read my title clear; today my evidences are bedimmed, and my hopes are clouded. Yesterday, I could climb to Pisgah's top, and view the landscape o'er, and rejoice with confidence in my future inheritance; today, my spirit has no hopes, but many fears; no joys, but much distress. Is this part of God's plan with me? Can this be the way in which God would bring me to heaven? Yes, it is even so. The eclipse of your faith, the darkness of your mind, the fainting of your hope, all these things are but parts of God's method of making you ripe for the great inheritance upon which you shall soon enter. These trials are for the testing and strengthening of your faith-they are waves that wash you further upon the rock-they are winds which waft your ship the more swiftly towards the desired haven. According to David's words, so it might be said of you, 'So he bringeth them to their desired haven.' By honour and dishonour, by evil report and by good report, by plenty and by poverty, by joy and by distress, by persecution and by peace, by all these things is the life of your souls maintained, and by each of these are you helped on your way. Oh, think not, believer, that your sorrows are out of God's plan; they are necessary parts of it. 'We must, through much tribulation, enter the kingdom.' Learn, then, even to 'count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.' 'O let my trembling soul be still, and wait thy wise, thy holy will! I cannot, Lord, thy purpose see, yet all is well since ruled by thee.'"