December 30, 2012
Words rightly used are powerful and are sometimes very descriptive, and they can convey emotions of every kind. I personally do not have the ability to use the words to express mine and Mary's thankfulness for your love and generosity to us. There is not a more loving, gracious, kind, and generous people anywhere that I know of. May God richly bless you all for Christ sake.
Joe Terrell WILL be here tonight to preach for you!
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We may encourage one another and renew our determination to preach the gospel of God’s sovereign grace by remembering that the power of God always accompanies the preaching of the gospel of His glory, when done in the Spirit of Christ! All true revivals and seasons of blessing have followed upon the preaching of the doctrines of grace, sovereignty, election, the effectual atonement of our Lord, “that whole mountain range of truth upon which Jehovah sits enthroned.” God honors the preaching that honors Him! Bro. Gambrill once said, “There is too much milk-sop preaching these days, trying to coax sinners to enter a truce with God, quit sinning and join the church. The situation does not call for a truce, but for a surrender!” Let every preacher and pastor and elder bring out the heavy artillery and confront this proud generation of religionists with Isaiah’s three-fold message of evangelism: (1) All flesh is grass, (2) The word of our God shall stand forever, and (3) Behold your God! (Isaiah 40:6-9). It may be that our sovereign God will be pleased to “revive His work during our years.”
- Henry T. Mahan
MY RIGHTEOUS STANDING BEFORE GOD
Whenever I think of myself as standing on my own before God, my thoughts turn, not to righteousness and life, but to sin and death (Rom. 7:9). However, as I think of myself as standing before this holy God, in Christ, I can sing from my heart, “Free from the law, Oh happy condition!” (Rom. 7: 1-4). You see, Christ has obeyed the law and satisfied God for me (Matt. 5: 17, 18; Rom. 5:19). Now, in the eyes of God, Who appointed the Lord Jesus Christ to be my surety and substitute, it is as if I myself had satisfied the law of God. No, it is much better than that. Yea, infinitely better! Had I, personally and perfectly satisfied the law of God, it would have been a perfect righteousness, but rendered by a mere man. The righteousness which the Lord Jesus Christ rendered unto God in my name, is the righteousness of One who is not only perfect man, but is also eternal God! His righteousness is of infinite, boundless, measureless, indescribable value and worth—the “righteousness of God” (Rom. 3: 21, 22; Phil. 3:9). Now this is the way I see it: God is more pleased with me, this old “dead dog sinner” (II Kings 8: 13; II Sam. 9:8), IN CHRIST, than if I had perfectly and personally kept His holy law myself. Thus, when I consider how much I owe unto God, and my total inability to pay, I offer unto Him my Substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ, and He is delighted to accept HIM. What a wonderful, full, complete, everlasting salvation! - Maurice Montgomery
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THE LORD WILL BE WITH YOU
Isaiah 43:2
I feel inadequate to write about trials. Many of my brethren have, and are suffering, so much more. But it is my hope that this word of our God will be a comfort. Brethren, as surely as our trials are ruled by the God of all grace, our Savior promises to be with his elect as real as we were in Christ when he walked this earth and bore the deep waters and fire of judgment on our behalf in his own body on the tree (Ps 69:2, 14; Ro 3:23-26). He has walked where we are walking and is touched with the feelings of our infirmities (He 2:17; 4:15). Whether we suffer the water and fire of family trouble (John 1:11; 7:3-7), not having a place to lay our head (Lu 12:29-32), physical pain (Mt 27:39; Mk 15:29), (cont.) whatever the trial. And because God satisfied himself in his Son on our behalf, note this most precious promise, brethren, we shall “pass through.” What comfort! Not one of Christ’s redeemed children shall be plucked from his hand but by his all-sufficient grace we shall be kept (Ps 121:1-8; He 13:5; Mt 28:20; 2 Tim 4:18; 2 Co 4:16-5:1). As painful as the waters and fire may be now we will rejoice after we pass through (Mt 5:8). May our gracious Father strengthen his suffering children to see the Salvation of our Lord (Ex 14:13-14; Jos 3:8-11, 17). - Pastor Clay Curtis
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Hymn For the Day
Now may the Lord reveal His face,
And teach our stamm'ring tongues
To make His sovereign, reigning grace
The subject of our songs.
The subject of our songs.
No sweeter subject can invite
A sinner's heart to sing,
Or more display the glorious right
Of our exalted King.
Of our exalted King.
Grace reigns to pardon crimson sins,
To melt the hardest hearts;
And from the work it once begins,
It never once departs.
It never once departs.
'Twas grace that called our souls at first,
By grace thus far we're come;
And grace will help us through the worst,
And lead us safely home.
And lead us safely home.
(Tune: “Majestic Sweetness” #52)
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