1. Praise the blessed Name of Jesus, Prophet, Priest and reigning King; Bow before the mighty Sovereign, Unto Him our praises bring. Hallelujah, He’s our Savior, Let our thanks to Him ascend; Trust Him only for salvation, Jesus Christ the sinner’s Friend.
2. Praise the blessed Name of Jesus, Who upon Mount Calvary; Shed His blood to save His people, Died to set the captives free. Let the ransomed sing His praises, Till we see Him face to face; Then throughout the endless ages, Praise Him for His love and grace.
Today’s Speaker: Brother Randy Wages will conduct the 11:00 am service today. Pray for him as he delivers God’s word.
Television Broadcast: Our Reign of Grace Television program is being broadcast every Sunday morning on WALB-TV @ 9 AM.
Radio Broadcast: Sunday morning at 10:30 am on Mix 107.7 FM
“Although my house be not so with God, yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure”. 2 Samuel 23:5
The covenant which the sweet Psalmist of Israel, in his last dying words, has respect unto, is the covenant of grace: founded on grace; filled with the blessings of grace. It is called the covenant of peace (Isa. 44:10), because a grand article of it is peace and reconciliation with God, by Jesus Christ. He was sent to be our peace; to make peace for us by the blood of his cross. It is called a covenant of life (Mal. 2:5), because a grand article in this covenant is life, and it secures everlasting life to his people; for this is one grand promise of it, that God hath promised unto us, eternal life (1 John 2:25).
Now this covenant is said to be made with David: made with his son and antitype, the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ, who bears his name. Ihave made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant (Ps. 89:3). A covenant projected by God the Father: it was proposed by him to his Son Christ Jesus, who agreed unto it. A mere creature cannot make a covenant with God; for what has man to give to God, to agree upon with God? What terms can he propose, or have proposed, that he is capable of performing? None at all. When, therefore, God is said to make a covenant with men; the meaning is, he manifests his covenant made with Jesus Christ from all eternity. Therefore, when David says, he hath made with me an everlasting covenant;the meaning is, he hath made it manifest to me, that I have an interest in his everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure. This is the meaning of, Hearken unto me, and thou shalt live, and I will make with thee an everlasting covenant (Isa. 55:3). Can any suppose, that when one, under the influence of grace, hearkens to God, then God begins to make a covenant with him? no, the meaning is, God will manifest his covenant love and grace; shew them their interest in the blessings and promises thereof, so that their faith shall lay hold on this covenant, as David did under all those distressing circumstance he was in. Although my house be not so with God, yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant: I clearly see my interest in it, and by faith lay hold upon it, and upon the blessings and promises of it.
--- John Gill – (1697-1771)
PARTICULAR REDEMPTION
We must never be vague about the substitutionary death of our Lord Jesus Christ. To merely say to this religious generation, “Christ died for sinners,” is to dodge the issue and not tell all the truth. The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus was a victorious death for a particular people. “Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25). “I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Let me be as clear as I can be. It is blasphemous to say that Christ died for those who will someday perish in their sins. How demeaning it is to the Savior to insist that He suffered the infinite wrath of God for some people who will themselves also suffer divine wrath. A just and righteous Judge could not punish any sinner whose sin debt has already been retired by the Lord Jesus Christ. The Scriptures teach that the design of the Lord from old eternity was the salvation of His people. In covenant grace, Christ assumed full responsibility for the spiritual indebtedness of those given to Him by the Father in the covenant of grace. According to the Word of God, the purpose of the Savior in His death has been realized. His sheep have been redeemed. “He obtained eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:12). Christ bought His people with His blood and it is absurd to think that He would purchase some and then not have them with Him for all eternity. Universal redemption is a lie. It says that Christ died for all men without exception, but His blood is only effectual if the sinner adds his part, which is usually said to be faith. Such teaching makes salvation conditioned upon, not the blood and righteousness of Christ, but the belief of the sinner. Some who object to the truth of particular redemption say, “According to what you are preaching, there are some people in this world for whom the Lord Jesus did not die and that really bothers me.” I will tell you something infinitely worse. If what the universalists say is true (and it isn’t!) then there are myriads of people in hell whose sins have been made an end of, whose transgressions are finished, reconciliation has been made for their iniquity, and everlasting righteousness has been brought in for them by Messiah (Daniel 9:24). What a travesty of divine justice that would be! Sinners perishing in hell even though Christ redeemed them? There’s nothing righteous about that! Here is the simple and glorious truth: Christ died in the stead of His chosen people and fully satisfied divine justice for them. All that a holy God demanded for their salvation, the Savior entirely accomplished. His was a redemption that really redeemed, a reconciliation that actually reconciled, an atonement that fully atoned and a propitiation that completely satisfied divine justice.
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