Call To Worship

Unto the Lord, this sinner owed
A debt I could not pay;
My sins were such an awful load,
But Christ put them away. (REPEAT)

His blood has washed away my shame,
And satisfaction made;
O bless the dear Redeemer's name,
My ransom price is paid. (REPEAT)

Salvation unto Christ I owe,
O what a gracious Friend.
He washed and made me white as snow,
On Him my hopes depend. (REPEAT)

Someday in heav'n I'll sing His praise,
With all the ransomed throng;
And joyfully my voice I'll raise,
To sing redemption's song. (REPEAT)

(Tune: "All Things Work Out For Good ", pg.267)

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Happy Birthday This Week:
Lauren Ward - May 8
Noah Crain - May 9

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Remember In Prayer This Week:
Tracey Riedstra; Gina and Graham Dison; Kim Mullings;
Pam Austin; Sarah Caniano; Judy Ward; Leroy Moore; Stanley Dison;
Monica Aaron; Tye Wilson; Lael Pedersen; Devonne Lewis; Jackie Gaddis;
Dusty Adams;Ashton Ward; Rayna Kay Bartley; Diane Balsamo;
ALL THE BRETHREN effected by this virus

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THE MAN IN THE MIRROR

When God, by his grace, began to reveal to me the glorious finished work of his dear Son in my place, one thing became crystal clear. I finally had a clear view of the man in the mirror. Who he is, but more importantly, what he is, by birth, by nature, by practice and yes, even by choice.

You see, the man in my mirror is a sinner. I have sinned against God in the foulest of ways, but the ways that man, especially religious men, count the worst of sins are not the half of it. The sins that I found most repulsive we're my religious doings that I previously thought won me the favor of God. Where I once thought my abstaining from work and regular church attendance on Sunday caught God's attention, I now saw that even my prayers and Bible study were cancerous with sin. I sang at most church services and many funerals and I now despised my singing because, in part, I saw how much my pride swelled with the accolades that came afterwards. What I once saw as pleasing to God, I now saw as rotten and a means to my destruction.

The verses from Matthew 7:21-23 condemned everything I did, for having once seen myself, with that "christian" multitude as having done "many wonderful works", I now saw those same works as an affront to the finished work of Christ alone. Through God's grace, I saw clearly that my acceptance before him, has never been, is not now, and can never be on the basis or merit of my best work, on my best day. I am not "his hands and feet", for he can raise up stones to do better than I have done. I am not "the only Bible that some people will ever read", and I will never " let others see Jesus in me"

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These are simply well intentioned, though totally unbiblical, religious platitudes voiced by those who have not seen the man in the mirror for what he truly is. The religious world didn't see Jesus, in Jesus and the Apostle Paul wrote "O wretched man that I am" in Romans 7:24, as a fully converted, saved man. The things that Paul considered "dung", in Philippians 3 we're his former religious practices where he based his acceptance before God on his strict keeping of the law. This was not just any law, but God's law, given to Moses on Sinai.

Today, the man in my mirror no longer seeks to rest, or find comfort in his own works, but rests exclusively in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is my Surety and Substitute. He has established the only righteousness that is not only acceptable, but is pleasing to God, and that righteousness is mine by God's gracious decree of imputation, wherein all of Christ's perfections and all of his merits were charged to my account. My dead works have been put upon him who bore the entire cup of God's wrath, on my behalf, right down to the dregs, on his cross. I am accepted in the Beloved, or I am not accepted at all.

There are many who say, but rewards are based on works. This is repulsive language to the perfections granted the child of God, in Christ. If every child of God is totally, completely and eternally perfect, not in their own works, but only in the perfect work of our Lord who declared, "It is finished", on the cross, then our reward can only be one thing. The reward for the child of God is the reward of Christ. (Genesis 15:1) He alone earned it, so it is based entirely on his merits alone and he shall freely give us "all things". (Romans 8:32)

This is a work that I could not do, for in my several missionary endeavors, my most eloquent sermons, or my most fervent prayers, sin remained. I faced the man in the mirror daily knowing that there was no hope in my best doings, but praise God for his grace in saving sinners. I have a righteous Substitute; I have a Surety; I have a Righteousness that I did not and could not produce; I have a friend! Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

Bro.Kenny Dyess

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"The Experience Of This Union"

"And you are complete in Him." Colossians 2:10

Truly, my dear friend, we should be learning more and more how completely He has saved us in Himself, and how constantly He delights in us with all His heart, so that we have no need to seek for anything in ourselves to make us more entirely accepted or more loved.
"He cannot love us more, nor will He love us less; for in loving her (His Church, His Bride,) He loves Himself." Viewing us in Himself, He ever says, "You are absolutely beautiful, my darling, with no imperfection in you!" And the response of faith and love is, "He is altogether lovely!" (Song of Songs 4:7, 5:16)

The experience of this union releases the soul from a host of cares and anxious thoughts.