July 8, 2018

HYMN OF THE DAY

Father! We Thy children, bless Thee,
For Thy love to us bestowed;
As our Father we address Thee,
Called to be the sons of God.
Wondrous was Thy love in giving
Jesus for our sins to die;
Wondrous was His grace in leaving,
For our sakes, His home on high.

Now the sprinkled blood has freed us,
On we go toward our rest;
Through the desert Thou dost lead us,
With Thy constant favor blest.
By Thy truth and Spirit guiding,
Earnest, He, of joys to come,
And with daily food providing,
Thou dost lead Thy children home.

Though our pilgrimage be dreary.
This is not our resting place;
Shall we of the way be weary,
When we see our Master’s face?
Now, by faith anticipating,
In this hope our souls rejoice!
We His promised advent waiting,
Soon shall hear his welcome voice.

Then shall countless myriads wearing
Robes made white in Jesus’ blood,
Palms (like rested pilgrims) bearing,
Stand around the throne of God.
These, redeemed from every nation,
Shall in triumph bless Thy name;
Every voice shall cry “Salvation
To our God and to the Lamb!”

Tune: “Come, Thou Fount,” p. 17

(1) Man’s absolute ruin by the fall of our father Adam. Man is not going to be lost, he is born lost, he is not going to be condemned, he was born condemned. The relationship between Adam and the whole race is one of union, of oneness, a representative union.

What the representative did, all whom he represented are regarded in God’s sight as having done what their representative did. Hence, by Adam’s sin being imputed to us, we become sinners, and having inherited Adam’s fallen nature, we become sinners by practice. (Rom5: 12-19).

(2) The Death of Christ, and the nature of His death, and the extent of His atonement.

The Lord Jesus Himself tells us both of these things. (John 10:11-18). “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.... And other sheep I have...them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice”). Our Lord here is telling us the nature of his death...it was not as a martyr for the truth...nor as a moral example of self-sacrifice.

His death was for a people! He died for them to live, we lost life in Adam, and Christ died to restore that life to his people. As we inherited death from Adam, we inherit LIFE from Christ, by our union with Him.

For whom did He lay down His life? Not for fallen angels...but sinful men...not for men in general, but His people in particular, “The Sheep”. The word of God is clear and plain on the extent of His death, of His atonement. “For the transgressions OF MY PEOPLE was he stricken...Thou shall call His name Jesus for he shall save HIS PEOPLE FROM their sin.” (Isa.53: 8-Mt.1: 21)

May we as the people of God, as the people for whom Christ died always honor and glorify Him for such a wonderful, gracious, loving, voluntary act, for such as we. May we always be true to the Truth as it is in Christ Jesus. - Pastor

THREE THINGS

Elisha Cole said, “The great God, blessed forever, hath an absolutepower and right of dominion over his creatures, to dispose and determine them as seemeth him good.” In proving that God has such power, and freedom to exercise that power, brother Cole merely quotes from one of several places in Isaiah where it is written: “I Am God, and there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.” (Isa. 45:6, etc.). He made some statements in light of this:

(1) “There can be but one infinite: for such a being fills heaven and earth (Jer. 23:24); and so no place or room for another.

(2) There can be but one omnipotent; for he that is such, hath all others under his feet: besides, where one can do all, more would be unnecessary.

(3) There can be but one first cause, from which all beings derive their original; and that is the blessed one “Of whom, and by whom, are all things,” (l Cor. 8:6). And if he be the author of all, he needs must have a sovereign right and power to determine all; both as to their being, order, efficacy, and end.”

This is the God who has revealed himself to us in Jesus Christ, This is the God we fear and trust and hope in. We bow down before him and to him and worship with fear and rejoice in trembling. We willingly and most gladly confess that this God has determined our being and destiny and salvation. Neither devil, the angels nor we have such power or right; only this God who is our God. And there truly is none else.