August 20^th, 2017

9:30 am ------------------------------------------------- Light and Darkness – John 12:32-50

10:00 am ----------------------------------------------The Lord Washing Feet – John 13:1-17

Foolishness or Wisdom

The Scriptures declare God’s purpose to save through the foolishness of preaching. It’s considered foolishness by lost, unregenerate men, because there is nothing in gospel preaching to appeal to sense or logic. Religious men want signs and wonders. Intellectuals and philosophers want wisdom of words. But God is pleased to save sinners by sending an ordinary man to proclaim the gospel in simplicity. And none are saved apart from hearing a gospel preacher. In this way, men cannot arrive at salvation by their own prudent study of the Scriptures. They must passively sit and submit to God’s ordained means. So, when faith comes and God’s elect are joined to Christ experimentally through hearing, God alone gets all the glory. O the wisdom of God that delivers His own from damning pride!

“Of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Cor 1:30-31). -- Eric Richards

“What I Do Thou Knowest Not Now . . .” – John 13:7

Do you not often see things hard to be understood in the world around you? How often the wicked prosper, and have all that man can desire; how often iniquity abounds and the love of God waxes cold . . . and the righteous are oppressed and silenced and afraid; how often it seems as if the Lord has forgotten this earth, and cares not though His servants are persecuted and His name blasphemed; how often we feel disposed to cry, “ How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge Thyself on the ungodly? ” And does not the Christian often see things hard to be explained in his own heart? Is he not often tried with seasons of darkness and sorrow? Yes: many a believer can testify that sometimes he has felt like Paul before he was shipwrecked; neither sun nor stars have appeared for many days, and almost every hope of being saved has been taken away . . . many a one can tell you that the enemy has sometimes come in upon him like a flood, he has been overwhelmed with afflictions and temptations, he has been ready to cry out of the deep, as it were, “Lord I am sinking, my soul is among lions, I am destitute, afflicted, tormented, deserted, forlorn, forsaken.”

Yes: God’s ways are often difficult and mysterious to His people; we cannot see the meaning of many things which happen around us, we think them hard, we almost quarrel with the Lord’s arrangements; but they that are really wise will be patient, they will wait to see the end, and lay to heart the words of the Lord Jesus; “What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.” -- John C. Ryle, 1816-1900

A Little Church

A neighbor who attends a rather large Methodist place in town, introduced me to a friend of hers with; “He is pastor of a little church up the road.” My flesh took offence until my faith gave me comfort.

In the eyes of the world NUMBERS are everything. Numbers indicate right (can all these people be wrong?); numbers indicate success, prosperity; numbers are how the world measures validity, security and the certainty of something. But nothing could be further from the Truth. In fact, the opposite is true. The majority is always wrong. “Let God be true and EVERY MAN a liar.” The Lord was very angry with David for numbering Israel in order to see ‘how many’ they had.

The church has always been ‘little’ compared to false religion. With its promises of health and wealth, false religion easily packs them in. And the church has always been made up of ‘little’ people in the eyes of the world; ‘not many wise, mighty and noble.’ There was a preacher years ago who preached the Truth for 120 years! His ‘little’ congregation was made up of eight souls. The world scoffed at that little, Noah’s Ark Grace Church,while vast numbers attended the big place in town.

The salvation of one soul is no ‘little’ thing, but a great work of God. There is no such thing as a ‘little’ church, with so great a God in its midst, so great a gospel being preached, and took so great salvation to form it. It’s no little thing to God. It’s no little thing to be a member of His church, but great mercy, great grace, a great and undeserved privilege.