September 17^th, 2017

9:30 am -----------------------------------If Ye Love Me, Keep My Commandments – John 14:15-26

10:00 am ----------------------------------------Christ, The Way, The Truth, & The Life – John 14:2-6

No Wednesday Service This Week. - - - Next Sunday – One Service at 10:00 am.

Remedies For Division Among God’s People– By Thomas Brooks (1608-1680)

SATAN hath his devices to destroy the saints, and one great device that he hath to destroy the saints is by working them first to be strange (alienated from others) then to divide, then to be bitter and jealous, and then to “bite and devour one another” (Gal 5:15). Our own woeful experience is too great a proof of this. One remedy against Satan’s devices is:

Dwell upon one another’s graces. The first remedy against this device of Satan is to dwell more upon one another’s graces (God’s grace in them) than upon one another’s weaknesses and infirmities. It is sad to consider that saints should have many eyes to behold one another’s infirmities and not one eye to see each other’s graces, and that they should use spectacles to behold one another’s weaknesses rather than looking glasses to behold one another’s graces.

Tell me, saints, is it not a more sweet, comfortable, and delightful thing to look more upon one another’s graces than upon one another’s infirmities? Tell me what pleasure, what delight, what comfort is there in looking upon the enemies, the wounds, the sores, the sickness, the diseases, the nakedness of our friends? . . . Tell me, saints, doth not God look more upon His people’s graces than upon their weaknesses? Surely He doth. He looks more at David’s and Asaph’s uprightness than upon their infirmities, though they were great and many.

“Verily, verily I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me;

and he that receiveth me receiveth Him that sent me.”– John 13:20

We are here encouraged to receive ministers as sent of Christ: "He that receiveth whomsoever I send”, though weak and poor, and subject to like passions as others (for as the law, so the gospel, makes men priests that have infirmity), yet if he deliver my message, and be regularly called and appointed to do so, and as an officer give himself to the word and prayer, he that entertains him shall be owned as a friend of mine." – Matthew Henry

Gracious Speech -- ‘Let your speech be alway with grace.’– Colossians 4:6

This is not just to talk about the grace of God, but our speech should reveal the grace of God.

1. Speak the truth faithfully and sincerely, without lying, flattery, or exaggeration.

2. Speak in love, avoiding gossip, whisperings, or anything that is injurious to the character of another. Avoid sowing discord or division.

3. Speak kindly and pleasantly. Hard words reveal a hard heart. Unkind, cutting remarks reveal a bitter spirit.

Grace is to the speech what salt is to meat. It makes it acceptable, good to the ear and a blessing to the heart. Grace in the heart will teach you how you ought to answer any person. Knowledge is not acquired by speaking, but it ought to go before it!

-- Henry Mahan’s commentaries

Worldliness

“ There is no surer evidence of an unconverted state than to have the things of this world uppermost in our aim, love and estimation.”– Joseph Alleine