September 24^th 2023

10:00 am ------------------------------The Great Healer’s – Matthew 15:29-31

The following article was in our bulletin many years ago, and I recently saw it in another church bulletin. It is well worth repeating.

Believing On Christ

Christ is the mystery of the scripture–grace the mystery of Christ. BELIEVING is the most wonderful thing in the world. Put anything of your own to it, and you spoil it. Christ will not so much as look at it for BELIEVING. When you believe and come to Christ, you must leave behind you your own righteousness and bring nothing but your sin (Oh, that is hard!); leave behind all your holiness, sanctification, duties, humblings, etc.; and bring nothing but your wants and miseries, or else Christ is not fit for you, nor you for Christ. Christ will be a pure Redeemer and Mediator, and you must be an undue sinner, or Christ and you will never agree. It is the hardest thing in the world to take Christ alone for righteousness; that is to acknowledge Him Christ. Join anything to Him of your own, and you un-Christ Him.

Whatever comes in when you go to God for acceptance, besides Christ, call it anti-Christ; bid it be gone; make ONLY Christ's righteousness triumphant. All besides that is Babylon, which must fall if Christ stand, and you shall rejoice in the day of the fall thereof (Isa. 14:4). Christ ALONE did tread the winepress, and there was none with Him (Isa. 63:3). If you join anything to Christ, Christ will trample upon it in fury and anger and stain His raiment with the blood of it. You think it easy to believe. Was ever your faith tried with an hour of temptation and a thorough sight of sin? Was it ever put to grapple with Satan, and the wrath of God lying upon the conscience, when you were in the mouth of hell and the grave? Then did God show you Christ a ransom and a righteousness; then you could say, "Oh! I see grace enough in Christ." You may say that which is the greatest word in the world, BELIEVE. Untried faith is uncertain faith. -- Thomas Willcox (1621-1687)

EXPECTANCY – By Don Bell, Crossville, TN

As believers in the gospel of the free and sovereign grace of God in Christ Jesus, we should every time we pray, pray with expectancy. We are God’s children by eternal election and faith in Christ, so why WOULDN’T our Heavenly Father hear and answer our prayers? When we are seeking His will, and the conversion of sinners to Christ, and for the church here to grow in grace, faith and love, and for God to glorify Himself by adding to the church, why shouldn’t we EXPECT it? Is our Lord’s hand shortened that He cannot save, or His ear heavy that He cannot hear? (Isaiah 55:1).

When the gospel is preached here week after week, why shouldn’t we expect sinners to believe it? It is the truth, it is the gospel that we believe and preach. Men are lost, and only the gospel is the means God uses to save sinners. So why, every time the gospel is preached here, should we not expect sinners to believe and God to honor His Son and His Word?

The hour we are called to live and witness in is urgent! May our prayers and faith be full of expectancy, for our God is gracious and omnipotent and if he would save us and teach us of His grace, we should EXPECT He would do it for other sinners, for Christ’s sake. Let us honor our Lord by EXPECTANTLY BELIEVING He will answer our prayers!

The Older We Get . . . The more serious we should be about the things of God . . . The more diligent we should be about hearing the Word . . The more grounded and settled, unmoved and unshaken by all around us . . . The wiser we should be to the world and the wiles of the ‘god of this world’ . . . The more ready and willing to depart this ‘present evil world’ . . . The more faith and trust we should have in our all-wise, all powerful, loving Lord; trusting His Word and precious promises.

A Believer’s Attitude Toward Sin – by Henry Mahan

1. He knows and rejoices that all of his sin and sins are pardoned, paid for, and put away by the sacrifice of Christ The Lord. 2. He condemns sin in himself! While sin does not reign it does remain in the believer, but he does not excuse or justify it. He grieves over it and daily confesses his sins before God. He hates a bad attitude as much as evil actions. He judges his motives as well as his manner by the holiness of Christ; and, when he finds iniquity in himself, he despises it and judges himself. “O wretched man that I am!”

3. He forgives sin in others! He does not forgive himself—only God can do that—but he is quick to pity, have mercy upon, and forgive others. Not to be able to forgive is to forfeit the right to ask forgiveness.