July 21^st 2024

10:00 am ---------------------------------------------------------One Lost Sheep – Luke 15:1-7

A Very Small Remnant – “Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant,

we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah”– Isaiah 1:9

This is an instance of the super abounding goodness of the Lord of hosts . . . which was true of the Christian Jews at the time of Jerusalem’s destruction. The “very small remnant” are the remnant according to the election of grace, the little flock, the few that entered in at the strait gate and are saved, or the few that believed in Christ, and so were saved from that untoward generation; these were “left”, reserved, distinguished, and secured in the grace of election, being a remnant according to it, in the hands of Christ to whom they were given, and in whom they were preserved; in redemption by Him, that they might be a peculiar people; in providence till called, in which the Lord watched over them to do them good, and waited to be gracious to them, and saved them to be called; and in effectual calling, in which He separated them from the rest of the world, and kept them by His power through faith unto salvation. And this was done “unto us”; for the sake of His church, that it might continue, and He might have a seed to serve Him: and by “the Lord of hosts”, of the hosts of heaven, the sun, and moon, and stars, and of the angels there, and of the inhabitants of the earth; which shows great condescension by Him to regard this remnant, and great grace to them; since He could not stand in need of them, having the host of heaven on His right hand and on His left; nor was there anything in them that could deserve this of Him; but it was in His mercy, and not for their righteousness: to which may be added, that since He is the Lord of hosts, He was able to protect and preserve this remnant, notwithstanding all the opposition of men and devils, as He did; and had He not taken such a method as this, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah: cities that were infamous for their sins, and notorious for the punishment of them, being consumed by fire from heaven, (Genesis 13:13 18:20 19:24) and not only the Jews, but any and every nation, even the whole world, would have been like these cities, both for sin and punishment, had it not been for the distinguishing grace of God, in leaving and reserving a few for His glory, and the support of His interest. All the holiness that ever was, is, or will be in the world, is owing to electing, redeeming, and efficacious grace: there had not been a holy man nor a holy woman in the world, in any age, if God had not taken such methods of grace; and it is owing to, and for the sake of, this small remnant, that temporal judgments are often averted from a nation and people, and that the fiery destruction of the world is not yet; this is kept back till they are gathered in; and were it not for God’s distinguishing grace, every individual of mankind would have been cast into hell, and must have suffered the vengeance of eternal fire, which the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah, was an example of. – From John Gill’s Commentaries

The Sovereignty Of God – by Arthur Pink

What do we mean by the expression, ‘The Sovereignty of God”? We mean the supremacy of God, the kingship of God, the godhood of God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that God is God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Most High, doing according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, so that none can stay His hand or say unto Him what doest Thou? (Daniel 4:35). To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will (Psalm 115:3). To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is “The Governor among the nations” (Psalm 22:28), setting up kingdoms, overthrowing empires, and determining the course of dynasties as pleaseth Him best. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the “Only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15). Such is the God of the Bible.