Proverbs 16:32: He that is slow to anger is
better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a
city.
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FREE IN CHRIST
“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall
be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
Oh
the joy a slave must feel when freedom comes to them! Oh the greater joy a child of God has when
freedom comes to them in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. A believer is set free in every possible way
by and in the Lord Jesus Christ. All of
our freedom is found in Christ.
A believer is set free from the power of
sin. Christ has made His people free to
do what they could not do before: believe on Christ and have His righteousness.
(Rom 8:1-4) A believer is free from the
law because Christ obeyed the law for us.
A believer is free from death. A
believer can never die the second, eternal death because Christ died for
us. A believer is free from the curse of
the law because Christ was made a curse for us. (Gal 3:13) A believer is made free from the ceremonies
of religion because Christ has enabled us to worship God in the Spirit not in
ceremony. (Phil. 3:3) A believer is free to come to the throne of grace at any
time, for any reason, and find grace to help, as long as we come in Christ.
(Heb. 4:16)
–Frank Tate
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“Let no man deceive
himself. If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may
be wise.” 1 Corinthians 3:18
The fruit and effect of divine
teaching is to cut in pieces, and root up all our fleshly wisdom,
strength, and righteousness. God never means to patch a new piece upon an old
garment. All our wisdom, our strength, our righteousness must be torn to
pieces! It must all be plucked up by the roots—that a new wisdom, a new
strength, and a new righteousness may arise upon its ruins.
But until the Lord is pleased to teach us,
we never can part with our own righteousness—never give up our own wisdom—never
abandon our own strength. These things are a part and parcel of ourselves—so
ingrained within us—so innate in us—so growing with our growth—that we cannot
willingly part with an atom of them until the Lord Himself breaks them up and
plucks them away.
Then, as He brings into our souls some
spiritual knowledge of our own dreadful corruptions and horrible wickedness—our
righteousness crumbles away at the divine touch. As He leads us to see
and feel our ignorance and folly in a thousand instances, and how unable we are
to understand anything aright but by divine teaching—our
wisdom fades away. As He shows us our inability to resist temptation and overcome sin, by any exertion of our
own—our strength gradually departs, and we become like Samson, when
his locks were cut off.
Upon the ruins, then, of our own wisdom, righteousness and strength,
does God build up Christ’s wisdom, Christ’s righteousness, and Christ’s
strength. But only so far as we are favored with this special teaching are we
brought to pass a solemn sentence of condemnation upon our own wisdom,
strength, and righteousness—and sincerely seek after the Lord’s.
–JC
Philpot
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Mt
25:37 Then shall the righteous answer
him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and
gave thee drink?
The only people that think
they do not bear any fruit are the people who bear it.
–Donnie Bell
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We still see the absolute
necessity of this precious Savior in every respect, so that without him we can
do nothing, as he himself has told us. We have need of him, when we are dark—to
enlighten us; when we are dull and lifeless—to quicken us; when we are straitened—to
enlarge us; when we are weak—to strengthen us; when we are tempted—to support
us; when we have fallen—to raise and restore us; when we are full of doubts and
perplexity—to comfort us and give us peace; when we are disquieted with
fears—to encourage us; when we are staggering at the promises through
unbelief—to confirm our faith. As none but Christ can do these things for us—he
must be precious to our souls.
–John
Fawcett
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WHAT DO WE COME
HERE FOR?
I am
afraid there are some who come merely because it is the time to come, because
the hour of worship has come round; and others come only because a certain
preacher happens to stand upon the platform. Ah! this is not how God’s own
beloved ones come up to his house! They desire to meet with him. Their prayer
as they tread the hallowed courts of God’s house will be “My heart and my flesh
crieth out for the living God.” There is
no hymn sung so well as when we really do praise Jesus in it. No prayer is so
true as that prayer which really comes to the mercy-seat, and spreads itself
before the all seeing eye. There is no preaching like that which is full of
Christ, which gives forth a savor of his good ointments. Worship is not to be
commended because of the glorious swell of a Gregorian chant, or because of the
equally majestic volume of sound which this great assembly may send forth from
that sweet instrument, the human voice. A service is not to be commended
because of the eloquence of the preacher, or because of the display of learning
which he is able to make in expounding his discourse. No, to the Christian it
is, “Was the Master there?” The question
on the Sunday morning is, “What think ye, will he come up to the feast?” Coming to the Lord’s table, the child of
God’s business is not so much with the bread and the wine, as with his blood
and with his flesh. May I feed on him? May I see him? And if I get to him, then
it is well with me. If I have then to serve God in the public engagements of
his house, let me say, “Come, my beloved, let us get up to the vineyards.”
–Charles
Spurgeon