JUSTIFIED BY FAITH

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 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,"  [Romans 5:1]

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JUSTIFIED BY FAITH

"Being justified by faith." The way of reaching this state of justification is not by tears, nor prayers, nor humblings, nor working, nor Bible-reading, nor church-going, nor chapel- going, nor sacraments, nor priestly absolution, but by faith, which faith is a simple and utter dependence and believing in the faithfulness of God, a dependence upon the promise of God, because it is God's promise, and is worthy of dependence. It is a reliance with all our might upon what God has said. This is faith, and every man who possesses this faith is perfectly justified tonight.

I know what the devil will say to you. He will say to you, "You are a sinner!" Tell him you know you are, but that for all that you are justified. He will tell you of the greatness of your sin. Tell him of the greatness of Christ's righteousness. He will tell you of all your mishaps and your backslidings, of your offences and your wanderings. Tell him, and tell your own conscience, that you know all that, but that Jesus Christ came to save sinners, and that, although your sin be great, Christ is quite able to put it all away.

Some of you, it seems to me, do not trust in Christ as sinners. You get a mingle-mangle kind of faith. You trust in Christ as though you thought Christ could do something for you, and you could do the rest. I tell you that while you look to yourselves, you do not know what faith means. You must be convinced that there is nothing good in yourselves; you must know that you are sinners, and that in your hearts you are as big and as black sinners as the very worst and vilest, and you must come to Jesus, and leave your fancied righteousnesses, and your pretended goodnesses behind you, and you must take him for everything, and trust in him. Oh! to feel your sin, and yet to know your righteousness--to have the two together--repentance on account of sin, and yet a glorious confidence in the all-atoning sacrifice! Oh! if you could understand that saying of the spouse, "I am black, but comely"--for that is where we must come--black in myself, as black as hell, and yet comely, fair, lovely, inexpressibly glorious through the righteousness of Jesus. 

[Excerpt from C H Spurgeon]

BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED

 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”  [Ephesians 2:8-9]

By Grace you have been Saved




JESUS RAISES LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD

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 “Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"  [John  11:40]

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JESUS RAISES LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said.
   “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
  Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Jesus commanded the onlookers to take away the stone from the mouth of the grave. He could have done this Himself by merely speaking the word. However, God does not ordinarily do for men what they can do for themselves.

Martha expressed horror at the thought of opening the grave. She realized that her brother's body had been there for four days and feared that it had begun to decompose. He would have been buried the same day on which he died, as was the custom then.

Jesus called in a loud voice, " Lazarus, come out!".  Lazarus came out his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus commanded the people to lose Lazarus and let him go.  Only Christ can raise the dead, but He gives us the task of removing stones of stumbling, and of unwinding the grave-clothes of prejudice and superstition.

Have you accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?
I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.



THE DEAD MAN CAME OUT

 “Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!””  [John 11:43]

Jesus raised Lazarus




When Good People Differ

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 “But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord. Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas   Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.  They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. "  [Acts 15:35-41]

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When Good People Differ

Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch at this time, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord. The time had come to begin the Second Missionary Journey. Paul broached the subject to Barnabas, suggesting that they revisit the cities where they had previously preached the word. When Barnabas insisted that his cousin,  Mark, accompany them, Paul strongly opposed the plan. Paul remembered vividly how Mark had departed from them in Pamphylia, and doubtless feared he would do it again. The contention between Barnabas and Paul became so sharp that these two honored servants of the Lord parted from one another.

Good people differ. Through we all might be filled with the same Holy Spirit, we see things through different eyes. Part of this is because we are different people, and part of this is because we grow in different ways.

In this passage, Paul, a visionary apostle, was interested in maximum mileage with minimum distraction. But Barnabas, a builder of people, saw great potential in Mark and didn’t want him left on the side of the road as wreckage.  Who was right? They both were. Barnabas dropped out of the story and out of the limelight. But he continued to do what he knew he should do—build up other people. Paul moved on to plant churches and open new regions for the gospel. At the end of his life, Paul looked back with gratitude for the work Barnabas did with Mark.  Later we learned that Mark was one of the few people Paul could count on after almost everyone else had deserted him.  Paul writes in 2 Timothy 4:11, “Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.”

Next time you find yourself disagreeing with another Christian, consider a new possibility: you both might be right.
If you whole-heartedly want to glorify God, you can’t go wrong!

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” [Romans 8:28]



Paul's Helpful Minister

 “Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.  Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.”  [2 Timothy 4:9-11]

Bring Mark with you, he is helpful in ministry




Sinful Condition - "The Ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib..."

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 “Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged. Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel?"  [Isaiah 1:4-5]

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Sinful Condition

Sometimes when people are especially sinful we speak of them as behaving like animals. Isaiah said, in effect, “I wish I could say Israel was acting like animals.” At least animals have the instincts to do what is best for themselves. But sin causes human beings to act against their own best interests –even when they’re trying to be selfish!

The people of Israel were God’s chosen ones, his children. He cared and provided for them and protected them. Most important he loved them.  But they were like ungrateful children, rebellious against his authority, as well as his commands to maintain a just society and to worship only him.

The Lord does not accept ignorance as an excuse. Even ignorant animals knew better than God’s people. Their ignorant rebellion hurt them.

Later in his prophecy, Isaiah warned of judgment, and then he promised deliverance, including the coming of Christ. But first, he made a case for the seriousness of sin for how hurtful it is. We should listen too; we’re just as sinful as the Israelites, and we still need a Savior.




"The Ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib..."

 “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me.  The ox knows its owner,
    and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know,     my people do not understand.””  [Isaiah 1:2-3]

Ox and Donkey




...AND THE IRON DID FLOAT

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 “As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axe-head fell into the water. "Oh, my lord," he cried out, "it was borrowed!" ...Elisha cut a stick and threw it there...    "  [2 Kings 6:5-6]

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...AND THE IRON DID FLOAT

The company of the prophets said to Elisha, “Look, the place where we meet with you is too small for us. Let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a pole; and let us build a place there for us to meet.”

And he said, “Go.”

Then one of them said, “Won’t you please come with your servants?”

“I will,” Elisha replied.  And he went with them.

They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees.  As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axe-head fell into the water. “Oh no, my lord!” he cried out. “It was borrowed!”

The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float.  “Lift it out,” he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it.

The axe-head seemed hopelessly lost, and as it was borrowed, the honor of the prophetic band was likely to be imperiled, and so the name of their God to be compromised. Contrary to all expectation, the iron was made to mount from the depth of the stream and to float; for things impossible with man are possible with God. 

Beloved reader, what is your desperate case? What heavy matter you have in hand? Bring it here. The God of the prophets lives, and lives to help his saints. Believe thou in the Lord of hosts! Approach him pleading the name of Jesus, and the iron shall float; you too shall see the finger of God working marvels for his people. According to your faith shall it be unto you, and yet again the iron shall float. 




IRON FLOATS

 “The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float.”  [2 Kings 6:6]

Floating Axe-Head