GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

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LIBERTY
WHO GETS IT? AND HOW?
BY  GEO. CUTTING

Part 7 of  7



Let us now come to the third thing.

3. YIELDING TO GOD.

In the history of David, in the first Book of Samuel, we are told that on one occasion, when pursuing the troop of Amalekites who had burned Ziklag, they found in the field a young Egyptian, abandoned three days before by his master, an Amalekite, because, as he said, " I fell sick." David's men brought him to their master, gave him food and drink, and thus saved his life. When David asked if he could conduct him to their retreating foes, he made entreaty that he might not be delivered into the hands of his old master. To this David consented, and henceforth the young man willingly yielded himself to the service of his deliverer.

This will serve to illustrate our present subject. The young Egyptian had before his mind two masters, the old and the new. The old master's service would have landed him in death but for the timely interference of the new. He owed his life to the new master, and nothing but death to the old. To which, then, should he now yield himself to serve and obey? Yield to his old master? Never! The question was as quickly settled as it was proposed. Grace, kindness, and power were all on the side of the new master, and to his service he would gladly and instantly yield himself. In doing so, next to death itself, his greatest fear was being given up again into the power and service of the old, though both his fears were groundless.

Now, our old master was "sin," and to his service we once yielded ourselves as willing slaves, and the end of it was, as with the young Egyptian, death; "for the wages of sin is death." But a deliverer has come in out of pure grace, and has by the Lord Jesus Christ wrought deliverance. Thus I am set free, "free from sin" (Rom. 6:18.); not in the sense, as pointed out elsewhere, of being free from its presence, as a horse is sometimes spoken of as being "free from vice;" but free from its dominion, as the young Egyptian was free from his old master. I am set free by death; am free in the life of Him who on my account once "died to sin." Being thus set at liberty, the question arises, "To which master shall I now yield myself?" And then how agreeably to the renewed heart comes the answer by the Spirit--- "Yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead," v. 13. Now, we do not yield to get freedom. This exhortation clearly supposes that we have got it. We yield because we are free, though only in yielding thus do we enjoy our true liberty; only thus have we "our fruit unto holiness," v. 22.

To God, then, we are debtors, and "not to the flesh, to live after the flesh;" for we are alive in the life of Christ, and not in our own; and this blessed position of being "alive" out of death is entirely of grace, and not of legal effort, and therefore He can add, " Sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under law, but under grace," Rom. 6:13,14; 8:12. The claims of the law supposed that I had power to obey its commands, or that I thought I had; grace supposes that I have none at all, but teaches me, as in the life of another, now my life by the Spirit, to yield myself to God, thereby getting His victorious power in place of my own utter helplessness. "When I am weak, then am I strong."

A young miner in Yorkshire, who had recently been converted, was being closely watched one day by an overlooker in the pit, who stood unobserved at a little distance. This young collier was in difficulty. A little truck of coal had got off the rails at a point where the metals curved, and he was trying hard to get it on again. The overlooker noticed that when he lifted the truck on at one end it jumped off again at the other. Then he would go round and lift once more, when off went the wheels from the opposite end! Now, the watchman knew what a violent tempered young man this collier had been, and how rash he had often been with his tongue, so he thought to himself, "I'm sure he'll break out directly." And break out he did, as we shall see.

Once more he went round the truck, and with more than usual care he was seen to lift the wheels on to the metals, when, lo! how wearying! how annoying! the other wheels immediately left the rails. And then it was that he "broke out" ---but broke out with what, think you? He broke out singing---

"I need Thee every hour,"

In the moment of need he turned to Him whom he had learned to know as his sufficiency. How blessed! Oh that all our "outbreaks" in moments of trial were of this kind! What praise would redound to our blessed Lord! What joyful victories for us!

"As weaker than a bruised reed,
I cannot do without Thee,"

should be our constant cry, as in absolute weakness we cling to Him alone.

Another word as to this "yielding." There are many true, earnest souls to-day who are seeking what is called a "higher life." No doubt what they are really seeking is the deliverance we have been speaking of, but they hope to reach it by an act of entire consecration, thus beginning altogether at the wrong end. But look at Rom. 6:13 again. We are here exhorted to yield ourselves to God as those that are alive from the dead. In other words, we do not yield to get this blessing, but because, through grace, it is ours already. We hold ourselves to be such. On the other hand, we cannot have peace and joy by the Holy Ghost in our souls unless there is unreserved surrender to the Lord. It is thus that we prove " what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God," Rom. 12: 2.

This must be the practical every-day exercise of our souls before God: "Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body," 2 Cr. 4:10.

The more our souls are set upon this the more shall we look forward with JOY to the day when our very bodies shall be conformed like to His body of glory. Then we shall enjoy the "liberty of the glory of the children of God." But now He would have us enjoy the liberty of grace. And, oh, what liberty it is! Liberty to look at my sins in the light of His judgment throne, and know that I am justified from them all, and that the very One who will sit in judgment has done it. Liberty to look at all the evil of my corrupt Adam nature, and not only know that God expects no good thing from it, but that its condemnation has taken place once for all upon the cross. Liberty to reckon with God as to indwelling evil, and to regard it as having been condemned in the cross, and that my new standing before Him is in Christ, the old man, the flesh having no place before Him at all, save as a thing whose judgment is passed already. "There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION to them which are in Christ Jesus," Romans 8:1. Liberty to look away from self for everything, knowing that all God could wish for in a man He finds in Christ, and that "as He is, so are we in this world," 1 John 4:17 ; John 14:20. Liberty to regard myself as entirely connected with the renewed nature, the old "I" no longer, but Christ my life, and the Holy Spirit the power of occupying my heart with Christ, in whom is all my expectation. Liberty to regard God no longer as a Judge taking notice of what I am in myself, but as having put me in Christ's place as a son, so that by the spirit of adoption I cry, "Abba, Father ;" and as finding His delight and joy in blessing me, and making me happy. Liberty to know that if the Son has made me free I am free indeed. John 8:32-36. Liberty to look at the glory shining in the face of Jesus, and to be at home in that blessed place of holiness and love. Liberty to remember that every blessing comes to me through and in Christ in such unmerited grace that I need never henceforth search my own heart for a single reason why He should or should not bless me, either here or hereafter. Liberty to serve, in the constraint of loving gratitude, the blessed Deliverer Himself, and His beloved saints for His sake, until I the return of His Son from heaven. This is liberty indeed, dear reader. Is it yours?

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THE "RIGHTNESS" OF GOD
by C. R. Stam

    St. Paul's great Epistle to the Romans has much to say about "the righteousness of God"; in fact, this is the theme of the Book of Romans. Sad to say, however, the Bible is so little read and studied of late that many people do not even know what the word "righteousness" means.

Actually, every man, woman and child should know about the righteousness of God -- or, to simplify the word --  the rightness of God. It is most important to understand that God does always and only that which is right. He can do nothing and will do nothing that is not right.

Thus God cannot and does not merely forgive sinners and smuggle them into heaven, for this would not be right. As Job 8:20 says, "Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will He help evil doers," for neither would be right.

It was Bildad who said this to Job, and Job replied, almost exasperated: "I know it is so of a truth, but how shall a man be just with God?" (Job 9:2). In other words, how can a holy God look upon a sinner and pronounce him righteous? With this background let us consider Paul's great declaration in Romans 1:16,17:

"I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.... for therein is the righteousness [i.e., the rightness] of God revealed...."

True, the love of God is also revealed in the gospel, but what made Paul so proud to proclaim the gospel is the fact that it tells how God dealt "righteously," or rightly, with sin, paying its just penalty Himself at Calvary so that He might offer salvation to all by free grace.

Thus the Apostle declares in Romans 6:23: "The wages of sin is death [this is its just penalty] but the [free] gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord."

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Forgiveness In The Kingdom Gospel - Forgiveness In The Grace Gospel

Scripture Reading: Mark 11:25,26; Ephesians 4:30-32

The power of the forgiveness of sin is, and always was, in God's hands. But He has not always dealt with the process in precisely the same manner. Under the kingdom economy, the stated condition is recorded thusly in the words of Christ to His disciples:

"When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if Ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." (Mark 11:25,26) " ... Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven." (Luke 6:37) When teaching His disciples how to pray, He said, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." (Matthew 6:12) The condition is clear - forgive, so that God can forgive you. Such was forgiveness under the kingdom gospel.

But we today are not under the kingdom gospel but the Gospel of the Grace of God! Our instruction from the risen Lord Jesus Christ comes to us through the apostle to the Gentiles, by the name of Paul. "Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake HATH FORGIVEN YOU." (Ephesians 4:32) "In whom (Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." (Ephesians 1:7) "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses." (Colossians 2:13)

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Glorious Deliverance
by Pastor C. R. Stam


      In I Thes. 1:10, the Apostle Paul, by divine inspiration, assures believers that the Lord Jesus Christ has “delivered us from the wrath to come.” He refers, of course, to deliverance from the penalty of sin. But in other passages he declares that we are also delivered from the power of sin.

In Col. 1:12,13, for example, he gives thanks to God “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.”

This deliverance, and the glory of our heavenly position and blessings in Christ, we may enjoy experientially now, by grace. Rom. 6:14 says:“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law but under grace.” This does not mean that it is not possible for the believer to sin, but rather that it is possible, in any situation, not to sin. Thus the same passage in Romans goes on to say that we should not yield ourselves as servants to sin, but to God, who, in grace has broken sin’s power over us.

Finally, the believer in Christ will one day be delivered even from the presence of sin, for at our Lord’s coming for us “we shall all be changed” (I Cor. 15:51). Believers should long for Christ’s coming for them, not merely because these bodies of humiliation will then be glorified, but because from that moment on they shall never again be tempted or defiled by sin. What a change that will be!

In II Cor. 1:10 the Apostle includes all three tenses of the believer’s deliverance. Here he tells how God has “delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver, in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us.” This is why he could write to the Philippians about his confidence that “He who hath begun a good work in you will perform[complete] it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).

Some may not feel the need of deliverance now, but we all need deliverance from sin and its results. If you have not yet experienced this deliverance, why not place your trust in Christ who died to “deliver us from the wrath to come.”

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THE SECOND ADVENT and  THE GLORIOUS APPEARING
By Pastor Robert Hanna

Scripture Reading: Zechariah 11: 1-4; Titus 2: 11-13

"The day of the Lord" is that future day when "The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." (II Thessalonians 1:7,8.) In Zechariah 14: 1-4 we read: "Behold, the day of the Lord cometh ... And His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west. .. " The Lord Himself foretells, "Immediately after the tribulation shall the sun be darkened .  Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:29,30) The apostles witnessed Christ's ascension. "While they beheld, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And two angels standing by said, "This same Jesus shall so come [back] in like manner. .. "(Acts 1:9-11) At His coming He will establish the millennial kingdom and sit on the throne of His father David - all in accordance with prophecy.

So much for Israel's expectation. But what about the saints today in the Body of Christ? We are "Looking for [expecting] that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." (Titus 2:13) "Then shall ye also appear with Him in glory." (Colossians 3:4)

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"IF GOD BE FOR US"


"If God be for us, who can be against us?" asks the Apostle in Romans 8 and the chapter demonstrates how fully the triune God is indeed "for us." In verse 26 we see the Holy Spirit "for us." In verse 31 we find the Father "for us." Then in verse 34 Christ is said to be "for us."

The Godhead is "for us" in our weakness, in our sickness, in our moment of loss and despair. When we doubt, God is still "for us." When we fail, He is "for us." When we fall, God is "for us." There is no time, no place, no condition in which God is not "for us." Such assurance should cause us to take courage and press on with confidence in Him alone!

Strength does not rise out of the inferiority or superiority, the presence or the absence of our adversaries. It is not who is against us but who is "for us" that matters! And how do we know, how can we be assured that God is ever for us? The objective evidence unanswerably demonstrated in human history is given in the inspired words of verse 32:

"He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

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POSITION AND POSSESSION
By Miles Stanford


"I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:12).

To know our position in the Lord Jesus is necessary so that we may understand His ways and rest in His means. Then, by processing through the years He slowly narrows the discrepancy between our heavenly position and our personal condition. Truth is received in the mind, assimilated in the heart, and manifested in the walk.

"First, the believer, like a bird, flies at once to the top and sees everything accomplished on his behalf; and then he, as it were, comes back and creeps up every inch of the way. It is like ascending a ladder of grace.

"The first step is, we believe that the Lord Jesus was sent of the Father; second, that in the fulness of His work we are justified; third, we make His acquaintance; fourth, we come to see Him in heaven - we know our association with Him there, and His rest here; fifth, we learn the mystery, the great things we are entitled to because of being in His Body,  sixth, that we are seated in heavenly places in Him; seventh, we rejoice in wonder and in praise in the knowledge of Himself." ---J.B.S.

"As the result of the work of His Cross and resurrection, eternal life is received complete by those who believe. But while that life is itself victorious, incorruptible, and indestructible, the believer has to come by faith to prove it, to live by it, to learn its principles, to be conformed to it. The life in itself in the believer needs no addition, so far as its quality and quantity are concerned. So far as its power, its glory, its potentialities are concerned nothing can be added to it. But the course of spiritual experience, of spiritual life, is to discover, to appropriate, and to grow in all that the life represents and means." ---T. A-S.

"Rooted and built up in Him, and established" (Col. 2:7).

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The Mystery
by Pastor C R. Stam



      In Eph. 3:1-3 “the dispensation of the grace of God” is specifically called “the mystery” (i.e., secret). It is thus designated for two reasons:

1.  It had been “kept secret since the world began, but now,” through Paul, had been “made manifest” (Rom. 16:25). “In other ages” it was “not made known”(Eph. 3:5). Rather, “from the beginning of the world” it had been “hid in God” (Ver. 9), “hid from ages and from generations, but now… made manifest to His saints” (Col. 1:26).

2.  It was at the same time the explanation, the key, to all God’s good news, including that which had been proclaimed in ages past. It explained how it was that Abel could be declared righteous by bringing an animal sacrifice, “God testifying of his gifts” (Heb. 11:4), how Noah could become “an heir of…righteousness” by building an ark (Heb. 11:7), how anyone could be saved under the dispensation of the Law, and how it is that we can be saved today by grace through faith alone.

Thus we have in Paul’s epistles, not only the gospel [good news] of “the secret” (Eph. 3:1-3), but at the same time, “the secret of the gospel” (Eph. 6:19,20).

This great secret, revealed to and through Paul, has rightly been called the capstone of divine revelation, for it concerns God’s eternal purpose in Christ. Through Paul, the chief of sinners saved by grace, God has now made this glorious secret known to us (Eph. 1:9) that we, in turn, might make it known to others (Eph. 3:9).

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RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD
by C. R. Stam



It is not enough to use the Bible as a grand book of wonderful sayings from which we may choose what we wish for our inspiration, nor will one who truly realizes that "God hath spoken" ever hold so shallow an opinion of the sacred Scriptures.

"The Word of truth" must be "rightly divided"; for while it is all given for our spiritual profit, it was not all addressed to us, or written about us. Thus one who truly desires to understand and obey God's Word will seek first to determine what Scriptures are particularly related to him and will study all the rest in the light of these.

Sad to say, however, there are many who fail to give the Book of God the respect and reverence it deserves. They flip it open at random, let a finger light upon the open page and then read the verse indicated to see if perchance they may find leading from the Lord in that way. And if it doesn't "work" the first time they try it again and again until it does "work." They use "promise boxes" in the same way, on the basis that "every promise in the Book is mine."They take passages out of their contexts, "spiritualize" them, and give them "private interpretations." Finding "precious passages" anywhere at all, no matter to whom addressed or when or why, they place their own constructions upon them and claim them as promises of God to them! To take isolated statements from the writings of men and use them in such a manner would be considered dishonest, but even Bible teachers do it with the Word of God!

The Word, rightly divided, is of supreme importance to the Church at large as well as to the individual believer, and it is because this fact has not yet been sufficiently recognized that we have not experienced the true, heaven-sent revival that the Church so sorely needs.

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MY FAITH? YOUR FAITH? THE FAITH?
By Pastor Bob Hanna




The word "Faith" has suffered untold distortion and misapplication over time. There are several proper definitions, but they have been shamefully misinterpreted. One accurate definition is "The Faith," referring to that which is believed. The apostle wrote, "He [Christ} gave some, apostles, and some, prophets, and some, evangelists; and some, pastors/teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the Faith" (Ephesians 4:11-13).

"And so were the churches established in the faith" (Acts 16:5). Faith, in these examples is the common cause in which we believe. This definition is ordinarily not the victim of misinterpretation. The same can't be said, for example, of Paul's declaration, "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20), Most modern translations erroneously render "His faith" to read, "my Faith". This, of course, is impossible. Human faith has no power to sustain one's spiritual preservation.

Another false impression popularly held, is that faith can be humanly generated which can attain one's personal desires. Such a one might be heard to say, "The reason the Lord didn't answer my prayer is that I didn't have enough faith." Our faith consists of believing and obeying God not in producing desired results. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear" (Hebrews 11:1-3).

Strangely, it appears that people can more easily place their faith in matters of the secular world than in spiritual things. For example, when a person is presented a personal check in payment for a service or a purchase, the recipient is accepting it because he has faith that it will be honored by the bank. Yet when that same person is offered salvation by grace through faith, he resists.

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THE MOST IMPORTANT HOUR OF HISTORY
Part  1 of 2
By John Steiner


The most important hour of all history was the hour when the Lord Jesus Christ died on Calvary's cross for the sins of mankind. Often in scripture, the hour of our Lord's death is called simply "the hour," "My hour" or "His hour."

To fulfill prophecy He could not have died one hour earlier, or one later. Until that hour arrived, His enemies were somehow restrained from doing Him bodily harm, so that we read in John 7:30, "Then they sought to take Him; but no man laid hands on Him, because HIS HOUR WAS NOT YET COME" (See also John 8:20).

This hour was to be for Him a time of unspeakable agony and shame. Referring to this, He said to Andrew and Philip, "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father save Me from this hour? But FOR THIS CAUSE CAME I UNTO THIS HOUR" (John 12:27).

He had come to die for the sins of the world and would not now turn away from the sufferings involved. But this hour of suffering and shame was also an hour of glory, for there the Son of God paid a debt which would have sunk a world to hell. This is why, at this same time, in the very shadow of the cross, He said, "THE HOUR IS COME THAT THE SON OF MAN SHOULD BE GLORIFIED. Verily, verily I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:23,24. See Also John 17:1,2).

Little wonder we read in John 3:35,36; "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand. HE THAT BELIEVETH ON THE SON HATH EVERLASTING LIFE: AND HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT THE SON SHALL NOT SEE LIFE BUT THE WRATH OF GOD ABIDETH ON HIM"

These thoughts are taken from one of my favorite daily devotionals called: TWO MINUTES WITH THE BIBLE by C.R. Stam. I think these comments are fitting this time of the year when many are hopefully turning their thoughts to the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

THE DEATH OF THE CROSS

There are four words which everyone of us should consider in connection with Christ's death at Calvary if we would fully appreciate what our Savior did for us there.

CRUCIFIXION

It is doubtful whether man has ever conceived a more cruel and humiliating way to execute even the vilest criminals. The physical agony alone must have been horrible beyond comprehension. The criminal was nailed to a tree and left to hang there, writhing in the most intense pain until, fevers wracking his body, he died. And then think of the humiliation as he hung there,  stripped and naked, to suffer shame and disgrace before the public gaze. Little wonder Philippians 2:8 says that Christ humbled Himself to become obedient "unto death even the death of the cross."

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THE MOST IMPORTANT HOUR OF HISTORY
Part  2 of 2
By John Steiner


SUBSTITUTION

We have not even begun to understand the cross if we do not understand that Christ died there as our Substitute, paying for our sins. "Christ died for our sins" (I Corinthians 15:3). "His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree" (I Peter 2:24).

He is our substitute because the "wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Death is God's required penalty for sin, and by the way, even with all the medical advances of our day the death rate remains the same (one apiece).

Our Lord Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. He is an eternal being and as such "through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God" (Hebrews 9:14).

Many people do not get saved because they don't realize they are lost. They haven't agreed with God who says they stand condemned and guilty of the sentence of death. God's Word tells us we are sinners and therefore enemies of God by nature, the nature we inherited from Adam. Paul tells us, "I know that in me (that is in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing" (Romans 7:18.). So, take it by faith, you're a guilty sinner, lost, guilty and condemned. Trust it fully in your heart, mind and soul that Jesus Christ died as your substitute on the cross of Calvary.

REPRESENTATION

But Christ was more than our Substitute; He was our voluntary Representative at Calvary. He had taken on Himself human form that He might represent man before God and die as Man for men. "As it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many ... " (Hebrews 9:27, 28.) "(He} was made ... lower than the angels ... that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man" (Hebrews 2:9).

He was qualified to represent man "in that he himself hath suffered being tempted" and was "touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 2:18, 4:15)

IDENTIFICATION

It follows from this that if Christ represented me at Calvary, He became identified with me there, and I am identified with Him as I accept this by faith. The moment we trust Him as Saviour, the Holy Spirit quickens, baptizes, or identifies us completely with Christ. "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath QUICKENED US TOGETHER with Christ. (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us SIT TOGETHER in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:4-6)

It is the OPERATION of God. This is why it says "without hands" we are identified completely with our Lord. Paul writes, "For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And YE ARE COMPLETE in HIM, which is the head of all principality and power. In whom also Ye ARE CIRCUMCISED WITH THE CIRCUMCISION MADE WITHOUT HANDS, in putting off the body of sins of the flesh by the CIRCUMCISION of Christ, BURIED WITH HIM in baptism where in also ye are risen with him through the faith of THE OPERATION OF GOD, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, HATH HE QUICKENED TOGETHER WITH HIM, having forgiven you all trespasses." (Colossians 2:9-13)

We are then so identified with Christ that we are hidden in Him as Paul writes, "for you are dead and, YOUR LIFE IS HID WITH CHRIST IN GOD. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory."  (Colossians 3:3-4) With all of this being true for us who believe, we should exclaim with Paul who wrote, "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith (or faithfulness) of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

Considering these four words in connection with our Saviour's death at Calvary causes me to believe it was indeed the most important hour of history. How about you? God must see it this way for His Word has so much to say on this event and what our Savior accomplished in that hour. What peace and assurance comes to your heart and mind when you believe what the Bible tells us. Believe these truths for yourself if you have never done so. Do it this very hour. It could become the most important hour of your life.

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The Noble Bereans And Paul's Gospel
by Pastor C. R. Stam



       We have said that the Bereans were commended for listening with open minds to teachings which they had never heard before.Yes, when they were confronted with them. It was the Athenians,not the Bereans, who made it their policy to consider as many viewpoints as possible on every subject (Acts 17:18-21).

The strength of the Bereans was that they kept close to the Scriptures. When confronted with some new doctrine, they did indeed give it an interested hearing, but then“searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). Had they found anything in Paul’s message which contradicted the Scriptures they would immediately have rejected it. And for this God calls them“noble”. They were the truly great, the spiritual aristocracy of their day.

Too many believers today aspire to be like the Athenians rather than the Bereans. They say they wish to have open minds, and this is good if it is remembered that an open mind is like an open mouth; not everything should be put into it.

The Athenians went to the other extreme from the Thessalonians, who would not even consider a new doctrine when confronted with it— would not even consider it in the light of the Scriptures.

The Bereans were the wisest of the three. They kept close to that blessed Book, and, when confronted with unfamiliar teachings, immediately subjected them to the test of Scripture.

This is the wisest course, even if only because we are all limited in time and strength. Obviously we cannot spend a great deal of time looking into the conflicting teachings of men without sacrificing a great deal of much-needed time for Bible study, and in the measure that we do this we are bound to grow spiritually weaker.

[nChrist]

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LIFE GIVEN AND MAINTAINED
By Miles Stanford

'"He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6).

When one begins to realize the complexity of simple spiritual growth, he learns to keep his hands off and his faith on.

"Regeneration is a birth: the center and root of the personality, the spirit, has been re-created and taken possession of by the Holy Spirit. But time is required for that center to extend through all the circumference of our being. It is akin to a seed: the life of the Lord Jesus within must grow; and it would be against the laws of nature and grace alike if we expected from the babe in Christ the strength that can only be found in the young man, or the rich experience and stability of the fathers. Even where in the new convert there is great singleness of heart and faith, with true love and devotion to the Saviour, time is needed for a deeper knowledge of the old man and sin, for a spiritual insight into what the Father's will and grace are." -A.M.

"The process of conformity to the Lord Jesus' image is going on day by day in the growing believer's life. It is a progression from obedience to obedience, from dependence to dependence, from righteousness to righteousness, and from love to love. As the maturing one gets a larger vision of his perfect Pattern through the daily study of God's Word, he takes higher ground along the line of that blessed revelation, so that his life is a progressive growing up into the Lord Jesus in all things." -R.P.

"The more the believer abounds in the riches of the Father's grace, the more unsearchable and inexhaustible he finds them to be. The spiritual man never stops growing, because he is always reaching upward to that still higher height that is just beyond." -R.P.

"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:14).

[nChrist]

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LIVING WITH SIN'S CONSEQUENCES
By Neil Anderson


Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord (Romans 12:19).


Forgiveness does not mean that you must tolerate sin. Isabel, a young wife and mother attending one of my conferences, told me of her decision to forgive her mother for continually manipulating her for attention. But Isabel tearfully continued, "She is no different. Am I supposed to let her keep ruining my life?"

No, forgiving someone doesn't mean that you must be a doormat to their continual sin. I encouraged Isabel to confront her mother lovingly but firmly, and tell her that she would no longer tolerate destructive manipulation. It's okay to forgive another's past sins and, at the same time, take a stand against future sins. Forgiving is not a codependent activity.

Forgiveness does not demand revenge or repayment for offenses suffered. "You mean I'm just supposed to let them off the hook?" you may argue. Yes, you let them off your hook, realizing that they are not off God's hook. You may feel like exacting justice, but you are not an impartial judge. God is the just Judge who will make everything right (Romans 12:19). Your job is to extend the mercy of forgiveness and leave judgment up to God.

Forgiveness is agreeing to live with the consequences of another person's sin. Suppose that someone in your church says, "I have gossiped about you. Will you forgiven me?" You can't retract gossip any easier than you can put toothpaste back into the tube. You're going to live with the gossip this person spread about you no matter how you respond to the gossiper.

We are all living with the consequences of another person's sin: Adam's. The only real choice we have in the matter is to live in the bondage of bitterness or in the freedom of forgiveness.

Heavenly Father, I give up my right to seek revenge or harbor resentment. I want to enjoy the freedom which comes from forgiving others.