Christian's Privileges

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. - John 10: 9 -

Jesus is the entrance into the true Church.

He is the way of access to God Himself.

Jesus gives to the man who comes to God by Him four privileges:

(1) He shall be saved.

No one can be lost if they take Jesus as the door of faith to their souls.

Jesus is the only door.

Blessed is he who rests all his hope upon the crucified Redeemer.

(2) He shall go in.

He shall go in among the family of God, participating in all their honors and enjoyments.

He shall go in to the King of kings.

(3) He shall go out.

He shall go out into the world in the name and power of Jesus.

He shall bear witness to the truth, to cheer the disconsolate, to warn the careless, to win souls, and to glorify God.

He shall go out as God's messenger in His name and strength.

(4) He shall find pasture.

Having made Jesus his all, he shall find all in Jesus.

He shall lack nothing.

Unfaithful Servant

They are unfaithful to the LORD;
they give birth to illegitimate children.
When they celebrate their New Moon feasts,
he will devour their fields.
- Hosea 5:7 -

Here is a sorrowful truth.

We are the beloved of the LORD, redeemed by blood, called by grace, preserved in Christ Jesus, accepted in the Beloved, and on our way to Heaven.

But we are unfaithful to the LORD.

We are found to be unfaithful in the matter of vows and promises.

We have forgotten the happy time, the springtime of our spiritual life.

Oh, how closely we clang to our Master then!

But now, we are unfaithful to the LORD.

Prayer has oftentimes been slurred.

It has been short, but not sweet.

Brief, but not fervent.

Communion with Christ has been forgotten.

Instead of a heavenly mind, there have been carnal cares, worldly vanities and thoughts of evil.

Instead of service, there has been disobedience.

Instead of fervency, lukewarmness.

Instead of patience, petulance.

Instead of faith, confidence in an arm of flesh.

As a soldier of the cross, there has been cowardice, disobedience, and desertion, to a very shameful degree.

We are unfaithful to the LORD.

We have sinned against Him terribly.

Oh LORD! Forgive us.

Oh! Let us not sin again!

How shameful it is to be unfaithful to the LORD who never forgets us.

Peace And Rest

My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation,
In secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places,
- Isaiah 32:18 -

Peace and rest belong only to God's people.

 

The God of Peace gives perfect peace to those whose hearts are with Him.
 

Before the fall of Adam, God gave him the garden of Eden as his quiet resting place.
 

When the flood swept away the guilty race, the chosen family was secured in the resting place of the ark.
 

When the destroying angel struck the first-born of Egypt, the people of Israel rested safely in the blood sprinkled habitations.
 

In the wilderness, under the shadow of the pillar of cloud, and the flowing rock, the weary Israelites enjoyed their sweet rest.
 

At this hour...
 

We rest in the promises of our faithful God.
 

We rest in Him whose words are full of truth and power.
 

We rest in the doctrines of His word.
 

We rest in the covenant of His grace.
 

Nothing can invade or destroy our shelter of peace and rest.
 

The person of the Lord Jesus Christ is the quiet resting place of His people.
 

Let us draw near to Him and enjoy the return of peace to our spirits.

 

One With Christ

As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.
- 1 Corinthians 15:48 -

The head and members are of one nature.
 

Since the members were mortal, therefore the Lord Jesus died.
 

Since the glorified head is immortal, therefore the body is immortal too.
 

As is our loving Head, so is our body, and every member in particular.
 

A double union of nature is for the closest communion.
 

Let us not forget the infinite condescension of the Son of God in exalting our wretchedness into blessed union with His glory.
 

It is in Christ that we can say to God, "Abba, Father".
 

Let us occupy our thoughts with this glorious and heavenly honor of union with Christ.
 

We are special people.

 

We are one with Christ.

 

 

The Beauty Of The Church

You are all fair, my love,
And there is no spot in you.
(Song of Solomon 4:7)

The Lord's description of His Church is wonderful: You are all fair, my love.
 

The Church is pure.
 

She is washed in Christ's sin-atoning blood.
 

She is clothed in Christ's meritorious righteousness.
 

In her, the Lord sees holiness, glory, and perfection.
 

The Church is lovely.
 

Her deformities of sin are removed.
 

A meritorious righteousness is given to her.
 

Actual beauty is conferred upon her.
 

The Church is superlatively beautiful.
 

"O Fairest among women." (Song of Solomon 1:8)
 

Her real worth and excellence cannot be rivaled by all the nobility and royalty of the world. 

 

The Church is beautiful in the eyes of the Lord.

 

Rebuke With Love

You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord. ‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. (Leviticus 19:16-17)

Tale-bearing injures the teller, the hearer, and the person concerning whom the tale is told.

Whether the report is true or false, we are forbidden to spread it.

The reputations of the Lord's people is very precious. We should be shameful to help the devil to dishonor the Church and the name of the Lord.

Many glory in pulling down their brethren, and raising themselves.

Let it be our rule and our personal commitment not to speak evil of any man.

The Holy Spirit, however, permits us to censure sin, and prescribes the way to do it.

It must be done by rebuking our brother to his face, not by talking behind his back.

Let us love our brethren but not condone their sins. Let us rebuke them with love and pray for a changing of their heart.

Do What Our Hand Finds To Do

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. (Ecclesiastes 9:10)

There are many things which our heart desires to do which we never do. We are content with forming schemes in our heart, and talking of them.

But if we want to be found eminently useful, we must carry out what our hand finds to do.

Let us not wait for opportunities. Let us just do the things we find to do, day by day.

We have no other time in which to live. The past is gone. The future has not arrived. We only have our present time.

Let us not wait until our experience has ripened into maturity before we attempt to serve God. Let us endeavor to serve God now, and do so with our might.

No man serves God by doing things tomorrow. If we want to honor Christ and be blessed, it is to do it today.

Whatever we want to do for Christ, let us do it with our heart, our soul, and our strength.

We may be weak. But we can seek God's help. Let us proceed with prayer and faith.

And when we have done what our hand finds to do, let us wait upon the Lord for His blessing.

Complete Fellowship With Christ

If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
(1 John 1:6)

When we were united by faith to Christ, we were brought into complete fellowship with Him.

We were made one with Him.

His interests and ours became mutual and identical.

We have fellowship with Christ in His love. What He loves we love.

We have fellowship with Him in His desires. What He desires, we desire.

We have fellowship with Christ in His sufferings. We suffer when He suffers.

We have fellowship with Christ in His joys. We are happy when He is happy.

Christ's glory awaits our complete fellowship with Him.