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JESUS! In Word and Song

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WEEK 45

IN CHRIST

“[T]hose two New Testament words ‘in Christ’ are very dear.”1

To be in Christ means that we have a saving relationship with Christ and are brought into union and communion with Him in such a way that, as we are in Christ, what is true of Christ becomes true of us. His grace and His resources become our experience and possession.2

Believers have been placed ‘in Christ’ so that whatever has happened to Christ has also happened to them. When Jesus died and rose again, so did we spiritually, and never again will God see a believer as anything other than a new creation in Christ Jesus. We are forever united and joined to Christ, and His history is our history!3

“[Christ] has died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves” (2 Cor 5:24-25 ESV).

Some of us have tried very hard to get rid of [the] sinful life, but we have found it most tenacious; What is the way out? It is not by trying to kill ourselves, but by recognizing that God has dealt with us in Christ.”4

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal 3:27 ESV).

“Christianity begins not with a big DO, but with a big DONE.”5 “[T]he Christian life is becoming (in experience) who you already are (as God sees you).”6

“God’s way of deliverance is altogether different from man’s way. Man’s way is to try to suppress sin by seeking to overcome it; God’s way is to remove the sinner.”7

“To do away with our sinfulness we must do away with our life. Bondage to sin came by birth; deliverance from sin comes by death.”8

“Christ has died for all, therefore all have died” (2 Cor 5:14 ESV).

Christ is the redeemed man’s new environment. He has been lifted out of the cramping restrictions of his earthly lot into a totally different sphere, the sphere of Christ. He has been transplanted into a new soil and a new climate, and both soil and climate are Christ.9 James Stewart

“[B]oth human responsibility and divine sovereignty [is] how we move forward spiritually.”  “God does all, and we do all.”10 Jonathan Edwards

“I toil with all his energy that he powerfully works within me (Col 1:29).”11

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ENDNOTES

(45) In CHRIST

1. Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1977) 46.

            2. Derek Thomas and Steve Lawson, “What Does It Mean to Be ‘in Christ’?” Ligonier Ministries, 26 January 2022 https://www.ligonier.org/learn/qas/what-does-it-mean-to-be-in-christ.

            3. Iain Gordon, “How to Know Your Position in Christ,” Cru, 26 January 2022 https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/core-christian-beliefs/the-believers-position-in-christ.html#2.

            4. Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1977) 43.

            5. Watchman Nee, Sit, Walk, Stand (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 1977) 2.

            6. Iain Gordon, “How to Know Your Position in Christ,” Cru, 26 January 2022 https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/core-christian-beliefs/the-believers-position-in-christ.html#2.

            7. Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1977) 53.

            8. Watchman, 42.

            9. Dane C. Ortlund, Deeper (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021) 56.

            10. Ortlund, 54.

            11. Ortlund, 55.

            12. “I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous and I am no longer driven to impress God” (Galatians 2:19-21 MSG).

            13. “[I]f anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV).

            14. Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1977) 44.

            15. Nee, 40.

            16. Nee, 50.

            17. Nee, 28.

            18. Nee, 59.

            19. “[You] are in Christ Jesus” (1 Corinthians 1:30 ESV).

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WEEK 44

OBEDIENCE IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE

King Saul’s first and last mistake was to listen to his army’s suggestion to leave the choicest spoil to be sacrificed to GOD when he had clear word from GOD to devote EVERYTHING to destruction (1 Sam 15:21). GOD does not delight in sacrifice but desires His followers obey His voice. To obey is better than sacrifice (1 Sam 15:22).

“Do you think all God wants are sacrifices— empty rituals just for show? He wants you to listen to him! Plain listening is the thing” (1 Sam 15:22-23 MSG). You can’t pick and choose in these things, specializing in keeping one or two things in God’s law and ignoring others” (James 2:8-11 MSG).

Our default reaction is to fall back into sacrificing when GOD’s Word has leaked out of

us. When time moves on and we have not disciplined ourselves to open GOD’s Word, the communication between GOD and us no longer exists. If joy is missing and obedience hard it is because we’re ignorant or avoiding what God has designed for us and what that is is to fellowship with Him.

“I’m after love that lasts, not more religion. I want you to know God, not go to more prayer meetings” (Hos 6:6-7 MSG).

 “The word abide means to remain or stay around. The abiding believer is the only legitimate believer. Abiding and believing actually are addressing the same issue of genuine salvation.”1

When we are too far away to hear the LORD, we are forced to depend on insights of others or our own thinking. Without dwelling in the LORD’s presence we have absolutely no inkling how to live spiritually. And, like Saul, we will always fall into attempting to impress Him by doing something we think He would like.

“[G]ifts and sacrifices can’t really get to the heart of the matter, can’t assuage the conscience of the people, but are limited to matters of ritual and behavior” (Heb 9:6-10 MSG).

“Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’” (Matt 9:13 ESV).

True saving faith is supernatural, a gracious gift of God that He produces in the heart and is the only means by which a person can appropriate true righteousness. Saving faith consists of three elements: (1) mental: the mind understands the gospel and the truth about Christ; (2) emotional: one embraces the truthfulness of those facts with sorrow over sin and joy over God’s mercy and grace; and (3) volitional: the sinner submits his will to Christ and trusts in Him alone as the only hope of salvation. Genuine faith will always produce authentic obedience.2

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ENDNOTES

(44) Obedience is Better Than Sacrifice

            1. John MacArthur, One Perfect Life (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012) 417.

                  2. MacArthur, 508.

                  3. “I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people” (Leviticus 26:12 ESV).

                  4. “[T]hey provoked the LORD to anger. [H]e gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them” (Judges 2:12,14 ESV).

                  5. “Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them” (Judges 2:16 ESV).

                  6. “[W]hen the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the people to Israel, who saved them” (Judges 3:9 ESV).

                  7. “[I]f you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache” (Leviticus 26:14,16 ESV).

                  8. “I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38 ESV).

                  9. “We were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4 ESV).

                  10. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever” (John 14:16 ESV),

                  11. “[W]hoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it” (James 2:10 ESV).

                  12. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30 ESV).

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WEEK 43

HOUND OF HEAVEN

The Fall of man and the consequential depravity places GOD’s creatures on the edge of a chasm where a retreat to our original condition is impossible. But GOD has better plans. “We have in Christ a full reconciliation with God, and an advancement into higher favour with Him, than the first Adam had in the state of innocency.”1

Because He shuts us all up in our disobedience and unbelief, it enables Him to provide mercy to us all (Rom 11:32). Thus begins the activity of the Godhead to restore His chosen.

This activity of drawing children back to Him can be fierce—a provoking, prodding or forcing (Acts 26:14), or He can do it gently—as a quiet knocking (Rev 3:20).

[W]e may experience either the ecstasy of underserved love or the acute pain of unrequited love, because we know instinctively that love is the greatest thing in the world. It is in such moments as these that Jesus Christ draws near to us and uses his hand to knock or to goad.2

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow [us] all the days of [our] life” (Psalm 23:6 ESV).

Author, Gautrey points out that the Hebrew word here translated by the mild verb ‘follow’ should be rendered more forcefully; for instance, ‘goodness and mercy have hunted me, haunted me, dogged my steps all the days of my life.’ ‘It is a pursuit, patient but purposeful, affectionate but relentless.’3

“If we love Christ, it is because he loved us first. If we are Christians at all, it is not because we have decided for Christ, but because Christ has decided for us. It is because of the pursuit of ‘this tremendous lover.’”4

“’The Hound of Heaven’ is a striking expression invented by Francis Thompson.”5

When we were running full speed the other direction, he chased us down, subdued our rebellion, and opened our eyes to see our need of him and his all-sufficiency to meet that need. We were not drowning, in need of being thrown a life-preserver; we were stone-dead at the bottom of the ocean. He pulled us up, breathed new life into us, and set us on our feet—and every breath we now draw is owing to his full and utter deliverance of us in all our helplessness and death.6

Ultimate reality is an eternal fountain of endless, unquenchable love. A love so great that it could not be contained within the uproarious joy of Father, Son, and Spirit but spilled out to embrace fallen humans into it. Divine love is inherently engulfing, embracing, overflowing. God made you so that he could love you.7

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ENDNOTES

(43) Hound of Heaven

            1. Horatius Bonar, Words Old and New (Carlisle, PA: THE BANNER OF TRUTH TRUST, 1866,1994) 229.

            2. John Stott, Why I Am a Christian (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press 2003) 31.

            3. Stott, 16.

            4. Stott, 18.

            5. Stott, 15.

            6. Dane C. Ortlund, Deeper (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021) 27.

            7. Ortlund, 70.

            8. Hal Leonard, The Hymn Fake Book (Milwaukee, WI: Hall Leonard Corporation) 194.

            9. John Stott, Why I Am a Christian (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press 2003) 29.

            10. Stott, 30.

            11. Stott, 17.

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WEEK 42

THIS JESUS—

What He Did_2

“It’s easy to forget that nothing we do will make us more acceptable to God. Jesus came to set us free to serve Him in the freshness and spontaneity of the Spirit, and to receive the ABUNDANT blessing God has for us.”1

  • JESUS gave redemption through His blood:(Eph 1:7).

“By it, [the cross of CHRIST] the body of sin is wounded, and wounded fatally. From it, pardon, peace, and holiness flow. And through it, the soul daily rises to God in a holy surrender of itself to His service.”2

  • He became a curse for His spiritual children:(Gal 3:13).

“Christ Jesus gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tim 2:5-6 ESV).

  • JESUS broke down the dividing wall of hostility:(Eph 2:13).

“Jews and Greeks [have] been transcended by a new entity in Christ: ‘the church of God’.”3

  • He is the high priest:(Heb 7:26).

CHRIST “has become a priest by the power of an indestructible life”(Heb 7:16 ESV). “[T]he high priest acts on behalf of men in relation to God. That is he acts as a mediator.”4 “Jesus’ resurrection from the dead indicates his eternal priesthood. Death could not conquer Jesus; therefore, his priesthood lasts forever.”5

  • JESUS became the Perfecter of Faith:(Heb 12:2).

“Through his atoning work, Christ’s perfection leads to the perfection of his people.”6

  • JESUS abolished death and brought life:(2 Tim 1:10).

“We come to Him for life, or rather, first of all, He comes to us with life.”7

  • He is the wisdom and knowledge of GOD:(1 Cor 1:24).

“Christ is the image of God. God has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor 4:4,6).

  • He filled believers with His SPIRIT:(2 Tim 1:14).

“[T]he Spirit does His work not exerting a mere influence, but coming into us and abiding with us; so that being filled with His company, as well as pervaded by His power, we are thoroughly ‘transformed.’”8

  • JESUS became the first-born of the dead:(Rev 1:5).

“Jesus Christ [is] risen from the dead” (2 Tim 2:8 ESV). “He alone came back from death never to die again, being the first of many to triumph over death.”9

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ENDNOTES

(42) JESUS Is Founder of Faith

            1. Roy and Revel Hession, We Would See Jesus (Fort Washington, PA: CLC Publications, 1958, 2010) back cover.

            2. Octavius Winslow, “Christ and Sanctification,” Free Grace Broadcaster 215 (2011) : 15, brackets mine.

            3. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2265.

            4. Jared Dymond, “Hebrews 5:1-10,” New Hope Church sermon notes, 06 March 2022: 3.

            5. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2371.

            6. ESV Study Bible, 2383.

            7. Horatius Bonar, “Let Us Then Shine,” Free Grace Broadcaster 215 (2011) : 42.

            8. Bonar, 43.

            9. James Burton Coffman, “Commentary on Revelation 1:5,” 1983-1999, Coffman Commentaries on the Bible, 1 March 2021 https://www.studylight.org/commentary/revelation/1-5.html#verse-bcc.

            10. “ . . . Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith . . .” (Hebrews 12:2 ESV).

            11. :Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand . . .” (Romans 5:2 ESV).

            12. “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14 ESV).

            13. “ . . . that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,” (Ephesians 2:15 ESV).

            14. “ . . . Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith . . .” (Hebrews 12:2 ESV).

            15. “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14 ESV).

16. “And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,” (Ephesians 1:22 ESV).

            17. “ . . . the church submits to Christ . . .” (Ephesians 5:24 ESV).

            18. “ . . . the Lamb . . . is Lord of lords and King of kings . . .” (Revelations 17:14 ESV).

            19. “ . . . Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen” (Romans 9:5 ESV).

            20. “ . . . To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18 ESV).

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WEEK 41

THIS JESUS—

What He Did_1

JESUS was faithful to GOD who appointed Him (Heb 3:2). He became the Mediator who enacted a better covenant (Heb 8:6). Therefore, He was able to save forever all those who draw near to GOD through Him, interceding for them (Heb 7:25). 

He became the “firstfruits” (first to rise from the dead) (1 Cor 15:23). He is now seated at GOD’s right hand (Eph 1:20) and head over all things to the Church (Eph 1:22).

JESUS entrusted Himself to GOD (1 Pet 2:23), offering Himself without blemish (Heb 9:14), committing no sin (1 Pet 2:22). He lived for the will of God (1 Pet 4:2).

He learned obedience from the things He suffered (Heb 5:8). “We know that Jesus was always obedient to His Father. What this verse means though is that His obedience was displayed in a new way, when he was faced with suffering.”1 JESUS was made perfect (Heb 5:9). “This verse does not mean that Jesus was ever at some point not perfect, but that through temptation and suffering his perfection was revealed.”2 JESUS displayed perfect obedience and became perfect by temptation and suffering.

He died and rose again (1 Thes 4:14), triumphing over all rulers and authorities (Col 2:15), destroying the one who had the power of death (Heb 2:14). He now is able to give redemption (Rom 3:24). 

He put an end to the agony of death for us (Acts 2:24) and healed all oppressed by the devil for GOD was with Him (Acts 10:38).

This JESUS came to earth to reveal the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:3).  He came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8)—disarming rulers and authorities putting them to open shame by triumphing over them (Col 2:15). 

He came to reconcile all things to Himself making peace by the blood of His cross (Col 1:20).

God the Father, using the principle of imputation, treated Christ as if He were a sinner though He was not and had Him die as a substitute to pay the penalty for the sins of those who believe in Him (Gal 3:13). The wrath of God was exhausted on Him and the just requirement of God’s law met for those for whom He died.3

He bears the sins of many and will come a second time to bring salvation to everyone waiting for Him (Heb 9:28). “This will be our salvation from the presence of sin.”4

“[He] is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him” (Rev 1:7 ESV).

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ENDNOTES

(41) This JESUS, Committed No Sin

            1. Jared Dymond, “Hebrews 5:1-10,” New Hope Church sermon notes, 06 March 2022: 8.

            2. Dymond.

            3. John MacArthur, One Perfect Life (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012) 513.

            4. MacArthur, 504.

            5. “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22 ESV).

            6. “For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure” (John 3:34 ESV).

            7.” . . . Christ did not please himself” (Romans 15:3 ESV).

            8. “ . . . Christ suffered . . . in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God” (1 Peter 4:1-2 ESV).

            9. “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame . . .” (Colossians 2:15 ESV).

            10. “ . . . The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8 ESV).

            11. “ . . . Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father . . .” (Romans 6:4 ESV).

            12. “ . . . Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2 ESV).

            13. “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” (1 Timothy 2:5 ESV).

            14. “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him” (Romans 6:9 ESV).

            15. “ . . . he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,” (Ephesians 1:20 ESV).

            16. “ . . . Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:2-3 ESV).

            17. “so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28 ESV).

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WEEK 40

THE WORD INFALLIBLE

“Holy Scripture should be thought of as God preaching.”1 “He holds everything together by what he says—powerful words”(Heb 1:1-3 MSG)!

The sufficiency of Scripture means that Scripture contains all the words of God which he intends his people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and that it contains everything we need God to tell us for salvation, for trusting him perfectly, and obeying him perfectly.2

“At each stage in redemptive history, the things that God had revealed were for his people for that time, and they were to study, believe, and obey those things.”3

[A]t the time of the death of Moses, the first five books of our Old Testament were sufficient for God’s people at that time. But God directed later authors to add more, so that Scripture would be sufficient for believers in those subsequent times. For Christians today, the words from God which we have in the Old and New Testaments together are sufficient for us during the church age.4

Scripture leads to a Person, not just truths. All Scripture points to Jesus’ death and resurrection, to forgiveness, and to personal knowledge of God through him. [We] should come to Scripture humbly, expecting to learn and be corrected, willing to observe Scripture closely and accept whatever [we] find.5

“We find Christ in all the Scriptures. In the Old Testament He is predicted, in the Gospels He is revealed, in Acts He is preached, in the epistles He is explained, and in Revelation He is expected.”6

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them”(Matt 5:17 ESV). Here Christ was emphasizing both the inspiration and the enduring authority of all Scripture. He was specifically affirming the utter inerrancy and absolute authority of the OT as the Word of God. [N]othing has passed from the law, but rather every aspect of the law has been fulfilled in him.7

“[T]rue knowledge of God includes understanding everything from his perspective. It is to learn what God loves and hates, and to see, hear, think, and act the way he does.”8

“To understand God’s Word, we must totally disregard our own wisdom and rest in utter dependence on the Spirit of God to interpret it for us.”9

“[Through the mire and through the slough, through the flood and through the flame, follow Jesus and the Word infallible.”10

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ENDNOTES

(40) We’ll Stand on GOD’s Word

            1. J. I. Packer, God Has Spoken (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979) 97.

            2. Wayne Grudem, The Gift of Prophecy (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1988, 2000) 250.

            3. Grudem, 261.

            4. Grudem.

            5. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2561.

            6. Alistair Begg

            7. John MacArthur, One Perfect Life (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012) 139.

            8. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2505.

            9. R. A. Torrey, God’s Power in Your Life (New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 1982) 72-73.

            10. Charles Spurgeon, Spiritual warfare in a Believer’s Life (Lynnwood, WA: Emerald Books, 1993) 80.

            11. R. Kelso Carter, “Standing on the Promises,” 1886, Hymnary, 2 August 2021 https://hymnary.org/text/standing_on_the_promises_of_christ_my_ki.

            12. Charles Spurgeon, Spiritual warfare in a Believer’s Life (Lynnwood, WA: Emerald Books, 1993) 80.

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WEEK 39

THE WORD

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matt 5:17-18 ESV).

“God considers what he has told us in the Bible to be enough for us, and that we should rejoice in the great revelation that he has given us and be content with it.”1 “Scripture today is exactly what God wanted it to be, and it will stay that way until Christ returns.”2

“To read the Bible ‘theologically’ means to read the Bible ‘with a focus on God’: his being, his character, his words and works, his purpose, presence, power, promises, and precepts.”3

“I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes” (Ps 119:11-12 ESV)!

“He that would be like Christ must study Him. We cannot make ourselves holy by merely trying to be so, any more than we can made ourselves believe and love by simple energy of endeavor.”4 We do not know truth on our own. “The truth is something that always enlightens us.”5

“He that would be holy must steep himself in the Word. It is through the truth that we are sanctified (John 17:17). Exposing our souls constantly to this light, we become more thoroughly ‘children of the light.’”6

“We don’t create our own salvation by our actions but we reflect and express it and so grow in our certainty of it. Because we Christians are liable to deceive ourselves, we should give ourselves to the study of God’s Word to be instructed and encouraged in our salvation.”7

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Col 3:16 ESV). “Since Satan’s primary weapon is the lie, your defense against him is the truth. Dealing with Satan is not a power encounter; it’s a truth encounter.”8

In our daily lives, it is the words of Scripture alone that must have first place in our hearts and our minds. We must read them, believe them, memorize them, love them, and cherish them as the very words of our Creator speaking to us. All other gifts and teachings today are to be subject to the words of Scripture and are to be judged by them.  No other gift or teaching or writing should be allowed to compete with them for absolute priority in our lives.9  “The God of the Scriptures has preserved his divine Word. [I]t promises to instruct us in walking humbly before him in reverence and awe.”10

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ENDNOTES

(39) Whether the Word be Preached or Read

            1. Wayne Grudem, The Gift of Prophecy (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1988, 2000) 258.

            2. Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994) 68-69.

            3. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2567.

            4. Horatius Bonar, God’s Way of Holiness (Pensacola, FL: Mt. Zion Publications) 88.

            5. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Life in Christ, Studies in 1 John (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2002) 112.

            6. Horatius Bonar, God’s Way of Holiness (Pensacola, FL: Mt. Zion Publications) 88.

            7. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2503.

            8. Neil T. Anderson, Victory Over the Darkness (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1990) 170.

            9. Wayne Grudem, The Gift of Prophecy (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1988, 2000) 49.

            10. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2565.

            11. Charles Wesley, “Whether the Word be Preached or Read,” 1783, Hymnary, 25 February 2021 https://hymnary.org/text/whether_the_word_be_preached_or_read.

            12. Phillip P. Bliss, “Wonderful Words of Life,” 1874, Hymnary, 27 February 2021 https://hymnary.org/text/sing_them_over_again_to_me_wonderful.

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WEEK 38

THE HOLY SPIRIT POURED OUT

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh” (Joel 2:28 ESV).

Imagine being in Jerusalem during the Passover that Christians now call “Pentecost.” Imagine hearing that “mighty rushing wind” and coming together where Galileans were telling of the “mighty works of GOD” in all languages that surrounded Jerusalem.

Peter’s speech was the first of the “SPIRIT poured out.” Everyone heard Peter’s speech in his or her native language—that was the first miracle. The second was the SPIRIT causing the crowd to be “cut to the heart,” recognizing their sin.

“The sword of the Spirit, newly edged with power and bathed in the lightnings of heaven, cut its way through unbelief. Thousands were converted in a day.”1

“Strengthened by the endowment of the Holy Spirit, [the Apostles] went forth filled with the zeal to extend the triumphs of the cross.”2 “[T]hey were preaching in the power of the amazing gift He had sent to them, a person they called the Holy Spirit.”3

The same signs, wonders and mighty works performed by JESUS were now going to be performed by the Apostles. The supernatural phenomenon given by the HOLY SPIRIT sealed the words of the Apostles as Truth and the Christian Church was born.

“So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied” (Acts 9:31 ESV).

The “walking in fear” is a reaction to realizing GOD’s desire and ability to provide a way to restore us from the sin that entered us when we were born. And the ‘walking in the comfort of the Holy Spirit’ is the realization that the Spirit’s desire and His present workings is to purify and refine our various ‘faculties and passions’ back to making us ‘a proper habitation for God’ like it was before sin entered the world.4

The ultimate goal of all of life is to know and love God, make him known, and thereby glorify him. This goal is accomplished primarily through the work of the Holy Spirit. Reading the Bible, going to church, Christian fellowship, spiritual disciplines, service, and worship are merely playing at religion if all of these activities are not empowered, guided, and filled by the Spirit.5

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ENDNOTES

(38) The SPIRIT Now Poured Out

            1. Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1911) 38.

            2. White, 46.

            3. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Life in Christ, Studies in 1 John (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2002) 316.

            4. Adam Clarke, “Commentary on Acts 9:31,” 1832 Adam Clarke’s Commentary 22 February 2021 https://www.studylight.org/commentary/acts/9-31.html#verse-acc.

            5. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2521.

            6. Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1911) 46.

            7. Samuel Chadwick, The Way to Pentecost (Fort Washington, PA: CLC Publications, 2000, 2014) 56.

            8. Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1911) 39.

            9. “ . . . in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:14 ESV).

            10. “For I am sure that . . . no things present nor things to come . . . will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39 ESV).

            11. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26 ESV).

            12. “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son . . .” (Romans 8:29 ESV).

            13. “ . . . I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh . . .” (Joel 2:28 ESV).

            14. “ . . . I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Hebrews 8:10 ESV).

            15. “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up . . .” (Acts 9:31 ESV).

            16. “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit . . .” (Romans 8:9 ESV).

            17. “And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each of them” (Acts 2:3 ESV).

            18. Samuel Chadwick, The Way to Pentecost (Fort Washington, PA: CLC Publications, 2000, 2014) 125.

JESUS! In Word and Song

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WEEK 37

THIS JESUS—

Who He Is_2

“His life, from the manger to the tomb, was via a path of shame and sorrow. It was not until His resurrection, that the glory which was to follow His sufferings began to shine forth in unmistakable splendor.”1

JESUS, the Eternal One: (Heb 1:10-12).

“[T]he son of God, in his eternal divine nature, was active in the world from the beginning of creation, long before his incarnation.”2

JESUS, the First and the Last: (Rev 1:17-18).

“Jesus is the beginning of all history (the Creator) and also the goal for whom all things are made (all history is moving toward glorifying him).”3

JESUS, Himself God: (Heb 1:2-3).

Jesus makes five claims to equality with God: (1) He is equal with God in His person (John 5:17-18); (2) He is equal with God in His works (John 5:19-20); (3) He is equal with God in His power and sovereignty (John 5:21); (4) He is equal with God in His judgment (John 5:22); (5) He is equal with God in His honor (John 5:23).4

JESUS, the fullness of GOD: (Col 1:19).

“Jesus not only bears God’s glory, but all that God is also dwells in him. He possesses the wisdom, power, Spirit, and glory of God. To say that all this divine fullness dwells in Jesus is to say that he is fully God (see also Col. 2:9).”5

JESUS, the Justifier: (Rom 4:24-25).

Justification is by a righteousness [outside of] us. [It] is based entirely upon the work of Christ wrought for us, a deliverance from punishment, a right to the reward.6

The wisdom of God’s plan allowed Him to punish Jesus in the place of sinners and thereby justify those who are guilty without compromising His justice.7

JESUS, the Sanctifier: (Heb 10:14).

Sanctification is that inward spiritual work that the Lord Jesus Christ works in a man by the Holy Spirit when He calls him to be a true believer. He not only washes him from his sins in His own blood, but He also separates him from his natural love of sin and the world, puts a new principle in him heart, and makes him practically godly in life.8

JESUS, the King: (1 Cor 15:22-25).

“As God-man Mediator, Christ has been made Governor of the universe. ‘All power in heaven and in earth’ has been given to Him (Matt 28:18).”9

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ENDNOTES

(37) JESUS is the Son of GOD

            1. Arthur W. Pink, “The Exaltation of Christ,” Studies in the Scriptures XI (August 1932) : 1.

            2. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2450.

            3. ESV Study Bible, 2463.

            4. John MacArthur, One Perfect Life (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012) 123.

            5. ESV Study Bible, 2294-2295.

            6. A.W. Pink, “Justification and Sanctification,” Free Grace Broadcaster 215 (2011) : 36.

            7. John MacArthur, One Perfect Life (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012) 509.

            8. J.C. Ryle, “The Nature of Sanctification,” Free Grace Broadcaster 215 (2011) : 8.

            9. A.W. Pink, “The Kingdom of Christ,” Free Grace Broadcaster 215 (2011) : 2.

            10. “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature . . .” (Hebrews 1:3 ESV).

            11. “For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf” (Hebrews 9:24 ESV).

            12. A. W. Pink, The Holy Spirit (Pensacola, FL: Mt. Zion Publications) http://www.mountzion.org.

128.

            13. “ . . . we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man” (Hebrews 8:1-2 ESV).

            14. “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,” (1 Corinthians 1:30 ESV).

            15. A.W. Pink, “Justification and Sanctification,” Free Grace Broadcaster 215 (2011) : 36.

            16. “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,” (1 Corinthians 1:30 ESV).

            17. “ . . . Your throne, O God, is forever and ever . . .” (Hebrews 1:8 ESV).

            18. “ . . . the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings . . .” (Revelation 17:14 ESV).

            19. “ . . . Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen” (Romans 9:5 ESV).

            20. “. . . . To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18 ESV).

JESUS! In Word and Song

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WEEK 36

THIS JESUS—

Who He Is_1

“He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory” (1 Tim 3:16 ESV).

JESUS is the ruler of GOD’s creation (Col 1:15)—He’s the Son of GOD (2 Cor 1:19). He’s the image of the invisible GOD (Col 1:15), the exact imprint (Heb 1:3). He is GOD’s mystery (Col 2:2)—the Cornerstone (Eph 2:20). He is “a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation”(Isa 28:16 ESV).

CHRIST is all and in all (Col 3:11)—fills all in all (Eph 1:23). Through Him are all things (1 Cor 8:6); He is heir of all things (Heb 1:2). He is head over all rule and authority (Col 2:9-10), and judges the living and the dead (2 Tim 4:1). Therefore He is called, “the Author of Life” (Acts 3:15). “Jesus is the Lord, the Maker and Upholder of all things in the universe.”1

All the fullness of Deity dwells in Him and through Him (Col 1:19-20). “[W]hat he naturally and necessarily enjoys [is] by a participation of the same undivided nature and essence with the Father and Spirit.”2

JESUS was anointed by GOD with the HOLY SPIRIT and power (Acts 10:38). He is both LORD and CHRIST (Acts 2:36)—Mediator between GOD and man (1 Tim 2:5).

The CHRIST is JESUS (Acts 5:42). On earth He was meek and gentle (2 Cor 10:1)—and suffered greatly (Acts 3:18)—to eventually be delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of GOD (Acts 2:23).

“Christ has the rights or privileges of the ‘first-born.’ [T]his does not mean that Jesus was the first being created for both the Father and the Son have always been.”3

It was impossible for Him to be held by death’s power (Acts 2:24). He was raised from the dead by the glory of the FATHER (Rom 6:4). Therefore He is the firstborn from the dead (Col 1:18) never to die again. Death no longer has dominion over Him (Rom 6:9). And He delivers those who fear death (Heb 2:5).

He has been exalted to the right hand of GOD (Acts 2:33); and is now Head of the body—the church (Col 1:18). His throne is forever and ever (Heb 1:8).

“While yet upon earth our dear Lord commenced that work of intercession for the sanctification of the church, which He ascended on high more fully to carry on. This was the burden of His prayer, ‘Sanctify them through thy truth’ (John 17:17).”4

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ENDNOTES

(36) This JESUS, the Cornerstone

            1. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2294.

2. John Gill, “Commentary on Colossians 1:19,” 1999, The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible, 22 February 2021 https://www.studylight.org/commentary/colossians/1-19.html#verse-geb.

            3. Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994) 243.

            4. Octavius Winslow, “Christ and Sanctification,” Free Grace Broadcaster 215 (2011) : 16.

            5. “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,” (Ephesians 2:20 ESV).

            6. “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11 ESV).

            7. “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things . . .” (Colossians 1:19-20 ESV).

            8. “ . . . Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father . . .” (Romans 6:4 ESV).

            9. “ . . . Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering. . .” (Ephesians 5:2 ESV).

            10. “God spoke . . . to us by his Son . . . the heir of all things” (Hebrews 1:2 ESV).

            11. “ . . . Christ . . . the head of all rule and authority” (Colossians 2:8,10 ESV).

            12. “ . . . the Son of God, Jesus Christ . . .” (2 Corinthians 1:19 ESV).

            13. “For by him all things were created . . .” (Colossians 1:16 ESV).

            14. “But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits . . .” (1 Corinthians 15:23 ESV).

            15. “And he is the head of the body, the church” (Colossians 1:18 ESV).

            16. “ . . . God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus . . .” (Acts 2:36 ESV).

            17. “ . . . God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power” (Acts 10:38 ESV).

            18. “And he . . .gave him as head over all things to the church,” (Ephesians 1:22 ESV).

            19. “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25 ESV).

            20. “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16 ESV).

            21. “and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses” (Acts 3:15 ESV).