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JESUS! In Word and Song

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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).

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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).

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WEEK 35

CHRIST, NOW HEAD OF THE CHURCH

The Pentecostal outpouring was Heaven’s communication that the Redeemer’s inauguration was accomplished. According to His promise He had sent the Holy Spirit from heaven to His followers as a token that He had, as priest and king, received all authority in heaven and on earth, and was the Anointed One over His people.1

“[I]n Messiah Jesus alone dwells the Plenitude of the Godhead, that He is the only Mediator, the only Saviour, the Head of the Church, the Source of life; that whatever celestial beings exist are subjected to Him.”2

“Jesus Christ is preeminent over all creation, Lord over all human rulers and cosmic powers.”3 “Through his sacrificial death, Jesus Christ has conquered Satan, the accuser, and has ransomed people from every nation.”4 “World history, including its woes and disasters, is firmly in the control of Jesus, the victorious Lamb.”5

“[I]mmortal God and mortal man is the only Saviour of the world.”6

“[T]he God of our Lord Jesus Christ seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body” (Eph 1:17,20-23 ESV).

“He is the image of the invisible God. And he is the head of the body, the church, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Col 1:15,18,20 ESV).

“Christ is Lord over all creation, including the invisible realm. He has secured the redemption for his people, enabling them to participate with him in his death, resurrection, and fullness.”7

“’Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!’” (Rev 5:12 ESV).

“It is impossible to overvalue Christ.”8

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ENDNOTES

(35) King of Kings, JESUS

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

            2. Arthur S. Way, Letters of Paul, Hebrews and the Book of Psalms (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1901, 1981) 164.

            3. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2290.

            4. ESV Study Bible, 2455.

            5. ESV Study Bible.

            6. Horatius Bonar, Words Old and New (Carlisle, PA: THE BANNER OF TRUTH TRUST, 1866, 1994) 85.

            7. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2089.

            8. I.D.E. Thomas, ed., Puritan Daily Devotional Chronicles (Oklahoma City, OK: Hearthstone Publishing, Ltd., 1995) 152.

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

            10. “ . . . in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, . . .” (Hebrews 1:2 ESV).

            11. “ . . . ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!’” (Revelation 5:12 ESV).

            12. “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion . . . not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:21 ESV).

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

            14. Horatius Bonar, Words Old and New (Carlisle, PA: THE BANNER OF TRUTH TRUST, 1866, 1994) 85.

            15. Bonar, 232.

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WEEK 34

THE MEDIATOR

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

The Father gave a people to the Son, and the Son voluntarily made Himself responsible to God for them. God the Father said He would grant forgiveness, reconciliation, restoration, new life, and a new nature to all who belonged to His Son. The condition was that the Son should come into the world and take human nature and the sin of mankind upon Himself to bear its punishment, stand for them, represent them, and suffer for them.1

Because we were alienated from God by sin, we needed someone to come between God and ourselves and bring us back to him. We needed a mediator who could represent us to God and who could represent God to us. There is only one person who has ever fulfilled that requirement: ‘There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus’ (1 Tim 2:5). In order to fulfill this role of mediator, Jesus had to be fully man as well as fully God.2

“The grand end of Christ’s mediation is the appeasing of God’s anger and the securing of His favor. He is the Advocate with the Father on behalf of His sinning people, pleading His righteousness and blood for them.”3

“The Lord Jesus is the anointed Mediator.”4 “Christ presents His people before God as those who are inestimably dear unto Him. He not only died for them, but lives for them (Rom 5:10). He died to render satisfaction to God on their behalf; He lives to keep them secure.”5

Christ sits at God’s right hand as no silent and inactive Spectator, but as an industrious and mighty Intercessor: to prevent the sins of His people making any breach, to preserve a perpetual amity between God and them. Thus we have ‘a Friend at court’ who spreads before the Father the odours of His merits as the all-sufficient answer to every indictment which Satan prefers against us. He requests not the Father to show mercy at the expense of justice.  There is no compromise of holiness in God’s pardoning His children, for Christ made full atonement for all their sins.6

[Christ’s] mediation on the throne is as real and indispensable as on the cross. [I]t engages all His time and powers [and] is His unceasing occupation at the right hand of the Father. And we participate not only in the benefits of this His work, but in the work itself.7

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ENDNOTES

(34) I See a Man at GOD’s Right Hand

            1. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “God’s Great Plan of Redemption,” Free Grace Broadcaster 236 (summer 2016) : 3.

            2. Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994) 541.

            3. A.W. Pink, 1 John, Part One 1:1-2:11 (Pensacola, FL: Chapel Library, 2005) 123.

            4. Charles Spurgeon, “God’s Purpose Consummated,” Free Grace Broadcaster 236 (summer 2016) : 27.

            5. A.W. Pink, 1 John, Part One 1:1-2:11 (Pensacola, FL: Chapel Library, 2005) 120.

            6. Pink, 120-122.

            7. Andrew Murray, “With Christ in the School of Prayer,” PC Study Bible by Biblesoft, Inc, 2003, twenty-sixth lesson.

            8. Horatius Bonar, “I See A Man at God’s Right Hand,” 1872 Hymnary, 20 February 2021 https://hymnary.org/text/i_see_a_man_at_gods_right_hand.

            9. “Oh the Valley,” music and melody, author unknown.

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WEEK 33

APOSTLES DAY

“Then [Jesus] opened [the Apostles] minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in [my] name. You are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:45-48 ESV).

The Holy Spirit energized the hearts and minds of the apostles in their ministry, helping them to produce the NT Scripture. The disciples had failed to understand many things about Jesus and what He taught, but because of his supernatural work, they came to an inerrant and accurate understanding of the Lord and His work and recorded it in the gospels and the rest of the NT Scriptures.1

“The Holy Spirit was to be given them in its fullness, sealing them for their work.”2 “So long as they obeyed His word, and worked in connection with Him, they could not fail.”3

The Sent One (Jesus) has now become the Sender, commissioning his followers to serve as his messengers and representatives. All three persons of the Godhead are involved in this commissioning: as the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus sends his disciples equipping them with the Holy Spirit.4

“The whole position of the Apostles is that they have something to declare, something to say. They have seen something, they are reporting it. [I]t is a proclamation; there is an urge and an authority behind it.”5

“The disciples were to carry their work forward in Christ’s name. Their every word and act was to fasten attention on His name, as possessing that vital power by which sinners may be saved.”6

They told that ancient world of certain things which had happened; they talked about a person, and they reported what had happened to Him. And with a very special emphasis, they told people of the amazing fact of the Resurrection; how this person, Jesus of Nazareth—who had been completely misunderstood, not only by the common people, but by the rulers and elders of the people—how He had been put to death. But, they said, God had raised Him from the dead, and He had manifested Himself to them, His chosen witnesses.7

“[The Apostles] had the amazing privilege of seeing Him, of hearing Him, of examining Him and touching Him and listening to Him.”8

“The authority of the Apostles in the Church was unquestionable from the very beginning. Their powers were derived from Christ Himself. They preached boldly and acted as His representatives, teaching and speaking ‘in the Holy Spirit.’”9

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ENDNOTES

(33) Stay Close on His Heels

            1. John MacArthur, One Perfect Life (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012) 415.

2. Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1911) 30.

            3. White, 29.

            4. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2070.

            5. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Life in Christ, Studies in 1 John (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2002) 45.

            6. Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1911) 28.

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

            8. Lloyd-Jones, 51.

            9. Rev. Fr. Andrew G. George, “Feast of the Twelve Apostles,” Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, 1 September 2021 https://www.goarch.org/-/feast-of-the-twelve-apostles?inheritRedirect=true.

            10. Horatius Bonar, Words Old and New (Carlisle, PA: THE BANNER OF TRUTH TRUST, 1866, 1994) 57.

            11. “In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,” (Ephesians 1:11 ESV).

            12. “To the sound of musicians . . . they repeat the righteous triumphs of the LORD . . .” (Judges 5:11 ESV).

            13. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses . . .” (Acts 1:8 ESV).

            14. “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).

            15. “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5 ESV).

            16. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses . . .” (Acts 1:8 ESV).

            17. “In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,” (Ephesians 1:11 ESV).

            18. “’This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,’” (Hebrews 10:16 ESV).

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WEEK 32

THE CROSS STILL STANDS

“Responsive readings can be beneficial because they invoke the congregation in voicing the sacred text.”1

These paragraphs are to be recited before the start of each verse:

VERSE 1:

“God sent His only begotten, dearly loved Son into this world in order that He might go to the cross. It was God who sent Him. It was God who smote Him and struck Him and gave Him the punishment that we deserved.”2

“Why did God bruise his Son? He did it to resolve the dissonance between his love for his glory and his love for sinners.”3 “The cross of Christ justifies God; he remains holy because He has punished sin in the death, the shed blood, of His Son.”4

VERSE 2:

“In the Old Testament the Israelites transferred their guilt to a lamb, and then the lamb was killed.”9

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life” (Lev 17:11 ESV).

“God has provided His own sacrifice; it is His own Son.”10

“[Jesus] carried up to the Cross our sins in His body and offered himself there as on an altar (1 Peter 2:24).”11

VERSE 3:

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10 ESV).

“The cross tells me that I am a complete failure, and that I am such a failure that He had to come from heaven not merely to teach and preach in this world, but to die on that cross. Nothing else could save us.”14

“It is the cross alone that saves any one of us from the destruction that is coming to the world.”15

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ENDNOTES

(32) I Will Praise the Cross

            1. 1 ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2575.

2. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Walking With God Day by Day (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2003) April 23rd.

            3. John Piper, The Pleasures of GOD (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, Inc., 1991, 2000) 161.

            4. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Life in Christ, Studies in 1 John (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2002) 134.

5. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Walking With God Day by Day (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2003) April 23rd.

            6. Lloyd-Jones, April 23rd.

            7. Lloyd-Jones.

            8. Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1911) 333.

            9. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Walking With God Day by Day (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2003) April 3rd.

            10. Lloyd-Jones, April 3rd.

            11. Kenneth S. Wuest, The New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1961) 554.

            12. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life” (Leviticus 17:11 ESV).

            13. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Walking With God Day by Day (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2003) April 3rd.

            14. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, April 14

            15. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, April 11th.

            16. Lloyd-Jones.

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WEEK 31

GOD’S MASTER PLAN

[H]ere are you and I, miserable worms in this world, miserable worms with our arrogance and our pride and our appalling ignorance. We deserve nothing but to be blotted off the face of the earth. But what has happened is that before the foundation of the world this blessed God considered us, considered our condition, considered what would happen to us and planned a way whereby we might be forgiven and redeemed.1

“God’s act of choosing His people in Christ was without the consideration of the fall, nor was it upon the foresight and footing of works, but was wholly of grace, and all to the praise and glory of it.”2

“[I]n love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,” (Eph 1:4-5 ESV). “God predestined his elect to redemption and holiness in Christ according to the free council of his will.”3

“God has imputed the believer’s sin to Christ and God imputes Christ’s righteousness to the believer.”4 “[We] are pardoned because [our] sin is punished in Christ. And [we] are restored because his righteousness becomes [ours].”5

“Christianity rest on an unveiling of the hidden Creator Himself.”6 “[B]eing creatures, we cannot know God unless He acts to make Himself known to us. Even Adam in Eden needed direct divine speech to make known to him all God’s will.”7 “God created man in his own image. And God blessed them. And God said to them . . . And God said . . . ”(Gen 1:27-29 ESV).

“Revelation does not mean man finding God, but God finding man, God sharing His secrets with us, God showing us Himself.”8

It always bothers me when we gather for worship and people say things like, ‘Lord, we invite you into our presence.’ When we should be humbly thanking him for allowing us into his presence. You see, proper worship begins with a proper perspective of who we are and who God is. When we gather to worship, it’s good for us to remember that God is not in our presence, we are in his.9

“He is a friend to us, and we to Him, He finding His joy in giving us gifts and we finding ours in giving Him thanks.”10

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ENDNOTES

(31) GOD’s Love Self-generated

            1. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “God’s Great Plan of Redemption,” Free Grace Broadcaster 236 (summer 2016) : 4.

            2. A.W. Pink, “The Mediator Chosen,” Free Grace Broadcaster 236 (summer 2016) : 25.

            3. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2260.

            4. ESV Study Bible, 2231.

            5. G. I. Williamson, The Westminster Confession of Faith for Study Classes (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing Company, 1964, 2004) 105.

            6. J.I. Packer, God Has Spoken (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979) 45.

            7. Packer, 53-55.

8. Packer, 46.

            9. Denny Johnson, “The Intimacy of God’s Sovereignty,” NHC sermon notes, 7 February 2021: 4.

            10. Packer, 50.

            11. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Life in Christ, Studies in 1 John (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2002) 550-551.

            12. Horatius Bonar, Words Old and New (Carlisle, PA: THE BANNER OF TRUTH TRUST, 1866, 1994) 126-127.

            13. “ . . . Jesus Christ—Loyal Witness, Firstborn from the dead, Ruler of all earthly kings” (Rev 1:4-7 MSG).

            14. Isaac Watts, “Jesus Shall Reign,” 1719, Hymnary, 19 February 2021 https://hymnary.org/text/jesus_shall_reign_whereer_the_sun.

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WEEK 30

GOD BEFORE THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE WORLD

[L]ong ere the day-star knew its place, before God had spoken existence out of nothing, before angel’s wing had stirred the unnavigated ether, before a solitary song had disturbed the solemnity of the silence in which God reigned supreme, He had entered into solemn council with Himself, His Son, and His Spirit and had in that council decreed, determined, proposed, and predestinated the salvation of His people.1

“God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun” (Rom 8:29-30 MSG).

“God chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world according to the purpose of his will” (Eph 1:3-5 ESV).

“God’s great love has been manifested in what He has done for us in and through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”2 “God created the world so we could share in the joy of knowing him.”3

“It is a superlative honor that Christ is the channel through which all the grace and glory we have, or shall have, flows to us, and was set up as such from the beginning.”4

“[T]he mystery hidden for ages and generations [is] now revealed to his saints. [T]his mystery is Christ in you”(Col 1:26-27 ESV).

To make sure that the FATHER had a people to shower His love on, He selected His elect before He created them, cementing all His purposes in stone before He set up the world—making sure the ones He purchased would not (could not) fall away from Him.  Through His Son’s work and drawing His people to accept His plan in faith, He will always have a people to love. 

God is able to work out his sovereign will within the distinctive characteristics of what he has created. He moves a rock as a rock, and moves a human heart as a human heart. He does not turn a person into a thing when he brings about his sovereign intentions in a person’s life. Paul describes sanctification as the result of both human effort and ultimate divine enabling. He sees no conflict between divine and human activity. Rather, God is uniquely able to bring about his purposes within human beings so that they are fully engaged as persons and responsible for their own decisions, attitudes, and actions.5

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ENDNOTES

(30) To GOD Be Glory Forevermore

            1. Charles Spurgeon, “God’s Covenant in Eternity,” Free Grace Broadcaster 236 (summer 2016) : 5.

            2. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Life in Christ, Studies in 1 John (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2002) 517.

            3. Bob Kauflin, Worship Matters (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2008) 176.

            4. A.W. Pink, “The Mediator Chosen,” Free Grace Broadcaster 236 (summer 2016) : 27.

            5. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2529.

            6. Charles Spurgeon, “God’s Covenant in Eternity,” Free Grace Broadcaster 236 (summer 2016) : 5.

            7. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2529.

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WEEK 29

BETWEEN RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION

“Christ had finished the work that was given Him to do. He had gathered out those who were to continue His work among men.”1

They were to work as He had worked, depending on Him for strength. Though their way would be obstructed by apparent impossibilities, yet by His grace they were to go forward, despairing of nothing and hoping for everything. 2

GOD, the FATHER, provided a transition for the confused followers of CHRIST between His resurrection and ascension—“[T]he 40-day period when Jesus prepared the disciples for their witness.”3 “He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God”(Acts 1:3 ESV).

This good news about the Kingdom of GOD is called the gospel. “It perceives this as saving acts of God due to the work of Jesus on the cross and Jesus’ resurrection from the dead which bring reconciliation between people and God.”4

[T]he gospel in Acts represents the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s kingdom promises. The “kingdom of God” means the present spiritually directed reign of God, gradually transforming individual lives and entire cultures through the power of the Holy Spirit.5

[W]hen Christ’s work on earth was accomplished, Christ was exalted to the second highest position of authority in the universe, namely, at the right hand of God, with ruling power delegated to him by God the Father. Then Christ received authority from the Father to send the Holy Spirit. Jesus himself poured out the Holy Spirit on the disciples in a new and more powerful way.6

“And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh” (Acts 2:17 ESV).

[T]his powerful new work of the Holy Spirit after Pentecost brought several beneficial results: more effectiveness in witness and ministry, effective proclamation of the gospel, power for victory over sin, power for victory over Satan and demonic forces, and a wide distribution of gifts for ministry.7

After the descent of the Holy Spirit, the disciples were so filled with love for [Christ] and for those for whom He died, that hearts were melted by the words they spoke and the prayers they offered. They spoke in the power of the Spirit; and under the influence of that power, thousands were converted. 8

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ENDNOTES

(29) Far Above What I Could Ever Think

            1. Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1911) 24.

            2. White, 23.

3. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2080.

            4. “Gospel,” Wikipedia, Wikipedia, 18 February 2021 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_gospel.

            5. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2080.

            6. ESV Study Bible, 2085.

            7. ESV Study Bible, 2081.

            8. Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1911) 22, brackets mine.

            9. “Rejoice in the Lord Always Again I Say Rejoice,” Hymnary, 18 February 2021 https://hymnary.org/text/rejoice_in_the_lord_always_and_again_i_s.

            10. “Rejoice in the Lord Always Again I Say Rejoice.”