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Sermon #65 — Ephesians Sermons

 

Title:   ÒChrist shall give thee light!Ó

 

Text:                           Ephesians 5:14

Subject:                     GodÕs Promise to Fallen Saints

Date:                          Tuesday Evening — April 11, 2017

Readings:     Bobbie Estes and David Burge

Introduction:

 

My text is Ephesians 5:14. You will find the title of my message in the last phrase of Ephesians 5:14.

 

(Ephesians 5:14) ÒWherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.Ó

 

ÒChrist shall give thee light!Ó That is GodÕs promise to all who heed his call to awake and arise from the dead. ⸺ ÒAwake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light!Ó The call is, ÒAwake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead!Ó The promise is, ÒChrist shall give the life!Ó What a blessed word from our God this is to our souls.

 

(Ephesians 5:14) ÒWherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.Ó

 

Addressed to Believers

 

Without question, the 5th chapter of Ephesians was addressed to GodÕs church, his elect, his saints in this world. It was written, not to unbelievers, but to believers. Ephesians 5:14 is specifically addressed to you, my brother, and to me. These words are addressed to you, my sister, and to me.

 

When we fall into that deathlike sleep of lethargy and indifference toward our dear Savior that so often seizes us, as in the beginning, when we were first born of God by the call of omnipotent mercy and irresistible grace, none but God can awaken us; and blessed be his name, he does!

 

(Ephesians 5:14) ÒWherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.Ó

 

Proposition: For GodÕs elect, for every believer, for every heaven-born soul, with every fall comes an awakening call of grace and the promise of grace.

á      HereÕs the call. ⸺ ÒAwake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead!Ó

á      HereÕs the promise. ⸺ ÒAnd Christ shall give thee light!Ó

 

Jeremiah 32

 

It is a great mercy of our Redeemer that he comes to awaken us when we sleep, to revive us when we are dead, to restore us when we are fallen. Blessed be his name forever, God our Savior has promisedÉ

 

(Jeremiah 32:37-42) ÒBehold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: (38) And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: (39) And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me forever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: (40) And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. (41) Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul. (42) For thus saith the LORD; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them

 

Micah 7

 

Read Ephesians 5:14 again.

 

(Ephesians 5:14) ÒWherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.Ó

 

When I read this call and this promise from our God, I cannot help remembering the words of GodÕs servant Micah in Micah 7:8-9.

 

(Micah 7:8-9) ÒRejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me. (9) I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.Ó

 

Great Mercy

 

Here is a great mercy of our God that we commonly fail to appreciate, a mercy for which none of us are sufficiently thankful. ⸺ The Lord God graciously hedges us about with strong restraints of providence and omnipotent grace, keeping his people from those grave, outward sins that give ZionÕs enemies occasion to blaspheme the name our God and mock his gospel. He plants his fear deep in the heart and causes a well of living water to flow through the soul, and keeps us (for the most part) from great acts of iniquity in our outward lives. How we ought to thank him for this great mercy every day, every hour, every moment! Yes, it is true thatÉ

  • Sometimes, man who has found grace in the eyes of the Lord will be found in a drunken stupor, with his shame uncovered, in naked sin before the reprobate; and the reprobate will have a hey-day exposing the shame. — (Noah and Ham)
  • Sometimes, a man of great faith will choose to pitch his tent toward Sodom and choose to stay in the chosen place of wickedness! — (Lot)
  • Sometimes, the mighty Samson will lay his head in DelilahÕs lap!
  • It has happened that a man after GodÕs own heart has committed adultery and even murder! — (David and Uriah)
  • Sometimes, even the wisest man upon the earth will bow to the will of a wicked wife and worship at the altar of an idol. — (Solomon)
  • Once in a while, a great preacher will deny the Lord Jesus. — (Peter)
  • Sometimes, the most soundly orthodox and most useful and used preacher will shave his head and take a Jewish vow! — (Paul)

 

Such sad falls do occur. They are plainly recorded in Holy Scripture for our learning and admonition. But they are not common occurrences. For the most part, GodÕs saints in this world are graciously kept from such outward displays of iniquity and sin.

  • By the Restraints His Grace!
  • By the Restraints His Providence!

 

Seven Times

 

Having said that, I must hasten to declare that though we are usually kept from grave and gross outward wickedness, the righteous do fall and all who are righteous know that they fall seven times. — ÒA just man falleth seven timesÓ (Proverbs 24:16). — ÒSeven times!Ó ⸺ That is to say, ÒIn the totality of his being, in all that he is and does, the righteous man, the just continually falls!Ó

 

ÒRejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD [shall be] a light unto me.Ó (Micah 7:8)

 

When Micah says, ÒWhen I fall,Ó he is not saying ÒI might possibly fall.Ó He was in the midst of describing his present fallen condition and asserting the certainty that he would fall again. Micah does not say, ÒIf I fall.Ó The faithful prophet says, ÒWhen I fall!Ó

 

MicahÕs Lamentation

 

Micah 7 begins with a sorrowful note of lamentation. — ÒWoe is me!Ó This mournful cry we often hear falling from the lips of truly faithful men in the Book of God. Unlike the Òhappy clappyÓ religious hypocrites of our day, who pretend that salvation is all sugar and smiles, faithful men are honest men.

 

When Isaiah saw Òthe Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple,Ó he cried out, as if pierced to the heart by a view of ChristÕs glory (John 12:41), ÒWoe is me! for I am undone — because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips — for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hostsÓ (Isaiah 6:5). Jeremiah expressed the same thing, when he cried, ÒWhat sadness is mine! É Oh, that I had died at birth!Ó (Jeremiah 15:10). When EzekielÕs roll was written within and without, there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe (Ezekiel 1:10).

 

What was the cause of MicahÕs lamentation? Why was he so mournful? There were many things that greatly disturbed him. Micah knew that the professed church of God was in a terribly low condition. Babylon was about to swallow up Zion! This faithful man greatly lamented the moral corruption and debauchery of the world in which he lived. That is clearly written in verse 2-6. But the thing that crushed him, the thing that broke his heart, the thing that brought him to his knees in humble, brokenness and contrition before God was his own, deeply felt, sense of the fact that his own soul was barren, unfruitful, and empty (v. 1).

 

ÒWoe is me! For I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: [there is] no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.Ó

 

There is no greater source of continual sorrow for GodÕs saints than the sense of our own barrenness. We would be fruitful in every good word and work. We would be Òfilled with those fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of GodÓ (Philippians 1:11). But when I contrast my own miserable, unprofitable condition, my coldness and deadness of heart, my proneness and propensity to every evil, my backwardness and disinclination to that which is good, my daily wanderings and departings from the living God, my depraved affections, sensual desires, carnal lusts, and over much love of this world, — When I contrast those glaring realities of life, which I cannot deny, with what I see and know should be the fruit grace growing in me as a fruitful branch in Christ, the only true Vine, I am compelled to cry with Micah, ÒWoe is me!Ó So it often is with GodÕs saints.

 

Isaiah — ÒFrom the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, [even] glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.Ó (Isaiah 24:16)

 

Job — ÒThou hast filled me with wrinkles, [which] is a witness [against me]: and my leanness rising up in me beareth witness to my face.Ó (Job 16:8)

 

Paul — ÒO wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?Ó (Romans 7:24)

 

Lamentations 3

 

Read the 3rd chapter of Lamentations and hear the cries of GodÕs weeping prophet, the cries of a broken-hearted sinner saved by GodÕs pure, free grace in Christ.

 

(Lamentations 3:1-20) ÒI [am] the man [that] hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. 2 He hath led me, and brought [me into] darkness, but not [into] light. 3 Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand [against me] all the day. 4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones. 5 He hath builded against me, and compassed [me] with gall and travail. 6 He hath set me in dark places, as [they that be] dead of old. 7 He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy. 8 Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer. 9 He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked. 10 He [was] unto me [as] a bear lying in wait, [and as] a lion in secret places. 11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate. 12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. 13 He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins. 14 I was a derision to all my people; [and] their song all the day. 15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood. 16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes. 17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity. 18 And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD: 19 Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. 20 My soul hath [them] still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.Ó

 

When Rebekah found two nations struggling in her womb, she asked (Genesis 25:22) the Lord a question every believer often asks — ÒWhy am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LordÓ This is exactly what Paul experienced (Romans 7:18-21).

 

ÒI know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing...The evil which I would not, that I do...When I would do good, evil is present with me.Ó — Why? Why am I in this condition? Why is sin so prominent in my nature? Why is evil always present with me? Why is there a constant warfare in my soul? These are questions that I am frequently asked by concerned souls who honestly acknowledge their sin. And these are questions I frequently ask myself.

 

The Word of God alone supplies us with the answer to them. — ÒThat which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spiritÓ (John 3:6). It is as simple and as profound as that. All true believers are people with two natures ÒFleshÓ and ÒSpirit.Ó Those two natures are constantly at war with one another. The spirit will never surrender to the flesh and the flesh will never bow to the spirit. We do not live after the flesh or walk in the flesh. We live after the Spirit and walk in the Spirit. And those who walk in the Spirit do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Yet, while we live in this world, we never escape those lusts. We will never be free from Òthe body of this deathÓ until we have dropped this body in death.

 

Three Reasons

 

Painful as this condition is, it is best for us, while we live in this world, that we live in this condition for three reasons.

  1. We must never forget that the only thing that distinguishes us from other people is the distinguishing grace of God (1 Corinthians 4:7).
  2. We must never forget that our only ground of acceptance with God is the blood and righteousness of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30).
  3. We must never become content with our existence in this world (2 Corinthians 5:1-9).

 

Two Armies

 

Turn to the 6th chapter of SolomonÕs Song, and hear how GodÕs Church describes herself. — Song of Solomon 6:13.

 

ÒReturn, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.Ó (Song of Solomon 6:13)

 

Four times the Lord Jesus says, ÒReturn, return, O Solyma, return, return.Ó How willing Christ is to have us in his fellowship and communion!

á      Return to me.

á      Return to your first simple faith.

á      Return to your first tender love.

á      Return to the place where we first met. — The Cross.

 

Now catch these next loving words. Our Lord says to his beloved, he says to you and me — ÒReturn, return, that we (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) may look upon thee.Ó Our dear Savior seems to say, ÒYou have not been with me much lately. You have neglected my Word. I have seldom heard your voice, or seen your face. Return, return unto me, that I may look upon you. If you return, I will look upon you again. I will show you my face again.Ó

á      We will look upon you in love.

á      We will look upon you in forgiveness.

á      We will look upon you in kindness.

á      We will look upon you in pleasantness and satisfaction.

 

But then, in the second part of verse 13, we hear the bride, the church, the people of God speaking. Being convinced of her own sin, being full of shame, she confesses her frustration with herself. She thinks that there is no beauty in her, nothing in her that he could want to see. — ÒWhat will ye see in Solyma? As it were the company of two armies.Ó

 

She is saying, ÒThere is nothing in me but conflict and confusion. In my heart two armies are at war. If you look upon me, you will see a raging battle, good fighting evil, light contending with darkness. I am not worth looking upon. I am a house divided against itself.Ó Is there something in that language that you can relate to, something that is true to your experience?

 

I know this. ⸺ This is a true and accurate description of GodÕs people. All GodÕs elect experience inward conflicts between the flesh and the Spirit continually.[1]

 

Divisions: —— I want to talk to you, in the time that remains, very plainly and honestly about the falls of GodÕs saints, these inward conflicts which cause us so much pain and trouble.

1.    These inward conflicts are facts in every believerÕs life.

2.    This conflict is caused by and begins with regeneration.

3.    These inward conflicts do have some good effects.

4.    These inward conflicts have their comforts, because Òwhen I fall I shall ariseÓ and Òwhen I sit in darkness the Lord shall be a Light unto me.Ó ⸺ ÒChrist shall give thee light!Ó

5.    These inward conflicts will soon be over.

 

A Fact of Life

 

1stThese inward conflicts are facts in every believerÕs life. The believerÕs life is not all sweets. It is not all joy and peace. Faith in Christ will bring some bitter conflicts, which will cause GodÕs child much pain, much toil, and many tears. All of you who are GodÕs children know what I am talking about. The struggles between the flesh and the Spirit are evident enough to you. To the unbelieving, unregenerate religionists, true Christians are confusing paradoxes.

á      We are the happiest and the most mournful people in the world.

á      We are the holiest and the most sinful.

á      We are the richest and the poorest.

á      We are men and women who possess perfect peace, yet we are always at war.

 

We see this conflict throughout the Song of Solomon (1:5; 3:1; 5:2).

 

Song of Songs 1:5 ÒI am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.Ó

 

Song of Songs 3:1 ÒBy night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.Ó

 

Song of Songs 5:2 ÒI sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.Ó

 

We see these inward conflicts throughout the Psalms of David (Psalms 42, 43, 73).

 

We see this inward warfare in PaulÕs description of his own daily experience of grace (Romans 7:14-25; Galatians 5:16-18).

 

(Romans 7:14-25) ÒFor we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. (15) For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. (16) If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. (17) Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (18) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. (19) For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. (20) Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (21) I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. (22) For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: (23) But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. (24) O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (25) I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.Ó

 

(Galatians 5:16-18) ÒThis I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (17) For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. (18) But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.Ó

 

And we see these terrible inward conflicts in the many, relentless, unending inward falls of our own souls in our daily experience of GodÕs great grace super-abounding over our relentlessly abounding sin. Throughout the centuries, GodÕs saints of old had the same struggles that you and I now have.

á      John Bunyan wrote a book about his conflicts of heart and soul — The Holy War.

á      Richard Sibbes wrote another book entitled — The SoulÕs Conflict.

á      We all have a corrupt nature within us, a nature that can do nothing but sin.

á      We also have within us a righteous nature, which would draw us into perfect conformity and union with Christ.

á      Between these two forces of good and evil there is no peace (1 John 3:7-9).

 

1 John 3:7-9 ÒLittle children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.Ó

 

Two Natures

 

2ndThis conflict is caused by and begins in regeneration. A new nature has been planted within us; but the old nature is not eradicated. Do not think for a moment that the old nature dies in regeneration, or even that it gets better. ÒFlesh is flesh.Ó (Noah, Lot, David, Peter.)

 

We need no proof of what I am saying beyond an honest examination of our own hearts and lives.

á      Our Thoughts

á      Our Prayers

á      Our Bible Reading

á      Our Worship

á      Our Love of Self

á      Our Love of the World

 

From time to time we have all found by bitter experience the truthfulness of the hymn —

 

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it!

Prone to leave the God I love:

HereÕs my heart, O take and seal it,

Seal it for Thy courts above.

 

Good For Us

 

3rd ⸺ God could remove all this evil from us; but he chooses not to do so, because these inward conflicts do have some good effect. Without question, we will look back upon these days of great evil with gratitude, and see the wisdom and goodness of God in all of our struggles with sin.

  • Our struggles with sin humble us and curb our pride.
  • Our struggles with sin make us lean upon Christ alone — ÒSalvation is of the Lord!Ó — ÒChrist is all!Ó
  • Our struggles with sin cause us to prize the faithfulness of our God (Lamentations 3).
  • Our struggles with sin upon this earth will make the glorious victory of heaven sweeter (2 Corinthians 4:18).
  • Our struggles with sin make us rejoice to know that Òsalvation is of the Lord

 

It may be that we will one day see that God allowed us to fall into one evil to keep us from a greater evil; or to make us more useful in his hands.

á      PeterÕs Fall, Restoration, and Usefulness

á      PaulÕs Vow (Acts 21:26) then Galatians and Colossians

 

Assured Grace

 

4thThese inward conflicts have their comforts, too, because Òwhen I fall I shall ariseÓ and Òwhen I sit in darkness the Lord shall be a Light unto me.Ó ⸺ Go back to Ephesians 5:14.

 

(Ephesians 5:14) ÒWherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light

 

I remind you, that is exactly what Micah said. Hear the prophetÕs words, again, and rejoice and give thanks, if you can enter into them.

 

ÒRejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD [shall be] a light unto me.Ó

 

á      We have a great enemy (Satan, the Devil, Apollyon) who rejoices and taunts us when we fall (Revelation 12; Zechariah 3)

á      ÒWhen I fall,Ó I cannot fall from grace! I cannot fall from my SaviorÕs arms! I cannot fall into hell!

á      ÒWhen I fall, I shall arise!Ó

á      ÒWhen I sit in darkness the LORD shall be a Light unto me!Ó

 

Blessed Light

 

What blessed light our dear Savior gives our poor, fallen, falling souls! Look at the 6th chapter of the Song of Solomon again. ⸺ Song of Solomon 6:13.

 

The Lord Jesus, having returned to his beloved church, courts her, wooing her heart, and invites her to return to him. ⸺ ÒReturn, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee.Ó

 

Solomon chose his bride and espoused her to himself, giving her his name. ÒShulamiteÓ should be translated ÒSolyma.Ó The Hebrew word is the feminine of the name ÒSolomon.Ó

 

The Lord Jesus Christ has made us so thoroughly one with himself that he has given us his name. He is our Solomon, and we are his Solyma. (Compare Jeremiah 23:6 and 33:16). All that our Lord Jesus Christ is, he has made us to be by his mighty operations of grace, making us one with himself.

 

á      This name ÒShulamiteÓ or ÒSolymaÓ means ÒPerfection.Ó ⸺ We are perfect in Christ. We are complete in him. Being washed in his blood, we are spotless. Being robed in his righteousness, we are glorious, holy, and pure.

 

á      This name ÒShulamiteÓ or ÒSolymaÓ also means ÒPeace.Ó ⸺ ÒTherefore, being justified, by faith we have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord.Ó We are no longer at enmity with God. Our consciences no longer accuse us. Peace has been made for us with God. The warfare is ended. GodÕs sword has been sheathed in our SaviorÕs heart. Justice no longer cries against us, but for us.

 

Blessed End

 

5thThese inward conflicts will soon be over; and they shall have a blessed end (Philippians 1:6; Jude 24-25).

á      We shall be free from sin.

á      We shall be perfect.

á      We shall be triumphant.

á      ÒAnd Christ shall give thee light!Ó ⸺ Oh, what light that light shall be!

 

(Jude 1:24-25) ÒNow unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.Ó

 

Application

 

I give you this one word of admonition — ÒKeep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal lifeÓ (Jude 1:21). Rest your soul upon Christ. He is your Sabbath!

 

ÒThere hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].Ó (1 Corinthians 10:13)

 

Be assured, my brother, be assured, my sister, be assured, oh, my soul, be assured ⸺ as a direct result of our many, countless temptations, trials, afflictions, and falls, heaven shall be more glorious than it could otherwise have been.

 

(2 Corinthians 4:17-18) ÒFor our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; (18) While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.Ó

 

(1 Peter 1:3-9) ÒBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (4) To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, (5) Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (6)  Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: (7)  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: (8) Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: (9) Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.Ó

 

(Micah 7:7-10) ÒTherefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. (8) Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me. (9) I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. (10) Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the LORD thy God? Mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.Ó

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

Don Fortner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[1] A man that is regenerate and born of God consisteth of two men, namely the Òold man,Ó and the Ònew man.Ó So, that one man, inasmuch as he is corrupt with the seed of the serpent, is an Òold man;Ó and inasmuch as he is blessed with the seed of God from above, he is a Ònew man.Ó Inasmuch as he is an Òold man,Ó he is a sinner and an enemy to God. So, inasmuch as he is regenerate, he is righteous and holy and a friend to God, so that he cannot sin. One man therefore which is regenerate well may be called always just, and always sinful: just in respect of GodÕs seed and his regeneration; sinful in respect of SatanÕs seed and his first birth.

 — John Bradford