J.C. Ryle: The Promises of God

How many times have we been let down by someone who has not kept their word?  How many times have we let others down?  Unfortunately, this is the reality of living in a sinful world.  But praise be to God who does not lie or fail to do what He has said.  May these words from J.C. Ryle be an encouragement and reminder to God's people of His greatness, power, goodness, and reliability.

"There is one grand difference between the promises of Adam's children and the promises of God, which ought never to be forgotten.  The promises of man are not sure to be fulfilled.  With the best wishes and intentions, he cannot always keep his word.  Disease and death may step in like an armed man, and take away from this world him that promises.  War or pestilence or famine or failure of crops or hurricanes may strip him of his property, and make it impossible for him to fulfill his engagements.  The promises of God, on the contrary, are certain to be kept.  He is almighty; nothing can prevent His doing what He has said.  He never changes; He is always 'of one mind,' and with Him there is 'no variableness or shadow of turning' (Job 23:13; James 1:17).  He will always keep His word.  There is one thing which, as a little girl once told her teacher, to her surprise, God cannot do.  'It is impossible for God to lie' (Heb. 6:18).  The most unlikely and improbably things when God has once said He will do them, have always come to pass.  The destruction of the old world by a flood and the preservation of Noah in the ark, the birth of Isaac, the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, the raising of David to the throne of Saul, the miraculous birth of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, the scattering of the Jews all over the earth, and their continued preservation as a distinct people - who could imagine events more unlikely and improbable than these?  Yet God said they should be and in due time they all came to pass.  In truth, with God it is just as easy to do a thing as to say it.  Whatever He promises, He is certain to perform."

Grace Through Christ

“Charles Spurgeon and Joseph Parker both had churches in London in the 19th century. On one occasion, Parker commented on the poor condition of children admitted to Spurgeon's orphanage. It was reported to Spurgeon however, that Parker had criticized the orphanage itself. Spurgeon blasted Parker the next week from the pulpit. The attack was printed in the newspapers and became the talk of the town. People flocked to Parker's church the next Sunday to hear his rebuttal. ‘I understand Dr. Spurgeon is not in his pulpit today, and this is the Sunday they use to take an offering for the orphanage. I suggest we take a love offering here instead.’ The crowd was delighted. The ushers had to empty the collection plates 3 times. Later that week there was a knock at Parker's study. It was Spurgeon. ‘You know Parker, you have practiced grace on me. You have given me not what I deserved, you have given me what I needed’ (Moody Monthly, December, 1983, p. 81.).”

John 1:14-18 speaks to the grace of Christ given to the children of God.  What is grace?  How should the children of God view this grace in light of their sinfulness?  What is the importance of this grace in our relationship with Christ?  How does this grace affect our every day lives?

Join us this week as we strive together to understand, grasp, and attempt to live out the words of God in John 1:14-18.  May the Spirit prepare each of us hear His truth and to live it out.

Striving to know Christ and make Him known,

The Light

“In 1866, Robert J. Thomas left from China on a mission to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Korea.  Filled with a love for the Korean people and a desire for the light of God’s love to shine among them, he boarded an American ship bound for he city of Pyongyang with a large supply of Chinese Bibles.  As the ship drew near to that city, however, a fight broke out between the American ship and the Korean coast guard.  The ship was burned and all the passengers were killed, except for Thomas.  As the ship sank, he struggled to reach the shore.  He staggered to the beach, his arms filled with as many Bibles as he could carry without drowning. When Korean soldiers came to Thomas, he thrust the Bibles into their hands, after which they clubbed him to death” (Richard D. Phillips).

What would drive a man to give his life for a people he had never met?  In this case, the gospel message.  More specifically, Jesus Christ and the desire to make Him known to the Korean people.  The book of John reveals the Word (Jesus Christ) as the true light which has the power to change people.  And His willingness to die so that we may become children of God.

Join us this week at ElmCreek Community Church as we look into God’s Word in the gospel of John.  May we be prayerfully prepared to hear what He has to tell us.

Striving to know Christ and make Him known.

The Word

The force of gravity is very straightforward.  If you drop an object from any height it will fall to the ground.  But by looking at the elements which make up the force of gravity (matter, space, time, mass, etc.) we begin to see the complexity of what just moments ago seemed so simple.

The first five verses of the gospel of John seem on the surface very simple, but each phrase is deeply spiritual and pushes us to learn more about our God.  John uses words such as “in the beginning” and “Word” and “light” and “darkness.”  And where these words come from and how John uses them to describe Jesus Christ drives us into a deeper relationship and understanding of Jesus Christ.  What moments ago seemed simple is revealed as complex and powerful.

Join us this week as we dig into God’s Word by reading and studying John 1:1-5.  I would encourage each of us to read through these verses, if not the whole first chapter in preparation for our time together.  May the Spirit guide us and may we grow in our faith and love in the Lord as we read His Word together.

Striving to know Christ and make Him known,