The Last Days in The Bible

1 Timothy 3:1-5, 13-16
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

Bible Study The Holy Spirit & Christ Jesus

Philippians 3:12. No vital act of faith can be exercised until a vital principle is first communicated to us. Thus, Christ is in the believer by His Spirit; the believer is in Christ by faith. Christ is in the believer by inhabitation; the believer is in Christ by implantation (Rom. 6:3-5). Christ is in the believer as the head is in the body; we are in Christ as the members are in the head.

"He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit" with Him (1 Cor. 6:17). The same Spirit which is in the Head is in the members of His mystical body, a vital union being effected between them. Christ is in Heaven, we upon earth, but the Spirit being omnipresent is the connecting link. "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles" (1 Cor. 12:13)—what could be plainer than that? "Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit" (1 John 4:13). Thus, Christ is unto His people a Head not only of government, but also of influence. Though the ties which connect the Redeemer and the redeemed are spiritual and invisible, yet are they so real and intimate that He lives in them and they live in Him, for "the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2).

"But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Rom. 8:11), and this, because the Spirit is the bond of union between us and Christ. Because there is the same Spirit in the Head and in His members, He will therefore work the same effects in Him and in us. If the Head rise, the members will follow after, for they are appointed to be conformed unto Him (Rom. 8:29)—in obedience and suffering now, in happiness and glory hereafter. Christ was raised by the Spirit of holiness (Rom. 1:4), and so shall we be—the earnest of which we have already received when brought from death unto life.

A Great Place for You

Psalm 91

1He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

4He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

5Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

6Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

7A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

8Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

9Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

10There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

11For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

12They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

13Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

14Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

15He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

16With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

A Real Concern for The Future

James 5
Warning to Rich Oppressors
1 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.[a] 6 You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.
Patience in Suffering
7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.
The Prayer of Faith
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Footnotes:

The Word of God Today

Matthew 26:1-25
1 And it came to pass , when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, 2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified . 3 Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. 5 But they said , Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people. 6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. 8 But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation , saying , To what purpose is this waste? 9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. 10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. 11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. 12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial . 13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done , be told for a memorial of her. 14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, 15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him. 17 Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover? 18 And he said , Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith , My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover. 20 Now when the even was come , he sat down with the twelve. 21 And as they did eat , he said , Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. 22 And they were exceeding sorrowful , and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? 23 And he answered and said , He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. 24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed ! it had been good for that man if he had not been born . 25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said , Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said .
Numbers 35:1-34
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying , 2 Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in ; and ye shall give also unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them. 3 And the cities shall they have to dwell in ; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts. 4 And the suburbs of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about. 5 And ye shall measure from without the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits; and the city shall be in the midst: this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities. 6 And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer , that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities. 7 So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities: them shall ye give with their suburbs. 8 And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have many ye shall give many ; but from them that have few ye shall give few : every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth . 9 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying , 10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan; 11 Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares. 12 And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger ; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment. 13 And of these cities which ye shall give six cities shall ye have for refuge. 14 Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge. 15 These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither. 16 And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die , he is a murderer : the murderer shall surely be put to death . 17 And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die , and he die , he is a murderer : the murderer shall surely be put to death . 18 Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die , and he die , he is a murderer : the murderer shall surely be put to death . 19 The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer : when he meeteth him, he shall slay him. 20 But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die ; 21 Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die : he that smote him shall surely be put to death ; for he is a murderer : the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer , when he meeteth him. 22 But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait, 23 Or with any stone, wherewith a man may die , seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die , and was not his enemy , neither sought his harm: 24 Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments: 25 And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he was fled : and he shall abide in it unto the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil. 26 But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled ; 27 And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer ; he shall not be guilty of blood: 28 Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession. 29 So these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 30 Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die . 31 Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer , which is guilty of death : but he shall be surely put to death . 32 And ye shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest. 33 So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. 34 Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit , wherein I dwell : for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.
Numbers 36:1-13
1 And the chief fathers of the families of the children of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near , and spake before Moses, and before the princes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel: 2 And they said , The LORD commanded my lord to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel: and my lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother unto his daughters. 3 And if they be married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then shall their inheritance be taken from the inheritance of our fathers, and shall be put to the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall it be taken from the lot of our inheritance. 4 And when the jubile of the children of Israel shall be, then shall their inheritance be put unto the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers. 5 And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the LORD, saying , The tribe of the sons of Joseph hath said well. 6 This is the thing which the LORD doth command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying , Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry. 7 So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. 8 And every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers. 9 Neither shall the inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; but every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep himself to his own inheritance. 10 Even as the LORD commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad: 11 For Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married unto their father's brothers' sons: 12 And they were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father. 13 These are the commandments and the judgments, which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses unto the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.
Job 3:1-26
1 After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day. 2 And Job spake , and said , 3 Let the day perish wherein I was born , and the night in which it was said , There is a man child conceived . 4 Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it. 5 Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it. 6 As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months. 7 Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein. 8 Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning. 9 Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark ; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the day: 10 Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes. 11 Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly? 12 Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck ? 13 For now should I have lain still and been quiet , I should have slept : then had I been at rest , 14 With kings and counsellors of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves; 15 Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver: 16 Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light. 17 There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest . 18 There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor . 19 The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master. 20 Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul; 21 Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures; 22 Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad , when they can find the grave? 23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hid , and whom God hath hedged in ? 24 For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters. 25 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. 26 I was not in safety , neither had I rest , neither was I quiet ; yet trouble came

Woman's History Month

They come to Bethlehem.

Naomi and Ruth came to Bethlehem. Afflictions will make great and surprising changes in a little time. May God, by his grace, fit us for all such changes, especially the great change!, Naomi signifies to �pleasant, to � or to �amiable; to � Mara, to �bitter, to � or to �bitterness. to � She was now a woman of a sorrowful spirit. She had come home empty, poor, a widow and childless. But there is a fulness for believers of which they never can be emptied; a good part which shall not be taken from

those who have it. The cup of affliction is a to �bitter to � cup, but she owns that the affliction came from God. It well becomes us to have our hearts humbled under humbling providences. It is not affliction itself, but affliction rightly borne, that does us good.

Going Beyond Happy

THE SCRIPTURES AND JOY

The ungodly are ever seeking after joy, but they do not find it: they busy and weary themselves in the pursuit of it, yet all in vain. Their hearts being turned from the Lord, they look downward for joy, where it is not; rejecting the substance, they diligently run after the shadow, only to be mocked by it. It is the sovereign decree of heaven that nothing can make sinners truly happy but God in Christ; but this they will not believe, and therefore they go from creature to creature, from one broken cistern to another, inquiring where the best joy is to be found. Each worldly thing which attracts them says, It is found in me; but soon it disappoints. Nevertheless, they go on seeking it afresh today in the very thing which deceived them yesterday. If after many trials they discover the emptiness of one creature comfort, then they turn to another, only to verify our Lord’s word, "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again" (John 4:13).
Going now to the other extreme: there are some Christians who suppose it to be sinful to rejoice. No doubt many of our readers will be surprised to hear this but let them be thankful they have been brought up in sunnier surroundings, and bear with us while we labour with those less favored. Some have been taught—largely by implication and example, rather than by plain inculcation—that it is their duty to be gloomy. They imagine that feelings of joy are produced by the Devil appearing as an angel of light. They conclude that it is well-nigh a species of wickedness to be happy in such a world of sin as we are in. They think it presumptuous to rejoice in the knowledge of sins forgiven, and if they see young Christians so doing they tell them it will not be long before they are floundering in the Slough of Despond. To all such we tenderly urge the prayerful pondering of the remainder of this chapter.
"Rejoice evermore" (1 Thess. 5:16). It surely cannot be unsafe to do what God has commanded us. The Lord has placed no embargo on rejoicing. No, it is Satan who strives to make us hang up our harps. There is no precept in Scripture bidding us "Grieve in the Lord alway: and again I say, Grieve"; but there is an exhortation which bids us, "Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright" (Ps. 33:1). Reader, if you are a real Christian (and it is high time you tested yourself by Scripture and made sure of this point), then Christ is yours, all that is in Him is yours. He bids you "Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved" (Song of Sol. 5:1): the only sin you may commit against His banquet of love is to stint yourself. "Let your soul delight itself in fatness"(Isa. 55:2) is spoken not to those already in heaven but to saints still on earth.

The Joy of Jesus is God's Word

The Word of God is Our Salvation:

The Psalms
119

The Excellencies of God's Law
ALEPH
1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way,

who walk in the law of the LORD.
2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies,

and that seek him with the whole heart.
3 They also do no iniquity:

they walk in his ways.
4 Thou hast commanded us

to keep thy precepts diligently.
5 O that my ways were directed

to keep thy statutes!
6 Then shall I not be ashamed,

when I have respect unto all thy commandments.
7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart,

when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
8 I will keep thy statutes:

O forsake me not utterly.
BETH
9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?

By taking heed thereto according to thy word.
10 With my whole heart have I sought thee:

O let me not wander from thy commandments.
11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart,

that I might not sin against thee.
12 Blessed art thou, O LORD:

teach me thy statutes.
13 With my lips have I declared

all the judgments of thy mouth.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies,

as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate in thy precepts,

and have respect unto thy ways.
16 I will delight myself in thy statutes:

I will not forget thy word.
GIMEL
17 Deal bountifully with thy servant,

that I may live, and keep thy word.
18 Open thou mine eyes,

that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
19 I am a stranger in the earth:

hide not thy commandments from me.
20 My soul breaketh for the longing

that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.
21 Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed,

which do err from thy commandments.
22 Remove from me reproach and contempt;

for I have kept thy testimonies.
23 Princes also did sit and speak against me:

but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.
24 Thy testimonies also are my delight,

and my counselors.
DALETH
25 My soul cleaveth unto the dust:

quicken thou me according to thy word.
26 I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me:

teach me thy statutes.
27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts:

so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.
28 My soul melteth for heaviness:

strengthen thou me according unto thy word.
29 Remove from me the way of lying:

and grant me thy law graciously.
30 I have chosen the way of truth:

thy judgments have I laid before me.
31 I have stuck unto thy testimonies:

O LORD, put me not to shame.
32 I will run the way of thy commandments,

when thou shalt enlarge my heart.
HE
33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes;

and I shall keep it unto the end.
34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law;

yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments;

for therein do I delight.
36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies,

and not to covetousness.
37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity;

and quicken thou me in thy way.
38 Stablish thy word unto thy servant,

who is devoted to thy fear.
39 Turn away my reproach which I fear:

for thy judgments are good.
40 Behold, I have longed after thy precepts:

quicken me in thy righteousness.
VAU
41 Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD,

even thy salvation, according to thy word.
42 So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me:

for I trust in thy word.
43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth;

for I have hoped in thy judgments.
44 So shall I keep thy law continually

for ever and ever.
45 And I will walk at liberty:

for I seek thy precepts.
46 I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings,

and will not be ashamed.
47 And I will delight myself in thy commandments,

which I have loved.
48 My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments,

which I have loved;
and I will meditate in thy statutes.
ZAIN
49 Remember the word unto thy servant,

upon which thou hast caused me to hope.
50 This is my comfort in my affliction:

for thy word hath quickened me.
51 The proud have had me greatly in derision:

yet have I not declined from thy law.
52 I remembered thy judgments of old, O LORD;

and have comforted myself.
53 Horror hath taken hold upon me

because of the wicked that forsake thy law.
54 Thy statutes have been my songs

in the house of my pilgrimage.
55 I have remembered thy name, O LORD, in the night,

and have kept thy law.
56 This I had,

because I kept thy precepts.
CHETH
57 Thou art my portion, O LORD:

I have said that I would keep thy words.
58 I entreated thy favor with my whole heart:

be merciful unto me according to thy word.
59 I thought on my ways,

and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
60 I made haste, and delayed not

to keep thy commandments.
61 The bands of the wicked have robbed me:

but I have not forgotten thy law.
62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee

because of thy righteous judgments.
63 I am a companion of all them that fear thee,

and of them that keep thy precepts.
64 The earth, O LORD, is full of thy mercy:

teach me thy statutes.
TETH
65 Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O LORD,

according unto thy word.
66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge:

for I have believed thy commandments.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray:

but now have I kept thy word.
68 Thou art good, and doest good:

teach me thy statutes.
69 The proud have forged a lie against me:

but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.
70 Their heart is as fat as grease:

but I delight in thy law.
71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted;

that I might learn thy statutes.
72 The law of thy mouth is better unto me

than thousands of gold and silver.
JOD
73 Thy hands have made me and fashioned me:

give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.
74 They that fear thee will be glad when they see me;

because I have hoped in thy word.
75 I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right,

and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.
76 Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort,

according to thy word unto thy servant.
77 Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live:

for thy law is my delight.
78 Let the proud be ashamed;

for they dealt perversely with me without a cause:
but I will meditate in thy precepts.
79 Let those that fear thee turn unto me,

and those that have known thy testimonies.
80 Let my heart be sound in thy statutes;

that I be not ashamed.
CAPH
81 My soul fainteth for thy salvation:

but I hope in thy word.
82 Mine eyes fail for thy word,

saying, When wilt thou comfort me?
83 For I am become like a bottle in the smoke;

yet do I not forget thy statutes.
84 How many are the days of thy servant?

When wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me?
85 The proud have digged pits for me,

which are not after thy law.
86 All thy commandments are faithful:

they persecute me wrongfully; help thou me.
87 They had almost consumed me upon earth;

but I forsook not thy precepts.
88 Quicken me after thy loving-kindness;

so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth.
LAMED
89 For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations:

thou hast established the earth,
and it abideth.
91 They continue this day according to thine ordinances:

for all are thy servants.
92 Unless thy law had been my delights,

I should then have perished in mine affliction.
93 I will never forget thy precepts:

for with them thou hast quickened me.
94 I am thine, save me;

for I have sought thy precepts.
95 The wicked have waited for me to destroy me:

but I will consider thy testimonies.
96 I have seen an end of all perfection:

but thy commandment is exceeding broad.
MEM
97 O how love I thy law!

It is my meditation all the day.
98 Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies:

for they are ever with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers:

for thy testimonies are my meditation.
100 I understand more than the ancients,

because I keep thy precepts.
101 I have refrained my feet from every evil way,

that I might keep thy word.
102 I have not departed from thy judgments:

for thou hast taught me.
103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste!

yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth.
104 Through thy precepts I get understanding:

therefore I hate every false way.
NUN
105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,

and a light unto my path.
106 I have sworn, and I will perform it,

that I will keep thy righteous judgments.
107 I am afflicted very much:

quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word.
108 Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD,

and teach me thy judgments.
109 My soul is continually in my hand:

yet do I not forget thy law.
110 The wicked have laid a snare for me:

yet I erred not from thy precepts.
111 Thy testimonies have I taken as a heritage for ever:

for they are the rejoicing of my heart.
112 I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes

always, even unto the end.
SAMECH
113 I hate vain thoughts:

but thy law do I love.
114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield:

I hope in thy word.
115 Depart from me, ye evildoers:

for I will keep the commandments of my God.
116 Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live:

and let me not be ashamed of my hope.
117 Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe:

and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually.
118 Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes:

for their deceit is falsehood.
119 Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross:

therefore I love thy testimonies.
120 My flesh trembleth for fear of thee;

and I am afraid of thy judgments.
AIN
121 I have done judgment and justice:

leave me not to mine oppressors.
122 Be surety for thy servant for good:

let not the proud oppress me.
123 Mine eyes fail for thy salvation,

and for the word of thy righteousness.
124 Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy,

and teach me thy statutes.
125 I am thy servant; give me understanding,

that I may know thy testimonies.
126 It is time for thee, LORD, to work:

for they have made void thy law.
127 Therefore I love thy commandments above gold;

yea, above fine gold.
128 Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right;

and I hate every false way.
PE
129 Thy testimonies are wonderful:

therefore doth my soul keep them.
130 The entrance of thy words giveth light;

it giveth understanding unto the simple.
131 I opened my mouth, and panted:

for I longed for thy commandments.
132 Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me,

as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.
133 Order my steps in thy word:

and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
134 Deliver me from the oppression of man:

so will I keep thy precepts.
135 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant;

and teach me thy statutes.
136 Rivers of waters run down mine eyes,

because they keep not thy law.
TZADDI
137 Righteous art thou, O LORD,

and upright are thy judgments.
138 Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded

are righteous and very faithful.
139 My zeal hath consumed me,

because mine enemies have forgotten thy words.
140 Thy word is very pure:

therefore thy servant loveth it.
141 I am small and despised:

yet do not I forget thy precepts.
142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,

and thy law is the truth.
143 Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me:

yet thy commandments are my delights.
144 The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting:

give me understanding, and I shall live.
KOPH
145 I cried with my whole heart;

hear me, O LORD:
I will keep thy statutes.
146 I cried unto thee;

save me, and I shall keep thy testimonies.
147 I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried:

I hoped in thy word.
148 Mine eyes prevent the night watches,

that I might meditate in thy word.
149 Hear my voice according unto thy loving-kindness:

O LORD, quicken me according to thy judgment.
150 They draw nigh that follow after mischief:

they are far from thy law.
151 Thou art near, O LORD;

and all thy commandments are truth.
152 Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old

that thou hast founded them for ever.
RESH
153 Consider mine affliction, and deliver me:

for I do not forget thy law.
154 Plead my cause, and deliver me:

quicken me according to thy word.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked:

for they seek not thy statutes.
156 Great are thy tender mercies, O LORD:

quicken me according to thy judgments.
157 Many are my persecutors and mine enemies;

yet do I not decline from thy testimonies.
158 I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved;

because they kept not thy word.
159 Consider how I love thy precepts:

quicken me, O LORD, according to thy loving-kindness.
160 Thy word is true from the beginning:

and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
SCHIN
161 Princes have persecuted me without a cause:

but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.
162 I rejoice at thy word,

as one that findeth great spoil.
163 I hate and abhor lying:

but thy law do I love.
164 Seven times a day do I praise thee,

because of thy righteous judgments.
165 Great peace have they which love thy law:

and nothing shall offend them.
166 LORD, I have hoped for thy salvation,

and done thy commandments.
167 My soul hath kept thy testmonies;

and I love them exceedingly.
168 I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies:

for all my ways are before thee.
TAU
169 Let my cry come near before thee, O LORD:

give me understanding according to thy word.
170 Let my supplication come before thee:

deliver me according to thy word.
171 My lips shall utter praise,

when thou hast taught me thy statutes.
172 My tongue shall speak of thy word:

for all thy commandments are righteousness.
173 Let thine hand help me;

for I have chosen thy precepts.
174 I have longed for thy salvation, O LORD;

and thy law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee;

and let thy judgments help me.
176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep:

seek thy servant;
for I do not forget thy commandments.

Published by The American Bible Society

CONTENTS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

The Psalms 118

The Joy of Jesus is Bible Study

The Spirit Uniting to Christ

Two Kinds of Union
One of the principal ends or designs of the Gospel is the communication to God’s elect of those benefits or blessings which are in the Redeemer; but the communication of benefits necessarily implies communion, and all communion as necessarily presupposes union with His Person. Can I be rich with another man’s money, or advanced by another man’s honors? Yes, if that other be my surety (one who pledges himself as liable for my debt), or my husband. Peter could not be justified by the righteousness of Paul, but both could be justified by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them, seeing they are both knit to one common Head. Principal and surety are one in obligation and construction of law. Head and members are one body; branch and stock are one tree, and a slip will live by the sap of an-other stock when once engrafted into it. We must, then, be united to Christ before we can receive any benefits from Him.
Now there are two kinds of union between Christ and His people: a judicial and a vital, or a legal and a spiritual. The first is that union which was made by God between the Redeemer and the redeemed when He was appointed their federal Head. It was a union in law, in consequence of which He represented them and was responsible for them, the benefits of His transactions redounding to them. It may be illustrated by the case of suretyship among men: a relation is formed between the surety and that person for whom he engages, by which the two are thus far considered as one—the surety being liable for the debt which the other has contracted, and his payment is held as the payment of the debtor, who is thereby absolved from all obligation to the creditor. A similar connection is established between Christ and those who had been given to Him by the Father.
But something farther was necessary in order to the actual enjoyment of the benefits procured by Christ’s representation. God, on whose sovereign will the whole economy of grace is founded, had determined not only that His Son should sustain the character of their Surety, but that there should be also a vital as well as legal relation between them, as the foundation of communion with Him in all the blessings of His purchase. It was His good pleasure that as they were one in law, they should be also one spiritually, that Christ’s merit and grace might not only be imputed, but also imparted to them, as the holy oil poured on the head of Aaron descended to the skirt of his garments. It is this latter, this vital and spiritual union, which the Christian has with Christ, that we now purpose to treat of.
Internal "Drawing"
The preaching of the Gospel by the ambassadors of the Lord Jesus is the instrument appointed for the reconciling or bringing home of sinners to God in Christ. This is clear from Romans 10:14 and 1 Corinthians 1:21, and more particularly from 2 Corinthians 5:20, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God." But, as we have pointed out, the mere preaching of the Word—no matter how faithfully—will never bring a single rebel to the feet of Christ in penitence, confidence, and allegiance. No, for that there must be the special and supernatural workings of the Holy Spirit: only thus are any actually drawn to Christ to receive Him as Lord and Savior: and only as this fact is carefully kept prominently before us does the blessed Spirit have His true place in our hearts and minds.

Bible Study Today with The Joy of Jesus

The Bible teaching about wisdom
>>> Read Isaiah 55:8,9; Jeremiah 10:23. <<<

*1* How do God's thoughts and ways differ from ours? Answer: His thoughts and ways are ______ than ours.

*2* How limited is man's knowledge of his own ways? Answer: It is not in man who walks to direct his own ______.

Think: Can we know what God wants without revelation?

Ways that seem right to men may result in spiritual death (Proverbs 14:12). So we should not add to nor take from God's word (Rev. 22:18,19).

(Luke 16:15; 1 Cor. 1:21-24; 2:5; Deut. 4:2; 12:32; Pro. 30:6)

The Bible teaching about worship
We must worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). But remember, all truth is revealed in God's word (John 17:17; 16:13).

>>> Read Matthew 15:9,13. <<<

*3* What kind of worship is vain? Answer: Worship is vain when we teach as doctrines the commandments of ______.

*4* What will happen to plants (doctrines) God did not plant? Answer: Plants God did not plant will be ______.

Think: When we follow human doctrines, do we honor God or man?

The Bible teaching about love
>>> Read Matthew 22:37; John 14:15. <<< (1 John 5:3)

*5* What does love lead us to do? Answer: If we love Jesus we keep His ______.

Think: When we follow human doctrines, are we showing love for God or for men? Does a man show love for his wife if he gets her a power tool for her birthday because he wants it? When people defend their practices by saying "I think it's beautiful," or "We're satisfied with it," who are they showing love for?

The Bible teaching about faith
We cannot please God without faith (Heb. 11:6; cf. 2 Cor. 5:7).

>>> Read Romans 10:17; Proverbs 3:5,6. <<<

*6&7* How does faith come? Answer: Faith comes by ______ the word of ______.

*8* How do we show trust in the Lord? Answer: Don't lean on our own ______ but let him direct our paths.

Think: If our practices are not in the Bible, are we placing our trust in God or in man?

The Bible teaching about authority
>>> Read 2 John 9; Galatians 1:8,9. <<<

*9&10* What must we do to have God? Answer: We must abide in the ______ of ______.

*11* What is said of a man who preaches a different gospel? Answer: One who teaches a different gospel is ______.

Remember that all Jesus' teachings are found in the Scriptures. God did not intend for His word to itemize everything we should not practice. Rather, if an act is not included in what He said to do, He expects us to not practice it. We should not ask, "Where does God forbid this act?" but rather "Where does God tell us to do this act?"

(Col. 3:17; 2:8; 1 Peter 4:11; 1 Cor. 4:6; 2 Cor. 10:18; 1 Tim. 1:3)

Glory to God and The Joy of Jesus

Psalm 100
A Psalm of Thanksgiving.
1 Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
2 Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
3 Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;[a]
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
5 For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

Prayer: We Glorify God in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, and The Holy Spirit of God. Praise God all day to The Joy of Jesus. A-men

Blessed is The Name of The Joy of Jesus

Bible/Scripture Today:
Psalm 118:

Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: {n} we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.

(n) Who are the priests, and have the charge of it, as in Nu 6:23.

Wesley's Notes

118:26 Blessed - We pray that God would bless his person and government. Cometh - To the throne; or from his Father into the world: who is known by the name of him that cometh or was to come, and of whom this very word is used, Gen 49:10 Isa 35:4. Name - By commission from him. We - We who are the Lord's ministers attending upon him in his house, and appointed to bless in his name, Numb 6:23 Deut 10:8. So these are the words of the priests.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

26. he that cometh . Lord-As above intimated, this may be applied to the visible head of the Jewish Church entering the sanctuary, as leading the procession; typically it belongs to Him of whom the phrase became an epithet (Mal 3:1; Mt 21:9).

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

118:22,23, may refer to David's preferment; but principally to Christ. 1. His humiliation; he is the Stone which the builders refused: they would go on in their building without him. This proved the ruin of those who thus made light of him. Rejecters of Christ are rejected of God. 2. His exaltation; he is the chief Cornerstone in the foundation. He is the chief Top-stone, in whom the building is completed, who must, in all things, have the pre-eminence. Christ's name is Wonderful; and the redemption he wrought out is the most amazing of all God's wondrous works. We will rejoice and be glad in the Lord's day; not only that such a day is appointed, but in the occasion of it, Christ's becoming the Head. Sabbath days ought to be rejoicing days, then they are to us as the days of heaven. Let this Saviour be my Saviour, my Ruler. Let my soul prosper and be in health, in that peace and righteousness which his government brings. Let me have victory over the lusts that war against my soul; and let Divine grace subdue my heart. The duty which the Lord has made, brings light with it, true light. The duty this privilege calls for, is here set forth; the sacrifices we are to offer to God in gratitude for redeeming love, are ourselves; not to be slain upon the altar, but living sacrifices, to be bound to the altar; spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise, in which our hearts must be engaged. The psalmist praises God, and calls upon all about him to give thanks to God for the glad tidings of great joy to all people, that there is a Redeemer, even Christ the Lord. In him the covenant of grace is made sure and everlasting.

Matthew Henry's Whole Bible Commentary

Verses 19-29

We have here an illustrious prophecy of the humiliation and exaltation of our Lord Jesus, his sufferings, and the glory that should follow. Peter thus applies it directly to the chief priests and scribes, and none of them could charge him with misapplying it, Acts 4:11. Now observe here,

I. The preface with which this precious prophecy is introduced, v. 19-21. 1. The psalmist desires admission into the sanctuary of God, there to celebrate the glory of him that cometh in the name of the Lord: Open to me the gates of righteousness. So the temple-gates are called, because they were shut against the uncircumcised, and forbade the stranger to come nigh, as the sacrifices there offered are called sacrifices of righteousness. Those that would enter into communion with God in holy ordinances must become humble suitors to God for admission. And when the gates of righteousness are opened to us we must go into them, must enter into the holiest, as far as we have leave, and praise the Lord. Our business within God's gates is to praise God; therefore we should long till the gates of heaven be opened to us, that we may go into them to dwell in God's house above, where we shall be still praising him. 2. He sees admission granted him (v. 20): This is the gate of the Lord, the gate of his appointing, into which the righteous shall enter; as if he had said, "The gate you knocked at is opened, and you are welcome. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Some by this gate understand Christ, by whom we are taken into fellowship with God and our praises are accepted; he is the way; there is no coming to the Father but by him (Jn. 14:6), he is the door of the sheep (Jn. 10:9); he is the gate of the temple, by whom, and by whom only, the righteous, and they only, shall enter, and come into God's righteousness, as the expression is, Ps. 69:27. The psalmist triumphs in the discovery that the gate of righteousness, which had been so long shut, and so long knocked at, was now at length opened. 3. He promises to give thanks to God for this favour (v. 21): I will praise thee. Those that saw Christ's day at so great a distance saw cause to praise God for the prospect; for in him they saw that God had heard them, had heard the prayers of the Old-Testament saints for the coming of the Messiah, and would be their salvation.

II. The prophecy itself, v. 22, 23. This may have some reference to David's preferment; he was the stone which Saul and his courtiers rejected, but was by the wonderful providence of God advanced to be the headstone of the building. But its principal reference is to Christ; and here we have, 1. His humiliation. He is the stone which the builders refused; he is the stone cut out of the mountain without hands, Dan. 2:34. He is a stone, not only for strength, and firmness, and duration, but for life, in the building of the spiritual temple; and yet a precious stone (1 Pt. 2:6), for the foundation of the gospel-church must be sapphires, Isa. 54:11. This stone was rejected by the builders, by the rulers and people of the Jews (Acts 4:8, 10, 11); they refused to own him as the stone, the Messiah promised; they would not build their faith upon him nor join themselves to him; they would make no use of him, but go on in their building without him; they denied him in the presence of Pilate (Acts 3:13) when they said, We have no king but Caesar. They trampled upon this stone, threw it among the rubbish out of the city; nay, they stumbled at it. This was a disgrace to Christ, but it proved the ruin of those that thus made light of him. Rejecters of Christ are rejected of God. 2. His exaltation. He has become the headstone of the corner; he is advanced to the highest degree both of honour and usefulness, to be above all, and all in all. He is the chief corner-stone in the foundation, in whom Jew and Gentile are united, that they may be built up one holy house. He is the chief top-stone in the corner, in whom the building is completed, and who must in all things have the pre-eminence, as the author and finisher of our faith. Thus highly has God exalted him, because he humbled himself; and we, in compliance with God's design, must make him the foundation of our hope, the centre of our unity, and the end of our living. To me to live is Christ. 3. The hand of God in all this: This is the Lord's doing; it is from the Lord; it is with the Lord; it is the product of his counsel; it is his contrivance. Both the humiliation and the exaltation of the Lord Jesus were his work, Acts 2:23; 4:27, 28. He sent him, sealed him; his hand went with him throughout his whole undertaking, and from first to last he did his Father's will; and this ought to be marvellous in our eyes. Christ's name is Wonderful; and the redemption he wrought out is the most amazing of all God's works of wonder; it is what the angels desire to look into, and will be admiring to eternity; much more ought we to admire it, who owe our all to it. Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness.

III. The joy wherewith it is entertained and the acclamations which attend this prediction.

1. Let the day be solemnized to the honour of God with great joy (v. 24): This is the day the Lord has made. The whole time of the gospel-dispensation, that accepted time, that day of salvation, is what the Lord has made so; it is a continual feast, which ought to be kept with joy. Or it may very fitly be understood of the Christian sabbath, which we sanctify in remembrance of Christ's resurrection, when the rejected stone began to be exalted; and so, (1.) Here is the doctrine of the Christian sabbath: It is the day which the Lord has made, has made remarkable, made holy, has distinguished from other days; he has made it for man: it is therefore called the Lord's day, for it bears his image and superscription. (2.) The duty of the sabbath, the work of the day that is to be done in his day: We will rejoice and be glad in it, not only in the institution of the day, that there is such a day appointed, but in the occasion of it, Christ's becoming the head of the corner. This we ought to rejoice in both as his honour and our advantage. Sabbath days must be rejoicing days, and then they are to us as the days of heaven. See what a good Master we serve, who, having instituted a day for his service, appoints it to be spent in holy joy.

2. Let the exalted Redeemer be met, and attended, with joyful hosannas, v. 25, 26.

(1.) Let him have the acclamations of the people, as is usual at the inauguration of a prince. Let every one of his loyal subjects shout for joy, Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord! This is like Vivat rex-Long live the king, and expresses a hearty joy for his accession to the crown, an entire satisfaction in his government, and a zealous affection to the interests and honour of it. Hosanna signifies, Save now, I beseech thee. [1.] "Lord, save me, I beseech thee; let this Saviour be my Saviour, and, in order to that, my ruler; let me be taken under his protection and owned as one of his willing subjects. His enemies are my enemies; Lord, I beseech thee, save me from them. Send me an interest in that prosperity which his kingdom brings with it to all those that entertain it. Let my soul prosper and be in health, in that peace and righteousness which his government brings, Ps. 72:3. Let me have victory over those lusts that war against my soul, and let divine grace go on in my heart conquering and to conquer." [2.] "Lord, preserve him, I beseech thee, even the Saviour himself, and send him prosperity in all his undertakings; give success to his gospel, and let it be mighty, through God, to the pulling down of strong-holds and reducing souls to their allegiance to him. Let his name be sanctified, his kingdom come, his will be done." Thus let prayer be made for him continually, Ps. 72:15. On the Lord's day, when we rejoice and are glad in his kingdom, we must pray for the advancement of it more and more, and its establishment upon the ruins of the devil's kingdom. When Christ made his public entry into Jerusalem he was thus met by his well-wishers (Mt. 21:9): Hosanna to the Son of David; long live King Jesus; let him reign for ever.

(2.) Let the priests, the Lord's ministers, do their part in this great solemnity, v. 26. [1.] Let them bless the prince with their praises: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Jesus Christ is he that cometh-ho erchomenos, he that was to come and is yet to come again, Rev. 1:8. He comes in the name of the Lord, with a commission from him, to act for him, to do his will and to seek his glory; and therefore we must say, Blessed be he that cometh; we must rejoice that he has come; we must speak well of him, admire him, and esteem him highly, as one we are eternally obliged to, call him blessed Jesus, blessed for ever, Ps. 45:2. We must bid him welcome into our hearts, saying, "Come in, thou blessed of the Lord; come in by thy grace and Spirit, and take possession of me for thy own." We must bless his faithful ministers that come in his name, and receive them for his sake, Isa. 52:7; Jn. 13:20. We must pray for the enlargement and edification of his church, for the ripening of things for his second coming, and then that he who has said, Surely I come quickly, would even so come. [2.] Let them bless the people with their prayers: We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. Christ's ministers are not only warranted, but appointed to pronounce a blessing, in his name, upon all his loyal subjects that love him and his government in sincerity, Eph. 6:24. We assure you that in and through Jesus Christ you are blessed; for he came to bless you. "You are blessed out of the house of the Lord, that is, with spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Eph. 1:3), and therefore have reason to bless him who has thus blessed you."

3. Let sacrifices of thanksgiving be offered to his honour who offered for us the great atoning sacrifice, v. 27. Here is, (1.) The privilege we enjoy by Jesus Christ: God is the Lord who has shown us light. God is Jehovah, is known by that name, a God performing what he has promised and perfecting what he has begun, Ex. 6:3. He has shown us light, that is, he has given us the knowledge of himself and his will. He has shined upon us (so some); he has favoured us, and lifted up upon us the light of his countenance; he has given us occasion for joy and rejoicing, which is light to the soul, by giving us a prospect of everlasting light in heaven. The day which the Lord has made brings light with it, true light. (2.) The duty which this privilege calls for: Bind the sacrifice with cords, that, being killed, the blood of it may be sprinkled upon the horns of the altar, according to the law; or perhaps it was the custom (though we read not of it elsewhere) to bind the sacrifice to the horns of the altar while things were getting ready for the slaying of it. Or this may have a peculiar significancy here; the sacrifice we are to offer to God, in gratitude for redeeming love, is ourselves, not to be slain upon the altar, but living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1), to be bound to the altar, spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise, in which our hearts must be fixed and engaged, as the sacrifice was bound with cords to the horns of the altar, not to start back.

4. The psalmist concludes with his own thankful acknowledgments of divine grace, in which he calls upon others to join with him, v. 28, 29. (1.) He will praise God himself, and endeavour to exalt him in his own heart and in the hearts of others, and this because of his covenant-relation to him and interest in him: "Thou art my God, on whom I depend, and to whom I am devoted, who ownest me and art owned by me; and therefore I will praise thee." (2.) He will have all about him to give thanks to God for these glad tidings of great joy to all people, that there is a Redeemer, even Christ the Lord. In him it is that God is good to man and that his mercy endures for ever; in him the covenant of grace is made, and in him it is made sure, made good, and made an everlasting covenant. He concludes this psalm as he began it (v. 1), for God's glory must be the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, of all our addresses to him. Hallowed by thy name, and thine is the glory. And this fitly closes a prophecy of Christ. The angels give thanks for man's redemption. Glory to God in the highest (Lu. 2:14), for there is on earth peace, to which we must echo with our hosannas, as they did, Lu. 19:38. Peace in heaven to us through Christ, and therefore glory in the highest.

Bible Commenter

Jesus is Our Rock

Prayer: Almighty God,

We praise you all day,
Christ Jesus is son of all salvation,
and The Holy Spirit of God,
We praise the with all humility.

We thank Thee Lord for everything.

We Gory in Thy salvation. We
pray for all people with Holy hands lifted up to Thee.
Praise God in Jesus name A-men.

Sermon: Jesus is our rock today. We need His power of love to make it today and forever.

Jesus gave His life on the cross for our sins. God raised Jesus from the grave so that we may glory in His salvation. We thank God and praise God for all of His spiritual blessings in The Joy o Jesus. A-men.

Jesus is our Rock. Let us continue to pray

Song: Rock of Ages;

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee;
let the water and the blood,
from thy wounded side which flowed,
be of sin the double cure;
save from wrath and make me pure.

2. Not the labors of my hands
can fulfill thy law's commands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears forever flow,
all for sin could not atone;
thou must save, and thou alone.

3. Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die.

4. While I draw this fleeting breath,
when mine eyes shall close in death,
when I soar to worlds unknown,
see thee on thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee.

Do Give To The Joy of Jesus

Scripture for Today The Lord of Glory

Psalm 24

1The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

2For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.

3Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?

4He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

5He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.

7Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

8Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.

9Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

10Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

Convocation Glorious is Thy Name

We praise and thank god today for all that He has done in the name of Jesus Christ. We continue to pray for Love, Peace and Hope all to the Joy of Jesus. Today we glorify the name of the Lord. We know that Jesus os the answer to all of our problems. It is by faith that we worship Him.

Lord hear our prayer for all people in need. We pray for Your love to guide us in the wright direction.

Praise God forevermore. We love the Lord. We Bless His Holy name. Today we give You O' God all the glory in Jesus name. A-men

Song:Blesssed Savior, we adore Thee
We Thy love and grace proclaim:
Thou art mighty, thou art holy,
Glorious is Thy matchless name!

Chrous:
Glorious,
(Glorious is Thy name, O Lord!)
Glorious,
(Glorious is Thy name, O Lord!)
Glorious is Thy name, O Lord!
Glorious,
(Glorious is Thy name, O Lord!)
Glorious,
(Glorious is Thy name, O Lord!)
Glorious is Thy name, O Lord!

2.
Great Redeemer, Lord and Master,
Light of all eternal days;
Let the saints of ev'ry nation
Sing Thy just and endless praise!

3. From the throne of heaven's glory
To the cross of sin and shame.
Thou didst come to die a ransom
Guilty sinners to reclaim!

Give to The Joy of Jesus. Visit our sponsors at no cost, this will indeed help our ministry in Jesus name.

Spiritual Light from The Joy of Jesus

New International Version (©1984)
For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

New Living Translation (©2007)
For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

English Standard Version (©2001)
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

International Standard Version (©2008)
For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory in the face of Jesus the Messiah.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
We are his servants because the same God who said that light should shine out of darkness has given us light. For that reason we bring to light the knowledge about God's glory which shines from Christ's face.

King James Bible
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

American King James Version
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

American Standard Version
Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Bible in Basic English
Seeing that it is God who said, Let light be shining out of the dark, who has put in our hearts the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Douay-Rheims Bible
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Christ Jesus.

Darby Bible Translation
Because it is the God who spoke that out of darkness light should shine who has shone in our hearts for the shining forth of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

English Revised Version
Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Webster's Bible Translation
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined into our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Weymouth New Testament
For God who said, "Out of darkness let light shine," is He who has shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory, which is radiant on the face of Christ.

World English Bible
seeing it is God who said, "Light will shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Young's Literal Translation
because it is God who said, Out of darkness light is to shine, who did shine in our hearts, for the enlightening of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Geneva Study Bible

For God, {g} who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the {h} light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

(g) Who made with his word alone.

(h) That being enlightened by God, we should in the same way give that light to others.

People's New Testament

4:6 For God, who commanded light to shine out of darkness. Ge 1:3.

Hath shone in our hearts. By bringing to the light of the gospel.

The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Knowledge is light. The glory of God is revealed in his Son, who hath shown for the divine excellency, tenderness and love.

Wesley's Notes

4:6 For God hath shined in our hearts - The hearts of all those whom the god of this world no longer blinds. God who is himself our light; not only the author of light, but also the fountain of it. To enlighten us with the knowledge of the glory of God - Of his glorious love, and of his glorious image. In the face of Jesus Christ - Which reflects his glory in another manner than the face of Moses did.

King James Translators' Notes

hath: Gr. is he who hath

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

6. For-proof that we are true servants of Jesus unto you.

commanded the light-Greek, "By speaking the word, commanded light" (Ge 1:3).

hath shined-rather, as Greek, "is He who shined." (It is God) who commanded light, &c., that shined, &c., (Job 37:15): Himself our Light and Sun, as well as the Creator of light (Mal 4:2; Joh 8:12). The physical world answers to the spiritual.

in our hearts-in themselves dark.

to give the light-that is, to propagate to others the light, &c., which is in us (compare Note, see on [2309]2Co 4:4).

the glory of God-answering to "the glory of Christ" (see on [2310]2Co 4:4).

in the face of Jesus Christ-Some of the oldest manuscripts retain "Jesus." Others omit it. Christ is the manifestation of the glory of God, as His image (Joh 14:9). The allusion is still to the brightness on Moses' "face." The only true and full manifestation of God's brightness and glory is "in the face of Jesus" (Heb 1:3).

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

4:1-7 The best of men would faint, if they did not receive mercy from God. And that mercy which has helped us out, and helped us on, hitherto, we may rely upon to help us even to the end. The apostles had no base and wicked designs, covered with fair and specious pretences. They did not try to make their ministry serve a turn. Sincerity or uprightness will keep the favourable opinion of wise and good men. Christ by his gospel makes a glorious discovery to the minds of men. But the design of the devil is, to keep men in ignorance; and when he cannot keep the light of the gospel of Christ out of the world, he spares no pains to keep men from the gospel, or to set them against it. The rejection of the gospel is here traced to the wilful blindness and wickedness of the human heart. Self was not the matter or the end of the apostles' preaching; they preached Christ as Jesus, the Saviour and Deliverer, who saves to the uttermost all that come to God through him. Ministers are servants to the souls of men; they must avoid becoming servants to the humours or the lusts of men. It is pleasant to behold the sun in the firmament; but it is more pleasant and profitable for the gospel to shine in the heart. As light was the beginning of the first creation; so, in the new creation, the light of the Spirit is his first work upon the soul. The treasure of gospel light and grace is put into earthen vessels. The ministers of the gospel are subject to the same passions and weaknesses as other men. God could have sent angels to make known the glorious doctrine of the gospel, or could have sent the most admired sons of men to teach the nations, but he chose humbler, weaker vessels, that his power might be more glorified in upholding them, and in the blessed change wrought by their ministry.


Genesis 1:3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.Acts 26:18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.'2 Corinthians 4:4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is The King of Glory.

Christian Education: Giving of Oneself

Giving of Oneself (Philippians 2:1-11)

The story of Dick and Rick Hoyt captured my heart. Rick has been a quadriplegic since birth. One day he asked his father, Dick, to help him participate in a 5-kilometer benefit race for an injured friend. Dick, a self-proclaimed “porker,” tried to put him off, but Rick was insistent. Finally, Dick relented.

They barely finished. Dick was exhausted from pushing his son in a wheelchair the whole distance. Rick, on the other hand, was elated. “When we were racing,” he said, “I felt normal. For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel disabled.”

That comment spurred Dick to participate with his son in more races of ever-increasing distance. They have now competed in dozens of marathons, even the Iron Man Triathlon in Hawaii. Whenever I see footage of Dick swimming while pulling his son through the water in a raft, I get choked up, moved by the sacrificial love of a father who would do anything to help his son experience wholeness.

I suppose it touches me so deeply because that’s my story too. I have a God in Heaven who loves me so much he was willing to do anything to restore my brokenness, even allow his own Son to suffer on my behalf. And to the Son’s credit, he did so willingly.

Jesus refused to hide behind his divinity, swapping the splendor of Heaven for a suit of flesh. He walked among us, not as a wealthy, privileged aristocrat, but as a servant of all. He offered himself, even to the point of dying on a cross, so we might have the opportunity to be whole.

Our Motivation (Philippians 2:1, 2)
This passage reminds us why we are to emulate Christ. There are so many things we have received in him.

We have received encouragement. We don’t have to walk around defeated and afraid; through Christ we can walk with confidence. When hard times come, we have his love to comfort us. We are free from constantly trying to prove ourselves. We can simply rest in his presence.

We also have fellowship with the Spirit. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in us (Romans 8:11), giving us the power to live a life beyond explanation.

Finally, we have been shown great tenderness and compassion. We were once abused by a wicked master, but Jesus came with tenderness, gently calling us to himself.

Our Method (Philippians 2:3, 4)
Paul offers a series of if-then statements to help us understand how these blessings should change us. If you have received encouragement from being united with Christ, then be like-minded. If you have experienced the love of God, then share that love. If you have fellowship with the Spirit, then let the Spirit lead you into service. If you have been given tenderness and compassion, then be tender toward others. The way to do all these things is not by living according to our own selfish ambitions, but by looking out for the needs of others.

Our Model (Philippians 2:5-11)
After Hurricane Andrew, I twice took a group of students to Florida to rebuild houses. The first year we arrived to find only a slab of concrete and ended up building an entire house.

So the next year, I got the students all pumped up about building. In my enthusiasm, I even bought a shiny new hammer. I was raring to build. Upon arrival, we gathered for orientation, waiting eagerly as the jobs were assigned. I felt confident we would have a significant role.

Sure enough, the leader said he had a special job for us. Evidently the year before someone had applied paint lacking mildewcide, so all the houses were now covered in mold. Our job was to scrub mold from these houses so they could be repainted.

After three days of mold abatement, my attitude had gone from bad to worse. My new hammer, collecting dust in the van, had been replaced by a scrub brush. I had no calluses to show for my work, only bleached white hands. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the site leader approaching me and I was about to tell him what I thought of this assignment. But he spoke first, asking me to lead devotions the next morning. Fortunately, I didn’t say what I wanted to say.

That night God directed me to this passage in Philippians, and I began to read about our example in Christ. It wasn’t long before I was convicted of my negative, self-serving attitude. God showed me that serving was not about doing what I wanted to do, but about doing what needed to be done. If Jesus could be obedient unto death, even death on a cross, then I could scrub mold for a week. It ended up being one of the greatest spiritual experiences of my life.

Our Mission (Philippians 2:12-18)
God calls each of us to work out this teaching in our own lives. Healthy tension exists between our efforts to obey, and the power of God working within us enabling us to obey. As he seeks to change us from the inside, we are called to live for him on the outside; serving others without complaining or arguing, generously holding out the word of life, and resting in the confidence that our heavenly Father will one day carry us across the finish line.

________

*All Scripture references are from the New International Version, unless otherwise indicated.

HOME DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Aug. 2: Matthew 20:20-28
Aug. 3: Acts 23:12-24
Aug. 4: Hebrews 13:12-18
Aug. 5: Romans 12:1, 2
Aug. 6: Philippians 2:14-18
Aug. 7: Philippians 2:19-30
Aug. 8: Philippian

Sermon: Give unto The Joy of Jesus

Praise God today. We are so blessed by the word of God all in Christ Jesus and The Holy Spirit. Jesus gave His life on the cross for the sins of the world. God raised Jesus in the third day with all power and glory. Jesus will return to set all things right. We pray for the absolute blood and joy of Jesus to touch our souls in all that we do. Our prayer is that you give to the Joy of Jesus from your heart. In Jesus name we pray......

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
[By David.] The LORD is my light and my salvation. Who is there to fear? The LORD is my life's fortress. Who is there to be afraid of?



Bible in Basic English
The Lord is my light and my salvation; who is then a cause of fear to me? the Lord is the strength of my life; who is a danger to me?

Douay-Rheims Bible
The psalm of David before he was anointed. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?



(a) Because he was assured of good success in all his dangers and that his salvation was surely laid up in God, he did not fear the tyranny of his enemies.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

PSALM 27

Ps 27:1-14. With a general strain of confidence, hope, and joy, especially in God's worship, in the midst of dangers, the Psalmist introduces prayer for divine help and guidance.

1. light-is a common figure for comfort.

strength-or, "stronghold"-affording security against all violence. The interrogations give greater vividness to the negation implied.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

27:1-6 The Lord, who is the believer's light, is the strength of his life; not only by whom, but in whom he lives and moves. In God let us strengthen ourselves. The gracious presence of God, his power, his promise, his readiness to hear prayer, the witness of his Spirit in the hearts of his people; these are the secret of his tabernacle, and in these the saints find cause for that holy security and peace of mind in which they dwell at ease. The psalmist prays for constant communion with God in holy ordinances. All God's children desire to dwell in their Father's house. Not to sojourn there as a wayfaring man, to tarry but for a night; or to dwell there for a time only, as the servant that abides not in the house for ever; but to dwell there all the days of their life, as children with a father. Do we hope that the praising of God will be the blessedness of our eternity? Surely then we ought to make it the business of our time. This he had at heart more than any thing. Whatever the Christian is as to this life, he considers the favour and service of God as the one thing needful. This he desires, prays for and seeks after, and in it he rejoices.


Exodus 15:2 "The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will extol Him

We break the bread of life and drink the wine of the spirit of love in perfect communion with The Joy of Jesus , all to The Glory of God. In Jesus name we pray. A-men.

We Trust in God when Times are Hard

New International Version (©1984)
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.

New Living Translation (©2007)
"Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.

English Standard Version (©2001)
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
"Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.

International Standard Version (©2008)
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
"Don't be troubled. Believe in God, and believe in me.

King James Bible
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

American King James Version
Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me.

American Standard Version
Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in me.

Bible in Basic English
Let not your heart be troubled: have faith in God and have faith in me.

Douay-Rheims Bible
LET not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me.

Darby Bible Translation
Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe on God, believe also on me.

English Revised Version
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

Webster's Bible Translation
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

Weymouth New Testament
"Let not your hearts be troubled. Trust in God: trust in me also.

World English Bible
"Don't let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me.

Young's Literal Translation
'Let not your heart be troubled, believe in God, also in me believe;
Geneva Study Bible

Let {1} not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

(1) He believes in God who believes in Christ, and there is no other way to strengthen and encourage our minds during the greatest distresses.

People's New Testament

14:1 Jesus Comforts His Disciples

SUMMARY OF JOHN 14:

Belief as a Solace of Troubled Hearts. The House of Many Mansions. Christ the Way. Christ the Manifestation of the Father. Asking in Christ's Name. How to Find the Father. The Test of Love. The Benediction of Peace.

Let not your heart be troubled. Just before him was Gethsemane, the denial, the mock trial, the scouring and the cross; but with these in full view, such are the wonders of his love that he does not think of himself. He does not ask comfort, but he gives it. His heart is full of the sorrow of his disciples over his departure.

Believe also in me. They had believed in him, but they were so confused over the prospect of his death and departure, they stumbled. He bids them to believe in him as they believed in God; to trust him even if they did not comprehend; to walk by faith rather than by sight through the darkness of that hour. To understand these words, the confusion, sorrow and despair of his disciples over his death must not be forgotten.

Wesley's Notes

14:1 Let not your heart be troubled - At my departure. Believe - This is the sum of all his discourse, which is urged till they did believe, Joh 16:30. And then our Lord prays and departs.

Prayer: Dear God in heaven, we trust in Thee and The Lord Jesus Christ. We Thank God for all blessings in Christ Jesus. We praise God of His Grace and Love. We pray for all people in need. Glory to God and Christ Jesus the Son and The Holy Spirit.
A-men

Give to The Joy of Jesus, in His name we pray.

Blessed is The Lord & The Joy of Jesus Today

We Praise God in The Joy of Jesus. We pray for One-million members. We pray for all people around the world to share our joy and give. In The Name of Jesus we Pray...

Scripture for Life:
New International Version (©1984)
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah

New Living Translation (©2007)
Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. Interlude

English Standard Version (©2001)
Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, The God who is our salvation. Selah.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
Thanks be to the Lord, who daily carries our burdens for us. God is our salvation. [Selah]

King James Bible
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

American King James Version
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

American Standard Version
Blessed be the Lord, who daily beareth our burden, Even the God who is our salvation. Selah

Bible in Basic English
Praise be to the Lord, who is our support day by day, even the God of our salvation. (Selah.)

Douay-Rheims Bible
Blessed be the Lord day by day: the God of our salvation will make our journey prosperous to us.

Darby Bible Translation
Blessed be the Lord: day by day doth he load us with good, the ùGod who is our salvation. Selah.

English Revised Version
Blessed be the Lord, who daily beareth our burden, even the God who is our salvation. Selah

Webster's Bible Translation
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

World English Bible
Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burdens, even the God who is our salvation. Selah.

Young's Literal Translation
Blessed is the Lord, day by day He layeth on us. God Himself is our salvation. Selah.
Geneva Study Bible

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

19-21. God daily and fully supplies us. The issues or escapes from death are under His control, who is the God that saves us, and destroys His and our enemies.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

68:15-21 The ascension of Christ must here be meant, and thereto it is applied, Eph 4:8. He received as the purchase of his death, the gifts needful for the conversion of sinners, and the salvation of believers. These he continually bestows, even on rebellious men, that the Lord God might dwell among them, as their Friend and Father. He gave gifts to men. Having received power to give eternal life, the Lord Jesus bestows it on as many as were given him, Joh 17:2. Christ came to a rebellious world, not to condemn it, but that through him it might be saved. The glory of Zion's King is, that he is a Saviour and Benefactor to all his willing people, and a consuming fire to all that persist in rebellion against him. So many, so weighty are the gifts of God's bounty, that he may be truly said to load us with them. He will not put us off with present things for a portion, but will be the God of our salvation. The Lord Jesus has authority and power to rescue his people from the dominion of death, by taking away the sting of it from them when they die, and giving them complete victory over it when they rise again. The crown of the head, the chief pride and glory of the enemy, shall be smitten; Christ shall crush the head of the serpent.


Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.Psalm 65:5 By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation, You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea;Isaiah 46:4 Even to your old age I will be the same, And even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; And I will bear you and I will deliver you. (NASB ©1995)