FAITH AND FEAR GO HAND IN HAND!

"Thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear." —Romans 11:20 [KJV]

So we are called upon by the spirit of prophesy, "Behold, (give the most earnest attention, let this truth sink deep in your hearts) his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him" -Habakkuk 2:4. Standing by faith, and living by faith, are ever opposed to pride, vain confidence, and an high conceit of our own attainments. True faith in Jesus sinks the soul in humility, works by real love to God, is accompanied with a child-like fear of offending Him, and excites to a godly jealousy over our own souls, lest we fall—fall into sin, fall away from the hope of the gospel, fall from the precious privileges of Jesus, and the comforting sense of His love. Without this, what is profession, but an empty name, talking ever so highly, but a sound of words, pretension to the greatest things, but a vain shadow, while the substance is not enjoyed?

It is the glorying of believers in Jesus that they are "delivered out of the hands of their enemies, that they might serve God in holiness and righteousness all the days of their life,"—Luke 1:74, 75—and it is added, "without fear." But are we to cast off all kind of fear of God? No verily: no more than faith in Him, love to Him, and hope of enjoying Him. One would dread such a state most of all, the Lord Himself being judge. "Know therefore, and see that it is an evil and bitter thing, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that MY FEAR is not in thee, saith the LORD God of Hosts"—Jeremiah 2:19.

Glory to Jesus, by his grace the bands of legal bondage are broken asunder; the cords of slavish fear, of wrath and hell, we cast from us: yet faith and fear go hand in hand. And this is the blessedness of everlasting love and new covenant grace, "I, saith Jehovah, will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me. So shall they fear Me for ever for their good"—Jeremiah 32:40. This is the precious fear the apostle exhorts to, which is ever to be cherished in the heart, and attended to in one's daily walk. A fear of departing from the Lord Jesus tends to keep the soul close to Him. Fear of offending causes watchfulness. Hope in a sin-pardoning God produceth fear; a sense of pardon increaseth it. "There is forgiveness with Thee; that Thou mayest be feared."—Psalm 130:4. "Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief."—Proverbs 28:14.

Forbid it, Lord, that I forget, My standing is by faith; This ever humbles at Thy feet, Well pleas'd at what Thou saith.

If I withdraw my trust from Thee, I soon high-minded grow: Forget Thy fear, grow proud in self, So prove I nothing know.

-William Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CHRIST OUR ONLY AND PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS

" The flesh lusteth against the Spirit." —Galatians 5:17 [KJV] Christian experience fully proves this apostolic truth. Hence the children of God cannot do the things that they would: nor have we any authority from God's word to conclude this lusting ever ceased in any of the saints till they got to glory; none are delivered from it while in the flesh. For, as the renewed soul or spirit loves to enjoy spiritual and heavenly objects, so the flesh, or unrenewed part, lusts after those objects it is naturally conversant with, and from which it derives its happiness.  Here is thy conflict, O Christian. Hence the necessity of thy Lord's command, "Watch always." This is the use of the doctrine. What woeful effects have fulfilling the lusts or desires of the flesh produced in eminent saints! Thou standest by faith, be not high-minded, but fear. The conceptions of lust are the productions of sin.— see James 1:15 . The commission of sin contracts fresh s
Read more

Incoming GOOD NEWS!

  Weekend Gospel message to follow for All Hands   (17-19SEP21) Heads-Up   ---   Please find enclosed encouragement in   SO GREAT SALVATION   by the perfect and finished work of   our Lord Jesus Christ in saving poor, needy and wretched sinners by His sovereign free grace - God's unmerited favor to save us  from our sins and from Hell: HOW GOD SAVES SINNERS In Genesis chapter six and seven we have the story of the flood and how God  saved Noah and his family from the horrendous destruction by putting them  into an Ark. We see the righteous judgment of God against sin and the mercy  of God revealed through Christ. The Ark of God is a worthy picture and  pattern of how the Lord is pleased to save sinners and justify them in Jesus  Christ. Here are five things to remember about how God saves sinners. 1). The grace of God , "Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD" (Genesis 6:8) .  Noah did not earn, merit or deserve grace, he found God to be gracious. It  was the sovereign
Read more

3 LIES ABOUT GOD & 3 TRUTHS ABOUT GOD

 I want to share three lies about God I’ve recently seen tossed about on social media as truth by professed believers: (1) God can move in your life.......if you permit Him. (2) Christ can be Lord.......if you confess Him. (3) God can do anything ........except overcome a man’s will. Friends, if God doesn’t even have sovereignty over the human heart (without being granted permission, of course) who is serving who? Who really has all power in this universe? Many of you reading this post pray to God for the salvation of your loved ones. Yet you believe it is your loved one who has to grant God permission to save! God is left only to making their life miserable in the hopes they come to Him. Such foolishness! Such powerlessness! Truth #1 : God moves in the lives of His children without human permission . Truth #2 : Men do not make Christ Lord. He IS Lord. Your current opinion of Him no more changes His Lordship over you than if you declared a boiling lava pit to be a s
Read more