What a Friend We Have in JESUS

Precious Savior, friend of sinners,
We, as such, to Thee draw near;
Let Thy Spirit dwell within us
With that love that casts out fear;
Matchless Saviour, let us know Thee,
As the LORD our Righteousness;
Cause our hearts to cleave unto Thee,
Come, and with Thy presence bless.
 

Open now Thy precious treasure,
Let Thy word here freely flow;
Give to us a gracious measure,
‘Tis Thyself we long to know;
Come and claim us as Thy portion,
Let us all find rest in Thee;
Leave us not to empty notions,
We would find our hope in Thee!


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"God’s sovereign, electing grace in and by the Lord Jesus Christ strips us of all merit, removes from us all ground for boasting in ourselves, leaves us helpless in the dust to save or keep ourselves, and ascribes all glory to God alone as He reveals Himself in the glorious Person and effectual, redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who alone has all the preeminence in the salvation of God’s elect." —Arthur Pink

 

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“He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” -Romans 8:32 [KJV] 

Let us cherish the magnitude, depth, and glory of the great gift that God has given us as sinners saved by grace in and by the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a gift we should never ignore or count lightly. We ought to stand amazed every day that the holy and just God would look upon sinners such as we are and bless us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. It is nothing short of the greatest miracle of God’s power and grace not only that we could ever imagine, but also rightly claim by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. No other gift we could ever receive can surpass what we have in Christ!  

—copied

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The value of good works is not what these works merit or earn for the believer either in salvation or in what men view as rewards in heaven. The value of good works is in the way they set forth and witness the glory, grace, goodness, and power of God in the Lord Jesus Christ, working in the saved sinner who is made righteous, not by his good works but by the righteousness of Christ imputed to him and received by God-given faith. Such works are the fruit of God’s power and grace worked through the believer as he walks by faith trusting Christ alone for all merit and virtue. 

Whenever the works of God’s people are mentioned in context with the final Judgment, it has nothing to do with what these works merit or earn for them in eternity. It has only to do with what such works say about them as evidence of their standing in the Lord Jesus Christ. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN” (Matthew 5:16).

—preacher Bill Parker

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