THE BENHAR BANNER
17th Edition
‘Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it
may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.’
(Psalm 60:4)
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18th July 2020
Previous Banners are available here
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SERMON FOR SUNDAY
The following is chapter twenty-seven and twenty-eight of the Rev. William S. Plumer’s book, ‘The Christian.’
XXVII. THE CHRISTIAN’S GLORIOUS RICHES
‘As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.’ (2nd Corinthians 6:9-10). The Christian is a paradox. Because he has Christ, he has ‘…the unsearchable riches of Christ’[1]. Four times does Paul speak of ‘…the riches of his glory…’[2]. It is a Hebrew form of expression, equivalent to ‘His glorious riches.’ In Romans 9:23, the apostle states it was God's plan ‘…to make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory’. In Ephesians 1:18, he prays that ‘The eyes of (their) understanding being enlightened; that (they) may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints’. In Ephesians 3:16, he prays that God ‘…would grant (them), according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man’. And in Colossians 1:27, we read of the saints ‘…To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory’. It is therefore clear that all implied in this phrase shall be made manifest in the saints, shall be known by them, shall strengthen them, and shall secure to them the blessings of a glorious eternity.
What, then, are these ‘glorious riches’? Who but God can fully answer that question? Sometimes He speaks to us concerning them. By one apostle He tells us of ‘…love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance…’. (Galatians 5:22-23). By another He tells us of ‘…faith…’, ‘…virtue…’, ‘…knowledge…’, ‘…temperance…’, ‘…patience…’, godliness…’, ‘…brotherly kindness…’, ‘…charity.’ (2nd Peter 1:5-7). What a beautiful constellation of virtues is here! They are the graces of the Holy Spirit. He who has these has glorious riches. Nothing shall ever harm him.
In another place God says, ‘…all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.’ (1st Corinthians 3:21-23). Are not these riches of glory? This world and the next, with all the real blessings in both, belong to the people of the Most High God. This is very much the way in which Christ personally stated the matter: ‘…Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.’ (Luke 18:29-30). In like manner, Paul says that ‘…godliness…’ has the ‘…promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.’ (1st Timothy 4:8).
We may, then, sum up these riches of glory thus: Believers have full and free forgiveness of all their sins; they are fully accepted in the Beloved; they are clothed in Christ's spotless righteousness; they are adopted into the family of God; their title to Heaven through Christ is perfect; they are regenerated; they have increase of grace; their sanctification is secured; they have peace in believing; they are sure of victory over sins, the world, the flesh, the devil, all sorrow, death, Hell, and the grave; they have the elements and principles of all virtues, and shall infallibly have them all perfected; they have God for their Father, Christ for their Saviour, the Holy Spirit for their Comforter, hope in God for their anchor, and Heaven for their home; they shall have boldness in the day of judgment; they shall be like Christ and with Christ forever; they shall inherit all things.
Oh, who would not be a Christian?
XXVIII. SOME MUSINGS OF AN OLD CHRISTIAN
Long-continued and sore trials would drown the people of God in sorrow, but that the Lord gives them blessed cordials and puts underneath them the everlasting arms. Sad indeed is the case of a man when Divine mercy cannot affect its object without his overthrow. God never withdrew His tender mercies from any, until sin had made its dreadful mark.
As God is the Father of the fatherless, so is He also the Helper of the helpless.
He who so fears as not to love, and he who so loves as not to fear his Maker are alike destitute of true piety.
He who trusts in great men is as foolish as he who trusts in base men.
God's condescension is equal to His majesty.
Man's knowledge is soon exhausted.
Inanimate creation and brutes glorify God. Why should man expect to be left to do as he pleased, and honour or dishonour God, as he might choose?
Our circumstances are never so depressed that the Almighty cannot give us effectual aid.
The worst maladies are sinful passions.
Neither men nor angels are ever better employed than in obeying God's commandments.
It is sad that so many boast of justification or cry for pardon who never speak of sanctification nor pray for purity.
Having learned to sing God's praises here, we shall not lose the heavenly art by passing over Jordan.
No man thinks his debt of gratitude to God greater than it is.
"Every creature is to us what God makes it to be – a friend or an enemy."
Let all who have unusual prosperity remember that their condition has temptations not a whit less severe, than those of abject wretchedness.
The early Christians, who had been converted from heathenism, often write almost as if they had just escaped from the precincts of perdition.
Those who have honestly and heartily received the righteousness of Christ will be sure to mark His footsteps and walk as He walked.
All the sufferings and perplexities of man can be fairly traced to his apostasy from his Maker.
Through the wonders of Divine grace, the natural evils which befall godly men are the means not only of checking, but also of eradicating, the evils of their hearts and preparing them for glory.
The heart of Christ and the heart of His people agree on all vital matters.
If the Lord sufficiently helps His people along under trials, He shows Himself as kind as in granting deliverance.
As the whole scheme of salvation had its origin in Jehovah's mercy, goodness, and loving-kindness, and as He changes not, so we may rest assured He will perfect all the work He has begun.
The most glorious thing in salvation is the perfect consistency of its rich grace with inflexible justice.
There are wonders enough in the constitution of the person of the Mediator, and in His amazing history while on Earth, to fill the wisest and best of men with adoring admiration until they are admitted within the veil to behold the King in His glory.
God is so determined on having our warm affections enlisted in all our approaches to Him, that if this point be not gained, nothing will please Him.
Nothing is more necessary than the help of God's Spirit. Without wind, sails will not carry a vessel onward. Without fire from Heaven, Elijah's sacrifice would have been no better than that offered to Baal. Without the spirit the body is dead.
It would be a mystery amounting to a contradiction, if the salvation of God produced no controlling, delightful emotions in the souls of His true children.
The nine lepers who returned not to give glory to God, were as well pleased with their cure as their companion, the tenth; but they cared nothing for the author of so great a mercy.
It
is sad to see teachers flattering their pupils, and pastors their people; but
all that would be harmless if men did not flatter themselves and refuse to
receive evidence against themselves.[3]
A HYMN OF HOPE - tune
Immortal honours rest on Jesus’ head;
My God, my portion, and my living bread;
In Him I live, upon Him cast my care;
He saves from death, destruction, and despair.
He is my refuge in each deep distress;
The Lord my strength and glorious righteousness;
Through floods and flames He leads me safely on,
And daily makes His sovereign goodness known.
My every need He richly will supply;
Nor will His mercy ever let me die;
In Him there dwells a treasure all divine,
And matchless grace has made that treasure mine.
O that my soul could love and praise
Him more,
His beauties trace, His majesty adore;
Live near His heart, upon His bosom lean;
Obey His voice, and all His will esteem.[4]
A CALL TO PRAYER
Continue to pray for the revival of the Church, the awakening of the lost, and a merciful deliverance from the Coronavirus Pandemic at 3 pm, in your own homes, on the Lord’s Day.
POINTS FOR PRAYER
Pray for our Queen, our governments, our National Health Service, our key workers, our country, our community, our church, and our families.
Pray for churches, missions, missionary organisations, and the persecuted church.
MEMORY VERSE
‘Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matthew 5:10).
SPURGEON’S CATECHISM
17. Wherein consists the sinfulness of that state whereinto man fell?
The sinfulness of that state whereinto man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam's first sin (Romans 5:19), the want of original righteousness (Romans 3:10), and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called original sin (Ephesians 2:1; Psalm 51:5), together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it (Matthew 15:19).
PLAIN REASONS FOR KEEPING TO THE AUTHORISED VERSION
TWO, THE AUTHORISED (KING JAMES) VERSION IS A MORE ACCURATE TRANSLATION
Because of their reverent regard for the Bible as the inspired Word of God, the translators felt that they should very carefully set down in English all that was written by the inspired writers. They were conscious of the strict commands in Deuteronomy 4:2 that God’s people should not add to His Word or take anything away from it. Modern versions quite often commit both of these errors, and the reader loses as a result.
For instance, in John 1:17 John wrote, ‘For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.’ The Authorised Version puts this in simple English, with nothing added and nothing taken away. Compare this with the Living Bible, ‘Moses only gave us the law, with its rigid demands and merciless justice. Jesus gives us loving forgiveness as well.’ Here something is added about “rigid demands and merciless justice,” but John did not write these words, and they are not in any New Testament manuscript. The Law of Moses says that God shows mercy to thousands of them that love Him (Exodus 20:6). So, the Living Bible makes John contradict Moses. Notice also that Moses did not ONLY give us the Law – the Living Bible adds the word ONLY – but Jesus said of Moses, ‘…he wrote of me.’[5] The Living Bible also takes something away John wrote: ‘…grace and truth came by Jesus Christ’, but the Living Bible omits all reference to the TRUTH, although all the manuscripts have this word in this place. In this example the modern version is neither accurate nor true.
In other passages the same tendency to add to and take away from the inspired words is also found in the Good News Bible, the New International Version, and other popular modern versions. The Authorised Version, however, keeps very close to the original, and is a reliable guide to what the inspired writers actually wrote under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and also a reliable guide to what they meant.
THREE, THE AUTHORISED (KING JAMES) VERSION IS IN MORE APPROPRIATE ENGLISH
The Holy Bible is the Word of a Holy God, and a translation should be in language appropriate to the Divine Author. The Bible was written by holy men of God who ‘…spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost’ (2nd Peter 1:21), so a translation should use language and style appropriate to the inspired writers. The Bible speaks of many important and solemn matters such as eternal life, everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, sin and salvation, lost sinners and their Divine Saviour, the Eternal Son of the Eternal God. A translation should therefore be in language and style appropriate to the subject matter.
As
the Bible is the Word of God, it should be read both in public and in private,
and it should be remembered. A translation therefore needs to be in a form of
English suitable for public and private reading – and easy to learn by heart.
The rhythm of the Authorised Version, its reverent and dignified style, and the
very high proportion of simple short words of Anglo-Saxon origin, which have
continued to provide the basic vocabulary of our language in everyday use, all
combine to make this version the most suitable in all these respects. ‘For
the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost’ (Luke 19:10);
‘He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God
hath not life’ (1st John 5:12). These great statements are given
to us in simple words all of one syllable, and much of the Authorised Version
is in this simple, timeless English that a child can read, learn, and
understand.[6]
BIBLE QUIZ
QUESTIONS FROM THE BOOK OF FIRST SAMUEL (PART TWO)
1. How many of Jesse’s sons passed before Samuel before the prophet was introduced to David?
2. With how many stones did David confront Goliath?
3. What was the name of Saul’s oldest daughter?
4. From whom did David receive Goliath’s sword?
5. What did David do when Saul entered the cave in which David and his men were hiding?
6. What did David do when he found Saul and his men asleep?
7. What did Saul ask his armourbearer to do following his defeat at Gilboa?
ANSWERS FOR LAST WEEK’S QUIZ
- Hophni and Phinehas (1st Samuel 1:3)
- Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. (1st Samuel 3:9)
- Ichabod (1st Samuel 4:19-21)
- It fell face down before the ark (1st Samuel 5:1-3)
- Mizpeh (1st Samuel 7:6)
- Ramah (1st Samuel 8:4-5)
- Mizpeh (1st Samuel 10:17-25)
“The prayerful study of
the Word is an act of devotion
wherein the transforming power of grace is often exercised,
changing us into the image of Him of whom the Word is a mirror.”[7]
Rev. Ian S.D. Loughrin
The Evangelical Manse, 59 Baillie Avenue, Harthill, North Lanarkshire, ML7 5SY
benharpastor@live.co.uk
01501751887
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- Benhar Evangelical Church
- Covenanter Road
- Eastfield, Harthill
- North Lanarkshire
- ML7 5PB
01501751887
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