The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Him! Him! Him!"
"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? And in Thy name have cast out devils? And in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from Me, ye that work iniquity" (Matthew 7:22).
Only the Lord Jesus Christ will be in Heaven because He has "done many wonderful works." All others there will be granted entrance only because He has done those works for us. Not one of the redeemed will be thinking about anything we have done when we stand before God. Our plea will be "Christ has done all for me, Father! I ask entree only by Him, through Him, and of Him!"
An old poem speaks of such wondrous grace.
Under the law with its ten-fold lash, learning alas how true
that the more I tried, the sooner I died,
while the law cried, "You, you, you!"
Hopelessly still did the battle rage, "O wretched man!" my cry,
and deliverance sought by some penance bought
while my soul cried, "I, I, I!"
Then came a day when all struggling ceased,
and trembling in every limb, I knelt at a Tree
where One died for me, and sobbed out "Him! Him! Him!"
The hymn writer echoed, "Nothing in my hand I bring, only to Thy cross I cling!" Most importantly, the Scriptures over and over and over again proclaim the freest gift ever given - the saving grace of the Lord Jesus to all who believe - purchased by the highest cost ever remitted - the suffering, forsakeness, and death of the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary. We close with just a few of those affirmations that paved the way and will fling open the gates of Heaven for the Blood-washed and Spirit-renewed saints of God in Christ, whose hearts and tongues will speak not a word about their own works, but rather cry, "Him, Him, Him!"
"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price" (Isaiah 55:1).
"Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:4-6).
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them" (Ezekiel 36:26-27)
"This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent" (John 6:29).
"Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of One the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life" (Romans 5:18).
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:1-2).
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us" (Titus 3:5).
"We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7).
"Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God, to declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law" (Romans 3:24-28).
Weekly Memory Verse
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
(Galatians 5:25)
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