Text:
“But the Salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: He is their strength in the
time of trouble...He shall save them, because they trust in Him.”
Psalm 37:39-40.
Good
morning, Christ-secured Christian! Of
yourself, and myself – we are nothing!
We cannot save ourselves by any so-called ‘good works’, or strictly
observed religion. Our most righteous
acts of charity and kindness, in comparison to the perfect purity and
righteousness required for us to go to Heaven, are as ‘filthy rags’ in the
sight of our thrice Holy and Righteous Lord God Almighty. Fact.
Thus saith the Word:
“But
we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;
and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us
away.”
(Isaiah 64:6)
(Isaiah 64:6)
With
this serious defect in mind, therefore, let us remind ourselves afresh of the
question the Philippian jailor asked the apostles when the Lord sent the
earthquake to wreck his prison. “What
must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:22-34)
The
answer to this urgent question? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved, and thy house.” (Acts
16:31)
From
that night until the day the jailor died and went to be with His Saviour – he,
and all those of his family household that believed with him, became
Christ-secured Christians.
Hallelujah! Only Christ can
create a Christian! Yes, ‘CREATE!
“For
by grace are ye saved thought faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift
of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, CREATED in Christ
Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in
them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)
Verse 39. “But the Salvation of the righteous is of
the Lord...” Note who are being
saved here, dear Christian: ‘the righteous’.
However, Scripture teaches us clearly that, ‘...there is none righteous,
no not one...’! (Romans 3:10) So, let each
of us ask ourselves the question: ‘If none be righteous, who, then, can ever be
saved?’
There is only one true righteousness, the absolute,
impeccable, pure and Holy righteousness of God the Son, Christ Jesus. Therefore, it is seen clearly that it is HIS
Divine righteousness that is strictly required for a soul to enter Heaven and
be saved. This is the strictly required
level of true righteousness that is imputed (put to our account) unto us by
Christ, when He saves us, by God’s grace, through faith, and according to the will
and Divine election of God our Father in Heaven. Praise God!
“For He (God the Father) hath made Him (God the Son)
to be sin for us (the elect of God),... that we (‘His people’) might be made
the righteousness of God in Him.”
(2 Corinthians 5:21)
“All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and
him/her that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37)
Christ Jesus came down from Heaven and took on human
form in order, at all times, to fulfil God the Father’s Sovereign will. Christ cannot ‘cast out’ the soul that comes
to Him, because His Father’s will has been to elect that soul, in Eternity, to
come to Christ, and given that soul as a gift to His Son Jesus, for the purpose
of Eternal Salvation of that soul.
Therefore, Christ Jesus fulfils God the Father’s will by accepting His
gift of elect souls, saving them, and keeping them forever. Once saved (IF we are truly saved) we can
never ever be ‘cast out’ of Christ’s keeping power.
Hear Christ’s Own intercessory prayer: “And now, O
Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with
Thee before the world was. I have
manifested Thy Name unto the men which Thou gavest Me out of the world: Thine
they were, and Thou gavest them Me; and they have kept Thy Word.” (John 17:5-9)
This truth from God’s Word makes us ‘Christ-secured
Christians.’ Hallelujah! Our only
‘righteousness’ is His righteousness put to our account by grace through faith
in Him. Praise His merciful Name! (Ephesians 2:8-10)
Verse 39. “...He is their strength in the time of
trouble. For the genuine
regenerate Christian, every day is a potential ‘time of trouble’, for the
world, the flesh, and the Devil will not leave us alone for a moment. Without God’s Divine strength and help, we
would not be able to stand as Christian witnesses for one moment.
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed;
for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will
uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness. Behold, all that are incensed against thee
shall be ashamed and confounded...”
(Isaiah 41:10-13)
Verse 40. “And
the Lord shall help them. He
shall, He shall, He shall. Oh the
rhetoric of God! The safety of the saints! The certainty of the promises!! (John Trapp1601-1699)
Verse 40.
“...And save them because they trust in Him. Faith shall ensure the safety of the elect. It is the mark of the sheep by which they
shall be separated from the goats. Not
their merit, but their believing, shall distinguish them.” (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 182)
“Luther closes his Exposition of the Psalms
with the words, ‘Oh shame on our faithlessness, mistrust, and vile unbelief,
that we do take up so readily with little grounds of offence, whenever we but
hear the wicked speeches of the ungodly.
Help, O God, that we may once attain to right faith. Amen.’” (Martin Luther 1483-1546)
Thought: When in need of ‘Good Comfort in Bad Times’,
study Psalm 37: and be thoroughly refreshed.
Courage, Battle-weary Christian, we have Christ’s Eternal Victory!
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