Victory in Jesus: I Heard An Old, Old Story

I heard an old, old story, how a Savior came from glory
How He gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me
I heard about His groaning, of His precious blood's atoning
Then I repented of my sins and won the victory

/Chorus/
Oh victory in Jesus, my Savior forever
He sought me and He bought me with His redeeming blood
He loved me 'ere I knew Him and all my love is due Him
He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood

I heard about His healing, of His cleansing power revealing
How He made the lame to walk again and caused the blind to see
And then I cried, "Dear Jesus, come and heal my broken spirit"
I then obeyed His blest command and gained the victory

/Chorus/

I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory
And I heard about the street of gold beyond the crystal sea
About the angels singing and the old redemption story
Oh and some sweet day I'll sing up there the song of victory

/Chorus/

He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood
He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood

(The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration, 473)

Scriptural Reference:

"Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood." Acts 20:28

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57

Preparing for Glorious Things

1 Corinthians 15:20,  But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

Some day I'll die. How glorious will it be?--beholding the face of God and waiting for the full redemption of my body? And how much more glorious will it be at the last day when soul is united again to resurrected self-same body? How do I begin preparing now for such glorious things?

Christ: Unto Us Righteousness and Sanctification

"He who supposes that Jesus Christ only lived and died and rose again in order to provide justification and forgiveness of sins for His people, has yet much to learn. Whether he knows it or not, he is dishonouring our blessed Lord, and making Him only a half Saviour. The Lord Jesus has undertaken everything that His people's souls require; not only to deliver them from the guilt of their sins by His atoning death, but from the dominion of their sins, by placing in their hearts the Holy Spirit; not only to justify them, but also to sanctify them. He is, thus, not only their "righteousness," but their "sanctification" (1 Cor. 1:30)" (J. C. Ryle, Holiness, 16).

Not Casting a Snare

"The faithful ministers of Christ ought to be very cautious and tender in giving their advice, or laying down rules about the ordering of the circumstances of family worship, and conform themselves to that excellent pattern which the apostle has laid before them in 1 Corinthians 7:35: "This I speak for your own profit, not that I may cast a snare upon you, but that which is comely, that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction"(George Hamond, The Case for Family Worship, 16-17)."

Christ - Wisdom of God

In the third chapter of Ephesians Paul says, "Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Here we see Paul teaching that God is using the church on earth as a means by which to display his power to the angels--those who are the "principalities and powers in heavenly places." Paul says that by the church--the bride of Jesus Christ--the manifold wisdom of God is made known to the angels. The "wisdom of God" encompasses a great many things, but namely it is none other than the incarnate Jesus Christ, the God-Man, "the heir of all things, by whom [God] made the world" (Heb 1:2). "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor 1:23-24).

Humanity teaching angels is no small thing to overlook, for it marks an important development in the maturation in the sons of Adam. In former times God used angels as means by which to deliver his word to humans (Hebrews 2:2). However, after the first advent of Jesus Christ, who is the Second Adam, we see that true humanity--the church/bride of Jesus Christ--delivers a word to the angels, a message which makes "manifold [much variegated; a wide spectrum like colors] the wisdom of God."

Humanity is maturing, and Jesus Christ is both the reason and the proof that humanity is maturing. How so? God eternally purposed to reveal Jesus Christ--"the manifold wisdom of God"--by the church. You cannot talk about Son of God--Jesus Christ the God-Man--without talking about the church, and vice versa. In times past God spoke to humanity by the angels and prophets, however, now the Lord speaks to us (humanity) by his incarnate Son, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1). Thus, now true humanity--the church--teaches the angels about the "manifold wisdom of God." Because of Jesus Christ humanity has been transformed from glory to glory (2 Cor 3:18). Humanity has put on the new man: Col 3:10--"And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." Truly humanity in Jesus Christ (and united to Jesus Christ and counted righteous in Jesus Christ) is maturing, for in putting on the new man we are "created in righteousness and true holiness" (Eph 4:24).

So, humanity is growing up because true-humanity/the Church knows Jesus Christ. We know Him, He who is the Son and Wisdom of God. Humanity: we are maturing, we are growing up, we are becoming wiser. Praise God!

1 Cor. iv. 20: Power

John Calvin believed that preaching is dead when Ministers of the Word rely solely on ornate preaching. A Minister of the Word that is filled with the Holy Spirit ought to preach in accordance with the Spirit: namely, in Power.

Calvin commenting on 1 Corinthians iv.20 (For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.) -- As the Lord governs the Church by his word, as with a sceptre, the administration of the gospel is often called the kingdom of God. Here, then, we are to understand by the kingdom of God whatever tends in this direction, and is appointed for this purpose—that God may reign among us. He says that this kingdom does not consist in word, for how small an affair is it for any one to have skill to prate eloquently, while he has nothing but empty tinkling [sound of tinkling in the air]. Let us know, then, a mere outward gracefulness and dexterity in teaching is like a body that is elegant and of a beautiful colour, while the power of which Paul here speaks is like the soul. We have already seen that the preaching of the gospel is of such a nature, that it is inwardly replete with a kind of solid majesty. This majesty shows itself, when a minster strives by means of power rather than of speech—that is, when he does not place confidence in his own intellect, or eloquence, but, furnished with spiritual armour, consisting of zeal for maintaining the Lord’s honour—eagerness for raising up of an invincible constancy—purity of conscience, and other necessary endowments, he applies himself diligently to the Lord’s work. Without this, preaching is dead, and has no strength, with whatever beauty it may be adorned. Hence in his second epistle, he says, that in Christ nothing avails but a new creature (2 Cor. v. 17)—a statement which is to the same purpose. For he would have us not rest in outward masks, but depend solely on the internal power of the Holy Spirit.