The House of God. Rev. John Peter Bodner
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He will say to me “Give account of thy stewardship, for thou mayest no longer be steward” (Luke 16:2). “After a long time, the Lord of those servants cometh and reckoneth with them” (Matt 25:9). What will I have to show? Will I have profited myself and others for all the time, trouble and training of the years? How will I account for 20, 30, 40 50 years or more as a professed minister of Jesus Christ? Or dare I look ahead, as might I well look back at times, only this to say, “Lo, there Thou hast that is Thine” (Matt 25:25)? “Necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is me, if I preach not the Gospel!” (1 Cor 9:16).
Committed to my trust is the glorious Gospel of the blessed God. Glorious Gospel! Glorious because it displays the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:4,6); glorious because it reveals the grace, wisdom and power of God to choose things that are not to confound things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence (1 Cor 1:28–29); glorious in uniting us to Christ Jesus as our wisdom, strength, righteousness, sanctification and redemption, that, as it is written “He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Cor 1:30–31); glorious in the glad tidings of great joy it brings to all peoples in Christ the Lord, a Savior who brings “glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill among men” (Luke 2:10–14); glorious in revealing “the glory, as of the Only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). glorious as that ministration of the Spirit to righteousness and life which excelled all before it (2 Cor 3:8–10).
The Gospel of the blessed God: Who will not worship this God? Paul cries, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ!” (Eph 1:1). Peter cries, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:1)! John hears all heaven and earth cry, “Blessing, and honour and glory and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever!” (Rev. 53–14). “Stand up and bless the Lord your God forever and ever; and blessed be Thy glorious Name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise” (Neh 9:5).
11. O Shout a Hallelujah!
1 O shout a Hallelujah!
My soul from sin is free!
My righteous Savior Jesus
Has died, and lives for me!
My tongue is filled with singing,
My heart is filled with joy,
Peace through my soul is springing
Which nothing can destroy!
Refrain: O shout a Hallelujah!
The Lamb that once was slain,
My risen Savior Jesus
Forevermore shall reign!
2 O shout of God’s salvation,
And praise Him day by day:
There is no condemnation,
And nothing left to pay!
For Jesus gave the ransom
In His most precious Blood
Upon the Cross of Calvary
To bring me back to God!
3 Shout, shout of sovereign mercy,
And free, abounding grace
That gave me to the Savior
Who suffered in my place !
No, never had I loved Him,
But that He first loved me
And left His throne in heaven
To die upon the Tree!
4 O shout aloud Hosanna
And join me with the throng
Of all God’s chosen people
To sing the glad new song:
All glory to the Father
All glory to the Lamb
All glory to the Spirit
One God—the great I AM!
7.6.7.6. D, Tune: God Bless the Prince of Wales
Preparatory Reading: Old Testament: Genesis 22 ; New Testament: Matthew 11 Psalm: 11
1 Timothy 1:12–14
12And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; 13Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
Who can explain or comprehend the mercy and wisdom of Jesus Christ our Lord? Every believer, every preacher, must find his own life story patterned in the mould of the Apostle Paul, for we are all the sinners of whom he is chief; we have hereafter believed in the pattern which the Lord made of him; we are teachers of the Gentiles as he was first and foremost as Apostle (1:15–16; 2 Tim 1:11). Paul has scrawled in his own large hand (Gal 6:11–16) what each of us scribbles after him on the pages of our lives—mercy (1:13), grace , faith, love (1:14).
In the great mystery of godliness, exceeding abundant grace bestowed mercy on me in my ignorance and unbelief (1:13), counts me faithful to put me at all in the ministry (1:12), has enabled me to hold the trust of “the glorious gospel of the blessed God” (1:11) with faith and love supplied in Him (1:14).
If without that abundant grace, Paul were but a blasphemer and a persecutor, and injurious before conversion before calling to the ministry of this life-giving Gospel (1:13), how much worse would I become “having swerved” and “turned aside” from “godly edifying in faith,” from “charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned” (1:4–6) without that exceeding abundant grace? I would be worse than a blasphemer if all my talk amounts to “vain jangling” (1:6); worse than a persecutor from outside, if from within the Church I only foster “questions” (1:4) or “strifes about words” (6:4); worse than injurious if I cause Christ’s little ones who believe to be offended (Mark 9:42–48). Mercy was granted me in all my sin and harm to God’s people when and because I did it ignorantly in unbelief (1:13). Mercy will not remain for me if at the end I have run when God did not send; if I have labored in vain and be found a castaway (1:7; Jer 23:21; 1 Cor 9:27; Phil.2:15).
Savior, here is a sinner needing Thine abundant grace with faith and love. Without Thee I am but injurious, a blot of shame upon Thy cause and people, an offence to Thy children—better never to have been born, better to have been cast into the sea with a millstone hung on my neck (Matt 18:6). Keep me from falling! Count me faithful now, as in the day Thou didst put me into the ministry. Enable me; make me an able minister of the New Testament, of the Spirit that gives life. And all my days shall I thank Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
12. Come, come to Calvary !
1 Come, come to Calvary,
Look to the Lamb of God
Who bore our sins upon the Tree,
And shed His precious Blood!
2 Come to the Cross, and live!
Jesus the Crucified
Pardon and peace to all shall give
For whom He bled and died.
3 Come to the Fount of life:
Drink and be satisfied
Rivers of living water flow
From out the Savior’s side.
4 Come to the feast now spread
Taste that the Lord is good:
Christ is the true and living bread
Better than