INSIGHTS & NOTES FROM
CHAPTER 63
"In all our addresses to God we must eye him as God, & our God, & this will be our comfort in a wilderness state." "We must seek him; we must covet his favours our chief good & consult his glory as our highest end; we must seek acquaintance with him by his word & seek mercy from him by prayer." "Gracious souls look down upon the world with a holy disdain & look up to God with a holy desire." "Those that have their hearts refreshed with the tokens of God's favour ought to have them enlarged in his praises." "Praising God must be the work of our whole lives" "We must every day give thanks to him for the benefits with which we are daily loaded." "...when we lift up the hands that hang down, in comfort & joy, it must be in God's name; from him our comforts must be fetched, & to him they must be devoted." "We must praise God with joyful lips" "It is our duty to rejoice in the shadow of God's wings" "To press hard after God is to follow him closely" "It is he that strengthens us in the pursuit of him, quickens our good affections, & comforts us while we have not yet attained what we are in the pursuit of." "He resolves to make God the Alpha & Omega of all his joys. He shall rejoice in God." CHAPTER 64 "He earnestly begs of God to preserve him." "They please themselves with an atheistical conceit that God himself takes no notice of their wicked practices... A practical disbelief of God's omniscience is at the bottom of all the wickedness of the wicked." "They are masters of all the arts of mischief & destruction, for the inward thought of every one of them, & the heart, are deep, deep as hell, desperately wicked, who can know it?" "...God's arrows will hit surer, & fly swifter, & pierce deeper, than theirs do or can." "Many have cut their own throats, & many more have damned their own souls, with their tongues, & it will be an aggravation of their condemnation." "God's doing is well worth our considering (Eccl. 7:13), but it must be considered wisely, that we put not a corrupt gloss upon a pure text." "All the upright in heart, that keep a good conscience & approve themselves to God, shall glory, not in themselves, but in the favour of God, in his righteousness & goodness, their relation to him & interest in him. Let him that glories glory in the Lord." CHAPTER 65 "When God is coming towards us with his favours we must go forth to meet him with our praises, & wait till the day dawn." "When we stand ready in every thing to give thanks, then praise waits for God." "To him let us come, & come boldly, because he is a God that hears prayer." "The greater our danger is by reason of sin the more cause we have to admire the power & riches of God's pardoning mercy, which can invalidate the threatening force of our manifold transgressions & our mighty sins." "Those that come into communion with God shall certainly find true happiness & full satisfaction in their communion." "There is abundance of goodness in his house, righteousness, grace & all the comforts of the everlasting covenant; there is enough for all, enough for each; it is ready, always ready; & all on free cost, without money & without price." "We are to look upon our daily worship, alone & with our families, to be both the most needful of our daily occupations & the most delightful of our daily comforts; &, if therein we keep up our communion with God, the outgoings both of the morning & of the evening are thereby made truly to rejoice." "All God's blessings, even spiritual ones, are expressed by his raining righteousness upon us." "Our hearts are dry & barren unless God himself be as the dew to us & water us; & the plants of his own planting he will water & make them to increase." "Let all these common gifts of the divine bounty, which we yearly & daily partake of, increase our love to God as the best of beings, & engage us to glorify him with our bodies, which he thus provides so well for." CHAPTER 66 "Holy joy is that devout affection which should animate all our praises" "We must be hearty & zealous & must do what we do with all our might, with all that is within us." "That which is the honour of God's name ought to be the matter of our praise." "Let not those that are in rebellion against God exalt themselves as if there were any probability that they should gain their point." "We must own that it is the good providence of God that keeps life & soul together & his visitation that preserves our spirit." "Whatever the troubles of the saints are, blessed be God, there is a way through them." "We should take all occasions to tell one another of the great & kind things which God has done for us, especially which he has done for our souls, the spiritual blessings with which he has blessed us in heavenly things; these we should be most affected with ourselves, & therefore with these we should be desirous to affect others." "Iniquity, regarded in the heart, will certainly spoil the comfort & success of prayer; for the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord." "God has heard me, & therefore blessed be God." "What we win by prayer we must wear with praise. Mercies in answer to prayer do, in a special manner, oblige us to be thankful." "...God does not turn away our prayer, because he does not turn away his own mercy, for that is the foundation of our hopes & the fountain of our comforts, & therefore ought to be the matter of our praises." Matthew Henry's Commentary: Job To Song Of Solomon, Mac Donald, pgs. 468 - 482.
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CHAPTER 59 "David prays to be delivered out of the hands of his enemies, & that their cruel designs against him might be defeated." "...earnestly should we pray daily to be defended & delivered from our spiritual enemies, the temptations of Satan, & the corruptions of our own hearts, which war against our spiritual life." "It is not strange if those regard not what they say who have made themselves believe that God regards not what they say." "Let not those expect to find mercy who never showed mercy, for such are wicked transgressors." "When we think God's judgments come slowly upon sinners we must conclude that God has wise & holy ends in the gradual proceedings of his wrath." "Cursing, & lying, & speaking proudly, are some of the worst of the sins of the tongue" "It is not poverty, but discontent, that makes a man unhappy." "God's compassions are new every morning, & therefore it is fit to begin the day with his praises." "As we must direct our prayers to God, so to him we must direct our praises, & must look up, making melody to the Lord." CHAPTER 60 "In a day of public rejoicing we have need to be taught to direct our joy to God & to terminate it in him, to give none of that praise to the instruments of our deliverance which is due to him only, & to encourage our hopes with our joys." "God sometimes shows even his own people hard things in this world, that they may not take up their rest in it, but may dwell at ease in him only." "When God is turning his hand in our favour, it is good to remember our former calamities." "Those that fear God are his beloved; they are dear to him as the apple of his eye." "God's word of promise, being a firm foundation of hope, is a full fountain of joy to all believers." "...pardon is mine, peace is mine, grace mine, Christ mine, heaven mine, God himself mine." "A lively faith in the promise will assure us, not only that the God of peace shall tread Satan under our feet shortly, but that it is our Father's good pleasure to give us the kingdom." "'Through God we shall do valiantly, & so we shall do victoriously; for he it is, & he only, that shall tread down our enemies, & shall have the praise of doing it.'" "Hope in God is the best principle of true courage." "It is only through God, & by the influence of his grace, that we do valiantly; it is he that puts strength into us, & inspires us, who of ourselves are weak & timorous, with courage & resolution." "All our victories, as well as our valour, are from him, & therefore at his feet all our crowns must be cast." CHAPTER 61 "Wherever we are we may have liberty of access to God, & may find a way open to the throne of grace." "That which separates us from our other comforts should drive us so much the nearer to God, the fountain of all comfort." "God's power & promise are a rock that is higher than we. This rock is Christ; those are safe that are in him." "We should therefore by faith & prayer put ourselves under the divine management, that we may be taken under the divine protection." "Past experiences of the benefit of trusting in God, as they should engage us still to keep close to him, so they should encourage us to hope that it will not be in vain. 'Thou hast been my strong tower from the enemy, & thou art as strong as ever, & thy name is as much a refuge to the righteous as ever it was. Proverbs 18:10." "This advantage those have that abide in God's tabernacle, that in the time of trouble he shall there hide them." "We need desire no better heritage than that of those who fear God. If God deal with us as he uses to deal with those that love his name we need not desire to be any better dealt with." "Those abide to good purpose in this world that abide before God, that serve him & walk in his fear; & those that do so shall abide before him for ever." "We need not desire to be better secured than under the protection of God's mercy & truth." "God's preservation of us calls upon us to praise him; & therefore we should desire to live, that we may praise him: Let my soul live, & it shall praise thee." "The vows we have made we must conscientiously perform." CHAPTER 62 "We are in the way both of duty & comfort when our souls wait upon God, when we cheerfully refer ourselves, & the disposal of all our affairs, to his will & wisdom, when we acquiesce in & accommodate ourselves to all the dispensations of his providence, & patiently expect a doubtful event, with an entire satisfaction in his righteousness & goodness, however it be." "'If God is my strength & mighty deliverer, I shall not be greatly moved (that is, I shall not be undone & ruined); I may be shocked, but I shall not be sunk.'" "This hope in God will be an anchor of the soul, sure & stedfast." "It is dangerous putting our trust in men... God is faithful." "Those who seek the ruin of God's chosen are but preparing ruin for themselves." "...as David's faith in God advances to an unshaken stayedness, so his joy in God improves itself into a holy triumph. In God is my salvation & my glory." "Those that have found the comfort of the ways of God themselves will invite others into those ways;" "God is a refuge for us, not only my refuge, but a refuge for us all, even as many as will flee to him & take shelter in him." "To some God speaks twice & they will not hear once; but to others he speaks but once, & they hear twice." "This is a good reason why we should trust in him at all times & live in a constant dependence upon him; for he is able to do all that for us which we trust in him for." "He is merciful in a way peculiar to himself; he is the Father of mercies. II Corinthians 1:3." "No service done him shall go unrewarded, nor any affront given him unpunished, unless it be repented of." "Let those therefore that are wronged commit their cause to him & trust to him to plead it." Matthew Henry's Commentary: Job To Song Of Solomon, Mac Donald, pgs. 455 - 467. Insights From "Church, Read The Book Of Acts, & Get Ready!" by Donnie Swaggart - CHAPTER 310/7/2020 "THE RIVER OF THE SANCTUARY: Ezekiel 47:1-9. The River is a type of the Holy Spirit. Water symbolizes the life of the Holy Spirit. The strength & power of our churches is directly related to how much of the river is allowed to flow."
"...there is no church without the Holy Spirit." "...the church today must be a Spirit-filled church in order to be a New Testament church." "1. THE SOURCE OF THE RIVER: The source of the river is the sanctuary, the throne of Jehovah. Everything that is spiritual must begin in the Father's house, the sanctuary. It doesn't begin with the ideas, formulas or programs designed by man. That which is of God doesn't begin around a boardroom table as men try to formulate plans, but it must begin in the sanctuary." "...Verse 1 ...the door is Christ, for we know that there is no access to the Father except we first go through the Son. He is the door." "...'And, behold, waters issued out,' ...the Holy Spirit who issues forth from Christ." "The phrase, 'From under the threshold,' speaks of the floor, denoting humility. To receive the mighty infilling of the Holy Spirit, one must humble himself before Christ." "2. THE COURSE OF THE RIVER: ...the Holy Spirit could not reside in the hearts & lives of believers until Jesus Christ paid the price through the shedding of innocent blood at Calvary's Cross." "The course of the river is the Cross of Christ. As A.N. Trotter said so long ago, 'Everything comes through the blood of Jesus.' Salvation, the Holy Spirit, grace, sanctification, & justification come through what Christ did on the Cross." "3. THE FORCE OF THE RIVER: In Verse 7, the phrase, 'Very many trees on the one side & on the other,' shows us the force of the river as trees in Bible symbolism signify the production of fruit in us." "...the Spirit will do what is needed in us for us to produce the fruit of the Spirit (Mat. 7:17-20)." Church, Read The Book Of Acts, & Get Ready!, by Donnie Swaggart, pgs. 25 - 30. "THE VISION OF ZECHARIAH"
Zechariah 4:1-6 "THE WORD OF THE LORD UNTO ZECHARIAH: The great need for the church today is to receive a word from the Lord. We need men of God who have heard from heaven, & who have a word fresh from the throne room of God - men whose lips have been touched by a live coal from the altar." "The church today has traded a weeping prophet for preachers who desire only to tickle the ears of people." "ZECHARIAH'S VISION & THE HOLY SPIRIT: ...the church also must come back to depending upon the Holy Spirit" "A CANDLESTICK ALL OF GOLD: The candlestick of gold symbolizes Christ. The gold symbolizes His deity." "When the 6 stems (man & his imperfection) are added to the one (Christ), thus, making 7 (7 is God's number of perfection & completion), we see a beautiful picture of salvation. Man is born into sin, imperfect, & unstable, but when he is joined to Christ, that which is 6 (imperfect) becomes 7 (perfect & complete)." "CHRIST, THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH: ...everything revolves around & its supported & upheld by Christ. He is the head of the church;" "Everything must revolve around Christ. He is the message, He is the song, & He is the foundation." "WITH A BOWL UPON THE TOP OF IT: This bowl signified the Holy Spirit. From this bowl a constant supply of oil (a type of the Holy Spirit) was available." "Everything the Lord does in our lives & in the church is done through the Holy Spirit." "Without the bowl full of the oil, nothing of lasting good can be accomplished. We must have the oil (the Holy Spirit) flowing in our lives." "AND HIS 7 LAMPS THEREON: ...to provide illumination." "...perfect illumination, to glorify Christ." "...the bowl, with the oil, bringing power or supply to the 7 lamps, will only illuminate one thing, & that is Christ & Him crucified. The light shows our worthlessness & Christ's worthiness." "AND 7 PIPES TO THE 7 LAMPS, WHICH ARE UPON THE TOP THEREOF: ...the Holy Spirit our source of supply & power. There is no other pipe that can empower the church." "AND 2 OLIVE TREES BY IT: ...'There is only 1 true source of supply, & that is the Holy Spirit.'" "NOT BY MIGHT, NOR BY POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT: The work of God cannot be done by might (human might) or by power (human power), but by His Spirit, which is the Holy Spirit." "Let us learn from this that we must be empowered by the Holy Spirit & Him alone." Church, Read The Book Of Acts & Get Ready!, by Donnie Swaggart, pgs. 17 - 24. |
AuthorCross Preaching Pentecostal Pastor. Husband to Tonia, Father to 3 beautiful girls, Monica, Zoe & Briana, & Grandfather to Wesley & Elliott Archives
September 2023
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