December 2022

Hello to all our family in Christ. I have been thoroughly enjoying my devotion in the morning reading the book, Living by Faith. I have shared some excerpts from this book and I will continue to do so because I have found blessings in each chapter that are so worth sharing. This blog is no exception. This is the chapter, The Healing Touch from Living By Faith. May you be as richly blessed as I was with the message that God has in His word, especially for you.

One of the most striking miracles of Jesus is told in the following few words:

“And it came to pass when He was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy; who seeing Jesus, fell on his face and besought Him, saying, Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. And He put forth His hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.” Luke 5:12, 13.

Leprosy was one of the most loathsome and dreaded diseases known to the people. The leper was an outcast, compelled to keep away from even his own family. The disease was a slow, progressive death; the victim’s body becoming increasingly deformed until death ended his misery.

No other disease more aptly illustrates the defilement of sin; and this man, who was full of leprosy, very closely resembled the description given of the people, by the prophet Isaiah: “The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint, from the sole of the foot even unto the head, there is no soundness in it; but wounds and bruises, and putrefying sores; they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.” So, as you study the miracle of the cleansing of the leper, you can learn how to obey the direction, “Be thou clean.”

In the first place, the leper had confidence in the power of the Lord to heal him. He said, “Thou canst make me clean.” That is a great point. Very few really believe that Jesus Christ can cleanse them from sin. They will admit that He can save from sin in general – that He can save others – but they are not convinced that He can save them. Let such learn a lesson from the power of the Lord. Hear what the prophet Jeremiah said by inspiration of the Holy Spirit: “Ah Lord God! Behold Thou hast made the heavens and the earth by Thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for Thee.” Jeremiah 32:27.

He who brought the heavens and the earth into existence by the power of His word, can do all things. “Our God is in the heavens; He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased.” Psalms 115:3. “…His Divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness…” 2 Peter 1:3. “He is able also to save unto the uttermost them that come unto God by Him.” Hebrews 7:25. Christ has given “power over all flesh.” John 17:2.

So much for His power! Of that the leper was assured; but he was not sure that the Lord was willing to cleanse him. He said, “Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean.” You don’t need to be hesitant like that. You know that He can, and He has given you ample assurance of His willingness. You read that Christ “gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.” Galatians 1:4. It is the will of God that you should be sanctified. 1 Thessalonians 4:3.

Christ comprises everything. He is “the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:24. All things in heaven and in earth are in Him. Colossians 1:16, 17. Therefore the Apostle Paul says: “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32. The willingness of God to cleanse you from sin, is shown in the gift of His only begotten Son for that purpose.

“These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the name of the son of God. And this is the boldness which we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us; and if we know that He heareth us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of Him.” 1 John 5:13-15. R.V. so we may “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” Hebrews 4:16, knowing that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 2:9.

But the most striking feature of this miracle is the fact that Jesus touched the leper. There was not another person in all the land, who would have come within a yard of him. But Jesus “put forth His hand, and touched him.” With that touch the hateful disease vanished.

It is worth noting that in very many cases Jesus touched those whom He healed. When Peter’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, Jesus “touched her hand, and the fever left her.” Matthew 8:15. That same evening, “all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them, and healed them.” Luke 4:40. In His own country the people were so unbelieving that “He could there do no might work, save that He laid His hands on a few sick folk, and healed them.” Mark 6:5.

In Matthew we are assured that this healing of the sick was “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our diseases.” Matthew 8:17. R.V. You know that healing went from Him to the suffering ones who thronged about Him to touch Him (Luke 6:19); and this Scripture assures you that He received into His own person their diseases, in exchange for His healing power.

Now you have the blessed assurance that although He has “passed into the heavens,” He has not lost His sympathy with you, but is still “…touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” Hebrews 4:15. He comes close to you in pity, because “…He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.” Psalms 103:14. In all your sin and degradation, you may have the inspiring thought that Jesus does not despise you, and is not ashamed to come into the closest companionship with you, in order that He may help you.

The prophet, speaking of God’s dealing with ancient Israel, said, “In all their afflictions He was afflicted.” Isaiah 63:9. It is still the same now. As an eagle bears her young on her wings, so the Lord puts Himself under you, bearing all your sin and sorrow. He takes it on Himself, and in Him it is lost, by the same process by which at the last “He will swallow up death in victory.” 1 Corinthians 15:54.

Christ took on Himself the curse, in order that the blessing might come on us. Galatians 3:13, 14. Although He knew no sin, He was made to be sin for you, that you might be made the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21. He suffered the death to which you were doomed, that you might share His life. And this exchange is made when you come into touch with Him, by confessing that “…Jesus Christ is come in the flesh…” 1 John 4:2. How much you lose by holding Jesus off as a stranger, or by regarding faith in Him as a theory. When you know that He identifies Himself with you in your fallen condition, taking on Himself, and from you, your infirmities, how precious becomes the assurance, “…Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28:20. After reading, can you see why I had to share this with you? Our Saviour, Jesus Christ, is very near. Let’s take advantage of His desire to be one with us before it is too late.

Victory Over Sin – Part 6

You have come to the light at the end of the tunnel for this segment of “Victory Over Sin.” Hopefully with Part 6, you now have the entire article and can go back and read it in its entirety to cement the beautiful discourse of Elder Charles Fitch. It is possible for all of us, fully surrendered and obedient to God’s will, to be overcomers of sin. Here is the final segment, Part 6. Please enjoy!!

You ask me finally concerning myself. Here, Dear Brother, I speak with unfeigned diffidence. I love to look at my Saviour, and to hold Him forth in all His fulness to my needy, perishing fellow men. But in myself, aside from what the grace of God has done, and shall do for me, I find nothing but the dark and perfect lineaments of Beelzebub, the prince of devils. I speak sincerely, my Brother. I know that if God should withdraw his grace from me, and leave me to myself, there is not a sin within the reach of my powers, which I would not instantly commit and practice forever. {1839 CF, VOS 22.6}

And now, having told you what I think of myself, to my own shame, permit me to tell you what I think of the grace of God, to his praise. “God has promised to dwell in me, and walk in me; and be my God;” and this I consider a pledge of every possible good which He can give me. “Having therefore such promises,” I expect, by trusting in Christ, that they will be fulfilled to me for His sake, “to be cleansed from

all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and to perfect holiness in the fear of God.” {1839 CF, VOS 22.7}

My God has sworn that He will grant me, that I, being delivered out of the hand of my enemies, may serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of my life; and He has raised up Jesus Christ to be my horn of salvation, to perform to me this mercy promised to our fathers, to remember this holy covenant, this oath which he sware. I do therefore expect, through the strength and faithfulness of my Lord Jesus Christ, in performing to me this holy covenant and oath of God, to be delivered out of the hand of my enemies, and to serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of my life. I expect that He, according to His own promise, will be faithful to sanctify me wholly, and to preserve my whole spirit, and soul, and body, blameless, unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. In myself, I am nothing but a miserable, lost sinner; but in my Saviour, “dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily;” and He has made me “complete in Him.” I therefore expect “to abide in Him, and whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not.” {1839 CF, VOS 23.1}

And now, my brother, as to what I expect to preach, I have only to say, that I expect to uncover to my fellow men, just so far and just so long as my God shall enable me, “this fountain which has been opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness .” I expect to do all in my power to make my fellow men acquainted with the “holy covenant of our God, and the oath which He sware, that He will grant unto us, that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, may serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our lives; and that Christ is our horn of salvation to perform this covenant; this oath of a covenant-keeping God ;” that this and every other “promise of God is yea and Amen in Christ, unto the glory of God by us .” That He who hath called them is faithful, to sanctify them wholly; to preserve their whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ . That Christ gave himself for us, that he might sanctify and cleanse us with the washing of water by the Word, that he might present us to Himself, a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that we “should be holy and without blemish ;” and that they have only, like Paul to “believe God, that it shall be even as it was told them ;” and, like Abraham, to “stagger not at the promise of God through unbelief; but to be strong in faith, giving glory to God, being fully persuaded, that what God had promised He was able also to perform ; and like Sarah to judge him faithful who had promised;” and by placing this confidence in their Savior, they shall so receive the fulfillment of God’s exceeding great and precious promises, as to become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust;” that having these promises

and this faith in Christ for their fulfillment, “they shall cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” This, my Brother, I regard as the glory, the crowning excellency of the gospel, the brightest star in the whole firmament of revealed truth; and with my Saviour’s permission, I expect to point my fellow men to this day star of hope, until the hand that points them is given to the worms. It is, to my soul, a fountain of living waters, a wellspring of life, and I expect to say to my fellow men, “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;” and to cease not, until the lips that are allowed the high privilege of uttering such an invitation, can speak no more. {1839 CF, VOS 23.2}

And now, my Dear Brother; you have my whole heart laid open without reserve; and to God I commit myself, and his truth, and the cause of the Saviour, dearer to me than life. “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.”

Your Servant in the Gospel,

CHARLES FITCH. {1839 CF, VOS 24.1}

AARON GUEST, PRINTER, 121 MARKET-STREET. 1839