#52. How Vast the Benefits Divine Which We in Christ Possess!

Romans 16:2527 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, 26 but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; 27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen. We come to the final reason to read God's Word and hear it preached. Not that there are no more to be found in the pages of Scripture, for that could not be the case. However, we have seen 51 reasons over the last 12 months and though some have overlapped slightly, most have been distinct and powerful. We thought it would be useful to list them again for you here, so that if any one or two of these reasons has left us unmoved to make better use of the Word of God, perhaps the weight of all 51 taken together may arouse us. We have seen What the Word of God is, what it does, and the importance of its declaration through preaching, under the following titles, each supported by a Scripture reference. #1. It is God's Written Word, and no Mere Human Production #2. The Word is God-breathed in its entirety #3. God's Word is Truth #4. God's Word is Inerrant #5. God's Word is Pure and Upright #6. God's Word is Everlasting #7. God's Word is Authoritative #8. God's Word is Special Revelation #9. God's Word is a Completed Revelation #10. God's Word is Powerful and Effective #11. God's Word is Powerful in Creating and Sustaining All Things #12. God's Word is Powerful to Accomplish all His Purposes #13. God's Word is Powerful to Establish with Certainty All that is to Come #14. God's Word is Powerful and Majestic #15. God's Word is Unique! #16. God's Word is Treasure to the Heart of the Believer #17. God's Word is Useful for Teaching #18. God's Word Teaches Us His Commandments #19. God's Word Teaches Us the Way of Salvation #20. God's Word is Useful for Rebuking #21. God's Word Exposes Our Sin #22. God's Word is Useful for Correction #23. God's Word is a Primary Means For Our Guidance #24. God's Word is Living, Active and Incisive! #25. God's Word is Useful for Training in Righteousness #26. God's Word is a primary means to our sanctification

#27. God's Word Feeds Our Souls #28. God's Word Revives us #29. God's Word Strengthens Us #30. God's Word Comforts Us #31. God's Word Gives Us Wisdom and Understanding #32. God's Word Produces Reverence to God #33. God's Word is the Sword of the Spirit #34. God's Word is a Sure Foundation for Life #35. God's Word shows the Way to Escape Death #36. God's Word Helps Us to Recognize Who Jesus Is #37. When God's Word is Preached, it is Christ Who Speaks #38. When God's Word is Preached, His Power is at Work

#39. When God's Word is Preached, the Unfathomable Riches of Christ are Proclaimed #40. When God's Word is Preached, It is a Message of Forgiveness #41. When God's Word is Preached, The Gospel is Offered Without Charge #42. When God's Word is Preached, the Wisdom of God is Displayed #43. When God's Word is Preached, It Provides the Means to Spiritual Resurrection #44. When God's Word is Preached, it is a Means to Assurance of Faith #45. When God's Word is Preached, it is an Anchor for the Soul #46. When God's Word is Preached, It Gives a Testimony to all the Nations #47. When God's Word is Preached, He Holds Us Accountable to Listen #48. Churches Are to Give Attention to the Reading and Teaching of Scripture #49. When God's Word is Preached, We are to Give Honor to the Preacher

#50. Prophets Longed, and Angels Still Long to Better Understand the Things Preached to Us! #51. God Magnifies His Word According to All His Name Take a look at what Paul has to say in our passage this week. He is exulting in this Gospel, in this Word, in this preaching, in the mystery that God has chosen to reveal to us through His Word and in the results that this always has in the obedience of faith! He has given us the perfect conclusion to our series. Believers - realize what you have in this Word! Don't neglect it, don't minimize it, don't undervalue it! See how out of line with God and with His Word such attitudes are. Our meditation this week takes its title from the first line of a hymn by Augustus Toplady: How Vast the Benefits Divine Which We in Christ Possess. Not the least of these truly vast benefits is that we possess, here and now, the completed revelation of our God and we can read it and hear it preached freely. Shake off the sloth that often overtakes us, then, and press on to take full advantage of this means of grace and to receive all the blessing that God intends for you through its truths!

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