Wednesday, September 30, 2009

BEST OF MY DUTIES

"Not only the worst of my sins, but the best of my duties speak me a child of Adam."

- William Beveridge


NOT INDUCEMENTS

"Sinful man stands in need, not of inducements or assistance to save himself, but precisely of saving; and Jesus Christ has come not to advise, or urge, or woo, or help him to save himself, but to save him."

- B.B. Warfield

FAITH FIRST

"the design of Christian doctrine is that believers should exercise themselves in good works," but "faith must go before in such a manner that good works may follow."

-- John Calvin

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

WRONG VIEW

"The doctrine of regeneration is absolutely foundational. It is because so many do not realize this that they have a wrong view of evangelism, and become interested overmuch in decisions."

- Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Monday, September 28, 2009

MERE PLEASURE OF GOD

"Those who are ordained unto eternal life were not so ordained on account of any worthiness foreseen in them, or of any good works to be wrought by them, nor yet for their future faith, but purely and solely of free, sovereign grace, and according to the mere pleasure of God."

- Augustus Toplady

All I Have Is Christ

Sunday, September 27, 2009

DIVINE WORK

"Conversion is as divine a work as creation."

- C.H. Spurgeon (monergism books)

(my note: yea, Conversion is even a greater divine work than creation; creation was making nothing into something without the death of Jesus; conversion is grounded in making the unclean to be clean due to the death of Jesus)

Saturday, September 26, 2009

VERY HONORABLE

The outward appearance and condition of the saints in those days being
very mean and contemptible, — their leaders being accounted as the filth
of this world, and as the offscouring of all things, — the inviting others
unto fellowship with them, and a participation of the precious things
which they did enjoy, seems to be exposed to many contrary reasonings
and objections: “What benefit is there in communion with them? Is it any
thing else but to be sharers in troubles, reproaches, scorns, and all manner
of evils?”

To prevent or remove these and the like exceptions, the apostle
gives them to whom he wrote to know (and that with some earnestness of
expression), that notwithstanding all the disadvantages their fellowship lay
under, unto a carnal view, yet in truth it was, and would be found to be (in
reference to some with whom they held it), very honorable, glorious, and
desirable. For “truly,” saith he, “our fellowship is with the Father, and
with his Son Jesus Christ.”

-- John Owen, "Communion with God, Chapter 1"

MAGNIFIES MAN

Free-will doctrine – what does it? It magnifies man into God; it declares God’s purposes a nullity, since they cannot be carried out unless men are willing. It makes God’s will a waiting servant to the will of man, and the whole covenant of grace dependent upon human action. Denying election on the ground of injustice it holds God to be a debtor to sinners so that if He gives grace to one He is bound to do so to all.

It teaches that the blood of Christ was shed equally for all men and since some are lost, this doctrine ascribes the difference to man’s own will, thus making the atonement itself a powerless thing until the will of man gives it efficacy. Those sentiments dilute the scriptural description of man’s depravity, and by imputing strength to fallen humanity, rob the Spirit of the glory of His effectual grace: this theory says in effect that it is of him that willeth, and of him that runneth, and not of God that showeth mercy."


C.H. Spurgeon

THEIR INSIGNIFICANCE

Hence the dread and amazement with which, as Scripture uniformly relates, holy men were struck and overwhelmed whenever they beheld the presence of God...Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance until the have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God.

-John Calvin

GOD IS THE OCEAN

The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls c an be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams, but God is the fountain. These are but drops; but God is the ocean.

-Jonathan Edwards

ROMANS 8:28

All the sins of the saints

(Thomas Brooks, "The Crown and Glory of Christianity,
or, HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness", 1662)

"We know that all things work together for good,
to those who love God, to those who are called
according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

All the afflictions, and
all the temptations, and
all the oppressions, and
all the oppositions, and
all the persecutions--
which befall a godly man,
shall work for his good.

Every cross, and
every loss, and
every disease--
which befall the holy man,
shall work for his good.

Every device,
every snare,
every deceit,
every stratagem,
and every enterprise of Satan against
the holy man, shall work for his good.

They shall all help to make him . . .
more humble,
more holy,
more heavenly,
more spiritual,
more faithful,
more fruitful,
more watchful.

Every prosperity and every adversity;
every storm and every calm;
every bitter and every sweet;
every cross and every comfort--
shall work for the holy man's good.

When God gives a mercy--
that shall work for his good.
When God takes away a mercy--
that shall work for his good.

Yes, even all the falls and all the sins of
the saints shall work for their good. Oh . . .
the care,
the fear,
the watchfulness,
the tenderness,
the zeal--
which God raises in the souls of His saints by their
very falls! Oh the hatred, the indignation, and the
detestation--which God raises in the hearts of His
children against sin--by their very falling into sin!

Oh what love to Christ,
what thankfulness for Christ,
what admiration of Christ,
what cleaving to Christ,
what exalting of Christ,
what drawings from Christ's grace--
are saints led to, by their very falls!

It is the glory of God's holiness, that . . .
He can turn spiritual diseases--into holy remedies!
He can turn soul poisons--into heavenly cordials!
He can prevent sin by sin, and cure falling by falling!

O Christian! What though friends and relations frown upon you,
what though enemies are plotting and conspiring against you,
what though needs, like armed men, are breaking in upon you,
what though men rage, and devils roar against you,
what though sickness is devastating your family,
what though death stands every day at your elbow--
yet there is no reason for you to fear nor faint, because
all these things shall work for your good! Yes, there is
wonderful cause of joy and rejoicing in all the afflictions
and tribulations which come upon you--considering that
they shall all work for your good.

O Christians! I am afraid, I am afraid--that you do not
run so often as you should--to the breasts of this promise,
nor draw that sweetness and comfort from it, that it would
yield, and that your several cases may require. "We know
that all things work together for good, to those who love
God, to those who are called according to His purpose." I
have been the longer upon this verse, because the condition
of God's people calls for the strongest cordials, and the
choicest and the sweetest comforts.

Friday, September 25, 2009

116 Clique - I See The Lord

HE IS HEARD

Everyone wants their voice heard, yet are not really interested in hearing what others are saying. The good news is, His sheep hear His voice, and they follow Him.

ABIDE SERIES #1

Abiding in Christ, at least means we don't abide in our emotions.

BUSINESS

"Even the choicest saints who seek to remain free from the condemning power of sin need to make it their business, as long as they live, to mortify the indwelling power of sin."

-- John Owen.

(source: Daniel Mac)

BACK UPON GOD

The loneliness of the Christian results from his walk with God in an ungodly world, a walk that must often take him away from the fellowship of good Christians as well as from that of the unregenerate world. His God-given instincts cry out for companionship with others of his kind, others who can understand his longings, his aspirations, his absorption in the love of Christ; and because within his circle of friends there are so few who share his inner experiences he is forced to walk alone.

The unsatisfied longings of the prophets for human understanding caused them to cry out in their complaint, and even our Lord Himself suffered in the same way.

The man [or woman] who has passed on into the divine Presence in actual inner experience will not find many who understand him. He finds few who care to talk about that which is the supreme object of his interest, so he is often silent and preoccupied in the midst of noisy religious shoptalk. For this he earns the reputation of being dull and over-serious, so he is avoided and the gulf between him and society widens.

He searches for friends upon whose garments he can detect the smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia out of the ivory palaces, and finding few or none he, like Mary of old, keeps these things in his heart.

It is this very loneliness that throws him back upon God. His inability to find human companionship drives him to seek in God what he can find nowhere else.

A.W. Tozer

NEVER LIKELY

“Let us take with us to church, not only our bodies, but our minds, our reason, our hearts and our consciences. Let us often ask ourselves, ‘What have I got from this sermon?’, ‘What have I learned?’, ‘What truths have been impressed on my mind?’.

“The heart is unquestionably the main point: but we must never forget that the Holy Ghost generally reaches the heart through the mind. Sleepy, idle, inattentive hearers are never likely to be converted.”

~ J.C. Ryle

http://networkedblogs.com/p12723781

GREAT AIM

"To cut off the sinner from all reliance upon himself, his merits and his powers; and throw him, naked and helpless, into the hands of the Holy Spirit to lead him to Christ in faith; should be the one great aim of the ministry.”

- Ichabod S. Spencer, (Monergism Books)

Thursday, September 24, 2009

RIGHTEOUSNESS

“One day as I was passing into the field, this sentence fell upon my soul: ‘Thy righteousness is in heaven.’ And with the eyes of my soul I saw Jesus at the Father’s right hand. ‘There,’ I said, ‘is my righteousness!’ So that wherever I was or whatever I was doing, God could not say to me, ‘Where is your righteousness?’ For it is always right before him.

I saw that it is not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse, for my righteousness IS Christ. Now my chains fell off indeed. My temptations fled away, and I lived sweetly at peace with God.

Now I could look from myself to him and could reckon that all my character was like the coins a rich man carries in his pocket when all his gold is safe in a trunk at home. Oh I saw that my gold was indeed in a trunk at home, in Christ my Lord. Now Christ was all: my righteousness, sanctification, redemption.”

- John Bunyan, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners

http://firstimportance.org/2009/09/24/thy-righteousness-is-in-heaven-2/

Sunday, September 20, 2009

FLOW OUT OF

"We do more to bless and satisfy God by being shut up with Him in loving communication than by doing anything else. Whatever work He might open up for us to do at home or abroad, will flow effortlessly out of our communion with Him. He is more interested in winning our whole hearts than in our winning the world for Him."

- David Wilkerson (source: Disciple Life)

Saturday, September 12, 2009

DEATH TO SIN

"Were it not for sin--death would never have had a beginning! And were it not for death--sin would never have an ending!" By Jesus death we are declared, "not guilty"! praise be to God!!

( Bronni Vincent VanDerwerker )

Friday, September 11, 2009

God's Glory

"God's glory is the end of our being and doing, for being and doing are both from him, and therefore for him alone."

- Thomas Manton

PROGRAM

This is our real "Program": faith in Christ, fellowship with Christ, faithfulness to Christ, fruitfulness for Christ.

- Richard Baxter

EXTOL AND MAGNIFY

Extol and magnify God’s mercy, who has adopted you into his family; who, of slaves, has made you sons; of heirs of hell, heirs of the promise. Adoption is a free gift. He gave them power, or dignity, to become the sons of God. As a thread of silver runs through a whole piece of work, so free grace runs through the whole privilege of adoption."

-- Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity, p. 240

SAME BODY

When I was beaten on the bottom of my feet, my tongue cried. Why did my tongue cry? It was not beaten. It cried because the tongue and the feet are both part of the same body. And you free Christians are part of the same Body of Christ that is now beaten in prisons in restricted nations, that even now gives martyrs for Christ. Can you not feel our pain?

-Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, Tortured for Christ

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

GREATEST SORROW

"I do not understand how a man can be a sincere believer unto whom sin is not the greatest burden and sorrow"

-John Owen

Monday, September 7, 2009

EXCELLENCY

"The notion that there is a Christ, and that Christ is holy and gracious, is conveyed to the mind by the Word of God, but the sense of the excellency of Christ by reason of that holiness and grace, is nevertheless immediately the work of the Holy Spirit."

- Jonathan Edwards