Saturday, December 30, 2017

SERIOUS AND CHEERFUL

Christians should be grave and serious, though cheerful and pleasant. They should feel that they have great interests at stake, and that the world has too. They are redeemed—not to make sport; purchased with precious blood—for other purposes than to make men laugh. They are soon to be in heaven—and a man who has any impressive sense of that will habitually feel he has much else to do than to make men laugh. The true course of life is midway between moroseness and levity; sourness and lightness; harshness and jesting. Be benevolent, kind, cheerful, bland, courteous—but serious. Be solemn, thoughtful, deeply impressed with the presence of God and with eternal things—but pleasant affable and benignant. Think not a smile sinful; but think not levity and jesting harmless. —Albert Barnes

Contentment

Contentment, then, is the product of a heart resting in God. It is the soul’s enjoyment of that peace that passes all understanding. It is the outcome of my will being brought into subjection to the Divine will. It is the blessed assurance that God does all things well, and is, even now, making all things work together for my ultimate good. A.W. Pink

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

MERCY IS HIGHER THAN SIN, SO JOY IS HIGHER THAN SORROW

And since the greatness of God's mercy is far above our sins as the heavens are above the earth, our faith and joy in God's mercy ought to be far above our sadness for our sins. ~Henry Scougal

ATONEMENT- MacArthur

The fallout of that would be like this. Hell is full of people for whom Christ died. I’ll say it another way. Hell is full of people whose sins were paid for in full on the cross. That’s a little more disturbing when you say it like that, isn’t it? Another way to say it would be that the lake of fire, which burns forever with fire and brimstone, is filled with eternally damned people whose sins Christ fully atoned for on the cross. God’s wrath was satisfied by Christ’s atonement on behalf of those people who will forever stay in hell.
Now by the way, heaven will also be populated by the souls of those for whom Christ died. So, Christ did exactly the same thing for the occupants of hell as He did for the occupants of heaven. That makes the question a little more disturbing. The only difference is the people in heaven accepted the gift, the people in hell rejected it. That’s pretty much the traditional evangelical view. But it just sounds strange when you start to kind of pick it apart a little bit, doesn’t it? That Jesus died and paid in full the penalty for the sins of the damned, and died and paid in full the penalty for the sins of the glorified, that Jesus did the same thing for the occupants of hell that He did for the occupants of heaven, and the only difference hinges on the sinner’s choice?
That is to say, the death of Jesus Christ, then, is not an actual atonement, it is only a potential atonement. He really did not purchase salvation for anyone in particular. He only removed some kind of barrier to make it possible for sinners to choose to be saved. So the message then - the typical evangelical message - is to sinners, “God loves you so much He sent His Son who paid in full the penalty for your sins. And won’t you respond to that love, and not disappoint God, and accept the gift, and let Him save you since He already paid in full the price for your sins?” The final decision is up to the sinner.
And it kind of carries the notion that God loves you so much, you’re so special, He gave His Son and He paid in full the penalty for your sins, and that’s supposed to move you emotionally to love Him back and accept this gift. And so you kind of work the sinner, and kind of manipulate the sinner in that direction, trying to find a psychological point, a felt-need point, play the right organ music, sing the right invitation hymn. You know, grease the slides and get him moving in the direction of making the choice.
Now we’ve got a problem here, folks. We’ve got a big problem. We saw in our last study that no sinner on his own can make that choice, right? This is the doctrine of absolute inability. He can’t make it. He cannot make that choice. All people - all people - are sinners, and all sinners are dead in their trespasses and sins. All of them are alienated from the life of God. All do only evil continually. All are unwilling and unable to understand, to repent and to believe. All have darkened minds, blinded by sin and Satan, all have hearts that are full of evil, all are wicked, desperately wicked. All desire only the will of their father who is Satan. All of them are unable to seek God. They are all trapped in absolute inability and unwillingness.
So how then can the sinner make the choice? I don’t care what felt need you might find. I don’t care what you might think you see “in his heart” that will let you lead anyone to Christ. I don’t care how many invitation verses you sing, or how much organ music or mood music you play to try to induce some kind of response, the sinner on his own cannot understand, cannot repent, and cannot believe.
Remember what we saw in John 1? To as many as believed He gave the authority, “the right to become children of God but not by the will of man or the will of the flesh. Ephesians 2:8-9. “By grace are you saved through faith; but that not of yourselves.” It is through Him that you are in Christ, 1 Corinthians 1:30. Salvation is from God. We saw that. He has to give life to the dead. He has to give sight to the blind. He has to give hearing to the deaf. He has to give understanding to the ignorant. He has to give repentance to those who love sin. He has to give faith to those who can’t believe. -- JOHN MACARTHUR

Monday, November 20, 2017

Place of Repose

"This was the one who had reclined on Jesus' bosom at the supper . . . " John 21:20

The bosom of Jesus still pillows the head of the weary, loving disciple of the Lord. There is no real rest for the soul, but in Jesus.

Where should the Christ-loved, the Christ-loving disciple lean, with his sins and sorrows, with his weariness and want--but upon the bosom of his Lord? It is the place of repose, of faith, and of love.

There is room for you there amid the countless ones who fly to it for consolation, safety, and repose. Go and lean with your burden, your grief, and your sin--where the beloved disciple reclined; and you shall realize the blessedness of the oneness, confidence, and affection which exist between Jesus and all the disciples whom He loves. 

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

SAVING FAITH IS GOD'S GRACIOUS GIFT

We must never think of salvation as a kind of transaction between God and us in which He contributes grace and we contribute faith. For we were dead and had to be quickened before we could believe. No, Christ's apostles clearly teach elsewhere that saving faith too is God's gracious gift.

John Stott
The Message of Ephesians

Sunday, October 8, 2017

HOW WE PRAY, READ, AND LISTEN

Private PRAYER lies at the very foundation of religion--yet the mere formal repetition of a set of words, when "the heart is far away"--does good to no man's soul.
Reading the BIBLE is essential to the attainment of sound Christian knowledge--yet the mere formal reading of so many chapters as a task and duty, with out a humble desire to be taught of God, is little better than a waste of time.
Just as it is with praying and Bible reading--so it is with LISTENING. It is not enough that we go to Church and hear sermons. We may do so for fifty years, and be nothing bettered, but rather worse! "Consider carefully," says our Lord, "how you listen!"
Would anyone know how to listen aright? Then let him lay to heart three simple rules:
For one thing, we must listen with FAITH, believing implicitly that every Word of God is true, and shall stand. The Word in old time did not profit the Jews, "not being mixed with faith in those who heard it." Hebrews 4:2
For another thing, we must listen with REVERENCE--remembering constantly that the Bible is the book of God. This was the habit of the Thessalonians. They received Paul's message, "not as the word of men--but the Word of God." 1 Thessalonians 2:13
Above all, we must listen with PRAYER--praying for God's blessing before the sermon is preached, and praying for God's blessing again when the sermon is over. Here lies the grand defect of the hearing of many. They ask no blessing--and so they receive none. The sermon passes through their minds like water through a leaky vessel, and leaves nothing behind.
Let us bear these rules in mind every Sunday morning, before we go to hear the Word of God preached. Let as not rush into God's presence careless, reckless, and unprepared--as if it did not matter how we listened. Let us carry with us faith, reverence, and prayer. If these three are our companions--then we shall listen with profit, and return with praise!
--J.C. Ryle.

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Countless Millions

Surely, even if we were carefully to examine just one minute of our lives, we would find ourselves worthy of eternal death. Indeed, each one of us would discover ourselves to be sinners, not in just one area but a hundred thousand; not due to some one fault but to countless millions. Now if even we ourselves acknowledge that we are full of so many blemishes, surely God is aware of many more than we could ever perceive, because he sees more deeply than we can, as John writes in his epistle (l John 3:20). Thus, the case is settled. The verdict is that no one can be justified by the law; justification is through faith alone. 


-- John Calvin.


-- Great Quote!  (prompted by John Splawn's citation.)

Principles for Effective Debate

20 Principles for Effective Debate

Friday, October 6, 2017

Truth in Worship Not Merely Emotions

Worship is not merely an emotional exercise with God-words or musical sounds that induce certain feelings. Worship is certainly not a mystical catharsis of human passion detached from any rational thought or biblical precept. True worship is a response of adoration and praise prompted by truth that God has revealed. Psalm 145:18 says, “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth” (emphasis added). Clearly, truth is prerequisite to acceptable worship. [1]
He goes on to say, “Truth is always at the heart of authentic worship. Every kind of enthusiasm or emotion that is not inseparably linked to the truth is ultimately meaningless.”

Indifferent Prayer and Empty Ceremony

God’s name, I think, is taken more times in vain in churches than anywhere else. The blasphemy in the sanctuary is worse than the blasphemy in the street. Empty ceremony, superficial worship, thoughtless praise, errant doctrine, love of error, indifferent prayer, phony ritual, these things abound.
Those alarming words come from John MacArthur’s sermon, “Scripture-Twisting Tradition.” In the message, John looks at a pivotal incident in the life of Christ.
Confronted by Israel’s religious leaders, the Lord exposed the hypocrisy of the Pharisees’ empty religious tradition, and the significant barrier it posed to cultivating a right relationship with Christ. In his sermon, John explains how Israel’s religion was corrupted and overrun with pious traditions that clouded the nature of God’s law. In many ways, rabbinical tradition had usurped and replaced God’s law as the final authority for life and godliness.

Monday, September 11, 2017

Happy is that Christian

Our Lord has . . .
many weak children in his family,
many dull pupils in his school,
many raw soldiers in his army,
many lame sheep in his flock. ...
Yet He bears with them all, and casts none away.
Happy is that Christian who has learned to do likewise with his brethren.--- JC. Ryle

60 Minutes will not replace 6 days of Neglience

Even a 60 minute sermon will not make up for 6 days of personal negligence. Yes, 30 minutes is not a long enough sermon, but really it takes 6 days of personal investment to be maturing spiritually;  to be personally in the Word for 6 days;  to be praying personally for 6 days, Spiritual Maturity cannot happen by passively listening to a sermon, even if the sermon was 60 minutes long.

Showing up at the Charlotte Chess Center for a 60 minute lecture will not transform your chess game, you must go home and study the game for yourself, each day on a personal level of investment and attention.  5 minutes of Blitz chess will not improve your chess game, and 5 minutes of blitz devotions will not improve your Spiritual maturity.

RESTATED.

Spiritual Maturity cannot happen by passively listening to a sermon, even if the sermon was 60 minutes long. Yes, God does use the preaching of His Word, but He brings His disciples to 7 days of personal investment to seek Him in prayer and Scripture. A pastor cannot "repair" 7 days of a persons own negligence with even a sermon, even if it is over 60 minutes long. In years past, I have enjoyed preaching long sermons, because I enjoy the Word. 

Most golfers do not limit their golfing to 30 minutes, because they really enjoy golfing and time is not a factor. People do not go Snow Skiing and limit their time to 30 minutes on the slope. People enjoy shopping and all types of endeavors in which they are willing to put in more than 30 minutes into the activity; so likewise we should enjoy the Word of God. 

But to my original point, it is wrong to think that even a 60 minute sermon could make up for someone's own personal negligence in seeking God daily.

7 Years of Jogging

7 years of weekly jogging, still requires weekly jogging to maintain one's physical fitness. Even though one has repeated "the same" activity for 7 years. Likewise as Christians, we may review passages on prayer, faith, love, joy, generosity, labor, and godliness for 7 years; and from a mental capacity think that this is "old information" (like jogging), yet to maintain spiritual health and fitness we continue our weekly studies of God's Word. (our continued jogging, so to speak.). May we run the race with endurance.

Monday, July 31, 2017

GRACE MULTIPLIED

"May grace and peace be multiplied unto you."
     2 Peter 1:2

When we see and feel how we need grace every
moment in our lives
, we at once perceive the beauty in
asking for an abundant, overflowing measure of grace.

We cannot walk the length of the street without sin.

Our carnal minds, our vain imaginations, are all on the
lookout for evil. Sin presents itself at every avenue, and
lurks like the prowling night-thief for every opportunity
of secret plunder. In fact, in ourselves, in our fallen nature,
except as restrained and influenced by grace, we sin with
well near every breath that we draw. We need, therefore,
grace upon grace, or, in the words of the text, grace to be
"multiplied" in proportion to our sins. Shall I say in
proportion? No! If sin abounds, as to our shame and sorrow
we know it does, we need grace to much more abound!

When the 'tide of sin' flows in with its muck and mire,
we need the 'tide of grace' to flow higher still, to carry
out the slime and filth into the depths of the ocean,
so that when sought for, they may be found no more.

We need grace, free grace . . .
  grace today,
  grace tomorrow,
  grace this moment,
  grace the next,
  grace all the day long.

We need grace, free grace . . .
 
healing grace,
  reviving grace,
  restoring grace,
  saving grace,
  sanctifying grace.

And all this multiplied by all our . . .
  wants and woes,
  sins,
  slips,
  falls, and
  unceasing and aggravated backslidings.

We need grace, free grace . . .
  grace to believe,
  grace to hope,
  grace to love,
  grace to fight,
  grace to conquer,
  grace to stand,
  grace to live,
  grace to die.

Every moment of our lives we need . . .
  keeping grace,
  supporting grace,
  upholding grace,
  withholding grace.

"May grace and peace be multiplied unto you."
     2 Peter 1:2

Sunday, July 16, 2017

MAN CAN DO THE ONE

To wash and dress a corpse is a far different thing from making it alive: man can do the one, God alone can do the other. If you have then, been "born again," your acknowledgment will be, "O Lord Jesus, the everlasting Father, Thou art my spiritual Parent; unless Thy Spirit had breathed into me the breath of a new, holy, and spiritual life, I had been to this day 'dead in trespasses and sins.' My heavenly life is wholly derived from Thee, to Thee I ascribe it. 'My life is hid with Christ in God.' It is no longer I who live, but Christ who liveth in me." May the Lord enable us to be well assured on this vital point, for to be unregenerate is to be unsaved, unpardoned, without God, and without hope.

Charles Spurgeon

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

GOD IS OUR CONSOLATION

Such a God have we, such a God do we worship, to such a God do we pray, at whose command all created things sprang into being. Why then should we fear if this God favours us? Why should we tremble at the anger of the whole world? If He is our dwelling-place shall we not be safe though the heavens should go to the wrack? For we have a Lord greater than all the world. We have a Lord so mighty that at His word all things sprang into being. And yet we are so fainthearted that if ...the anger of a single prince or king, nay, even of a single neighbour, is to be borne, we tremble and droop in spirit. Yet in comparison with this King, all things beside in the whole world are but as the lightest dust which a slight breath moves from its place, and suffers not to be still. In this way this description of God is consolatory, and trembling spirits ought to look to this consolation in their temptations and dangers.

Martin Luther

Saturday, July 8, 2017

YOUR MANY DEFECTS

Your many defects and corruptions (Arthur Pink, "Christ our Exemplar")
"Leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps." 1 Peter 2:21
 
Sincere believers are often cast down by the realization of how far, far short they come to measuring up to the standard which Christ has set before them. According to the yearnings of the new nature—you have sincerely endeavored to follow Christ's example, but being weak in grace and meeting with much opposition from the flesh and temptations from the Devil—you have been frequently turned aside from the holy purposes and designs of your honest hearts—to the great grief and discouragement of your souls. You can heartily say with David, "O that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes!" (Psalm 119:5), and you have tried hard and long to follow after exact holiness, "if by any means you might attain unto it." But your efforts have been repeatedly thwarted, your aspirations dashed, and you have to cry out, "O wretched man that I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin!" (Romans 7:24)

First, let us assure the genuinely exercised soul, that such defects in obedience do not invalidate your justification, or in any way affect your acceptance with, and standing before God. Your justification is not built upon your obedience—but upon Christ's. However imperfect you are in yourself, you are "complete in Him" (Col. 2:10). Woe had it been to Abraham, Moses, David, and Paul—if their justification had depended upon their own holiness and good works. Let not, then, your sad failures dampen your joy in Christ—but rather be increasingly thankful for His robe of righteousness, which hides your filthy rags!

Second, your heart-anguish over your unlikeness to Christ, evidences that you have a sincere acquaintance with the evil of your heart, a deep loathing of sin, and truly love God. The most eminent saints have made the bitterest lamentation on this account, "My sins have flooded over my head; they are a burden too heavy for me to bear. My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness!" (Psalm 38:4-5)

Third, the Holy Spirit makes an excellent use of your infirmities, and turns your failures unto spiritual advantages. By those very defects—He humbles you, subdues your self-righteousness, causes you to appreciate more deeply the riches of free grace, and to place a higher value upon the precious blood of the Lamb. By your many falls—He makes you to long more ardently for Heaven—and gradually reconciles you to the prospect of death. The more a holy soul is buffeted by sin and Satan—the more sincerely will he cry out, "Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest!" (Psalm 55:6). "O the blessed chemistry of Heaven, to extract such mercies—out of such miseries!" (John Flavel), to make sweet flowers—spring up out of such bitter roots! Fourth, your bewailed infirmities do not break the bond of the Everlasting Covenant! That holds firm, notwithstanding your many defects and corruptions. "Iniquities prevail against me" said David—yet in the same breath he added, "You shall purge them away!" (Psalm 65:3)

Fifth, though the defects of your obedience are grievous to God—yet your deep sorrows for them are well-pleasing in His sight, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit—a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise!" (Psalm 51:17)

Sixth, your very grief is a conformity to Christ—for when here, He was "the Man of sorrows." If He suffered because of our sins—shall we not be made to weep over them?

Seventh, "Though God has left many defects to humble you—yet He has given many things to comfort you. This is a comfort—that your sins are not your delight as once they were—but your shame and sorrow! This is a comfort—that your case is not singular, but more or less the same complaints and sorrows are found in all gracious souls in the world!" (John Flavel)

Thursday, July 6, 2017

NO MOTIVE TO WITHDRAW

God was not induced to bestow His renewing grace in the first instance, by anything which He saw, meritorious or attractive, in the repenting sinner; and therefore the subsequent absence of everything good in him would be no new motive to God for withdrawing His grace.

--The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination 186

Monday, July 3, 2017

Waiter, not Chef

"A preacher is not a chef; he's a waiter.  God doesn't want you to make the meal.  He just wants you to deliver it to the table without messing it up.  That's all.  We are servants under divine commission."

-- John MacArthur. 

Saturday, June 10, 2017

CUP OF COLD WATER

Maybe this is a bad illustration, so feel free to critique it; but glean my aim behind it. When a young child draws a picture or painting for there parent. The parent loves the picture and the child, yet it is not because the picture has professional aspects found in Rembrandt, van Gogh, da Vinci, Monet, Michelangleo, etc. The parent loves the child even if the child had not drawn a picture, the parent loves the child because the child is his.

Christians are adopted by Father through the grace and love of Jesus whom He sent in grace and love. Christians belong to God, we are His children, we are made in His image, and now bear the aroma of Christ. Because He first loved us, we love Him; We enjoy "drawing pictures" for Him. He "accepts our pictures" through Christ despite how poor, simple, and worthless they are in themselves. We need not fear or be anxious that others have better pictures or better skills, God loves us.

We need not worry that the world has zero interest in our labors and efforts, they certainly will not; but we are not "drawing pictures" for the world, we are drawing them for God. So I aim to encourage all Christians in this manner-- take today to draw pictures for your Heavenly Father.

This may mean witness to someone, visiting someone who is in the hospital, nursing home, or shut-in; it may mean making a blog entry, video devotional, or sending an encouraging email. It could be watching someone's kids for them while they are out of town or facing an emergency.

The world did not care what Noah was doing, but Noah did not care what the world thought. Noah was doing his labor to honor God, because He knew God was trustworthy. I need to remember how rejected Elijah, Elisha and all the prophets were; We know how God assured Ezekiel that men would reject him, but Ezekiel was not living to please men or gain their affirmation or feedback (in essence). The same is said by Paul in Galatians 1. There were assuredly wealthy kings, rulers, and men in Jesus' day, yet God does not involve them in the feeding of the 5,000; rather, He involved a little boy with just a basket of food. If God has given you a basket of food, and He has, don't despise it. Don't think you need to own 10 restaurants to "make an impact."

Wikipedia is saying McDonalds has over 36,000 locations world-wide, such stores like this and Walmart may donate millions to charitable endeavors, yet you look at your monthly budget and only have $20 to apply to Christian ministry (and I don't mean only giving money to a group, though that is one way to bless someone. I mean personal using that money in an endeavor which you are directly engaged in serving or witnessing etc.) -- even so God remembers the cup of cold water given to His disciples in His name. There is over 7 hours of daylight left today....go out and give a cup of cold water.

Saturday, May 13, 2017

REFER IT BACK TO GOD

But we are short-sighted creatures, not only unworthy--but unable to rightly choose for ourselves.

If the choice was left to us
--it would be our wisdom to refer it back to God.

We may be sure that He does not willingly grieve or afflict us. He takes no pleasure in seeing us weep and mourn--rather, every day brings us ten thousand proofs that He delights in our prosperity.

Whenever we are in heaviness, therefore, there is a need-be for it--faithful are the wounds of such a Friend! Our trials are made no sooner, nor longer--than the necessity of the case requires. He who wounds--has promised likewise to heal. He is all sufficient, and can give more than He will ever take away from His redeemed people. I trust she will find power to commit herself, and her every concern, into His hands; and that she will have reason to acknowledge, from day to day, that He does all things well!

Whatever the outcome may be--our Lord is wise and good in all His dealings. His mercies to us are new every morning--and as numerous as the minutes of our lives!


One of the excerpts from John Newton's Letters.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

WRITE ON WATER

Great Quote from C.H.Spurgeon ~ You write His mercies on the water, but your own trials you engrave on granite; these things ought not to be.

Saturday, April 8, 2017

COMPLETE IN CHRIST

Oh desponding Christian, is not your grief caused by looking within yourself? Is not that miserable feeling of failure and disappointment, caused by your strange fixation upon your hollow heart of iniquity? You look within, hoping to find something good, something pure, something precious, something clean--but what do you see? Nothing but sin! To stare into one's self--is to stare into a bottomless pit of despair and hopelessness! "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked!" Jeremiah 17:9

Will we ever learn this? There is nothing within us to give us hope, rest, or peace. Have we ever found anything within us that gave us joy? Of course not! Then why do we continue to stare into the darkness? All that we see within is foul, ugly, and grim! One glance within ought to sicken us. We would sooner find diamonds in a dunghill or roses growing in a sewer--than find goodness dwelling within!

In ourselves we are sinful, guilty, and vile! But bless God forever! Our standing before God is not in ourselves; it's in Christ! He is . . .
our Salvation,
our Righteousness,
our Hope,
our Holiness, and
our Acceptance with God!

Change the direction of your gaze--and look up! Stop staring into the empty void of your heart--and fix your eyes upon Jesus your Lord, in whom all fullness dwells. Our hope is not within, but without, seated at the right hand of the Father! Lift up your head that is bowed down with guilt and shame! Behold Christ your Savior! Behold your glorious Redeemer! Bid sorrow goodbye and fear depart! Rejoice, for "You are complete in Him!"

Believers are perfect in Christ. To be complete in Christ is to be perfect in Christ. Perfect is not something that we will be, or strive to be--but something that we are right now, by virtue of our eternal union with God's darling Son.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are, by the free grace of God, complete in Christ our Savior!
We lack nothing!
All that He is--we are in Him!
All that He has--we have in Him!
All that He has done--we've done in Him!
We possess the infinite fullness of eternal life and everlasting salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord!

We are completely righteous in Him!
We are completely holy in Him!
We are completely forgiven in Him!
We are completely accepted in Him!
We are completely, everlastingly, perfectly sinless in Him!

"Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith" Hebrews 12:2

~Frank Hall

Friday, April 7, 2017

IT IS THE DUTY

"It is the duty of God’s servants to warn men of their danger, to point out that the way of rebellion against God leads to certain destruction and to call upon them to throw down the weapons of their revolt and flee from the wrath to come. It is their duty to teach men that they must turn from their idols and serve the living God, otherwise they will eternally perish. It is their duty to rebuke wickedness wherever it be found and to declare that the wages of sin is death.

This will not make for their popularity, for it will condemn and irritate the wicked, and such plain speaking will seriously annoy them. Those who expose hypocrites, resist tyrants, oppose the wicked, are ever viewed by them as troublemakers. But as Christ declared, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” ( Matthew 5:11,12)."

~ Arthur Pink, "The Life of Elijah"

CHRIST WILL BUILD HIS CHURCH

Christ Will Build His Church

Forever let us thank God that the building of the one true Church is laid on the shoulders of One who is mighty. Let us bless God that it does not rest upon man. Let us bless God that it does not depend on missionaries, ministers, or committees.

Christ is the almighty Builder. He will carry on His work, though nations and visible Churches do not know their duty. Christ will never fail. That which He has undertaken He will certainly accomplish! ~ J.C. Ryle

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Merciful High Priest

"Let us take comfort in the thought that the Lord Jesus does not cast off His believing people because of failures and imperfections. He knows what they are. He takes them, as the husband takes the wife--with all their blemishes and defects; and once joined to Him by faith, He will never leave them. He is a merciful and compassionate High-priest. It is His glory to pass over the transgressions of His people, and to cover their many sins.


He knew what... they were before conversion--wicked, guilty, and defiled; yet He loved them.
He knows what they will be after conversion--weak, erring, and frail; yet He loves them.
He has undertaken to save them, notwithstanding all their shortcomings--and what He has undertaken, He will perform.


Let us learn to pass a charitable judgment on the conduct of professing believers. Let us not set them down in a low place, and say they have no grace--because we see much weakness and corruption in them. Let us remember that our Master in Heaven bears with their infirmities--and let us try to bear with them too.


The Church is little better than a great hospital. We ourselves are all, more or less, weak and infirm--and all daily need the skillful treatment of the heavenly Physician. There will be no complete cures until the resurrection day!"

J.C. Ryle

Monday, April 3, 2017

Glory in Nothing but Christ

"Do not glory in your own faith, your own feelings, your own knowledge, or your own diligence. Glory in nothing but Christ." ~ J.C. Ryle

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Mrs. Prest, Foxes Book of Martyrs

This is about "Mrs. Prest" from Foxes Book of Martyrs. I am focusing on : the joy and cheer of her face as though preparing for a wedding, despite facing death at the stake.


To the disgrace of Mr. Blackston, treasurer of the church, he would often send for this poor martyr from prison, to make sport for him and a woman whom he kept; putting religious questions to her, and turning her answers into ridicule. This done, he sent her back to her wretched dungeon, while he battened upon the good things of this world.





There was perhaps something simply ludicrous in the form of Mrs. Prest, as she was of a very short stature, thick set, and about fifty-four years of age; but her countenance was cheerful and lively, as if prepared for the day of her marriage with the Lamb.
To mock at her form was an indirect accusation of her Creator, who framed her after the fashion he liked best, and gave her a mind that far excelled the transient endowments of perishable flesh. When she was offered money, she rejected it, "because (said she) I am going to a city where money bears no mastery, and while I am here God has promised to feed me."

When sentence was read, condemning her to the flames, she lifted up her voice and praised God, adding, "This day have I found that which I have long sought." When they tempted her to recant,—"That will I not, (said she) God forbid that I should lose the life eternal, for this carnal and short life. I will never turn from my heavenly husband to my earthly husband; from the fellowship of angels to mortal children; and if my husband and children be faithful, then am I theirs. God is my father, God is my mother, God is my sister, my brother, my kinsman; God is my friend, most faithful."

Being delivered to the sheriff, she was led by the officer to the place of execution, without the walls of Exeter, called Sothenhey, where again the superstitious priests assaulted her.

While they were tying her to the stake, she continued earnestly to exclaim "God be merciful to me, a sinner!" Patiently enduring the devouring conflagration, she was consumed to ashes, and thus ended a life which in unshaken fidelity to the cause of Christ, was not surpassed by that of any preceding martyr.


Saturday, March 25, 2017

GOD IS AWARE OF MANY MORE

"Even if we were carefully to examine just one minute of our lives, we would find ourselves worthy of eternal death. Indeed, each one of us would discover ourselves to be sinners, not in just one area but a hundred thousand; not due to some one fault but to countless millions. Now if even we ourselves acknowledge that we are full of so many blemishes, surely God is aware of many more than we could ever perceive, because he sees more deeply than we can, as John writes in his epistle (l John 3:20). Thus, the case is settled. The verdict is that no one can be justified by the law; justification is through faith alone."... Calvin

Thursday, March 16, 2017

He will hear His people.

The way my mind works, on one level...it is a very audacious thing to pray.  God is holy, we are sinful, who am I to approach God and think that I will be heard.  On the other hand, it is a very audacious thing not to pray.  Jesus is full of grace, Jesus is my righteousness, how can I possibly think that God will not hear me considering what Christ has done to forgive me, cleanse me, restore me, make me a new creation, and knowing my life is hid in Christ.  Isn't the resurrection of Jesus proof that the Father accepts the life, death, and work of Christ on my behalf, and isn't the resurrection and ascension of Christ proof that the Father will thus hear me when I pray.  Surely God will not resurrect Christ then turn away the very person that he purchased, pardoned, and cleansed.  I will be heard because I have an Holy and Perfect Advocate, I will be heard because I have a High Priest seated in power and glory. 

Monday, March 6, 2017

HOW HIS HEART IS CONSTITUTED

“Those speak foolishly who ascribe their anger or their impatience to such as offend them or to tribulation. Tribulation does not make people impatient, but proves that they are impatient. So everyone may learn from tribulation how his heart is constituted.” - Martin Luther

I am going to add here, not only anger or impatience, but possibly even "ongoing" sorrow and depression.  Yes we should be grieved for a short season at things;  but we should not have "ongoing" sorrow and depression.  Tribulation once again is displaying how our heart is constituted.  It shows we are not finding our Joy in Christ: His grace and His glory that He has accomplished.

Friday, February 24, 2017

DOCTRINE OF PRAYER

If your knowledge of doctrine does not make you a great man of prayer, you had better examine yourself again.
~ D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

LOVE NOT THE WORLD

(Horatius Bonar

"Do not love the world or anything in the world." 1 John 2:15

WHY?

1. Because the gain of it, is the loss of the soul--Matthew 16:25-26.
 
2. Because its friendship is enmity to God--James 4:4.
 
3. Because it did not know Christ--John 1:10; 17:25.
 
4. Because it hates Christ--John 7:7; 15:18.
 
5. Because the Holy Spirit has forbidden us--1 John 2:15.
 
6. Because Christ did not pray for it--John 17:9.
 
7. Because Christ's people do not belong to it--John 17:16.
 
8. Because its Prince is Satan--John 13:31; 16:11.
 
9. Because Christ's kingdom is not of it--John 18:36.
 
10. Because its wisdom is foolishness--1 Corinthians 1:20.
 
11. Because Christ does not belong to it--John 8:23.
 
12. Because it is condemned--1 Corinthians 11:32.
 
13. Because it is passing away--1 Corinthians 7:31.
 
14. Because it slew Christ--James 5:6; Matthew 21:39.
 
15. Because it is crucified to us--Galatians 6:14.
 
16. Because we are crucified to it--Galatians 6:14.
 
17. Because it is the seat of wickedness--2 Peter 1:4; 1 John 5:19.
 
18. Because its god is the evil one--2 Corinthians 4:4.