Monthly Archives: February 2020
This passage, Romans 11:25-26, has been more widely misunderstood than almost any other passage in the Bible. In fact, it is amazing that so many Bible teachers try to make Romans 11:25-26 say just the opposite of what it says. This is terrible because they are saying, “Thus saith the LORD,” when the Lord has not said that. The setting of Romans Chapter 11 is that God is explaining that most of… Read More
“To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:6) —————————— It would be a very profitable pursuit to go through the epistles of Paul, those inspired writings which have come to us from his pen by the grace and goodness of God, to discover in one of them where grace is lacking, where grace appears not. The time would fail me… Read More
“And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water.” (1 Samuel 30:11-20) —————————— WELL! we have a pretty long text, but one in which very many great and glorious Gospel truths appear: one in which is revealed the marvellous grace of JEHOVAH-JESUS: one in which is set forth the kindness and compassion, the bounty… Read More
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2) —————————— It would be a marvellous privilege if I were able to look around, and with confidence meet the gaze of every one in this place, and say without hesitation,… Read More
“For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3) —————————— “True religion’s more than notion, Something must be known and felt.” Known by divine communication. Felt by divine indwelling. Frequently, that which is so felt is very perplexing, filling the mind with anxiety and care, and until the Masters of assemblies, Who are the Teachers of the living members of the church of the Firstborn, are… Read More
“And the Angel that talked with me came again and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep.” (Zechariah 4:1) —————————— We may well ask the question in all solemnity, Why am I here? Various motives prompt those who assemble together for the professed purpose of worshipping God. But may we hope that all of us here present are moved by spiritual, and free from fleshly, motives. In… Read More
“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 1:1) —————————— I need not tell you that this is a portion of divine revelation, a part of divine inspiration, in which I love frequently to be found, and according to my feelings and judgment, without prejudice to other portions of Holy Scripture. I delight to… Read More
“For He saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.” (Romans 9:15-16) —————————— WE have a very searching and solemn subject before us this morning. May it not incite us to any indulgence in controversy, though… Read More
“Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God.” (Isaiah 40:1) —————————— God’s message by the prophet Isaiah to His spiritual Israel abounds with gracious consolation and heavenly encouragement. This is seen continuously from the first word of our text to the last word of the prophecy, which we shall have occasion to notice as we progress with this very precious portion of the prophet’s sublime utterances. The whole chapter is rich… Read More
Preached in Grove Chapel, Camberwell, Sunday Evening, June 3rd, 1877 —————————— “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: whereunto He called you by our Gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2nd Thessalonians 2:13-14) —————————— Glorious and… Read More
Preached in Grove Chapel, Camberwell, Sunday Morning, June 9th, 1878 – By Thomas Bradbury. —————————— “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” (John 14:16-17) —————————— Many… Read More
Preached at Grove Chapel, Camberwell, July, 1901, by Thomas Bradbury. —————————— “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” (John 20:23) —————————— We have had read in our ears an interesting chapter of a very interesting Gospel. A Gospel overflowing with spiritual instructions, and the chapter before us abounds with spiritual and instructive incidents. Each incident carries its own lesson —… Read More
And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. (Revelation 9:6) The Great Tribulation carries with it one continuous distinction in Scripture and that is the horrible fact that during this time there will be little or no salvation to be obtained. There are many references or hints in the Old Testament to this time of distress… Read More
There were 3 ½ years of silence in Israel. God did not speak during the time of drought in Israel. Perhaps you remember that for 3 ½ years it did not rain in Israel, or in any of the neighboring lands. · God had spoken through the Prophet Elijah 3½ years ago; now he was silent for 3½ years. · Now the scourge of God was felt on that guilty nation for… Read More
Elijah commanded King Ahab to gather all Israel to Mount Carmel. And King Ahab obeyed Elijah. That in itself is a miracle! But now, Elijah is addressing the people of Israel. And what does he tell them? 1st Kings 18:20 So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel. 1st Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt… Read More
· The preparations toward this climax – A Study of 1st Kings 18:30-40 Ahab, the king of Israel, and the 450 prophets of Baal, and the 400 prophets of Asherah, and many of the people of the nation of Israel have come to the top of Mount Carmel to meet Elijah there. Elijah was the Prophet of God who had declared, 3 ½ years earlier, that there would be neither dew nor… Read More
In our previous study we saw in 1st Kings and the 18th chapter, the great confrontation between Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal. You remember what came to pass. Who lost this confrontation? And who won? 1st Kings 18:38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 1st… Read More
“Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon; look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions’ dens, and the mountains of the leopards.” (Song of Solomon 4:8) —————————— It is not my design to give a minute statement of the meaning of this portion of the Word of God, but only to drop a few hints that may be useful to… Read More
Beloved, In reading the word of God, it becomes us ever to remember that the sacred pages are a transcript of the perfections of the infinite God, who is the “high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy;” (Isaiah 57:15) a Being whose omniscient eye beholds the end from the beginning, who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will, and will do all His pleasure; who… Read More
“Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4) —————————— Not all kinds of mourners are here intended; for there is the sorrow of the world, which worketh death and produces nothing but sin, misery, and rebellion against God. Some mourn because they cannot increase in riches, honours, and pleasures; but there is no blessing promised to them. The mourners which God has pronounced blessed are such as mourn… Read More
“To the praise of the glory of his grace.” (Ephesians 1:6) —————————— As the Lord shall be graciously pleased to give me wisdom and strength, I shall endeavour to call your attention to three leading particulars; I. What is grace, God’s rich and free grace. II. Point out some branches of the glory of God’s grace. III. Make a few remarks on some things as connected with our text, which the Lord… Read More
Preached on Sunday Evening, May 9th, 1841, in Grover Street Chapel by William Gadsby. ——————————— “But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead.” (2nd Corinthians 1:9) ——————————— In the fourth verse the apostle says, “Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort… Read More
About sixteen years ago, I heard a young man from Hoxton (Association Baptist) Academy make the following remarks: “I now offer you Christ, and Christ stands with open arms ready to receive you. Yea, he begs, and prays, and beseeches you all to come unto him and have life; and yet some of you will not come. Nay, it is as if God the Father came and fell upon his knees before… Read More
Some talk of “Piety!” Piety! Piety! Piety!” Were it not that it does once occur in the Word of God I should hate the very word; people make so much of it, as though piety were to save them. Their parents were pious, they were brought up pious, and they have continued pious. But even where the word does occur in the New Testament (1 Tim. 5:4), it simply means kindness, as… Read More
Dear Sir, Friend G. informs me you wish me to write to you, and inform you what law it is that I say the believer is in no sense under. I therefore write to say (though I cannot help thinking you must know) that it is the law given to Moses on Mount Sinai, commonly called the moral law, or ten commandments, recorded in Exod 20, and hinted at, with its curses… Read More
We are perfect in no lesson so much, as those into which God whippeth us. (William Huntington)
Faith is a divine persuasion, a humble confidence, a living fruit, an active grace, a discerning eye, an appropriating hand, and a moving foot. It is born of God; it is a divine substance, not a shadow; a living fruit of the Holy Ghost, not a barren assent; a comfortable assurance of all promised good, and not a deceiving fancy. The just live by it, they overcome the world by it, the… Read More
“Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” – 2nd Timothy 1:9 ————— Here we find salvation stated before calling by grace; and, indeed, if we take a proper view of the subject, it was so in the mind and purpose of God. God the… Read More
“Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” – 2nd Timothy 1:9 ————— Here we find salvation stated before calling by grace; and, indeed, if we take a proper view of the subject, it was so in the mind and purpose of God. God the… Read More
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD’s hand waxed short? Thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee, or not?” (Numbers 11:23) —————————— The description given here in this chapter of the people’s unbelief is exactly a picture of our own when the Lord has given us any promise, we soon begin to question whether He will perform it or not, and this short sentence… Read More
“Rejoice Evermore.” (I Thessalonians 5:16) ————— Our Bibles, now versified thanks to primary work by Robertus Stephanus, can have verse trivia. Shortest verse in the Bible? John 11:35, “Jesus wept” is a good answer according to English translation, but not as per the original Greek. I Thessalonians 5:16 is actually shorter in original Greek. According to sovereign design, these two 2-word verses complement each other as both substantiate the other. Emanuel, God… Read More
Far better to repent of dead works, than to spend a lifetime accumulating them. Multiplied words zealously delivered on “salvation”, “sanctification”, “repentance”, “faith”—the leaves of appearance do not equate to the ROOT of the matter. Repentance of a 1,001 things, but not inclusive of deadly bottom of dead works, will not do to ride the river. Sleeping Jacob loved, far better than working Esau hated. Abel offering God’s Way, far better than… Read More
Dear Sir, – Since the new translation of the Bible has been talked of, there has been much written on the subject. It has been taken up in almost every newspaper; and some are clamorous for a new version. I wish for your opinion on the subject, knowing that you have had as good an education as most men, and have read the Bible in different languages. Seeing such statements circulating throughout… Read More
Speckled birds stand out, because rare. Yet holiness for some is a form of elitism that would ever break the bruised reed and quench the smoking flax depriving true children of free grace gospel bread. Over reaction and building of unwarranted straw men will only take from ditch on the right to ditch on the left. Those who have never endorsed transgression in life or lip are labeled antinomian i.e. Martin Luther,… Read More
Ebedmelech is not a stand out character in the Old Testament, even spell check has just shown non-recognition red-lining his name! But, I maintain, inspired inclusion speaks to significance, a point I am sure Mr. Jeremiah would not challenge. Ebedmelech, the Good Samaritan of the Old Testament, conveyed much sweet teaching both in regard to orthodoxy (right doctrine) and orthopraxy (right practice). Jeremiah (Jeremy) was in a deep and dark predicament, a… Read More
Why so many, why such a large crowd? One source, “an immense number of persons”. Another source (there are not many sources, maybe 3-4), “20,000 people attended his burial service at Bunhill Fields, London”. The 56 year-old man had no position of rank or station attested to by the fact that no remaining portrait exists. In 1760, at age 48 he entered a ministry he faithfully continued until his death only 8… Read More
Putting a cause where there is no cause, may produce an effect, but imaginary built upon imaginary is bottom line self-deception and when proclaimed outright fraud. And fraud is exactly what fills many pulpits and seminaries throughout the land. But self-suggestion and self-actualization can definitely build, albeit airhead castles, that sure-enough-reality shall eventually bring tumbling down, down, down. “But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written… Read More
COMPARE SCRIPTURE WITH SCRIPTURE. False doctrines, like false witnesses, agree not among themselves. (William Gurnall) If any man doth ascribe of salvation, even the very least, to the free will of man, he knoweth nothing of grace, and he hath not learnt Jesus Christ aright. (Martin Luther) God knoweth we have nothing of ourselves, therefore in the covenant of Grace he requireth no more than he giveth, and giveth what he requireth,… Read More
EXTREMES in reality brings to mind Romans 11:22, “the GOODNESS and SEVERITY of God.” The child of God will know to varying degrees JOY and SORROW on this side, this valley of Baca, this vale of tears. But on the other side, no SEVERITY, NO SORROW because all iniquities of the “alls” of Isaiah 53:6 were laid on Him, our substitute. The “all” beginning verse 6 is the same as the “all”… Read More
Weddings are most traditional and the Jewish wedding of John 2 no exception. Best wine last was not according to expected tradition. But was not the best wine last actually first and is it not recorded four times in the New Testament where Jesus said, “The last shall be first” with an object lesson coming from His first miracle? Best wine last is given to us over and over by Hebrew writers…. Read More
Some of God’s people are especially endowed with characteristics and providentially led through circumstances so that they experience the extremes of both joy and sorrow. Peter, James and John witnessed the greatest sorrow in the garden of Gethsemane and the greatest joy on the mountain when Jesus was transfigured. None of the others witnessed these scenes. We cannot really enjoy the joys God blesses us with unless we have been through the… Read More
Every word of God is pure: Every syllable is sure: Every precept sound and good; Every promise sealed with blood. Every threatening is true: Every punishment is due: Every thing that’s said of hell, Every word of heaven as well. Every sentence, every line, Every doctrine is divine: Every word of comfort true, Every word of terror too. But this precious Word of God Underfoot is daily trod; Truth is made to… Read More
Some things belong ONLY to the preeminent Christ—no sharing allowed! The Lord Jesus Christ, the antitype, offered the sacrifice of Himself in His death. In and with the virtue of that sacrifice, He entered heaven to sprinkle the highest altar. It is but a fond Popish fancy to think (I’ve heard it among Protestants also), that there do remain visible marks and signatures of His humbled state, on His glorified body. This… Read More
Many of our prayers are mere mistakes. We complain when we should praise; we ask what would do us hurt, and are unwilling to receive what would do us much good. Our Lord Jesus, our interceding Advocate puts all to right. He can say over our prayers rightly, He can make good sense of them, can purge them of their faults, can spy out anything of His own Spirit in them. And… Read More
There has never been, is not now, and never will be, but two kinds of preachers in the world—one true, and the other false—those that God calls, and those that the love of money and the Devil calls. When God calls a poor hell-deserving sinner to preach His everlasting Gospel; that man feels his unfitness, and unworthiness; and as one of old said, “I am a man of unclean lips.” The Spirit… Read More
The God-called, God-sent preacher will be sound in doctrine—BUT ALSO SOUND IN EXPERIENCE KNOWING THE POWER OF THE SOUND DOCTRINE AS APPLIED TO HIS OWN SOUL. The letter killeth, but the Spirit maketh alive. Paul not only preached sound doctrine, but he preached such doctrine in the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit. Paul’s sound doctrine was mixed with tears according to his own inspired writings. To rest sweetly in sound… Read More
A 9-year old boy lay on his sick bed and his Mother (Mum) writes: He was very pleased to receive letters, so one evening I felt a mind to write to him to encourage him, and told him to try and answer it and tell me how he felt. After keeping me waiting some time, this is the answer I received: 30 Boxley Road, Maidstone 18th January, 1918 My Very Dearest Mum,—… Read More
I think it was a short piece I was reading by William Pemble when I noted two simple statements: PAUL SEVERS WORKS FROM OUR JUSTIFICATION, BUT NOT FROM OUR FAITH. JAMES JOINS WORKS TO OUR FAITH, BUT NOT TO OUR JUSTIFICATION. Let Paul be Paul in CONTEXT and James be James in CONTEXT and there is no need for reconciliation. Thomas Shepard, aptly named was the first President of Harvard and the… Read More
Kept Safely In The Darkest Night – Translated from the Dutch by the late Marcus Banfield; Casebound; 157 pages; Published by and available from Gospel Standard Trust Publications. —————————— The years of the Second World War, from 1940-45 were some of the darkest years in the history of Europe. The generation that passed through those years is passing away and with it, the experiences and the memories of those times. This book… Read More
“And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up therein, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there.” (Isaiah 35:8-9) —————————— Among the Old Testament… Read More
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