Monthly Archives: September 2022
I encourage you to read and carefully study the parable of the labourers (Matthew 20:1-16). In it our Lord Jesus teaches us, as plainly and clearly as possible, that in the kingdom of heaven all the Lord’s servants shall be equal. The last and the first shall be the same. All receive the same reward. All are made equal. Those who labour most, labour longest, and labour with the greatest measure of… Read More
“Mortify your members which are upon the earth.”(Colossians 3:5) The word “mortify” means to deaden, subdue, or be dead. As Paul wrote in Romans 6:11, “Reckon yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” What means can be used to subdue our sinful tendencies? Labor to suppress the thoughts of sin. The old nature with its appetites and desires cannot be annihilated, but it can… Read More
Where is better teaching than those who took the old paths? Nor have these “Moderate Calvinists”, to use another self-imposed name, come up with teaching on righteousness, holiness and sanctification which betters that of such writers as Crisp, Perkins, Sibbes, Chauncey, Ames, Hoornbeeck, Goodwin, Twisse, Traill, Davis, Alting, Maccovius, Pemble, Gill, Toplady, Hervey, Ryland Sen., Brine, Romaine, Huntington, Hawker, Gadsby, Tiptaft, and Philpot – writers and preachers they are constantly criticising. Nor… Read More
This question, whether a classical education is necessary to be a gospel minister, has elicited much disputation in what is called the christian world. The assumption that neither a classical education nor the want of it, is a disqualification, is abundantly evident from facts. The right of calling and qualifying for the ministry, belongs exclusively to the Head of the Church, who in calling the first preachers of the gospel, chose whom… Read More
The words mission, missions and missionary are not in the bible. The word missionary itself is of Roman Catholic origin. The word mission originates from the 1590’s of the Jesuits. The concept of Mission is derived from the Latin (the Roman Language) missio, which comes from mittere, meaning the act of sending. A missionary is one sent to proslytize and propagate the doctrine of their belief system of whatever denomination they’re from. Eventually, because some don’t like where this is going, they will say… Read More
“Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours.” (1st Corinthians 3:21) If you are a Christian, “all things are yours.” You have an everlasting Father, the mighty God. He is called the true God and God blessed forever. He came where we were and found us naked and clothed us, starved and fed us, wounded and healed us, unclean and sanctified us, poor and made us rich, in… Read More
In all spiritual things, all your temptations, all your darkness, all your wanderings God will overrule. It shall be well with you. There shall never be a night, but that morning shall come. There shall never be a day of trouble, but a day of prosperity shall follow. There shall never be an emptying, but there shall be a filling. There shall never be a bringing down, but that He will raise… Read More
“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” (Psalm 53:1) In the King James Version, the words, “there is”, are in italics, which indicates that those two words were added by the translators to make the text read more smoothly. Remove the italicized words, and this is what the sentence before us says: “The fool hath said in his heart, No God.” How telling. This is the language of the… Read More
Where is the fear of God today? Is this not what is wrong with us? Is not this the whole story? This present generation is so taken up with the idea of our own importance and so occupied with the dignity of man, that we no longer fear God, if we ever feared Him. We are presumptuous, self-willed, unruly and dying a slow but sure death, and on the verge of complete… Read More
“Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.” (Proverbs 11:4) Everyone Christ died for, was made sin for, was made the Righteousness of God in Him. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2nd Corinthians 5:21) All those for whom God imputed their sins to Christ, He in like fashion… Read More
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) All things work together for good to them that love God – all the temptations of Satan, all the trials of life. If God’s grace is in your heart you will know and feel more and more of the power of temptation, and you will feel… Read More
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other, Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”(Matthew 6:24) Nobody can serve both God and money. No man can serve both God and greed. Debt is the number one cause of slavery and submission. The enemy of our souls through his world system is constantly… Read More
Passover (a type of Christ) was not killed for any uncircumcised, but only for the Israelites, and those that were joined unto them (Exodus 12). Neither were the priests to offer sacrifice for any other. All this was appointed of God to signify, that when the Messiah through the eternal Spirit should offer Himself without spot to God, He should present unto divine justice a satisfaction for the sins of the Israel of… Read More
“Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day. Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun… Read More
“Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”(2nd Thessalonians 2:4) “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy,… Read More
“For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted…” (2nd Corinthians 11:4) From time to time there arises a debate on what constitutes “another gospel” (Galatians 1:6). We all know that there are differences among true and honest believers over various doctrines. When do these differences cross… Read More
“The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”(Job 1:21) When God had sent Job severe trials he fell down upon the ground and worshipped (Job 1:21). In his worship he magnified his LORD as the absolute sovereign in all things (Romans 11:36). Some people would only recognize that the LORD gives, which He abundantly does (Psalm 40:5; John 3:16). However, the believer rejoices that… Read More
“The Jews require a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified.”(1st Corinthians 1:22-23) It is the same today; men want clever preachers, not Christ preachers, reason, not revelation, their minds challenged and not their hearts pricked. The wisdom of this world says, “If you wish to reach the people of this day, you must not be dogmatic; share, discuss, exchange ideas, and counsel people; don’t preach!” I… Read More
What do you know about the righteousness of God? Not only His personal and essential righteousness, but the righteousness and holiness He requires of all who would “see the Lord,” and the righteousness He has purchased and provided for them? I can show you from the Scriptures the awful and awesome importance of the subject. Jeremiah 23:5-6; The very NAME of our Redeemer is, “THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD.” Romans 1:16-17; The heart and essence of… Read More
“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matthew 1:23) The mystery, power, and glory of the gospel is that, “God was manifest in the flesh” (John 1:14). All the divine attributes are displayed in the Lord Jesus Christ – Emmanuel – GOD WITH US! Take Christ from the gospel and you have no gospel. Take Jesus Christ… Read More
“Wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.” (Psalm 130:5-6) Waiting on the LORD does not imply idleness on the part of the believer. His people are active in the kingdom of God; zealous of good works (Titus 2:14); diligent about their Father’s business (Luke 2:49); vigorous in spreading the gospel by whatever means the LORD supplies (Acts 5:41-42). Our God highly disapproves of idleness; “Woe… Read More
“But come not near any man upon whom is the mark.” (Ezekiel 9:6) This is a word which stands in solemn connection in a chapter concerning the dealings of God with Israel of old. Israel had been long in a backsliding state, and the longsuffering of God had been lengthened out, but even to the longsuffering of God there is a limit, and the limit had been reached, and now, as the… Read More
“Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.”(Psalm 51:11) Every true believer fears the removal of God’s presence and power. David prayed, “Take not thy Spirit from me.” Paul feared that, “While preaching to others I might become a castaway.” My thoughts are that this condition is manifested in the following ways: (1) We begin to experience no blessing nor benefit from the reading or preaching of the Word. When the Word ceases to convict, rebuke, burn… Read More
“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15) Christ contrasts the way of the religious Jews with the way His disciples are to be in praying, in giving, and in forgiving. The Jews were a vengeful and unforgiving people, especially these Pharisees. In these verses, our Lord is showing… Read More
“Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going to the pit, I have found a ransom.” (Job 33:24) What is that which Christ has given for the ransom of men: and from scripture it appears that it was His precious blood; for as redemption is always ascribed to the blood of Christ, as the procuring cause of it, that must be the redemption or ransom-price; and the apostle Peter… Read More
Pharaoh, David, and Judas all confessed, “I have sinned.” Yet the confessions of Pharaoh and Judas brought them no saving benefit while David’s confession met with the response, “The LORD has forgiven your sin.” Why is that? What was lacking in the repentance of Pharaoh and Judas that made it ineffective? Some say that Pharaoh was not sincere, and that Judas was concerned only with being caught and his life ruined. But… Read More
“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” (Mark 16:16) “One baptism.” (Ephesians 4:5) Simon Magus believed naturally and was baptized outwardly, but he had no part or lot in the one faith and the one baptism set before us in the text. How can we understand this? Only on the ground of the Spirit’s baptism without the aid of a font or a baptistery. See! “As many of you as… Read More
“God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and truth.” (John 4:24) Much of what is called worship today has to do with touching stories, stirring appeals, or a thrilling oratory of a religious character. Beautiful anthems by a well-trained choir, rendered in such a way as to move to tears or to great joy—now this may stir the outward man, but it will not and… Read More
“I abhor the pride of Jacob.” (Amos 6:8) O cursed pride, that is ever lifting up its head in our hearts! Pride would even pull down God that it might sit upon His throne. Pride would trample under foot the holiest things to exalt itself! Pride is that monstrous creature within us, of such ravenous and indiscriminate gluttony, that the more it devours, the more it craves! Pride is that chameleon which assumes every colour—that actor which can play… Read More
“And in the beginnings of your months ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the LORD; two young bullocks, and one ram, seven lambs of the first year without spot.” (Numbers 28:11) Many times in the descriptions of the various sacrifices and offerings in the Old Testament we read these words “without spot.” These offerings were all pictures and types of the Lord Jesus who was the one sacrifice for sins forever (Hebrews… Read More
“Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father, who hath loved us, hath given us a good hope through grace.” (2nd Thessalonians 2:16) I have a hope of eternal life and eternal glory. It is a “living hope” because my Lord Jesus lives! As my surety and substitute “He lives, and was dead, and behold He is alive forevermore.” “He EVER LIVETH to make intercession for us.” My hope is a “good hope” because the Lord Jesus… Read More
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33) Do not seek assurance – seek Christ! Do not seek peace first – seek Christ first and peace and assurance will follow. You may have an assurance and not have Christ, just as you may enjoy the peace of a false profession, which is no peace. But you cannot truly know… Read More
“To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:1) What a mercy it is for God’s people that before they have a ‘vital union’ with Christ – before they are grafted into Him experimentally – they have an ‘eternal, immanent union’ with Him before all worlds. It is by virtue of this eternal union that they come into the world at such a time, at… Read More
“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:24) What does it mean to be justified? It means to be eternally pardoned from all sin by the precious blood of Jesus Christ (1st Peter 1:18). It means to be acquitted and vindicated of all charges before the holy justice of God (Jude 24). It means to be made and regarded righteous in God’s sight (Colossians… Read More
“And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end.” (Hebrews 6:11) The assurance of hope is true and lasting assurance that comes from a concentrated, determined, intense, passionate looking by faith to the Lord Jesus Christ as Surety of our salvation. It is also called the “full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22) as the believer sees and believes the way into “the holiest,” the… Read More
“We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.” (2nd Corinthians 4:7) God employs weak instruments to make manifest His mighty power and grace. In this, as in everything else, the LORD’s thoughts and ways are different from ours. We would try to do His work with the great, the influential, the talented, and the strong. BUT GOD used a shepherd… Read More
“Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who shall stand in His holy place?” (Psalm 24:3) THE ANSWER COMES, “He that hath clean hands and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” (Psalm. 24:4) Then none shall ASCEND, much less STAND in His holy place; for there is none clean nor pure. Wait! There is ONE! All of these conditions are fulfilled by ONE,… Read More
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