God does not work without a plan. God has not left the world to chance. There are some men who are always kicking against the doctrine of an eternal purpose, and who grow angry if you assert that God has settled what shall occur. It is by the consent of all agreed that men are foolish if they work without a plan, and yet they cry out when we insist that God also, in all his working, is fulfilling a well arranged design. Depend upon it, however, let men rebel against this truth as they will, that God has determined the end from the beginning. He has left no screw loose in the machine, he has left nothing to chance or accident. Nothing with God is the subject of an "if" or a"peradventure," but even the agency of man, free as it is, as untouched and undisturbed as if there were no God, even this is guided by His mysterious power, and works out thoroughly His own purpose in every jot and tittle. God wings the thunderbolt, and shall He not guide the most passionate spirit? God puts a bit into the mouth of the whirlwind, and shall He not control the most ambitious will? God takes care that even the sea shall come no farther than He bids it, and shall not the heart of man be equally subject to the Divine purpose? Yielding to man his free agency, giving to him his responsibility, leaving him as free as if there were no purpose and no decree, yet the eternal Jehovah works out His plans, and achieves His purpose to the praise of His glory. Everything that has moved or shall move in heaven, and, earth, and hell, has been, is, and shall be, according to the counsel and foreknowledge of God, fulfilling a holy, just, wise, and unalterable purpose! God is wonderful in His design and excellent in His working.
Believer, God overrules all things for your good. The needs-be for all that you have suffered, has been most accurately determined by God. Your course is all mapped out by your Lord. Nothing will take Him by surprise. There will be no novelties to Him. There will be no occurrences,which He did not foresee, and for which, therefore, He was not provided. He has arranged all, and you have but to patiently wait, and you shallsing a song of deliverance. Your life has been arranged on the best possible principles, so that if you had been gifted with unerring wisdom, you would have arranged a life for yourselves exactly similar to the one through which you have passed. Let us trust God where we cannot trace Him. In the end we shall read the whole of God's purpose as one grand poem, and there will not be one verse in it that has a syllable too much, or a word too little. There will not be one stanza or letter redundant, much less one that is erased. But from beginning to end we shall see the master pen and the master-mind drawing forth the glorious array of majestic thoughts. And with angels, and seraphs, and principalities, and powers, shall burst forth into one mighty song, "Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!" We shall see how from the first even to the last, the King has been ruling all things according to His own will.
July 23, 2004
July 22, 2004
OUR ATTITUDE by Henry Mahan
As long as we are in this flesh, we will have misunderstandings among us, unpleasantnesses, and even injustices (we will feel that our rights have been violated and others have been wrong in what they have said and done). What is to be our attitude? It is to be twofold: "FORBEARING one another and FORGIVING one another." To FORBEAR is to control our emotions, surrendering our rights for thc time being in patient hope that God will reveal his purpose and will. To FORGIVE is actually to pul thc misunderstanding out of mind and restore a state of love and fellowship. Our Lord FORBEARS, that is, He is longsuffering and patient with us; and He FORGIVES, remembering our sins no more.
July 21, 2004
One Nation IN God by Gary Shepard
1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
I consider myself a patriot. I am thankful for and love my country. I respect the one that God in His sovereignty has made our President. (Rom. 13:1-4) I have no problem pledging allegiance to the flag that represents this nation or acknowledging it as “one nation under God.” In fact, I’m thankful to know that ALL nations are “under God” whether they acknowledge it or not. They are all under the rule of His sovereign hand and He works all things concerning them according to His own will. All nations are to Him “as a drop in the bucket.” He raises up and He brings down as history has shown, doing according to His will in the “armies of heaven AND among the inhabitants of earth, and NONE can stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest thou?” (Dan. 4:35) However, my greatest concern and allegiance is to another “nation.” It is to the one that the Apostle Peter speaks of in 1 Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:” My eternal citizenship is in that “holy nation” that is made holy through the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. This nation is a people “redeemed… to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;” (Rev. 5:9) “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” (Psm. 33:12) These are the elect of God, chosen in Christ, redeemed by the precious blood of Christ in a substitution and particular and called effectually by the Holy Spirit through the true gospel to Christ. For this reason, all national distinctions we put aside, and seek to follow God’s command concerning them. We do this remembering that patriotism is not Christianity and being loyal to one’s country is not knowing God in Christ! Patriotism and religion are viewed by many as one. Not so with God. His people, His nation, is that people whom He saves from their sins and brings to a knowledge of, confidence in and loyalty to CHRIST! Thus, we “pray for all men” (I Tim. 2:1) and we preach the gospel of Christ and His redeeming, God-satisfying death for sinners to all people. Ours is an “everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,” (Rev. 14:6) “Nations shall rise against nations” but only that “holy nation” shall show forth the eternal praises of God’s grace in Christ. This is the nation born in a day! (Isaiah 66:8) The nation IN God because in Christ!
I consider myself a patriot. I am thankful for and love my country. I respect the one that God in His sovereignty has made our President. (Rom. 13:1-4) I have no problem pledging allegiance to the flag that represents this nation or acknowledging it as “one nation under God.” In fact, I’m thankful to know that ALL nations are “under God” whether they acknowledge it or not. They are all under the rule of His sovereign hand and He works all things concerning them according to His own will. All nations are to Him “as a drop in the bucket.” He raises up and He brings down as history has shown, doing according to His will in the “armies of heaven AND among the inhabitants of earth, and NONE can stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest thou?” (Dan. 4:35) However, my greatest concern and allegiance is to another “nation.” It is to the one that the Apostle Peter speaks of in 1 Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:” My eternal citizenship is in that “holy nation” that is made holy through the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. This nation is a people “redeemed… to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;” (Rev. 5:9) “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” (Psm. 33:12) These are the elect of God, chosen in Christ, redeemed by the precious blood of Christ in a substitution and particular and called effectually by the Holy Spirit through the true gospel to Christ. For this reason, all national distinctions we put aside, and seek to follow God’s command concerning them. We do this remembering that patriotism is not Christianity and being loyal to one’s country is not knowing God in Christ! Patriotism and religion are viewed by many as one. Not so with God. His people, His nation, is that people whom He saves from their sins and brings to a knowledge of, confidence in and loyalty to CHRIST! Thus, we “pray for all men” (I Tim. 2:1) and we preach the gospel of Christ and His redeeming, God-satisfying death for sinners to all people. Ours is an “everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,” (Rev. 14:6) “Nations shall rise against nations” but only that “holy nation” shall show forth the eternal praises of God’s grace in Christ. This is the nation born in a day! (Isaiah 66:8) The nation IN God because in Christ!
July 20, 2004
Life 101 by Tim James
Psa 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
Part of the privilege of being a pastor is that I am often called upon to sit at the bedside of folks who are about to die. Over the years I have become convinced that, on a purely natural level, dying people know how to live. I have yet to hear someone who is facing eternity say, "I wish I had bought a bigger house" or "I regret not devoting more time to my career". Instead, I have often heard plaintive groans such as, "I wish that I had been a better husband or wife", or "If only I had spent more time with my kids", or "Why did I waste so much time and energy on bitter grudges". I have also noticed that those who attend a dying relative or friend quickly let go, if only for a short time, the petty differences on which they have expended precious energy. These natural lessons are of great spiritual value. We are told in Scripture that we are dying. In our youth, we know this in our heads. As the years go by, we not only know it our heads, but also feel it in our bones …yet I am not convinced that we really believe it in our hearts. If we knew that we would not see tomorrow, which, by the way, we are not promised, what manner of folk might we be? How precious would one more gathering of the saints to worship be! How hungry would we be to hear the glorious Gospel of Sovereign Grace just once more! How easy it would be to say "I'm sorry", or "Please forgive me"! How necessary would it be to embrace our loved ones; dandle our children on our knees! How ready would we be to receive kindness, mercy, even pity! David said in Psalm 39:4; "Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am." Moses said in Psalm 90:12; "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."Death is a great university, and the lessons learned there are of inestimable worth. DEATH is LIFE 101.
Part of the privilege of being a pastor is that I am often called upon to sit at the bedside of folks who are about to die. Over the years I have become convinced that, on a purely natural level, dying people know how to live. I have yet to hear someone who is facing eternity say, "I wish I had bought a bigger house" or "I regret not devoting more time to my career". Instead, I have often heard plaintive groans such as, "I wish that I had been a better husband or wife", or "If only I had spent more time with my kids", or "Why did I waste so much time and energy on bitter grudges". I have also noticed that those who attend a dying relative or friend quickly let go, if only for a short time, the petty differences on which they have expended precious energy. These natural lessons are of great spiritual value. We are told in Scripture that we are dying. In our youth, we know this in our heads. As the years go by, we not only know it our heads, but also feel it in our bones …yet I am not convinced that we really believe it in our hearts. If we knew that we would not see tomorrow, which, by the way, we are not promised, what manner of folk might we be? How precious would one more gathering of the saints to worship be! How hungry would we be to hear the glorious Gospel of Sovereign Grace just once more! How easy it would be to say "I'm sorry", or "Please forgive me"! How necessary would it be to embrace our loved ones; dandle our children on our knees! How ready would we be to receive kindness, mercy, even pity! David said in Psalm 39:4; "Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am." Moses said in Psalm 90:12; "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."Death is a great university, and the lessons learned there are of inestimable worth. DEATH is LIFE 101.
July 13, 2004
No Apology by C.H. Spurgeon
"Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." Romans 9:15.
There is a man up in the gallery there, that, work as hard as he likes, he cannot earn more than fifteen shillings a week. And here is another man that gets a thousand a year. What is the reason of this? One is born in the palaces of kings,while another draws his first breath in a roofless hovel. What is the reason of this? God's providence--God puts one man in one position, and another man in another.
Here is a man whose head cannot hold two thoughts together, do what you will with him. Here is another who can sit down and write a book, and dive into the deepest of questions. What is the reason of it? God has done it.
Do you not see the fact that God does not treat every man alike?He has made some eagles, and some worms; some he has made lions, and some creeping lizards; he has made some men kings, and some are born beggars. Some are born with gigantic minds, and some verge on the idiot. Why is this? Do you murmur at God for it? No. You say it is a fact, and there is no good in murmuring. What is the use of kicking against facts? It is only kicking against the pricks with naked feet, and you hurt yourself and not them. Well, then, election is a positive fact. It is as clear as daylight, that God does, in matters of religion, give to one man more than to another. He gives to me opportunities of hearing the word, which he does not give to the Hottentot. He gives to me, parents who, from infancy, trained me in the fear of the Lord. He does not give that to many of you. He places me afterwards in situations where I am restrained from sin. Other men are cast into places where their sinful passions aredeveloped. He gives, to one man a disposition which keeps him back from some lust,and to another man he gives such impetuosity of spirit, and depravity turns that impetuosity so much, that the man runs headlong into sin.
Again, he brings one man under the sound of a powerful ministry,while another sits and listens to a preacher whose drowsinessis only exceeded by that of his hearers. And even when they are hearing the gospel, the fact is God works in one heart when he does not in another. Though, I believe to a degree, the Spirit works in the hearts of all who hear the Word, so that they are all without excuse, yet I am surehe works in some so powerfully, that they can no longer resist him, but are constrained by his grace to cast themselves at his feet, and confess him Lord of all; while others resist the grace that comes into their hearts; and it does not act with the same irresistible force that it does in the other case, and they perish in their sins, deservedly and justly condemned. Are not these things facts? Does any man deny them? Can any man deny them? What is the use of kicking against facts? What, then, is the use of our discussing any longer? We had better believe it, since it is an undeniable truth. You may alter an opinion, but you cannot alter a fact. You may change a mere doctrine, but you cannot possibly change a thing which actually exists.
There it is--God does certainly deal with some men better than he does with others. I will not offer an apology for God; he can explain his own dealings; he needs no defence from me. There stands the fact. Before you begin to argue upon the doctrine, just recollect, that whatever you may think about it, you cannot alter it; and however much you may object to it, it is actually true that God did love Jacob, and did not love Esau. WHY did God love Jacob?Because of his sovereign grace. There was nothing in Jacob that could make God love him; there was everything about him, that might have made God hate him, as much as he did Esau, and a great deal more. But it was because God was infinitely gracious, that he loved Jacob, and because he was sovereign in his dispensation of this grace, that he chose Jacob as the object of that love."He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy." And rest assured, the only reason why any of us can hope to be saved is this- the sovereign grace of God. There is no reason why I should be saved, or why you should be saved, but God's own merciful heart, and God's own omnipotent will.
There is a man up in the gallery there, that, work as hard as he likes, he cannot earn more than fifteen shillings a week. And here is another man that gets a thousand a year. What is the reason of this? One is born in the palaces of kings,while another draws his first breath in a roofless hovel. What is the reason of this? God's providence--God puts one man in one position, and another man in another.
Here is a man whose head cannot hold two thoughts together, do what you will with him. Here is another who can sit down and write a book, and dive into the deepest of questions. What is the reason of it? God has done it.
Do you not see the fact that God does not treat every man alike?He has made some eagles, and some worms; some he has made lions, and some creeping lizards; he has made some men kings, and some are born beggars. Some are born with gigantic minds, and some verge on the idiot. Why is this? Do you murmur at God for it? No. You say it is a fact, and there is no good in murmuring. What is the use of kicking against facts? It is only kicking against the pricks with naked feet, and you hurt yourself and not them. Well, then, election is a positive fact. It is as clear as daylight, that God does, in matters of religion, give to one man more than to another. He gives to me opportunities of hearing the word, which he does not give to the Hottentot. He gives to me, parents who, from infancy, trained me in the fear of the Lord. He does not give that to many of you. He places me afterwards in situations where I am restrained from sin. Other men are cast into places where their sinful passions aredeveloped. He gives, to one man a disposition which keeps him back from some lust,and to another man he gives such impetuosity of spirit, and depravity turns that impetuosity so much, that the man runs headlong into sin.
Again, he brings one man under the sound of a powerful ministry,while another sits and listens to a preacher whose drowsinessis only exceeded by that of his hearers. And even when they are hearing the gospel, the fact is God works in one heart when he does not in another. Though, I believe to a degree, the Spirit works in the hearts of all who hear the Word, so that they are all without excuse, yet I am surehe works in some so powerfully, that they can no longer resist him, but are constrained by his grace to cast themselves at his feet, and confess him Lord of all; while others resist the grace that comes into their hearts; and it does not act with the same irresistible force that it does in the other case, and they perish in their sins, deservedly and justly condemned. Are not these things facts? Does any man deny them? Can any man deny them? What is the use of kicking against facts? What, then, is the use of our discussing any longer? We had better believe it, since it is an undeniable truth. You may alter an opinion, but you cannot alter a fact. You may change a mere doctrine, but you cannot possibly change a thing which actually exists.
There it is--God does certainly deal with some men better than he does with others. I will not offer an apology for God; he can explain his own dealings; he needs no defence from me. There stands the fact. Before you begin to argue upon the doctrine, just recollect, that whatever you may think about it, you cannot alter it; and however much you may object to it, it is actually true that God did love Jacob, and did not love Esau. WHY did God love Jacob?Because of his sovereign grace. There was nothing in Jacob that could make God love him; there was everything about him, that might have made God hate him, as much as he did Esau, and a great deal more. But it was because God was infinitely gracious, that he loved Jacob, and because he was sovereign in his dispensation of this grace, that he chose Jacob as the object of that love."He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy." And rest assured, the only reason why any of us can hope to be saved is this- the sovereign grace of God. There is no reason why I should be saved, or why you should be saved, but God's own merciful heart, and God's own omnipotent will.
July 11, 2004
IS CHRIST YOUR LORD? by A.W. Pink
We do not ask, is Christ your "Saviour," but is He really and truly, your LORD? If he be not your Lord, then most certainly He is not your "Saviour." Those who have not received Christ Jesus as their "Lord," and yet suppose Him to be their "Saviour," are deluded, and their hope rests on a foundation of sand. Multitudes are deceived on this vital point; and therefore, if the reader values his or her soul, we implore you to give a most careful reading to this article.
When we ask, Is Christ your LORD? we do not inquire, Do you believe in the Godhood of Jesus of Nazareth? The demons do that (Matt. 8:28, 29) and yet perish notwithstanding! You may be firmly convinced of the Deity of Christ, and yet be in your sins. You may speak of Him with the utmost reverence, accord Him His Divine titles in your prayers, and yet be unsaved. You may abominate those who traduce His person and deny His Divinity, and yet have no spiritual love for Him at all.
When we ask, "Is Christ your LORD," we mean, does He in very deed occupy the throne of your heart, does he actually RULE over your life? "We have turned every one to his OWN WAY" (Isa. 53:6) describes the course which all follow by nature. Before conversion every soul lives to please self. Of old it was written, "every man did that which was right in his own eyes," and why? "In those days there was NO KING in Israel" (Judges 21:25). Ah! THAT is the point we desire to make clear to the reader. Until Christ becomes your KING (I Tim. 1:17; Rev. 15:3), until you bow to His sceptre, until His will becomes the rule of your life, SELF dominates, and thus Christ is disowned.
When the Holy Spirit begins His work of grace in a soul, He first convicts of sin. He shows me the real and awful nature OF SIN. He makes me realize that it is a species of insurrection, a defying of God's authority, a setting of my will against His. He shows me that in going my "own way" (Isa. 53:6), in pleasing MYSELF, I have been fighting against God. As my eyes are opened to see what a lifelong rebel I have been, how indifferent to God's honor, how unconcerned about HIS will, I am filled with anguish and horror, and made to marvel that the thrice Holy One has not long since cast me into Hell. Reader, have you ever gone through this experience? If not, there is very grave reason to fear you are yet spiritually DEAD!
Conversion, true conversion, SAVING conversion, is a turning from sin to God in Christ. It is throwing down the weapons of my warfare against Him , a CEASING to despise and ignore His authority. New Testament conversion is described thus: "Ye turned to God from idols to SERVE (be in subjection to, obey) the living and true God" (I Thess. 1:9). An "idol" is any object to which we give what is due alone unto God--the supreme place in our affections, the moulding influence of our hearts, the dominating power Ofour lives. Conversion is a right-about-face, the hearts and will REPUDIATING sin, self, and the world. Genuine conversion is always evidenced by "Lord, what wilt THOU have me to do?" (Acts 9:6); it is an unreserved surrendering of ourselves to His holy will. Have you yielded yourself to Him (Rom, 6:13)?
There are many people who would like to be saved from Hell, but who do NOT want to be saved from self-will, from having their own way, from a life of (some form of) worldliness. But God will not save them on THEIR terms. To be saved, we MUST submit to HIS terms. Listen to His terms, "let the wicked FORSAKE his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord (having revolted from Him in Adam), and He will have mercy upon him" (Isa. 55:7). Said Christ, "Whosoever he be of you that FORSAKETH NOT all that he hath (all that is opposed to Me), he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:33). Men must be turned "from darkness to light, and the POWER OF SATAN unto God" before they can "receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified"(Acts 26:18).
"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk ye in Him" (Col. 2:6). That is an exhortation to Christians, and its force is, continue as you begin. But HOW had they "begun?" By receiving "Christ Jesus THE LORD" by surrendering to Him, by subjecting themselves to HIS will, by ceasing to please themselves. His authority was now owned. His commands now became their rule of life. His love constrained them to a glad and unreserved obedience. They 6 4 gave their own selves to THE LORD" (II Cor. 8:5). Have YOU, my reader, done this? HAVE you? Do the details of your life EVIDENCE it? Can those with whom you come into contact see that you are no more living to please self (11 Cor. 5:15)?
O my reader, make no mistake upon this point: a conversion which the Holy Spirit produces is a very radical thing. It is a miracle of grace. It is the ENTHRONING of Christ in the life. And such conversions are rare indeed. Multitudes of people have just sufficient "religion" to make them miserable. They refuse to forsake every KNOWN sin--and there is no true peace for any soul until he does. They have never "received Christ Jesus the Lord" (Col. 2:6). Had they done so, "the JOY OF THE LORD" would be their strength (Neh. 8:10). But the language of their hearts and lives (not their "lips") is, "We will not have this Man to REIGN over us" (Luke 19:14). Is that YOUR case?
The great miracle of grace consists in changing a lawless rebel into a loving and loyal subject. It is a "RENEWING" of the heart, so that the favored subject of it has come to loathe what he loved, and the things he once found irksome are now winsome (II Cor. 5:17). He DELIGHTS "in the law of God after the inward man" (Rom. 7:22). He discovers that Christ's "commandments are NOT grievous" (I John 5:3), and that "in keeping of them there is great reward" (Psa' 19:11). IS THIS your experience? It would be if you received Christ Jesus THE LORD!
But to receive Christ Jesus the Lord is altogether beyond unaided human power. That is the LAST thing which the unrenewed heart wants to do. There must be a SUPERNATURAL CHANGE OF HEART before there is even the desire for Christ to occupy its throne. And that change, none but God can work (I Cor. 12:3). Therefore, "SEEK ye the Lord while he may be found" (Isa. 55:6). "Search for Him with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13). Reader, you may have been a professing Christian for years past and you may have been quite sincere in your profession. But if God has condescended to use this article to show you that you have NEVER really and truly "received Christ Jesus THE LORD," if now in your own soul and conscience you realize that SELF has ruled you hitherto, will you not now get down on your knees and CONFESS to God your self-will, your REBELLION against Him, and beg Him to SO WORK IN YOU that, without further delay, you may be enabled to YIELD YOURSELF completely to His will and become His subject, His servant, His loving slave, in deed and in truth?
When we ask, Is Christ your LORD? we do not inquire, Do you believe in the Godhood of Jesus of Nazareth? The demons do that (Matt. 8:28, 29) and yet perish notwithstanding! You may be firmly convinced of the Deity of Christ, and yet be in your sins. You may speak of Him with the utmost reverence, accord Him His Divine titles in your prayers, and yet be unsaved. You may abominate those who traduce His person and deny His Divinity, and yet have no spiritual love for Him at all.
When we ask, "Is Christ your LORD," we mean, does He in very deed occupy the throne of your heart, does he actually RULE over your life? "We have turned every one to his OWN WAY" (Isa. 53:6) describes the course which all follow by nature. Before conversion every soul lives to please self. Of old it was written, "every man did that which was right in his own eyes," and why? "In those days there was NO KING in Israel" (Judges 21:25). Ah! THAT is the point we desire to make clear to the reader. Until Christ becomes your KING (I Tim. 1:17; Rev. 15:3), until you bow to His sceptre, until His will becomes the rule of your life, SELF dominates, and thus Christ is disowned.
When the Holy Spirit begins His work of grace in a soul, He first convicts of sin. He shows me the real and awful nature OF SIN. He makes me realize that it is a species of insurrection, a defying of God's authority, a setting of my will against His. He shows me that in going my "own way" (Isa. 53:6), in pleasing MYSELF, I have been fighting against God. As my eyes are opened to see what a lifelong rebel I have been, how indifferent to God's honor, how unconcerned about HIS will, I am filled with anguish and horror, and made to marvel that the thrice Holy One has not long since cast me into Hell. Reader, have you ever gone through this experience? If not, there is very grave reason to fear you are yet spiritually DEAD!
Conversion, true conversion, SAVING conversion, is a turning from sin to God in Christ. It is throwing down the weapons of my warfare against Him , a CEASING to despise and ignore His authority. New Testament conversion is described thus: "Ye turned to God from idols to SERVE (be in subjection to, obey) the living and true God" (I Thess. 1:9). An "idol" is any object to which we give what is due alone unto God--the supreme place in our affections, the moulding influence of our hearts, the dominating power Ofour lives. Conversion is a right-about-face, the hearts and will REPUDIATING sin, self, and the world. Genuine conversion is always evidenced by "Lord, what wilt THOU have me to do?" (Acts 9:6); it is an unreserved surrendering of ourselves to His holy will. Have you yielded yourself to Him (Rom, 6:13)?
There are many people who would like to be saved from Hell, but who do NOT want to be saved from self-will, from having their own way, from a life of (some form of) worldliness. But God will not save them on THEIR terms. To be saved, we MUST submit to HIS terms. Listen to His terms, "let the wicked FORSAKE his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord (having revolted from Him in Adam), and He will have mercy upon him" (Isa. 55:7). Said Christ, "Whosoever he be of you that FORSAKETH NOT all that he hath (all that is opposed to Me), he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:33). Men must be turned "from darkness to light, and the POWER OF SATAN unto God" before they can "receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified"(Acts 26:18).
"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk ye in Him" (Col. 2:6). That is an exhortation to Christians, and its force is, continue as you begin. But HOW had they "begun?" By receiving "Christ Jesus THE LORD" by surrendering to Him, by subjecting themselves to HIS will, by ceasing to please themselves. His authority was now owned. His commands now became their rule of life. His love constrained them to a glad and unreserved obedience. They 6 4 gave their own selves to THE LORD" (II Cor. 8:5). Have YOU, my reader, done this? HAVE you? Do the details of your life EVIDENCE it? Can those with whom you come into contact see that you are no more living to please self (11 Cor. 5:15)?
O my reader, make no mistake upon this point: a conversion which the Holy Spirit produces is a very radical thing. It is a miracle of grace. It is the ENTHRONING of Christ in the life. And such conversions are rare indeed. Multitudes of people have just sufficient "religion" to make them miserable. They refuse to forsake every KNOWN sin--and there is no true peace for any soul until he does. They have never "received Christ Jesus the Lord" (Col. 2:6). Had they done so, "the JOY OF THE LORD" would be their strength (Neh. 8:10). But the language of their hearts and lives (not their "lips") is, "We will not have this Man to REIGN over us" (Luke 19:14). Is that YOUR case?
The great miracle of grace consists in changing a lawless rebel into a loving and loyal subject. It is a "RENEWING" of the heart, so that the favored subject of it has come to loathe what he loved, and the things he once found irksome are now winsome (II Cor. 5:17). He DELIGHTS "in the law of God after the inward man" (Rom. 7:22). He discovers that Christ's "commandments are NOT grievous" (I John 5:3), and that "in keeping of them there is great reward" (Psa' 19:11). IS THIS your experience? It would be if you received Christ Jesus THE LORD!
But to receive Christ Jesus the Lord is altogether beyond unaided human power. That is the LAST thing which the unrenewed heart wants to do. There must be a SUPERNATURAL CHANGE OF HEART before there is even the desire for Christ to occupy its throne. And that change, none but God can work (I Cor. 12:3). Therefore, "SEEK ye the Lord while he may be found" (Isa. 55:6). "Search for Him with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13). Reader, you may have been a professing Christian for years past and you may have been quite sincere in your profession. But if God has condescended to use this article to show you that you have NEVER really and truly "received Christ Jesus THE LORD," if now in your own soul and conscience you realize that SELF has ruled you hitherto, will you not now get down on your knees and CONFESS to God your self-will, your REBELLION against Him, and beg Him to SO WORK IN YOU that, without further delay, you may be enabled to YIELD YOURSELF completely to His will and become His subject, His servant, His loving slave, in deed and in truth?
July 10, 2004
The 'Illuminated' Bible! by Spurgeon
Do any of you have an 'illuminated' Bible at home?
"No," says one, "I have a morocco Bible; I have a Polyglot Bible; I have a marginal reference Bible."Ah! that is all very well, but have you an illuminated Bible? "Yes, I have a large family Bible with pictures in it. "There is a picture of John the Baptist baptizing Christ by pouring water on his head, and many other nonsensical things; but that is not what I mean: have you an illuminated Bible? "Yes, I have a Bible with splendid engravings in it. "Yes; I know you may have; but have you an illuminated Bible? "I don't understand what you mean by an illuminated Bible. "Well, it is the Christian man who has an illuminated Bible.He does not buy it illuminated originally, but when he reads it" A glory gilds the sacred page, Majestic like the sun Which gives a light to every page,-It gives, but burrows none. "There is nothing like reading an illuminated Bible, beloved. You may read the Bible to all eternity, and never learn anything by it, unless it is illuminated by the Spirit;and then the words shine forth like stars! The book seems made of gold leaf; every singleletter glitters like a diamond. Oh, it is a blessed thing to read an illuminated Biblel it up by the radiance of the Holy Spirit!
"No," says one, "I have a morocco Bible; I have a Polyglot Bible; I have a marginal reference Bible."Ah! that is all very well, but have you an illuminated Bible? "Yes, I have a large family Bible with pictures in it. "There is a picture of John the Baptist baptizing Christ by pouring water on his head, and many other nonsensical things; but that is not what I mean: have you an illuminated Bible? "Yes, I have a Bible with splendid engravings in it. "Yes; I know you may have; but have you an illuminated Bible? "I don't understand what you mean by an illuminated Bible. "Well, it is the Christian man who has an illuminated Bible.He does not buy it illuminated originally, but when he reads it" A glory gilds the sacred page, Majestic like the sun Which gives a light to every page,-It gives, but burrows none. "There is nothing like reading an illuminated Bible, beloved. You may read the Bible to all eternity, and never learn anything by it, unless it is illuminated by the Spirit;and then the words shine forth like stars! The book seems made of gold leaf; every singleletter glitters like a diamond. Oh, it is a blessed thing to read an illuminated Biblel it up by the radiance of the Holy Spirit!
July 07, 2004
He is my shepherd by E. Wilson
“ But He that entereth by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To Him the porter openeth and the sheep hear His voice, and He calleth His own sheep by name and leadeth them out.” John 10:2-3
In Palestine during biblical times in each village was a sheepfold. This was a common property of all the farmers. It was protected by high walls with only one door. Every night shepherds, to protect their sheep from beast and robbers, would lead their flock into the sheepfold and leave them in the care of the porter. The porter would remain at the door all night until morning. In the morning the porter would allow each shepherd to come to the door and call out for his sheep; many times by their name. Their sheep recognizing the voice of their master would beckon to his voice and follow him and the shepherd would lead them out.
God says in John 10:7 “…verily, verily I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.” Man can only be saved by God. Salvation may only be obtained through God. God is the door of the sheepfold, the only way man can find the green pastures of peace and freedom is through the door of Christ. Rev 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock, if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him…” Who can hear His voice, who opens the door? Is this dependant on our choice or action, or His electing grace. God says in John 10:14 “I am the good shepherd and know my sheep and am known of mine.” God not only is the door but the shepherd. His son knows His sheep and He calls them by name and they know Him. The shepherd does not stand at the door of the sheepfold and call to all sheep and whom ever comes to him is his. God knows His sheep by name and calls them alone out of the flesh to follow Him. 2Tim 2:19 “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are His…” When the door of God is open and Jesus calls for His sheep, His sheep and His sheep alone beckon to His voice and will come to Him. Would His sheep chose not to come? God forbid, His sheep know the voice of their master and love Him and desire to be in His fold. It’s not that you have no other choice, it is when God gives you ears to hear and you hear the voice of His Spirit you have no other desire but to follow Him. John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow Me.” So why when the door of God opens and Jesus effectually calls to His sheep do so many stay in the walls of the sheepfold rather than follow Him. John 10:26 clearly states “But ye believe not, because ye are not my sheep…” Why did they not come, because they could not, nor ever recognize His voice. John 8:43 “Why do ye not understand my speech? Because ye cannot hear my word.” It’s not that they have no other choice but to stay, it is they know not His voice and have no desire to come because they are not His sheep. You cannot chose to become one of His sheep. You are one of His sheep because He is your shepherd and His voice effectually calls you out by name. Will you harken to that voice, will you repent, confess, and believe? Of course, not as a condition but as a result. Not because you became a sheep but because you were one of His sheep. If you do not believe you were never one of His, and you will never hear His voice. John 8:47 “He that is of God heareth Gods words; ye therefore, hear them not, because ye are not of God.”
Psalm 23:“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”
In Palestine during biblical times in each village was a sheepfold. This was a common property of all the farmers. It was protected by high walls with only one door. Every night shepherds, to protect their sheep from beast and robbers, would lead their flock into the sheepfold and leave them in the care of the porter. The porter would remain at the door all night until morning. In the morning the porter would allow each shepherd to come to the door and call out for his sheep; many times by their name. Their sheep recognizing the voice of their master would beckon to his voice and follow him and the shepherd would lead them out.
God says in John 10:7 “…verily, verily I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.” Man can only be saved by God. Salvation may only be obtained through God. God is the door of the sheepfold, the only way man can find the green pastures of peace and freedom is through the door of Christ. Rev 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock, if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him…” Who can hear His voice, who opens the door? Is this dependant on our choice or action, or His electing grace. God says in John 10:14 “I am the good shepherd and know my sheep and am known of mine.” God not only is the door but the shepherd. His son knows His sheep and He calls them by name and they know Him. The shepherd does not stand at the door of the sheepfold and call to all sheep and whom ever comes to him is his. God knows His sheep by name and calls them alone out of the flesh to follow Him. 2Tim 2:19 “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are His…” When the door of God is open and Jesus calls for His sheep, His sheep and His sheep alone beckon to His voice and will come to Him. Would His sheep chose not to come? God forbid, His sheep know the voice of their master and love Him and desire to be in His fold. It’s not that you have no other choice, it is when God gives you ears to hear and you hear the voice of His Spirit you have no other desire but to follow Him. John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow Me.” So why when the door of God opens and Jesus effectually calls to His sheep do so many stay in the walls of the sheepfold rather than follow Him. John 10:26 clearly states “But ye believe not, because ye are not my sheep…” Why did they not come, because they could not, nor ever recognize His voice. John 8:43 “Why do ye not understand my speech? Because ye cannot hear my word.” It’s not that they have no other choice but to stay, it is they know not His voice and have no desire to come because they are not His sheep. You cannot chose to become one of His sheep. You are one of His sheep because He is your shepherd and His voice effectually calls you out by name. Will you harken to that voice, will you repent, confess, and believe? Of course, not as a condition but as a result. Not because you became a sheep but because you were one of His sheep. If you do not believe you were never one of His, and you will never hear His voice. John 8:47 “He that is of God heareth Gods words; ye therefore, hear them not, because ye are not of God.”
Psalm 23:“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”
July 03, 2004
If Free Will Is True.... by Todd Nibert
Rom 9:16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
The belief that most people hold to is that God loves everybody and wants to save everybody. But He has given man a free will, and cannot save a man unless that man, of his own free will, decides to let God save him. If that is true....
. The Scriptures are mistaken when they describe man as dead in sins.
. God is not sovereign. His will is subject to man's will.
. Praying to God for the salvation of sinners is a mistake. We should be praying to men to use their will to let God save them.
. Salvation is not dependent upon God, but man.
. Man gets a portion of the credit in salvation.
. Salvation cannot be said to be 100% grace. Man's will is the key that unlocks the grace of God. Grace cannot work unless man turns the key.
. God's will has no say in the ultimate destiny of the sinner. In reality, God's will is meaningless in the salvation of the sinner. The will of man controls his own destiny.
. The death of Christ was at best a gamble, dependent upon the will of man, and in reality a failure, because many He died for are lost anyway.
. The security of the believer hinges on his own will.
Thank God, free will is not true! "It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy." (Romans 9:16). The believer prefers Free Grace over free will.
The belief that most people hold to is that God loves everybody and wants to save everybody. But He has given man a free will, and cannot save a man unless that man, of his own free will, decides to let God save him. If that is true....
. The Scriptures are mistaken when they describe man as dead in sins.
. God is not sovereign. His will is subject to man's will.
. Praying to God for the salvation of sinners is a mistake. We should be praying to men to use their will to let God save them.
. Salvation is not dependent upon God, but man.
. Man gets a portion of the credit in salvation.
. Salvation cannot be said to be 100% grace. Man's will is the key that unlocks the grace of God. Grace cannot work unless man turns the key.
. God's will has no say in the ultimate destiny of the sinner. In reality, God's will is meaningless in the salvation of the sinner. The will of man controls his own destiny.
. The death of Christ was at best a gamble, dependent upon the will of man, and in reality a failure, because many He died for are lost anyway.
. The security of the believer hinges on his own will.
Thank God, free will is not true! "It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy." (Romans 9:16). The believer prefers Free Grace over free will.
July 02, 2004
Human guidance? by Winslow
We have need to be on our watch against the powerful influence of spiritual mentors, lest, fascinated by the fame of some popular leader, we become the willing dupes of a childish superstition, or the blind followers of a fatal error. Do not take your views of Divine truth from man; draw them primarily from God's Word. Do not study the Bible through your theological system, but let your system be taken from, and faithfully weighed with, the Bible. Our theological system must not be allowed to give its complexion to, or to be the interpreter of, revealed truth. But, on the contrary, God's Word is to suggest and mold and tint all our thoughts and opinions and systems. We must not set the sun by our watch; but our watch by the sun. In other words, we must not attempt to make God's Word dovetail with our creed, but must test every doctrine we hold, every opinion we receive, every principle we maintain, the hope we cherish, by the unerring standard of revealed truth. This will give a Divine and proper complexion to our views. If we receive the light of the sun through a tinted lens, the light will necessarily reflect the hue of the medium through which it passes. So, if we receive the light of God's Word through any theological system whatever, it will necessarily reflect the error and imperfection, if such there be, of that system. And thus we shall fail to receive the teaching of God as it flows pure and simple from His Word, as light flows from the sun, and as streams from the fountain. The Bible is our rule of faith and our only and ultimate appeal. By the law and the testimony let every doctrine, and system, and hope for eternity be tried. Do not be, then, carried away by the learning, the influence, or even the piety attaching to a popular name. Allow no human leader the mastery of your mind and conscience. Yield yourself meekly and obediently to the authority and teaching of Christ, accepting human guidance only so far as it comes with a "thus says the Lord" as its divine endorsement. Our only safeguard in a matter of such infinite moment as our future well being, is God's pure Word; our only secure place, the feet of the Savior. Sitting there as His lowly disciple, the Holy Spirit will lead our minds into the truth, even "the truth as it is in Jesus," as it emanates from Jesus, as it speaks of Jesus, as it strengthens our faith in, and inspires our love to, Jesus, and as it prepares us to go and be with Jesus forever.
July 01, 2004
HE IS SOVEREIGN by A.W. Pink
Friend; was there not a time when you walked in the counsel of the ungodly, stood in the way of sinners, sat in the seat of the scorners, and with them said, "We will not have this man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14)? Was there not a time when you "would not come to Christ that you might have life" (John 5:40)? Yea, was there not a time when you mingled your voice with those who said unto God, "Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of Thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto Him" (Job 21:14,15)? With shamed face you have to acknowledge there was. But how is it that all is now changed? What was it that brought you from haughty self-sufficiency to a humble suppliant, from one that was at enmity with God to one that is at peace with Him, from lawlessness to subjection, from hate to love? And, as one born of the Spirit, you will readily reply, "By the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Corinthians 15:10). Then do you not see that it is due to no lack of power in God, nor to His refusal to coerce man, that other rebels are not saved too? If God was able to subdue your will and win your heart, and that without interfering with your moral responsibility, then is He not able to do the same for others? Assuredly He is. Then how inconsistent, how illogical, how foolish of you, in seeking to account for the present course of the wicked and their ultimate fate, to argue that God is unable to save them, that they will not let Him. Do you say, "But the time came when I was willing, willing to receive Christ as my Saviour?" True, but it was the Lord who made you willing (Psalm 110:3; Philippians 2:13); why then does He not make all sinners willing? Why, but for the fact that He is sovereign and does as He pleases! --A. W. Pink
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