October 27, 2004

ARE YOU CHOSEN? by CH Spurgeon

"Is there any here today who wishes to be holy, who wishes to be regenerated, sanctified, who wishes to leave off sin and walk in holiness and godliness, who wishes to love Christ Jesus and his people, who wishes to be made like Christ? Someone says, 'I do!' Then, my friend, you are elected. But someone else here does not want to be like Christ, does not want to give up the world, does not believe the gospel, does not want to worship God, and does not enjoy the company of godly people. Such a person should not complain if God does not elect him to a life that he despises. The most ridiculos thing I have ever heard is for a man to complain if God does not elect him to a life that he despises. The most ridiculous thing I have ever heard is for a man to complain that he has not been ELECTED TO SOMETHING HE DOES NOT WANT. Think about how foolish this is: the church is full, not one seat is left. A man stands outside and says, 'It is not fair that I do not have a seat in the church. I don't like the preacher, I don't like the gospel, I don't love the others who are there, I would be miserable if I were in there with them, but it is not fair for them to have a seat and for me not to have one!' This is ridiculous!"

October 25, 2004

Conditional Blessings by Todd Nibert

There are two kinds of blessings that God bestows upon believers. First, there are unconditional blessings. These are given to the believer without any condition he must meet to obtain them. They are given for Christ's sake. Paul spoke of these in Eph. 1; we "have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3).

The Scriptures also teach CONDITIONAL blessings from God. These are blessings conditioned upon our meeting certain conditions to obtain them. In Psalm 81:13, the Lord said, "O that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways;" and He goes on to speak of the blessings they would have received, but didn't, because they did not meet the conditions which would have obtained them. The Lord said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." There is a greater state of blessedness in giving than receiving. Obviously, this greater state of blessedness is conditioned upon our giving. There are many blessings we miss and much sorrow we bring on ourselves by not meeting the conditions God gives to obtain His blessings and avoid those sorrows and troubles.

Some will look at this as an encouragement to go on living the way they are, saying, "I can still be a Christian and live like this." A TRUE BELIEVER would not have that attitude! Some will look at this as legalism (again, that is not the attitude of a true believer). But there are some who will cry for grace to meet the conditions that must be met in order to Obtain the blessings.

October 21, 2004

Raise Him up the Last Day by Dale Robinson

I came across these verses while studying the Bread of Life passages.

(John 6:39) - "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day."
(John 6:40) - "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."
(John 6:44) - "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day."

It is both those who are called by the Father and those who believe in Christ who are raised up on the last day. The two criteria are synonomous. God choice of us is manifested in our belief in Christ. Christ could have easily said to the multitude - 'I choose you and you and you' - but Scripture says:

(John 6:64-65) - "But there are some of you who do not believe. For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father."

But Christ's instructions from the Father was to preach the gospel. Why? Because the gospel is the means by which people believe in Christ - and from John 6:28, our belief is a work of God.

(John 6:28-29) – “Therefore they said to Him, "What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."
(Rom. 1:16) – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,...”

And by the way - Christ loses no one that the Father sends Him. We will be raised up on to last day.

The work of God is our belief in Christ.
The power of God is the gospel that is preached by which we believe.
The will of God is that Christ loses none that God sends to Him.
The grace of God is that any of this happens at all.


(Eph. 2:8) – “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;”

October 20, 2004

Ambassadors for Christ by Todd Nibert

Paul said in II Cor. 5:20 that "we are ambassadors for Christ" An ambassador is an accredited representative of a sovereign or state at the court of another. Every child of God is an ambassador or representative of Christ Himself in this world. On the job, at home, during recreational activities, at all times you are a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ what an awesome responsibility! What a privilege! We are to conduct ourselves under all situations as ambassadors of Christ Himself. But look what the job of the ambassador is. "We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: We pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." The job of the ambassador of Christ is to "beseech" men and women to be reconciled to God. We are to leave no stone unturned in seeking the salvation of their souls. Are we seeking to be His ambassadors? Are we genuinely seeking to invite men and women to church to hear the Gospel of God's grace in Christ preached? Do we seek opportunities to witness to others concerning Christ, actually beseeching men and women to be reconciled to God?

Matt 9:37-38. "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest"

October 19, 2004

WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH by Don Fortner

(John 3:14-16) The one speaking in these three verses is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. He is talking to a lost man, Nicodemus. Though Nicodemus was an educated, religious, moralist, highly respected by his peers, he was a lost man, alienated from God and perishing under the wrath of God. In these three verses our Lord tells a lost sinner THE ONLY WAY OF SALVATION.

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up" (John 3:14). IN ORDER FOR SINNERS TO BE SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD CHRIST HAD TO DIE AS THE SINNER'S SUBSTITUTE UPON THE CROSS. "The Son of man must be lifted up." God could never have saved a sinner if Christ had not satisfied his offended justice by suffering the penalty of sin for his people. But now, through the merits of Christ's blood, God is both just and the Justifier of all who believe. This is the result of Christ's death.

"That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:15). SINCE CHRIST DIED, ALL WHO BELIEVE ON HIM HAVE ETERNAL LIFE AND SHALL NOT PERISH UNDER THE WRATH OF GOD. Faith in Christ is the proof that he died for you and satisfied the justice of God for you. If you, knowing your sin and guilt before God, trust Christ as your only, all-sufficient Savior, you have been redeemed by him, you are born of God, you shall never perish, you have eternal life! Faith in Christ does not cause you to be born again; but it is the proof that you are born again. Faith does not merit eternal life, (Only the death of Christ could do that!); but it does prove that you have eternal life.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). THE CAUSE OF CHRIST'S DEATH, THE CAUSE OF SALVATION IS THE LOVE OF GOD. There is a people scattered throughout the ages and realms of this world who are loved of God, a people whom God is determined to save. God so loved those people that he gave his Son to redeem them. Who are they? "Whosoever believeth in him!" The question that must be answered is this - Do you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? If you do, your faith is the gift of God's grace, the fruit of his love, Christ's death, and the Spirit's call. If you do not trust Christ, the wrath of God is upon you!

October 18, 2004

WHAT KIND OF CHRISTIAN ARE YOU? By Don Bell

There is no such thing as a Christian who is not born again by the effectual power of the Spirit of God; all believers are faithful and dedicated to Christ and His cause on this earth. To be anything less than that is not a Christian and does not deserve the name. Believers desire the gospel and the fellowship of the saints. They avail themselves of every opportunity to hear it unless they are providentially hindered.

God's people are hungry for Christ, the gospel, and the communion of the Holy Spirit. Saints in the Bible are described as "hungering, living, thirsting, walking, waiting, running, laboring, mourning, rejoicing, fighting and resting"! There were no cold, halfhearted Christians in the Bible. These are modern-day terms used to cover up the fact that many have never bowed the knee to Christ the Lord. When sinners submit to Christ they cease going to church only occasionally. They become Christians.

One of the most serious problems that the church faces today is the low estimate of being a Christian. This opinion is expressed in words and actions. Some of the common phrases that have been heard for many years are, "They are born-again Christians", "I know they aren't very faithful but they love the Lord", and "They are dedicated Christians". What is wrong with these statements? They make it to appear that there are Christians who aren't born-again, who can love Christ and not be faithful, and that there are believers who aren't dedicated. But to believe this is to believe water isn't wet and that cold is hot and hot is cold. An unfaithful Christian is a contradiction in terms.

October 14, 2004

A god unto himself by Winslow

The unsaved man is a god to himself, and he has many other gods as well. Whether it be.... self righteousness, self gratification, the world, wealth, family, in whatever form it appears, "other lords have dominion over him," to the exclusion of the one true and living God. The nature of the human mind is such that it must love and worship some object supremely. In his state of innocence, Jehovah was the one and supreme object of the creature's love and adoration. Seduced from that state of simple and supreme affection by the tempter's promise that, if they ate of the fruit of the tree forbidden by God, "they should be as gods;" in one moment they threw off their allegiance to Jehovah, renounced him as the object of their supreme love, the center of their holiest affections, and became gods to themselves!

The temple was ruined, the altar was thrown down, the pure flame was extinguished,
God departed and "other lords" entered and took possession of the soul. But what a change does grace produce! It repairs the temple, rebuilds the altar, rekindles the flame and brings God back to man! Christ is now the supreme object of... his love, his adoration and his worship. The idol self has been cast down, self righteousness renounced, and self exaltation crucified. The affections, released from their false deity and renewed by the Spirit, now turn to and take up their rest in God. How glorious does Jesus now appear! Truly it is a new God the soul is brought to know and love! Never did it see in Him... such beauty, such excellence, such blessedness as it now sees.

All other glory fades and dies before the surpassing glory of... His character, His attributes, His government, and His law. God says, "You are mine." The soul responds, "You are my God! Other lords have had dominion over me, but henceforth, You only will I serve, You only will I love. My soul follows hard after You; Your right hand upholds me." The regenerate soul possesses and acknowledges a new Savior. How glorious, suitable and precious is Jesus to him now! Not so formerly. Then he had his saviors, his "refuges of lies," his many fatal confidences. Jesus was to him as "a root out of a dry ground, having no form nor loveliness." It may be that he denied His deity, rejected His atonement, scorned His grace and slighted His pardon and His love. Christ is all to him now! He adores Him as the "mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace."

Oh, how surpassingly glorious, inimitably lovely and unutterably precious is Jesus to a renewed soul! Truly a new Savior! "Other lords" he has renounced. "Refuges of lies" he has turned his back upon. "False Christs" he no longer follows. He has found another and a better Savior; Jesus, the mighty God, the Redeemer of sinners! All is 'new' to his recovered sight! A new world of glory has floated before his mind! Jesus the Lamb is the light and glory thereof. Never did he suppose there was.... such beauty in His person, such love in His heart, such perfection in His work, such power and such willingness to save. That blood which was trampled under foot is now precious. That righteousness which was scorned is now glorious. That name which was reviled is now as music to the soul, even "a name that is above every name."

October 11, 2004

Are there no exceptions? By Henry Law

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good. Psalm 53:1 The heart is the true mirror of the man. Its language speaks the real character. If we could hear the secret whispers of a graceless heart, the sound would be uniformly evil. The godless cherish the delusion that there is no being greater than themselves. Their conceit ignores divine supremacy, and scorns to yield to a superior yoke. Such men exist in fearful numbers.

The faithful Word declares it, and truly adds that they are fools! They may pride themselves in imagined wisdom, but their real place is in the depths of ignorance. Their light is darkness. Their boasted knowledge is extremest folly. It follows that from atheism in heart, comes wickedness in life. The spring being impure, what can flow from it but defilement? The tree is rotten at the core; the branches cannot be sound. Their works, the emblems of their hearts, can only be abomination. They only pollute the earth; hateful to God, injurious to man.

Are there no exceptions?

Not one by nature!

There is no good but what the Holy Spirit implants. Where He is absent only evil dwells, and He has no abode in unregenerate men. The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good. Psalm 53:1

October 07, 2004

A little secret.. by Spurgeon

Let me tell you a little secret- whenever you cannot
understand a text, open your Bible, bend your knee,
and pray over that text; and if it does not split into
atoms and open itself, try again.

If prayer does not explain it, it is one of the things
God did not intend you to know, and you may be content
to be ignorant of it.

Prayer is the key that opens the cabinets of mystery.

Prayer and faith are sacred picklocks that can open secrets,
and obtain great treasures.

There is no college for holy education like that of the blessed
Spirit, for he is an ever-present tutor, to whom we have only to
bend the knee, and he is at our side, the great expositor of truth.

October 06, 2004

A bad tree by Octavius Winslow

"By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people gather grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit." Matthew 7:16-18

An unconverted state will bear fruit corresponding with its own essence. It must, in the nature of things, be so. The enmity against God of the carnal mind, the rejection of the Lord Jesus, the governing principle of SELF, the supreme ascendancy of the world, the slavery of sin; indicate, unmistakably, the unrenewed, unregenerate nature from which they spring. We do not expect one to yield the fruits of holiness from an unholy nature.

The life an unbeliever lives is in keeping with the unrenewed heart he possesses. He is of the earth, earthly. It is consistent with his unregenerate nature . . .
that he should be of the world,
that he should love the world,
that the world should love him and claim him as its own,
that the things of the world its pursuits, its pleasures, its sins; should . . .
harmonize with his nature, charm his tastes, delight his senses, and bind his affections in their spell.

October 05, 2004

Dear Brother by William Tiptaft

Dear brother,
Since I last wrote, I have preached in Abingdon Great Church, on Christmas evening. I preached the truth, I trust, to a very crowded congregation, supposed to be (sitting and standing, who were able to get in) about 5,000 people. I pleased the believers; but very much displeased the carnally-minded, who were never before so puzzled and confounded in all their lives! I spoke the truth faithfully, and so as all could hear; but I had no idea that the gospel would have given so much offence! It is the truth that offends and disturbs Satan's kingdom! The neighboring clergymen, who are in darkness, say of me, "Away with such a fellow from the earth; it is not fit that he should live!"

My mind is not moved by the persecution. I believe if God has a work for me to do, I shall do it, in spite of the devil and all his children! Nature is not changed, the gospel is not changed, and Christ is not changed. What reason is there why they should not hate the truth now, as much as in the time of the apostles? I never saw any fruits of my labors until I roused and disturbed the 'roaring lion'. When, through the grace of God, I began to disturb his kingdom, I soon found that his children began to hiss!

The world and Satan hate believers. The Pharisees hate me the most. I cut off all their rotten props, and all their fleshly devotion! It is not coming near to the truth, it is not the 'mere letter' of the gospel, that will convert men; but the Holy Spirit. Make the Word of God your study. Pin your faith to no man's views! I scarcely read any other book.

Beware of those who want to exalt man in any manner.

Yours very affectionately,
William Tiptaft, Jan. 30th, 1830