Soli Deo Gloria

“Christ will be master of the heart, and sin must be mortified. If your life is unholy, then your heart is unchanged, and you are an unsaved person. The Saviour will sanctify His people, renew them, give them a hatred of sin, and a love of holiness. The grace that does not make a man better than others is a worthless counterfeit. Christ saves His people, not IN their sins, but FROM their sins. Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord.”

- Charles Spurgeon

Scripture, The Gospel, Theology Born Again, Charles Spurgeon, Christ, Heart, Holiness, Mortification, New Creature, Regeneration, Spurgeon

“All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”  (Isaiah 66:2)

Last weekend we spent time in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina on a weekend retreat with our Sunday school class.  The drive up was exhilarating as we approached the mountain line and began experiencing the popping of our ears as our bodies adjusted to the change in pressure.  The colors of the leaves were astounding.  The views from the car as we climbed higher and higher were absolutely breathtaking.

At the retreat we spent time during a prayer walk along the shores of Lake Junaluska enjoying the weather and nature surrounding us at this beautiful location.  The ripples in the lake gently reflected the colors that adorned the majestic mountains as if God had draped the mountains in a rugged coat preparing them for the cold to come.

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Bible Studies, Daily Walk, Devotional, Scripture Christ, Contrition, Creation, God, Humble, Humility, Isaiah, Jesus, Penitence, Psalm 51, Sacrifices, Sacrifices of God, Son of God, Trinity

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. 

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

Ephesians 1:3-14 (NAS)  Emphasis mine

Scripture Atonement, Blood, Christ, Ephesians, Father, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Lord, Predestination, Predestined, Redemption, salvation, Trinity

“If your Lord call you to suffering, be not dismayed; there shall be a new allowance of the King for you when you come to it.  One of the softest pillows Christ hath is laid under His witnesses’ head, though often they must set down their bare feet among thorns.”

- Samuel Rutherford, The Loveliness of Christ

Daily Walk, Devotional Christ, Loveliness of Christ, Rutherford Letters, Samuel Rutherford, Suffering

How can we preach the Gospel to a man with an empty stomach?

A man’s stomach has nothing to do with his heart’s condition of being a rebel against the holy God. A rich American on Fifth Avenue in New York City or a poor beggar on the streets of Bombay are both rebels against God Almighty, according to the Bible. The result of this lie is the fact that, during the past 100 years, the majority of mission money has been invested in social work. I am not saying we should not care for the poor and needy. The issue I am taking to task is losing our primary focus of preaching the Gospel.  - K.P. Yohannan (Gospel for Asia)

Well said Mr. Yohannan!  When will the church in America wake up and return to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the focus?  The church today needs to step away from humanism and return to the gospel!  I have heard way too many stories of churches sending out “mission trips” only to return with photos of tours, playing games and befriending folks all-the-while never telling them the gospel.  This is not missionary work.  Missionary work is gospel centered with serving the natural by-product of the proclamation of truth.

Culture, Evangelism, The Church, The Gospel Aid, Christ, Gospel, Humanism, Missionaries, Missions

Paul Washer has to be one of my favorite preachers.  He preaches with Biblical clarity and with a passion that is Spirit-led.  We need more preaches/teachers like Paul in America.  This sermon is one that every single person should watch and listen to carefully.  This is the true Biblical Gospel and one that glories in the miracle of a changed life through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God in the face of Christ.

It is evident today that many preachers need to spend less time preaching and more time studying their Bibles.  It is rare to hear the Word preached like brother Washer.

May we examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith…

Bible Studies, Preaching, The Church, The Gospel Assurance, Carnal Christian, Christ, Jesus, Matthew 7, Narrow Way, Paul Washer, salvation

Great God, in public and private, in sanctuary and home, may my life be steeped in prayer, filled with the spirit of grace and supplication, each prayer perfumed with the incense of atoning blood. Help me, defend me, until from praying ground I pass to the realm of unceasing praise. Urged by my need, invited by Thy promises, called by Thy Spirit, I enter Thy presence, worshipping Thee with godly fear, awed by Thy majesty, greatness, glory, but encouraged by Thy love.

I am all poverty as well as all guilt, having nothing of my own with which to repay Thee, but I bring Jesus to Thee in the arms of faith, pleading His righteousness to offset my iniquities, rejoicing that He will weigh down the scales for me, and satisfy thy justice. I bless Thee that great sin draws out great grace, that, although the lest sin deserves infinite punishment because done against an infinite God, yet there is mercy for me, for where guilt is most terrible, there Thy mercy in Christ is most free and deep. Bless me by revealing to me more of His saving merits, by causing Thy goodness to pass before me, by speaking peace to my contrite heart; strengthen me to give Thee no rest untiI Christ shall reign supreme within me in every thought, word, and deed, in a faith that purifies the heart, overcomes the world, works by love, fastens me to Thee, and ever clings to the cross.

From Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers

Daily Walk, Devotional Christ, God, Mercy, Prayers, Praying, Puritan, Puritan Prayers

The world today whispers and yells to us that our pleasure, security and contentment are the cornerstones of a happy, healthy marriage.  In fact, the grounds for divorce in most instances are labeled as “incompatibility” and “unable to get along”.  If one carefully lifts up the labels will find that the true reason is simple selfishness.

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Daily Walk Biblical Marriage, Christ, Divorce, Growth, Husbands, Marriage, Marriage Vows, Wives

In a culture where everything in most churches is man-centered the way that we interpret Scripture is often focused primarily on us.  What we must realize is that all of Scripture points to Christ.  The only way to correctly interpret Scripture is to have a Christ-centered focus on the text - for no other reason than that is exactly what Scripture does - it points to Christ!

Jesus most clearly taught that “you search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.”  (John 5:39-40)

Hendryx comments in his paper that “Jesus never condemned a Pharisee for taking Moses too seriously. They take him far less seriously than they should. For Jesus says, “If you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for He write of Me. But if you don’t believe His writings, how will you believe My words. Your accuser is Moses.” (John 5:46). So to understand Moses is to come to know Christ when He is revealed. Likewise, Abraham saw Jesus’ day and was glad, the Bible testifies. And “…foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” (Gal)”

“The Scriptures should be read with the aim of finding Christ in them. Whoever turns aside from this object, even though he wears himself out all his life in learning, he will never reach the knowledge of the truth.” - John Calvin

I ran across an excellent article by John Hendryx entitled “Five Errors that Arise from Christ-Replacements” and it’s a must read.  He outlines five examples of doctrinal errors that arise when Christ is unBiblically removed as the key focus of Scripture (which is so terribly common today).

Take some time to read this excellent article over at monergism.com.

Bible Studies, Preaching, The Church, Theology Calvin, Calvinism, Christ, Christ Centered, Christology, Hermeneutics, Scripture

What must I do to be saved?  Saved from what?  What is it you wish to be saved from?  Hell?  That proves nothing.  Nobody wants to go there.  The issue between God and man is SIN.  Do you wish to be saved from it?

What is sin?  Sin is a species of rebellion against God.  It is self-pleasing: it is utter ignoring of God’s claims: being completely indifferent whether my conduct pleases or displeases Him.

Before God saves a man He convicts him of his sinnership.  By this I do not mean that he says with everybody else, “O yes we are all sinners, I know that.”  Rather do I mean that the Holy Spirit makes me feel in my heart that I have been a life-long rebel against God, and that my sins are so many, so great, so black, that I fear that I have transgressed beyond the reach of Divine mercy.

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Evangelism, The Gospel AW Pink, Christ, Harmatiology, Regeneration, salvation, Sin, Soteriology

“It is not faith that saves, but faith in Jesus Christ… It is not, strictly speaking, even faith in Christ that saves, but Christ that saves through faith. The saving power resides exclusively, not in the act of faith or the attitude of faith or in the nature of faith, but in the object of faith.”

- B. B. Warfield

The Gospel, Theology Christ, Christology, faith, Jesus, salvation

A Jehovah’s Witness knocked on the door of Ray Comfort, an evangelist and street preacher.  This recording of the actual conversation shows that no matter who we are talking to, the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ is all we need.  They are using what is called the “Way of the Master Technique” to deliver the Gospel.  A very Biblical and excellent gospel presentation.  To learn more, visit www.wayofthemaster.com.

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Evangelism, The Gospel 10 Commandments, Christ, Gospel, Jehovahs Witness, Ray Comfort, The Law, Way of the Master