The Unconverted

The problem with conservative churches is not that they lack members. The problem is that many of those members are not converted. 

Millions of members of evangelical churches are absent from worship services each Sunday and are equally absent from Christian living during the rest of the week. 

Biblical illiteracy and unethical conduct by Christians seem to be on the rise. Many people who attend are indifferent to the truths of Christianity, and others are divisive, even mean-spirited. 

[Paul House]

Ephesians 4:18 ... Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

2 Corinthians 6:14 ...  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

Romans 8:9 ... But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.❤

Christmas ~ A Personal Promise

Jesus fulfilled Messianic prophecy when He came to earth, and that’s the reason we can trust Him in everything.

If someone’s birth was predicted thousands of years ahead of time and then announced by a heavenly host on the night of his arrival, wouldn’t you consider this event extremely significant in human history? Yet for too many people, Christmas is simply a time for festive parties, decorated trees, and wrapped presents. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with these expressions unless they replace the real significance of the celebration. The truth is, Christmas is more than an event; it’s a promise offered to mankind, and it originated long before that first Christmas night. In fact, God planned this entire event before the foundation of the world. He foreknew the coming child and all the details of His birth, life, and death.

[Charles Stanley]

 Read more here: Christmas: A Personal Promise

1 Peter: 19-21 ... But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. ❤

The Sins of The Saints

Bernard of Clairvaux once mentioned an old man who, upon hearing about any professing Christian who fell into sin, would say to himself: "He fell today; I may fall tomorrow!" The apostle Paul commended the same mindset when he wrote, "let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." (1 Corinthians 10:12) 

There is great wisdom in not trusting our own ability to stand. When I was a boy, my father would often say, "The person I trust least of all is myself." It should shock us to hear a professing Christian say, "I would never do that," or "How could anyone do that?" Consider the following: 

If Adam, an innocent man, could choose a piece of fruit over the infinitely valuable God (Genesis 3:6);  if Noah, the most righteous man of his day, could get so drunk that he passed out naked before his sons in his tent (Genesis 9:21);  if Abraham, the most faithful man of his day, could father a child with his wife's handmaiden (Genesis 16:1-4) and twice hand his wife over to other men (Genesis 12:11-15; 20:1-2);  if Sarah, the mother of promise, could laugh at the words of the God of promise and then lie to Him about doing so (Genesis 18:9-15);  if "righteous Lot" could greedily pick the most materialistic and sexually depraved place for himself and his family to live (Genesis 13:8-13), and could hand his daughters over to the sexually perverse men of the city (Genesis 19:4-8);  if Isaac, the son of promise, could show partiality to his oldest son because he liked his hunting skills (Genesis 25:28), and he, too, could hand his wife over to another man (Genesis 26:6-11); and if Jacob, the namesake of Israel, could swindle his brother for a birthright (Genesis 25:29-34), then so could I. 

If Moses, the meekest man on the planet, could act in such sinful anger and unbelief that God would not let him into the Promised Land (Numbers 20:7-12);  if his successor Joshua, could disobediently covenant with pagans (Joshua 9);  if Gideon, the mighty man of valor, could fall into idolatry at the end of his life (Judges 8:22-27); and if Samson, the strongest man who ever lived, could be defeated by wine and women (Judges 14-16), then so could I. if David, the man after God's own heart, could commit adultery and premeditate the murder of one of his mighty men (2 Samuel 11);  if Solomon, the wisest man, could foolishly allow his heart to be led astray by a thousand women to worship foreign gods (1 Kings 11);  if Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, could charge God with deceiving His people (Jeremiah 4:10); and if Elijah, a prophet of Israel, could self-righteously run from the mission of God (Jonah 1-3), then so could I. 

 If John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, could doubt the identity of the One to whom he bore witness (Matthew 11:2-3); and if the Apostle Peter could try to stop Jesus from going to the cross (Matthew 16:21-23), deny Jesus (Luke 22:54-61), argue with the Lord about the gospel and its implications (John 13:6-10; Acts 10:9-16), and support division in the church over the doctrine of justification by faith alone (Galatians 2:11-21), then so could I. 

If James and John could use Jesus to get to the top (Mark 10:35-37) and could want to call fire down from Heaven on those who did not believe the gospel (Luke 9:51-55); and if the Apostle John could twice fall down to worship angels (Revelation 19:9-10; Revelation 22:8-9), then so could I. 

We must resist the temptation of thinking that we can stand in our own strength. We must depend on the grace of the One who said, "Apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). The greatest believers are subject to great weaknesses. In no way do these truths give a license to sin; instead, they give a sober realization that by nature, "nothing good dwells in us." (Romans 7:18) 

We must distrust ourselves, bear with the weak, and hold fast to Christ. We must flee to our Great High Priest, who was tempted in all points as we are, yet never sinned. We must go to Him for grace and mercy to withstand temptations, and we must go to Him for grace and mercy if we fall.

[Nick Batzig]  

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1 Corinthians 15:10 ...  But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Psalm 119:117 ...  Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually. ❤

I Am Poor and Needy!

O my soul, sit down and reckon up your unsearchable riches in Christ! By nature, and practice, I am a child of a bankrupt father, Adam, who lived insolvent and died wretchedly poor in himself, having left only an inheritance of sin, misery, and death, with the loss of divine favor, upon the whole race of his children! By nature, and by practice, I am poor in the sight of God, despised by Him because of my loathsome disease of sin! In myself, my understanding is darkened, my will is depraved, my passions are corrupt. 

I am proud and rebellious against God. I am a slave of Satan, a willing captive in his drudgery! I am daily hastening to deserved damnation! Such, my soul, was my state by nature; and such, and far worse, would have been my state forever had not Jesus intervened, looked upon me, and loved me when I was cast out to perish, with no eye to pity me or rescue me from eternal ruin. 

O my soul, I can now say: "Though I am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinks upon me!" Oh, blessed Jesus! You do indeed think upon me, provide for me, and have given me the grace to see and to feel my spiritual poverty, need, and misery and to live wholly upon You and Your alms, from day to day. Lord Jesus! I would be poor; I would be needy. I would feel more and more my nothingness, worthlessness, poverty, and wretchedness that You may be increasingly precious, and Your salvation increasingly dear. 

Oh, for grace, as a poor needy debtor, daily to increase the awareness of my sin so that my conscious need of You and Your fullness, may be increasingly blessed. Let my daily motto be: "As for me, I am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinks upon me!" 

[Robert Hawker] 

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Ephesians 1:3 ... Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Psalm 40:17 ... But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God. ❤

Spiritual Power

The secret to Spiritual Power is not a secret. It can only be discovered in The Secret Place of The Most High, abiding under the shadow of The Almighty. Dwelling (living, remaining there consistently) in the secret place of the Most High, abiding under the shadow of the Almighty. (Psalm 91:1)

When you come to a place in your life where you’re tired of people ‘performing’ and calling it church. When the gifts of the Spirit start operating in services again. When people are getting SET FREE from demonic oppression and getting up out of wheelchairs again. When we hunger for God’s presence more than our next breath. When we hunger for His word more than our necessary food. And when we cry out for the needs of others before our own needs, and lay aside bitterness, malice, and wrath and learn to forgive. When we start to pray again, and repent for our sins, and turn from our wicked ways. Then, we will see God’s Spirit poured out upon us, He will hear from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Revival begins in our hearts, not at a revival meeting because someone called it that but because that’s how God said it’s going to happen.

It’s time for the church to Arise, Shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you; And His glory will be seen upon you.

The Gentiles (unsaved) shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.

[Mark Pothier]

Isaiah 60:1-3 ... Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.  And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

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"Blessed is The Man..."

Christian! These are some of your choice spiritual blessings: 

Election by the father. Redemption by the son. Regeneration by the Spirit. Justification by faith. Forgiveness of every sin. Reconciliation with God. Adoption into God's family. Glorification and eternal life in Heaven! 

Ponder the 'names' given to believers in the Scriptures: 

"Sons of God," "children of light," "children of obedience," "children of promise," "children of the living God," "children of the resurrection," "children of their Father in Heaven!" 

While the whole world besides is: 

 "Children of the devil," "children of darkness," "children of disobedience," "children of the wicked one," "children of Hell," "children of wrath!" 

Consider some of the believer's prospects in the eternal world: 

"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God! He shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain." (Revelation 21:3-4) 

While to all others, there is nothing but: 

"a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries!" Consider the unbeliever's prospects in the eternal world: in outer darkness, in the lake of fire, where their worm does not die, and the fire is never quenched, where the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever, where there is no rest day or night, with Satan and his demons, in the furnace of fire where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!

Psalm 1:1-6 ...  Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.  For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Ephesians 1:3 ... Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: ❤

The Sin of Lying

A minister told his congregation, “Next week I plan to preach about the sin of lying. To help you understand my sermon, I want you all to read Mark 17.” 

The following Sunday, as he prepared to deliver his sermon, the minister asked for a show of hands. He wanted to know how many had read Mark 17. Every hand went up. 

The minister smiled and said, “Mark has only sixteen chapters. I will now proceed with my sermon on the sin of lying.” ツ

 [from the Internet] 

Proverbs 12:22 ...  Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight.

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The Best Shape!

I’m a little suspicious of those commercials where some 50-year-old fella claims to be in the best shape of his life. But maybe that’s just because I’m not. I can still run a few miles, and I can bike a few more. But I’m not nearly as strong as I used to be. Maybe that’s a good thing. The weaker I become, the more I rely on Jesus. And the more I rely on Jesus, the more I realize how weak I really am. And the more I realize my weakness, the more I depend on His strength. 

Once we were dead in our sin.  It doesn’t get a lot weaker than that. "But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved! So, you and I don’t have to regret the fact that we’re not as strong, or as fast, or as pretty as we once were. Now we can boast about our weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through us. 

In Christ, we really are in the best shape of our lives. 

 [Scott Underwood] 

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Ephesians 2:1 ... And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Ephesians 2:4-5 ... But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

2 Corinthians 12:9 ... And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ❤

All That Occurs ...

Upon the whole history of this solemn event, is stamped the record of the absolute sovereignty of God. It is not an enemy who has done this! God is sovereign, and this is the hand of God! All that occurs in His wide empire, from the falling of a leaf to the extinction of a race; from the death of a sparrow to the blotting out of a star; is only the fiat of Him, who is from everlasting-to-everlasting God whose counsel shall stand and who will do all His good pleasure. There is a God who reigns in the earth! Affliction does not come forth from the dust; neither does trouble spring out of the ground" but "the Lord God omnipotent reigns!" (Revelation 19:6)

God is sovereign on His throne! All the powers and processes of nature are but the ministers who do His pleasure. Rising above the roaring of the ocean, above the moaning of the blast, above even the shrieks of drowning men is heard the solemn voice of the Almighty, saying in tones of overwhelming majesty, "Be still and know that I am God!" (Psalm 46:10)  

Let us enthrone above these scenes of apparent disorder and arbitrary infliction a Sovereign God, a God of wisdom, a God of power, a God of love, who sees the end from the beginning, and orders all things according to the counsel of His will and here at least we have an anchorage for Faith, a place where she can cling, and look up amid the jarring elements, and say, Even so, Father, for so it seems good in Your sight!

Who would not prefer, if called on to submit uncomplainingly and absolutely to the most trying circumstances and dealings that these should be ordered by a wise, just and good Being one whose infinite wisdom enabled Him to devise the best things, whose infinite power enabled Him to accomplish them, and whose infinite goodness disposed Him to exert that power. Who would not choose that a father's hand should pour the bitter cup which he was to drink even to the dregs? 

Oh! to be taught that a Sovereign God rides upon the billows and directs the storms which have swept all our idols away and left us beggared and forlorn is a lesson worth to the tried and tempted soul of man, all that it costs to learn it. To my own mind this fearful event in all its horrors is full of teaching on that great point which lies at the foundation of all religion, but which men are so constantly prone to forget that there is a Sovereign God in the heavens before whom all must bow, and to whom all must give account! 

[Ebenezer Rogers]

Daniel 4:25 ... That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. ❤

How Much Time is Wasted!

How valuable is time! God has given it to us only minute by minute to show us how precious a thing it is that He grants in these small drops. How soon is time over! How short is the longest life! And yet time is given to prepare for eternity! As we spend our time so shall we spend eternity! The question "Where shall I spend eternity?" must be decided in time. 

When eternity begins, it will be too late. Time is given us to serve the Lord in. Time is given us to repent in and to believe the gospel. Time is given us to do our duty in our station. Time is given us to do good to others. How much time is wasted! Idle gossip from house to house, too much attention to dress, and foolish reading are so many things to waste precious time! 

But there is one idea I would like you to have, one thought that I trust the Spirit may write and keep in all our hearts for Satan and the world would wish us to think far otherwise. This is it: Time is given us to prepare for eternity! I am answerable to God for my use or abuse of time. Let us pray to God to give us grace to spend our time in His service, in doing our duty in our day and generation, and in preparing for the life to come. Then, when time shall be over, we shall enter upon a glorious eternity through Christ our Lord. The ungodly and the careless will then wish, when wishing will be vain that they had in like manner devoted their time to God. 

What would the lost sinners give at the last, for one short day! Oh, then, be wise now. Be wise in time. Consider your ways and prepare for a life that shall never end! 

[Elizabeth Hasell] 

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1 Corinthians 7:29 ... But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;

Psalm 90:12 ... So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Revelation 1:3 ... Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.❤

A Snake.

When a snake can't get to you or your ministry because of the anointing that rests on your life, they shoot their VENOM poisoning people against you. The very ones that used to be in fellowship with you before the snake got to them will give you a cold shoulder based on what they heard from the snake and not what they heard from you. 

A poisonous snake will sit back and watch you from a distance to see if you're going to fail until they see you're STILL standing no matter what they do, say, throw, cast, it didn't work! That's when they attack your character, integrity, and your ministry. They bring up your past as if you're still living there! 

If they can't kill you, they'll try to kill your name causing people to not fellowship with you! Kill the snake by disconnecting from it. Why? Because the more poison it speaks into your ears, the more powerful it is in your life. 

 [Stephen Hoell]

Ephesians 5:11 ...  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. ❤

His Sheep Hear!

Christ's sheep hear His voice. Christ speaks to us in His Word as truly as ever He spoke to His disciples in the days of His flesh and it is the delight of all His people to hear and obey His Word. The inspired volume is to them an inexhaustible source of comfort. They read it, they meditate upon it, they pray over it, they "esteem it more than their necessary food." When they open it, they look up to their Divine Master and say, "Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening. (1 Samuel 3:9-10) "Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things out of Your law." (Psalm 119:18)  Directions, warnings, precepts, promises are all alike acceptable to them. Everything that conveys to them the mind and will of their Good Shepherd, is received with implicit faith and unreserved obedience. 

Christ's sheep follow His steps. In the written Word they behold the path their Savior trod. Wherever they see the traces of His feet, they endeavor to follow. They inquire not whether the way is arduous and self-denying, or perilous and beset with enemies. All that they desire is to ascertain precisely the path of duty; and then to walk in it with steadiness and perseverance. They follow Jesus regardless of all dangers, indifferent to all the things of this world, and intent only on executing His will; and thither they direct their steps, cultivating in everything the mind that was in Him, (1 Corinthians 2:16) and endeavoring "to walk as He walked." (1 John 2:6)

 [Charles Simeon] 

John 10:27-28 ... My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.❤

Read On!

All earthly things are to be accounted good or evil, only as they concern our eternal state and condition. You will be greatly deceived if you look upon earthly things as they appear in themselves. Then you will call prosperity, and riches and worldly abundance good things. Then you will call poverty and affliction evil things. But consider these things as they relate to eternity, and then poverty may be a mercy, and riches may be a judgment! God may bless you by afflictions, and curse you by prosperity! He may bestow more upon you in allowing you to lack these things, than if He gave all the world's abundance to you. It may be that prosperity may puff up your soul, and make it grow more estranged from God. It may be that adversity may humble you, and bring your soul the nearer unto God, and so conduce more to the eternal good of your soul.  Adversity, in this case, is good; and not prosperity. 

This present life is nothing but a preparation for eternity. All that we here do, or receive, or suffer is in order to eternity; and, therefore, all must be measured by eternity. That is good, which tends to our everlasting happiness be it poverty or misery. Whatever it is that increases our grace, that augments the stock of our heavenly treasure, that promotes the everlasting salvation of our souls that alone is to be esteemed by us as good. What folly is it for men to roll and wallow in the profits and pleasures of this world, and hug them as good things when indeed they are only snares and traps to their souls; and are only given to fatten them for the day of slaughter; and may every moment deliver them up to an eternity of torments, which will be fearfully heightened and enraged by the enjoyment of these things that they account good things! 

Abraham tells Dives that in his lifetime he received his good things; and Lazarus received his evil things. This is a strange providence of God to bestow good things upon a hated Dives, and to inflict evil things upon a beloved Lazarus! But read on! Luke 16:25, But now Lazarus is comforted, and Dives is tormented. Oh, never call Dives' expensive and delicious fare, good things for these end in eternal torment! Never call Lazarus' sores and rags, evil things for these end in everlasting comfort! "No!" might Dives have replied with horror, "When I was clothed in purple and fine linen, I then received evil things! O cursed be all my pomp and riches! I see now the end of my purple linen it was but to wrap me up in redder flames. My sumptuous fare served only to make the never-dying worm the more to feed on me! Oh, happy was the poverty of Lazarus, for he awakened in ease and happiness in Heaven. Then he was the truly happy one, and not I; though I thought myself so. For though I received an abundant measure of worldly things, yet I received no really good things." 

This, within a short time, will be the judgment of all of you, when you come to be judged and sentenced to an unalterable condition for all eternity! Oh, therefore, be persuaded to pass the same judgment upon earthly things now. Hence, if God denies any worldly enjoyment to His redeemed people, He denies it because it is not really good for them; because it will not conduce to their eternal happiness, which is the only rule and measure of earthly things. Psalm 84:11, "The Lord gives grace and glory. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly." 

If God withholds anything from you, then you may conclude that it is not a good thing for you to have; but that it would be harmful to grace or glory, had God bestowed it upon you. Will you desire to diminish the least degree of grace or glory for the greatest accumulation of worldly enjoyments? If you would, you have never yet made grace or glory your treasure! 

 [Ezekiel Hopkins]

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Absolute Predestination!

Without a due sense of predestination, we shall lack the surest and the most powerful inducement to patience, resignation and dependence on God under every spiritual and temporal affliction. How sweet must the following considerations be to a distressed believer!

(1) There most certainly exists an almighty, all-wise and infinitely gracious God.

(2) He has given me in times past, and is giving me at present (if I had but eyes to see it), many and signal intimations of His love to me, both in a way of providence and grace.

(3) This love of His is immutable; He never repents of it nor withdraws it.

(4) Whatever comes to pass in time, is the result of His will from everlasting, consequently:

(5) my afflictions were a part of His original plan, and are all ordered in number, weight and measure.

(6) The very hairs of my head are (every one!) counted by Him, nor can a single hair fall to the ground but in consequence of His determination. Hence:

(7) my distresses are not the result of chance, accident or a fortuitous combination of circumstances, but:

(8) the providential accomplishment of God's purpose, and

(9) designed to answer some wise and gracious ends, nor

(10) shall my affliction continue a moment longer than God sees fit.

(11) He who brought me to it, has promised to support me under it, and to carry me through it.

(12) All shall, most assuredly, work together for His glory and my good, therefore:

(13) "The cup which my heavenly Father has given me to drink, shall I not drink it?" Yes, I will, in the strength He imparts, even rejoice in tribulation. I will commit myself and the event to Him, whose purpose cannot be overthrown, whose plan cannot be disconcerted; and who, whether I am resigned or not, will still go on to work all things after the counsel of His own will.

[Jerome Zanchius]

Ephesians 1:11 ... In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

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On Hell

The punishment of unrepentant sinners shall be extreme and eternal.

The torments in Hell exceed the heaviest judgments inflicted here on earth.

The torments in Hell are represented in Scripture, so as to instruct and terrify sinners.

The soul shall be the chief mourner in Hell.

The apprehension shall be enlarged to all afflicting objects.

The thoughts shall be fixed upon what is tormenting.

All the tormenting passions will be let loose upon the guilty soul.

Shame, sorrow, rage, despair, at once seize on the damned.

[William Bates]

Mark 9:47-48 ... And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:  Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

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The God of Popular Christianity!

In these days of man-centered religion, verses like these have been ignored. The pulpits of our land preach a defeated God, a disappointed Christ and a defenseless Holy Spirit. Man has been deified and God dethroned. God has been relegated to the background.

The God most people believe in has benevolent intentions, yet He is unable to carry them out. He wants to bless men, but they will not let Him. The average church-goer thinks Satan has gained the upper hand, and that God is to be pitied rather than worshiped. The god of popular Christianity has a weak smile and a halo!

To suppose in the slightest that God has failed, or that He has been defeated, is the height of foolishness and the depth of impiety! The religious world needs to get God off the charity list!

The Bible knows nothing of a defeated, disappointed, and defenseless God. The God of the Bible is the "Almighty God" (Genesis 17:1) Who has all power in Heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). With Him nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37) or too hard (Jeremiah 32:17). His eternal purpose is being worked out. Everything is going according to His plan, and all things are under His control.

The God of the Bible is the Supreme Being in the universe! He is the most High, higher than the highest. He has no superiors and no equals. God is God. He does as He pleases, only as He pleases, always as He pleases.

"He is in one mind, and who can turn Him? What His soul desires, even that He does" (Job 23:13). Agreeing with this is Psalm 115:3: "But our God is in the heavens: He has done whatever He has pleased." As the Master of the World He declares: "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure!" (Isaiah 46:10)

God is the Supreme Being and the Sovereign of the universe. He exercises His power as He wills, when He wills, where He wills. "All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing. But He does according to His will in the host of Heaven, and among the inhabitants of earth. No one can ward off His hand or say to Him: What have You done?" (Daniel 4:35)

God governs all His creatures and their actions. The events that take place on earth do not take place by chance, or fate, or luck. The so-called accidents are not even incidents with the Master of the World. He numbered the hairs of our head and noted the sparrow's fall in eternity past by His "determinate counsel and foreknowledge" (Acts 2:23).

The Master of the World set the bounds of our habitation on earth. The number of our months is with Him, and our days are appointed!

God is holding the helm of the universe, and regulating all events. The Master of the World "works all things after the counsel of His own will" (Ephesians 1:11). It is God's eternal right to do all His pleasure. He is not accountable to any of His creatures. Job 33:13 declares: "He gives no account of any of His matters."

God controls all things or nothing. He must either rule or be ruled. He must either sway or be swayed. He must either accomplish His will or be thwarted by His creatures. He is not obligated to leave the affairs of this world to be governed by accident, chance, or the will of sinful men.

If we admit that God absolutely governs all things according to the counsel of His own will, then we admit that He has determined what shall and what shall not transpire in time and eternity. To deny His universal control of all things, is to deny His eternal power and Godhead. If He has the power and wisdom to determine all events then He can cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

[Milburn Cockrell]

1 Chronicles 29:11-12 … Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.

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The Worst Part of You!

People often say, "I have my faults, but at the bottom I have a good heart." A good heart! Alas! it is this that deceives you, for your heart is the worst part of you!

The politicians, the philosophers, the sages of the world, are all shams! What have they done toward the cure of the human heart?

Blessed be God! We recover more by the second Adam, than we lost by the first!

[Daniel de Superville]

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Jeremiah 17:9 … The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Ezekiel 36:26-27 … A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.❤

A Harvest of Blessing

All the events that take place in the world carry on the same work, the glory of the Father and the salvation of His redeemed people.

Every illness and infirmity that may seize you, every loss you may meet with, every reproach you may endure, every shame that may color your faces, every sorrow in your hearts, every agony and pain in your flesh, every aching in your bones are for your good!

Every change in your condition your fine weather and your rough weather, your sunny weather and your cloudy weather, your ebbing and your flowing, your liberty and your imprisonment, all work for good.

Oh, Christians, see what a harvest of blessings ripens from this text!

The Lord is at work; all creation is at work; men and angels, friends and foes, all are busy working together for God's glory and your good.

Oh, dear Lord Jesus, what have you seen in us that you should order things so wondrously for us, and make all things to work together for our good?

[Daniel Rowlands]

Romans 8:28 … And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

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Word or World

You are either in the Word, and the Word is conforming you to the image of Jesus Christ or you are in the world, and the world is squeezing you into its mold!

The first reason for studying Scripture is that it is a means of spiritual growth. There is no growth apart from the Word. It is God's primary tool to develop Christian character. The Word of God is able to transform your life, but you must probe for its wisdom. You have to penetrate the surface with more than just a cursory glance.

The Bible was written not to satisfy your curiosity, but to conform you to Christ's image. Not to make you a smarter sinner, but to make you like the Savior. Not to fill your head with a collection of biblical facts, but to transform your life. The will of God is found in the Word of God. The more a person grows, the more he begins to think instinctively and habitually from a divine perspective.

[Howard Hendricks]

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1 John 2:15 … Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

James 4:4 … Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Galatians 6:14 … But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.❤

The Best Sermons

The best sermons are the sermons which are most full of Christ. A sermon without Christ it is a horrible thing! It is an empty well; a cloud without rain; a tree twice dead, plucked by the roots. It is abominable to give men stones for bread, and scorpions for eggs and yet they do so who preach not Jesus.

A sermon without Christ! As well talk of a loaf of bread without any flour in it. How can it feed the soul? Men die and perish because Christ is not there, and yet His glorious gospel is the easiest thing to preach, and the sweetest thing to preach there is most variety in it, there is more attractiveness in it than in all the world besides!

The sermon which does not lead to Christ, or of which Jesus Christ is not the top and the bottom is a sort of sermon that will make the devils in Hell laugh, and the angels of God weep!

The mark of true Gospel preaching is where Christ is everything, and the creature is nothing; where salvation is all of grace, through the work of the Holy Spirit applying to the soul the precious blood of Jesus.

[Charles H. Spurgeon]

1 Corinthians 1:23-24 … But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;  But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 2:2 … For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

Galatians 2:20 … I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.❤