Jeremiah 3:15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. I have heard someone say that the age of the local church is past and that there is no longer any use for God-ordained Pastors. It is easy for a weed to speak this way, […]
Jesus sustains no association to His Church more expressive than that of the marriage relationship. From all eternity He forever betrothed her to Himself. He asked her at the hands of her Father—and the Father gave her to Him. He entered into a covenant that she would be His. The conditions of that covenant were […]
The life-boat of free grace! (James Smith, “The Complaint!” 1864) “I am cast down!” And why are you cast down? “My heart is burdened with a sense of my short-comings! Every duty I perform is so imperfect. Every purpose I form is so soon frustrated. Every hope of seeing better days is so soon beclouded. My heart is so fearfully […]
Even your own relatives think you are almost insane (J. C. Philpot, “The Abiding Comforter” 1858) “The Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him.” John 14:17 The world—that is, the world dead in sin, and the world dead in profession—men destitute of the life and power of God—must […]
Two seeds? Spurgeon, “In the Garden with Him.” #2106. So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you will be punished… And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed…” Genesis 3:14-15 There are two seeds in the world- the seed of the […]
FIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GOSPEL There is much more involved in preaching the gospel than simply repeating the historic facts of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The demons of hell acknowledge these facts; and every reasonable man must do so. To preach the gospel is to declare the spiritual meaning of these facts. […]
Christ and Him Crucified For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified (I Corinthians 2:2) The apostle Paul declared to a heathen world, and a church being led astray by foolish pride and worldly wisdom, that he preached Christ and Him crucified. The gospel is a person. […]
Growing worse? (John Angell James, “Christian Progress” 1853) One of the last lessons we effectually learn, is that true godliness is a constant conflict in a believer’s heart–between sin and holiness. Some sincere believers mistake a clearer view, and deeper sense of their depravity, for an actual increase of sin. The Christian seems sometimes to […]
Christ must be all! from Octavius Winslow’s, “Morning Thoughts” We cannot keep our eye too exclusively or too intently fixed on Jesus. All salvation is in Him. All salvation proceeds from Him. All salvation leads to Him. And for the assurance and comfort of our salvation we are to repose believingly and entirely on Him. […]
Can we forget such mighty grace? Spurgeon’s book, “The Saint and His Savior” Experience of the love, tenderness, and faithfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ will weld our hearts to him. The very thought of the love of Jesus towards us is enough to inflame our holy passions, but experience of it heats the furnace […]