A puritan preacher named Thomas Brooks made this true statement concerning faith in the successful, sin-atoning, Lord Jesus Christ of holy scripture, “He that believeth shall be saved, let his sins be ever so great; and he that believeth not shall be damned, let his sins be ever so little.” If I compel others to […]
“And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on His head.” Mark 14:3 No event recorded more beautifully pictures the sacrifice of our Lord and […]
“ORDAINED TO ETERNAL LIFE” Acts 13:48 Paul had preached the gospel clearly in power of the Holy Spirit. When the Jews heard the message, they walked out in angry protest; but the Gentiles desired that it be declared to them again (v. 42). When the Jews heard the story of substitutionary redemption, “they were filled […]
Where Does Grace Lead? Some people would have us believe that if we preach pure grace it will lead people to licentious living. They say if we remove the law as a guide or motivation for Christian living, people will have nothing to keep them holy. They say to tell a person to just follow […]
“The wicked flee when no man pursueth” (Proverbs 28:1). — Terrified by his own guilty conscience, a wicked man presumes someone is after him. Frightened by his own dark shadow, he strikes out at nothing but his own guilt (Judges 9:36). Like Cain, he presumes somebody is out to get him when, in reality, it […]
The greatest pressure for me as a pastor is, one, knowing that I speak on behalf of God and am accountable to God for what I declare concerning Christ; two, it is knowing that I speak to sinners who will spend eternity somewhere. This pressure is due to fear God has put in my heart. […]
Glory! Glory! Glory! Do you ever read the Bible, the holy scriptures, and think, “Hmm. Can’t mean that.” So you read it again. “Wow. That’s pretty amazing.” Then you read it again and think, “Oh! Maybe that’s exactly what it means.” It happens a lot when I read John 17. For example, in John 17:1 […]
“The Wrath to Come” (1 Thess. 1:10) God poured out His wrath upon the old world and destroyed all mankind except those who were in the Ark with Noah. God poured out His wrath upon His Son, when He died upon the cross bearing the sins of His people. Some may persuade themselves that He […]
The prophet Jeremiah once said, “Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.” Yesterday a friend wrote to me of the death of her brother. He had just let his wife off at the airport to go […]
My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass. But Thou, O LORD, shalt endure forever; and Thy remembrance unto all generations. Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.” Ps. 102:11-13 What a privilege we have to […]