Purposed Grace Articles: Recent Episodes
Sovereign Grace Church, in New Caney, Texas
Purposed Grace Articles is a ministry of Sovereign Grace Church in New Caney, Texas, Joseph D Murphy, Pastor.
This podcast features grace articles of our Pastor, and other Pastors who declare that God's people are “complete in Him”, complete in Christ Jesus the Lord (COLOSSIANS 2:10).
Free gospel resources (books, bulletins, writings, and sermons, etc) are available for download from our website SovereignGrace.us
I must tell you, my fellow sinners, when you conceive religion to be some great difficulty above your power, when you say you cannot repent, you cannot believe, that you do not think of Christ as you ought, but of yourself, as if you were the fountain from whence these good things should flow. I will tell you, in the Lord’s name, that to believe imports no more than to take Christ for all; it is to think you have nothing, and can do nothing, but that He hath all, and can do all, and therefore you will take Him for all.
The angel’s message to Joseph was a message of grace, redemption, and salvation to sinners. By God’s command, He was named, “JESUS,” Savior, because He was sent by God to save His people from their sins. What He is called, that He is—Jesus, our Savior.
We read in Revelation 18 verse 4, “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.’” Of course, this is in reference to the Whore of Babylon, the Harlot of all false religion, ‘Come out of her!’ The only way any of us can come out of her, beloved, is by God’s grace...
What think ye of His treasures; His unsearchable riches that are stored up in Him for the benefit of poor sinners, having received these gifts for men? All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in Him; all, and infinitely more than we lost in the first Adam, is treasured up in the second Adam.
We read in 1st Corinthians chapter 1 verse 30 “… of Him are ye in Christ Jesus.” What does this mean? It is the same gospel report that we read in type and shadow in Genesis chapter 3 verse 21, “… the LORD God [made] coats of skins, and clothed them.” This verse testifies of the Gospel of Christ. It testifies that salvation is of the LORD—all of it.
By this action the Lord God did preach to Adam, and to his wife, the meaning of that promise that you read of in verse fifteen, namely, that by the means of Jesus Christ, God himself would provide a sufficient clothing for those that [receive] of His grace by the gospel: the coats here, being a type of that blessed and [eternal] righteousness.
The miracle of the Lord turning five loaves and two fishes into an abundant, seemingly never ending, provision of food, shows us the never-ending provision He supplies for the wants of the body and soul of His people. After the people had their fill, the disciples gathered up what was left and filled twelve baskets. There was abundance for all, and perhaps what the lad had given, was returned to him two, or three fold, to take home to his family; of a truth “The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself” (Proverbs 11:25).
What is the heresy of [the Roman Catholic Church], but the addition of something to the perfect merits of Jesus Christ, the bringing in of the works of the flesh, to assist in our justification? And what is the heresy of [Free-will Religion] but the addition of something to the work of the Redeemer? Every heresy, if brought to the touchstone [that is Christ and His doctrine], will discover itself here. I have my own private opinion that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else.
Beloved! “Lift up your eyes to the heavens and look upon the earth beneath, for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old as a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner; but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished” (Isaiah 51:6).
Reader, “If the love of relations will not afford us a just measure for the love of Christ; let us see if there be any thing else in the whole scale of nature that may furnish us with a line commensurate to it.—And we can no sooner think of making the inquiry, but we propose to ourselves the height of heaven, the breadth of the earth. ‘The heaven for height, and the earth for depth’ (Proverbs 25:3). But we must despair of finding any thing that may measure or circumscribe this love [in creation], since the apostle has assured us, that ‘the riches of Christ’ are ‘unsearchable,’ (Ephesians 3:8), such as we must expect ‘no footsteps of’ in the whole creation (Psalm 77:19). The apostle might preach it, but could not fully reach it: for ‘we know in part, and we prophesy in part’ (1 Corinthians 13:9).
One of the readers of our bulletin recently asked me, “I was wondering if you could post an article in your next bulletin that outlines the steps of salvation.” Now, immediately upon reading that, what leapt to my heart and mind was this: Beloved, salvation is not found in our steps, but rather in a person, in the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.
His name shall be called JESUS. For what? Because He shall do His part towards saving His people, and they are to accomplish the rest? No, no; not so. What then? Because “He shall save His people from their sins.” Now, mind you, if JESUS is to save thee from thy sins, thou art not to set on to save thyself, and then come to Him to approve of thy wonderful works. The sinner who is brought by the Spirit to the Lord Jesus comes with all his sins on him, and all his sins about him. He comes as a wretched, vile, ruined, and guilty sinner. “O,” say you, “I am frightened at that!?” You may well be so; I do not wonder at it; for if God has opened your heart to your view and brought you to feel what a sinner you really are, it is enough to make you frightened.
Jehovah our righteousness, is the blessed doctrine which could make a ‘good’ man say, upon the prospect of death; I am not anxious either to live or die: if I die, I shall be with GOD; and, if I live, He will be with me. Everlasting righteousness, is an undoubted title to everlasting life; and such is the righteousness of Jehovah-Jesus. Couldst thou unite all the righteousness of heaven and earth in thine own person, thou wouldst see, O Christian, that the infinite righteousness of thy Redeemer, so vastly transcends the splendid aggregate, that with the apostle, thou mightest count them all but dung and dross, in the comparison, and seek justification and glory in [our Lord’s righteousness] alone. Rejoice then in Him, who is unchangeable; and trust in His righteousness, which can never fail.
Wherever faith is given to the soul to “receive” Christ, there will be mingled with this faith, and blessedly accompanying it, love to the Lord of life and glory; and sometimes we may know the existence of faith when we cannot see it, by discerning the secret workings and actings of love towards that Saviour, in whom God has enabled us to believe. There will be, from time to time, in living souls a flowing forth of affection towards JESUS. From time to time, He gives the soul a glimpse of His Person; He shows Himself, as the Scripture speaks, “through the lattice;” passing perhaps hastily by, but giving such a transient glimpse of the beauty of His Person, the excellency of His finished work, dying love, and atoning blood as ravishes the heart, and secretly draws forth every affection of the soul, so that there is a following hard after Him, and a going out of the desires of the soul towards Him. Thus, sometimes as we lie upon our bed, as we are engaged in our business, as we are occupied in our several pursuits of life; or at other times under the word, or reading the Scripture, the Lord is pleased secretly to work in the heart, and there is a melting down at the feet of JESUS, or a secret, soft, gentle going forth of love and affection towards Him, whereby the soul prefers Him before thousands of gold and silver, and desires nothing so much as the inward manifestations of His love, grace, and blood.
The church, considered in herself, is a weak, afflicted, defenceless society. In respect to numbers, she has been in general the fewest of all people. With respect to outward circumstances, she has been composed of a poor and an afflicted people. With respect to talents and human acquirements, not many wise men after the flesh have joined her fellowship; but God has chosen the weak things of this world to confound the things that are mighty, and the foolish things to confound the wise, and things that are not, to bring to naught things that are. But viewed in connexion with her Head, she is the most noble, most safe and happy society that ever has, or ever will exist on this side the grave.
There is nothing about me that feels complete. I always feel there is something lacking in my faith, love, repentance, sincerity or anything else. But God’s Word tells me I am complete in Him. Not I will be complete or I am in the process of being made complete, but I am, right now, complete, lacking nothing, completely filled. However complete the Christ is, that is how complete I am; “As He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). We have this on the authority of God’s Word. We may not feel complete, but we are complete. AMEN!
Beloved,—Labour to grow in the sound knowledge of God and of Christ, and of their all-sufficiency. Mark St Paul’s method, Colossians chapter 1, and in other places, when he would draw us from all outward things, he speaks gloriously of the fulness of Christ, “In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily,” Colossians 2:9; and, “In Him you are complete.” When he would draw them from “touch not, taste not, handle not, worshipping of angels, and from counterfeit humility,” Colossians 2:21, etc, he labours to dispossess them of these idolatrous conceits, and to possess them of the fulness of Christ.
Beloved, …the more we pray for each other, the more our hearts will be drawn together; you will be more spiritually minded, and we shall be more laborious. Oh what responsibility rests upon us to draw your prayers by instant and continual attention to your spiritual wants.
Yes, as your pastor, I desperately need your help. I’m not asking for something which is unimportant or optional, but something which is essential to the spiritual well-being of ourselves, our children and all who frequent this assembly. Nor am I asking for something which can be done by anyone and everyone, but is a privilege exclusive to you, the saints of God.
When Christ arose from the dead, He walked on the earth, it is true, but above it; though in it, He was not of it; not intending to remain in it, He accepted no home in it, and made no friendship with it: in this respect, too, the resurrection life is evidenced by His consistent members; they are in the world, but not of the world, they are above it: their home is not here, neither are their congenialities; they are linked to their Elder Brother [Christ], and He is not here; He is risen; they are risen with Him, and so walk in newness of life: we have reason to think, that, after His resurrection, Christ lived almost exclusively with His disciples: so should the power of the risen life lead to holy companionship; to select association with those who are of the same body; to an avoidance of this world’s tainting, corrupting, lowering, depressing, unspiritualising influences and society
SURETY, one who gives security for another person or thing [a person who takes responsibility for another’s performance of an undertaking, for example their appearing in court or the payment of a debt [We read in Psalm 57 verse 2 “I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.” Amen.].
Justification by faith is, that when I come to stand before God, though conscience says I am guilty of a thousand sins, yet I may go boldly and plead my pardon, which will acquit me as if I had never sinned at any time.
It is somewhat singular, to hear the apostle, whose constant poverty was almost proverbial, undertaking the payment of Onesimus’s debts, if he owed his master any thing. But in what he adds of Philemon’s owing even himself, to Paul, as having been instrumental in the Lord’s hand, for his conversion; we enter upon the apostle’s meaning.
What are we to understand by His being made sin? We have partly anticipated the meaning of the words:—“Made Him to be sin.” [Reader,] if Christ takes the sinner’s place, He must bear the sinner’s sins and punishment which the sinner ought to have borne for his disobedience to, and transgression of the law of God. Christ is made sin by imputation. He was not a sinner by nature, but sin was charged upon Him, as He stood in the stead of His people. My own [thought] is, that the doctrine of imputation arises out of union. To illustrate what I mean, take the following words: “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).Union with Adam makes us sinners with him. Union with Christ makes us righteous with Him.
Beloved, [God] saw our souls dead in sin, dead under His law, dead to Himself. Did He leave us? No; He loved us with great love, therefore, in rich mercy He quickened us.
Reader, how can this be? To justify the wicked is an abomination?! [Proverbs 17:15] Well then, what of the believing sinner? Does not God’s word set forth that a wicked sinner like you and a wicked sinner like me is justified by His blood? How then is that not an abominable and immoral thing for God to do? Because beloved, our Heavenly Father has made His just sinless Son to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.
In [considering] this momentous truth, let us begin where God himself began, namely, with election. To whom are we indebted for that first of all spiritual blessings? Pride says, “To me;” self-righteousness says, “To me;” man’s unconverted will says, “To me.” But faith joins with God’s word in saying, “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name” be the whole glory of thy electing love ascribed. Thou didst not choose us on supposition of our first choosing thee, but through the victorious operation of thy mighty Spirit, we choose thee for our Portion and our God, in consequence of thy having first and freely chosen us to be thy people.
All false religions are under the delusion that salvation is granted through something a person does; nothing could be further from the truth!
Vile religion is rampant in the earth. The followers of jiving, jumping, idiotic “preachers” are swept up in the euphoria of “Thank you Jesus.” As the elect people of the sovereign Lord view all this, the stomach has a tendency to feel uneasy and want to throw off its contents.
Isn’t it a good thing to know beyond a doubt what a person believes about God, Christ, and salvation? There are many preachers today, who, if you listened to them for ten years, you still would not be certain what they are saying. Paul said to the young preacher Timothy, you cannot mistake what I have taught you. Many are but preachers [in name only, that believe and teach that] ‘God does what He wants to do, but He cannot infringe on man’s free will.’ Well now, if you were listening to [someone like that], would you fully know his doctrine? You would fully know that [so called preacher] is totally confused, for these are contrary to one another.
Every thing, and every service, in the Old Testament dispensation, as well as in the gospel Church, points to Christ. Behold, my soul, in the LORD’S appointment of “an altar of earth,” how jealous the LORD is of His honor. If the altar dedicated to the LORD’S service, be of earth, or if it be of stone, there was not to be the least mixture. Nothing hewn, nothing polished by man’s art, or man’s device: “for if,” saith Jehovah “thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.”
If you are openly profane, when God the Spirit is pleased to reveal the communicable nature of Christ to you, it will not be such a hard struggle to part with open profaneness; but to part with piety and religious duties and church-going and chapel-going and [ordinance]-going and reading the “Whole Duty of Man,” and all those pious things—O bless me, it is just like driving a man mad. He imagines he had been a little remiss in some of these things; but then he will not be so again; he will be more diligent and more cautious. But no; God’s Christ cuts the man up, root and branch, and leaves him no more help in himself than the damned in hell; and he feels himself as truly cut down as a wretch can be, before a heart-searching God [Romans 7:24-25].
Our God does not lie to us: Beloved, just as sure and steadfast was the promise of God to Abraham, to be both his shield and great reward; so too the Lord Jesus Christ is our shield and great reward. Indeed, the Lord Jesus Christ is our shield from every enemy of our salvation: Satan, self, sin, and death itself [Genesis 15:1, 2 Samuel 22:3, Psalm 62:7]. Our exceeding great reward shall be to be in the presence of Him “that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Revelation 1:5).
We read in Acts chapter 16 verse 9 how “a vision appeared to Paul in the night; [and] There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.” Notice what the man of Macedonia besought Paul for—“help!” So what was the response of Paul, this servant, this bond-slave of Christ? Did he go to them to help them sort out their financial ills? Did he go to them to help them sort out their social ills? Did he go to them to help them sort out their health ills? We read the answer to those questions is emphatically no. Rather, we read in the next verse, “And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured [Paul and those with him] to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel unto them” (Acts 16:10).
Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. God has made Christ all these to His people. He has set Him up as their eternal Head, made Him the Bridegroom of their souls, that out of His fullness they may all receive. Then, just in proportion as they learn these two lessons—what they are, and what He is—they receive Him into their hearts actually what He is to them in the purpose of God.
If Holy Scripture was a ring and the Epistle to the Romans its precious stone, chapter 8 would be the sparkling point of the radiant gem. Reading this chapter, I see several things that we who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ know.
Reader, upon what do you rest your hope of acceptance before a holy God? Baptism? Church work? A religious experience? A moral reformation? All these things, in themselves, are vain, empty and useless. They are worse! Apart from the knowledge of Christ, they are a positive curse. If you and I trust anything, in any measure, for our total acceptance before God, other than Jesus Christ, we shall surely perish! ‘Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace’ [Galatians 5:4].
Feeling is the first evidence of supernatural life; a feeling compounded of two distinct sensations, one referring to God, and the other referring to self. The same ray of light has manifested two opposite things, “for that which makes manifest is light;” and the sinner sees at one and the same moment God and self, justice and guilt, power and helplessness, a holy law and a broken commandment, eternity and time, the purity of the Creator and the filthiness of the creature. And these things he sees, not merely as declared in the Bible, but as revealed in himself as personal realities, involving all his happiness or all his misery in time and in eternity.
Who can this be but JESUS? Of whom, among the sons of men, could it ever be said that he was as a morning without clouds? Neither angels, nor men; nor ordinances, nor graces, nor all the moons of the night, nor the suns of the day, ever shone as a morning without clouds. What a sweet similitude to represent Him, and His all-perfect salvation, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning!
Young parents: Raising children is not easy. It requires wisdom, patience, consistency, and most importantly, love. Many mistakes will be made along the way. No honest parent can look back without many regrets. I have heard it said that it is the most important job with the least amount of training one can have. Yet, as believers, we do have a perfect example in our loving Heavenly Father. May the Lord give us the grace to follow Him.
Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief. Is this a contradiction? Can you have faith and unbelief at the same time? Absolutely! As a matter of fact, wherever you have real faith, you will always have unbelief right alongside of it. Why is that? Because we still have an evil nature. That evil nature does not believe. That evil nature cannot believe! It is the new nature that believes. If we only have one nature, faith and unbelief at the same time would be impossible. But because every believer has two distinct natures, called by our Lord the flesh and the spirit, our cry is continually, “Lord, I believe, help Thou mine unbelief.” [AMEN!]
One of the hardest tasks for a child of God is to describe The Lord Jesus, as He is known to them. How do you articulate what is so wonderfully known to you, how do you express in words what Christ is to you, what He means to you?
Once a child of God has been graced to receive: blessings, being kept, God’s face to shine upon them, graciousness, God’s countenance lifted up upon them; they can not but have the “Peace” of God that passes all understanding! This last phrase: and the Lord give thee Peace; is the by-product or I should say the result of all that the Anointed One has done for the sheep of His fold.
Some tell us that Christ came on earth, merely to set us a pattern which we must imitate. He is indeed our pattern and glorious example of the church, and may we imitate Him; but if this is all, it will leave us to be lost. He became flesh and dwelt among us; He endured many contradictions against Himself; He was tempted and resisted the devil. “Then,” say you, “What must we bring to God as a ground of acceptance with Him? Must we not bring our obedience?” No. What is your best obedience? Your righteousness is filthy; and by doing so, you wish to make God filthy likewise? Nothing less than a perfect obedience will do. And where will you find it? Not in yourself; it is in Christ, and in Him alone. What a deal of talk there is about co-working with God; you must do your part and then God will do His. This was the case some thousands of years before Christ; and as to His disciples, when the work came to be done, they all fled.
Let thy meditations, my soul, this morning be sweetly exercised upon thy risen and exalted Saviour. For if thy Lord be indeed risen, then will it undeniably follow, that as He died for our sins, so He arose for our justification, and is thereby become the first fruits of them that sleep.
It is most certainly true, God remembers all the actions that ever men have done, do, or shall do; He remembers the nature and quality of all actions as they are; He remembers such actions as done at such times; and He knows they are thus and thus in the nature of them; and yet, so it is, that ‘He remembers not thy transgressions; that is, though He remembers the things thou hast done, yet He doth not remember them as they are thine; He remembers whose they are, He himself has passed them over, He decreed that they should become the sins of Christ; and when He passed them over to Him, they ceased to be thine any longer [beloved].
My heart breaks as I watch people compromise The Gospel. But I must say again...There is only One Gospel!
Beloved, God’s elect, God’s people: we trust not in ourselves, nor in men, we trust not in our own righteousness, we trust not in our own strength, but rather ever so blessedly by God’s grace in Christ, we trust in God’s name, in His righteousness, in His power, in His strength. Oh LORD we trust in you! LORD, let your people ever shout for joy, because “thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name, be joyful in thee!”
Reader, do you know what comfort is to be found in having the Spirit of God reveal to your heart the meaning of this one blessed word, double? You see, our good and ready to forgive God declares that His people have received of His hand double! Not only has God forgiven His people for the iniquity of trying to establish their own righteousness (while they were dead spiritually); He has also forgiven them of all their transgressions! [Psalm 86:5, Romans 10:3-4, Isaiah 64:6, Ephesians 2:1]
We see in this verse our brother John, rejoicing in the glorious gospel of our dear Lord Jesus Christ. He knows, as you do beloved, that our Lord gave His life as a ransom for all men. Not just elect men from among one nation, but elect men from among all nations. You see, while our Lord Jesus Christ did not die for the sins of all men without exception — He did die for the sins of all men without distinction; poor and rich, Jewish and non-Jewish. We read in the book of Revelations how our Lord was slain “and hast redeemed us to God by His blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation 5:9).
Reader, are you able to rejoice in this blessed description of the redeeming work of the Lord Jesus Christ? Beloved believing sinner, He is able to save you to the uttermost! What the Old Testament priesthood was unable to do, being but a shadow and not the substance, the Son of God being the reality of redemption is able to save His people to the uttermost! And not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own precious blood, by the sacrifice of Himself.
…call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21)
Before our precious Savior was born, yes, even from eternity, He was purposed to come “into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). And in another place our Lord tells us “The Son of man came to seek and save what was lost” (Luke 19:10).
What a comforting truth this is — knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ will actually and really save His people from their sins. Oh what comfort there is in knowing that all our sins have been forgiven — ALL of them beloved. Sins of the past, sins of the present, and sins of the future!
Beloved, there is absolutely no sin left out from His forgiveness; otherwise we could never be saved from our sins. And the certainty of this salvation does not come from something we have done, do, or that we can do, but rather it is because of everything that the Lord Jesus did and does to save us. Indeed, “He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).
Beloved, that is why we know, most assuredly, that ALL our sins are forgiven. Not only because He died and paid for them, but because He rose from the dead and He ever liveth to intercede on our behalf so that we may be saved—never to be lost! Alleluia!
Reader, it is of the utmost importance that we make this observation: notice that it is not said that the LORD JESUS will save everyone from their sins; no no, rather the word of God says that He shall save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). This sets forth, how that there is a personal and intimate relationship between Him and His people. This is shown to us in John chapter 10, where our Lord declares: “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” — “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine” — “…and I lay down my life for the sheep” — “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. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are One” (John 10:11,14,15,27-30).
Beloved believing sinner, rejoice in Christ! and again I say, rejoice! You are one of His sheep, He died for you; and because of what He has done, you have a complete salvation and you will never perish; for He has given you eternal life. May God grant, both the reader and writer alike, ears to ever hear His precious voice and find our feet following Him. May we be among the many that will discover, as John writes ever so blessedly in the gospel that bears his name, “he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (John 3:21, Ephesians 1:19). AMEN!
Article orignally published in LA MISIÓN DE ITZINCAB weekly bulletin
…Christ is all, and in all (Colossians 3:11)
An influential ‘teacher’ recently made the following statement at a ‘Bible conference’…
“…there are a lot of things I don’t know, I’ve said this so many times, I don’t even know how my own spiritual life works—I don’t. Look, Paul says in Galatians 2:20 ‘I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live; yet not I…’—he didn’t know either!” And somehow, fearful thing, this moved his audience to laugh hysterically.
Reader, it is no laughing matter for any professing Christian to say that they don’t know, or that Paul didn’t know how his spiritual life works; this is someone, I fear, who has not been taught of God to know that Christ is all, and in all [John 6:45]. Well then, did Paul not know how his spiritual life works as this man claimed? Paul writes… “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” (Galatians 2:20).
So Paul did know who was responsible for his spiritual life. For he tells us plainly, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I—BUT CHRIST LIVETH IN ME.”
Beloved, everything we hear must pass through this gate: Christ is all. If what we hear is contrary to Christ is all, we need to get away from it. Indeed, if anything we believe runs contrary to Christ being our all, and in all; [all our justification and all our sanctification] indeed all our life, it is not after Christ and it’s dead wrong! [Read 1 Corinthians 1:30-31].
Beloved, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Colossians 2:8). AMEN!
if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work
(Romans 11:16)
[Reader,] you must go to Him with all your wrinkles, and all your foulness, and everything else that is hideous and say, “Lord, I have no beauty, I have no merit, nothing to plead, nothing to urge, but my guilt. ‘Heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.’” Then you shall be saved. When a man cannot pay to God a penny [on the dollar] of all his debts, then he will be frankly forgiven all; but as long as he promises that he will make [restitution], and do his best to pay what he owes to divine justice, in the [vain] hope that Jesus Christ will make up the rest, there is no hope for him [Proverbs 20:22]. The Lord Jesus Christ will not be a mere make-weight for you. Do you think that you are to get onto the scale, with your ‘beautiful righteousness’, and that you are to be accounted somebody of great importance, and that Christ is to do the little that you cannot do?—that is to be “Christ and Company,” or rather, “Self and Company,” and that you are to be the head of the firm, and Christ to be a kind of [silent] partner? He will not do it; it would be a disgrace to Christ to yoke you with Him in such a fashion. You might as soon yoke a gnat with an archangel as think of your going in to help Christ save you. To join a filthy rag from off a dunghill with the golden garments of the King cannot be permitted [Isaiah 64:6-9]. Christ will be everything, or else He will be nothing; you must be saved wholly by mercy, or else not at all. There must not be even a trace of the fingers of self-righteousness upon the acts and documents of divine grace. It must be all of grace; “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work” (Romans 11:6). There can be no more mingling of the two together as the ground of hope than oil will mix with water, or fire will burn beneath the sea. [Reader,] you cannot be saved by your own merits.
…O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God [Micah 6:6-8]
Reader, with what shall I come before God? How can I be accepted before God? How can you be accepted before God?
Only by three things and each of them are made only by Christ.
Sinner, do justly; do justly in and through the life of God’s Son. “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Sinner, love mercy; love the mercy of God in and through the death and resurrection of His Son. For salvation “is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy” (Romans 9:16).
Sinner, walk humbly with thy God; walk humbly in and through the perfection of His Son. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).
Beloved, there is no condemnation, for those who look away from the pride of their flesh and look humbly, by the Spirit, to the perfect walk of another, Christ Jesus, their Lord. AMEN!
…they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful (Revelation 17:14)
Beloved, you have been CALLED. God our Father has declared “I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.” Indeed, our heavenly Father declares of His people, that He “saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” [Romans 9:25, 2 Timothy 1:9].
Beloved, you have been CHOSEN. God the Son, our blessed redeemer, has asked the Father in the covenant of grace—give me not the righteous to save, but sinners. He declares “I came to call sinners to repentance.” Indeed, he says to His people “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you” [Luke 5:32, John 15:16].
Beloved, you have been made FAITHFUL. God the Spirit, the promised comforter, has come and made it know to us, that we are no longer servants of sin, but servants of righteousness. Our inheritance is this: that our faithfulness, our righteousness is of Him, who is always faithful, never fails, and has never fallen! AMEN! (1 Corinthians 1:30-31, Romans 6:18)
The Lord is pleased to quicken His people and make known to them, that from the beginning He has chosen them to salvation and ordained that they believe the Truth. Beloved, He has called you, and chosen you, and made you, through the merits of His beloved Son, faithful in His sight, with Him. AMEN! (Read Acts 13:48, Colossians 1:22)
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) (Hebrews 10:23)
Our God does not lie to us
Beloved, just as sure and steadfast was the promise of God to Abraham, to be both his shield and great reward,so too the Lord Jesus Christ is our shield and great reward. Indeed the Lord Jesus Christ is our shield from every enemy of our salvation: Satan, sin, and death itself [Genesis 15:1, 2 Samuel 22:3, Psalm 62:7]. Our exceeding great reward shall be to be in the presence of Him “that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.”
Beloved, God does not lie, He does not tell us in vain to behold “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” For just as the angel of the Lord declared “He shall save His people from their sins,” we also have His promise, for He saith “Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God” (Hebrews 10:7). Well, has the Lord done His Father’s will? Has He saved His people from their sins? Emphatically, the answer is yes! By His doing and dying, by His blood and righteousness, by His “one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are His people” (Hebrews 10:14).
Our God does not leave us
The Holy Spirit sets forth, ever so blessedly, the faithfulness of our God is His word, in that the LORD did and does as He had spoken, “the LORD did…as He had spoken” (Genesis 21:1).
Again and again, the Word of God sets forth God’s faithfulness to His counsel and His oath. Matthew records our Lord’s blessed oath; speaking to His beloved people, He tells us “I am with you alway” (Matthew 28:20)
In the epistle to the Hebrews, written to the “many” the Lord is bringing unto glory, Paul reminds us of the very same promise, our Lord will be with us always, he writes that God has promised “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). The three times this blessed promise is set forth by the Holy Spirit, it is accompanied by words that grant the believing sinner much comfort. Beloved, He will never leave thee, nor forsake thee; He “…WILL NOT FAIL THEE,” “HE WILL NOT FAIL THEE,” “HE WILL NOT FAIL THEE” (Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:5, 1 Chronicles 28:20).
Our God does not lose us
Beloved, the gospel of our Salvation is sure and stedfast for it is founded upon the immutable, unchangeable, faithful character of our God; and because of His faithfulness “ye sons of Jacob are not consumed” (Malachi 3:6)
Beloved, His love is immutable, His counsel is immutable, His promise is immutable. And He has promised “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).
Beloved believing sinner; you who have fled for refuge in Christ, patiently endure—wait on the LORD, and HE SHALL SAVE THEE! (Proverbs 20:22). He has promised, and He will also do it. AMEN!
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore
(Psalm 16:11)
[Beloved] …imagine that moment to have arrived! All of earth’s attraction ceases, all of creature-succor fails. Everything is failing — heart and strength failing — mental power failing— medical skill failing — human affection and sympathy failing; the film of death is on the eye, and the invisible realities of the spirit-world are unveiling to the mental view. Bending over you, the loved one who has accompanied you to the shore of the cold river, asks a sign. You are too weak to conceive a thought, too low to breathe a word, too absorbed to bestow a responsive glance. You cannot now assert your faith in an elaborate creed, and you have no profound experience, or ecstatic emotions, or heavenly visions to describe. One brief, but all-emphatic, all-expressive sentence embodies the amount of all that you now know, and believe, and feel; it is the profession of your faith, the sum of your experience, the ground of your hope — “Christ Is Precious to My Soul!” [My sufficiency]! The dying Christian can give, and the inquiring friend can wish no more. Dearest Savior, be close to me in that solemn moment! Tread the valley by my side, pillow my languid head upon Your bosom, speak these words of heart-cheer to my struggling, panting, departing soul, “Fear not, I Am with you” (Isaiah 43:5). Then, it will be happiness for me to die — death will have no venom — the grave no gloom — eternity no dread; and, from the measured experience of Your preciousness on earth, I shall pass in triumph through the shadowy portal into the full sunshine and perfect realization and eternal enjoyment of all that faith believed, and love desired, and hope expected, of Your full-orbed glory and preciousness in heaven. “In your presence is fulness of joy; and at your right hand there are pleasures for evermore!” [Psalm 16:11]
And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only
(Matthew 17:8)
Believer in Jesus! remember, all your confidence, all your hope, all your comfort flows from the finished work of your Saviour. “Jesus only.” [See that you do not unwittingly add something to the perfection of this work]. You may be betrayed into this sin and this folly by looking within yourself rather than to the person of Jesus; by attaching an importance too great to repentance and faith, and your own doings and strivings, rather than ceasing from your own works altogether, and resting for your peace and joy and hope, simply, entirely, and exclusively in the work of Jesus. Remember that whatever we unintentionally add to the finished work of Christ, mars the perfection and obscures the beauty of that work. “If thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it” (Exodus 20:25). Nothing have we to do but, in our moral pollution and nakedness, to plunge beneath the fountain, and wrap our selves within the robe of that Saviour’s blood and righteousness who, when he expired on the tree, so completed our redemption, as to leave us nothing to do but to believe and be saved. “It is finished!” (John 19:30) — O words, pregnant of the deepest meaning! O words, rich of the richest consolation! Salvation is finished! “Jesus only.” Look from fluctuating frames, and fitful feelings, and changing clouds, to “Jesus only.” Look from sins and guilt, from emptiness and poverty, to “Jesus only.” The veil of the temple is rent in twain, and you may pass into its holiest, and lay upon the altar the sacrifice of a broken and a contrite heart, which shall be accepted through him who “gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God, for a sweetsmelling savor” (Ephesians 5:2).
“It is finished!” Let devils hear it, and tremble! let sinners hear it, and believe! let saints hear it, and rejoice! All is finished. “Then, Lord, I flee to thee, just as I am! I have stayed away from thee too long, and ‘am nothing bettered, but rather grown worse.’ Too exclusively have I looked at my unworthiness, too absorbed have I been with my penury, too bitterly have I mourned having nothing to pay. Upon thy own finished work I now cast myself. Save, Lord, and I shall be saved!” Before this stupendous truth, let all creature merit sink, let all human glory pale, let all man’s boasting vanish, and Jesus be all in all. Perish forms and ceremonies — perish rites and rituals — perish creeds and churches — perish, utterly and forever perish, whatever would be a substitute for the finished work of Jesus, what ever would attempt to add to the finished work of Jesus, whatever would tend to neutralize the finished work of Jesus, whatever would obscure with a cloud, or dim with a vapor, the beauty, the luster, and the glory of the finished work of Jesus, [let it perish]! It was “Jesus only” in the councils of eternity — it was “Jesus only” in the everlasting covenant of grace,— it was “Jesus only” in the manger of Bethlehem — it was “Jesus only” in the garden of Gethsemane — it was “Jesus only” upon the cross of Calvary — it was “Jesus only” in the tomb of Joseph — it was “Jesus only” who, “when he had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3). And it shall be “Jesus only” the joy of our hearts, the object of our glory, the theme of our song, the Beloved of our adoration, our service, and our praise, through the endless ages of eternity. O stand fast in life and in death, by the finished work of Jesus. — Octavius Winslow
let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup
(1 Corinthians 11:28)
Usually, when we think of examining ourselves, we think of examining our lives. How are we dealing with besetting sins? Are we reading the Bible to our spiritual profit? Are we spending time in prayer and communion with the Lord? What does our daily lives say about our love to Christ? Can others see that we are Christians? What did Paul say? Examine yourselves whether you be in the faith: if we gain assurance by how well we are performing, it is a false, works based assurance. [If we conclude, we are not saved because of our failures in these things, we are once again making salvation dependent upon our performance]. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Do you believe that when He said, “It is finished” the salvation of all the elect was accomplished? (John 19:30) Are you relying on who He is and what He did as all you have for acceptance with God? Then you are “in the faith” and a true child of God.
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 (1 Peter 1:21)
All false religion is under the delusion th at salvation is granted through something man does; nothing could be further from the truth!
I trust you will notice these two blessed words in 1st Peter chapter 1 verse 21 “by Him”. To my awakened brother and sister, I trust those two words testify to your experience in Christ, that “by Him”, by the Lord Jesus Christ, you find yourself believing God.
God’s people are not born of blood (a believer is not made a believer because his parents are Christian, as is the case with the Islamists and Roman Catholics). God’s people are not born of the will of the flesh (one does not become a believer because one exercises his or her own will to make a decision). God’s people are not born of the will of man (one does not become a believer because a group of people got together to pray). If you find yourself believing God, it is by God’s redeeming, regenerating power in Christ. Beloved, the eternal gospel declares that His people “were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13).
Our Lord declared “thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him” (John 17:2) The power our Lord has over all flesh is the life giving power He gives to His people, whereby He grants them eternal life, making them willing and able to truly believe God (The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit).
Beloved, “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” (1 Peter 1:21).
If you find yourself believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, it is by Him you believe God. Just as Lazarus was made to come out of the tomb by the Lord Jesus Christ, your coming forth from the tomb of your unbelief was “by Him” beloved. AMEN!
…Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible
(Mark 10:26-27)
The message of the Gospel
God’s people, believing sinners, are in Christ “holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight” before the Father (Colossians 1:22).
The disciples asked this question “who is able to be saved?” Our Lord answered “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:26-27).
Only in Christ can sinful men be found holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight. Beloved, look to Christ and be saved; the author and finisher of our faith, indeed of all our salvation (Hebrews 12:2).
The minister of the Gospel
The minister of the Gospel can say with Paul, I am made a minister. You see, he is not self made, he’s not man made, he’s God made. Well, that begs the question; how can you know that a minister is God made and truly sent of God? They fulfill the word of God: how is that? They preach the word of truth. In a word they preach Christ: what does that mean? Our Lord said “He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him” (John 5:23). Beloved, God’s minister does not shun to declare unto you all the counsel of God. A so called minister that says Christ died for the sins of everyone, neither honors the Son nor the Father; and rejects to declare the Gospel of Christ’s own words “this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I SHOULD LOSE NOTHING” (John 6:39).
The miracle of the Gospel
Friend, let me tell you plainly, God is 100% sovereign and you are 100% responsible for your sins. If you neglect such a great salvation, indeed such a great Saviour, and end up in the lake of fire: The blame will be entirely yours and you’ll perish along with your wicked thoughts; wicked thoughts of being reconciled to God through your person and works and not through the blessed person and the finished saving work of Christ. How fearful it will be for those that neglect such a great salvation! (Hebrews 2:3)
Repent sinner and believe Christ. It is the desire of every believer, it is my desire, if God be pleased, according to the good pleasure of His will, that you be made to know you are made perfect by the righteousness of Christ for ever. (Isaiah 32:17)
I pray that our sovereign God would be pleased to use the gospel of His dear Son to show you the miracle of the Gospel. Beloved, you are found perfect in Christ Jesus to the honour and praise of His name. AMEN! (Colossians 2:10)
…wait on the Lord, and He shall save thee (Proverbs 20:22)
Beloved, just before the Lord went to the cross to accomplish our salvation; just before He went to the cross to give His life a ransom for many, His people, He said “I pray for them” (John 17:9). I want to know that when He prayed ‘for them,’ He prayed for me — don’t you? The apostle wrote “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:12).
You see, there is nothing more important than to know if in truth you have the Son. There is no subject of more importance than to know if you are truly united to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Many religious pretenders say that they know the Lord, but my friend, the question I want to press is this, does the Lord Jesus Christ know you? Does He in fact know me? If He does, be sure of this, He prayed for you and me and shall save us.
In so many blessed places in holy scripture God comforts believing sinners, in setting forth our blessed Lord and Saviour as the God who shall save His people. The proverb of God very blessedly declares “Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the Lord, and He shall save thee” (Proverbs 20:22).
Friend, don’t try to fix it! Don’t try to get things right before God, before you come to Christ—you never will. There is only one who can recompense for all the evil you are! Wait on the Lord, and He shall save thee!
Are you surprised at my speech evil sinner? Do you consider yourself otherwise? The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to save ungodly, evil, sinners. Friend, if God has not taught you as yet, that you are unquestionably evil — I fear that you are, even now, without Christ.
The Lord himself declares “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:13) Do you remember what our Lord explained to His step brothers? He said to them “The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil” (John 7:7).
This unbelieving world hates the Lord’s testimony, but oh how I love Him for it! If He had not shown me that I am evil, I would never have come to Him to recompense for all of it, and wait on Him to save me.
Beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ is the One that does not fall short of the glory of God. He is the One who gives His own glory to those who have given up pretending to have their own. Our Lord declared to our heavenly Father “the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one” (John 17:22).
Friend, believe on the Lord, wait on the Lord Jesus Christ and He shall save thee. AMEN! (Acts 18:8, Proverbs 20:22)
…but now commandeth all men every where to repent
(Acts 17:30)
Observe that the Word of God shows us that the Gospel is not an offer as some men claim, but rather the Gospel is a command. We read in Acts chapter 17 beginning in verse 28…
“…in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but NOW commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:28-30).
I want you to understand what you are reading in God’s word, and receive it as it is in truth—the word of God.
We read in God’s only holy book that the Gospel is a command; God commands all men everywhere to repent and believe the Gospel of His Son. Repent of your sin of unbelief and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. My sinner friend, trust Him alone for all your salvation; trusting His blessed person and finished work of salvation…
…for ALL your justification,
…for ALL your sanctification,
…for ALL your glorification,
… and ultimately for ALL your acceptance with God our Father.
You see, Christ is not made King and Lord by men. Rather, our heavenly Father made Him King of kings and Lord of lords; He is the redeemer and the saviour of His elect. God declares “I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.” And further says “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him” (Psalm 2:6,12)
Oh what an unspeakable blessing for you who believe on Christ! A full and complete pardon of sin, and a perfect righteousness acceptable to God. Worship the Son, reverence the Son, kiss the feet of God’s King, and be ye saved!
Through the Gospel our heavenly Father commands us to repent of our sin of unbelief and to believe His Son. He commands us to believe on His Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting in His doing and dying alone for our justification, for our sanctification, for our glorification; ultimately for our complete acceptance before Him. So what is it that you and I must do to obey the command of the Gospel? Our Lord tells us very plainly and simply — “He that believeth on me hath everlasting life” (John 6:47)
That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish
(Ephesians 5:25-27)
Beloved, believe it and rejoice. Before the throne of God you are without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; for Christ gave Himself for you that you should and shall be, on that day before Him in love, HOLY AND WITHOUT BLEMISH! Oh Lord, I believe it, help me to believe! [Mark 9:24]
Revelation 7:9-14: “…I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
It almost seemed like our brother John had to be reminded… The elder asked John “What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?” and John replied almost as if what he beheld was too wonderful to confirm with his own judgement, but rather committed it to the judgement of the elder by saying “Sir, thou knowest” and he said to John “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
Beloved, it is by the doing and dying of the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, that a sinner like me, and a sinner like you are doubly saved by His hand. We are sanctified by His doing and made Holy by His righteousness. The one who knew no sin, the Lord Jesus Christ, was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).
And beloved, we are cleansed by His blood—made blameless by our faithful and justifying Saviour, Christ Jesus the Lord, that our heavenly Father “might be just, and the justifier of [the sinner] which believeth in [His Son] JESUS” (Romans 3:26).
In the cross of Christ “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Oh what a gospel beloved, may the LORD grant us grace to believe it! Lord I believe it, help my unbelief! “Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation” (Psalm 85:10,7). AMEN!
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ
(Read 1 Corinthians 3:11-15)
In this day of big business religion, when churches are measured not by their orthodoxy, but by the opinions of men, when a preacher’s success is measured not by his faithfulness, but by the number of names added to the church roll, it might be wise to consider what a successful ministry is according to the measure of Holy Scripture.
According to the word of God those preachers and churches are successful who are faithful to the work to which God has called them. Never in the Old Testament or in the New was a prophet, apostle, or preacher measured by the opinions of men. God’s servants never courted the favor of men, and were never favored by the majority of the people. The church of God has always been out of step with society. The servants of God have always been looked upon as peculiar, bigoted dogmatists, intolerant and incapable of compromise. But they were faithful, faithful to God, faithful to His truth, and faithful to the souls of men.
Do not be so foolish as to measure God’s work by man’s yardstick. Do not measure the success or failure of preachers and churches by men, by numbers, or by popular opinion. THE ONLY MEASURE OF SUCCESS FOR CHURCHES AND PREACHERS IS FAITHFULNESS (1 CORINTHIANS 4:2). Those who faithfully seek and promote the glory of GOD, who faithfully proclaim the truth of GOD, and who faithfully serve the eternal interests of immortal souls are successful. Those who are not are failures. The one will stand the fire of judgment. The other will not.
What blessed words are here contained in this verse. May God grant both the writer and the reader of this article, grace to see and understand the gospel of our Salvation declared in this verse, and be comforted in Christ.
“…He shall sit…”
The prophet sets forth here in these words that our Sovereign Redeemer will finish the saving work of His people. The prophet declares “He shall sit”. Paul writes, in fulfillment of this gospel promise, that our God and King, Christ the Lord “sat down” (Hebrews 1:3, 10:12). Perhaps you’ve heard the expression ‘stop sitting on the job’, it carries with it the idea that someone has unfinished work to do, and rather than finish it, lazily sits around. Beloved, when Paul tells us that our blessed Lord “sat down”, he is declaring the gospel of our salvation. Everything a sinner like me, and a sinner like you, desperately needs to be saved before our Heavenly Father, our Lord Jesus has accomplished! A full and complete pardon of sins, and a perfect spotless righteousness that lacks nothing. Our Lord declared “It is finished” (John 19:30). Beloved “ye are complete in HIM”! (Colossians 2:10)
“…He shall purify…”
Throughout this verse the prophet sets forth our salvation, by telling us plainly that “He shall purify”! What gospel comfort is here contained for you beloved. Do you remember what the angel of the Lord declared to Joseph? “[Mary] shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Beloved, the Holy Spirit, tells us through His servant Paul that our Lord Jesus (The brightness of the Father’s glory, the express image of the Father’s person, the One who upholds everything) “by Himself purged our sins” (Hebrews 1:3). Beloved, “All things were made by [Christ]; and without Him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). Our God, Christ Jesus the Lord, whom the prophet declared “SHALL SIT” and “SHALL PURIFY” — has “SAT DOWN”! Beloved, He has by Himself “PURIFIED” us from all our sins. Ye sons of Levi, rejoice! He has “by himself purged our sins.”
Those who have been saved are those who “are being saved” (1 Corinthians 1:18; Philippians 2:12,13). Those who have learned of Christ are those who are also “learning” of Him (John 6:45; Matthew 11:29). Those who truly know the LORD are those who “desire to know Him” (Philippians 3:7-10). Those who have seen the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ are those who continue to cry unto the LORD, “I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory” (Exodus 33:18). These are the people who say, from the heart, “As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy righteousness” (Psalm 17:15)
“Now I know.” Did not the Lord know before? Oh yes; but He that gave Abraham the faith, now afforded an opportunity for the exercise of it. My soul, how blessed is it to remark, that the largest gifts of grace are dispensed, when there is the largest occasion for them. “As thy days, so shall thy strength be.” And, my soul, do not forget to remark also, that our Isaacs, our children, our earthly comforts, are most likely to be continued to us, when the Lord gives grace and faith to be most ready at His holy will to part with them. When I can say, LORD, all that Thou hast given me is Thine; and if Thou art pleased to take all, or any part back again, still it is Thine own—not mine, but lent. Oh, for grace, like Abraham, to bless a taking God, as well as a giving God, and to withhold nothing from Him. Pause, my soul, one moment longer over this precious portion. Is there nothing more to be gathered from it? Look again; read it over once more. Pass beyond Abraham, and contemplate the God of Abraham, and see if thou canst not discover the infinite, unequalled, astonishing love of God the Father typified in this solemn transaction; and while we behold Abraham, at the call of God, giving up his son, his only son; may we not behold God, uncalled, unsought, and without any one cause but his own free everlasting love, giving up his only begotten Son, as a sacrifice for the redemption of His people? The patriarch gave up his son but in intention; but God in reality. And, my soul, what oughtest thou now to say to God in the view of this transaction? Methinks I find authority, from these sweet words, to make a paraphrase upon them, and to make application of them, for all and every circumstance with which I may be exercised; and, looking up to God my Father in Christ Jesus, I would say, ‘Now, O LORD and Father, I know thou dost love a poor, sinful, unworthy worm as I am, seeing thou hast not withheld thy Son, thine only Son from me.’
What would you think of a man who sat down to his Sunday dinner and tried to eat sufficient then, at one meal, to last him for the whole week? And yet that is precisely the method followed by multitudes of people with their spiritual food. The only time they get an adequate spiritual meal is on Sunday, and they make that last them for the remainder of the week. Is there any wonder that so many Christians are weak and sickly! O let us face the fact that our souls are in urgent need of a daily supply of the Bread of Life. Whatever else be left undone, let us see to it that we regularly feed on the spiritual manna.
Beloved, the reason why Adam and Eve were found clothed in these coats of skins is the same reason why you, who believe on Christ, are found in Him.
You see, salvation is God providing for you in Christ, not you providing for yourself. Salvation is GOD clothing you in Christ, not you clothing yourself.
If you are in Christ, saved by His blessed person and finished saving work, you are found in Him according to the good pleasure of His will, not yours—though He makes us willing. (Psalm 110:3)
You see, salvation is God’s provision for sinners in Christ, not our provision.He who makes Christ to be our coat of salvation, is the one who graciously dresses us in Him, and makes His righteousness to be ours—through that vital living union with Him! Beloved, of God are ye in Christ Jesus! (1 Corinthians 1:30)
The only exchange of words that has ever brought peace to my heart are those words exchanged in the covenant of grace. The words exchanged between the Father and the Son on behalf of His blessed People. Our heavenly Father commands us to behold His Son and hear Him.
The Father declares of His Son and all His blessed people in Him. “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (MATTHEW 3:17) The Son declares to the Father “Behold I and the children which God hath given me.” — “Those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost.” (HEBREWS 2:13, JOHN 17:12)
From before the foundation of the world, we hear each blessed clause, each blessed sentence of the covenant, exchanged between the Father and the Son, and delivered to the believing heart by the Holy Spirit to His people.
How prone we are to try and find assurance in the words of others. Or worse yet, to try and give it to others with our own! Beloved, we’ll only find peace, quietness, and assurance forever believing the words exchanged by and within our covenant God, who changeth not. Words exchanged between the Father, His Son, and blessed to the hearts of His people by the Holy Spirit. Beloved, He sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not — he declares to you elect of God — “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” “I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (PSALM 15:4, JEREMIAH 31:3, MALACHI 3:6)
LORD deliver us from looking to ourselves. Cause us “to put our trust in HIM.” Grant us to hear the well pleasing voice of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, declaring to us once again through the gospel of our salvation, that everything this poor undeserving sinner needs to be saved before a Holy God, has been freely and graciously supplied in and by CHRIST. Our Lord declares “I GIVE unto them ETERNAL LIFE; and THEY SHALL NEVER PERISH, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” Beloved, no man shall pluck us out of the hands of our Father and His beloved Son. Believer, you can’t even pluck yourself out of the hands of our God; you are sealed by His Holy Spirit and are His Son’s purchased possession.
Everything I must be to be saved, he has graciously made me in the flesh of a man. Not in my flesh, but in the flesh and Spirit of His Son, which I now walk after by His grace. Beloved, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (ROMANS 8:1)
God grant, both the writer and the reader, grace to behold that the only work that effects assurance to the hearts of His people, is not any work done in our flesh, but rather the righteous finished work of Christ — fulfilling GOD’s LAW on our behalf. On the cross where our blessed Saviour died, He hath purchased [us] with his own blood. The punishing, bloody propitious death of our Lord that paid the penalty of all our unholy sins. And with that righteous life He lived as a man, and now He is risen, and ever lives at the righthand of the Father, fulfilling every demand God requires of me for holiness. God grant, both the writer and reader help! Lord I believe, help my unbelief. Beloved, HE has accomplished and finished the work of our salvation! Amen. (ISAIAH 40:1-2, HEBREWS 4:3)
Philip didn’t preach a theology, he didn’t preach a personal opinion, he didn’t preach a pet doctrine or an issue, beloved he preached a person; he opened his mouth, and from the scriptures he preached JESUS.
All faithful ministers, men sent of GOD, preach CHRIST JESUS and HIM CRUCIFIED; they don’t preach themselves—they are not men pleasers, they are your servants for JESUS sake. (2 Corinthians 4:5)
Beloved, I pray that the LORD will ever enable me to open my mouth and preach to you JESUS. That through HIS undeserved grace, HE will ever make me to be your faithful minister of CHRIST. (Colossians 1:7)
Philip didn’t preach a theology, he didn’t preach a personal opinion, he didn’t preach a pet doctrine or an issue, beloved he preached a person; he opened his mouth, and from the scriptures he preached JESUS. All faithful ministers, men sent of GOD, preach CHRIST JESUS and HIM CRUCIFIED; they don’t preach themselves—they are not men pleasers, they are your servants for Jesus sake. (2 Corinthians 4:5) Beloved, I pray that the LORD will ever enable me to open my mouth and preach to you JESUS. That through HIS undeserved grace, HE will ever make me to be your faithful minister of CHRIST. (Colossians 1:7)
To answer this question properly, much needs to be said by way of introduction. However, for the sake of time, allow us to outline the difference as simply as we can. We will only make three brief introductory points. First, what we believe is rooted in WHO we believe. This is not an intellectual or academic exercise. It is a living relationship with Jesus, THE Christ, the Lord of glory, our Savior. That is the reason we refuse to allow our desire to be a witness for Him to be reduced to a debate. Second, the differences in what we believe are not a matter of theological emphases. Denominations have been created over one doctrine or tradition being emphasized over another. The difference in what we believe and what most believe is the difference in eternal life and eternal death. Third, we understand, from personal experience, that the only way to savingly see the difference between the truth and a lie is by the free and sovereign grace of God. He is the only one that can make us to differ from another. So, what are the differences?
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We do not believe God loves everybody. We believe the love of God is only to be found in Christ, and that was determined by God before the world began. (EPHESIANS 1:4)
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We do not believe Christ died for everybody. He laid down His life for the sheep not the goats. It is not for us to try to figure out which one men are. His sheep will hear His voice and they will follow Him. Christ purposed to save His elect, and He fulfilled all He came to do. (JOHN 10:26-27; ISAIAH 42:1-4)
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We do not believe God, in any way, wills all men to be saved. God is God. His will is always accomplished. If He willed all men to be saved then all men would be saved. The purpose of God according to election will stand (ROMANS 9:11, 8:28)
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We do not believe man has a “free will”. Man's will is in bondage to his sinful nature. It is not free to choose Christ. Man left to himself is unable to believe. God must make him willing through the miracle of the new birth. [JOHN 3:3]
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We do not believe the gospel is an “offer” of salvation to be accepted by man. The gospel is the declaration of the “good news” that Christ has DONE everything necessary to secure the salvation of His people. God is not waiting for us to DO something to make what Christ did work for us. (2 TIMOTHY 1:9), (“It is finished!”- JOHN 19:30). This message of grace is irresistible to the elect.
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We do not believe our faith is the effectual cause of our salvation. The Faith OF Christ is the only faith that makes us accepted before a holy God. Gal.2:16 Our faith is a gift of God given IN, not FOR salvation. (EPHESIANS 2:8-9)
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We do not believe the Bible is a rule book for Christian living. We believe it is in its entirety a revelation of the glorious person and accomplished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. He Himself is our rule of life. (LUKE 24:44-45)
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In short, we believe that “salvation is of the Lord”. He gets all the glory for saving a dead dog sinner such as I. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. God, our Heavenly Father, purposed the salvation of His chosen people in the covenant of grace before the world began. Christ, the Son of God, accomplished everything necessary for Righteousness and Justice on behalf of those chosen. The Holy Spirit, at the appointed time, gives the elect ears to hear and hearts to believe. He then keeps them in Christ until their sojourn in this world is over. At that time, they will see Christ in all His glory and be made like Him.
While I understand what people mean when they ask the question ‘What does your church believe?’, I believe it is far more helpful to sinners and ultimately to God’s people, to ask the question ‘whom have you believed?’