"Salvation is of the LORD." -Jonah 2:9

"Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made H imself of no reputation, and took upon H im the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." -P HILIPPIANS 2:6, 7 [KJV]   The humanity of our blessed Lord was actual flesh and blood from the moment of its conception, a perfect human body, to which was united a perfect human soul; both without sin, or else He could not be the Lamb without blemish; both without sin, or his pure humanity would not have been that "holy thing" born of the Virgin, which should be called the Son of God. Thus He came forth as the Lamb of God, without spot or blemish. Well indeed might the Apostle say, "Great is the mystery of godliness." Here as in a glass we see the wonderful love of Jesus, that He who is the Sort of God, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Ghost, a sharer of the Father's essence, of the Father's glory, should stoop so l...

T HE S CRIPTURES PLAINLY TEACH that God is the first cause of all things. He does according to His will in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth. He works all things after the counsel of His own will . He does all His pleasure, raising up and putting down, making rich and making poor, afflicting or healing....all things! As He does so, the responses and attitudes of men and women to these "all things" greatly reflect their attitude toward the God who sends them. I'm not talking about a few words spoken in the heat of pain or the piercing sorrow of grief. Jacob, the man of faith, spoke in haste at a time of great sorrow, "all things are against me." I'm talking about the individual’s general attitude and response after the initial shock has passed. When their thoughts again are gathered and a course must be taken, what will they say and do? Will they blame or bless the God who is the first cause of all things. I...

I cannot think of many things that are useful when they are broken. We are either forced to discard them or to try to have them repaired. You cannot drive a broken car. You cannot use a broken computer. A broken arm will not be of much service to you nor can you walk on a broken leg. I can only think of one thing that is very useful when it is broken, a broken and a contrite heart . When God in His infinite mercy is pleased to call us to Himself and reveal the gospel to us, He breaks the hard and stony heart of sin and gives us a heart of flesh to humbly approach the throne of grace [EZEKIEL 36:26 ] . Consider the advantages of a broken heart! 1). A broken heart is acceptable and pleasing unto God! "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise" [PSALM 51:17 ] . 2). It makes the soul a fit vessel for God to dwell in! "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is ...

Before we can see what free will denies, we first have to know what is meant by free will. Free will says that a man’s destiny is dependent upon the choices he makes. His will is free to choose to allow God to save him or reject God’s offer of salvation. His eternal destiny is determined by his free will. If I believe my will is free, there are three things I deny. 1.   I deny that God is sovereign. I say His sovereignty does not extend to my will. That is a complete denial of His sovereignty. 2.   I deny that I am a sinner in the Biblical definition of the word. According to the Bible, men are dead in sins [EPHESIANS 2:1 ] . That means they are completely unable to do anything to save themselves. Free will is a denial of that. 3.   Free will is a denial of free grace. You cannot believe in salvation by grace and free will. Free will is nothing less than salvation by works. The teaching of free will is a denial of the Gospel! ...

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to H is mercy H e saved us." - TITUS 3:5 [KJV] To view mercy in its real character, we must go to Calvary. It is not sufficient to contrast the purity of God with the impurity of man. That indeed affords us some view of what mercy must be to reach the depths of the fall; a sideface of that precious attribute. But to see its full face shining upon the redeemed, we must go by faith, under the secret teachings and leadings of the Holy Ghost, to see "Immanuel, God with us," grovelling in Gethsemane's garden. We must view Him naked upon the cross, groaning, bleeding, agonizing, dying. We must view Godhead and manhood united together in the Person of a suffering Jesus; and the power of the Godhead bearing up the suffering manhood. We must view that wondrous spectacle of love and blood, and feel our eyes flowing down in streams of sorrow, humility, and contrition at the sight, in order to ...

“ And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God .” -M ATTHEW 16:16 [KJV]   All who are born of God believe that Jesus is THE CHRIST! The title “The Christ” signifies “anointed” and includes all the offices of the Son of God. To believe Him to be the Christ is to believe Him to be that Prophet which Moses said should come, who has declared the whole mind and will of the Father. It is to believe He is that Priest that should arise after the order of Melchizedek and make atonement for sin and intercede for transgressors. It is to believe that He is that King whom the Father has set over ALL THINGS! This faith is not a mere assent to the facts nor the knowledge which devils have, but it is a HEART FAITH and LOVE FOR HIM and His glory. - Gospel report by preacher Henry T. Mahan  

"And let the beauty of the L ORD our God be upon us: and establish T hou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish T hou it." -P SALM 90:17 [KJV] What is this beauty? "The beauty of the L ORD our God." It is, therefore, the beauty of the God-man; the comeliness, the holiness, the perfection, and glory that ever dwell in the Son of God. Now "days of affliction, and years of evil" have marred all creature comeliness. There was a time, perhaps, when we could take some pleasure and delight in what we were, or what we vainly fancied we should be. Our own righteousness had a beauty and comeliness to us; and our religion was amiable and pleasing in our own sight. But what has become of it? Marred, marred; effectually marred. By what? "Days of affliction, and years of evil." These have effectually ruined, defaced, and polluted all creature comeliness. In a word, we were once deeply in love with self; but self...