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

"And patience of hope." - I THESSALONIANS 1:3 [KJV]   What is meant by the expression "patience?" It means endurance; as though hope had to endure, faith to work, and love to labour. It is the "patience of hope" that proves its reality and genuineness. Hope does not go forward fighting and cutting its way. Hope is like a quiet sufferer, patiently bearing what comes upon it. Hope is manifested in enduring, as faith is manifested in acting. For instance: when the Lord hides H is face, when testimonies sink out of sight, when signs are not seen, when Satan tempts, when the work of grace upon the soul seems to be all obscured, and in consequence a feeling of despondency begins to set in, then the "patience of hope" is needed to endure all things—not to give way, but to maintain its hold. It acts in the same way, according to the beautiful figure of Paul, as the anchor holds the ship. What is the main value, the chief requisite in th...

How can we be sure that the ransom demanded by justice for the release of the Lord’s captive people has been rendered? What evidence is there that sin has been put away and everlasting righteousness has been brought in? What truth certifies that Christ crushed Satan’s head at the cross? What proof is there that the holy law of God has been honored, our transgressions have been punished and our souls are safe forevermore? How do we know that those in whose stead He died are reconciled to God and freely justified? What guarantee do we have that the work of redemption is finished and that all who believe Him are freed from all fear of condemnation? As we face the reality of physical death, what reason does our Lord give to enliven hope that these bodies will someday put off mortality and live again? The resurrection of our Savior is the answer to all these questions. No wonder, then, that this truth is set forth frequently in the Word of God and verified by many w...

  “ Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am .” - JOHN 8:58 [KJV]   According to the Old Testament, the ultimate name of God is “I AM” (E XODUS 3:14) . This same “I AM” appeared in the New Testament calling Himself Jesus. It is no wonder then that many of the Jews, in those days, thought Christ to be demon possessed. Others thought Him mad: n o sane man could come up with the audacious utterances that flooded from the lips of this carpenter! The Jewish leaders knew fine well that when Jesus announced, “Before Abraham was I am ” He was claiming to be God. Every Hebrew who knew his stuff was aware that the ‘I AM’ was none other than Yahweh ---the One True and living God who had spoken to Moses at the Burning Bush. But now this brash upstart of a Nazarene tradesman dares to walk around claiming to be Him. The lead up to Jesus’ claim of being the Covenant God of Israel, the ‘I Am,' is fascinating. The troubled Pharisees were,...

"I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock." -Z ECHARIAH 11:7 [KJV] In this chapter the Lord gives us a contrast between the idol, foolish and false shepherds (Zech.11:15-17) and the Great (Heb. 13:20) , Good (John 10:14) and Chief Shepherd (1Peter 5:4) of the flock, the Lord Jesus Christ. We see the charge given to the true Shepherd of Israel in verse 4, "Thus saith the LORD my God; feed the flock of the slaughter." Here we see the Lord Jesus Christ as our Surety and Mediator of the covenant of grace ready to undertake and carry out all the responsibility given to Him by the Father, to redeem His elect and secure their salvation (Matt. 1:21; Heb. 7:22) . Now in verse 7 we see the Lord Jesus answers back with firm resolve, "I will feed the flock of slaughter," that is He will care, provide, shelter, lead ...