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

"For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness." - I CORINTHIANS 1:22, 23 [KJV]   The mystery of the cross can be received only by faith. To the Jews it was a stumblingblock, and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, it is the power of God and the wisdom of God. When, then, we can believe that the Son of God took part of our flesh and blood out of love and compassion for our souls; that there being no other way which even heaven itself could devise, no other means that the wisdom of God could contrive whereby sinners could be saved, but by the death of the cross, then the mystery shines forth with unspeakable lustre and glory. The shame, the ignominy, what the Apostle calls the "weakness" and "foolishness" of the cross disappear, swallowed up in a flood of surpassing grace; and faith views it

  I SUPPOSE THE MOST DIFFICULT THING ANY BELIEVER HAS TO LEARN IS THAT “Without Him we can do nothing.” This is our creed but not our experience! We will never be effectually used for God’s true glory until it becomes our experience. God will never use men that are proud enough to think themselves necessary or capable. He will throw away the vessel which begins to boast in itself or allows others to boast in it. Whatever is our strength in the flesh is sure to become our weakness in the spirit- whether it be our intelligence, our morality, our length of service, our doctrine, our courage or whatever. Gideon feared the Midianites because of the small number of his soldiers, but the Lord said, “Your soldiers are yet too many for Me.” I wonder if we will ever become weak enough, empty enough, and ignorant enough for God to use us for His glory! The logic of the Lord is strange to the natural mind. “For when I am weak, then am I strong" (II Cor. 12:10) . “ Most gladl

"By His stripes ye were healed" -I PETER 2:24 [KJV] We must not think that by self-loathing, self-deprivation or self-humiliation we will be healed of the disease of sin. The healing of the soul is in the humiliation of Christ, not in ours; in His agonies, not ours; in His death, not ours. To rely on or trust in anything other than the crucified Redeemer is to set up a rival to Christ. Do not beat up on self thinking that God will be more pleased with you. God is only pleased with His Son. Look outside of sinful self to the crucified, buried, risen and exalted Christ. Spiritual healing is by the stripes of the Savior, not the stripes of the sinner. -Gospel report by preacher Jim Byrd Thirteenth Street Baptist church of Ashland, Kentucky USA Please find Audio Gospel Sermons and Contact Information here: https://www.sermonaudio.com/source_detail.asp?sourceid=13thstbaptist