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

The ABCs of the Gospel by D.G. Miles McKee     “ A ” stands for the vitally important text without which the gospel makes no sense, “ A ll have sinned and come short of the Glory of God.” Romans 3:23. Have you heard of Sir James Simpson? He discovered the use of chloroform in 1887 and by his discovery revolutionized surgery.  He is known as a giant in the history of medicine.  However, when asked by one of his students what he considered to be the most valuable discovery of his lifetime, he replied, “My most valuable discovery was when I discovered myself a sinner and that Jesus Christ was my Saviour.” Yes indeed, the first thing we are to realize is that we are sinners in need of a Saviour. Jesus only saves sinners.  He said, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mark 2:17).   Salvation is for the guilty (Jeremiah 33:8). For the sinner (Luke 7: 37, 47). For the lost (Luke 19:10). For the ungodly (Romans 4:5). This is wonderful news!   What about you

"This is our God for ever, and ever: He will be our guide even unto death." -Psalm 48:14 [KJV] Here is, (1st.) The joyful claim of faith. This God: Just as though the sinner saw Him as visible, pointed to Him, and exulted in Him. “Is our God.” It is our special mercy, we do not serve an unknown God. Our God has manifested Himself to us: is known by us: we have felt His sovereign grace and almighty power within us. Hence, we own Him, come to Him, and rejoice in Him, as our covenant God in Christ. He came from heaven to earth, to seek and to save us. He has given us hearts to ascend from earth to heaven.  There we view our reconciled God and Father, at perfect peace with us; our God Redeemer, ever living to save us; our God and Comforter, winging the joys of salvation into our hearts, and thereby sanctifying us unto eternal glory. “This our God, ever rests in His love to us” (Zephaniah 3:17.) “He will never turn away from us to do us good.” (Jeremiah 32:40.)  

" Being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." -Romans 3:24 [KJV] Who are in this happy state? Men, apostate men! who have alike “sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” But are impenitent and unbelieving sinners justified? Who will dare assert this? St. Paul fully contradicts it. He expressly says, the righteousness of God, (that one righteousness which God appoints, accepts and approves) which is by faith of Jesus Christ, (received by that faith, which Jesus is the Author and Finisher of, Hebrews 12:2 .) is unto all, and upon all them who believe.  But unbelievers reject this glorious righteousness of Christ. Therefore, they are not in a state of justification. Doubtless, God hath it in His secret and eternal purposes, to justify all them who shall believe: therefore, He gives them faith in time. Then, what was eternally decreed, effectually takes place in their souls: then, they come as condemned malefactors, to

"Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the L ORD ." -Lamentations 3:40 [KJV] This book is justly styled, the Lamentations. The dear children of God were now in captivity and deep distress. Jeremiah most pathetically enumerates and laments their great calamities. We shall never get out of this book of Lamentations, while in the body. We daily see cause for lamentation, on one account and another: and, indeed, if we did not, it would be a bad sign, that, our eyes were blinded by self-righteous pride, or our hearts hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. “As sorrowing, yet always rejoicing,” is the Christian’s motto.  Times of calamity, and seasons of distress, call for self-examination and soul-searching. This will keep down murmurings and complaints. (1st.) Let us search, look for, and enquire after something that may support and comfort us, and teach us to improve our distress. Soul, let thy circumstances be what they may, thy Lord’s advice is ev

" The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against ungodliness and unrighteousness by men." -Romans 1:18 [KJV] One sin ruined the whole race of Adam. It brought curse and wrath upon every soul of man. Every man that ever lived, that now lives, and that ever shall live upon this earth, is by nature a child of wrath; and the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against his sin, not one soul excepted. How is this wrath revealed?  (1st.) At the giving the holy law on Mount Sinai (Exodus ch. 19.) There the Lord revealed all the terror and glory of His majesty, as the most holy, sin-hating God. O think of the mount that burned with fire! the blackness, darkness, and tempest!—the awful sound of the trumpet!—the terrible voice of words, which they who heard, entreated they should not be spoken any more. And so terrible was the sight, that even Moses said, “I exceedingly fear and quake” (Hebrews 12:21.) O! think of this; and think not what is called the least sin, a

" If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." -I Corinthians 15:19 [KJV] Here is a supposition, and a consequence drawn from it. Consider, (1st.) This hope in Christ. It is not common to all men. It is a precious grace of the Holy Spirit. It springs from faith in Christ. It looks to the promises in Christ, and is nourished and supported by them. It is a lively hope. We are “begotten again to it, according to the abundant mercy of God our Father, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (I Peter 1:3.) By it, we are made to differ from all other men, who, though they may talk of hope in God, yet have no hope; but are without Christ, and without God in the world (Ephesians 2:12.) Here is the proof of it: “Every man who hath this hope in him, purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (I John 3:3.)   Mind—Christ is the object of this hope. It is in, or on Christ. The man who is the subject of it, purifies himself. How?

" Is His mercy clean gone for ever? doth His promise fail for evermore?" -Psalm 77:8 [KJV] It is one thing for God to desert, and another to disinherit. The former He frequently does by His children; the latter He never did to any one of them. He may change in His conduct to them, but never in His love for them. That is a sweet expostulation of the Lord’s, “How shall I give thee up Ephraim?” (Hosea 11:8.) It reminds us of the tender affection of a loving father to a disobedient son, with a pen in his hand, just going to execute a deed to disinherit him. But love pleads: his fatherly bowels yearn; his heart melts. Though he is disobedient, yet he is my child, my heir, the son of my loins; I cannot give him up; I cannot cut him off; I will not do it!  The love of God to His children infinitely exceeds that of the most tender parent. He allows there may be such monsters in nature, for a mother not to have compassion on the son of her womb. But, says the Lord, “I

"O, death! where is thy sting? O grave! where is thy victory?" -I Corinthians 15:55 [KJV] Says a celebrated poet, “All men think all men mortal but themselves.” True, there is a natural philosophy in us so to think; but new-born souls, not only know they are mortal, dying creatures, but, in the exercise of grace, they can indulge the thoughts of death with pleasing reflections. For death is not only a conquered enemy by the Captain of our salvation; but he is also enumerated in the catalogue of our blessings.— “Death is yours.” Yours, to deliver you from all your evils of sin, sorrow, and temptations; yours, to introduce you into the presence of your God and Saviour, and into the enjoyment of all the glory and blessedness of His kingdom.    But death has a sting, and the grave a victory: this sting is sin. And what gives strength to sin, and victory over the sinner, is, the law. The darts that sting into us, and so fixes it in us, that, for any thing that we c

 Approaching God   No matter how many religious things we do or feel, whether praying, generous giving or abstaining from our ideas of worldliness, we cannot find, in any of them, a qualification by which we can approach God. Religious activity provides no resting place on which to discover the smile of God.  If sin were a simple thing like a disease then perhaps religious observations might be helpful in mending the separating gulf between man and the Almighty. But sin is much worse than any disease; the unsaved sinner is not merely ‘sin-sick’, he is ‘sin-dead’ (Ephesians 2:1). Worse still, he is under the righteous condemnation of inflexible justice (John 3:18). God, the unchangeable judge has an unalterable hatred of sin and has warned about His coming wrath against the unsaved sinner and his sin (Matthew 23:33). Unbelieving self-righteous religious people make the awful mistake of trying to present their character to God as the basis of approaching Him. Approaching G

" Nothing is requisite in order to a participation of Christ and His benefits but a grant from God." -James Hervey

" Thou shalt swear, The L ORD liveth." -Jeremiah 4:2 [KJV] A rebel under an attainder, a malefactor under sentence of death, cannot be sworn to give evidence in any court. Such is thy case, O sinner! Thou art naturally under an attainder, as a rebel against the King of kings; and art under sentence of death, by the law of God. But if an earthly monarch, by a royal act of sovereign mercy, forgives a rebel, and pardons a malefactor, they are then good evidences in court. So it is with thee, O believer! thy attainder is taken off, thy pardon is passed under the broad seal of heaven, by a sovereign act of thy gracious Lord: but never forget the love of Jesus, Who obtained this for thee.  Well, now thy Lord challenges thee: “Ye are My witnesses, saith the L ORD ” (Isaiah 43:10.) He subpoenas us into court. He commands us, Ye shall swear. The Lord, in our days of ignorance, got great dishonour from us, by our taking His holy and sacred name in vain. If not by prof

" Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not." -I John 3:6 [KJV] Beware, O my soul! of licentious spirits, who make Christ a minister of sin, instead of a Saviour from all sin. For such are strangers to the sweet experience of abiding in Christ, whereby sin is dethroned in the heart, the power of it subdued in the life, and holiness maintained in the soul. To abide in Christ, is to continue to believe in, and rest upon Him, as the dwelling of our souls. “Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations” (Psalm 90:1.) This is the claim and confession of the faithful.  Ask a believer, “where dwellest thou?" he will reply, On my own freehold, my Father’s patrimony, where my treasure is—IN Christ. Such an one sinneth not. What! never sin in thought, word, or deed? has he no sin in him? This state is the earnest desire of his soul. Verily, he doth not abide in Christ, who doth not long for it; but so far from being in it, that every believer feels he is a l

" Is not this the carpenter’s son?" -Matthew 13:55 [KJV] “Such indignity I cannot bear; such insult is intolerable.” Ah! who? What art thou who speakest thus? Thou sinful dust— thou proud worm of earth, look unto Jesus! See the King of kings; the Son of God, in the form of a mean man, the son of a carpenter!—yea more, himself a carpenter, the Son of Mary! (Mark 6:3.) Mark His condescension; learn humility. Behold His treatment and contempt; learn patience and submission. Astonishing mystery!  Let reason bow and faith adore. Sinners, behold with joy and wonder, thy God in flesh. Born under that curse for sin, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread,” (Genesis 3:19.) He works at a common trade, and follows an ordinary occupation. O! ye great and mighty, who are above trade, and despise those who follow it, saved ye must be by this carpenter’s son, or perish everlastingly! He is the one and only object of hope and salvation. “He is God and man in one Chri

" The very hairs of your head are all numbered." -Matthew 10:30 [KJV] I never can understand this, says carnal reason. Therefore, reject it, says human pride. What didst thou ever gain, O Christian! by indulging carnal reasonings, or giving way to human pride? Verily, many a sad hour, many an uncomfortable frame. O, how happy doth simple faith make the heart! It receives every word which the Lord speaks, and draws comfort from it. It serves carnal reason and pride, as David did his ten concubines: he put them in a ward, and shut them up, to the day of their death (II Samuel 20:3.)   For verily, they are like the spies which Moses sent out, “who brought up an evil report of the land” (Numbers 13:32.) Therefore, listen not to their suggestions. Our Lord never spoke a word as a subject for thy curious speculations; but, that thou shouldest humbly believe it, exercise thy believing mind upon it, and derive peace and comfort from it. Our Lord had been telling His d

" I will make an EVERLASTING COVENANT with them, that I will not turn away from them to do them good ." -Jeremiah 32:40 [KJV] A minister lately preaching on the tremendous solemnity of the last day, at the close of his sermon, thus addressed his hearers: “Most awful as my subject has been; most solemn as the things which you have heard have been—yet I have one thing more to add, which is as awful. ‘Tis this.—Ere to-morrow’s sun, perhaps, you will have forgotten all you have heard of this solemn subject!” Awful conclusion! is not this too much our case, respecting the covenant love and faithfulness of our God? Else, why those unreasonable doubts, groundless suspicions, heart-rending jealousies, and soul-dejecting fears which possess us?  Else, whence that slowness of heart to approach the Lord, to cast our care upon Him, put our trust in Him, glory of Him, live upon Him, and rejoice in Him? The Lord will ever be mindful of His covenant (Psalm 111:5.) But, shame t

Impossible Things Believed!     I am so thankful for the ministry of the Holy Spirit in relation to the gospel. He gives us faith (Eph 2:8) and then persuades us of impossible things, the most unfeasible of these being the gospel itself!   Have you ever considered the unlikeliness of the whole gospel story?  Here we are on a tiny, insignificant speck of a planet, un-noticeable in the vast array of galaxies and yet God, the creator of all things, has a special interest in us. And the sceptic says, “What a far-fetched idea!” Well it may be far fetched to some, but the truth is He came here and became one of us! And the doubter says, “Wait a minute, I don’t believe in fairy stories!” But this is no fairy story my friend; not only did He become one of us, He also died the cruelest of deaths for us as He took responsibility for our sins and failures. And not only did He die for us, He also became a curse for us and at the cross became the greatest reject in the world. And the