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

' Sin has stripped the soul of its moral clothing and left us spiritually naked.  No fig-leaf apron, woven by our works, can ever cover our shame for  “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags”  (Isaiah 64:6).  Christ’s righteousness alone makes us truly beautiful before the eyes of God and answers all the demands of divine justice for absolute perfection.'  -preacher Jim Byrd of Thirteenth Street Baptist church located in Asheville, Kentucky USA

How can a poor soul that is sinful and lost, How can that vile soul be made pure; When works of the flesh are but unrighteous deeds,   And the heart is corrupt and impure?   CHORUS:   Jesus died for our sins, Jesus died, Jesus died for our sins.   ‘Twas in this great way, God His law has satisfied, The blood of the Savior was shed; Our ransom was paid and redemption was done, Christ laid down His Own life in our stead.  CHORUS   Come hear this glad sound of the word of free grace, For sinners the Savior was slain; No work but His Own could the law satisfy, Or remove all of sin’s guilty stain.   CHORUS     When facing the Lord in His stern holiness, When standing before His great throne; What words shall we say in that most solemn day, Since no work we have done can atone?   CHORUS

  “ Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.   Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins” ( Isaiah 40.1-2).   In the Law and in our natural conscience we can find no lasting comfort with regard to our sin. So long as law and conscience rule our thoughts about our sin, we will be held in bondage through our fear of death. If God were to leave us in that condition, we could find no fault in Him. The charges against us are true; the guilt is real; the fear of death is legitimate.   But God commands His messengers to bring to His sinful people a word of comfort concerning their sin. How astonishing! The God against whom we have sinned orders a word of comfort be sent to us regarding that sin! But such is the wonder of the gospel - it turns all our natural thinking on its head.   When we would naturally expect a word of condemn

" I will extol thee, O L ORD ; for Thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.   O L ORD my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed me.   O L ORD , Thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. "  - Psalm 30:1-3 [KJV] Our Aim   Are we trying to win the favor of man or of God? Do we seek to be men-pleasers? If we are seeking the favor and approval of men, we are not the bond-serv­ants of Jesus Christ. Our aim is to be true to the Word of God, and in doing so we will be true to our hearers.  This gospel of the free grace of God is glorifying to God and honoring to all of His excel­lent attributes; His love and mercy, His infinite wisdom, His righteous justice, and His immutable holiness.  This gospel of the free grace of God in Christ is the only hope that sinful, corrupt men have; for if righteousness comes by any obedience to the law at all, not only did Christ die in vain,