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

"Kiss the Son."     - Psalm 2:12 [KJV]   A short command. For brevity, like the poesy of a ring: but comprehensive, like the book of God. For it compriseth all that the Scriptures require of us, and promise to us. It means, that we live in holy love, and walk in sweet friendship with the Son of God.    For, (1st.) a kiss is a token of reconciliation. Kiss and be friends, is a common proverb. “The kisses of an enemy are deceitful,” (Proverbs 27:6.) Christ has experienced this, by the kiss of Judas. Though sinners against Christ, yet He loved us: though enemies to Him, yet He died for us. The belief of this love destroys our enmity. The breach between God and us is made up. We are reconciled to God, and have peace with Him, through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1.) How did reconciling grace operate upon the heart of that vile sinner, Mary? She kissed her Lord’s feet, while, with tears of penitential sorrow, she washed them (Luke 7:38.) O! give the recon...

"I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another." -Job 19:25-27 [KJV]   What sublimity is in these words! and what blessed glorious truths do they contain! Here is Job's creed. My soul, see if it be thine. Job did not say, that he had heard of a Redeemer, and that he hoped it was true, and he gave credit to it; but he saith, he knoweth it . And observe who this Redeemer is. Job calls him his Goel, his Kinsman-Redeemer . For the right of redemption belonged to the nearest of kin, and he might redeem; Leviticus 25:25. We have lost our inheritance, forfeited our possession, and are poor indeed, both in person and in substance.    Now as Christ, by virtue of His being our nearest of kin, is the one, the Blessed One, the only One to whom the right of redemption bel...

"Awake, O sword, against My shepherd, and against the man that is My fellow, saith the LORD of hosts." - Zechariah 13:7 [KJV] Would we see, feel, and realise the exceeding sinfulness of sin, it is not by viewing the lightnings and hearing the thunders of Sinai's fiery top, but in seeing the agony and bloody sweat, and hearing the groans and cries of the suffering Son of God, as made sin for us, in the garden and upon the cross.  To look upon Him whom we have pierced will fill heart and eyes with godly sorrow for sin, and a holy mourning for and over a martyred, injured Lord. To see, by the eye of faith, as revealed to the soul by the power of God, the darling Son of God bound, scourged, buffeted, spit upon, mocked, and then, as the climax of cruel scorn and infernal cruelty, crucified between two thieves,—this believing sight, this fellowship of the sufferings of Christ, will melt the hardest heart into contrition and compunction.  But when we see, by the eye...

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” -John 4:24 [KJV]        True worship is founded upon the glorious Person and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, for God can accept no one’s person, worship, or service except in Christ and upon the basis of His obedience unto death to satisfy justice and establish righteousness to enable God to be just and Justifier. When we come before God in true worship we come by faith as sinners saved by grace, washed clean from our sins in the blood of Christ and clothed in the righteousness of Christ imputed to us. True worship is aimed towards the glory of God in Christ as we seek to praise, honor, and thank HIM for His free and marvelous grace, love, and mercy toward us in and by the Lord Jesus Christ. When we truly worship God, we glory in Christ, not in ourselves; we praise and honor Christ, not ourselves; we preach Christ, not ourselves .   True worship is inspired by God the ...

     "The apostle Paul tells me something that makes my heart rejoice. He says, “The Lord knoweth them that are His…” (II Timothy 2:19) . He knows them in the sense that HE LOVES them. He knows them in the sense that He CHOSE them. He knows them in the sense that He has SATISFIED HIMSELF  on their behalf through the righteousness of His Son. He knows them in the sense that He REGENERATED them, CALLS them and REVEALS Christ in their hearts through the Gospel. They are BLOOD-BOUGHT. He has made the righteousness of Christ to be theirs by IMPUTATION. He  ACCEPTS them totally “in the Beloved.” He knows them!"      -preacher Gary Shepard

“Christ Died For the Ungodly! ”  -Romans 5:6 [KJV] To redeem poor sinners, Jesus came down from heaven, put on the rags of our mortality, agonized, bled, and died. Jesus is made His people's substitute, burden-bearer, sin-remover, guilt-sustainer. Their debt is placed to His account. His riches pay the full amount. Sin is removed from the sinner and placed on the Sinless!  Their curse is rolled on Him, and He endures it, until no more remains! God deals with Jesus as the guilty one! He, as spotless Deity, receives imputed sins, and fully expiates them all. In the vicarious victim, God's justice is satisfied, and wrath expires!  Jesus, in His life, in the garden, on the cross suffers their sufferings, dies their death, and so becomes their uttermost salvation! His pains are their pardon! His stripes are their healing! His agony is their recovery! "Christ died for the ungodly!”    -preacher Henry Law (1797-1884 A.D.)

     "Our message is not to propose terms of peace, nor to beg sinners to make peace with God, but rather to proclaim that peace has already been made between God and His people through Christ crucified; "Having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself" (Colossians 1:20) . Now that God has removed the reason for our separation, our sin (Psalm 103:10-11) now we can freely proclaim to those who know themselves to be ungodly sinners, "Be ye reconciled to God" (II Corinthians 5:20) . That is, bow to and submit yourselves to God's absolute rule, almighty power, sovereign will, and glorious sacrifice. Believe the Lord Jesus Christ as your only Lord, Saviour, hope, redemption, righteousness, and reconciliation (Romans 10:1-4; I Corinthians 1:30) ." -preacher Tom Harding

"Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom."   -Proverbs 4:7 [KJV]   In Joseph’s visions, the sun, moon, and stars, made obeisance to him, and all the sheaves bowed to his sheaf, (Genesis 37:7.) So wisdom is honoured and exalted above and beyond every thing beside. This wisdom is the Son of God, “to Whom every knee shall bow” (Philippians 2:10.) Jesus under the character of wisdom, is said to cry—to utter His voice— Behold I will pour out My Spirit into you—and wisdom is said to enter into the heart   (Proverbs 1:20-23 & 2:10.) All this can be applied to none other but Christ, Who is of God “made unto us wisdom” (I Corinthians 1:30.) He cries after us miserable sinners— He utters His voice of love to us—He pours out His Spirit upon us—He enters into our hearts, and dwells there by faith.    This truly is the principal thing. This, infinitely above all others, demands the whole of our attention, labour and diligence. Get what we ma...

"Christ, our passover, is sacrificed for us." -I  Corinthians 5:7 [KJV]   Thou art not wearied, my soul, I hope, with the subject of thy last evening's meditation; and if not, the subject itself of the passover is so abundantly interesting, that it furnisheth endless matter for the sweetest thought. Every thing in the Jewish passover was typical and figurative of Jesus; and therefore, that we might not err on so important a point, the Holy Ghost, by His servant the apostle, calls Him by this very name; "Christ, our passover , " and adds, "was sacrificed for us." A lamb of the first year, without blemish and without spot, was set apart, in the Jewish church, for the observance of this service; and Christ, the Lamb of God, who was "holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners , " was set apart, in the christian church, for the redemption of His people, from all eternity. The lamb was slain, in the Jewish church, and ro...

"For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." -Romans 5:10 [KJV] What a fearful spot it is to be in—to feel and fear oneself an enemy to God! I think it is one of the most painful feelings that ever passed through my breast, to fear I was an enemy to God. For what must be the consequence, if a man live and die having God for his enemy? In that warfare he must perish. If God be his enemy, who can be his friend? Such sensations in the bosom are well-nigh akin to despair. Let a man fully feel that he is God's enemy, where can he hide his head? Hell itself seems to afford him no refuge. But he must be exercised with something of this before he can prize reconciliation. He must see himself to be an enemy of God by birth—that he was born in what our Reformers called "birth sin;" and that his carnal mind is enmity against God.    O the painful sensations of ...

"Save yourselves from this untoward generation."   -Acts 2:40 [KJV]   Some, from a warm zeal for free-will, and a strong opposition to salvation by grace, have been weak enough to cite this passage to prove, that we have a hand in our own salvation; because we are here called upon to save ourselves. They might with equal propriety have inferred, that we are here exhorted to new create ourselves. But there is a sense, in which this exhortation is peculiarly applicable, to every saved sinner, every justified believer in Christ. For the honour and glory of our Saviour, and for the peace and comfort of our souls, let us attend to it. Wisdom informs us, “There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet not washed from their filthiness. O how filthy are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up” (Proverbs 30:12,13.) Now these are at enmity against, “That seed that serve the Lord, and which are counted to Him for a generation” (Psalm 22:30.)  ...

"And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD's passover ." -Exodus 12:26, 27 [KJV]   My soul! thou hast lately been at the table of the Lord, to celebrate Christ as thy passover. If thy children ask of thee, as the Jewish children were here supposed to ask of their fathers, "What mean ye by the LORD's supper?" Wouldest thou not catch at the favoured opportunity to inform them? Yea, wouldest thou wait to be asked? Can there be a duty, or a pleasure upon earth, like that of a tender father instructing his household in the things, which accompany salvation? Can the imagination figure to itself any sight equally lovely to that of a parent, or a master of a family, encircled by his little ones, and answering to their interesting questions; yea, anticipating their inquiries, by speaking of Jesus, His person, His grace, His love, and all the wond...

"The poor have the gospel preached to them." -Matthew 11:5 [KJV]   What is the gospel? Is not the gospel a proclamation of pure mercy, of super-abounding grace? Does it not declare the lovingkindness of God in sending His only-begotten Son to bleed and die, and, by His obedience, blood, and merit, to bring in a salvation without money and without price? Is not this the gospel? Not clogged by conditions, nor crippled by anything that the creature has to perform; but flowing freely forth as the air in the skies?    The poor to whom the gospel is preached, value it; it is suitable to them; it is sweet and precious when the heart is brought down. But if I stand up in religious pride, if I rest upon my own righteousness, if I am not stripped of everything in the creature, what is the gospel to me? I have no heart to receive it; there is no place in my soul for a gospel without money and without price. But when I sink into the depth of creature poverty, when I am ...

"Let the lying lips be put to silence, which speak grievous things, proudly and contemptuously against the righteous."   - Psalm 31:18 [KJV]   The language of natural reason is, If I am righteous, God will love me : the language of faith is, Though I am a sinner, yet God loves me ; and, because He loves me, therefore He makes me righteous. How? The pen of inspiration answers: David, describing the character of a sinner, renewed by grace, and made meet to dwell with God, saith, “He shall receive righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Psalm 24:5.) Here we see plainly, that righteousness is a gift; that it is received, not worked out by the sinner; that it is given by the God of our salvation . It is the glorious robe, our elder brother, Jesus, wrought out for us; our heavenly Father imputes to us, and puts upon us. God the Holy Spirit enables us, by faith, to receive it, rejoice in it, and boast of it. For, we see ourselves made infinitely and everlasti...

"And He said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you, before I suffer ." -Luke 22:15 [KJV] My soul! thy Jesus holds a feast of the ordinance of His supper; that most interesting service, which He hath appointed in His church as a standing memorial of His death, until His second coming. Surely, thou canst need nothing more endearing, to prompt thee to attend it, than what the Lord himself expressed of His own pleasure in it, in these words. There is somewhat uncommonly affectionate in them: they seem to open and unfold the whole heart of the Redeemer upon the occasion. And do not forget, that what Jesus then said to His disciples, He saith now to thee, and to all His redeemed; they were the representatives of His whole body, the church. Listen to what Jesus here saith, and regard every word in this most tender and affectionate request, as if Jesus in person were now speaking to thee, in prospect of the coming supper: With desire I have ...

"Who art thou, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel thou shall become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it." - Zechariah 4:7 [KJV] If the literal temple had been built up without any trouble whatever; if all had gone on smooth and easy, there would not have been any shouting of "Grace, grace , " when it was finished. But when it was seen how the Lord had brought a few feeble exiles from Babylon; how He had supported them amidst and carried them through all their troubles; and how He that laid the foundation had brought forth the head-stone, all that stood by could say, "Grace, grace unto it." It was these very perplexities and trials that made them join so cheerily in the shout, and made the heart and soul to leap with the lips, when they burst forth with "Grace, grace unto it." And who will shout the loudest hereafter? He that has known and felt the most of the aboun...

3rd track off 'The Call's' 5th album "Into The Woods" from 1987 A.D.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh5uUfn_OvQ and, https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=3LXBC0ePlmc&list=PLLDkpVYSmCD8jKvnqCJrHURoDGye1qvcw

"...of whom I am chief."  -I Timothy 1:15 [KJV]   What a mighty change does grace make! The apostle was once, in his own eyes, the chief of saints. If but two went to heaven, he had no doubt but he should be one. Now, he is really an eminent saint in Christ: he confesses himself the chief of sinners. Why so? Did he love sin, lie down and wallow in sin, and glory in sin? No, far from it: he was now saved from all his sins. Hence he sees the exceeding preciousness of Christ, his Saviour; the exceeding sinfulness of sin, which dwelt in him; and the infinite holiness, spirituality, and perfection of the law of God . Therefore, he makes this public declaration: not, I have been, but, I now am the chief of sinners.    He, as it were, stands forth and challenges the whole race of sinners, and says, I will give place to no one: of all of you, I will be the first rate, and stand foremost in the rank. But is not this glorying in sin, which was his shame? Self-ri...

"And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled." -Acts 24:25 [KJV] And wherefore did Felix tremble? Did Paul, who was then preaching to him, charge him with any particular sins? It doth not appear that he did. Neither is it probable that a poor prisoner would have been permitted so to have done. But the truth is, God's holy word, by Paul's preaching, and the man's own guilty conscience, which Felix himself applied, so met together, that the conscious sinner could not refrain. The very thought of a future judgment, and a day of account, crossing the mind of a guilty conscience, will be enough to damp the mirth of the stoner in the midst of his jollity. Every man, more or less, must have thoughts now and then of an hereafter. Man, by nature, is a creature compelled to look forward. He is forever proposing to himself prospects that are to arise.    Hence, men of the world are sending out into the highways and lane...