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

     If one workman should tell you that “your house must be pulled down, that the beams are all rotten, and new materials must be prepared;” and another should say, “No; the house will stand firm enough with a little repair, such a beam is good, such a spar may continue, and a trifling cost will serve the turn:” you would probably listen to him who is for putting you to the least expense and trouble. An honest and faithful minister of Christ comes and tells sinners from the Scriptures that man is, by nature, in a dangerous condition; that his house is tumbling about his ears; that his natural state is corrupt and rotten; that nothing of the original frame will serve; that old things must be done away, and all things become new.  Next, in steps an Arminian and blows up the sinner’s pride, by telling him that he is neither so weak, nor so wicked, as the other represents him; that a little patching and whitewashing will set all to rights, without taking any part of the...

What Does it Mean to be Saved?   Hebrews 7:25, “ Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them.”   Jesus saves to the uttermost ...but what does that mean? It means He is able, willing, and ready to completely, perfectly and utterly save.  His uttermost salvation means that we have salvation to the fullest extent! Since there is nothing beyond the uttermost there can be nothing lacking in God’s salvation.  Christ has removed every power and enemy that has attempted to roadblock our salvation. He saves to the uttermost! But let´s now ask, What does it mean to be saved? Simply put, when we are saved we have salvation.   But what is salvation?   One of the things that salvation means is that we have been rescued and delivered from imminent danger. One of the earliest expressions of salvation being equated with deliverance from danger is found in Exodus 14. At that time, M...

     “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died.”   -Romans 8:34 [KJV] And what if He did not die? Cain would be condemned, and so would Abel. Esau would be cut off, but so would Jacob. Pharaoh would be damned, but so would Moses. Judas would be cast into the lake of fire, but so would Peter, James, and John. Agrippa would perish, but so would Paul. The point is, our sole and only reason for being saved is His death. “ If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son .”   God was completely satisfied by the death of His Son. His justice was honored, sin was punished, paid for, and put away. God can ask for nothing more! And however satisfied He is with the death of His Son is how satisfied He is with those He died for. Oh how glorious is the death of Christ. It is the subject of the eternities! It is the sure and only ground of the salvation of the believer.  -preacher Todd Nibert

" Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee ."   -I Samuel 20:4 [KJV] Such is the language of generous love, and sincere friendship. There never was a greater instance of it, subsisting between men, than between Jonathan and David. Poor David was in great distress. Saul sought his life. He flies to his friend Jonathan, opens his whole heart to him, and solemnly assures him, “As thy soul liveth, there is but one step between me and death.” On which, Jonathan thus declares his love and faithfulness. “Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.” How must David’s heart be affected by this noble, this loving promise! O Christian, here is somewhat very similar to thine own case. Consider,    (1st.) There is but a step between thee and death. Thou knowest not how soon thy last step may be taken. What friend hast thou to go to? Verily, the King’s Son, the Son of God. As Jonathan signifies, given of the Lord: so Jesus ...

"Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits, camphor with spikenard, spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh, and aloes, with all the chief spices." -Song of Solomon 4:13, 14 [KJV] Hear, my soul, what Christ, thy Husband and thy Saviour, saith to the church! and as thou art a part of it in Him, take it to thyself. Surely the church of Jesus is His garden, and every plant in it, which the heavenly Father hath planted, must flourish, with all the increase of God, as trees of the Lord's right-hand planting. Even the tenderest plants, the youngest of His people, form a part in this orchard of pomegranates; for every one hath been taken out of nature's wild wilderness, and brought, by sovereign and distinguishing grace, into the Lord's garden, His church; and, like pomegranates, a large and full-bearing fruit, sweet and delicious, they are in Jesus' eye most pleasant, from the beauty and comeliness He...

"Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." -I Corinthians 3:21-23 [KJV]   Whatever there be in heaven, whatever there be in earth, that can be for your spiritual good, all is yours so far as you are an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ. The silver and the gold and the cattle upon a thousand hills are all Christ's because all power is given to Him in heaven and in earth. Whatever your temporal wants may be, He can supply them, because He is king on earth as well as in heaven. Whatever enemies you may have, He is able to defeat them; whatever evils may press upon you, He is able to subdue them; whatever sorrows surround you, He is able to console you under them. Everything in time, everything in eternity, in this world and in the world to come, are all on your side, that are h...

"Faithful is He that calleth you, Who also will do it. ”   -I Thessalonians 5:24 [KJV] According to the scriptures my redemption has nothing to do with my faithfulness to God but Christ’s faithfulness to me. I find such peace and comfort in that wonderful truth. Don’t you? My faith is weak at best. My constant prayer is, “ Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief,” (Mark 9:24.)     It is Christ’s faithfulness to me that assures my salvation. “It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness , ” (Lamentation 3:22-23.) Because of His mercies His people are not consumed. His compassions toward them never fail. His faithfulness to them is great.   There are a lot of folks that talk about their faith and boast in it as though it is some great thing. There are many who trust in their “faithfulness” as some great and noble work of righteousness. I dare not be so bold. My faithful...

"Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of Thy hands.  They shall perish, but Thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall be changed:  but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no end. "   -Psalm 102:25-27 [KJV]   -------0-------          The mere knowledge of facts about the Bible, and even about the person and work of Christ, will not save us unless that knowledge leads us to really and truly TRUST OUR SOULS IN THE BLESSED REDEEMER'S HANDS.    Faith must act in this fashion: " I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He came to save sinners; and therefore, as a sinner, I rest my­self on Him. I know that His righteousness and blood justify the ungodly; therefore, I trust Him to be both my righteousness and my redemption before God. "   " And, if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Je...

"But one thing is needful."   -Luke 10:42 [KJV] Happy, most happy for that soul, who can simply bring all things into a unit, to centre in one point. More than one object perplexes the mind. If, to double business bent, we stand and pause where we shall first begin, and perhaps both neglect. What is the one thing needful? It is plain our Saviour means, the soul keeping close company with Himself. This Mary did. She sat at His feet and heard His word. Every thing else is but cumbering work, compared with this. For this one thing comprises all the holiness, happiness, and heavenly-mindedness of the soul.    O if we have the presence of Jesus, guilty tears vanish—dejecting doubts are scattered—legal terrors are silenced—anxious cares subside—strong temptations lose their force—Satan is resisted—afflictions sweetened—turbulent passions calmed—raging corruptions subdued—pride is brought down—humility is excited—peace with God is enjoyed—holiness is promoted—the fear of death c...

"His glory is great in thy salvation; honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him; for thou hast made him most blessed for ever." -Psalm 21:5, 6 [KJV] My soul, it is the most delightful of all thoughts, when at any time thou art solacing thyself in the glories of thy Redeemer, to call to mind that God the Father is glorified, while thou art made happy in the salvation thy Jesus hath accomplished by His blood and righteousness. It is indeed God the Father which called Jesus to the office and character of the Redeemer, and furnished Him with all suitable requisites for the vast work He called Him to do. But the glory and honour of Jehovah were the first and great object of the Redeemer's work; and hence Jesus, in the days of His flesh, never speaks of His own glory, but as in connection with, and leading to the glory of Jehovah. "Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in Him! Father glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee."    Hence, the...

"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her." -Hosea 2:14 [KJV] It is in the margin "to her heart;" and God speaks to the heart; that is the special characteristic of His voice. Men may speak to the ear, and they can do no more; but God speaks to the heart, for it is there that His voice alone is heard. All religion first and last lies in a man's heart. He may have his head well furnished with notions, yet a heart destitute of grace. But not so with the vessels of mercy, for they "believe with the heart unto righteousness ; " and it is by the voice of God heard in the heart that a saving faith is raised up in the soul. There God must speak if there is to be any heart religion, any sound or saving experience, any knowledge of the truth so as to be blessed and saved thereby.    But in the wilderness we learn the deep necessity there is that God should speak to our heart. We want the Lord Him...

"Behold, he prayeth..."   -Acts 9:11 [KJV]   In many trades, it is customary to shew samples or patterns. By these men judge of the goodness or quality of the whole. St. Paul sets himself forth as a sample, or pattern, of the free, distinguishing, sovereign, unmerited grace of God, that we should judge of its nature by its efficacy upon him. “I obtained mercy, for this cause, that in me first (-a first rate sinner) Jesus Christ may shew forth His all long suffering, for a pattern to them who should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting , ” (I Timothy 1:16.) Thou hast seen this pattern of free grace. What dost thou think of it? The whole is alike with the pattern. It cometh alike upon elect sinners. It finds no more prerequisites, fitness, qualifications, or conditions in any, than it did in St. Paul. Whenever it takes place upon any, it produceth the same effects as it did in him.    Grace and mercy from Jesus, makes Saul pray to Jesus. There is the emphas...

"He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob, whom He loved. Selah." -Psalm 47:4 [KJV] My soul, to whom, but to the all-lovely and all-loving Jesus, couldest thou have thought this blessed verse referred, even had this little word Selah not been placed at the end, by way of marking the emphasis of the Holy Ghost? Who couldest thou have considered suitable to have chosen the inheritance of His people, but He Who is the Lord of His people, and Himself their inheritance and their portion for ever? It was God thy Father that chose him to be the excellency of Jacob, when He gave Him for a covenant to the people; and when to the infinite mind of Jehovah, this One glorious Person, in the holiness and purity of His nature, came up before Him here, on Him the Lord placed His choice.    And had all His people been present; had it been possible for the whole of the chosen of Zion to have been consulted in the choice, would not every soul have fixed its longing eyes...

"The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." -Ephesians 6:17 [KJV] There is only one weapon whereby we can fight Satan to any purpose, and that is the word of God . But observe, that it must not be merely the letter of the word. It must be the "sword of the Spirit , " and therefore a spiritual sword, which can only be taken in hand when the word of God is applied with a divine power to your heart, and you have a living faith in it as made "life and spirit" to your soul. It is of no use my bringing forward a text to resist a temptation of Satan, unless I can make that text my own; in other words, unless I can handle that sword as one who knows how to wield it. To take up a text and not know the sweetness and power of it, would be like a child taking up a warrior's sword without having the warrior's hand. He might play with the sword, but what is the sword of a giant in the hand of a child?    The sword of Scander-Beg, a famous Albanian wa...

“I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of Thine only”   -Psalm 71:16 [KJV]  Wise travelers provide things needful for their journey, and guard against such as lie in wait to rob them.  Our gracious God calls not His dear children to forsake their native country to travel to the heavenly city without furnishing them with a rich supply of all things necessary for their comfort, and also strength to protect them from the power of every enemy.  No soldier of His goeth a warfare at his own charge.  Christ being both their righteousness and strength, they can want (- lack ) nothing.  Hence, they go on from day to day, glorying in Him as their richest treasure, and trusting in Him as their almighty strength; and this is their constant song in the house of their pilgrimage, and all their journey through: “Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength” (Isaiah 45:24) .   Jesus’ ri...

  THE WORK OF REDEMPTION   Our Lord is incomparable in the work of redemption and truly this work is His masterpiece, pure workmanship.  Indeed, all His works of creation and providence are subordinate to this.  All His attributes sparkle most gloriously in this (Psalm 102:16) .  All His angels in heaven admire and adore Him for this (Revelation 4:10-11) .  This is the work of all His works, which He is so mightily pleased with and reaps so much glory and praise from (Isaiah 42:1; 43:21) .     No angels, no men, no, not all together, could with their united worthiness redeem one soul.  “None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth forever” (Psalm 49:7-8) .  None beside God had pity enough for man’s misery, or wisdom enough to find a remedy, or power enough for His recovery.  None had pity enough for man’s misery.  Boundles...

     Peter the apostle tells us that ignorant and unstable people pervert the Holy Scriptures to their own destruction (II Peter 3:16) . Such people are found especially among those denying God’s omnipotence and sovereignty, and affirming the necessity of man’s “free will” in salvation and his ability to thwart God. One such person, a denominational head and seminary president, is quoted as saying: “Knowing God as I do through the revelation He has given me of Himself in His Word, when I am told that God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance, I know it means that the Triune God has done, is doing, always will do, all that the Triune God can do to save every man, woman, and child on this earth. If it doesn’t mean that, then tell me I pray you, what does it mean? What is hell? It is an infinite negation. It is infinite chaos. And it is more than that. I tell you, and I say it with profound reverence, hell is a ghastly monument to the f...

"Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" -Amos 3:3 [KJV]   There was a time, child of God, when the world held in your heart the chief place. It was not so in God's heart. You and He were therefore at variance. But now, through grace, you are brought to make eternity your chief concern. You and God are agreed there; for in the mind of God eternity as much outweighs time as the stars in the midnight sky outweigh a grain of dust. There was a time when you loved the world and the things of time and sense; and earth and earthly things were your element and home. You and God disagreed upon that matter; because the Lord saw that the world was full of evil, whilst you saw it full of good.    The Lord saw the world under His curse, and you loved its favour and its blessing—seeking madly and wickedly to enjoy that which God had denounced; therefore you could not agree. Thus you see that in order to be agreed with God, we must have God's thoughts in our heart, God's...

"Stand fast therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."   -Galatians 5:1 [KJV] Here is somewhat enjoyed, danger of being deprived of it, and the necessity of standing fast in it. Let us consider these three points, looking unto Jesus.    (1st.) What is enjoyed? Liberty . One of the most precious blessings in life. But this of all liberties, is the most precious. For, Christ hath made us free in our consciences.         (a.) From the guilt and power of sin.         (b.) From all condemnation of the law.         And, (c.) To have access to God as righteous persons. He hath washed away the guilt of our sins by His blood: and subdued the power of them by His Spirit. “He hath delivered us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us , ” (Galatians 3:13.) So that “there is therefore no condemnation to us, being in Christ Jes...