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

Am I Hearing The Truth?   When a person is looking for a church to attend and worship God, that person should never assume that he or she is hearing the truth. Our Lord said in Matthew 7:15 "Beware of false prophets!” They are everywhere, telling every lie known to man! So how can I know whether I'm hearing the truth or a lie? We all must ask ourselves two questions: Am I hearing God's word? and Who is getting the glory in salvation? Is salvation up to me or did Christ finish it alone ?   THE TRUTH is: Christ did it all! (Hebrews 1:3) . Christ has already finished it all! (John 19:30) . And Christ gets all the glory for salvation! (I Corinthians 1:31) . If a man is not preaching THAT, he's not preaching the word of God. And if he's not preaching the word of God, he's a false prophet!   It's not: THIS is what we believe… and THAT is what they believe… THE TRUTH is not dependent on what any of us believe! The only thing that matters is: What ...

  Salvation Is By The Will Of God   God the Holy Spirit effectually regenerates, calls, and saves His elect by almighty, irresistible grace. All those whose names were written in heaven in eternal election, all those who were redeemed by the blood of Christ shall be effectually called by God the Holy Spirit in time. They shall be born again and saved by the almighty power of His irresistible grace.    When the Spirit of God calls, when He draws sinners to Christ, He effectually brings them to Christ. Salvation is not by the will of man, but by the will of God. Salvation is not by the work of man, but by the work of God. Salvation is not by the choice of man, but by the choice of God. “So then it is  not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy” (Romans 9:16) .   -copied  

Christ is the Lamb of God...the clean, spotless Lamb . He took our place on the cross, was made sin, and treated as such. That which we should have endured throughout eternity, He endured for us on the tree. He bore all that was due us, there and then, in order that we might enjoy what is due to Him forever. He got what we deserved that we might get what He deserved. The clean took, for a while, the place of the unclean in order that the unclean might take forever the place of the clean.                                                                         -preacher Scott Richardson Sermon Audio Gospel messages here: https://www.sermo...

Most people have a reason to get up in the morning—to live another day. For many, that reason is love: love of self, love of family, or love of the world around them.    But for the mature believer, living another day has a deeper meaning. “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” My existence is no longer centered on myself, but on bringing glory to Christ.   This reality gives life its greatest purpose. It is what makes each new day worth living. Christ is my reason to rise each morning, my purpose in living out each day, and my hope when my last day comes. Philippians 1:21 ,  “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”                                                         ...

"For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?  God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about Him.  O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto Thee? or to Thy faithfulness round about Thee ?"                    -Psalm 89:6-8 [KJV]   -------0-------   To those who struggle with assurance, saying, "There are so many times that I do not feel saved," I would remind you that, before you came to Christ, there were many times you did not feel lost! Did your lack of "lost feelings" at that time mean that you weren't lost? Of course not!  For feelings have nothing to do with whether or not we are lost. Do you not see that it is the same with respect to whe­ther or not we are saved? Martin Luther said it well when he wrote:   “For feelings come and feelings go,...

"By the obedience of One, shall many be made righteous." -Romans 5:19 [KJV St. Paul speaks of “Another Jesus, another Spirit, and another gospel” (II  Corinthians 11:4.) Some talk of a Jesus, who shed His blood for sinners, and yet leaves them to perish for want of righteousness: this is another Jesus than what the Scriptures reveal. They speak of a Spirit, who strives to make sinners righteous; but, meeting with so much unexpected, perverse wickedness in their nature, He gives over His attempt, and suffers them to perish in their sins: this is another  Spirit, than that Spirit, whose office it is to convince us of sin, and of the righteousness of Christ, to sanctify us in Him, and to glorify Jesus . Again; they preach what they call gospel, which consists of certain terms to be fulfilled, and conditions performed by us, in order to obtain righteousness and eternal life: this is another  gospel, than that good news of everlasting righteousness, life, and sal...

"And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS .” -John 19:19 [KJV] My soul! thou hast not yet read the inscription over the cross of Christ, in thine evening meditations. Do not withdraw from the sacred spot, until thou hast read it, and also, through divine teaching, understood its blessed design. Pilate meant it in reproach: but Jehovah over-ruled the design, to give His dear Son due honour. It was written in the three learned languages, in Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew. And it is the best of all learning to be able to read it in the light in which the Lord the Spirit caused it to be written. Do Thou, almighty Teacher, cause me so to read it! Pilate meant it as Christ's crime; as if to tell the world wherefore He suffered: but, so far is the inscription itself from notifying a crime, that it positively asserts what it was meant to deny. Pilate wished it to be understood that Christ was punished a...

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." -Psalm 91:1 [KJV] What is "the secret place of the most High?"  It is the same spot, of which Asaph speaks in the seventy-third Psalm— "Until I went into the sanctuary of God, then understood I their end."  It is the spot, of which the Lord speaks in Ezekiel— "I will be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come."  Then this "secret place"  is the secret bosom of God. It is an entrance by faith into Jehovah, by a spiritual manifestation of Him, leading us into a spiritual acquaintance with Him.  "The secret place of the most High" is that solemn spot, where Jehovah meets with the sinner in Christ, and where He opens up to him the riches of His mercy, and leads him into His bosom, so as to read the secrets of His loving heart. It is called a "secret"  place, as only known to the p...