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

"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 superabounding 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 nothi...

When the Holy Spirit shows us the necessity, the beauty and the sufficiency of the death of Christ, we repent of our own foolish works of self-righteousness, we forsake every other way of seeking to please God, we look to Christ and His substitutionary death as the only ground of our acceptance with God and our conscience rests in the quiet assurance that Christ has satisfied God on our behalf and saved us in a way that glorifies God in all His holy character. Thus the “blood” purges our consciences of every false hope, of natural self-righteousness, and all fear and doubt! -Gospel report by preacher Gary Shepard

It makes the wounded spirit whole, And calms the troubled breast; 'Tis manna to the hungry soul, And to the weary rest. Dear Name! the Rock on which I build My Shield and Hiding-place; My never-failing Treasury fill'd With boundless stores of grace. By Thee my prayers acceptance gain, Although with sin defiled; Satan accuses me in vain, And I am own'd a child. Jesus! my Shepherd, Husband, Friend, My Prophet, Priest, and King; My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End, Accept the praise I bring. Weak is the effort of my heart, And cold my warmest thought; But when I see Thee as Thou art, I'll praise Thee as I ought. Till then I would Thy love proclaim With every fleeting breath; And may the music of Thy Name Refresh my soul in death! -John Newton .

THE ultimate end or goal of redemption is not the happiness, well-being, or even conversion of sinners, but the glory of God (Eph. 1:6, 12, 14).   Man's comfort and safety is not the supreme goal of God's glorious gospel.  The supreme goal of our gospel is the glory of God, the establishment of His rule and reign over a kingdom of peace and righteousness, the exaltation and manifestation of His character, and the preeminence of His Beloved Son . Our salvation will serve that purpose (Phil. 2:6-11).  Everything in covenant mercies, in salvation, and in God's purpose for the sons of men (past, present, and future) turns upon the will of God in Christ. This makes Christ the principal figure in our gospel, our goals, and our glory.  If you have salvation and God's purpose waiting upon the free-will of the creature, then man is the principal figure in your landscape and will lead you to compromise divine truth in order to win man's approval.  The attitude ...

"Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for THE FAITH which was once delivered unto the saints. " -Jude vs. 3 [KJV] Those who are not earnestly contending "for the faith" (the gospel of God's sovereign and free grace in Christ) are only mere pretenders in a false refuge of lies (Isa. 28:15; Matt. 7:21-23). Those who are earnestly and eagerly contending "for the faith" are those that are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ (Rom.1:16-17). Those who fervently contend "for the faith" are those who publicly preach it (Acts 5:42; Phil. 1:27), faithfully support it (Cor. 9:7), zealously identify themselves where the gospel is preached (Heb. 10:25), ardently pray for God's blessing upon it (2Thes. 3:1), dogmatically defend it against all opposition (Gal. 5:1-5; Phil. 1:17; 1Tim. 6:3-5), and assertively insist...

In the Word of God, redemption was always for a specific people. In the garden of Eden, the animals that the Lord killed were for Adam and Eve, not for any of the fallen angels. When Abel offered to God the firstling of his flock, he brought it for himself and his family, not for Cain and his family. When the passover lambs were killed, they were sacrificed for the firstborn of the Israelite families, not for the firstborn of the Egyptian families. On the Day of Atonement when the high priest of Israel killed a goat and offered it to God upon the altar, that sacrifice was only on the behalf of Israel, not for any other nation. Even so, Christ came into this world to redeem a specific people, the elect of God. When He laid down His life, it was to satisfy justice for those given to Him by the Father in the covenant of grace. Let there be no misunderstanding here, we consider the teaching of universal redemption to be heresy because it is contrary to the Word of God and makes the...

"Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in T hee: yea, in the shadow of T hy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast."   -Psalm 57:1 [KJV]   The Psalmist speaks of what he calls “these calamities.”   All people experience “these calamities” of life whether they be afflictions, trials or troubles.  The difference that grace makes among men is demonstrated in where or to whom one goes to for comfort, help and refuge.  This is said to be a psalm of David when he was in the cave while hiding as Saul pursued him to take his life, David’s calamities were his alone as are ours.  But notice his plea, it is for God to be merciful to him.  He did not deserve God’s mercy as I don’t but, in Christ and through Him, we seek it and find it.  His trust was in God alone and as we know, God blessed him as He does all who trust in Him alone.  We have no confidence in the flesh and our tru...