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

  Weekend Gospel message to follow for All Hands (2 8- 3 0 AUG20) Heads-Up --- Please find enclosed encouragement in SO GREAT SALVATION by the perfect and finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ in saving poor, needy and wretched sinners by His sovereign free grace - God's unmerited favor - from their sins and from Hell: The Sum and Substance of the Gospel “Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). This is the sum and substance of our gospel and is the great article of our faith. WHO DIED? Christ – the only begotten, well-beloved Son of God in human flesh (John 1:14). HOW DID HE DIE? A death of shame under the wrath of God, bearing our sins (I Peter 2:24). WHY DID HE DIE? He died for, in the stead of, and as the substitute for all of God’s elect in order that God might be just and the justifier of those who believe in Him (Romans 3:24-26). FOR WHOM DID HE DIE? “For the ungodly” – not for righteous men, but for those who are ungodly in nature and practice (I Timothy 1:15). W...

"And stablish you in every good word and work." - II Thessalonians 2:17 [KJV] The living family of God need to be established in the truth, so as not ever to be "children tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine." It is not sufficient for a building to be reared: it must be established before we can know whether it will stand. The most anxious moment of the builder is to see how it will settle; how the walls will bear the roof, and every part stand firm and good without bulging or slipping. When the centering is taken away from a newly-built arch, how the architect looks to see whether it will settle well and the extent of the drop, if there be any.   So in grace. It is not merely making a profession that will serve. Many a building stands well as long as the scaffolding remains; many an arch looks firm whilst the centering supports it. So many seem to stand well in early days, when upheld by zeal and earnestness, or strengthened by the support of others...

Many people think of this free grace of God that it is free because they like to have it. But, it is free because God likes to give it, the freeness is on God's part. The riches of this eternal glory are God's, and it comes to us through a perfect Savior; and what we are called to is, not to the praise or the glory of our faith because we believed, but it is to behold the praise and glory of God shining unto us in the face of Jesus Christ. " God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ " ( II Corinthians 4:6) . That eternal glory given to Him is in bringing many sons to glory to behold His face, to see Him, and be like unto Him, and behold that eternal glory He had with the Father before the worlds were, the Father's delight, the Father's darling, the Father's only begotten Son, by whom He created all things, and for whom He created al...

"The desire of our soul is to T hy Name, and to the remembrance of T hee." -Isaiah 26:8 [KJV] How sweet and expressive is the phrase,  "The desire of our soul!"  How it seems to carry our feelings with it! How it seems to describe the longings and utterings of a soul into which God has breathed the spirit of grace and mercy! "The desire of our soul," —the breathing of our heart, the longing of our inmost being; the cry, the sigh, the panting of our new nature; the heavings, gaspings, lookings, longings, pantings, hungerings, thirstings, and ventings forth of the new man of grace—all are expressed in those sweet and blessed words, "The desire of our soul!" And what a mercy it is, that there should ever be in us "the desire" of a living soul; that though the righteous dealings of God are painful and severe, running contrary to everything nature loves; yet that with all these, there should be dropped into the heart that mercy, love, and...

"If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise." - I Corinthians 3:18 [KJV] The fruit and effect of divine teaching is, to cut in pieces, and root up all our fleshly wisdom, strength, and righteousness. God never means to patch a new piece upon an old garment; He never intends to let our wisdom, our strength, our righteousness have any union with His; it must all be torn to pieces, it must all be plucked up by the roots, that a new wisdom, a new strength, and a new righteousness may arise upon its ruins. But till the Lord is pleased to teach us, we never can part with our own righteousness, never give up our own wisdom, never abandon our own strength. These things are a part and parcel of ourselves, so ingrained within us, so innate in us, so growing with our growth, that we cannot willingly part with an atom of them till the Lord Himself breaks them up...

  Justified from All Things by D.G. Miles Mckee   “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins; and by H im all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." -Acts 13: 38-39 [KJV] JUSTIFIED FROM ALL THINGS … what does that mean? That means the believer is perfectly cleared from the guilt of every sin. No charge can be brought against them for when the believer was justified, he was declared righteous, according to the just judgment of God. The law of Moses could never justify us … it could only condemn. But because of the gospel, God now justifies the ungodly. But how can this possible? Is it because of works of righteousness which we have done? Never! It is “through this man,” the Lord Jesus Christ, whom Paul preached as having died and risen again. In Romans 4, God justifies. Whom does He justify? The ungodly that work not. Is there a...

 "The miracle announced by the Gospel is that God comes to the ungodly with a mercy that is righteous, and in spite of all their depravity and rebellion, enables them through faith (on the ground of Christ’s righteousness) to enter into a new and blessed relation with Himself."   -copied