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

  THE GOSPEL we need! Sin has brought mankind to the depths of depravity; it has led us to the very gates of hell. We have fallen so far into sin that it is written, “There is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Romans 3:12). “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not ” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). Had there been no revelation of the covenant of grace and the gospel that issued forth from that glorious covenant, none of us would have any reason to be hopeful, comforted or happy. But there is mercy with the Lord that we might have a strong consolation which comes to us through the free grace which is in Christ Jesus. It is for certain there is no joy for any sinner except that which is published in the glad tidings of the gospel.  The gospel does not propose that we change our ways, improve our lives or do something to merit the favor of God; those things are impossible for us and to even suggest that there is something a sinner must do to m...

"There is everything we need in Jesus to endear His name to our hearts. He is our Prophet, teaching us the will of the Father. He is our Priest, offering up Himself as our atoning Victim. He is our King, erecting His throne in our hearts, and subduing us to Himself as His loving and obedient subjects. He is our Friend, loving us at all times. He is our Brother, bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, born for our adversity. He is our Great High Priest, touched with the feeling of our infirmities, tempted in all points as we are and in our sorrows, griefs, and trials encircling us with the many folded robe of His tender, loving sympathy. O to know Jesus, that most excellent and superlative knowledge! With Paul we may well count all things but loss for its possession. To know Him as our Savior, to know Him as our Friend, to know Him as our Brother, to know Him as our Advocate, to know Him as our Portion, is endless life and glory!" -preacher Octavius Winslow (1808 - 1878 A.D....

" And behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth His hand and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean . And immediately his leprosy was cleansed." -Matthew 8:2,3 [KJV]   Behold, my soul, in the instance of this leper, thine own circumstances. What he was in body, such wert thou in soul. As his leprosy made him loathsome and offensive before men, so thy polluted soul made thee odious in the sight of God! He would not have sought a cure, had he not been conscious of his need of it. Neither wouldest thou ever have looked to Jesus, had He not convinced thee of thy helplessness and misery without Him. Moreover, he would not, though convinced how much he needed healing, have sought that mercy from Jesus, had he not been made sensible of Jesus's ability to the cure. Neither wouldest thou ever have come to Jesus, hadst thou not been taught who Jesus is, and how fully competent to deli...

The Gospel and Faith, Part 6 by D G Miles McKee   Many times, in the Old Testament, the question is asked of God “Who is like unto Thee.” For example,   “Who is like unto Thee, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? (Exodus 15:11)   Likewise, “Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto Thee!” (Psalms 71:19).  Furthermore, “Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardons iniquity and passes by the transgression of the remnant of H is heritage? He retains not his anger forever, because He delights in mercy (Micah 7:18).  Who indeed is like Jesus? Is Buddha like Him? No! Or Mohammed?No! Or any of the host of religious leaders from the past?  No! When do we ever read of Buddha, Mohammed or Confucius or any of them cleansing their people from their sins? Never! Who is like unto Thee?   Not only did Christ cleanse His people’s sin, but fo...

"... a nd hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?" -Isaiah 51:13 [KJV]   Pause, my soul, over those sweet expostulating words of thy God. Wherefore should the fear of man bring a snare? How much needless anxiety should I spare myself, could I but live, amidst all my changeable days and changeable circumstances, upon my unchangeable God. Now, mark what thy God saith of  thy unreasonable and ill-grounded fears— "Where is the fury of the oppressor?" Can he take from thee thy Jesus? No! Shouldest thou lose all thy earthly comforts, Jesus ever liveth, and Jesus is thine. Can he afflict thee, if God saith no? That is impossible. Neither men nor devils can oppress without his permission. And sure enough thou art, thy God and Saviour will never allow any thing to thy hurt; for all things must work for good. And canst thou lessen the oppressor's fury by anxious f...

"But now in Christ Jesus, ye, who sometimes were afar off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ." -Ephesians 2:13 [KJV]   Of all the vast alterations made upon our nature by grace, that which is from death to life seems to be the greatest. I do not think the change would be as great, if Jesus were to make a child of God, after his conversion, at once an  archangel, as when, by His blessed Spirit He quickens the sinner, dead in trespasses and sins, and brings him into grace. My soul, contemplate the sweet thought this morning, that it may lead thee, with thy hymn of praise, to all precious Jesus! First then, my soul, think where you then stood, before this vast act of grace had quickened you. You stood on the very confines of hell— unawakened, unregenerate, uncalled, without God, and without Christ. Supposing the Lord had not saved you; supposing a sickness unto death had, by His command, taken you; supposing that any one cause had been commissioned to sign your death-warrant...

" God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Galatians 6:14). David wrote "The heavens declare the glory of God" (Psalm 19:1), but the glories of redemption vastly outshine the magnificence of creation. All of the infinite perfections of God are harmoniously featured in the substitutionary death of Christ. At the cross we behold God’s determinate purpose, His everlasting love and His inflexible justice working together to bring about the salvation of unworthy sinners to the praise of the glory of His grace. -preacher Jim Byrd https://www.sermonaudio.com/source_detail.asp?sourceid=13thstbaptist