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

" God hath chosen us in Christ, before the foundation of the world." — Ephesians 1:4 [KJV] So the apostles wrote and preached, to comfort and establish their brethren in the faith of Christ, in the love of God, and in the sanctification of the Spirit unto all true holiness. The election of sinners, by God the Father in Christ Jesus, from all eternity, is the foundation from which all faith and hope spring. If this truth is rejected, the atonement of Jesus is made precarious, the work of the Spirit uncertain, salvation doubtful, faith void, the promise of none effect, and the hope of eternal life is made to depend on the will and power of weak and vile sinners, instead of the grace and truth of God. But in every age, men of corrupt minds, destitute of the truth, have opposed God's sovereign grace, everlasting love, and eternal purposes. God hath suffered it, "that those who are approved might be made manifest." — I Corinthians 11:19 . Humble, self-e...

" What shall we say then? shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" — Romans 6:1 [KJV] Believer in Jesus, what are thy thoughts? what is the answer of thine heart this day, in regard to thy walk and conduct in life, from the important doctrines of grace? Canst thou say, the everlasting love of God the Father, reigning through the righteousness of Jesus unto eternal life, manifested in the gospel, and applied by the Holy Spirit through faith, have the least tendency to give reins to thy lust, to open a door of licentiousness, and to encourage thee to continue in sin? Doth the belief of the guilt of sin, being atoned by the precious blood of Jesus, influence thee to the love of sin? Doth the knowledge of Christ's righteousness imputed unto justification of life, tend to make thee delight in unrighteousness and unholiness of life? By no means: God forbid! to bring such an heinous charge against divine truths; O what daring impiety! what horrid blasphemy...

The Day Zacchaeus Got Saved, Part 1   by D. G. Miles McKee   Luke 19:1-10. A great preacher was teaching his students about extemporary (impromptu ) preaching.  Without warning he told one of the young men to come up to the podium and preach on Zacchaeus. Here’s what the surprised young preacher said for his sermon. ‘Zacchaeus was a small man…so am I. Zacchaeus was very much up a tree … So am I Zacchaeus made haste to come down…and so will I.’ He sat down to thunderous applause and cries of ‘More, More, More.‘ ‘No’ said the old preacher, no more. He couldn’t improve on that if he tried’    The Biblical story of Zacchaeus is the saga of a small man who wanted to see Jesus. He was probably a youngish, physically fit man.  I say that because he was fit enough to run and active enough to climb trees.  I’ve rarely seen pensioners running or old men climbing trees.   The story starts with the word “behold ” (v2). This is a biblical word indicati...

" God is faithful, by Whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ." — I Corinthians 1:9 [KJV] While we entertain a notion of a God out of Christ, it affords no comfort to the mind to hear of God's faithfulness. Nay, if we were not blind to our state, as sinners, the thought would fill us with dread and horror. For how awful, how terrifying is this declaration from a faithful God: "I will by no means clear the guilty." — Exodus 34:7 . But "we know that the L ORD our God, He is God, the faithful God, Who keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations." — Deuteronomy 7:9 . O this is the life of poor sinners' souls! this is the joy of their hearts! For whenever one reads of the COVENANT, it reminds of Jesus the Surety, the Mediator, of God in Christ, the God of love, our reconciled God and Father. We have no immediate access to the Father but by His Son Jesus Ch...

" Ye were as sheep going astray, but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." — II Peter 2:25 [KJV] Scripture allusions continually remind us, "that salvation is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God who sheweth mercy:" therefore, not unto us, not to our free will, but to Thy free grace, O Lord, be all the glory . Like that poor silly creature, a sheep, we naturally stray into all kind of danger, but are unapt to return of ourselves. We never should unless the shepherd sought us. "We have turned every one to his own way," have lost ourselves in the wilderness of sin, are wounded by the wolf of prey, blinded by pride, self-will, and self-righteousness. We delight in our distance from the good Shepherd. We please ourselves in feeding on carnal lusts and sensual vanities, while our poor souls are in a starving, perishing condition. Unparalleled love! the sheep's wounds are healed by the Shepherd...

" Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures." — Luke 24:45 [KJV] Though Jesus had captivated the hearts, and drawn the affections of His disciples to Himself, before His sufferings and death, yet they had very little knowledge in the mysteries of His kingdom, and of the mystery of iniquity which worked in them: they were but weak in the understanding of the holy scriptures; hence arose their diffidence and suspicions concerning Him. He left them scattered through fear and unbelief, and He finds them full of unreasonable doubts and troubles: for this He reproves them, "O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken." But amidst all their weakness and ignorance there was a sweet and secret confidence in their hearts. Jesus had apprehended them as prisoners of love, and they were kept by an invisible power, that they might apprehend that for which also they were apprehended of Christ . Though ...

" But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: to Him be glory both now and for ever . Amen." — II Peter 3:18 [KJV] Christian, know thy danger. Thou art ever liable to be led away by the error of the wicked one, to decline from the TRUTH, and to fall away from thy stedfastness in the faith of Jesus. Exhortations warn of this; they tend to quicken stronger exercises of faith and love, as a remedy against this; yea, through the influences of the Spirit they cause new-born souls to grow and increase with the increase of God, just as reviving showers of rain and warm influences of the sun, cause the fruits of the earth to grow. It behoves every follower of the Lamb to consider this; to wrestle with the God of all grace, lest he grow faint in his mind, his hands hang down, and his knees become feeble; but that he "grow strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus." Behold the inseparable connection between grace and Jesus...