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

"Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death." -Psalm 107:10 [KJV] God's people are here represented not as sitting in death; were they sitting there, they would be dead altogether; but they are sitting in the shadow of death. Observe, death has lost its reality to them; it now can only cast a shadow, often a gloomy shadow, over their souls; but there is no substance. The quickening of the Spirit of God in them has destroyed the substance of death spiritually; and the death and resurrection of Jesus have destroyed the substance of death naturally. Yet, though the gloomy monster, deadness of soul, and that ghastly king of terrors, the death of the body, have been disarmed and destroyed by "Immanuel, God with us;" yet each of them casts at times a gloomy, darkling shadow over the souls of those that fear God. Is not your soul, poor child of God, exercised from time to time with this inward death? Deadness in prayer, deadness in reading the ...

"...which things the angels desire to look into." -I Peter 1:12 [KJV] My soul, what an argument ariseth out of this view, of the angels of light being inquisitive about man's redemption, to stir thee up to the same most blessed contemplation! If in the apprehension of those intelligent and exalted beings of light, the subject is so glorious, what ought it to be to thee? If, as the words represent, they fix their closest attention, and are lost in admiration, wonder, love, and praise; how is it that thou, who art so deeply interested in the blissful theme, shouldest forget it, as thou dost for hours together, and, even when thou thinkest of it, contemplate it so very coolly? Oh for grace more and more to study Jesus and His love, Jesus and His grace, Jesus and His great salvation! But among the wonders of redemption, is there not one point (and as it concerns thee, my soul, a marvellous one indeed it is) which may well be supposed to call forth the greater...

" ...when he saw His glory, and spake of Him." -John 12:41 [KJV] Ministers who do not preach Christ, sinners who do not speak of Christ, are objects of pity, not of our wrath. Their eyes are blind to His matchless glory. Their hearts do not understand His unparalleled love.  But consider, (1st.) When once Christ’s glory is displayed, and His love believed in the heart, the tongue will speak of Him. So Isaiah found it. So did that poor woman of Samaria, “she ran into the city,” she catched hold of one and another. She eagerly cried, “Come, see a man who told me all things that ever I did, is not this the Christ?” Surely it is, what think ye? (John 4:29.) She had sweet experience. Here was no self-exalting. No cry, see me, admire me. What fine experience I have got! One is sometimes grieved to read, or hear people tell of their experiences, when they tend only to make the poor sinner appear, as somewhat glorious in his own eyes, and to be admired by his fellow...

All men and women are born into this world spiritually “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1) .  All are under the curse of the law, and all are deserving of eternal damnation.  “But God” !   God chose to show mercy to some sinners through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.   Had God not chosen to do that, not one soul would have been saved.  Contrary to what many may believe, there is no rejection in election. God did not choose for some to be saved and some to be damned. Mankind was already damned.   God elected to save His people from damnation, and He reveals who He chose to do this for through the Holy Spirit giving a sinner “ Belief of the Truth” (II Thessalonians 2:13) .  Therefore, all who have been given this faith to believe on the saving work and blood of Christ alone are bound to give thanks to God for choosing to save them before the foundation of the world.  -preacher Gabe Stalnaker

Finished means finished!  Done means done!  Our Lord really, freely, fully and forever redeemed His elect by His substitutionary sacrifice on Calvary’s Tree. “By one offering He has perfected forever them that are sanctified.”   By His own blood He entered once into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.  “But now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”                                                             -preacher Tim James

" Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees." -Hebrews 12:12 [KJV] Are you saying, My troubles are many, my burden is great, and hope deferred makes my heart sick? True, a faint heart makes weak hands and feeble knees. Then afflictions become intolerable, duty tiresome, prayer irksome, the ordinances like dry breasts, the lamp of spiritual life is expiring, the poor sinner grows dejected and dispirited, is ready to give up hope, and give way to despondency. The Comforter inspires a work for such, “lift up your hands,” etc. Do you say, the advice is good, but the practice hard?  St. Paul supposes it: for he introduces it with wherefore . O, I dearly love these Scripture adverbs! Much courage and comfort are gained by attending to them. Wherefore or for which reason, lift up your weak hands, or the weak hands of others. Consider, why, or wherefore we should do this.  (1st.) We have Jesus to look unto for patience. He is the Author and Fin...

“These are the two covenants” -Galatians 4:24 [KJV]   The God of the Bible, the Living God, is a covenant making, covenant keeping God.  He has made two covenants.  The covenant of works and the covenant of grace, or the old covenant and the new covenant.  The new covenant is actually older than the old covenant because it is eternal, called “The everlasting covenant” in Scripture.   The covenant of works make some aspect of your salvation dependent upon what you do.  There is something you must first do before God can do something for you.  It is God’s response to what you do.  In reality it is God paying you for services rendered.  If you are saved  because of anything you have first done, if works you perform make you more holy and less sinful, if you believe higher rewards in heaven will be meted out to those who have been “better Christians” you are under the covenant of works and under its curse!   Th...