The Power Of God # 3

 The Power Of God # 3

Consider God's power in PRESERVATION. No creature has power to preserve self. "Can papyrus reeds grow where there is no marsh? Can bulrushes flourish where there is no water?" (Job 8:11). Both man and beast would perish if there were not herbs for food; herbs would wither and die if the earth were not refreshed with fruitful showers. Therefore is God called the Preserver of "man and beast." (Psalm 36:6), upholding all things by the word of His power." (Hebrews 1:3).

What a marvel of divine power is the prenatal life of every human being! That an infant can live at all, and for so many months, in such cramped and filthy quarters, and that without breathing, is unaccountable without the power of God. Truly He "holds our soul in life". (Psalm 66:9). What a standing monument to the power of God!

Consider God's power in GOVERNMENT. Take His restraining of the malice of satan. "The devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8). He is filled with hatred against God, and with fiendish enmity against men, particularly the saints. HAe who envied Adam in paradise, envies us the pleasure of enjoying any of God's blessings. Could he have his will, he would treat all the same way he treated Job - he would send fire from Heaven on the fruits of the earth, destroy the cattle, cause a wind to overthrow our houses, and cover our bodies with boils. But little as men may realize it, God bridles him to a large extent, prevents him from carrying out his evil designs, and confines him within His ordinations.

So too, God restrains the natural corruption of men. He allows sufficient outbreakings of sin to show what fearful havoc has been wrought by man's apostasy from his Maker, ut who can conceive the frightful lengths to which men would go were God to remove His curbing hand? "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness, their feet are swift to shed blood." (Romans 3:14, 15). This is the nature of every descendant of Adam. Then what unbridled licentiousness and headstrong folly would triumph in the world, if the power of God did not interpose to lock down the floodgates of it! See Psalm 93:3, 4.

Consider God's power in JUDGMENT. When He smites, none can resist Him, see Ezekiel 22:14. How terribly this was exemplified at the Flood! God opened the windows of Heaven and broke up the great fountains of the deep, and (excepting those in the ark) the entire human race, helpless before the storm of His wrath, was swept away.

What a terrific word is that in Romans 9:22: "What if God, willing to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction." God is going to display His mighty power upon the reprobate not merely by incarcerating them in Gehenna, but by supernaturally preserving their bodies as well as souls amid the eternal burnings of the Lake of Fire.

Well may all tremble before such a God! To treat with impudence One who can crush us more easily than we can a moth, is a suicidal policy. To openly defy Him is the very height of insanity. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him." (Psalm 2:12).

Well may the enlightened soul adore such a God! The wondrous and infinite perfections of such a Being call for fervent worship. "Who among the gods is like You, O Lord? Who is like You - majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?"

Well may the saint trust such a God! He is worthy of implicit confidence. Nothing is too hard for Him. But seeing that He is clothed with omnipotence no prayer is too hard for Him to answer, no need is too great for Him to supply, no passion too strong for Him to subdue, no temptation too powerful for Him to deliver from, no misery too deep for Him to relieve.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1).

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21).

~A. W. Pink~

(The End)

Spiritual Fluctuations

 Spiritual Fluctuations

"Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God" (Psalm 55:19). As there are some people who uniformly enjoy good health - so there is a class of religious professor who appear to maintain one steady level of experience. There is no rise and fall of their emotional thermometer, no ebbs and flows in the tide of their energy, no ups and downs in their history. Their faith (such as it is) does not flag, their "assurance" is never eclipsed by the dark clouds of unbelief, their zeal continues lively to the end. Are such people to be envied or pitied? Perhaps such a question seems senseless. Does not the timid and trembling believer, whose case varies as often and as radically as the weather, frequently wish that his experience approximated far more closely, to that which we have just described.

Surely such a uniform level of experience, is greatly to be coveted. What more desirable than unruffled peace, unbroken confidence, uninterrupted joy! Ah - but all is not gold that glitters! Much which passes in the churches for the coin of Canaan lacks a genuine ring to it. We must needs inquire - Is such a peace that of the graveyard - or the peace of Heaven? Is such confidence a carnal one - or the fruit of the Spirit? Is it a delusive or a substantial joy? In order to ascertain this, the question has to be raised - Is the fear of God upon such characters? Do they furnish any clear evidence that it is so? The solemn declaration of our text demands an impartial answer to these queries.

What "changes" the real Christian experiences in his conflicts with sin! At conversion, it often seems as though the believer is completely delivered from all his spiritual enemies. His heart has been so melted and drawn out Godwards, his sense of Christ dying on the Cross has imparted such a hatred and horror of evil, that he is filled with a desire and determination to live henceforth upon the pleasing of his Lord. But how soon he discovers that the Wilderness of Sin lies between him and the Promised Land, and that though the Egyptians are dead, there are Amalekites to assail him! True, God grants him many a token of His favor along the way, and at each gracious reviving, indwelling sin appears to slumber; but soon after it awakens and rages worse than ever, and, "I am carnal, sold under sin" (Romans 7:14) becomes his cry!

What "changes" the real Christian experiences in his enjoyment of the Scriptures! Often he is able to feelingly exclaim, "More to be desired are they than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb" (Psalm 19:10). But alas, it is by no means always so. When fellowship with God is broken - our relish is lost for His Word, and it becomes neglected. 

What "changes" the real Christian experiences in his faith! On some occasions his heart goes out instinctively to God so that he can exclaim, "I will trust and not be afraid" (Isaiah 12:2); but at other times he is filled with doubts and fears, and is quite unable to lay hold of the Divine promises. 

What "changes" the real Christian experiences in his prayer life! One day he is favored with real freedom, and his devotions are delightful - but another day he is bound in his heart, and his attempts at supplication are wearisome. O how different it is, when the believer is favored with conscious access to God, and an answer of peace is granted him.

What "changes" the true Christian experiences in his outward lot! For a time - perhaps for years - the smile of Providence is upon him, and then all is drastically altered. One trouble follows swiftly upon the heels of another, until the sorely tried soul is ready to say with Jacob, "all these things are against me!" (Gen. 42:36). satan takes full advantage of his low spirits and shattered nerves. Thoroughly dejected, he asks, "where are Your former loving-kindnesses to me?" (Psalm 89:49).

But such "changes" or afflictions are helpful - for they deeply exercise an honest heart, humble him before the Lord, cause him to tread more softly, and deepen his fear of God. Long continued ease and comfort, produce the worst effects upon the godless. But the spiritual flucuations to which we have alluded, are a part of God's discipline for the believers growth in piety!

~A. W. Pink~

(The End)

The Power Of God # 2

 The Power Of God # 2

"Lo, these are parts of His ways: but how little a portion is heard of Him? but the thunder of His power who can understand?" (Job 26:14). Who is able to count all the monuments of His power? Even that which is displayed of His might in the visible creation is utterly beyond our powers of conception, still less are we able to conceive of omnipotence itself. There is infinitely more power lodged in the nature of God than is expressed in all His works.

"Parts of His ways" we behold in creation, providence, redemption, but only a "little part" of His might is seen in them. Remarkably is this brought out, "And  there was no hiding of His powers" (Habakkuk 3:4). It is scarcely possible to imagine anything moe grandiose than the imagery of this whole chapter, yet nothing in it surpasses the nobility of this statement. The prophet (in vision) beheld the mighty God scattering the hills and overturning the mountains, which one would think afforded an amazing demonstration of His power. Nay, says our verse, that is rather the "hiding" than the displaying of His power. What is meant? This: so inconceivable, so immense, so uncontrollable is the power of Deity, that the fearful convulsions which He works in nature conceal, more than they reveal, of His infinite might!

It is very beautiful to link together the following passages:

He "treads upon the waves of the sea" (Job 9:8) which expresses God's uncontrollable power.

"He walks in the circuit of Heaven" (Job 22:14), which tells of the immensity of His presence.

He "walks upon the wings of the wind" (Psalm 104:3), which signifies the amazing swiftness of His operations. 

Let us now consider God's power in CREATION. "The heavens are Yours, and the earth is Yours, everything in the world is Yours - You created it all. You created north and south (Psalm 89:11). Before man  can work he must have both tools and materials - btu God began with nothing, and by His Word alone out of nothing made all things. The intellect cannot grasp it. "God spoke, and it was done; He commanded and it stood fast" (Psalm 33:9). Primeval matter heard His voice. "God said, Let there be ... and it was so" (Genesis 1). Well may we exclaim, "You have a strong arm; Your hand is mighty, Your right hand is exalted" (Psalm 89:13).

"Who that looks upward to the midnight sky, and , with an eye of reason, beholds its rolling wonders; who can forbear inquiring: "Of what were their mighty orbs formed?" Amazing to relate, they were produced without materials. They sprang from emptiness itself. The stately fabric of universal nature emerged out of nothing. How was it all connected into one finely-proportioned and nobly finished structure?  The Lord merely spoke and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born." (Psalm 33;6).

~A. W. Pink~

(continued with # 3)

The Power Of God # 1

 The Power Of God # 1

We cannot have a right conception of God unless we think of Him as all-powerful, as well as all-wise. He who cannot do what he will, and perform all his pleasure, cannot be God. As God has a will to resolve what he deems good, so has He power to execute His will.

"The power of God is that ability and strength whereby He can bring to pass whatever He pleases, whatever His infinite wisdom may direct, and whatever the infinite purity of His will may resolve - As holiness is the beauty of all God's attributes, so power is that which gives life and action to all the perfections of the divine nature. How vain would be the eternal counsels, if power did not step in to execute them. Without power - His mercy would be but feeble pity. His promises is like Himself - infinite, eternal, incomprehensible; it can neither be checked, restrained, nor frustrated by the creature!" (Stephen Charnock).

"God has spoken once; twice have I heard this, that power belongs unto God." (Psalm 62:11). "God has spoken once" - nothing more is necessary! "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but His Word abides forever."

"God has spoken once" - how befitting His divine majesty! We por mortals may speak often and yet fail to be heard. He speaks but once and the thunder of His power is heard on a thousand hills.

"The Lord thundered from Heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded amid the hail and burning coals. He shot His arrows and scattered His enemies; His lightning flashed, and they were greatly confused. Then at Your command, O Lord, at the blast of Your breath, the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare." (Psalm 18:13-15).

"God has spoken once" - behold His unchanging authority. "For who in the Heaven can be compared unto the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?" (Psalm 89:6). "All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the powers of Heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to Him: What have You done?" (Daniel 4:35).

This was openly displayed when God became became incarnate and tabernacled among men. To the leper He said, Jesus reached out and touched him. "I am willing, be healed!" And instantly he was cured of his leprosy." (Matt. 8:3). To one who had lain in the grave four days He cried, "Lazarus, come forth" - and the dead came forth. The stormy wind and the angry waves were hushed at a single word from Him. A legion of demons could not resist His authoritative command.

"Power belongs unto God," and to Him alone. Not a creature in the entire universe has an atom of power, but what God delegates. But God's power is not acquired, nor does it depend upon any recognition by any other authority. It belongs to Him inherently.

"God's power is like Himself, self-existent, self-sustained. The mightiest of men cannot add so much as a shadow of increased power to the Omnipotent One. He sits on no buttressed throne and leans on no assisting arm. His court is not maintained by His courtiers, not does it borrow its splendor from His creatures. He is Himself the great central source and Originator of all power." (Charles Spurgeon).

Not only does all creation bear witness to the great power of God, but also to His entire independence of all created things. Listen to His own challenge: "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell Me if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone?" (Acts 38:4-6). How completely is the pride of man laid in the dust!

"Power is also used as a name of God, "the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power" (Mark 14:62), that is, at the right hand of God. God and power are so inseparable that they are reciprocated. As His essence is immense, not to be confined in place; as it is eternal, not to be measured in time; so it is almighty, not to be limited in regard of action." (Charnock).

~A. W. Pink~

(continued with # 2)

Saving Faith

Saving Faith

There is a dead faith, as well as a living one. There is a faith of devils, as well as a faith of God's elect. There is a faith which is vain and useless, as well as a faith which justifies and saves.

 How shall a man know whether he has true saving faith? The thing may be found out! The Ethiopian may be known by the color of his skin; and the leopard may be known by his spots. True faith may always be known by certain marks. These marks are laid down unmistakably in Scripture. Reader, let me endeavor to set these marks plainly before you. Look at them carefully - and test your own soul by what I am going to say.

1. He who truly believes in Christ - has a NEW HEART. It is written, "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature - old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Cor. 5:17). A believer has no longer the same nature with which he was born. He is changed, renewed, and transformed after the image of His Lord and Saviour. He who minds first, the things of the flesh - has no saving faith. True faith, and spiritual regeneration, are inseparable companions. An unconverted person - is not a genuine believer!

2. He who truly believes in Christ - is a HOLY person in heart and life. It is written that God "purifies the heart by faith," and that Christians are "sanctified by faith." "Whoever has this hope in him, purifies himself." (Acts 15:9; 26:18; 1 John 3:3). A believer loves what God loves and hates what God hates. His heart's desire is to walk in the way of God's commandments, and to abstain from all manner of evil. His wish is to follow after the things which are just, and pure, and honest, and lovely - and to cleanse himself from all filthiness of flesh and spirit. He falls far short of his aim, in many things. He find daily life, a constant fight with indwelling corruption. But he fights on - and resolutely refuses to serve sin. Where there is no holiness, we may be sure there is no saving faith! An unholy man is not a genuine believer!

3. He who truly believes in Christ - works godly WORKS. It is written, that "faith works by love" (Gal. 5:6). True belief will never make a  man idle, or allow him to sit still, contented with his own religion. It will stir him to do acts of love, kindness, and charity, according as he sees opportunity. It will constrain him to walk in the steps of his Master, who 'went about doing good." In one way or another, it will make him work. Where there is no working love - there is no faith. A lazy, selfish professing Christian - has no right to regard himself as a genuine believer!

4. He who truly believes in Christ - overcomes the WORLD. It is written, that "whoever is born of God, overcomes the world - and this is the victory which overcomes the world - even our faith" (1 John 5:4). A true believer is not ruled by the world's standard of right or wrong, of truth or error. He is independent of the world's opinion. He cares little for the world's priase. He looks at things unseen - he sees an invisible Saviour, a coming judgement, and a crown of glory, which never fades away. There is no genuine faith with a man who is habitually conformed to the world - is not a genuine believer!

5. He who truly believes in Christ - has the witness of the Holy Spirit. He has internal evidences which the world cannot understand. Where there are no pious feelings - there is no faith. A man who knows nothing of an inward, spiritual experimental religion - is not a genuine believer!

6. He who truly believes in Christ - has a special regard to the person of CHRIST Himself. A true believer's religion does not consist in mere intellectual assent to a certain set of propositions and doctrines. It consists in union, communion, and fellowship with an actual living Person, even Jesus the Son of God. It is an actual living, personal faith in Jesus.

Where these marks of which I have been speaking, are utterly lacking, I dare not tell a man that he is a true believer. He may be called a Christian, and attend church, but if he knows nothing of these marks - I dare not pronounce him a believer. He is yet dead in trespasses and sins. He will perish everlastingly.

Show me a man who has these marks - and I feel a strong confidence about the state of his soul. He may be poor and needy in this world - but he is rich in the sight of God. He may be despised and sneered at by man - but he is honorable in the sight of the King of kings. He is traveling towards heaven! He has a mansion ready for him in the Father's house. He is cared for by Christ, while on earth. He will be owned by Christ before assembled worlds, in the life which is to  come!

~J. C. Ryle~

(The End)

The Bounties Of God

 The Bounties Of God

"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man - the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." (1 Corinthians 2:9).

How often this passage is quoted only that far; how rarely are the words added, "But God has revealed them unto us by His Spirit" (verse 10). Why is this? Is it because so few of God's people search out and enjoy what the Spirit has revealed in the Word about those things which God has prepared for those who love Him? If we were more occupied with God's riches, than with our poverty; Christ's fullness, than our emptiness; the divine bounties, than our leanness - on what a different level of experience we would live!

We are much impressed by noting some of "the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7). It is striking to note that our Christian life starts at a marriage feast; just as Christ's first miracle was wrought at one. The word to us is, "Come, for all things are now ready"; "Behold I have prepared My dinner; My oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready; come unto the marriage feast. Observe the "I have prepared," agreeing with "the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." (1 Corinthians 2:9). Notice the "are ready," confirming "God has revealed them unto us" (1 Corinthians 2:10). The creature contributes nothing; all is provided for him. Finally, weigh the "come unto the marriage feast." The figure is very blessed; it speaks of joy, festivity, feasting.

He spread the banquet, make me eat, Bid all my fears remove; Yes, o'er my guilty, rebel head He placed His banner - LOVE.

A beautiful type of the lavish manner in which God bestows His bounties upon His people is found in Genesis 9:3, "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things." 

These blessings are based upon God's estimate of the value of Christ's sacrifice of Himself. The abiding worth of that sacrifice is immeasurable and illimitable; as immeasurable as the personal excellency of the Son, as illimitable as the Father's delight in Him. The nature and extent of those blessings, which accrue to God's elect on the ground of Christ's finished work, are intimated by the substantives and adjectives employed by the Holy Spirit when He describes the profuseness of the divine bounties already bestowed upon us, and which we shall enjoy forever!

Take first God's grace. Not only are we told of the "riches of His grace", and of the exceeding riches of His grace:, but also we read that it has "abounded unto many," and that we receive "abundance of grace," yes, that grace has super-abounded - the limitless wealth of divine grace flowing forth and multiplying itself in its objects. The foundation or moving cause of this is found in John 1. When the only begotten Son became flesh and tabernacled here for a season, it was as One who was "full of grace and truth." Because we have been made joint heirs with Him it is written, "And of His fullness have all we received and grace upon grace." (John 1:16).

Take again God's love. There has been neither reserve nor restraint in the outflow of His love for His people with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3).

Our present theme is inexhaustible. Our Lord came here that His people "might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).

Consider now His confidences. The Lord Jesus said to His disciples, "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knows not what his Lord does. But I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you" (John 15:15). 

In such lavish measure God has blessed His people. What shall our response be to such divine munifleence? Surely it is that "the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many rebound to the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 4:15). Surely it is that we should "abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13). 

If God speaks so uniformly of the varied character of our blessing - as being so abundant it must be because He wants to impress our hearts with the exuberance of the bounties He has bestowed on us. The practical effect of this on our souls should cause us to "rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:11), to draw out all that is within us in true worship, to fit us for a closer and deeper fellowship with Him. "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." (2 Corinthians 9:8).

~A. W. Pink~

(The End)

The Love Of God To Us # 2

 The Love Of God To Us # 2

Clearly that lays me under a thousand time greater obligation to love, serve, and glorify Him - than had He loved me for the first time when my heart was won. All of the acts of God to His people in time, are the expressions of the love He bore them from eternity. It is because God loves us in Christ, and has done so from everlasting, that the gifts of His love are irrevocable. They are the bestowed of "the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

The love of God indeed makes a change in us when it is "shed abroad in our hearts," but it makes no change in Him. He sometimes varies the dispensations of His providence toward us, but that is not because His affection has altered. Even when He chastens us, it is in love (Hebrews 12:6), since He has our good in view.

Let us look more closely at some of the operations of God's love.

First, God's love manifested in election. "We are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit (His quickening) and belief of the truth" (2 Thessalonians 2:13).

There is an infallible connection between God's love, and His selection of those who were to be saved. That election is the consequence of His love, is clear again from Deuteronomy: "The Lord did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people" (7:7). So again: "In love, having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will" (Ephesians 1:4-5).

Second, God's love manifested in redeeming. As we have seen from 1 John 4:10, out of His sovereign love God made provision for Christ to rendeer satisfaction for their sins, though prior to their conversion He was angry with them in respect to His violated Law. And "how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32). This is another clear proof that His Son was not "delivered up" to the Cross for all mankind. For He gives them neither the Holy Spirit, a new nature, nor repentance and faith.

Third, God's love manifested in effectual calling. From the enthroned Saviour the Father sends forth the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33). Having loved His elect with an everlasting love, with loving-kindness He draws them (Jeremiah 31:3), quickens into newness of life, calls them out of darkness into His marvelous light, and makes them His children. "Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God" (1 John 3:1). If filiation does not issue from God's love as a sure effect, to what purpose are those words?

Fourth, God's love manifested in healing of backslidings. "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely" (Hosea 14:4), without reluctance or hesitation. "Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it" (Song 8:7).

Such is God's love to His people - invincible, unquenchable. Not only is there no possibility of its expiring, but also the black waters of backsliding cannot extinguish it, nor the floods of unbelief put it out.

Nothing is more irresistible in the natural world than death. In the realm of grace, nothing is so invincible as the love of God. Goodwin remarked: "What difficulties does the love of God overcome! For God to overcome His own heart! Do you think it was nothing for Him to put His Son to death? - When He came to call us, had He no difficulties which love overcame? We were dead in trespasses and sins - yet from the great love with which He loved us, He quickened us in the grave of our corruption, even then did God come and conquer us.

After our calling, how sadly do we provoke God! Such temptations that if it were possible the elect should be deceived. It is so with all Christians. No righteous man, but he is scarcely saved, and yet saved he is, because the love of God is invincible - it overcomes all difficulties."

An application is hardly necessary for such a theme. Let God's love daily engage your mind by devout mediations on it, so that the affections of your heart may be drawn out to Him. When cast down in spirit, or in sore straits, plead His love in prayer, assured that it cannot deny anything good for you. Make God's wondrous love to you the incentive of your obedience to Him - gratitude requires nothing less.

~A. W. Pink~

(The End)

The Love Of God To Us # 1

 The Love Of God To Us # 1

By "us" we mean His people. Although we read of the love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39), Holy Writ knows nothing of a love of God outside of Christ. "The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works" (Psalm 145:9), so that He provides the ravens with food. "He is kind unto the unthankful and to the  evil" (Luke 6:35), and His providence ministers unto the just and the unjust" (Matthew 5:45).

But His love is reserved for His elect. That is unequivocally established by its characteristics, for the attributes of His love are identical with Himself. Necessarily so, for "God is love." In making that postulate it is but another way to say God's love is like Himself, from everlasting to everlasting - immutable.

Nothing is more absurd to imagine that anyone beloved of God can eternally perish or shall ever experience His everlasting vengeance. Since the love of God is "in Christ Jesus," it was attracted by nothing in its objects, nor can it be repelled by anything in, of, or by them. "Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them unto the end" (John 13:1). The "world" in John 3:16 is a general term used in contrast with the Jews, and the verse must be interpreted so as not to contradict Psalm 5:5, 6:7; John 3"36; or Romans 9:13).

The chief design of God is to commend the love of God in Christ, for Heis the sole channel through which it flows. The Son has not induced the Father to love His people, but rather was it His love for them which moved Him to give His Son for them.

Ralph Erskine said: "God has taken a marvelous way to manifest His love. When He would show His power, He makes a world. When He would display His wisdom, He puts it in a frame and form that reveals its vastness. When He would manifest the grandeur and glory of His name, He makes a Heaven, and puts angels and archangels, principalities and powers therein. And when He would manifest His love, what will He not do? God has taken a great and marvelous way of manifesting it in Christ; His person, His blood, His death, His righteousness."

"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ" (2 Colossians 3:3) - so we are beloved in Him, "the love of God which is in Christ Jesus" - in Him as our Head and Husband, which is why nothing can separate us therefrom, for that union is indissoluble.

Nothing so warms the heart of the saint as a spiritual contemplation of God's love for him. As he is occupied with it, he is lifted outside of and above his wretched self. A believing apprehension fills the renewed soul with holy satisfaction, and makes him as happy as it is possible for one to be this side of Heaven. To know and believe the love which God has toward me, is both a pledge and a foretaste of Heaven itself.

Since God love His people in Christ, it is not for any amiableness in or attraction about them: "Jacob have I loved." Yes, the naturally unattractive, yes, despicable, Jacob, "worm Jacob." Since God loves His people in Christ, it is not regulated by their fruitfulness, but is the same at all times. Because He loves them in Christ, the Father loves them as Christ. The time will come when His prayer will be answered, "that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me" (John 17:23). Only faith can grasp those marvelous things, for neither reasoning nor feelings can do so. God loves us in Christ. What infinite delight the Father has as He beholds His people in His dear Son! All our blessings flow from that precious fountain.

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:10). It is clear from those words that God loved His people while they were in a state of nature, destitute of all grace, without a particle of love towards Him or faith in Him; yes, while they were His enemies (Romans 5:8-10).

~A. W. Pink~

(continued with # 2)

The Scriptures And Sin # 4

 The Scriptures And Sin # 4

This is what each of us is required to do: "Accept instruction from His mouth and lay up His Words in your heart." (Job 22:22). It is particularly the commandments, the warnings, the exhortations - which we need to make our own and to treasure. We need to make our own and to treasure. We need to memorize them, meditate upon them, pray over them, and put them into practice. The only effective way of keeping a plot of ground from being overgrown by weeds, is to sow good seed therein; "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21). So the more Christ's Word dwells in us "richly" (Colossians 3:16), the less room will there be for the exercise of sin in our hearts and lives.

It is not sufficient merely to assent to the veracity of the Scriptures - they require to be received into the affections. It is unspeakably solemn to note that the Holy Spirit specifies as the ground of apostasy, "They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved." (2 Thess. 2:10). "If truth lies only in the tongue or in the mind, only to make it a matter of talk and speculation - it will soon be gone. The seed which lies on the surface, the birds in the air will pick up. Therefore hide it deeply; let it get rom the ear into the mind, from the mind into the heart;  let it soak in further and further. It is only when Scripture has a prevailing sovereignty in the heart, that we receive truth in the love of it - when it is dearer than our dearest lust, then it will stick to us." (Thomas Manton).

Nothing else will preserve from the infections of this world, deliver from the temptations of satan, and be so effective a preservative against sin - as the Word of God received into the affections, "The law of his God is in his heart - none of his steps shall slide." (Psalm 37:31). As long as the truth is active within us, stirring the conscience, and is really loved by us - we shall be kept from falling.

When Joseph was tempted by Potiphar's wife, he said, "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (Genesis 39:9). The Word was in his heart, and therefore had prevailing power over his lusts. Joseph loved the ineffable holiness, and the mighty powr of God, who is able both to save and to destroy.

None of us knows when he may be tempted, therefore it is necessary to be prepared against it. Yes, we are to anticipate the future and be fortified against it, by storing up the Word in our hearts for coming emergencies. "I have hidden Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You." (Psalm 119:11).

Here is another important rule by which we should frequently test ourselves. Are my thought being formed, my heart controlled, and my ways and works regulated by God's Word? This is what the Lord requires: "Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says!" (James 1:22). This is how gratitude to and affection for Christ are to be expressed: "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." (John 14:15).

For this, Divine assistance is needed. David prayed, "Make me to walk in the path of Your commandments" (Psalm 119:35). "We need not only ilight to know our way, but a heart to walk in it. Direction is necessary because of the blindness of our minds; and grace is necessary because of the weakness of our hearts. It will not answer our duty to have a mere notion of truths, unless we embrace and pursue them" (Manton). Note the path of Your commandments." Not a self-chosen course, but a definitely marked-out one. 

Has your study of the Bible made you more humble, or more proud? Has it raised you in the esteem of your fellow men, or has it led you to take a lower place before God? Has it produced in you a deeper abhorrence and loathing of self, or has it made you more complacent?

"Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all." (1 Timothy 4:15).

~A. W. Pink~

(The End)

The Supremacy Of God # 2

 The Supremacy Of God # 2

"Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns!" (Revelation 19:6). note, "reigns" now, not "will do so in the millennium." O Lord God of our fathers, are not You God in Heaven? and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand, and no one (not even the devil himself) can stand against You!" (2 Chronicles 20:6). Before Him presidents and popes, kings and emperors, are less than grasshoppers.

But He stands alone, and who can oppose Him? He does whatever He pleases" (Job 23:13). Ah, my reader, the God of Scripture is no make-believe monarch, no mere imaginary sovereign, but King of kings, and Lord of lords! "I know that You can do anything and no plan of Yours can be thwarted." (Job 42:2): or, as another has translated it, "no purpose of Yours can be frustrated." All that He has designed He does. All that He has decreed He performs. "Our God is in Heaven; He does whatever He pleases." (Psalm 115:3). And why? Because "there is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord" (Proverbs 21:30).

God's supremacy over the works of His hands is vividly depicted in Scripture. Inanimate matter and irrational creatures, all perform their Maker's bidding. At His pleasure the Red Sea divided and its waters stood up as walls (Exodus 14); the earth opened her mouth, and guilty rebels went down alive into the pit. (Numbers 16). When He so ordered, the sun stood still (Joshua verse 10); and on another occasion the sun went backward ten degrees on the dial of Ahaz (Isaiah 38:8). God made ravens carry food to Elijah, iron to float on top of the waters, lions to be tame when Daniel was cast into their den, fire to burn not when the three Hebrews were flung into its flames. Thus "the Lord does whatever He pleases in Heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the depths." (Psalm 135:6).

But, it may be objected, do we not read again and again in Scripture how that men defied God, resisted His will, broke His commandments, disregarded His warnings, and turned a deaf ear to all His exhortations? Certainly we do. And does this nullify all that we have said above? If it does, then the Bible plainly contradicts itself. But that cannot be. What the objector refers to, is simply the wickedness of man against the external Word of God; whereas what we have mentioned above is what God has purposed in Himself. The rule of conduct He has given us to walk by, is perfectly fulfilled by none of us. His own eternal "counsels" are accomplished to their minutest details.

The absolute and universal supremacy of God is affirmed with equal plainness and positiveness in the New Testament. There we are told that God "works all things after the counsel of His own will" (Eph. 1:11) - the Greek for "works" means "to work effectually." For this reason we read, "For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things; to whom be glory forever: Amen" (Romans 11:36). Men may boast that they are free agents, with a will of their own, and are at liberty to do as they please, but Scripture says to those who boast, "Now listen, you who say, "today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will - we will live and do this or that." (James 4:13-15).

Here then is a sure resting-place for the heart. Our lives are neither the product of blind fate, nor the result of capricious chance. Every detail of them was ordained from all eternity, and is now ordered by the living and reigning God. Not a hair of our heads can be touched without His permission. "A man's heart devises his way - but the Lord directs his steps" (Proverbs 16:9). What assurance, what strength, what comfort this should give the real Christian! "My times are in Your hand" (Psalm 31:15). Then let me "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" (Psalm 37:7).

~A. W. Pink~

(The End)

The Supremacy Of God # 1

 The Supremacy Of God # 1

In one of his letters to Erqasmus, Luther said, "Your thoughts of God are too human." Probably that renowned scholar resented such a rebuke, the more so, since it proceeded from a niner's son; nevertheless, it was thoroughly deserved.

We too, though having no standing among the religious leaders of this degenerate age, give the same charge against the majority of the preachers of our day, and against those who, instead of searching the Scriptures for themselves, lazily accept the teaching of others.

The most dishonoring and degrading conceptions of the rule and reign of the Almighty are now held almost everywhere. To countless thousands, even among those professing to be  Christians, the God of the Scriptures is quite unknown.

Of old, God  complained to an apostate Israel, "You thought I was just like you." (Psalm 50:21). Such must now be His indictment against an apostate Christendom. Men imaging that the Most High is moved by sentiment, rather that actuated by principle. They suppose that His omnipotence is such an idle fiction that satan is thwarting His designs on every side. They think that if He has formed any plan or purpose at all, then it must be like theirs, constantly subject to change. They openly declare that whatever power God possesses must be restricted, lest He invade the citadel of man's "free will" and reduce him to a "machine." They lower the all-efficacious atonement, which has actually redeemed everyone for whom it was made, to a mere "remedy," which sin-sick souls may use if they feel disposed to; and they enervate the invincible work of the Holy Spirit to an "offer" of the Gospel which sinners may accept or reject as they please.

The God of this twentieth century no more resembles the Supreme Sovereign of Holy Writ, than does the dim flickering of a candle resembles the glory of the midday sun. The God who is now talked about in the average pulpit, spoken of in the ordinary Sunday School, mentioned in much of the religious literature of the day, and preached in most of the so-called Bible Conferences is the figment of human imagination, an invention of mushy sentimentality.

The heathen outside of the pale of Christendom form gods out of wood and stone - while the millions of heathen inside Christendom manufacture a God out of their own carnal mind! In reality, they are but atheists, for there is no other possible alternative between an absolutely supreme God, and no God at all. A God whose will is resisted, whose designs are frustrated, whose purpose is checkmated - possesses no title to Deity, and so far from being a fit object of worship, merits nothing but contempt!

The supremacy of the true and living God might well be argued from the infinite distance which separated the mightiest creatures from the almighty Creator. He is the Potter, they are but the clay in His hands, to be molded into vessels of honor, or to be dashed into pieces (Psalm 2:9) as He pleases. Were all the citizens of Heaven and all the inhabitants of the earth to combine in revolt against Him, it would occasion Him no uneasiness, and would have less  effect upon His eternal and unassailable Throne than has the spray of Mediterranean's waves upon the towering rocks of Gibraltar. So puerile and powerless is the creature to affect the Most High. Scripture itself tells us that when the Gentile heads unite with apostate Israel to defy Jehovah and His Christ, "He who sits in the heavens shall laugh!" (Psalm 2:4).

The absolute and universal supremacy of God is plainly and positively affirmed in many Scriptures. "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to You. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all. Riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler of everything. In Your hand are power and might, and it is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all." ( 1 Chronicles 29:11-12).

~A. W. Pink~

(continued with # 2)

The Scriptures And Sin # 3

 The Scriptures And Sin # 3

4. An individual is spiritually profited, when the Word produces in him a deeper hatred of sin. "You who love the Lord, hate evil" (Psalm 97:10). "We cannot love God without hating that which He hates. We are not only to avoid evil, and refuse to continue in it - but we must be up in arms against it, and bear towards it a hearty indignation" (Spurgeon). One of the surest tests to apply to the professed conversion, is the heart's attitude towards sin. Where the principle of holiness has been implanted, there will necessarily be a loathing of all that is unholy. If our hatred of evil is genuine, we are thankful when the Word reproves even the evil which we suspected not.

This was the experience of David: "Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way" (Psalm 119:104). Observe well, it is not merely "I abstain from," but "I hate". Not only "some" or "many", but "every false way." And not only "every evil," but "every false way."Therefore I esteem all your precepts concerning all things to be right, and I hate every false way" (Psalm 119:128).

But it is the very opposite with the wicked: "Seeing you hate instruction, and cast My Words behind you" (Psalm 50:17). In Proverbs 8:13, we read, "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil," and this godly fear comes through reading the Word. Rightly has it been said, "Until sin is hated - it cannot be mortified. You will never cry against it, as the Jews did against Christ. Crucify it, Crucify it! - until sin is really as abhorred as He was!

5. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word causes a forsaking of sin. "Let every one who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity" (2 Timothy 2:19). The more the Word is read with the definite object of discovering what is pleasing and what is displeasing to the Lord, the more will His will become known, and if our hearts are right with Him the more will our ways be conformed therein. There will be a "walking in the truth" (3 John 4).

At the close of 2 Corinthians 6 some precious promises are given to those who separate themselves from unbelievers. Observe there, the application which the Holy Spirit makes of them. He does not say, "Since we have these promises - be comforted and become complacent thereby" - but "Since we have these promises - let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." (2 Corinthians 2:1).

"Now you are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you." (John 15:3). Here is another important rule by which we should frequently test ourselves: Is the reading and studying of God's Word producing a purging of my ways? Of old the question was asked, "How shall a young man cleanse his way?" and the Divine answer is "by taking heed thereto according to Your Word." Yes, not simply by reading, believing, or memorizing it, but but by the personal application of the Word to our "way." It is by taking heed tosuch exhortations as flee from sexual immorality, flee from odolatary, flees these things - a covetouslove for money, flees also youthful lusts - that the Christian is brought into practical separation from evil; for sin has not only to be confessed, but forsaken. (Proverbs 28:13).

6. An individual is spiritually profited, when the Word fortifies against sin. The Holy Scriptures are given to us not only for the purpose of revealing our innate sinfulness, and the many, many ways in which we come short of the glory of God - but also to teach us how to obtain deliverance from sin, and how to be kept from displeasing God. "Your Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against You" (Psalm 119:11).

~A. W. Pink~

(continued with # 4)

The Scriptures And Sin # 2

 The Scriptures And Sin # 2

2. An individual is spiritually profited, when the Word makes him sorrow over sin. Of the stoney-ground hearer it is said that he "hears the Word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the Word, he quickly falls away. (Matt. 13:20-21). But of those who were convicted under the preaching of Peter, it is recorded that they were cut to the heart. (Acts 2:37).

The same contrast exists today. Many will listen to a flowery sermon, or an address on "prophecy" that displays oratorical powers exhibits the intellectual skill of the speaker - but which, usually contains no searching application to the conscience. It is received with approhbation, but no one is humbled before God or brought into a closer walk with Him through it.

But let a faithful servant of the Lord (who by grace is not seeking to acquire a reputation for his "brilliance" bring the teaching of Scripture to bear upon character and conduct, exposing the sad failures of even the best of God's people - and though the crowd will despise the messenger, the truly regenerate will be thankful for the message which causes them to mourn before God and cry, "Oh, what a wretched man that I am!"

So it is in the private reading of the Word. It is when the Holy Spirit applies it in such a way that I am made to see and feel my inward corruption, that I am really blessed.

What a word is that in Jeremiah 31:19: "After I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh; I was ashamed, yes, even confounded." Do you, my reader know anything of such an experience? Does your study of the Word produce a broken heart and lead to a humbling of yourself before God? Does it convict you of your sins in such a way that you are brought to daily repentance before Him? The paschal lamb had to be eaten with "bitter herbs" (Exodus 12:8); so as we really feed on the Word, the Holy Spirit makes it "bitter" to us before it becomes sweet to our taste.

Note the order in Revelation 10:9. "So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will be bitter in your stomach, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey." This is ever the experimental order: there must be mourning, before comfort (Matt. 5:4); humbling, before exalting (1 Peter 5:6).

3. An individual is spiritually profited, when the Word leads to confession of sin. The Scriptures are profitable for "reproof" (2 Timothy 3:16), and an honest soul will acknowledge its faults. Of the lost it is said, "For everyone who loves evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved" (John 3:20). "God be merciful to me a sinner!" is the cry of a renewed heart, and every time we are quickened by the Word (Psalm 119) there is a fresh revealing to us and a fresh owning by us of our transgressions before God. "He who covers his sins shall not prosper; but whoever confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy" (Proverbs 28:13). There can be no spiritual prosperity or fruitfulness while we conceal within our hearts our guilty secrets; only as they are freely owned before God, and that in detail, shall we enjoy His mercy.

There is no real peace for the conscience and no rest for the heart, while we cherish unconfessed sin. Relief comes when it is fully unbosomed to God. Mark well the experience of David. "When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer (Psalm 32:3-4). Is this figurative but forcible language unintelligible upon you? Or does your own spiritual history explain it? There is many a verse of Scripture which no commentary but that of personal experience can satisfactorily interpret. Blessed indeed is the immediate sequel here: "Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD" - and You forgave the guilt of my sin." (Psalm 32:5).

~A. W. Pink~

(continued with # 3)

The Scriptures And Sin # 1

 The Scriptures And Sin # 1

There is grave reason to believe that much Bible reading and Bible study of the last few years has been of no spiritual profit to those who engaged in it. Yes, we go further; we greatly fear that in many instances it has proved a curse rather than a blessing. This is strong language , we are well aware, yet no stronger than the case calls for. Divine gifts may be misused, and Divine mercies abused. That this has been so in the present instance, is evident by the fruits produced. Even the natural man may (and often does) take up the study of the sciences. Where this is the case, his store of knowledge is increased, and so also is his pride. Like a scientist engaged in making interesting experiments, the intellectual searcher of the Word is quite elated when he makes some discovery in it; but the joy of the latter is no more spiritual than would be that of the former. Again, just as the successes of the scientist generally increase his sense of self-importance and cause him to look with disdain upon others less knowledgeable than himself- so alas, is it often the case with those who have investigated Bible numerics, typology, prophecy, and other such subjects.

The Word of God may be taken up from various motives. Some read it to satisfy their literary pride. In certain circles it has become both the respectable and popular thing to obtain a general acquaintance with the contents of the Bible, simply because it is regarded as an educational defect to be ignorant of them. Some read it to satisfy their sense of curiosity, as they might any other book of note. Others read it to satisfy their sectarian pride. They consider it a duty to be well versed in the particular tenets of their own denomination and so search eagerly for proof-texts of their own denomination and so read it for the purpose of being able to argue successfully with those who differ from them. But in all this, there is no thought of God, no yearning for spiritual edification - and therefore no real benefit to the soul.

Of what, then, does a true profiting from the Word consist? Does not 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 furnish a clear answer to our question? There we read, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Observe what is here omitted: the Holy Scriptures are given us not for intellectual gratification or carnal speculation, but to furnish unto "every good work," and that by teaching, reproving and correcting us. Let us endeavor to amplify this by the help of other passages.

1. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word convicts him of sin. This is the first office to reveal our depravity, to expose our vileness, to make known our wickedness. A man's moral life may be irreproachable, and his dealings with his fellows may be faultless; but when the Holy Spirit applies the Word to his heart and conscience, opening his sin-blinded eyes to see his relation and attitude to God, he cires, "Woe is me, for I am undone!" It is in this way that each truly saved soul is brought to realize his deed of Christ" (Luke 5:31). Yet it is not until the Spirit applies the Word in divine power, that any individual is made to feel that he is sin-sick, sick unto death.

Such conviction that brings home to the heart that the awful ravages which sin has wrought in each person, is not to be restricted to the initial experience which immediately precedes conversion. Each time that God blesses His Word in my heart, I am made to feel how far, far short I come from the standard which He has set before me, namely, "But just as He who called you is holy - so be holy in all you do" (1 Peter 1:15).

Here, then is the first test to apply: As I read the woeful failures of different ones in Scripture, does it make me realize how sadly like unto them I am? As I read of lthe blessed and perfect life of Christ, does it make me recognize how terribly unlike Him I am?

~A. W. Pink~

(continued with # 2)

The Word of God # 3

 The Word of God # 3

This book is infallible - here are no mistakes, misquotations, or exceptions, all is the Word of God, and worthy of God.

This book is lively - it gives life, quickens the dull and sleepy, and preserves the life given.

This book is ministerial - being the seed of God, the scepter of the Messiah, and the sword of the Spirit.

This book is necessary - for our information, consolation, and establishment.

This book is nourishing - it strengthens our faith, animates our hope, and quickens our love.

This book is conquering - it overcomes satan, destroys sin, and leads sinners as willing captives to the Prince of peace.

This book is original - nothing is borrowed, stolen, or altered - all is of divine origin.

This book is penetrating - it wounds the heart, pierces the conscience, and divides between soul and spirit.

This book is perfect - as a whole, and in every part; it contains a perfect system of doctrine, a perfect code of precepts, and a perfect variety of truth to meet every possible cause.

The Bible is compared to a fire, that burns; a hummer, that breaks; a sword, that pierces and slays; a light, that shines in a dark place; a lantern, that guides the feet; milk, which nourishes and feeds; a suit of armor, which protects the person; incorruptible seed, which always brings forth fruit.

It is called the Word of God, the word of righteousness, the word of reconciliation, the word of life, the word of faith, the word of salvation, the word of grace, the word of truth, the faithful word, a more sure word of prophecy, the word of the saint's testimony, and the word of Christ.

Jeremiah exclaims, "Your words were found, and I ate them; and your word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart!"

David appeals to the Lord and says, "Your word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against you. I will delight myself in your statutes, I will not forget your word. Your word is very pure, therefore your servant loves it. My eyes stay open through the watches of the night - that I may meditate on your word."

Jesus said, "The Scriptures testify of Me."

Paul insists, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

O, for greater love to the Scriptures - that we may know them, enjoy them, conform to them, exercise faith in them, and make them our delight! May we read them daily, pray over them constantly, meditate on them frequently, and manifest their holy tendency in life and death. May our memories be  stored with them, our hearts be sanctified by them, and our lives correspond with them.

O may these heavenly pages be

My ever delight;

And still new beauties may I see,

And still increasing light!

~James Smith~

Affliction - The Lot of Saints Below

 Affliction - The Lot of Saints Below

While I am mortal, I must taste of the waters of Mara; drink of the cup of adversity; and swim the tempestuous ocean. It is the perfection of angels, that they could never experience the pain of mental disquiet, or the pangs of anguish. And it is the happiness of departed saints, to obtain joy for mourning, a crown for crosses; and to forget their misery, if not wholly, yet to remember it as waters, once swelled to a dreadful flood - but which now have forever flown away. It is, then the misery of the sons of men, only while here, to be, as it were, a mark set up for the arrows of tribulation, and to be engaged in constant war, and in perpetual broils. But it is the privileges of the Christian soldier to wear the shield of faith, with which he shall be able to quench the fiery darts of satan, and to ward off the sling-stones of tribulation which pelt him from every quarter. How, then, may I triumph under all my afflictions? Consider,

1. Afflictions come from God, whatever, be the instrument. "You have chastised me, and I was chastised - you have afflicted me in faithfulness."

2. Afflictions are sent out of love. "Whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives."

3. Afflictions are for my good. "Our human fathers punished us for a short time, as it seemed right to them; but God does it for our own good, so that we may share His holiness."

4. Afflictions are for the exercise of grace, even of that noble grace of faith. "Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

5. Afflictions are noble antidotes against, and preservatives from sin. "Before I was afflicted, I strayed - but now I keep Your Word."

6. Afflictions assimilate the saints to their glorious Head, their sympathizing and feeling High Priest, who was a "man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." In the work of redemption, the Captain of their salvation was made perfect through sufferings.

7. Afflictions give a general disgust of all created things, and prove the creature to be subject to vanity; hence, says one much tempered in affliction, "I have seen an end of all perfection."

8. Afflictions teach humanity and sympathy to fellow-creatures in the same circumstances. 

9. Afflictions make very humble, and break the haughty mind and being down the lofty thought.

10. Afflictions make the man rightly exercised therein, to know himself, and think on his former ways; to resort often to the throne of grace, go often to God.

11. Afflictions give clear and certain proof of the providence of God.

12. Afflictions prepare for glory, and make us fit to join the company of those who came out of great tribulation.

Shall I, then, despise the discipline of heaven, from which none are exempted, no, not even the Son of God? Yes, all the heirs of glory are brought up in the school of the cross. O royal privilege, inestimable blessing, to be under the care of heaven!

 Who then, should bind His power, or doubt His faithfulness? God will never break His Word, whatever men may think; nor falsify His faithful promise. Cursed unbelief implies, that either God promises what He never intends to perform, or what He is not able to perfect; both which are blasphemous!! 

Take courage, O my soul! and mind that in a little while - and sin will be no more, and sorrow will be no more, and temptations will be no more, and troubles will be no more; and time will be no more! But yet a little while, and love, and life and light, and liberty, and joy, and glory, rapture and delight - in a word, God and all His fullness - are yours for evermore!

~James Meikle~

The Word of God # 2

The Word of God # 2

This holy writing is intended for earth, it is placed before our eyes to be copied into our memories, and observed in our lives. The world has it, the church owns it, and every part of God's family may equally enjoy it. It is intended for the whole of this life, to be used through our entire journey - but will be dispensed with when we get home. It is here in written characters, there in substance, and both here and there prized and enjoyed. It is here to be read, believed, and tasted; but its fullest blessings are reserved for that better land. Now we need it, while on earth we cannot dispense with it - but in heaven we shall be able to do without it.

This book is pure - unmixed with error, untainted by sin, and worthy of a holy God.

This book is true - and may therefore be firmly believed, implicitly trusted, and unreservedly depended upon.

This book is sure - and cannot possibly deceive, lead astray, or sanction a mistake.

This book is right - being in perfect accordance with the holiness, justice, and grace of God.

This book is divine - the offspring of God, bearing the impress of divinity, and is always acknowledged by Jehovah when pleaded at His throne.

This book is spiritual - and therefore cannot be understood by the carnal, the worldly wise, or anyone who is untaught of God.

This book is mysterious - containing mysteries which are to be believed, reverenced, and acknowledged,  though never in this world to be fully comprehended.

This book is excellent - in its matter, style, and design.

This book is extensive - embracing more than the human mind can contain, then any creature could invent, or the whole of time will unfold.

This book is firm - and cannot be removed, driven out of the world.

This book is full - containing all that is necessary, ornamental, or useful.

This book is feeding - it feeds the memory, the intellect, and the heart.

This book is filling - it satisfies the illiterate, the learner, and the scholar.

This book is glorious - and glorifies God, the Saviour, the Holy Spirit, and the church.

This book is harmonious - every part accords, harmonizes, and agrees.

This book is honest - it exposes, commends, and reproves, as the case may be.

This book is immutable - it can undergo no change in its doctrines, requirements, or promises.

This book is irrevocable - heaven and earth may pass away, but its predictions, threatenings, and promises shall stand forever.

This book is invitings - forGod stoops to write, instruct, and give wisdom to worms.

This book is incomparable - it never had, has not now, nor ever will have - an equal!

~James Smith~

(continued with # 2)

The Word of God # 1

The Word of God # 1

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The Bible is God's book, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and therefore free from error; Holy men of God wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."

It contains God's law, the church's history, and Christ's gospel.

It reveals God, opens heaven, and directs man.

It makes known God's thoughts, the world's doom, and the church's blessedness.

It unfolds eternity to time, brings heaven to earth, and makes invisible realities known. 

It was written for sinners, has been preserved by a special providence, and is the godly man's treasure.

Infidels scorn it, angels study it with wonder, and the saints delight in it.

It is a token of God's love, a proof of His regard, and a display of His concern for our welfare.

This Word of God contains the Law - commanding, condemning,and cursing; the Psalms - disclosing, elevating, and praising; the Gospel - unfolding, inviting, and directing; the Prophets - predicting, exhorting, and denouncing.

It contains a rich variety, a divine fullness, and is exactly adapted to meet the case and condition of sinners.

Its histories are true, instructive, and impartial. Its precepts are just, holy, and good. Its cautions are beneficial, wise, and useful. Its exhortations are judicious, adapted, and profitable. Its reproofs are kind, solemn, and suitable. Its directions are merciful, practical, and plain. Its instructions are deep, spiritual and extensive. Its corrections are loving, just, and glorious. Its doctrines are divine, sublime, and glorious. Its descriptions are vivid, correct, and impartial. Its invitations are general, attractive, and gracious. Its promises are great, numerous, and invaluable. Its warnings are solemn, preventing, and tender. Its threatenings are dreadful, alarming, and just. Its parable are simple, instructive, and edifying. Its types are significant, impressive, and suitable. Its examples are bright, winning, and worthy. It is in every part, and every way, worthy of a God!

We have this blessed book as God's free gift, procured for us by our adorable Redeemer, and bestowed upon us through the Holy Spirit. Its revelations were delivered, first orally, then written, then printed: first given to a few, then written for many, then printed for all: first freely bestowed, then hard to be obtained and now easily to be gotten. Given by God, opposed by the devil, blasphemed by many, rejected by more, unknown to thousands - but highly prized by a few. Many study it, all Christians believe it - but none fully comprehend it.

This divine testimony is exceedingly useful; for it produces morality in the world, spiritually in the church, and good in all who believe it. It enlightens the dark, instructs the ignorant, comforts the desponding, directs the lost, encourages the seeking, assures the waiting soul, warns the wayward, threatens theunruly, condemns the impenitent, invites the weary, strengthens the weak, consoles the dejected, alarms the careless, accuses the indifferent, confounds the worldly-wise, cautions the venturesome, reproves the heedless, gives promises to thediligent, frowns on the thoughtless, curses the profane, damns the hypocrite, urges the halting, exhorts the obedient, rewards the persevering, debases man, exalts the Saviour, glorifies God, astonishes angels, confounds infidels, delights perishing sinners.

The Bible is God's will, the saints treasure and the devil's eye-sore!

~James Smith~

(continued with # 2)

Don't Be A Fool!

Don't Be A Fool!

The difference between the wise person and the fool is a major theme in the book of Proverbs. Solomon picked up on it some in Ecclesiastes as well. He, the wisest person ever to live, also made a list of foolish choices in his life. Thus, he wanted those who were naive and who lacked knowledge to hear godly instruction and receive it from an early age on. He knew from his errors that he did wrong, and there is much that we can learn from the truth that God shares through him in the Scriptures. In the context, the term "fool" is not a personally insulting or derogatory term as people might use if they hate somebody. But it is a factual description of the spiritual reality of a person who lacks wisdom. We would be wise to learn from Scripture so that we can put aside folly and grow in wisdom. The following gives 15 characteristics of foolishness.

1. Fools despise wisdom. There is a clear dichotomy in the Bible between right and wrong and between fools and those who love wisdom. Those who fear God learn wisdom, but fools hate understanding. Proverbs 1:7 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction."

2. The fool hates God. He has rejected God and His Son Jesus Christ, and he has great anger in his heart toward God. Proverbs 19:3 says, "The foolishness of man ruins his way, And his heart rages against the LORD." He will go so far as to even convince himself that God doesn't exist because, in his foolish mind, this gives him freedom to live as he wants. Psalm 14:1 says, "The fool in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good."

3. Fools cause needless strife and adversity for themselves and others. Ecclesiastes 7:17 says, "Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?" Sin is inherently destructive, leading people to do dumb things and to put themselves in dangerous situations. Proverbs 13:21 says, "Adversity pursues sinners, but the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity." The righteous will suffer trouble and hardship in this life (Matthew 5:45), but they will avoid the needless trouble that fools create for themselves and others. The righteous will manifest the fruit of the Spirit, and their lives will bless others by pointing them to Christ.

4. Fools have a spiritual complacency about them. Proverbs 1:32 says, "For the waywardness of the naive will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them." Having rejected the fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom, they think not of the coming judgment or of matters of eternal significance. They have been spiritually lulled to sleep. Ecclesiastes 4:5 says, "The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh." His complacency and lack of zeal for God, for truth, and for good works is his own undoing. The fool does not fix his hope on heaven, but upon futility, vanity, useless tasks, nothing, or on every worldly thing satan has to offer!

5. Fools do a lot of worthless talking. Proverbs 10:8 says, "The wise of heart will receive commands, but a babbling fool will be ruined." What this is saying that the words that fools speak are nonsensical, irrational, unedifying, of trivial matters, formulated without thinking, and based not on absolute truth but in opinion, feeling and emotion. A fool does not delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own mind." The fool is more interested in running his mouth according to his own views even if they are not in accordance to reality or truth. The fool's speech begins with idiocy in that he rejects the Scriptures and doesn't think rationally. The result is increased wickedness, stupid choices, and madness, that is, the inability to properly evaluate decisions and life directions based on truth. Yet the fool likes to hear himself talk and keeps the babbling and jabbering going on and on. Proverbs 15:2 says, The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable. But the mouth of fools spouts folly!

6. Fools like being argumentative and stirring up strife. Any fool likes to fight, and they will do what they can to stir up trouble and provoke anger in others. Fools like to stir up controversy rather than resolving it.

7. Fools tend to have an anger issue. Proverbs 29:11.

8. For fools, doing evil is fun like a sport or hobby. Proverbs 10:23.

9. A fool follows the deceptive leading of his heart in the wrong spiritual direction. Proverbs 12:15.

10. Fools don't take sin seriously. Proverbs 14:9.

11. The ultimate form of foolishness is a person who thinks that he is smarter and wiser than God. Proverbs 26:12.

In conclusion. There will be no fools in heaven! 

~Relevant Bible Teaching~

Many Mansions # 3

Many Mansions # 3

And now, in conclusion, some will say that such a subject as this is not practical. Well, in one sense, it is not and yet I think it has a very practical tendency. Is it not practical to show you something of the attractions of Heaven so that you may desire it very powerfully; so that you may daily live in cultivating a fitness for its enjoyment; so that you may seek to lay up for yourselves a treasure there?

Surely that is practical enough. I tell you what I think: anything is practical which will make you think of  this poor world, make you think more of the world which is to come, wean your affections from earth, lead you to long after Heaven.

At all events this is practical; that Heaven, as vast as it is, will not receive you should you knock at its door, and it be found that you have come there with an unholy heart. In it "nothing shall enter which defiles, neither whatever works abomination or makes a lie, but those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life."

Let me say to those who have good reason to think that their names are there: Oh! look upon that Heaven as your home; try to get your affections weaned from earth, and set them on things that are above. Remember, this is not your rest; your rest is there!

Habitually, think of Heaven as your home, and when you contemplate death, it will have no terrors for you, and when you die you will be able to look upon your death as a going home, and to rejoice with one who said, as she lay in her dying bed: "I'm going home! I'm going home!"

~W. Landells~

(The End)
___________________


Never Separated from God

"And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believeth thou this?"   (John 11:26).
Yes, LORD, we believe it; we shall never die. Our soul may be separated from our body, and this is death of a kind; but our soul shall never be separated from God, which is the true death -- the death which was threatened to sin -- the death penalty which is the worst that can happen. We believe this most assuredly, for who shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our LORD? We are members of the Body of Christ; will Christ lose parts of His Body? We are married to Jesus; will He be bereaved and widowed? It is not possible. There is a life within us which is not capable of being divided from God: yea, and the Holy Spirit dwells within us, and how then can we die? Jesus, Himself, is our life, and therefore there is no dying for us, for He cannot die again, In Him we died unto sin once, and the capital sentence cannot a second time be executed. Now we live, and live forever. The reward of righteousness is life everlasting, and we have nothingless than the righteousness of God, and therefore can claim the very highest reward.

Living and believing, we believe that we shall live and enjoy. Wherefore we press forward with full assurance that our life is secure in our living Head.

~Charles Spurgeon~

Poor Jack!

Poor Jack!

A few years ago it pleased the Holy Spirit to work a saving change in the heart of a poor sailor, while out at sea. Jack knew nothing of real religion, nor had he one on board with him to whom he could open his mind. Convinced of sin, afraid of hell - he was terrified and alarmed, and knew not what to do. He prayed, obtained a Bible, read it, and sunk still deeper into distress of soul. At length all hope that he could be saved was taken away, and self-despair seized him. He considered his case to be singular, and was now tempted to drown his convictions in the intoxicating cup, and then to end his miserable life by suicide.

At length, when he had done business in these deep waters of despair for a time, the Holy Spirit revealed Jesus to his soul as an able and willing Saviour; and, committing himself entirely to Jesus, to be saved wholly by Him - he found peace, and was filled with unspeakable joy.

In this state of mind he reached the port, and soon inquired where he could hear the Gospel. He was directed to a place of worship, where a friend of mine was preaching. When Jack entered, he was all eyes and ears. The first hymn was full of Christ, and poor Jack felt his heart swell. In the prayer, the minister appeared to speak the very feelings of his soul. As sweet as the first hymn was - the second appeared to be sweeter, and the tears flowed down poor Jack's cheeks!

At length the minister arose to announce his text, which was Colossians 3:11, and fixing his eyes on the poor sailor, he emphatically pronounced the words, "Christ is all!" When the minister once more said, "Christ is all!" Jack could contain himself no longer, and at the top of his voice, Jack shouted - "And poor Jack is nothing at all!"

This was just the poor sailor's religion - "Jesus Christ all in all - and poor Jack is nothing at all!" And this is the religion of every one who is taught of God!!

The work of the Holy Spirit has a twofold tendency - to humble the sinner, and exalt the Saviour! And just in proportion as we are taught by the Spirit of God, shall we have low views of ourselves - and high thoughts of Christ. As the sinner sinks - the Saviour rises in his estimation.

Christ is all that the sinner needs - and all that the saint desires! He is a perfect Saviour - and in infinite portion. Christ has all, and gives all we can need: His blood procures our pardon, His righteousness secures our justification, His Spirit sanctifies our nature, and His fullness supplies all our needs! He is just suited to the sinner - and the sinner is just suited to Him. He loves to save, to save freely, to save perfectly, and to save forever, and the sinner who is taught of God, feels that he needs just such a Saviour. And this makes the Gospel so sweet and precious to every truly convinced sinner, because it proclaims as from the mouth of God, that the Lord Jesus is a perfect Saviour - a present Saviour - a willing Saviour - who never did, and never will, cast out one that comes to Him.

Reader, are you truly saved? If so, is your religion the same as poor Jack's? Can you say, "I am a poor sinner and nothing at all, And Jesus Christ is all in all!"

You must be brought to this - before you can be saved, for salvation is entirely of grace, and grace only saves the unworthy. Grace will save you - if you feel you are lost, and unable to do anything toward your own salvation, and are willing to be saved gratuitously through simple faith in Christ. Anyone may be saved in this way - but there is no possibility of being saved in any other way; for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we can be saved. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ - and you shall be saved!" For, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him!"

~James Smith~

(The End)