The Grace of Forgiving (Part II)

From the Pastor: Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr.

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (I Jn. 1:8-10) “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Rom. 3:23)

In all honesty I say that we have too many folks strutting around like peacocks under the umbrella of Christianity as if they are the very embodiment of sinless perfection. It is time for all of us to return to the mirror of God’s Holy Word and see ourselves as God sees us! If we are truthful of what we see, we would cry out with Job: “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:5-6) Job beheld what we all desperately need to see – the grotesqueness of this sinful flesh through the eyes of a holy God. When Apostle Paul took stock of it, he wrote: “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Rom. 7:24)

This revelation comes by the graciousness and mercy of God. It is good to be acquainted with the facts of the true nature of the flesh. Too little attention is given to the two natures of every believer. Few teachers teach it, and few preachers preach it. As a result, many cower down under the condemnation of the flesh, while others strut in their pompous perfection. Both natures have their balance in the teachings of the Scriptures. Paul acknowledges the two natures and the pursuing battle every believer must fight. Yes, the flesh is sin, but the spirit is righteousness in the blood of Christ.

Paul wrote: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Rom 8:1) In Christ Jesus there is no condemnation, that is, all of our sins are forgiven. God through Jesus has forgiven us; even when we sin after being saved we have the privilege of going to the heavenly Father, and “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When God forgives there is no condemnation! If God forgives us, is it not reasonable that we should forgive ourselves by His grace? Failure to forgive self is open rebellion against God’s forgiveness!

He was infinitely happy and glorious without us!

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He was infinitely happy and glorious without us!

(James Smith, "The Pastor's Evening Visit")

"Christ, who loved us!" Romans 8:37

No condition can possibly be more dreary--than to feel that no one loves or cares for us!

There is something peculiarly sweet and pleasant--in being the object of another's love. Even the love of a poor child is sweet. But to be loved by one who is most wealthy, most exalted in station, and most honorable in character--must be peculiarly delightful!

How, then, should we rejoice; how happy should we be--who are loved by the Lord Jesus! Especially when we consider:
on the one hand:
how despicable,
how poor,
how worthless, and
how unlovely WE are!
And, on the other hand:
how glorious,
how wealthy,
how worthy,
how lovely JESUS is!

To be loved by Jesus--is to be preferred before the possession of a world!

Think of . . .
the glory of His person,
the vastness of His possessions,
the number of His angelic attendants,
the unlimited sovereignty which He exercises,
and the excellent character He bears!

Also bear in mind--that He knew what loving us would cost Him--how He would be treated by us and by others--for our sakes!

Yet He fixed His love upon US!

He loved US--just because He would!

He passed by others more dignified in nature, more exalted in station--but He chose US!

He did not, could not, NEED us--for He was infinitely happy and glorious without us!

Yet He loved us!

He still loves us!

As far as the east is from the west...

Daily Promises
Blue Letter Bible
June 30, 2010

As far as the east is from the west, [so] far hath he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalms 103:12)

My prayer: Father, I stand in complete amazement of Your unrelenting love for Your children. Thank You for the blood of Your Son and the eternal grace that You pour out upon us. It seems so unbelievable that You choose to remove and forget our many transgressions against you. Yet You do just that! Make us worthy of Your remarkable mercy and grace.

Morning and Evening

Charles H. Spurgeon
June 30, 2010

Morning Reading

And the glory which Thou gavest me I have given them.

—John 17:22

Behold the superlative liberality of the Lord Jesus, for He hath given us His all. Although a tithe of His possessions would have made a universe of angels rich beyond all thought, yet was He not content until He had given us all that He had. It would have been surprising grace if He had allowed us to eat the crumbs of His bounty beneath the table of His mercy; but He will do nothing by halves, He makes us sit with Him and share the feast. Had He given us some small pension from His royal coffers, we should have had cause to love Him eternally; but no, He will have His bride as rich as Himself, and He will not have a glory or a grace in which she shall not share. He has not been content with less than making us joint-heirs with Himself, so that we might have equal possessions. He has emptied all His estate into the coffers of the Church, and hath all things common with His redeemed. There is not one room in His house the key of which He will withhold from His people. He gives them full liberty to take all that He hath to be their own; He loves them to make free with His treasure, and appropriate as much as they can possibly carry. The boundless fulness of His all-sufficiency is as free to the believer as the air he breathes. Christ hath put the flagon of His love and grace to the believer's lip, and bidden him drink on for ever; for could he drain it, he is welcome to do so, and as he cannot exhaust it, he is bidden to drink abundantly, for it is all his own. What truer proof of fellowship can heaven or earth afford?

"When I stand before the throne
Dressed in beauty not my own
When I see Thee as Thou art,
Love Thee with unsinning heart;
Then, Lord, shall I fully know—
Not till then—how much I owe."

Evening Reading

Ah Lord God, behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for Thee.

—Jeremiah 32:17

At the very time when the Chaldeans surrounded Jerusalem, and when the sword, famine and pestilence had desolated the land, Jeremiah was commanded by God to purchase a field, and have the deed of transfer legally sealed and witnessed. This was a strange purchase for a rational man to make. Prudence could not justify it, for it was buying with scarcely a probability that the person purchasing could ever enjoy the possession. But it was enough for Jeremiah that his God had bidden him, for well he knew that God will be justified of all His children. He reasoned thus: "Ah, Lord God! Thou canst make this plot of ground of use to me; Thou canst rid this land of these oppressors; Thou canst make me yet sit under my vine and my fig-tree in the heritage which I have bought; for Thou didst make the heavens and the earth, and there is nothing too hard for Thee." This gave a majesty to the early saints, that they dared to do at God's command things which carnal reason would condemn. Whether it be a Noah who is to build a ship on dry land, an Abraham who is to offer up his only son, or a Moses who is to despise the treasures of Egypt, or a Joshua who is to besiege Jericho seven days, using no weapons but the blasts of rams' horns, they all act upon God's command, contrary to the dictates of carnal reason; and the Lord gives them a rich reward as the result of their obedient faith. Would to God we had in the religion of these modern times a more potent infusion of this heroic faith in God. If we would venture more upon the naked promise of God, we should enter a world of wonders to which as yet we are strangers. Let Jeremiah's place of confidence be ours—nothing is too hard for the God that created the heavens and the earth.

God Promising an Everlasting Kingdom

Day By Day By Grace
Bob Hoekstra
June 30, 2010

"And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever…And now, O LORD God, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant." (2 Samuel 7:16, 28)

The opening verse consists of promises from the Lord to David. They guaranteed an everlasting kingdom for David's line. The following verse conveys David's response to God's promises. His response reminds us how we should respond to the promises of God.

The kingdoms of man come and go. The kingdom that God establishes for His people is forever. This kingdom is made available to man by the promises of God. The Lord ordained that King David would have a key role in this plan. "And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever." It would be through David that the promised Messiah would come. This divine King would sit upon David's throne in a rule that would have no end. "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this" (Isaiah 9:6-7).

When the angel was announcing to Mary the conception of the Messiah, these promises were reiterated. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end" (Luke 1:31-33). These promises will be eternally fulfilled some day. "Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!'" (Revelation 11:15).

This is the kingdom Jesus offered when He walked upon this earth. "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand'" (Matthew 4:17). For all who would respond in faith like David ("Your words are true"), a place would be given in that everlasting kingdom!

Eternal God, I believe Your words are true. I have repented of my sins and have turned to Jesus as my Savior and my King. I praise Your holy name for giving me a place in the everlasting kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Romans 8:34-37

A Study of The Book of Romans

Lesson 58 Chapter 8:34 – 37

By Pastor Randy Johnson

1. Verse 34 “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”
1. We see in chapter 8, 4 very important questions to us the believers of Christ.

a. “…What shall we then say to these things?” verse 31

b. “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect?” Verse 33

c. “Who is he that condemneth?” Verse 34

d. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”

e. All four of these questions are the security of the Christian. (1.) Can our frail minds contain the love and grace that God has shown us by saving our worthless souls, (2.) Once saved no one can charge us because we have been totally cleansed by Christ blood, (3.) And since Christ is the righteous judge then only He has the power to condemn us and He simply does not condemn them that was given to Him and died for, His love is to great and it makes His death vain, and (4.) God saved us from start to finish only because He loves us, and that love is too great to allow anyone or anything take it away. Gods love is an eternal love, no beginning and no end.

2. “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God…” The Son of Man sits on Jehovah Gods right hand possessing all power and glory. Matthew 26:64 “Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” – Coming with all power.
3. Hebrews 1:3 “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”
4. “…who also maketh intercession for us.” This is our most valuable security; Jesus Christ is on Gods right hand on our behalf.
1. Verse 35 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
1. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” This is not our love for Him, but rather His love for us, and it can never be destroyed.

a. Charles Hodge once said - “It is no ground of confidence to assert, or even to feel, that we will never forsake Christ; but it is the strongest ground of assurance to be convinced that His love will never change”

b. Christ cannot change in any matter and His love will never change. Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

c. The idea here is that we need the security that Christ loves us because many bad things can happen to us that would cause us to wonder if His love is still there.

2. “…shall tribulation…” – affliction or anguish
3. “…or distress…” - narrowness of room – This refers to a man reaching the point of not knowing what to do, or distress of the mind when everything shrinks around us.
4. “…or persecution…” – from the world – even if it leads to our death the love of Christ is still there. In fact this would be great evidence that Christ loves you. Matthew 5:11 “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.”
5. “… or famine…” - through the idea of destitution – doing without food and being hungry.
6. “…or nakedness…” – the lacking of proper clothing –
7. “…or peril…” – danger – Let us not forget the danger those before us suffered and even then that walked with Christ.
8. “…or sword?” – death – Many of Christians have died for Christ and everyone of them were loved of Christ and died because of that love.
2. Verse 36 “As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
1. Psalms 44:22 “Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.”
2. For His sake Christians will always suffer death, following God and Christ Jesus has a great price and that price can even be death.
3. 1 Corinthians 4:9 “For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.” The word “spectacle” means - a place for public show – for the world, angels, and men to watch the show of us being killed in public for Christ sake. Angels here could mean demons or it could be angels in heaven simply viewing our love for God through Christ.
3. Verse 37 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”
1. “Nay…” No they do not show a lack of love from Christ, in fact they show His love even more so.
2. “…we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” – or we gain victory over them because it shows our faith and love for Christ which comes from Christ to us. It is a victory that none other can even compare.
3. 2 Corinthians 4:14 - 18 “Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. (15.) For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. (16.) For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. (17.) For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; (18.) While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

The price of our freedom

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(James Smith, "The Pastor's Morning Visit")

"Christ has made us free!" Galatians 5:1

We were once the slaves of sin, Satan, and the world; but Jesus has made us free!

We are now delivered from the law--and are under grace.

We are dead to sin--and are justified from it.

We are delivered from Satan--and are at war with him.

We overcome the world--and are hastening out of it.

We are at liberty to serve God, and walk with Him in friendship and holy love.

The price of our freedom--was the life and death of Jesus!

The grand moving cause--was the infinite and everlasting love of God our Father.

The efficient cause of our freedom--was the power and operation of the Holy Spirit.

The instrument by which we are brought into our freedom--is the holy gospel.

The grace which puts us into possession of our freedom--is faith.

The end of our freedom--is that we may serve our God in righteousness and holiness all the days of our life, and then be glorified with Him forever!

We are freed from sin--that we may be holy and happy.

Let us stand fast in the liberty with which Christ has made us free!

God's Promise to Fight for His People

Day By Day By Grace
Bob Hoekstra
June 29, 2010

God's Promise to Fight for His People

"The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes…No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 1:30 and Joshua 1:5)

God's promises had guaranteed that Israel would be delivered from bondage in Egypt. Here, God promises to fight for His people, assuring them of victory in battle as they entered the Promised Land.

There would be many battles as God's people went into the land. Ungodly nations would persistently oppose them. Moses, as God's spokesperson, expresses the Lord's commitment to do battle for Israel. "The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you." The Lord had done mighty things for Israel in bringing them out of Egypt. Now, Moses assures them that God will act again on their behalf "according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes."

Later, the Lord Himself reassured Joshua of a similar truth. "No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life." Many would try to come against the people of God under Joshua's leadership. Yet, God pledged the same faithfulness to Joshua that Moses had enjoyed. "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you." Then, the Lord added the ultimate words of reassurance. "I will not leave you nor forsake you." When facing the certainty of battles, there is nothing greater than having God committed to always be present to fight against the enemy. The battle report in one region of the Promised Land gave testimony to God's faithful promises. "All these kings and their land Joshua took at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel" (Joshua 10:42).

We are also engaged in warfare, spiritual warfare. "You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2 Timothy 2:3). As spiritual soldiers, we must use spiritual weapons. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). The promises of God are part of our spiritual weaponry. We can stand victorious in battle by the promises of God, just as the Apostle Paul did. "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you…And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them" (Acts 18:9-11).

Dear Lord, the battles rage hot and heavy so often in my life. I thank You for Your promises to fight for me. I rest in Your presence in my life here in the midst of this battlefield called earth, Amen.

Morning and Evening

Charles H. Spurgeon
June 29, 2010

Morning Reading

Them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.

—1 Thessalonians 4:14

Let us not imagine that the soul sleeps in insensibility. "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise," is the whisper of Christ to every dying saint. They "sleep in Jesus," but their souls are before the throne of God, praising Him day and night in His temple, singing hallelujahs to Him who washed them from their sins in His blood. The body sleeps in its lonely bed of earth, beneath the coverlet of grass. But what is this sleep? The idea connected with sleep is "rest," and that is the thought which the Spirit of God would convey to us. Sleep makes each night a Sabbath for the day. Sleep shuts fast the door of the soul, and bids all intruders tarry for a while, that the life within may enter its summer garden of ease. The toil-worn believer quietly sleeps, as does the weary child when it slumbers on its mother's breast. Oh! happy they who die in the Lord; they rest from their labours, and their works do follow them. Their quiet repose shall never be broken until God shall rouse them to give them their full reward. Guarded by angel watchers, curtained by eternal mysteries, they sleep on, the heritors of glory, till the fulness of time shall bring the fulness of redemption. What an awaking shall be theirs! They were laid in their last resting place, weary and worn, but such they shall not rise. They went to their rest with the furrowed brow, and the wasted features, but they wake up in beauty and glory. The shrivelled seed, so destitute of form and comeliness, rises from the dust a beauteous flower. The winter of the grave gives way to the spring of redemption and the summer of glory. Blessed is death, since it, through the divine power, disrobes us of this work-day garment, to clothe us with the wedding garment of incorruption. Blessed are those who "sleep in Jesus."

Evening Reading

Howbeit, in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that He might know all that was in his heart.

—2 Chronicles 32:31

Hezekiah was growing so inwardly great, and priding himself so much upon the favour of God, that self-righteousness crept in, and through his carnal security, the grace of God was for a time, in its more active operations, withdrawn. Here is quite enough to account with the Babylonians; for if the grace of God should leave the best Christian, there is enough of sin in his heart to make him the worst of transgressors. If left to yourselves, you who are warmest for Christ would cool down like Laodicea into sickening lukewarmness: you who are sound in the faith would be white with the leprosy of false doctrine; you who now walk before the Lord in excellency and integrity would reel to and fro, and stagger with a drunkenness of evil passion. Like the moon, we borrow our light; bright as we are when grace shines on us, we are darkness itself when the Sun of Righteousness withdraws Himself. Therefore let us cry to God never to leave us. "Lord, take not thy Holy Spirit from us! Withdraw not from us Thine indwelling grace! Hast Thou not said, 'I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day'? Lord, keep us everywhere. Keep us when in the valley, that we murmur not against Thy humbling hand; keep us when on the mountain, that we wax not giddy through being lifted up; keep us in youth, when our passions are strong; keep us in old age, when becoming conceited of our wisdom, we may therefore prove greater fools than the young and giddy; keep us when we come to die, lest, at the very last, we should deny Thee! Keep us living, keep us dying, keep us labouring, keep us suffering, keep us fighting, keep us resting, keep us everywhere, for everywhere we need Thee, O our God!"

For it is God which worketh in you

Daily Promises
Blue Letter Bible
June 29, 2010

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)

Praise the Almighty King! May all glory be given to the Father who is conforming us to His righteousness. In spite of our wicked sin nature, God takes great joy to mold our hearts into His beautiful uprightness. For we are also promised that every good work in us comes from Him for the purpose of His honour (Hebrews 13:21).

Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 June 27, 2010 Elder Randy Johnson, Pastor Bro. Ronnie Henderson, Song Director Pastor E-Mail: sgmbcpastor@baptistsonline.org Web Site: www.baptistsonline.org/sgmbc "Where The Truths Of God’s Word Are Still Taught"

You Were Asked To Pray For: All of Our Military, Their Family’s & All the Civilian Workers in The Middle East, Zee Mink Fuller and Family, Her son’s Bryan Armstrong and Hunter Hackie, Daughter Shannon, and Brother Philip & Sondra Thornsberry, Virgil & Alice Hoskins, Grandchildren, and his daughters Liz Janis and Debbie Gray, Derrick & Alecia and sons Coty & Carson Clements, Bryndon Thomas, Frank & Dawana Reigel, Andrew Preston, Helen Maggard, Renee Jackson, Larry Mollette, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kirby Mollette, Kerry Pennington, Kim Butler, Danny & Nita Mollette, Verna Mae Allen, Wendell Henderson, Judy Dunn, Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd, Kevin Henderson, Ronnie Henderson Jr., Vickie Sims, Debbie and Morgan Farmer, Jim Stagner, Bro. & Mrs. Hammond, Don & Neil Hammond, Charles Hammond, Eric Hammond, Archie & Barbara Griffin & son Daniel, Bro. & Sister Bob Keller, Wanda Fowler, Kathy Rosinbaum, Brenda Galusha and Jewel, Mary Ramsey, Donna Johnson, Fay Johnson, Luann Reynolds, Bro. & Sis. Curtis Pugh, Timothy and Nathan Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jim & Linda Meier, Brother David & Sister Anne Shortt, Brother Manuel Seymour & Family, Doris Hammock, Letha Langford, Brother & Sister Kelley Hinson and Kelley Lee, Billy and Jo Hobbs, Jerry Hughes, Sister Nita Bookout and her Niece, Roger Bookout, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Betty, Janie Capps, Scott and Gina Sillivan, Katie Norton, Sadie a child, Imajo Tracy, Sister Jean Dodson and Family, Helen Rowe, Linda Hughes, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

A Thought From Pastor Johnson: Our God Is Sovereign! “The Predestination of God” Romans 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Last week we looked at the word “foreknow” and we know that “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.” Acts 15:18. That is everything and anything God has chosen to accomplish throughout the timeline of this world including who He has chosen to save. Now we take a deeper step in proving that point by saying God predestinated all things. The word “predestinate” means - limit in advance – and it comes from the Greek word - proorizō - which occurs 4 other times in the New Testament other than here in Romans 8. Of the six times this word appears in the New Testament 4 of the 6 speaks of God “limiting in advance” those that are going to be saved and the other two also means that. The most hated doctrine of today is the doctrine of limited atonement however just using this one Greek word we see that God says He has limited salvation 4 times and in many other passages He says He has salvation limited, for example in Matthew 22:14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.” We see the general call to go out to the whole world but we see few chosen to salvation. However the religionists like to condemn this doctrine with scriptures that they single out and use out of context to condemn the predestination of God, like John 12:32 “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” However this can be looked at several ways to explain: (1.) the word men was added by the translators and is not part of the original text, (2.) who are the “all” or even “all men” it is the elect of God. God never promised to call all men of the earth to Him because there are so many lost and will never come to Christ, and if God called those that will die lost then didn’t God fail to save them? If this were true then doesn’t that make God a liar, because He said in Romans 8:14 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Or all that are called comes. Now some say that when God speaks of predestination He is not speaking of those who are going to be save, however He says in Romans 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son…” the word “conformed” means - jointly formed or fashioned like unto – so those He predestinated were “fashioned like unto” in the image of His Son Jesus Christ, but would this not have to mean they were saved, being that is the only possible way to be in the image of His Son. So this scripture actually reads “For whom he did foreknow (or chose before hand), he also did predestinate (limit in advance) to be conformed (fashioned like unto) to the image of his Son (or saved)…” I know that many have not been taught these doctrines and if they have been it has been taught as a doctrine of hatefulness; however it is truly a wonderful teaching if one takes the time to learn it. God never has opened salvation to the entire world as most religionist would have us to believe, but rather He has profoundly made the point it is limited to those He has predestinated. Lets notice Ephesians 1:4 - 5 “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (5.) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,” Here in verse 5 the very same Greek word is used for “predestinated” when speaking of the “adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself” and this is done “according to the good pleasure of his will,” not according to our will but His will. Beloved please do not fall into the religionist trap of free-willism because it does not exist.

Influencing Heaven: In July 2007 I had to have emergency heart by-pass grafting surgery. One of my sons (Zach) and his wife (Stephanie) work in the medical field, and with great diligence exercised all their influence to get me the best doctors, best nurses, and best care takers that the hospital had to offer to insure the best outcome possible (humanly speaking). I watched them quickly put everything together with little to no difficulty because each one with whom they spoke had the utmost love and respect for them. Out of mutual love and respect with Zach and Stephanie each doctor, each nurse, and each health care specialist was more than eager to respond. They did not refer to me by name; I was “Zach’s dad!” That was all that needed to be said. They all treated me like royalty. The President of America could not have received better care. I was “Zach’s dad!” I wish I could name each and everyone but space does not allot it. With profound admiration I watched their love and willingness to pull collectively to achieve a common purpose. This provoked thoughts and questions of just what kind of influence ought believers to have with the Lord Jesus and with the heavenly Father. James wrote: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16) The word “availeth” carries the idea that the one praying has advantages or benefits with the One to Whom he is praying. The word “righteous” indicates that he is in a right state of relationship with the Son and the Father. Therefore, the one who has benefits and an advantage with Jesus is the one who has purposely given himself to develop his spiritual life to conform to the image and commands of Jesus the Christ. Under the Lordship of Christ the righteous find that he has influence with his Lord, and his Lord unhesitatingly exercises His influence with the Father. This exercise of influence comes full circle unifying the Father, the Son and the believer with a bond of love and willingness for a common purpose. The pinnacle of purpose is to bring all honor and glory to the Father in all things. Singularity of the believer is lost in the unifying. Just what could be accomplished in the cause of Christ if every believer strived to have such a fellowship with the Lord as to gain the advantage of His influence before the heavenly Father? Would it not shake the very foundations of His churches and the world? By Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr.

Happy Birthday: Pastor Randy Johnson – June 27th

God's Promise to Deliver Israel

Day By Day By Grace
Bob Hoekstra
June 28, 2010

"I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt…I will certainly be with you…I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt…to a land flowing with milk and honey…So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go." (Exodus 3:10, 12, 17, 20)

Again, we see our God of promises pouring out His guaranteed plans like a cascading waterfall. They include God's promise to deliver Israel. These promises build upon God's fundamental commitment to Abraham to call out a people for His own glory and purposes. The central promise reveals the rescuing heart of God, who wants to deliver people from bondage, and bring them into blessing. "I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt… to a land flowing with milk and honey."

Our God is a God of compassion. When Israel was in cruel bondage in Egypt, God's heart was moved with concern. "And the LORD said: 'I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows'" (Exodus 3:7). The prophet Isaiah put it this way. "In all their affliction He was afflicted" (Isaiah 63:9). Thus, the Lord committed Himself to deliver them. "So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go."

When the Lord Jesus walked upon this earth, He demonstrated the same compassion. "But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd" (Matthew 9:36). This same loving compassion led Jesus all the way to the cross to deliver us from the bondage of sin.

The delivering work of God for Israel was not only from bondage; it was to substantial blessing: "to a land flowing with milk and honey." Israel was not only rescued from great heartache, but they were brought into a joyous bounty. When Joshua and Caleb saw the land, they described it as "an exceedingly good land" (Numbers 14:7). This same pattern (from bondage to blessing) is how Jesus works on our behalf. He delivers us from spiritual death to fullness of life. "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).

Dear Lord, my Deliverer, I praise You for rescuing me from the bondage of sin. I rejoice that You have brought me into the richness of fellowship with You. What a gracious plan You have provided—to make all of this available by means of Your faithful promises!

Morning and Evening

Charles H. Spurgeon
June 28, 2010

Morning Reading

Looking unto Jesus.

—Hebrews 12:2

It is ever the Holy Spirit's work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan's work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ. He insinuates, "Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you have not the joy of His children; you have such a wavering hold of Jesus." All these are thoughts about self, and we shall never find comfort or assurance by looking within. But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: He tells us that we are nothing, but that "Christ is all in all." Remember, therefore, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee—it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee—it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument—it is Christ's blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to thy hand with which thou art grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to thy hope, but to Jesus, the source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of thy faith. We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by "looking unto Jesus." Keep thine eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to Him; when thou liest down at night look to Him. Oh! let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail thee.

"My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesu's blood and righteousness:
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name."

Evening Reading

But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.

—Exodus 7:12

This incident is an instructive emblem of the sure victory of the divine handiwork over all opposition. Whenever a divine principle is cast into the heart, though the devil may fashion a counterfeit, and produce swarms of opponents, as sure as ever God is in the work, it will swallow up all its foes. If God's grace takes possession of a man, the world's magicians may throw down all their rods; and every rod may be as cunning and poisonous as a serpent, but Aaron's rod will swallow up their rods. The sweet attractions of the cross will woo and win the man's heart, and he who lived only for this deceitful earth will now have an eye for the upper spheres, and a wing to mount into celestial heights. When grace has won the day the worldling seeks the world to come. The same fact is to be observed in the life of the believer. What multitudes of foes has our faith had to meet! Our old sins—the devil threw them down before us, and they turned to serpents. What hosts of them! Ah, but the cross of Jesus destroys them all. Faith in Christ makes short work of all our sins. Then the devil has launched forth another host of serpents in the form of worldly trials, temptations, unbelief; but faith in Jesus is more than a match for them, and overcomes them all. The same absorbing principle shines in the faithful service of God! With an enthusiastic love for Jesus difficulties are surmounted, sacrifices become pleasures, sufferings are honours. But if religion is thus a consuming passion in the heart, then it follows that there are many persons who profess religion but have it not; for what they have will not bear this test. Examine yourself, my reader, on this point. Aaron's rod proved its heaven-given power. Is your religion doing so? If Christ be anything He must be everything. O rest not till love and faith in Jesus be the master passions of your soul!

Daily Promises
Blue Letter Bible
June 28, 2010

For every creature of God [is] good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. (1 Timothy 4:4-5)

All things created by God are good beyond questioning and He gives to us out of His bountiful mercy! Let us receive His gifts gladly with thanksgiving and consecrate them through prayer.

Morning and Evening

Charles H. Spurgeon
June 27, 2010

Morning Reading

Only ye shall not go very far away.

—Exodus 8:28

This is a crafty word from the lip of the arch-tyrant Pharaoh. If the poor bondaged Israelites must needs go out of Egypt, then he bargains with them that it shall not be very far away; not too far for them to escape the terror of his arms, and the observation of his spies. After the same fashion, the world loves not the non-conformity of nonconformity, or the dissidence of dissent, it would have us be more charitable and not carry matters with too severe a hand. Death to the world, and burial with Christ, are experiences which carnal minds treat with ridicule, and hence the ordinance which sets them forth is almost universally neglected, and even contemned. Worldly wisdom recommends the path of compromise, and talks of "moderation." According to this carnal policy, purity is admitted to be very desirable, but we are warned against being too precise; truth is of course to be followed, but error is not to be severely denounced. "Yes," says the world, "be spiritually minded by all means, but do not deny yourself a little gay society, an occasional ball, and a Christmas visit to a theatre. What's the good of crying down a thing when it is so fashionable, and everybody does it?" Multitudes of professors yield to this cunning advice, to their own eternal ruin. If we would follow the Lord wholly, we must go right away into the wilderness of separation, and leave the Egypt of the carnal world behind us. We must leave its maxims, its pleasures, and its religion too, and go far away to the place where the Lord calls His sanctified ones. When the town is on fire, our house cannot be too far from the flames. When the plague is abroad, a man cannot be too far from its haunts. The further from a viper the better, and the further from worldly conformity the better. To all true believers let the trumpet-call be sounded, "Come ye out from among them, be ye separate."

Evening Reading

Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.

—1 Corinthians 7:20

Some persons have the foolish notion that the only way in which they can live for God is by becoming ministers, missionaries, or Bible women. Alas! how many would be shut out from any opportunity of magnifying the Most High if this were the case. Beloved, it is not office, it is earnestness; it is not position, it is grace which will enable us to glorify God. God is most surely glorified in that cobbler's stall, where the godly worker, as he plies the awl, sings of the Saviour's love, ay, glorified far more than in many a prebendal stall where official religiousness performs its scanty duties. The name of Jesus is glorified by the poor unlearned carter as he drives his horse, and blesses his God, or speaks to his fellow labourer by the roadside, as much as by the popular divine who, throughout the country, like Boanerges, is thundering out the gospel. God is glorified by our serving Him in our proper vocations. Take care, dear reader, that you do not forsake the path of duty by leaving your occupation, and take care you do not dishonour your profession while in it. Think little of yourselves, but do not think too little of your callings. Every lawful trade may be sanctified by the gospel to noblest ends. Turn to the Bible, and you will find the most menial forms of labour connected either with most daring deeds of faith, or with persons whose lives have been illustrious for holiness. Therefore be not discontented with your calling. Whatever God has made your position, or your work, abide in that, unless you are quite sure that he calls you to something else. Let your first care be to glorify God to the utmost of your power where you are. Fill your present sphere to His praise, and if He needs you in another He will show it you. This evening lay aside vexatious ambition, and embrace peaceful content.

God's Promises to Abraham

Day By Day By Grace
Bob Hoekstra
June 27, 2010

Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your kindred and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Genesis 12:1-3)

These are some of the most strategic promises in the word of God. They are repeated to Abraham (Genesis 13:14-18; 15:5; 17:1-8; 22:17-18). They are confirmed to Isaac (Genesis 26:2-4, 24) and to Jacob (Genesis 28:13-14; 35:9-12). They are woven throughout the Old Testament (Nehemiah 9:7-8; Psalm 105:6-11; Isaiah 51:2). They are elaborated upon in prominent chapters of the New Testament (Romans 4 and 9; Galatians 3 and 4; Hebrews 6, 7, and 11). Ultimately, we will see that these promises are at the root of the new covenant of grace.

These promises to Abraham flow forth one upon another. This is so typical of our God of promises. He does not merely sprinkle His word with a promise here and there. He pours them out like a cascading waterfall. Included within these divine commitments are some of the monumental purposes of God; namely, a Promised Land, the nation of Israel, the Messiah, and worldwide missions.

First, God's promises included a Promised Land. "Get out of your country, from your kindred and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you." This new land would be spacious, with bountiful provision: "a good and large land…a land flowing with milk and honey" (Exodus 3:8). Then, in that land of blessing, God would develop the nation of Israel. "I will make you a great nation." Eventually, through that nation, Messiah would be birthed, fulfilling the promise to bring God's blessings to all who would believe. "In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.." The Lord Jesus would be that specific, individual seed that would offer God's blessed salvation to all the world. "Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, 'And to seeds,' as of many, but as of one, 'And to your Seed,' who is Christ" (Galatians 3:16). This promise contained the gospel. "And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the nations by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, 'In you all the nations shall be blessed'" (Galatians 3:8). The gospel is the good news of God's saving grace. This good news is for all the world to hear.

Lord God of majestic promises, what a grand plan You have laid out in only a few sentences! Help me to read Your word with alertness regarding Your promises. Please shape my thinking and my expectations by Your mighty promises, in Jesus' name, Amen.

Daily Promises
Blue Letter Bible
June 27, 2010

The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth [him with] his hand. I have been young, and [now] am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. [He is] ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed [is] blessed. (Psalms 37:23-26)

Never shall the Lord forsake the righteous. Never shall the bride of Christ want for any good thing. The Lord is kind and merciful and will always see fit to bless His people whom He loves so dearly. Rejoice in and give thanks for the Lord's constancy! He shall never fail and we shall never be ashamed.

We shall wither, fade, and die!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We shall wither, fade, and die!

(James Smith, "The Pastor's Evening Visit")

"Like autumn leaves--we wither and fall!" Isaiah 64:6

What a contrast between an unchangeable God--and a sinner withering like a leaf! Yet, this is a true picture of us--and of all temporal things.

We began to look green and bright not long ago--and in a little time we shall wither, fade, and die!

"How short is life--and how full of trouble! Like a flower--we blossom for a moment--and then wither!" Job 14:1-2. Humbling consideration! But it may be rendered very useful. Let us endeavor to profit by it.

Shall we soon wither and die? Then let us not be overly concerned by anything that occurs here below. Let us set our affections on things above, and lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven. Let us live by faith on Jesus, walk with God, and aim principally to please Him in all that we do. Let us also watch against a worldly spirit, and pass the time of our sojourning here on earth, in fear.

We shall soon find that . . .
health gives place to sickness;
strength gives place to weakness;
youth gives place to old age!

The dying bed, the coffin, and the grave--are just before us!

Let us therefore make our calling and our election sure.
Let us cultivate close and filial fellowship with God.
Let us dig deep and lay our foundation upon the Rock.

Brethren, the time is short! Eternity with all its glories is just before us!

"Like autumn leaves--we wither and fall!" Isaiah 64:6

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Look unto Me!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(James Smith, "The Pastor's Morning Visit")

"Look unto Me!" Isaiah 45:22

A new morning opens upon us--and we are still exposed . . .
to sorrow,
to Satan, and
to disappointment!
Sin lives in us--and a thousand things are ready to distress us!

But our God says, "Look unto Me!"

Look unto Me . . .
as the source of happiness,
as the giver of grace,
as your Friend!

Look unto Me . . .
in every trial,
for all you need, and
in every circumstance.

Look unto Me TODAY, I have blessings to bestow! I am waiting to be gracious to you!

Believe that I am deeply interested in your present and eternal welfare!

Believe that I will perform--all I have promised!

Believe that I am with you--on purpose to bless you! I cannot be unconcerned about anything that affects you! I pledge Myself to make all things work together for your eternal good.

You have looked to SELF, and to others, in times past--and you have only met with trouble and disappointment!

Now look unto Me ALONE!

Look unto Me FOR ALL!

"Look unto Me!"

Morning and Evening

Charles H. Spurgeon
June 26, 2010

Morning Reading

Art thou become like unto us?

—Isaiah 14:10

What must be the apostate professor's doom when his naked soul appears before God? How will he bear that voice, "Depart, ye cursed; thou hast rejected me, and I reject thee; thou hast played the harlot, and departed from Me: I also have banished thee for ever from my presence, and will not have mercy upon thee." What will be this wretch's shame at the last great day when, before assembled multitudes, the apostate shall be unmasked? See the profane, and sinners who never professed religion, lifting themselves up from their beds of fire to point at him. "There he is," says one, "will he preach the gospel in hell?" "There he is," says another, "he rebuked me for cursing, and was a hypocrite himself!" "Aha!" says another, "here comes a psalm-singing Methodist—one who was always at his meeting; he is the man who boasted of his being sure of everlasting life; and here he is!" No greater eagerness will ever be seen among Satanic tormentors, than in that day when devils drag the hypocrite's soul down to perdition. Bunyan pictures this with massive but awful grandeur of poetry when he speaks of the back-way to hell. Seven devils bound the wretch with nine cords, and dragged him from the road to heaven, in which he had professed to walk, and thrust him through the back-door into hell. Mind that back-way to hell, professors! "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith." Look well to your state; see whether you be in Christ or not. It is the easiest thing in the world to give a lenient verdict when oneself is to be tried; but O, be just and true here. Be just to all, but be rigorous to yourself. Remember if it be not a rock on which you build, when the house shall fall, great will be the fall of it. O may the Lord give you sincerity, constancy, and firmness; and in no day, however evil, may you be led to turn aside.

Evening Reading

Having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

—2 Peter 1:4

Vanish for ever all thought of indulging the flesh if you would live in the power of your risen Lord. It were ill that a man who is alive in Christ should dwell in the corruption of sin. "Why seek ye the living among the dead?" said the angel to Magdalene. Should the living dwell in the sepulchre? Should divine life be immured in the charnel house of fleshly lust? How can we partake of the cup of the Lord and yet drink the cup of Belial? Surely, believer, from open lusts and sins you are delivered: have you also escaped from the more secret and delusive lime-twigs of the Satanic fowler? Have you come forth from the lust of pride? Have you escaped from slothfulness? Have you clean escaped from carnal security? Are you seeking day by day to live above worldliness, the pride of life, and the ensnaring vice of avarice? Remember, it is for this that you have been enriched with the treasures of God. If you be indeed the chosen of God, and beloved by Him, do not suffer all the lavish treasure of grace to be wasted upon you. Follow after holiness; it is the Christian's crown and glory. An unholy church! it is useless to the world, and of no esteem among men. It is an abomination, hell's laughter, heaven's abhorrence. The worst evils which have ever come upon the world have been brought upon her by an unholy church. O Christian, the vows of God are upon you. You are God's priest: act as such. You are God's king: reign over your lusts. You are God's chosen: do not associate with Belial. Heaven is your portion: live like a heavenly spirit, so shall you prove that you have true faith in Jesus, for there cannot be faith in the heart unless there be holiness in the life.

"Lord, I desire to live as one
Who bears a blood-bought name,
As one who fears but grieving Thee,
And knows no other shame."

Built through the Spirit

Daily Promises
Blue Letter Bible
June 26, 2010

In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:22)

Through the workings of Christ, we are being built for the habitation of God's Spirit. What an honour to be so used by the glorious King of all creation!

He restores the fainting, the dying and the dead!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(James Smith, "The Pastor's Morning Visit")

"I will restore health unto you!" Jeremiah 30:17

Jesus is a skillful Physician.

He heals all the falls, bruises, and dislocations of His people.

He brings health to the heart!

Believer, is your heart . .
hard,
wandering,
divided, or
wounded?

Jesus can heal it!

To you He says, "Come and be healed!"

He restores the fainting, the dying and the dead! He is the perfect master of every disease.

His terms are, "I will heal you freely--without money--without price!"

But He will have an absolute surrender to Him!
You must refuse all other remedies!
You must take all that He prescribes--bitter or sweet!

Jesus is Jehovah Rophi, "The God who heals!"

Therefore look for health to no other.

Consult Him daily.

Lay open your whole case to Him!

Never despond until . . .
His loving nature changes,
His skill fails, or
His promises are withdrawn from His Word.

Be grateful for healing, and show your gratitude by endeavoring to send others to Him. Recommend this gracious Physician!

Beloved, come to Jesus and be healed!

Savior, I wait Your healing hand!
Diseases fly at Your command;
Now let Your sovereign touch impart,
Life, health, and vigor to my heart!

He seems to grow more like Satan!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(James Smith, "The Pastor's Morning Visit")

"Their righteousness is from Me!" Isaiah 54:17

The longer the Christian lives--the more he learns. And the more the Spirit teaches him--the more he loathes himself and renounces his own righteousness as filthy rags.

He hoped sensibly . . .
to grow in holiness,
to feel his corruptions subdued, and
to enjoy the presence of his God without interruption.

But instead of this:
he seems to grow more like Satan,
his corruption appears to get stronger and stronger, and
the depravity of his nature appears more and more dreadful!

He thinks himself to be a monster of iniquity, and wonders how God can possibly love him, or show any favor unto him.

Yet, this heart-felt experience . . .
endears God's free grace,
renders Christ unspeakably precious,
and the gift of righteousness invaluable!

How can such a man be just before God? Where is his righteousness to come from? Jehovah answers, "His righteousness is from Me!"
Jesus wrought it;
the Father imputes it to us;
the gospel reveals it; and
faith receives it, puts it on, and pleads it before God.

Precious Jesus! in You alone, I have righteousness and strength!

Our God of Promises

Day By Day By Grace
Bob Hoekstra
June 25, 2010

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. (Genesis 3:15)

Although the Scriptures do not command us to make promises to God, we who believe in the Lord have the liberty to make various kinds of promises. It is permissible to express our devotion to God through promises, if they are in dependence upon His character and capacities. "I will love You, O LORD, my strength" (Psalm 18:1). It is also acceptable to make godly confessions through promises that are based on His promises to us. "He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we may boldly say: 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear'" (Hebrews 13:5-6a). We are even allowed to make predictive promises concerning the details of our lives, if they are subject to God's will. "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that" (James 4:15). Still, the work of God in our lives hinges upon His promises to us. In fact, our God is characteristically a God of promises.

The fact that our God typically works through promises is seen as early as the third chapter of the Bible. There, God made a very strategic set of promises. "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." These prophetic promises were addressed to Satan, but they were given in the hearing of Adam and Eve. Of course, they were recorded in the Scriptures for everyone else to consider thereafter.

These promises revealed some of the consequences of spiritual rebellion, as well as announcing God's remedy for the sin of man. "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed." These words declare the inevitability of spiritual warfare, as well as the certainty of the cross of Christ..

Spiritual warfare is a major theme in Scripture. This warfare is documented throughout the word of God. "Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel…Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?…So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world" (1 Chronicles 21:1; Acts 5:3; and Revelation 12:9). Nevertheless, the cross of Christ would provide a victory over the enemy and an escape from this sinful world for all who would embrace it. "Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age" (Galatians 1:3-4).

Dear God of promises, may my promises be a peripheral issue in my thinking and living. Conversely, may Your promises be central and foundational—especially, those promises related to the cross of Jesus, my Lord, Amen.

Morning and Evening

Charles H. Spurgeon
June 25, 2010

Morning Reading

Get thee up into the high mountain.

—Isaiah 40:9

Our knowledge of Christ is somewhat like climbing one of our Welsh mountains. When you are at the base you see but little: the mountain itself appears to be but one-half as high as it really is. Confined in a little valley, you discover scarcely anything but the rippling brooks as they descend into the stream at the foot of the mountain. Climb the first rising knoll, and the valley lengthens and widens beneath your feet. Go higher, and you see the country for four or five miles round, and you are delighted with the widening prospect. Mount still, and the scene enlarges; till at last, when you are on the summit, and look east, west, north, and south, you see almost all England lying before you. Yonder is a forest in some distant county, perhaps two hundred miles away, and here the sea, and there a shining river and the smoking chimneys of a manufacturing town, or the masts of the ships in a busy port. All these things please and delight you, and you say, "I could not have imagined that so much could be seen at this elevation." Now, the Christian life is of the same order. When we first believe in Christ we see but little of Him. The higher we climb the more we discover of His beauties. But who has ever gained the summit? Who has known all the heights and depths of the love of Christ which passes knowledge? Paul, when grown old, sitting grey-haired, shivering in a dungeon in Rome, could say with greater emphasis than we can, "I know whom I have believed," for each experience had been like the climbing of a hill, each trial had been like ascending another summit, and his death seemed like gaining the top of the mountain, from which he could see the whole of the faithfulness and the love of Him to whom he had committed his soul. Get thee up, dear friend, into the high mountain.

Evening Reading

The dove found no rest for the sole of her foot.

—Genesis 8:9

Reader, can you find rest apart from the ark, Christ Jesus? Then be assured that your religion is vain. Are you satisfied with anything short of a conscious knowledge of your union and interest in Christ? Then woe unto you. If you profess to be a Christian, yet find full satisfaction in worldly pleasures and pursuits, your profession is false. If your soul can stretch herself at rest, and find the bed long enough, and the coverlet broad enough to cover her in the chambers of sin, then you are a hypocrite, and far enough from any right thoughts of Christ or perception of His preciousness. But if, on the other hand, you feel that if you could indulge in sin without punishment, yet it would be a punishment of itself; and that if you could have the whole world, and abide in it for ever, it would be quite enough misery not to be parted from it; for your God—your God—is what your soul craves after; then be of good courage, thou art a child of God. With all thy sins and imperfections, take this to thy comfort: if thy soul has no rest in sin, thou are not as the sinner is! If thou art still crying after and craving after something better, Christ has not forgotten thee, for thou hast not quite forgotten Him. The believer cannot do without his Lord; words are inadequate to express his thoughts of Him. We cannot live on the sands of the wilderness, we want the manna which drops from on high; our skin bottles of creature confidence cannot yield us a drop of moisture, but we drink of the rock which follows us, and that rock is Christ. When you feed on Him your soul can sing, "He hath satisfied my mouth with good things, so that my youth is renewed like the eagle's," but if you have Him not, your bursting wine vat and well-filled barn can give you no sort of satisfaction: rather lament over them in the words of wisdom, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!"