What am I the better if I can dispute that Christ is God, but have no sense or sweetness in my heart from hence that He is a God in covenant with my soul? John Owen
Let us rest our souls on the comfortable thought that the mind of Christ is always the same... let us know that He looks at our graces more than at our faults; that He pities our infirmities, and that He will not deal with us according to our sins. –– J.C. Ryle
“Jesus is no partial Saviour, beginning a work, and never completing it; but, saving and cleansing, restoring and upholding, He also perfects and presents the saved ones, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, before His Father's face.” C. H. Spurgeon
“Almighty God, enter our hearts, and so fill us with your love, that, forsaking all evil desires, we may embrace you, our only good.” — Augustine
“In this Christmas season, take some time to think about politics in a different way.” — R. C. Sproul on Isaiah 9:7
“Almighty, eternal and merciful God, whose Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, open and illuminate our minds, that we may purely and perfectly understand your Word and that our lives may be conformed to what we have rightly understood…” — Huldrych Zwingli
"God will spare the sinner because he did not spare his Son." — Charles Spurgeon
“The apprehension of God's infinite knowledge should fill the Christian with adoration… He foresaw my every fall, my every sin, my every backsliding; yet, nevertheless, fixed His heart upon me…the realization of this should bow me in wonder and worship before Him!” — AW Pink
“O merciful Father, regard not what we have done against you, but what our blessed Savior has done for us. Regard not what we have made ourselves; but what he is made unto us of you, our God.” — John Wesley
Question 36. What profit dost thou receive by Christ's holy conception and nativity? Answer. That he is our Mediator; and with His innocence and perfect holiness, covers in the sight of God, my sins, wherein I was conceived and brought forth. — Heidelberg Catechism
The justification of a sinner is absolute. It places him forever in the status of a child, covers both his future life in its entirety as well as all of the past. —Geerhardus Vos Reformed Dogmatics 4.220
“God is a perpetual refuge and security for His people… His eye never yet slept, nor has He suffered the little ship of His church to be swallowed up, though it has been tossed upon the waves.” — Stephen Charnock
“For this He clothed Himself with man. For this He voluntarily subjected Himself to the experiences of men, that by bringing Himself to the measure of our weakness whom He loved, He might correspondingly bring us to the measure of His own strength.” — Clement of Alexandria
“Jesus was God and man in one person, that God and man might be happy together again.” — George Whitefield
“The evangelical way of fellowship with God, therefore, is to come straight to the Word, to know it’s truth, to believe it and to accept it – to pray on this basis and to exert our whole being in an effort and an endeavor to live it, and to practice it.” — Martyn Lloyd-Jones
This Christmas we will place gifts under a tree. 2,000 years ago God placed the greatest gift of all on a tree.
Atheists: If God is real, then prove it! Why doesn’t God show Himself? God has revealed Himself. Jesus is God with us. He isn’t just sent from God. He is God.
Not everyone who dies “goes to a better place”, only those who have been saved by Jesus do. That’s Biblical truth.
When our opinions and preferences don’t line up with the Bible, it’s not the Bible that needs to change.
This can be a difficult season for some because there will be an empty chair at the table where a loved one once sat. The sadness is real, but so is God’s presence. Let hope fill that empty space, instead of bitterness. Let peace fill it, instead of anger. Let faith fill it, instead of despair. God is still with us, even when a loved one no longer is.
“You must ask for God’s help. ... After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again.” - C.S. Lewis
“God allows us to experience the low points of life in order to teach us lessons that we could learn in no other way.” - C.S. Lewis
“God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” - C.S. Lewis
“You can’t love Jesus and not love his Word.” — R.C. Sproul
“When Satan tells me I am a sinner he comforts me immeasurably, since Christ died for sinners.” — Martin Luther
Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But never forget Him as the loving Shepherd who will tend to your wounds and gently carry you. Ray Bentley
Jesus is shining in the darkness, ready to ease the burdens you carry and give you a lift of hope and glory. Let yourself receive the blessings and protection He desires to give you. Ray Bentley
It's glorious whenever God reveals His love and goodness to us to the point where you just become speechless. As Savonarola said, 'Worship, when it reaches the ultimate, words are impossible.' God, You're too much!" - Chuck Smith
Jesus used the Word of God to answer every temptation Satan brought. That is why it is so important for us to have the Word of God stored away in our hearts. Chuck Smith
Apart from the vivifying influence of the Spirit of God, men’s souls must lie in the valley of dry bones, dead, and dead for ever. Charles Spurgeon
Man’s haste is often folly, but God’s apparent delays are ever wise. Charles Spurgeon
How gentle and tender ought we to be with others who are foolish when we remember how foolish we are ourselves! Charles Spurgeon
My dear friend, when grief presses you to the dust, worship there. Charles Spurgeon
The way to rise in the kingdom is to sink in ourselves. Charles Spurgeon
Judged by changeful feelings, one might be lost and saved a dozen times a day. Charles Spurgeon
Obedience, holiness, delight in God never came into a human heart except from a heavenly hand. Charles Spurgeon
Count it to be one of the most fearful curses that can happen to you to be happy in your sins. Charles Spurgeon
The study of God is the highest science, the loftiest pursuit, and the mightiest discipline. Charles Spurgeon
As Scripture plainly shows, we hold that the Lord once and for all decided in his eternal and unchangeable council those he would accept for salvation, and those he would leave to destruction. John Calvin
It is a long time since I preached a sermon I was satisfied with. You cannot hear my groanings when I go home, Sunday after Sunday, and wish that I could learn to preach somehow or other; wish that I could discover the way to touch your hearts and consciences. Charles Spurgeon
These forty years and more have I served him, blessed be his name, and I have had nothing but love from him. Charles Spurgeon
A very plain-spoken enemy may do us ten times more service than an indulgent friend. Charles Spurgeon
I have a great need for Christ: I have a great Christ for my need. Charles Spurgeon
The first link between my soul and Christ is not my goodness but my badness, not my merit but my misery, not my riches but my need. Charles Spurgeon
"When suns shall cease to shine and moons to show their feeble light, God shall still love on forever and forever." — Charles Spurgeon
[Jesus] was born for this purpose, and this purpose only, to seek and save the lost … He was made incarnate for the work of salvation. —Geerhardus Vos, Grace and Glory, Pg. 46-47
"You may want your listeners to take notes on much of the sermon, but when you get to Christ, you want them to experience what they were taking notes about." - Tim Keller
"God will give pardon to those only to whom he gives repentance." — Charles Spurgeon
"What you are upon your knees is what you really are before your God." — Charles Spurgeon
"Let the temple of my body be the Lord's. He has built it and has cleansed it with his blood." — Charles Spurgeon
In Jesus, your days ahead are greater than your days gone by.
As a preacher on Christmas Eve, I'm trying to do these things: 1. Make those who invited a friend glad they did 2. Make those who didn't invite a friend wish they had 3. Give kids a fun experience of church 4. Preach a clear gospel 5. Enjoy Jesus in front of everyone
This is the only sacrifice that pleases #God: to confess that all benefits come of God... and not the deservings of our deeds -Tyndale -
For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is #Jesus #Christ, Son of #God... -Martin Luther -
"That which I have preached I will seal with my blood." -John Rogers.
"Who would or could have thought of the just Ruler dying for the unjust rebel?" — Charles Spurgeon
A quiet heart is content with what God gives. It is enough. All is grace. Elisabeth Elliot
The spiritual beauty and comeliness of the soul consists in its conformity unto God. Grace gives beauty. - John Owen
It is known that the judgment of Christ concerning churches, as unto their good or bad spiritual state, is often times very distant from their own [judgement] concerning themselves. —John Owen, Works 7:53
"The great ocean of Jesus' loving self-sacrifice can swallow up the mountains of our sins." — Charles Spurgeon
Sometimes your medicine bottle has on it, 'Shake well before using.' That is what God has to do with some of His people. He has to shake them well before they are ever usable. Vance Havner
"The Bible is not only good but better than the best of treasure." — Charles Spurgeon
"While the difference between a bad sermon and a good sermon is mainly the responsibility of the preacher, the difference between good preaching and great preaching lies mainly in the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the listener as well as the preacher." - Tim Keller
"Justification without sanctification would not be salvation at all." — Charles Spurgeon
Let the man who would hear #God speak, read #Holy #Scripture. -Martin Luther -
But right #faith is a thing wrought by the #Holy Ghost in us, which changeth us, and turneth us into a new nature. -William Tyndale -
"A dusty Bible ought never to be in your house." — Charles Spurgeon
Many there be that profess Christ, who do oftener, in London, frequent the coffee-house than their [prayer] closet. —John Bunyan, Works 2:537
"Subject human logic to the divine Logos." -R.B.Kuiper.
Carnal joy is like the morning dew, which wets the surface; but godly joy is like a soaking shower that goes to the root, and makes the plant flourish. —Thomas Manton, Works 6:225
"God can do with us or without us." — Charles Spurgeon
Sanctification and justification are both benefits of the covenant of grace, and therefore to evidence the one by the other can be no turning aside to the covenant of works. —Puritan Thomas Brooks, Works 3:469-70
"Our salvation hinges upon the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus." — Charles Spurgeon
God does not owe us a life without pain and tragedy. R.C. Sproul
"Jesus' dead body was quickened. The silent heart began again to beat." — Charles Spurgeon
Never did a saint reach heaven with any tale but this: I was washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. J.C. Ryle
If you want to develop a hunger and thirst for God, hang out in the presence of good, spiritual cooking.
“I don’t care if something ‘works.’ I care if Scripture teaches it.” —Mark Dever on pragmatic church polity
"If Christ has been raised from the dead then all his people must be raised also." — Charles Spurgeon
The #Bible was written in tears, and to tears it yields its best treasures -A.W. Tozer -
The enemy is so securely entrenched within us that he can never be driven out while we are in this body -Jonathan Edwards -
"Sin-sick souls should remember the power of the Word." — Charles Spurgeon
If you make a diligent search through all the scripture, you shall not find, from the first line in Genesis to the last line in Revelation, one word that speaks out God’s requiring any worthiness in the creature before the soul’s believing in Christ… —Thomas Brooks, Works 1:144
"Sin is to be overcome, not so much by maintaining a direct opposition to it, as by cultivating opposite principles." -Andrew Fuller.
"Let everything else go, that you might be filled with God." — Charles Spurgeon
In the time of our need we press the closer to Christ; the heavier our hearts, the more we bear our weight upon him. - Charles Spurgeon
"Our King is in a battle with Satan, and he will never accept truce or compromise." — Charles Spurgeon
Carnal men love the god that they make, but not the God that made them. Charles Spurgeon
Few men ever repent of being silent. Charles Spurgeon
"Fear of God is not a bad motive; it is very proper for a guilty man to feel." — Charles Spurgeon
People hate the truth for the sake of whatever it is that they love more than the truth. They love truth when it shines warmly on them, and hate it when it rebukes them. Augustine
I have a great need for Christ: I have a great Christ for my need. Charles Spurgeon
"At salvation, the matter of entrance into the Kingdom was settled, but not the manner of entrance." -John MacArthur.
"To be saved by the works of the law is impossible, for we are already lost." — Charles Spurgeon
We should talk much when together of Jesus Christ, and the wonderful grace of God in giving him to die for sinners. -Jonathan Edwards -
We need never shout across the spaces 2 an absent #God. He is nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts -Tozer -
"Wealth is not true riches." — Charles Spurgeon
"In this dark world, Jesus still shines. He is shining and seeking and pursuing you and saying, 'You don't want to live in the darkness, do you? Turn to me.'" —Alistair Begg
"The study of God is so deep that our pride is drowned in its infinity." — Charles Spurgeon
Christians, you are always to remember, that though the enjoyment of assurance makes most for your consolation, yet the living purely upon Christ in the absence of assurance, makes most for Christ’s exaltation. —Puritan Thomas Brooks, Works 2:334
"I would sooner be holy than happy." — Charles Spurgeon
"Trust Christ without a single doubt, for he never failed anyone." — Charles Spurgeon
If we had six hundred necks, let us submit them all to the yoke of Christ. —Thomas Manton, Works 6:234
"Jesus’ undefeated, unconquerable love defies your sin and will have you." — Charles Spurgeon
You need more than a change in your circumstances to win the battle, you need a change in your heart. - Heath Lambert
You cannot be consistently presuppositional in your counseling methodology if you are not presuppositional in your apologetics.
Stand firm on the truth of the Scriptures. Do not forsake them in an attempt to find some mythical neutral ground with an unbeliever.
A theologian’s epistemology controls his interpretation of the Bible. If his epistemology is not Christian, his exegesis will be systematically distorted. – Gordon Clark
As a Christian you should love God's Word; as a rational creature you should recognize the necessity of God's Word; as an apologist you should admit to the unbeliever your commitment to God's Word. - Greg Bahnsen
It is sad to see so many of my fellow Reformed and Calvinistic Baptists turning to Rome and "Christian" mystics to teach them about God.
The church must be vigilant and never forget that Rome affirms the person of Christ while denying the work of Christ, which makes her an enemy of Christ and no amount of Trinitarian orthodoxy can remedy that reality. - Ron DiGiacomo
As we get to know the God of all grace more and more, He develops in us two strategic relational realities: humility and faith. Relational realities are spiritual qualities that become practically real as a result of a growing relationship with Christ.
The Word of God is above the church.
~Thomas Cranmer~
Prayer is weakness leaning on omnipotence.
~W. S. Bowden~
The time is short; Jesus is coming back. You can experience a taste of His kingdom when you repent of your sins and simply believe and put your trust in Him. Jesus Himself has given you His words to live by; He's told you exactly how to live. So, how will you respond to His words to you
Ministering to the need is just as important than ministering to the soul. Jesus did both. I truly believe there is an out of sight out of mind emotion in the world we live. The protection of the church ministry, home schooling, and other things keeps us from seeing all the real need. Yes we know it is there and we give to say we helped. But are doing all you can?
"Words do two major things: They provide food for the mind and create light for understanding and awareness.” – Jim Rohn
“The major value in life is not what you get. The major value in life is what you become. That is why I wish to pay fair price for every value. If I have to pay for it or earn it, that makes something of me. If I get it for free, that makes nothing of me. – Jim Rohn
“Very few of us are authorities on the truth. About the closest that any of us can get is what we hope is the truth or what we think is the truth. That's why the best approach to truth is probably to say, ‘It seems to me...’” Jim Rohn
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“There is nothing wrong with affirmations, provided what you are affirming is the truth. If you are broke, for example, the best thing to affirm is, ‘I'm broke!’” Jim Rohn
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“Sincerity is not a test of truth. We must not make this mistake: He must be right; he's so sincere. Because, it is possible to be sincerely wrong. We can only judge truth by truth and sincerity by sincerity.” Jim Rohn
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“Find someone who is willing to share the truth with you.” Jim Rohn
If you want to be a leader who attracts quality people, the key is to become a person of quality yourself. Leadership is the ability to attract someone to the gifts, skills, and opportunities you offer as an owner, as a manager, as a parent. What's important in leadership is refining your skills. All great leaders keep working on themselves until they become effective. Here are some specifics:
Learn to be strong but not impolite.
God disciplines us until we return to obedience. The Lord doesn’t live comfortably with a rebellious child. That is love.Chuck Swindoll
A clear rejection is always better than a fake promise.
Drama is a part of life. Drama has its place, but its place is not within a team. Deal with it and move on.
NEVER LOOSE SITE OF THE ONE! JESUS SAID IF HE HAS 100 SHEEP AND 1 STRAYS HE WILL LEAVE THE 99 FOR THE 1... HE ALSO SAID TO TAKE CARE OF JERUSALEM FIRST AND THEN THE OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD. HOME, CITY, STATE, COUNTRY, AND WORLD!
Divine faithfulness is a wonderful comfort
to those who are loyal.
~William Hendriksen~
"The world is intolerant of hypocrites—those who condemn others for doing what they themselves do in secret. Credibility with our neighbors and friends can best be nurtured through a spirit of openness, admitting our own struggles and shortcomings. If you want to find a bridge to witness of Christ to your neighbors, share some of your failures with them. They will be quite pleased to know that you, as a Christian, are not exempt from the failings common to man." – Erwin Lutzer
"If you grab hold of God and wrestle with Him, as Jacob did, simply because He is working in a way that doesn't meet with your approval, you force Him to put you out of joint. Don't become a cripple by wrestling with the ways of God, but be someone who wrestles before God with the things of this world. We don't have to fight or wrestle with God, but we must wrestle before God with things. Beware of lazily giving up. Instead, put up a glorious fight and you will find yourself empowered with His strength." --Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
There is power in relentless commitment. There is security in knowing you're both bought in and pursuing each other without reservation.
No backup plan, no plan B.
With God, there is nothing we cannot do. Without Him, we will never succeed in anything. He raises up and He sets down. He empowers our lives.
God watches and weeds us, and continues His labour upon us, till He brings us to the end of His promise.
~Richard Sibbes~
All those who blaspheme God, fight with God, or try to stop the work of God eventually will fail. Yet God's Word ultimately will prevail. Philippians 2:9–10 says, "Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth."
One day, everyone—every man, every woman, every believer, and every nonbeliever—will bow before Jesus Christ.
Greg Laurie
I get frustrated when I hear people who are depressed, unmotivated or unhappy say, "I need to spend more time focusing on myself." That is just crazy. The antidote for all of those ills is to place God's love at the center of our thoughts and the well-being of others ahead of our own selfish interests. To love God and to give; to be outwardly focused, not inwardly obsessed.
A loyal woman is one of the greatest blessings a man can have... but it takes a real man to realize that
I think the Book of Job is a really great account of faithfulness in all circumstances. It also demonstrates being prepared to give an answer -- after all it is not always when things are going well that we will be asked about our faith.
we won't always give the right answer. Sometimes we're going to say the wrong thing, incorrectly quote Scripture, or make some other blunder. Having done all of the above in public and private, I can say unequivocally: "Don't worry about it, because God's in control." Our words don't matter as much as our willingness to be a witness.
I have given very educated presentations of the Gospel (filled with facts, justifications, and proofs), only to have someone walk away -- completely rejecting the idea of a Savior or even the existence of God. On the other hand, I have stuttered, bumbled and fumbled -- and then had a man I witnessed to fall on his knees, with tears streaming down his face, begging to have Jesus. It's the Holy Spirit, not our words; it is only God who calls someone into a relationship with Himself -- we are just the messengers.
“The fact that Mary and Joseph brought birds instead of a lamb reveals their poverty…. Jesus wasn’t born in the lap of luxury.”
Pastor Chuck Smith
What Child is this, who, laid to rest, on Mary's lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, while shepherds watch are keeping?
~William Chatter Dix~
Randy Alcorn
Many Christians are not only weary from life in the COVID era but are also disillusioned by political outcomes and financial prospects. But as this song powerfully conveys, God is on the throne and Jesus will win! This should lift heavy hearts and spirits.
Luke Lezon
It’s hard to throw stones if you’re busy washing feet.
Don’t let people steal your joy, keep loving people like Christ.
Bible scholars point out that Joshua is a type of Christ, meaning he is a picture of the Messiah to come. Joshua and Jesus have the same Hebrew name meaning, “Jehovah is salvation.” Both Joshua and Jesus saved their people from the enemy. Joshua’s enemy was physical. Jesus delivered His people from spiritual darkness. Joshua’s accomplishments were temporal, what Jesus did lasts through eternity.
At the end of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, the transformed Ebenezer Scrooge acts and feels like a child. Jesus said that if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven, we need to become like children: humble, open, vulnerable, dependent on our Heavenly Father. Christmas, the celebration of God’s coming among us as a child, helps us to experience blessed childlikeness.
After his “spiritual” transformation, Ebenezer Scrooge laughed. As Charles Dickens writes, Scrooge cut loose with “a splendid laugh, a most illustrious laugh.” We can keep Christmas well by enjoying laughter. Our joy doesn’t deny the pains of life today. But it is a fitting response to God’s lavish grace, even as it anticipates the greater laughter that is yet to come.
Leadership is hard. Always. But the real test of leadership is not the challenges that we face outside our organizations, but the resistance to the changes necessary to face that challenge inside the organization. And often, that resistance comes from the very people who invited you to lead them.
We want God to tolerate our flaws; and He wants us to tolerate the flaws of one another.
Spurgeon once said “He who does not love sinners cannot pray aright for them. When we love sinners, then prayer is fervent. And when we love Jesus, then will the prayer be earnest. Love is the flaming torch to kindle the pile of our devotions.”
Have you been trying to fit Jesus into the world's teaching -- psychology, science, or child-rearing? He won't fit, because He is the author and foremost authority. Not the other way around. By doing so, are you bringing Christ down to earth's standards?
Any theology that doesn't lead to knowing, loving, and enjoying God isn't a theology worth having.
Dustin Benge
We talk a lot about love in our culture, and it appears to mean many things to many people. There is perhaps no greater example of love, in my opinion than acts of bravery on behalf of another. The birth of Jesus Christ was a deliberate act of bravery meant to not only save but also inspire.
We are never told to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ BUT we are told to celebrate His death.
This Christmas season, let’s celebrate that Jesus isn’t in the manger, He’s not on the cross, He’s not in the grave, but He sits enthroned at God’s right hand and will one day return for us.
What will happen when we meet Jesus?
1. All our sorrow will be dispelled.
2. All our tears will be wiped away.
3. All our thankfulness will be heard.
4. All our worship will be received.
5. All our longings will be fulfilled.
6. All our brokenness will be healed
He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But never forget Him as the loving Shepherd who will tend to your wounds and gently carry you.
In order to save us, Christ had to die for us. And in order to die for us, Christ had to live for us. And in order to live for us, Christ had to be born for us.
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