Will You Help Me?

Yes, as your pastor, I desperately need your help. I’m not asking for something which is unimportant or optional, but something which is essential to the spiritual well-being of ourselves, our children and all who frequent this assembly. Nor am I asking for something which can be done by anyone and everyone, but is a privilege exclusive to you, the saints of God.

Brothers and Sisters, I am asking for your prayers. As you have graciously granted me many requests through the years, for which I am thankful, I earnestly implore you to grant me this request. For your sakes and for mine, don’t permit me to stand before you from time to time without being uplifted before the throne of grace by your personal and united prayers.

I am a mere man whom God has chosen to deal with the souls of men and the consequences are solemn and eternal. My message will either be a savour of life unto life, or of death unto death, “And who is sufficient for these things?”

I earnestly want my preaching to be profitable unto you and blessed to the salvation of your children. These spiritual blessings descend from heaven on the wings of pure grace, but God has chosen to disseminate this precious treasure through “earthen vessels.”

“Brethren, pray for us”. I Thess. 5:25 

~Maurice Montgomery (1939-2015)

(and your pastor says: Amen and Amen)

No person is less likely to be saved than the very religious professor. He wears an armour of presumption. You cannot tell him -anything of grace and mercy; his head is helmeted with much religious knowledge and tradition. You cannot touch his heart for he wears the breastplate of self-righteousness. He gives assent to every fundamental truth, yet believes nothing. He attends to every religious holiday, service and moral law, yet knows nothing of heart repentance and faith. No other suit of armour is one half so effective for warding off the strokes of truth as that which is forged in the arsenal of religion. I have more hope for the drunkard and the harlot than for the gospel-hardened religionist!

 ~Scott Richardson (1923-2010)

COMFORT IN TROUBLE

Being a believer in Jesus Christ and resting in His good providence does not exempt us from trouble, trial, sorrow and heartache in this life. Our Lord said, “In this world you shall have tribulation.” (John 16:33) But here is our comfort and help, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) Our blessed Lord said, “Come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) Our gracious God has promised wisdom to understand the trial. (James 1:5) Grace to endure and bear the trial. (2 Corinthians 12:9) Faith to trust and believe God through the trial. (Romans 4:19-20) Peace to rest in His purpose, knowing that this trial works to our eternal good (Romans 8:28-35). Hope to rejoice in our Lord and Saviour, Who said, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5) Surely, we must conclude that we are needy and sinful creatures and that the Lord Jesus Christ is our only resource of help and hope! (Philippians 4:19) Tom Harding

It is a sign of grace to know one’s need of grace.

An omnipotent hand created us out of nothing, and the like omnipotence is needed to bring us to feel that we are nothing. We can never be saved unless we are made alive by infinite power, nor can we be made alive at all unless that self same power shall first slay us. It is amazing how much is needed to strip a man, and lay him in his true place. One would think that so penniless a beggar must be aware of his penury; but he is not, and never will be, unless the eternal God shall convince him of it. Our imaginary goodness is more hard to conquer than our actual sin. Man can sooner be cured of his sicknesses than be made to forego his bouts of health. Human weakness is a small obstacle to salvation compared with human strength; there lies the work and the difficulty. Hence it is a sign of grace to know one’s need of grace. He has some light in his soul who knows and feels that he is in darkness. The Lord himself has wrought a work of grace, upon the spirit which is poor and needy, and trembles at his Word; and it is such a work that it bears within. It the promise, yea, the assurance of salvation; for the poor in spirit already possess the kingdom of heaven, and none have that but those who have eternal life. Charles Spurgeon

A very sweet promise for the poor and needy

“When the poor and need seek water and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.” Is. 41:17-18.

When we gather for public worship we come as poor and needy sinners seeking the Water of Life. Though we all have temporal needs, our true interest lies in the matters of the soul.  Our need is to know and worship God. It is to be forgiven of sin and to have a sure hope in Christ. The broken cisterns of this dry and thirsty land in which we live are unable to quench our thirst. We come to that place where there is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins. What a sweet promise we have from our Lord to meet with us and manifest his grace and glory to us. Let us prepare our hearts in prayer that He might show us a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. Rev. 22:1                                                     ~GE

Perfect in Him

There is nothing that will make a NEEDY SINNER look to Christ alone or a BELIEVER cling to, and rest in, Christ alone more than to realise that everything God is, everything that God requires, and everything that a sinner needs or will ever need is IN JESUS CHRIST (1 Cor. 1:30). We are perfect in Him (Col. 1:21-22; Jude 1:24)! He is perfect, and our being in Him makes us perfect (John 1:16-17; Col. 2:9-10). This is not speaking of what we shall be, but what we are right now in Christ before God.                   ~Henry Mahan

 Their religion is hollow, unsubstantial, and unreal
(From Winslow’s, “Christ’s Intercession for Tried Faith”)

The most beautiful ritual,
the most accurate creed,
the most costly religion,
the most splendid profession,
without Christ in the heart,
is but as fuel preparing for the
final and eternal conflagration.

What, my reader, if your religion
should prove to be nothing but chaff?
Does the bare probability startle you?

Ah! there are multitudes whom it might well
startle; for multitudes are thus deceived.

Not a grain of saving grace is found in their souls.

There is….
no vitality in their faith,
no solidity in their profession,
no substance in their religion.

Before every wind of false doctrine they bend, and
by each blast of temptation they are carried away.

The stubble of the field, and the chaff of the
threshing floor (fit emblems of their profession),
are not more unsubstantial and fleeting than it.

All is woeful deception!

They have substituted….
a form of godliness for its power;
union to the church for union to Christ;
the baptism of water for the regeneration of the Spirit;
gospel ordinances for sanctifying grace;
works of benevolence for faith in the Lord Jesus.

And thus their religion is hollow, unsubstantial, and
unreal; possessing a “name to live, they are dead.”

And what will be the end of such?

Departing into eternity in this state of soul deception;
building their hope of heaven upon this false foundation;
in their sad experience must be realised the awful
description which the evangelist gives of the judgment
power of Christ; “whose fan is in his hand, and he will
thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into his
barn; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Thus will perish….
all human religions,
all false hopes,
all hollow professions,
all soul destroying doctrines;
the ‘wood, the hay, the stubble,’ of a
form of godliness, destitute of the power.

All the devils in Hell, and all tempters on earth!

(Charles Spurgeon, “Flowers from a Puritan’s Garden” 1883)

“A garrison is not free from danger, while it has an enemy lodged within!”

You may bolt all your doors, and fasten all your windows — but if the thieves have placed even a little child within doors who can draw the bolts for them — the house is still unprotected.

All the sea outside a ship cannot do it damage — until the water enters within.

Hence, it is clear that our greatest danger is from within. All the devils in Hell, and all tempters on earth could do us no injury — if there were no corruption in our nature. The sparks will fall harmlessly, if there is no tinder.

Alas, our heart is our greatest enemy — this is the little home-born thief!

Lord, save me from that evil man, myself!

“That which cometh out of a man, that which defileth a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceedeth evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defileth the man!” Mark 7:20-23

All the devil’s tricks!

(J. C. Philpot, “Contemplations & Reflections”)

“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devises.” 2 Cor. 2:11

Satan is so wily . . .
  his agents so surround us,
  their designs are so masked,
  their language so plausible,
  their manners so insinuating,
  their appearance often so imposing,
  their arguments so subtle,
  their activity so unwearied,
  their insight into our weaknesses so keen,
  their enmity against Christ and His gospel so implacable,
  their lack of all principle and all honesty so thorough,
that the net may be drawing around us, before we
have the slightest suspicion of these infernal plots
being directed against us!

“Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able
 to withstand the wiles of the Devil!” Ephes. 6:11

“The Wiles Of The Devil”           

Ephesians 6:11

     The word “wiles” has reference to the deceitful methods satan uses to keep men from trusting Christ, his deceitful methods of destruction. SATAN IS A MASTER DECEIVER.He never deals openly.His object is to deceive and destroy. Therefore he disguises himself as an angel of light, his ministers as preachers of righteousness, and his doctrine as the doctrine of grace.

     SATAN IS A POWERFUL SORCERER who casts bewitching spells upon unsuspecting men and women, turning them from the free grace of God in Christ to a religion of works (Gal. 3:1-3). He is the one who causes foolish religionists to imagine that effectual atonement, free grace, and infallible security lead to licentiousness.

     SATAN IS A SKILLED PHARMACIST with a big, well stocked drug store. He knows the desire of all men for rest and peace. He knows that true rest and peace can only be obtained by faith in Christ. He keeps sinners from obtaining true rest by giving them imitations and substitutes. On the shelves of his drugstore you will find the paregoric of pleasure, the drug of deceit, the morphine of materialism, the spirits of self righteousness, the opium of worldly opportunity, the pill of procrastination, the dope of denominationalism, the elixir of emotionalism – anything to keep you from trusting Christ and finding rest for your soul in the merits of his blood and righteousness.

     Anything that keeps you from faith in Christ is satanic. Anything that keeps you from surrender and consecration to Christ as your Lord and Saviour is satanic. Anything that keeps you from obedience to Christ is satanic. Anything that causes you to trust yourself, consider yourself, look out for yourself, preserve yourself, or seek honour  for yourself is satanic. BE WISE AND BEWARE OF “THE WILES OF THE DEVIL!”

Don Fortner

In this precious Book!

(John Newton)

“From a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works!” 2 Timothy 3:15-17

Set a high value upon the Word of God. All that is necessary to make you wise to salvation is there — and there alone.

In this precious Book, you may find . . .
  a direction for every doubt,
  a solution of every difficulty, and
  a promise suited to every circumstance you can be in.

There you may be informed of your disease caused by sin — and the remedy provided by grace.

In the Scriptures, you may be instructed to know . . .
  yourselves,
  Jesus Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,
  the wonders of redeeming love,
  the glories of the Redeemer’s person,
  the happiness of the redeemed people,
  the power of faith, and
  the beauty of holiness.
All are here fully and clearly represented.

Nothing is lacking in the Scriptures to make . . .
  life useful and comfortable,
  death safe and desirable, and
  to bring down something of Heaven upon earth.

But this true wisdom can be found nowhere else. If you wander from the Scriptures, in pursuit either of present peace, or future hope — then your search will surely end in disappointment.

This is the fountain of living waters! If you forsake it, and give the preference to broken cisterns of your own devising — then they will fail you when you most need them.

Rejoice, therefore, that such a treasure is put into your hand — but rejoice with trembling. Remember this is not all you need — unless God likewise gives you a heart to use the Scriptures aright — then your privilege will only aggravate your guilt and misery.

This entry was posted on July 16, 2023 at 7:30 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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