SALVATION IS OF THE LORD

“But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD” -Psalm 37:39

We have all heard of putting the cart before the horse. That summarizes man’s religion. It inverts the divine order. It makes forgiveness the end rather than the beginning of salvation. Man’s religion says you must believe before you can have life, rather than you believe because you live. It says God will if you will, rather than God will and you shall. It makes man the deciding factor rather than God. Anything that has man as the deciding factor is doomed for failure. Thank God, “Salvation is of the Lord.” Pastor Todd Nibert

Tell It One More Time

Our Lord was made flesh and dwelt among men on this earth for over thirty years in full and perfect obedience to the law of God. “By the obedience of ONE shall the many be made righteous.” He then took upon Himself all of our sins. He was arrested, not only by men, but by the hand of divine justice, as if He had been the greatest sinner. “He was numbered with the transgressors” and given over to wicked men who scourged Him, crowned Him with thorns, spit upon Him, and condemned Him to be crucified. He died on the cruel tree, not for any sins of His own (for He had none), but “He was made a curse for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” “He died, the Just for the unjust that He might bring us to God.” Our Lord was buried and has risen from the dead, leaving our sin in the grave, and has ascended to the right hand of the Majesty on High to intercede and prepare a place for all who believe in Him. This is good news to the guilty, for our Lord “came to seek and to save the lost.”

Let the guilty sinner, who would be saved from all his sins, believe God and trust God as He is revealed in and through the Lord Jesus Christ; for, with Him, there is plenteous redemption, and sin is no longer imputed to those who are IN CHRIST BY FAITH (Rom. 4:7-8). Pastor Henry T. Mahan (1986)

Brother Scott Richardson once said, "Any sermon that does not have Christ in the beginning, the middle, and the end is a mistake in conception and a crime in execution." And I heartily say, amen! The apostle Paul never said, "Woe is unto me if I preach not," but "woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel." And he told the Corinthians, "I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified." Any man who stands before men and women in the name of God and does not plainly, clearly and consistently preach the Gospel of God's glory and grace in Christ Jesus is the worst sort of a criminal! He is a deceiver and murderer of the souls of men and women!

Pastor Milton Howard

A GOD READY TO PARDON

“Thou art a God ready to pardon” (Nehemiah 9:17)

God, as He has revealed Himself to us in the scriptures delights to shew mercy and to pardon guilty sinners. He has not left us to guess about His character. David said of Him, “Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee” (Psalm 86:5). His readiness to pardon is seen in His long-suffering to Israel. God's dealings with national Israel are very typical of His dealings with spiritual Israel. Though we are no more deserving of mercy than they were, yet God in Christ Jesus has been pleased to choose, justify and pardon His elect (Romans 3:24-26). God's readiness to pardon His people is seen in the following points.

1) In His Eternal Purpose (Ephesians 3:8-12)! We must never think that Christ Jesus died to make God merciful. The death of the Lord Jesus is the result of the eternal purpose and love of God (Revelation 13:8). Before Adam's rebellion ever took place the remedy and redemption of the sheep of Christ was absolute and certain (1 Corinthians 15:22). Before Adam ever fell Jesus Christ stood as the Surety and Mediator of the covenant of grace (Hebrews 13:20).

2) In His Gracious Provision (Galatians 4:4-7)! God at great cost to Himself, from His own bosom gave His only begotten, well beloved Son (John 3:16). God in His holiness and strict justice cannot simply give the sinner pardon, without honoring His justice (Ezekiel 8:20). Therefore, God took to Himself sinless humanity. Living as our representative He perfectly obeyed the law for us in all its precepts & penalties (Romans 8:1-4).

3) In His Satisfying Propitiation (Hebrews 2:16-18)! How can God be just and yet justify the ungodly; be a just God and Saviour? That is the vital question of the hour, that nobody is asking. The only way is for God Himself to satisfy His own justice (Isaiah 53:10). This is what happened at Calvary. The Lord Jesus Christ died in the place of His people, as the sinner's Substitute. Bearing the sin of His people being laid upon Him (Isaiah 53:6), He suffered for them to satisfy God's justice (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18). The atonement doesn't change the character of God, it honors and glorifies His justice and His mercy (Psalm 85:10).