I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD. Psalm 122:1-4

The Successful Atonement Of Christ

If a man does not preach the definite, particular, successful atonement of Christ for the elect, he does not preach the Gospel. If a man does not rely on the definite, particular, successful atonement of Christ for the elect, he does not believe the Gospel. Anything less than Christ saving the elect in His redeeming work is another gospel! Any teaching that would allow someone to be in hell for whom Christ died makes Christ a failure in His intentions. The message of Christ dying for all men without exception is a message that makes what you do determine whether or not you will be in heaven. It is salvation by works. None are saved by that message!

Pastor Todd Nibert

Do We Really Know God?

Romans 10:1-4

Paul acknowledged that these Jews had a zeal for God but also that they really did not know God; for they were ignorant of God’s righteousness and they were trying to find favor with God on the basis of their own righteousness.

A man who is ignorant of God’s essential holiness and the immaculate holiness which He has promised and provided sinners in Christ does not know God. A man who attempts to come into the presence of God or find acceptance and favor with God on the basis of his own works and righteousness reveals that he does not know the true and living God.

Those who really know God have, like Isaiah, seen God in His holiness, seen themselves in their uncleanness, and have looked only to Christ as their wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. It would do well for us to read these verses here in Romans and those verses which follow until, by His grace, we can say: “Before the holy throne of God I have a perfect plea; Jesus Christ obeyed His law and paid the debt for me.”

Pastor Henry T. Mahan (bulletin 1989)

My Times Are In Thy Hand Psalm 31:15

“My times,” that is to say, my ups and my downs, my health and my sickness, my prosperity and my adversity, my wealth and my poverty, my happiness and my sorrow – all of these are in the hands of my Lord and Redeemer, who arranges and appoints the length of my days and the darkness of my nights according to his wise and holy will. My times of refreshing and my times of depressing are in the hands of my God and Savior; and I am glad that it is so.

Pastor Don Fortner

Flee, Follow And Fight

“But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses” (1 Tim. 6:11-12).

Every believer, “O man of God” needs to pursue and practice these three instructions of grace given to us by the infinite wisdom of God, the Holy Spirit (2Peter 1:21).

1). “Flee these things,” this refers back to all that Paul had instructed Timothy in this epistle. Flee everything that is contrary to the gospel of Christ, especially those that consent not to the wholesome words and the sound doctrine of Christ (1Tim.1:3,10; 4:1,6; 6:3). But also, flee that spirit of covetousness, mercenary views of religion, worldly gain and wicked resolution to be rich at any cost, “the love of money” (1Tim. 6:5, 10). These things are unsuitable and detrimental to a believer seeking salvation in Christ alone (Col. 3:1-3).

2). “Follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” Make these the grand object of your pursuit (John 10:27-30; 12:26). These things are appropriate and suitable to the believer seeking salvation in Christ (Matt. 6:33). All of these spiritual blessings are purchased by Christ’s redeeming blood (Eph. 1:7) and freely given by His sovereign grace (Rom. 8:32; 1Cor. 2:12) and are the fruit of the Holy Spirit wrought within us (Gal. 5:22; Phil. 2:13; 2Thes.2:13; Heb. 13:20-21).

3). “Fight the good fight of faith.” “Fight,” means to fervently strive after. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is worth fighting and courageously standing in support of (Gal. 5:1; Phil. 1:27). Jude says, “That we are to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3). The life of faith is called a warfare (1Tim. 1:18; 2Tim. 2:3-4). We have many strong adversaries, the devil (1Peter 5:8), our own fleshly nature (Rom. 7:23; Gal. 5:17), and enemies of the gospel (Luke 16:15; John 8:44). It is called a "good fight” because it is a good cause, the cause of God and truth (John 8:32). The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but spiritual (Eph. 6:13-16) and mighty to the pulling down of strongholds (2Cor. 10:3-5). It is called the “fight of faith” in opposition to law (Gal. 2:16) and works as the ground of salvation (Heb. 11:6). The justified sinner lives by faith in Christ (Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38).