CYBERWORD OF TRUTH

MY TIMES ARE IN THY HAND--CHARLES WOODRUFF

2012-01-25T12:06:00.001-05:00

“But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God. My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies and from them that persecute me. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies’ sake.” (Psalm 31:14-16)

A time like David speaks of is difficult. In this, mere words cannot give comfort and strength. There must be more. David goes to the heart of the matter. He must have God’s word and guidance. He first reflects that he has trusted in Jehovah, the LORD. He has here a keen sense that this is his God; the true God; the only God. He is sharing with us where our faith must be. It has to be in this righteous, sovereign, omnipotent God. A smaller God will not do! It must be the creator; the redeemer, the savior. No other God will do. There is no other God. He is it!

He says “You are my God. My times are in your hand.” I have thought on this. Why does David say “times”? It is not at first apparent, but there are phases of a person’s life. Not just eras of history, but individual segments of one’s life. Some may be short, some may be long.We know not which time is to be our last. Which phase will be our last breath? We can’t tell until it comes. This is one of God’s mysteries; one of His secrets which He must reveal when He’s ready.

A TIME TO BE BORN

We are told in Ecclesiastes 3:1, 2 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.” These verses also examine the phases of life and how God has arranged them. If you will read them through verse 11, you perhaps can see the arranging of a life by God’s hand. Actually He is the only one who can do this. He is life’s originator and sustainer, as well as its terminator. God is in absolute control of His universe, and of we that are here in it.

He tells us there is a time to every purpose under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. You may not know it, or even believe it, but you are on this earth in God’s purpose. If He had not said every purpose, I could let some of you off the hook, but He says every purpose. That includes you and I. All of us! If you really grasp this verse, it should make you fear and tremble. God has you all figured out, from beginning to end. You will accomplish nothing, unless He wills that you do. You will live exactly how long He has decreed, and no more! He says there is a time to die. That is when you will die. Not one minute later, or one minute earlier. We will look closer at that, but first let’s look at life. He says a time to plant, and a time to pluck up.

A TIME TO PLANT

God has ordained some planters and some pluckers. It is part of His eternal purpose. With the plants He has given, there must be some to plant, water and harvest. This is within God’s purpose. In our verse in Psalm 31, David reflected “My times are in thy hands.” In Ecclesiastes He says there is “a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Don’t you see that Almighty God has worked out all the details for this world He made, as well as all the rest of His universe? He includes in His words “a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up.” (Found in Ecclesiastes 3:3). He covers so much more, but I want to focus on the planting. Do you realize that this world has continued for thousands of years with God’s plan working. It hasn’t stopped since He started it. The seasons and the years continue. They have not stopped either. You see, all the chaos in this world was not started by the Lord. It was started by man.

He says in verse 4 “A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” None of these things were man’s invention; they were God’s! Oh, if we could just understand this! One little saying I picked up from someone many years ago says “79 years is but a vapor. It is a short time, not to one who is 20, but when you are over 50, it doesn’t seem long at all.” Remember that James says “For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”(James 4:14b) We must understand this; we have a very limited time on the earth. Satan will deceive us here if he can. He will make you think you are not limited. What you plan to accomplish must be now; not later! If you are a Christian, realize that today is planting time. God is going to harvest the crop soon. You must work while it is day. You must! The night is coming when no man can work.

A TIME TO DIE

Here is the part no one wants to read. Death! It is coming for all of us, some sooner, and some later, but it is coming. You may live to be 90, or even as George Beverly Shea who is 93. You may live that long, but death is coming. Did you know that in 2011 the number of World War Two veterans is dwindling rapidly? Do you know how many there were over 10 years ago in 2000? One database stated there were over five million then, but many have died since then. I was unable to acquire a present, accurate figure. I estimate three million. By 2020 most will be gone. Do you know how many World War Two vets there will be on earth in December 2041? Very likely, there will be none left here, for they would be at least 117-120 years old! Time marches on. David could have said it that way; time marches on. It does in reality.

It was a Puritan that I can’t recall the name of, who was reported to have said “When it comes time to die, make sure that all you have to do—is die!” By the way, this same statement was uttered by missionary Jim Elliot. He wrote it in some correspondence before his death at the hands of the Auca Indians of Ecuador on January 8, 1956. He was killed along with four other missionaries. His journal entry for October 28, 1949, expresses his belief that missions work was more important than his life. "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." It appears to me that our verses commend this attitude. No sacrifice is too great.

Also Christ died that we should not have to die for eternity. Richard Sibbes (1577-1635), said “Death is only a grim porter to let us into a stately palace.”

Published by Charles Woodruff- email: oursong2000@yahoo.com

BIBLICAL STANDARDS IN SONGS OF WORSHIP

2012-01-17T21:17:00.012-05:00

Dear Friends---For our second message for 2012, I wanted to cover some ground that I have covered before, but in a different manner. I hope you find this message of interest. I think it is vital that the churches hold to biblical standards in all areas, especially worship. I hope if you don't agree with me, you will at least consult the scriptures regarding these issues, especially music. It is very important that we get back to Bible standards in all that we do if we are calling ourselves Christians. Please read, and be sure and leave comments, pro or con. Your comments are welcome here. Any questions, or requests will be addressed also. Also, check our Sermon Audio site and hear some of the messages. We have nearly 400 there. Our address at Sermon Audio is as follows:
http://www.sermonaudio.com/source_detail.asp?sourceid=missionaryman

BY CHARLES WOODRUFF

Certainly there was nothing forbidden in using Psalms in worship as the Puritans did. To do so exclusively is not commanded however. As a matter of fact the Bible does tell us exactly what should be done in private and corporate worship. It does so without specifying in minute detail. For instance in Psalm 150 we are told various instruments, besides the human voice, may be used in praising the Lord. The key verse is “Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD” (Psalm 150:6). Some want to restrict this to the Old Testament, but I see no warrant in them doing so. If you do that, you had better do away with “a pulpit of wood” for it is only found in Nehemiah 8:4; or “storehouse tithing” which is found only in Malachi.

First, we are to sing unto the Lord: “Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing” (Psalm 100:2).

We are to sing psalms -- unto Him: “Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works” (Psalm 105:2).

Sing with understanding. This means doctrine, or teaching should be in the praises and songs: “For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding” Psalm 47:7).

This is in the New Testament as well as old: “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms” (James 5:13).

Secondly, hymns are to be sung as well as Psalms. “Greek= humnos; which denotes a song of praise addressed to God” W.E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of NT Words.

“Songs -- joyous lyric pieces on sacred subjects; contrast the reveling, licentious songs of pagan feasts (Amos 8:10).” Fausset’s Bible Dictionary on “hymn”.

“And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives” (Matthew 26:30).

“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them” (Acts 16:25).

“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).

These verses should be most instructive to us on what kind of singing in Christian assemblies is acceptable to God. I found Fausset’s words “contrast the reveling, licentious songs of pagan feasts” very alarming. He was speaking of pagans back before 1877 when his dictionary was originally published. What would he have to say about the modern pagans in England and America today and their so-called church music?

Thirdly, the verses above are saying “spiritual songs” as opposed to worldly or pagan songs. How do you define the difference? “All music is to be offered to God. Johann Sebastian Bach, perhaps the greatest musician of all time, said that the aim of all music is the glory of God. In his own life and work the great composer and organist sought to live out that aim, frequently initialing his works S.D.G.: Sola Deo Gloria--to the glory of God alone. Whenever believers sing, they must constantly remind themselves that their song should be a gift of praise to the Lord. Every word of every song should be biblical, rightly reflecting God's own thoughts and attitudes. It is tragic that much of the music today classified as Christian is nothing more than theological mishmash.” John MacArthur on Ephesians 5:19; from Monergism.com.

Some of you may say “Oh, it is just a matter of choice. A ‘Christian rock’ or ‘Christian rap’ song can praise the Lord as much as a hymn.” Be careful now, Christian friend! First of all, as we have said, the lyrics should be biblical. Also, the song should be offered to God. I can’t get too detailed in this issue, but hope to expand later. Suffice it to say, there is a certain amount of latitude in types of songs. Rhythm in itself is not wrong. The Hebrew songs certainly had rhythm. But, to take the rhythm that serves the devil so well, put a few Christian sounding phrases with it, and call it “Christian rock.” or “Christian rap” or “contemporary” is a misnomer. I used to listen to Elvis, Chuck Berry, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Lynryd Skynyrd and many other rock singers, and you can’t take the same tunes and styles they sang, give them religious lyrics and call them Christian. They may be religious, but not Christian -- certainly not spiritual songs! So many young people (and some older ones as well), are being fooled today by contemporary Christian music, most of which will not, and cannot help you worship the true Sovereign God aright. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15)

WHAT ABOUT NEW SONGS?

Likely some will get angry and puffed up with me, but think about this; I am not saying every song must be an old hymn written before 1900. I am saying our worship songs in our churches should meet our chief end---which is to glorify God! I am not saying every good song must have been written by a Calvinist. Charles Wesley, although an Arminian, wrote some great hymns. Some modern songs are good. It is just the trend to throw out the old songs, along with the old paths---the old biblical theology of Sovereign Grace. Our songs, whether old or new, should be scriptural.

“O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day” (Psalm 96:1-2).

I am sure someone will point out the preceding verse to defend all contemporary songs, but as you see the new song here was also to be a song of praise to Jehovah. If we in the New Testament are “showing forth His salvation from day to day.” our songs must present Jesus Christ, whose very name means salvation. He is our salvation (see Isaiah 12:2).

“Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40).

Here is an example of a good modern song IMHO.

WE SHALL BEHOLD HIM (Words and music by Dottie Rambo)

The sky shall unfold, preparing His entrance;
The stars shall applaud Him with thunders of praise.
The sweet light in His eyes shall enhance those a waiting,
And we shall behold Him then face to face.

Chorus
And we shall behold Him, we shall behold Him
Face to face in all of His glory;
And we shall behold Him, Yes, we shall behold Him
Face to face, our Saviour and Lord.

The angels shall sound the shout of His coming,
The sleeping shall rise from their slumbering place.
And those who remain shall be changed in a moment,
And we shall behold Him then face to face.

Chorus
And we shall behold Him, we shall behold Him
Face to face in all of His glory;
And we shall behold Him, Yes, we shall behold Him
Face to face, our Saviour and Lord.
We shall behold Him, our Saviour and Lord.

THE TRUE CHRIST IS STILL THE ONLY WAY

Jesus warned us there would be false prophets and false Christs. “Then if any man shall say

unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and

false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they

shall deceive the very elect” (Matthew 24:23, 24). Regardless of what new agers such as Oprah

and Eckhart Tolle may say; regardless of what post modern “organizer” preachers like Rick

Warren and Bill Hybels may say; regardless of what hatemonger preachers like Jeremiah Wright

and company may say; no matter how apparently successful, and extremely wealthy some of

them are. As Chuck Norris, quoting from another, reminded us; “Christ is either who He claimed

to be, or He is the most notorious liar who ever lived!” Remember Jesus said “I am the way, the

truth, and the life; no man cometh unto to the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). (cw)

PROBLEMS AND PRESSURES

Do you ever feel like God is sifting you? Are you puzzled by the purpose of pressures and problems in your life? None of us are without them. Some have more and some have less. If we are Christians we have to keep in mind Romans 8:28; "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." These blessed words are written only for Christians. It has been a comfort for believers since Paul wrote the inspired words nearly 2000 years ago. The unbeliever knows nothing of this, and could not claim this truth (if he would even be interested), without first being regenerated. It is a blessed tonic for the children of God, called a "Divine Cordial" by the Puritan, Thomas Watson, in his classic book on the subject. There are many things in our lives that do not seem to be working for our good, but God says through His apostle that they indeed do work for good. Often we cannot see the good when going through a trial. We may even ask God to remove the trial, and often He does not. We are called according to His purpose, and He has a purpose in our trials and tribulations. Jesus said "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). (cw)

BY THE WAY, OUR ELECTION IS COMING IN NOVEMBER

There are many, even in America, who believe socialism is the answer. I don’t believe it. I have seen what it does to a people. It drains their resources, destroys their ambition, makes them live in fear and tries to make all but the elite leaders the same---poor, and dependent on the government. I do not want that here. I do not believe that is what people have fought for in all our wars. It certainly was not the vision of the founding fathers of our nation. I do not want it for my children, or my grandchildren, should the Lord not return soon.

There is another sticky little issue that we cannot ignore if we are Christians. The USA has had perhaps more gospel truth preached since its founding than most any nation in the world, except perhaps England during the times after the reformation, and the revival that came there in the 1700’s. Alas, look where England is now! She is a country largely devoid of true gospel churches. There are a few, thank God! These are overwhelmed and outnumbered by the dead, social gospel, churches, but praise God, there are some holding the truth. America is going down the same road. Fewer and fewer standing for the old and true gospel.

Is God’s judgment going to bring this nation of aborticide, sodomy, adultery, riotous living, and ungodliness to a finish? What can we true believers say if He does? Even those that profess His name are often “Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more that lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:4). God brought down Israel and Judah when they turned from Him. Why would He not do that with this soiled, formerly great, nation? Oh America! America! Will thou not repent and believe the gospel of Christ before you are made ashes? Oh why will you die? Oh America! Obama is not the answer! Gingrich is not the answer! Ron Paul is not the answer! Nor is Mitt Romney our answer! Christ is the only answer! He has always been the only answer! Christians pray! Point your children and grandchildren to the savior! You cannot save them; you can only pray that He will do so by His sovereign grace. (cw)

“Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation. I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly. Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land” (Psalm 85:6-9).

Published by Charles Woodruff- email: oursong2000@yahoo.com

THOUGHTS ON PRAYER--CHARLES WOODRUFF

2012-01-07T23:24:00.002-05:00

(Please note: I have published this before, but the reason I put it here this week is that I want to encourage all of us to pray. I may publish several articles in a row like this on Cyberwordoftruth during the next few weeks. My purpose is to get us all to focus on prayer. Your comments will be appreciated on this series).

WHAT IS PRAYER?
Prayer is basically conversation with God. There is quiet prayer, fervent prayer, effective prayer, urgent prayer and desperate prayer. Leonard Ravenhill once said “God answers desperate prayer.” Prayer is the hardest work for a Christian. It is elusive. We can easily attend church, read the Bible, study, witness, preach and teach and do all our duties (all in the flesh unless we pray for the Spirit‘s help). We can do all the other things relatively easy, but struggle to pray. Why is this, when prayer is where our strength is energized? Leonard Ravenhill once said: “Satan laughs at our singing, witnessing, preaching, and all else, but trembles when we pray.”

We cannot pray all the time, as other duties press us. We are commanded to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). How can we accomplish this? It means to be in an attitude of prayer at all times, as well as to pray often. It seems to me that this requires walking in the Spirit. Remember this verse connects with six other short admonitions (God’s perfect number of seven; could it be that all these go together, equally important?)

The first prayer in the Old Testament
The first conversation with God recorded was in Genesis 3:8-19. Remember, prayer is conversation with God, but we don’t usually think of it this way. The first words were addressed from God to Adam in verse nine: Where art thou? Man by nature, since the fall, does not seek God, God seeks man. Remember, when God seeks you, He will find you.

The first prayer in the New Testament
The Magnificat, if you consider it a prayer. Certainly the virgin Mary was praising the Lord. “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever” (Luke 1:46-55).

The First Prayer Chronologically
In Luke it is mentioned that people were praying, so maybe this was the first mention. “And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense” (Luke 1:10). (Praying= Greek; Strong's G4336 - proseuchomai (pros-yü'-kho-mi) used 90 times in 82 verses). The longest prayer in the Bible
Nehemiah 9:5-38 (We won’t print it because of its length. It was prayed by a number of Levites after a rediscovery of the law of God, and the awakening under Nehemiah). Daniel also had a long prayer recorded. You can find his great prayer in Daniel 9:4-19.

The shortest prayer in the Bible
It is very short, but to tell the story requires a longer context.
“And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou; bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.”(These three words are the shortest prayer).
“And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Matthew 14:25-32; esp. v. 30).

Jesus’ Prayers
The True “Lord’s Prayer” is the high priestly prayer in John 17. Let’s look a bit at this one. Especially verses 15-17. “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” Oh doesn’t it thrill you that Jesus Christ prays for you; and for me! Hallelujah!

Paul’s Prayers
He had many, but I remember this statement in Philippians so well: “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:3-6).

John’s Prayers and Teaching
Here John tells us some words about praying; “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment” (1 John 3:22, 23).

Peter’s Prayers
Acts 9:40 With Tabitha (Dorcas); “But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.”

Hannah’s Prayer
“And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore” (1 Samuel 1:9); (see verse 9 through verse 19).

Jacob’s Prayer
In the figurative language, we can see that Jacob wrestled with God and was afterwards called Israel. “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.” (Genesis 32:24; See Genesis 32:22-30).

The Prayer of Jabez
“And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested” (1 Chronicles 4:10).

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON PRAYER

“Always respond to every impulse to pray. The impulse to pray may come when you are reading or when you are battling with a text. I would make an absolute law of this – always obey such an impulse.”--Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“No one is a firmer believer in the power of prayer than the devil; not that he practices it, but he suffers from it.” --Guy H. King

“There is a general kind of praying which fails for lack of precision. It is as if a regiment of soldiers should all fire off their guns anywhere. Possibly somebody would be killed, but the majority of the enemy would be missed.” --Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“It is good for us to keep some account of our prayers, that we may not unsay them in our practice.”--Matthew Henry

"For your Father knoweth what things you have need of before you ask Him" (Matthew 6:8).
“At first sight it might appear as if this thought makes prayer less needful. If God already knows what we need, then why pray at all? But as we gain a deeper insight into what prayer really is, this truth will help much to strengthen our faith. It will teach us that we do not need the multitude and urgency of our words to compel an unwilling God to listen to us. It will lead to a holy thoughtfulness and silence in prayer as it suggests the question: Does my Father really know that I need this? Yes, He does! Therefore, let us sometimes in our prayers, when we are in danger of being so occupied with our fervent, urgent petitions, as to forget that the Father knows and hears, let us hold still and just quietly say: My Father sees, my Father hears, my Father knows; it will help our faith to take the answer, and to say: We know that we have the petitions we have asked of Him.” -- (From Lord, Teach Us to Pray, by Andrew Murray)

“God can pick sense out of a confused prayer.”--Richard Sibbes

“Prayers not felt by us are seldom heard by God.” --Philip Henry

“Some people pray just to pray and some people pray to know God.” --Andrew Murray

“Prayer is the Christian’s life. Though every other ordinance be attended to, yet if this one be neglected, all is vain. It is as impossible for the soul to be spiritually alive and active without a punctual course of fervent and believing prayer, as for the body to be alive and active without breath. Prayer has more influence on the sanctification of the soul than all other ordinances.”
-- (From Enoch Walked with God, a sermon by Edward Griffin, page 6)

“When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart.” --John Bunyan, who wrote many other great words on praying.

“Prayer requires more of the heart than of the tongue.” --Adam Clarke

“Is prayer your steering wheel, or your spare tire?”-- Corrie Ten Boom

“Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness.”
--Martin Luther (also quoted by others including Arthur W. Pink)

“I attend scores of evangelical worship services in the course of a normal year, and one thing I have noticed is the striking absence of any serious prayer. Usually there is prayer at the beginning of the service... There is always a prayer when the offering is received. We seem to recognize our need for God’s supernatural intervention there—to make normally stingy people generous. But the pastoral prayers are gone. There is no adoration of God, no confession of sin, no thanks for what God has already abundantly given. And if we need to make a supplication—if Mary Jones is having an operation and needs to be prayed for—that is often merely tacked on to the offering prayer because there is no other place to put it.”—J.M. Boice

“Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not" (Jeremiah 33:3).
“God encourages us to pray. They tell us that prayer is a pious exercise which has no influence except upon the mind engaged in it. We know better. Our experience gives the lie a thousand times over to this infidel assertion. Here Jehovah, the living God, distinctly promises to answer the prayer of His servant. Let us call upon Him again and admit no doubt upon the question of His hearing us and answering us. He that made the ear, shall He not hear? He that gave parents a love to their children, will He not listen to the cries of His own sons and daughters! God will answer His pleading people in their anguish. He has wonders in store for them. What they have never seen, heard of, or dreamed of, He will do for them. He will invent new blessings if needful. He will ransack sea and land to feed them: He will send every angel out of heaven to succor them if their distress requires it. He will astound us with His grace and make us feel that it was never before done in this fashion. All He asks of us is that we will call upon Him. He cannot ask less of us. Let us cheerfully render Him our prayers at once.”—Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Titled Invitation to Pray, from Faith's Checkbook for June 29.

“We must alter our lives in order to alter our hearts, for it is impossible to live one way and pray another.” --William Law. ----Brethren, let us pray for one another today! Amen!

CHRIST THE BELIEVER'S WISDOM--GEORGE WHITEFIELD

2011-12-27T22:50:00.003-05:00

Christ, the Believer's Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification and Redemption

1 Corinthians 1:30, "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption."

Of all the verses in the book of God, this which I have now read to you, is, I believe, one of the most comprehensive: what glad tidings does it bring to believers! What precious privileges are they herein invested with! How are they here led to the fountain of them all, I mean, the love, the everlasting love of God the Father! 'Of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.'

Without referring you to the context, I shall from the words,

FIRST, Point out to you the fountain, from which all those blessings flow, that the elect of God partake of in Jesus Christ, "Who of God is made unto'. And,

SECONDLY, I shall consider what these blessings are, 'Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption'.

FIRST, I would point out to you the fountain, from which all those blessings flow, that the elect of God partake of in Jesus, 'Who of God is made unto us', the father he it is who is spoken of here. Not as though Jesus Christ was not God also; but God the Father is the fountain of the Deity; and if we consider Jesus Christ acting as Mediator, God the Father is greater than he; there was an eternal contract between the Father and the Son: 'I have made a covenant with my chosen, and I have sworn unto David my servant'; now David was a type of Christ, with whom the Father made a covenant, that if he would obey and suffer, and make himself a sacrifice for sin, he should 'See his seed, he should prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hands'. This compact our Lord refers to, in that glorious prayer recorded in the 17th chapter of John; and therefore he prays for, or rather demands with a full assurance, all that were given to him by the Father: 'Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am.' For this same reason, the apostle breaks out into praises of God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; for he loved the elect with an everlasting love, or, as our Lord expresses it, 'Before the foundation of the world'; and, therefore, to show them to whom they were beholden for their salvation, our Lord, in the 25th of Matthew, represents himself saying, 'Come, ye blessed children of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world'. And thus, in reply to the mother of Zebedee's children, he says, 'It is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of the Father'. The apostle therefore, when here speaking of the Christian's privileges, lest they should sacrifice to their own drag, or think their salvation was owing to their own faithfulness, or improvement of their own free-will, reminds them to look back on the everlasting love of God the Father; 'Who of God is made unto us', etc.

Would to God this point of doctrine was considered more, and people were more studious of the covenant of redemption between the Father and the Son! We should not then have so much disputing against the doctrine of election, or hear it condemned (even by good men) as a doctrine of devils. For my own part, I cannot see how true humbleness of mind can be attained without a knowledge of it; and though I will not say, that every one who denies election is a bad man, yet I will say, with that sweet singer, Mr. Trail, it is a very bad sign: such a one, whoever he be, I think cannot truly know himself; for, if we deny election, we must, partly at least, glory in ourselves; but our redemption is so ordered that no flesh should glory in the Divine presence; and hence it is, that the pride of man opposes this doctrine, because, according to this doctrine, and no other, 'He that glories, must glory only in the Lord'. But what shall I say? Election is a mystery that shines with such resplendent brightness, that, to make use of the words of one who has drunk deeply of electing love, it dazzles the weak eyes even of some of God's dear children; however, though they know it not, all the blessings they receive, all the privileges they do or ill enjoy, through Jesus Christ, flow from the everlasting love of God the Father: 'But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.'

SECONDLY, I come to show what these blessings are, which are here, through Christ, made over to the elect. And,

1: FIRST, Christ is made to them WISDOM; but wherein does true wisdom consist? Were I to ask some of you, perhaps you would say, in indulging the lust of the flesh, and saying to your souls, eat, drink, and be merry: but this is only the wisdom of brutes; they have as good a gust and relish for sensual pleasures, as the greatest epicure on earth. Others would tell me, true wisdom consisted in adding house to house, and field to field, and calling lands after their own names: but this cannot be true wisdom; for riches often take to themselves wings, and fly away, like an eagle towards heaven. Even wisdom itself assures us, 'That a man's life doth not consist in the abundance of the things which he possesses'; vanity, vanity, all these things are vanity; for, if riches leave not the owner, the owners must soon leave them; 'For rich men must also die, and leave their riches for others'; their riches cannot procure them redemption from the grave, whither we are all hastening apace.

But perhaps you despise riches and pleasure, and therefore place wisdom in the knowledge of books: but it is possible for you to tell the numbers of the stars, and call them all by their names, and yet be mere fools; learned men are not always wise; nay, our common learning, so much cried up, makes men only so many accomplished fools; to keep you therefore no longer in suspense, and withal to humble you, I will send you to a heathen to school, to learn what true wisdom is: 'Know thyself'', was a saying of one of the wise men of Greece; this is certainly true wisdom, and this is that wisdom spoken of in the text, and which Jesus Christ is made to all elect sinners--they are made to know themselves, so as not to think more highly of themselves than they ought to think. Before, they were darkness; now, they are light in the Lord; and in that light they see their own darkness; they now bewail themselves as fallen creatures by nature, dead in trespasses and sins, sons and heirs of hell, and children of wrath; they now see that all their righteousnesses are but as filthy rags; that there is no health in their souls; that they are poor and miserable, blind and naked; and that there is no name given under heaven, whereby they can be saved, but that of Jesus Christ. They see the necessity of closing with a Savior, and behold the wisdom of God in appointing him to be a Savior; they are also made willing to accept of salvation upon our Lord's own terms, and receive him as their all in all; thus Christ is made to them wisdom.

2. SECONDLY, RIGHTEOUSNESS, 'Who of God is made unto us, wisdom, righteousness': Christ's whole personal righteousness is made over to, and accounted theirs. They are enabled to lay hold on Christ by faith, and God the Father blots out their transgressions, as with a thick cloud: their sins and their iniquities he remembers no more; they are made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, 'Who is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth'. In one sense, God now sees no sin in them; the whole covenant of works is fulfilled in them; they are actually justified, acquitted, and looked upon as righteous in the sight of God; they are perfectly accepted in the beloved; they are complete in him; the flaming sword of God's wrath, which before moved every way, is not removed, and free access given to the tree of life; they are enabled to reach out the arm of faith, and pluck, and live for evermore. Hence it is that the apostle, under a sense of this blessed privilege, breaks out into this triumphant language; 'It is Christ that justifies, who is he that condemns?' Does sin condemn? Christ's righteousness delivers believers from the guilt of it: Christ is their Savior, and is become a propitiation for their sins: who therefore shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? Does the law condemn? By having Christ's righteousness imputed to them, they are dead to the law, as a covenant of works; Christ has fulfilled it for them, and in their stead. Does death threaten them? They need not fear: the sting of death is sin, the strength of sin is the law; but God has given them the victory by imputing to them the righteousness of the Lord Jesus.

And what a privilege is here! Well might the angels at the birth of Christ say to the humble shepherds, 'Behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy'; unto you that believe in Christ 'A Savior is born'. And well may angels rejoice at the conversion of poor sinners; for the Lord is their righteousness; they have peace with God through faith in Christ's blood, and shall never enter into condemnation. O believers! (for this discourse is intended in a special manner for you) lift up your heads; 'Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice'. Christ is mad to you, of God, righteousness, what then should you fear? You are made the righteousness of God in him; you may be called, 'The Lord our righteousness'. Of what then should you be afraid? What shall separate you henceforward from the love of Christ? 'Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No, I am persuaded, neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord', who of God is made unto you righteousness.

This is a glorious privilege, but this is only the beginning of the happiness of believers: For,

3: THIRDLY, Christ is not only made to them righteousness, but sanctification; by sanctification, I do not mean a bare hypocritical attendance on outward ordinances, though rightly informed Christians will think it their duty and privilege constantly to attend on all outward ordinances. Nor do I mean by sanctification a bare outward reformation, and a few transient convictions, or a little legal sorrow; for all this an unsanctified man may have; but, by sanctification I mean a total renovation of the whole man: by the righteousness of Christ, believers come legally, by sanctification they are made spiritually, alive; by the one they are entitled to, by the other they are made meet for, glory. They are sanctified, therefore, throughout, in spirit, soul, and body.

Their understandings, which were dark before, now become light in the Lord; and their wills, before contrary to, now become one with the will of God; their affections are now set on things above; their memory is now filled with divine things; their natural consciences are now enlightened; their members, which were before instruments of uncleanness, and of iniquity into iniquity, are now new creatures; 'Old things are passed away, all things are become new', in their hearts: sin has now no longer dominion over them; they are freed from the power, though not the indwelling of being, of it; they are holy both in heart and life, in all manner of conversation: they are made partakers of a divine nature, and from Jesus Christ, they receive grace; and every grace that is in Christ, is copied and transcribed into their souls; they are transformed into his likeness; he is formed within them; they dwell in him, and he in them; they are led by the Spirit, and bring forth the fruits thereof; they know that Chris is their Emmanuel, God with and in them; they are living temples of the Holy Ghost. And therefore, being a holy habitation unto the Lord, the whole Trinity dwells and walks in them; even here, they sit together with Christ in heavenly places, and are vitally united to him, their Head, by a living faith; their Redeemer, their Maker, is their husband; they are flesh of his flesh, bone of his bone; they talk, they walk with him, as a man talketh and walketh with his friend; in short, they are one with Christ, even as Jesus Christ and the Father are one.

Thus is Christ made to believers sanctification. And O what a privilege is this! to be changed from beasts into saints, and from a devilish, to be made partakers of a divine nature; to be translated from the kingdom of Satan, into the kingdom of God's dear Son! To put off the old man, which is corrupt, and to put on the new man, which is created after God, in righteousness and true holiness! O what an unspeakable blessing is this! I almost stand amazed at the contemplation thereof. Well might the apostle exhort believers to rejoice in the Lord; indeed they have reason always to rejoice, yea, to rejoice on a dying bed; for the kingdom of God is in them; they are changed from glory to glory, even by the Spirit of the Lord: well may this be a mystery to the natural, for it is a mystery even to the spiritual man himself, a mystery which he cannot fathom. Does it not often dazzle your eyes, O ye children of God, to look at your own brightness, when the candle of the Lord shines out, and your redeemer lifts up the light of his blessed countenance upon your souls? Are not you astonished, when you feel the love of God shed abroad in your hearts by the Holy Ghost, and God holds out the golden scepter of his mercy, and bids you ask what you will, and it shall be given you? Does not that peace of God, which keeps and rules your hearts, surpass the utmost limits of your understandings? And is not the joy you feel unspeakable? Is it not full of glory? I am persuaded it is; and in your secret communion, when the Lord's love flows in upon your souls, you are as it were swallowed up in, or, to use the apostle's phrase, 'Filled with all the fullness of God'. Are not you ready to cry out with Solomon, 'And will the Lord, indeed, dwell thus with men!' How is it that we should be thus thy sons and daughters, O Lord God Almighty!

If you are children of God, and know what it is to have fellowship with the Father and the Son; if you walk by faith, and not by sight; I am assured this is frequently the language of your hearts.

But look forward, and see an unbounded prospect of eternal happiness lying before thee, O believer! what thou hast already received are only the first-fruits, like the cluster of grapes brought out of the land of Canaan; only an earnest and pledge of yet infinitely better things to come: the harvest is to follow; thy grace is hereafter to be swallowed up in glory. Thy great Joshua, and merciful High-Priest, shall administer an abundant entrance to thee into the land of promise, that rest which awaits the children of God: for Christ is not only made to believers wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification, but also REDEMPTION.

But, before we enter upon the explanation and contemplation of this privilege,

FIRSTLY, Learn hence the great mistake of those writers and clergy, who, notwithstanding they talk of sanctification and inward holiness, (as indeed sometimes they do, though in a very loose and superficial manner,) yet they generally make it the CAUSE, whereas they should consider it as the EFFECT, of our justification. 'Of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us, wisdom, righteousness, (and then) sanctification.' For Christ's righteousness, or that which Christ has done in our stead without us, is the sole cause of our acceptance in the sight of God, and of all holiness wrought in us: to this, and not to the light within, or any thing wrought within, should poor sinners seek for justification in the sight of God: for the sake of Christ's righteousness alone, and not any thing wrought in us, does God look favorably upon us; our sanctification at best, in this life, is not complete: though we be delivered from the power, we are not freed from the in-being of sin; but not only the dominion, but the in-being of sin, is forbidden, by the perfect law of God: for it is not said, thou shalt not give way to lust, but 'Thou shalt not lust'. So that whilst the principle of lust remains in the least degree in our hearts, though we are otherwise never so holy, yet we cannot, on account of that, hope for acceptance with God. We must first, therefore, look for a righteousness without us, even the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ: for this reason the apostle mentions it, and puts it before sanctification, in the words of the text. And whosoever teacheth any other doctrine, doth not preach the truth as it is in Jesus.

SECONDLY, From hence also, the Antinomians and formal hypocrites may be confuted, who talk of Christ without, but know nothing, experimentally, of a work of sanctification wrought within them. Whatever they may pretend to, since Christ is not in them, the Lord is not their righteousness, and they have no well-grounded hope of glory: for though sanctification is not the cause, yet it is the effect of our acceptance with God; 'Who of God is made unto us righteousness and sanctification'. He, therefore, that is really in Christ, is a new creature; it is not going back to a covenant of works, to look into our hearts, and, seeing that they are changed and renewed, from thence form a comfortable and well grounded assurance of the safety of our states: no, but this I what we are directed to in scripture; by our bringing forth the fruits, we are to judge whether or no we ever did truly partake of the Spirit of God. 'We know (says John) that we are passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.' And however we may talk of Christ's righteousness, and exclaim against legal preachers, yet, if we be not holy in heart and life, if we be not sanctified and renewed by the Spirit in our minds, we are self-deceivers, we are only formal hypocrites: for we must not put asunder what God has joined together; we must keep the medium between the two extremes; not insist so much on the one hand upon Christ without, as to exclude Christ within, as an evidence of our being his, and as a preparation for future happiness; nor, on the other hand, so depend on inherent righteousness or holiness wrought in us, as to exclude the righteousness of Jesus Christ without us. But,

4: THIRDLY, Let us now go on, and take a view of the other link, or rather the end, of the believer's golden chain or privileges, REDEMPTION. But we must look very high; for the top of it, like Jacob's ladder, reaches heaven, where all believers will ascend, and be placed at the right hand of God. 'Who of God is made unto us, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and REDEMPTION.'

This is a golden chain indeed! and, what is best of all, not one link can ever be broken asunder from another. Was there no other text in the book of God, this single one sufficiently proves the final perseverance of true believers: or never did God yet justify a man, whom he did not sanctify; nor sanctify one, whom he did not completely redeem and glorify: no! as for God, his way, his works, is perfect; he always carried on and finished the work he begun; thus it was in the first, so it is in the new creation; when God says, 'Let there be light', there is light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day, when believers enter into their eternal rest, as God entered into his. Those whom God has justified, he has in effect glorified: for as a man's worthiness was not the cause of God's giving him Christ's righteousness; so neither shall his unworthiness be a cause of his taking it away; God's gifts and callings are without repentance: and I cannot think they are clear in the notion of Christ's righteousness, who deny the final perseverance of the saints; I fear they understand justification in that low sense, which I understood it in a few years ago, as implying no more than remission of sins: but it not only signifies remission of sins past, but also a FEDERAL RIGHT to all good things to come. If God has given us his only Son, how shall he not with him freely give us all things? Therefore, the apostle, after he says, 'Who of God is made unto us righteousness', does not say, perhaps he may be made to us sanctification and redemption: but, 'He is made': for there is an eternal, indissoluble connection between these blessed privileges. As the obedience of Christ is imputed to believers, so his perseverance in that obedience is to be imputed to them also; and it argues great ignorance of the covenant of grace and redemption, to object against it.

By the word REDEMPTION, we are to understand, not only a complete deliverance from all evil, but also a full enjoyment of all good both in body and soul: I say, both in body and soul; for the Lord is also for the body; the bodies of the saints in this life are temples of the Holy Ghost; God makes a covenant with the dust of believers; after death, though worms destroy them, yet, even in their flesh shall they see God. I fear, indeed, there are some Sadducees in our days, or at least heretics, who say, either, that there is no resurrection of the body, or that the resurrection is past already, namely, in our regeneration: Hence it is, that our Lord's coming in the flesh, at the day of judgment, is denied; and consequently, we must throw aside the sacrament of the Lord's supper. For why should we remember the Lord's death until he come to judgment, when he is already come to judge our hearts, and will not come a second time? But all this is only the reasoning of unlearned, unstable men, who certainly know not what they say, nor whereof they affirm. That we must follow our Lord in the regeneration, be partakers of a new birth, and that Christ must come into our hearts, we freely confess; and we hope, when speaking of these things, we speak no more than what we know and feel: but then it is plain, that Jesus Christ will come, hereafter, to judgment, and that he ascended into heaven with the body which he had here on earth; for says he, after his resurrection, 'Handle me, and see; a spirit has not flesh and bones, as you see me have'. And it is plain, that Christ's resurrection was an earnest of ours: for says the apostle, 'Christ is risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that sleep; and as in Adam all die, and are subject to mortality; so all that are in Christ, the second Adam, who represented believers as their federal head, shall certainly be made alive, or rise again with their bodies at the last day'.

Here then, O believers! is one, though the lowest, degree of that redemption which you are to be partakers of hereafter; I mean, the redemption of your bodies: for this corruptible must put on incorruption, this mortal must put on immortality. Your bodies, as well as souls, were given to Jesus Christ by the Father; they have been companions in watching, and fasting, and praying: your bodies, therefore, as well as souls, shall Jesus Christ raise up at the last day. Fear not, therefore, O believers, to look into the grave: for to you it is not other than a consecrated dormitory, where your bodies shall sleep quietly until the morning of the resurrection; when the voice of the archangel shall sound, and the trump of God given the general alarm, 'Arise, ye dead, and come to judgment'; earth, air, fire, water, shall give up your scattered atoms, and both in body and soul shall you be ever with the Lord. I doubt not, but many of you are groaning under crazy bodies, and complain often that the mortal body weighs down the immortal soul; at least this is my case; but let us have a little patience, and we shall be delivered from our earthly prisons; ere long, these tabernacles of clay shall be dissolved, and we shall be clothed with our house which is from heaven; hereafter, our bodies shall be spiritualized, and shall be so far from hindering our souls through weakness, that they shall become strong; so strong, as to bear up under an exceeding and eternal weight of glory; others again may have deformed bodies, emaciated also with sickness, and worn out with labor at age; but wait a little, until your blessed change by death comes; then your bodies shall be renewed and made glorious, like unto Christ's glorious body: of which we may form some faint idea, from the account given us of our Lord's transfiguration on the mount, when it is said, 'His raiment became bright and glistening, and his face brighter than the sun'. Well then may a believer break out in the apostle's triumphant language, 'O death, where is thy sting! O grave, where is thy victory!'

But what is the redemption of the body, in comparison of the redemption of the better part, our souls? I must, therefore say to you believers, as the angel said to John, 'Come up higher'; and let us take as clear a view as we can, at such a distance, of the redemption Christ has purchased for, and will shortly put you in actual possession of. Already you are justified, already you are sanctified, and thereby freed from the guilt and dominion of sin: but, as I have observed, the being and indwelling of sin yet remains in you; God sees it proper to leave some Amalekites in the land, to keep his Israel in action. The most perfect Christian, I am persuaded, must agree, according to one of our Articles, 'That the corruption of nature remains even in the regenerate; that the flesh lusteth always against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh'. So that believers cannot do things for God with that perfection they desire; this grieves their righteous souls day by day, and, with the holy apostle, makes them cry out, 'Who shall deliver us from the body of this death!' I thank God, our Lord Jesus Christ will, but not completely before the day of our dissolution; they will the very being of sin be destroyed, and an eternal stop put to inbred, indwelling corruption. And is not this a great redemption? I am sure believers esteem it so: for there is nothing grieves the heart of a child of God so much, as the remains of indwelling sin. Again, believers are often in heaviness through manifold temptations; God sees that it is needful and good for them so to be; and though they may be highly favored, and wrapt up in communion with God, even to the third heavens; yet a messenger of Satan is often sent to buffet them, lest they should be puffed up with the abundance of revelations. But be not weary, be not faint in your minds: the time of your complete redemption draweth nigh. In heaven the wicked one shall cease from troubling you, and your weary souls shall enjoy an everlasting rest; his fiery darts cannot reach those blissful regions: Satan will never come any more to appear with, disturb, or accuse the sons of God, when once the Lord Jesus Christ shuts the door. Your righteous souls are now grieved, day by day, at the ungodly conversation of the wicked; tares now grow up among the wheat; wolves come in sheep's clothing: but the redemption spoken of in the text, will free your souls from all anxiety on these accounts; hereafter you shall enjoy a perfect communion of saints; nothing that is unholy or unsanctified shall enter into the holy of holies, which is prepared for you above: this, and all manner of evil whatsoever, you shall be delivered from, when your redemption is hereafter made complete in heaven; not only so, but you shall enter into the full enjoyment of all good. It is true, all saints will not have the same degree of happiness, but all will be as happy as their hearts can desire. Believers, you shall judge the evil, and familiarly converse with good, angels: you shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the spirits of just men made perfect; and, to sum up all your happiness in one word, you shall see God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and, by seeing God, be more and more like unto him, and pass from glory to glory, even to all eternity.

But I must stop the glories of the upper world crowd in so fast upon my soul, that I am lost in the contemplation of them. Brethren, the redemption spoken of is unutterable; we cannot here find it out; eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the hearts of the most holy men living to conceive, how great it is. Were I to entertain you whole ages with an account of it, when you come to heaven, you must say, with the queen of Sheba, 'Not half, no, not one thousandth part was told us'. All we can do here, is to go upon mount Pisgah, and, by the eye of faith, take a distant view of the promised land: we may see it, as Abraham did Christ, afar off, and rejoice in it; but here we only know in part. Blessed be God, there is a time coming, when we shall know God, even as we are known, and God be all in all. Lord Jesus, accomplish the number of thine elect! Lord Jesus, hasten thy kingdom!

And now, where are the scoffers of these last days, who count the lives of Christians to be madness, and their end to be without honor? Unhappy men! you know not what you do. Were your eyes open, and had you senses to discern spiritual things, you would not speak all manner of evil against the children of God, but you would esteem them as the excellent ones of the earth, and envy their happiness: your souls would hunger and thirst after it: you also would become fools for Christ's sake. You boast of wisdom; so did the philosophers of Corinth: but your wisdom is the foolishness of folly in the sight of God. What will your wisdom avail you, if it does not make you wise unto salvation? Can you, with all your wisdom, propose a more consistent scheme to build you hopes of salvation on, than what has been now laid before you? Can you, with all the strength of natural reason, find out a better way of acceptance with God, than by the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ? Is it right to think your own works can in any measure deserve or procure it? If not, why will you not believe in him? Why will you not submit to his righteousness? Can you deny that you are fallen creatures? Do not you find that you are full of disorders, and that these disorders make you unhappy? Do not you find that you cannot change your own hearts? Have you not resolved many and many a time, and have not your corruptions yet dominion over you? Are you not bondslaves to your lusts, and led captive by the devil at his will? Why then will you not come to Christ for sanctification? Do you not desire to die the death of the righteous, and that your future state may be like theirs; I am persuaded you cannot bear the thoughts of being annihilated, much less of being miserable for ever. Whatever you may pretend, if you speak truth, you must confess, that conscience breaks in upon you in more sober intervals whether you will or not, and even constrains you to believe that hell is no painted fire. And why then will you not come to Christ? He alone can procure you everlasting redemption. Haste, haste away to him, poor beguiled sinners. You lack wisdom; ask it of Christ. Who knows but he may give it you? He is able: for he is the wisdom of the Father; he is that wisdom which was from everlasting. You have no righteousness; away, therefore, to Christ: 'He is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.' You are unholy: flee to the Lord Jesus: He is full of grace and truth; ;and of his fullness all may receive that believe in him. You are afraid to die; let this drive you to Christ: he has the keys of death and hell: in him is plenteous redemption; he alone can open the door which leads to everlasting life.

Let not, therefore, the deceived reasoner boast any longer of his pretended reason. Whatever you may think, it is the most unreasonable thing in the world not to believe on Jesus Christ, whom God has sent. Why, why will you die? Why will you not come unto him, that you may have life? 'Ho! every one that thirsteth, come unto the waters of life, and drink freely: come, buy without money and without price.' Were these blessed privileges in the text to be purchased with money, you might say, we are poor, and cannot buy: or, were they to be conferred only on sinners of such a rank or degree, then you might say, how can such sinners as we, expect to be so highly favored? But they are to be freely given of God to the worst of sinners. 'To us', says the apostle, to me a persecutor, to you Corinthians, who were 'unclean, drunkards, covetous persons, idolaters.' Therefore, each poor sinner may say then, why not unto me? Has Christ but one blessing? What if he has blessed millions already, by turning them away from their iniquities; yet he still continues the same: he lives for ever to make intercession, and therefore will bless you, even you also. Though, Esau-like, you have been profane, and hitherto despised your heavenly Father's birth-right; even now, if you believe, 'Christ will be made to you of God, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption'.

But I must turn again to believers, for whose instruction, as I observed before, this discourse was particularly intended. You see, brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, what great blessings are treasured up for you in Jesus Christ your Head, and what you are entitled to by believing on his name. Take heed, therefore, that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called. Think often how highly you are favored; and remember, you have not chosen Christ, but Christ has chosen you. Put on (as the elect of God) humbleness of mind, and glory, but let it be only in the Lord; for you have nothing but what you have received of God. By nature ye were foolish, as legal, as unholy, and in as damnable a condition, as others. Be pitiful, therefore, be courteous; and, as sanctification is a progressive work, beware of thinking you have already attained. Let him that is holy be holy still; knowing, that he who is most pure in heart, shall hereafter enjoy the clearest vision of God. Let indwelling sin be your daily burden; and not only bewail and lament, but see that you subdue it daily by the power of divine grace; and look up to Jesus continually to be the finisher, as well as author, of your faith. Build not on your own faithfulness, but on God's unchangeableness. Take heed of thinking you stand by the power of your own free will. The everlasting love of God the Father, must be your only hope and consolation; let this support you under all trials. Remember that God's gifts and callings are without repentance; that Christ having once loved you, will love you to the end. Let this constrain you to obedience, and make you long and look for that blessed time, when he shall not only be your wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, but also complete and everlasting redemption.

Glory be to God in the highest!

THE INCARNATION--CHARLES WOODRUFF

2011-12-13T11:09:00.000-05:00

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

This season of the year, much is said about the birth of Christ. There are manger scenes on lawns of homes, churches, parks, etc... Some good Christmas hymns, and carols are played on the radio, and in the shopping malls, among the more jolly and frivolous music, and largely meaningless songs that are also played. Some of those hymns have a wonderful message. I am speaking of Joy to the World, written by Isaac Watts in 1719; Away in a Manger, called Martin Luther‘s Cradle Hymn, but likely written by James R. Murray 1887; Silent Night by Franz Gruber and Joseph Mohr 1816-1820; and Hark the Herald Angels Sing by Charles Wesley, 1739, with music by Felix Mendelssohn, 1840. These, and some others, at least touch on the reason for Christ’s birth. So much that we see and hear during the Christmas season is void of any real mention of Jesus Christ. Instead, there is stuff about Santa Claus, presents, decorations, Christmas parties with drinking (and God knows what else!) People are scrambling to buy gifts (often people are charging things on credit cards that they cannot afford).

There is a lot about Christmas activity for the true Christian not to like. Much that we cannot partake of, in good conscience. Remember, the Puritans did not celebrate Christmas, as well as many other Christians of the past, and the situation was not as extreme as it is now. Be that as it may, I am not writing this to condemn Christmas. It likely would do no good; it is here to stay. But if we are going to observe any of it, we should know what it purports to represent. I hope to stir your conscience to put Christ first.

Several things: First We know Christ was born, in Bethlehem, in a manger; that shepherds were told by the angels, and came to see Him. Second We know that wise men of the East sought him, went to Herod to enquire, which set Herod off on a quest to kill this King whom he feared may take his throne. Third We know that his parents were from Nazareth; that He was born of a virgin, so though Mary was His mother, Joseph was not His real father. Fourth His real father was Almighty God. Most of us have, at least, heard these things about Jesus (whether we believe them or not).

Here is something you may not have heard. Christ did not begin life at Bethlehem. He did not begin to be the Son of God at Bethlehem. He is the Eternal Son, having always been so. Neither was the Holy Spirit a created being; He is God, and has always been so. Three Gods, you say? No! it is beyond our human understanding, but this God we serve has always been one God in three persons, or as The Philadelphia Confession of Faith of 1742 declares:

CHAPTER TWO; OF GOD AND THE HOLY TRINITY

3. In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences, the Father, the Word or Son, and Holy Spirit, of one substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided: the Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son; all infinite, without beginning, therefore but one God, who is not to be divided in nature and being, but distinguished by several peculiar relative properties and personal relations; which doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God, and comfortable dependence on him.

(1 John 5:7; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; Exod. 3:14; John 14:11; I Cor. 8:6; John 1:14,18; John 15:26; Gal. 4:6)

(This is identical with the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689. The Westminster Confession (Presbyterian) of 1647 is almost identical on this portion except it says persons).

Checking the words persons and subsistences, I favor subsistences as being more correct. Remember though, we are speaking of the mystery of godliness, and what mere creature can fully grasp these truths? “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” (1 Timothy 3:16)

In the Incarnation, as traditionally defined, the divine nature of the Son was joined, but not mixed, with human nature in one divine Person, Jesus Christ, who was both "truly God and truly man". The Incarnation is commemorated and celebrated each year at Christmas. That is what it is really supposed to be about. It’s not about Santa Claus; presents, parties, revelry and holiday. It is supposed to be about the incarnation of the Son of God. As John Gill (1697-1771), stated:

"The incarnation of Christ is a most extraordinary and amazing affair; it is wonderful indeed, that the eternal Son of God should become man; that he should be born of a pure virgin, without any concern of man in it; that this should be brought about by the power of the Holy Ghost, in a way unseen, imperceptible and unknown, signified by his overshadowing; and all this in order to effect the most wonderful work that ever was done in the world, the redemption and salvation of men: it is a most mysterious thing, incomprehensible by men, and not to be accounted for upon the principles of natural reason; and is only to be believed and embraced upon the credit of divine revelation, to which it solely belongs." From John Gill; Incarnation of Christ ; Body of Doctrinal Divinity, Book 5 Chapter 1.

Philippians 2:7a tells us “But (Christ) made himself of no reputation” (Greek κενόω ἑαυτοῦ =

emptied Himself). He emptied Himself of rights and privileges He had as King of Glory to come here and die for our sins. Hymn writer Charles Wesley in his great song And Can It Be That I Should Gain? says that Christ emptied Himself “of all but Love”. Can that be? I told you already that what He did cannot be fathomed by finite, human minds. Oh, What a saviour! We observe that Matthew and Luke tell us more about His birth, and where He was born. John gets right down to who He is; Incarnate Deity! Oh come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord! Do you know Him? Do you worship Him? Every knee will bow, every tongue will confess Him to be Lord. Have you done that yet? Bow down before Him, love and adore Him! He is Lord and Christ!

Published by Charles Woodruff- email: oursong2000@yahoo.com

JESUS THE MESSIAH----BY CHARLES WOODRUFF

2011-11-30T23:21:00.013-05:00

This is not new. I placed it here over two years ago. This time I wanted to call your attention to it. These words concern the most important person in history. It is about the one that God had promised to send to redeem men and women from their sins. All the lambs slain in the Old Testament could never take away one sin. They were all a picture; a type, pointing to the only savior and redeemer. The One whose birth that we say we are remembering this next month. The Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to tell you about Him with the hope that He will speak to you and call you to Himself. Without Him you have no hope of Salvation!

THE TRUE MESSIAH
One of the greatest musical blessings to me is George Frederick Handel’s Messiah. The greatest blessing in the universe is the one of whom Handel wrote; the true Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible word Messiah is the Hebrew word משׁיח (mashiyack, which means in English anointed). The word Messiah is found four times in the King James Version. That’s twice in the Old Testament; Daniel 9:25, 26, as Messiah the Prince, and twice in the New Testament; John 1:41 and John 4:25 as Messias, a Greek variation.

“The word Christ is a Greek word, Χριστός (Christos), also signifying anointed. Hence, Jesus is called either the Messiah, or the Christ, meaning the same thing. The Jews speak of the Messiah; Christians speak of him as the Christ. In ancient times, when kings and priests were set apart to their office, they were anointed with oil (see Leviticus 4:3, 6:20.Also see 1Samuel 9:16, 15:1).To anoint, therefore, means often the same as to consecrate, or to set apart to an office. Hence, those thus set apart are said to be anointed, or to be the anointed of God. It is for this reason that the name is given to the Lord Jesus. He was set apart by God to be the King, and High Priest, and Prophet of his people. Anointing with oil was, moreover, supposed to be emblematic of the influences of the Holy Spirit; and since God gave him the Spirit without measure (John 3:34), so he is especially called the Anointed of God” (Albert Barnes commenting on Matthew 1:1; some emphasis mine cw).

CHRIST IS THE MESSIAH
The Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation (300-200 BC), of the Old Testament uses Christos for Messiah in the verses in Daniel. As I said, Messiah and Christ are one and the same. The woman at the well said “I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he” (John 4:25,26)). When Simon Peter says in Matthew 16:16, “Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God” (by the way, almost all English versions agree with that wording), he was in essence saying “You are the Messiah, God’s anointed that should come”. John 1:41 says that Peter’s brother, Andrew, had told him “We have found the Messias, which is being interpreted , the Christ.”

The Jews were looking for the Messiah to come, and expected Him to be a warrior that would overthrow their enemies. Of course He did not come on the scene in that manner. They expected the Lion of Judah and instead He came as the Lamb of God. John the Baptist saw Him as the Lamb of God when he first saw Him. Later, as John the Baptist was in prison, he sent followers to ask “Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?”(Matthew 11:3) Many think John had let human doubt discourage him. Remember, John was Jesus’ cousin, also a Jew, and perhaps he also thought that the Messiah was going to be more “lion-like” after he became well known. When He returns, He will come as the Lion, in all His fury toward His enemies in the lost world.

Although the word Messiah is only used twice in the OT, there are many more references that pointed to the coming of Messiah; some veiled and some not. Isaiah 7:14 is very striking “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel”. Then the verse is repeated in Matthew 1:23 with the interpretation “Which being interpreted is, God with us”. Messiah is God with us. Messiah the Prince is the Prince of Peace found in Isaiah 9:6. The “Jehovah who became our salvation” (y’shuah), in Isaiah 12:2 is the Messiah. The names Joshua, Jehoshua and Yeshua all mean salvation. Jesus means salvation. Joseph was told by the angel “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS, for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

MESSIAH IS THE LORD
Simeon understood exactly who He was as he waited for His birth “And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ”(Luke 2:25,26). The Lord’s Christ, or anointed mean the same thing: Messiah, the One whom all Israel was expecting. Simeon and all devout Jews were looking for Him (as devout Christians are to be looking for Him in our day). He came then, born in Bethlehem, and many Jews at first received Him. Later, the Jews mostly rejected Christ, and it was mostly Gentiles who received Him. “He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” (John 1:11,12).

Paul states in 1 Timothy 3:16 “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” No doubt he speaks of Messiah. Thomas, when He was confronted with the resurrected Christ exclaimed “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). He knew this One was Messiah!

John the beloved said: “And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (John 1:17.18. He absolutely knew this is Messiah! Now alive forevermore!

Nathanael understood exactly who HE was when he “answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel” (John 1:49. The point is, this is the One Israel later rejected, as many reject Him today. He was, and is, the Messiah of Israel, the Christ of God, God manifested in the flesh. There will be no other. He says “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else” (Isaiah 45:22).

Friend, you must look to Jesus the Messiah, or be eternally lost. That is not my word, but God’s.

Published by Charles Woodruff- email: oursong2000@yahoo.com

GIVING THANKS--CHARLES WOODRUFF

2011-11-22T10:22:00.012-05:00

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1Thessalonians 5:18)

We are approaching Thanksgiving Day. Of all holidays, I think Thanksgiving to be the most authentic.
Oh, I know some of the problems such as various activities men have incorporated such as football,
parties, big movie openings, and overall a big holiday, while preparing for shopping on “Black Friday”,
That’s the day merchants live for all year that will put their revenues “in the black” as they kick off
Christmas sales in earnest (though the Christmas merchandising began with some stores in late August).

But the core of the holiday is good. It was started long ago at Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Commercialization was certainly not the goal of the first Thanksgiving back in Plymouth colony in the
autumn of 1621. (Click here for an interesting, concise, account of Thanksgiving Day’s history).
http://wilstar.com/holidays/thankstr.htm Some of the stories written about Plymouth, the Pilgrims, and
even the Mayflower totally ignore the religious aspect of it all in keeping with today’s totally insane
“political correctness”. But the fact is, the Pilgrims, who were English Puritan separatists, came to
America to find freedom to worship God Almighty. They had been persecuted in England; disappointed
in the general carnality of Dutch life, even though they had more freedom after going to Holland. So
they contracted a sailing vessel to strike out for the new world with a hope of freely serving God, and
building their own society here. That was the real beginning of the United States of America.

The Mayflower Compact, which they drew up on the way over, is one of the bedrocks of America’s
foundation, for they set up a “civil body politick” which was the first sort of a “declaration of
independence”. It expressed their determination to govern themselves under God, with due allegiance
to the British government. It begins unlike any secular document, with these words “In ye name of
God, amen”. It is the root of our Declaration of Independence. It was a true Christian foundation.
http://www.allabouthistory.org/mayflower-compact.htm

Thus it began, and upon arrival in the new world they landed briefly at Cape Cod, finally settled at
Plymouth Rock in 1620, and after losing 46 of the original 102 passengers, the rest struggled to survive.
They were provided help by the local native Indians. One year later they gathered all over the colony for
meals shared with the native Wampanoag. It lasted for several days straight, giving thanks and
remembrance of God’s blessings on them all. It did not become a tradition until a few years later (more
online info about this first feast). http://www.theholidayspot.com/thanksgiving/history.htm

In fact, there is no other nation on earth that had a founding in the same way as the United States. Think
about it. The Pilgrims were searching for a place to worship the Lord without persecution. They prayed
much about it. The Lord led them here. They had to come by faith. They left their homeland and came to
the shores of New England, not knowing from one day to the next how they would survive. It was hard,
but God enabled them. Over the years it is clear that God guided this nation in many ways giving it
strength which could have come from nowhere else.

Wouldn’t it be a shame to see her fall now, after all these years? There has been a decline of the spiritual
life here, especially in the last 75 years. Does that mean it is too late? I think not, but time is running out.
It will take an act of God to revive America, but the same God who gave her life can revive her, if it be
His will. I pray that it is, and that He will.

I have been reading about one great revival in America; The Great Awakening in the 18th century. It was
truly remarkable. The breath of God appeared in the effort which began in Massachusetts. There was
much opposition, but God prevailed, and many were saved. The land was affected by it. As it happened
before the revolution, it was likely the spark of the revolution. It gave it life and breath. There were other
awakenings in our land. God’s hand is not shortened that He cannot reach out and save. His breath is not
shut off that He cannot blow it upon a barren land. His word is still true. Let’s cry unto Him for life! I
believe that without God’s help, all is lost here. Unless He hears us, we are doomed! Please take
advantage of this Thanksgiving Day to beseech God for a turning in our land. Cry to Him for mercy for
yourself, and your loved ones, and your land. He is a merciful God who will hear us if we cry!

I usually cover this history each year, because I find it so fascinating. I want others to see it, and begin
enjoying the celebration of it. It actually has more for me to commend than any other holiday that we
have in America. Just the matter of fact way that we simply may gather to worship and be thankful
moves me. I know that most do not do this, be we do, and I believe we should. Our scripture says
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
This is so striking. It tells us simply, and clearly, that God is running things in His world that He made.
He says that it is His will that we thank Him for His control and for His provision. We should thank Him
for His will in Christ Jesus concerning us. Were it not for God, we would all be lost. Because of his grace
we have eternal redemption in Jesus Christ. Because of Him we are saved from sin and hell. It
involves nothing that we did, but all accomplished by our Lord Jesus Christ at the cross. We must
praise Him for this!

Things I am thankful for include:
-My dear wife of almost 50 years, and how she has been faithful and true.
-My four children, three of which survive. All have declared faith in Christ.
-My twelve grandchildren. I love them; they are all precious to me.
-Our church where Christ is preached, and the brothers and sisters there.
-The renewed ministry God has given me in writing and pulpit, and for its fruit.
-Many brothers and sisters in various places who pray for me and give support.
-A land that still has much freedom, though it is being undermined greatly.
-I am thankful for generally good health for my wife and myself.
-The graciousness and mercy of God for every day which we live.

These are just a few of the many things for which I thank God. As you enjoy this Thanksgiving,
hopefully with your family, take time to reflect on the mercies of God in your own life, as well
as a prayer for our nation and its future, and the cause of God and truth in Jesus Christ our Lord.
He is coming again soon. Help prepare your family and friends to be ready to meet Him.

Published by Charles Woodruff- email: oursong2000@yahoo.com

I CAN'T SAY UNTIL I KNOW WHAT'S IN IT

2011-11-14T22:39:00.007-05:00

CHARLES SPURGEON

(Here is a great example of the smaller work done by this dear man. A tract which, while one of many, was outstanding. it makes one think, which is exactly what a tract should do. I pray that it causes you to examine yourself under God's great light. My He cause you turn to Him this day. Amen!)

When we were in Venice we purchased a few curiosities, and finding them burdensome, we thought of sending them home by one of the English vessels lying in the Canal. We went out in a gondola with our box, and having asked for the captain of one of the vessels, we put to him the question, “Will you take a box for us to London, and what is the charge?” His reply was very ready, “I can’t say till I know what’s in it, for I don’t want to get into trouble.” A very common sense answer indeed; we admired its caution and honesty.

What a pity that men do not exercise as much care in spiritual matters, as to what they will receive or reject. Dear reader, in these times there are thousands of bad books published, and herds of bad teachers sent forth to deceive the unwary; you must be on your guard, lest you be led into error. Take nothing for granted, inquire into things for yourself, and try every new doctrine and professedly old doctrine too, by the Word of God. You may take contraband goods on board before you are aware of it; keep both eyes open, watch and examine, and when a thing is pressed upon you, find out what’s in it. Do not believe all a man says because he is a clergyman, or eloquent, or learned, or even because he is kind and generous. Bring all to the bar of Holy Scripture, and if they cannot stand the test, receive them not, whatever their bold pretenses.

But reader is your own present religion good for anything? Do you know what’s in it, and what it is made of? May it not be mischievous and false? Search thyself, and do not take a hope into thy soul till thou knowest what it is made of. The devil and his allies will try to trick you into carrying their wares, but be warned in time, and reject their vile devices. The finished work of Jesus received by faith is “a good hope through grace,” and there is no other. Hast thou it? or art thou foolishly looking to another? The Lord lead you away from all else to Jesus. Whatever may be the ground of trust which men may offer you, take care to KNOW WHAT’S IN IT before you accept it.

No. 19.—Sword and Trowel Tracts, by C. H. SPURGEON.

REFORMATION DAY--CHARLES WOODRUFF

2011-11-04T13:01:00.007-04:00

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16, 17)

I hope you had a Happy Reformation Day. I did. Perhaps your reply to that is “Reformation Day? I thought it was Halloween.” You are correct, but only because some things are not out in the open, as they should be. You see, on October 31, 1517, a Catholic priest named Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the door of his church at Wittenberg, Germany. These writings were items of concern to him regarding the corrupt direction of the Roman Catholic Church at that time. Some of his main points had to do with a fantasy called indulgences. It was a scheme promoted in Europe in order to get money from the faithful. It was a pretense, for the scheme was based on giving money, or goods to buy someone out of guilt for their sins. The price was set by the priest visiting the town on behalf of the church to raise this money. There were a number of priests involved in this scheme, which was widespread.

In Martin Luther’s area of Germany there came a Dominican friar, Tetzel, who was the architect of the plot there to bleed the people dry. Tetzel stated that “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings the soul from purgatory into heaven springs.” Luther opposed him, and had confrontations with him. It later resulted in the writing of the 95 theses, which were nailed to the door. This was not a rare thing. Often the door of the church was an outlet for news and announcements. This batch of information was different, however. First, it was written in Latin. Most of the people could not read Latin. Second, it was strictly church matters, and would not likely interest many outsiders. But because Luther preached on these things, it was spread.

Somewhat earlier the Lord had been dealing with Martin Luther concerning the life of faith. When he was reading Romans, and came across Romans 1:17, it spoke to him in an urgent and special way. He was especially attracted by the last part of the verse “As it is written, the just shall live by faith.” It was obvious that God was already dealing with Luther to instruct Him in the truth. He struggled with the truth of this verse. He sought advice from other priests. No one had a satisfactory answer. They all went with the Romanist traditions of interpretation. Luther was not satisfied with this. His struggles with the gospel were already causing interest from the pope. He had sent letters of censure to Luther already, so when he nailed these 95 theses to the door, it caused uproar in Rome. It was the culmination of an ongoing struggle between Martin Luther, and the Catholic Church over reform. Especially so in practice of donations for indulgences. However, there were other deeper issues that revolved around both theological concerns:

On a theological level, Luther had challenged the absolute authority of the Pope over the Church by maintaining that the doctrine of indulgences, as authorized and taught by the Pope, was wrong.
Luther maintained that salvation was by faith alone (sola fide) without reference to good works, alms, penance, or the Church's sacraments.
He had also challenged the authority of the Church by maintaining that all doctrines and dogmata of the Church not found in Scripture should be discarded (sola scriptura).

The turmoil increased over several years, and finally in 1521, Pope Leo X issued the Papal bull Exsurge Domine ("Arise, O Lord"), outlining 41 purported errors found in Martin Luther's 95 theses, and other writings related to or written by him. On April 17, 1521 Luther had to appear to answer charges at Worms, a city some 300 miles away from Wittenberg. It was at that time a journey of 15 days. Luther was guaranteed safety for his travel there and back. When Martin Luther appeared before the assembly, Johann Eck, an assistant of the Archbishop of Trier, acted as a spokesman for the emperor, Charles V. Luther was set to explain the meaning of the 95 theses, but Eck demanded that he either affirm or renounce the writings. Luther was very adamant, though polite, and asked for 24 hours to consider it, which was granted to him.

The next day when appearing before Eck, and the others at that hearing, Luther uttered these famous words. “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures, or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted, and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot, and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen.”

It is interesting that Luther is sometimes also quoted as saying: "Here I stand. I can do no other". Recent scholars consider the evidence for these words to be unreliable, since they were inserted before "May God help me" only in later versions of the speech and not recorded in witness accounts of the proceedings.

The result of the Diet of Worms was that Luther was excommunicated and considered an outlaw. The emperor Charles V stated in the final draft of the Diet of Worms “We want him to apprehended and punished as a notorious heretic.” It also made it a crime for anyone in Germany to give Luther food or shelter. It permitted anyone to kill Luther without legal consequence. He had the guarantee of safe travel, but Luther did not trust in that. Others had been promised safety and were caught and killed.

In God’s providence someone was looking out for Martin Luther. Frederick III, the Elector of Saxony, had him intercepted on his way home by masked horsemen, and escorted to the security of Wartburg Castle at Eisenach. During his stay at Wartburg, which he called “my Patmos”; Luther translated the New Testament from Greek into German, and poured out doctrinal and polemical writings. Luther was protected by God for the purpose God had ordained for him. He wasn’t a perfect man, but he was a vessel of honor, used by the Lord in a mighty way to set forth the Reformation. It was January 18, 1518 when the 95 theses were translated out of Latin into German. It was printed and widely copied, making the controversy the first in history to be aided by the printing press.

So we must remember Reformation Day. Why do you think the devil has been so enthusiastic about Halloween? Surely you must know. The date is so obvious. Satan does not want mankind awakened out of sleep and following Jesus Christ. At all costs he has wanted that door to remain closed. Luther didn’t have all the light, but he had a lot. Those who came after him were given more. We need to work while we still have some light, for night is coming when no man can work. We must preach Christ to the nations. Pray with us about this ministry. It is getting out all over the world. Pray that God will anoint it, and use it to reach sinners. I am amazed at where letters and emails come from. We have only scratched the surface. We can do so much more. You can help us to spread the uncompromised word of God. Will you? Our Sermon Audio work is accomplishing much. I want it to do much more. Do you? God bless you!!

Published by Charles Woodruff- email: oursong2000@yahoo.com

(Please note: There is an excellent article on this site, the most recent was published on October 27, 2010. It is titled The Truth About Halloween and it is very well written. If interested, you can scroll down and read it here on this site. To whet your appetite, read the following first. Thanks, Charles Woodruff)

MORE ON REFORMATION DAY

I really could not add anything to Pastor McCurry’s excellent, concise study on Halloween, but it is worth noting that many Protestant churches observe Reformation Day on this date, or as a Reformation Sunday on the Sunday immediately following October 31^st. This is because 490 years ago, on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany and the Protestant Reformation was begun. The Catholic church, and many others would rather you didn’t remember that, but celebrate Halloween instead. An article at Wikipedia, submitted by a Lutheran, which I believe to be accurate, has this to say about it:

“Reformation Day is a religious holiday celebrated on October 31st in remembrance of the Reformation, particularly by Lutheran and Reformed church communities…… On this day in 1517, Martin Luther posted a proposal at the doors of a church in Wittenberg, Germany to debate the doctrine and practice of indulgences. This proposal is popularly known as the 95 theses, which he nailed to the Castle Church doors. This was not an act of defiance or provocation as is sometimes thought. Since the Castle Church faced Wittenberg's main thoroughfare, the church door functioned as a public bulletin board and was therefore the logical place for posting important notices. Also, the theses were written in Latin, the language of the church, and not in the vernacular. Nonetheless, the event created a controversy between Luther and those allied with the Pope over a variety of doctrines and practices. Luther and his supporters were excommunicated in 1520."

On Reformation Day “The liturgical color of the day is red, which represents the Holy Spirit and the Martyrs of the Christian Church. Luther’s hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God is traditionally sung on this day. Lutherans customarily stand during the hymn, in memory of its use in the religious wars of the Sixteenth Century. It is also traditional in some Lutheran schools for schoolchildren to hold Reformation Day plays or pageants that re-enact scenes from the life of Martin Luther. In the 2003 movie Luther, an accurate portrayal of the story of Luther is given".

“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.”(Revelation 18:4).

VARIOUS MORSELS FOR YOU!!

2011-10-26T21:49:00.009-04:00

TROUBLES AND BLESSINGS

by W. F. Bell

I just read about a father who kept a pickle jar in his bedroom to save coins in for his son to get to go to college. I will not relate that story here, but some quotes at the end of the story I will share, plus a few others. May we be reminded of how blessed we are in America. For those of us who have visited other countries not as blessed as ours -- after staying with foreign people in their homes -- we realize we should never complain again! Think about that, and here are the quotes:

"Sometimes we are so busy adding up our troubles, that we forget to count our blessings."

"Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life, for better or for worse."

"God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some small way."

"You may now be passing through the furnace; you may now be draining adversity's bitter cup; friends unkind, the world empty, every thing earthly failing, faith weak, corruptions strong; but still your omnipresent Christ is with you! Do not be cast down!" (Octavius Winslow)

"It is of no use to hope that we shall be well rooted if no rough winds pass over us. Those old gnarlings on the root of the oak tree, and those strange twistings of the branches, all tell of the many storms that have swept over it, and they are also indicators of the depth into which the roots have forced their way. So the Christian is made strong, and firmly rooted by all the trials and storms of life." (Charles Spurgeon)

"For He has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)

I pray that this "small gesture" sent your way today may bless you and change you "for better," to God's glory.

CHURCH BULLETIN BOARDS

Signs we often see on church bulletin boards, how true are they? I suppose most have at least an element of truth. Some only need a little exposition such as:

“Prayer Changes Things”- It certainly does for the pray-er. That is, from our earthly point of view it does. From God’s heavenly point of view it does not. We do not change God’s mind, or anything about Him. “I am the Lord, I change not--- “(Malachi 3:6a) “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance, but laying hold of God’s willingness.” Arthur W. Pink

“Jesus Saves”- You can bank on it! There has never been a sinner who really wanted to be saved, that cannot be saved. What about someone who has committed the unpardonable sin? Such a person that attributes the working of the Holy Spirit to Satan (blasphemy of the Holy Spirit), cannot be saved, and does not want to be saved. Jesus said: “All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me, and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37) “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”(Acts 2:21)

“Make Jesus Lord of your life”- This is a good thing, but YOU can’t do it! As the late Rolfe Barnard used to say, “God has beat you to it.” He has already been made Lord. “Therefore let all the house of Israel know that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36) All any of us can do as lost sinners, is come to Him and confess Him as Lord. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus (lit. Jesus as Lord), and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

“God is My Co-Pilot- Change Seats!”- That last part of the phrase is an improvement over the slogan from the old World War Two movie from 1945 “God is My Co-Pilot.” Actually in reality God IS the pilot of life’s journey for us all. “In whom also we have obtained and inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.” (Ephesians 1:11)

“No God- No Peace: Know God- Know Peace” A lot of truth here. “There is no peace saith my God to the wicked.”(Isaiah 57:21) In contrast: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isaiah 26:3)

“Come on In, It’s Cool Inside.” Sounds like a good idea in this hot weather, but you should be careful about what kind of church you get involved with. The gospel is NOT preached in a lot of them. I’d rather pick up a live rattlesnake than go in some of them. On second thought- they have some churches around here that will provide the live rattler! (compiled by Charles Woodruff)

TAKE GOOD ADVICE FROM PAST LEADERS

In perilous times such as these, we might do well to read the words of two past leaders of our country.

"There are great problems before the American people.There are problems which will need purity of spirit and an integrity of purpose such as have never been called for before in the history of this country."

"I should be afraid to go forward if I did not believe that there lay at the foundation of all our schooling and of all our thought this incomparable and unimpeachable Word of God."

"If we cannot derive our strength thence, there is no source from which we can derive it, and so I would bid you go from this place, if I may, inspired once more with the feeling that the Providence of God is the foundation of affairs, and that only those can guide, and only those can follow, who take this Providence of God from the sources where it is authentically interpreted."

"I beseech all my fellow-believers to ponder this matter. By the blessing of God, I ascribe to Bible study the help and strength which I have had from God to pass in peace through deeper trials, in various ways, than I had ever had before; and after having now above fourteen years tried this way, I can most fully, in the fear of God, commend it."

"A soul that has been refreshed and made happy early in the morning meets the service, the trials, and the temptations of the day with a power how different from that of one that has had no "spiritual preparation.”

-Woodrow Wilson- from a booklet published in 1918

“I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if one sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?”

-Part of a statement by Benjamin Franklin at the framing of the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia, June 28, 1787.

WHAT IF I FIND HYPOCRISY IN ME?

By Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)

WELL, dear friends, if our hearts condemn us not, then have we peace towards God; but if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knoweth all things (1John 3:20). Let us confess to Him all past failures. And though we may not be conscious of hypocrisy, yet, let us say, "Lord, search and try me, and know my ways; see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:24)... .I have great confidence in the sincerity of any Christian man who says habitually and truthfully, "Lord, let me know the very worst of my case, whatever it is; even if all my fair prospects and bright ideals should be but dreams, the fabric of a vision... so be it; only let me know the truth. Lead me in a plain path; let me be sincere before thee, 0h thou heart-searching, rein-trying God!" Let us with such frank candor, such ingenuous simplicity come before the Lord. Let as many of us as fear the Lord and distrust ourselves take refuge in His omniscience against the jealousies and suspicions which haunt our own breasts.

And let us do better still: let us hasten anew to the cross of Jesus and thus end our difficulties by accepting afresh the sinners' Savior. When I have a knot to untie as to my evidence of being a child of God, and I cannot untie it, I usually follow Alexander [the Great's] example with the Gordian knot and cut it. How cut it? Why, in this way: "Thou sayest, 0h conscience, this is wrong, and thus is wrong. Thou sayest, 0h Satan, thy faith is a delusion, thy experience a fiction, thy profession a lie. Be it so then, I will not dispute it, I end that matter. If I am no saint, I am a sinner; there can be no doubt about that! The devil himself is defied to question that.

Then it is written that 'Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners,' and to sinners is the Gospel preached. 'He that believeth on him is not condemned.' I do believe on Him. If I never did before, I will now; and all my transgressions are therefore blotted out! And now, Lord, grant me grace to begin again; and from this time forth let me live the life of faith, the life of prayer. Let me be one of those who will pray always, let me be one of those who will pray when they are dying, having prayed all their lives." Prayer is our very life: ceasing prayer we cease to live. As long as we are here preserved in spiritual life, we must pray. Lord, grant it may be so with each one here present, through the power of Thy Spirit and the merit of Jesus' blood. Amen and Amen!!

(Compiled by Charles Woodruff------oursong2000@yahoo.Com)

TIDBITS FROM VARIOUS SOURCES

2011-10-19T21:25:00.006-04:00

                               AMUSING THE GOATS
C. H. Spurgeon is often quoted by Christians of all denominations. Here are some thoughts by Mr. Spurgeon on the subject of entertainment in the Church, which may not be too liked. Judge for yourself.

"The devil has seldom done a more clever thing than hinting to the Church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them."

He then relates how entertainment and amusement in the Church was once viewed: First, "spoken against, then toned down." Secondly, it was "winked at, then excused." Thirdly, it was "tolerated, then adopted." Is this not the same downward trend we see today?

Spurgeon again: "My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in Scripture as a function of the Church. If it is a Christian work, why did not Christ speak of it? 'Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.' That is clear enough. And it would have been added, 'and provide amusement for those who do not relish the gospel.' No such words, however, are to be found."

"Then again, 'He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry.' Where do the entertainers come in? The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them. Were the prophets persecuted because they amused the people?"

"Providing amusement is in direct antagonism to the teaching and life of Christ and all of his apostles. Short and sharp was the utterance, 'Let the dead bury their dead.' He was in awful earnestness!"

Let us hear loudly Spurgeon's prayer (and start praying it ourselves): "Lord, clear the Church of all the rot and rubbish the devil has imposed on her, and bring us back to apostolic methods."

As Thomas Brooks said about zeal, we would say about entertainment: "Zeal is like fire; in the chimney it is one of the best servants; but out of the chimney it is one of the worst masters." Entertainment may have its place in the world, but it is a terrible master in the Church.

Compiled by W.F. Bell 12/7/2006
                                                   YOUR REFLECTION
Malachi 3:3 says; 'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.' This verse puzzled some womenin a bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study. That week; the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away
all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: 'He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.' She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire... If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?' He smiled at her and answered, 'Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it.'If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His IMAGE IN YOU.
(The source of this little illustration is unknown)

                                                       CHRIST’S LOVE
The Church of God needs to remember that fellowship with the Father necessitates separation from those who fail to fulfill the responsibility of fellowship in light. We are not only to yield to love; we are to guard holiness. It is possible to be led astray from the activity of true love by yielding to a false charity. At the very center of love is light. That is not true love which sacrifices doctrine and principle. God has never acted in love at the expense of light. -- William Graham Scroggie

                             THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD GO I
On seeing several criminals being led to the scaffold in the 16th century, English Protestant martyr John Bradford remarked, 'There but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford.' His words, without his name, are still very common ones today for expressing one's blessings compared to the fate of another. Bradford was later burned at the stake as a heretic.
From the "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson, Facts on File, New York, 1997.

                              WARNING! THE GOSPEL DOESN’T CHANGE
This is a warning I hope we all take to heart. As people of The Word, we have to ask ourselves how we can really expect to improve on a perfect model. Cautiously I will say that some new ways of applying the unchanging biblical principles are fine...we need to be able to communicate with 21st Century culture, but we must not abandon the heart of the Gospel and basics of authentic discipleship in the process. Charles Woodruff

SEEK YE THE LORD--CHARLES WOODRUFF

2011-10-10T15:09:00.003-04:00

Have you thought about how the gospel is presented in the Old Testament, as well as the New? It would seem that God did this on purpose, to clearly illustrate the availability of the gospel. Isaiah 55 simply says “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6). In our day not many believe that He is near! Most people are living like they know nothing about God. I am not a real old man. I am not 70 years old yet, but I have been a Christian since 1963, and I have seen many things change in 47 years. There was much more interest in God’s word then than there is now. Oh, I know there are still some people being saved here and there, but so many have no desire to hear God’s word. It is sad that they don’t.

Let’s look at our text with a godly desire to understand it. The prophet says “Seek ye the LORD.” Can we understand Isaiah here? He is saying you should seek the LORD. You see, Isaiah did not write only for Israel. It is plain that he was given a burden for all of us. He was given a message for the world. Remember the recent messages where I asked “What is the gospel?” In that message I pointed out that Isaiah clearly, plain as day, presented the gospel. Not only these words I have chosen here, but this entire chapter is a message wooing us to the savior. It did not matter that He had not yet been born. It did not matter, because even then, nearly 2800 years ago, the need for the redeemer was there as much as now. This was because man had already sinned, and brought God’s judgment on the entire world. God made it clear in Genesis that sin was a failure that was bringing misery and destruction on the world. When Adam and Eve sinned, it tainted us all. There was no exemption. All men were now sinners. There was no escape provided! The entire unborn human race was under judgment. Adam and Eve were forced out of the garden. We all fell with them! All of us! No exceptions! Yet, God doesn’t just give up! He says “Seek ye the Lord”.

Can we grasp that really? God has made a way to overcome sin. God has a people He is saving for His glory. This is so awesome! He could have sent the entire world to hell, but He has made a way for “whosoever will”. In John 3:16 Jesus said “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” That way is the Lord; the Son of God, who gave His sinless life for we who are sinners. Just think how gracious that is! Jesus died on Calvary’s cross, not for his crimes, but ours!

Perhaps after hearing all this you are face to face with your own sin and wickedness. Maybe you want to know “how can I obtain mercy?” Well, I have good news for you. That is what the gospel is; good news. The good news is in these words I have been pointing to-- “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.” You see, it is so simple. Don’t make it complex! God has made a way for you. If you will call upon Him while He is near; if you will receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior; if you will obey the word in Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” The key to this is in the next verses “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” (Romans 10:10-11)

There is that great word whosoever again. I told you God has said “And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Revelation 22:17b) This is the truth from God!

Can’t you see that these promises are yours? I know our main verse is OT, but it is repeated over and over again throughout God’s word. It is for you and me. One place that tells you this is there in Romans in the NT. Our very next verse says “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.” (Romans 10:12) There isn’t a difference in the salvation of the Jew, and the Gentile.The same Lord does the work on all.

There is so much more regarding salvation in this chapter of Isaiah. It is no wonder that Isaiah is called by some people the gospel of Isaiah. Note the language given in Isaiah 55:1-3 “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.”

It reminds me so much of our Lord Jesus’ words to the woman in John 4:10 “Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.” In both testaments the language is similar; salvation is God’s living water for the sinner. In both testaments He tells the unsaved to hear the truth of the gospel, and become a recipient of the everlasting covenant. God’s sure mercies are still available in our day, in this 21^st century. His call is still real! His earnest provision is still real! The sacrifice has been made! All you have to do is receive it freely. Then, when you do, your life is changed. A new life begins that will continue on even after death.

“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:7) The change in your life will be not only abundant, but super-abundant. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. (2 Corinthians 5:17) It is a new life that you cannot even imagine now. All your sin is forgiven and removed. Afterward if you study the Bible, and hear the true word preached, you will become strong, and strive to be holy, and serve God gladly. I suggest you read Isaiah 55, and meditate on it for a couple of days. There is so much here for the new believer. God is so different from everything in this sin-cursed world. He even says “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.” (Isaiah 55:8)

My friends, I have been on both sides of the line, and there is so much difference it cannot be fathomed by the mortal mind. God is faithful to those He calls. He cares for them. I can tell you that I have failed Him many times in 47 years, but He has never failed me. He is a good God! I believe if you will seek Him while He may be found, that you will find Him. If you ask His forgiveness, you will receive it, and receive eternal life and forgiveness. Please, seek Him now!

Published by Charles Woodruff- email: oursong2000@yahoo.com

SUMMER IS GONE---CHARLES WOODRUFF

2011-10-01T21:07:00.001-04:00

After a brutal summer, with temperatures over 90 degrees for a total of 90 days, today is the first day of autumn. During the summertime we had very little rain, especially in September. Many in our area were quite frustrated about the summer, and are certainly ready for fall. We humans often complain about the weather, one way or another. The weather people often reflect a humanist philosophy that the weather is just patterns and routine changes. They will frequently attribute weather changes they didn’t expect to “mother nature”.

To some extent, they are right about weather patterns and routine changes. God has set up the normal functions that move the universe day by day. He has decreed that the universe will function onward as He has programmed it. Scripture tells us of this normal function that God has set. “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22) This is in normal times. Even in our history we have seen that there are abnormal disruptions to these day by day events.

     But, what of abnormal times. Throughout history there have been disruptions of the daily patterns. They do not always reflect biblical changes, at least as far as we can tell. But, God has given us details of weather events that are involved in prophecy. For instance Jesus said in Luke 21:10, 11 “Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.” This is speaking of events that shall take place just before He returns to earth for His children. I am not a prophecy expert by any means, but I do know that Jesus, the resurrected one, is to return to earth one day. He said so, the angels said so; the Bible says so. He is going to return! I am as sure of that as I am of anything. Since it has been almost 2000 years since Christ was here, and all that history has passed, we can be sure it will not be long. As wicked as this world is, and with so many denying God, we know the hour is late. We all remember recently the preacher who had predicted the actual day He would return. He had done that one other time, and was wrong both times! He has rescheduled his prediction. Poor man!

      Who is it that told us that Christ would return? First of all the prophets told us. Then in the New Testament, Matthew tells us many things about His return. This stands out “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” (Matthew 24:14) That particular prophecy has largely been fulfilled. Most of the world we can say has heard the gospel at some time, at least one time. It doesn’t say that all will believe, but that it will be preached. Now we ought to continue to preach everywhere until His return, because we have been commanded to do so. We do not know who the elect are. We must preach to every creature. It is an obligation we have to declare the gospel to all men and women.

Next in Mark we have a great prediction from Christ Himself of His return in reply to a question. “But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” (Mark 14:61, 62) Jesus was painting a picture of His return for the high priest (Caiaphas). He was making it clear that even though they would kill Him, He would not be held by death. He was going to triumph over the death, hell and the grave. He was going to return to earth.

Now let’s look briefly at Luke. “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” (Luke 21:25-28) There will be many things that will occur at the time of Christ’s return. If we had the time and were motivated to do so, we could look in depth at multiple prophecies. Just keep in mind that it will be a time as no other that has ever been, or shall ever be. It will be too late for any who are not already saved. It will be swift and sure. He is coming for judgement. He is coming back for His own children. Oh, my friend, do not be caught by the wrath of God!

Let us look at John also. Here the risen Christ related to John and Peter some truth regarding His final plans. “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.” (John 21:18-24) We can see that Christ was definitely speaking of His return. The disciples question was “What shall this man do?” They wanted to know if John was going to be spared death. It was a good question, but not an accurate understanding of His coming. Jesus did not declare that John was not going to die. He was merely letting them all know that He alone had that power. He is coming back. There is so much more we could reflect on regarding that.

Let me just conclude by urging you to be ready when He comes. Millions will not be ready. God has already told us all “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14) You can be ready by turning to Christ now, before it is too late. He is the only Saviour and Lord. Trust in Him today! Amen! He said “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37) “I am that bread of life.” (John 6:48)
            Published by Charles Woodruff- email: oursong2000@yahoo.com

A FEW MORSELS FOR YOU FROM CHARLES WOODRUFF

2011-09-29T16:52:00.003-04:00

                                             UNIVERSALISM ANYONE?
A Universal Notice- “God ---now commandeth all men everywhere to Repent.” Acts 17:30.

A Universal Necessity-----“As it is written, there is none righteous,
no, not one.” Romans 3:10 (cp. With Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1).

A Universal Neglect----“There is none that understandeth, there is
none that seeketh after God”. Romans 3:11(cp with Psalm 14:2
and Psalm 53:2).

GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY
“ We say again, God’s sovereignty is never meant to destroy
man’s responsibility. We are to make diligent use of all the means
which God has appointed for the salvation of souls. We are bidden to preach the gospel to ‘every creature’. Grace is free; the invitation is broad enough to take in ‘whosoever believeth’. Christ turns away
none who come to him. Yet, after we have done all, after we have
planted and watered, it is God who ‘giveth the increase’ and this he
does as best pleaseth his sovereign will.”
The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross, Chapter 2   “The Word of Salvation”---A.W Pink

                       SCRIPTURES THAT AIN'T SCRIPTURES
“God helps those who help themselves.”
“Give God a chance.”
“Cleanliness is next to godliness.”
“Prayer changes things.”
“You take the first step--God will do the rest.”
“Let God save you today.”
“Money is the root of all evil.”
“He who builds a bridge will have to cross it one day.”
All of the above sayings are mistaken for Bible quotes. Some are distorted quotes, some not even near quotes of true scriptures. Not all of these sayings are bad, or grossly untrue, just not in the Bible.

                              PROFOUND THOUGHTS
The Old Testament is an account of a nation.
The New Testament is an account of a MAN.
The Nation was founded and nurtured of God,
To bring the MAN into the world.
Quoted from: Halley’s Bible Handbook. Great words, I would only add this:
The MAN spoken of is the GOD-MAN, Jesus Christ.

                 REFLECTIONS FROM LUTHER
Three A.M. February 18, 1546---Martin Luther’s dying words:   “We are beggars, this is true. God is free, utterly free in His grace, and we are beggars, ‘pray-ers’. That is how we live. That is how we study, so that God gets the glory, and we get the grace.”

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God's own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God's truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

ENEMIES OF THE CHRISTIAN THAT RISE UP AGAINST HIM

2011-09-25T17:02:00.000-04:00

BY CHARLES WOODRUFF

We know that the world, the flesh and the devil are our enemies. We may have our worst problems with the flesh, though that very flesh may lead us to say “the devil made me do it”. The flesh brings the believer these problems:

1. Indifference= spiritual coldness.
2. Ingratitude= unthankful to God.
3. Inconsistency= unstable in all our ways.
4. Inactivity= Not interested in the things of God.
5. Indecency= Immorality, sin, rebellion.
The remedy can be found in Psalm 3:3, 4

-If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself (Augustine of Hippo).

-A preacher finished the service one morning by saying, “Next
Sunday, I am going to preach on the subject of liars. As a preparation for my sermon, I would like you all to read Mark 17.” On the following Sunday, the preacher rose to begin. Looking out at the congregation he said, “Last week I asked you all to read Mark 17. If you have read the chapter, please raise your hand.” Nearly every hand in the congregation went up. Smiling, the preacher said, “You are the very people I want to talk to. Mark has only 16 chapters”. (Compiled by Charles Woodruff )

IF OUR GOSPEL BE HID--CHARLES WOODRUFF

2011-09-17T17:09:00.001-04:00

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Corinthians 4:3, 4)

Does it seem to us that the gospel is hidden? We see it clearly, but the average person does not seem to do so. It appears to be hidden away from them. You can try to witness to a person, but it often gets bogged down like you are speaking a different language than that lost person. He, or she, doesn’t seem to hear you. It is as their ears were closed, and also their eyes. The apostle had our answer, and wrote it here in 2 Corinthians nearly 2000 years ago. He declared clearly that the gospel is hidden for those who are lost. He also makes it crystal clear that the one doing the hiding is the god of this world. That god is Satan! Satan has blinded the minds of them which do not believe so that they cannot comprehend this truth; this truth that Jesus Christ has paid the price in full for our salvation. The devil does all he can to blur, and distort this truth.

These early Christians were bold. They spoke out, even though they risked imprisonment and even death for speaking out. Paul says “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we faint not” (2 Corinthians 4:1). They were much bolder than most modern people. They knew declaring this gospel was a serious thing. They knew that their lives were being risked. They also knew that unless their hearers believed the gospel, they would remain lost for eternity. Christ had met each one of them with this truth, and redeemed them, so they felt the obligation to spread the word, regardless of the cost. That is why God’s word has been handed down to us in the 21^st century, so that we may share it. Oh, that we would have their boldness; their faith and love. Their determination and commitment to the truth, as it is in Jesus Christ.

Paul said that we have this ministry as we received mercy, we faint not. In other words, we are no better than you are. It is because of Gods mercy that we have redemption. We have been placed in this work by God’s grace. The call of God is a divine gift. It is an experience that has its beginning, its sustenance, and its ending in God. His eternal purpose is being displayed in His work that we are called to do. So, even the fact that we come to you is solely because of sovereign grace. We come to you as agents of God with His powerful word. In verse two the apostle says we have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty. In other words, this is God’s orderly and divine work. It is “up front’ and completely honest. As he says, not walking in craftiness. It is simply straightforward and absolutely honest. It is God’s holy truth to us. We must hear it that way. It is a vessel of God’s sovereign mercy to us.

He goes on to say that it is not handling the word of God deceitfully. It is true, and not dishonest. That is enlightening when so many today attempt to deceive us. The gospel of Christ is not a fraud. It is the genuine article! The enemy is so desperate to convince people of his own slant on the word of God. The enemy has a warped view of the gospel, designed to distort and deceive.

Paul goes on to say but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. Again, the word of God is complete, and it is honest. It has been distorted in our day so much that people can claim it supports everything, and opposes almost nothing. Just today, a very famous preacher said that a man who had a wife with Alzheimer’s disease could go ahead and divorce her, and remarry another to obtain a “better life for himself”. What? What about till death do us part in the wedding ceremony? Doesn’t that count?

To get at the heart of our study, and determine why so many won’t hear the gospel, we need to look at verse four very closely. “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) Who does the apostle say caused this blindness in those unbelievers? He says The God of this world, as I mentioned previously. He is the culprit of deception who has done this evil deed. He had at that time blinded the minds of those being witnessed to. Let me say that he is still doing the same thing nearly 2000 years later! He is successfully blinding the minds of those who would believe, keeping their hearts veiled from the truth that can save them. This is keeping them from the gospel of salvation. Yes, it is because their minds are blinded! They have in them no desire to seek God. If it was not for God’s sovereign deliverance, none would be saved! Their minds have been blinded and the situation is Lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. It will not shine on them whose minds are blinded. Unless God intervenes, they will be damned!

God has not designed to save every soul who was ever born, as some teach. The teaching of the Bible is that God has chosen some, and bypassed others, according to the good pleasure of His will. Some do not like this. Many do not believe it. But remember, God will have mercy on whom He will. It is not up to you. It is not up to me. It is all by His own choice. It is clear He has shown mercy on many, and that His generosity is great. He is a merciful God. But, do not be deceived. He will not let you ignore Him, and live after your wicked desires, and then save you at the end. If you go on in your sin, ignoring all the warnings, you will be lost forever.

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6) So it is evident here that God has the power to overrule Satan in these matters of the soul. He commands the light to shine, and it shines. It is as the difference between night and day when God sends the light. When you are enabled to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, then you will never be in the dark again. “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5)

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

(2 Corinthians 4:7-9) Though we still have struggles in this life, we do not have to face them alone. God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost oversees our lives from now on. Hallelujah!

Published by Charles Woodruff- email: oursong2000@yahoo.com

WHICH IS THE GOSPEL?--CHARLES WOODRUFF

2011-09-10T19:37:00.002-04:00

We have recently studied several things about the gospel regarding the definitions of it. There were several good points which I left out, so I thought that today I would expand just a little. About as good a summation of What is the Gospel as you will see was stated by my friend Brother Miles McKee, a missionary to Ireland. He says “The Gospel is summed up in one word ....CHRIST.....He is the gospel. It is not just the good news, or the Matthew, Mark, Luke and John's words in the New Testament. It is about the fact that Christ lived a sinless life, died a sinless substitute and rose from the dead so that we could have the hope and certainty of everlasting life.” This is a good, sound explanation of the gospel. It is Christ the Lord!

Noah Webster had a correct definition of “gospel” in his 1828 dictionary. Here is the first part.

GOS'PEL, n. {L. evangelium; a good or joyful message.}

The history of the birth, life, actions, death, resurrection, ascension and doctrines of Jesus Christ; or a revelation of the grace of God to fallen man through a mediator, including the character, actions, and doctrines of Christ, with the whole scheme of salvation, as revealed by Christ and his apostles. This gospel is said to have been preached to Abraham, by the promise, "in thee shall all nations be blessed." Galatians 3:8.

It is called the gospel of God. Romans 1:1.

It is called the gospel of Christ. Romans 1:16.

It is called the gospel of salvation. Ephesians 1:13.

(This is a very good definition. Why change the meaning?)

If we say nothing else regarding the gospel, we must say that Jesus Christ is the gospel. He is the Good News. He is the Alpha and Omega. He is The Way, The Truth, and The Life. He is the Altogether Lovely. He is the Bright and Morning Star. He is the Bread of Life. He is the Water of Life. He is the Good Shepherd who gave His life for the sheep. He is the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. There is so much more in scripture that we could say regarding Him. The main point being, He is God’s answer to this world of sin. Without Him, all men and women are lost!

Under the New Covenant that God has made, Jesus is the divine substitute. He is the Saviour. He is the sacrifice. He is the answer for all our sins. Do you realize that there is absolutely no other way of salvation given but Him? He said it clearly “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) He also said “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37) Men and women laugh about this remedy that God has provided. It is sad, for God will have the last laugh. Over 2000 years ago God sent His only Son, with the only answer for the rebellion of Adam and us; Adam’s children. It seems that so few hear the word today, but those who do will be with God for eternity. Those who do not will be in hell for eternity. Think about this, my friend. You see, there is only one true gospel message. There are a number of imitations. Truly the devil has devised a dubious scheme to bewilder the souls of multitudes. There are other methods he offers. There are other songs he sings. There are other ways he offers. Don’t be deceived! Jesus is the only way; the only saviour; the only Lord. The only true choice.Trust Him!

Satan will tell you a lie. He will tell you that it is all a fairy tale; that you don’t need anyone. Remember, the same devil will tell you that you will never die, or at least it will be many years before you do. There are people dying every day, old and young. You and I will have to die much sooner than we think. If we fail to trust Christ, we have been deceived. The devil will also try to convince you that you are not a bad person. If that doesn’t work, he will agree that you should be saved, but wait a little while. You haven’t sown enough wild oats yet. You have lots of time. The word of God has many warnings such as the following “We then, as workers together with him, plead to you also that all of you receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he says, I have heard you in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I helped you: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)” (2 Corinthians 6:1-2; UKJV) The apostle was speaking of today being the day of salvation. He is speaking of your repenting now!

Sinners must not toy with God. “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.” (Hebrews 3:12-16) In other words, there are many who heard, but did not heed the word of God.

God’s word tells us in so many places that this is no joke. We can’t expect to spend eternity in heaven with the Lord after rejecting Him here. There are so many that are deceived. He tells us clearly “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) All lost sinners will collect those wages after their deaths. Those who received Christ’s gift of eternal life will go to be with Him. Which is it for you?

When Jesus first came to earth, he was about speaking the word of God to sinners. On the trip he was on at about 12 years old, He went to the synagogue to discuss the gospel truths with the elders. He fascinated them with his knowledge of the word. (Read Luke 2:40-50).Then, when He was grown, He went to be baptized by John the Baptist. One of His first messages was to Nicodemus in John 3, where He told Nicodemus “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” (John 3:7) That message was not only for Nicodemus, who evidently received it, and became a Christian (see John 19:39). That is what we must also do. There is only one way of salvation; the new birth. The gospel is real, and everlasting. Jesus is real and everlasting. There is no other saviour! “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Published by Charles Woodruff- email: oursong2000@yahoo.com

GRACE ACTIVE

2011-09-02T21:53:00.006-04:00

Grace! 'Tis a charming sound,

Harmonious to the ear;

Heaven with the echo shall resound,

And all the earth shall hear.

O God, may Thy Spirit speak in me that I may speak to Thee. Lord Jesus, great high priest, Thou hast opened a new and living way by which a fallen creature can approach Thee with acceptance.

Help me to contemplate the dignity of Thy Person, the perfectness of Thy sacrifice, the effectiveness of Thy intercession.

O what blessedness accompanies devotion, when under all the trials that weary me, the cares that corrode me, the fears that disturb me, the infirmities that oppress me, I can come to Thee in my need and feel peace beyond understanding!

The grace that restores is necessary" to preserve, lead, guard, supply, help me. And here Thy saints encourage my hope; they were once poor and are now rich, bound and are now free, tried and now are victorious.

Every new duty calls for more grace than I now possess, but not more than is found in Thee, the divine treasury in whom all fullness dwells. To Thee I repair for grace upon grace, until every void made by sin be replenished and I am filled with all Thy fullness.

May my desires be enlarged and my hopes emboldened, that I may honour Thee by my entire dependency and the greatness of my expectation.

Do Thou be with me, and prepare me for all the smiles of prosperity, the frowns of adversity, the losses of substance, the death of friends, the days of darkness, the changes of life, and the last great change of all. May I find thy grace sufficient for all my needs.

From The Valley of Vision by Arthur Bennett, via http://www.oldlandmarks.com/puritan.htm

Of course, this is Labor Day weekend in America. Many of us will be on vacation, and relaxing as we seek to honor the workers of our country. The history of Labor Day is interesting, because it began as an expression of fairness toward workers who were being exploited by bosses. Today, most in our land simply regard it as a holiday.

I thought it fitting to call us to prayer, and reflection of God's goodness and mercy to us. There are many things wrong that need correction. Frankly, this country is in great need of revival, and that can only come by God's grace. The effort of Arthur Bennett in England over 30 years ago to spread around some Puritan thoughts has been well received. It is with that in mind that I quoted these words for you. It is my prayer that they speak to you. May God choose to bless it to you and yours.

By Charles Woodruff, editor. Email: oursong2000@yahoo.com

Snail mail: 90 Raymond Ray St., Newnan, GA 30265-1611

Blog site: http://cyberwordoftruth.blogspot.com/ September 2, 2011

THE WORD ABOVE ALL--CHARLES WOODRUFF

2011-08-25T17:10:00.001-04:00

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9). “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11).

What shall we study and meditate on? There are many books in the world -- some are good, some are bad. This is true of sermons you can hear and read -- some are good, some are bad. We could suggest as some have that you read nothing other than the Bible. Yet being men and women in a modern world, we are not likely to limit ourselves to that, especially if we are good readers. God gave us a desire for knowledge in many areas, and we fulfill it, sometimes by reading.

Many years ago, in another state, I was asked to preach in a particular church on several different occasions. I suppose I was 39 or 40 then, and the pastor there was considerably younger than myself. I got to know him pretty well, and stayed with him and his young family each time I was in the area. He told me that he read at least one of Charles Spurgeon’s sermons every day. I said, “Very commendable. Spurgeon was a great preacher and left us a great body of work.” The pastor also put a Spurgeon sermon in his church paper each week.

The last time I was there, I met another young couple from his church that was staying in the pastor’s home until their house got repaired. They seemed like a nice couple. A short time later I got word that this pastor fell into sin with the other woman, and left his wife and two children for her. Two homes were broken up! A ministry was destroyed!

What brought about this awful situation? This minister was surely not following the teachings of Spurgeon when he did this. You can’t blame Spurgeon for this, for he was a godly man. It does show that no matter how much a person is claiming to follow sound doctrine, he can err if he is not obeying God’s word. Spurgeon preached the word. Some others he read from, like Arthur Pink, also preached the word. He read his bible regularly. But it doesn’t matter. He could have been reading John Wesley every day. Maybe J.C. Philpot; Or David Wilkerson; Or Billy Graham, or whoever. There had to be something much deeper than which ministers that he was reading. Who was influencing him? This minister himself studied and preached the word. He seemed to have good Bible knowledge. Why did he put another black mark on the cause of Christ? “But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul” (Proverbs 6:32). The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. We are all flesh and blood. For myself I have to say “but for the grace of God, there go I”.

There is an answer, however. Many, as James says, are only hearers (or readers), of the word .“Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). You see, it is not enough to just hear, or read, or be religious, the word must be in the heart to cause the manifestation of doing good works. James also said
“ …To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).

This person knew. All thought him to be a true brother. God alone knows. Now he surely does not appear to be God’s chosen, unless he repents. Beloved, as the verse which I quoted at the beginning says, we must hide God’s word in our hearts. As our theme verse says, it is a lamp to guide our path. But we must be doers of the word. Remember in Ephesians, that great scripture mountaintop, it says: “ For by grace are ye saved. through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10).

So many, we can sadly say, have utterly ruined their lives by taking their eyes off of Christ. We have all failed Him there, of course, and He has proved able and willing to rescue each of us. Even as He did Simon Peter when he fell into sin. But, to consistently walk with Him is the way of a true believer. As His workmanship, we are created unto good works. God has ordained that we should walk in them.

We are in troubled times in our day. This has caused many to forsake Christ instead of following Him. The eye of a saint needs to be entered on the Lord! For our nation, this is the only answer. For our state, this is the only answer. For our region this is the only answer. For or city, our town; this the only answer. There has never been another answer! All of us must know this! There is no other answer, except Jesus Christ!

Is sin tricking you? Is the flesh tempting you? Are sicknesses discouraging you? Are trials overwhelming you? Are you about to throw in the towel? Stop!! Look up!! Your redeemer is near! Satan can defeat you and I, this is sadly true. But he cannot defeat Jesus! Never! He is the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords! He is the Alpha and the Omega! He is the Altogether Lovely! Satan may defeat you and I. We may be even allowed to be taken from this world. If we know Jesus Christ, do not let this worry you. Saved by His blood, you will never be taken from Him. Lift up you heads, for your redemption draws nigh. The Lamb of God who takes away our sin can never be defeated!

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John.3:14, 15).

Published by Charles Woodruff- email: oursong2000@yahoo.com

GLORY IN THE CROSS

2011-08-15T16:45:00.012-04:00

THE CROSS

Perhaps you need this verse today: “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14). To “glory” is “to boast”. Paul here says we can boast in nothing except the cross of the Lord Jesus. All of our prosperity, all of our fame (even if yours is more than 15 minutes!), all of our accomplishments, all of our power (even if you are a senator, or president or even a king), all of our doctrinal understanding, and even all the accumulated knowledge over our lifetime is nothing to glory about. We can boast only in the cross of Christ! Glory to His name! (Charles Woodruff)

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o’er His body on the tree;
Then I am dead to all the globe,
And all the globe is dead to me.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

To Christ, who won for sinners grace
By bitter grief and anguish sore,
Be praise from all the ransomed race
Forever and forevermore.

Isaac Watts -1707 (Charles Wesley reportedly said he would give up all his other
hymns to have written this one).
“Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen”
(Ephesians 6:24).

THE PURPOSE OF BIBLE STUDY

Arthur W. Pink (1886-1952)

That against which we are here protesting is the God-dishonoring idea that His Word is merely a piece of literature, which may be "mastered" by a course of "study." That which we would warn against is an undue occupation with the technical aspects of the Bible. God's blessed Word is not for dissection by the knife of cold intellectuality -- but is to be laid to heart. It is not given for us to display our cleverness and "brilliance" upon -- but to be bowed before in true humility. It is not designed for mental entertainment -- but for the regulation of our daily lives.

Far, far more important than "method" is our motive when approaching the Word. What we should seek is that which will subdue pride and bring us as supplicants to the footstool of mercy -- not to acquire that which will puff us up in our own conceit. Of what value is a knowledge of the original Hebrew and Greek, or a thorough acquaintance with the history, geography and chronology of the Bible, if the heart be left cold and hard toward its Author?

I seriously doubt if God has called or requires us to [merely] "study" His Word. What we need to do is feed thereon. "Nourished up in the words of faith" (I Timothy 4:6). "Desire the sincere [pure] milk of the word, that you may grow thereby" (I Peter 2:2). This is the only nutritive food for the soul. By all means, "Search the Scriptures daily" (Acts 17:11) in order to test all you hear and read. Above all, beg God to write His Word more legibly and fully upon the tablets of your heart. Put the precepts into practice, heed the warnings of Scripture, and then you will assimilate what you have fed upon.

Concluding Note: May we humbly hear these words by Mr. Pink, adapted from an Editorial in his magazine, Studies in the Scriptures. This should cause us to never argue the Bible in a heated debate, nor should we ever read or teach Scripture from mere intellectualism, for "God resists the proud." (James 4:6). (W.F. Bell)

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12).

Published by Charles Woodruff- email: oursong2000@yahoo.com

BARABBAS THE ROBBER--CHARLES WOODRUFF

2011-08-02T18:48:00.003-04:00

"Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas
was a robber" (John 18:40).

Jesus Christ was at the judgment bar of Pontus Pilate. He had already been examined by Annas and Caiaphas, who were joint Jewish high priests around the time of Christ’s birth, as indicated in Luke 3:2.“Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.” Thirty three years later they still had a sort of joint duty. Some scholars believe that since high priests were usually appointed for life, Annas still had that authority. Others believe he was acting as president of the Sanhedrin, or a coadjutor of his father-in-law, Caiaphas, the current high priest. “Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him, And led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year” (John 18:12,13).

After they questioned and ridiculed Him, because they didn’t have authority to execute Him, Jesus was sent to Roman governor Pontius Pilate. Then Pilate sent Him to Herod when he heard that Jesus was a Galilean. Herod got no answers, neither did he see a miracle performed as he desired, so after he and some of his people mocked Jesus, they sent Him back to Pontus Pilate.

Now Christ was before Pilate. The Apostles Creed, that ancient document, which is really a bird’s eye view of the Christian faith, tells us “He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried.” It is true, but not because Pilate desired to see Him crucified. He had tried every way he could think of to release Jesus, especially after Pilate’s own wife came and pleaded with him; “When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him” (Matthew 27:19.)

JESUS THE INNOCENT

Pilate had likely already decided not to crucify Him before he even heard his wife’s words. Throughout the trial he declared Him innocent several times. “For I find no fault in Him” (John 19:6) -----“Nothing worthy of death is done unto him” (Luke 23:15)-----“Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him:” (Luke 23:22)-----“Why, what evil hath he done?” (Matthew 27:23).

Try as he may, Pontius Pilate could not convince the crowd that Jesus was innocent. Pilate totally believed this himself, but he was under great pressure, and feared the Jews. Why? It was likely because an uprising would get him replaced by Caesar as a governor. He was already regarded by Rome as headstrong, and had some problems with Caesar before this. His last effort to convince the Jews involved the custom of releasing a prisoner of the Jew’s choice at a feast time, and now it was Passover time. So he suggested Jesus, confident that they would want Him released, and crucify Barabbas. After all, Jesus was innocent, and Barabbas was not only a robber, as our text states, but an insurrectionist, a murderer, a thief, a seditionist, i.e., a real enemy of Rome. He was not exactly morally superior to anyone. Matthew 27:16 states “And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.” A notable prisoner (translated by some as a notorious prisoner). He was that, but his desire to overthrow the Romans certainly made him popular with the Jews.

BARABBAS THE INSURGENT

Most of us have heard time and again the story of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, especially if we are Christians. It is the central theme of the gospel. But, have we really looked in depth at Barabbas? As we have seen he was a robber, insurrectionist, and all the rest. We have heard the word insurgent a lot during the recent Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Insurgency (1) is basically the same as insurrection. (2) We have already seen that he was guilty of that crime.

“And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection” (Mark 15:7). Who he murdered we are not told, but, this murderer was involved with some others who were also being held. Who were they? I believe two of them were those who were crucified at the same time as Christ. Barabbas was also set to be crucified at the same time, but God had other plans for him.

All we really know about Barabbas is found in the Gospels. Mention of him is most complete in Matthew. Likely he was a Jew, for his surname is a Hebrew word that means son of the father. Some of the early church testimony is that his first name was also Jesus. In the Syriac translation, and even some English translations, we read his name as Jesus Barabbas. This would make an interesting reading in some verses if it was truly supported by manuscript evidence. For instance: “So, when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Who do you want released? Jesus Bar-abbas or Jesus the so-called 'Christ'?" (Matthew 27:17, Moffat Translation). Also, the same verse in another version “So when the crowd came together, Pilate asked them, "Which prisoner do you want me to set free? Do you want Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?" (Contemporary English Version). Another English version has “So when the crowd gathered, Pilate asked them, ‘Which one do you want me to set free for you? Jesus Barabbas or Jesus, called the Messiah?"’ (Good News Bible)

It is a theory, and makes a sharp contrast, but there is no real textual support for this reading. It is definitely not the majority reading. Note from ISBE the following: “Origen knew and does not absolutely condemn a reading of Matthew 27:16; Matthew 27:17, which gave the name ‘Jesus Barabbas’, but although it is also found in a few cursives, and in the Aramaic, and the Jerusalem Syriac versions in this place only, it is probably due to a scribe's error in transcription

(Westcott-Hort) App., 19-20). If the name was simply Barabbas or Barrabban, it may still have meant that the man was a rabbi's son, or it may have been a purely conventional proper name, signifying nothing. He was the criminal chosen by the Jerusalem mob, at the instigation of the priests, in preference to Jesus Christ, for Pilate to release on the feast of Passover. (3)

Not only does Mark tell us that Barabbas was a murderer, but Luke states that he was cast into prison “for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison” (Luke 23:19b). (4) “(Compare Acts 3:14). John calls him a “robber” or “brigand” (John 18:40). Nothing further is known of him, nor of the insurrection in which he took part. Luke's statement that he was a murderer is probably a deduction from Mark's more circumstantial statement, that he was only one of a gang, who in a rising had committed murder.(5)

How would you, or I, even known of Barabbas if the scripture hadn’t told us about him? You see, he was just a ruffian, an unknown scalawag except the Bible had told us these things about him. What would make him the choice of anyone to die instead of Jesus Christ? Was it merit? Did he have any merit, or worth? No! Barabbas was the worst of the scoundrels. He had no merit. He had no standing. He deserved to die on the Roman cross. Did he deserve to die more than his fellow criminals? We don’t know that answer. But we do know he had far more low life wickedness than Jesus Christ, who of all men had no wickedness.

YOU ARE BARABBAS!

And so am I! At least, before our conversions, we were by nature robbers, criminals, seditionists, and more. We were adulterers, backbiters, liars, thieves, and even murderers! Barabbas was like us, and we like him. Even in his release, he is a picture of us who are saved. Christ died in his place; Christ died in our place. Without Christ, we could not have been set free. But, because of Him, we are. We are saved, are redeemed because He shed His blood in our place. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). We “Chosen in Him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4a).

Barabbas was a man with guilt of many crimes and sins. He was deserving of the death penalty, which was common in those days. He had lived a despicable life. Likely his desire to overthrow Rome was self-interest as well. He did not come on the earth to be the divine deliverer as Jesus did. Others were not honored before himself. It seems positive to me that he was a self-motivated person. He was sentenced to death, and deserved death, and was scheduled to die.

Jesus Christ was a man without guilt. He was the only perfect, spotless, sinless being who has ever lived! What a contrast he was, and is, to any other being that has ever lived. He had to be this way, for the sacrifice for sin must be without spot or blemish. There had never been one like Christ, nor shall there ever be. He was born, lived and died without sin. If He is not claimed as your saviour; if He is not claimed as my saviour; if He is not claimed by all the lost masses of humanity, then there is no saviour! And, yes we are all lost in our sins without a saviour!

Was Barabbas saved by Him? The scripture does not declare him to be a righteous, justified man. It calls him a sinner. It calls him a thief. It calls him a murderer. It does not call him a redeemed person; a justified person; a saved person. Some say he was literally saved. All I can see in the Bible is that the right one died for him. Did he close with Christ? I personally think he did, but I cannot prove it, so I will leave it there. I know that he had the same one to pay for his sins as we did for own, so that ought to be enough. I think we will see him with us among the saints one day. Remember, there would be no Saint John; no Saint Matthew; no Saint Peter; no Saint Paul; no Saint Christopher; no Saint Thomas, nor any other without the risen Christ! Let us praise Him! Let us serve, and praise the Living Christ! He is the true and living saviour! He is real!

He says “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20)

Christ further says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son

of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:14-19).

NOTES

(1).Insurgency-The quality or state of being insurgent; specifically: a condition of revolt against a government that is less than an organized revolution and that is not recognized as belligerency (Merriam Webster Dictionary, online).

2) Insurrection-The act or an instance of rebelling against a government in power or the civil authorities; insurgency (World English Dictionary, online). Strong’s Concordance on Mark 14:7 has the Greek word for insurrection (G4714), as στάσις; stasis; pronounced stas'-is. From the base of G2476; a standing (properly the act), that is, (by analogy) position (existence); by implication a popular uprising; figuratively controversy: - dissension, insurrection, X standing, uproar.

(3) Jesus Barabbas- Excerpted from the article Barabbas in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia; Online edition, Bible Explorer 4.

(4) Sedition Incitement of, resistance to, or insurrection against lawful authority (Merriam Webster online).

(5) Barabbas the Murderer op.cit.: ISBE in Bible Explorer 4, online edition.

Published by Charles Woodruff- email: oursong2000@yahoo.com

SOME LETTERS FROM CHARLES SPURGEON

2011-07-25T16:19:00.006-04:00

We are all perhaps familiar with the preaching, and letters of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, that unique and gifted minister of the nineteenth century. Known by many as the greatest preacher since Paul, and acknowledged by many more of us as gifted; so it is so nice when we find something so rare in its form, and structure for us to delight in together. I have found Spurgeon a comfort when ill, as recently I have been, and even now as I improve, I find him a pure delight. I hope you enjoy this little visit as much as I have. Let us fly together for a bit from the twentyfirst century, to the nineteenth, and be uniquely blest at the same time. Continue to pray for me, a recovering sinner, by God's sovereign grace. In His love, Charles Woodruff.

The Letters of C.H. Spurgeon
Collected and Collated by His Son Charles Spurgeon

Mr. Spurgeon's calligraphy was characteristic of himself. In early days it was like copper-plate, and to the end of his life, unless deformed by pain, was always singularly chaste and clear, and to the very last note he penned, it maintained its uniform neatness. His favorite ink was violet, though he judged "there is no better ink than that to be bought in penny bottles," and his was usually the "pen of a ready writer," and he did not take kindly to stylus and the like, for he says: "I am writing with a patent pen which carries its own ink, but I don't think much of it for it seems to be very indistinct, and more like a pencil than a pen." The variety of the paper that he used well illustrated his versatility, as he filled the sheets with "thoughts that glow, and words that burn." Of the innumerable letters which Mr. Spurgeon wrote, he preserved comparatively a few, and those who are the fortunate possessors of his communications are chary of parting with them, and in a very large number of instances the epistles are of such a private nature that it would be a breach of confidence, as well as of courtesy, to make them public. It will be observed that but few of his letters are fully dated, this being an exceptional idiosyncrasy.

His correspondence was voluminous, necessitating a great amount of time and labor on his part in replying to it. To a friend he once said, "I am immersed to the chin in letters," and although multitudes of grateful acknowledgments for pecuniary help sent on behalf of his various Institutions were lithographed, he never allowed any letter of importance to escape his notice which called for a personal response in his own handwriting. He knew so well the power of letter-writing, and also how glad the recipients would be, and what lifelong friends he would secure.

There are hundreds of brief notes that he addressed to a multitude of inquirers, their very brevity displaying his genius, and conforming to the view he held when he wrote: "We cannot write letters nowadays, but must be content to send mere notes and memoranda. When letters were reasonably few, and cost a shilling each, men had the time to write well, and thought it worth their while to do so. Now that the penny post is a public man's sorest trial, the shorter we can make our epistles the better." At times he felt the burden of such a mass of correspondence, when added to his already too heavy load, and he often said, "I am only a poor clerk, driving the pen hour after hour; here is another whole morning gone, and nothing done but letters! letters! letters! "I am so pressed that I can only give a brief space to one person, and a rigid economy of time can alone allow even of this." It were well that after all the toil involved, these letters should have a wide circulation, and create in this printed form at least a modicum of joy akin to their written originals, which caused the receivers so much pleasure.

Unfortunately, many of the most touching and telling of his epistles were destroyed, and the old friends of the great preacher who received his letters have passed away, so that the task of gathering fresh correspondence has been rendered difficult.

Nor can I omit to testify to the ability of my Private Secretary, Mr. Leslie W. Long, in saving me much time and labor by his excellent shorthand, transcribing, and typewriting, and I gratefully acknowledge the ever-kind and courteous treatment received from the Publishers, together with the gracious service rendered by F. A. Jackson, in reading through the proofs.

Believing that those who knew and loved Charles Haddon Spurgeon, and others who revere the name, will find pleasure in reading his letters, I commend this volume to the blessing of my father's God and my God.

CHARLES SPURGEON.

BALHAM, 1923.

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MY DEAR FATHER,—I am most happy and comfortable, I could not be more so whilst sojourning on earth, "like a pilgrim or a stranger, as all my fathers were." There are but four boarders, and about twelve day-boys. I have a nice little mathematical class, and have quite as much time for study as I had before.

I can get good religious conversations with Mr. Swindell, which is what I most need. Oh, how unprofitable has my past life been! Oh, that I should have been so long time blind to those celestial wonders, which now I can in a measure behold! Who can refrain from speaking of the marvellous love of Jesus which, I hope, has opened mine eyeslNow I see Him, I can firmly trust to Him for my eternal salvation. Yet soon I doubt again; then I am sorrowful; again faith appears, and I become confident of my interest in Him. I feel now as if I could do everything, and give up everything for Christ, and then I know it would be nothing in comparison with His love. I am hopeless of ever making anything like a return. How sweet is prayer! I would be always engaged in it. How beautiful is the Bible! I never loved it so before; it seems to me as necessary food. I feel that I have not one particle of spiritual life in me but what the Spirit placed there. I feel that I cannot live if He depart; I tremble and fear lest I should grieve Him. I dread lest sloth or pride should overcome me, and I should dishonor the gospel by neglect of prayer, or the Scriptures, or by sinning against God.

Truly, that will be a happy place where we shall get rid of sin and this depraved corrupt nature. When I look at the horrible pit and the hole from which I have been digged, I tremble lest I should fall into it, and yet rejoice that I am on the King's highway. I hope you will forgive me for taking up so much space about, myself; but at present my thoughts are most about it.

From the Scriptures, is it not apparent that, immediately upon receiving the Lord Jesus, it is a part of duty openly to profess Him? I firmly believe and consider that baptism is the command of Christ, and shall not feel quite comfortable if I do not receive it. I am unworthy of such things, but so am I unworthy of Jesu's love. I hope I have received the blessing of the one, and think I ought to take the other also.

My very best love to you and my dear Mother; I seem to love you more than ever, because you love my Lord Jesus. I hope yourself, dear Mother, Archer, Eliza, Emily, Louisa, and Lottie, are well; love to all...

May we all, after this fighting life is over, meet in—"That Kingdom of immense delight, Where health, and peace, and joy unite, Where undeclining pleasures rise, And every wish hath full supplies;" and while you are here, may the blessings of the gospel abound towarid you, and may we as a family be all devoted to the LordlMay all blessings be upon us, and may—I ever remain, Your dutiful and affectionate son, CHAS. H. SPURGEON.

NEWMARKET, .Feb. 19, 1850.

MY DEAR MOTHER,—I hope the long space between my letters will be excused, as I assure you I am fully occupied. I read French exercises every night with Mr. Swindeli,—Monsr. Perret comes once every week for an hour. I have 33 houses at present where I leave tracts,wI happened to take a district formerly supplied by Mrs. Andrews, who last lived in this house, and Miss Anna Swindell. Next Wednesday, I mean to-morrow,—I am to go to a meeting of the tract-distributors. They have been at a stand-still, and hope now to start afresh. On Thursday, Mr. Simpson intends coming to talk with me upon the most important of all subjects. Oh, how I wish that I could do something for Christi Tract distribution is so pleasant and easy that it is nothing,—nothing in itself, much less when it is compared with the amazing debt of gratitude I owe.

I have written to grandfather, and have received a very nice letter. I have been in the miry Slough of Despond; he sends me a strong consolation, but is that what I want? Ought I not rather to be reproved for my deadness and coldness? I pray as if I did not pray, hear as if I did not hear, and read as if I did not read—such is my deadness and coldness. I had a glorious revival on Saturday and Sunday. When I can do anything, I am not quite so dead.

Oh, what a horrid statelIt seems as if no real child of God could ever look so coldly on, and think so little of, the love of Jesus, and His glorious atonement. Why is not my heart always warm? Is it not because of my own sins? I fear lest this deadness be but the prelude to death,—spiritual death.

I have still a sense of my own weakness, nothingness, and utter inability to do anything in and of mysdf,—I pray God that I may never lose it,—I am sure I must if left to myself, and then, when I am cut off from Him, in Whom my great strength lieth, I shall be taken by the Philistines in my own wicked heart, and have mine eyes for ever closed to all spiritual good. Pray for me, O .my dear Father and MotherlOh, that Jesus would pray for reel Then I shall be delivered, and everlastingly saved. I should like to be always reading my Bible, and be daily gaining greater insight into it by the help of the Spirit. I can get but very little time, as Mr. S. pushes me on in Greek and French.

I have come to a resolution that, by God's help, I will profess the name of Jesus as soon as possible if I may be admitted into His Church on earth. It is an honor,wno difficulty,mgrandfather encourages me to do so, and I hope to do so both as a duty and privilege. I trust that I shall then feel that the bonds of the Lord are upon me, and have a more powerful sense of my duty to walk circumspectly. Conscience has convinced me that it is a duty to be buried with Christ in baptism, although I am sure it constitutes no part of salvation. I am very glad that you have no objection to my doing so.

Mr. Swindell is a Baptist.

You must have been terribly frightened when the chimney fell down, what a mercy that none were hurtlThere was a great deal of damage here from the wind. My cold is about the same as it was at home, it has been worse. I take all the care I can, I suppose it will go away soon. How are all the little ones? Give my love to them, and to Archer and Eliza. How does Archer get on? Accept my best love for yourself and Father. I hope you are well, And remain, Your affectionate son, CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON.

NEWMARKET, March 12, 1850.

MY DEAR FATHER,—Many thanks to you for your kind instructive, and unexpected letter .... My very best love to dear Mother; I hope she will soon be better.

At our last church-meeting, I was proposed. No one has been to see me yet. I hope that now I may be doubly circumspect, and doubly prayerful.

How could a Christian live happily, or live at all, if he had not the assurance that his life is in Christ, and his support, the Lord's undertaking? I am sure I would not have dared to take this great decisive step were it not that I am assured that Omnipotence will be my support, and the Shepherd of Israel my constant Protector. Prayer is to me now what the sucking of milk was to me in my infancy. Although I do not always feel the same relish for it, yet I am sure I cannot live without it.

"When by sin overwhelm'd, shame covers my face, I look unto Jesus who saves by His grace; I call on His name from the gulf of despair, And He plucks me fro/n hell in answer to prayer.

Prayer, sweet prayer I Be it ever so feeble, there's nothing like prayer." Even the Slough of Despond can be passed by the supports of prayer and faith. Blessed be the name of the Lord, despondency has vanished like a mist, before the Sun of righteousness, who has shone into my heart! "Truly, God is good to Israel." In the blackest darkness I resolved that, if I never had another ray of comfort, and even if I was everlastingly lost, yet I would love Jesus, and endeavor to run in the way of His commandments: from the. time that I was enabled thus to resolve, all these clouds have fled.

If they return, I fear not to meet them in the strength of the Beloved. One trial to me is that I have nothing to give up for Christ, nothing wherein to show my love to Him. What I can do, is little; and what I DO now, is less.

The tempter says, "You don't leave anything for Christ; you only follow Him to be saved by it. Where are your evidences?" Then I tell him that I have given up my self-righteousness, and he says, "Yes, but not till you saw it was filthy rags!" All I have to answer is, that my sufficiency is not of myself.

(Thursday afternoon.) I have just now received a very nice note from my dear Mother. Many thanks to you for the P.O. order. I do not know what money obligations are imposed upon members; I must do as you tell me.

(Here a piece of the letter has been cut out.) I am glad brother and sister are better. Again my best love to you all.

I am, Dear Father, Your affectionate son, CHARLES.

NEWMARKET, April 6, 1850.

There are many more at the site from which I borrowed these writngs, so if you are hungry for more, please go there. I am sure they will be joyful to share with you. The place to clip into is easy to find. It is:
http://www.spurgeon.org/misc/letters.htm

REVIVAL OUR HOPE-W. F. BELL

2011-07-12T19:25:00.001-04:00

Revival or spiritual awakening is so needed in our day. So many professing Christians are content with where we are. I cannot see it. I know there are times I fail God miserably, but He has never failed me. May God help us all to strive for truth. I believe that God will not give up on us. W.F. Bell put together these sayings.Very good! Apply them well! Charles Woodruff.

"I see the churches expanding their building facilities; increasing their office space; adding a new wing or new building for a family center, or for educational or recreational purposes; but, I say again, I never see a church having to increase the size of the prayer room. This, I am convinced, is because the preachers themselves are shrunken in the habit of prayer. A revival of prayer in the pulpit would mean a revival of prayer in the pew." Leonard Ravenhill

"I do not understand Christian people who are not thrilled by the whole idea of revival." Martyn Lloyd-Jones

"The Bible was written in tears and to tears it will yield its best treasure. God has nothing to say to the frivolous man." A. W. Tozer

"I believe if you and I were adequately impressed, fully alive to the tremendous issue, we could never pray mere prayers. We could never allow words to run out of our mouths, which we call praying. We should be down on our faces in a tremendous conflict on God's side against the evil menace that is seeking to devour the life of God's people." T. Austin Sparks

"The church patronized is the church paralyzed, therefore the church in peril. The church persecuted is the church prayerful, and therefore powerful." G. Campbell Morgan

"The self-satisfied do not want to pray. The self-sufficient do not need to pray. The self-righteous cannot pray." Leonard Ravenhill

"When the old faith is gone, and enthusiasm for the Gospel is extinct, it is no wonder that people seek something else in the way of delight." C. H. Spurgeon

"Think of the many tricks by which the church today apes the world to attract men and money....But God works from above with fire from heaven....One meeting where God answers by fire is worth all our convocations in the energy of the flesh." Vance Havner

"Evan Roberts of Wales, Jonathan Edwards of New England, and George Whitefield of England and America -- were all great reapers in public because they were all great weepers in private." Leonard Ravenhill

"Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!" (Jeremiah 9:1). "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ" (Philippians 3:18). "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy" (Psalm 126:5).

FOR PREACHING THE GOSPEL OF THE SON OF GOD

2011-07-01T23:24:00.007-04:00

A true story of Patrick Henry. Adapted by Charles Woodruff.

Over 30 years ago I came across this account of Patrick Henry, that great champion of liberty, of his defense of some Baptist field preachers, who were being threatened by the government authorities. Since we are approaching Independence Day, July 4th, 2011, I felt it would be a good time to republish this article that has blessed me and others. I have revised and expanded some things that complement the story. Be sure and follow all the links for some interesting reading. Our America is not as it once was. I am praying for revival. But, in this day we see many things that Christians and American patriots have held dear disappearing before our eyes. Only God can change this pattern if He is pleased to do so. If He is not, soon the "land of the free and the home of the brave" will be a memory. Pray with me, in Jesus name, that God will turn the tide. Amen!

Spotsylvania County, Va.-June 4, 1768. Patrick Henry, in defense of three Baptist preachers, John Walker, Louis Craig, James Child, dragged before the magistrate and indicted with disturbing the peace.

Patrick Henry heard about it and decided to defend them and aid in their acquittal. The indictment brought against them was "For preaching the Gospel of the Son of God contrary to the statutes in that case provided and, therefore, disturbers of the peace.

The clerk was reading the indictment in a slow and formal manner. . ."For preaching the gospel". . . when a plain dressed man entered the courtroom and sat at the bar. He was known to the court and lawyers, but a stranger to the mass of people who had gathered on the occasion. This was Patrick Henry. He had ridden some 50-60 miles from his Hanover County home to volunteer his services in their defense. He listened to the reading of the indictment with marked attention. The first sentence which had caught his ear was "For preaching the Gospel of the Son of God". (1)

When the indictment had been read and the prosecuting attorney had submitted a few remarks, Henry arose, stretched out his hand and received the paper and then addressed the court.

“May I please, your worship, I think I heard read by the prosecutor as I entered this house the paper I now hold in my hand. If I have rightly understood, the King's attorney of this colony has framed an indictment for the purpose of arraigning and punishing by imprisonment three inoffensive persons before the bar of this court for a crime of great magnitude as disturbers of the peace!

May it please the court. . . What did I hear? Did I hear it distinctly or was it a mistake of my own? Did I hear an expression as of a crime that these men whom your worship is about to try for a misdemeanor are charged with what?"

(Low and heavy tone)

". . For preaching the Gospel of the Son of God!”

Pausing amidst the most profound silence and breathless astonishment of his hearers, he slowly waved the paper three times around his head and lifted up his eyes to heaven with extraordinary and impressive energy exclaimed "Great God!"

The exclamations, the action, the burst of feeling from the audience were all over powering.

Mr. Henry continued: "May it please your worship in a day like this when truth is about to burst her fetters, when mankind is about to be raised to claim their natural and inalienable rights, when the yoke of oppression which has reached the wilderness of America and the unnatural alliance of ecclesiastical and civil power is about to be dis-served. . .a period when liberty, and liberty of conscience is about to awake from her slumberings, and enquire into the reason for such charges as I find exhibited here today in this indictment.”

Another fearful pause with the speaker alternatively casting his sharp piercing eyes on the court and the prisoners and resumed: "If I am not deceived according to the content of the paper I hold in my hand, these men are accused of preaching the Gospel of the Son of God! (looking up to heaven again).

Great God!"

Another long pause during which he again waved the paper three times around his head while a deeper impression was made on the audience.

Resuming the speech "May it please your worship, there are periods in the history of man when corruption and depravity have so long debased the human character that man sinks under the weight of the oppressor's hand and becomes his servile, his abject slave! He licks the hand that smites him! Bows in passive obedience to the mandates of the despot! And in this state of servility he receives his fetters of perpetual bondage. But may it please your worship such a day is passed away. From the period when our fathers left the land of nativity for settlement in these American wilds; For liberty, for civil and religious liberty, for liberty of conscience to worship their creator according to their concepts of heaven's revealed will. From that moment they placed their feet on the American continent, in deep imbedded forests sought an asylum from persecution and tyranny. From that moment despotism was crushed. Her fetters of darkness were broken and heaven decreed that man should be free - free to worship God according to the Bible. But may it please your worship; permit me to enquire once more, For what are these men about to be tried? This paper says for preaching the Gospel of the Son of God.

Great God! For preaching the Saviour to Adam's fallen race!"

Another pause . . . loudly-"What law have they violated?" Then for the third time in a slow dignified manner, he lifted his eyes to heaven and waved the indictment around his head. , .

The pitch was at its height . . . The judge said: "Sheriff-discharge those men!
(From the original article in Western Voice, July 29, 1949. This magazine is no longer published).

How much America has changed since those early days! It has changed drastically in the 61 years since the discontinued Christian paper from Colorado published the preceding words. Now it is more likely you would hear lawyers for the ACLU argue that these preachers had violated the rights of all the non-Christians such as Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Wiccans, Satanists, and atheists, communists, etc. etc.. Then likely one of these liberal, God-hating, self important judges would agree with the ACLU, and penalize the preachers in some way. It should not be that way! This is not Red China, Cuba or North Korea. But you and I know that this harassment is becoming more prevalent as it once did in the Soviet empire. In an effort to stamp out all vestiges of Christianity, Judges are more and more antichrist.

Some years ago I heard about a very good plan to change this, anticipating today’s threat level. The plan is for a constitutional amendment that congress has to sponsor, is that ALL judges, at every level, including U.S.Supreme Court Justices, would be elected by the people. This would make them accountable, and if any judge was found guilty of any crime, he would be forever banned from serving again as a judge or an attorney! Sounds pretty good to me, and it needs to be done right away. Liberal judges are legislating from the bench.

What has brought this nation to its present sad state regarding religious freedom and morals? We are in a time when in the view of so many; right is wrong and wrong is right! In Patrick Henry’s time, it was clear to most what was right, and what was wrong. But thanks to values clarification taught in the schools today (i.e., what is right for you may not be right for me), children have no ethical guide. You see, when the Bible is thrown out, or largely regarded as irrelevant, anything goes.

I’ll tell you simply from the Word of God how we got here; “The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:17). All unrepentant wicked that ever lived, at any time, and die in that unregenerate state, shall be turned into hell. The Bible, especially the words of Christ Himself bear this out.

The psalmist David is speaking of any nation, at any time—“ALL the nations that forget God.” This is supported by verse 16 “The LORD is known by the judgement which He executeth: the wicked is snared in the works of his own hands.” Then he says “Higgaion. Selah.” Literally--“Pause and think on this.” All the nations of the world will be judged by Jesus Christ when He returns. We know this from passages like Matthew chapters 24 and 25. Yet some nations will go “down the tubes” before that. It was prophesied that once world power Egypt would be brought down and be a secondary nation, and it is until this day.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD: and the people whom He hath chosen for His inheritance” (Psalm 33:12).You may say “wait a minute, this is only concerning Old Testament Israel, His chosen people.” Yes, that is the primary meaning. But, so much in the Bible has expanded meaning. This is true here when you consider the words of Simon Peter “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him that called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10). He is saying much the same thing Paul said in Ephesians 2:19-20: “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.” I suggest you read these two chapters for yourself.

What does this have to do with the United States of America? Much indeed. The very foundations of this nation are Christian. I did not say “we are a Christian nation” per se. (2) We have a nation that was meant to be Christian. But, no nation has ever really attained to an absolutely Christian nation, not even America. But, in our heritage there is much that is Christian, and who would dare to say that God has not blessed this “land of the free and home of the brave”? On the way over to this land seeking to find freedom from persecution, the Pilgrims drew up the Mayflower Compact which begins thus: “In the name of God, Amen.”(3) The Plymouth colony was set up with a government that sought to honor Christ. (4) The Puritans in Massachusetts and Connecticut set up their colonies on strict Christian principles. Those who did not adhere were punished.(5) William Penn started Pennsylvania for the persecuted Quakers.(6) Maryland was started for Catholics.(7) Balance of religious freedom for all came later with Roger Williams who had been banished by the Puritans. He is recognized as starting the first Baptist church in America in Rhode Island. Baptists have always stood for religious freedom for all. (8)

Incorporated into the Declaration of Independence (9) by largely Christian men is acknowledgement of “our creator” and “nature’s God.” The U.S.Constitution (10), while giving freedom of religion to all, it did not decree freedom from religion. In other words, to endeavor not to offend a person of another religion or no religion at all, they were not obliged to take rights from Christians. This is what those who would remove God from everything in public life would like to do; banish Christ from everything. We must wake up, and pray, and stand against this tyranny, with God’s help.

References

I have used the resources of the internet for those of you who wish to study subjects mentioned much further than I could in a short (for me, anyway), article. God bless you.

(1) Patrick Henry was interesting, well worth further study.

http://libertyonline.hypermall.com/henry-liberty.html

(2) As such. I am no Latin expert, but I use this one and Anno Domini (A.D. = year of our Lord), and Deo Volante (D.V. = Lord Willing), sometimes others. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Per_se_%28phrase%29

(3)The Mayflower Compact, like the Magna Charta, is one of the world’s great historic documents, and definitely ordained of Almighty God. http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/revolution/mayflower.htm

(4) God honored them. The study of these Pilgrims should be done more than just at Thanksgiving Day. Also see The Pilgrim Fathers of New England by John Brown, Heritage Books, 1989 reprint. http://plimoth.org/discover/colonial-life/mayflower-compact.php

(5)Every thing you have heard about Puritans isn’t true. They were Godly, strict, but witty and compassionate. We received many things as Americans from them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_upon_a_Hill

(6) Penn’s Woods= Pennsylvania. Largest city Philadelphia =city of brotherly love, named after the town in Revelation 3:7. Penn is another interesting character. http://www.quaker.org/wmpenn.html

(7)Except for where the Spanish and French established colonies, there were few Catholics here, until Maryland was established. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Maryland

(8)There is dispute over William’s establishment of the first Baptist church in America. There can be no dispute that he was the first minister to plead for toleration of other faiths. This had to be for many reasons, not the least of which that the various Christian sects were not even tolerating each other, even if they only differed in minor things. America could not exist as America without some co-existence. http://www.constitution.org/bcp/religlib.htm

(9)Read this wonderful document. Your grandchildren may not be able to do so! www.ushistory.org/declaration/

(10) You won’t read this in one sitting, but should read it. http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_reli.html#original

I certainly did not intend to write a book, or a lengthy essay. You can, of course, ignore the references, or ignore the entire thing if you like. But, I feel very passionate about this country, and its heritage. Having traveled many places in this old world, I have seen there is nowhere like America. Sadly, now America is looking less like the America I once knew. There are many enemies. We have sown the wind as a nation, and we are reaping the whirlwind. American Christians would rather play than pray. Carnality abounds. If we Christians are the salt, has it lost its savor indeed?

I know Christ will return before long, or I will go to be with Him ere long, but what of our children and grandchildren if Jesus does not return soon? We don’t know the day or the hour, but are not ignorant of the times and seasons. If the apostle John could say: “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now there are many antichrists; whereby we know it is the last time.”(1 John 2:18) ; how much nearer now?

Really, as always, all we can do as a people is throw ourselves on God’s mercy as

2 Chronicles 7:14 says: “If my people, who are called by my name (Christians), shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” That is a promise from God you can apply if you are a Christian. God bless you! (cw)

ADDENDA: MORE ON PATRICK HENRY AND OUR CHRISTIAN HISTORY

Patrick Henry’s speech to the Virginia Convention, Richmond, Virginia, March 23, 1775 (The Biblical allusion is from Jeremiah 6:14).

“There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave…. It is vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, peace, peace—but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!—I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!”

AMERICA’S CHRISTIAN HISTORY- W.F.BELL

Psalm 16:6 – “Yea, I have a goodly heritage.” Hebrews 11:38 – “Of whom the world was not worthy.”

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, founded in 1636, “to train ministers,” has on its college seal the word, Veritas, Latin for “divine truth.” Its motto was, “For Christ and the Church.” Its founders believed, “All knowledge without Christ was vain.” [In honor of John Harvard, 1607-1638]

Yale University, New Haven, CT, founded in 1701 by ten Congregational ministers, had as its purpose, “To plant, and to propagate the blessed Reformed, Protestant Religion, in the purity of its Order and Worship.” And 100 years later, it was reported by a faculty member: “Yale College is a little temple: prayer and praise seem to be the delight of the greater part of the students.” [In honor of Elihu Yale, 1649-1721]

Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, founded in 1746 by the Presbyterian Church. Its first president was Jonathan Dickinson, who said, “Cursed be all that learning that is contrary to the cross of Christ.” [Originally “The College of New Jersey;” the burial place of Jonathan Edwards, 1703-1758, third President of Princeton, who graduated from Yale in 1720]

Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826, our Third President: “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever” (1781).

Ronald Reagan, 1911-2004, our Fortieth President: “If we ever forget that we are ‘One nation under God,’ then we will be a nation gone under” (1984).

Francis Scott Key, 1779-1843, lawyer and poet; author of “The Star Spangled Banner” (1814), which became the National Anthem in 1931. Listen to the fourth verse:

O! Thus be it ever when free men shall stand

Between their loved home and the war’s desolation;

Blest with victory and peace, may the Heaven-rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just;

And this be our motto, “In God is our trust.”

And the star spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And in 1817 Key wrote:

Lord, with glowing heart I’d praise thee,

For the bliss thy love bestows,

For the pardoning grace that saves me,

And the peace that from it flows.