The Real Heroes

As Mr. Chan says in this video, we're always ready to lift up those who have special talents in the church, but here we see the real heroes. (Turn off music on sidebar.)

A Voluntary Sufferer

The Lord Jesus was a voluntary sufferer. When He died on the cross, it was not because He had not power to prevent it. He suffered intentionally, deliberately, and of His own free-will. (John 10:18.) He knew that without shedding of His blood there could be no remission of man’s sin. He knew that He was the Lamb of God, who must die to take away the sin of the world. He knew that His death was the appointed sacrifice, which must be offered up to make reconciliation for iniquity.

Knowing all this, He went willingly to the cross. His heart was set on finishing the mighty work He came into the world to do. He was well aware that all hinged on His own death, and that, without that death, His miracles and preaching would have done comparatively nothing for the world. No wonder that three times He pressed on the attention of His disciples that He “must” die. Blessed and happy are they who know the real meaning and importance of the sufferings of Christ!

~ J.C. Ryle

To be Found in Him

“And be found in Him.” Phi 3 : 9

TO be in Christ, is to be united to Him by faith and love; and it is of the utmost importance. Apart from Christ we are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked; united to Christ, we are immensely rich; immutably safe; exalted to the highest honour; and shall appear without a fault before the throne of God. If we are in Christ, or one with Christ, we are justified by His obedience, as the debtor is cleared by the payment made by his surety; we are sanctified through Him, as the vessel is cleansed in the fountain; we are protected by Him, as Noah was in the ark; we are preserved from judicial proceeding, as the manslayer in the city of refuge; and are exalted to honour as the BRIDE of the KING ETERNAL, Immortal, the only wise God. Well may the Apostle desire “ TO BE FOUND IN HIM.” No mind can conceive, no tongue can declare the blessedness that flows from being ONE WITH CHRIST. Let us therefore, beloved, ask, this morning, “Am I in Christ at present? Am I living with Him as His faithful bride; for Him as His devoted servant; upon Him as His dependant child? Do I renounce all for Christ? Can I say, I am crucified with Christ? The world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world?”

Yes, yes, I must and will esteem
All things but loss for Jesus' sake;
Oh, may my soul be found in Him,
And of His righteousness partake.

From The Believer's Daily Remembrancer by James Smith

Knowing Christ

Knowing Christ…Personally

You may know a good deal about Christ, by a kind of head knowledge. You may know who He was, and where He was born, and what He did. You may know His miracles, His sayings, His prophecies, and His ordinances. You may know how He lived, and how He suffered, and how He died. But unless you know the power of Christ’s cross by experience—unless you know and feel within that the blood shed on that cross has washed away your own particular sins—unless you are willing to confess that your salvation depends entirely on the work that Christ did upon the cross—unless this be the case, Christ will profit you nothing. The mere knowing Christ’s name will never save you. You must know His cross, and His blood, or else you will die in your sins.

- J.C. Ryle

The Bread of Life

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst. John 6: 35

With what divine and perfect wisdom this name is chosen! Bread is necessary food. We can manage tolerably well without many things on our table, but not without bread. So is it with Christ. We must have Christ, or die in our own sins.--Bread is food that suits all. Some cannot eat meat, and some cannot eat vegetables. But all like bread. It is food both for the Queen and the pauper. So it is with Christ. He is just the Saviour that meets the wants of every class.--Bread is food we need daily. Other kinds of food we take, perhaps, only occasionally. But we want bread every morning and evening in our lives. So it is with Christ. There is no day in our lives but we need His blood, His righteousness, His intercession, and His grace.--Well may He be called, "The Bread of Life."

~ J. C. Ryle

Sunday Snippet: The Gospel

Passage: Romans 10:1-11

I thought it would be a good close of this Lord's Day to give you the three points of this morning's sermon on the above passage of Scripture. In this passage, the Apostle Paul was referring to his people, the Israelites, but as our pastor said, it would apply to the people of today as well, even people who go to church Sunday after Sunday and who consider themselves religious:

1. Problem of their misguided faith.
They didn't know about God's righteousness, but instead were trying to establish their own. As Pastor R elaborated, we can do many things and still be lost. The truth is that only God is righteous and we are sinners, unable to do any good of our own strength. It's not about ME.

2. Solution to their flawed faith.
Christ is the goal; He gives sense to the law. Christ is the answer to it all; He is the only way to salvation. It's all about Him and His righteousness; He must be our all in all. (See also Colossians 2:1-3)

3. Evidence of true saving faith.
Confession: acknowledge my sin and His Lordship. Repudiate our sin for Jesus.

A simple exposition of the gospel. We have no righteousness of our own, so there is no good we can do to be saved. We must repent and believe in Christ alone. He has suffered for us at the cross of Calvary.

The true gospel is simple, but so beautiful.

It Is Well - The Story

Please turn off the music on the sidebar before listening.

Letter from a Russian Prisoner

I meditate here on the words of Jesus: “that whoever believes in him shall . . . have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

I am among criminals. It is an understatement that men can become like animals. Animals are without sin. But the men surrounding me in jail reach depths of devilish darkness unreachable for animals.

It would be easier to live in a stable than among these criminals. Every word of theirs is filthy, every gesture repugnant. “Their throats are open graves. . . .
Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
(Romans 3:13–14)

But against this background shines the extraordinary love of God. For it is true that whosoever believes—even men like these—can have eternal life. God sent me to prison to bring them this Good News.

A LETTER FROM A RUSSIAN CHRISTIAN PRISONER

(From a post dated today at the VOM persecution blog.

Affliction

"I know, O Lord, that Your laws are righteous,
and in faithfulness You have afflicted me."
Psalm 119:75

"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now
I obey Your word." Psalm 119:67

God's corrections are our instructions,
His lashes are our lessons,
His scourges are our schoolmasters,
His chastisements are our admonishments.

By afflictions, troubles, distresses and dangers—the
Lord teaches His people to look upon sin as the most
loathsome thing in the world; and to look upon holiness
as the most lovely thing in the world. Sin is never so
bitter, and holiness is never so sweet—as when our
troubles are greatest and our dangers highest.

By affliction, the Lord teaches His people to sit loose
from this world, and to be prepared for eternity.

By affliction, God shows His people the vanity, vexation,
emptiness, weakness, and nothingness of all created
things; and the choiceness, preciousness and sweetness
of communion with Himself.

It has been the lot and portion of God's dearest
children, to be exercised with very great and
grievous afflictions; in order . . .
to the discovery of sin,
to the embittering of sin,
to the preventing of sin,
to the purging away of sin; and
to the discovery of grace,
to the trial of grace,
to the exercise of grace,
to the increase of grace; and
to the weaning of them from this world; and
to the ripening of them for heaven; and
to the completing of their conformity to Christ,
the captain of their salvation, "who was made
perfect through sufferings," Hebrews 2:10; and
to work in them more pity and compassion to
those who are in misery, and who sigh and
groan under their Egyptian taskmasters.

By Thomas Brooks, London, 1675

From A Word in Season to Suffering Saints

I received this in an email today from a man who knows the truth of these words. For years, Johnny Farese has been afflicted with a condition that has left him bedridden, unable to even feed himself. What a blessing this man has been to so many people, managing to minister through the computer even in affliction. What we could learn from him!

The Finale and Crescendo

Our pastor has been preaching through 1 Thessalonians which, of course, brings us to the second coming of Christ. We've been looking at many Scriptures on the topic, including passages in Matthew and Revelation. I always get a little lost when the subject of eschatology comes up and our church as a whole does not focus on it, but we do know He IS coming again! And Pastor R. read this passage to conclude his sermon the last time, saying it was like the finale of a fireworks exhibition or the crescendo of a huge musical piece. When both those events happen, you know that "this is it;" this is the end and everything culminates in the majesty of it all. Can't you just here the boom, boom, boom of the sound? Don't the following words make you feel like standing and applauding, raising your arms in victory? Or do they bring fear to your heart, making you want to run away and hide? I hope the former. If not, please get that matter settled today.

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called The Word of God. . . And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Rev. 19:11-13, 16.