"If you really long to save men's souls, you must tell them a great deal of disagreeable truth" - Spurgeon

God forbid that we would ever declare the His Word in a lifeless, listless manner! Montoya

Godliness is a requirement for all leaders, but passionate preaching is an added requirement for all preachers. Montoya

Christian life should be a mosaic of minute obediences. Spurgeon

It is one of God's perfections that He has the best possible plan and that He conducts the course of history to its appointed end. Boettner

'A holy minister is an awesome weapon in the hand of God.' McCheyne

"It is not great talent which God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus." McCheyne

The study [of the Bible] is the discovery of the truth and the pulpit is the sharing of this truth. Montoya

Required for preaching; filled with knowledge; skilled at clarity; motivated by love for the truth; energized by the Holy Spirit. Montoya

Preaching is passionate because it deals with the very nature of God and the expression of His love for humanity. Montoya

There should be no one with whom we converse so much as with Jesus. Spurgeon

When the sweat stands upon your brow, and you are tempted to loiter, cry, "No, I cannot stop, for I am Christ's. - Spurgeon

Heaven and earth and all that is in them are the instruments through which [God] works His ends. Warfield

The present day tendency is to set aside the doctrines of Divine Sovereignty and Predestination in order to make room for the autocracy of human will. Boettner

I was hemmed in, and then he gave me the effectual blow of grace, and there was no resisting that irresistible effort of his grace- Spurgeon

Let us not see the face of man today till we have seen Jesus. Spurgeon

I must confess I never would have been saved, if I could have helped it. - Spurgeon

Needed Irresistible Grace

My heart and prayers have much been with friends who struggle with the doctrines of grace and statements like that of the total inability of man or of the irresistible grace of the Holy Spirit. 

With regard to "irresistible grace" - the argument goes along the lines of this; if the grace of God unto salvation cannot be resisted, then what happens to the free will of man?  Yet, rather than look at irresistible grace as an "intrusion" upon the will of man, isn't it better and more biblical to see it as an absolutely "needed" grace of God so that we might see our need of Jesus and turn to Him at all?

As I was pondering such things, I read last night's entry of Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" (September 8) and it spoke so eloquently of these things that I wanted to post it for your consideration.

"The exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead."
— Ephesians 1:19,20

In the resurrection of Christ, as in our salvation, there was put forth nothing short of a divine power. What shall we say of those who think that conversion is wrought by the free will of man, and is due to his own betterness of disposition? When we shall see the dead rise from the grave by their own power, then may we expect to see ungodly sinners of their own free will turning to Christ. 

It is not the word preached, nor the word read in itself; all quickening power proceeds from the Holy Ghost. This power was irresistible. All the soldiers and the high priests could not keep the body of Christ in the tomb; Death himself could not hold Jesus in his bonds: even thus irresistible is the power put forth in the believer when he is raised to newness of life. 

No sin, no corruption, no devils in hell nor sinners upon earth, can stay the hand of God's grace when it intends to convert a man. If God omnipotently says, "Thou shalt," man shall not say, "I will not." Observe that the power which raised Christ from the dead was glorious. It reflected honour upon God and wrought dismay in the hosts of evil. 

So there is great glory to God in the conversion of every sinner. It was everlasting power. "Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him." So we, being raised from the dead, go not back to our dead works nor to our old corruptions, but we live unto God. "Because He lives we live also." "For we are dead, and our life is hid with Christ in God." "Like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." 

Lastly, in the text mark the union of the new life to Jesus. The same power which raised the Head works life in the members. What a blessing to be quickened together with Christ!

SDG

If the pefection of the divine plan be denied, no consistent stopping place will be found short of atheism. Boettner

John 14:6 - Three Questions

Three questions I asked of the youth group a couple weeks back as we looked at the words of Jesus as found in John 14:6.  Those three questions were:

1.  How can I be saved?
Do you believe that Jesus is the Way; has provided the only means by which we might be brought near to God by dying on the cross for our sins and reconciling us to God?  (Matthew 7:13-14; Acts 4:12)

2.  How can I be sure?
Do you believe that Jesus is the Truth; that all that He has said about God, Himself and man is true and that we can be sure that all He has said has either happened or is going to happen?  (Psalm 119:160).

3.  How can I be satisfied?
Do you believe that Jesus is the Life; that all other pursuit of life are only temporary and leave one dissatisfied.  Only by finding life in Jesus does one find true and lasting satisfaction (John 4:13-14; John 10:10).

May I ask you, are you saved? Are you sure? And are you satisfied?

If we cannot get sinners where Jesus is by ordinary methods we must use extraordinary ones. Spurgeon

A divided heart leads to the self-deception of divided worship. Stuart Scott

Our salvation must increasingly affect our preoccupation with Jesus.

Misplaced worship is idolatry. Let us worship God alone.