For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings. His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray. Proverbs 5:21-23

You can't lay claim to any promise in God's Word unless you, to some degree, fit the character de­scribed in the promise.

Scott Richardson (1980)

Faith Comes By Hearing

Romans 10:17

The preaching of the gospel of Christ is the soul-saving ordinance. It is not through the eye but through the ear that salvation comes to men. "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God". In every age God has raised up men to faithfully pro­claim His gospel of grace. Elijah ascends, but his mantle falls on Elisha. Paul dies not until Timothy is trained and on the field. The true preacher of His gospel has a claim on your attention. If God has sent him, men should and must hear him. He who preaches Christ crucified has life flowing from his lips. He who hears will find life flowing in his heart and soul. "God hath chosen by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" (1 Cor. 1:21). Pastor Henry T. Mahan (1980)

Elect Infants

I think that it is highly probable, that when our Lord says, "Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for such is the kingdom of heaven," He does not only intimate the necessity of our becoming like little children in simplicity, but informs us of a fact that the number of infants who are effectually redeemed to God by His blood, so greatly exceeds the aggregate of adult believers, that, comparatively speaking, His kingdom may be said to consist of little children.

The apostle speaks of them as not having "sinned after the si­militude of Adam's transgressions," that is, with the consent of their understanding and will. Chil­dren who die in infancy have not done anything in the body, whether it be good or bad. It is true that they are by nature evil, and must, be the sub­jects of redemption and change, though we cannot conceive how this change is wrought, yet I suppose none are so rash as to imagine it impossible for in­fants to be saved. I am willing to believe, till the scripture forbids me, that infants, of all nations and kindred, without exception, who die be­fore they are capable of sinning after the similitude of Adam's transgression, are included in the elec­tion of grace. They are born for a better world than this. Their robes are washed white in the blood of Christ, and they are admitted, for His sake, before the Throne. Should I be asked to draw the line, to assign the age at which children begin to be accountable for actual sin, it would give me pain to confess my ignorance. "The Lord knoweth."

John Newton (1725-1807)

The Kingdom Of God

In the kingdom of God the way up is down, the way to live is to die, the way to strength is weak­ness, to be wise is to become a fool, to be clothed in His righteousness is to be stripped of my own, to receive is to give, and to reign is to serve. If God does not turn my affections, interest, and love from this world, I will perish with the world.

Pastor Henry T. Mahan (bulletin 1980)

THE VISION WE NEED

“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:-1-5).

Isaiah was privileged with a sovereign revelation of the glorified and victorious Lord Jesus Christ. However, before that came to pass the Lord killed Isaiah’s king, Uzziah. Maybe Isaiah thought too highly of this most popular and powerful king (2 Chron. 26:11-15). Maybe Isaiah took his eye of faith away from the King of kings and starting trusting Uzziah to solve Israel’s troubles. When the Lord killed Uzziah, He took away all the support that Isaiah was resting in. Isaiah was shut up to the only King, God who is the King of all the earth (Psalm 47:7).

Here is the point for us to consider. Before the Lord is pleased to exalt and reveal Christ in our heart all our “Uzziahs,” (our idols) must be killed. The king of religious pride, self-righteousness and beauty must be slain before Christ our Beauty and our Righteousness is revealed (Song of Sol 5:16). The king of self-righteousness must be slain with the sword of truth, before Christ our Righteousness is made known (1 Cor. 1:30). The king of riches, freewill, religious ceremony, and traditions of men must be destroyed before the Lord reveals Himself within us as “all and in all” (Col. 3:11).

May the Lord be pleased to do for us what He did for Isaiah, slay all our idols and exalt Himself in our heart (Col. 1:27). This is what the Lord is teaching in Matt. 6:24, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”