With God, All Things Are Possible -

Mark 10:26-27

NOTHING more clearly reveals to us that salvation, sanctification, and redemption are the work of our God than to observe the efforts and failure of those who try to accomplish this work for themselves! The disciples asked, "Lord, who then can be saved?" He said unto them, "with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." It is impossible in the flesh for a man to please God. Yet millions, ignorant of the righteousness of Christ, still go about to establish their own righteousness and will not submit to the righteousness of God, which is Christ Jesus, our Lord. Many keep up this masquerade to the judgment and then plead their works before God, Matthew 7:21-23. However, most finally lose interest, keep their names on church rolls, and play church on special days. When they die, their preachers try to find some cause on which to give their families hope. But that too is impossible, for if Christ is not in you, there is no hope of glory.

Pastor Henry T. Mahan

THE LORD IS LONGSUFFERING

“And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation”

(2 Peter 3:15).

The Lord is longsuffering. He suffers long with the sin of this world for His elect’s sake. Don’t ever confuse the Lord’s longsuffering to mean He is begging sinners to accept Him or waiting to see if any sinner will believe on Him. The Lord is indeed longsuffering with the sin of the world. The only reason He holds back His wrath and does not destroy the world at this very moment is because He is waiting until He calls all of His elect to repentance and faith through the preaching of the gospel. The Lord is longsuffering with the sin of the world so that He can accomplish His eternal purpose of the salvation of His people whose sin has already been forgiven by the blood of Christ. Pastor Frank Tate

Arminian infidelity limits the merit, power, efficacy, and worth of Christ’s blood, blasphemously asserting that though Christ died for the whole world, he really accomplished nothing for anyone. The Word of God limits the intent, design, purpose, and scope of the atonement, proclaiming redemption fully accomplished for all God’s elect. That is to say, redemption accomplished for every sinner who trusts the Son of God.

Pastor Don Fortner

My resume: “I am a sinner saved by the grace of God, trusting only in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

My standing: “In Christ.”

My objective: “That I may know Him.”

My hope: “To be like Him.” Pastor Scott Richardson

GIVING TO SUPPORT THE WORK OF THE LORD

And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, this is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying, Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass. (Exodus 35:4-5).

When Moses had received all the instruction from God for the building of the tabernacle, he told the people to give willingly to support the work of the Lord. In the reading of this chapter it is revealed to us that many people were made willing, "as many as were willing hearted brought" (Exodus 35:21, 22, 29). This scheme of giving was so successful that Moses had to command the people to stop giving because of the excess (Exodus 36:5-7).

This should be the pattern of giving for every believer. God has given to us the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:1-3, 16-17). He has also made us willing in the day of His power to believe and lovingly embrace Christ as all of our salvation (Psalm 110:3; Eph. 1:19). We have freely received all spiritual blessings because of Christ crucified and exalted to the throne of God ( Rom.3:24; 8:32; Eph. 1:3). How can we who have been blessed so abundantly, not also generously and willingly give to support the ministry of Jesus Christ? Our Lord said, "Freely have you received, freely give" (Matt. 10:8), "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).