“Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:5 

A man must either overcome the world—or be overcome by it. To overcome the world is to be saved—to be overcome by it is to be lost. He, then, who does not believe that Jesus is the Son of God does not and cannot overcome the world—for he has not the faith of God’s elect—he is not born of God—there is no divine life in his soul—and he has therefore no power to resist the allurements, endure the scorn, or rise superior to the frowns and smiles of the world—but is entangled, carried captive, and destroyed by it!

Where the world is loved, the heart is necessarily overcome by it—for in the love of the world, as in the love of sin, is all the strength of the world. Now unless the love of Christ in the soul be stronger than the love of the world, the weaker must give way to the stronger. Those who do not love Christ cannot overcome the world, for such are utter strangers to the faith which purifies the heart from the lust of it, to the hope which rises above it, and to the love which lifts up the soul beyond it.

-J.C Philpot

Will any, or will I, pretend to teach the Most High knowledge, seeing he is excellent in all his working, and perfect in all his ways? Then, since I cannot direct him, why am not I submissive to his disposal?

So, Lord, as from present appearances, future contingencies cannot be discerned—it is my duty, and shall be my study, to be WHOLLY, FULLY, and FOREVER, at your disposal, to whom all your works, all my purposes, and all my wanderings, are known from the beginning!

O! how the Christian should glory in God’s choosing for him the lot of his inheritance, and be content with that condition which Heaven accounts best for him, though not the grandest or greatest; nor the richest or happiest; nor that state he most desires. I am not my own—for I am bought with a price, and dearly paid for, too! Would it not be too daring for me to instruct God how to decorate the heavens, how to set the sun, station the moon, place the poles, plant the stars, and guide the wandering planets? Now, I am as much his by right, (yes, in the ties of love, more) and as much at his disposal, as any of these his other creatures; and if I cannot complain of his conduct with these, why quarrel at his providences toward me?

Another thing which ought to encourage to submission, is, that God’s way is not only [just] in itself, but profitable for his people, for the latter end of the righteous is peace; and the end of the Lord is always gracious to his afflicted ones—who chooses them in the furnace of affliction, brings light out of darkness, order out of confusion, real good out of seeming evil; and, finally, brings through fire and water to a place of eternal glory!

-James Meikle

It is in the successive stages of his experience, that the believer sees more distinctly, and adores more profoundly, and grasps more firmly — the finished righteousness of Christ. And what is the school in which he learns his nothingness, his poverty, his utter destitution? The school of deep and sanctified affliction. In no other school is it learned, and under no other teacher but God. Here his high thoughts are brought low, and the Lord alone is exalted.

-Octavius Winslow

Did you know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is an offense to the natural religious man of this age? The message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified was not a message that was received in our Lord’s day nor is it a message that men by nature desire to hear or receive in our day.

The Apostle Paul quoted from Isaiah 8:14 said that Jesus Christ was a “rock of offense”.

Now, no one hates the Jesus of modern religion. He is a gentle, meek man who wants to save men. He came and died upon the cross for the sins of men and is hoping that men will choose him. The Jesus of modern religion is helpless, weak and cannot interfere with the sovereign choice of men. But this is not the Christ of Scripture. This is not the Son of God who was manifest in the flesh.

A.W Pink rightly said, “the Christ of modern religion no more resembles the Christ of Scripture then a candle resembles the noonday sun.”

Behold the Great Savior of men is the Son of God. He is one in power and will, and in all the attributes with the Father and the Holy Spirit. This same Jesus was made flesh and has come to “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Our Lord Jesus did not come to save all men without exception, for if He did, then they would all be saved.

But behold the offense of Christ, and His cross is that Jesus died for those that the Father had given to Him (John 6:37-40). The offense is when Jesus declared in His High Priestly pray, “I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, they were thine” (John 17:9).

This is an offense to the dignity of man that the scripture declares that all men are dead and depraved by nature (Rom.5:12, Eph 2:1). It is an offense to the will of man that Jesus said: “no can come unto me except the Father which hath sent me draw him” (John 6:44; 1:12-13). It is an affront to the self-righteousness of man that “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags”, and that “there is none good no not one” (Isaiah 64:6; Rom3:10-11).

Yet it is none the less true, that unless God the Holy Spirit comes in power to quicken the dead sinner to life, that man will never come to Jesus Christ.

Does this offend you? It will unless God opens your heart and exposes your sins. When he quickens you, then you will see that we are an offense to God (Isaiah 65:5).

And only then will you see your need of the cross of Christ. Only then will a sinner cry unto God for mercy. Oh, how blessed is such a man who sees his need of Christ for this is the gospel: “I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” And all His people shall come to Him, and He will never cast them out. This is no offense to us who were chosen, redeemed, and called of God to faith in Christ.

-Fred Evans

Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits. (Song of Solomon 4:16)

In this chapter, our Lord Jesus is describing the beauty of His bride. He tells her that her garden is sweet to His smell and her fountain is sealed and unpolluted. He speaks of her purity and beauty which pictures to us the righteousness and glory of His church.

The people of God are not righteous in ourselves. We are not perfect by our merits or obedience. Our holiness is not a product of our nature; nor do we become more holy by our obedience to the law. The righteousness of the saints is a product of the obedience of Jesus Christ alone. The elect are made holy by Jesus Christ who alone has satisfied the justice of God by His blood offering on the tree.

Therefore in our text, we see the response and desire of every child of God. “Awake O north wind; and come, thou south.” The north wind brings the cold winter wind while the south brings the warm air of spring. Thus the believer boldly cries, “come either winter wind of trails or warm spring breeze of comfort.” Whatsoever our God has purposed in providence, let it come so that the Spirit of God may blow upon my “garden.”

Believer, behold that the design of God in providence is to blow upon the garden that Christ has planted. It is the trial of our faith that yields patience. It is the warm air of grace that manifests the Love of Christ to our hearts.

Our cry, in joy or pain, in sorrow or peace, is “Let the beloved come into His garden and eat his pleasant fruits.” May the Lord God be praised and magnified, for we are His people who are saved by His grace. It was the Father who loved us and chose us. It was the fruit of the Son’s work that made us righteous and redeemed us. It was the Holy Spirit who quickened us and who keeps us. It is God alone who is worthy of all the praise and glory for our salvation! O Lord, let the winds of trouble come or let the breeze of peace flow over our souls so long as you come and abide with us.

-Fred Evans

The best sermons are the sermons which are most full of Christ.

A sermon without Christ . . .
it is an awful, a horrible thing;
it is an empty well;
it is a cloud without rain;
it is a tree twice dead, plucked by the roots.

It is an abominable thing to give men stones for bread, and scorpions for eggs, and yet they do so who preach not Jesus.

A sermon without Christ! As well talk of a loaf of bread without any flour in it. How can it feed the soul?

Men die and perish because Christ is not there, and yet His glorious gospel is the easiest thing to preach, and the sweetest thing to preach; there is most variety in it, there is more attractiveness in it than in all the world besides!

-C.H Spurgeon

How many times have we heard someone make this statement after listening to a preacher or reading an article? I was reading an article in our local newspaper this morning in which a person made some statements concerning God and how good he is and how people should depend on him and seek him etc.

This person finished their article with this sentence; “I can only pray and hope that people will come to know God and EARN THEIR SALVATION.”

You and I could have lived with all the other things this person said concerning God. But then came the poison! Then came the words that will kill you dead! “Earn their salvation!” That last sentence was not only poison but it poisoned everything else that person said. 2% poison in rat bait makes the whole batch poison. Would any of us sit down to eat a little bowl of rat bait and try to carefully divide the 2% from the 98%? We would never think of doing such a thing. If there is one sentence of deadly heresy in a message or article or a conversation etc., refuse it all. A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

We have heard people say, “there are some things good about Catholicism.” There is nothing good about it. There is poison in that pot. Go and eat at the table of Catholicism and you will die. Do we expect the Holy Spirit to put his blessing upon heresy? He is the SPIRIT OF TRUTH. God is truth. Jesus Christ is Truth. Add a little damnable heresy to truth and the whole is poisoned. If you and I eat of it, we will die. Salvation is not earned, it is the sovereign and free gift of God. It comes to any believer freely by the grace of God through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ the Lord and only Savior (Rom. 3:24). I am certain the person who wrote the newspaper article felt like they were really encouraging people to trust in God. They had little or no idea they were poisoning to death the poor, miserable souls of those who believed what they were saying.

-Bruce Crabtree, Pastor of Sovereign Grace Church, meeting in New Castle, Indiana, USA

. . . It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. (John 19:30)

Have I then no work to work in this great matter of my pardon? None! What work can you work? What work of yours can buy Divine forgiveness — or make you fit for the Divine favor? What work has God bidden you work in order to obtain salvation? None. His Word is very plain and easy to be understood, “To him who works not — but believes in Him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5). There is but one work by which a man can be saved. That work is not yours — but the work of the Son of God. That work is finished.

-Horatius Bonar

Faith is not our Savior.

It was not faith that was born at Bethlehem and died on Golgotha for us.

It was not faith that loved us, and gave itself for us; that bore our sins in its own body on the tree; that died and rose again for our sins.

Faith is one thing — the Savior is another.

Faith is one thing — and the cross is another.

Let us not confound them, nor ascribe to a poor, imperfect act of man — that which belongs exclusively to the Son of the Living God.

-Horatius Bonar