Tried With Fire

You know what “good will” means. Well, all that it means, and more, God has to you, ye sons and daughters of Adam. Poor sinner, thou hast broken His laws; thou art half afraid to come to the throne of His mercy, lest He should spurn thee; hear thou this, and be comforted, God has good will toward men, so good a will that He has said, and said it with an oath, too, “As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live ;” so good a will, moreover, that He has even condescended to say, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” And if you say, “Lord, how shall I know that Thou hast this good will towards me,” He points to the manger, and says, “Sinner, if I had not had good will towards thee, would I have parted with My beloved Son? If I had not had good will towards the human race, wo...

This constant undivided union of two perfect natures in Christ's Person is exactly that which gives infinite value to His mediation, and qualifies Him to be the very Mediator that sinners need. Our Mediator is One that can sympathize with us, because He is very man. And yet, at the same time, He is One who can deal with the Father for us on equal terms, because He is very God. It is the same union which gives infinite value to His righteousness, when imputed to believers -  the righteousness of One Who was [and is] God as well as man. It is the same union which gives infinite value to the atoning blood which He shed for sinners on the cross - the blood of One who was [and is] God as well as man. It is the same union which gives infinite value to His resurrection: when He rose again, as the Head of the body of believers, He rose not as a mere man but as God. Let these things sink deeply into our hearts. The second Adam is far greater than the first Adam was. The first Adam was only ...

There are many contrasts between our Lord’s first and second appearings, but the great contrast is, that, when He comes again, it will be “without a sin-offering unto salvation.” The end and object of His first coming was “to put away sin.” The modern babblers say that He appeared to reveal to us the goodness and love of God. This is true; but it is only the fringe of the whole truth. The all-important fact is, that He revealed God’s love in the provision of the only sacrifice which could put away sin. Then, they say that He appeared to exhibit perfect manhood, and to let us see what our nature ought to be. Here also is a truth; but it is only part of the sacred design of Christ’s coming to earth. He appeared, say they, to manifest self-sacrifice, and to set us an example, of love to others; by His self-denial, He trampled on the selfish passions of man. We deny none of these things; and yet we are indignant at the way in which the less is made to hide the greater. To put the secondary...

Wars had raged unto the ends of the earth; men had slaughtered one another, heaps on heaps. There had been strife within as well as struggles without. Conscience had fought with man, and Satan had tormented him with sinful thoughts. There had been no peace on earth since Adam fell. But, now, when the newborn King made His appearance, the swaddling band with which He was wrapped up was the white flag of peace. That manger was the place where the treaty was signed, whereby warfare should be stopped between man’s conscience and himself, and between man’s conscience and his God. Then it was that the trumpet of the heavenly herald was blown aloud, and the royal proclamation was made, “Sheathe thy sword, O man, sheathe thy sword, O conscience, for God has provided a way by which He can be at peace with man, and by which man can be at peace with God, and with his own conscience, too!” The Gospel of the grace of God promises peace to every man who accepts it; where else can peace be found,...

“They shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew 1:23 Again, as you gaze upon the mystery, consider what an ensign of good will this must be to the sons of men. When the Lord takes manhood into union with Himself in this matchless way, it must mean good to man. God cannot mean to destroy that race which He thus weds unto Himself. Such a marriage as this, between man and God, must mean peace. War and destruction are never thus predicted. God incarnate in Bethlehem, to be adored by shepherds, foretells nothing but “peace on earth and mercy mild.” O you sinners who tremble at the thought of the divine wrath, as well you may, lift up your heads with joyful hope of mercy and favor, for God must be full of grace and mercy to that race which He so distinguishes above all others by taking it into union with Himself. Be of good cheer, O men born of women, and expect untold blessings for “unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given.” If you look at riv...

This constant undivided union of two perfect natures in Christ's Person is exactly that which gives infinite value to His mediation, and qualifies Him to be the very Mediator that sinners need. Our Mediator is One that can sympathize with us, because He is very man. And yet, at the same time, He is One who can deal with the Father for us on equal terms, because He is very God. It is the same union which gives infinite value to His righteousness, when imputed to believers -  the righteousness of One Who was [and is] God as well as man. It is the same union which gives infinite value to the atoning blood which He shed for sinners on the cross - the blood of One who was [and is] God as well as man. It is the same union which gives infinite value to His resurrection: when He rose again, as the Head of the body of believers, He rose not as a mere man but as God. Let these things sink deeply into our hearts. The second Adam is far greater than the first Adam was. The first Adam was only ...

I'm posting at Out of the Ordinary today: "I can't imagine what went through Adam and Eve's minds after they ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They had lived in perfect communion with God, each other, and creation. But now, by their act of disobedience, sin ruined this harmony forever. Adam and Eve hid from their Creator. They were blame-shifting and about to be expelled from paradise. If I summed up all my moments of regret and multiplied them thousands of times over, perhaps it might come close to what they were feeling. But I also wonder if these words gave them hope even in the midst of the fall. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.  Gen. 3:15" Read the rest of the post here . 

And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Luke 1:35 Many people are quite satisfied with a religion of external rules and ceremonies because they have a superficial view of sin. Perhaps they have fairly loose rules, such as a minim requirement to attend public worship now and then. Or maybe they have stiff and complex rules consisting of behaviors almost as intricate as a Japanese tea ceremony. Either way, changes in behavior cannot purify the heart for it is the seat of our corruption. Christ said, "Either make the tree good and his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt, for the tree is known by his fruit" (Matt. 12:33). Jesus came to become the root of a whole new tree. He is also the vine and we are the branches (John 15:5). He is the head, and we are the members ...

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. Isaiah 61:1-3 Every child of God has felt his soul cleave to the dust and melt for heaviness (Ps. 119:25, 28). Circumstances overwhelm us with hopelessness. Life in a sinful world weighs heavily on our hearts. On top of this sorrow is the pain that comes from persecution from the ungodly. The psalmist testifies of this, "My tears have been my meat day and night, while ...

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 God's love for the world seems incongruous, far-fetched, and even impossible. To believe in this love, we need irrefutable evidence. Jesus' coming to the world is the irrefutable evidence of the Father's love for it. People can talk about their love for others, but the proof of love is action, not words (1 John 3:18). The apostle Paul speaks of Christ's death for us as proof of God's love, asserting, "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom, 5:8)… God's love for His people can only be understood in relation to His love for His Son. The only begotten Son of God is the eternal object of the Father's affection… [T]he love between God the Father and God the Son is perfect, personal, intimate, deep, and committed. It is love without limits...

Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. John 18:37 Pilate questioned the existence of truth, and his life bore the fruit of his doubts. He lived in fear of losing his position. Against his conscience, he gave deference to the mad request of the people. He disregarded the advice of his wife, who urged him to have nothing to do with Jesus' death. Pilate was in bondage because he didn't know the truth. Even though he spent many years bound in prison, the apostle Paul declares "Stand fast… in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free" (Gal. 5:1). So you can be a prisoner and yet be truly free, or you can be a king and live in bondage. As Paul testified in chains before kings, it was clear that he, not they, knew true freedom (Acts 24:16, 25).  You...

"In Christ's first coming, He implemented a rescue plan conceived in the mind of God before the foundation of the world. He did not come to promote holiday cheer, boost end-of-year sales, or serve as the central figure in a nativity scene. He came to save sinners…" Read more of this quote from Why Christ Came at Out of the Ordinary.

Not one of the Father's expectations were unfulfilled in Christ. When Christ said, "It is finished," He meant it (John 19:30). By His obedience to God's will, even in the things that He suffered, He secured salvation for us. As our high priest, Christ teaches us that we have no other way of dealing with our moral failure and its penalty than to come to God and say, "Nothing in my hand I bring, / Simply to thy cross I cling." As we study the early chapters of the Gospels, it is difficult to feel the full weight of Jesus' statement: "I come… to do thy will, O God." But later, especially as we read about Christ in the garden of Gethsemane, we begin to sense the depth of that commitment. In the garden, Jesus wrestles with the reality of Isaiah 53:10: "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him." In the garden, Christ was "exceeding sorrowful, even unto death," and "sore amazed" (Matt. 26:38, Mark 14:33). Paintings of Ch...

he two great links between earth and Heaven are the two advents of our Lord, or rather, He is Himself, by His two appearings, the great bond of union between earth and Heaven. When the world had revolted against its Maker and the Creator had been defied by His own creatures, a great gulf was opened between God and man. The first coming of Christ was like a bridge which crossed the chasm, and made a way of access from God to man and then from man to God. Our Lord’s second advent will make that bridge far broader until Heaven shall come down to earth, and ultimately earth shall go up to Heaven. Here, too, is the place for us to build a grand suspension bridge by which, through faith, we ourselves may cross from this side to the other of the stormy river of time. The cross, at whose foot we stand, is the massive column which supports the structure on this side, and as we look forward to the glory, the second advent of our Lord is t...

We worship “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Our faith sees Him go from the manger to the cross, and from the cross right up to the throne; and there, where Jehovah dwells, amidst the ineffable glory of the Divine presence, stands the very same Person who slept in the manger at Bethlehem; there He reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords. Our souls worship Him. Thou art our Prophet; every word Thou sayest, we believe, and desire to obey. Thou art our Priest; Thy sacrifice hath made us free from guilt, we are washed white in the fountain of Thy blood. Thou art our King; give Thy commands, and we will obey them; lead Thou on, and we will follow. Thou art God, and we worship Thee.   ~ C.H. Spurgeon

od had made many visits to men before Christ’s Incarnation, but the most wonderful visit of all was when He came to tarry here, some three and thirty years, to work out our salvation. What but tender mercy, hearty mercy, intense mercy could bring the great God to visit us so closely that He actually assumed our nature. Kings may, for various reasons, visit their subjects; but they do not think of taking upon themselves their poverty, their sickness, or their sorrow. They could not if they would, and they would not if they could; but our Divine Lord, when He came hither, took upon Him our flesh... Our Lord so visited us as to become our Surety, our Substitute, our Ransom. He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows, and the Lord hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. This was wonderful tender mercy on His part; it excels all human conception and language. If, for the first time, you had heard of the visit o...

There is, therefore, an element in the Gospel narratives that stresses that the coming of Jesus is a disturbing event of the deepest proportions. It had to be thus, for He did not come merely to add something extra to life, but to deal with our spiritual insolvency and the debt of our sin. He was not conceived in the womb of Mary for those who have done their best, but for those who know that their best is "like filthy rags" (Isa. 64:6) - far from good enough - and that in their flesh there dwells no good thing (Rom. 7:18). He was not sent to be the source of good experiences, but to suffer the pangs of hell in order to be our Savior. In Christ Alone by Sinclair Ferguson, Reformation Trust, pg. 17.

From yesterday's sermon: John the Baptist did not declare, "See how great is your sin!".  No he declares, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

When we were in Manhattan last week, I noticed a very unusual vehicle that stood out amid the Christmas decorations. It was the Chabad Lubavitch Mitzvah Tank .  This is part of a campaign to seek out American Jews and encourage them to do mitzvah, which means: “commandment”. A mitzvah is one of the 613 divine instructions to the Jew contained in the  Torah . The word also means “connection”: a deed that connects the human being who performs it with  G-d , who commanded it. As a connection between man and G-d, as a bridge between Creator and creation, a mitzvah is a deed of cosmic significance, a deed of infinite value unto itself.   [And] a single person performing a single mitzvah, could be the deed that tips the scales and brings redemption to the entire world and all creation.  The tank also proclaimed "Moshiach is coming now!"  Being curious about what this meant, I found   that Moshiach is a leader who will redeem mankind from me...

From my notes on today's sermon: Can you imagine what it would be like if the very last word from God was the law given through Moses? That was it.  Nothing more.  We would have no other hope than trying to keep the law perfectly. But Moses did not have the last word.  The law was not the end. Grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ, the only One who can make God known to us. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  (John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This is he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'")  And from his fullness we have received, grace upon grace.   For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth come through Jesus Christ.  No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.  John 1:14-18