Works
Comments (0) -George Whitefield
‘Works! works! A man gets to heaven by works! I would as soon think of climbing to the moon on a rope of sand.’”
Category: Quotes
Comments (0) 
Tomorrow comes–and they are in hell!
By jeff, June 17, 2010 9:11 pm
-Samuel Davies
“The wicked is driven away in his wickedness; but the righteous has hope in his death.” Proverbs 14:32
“The wicked is driven away in his wickedness.”
That is, the wicked man dies–just as he lived.
He lived in wickedness–and in wickedness he dies.
His wickedness sticks fast upon him–when his earthly enjoyments, his friends, and all created comforts leave him forever.
The guilt of his wickedness lies heavy upon him–like a mountain of lead, ready to sink him into the depths of eternal misery!
And the principles of wickedness, which he indulged all his life, still live within him, even after the agonies of death; nay, they now arrive at a dreadful immortality, and produce an eternal hell in his heart!
He leaves behind him not only all his earthly comforts–but all the little remains of goodness which he seemed to have, while under the restraints of divine grace: and he carries nothing but his wickedness along with him into eternity! With this dreadful attendant–his wickedness–he must stand before the tribunal of his holy Judge! To leave his earthly all behind him, and die in the agonies of dissolving nature–this is terrible. But to die in his wickedness–this is infinitely the most terrible of all!
He once flattered himself that though he lived in wickedness–that he would not die in it. He adopted many resolutions to amend, and forsake his wickedness toward the close of life, or upon a death-bed. But Oh! how sorely is he disappointed! After all his promising purposes and hopes–he died as he lived–in wickedness!
This is generally the fate of veterans in sin. They are resolving and re-resolving to reform all their lives; but after all–they die the same as they lived. They intend to prepare for death and eternity–but just not today. They have always something else to do today; and therefore they put off this work until tomorrow. Tomorrow comes, and instead of reforming, they die in their wickedness. Tomorrow comes–and they are in hell!
“The wicked is driven away in his wickedness.” He is driven away–in spite of all his reluctance. Let him cling to life ever so strongly–yet he must go! All his struggles are vain, and cannot add one moment to his life.
Indeed, the wicked have so little taste for heaven, and are so much in love with this world–that if they leave it at all–they must be driven out of it–driven out of it, whether they want or not!
When they hope for heaven, they do in reality consider it but a shift, or a refuge, when they can no longer live in this, their favorite world. They do not at all desire heaven–in comparison with this world. They would live forever in this present world–if they could have their choice. But let them grasp ever so hard–they must let go their hold. They must be driven away, like chaff before a whirlwind–driven away into the regions of misery–into the regions of misery, I say; for certainly the happiness of heaven was never intended for such as are so averse to it; and who prefer this wretched world, with all its cares and sorrows–before heaven itself!
“But the wicked will lose hope. They have no escape. Their hope becomes despair.” Job 11:20
“When the wicked die–their hopes all perish!” Proverbs 11:7
“The desire of the righteous ends only in good, but the hope of the wicked only in wrath!” Proverbs 11:23
A practical atheist
By jeff, June 6, 2010 8:43 pm
-Samuel Davies
A professed atheist–is a monster that we do not often meet with.
But the more absurd and astonishing phenomenon of a practical atheist; one who is orthodox in principle–but an infidel in practice–we find wherever we turn!
“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” Luke 6:46
“They claim to know God–but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good!” Titus 1:16
“Those who claim they belong to the Lord–must turn away from all wickedness.” 2 Timothy 2:19
What is most needed today
By jeff, May 17, 2010 11:24 pm
-A.W. Pink
It is the deepening conviction of the writer,
that what is most needed today, is a wide
proclamation of those truths which are the
least acceptable to the flesh.
What is needed today, is a scriptural setting
forth of the character of God–
His absolute sovereignty,
His ineffable holiness,
His inflexible justice,
His unchanging veracity.
What is needed today, is a scriptural setting
forth of the condition of the natural man–
his total depravity,
his spiritual insensibility,
his inveterate hostility to God,
the fact that he is “condemned already”
and that the wrath of a sin-hating God
is even now abiding upon him!
What is needed today, is a scriptural setting
forth of the alarming danger which sinners
are in–the indescribably awful doom which
awaits them, the fact that if they follow their
present course only a little further–they shall
most certainly suffer the due penalty of their
iniquities!
What is needed today, is a scriptural setting
forth of the nature of that dreadful punishment
which awaits the lost–
the awfulness of it,
the hopelessness of it,
the unendurableness of it,
the endlessness of it!
Excepting the Cross of Christ, nothing else
so manifests the heinousness of sin–as the
doctrine of eternal punishment.
It is just because these truths have been
withheld so much from public ministry to
the saints–that we now find so many
backboneless, sentimental, lop-sided
Christians in our assemblies!
A clearer vision of the awe-inspiring attributes
of God–would banish much of our levity and
irreverence.
A better understanding of our depravity by
nature–would humble us, and make us see
our deep need of using the appointed means
of grace.
A facing of the alarming danger of the lost
sinner–would cause us to “consider our ways”
and make us more diligent to make our “calling
and election sure.”
A realization of the unspeakable misery which
awaits the lost (and which each of us fully merited)
would immeasurably deepen our gratitude, and bring
us to thank God more fervently–that we have been
snatched as brands from the burning, and delivered
from the wrath to come! It would also make us far
more earnest in our prayers–as we supplicate God
on behalf of the unsaved.
As the tree falls–so must it lie
By jeff, March 24, 2010 10:35 pm
J.R. Miller
“Let him who does wrong–continue to do wrong; let him who is vile–continue to be vile” Revelation 22:11
The character with which men reach the final judgment–will be their permanent character forever. The man who lives in sin unto the end–is making his own destiny. Habits of sin–make the whole life sinful. It is this that gives such solemnity to life. The seeds of our future eternity–lie in our present.
Out of our little acts–habits grow;
from our habits–character springs;
and our character–fixes our destiny!
Everyone goes to his own place–that is, the place for which he is fitted by his life on the earth. He who has always sinned here on earth–will continue to sin forever. Eternal death–is simply eternal sin, along with the punishments and consequences thereof. The punishment of the wicked will not be an arbitrary punishment–but the natural result of their own choices and acts in this life.
As the tree falls–so must it lie;
As the man lives–so must he die!
As a man dies–such must he be;
All through the ages of eternity!
It makes a great difference, therefore, how we live in this world. There is an false impression in some people’s minds, that they can live in sin all their days, and then by a few tears of penitence and a few cries of mercy in a dying hour–can change all the course of their life and spend eternity in heaven. This verse does not favor such a view. The future life–is but the harvest of this present life.
Men will be judged by their deeds. The New Testament everywhere teaches the same solemn truth. This does not mean that salvation is by works. We are saved by grace–but grace changes the life and makes us holy.
“To die is gain”–only to those who can sincerely say, “To me, to live is Christ!
The Truth about Man
Comments Off There is one great common denominator between all religions outside of Christianity—they all believe that a right standing with God is based upon obedience, personal merit, or some ability to please God. Christianity stands alone in declaring that man is hopelessly and helplessly lost. He cannot improve his standing before God, he cannot obey God, he cannot please God. If he is to be saved, God alone must save him. It is this truth that fallen man hates most of all, for it requires him to humble himself before God, acknowledge his sin, and ask for mercy! God is righteous and man is a lawbreaker, therefore he is no more inclined to seek God than a criminal at large is inclined to seek an officer of the law.
Paul Washer
“How to Live a Beautiful Christian Life” 1880
Comments Off -J.R. Miller
“Whoever claims to live in Him–must walk as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:6
We have only successfully acquired the art of living a Christian life–when we have learned to apply the principles of true religion, and enjoy its help and comfort in our daily life.
It is easy to join in devotional exercises, to quote Bible promises, to extol the beauty of the Scriptures. But there are many who do these things–whose religion utterly fails them in the very places and at the very times–when it ought to prove their staff and stay!
All of us must go out from the sweet services of the Sunday–into a week of very real and very commonplace life. We must mingle with people who are not angels! We must pass through experiences, that will naturally worry and vex us. Those about us, either wittingly or unwittingly, annoy and try us! We will meet many troubles and worries in ordinary week-day life. There are continual irritations and annoyances!
The problem is to live a beautiful Christian life–in the face of all these hindrances! How can we get through the tangled briers which grow along our path–without having our hands and feet torn by them? How can we live sweetly–amid the vexing and irritating things, and the multitude of little worries and frets which infest our way, and which we cannot evade?
It is not enough merely to ‘get along in any sort of way’, to drag to the close of each long, wearisome day–happy when night comes to end the strife. Life should be a joy–and not a burden. We should live victoriously, ever master of our experiences, and not tossed by them like a leaf on the dashing waves. Every earnest Christian wants to live a truly beautiful life, whatever the circumstances may be.
A little child, when asked ‘what it was to be a Christian,’ replied, “For me, to be a Christian is to live as Jesus would live–and behave as Jesus would behave–if He were a little girl and lived at our house.”
No better definition of the Christian life could be given. Each one of us is to live just as Jesus would–if He were living out our little life in the midst of its actual environment, mingling with the same people with whom we must mingle, and exposed to the very annoyances, trials and provocations to which we are exposed. We want to live a life that will please God, and that will bear witness to the genuineness of our piety.
“Leaving you an example–so that you should follow in His steps.” 1 Peter 2:21
Error
Comments Off Error is like leaven of which we read, a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. Truth mixed with error is equivalent to all error, except that it is more innocent looking and, therefore, more dangerous. God hates such a mixture! Any error, or any truth-and-error mixture, calls for definite exposure and repudiation. To condone such is to be unfaithful to God and His Word and treacherous to imperiled souls for whom Christ died.
- Harry Ironside
1876 – 1951
The best way to run the goats out of the church!
Comments Off -D. J. Ward
“Feed My sheep.” John 21:17
“Feed the flock of God entrusted to you.” 1 Peter 5:2
The best way to purify the church and keep it pure–is to get rid of all the goats! And the best way to run the goats out of the church–is to feed them ‘sheep food’. God’s sheep will grow in grace under the preaching of grace–but goats will go hungry because they choke on ‘sheep food’. They will soon leave and go somewhere else. Preach sovereign grace!
“Now I commit you to God and to the message of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.” Acts 20:32
God does not deal with us in this ‘sentimental’ way!
Comments Off -J. R. Miller
“A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to Him, crying out, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession!’ Jesus did not answer her a word!” Matthew 15:22
We are apt to forget that the aim of God with us, is . . .
not to flood us with tenderness all the time,
not to keep our path always strewn with flowers,
not to continually give us everything we want,
not to save us from all manner of suffering.
No! God’s aim with us, is . . .
to make something of us,
to build up strong and noble character in us,
to mature qualities of grace and beauty in us,
to make us more like Christ!
To do this–He must ofttimes deny us what we ask for, and must seem indifferent to our cries. “Jesus did not answer her a word!”
There are ‘sentimental ideas of God’ prevalent, which are dishonoring to Him. There are those who imagine that God’s love means tenderness that cannot cause pain. They think that He cannot look a moment on suffering, without relieving it; that He must instantly hear and answer every cry for the removal of trouble.
Not such a God–is the God of the Bible! When suffering is the best thing for us–He is not too sympathetic to let us suffer–until the work of suffering is accomplished in us. He is not too kind to be silent to our prayers–when it is better that He should be silent for a time, to allow . . .
faith to grow strong,
self-confidence to be swept away, and
the evil in us–to be burned out in the furnace of pain!
Continue reading 'God does not deal with us in this ‘sentimental’ way!'»
Themocracy