John 17:15 "I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil." Christ is not praying here that we should be taken out of this world. Can you imagine what that would be like? As soon as you're converted, you're immediately out of trouble. At times, we might think that such an escape would be profitable —just a way to avoid the difficulties of life. Yet, we are called to be satisfied as long as the LORD has us here. We can find satisfaction in knowing that it is the LORD who intercedes for us and has completed His work to preserve us. If you want an excellent example of preservation by Grace, consider how He has kept you in this world—with all of its sin, the corrupting influences of society, the attacks of the evil one, and so much more. As Christ Himself said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Not only was He kept from evil when He was in this world—remaining sinless—but now His intercession ensures that those given to Him by the Father, for whom He paid the ultimate debt, are also preserved. Notice the prayer: "Keep them from the evil." Reflect on all that is evil, which, like a flood, would overwhelm us were it not for Christ’s preserving power through His Word. Consider the apostasy of Judas Iscariot as an example. Christ has kept each one except for the son of perdition, as Scripture foretold. It’s not as though Christ wanted to keep Judas but was unable. No! Judas was not a failure of Christ’s preservation but rather a fulfillment of prophecy. “None of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the Scripture might be fulfilled” (John 17:12). Look around you and see how many have made professions of faith, but because of trouble, trial, temptation, or sin, have completely fallen away. If we continue in the Faith that is in Christ, it is the LORD Who is keeping us from going astray, as we otherwise surely would. Remember, every time you go to bed at night, you are still battling the enemy within. "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other..." (Galatians 5:17). This is why you might even wake up sometimes, bewildered by dreams or thoughts that seem entirely contrary to your conscious mind. Yet, through all of this, the LORD continues to keep His own. "My Grace is sufficient for thee: for My Strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Psalm 109:1-3 "Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise; For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: They have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They compassed me about also with words of hatred; And fought against me without a cause." Looking at this from the perspective of our LORD and His suffering—being hated without cause—we read in verse 1: “ Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise." Some might ask, "If these are Christ's words, why does He refer to God as His God?" The answer lies in Scripture, which shows that Christ, as a man, came to satisfy the law and justice of God the Father. He came to fulfill them so that God might be both Just and Justifier. a Just God and Savior. Thus, these words reflect Christ speaking in His humanity. In Hebrews, 5:8, our LORD is described as having learned obedience: "Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered." Righteousness, to be imputed, had to be worked out, which is why Christ had to earn it as a man. The law required that righteousness be established through perfect obedience. God could not just look the other way. As our Substitute, Christ had to satisfy His Father as God, though He Himself is God. While He never ceased being Divine, He had to fulfill the requirements of the law as a man, "A body hast thou prepared me" (Hebrews 10:5). In verse 2, it says: "The mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me." This has accurately been interpreted as referring to Christ. The Pharisees spoke many things against Him: they called Him Beelzebub; evil, the son of the devil, a blasphemer, and a Samaritan. These accusations are well documented throughout the God-inspired Scriptures. However, Paul writes in Romans 3:9 : "What then? are we better than they?" This calls for reflection whenever we read about the Pharisees. Jesus Himself declared, "Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20). He was not speaking about outward actions—like tithing down to the last detail of parsley and herbs—but rather having a Righteousness that equals that of God Himself, which could only be through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Substitute for His people. Mere outward acts of religion hold no value before a Holy God. As Isaiah wrote long before their time: “ All of our righteousnesses, are as filthy rags” [Isaiah 64:6]. The psalm continues: "They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause." Many might say, “That’s not me—I don’t hate God.” Yet, Scripture reveals that our very nature is one of enmity toward God. Unless the LORD, by His Spirit, shows us the truth of our lost condition—that I am that sinner—we remain in darkness and blindness. And yet, there is hope. The Scriptures also tell us that when Christ died, He died for sinners. When He reconciled, He reconciled enemies—not friends.

1 Thessalonians 4:7 "For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto Holiness." Many people ask, "What do I need to do? What commandments do I need to follow to be holy? Should I go back and pick up some of those Old Testament laws and ceremonies?" Some preachers will preach grace but then turn around and mix it with laws and ceremonies. However, there is nothing you can do to be holy. You must be chosen by God from eternity, and one for whom the LORD Jesus paid your sin debt, and God has justified you by His death at the cross. When one of God's chosen children is called to Holiness, it is a call to Christ. To understand God's Holiness, you must have Him—His Person and His finished work on the cross—revealed by His Holy Spirit. Everything flows from the cross, where Christ shed His blood unto death for His elect. That is where a sinner is declared holy, sanctified, redeemed, and righteous, IN Christ . It is by the just satisfaction for sin in His death and His earned Righteousness. It is not something you do,. It is what God has done. This call to Holiness is a revelation of the work of Christ. It is to consider the Person of Christ, Who IS the Holy One, "For thy Maker is thine Husband; the LORD of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 54:5). To be called to Christ is to be called to Holiness. It is to be called to His Holiness, His Person, and His work. It is to be called because of His work— the righteousness He established by His obedient life and death on the cross—which God accepted and imputed to my account. That is why I am called, and therefore I am separated from this world IN Him . This calling affects all my motives and conduct by the Spirit of God. "But as He which hath called you is Holy, so be ye Holy in all manner of conversation” (1 Peter 1:15). Now, we speak of His Righteousness. We speak of His finished work on the cross, His suffering on our behalf—-the Just for the unjust. We speak of His precious blood shed unto death for vile sinners such as we are. We honor Him alone as our ALL.

Isaiah 54:4 "Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more." There is a real comfort in how God has ordained the salvation of His people. If salvation is in my hands, I have reason to fear every day of my life. If there is something that I have to work out to make things right, then I ought to fear—and I believe that's why many live in fear. That's why they live in doubt. That's why they run to and fro, trying to soothe a guilty conscience—because they have not been given eyes to look to Christ alone. Don't spend your time looking at the world and wondering why so many perish. It's God's right to leave men and women to themselves to perish, and He is just in doing so. For myself, the thing that causes me to marvel over and over again is: Why me? Why should I even be thought to be among this number—this remnant? And yet, if you are, and if I am, He is the Word of Comfort. It's not for anything in you or anything in me. Don't get cocky thinking yourself better in any way. No, it's because God has purposed another end for you and for me. That's whom He speaks to here when He says, "Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed." None will be ashamed who are brought to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and rest in His finished work as a needy sinner. It's the thirsty who are drawn to the Water of Life. It's the hungry who are drawn to the Bread of Life. "Fear not." Our Lord did not speak these words to just anyone. He spoke them to His own. Over and over again, He told them. "Fear not, I am with you. Fear not, I am your God. Fear not, I am your Redeemer. Fear not, I am your representative before a Holy God." If we are the LORD's, when we come to that river of death, we will cross it—whether He takes us out suddenly or gives us time to reflect while lying in our beds and considering eternity, and what it is to face a Holy God. Unless you are the LORDs, you have no comfort and will have no comfort. None will be ashamed whom Christ has redeemed. They have no need to fear. In His death the LORD has put all shame behind us. We may look back and feel shame for how we were in our ignorance and darkness, but the death of Christ is so satisfactory, so complete, that He say's: "Thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood anymore."

Revelation 18:4 "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partaker of her sins, and that ye receive not her plagues." Sometimes, when you read the prophets in the Old Testament, you find yourself searching for a little window of Light because the messages can feel so dark and desperate. You might think, "Where is the LORD? Where is His Mercy?" Yet, we find comfort in knowing that the LORD will not bring final judgment and condemnation until every one of His own has been brought out. Those of His sheep still caught in false religion will be effectually called out. Stop and think about your own testimony. We were all raised in darkness, that's how we are born, free-will idolators. We worshipped ourselves and attempted to approach God based upon our works, until He showed us our utterly desperate and lost estate. When He opens your eyes to see Christ, you will come out. He will draw you out. Many people condemn Lot for living in Sodom and Gomorrah, but the LORD's favor was upon him. The LORD did not destroy the city until He had brought Lot out. The angel literally had to take Lot by the hand and draw him out because he lingered. There are attachments in false religion—people, relationships, acquaintances—but when the LORD teaches you, there is a separation. You cannot continue to identify with them because the LORD delivers His own: "The LORD knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations" (2 Peter 2:9). Every one whom the LORD has redeemed, He will deliver. He causes their eyes to be opened to behold the Glory of Christ. Once you behold the Glory of Christ, nothing can hold you back. It's like the story in Pilgrim's Progress when the Spirit began to draw Christian. He literally plugs his ears and runs toward the Wicket Gate, despite his family crying out after him, because he was following the LORD's Spirit, which ultimately draws him to the cross of Christ. "He calleth His own sheep by name, and leadeth them out" (John 10:3). There is a drawing out, a movement, an urgency that the LORD places in the hearts of His people, in His time. We can never go back, nor will we! "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the LORD" (2 Corinthians 6:17).

Jonah 2:7 "When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto Thee, into Thine Holy Temple." Although Jonah belonged to the LORD, his rebellion served as a reminder of the sin nature that resides in us all. No child of God is exempt from sin. In fact, Scripture says in 1 John 1: 8: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the Truth is not in us." However, for the LORD's children, the Holy Spirit continually reveals their sin, causing them to turn again and again to the LORD Jesus Christ, the Truth, as was the case with Jonah. If Jonah was to preach to these Gentile sinners, it would only be after God had revealed to him his own desperate state before Him. Evidence of the Spirit's work in Jonah is fourfold: 1. He was made to despair of any good in himself: "When my soul fainted within me." 2. He was caused to turn to the LORD: "I remembered the LORD.” 3. He was given a cry of need unto the LORD: "and my prayer came in unto Thee." 4. He was brought to rest in Christ and His sacrificial life and death: "into Thine Holy Temple." What was in the temple? The High Priest, the sacrifices, the altar, and mercy seat—-ALL fulfilled in Christ as the sinner's Substitute. There are NO cases too difficult for the LORD. Knowing ourselves to be sinners, and trusting that it was for sinners such as we are that Christ died, shall we not rest in WHO Christ is and WHAT He has accomplished? We rest IN Christ and His finished work alone!

Hebrews 9:11 "But Christ being come an High Priest of Good Things to come, by a greater and more Perfect Tabernacle not made with hands." The pictures, shadows and types of the Old Testament all point to Christ and Him crucified. His death is the core of Scripture, the Perfect Sacrifice, "For the law having a shadow of Good Things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect” (Hebrews 10:1). Christ is the very image of God, "In Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:14-15). He is the only One Who is truly GOOD, "And [Jesus] said unto him,...there is none Good but One, that is, God" (Matthew 19:17). The Good Things refer to the Person and work of Christ in the flesh, who came to save His people by His death. He is the Grace of God, the Good Thing, the Holy Thing spoken of throughout Scripture, as declared to Mary in Luke 1:35, "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." There are men who will try to pull you away from Him, to worship them. Hebrews 13:9 warns, "Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a Good Thing that the heart be established with Grace.” The heart that belongs to Christ is one that has been established with Grace Himself, by His Holy Spirit.

Mark 4:19 "And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the Word, and it becometh unfruitful." God hides Himself for a season to chasten worldly-mindedness, to keep His own from becoming “unfruitful.” Some may boast that they have been delivered from worldly-mindedness, but I am here to tell you that, after all these years since the LORD opened my heart and taught me of His Grace and Mercy in Christ, I still struggle with worldly-mindedness—and so do you. Only a liar would claim otherwise. It is part of our nature. As the hymn says: "Prone to wander, LORD I feel it. Prone to leave the One I love." We become attached to this world and its comforts whether it be our families, job security, bank accounts, or other earthly things. To prevent us from placing our confidence in this world, the LORD brings trials—fires that burn away the chaff, hay, and stubble—to reveal Who is Truly Precious. These trials are ordained by The LORD to keep us from becoming too attached to this world. Since our nature is to be worldly-minded, God hides Himself to awaken our longing for Him and to redirect our attention. As Scripture teaches: "Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world" (Titus 2:12) . God shows His Mercy, Love, and Kindness even in hiding Himself for a time, for it produces fruit in its season. The LORD ordains our seasons. Everything is exactly the way it should be, whether in the heat of the day or the storm: "the LORD hath His way in the whirlwind and in the storm” (Nahum 1:3). When He withdraws, He teaches us of His Sovereignty and reminds us that HE directs ALL things. We are not our own. If we have been bought with a Price, we belong to the LORD. Shall He not do with His own what He wills? His hiding also humbles us, lest we become prideful and arrogant in the blessings He gives us through Christ. Too often we treat these blessings as if they were our right! When the LORD hides Himself, it humbles the soul made alive by the Spirit of God and reproves the pride of presumption. The pride of presumption takes what God gives to undeserving, vile sinners, and gives ourselves the glory, as though we earned or deserved it. But no—Christ alone earned the Righteousness that satisfied a Holy God by His obedient death on the cross. He is the Price paid! May the Spirit cause us to look away from the world and to Christ alone!

Romans 3:24,25 "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in His blood to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; Whenever you think of the word "forbearance," think of a debt owed. We owe a debt to a Holy God and this debt required God's forbearance. It required God to hold back judgment until such time as the debt could be paid, Yet, even in His forbearance, God was not simply looking the other way. In Romans 3, this truth is clearly addressed. Some may have criticized how God dealt with His people in the Old Testament saying, "Well, they had a debt." This was certainly Satan's accusation before the Lord regarding Job, "Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?" God was forbearing to Job, but Satan accused Him of being arbitrary—of merely overlooking sin. However, God is not arbitrary in how He deals with His people. As declared in Romans 3:25, God was indeed forbearing with the sins of those of the Old Testament. He withheld the payment of their debt. The phrase "through the forbearance of God," uses a word that means "to hold back from requiring what is due, for a time or a season, until such time as God would determine that it should be paid." God was forbearing until the time when Christ would pay their debt. Once the debt was paid, there was no further need for forbearance, as the debt has been paid in full. The debt went away once it was paid, and it was paid in full when Christ died. Verse 24 declares, "Being justified freely." If you belong to the LORD and He has paid your debt, you have been justified freely. No additional penalties or fees are required beyond what Christ has already paid. He paid it fully and freely. But notice the conditions—when, where, and how this justification occurred. "through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Some today argue that the timing doesn't matter, only the method. But the two cannot be separated. When was your sin debt paid if you belong to the LORD? When was mine paid? It was when Christ paid the ransom through His redemption. The word “redemption” means a ransom has been paid. Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, the debt was satisfied. It says, "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation." The word “ propitiation “ means satisfaction or reconciliation. If Christ has paid the sinner's debt, then nothing remains but righteousness to credit to their account because the debt has been paid. "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation," connects back to verse 24, "Being justified freely through the redemption that is in Christ, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation." What role then does faith play? The text continues, "through faith in his blood, to declare His righteousness." By faith in His blood— in His effectual death—the Spirit enables the sinner, whom Christ has redeemed, to look to Him and declare His righteousness. Faith does not justify. It declares the righteousness of God, accomplished by Christ in His life and death, and affirms God’s justice in justifying sinners once He had laid down His life on the cross for them. Faith is a confession, a declaration—a setting forth of who God is and what Christ accomplished. "For the remission of sins that are past." That word "remission" literally means "overlooking,” or “passing over sins.” Christ's death now déclares God to be righteous in how all those years He passed over, looked over, was forbearing with His people before the cross. It says "through the forbearance of God." It was not that He was ignoring sin but that He was looking to the time when Christ would pay the debt. From eternity, it was always God's purpose that Christ would come and pay the debt. Through His sacrifice, all the sins of Old Testament believers and those since the cross were paid in one act of redemption, fully and completely satisfying the debt owed to God.

Galatians 3:21 "If there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law." The justification of sinners from beginning to end is by the free Grace of God through the obedient life, death and the one Righteousness of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, apart from any work, act of the will, or merit of the sinner, "Being justified freely by His Grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). “Freely” means wholly conditioned upon Christ alone. To make justification dependent in any way upon the sinner's willing, believing, or acting is to render the death of Christ vain. Justification is the legal act of God whereby He declares sinners just (perfectly righteous) because the LORD Jesus Christ honored and satisfied the law on their behalf—both in its precepts and its penalty. Having fully accomplished the work by His death, all the blessings of forgiveness and pardon were immediately applied to the spiritual account of the elect in time, by His Spirit and through the Gospel,. God causes all whom He has redeemed and justified in Christ to look to Christ alone as their only justification. Their believing is not the time of their justification but the evidence of it. Justification is in, by, and through the LORD Jesus alone, fully accomplished at the cross!: "...when He had by Himself purged our sins, [He] sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High” (Hebrews 1:3); "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross" (Colossians 2:14). All charges were satisfied in Christ's death—not just dropped, set aside, or suspended. Therefore, He fully accomplished forgiveness, redemption, and justification at that time. Faith does not complete Christ's work. Rather, it is by Faith that all the redeemed embrace and enjoy, in their experience, what Christ accomplished for them at the cross. Imagine if a man could not pay the mortgage on his house and another stepped in on his behalf and paid it all. The bank would be satisfied and hold no claim on the house. Even before the bank informs the homeowner of the satisfaction, the debt is fully settled. The same is true for the redeemed in Christ. Faith does not complete Christ's work because, "It is finished” (John 19:30).

1 Timothy 3:16 "And without controversy great is the Mystery of Godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." Stop and consider what it means for the infinite God to take on finiteness. Christ coming to this earth—in time. God in the flesh—is a mystery far beyond our finite mind’s ability to fully grasp. It is like trying to fit an entire ocean into a thimble. Yet, the Scriptures tell us that, like any human being, He grew tired, weary, and thirsty. He was acquainted with grief: a 'Man of Sorrows,’ as prophesied: "Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows" (Isaiah 53:4). The shortest verse in the Bible, J ohn 11:35 , simply states, "Jesus wept." It reveals that He sorrowed in the flesh, just as we do. The point is to show us that, as our Substitute, He was not some 'Teflon man' gliding through life unaffected, as if acting in a play, or pretending in a role. Some claim that He never felt pain, or suffered, but this is false. No—His conception was real, His birth was real, His life was real, His suffering was real, and His obedient death was very real. As Philippians 2:8 declares, " And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." There was also a very real resurrection. Because of Who He is , it was impossible for His body or soul to see corruption, As Acts 2:31 testifies: " He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption.” Similarly, Acts 13:37 affirms : “ But He, Whom God raised again, saw no corruption.” He did not see or know corruption because He was without sin. He was and is the Spotless Lamb—righteous in His obedient perfection, obedient even unto death. "Having made known unto us the Mystery of His Will, according to His Good Pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself” (Ephesians 1:9).

Psalm 40:2,3 "He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: Many shall see it, and fear, And shall trust in the LORD." Whatever pit David was speaking of here, we can see how the LORD heard him, brought him out of the miry clay, set him upon a rock, and established his goings. In David's experience, that Rock was Christ. In Christ's experience, that Rock was His Father. He is the one that He came to satisfy. The fact that God was pleased to bring Christ out of that miry clay—that His sufferings were but for a season and a time—reveals the greatness of His work. Once He had laid down His life, God raised Him up from the grave, setting His feet upon a Rock. That Rock was the very Promise of God to receive His Son, and He did! God received Him into glory, where He now lives to intercede on the behalf of those for whom He died. Therefore, His goings have been established. Just like David, that the Lord delivered out of a particular crisis and had his steps established, we see this fulfilled ultimately in the LORD Jesus Christ. Because of the satisfaction of His work, He, too, was delivered. Then we see the rejoicing. We see how this Bondservant patiently waited upon God, how He was brought through His sufferings to glory, and then how rejoicing followed. In verse three, we read, "He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God, many shall see it and fear and shall trust in the Lord." Yes, a new song. As we read the Psalms, we recognize that these songs were all written out of David's experience, bringing glory and honor to Christ alone. With regard to the Lord Jesus Christ, what is the new song that He sings, and sings with His people? The new song is the proclamation of His finished work. “Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It”—-redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb. The new song sung throughout eternity as described in the book of Revelation is, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain." Why is it called a new song? Because all these things had to be fulfilled in order for this song to be sung. In Scripture, you have the Old Testament and the New. The Old Testament provides the picture, type, and pattern. The New Testament is the fulfillment. Even here, though in the Old Testament, we see how this was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. For David, it was a new song, written after having suffered and being delivered. Perhaps it even reflects his own testimony—-how he was lost and then found. Through Christ and the Spirit of Christ being in him, David was directed in the writing of these songs that we now read. The book of Psalms is the hymn book of the church— H-I-M book. It's all about Him! This new song that God put in David's mouth describes how Christ Himself rejoices in singing over the very people that the Father has given Him. Having suffered, this new song is one of deliverance. That's why it says that many shall see it. It was not intended for everyone, but many shall see it and will trust in the LORD. Many shall witness Christ’s deliverance and the work that He accomplished as the Faithful Suffering Servant of God. The only way anyone trusts in the Lord is through the work of Grace given to those that Christ came to save. Therefore, they trust in Him.