Ephesians 2:8,9 "For by Grace are ye saved through Faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the Gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." In religion today, people like to ask, "When were you saved?" Those who have been regenerated know the answer to that: It was when Christ paid the debt. That is it. It is not about walking an aisle or saying a prayer. They may say, "Yeah, but you know what I mean." "No, I don't know what you mean!" Those people think it is some sort of act that they decide to do that saves them, like repeating a so-called "sinner's prayer." The truth is that only the Gift of God's grace through Christ can save chosen sinners: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me" (John 14:6). God saved every one of His elect when the LORD Jesus shed His blood unto death on the cross at Calvary. The Gospel (Good News) declares the work is DONE, FINISHED, ACCOMPLISHED, FULFILLED: "And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the LORD by the prophet" (Matthew 21:22). "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished" (Luke 18:31). "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished" (John 19:30). Any true confession of Christ is Spirit-born and is the result of the LORD Jesus Christ having already paid the debt as the Representative Head, having reconciled that sinner to God in Himself by His death on the cross. And when the Spirit reveals Christ in the chosen sinner, they look to Him alone as all their salvation. Their eyes are opened to the Crucified One. The experience of every child of God is that the LORD Jesus paid their sin debt long before they ever knew Him, and that the Spirit of Christ opened their eyes to see Him having paid their complete sin debt when He died on the cross. Many will make a profession because they are told that they must say a prayer or invite Jesus into their heart. They are told that God will save and pardon them when He sees their decision to accept Jesus and ask Him to forgive their sins, based on their profession. However, the testimony of Scripture is that when it pleases God to reveal Christ in you, that's when you trust in and rest in the LORD Jesus, Who finished the work already. Any whose eyes are opened by the Spirit know that it isn't anything in them, but only the LORD who has opened and turned their heart to Christ. "...turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God" (Jeremiah 31:18). The Spirit will show you that everything in you is nothing but filth and dung. It is the Spirit of God that opens blinded eyes and turns you to look to Christ and Him crucified alone. "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints" (Ephesians 1:18). This is the only message that sinners must hear: Christ and Him crucified. People ask, "Don't you preach anything else?" NO! Someone once said, "When you are playing a guitar and it has only one string, it is tough to miss because you only have one string." Our one string is Christ and Him crucified, and that is the one message of Scripture. The apostle Paul declared, "For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2) . The revelation of Christ and Him crucified is the exclusive Gift of God for the complete salvation of the sinner.

Matthew 21:9-11 "And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the LORD; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee." As the LORD Jesus entered Jerusalem that final time before His crucifixion, He did not come as men expected. No war horse bore Him, no royal parade preceded Him. Instead, He rode on a lowly donkey—fulfilling the ancient prophecy of Zechariah: "Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass” (Matthew 21:5). This was not the triumph of worldly power, but the triumph of meekness and divine purpose. The crowds cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David,”  acknowledging, at least in part, the Messianic identity of Jesus. They lifted a phrase from Psalm 118 —a psalm that speaks of the coming salvation of the LORD. “Hosanna” means “save now,” a cry of deliverance. Yet they misunderstood the salvation He came to bring. They sought a deliverer from Rome; Christ came to deliver His people from their sins. They expected an earthly throne; He came to reign from the cross. We understand that this event marked the final declaration of the King to the people of Israel. He presented Himself as the prophesied Messiah— “Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee” —not merely as a teacher or miracle worker, but as the very fulfillment of the law and the prophets. Yet within days, the same city that shouted “Hosanna” would cry out “Crucify Him.” This entry into Jerusalem was not the beginning of a national revolution but the march toward the final and finished work of redemption. It was here that the sovereign purpose of God in Christ would culminate at Calvary. Israel’s rejection of Christ would bring judgment upon that generation—fulfilled in AD 70 when the temple was destroyed and the old covenant system ended. But even in that judgment, we see grace—for it made way for the everlasting covenant, the Gospel of Christ to the nations (Hebrews 8:13). The people asked, “Who is this?” —a question that echoes through every generation. This Jesus of Nazareth is more than a prophet; He is the eternal Son of God, the Redeemer of His elect, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. In Him alone is salvation, not from earthly oppression, but from divine wrath. He came to save His people, not by force, but by giving Himself as the Perfect and final Sacrifice for sin. To those taught of God, this lowly King is the exalted LORD. To the natural eye, He seemed weak, but through His humiliation came victory. He entered Jerusalem not to claim a throne of gold, but to bear the cross of shame—and by that cross He triumphed over sin, death, and the curse of the law. Let us then behold Jesus of Nazareth with eyes of faith, rejoicing not in what He might do for our outward lives, but in what He has done in satisfying divine justice and reconciling us to God. Blessed is He indeed Who came in the name of the LORD—for He came to “ save His people from their sins.”  May our cry be not merely “Hosanna,” but “My LORD and my God.” Here we behold the meek and majestic King entering Jerusalem—not with the pomp of earthly rulers, but in lowliness and righteousness, fulfilling my prophecy and revealing Himself as the true Messiah. The multitudes cried, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”, yet many did not understand the nature of His kingdom or the purpose of His coming. The Scriptures reveal Christ not as a political deliverer, but as the divinely appointed Savior Who came to redeem His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). Though Jerusalem asked, “Who is this?”, the redeemed know: He is Jesus of Nazareth, the LORD of glory, Who came to fulfill all righteousness and accomplish salvation by His cross. May we bow to Him in faith, praising Him not for what men expected, but for Who He truly is—the King Who saves by grace, reigns in truth, and is worthy of all worship.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." Most people don't think of hope in death. Natural minds don't want to consider it, because all they know is what’s going on in this life. But if the LORD has taught you of Christ and taught you His Gospel, then there is hope. That’s what Paul is writing about here under the inspiration of the Spirit. There’s so much confusion regarding the Lord’s coming again. It’s not confusion in the Word, but confusion in how men interpret it. A passage like this is written to bring comfort, not conflict, among the Lord’s people. You have to draw the line when it comes to the Gospel and Christ’s person and work. We stand firm there, but we must also confess that far more is being said today about Christ’s coming and what’s going to happen than ought to be said. This particular portion of Scripture, if we simply read it for what it says, gives us a clear view of who our Hope is! How is the state of those who’ve died in the Lord described? First, it refers to those who are asleep. That’s how it’s described throughout Scripture in reference to the Lord’s people. This was a widespread usage, particularly in Eastern cultures, to refer to death as sleep. “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt”  (Daniel 12:2). What is the comparison between sleep and death? When you’re asleep, you’re not aware or sensitive to what’s going on around you. There’s a separation from the real world—and in death, that is certainly the case. When you go to sleep, you are completely isolated from what’s happening in the world, if you’re truly asleep. In death, the body is laid to rest. But the idea of sleep also carries the expectation of rising again. It could even be said of one who is not Christ’s that he sleeps, because the Scriptures say that all who die outside of Christ will be raised again on the judgment day and cast into hell. So, just like with sleep, death does not completely extinguish consciousness. There is a rising again, and existence continues. In that sense, death and sleep are comparable. Second, Paul deals in this portion with how we are to respond to the deaths of those who have gone on. Remember, there was much persecution. Some may have died as martyrs. So, this is not speaking only of natural death, but of death for the Lord’s sake. What is their hope of glory? He writes, “ that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.”   He’s not saying we must be stoic. The sense here is that we draw a line, especially in contrast to excessive weeping and wailing. Remember, these Thessalonians were used to some pretty wild funerals. However, we do not sorrow as those who have no hope. If we have confidence that they were the Lord’s, we can rejoice. But what about those for whom we don’t have that confidence? Even then, we do not sorrow as those who have no hope. We don’t question God. We don’t question His justice. By God’s grace, we stand—like Aaron did when his sons were taken; he held his peace (Leviticus 10:3). Eli did the same (1 Samuel 2:34–36) . He was more grieved over the Ark of the Covenant being taken into captivity than by the announcement of his sons’ deaths. Particularly when it is one who has died in the Lord, though it is sorrowful, there is that quiet hope—that when Christ died, He died for them, and in the resurrection, they will be raised again. God will raise up the dead bodies of the saints. How? By Christ. He is the God-Man. He is the Mediator. God has put all judgment into His hands. So, when that time comes, it will be His voice that we hear. 1 Thessalonians 3:13 says, “To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.”   How is that possible? That’s the imputed righteousness of Christ. He’s now coming with them. That confuses some people. They say, “Well, He’s coming for them.” No—He’s coming with  them, because they will be raised to be with Him. Imagine if our eternal salvation depended on our holding on to Christ or maintaining a lively faith until the end, like some preachers say. No—it’s not us holding Him; it’s Him holding us. Some have died under a dark cloud. We know there are those who think that if you’re the LORD’s, you’ll never die under a cloud. But read the stories of saints who have gone before. Many died under hard affliction—so much so that they could not even see the sunshine. David wrote in Psalm 130:1 , “Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD”   That is reflective of the cries of our Lord Jesus in the garden as He faced death on the cross. There will be dark days. That’s why we rest in the Hope that isn’t built on how we feel at the moment we die. Can you imagine if that were the case? But our hope is based on Christ’s blood and righteousness as our only plea. That’s why the death of Christ is so vital—His doing, His dying, and His rising again. That is the believer’s only Hope. There will be wavering in this old flesh. There will be clouds. But oh, to know that if He died for me, He will bring me safely through. And when I sleep, I sleep in Him. "Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me; Buried, He carried my sins far away; Rising, He justified freely, forever; One day He’s coming: O glorious day!"

Philippians 2:6-11 "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name:   That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. " Here we read, "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him." What exaltation? In this context, it relates to His resurrection from the dead and His ascension into heaven upon completing the work of redemption that the Father gave Him to do while He was on earth. And now He is seated at the right hand of God the Father. In what sense has God exalted Christ? First of all, it is not concerning His Godhead, for He cannot be exalted above God the Father in the Godhead. The Godhead was not lower because He became a man, and so in His exaltation, He would not have been placed higher. But here it is in the sense not of His being God, for we know that He is God. Here in Philippians 2:6 Paul began with: "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God." So the exaltation here is not of one of the Persons of the Trinity over the other. No, they are equal. The three are one. How then was the LORD Jesus Christ exalted as God come in the flesh? First, He's exalted in His titles. The name of the LORD Jesus Christ is to be magnified. For Him to be LORD, it means that He is magnified in His sovereignty. He is LORD, not only over heaven, but earth. " And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matthew 28:18). Scriptures say, in Revelation 1:18, " I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." And it's this LORD to Whom knees must bow. The name is here put for a person. The LORD Jesus Christ, His name, has to do with His character. It has to do with His Person and that One to Whom every knee will bow. Bowing is put for subjection. All must be subdued to Him either as a son or as a captive. In other words, some will be brought to bow in grace, while others will be brought to bow in His sovereign judgment. But either way, every knee shall bow to Him as to the LORD by His sovereign grace or to Him as the LORD and Judge in condemnation. Second, we understand here that He is exalted in His office . God the Father has honored Him to be the Savior of sinners. In Acts 5:31 , We read, "Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Savior..." He didn't come just to try to save and hope that that would be many. No! In Matthew 1:21 , we read, "" And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins." And so, this is a great honor that is placed upon the LORD Jesus Christ. Not that He attempts to save, but that He has saved. He said, " And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day" (John 6:39). There's none that can pluck any out of His hand because of the Surety of His Person, His character, but also His work, having paid the sin debt for His people. They stand forever justified before a holy God, and there is therefore now no condemnation! Third, God has exalted Christ in His ascension . Every part of His work is vital. Not only His birth and coming as a man, but His life that He lived out before men and before God the Father. It had to be perfect. His death is that just satisfaction to Holy God and the just demands of His law, but also His raising again from the dead. Had He remained dead, there would be no salvation. He would simply have died as a martyr, but His resurrection is a testimony and a proof that God the Father accepted His sacrifice on behalf of sinners (Romans 4:25). Christ not only rose from the grave, but He ascended on high, and this is an evidence again of the victorious nature of Christ's work. When you hear of an ascension to a throne, you're thinking in terms of royalty. Certainly, that fits our LORD Jesus Christ. The manner of His ascension we read about in the Gospels, "And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven" (Luke 24:50,51) When Christ ascended, He blessed His disciples. He didn't leave them houses and lands, but He left them His blessing. That's because everything upon this earth is temporal. We're to set our affection on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. And so, His ascension was that of a Conqueror. " Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men" (Ephesians 4:8). He triumphed over the world, sin, Satan, hell, and death, and His triumph is the triumph of those elect for whom He died. Fourth, He is exalted in His being seated at God's right hand . " Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places," (Ephesians 1:20) . This verse speaks of His mighty power of God the Father working which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and set Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. Fifth, for Christ to be exalted means that He continues there as the Judge of the world. For Him to be exalted and to be seated with that honor and majesty means that all power has been put into His hands. " For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:" (John 5:22). At the day of judgment, Christ will be fully and supremely exalted before the nations. He will come, as the Scripture says, in the glory of His Father. He will wear those royal robes of majesty given to Him by the Father, and He will come with all His holy angels. It is a solemn and awe-inspiring scene to consider: that Christ shall judge those who once judged Him. Think of Pilate, who condemned Him. Think of Herod. All of these kings must now stand before His throne—His bar—in the highest court of jurisdiction, where there is no appeal. The matter of salvation is in the hands of this One. It required His blood to be shed. It required His absolute obedience before God the Father—obedience that must be imputed to, or put to the account of, the sinners He came to save. In light of Philippians 2:6-11 , we are brought to behold the matchless humility and glory of our LORD Jesus Christ. Though He was in the form of God, He humbled Himself to take on our flesh, to obey even unto death—the death of the cross. Yet, through His perfect obedience and finished work, God the Father has highly exalted Him, giving Him a Name above every name. May we bow the knee in reverent worship, confessing with joyful hearts that Jesus Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the Father. In His humiliation and exaltation, we see the full triumph of Christ in the salvation and condemnation of sinners! HE is LORD of ALL!

Colossians 3:4 "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." What a beautiful, triumphant summary is here set forth of the believer’s Hope.  It is founded not in works, effort, or merit, but in the gracious sovereign will of God revealed in Jesus Christ. For those chosen in Him before the foundation of the world, Christ is not merely a helper to life—He is  their Life. His perfect obedience, His sacrificial death, and His victorious resurrection have obtained the eternal standing of every elect sinner. In this text, we are reminded that the believer’s identity, righteousness, and hope are found wholly in Christ Jesus alone. And just as surely as He now reigns in glory, He shall appear—and in that blessed appearing, all those in union with Him shall appear with Him, clothed in the glory He has earned for them. The Gospel of God exalts the LORD Jesus Christ from beginning to end, and in this glorious promise, our hearts rest. First, He is the sum of the believer's life.  Many talk about Him as the most important part of their lives. Preachers give these invitations, asking people to commit their lives to a “wanna-be Jesus,” and they speak of making Him the most important part of their life. That sort of appeal is not found in Scripture. No, the LORD Jesus Christ is not to be the most important part  of our lives. If Christ is not our Life , then we don't have life. Only the true believer can say, "The LORD Jesus Christ is my life." Why? Because by His Spirit, He lives in us. And by His Spirit, we live in Him. There's that two-fold relationship: Christ in you, the Hope of glory. But then, you are in Christ. This is a mystery, but spiritual life is a mystery. Second, He's the source of a believer's life.  All people, by nature, are born into this world in spiritual death. In Romans 5:12 , it says, " Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:"   This is not just talking about physical death—although physical death is one of the consequences of being a sinner—but death by sin entered this world by the disobedience of one man. Go back to the garden. When Adam and Eve fell, did not the LORD say that the day that you eat of it, you will most certainly die? The actual day that Adam and Eve disobeyed, they did not die physically. They lived many hundreds of years more before their physical death. Does that mean that the Word of God was not fulfilled? No! The day that they ate of it, they did  die. They died spiritually. That fellowship, that communion with God was immediately cut off. As you read what they endeavored to do to rectify their sin, it shows spiritual death. Rather than confess their wrong, they tried to blame each other. Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent. They tried to cover their nakedness with fig leaves. They did everything that their conscience dictated, but none of it was the right thing. But it says in Genesis 3:21  that God killed an innocent animal and took the skin from that animal, and clothed Adam and Eve. The only remedy for disobedience—the only remedy for sin—is death: death by a Substitute. Our sin must either be paid in a Substitute, or we'll have to pay for it ourselves. "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). It's spiritual death now, then physical death at some point in this life, and then eternal death—unless God is pleased to intervene by His grace in this life and reveal Christ in us. "But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many"  ( Romans 5:15 ). Third, He's the substance of life.  Think about what substance is. It's something concrete. It's like food and drink that are necessary to maintain physical life. Even so, the believer's spiritual life is maintained and sustained by daily feeding upon the life and death of Christ, by faith. In John 6:50 , Christ referred to Himself as the bread of life: " This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die."  He referred the Jews back to the Old Testament, where manna was given in the wilderness. He said, "Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead"  ( John 6:49 ). That manna was but a type. It couldn't maintain their lives forever. It was but a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was to come down from heaven. He says, in John 6:51, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."  For Christ to be our life means He's the substance  of our life. We feed upon Him daily, in His Word. We see Him as the Bread of Life, and we partake of Him. Fourth, He is the solace of a believer's life.  If Christ is our life, He's our solace. He's our comfort. He's our consolation. But if you're not a believer, you have no lasting comfort. But if it has pleased God to reveal His Son in you, oh, what a solace and consolation He is! For Him to be our life, that means that He is all the comfort we need. Those who have seen Him by God's grace, high and seated upon that throne of glory, see Him there by faith. They see Him as the Great High Priest, as it says in Hebrews 4:14–16 , "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Oh, that's good news! We need a righteousness that will stand us in good stead before God. We know that our righteousness is nothing but filthy rags, but, oh, His righteousness! That's the believer's comfort and consolation in the face of sin and temptation. He was tempted in all things, like as the believer, " yet without sin"  ( Hebrews 4:15 ) . It's not a throne of judgment for those for whom He paid the debt. That's been taken care of at the cross for His people. It's a Throne of Grace . Why? That we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Are you in need? Fifth, Christ is the standard of a believer's life.  Some preachers try to whip people into shape with the law, with rules and regulations, giving them things to do. If that's the case, there's an indication that there isn't any life there. Where Christ is someone's life, He is the standard of that life. Christ Himself is the standard by which God's children live in this world. He's the standard of righteousness—He worked it out perfectly on behalf of His people. He's the standard of forgiveness because He laid down His life. Where there's shedding of blood, there's forgiveness  (Hebrews 9:22). He shed His blood unto death. And those for whom He shed His blood are forgiven because God has accepted the sacrifice of His Son (Colossians 2:13-15). He's the standard as an example of what believers follow. He teaches us how to love, how to forgive, how to suffer, how to bear reproach, how to pray, and how to honor God in all things. The believer sets his eyes on Christ—he does not look within himself, to his neighbor, or to the law, but to Christ alone. That's what it means for Christ to be our life. Sixth, for Christ to be our life, He's our security.   "Our life is hid with Christ in God."  To be hid means that He's our refuge. If Christ is our life, then my life is secure, not only here below, but eternally. This is a glorious thought for the believer. "As He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17). And where Christ is our life, we must live. That's why the Scriptures say, " And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell"  ( Matthew 10:28 ). That's God Himself. Man might be able to lay his hand on this body, but he can't lay his hand on our life. Christ said, " I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die"  ( John 11:25 ). Seventh, for Christ to be our life, He is our satisfaction.  Since Christ is our life, we can never find true satisfaction in this world or in the things of this life. As the psalmist said in Psalm 17:15 , "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness."   This was the prayer of our LORD Jesus as He anticipated dying, rising again, and beholding the face of His Father upon completion of His earthly work for the salvation of His people. So it is the satisfaction of every child of God for whom Christ is their Advocate and Representative before God the Father. In conclusion, Colossians 3:4  sets our hearts and hopes upon the risen and reigning Christ, who is our very life.  For those who are His, all glory, all righteousness, all fullness, and all hope are found in Him alone. When He shall appear, the veil shall be removed, and we shall be made like Him, clothed in the perfection of His glory. Until that day, we live not for the things of this world, but by faith in Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. Let every believer rest in this blessed assurance: “Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”

1 Timothy 4:1,2 "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;" The Holy Spirit distinctly and clearly warns us that in these last days, many professing "christians" will listen to and follow evil men, who are self-proclaimed preachers, who profess to speak for God, who out of covetousness and hypocrisy handle the Word of God deceitfully (1 Timothy 4:1). They will not only listen to these deceivers but will receive their lies and false doctrines. These are not merely secular philosophies, but religious lies preached by men who claim to speak for God. They are, as Paul calls them elsewhere, “false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:13). Their aim is not the glory of Christ but personal gain, who handle the Word of God deceitfully (2 Corinthians 4:2). They speak lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron (1 Timothy 4:2). Those who follow such deceivers are themselves deceived. They are blind, ignorant, and lost. Men prefer to be told something to do or something to give up for salvation rather than bow to the LORD Jesus Christ and His work accomplished for sinners there at the cross, by His shed blood unto death for their complete justification and sanctification before God (Romans 11:2,3). This departure from the Faith  is a departure from the Gospel—the truth as it is in the LORD Jesus and the justification of sinners at the cross exclusively. It is a turning from the sufficiency of Christ’s Person and work to the empty efforts of man. Paul warned the Galatians as well: “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain” (Galatians 2:21). To add anything to Christ's perfect work is to deny its efficacy and to insult and pervert the grace of God. The Father sent the Son to die, not as a supplement to our righteousness, but because there was no other way for sinners to be justified before the Holy and Just God. Christ is the only Way (John 14:6), and He alone has made peace “through the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:20). Many have departed from the Faith, both preachers and their followers. These are preachers whose effort is to persuade their followers to worship God or seek acceptance before God by the works of the flesh, such as mentioned in the previous chapter, abstaining from certain meats or even from marriage or from food on certain days, and observing certain rules and days of fasting. Sound pretty familiar? These things may appear spiritual, but they are merely “a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body” (Colossians 2:23). It is self-imposed religion that appeals to the natural man. Men would rather do something—fast, observe days, abstain from foods—than simply bow to Christ and trust Him who finished the work. This is the religion of Cain, who brought the labor of his hands instead of a blood offering. Natural-minded men, without the Spirit of God, are inclined towards such self-righteous activity, in what the Scriptures call carnal worship, or fleshly worship of God. And, therefore, they are averse to true spiritual worship and dependence on the Righteousness and Mercy of God in the LORD Jesus Christ alone. Such men are blinded by Satan. It was so from the beginning, and this is why Paul calls it here "giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils." Such blindness is the work of GOD, who blinds the minds of those who believe not, “lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ... should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:4). The religion of the flesh says, Do and live.   The Gospel says, Christ has done—believe and live.  Men, in their blindness, prefer to be told to do something or give something up for salvation, rather than be told that they are helpless sinners and must look only to the shed blood and finished work of Jesus Christ. But true worship, true godliness, is spiritual. It is to rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3:3). The natural man is opposed to this because it strips him of all pride and ability. The Gospel declares, “Christ is all, and in all” (Colossians 3:11), and that salvation is entirely by grace through faith, not of ourselves (Ephesians 2: 8–9) . But to those who are taught of God, Christ is everything. “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30) . In the immediate context of this portion of Scripture, the apostle Paul exhorts Timothy to exercise himself in godliness  (1 Timothy 4:7). This word does not mean to strive for a sinless life. That would be impossible in this flesh, and it would go contrary to all that the Scriptures teach concerning our nature being sinners from birth. The Word of God declares plainly, “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10), and again, “They that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:8). Godliness has to do rather with a God-fearing, knowledge of God in truth, which can only be taught by the Spirit of God. So, it is a spiritual gift which God gives, the revelation of the LORD Jesus Christ in the heart of a sinner, and stands in contrast to much of what is preached as godliness, which is nothing more than works or something that the sinner himself attempts to do to make himself like God. That’s an impossibility. It is not a product of human effort, but a gift of Divine grace. True godliness is the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5: 22–23),  and it springs from a heart that has been brought to know the LORD Jesus Christ through the power of the Gospel. It is “the mystery of godliness” (1 Timothy 3:16),  revealed not by flesh and blood, but by the Spirit of the living God. As Christ said to Peter, “Blessed art thou... for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). This God-taught knowledge of Christ stands in direct contrast to the false godliness promoted in much of what passes for religion in these last days—external works, moral reform, dietary restrictions, religious rituals, and other things In which the sinner attempts to make himself acceptable to God. But Scripture is clear: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us” (Titus 3:5). Any effort by the natural man to be like God or to come to God by his own works is an utter impossibility. The flesh profits nothing  (John 6:63). In Christ’s death, the elect of God were declared righteous. “He hath made him to be sin for us... that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). God accepted the one offering of Christ, and all for whom He died are perfected forever (Hebrews 10:14). This is the true Faith. It is the doctrine which is according to godliness in Christ, from which elected, redeemed, justified, and called out sinners can NEVER depart.

Galatians 2:19-21 "For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." In this passage, the apostle Paul sets forth the heart of the Gospel and unveils the glorious mystery of sovereign grace in Christ. Life is not found through the works of the law, nor by our obedience to its commands. It is found solely through union with Christ in His death and resurrection. The righteousness required by the law was perfectly fulfilled by the sinless life and obedience of the LORD Jesus Christ. That righteousness was imputed to the account of every elect sinner when He declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30) and laid down His life as their Substitute and Surety. Why, then, was the law given if no one could ever keep it? The apostle explains, “The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ” (Galatians 3:24). It was ordained by God to expose the utter inability and ruin of man in Adam. Through the Spirit’s work, the elect are brought to see their guilt, sin, and helplessness under the law. This leads them to be shut up to Christ—the only One Who ever fulfilled the law, both in letter and in spirit. “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). No creature can satisfy God’s justice through personal obedience. Thus Paul declares, “I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God” (Galatians 2:19). The law, being holy, just, and good, can only condemn the sinner, for “by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). But thanks be to God, in Christ, the believer is made dead to the law—freed from its curse and condemnation—because Christ has fulfilled the law’s demands on their behalf. “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son… condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us”  ( Romans 8:3–4) . This death to the law is not by man's effort, but by God's sovereign work of grace, imputing the obedience and blood of Christ to His elect. Paul goes on to say, “I am crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20). This speaks of the believer’s union with Christ in His death, a union purposed from eternity, accomplished at the cross, and made effectual by the Spirit. In this death, the old man—the Adamic nature—is judged and put away. Yet, Paul says, “Nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.”  This is the miracle of sovereign grace: the life of Christ, indwelling and animating the believer. It is not a righteousness of our own, but the life of Christ formed in us by the Holy Spirit. “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Paul then adds, “And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20). This faith is not of man, but of God— “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). It is the faith of the Son of God, granted by divine grace, by which the believer looks to Christ alone—resting in His finished work, trusting in His perfect righteousness, and rejoicing in His redeeming love. “ All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out”   (John 6:37). Finally, Paul asserts, “ I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain”   (Galatians 2:21). Here is the foundation and glory of the Gospel: righteousness is not earned—it is revealed and received through Christ alone. If righteousness could be attained by law-keeping, then the death of Christ would be unnecessary and meaningless. But Christ died to establish the righteousness of God for His people, that “He might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:26). Salvation is, from beginning to end, the work of God’s sovereign grace. We who are the LORD’s rejoice in this gospel: our standing before God is not based on our works, but entirely upon the finished work of Jesus Christ. We have been crucified with Him, made dead to the law, and are now alive unto God through the faith of His Son. “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). This is the Gospel of sovereign grace—that God, in Christ, has justified, sanctified, and glorified every one of His elect through His death, burial, resurrection and ascension. May this sacred truth cause our hearts to rest wholly and joyfully in Christ, Who alone is our Life and Righteousness, now and forevermore.

Hebrews 10:8-10 "Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." In these verses from Hebrews 10, the Holy Spirit opens to us the glorious fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose in Christ. The sacrifices and offerings of the law, though many and continual, could never take away sins. But in His sovereign eternal purpose, God the Father had prepared a body for His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, that He might come into the world to accomplish His will. By that one perfect will, accomplished through the obedience and sacrifice of Christ at the cross, all the elect of God were justified and sanctified—set apart, cleansed, and accepted once for all. May our hearts be drawn to this glorious Christ and Savior in beholding the sufficiency and triumph of His finished work, whereby grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life (Romans 5:21). The body of the Perfect Man, Jesus, had to be prepared. He took on the sins of His people, as stated in Isaiah 53:6, " All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. "  However, He remained sinless, being the Perfect Lamb of God, as Hebrews 7:26  describes, " For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens ." His body had to endure the weight of God’s justice on behalf of the chosen sinners for whom He died, as prophesied in Isaiah 53:10, " Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. " Remarkably, not a bone of His body was broken, fulfilling the law as noted in John 19:36, " For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken ." Real blood had to be shed, " And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission" ( Hebrews 9:22),  representing the blood of a real man as the Substitute for sinners. Acts 20:28  describes it as God’s blood because it satisfied God the Father, ensuring justice while justifying those He chose to redeem once the work was completed, " Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood."   Jesus, as a real man, had to obey every aspect of the law (Matthew 5:17)  and satisfy God the Father's infinite justice, which He did, " When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost" (John 19:30).  No angel or physical lamb could achieve this, Hebrews 1:4-14; 10:4.   He fulfilled the law entirely, both in its requirements and penalties. He took on the charge and curse of sin on behalf of God’s elect, bearing their sins in His body, and as Hebrews 7:27  states, carried them away once and for all when He had shed His blood unto death.   Though Christ was purposed as the Surety of God’s elect before the world’s foundation, Scripture tells us that He became that Surety in the fulness of the time appointed by the Father through His death on the cross, " By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament" (Hebrews 7:22),  dying the Just for the unjust, " For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:" (1 Peter 3:18).  At that moment, God the Father redeemed, justified and forgave all the sins of the elect in His one sacrifice. This fulfilled the prophecy in Daniel 9:24: “He finished transgression, ended sins, made reconciliation for iniquity, and brought in everlasting righteousness.”    This glorious work of redemption, justification, and salvation that the LORD Jesus accomplished for His sheep is astounding. By the revelation of God’s Spirit in them, each of the chosen ones looks, in God’s appointed time, to the Lamb alone Who completed the work for them. " But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace" (Galatians 1:15). On the other hand, there is a solemn warning, as Hebrews 10:26-27 states, that if we sin willfully after receiving the knowledge of the Truth, there remains no other sacrifice for sins, but only the fearful anticipation of judgment.   Let us then rejoice in the perfect and finished work of Christ, by which the elect have been justified and sanctified once for all through the offering of His body. This is the will of God, fulfilled in His Son—the true and final sacrifice that has put away sin forever for those He came to redeem. All who rest in Him have peace with God and are accepted in the Beloved. But to those who remain in unbelief, there is no other offering for sin appointed by God. All who turn from this sacrifice of the LORD Jesus Christ alone do so to their eternal peril, having rejected the only Hope that God the Father has ordained for the salvation of His people. Therefore, we take refuge in the LORD Jesus Christ and His accomplished work at the cross alone. He alone has done the will of God the Father, as His Dear Eternal Son, and whose one offering is the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness (Zechariah 13:1).

Luke 8:11 "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God." This parable of the sower is often read as a description of different kinds of people—some who hear and never believe, some who fall away, and others who bring forth fruit. But, instead of distinguishing different types of individuals, our LORD is opening to us the various ways the heart of God’s elect responds to His Word at other times, under different seasons, and according to His sovereign will. We know that the Seed is the Word of God—the Gospel of grace, the message of the finished work of Jesus Christ. The sower is Christ Himself, (Matthew 13:37) Who by His Spirit sends forth His Word through chosen instruments. The soils then represent the condition of the heart, not fixed by human will, but shaped and tilled by the sovereign hand of God. By the Wayside (v. 12) “There are some that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.” Even in the elect, there is a season when the heart lies hardened, trampled down by sin, pride, or spiritual ignorance. The Word comes, but seems to make no impression. How many of us, before regeneration, heard the Gospel many times and thought little of it? The devil gladly snatches away that Word, lest light enter in. Yet the elect are not left in that condition. In due time, God sends forth His Spirit and ploughs up the fallow ground. Upon a Rock (v. 13) “They...receive the word with joy...but have no root...in time of temptation fall away.” Here, we see the heart stirred emotionally, perhaps under a sense of need or fear of judgment. There is a gladness in hearing Christ preached, but without depth—many of God’s elect experience such a season—a short-lived zeal that soon wanes under trials. But the Rock does not speak of Christ here—it speaks of shallowness. And yet even in this, the LORD is not done. He will not allow His own to be content with mere excitement. He will break them, humble them, and root them deeply in Christ. Among Thorns (v. 14) “They...are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.” How often the believer, still tender in faith, finds himself overwhelmed by worldly concerns! Even the redeemed can be distracted and entangled. This choking is real, but not final. It is the gracious hand of God that purges, prunes, and disciplines His children, that they may bring forth fruit. The thorns are not removed by human effort, but by the work of the Spirit, Who teaches us to set our affections on things above. On Good Ground (v. 15) “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” This is the heart that God has prepared. Not naturally good, but made so by sovereign grace. The same heart that was once hardened, shallow, and thorn-choked is now made receptive, fruitful, and enduring. Why? Because God  was pleased to bless the Seed. This is the triumph of grace, not the difference of men, but the difference God makes in men. The heart is changed by the Sower of the Seed itself, in conjunction with the Spirit Who gives the increase. Let us then see in this parable not a reason to boast if we bear fruit, nor a reason to despair if we have not, but a call to look to Christ, the Sower and the Seed, the Author and Finisher of our Faith. The same Word that fell lifeless yesterday may spring forth today in power, when the LORD speaks life. And when He does, it will bring forth fruit—not by our might, but by His mercy. “So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” — 1 Corinthians 3:7

Acts 5:28-30 "Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree." Who were these that were commanding the apostles not  to preach the Gospel? They were none other than the religious leaders of the day—those charged with instructing the people in the inspired Word. Yet they preferred to teach the traditions of men rather than Him who is the subject of all Scripture: Jesus Christ, the Messiah. The attacks of works religion against the Christ of grace go all the way back to the fall of Adam. There, Satan (the seed of the serpent) questioned the authority of God in commanding Adam and Eve not  to eat freely of the Tree of Life (a type of our LORD Jesus), and not  to partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:9; 3:1–6). God declared that, for the rest of time, there would be enmity between the seed of the serpent—those of Adam’s race whom God purposed to condemnation, along with the devil and his fallen angels (Matthew 25:41) —and the seed of the woman. That enmity continued early on when Cain killed Abel—a contrast between works and grace (Genesis 4) . Cain was angry that God accepted Abel because of his blood sacrifice (a picture of Christ and His sacrificial death), and rejected Cain, who brought the fruit of his hands and hard labor. “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission”   (Hebrews 9:22). It was this same enmity that crucified our Lord: “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain”   (Acts 2:23) . The death of our LORD Jesus was plotted in the hearts of self-righteous, religious works-mongers and carried out from the very synagogues where they preached. After Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, the apostles faced the same hostility. They sought to lay hands on the apostles because they could no longer lay hands on the risen Lord. In response, the Spirit of the LORD moved Peter to declare, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” What is it to obey God? 1. To obey God is to hear God. The word obey  here means to hearken to . To hearken to God, the Lord Himself must, by His Spirit, grant spiritual ears to hear: “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God”   (1 Corinthians 2:10–12). Any who truly hear God, hear His Son and are drawn to Christ in repentance and faith. In hearing His Word and following Him, they obey Him. Our LORD Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”   (John 10:27). All are, by nature, children of disobedience in whom the Spirit of God has not revealed Christ: “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience”   (Ephesians 2:2) . But all who are made sons of obedience are those whom the Lord has caused to obey the faith —the Gospel revelation of Jesus Christ. 2. To obey God is to be submitted to the LORD Jesus as God's righteousness. The apostle Peter declared his allegiance to the God of their fathers—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—over and against the traditions of the religious establishment. His faith in the God of the patriarchs was faith in the One  He had sent into the world in the fullness of time to redeem those under the law (Galatians 4:4–5). Christ so effectively paid the debt that those for whom He died have been, once for all, declared justified before God. When this is revealed in the heart, the believer no longer looks to the works of his hands or the traditions of his forefathers as his hope, but to the Person and work of the LORD Jesus Christ alone. 3. To obey God is to believe the record He has given of His Son. “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son”   (1 John 5:10) .To believe the record God has given of His Son is to bow to the one righteousness of God —a righteousness the LORD Jesus came, earned, and established on behalf of His people: “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life”   (Romans 5:9–10). The bold declaration of the apostles in Acts 5:28–30 reminds us that the true Gospel is the message of the crucified and risen Christ, whom God has exalted as both Prince and Saviour. Though men rejected and crucified Him, God raised Him again in triumph. The command to stop preaching in His name was met, not with fear, but with unwavering obedience to God. So it is with all who know the power of His resurrection—they must speak of Christ. For in Him alone is repentance granted and sins forgiven. May we, too, who are His redeemed ones, be found faithful, declaring His name above all.

John 11:35 "Jesus wept." This shortest verse in all of Scripture opens to us the deep heart of the LORD Jesus Christ. “Jesus wept.”  Not merely as a man who was moved by sorrow, but as the incarnate Son of God, the sovereign Savior Who came into the world to redeem a chosen people unto Himself. His tears were not helpless, but holy. They were not the weeping of a mere bystander, but of the LORD of Glory , deeply touched by the consequences of sin in a fallen world, but particularly that of the elect that the Father chose from before time and gave to Him to save. He was truly the Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3). This verse unveils the humiliation and rejection of Christ, the suffering Servant, in His earthly ministry. We see in these words the willful blindness and depravity of fallen man, who naturally despises the only Savior sent from God. Christ, though altogether lovely and righteous, was rejected by those He came to save—not because of any fault in Him, but because of the enmity of the carnal heart against God (Romans 8:7). Yet this rejection was not outside God’s sovereign purpose. The LORD Jesus was “despised and rejected of men” because He came to bear the sins of His elect. He became “The Man of sorrows” because He took upon Himself the curse of the law that justly belonged to us. His griefs were not His own; they were the griefs of a people chosen in Him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), for whom He came to accomplish eternal redemption. The world “esteemed him not,” yet the Father esteemed Him highly, for through His suffering and rejection He would justify many (Isaiah 53:11). Though men hid their faces, God laid on Him the iniquity of all His elect (Isaiah 53:6). Although the world rejected Him, the chosen remnant—called by grace—behold in Him the Lamb of God Who bore their griefs and carried their sorrows. Here at the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus stands, facing the same unbelief of the sinners around Him (John 11:37) . As He prepared to raise His friend Lazarus from the dead, His distress over the people’s spiritual blindness and unbelief intensified (John 11:37-38). He knows He is about to raise Lazarus from the dead. He is not weeping in despair or uncertainty, but in divine compassion. He sees the pain that death brings—the grief, the hopelessness, the sting—and He grieves not only for Lazarus and his sisters, but for what sin has wrought in His creation. He weeps as the God-Man , full of Grace and Truth. But think of this: the One Who weeps is the very One Who ordained  all things. He is the sovereign LORD Who declared, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.”  He purposed Lazarus to die—not out of cruelty, but to display His Glory in resurrection power. Our Sovereign LORD is not cold or distant. In Holy Love He acted in perfect Wisdom not getting to Lazarus before He died. Christ's weeping shows us that our salvation is not mechanical—it is deeply personal to the Savior identifying with the sins and griefs of their sin. He Who chose His people before the foundation of the world is also He Who weeps with them in time, and bears their griefs. And yet, these tears are not the end. Christ would soon go to the cross, where He would do more than weep—He would die . He would bear the full wrath of God on behalf of His elect. The tomb of Lazarus would be emptied, yes—but it pointed to a greater triumph. Christ would conquer death, not only for Lazarus, but for every sinner given to Him by the Father . As those for whom Christ died and the Spirit has called, we take comfort. The Savior identifies with us in our sin and sorrows as the Mediator and Forerunner. But more than that, He has triumphed over the grave for each of His own. His tears lead to victory. His compassion flows from His eternal purpose. And in His sovereign grace, He has joined Himself to His people with an everlasting love—a love that not only feels, but saves, and with an everlasting salvation... forever!

Romans 8:9 "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Nothing could be clearer than this statement in God’s Word. Without the Spirit of Christ given to a sinner, whereby the sinner is drawn to the LORD Jesus in faith and repentance, none can claim to be the LORD’s. All the talk of personal decisions, making a profession of faith, walking an aisle or reciting the sinner’s prayer (so-called) are not the proof of being a child of God. The statement by the Spirit of God Himself in His inspired Word is that if someone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they don’t know Christ. This verse marks a profound distinction between the natural man and the regenerate believer. This is not a call to self-examination for merit, but a declaration of the effectual work of the Holy Spirit in those whom Christ has redeemed. Those who are in the Spirit are not so by human effort or religious reform, but by divine indwelling — the Spirit of God taking residence in the soul by sovereign will and regenerating grace. The Spirit does not come because of man's decision, but as the sure fruit of Christ’s accomplished redemption. As Paul writes earlier, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate…Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called…” (Romans 8:29–30). The absence of the Spirit marks one as not belonging to Christ — not because they failed to invite Him in, but because they were not given to Christ in eternal election nor purchased by His blood. Therefore, Romans 8:9 stands as both a comfort and a boundary: a comfort to those who walk by the Spirit, knowing it is God's work in them, and a solemn boundary affirming that only those indwelt by the Spirit are truly His.     Elsewhere in Scripture, the indictment is just as damning. “If any man loves not the LORD Jesus Christ, let him be anathema, maran-atha.” (1 Corinthians 16:22)  Such are under the most dreadful curse until the LORD comes to execute the severest vengeance of condemnation. ‘Maranatha’ means ‘our LORD cometh.’ Better that we are deprived of every other temporal blessing that we may enjoy by God’s mercies in this life but let us not be deprived of the Spirit’s work, not just to know Who Christ is as LORD, Savior, Redeemer and Substitute but to have the Spirit’s Grace to love Him for Who He is and what He has accomplished. Here we see how we may know that we have the Spirit of Christ.        First,  to have the Spirit of Christ is to have the revelation of Christ in the heart. None of us would even hunger or thirst after Him were it not for His Spirit indwelling us and giving us life to long after Him, seek Him and come to Him. Christ said in John 6:44 : “ No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him at the last day.”        Second,  to have the Spirit of Christ is to have Spiritual eyes opened to contemplate Christ as He is revealed in Holy Scripture. Without the Spirit of Christ we would read the Scriptures blindly and never see how HE is all the Father’s delight with Whom He covenanted eternally to save sinners from out of the world by His righteous life and sacrificial death. Salvation is entirely the work of the Godhead. The Father chose those sinners that He would save, the Son came and paid the sin debt for each one and the Spirit of God opened their eyes, not only to see the wretchedness of their sin and misery but also to behold Christ as their Righteousness imputed at the cross.        Third,  to have the Spirit of Christ is to be given Faith to believe on Him, to savor His Divine glories and to yearn after Him for all things. It is to enjoy Him as our portion now and for eternity.  Do we have Him as our Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification and Redemption? " But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:30, 31).  This is of the Spirit of Christ.   Romans 8:9 reminds us that true life and godliness are found only in union with Christ by the indwelling of His Spirit. “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” This is the distinguishing mark of every redeemed sinner—born not of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:13). It is by sovereign grace in the LORD Jesus Christ alone that the Spirit dwells in us, testifying that we belong to Christ and that Christ dwells in us. Let us therefore rejoice in the Spirit’s witness and work, knowing that “ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.” Blessed be God, Who hath made us saved creatures in Christ, and sealed us unto the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30).