Grace Audio Treasures

So deplorable a state! Charles Spurgeon 1 Corinthians 2:1, "When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God." Many pastors have grown 'professional' in their service, and preach like automatons, wound up for a sermon, to run down when the discourse is over. They have little more care for the souls of men, than if they were so much dirt! Too many pastors are fascinated with . . . technical trifles about words, fancies of speculation, or fopperies of oratory. God forgive us if we have fallen into so deplorable a state! "For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people." Romans 16:18

Ephesians 5:2, "Christ loved us, and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God!" In the sin-atoning sufferings and death of Christ, we behold the most astonishing exhibition of divine love that has ever been manifested to a lost world. Such love as is here displayed, is without a precedent. Yes, without a parallel in the annals of time, or in the records of eternity. To behold the Son of God, the Maker of worlds, bowing His head on the cross, and yielding up His immaculate soul amid the agonies of death, is the most amazing, the most affecting, the most melting sight that mortals ever witnessed! Around the Cross of Christ shine the most resplendent rays of divine love that ever beamed from the Sun of Righteousness--that ever emanated from the Deity. O, my soul, behold and wonder! Behold your Savior bleeding on the cruel cross! See Him bleeding from His head, His hands, His feet, His heart--that your sins might be washed away in the flowing stream! See Him pouring out His soul unto death for your salvation! Is not this a manifestation of unparalleled love to you? Christ's suffering and dying for us is a great mystery--a mystery of unfathomable love! How vehement was the love of Christ, that led Him to endure death in its most terrible form, even the death of the cross! Such is the love of Christ. All the waters of affliction and suffering; all the billows of divine wrath that rolled over our blessed Redeemer, were not sufficient to quench the ardency of that love which He felt for His beloved people! ". . . the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me!" Galatians 2:20

Psalm 112 Verse 1 Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. Verse 2 His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Verse 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Verse 4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. Verse 5 Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. Verse 6 Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. Verse 7 He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. Verse 8 His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. Verse 9 He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor. Verse 10 The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

A feast for the worms! Thomas Boston "Like sheep, they are led to the grave, where death will be their shepherd. Their bodies will rot in the grave, far from their grand estates." Psalm 49:14 Do not value yourselves on your beauty, which "will rot in the grave." Remember the change which death makes on the fairest face, "You always overpower them, and then they pass from the scene. You disfigure them in death and send them away." Job 14:20 Death makes the greatest beauty so loathsome, that it must be buried out of sight! And what though the body is gorgeously arrayed? The finest clothes are but badges of our sin and shame; and in a little time will be exchanged for a shroud, when the body will become a feast for the worms!

Frequent mingling with the professing church (Stephen Tyng, "Christ is All") The professing church is characterized by a worldly, covetous and frivolous spirit; which is manifested by distressing acts of inconsistency and folly. Far too often, when the true Christian associates with those within the professed communion of the followers of Christ, he is met with a low standard of personal piety. Frequent mingling with the professing church very rarely promotes, and far more frequently hinders--the growth of grace in the true Christian's heart. Much experience of this impediment to holiness, compels him to retreat, as often as possible, from the professing church, to seek for strength and refreshment at home, in secret with his Lord.

There is no greater wonder in all the universe than this: that the infinitely holy Son of God would set His heart upon vile, guilty, Hell-deserving sinners. "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us!" Not when we were seeking Him. Not when we were repenting. Not when we were bettering ourselves. But while we were rebels, with hearts full of enmity against Him--He loved us still. (Romans 5:6, 8, 10) Paul, once a blasphemer and persecutor of Christ's church, could only marvel: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst!" (1 Timothy 1:15). So it is with all who have been given eyes to see their corruption, and hearts to feel their need. When we know ourselves rightly, we are utterly astonished that Jesus would save such ungodly ones as ourselves. Our salvation was not the fruit of our seeking, but of His. "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save those who are lost!" (Luke 19:10). It was the overflowing of His sovereign, unmerited love. Dead in sin, blind in mind, corrupt in heart—yet He loved us, and by His great mercy made us spiritually alive. (Ephesians 2:4–5). What love is this, that stooped so low? "He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities." (Isaiah 53:5). The pure and spotless Lamb bore the filth and condemnation of our sin. He who knew no sin, was made sin for us, "so that in Him, we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21). It was not out of obligation, but out of sheer grace. "When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy." (Titus 3:4–5). Christian! Jesus loved you before the world b

The gospel is not human counsel, a moral code, or religious sentiment. It is the divine proclamation that the thrice-holy God saves guilty sinners—freely, sovereignly, and eternally—through the sin-atoning death of Jesus on the cruel cross. It is the gospel of grace: unmerited, unprovoked, and unconditional. Grace authored salvation in eternity past. Grace sent the eternal Son, clothed in frail humanity. Grace . . . sustained Him in Gethsemane, nailed Him to the cross, and raised Him in triumph! That same grace now . . . calls the unworthy, convicts the hard-hearted, converts the dead in sin, and preserves them to the end. The gospel lays man in the dust, and crowns Christ with glory. It shuts every mouth, and opens hearts to worship. It declares with finality, that salvation is of the Lord—from beginning to end. The condemned are pardoned. The dead are made alive. Rebels are adopted as sons and daughters. Let us . . . proclaim it with boldness, treasure it with reverence, and walk in its power daily. In the hands of the omnipotent Spirit, the gospel is God's gracious message that saves un-deserving, ill-deserving, and Hell-deserving sinners! The Gospel is the refuge of the desperate, the song of the redeemed, and the everlasting praise of Heaven. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!

Psalm 32:8, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." Left to ourselves, we are blind wanderers in the maze of this world—inclined to err, and unable to discern the way. But the Lord, in His wondrous mercy, does not abandon His people to their own devices. He is our Shepherd, wise and watchful, ever guiding those who trust in Him. His direction comes through the unchanging truths of His Word, the inner witness of His Spirit, the workings of His providence, and often through the godly counsel of those who walk closely with Him. His leading is never hurried, never late, always tender, and always sure. Sometimes He brings us beside quiet waters--at other times He takes us through the valley of deep shadows. Yet in every season, His purpose stands—to conform us to Christ and to glorify His Name. "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight!" Proverbs 3:6 Often, His guidance is veiled in delay, or revealed through a closed door. But He is never mistaken, never indifferent, never unaware. By withholding immediate answers, He teaches us to not lean on our understanding, but to rest in His perfect wisdom. His call is not merely to know the path—but to trust the Guide. So then, believer, walk in quiet confidence. Fix your gaze on your infallible Shepherd. Hear His voice in the Scriptures. Seek His face in prayer. He will never mislead you—for He is the unfailing God, infinitely wise, perfectly good, and sovereign over every step you take. "You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory." Psalm 73:24 "In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed

Romans 8:32, "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" God is the fountainhead of all goodness. Every breath we take, every drop of rain, every morsel of food, every kindness we taste, every joy we experience, every provision we receive—flow from His sovereign grace. He gives, not because He must, but because it pleases Him to do so. All that is good originates in Him, and apart from Him, there is no good at all. He grants the gift of life and sustains it with breath. He bestows family, health, daily bread, and shelter. Yet these temporal blessings, however generous, pale in comparison to the spiritual riches which He lavishes upon His people in His beloved Son: election, redemption, regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification! These gifts are never random. They are sovereignly appointed, wisely measured, and lovingly given. Sometimes God's gift is joy--and at other times His gift is sorrow. Sometimes it is abundance--and other times affliction. But always, they are suited to the eternal good of those who love Him. All His gifts serve His purpose—to conform us to the image of His darling Son, and to magnify the glory of His grace. How then should we respond? With awe. With gratitude. With humble trust. "What do you have, that you did not receive?" 1 Corinthians 4:7. Everything we possess is a trust from God, to be used for His glory and the good of others. We are God's stewards, not owners of all the good things He has blessed us with. He gives freely, fully, and forever. The gift of His Son is the fountain of every other gift. In Him are hidden all the treasures

Matthew 25:41, "Then He will say to those on His left: Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!" The curse of God is no empty threat--it is the solemn declaration of His inflexible holiness and righteousness. It proceeds not from cruelty, but from His perfect justice. As His blessings are tokens of mercy towards every redeemed saint, so His curses are expressions of His holy wrath against every unbelieving sinner. From birth, every soul stands beneath this dreadful sentence, "All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God!" Not merely gross wickedness, but every failure to love the Lord wholly and perfectly, places the sinner under condemnation. God's Word demands uninterrupted and entire obedience--and anything less invokes His curse. Yet in the midst of such terrifying truth, shines the wonder of redeeming grace: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, by becoming a curse for us!" Galatians 3:13 The weight of Divine wrath fell upon the spotless Lamb! The sword of vengeance was sheathed in His holy soul. He bore what we deserved--so that we might be pardoned, justified, and made heirs of eternal life. Believers! We were once dead in our transgressions and sins, in which we used to live when we followed our father Satan, and the evil ways of this world. Like the perishing people around us, we were by nature children of wrath, and on our way to eternal perdition! But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, saved us by His wondrous grace! Such a marvelous salvation should strip us of all pride, and fill us with reverent awe and unceasing gratitude. Since we are saved by grace alone