HE CAME; HE IS COMING- CHARLES SPURGEON

"This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11).

Many are celebrating our LORD's first coming this day; let us turn our thoughts to the promise of His second coming. This is as sure as the first advent and derives a great measure of its certainty from it. He who came as a lowly man to serve will assuredly come to take the reward of His service. He who came to suffer will not be slow in coming to reign. This is our glorious hope, for we shall share His joy. Today we are in our concealment and humiliation, even as He was while here below; but when He cometh it will be our manifestation, even as it will be His revelation. Dead saints shall live at His appearing. The slandered and despised shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Then shall the saints appear as kings and priests, and the days of their mourning shall be ended. The long rest and inconceivable splendor of the millennial reign will be an abundant recompense for the ages of witnessing and warring. Oh, that the LORD would come! He is coming! He is on the road and traveling quickly. The sound of His approach should be as music to our hearts! Ring out, ye bells of hope!
(from Faith's Checkbook for December 25th)

WORLD CONCORD- CHARLES SPURGEON

"And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:4).

Oh, that these happy times were come! At present the nations are heavily armed and are inventing weapons more and more terrible, as if the chief end of man could only be answered by destroying myriads of his fellows. Yet peace will prevail one day; yes, and so prevail that the instruments of destruction shall be beaten into other shapes and used for better purposes. How will this come about? By trade? By civilization? By arbitration? We do not believe it. Past experience forbids our trusting to means so feeble. Peace will be established only by the reign of the Prince of Peace. He must teach the people by His Spirit, renew their hearts by His grace, and reign over them by His supreme power, and then will they cease to wound and kill. Man is a monster when once his blood is up, and only the LORD Jesus can turn this lion into a lamb. By changing man's heart, his bloodthirsty passions are removed. Let every reader of this book of promises offer special prayer today to the LORD and Giver of Peace that He would speedily put an end to war and establish concord over the whole world.
( From Faith's Checkbook for December 15th)

CAN THE ELECT BE DECEIVED?--W.F. BELL

SCRIPTURE MEDITATIONS by W.F. BELL

Matthew 24:24; Titus 1:2; 2 Peter 3:13

All those that God had foreordained,

These shall and must believe;

Not all the craft of earth or hell

Shall one of these deceive.

Daniel Herbert (1751-1833)

Our Lord Jesus Christ said, in His Olivet Discourse, "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect" (Matthew 24:24). We live in a world of "false" things, but there is only one true Christ (Messiah), who is also God's true Prophet to sinners, and He said, "if possible, even the elect." But that means it is NOT possible. Ours is a day filled with those who aspire to do "great signs and wonders," religiously, socially, and politically. But the question is, Can one single soul chosen by God be finally and fatally deceived? Can one of God's precious elect be lost? Can even one of Christ's sheep ultimately perish?

What about false preachers and false teachings that the elect hear? Will this deceive them? What about Arminianism and the boastings of those who exalt man's so-called "free will"? Suppose God's elect are wrapped up in false churches or mistaught in certain things, does this damn them? Or, what if those "chosen in Christ" do not hear the gospel of grace preached by a sovereign grace preacher, are they condemned still? Think through this, beloved. Remember, "deception" is in the world, and we must not think it is just confined to Muslims, or Hindus, or Buddhists, or Jews, or Mormons, etc.

No matter what our path is destined to be, if we are truly God's elect, we CANNOT be deceived, and this is our hope: "In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began" (Titus 1:2). If even a single one of God's elect fails to be glorified, then His promises are null and void. But, praise His name, "He cannot lie." By grace alone, we shall behold the glory of Christ in a coming perfect world of righteousness, "according to His promise" (2 Peter 3:13). As Herbert plainly wrote, "ALL those that God foreordained SHALL and MUST believe." And they "shall" believe on Christ, the only suitable and appointed Savior, for only "believers" in the Lord Jesus Christ have "eternal life" (John 6:47). There is great peace in knowing that "Not all the craft of earth or hell shall ONE of these deceive." See also John 10:28 and Romans 8:29-30. Hallelujah!

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

"O that the hand of mercy may now lead you to Christ." C. H. Spurgeon

THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT-TIM BELL

SCRIPTURE MEDITATIONS
2 Corinthians 1:3-11

I pray you've had a blessed Thanksgiving. I wanted to share a few encouraging verses from 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 about "The God of All Comfort." I think this passage is very appropriate during some challenging times.

In our small group alone we've experienced a recent death of an extended family member; we have several family members, or extended family members, with medical problems or illnesses; we have a pending job loss/change; we have one who is having to lay off workers; we have one starting a new job and considering a move; and we've had a prayer request for encouragement during spiritual dryness.

But God is the "God of all comfort" during our afflictions (verse 4). Why do we endure these afflictions? "So that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort that we ourselves are comforted by God." I pray that all of us will be comforted by these scriptures, and that others will see Christ in how we respond during our afflictions. Isn't it wonderful to know that others may be comforted by the comfort God has extended to us? Our current afflictions may very well be used by God to help others in similar circumstances down the road.

The affliction that Paul experienced in Asia (verse 8) was to make them not rely on themselves, but on "God who raises the dead" (verse 9). Brothers and sisters, our afflictions make us rely not on "ourselves," but on God. On Him we have set our hope (verse 10), "the Father of mercies and God of all comfort" (verse 3). Let's not rely on ourselves, but on Him!

How can you help someone who is afflicted today? Paul says (verse 11), "You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many." Let's love and help one another through prayer. Pray that the Father of mercies and God of all comfort will strengthen us, encourage us, and help us to endure our afflictions.

"For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too" (verse 5). Our hope is in Christ and He will deliver us -- let us always be prepared to share this hope we've been given. When afflictions come, may our hope be unshaken (verse 7), may we patiently endure (verse 6), and may we be comforted by these words, "He will deliver us again" (verse 10). We have a loving Father "who raises the dead" (verse 9). Amen!

QUOTE FOR THE DAY
"There is a multitude of tender mercies in God essentially, and all mercies are from God originally; mercy is His genuine offspring and His delight. All our comforts come from God, and our sweetest comforts are in Him." Matthew Henry