SPIRITUAL MORSELS

“Sin may open bright as the morning, but it will end dark as the night.” T.DeWitt Talmadge as quoted by R.G. Lee in “Bread from Bellevue Oven.”

“A man by his sin may waste himself, which is to waste that which on earth is most like God.” A.W. Tozer in “Gems from Tozer.”

“Prayer and sinning will never live together in the same heart. Prayer will consume sin, or sin will choke prayer. I cannot forget this. I look at men’s lives. I believe that few pray.” J.C. Ryle in “A Call to Prayer.”

“When a man is savingly changed, he is deeply convinced not only of the danger, but of the defilement of sin; and O, how earnest is he with God to be purified. He loathes himself for his sins. He runs to Christ, and casts himself into the fountain set open for him and for uncleanness. If he fall, what a stir is there to get all clean again! He has no rest until he flees to the Word, and washes, and rubs and rinses in the infinite fountain, labouring to cleanse himself from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit.” Joseph Alleine in “Alarm to the Unconverted.”

NOT BY CHANCE

"All things work together for good to them that love God..." (Romans 8:28)

When a shepherd leads his flock over a narrow ledge, with a cliff on one side and a chasm on the other, the sheep have no choice but to follow him along the only path. In the same way, the Lord sometimes surrounds us with so many obstacles that we can't turn to the right, to the left, or even around. The Israelites, after leaving Egypt, would not have ventured to cross the Red Sea if the Egyptians had not been pursuing them. The Apostle Paul and his co-workers would never have gone to Europe to preach the Gospel if the Holy Spirit had not restricted their entrance to other areas. We would not have all the valuable letters Paul wrote if he had not been imprisoned. In our personal life it is easy to recall many incidents when circumstances forced us to do something that did not appear to be the best. We must not forget, however, that these circumstances don't happen by chance, but according to the will of the all-powerful and very loving God.

Copied from Herald of Truth, 1978 (underground magazine of the Evangelical Christian Baptists of the USSR, before communism was brought down in Russia).

(Compiled by Charles Woodruff)

DO YOU KNOW CHRIST BY PERSONAL REVELATION?

BY W.F. BELL

“He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:15-17).

The most important question you could ever be asked is simply this: Do you in reality know the living Christ? The question is not, Are you religious? — Are you a church member? — Do you read the Bible? You may be very religious, yet not know Christ in the heart. You may be a loyal church member, a regular reader of God’s Word, a person who “says” their prayers, or one who loves to study religious books and doctrine. But, these soul-searching questions still remain —Have you ever seen yourself a lost, vile sinner before a Holy God? Have you ever been stripped of your self-righteousness and laid low in the dust of humility? Have you ever viewed by faith the glorious person of the Lord Jesus Christ, all because of a direct and personal revelation to you of God the Holy Ghost?

Sinner friend, I plead with you to not be deceived. Do not rest in your religious creeds, your attendance of religious worship, your so-called righteous acts. Rest only in Christ! Look only to him! Be not content with any religion if Christ is not the center and substance of it! Do not be deceived by man-made religion! Seek that which comes by divine revelation, as that which Simon Peter had in the opening Scripture. Simon was blessed to know who Christ was by a personal revelation to him of God the Father! This must also be true of us.

If Christ Jesus is not known to you by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, He is not known as the very wellspring of blessedness to the soul. If you only know Jesus by no more than the world knows, than the learned among men know, you have not the real blessing. If you only know the Lord of glory by what you have found out yourself, in reading or in talking to others, unaided by the Father’s drawing power, you are not blessed with true salvation. If you know no more of Christ than what flesh and blood has revealed to you, you are nothing more than a Pharisee or Sadducee — religious, but lost without God — a separatist or a rationalist, but not a recipient of revelation and regeneration. May the eternal Jehovah reveal to you your true and undone condition before Him!

Among the vast religious throngs of this earth there is to be found the true people of God. These chosen of the Father are also redeemed by the Son, and quickened by the Spirit. The elect of God know by deep acknowledgment of their sin that they are blind and ignorant by nature. The true children of God have been made humble; they confess their total dependence upon the grace and mercy of Christ, and place their entire confidence and faith in His meritorious righteousness and shed blood. In the Lord Jesus Christ alone do “We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

Reader, what do you know of this once-crucified, yet now living Christ? Does His name bring gladness to your heart? Do you love the fragrance of His Person? Is He more than just a religious leader to you? Beware of misty and cloudy views of King Jesus! Beware that you only have a head knowledge of Him! Make sure that Christ is your Surety, your Substitute, your Sacrifice, your Saviour. Beware of any religion which belittles Him, or that does not exalt Him as the only way to God. Do you believe in Jesus by an inward discernment of Him? Do you clearly see Him as the Son of man and the Son of God? Is He definitely your Lord and Saviour, your propitiation (satisfaction) before God? If you know Him thus you have not learned this by the instruction of men. You have had a direct and personal revelation made to you and in you by the Father concerning who Jesus Christ really is (Gal 1:16).

It is only when the Lord Himself deals with you, taking you in His powerful hand, that you are truly taught who Christ is. You may have heard about Jesus, but you only know Him as “the Son of the living God” when illuminated and quickened by God the Spirit. Jesus came forth from God, and the power to know Christ comes forth from God also. If you have Christ, you have the new birth! If you have Christ, you have eternal life! If you have not Christ, you have nothing but dead, lifeless, counterfeit religion! Said our blessed Master: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him” (John 6:44). May divine power draw you this day, poor sinner! May you see Christ in all His beauty! May you come to worship and serve only Him!

Christ is to be seen, but in the light which He Himself supplies. May that light shine unto you even now, and to our glorious God be all the glory!

NEVER SEPARATED FROM GOD

BY CHARLES SPURGEON

"And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believeth thou this?" (John 11:26).

Yes, LORD, we believe it; we shall never die. Our soul may be separated from our body, and this is death of a kind; but our soul shall never be separated from God, which is the true death -- the death which was threatened to sin -- the death penalty which is the worst that can happen. We believe this most assuredly, for who shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our LORD? We are members of the Body of Christ; will Christ lose parts of His Body? We are married to Jesus; will He be bereaved and widowed? It is not possible. There is a life within us which is not capable of being divided from God: yea, and the Holy Spirit dwells within us, and how then can we die? Jesus, Himself, is our life, and therefore there is no dying for us, for He cannot die again, In Him we died unto sin once, and the capital sentence cannot a second time be executed. Now we live, and live forever. The reward of righteousness is life everlasting, and we have nothingless than the righteousness of God, and therefore can claim the very highest reward. Living and believing, we believe that we shall live and enjoy. Wherefore we press forward with full assurance that our life is secure in our living Head.
(From Faith's Checkbook for July 11)

THE FOURTH OF JULY!

BY BOB MCCURRY

The Declaration of Independence was approved JULY 4, 1776.

John Hancock signed first, saying "the price on my head has just doubled."

Benjamin Franklin said "We must hang together or most assuredly we shall hang separately."

When Samuel Adams signed the Declaration, he said:

"We have this day restored the Sovereign to whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come."

John Adams said:

"I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty."

John Adams continued:

"I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost to maintain this Declaration and support and defend these states.

Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means.

And that Posterity will triumph in that day's transaction, even though we should rue it, which I trust in God we shall not."

The Book of Abigail and John: Selected Letters of the Adams Family, 1762-1784, Harvard University Press, 1975, 142.

And now some history:

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors,

and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army;

another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or

hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes,

and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.

Eleven were merchants,

nine were farmers and large plantation owners;

men of means, well educated,

but they signed the Declaration of Independence

knowing full well that the penalty would be death

If they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and

trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the

British Navy. He sold his home and properties to

pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British

that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.

He served in the Congress without pay, and his family

was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him,

and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer,

Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown , Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that

the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson

home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General

George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed,

and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.

The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying.

Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill

were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests

and caves, returning home to find his wife dead

and his children vanished.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and

thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember:

Freedom is never free!

I hope you will send this to as many people as you can, please.

It's time we get the word out that patriotism

is not a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than

picnics and baseball games.

Remember:

“Righteousness exalteth a nation:

but sin is a reproach to any people.”

Prov 14:34

Wake-up, Pastors! Wake-Up, Christians!

______________________________________________

The Wake-Up Herald is published by Robert McCurry. The publication is designed to exalt the true God of the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ, and inform, inspire, and challenge its readers regarding biblical truth and real-life issues. The contents are the sole responsibility of Robert McCurry and do not represent or speak for or on behalf of any other person or group. There is no subscription charge. The publication is a ministry of faith and dependent on the contributions of its readers. Contributions are not tax-deductible. Send all correspondence to: Robert McCurry, 605 Moore Rd Newnan, GA 30263 or herbap@aol.com

Note from Charles Woodruff:

(Using the above contact addresses, Brother McCurry will be glad to hear from you and place you on his mailing list or email list to receive The Wake-Up Herald. He always has some interesting information to share such as in today’s publication).

I remember when Pastor McCurry first published most of this information around 35 years ago. It was a help and blessing then to me and my family, and still is now. I hope that it is a help to you to see what the founders of our country sacrificed to give us that we now see slipping away. Most of them were Christians, and where not so, gave honor and respect man’s right to worship God.

If you are going to tell me that it was God, not man, that gave us this free republic, I will certainly agree. He did, and as He has so often done in history (as in the case of William Tyndale, Martin Luther, John Calvin, George Whitefield and many others, He has used men and women in His purpose. He is still doing so, and as we see the demise and destruction of this republic before our very eyes, may we remember that God judges sin and rebellion! May it drive us to our knees to pray for a turnaround. May God help us!

(Published and forwarded July 4, 2009)