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Here is the pastor's little blog for the attendees of Snow Prairie Bible Church. Devotions are posted as the Lord leads.
For visitors to Snow Praire- Our worship time is 10:45 A.M. Sunday School is at 9:30 A.M.
    
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Cross of Calvary by Charles Spurgeon From the cross of Calvary--where the bleeding hands of Jesus drop mercy--the cry comes, "Look unto Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth!" From Calvary's summit, where Jesus cries, "It is finished!" I hear a shout, "Look unto Me, and be saved!"
But there comes a vile cry from our soul, "No, look to yourself! Look to yourself!" Ah, look to yourself--and you will certainly be damned! As long as you look to yourself--there is no hope for you. It is not a consideration of what you are--but a consideration of what Christ is, that can save you. You must look away from yourself, and to Jesus! Oh! there are many who quite misunderstand the gospel; they think that their good works qualify them to come to Christ; whereas SIN is the only qualification for man to come to Jesus! "It is not the healthy who need a doctor--but the sick!" Matthew 9:12
Choice Fruits by Alistair Begg Choice fruits, new as well as old, which I have laid up for you, O my beloved.-- Song of Solomon 7:13
The spouse desires to give to Jesus all that she produces. Our heart has all kinds of "choice fruits, new as well as old," and they are reserved for our Beloved. In this rich autumn season of fruitfulness, let us survey our supplies. We have new fruits. We desire to feel new life, new joy, new gratitude; we wish to make new resolves and carry them out by new endeavors; our heart blossoms with new prayers, and our soul is committing herself to new efforts. But we also have some old fruits. There is the choice fruit of our first love, and Jesus delights in it. There is our first faith - that simple faith by which, having nothing, we became possessors of everything. There is our joy when we first met the Lord: Let us revive it. We have our old memories of the promises. How faithful has God been! In sickness, how kindly He made our bed! In deep waters, how gently He picked us up! In the flaming furnace, how graciously He delivered us. Old fruits indeed! We have many of them, for His mercies have been more than the hairs of our head. Old sins we must regret, but then we have had repentances that He has given us, by which we have wept our way to the cross and learned the merit of His blood. We have fruits, this morning, both new and old; but here is the point–they are all laid up for Jesus. Without question the best and most acceptable services are those in which Jesus is the solitary aim of the soul, and His glory is the focus of all our endeavors. Let our many fruits be laid up only for Him; let us display them when He is with us, and not use them to draw attention to ourselves. Jesus, we will turn the key in our garden door, and no one will enter to rob You of one good fruit from the soil that You have watered with Your grace. All that we are and have shall be Yours, Yours alone, O Jesus, our Beloved!
If we live by the spirit, let us also walk by the spirit. by Alistair Begg The two most important things in our Christian journey are the life of faith and the walk of faith. The person who grasps this is not far from being a master in experimental [experiential] theology, for they are vital points to a Christian. You will never find true faith unaccompanied by true godliness; on the other hand, you will never discover a truly holy life that does not have at its root a living faith relying upon the righteousness of Christ. Woe to those who seek the one without the other! There are some who cultivate faith and forget holiness; these may be very high in orthodoxy, but they shall be very deep in condemnation, for they hold the truth in unrighteousness! There are others who have strained after a holy life but have denied the faith, like the Pharisees of old, of whom the Master said they were "whitewashed tombs."1 We must have faith, for this is the foundation; we must have holiness of life, for this is the superstructure. What use is the mere foundation of a building to a man on the day of tempest? Can he hide himself in it? He needs a house to cover him as well as a foundation for that house. Even so we need the superstructure of spiritual life if we want comfort in the day of doubt. But do not seek a holy life without faith, for that would be to erect a house that can provide no permanent shelter because it has no foundation on a rock. Let faith and life be put together, and like the two supports of an archway, they will make our devotion endure. Like light and heat streaming from the same sun, they are full of blessing. Like the two pillars of the temple, they are for glory and for beauty. They are two streams from the fountain of grace, two lamps lit with holy fire, two olive trees watered by heavenly care. Lord, give us today life internally, and it will reveal itself externally to Your glory.
Fantastic sermon clip of Alistair Begg...
Forgiveness 70 x 7 Recently, the terrorist who bombed a Pan-Am flight killing roughly 300 people was released and sent to his home in Libya. He had not earned an early release but rather was granted it as an act of mercy as he currently has a terminal illness. Understandably, many people were upset. He had done nothing to deserve this act of mercy and his sins were great. I can’t help but think, how very much like all of us in the sight of God. Our sins are many, and we did not deserve God’s mercy, yet he gave it anyway. The Bible says that “God showed his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 While we were still guilty and in our sins, God extended his mercy to us…not unlike the Scottish judge did to the dying terrorist. As humans, it is hard to want to show mercy to this man and I’m not even saying he should have been let out. I am simply asserting, that the mercy shown him is a lot like the mercy God shows us in that it is unmerited and undeserved. That is why the Bible says- “It is by grace you are saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, not of works so that no man may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 Another lesson to be learned from the released terrorist is this- many folks on the news, I’m assuming, family of the victims, said they would never forgive him. I was very sad when I heard that because that means those folks could realistically end up in hell along with the terrorist. The Bible is clear on the issue of forgiveness- “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Certainly, God couldn’t expect us to forgive a terrorist? Yes, he could and does. That doesn’t mean the terrorist doesn’t have to face justice, his crimes merit a punishment, but we are required to forgive all men their sins against us. Look at what Jesus said- “Forgive us our sins AS we forgive those who sin against us.” Matthew 6:12 That petition from the Lord’s prayer asks God to forgive us in the same way we forgive men their sins against us. In other words, don’t expect God to do for you what you won’t do for others. If God, being holy and perfect, can forgive our sins, shouldn’t we who are sinful and imperfect forgive fellow sinful and imperfect people? But what if a person keeps sinning against us? Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Matthew 18:21-22 Jesus’ answer was not placing a limit of 490 times. Seven was a number of completeness to the Jews. Saying “seventy times seven” was a way of saying, “forgive as many times as is needed.” God forgives all who come to Him. Should we as his followers do any less?
Be Not Afraid by A.W. Tozer NO ONE CAN BLAME PEOPLE for being afraid. The world is in for a baptism of fire, and whether or not this present conflict is the beginning of the ordeal, such a baptism will surely come sooner or later. God declares this by the voice of all the holy prophets since time began – there is no escaping it. But are not we Christians a people of another order? Do we not claim a place in the purpose of God altogether above the uncertainties of time and chance in which the sons of this world are caught? Have we not been given a prophetic preview off all those things that are to come upon the earth? Can anything take us unaware? Surely Bible-reading Christians should be the last persons on earth to give way to hysteria. They are redeemed from their past offenses, kept in their present circumstances by the power of an all-powerful God, and their future is safe in His hands. God has promised to support them in the flood, protect them in the fire, feed them in famine, shield them against their enemies, hide them in His safe chambers until the indignation is past and receive them at last into eternal tabernacles. If we are called upon to suffer, we may be perfectly sure that we shall be rewarded for every pain and blessed for every tear. Underneath will be the Everlasting Arms and within will be the deep assurance that all is well with our souls. Nothing can separate us from the love of God – not death, nor life, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature. This is a big old world, and it is full of the habitations of darkness, but nowhere in its vast expanse is there one thing of which a real Christian need be afraid. Surely a fear-ridden Christian has never examined his or her defenses. A fear-stricken church cannot help a scared world. We who are in the secret place of safety must begin to talk and act like it. We, above all who dwell upon the earth, should be calm, hopeful, buoyant and cheerful. We'll never convince the scared world that there is peace at the Cross if we continue to exhibit the same fears as those who make no profession of Christianity.
WHAT IS THE GOSPEL? What is the gospel itself but a merciful moderation, in which Christ's obedience is esteemed ours, and our sins laid upon him, wherein God, from being a judge, becomes our Father, pardoning our sins and accepting our obedience, though feeble and blemished? We are now brought to heaven under the covenant of grace by a way of love and mercy. It will prove a special help to know distinctly the difference between the covenant of works and the covenant of grace, between Moses and Christ. Moses, without any mercy, breaks all bruised reeds, and quenches all smoking flax. For the law requires personal, perpetual and perfect obedience from the heart, and that under a most terrible curse, but gives no strength. It is a severe taskmaster, like Pharaoh's, requiring the whole tale of bricks and yet giving no straw. Christ comes with blessing after blessing, even upon those whom Moses had cursed, and with healing balm for those wounds which Moses had made. The same duties are required in both covenants, such as to love the Lord with all our hearts and with all our souls (Deut. 6:5). In the covenant of works, this must be fulfilled absolutely, but under the covenant of grace it must have an evangelical mitigation. A sincere endeavor proportionable to grace received is accepted (and so it must be understood of Josiah, and others, when it is said they did that which was right in the sight of the Lord). The law is sweetened by the gospel, and becomes delightful to the inner man (Rom. 7:22). Under this gracious covenant, sincerity is perfection. This is the death in the pot of the Roman religion, that they confound the two covenants, and it deadens the comfort of drooping ones that they cannot distinguish them. And thus they suffer themselves to be held under bondage when Christ has set them free, and stay in the prison when Christ has set open the doors before them. --Richard Sibbes, "The Bruised Reed," pgs. 36-37
True to convictions by Charles Spurgeon In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (Isaiah 26:1-3, KJV) Be you determined that if others do as they please, you are not accountable for their action; but you will do what you believe to be right. If you are a Christian, go through with it; be a follower of Christ in every respect as far as the Word of God and your conscience lead you. I found that the habit of beginning to think for myself and to follow my convictions was useful to me, and it has been useful to me to this day; and at this moment, before the living God, I am able to stand on my feet, to lean neither on this man nor that, but only on that eternal arm which support any man and every man who, in the sight of God, determines to follow the truth wherever it may lead him. Now, I earnestly pray every Christian person here, especially at the beginning of life, to look well to this matter, for the joy of your life, the peace of your life, the inward rest of your life, will much depend under God upon your being faithful to your convictions in every point God shall help you. The great King Himself seems to say tonight, “Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me” (Psalm 101:6, KJV). He is the man whom I will pick out as My servant. (Charles Spurgeon, At the Master’s Feet)
Faith Enough Just a short thought on faith. Very often I hear Christians say something like "I wish I had enough faith to witness to people" or "I wish I had enough faith to be bold for Jesus." You do have enough faith because it doesn't take much. Look what Jesus said in Luke- The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you. A mustard seed that Jesus spoke of was not of a mustard plan that we think of but of a tree indigenous to the middle east and its seed was the SMALLEST of all seeds in that part of the world. So what should we take from that? If you have the tiniest inkling of faith, you can move mountains! It is not an issue of whether or not you as a Christian have enough faith, but rather, are you willing to use the faith you have?!?!
Motive is important A.W. Tozer THE BIG QUESTION AT LAST WILL not be so much, "What did you do?" but "Why did you do it?" In moral acts, motive is everything. Of course it is important to do the right thing, but it is still more important to do the right thing for a right reason. Intention is a large part of the action, whether done by good or bad people. The man who wills his enemy dead has, in the eyes of God, killed him already. "Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Not the overt act, but the will and the intention constitute the guilt. Any act performed for an evil or selfish purpose is a bad act no matter how good it may in itself seem. Any act done out of love is a good act, even if through ignorance or failure the outcome is not found to be good for the one concerned. A Christian mother, for instance, who rises in the small hours of the morning to care for a sick child only because she loves it and wishes it well is performing a good act even if in her ignorance she may actually harm the child by failing to care for it properly. And the mother who would rise in cold anger to look after a child she hated would be performing a bad act even if her superior skill enabled her to care for it well. We should carefully consider our motives...for the Judge knows the thoughts and intents of the heart.
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