(James Smith, “The Way of Salvation Set Forth”)

Unconverted reader, did you ever consider that solemn text, “He who being often reproved and hardens his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy!” Proverbs 29:1. You have been often reproved, yet you delay; you have refused . . .

 to bow to God’s authority,

 to yield to His command,

 to embrace His mercy,

 to flee to the refuge He has provided,

 to seek and obtain the pardon which He promises.

Instead, you have hardened your neck. What if He should destroy you! What if He should destroy you suddenly! He can, for He is almighty! He may, for He has threatened! If He should, what a dreadful condition would you be in forever! Shut up in hopeless despair, and destroyed without remedy!

While you delay, you are in the greatest danger!

A person slumbering in a burning house,

a man sleeping on the edge of a precipice,

a blind man walking round the crater of a volcano

— is safe, in comparison with you!

Around you are kindling the quenchless flames of Hell,

you sleep on the brink of the bottomless pit,

you are in danger of plunging into that lake of glowing brimstone, where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth!

“But those enemies of Mine who did not want Me to be king over them — bring them here and kill them in front of Me!” Luke 19:27

“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God!” Hebrews 10:26-27  

Consider, consider seriously, that while you delay, God is your enemy — and He is angry with you every day! Every sin provokes God to anger — but no sin is so provoking as unbelief, because it calls God s liar. To have an absolute monarch for your enemy is bad enough — but to have God for your enemy is infinitely worse! “God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day. If He does not turn back, He will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it ready. He also prepares for Himself instruments of death; He makes His arrows into fiery shafts!” Psalm 7:11-13.

He waits to watch the conduct of delaying sinners, He gives them space for repentance, He is long-suffering toward them — but they will not turn.

He will sharpen His sword,

His bow is ready bent in His hand,

He has taken out His arrow from His quiver, and

the impenitent sinner is the mark at which He aims!

Will not His arrows pierce the heart?

Will they not inflict dreadful pains, and produce incurable wounds?

Will they not rankle and fester to all eternity.

If God wounds — then who can heal?

Think, dear reader, if you were shackled and placed before an assembled crowd, to be shot at with poisoned arrows, for injuring and insulting the king, and refusing his pardon — would not your case be dreadful?

But this would be nothing, compared with your present condition! You have insulted the God of mercy numberless times, in ten thousand ways; you have injured His creatures, you have joined yourself to His inveterate and determined foes! And He has offered you a pardon, not once or twice — but has waited years to see if you would accept it — but you have obstinately refused! And now justice, holy justice, demands that you be punished according to your deserts. Before assembled worlds, your folly will be published, and your sins will be proclaimed! And while God lives to punish, and justice remains unchanged — your sad, your just, your indescribable sufferings will continue!

To have God for ones enemy, is of all terrible things, the most terrible! Just look for one moment at His perfections, and see them all opposed to you.

If God is your enemy — then He is an Omnipotent enemy — and can you effectually oppose almighty power? He could crush you to atoms — but He will only punish you as justice demands. There is no cruelty in His nature — but there is dreadful inflexible justice.

If God is your enemy — then He is an Omniscient enemy! He . . .

 sees your heart,

 reads your thoughts,

 knows your motives,

 understands your designs, and

 penetrates the deepest recesses of your soul.

Can you deceive him? Never! There is not a thought in your heart — but He knows it altogether! Your whole history is before Him — the secret, as well as the public. His eye will pursue you, and rest upon you throughout eternity! Should you sink to the deepest depths of Hell — His eye will rest upon you, and pierce your inmost soul. There is something very fearful in the thought of God’s eye resting upon the lost soul forever, flashing conviction into the heart like the flashes of the fearful lightning.

If God is your enemy — then He is an Omnipresent enemy. As every sin was committed in His presence — so every pain must be endured in His presence. The sense of His presence in Hell, will be very different to our sense of His presence on earth. It will be fearful! It will be very dreadful! He is ever present — how then can you flee from Him? Where can you go? Where can you hide? What will conceal you from an ever present God!

O hasten to His throne of grace,

flee into the open arms of His mercy,

submit at once at His footstool — and

His omnipresence shall be your joy, your safeguard, and your refuge!

If God is your enemy — then He will be strictly Righteous. He will take no bribe. He will violate no principle of His government. He will never forget or rescind one threatening recorded in His word. Your just wages shall be paid — no more, no less. He now mingles mercy with His judgments — but there will be no mercy then. He is now emphatically “The merciful God,” but He will not be so then.

Mercy will then give place to justice,

grace will then give place to equity,

and love will then give place to wrath —

in the experience of the lost soul.

If God is your enemy — then you will have an Eternal enemy. He can never die. From everlasting to everlasting, He is God. If only man were your enemy — he might die; and his death may work a deliverance for you. But if God is your enemy, there is no hope! He ever lives, and while He lives — He must hate sin. And while He hates sin — He must punish the sinner! O fearful case! The eternal God is your enemy! He will be your enemy forever!

Now, reader, dwell for one moment upon the solemn thought:

God is my enemy!

I have an Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Righteous, Eternal enemy!

One from whom I cannot escape.

One whom it will be Hell to face.

One whom my conscience will forever justify, while suffering the most dreadful torments.  

Shall I rush upon the sword of His justice — or run into the arms of His mercy?

Think, delaying sinner. Pause, and say to yourself,

“I am under the curse and wrath of God.

If I die in this state I shall die . . .

 without mercy,

 without pity, and

 without hope.

My sins are all recorded in God’s book,

  I am unpardoned and unblessed,

  Satan is my father and my god,

  and Hell is my everlasting home!

All creation will despise me.

All in Heaven will frown upon me.

All in Hell will eternally upbraid me.

No one will respect or sympathize with me.

I shall forever lie under the burning wrath of God — a curse and eternal execration!”

Unconverted reader!

Sickness is coming!

Death is coming!

Judgment is coming!

Eternity is just at hand!

The Psalmist once said “If not for God,where would i have been ?”

The christian is like a soldier fighting in the midst of a landfills laced with hidden explosives in every square meter he walks.

God of righteous Enoch has not changed,He still bestows His righteousness on many today.

To the believer who has signed up for heaven,his daily life is battle,battle,battle.

I want to say,reader that we are been constantly besieged on every front today,Satan and his workers are deploring every arsenal against the believer today,from busy schedules,to sin on TV ,internet and newspapers,tempting work colleagues,friends and even our own families,everywhere we turn today we see change and decay,sin is been normalized and righteousness demonized,we are been offered humongous options inorder that we may sell our soul.

Christian,we are been besieged,the enemy has carefully surrounded us in every front,we are at war. We are at war with ourselves,the world and the devil. This is the battle for our souls, our eternity and unless we are upheld by His invisible arm,we must suffer defeat.

Dear reader,do not get too busy as not to always place your life under this divine arm,God is sufficient for our battles,in all you do,remember His Invisible arms.

Man that is born of a woman,his days are few and full of troubles

A man once erected a sculpture in honour of his son who died in his infancy,he wrote in his epitaph,

“Though i am sorrowful for your demise”

“We are glad that you have escaped the troubles of this world”

A man working in the UN once approached a popular preacher,he said “We have tried so hard to unite nations,to solve human problems but we have failed miserably”.

There is trouble everywhere,there is famine,hunger,wars,terrorism,drugs,crime,unemployment,depression,divorce,firearms and lots more than threaten the human race today but of all these,humans themselves are the greatest threat to human existence everywhere.

There is trouble in our homes,trouble in our streets,trouble in the office,trouble in our nation,trouble even in the church,we are grappling with more than we can ever happen but where did all troubles began,what happened,can we find a cure,can we find peace in the midst of these troubles.

Man knew no trouble,he dwelt in the estate of utopia,perfect peace was what characterized his life,he lived day to day knowing no trouble but he was not careful as to live within the confines of laid down laws.

He lived in God country,sustained by God’s providence and ruled by God;s laws but one day he acted against the laws of the country,the king in that country felt slighted and insulted by his actions and banished him forever out of his country,before he left he took away his priviledges and blessings and pronounced on him the curse of troubles upon troubles.

Thousands of years went by but one thing sticked with man: that thing was trouble.

He did all he could,yet trouble continued with him,he tried religion,still trouble did not go,h gave education and philosophy a try,it even worsened his trouble,he sought relief in things like success,drugs,pleasure but they were all mirage.

One day,the King decided to come to the rescue of man,he sent his “only son” to come correct the situation and restore the relationship he onced had with the King.

This He died at the expense of His life,why he did not take trouble entirely from the human race,he brought peace and restoration to those who will accept His offer.

Reader,that King is God,His Son is Jesus and the Man is you and i,if you accept his wonderful gift of life,He will give you His peace and help you through your troubles.

(Jonathan Edwards, “Spiritual Pride”)

“I hate pride and arrogance!” Proverbs 8:13

“The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure

of this: They will not go unpunished.” Prov. 16:5

Pride is a person having too high an opinion

of himself.

Pride is the first sin that ever entered into the

universe, and the last sin that is rooted out.

Pride is the worst sin. It is the most secret of

all sins. There is no other matter in which the

heart is more deceitful and unsearchable. Alas,

how much pride the best have in their hearts!

Pride is God’s most stubborn enemy! There is no

sin so much like the devil as pride. It is a secret

and subtle sin, and appears in a great many

shapes which are undetected and unsuspected.

“I hate pride and arrogance!” Proverbs 8:13

“The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure

of this: They will not go unpunished.” Prov. 16:5

(Thomas Watson, “Body of Divinity“)

Behold here a sacred riddle or paradox—“God was manifest

in the flesh.” That man should be made in God’s image, was

a wonder—but that God should be made in man’s image, is

a greater wonder!

That the Ancient of Days—should be born;

that He who thunders in the heavens—should cry in the cradle;

that He who rules the stars—should suck the breast;

that Christ should be made of a woman—and of that

   woman which He Himself made;

that the mother should be younger than the child she bore;

this is the most astonishing miracle! “God was manifest in

the flesh” is a mystery we shall never fully understand until

we come to heaven, when our light shall be clear, as well as

our love perfect.

“He humbled Himself and became obedient to

death—even death on a cross!” Philippians 2:8

“God made Him who had no sin—to be sin for us!”

2 Corinthians 5:21

This was the lowest degree of Christ’s humiliation.

That Christ, who would not endure sin in the angels,

should endure to have sin imputed to Himself—is the

most amazing humility that ever was!

Christian! Learn to be humble! Do you see Christ humbling

Himself—and are you proud? It is the humble saint, who is

Christ’s picture! Christians, do not be proud of your fine

feathers! Have you an estate? Do not be proud. The earth

you tread on, is richer than you! It has mines of gold and

silver in its depths. Have you beauty? Do not be proud. It

is but water mingled with dirt! Have you skill and abilities?

Be humble. Lucifer has more knowledge than you! Have you

grace? Be humble. It is not of your own making—it was

given to you by God. You have more sin than grace; more

spots than beauty.

Oh look on Christ—this rare pattern of humility—and be

humbled! It is a sad sight, to see God humbling Himself

—and man exalting himself; to see a humble Savior—and

a proud sinner! God hates the very semblance of pride!

“I hate pride and arrogance!” Proverbs 8:13

“If God,” says Augustine, “did not spare the angels

when they grew proud; will He spare you—who are but dust and sin?”