John R. Rice Quotes of the Week

Of itself prayerlessness is, I have no doubt, worse than murder, worse than adultery, worse than blasphemy. It is more fundamental. It more clearly reveals the heart. In fact, while murder, adultery and blasphemy may catch a person unaware, trapped by the carnal mind, prayerlessness is the very heart of the carnal mind itself, a state of alienation from God. - John R. Rice 

My greatest sin, and yours, is prayerlessness. My failures are all prayer-failures. The lack of souls saved in my ministry is primarily because of lack of prayer, not because of lack of preaching. The withering away of joy in my heart, sometimes, is the fruit of prayerlessness. My indecision, my lack of wisdom, my lack of guidance come directly out of my prayerlessness. All the times I have fallen into sin, have failed in my duties, have been bereft of power, or disconsolate for lack of comfort, I can charge to the sin of prayerlessness. Oh! Horrible sin, the lack of prayer! - John R. Rice

It is a sin when we pray and ask amiss that we might consume it on our own lust. It is a sin when we pray without faith. And it is sad beyond expression when wrong home life, when wrongs unrighted, when unforgiveness, or rebellion, or distaste for the Bible or any secret love of sin hinders our prayers. But the greatest prayer sin of all is simply NOT TO PRAY! Our greatest trouble is not that we pray wrongly. Our greatest trouble, our greatest sin, perhaps, is that we pray little or DO NOT PRAY AT ALL! - John R. Rice

The disciples begged Jesus, "Lord, teach us to pray." They did not say, "Lord teach us HOW TO PRAY." They simply asked, "Lord, teach us TO PRAY." Oh, that people would forsake their sin of prayerlessness and get down to prayer. - John R. Rice

All of our alibis for the lack of the power of the Spirit of God which was manifest in the New Testament times can properly be ignored. The real difference between New Testament churches and the churches of today, between New Testament preachers and the preachers of today, between New Testament Christians and the Christians of today is in the pattern of prayer, and the power that comes through prayer! If New Testament Christians had the right idea of serving the Lord, then we have the wrong idea. If they were right so to pray, then we are wrong not to pray as much as they did. If we don't follow the examples of the heroes of the Bible in prayer, then our prayerlessness is sin. - John R. Rice

The Bible does not teach that one who prays may live forever without dying, but it certainly does teach that many die prematurely when they might live longer with great blessing if they had prayed. - John R. Rice 

I would set apart a season of time early in every day to pray, along with meditation on the Bible. The earlier, the better. It ought to be before breakfast. One great missionary had a motto, "No Bible, no breakfast." If he couldn't find time to read the Bible and pray, then he would not take time to eat. Brother, that motto will make an impression on the callous carnality of us who put our stomachs before God if we will but adopt it! -

John R. Rice

DOES THE DEVIL KNOW YOUR NAME?

ACTS 19:11-20

Pastor Rick Jackson

I. THE DANGERS OF RELIGION WITHOUT RELATIONSHIP

1. The Danger of Misappropriation [v. 13]

2. The Danger of Miscalculation [v. 14-16a]

3. The Danger of Misconception [v. 16b

II. THE REAL QUESTION IS “DO YOU KNOW GOD?”

1. Paul Knew God as His Saviour [v. 1-5]

2. Paul Knew God as His Sovereign [v. 6-8]

3. Paul Knew God as His Supplier [v. 9-12]

III. THE RESULTS OF A FAITH RELATIONSHIP

1. The Beginning of Wisdom [v. 17, Proverbs 1:7, 9:10]

2. The Confession of Salvation [v. 18, Rm. 10:9-13]

3. The Consecration of Sanctification [v. 19-20, 1 Th. 4:1-8ff]

Quotes of the Week

For a Christian, death is not extinguishing the light. It is putting out the lamp because the dawn has come. - Skipper Smith

Prayer will make a man cease from sin, as sin will entice a man to cease from prayer. - John Bunyan

Serve where you are with all your heart. You can serve God anywhere. Do the job before you well and other opportunities may blossom because of it. - George Beverly Shea

Someone said long ago, that God supplies birds with their food, but He does not put it in their mouths. - George Beverly Shea

Polish and improve whatever God has given you until it becomes worthy of Him. - George Beverly Shea

The voice of the people is not necessarily the voice of God. It may be the voice of the devil. There are no shortcuts to glory. The ways of the world are not the ways of God. - Herschel H. Hobbs

The Twelve [apostles] are not the best of pupils, as even we are not. But they have the best of teachers. And He is their hope - and ours.  - Herschel H. Hobbs

G. Campbell Morgan notes that the beginning of sin is to forsake God. And the end of sin is to be God-forsaken. So in that mysterious moment [on the cross] Jesus plumbed the very depths of sin for us. He was God-forsaken -for us. He suffered all the agonies of hell-for us. It was only for a moment as men reckon time. But it was the infinite suffering of the infinite God for the infinite guilt of men.  - Herschel H. Hobbs

FATHER REALLY DOES KNOW BEST

JAMES 1:12-25

Pastor Rick Jackson

I. THE FATHER’S WAY [v. 12-17]

1. He is Considerate [v. 12-16, Jeremiah 29:11]

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

2. He is Compassionate [v. 17a, Lamentations 3:22-23]

It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

3. He is Consistent [v. 17b, Malachi 3:6]

For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

II. THE FATHER’S WILL [v. 18-20]

1. God Wants Everyone to Accept His Salvation in His Son [v. 18, 2 Peter 3:9, Acts 17:30]

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

2. God Wants Everyone to Accept His Standard in the Scripture [v. 19, Psalm 138:2]

I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

3. God Wants Everyone to Accept His Solution [v. 20]

III. THE FATHER’S WORD [v. 21-25]

1. The Word of Truth [v. 18, John 17:11]

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

2. The Word of Salvation [v. 21, Acts 13:26,  Ephesians 1:13]

Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

3. The Word of Service [v. 22-25]

A TALE OF 3 FATHERS

 JOHN 8:12-59

Pastor Rick Jackson

I. WE WERE BORN TO FOLLOW THE FATHER OF DECEPTION

1. Deceives His Own Children [v. 41-44]

2. Destroys Souls [v. 44]

3. Dishonors God & His Son [v. 45-50]

II. WE ARE BORN-AGAIN TO FOLLOW THE FATHER OF DELIVERANCE

1. Linked with His Son for Witness [v. 14-19]

2. Linked with His Son for Salvation [v. 25-36]

3. Linked with His Son for Honor [v. 41-50]

III. WE ARE BURDENED TO FOLLOW THE FATHER OF DECISION

1. Abraham’s Children Can Still Be in Bondage [v. 27-36]

2. Abraham’s Seed Can Still Oppose God [v. 37-40]

3. Abraham’s True Seed Love Jesus [v. 53-59, Gal. 3:6-18]

Question of the Week: What are we missing as parents? 👪

From the highly recommended: Answers in Genesis <www.answersingenesis.org>

Subject: What are we missing as parents? 👪

 

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John R. Rice Quotes of the Week

"ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE TO HIM THAT BELIEVETH." Again the dear Saviour seems to challenge us to ask bigger things. The father of the child had said, "If thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us." But Jesus answered him in effect, "You have the IF in the wrong place. There is no IF about My power or about My compassion. The only IF is whether you will believe. All things are possible to him that believeth"-- to ANYBODY that believeth! - John R. Rice

Does God work miracles today? Yes, He does if He answers prayer! In the very nature of the case the question of answered pray is one of miracles. An answer to prayer means there must be a personal God, Who hears an individual cry, and so orders events that the man who prayed gets what he would not get through natural means if he did not pray. An answer to prayer means that God supernaturally intervenes, and gives what would not be given without this miraculous intervention. - John R. Rice

I say to question whether God works miracles today is unbelief. Yet the question deserves an honest investigation in the light of God's Word and in the light of facts wherever found. And no Christian need ever fear the truth, whether found in the Bible, or in nature, or in history. - John R. Rice

Christianity stands or falls on its miracles. Christianity is a miracle religion. - John R. Rice

Some say that miracles stopped with the closing of the canon of Scripture. But how foolish that is. Men are still born again when they trust in Christ, are they not? Then that is a miracle. Men still have the Holy Spirit dwelling in their bodies, do they not? Then miracles continue! The angel of the Lord still encamps around about them that fear Him and delivers them, does He not? Then there are present-day, living miracles. - John R. Rice

Reverent students have long believed, as I do, that the preservation of the Word of God down through these centuries is miraculous and supernatural. How Satan hates the Bible! The conspiracies of Romish priests, burning multiplied thousands of copies, the putting to death of those that harbored the Bible and insisted on reading it-these could not do away with the Word of God. The assaults of the infidels, the attacks of atheists and modernists-these could not do away with the Bible. It could not be lost through mistranslation, through the errors of copyists, through the awful darkness and ignorance of the dark ages. The Bible has been preserved of God. It lives and abides forever. And that preservation is surely a miracle of God, such as other books do not have. - John R. Rice

Prayerlessness is a horrible sin. For the lost sinner it is part of his wicked rejection of Christ. For the child of God it is identical with backsliding. Prayerlessness is another name for unbelief. Prayerlessness is the father and partner of every vile sin, as much as the saloon is the father of drunkenness and lust is the father of adultery. There is not a vile sin in the world but that prayerlessness is a part of it and that real prayerfulness would have prevented it or cured it. - John R. Rice

CONTENTS UNDER PRESSURE (Part 3)

Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Pastor Rick Jackson

In the past few weeks we have been examining the pressures of life. We have seen some of them are self-inflicted, we have seen others pressure us. Sometimes, the pressure comes from above. That's right, sometimes the pressures of life are from God. Now granted, when God pressures us it is for our good and His glory, but the pressure is on nonetheless.

Job didn't know everything about the pressure he was under, but he knew God would use it to help him be a better person. Joseph said essentially the same thing when he declared to his brothers in Gn. 50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Pressure from God can come in many forms. One of the main forms for people, especially the lost, is in the area of:

I. CONVICTION [Jn. 16:8] And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

1. Conviction of Sin [v. 9] Of sin, because they believe not on me;

2. Conviction of Righteousness [v. 10] Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

3. Conviction of Judgment [v. 11] Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

Here God brings the pressure but it's to bring about the salvation of the soul. Christians may find themselves under conviction to bring about a closer walk with the Lord. Which brings us to another area of pressure from the Lord and that is in the realm of:

II. CONTROL [Romans 6:16]

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

1. Walk Right [Galatians 5:16-17] This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

2. Love Right [1 John 2:15-17]

 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

It's not a matter of saying "I want to control my life". The only control we have is to decide who we are going to let control us, God or the world, the flesh, and the devil. Ultimately, it's either God or the Devil. The pressure comes in making the choice.

3. Choose Right [Joshua 24:15]

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

1 Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

Really- it all boils down to:

III. CHOICES

1. Choose to Live by Trusting Christ! [Pr. 3:5-7]

2. Choose to Die to Self by Emulating Christ! [1 Peter 2:21]

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, …

3. Choose how to Live by Following Christ! [1 Peter 2:21] “… that ye should follow his steps:”

Do those three, and the pressure is basically off in every other area.