"SIN’S PRESENCE" by A.W. Pink (1186-1952)

 "Sins Presence" 

   Taken from Vol. XXVII February, 1948  No. 2  of  "STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES" 


      “Search the Scriptures” John 5:39


 There are two sides to a Christian’s life: a light and a dark, an elevating and a depressing one. His experience is neither all joy nor all grief, but a commingling of both. It was so with the apostle Paul: “As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing” (2Co 6:10). When a person is regenerated, he is not there and then taken to heaven,

"Useful Directions For Reading and Searching the Scriptures" by Thomas Boston

 There is so much to gain from reading the Puritans.  In this "relevant" world we find ourselves the Puritans are often scorned for being "unrelevant" and out of touch with our modern day problems.   God raised these men up for the edification of the people of that time and that place, but He also raised these men up for the people of this time and this place so we would be in serious error not to take advantage of the gift of the Puritans.  It has been centuries since the last of the Puritans put quil to paper but this doesn't mean they are to be left in the past.  Today we have a chance such as previous generations never had, we can easily find, purchase and read hundreds of books that were out of print for years and years.      The following is from Thomas Boston on Reading and Searching the Scriptures......  be Holy!        Shane C. Montgomery

"The Loss of A Friend" by Shane C. Montgomery

  Today being Saturday, as usual, I find myself busy in preparing for tomorrows Lord's Day worship.  Today is also the day winter has chosen to make it's entrance known to all of us here in the Cincinnati area, the snow is blowing hard and coming down very fast, I foresee a good deal of snow shoveling early tomorrow to have the church ready for service, I double as the maintenance man as well as a few other duties in our small church.   My wife Jeannie is getting ready to leave for work where she works as a job coach for mentally impaired adults and has just received a phone call that none of the people she works with are well enough to work today, so this will surely cause some added chaos today. 

The Danger of Christian Complacency Dr J. C. Ryle, First Bishop of Liverpool (1816-1900)

 The times require distinct and decided views of Christian doctrine. I cannot withhold my conviction that the professing Church is as much damaged by laxity and indistinctness about matters of doctrine within, as it is by sceptics and unbelievers without. Myriads of professing Christians nowadays seem utterly unable to distinguish things that differ. Like people afflicted with colour-blindness, they are incapable of discerning what is true and what is false, what is sound and what is unsound. If a preacher of religion is only clever and eloquent and earnest, they appear to think he is all right, however strange and heterogeneous his sermons may be. 

"Letter To A New Convert" by Jonathan Edwards, 1741

"My dear young friend, 
As you desired me to send you, in writing, some directions how to conduct yourself in your Christian course, I would now answer your request. The sweet remembrance of the great things I have lately seen at your church, inclines me to do anything in my power, to contribute to the spiritual joy and prosperity of God’s people there.


1. I would advise you to keep up as great a earnestness in religion, as if you knew yourself to be in a state of nature, and were seeking conversion. We advise people under conviction, to be earnest and violent for the kingdom of
heaven; but when they have attained to conversion, they ought not to be the less watchful, laborious, and earnest, in the whole work of religion, but the more so; for they are under infinitely greater obligations. 

"Justification, Not the End All of Salvation!" by Shane C. Montgomery

  
  It is getting to the end of the worship service, the hymns have all been sung, the testimonies given, the collection has long since been taken up for the week.   The pastor has minutes ago wrapped up another sermon on the importance of tithing and now the worship leader is on stage, his lovely, well dressed wife is sitting at the large, black piano, the lights shinning off the perfectly waxed surface of the Baby Grand.  The worship leader signals to his wife to begin playing a slow, moving song, you know the one, "All To Jesus" maybe, or one of the new Christian pop songs that have been burning up the radio waves, the worship leader ask that the lights be dimmed, he slowly walks the length of the stage and back, you can begin to see the moisture swelling up in his eyes,

"The Importance of Christian Scholarship in The Defense of The Faith"-J. Gresham Machen

   This Address was originally delivered in London on June 17, 1932.

 There are, indeed, those who tell us that no defense of the faith is necessary. "The Bible needs no defense," they say; "let us not be forever defending Christianity, but instead let us go forth joyously to propagate Christianity." But I have observed one curious fact-- when men talk thus about propagating Christianity without defending it, the thing that they are propagating is pretty sure not to be Christianity at all. They are propagating an anti-intellectualistic, non-doctrinal Modernism; and the reason why it requires no defense is simply that it is so completely in accord with the current of the age. It causes no more disturbance than does a chip that floats downward with a stream. In order to be an adherent of it, a man does not need to resist anything at all; he needs only to drift, and automatically his Modernism will be of the most approved and popular kind. 

"Directions for Hating Sin" -Richard Baxter (1615-1691)

The New England Puritan- Thomas Brooks

(1608-1680). Independent. Studied at Cambridge, developed a devotional Experimentalism in a sweet and pithy style. Wrote Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices; The Mute Christian Under the Smarting Rod; Apples of Gold, etc. One of the most quoted Puritans because of his masterful, proverbial English style.

The following is one of Brook's better known writings:  "Seven Characteristics of False Teachers"

"Top Ten Tips For Sharing The Gospel." by Shane C. Montgomery

 Maybe you have visited this blog in the past and asked yourself, "What is this blog about?  What's the deal here, is it encouraging Evangelism or is it discussing and promoting Reformed Theology?"  Well, it is both.  True it started to be more about sharing the Gospel and later drifted into theology but is there really anything wrong with that?

"The Ten Marks of a Flesh-Pleaser" By Richard Baxter

The signs of a flesh-pleaser or sensualist are these:

1. When a man in his desire to please his appetite, does not do it with a view to a higher end, that is to say to the preparing himself for the service of God; but does it only for the delight itself. (Of course no one does every action conciously with a view to the service of God. Nevertheless, the general manner or habit of a life spent in the service of God is absent for the flesh-pleaser.)

Cornelius Van Til's Presuppositional Apologetics

   "I take what the Bible says about God and his relation to the universe as unquestionably true on its own authority. The Bible requires men to believe that he exists apart from and above the world and that he by his plan controls whatever takes place in the world.  Everything in the created universe therefore displays the fact that it is controlled by God, that it is what it is by virtue of the place that it occupies in the plan of God. The objective evidence for the existence of God and of the comprehensive governance of the world by God is therefore so plain that he who runs may read. Men cannot get away from this evidence. They see it round about them. They see it within them. Their own constitution so clearly evinces the facts of God's creation of them and control over them that there is no man who can possibly escape observing it. If he is self-conscious at all he is also Godconscious.  No matter how men may try they cannot hide from themselves the fact of their own createdness. Whether men engage in inductive study with respect to the facts of nature about them or engage in analysis of their own self-consciousness they are always face to face with God their maker."

"Sodom and Gomorrah -or- Hillsboro and Greenfield, What's The Difference?" by Shane C. Montgomery

 "I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. 22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord. 23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that 
the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 26 And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: 28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. 29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. 30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. 32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. 33 And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place." Gen 18:21-33 (KJV)


  Maybe you recognize these verses from Scripture, and maybe you don't. Maybe you have read the title of this blog and you are irate and furious at having the names "Sodom and Gomorrah" in the same header as our beloved "Hillsboro and Greenfield." 

How to Study the Bible by the Rev. James Stalker, D.D. 1895

  I must admit, I am drawn to 19th century Scottish preachers, something about their no nonsense approach to Scripture and to personal piety that brings me to want to read them and in this case we have the Rev. James Stalker who many might not have heard mentioned but deserves to be read today, he did not put out a ton of literature but what we have we should read.   I love this era of British preachers, Bonar, Ryle, Spurgeon and a little later on, my favorite, A.W. Pink.   So I present to you Stalker's guide to the study of Scripture.   May it bless and edify you!  

GOSPEL PREACHING COMMANDED by A. W. Pink

A.W. Pink
Taken from a sermon preached in Sydney during his Australian ministry in the 1920s.)

THERE are those who misrepresent the doctrine of election in this way: Here I am sitting down at my table
tonight with my family to tea. It is a cold winter’s night, and outside on the street are some hungry starving tramps and children, and they come and knock at my door and they say, “We are so hungry, Sir, Oh, we are so hungry and cold, and we are starving: won’t you give us something to eat?”

God Has Answers For Your Excuses with footnotes by Shane C. Montgomery

“I tried calling on God, but He didn’t answer.”

Isaiah 59:1-2- Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save; neither is His ear so

dull that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, so that He does not hear.

(If you truly desire God, He will know and He will respond in your life. In our refusal to rid our lives of sin, God refuses us. Until we love God more than we love our sins, God will not answer! Repent, turn from all sin and trust in Christ and if you truly desire God then He will send His Holy Spirit into your life and begin the process of Sanctification.

Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats? by Charles Spurgeon

  I had it on my heart to post on the epidemic that is spreading through the evangelical church today, that being the ever growing popularity of churches in the U.S and around the world for that matter willing to sell out and throw out sound Biblical expository preaching and to replace it with entertainment.  What use to be a somber and reverent "Lord's Day Worship" every Sunday morning is more and more being replaced with the cooler, hipper, and more crowd pleasing concept of "Sunday Morning Entertainment,"

DISCOURAGEMENT- Taken from A.W. Pink's Studies in the Scriptures, June 1948 Issue

  We turn now to consider its correctives; and obviously, these must be a diligent and resolute opposition to those evils which work in us faint-heartedness. As we have previously intimated, most of our
discouragements result from disappointments; and they, in turn, issue from unrealized expectations―the dashing of our hopes. Whether it be persons or things, when they yield not that which we look for, our
souls are cast down; and the stronger our expectation, the keener our disappointment when it be not fulfilled.

"Why So Many Bibles?" by Shane C. Montgomery

      There is more Bible buying, Bible selling, Bible printing and Bible distributing than ever before in our nation. We see Bibles in every bookstore; Bibles of every size, price and style. There are Bibles in almost every house in the land. But all this time I fear we are in danger of forgetting that to HAVE the Bible is one thing, and to READ it quite another.

~ J.C. Ryle

If J.C. Ryle thought there was a massive amount of Bibles in his time, what would he think if he was alive today?  I imagine he would be a bit overcome.

"A Preacher's Greatest Sin?" by Shane C. Montgomery

    Maybe you have noticed how whenever a minister does something unethical, or when he just flat out falls on his face and really shames himself and his ministry, the news is always quick to point out this latest slip up, we know the media and non-believers relish in the sins and miseries of those who confess Christ.  They simply love to see a Christian mess up.  They say that is not the case, but I know it is true because I was the same way.

"The Apostle Paul in Romans 7 and What Does It Mean to the Modern Believer?" by Shane C. Montgomery

  15 "For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good."     Romans 7:15-16 (KJV)

  Maybe a better title for this blog post would be "Caught between Antinomianism and Legalism."  I believe there comes a time in every Christian's life where they find themselves in a struggle, a struggle to stay on the narrow path and not to wonder of course and find themselves in either the Antinomian camp or the just as dangerous Legalist camp.   Maybe this is not the case for you but for most of us, those who desire to grow in grace, we do struggle with this, it doesn't help any that Paul makes Romans chapter Seven more confusing than Chinese algebra!

"TULIP- The Flower of Truth Hated by Most Christians!" by Shane C. Montgomery

  Just what is it about this TULIP that makes so many Christians red in the face?

   Five short statements.  Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, Perseverance of the Saints.  These five little, quick statements seem to be a declaration of war to many believers.

The best means to mortify sin

(Thomas Brooks, "The Crown and Glory of Christianity,  or, HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness", 1662)

"Therefore, put to death whatever in you is worldly:
 sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and
 greed, which is idolatry." Colossians 3:5

REPENT OR PERISH by Arthur W. Pink

  These were the words of the incarnate Son of God. They have never been cancelled; nor will they be as long as this world lasts. Repentance is absolute and necessary if the sinner is to make peace with God (Isa. 27:5), for repentance is the throwing down the weapons of rebellion against Him. Repentance does not save, yet no sinner ever was or ever will be saved without it. None but Christ saves, but an impenitent heart cannot receive Him.
A sinner cannot truly believe until he repents.

"The Doctrines of Grace in Evangelism" by Shane C. Montgomery

  Is it possible to be faithful to Christ's command to "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15 (KJV) without compromising sound doctrine? What do I mean? Well, we have a ton or two or Evangelist out there sharing the Gospel, which is great, but too many of them use the Arminian approach to the Gospel. You know the one I speak of, the "Man Centered gospel" instead of the "Christ Centered Gospel" of the Holy Scriptures.

In the mood for a great sermon?

We are truly blessed to have a wealth of great Reformed websites out there, some are great, some are not so great. I spend a good bit of time searching the web for new and edifying Reformed sites. I have to confess that my "Favorites" tab on my Google Chrome internet browser is chocked full of Reformed links, one I really like is one that is fairly new to me and that is Phil Johnson's sermons site. We all know Phil Johnson for the great work he does on "The Spurgeon Archives." But just recently, in the last month or so I came by his sermon site, and I have to admit, I have fallen in love with this site! These are great sermons! You can download them on MP3 and listen to them right away, or you can shoot them an email and request a series set ( I ordered The Ten Commandments and a few others) and you can sign up for the free CDs of the month. This is where Phil will send you every sermon that he preached the month before, today (August 2nd) I received his July sermons and I can't wait to start listening to them.


I have found his sermons to be very edifying, a truly great tool in helping me grow in grace and to mature in my faith. They are great to loan out to friends and family as well, everyone should hear these sermons.....period! They are that good. I normally do not get all excited about listening to another pastor's sermons, but a exception is made with Phil Johnson, we need more expository preaching like he provides. Click on the link above, spend some time looking over the massive list of sermons provided and spend some time listening to a truly great teacher and preacher. You will be glad you did. Soli Deo Gloria! Shane

The Directory of Family Worship A look at how the Puritans structured Family Devotions and Worship.

The Directory for Family Worship
ASSEMBLY AT EDINBURGH, August 24, 1647, Sess. 10.

ACT for observing the Directions of the GENERAL ASSEMBLY for secret and private Worship, and mutual Edification; and censuring such as neglect Family-worship.

The General Assembly, after mature deliberation, doth approve the following Rules and Directions for cherishing piety, and preventing division and schism; and doth appoint ministers and ruling elders in each congregation to take special care that these Directions be observed and followed; as likewise, that presbyteries and provincial synods enquire and make trial whether the said Directions be duly observed in their bounds; and to reprove or censure (according to the quality of the offence), such as shall be found to be reprovable or censurable therein. And, to the end that these directions may not be rendered ineffectual and unprofitable among some, through the usual neglect of the very substance of the duty of Family-worship, the Assembly doth further require and appoint ministers and ruling elders to make diligent search and enquiry, in the congregations committed to their charge respectively, whether there be among them any family or families which use to neglect this necessary duty; and if any such family be found, the head of the family is to be first adminished privately to amend his fault; and, in case of his continuing therein, he is to be gravely and sadly reproved by the session; after which reproof, if he be found still to neglect Family-worship, let him be, for his obstinacy in such an offence, suspended and debarred from the Lord's supper, as being justly esteemed unworthy to communicate therein, till he amend.

"The Fields White Unto Harvest" by Shane C. Montgomery W/Reference to Richard Baxter

  I am a man who feels the weight of mens souls pressing upon my chest daily. The Lord who delivered me, who freed me from the bondage of sin, now calls me to call others to Him. Since He regenerated me and is sanctifying me, little by little, making me holy, more Christ like. He has also been preparing me over the last four years or so for this calling, blessing me with a voice to cry out with, a voice to plea with, a voice to proclaim the Good News of Salvation through Christ Alone.

"A Return to Puritanism!" by Shane C. Montgomery

  When I was kid if you knew someone old, maybe a neighbor lady, who never cussed, never drank, always went to bed early in the evening and was always one of the first up in the morning, always polite, and never missed a church worship service, then you would have called this person a "Puritan." Back in the days when I was a snot nosed brat, this was meant to be an insult, but was it?

"Where are God's Saints?" by Shane C. Montgomery

  Do you ever feel like you just might be the last true Christian in your town? I bring this up because today my son and I spent three hours at a local 4th of July festival here in our city. We took 1,500 Gospel tracts with us to hand out, this was our third year doing this, last year we gave away over 400 tracts and ran out just over 90 minutes. So this year we made sure we brought plenty of tracts so we could spend several hours tracting and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

"The Doctrine of Assurance" by Shane C. Montgomery

  Are you a Christian? Are you saved? If so, how do you know? It is a fair question, one that you should be asking yourself everyday. I bring this up because we see two sides to this coin. We as believers tend to take assurance either to one extreme or the other, for the most part I encounter those confessing Christians who rest on the finished work of Christ on the cross for their salvation, this is all they need, someone told them that if they trust in Christ they have eternal life and this is something no one can take away from them. Well, most people when pressed will tell you they trust in Christ and I hope they do, but the problem lies in they are taking John 3:16 and crawling up on top of that verse and just living there, that was never the intent of that verse.

"Sept. 11, 2009" by Shane C. Montgomery

Sept. 11,2009 will be a great day in America for all Christians. Or it will be a flop. That is the day "Cry Out America" will be held, at 12:00 Noon at courthouses in every county of the United States of America. Christians from every county will come together as The Body of Christ to pray, fast and call for national repentance. The event is sponsored by Awakening America Alliance, which is a very great organization. They are going all out in an atempt to bring God back to our great nation. Each county has a coordinator to set up and run this event for and in their county. For Highland County, OH that would be me. This is not the first time I have tried to bring the Body of Christ together in this area to call for repentance and to reach out to the lost.

"Spoiled, Lazy Americans!" by Shane C. MOntgomery

Spoiled, lazy Americans... How does that make you feal? Does it make you upset? It shouldn't, because it is true. Can you honestly tell me that we as a nation, are not spoiled and lazy? I will grant you that we, as a people, normally have a good work ethic. We have no problem motivating ourselves to get out of bed every morning and rushing off to work. We have no problem working hard and being nice to our co-workers, in an attempt to get ahead and earn that raise or that promotion.

"Why does the Truth offend?" by Shane C. Montgomery

The more time I spend preaching the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, the more I see how much it offends people, not true believers, they take no offense. But to the unbeliever and to those who are false converts, it makes them very angry. Why is this? The more I preach the Word, the more I want to preach the Word. I am driven more and more everyday to serve my Lord. Thus driven to get the Gospel to anyone and everyone. The town I live in is spiritually dead, no one is preaching the Bible. We have a abundance of churches preaching what my 13 yr. son refers to as "A Cotton Candy Gospel", it taste good but has no real substance, nothing but empty calories.