Govern well thy appetite, lest sin surprise thee, and her black attendant, Death.

Of Man's first disobedience, and the fruit of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste brought death into the world, and all our woe, With loss of Eden.

But this is the second work of the law when it hath by its convictions brought the sinner into a condition of a sense of guilt which he cannot avoid, -- nor will anything tender him relief, which way so ever he lose, for he is in a desert, -- it represents unto him the holiness and severity of God, with his indignation and wrath against sin which have a resemblance of a consuming fire. This fills his heart with dread and terror and makes him see his miserable, undone condition.

He that hath slight thoughts of sin never had great thoughts of God.

He came to destroy sin because it is fatal.

Christmas is an indictment before it becomes a delight. It will not have its intended effect until we feel desperately the need for a Savior.

Sin is what you do when your heart is not satisfied with God. No one sins out of duty. We sin because it holds out some promise of happiness. That promise enslaves us until we believe that God is more to be desired than life itself (Psalm 63:3).

The sins that should have brought condemnation on us, God laid on Jesus. God's love planned an amazing exchange: Jesus endured what we deserved so that we might enjoy what he deserved—eternal life. And the way we come to enjoy this life is by believing in Jesus. That's what he said: 'Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life' (John 6:47; cf. Luke 8:12).

There is an infinite difference between the pastor whose heart is set on being a professional and the pastor whose heart is set on being the aroma of Christ, the fragrance of death to some and eternal life to others (2 Cor. 2:15—16).

Don't leave Christmas in the abstract. Your sin. Your conflict with the Devil. Your victory. He came for this.

It would seem more appropriate to say that we are debtors to God's justice, not to his grace.

You get one pass at life. That's all. Only one. And the lasting measure of that life is Jesus Christ.