“Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?”
What a blessed challenge! How unanswerable it is! Every sin of the elect was laid upon the great Champion of our salvation, and by the atonement carried away. There is no sin in God’s book against his people: he seeth no sin in Jacob, neither iniquity in Israel; they are justified in Christ forever. When the guilt of sin was taken away, the punishment of sin was removed. For the Christian there is no stroke from God’s angry hand—nay, not so much as a single frown of punitive justice. The believer may be chastised by his Father, but God the Judge has nothing to say to the Christian, except “I have absolved thee: thou art acquitted.” For the Christian there is no penal death in this world, much less any second death. He is completely freed from all the punishment as well as the guilt of sin, and the power of sin is removed too. It may stand in our way, and agitate us with perpetual warfare; but sin is a conquered foe to every soul in union with Jesus. There is no sin which a Christian cannot overcome if he will only rely upon his God to do it. They who wear the white robe in heaven overcame through the blood of the Lamb, and we may do the same. No lust is too mighty, no besetting sin too strongly entrenched; we can overcome through the power of Christ. Do believe it, Christian, that thy sin is a condemned thing. It may kick and struggle, but it is doomed to die. God has written condemnation across its brow. Christ has crucified it, “nailing it to his cross.” Go now and mortify it, and the Lord help you to live to his praise, for sin with all its guilt, shame, and fear, is gone.
“Here’s pardon for transgressions past,
It matters not how black their cast;
And, O my soul, with wonder view,
For sins to come- here’s pardon too.”
- C. H. Spurgeon
Monday, July 26, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
The Earnest of our Inheritance
Oh! what enlightenment, what joys, what consolation, what delight of heart is experienced by that man who has learned to feed on Jesus, and on Jesus alone. Yet the realization which we have of Christ’s preciousness is, in this life, imperfect at the best. As an old writer says, “'Tis but a taste!” We have tasted “that the Lord is gracious.”
But we do not yet know how good and gracious he is, although what we know of his sweetness makes us long for more. We have enjoyed the firstfruits of the Spirit, and they have set us hungering and thirsting for the fulness of the heavenly vintage. We groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption. Here we are like Israel in the wilderness, who had but one cluster from Eshcol--there we shall be in the vineyard. Here we see the manna falling small, like coriander seed, but there shall we eat the bread of heaven and the old corn of the kingdom.
We are but beginners now in spiritual education; for although we have learned the first letters of the alphabet, we cannot read words yet, much less can we put sentences together; but as one says, “He that has been in heaven but five minutes, knows more than the general assembly of divines on earth.” We have many ungratified desires at present, but soon every wish shall be satisfied; and all our powers shall find the sweetest employment in that eternal world of joy. O Christian, antedate heaven for a few years. Within a very little time thou shalt be rid of all thy trials and thy troubles. Thine eyes now suffused with tears shall weep no longer. Thou shalt gaze in ineffable rapture upon the splendour of him who sits upon the throne. Nay, more, upon his throne shalt thou sit. The triumph of his glory shall be shared by thee; his crown, his joy, his paradise--these shall be thine, and you shall be co-heir with him who is the heir of all things.
- C. H. Spurgeon
But we do not yet know how good and gracious he is, although what we know of his sweetness makes us long for more. We have enjoyed the firstfruits of the Spirit, and they have set us hungering and thirsting for the fulness of the heavenly vintage. We groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption. Here we are like Israel in the wilderness, who had but one cluster from Eshcol--there we shall be in the vineyard. Here we see the manna falling small, like coriander seed, but there shall we eat the bread of heaven and the old corn of the kingdom.
We are but beginners now in spiritual education; for although we have learned the first letters of the alphabet, we cannot read words yet, much less can we put sentences together; but as one says, “He that has been in heaven but five minutes, knows more than the general assembly of divines on earth.” We have many ungratified desires at present, but soon every wish shall be satisfied; and all our powers shall find the sweetest employment in that eternal world of joy. O Christian, antedate heaven for a few years. Within a very little time thou shalt be rid of all thy trials and thy troubles. Thine eyes now suffused with tears shall weep no longer. Thou shalt gaze in ineffable rapture upon the splendour of him who sits upon the throne. Nay, more, upon his throne shalt thou sit. The triumph of his glory shall be shared by thee; his crown, his joy, his paradise--these shall be thine, and you shall be co-heir with him who is the heir of all things.
- C. H. Spurgeon
Monday, July 19, 2010
Christ of the Upward Way
Christ of the upward way, my Guide divine,
Where Thou hast set Thy feet, there may I place mine;
And move and march wherever Thou hast trod,
Keeping face forward up the hill of God.
Give me the heart to hear Thy voice and will,
That without fault or fear I may fulfill;
Thy purpose with a glad and holy zest,
Like one who would not bring less that his best.
Give me the eye to see each chance to serve,
Then send me strength to rise with steady nerve;
And leap at once with kind and helpful deed,
To the sure succor of a soul in need.
Give me the good stout arm to shield the right,
And wield Thy sword of truth with all my might;
That, in the warfare I must wage for Thee,
More than a victor I may ever be.
Christ of the upward way, my Guide divine,
Where Thou has set Thy feet, there may I place mine;
And when Thy last call comes, serene and clear,
Calm may my answer be, "Lord, I am here."
- Walter Mathams
Where Thou hast set Thy feet, there may I place mine;
And move and march wherever Thou hast trod,
Keeping face forward up the hill of God.
Give me the heart to hear Thy voice and will,
That without fault or fear I may fulfill;
Thy purpose with a glad and holy zest,
Like one who would not bring less that his best.
Give me the eye to see each chance to serve,
Then send me strength to rise with steady nerve;
And leap at once with kind and helpful deed,
To the sure succor of a soul in need.
Give me the good stout arm to shield the right,
And wield Thy sword of truth with all my might;
That, in the warfare I must wage for Thee,
More than a victor I may ever be.
Christ of the upward way, my Guide divine,
Where Thou has set Thy feet, there may I place mine;
And when Thy last call comes, serene and clear,
Calm may my answer be, "Lord, I am here."
- Walter Mathams
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Mortifying Anger
God said to Jonah, "Doest thou well to be angry?" - Jonah 4:9
Anger is not always or necessarily sinful, but it has such a tendency to run wild that whenever it displays itself, we should be quick to question its character with this question: "Are you doing well to be angry?" It may be that we can answer, "Yes." Very frequently anger is the madman's firebrand, but sometimes it is Elijah's fire from heaven.
We do well when we are angry with sin, because of the wrong which it commits against our gracious God, or with ourselves because we remain so foolish after so much divine instruction, or with others when the sole cause of anger is the evil which they do. He who is not angry at transgression becomes a partaker in it. Sin is a loathsome and hateful thing, and no renewed heart can patiently endure it. God Himself is angry with the wicked every day, and it is written in His Word, "Ye that love the lord, hate evil."
Far more frequently it is to be feared that our anger is not commendable or justifiable, and then we must answer, "no", if we are doing well by being angry. Why should we yield to anger with our children or with our friends? Is such anger honorable to our Christian profession or glorifying to God? Is it not the old evil heart seeking to gain dominion and should we not resist it with all the might of our newborn nature? Many professing Christians give way to anger as though it is useless to attempt resistance. But let the believer remember that he must be a conqueror at every point or else he cannot be crowned. If we cannot control our tempers, what has grace done for us?
Someone told Willliam Jay that grace is often grafted onto a crab-stump. "Yes," said Jay, "but the fruit will not be crabs." We must not make natural personality or weakness an excuse for sin, but we must fly to the cross and pray the Lord to crucify our tempers and renew us in gentleness and meekness after His own image.
- C. H. Spurgeon
Anger is not always or necessarily sinful, but it has such a tendency to run wild that whenever it displays itself, we should be quick to question its character with this question: "Are you doing well to be angry?" It may be that we can answer, "Yes." Very frequently anger is the madman's firebrand, but sometimes it is Elijah's fire from heaven.
We do well when we are angry with sin, because of the wrong which it commits against our gracious God, or with ourselves because we remain so foolish after so much divine instruction, or with others when the sole cause of anger is the evil which they do. He who is not angry at transgression becomes a partaker in it. Sin is a loathsome and hateful thing, and no renewed heart can patiently endure it. God Himself is angry with the wicked every day, and it is written in His Word, "Ye that love the lord, hate evil."
Far more frequently it is to be feared that our anger is not commendable or justifiable, and then we must answer, "no", if we are doing well by being angry. Why should we yield to anger with our children or with our friends? Is such anger honorable to our Christian profession or glorifying to God? Is it not the old evil heart seeking to gain dominion and should we not resist it with all the might of our newborn nature? Many professing Christians give way to anger as though it is useless to attempt resistance. But let the believer remember that he must be a conqueror at every point or else he cannot be crowned. If we cannot control our tempers, what has grace done for us?
Someone told Willliam Jay that grace is often grafted onto a crab-stump. "Yes," said Jay, "but the fruit will not be crabs." We must not make natural personality or weakness an excuse for sin, but we must fly to the cross and pray the Lord to crucify our tempers and renew us in gentleness and meekness after His own image.
- C. H. Spurgeon
Regardless of what we may be facing, we can and, therefore, we will "Crown Him with Many Crowns." - Mack T.
Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne,
Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own;
Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity.
Crown Him the virgin’s Son, the God incarnate born,
Whose arm those crimson trophies won, which now His brow adorn;
Fruit of the mystic rose, as of that rose the stem,
The root whence mercy ever flows, the Babe of Bethlehem.
Crown Him the Son of God, before the worlds began,
And ye who tread where He hath trod, crown Him the Son of Man;
Who every grief hath known, that wrings the human breast,
And takes and bears them for His own, that all in Him may rest.
Crown Him the Lord of life, who triumphed over the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife for those He came to save;
His glories now we sing, who died and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring and lives that death may die.
Crown Him the Lord of peace, whose power a scepter sways,
From pole to pole, that wars may cease, and all be prayer and praise;
His reign shall know no end, and round His piercèd feet,
Fair flowers of paradise extend, their fragrance ever sweet.
Crown Him the Lord of love, behold His hands and side,
Those wounds yet visible above, in beauty glorified;
No angel in the sky can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends his burning eye at mysteries so bright.
Crown Him the Lord of Heaven, enthroned in worlds above,
Crown Him the King to Whom is given the wondrous name of Love;
Crown Him with many crowns, as thrones before Him fall,
Crown Him, ye kings, with many crowns, for He is King of all.
Crown Him the Lord of lords, who over all doth reign,
Who once on earth, the incarnate Word, for ransomed sinners slain;
Now lives in realms of light, where saints with angels sing
Their songs before Him day and night--their God, Redeemer, King.
Crown Him the Lord of years, the Potentate of time,
Creator of the rolling spheres, ineffably sublime;
All hail, Redeemer, hail! For Thou has died for me,
Thy praise and glory shall not fail throughout eternity.
- Matthew Bridges
Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own;
Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity.
Crown Him the virgin’s Son, the God incarnate born,
Whose arm those crimson trophies won, which now His brow adorn;
Fruit of the mystic rose, as of that rose the stem,
The root whence mercy ever flows, the Babe of Bethlehem.
Crown Him the Son of God, before the worlds began,
And ye who tread where He hath trod, crown Him the Son of Man;
Who every grief hath known, that wrings the human breast,
And takes and bears them for His own, that all in Him may rest.
Crown Him the Lord of life, who triumphed over the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife for those He came to save;
His glories now we sing, who died and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring and lives that death may die.
Crown Him the Lord of peace, whose power a scepter sways,
From pole to pole, that wars may cease, and all be prayer and praise;
His reign shall know no end, and round His piercèd feet,
Fair flowers of paradise extend, their fragrance ever sweet.
Crown Him the Lord of love, behold His hands and side,
Those wounds yet visible above, in beauty glorified;
No angel in the sky can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends his burning eye at mysteries so bright.
Crown Him the Lord of Heaven, enthroned in worlds above,
Crown Him the King to Whom is given the wondrous name of Love;
Crown Him with many crowns, as thrones before Him fall,
Crown Him, ye kings, with many crowns, for He is King of all.
Crown Him the Lord of lords, who over all doth reign,
Who once on earth, the incarnate Word, for ransomed sinners slain;
Now lives in realms of light, where saints with angels sing
Their songs before Him day and night--their God, Redeemer, King.
Crown Him the Lord of years, the Potentate of time,
Creator of the rolling spheres, ineffably sublime;
All hail, Redeemer, hail! For Thou has died for me,
Thy praise and glory shall not fail throughout eternity.
- Matthew Bridges
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Join All the Glorious Names
Sung to the same tune as Rejoice the Lord is King (which doesn't help some of you! As Leonard Ravenhill used to say, "Learn the hymns!")
Don't just read it, but read it closely and realize what each verse is saying, and then if you know the tune, sing it to the Lord.
Join all the glorious Names
Of wisdom, love and power,
That ever mortals knew, that angels ever bore;
All are too low to speak His worth,
Too poor to set my Savior forth.
But O, what gentle terms,
What condescending ways,
Does our Redeemer use to teach His heav’nly grace;
Mine eyes with joy and wonder see
What forms of love He bears for me.
Arrayed in mortal flesh,
He like an angel stands,
And holds the promises and pardons in His hands;
Commissioned from His Father’s throne
To make His grace to mortals known.
Great Prophet of my God,
My tongue would bless Thy Name,
By Thee the joyful news of our salvation came;
The joyful news of sin forgiven,
Of hell subdued and peace with Heaven.
Be Thou my Counsellor,
My Pattern and my Guide,
And through this desert land still keep me near Thy side;
Nor let my feet e’er run astray,
Nor roam nor seek the crooked way.
I love my Shepherd’s voice,
His watchful eyes shall keep
My wand’ring soul among the thousands of His sheep;
He feeds His flock, He calls their names,
His bosom bears the tender lambs.
To this dear Surety’s hand
Will I commit my cause,
He answers and fulfills His Father’s broken laws;
Behold my soul, at freedom set,
My Surety paid the dreadful debt!
Jesus, my great High Priest,
Offered His blood and died,
My guilty conscience seeks no sacrifice beside;
His powerful blood did once atone,
And now it pleads before the throne.
My Advocate appears
For my defense on high,
The Father bows His ears, and lays His thunder by;
Not all that hell or sin can say
Shall turn his Heart, His love away.
My dear almighty Lord,
My Conqueror and my King,
Thy scepter and Thy sword, Thy reigning grace I sing;
Thine is the power, behold I sit
In willing bonds beneath Thy feet.
Now let my soul arise,
And tread the tempter down,
My Captain leads me forth to conquest and a crown;
A feeble saint shall win the day,
Though death and hell obstruct the way.
Should all the hosts of death,
And powers of hell unknown,
Put their most dreadful forms of rage and mischief on;
I shall be safe, for Christ displays
Superior power and guardian grace.
- Isaac Watts
Don't just read it, but read it closely and realize what each verse is saying, and then if you know the tune, sing it to the Lord.
Join all the glorious Names
Of wisdom, love and power,
That ever mortals knew, that angels ever bore;
All are too low to speak His worth,
Too poor to set my Savior forth.
But O, what gentle terms,
What condescending ways,
Does our Redeemer use to teach His heav’nly grace;
Mine eyes with joy and wonder see
What forms of love He bears for me.
Arrayed in mortal flesh,
He like an angel stands,
And holds the promises and pardons in His hands;
Commissioned from His Father’s throne
To make His grace to mortals known.
Great Prophet of my God,
My tongue would bless Thy Name,
By Thee the joyful news of our salvation came;
The joyful news of sin forgiven,
Of hell subdued and peace with Heaven.
Be Thou my Counsellor,
My Pattern and my Guide,
And through this desert land still keep me near Thy side;
Nor let my feet e’er run astray,
Nor roam nor seek the crooked way.
I love my Shepherd’s voice,
His watchful eyes shall keep
My wand’ring soul among the thousands of His sheep;
He feeds His flock, He calls their names,
His bosom bears the tender lambs.
To this dear Surety’s hand
Will I commit my cause,
He answers and fulfills His Father’s broken laws;
Behold my soul, at freedom set,
My Surety paid the dreadful debt!
Jesus, my great High Priest,
Offered His blood and died,
My guilty conscience seeks no sacrifice beside;
His powerful blood did once atone,
And now it pleads before the throne.
My Advocate appears
For my defense on high,
The Father bows His ears, and lays His thunder by;
Not all that hell or sin can say
Shall turn his Heart, His love away.
My dear almighty Lord,
My Conqueror and my King,
Thy scepter and Thy sword, Thy reigning grace I sing;
Thine is the power, behold I sit
In willing bonds beneath Thy feet.
Now let my soul arise,
And tread the tempter down,
My Captain leads me forth to conquest and a crown;
A feeble saint shall win the day,
Though death and hell obstruct the way.
Should all the hosts of death,
And powers of hell unknown,
Put their most dreadful forms of rage and mischief on;
I shall be safe, for Christ displays
Superior power and guardian grace.
- Isaac Watts
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The Gospel is the Best of News
The message of the cross tells us that Christ crucified turned alienation into reconciliation, and forever changed the pronouncement of God toward mankind. The message of Calvary now proclaims to sinners: WELCOME, all who are sinful. Welcome, welcome, welcome! God is a pardoning, reconciling, forgiving, welcoming, friendly Father because of the Cross. Come and welcome home, every sinner. Welcome home, sinner, welcome home. "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow." God is ready to be reconciled to any sinner who will come. Come freely, without money, without price, without goodness, without self-improvement, without self-effort, without good works, without righteousness, without contribution, without hesitancy, and without delay-- come now and be fully welcomed by Jesus Christ.
The most sinful person who reckons it to be true that Jesus died for sinners, and believing that, comes himself genuinely seeking a Saviour for himself, will not see a divine finger pointed at him, "Naughty boy, shame on you!" He will not get reprimanded, lectured, scolded or corrected. He will not get a cold shoulder, be looked down upon, or be gripped at: "I want you to know how bad you've been! Now, you need to be good, so I'm putting you on probation to see if I can really trust you!"
The sinner fears, "If I do come, what will I find--an angry, hesitant God?" But when the sinner final does come, what does he find?
He finds a reconciled God and Father. He finds a friendly, welcoming, loving Saviour. He finds ONLY a "welcome home" sign extended, a rejoicing Father embracing him, and the free gift of inner cleansing; he finds all his sins and guilt gone, and hears a pronouncement of "fully forgiven!"; he finds he has received the status of being a fully-loved son; he finds complete restoration and a joyful reunion. He finds heaven throwing a party and a banquet feast of mercy, unconditional love, and full reconciliation. He hears, as the prodigal son heard, "It's time to celebrate!"
If Jesus died for the worst of sinners, will He not then also freely forgive the same sinners?
As William Hewitson said, "It is as sinful to doubt God's willingness to save me as to doubt His existence. God is benevolent and friendly-minded toward sinners in the gospel."
As the song says, "Come and dine, the Master calleth, come and dine!"
- Mack Tomlinson
The most sinful person who reckons it to be true that Jesus died for sinners, and believing that, comes himself genuinely seeking a Saviour for himself, will not see a divine finger pointed at him, "Naughty boy, shame on you!" He will not get reprimanded, lectured, scolded or corrected. He will not get a cold shoulder, be looked down upon, or be gripped at: "I want you to know how bad you've been! Now, you need to be good, so I'm putting you on probation to see if I can really trust you!"
The sinner fears, "If I do come, what will I find--an angry, hesitant God?" But when the sinner final does come, what does he find?
He finds a reconciled God and Father. He finds a friendly, welcoming, loving Saviour. He finds ONLY a "welcome home" sign extended, a rejoicing Father embracing him, and the free gift of inner cleansing; he finds all his sins and guilt gone, and hears a pronouncement of "fully forgiven!"; he finds he has received the status of being a fully-loved son; he finds complete restoration and a joyful reunion. He finds heaven throwing a party and a banquet feast of mercy, unconditional love, and full reconciliation. He hears, as the prodigal son heard, "It's time to celebrate!"
If Jesus died for the worst of sinners, will He not then also freely forgive the same sinners?
As William Hewitson said, "It is as sinful to doubt God's willingness to save me as to doubt His existence. God is benevolent and friendly-minded toward sinners in the gospel."
As the song says, "Come and dine, the Master calleth, come and dine!"
- Mack Tomlinson
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