Jul 12
21
Oh! the glory!
From Spurgeon’s sermon, “The Best Beloved”
Do you say that Christ is altogether lovely?
It is not enough. It is not a thousandth part enough!
No tongue of man, no tongue of angel, can ever set forth his unutterable beauties!
But the day shall presently dawn and usher in the everlasting age when Christ shall be better seen, for every eye shall see him, and every tongue confess that he is Lord.
The whole earth will one day be sweet with the praise of Jesus.
Earth, did I say?
This alabaster box of Christ’s sweetness has too much
fragrance in it for the world to keep it all to itself.
The sweetness of our Lord’s person will rise above the stars,
and perfume worlds unknown. It will fill heaven itself!
Eternity shall be occupied with declaring the praises of Jesus!
Seraphs shall sing of it; angels shall harp it; the redeemed shall declare it–
“He is altogether lovely!”
The cycles of eternity as they revolve shall only confirm the
declaration of the blood-redeemed that “He is altogether lovely!”
O that the day were here when we shall bow with them and sing with them!
Wait a little while and do not be weary, and you shall be at your eternal home,
and then you shall know that I spoke the truth, when I said that this was insufficient praise for the lovely One.
Earth is too narrow to contain him, heaven is too little to hold him, eternity itself too short for the utterance of all his praises!
His chariot is waiting at his door now, and he may soon come forth from his secret chambers and be among us, and oh! the glory! oh! the glory!
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“Yes, he is altogether lovely.” Solomon’s Song 5:16.
“And you has He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” Ephesians 2:1
Until God by His Spirit quickens the soul into spiritual life, there must be a determined rejection of Christ. However a man may receive Him into his judgment, the inward bias of his heart and the secret speech of his soul is, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” If, then, there are any who do believe in Him, receive Him, love Him, and have a blessed union with Him—it all springs from the quickening Spirit of God working with power in their souls. Wherever the quickening power of God’s Spirit has passed upon a man’s conscience, he is invariably brought to see and feel himself to be a sinner. This inward sight of self cuts him off, sooner or later, from—all self-righteousness—all false refuges—and all vain confidences with which he may seek to prop up his soul. The Lord will convince all His people of their lost state before Him—and cast them as ruined wretches into the dust—without hope, strength, wisdom, help, or righteousness—except that which is given to them, as a free gift, by sovereign grace.
This work of grace in the conscience, pulling down all a man’s false refuges, stripping him of every lying hope, and thrusting him down into self-abasement and self-abhorrence—is indispensable to a true reception of Christ. Whatever a man may have learned in his head, or however far he may be informed in his judgment—he never will receive Christ spiritually into his heart and affections, until he has been broken down by the hand of God in his soul, to be a ruined wretch. When a man is effectually brought here, the Lord is pleased, for the most part, to open up to his astonished view, and to bring into his soul, some saving knowledge of the Lord of life and glory. He casts into the mind a light, and He brings into the heart a power, whereby the glorious Person of Christ, His atoning blood, dying love, finished work, and justifying righteousness—are looked upon by spiritual eyes—touched by spiritual hands—and received into a spiritual and believing heart.-J.C. Philpot.
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THE BELIEVER SEEKING JESUS
Spurgeon, “Lions Lacking– But the Children Satisfied”
Once a man is saved, he seeks Jesus that he may praise him and put a crown on his head.
His desire is– Oh, that my heart could find you! that all its strings might sing sweet music to you.
Oh that my mouth could find your ear, and that I might bid it open and listen to the whisper of my song.
Oh that I knew where you did dwell, that I might sing by the eaves of your habitation,
and that you might hear me forever- that I might perpetually send the songs
of my gratitude up to your sacred courts!
I seek you that I may break the alabaster box of praise on your dear sacred head.
I seek your that I may put my soul upon the altar, and sacrifice my living self to you.
I seek you, that I may go where cherubim are singing, whom I envy, because they–
“All night long unwearied sing High praises to the Eternal King.”
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“YE ARE COMPLETE IN HIM”
Colossians 2:10
The believers standing in Christ does not fluctuate with his feelings, not even the increase or decrease of his faith or understanding or anything else. He stands complete in Christ. God would never trust any of His children to stand before him at anytime in their own selves – that is, in their merits or certain good frames of mind. He knows our frame. He remembers that we are yet dust. Therefore, He has on purpose provided for them this perfect standing in Christ Jesus. “Ye are complete in Him,” the Holy Ghost said. He says in another place, “Ye are perfect in Christ Jesus,” (Col. 1:28.) The very nature of our God requires us to be perfect and complete before Him at all times. He, out of necessity, therefore provided all this for His children: a perfection, a completeness, which can never be diminished. It is as unchanging as God himself, (Hebrews 6:17; 13:8). Every true believer may walk through this world in perfect liberty, free from anything and everything – yes, even his sin, fear of condemnation, and all else that would cause him to doubt of his completeness. He may freely come to God, worship Him, call Him “Father,” and this he may do at all times with the utmost confidence and thankfulness, because in Christ he stands, first and foremost and always, complete before God. “O thanks be to God for Jesus Christ. By Bruce Crabtree
The believer’s eternal confession!
(John MacDuff, “The Night Watches”)
“By the Grace of God — I am what I am!” 1 Corinthians 15:10
This is the believer’s eternal confession!
Grace found him a rebel against God — it leaves him a son of God!
Grace found him wandering at the gates of Hell — it leaves him at the gates of Heaven!
Grace devised the scheme of Redemption. Justice never would; Reason never could. And it is Grace which carries out that scheme. No sinner would ever have sought God — but “by grace.” The thickets of Eden would have proved Adam’s grave — had not grace called him out! Saul would have lived and died the haughty self-righteous persecutor — had not grace laid him low! The thief on the cross would have continued breathing out his blasphemies — had not grace arrested his tongue and tuned it for glory! “Out of the knottiest timber,” says Rutherford, “God can make vessels of mercy for service in the high palace of glory!”
“I came, I saw, I conquered!” may be inscribed by the Savior on every monument of His grace. “I came to the sinner; I looked upon him; and with a look of omnipotent love — I conquered him!”
Believer, you would have been this day a wandering star, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever! You would have been Christless, hopeless, and portionless; had not grace constrained you! And it is grace which, at this moment, “keeps” you. You have often been a Peter — forsaking your Lord — but brought back to Him again. Why have you not been a Demas or a Judas? “I have prayed for you — that your faith fail not!” Is not this your own comment and reflection on life’s retrospect: “Yet not I — but the grace of God which was with me!”
Seek to realize your dependence on this grace every moment.
“More grace! more grace!” needs to be your continual cry.
His infinite supply — is commensurate with your infinite need.
The treasury of grace, though always emptying — is always full.
The key of prayer which opens it — is always at hand!
And the Almighty Bestower of the blessings of grace — is always “waiting to be gracious.”
The recorded promise can never be cancelled or reversed: “My grace is sufficient for you.”
The grace of God is the source of lesser temporal blessings — as well as of higher spiritual blessings. Grace accounts for the crumb of daily bread — as well as for the crown of eternal glory! But even in regard to earthly mercies, never forget the CHANNEL of grace: “through Christ Jesus!” It is sweet thus to connect every blessing, even the smallest and humblest token of providential bounty — with Calvary’s cross — to have the common blessings of life stamped with “the print of the nails!” It makes them doubly precious to think, “All this flows from Jesus!”
“By the Grace of God — I am what I am!” Reader! seek to dwell much on this inexhaustible theme!
“As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit–just as it has taught you, remain in him.” –1 John 2:27
Have you ever had a solitary drop of this holy anointing oil fall upon your heart? One drop, if it be but a drop, will sanctify you forever to the service of God. There was not much of the holy anointing oil used for the service of the tabernacle, when we consider the size and quantity of what had to be consecrated, for Moses had to anoint therewith the whole of the tabernacle of the congregation, as well as all the vessels, with all their various accessories. When he went through the sacred work, he touched one vessel after another with a drop of oil; for one drop sanctified the vessel to the service of the tabernacle. There was no repetition of the consecration needed; it abode. So if you ever had a drop of God’s love shed abroad in your heart–a drop of the anointing to teach you the truth as it is in Jesus; a drop to penetrate, to soften, to heal, to feed and give light, life, and power to your soul–you have the unction from the Holy One; you know all things which are for your salvation, and by that same holy oil you have been sanctified and made meet for an eternal inheritance. J.C. Philpot
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SPIKENARD So called from Narred or Nard. We meet with this word not very frequently in Scripture. The spouse in the Canticles speaks of it. (Song i. 14.)–And the woman who anointed the head of Jesus before his sufferings, is said to have done it with the ointment of spikenard. (Mark xiv. 3.) Certainly in both it was figurative. The spikenard itself is a small uninteresting shrub, not likely to attract the attention of any which are fond of plants, for there is no beauty in it; yet the smell and fragrancy of it is said by some to be unequalled. So that in whatever point of view we esteem the figure or similitude, whether in allusion to Christ, or his church, or his gospel, the resemblance is striking. What so humble, low, despised, and overlooked as Jesus, though the plant of renown? (Ezek. xxxiv. 29.) “There was no beauty that we should desire him”–and yet what fragrancy, like the sweet incense of his blood and righteousness, to perfume the persons and offerings of his people? So his church; what more contemptible in the eyes of the great ones of the earth?–or his gospel, what more despised and set at nought? Yet how lovely, and how fragrant, in the view of Jesus! Hear what Jesus saith, “How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse; how much better is thy love than wine, and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!” (Song iv. 10.) Oh, for grace to echo back to such matchless grace– While the king sitteth at his table–while his grace and the influences of his Holy Spirit, are calling forth into lively exercise those blessed principles he himself hath planted in my heart- -“my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.” Yea, Jesus himself is the spikenard of my soul; his person, his blood, and righteousness, are an everlasting frangrancy to come up before my God as a sweet-smelling savour. Robert Hawker (Poor man’s concordance.)