Jul 19
28
Dwarf or Giant?
The following is from Spurgeon’s sermon,
“The Former and the Latter Rain” #880 Jer.5:24.
The plan Satan seems to have adopted is that
of preventing, as far as he can, our raising in
our midst a race of eminent and advanced
Christians.
We have in this age but few giants in grace
who rise head and shoulders above the common
height, men to lead us on in deeds of heroism
and efforts of unstaggering faith.
We have come to be a race of dwarfs, and
are content, to a great extent, to have it so.
There was once in London a club of dwarfs,
whose qualification for membership lay in
their not exceeding five feet in height.
Such a club of dwarfish Christians might
be established in London, and without any
difficulty might attain to an enormously
numerous membership; for the notion is
common that our dwarfish Christianity
is after all the standard, and many even
imagine that nobler Christians are enthusiasts,
fanatical, and hot blooded; while we are cool
because we are wise and intelligent.
We must get rid of all this nonsense.
The fact is, the most of us are vastly inferior
to the early Christians, who, as I take it, were
persecuted because they were thoroughly
Christians. We are not persecuted because
we hardly are Christians at all.
They were so earnest in the propagation of the
Redeemer’s kingdom, that they became the
nuisance of the age in which they lived.
They would not let errors alone.
They had not conceived the opinion that they
were to hold the truth, and leave other people
to hold error without trying to intrude their
opinions upon them. But they preached Jesus
right and left, and delivered their testimony
against every sin.
They denounced the idols, and cried out against
superstition, until the world, fearful of being
turned upside down, demanded of them, “Is that
what you really mean? Then we will burn you,
lock you up in prison, and exterminate you.”
To which the church replied, “We will accept
the challenge, and will not depart from our
resolve to conquer the world for Christ.”
But we are so gentle and quiet, we
do not use strong language about other
people’s opinions; but let men go to
hell out of charity to them.
We are not at all fanatical. We would not
wish to save any sinner who does not
particularly wish to be saved. We do not
speak with tears streaming down our cheeks,
groaning and agonizing with God for them.
Neither would we thrust our opinions upon
them, though we know they are being lost
for lack of the knowledge of Christ crucified.
Do not drivel away your existence upon baser
ends, but count the glory of Christ to be the
only object worthy of your manhood’s strength,
the spread of the truth the only pursuit worthy
of your mental powers.
Spend and be spent in your Master’s service.
Dwarf or Giant?
The soul melts at the sight!
“We love Him, because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19
Our affections never flow unto Jesus, until we have had some divine
discovery of Him to our heart and conscience. We may try to love Him—we
may think it our duty to do so—we may be secretly ashamed of our
miserable coldness, and may lament our barrenness in love to Jesus. But
no power of our own can raise up true love to Jesus. We cannot love the
Lord until we know that the Lord loves us—nor can we love Him with all
our heart and soul, until He tells us that He loves us with all His.
When He says “I have loved you with an everlasting love,” and sheds
abroad His love in the soul—this gives power to love Him. When, too, He
sets Himself before our eyes in His divine beauty and blessedness—this
makes us fall in love with Him. For beauty kindles love. It is so often
in natural love—and always so in divine love. Jesus has but to touch the
heart and it softens. He has but to appear—and the soul melts at the
sight! J.C.Philpot
The cross has not become obsolete!
(Horatius Bonar, “The Surety’s Cross”)
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing;
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18
The whole world looked with contempt—indignant at the audacity of a few
humble Christians, thus . . .
affronting and defying the “public opinion” of nations and ages;
assailing the religions of earth with the cross as their only sword;
striking down their idols with this as their only hammer; and
with this, as their one lever, proposing to turn the world upside down!
From that day the cross became “a power” in the earth; a power
which
went forth, like the light—noiselessly yet irresistibly—smiting down all
religions alike, all shrines alike, all altars alike—sparing no
superstition nor philosophy.
This power remains—in its mystery, its silence, its influence, it
remains. The cross has not become obsolete! The preaching of the cross
has not ceased to be powerful and effectual!
There are those who would persuade us that, in this modern age—the cross
is out of date and out of fashion, time-worn. But this does not shake
us. It only leads us to clasp the cross more fervently, and to study it
more profoundly, as embodying in itself that gospel which is at once the
wisdom and the power of God.
Yet the cross is not without its mysteries:
It illuminates—yet it darkens.
It is life—yet it is death.
It is honor—yet it is shame.
It is wisdom—but also foolishness.
The cross is . . .
both pardon, and condemnation;
both strength, and weakness;
both joy, and sorrow;
both love, and hatred;
both medicine, and poison;
both hope, and despair.
The cross is Christ’s humiliation—yet it is His exaltation!
The cross is Satan’s victory—yet it is Satan’s defeat!
The cross is the gate of Heaven—and the gate of Hell!
The cross is the key . . .
to God’s character,
to God’s Word,
to God’s ways,
to God’s purposes.
The cross is the summary of all the Bible—the epitome of Scripture
Revelation!
They love to be deceived
We are surrounded with error—the carnal heart is full of it. For
wherever truth is not—there error must be. A veil of ignorance is by
nature spread thickly over the mind, through which not one ray of divine
light penetrates. Men love error—religious error—for God’s own testimony
is that they love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are
evil. They love to be deceived—they hate the hand which would tear the
delusion away. While then they are encompassed with the mists of error,
how can they find the way to truth? The Spirit alone can dissipate these
clouds, disperse these mists, and take away this veil of unbelief and
ignorance spread over the heart—and this it is His sacred office to
perform, for He is the “Spirit of truth.” J.C.Phipot
We need the teaching of the Great Expositor!
(“Every Day!” Author unknown, 1872)
“Lead me in Your truth—and teach me!” Psalm 25:5
What a mercy it is, in the midst of prevailing errors, to possess the
truth of God—the sure word of His testimony—the Holy Scriptures, which
are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ. May we read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the truth—that we
may find it profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and
instruction in righteousness.
Too frequently the Word of God is read with little profit, because it is
read with little prayer. We need Divine illumination! We need the
teaching of the Great Expositor, in order rightly to understand the Word
of God, and to receive it in the love of it.
May the prayer of the psalmist be my prayer: “Lead me in Your truth—and
teach me!”
Lead me into the knowledge and experience of it—let it dwell in my
heart, and influence my life.
Lead me into the enjoyment of it—may I find Your Word, and eat it; may
it be sweet to my taste, yes, sweeter than honey—than honey from the comb.
And lead me into the practice of it—may my ways be directed to keep Your
statutes, and may I be a living epistle, read and known by all men.
May Your Word come to me with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep
conviction!
“When He, the Spirit of truth, comes—He will guide you into all
truth.”
John 16:13
Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats?
by Charles Spurgeon (edited)
An evil is in the ‘professed’ camp of the Lord, so gross in its
impudence, that the most
shortsighted Christian can hardly fail to notice it. During the past few
years this evil has
developed at an alarming rate. It has worked like leaven until the whole
lump ferments!
The devil has seldom done a more clever thing, than hinting to the
Church that part of
their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to
winning them.
From speaking out the gospel, the Church has gradually toned down her
testimony, then
winked at and excused the frivolities of the day. Then she tolerated
them in her borders.
Now she has adopted them under the plea of reaching the masses!
My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is
nowhere spoken of in the
Scriptures as a function of the Church. If it is a Christian work why
did not Christ speak of
it? ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, and
provide amusement
for those who do not relish the gospel’.
No such words, however, are to be found. It did not seem to occur to
Him. Where do
entertainers come in? The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them. Were
the prophets
persecuted because they amused the people, or because they confronted
them? The
‘concert’ has no martyr roll.
Again, providing amusement is in direct antagonism to the teaching and
life of Christ and
all His apostles. What was the attitude of the apostolic Church to the
world? “You are the
salt of the world”, not the sugar candy; something the world will spit
out, not swallow.
Had Jesus introduced more of the bright and pleasant elements into His
teaching, He would
have been more popular. When “many of His disciples turned back and no
longer followed
Him,” I do not hear Him say, ‘Run after these people, Peter, and tell
them we will have a
different style of service tomorrow; something short and attractive with
little preaching. We
will have a pleasant evening for the people. Tell them they will be sure
to enjoy it! Be
quick, Peter, we must get the people somehow!’
No! Jesus pitied sinners, sighed and wept over them, but never sought to
amuse them!
In vain will the epistles be searched to find any trace of the ‘gospel
of amusement’. Their
message is, “Therefore, come out from them and separate yourselves from
them… Don’t
touch their filthy things…” Anything approaching amusement is
conspicuous by its absence.
They had boundless confidence in the gospel and employed no other weapon.
After Peter and John were locked up for preaching, the Church had a
prayer meeting, but
they did not pray, ‘Lord, grant unto your servants that by a wise and
discriminating use of
innocent recreation we may show these people how happy we are’.
No! They did not cease from preaching Christ. They had no time for
arranging
entertainments. Scattered by persecution they went everywhere preaching
the gospel. They
turned the world upside down; that is the only difference from today’s
church.
Lastly, amusement fails to effect the end desired. Let the heavy laden
who found peace
through the concert not keep silent! Let the drunkard to whom the
dramatic entertainment
had been God’s link in the chain of their conversion, stand up! There
are none to answer!
The mission of amusement produces no converts!
The need of the hour for today’s ministry is earnest spirituality joined
with Biblical doctrine,
so understood and felt, that it sets men on fire.
Lord, clear the Church of all the rot and rubbish the devil has imposed
on her, and
bring us back to apostolic methods!
The best and the only sufficient expositors of Scripture!
(Letters of John Newton)
“When the Spirit of truth comes — He will guide you into all the
truth.”
John 16:13
Psalm 25:14, “The secret counsel of the LORD is for those who fear Him,
and He reveals His covenant to them” — not notionally, but experimentally.
A few minutes of the Spirit’s teaching will furnish us with more real,
useful and experimental knowledge — than toiling through whole folios of
commentators! It will be our wisdom to deal less with the streams — and
be more close in applying to the fountain-head. The Scripture itself,
and the Spirit of God — are the best and the only sufficient expositors
of Scripture. Whatever men have valuable in their writings — they got it
from Scripture; and the Scripture is as open to us — as to any of them.
There is nothing required but a teachable, humble spirit; and academic
learning, as it is commonly called, is not necessary in order for this.
We learn more, and more effectually, by one minute’s communication with
God through the medium of His written Word, than we could from an
assembly of theologians, or a library of books!
“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law!”
Psalm
119:18
“Teach me Your statutes!” Psalm 119:12