Oct 22
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The most delightful doctrine! by Spurgeon I am sure there is no more delightful doctrine to a Christian, than that of CHRIST’S ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGNTY! I am glad there is no such thing as ‘chance’, that nothing is left to itself, but that Christ everywhere has sway. If I thought that there was a devil in hell that Christ did not govern, I should be afraid that devil would destroy me. If I thought there was a circumstance on earth, which Christ did not over-rule, I should fear that circumstance would ruin me. Nay, if there were an angel in heaven that was not one of Jehovah’s subjects, I should tremble even at him. But since Christ is King of kings, and I am his poor brother, one whom he loves, I give all my cares to him, for he cares for me; and leaning on his breast, my soul has full repose, confidence, and security. |
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The
secret of Spurgeon’s preaching… “I take my text and make a bee-line to the cross.” Jesus is The Truth. We believe in Him– not merely in His words. He is the Doctor and the Doctrine, the Revealer and the Revelation, the Illuminator and the Light of Men. He is exalted in every word of truth, because he is its sum and substance. He sits above the gospel, like a prince on his own throne. Doctrine is most precious when we see it distilling from his lips and embodied in his person. Sermons are valuable in proportion as they speak of him and point to him. A Christless gospel is no gospel at all and a Christless discourse is the cause of merriment to devils. –Spurgeon |
Self Promoting Preachers
“He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.” (John 7:18)
Multitudes there are, like Diotrephes, who fill the pulpits of churches in every age. Craving the honour of men and loving to have pre-eminence, they exalt and promote themselves. Such men are crafty, self-serving users of men. Our Lord Jesus was not such a preacher; and those who serve Him are not such. — “We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5).
That man who is called of God to preach the Gospel is deeply sensible of his Saviour’s majesty and his own infirmity. He sees in himself nothing but sin, unworthiness and insufficiency. He knows that he is less than nothing (1 Corinthians 15:9; Ephesians 3:8). When he expresses such thoughts about himself, he does not do so in a pretentious show of humility, but with an overwhelming sense of awe that the Lord God would be pleased to use such a person as he knows himself to be for the furtherance of the Gospel, the glory of Christ and the everlasting salvation of His elect (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).
But that man who knows that he is not motivated by Christ, that he is not led by the Spirit of God, that he has no regard for the glory of God, tries to cover his defects by exalting his name. Like the Scribes and Pharisees of old, he seeks the praise of men. Therefore, he arranges his message to suit the minds of those to whom he preaches, making whatever adjustments in doctrine they might require, so that he can maintain their favor.
Such self-serving, self-promoting men do whatever they can, with great subtlety, to tear down the reputations of others, that they might direct attention to themselves. They are quick to criticise and quick to slander. They are cheats, deceivers and self-serving liars. No one should be surprised to find them walking in craftiness and handling the Word of God deceitfully (1 Corinthians 4:2).
God’s servants are not such men. They do not exalt themselves and promote themselves. To suggest or imply in anyway that a man is a self-exalting, self-promoting man is to imply that he is a false prophet.
God’s servants exalt the Triune God, uplifting the crucified Christ, crying, “Behold the Lamb of God!” Faithful preachers exalt and promote the Gospel of Christ, preaching it tirelessly. They do whatever they can, using every means at their disposal, to promote the church and kingdom of God. And faithful men, the servants of God, seize every opportunity to promote the ministries of other faithful men, especially the ministries of those who labor in isolated places and are less known than others, just as Paul praised and promoted Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25; 4:18, 23), Onesiphorus (2 Timothy 1:16; 4:19) and Epaphras (Colossians 1:7; 4:12; Philemon 1:23).
Don Fortner
Lose
yourself in the impenetrable tracts of His Glory!
(John MacDuff, “The Night Watches”)
“Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world,
even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God” Psalm
90:2
O my soul! Seek to fill yourself with thoughts of the
Almighty. Lose yourself in the impenetrable tracts of His Glory!
“Can you by searching find out God?”
Can the insect fathom the ocean?
Can the worm scale the skies?
Can the finite comprehend the Infinite?
Can the mortal grasp Immortality?
We can do no more than stand on the brink of
the shoreless sea, and cry, “Oh the depth!”
“From everlasting to everlasting,
You are God!”
Shrouded in the great and amazing mystery of eternity,
before one star revolved in its sphere,
before one angel moved his wing — God was!
His own infinite presence filling all space.
All time, to Him, is but as the heaving of a breath — the beat of a
pulse — the twinkling of an eye! He was as infinitely glorious when He
inhabited the solitudes of immensity alone — as He is now with the songs of
angel and archangel sounding in His ear!
This is the Being to whom I can look up with sweetest
confidence, and call “My Father!”
This is the Infinite One, whom “the Heaven of Heavens
cannot contain,” whom I call “My God!”
“For
this God is our God for ever and ever:
he will be our guide even unto death.”
Psalm 48:14
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All
of Grace by Don Fortner The glory, bliss, and perfection of heaven, whatever it is and all that it includes, is but the consummation of salvation; and it is, in its totality, the gift and work of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ. In heaven’s glory we shall forever adore and praise our great God for the wondrous mystery of his grace, by which we are saved. Everything in the great work of salvation sets forth the splendor of the grace of the Most High God. What do we see in election, predestination, redemption, regeneration, and preservation, but his grace? The whole work of salvation displays God’s rich, free, almighty, irresistible, sovereign, saving grace in Christ! In, salvation as well as in creation, all things are of God, all things are by God, and all things are for God. Unto him alone all praise must be forever! |
Who shall have the glory—the worm or Jesus?
(Letters of William Romaine,
1714-1795)
I received your letter, and think you overlook our ever adorable
Jesus, in setting any value upon a poor, dirty worm such as myself.
If His grace raised this poor, dirty worm from a dunghill and
set it upon a throne with His princes, who shall have the
glory—the worm or Jesus? Shall any of His due praise be given
to the worm? God forbid!
As vile and base as I am—yet He lets me approach Him and
converse with Him freely.
He condescends to admit me into fellowship with Him; and He
opens His treasures and says, “All these are yours. I bought them for you
with the price of My blood, but I give them to you as a free gift!”
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Grace
denial?
Winslow,
“The Glory of the Redeemer in His People” Be cautious of grace denial. You will need much holy wisdom here, lest you overlook the work of the Spirit within you. You have thought, it may be, of the glory that Christ receives from…. brilliant genius, and profound talent, and splendid gifts, and glowing zeal, and costly sacrifices, and even extensive usefulness. But have you ever thought of the glory, the far greater, richer glory, that flows to Him from…. the contrite spirit, the broken heart, the lowly mind, the humble walk; the tear of godly repentance that falls when seen by no human eye; the sigh of godly sorrow that is breathed when heard by no human ear; the sin abhorrence; the self loathing; the deep sense of vileness, and poverty, and infirmity that takes you to Jesus with the prayer: “Lord, here I am; I have brought to You…. my rebellious will, my wandering heart, my worldly affections, my peculiar infirmity, my besetting and constantly overpowering sin. Receive me graciously, put forth the mighty power of Your grace in my soul, and subdue all, and rule all, and subjugate all to Yourself! Will it not be for Your glory, the glory of Your great name….. if this strong corruption were subdued by Your grace; if this powerful sin were nailed to Your cross; if this temper so volatile, if this heart so impure, if these affections so truant, if this mind so dark, if these desires so earthly, if these pursuits so carnal, if these aims so selfish, were all entirely renewed by Your Spirit, sanctified by Your grace, and made each to reflect Your image? Yes, Lord, it would be for Your glory, through time and through eternity.” |
WILLING
“Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power” (Ps. 110:3). That is not the case before the day of His power. An evil nature makes us unwilling in all that pertains to the Gospel. The day of His power causes those who were not willing to be willing! The day of His power causes those who were not voluntary to be volunteers! The day of His power causes them to love what they once hated and to hate what they once loved! Those who are made willing find it a joy to deny self, take up their cross, and follow Christ. Their will is for their will to be completely subject to God’s will. Their will is to be saved by the God of all grace in the way that He saves. This willingness is caused by the saving grace of God. “It is God that worketh in you both to will and to do His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). The Lord said to the twelve, “Will ye also go away?” Not one of them was willing to do that! While we reject “free will”, we know grace makes us willing.
Todd Nibert
Satan’s Advantage
“To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgive I it in the person of Christ; lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (II Cor. 2:11) If I harbor an unforgiving spirit, Satan has the advantage over me. An unforgiving spirit skews every other part of my life. I hurt myself in so many ways, and I am under Satan’s influence. By grace, the only way to fight this is to forgive! And the only way to forgive is to see how Christ has forgiven you!
~Todd Nibert