Character of Jesus

Our Spiritual Existence

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, salvation, Sovereignty of God, The Holy Spirit Leave a comment

But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus… – 1 Corinthians 1:30

Are you this day united to Christ-a stone in that building, of which He is both foundation and topstone-a limb of that mystical body, of which He is the head? Then you did not get there of yourself. No stone in that wall leaped into its place; no member of that body was its own creator. You come to be in union with Christ through God the Father. You were ordained unto this grace by His own purpose, the purpose of the Infinite Jehovah, who chose you, or ever the earth was. “Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you.” The first cause of your union with Christ lies in the purpose of God who gave you grace in Christ Jesus from before the foundation of the world. And as to the purpose, so to the power of God is your union with Christ to be attributed. He brought you into Christ; you were a stranger, He brought you near; you were an enemy, He reconciled you. You had never come to Christ to seek for mercy if first of all the Spirit of God had not appeared to you to show you your need, and to lead you to cry for the mercy that you needed. Through God’s operation as well as through God’s decree you are this day in Christ Jesus. It will do your souls good, my brethren, to think of this very common-place truth. Many days have passed since your conversion, it may be, but do not forget what a high day the day of your new birth was; and do not cease to give glory to that mighty power which brought you out of darkness into marvellous light. You did not convert yourself; if you did, you still have need to be converted again. Your regeneration was not of the will of man, nor of blood, nor of birth; if it were so, let me tell you the sooner you are rid of it the better. The only true regeneration is of the will of God and by the operation of the Holy Ghost. “By the grace of God, I am what I am.” He “has begotten us again unto a lively hope.” “He that hath wrought us to the selfsame thing is God.” “Of Him are ye in Christ Jesus.” Through the operation and will and purpose of God are you this day a member of Christ’s body and one with Jesus. Give all the glory, then, to the Lord alone. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0991.cfm

Make Him Known

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, The Holy Spirit Leave a comment

But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. – 1 Corinthians 1:30, 31

Beyond all question the name, person, and work of Jesus are the salt and savor of every true gospel ministry, and we cannot have too much of them. Alas! that in so many ministries there is such a lack of this first dainty of the feast, this essence of all soul-satisfying doctrine. We may preach Christ without prescribing how much, only the more we extol Him the better. It would be impossible to sin by excess in preaching Christ crucified. It was an ancient precept, “With all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt;” let it stand as an ordinance of the sanctuary now: “With all thy sermonisings and discoursings thou shalt ever mingle the name of Jesus Christ; thou shalt ever seek to magnify the alpha and omega of the plan of redemption.” The apostle in the first chapter of this epistle was anxious to speak to the Corinthians about their divisions and other serious faults, but he could not confine himself to that unpleasant theme; as naturally as possible his heart bounded over the mountains of division to his Lord and Master. Divisions did but remind him of the great uniting One who has made all His people one, and human follies did but drive him nearer to the infallible Christ who is the wisdom of God. Though Paul had to write many sharp things to those ancient Plymouth Brethren at Corinth, yet how sweetly did he prevent all bitterness by dipping his pen in the honeyed ink of love to the Lord Jesus, and admiration of His person and work! Let us, dear friends, if we have to preach, preach Christ crucified; and if we are private persons, let us in our household life, and in all our conversation, make His name to be as ointment poured forth. Let your life be Christ living in you. May you be like Asher, of whom it is said, he dipped his foot in oil may you be so anointed with the Spirit of your Lord that wherever you put down your foot, you may leave an impression of grace. The balmy south wind bears token of having passed over sunny lands; may the ordinary bent and current of your life bear evidence in it that you have communed with Jesus. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0991.cfm

Our Comfort in Death

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, Sovereignty of God Leave a comment

For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me. – Job 19:25-27

Let me observe how foolish have you and I been when we have looked forward to death with shudders, with doubts, with loathings. After all, what is it? Worms! Do you tremble at those base crawling things? Scattered particles! Shall we be alarmed at these? To meet the worms we have the angels, and to gather the scattered particles we have the voice of God. I am sure the gloom of death is altogether gone now that the lamp of resurrection burns! Disrobing is nothing now that better garments await us! We may long for evening to undress, that we may rise with God. I am sure my venerable friends now present, in coming so near, as they do now, to the time of the departure, must have some visions of the glory on the other side the stream…Is not my text a telescope which will enable you to see across the Jordan? May it not be as hands of angels to bring you bundles of myrrh and frankincense? You can say, “I know that my Redeemer lives.” You cannot want more; you were not satisfied with less in your youth, you will not be content with less now. Those of us who are young, are comforted by the thought that we may soon depart. I say comforted, not alarmed by it; and we almost envy those whose race is nearly run, because we fear—and yet we must not speak thus, for the Lord’s will be done—I was about to say, we fear that our battle may last long, and that mayhap our feet may slip; only He that keeps Israel does not slumber nor sleep. So, since we know that our Redeemer lives, this shall be our comfort in life—that though we fall, we shall not be utterly cast down; and since our Redeemer lives, this shall be our comfort in death—that though worms destroy this body, yet in our flesh we shall see God! ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0504.cfm

Risen from a State of Grace to a State of Glory

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…yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me. – Job 19:26,27

I must have you observe how Job has expressly made us note that it is in the same body. “Yet, in my flesh shall I see God;” and then he says again, “whom I shall see for myself, and mine eye shall behold and not another.” Yes, it is true that I, the very man standing here, though I must go down to die, yet I shall as the same man most certainly arise and shall behold my God! Not part of myself, though the soul, alone, shall have some view of God, but the whole of myself—my flesh, my soul, my body, my spirit shall gaze on God. We shall not enter heaven, dear friends, as a dismasted vessel is tugged into harbor; we shall not get to glory some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship—but the whole ship shall be floated safely into the haven—body and soul both being safe! Christ shall be able to say, “All that the Father gives to Me shall come to Me,” not only all the persons, but all of the persons—each man in his perfection! …All the saints shall be all there, and all of all; the same persons precisely, only that they shall have risen from a state of grace to a state of glory.

…There shall be personal conversation with God; not through the Book, which is but as a glass; not through the ordinances; but directly—in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ—we shall be able to commune with the Deity as a man talketh with his friend. “Not another.” If I could be a changeling and could be altered, that would mar my comfort. Or if my heaven must be enjoyed by proxy, if draughts of bliss must be drunk for me, where were the hope? Oh, no; for myself, and not through another, shall I see God! Have we not told you a hundred times that nothing but personal religion will do, and is not this another argument for it, because resurrection and glory are personal things? “Not another.” If you could have sponsors to repent for you, then, depend upon it, you would have sponsors to be glorified for you! But as there is not another to see God for you, so you must, yourself, see—and yourself find an interest—in the Lord Jesus Christ! ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0504.cfm

Blessed Anticipation

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, Sovereignty of God Leave a comment

…yet in my flesh shall I see God… – Job 19:26

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. – 1 John 3:2

“In my flesh I shall see God.” Oh, blessed anticipation—”I shall see God.” He does not say, “I shall see the saints”—doubtless we shall see them all in heaven—but “I shall see God.” Note he does not say, “I shall see the pearly gates, I shall see the walls of jasper, I shall see the crowns of gold, and the harps of harmony,” but “I shall see God;” as if that were the sum and substance of heaven! “In my flesh shall I see God.” The pure in heart shall see God. It was their delight to see Him in the ordinances by faith. They delighted to behold Him in communion and in prayer. There in heaven they shall have a vision of another sort. We shall see God in heaven and be made completely like He is! The divine character shall be stamped upon us; and being made like He is, we shall be perfectly satisfied and content. Likeness to God—what can we wish for more? And a sight of God—what better desire can we anticipate? We shall see God, and so there shall be perfect contentment to the soul, and a satisfaction of all the faculties. Some read the passage, “Yet, I shall see God in my flesh,” and hence think that there is here an allusion to Christ, our Lord Jesus Christ, as the Word made flesh. Well, be it so, or be it not so, it is certain that we shall see Christ and He—as the divine Redeemer—shall be the subject of our eternal vision. Nor shall we ever want any joy beyond simply that of seeing Him. Think not, dear friend, that this will be a narrow sphere for our mind to dwell in. It is but one source of delight, “I shall see God,” but that source is infinite! His wisdom, His love, His power, all His attributes shall be subjects for your eternal contemplation, and as He is infinite under each aspect there is no fear of exhaustion. His works, His purposes, His gifts, His love to you, and His glory in all His purposes, and in all His deeds of love—why, these shall make a theme that never can be exhausted! You may, with divine delight, anticipate the time when in your flesh you shall see God! ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0504.cfm

Our Earnest Expectation

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, prophecy, Sovereignty of God Leave a comment

For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth… – Job 19:25

Job not only knew that the Redeemer lived, but he anticipated the time when He should stand in the latter day upon the earth. No doubt Job referred here to our Savior’s first advent, to the time when Jesus Christ, “the goel,” the kinsman, should stand upon the earth to pay in the blood of His veins the ransom price, which had, indeed, in bond and stipulation, been paid before the foundation of the world in promise. But I cannot think that Job’s vision stayed there; he was looking forward to the second advent of Christ as being the period of the resurrection. We cannot endorse the theory that Job arose from the dead when our Lord died, although certain Jewish believers held this idea very firmly at one time. We are persuaded that “the latter day” refers to the advent of glory rather than to that of shame. Our hope is that the Lord shall come to reign in glory where He once died in agony. The bright and hallowed doctrine of the second advent has been greatly revived in our churches in these latter days, and I look for the best results in consequence! There is always a danger lest it be perverted, and turned by fanatical minds, by prophetic speculations, into an abuse; but the doctrine in itself is one of the most consoling, and, at the same time, one of the most practical, tending to keep the Christian awake—because the bridegroom cometh at such an hour as we think not. Beloved, we believe that the same Jesus who ascended from Olivet shall so come in like manner as He ascended up into heaven! We believe in His personal advent and reign; we believe and expect that when both wise and foolish virgins shall slumber—in the night when sleep is heavy upon the saints, when men shall be eating and drinking as in the days of Noah, that suddenly as the lightning flasheth from heaven, so Christ shall descend with a shout, and the dead in Christ shall rise and reign with Him! We are looking forward to the literal, personal and actual standing of Christ upon earth as the time when Creation’s groans shall be silenced forever—and the earnest expectation of the creature shall be fulfilled. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0504.cfm

My Living Redeemer is Mine

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, Sovereignty of God Leave a comment

For I know that my Redeemer liveth… – Job 19:25

The marrow of Job’s comfort it seems to me lays in that little word “My.” “I know that MY Redeemer lives.” Oh, to get hold of Christ! I know that in His offices He is precious, but, dear friends, we must have a part in Him before we can really enjoy Him. What is honey in the wood to me, if like the fainting Israelites, I dare not eat. It is honey in my hand, honey on my lips, which enlightens my eyes like those of Jonathan. What is gold in the mine to me? Men are beggars in Peru and beg their bread in California; it is gold in my purse which will satisfy my necessities, purchasing the bread I need. So, what is a kinsman if he is not a kinsman to me? What is a Redeemer that does not redeem me, an avenger who will never stand up for my blood, of what avail were such? But Job’s faith was strong and firm in the conviction that the Redeemer was his. Dear friends, dear friends, can all of you say, “I know that my Redeemer lives.” The question is simple and simply put; but oh, what solemn things hang upon your answer! “Is He MY Redeemer?” I charge you: rest not, be not content until by faith you can say, “Yes, I cast myself upon Him; I am His, and therefore He is mine.” I know that full many of you, while you look upon all else that you have as not being yours, yet can say, “My Redeemer is mine.” He is the only piece of property which is really ours. We borrow all else—the house, the children, no, much more—our very body we must return to the Great Lender. But Jesus, we can never leave, for even when we are absent from the body, we are present with the Lord, and I know that even death cannot separate us from Him! The body and soul are with Jesus truly even in the dark hours of death, in the long night of the sepulcher, and in the separate state of spiritual existence. Beloved, have you Christ? It may be you hold Him with a feeble hand; you half think it is presumption to say, “He is my Redeemer;” yet remember, if you have but faith as a grain of mustard seed, that little faith entitles you to say, and say now, “I know that MY Redeemer lives.” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0504.cfm