Character of Jesus

May Ye, Sinner, Never Know It!

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, promises, salvation Leave a comment

And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. -Matthew 13:50

Should ye die Godless and Christless, a strong hand will seize you on your death-bed, and irresistibly you will be borne along through the vast expanse of ether, unknowing whither you are tending, but with the dread thought that you are in the hand of a demon, who with an iron hand is bearing you most swiftly on. Down he plungeth thee! Ah! what a fall were that my friends! to find yourselves there in that desperate land of torments! May you never know it! Words cannot tell you of it now. I can but just call up a few dread horrible emotions; I can but picture it in a few short rough words: may you never know it! Would ye wish to escape: there is but one door. Would ye be saved: there is but one way. Would ye find entrance into heaven and escape from hell: there is but one road. The road is this-“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned.” To believe is to trust in Jesus. As an old divine used to say, “Faith is recumbency on Christ.” But it is too hard a word. He meant, faith is lying down on Christ. As a child lieth on its mother’s arms, so is faith; as the seaman trusteth to his bark, so is faith; as the old man leaneth on his staff, so is faith; as I may trust, there is faith. Faith is to trust. Trust in Jesus, He will ne’er deceive you:

“Venture on Him, venture wholly,
Let no other trust intrude;
None but Jesus
Can do helpless sinners good.”

Thus may you escape that furnace of fire into which the wicked must be cast. God bless you all, for His name’s sake. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0035.cfm

Comfort for the Tried Ones

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

Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. -Daniel 3:25

Comfort thyself, thou tried one, with this thought: God saith, “I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” The fire is hot, but He has chosen me; the furnace burns, but He has chosen me; these coals are hot, the place I love not, but He has chosen me… Whatever (the fiery trial) is, I know that He has chosen me.

The next comfort is that you have the Son of Man with you in the furnace. In that silent bedchamber of yours, there sitteth by your side one whom thou hast not seen, but whom thou lovest; and ofttimes when thou knowest it not, He makes all thy bed in thy affliction, and smoothes thy pillow for thee. Thou art in poverty; but in that lonely house of thine that hath nought to cover its bare walls, where thou sleepest on a miserable pallet, dost thou know that the Lord of life and glory is a frequent visitor; He often treads those bare floors, and putting His hands upon those walls He consecrates them!…He loves to come into these desolate places that He may visit thee. The Son of Man is with thee, Christian. Thou canst not see Him, but thou mayest feel the pressure of His hands. Dost thou not hear His voice? It is the valley of the shadow of death: thou seest nothing; but He says, “Fear not, I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God.” …Fear not, Christian! thou carriest Jesus in the same boat with thee, and all His fortune! He is with thee in the same fire. The same fire that scorches thee, scorches Him. …Wilt thou not take hold of Jesus, then, and say-

“Through floods and flames, if Jesus lead,
I’ll follow where He goes.”

Feeling that you are safe in His hands, will you not laugh even death to scorn, and triumph over the sting of the grave, because Jesus Christ is with you? ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0035.cfm

Benefits of the Fiery Trials

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

He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. -Titus2:14

What are the benefits of the furnace? Very simply and briefly then, one benefit to be derived from the furnace is, that it purifies us. I was very kindly shown by some of the magistrates of Glasgow over one of the largest ship-building works I had ever seen. I saw them cast certain articles while I was present. I noticed them put the metal in the crucible, and after subjecting it to an intense heat, I saw them pour it out like water into the moulds, but first they removed the impurities from the top; but the scum would never have come on the top had it not been for the fire. They could not extract the dross if it had not been put in the furnace and melted. That is the benefit of the furnace to God’s people; it melts, tries, and purifies them. They get rid of their dross; and if we can but get rid of that, we may be willing to suffer all the misery in the world. The man who is very badly diseased, may stop a long while before he is willing that the doctor’s knife shall be used upon him; but when death comes to his bedside, he will say at last. “Anything, physician; anything, surgeon; if you can but get this disease away-cut as deep as you please.” I confess I have the greatest antipathy to pain; but nevertheless, a greater pain will make one bear a less one to relieve it. And as sin is pain to God’s people; as it is a weary torment, they will be willing, if necessary, to have their right hand cut off, or their right eye plucked out, rather than having two eyes or two hands, to be cast into hell-fire. The furnace is a good place for you, Christian; it benefits you; it helps you to become more like Christ, and it is fitting you for heaven. The more furnace-work you have the sooner you will get home; for God will not keep you long out of heaven when you are fit for it. When all the dross is burned, and the tin is gone, He will say, “Bring hither that wedge of gold; I do not keep my pure gold on earth. I will put it away with my crown jewels in the secret place of my tabernacle of heaven.”~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0035.cfm

A Living Sacrifice

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life 3 Comments

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. -Romans 12:1

Now every sacrifice must be burned with fire… They killed the bullock and laid it on the altar, but it was no sacrifice till they burned it. They slew the lamb, they laid the wood; but there was no sacrifice in the killing of the lamb till it was burned. Know ye not, brethren, we are offerings to God, and that we are a living sacrifice unto Jesus Christ. But how could we be a sacrifice if we were not burned? If we never had the fire of trouble put about us, if we never were kindled, we should lie there without smoke, without flame, unacceptable to God. But because ye are His sacrifice, therefore ye must be burned; fire must penetrate you and you must be offered a whole burnt offering, holy and acceptable unto God.

Another reason why we must be put in the furnace is, because else we should not be at all like Jesus Christ. How can we be like Christ, unless our feet, too, are burned in the furnace? If He walked through the flames, must not we do the same? -that “in all things He might be like unto His brethren.” We are we know, to be like Christ in that august appearance when He shall come to be admired of all His saints; we are to be like Him when we shall see Him as He is; and shall we fear to be like Him here? Will we not tread where our Saviour trod?

Yes! Onward, Christian! the captain of your salvation hath gone through the dark valley before you-therefore, onward! Onward with boldness! Onward with courage! Onward with hope! that ye may be like your Saviour, by participation in His sufferings. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0035.cfm

His Love Changes Not

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises 4 Comments

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? -Romans 8:35

O blessed reflection! let it comfort us: His love does not change; it cannot be made to alter; the furnace cannot scorch us, not a single hair of our head can perish; we are as safe in the fire as we are out of it; He loves us as much in the depths of tribulation as He does in the heights of our joy and exultation. Oh! thou who art beloved of friends, “when thy father and mother forsake thee the Lord will take thee up.” Thou who canst say, “He that ate bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me,” “though all men forsake thee,” saith Jehovah, “yet will not I.” O Zion, say not thou art forgotten of God; hear Him when He speaks-“Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget yet will I never forget thee.” “I have graven thee upon My hands; thy walls are continually before Me.”

Were we not slandered, were we not the butt of’ ridicule, we would not think ourselves the children of God. We glory that we stand prominent in the day of battle; we thank our enemies for all their shafts, for each one bears upon it proofs of our Father’s love. We thank our foemen for every stab, for it only cuts our armour and rattles on our mail, never reaching the heart. We thank them for every slander they have forged, and for every lie they have manufactured, for we know in Whom we have believed, and know that these things cannot separate us from His love; yea, we take this as a mark of our being called, that we, as the sons of God, can suffer persecution for righteousness’ sake.~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0035.cfm

God Does Not Cast Off His Children

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, prophecy, salvation 3 Comments

I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction. -Isaiah 48:10

“I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” I chose and created thee a vessel of mercy appointed unto eternal life: and when thou in common with the whole race, hadst fallen, though I might have crushed thee with them, and sent thee down to hell, I chose thee in thy fallen condition, and I provided for thy redemption: in the fulness of time I sent My Son, who fulfilled My law and made it honourable. I chose thee at thy birth, when a helpless infant thou didst sleep upon thy mother’s breast. I chose thee when thou didst grow up in childhood with all thy follies and thy sins. Determined to save thee, I watched o’er thy path when, Satan’s blind slave, thou didst sport with death. I chose thee when, in manhood, thou didst sin against Me with a high hand; when thy unbridled lusts dashed thee on madly towards hell. I chose thee, then, when thou wast a blasphemer and a swearer, and very far from Me. I chose thee, then, even when thou wast dead in trespasses and sins: I loved thee, and still thy name was kept in My book. The hour appointed came; I redeemed thee from thy sin; I made thee love; I spake to thee, and made thee leave thy sins and become My child; and I chose thee then over again. Since that hour how often hast thou forgotten Me! but I have never forgotten thee. Thou hast wandered from Me; thou hast rebelled against Me; yea, thy words have been exceeding hot against Me, and thou hast robbed Me of Mine honour; but I chose thee even then; and now that I put thee in the furnace thinkest thou that My love is changed? Am I a summer friend fleeing from thee in the winter? Am I one who loves thee in prosperity and doth cast thee off in adversity? Nay; hearken to these my words. thou furnace-tried one, “I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” Think not, then, when you are in trouble that God has cast you off. Think He has cast you off if you never have any trials and troubles, but when in the furnace, say, “Did He not tell me this beforehand?” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0035.cfm

 

Afflictions Are No Proof of Sonship

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

I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. -Isaiah 48:10

(W)hen there seemed in the chapter but little need of the mention of the doctrine of God’s choosing His people, on a sudden the Holy Spirit moves the prophet’s lips and bids him utter this sentiment, “I have chosen thee;” I have chosen thee by My eternal, sovereign, distinguishing grace; I have chosen thee in covenant purposes; I have chosen thee according to My electing love; “I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.”

…No tribulation ever proves us to be children of God, except it be sanctified by grace, but affliction is the common lot of all men-man is born to it, even as the sparks fly upward; and you must not infer, because you happen to be troubled, because you are poor, or sick, or tried in your minds, that therefore you are a child of God. If you do imagine so, you are building on a false foundation; you have taken a wrong thought, and you are not right in the matter at all…

There are trials in the pathway of the ungodly, there are troubles they have to suffer which are quite as acute as those of the children of God. Oh! trust not in your troubles; fix your thoughts on Jesus; make Him the only object of your trust, and let the only test be this, “Am I one with Christ? Am I leaning upon Him?” If so, whether I am tried or not, I am a child of God. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0035.cfm