He is Lifted Up in Every Grateful Heart

March 11, 2023March 4, 2023Sherry Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, salvation, Sovereignty of God 1 Comment

And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent. – John 17:3

Beloved, our Lord Jesus has said many delightful things; and let Him say what He will, His voice is as angels’ music to our ear; but from the cross His voice is richest in consolation. We never come so near to Jesus-at least, such is my experience-as when we gaze upon His bloody sweat, or see Him robed in shame, crowned with thorns, and enthroned upon the cross. Our Lord’s incomparable beauties are most visible amid His griefs. When I see Him on the cross, I feel that I must borrow Pilate’s words, and cry, “Behold the man!” Covered with His own blood from the scourging, and about to be led away to be crucified between two thieves, you look into His inmost heart, and behold what manner of love He bore towards guilty men. We know not Christ till He putteth on His crimson garments. I know not my Beloved when He is only to me as the snow-white lily for purity; but when, in His wounding, He is red as the rose, then I perceive Him. “My Beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.” A suffering Savior bears the palm for me: a wounded Savior is my Lord and my God. The lower He went for my redemption, the higher does He rise in my soul’s loving esteem. He saw this when He said, “I, if I be lifted up”; for indeed it was a lifting up for Him to die upon the cruel gibbet. To the wondering universe the Son of God is lifted to a height of wondering admiration, by His becoming obedient unto death, out of love to His chosen. He is lifted up in every grateful heart and shall be lifted up for ever. Our fellowship with Jesus largely flows along the great deep of His suffering; and to me, at least, it is then deepest, truest, and sweetest. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2212.cfm

In Awe of His Word

March 10, 2023March 4, 2023Sherry Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, prophecy, Sovereignty of God, The Holy Spirit Leave a comment

And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself. – Luke 24:27

I have never yet met with a person worthy to be called a saint who did not love and revere the inspired Book. I have heard in the last days the newly-coined word “bibliolatry”, which is meant to set forth the imaginary crime of worshipping the Bible. I know not who may be guilty of the offense: I have never met with such idolaters. When I do, I will try to show them their error; at present I am too much occupied with the enemies of the Bible to think much of its too ardent friends, if such there be. While the word may be used in an accusation against us, it most surely is a confession on the part of those who use it that they see nothing special about the Scriptures and are angry with those who do. Let them speak as they will, O Lord, “my heart standeth in awe of Thy Word.” I would be numbered with the men who tremble at Thy Word. The words of the Holy Ghost are more than words to me. I tremble lest I should sin against Him by sinning against them. I would not take away a word from the Book of this prophecy, nor add thereunto; but let it stand as it is; for here it is that Jesus meets us and communes with us. He opens the Scriptures to our understanding, and then He opens our understanding to receive the Scriptures. He makes us hear His voice in these chapters; yea, we see Himself in them.

“Here I behold my Savior’s face
Almost in every page.”

We cannot look up to heaven and see Jesus amid the celestial splendours; but He lovingly looks down from the throne of His glory into the looking glass of the Word, and when we look into it, we see the sweet reflection of His face. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2212.cfm

Reverence for the Word of God

March 9, 2023March 4, 2023Sherry Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, Sovereignty of God 3 Comments

Then He took unto Him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. – Luke 18:31

Luke says, “He took unto Him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.” Blessed theme-the Word of the Lord by His prophets and the fulfillment thereof. Have you never noticed how our divine Lord delights to speak upon the Scriptures? How often does He enforce His teaching by “as the scripture hath said”! If He has only two of them, and they are walking on the road, we read, “Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself.” Communion with Christ Jesus must be based on the Word of the Lord. If you speak half a word derogatory of holy Scripture, your fellowship will evaporate. Men talk about building upon Christ, and not upon the Scriptures; but they know not what they say; for our Lord continually established His own claims by appealing to Moses and the prophets. They would be Christo-centric, they say: I only wish they would. But if they take Christ for a center, they will inevitably have the Scriptures for a center too; and these men neither want the one nor the other. They care nothing for the center; they only want to do away with the circumference, that they may roam at their own proud wills. Our Lord made the written Word to be the reason for many of His acts: He did this, and He did not do that, because of what the Scriptures had said. He comes not to take away the law and the prophets, yea, not a jot or a tittle does He destroy, so careful is He of the Scriptures of truth. We learn from Him to believe not only in inspired words, but in inspired jots and tittles. They that have been much with Christ always show a profound reverence for the Word of God. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2212.cfm

A Joyful Bracing Up

March 8, 2023March 4, 2023Sherry Christian Life Leave a comment

And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death… – Matthew 20:17,18

When our Lord, on this occasion, spoke to the twelve, the time was significant: it was on the way to a great trial. To Him His coming suffering was the sum of all trial. He was about to be wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was about to fall upon Him, that with His stripes we might be healed. But it was to be a time of great trial to the disciples also. Inasmuch as they loved their Lord, they would sympathize with His sufferings and death. Inasmuch as they trusted in Him, it would be a sharp trial to their faith to see Him dying on the cross, vanquished by His remorseless enemies. Inasmuch as they loved His company, they would weep and lament, and feel like orphaned children when He was taken from them. Therefore, they must be favored with a special private interview, to prepare them for the coming ordeal. Have you never noticed how our Lord, before the coming to us of a great tribulation, strengthens our hearts by some heavenly visitation? Either before or after affliction, it has happened to me to enjoy very special manifestations of the Well-Beloved. At such junctures He brings us into His banqueting house, and His banner over us is love, that we may go down to the battle like men refreshed by a feast. He gives us a joyful bracing up, that we may be ready for to-morrow’s stern service. I feel that it is so; and I pray that each of you may know, by personal experience, how wise is your Redeemer’s foresight; and how, by the communion apart, He prepares us for that which we are to meet at the end of the way. A drink from the brook of fellowship by the way will make you ready for the heat of the conflict. A word from His myrrh-dropping lips will perfume the air, even of the valley of death-shade. Speak to us, Lord, and we will not heed the howling of the dog of hell. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2212.cfm

Live Near to God

March 7, 2023March 7, 2023Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, Sovereignty of God Leave a comment

But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all Thy works. – Psalm 73:28

No man can give out what he has not received. If you are to be a fountain of living waters to others, you must be filled yourself from the fullness of God. Dear brethren and sisters, you whom the Lord has chosen to be vessels of mercy to others, take care that you wait much upon Him yourselves, and are much with Him in secret retirement. Live near to God, that you may bring others near. I remember sitting, one rainy day, in an inn, at Cologne, looking out of a window upon a square…I saw a man coming to a pump that stood in the middle of the square, and from that pump he filled a vessel A little while after, I saw the same man again filling his buckets. All that morning I saw no one else, but only that one water-loving individual man, filling his buckets again and again. I thought to myself, “What can he be? Why is he always drawing water?” Then I perceived that he was a water-carrier, a bearer of water to families in the adjoining streets. Well might he often come to the fountain himself, since he was supplying others. You that are water-carriers for thirsty souls must needs come often to the living water yourselves and be thankful that your Master is always willing to meet you and give you rich supplies. He graciously waits to take you apart in the way and speak to you things which you need to hear and tell. Take care that you hear well that which you are commissioned to publish to all the world. Take good note of this, ye who instruct others: neglect not the yielding of your ear to your Lord quite as completely as your tongue. Hear Him that you may speak of Him. Be ye sure that ye are much with your Lord alone, that you may have Him much with you in public. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2212.cfm

Amazed

March 6, 2023March 4, 2023Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, Sovereignty of God Leave a comment

“And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify Him: and the third day He shall rise again.”-Matthew 20:17-19.

Our Lord firmly resolved to go to Jerusalem, about a fortnight before the Passover, with the view of becoming Himself the Lamb of God’s Passover. He had frequently quitted Jerusalem when His life had been in danger there, because His time was not yet come, and He thus set us the example of not wilfully running into danger, or braving it with foolhardiness; but now that He felt that the hour of His sacrifice was near at hand, He did not hesitate, or seek to avoid it; but He resolutely set out to meet His sufferings and His death…”And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them; and they were amazed, and as they followed they were afraid.” Knowing that, according to His own account, He was going to suffering and death; and being well assured, from their own observation, that He was about to encounter the most furious opposition, they were amazed at the dauntless courage of His mien and wondered what made Him so resolved. We read that “they were afraid”, afraid for themselves, in a measure, but most of all afraid for Him. Would not His daring lead to conflict with the powers then in authority, and might not terrible things happen both to Him and to them? It was not altogether timidity, but awe which came over them: His manner was so majestic and sublime. That lowly man had a something about Him which commanded the trembling reverence of His disciples…In the presence of their Lord, who seemed to be leading a forlorn hope to a fierce battle, they were afraid. They were amazed at His courage, and afraid for the consequences. They were also amazed at Him, and afraid because of their own unfitness to stand in His presence. Do we not know what this feeling is? ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2212.cfm