Christian Life

The Father Desires to See Christ in Us

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

He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked. – 1 John 2:6

Why ought we to walk as Jesus did?

When we read the word “ought,” if we are honest men, we begin to look about us and to make enquiries as to the reason and the measure of this obligation. An “ought” is a compulsion to a true heart. There is a “needs be” to every godly man that he should do what he ought.

What, then, is the ground upon which this “ought” is fixed?

It is a part of the original covenant purpose; for “whom He did foreknow He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son.” That is the drift of the plan of grace, the aim of the covenant. Grace looks towards holiness, that there should be a people called forth to whom Christ should be the elder brother, the firstborn among many brethren. You certainly have not had the purpose of God fulfilled in you, dear friend, unless you have been conformed to the image of His dear Son. “He hath chosen us in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” This is the aim of election; this is the object of redemption; this is the fruit of calling; this is the concomitant of justification; this is the evidence of adoption; this is the earnest of glory; that we should be holy, even as Christ is holy, and in this respect should wear the lineaments of the Son of God. He hath given His own Son to die for us, that we may die to sin; He has given Him to live that we may live like Him. In every one of us the Father desires to see Christ, that so Christ may be glorified in every one of us. Do you not feel this to be an imperative necessity to be laid upon you? Would you have the Lord miss His purpose? You are chosen of God to this end, that you should be “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, zealous of good works,” and what is this but that you should walk even as He walked? ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/1732.cfm

Christ Deigns to be Our Example

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

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. – Ephesians 5:1

The first thing about a Christian is initiation, initiation into Christ: the next thing is imitation, the imitation of Christ. We cannot be Christians unless we are in Christ; and we are not truly in Christ unless in Him we live and move and have our being, and the life of Christ is lived over again by us according to our measure. “Be ye imitators of God, as dear children.” It is the nature of children to imitate their parents. Be ye imitators; of Christ as good soldiers, who cannot have a better model for their soldierly life than their Captain and Lord. Ought we not to be very grateful to Christ that He deigns to be our example? If He were not perfectly able to meet all our other wants, if He were an expiation and nothing else, we should glory in Him as our atoning sacrifice, for we always put that to the front, and magnify the virtue of His precious blood beyond everything: but at the same time we need an example, and it is delightful to find it where we find our pardon and justification. They that are saved from the death of sin need to be guided in the life of holiness, and it is infinitely condescending on the part of Christ that He becomes an example to such poor creatures as we are. It is said to have been the distinguishing mark of Caesar as a soldier that he never said to his followers “Go!” but he always said “Come!” Of Alexander, also, it was noted that in weary marches he was sure to be on foot with his warriors, and in fierce attack’s he always was in the van. The most persuasive sermon is the example which leads the way. This certainly is one trait in the Good Shepherd’s character, “when He putteth forth His own sheep He goeth before them.” If Jesus bids us do anything, He first does it Himself. He would have us wash one another’s feet; and this is the argument-“Ye call Me Master and Lord, and ye say well; for so I am. If I, then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.” Shall we not do as He does whom we profess to follow? He has left His footprints that we may set our feet in them.Will we not joyfully fix our feet upon this royal road? ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/1732.cfm

Joined to Christ

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

“He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.”- 1John 2:6

He that saith he abideth in Him: “-that is exactly what every Christian does say. He cannot be a Christian unless this be true of him, and be cannot fully enjoy his religion unless he assuredly knows that he is in Christ, and can boldly say as much. We must be in Christ, and abidingly in Christ, or else we are not saved in the Lord. It is our union with the Christ that makes us Christians: by union with Him as our life we truly live, live in the favour of God. We are in Christ, dear brethren, as the manslayer was in the city of refuge: I hope that we can say we abide in Him as our sanctuary and shelter. We have fled for refuge to Him who is the hope set before us in the gospel; even as David and his men sheltered themselves in the caves of En-gedi, so we hide ourselves in Christ. We each one sing, and our heart goes with the words-

“Rock of ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.”

We have entered into Christ as into the shadow of a great rock in a weary land; as a guest into a banquet-hall, as returning travellers into their home. And now we abide-in Christ in this sense, that we are joined to Him : as the stone is in the wall; as the wave is in the sea; as the branch is in the vine; so are we in Christ… Today we remain in Christ, and hope for ever to remain in Him, as our Head. Ours is no transient union; while He lives as our Head we shall remain His members. We are nothing apart from Him. As a finger is nothing without the head, as the whole body is nothing without the head, so should we be nothing without our Lord Jesus Christ. But we are in Him vitally, and therefore we dare ask the question, “Who shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord?” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/1732.cfm

Before The Great Trier of Human Hearts

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

And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. – Luke 3:9

Unless our religion makes us holy, it has not done anything for us that is really worth doing. Unless we hate sin, and love righteousness, our religion is a sham and a lie. John stated that truth very plainly; and that is the way to drive men to Christ. He told them also that the trial of a life would be by its weight as well as by its fruit. “Look,” said he, “at the heap that lies on the threshing-floor. He that hath the fan in His hand begins to winnow it; that which is light and chaffy is blown away, that which has wheat in it remains on the floor. So,” said he, “there must be weight about your religion-stability, reality, sincerity. There must be heart-work in it, it must be no pretence; it must be true from beginning to end, or else it shall no more avail you than a heap of chaff would avail the husbandman when it is blown into the fire.”

Then John taught his hearers that Christ Himself would be the great Trier of human hearts; not ministers or fellow-professors, but, Christ Himself. When men feel this to be true, then they begin to say to themselves, “There is more required than we at present possess. There is more demanded than we can ever manufacture of ourselves. Let us go to Him that hath it, and ask Him for it. Let us go to Christ, who hath grace to bestow upon the poor and needy.” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2404.cfm

Insufficient Privileges

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

…begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham as our father… – Like 3:8

As soon as ever John began to preach, the men of Jewish race, proud of their pedigree, pressed near; and John, with all the courage that a servant of the Lord could have, said, “Begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.” You see the drift of his preaching, do you not? He says, practically, “Men and women, there is no virtue in your boasted privileges, there is no merit in your religious descent. As for supposing yourselves to be the peculiar people of God, you are not to be saved that way. Say not, We have Abraham as our father.” Oh, how many hug that idea, “My father was a Christian.” Others say, “Well, I live in a Christian country.” They suppose that there is something in the very race from which they have sprung. Away with all such notions, for whatever external privileges you may have had, they are not sufficient to secure salvation for you.

So John spoke right straight out; and this, I believe, is a great way of preparing men for coming to Christ, when you tell them, “It is not your early training, it is not your going to church or chapel, it is not your infant sprinkling and your confirmation, it is not even your adult baptism, nor your saying prayers and reading the Bible, that will save you; but ‘ye must be born again.’ There must be an inward spiritual change, wrought by the Holy Spirit. You must believe in Jesus Christ, whom God has sent, and you must so believe in Him as to be made new creatures in Him, or else you cannot be saved.” Now, when men realize that all this is true, it startles them out of their false refuges, and makes them ready to flee to the only true refuge… ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2404.cfm

Convinced of Sin and Led to Repentance

Sherry Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, repentance, salvation 1 Comment

Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand… and He will throughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.- Matthew 3:2, 12

“Repent! Repent ! Repent!” was John’s continual cry. This awakened the consciences of his hearers concerning their sin. Preaching repentance meant, “You have sinned; change your mind in reference to that sin. You have sinned; quit the sin, mourn over it, ask forgiveness for it. Repent ye!” Whenever a man brings to the minds of others their sins, when he so does it that they begin to feel that they have sinned, then they are being prepared for the Lord, for no man will come to the Saviour unless he knows that he needs a Saviour; and no man will feel that he needs a Saviour until he feels that he is a sinner. Hence it is a real preparation of men for Christ to convince them of sin.

The preacher who would “make ready a people prepared for the Lord” must come out with his axe, and lay it to the root of the trees; he must be definite and distinct in indicating this sin and that sin, and crying to all men, “Repent of these sins. Give them up. Get clear from them. Be washed from them; or else, as God lives, when the Christ Himself comes, it will not be to save you, but to blow you away with His winnowing fan as the chaff is blown into the fire.”

This is “to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” by their being convinced of sin and led to repentance. Hence it is a real preparation of men for Christ to convince them of sin. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2404.cfm

When Thought Blossoms into Hope

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

And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. – Luke 1:17

Faith is a matter of thought; it requires a mind aroused from slumber, a mind that has taken wing; and John the Baptist did good service for his Master when he startled men into that condition, and so made them consider their ways…He cried, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,” and this message infused into the people a measure of hope. The poor people said, “What shall we do?” for they had a hope that there was something to be gained. Even the tax-gatherers, despised as they were, began to look up, and think that there might be something even for them, so they said to John, “Master, what shall we do?” And the rough Roman soldiers thought, “There may be something for us,” so they also asked, “And what shall we do?” John inspired the multitudes with hope. It is a very blessed state of mind for a man to get in when he begins to hope that he may be saved. Then he will be prepared to come to Jesus, just as he is, when he feels that he is not shut up to despair…it would be part of the making ready of “a people prepared for the Lord” when thought had blossomed into hope. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2404.cfm