Christian Life

The Song of Yester-morn

Sherry Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, salvation 3 Comments

I remembered thy judgments of old, O LORD; and have comforted myself. – Psalm 119:52

Christian, perhaps the best song thou canst sing, to cheer thee in the night, is the song of yester-morn. Remember, it was not always night with thee: night is a new thing to thee. Once thou hadst a glad heart, a buoyant spirit; once thine eye was full of fire; once thy foot was light; once thou couldst sing for very joy and ecstacy of heart. Well, then, remember that God, who made thee sing yesterday, has not left thee in the night. He is not a daylight God, who can not know His children in darkness; but He loves thee now as much as ever: though He has left thee a little, it is to prove thee, to make thee trust Him better, and serve Him more.

My beloved brethren, you will find it a sweet subject for song at times, to begin to sing of electing love and covenanted mercies. When thou thyself art low, it is well to sing of the fountain-head of mercy; of that blessed decree wherein thou wast ordained to eternal life, and of that glorious Man who undertook thy redemption; of that solemn covenant signed, and sealed, and ratified, in all things ordered well; of that everlasting Love which, ere the hoary mountains were begotten, or ere the aged hills were children, chose thee, loved thee firmly, loved thee fast, loved thee well, loved thee eternally…if thou canst read in His loving heart eternal thoughts of love to thee, thou wilt find this a charming means of giving thee songs in the night. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2558.cfm

Night Songs from God

Sherry Attributes of God, Christian Life, promises 6 Comments

Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. – Habakkuk 3:17-18

Any man can sing in the day. When the cup is full, man draws inspiration from it; when wealth rolls in abundance around him, any man can sing to the praise of a God who gives a plenteous harvest, or sends home a loaded argosy. It is easy enough for an aeolian harp to whisper music when the winds blow; the difficulty is for music to come when no wind bloweth…Let all things go as I please-I will weave songs, weave them wherever I go, with the flowers that grow upon my path; but put me in a desert, where no flowers are, and wherewith shall I weave a chorus of praise to God? How shall I make a crown for Him? Let this voice be free, and this body be full of health, and I can sing God’s praise; but stop this tongue, lay me upon the bed of languishing, and it is not so easy to sing from the bed, and chant high praises in the fires…It is not in man’s power to sing, when all is adverse. It is not natural to sing in trouble-“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name:” for that is a daylight song. But it was a divine song which Habakkuk sang, when in the night he said-“Though the fig-tree shall not blossom,” and so on, “yet will I trust in the Lord, and stay myself in the God of Jacob.” Songs in the night come only from God; they are not in the power of man.~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2558.cfm

Songs in the Night

Sherry Attributes of God, Christian Life, promises 3 Comments

But none saith, Where is God my Maker, who giveth songs in the night?- Job 35:10

ELIHU was a wise man, exceeding wise, though not as wise as the all-wise Jehovah, who sees light in the clouds, and finds order in confusion; hence Elihu, being much puzzled at beholding Job thus afflicted, cast about him to find the cause of it, and he very wisely hit upon one of the most likely reasons, although it did not happen to be the right one in Job’s case. He said within himself-“Surely, if men be tried and troubled exceedingly, it is because, while they think about their troubles and distress themselves about their fears, they do not say, ‘Where is God my Maker, who giveth songs in the night?'” Elihu’s reason was very right in the majority of cases. The great cause of the Christian’s distress, the reason of the depths of sorrow into which many believers are plunged, is simply this-that while they are looking about, on the right hand and on the left, to see how they may escape their troubles, they forget to look to the hills whence all real help cometh; they do not say, “Where is God my Maker, who giveth songs in the night?”

And many a night do we have-nights of sorrow, nights of persecution, nights of doubt, nights of bewilderment, nights of anxiety, nights of oppression, nights of ignorance-nights of all kinds, which press upon our spirits and terrify our souls. But, blessed be God, the Christian man can say, “My God giveth me songs in the night.”~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2558.cfm

Believe and Live

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

He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. – John 3:18

He that believeth on the Lord Jesus Christ and is baptized, shall be saved. – Mark 16:16

He that believeth not,” saith the Scripture “shall be damned.” Do you not like that message? Ought I to have said another word instead of that? If you wish it, I shall not; what God says I will say; far be it from me to alter the messages from the Most High; I will, if He help me, declare His truth without altering. He saith “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; he that believeth not shall be damned.” What is it to believe? To tell you as simply as possible: to believe is to give up trusting in yourself and to trust in Jesus Christ as your Saviour…Christ says, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”

“What!“ says one, “no good works?” Good works will come afterwards, but they do not go with it. You must come to Christ, not with your good works, but with your sins; and coming with your sins, He will take them away, and give you good works afterwards. After you believe, there will be good works as the effect of your faith; but if you think faith will be the effect of good works, you are mistaken. It is “believe and live.” Cowper calls them the soul-quickening words, “believe and live.” This is the sum and substance of the gospel. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0104.cfm

Unasked for Pardon

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, salvation 5 Comments

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. -Romans 5:10

Christ did not consider me as an awakened heir of heaven, but as a dead, corrupt, lost, and ruined heir of hell. If He had died for me as an awakened heir of heaven, then I could have prayed for Him to die, for then I have power to pray, and will to pray; but Christ died for me when I had no power nor will to lift my voice in prayer to Him. It was entirely unasked. Where did ye ever hear that man was first in mercy? Did man ask God to redeem? Nay, rather, it is almost the other way; it is as if God did entreat man to be redeemed. Man never asked that he might be pardoned, but God pardons him, and then turns round and cries, “Return unto Me, backsliding children of men, and I will have mercy upon you.” Sinners! if you should go down on your knees, and were for months to cry for mercy, it would be great mercy if mercy should look upon you; but without asking, when we are hardened and rebellious, when we will not turn to Christ, He still comes to die for us. Tell it in heaven; tell it in the lower world! God’s amazing work surpasses thought; for love itself did die for hatred-holiness did crucify itself to save poor sinful men, and unasked for and unsought, like a fountain in the desert sparkling spontaneously with its native waters, Jesus Christ came to die for man, who would not seek His grace.

…Sinner! I can commend Christ to thee for this reason: I know that thou needest Him. Thou mayest be ignorant of it thyself, but thou dost need Him… for whosoever believeth not on Christ “hath not life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.” …Oh! that wrath of God! Sinner, thou needest Christ, even though thou dost not think so. Oh, that the Lord would impress this upon thee! ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0104.cfm

No Merit in Us

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

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. – Romans 5:10

It is quite certain that God did not consider man’s merit when Christ died; in fact, no merit could have deserved the death of Jesus. Though we had been holy as Adam, we could never have deserved a sacrifice like that of Jesus for us. But inasmuch as it says, “He died for sinners,” we are thereby taught that God considered our sin, and not our righteousness. When Christ died, He died for men as black, as wicked, as abominable, not as good and excellent. Christ did not shed His blood for us as saints, but as sinners. He considered us in our loathsomeness, in our low estate and misery-not in that high estate to which grace afterwards elevates us, but in all the decay into which we had fallen by our sin. There could have been no merit in us; and therefore, God commendeth His love by our ill desert.

Again: it is quite certain, because Christ died for us as sinners, that God had no interest to serve by sending His Son to die. How could sinners serve Him? Oh! if God had pleased, He might have crushed this nest of rebels, and have made another world all holy. If God had chosen, the moment that man sinned He might have said unto the world, “Thou shalt be burned”; and like as a few years ago astronomers told us that they saw the light of a far-off world burning, myriads of miles away, this world might have been consumed with burning heat, and sin scorched out of its clay. But no. Whilst God could have made another race of beings, and could have either annihilated us, or consigned us to eternal torment, He was pleased to veil Himself in flesh, and die for us. Surely then it could not have been from any motive of self-interest. God had nothing to get by man’s salvation. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0104.cfm

Christ’s Love is a Mighty Thing

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

Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. – Romans 8:34

When we were sinners, we were sinners against the very person who died for us. “Tis strange, ’tis passing strange, ’tis wonderful,” that the very Christ against whom we have sinned died for us. If a man should be injured in the street, if a punishment should be demanded of the person who attacked him, it would be passing strange if the injured man should for love’s sake bear the penalty that the other might go free; but ’twas so with Christ. He had been injured, yet He suffers for the very injury that others did to Him. He dies for His enemies-dies for the men that hate and scorn Him. There is an old tradition, that the very man who pierced Christ’s side was converted; and I sometimes think that peradventure in heaven we shall meet with those very men who drove the nails into His hands and pierced His side. Love is a mighty thing; it can forgive great transgressors. I know my Master said, “Begin at Jerusalem,” and I think He said that because there lived the men who had crucified Him, and He wanted them to be saved. My hearer, hast thou ever blasphemed Christ? Hast thou ever mocked Him, and scoffed at His people? Hast thou done all thou couldst to emulate the example of those who spat in His holy face? Dost thou repent of it? Dost thou feel thou needst a Saviour? Then I tell thee, in Christ’s name, He is thy Saviour; yes, thy Saviour, though thou hast insulted Him-thy Saviour, though thou hast trampled on Him-thy Saviour though thou hast spoken evil of His people, His day, His Word, and His gospel…

Go away and rejoice; for if thou be the chief of sinners thou shalt be saved, if thou believest. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0104.cfm