prayer

Escape Now!

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

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. – John 3:36

You cannot continue in wilful sin and yet become a believer; sin cherished in the heart is an effectual hindrance. A man cannot be tied to a post and yet run away at the same time; if you bind yourself to your sin, you cannot escape…Get you to your knees, get you to solitude, get you to your God, get, you to Jesus Christ; He it is that will roll away the stone which blocks the door.

And, once again, do remember that till you have believed, your danger is of the most imminent kind. You are not in danger of something future only, you are in peril even now, for the wrath of God abideth on you. You are not like a city which is to be attacked by troops yet at a distance: the Judge is even at the door. You are actually besieged. The foes have encompassed you round about; they lift the scaling ladders, they will soon scale the walls. Beware, O sinner, beware, for thy present state is terrible; thy future state will be hopeless. Today is the accepted time. Now or never it is with some of you-now escape for your lives: now seek, but seek in the right way, by believing in Him who is the Savior of the sons of men.

“Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” It is the cry of the crucified Savior. Turn not away from that dear voice so full of anguish, hide not your eyes from that brow still marked with the thorn-crown, despise not those nailed hands and feet, but yield to Him as again He cries in agony of love, “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” O Lord, do Thou turn them, and they shall be turned. Amen. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0947.cfm

The Most God-like Work

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, confession of sin, prayer, promises, repentance, salvation, The Father, The Holy Spirit Leave a comment

Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” – John 6:28

Never hope to be saved except by God’s way of salvation. O that the Holy Ghost would enable you in your heart to say, “Now I come to Thee, O Jesus; guilty as I am, I lift my eyes to Thee, and this is my prayer: ‘Help me for Thy mercy’s sake; have pity upon me and cleanse me in Thy blood, for I put all my trust in Thee.'” Resolve, O seeker, to have no refuge of lies, no Savior but the Lamb of God.

I will confess to you, dear seeker, that often I am myself personally driven to do what I trust you may be led to do today. I look back upon my past life, and while I have much to thank God for, much in which to see His Spirit’s hand, yet when I feel my responsibilities and my shortcomings, my heart sinks within me. When I think of my transgressions, better known to myself than to anyone else, and remember too that they are not known even to me as they are to God, I feel all hope swept away and my soul left in utter despair, until I come anew to the cross, and bethink me of who it was that died there, and why He died, and what designs of infinite mercy are answered by His death. It is so sweet to look up to the Crucified One again, and say, “I have nought but Thee, my Lord, no confidence but Thee. If Thou be not accepted as my substitute I must perish; if God’s appointed Savior be not enough, I have no other, but I know Thou art the Father’s Well-beloved, and I am accepted in Thee. Thou art all I want, and all I have.”…The Jews asked our Savior, “What shall we do that we may work the works of God?” and He said, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.” The greatest of all works, the most Godlike work, is to leave off self-righteous seeking, and trust in Jesus. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0947.cfm

Take Jesus as Your All in All

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, confession of sin, prayer, promises, repentance, salvation, Sovereignty of God Leave a comment

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace… – Ephesians 1:7

When the soul is seeking for Jesus, it is at the same time much grieved to find it cannot even now cease from sin...As if that poor heart expected to be perfect before it had even found pardon! As if a patient expected to be perfectly well before he had followed the advice of his physician! My dear hearer, if you were able to cease from all sin for a single day, I am sure you would be out of place on earth, for heaven is the place for perfect people, and not this sinful earth. If a fountain sent forth nothing but pure water for one whole day, we might conclude that it was completely purified. The bearing of good fruit for one season would prove the tree to be good. If your heart abstained from sin of itself throughout one day, it might for another, and so on forever, and where would be the need of a Savior? What, dost thou not know that Christ came to save thee from thy new sins as well as from thine old transgressions? Is His arm too short to reach thy daily needs? His blood of too little power to wash away thy fresh pollutions? Hast thou still some hope of bettering thyself? Have done with this trifling. Confess thyself a helpless sinner, shapen in iniquity, conceived in sin, depraved in heart, and, therefore, needing the never-ceasing mercy of the Lord thy God. Come, wash now in the fountain filled with blood, and if sin returneth, ask Jesus to wash thy feet again. Make Jesus your sole reliance. Cry to Him, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Nothing else can end your perplexities; you cannot untie the Gordian knot of your difficulties, cut it, then, by leaving all to Jesus. You cannot overcome your sins except by the blood of the Lamb. You cannot be what you should be, nor what you would be, except by taking Jesus to be your all in all. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0947.cfm

The Special Command of the Gospel

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

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved… – Acts 16:31

What is the command of the gospel? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Properly speaking, Christ is not an object for seeking, He is not far from any of us; like the brazen serpent uplifted by Moses, He is not so much to be looked for as looked at. We have neither to clamber to heaven to find Him in the loftiness of His Deity and bring Him down; nor dive into the chambers of Hades, to bring Him up again from the dead. Thus saith the Lord, “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. A prayer will reach Him, a wish will find Him, a groan will pierce His heart-do but confide in Him, and He is yours. The first command of the gospel to guilty sinners is not to pray, to search the Scriptures, to attend upon sermons-all these are natural duties, and woe unto the man who neglects any of them; but the command, the special command of the gospel is, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ!” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0947.cfm

Seeking for Jesus

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

When the people saw that Jesus was not there, neither His disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus. – John 6:24

The persons who are here described as seeking for Jesus, were looking after Him from a very mean and selfish motive, not because of the gracious words which He spake, nor to render Him thanks for benefits received at His hands, but merely because they had eaten of the loaves and fishes and hoped to do so again. From such sordid motives let us flee.

“Seeking for Jesus” has a large amount of hopefulness in it; it is as the almond tree in blossom, though as yet fruit there is not. The seeker at any rate is not indifferent now; he is not a careless sluggard, demanding yet more sleep and folding of the hands; he is not a defiant rebel, daring the wrath of God with blasphemous audacity; he is no longer a denier of revelation; he would not be seeking for Jesus unless he had some kind of faith-at any rate, a theoretical faith-in a Savior, and in his need of Him… For an alarmed and awakened sinner to seek rest in ceremonies, will be a search for bread among ashes; to labor for salvation by thine own righteousness, will be looking for substance among dreams. Thy seeking after Jesus shows that thou art on the right track, and though as yet thou hast not reached the haven, the helm is set in the right direction, and I am grateful to God for it, and encouraged concerning thee…What a pleasing sight it is to see a man who has formerly been prayerless, casting himself upon his knees in secret! How gratifying to see the unread Bible brought out from the dust and carefully studied! Methinks an angel must look on with holy interest when he sees the fresh tear fall in the solitary chamber, and the unaccustomed suppliant bow before his God. Glad are those blessed spirits when they hear the seeker say, “O God, I will seek Thee until I find Thee; I will cry unto Thee till I receive an answer of peace.” …A heart that turns itself to Christ if haply it may find Him, is evidently in a hopeful condition. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0947.cfm

Conquering Edom

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, prayer, promises, salvation, Sovereignty of God 2 Comments

Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom? …Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies. Psalm 108:10,13

Have any of you enterprise enough to go up against the strong cities that are still in rebellion against the Lord Jesus Christ? Can any of you go, and look after those who walk the streets, and seek to bring them to Christ? That would be conquering Edom itself. Have you confidence enough to believe that the Lord Jesus Christ can give you that Petra-like city, that dark spot where thieves congregate, where blasphemy is the current language, and where profanity seems even to pollute the very air? …Then, having asked the question, “Who will lead me into Edom?” do not forget to pray, “Wilt not Thou, O God? Thou hast spoken; wilt Thou not also act, through Thy people, so that all flesh may see the salvation of God?” Let each child of God say, “O my Father, I believe that, weak and feeble as I am, my weakness and feebleness need be no hindrance to me if I go to Thy service in Thy strength! ‘Thou hast spoken in Thy holiness; I will rejoice;’ and, in Thy name, I will conquer the foe, and gather the spoil for Thee.” “Through God,” says David, “we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies.” Therefore, if ye believe in God, haste to the spoil of His enemies; quit you like men; be strong! If you really are linked with omnipotence, prove it. Do not talk about it, but let your deeds show that the Lord of hosts is with you, and that the God of Jacob is your refuge. If, indeed, the Lord’s arm be with you, smite as the Lord would smite. If, indeed, He speaks through you, speak as He would speak. Be strong, and very courageous, and press forward; in the name of God, set up your banners; and who knoweth whether even this feeble message of mine, in rousing you to action upon the basis of confidence in the Word of God, may not cast down some stronghold of the enemy, and make the walls of some mighty Jericho to fall flat to the ground? The Lord grant it for His name’s sake! Amen. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2864.cfm

Activate Your Faith

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

“God hath spoken in His holiness: I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.” – Psalm 108:7

Whenever you look into the Word of God and read what “God hath spoken” to you, see that you appropriate it. Suppose that He has promised you comfort, do not rest satisfied without that comfort. Suppose He has promised you joy and peace in believing; never rest till you have that joy and peace. Suppose He has promised you complete sanctification, full deliverance from the power of evil, do not be satisfied till you are delivered from it all. Never say, “Ah, that is a constitutional sin; that is the result of my temperament.” No, brother, if the Lord hath promised you the victory over your enemies, be not satisfied till you have planted your foot on their necks, and they are in subjection to you. Some Christian people are living, spiritually, on a penny a week, when their income might be ten thousand a day. You might live like kings, yet you are starving like paupers. Your faith might lay hold on God’s exceeding great and precious promises, and so fill her mouth with good things; but, instead of doing so, you are quivering with the palsy of unbelief, and so not grasping what God has put within your reach…Oh, if our faith did but really grip the promises, and believe in the promise-keeping God, she would never rest till she possessed all the blessings that are really hers!…If you have leave given you to go to Windsor Castle, or Buckingham Palace, as often as you like, and to take whatever you please that is there, and to be treated as a prince, I warrant that you would not need anyone to remind you that you had not been to either place for weeks. If you had such privileges accorded to you, you would be sure to avail yourselves of them; yet here are the gates of the palace of prayer always open to you, and the doors of communion never shut against you, and Jesus, the great King of kings, not only inviting you to come unto Him, but even urging you to abide in Him, and never to depart from Him…So, if we have faith in God, we ought to take possession of all that is ours, and, further, we ought to know what we really do possess. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2864.cfm