promises

“I must, I will, become a man”

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

“He took not on Him the nature of angels.” – Hebrews 2:16

The translation of our authorised version runs thus:-“He took not on Him the nature of angels.” Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, when He came from heaven to die, did not take upon Himself the nature of angels…but He took on Him the seed of Abraham.” Let us notice the wisdom and the love of this, and I think there will be something to cause us to glorify God for so doing.

If Christ had taken upon Himself the nature of angels, He could never have made an atonement for man. Setting aside the thought that if He came to save man it would have seemed improper if He had come in the garb of angels, you must allow, that if He had done so, He could not have seen death. How could angels die? We can suppose that their spirit may become extinct, if God should will it; we can suppose the entire annihilation of that to which God alone supplies immortality; but since angels have no bodies, we cannot suppose them capable of death, for death is the separation of the body and the soul; therefore, it behooved Christ that He should take upon Himself the form of a man, that He might become obedient to death, even the death of the cross. Had angels been standing by, they would have said, “Oh! mighty Master, take our radiant robes. Oh! take not the poor every-day garb of humanity, take our glittering garments all bedight with pearls.” And Gabriel would have said, “Come, take my wings, Thou mighty Maker, and I shall count myself too honoured to have lost them for Thy sake. There, take this crown and this mantle of azure, wherewith to clothe Thyself, Thou Son of God; put my silver sandals on Thy feet; become not man, but an angel, if Thou wilt stoop.” “But no,” He would have said, “Gabriel, if I were in thy dress I could not fight with death; I could not sleep in the tomb; I could not feel the pangs and agony of dissolution, therefore, I must, I will, become a man.” “He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham.” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0090.cfm

Men Chosen and Fallen Angels Rejected

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

But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth… – 2 Thessalonians 2:13

Angels were the elder born. God created them, and it pleased Him to give unto them a free will to do as they pleased; to choose the good or to prefer the evil, even as He did to man: He gave them this stipulation-that if they should prefer the good, then their station in heaven should be for ever fixed and firm; but if they sinned, they should be punished for their guilt, and cast out from the presence of His glory into flames of fire. In an evil hour, Satan, one of the chiefs of the angels, rebelled; he tempted others, and he led astray a part of the stars of heaven. God, in His divine vengeance, smote those rebel angels, drove them from their heavenly seats, banished them from their abodes of happiness and glory, and sent them down to dwell for ever in the abyss of hell; the rest He confirmed, calling them the elect angels; He made their thrones eternally secure, and gave them an entail of those crowns which, sustained by His grace, they had preserved by the rectitude of their holy conduct. After that it pleased Him to make another race of beings, called men. He did not make them all at once; He made but two of them, Adam and Eve, and He committed to their keeping the safety of their entire progeny throughout all generations; He said to Adam, as He had said to the angels, “I give unto thee free-will; thou mayest obey or disobey, as thou pleasest. There is My law; thou art not to touch yon tree. The command is by no means irksome. To keep that command will not be difficult to thee, for I have given thee free-will to choose the good.” However, so it happened, much to the misery of man, that Adam broke the covenant of works; he touched the accursed fruit, and in that day he fell. Ah! what a fall was there! Then you, and I, and all of us fell down, while cursed sin did triumph over us; there were no men that stood; there were some angels that stood, but no men, for the fall of Adam was the fall of our entire race…Now, here you notice divine sovereignty; sovereignty, that God chose to put both men and angels on the footing of their free-will; sovereignty, in that He chose to punish all the fallen angels with utter destruction; sovereignty, in that He chose to reprieve the whole human race, and to grant an eternal pardon to a number, whom no man can number, selected out of men, who shall infallibly be found before His right hand above. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0090.cfm

God’s Sovereignty in His Creation

Sherry Attributes of God, promises, Sovereignty of God Leave a comment

He hath made every thing beautiful in His time: also He hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. – Ecclesiastes 3:11

The Almighty God, who dwelt alone, was pleased to manifest Himself by created works, which should display His wisdom and His power. When He came to create living creatures there are distinctions that we must note. From the worm up to the eagle, from the eagle to the man, from the man to the angel; such are the steps of creating goodness in the fashion of things that are animate. He hath not made all creatures eagles, neither hath He fashioned all beings worms, but having a right to do what He wills with His own, He has exercised the right in making one creature-the majestic lion-king of the forest, and another, the harmless lamb, which shall be devoured, without power to resist its enemy, or defend itself. He has made His creatures just as it seemed Him fit; He has given to one swiftness of foot, to another, speed of wing; to one, clearness of eye, to another, force of sinew. He hath not followed any fixed rule in His creation; but He hath done exactly as it pleased Him in the arrangement of the forms which He hath animated. So, also, we must observe a great difference in the rational beings which He has created. He has not made all men alike; they differ mightily; from the man of the smallest intellect to the man of majestic mind, there are no few steps. And then there is the higher order of rational creatures, more superior to unrenewed man than man ever can be to his fellows; namely-the order of angels. And in the fashioning of angels and men, God, again, has exercised His own right to create as He pleases; to do just as He wills with His own. Thence, all angels may not be alike in dignity, and all men are not alike in intellect. He hath made them to differ. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0090.cfm

The Table of Communion

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

And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. – John 2:10

The table of communion is one at which God’s children must sit. And the first thing they must drink of there, is the cup of communion with Christ in His sufferings. If thou wouldst come to the table of communion with Christ, thou must first of all drink of the wine of Calvary. Christian, thy head must be crowned with thorns. Thy hands must be pierced, I mean not with nails, but, spiritually thou must be crucified with Christ. We must suffer with Him, or else we cannot reign with Him; we must labour with Him first, we must sup of the wine which His Father gave Him to drink, or else we cannot expect to come to the better part of the feast. After drinking of the wine of His sufferings, and continuing to drink of it, we must drink of the cup of His labours, we must be baptized with His baptism, we must labour after souls, and sympathise with Him in that ambition of His heart-the salvation of sinners, and after that He will give us to drink of the cup of His anticipated honours. Here on earth we shall have good wine in communion with Christ in His resurrection, in His triumphs and His victories, but the best wine is to come at last. O chambers of communion, your gates have been opened to me; but I have only been able to glance within them; but the day is coming when on your diamond hinges ye shall turn, and stand wide open for ever and ever; and I shall enter into the King’s palace and go no more out. O Christian! thou shalt soon see the King in His beauty; thy head shall soon be on His bosom; thou shalt soon sit at His feet with Mary; thou shalt soon do as the spouse did, thou shalt kiss Him with the kisses of thy lips, and feel that His love is better than wine. When you begin to see Him face to face, when you enter into the closest fellowship, with nothing to disturb or to distract you, then shall you say “The best wine is kept until now.” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0225.cfm

“The bridge is broken, the bridge is broken!”

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, salvation, Sovereignty of God, the unbelieving life Leave a comment

Not of works, lest any man should boast. – Ephesians 2:9

Have not you sometimes found, that when you thought you were standing on a rock, there was a quivering beneath your feet? You heard the Christian sing boldly:

“Bold shall I stand in that great day,
For who aught to my charge shall lay?
While, thro’ Thy blood, absolv’d I am
From sin’s tremendous curse and shame.”

And you have said, “Well, I cannot sing that, I have been as good a Churchman as ever lived, I never missed going to my church all these years, but I cannot say I have a solid confidence.” “Well,” says another, “I have been to my chapel, and I have been baptized, and made a profession of religion, though I was never brought to know the Lord in sincerity and in truth, and I once thought it was all well with me, but I want a something which I cannot find.” Now comes a shaking in the heart. It is not quite so delightful as one supposed, to build on one’s own righteousness. How many a man who has been self-righteous all his life, has, at the last discovered that the thing whereon he placed his hope had failed him…You thought there was a bridge of ceremonies; that baptism, confirmation, and the Lord’s Supper, made up the solid arches of a bridge of good works and duties. But when you come to die, there shall be heard the cry-“The bridge is broken, the bridge is broken!” It will be in vain for you to turn round then. Death is close behind you; he forces you onward, and you discover what it is to perish through having neglected the great salvation and attempting to save yourself through your own good works. Good as you thought yourself to be, inasmuch as you proudly rejected Christ, you must drink the winecup of the wrath of God; that cup which is full of trembling. The wicked of the earth shall wring out the dregs of that cup, and drink them; and you also must drink of it as deep as they. Oh, beware in time! Put away your high looks, and humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and ye shall be saved. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0225.cfm

It Is of God’s Work

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

Then Samuel took a stone, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us. – 1 Samuel 7:12

“Hitherto the LORD hath helped us.” Note, beloved, that they did not stand still and refuse to use their weapons, but while God was thundering they were fighting, and while the lightnings were dashing in the foeman’s eyes they were making them feel the potency of their steel. So that while we glorify God we are not to deny or to discard human agency. We must fight because God fighteth for us. We must strike, but the power to strike and the result of striking must all come from Him. You see they did not say, “Hitherto our sword hath helped us, hitherto Samuel has encouraged us.” No, no-“hitherto the Lord has helped us.” Now you must admit that everything truly great must be of the Lord. You cannot suppose a thing so great as the conversion of sinners, the revival of a Church can ever be man’s work…Where there is little work done men often take the credit themselves, but where there is great work done, they dare not…Many wonders I have seen, but I never saw yet a man who arrogated the honor of his work to himself, whom God did not leave sooner or later…Did God make men strong that they may exalt themselves into His throne? What, doth the King of kings crown you with mercies that you may pretend to lord it over Him? What, doth He dignify you that you may usurp the prerogatives of His throne? No; you must come with all the favors and honors that God has put upon you, and creep to the foot of His throne and say, What am I, and what is my father’s house that Thou hast remembered me. “Hitherto the Lord hath helped us.” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0500.cfm

Looking Forward

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

Hitherto hath the LORD helped us. – 1 Samuel 7:12

The text may be read this way: looking forward. For when a man gets up to a certain mark and writes “hitherto,” he looks back upon much that is past, but “hitherto” is not the end, there is yet a distance to be traversed. More trials, more joys; more temptations, more triumphs; more prayers, more answers; more toils, more strength; more fights, more victories; more slanders, more comforts; more lions and bears to be fought, more tearings of the lion for God’s Davids, more deep waters, more high mountains; more troops of devils, more hosts of angels yet. And then come sickness, old age, disease, death. Is it over now? No, no, no! We will raise one stone more when we get into the river, we will shout Ebenezer there: “hitherto the Lord hath helped us,” for there is more to come. An awakening in His likeness, climbing of starry spheres, harps, songs, palms, white raiment, the face of Jesus, the society of saints, the glory of God, the fullness of eternity, the infinity of bliss. Yes, as sure as God has helped so far as to-day, He will help us to the close. “I will never leave thee, I will never forsake thee; I have been with thee, and I will be with thee to the end.” Courage, brethren, then; and as we pile the stones, saying, “Hitherto the Lord hath helped us,” let us just gird up the loins of our mind, and be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be revealed in us, for as it has been, so it shall be world without end. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0500.cfm