repentance

Set Your Affections on Things Above

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

Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. – Colossians 3:2

There is a father-he has a son. That son is as dear to him as his own flesh and blood. Let him take heed lest that child become too much his darling, lest he sets him in the place of the Most High God, and makes an idol of him for as sure as ever he does, God, by affliction, will say to the enemy, “Go up against him: take away his battlements, for they are not the Lord’s.” There is a husband. He coats upon his wife, as he should do. The Scripture telleth us, that a man cannot love his wife too much: “Husbands love your wives, as Christ also loves the Church”-and that is infinitely. Yet this man has proceeded to a foolish fondness and idolatry. God says, “Go ye up against him make not a full end; take away his battlements, for they are not the Lord’s.” We fix our love and affection on some dear friend of ours, and there is our hope and trust. God says, “What though ye take counsel together, ye have not taken counsel of Me, and therefore, I will take away your trust. What though ye have walked in piety, ye have not walked with Me as ye should. Go ye up against her, O death! go ye against her, O affliction! Take away that battlement, it is not the Lord’s. Ye shall live on Me-ye shall not feed, like Ephraim, on the wind. Ye shall lean on My arm; ye shall not trust in the staff of these broken reeds. Ye shall set your affections on things above, and not on things on earth. For I will blast the Joy of earth. I will send a blight upon your fair harvest. I will make the clouds obscure your sun, and you shall cry unto Me, ‘O God, Thou art my trust, my sun, my hope, my all.'” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0038.cfm

God’s Use of Wicked Men

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

Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they are not the Lord’s. – Jeremiah 5:10

Jerusalem had sinned against God; she had rebelled against the most High, had set up for herself false gods, and bowed before them; and when God threatened her with chastisement, she built around herself strong battlements and bastions. She said “I am safe and secure. What though Jehovah hath gone away, I will trust in the gods of nations. Though the Temple is cast down, yet we will rely upon these bulwarks and strong fortifications that we have erected.” “Ah!” says God, “Jerusalem, I will punish thee. Thou art My chosen one, therefore will I chastise thee. I will gather together mighty men, and will speak unto them; I will bid them come unto thee, and they shall visit thee for these things. My soul shall be avenged on such a nation as this.” And He calls together the Chaldeans and Babylonians, and says to those fierce men who speak in uncouth language, “Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements, for they are not the Lord’s.” Thus God used wicked men to be His scourge to chastise a still more wicked nation, who were yet the objects of His affection and love…God often bids troubles and enemies go up against Christians to take away their battlements that are not the Lord’s …May His (shield) be o’er our head and be our constant guard! May we never depart from the simplicity of the faith! ~ C.H.Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0038.cfm

The Unbeliever’s Faith

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, promises, repentance, salvation, Sovereignty of God, The Father, the unbelieving life 2 Comments

Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. -Isaiah 45:22

It takes much more faith to be an unbeliever than to be a believer. I am sure the philosophies of the present age which are currently set forth would require a deal more credulity than I am the master of. I can believe Scripture readily, and without violence to my soul, but I could not accept the theory even of the development of our race, which is so much cried up nowadays, nor a great many other theories. They seem to me to require a far greater sweep of credulity than anything that is written in the Word of God. To the ungodly man this seems reasonable. “It is reasonable to trust a great man, and to hope that he will be the maker of you; it is reasonable to trust your own reason-to believe you can steer your own course; it is reasonable to be a self-made man, self-reliant; it is reasonable to look after the main change; it is reasonable to get all the money you can; it is reasonable to put your confidence in it (of course, it has not any wings, and won’t fly away); it is a reasonable and discreet thing to live in this world as if you were to live for ever in it, and never think of another world at all.” To a great many it seems to be philosophy to get as far away from God as ever you possibly can, and then you will get to be a wise man that the creature is wisest when it forgets its Creator. That is the world’s creed, and I can only say that if they scoff at our creed, we can fairly enough scoff at theirs.

Truly it seems to me to be wisdom that I, a creature who certainly did not make myself, should think of my Creator; that I, a sinner, should accept that blessed way of salvation, which is laid before me in the Word of God; that I, weak and unable to steer my own course, should put my hand into the great Father’s hand and say, “Lead me, guide me by Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.” This may be jested at and sneered at, but it can bear a sneer and will outlive the mocker. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/3512.cfm

Trusting Jesus, You are Saved

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

Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. – John 5:24

Oh, thank God, poor sinner, that you do hear it rung in your ears-Come as you are! Come as you are! You hear the gospel sung to you:-

“Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidd’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
Just as I aim- Thy love I own,
Has broken every barrier down:
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!”

We hold up to you no ceremonies, no feelings, no works, no orthodoxies; we only hold up Christ, Christ crucified, a substitute for sinners, a substitute for you if you trust Him; and we tell you again and again, till we half fear of tiring you, that, trusting Jesus, you are saved…Jesus came all the way from heaven to earth to save us- “Who though He was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that we, through His poverty might be made rich.” How shall we be grateful enough for this unspeakable gift?

“O, for this love let rocks and hills
Their lasting silence break,
And all harmonious human tongues
The Savior’s praises speak.”

“A wounded, weak, and helpless worm,
On Christ’s kind arms I fall;
Be Thou my strength and confidence,
My Jesus and my all.”

~C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0550.cfm

 

Sinner, It Is Now or Never with Thy Soul

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

…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. – 2 Corinthians 6:2

A man on board a vessel, when he hears the cry of “Fire!” must not stop to arrange his clothes; he must not be concerned to see that his face is washed, that he has bound together that little bundle of papers, or packed up the portmanteau, or counted over the little purse of gold, or even snatched his little property from the cabin. At once, at once, must he climb the stairs and reach the deck, or he will never have stairs to climb, nor feet to climb with. Now or never. Quick is the word. Waste a moment, and it is all over with you; the fire is upon you, for it tarries not in its march… Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” Now, now, NOW. This is the only period God has allotted to you, take care that you use it, lest when your to-days are past, and you hope to see your to-morrow, you should have to spend your to-morrows in the pit of hell. Procrastination is not only the thief of time, but the thief of souls. Now is the day of salvation; I have never heard of any other day.

I know, young man, you intend to think of these things when you are ill; you expect to have a long time upon a sick-bed, and then you suppose all will be right before you die. I tell you, sir, it is hard repenting upon a dying bed.

Consider your ways, O sinners, born to die. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, O trembler, and thou shalt be saved. Trust Him, trust Him. God help thee to trust Jesus, for it is now or never with thy soul. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0550.cfm

“O God, let the alarm be heard!”

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

The good ship “Amazon,” …Who among her crew or passengers has a fear for her safety? But in the book of providence, there was a black line against that ship, and never more could she reach her desired haven…Night came on; the watch was changed as usual; the captain turned in, feeling that all was right and safe. The passengers were snug in their berths…as assured of security as men could be. In a moment, what a change had taken place! A passenger perceives a smell of fire; the warning cry is raised. Everyone rushes upon deck. Attempts arc made to quench the fire; but when the hatches are lifted up, the wind rushes in, and the fire is fanned to a dreadful, all-devouring conflagration….

Sinner, how hard it is to bring thee to serious consideration of thy ways. We cannot touch thy wits, or make thee reason like a man of sound mind. Thou wilt sooner be damned by thoughtlessness than give an hour’s careful meditation to thy soul’s affairs. We would fain drag thee out of thy sleeping berth, and even kick thee and strike thee, treating thee to rough usage, if we could by this means drag thee from the devouring flames; thou wouldst thank us well enough afterwards for these rough cuffs, if we could but wake thee. We hear complaints that the minister speaks too harshly and talks too much of judgment. Saved sinners never make that complaint. They know that nothing but these terrors will awaken some slumbering minds; and if they be awakened themselves, they are but too glad, however rough the means may have been. …Let us take heed unto ourselves lest in the world to come this carnal security of ours should be like faggots to the fire, and the remembrance of our sloth should pour oil upon the flames. O God, let the alarm be heard… ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0550.cfm

 

When the Sword is Sharp Canst Thou Play About Its Edge?

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

For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. -Malachi 4:1

I would I could speak upon this dreadful subject in a proper manner. Whitfield had tones and emotions which were fitting for such a subject. He would cry out, “Oh, the wrath to come! The wrath to come! The wrath to come!” He would cry, I say, until all his hearers responded. with, “What must we do to be saved?” And good Baxter, trembling lest be should he guilty of men’s blood, while he delivered the message, as a dying man to dying men-knew the terrors of the law, and right earnestly he persuaded men to escape for their lives. O sirs, if I saw you. in a burning house, there were not half so much need of earnestness as when I see you in the midst of a mass of sin and corruption which must be consumed by God’s anger, and you with it. Sinner, why wilt. thou die? What can ail thee? What besots thee that thou dost not perceive anything dreadful in the wrath of Him who made thee? He can dash whole worlds to pieces-what can He not do with thee? Hast thou. learned to be callous when thou hearest of eternity? Hast thine ear grown cold to that dreadful word, “Condemnation?” Canst thou read the story of those to whom He said, “Depart, ye cursed,” and not tremble? Canst thou know that thou art this day in danger of the judgment, and not be afraid? When the sword is sharp, and furbished, and taken out of its sheath, canst thou play about its edge? Canst thou yet make mirth? Then is there indeed, need for me to cry to thee, and for all God’s faithful ministers to cry with louder voice than mine-“Escape! escape! escape for thy life.!  ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0550.cfm