Whose Body We Belong

“As is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.” -1 Corinthians 15:48

The head and members are of one nature, and not like that monstrous image which Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream. The head was of fine gold, but the belly and thighs were of brass, the legs of iron, and the feet, part of iron and part of clay. Christ’s mystical body is no absurd combination of opposites; the members were mortal, and therefore Jesus died; the glorified head is immortal, and therefore the body is immortal too, for thus the record stands, “Because I live, ye shall live also.” As is our loving Head, such is the body, and every member in particular. A chosen Head and chosen members; an accepted Head, and accepted members; a living Head, and living members. If the head be pure gold, all the parts of the body are of pure gold also. Thus is there a double union of nature as a basis for the closest communion. Pause here, devout reader, and see if thou canst without ecstatic amazement, contemplate the infinite condescension of the Son of God in thus exalting thy wretchedness into blessed union with His glory. Thou art so mean that in remembrance of thy mortality, thou mayest say to corruption, “Thou art my father,” and to the worm, “Thou art my sister”; and yet in Christ thou art so honoured that thou canst say to the Almighty, “Abba, Father,” and to the Incarnate God, “Thou art my brother and my husband.” Surely if relationships to ancient and noble families make men think highly of themselves, we have whereof to glory over the heads of them all. Let the poorest and most despised believer lay hold upon this privilege; let not a senseless indolence make him negligent to trace his pedigree, and let him suffer no foolish attachment to present vanities to occupy his thoughts to the exclusion of this glorious, this heavenly honour of union with Christ. ~ C.H, Spurgeon

Oh, He is a Wonderful Saviour!

For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many. – Mark 10:45

He is One who lays Himself out tenderly to help such as come to Him. He did so when He was here in body, and He is the same now; all His life was given in tenderness… And the Lord Jesus Christ has a very loving way now of helping His people. So tenderly does He do it, that the doing of it is almost as great a wonder as the thing that is done. He abounds towards us in all wisdom and prudence, and we may each one say, “Thy gentleness hath made me great.” Oh, He is a wonderful Saviour! There is none like Him for sympathizing with us, and dealing tenderly with us.

I have to say of Him that never can be said of anybody else:, He is One who never repelled a single person. Not even the most ignorant, the most out of the way, was ever turned back from Him. It was always true: “This man receiveth sinners.” And for ever this word is settled in heaven, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” All who have read the life of Christ know what a gentle and tender High Priest He was towards men.

His heart is on earth, though He has ascended into the heavens. If anyone here groans after Him, He will hear that groan; if your heart only aches after Him, He will feel that ache of your heart, and know what it means; and if you do not know how to pray, the very desire to pray He will interpret… But, oh, you must have Him; you must have Him, you cannot get to God without Him! I pray that you will feel such confidence in His tenderness that you may come and take Him as your own High Priest; if you do, He will be yours at the moment of acceptance. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2251.cfm

Come, Trust in Him

Who can have compassion…on them that are out of the way… – Hebrews 5:2

Many are out of the way because of their backsliding after grace has come to them. To such we may say, “Ye did run well, who did hinder you, that ye should not obey the truth?” “Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you.” Why will ye wander from the only source of good? “Take with you words and turn to the Lord.” “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” The Lord calls you in infinite tenderness; for He can have compassion upon backsliders, and stop them from becoming apostates, bringing them back unto Himself, according to His divine purpose.

Is there a crimson spot upon your hand, which you have tried to wash out, but cannot; some act of your life which you would fain undo, and remove? There it is, still there, always there…Be comforted by this gracious text. Hear your High Priest pray, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” He pleads your ignorance. You “did it ignorantly in unbelief”; and while this does not excuse you, it puts you into the list of those who are both ignorant and out of the way. Come to this compassionate High Priest, and trust your case in His dear hands; they were pieced because of your sin. Trust your iniquity with Him; His heart was opened and set abroach because of your transgression. Come, trust in Him. He died because of your sin. “He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2251.cfm

To Know His Love

Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. – Hebrews 5:2

While it is true that He is willing to receive all sorts of sinners, there are many who never come to Him, nor submit to His authority. With those who proudly and rashly stand before God on their own merit, He has nothing to do; but with others of a different character He is greatly concerned.

The people who claim Christ’s aim are generally those who have a very low opinion of themselves. Out of all the tribes of Israel, those that came to the high priest, to ask him to present their sacrifice to God for them, and to speak a word from God to them, were God-fearing people. No doubt hypocrites, occasionally, did come, and some of a proud spirit who trusted in their own offerings; but I should think that, all the year round, the high priest saw some of the humblest and best people in all Israel. Men and women, in sore trouble, would come to him; and these chastened spirits would be choice spirits. Men and women who were conscious of sin, and longing for pardon, would come to the high priest; men and women who had not sinned after the similitude of a public transgression, who nevertheless felt evil darkening their conscience within, would draw near to him; men and women who had lost the light of God’s countenance, and who came longing to have it back again, because they could not live without it, would approach the courts of God’s house. All these would be welcome visitors at the high priest’s door, and would receive his sympathy and compassion. Such are the people whom Christ our great High Priest now delights to bless. The proud and self-satisfied cannot know His love; but the poor and distressed may ever find in Him comfort and joy, because of His nature, and by means of His intercession. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2251.cfm

It Is His Nature

A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench… – Matthew 12:20

When I was here one day this week, seeing friends who came to join the church there came among the rest a very diffident tender-hearted woman, who said many sweet things to me about her Lord. She said one thing which I specially remember: “I have to-day put four things together, from which I had derived a great deal of comfort,” she told me. “And what are they, my sister?” I asked. “Well,” she said, ” they are those four classes-‘the unthankful and the evil, the ignorant, and them that are out of the way,’ Jesus ‘is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil’, and He ‘can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way,’ and I think that I can get in through those four descriptions. Though I am a great sinner, I believe that He will be kind to me, and have compassion upon me.” I stored that up; for I thought that one of these days I might want it myself; I tell it to you, for if you do not want it now, you may need it one of these days; you may yet have to think that you have been unthankful and evil, ignorant and out of the way, and it will give you comfort to remember that our Lord Jesus is kind to the unthankful and to the evil, and that He “can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way.”

The mercy for us is that our great High Priest is willing to receive the sinful and the suffering, the tried and the tempted; He delights in those that are as bruised reeds and smoking flax; for thus He is able to display the sacred qualifications. The heart of compassion seeks misery, looks for sorrow, and is drawn towards despondency; for there it can exercise its gracious mission to the full. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2251.cfm

Our Compassionate High Priest

“Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that He Himself also is compassed with infirmity.”- Hebrews 5:2

The high priest looked Godward, and therefore he had need to be holy; for he had to deal with things pertaining to God. But at the same time he looked manward; it was for men that he was ordained, that, through him, they might deal with God; and therefore he had need to be tender. It was necessary that he should be one who could have sympathy with men; else, even if he could succeed Godward, he would fail to be a link between God and man, from want of tenderness and sympathy with those whom he sought to bring nigh to Jehovah.

Hence, the high priest was taken from among men that he might be their fellow, and have a fellow-feeling with them. No angel entered into the holy place; no angel wore the white garments; no angel put on the ephod and the breastplate with the precious stones. It was a man ordained of God, who for his brothers pleaded in the presence of the Skekinah. Many of us, I trust, have a desire within out hearts to come to God; but we need a High Priest. Inasmuch as it is His right, He counts it not robbery to be equal with God; but He communes with the Father as one that was by Him, as one brought up with Him, who was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him. But we ought also to be very grateful that we can come into touch with our High Priest on His human side, and rejoice that He is truly man. For thus saith the Lord, “I have laid help upon One that is mighty: I have exalted One chosen out of the people;” He is anointed, it is true, with the oil of gladness above His fellows, but still He and they are one, “for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren.” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2251.cfm

Look Upon the Crucified One and Live

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

If the Son of God dies for sinners, and sinners reject His blood, they have committed the most heinous offence possible. I will not venture to affirm, but I do suggest that the devils in hell are not capable of so great a stretch of criminality as is involved in the rejection of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Here lies the highest love. The incarnate God bleeds to death to save men, and men hate God so much that they will not even have Him as He dies to save them. They will not be reconciled to their Creator, though He stoops from His loftiness to the depths of woe in the person of His Son on their behalf. This is depravity indeed, and desperateness of rebellion. God grant you may not be guilty of it. There can be no fiercer flame of wrath than that which will break forth from love that has been trampled upon, when men have put from them eternal life, and done despite to the Lamb of God. “Oh,” says one, “would God I could believe!” “Sir, what difficulty is there in it? Is it hard to believe the truth? Darest thou belie thy God? Art thou steeling thy heart to such desperateness that thou wilt call thy God a liar?” “No; I believe Christ died for the ungodly,” says one, “but I want to know how to get the merit of that death applied to my own soul.” Thou mayest, then, for here it is-“He that believeth in Him,” that is, he that trusts in Him, “is not condemned.” Here is the gospel and the whole of it-“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: he that believeth not shall be damned.” By your soul’s value, by its immortality, by the hope of heaven and by the dread of hell, lay hold upon eternal life; and by the fear that this may be your last day on earth I do beseech you now, “steal away to Jesus.” There is life in a look at the crucified One; there is life at this moment for you. Look to Him now and live. Amen. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/1191.cfm