salvation

The Crowns of the Reclaimed

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

The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created. – Revelation 4:10, 11

Here they come-Saul of Tarsus, and Manasseh, and Rahab, and many of the same class. “And how came ye here?” They reply, “We have had much forgiven, we were grievous sinners, but the love of Christ reclaimed us, the blood of Christ washed us, and whiter than snow are we, though once we were black as hell.” “And whither are ye going?” They reply, “We are going to cast our crowns at His feet, and ‘Crown Him Lord of all.'” Among that throng, my dear hearers, I hope it may be my lot to stand. Washed from many sins, redeemed by precious blood, happy thou that moment be, when I shall take my crown from off my head, and put it on the head of Him whom having not seen I love, but in whom believing, I rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. And it is a happy thought for me, this morning. that many of you will go with me there… Will not your gratitude be great? Will not your song be loud, when approaching His dear feet, you lay your honors there and cry, “Blessed be Jesus who has kept my poor soul in all its dangers, and brought me safely at last to Himself?”

I must ask you this question, my dear hearers: Have you a crown to put on the head of Jesus Christ to-day? “Yes,” says one, “I have. I must crown Him for having delivered me out of my last great trouble.” “I must crown Him,” says another, “for He has kept up my spirits when I was well nigh despairing.” “I must crown Him,” says another, “for He has crowned me with lovingkindness and tender mercy.” …Take Him to be thy all in all, and say, “Yes, on His head are many crowns, and I have put one there, and I shall put another there ere long.” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0281.cfm

The Crowns of Martyrs and Soul Winners

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

…and on His head were many crowns… – Revelation 19:12

How brilliant are the ruby crowns of the martyred saints. From the stake, from the gibbet, from the fire, they ascended up to God; and among the bright ones they are doubly bright, fairest of the mighty host that surrounds the throne of the Blessed One. What crowns they wear! … An angel might blush to think that his dignity was so small compared with that of those riders in chariots of fire. Where are all those crowns? They are on the head of Christ. Not a martyr wears his crown; they all take their blood-red crowns, and then they place them on his brow-the fire crown, the rack crown, there I see them all glitter. For it was His love that helped them to endure; it was by His blood that they overcame.

And then, brethren, think of another list of crowns. They who turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars for ever and ever. There are a few men whom God has enabled to do much for the church and much for the world. They spend and are spent. Their bodies know no rest, their souls no ease… What crowns shall theirs be when they come before God, when the souls they have saved shall enter paradise with them, and when they shall say, “Here am I and the children which Thou hast given me! “What shouts of acclamation, what honors, what rewards shall then be given to the winners of souls! What will they do with their crowns? Why, they will take them from their heads and lay them there where sits the Lamb in the midst of the throne. There will they bow and cry, “Jesus, we were not saviours, Thou didst it all; we were but Thy servants. The victory belongs not to us but to our Master. We did reap, but Thou didst sow, we did cast in the net, but Thou didst fill it full. And our success is accomplished through Thy strength, and by the power of Thy grace.” Well may it be said of Christ, “On His head are many crowns.” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0281.cfm

Yet He Died for Me

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

But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8

Christ could have man’s heart, but man would not give it to Him. Christ tried him in many a way; He woed him, but man’s heart was hard and would not melt. Moses came, and said, “My Master, let me try and open man’s heart;” and he used the fire, and the whirlwind, and the hammer of God; but the heart would not break, and the spirit would not open to Christ. Then Christ came, and He said, “Hard-heart, I will win thee; O, icy Soul, I will melt thee.” And the Soul said. “No, Jesus, I defy Thee.” But Christ said, “I will do it.” And He came once upon a time to the poor Hard-heart, and brought His cross with Him. “See, Hard-heart,” said He, “I love thee; though thou lovest not Me, yet I love thee, and in proof of this, see here; I will hang upon this cross.” And as Hard-heart looked on, suddenly fierce men nailed the Saviour to the tree. His hands were pierced; His soul was rent in agony, and looking down on the Hard-heart, Jesus said, “Hard-heart, wilt thou not love Me? I love thee; I have redeemed thee from death; though thou loveth not Me, yet do I die for thee; though thou kickest against Me yet will I surely carry thee to My throne.” And the Hard-heart said, “Jesus, I can bear it no longer, I yield to Thee. Thy love has overcome me; oh, I would be Thy subject for ever, only remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom, and let me be numbered with Thy subjects both now and for ever.” My hearers, has Christ ever overcome you? Has His love been too much for you? Have you been compelled to give up your sins, woed by His love divine? Have your eyes been made to run with tears at the thought of His affection for you, and of your own ingratitude? Have you ever thought this over? “I, the blackest of sinners, have despised Him; His Bible I have left unread; His blood I have trampled under foot, and yet He died for me, and loved me with an everlasting love.” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0281.cfm

The Everlasting Diadem of the King of Heaven

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

…and on His head were many crowns… – Revelation 19:12

Let every believing eye look through the thick darkness and behold Jesus as He sits this day upon the throne of His Father, and let every heart rejoice while it sees the many crowns of dominion upon His head. There sparkles about His brow the everlasting diadem of the King of Heaven. His are the angels. The cherubim and seraphim continually bound forth His praise. At His behest the mightiest spirit delights to fly, and carry His commands to the most distant world. He has but to speak, and it is done. Cheerfully is He obeyed, and majestically doth He reign. His high courts are thronged with holy spirits, who live upon His smile, who drink light from His eyes, who borrow glory from His majesty. There is no spirit in heaven so pure that it does not bow before Him, no angel so bright that it does not veil its face with its wings, when it draweth near to Him. Yea, moreover, the many spirits redeemed, delight to bow before Him, day without night they circle His throne, singing, “Worthy is He that was slain and hath redeemed us from our sins by His blood! Honor, and glory, and majesty, and power, and dominion, and might, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” To be King of Heaven were surely enough! The ancients were accustomed to divide heaven, and earth, and hell, into divers monarchies, and allot each of them to distinct kings; and surely heaven were an empire large enough even for an infinite Spirit. Christ is Lord of all its boundless plains. He laid the precious stones upon which was builded that city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God; He is the light of that city, He is the joy of its inhabitants, and it is their loving life evermore to pay Him honor.~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0281.cfm

There is Hope for the Truly Humble

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

He putteth his mouth in the dust if so be there may be hope. – Lamentations 3:29

Last Monday week, we had five children before the church, one after the other, whose testimony for Christ was quite as clear as that of any of the elders among us. What an important part of the congregation the boys and girls make up! I believe that there are almost as many saved among the little ones now in this congregation as there are of grown-up people, perhaps even more. Well now, if any of you who are guilty,-whether old or young,-come before the Lord, and confess your sin, and trust in Christ for mercy, you shall have mercy. I do not know who you are, and I do not care who you are; but whosoever shall come, and confess his sin in all lowliness of heart, and in faith believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, he shall have mercy. Christ sits on His throne of grace, and stretches out the silver scepter. Bow before Him, and He will forgive your sin. The fountain is opened for sin and for uncleanness; if thou art sinful and unclean, come to the fountain that Christ has opened, and which the devil cannot close, and wash and be clean this very hour. God in infinite mercy is ready to forgive, His heart yearns over the wanderers. He stretches out His hands, and entreats thee to come back, and He is grieved until thou dost return. If there be in thy heart any sorrow for having sinned against thy God, if there be any anxiety to come back to Him, come back. If thou dost but turn thy face towards Him, whilst thou art yet a great way off, He sees, He has compassion upon thee, He runs to thee, He embraces thee. Fall into His arms now. Believe thou in His Son; trust thyself with Jesus, for He never yet failed any who trusted Him. Make Him the Trustee of thy soul, for He is a Trustee who can be trusted. Deposit in His hands thy spirit, for He is able to keep that which thou committest unto Him against that day. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2468.cfm

Stoop to a Humble Confession of Your Sin to God

Sherry Attributes of God, confession of sin, repentance, salvation, Sovereignty of God Leave a comment

He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope. – Lamentations 3:29

Dear friends, it often happens that men do not obtain peace with God because they have not come low enough. The gate of heaven, though it is so wide that the greatest sinner may enter, is nevertheless so low that pride can never pass through it. Thou must stoop if thou wouldst enter heaven. “Let him put his mouth in the dust.”… There must be true, humble, lowly, confession of sin. You say that you have been praying, yet you have not found peace; have you confessed your sins? This is absolutely necessary, confess your sins to me? you ask. No, thank you; I do not want to hear your confession. It would do me much harm, and it could do you no good to tell them to me; it is to God alone that this confession should be made. Some men have never really made a confession of their sin to God at all; they have done it in such general and insincere terms that it did not amount to a confession. Go you, enter your chamber, shut the door, and get alone; and there, with words or without words, as you find it best, acknowledge before God your omissions and commissions, what you have done and what you have not done. Pour out the whole story before God, and cry with the publican, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” Do not cloak or dissemble before the Almighty. Let all your sins appear. Take a lowly place; not simply be a sinner in name, but confess that thou art a sinner in fact and deed. I do believe that some of you are in darkness much longer than you need to be, because you do not stoop to a humble confession of your sin… Let your confession flow like water before God; pour out your heart before Him. Own to your sins, take the place of a sinner, for this is a great way towards finding salvation: “If so be there may be hope.” ` C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2468.cfm

Sit Thou Still, and Hold Thy Tongue

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

He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope. – Lamentations 3:29

I know that the tendency of the human heart is to say, “I am no worse than other people, I am a good chapel-going, church-going, psalm-singing person. I give to the poor, I say my prayers, and attend to all that sort of thing.” Thou wilt never obtain mercy whilst thou hast a word of that kind to plead. Till thou art like a vessel turned upside down, and drained of every drop of human merit, there is no hope of salvation for thee. Thou must sit alone, and keep silence about those good works of thine, for they are all a lie, and thou knowest it. Thou hast never done a good work in thy life; thou hast either spoilt it by thy selfish motives before it, or by some carelessness in it, or else by some vainglorious pride after it… O man, talk no more so exceeding proudly, but sit thou still, and hold thy tongue about merit and deservings before the holy God. There is no way of mercy for any one of us until we shut our mouths, and utter not a single boastful word, but stand guiltily silent before the Lord.

 I like a man who knows, not only how to speak, but how to sit still; but that latter part is hard work to many… The Lord teaches true penitents how to hold their tongues. They open not their mouth when He has laid trouble upon them, and even in the company of good people they are sometimes dumb with silence, and they hold their tongue even from good. It is not an ill thing that they should act thus, for often the will of the Lord is not done with words; and sometimes, that silence which is frost of the mouth is thaw of the soul, and the heart flows best before God when even praise sits silent on our tongues. O beloved, in thine hour of darkness because of thy sin, sit thou still, and hold thy tongue, for it is oftentimes the way of peace to the soul! ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2468.cfm