salvation

Purchased with His Redeeming Blood

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

For ye are bought with a price. – 1 Corinthians 16:20

That the blood of Christ was shed to buy our souls from death and hell is a wonder of compassion which fills angels with amazement, and it ought to overwhelm us with adoring love whenever we think of it, glance our eye over the recording pages, or even utter the word “redemption.” What meant this purchasing us with blood? It signified pain. Have any of you lately been racked with pain? Have you suffered acutely? Ah! then at such times you know to some degree what the price was which the Savior paid. His bodily pains were great, hands and feet nailed to the wood, and the iron breaking through the tenderest nerves. His soul-pains were greater still, His heart was melted like wax, He was very heavy, His heart was broken with reproach, He was deserted of God and left beneath the black thunder-clouds of divine wrath, His soul was exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. It was pain that bought you. We speak of the drops of blood, but we must not confine our thoughts to the crimson life-floods which distilled from the Savior’s veins; we must think of the pangs which He endured, which were the equivalent for what we ought to have suffered, what we must have suffered had we endured the punishment of our guilt for ever in the flames of hell. But pain alone could not have redeemed us; it was by death that the Savior paid the ransom. Death is a word of horror to the ungodly. The righteous hath hope in his death; but as Christ’s death was the substitute for the death of the ungodly, He was made a curse for us, and the presence of God was denied Him. His death was attended with unusual darkness; He cried, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” O think ye earnestly on this. The Ever-living died to redeem us; the Only Begotten bowed His head in agony and was laid in the grave that we might be saved. Ye are bought then “with a price”—a price incalculable, stupendous, infinite, and this is the plea which the apostle uses to urge upon us that we should “be holiness to the Lord.” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/1004.cfm

Objects of the Greatest Mercy

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

And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. – Luke 24:47

I have no doubt that the Savior bade them begin at Jerusalem, because the biggest sinners lived there. There they lived who had crucified Him. The loving Jesus bids them preach repentance and remission to them. There he lived who had pierced the Savior’s side, and they that had plaited the crown of thorns, and put it on His head. There dwell those who had mocked Him, and spat upon Him, therefore the loving Jesus, who so freely forgives, says, “Go and preach the gospel to them first.” The greatest sinners are the objects of the greatest mercy. Preach first to them…Should not this encourage you great sinners to come to Jesus, when He bids us preach to you first?…Therefore, we are to come to you first. Will you not come to Christ at once? Oh, that you would believe in Him! Oh that you would believe in Him tonight! To you is the word of this salvation sent. You old sinners—you that have added sin to sin, and done all you can do with both hands wickedly—you that have cursed His name—you that have robbed others—you that have told lies—you that have blackened yourselves with every crime, come and welcome to Jesus. Come to Christ and live at once. Mercy’s door is set wide open on purpose that the vilest of the vile may come, and they are called to come first. Just as you are, come along with you. Tarry not to cleanse or mend, but now “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” This night if you believe in Jesus you shall go out of these doors rejoicing that the Lord has put away your sin. To believe is to trust—simply to trust in Christ. It seems a very simple thing, but that is why it is so hard. If it were a hard thing, you would more readily attend to it, but being so easy you cannot believe that it is effectual. But it is; faith does save. Christ wants nothing of you but that you accept what He freely presents to you. Put out an empty hand, a black hand, a trembling hand, accept what Jesus gives, and salvation is yours. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

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That Man is Hopeful

Sherry Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, repentance, salvation, The Holy Spirit 3 Comments

Beginning at Jerusalem. – Luke 24:47

And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment; of sin, because they do not believe in Me… – John 16:9

Begin, dear friend, where you may expect opposition. That is a strange thing to advice, but I recommend it because the Savior advised it. If (the disciples) began at Jerusalem, they would awaken a ferocious opposition. But nothing is much better for the gospel than opposition. A man comes into the Tabernacle tonight, and as he goes away he says, “Yes, I was pleased and satisfied.” In that man’s case I have failed. But another man keeps biting his tongue, for he cannot endure the preaching. He is very angry. Something in the doctrine does not suit him, and he cries, “As long as I live I will never come here again.” That man is hopeful. He begins to think. The hook has taken hold of him. Give us time, and we will have that fish. It is no ill omen when a man gets angry with the gospel. It is bad enough, but it is infinitely better than that horrible lethargy into which men fall when they do not think. Some are not good enough even to oppose the gospel of Jesus Christ. Be hopeful of the man who will not let you speak to him, he is one that you must approach again. And if when he does let you speak to him, he seems as if he would spit on you, be grateful for it. He feels your words. You are touching him on a sore place. You will have him yet. When he swears that he does not believe a word of what you say, do not believe a word of what he says, for often the man who openly objects secretly believes. Just as boys whistle when they go through a churchyard in order to keep their courage up, so many a blasphemer is profane in order to silence his conscience. When he feels the hook, like the fish, the man will drag away from it. Give him line. Let him go. The hook will hold, and in due time you will have him. Do not despair. Do not think it a horrible thing that he should oppose you. You should rather be grateful for it, and go to God and cry that He will give you that soul for your hire. Begin courageously where you may expect opposition. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

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Begin Where You Thought You Never Could Begin

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

And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. – Luke 24:47,48

The devil knows you, dear friend, better than you know yourself. You see, he has been longer in the world than you have, and he knows a great deal more about human nature than you do. And so he comes to you and he sizes you up pretty accurately, and says, “This brother would be very useful in a certain sphere of labor, and I must keep him from it.” So he tells the brother that he is not called to it, and that it is not the sort of thing for him, and so on, and then he says to himself, “I have turned aside one foe from harming my cause.” Yonder is a good sister. Oh, how much she might do for Christ, but Satan guides her into a work in which she will never shine, while the holy work which she could do right well is dreaded by her. I heard a beautiful story last Wednesday, when I was sitting to see inquirers, and I can not help mentioning it here, for it may be a suggestion to some Christian who is present. A brother, who will be received into the church, was converted in the following way: He came up to London, and worked in a certain parish in the West End. He was at work on a sewer and a lady from one of the best houses in the West End came to the men that were making the sewer and said, “You men, come into my servants’ hall and eat your dinners. I will give you either tea or coffee with your meal, and then you will not have to go into the public house.” Some of them went in, but others did not. So the next day the lady came out, and said, “Now, I know that you think my place too fine for you. You do not like to come. So I have come out to fetch you in. While this sewer is being done I should like you to eat your dinners in my house.” She got them all in and when they had done their dinners and drank their tea or coffee she began to talk to them about Jesus Christ. The work was a month or so about, and it was every day the same. Our friend does not know the lady’s name, but he knows the name of Jesus through her teaching. Friends, we lose hosts of opportunities, I am sure we do…Let us in some way or other begin at Jerusalem, which is just where we thought that we never could begin. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

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A Standing Commandment

Sherry Character of Jesus, Christian Life, repentance, salvation Leave a comment

…beginning at Jerusalem. – Luke 24:47

The…reason why the Lord Jesus told them to begin at Jerusalem may have been that He knew that there would come a time when some of His disciples would despise the Jews, and therefore He said—when you preach My gospel, begin with them. This is a standing commandment, and everywhere we ought to preach the gospel to the Jew as well as to the Gentile. Paul even says, “to the Jew first.” Some seem to think that there ought to be no mission to the Jews—that there is no hope of converting them, that they are of no use when they are converted, and so on. I have even heard some who call themselves Christians speak slightingly of the Jewish people. What! And your Lord and Master a Jew! There is no race on earth as exalted as they are. They are the seed of Abraham, God’s friend. We have nobles and dukes in England, but how far could they trace their pedigree? Why, up to a nobody. But the poorest Jew on earth is descended lineally from Jacob, and Isaac and Abraham. Instead of treating them with anything like disrespect, the Savior says, “Begin at Jerusalem.” Just as we say, “Ladies first,” so it is, “the Jew first.” They take precedence among races, and are to be waited on first at the gospel feast. Jesus would have us entertain a deep regard to that nation which God chose of old, and out of which Christ came, for He is of the seed of Abraham according to the flesh. He puts those first who knew Him first. Let us never sneer at a Jew again, for our Lord teaches us the rule of His house when He says, “Begin at Jerusalem.” Let the seed of Israel first have the gospel presented to them, and if they reject it we shall be clear of their blood. But we shall not be faithful to our orders unless we have taken note of Jews as well as Gentiles. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

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Hold Up Your Candle

Sherry Character of Jesus, Christian Life, repentance, salvation, The Holy Spirit Leave a comment

And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. – Luke 24:47

“Beginning at Jerusalem.” The apostles were not to pick and choose where they should start, but they were to begin at Jerusalem. Why? There were people in Jerusalem who had seen their children and their friends healed of dreadful diseases. Jesus bids His disciples face the lion in his den, and declare the gospel on the spot where, if it had been untrue, it would have been contradicted with violence. Our Lord seemed to say, “Point to the very place where My death took place. Tell them that they crucified Me, and see if they dare deny it. Bring it home to their consciences that they rejected the Christ of God.” Hence it was that, coming to the very people who had seen these things, the preaching of Peter had unusual force about it. In addition to the power of the Holy Spirit there was also this—that he was telling them of a crime which they had newly committed and could not deny. And when they saw their error they turned to God with penitent hearts. I like this thought—that they were to begin at Jerusalem, because there the events of the gospel occurred. This is a direction for you, dear friend, if you have been newly converted do not be ashamed to tell those who know you…Never be ashamed of Christ. Come straight out and say to your friends, “You know what I was, but now I have become a disciple of Jesus Christ.” Begin at Jerusalem; it was your Lord’s command. He had nothing to be ashamed of. There was no falsehood in what He bade His disciples preach, and therefore He did as good as say, “Hang up My gospel to the light. It is nothing but truth; therefore display it before My enemies’ eyes.” If yours is a true, genuine, thorough conversion, I do not say that you are to go up and down the street crying out that you are converted, but on due occasions you must not hide your convictions. Conceal not what the Lord has done for you, but hold up your candle in your own house. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

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Christ’s Authority

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

…and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations… – Luke 24:47

My brethren, you must proclaim the gospel according to your ability. It is not a thing which you may do or may not do at your own discretion. But you must do it if you have any respect for your Savior’s name. If you dare pray in that name, if you dare hope in that name, if you hear the music of joy in that name, then in the name of Jesus Christ preach the gospel in every land. But it means more than that. Not only preach it under His orders, but preach it on His authority. The true servant of Christ has His Master to back him up. The Lord Jesus will seal by threats or by grace, the word of His faithful messengers. If we threaten the ungodly, the threat shall be fulfilled. If we announce God’s promise to the penitent, that promise shall be surely kept. The Lord Jesus will not let the words of His own ambassadors, fall to the ground. “Lo, I am with you always,” He says, “even to the end of the world. Go you, therefore and teach all nations.” You have Christ with you; teach the nations by His authority.

Oh, sinner, there would be no acceptance of your repentance if it were not for that dear name! Oh, guilty conscience, there would be no ease for you through the remission of sin if it were not that the blessed name of Jesus is sweet to the Lord God of hosts! We dare preach pardon to you in His name. The blood has been shed and sprinkled on the burning throne. The Christ has gone in within the veil, and stands there, “able to save to the uttermost them that come unto God by Him, seeing He always lives to make intercession for them.” There is assuredly salvation in His name, and this is our glory, but, “there is none other name given under heaven among men whereby we must be saved.” That name has a fullness of saving efficacy, and if you will but rest in it, you shall find salvation, and find it now. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

Click to access chs1729.pdf