salvation

Let Me to Thy Bosom Fly

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, prayer, promises, repentance, salvation, Sovereignty of God, the unbelieving life 1 Comment

And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house… – Luke 19:9

Why do some men receive Him joyfully? The answer simply is because grace has made them to differ. Grace has subdued their stubborn will, illuminated their darkened understanding, changed their depraved affections, and made their whole mind to judge of things after a different fashion. Do not suppose that we who have received Christ were naturally any better disposed to Him than others. Oh! no. If, when the seed was sown, we were like the honest and good ground in which it took root, there had been a previous tillage upon our hearts to make them ready, we should not have been found willing had it not been the day of God’s power.

We make Christ our last resource. We try everything else; grand resolutions to do good works, or to attend gorgeous ceremonies, trivial formalities, or paltry superstitions; anything, the silliest conceit or the emptiest quackery. We go the round of folly before we discover the path of wisdom. At length I must go to Christ, or else woe is unto me if I win Him not. Helpless and hopeless, in sheer distress we cry out, “Give me Christ, or else I die.” Henceforth He is not merely our choice, but a positive necessity to us to have Him as our hourly, daily, and eternal portion. Oh! the strait unto which I was brought when I received Christ. It was Christ or death; salvation by Christ, or damnation without Him. I received Him because I could not help it. I had no alternative. How many of you are in the like dilemma? How many of you will fly to Him in similar destitution? Driven before the tempest, catching a glimpse of the lighthouse, you cry out:

“Jesus, lover of my soul,
Let me to Thy bosom fly.”

~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/3487.cfm

What Does the Gospel Mean?

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, confession of sin, promises, salvation 1 Comment

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. – Acts 4:12

There are thousands of persons, even in this highly-favoured, greatly- enlightened country, who really do not know what the Gospel means. The knowledge of salvation is within their reach, but they have no desire to acquaint themselves with this best of all the sciences. We are all sinners, they say; but they do not know what they mean. In the jargon of general confession they lose sight of their own personal transgressions. The plan of salvation by a Substitute, which is the gist of the whole matter, never dawned on their understanding. They do not know the great truth that Jesus took our sins and suffered for us in our room, and in our stead, that justice might be satisfied, that mercy might be magnified, and that we sinners might be liberated. Hence it comes to pass that whosoever trusteth in Christ is saved. Being ignorant of this, they are still depending upon their own works, merits, and professions, or they are relying upon their baptism, their confirmation, or their identification with some ecclesiastical system by means of some outward ceremony, instead of understanding that salvation is by faith, a thing of the heart in the spirit, and not in the letter. This ignorance of the blessed Saviour prevents many from receiving Him joyfully. So was it with the woman of Samaria; hence the Saviour said to her, “If thou hadst known the gift of God, and who it is that speaks to thee, thou wouldst have asked, and He would have given thee living water.” Lest ye perish through lack of knowledge, brethren, do entreat the Lord so to guide you in the reading of Scripture, and in listening to the exposition of Scripture that you may get a clear understanding of the way of the Lord. “That the soul should be without knowledge is not good,” for ignorance is the parent of many infatuations. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/3487.cfm

All Men Need Christ

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, prophecy, salvation, Sovereignty of God, the unbelieving life 3 Comments

To whom He said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. – Isaiah 28:12

Why is it that all men do not receive Christ joyfully? This is our first question. They need Him, all of them. There is no difference in this respect. Whether Jews or Gentiles, they are all sold under sin. God has concluded the whole race of man in unbelief. He has shut them all up in condemnation. There is no escape from the universal doom except by the way of the cross. Jesus Christ comes to save; comes with pardon in His hands, with messages of love, with tokens of favour; yet most men bar the doors of their hearts against Him. There is no cry heard in their souls, “Lift up your heads, O ye gates! and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors, that the King of Glory may come in!” Instead thereof, there is a sullen cry, “Come prejudice; come unbelief; come hardness of heart; come love of sin; bar ye the doors and barricade the gates lest, perhaps, the King of Glory should force an entrance!” Men treat the Saviour as they would treat an invader who attacked their country. They seek to drive Him away; they would fain be rid of Him. They cannot endure His presence. Nay, they can scarce endure, some of them, to hear about Him in the street. Why is this? The chief reason lies in the depravity of man’s nature. You never know how bad man is till he comes in contact with the Cross.

Oh! Human Nature, how blind must be thy heart, how seared thy conscience, not to see the beauties of Christ! How base must thou be to despise the love and tenderness of such a Saviour!~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/3487.cfm

Receive Christ Joyfully

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

And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received Him joyfully. – Luke 19:5,6

When the Master said, “Make haste,” he made haste. Hardly had He said, “Come down,” when down he came. If thou, my hearer, be likewise willing and obedient, thou shalt eat of the good of the land. Christ likes us to be obedient to Him, though He speaks to us less as a Lawgiver than as a Saviour and a Friend. If we refuse to take His yoke upon us, and learn of Him, how can we reasonably expect to find rest unto our souls? The words of Jesus must be deeply respected and diligently observed by those who would have Him for their Rock, their Refuge, and their Hiding Place. Let Him be your Councillor if you want to partake of His redemption. Render allegiance to Him as your King, if you would enjoy all the grace of His priestly mediation and intercession.

There was also a thorough heartiness on the part of Zaccheus in receiving Christ. He made a great feast for Him. He did not admit Him as one who intruded. It was not with cold civility, but with cordial hospitality that he greeted Him. I think I see the satisfaction that sparkled in his face! I think I hear the salutation that leaped from his tongue, “Come in- come in, my gracious Lord; never did my house entertain so welcome a guest as Thou art!” Would you receive Christ, you must throw the doors of your heart wide open; then your eyes, your lips, every muscle of your body will express your earnestness. Your whole spirit, soul and strength will be stirred to enthusiasm if you know His worth, and feel the honour He confers on you. A man who findeth a treasure hid in a field will congratulate himself on his good fortune. A woman, when she embraceth her first-born child, will dote on him with exquisite fondness. Shall no strong emotions prove our sincerity when we receive the Lord of life and glory? ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/3487.cfm

He Received Christ Speedily

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

“And he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.”- Luke 19:6

Are you prepared, like Zaccheus, to give the Lord Jesus Christ a glad and grateful welcome? If we would obtain the full benefit of His devoted life, His atoning death, and His triumphant resurrection, we must receive Him into our hearts by simple faith, and entertain Him with tender love. Outside the door of our heart Jesus is a stranger; He is no Saviour to us; but inside the heart which has been opened, by divine grace, to admit Him, His power is displayed, His worth is known, and His goodness is felt. My dear hearer, you have heard His fame, you have witnessed the miracles He has wrought upon others, and now it remains that you receive Him yourself to ensure your own well-being. He stands at the door and knocks; you must open to Him. The promise is, “If any man will open unto Me, I will come in and sup with him.” “To as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God.” Not upon all who heard was the privilege conferred, for many, when they heard, did not believe. Alas! they provoked Him, and so they perished in their sins. But those who hail Jesus as a friend salute Him as an honoured guest, sit at His feet, and hang on His lips, find how He lights every chamber of their soul with joy, satisfies every craving of their better nature, and enriches them with all the endowments of adopted children.

Zaccheus supplies us with a noble example. He shows us how to receive the Saviour. You will observe that he received Him speedily. “He made haste and came down.”It is not always easy to come down from a tree with great speed…I daresay his heart was down before his feet…”Today, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” Zaccheus made haste. They who receive Christ heartily must receive Christ immediately. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/3487.cfm

He Calleth for Thee, Sinner

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, salvation, Sovereignty of God 4 Comments

…and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. – John 6:37

The Master has come. This is certain. From the highest throne in glory to the manger, to the cross, and to the grave, the Master has come. That He calls for thee, this is also certain, I think. Let me give you a text in which, I think, He calls for you: “Whosoever will, let him come and take of the water of life freely.” “Whosoever believeth on the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved.” Calls He not for you, too, in this text, “Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him turn unto the Lord, for He will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon”? Calls He not for you in this verse, where He bids all that labour and are heavy-laden come unto Him, that they may rest; or in that other, “Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though thy sins be as scarlet, they shall be as wool; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as snow.” He calleth for thee. Do not disbelieve Him. It is certainly matchless grace, but He is a God and none is like unto Him. “As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are His thoughts above your thoughts.” But does your heart say, “Why, if I thought Jesus called for me, I would come”? Then He does call thee; that speech of thine, “I would come,” proves it; ’tis He that makes thee feel willing. Dost thou long for Him? Oh! He is putting  His hand in at the door of thy heart, and making thy bowels yearn for Him. Does a tear drop on the floor, and do you say, “It cannot be that such a one as I should ever live and be saved, and be Christ’s”? Why, thy very admiration at His grace shows that some of His grace is at work upon thee. Trust thou that that arm can save: trust thou that that pierced hand can grasp thee; trust thou that that heart that was gashed with a spear can feel for thee. Trust thyself wholly to Him. “Go thy way; thy sins which are many are forgiven thee.” If thou hast trusted Him, thou art saved. Come and cast thyself at Jesus’ feet. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/3461.cfm

Pray the Lord Jesus to Make Them New

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

Behold, I make all things new. – Revelation 21:5

Let me just say a few words to those of you who love the Lord. You may have some very bad children, or you have some relatives who are going on in sin from bad to worse. I earnestly recommend you attentively to consider my text. “Behold,” says Christ, “I make all things new.” “No, no,” says the old father, “I used to pray for my boy; he broke my heart; he brought his mother’s grey hairs with sorrow to the grave; but he has gone away, and I have not heard of him for years, and I am almost afraid to wish I ever may hear of him again, for he did seem so reckless, that my only comfort is in trying to forget him.” “Yes,” says a husband here, “I have prayed for my wife so many times, that I do feel tempted to give it up; it is not likely that I shall ever live to see her saved.” Oh! but, brethren and sisters, we do not know; since the Lord saved us, there cannot be any limits as to what he can do. Look at the text, “Behold I make all things new.” I will pray, “Lord, make my children new.” You shall pray, “Lord, make my wife new.” You godly wives, who have ungodly husbands, you shall pray, “Lord, make our husbands new.” You who have dear friends who lie upon your bosom, as you anxiously think of them, pray the Lord Jesus to make them new. When our friends are made new, oh! what a great comfort they are; just as much so as they formerly were a sorrow. The greater the sinner, the greater the joy to loving believers when they see him saved. “Behold,” says Christ-I do like that word- “Behold it! Stand and look at it! See how I took the man when he was up to his neck in sin, and made him preach the gospel. Can I not do the same again? Look there and see the dying thief upon the cross, black with a thousand crimes: I washed him and took him to Paradise the same day; what can I not do? Behold I make all things new.” Courage, my brethren and sisters. We will not entertain any more doubt about Christ’s power to save. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/3467.cfm