Sovereignty of God

God is the Source and Fountain of Eternal Love

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, salvation, Sovereignty of God, The Father 1 Comment

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. – Colossians 1:19,20

Justice saith there was no person in heaven or under heaven so meet to contain the fullness of grace as Jesus. None so meet to be glorified as the Savior, who “made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Himself the form of a servant, and being found in fashion as a man, humbled Himself, and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross.” It is but justice that the grace which He has brought to us should be treasured up in Him. And while justice speaks, wisdom will not withhold her voice. Wise art Thou, O Jehovah, to treasure up grace in Christ, for to Him men can come; and to Him coming, as unto a living stone, chosen of God and precious, men find Him precious also to their souls. The Lord has laid our sins in the right place, for He has laid it upon one that is mighty, and who is as loving as He is mighty; as ready as He is able to save. Moreover, in the fitness of things the Father’s pleasure is the first point to be considered, for all things ought to be to the good pleasure of God. It is a great underlying rule of the universe that all things were created for God’s pleasure. God is the source and fountain of eternal love, and it is but meet that He should convey it to us by what channel He may elect. Bowing, therefore, in lowly worship at His throne, we are glad that in this matter the fullness dwells where it perpetually satisfies the decree of heaven. It is well that “it pleased the Father.”

Now, brethren, if it pleased the Father to place all grace in Christ, let us praise the elect Savior. What pleases God pleases us. Where would you desire to have grace placed, my brethren, but in the Well-beloved?  ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0978.cfm

The Grand Storehouse

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

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell – Colossians 1:19

“It pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell.” Where else could all fullness have been placed? There was wanted a vast capacity to contain “all fullness.” Where dwells there a being with nature capacious enough to compass within Himself all fullness? As well might we ask, “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?” To Him only could it belong to contain “all fullness,” for He must be equal with God, the Infinite. How suitable was the Son of the Highest…to become the grand storehouse of all the treasures of wisdom, and knowledge and grace, and salvation. Moreover, there was wanted not only capacity to contain, but immutability to retain the fullness, for the text says, “It pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell” that is, abide, and remain, forever. Now if any kind of fullness could be put into us mutable creatures, yet by reason of our frailty we should prove but broken cisterns that can hold no water. The Redeemer is Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and forever: therefore, was it meet that all fullness should be placed in Him. “The Son abideth ever.” “He is a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” “Being made perfect He became the author of eternal salvation unto all they that obey Him.” His name shall endure forever: His name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in Him: all nations shall call Him blessed.

Jesus Christ while God is also man like ourselves, truly man, of a meek lowly spirit, and therefore easily approachable. They who know Him, delight in nearness to Him. Is it not sweet that all fullness should be treasured up in Him who was the friend of publicans and sinners: and who came into the world to seek and to save that which was lost? ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0978.cfm

All Things Are Yours

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

Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours…And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. – 1 Corinthians 3:21,23

O child of God, thou art now saved, but thy wants are not therefore removed. Are they not as continuous as thy heart beats? When are we not in want, my brethren? The more alive we are to God, the more are we aware of our spiritual necessities. He who is “blind and naked,” thinks himself to be “rich and increased in goods,” but let the mind be truly enlightened, and we feel that we are completely dependent upon the charity of God. Let us be glad, then, as we learn that there is no necessity in our spirit but what is abundantly provided for in the all fullness of Jesus Christ. You seek for a higher platform of spiritual attainments, you aim to conquer sin, you desire to be plentiful in finis unto His glory, you are longing to be useful, you are anxious to subdue the hearts of others unto Christ; behold the needful grace for all this. In the sacred armoury of the Son of David behold your battle-ax and your weapons of war; in the stores of Him who is greater than Aaron see the robes in which to fulfill your priesthood; in the wounds of Jesus behold the power with which you may become a living sacrifice. If you would glow like a seraph, and serve like an apostle, behold the grace awaiting you in Jesus. If you would go from strength to strength, climbing the loftiest summits of holiness, behold grace upon grace prepared for you if you are straitened, it will not be in Christ; if there be any bound to your holy attainments, it is set by yourself. The infinite God Himself gives Himself to you in the person of His dear Son, and He saith to you, “All things are yours.” “The Lord is the portion of your inheritance and of your cup.” Infinity is ours. He who gave us His own Son has in that very deed given us all things. Hath He not said, “I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt; open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it”? ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0978.cfm

A Fullness Inconceivable and Inexhaustible

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For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. – Colossians 2:9,10

When John saw the Son of Man in Patmos, the marks of Deity were on Him. “His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow”-here was His eternity; “His eyes were as a flame of fire”-here was His omniscience; “Out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword”-here was the omnipotence of His word; “And His countenance was as the sun that shineth in his strength”-here was His unapproachable and infinite glory. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Hence nothing is too hard for Him. Power, wisdom, truth, immutability, and all the attributes of God are in Him, and constitute a fullness inconceivable and inexhaustible.

Fullness dwells in our Lord not only intrinsically from His nature, but as the result of His mediatorial world. He achieved by suffering as well as possessed by nature a wondrous fullness. He carried on His shoulders the load of our sin; He expiated by His death our guilt, and now He has merit with the Father, infinite, inconceivable, a fullness of desert. The Father has stored up in Christ Jesus, as in a reservoir, for the use of all His people, His eternal love and His unbounded grace, that it may come to us through Christ Jesus, and that we may glorify Him. All power is put into His hands, and life, and light, and grace, are to the full at His disposal. “He shutteth and no man openeth, He openeth and no man shutteth.” He has received gifts for men, yea, for the righteous also. Not only as the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, is He the possessor of heaven and earth, and therefore filled with all fullness, but seeing that, as the Mediator, He has finished our redemption, “He is made of God unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” Glory be to His name for this double fullness. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0978.cfm

What Christ Jesus Can Do

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, Sovereignty of God 5 Comments

“There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?” …And Jesus took the loaves… – John 6:9,11

This boy gave all his loaves, and all his fish-not much, truly-but Christ multiplied it…when Jesus took the loaves, it was not only to multiply, but also to dispose of them. They were distributed by Christ. He did not believe in multiplication, unless it was attended by division. Christ’s additions mean subtraction; and Christ’s subtractions mean additions. He gives that we may give away. He multiplied as soon as ever the disciples began to distribute; and when the distribution ended, the multiplication ended. Oh, for grace to go on distributing! If you have received the truth from Christ, tell it out! God will whisper it in your ear and tell it in; but if you stop the telling out, if you cease the endeavor to bless others, it may be that God will no more bless you, nor grant you again the communion of His face. If we all would bring our loaves and fishes to the Lord Jesus Christ, He would take them, and make them wholly His own. Then, when He should have blessed them, He would multiply them, and He would bid us distribute them, and we could yet meet the needs of London, and the needs of the whole world even to the last man. Christ, who could feed five thousand, can feed five million. There is no limit. When once you get a miracle, you may as well have a great one. Whenever I find the critics paring down miracles, it always seems to me to be very poor work; for if it is a miracle, it is a miracle; and if you are in for a penny, you may as well be in for a pound. If you can believe that Christ can feed fifty, then you can believe that He can feed five hundred, five thousand, five million, five hundred million, if so it pleases Him. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2216.cfm

The Savior’s Power

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

And Jesus took the loaves… – John 6:11

The text says, “Jesus took the loaves.” …those loaves do not so much suggest the thought of the lad’s sacrifice as of the Savior’s power. Is it not a wonderful thing that Christ, the living God, should associate Himself with our feebleness, with our want of talent, with our ignorance, with our little faith? And yet He does so. If we are not associated with Him, we can do nothing; but when we come into living touch with Him, we can do all things. Those barley loaves in Christ’s hands become pregnant with food for all the throng. Out of His hands they are nothing but barley cakes; but in His hands, associated with Him, they are in contact with omnipotence. Have you, that love the Lord Jesus Christ, thought of this, of bringing all that you possess to Him, that it may be associated with Him? There is that brain of yours; it can be associated with the teachings of His Spirit: there is that heart of yours; it can be warmed with the love of God: there is that tongue of yours; it can be touched with the live coal from off the altar: there is that manhood of yours; it can be perfectly consecrated by association with Christ. Hear the tender command of the Lord, “Bring them hither to Me,” and your whole life will be transformed. I do not say that every man of common ability can rise to high ability by being associated with Christ through faith, but I do say this, -that his ordinary ability, in association with Christ, will become sufficient for the occasion to which God in providence has called him. I know that you have been praying, and saying, “I have not this, and I cannot do that.” Stay not to number your deficiencies; bring what you have, and let all that you are, body, soul, and spirit, be associated with Christ…and what may not be hoped for by association with such wisdom and might? ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2216.cfm

But Nobody Knows Me

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

“There is a lad here, who has five barley loaves, and two small fish, but what are they among so many?” – John 6:9

Rest assured, that if you have the Bread of Life about you, and you are willing to serve God, you need not be afraid that obscurity will ever prevent your doing it. “Nobody knows me,” says one. Well, it is not a very desirable thing that anybody should know you: those of us who are known to everybody would be very glad if we were not; there is no very great comfort in it. He that can work away for his Master, with nobody to see him but his Master, is the happiest of men…Oh, for grace to work on unobserved, to have your one talent, your five loaves and two fishes, and only to be noticed when the hour suggests the need, and the need makes a loud call for you. We have thus seen, first of all, the loaves and fishes, in the desert, quite unnoticed, but put there by providence; and we now behold them by that same providence, thrust into prominence.

Andrew said, “What are they among so many?” The boy’s candle seemed to be quite snuffed out: so small a stock-what could be the use of that? Now, I dare say, that some of you have had Satan saying to you, “What is the use of your trying to do anything?” Ah, dear friend! he is afraid of what you can do, and if you will only do what you can do, God will, by-and-by, help you to do what now you cannot do. But the devil is afraid of even the little that you can do now; and many a child of God seems to side with Satan in despising the day of small things. “What are they among so many?” So few, so poor, so devoid of talent, what can any of us hope to do? Disdained, even by the disciples, it is small wonder if we are held in contempt by the world. The things that God will honour, man must first despise. You run the gauntlet of the derision of men, and afterwards you come out to be used of God. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2216.cfm