Sovereignty of God

Whose Body We Belong

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

“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

https://www.vcyamerica.org/charles-spurgeons-daily-devotional/

Oh, He is a Wonderful Saviour!

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

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

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

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

Compassion for Mr. Feeblemind and Mr. Ready-to-Halt

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

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

There are many that are of a very feeble mind. You can only with difficulty get a thought into their brain, and if you try to get another idea on the top of it, the second one seems to knock the first one out. They never learn much, and they are so constructed that they never will. In our pilgrim band we have a number who are like Mr. Feeblemind; we may try all that we can with him, but we shall never make a hero of him. Others are like Mr. Ready-to-halt, with his crutches; he did dance once, you will remember, when Giant Despair’s head was cut off; but still he had to go on his crutches even then, and he never gave them up till he crossed the river; then he left them to anybody who wanted such things, and, I fear me, there are many who want them to-day. We have those in our company who never will be able to give a systematic statement of the doctrines of grace, though they are full of grace. They could never explain how they were saved; but they are saved. I daresay the snail could never explain how he got into the ark, but he did get in; and these feeble ones are in Christ, though they cannot fully explain how they came to that blessed position. Some of these good people are not very apt to receive knowledge: they are not “learnable”, if I may coin a word to express my meaning We cannot make them learn. They are willing to be taught, they are teachable; but they are not “learnable.” Ah, well, our blessed High Priest can have compassion on the ignorant, and the feeble-minded! ~ C.H. Spurgeon

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

Does Any Man Truly Know Himself?

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

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

What do we know of sin? The larger proportion of our sins are probably unknown to us. We do them, and scarcely observe that we have committed them. And who knows the evil that lies in any one sin? Who is he that can weigh his iniquities in scales, or his errors in balances? Upon that one dread subject of sin, we are all life babes; we have not begun to learn more than the alphabet of that awful knowledge. Sinful we are, but it is part of the effect of sin that we do not know the extent of our sinfulness, and we should not know it at all, if it were not for the teachings of the Holy Spirit.

Again, what do we know of ourselves? Does any man truly know himself? “The proper study of mankind is man,” says Pope. I am not sure of that; but I am certain that the proper study of mankind is Christ; for in Him we not only can learn about man, but much more besides. But how little we know of ourselves, of our natural weakness, of our evil tendencies, of our proneness in this direction, or in that! “Who can understand his errors? Cleanse Thou me from secret faults.”

What do we know of God the unsearchable? Is He past finding out? Who can sufficiently tell of His nature, or of His wondrous attributes? Who can speak adequately of His greatness, or of His glory? Who can number up His years, or declare the whole of His lovingkindness? “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!” As compared with the light of God, we are in the dim twilight. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

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

To Know His Love

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

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

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, salvation, Sovereignty of God 3 Comments

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