Sovereignty of God

The Unbelieving Dunce

Sherry Attributes of God, Christian Life, Sovereignty of God Leave a comment

Truly, Thou art a God who hidest Thyself, O God of Israel, the Savior. -Isaiah 45:15

I have heard of a man who went into a smith’s smithy one day, and he began complaining of the wet weather. “Why,” said he, “smith, you talk about Providence! There is too much wet by half. If there were any Providence, it would manage things a great deal better. There is the wheat nearly all spoilt, and the barley is going. I tell you,” says he, “there is no Providence; things don’t go right.” The smith took no notice of his observations, but after a while walked across the smithy, and took down an odd-looking tool which he used in his craft, and said to him, “Do you know what that is used for?” “No,” said he, I don’t.” “Look at it; look at it, and find out.” He did look, and then he said he did not know. The smith put up that tool, and took down another, an ugly-looking tool, and says he, “Do you know what I use that for?” “No,” says the man, “I cannot conceive what you do with that.” “You can’t? Look at it, and see; perhaps you will find out.” He looked at the thing, and then he said, “No, I really do not know what is the use you put that to.” The smith put it up, and then walked leisurely back and said, “You are a great dunce. You do not know the use of my tools, and I am only a smith; and you set up to judge of the use of God’s tools, and say what is right and what is wrong. You don’t even know about a smithy, and yet, you pretend to know about the whole world.” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/3512.cfm

The Fool

Sherry Attributes of God, Christian Life, Sovereignty of God Leave a comment

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none that does good. -Psalm 14:1

Let me give you the reasons why the unbeliever usually is an unbeliever. It is principally because he knows not God; and none of us like to trust a person we don’t know. He knows nothing of the Most High, has never communed with Him, nor even seen Him in His works; and, therefore, he cannot trust Him. The unbeliever will also say that he cannot trust God because he cannot see Him, as if everything that is real must, therefore, be the object of sight as if there were not forces in nature about which no doubts can be entertained that are far beyond the ken of sight. They will also say that they cannot trust God because they cannot understand Him. If we could understand God, He would not be God, for it is a part of the nature of God that He should be infinitely greater than any created mind… It is a most unreasonable reason not to believe in God because I cannot understand Him. The reason at the bottom is this-the ungodly man does not trust God, because he is God’s enemy. He knows there is a quarrel between the two. He has broken the law, he has become an enemy to his Maker; and how shall a man trust his enemy? Besides, he knows that God won’t do what he would like God to do. He would like God to give him good health to go on in sin; he would like Him to make him happy in his lusts; he would like Him to let him live a sinner and die a saint; he would like Him to shape the world so that man might take his sinful pleasure and live as he liked, and yet, after all, receive the wages of a righteous life; and as God won’t do that-won’t bring Himself down to the sinner’s taste-therefore, the sinner says, “I cannot trust God,” and then he turns round and laughs at the man who can, just to quiet his own conscience and keep the little sense there is within him from rebelling against him. ~ C.H.Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/3512.cfm

 

Superior Wisdom

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

Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You from those who rise up against them. -Psalm 17:7

The great point at which the ungodly mostly aim their scoffs is the actual faith of the believer. He has made God to be his refuge. And what do they say? Why, “It’s all canting talk.” I do not particularly know what that means, but if ever Christian men are accused of being cants, they can make the retort by saying that the canting is quite as much on one side as the other, for of all cants the cant against cant is the worst cant that ever was canted. But surely if a man shall speak the truth in other things- and you know he does- it is not fair to say he does not speak the truth when he says he puts his trust in God. The man is not insincere.

“Oh!” but they will say, “it is ridiculous-a man trusting in God.” Yes, but you do not think it ridiculous to trust in yourselves. Many of you don’t think it ridiculous to trust in some public man. Half of the world is trusting in its riches, and is there anything ridiculous in leaning upon that arm that bears the earth’s huge pillars up? If so, ridicule on. To trust weakness seems to you to be sense. I say to trust Omnipotence is infinitely superior wisdom, and we will continue to trust in God, for to us it seems to be no absurdity.  ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/3512.cfm

Who Truly Are the “Poor Creatures?”

Sherry Attributes of God, Christian Life, confession of sin, prayer, Sovereignty of God Leave a comment

For our God is a consuming fire. -Hebrews 12:29

(The ungodly) will say, “Ah! but (the godly) are poor in spirit; they have not good ideas of themselves. Hear them-they are always confessing sinfulness and weakness, and they appear to go through the world without self-reliance, relying upon some unseen power, and always distrusting themselves, and they do not seem to have the pluck that the ungodly have. Why, we who know not God can drink, and they will stop where we can go. And we can let out an oath, but they are afraid. And there is many a song that we can sing that these fastidious folks would not dare to hear, and there is many an amusement which we can enjoy which they, poor creatures, are obliged to deny themselves.” …I do not know that you could do better than pity them. It would be a pity to be angry with them for not enjoying what you enjoy. Don’t, therefore, sneer. But, after all, sir, you know very well that there is more manliness in refusing to sin than there is in sinning; that there is more pluck in saying, “No, I cannot,” than there is in being led by the devil, first into one sin, and then into another… I dare not do that which would dishonour God. I am thankful to be such a coward that I dare not venture it. But you shall not say that we are cowardly…It is not true that we are poor in spirit in the sense that is often attached to us. We have as much of courage of the right kind as the ungodly have. But, sir, we can afford to bear your jest. We are afraid to be damned; we are afraid to take a leap into the dark future, with wrath upon our heads; we do tremble before the living God, though we will tremble nowhere else. We count it no dim honour to fear Him who is a consuming fire. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/3512.cfm

Trusting Jesus, You are Saved

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

Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. – John 5:24

Oh, thank God, poor sinner, that you do hear it rung in your ears-Come as you are! Come as you are! You hear the gospel sung to you:-

“Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidd’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
Just as I aim- Thy love I own,
Has broken every barrier down:
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!”

We hold up to you no ceremonies, no feelings, no works, no orthodoxies; we only hold up Christ, Christ crucified, a substitute for sinners, a substitute for you if you trust Him; and we tell you again and again, till we half fear of tiring you, that, trusting Jesus, you are saved…Jesus came all the way from heaven to earth to save us- “Who though He was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that we, through His poverty might be made rich.” How shall we be grateful enough for this unspeakable gift?

“O, for this love let rocks and hills
Their lasting silence break,
And all harmonious human tongues
The Savior’s praises speak.”

“A wounded, weak, and helpless worm,
On Christ’s kind arms I fall;
Be Thou my strength and confidence,
My Jesus and my all.”

~C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0550.cfm

 

“O God, let the alarm be heard!”

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

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. -John 3:36

The good ship “Amazon,” …Who among her crew or passengers has a fear for her safety? But in the book of providence, there was a black line against that ship, and never more could she reach her desired haven…Night came on; the watch was changed as usual; the captain turned in, feeling that all was right and safe. The passengers were snug in their berths…as assured of security as men could be. In a moment, what a change had taken place! A passenger perceives a smell of fire; the warning cry is raised. Everyone rushes upon deck. Attempts arc made to quench the fire; but when the hatches are lifted up, the wind rushes in, and the fire is fanned to a dreadful, all-devouring conflagration….

Sinner, how hard it is to bring thee to serious consideration of thy ways. We cannot touch thy wits, or make thee reason like a man of sound mind. Thou wilt sooner be damned by thoughtlessness than give an hour’s careful meditation to thy soul’s affairs. We would fain drag thee out of thy sleeping berth, and even kick thee and strike thee, treating thee to rough usage, if we could by this means drag thee from the devouring flames; thou wouldst thank us well enough afterwards for these rough cuffs, if we could but wake thee. We hear complaints that the minister speaks too harshly and talks too much of judgment. Saved sinners never make that complaint. They know that nothing but these terrors will awaken some slumbering minds; and if they be awakened themselves, they are but too glad, however rough the means may have been. …Let us take heed unto ourselves lest in the world to come this carnal security of ours should be like faggots to the fire, and the remembrance of our sloth should pour oil upon the flames. O God, let the alarm be heard… ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0550.cfm

 

When the Sword is Sharp Canst Thou Play About Its Edge?

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

For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. -Malachi 4:1

I would I could speak upon this dreadful subject in a proper manner. Whitfield had tones and emotions which were fitting for such a subject. He would cry out, “Oh, the wrath to come! The wrath to come! The wrath to come!” He would cry, I say, until all his hearers responded. with, “What must we do to be saved?” And good Baxter, trembling lest be should he guilty of men’s blood, while he delivered the message, as a dying man to dying men-knew the terrors of the law, and right earnestly he persuaded men to escape for their lives. O sirs, if I saw you. in a burning house, there were not half so much need of earnestness as when I see you in the midst of a mass of sin and corruption which must be consumed by God’s anger, and you with it. Sinner, why wilt. thou die? What can ail thee? What besots thee that thou dost not perceive anything dreadful in the wrath of Him who made thee? He can dash whole worlds to pieces-what can He not do with thee? Hast thou. learned to be callous when thou hearest of eternity? Hast thine ear grown cold to that dreadful word, “Condemnation?” Canst thou read the story of those to whom He said, “Depart, ye cursed,” and not tremble? Canst thou know that thou art this day in danger of the judgment, and not be afraid? When the sword is sharp, and furbished, and taken out of its sheath, canst thou play about its edge? Canst thou yet make mirth? Then is there indeed, need for me to cry to thee, and for all God’s faithful ministers to cry with louder voice than mine-“Escape! escape! escape for thy life.!  ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0550.cfm