Sovereignty of God

God’s Purpose in Our Blessings

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

According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world… – Ephesians 1:4

We have to bless God that all His gifts come to us in Christ. Notice Paul’s words, “according as He hath chosen us in Him.” God called us in Christ. He justified us in Christ. He sanctified us in Christ. He will perfect us in Christ. He will glorify us in Christ. We have everything in Christ, and we have nothing apart from Christ. Let us praise and bless the name of the Lord that this sacred channel of His grace is as glorious as the grace itself. There is as much grace in the gift of Christ to save us as there is in the salvation which Christ has wrought out for us. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Before the foundation of the world”, says the text, there was a purpose in the heart of God, and in that purpose, we were chosen, and by that same purpose God continues to bless us. Look, beloved, God never gives His people either a gift or a grace without His purpose. Has God given you a tongue fluent, eloquent? Speak for Him. He does not give you these gifts without purpose. Has God given you influence among your fellow-men? Use it for Him. Your election came according to His purpose; and so have all your gifts, and much more, all your graces. Have you a strong, bright-eyes faith? Have you burning zeal? Have you vehement love? Have you any of these gifts of the covenant? Use them for a purpose. God has given them for a purpose; find out what that purpose is and glorify God thereby. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2266.cfm

The Hall-mark of Sovereign Grace upon Every Blessing

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

…According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love… – Ephesians 1:4

 We are to praise God because all spiritual blessings have come to us in the same way as our election came, “according as He hath chosen us in Him.” How did that come? Well, it came of His free, sovereign grace. He loved us because He would love us. “Ye have not chosen Me; but I have chosen you.” If there is any virtue, if there be any praise in us now, He put it there. To the bottomless abyss of His own infinite goodness we must trace the election of His grace. Well, now, every blessing comes to us in the same way. God hath not blessed thee, my brother, with usefulness because thou didst deserve it, but because of His grace. He did not redeem thee, or regenerate thee, or sanctify thee, or uphold thee, because of anything in thee. Again and again, by the prophet Ezekiel, did the Lord remind His ancient people that the blessings He bestowed upon them were all gifts of His grace. “Therefore, say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God, I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for Mine holy name’s sake.” And again, “Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.” Every blessing comes to us with the hall-mark of sovereign grace upon it. As the Lord distributed the gifts of His grace, He says, “May I not do as I will with My own?” He does so, and we bless, and praise, and adore the sovereign grace of God, which having chosen us, continues to bless us according as He hath chosen us in Christ. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2266.cfm

Blessed with All Spiritual Blessings

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

…who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings… – Ephesians 1:3 

An enlightened man is grateful to God for temporal blessings; but he is much more grateful to God for spiritual blessings, for temporal blessings do not last long; they are soon gone. Temporal blessings are not definite marks of divine favour, since God gives them to the unworthy, and to the wicked, as well as to the righteous. The corn, and wine, and oil, are for Dives; and Lazarus gets even less than his share. Our thanks are due to God for all temporal blessings; they are more than we deserve. But our thanks ought to go to God in thunders of hallelujahs for spiritual blessings. A new heart is better than a new coat. To feed on Christ is better than to have the best earthly food. To be an heir of God is better than being the heir of the greatest nobleman. To have God for our portion is blessed, infinitely more blessed than to own broad acres of land. God hath blessed us with spiritual blessings. These are the rarest, the richest, the most enduring of all blessings; they are priceless in value. Wherefore, let me beg you to join in blessing the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed you with spiritual blessings.

But did you notice the word “all”? I must bring that out clearly. I must turn the microscope on it. “Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings.” Surely, Paul means that we have not a spiritual blessing which God did not give. We have never earned one; we could never create one. All spiritual blessings come from the Father; He has really given us all spiritual blessings… A new heart, a tender conscience, a submissive will, faith, hope, love, patience, we have all these in Christ. Regeneration, justification, adoption, sanctification, perfection are all in Christ…He hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2266.cfm

God Seeks Holy Hearts

Sherry Character of Jesus, Christian Life, prayer, repentance, Sovereignty of God, The Holy Spirit Leave a comment

Stop bringing useless offerings. Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons and Sabbaths, and the calling of solemn assemblies— I cannot stand iniquity with a festival. I hate your New Moons and prescribed festivals. They have become a burden to me; I am tired of putting up with them. – Isaiah 1:12–13

If you are hypocrites, if your hearts are not right with God, you may multiply your church-goings, and your chapel-goings, and your sacraments; but all these are only a provoking of God to anger. There is nothing in it all that He could possibly accept; He cannot endure it. He says, “It is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.”

When men are committing crimes, when they are oppressing the poor, when they are living in the daily practice of injustice, when they indulge in secret drunkenness, when their whole life is a lie, they may do what they will, but God will not hear their prayers. While we keep sin in our hearts, it is in vain for us to stretch out our hands unto God. He is a holy God, and He seeks holy hearts and holy lives; and nothing short of these can be acceptable to Him.

(Lord), when our church gathers next, we ask that we may be in the Spirit, and know the fullness of His quickening power. May we do nothing after the dead manner of formality. May there be no dead hymn, nor dead prayer. Lord, give the preacher life. Oh, give the hearers life. Oh! may we know living worship, not the bowing of heads alone, but of hearts, and the closing not alone of the eyes to things that can be seen, but the closing of the eyelids of the thought to everything worldly. Amen. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://spurgeonbooks.com

Seeing God in Christ

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

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… – Ephesians 1:3

When we see God in connection with Christ, we see God through Christ; when we see God in Christ, then our hearts are all aflame, and we burst out with, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The infinite Jehovah, who can conceive Him? “Our God is a consuming fire.” Who can draw near to Him? But in the Mediator, in the Person of the God, the Man, in whom we find blended human sympathy and divine glory, we can draw nigh to God. There it is that we get our hands upon the golden harp-strings and resolve that every string shall be struck to the praise of God in Christ Jesus.

But note carefully that God is described here as the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus knelt in prayer, He prayed to our God. When Jesus leaned in faith upon the promises, He trusted in God that He would deliver Him. When our Saviour sang on the Passover night, the song was unto God. When He prayed in Gethsemane, with bloody sweat, the prayer was unto our God. Jesus said to Mary at the sepulchre, “Go to My brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God.” How we ought to bless God when we think that He is the God whom our Redeemer blesses! This is the God who said of Christ, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Delightful thought! When I approach Jehovah, I approach the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. Surely, when I see His blood-stained footprints there on the ground before me, though I put my shoe off from my foot, for the place is holy ground, yet I follow with confidence where my Friend, my Saviour, my Husband, my Head has been before me; and I rejoice as I worship the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2266.cfm

Blessing God’s Children Blesses Him

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

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me. – Matthew 25:40

There is a way of blessing God which, I trust, we shall all endeavour to practise; and that is by the doing good to His children. When they are sick, visit them. When they are downcast, comfort them. When they are poor, relieve them. When they are hard pressed by outward adversaries, stand at their side, and help them. You cannot bless the Head, but you can bless the feet; and when you have refreshed the feet, you have refreshed the Head. He will say, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me.” If they be naked, and you clothe them; if they be sick, and you visit them; if they be hungry, and you feed them; you do in this respect bless God. David not only said, “Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to Thee;” but added, “but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent in whom is all my delight.” You can be good to them, and in that respect, you may be blessing God. He has done so much for us, that we would fain do something for Him; and when we have reached the limit of our possibilities, we long to do more. We wish that we had more money to give, more talent to use, more time that we could devote to His cause; we wish that we had more heart and more brain; sometimes we wish that we had more tongue, and we sing, –

“Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise!”

This word “blessed” is an attempt to break the narrow circle of our capacity. It is an earnest endeavour of a burning heart to lay at God’s feet crowns of glory which it cannot find: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2266.cfm

Praises to Jehovah!

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

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… – Ephesians 1:3

We bless God when we say concerning the whole of His character, “Amen. This God is our God for ever and ever.” Let Him be just what the Bible says He is; we accept Him as such. Sternly just, He will not spare the guilty. Amen, blessed be His name! Infinitely gracious, ready to forgive. Amen, so let it be! Everywhere present, always omniscient. Amen, so again do we wish Him to be! Everlastingly the same, unchanging in His truth, His promise, His nature. We again say that we are glad of it, and we bless Him. He is just such a God as we love. He is indeed God to us, because He is really God, and we can see that He is so, and every attribute ascribed to Him is a fresh proof to us that Jehovah is the Lord. Thus, we bless Him by adoration.

Praise Him also in your speech. Break the silence; speak of His glory. Invite others to cry with you, “Hallelujah!” or “Hallels unto Jah!” “Praise to Jehovah!” Ascribe ye greatness unto our God. Oh, that all flesh would magnify the Lord with us!

This language is the utterance of assent to all the blessedness that is ascribed to the Lord. After hearing how great He is, how glorious He is, how happy He is, we bless Him by saying, “Amen; so let it be! So would we have it! He is none too great for us, none too blessed for us. Let Him be great, glorious and blessed, beyond all conception.” Amen. This God is our God for ever and ever. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2266.cfm