Sovereignty of God

For By Him is the Way

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

For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” …and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.- Matthew 9:21,22

It is easier to believe in a personal Christ than in impersonal promises. That poor woman who was sick, in Jesus Christ’s day, might have said to herself, “It is impossible that I should be healed;” but then she thought not so much of the healing as of the Healer, and when she saw Jesus walking about among the crowds, healing all manner of diseases, and when she believed that God was in Him, why, then she inferred that He could heal her disease, and she came behind Him, and touched the hem of His garment. She sought Him, and so sought healing. Do keep in this line, let not the devil take you off it-that the first object of your faith should be the Lord Jesus; for by Him, as the ladder which God has set up, you can climb to the highest place of privilege, and lay hold upon the choicest gift of grace. This is the way even to God Himself, and the only way which our human feet can tread. Consider well who Christ was, and what He has done, and then you will conclude that He can save even you. By looking to Him you will be saved; and what is easier than to look? To hope in God is a far more simple matter than to search for signs and evidences in yourself, or to labor to force yourself up into certain states of mind. Answer the question, “Will He save me?” by looking to see what kind of a Savior Jesus is; and when you perceive the glory of His person, the perfection of His obedience, and the merit of His blood, you will be convinced that you may safely trust in Him according to His command; for He commands you to believe. Jesus declares, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” Let us come at once, for it is the nearest and best road to peace. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2199.cfm

Rely On the Boundless Power of Jesus

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

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ… – Hebrews 13:20,21

Sometimes it seems to a burdened heart to be more than difficult to believe in the pardon of innumerable sins: it appears impossible. Guilty one, do not try to believe in pardon in the abstract, but believe in Jesus the Sacrifice and Savior, who has once for all appeared to put away sin. Believe in the divine Substitute, and then you will believe that the forgiveness of your sins is a thing provided for by Him. Do not even say, “I can never be sanctified; such a wretched sinner as I am could never be made into a saint. “Do not try to believe in sanctification but rely upon the boundless power of Jesus to “make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight.” For all parts of salvation, hope in the Lord, and look to His hand for the working thereof. Forget yourself now, and only think of Him who worketh all things according to the good pleasure of His will. Cease looking for the water and look for the well. You will more readily see the Savior than see salvation, for He is lifted up, even He who is God, and beside Him there is none else. You will more easily fix your eye on Jesus than upon justification, sanctification, or any other separate blessing. When the work seems hard, look to His hand: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” You may fix your eye upon a covenant promise till it dazzles you; but if you see Jesus, the sight will strengthen your eyes, and you will see the promise in Him, and perceive it to be yea and amen to the glory of God. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/heb/13/21/s_1146021

Look at the Savior Himself!

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

…for with the LORD there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption. – Psalm 130:7

You seek pardon, look to the pardoning God. You will soon believe in forgiveness if you cause the first exercise of your faith to refer to the Forgiver, even Christ Jesus Himself. When you have believed in Him as able to say, “Thy sins be forgiven thee,” then you will believe in sins being forgiven. This is the natural order of things. To be healed, you believe first in the Healer. So, also, if you desire to believe for salvation, and to be assured that you have it, or may have it at once, the simple course-the natural course-is to believe in the Savior. When you have believed in the Savior, then you will believe in the salvation. If you know that Jesus can save you, if you desire to be saved, you will trust Him to save you. You will be readily able to believe that you can be saved when you trust in Jesus as able to save to the uttermost. Poor trembling heart, do not look at the blessing, and say, “Alas, it is too great!” Look at the Savior Himself! Is anything too great for Him to give who gave His heart’s blood to redeem? Do not say, “My heart is so hard, it cannot be changed.” Look at the Savior; is anything impossible to Him to whom the Father has committed all power? Is He not mighty to save? Fix your eye, first and foremost, upon Him who is both God and man, and has therefore power and sympathy, majesty and mercy, omnipotence and brotherliness. I pray you, do not consider so much the greatness of the effect as the unlimited power of the Cause. I may doubt my washing, but not when I believe in the cleansing virtue of the precious blood. It may be difficult to believe in my salvation, but not to believe in my Savior. It may be hard to hope for heaven; but the text sets me an easier task-“Let Israel hope in the Lord.“ ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2199.cfm

The Great Salvation in God Alone

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

Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. – Psalm 130:7,8

At this moment the manifestation of God standeth thus: His dear Son has descended from the highest heavens, and taken upon Himself our human nature, so that He is God and man in one sacred and mysterious Person. In that complex form, the Word made flesh dwelt among men on earth some thirty years and more; and then He took upon Himself the weight of human sin and bare it upon His shoulders up to the cross. He was arrested by the hand of divine justice and treated by justice as if He had been a sinner, though sinner He could never be. He was numbered with the transgressors, and given over to wicked men, who, in their willful malice, scourged Him, spit upon Him, crowned Him with thorns, and condemned Him to a felon’s death. He died, not for any iniquity of His own; but for the transgression of His people was He smitten. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him; yea, “He was made a curse for us;” and even more: “He was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” “He died, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.” If then, we would trust God for our personal salvation, we must confide in Him as He manifests Himself for that purpose; and as we perceive that God sets forth Christ to be a propitiation for our sin, we must accept that ordained way of putting away our sin. This is the way in which “with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption;” and thus it is that “He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2199.cfm

He Shall Redeem Israel

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

“Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O LORD...Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption.”- Psalm 130:1,7

When he penned this psalm, the writer, David, was in deep distress, if not of circumstances, yet of conscience. He constantly mentions iniquities and begs forgiveness. He felt like a shipwrecked mariner, carried overboard into the raging sea. Thus, he reviews the situation-“Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord.” Yet he lived to tell the tale of deliverance.

Two things the rescued sufferer tells us. First, that, as God delivered him from the power of sin, so He will deliver all His praying, wrestling, believing people. That is the last verse of the psalm-He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” The argument is-He delivered me. What am I more than others? The gracious Lord who saved me will save all those who call upon Him in truth. He delivered me, though laden with iniquities, and His pardoning mercy is unfailing; and therefore, He can and will rescue others from their uttermost distresses. This is a good line of reasoning, for the Lord’s ways are constant, and He will do for all believers what He has done for one of them. The other thing which the Psalmist sets before us is this: we are wise if we apply to God alone for help. He says, “I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.” He incidentally tells us that it is vain to wait upon man, and put our trust in any human support, for the way of deliverance lies alone in reliance upon God, immediately and alone…The psalm encourages us to this by the assurance that the Lord can and will help all that seek Him; and it urges us to let that seeking be distinctly and directly turned to the Most High, to Him alone, and to none other. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2199.cfm

Prayer for Fruitfulness

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, confession of sin, prayer, promises, repentance, Sovereignty of God, The Holy Spirit 1 Comment

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. – Mark 5:16

“I’m not ashamed to own my Lord,
Or to defend His cause;
Maintain the honour of His word,
The glory of His cross.”

“Lord, I do not want to be set away in a corner; I am satisfied to stand where men may see my good works and glorify my Father who is in heaven. I do not ask to be observed; but I am not ashamed to be observed; only, Lord, make me fit for observation…I pray Thee, help me to make my calling and election sure. I beseech Thee, help me to bring forth the expected fruit. Thy grace can do it.”

I would suggest to everyone here to cry to the Lord to make us conscious of our natural barrenness. Gracious ones, may the Lord make us mourn our comparative barrenness, even if we do bear some fruit. “Lord, I do serve Thee, and I am no deceiver. I do love Thee; Thou hast wrought the works of the Spirit in me. But alas! I am not what I want to be, I am not what I ought to be. I aspire to holiness: help me to attain it…My cry is, ‘God be merciful to me.’ If I had done all, I should still have been an unprofitable servant; but having done so little, Lord, where shall I hide my guilty head?”

Come Holy Spirit, produce fruit in us this day, through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen, and Amen. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2107.cfm

Nothing But Lies

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, Sovereignty of God, the unbelieving life Leave a comment

When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves… – Mark 11:13

The Searcher finds nothing but leaves where fruit might have been expected. Nothing but leaves mean nothing but lies. Is that a harsh expression? If I profess faith, and have no faith, is not that a lie? If I profess repentance, and have not repented, is not that a lie? If I unite with the people of the living God, and yet have no fear of God in my heart, is not that a lie? If I come to the communion-table, and partake of the bread and wine, and yet never discern the Lord’s body, is not that a lie? If I profess to defend the doctrines of grace, and yet am not assured of the truth of them, is not that a lie? If I have never felt my depravity; if I have never been effectually called, never known my election of God, never rested in the redeeming blood, and have never been renewed by the Spirit, is not my defense of the doctrines of grace a lie? If there is nothing but leaves, there is nothing but lies, and the Saviour sees that it is so. All the verdure of green leaf to him without fruit is but so much deceit. Profession without grace is the funeral pageantry of a dead soul. Religion without holiness is the light which comes from rotten wood-the phosphorescence of decay: I speak dread words, but how can I speak less dreadfully than I do? If you and I have but a name to live, and are dead, what a state we are in! Ours is something worse than corruption: it is the corruption of corruption. To profess religion and live in sin, is to sprinkle rose-water upon a dunghill, and leave it a dunghill still. To give a spirit an angel’s name when it bears the devil’s character, is almost to sin against the Holy Ghost. If we remain unconverted, of what use can it be to have our name written among the godly? An empty profession is a practical curse; and should it not receive the censure of the Lord of truth? ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2107.cfm