quote of the day

Charles Spurgeon:

When you are so weak that you cannot do much more than cry, you coin diamonds with both your eyes. The sweetest prayers God ever hears are the groans and sighs of those who have no hope in anything but His love.

JESUS iS iNEXHAUSTiBLE

Charles Haddon Spurgeon:

Brethren, there is an abiding fullness of truth in Christ. After you have heard it for fifty years, you see more of its fullness than you did at first. Other truths weary the ear. I will defy any man to hold together a large congregation, year after year, with any other subject but Christ Jesus. He might do it for a time; he might charm the ear with the discoveries of science, or with the beauties of poetry, and his oratory might be of so high an order that he might attract the multitudes who have itching ears, but they would in time turn away and say, “This is no longer to be endured. We know it all.”

All music becomes wearisome but that of heaven; but oh! if the minstrel doth but strike this celestial harp, though he keepeth his fingers always among its golden strings, and be but poor and unskilled upon an instrument so divine, yet the melody of Jesus’ name, and the sweet harmony of all his acts and attributes, will hold his listeners by the ears and thrill their hearts as nought beside can do. The theme of Jesus’ love is inexhaustible, though preachers may have dwelt upon it century after century, a freshness and fullness still remain.

DEAR CHURCH...

Pascal:

Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.

Spurgeon:

The worst evils which have ever come upon the world have been brought upon her by an unholy Church.

HALOS, HARPS, HOPE, and HEAVEN

My Sara loves to think about heaven. But not vaguely. She says that she loves to think about being with Jesus. Probably a dozen times since we've been married she has told me that when she was scared at night when she was younger, she would imagine Jesus wrapping her in His strong, secure, yet gentle arms. This is good hope.

Stupid hope that really isn't hope is thinking that heaven is going to be halos, harps, clouds, and waltzing with sky fairies. Of course, Jesus will be there too. But who cares. He only "saved" me. He is of no importance to heaven because the real importance of heaven is that it's not hell.

Nearly every Christian I have spoken with has some idea that eternity is an unending church service. We have settled on an image of never-ending sing-along in the sky, one great hymn after another, forever and ever, amen. And our heart sinks. That's it? That's good news? And then we sigh and feel guilty that we are not more "spiritual" [John Eldridge].

Honestly, I'm not opposed to singing. I'm definitely not opposed to singing hymns. And I'm not opposed to singing hymns for a really long time. BUT... If this is the apex of "hope" then it is a total joke.

Look in Gen 1-2. Man was made to reign and rule with God, like, and for God over all of creation. Our hope is that the Gen 1-2 will be restored. Rev 19-22 proves that it shall be so in the new heavens and the new earth. The echo of this kind of hope is heard in many places. Here's a great one:

To come to Thee is to come home from exile, to come to land out of the raging storm, to come to rest after long labour, to come to the goal of my desires and the summit of my wishes [Charles Spurgeon].

Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory [Col 3.1-4].

Story Time with Pastor Spurgeon

There is a young girl in heaven now, once a member of this church. I went with one of my beloved deacons to see her when she was very near her departure. Fair and sweetly beautiful she looked, and I think I never heard such syllables as those which fell from that girl's lips. She had had disappointments, and trials, and troubles, but all these she had not had a word to say about, except that she blessed God for them; they had brought her nearer to the Saviour. And when we asked her whether she was not afraid of dying,

"No" she said, "the only thing I fear is this - I am afraid of living, lest my patience should wear out. I have not said an impatient word yet, sir; I hope I shall not. It is sad to be so very weak, but I think if I had my choice, I would rather be here than be in health, for it is very precious to me; I know that my Redeemer liveth, and I am waiting for the moment when He shall send His chariot of fire to take me up to Him."

I put the question, "Have you any doubts?"

"No, none, sir; why should I? I clasp my arms around the neck of Christ."

"And have not you any fear about your sins?"

"No, sir, they are all forgiven; I trust the Saviour's precious blood."

"And do you think that you will be as brave as this when you actually come to die?"

"Not if He leaves me, sir, but He will never leave me, for He has said, 'I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.'"

study

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth [2 tim 2.15].

In the intro of Athanasius’ De Incarnatione, C. S. Lewis compares books of devotion and books of doctrine:

Now the layman or amateur needs to be instructed as well as to be exhorted. In this age his need for knowledge is particularly pressing... For my own part I tend to find the doctrinal books often more helpful in devotion than the devotional books, and I rather suspect that the same experience may await many others. I believe that many who find that “nothing happens” when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand.

So Ezra set his mind to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel [ezra 7.10].

The venerable dead are waiting in my library to entertain me and relieve me from the nonsense of surviving mortals [Samuel Davies, 1723-1761].

When you come bring the cloak which I let at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments [2 tim 4.13].

Spurgeon preached on the this text in 1863:

How rebuked are they by the apostle! He is inspired, and yet he wants books! He has been preaching at least for thirty years, and yet he wants books! He had seen the Lord, and yet he wants books! He had had a wider experience than most men, and yet he wants books! He had been caught up into the third heaven, and had heard things which it was unlawful for a men to utter, yet he wants books! He had written the major part of the New Testament, and yet he wants books!

We are quite persuaded that the very best way for you to be spending your leisure, is to be either reading or praying. You may get much instruction from books which afterwards you may use as a true weapon in your Lord and Master's service. Paul cries, "Bring the books"—join in the cry.

Ephesians 3.8 [spurgeon]

Spurgeon preached 600 times before he was 20. Here are some of his ponderings on Eph 3.8:

"My Master has riches beyond the count of arithmetic, the measurement of reason, the dream of imagination, or the eloquence of words. They are unsearchable! You may look, and study, and weigh, but Jesus is a greater Saviour than you think him to be when your thoughts are at the greatest. My Lord is more ready to pardon than you to sin, more able to forgive than you to transgress. My Master is more willing to supply your wants than you are to confess them. Never tolerate low thoughts of my Lord Jesus. When you put the crown on his head, you will only crown him with silver when he deserves gold."