A truly incredible hymn from the pen of Robert Murray McCheyne.
When this passing world is done,
When has sunk yon glaring sun,
When we stand with Christ in glory,
Looking o’er life’s finished story,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know—
Not till then—how much I owe.
When I hear the wicked call,
On the rocks and hills to fall,
When I see them start and shrink
On the fiery deluge brink,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know—
Not till then—how much I owe.
When I stand before the throne,
Dressed in beauty not my own,
When I see Thee as Thou art,
Love Thee with unsinning heart,
Then Lord, shall I fully know—
Not till then—how much I owe.
When the praise of Heav’n I hear,
Loud as thunders to the ear,
Loud as many waters’ noise,
Sweet as harp’s melodious voice,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know—
Not till then—how much I owe.
Even on earth, as through a glass
Darkly, let Thy glory pass,
Make forgiveness feel so sweet,
Make Thy Spirit’s help so meet,
Even on earth, Lord, make me know
Something of how much I owe.
Chosen not for good in me,
Wakened up from wrath to flee,
Hidden in the Savior’s side,
By the Spirit sanctified,
Teach me, Lord, on earth to show,
By my love, how much I owe.
Oft I walk beneath the cloud,
Dark, as midnight’s gloomy shroud;
But, when fear is at the height,
Jesus comes, and all is light;
Blessed Jesus! bid me show
Doubting saints how much I owe.
When in flowery paths I tread,
Oft by sin I’m captive led;
Oft I fall—but still arise—
The Spirit comes—the tempter flies;
Blessed Spirit! bid me show
Weary sinners all I owe.
Oft the nights of sorrow reign—
Weeping, sickness, sighing, pain;
But a night Thine anger burns—
Morning comes and joy returns;
God of comforts! bid me show
To Thy poor, how much I owe.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Silent Preachers
The great 19th century preacher Charles Spurgeon said:
"I well remember distributing them in a town in England where tracts had never been distributed before, and going from house to house, and telling in humble language the things of the kingdom of God. I might have done nothing, if I had not been encouraged by finding myself able to do something ... [Tracts are] adapted to those persons who have but little power and little ability, but nevertheless, wish to do something for Christ. They have not the tongue of the eloquent, but they may have the hand of the diligent. They cannot stand and preach, but they can stand and distribute here and there these silent preachers ... They may buy their thousand tracts, and these they can distribute broadcast.
"I look upon the giving away of a religious tract as only the first step for action not to be compared with many another deed done for Christ; but were it not for the first step we might never reach to the second, but that first attained, we are encouraged to take another, and so at the last ... There is a real service of Christ in the distribution of the gospel in its printed form, a service the result of which heaven alone shall disclose, and the judgment day alone discover. How many thousands have been carried to heaven instrumentally upon the wings of these tracts, none can tell ...
"Let each one of us, if we have done nothing for Christ, begin to do something now. The distribution of tracts is the first thing."
"I well remember distributing them in a town in England where tracts had never been distributed before, and going from house to house, and telling in humble language the things of the kingdom of God. I might have done nothing, if I had not been encouraged by finding myself able to do something ... [Tracts are] adapted to those persons who have but little power and little ability, but nevertheless, wish to do something for Christ. They have not the tongue of the eloquent, but they may have the hand of the diligent. They cannot stand and preach, but they can stand and distribute here and there these silent preachers ... They may buy their thousand tracts, and these they can distribute broadcast.
"I look upon the giving away of a religious tract as only the first step for action not to be compared with many another deed done for Christ; but were it not for the first step we might never reach to the second, but that first attained, we are encouraged to take another, and so at the last ... There is a real service of Christ in the distribution of the gospel in its printed form, a service the result of which heaven alone shall disclose, and the judgment day alone discover. How many thousands have been carried to heaven instrumentally upon the wings of these tracts, none can tell ...
"Let each one of us, if we have done nothing for Christ, begin to do something now. The distribution of tracts is the first thing."
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Heart of the Gospel
“But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Rom. 3:21-26)
Here Paul declares that Christ died to pay our sin debt so that God could “justify”sinners and at the same time remain “just” Himself. Throughout the Old Testament, sins were merely “passed over,” the payment of their guilt being rolled forward year after year until the Lamb should come whose death could truly take them away (Hebr. 9:15). All during this time, it appeared that God was being unrighteous, since He justified men (like Abraham and David) without justice being truly satisfied. Therefore it was necessary that Christ should die “publicly,” openly demonstrating God's righteousness for all to see, by making full satisfaction for sin on the cross. In this sense, Christ died, not only to justify men, but to justify God! His death on the cross vindicated and demonstrated the absolute justice of God in justifying His people. As a “propitiation” (i.e. a wrath-removing sacrifice) for our sins, Christ turns away God's judicial wrath from us. We are “justified as a gift” (Justification is absolutely free to us.), “through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Justification was very costly to God). We are justified by receiving the “gift of righteousness” (Rom. 5:17) “even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ” (Rom. 3:22).
Are you still under the wrath of God? “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). There is a “fountain for sin and impurity” (Zech. 13:1). “The blood of Jesus, God's Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). No matter how great your sins may be, they are nothing compared to the infinite worth of Christ's blood! (1 Pet. 1:18-19; Acts 20:28). “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Rom. 5:20). Come to Him! He invites and commands you to come; you need not fear that you are being presumptuous by coming: “And let the one who is thirsty some; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost” (Rev. 22:17; Matt. 11:28). Come to Him! Take the water of life! Cast your sins upon Him and trust Him as your sin-bearer. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved” (Acts 16:31).
[This article is an excerpt from the book "Justification and Regeneration" by Charles Leiter, available at www.heartcrymissionary.com]
Here Paul declares that Christ died to pay our sin debt so that God could “justify”sinners and at the same time remain “just” Himself. Throughout the Old Testament, sins were merely “passed over,” the payment of their guilt being rolled forward year after year until the Lamb should come whose death could truly take them away (Hebr. 9:15). All during this time, it appeared that God was being unrighteous, since He justified men (like Abraham and David) without justice being truly satisfied. Therefore it was necessary that Christ should die “publicly,” openly demonstrating God's righteousness for all to see, by making full satisfaction for sin on the cross. In this sense, Christ died, not only to justify men, but to justify God! His death on the cross vindicated and demonstrated the absolute justice of God in justifying His people. As a “propitiation” (i.e. a wrath-removing sacrifice) for our sins, Christ turns away God's judicial wrath from us. We are “justified as a gift” (Justification is absolutely free to us.), “through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Justification was very costly to God). We are justified by receiving the “gift of righteousness” (Rom. 5:17) “even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ” (Rom. 3:22).
Are you still under the wrath of God? “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). There is a “fountain for sin and impurity” (Zech. 13:1). “The blood of Jesus, God's Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). No matter how great your sins may be, they are nothing compared to the infinite worth of Christ's blood! (1 Pet. 1:18-19; Acts 20:28). “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Rom. 5:20). Come to Him! He invites and commands you to come; you need not fear that you are being presumptuous by coming: “And let the one who is thirsty some; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost” (Rev. 22:17; Matt. 11:28). Come to Him! Take the water of life! Cast your sins upon Him and trust Him as your sin-bearer. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved” (Acts 16:31).
[This article is an excerpt from the book "Justification and Regeneration" by Charles Leiter, available at www.heartcrymissionary.com]
Monday, September 22, 2008
"If any man thirst"
Souls of men have been thirsty ever since Adam turned his back on God. Thirsty for rest; thirsty for peace; thirsty for eternal life; thirsty for God. The greatest and the least; the wisest and the most simple; the outcast and the Pharisee, they all know this thirst. Here was a man who dared to cry, "If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink." If He were only a man, these words were among the most blasphemous ever spoken. Had any other man but Christ said these words, he would be either pitied as a madman, or scorned as a most notorious blasphemer. No one feels that way about Him. These words from His lips carry with them the simple conviction of truth, so that without the least effort we bow our hearts to their blessed proclamation. But what wonderful words they are! Think of Him being able to quench the thirst of any man any where! This stranger from Galilee! this "carpenter" from Nazareth declaring He could meet the deep desires of the souls of men! How utterly stupendous the declaration! How absolutely God-like the promises! Surely, never man spake like this man.
~taken from "Our Lord Jesus Christ: A Plant of Renown" by Leonard Sheldrake
~taken from "Our Lord Jesus Christ: A Plant of Renown" by Leonard Sheldrake
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Can you find another like Jesus?
The religion of our Lord Jesus Christ contains in it nothing so wonderful as Himself. It is a mass of marvels, but He is the miracle of it; the wonder of wonders is “the Wonderful” Himself. If proof be asked of the truth which He proclaimed, we point men to Jesus Christ Himself. His character is unique. We defy unbelievers to imagine another like Him.He is God and yet man, and we challenge them to compose a narrative in which the two apparently incongruous characters shall be so harmoniously blended-in which the human and divine shall be so marvelously apparent, without the one overshading the other. They question the authenticity of the four Gospels; will they try to write a fifth? Will they even attempt to add a few incidents to the life which shall be worthy of the sacred biography, and congruous with those facts which are already described? If it be all a forgery, will they be so good as to show us how it is done? Will they find a novelist who will write another biography of a man of any century they choose, of any nationality, or of any degree of experience, or any rank or station, and let us see if they can describe in that imaginary life a devotion, a self-sacrifice, a truthfulness, a completeness of character at all comparable to that of Jesus Christ Himself? Can they invent another perfect character even if the divine element be left out? They must of necessity fail, for there is none like unto Jesus Himself. ~Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of the New Testament
"Man's chief care, his highest virtue, and his only happiness, now and through all eternity, is to present himself as an empty vessel in which God can dwell and manifest His power and goodness."
"We must seek a humility which will rest in nothing less than the end and of self; which gives up all the honor of men as Jesus did, to seek the honor that comes from God alone; which absolutely makes and counts itself nothing so that God may be all, that the Lord alone may be exalted. Until we seek humility in Christ above our chief joy, and welcome it at any price, there is very little hope of a religion that will conquer the world."
"What would happen if believers were to become permanently guided by the humility of Jesus?"
~taken from “Humility”
by A. Murray
"We must seek a humility which will rest in nothing less than the end and of self; which gives up all the honor of men as Jesus did, to seek the honor that comes from God alone; which absolutely makes and counts itself nothing so that God may be all, that the Lord alone may be exalted. Until we seek humility in Christ above our chief joy, and welcome it at any price, there is very little hope of a religion that will conquer the world."
"What would happen if believers were to become permanently guided by the humility of Jesus?"
~taken from “Humility”
by A. Murray
Your Life Preaches Every Day
A man is what he is on his knees
before God and nothing more!
In great measure,
according to the purity of the instrument,
will be success.
It is not great talents
which God blesses so much
as true likeness to Jesus.
A holy minister is a powerful weapon
in the hand of God.
~Robert Murray McCheyne
before God and nothing more!
In great measure,
according to the purity of the instrument,
will be success.
It is not great talents
which God blesses so much
as true likeness to Jesus.
A holy minister is a powerful weapon
in the hand of God.
~Robert Murray McCheyne
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
"O that poor sinners would go to Jesus, believing in the power of his blessed substitutionary work, and they would soon learn the power of his gracious touch. That hand which multiplied the loaves, which saved sinking Peter, which upholds afflicted saints, which crowns believers, that same hand will touch every seeking sinner, and in a moment make him clean. The love of Jesus is the source of salvation. He loves, he looks, he touches us, WE LIVE."
C. H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening
C. H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
"....Let the Kingdom be always before you,
and believe stedfastly concerning things
that are invisible: Let nothing that is on this side
the other World get within you:
and above all, look well to your own Hearts,
and to the Lusts thereof,
for they are deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked;
set your faces like a flint;
you have all power in Heaven and Earth on your side."
~Evangelist,
Pilgrim's Progress
page 96, Banner of Truth edition
and believe stedfastly concerning things
that are invisible: Let nothing that is on this side
the other World get within you:
and above all, look well to your own Hearts,
and to the Lusts thereof,
for they are deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked;
set your faces like a flint;
you have all power in Heaven and Earth on your side."
~Evangelist,
Pilgrim's Progress
page 96, Banner of Truth edition
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Open it, read it!
"If you want to understand Christianity, do not shut your Bible—open it, read it! Read the books of Moses, the prophets, the Psalms; they all point to Him. Study your Bible. It is ignorance that blinds men and women of this generation and keeps them outside of Christ. So do not have a hurried service at nine o’clock so you can go out and play golf and bathe in the sea—listen for your life! Here is the only message of hope for you."
~Authentic Christianity by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
~Authentic Christianity by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Monday, August 11, 2008
Nearness to Jesus
"...there will be three effects of nearness to Jesus--humility,
happiness, and holiness." -----Charles Spurgeon
happiness, and holiness." -----Charles Spurgeon
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
The Overflow of Heart
“Thy soul must overflow if thou
Another soul wouldst reach;
It needs the overflow of heart
To give the lips full speech.”
~Horatius Bonar,
1808-1889
Another soul wouldst reach;
It needs the overflow of heart
To give the lips full speech.”
~Horatius Bonar,
1808-1889
"If Any Man Thirst"
Souls of men have been thirsty ever since Adam turned his back on God. Thirsty for rest; thirsty for peace; thirsty for eternal life; thirsty for God. The greatest and the least; the wisest and the most simple; the outcast and the Pharisee, they all know this thirst. Here was a man who dared to cry, "If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink." If He were only a man, these words were among the most blasphemous ever spoken. Had any other man but Christ said these words, he would be either pitied as a madman, or scorned as a most notorious blasphemer. No one feels that way about Him. These words from His lips carry with them the simple conviction of truth, so that without the least effort we bow our hearts to their blessed proclamation. But what wonderful words they are! Think of Him being able to quench the thirst of any man any where! This stranger from Galilee! this "carpenter" from Nazareth declaring He could meet the deep desires of the souls of men! How utterly stupendous the declaration! How absolutely God-like the promises! Surely, never man spake like this man.
~taken from "Our Lord Jesus Christ: A Plant of Renown" by Leonard Sheldrake
~taken from "Our Lord Jesus Christ: A Plant of Renown" by Leonard Sheldrake
A Burden for Souls
“The more living experience there is of Christ,
and the stronger the faith of believers in the truth of his word,
the greater will be their concern for the conversion of others.”
~Iain Murray
and the stronger the faith of believers in the truth of his word,
the greater will be their concern for the conversion of others.”
~Iain Murray
My Favorites: Book Suggestion
To Die is Gain: The Triumph of John and Betty Stam
by Mrs. Howard Taylor
by Mrs. Howard Taylor
Thy Will for My Life
"Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes,
all my own desires and hopes,
and accept Thy will for my life.
I give myself, my life,
my all, utterly to Thee to be Thine forever.
Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit.
Use me as Thou wilt, send me where Thou wilt,
and work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost now and forever."
~written by Betty Stam at age 18,
missionary to China
all my own desires and hopes,
and accept Thy will for my life.
I give myself, my life,
my all, utterly to Thee to be Thine forever.
Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit.
Use me as Thou wilt, send me where Thou wilt,
and work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost now and forever."
~written by Betty Stam at age 18,
missionary to China
Friday, July 11, 2008
All This For You
Look! Look! Look with solemn eye through the shades that part us from the world of spirits, and see that house of misery which men call hell! You cannot endure the spectacle. Remember that in that place there are spirits forever paying their debt to divine justice; but though some of them have been for these four thousand years sweltering in the flame, they are no nearer a discharge than when they began; and when ten thousand times ten thousand years shall have rolled away, they will no more have made satisfaction to God for their guilt than they have done up till now.
And now can you grasp the thought of the greatness of your Savior's mediation when He paid your debt and paid it all at once; so that there now remaineth not one farthing of debt owing from Christ's people to their God, except a debt of love? Eternity would not have been long enough to paying our debt, yet in one moment Christ did pay it all, so that the man who believes is entirely justified from all guilt, and set free from all punishment, through what Jesus hath done. Think, then, how great His atonement if He has done all this for you.
~C. H. Spurgeon
And now can you grasp the thought of the greatness of your Savior's mediation when He paid your debt and paid it all at once; so that there now remaineth not one farthing of debt owing from Christ's people to their God, except a debt of love? Eternity would not have been long enough to paying our debt, yet in one moment Christ did pay it all, so that the man who believes is entirely justified from all guilt, and set free from all punishment, through what Jesus hath done. Think, then, how great His atonement if He has done all this for you.
~C. H. Spurgeon
A Burden for Souls
“The more living experience there is of Christ,
and the stronger the faith of believers in the truth of his word,
the greater will be their concern for the conversion of others.”
~Iain Murray
and the stronger the faith of believers in the truth of his word,
the greater will be their concern for the conversion of others.”
~Iain Murray
"If any man thirst"
Souls of men have been thirsty ever since Adam turned his back on God. Thirsty for rest; thirsty for peace; thirsty for eternal life; thirsty for God. The greatest and the least; the wisest and the most simple; the outcast and the Pharisee, they all know this thirst. Here was a man who dared to cry, "If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink." If He were only a man, these words were among the most blasphemous ever spoken. Had any other man but Christ said these words, he would be either pitied as a madman, or scorned as a most notorious blasphemer. No one feels that way about Him. These words from His lips carry with them the simple conviction of truth, so that without the least effort we bow our hearts to their blessed proclamation. But what wonderful words they are! Think of Him being able to quench the thirst of any man any where! This stranger from Galilee! this "carpenter" from Nazareth declaring He could meet the deep desires of the souls of men! How utterly stupendous the declaration! How absolutely God-like the promises! Surely, never man spake like this man.
~taken from
"Our Lord Jesus Christ: A Plant of Renown"
by Leonard Sheldrake
~taken from
"Our Lord Jesus Christ: A Plant of Renown"
by Leonard Sheldrake
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Go & Tell
“We must go everywhere, and tell everyone.
There is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still.”
~Betsie Ten Boom
There is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still.”
~Betsie Ten Boom
It Will Take Your Life
“How could we have such a low view of the gospel of Jesus Christ that we have to manipulate men psychologically to get them to come down and pray a prayer? . . . How many times have I heard evangelists say, “It’ll only take five minutes.“? No my dear friend, it will take your life–all of it! “We’re just trying to attract people and then we’ll gradually bring them in further and further.” That is what the cults do, that’s not what Jesus did. Notice that in the gospels every time a great crowd is following Jesus, he turns around and says something so radical to them that most of them walk away. Of course Jesus probably would not get invited to teach evangelism [in most churches today].”
~Paul Washer
~Paul Washer
Monday, June 30, 2008
The Mirage Shall Become A Pool
by David Martyn Lloyd-Jones
I. In the Authorised Version, the statement of Isaiah 35:7 which we are considering reads like this, “And the parched ground shall become a pool.” In the Revised Version we find, “The glowing sand shall become a pool.” But I think it is generally agreed that the best translation of all is the one which is suggested in the margin of the Revised Version, where you find, “And the mirage shall become a pool.”
In the whole of chapter 35, the prophet Isaiah is giving a preview of some of the glorious results of the coming of Christ and His gospel and the great salvation which He shall bring. He describes it all with his wonderful, picturesque imagery. “He will come and save you,” says the Prophet, or “He Himself will come and save you,” and the result of His coming will be that “the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the mirage shall become a pool.”
This is a very typical and characteristic Old Testament way of looking at life. It is a typical Eastern way of looking at life. The Easterner, as we find not only in the Bible but in other literature, very naturally and instinctively viewed life as a great journey. Many of them were nomadic people, and most of them were agricultural people; and they were accustomed to taking journeys. Not at all infrequently it happened that they had to cross a desert and wilderness which was not only trackless but also, and this was much more serious, without water. There was no experience to which the typical Easterner was more accustomed than just that of travelling through the desert with the broiling sun beating upon his head, making for a destination but never seeming to arrive, beginning to feel tired and weary, suffering from a terrible thirst, longing for some water to try to slake his thirst, to revive his drooping spirits, to give him new energy and fresh power. As he thus went across the desert, the trackless sandy waste with the sun beating down upon him, ever and anon he saw a marvellous pool of water. It quickened his heart and he said to himself, “I have only to arrive there and I shall find all the water I need—I shall be able to rest in that oasis and satisfy my every want and then go on with the journey.” But, alas, when he arrived at that point he found nothing there but glowing sand—there was no water.
That is what is meant by a mirage; it is one of those peculiar natural phenomena that are found in desert places—the sun shining upon the sand in such a way and in such a manner as to give the appearance of a sheet of water; but there is no water there. It is mere appearance, so that when you arrive at that spot there is no water, it is a mirage, it is an illusion. Then the traveller has to continue on his journey, until again he sees another amazing sheet of water. Again he is d with gratitude, but on arriving at that point once more he has the same experience, just a mirage—no water. On and on he goes, deluded by mirage after mirage. That is one of the distressing things about journeying through deserts and trackless wildernesses.
Now that is the picture we have in our text and the teaching of the Bible is that life is like that. That is the very essence of the teaching both of the Old Testament and the New. The Bible tells us that our lives in this world are nothing but a journey, a pilgrimage. There is nothing that is so typical of the biblical language as just that idea of life, arising, as I say, very naturally from Eastern conditions. Man, according to the Bible, is like one taking a journey; he enters into this world and he is making for a destination; he is a pilgrim, he is a sojourner. Those are the terms—he is a traveller.
You find the same idea in the hymns. There is nothing so common in the hymn books as this self-same picture of life. But the Bible does not stop at that; it tells us that man as he goes through this journey called life is constantly experiencing what the Easterner so constantly experienced in his literal, physical journey through the actual wilderness or desert. We haven’t gone very far in this life and world, according to the Bible, before we begin to feel a little tired. We may have started out in life with rose-coloured spectacles on, and everything was going to be perfectly beautiful and wonderful. We may have thought there were no real problems—we have all passed through some such stage as that. But we haven’t gone very far before we have found that life has its problems and its difficulties, and we begin to know what it is to be tired and what it is to be weary. We have all known what it is to long for satisfaction. We are all looking for something, and as we go along, according to the Bible, we are constantly seeing these appearances of water and of supply. But its ultimate message is that they all prove to be nothing but a mirage, apart from the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
II. There are certain things for which everybody is looking. Let me just mention some of them. Everybody is looking for peace, and for joy; everybody wants happiness. We all look for life in a real sense, life worthy of the name. The life we are all looking for is life with certain satisfactions and with certain securities. These are the things we are looking for. We are here in the wilderness, in the desert—we do not need to argue about that, it is fact. In this journey we look for certain things because of our experiences, because of our needs, because of our tiredness. We are looking for something to give us rest, relief, power and life. Now in that situation we are confronted by two possibilities. There is the offer made by the world itself, and by life outside of God and outside of Christ; and on the other hand is the great offer of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us consider these two possibilities.
The world is constantly offering us these very satisfactions that we need. The world is catering for man as he is today. The world in many different ways is assuring us that if we only listen to and accept its message we shall obtain the very things we want. How does it do so? I have no time to give you an exhaustive list, but let me mention some of the ways in which men are trying to find these satisfactions, and the ways in which the world is offering them.
Take first the idea of pleasures—entertainments. There are large numbers who seem to believe quite seriously that everything that is needed in life can be obtained in that way. They live for one round of pleasure after another—reading novels, drinking, dancing, gambling, looking at films and football matches. Such are some of the offers the world makes to enable us to get rid of our troubles and problems and difficulties. The whole life of pleasure and entertainment, as it is so highly organized at the present time, is based on that supposition. You cannot read your morning newspaper without seeing that. People are seeking satisfaction in that way and they believe that the world can really satisfy them along those lines.
To others it is the possession of wealth. They believe if they get money they will be able to buy happiness and pleasure. They seem to think that the royal protection against all ills is an economic one, that if only that can be settled (I am not only thinking of those who are wealthy in the customary sense, but those who pin their faith to an economic solution) they will have everything that they need and everything that can be desired. That becomes their main end and object in life and in existence.
Others say that that is not the way to obtain satisfaction. The way to satisfaction and happiness is through learning, intellectual interests—art, music, philosophy, studying problems, debating and discussing—an intellectual life. “There,” they say, “if you only accept it and give yourself to it, you will ultimately find all the satisfaction you need.”
There are many who are seeking it in marriage. There are many who are seeking it in family life. The whole life of many people in this country today is lived within the limits of the family. That is everything to them and there they find a temporary satisfaction. That has become the whole of life to them, and they give themselves to the family and are confident that that is the way to live and enjoy life and to get ultimate satisfaction.
But there are those who, having tried all these things and having found them wanting, are firmly convinced that what they need is a change. Given a change of environment and circumstances, a new start, a new beginning, all will be well. This is just a more or less philosophical way of explaining so much of what is happening in this modern world. Have you seen the phenomenal increase in the lists in the divorce courts? What does it mean? This is the philosophy. Here is a person travelling through life in this world feeling tired and miserable and unhappy. He wants to be happy, she wants to be happy. What is to be done? Suddenly they see a hope, an oasis, an appearance in the desert. What does it say? It says, “Make a new start, break this particular engagement you are in at the moment, get out of that marriage relationship, make a fresh one and there you will find happiness.” That is the real meaning of it. They are confident that if this first marriage is broken and another is started all is going to be well—that is the explanation.
Others believe that if they just leave this country and go to another country, there they will find it. But I need not elaborate. Am I not stating the solemn facts concerning life today? “What I need is a new beginning, a new job,—all my troubles are due to the situation I am in. If only I could have a new beginning, a new marriage, a new country, a new job, something new—there it is away in the distance, if only I could get there I should have complete satisfaction.” That is the outlook.
Then think of it on a larger and wider scale, in terms of the faith of mankind always in new ideas. The history of the world in a sense is just the history of man clinging desperately to new hopes and ideas, believing that if only this new thing can be put into practice, all his problems will be solved. You see it happening in the realm of the individual and in the realm of nations, and in the realm of the world at large. Some fifty years ago we said we really were fighting the last war, a war to end war. We pinned our faith to the League of Nations and various other things—new ideas, new hopes springing from new thoughts and ideas.
Think, too, of the way in which mankind so often believes that an improvement in social conditions, some political action, is really going to change everything. Isn’t it rather sad today to read some of the poets of the mid-Victorian period, but still sadder to read the statements of the statesmen and politicians during the last sixty years! How certain they were that if only certain things were done in Westminster, paradise would be achieved—if only, if only—then all would be well.
I have hurriedly reminded you of some of the ways in which men and women, individually and collectively, are made to believe by the world that their needs can all be answered and satisfied. We are all, I say, in the journey; we are all aware of this feeling of fatigue and tiredness and of dissatisfaction; and we have all seen these things that are offered to us there in the future. But isn’t the Bible stating the simple truth when it tells us that it always proves to be nothing but a mirage? Isn’t this the case in the life of the individual? Isn’t it a fact in the life of the world generally? Looking back in your history books, looking at biographies, looking at the history of man, don’t you find that all along it has just proved to be a mirage! Haven’t you observed that people who break their first marriage tend to break the second and the third? Why? Because it is the same prophecy—it is a mirage always. Some of the greatest tragedies in the world today are due to the fact that men and women fail to realize this principle.
Let me take a case on a perfectly moral level. Look at that little family living to itself and for itself, with never a thought about God and the soul and eternity. It seems to be ideally and idyllically happy—they are living a family life for themselves, everything centered there. You say they have found happiness, they have found satisfaction. But I suddenly see the mother of that family being stricken by illness, I see her undergoing an operation, I hear of her sudden . And everything on which their happiness had been built as gone—it was a mirage. That is but one illustration of what happens in all these other respects.
Do men and women really find satisfaction in pleasure? Is peace to be found there? Can all these other things really satisfy and give us what we need? Is the world happy? Well, the answer is just look at the world, and to read the reports which we have of the world in the daily newspapers—it is a mirage. The thing for which we are looking seems to be there, but when we arrive it is not there. Again we see another, and on and on we go, deluded, bewildered, mocked by mirages—the thing we seem to be grasping, for ever escaping us and eluding us.
III. Now the vital question for us to consider is this—what is the explanation of it? I merely want to suggest a few answers. Here, surely, are the real explanations of why all that must inevitably fail.
The first reason is that it is all based on the assumption that we ourselves are all right and that the real trouble lies in somebody else or in our circumstances, or conditions.
The assumption of the world is that we ourselves are all right, it is some other person, it is our work, it is our environment, it is the world that causes the trouble. If only I can be given a chance, then all is going to be well. The world comforts me along that line and assures me that I, myself, am essentially right. I only need a change in circumstances and conditions. That is the first assumption.
The second error of which this attitude is guilty is that it always fails to treat the whole man and only treats a part of us.
It only treats a section of our lives. There are certain things that appeal to the intellect only—they can be wonderful as intellectual interests, but man has a heart, and a soul, and a mind. There are other things that only appeal to the emotions, and yet man is not only a creature of sentiment. Man needs intellectual satisfaction, and if he thinks at all, he sees there is no intellectual satisfaction there. Man has been made by God, body, soul and spirit, and he desires satisfaction in the three realms; and if he does not satisfy the three, he will remain restless and unhappy. He will be living an unsatisfied life and he will feel like a traveller in the desert mocked by succeeding mirages. It is a piece-meal view of life which does not deal with man as a whole.
But of course the ultimate error with all these worldly ways of getting satisfaction is that they leave out the most vital factor of all, which is our relationship to God.
Work, marriage, family—all these other things—they are all right as far as they go; but God has made us, and He so made us that without Him we can never finally be happy. We must agree with the remark of the great Augustine who said, “Thou hast made us for Thyself and our souls are restless until they find their rest in Thee.” You may try to disagree with that, but I solemnly assure you that until you are right with God, you can travel to the ends of the earth, you can indulge your intellect, your emotion, you can try anything and everything, but you will never find happiness and peace, you will never know real life and joy—it is impossible. Man is made by God and he can never escape Him. He can travel to the North or the South, he can ascend into the heavens or go down into the deeps, but until he is right with God he will never know satisfaction. The world at its best and in its most attractive form today leaves out God, and because God is left out, what it has to offer is nothing but a mirage.
Now, before I go any further, I make no apology for putting a simple question to you. Where have you arrived in your journey? How do you feel about your life—have you found satisfaction; have you found peace; is all well with your soul; are you happy; do you know where you stand; have you really got that for which you are looking and seeking and searching? I say that the teaching of the Bible, which is confirmed by the life of every man and woman who is prepared to be honest, is that everything the world offers us proves to be nothing but an illusion, a mirage. We always seem to be getting there, but we never arrive.
“Very well,” says someone, “is there no hope for us, is life to be nothing but a succession of mirages, are we just to go on being disappointed, is there nothing left but to die and get out of it all?” Thank God for our text. Here is the answer, and it is my privilege to remind you of it. “The mirage shall become a pool.” The thing you see is going to be real; it is not an appearance, it is actually going to happen. The first claim of the gospel is that it really does do for us and supply to us the very things we need. “The mirage shall become a pool.” How does it do it?
Well, the gospel does it like this. It starts by making us understand the real nature of life. The gospel, in other words, is the exact opposite of everything I have been trying to say. The first thing the Bible does is to make a man take a serious view of life; it makes a man see himself. It reminds us quite simply of the fact we constantly forget that we have all started in life and we have all to end it. The gospel just starts there. It makes us see the real nature of life as a journey, a travelling, a pilgrimage. It gets rid of all those superficialities—the brightness and the glitter of it all—and it says, “Man, you are here today but you may not be here tomorrow. That is life—now start from there.” It tells us we have within us an immortal soul and spirit which goes on beyond and the grave into eternity.
Then it brings us immediately and directly to Christ. That is the very essence of the gospel. The gospel does not in the first instance ask us to make any new resolutions. It is the world that does that. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not an appeal to us to start living a better life because it is the first Sunday of a new year. The gospel of Jesus Christ only asks you to do one thing and that is to come to Christ and to submit to Him.
Now let me tell you why the gospel does not ask you to make new year resolutions. I am going to quote some words written by the great Dr. Samuel Johnson. This is what he says: “I have now spent fifty-five years in resolving, having, from the earliest time almost that I can remember, been forming schemes of a better life. I have done nothing. The need of doing, therefore, is passing, since the time of doing is short.” What an honest confession! And what was true of Dr. Johnson has been true of all. We have all made our new year resolutions; how often have we decided to be better, but we are not better! Well, the gospel tells us that it cannot be done that way.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is something entirely different, it pictures us in the desert with the sun blazing upon us. We are all tired and weary and exhausted; we have been running after mirages. We have tried pleasures and we have had our fill. They have taken something out of us and have left us empty. We have searched here and there; we are staggering in this desert called life. What is the use of asking such a person to make a new year resolution? What is the use of asking such a man suddenly to climb a mountain? What is the use of asking such a man to be perfect? We cannot do it—we are tired and weary. What we need is rest, peace, refreshment and a new life. And if I say nothing else may that be abundantly plain and clear; the gospel does not ask you to do anything in the first instance but just to come to Christ. There you are in the wilderness, in the desert; and there, I tell you, is the very thing you need. It is there in a Person. “But,” you say, “I have been deluded by mirages so often, isn’t this just another mirage?” My reply is, come to Him, and “the mirage shall become a pool”—this is different. It does not ask you to do something impossible; it assures you that He can give you everything you need, and how much more. It assures you that if you just come you will find it is the oasis it appears to be—that the blazing sand illusion has become a veritable pool.
How does Christ do this? He does it first of all by putting me right with God. I said just now that the trouble with all the other methods is that they forget God. The gospel starts there. The gospel reminds us that we are not only in this life and world, but that we are also facing God. Very well, the first problem is how can I be put right with God? The difficulty is that I have sinned against Him; I have deliberately forgotten Him; I have done things I know to be wrong; I have cursed God in so many ways; I have deliberately turned my back upon Him—how can I get right with Him? I cannot undo my past. What I have done, I have done. “What I have written, I have written.” I cannot undo my past, I cannot erase what I have written, I have blotted my book of life. How can I get right with God? There is only one answer, Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, and when He went to that Cross He went there for you and for your sins. He has borne your sins; He has borne your guilt and punishment; He has died that that you and I should be put right with God. The first essential thing, without which nothing can be put right, He has done, He has died for our sins; He puts us right with God.
But He not only puts us right with God, He also puts us right. He gives us a new nature, He gives us a new life. The gospel of Jesus Christ, I say again, is not an appeal to us to adopt a new moral, ethical code. Thank God, the gospel offers a new life—we can be born again, we can receive a new nature. This leads to a new outlook and to our being d with new desires—we no longer desire the things we used to, and we desire things that are good. Beyond that it gives us power andstrength to overcome; it enables us to defeat old enemies that have got us down through the long years of the past. It enables us to smile at foes, and to be more than conquerors in spite of them.
The gospel puts me right with God, it puts me right, and above all He, Christ, satisfies my every need. He never fails, He never changes—whatever I may need in this life Christ can give me, and He won’t leave me in the hour of . Look at these other things, robs us of them—every one. Pleasure does not help you, philosophy does not help you. You see a dear one suddenly taken from you—what is the value of money and art and music and all other noble and excellent things? They do not help you when your heart is bleeding and when you seem to have lost everything in life and in this world. They have nothing to give you; but Christ is with us in life and He will be with us in , He will be with us through the countless ages of eternity. There He is in the desert. He comes to meet you. He has entered into the world and He offers to give you tonight everything you need: rest, peace, satisfaction, happiness, joy, power and a hope that can never fade away. Everyone who has ever met Him in some way or another is just saying this:
“Christ in Thee my soul hath found
And found in Thee alone,
The peace, the joy I sought so long,
The bliss, till now unknown.
I sighed for rest and happiness,
I yearned for them not Thee,
But while I passed my Saviour by
His love laid hold on me.
I tried the broken cisterns, Lord,
But, ah, the waters failed,
E’en as I stooped to drink they fled
And mocked me as I wailed.
The pleasures lost I sadly mourned,
But never wept for Thee,
Till grace the sightless eyes received
Thy loveliness to see.
Now, none but Christ can satisfy,
None other name for me,
There’s love, and life and lasting joy,
Lord Jesus, found in Thee.”
“But is it really true?” asks someone. “Aren’t you just standing there painting a wonderful picture? Isn’t it just another message? Can I be sure that if I come to Him and believe your message and yield my life to Christ that He really will prove to be what I need? Will the mirage become a pool?” Let me answer you in the words of another hymn:
“Finding, following, keeping, struggling,
Is He sure to bless?
Saints, Apostles, Prophets, Martyrs,
Answer, Yes.”
All who have ever come to Him and tried Him have ever found in Him full, complete, and final
satisfaction.
My dear friends, the mirage shall become a pool at last—it really does happen when you seek it in Him. Amen.
I. In the Authorised Version, the statement of Isaiah 35:7 which we are considering reads like this, “And the parched ground shall become a pool.” In the Revised Version we find, “The glowing sand shall become a pool.” But I think it is generally agreed that the best translation of all is the one which is suggested in the margin of the Revised Version, where you find, “And the mirage shall become a pool.”
In the whole of chapter 35, the prophet Isaiah is giving a preview of some of the glorious results of the coming of Christ and His gospel and the great salvation which He shall bring. He describes it all with his wonderful, picturesque imagery. “He will come and save you,” says the Prophet, or “He Himself will come and save you,” and the result of His coming will be that “the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the mirage shall become a pool.”
This is a very typical and characteristic Old Testament way of looking at life. It is a typical Eastern way of looking at life. The Easterner, as we find not only in the Bible but in other literature, very naturally and instinctively viewed life as a great journey. Many of them were nomadic people, and most of them were agricultural people; and they were accustomed to taking journeys. Not at all infrequently it happened that they had to cross a desert and wilderness which was not only trackless but also, and this was much more serious, without water. There was no experience to which the typical Easterner was more accustomed than just that of travelling through the desert with the broiling sun beating upon his head, making for a destination but never seeming to arrive, beginning to feel tired and weary, suffering from a terrible thirst, longing for some water to try to slake his thirst, to revive his drooping spirits, to give him new energy and fresh power. As he thus went across the desert, the trackless sandy waste with the sun beating down upon him, ever and anon he saw a marvellous pool of water. It quickened his heart and he said to himself, “I have only to arrive there and I shall find all the water I need—I shall be able to rest in that oasis and satisfy my every want and then go on with the journey.” But, alas, when he arrived at that point he found nothing there but glowing sand—there was no water.
That is what is meant by a mirage; it is one of those peculiar natural phenomena that are found in desert places—the sun shining upon the sand in such a way and in such a manner as to give the appearance of a sheet of water; but there is no water there. It is mere appearance, so that when you arrive at that spot there is no water, it is a mirage, it is an illusion. Then the traveller has to continue on his journey, until again he sees another amazing sheet of water. Again he is d with gratitude, but on arriving at that point once more he has the same experience, just a mirage—no water. On and on he goes, deluded by mirage after mirage. That is one of the distressing things about journeying through deserts and trackless wildernesses.
Now that is the picture we have in our text and the teaching of the Bible is that life is like that. That is the very essence of the teaching both of the Old Testament and the New. The Bible tells us that our lives in this world are nothing but a journey, a pilgrimage. There is nothing that is so typical of the biblical language as just that idea of life, arising, as I say, very naturally from Eastern conditions. Man, according to the Bible, is like one taking a journey; he enters into this world and he is making for a destination; he is a pilgrim, he is a sojourner. Those are the terms—he is a traveller.
You find the same idea in the hymns. There is nothing so common in the hymn books as this self-same picture of life. But the Bible does not stop at that; it tells us that man as he goes through this journey called life is constantly experiencing what the Easterner so constantly experienced in his literal, physical journey through the actual wilderness or desert. We haven’t gone very far in this life and world, according to the Bible, before we begin to feel a little tired. We may have started out in life with rose-coloured spectacles on, and everything was going to be perfectly beautiful and wonderful. We may have thought there were no real problems—we have all passed through some such stage as that. But we haven’t gone very far before we have found that life has its problems and its difficulties, and we begin to know what it is to be tired and what it is to be weary. We have all known what it is to long for satisfaction. We are all looking for something, and as we go along, according to the Bible, we are constantly seeing these appearances of water and of supply. But its ultimate message is that they all prove to be nothing but a mirage, apart from the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
II. There are certain things for which everybody is looking. Let me just mention some of them. Everybody is looking for peace, and for joy; everybody wants happiness. We all look for life in a real sense, life worthy of the name. The life we are all looking for is life with certain satisfactions and with certain securities. These are the things we are looking for. We are here in the wilderness, in the desert—we do not need to argue about that, it is fact. In this journey we look for certain things because of our experiences, because of our needs, because of our tiredness. We are looking for something to give us rest, relief, power and life. Now in that situation we are confronted by two possibilities. There is the offer made by the world itself, and by life outside of God and outside of Christ; and on the other hand is the great offer of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us consider these two possibilities.
The world is constantly offering us these very satisfactions that we need. The world is catering for man as he is today. The world in many different ways is assuring us that if we only listen to and accept its message we shall obtain the very things we want. How does it do so? I have no time to give you an exhaustive list, but let me mention some of the ways in which men are trying to find these satisfactions, and the ways in which the world is offering them.
Take first the idea of pleasures—entertainments. There are large numbers who seem to believe quite seriously that everything that is needed in life can be obtained in that way. They live for one round of pleasure after another—reading novels, drinking, dancing, gambling, looking at films and football matches. Such are some of the offers the world makes to enable us to get rid of our troubles and problems and difficulties. The whole life of pleasure and entertainment, as it is so highly organized at the present time, is based on that supposition. You cannot read your morning newspaper without seeing that. People are seeking satisfaction in that way and they believe that the world can really satisfy them along those lines.
To others it is the possession of wealth. They believe if they get money they will be able to buy happiness and pleasure. They seem to think that the royal protection against all ills is an economic one, that if only that can be settled (I am not only thinking of those who are wealthy in the customary sense, but those who pin their faith to an economic solution) they will have everything that they need and everything that can be desired. That becomes their main end and object in life and in existence.
Others say that that is not the way to obtain satisfaction. The way to satisfaction and happiness is through learning, intellectual interests—art, music, philosophy, studying problems, debating and discussing—an intellectual life. “There,” they say, “if you only accept it and give yourself to it, you will ultimately find all the satisfaction you need.”
There are many who are seeking it in marriage. There are many who are seeking it in family life. The whole life of many people in this country today is lived within the limits of the family. That is everything to them and there they find a temporary satisfaction. That has become the whole of life to them, and they give themselves to the family and are confident that that is the way to live and enjoy life and to get ultimate satisfaction.
But there are those who, having tried all these things and having found them wanting, are firmly convinced that what they need is a change. Given a change of environment and circumstances, a new start, a new beginning, all will be well. This is just a more or less philosophical way of explaining so much of what is happening in this modern world. Have you seen the phenomenal increase in the lists in the divorce courts? What does it mean? This is the philosophy. Here is a person travelling through life in this world feeling tired and miserable and unhappy. He wants to be happy, she wants to be happy. What is to be done? Suddenly they see a hope, an oasis, an appearance in the desert. What does it say? It says, “Make a new start, break this particular engagement you are in at the moment, get out of that marriage relationship, make a fresh one and there you will find happiness.” That is the real meaning of it. They are confident that if this first marriage is broken and another is started all is going to be well—that is the explanation.
Others believe that if they just leave this country and go to another country, there they will find it. But I need not elaborate. Am I not stating the solemn facts concerning life today? “What I need is a new beginning, a new job,—all my troubles are due to the situation I am in. If only I could have a new beginning, a new marriage, a new country, a new job, something new—there it is away in the distance, if only I could get there I should have complete satisfaction.” That is the outlook.
Then think of it on a larger and wider scale, in terms of the faith of mankind always in new ideas. The history of the world in a sense is just the history of man clinging desperately to new hopes and ideas, believing that if only this new thing can be put into practice, all his problems will be solved. You see it happening in the realm of the individual and in the realm of nations, and in the realm of the world at large. Some fifty years ago we said we really were fighting the last war, a war to end war. We pinned our faith to the League of Nations and various other things—new ideas, new hopes springing from new thoughts and ideas.
Think, too, of the way in which mankind so often believes that an improvement in social conditions, some political action, is really going to change everything. Isn’t it rather sad today to read some of the poets of the mid-Victorian period, but still sadder to read the statements of the statesmen and politicians during the last sixty years! How certain they were that if only certain things were done in Westminster, paradise would be achieved—if only, if only—then all would be well.
I have hurriedly reminded you of some of the ways in which men and women, individually and collectively, are made to believe by the world that their needs can all be answered and satisfied. We are all, I say, in the journey; we are all aware of this feeling of fatigue and tiredness and of dissatisfaction; and we have all seen these things that are offered to us there in the future. But isn’t the Bible stating the simple truth when it tells us that it always proves to be nothing but a mirage? Isn’t this the case in the life of the individual? Isn’t it a fact in the life of the world generally? Looking back in your history books, looking at biographies, looking at the history of man, don’t you find that all along it has just proved to be a mirage! Haven’t you observed that people who break their first marriage tend to break the second and the third? Why? Because it is the same prophecy—it is a mirage always. Some of the greatest tragedies in the world today are due to the fact that men and women fail to realize this principle.
Let me take a case on a perfectly moral level. Look at that little family living to itself and for itself, with never a thought about God and the soul and eternity. It seems to be ideally and idyllically happy—they are living a family life for themselves, everything centered there. You say they have found happiness, they have found satisfaction. But I suddenly see the mother of that family being stricken by illness, I see her undergoing an operation, I hear of her sudden . And everything on which their happiness had been built as gone—it was a mirage. That is but one illustration of what happens in all these other respects.
Do men and women really find satisfaction in pleasure? Is peace to be found there? Can all these other things really satisfy and give us what we need? Is the world happy? Well, the answer is just look at the world, and to read the reports which we have of the world in the daily newspapers—it is a mirage. The thing for which we are looking seems to be there, but when we arrive it is not there. Again we see another, and on and on we go, deluded, bewildered, mocked by mirages—the thing we seem to be grasping, for ever escaping us and eluding us.
III. Now the vital question for us to consider is this—what is the explanation of it? I merely want to suggest a few answers. Here, surely, are the real explanations of why all that must inevitably fail.
The first reason is that it is all based on the assumption that we ourselves are all right and that the real trouble lies in somebody else or in our circumstances, or conditions.
The assumption of the world is that we ourselves are all right, it is some other person, it is our work, it is our environment, it is the world that causes the trouble. If only I can be given a chance, then all is going to be well. The world comforts me along that line and assures me that I, myself, am essentially right. I only need a change in circumstances and conditions. That is the first assumption.
The second error of which this attitude is guilty is that it always fails to treat the whole man and only treats a part of us.
It only treats a section of our lives. There are certain things that appeal to the intellect only—they can be wonderful as intellectual interests, but man has a heart, and a soul, and a mind. There are other things that only appeal to the emotions, and yet man is not only a creature of sentiment. Man needs intellectual satisfaction, and if he thinks at all, he sees there is no intellectual satisfaction there. Man has been made by God, body, soul and spirit, and he desires satisfaction in the three realms; and if he does not satisfy the three, he will remain restless and unhappy. He will be living an unsatisfied life and he will feel like a traveller in the desert mocked by succeeding mirages. It is a piece-meal view of life which does not deal with man as a whole.
But of course the ultimate error with all these worldly ways of getting satisfaction is that they leave out the most vital factor of all, which is our relationship to God.
Work, marriage, family—all these other things—they are all right as far as they go; but God has made us, and He so made us that without Him we can never finally be happy. We must agree with the remark of the great Augustine who said, “Thou hast made us for Thyself and our souls are restless until they find their rest in Thee.” You may try to disagree with that, but I solemnly assure you that until you are right with God, you can travel to the ends of the earth, you can indulge your intellect, your emotion, you can try anything and everything, but you will never find happiness and peace, you will never know real life and joy—it is impossible. Man is made by God and he can never escape Him. He can travel to the North or the South, he can ascend into the heavens or go down into the deeps, but until he is right with God he will never know satisfaction. The world at its best and in its most attractive form today leaves out God, and because God is left out, what it has to offer is nothing but a mirage.
Now, before I go any further, I make no apology for putting a simple question to you. Where have you arrived in your journey? How do you feel about your life—have you found satisfaction; have you found peace; is all well with your soul; are you happy; do you know where you stand; have you really got that for which you are looking and seeking and searching? I say that the teaching of the Bible, which is confirmed by the life of every man and woman who is prepared to be honest, is that everything the world offers us proves to be nothing but an illusion, a mirage. We always seem to be getting there, but we never arrive.
“Very well,” says someone, “is there no hope for us, is life to be nothing but a succession of mirages, are we just to go on being disappointed, is there nothing left but to die and get out of it all?” Thank God for our text. Here is the answer, and it is my privilege to remind you of it. “The mirage shall become a pool.” The thing you see is going to be real; it is not an appearance, it is actually going to happen. The first claim of the gospel is that it really does do for us and supply to us the very things we need. “The mirage shall become a pool.” How does it do it?
Well, the gospel does it like this. It starts by making us understand the real nature of life. The gospel, in other words, is the exact opposite of everything I have been trying to say. The first thing the Bible does is to make a man take a serious view of life; it makes a man see himself. It reminds us quite simply of the fact we constantly forget that we have all started in life and we have all to end it. The gospel just starts there. It makes us see the real nature of life as a journey, a travelling, a pilgrimage. It gets rid of all those superficialities—the brightness and the glitter of it all—and it says, “Man, you are here today but you may not be here tomorrow. That is life—now start from there.” It tells us we have within us an immortal soul and spirit which goes on beyond and the grave into eternity.
Then it brings us immediately and directly to Christ. That is the very essence of the gospel. The gospel does not in the first instance ask us to make any new resolutions. It is the world that does that. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not an appeal to us to start living a better life because it is the first Sunday of a new year. The gospel of Jesus Christ only asks you to do one thing and that is to come to Christ and to submit to Him.
Now let me tell you why the gospel does not ask you to make new year resolutions. I am going to quote some words written by the great Dr. Samuel Johnson. This is what he says: “I have now spent fifty-five years in resolving, having, from the earliest time almost that I can remember, been forming schemes of a better life. I have done nothing. The need of doing, therefore, is passing, since the time of doing is short.” What an honest confession! And what was true of Dr. Johnson has been true of all. We have all made our new year resolutions; how often have we decided to be better, but we are not better! Well, the gospel tells us that it cannot be done that way.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is something entirely different, it pictures us in the desert with the sun blazing upon us. We are all tired and weary and exhausted; we have been running after mirages. We have tried pleasures and we have had our fill. They have taken something out of us and have left us empty. We have searched here and there; we are staggering in this desert called life. What is the use of asking such a person to make a new year resolution? What is the use of asking such a man suddenly to climb a mountain? What is the use of asking such a man to be perfect? We cannot do it—we are tired and weary. What we need is rest, peace, refreshment and a new life. And if I say nothing else may that be abundantly plain and clear; the gospel does not ask you to do anything in the first instance but just to come to Christ. There you are in the wilderness, in the desert; and there, I tell you, is the very thing you need. It is there in a Person. “But,” you say, “I have been deluded by mirages so often, isn’t this just another mirage?” My reply is, come to Him, and “the mirage shall become a pool”—this is different. It does not ask you to do something impossible; it assures you that He can give you everything you need, and how much more. It assures you that if you just come you will find it is the oasis it appears to be—that the blazing sand illusion has become a veritable pool.
How does Christ do this? He does it first of all by putting me right with God. I said just now that the trouble with all the other methods is that they forget God. The gospel starts there. The gospel reminds us that we are not only in this life and world, but that we are also facing God. Very well, the first problem is how can I be put right with God? The difficulty is that I have sinned against Him; I have deliberately forgotten Him; I have done things I know to be wrong; I have cursed God in so many ways; I have deliberately turned my back upon Him—how can I get right with Him? I cannot undo my past. What I have done, I have done. “What I have written, I have written.” I cannot undo my past, I cannot erase what I have written, I have blotted my book of life. How can I get right with God? There is only one answer, Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, and when He went to that Cross He went there for you and for your sins. He has borne your sins; He has borne your guilt and punishment; He has died that that you and I should be put right with God. The first essential thing, without which nothing can be put right, He has done, He has died for our sins; He puts us right with God.
But He not only puts us right with God, He also puts us right. He gives us a new nature, He gives us a new life. The gospel of Jesus Christ, I say again, is not an appeal to us to adopt a new moral, ethical code. Thank God, the gospel offers a new life—we can be born again, we can receive a new nature. This leads to a new outlook and to our being d with new desires—we no longer desire the things we used to, and we desire things that are good. Beyond that it gives us power andstrength to overcome; it enables us to defeat old enemies that have got us down through the long years of the past. It enables us to smile at foes, and to be more than conquerors in spite of them.
The gospel puts me right with God, it puts me right, and above all He, Christ, satisfies my every need. He never fails, He never changes—whatever I may need in this life Christ can give me, and He won’t leave me in the hour of . Look at these other things, robs us of them—every one. Pleasure does not help you, philosophy does not help you. You see a dear one suddenly taken from you—what is the value of money and art and music and all other noble and excellent things? They do not help you when your heart is bleeding and when you seem to have lost everything in life and in this world. They have nothing to give you; but Christ is with us in life and He will be with us in , He will be with us through the countless ages of eternity. There He is in the desert. He comes to meet you. He has entered into the world and He offers to give you tonight everything you need: rest, peace, satisfaction, happiness, joy, power and a hope that can never fade away. Everyone who has ever met Him in some way or another is just saying this:
“Christ in Thee my soul hath found
And found in Thee alone,
The peace, the joy I sought so long,
The bliss, till now unknown.
I sighed for rest and happiness,
I yearned for them not Thee,
But while I passed my Saviour by
His love laid hold on me.
I tried the broken cisterns, Lord,
But, ah, the waters failed,
E’en as I stooped to drink they fled
And mocked me as I wailed.
The pleasures lost I sadly mourned,
But never wept for Thee,
Till grace the sightless eyes received
Thy loveliness to see.
Now, none but Christ can satisfy,
None other name for me,
There’s love, and life and lasting joy,
Lord Jesus, found in Thee.”
“But is it really true?” asks someone. “Aren’t you just standing there painting a wonderful picture? Isn’t it just another message? Can I be sure that if I come to Him and believe your message and yield my life to Christ that He really will prove to be what I need? Will the mirage become a pool?” Let me answer you in the words of another hymn:
“Finding, following, keeping, struggling,
Is He sure to bless?
Saints, Apostles, Prophets, Martyrs,
Answer, Yes.”
All who have ever come to Him and tried Him have ever found in Him full, complete, and final
satisfaction.
My dear friends, the mirage shall become a pool at last—it really does happen when you seek it in Him. Amen.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Lift Up Your Eyes
"Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'?
Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.
Already he who reaps is receiving wages, and is gathering fruit for life eternal;
that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together."
~John 4:35, 36
Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.
Already he who reaps is receiving wages, and is gathering fruit for life eternal;
that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together."
~John 4:35, 36
Open Your Eyes
Jesus says, when we love someone in His name, we're loving Him.
Jesus says, when we touch someone in His name, we're touching Him.
And we've got to show them the light, we've got to pour out our lives.
Open your hearts to the ones who are desperate, open your hearts, open your hearts.
They may never repay you, but their souls are worth it,
The life you impart when you open your heart.
Jesus loves all men the same,
So we've got to go out in His name.
Jesus says, when we touch someone in His name, we're touching Him.
Jesus says, when we love someone in His name, we're loving Him.
Jesus says, when we feed someone in His name, we're feeding Him.
And Jesus says, when we reach someone in His name,
He feels, He says, its all for Him.
~Keith Green
Jesus says, when we touch someone in His name, we're touching Him.
And we've got to show them the light, we've got to pour out our lives.
Open your hearts to the ones who are desperate, open your hearts, open your hearts.
They may never repay you, but their souls are worth it,
The life you impart when you open your heart.
Jesus loves all men the same,
So we've got to go out in His name.
Jesus says, when we touch someone in His name, we're touching Him.
Jesus says, when we love someone in His name, we're loving Him.
Jesus says, when we feed someone in His name, we're feeding Him.
And Jesus says, when we reach someone in His name,
He feels, He says, its all for Him.
~Keith Green
Monday, June 23, 2008
Forever and Ever in His Presence
“If your heart takes more pleasure in reading novels, or watching TV, or going to the movies, or talking to friends, rather than just sitting alone with God and embracing Him, sharing His cares and His burdens, weeping and rejoicing with Him, then how are you going to handle forever and ever in His presence...? You'd be bored to tears in heaven, if you're not ecstatic about God now!” ~Keith Green
A Burden for Souls
"This generation of Christians is responsible
for this generation of souls on the earth!"
~Keith Green
for this generation of souls on the earth!"
~Keith Green
To Rest On Him
“I myself, for instance, am not especially gifted, and am shy by nature, but my gracious and merciful God and Father inclined Himself to me, and when I was weak in faith He strengthened me while I was still young. He taught me in my helplessness to rest on Him, and to pray even about little things in which another might have felt able to help himself.”
~James Hudson Taylor, Missionary to China & Founder of the China Inland Mission
~James Hudson Taylor, Missionary to China & Founder of the China Inland Mission
Created for God
Thou hast created us for Thyself,
and our heart is not quiet until it rests in Thee.
~Saint Augustine
and our heart is not quiet until it rests in Thee.
~Saint Augustine
Make Me Thy Fuel
From prayer that asks that I may be
Sheltered from winds that beat on Thee,
From fearing when I should aspire,
From faltering when I should climb higher,
From silken self, O Captain, free
Thy soldier who would follow Thee.
From subtle love of softening things,
From easy choices, weakenings,
Not thus are spirits fortified,
Not this way went the Crucified,
From all that dims Thy Calvary,
O Lamb of God, deliver me.
Give me the love that leads the way,
The faith that nothing can dismay
The hope no disappointments tire
The passion that will burn like fire,
Let me not sink to be a clod:
Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.
~Amy Carmichael*, 1867-1951
*Amy Beatrice Carmichael was a Protestant Christian missionary in India, who opened an orphanage and founded a mission in Dohnavur. She served in India for fifty-five years without furlough and authored many books about the missionary work there.
While serving in India, Amy received a letter from a young lady who was considering life as a missionary.
She asked Amy, "What is missionary life like?" Amy wrote back saying simply,
"Missionary life is simply a chance to die."
Sheltered from winds that beat on Thee,
From fearing when I should aspire,
From faltering when I should climb higher,
From silken self, O Captain, free
Thy soldier who would follow Thee.
From subtle love of softening things,
From easy choices, weakenings,
Not thus are spirits fortified,
Not this way went the Crucified,
From all that dims Thy Calvary,
O Lamb of God, deliver me.
Give me the love that leads the way,
The faith that nothing can dismay
The hope no disappointments tire
The passion that will burn like fire,
Let me not sink to be a clod:
Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.
~Amy Carmichael*, 1867-1951
*Amy Beatrice Carmichael was a Protestant Christian missionary in India, who opened an orphanage and founded a mission in Dohnavur. She served in India for fifty-five years without furlough and authored many books about the missionary work there.
While serving in India, Amy received a letter from a young lady who was considering life as a missionary.
She asked Amy, "What is missionary life like?" Amy wrote back saying simply,
"Missionary life is simply a chance to die."
Pray
Always respond to every impulse to pray.
The impulse to pray may come when you are reading
or when you are battling with a text.
I would make an absolute law of this,
always obey such an impulse.
~Martyn Lloyd-Jones
The impulse to pray may come when you are reading
or when you are battling with a text.
I would make an absolute law of this,
always obey such an impulse.
~Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Without Christ, Without God, Without Hope
"I have seen, at different times,
the smoke of a thousand villages,
villages whose people are
without Christ,
without God,
and without hope
in the world."
~Robert Moffat (Scottish pioneer missionary to South Africa)
the smoke of a thousand villages,
villages whose people are
without Christ,
without God,
and without hope
in the world."
~Robert Moffat (Scottish pioneer missionary to South Africa)
Prayer
"I used to think that prayer should have the first place and teaching the second.
I now feel it would be truer to give prayer
the first, second and third places and teaching the fourth."
~James O. Fraser
I now feel it would be truer to give prayer
the first, second and third places and teaching the fourth."
~James O. Fraser
Put Your Ear Down to the Bible
"Not called!" did you say? "Not heard the call," I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters, and servants and masters not to come there. And then look Christ in the face, whose mercy you have professed to obey, and tell him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish his mercy to the world.
~William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army
~William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Pray for Revival
“The main reason we should be praying about revival
is that we are anxious to see God’s name vindicated
and His glory manifested. We should be anxious
to see something happening that will arrest the nations,
all the peoples, and cause them to stop and think again.”
~Martyn Lloyd-Jones
is that we are anxious to see God’s name vindicated
and His glory manifested. We should be anxious
to see something happening that will arrest the nations,
all the peoples, and cause them to stop and think again.”
~Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Saturday, June 21, 2008
~One of Mona's Favorites~
My Queenly Mother, James A. Stewart.
“This booklet tells the story of James A. Stewart’s mother, who against all outward signs, believed God for the salvation of her son”
This is a great booklet to encourage the ladies.
$1.99 + postage
Available from:
REVIVAL LITERATURE
P. O. Box 6068
Asheville, NC 28816
1-800-252-8896 http://revivallit.org
“This booklet tells the story of James A. Stewart’s mother, who against all outward signs, believed God for the salvation of her son”
This is a great booklet to encourage the ladies.
$1.99 + postage
Available from:
REVIVAL LITERATURE
P. O. Box 6068
Asheville, NC 28816
1-800-252-8896 http://revivallit.org
The Way to Heaven
"The way to Heaven is ascending; we must be content to travel uphill,
though it be hard and tiresome, and contrary to the natural bias of our flesh.”
~Jonathan Edwards
though it be hard and tiresome, and contrary to the natural bias of our flesh.”
~Jonathan Edwards
Friday, June 20, 2008
Answers to Prayer
THE HOT WATER BOTTLE - A True Story By Helen Roseveare, Missionary to Africa
One night, in Central Africa, I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all that we could do, she died leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying, two-year-old daughter.
We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive. We had no incubator. We had no electricity to run an incubator, and no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts.
A student-midwife went for the box we had for such babies and for the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly, in distress, to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst. Rubber perishes easily in tropical climates. "...and it is our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk; so, in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over a burst water bottle. They do not grow on trees, and there are no tores down forest pathways. All right," I said, "Put the baby as near the fire as you safely can; sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm."
The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with many of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle. The baby could so easily die if it got chilled. I also told them about the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died. During the prayer time, one ten-year-old , Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt consciousness of our African children. "Please, God," she prayed, "send us a water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, the baby'll be ; so, please send it this afternoon." While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added by way of corollary, " ...And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little so she'll know You really love her?" As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say, "Amen?" I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything: The Bible says so, but there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!
Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time that I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the veranda, was a large twenty-two pound parcel! I felt tears ing my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone; so, I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then, there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children began to look a little bored. Next, came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - - that would make a nice batch of buns for the weekend. As I put my hand in again, I felt the...could it really be? I grasped it, and pulled it out. Yes, "A brand-new rubber, hot water bottle!" I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!" Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone: She had never doubted! Looking up at me, she asked, "Can I go over with you, Mummy, and give this dolly to that little , so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?"
That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday School class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. One of the s had put in a dolly for an African child -- five months earlier in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it "That afternoon!" "And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." Isaiah 65:24
Helen Roseveare a doctor missionary from England to Zaire, Africa, told this as it had happened to her in Africa. She shared it in her testimony on a Wednesday night at Thomas Road Baptist Church.
One night, in Central Africa, I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all that we could do, she died leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying, two-year-old daughter.
We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive. We had no incubator. We had no electricity to run an incubator, and no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts.
A student-midwife went for the box we had for such babies and for the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly, in distress, to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst. Rubber perishes easily in tropical climates. "...and it is our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk; so, in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over a burst water bottle. They do not grow on trees, and there are no tores down forest pathways. All right," I said, "Put the baby as near the fire as you safely can; sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm."
The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with many of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle. The baby could so easily die if it got chilled. I also told them about the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died. During the prayer time, one ten-year-old , Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt consciousness of our African children. "Please, God," she prayed, "send us a water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, the baby'll be ; so, please send it this afternoon." While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added by way of corollary, " ...And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little so she'll know You really love her?" As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say, "Amen?" I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything: The Bible says so, but there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!
Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time that I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the veranda, was a large twenty-two pound parcel! I felt tears ing my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone; so, I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then, there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children began to look a little bored. Next, came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - - that would make a nice batch of buns for the weekend. As I put my hand in again, I felt the...could it really be? I grasped it, and pulled it out. Yes, "A brand-new rubber, hot water bottle!" I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!" Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone: She had never doubted! Looking up at me, she asked, "Can I go over with you, Mummy, and give this dolly to that little , so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?"
That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday School class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. One of the s had put in a dolly for an African child -- five months earlier in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it "That afternoon!" "And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." Isaiah 65:24
Helen Roseveare a doctor missionary from England to Zaire, Africa, told this as it had happened to her in Africa. She shared it in her testimony on a Wednesday night at Thomas Road Baptist Church.
Good News
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,
They will raise up the former devastations;
And they will repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
~Isaiah 61:1-4
Because the Lord has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,
They will raise up the former devastations;
And they will repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
~Isaiah 61:1-4
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Heaven Taken by Storm
“In these words there is, first, the preface or introduction: “from the days of John the Baptist until now.” John the Baptist was a zealous preacher, a Boanerges, or son of Thunder; and after his preaching, people began to be awakened out of their sins.
Hence, learn what kind of ministry is likely to do most good, namely, that which works upon the consciences of men. John the Baptist lifted up his voice like a trumpet; he preached the doctrine of repentance with power: “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:2). He came hewing and cutting down men’s sins, and afterwards preached Christ to them. First, he poured in the vinegar of the law, then the wine of the gospel. This was the preaching which made men studiously seek after heaven. John did not so much preach to please as to profit; he chose rather to discover men’s sins than to show his own eloquence. The best mirror is not that which is most gilded, but that which shows the truest face. That preaching is to be preferred which makes the truest discovery of men’s sins and shows them their hearts. John the Baptist was a burning and shining light; he did burn in his doctrine and shine in his life; and therefore men pressed into heaven.”
~ pg. 2, “Heaven Taken By Storm“ by Thomas Watson
Hence, learn what kind of ministry is likely to do most good, namely, that which works upon the consciences of men. John the Baptist lifted up his voice like a trumpet; he preached the doctrine of repentance with power: “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:2). He came hewing and cutting down men’s sins, and afterwards preached Christ to them. First, he poured in the vinegar of the law, then the wine of the gospel. This was the preaching which made men studiously seek after heaven. John did not so much preach to please as to profit; he chose rather to discover men’s sins than to show his own eloquence. The best mirror is not that which is most gilded, but that which shows the truest face. That preaching is to be preferred which makes the truest discovery of men’s sins and shows them their hearts. John the Baptist was a burning and shining light; he did burn in his doctrine and shine in his life; and therefore men pressed into heaven.”
~ pg. 2, “Heaven Taken By Storm“ by Thomas Watson
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Reading or Praying
"As the apostle says to Timothy, so also he says to everyone, 'Give yourself to reading.' He who will not use the thoughts of other men's brains proves that he has no brains of his own. You need to read. Renounce as much as you will all light literature, but study as much as possible sound theological works, especially the Puritanic writers, and expositions of the Bible. The best way for you to spend your leisure is to be either reading or praying."
~Charles H. Spurgeon
~Charles H. Spurgeon
Return to Scripture and Rediscover the Gospel
“We do live in an age when the Gospel is seldom preached. Church growth strategies and entertainment are the rule of the day. America is not Gospel hardend, but Gospel ignorant, and the ignorance of the masses is the result of the ignorance of preachers. There is a great need to return to Scripture and rediscover the Gospel.” ~Paul Washer
No Cross No Crown
Are you willing to give up anything which keeps you back from God? Or are you clinging to the Egypt of the world, and saying to yourself, “I must have it, I must have it: I cannot tear myself away”? Is there any cross in your Christianity? Are there any sharp corners in your religion, anything that ever jars and comes in collision with the earthly-mindedness around you? Or is all smooth and rounded off, and comfortably fitted into custom and fashion? Do you know anything of the afflictions of the gospel? Is your faith and practice ever a subject of scorn and reproach? Are you thought a fool by anyone because of your soul? . . . As Bunyan says, “the bitter must go before the sweet.” If there is no cross, there will be no crown.
J.C. Ryle
1816 - 1900
J.C. Ryle
1816 - 1900
THE BIBLE
This book contains: The mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrine is holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise; believe it to be safe; and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's charter. Here Heaven is opened, and the gates of Hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, health to the soul, and a river of life, will be opened at the Judgment, and is established forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.
"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).Search the ScripturesDo not neglect your Bible. A good book is all right in its place, but if you have the Bible, you have the Book of books; you have more than all others put together, because it is God's own word to you, and it is life. See St. John 1:1-2. There is so much of the neglect of reading the Bible these days; therefore I feel it my duty to warn you. So if you want to go to heaven, you must search the Bible, or else how will you ever find out what the Lord wants you to do, what heaven is and what hell is, and the way to get to heaven? Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) Well, how would I know this if Jesus had not said it and I found it in the New Testament that He left for us? In the Bible we see what is left for us in Jesus' will, what we will inherit if we keep His sayings and do them. What book besides the Bible promises you this? How are you to know what to do if you don't read and search it? If you have none, get one at once; and if you have, read it. Don't lay it on the shelf or in a place where it is unhandy; have it with you wherever you go. Instead of picking up a paper or book, take your Bible and read a portion. If you wish to live happy and want to go to heaven, and if you want to win souls for Jesus, read your Bible and be faithful. If you want to be a true servant of Jesus Christ, read the Bible.
"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).Search the ScripturesDo not neglect your Bible. A good book is all right in its place, but if you have the Bible, you have the Book of books; you have more than all others put together, because it is God's own word to you, and it is life. See St. John 1:1-2. There is so much of the neglect of reading the Bible these days; therefore I feel it my duty to warn you. So if you want to go to heaven, you must search the Bible, or else how will you ever find out what the Lord wants you to do, what heaven is and what hell is, and the way to get to heaven? Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) Well, how would I know this if Jesus had not said it and I found it in the New Testament that He left for us? In the Bible we see what is left for us in Jesus' will, what we will inherit if we keep His sayings and do them. What book besides the Bible promises you this? How are you to know what to do if you don't read and search it? If you have none, get one at once; and if you have, read it. Don't lay it on the shelf or in a place where it is unhandy; have it with you wherever you go. Instead of picking up a paper or book, take your Bible and read a portion. If you wish to live happy and want to go to heaven, and if you want to win souls for Jesus, read your Bible and be faithful. If you want to be a true servant of Jesus Christ, read the Bible.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Spending Time with God
“It is sadly possible, unless we carefully maintain the habit of spending a long time daily in intercession and prayer, also in study and meditation upon the Holy Scriptures, and upon the books of godly teachers thereon, instead of going on from strength to strength, and experiencing increasing gift and power, to undergo a subtle but deeply real process of deterioration. In this matter more perhaps than anything else, it remains true that “God is not mocked.” If we are faithful and diligent daily in thus giving ourselves to prayer, earnest study of Scripture and meditation thereon, with a view not only to our personal edification such as every believer needs, but in order that we may be equipped for our service of preaching and teaching others, then we may humbly expect to grow in usefulness and power as preachers and bible teachers, as well as fellow-helpers with and wise sympathetic counsellors of our colleagues." ~D.E. Hoste, successor to Hudson Taylor as leader of the China Inland Mission (now known as OMF)
How Would You Feel If Your Thought Life Was to Be Shown on Nationwide TV Tonight?
What if someone told you that your every thought from the day you were born has been recorded and will be shown tonight on nationwide TV? And not only that, but a website will flash across the screen during the program, directing all of your friends and family to where they can watch all of your thoughts about them. How many people would be angry with you? Everyone? Would you be angry with yourself?
Your thought life reveals the real, unrestrained you. Like most people, you may think you’re good enough to get to heaven and that God won't send you to hell, but God has seen every one of your wicked thoughts and actions. He has seen every time you’ve broken His commandments, lusting over someone you’re not married to, lying and stealing (no matter how little); He knows every time you've carved a false idol of God in your mind, a corrupt god of your own imagination who will turn a blind eye to your sin. He has heard every time you’ve used His Holy Name in vain, using the name of the One who gave you life in place of a curse word. You wouldn't do that with Hitler’s name, but you do it with God’s name! The “Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain” (Exodus 20:7), and “every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.” (Matthew 12:36)
Be honest with yourself: when you face God on Judgment Day—keeping in mind that He's seen your every wicked thought and action—will He find you innocent or guilty? If God gives you what you deserve, should He send you to heaven or hell? God has written His moral law on your heart so you are “without excuse” (Romans 1:18-32); you know it is wrong to lie, to steal, to lust, and to curse because God gave you a conscience to know right from wrong. Your own conscience demands justice.
Imagine a courtroom scene where a child rapist is coming before the judge for sentencing. But instead of giving him what justice demands, the judge lets him go free because the rapist is a “nice guy” who has given to charity and goes to church every Sunday. You would be outraged, and you should be! Yet most people think the High and Holy God is just like this corrupt judge, and that they can bribe Him with their “good deeds” so that He'll overlook their sin.
Again, what would you think if the judge said to the rapist, “I'm a very loving judge, so I'll just let you go free”? You would not think that the judge was loving at all, but that he was corrupt and not worthy to be a judge! Yet most people expect the Holy God who is “the judge of all the earth” (Genesis 18:25) to be just that corrupt with them, and overlook their sin.
Infinite Love and Goodness demand Infinite Justice. Because God's love and justice are infinite He won't punish only murderers and rapists, but He'll punish ALL sin wherever it's found. That's why “the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9) “No thief, no sexually immoral person, no idolater will enter heaven” (1 Corinthians 6:10), and “all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.” (Revelation 21:8)
Now the question for you, dear reader, is this: is there any hope for someone like you? Is there any hope for the person who has defied God time and again by rebelling against His will and refusing to love and worship Him? Is there any hope for the criminal who stands guilty in the courtroom of God? Yes there is! There is forgiveness with God!
The Gospel (“good news”) is this: Imagine you are in a human courtroom and the judge finds you guilty, and because he's just, gives you the maximum fine of ten million dollars. But there is no way you can pay the fine, so you're about to spend the rest of your life in jail. Then someone you've never met before steps into the courtroom and says, “I've sold all my worldly goods to pay your fine.” Your fine has been paid, so justice has been served and you're free to go! Well, two thousand years ago God became flesh in the man, Jesus Christ, who was born of a virgin, led a sinless life and then suffered and died under the wrath of God on the cross to pay in full the penalty for all your sins. Then He rose again in triumph over all the powers of death and darkness, so that in Him we can have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
But it's not enough to merely believe “intellectually” in order to be forgiven by God. The Bible says that even the demons believe intellectually! (James 2:19) In order to have real forgiveness, you must repent, as Jesus Himself said: “unless you repent you will also perish.” (Luke 13:3) And repentance means turning fully away from your life of sin and turning fully to God, trusting in Jesus Christ ALONE to save you and not your own deeds; trusting in Him as the One who willingly stood in your place on the cross, taking God's wrath for you; the wrath YOU deserve.
What are you waiting for; don't gamble with your eternal salvation! “Your life is a vapor” (James 4:14), and you have no way of knowing which second will be your last. “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6-7) God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but desires for you to turn from your sins and live! (Ezekiel 18:23) You have a personal invitation from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)
~by Kevin Williams, Garrett Holthaus, Charles Leiter
To discuss this further please email: kevwilliams@hotmail.de or see these websites: www.PuritanFellowship.com or Lake Road Chapel at www.lakeroadchapel.org
Your thought life reveals the real, unrestrained you. Like most people, you may think you’re good enough to get to heaven and that God won't send you to hell, but God has seen every one of your wicked thoughts and actions. He has seen every time you’ve broken His commandments, lusting over someone you’re not married to, lying and stealing (no matter how little); He knows every time you've carved a false idol of God in your mind, a corrupt god of your own imagination who will turn a blind eye to your sin. He has heard every time you’ve used His Holy Name in vain, using the name of the One who gave you life in place of a curse word. You wouldn't do that with Hitler’s name, but you do it with God’s name! The “Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain” (Exodus 20:7), and “every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.” (Matthew 12:36)
Be honest with yourself: when you face God on Judgment Day—keeping in mind that He's seen your every wicked thought and action—will He find you innocent or guilty? If God gives you what you deserve, should He send you to heaven or hell? God has written His moral law on your heart so you are “without excuse” (Romans 1:18-32); you know it is wrong to lie, to steal, to lust, and to curse because God gave you a conscience to know right from wrong. Your own conscience demands justice.
Imagine a courtroom scene where a child rapist is coming before the judge for sentencing. But instead of giving him what justice demands, the judge lets him go free because the rapist is a “nice guy” who has given to charity and goes to church every Sunday. You would be outraged, and you should be! Yet most people think the High and Holy God is just like this corrupt judge, and that they can bribe Him with their “good deeds” so that He'll overlook their sin.
Again, what would you think if the judge said to the rapist, “I'm a very loving judge, so I'll just let you go free”? You would not think that the judge was loving at all, but that he was corrupt and not worthy to be a judge! Yet most people expect the Holy God who is “the judge of all the earth” (Genesis 18:25) to be just that corrupt with them, and overlook their sin.
Infinite Love and Goodness demand Infinite Justice. Because God's love and justice are infinite He won't punish only murderers and rapists, but He'll punish ALL sin wherever it's found. That's why “the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9) “No thief, no sexually immoral person, no idolater will enter heaven” (1 Corinthians 6:10), and “all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.” (Revelation 21:8)
Now the question for you, dear reader, is this: is there any hope for someone like you? Is there any hope for the person who has defied God time and again by rebelling against His will and refusing to love and worship Him? Is there any hope for the criminal who stands guilty in the courtroom of God? Yes there is! There is forgiveness with God!
The Gospel (“good news”) is this: Imagine you are in a human courtroom and the judge finds you guilty, and because he's just, gives you the maximum fine of ten million dollars. But there is no way you can pay the fine, so you're about to spend the rest of your life in jail. Then someone you've never met before steps into the courtroom and says, “I've sold all my worldly goods to pay your fine.” Your fine has been paid, so justice has been served and you're free to go! Well, two thousand years ago God became flesh in the man, Jesus Christ, who was born of a virgin, led a sinless life and then suffered and died under the wrath of God on the cross to pay in full the penalty for all your sins. Then He rose again in triumph over all the powers of death and darkness, so that in Him we can have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
But it's not enough to merely believe “intellectually” in order to be forgiven by God. The Bible says that even the demons believe intellectually! (James 2:19) In order to have real forgiveness, you must repent, as Jesus Himself said: “unless you repent you will also perish.” (Luke 13:3) And repentance means turning fully away from your life of sin and turning fully to God, trusting in Jesus Christ ALONE to save you and not your own deeds; trusting in Him as the One who willingly stood in your place on the cross, taking God's wrath for you; the wrath YOU deserve.
What are you waiting for; don't gamble with your eternal salvation! “Your life is a vapor” (James 4:14), and you have no way of knowing which second will be your last. “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6-7) God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but desires for you to turn from your sins and live! (Ezekiel 18:23) You have a personal invitation from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)
~by Kevin Williams, Garrett Holthaus, Charles Leiter
To discuss this further please email: kevwilliams@hotmail.de or see these websites: www.PuritanFellowship.com or Lake Road Chapel at www.lakeroadchapel.org
Monday, June 16, 2008
Let Me Burn Out for Thee
"Let me burn out for Thee, dear Lord,
Burn and wear out for Thee;
Don't let me rust, or my life be
A failure, my God, to Thee.
Use me and all I have, dear Lord,
And get me so close to Thee
That I feel the throb
Of the great heart of God;
Until I burn out for Thee."
~Bessie Frances Hatcher
Burn and wear out for Thee;
Don't let me rust, or my life be
A failure, my God, to Thee.
Use me and all I have, dear Lord,
And get me so close to Thee
That I feel the throb
Of the great heart of God;
Until I burn out for Thee."
~Bessie Frances Hatcher
On Mine Arm Shall They Trust ~Isaiah 51:5
In seasons of severe trial, the Christian has nothing on earth that he can trust to, and is therefore compelled to cast himself on his God alone. When his vessel is on its beam-ends, and no human deliverance can avail, he must simply and entirely trust himself to the providence and care of God. Happy storm that wrecks a man on such a rock as this! O blessed hurricane that drives the soul to God and God alone! There is no getting at our God sometimes because of the multitude of our friends; but when a man is so poor, so friendless, so helpless that he has nowhere else to turn, he flies into his Father's arms, and is blessedly clasped therein! When he is burdened with troubles so pressing and so peculiar, that he cannot tell them to any but his God, he may be thankful for them; for he will learn more of his Lord then than at any other time. Oh, tempest-tossed believer, it is a happy trouble that drives thee to thy Father! Now that thou hast only thy God to trust to, see that thou puttest thy full confidence in him. Dishonour not thy Lord and Master by unworthy doubts and fears; but be strong in faith, giving glory to God. Show the world that thy God is worth ten thousand worlds to thee. Show rich men how rich thou art in thy poverty when the Lord God is thy helper. Show the strong man how strong thou art in thy weakness when underneath thee are the everlasting arms. Now is the time for feats of faith and valiant exploits. Be strong and very courageous, and the Lord thy God shall certainly, as surely as he built the heavens and the earth, glorify himself in thy weakness, and magnify his might in the midst of thy distress. The grandeur of the arch of heaven would be spoiled if the sky were supported by a single visible column, and your faith would lose its glory if it rested on anything discernible by the eye. May the Holy Spirit give you rest in Jesus this day.
~C. H. Spurgeon
~C. H. Spurgeon
Sunday, June 15, 2008
"A Christian can generally be known by his very appearance. The man who really believes in the holiness of God, and who knows his own sinfulness and the blackness of his own heart, the man who believes in the judgment of God and the possibility of hell and torment, the man who really believes that he himself is so vile and helpless that nothing but the coming of the Son of God from heaven to earth, and His going to the bitter shame and agony and cruelty of the cross could ever save him, and reconcile him to God‑‑this man is going to show all that in his whole personality. He is a man who is bound to give the impression of meekness. He is bound to be humble. Our Lord reminds us here that if a man is not humble, we are to be very wary of him. He can put on a kind of sheep's clothing, but that is not true humility, that is not true meekness. And if a man's doctrine is wrong, it will generally show itself at this point. He will be affable and pleasant, he will appeal to the natural man, and to the things that are physical and ; but he will not give the impression of being a man who has seen himself as a hell‑bound sinner, and who has been saved by the grace of God alone"
~Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899–1981)
Taken from Studies in the Sermon on the Mount [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1977] pp. 258‑259.
~Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899–1981)
Taken from Studies in the Sermon on the Mount [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1977] pp. 258‑259.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
How Deep the Father's Love For Us
How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.
Behold the man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders;
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers.
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished;
His dying breath has brought me life,
I know that it is finished.
I will not boast in anything,
No gifts, no power, no wisdom;
But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection.
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer;
But this I know with all my heart,
His wounds have paid my ransom.
~Stuart Townend
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.
Behold the man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders;
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers.
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished;
His dying breath has brought me life,
I know that it is finished.
I will not boast in anything,
No gifts, no power, no wisdom;
But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection.
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer;
But this I know with all my heart,
His wounds have paid my ransom.
~Stuart Townend
Lift Up Your Eyes
"Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already he who reaps is receiving wages, and is gathering fruit for life eternal; that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together." John 4:35,36
Our Father is Taking Care of Us
"Cast all your cares upon Him, because He cares about you!" 1 Peter 5:7 If this world were governed by chance—no amount either of philosophy or of common sense could keep us from worrying; but we know that our Father is taking care of us! No little child in the best and most caring home, was ever carried so carefully or so safely in the love and thought and care of earthly parents—as is the least of God's little ones in the heavenly Father's heart! "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them!" Matthew 6:31-32. The things we cannot help or change are in His hand, and belong to the "all things" which, we are assured, "work together for good, to those who love God." In the midst of all the great rush of events and circumstances, in which we can see no order and no design—we well know that each believer in Christ, is as safe as any little child in the arms of the most loving mother!Amid all life's trials and disappointments—our faith rests upon the character and the infinite goodness of God! We should have the faith of a little child—in a Father whose name is "Love" and whose power extends to every part of His universe! Here we find solid rock upon which to stand, and good reason for our lesson that we should never worry. Our Father is taking care of us!In a world like ours, there are many things which incline us to worry. There are disappointments which leave the hands empty after days and years of hope and toil. There are resistless thwartings of fondly cherished plans and purposes. There are bereavements which seem to sweep away every earthly joy. There are perplexities through which no human wisdom can lead the feet. There are experiences in every life—whose natural effect is to disquiet the spirit and produce deep and painful anxiety. If we are never to worry, what are we to do with these things which naturally tend to cause us worry? The answer is easy—we are to put all these disturbing and distracting things—into the hands of our Father! "Cast all your cares upon Him, because He cares about you!" 1 Peter 5:7. God is taking care of you—not overlooking the smallest thing, and you have but to cast all your cares and anxiety upon Him—and then be at peace. It is trying to carry our own cares, which produces worry! Our duty is to cast them all upon Christ! This is the secret of heart-peace in the time of distress, from whatever cause. ~J.R. Miller
This Incomparable Book!
This incomparable book!The whole of Scripture is but one entire loveletter, dispatched from the Lord Christ, to His beloved spouse! Oh! the mysteries, the excellencies, the glories which are in this incomparable book! There are none so useful, none so needful, none so delightful, none so necessary to make you happy and to keep you happy--as this!Ah! the Word of the Lord is . . . a light to guide you, a counselor to counsel you, a comforter to comfort you, a staff to support you, a sword to defend you, a physician to cure you! The Word is . . . a mine to enrich you, a robe to clothe you, a crown to crown you. bread to strengthen you, wine to cheer you, a honeycomb to feast you, music to delight you, a paradise to entertain you!Oh! therefore, before all and above all: search the Scripture, study the Scripture, meditate on the Scripture, delight in the Scripture, treasure up the Scripture! There is . . . no wisdom like Scripture wisdom, no knowledge like Scripture knowledge, no experience like Scripture experience, no comforts like Scripture comforts, no delights like Scripture delights, no convictions like Scripture convictions, no conversion like Scripture conversion!I exhort you to a speedy, serious, diligent, and constant study of the Scripture. Ah! you do not know how soon . . . your blind minds may be enlightened, your hard hearts may be softened, your proud spirits may be humbled, your sinful natures may be changed, your defiled consciences may be purged, your distempered affections may be regulated, and your poor souls may be saved . . . by searching into the Scriptures, by reading the Scripture, and by pondering upon the Scripture. Ah! if you do not in good earnest,give yourself up . . . to the reading, to the studying, to the pondering, to the believing, to the practicing, to the applying, and to the living up to the Scripture--Satan will be too hard for you, the world will be too hard for you, your s will be too hard for you, temptations will be too hard for you, deceivers will be too hard for you, and in the end you will be miserable! ~Thomas Brooks, 1660
Does God Really Care For Us? by J.R. Miller
"I am poor and needy—yet the Lord thinks upon me!" Psalm 40:17 Did God really care for him? And does God care for us, and think upon us—when we are poor and needy? Does God really care for us, as individuals? Does He give personal thought to any of us—to you, to me—according to our condition? Does pain or trouble in us—cause pity in His heart? Does God care? Does He see the individual in the crowd? When you are passing through some great trouble, enduring pain or adversity—does God know it, and does He care?
A daughter had a bitter sorrow, a sore disappointment. The mother knew just what her daughter was passing through. Her love for her child, entered into and shared all the child's experiences. The mother cared. Is there ever anything like this in the heart of God—as He looks upon His children and knows that they are suffering?
When we turn to the Bible, we find on every page the revelation—that God does care—and has personal interest in His people.
Christ assured His disciples, that the very hairs of their heads are all numbered; meaning that God personally cares for all the minutest affairs of our lives—He cares for us as individuals. His love is as personal and individual, as the love of a mother for each one of her children.
Paul took the love of Christ to himself—as if he were the only one Christ loved! "He loved me—and gave Himself up for me!" God's love is personal. He cares for us—for me!
Whatever your need, your trial, your perplexity, your struggle may be—you may be sure that God knows and cares—and that when you come to Him with it, He will take time amid all His infinite affairs, to help you—as if He had nothing else in all the world to do!
God cares! His love for each one of His children is so deep, so personal, so tender—that He has compassion on our every pain, every distress, every struggle. "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him." Psalm 103:13. God is our Father, and His care is gentler than a human father's—as His love exceeds human love. Much human care has no power to help—but when God cares—He helps omnipotently. When human friendship can give no relief—then God will come. When no one in all the world cares—then God cares!
"Cast all your cares upon Him, because He cares about you!" 1 Peter 5:7
A daughter had a bitter sorrow, a sore disappointment. The mother knew just what her daughter was passing through. Her love for her child, entered into and shared all the child's experiences. The mother cared. Is there ever anything like this in the heart of God—as He looks upon His children and knows that they are suffering?
When we turn to the Bible, we find on every page the revelation—that God does care—and has personal interest in His people.
Christ assured His disciples, that the very hairs of their heads are all numbered; meaning that God personally cares for all the minutest affairs of our lives—He cares for us as individuals. His love is as personal and individual, as the love of a mother for each one of her children.
Paul took the love of Christ to himself—as if he were the only one Christ loved! "He loved me—and gave Himself up for me!" God's love is personal. He cares for us—for me!
Whatever your need, your trial, your perplexity, your struggle may be—you may be sure that God knows and cares—and that when you come to Him with it, He will take time amid all His infinite affairs, to help you—as if He had nothing else in all the world to do!
God cares! His love for each one of His children is so deep, so personal, so tender—that He has compassion on our every pain, every distress, every struggle. "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him." Psalm 103:13. God is our Father, and His care is gentler than a human father's—as His love exceeds human love. Much human care has no power to help—but when God cares—He helps omnipotently. When human friendship can give no relief—then God will come. When no one in all the world cares—then God cares!
"Cast all your cares upon Him, because He cares about you!" 1 Peter 5:7
Friday, June 13, 2008
Suppose An Unholy Man Went to Heaven
"Every man who has his hope in Christ, purifies himself." 1 John 3:3
Suppose for a moment, that you were allowed to enter heaven without holiness. What would you do? What possible enjoyment could you feel there? To which of all the saints would you join yourself—and by whose side would you sit? Their pleasures are not your pleasures, their tastes are not your tastes, their character not your character. How could you possibly be happy in heaven—if you had not been holy on earth? Now you love the company of the frivolous and careless, the worldly-minded and the covetous, the reveler and the pleasure-seeker, the ungodly and the profane. There will be none such in heaven! Now you think that the people of God are too strict and particular and serious. You rather avoid them. You have no delight in their society. But remember, there will be no other company in heaven. Now you think that praying and Scripture reading, and hymn singing, are dull and melancholy and stupid work. But remember, the inhabitants of heaven rest not day and night, saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!" and singing the praise of the Lamb! How could an unholy man find pleasure in such an environment as this? An unholy man would feel like a stranger in a land he knew not, a black sheep amid Christ's pure flock. The song of angels and archangels, and all the company of heaven—would be a language he could not understand! The very air would seem an air he could not breathe! I know not what others may think, but to me it does seem clear—that heaven would be a miserable place to an unholy man! It cannot be otherwise. People may say, in a vague way—that they "hope to go to heaven after they die." But surely, they do not consider what they say. We must be heavenly-minded, and have heavenly tastes, in the present life—or else we shall never find ourselves in heaven, in the life to come. Are you holy? I do not ask whether you attend your church regularly, whether you have been baptized, or whether you profess to be a Christian. Are you yourself holy this very day—or are you not? Why do I ask so straightly, and press the question so strongly? I do it because the Scripture says, "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." It is written—it is not my imagination; it is the Bible—not my private opinion; it is the Word of God—not of man: "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." (Heb. 12:14). Alas, what searching, sifting words are these! I look at the world—and see the greater part of it lying in wickedness. I look at professing Christians—and see the vast majority having nothing of Christianity, but the mere name. I turn to the Bible and I hear the Spirit saying, "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." Surely it is a text which ought to make us solemnly consider our ways, and search our heart. You may say, that "if you were so holy—you would be unlike other people." I answer, "I know it well. It is just what you ought to be. Christ's true servants were always unlike the world around them—a holy nation, a separate people—and you must be so too, if you would be saved!" You may say, "at this rate very few will be saved!" I answer, "I know it. It is precisely what Jesus told us in His sermon on the mount—Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there are who find it!" Few will be saved, because few will take the trouble to seek salvation--men will not deny themselves the pleasures of sin for a little season.You may say, "these are hard sayings; the way is very narrow!" I know it is. The Lord Jesus said so eighteen hundred years ago. He always said that men must take up the cross daily, and that they must be ready to cut off hand or foot, if they would be His disciples. That religion which costs nothing—is worth nothing! ~J.C. Ryle
Suppose for a moment, that you were allowed to enter heaven without holiness. What would you do? What possible enjoyment could you feel there? To which of all the saints would you join yourself—and by whose side would you sit? Their pleasures are not your pleasures, their tastes are not your tastes, their character not your character. How could you possibly be happy in heaven—if you had not been holy on earth? Now you love the company of the frivolous and careless, the worldly-minded and the covetous, the reveler and the pleasure-seeker, the ungodly and the profane. There will be none such in heaven! Now you think that the people of God are too strict and particular and serious. You rather avoid them. You have no delight in their society. But remember, there will be no other company in heaven. Now you think that praying and Scripture reading, and hymn singing, are dull and melancholy and stupid work. But remember, the inhabitants of heaven rest not day and night, saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!" and singing the praise of the Lamb! How could an unholy man find pleasure in such an environment as this? An unholy man would feel like a stranger in a land he knew not, a black sheep amid Christ's pure flock. The song of angels and archangels, and all the company of heaven—would be a language he could not understand! The very air would seem an air he could not breathe! I know not what others may think, but to me it does seem clear—that heaven would be a miserable place to an unholy man! It cannot be otherwise. People may say, in a vague way—that they "hope to go to heaven after they die." But surely, they do not consider what they say. We must be heavenly-minded, and have heavenly tastes, in the present life—or else we shall never find ourselves in heaven, in the life to come. Are you holy? I do not ask whether you attend your church regularly, whether you have been baptized, or whether you profess to be a Christian. Are you yourself holy this very day—or are you not? Why do I ask so straightly, and press the question so strongly? I do it because the Scripture says, "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." It is written—it is not my imagination; it is the Bible—not my private opinion; it is the Word of God—not of man: "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." (Heb. 12:14). Alas, what searching, sifting words are these! I look at the world—and see the greater part of it lying in wickedness. I look at professing Christians—and see the vast majority having nothing of Christianity, but the mere name. I turn to the Bible and I hear the Spirit saying, "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." Surely it is a text which ought to make us solemnly consider our ways, and search our heart. You may say, that "if you were so holy—you would be unlike other people." I answer, "I know it well. It is just what you ought to be. Christ's true servants were always unlike the world around them—a holy nation, a separate people—and you must be so too, if you would be saved!" You may say, "at this rate very few will be saved!" I answer, "I know it. It is precisely what Jesus told us in His sermon on the mount—Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there are who find it!" Few will be saved, because few will take the trouble to seek salvation--men will not deny themselves the pleasures of sin for a little season.You may say, "these are hard sayings; the way is very narrow!" I know it is. The Lord Jesus said so eighteen hundred years ago. He always said that men must take up the cross daily, and that they must be ready to cut off hand or foot, if they would be His disciples. That religion which costs nothing—is worth nothing! ~J.C. Ryle
What Grace!
"What grace! He declares the wicked righteous by the blood of His dear Son, He prepares good deeds for them by His sovereign will, He empowers them by His Spirit, and then He rewards them for what they have done as if they had done it. What grace! What grace! What marvelous grace! In such grace, we will wait upon Him." ~Paul Washer
Gospel of Human Fulfillment
"As we talk about current trends in evangelicalism, this is one of the most tragic trends. This new kind of preaching that is all built around human fulfillment. This new kind of evangelizing where the whole appeal to the unconverted person is personal fulfillment, that the Lord will personally fulfill your life. Because when that's the reason for you to come to Christ, then that becomes the reason you came to Christ, and then that becomes what you expect Christ to do for you, and you set people up for an utterly reverse process of sanctification.
"Well here I am Jesus, fulfill me. Here I am Jesus, satisfy me. Here I am Jesus, plug up all the holes in my life. Give me perfect relationships, bring me happiness, success..." When in fact a proper attitude is-
"Lord save me for Jesus sake, I am not worthy of anything and somehow make my life useful to you for the advance of your kingdom, even if it costs me everything."
~John MacArthur
"Well here I am Jesus, fulfill me. Here I am Jesus, satisfy me. Here I am Jesus, plug up all the holes in my life. Give me perfect relationships, bring me happiness, success..." When in fact a proper attitude is-
"Lord save me for Jesus sake, I am not worthy of anything and somehow make my life useful to you for the advance of your kingdom, even if it costs me everything."
~John MacArthur
" I'm Not As Bad As____________"
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Are You Born Again? by J.C. Ryle
Are you born again? This is one of life's most important questions. Jesus Christ said, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).
It is not enough to reply, "I belong to the church; I suppose I'm a Christian." Thousands of nominal Christians show none of the signs of being born again which the Scriptures have given us—many listed in the First Epistle of John.
First of all, John wrote: "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin" (I John 3:9). "Whosoever is born of God sinneth not" (5:18).
A person who has been born again, or regenerated, does not habitually commit sin. He no longer sins with his heart and will and whole inclination. There was probably a time when he did not think about whether his actions were sinful or not, and he did not always feel grieved after doing evil. There was no quarrel between him and sin; they were friends. But the true Christian hates sin, flees from it, fights against it, considers it his greatest plague, resents the burden of its presence, mourns when he falls under its influence, and longs to be completely delivered from it. Sin no longer pleases him, nor is it even a matter of indifference to him; it has become a horrible thing which he hates. However, he cannot eliminate its presence within him.
If he said that he had no sin, he would be lying (I John 1:8). But he can say that he hates sin and that the great desire of his soul is not to commit sin at all. He cannot prevent bad thoughts from entering his mind, or shortcomings, omissions, and defects from appealing in both his words and his actions. He knows that "in many things we offend all" (James 3:2). But he can truly say, in the sight of God, that these things cause him grief and sorrow and that his whole nature does not consent to them. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?
Second, John wrote: "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God" (I John 5:1).
A man who is born again, or regenerated, believes that Jesus Christ is the only Saviour who can pardon his soul, that He is the divine person appointed by God the Father for this very purpose, and beside Him there is no Saviour at all. In himself he sees nothing but unworthiness. But he has full confidence in Christ, and trusting in Him, he believes that his sins are all forgiven. He believes that, because he has accepted Christ's finished work and death on the cross, he is considered righteous in God's sight, and he may look forward to death and judgment without alarm.
He may have fears and doubts. He may sometimes tell you that he feels as if he had no faith at all. But ask him if he is willing to trust in anything instead of Christ, and see what he will say. Ask him if he will rest his hope of eternal life on his own goodness, his own works, his prayers, his minister, or his church, and listen to his reply. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?
Third, John wrote: "Every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him" (I John 2:29).
The man who is born again, or regenerated, is a holy man. He endeavors to live according to God's will, to do the things that please God and to avoid the things that God hates. He wishes to continually look to Christ as his example as well as his Saviour and to prove himself to be Christ's friend by doing whatever He commands. He knows he is not perfect. He is painfully aware of his indwelling corruption. He finds an evil principle within himself that is constantly warring against grace and trying to draw him away from God. But he does not consent to it, though he cannot prevent its presence.
Though he may sometimes feel so low that he questions whether or not he is a Christian at all, he will be able to say with John Newton, "I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am." What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?
Fourth, John wrote: "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren" (I John 3:14).
A man who is born again has a special love for all true disciples of Christ. Like his Father in heaven, he loves all men with a great general love, but he has a special love for those who share his faith in Christ. Like his Lord and Saviour, he loves the worst of sinners and could weep over them; but he has a peculiar love for those who are believers. He is never so much at home as when he is in their company.
He feels they are all members of the same family. They are his fellow soldiers, fighting against the same enemy. They are his fellow travelers, journeying along the same road. He understands them, and they understand him. They may be very different from himself in many ways—in rank, in station and in wealth. But that does not matter. They are his Father's sons and daughters and he cannot help loving them. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?
Fifth, John wrote: "Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world" (I John 5:4).
A man who is born again does not use the world's opinion as his standard of right and wrong. He does not mind going against the world's ways, ideas and customs. What men think or say no longer concerns him. He overcomes the love of the world. He finds no pleasure in things which seem to bring happiness to most people. To him they seem foolish and unworthy of an immortal being.
He loves God's praise more than man's praise. He fears offending God more than offending man. It is unimportant to him whether he is blamed or praised; his first aim is to please God. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?
Sixth, John wrote: "He that is begotten of God keepeth himself' (I John 5:18).
A man who is born again is careful of his own soul. He tries not only to avoid sin but also to avoid everything which may lead to it. He is careful about the company he keeps. He knows that evil communications corrupt the heart and that evil is more catching than good, just as disease is more infectious than health. He is careful about the use of his time; his chief desire is to spend it profitable.
He desires to live like a soldier in an enemy country—to wear his armor continually and to be prepared for temptation. He is diligent to be watchful, humble, prayerful man. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?
These are the six great marks of a born again Christian.
There is a vast difference in the depth and distinctness of these marks in different people. In some they are faint and hardly noticeable. In others they are bold, plain and unmistakable, so anyone may read them. Some of these marks are more visible than others in each individual. Seldom are all equally evident in any one person.
But still, after every allowance, here we find boldly painted six marks of being born of God. How should we react to these things? We can logically come to only one conclusion—only those who are born again have these six characteristics, and those who do not have these marks are not born again. This seems to be the conclusion to which the apostle intended us to come. Do you have these characteristics? Are you born again?If you are concerned about your savation, listen to this excellent sermon by Paul Washer - The Reality of Regeneration. 50 min.
It is not enough to reply, "I belong to the church; I suppose I'm a Christian." Thousands of nominal Christians show none of the signs of being born again which the Scriptures have given us—many listed in the First Epistle of John.
First of all, John wrote: "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin" (I John 3:9). "Whosoever is born of God sinneth not" (5:18).
A person who has been born again, or regenerated, does not habitually commit sin. He no longer sins with his heart and will and whole inclination. There was probably a time when he did not think about whether his actions were sinful or not, and he did not always feel grieved after doing evil. There was no quarrel between him and sin; they were friends. But the true Christian hates sin, flees from it, fights against it, considers it his greatest plague, resents the burden of its presence, mourns when he falls under its influence, and longs to be completely delivered from it. Sin no longer pleases him, nor is it even a matter of indifference to him; it has become a horrible thing which he hates. However, he cannot eliminate its presence within him.
If he said that he had no sin, he would be lying (I John 1:8). But he can say that he hates sin and that the great desire of his soul is not to commit sin at all. He cannot prevent bad thoughts from entering his mind, or shortcomings, omissions, and defects from appealing in both his words and his actions. He knows that "in many things we offend all" (James 3:2). But he can truly say, in the sight of God, that these things cause him grief and sorrow and that his whole nature does not consent to them. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?
Second, John wrote: "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God" (I John 5:1).
A man who is born again, or regenerated, believes that Jesus Christ is the only Saviour who can pardon his soul, that He is the divine person appointed by God the Father for this very purpose, and beside Him there is no Saviour at all. In himself he sees nothing but unworthiness. But he has full confidence in Christ, and trusting in Him, he believes that his sins are all forgiven. He believes that, because he has accepted Christ's finished work and death on the cross, he is considered righteous in God's sight, and he may look forward to death and judgment without alarm.
He may have fears and doubts. He may sometimes tell you that he feels as if he had no faith at all. But ask him if he is willing to trust in anything instead of Christ, and see what he will say. Ask him if he will rest his hope of eternal life on his own goodness, his own works, his prayers, his minister, or his church, and listen to his reply. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?
Third, John wrote: "Every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him" (I John 2:29).
The man who is born again, or regenerated, is a holy man. He endeavors to live according to God's will, to do the things that please God and to avoid the things that God hates. He wishes to continually look to Christ as his example as well as his Saviour and to prove himself to be Christ's friend by doing whatever He commands. He knows he is not perfect. He is painfully aware of his indwelling corruption. He finds an evil principle within himself that is constantly warring against grace and trying to draw him away from God. But he does not consent to it, though he cannot prevent its presence.
Though he may sometimes feel so low that he questions whether or not he is a Christian at all, he will be able to say with John Newton, "I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am." What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?
Fourth, John wrote: "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren" (I John 3:14).
A man who is born again has a special love for all true disciples of Christ. Like his Father in heaven, he loves all men with a great general love, but he has a special love for those who share his faith in Christ. Like his Lord and Saviour, he loves the worst of sinners and could weep over them; but he has a peculiar love for those who are believers. He is never so much at home as when he is in their company.
He feels they are all members of the same family. They are his fellow soldiers, fighting against the same enemy. They are his fellow travelers, journeying along the same road. He understands them, and they understand him. They may be very different from himself in many ways—in rank, in station and in wealth. But that does not matter. They are his Father's sons and daughters and he cannot help loving them. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?
Fifth, John wrote: "Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world" (I John 5:4).
A man who is born again does not use the world's opinion as his standard of right and wrong. He does not mind going against the world's ways, ideas and customs. What men think or say no longer concerns him. He overcomes the love of the world. He finds no pleasure in things which seem to bring happiness to most people. To him they seem foolish and unworthy of an immortal being.
He loves God's praise more than man's praise. He fears offending God more than offending man. It is unimportant to him whether he is blamed or praised; his first aim is to please God. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?
Sixth, John wrote: "He that is begotten of God keepeth himself' (I John 5:18).
A man who is born again is careful of his own soul. He tries not only to avoid sin but also to avoid everything which may lead to it. He is careful about the company he keeps. He knows that evil communications corrupt the heart and that evil is more catching than good, just as disease is more infectious than health. He is careful about the use of his time; his chief desire is to spend it profitable.
He desires to live like a soldier in an enemy country—to wear his armor continually and to be prepared for temptation. He is diligent to be watchful, humble, prayerful man. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?
These are the six great marks of a born again Christian.
There is a vast difference in the depth and distinctness of these marks in different people. In some they are faint and hardly noticeable. In others they are bold, plain and unmistakable, so anyone may read them. Some of these marks are more visible than others in each individual. Seldom are all equally evident in any one person.
But still, after every allowance, here we find boldly painted six marks of being born of God. How should we react to these things? We can logically come to only one conclusion—only those who are born again have these six characteristics, and those who do not have these marks are not born again. This seems to be the conclusion to which the apostle intended us to come. Do you have these characteristics? Are you born again?If you are concerned about your savation, listen to this excellent sermon by Paul Washer - The Reality of Regeneration. 50 min.
The Arm of Grace is Very Long
Let us learn never to despair of the salvation of anyone--as long as he lives. Fathers ought never to despair of prodigal sons. Mothers ought never to despair of self-willed, headstrong daughters. Husbands should never despair of wives, nor wives of husbands. There is nothing impossible with God. The arm of grace is very long, and can reach those who seem very far off. Let us pray on, and hope on, for others--however unlikely their salvation may appear to be at present. The Holy Spirit can change any heart! The blood of Christ can cleanse away any sin! We shall see many in heaven, whom we never expected to see there. Grimshaw, the famous pastor of Yorkshire, when he died, left his only son unconverted, careless, thoughtless, and indifferent to true religion. The day came when the young man’s heart was changed, and he walked in the steps of his holy father. And when he lay upon his deathbed, one of his last words was, "What will my old father say--when he sees me in heaven!"
"Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save!" Isaiah 59:1
~by J.C. Ryle
"Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save!" Isaiah 59:1
~by J.C. Ryle
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