Excerpted from the sermon, "The Heart of Jesus," by Charles H. Spurgeon
“I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29) is the only place in the whole Bible where the heart of Jesus is distinctly mentioned. Both meekness and lowliness belong to the gentle sort of virtues, and are not valued by the busy, impatient men of this world.
Jesus is gentle, tender and condescending. [[He is the pure expression of that fruit of the Spirit, gentleness]] What a divine blending of Glory and Grace! Omnipotent, yet lowly! Eternal God, yet a patient sufferer! King of kings, and Lord of lords, yet “meek and lowly in heart!”
Jesus owns and rules over everything and is the heir of all things, and yet says, “I am meek and lowly in heart.” It is hard to be a man of power and yet to be meek. But Jesus Christ is Mankinds' universal Judge, with eyes like flames of fire burning up the stubble and purifying the gold and yet meek and lowly. He is the almighty ruler of all mankind and soon will judge both angels and men, yet he could say during his brief incarnation on the Earth, “I am meek and lowly in heart.”
It is most likely that His meekness and lowliness are derived from His Glorious Greatness; the powerful paradox that the meekest in the world are the strongest in the world. The angry are weak, the patient are strong; the infinite heart of Jesus is a meek heart, partly because it is infinite. Oh, the joyful thought to think that the universe is ruled by the meek and lowly Heart of our Beloved Lord Jesus. [[Let's pause to adore these Attributes of the Heart of Jesus.]]
Monday, January 30, 2006
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Happiness, Misery, and Things Unseen
From a Sermon by Samuel Davies (1723-1761), “Things Unseen to be Preferred to Things Seen.”
Let me compare visible and invisible things, so that you see the trifling nature of temporary, visible things, and the vast importance of eternal, invisible things. I’ll illustrate the unimaginable difference by looking first at the two extremes of pleasure and pain. All men & women live their lives to avoid pain and to obtain pleasure. This drives all of their pursuits. The two great springs (sources) of all human activity are:
The soul in its present state of infancy, like a young child or a man stupefied by sickness, cannot experience pleasure or pain very deeply. Excess joy or excess sorrow can undo these fallen bodies. In our current feeble condition, we could not survive the pure joy or complete misery of the future world. We cannot see God and live.
If the glory of Heaven blazed down on us in all its invincible splendor, it would overwhelm our feeble natures as we cannot now support such a weight of glory. And one twinge of the agonies of hell would dislodge the soul from its earthly dwelling. But in the future world all the powers of the soul will be mature and strong, and the body will be clothed with immortality; the union between our souls and our bodies after the resurrection of our bodies will be inseparable, and able to support the most oppressive weight of glory or the most intolerable load of torment.
Let me compare visible and invisible things, so that you see the trifling nature of temporary, visible things, and the vast importance of eternal, invisible things. I’ll illustrate the unimaginable difference by looking first at the two extremes of pleasure and pain. All men & women live their lives to avoid pain and to obtain pleasure. This drives all of their pursuits. The two great springs (sources) of all human activity are:
- The inborn desire for happiness
- The inborn aversion to misery.
The soul in its present state of infancy, like a young child or a man stupefied by sickness, cannot experience pleasure or pain very deeply. Excess joy or excess sorrow can undo these fallen bodies. In our current feeble condition, we could not survive the pure joy or complete misery of the future world. We cannot see God and live.
If the glory of Heaven blazed down on us in all its invincible splendor, it would overwhelm our feeble natures as we cannot now support such a weight of glory. And one twinge of the agonies of hell would dislodge the soul from its earthly dwelling. But in the future world all the powers of the soul will be mature and strong, and the body will be clothed with immortality; the union between our souls and our bodies after the resurrection of our bodies will be inseparable, and able to support the most oppressive weight of glory or the most intolerable load of torment.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Hearts Cleansed and Fixed Toward God
A paraphrase from a chapter called “The Beauty of Holiness” in Christian Meditations, by Thomas Reade (1841)
There is a beauty in holiness that vastly outshines the weak morality of unbelieving men. The morality of a natural (unspiritual) man is little more than a bland, outward decency while his heart is completely estranged from God. Holiness (or godliness) has a high, adoring view of God and a heart fixed toward Him. God works by his Spirit on the inside of believers, cleansing their hearts. All dutiful church-going is empty if there is no inward purity. No bland, outward decency will be accepted as a substitute for holiness by Him who has said: "My son, give me your heart."
We now live in enemy country. Our hearts must fiercely contend with enemies outside of us and traitorous enemies inside of us. We must learn how to grow in grace and protect our new hearts from our inbred, inward corruptions while walking carefully amongst unbelieving men in a world determined to lure us away from fixing our paramount love on Jesus Christ.
If we relax our vigilance, our souls are in danger of being overpowered by indwelling corruptions and of being overpowered by the very real powers of darkness. How earnest is the warning of Peter: "Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion walks about seeking those whom he may devour: resist him steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world."
Self-examination and pleas to God that He would enlighten the eyes of our hearts are powerful allies in our Christian warfare. As Christian soldiers, we must fervently ask God to strengthen us in the inner man [we must ask Him to provide the trials necessary to establish and fortify our courage and integrtiy.] Let’s ask God to search & discipline our wandering hearts and subdue our indwelling sin. The lives of believers here are difficult by design filled with conflicts inside of us, conflicts from our circumstances, yet with daily consolations from God. "See, then," says Paul, "that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore, do not be unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."
Let’s rouse God’s craftsmanship in us so that by growing from strength to strength, from glory to glory we eventually conquer our enemies, within and without, and greatly glorify God on Earth now and later shine as suns forever in His never-ending Kingdom.
There is a beauty in holiness that vastly outshines the weak morality of unbelieving men. The morality of a natural (unspiritual) man is little more than a bland, outward decency while his heart is completely estranged from God. Holiness (or godliness) has a high, adoring view of God and a heart fixed toward Him. God works by his Spirit on the inside of believers, cleansing their hearts. All dutiful church-going is empty if there is no inward purity. No bland, outward decency will be accepted as a substitute for holiness by Him who has said: "My son, give me your heart."
We now live in enemy country. Our hearts must fiercely contend with enemies outside of us and traitorous enemies inside of us. We must learn how to grow in grace and protect our new hearts from our inbred, inward corruptions while walking carefully amongst unbelieving men in a world determined to lure us away from fixing our paramount love on Jesus Christ.
If we relax our vigilance, our souls are in danger of being overpowered by indwelling corruptions and of being overpowered by the very real powers of darkness. How earnest is the warning of Peter: "Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion walks about seeking those whom he may devour: resist him steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world."
Self-examination and pleas to God that He would enlighten the eyes of our hearts are powerful allies in our Christian warfare. As Christian soldiers, we must fervently ask God to strengthen us in the inner man [we must ask Him to provide the trials necessary to establish and fortify our courage and integrtiy.] Let’s ask God to search & discipline our wandering hearts and subdue our indwelling sin. The lives of believers here are difficult by design filled with conflicts inside of us, conflicts from our circumstances, yet with daily consolations from God. "See, then," says Paul, "that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore, do not be unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."
Let’s rouse God’s craftsmanship in us so that by growing from strength to strength, from glory to glory we eventually conquer our enemies, within and without, and greatly glorify God on Earth now and later shine as suns forever in His never-ending Kingdom.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
It is not in Man Who Walks to Direct his Steps
from the Chapter, The PROVIDENCE of God—in its application to the whole path of life
by James Alexander (1852) in his book, CONSOLATION.
"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps" (Proverbs 16:9). I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man who walks to direct his steps (Jeremiah 10:23).
The labyrinth we walk through is superintended by Our Father’s infinite wisdom and infinite love — every step of the journey is ordered. Faith recognizes God in the smallest hair that falls, as every hair is numbered. Since it is not in us to direct our own steps, let us seek the direction of God by way of providential indications and by way of revealed duty. We can take each step in light of what God has revealed to us about our character, talents, experience, and the unique events that have prepared us for that next step. But perhaps a more reliable guide is to trust the path of duty as the path of Providence. The revelation of God's will in the Scriptures is our pillar of cloud and of fire.
Let’s not ask what tends to advance our comfort, profit, or temporary desires, but rather what is God’s scripturally prescribed duty for us in this current circumstance. Our greatest glory and usefulness is conformity to the revealed will of God.
His eye not only superintends our whole path from beginning to end, but His Mighty hand establishes every step! After our grandest plans and efforts or in spite of our stubborn resistance, we are merely being carried along the mighty stream of His Providence, either kicking & screaming or merrily, merrily at rest in Him.
We are God’s craftmanship and we don’t know the means He needs to arrange for us so we are fitted into Christ’s Body precisely where He wants us. So, we cannot know what trials we need since we are ignorant of our specific end or the means to get there. We cannot really know what to choose or what to refuse so God’s Providence superintends our yeses and nos. All events are beyond our control and the future, with its millions of contingencies, is mercifully opaque to us.
All of the voluntary decisions of millions of individuals, both the redeemed and the damned, will harmonize in the accomplishment of God's purposes. There is an awesome display of God's Infinite wisdom and power in the heavens where each star within each galaxy behaves according to God’s uniform laws as they circle their respective courses age after age without confusion. Yet it will be even more amazing when all of Creation understands for the first time how God has superintended the conflicting desires and decisions of millions of redeemed saints and millions more godless men to at once accomplish the greatest possible Glory in exalting the Triune God and the greatest possible joy for Christ’s loved Bride.
by James Alexander (1852) in his book, CONSOLATION.
"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps" (Proverbs 16:9). I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man who walks to direct his steps (Jeremiah 10:23).
The labyrinth we walk through is superintended by Our Father’s infinite wisdom and infinite love — every step of the journey is ordered. Faith recognizes God in the smallest hair that falls, as every hair is numbered. Since it is not in us to direct our own steps, let us seek the direction of God by way of providential indications and by way of revealed duty. We can take each step in light of what God has revealed to us about our character, talents, experience, and the unique events that have prepared us for that next step. But perhaps a more reliable guide is to trust the path of duty as the path of Providence. The revelation of God's will in the Scriptures is our pillar of cloud and of fire.
Let’s not ask what tends to advance our comfort, profit, or temporary desires, but rather what is God’s scripturally prescribed duty for us in this current circumstance. Our greatest glory and usefulness is conformity to the revealed will of God.
His eye not only superintends our whole path from beginning to end, but His Mighty hand establishes every step! After our grandest plans and efforts or in spite of our stubborn resistance, we are merely being carried along the mighty stream of His Providence, either kicking & screaming or merrily, merrily at rest in Him.
We are God’s craftmanship and we don’t know the means He needs to arrange for us so we are fitted into Christ’s Body precisely where He wants us. So, we cannot know what trials we need since we are ignorant of our specific end or the means to get there. We cannot really know what to choose or what to refuse so God’s Providence superintends our yeses and nos. All events are beyond our control and the future, with its millions of contingencies, is mercifully opaque to us.
All of the voluntary decisions of millions of individuals, both the redeemed and the damned, will harmonize in the accomplishment of God's purposes. There is an awesome display of God's Infinite wisdom and power in the heavens where each star within each galaxy behaves according to God’s uniform laws as they circle their respective courses age after age without confusion. Yet it will be even more amazing when all of Creation understands for the first time how God has superintended the conflicting desires and decisions of millions of redeemed saints and millions more godless men to at once accomplish the greatest possible Glory in exalting the Triune God and the greatest possible joy for Christ’s loved Bride.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
