Let us make thorough work of it!

  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~



(James Smith, "The Early and the Latter Rain" 1856)

"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24

Let us commence the work of self-examination at once, and let us be impartial in the work . . .
  sparing no sin,
  tampering with no lust,
  listening to no temptation!

And let us make thorough work of it! Let every sin we detect be confessed over the blood of atonement; let us . . .
  deplore it,
  grieve over it,
  seek the pardon of it, and
  pray for grace at once to depart from it!
     ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

You Must Be Willing

Posted: 30 Apr 2013 01:00 AM PDT

“You and I cannot be useful if we want to be sweet as honey in the mouths of men. God will never bless us if we wish to please men, that they may think well of us. Are you willing to tell them what will break your own heart in the telling and break theirs in the hearing? If not, you are not fit to serve the Lord. You must be willing to go and speak for God, though you will be rejected.”

The beginning, increase, and end of the divine life

“Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.” Job 8:7
Suggested Further Reading: 2 Corinthians 13:5-9
If thou art saved—though the date be erased—yet do thou rejoice and triumph evermore in the Lord thy God. True, there are some of us who can remember the precise spot where we first found the Saviour. The day will never be forgotten when these eyes looked to the cross of Christ and found their tears all wiped away. But thousands in the fold of Jesus know not when they were brought in; be it enough for them to know they are there. Let them feed upon the pasture, let them lie down beside the still waters, for whether they came by night or by day they did not come at a forbidden hour. Whether they came in youth or in old age, it matters not; all times are acceptable with God, “and whosoever cometh,” come he when he may, “he will in no wise cast out.” Does it not strike you as being very foolish reasoning if you should say in your heart, “I am not converted because I do not know when?” Nay, with such reasoning as that, I could prove that old Rome was never built, because the precise date of her building is unknown; nay, we might declare that the world was never made, for its exact age even the geologist cannot tell us. We might prove that Jesus Christ himself never died, for the precise date on which he expired on the tree is lost beyond recovery; nor doth it signify much to us. We know the world was made, we know that Christ did die, and so you—if you are now reconciled to God, if now your trembling arms are cast around that cross, you too are saved—though the beginning was so small that you cannot tell when it was. Indeed, in living things, it is hard to put the finger upon the beginning.
For meditation: An ongoing Christ-experience in the present without a crisis experience in the past is far more valid than an isolated crisis experience in the past without the evidence of an ongoing Christ-experience in the present.
Sermon no. 311
30 April (Preached 29 April 1860)
C.H. Spurgeon

He Never Violates The Human Will

Posted: 29 Apr 2013 01:00 AM PDT

“…for it is not God’s way to make men His servants, except so far as they willingly yield themselves to Him. He never violates the human will, though He constantly and effectually influences it.”

C.H. Spurgeon

Our Cherith

  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~


(F.B. Meyer)

"Hide yourself by the brook Cherith" 1 Kings 17:3

God's servants must be taught the value of the hidden life. The man who is to take a high place before his fellows--must take a low place before his God. We must not be surprised if sometimes our Father says: "There, child, you have had enough of this hurry, and publicity, and excitement; get hence, and hide yourself by the brook--hide yourself . . .
  in the Cherith of the sick chamber, or
  in the Cherith of bereavement, or
  in some solitude from which the crowds have ebbed away."

Happy is he who can reply, "This Your will is also mine; I flee unto You to hide me. Hide me in the secret of Your tabernacle, and beneath the covert of Your wings!"

Every saintly soul who would wield great power with men, must win it in some hidden Cherith. The acquisition of spiritual power is impossible, unless we can hide ourselves from men and from ourselves, in some deep gorge where we may absorb the power of the eternal God; as vegetation through long ages absorbed these qualities of sunshine, which it now gives back through burning coal.

Passing back to the blessed age from which we date the centuries: Patmos; the seclusion of the Roman prisons; the Arabian desert; the hills and valleys of Palestine--are forever memorable as the holy Cheriths of the new testament disciples.

Our Lord found His Cheriths at Nazareth; in the wilderness of Judea; amid the olive groves of Bethany; and the solitude of Gadara.

None of us, therefore, can dispense with some Cherith, where the sounds of human voices are exchanged for the waters of quietness, which are fed from the throne of God; and where we may taste the sweets and imbibe the power of a life hidden with Christ.
    ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church
1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501
April 28, 2013          
 Newsletter Number 413

Brother Randy Johnson, Pastor                    Brother Ronnie Henderson, Song Director
Pastor E-Mail: pastor@sgmbaptist.com          Web Site: www.sgmbaptist.com

"Where The Truths Of God’s Word Have Been Taught For More Than Fifty Years”

You Were Asked To Pray For:

All of Our Military, Their Family’s & All the Civilian Workers in The Middle East, Zee Mink Fuller and Family, Her son’s Bryan Armstrong and Hunter Hackie, Daughter Shannon, and Brother Philip & Sondra Thornsberry, Junior Baldridge, Frankie Baldridge and daughter, Buckie Thompson, Frank & Sonya Trusty, Frank & Dawana Reigel, Andrew Preston, Larry Mollette, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kerry Pennington, Kim Poole, Danny & Nita Mollette, Wendell Henderson, Judy Dunn, Martha Gray, Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd, Ronnie Henderson Jr. & Children, Ricky Henderson and Family, Jacie Henderson, Velma Hammond, Charles, Don Hammond and Families, Archie & Barbara Griffin, Bro. & Sister Bob Keller, Mary Ramsey, Donna Johnson, Fay Johnson, James and Luann Reynolds, Timothy and Nathan Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jerry Hughes, Sister Nita Bookout, Teresa Bookout, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Janie Capps, Imajo Tracy, Linda Hughes, Roy Lemmon, Rosie Tomlin, Lee Mollette’s Daughter & Granddaughter Kristal, Pat Abercrombie, Barbara Brewer, Donna Jones, Dale and Linda Trahan, Ricky and Margaret McCoy, Brother David O’Neal, Gina, Ryan, and Mallary Peel, Tommy Walker and family, Dina Thomas, Brother Steve McCool and the work in Canada, Brother Curtis Pugh, Brother Dan Sullivan and the work in Thailand, Brother Raul and the work in Romania, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

A Thought From Our Pastor:

The Most Powerful Message! 
“For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” Hebrews 4:2

The most powerful sermon in the word is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the one single sermon Christ demanded to be preached not just in the church, not just in the churches, not just in a certain part of the world, but to every single human being to have ever been born.  "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."  Mark 16:15 Not to just one race of people, not to just those we think might be receptive of it, but to everyone. Paul says in Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." It is the one single message that God uses to save the lost sinner. There are no second salvation messages because there is not any message that has the power that the gospel does to save the lost. There are no other words man can speak to save the lost sinner, there are no tricks man can do to affect the lost, there are no good ways to plead and beg the lost to come to Christ that is equivalent to the gospel. God said the gospel and it alone has the power to bring the proud sinner to his knees and ask God for salvation. It is the power of God to save the sinned and nothing else has this power. Paul says that nothing else works, not signs or wonders, not youth groups, not movies about hell, not good jokes from the pastor, not entertainment of any sort, but the simple message of the gospel. "For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed, (19.) Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ." Romans 15:18 – 19 Why the gospel message? Why is it that this little message is more powerful than anything else we can do to bring a sinner to Christ? Paul said back in Romans 15:19 “…by the power of the Spirit of God…” it is the single message that the Holy Spirit uses to save the lost sinner. The saved heard the gospel for the first time after the Holy Spirit had convicted their unrepentant heart. Paul said in Romans 8:14 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Not led by your pastor, church worker, persuasive words, or any other trick, but them that are led to the gospel by the Holy Spirit. Let’s read what God said in 1 Thessalonians 1:5 "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake." Salvation is of the Lord and man has no power to save one single sinner. Those that think they can add to the gospel and make it more powerful, or add something special to it that it might reach more lost sinners, they hindering the gospel more than helping it. Folks! The gospel is the power of God, it doesn’t need tweaking! 1 Corinthians 9:11 - 12 "If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? (12.) If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ." God said in our text scripture “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them…” Why does the gospel profit some and not others? Why is it one may sit and hear the gospel millions of time over their life time and die and go to hell unsaved? It is because God never saved them! The gospel will not always profit a person and deliver them from their sin. There will be those who will hear it and never repent. The reason is God did not save them. Nothing, not even the gospel has salvation power if not delivered to the sinful heart by the Holy Spirit. This is a fact so many have lost over time, some believe they don’t need God and His power so they have created other tactics to save the lost and what they have are churches full of dead people. We close with this powerful scripture "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;" 2 Timothy 1:8

For Our Weekly  Meditation:

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain!
"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless, who takes His name in vain." Exodus 20:7

This commandment bids us to speak of God with that frame of spirit which is agreeable to His dignity and solemnity and the majesty: that is, with the utmost sincerity, humility and reverence. O what high thoughts ought we to entertain of such a Being! In what holy awe should we stand of Him! Anything pertaining to God should be spoken of with the greatest sobriety.

God’s Name is taken in vain—when we use it without due consideration and reverence. Whenever we make mention of Him before whom the seraphim veil their faces—we ought seriously and solemnly to ponder His infinite majesty and glory—and bow our hearts in deepest prostration before that Name.

God's Name is not to be sported with and tossed to and fro upon every light tongue. O my reader, form the habit of solemnly considering whose Name it is you are about to utter. It is the Name of Him who is present with you, who is hearing you pronounce it. He is jealous of His honor, and He will dreadfully avenge Himself upon those who have slighted Him!

It has become almost impossible to walk the streets or to enter mixed company without hearing the sacred Name of God treated with blasphemous contempt. The novels of the day, the stage, and even radio (and more lately television, the cinema, and the press) are terrible offenders, and without doubt this is one of the fearful sins against Himself, for which God is now pouring out His judgments upon us.

God is dreadfully incensed by this sin, and in the common commission of this Heaven-insulting crime, our country has incurred terrible guilt! "The Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes His Name in vain." Sore punishment shall be his portion, if not in this life, then most assuredly so, eternally so, in the life to come!

By Arthur Pink, "The Ten Commandments"

Notice:

The churches Bible Conference will be September 20 – 21. Friday night services will be from 6:00 – 8:00 with three speakers and Saturday from 9:00 – 3:30 with 6 or 7 sermons. It is possible that 1 or 2 speakers will be asked to speak twice on Saturday since we have no Sunday services. We would love to hear all speakers twice but that is not always possible.     

Christ’s people—imitators of him

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13
Suggested Further Reading: Ephesians 4:11-16
I will ever maintain—that by grace we are saved, and not by ourselves; but equally must I testify, that where the grace of God is, it will produce fitting deeds. To these I am ever bound to exhort you, while you are ever expected to have good works for necessary purposes. Again, I do not, when I say that a believer should be a striking likeness of Jesus, suppose that any one Christian will perfectly exhibit all the features of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; yet my brethren, the fact that perfection is beyond our reach, should not diminish the ardour of our desire after it. The artist, when he paints, knows right well that he shall not be able to excel Apelles; but that does not discourage him; he uses his brush with all the greater pains, that he may at least in some humble measure resemble the great master. So the sculptor; though persuaded that he will not rival Praxiteles, will hew out the marble still, and seek to be as near the model as possible. Just so the Christian man; though he feels he never can mount to the height of complete excellence, and perceives that he never can on earth become the exact image of Christ, still holds it up before him, and measures his own deficiencies by the distance between himself and Jesus. This will he do, forgetting all he has attained, he will press forward, crying, Excelsior! Going upwards still, desiring to be conformed more and more to the image of Christ Jesus.
For meditation: Christians are fellow-pupils in the masterclass of the supreme Master (John 13:12-15).
n.b: Apelles (4th century BC) Court painter to Alexander the Great.
Praxiteles (mid 4th century BC) Athenian sculptor. Regarded as one of the greatest Greek sculptors of his day.
Sermon no. 21
29 April (1855)
C.H. Spurgeon

Only A Man Who Has A “Call”

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 01:00 AM PDT

“It has come to be a dreadfully common belief in the Christian Church that the only man who has a “call” is the man who devotes all his time to what is called “the ministry,” whereas all Christian service is ministry, and every Christian has a call to some kind of ministry or another.”

Worry--or preparation?

  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~



(J.R. Miller)

There is a large difference between worrying about possible future trials--and being prepared for them if they should come. The former we should never do--the latter we should always seek to do. If we do, we are always prepared . . .
   for emergencies,
   for the hard knocks,
   for the steep climbing,
   for the sore struggle--
and we get through life victoriously.

In moral and spiritual things, it is the same. It is our preparation which preserves us in all the final tests--the strength which lies behind what we need in ordinary encounters. Those who daily commune with God, breathing His life into their souls--become strong with that hidden strength that preserves them from falling in the day of trial. They have a "vessel" from which to refill the lamp when its little cup of oil is exhausted.

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Matthew 6:34

"Prepared unto every good work." 2 Timothy 2:21

"Be instant in season, out of season" 2 Timothy 4:2

"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind." 1 Peter 1:13

    ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

The desolations of the Lord, the consolations of his saints

“Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.” Psalm 46:8-9
Suggested Further Reading: 1 Samuel 5:1-7
Jehovah still standeth, “the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.” One generation of idols has passed away, and another comes, and the desolations stand—memorials of the might of God. Turn now your eyes to Assyria, that mighty empire. Did she not sit alone? She said she should see no sorrow. Remember Babylon, too, who boasted with her. But where are they, and where are now their gods? With ropes about their necks they have been dragged in triumph by our archaeologists; and now in the halls of our land, they stand as memorials of the ignorance of a race that is long since extinct. And then, turn to the fairer idolatries of Greece and Rome. Fine poetic conceptions were their gods! Theirs was a grand idolatry, one that never shall be forgotten. Despite all its vice and lust, there was such a high mixture of the purest poetry in it, that the mind of man, though it will ever recollect it with sorrow, will still think of it with respect. But where are their gods? Where are the names of their gods? Are not the stars the last memorials of Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus? As if God would make his universe the monument of his destroyed enemy! Where else are their names to be found? Where shall we find a worshipper who adores their false deity? They are past, they are gone! To the moles and to the bats are their images cast, while many an unroofed temple, many a dilapidated shrine, stand as memorials of that which was, but is not—and is passed away for ever. I suppose there is scarce a kingdom of the world where you do not see God’s handiwork in crushing his enemies.
For meditation: The gods created by man can be destroyed by man, but the Lord made the heavens (Psalm 96:5; Isaiah 37:15-20). The false religions of today become the museum pieces of tomorrow.
Sermon no. 190
28 April (1858)
C.H. Spurgeon

We are lifted up in the arms of omnipotence

  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~


(J.R. Miller)

"There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother!" Proverbs 18:24

God helps and blesses us through our friendships, but these are meant only to draw us up to Himself. Jesus is the only man in whom we can have eternal trust. All other friendships are only shadows--His is the perfect friendship.

Behind the sweet, gentle, human qualities in Jesus which make it so easy for us to come to Him and rest in Him--is the power of the eternal God. When we come to His precious human love, for which our hearts crave and which seems so satisfying--we know that His infinite, divine fullness lies behind the tender warmth of the Son of God. His humanity comes very close to us, and we only need to lay our heads upon its bosom. Then when we lean on Him, we are lifted up in the arms of omnipotence.

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given . . . and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!" Isaiah 9:6

    ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Always Forgiving

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 01:00 AM PDT

You are often sinning, but he is always forgiving you; you are often wandering, often erring, often grieving him, but “he forgiveth all thine iniquities.” I do not feel like preaching when I touch this text. I heartily wish I could sit down and have a happy cry over this blessed truth that my God is at this moment forgiving me.
C.H. Spurgeon

How the Law works

Posted: 14 Mar 2013 01:00 AM PDT

Once more: the entrance of the law makes the offense to abound in this sense, that the rebellious will of man rises up in opposition to it. Because God commands, man refuses; and because he forbids, man desires.
C.H. Spurgeon

Gospel missions

“And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.” Acts 13:49
Suggested Further Reading: Matthew 28:16-20
The claim of authority ensures a degree of progress. How did Mohammed come to have so strong a religion in his time? He was all alone, and he went into the market-place and said, “I have received a revelation from heaven.” He persuaded men to believe it. He said, “I have a revelation from heaven.” People looked at his face; they saw that he looked upon them earnestly as believing what he said, and some five or six of them joined him. Did he prove what he said? Not he. “You must,” he said, “believe what I say, or there is no Paradise for you.” There is a power in that kind of thing, and wherever he went his statement was believed, not on the ground of reasoning, but on his authority, which he declared to be from Allah; and a century later, a thousand sabres had flashed from a thousand sheaths, and his word had been proclaimed through Africa, Turkey, Asia, and even in Spain. The man claimed authority—he claimed divinity; therefore he had power. Take again the increase of Mormonism. What has been its strength? Simply this—the assertion of power from heaven. That claim is made, and the people believe it, and now they have missionaries in almost every country of the habitable globe, and the book of Mormon is translated into many languages. Though there never could be a delusion more transparent, or a counterfeit less skilful, and more lying upon the very surface, yet this simple pretension to power has been the means of carrying power with it. Now, my brethren, we have power; we are God’s ministers; we preach God’s truth; the great Judge of heaven and earth has told us the truth.
For meditation: Christ preached with authority which made men sit up and take notice (Luke 4:31-37). His power has not weakened, but are we limiting him in any way (1 Corinthians 1:17; 2:4,5)?
Sermon no. 76
27 April (1856)
C.H. Spurgeon

God's angels!

  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~



(J.R. Miller, "Daily Bible Readings in the Life of Christ" 1890)

"And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him." Luke 1:12

Yet the angel had come on an 'errand of love'--he had come to announce to Zacharias tidings which would fill his heart with great joy. It is often so. All through the Bible, we find that people were afraid of God's angels. Their very glory startled and terrified those to whom they appeared.

It is ofttimes the same with us. When God's messengers come to us on errands of grace and peace--we are terrified, as if they were the messengers of wrath!

Angels do not appear to us in these days, in their heavenly garb. Yet they come no less really and no less frequently than in the Bible days; but they wear other and various forms. Sometimes they appear in robes of gladness and light--but ofttimes they come in dark garments. Yet our faith in our Father's love, should make us confident that every messenger that He sends to us, whatever the garb--brings something good to us.

The things which we call trials and adversities--are really God's angels, though they seem terrible to us. If we will only quiet our hearts and wait, we shall find that they are messengers from Heaven, and that they have brought blessings to us from God. They have come to tell us of some new joy that is to be granted--some spiritual joy, perhaps, to be born of earthly sorrow; some strange and sweet surprise of love which is waiting for us.

We need to learn to trust God so perfectly, that no 'messenger' He ever sends shall alarm us!

    ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

David’s dying prayer

“Let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.” Psalm 72:19
Suggested Further Reading: Isaiah 6:1-8
Is there not one among you that can win a laurel wreath? Have I not one true Christian heart here that is set for work and labour? Have I not one man that will devote himself for God and for his truth? Henry Martyn! Thou art dead; and is thy mantle buried with thee? Brainerd, thou sleepest with thy fathers; and is thy spirit dead too, and shall there never be another Brainerd? Knibb, thou hast ascended to thy God; and is there nowhere another Knibb? Williams, thy martyred blood still crieth from the ground; and is there nowhere another Williams? What! Not among this dense mass of young and burning spirits? Is there not one that can say in his heart, “Here am I, send me”? “This hour, being saved by God’s grace, I give myself up to him, to go wherever he shall be pleased to send me, to testify his gospel in foreign lands”? What! Are there no Pauls now? Have we none who will be apostles for the Lord of hosts? I think I see one who, putting his lips together, makes this silent resolve—“By God’s grace I this day devote myself to him; through trouble and through trial I will be his, if he will help me; for missionary work or for anything else I give up my all to God; and if I may die as Williams did, and wear the blood-red crown of martyrdom, I will be proud; and if I may live to serve my Master, like a Brainerd, and die at last worn out, here I am, do but have me, Master; give me the honour of leading the forlorn hope, of leading the vanguard of Christianity; here I am, send me.”
For meditation: The earth is going to be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God (Habakkuk 2:14). Every believer has a contribution to make towards that goal, big or small. Are you playing your part?
Sermon no. 129
26 April (1857)
C.H. Spurgeon

My object and aim

  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~


(James Smith)

My object is to lead the mind . . .
   from SELF--to Jesus;
   from sin--to salvation;
   from the troubles of life--to the comforts of the gospel.

My aim is . . .
   to humble the sinner--and exalt the Savior;
   to strip the creature--and place the crown
      on the head of God's free grace! 

I cannot ascribe too much to Jesus--or too little to man!

    ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

The cry of the heathen

“And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over unto Macedonia, and help us.” Acts 16:9
Suggested Further Reading: 2 Corinthians 8:1-15
There is no fear of any one becoming improvidently liberal. You need not be frightened that anyone here will give a thousand pounds this morning. We provide ample accommodation for those who feel inclined to do so. If anyone should be overtaken with such an enormous fit of generosity, we will register and remember it. But I fear there are no people like Barnabas now. Barnabas brought all he had, and put it into the treasury. “My dear friend, do not do that; do not be so rash.” Ah! he will not do that; there is no necessity for you to advise him. But I do say again, if Christianity were truly in our hearts; if we were what we professed to be; the men of generosity whom we meet with now and hold up as very paragons and patterns would cease to be wonders, for they would be as plentiful as leaves upon the trees. We demand of no man that he should beggar himself; but we do demand of every man who makes a profession that he is a Christian, that he should give his fair proportion, and not be content with giving as much to the cause of God as his own servant. We must have it that the man who is rich must give richly. We know the widow’s mite is precious, but the widow’s mite has been an enormously great loss to us. That widow’s mite has lost Jesus Christ many a thousand pounds. It is a very good thing in itself; but people with thousands a year talk of giving a widow’s mite. What a wicked application of what never can apply to them. No; in our proportion we must serve our God.
For meditation: We are instructed to give in proportion (2 Corinthians 8:12), in pleasure (2 Corinthians 9:7) and in privacy (Matthew 6:2-4). How do you calculate how much you should be giving to God’s work each week? In prayer?
Sermon no. 189
25 April (1858)
C.H. Spurgeon

They will never perish--ever!

  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~



(James Smith, "Food for the Soul" 1867)

"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." John 10:28

Jesus here speaks . . .
  of His sheep,
  of those whom the Father had given Him,
  of those whom the Father drew unto Him,
  of those for whom He died,
  of those who sit at His feet to learn of Him.

Jesus loves His sheep.
Jesus laid down His life for His sheep.
Jesus lives to take care of His sheep.
Jesus will never, on any account, part with His sheep.
He can guard them, and He will surely keep them.
Whoever may perish--they never shall.
His Father will not permit it.
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit will prevent it.
The love, power, and honor of Jesus combine to render it impossible!

    ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

A vision of the latter day glories

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.” Isaiah 2:2 & Micah 4:1
Suggested Further Reading: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-15
I am looking for the advent of Christ; it is this that cheers me in the battle of life—the battle and cause of Christ. I look for Christ to come, somewhat as John Bunyan described the battle of Captain Credence with Diabolus. The inhabitants of the town of Mansoul fought hard to protect their city from the prince of darkness, and at last a pitched battle was fought outside the walls. The captains and the brave men of arms fought all day till their swords were knitted to their hands with blood; many and many a weary hour did they seek to drive back the Diabolonians. The battle seemed to waver in the balance; sometimes victory was on the side of faith, and then, triumph seemed to hover over the crest of the prince of hell; but just as the sun was setting, trumpets were heard in the distance; Prince Emmanuel was coming, with trumpets sounding, and with banners flying; and while the men of Mansoul pressed onward sword in hand, Emmanuel attacked their foes in the rear, and getting the enemy between them both, they went on, driving their enemies at the sword’s point, till at last, trampling over their dead bodies, they met, and hand to hand the victorious church saluted its victorious Lord. Even so must it be. We must fight on day by day and hour by hour; and when we think the battle is almost decided against us, we shall hear the trump of the archangel, and the voice of God, and he shall come, the Prince of the kings of the earth; at his name, with terror shall they melt, and like snow driven before the wind from the bare side of a mountain shall they fly away; and we, the church militant, trampling over them, shall salute our Lord, shouting, “Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.”
For meditation: The Lord’s second coming is an encouragement for us to hold fast to what we have (Revelation 2:25; 3:11). “Hold the fort, for I am coming!”
Sermon no. 249
24 April (1859)
C.H. Spurgeon

These constant, inevitable, and lesser evils

  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

(Hannah More)

Remember that life is not entirely made up of great evils or heavy trials. The perpetual recurrence of petty evils and small trials is the ordinary and appointed way to mature our Christian graces. To bear with the moodiness of those about us, with their infirmities, their bad judgments, their perverse tempers; to endure neglect where we feel we have deserved attention, and ingratitude where we expected thanks--to bear with the whole company of disagreeable people whom Divine Providence has placed in our way, and whom God has perhaps provided on purpose for the trial of our virtues--these are the best exercises for our graces; and the better because not chosen by ourselves. To meekly bear with . . .
  continual vexations in our homes,
  disappointments in our expectations,
  interruptions in our times of rest,
  the follies, intrusions, and disturbances of others;
in short, to meekly bear with whatever opposes our will and contradicts our desires--is the very essence of self-denial. These constant, inevitable, and lesser evils, properly improved, furnish the best moral discipline for the Christian.

    ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

A divine challenge

“Thus saith the Lord, let my people go, that they may serve me.” Exodus 8:1
Suggested Further Reading: James 3:3-6
Moses goes to Pharaoh yet again, and says, “Thus saith the Lord, let my people go, that they may serve me.” And at one time the haughty monarch says he will let some go; at another time he will let them all go, but they are to leave their cattle behind. He will hold on to something; if he cannot have the whole he will have a part. It is wonderful how content the devil is if he can but nibble at a man’s heart. It does not matter about swallowing it whole; only let him nibble and he will be content. Let him but bite at the fag ends and be satisfied, for he is wise enough to know that if a serpent has but an inch of bare flesh to sting, he will poison the whole. When Satan cannot get a great sin in he will let a little one in, like the thief who goes and finds shutters all coated with iron and bolted inside. At last he sees a little window in a chamber. He cannot get in, so he puts a little boy in, that he may go round and open the back door. So the devil has always his little sins to carry about with him to go and open back doors for him, and we let one in and say, “O, it is only a little one.” Yes, but how that little one becomes the ruin of the entire man! Let us take care that the devil does not get a foothold, for if he gets but a foothold, he will get his whole body in and we shall be overcome.
For meditation: Beware of giving Satan a window of opportunity (Ephesians 4:27), it is amazing how much damage can be caused by something apparently little (1 Corinthians 5:6; Hebrews 12:15).
Sermon no. 322
23 April (Preached 22 April 1860)
C.H. Spurgeon

The godly man's crosses, losses and sorrows

  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~


(Charles Spurgeon, "Treasury of David")

"He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper." Psalm 1:3

Blessed is the man who has such a promise as this! But we must not always estimate the fulfillment of a promise--by our own eye sight. How often, my brethren, if we judge by feeble sense, may we come to the mournful conclusion of Jacob, "All these things are against me!" For though we know our interest in the promise, yet we are so tried and troubled--that sight sees the very reverse of what that promise foretells. But to the 'eye of faith' this word is sure, and by it we perceive that we are prospered, even when everything seems to go against us.

It is not outward prosperity which the Christian most desires and values; it is soul prosperity which he longs for. Even in adversity, there is a true prospering, for it is often for the soul's health--that we would be poor, afflicted and tried. Our worst things--are often our best things! As there is a curse wrapped up in the wicked man's mercies--so there is a blessing concealed in the godly man's crosses, losses and sorrows. The trials of the saint are a divine husbandry, by which he grows and brings forth abundant fruit.

    ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Full redemption

“There shall not an hoof be left behind.” Exodus 10:26
Suggested Further Reading: Revelation 20:1-10
A man once wrote a book to prove the devil a fool. Certainly, when all matters shall come to their destined consummation, Satan will prove to have been a magnificent fool. Folly, magnified to the highest degree by subtlety, shall be developed in Satan. Ah! Thou trailing serpent, what hast thou now after all? I saw thee but a few thousand years ago, twining around the tree of life, and hissing out thy deceptive words. Ah! how glorious was the serpent then—a winged creature, with his azure scales. Yes, and thou didst triumph over God. I heard thee as thou didst go hissing down to thy den. I heard thee say to thy brood,—vipers in the nest as they are,—“My children, I have stained the Almighty’s works: I have turned aside his loyal subjects; I have injected my poison into the heart of Eve, and Adam hath fallen too; my children let us hold a jubilee, for I have defeated God.” Oh, my enemy; I think I see thee now, with thy head all broken, and thy jaw-teeth smashed, and thy venom-bags all emptied, and thou thyself a weary length of agony, rolling miles afloat along a sea of fire, tortured, destroyed, overcome, tormented, ashamed, hacked, hewed, dashed in pieces, and made a hissing, and a scorn for children to laugh at, and made a scoff throughout eternity. Ah! well, brethren, the great Goliath hath gained nothing by his boasting: Christ and his people have really lost nothing by Satan. All they lost once, has been re-taken. The victory has not simply been a capture of that which was lost, but a gaining of something more. We are in Christ more than we were before we fell. “Not a hoof shall be left behind.”
For meditation: Victory over Satan will be celebrated with joy (Revelation 12:10-12; Romans 16:20) but for the moment we must remain on our guard against him (1 Corinthians 7:5; 2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 4:27; 6:11; 1 Timothy 3:6,7; 1 Peter 5:8,9).
Sermon no. 309
22 April (1860)
C.H. Spurgeon

Sweet in the mouth, but bitter in the belly

  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~



(Thomas Watson, "Body of Divinity")

See the evil effects of sin!

Sin has degraded us of our honor. God made us in His own image--but sin has debased us. Sin has plucked off our coat of innocence, and now it has debased us, and turned our glory into shame.

Sin disquiets the peace of the soul. "But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud." "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked." Isaiah 57:20-21. Whatever defiles, disturbs. As poison corrupts the blood--so sin corrupts the soul. Sin breeds a trembling at the heart; it creates fears, and there is "torment in fear." Sin makes sad convulsions in the conscience. Judas was so terrified with guilt and horror, that he hanged himself to quiet his conscience. In order to ease his conscience--he threw himself into Hell.

Sin produces all temporal evil. It is the Trojan Horse, which has sword, and famine and pestilence, in its belly. Sin is a coal, which not only blackens--but burns! Sin creates all our troubles; it puts gravel into our bread, and wormwood in our cup. Sin rots the name, consumes the estate, and buries loved ones.

Sin unrepented of, brings final damnation. The canker which breeds in the rose is the cause of its perishing; just so--the corruptions which breed in men's souls are the cause of their damning. Sin's pleasure will turn to sorrow at last; like the book the prophet ate--sin is sweet in the mouth, but bitter in the belly. Sin brings the wrath of God--and what tears can quench that fire?

    ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

The carnal mind

“The carnal mind is enmity against God.” Romans 8:7
Suggested Further Reading: Romans 5:6-11
Let me suppose an impossible case for a moment. Let me imagine a man entering heaven without a change of heart. He comes within the gates. He hears a sonnet. He starts! It is to the praise of his enemy. He sees a throne, and on it sits one who is glorious; but it is his enemy. He walks streets of gold, but those streets belong to his enemy. He sees hosts of angels; but those are the servants of his enemy. He is in an enemy’s house; for he is at enmity with God. He could not join the song, for he would not know the tune. There he would stand; silent, motionless; till Christ should say, with a voice louder than ten thousand thunders, “What doest thou here? Enemies at a marriage banquet? Enemies in the children’s house? Enemies in heaven? Get thee gone! Depart ye cursed, into everlasting fire in hell!” Oh! sirs, if the unregenerate man could enter heaven, I mention once more the oft-repeated saying of Whitefield, he would be so unhappy in heaven, that he would ask God to let him run down into hell for shelter. There must be a change, if you consider the future state; for how can enemies to God ever sit down at the banquet of the Lamb? And to conclude, let me remind you—and it is in the text after all—that this change must be worked by a power beyond your own. An enemy may possibly make himself a friend, but enmity cannot. If it be but an adjunct of his nature to be an enemy he may change himself into a friend; but if it is the very essence of his existence to be enmity, positive enmity, enmity cannot change itself. No, there must be something done more than we can accomplish.
For meditation: The Lord Jesus Christ has done for us much more than he commanded his disciples to do for their enemies (Luke 6:27-28).
Sermon no. 20
21 April (Preached 22 April 1855)

C.H. Spurgeon

The happiness of Heaven

  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~


(Thomas Sherman, "Divine Breathings; Or, a Pious Soul Thirsting after Christ")

"No eye has seen,
 no ear has heard,
 no mind has conceived,
 what God has prepared for those who love Him!" 1 Corinthians 2:9

The vessel of our soul is too capacious to be filled with all the pleasures and delights the world put together. But hereafter, our pleasures and delights shall be too great for the most capacious vessel to hold! Our glory shall be so great, that power as well as goodness, shall be given by God Himself, to renew and enlarge these vessels, that they may be capable of receiving and retaining that glory. Strength and love shall go forth together, to prepare and elevate our dispositions, that they may be suitable for such a transcendent and exalted state!

At present, we are too weak to bear such a weight of glory; therefore God will immortalize us--that we may be able to sustain it! And because our eternal joys cannot fully enter into us while in this world--we shall fully enter into them in heaven.

What fool would place only a few drops of carnal pleasures into so large a vessel as the soul--and neglect the spring, or rather the ocean of unspeakable bliss, and everlasting glory!

O my soul, what a glorious day is coming, when the vessels of mercy shall be cast into the ocean of mercy, and be filled to the very brim with divine mercy! Then the soul that is love-sick for Jesus--shall lie in the bosom of divine love, and forever be satisfied with unfathomable love! Then the children of God shall have a full fruition of God, and be forever satisfied with the presence of God! The joy of His glorious presence, the fullness of His joy, the sweetness of this fullness, the eternity of this sweetness--the heart of man can never adequately comprehend.

Lord, let the glory which you have prepared for me--turn my soul from the vanities of earth!

"You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand!" Psalm 16:11

    ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Final perseverance

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” Hebrews 6:4-6
Suggested Further Reading: Hebrews 10:26-39
God preserves his children from falling away; but he keeps them by the use of means; and one of these is, the terrors of the law, showing them what would happen if they were to fall away. There is a deep precipice: what is the best way to keep any one from going down there? Why, to tell him that if he did he would inevitably be dashed to pieces. In some old castle there is a deep cellar where there is a vast amount of stale air and gas which would kill anybody who went down. What does the guide say? “If you go down you will never come up alive.” Who thinks of going down? The very fact of the guide telling us what the consequences would be, keeps us from it. Our friend puts away from us a cup of arsenic; he does not want us to drink it, but he says, “If you drink it, it will kill you.” Does he suppose for a moment that we should drink it? No; he tells us the consequence, and he is sure we will not do it. So God says, “My child, if you fall over this precipice you will be dashed to pieces.” What does the child do? He says, “Father, keep me; hold thou me up, and I shall be safe.” It leads the believer to greater dependence on God, to a holy fear and caution, because he knows that if he were to fall away he could not be renewed, and he stands far away from that great gulf, because he knows that if he were to fall into it there would be no salvation for him. It is calculated to excite fear; and this holy fear keeps the Christian from falling.
For meditation: God is the One who keeps us from falling (Jude 24), but he still tells us that we have some responsibility to keep ourselves in his love (Jude 21).
Sermon no. 75
20 April (1856)
C.H. Spurgeon

Your poor, silly sheep

  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~


(Octavius Winslow, "Daily Need Divinely Supplied" 1870)

"The Lord is my Shepherd . . . He restores my soul."  Psalm 23:1, 3.

It is not the least important duty of the Shepherd to go in quest of the stray ones of the flock; the fickle sheep wandering from the fold.

The spiritual history of the believer is a history . . .
  of declension--and revival,
  of departure--and return,
  of his backsliding--and of the Savior's restoring.

The regenerate soul is bent upon backsliding from the Lord. The sun does not more naturally decline, than does the believing heart wander from God.

"O Lord, how many and hidden are my soul's departures from You, You only know! How often my love chills, my faith droops, my zeal flags, and I grow weary, and am ready to halt in Your service. Mine is a sinful, roving heart, as fickle to You as the changing wind; as false to my vows as a broken bow. But You, O Lord, are my Shepherd, and You restore my soul. Pitying my infirmity, knowing my wanderings, and tracking all my steps--You recover, heal, and pardon Your poor, silly sheep, prone to leave Your wounded, sheltering side in quest of that which can be found in Yourself alone."

Oh, the love of Jesus in . . .
  curbing our waywardness,
  checking our wanderings,
  arresting, healing, and restoring our souls.

He never forsakes His people, though they forsake Him times without number. How can He turn His back upon one bought with His sufferings, groans, and tears? How can He forsake the work of grace wrought in the soul by His Spirit? He may withdraw Himself for a time, gently to awaken us from our slothfulness and slumber--yet He returns again, and our lips gratefully sing, "He restores my soul."

"I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you!" Hebrews 13:5

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood!

O to grace how great a debtor,
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above!

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood-washed linen
How I'll sing Thy sovereign grace!

    ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

The uses of the law

“Wherefore then serveth the law?” Galatians 3:19
Suggested Further Reading: Proverbs 26:12-16
I find that the proudest and most self-righteous people are those who do nothing at all, and have no shadow of pretence for any opinion of their own goodness. The old truth in the book of Job is true now. You know in the beginning of the book of Job it is said, “The oxen were ploughing, and the asses were feeding beside them.” That is generally the way in this world. The oxen are ploughing in the church —we have some who are labouring hard for Christ—and the asses are feeding beside them, on the finest livings and the fattest of the land. These are the people who have so much to say about self-righteousness. What do they do? They do not do enough to earn a living, and yet they think they are going to earn heaven. They sit down and fold their hands, and yet they are so reverently righteous, because they sometimes dole out a little in charity. They do nothing, and yet boast of self-righteousness. And with Christian people it is the same. If God makes you laborious, and keeps you constantly engaged in his service, you are less likely to be proud of your self-righteousness than you are if you do nothing. But at all times there is a natural tendency to it. Therefore, God has written the law, that when we read it we may see our faults; that when we look into it, as into a looking-glass, we may see the impurities in our flesh, and have reason to abhor ourselves in sackcloth and ashes, and still cry to Jesus for mercy. Use the law in this fashion, and in no other.
For meditation: The more we learn, the more we realise how little we know; the more we do, the more we realise how little we do; the holier we become, the more we realise how unholy we are. Being sluggish is most unsuitable for the Christian (Hebrews 6:10-12).
Sermon no. 128
19 April (1857)
C.H. Spurgeon

Don't worry about the package!

  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~



(J.R. Miller)

"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." Hebrews 12:11

Beyond the River of Sorrow, there is a Promised Land. Just so, no trial for the present seems joyous, yet afterward it leads to blessing. There are rich possibilities for good--beyond every pain and trial. There are green fields--beyond Jordan's sorrows. Our disappointments are really God's appointments, and bring rich rewards. God takes our losses--and molds them into gains for us. There is nothing really evil in the experiences of a Christian, for "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Our Father sends us nothing but good. Don't worry about the package! Be it dull or attractive--it enfolds a 'gift of love'!

    ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

The Redeemer’s prayer

“Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” John 17:24
Suggested Further Reading: Song of Solomon 5:1-8
When we get a glimpse of Christ, many step in to interfere. We have our hours of contemplation, when we draw near to Jesus, but alas! how the world steps in and interrupts even our most quiet moments—the shop, the field, the child, the wife, the head, perhaps the very heart, all these are interlopers between ourselves and Jesus. Christ loves quiet; he will not talk to our souls in the busy market place, but he says, “Come, my love, into the vineyard, get thee away into the villages, there will I show thee my love.” But when we go to the villages, behold the Philistine is there, the Canaanite has invaded the land. When we would be free from all thought except thought of Jesus, the wandering band of Bedouin thoughts come upon us, and they take away our treasures, and spoil our tents. We are like Abraham with his sacrifice; we lay out the pieces ready for the burning, but foul birds come to feast on the sacrifice which we desire to keep for our God and for him alone. We have to do as Abraham did; “When the birds came down upon the sacrifice, Abraham drove them away.” But in heaven there shall be no interruption, no weeping eyes shall make us for a moment pause in our vision; no earthly joys, no sensual delights, shall create a discord in our melody; there shall we have no fields to till, no garment to spin, no wearied limb, no dark distress, no burning thirst, no pangs of hunger, no weepings of bereavement; we shall have nothing to do or think upon, but for ever to gaze upon that Sun of righteousness, with eyes that cannot be blinded, and with a heart that can never be weary.
For meditation: We are never going to be free from outside distractions and wandering thoughts in this life, but we do need to seek to have some time each day when we can shut them out as far as possible and spend time alone with our heavenly Father (Matthew 6:6).
Sermon no. 188
18 April (1858)
C.H. Spurgeon

To eat to the glory of God

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(J.R. Miller)

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31

Nothing in life is left out--"whatever you do." It extends even to eating and drinking. We are to do all things to the glory of God. This means that we must do everything in a way that will please Him.

To eat to the glory of God is to recognize Him as the Giver of our daily bread, to seek His blessing on it, to eat according to the divine laws, eating to be ready for the best service, and then to use all our strength in doing the work which God gives us to do.

One who eats self-indulgently or gluttonously, or who eats food that is injurious to his health, or who does not use the strength he derives from his food in living obediently--is not glorifying God. In all our life, in everything we do, we are to think of what will honor God.

    ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Little sins

“Is it not a little one?” Genesis 19:20
Suggested Further Reading: Romans 2:1-11
There is a deep pit, and the soul is falling down,—oh how fast it is falling! There! The last ray of light at the top has disappeared, and it falls on and on and on, and so it goes on falling—on and on and on—for a thousand years! “Is it not getting near the bottom yet? No, you are no nearer the bottom yet: it is the “bottomless pit;” it is on and on and on, and so the soul goes on falling, perpetually, into a deeper depth still, falling for ever into the “bottomless pit” and on and on and on, into the pit that has no bottom! Woe without termination, without hope of coming to a conclusion. The same dreadful idea is contained in those words, “The wrath to come.” Notice, hell is always “the wrath to come.” If a man has been in hell a thousand years, it is still “to come.” What you have suffered in the past is as nothing, in the dread account, for still the wrath is “to come.” And when the world has grown grey with age, and the fires of the sun are quenched in darkness, it is still “the wrath to come.” And when other worlds have sprung up, and have turned into their palsied age, it is still “the wrath to come.” And when your soul, burnt through and through with anguish, sighs at last to be annihilated, even then this awful thunder shall be heard, “the wrath to come—to come—to come.” Oh, what an idea! I know not how to utter it! And yet for little sins, remember you incur “the wrath to come.”
For meditation: This shocking description can give only a faint idea of the just punishment of our sins. Are you trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ to deliver you from the wrath to come? He is able to do it because he suffered the wrath of his loving heavenly Father on the cross (Romans 5:9;
1 Thessalonians 1:10).

“We may not know, we cannot tell, What pains He had to bear;
But we believe it was for us, He hung and suffered there.”

Do you?
Sermon no. 248
17 April (1859)
C.H. Spurgeon

Green pastures

  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~



(J.R. Miller, "Daily Bible Readings in the Life of Christ" 1890)

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake." Psalm 23:1-3

The shepherd takes care that his sheep are well fed. Christ also feeds His people, and leads them out to find pasture.

The Bible is His pasture-land, and the pasturage there is always good. Every chapter is a field of rich grass. Some of these fields seem at first to be bare and sterile; but even in the barest--there is enough pasture to feed a hungry soul.

Then there are the pasture-fields of prayer. These lie very close to the border of Heaven. They are always up in the quiet valleys among the mountains. The Good Shepherd leads us to them through the gates of prayer. We bow down in lowly humility, and enter with Him into the green pastures, and feed our souls until their hunger is satisfied.

The church is another of our Shepherd's pasture-fields. We enter the gates of the sanctuary, and at once we find spiritual food. We find it in the preaching of the Scriptures, in the ordinances, and in the fellowship of other believers.

In our common life in this world, if we are faithfully following Christ, we are continually in fields of rich pasture. Christ never leads us into any places in which there is nothing to feed us. Even in the hot plains of trial and sorrow--there is food. We sometimes think there is only barrenness in our toilsome life, filled with temptations, cares and sacrifices; but the Good Shepherd is ever with us--and there is always pasture.

Thus the whole world is a rich field--when Jesus leads His flock. If any Christians are not well fed--it is because they will not feed. The trouble must be that they do not hunger for spiritual food.

    ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Christ—our substitute

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
Suggested Further Reading: Isaiah 53:10-12
In no sense is he ever a guilty man, but always is he an accepted and a holy one. What, then, is the meaning of that very forcible expression of my text? We must interpret Scriptural modes of expression by the words of the speakers. We know that our Master once said himself, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood;” he did not mean that the cup was the covenant. He said, “Take, eat, this is my body”—none of us conceives that the bread is the literal flesh and blood of Christ. We take that bread as if it were the body, and it actually represents it. Now, we are to read a passage like this, according to the analogy of faith. Jesus Christ was made by his Father sin for us, that is, he was treated as if he had himself been sin. He was not sin; he was not sinful; he was not guilty; but, he was treated by his Father, as if he had not only been sinful, but as if he had been sin itself. That is a strong expression used here. Not only has he made him to be the substitute for sin, but to be sin. God looked on Christ as if Christ had been sin; not as if he had taken up the sins of his people, or as if they were laid on him, though that were true, but as if he himself had positively been that noxious—that God-hating—that soul-damning thing, called sin. When the judge of all the earth said, “Where is sin?” Christ presented himself. He stood before his Father as if he had been the accumulation of all human guilt; as if he himself were that thing which God cannot endure, but which he must drive from his presence for ever.
For meditation: God regarded Christ crucified just as if he were sin, not Son. The substitutionary atonement is the key which enables the Christian to make use of the description “Just as if I’d never sinned.”
Sermon no. 310
16 April (Preached 15 April 1860)
C.H. Spurgeon

An easy, self-indulgent life!

  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~



(J.R. Miller)

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Luke 9:23

We cannot live a life that will please Christ--without great cost to ourselves. It is never an easy thing, to be a disciple of Christ. An easy, self-indulgent life--can never be a Christ-like life.

It was not easy for Christ to redeem sinners. From beginning to end of His earthly ministry, He poured out His own precious life. The people thronged about Him with their sins, their sorrows, and their needs--and virtue went out of Him continually to heal them, to comfort them, to feed their heart-hunger. He utterly forgot Himself--and gave His life and love without stint to every one who asked. At last He literally gave Himself, emptying out His heart's blood--to give eternal life to sinful and dead souls. His sufferings were finished, when He bowed His head on the cross.

It is now our privilege to suffer for Him--to perpetuate the self-sacrificial love of Christ on this earth. Only in so far as we do this, are we living a life that will please Him.

"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death." Philippians 3:10

"And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." Matthew 10:38
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The parable of the sower

“A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Luke 8:5-8
Suggested Further Reading: Colossians 1:1-10
The ground was good; not that it was good by nature, but it had been made good by grace. God had ploughed it; he had stirred it up with the plough of conviction, and there it lay in ridge and furrow as it should be. And when the Gospel was preached, the heart received it, for the man said, “That’s just the Christ I want. Mercy!” said he, “it’s just what a needy sinner requires. A refuge! God help me to fly to it, for a refuge I sorely want.” The preaching of the gospel was the vital thing which gave comfort to this disturbed and ploughed soil. Down fell the seed; it sprung up. In some cases it produced a fervency of love, a largeness of heart, a devotedness of purpose, like seed which produced a hundredfold. The man became a mighty servant for God, he spent himself and was spent. He took his place in the vanguard of Christ’s army, stood in the hottest of the battle, and did deeds of daring which few could accomplish,—the seed produced a hundredfold. It fell in another heart of like character;—the man could not do the most, still he did much. He gave himself, just as he was, up to God, and in his business he had a word to say for the business of the world to come. In his daily walk, he quietly adorned the doctrine of God his Saviour,—he brought forth sixtyfold. Then it fell on another, whose abilities and talents were but small; he could not be a star, but he would be a glow-worm; he could not do as the greatest, but he was content to do something, even though it were the least. The seed had brought forth in him tenfold, perhaps twentyfold.
For meditation: Quantity of fruit is desirable, but quality of fruit is essential—fruit that has gone mouldy is useless. The Lord Jesus Christ is looking for fruit in quantity and fruit which lasts (John 15:5,16).
Sermon no. 308
15 April (1860)
C.H.  Spurgeon

Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church
1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501
April 14, 2013          
 Newsletter Number 411

Brother Randy Johnson, Pastor                    Brother Ronnie Henderson, Song Director
Pastor E-Mail: pastor@sgmbaptist.com          Web Site: www.sgmbaptist.com

"Where The Truths Of God’s Word Have Been Taught For More Than Fifty Years”

You Were Asked To Pray For:

All of Our Military, Their Family’s & All the Civilian Workers in The Middle East, Zee Mink Fuller and Family, Her son’s Bryan Armstrong and Hunter Hackie, Daughter Shannon, and Brother Philip & Sondra Thornsberry, Junior Baldridge, Frankie Baldridge and daughter, Buckie Thompson, Frank & Sonya Trusty, Frank & Dawana Reigel, Andrew Preston, Larry Mollette, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kerry Pennington, Kim Poole, Danny & Nita Mollette, Wendell Henderson, Judy Dunn, Martha Gray, Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd, Ronnie Henderson Jr. & Children, Ricky Henderson and Family, Jacie Henderson, Velma Hammond, Charles, Don Hammond and Families, Archie & Barbara Griffin, Bro. & Sister Bob Keller, Mary Ramsey, Donna Johnson, Fay Johnson, James and Luann Reynolds, Timothy and Nathan Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jerry Hughes, Sister Nita Bookout, Teresa Bookout, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Janie Capps, Imajo Tracy, Linda Hughes, Roy Lemmon, Rosie Tomlin, Lee Mollette’s Daughter & Granddaughter Kristal, Pat Abercrombie, Barbara Brewer, Donna Jones, Dale and Linda Trahan, Ricky and Margaret McCoy, Brother David O’Neal, Gina, Ryan, and Mallary Peel, Tommy Walker and family, Dina Thomas, Brother Steve McCool and the work in Canada, Brother Curtis Pugh, Brother Dan Sullivan and the work in Thailand, Brother Raul and the work in Romania, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

A Thought From Our Pastor:

The Majesty Of God

"And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying," Genesis 17:3

We often find ourselves worshiping God with little reverence. Sometimes doing something everyday such as prayer or going to church several times a week can turn into a routine rather than an honor. We all need to work on being most honored when we pray because it is an honor to visit with the Lord whether in person or in prayer. Here we see Abraham getting a visit from the Lord and when God spoke to him he fell on his face at reverence toward the Most High. Abraham recognized his unworthiness of such a visit from God. Folks we are the same way, we are all unworthy to visit with God. We always need to recognize the blessedness in our ability to talk to God and reverence all our time visiting with Him. We need to always recognize having such favors bestowed upon us is an act of grace in which we can never repay God for. I feel such an honor and at the same time such an unworthiness to pastor one of the Lords churches and to be able to be use in speaking His blessed word to His church. Any believer, whether being used greatly or being used in smaller ways ought to always consider the honor to be used of God. Whether we are called to work in His church or to die for His blessed name it is all an honor and should be treated with reverence. God did not have to use Abraham and He does not need you. Abraham was not the only one to show honor in falling on their face before God many others did the same.

“God talked with him” wow what this must have been like to have not only been visited by God but to also have had a one on one conversation with the Most High. I just cannot imagine what it is going to be like to visit with the Lord in person for the very first time. A time when it is no longer by faith, but now a reality. The reality settling in that Jesus is soon to return and I may actually be blessed with that blessed event my forefathers only dreamed of; and that is being alive when the Lord returns. All of them with the Lord as He returns, but us being raptured or being caught up to meet the Lord in the air is a dream all believers have had since Jesus was resurrected and ascended. But imagine what it is going to be like to actually see and speak to God not in faith or prayer but face to face; oh what a blessed thought. While Abraham and others alike spoke with God and fell on their faces to do so, we to will also be blessed in seeing and speaking with the Lord. What blessed day we have ahead of us.

For Our Weekly  Meditation:

The Way You Must Go
“And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.  Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.  And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” (Joshua 3:3-5) 

This is such a wonderful picture of salvation through Jesus Christ, who is the Covenant of the LORD our God.  Why?  What is the revelation of the “ark of the covenant”?  Notice: “…the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat;” (Heb. 9:4b-5a)  The ark, its contents, and the mercyseat were designed to be direct types of Jesus and the way of salvation through him.  The only way one must go to be saved! 

“Manna” is in reference to Jesus being the bread that gives eternal life by which He said, “This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.” (Jn. 6:50)  The cut off “rod that budded” (“…shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself…” Dan. 9:26)) is pointing to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus as the Branch that was cut off, yet he lives forevermore.  The “tables of the covenant” reveal Jesus, the Word, as the everlasting covenant of God.  “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.” (Heb. 13:20)

Over all of this, one will find the “mercyseat” where the grace of God is gifted through the sprinkling of the blood of the Lamb.  The ungodly have never passed this way before, but God by direction has shown Jesus to be the only way one must go to reach the mercyseat.

By Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr.

Notice:

We want to thank all the men that turned out for our work day. It was a most blessed morning and we thank God.

We will have our church business meeting at 4:00 this afternoon. Please plan to discuss any church business then.

God Routs Fear:

"Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel" Num. 23:23

How this should cut up root and branch all silly, superstitious fears! Even if there were any truth in witchcraft and omens, they could not affect the people of the Lord. Those whom God blesses, devils cannot curse.

Ungodly men, like Balaam, may cunningly plot the overthrow of the Lord's Israel; but with all their secrecy and policy they are doomed to fail. Their powder is damp, the edge of their sword is blunted. They gather together; but as the Lord is not with them, they gather together in vain. We may sit still, and let them weave their nets, for we shall not be taken in them. Though they call in the aid of Beelzebub, and employ all his serpentine craft, it will avail them nothing: the spells will not work, the divination will deceive them. What a blessing this is! How it quiets the heart! God's Jacobs wrestle with God, but none shall wrestle with them and prevail. God's Israels have power with God and prevail, but none shall have power to prevail against them. We need not fear the fiend himself, nor any of those secret enemies whose words are full of deceit and whose plans are deep and unfathomable. They cannot hurt those who trust in the living God. We defy the devil and all his legions.

By Charles Spergeon from his “Faith's Checkbook” series.