Morning and Evening

Charles H. Spurgeon
September 29, 2010

Morning Reading

Behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague.

—Leviticus 13:13

Strange enough this regulation appears, yet there was wisdom in it, for the throwing out of the disease proved that the constitution was sound. This morning it may be well for us to see the typical teaching of so singular a rule. We, too, are lepers, and may read the law of leper as applicable to ourselves. When a man sees himself to be altogether lost and ruined, covered all over with the defilement of sin, and no part free from pollution; when he disclaims all righteousness of his own, and pleads guilty before the Lord, then is he clean through the blood of Jesus, and the grace of God. Hidden, unfelt, unconfessed iniquity is the true leprosy, but when sin is seen and felt it has received its death blow, and the Lord looks with eyes of mercy upon the soul afflicted with it. Nothing is more deadly than self-righteousness, or more hopeful than contrition. We must confess that we are "nothing else but sin," for no confession short of this will be the whole truth, and if the Holy Spirit be at work with us, convincing us of sin, there will be no difficulty about making such an acknowledgment—it will spring spontaneously from our lips. What comfort does the text afford to those under a deep sense of sin! Sin mourned and confessed, however black and foul, shall never shut a man out from the Lord Jesus. Whosoever cometh unto Him, He will in no wise cast out. Though dishonest as the thief, though unchaste as the woman who was a sinner, though fierce as Saul of Tarsus, though cruel as Manasseh, though rebellious as the prodigal, the great heart of love will look upon the man who feels himself to have no soundness in him, and will pronounce him clean, when he trusts in Jesus crucified. Come to Him, then, poor heavy-laden sinner,

Come needy, come guilty, come loathsome and bare;
You can't come too filthy—come just as you are.

Evening Reading

I found Him whom my soul loveth: I held Him, and would not let Him go.

—Song 3:4

Does Christ receive us when we come to Him, notwithstanding all our past sinfulness? Does He never chide us for having tried all other refuges first? And is there none on earth like Him? Is He the best of all the good, the fairest of all the fair? Oh, then let us praise Him! Daughters of Jerusalem, extol Him with timbrel and harp! Down with your idols, up with the Lord Jesus.. Now let the standards of pomp and pride be trampled under foot, but let the cross of Jesus, which the world frowns and scoffs at, be lifted on high. O for a throne of ivory for our King Solomon! let Him be set on high for ever, and let my soul sit at His footstool, and kiss His feet, and wash them with my tears. Oh, how precious is Christ! How can it be that I have thought so little of Him? How is it I can go abroad for joy or comfort when He is so full, so rich, so satisfying. Fellow believer, make a covenant with thine heart that thou wilt never depart from Him, and ask thy Lord to ratify it. Bid Him set thee as a signet upon His finger, and as a bracelet upon His arm. Ask Him to bind thee about Him, as the bride decketh herself with ornaments, and as the bridegroom putteth on his jewels. I would live in Christ's heart; in the clefts of that rock my soul would eternally abide. The sparrow hath made a house, and the swallow a nest for herself where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God; and so too would I make my nest, my home, in Thee, and never from Thee may the soul of Thy turtle dove go forth again, but may I nestle close to Thee, O Jesus, my true and only rest.

"When my precious Lord I find,
All my ardent passions glow;
Him with cords of love I bind,
Hold and will not let Him go."

Pride and Shame or Humility and Wisdom

Day By Day By Grace
Bob Hoekstra
September 29, 2010

When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom…The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools. (Proverbs 11:2 and 3:35)

In order to live by the grace of God, we must be willing to walk in humility, instead of in pride. "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (1 Peter 5:5). We must be willing to acknowledge our daily, desperate need for God. Any other approach to life is based upon pride (which is a foolish, inaccurate assumption that we are adequate to produce a life on our own). Those who walk in pride end up with shame. Those who walk in humility end up with wisdom.

The Scriptures describe those who foolishly walk in pride, as well as declaring the shame that they experience. "When pride comes, then comes shame…shame shall be the legacy of fools." One example would be the wicked way that many privileged and powerful people persecute the downtrodden and the vulnerable. They are demonstrating their pride. "The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised" (Psalm 10:2). Their shame is that they can become entangled in the very schemes that they have contrived. Another example is seen in those who arrogantly oppose the people of God. "This they shall have for their pride, because they have reproached and made arrogant threats against the people of the LORD of hosts" (Zephaniah 2:10). Their shame was announced as a barrenness so severe as to be likened unto the end of Sodom and Gomorrah. "'Therefore, as I live,' says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Surely Moab shall be like Sodom, and the people of Ammon like Gomorrah—overrun with weeds and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation'" (Zephaniah 2:9).

In contrast to the shame that comes to the prideful, is the wisdom (and resulting glory, or honor) that comes to the humble. "With the humble is wisdom… The wise shall inherit glory." Those who walk humbly before the Lord find the godly wisdom available in the Lord's infallible word. "The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple" (Psalm 19:7). This wisdom from God brings honor to the humble ones who live by it. "A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor" (Proverbs 29:23). Again, this honor for the humble is in striking contrast to the wretched and ignoble end that pride engenders.

Dear Lord of Glory, how fitting that those who pridefully oppose You will be brought low and will end up in shame. I do not want to be numbered among them. I desire to walk in humility, to eagerly acknowledge my desperate need for You every day in every way, and to be compassionate toward the needy. I desire to bless Your people, to humbly seek the wisdom of Your word, and to be a vessel of honor unto You, through Christ Jesus, my Lord, Amen.

Come quickly O Lord!

Daily Promises
Blue Letter Bible
September 29, 2010

Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. (2 Peter 3:13)

We as believers have a hope and a promise from God that there will be a new heaven and a new earth, which is the home of the righteous! These mortal things will soon pass! We merely await His glorious return! Let us cry with a great hope: "Come quickly O Lord!"

The grand secret!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(Octavius Winslow, "Evening Thoughts")

"This is real love. It is not that we loved God--but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." 1 John 4:10

Deal much and closely with a crucified Savior! This is the grand secret of a constant ascending of the affections to God. If you find it difficult to comprehend the love of God towards you--then read it in the cross of His dear Son!

Dwell upon this amazing fact,
drink into this precious truth,
muse upon it,
ponder it,
search into it,
pray over it,
until your heart is melted down, and broken, and overwhelmed with God's wondrous love to you, in the gift of Jesus!

Oh, how will this rekindle the flame that is ready to die in your bosom! How it will draw you up in a holy and unreserved surrender of body, soul, and spirit!

Deal much with Jesus!

Whenever you detect . . .
a waning of love,
a reluctance to take up the daily cross,
a shrinking from the precept
--go immediately to Calvary!

Go simply and directly to Jesus!

Get your heart warmed with ardent love by contemplating Him upon the cross--and soon will the frosts that gather round it melt away, and the congealed current shall begin to flow!

"Who loved me--and gave Himself for me!" Galatians 2:20

Romans 10:1-4

A Study of The Book of Romans

Lesson 71 Chapter 10:1 – 4

By Pastor Randy Johnson

1. Verse 1 “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.”
1. This is Paul second plea for his beloved Israel . Romans 1:3 “For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:”
2. However he ended chapter 9 admitting they would only be a few that was the true elect of God. Romans 9:27 “Esaias also crieth concerning Israel , Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:”
3. He also understood from his past belief and firmness in the Jewish faith, and their hatred for Jesus Christ and Christians, and that their total depravity that they would never turn to Christ on their own. This is why also in chapter 9 he ended with this; Romans 9:32 - 33 “Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; (33.) As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” Christ Jesus is their stumbling stone, just as He is with the religionist of our day because He simply in not alone able to cleanse us from out sins in totality.
4. “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is…”

a. “…my heart's desire…” means - my earnest and sincere prayer is – meaning he truly did desire the Israelites to be saved but understood unless God redeemed them they were eternally lost.

b. Wesley said in his commentary, “He would not have prayed for this, had they been absolutely reprobated.” – I agree, Paul did pray because he wanted them to be saved, if he believed there was no hope at all he would not have prayed about it.

5. “…that they might be saved.” He did not pray for worldly riches or worldly powers or etc. he prayed for their salvation. If you know someone who is lost the only thing they need from God is salvation, pray for salvation before all else because God is the only One Who can save the lost.
1. Verse 2 “For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.”
1. This goes back to their living and attempting to obey the law, just because they have zeal to serve God does not mean they will be accepted as saved. Just because religious people consider themselves “good Christians” and have wonderful works does not make them Christians.
2. “For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God…” The word “zeal” means – heat or fervent mind – It could mean one who serves God most faithfully, or one who lives for God, or one who has faithful works. But without Christ it is all fruitless, one cannot serve God without Christ in their heart. John 16:2 - 3 “They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. (3.) And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.” – Just because one is religious does not mean they know the True God, nor do they know Jesus Christ.

a. Jesus said; Matthew 23:15 “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.” Justin Martyr defines it this way, “the proselytes did not only disbelieve Christ’s doctrine, but were abundantly more blasphemous against him than the Jews themselves, endeavoring to torment and cut off the Christians wherever they could; they being in this the instruments of the scribes and Pharisees.” – The converts were worse than the Jews were, all the while convinced they were doing Gods will, just as Saul (or Paul) did before he was saved.

b. Albert Barnes said “That is, twice as bad. To be a child of hell was a Hebrew phrase, signifying to be deserving of hell, to be awfully wicked.

3. “…but not according to knowledge.” – But not according to truth. Many people believe themselves to be doing Gods will but in reality know nothing about God or His true will. Their works are in vain.

a. Matthew 15:9 “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

b. Galatians 2:21 “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”

c. Philippians 2:16 “Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”

d. Those that LABOR for God and for salvation know neither the grace of God nor the salvation of God, and will spend eternity in hell for all their labors no matter how wonderful man may consider them.

3. Verse 3 “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”
1. “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness…” – The word “ignorant” simply means – not to know or to understand – They were and are ignorant of Gods plan of salvation and the religious world today is in the same state. How can one know if God does not reveal it to them?
2. “…and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” – By living the law, this is mans creation not God, God never said a man is justified by works of any kind.

a. Philippians 3:8 “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, (9.) And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”

b. Every saved person believes Jesus Christ saves sinners and not works. Works is a man-made salvation it has nothing to do with God. Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”

c. Verse 4 “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” – This is point blank, no doubt, Paul simply spelled it all out, Christ Jesus is salvation He is not only a part of salvation. Christ + nothing else = salvation / Christ + anything else = eternity in hell.

d. Matthew 5:17 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” – Because He fulfilled the law so do we who are in Him, therefore why would our attempt to fulfill it be a part of salvation? Did He not do a good enough job? This is why “…Christ is the end of the law…” V. 4 It needs no more fulfilling.