"Then cried they all again, saying: Not this man, but Barabbas!" John 18:40
Barabbas was a murderer, a felon, and a traitor. This fact is very significant. There is more teaching in it than at first sight we might imagine. Have we not here in this act of the deliverance of the sinner, and the binding of the innocent — a sort of type of that great work which is accomplished by the death of our Savior?
You and I may fairly take our stand by the side of Barabbas. We have robbed God of His glory; we have been seditious traitors against the government of Heaven; and if he who hates his brother is a murderer — then we also have been guilty of that sin. Here we stand before the judgment seat; the Prince of life is bound for us — and we are allowed to go free! The Lord delivers us and acquits us — while the Savior, without spot or blemish, or shadow of a fault, is led forth to crucifixion!
Two birds were taken in the rite of the cleansing of the leper. The one bird was killed, and its blood was poured into a basin. The other bird was dipped in this blood, and then, with its wings all crimson, it was set free to fly into the open field.
The bird slain well pictures the Savior, and every soul that has by faith been dipped in His blood, flies upward towards Heaven singing sweetly in joyous liberty, owing its life and its liberty entirely to Him who was slain!
It comes down to this: Barabbas must die — or Christ must die. You the sinner must perish — or Christ Immanuel, the Immaculate, must die. He dies — that we may be delivered!
Though we have been robbers, traitors and murderers — yet we can rejoice that Christ has delivered us from the curse of the law, having been made a curse for us!
"Where sin abounded — grace abounded much more!" Romans 5:20
God loves to take the worst of men — and make them into the most magnificent monuments of His redeeming love and grace! He loves to take the victims of Satan's hate and the most fearful examples of his power to destroy — and use them to illustrate His divine mercy.
He loves to take the things in our own lives that have been the worst and the most vile — and to transform them so that we shall be the opposites of our former selves.
The sweetest spirits — are made from the most stormy and self-willed; the mightiest faith — is created out of the wilderness of doubts and fears; the divinest love — is transformed out of stony hearts of hate and selfishness!
The grace of God is equal to the most uncongenial temperaments and to the most unfavorable circumstances. Its glory is to transform a vile sinner into a holy saint, and show to men and angels of ages yet to come, that where sin abounded — grace abounded much more!
Our lost race has always been prone to discount and reject the wonderful fact of the individual factor in the love of God.
Far, far too many men and women in this world are convinced that God's love for the world is just one big lump - and the individual is not involved. We have only to look around us with serious observation to confirm the fact that the devil has been successful in planting his lie that no one cares for the individual person.
Even in nature around us, there appears to be very little individual concern. The burden of concern is always for the species. But Jesus did not preach to the multitudes as though they were a faceless crowd.
He preached to them as individuals, and with a knowledge of the burdens and the needs of each one. Our Savior did not come into the world to deal with statistics!
Each of us must come with full confidence that it is a personal word God has spoken to us in Christ, that "whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish."
The Egyptian dog! The following is from Spurgeon's sermon, "A REFRESHING CANTICLE"
The old Puritan pastors frequently compared their hearers to the Egyptian dog that ran to the Nile, and drank, and then ran away. Their hearers came up to the meeting-house, and heard the minister, took a little sip of the gospel, which sufficed them, and then they were off.
One preacher said that he wished they were like the fishes- not come and lap at the stream, as the dog did, but swim in it, and live in it.
There are too many, in this age, who are content with hearing a little of Christ's love; a sip by the way is all that they seem to need.
But it would be far better if you could come up to Rutherford's ideal- "I would have my soul sunk over its masthead in a sea of love to Christ. I would be sunken fifty fathoms deep in the mighty shoreless ocean of his love, so that there might be nothing left of me, and that I might be swallowed up in love to Christ, and in Christ's love to me."
The following is from Spurgeon's sermon, "NEARER AND DEARER"
Alas! my brethren, as in this world our bodies are subject to many sicknesses, so our souls also, by reason of the body of this death with which we are encompassed, are often sorely afflicted with sin, spiritual sickness, and an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the Lord.
We are not what we Might be, we are not what we Should be, we are not what we Shall be, we are not what we Wish to be.
I fear that many of us are not walking in the light of God's countenance, are not resting with our heads upon the Savior's bosom, nor sitting with Mary at the Master's feet.
We dwell in Kedar rather than Zion, and sojourn in Mesech rather than Jerusalem.
Spiritual sickness is very common in the church of God, and the root of the mischief lies in Distance from Jesus, following Christ afar off, and yielding to a drowsy temperament.
Away from Jesus, away from joy. Without the sun the flowers pine; without Jesus our hearts faint.
The precious Lord Jesus Christ is our friend. Oh, let us seek to realize this! It is not merely a religious phrase or statement, but truly He is our friend. He is the Brother " born for adversity," the one who "sticks closer than a brother." Who will never leave and never forsake us.
How precious even on earth to have a heavenly friend, for this brings the joys of heaven in a little degree into our hearts now. This is just what our heavenly Father desires regarding His children, that they might be as happy as they are capable of being while here in the body.
Have we entered into this, that the One who is "altogether lovely " is ready hour by hour, to be our Friend?
When we cannot sleep at night, say to Christ, " My precious heavenly Friend, wilt Thou give me a little sleep?" When in pain, say, " My precious heavenly Friend, if it may please Thee, wilt Thou take away this pain? But if not, if Thou sees better that it should continue, sustain, help, and strengthen me, my precious heavenly friend!"
When we feel lonely and tired, turn to the precious Lord Jesus; He is willing to be our friend in our loneliness.
For sixty-two years and five months I had a beloved wife, and now in my ninety-second year I am left alone. But I turn to my precious Lord Jesus as I walk up and down in my room, and say, " My precious Lord Jesus, I am alone, and yet not alone, Thou art with me; Thou art my friend; now Lord, comfort me and strengthen me, give to Thy poor servant everything Thou sees he needs."
Oh, this is a reality, not a fable, that the Lord Jesus Christ is our friend. We should not be satisfied till we are brought to this, that we know the Lord Jesus Christ experientially to be our friend and habitually to be our friend.
Just ponder this. Habitually, never leaving, never forsaking us, at all times and under all circumstances ready to prove Himself to be our friend.
He is willing not merely to grant this for a few months, or a year or two, but to the very end of our earthly pilgrimage.
David, in Psalm 23 says: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me."
Oh, how precious this is. For this "Lovely One" is coming again, and soon. Soon He will come again; and then He will take us home and there we shall be forever with Him.
Oh, how precious is that bright and glorious prospect. Here again the practical point is to appropriate this to ourselves. "He is coming to take me-poor, guilty, worthless, hell-deserving me-He is coming to take me to Himself." And to the degree in which we enter into these glorious things, the joys of heaven have already commenced!
Deaths, job losses, closures. We are all surrounded by tragedy at this moment - and as we all know, the damage will go on and - well after the deaths decline. Livelihoods ruined, homes and businesses gone, millions devastated and left bankrupt. Most do not realize exactly how much has been lost.
And so we will weep with those who weep. We cannot downplay the tragedy of what is happening here. But I have a very different word for the Remnant of God. You know who you are.
Despite all this tragedy, to those who have been "waiting" in the caves and the rocks and the depths of the wilderness - I say, "Lift up your eyes." The very season you have been waiting for is here. Your true ministry is about to begin.
We are living in the "sudden stop." We are living in the great 'Reset'.
In 100 years when they speak of this era, they will speak of this as the moment when everything changed. Like World War II, like the Great Depression - this is the hour after which nothing will ever be the same. And Remnant - this is the season you were built for.
I am speaking to those who have been set apart. You have allowed yourself to be broken. You have trained yourself for battle. You know how to preach Repentance and Conviction of sin. You have been trained in the healing of the sick and the moving of the Holy Spirit. You know how to baptize, to pray powerfully - and to train others. You are a fully-equipped preacher of the true gospel.
You have used your time well. You have paid down your debt. Your hands are free of shackles - and you're ready to go. You have a boldness and an audacity about you. While others shrink back,.you will jump forward. You were built for such a time as this.
Some of you 65+ will come out of retirement. Your latter years will be much more fruitful than the former ones. The old era did not welcome you. The new era has no choice."Fortune favors the brave," goes the saying. And this has never been more true than it is now.
While others fear - you are bold. While others play it safe - you see this hour for what it is - and you seize the moment. Those who shrink back will miss out. Those who are alert - and move forward with boldness - will have the field almost to themselves.
I say to the remnant, "Lift up your eyes." Everything has changed.
Do not confine your gaze to your own nation. Many of you will be headed overseas. "But," you say, "The planes are grounded. Most nations are closed." Yes - for now that is true. But before long there will be travel again. And the people will be hungry for a word from the Lord. Especially the poor.
Where once you were ignored - now you will be welcomed. Where once you were constrained - now you will be loosed. Where once you were disregarded - now you will be respected. "Who dares wins." Go forth like Joshua and take the land.
Do not be distracted. Politics is a distraction. Current events are a distraction. Social media is a distraction. Keep your eye on the prize - the big picture. Today's harvest is whiter than it's ever been. Be alert. Watch for the doors to open and for the Lord's timing. Act with boldness. Seize the day.
Most of the world will be in turmoil. Most of the people will be shrinking back. Very few will be travelling. Many churches and businesses will be in trouble. But you will be looking around with alert eyes - for where the Lord may send you.
Do not fear. Go forth with boldness. The former things are passed away. Remnant - this is the hour you were built for. Don't let it pass you by.
"Do not forsake me, O Lord! Do not be far from me, O my God!" Psalm 38:21
Frequently we pray that God would not forsake us in the hour of trial and temptation; but we too much forget that we have need to use this prayer at all times.
There is no moment of our life, however holy—in which we can do without His constant upholding.
Whether in light or in darkness, in communion or in temptation—we alike need the prayer, "Do not forsake me, O Lord!"
A little child, while learning to walk—always needs the parent's aid. The ship left by the pilot—drifts at once from her course. Just so—we cannot survive without continuous aid from God.
Let it be your prayer today, "Do not forsake me, O Lord! Father, do not forsake Your child—lest he fall by the hand of the enemy. Shepherd, do not forsake Your lamb—lest he wander from the safety of the fold.
Great Gardener, do not forsake Your plant—lest it wither and die! Do not forsake me now, O Lord! And do not forsake me at any moment of my life.
Do not forsake me in my joys—lest they absorb my heart. Do not forsake me not in my sorrows—lest I murmur against You.
Do not forsake me—for my path is dangerous, and full of snares—and I cannot travel without Your guidance. Do not forsake me—for without You I am weak—but with You I am strong.
Do not be far from me, O Lord, for trouble is near—and there is none to help. Leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation!"
Let this commend the Scriptures much to our diligence and affection—that their great theme is our Redeemer, and redemption wrought by Him.
They contain the doctrine of His excellencies, and are the lively picture of His matchless beauty.
Were we more in them, we would daily see more of Him in them—and so of necessity love Him more.
But we must look within them—the letter is but the case—the spiritual sense is what we should desire to see.
We usually huddle them over, and see no further than their outside, and therefore find so little sweetness in them. We read them, but we don't search them as He requires.
Would we dig into these golden mines, we would find treasures of comfort which cannot be spent, but which would furnish us in the hardest times!
"My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." Proverbs 2:1-5
Jesus is the great teacher of 'humility of heart'. We need daily to learn of Him. See the Master taking a towel and washing His disciples feet!
Follower of Christ—will you not humble yourself? See Him as the Servant of servants—and surely you cannot be proud! Is not this sentence the compendium of His biography, "He humbled Himself"? Was He not on earth, always stripping off first one robe of honor and then another—until, naked,
He was fastened to the cross; and there did He not empty out His inmost self, pouring out His life-blood, giving up for all of us, until they laid Him penniless in a borrowed grave?
How low was our dear Redeemer brought! How then can we be proud?
Stand at the foot of the cross, and count the purple drops by which you have been cleansed. See His thorn-crown; mark His scourged shoulders, still gushing with encrimsoned rills; see His hands and feet given up to the rough iron spikes, and His whole self to mockery and scorn; see the bitterness, and the pangs, and the throes of inward grief, showing themselves in His outward frame; hear the horrid shriek, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me!"
If you do not lie prostrate on the ground before that cross—you have never seen it!
If you are not humbled in the presence of Jesus—you do not know Him. You were so lost that nothing could save you—but the sacrifice of God's only begotten Son.
Think of that, and as Jesus stooped for you—bow yourself in humility at His feet.
A sense of Christ's amazing love to us—has a greater tendency to humble us, than even a consciousness of our own guilt. May the Lord bring us in contemplation, to Calvary.
Then our position will no longer be that of pompous pride—but we shall take the humble place of one who loves much—because much has been forgiven him.
8Pride cannot live beneath the cross! Let us sit there and learn our lesson—and then rise and carry it into practice!
We must strive to realize every longing for holiness and Christlikeness, which our hearts seek. Remember that it is character alone, which is the test of true living.
9 It is not knowledge; for knowledge will fail.
It is not money; for money cannot be taken into the eternal world.
It is not fame; for fame's laurels fade at the grave's edge.
It is not culture, or education, or refinement either. It is our character alone — not what we HAVE or what we KNOW, but what we ARE — which we can carry with us into the eternal world.
"He who is unjust — let him be unjust still; he who is filthy — let him be filthy still; he who is righteous — let him be righteous still; he who is holy — let him be holy still." Revelation 22:11
"No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever!" Revelation 22:3-5
This vision of Heaven, how wondrous it is! What a contrast to this poor earth of ours. Streets of gold, and seas of glass, and pearly gates, and rivers and trees of life--in exchange for this vile dust and dross, and worthless ugliness, and for these fruits of pain and death!
15 Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord.
2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
4 And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.
6 And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
7 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.
8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
10 Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying,
11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night.
12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.
13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord.
14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.
17 And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel?
18 And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.
19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord?
20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.
22 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
25 Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord.
26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.
27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.
28 And Samuel said unto him, The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.
29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
30 Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord thy God.
31 So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the Lord.
32 Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.
33 And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.
34 Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.
35 And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.
September 28, 2014 - Occupy simply means to trade and fill a space. As Christians, we are called by God to occupy the place He has assigned to us. When you walk with Jesus every day you can trade your weakness, failures, and insufficiency for all that Jesus is. We are to occupy our role faithfully because we will have to give an account of what was given to us, to do.
Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: "For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him." But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. (Hebrews 10:35-39)
Our present verses represent the third time that Habakkuk's pronouncement on living by faith is repeated in the New Testament. "The just shall live by his faith" (Habakkuk 2:4).
In Romans 1:17, it was connected with the gospel of Christ. In Galatians 3:12, it was contrasted with living under the law.
Here, it is seen as the pathway to great blessings like spiritual endurance, God-pleasing obedience, and pressing ahead in assurance.
The opening exhortation warns about forsaking bold dependence upon the Lord. "Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward." The loss of great blessing is the reason given.
The Lord wants us to trust in Him without wavering, from the beginning of faith unto the end of our earthly pilgrimage. This makes us consistent partakers of the blessings of grace that are ours in Christ.
"For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end" (Hebrews 3:14).
These blessings include endurance. "For you have need of endurance." The Christian life requires spiritual stamina. The journey of growth, trials, service, and battle can become wearisome. We can be tempted to slack off, to quit pressing ahead. Such is always vain thinking for us, and it is displeasing to the Lord. " If anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him."
It is by faith that we persevere in the Christian race. "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Also, these blessings of faith include obedience and assurance. "You have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise." As we walk by faith, we are enabled to do God's will.
Walking in obedience with Christ builds assurance that we will some day be in the presence of the Lord. "For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry."
Meanwhile, by faith, assurance grows that we are not among those whose profession proves to be vain. "Now the just shall live by faith . . . we are not of those who draw back to perdition but of those who believe to the saving of the soul."
Dear Father, I need more spiritual stamina. I desire to please You by obedience. I long to walk in more assurance. I praise You that all this is ours in Christ, by faith, Amen.
NOT infrequently our GOD brings His people into difficulties on purpose that they may come to know Him as they could not otherwise do. Then He reveals Himself as "a very present help in trouble," and makes the heart glad indeed at each fresh revelation of a FATHER'S faithfulness.
We who only see so small a part of the sweet issues of trial often feel that we would not for anything have missed them; how much more shall we bless and magnify His Name when all the hidden things are brought to light!
In the autumn of 1857, just one year after I came to settle in Ningpo, a little incident occurred that did much to strengthen our faith in the loving-kindness and ever-watchful care of GOD.
A brother in the LORD, the Rev. John Quarterman, of the American Presbyterian Mission North, was taken with virulent small-pox, and it was my mournful privilege to nurse him through his suffering illness to its fatal close.
When all was over, it became necessary to lay aside the garments worn while nursing, for fear of conveying the infection to others. Not having sufficient money in hand to purchase what was needful in order to make this change, prayer was the only resource.
The LORD answered it by the unexpected arrival of a long-lost box of clothing from Swatow, that had remained in the care of the Rev. William Burns when I left him for Shanghai, in the early summer of the previous year.
The arrival of the things just at this juncture was as appropriate as it was remarkable, and brought a sweet sense of the FATHER'S own providing.
About two months later the following was penned:----
November 18th, 1857.
Many seem to think that I am very poor. This certainly is true enough in one sense, but I thank GOD it is "as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing all things." And my GOD shall supply all my need; to Him be all the glory. I would not, if I could, be otherwise than I am--entirely dependent myself upon the LORD, and used as a channel of help to others.
On Saturday, the 4th inst., our regular home mail arrived. That morning we supplied, as usual, a breakfast to the destitute poor, who came to the number of seventy. Sometimes they do not reach forty, at others again exceeding eighty. They come to us every day, LORD'S Day excepted, for then we cannot manage to attend to them and get through all our other duties too.
Well, on that Saturday morning we paid all expenses, and provided ourselves for the morrow, after which we had not a single dollar left between us. How the LORD was going to provide for Monday we knew not; but over our mantelpiece hung two scrolls in the Chinese character--Ebenezer, "Hitherto hath the LORD helped us"; and Jehovah-Jireh, "The LORD will provide"--and He kept us from doubting for a moment. That very day the mail came in, a week sooner than was expected, and Mr. Jones received a bill for two hundred and fourteen dollars.
We thanked GOD and took courage. The bill was taken to a merchant, and although there is usually a delay of several days in getting the change, this time he said, "Send down on Monday." We sent, and though he had not been able to buy all the dollars, he let us have seventy on account; so all was well. Oh, it is sweet to live thus directly dependent upon the LORD, who never fails us!
On Monday the poor had their breakfast as usual, for we had not told them not to come, being assured that it was the LORD'S work, and that the LORD would provide.
We could not help our eyes filling with tears of gratitude when we saw not only our own needs supplied, but the widow and the orphan, the blind and the lame, the friendless and the destitute, together provided for by the bounty of Him who feeds the ravens. "O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His Name together. . . . Taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him. O fear the LORD, ye His saints: for there is no want to them that fear Him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing"--and if not good, why want it?
An American gentleman once visited the saintly Albert Bengel. He was very desirous to hear him pray. So one night he lingered at his door, hoping to overhear his closing devotions.
The rooms were adjoining and the doors ajar. The good man finished his studies, closed his books, knelt down for a moment and simply said, "Dear Lord Jesus, things are still the same between us" and then quietly fell asleep. So close was his communion with his Lord that labor did not interrupt it and prayer was not necessary to renew it.
It was a ceaseless, almost unconscious presence, like the fragrance of the summer garden or the company of some special person by our side whose presence we somehow feel, even though the busy hours pass by and not a word is exchanged.
O blessed fellowship, divine, O joy, supremely sweet, Companionship with Jesus here, Makes life with joy replete; 0 wondrous grace, 0 joy sublime, I've Jesus with me all the time.
"And as Jesus passed by, He saw Levi . . . and said unto him, Follow Me."--Mark ii. 14.
"And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up, and saw him, and said, Zaccheus, come down, for to-day I must abide at thy house."--Luke xix. 5.
I THINK these two incidents reveal the influence of a dominant passion. What was the primary constraint in the life of Jesus? What was it that controlled His eyes? What was He looking for as He went along the road? He was looking for disciples who should incarnate His gospel and be citizens of His spiritual kingdom. His eyes were eager scouts for followers and evangelists. His passion determined His vision. No one but Jesus saw Levi, the son of Alpheus. No one but Jesus saw Zaccheus. Nobody wanted to see them. Nobody cared about them. They were seen, and yet not seen; they were mere ciphers, empty of all significance. But Jesus cared, and He cared with burning eagerness, and He made His quest as with searchlights which sought out every nook and corner, prying even among obscurities for treasures for His kingdom. Yes, His eyes were the servants of His passion, always and everywhere. "As Jesus passed by, He saw Levi, and said, Follow Me."
It is very interesting and instructive to watch the influence of the dominant passion among meaner interests than these. I went into a room the other day which I have visited scores of times, but this time in the company of a friend who had never been before. He cast his eyes around the room, and he immediately made for a small table, and began to draw his hand over its surface as gently as though he were touching the breast of a dove. "Oh, how lovely!" he said, as he brought a small hand-glass out of his pocket to examine the grain. "What a lovely piece!" There was part of a magnificent library in the room, but he never saw it! He had a particular passion, and the passion controlled his sight.
But let us return to the higher plane. I was once walking with Hugh Price Hughes along Piccadilly on the way to Holborn. He had hold of my arm, and I both heard and felt the man's intensity. I do not remember what we were talking about, but when we reached Leicester Square, and were passing the Empire Music Hall, he suddenly stopped, and, pointing to the Empire, he said, "I must have that place for Christ. What a glorious centre for the Gospel!" It was the influence of the dominant passion. His eyes were scouring London for strategical points for the warfare of the Lord. He lived to win souls, and his life was consecrated to one campaign. He looked at everything with the eyes of a soldier of Christ, and as he passed along he was ceaselessly watching for opportunity of battle. Colonel Repington has recently told us that he once asked Kitchener how it occurred to him to bring the white divisions from India to France in the early days of the war, and he quietly answered, "It came to me in the night!" Kitchener was thinking armies, thinking, thinking all the time. He awoke in the night, and thought warfare. And so it was with Hugh Price Hughes. He thought Christ and Christ only. "Thou, O Christ, art all I want."
"The name of the LORD is a strong tower! A righteous person runs to it and is safe!" Proverbs 18:10
Jesus has a name suiting every want, every need.
Do you need wonders to be wrought for you? His name is Wonderful; look to Him so to do, for His name's sake.
Do you need counsel and direction? His name is the Counselor; cast yourself on Him and His mighty name for this.
Have you mighty enemies to engage? His name is the Mighty God; seek that He may exert His power for His name's sake.
Do you need His fatherly pity? His name is the everlasting Father; as a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear him. Plead His pity, for His name's sake.
Do you need peace--external, internal, or eternal? His name is the Prince of Peace; seek for His name's sake, that He may create peace.
O sirs, His name is Jehovah-Rophi, the Lord, the healer and physician; seek, for His name's sake, that He may heal all your soul diseases.
Do you need pardon? His name is Jehovah-Tsidkenu, the Lord our righteousness; seek for His name's sake, that He may be merciful to your unrighteousness.
Do you need defense and protection? His name is Jehovah-Nissi, the Lord your banner; seek, for His name's sake, that His banner of love and grace may be spread over you.
Do you need provision in extreme want? His name is Jehovah-Jireh, in the mount to the Lord it shall be seen, the Lord will provide.
Do you need His presence? His name is Jehovah-Shammah, the Lord is there; Immanuel, God with us; look to Him to be with you, for His name's sake.
Do you need an audience of prayer? His name is the Hearer of Prayer.
Do you need strength? His name is the Strength of Israel.
Do you need comfort? His name is the Consolation of Israel.
Sit down and ponder your wants and needs--and you will find He has a name suitable for your supply; He has . . . all wisdom to guide you, all power to keep you, all mercy to pity you, all holiness to sanctify you, all righteousness to justify you, all grace to adorn you, and all glory to crown you!
"Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law!" Psalm 119:18
Let me tell you a little secret: whenever you cannot understand a text, open your Bible, bend your knee, and pray over that text; and if it does not split into atoms and open itself, then try again. If prayer does not explain it, then it is one of those things that God did not intend you to know, and you may be content to be ignorant of it.
Prayer is the key that opens the cabinets of mystery. Prayer and faith are sacred picklocks that can open secrets, and obtain great treasures! There is no college for holy education like that of the blessed Spirit, for He is an ever-present tutor, to whom we have only to bend the knee, and He is at our side--the great expositor of truth!
You will frequently find fresh streams of thought leaping up from the passage before you, as if the rock had been struck by Moses' rod! New veins of precious ore will be revealed to your astonished gaze as you quarry God's Word and use diligently the hammer of prayer!
"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth!" John 16:13
"Every text prayed over opens a mine of 'unsearchable riches,' with a light from above, more clear and full than the most intelligent exposition." (Charles Bridges)
"A humble and prayerful spirit will find a thousand things in the Bible--which the proud, self-conceited student will utterly fail to discern." (J.C. Ryle)
"There should be a definite asking Him to graciously anoint our eyes--not only that we may be enabled to behold wondrous things in His law, but also that He will make us of quick discernment to perceive how the passage before us applies to ourselves--what are the particular lessons we need to learn from it. The more we cultivate this habit, the more likely that God will be pleased to open His Word unto us." (Arthur Pink)
Major Ian Thomas discusses the Gospel and the essence of salvation. Ian Thomas says that we have reduced salvation to be a moment in time when we raise our hand, walk down to the front, or get baptized. But the Word of God reveals that salvation is the occupation of God in the life of a sinner—where Jesus now has the unchallenged, absolute, and perpetual right to dictate the terms whereby that individual will run his life.
The reality of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ has given us His life—as Peter says, in Christ is all things for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Are we allowing Jesus, as God, the right to be God in our life without reserve?
"Zechariah and Elizabeth were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly." Luke 1:6
This is a beautiful thing to have said of them. Yet, after all, that is the test which every life must endure. It is not enough to have human commendation. The question is — how do we stand before God? How does our life appear — to Him?
It does not matter how men praise and commend us — if God sees that we are living wrong. The Pharisees were righteous before men; but if you would see how they stood in God's eye, read the twenty-third chapter of Matthew.
We are in reality — just what we are before God — nothing less, nothing more. The question we should always ask ourselves is, "What does God think of me?"
If we would meet His approval, we must first have our hearts right, and then we must be blameless and true in every part of our life.
We should live just as purely and beautifully in secret — as in the glare of the world's gaze.
There really is no such thing as secrecy in this world. We imagine that no eye is looking — when we are not in the presence of men. But really, we always have a spectator; we are living all our life in the presence of God Himself! We should train ourselves, therefore, to work for the Divine eye in all that we do, that our work may stand the Divine inspection, and that we may have the approval and commendation of God Himself.
"The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people, and took food and wine from them, besides forty shekels of silver. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God!" Nehemiah 5:15
Obey God at all hazards.
A Christian has no other alternative.
There is one plan to adopt — one safe course to follow.
Set your mind against all wrong practices.
Whatever others may say or do, whatever reproach or trouble or loss it may bring to you — walk steadfastly along the highway of truth, justice, and equity. And as you endeavor to do so, be persuaded that God is on your side, that He will stand by you and befriend you, and that for any present sacrifices you may have to make, He will honor you.
It is the truest wisdom as well as your plain duty to please God rather than man, and in all things to keep the precepts of His Word.
Trust in God, and do the right!
Let this ever be the rule you follow.
It will save you from many a snare.
It will make your course plain and clear.
This was the principle that guided Nehemiah. He was a man of prayer, and trusted God in everything. Moreover, he stood out manfully and boldly against the evils of his day. He determined to act in everything as before God. Whatever evil others did, he acted in a different spirit. He said, "But I did not do so, because of the fear of God!"
The same principle guided the three Hebrew youths of whom we read in the book of Daniel. They trusted in God, and did the right. Though threatened with a cruel death, they would not flinch. "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king: O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up!" Daniel 3:16-18
"She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what He said.
But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made." Luke 10:39-40
Let us observe how different the characters and personalities of true Christians may be!
The two sisters of whom we read in this passage were faithful disciples. Both had believed. Both had been converted. Both had honored Christ, when few gave Him honor. Both loved Jesus — and Jesus loved both of them. Yet they were evidently women of very different turn of mind.
Martha was active, stirring, and impulsive, feeling strongly, and speaking out all she felt.
Mary was quiet, still, and contemplative, feeling deeply, but saying less than she felt.
Martha, when Jesus came to her house, busied herself with preparing a suitable refreshment.
Mary's first thought was to sit at His feet and hear His word.
Grace reigned in both hearts, but each showed the effects of grace at different times, and in different ways.
We shall find it very useful to remember this lesson.
We must not expect all believers in Christ to be exactly like one another! We must not set down others as having no grace, because their experience does not entirely tally with our own.
The sheep in the Lord's flock have each their own peculiarities.
The flowers in the Lord's garden are not all precisely alike.
All true Christians agree in the principal things of religion.
All feel their sins.
All trust in Christ.
All repent.
All are led by one Spirit.
All are holy.
But in minor matters, they often differ widely. Let not one despise another on this account.
There will be Marthas and there will be Marys in the Church until the Lord comes again!
King Solomon left among his wise sayings a prescription for sick and sad hearts, and it is one that we can safely take.
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine. Joy is the great restorer and healer. Gladness of spirit will bring health to the bones and vitality to the nerves when all other tonics fail and all other sedatives cease to quiet.
Are you ill? Begin to rejoice in the Lord, and your bones will flourish like an herb, and your cheeks will glow with the bloom of health and freshness.
Worry, fear, distrust, care-all are poisonous! joy is balm and healing, and if you will but rejoice, God will give power. He has commanded you to be glad and rejoice, and He never fails to sustain His children in keeping His commandments.
Rejoice in the Lord always, He says. This means no matter how sad, how tempted, how sick, how suffering you are, rejoice in the Lord just where you are-and begin this moment.
The joy of the Lord is the strength of our body, The gladness of Jesus, the balm for our pain, His life and His fullness, our fountain of healing, His joy, our elixir for body and brain.
There was a time when I lived in the strong old
castle of my sins, and rested in my works.
There came a trumpeter to the door, and bade me open it.
I with anger chide him from the porch, and said he never
should enter.
Then there came a goodly personage, with loving
countenance; his hands were marked with scars, where
nails were driven, and his feet had nail-prints too.
He lifted up his cross, using it as a hammer--
at the first blow the gate of my prejudice shook;
at the second it trembled more;
at the third down it fell,
and in he came.
And he said, "Arise, and stand upon your feet,
for I have loved you with an everlasting love."
"His free grace alone, from the first to the last,
Has won my affection, and held my soul fast."
Holy tears are the precious ointment which distills from the trees of righteousness.
Mary Magdalene stood at Christ's feet weeping. Her tears dropped as diamonds from her eyes!
The tears of the wicked are good for nothing. They are either carnal—they weep for worldly losses; or spurious—they are more troubled for hell, than sin! There is water in their eyes—because there is fire in their bones.
But the tears of a true penitent are precious. They drop from the eyes of faith and hope. They are purifying tears.
The holy mourner weeps out sin. They are so precious— that God bottles them!
"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in Your bottle. You have recorded each one in Your book!" Psalm 56:8. In the Hebrew it is "my tear"—to show that God takes notice of every tear!
Though holy tears are silent—yet they have a voice. "The Lord has heard the voice of my weeping!" Psalm 6:8
Though our tears fall to the earth—yet they reach heaven!
The stars still sing their Maker's praise; no sin has stopped their voice, no discord has made a jarring note among the harmonies of the spheres.
The earth itself still praises its Maker, the exhalations,
as they arise with morn, are still a pure offering,
acceptable to their Maker.
The lowing of the cattle, the singing of the birds, the leaping of the fishes, and the delights of animal creation, are still acceptable as votive offerings to the Most High.
The mountains still bring righteousness; on their hoary summits God's holy feet might tread, for they are yet pure and spotless.
Still do the green valleys, laughing with their verdure
send up their shouts to the Most High.
The praise of God is sung by every wind it is howled forth in dread majesty by the voice of the tempest, the winds resound it, and the waves, with their thousand hands, clap, keeping chorus in the great march of God.
The whole earth is still a great orchestra for God's praise,
and his creatures still take up various parts in the eternal song, which, ever swelling and ever increasing, shall by-and-by mount to its climax in the consummation of all things.
"The earth is full of His unfailing love!" Psalm 33:5
The British Museum possessed in the Portland Vase — one of the finest remains of ancient art. It may be remembered how, some years ago — the world of culture was shocked to hear that this precious relic had been shattered by a maniac's hand.
Without disparaging cultured taste, or this exquisite example of it — I venture to say that there is not a poor worm which we tread upon, nor a sere leaf which dances merrily in its fallen state to the autumn winds — but has superior claims upon our study and admiration.
The child who plucks a lily or rose to pieces, or crushes the fragile form of a fluttering insect — destroys an intricate work which the highest human art could not invent, nor man's best skilled hand construct!
There is not a leaf which quivers on the trees of the forest — which does not eclipse the brightest glories of the painter's brush or the sculptor's chisel! A simple flower has no rival among the triumphs of invention, which the silly world flocks to see.
Yes, in His humblest works, God infinitely surpasses the highest efforts of all created skill.
"How many are Your works, O Lord! In wisdom You made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures!" Psalm 104:24
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge!" Psalm 19:1-2
The field of Anathoth is a practical exposition of those words - the statement and the interrogation. We know the situation at the time from this chapter and elsewhere; the double imprisonment, Jeremiah himself shut up in the Court of the Guard, and the city surrounded by the invader. Then in that situation in some way the Lord registered in the heart of Jeremiah that this cousin of his would come and ask him to buy the field. We do not know how, but this we conclude, that Jeremiah became aware that this man, his cousin, would be coming to him with this request, and so it happened.
For forty years Jeremiah had been prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem and the land and the captivity of the people. His commission was concerning the destruction and desolation of the land, so that Jeremiah was really in a very difficult set of circumstances. There is no doubt about the darkness of the outlook; it was very real.
There was his own ministry which had gone on for all those years and that was now suspended. There was the actual situation at this time.
He was a captive within a captivity. It was a very real challenge to faith. This was no merely hypothetical situation; it was an actual one. And the coming of Hanamel his cousin to him was as the redeeming kinsman, and one who had the right to redeem the inheritance, to save that inheritance, that field, from being lost to posterity, from going outside of the family.
Well, I do not know what Hanamel was thinking about at the back of his mind, but taking the situation firstly as to the land and the prospects, one would conclude that in any case, it would go outside of the family.
The Chaldeans were going to take the land and overrun it; it was going to be destroyed and laid desolate, and from the natural standpoint, it was not the time to embark on this sort of thing, for redeeming at that time involved something very much more than just transferring from one part of the family to the other by a deed. Redeeming had the far greater meaning of redeeming from the Chaldeans and redeeming from his own personal situation.
For what could Jeremiah do with a field at Anathoth when he was getting on in years and was himself in present peril of his life? He could not see a day ahead, and knew from all the years of his compulsory prophesying what was going to happen. To perform an act of redeeming in the midst of all that was a tremendous challenge to faith.
There is no doubt, of course, here as everywhere, it's a prophecy going beyond Jeremiah and beyond even Israel. It is not difficult to see that, in the great divine scheme of things, here is a very practical illustration of something which took place years afterwards of an even far greater significance - I mean the redemption that Christ wrought. Christ knew that this whole world sooner or later was going into judgment and fire, to be consumed and purged. He knew that He Himself here was in a worse place than Jeremiah, but He performed the act of redemption.
By redemption He secured the world unto a future glory. A mighty triumph of faith was His. One just says that, because, while this has practical values for us in our own lives, they are all set in the light of the so much greater things and undoubtedly the main interpretation is here. It is probably found worked out in the book of the Revelation.
They cried to God in the battle, and He was entreated of them. 1 Chron. 5:20.
WHETHER they cried to God before they went into the battle we are not told; but probably they did, because we read that the war was of God, and it is hardly likely that they would have prayed to Him in the midst of the fight, when the foemen's blows fell like hail on their armour, if they had not prayed before they entered the bloody fray.
Men often excuse themselves for neglecting their morning devotions by saying that they will surely look to God, as they may require his gracious help, in the midst of the day's temptations and needs; but, as a matter of fact, when once they are plunged into its war they forget to look up.
You must direct your prayer in the morning, and look up whilst the early shadows lie long on the dewy grass, if you would keep looking off to Jesus, amid the din of the fight.
It is very lovely to contract and preserve this habit of looking upward, and crying to God in the battle.
When our feet are slipping, when the foe seems about to overmaster, when heart and flesh fail how refreshing and strengthening to fling one eager look or cry to heaven, and say, "I am thine, save me."
There can be no doubt as to the issue. God is always intreated of those who put their trust in Him. Sooner might a mother forget her sucking child than God be unmindful of one sigh, or tear, or upward glancing look from his own. Oh, child of God, put thou thy trust in God, and go through this tempestuous world as one who is confident of a Divine Ally.
At any moment He will ride on the heavens to thy help. "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."
