(John MacDuff, "Memories of Olivet" 1870)
"You shall make His soul an offering for sin."
Isaiah 53:10
"Now is My soul troubled." John 12:27
Mark, it is SOUL SUFFERING that is the burden of
Jesus' anguish. "Now is my soul troubled" "My soul
is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death.''
That 'cup' was filled to the brim with curses. His
holy soul was like a vast reservoir, into which the
transgressions of every elect child of Adam rushed
from every age, demanding satisfaction.
He was "filled with horror and deep distress"
at the fearful havoc sin had wrought, and at its
dreadful penalty, which He was now bearing.
The wrath of God; the terrible manifestation
of His displeasure at iniquity; was upon Jesus.
He was the true spiritual Atlas, bearing on
His shoulders the sins of a guilty world!
Jesus' sufferings were not calamities; they
were punishment judicially inflicted. There was
an eternity of woe was condensed into them!
Christ was the Sin Bearer, bearing not merely
the punishment of sin, but sin itself.
As we see drop by drop crimsoning the sods
of Gethsemane, we may well exclaim, "He was
pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed
for our iniquities; the punishment that brought
us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds
we are healed." Isaiah 53:5
link
Monday, November 1, 2010
Holy shuddering!
(Charles Spurgeon)
"Horror grips me because of the wicked, who have forsaken Your law!" Psalm 119:53
My soul, do you feel this holy shuddering at the sins of others? If not, you lack inward holiness. David's cheeks were wet with rivers of waters, because of prevailing unholiness. Jeremiah desired eyes like fountains, that he might lament the iniquities of Israel. Lot, a righteous man, was distressed because of all the immorality and wickedness around him. Those upon whom the mark was set in Ezekiel's vision, were those who sighed and cried because of the abominations of Jerusalem.
It cannot but grieve gracious souls—to see what pains men take to go to Hell. They know the evil of sin experimentally, and they are alarmed to see others flying like moths into its blaze!
Sin makes the righteous shudder, because it violates God's holy law, which is to every man's highest interest to keep. Sin pulls down the pillars of the society!
Sin in others horrifies a believer, because it puts him in mind of the vileness of his own heart. When he sees a heinous sinner, he cries, "He fell today—and, but for God's grace—I may fall tomorrow!"
Sin is horrible to a believer, because it crucified his Savior! He sees in every iniquity—the nails and the spear! How can a saved soul behold that cursed Christ-killing sin—without abhorrence?
Say, my heart—do you sensibly join in all this? It is an awful thing to insult God to His face. The good God deserves better treatment; thegreat God claims it; the just God will have it—or repay His adversary to his face!
An awakened heart trembles at the audacity of sin—and stands alarmed at the contemplation of its punishment. How monstrous a thing is sin! How direful a doom is prepared for the ungodly!
My soul, never laugh at sin's fooleries—lest you come to smile at sin itself! Sin is your Lord's enemy, and your enemy—view it with detestation, for only so, can you evidence the possession of holiness, without which no man can see the Lord.
link
"Horror grips me because of the wicked, who have forsaken Your law!" Psalm 119:53
My soul, do you feel this holy shuddering at the sins of others? If not, you lack inward holiness. David's cheeks were wet with rivers of waters, because of prevailing unholiness. Jeremiah desired eyes like fountains, that he might lament the iniquities of Israel. Lot, a righteous man, was distressed because of all the immorality and wickedness around him. Those upon whom the mark was set in Ezekiel's vision, were those who sighed and cried because of the abominations of Jerusalem.
It cannot but grieve gracious souls—to see what pains men take to go to Hell. They know the evil of sin experimentally, and they are alarmed to see others flying like moths into its blaze!
Sin makes the righteous shudder, because it violates God's holy law, which is to every man's highest interest to keep. Sin pulls down the pillars of the society!
Sin in others horrifies a believer, because it puts him in mind of the vileness of his own heart. When he sees a heinous sinner, he cries, "He fell today—and, but for God's grace—I may fall tomorrow!"
Sin is horrible to a believer, because it crucified his Savior! He sees in every iniquity—the nails and the spear! How can a saved soul behold that cursed Christ-killing sin—without abhorrence?
Say, my heart—do you sensibly join in all this? It is an awful thing to insult God to His face. The good God deserves better treatment; thegreat God claims it; the just God will have it—or repay His adversary to his face!
An awakened heart trembles at the audacity of sin—and stands alarmed at the contemplation of its punishment. How monstrous a thing is sin! How direful a doom is prepared for the ungodly!
My soul, never laugh at sin's fooleries—lest you come to smile at sin itself! Sin is your Lord's enemy, and your enemy—view it with detestation, for only so, can you evidence the possession of holiness, without which no man can see the Lord.
link
The gentleness of Jesus
(J. R. Miller, "Things to Live For" 1896)
"Learn from Me—for I am gentle and humble in heart." Matthew 11:29
Of the gentleness of Jesus it was said, "He will not break a bruised reed, and He will not put out a smoldering wick." Isaiah 42:3. There is nothing that this sorrowing, sinning world needs—more than gentleness. Yet, there are some Christians who seem never to have learned love's secret of gentleness.
We need to pray for the grace of gentleness, that we may walk softly among men, never hurting another life by harsh words or ungentle acts.
We can have something of the beauty of Christ in our life. As we can get into our hearts the grace of the Lord Jesus, and the mind that was in Jesus—the light of divine love will shine out from our dull nature, and transfigure it. This will make us sweet-tempered and gentle-spirited. It will make ushonest in our dealings with our fellow-men. It will make us kind to all about us. It will make us godly people to live with at home. It will make us good neighbors and faithful friends. The unconscious ministry of such a life through long years—will leave untold blessings in this world.
Such a life of quiet, simple, humble, Christlike goodness—will pour out its unconscious influence into other lives—making them better, happier, holier, sweeter. Such a ministry of simple goodness is within the reach of every Christian. It requires no brilliant gifts, and no great wealth. It is a ministry which the plainest and lowliest may fulfill.
In these days of 'fashionable worldliness', the church needs just such simple goodness. It haseloquence in its pulpits, and activity in its pews—but it needs more godly people filled with the gentleness of Christ, repeating the life of Christ wherever they move.
link
"Learn from Me—for I am gentle and humble in heart." Matthew 11:29
Of the gentleness of Jesus it was said, "He will not break a bruised reed, and He will not put out a smoldering wick." Isaiah 42:3. There is nothing that this sorrowing, sinning world needs—more than gentleness. Yet, there are some Christians who seem never to have learned love's secret of gentleness.
We need to pray for the grace of gentleness, that we may walk softly among men, never hurting another life by harsh words or ungentle acts.
We can have something of the beauty of Christ in our life. As we can get into our hearts the grace of the Lord Jesus, and the mind that was in Jesus—the light of divine love will shine out from our dull nature, and transfigure it. This will make us sweet-tempered and gentle-spirited. It will make ushonest in our dealings with our fellow-men. It will make us kind to all about us. It will make us godly people to live with at home. It will make us good neighbors and faithful friends. The unconscious ministry of such a life through long years—will leave untold blessings in this world.
Such a life of quiet, simple, humble, Christlike goodness—will pour out its unconscious influence into other lives—making them better, happier, holier, sweeter. Such a ministry of simple goodness is within the reach of every Christian. It requires no brilliant gifts, and no great wealth. It is a ministry which the plainest and lowliest may fulfill.
In these days of 'fashionable worldliness', the church needs just such simple goodness. It haseloquence in its pulpits, and activity in its pews—but it needs more godly people filled with the gentleness of Christ, repeating the life of Christ wherever they move.
link
Backsliding
Just as the time approached for Jeremiah to begin his public ministry, the Lord said,
'Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.-[Jeremiah 1:17-19]'
He was one man against an entire nation! He was one man with an unwanted message! He was one man with the Godgiven courage to use a much-despised term! Jeremiah plastered Israel with a label they did not like and could not peel off! Jeremiah laid his axe to the root of Israel's tree and in specific, direct and plain-spoken fashion fixed attention on Israel's great problem! Fearing neither princes, priests, prophets nor people, he denounced them all alike! He called their problem backsliding. For his faithful declaration of the truth of God, he received as much thanks and acclaim as he would if he were to declare the same message in the church today. Ponder this searching passage:
'Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return? Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return. I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle. Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.'-[Jeremiah 8:4-7]
How is it that the so-called brute beasts and dumb birds are wiser than men? The salmon know when and where to return to their place of beginnings, but the backslider has forgotten the God who made him. Isaiah the prophet cried:
'The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.'-[Isaiah 1:3-4]
What exactly is backsliding? Nowhere in all scripture is it better described than in Proverbs 14:14, "The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways." There you have it - a backslider is a person who once emptied of his own ways and filled with the ways of God, but who gradually allows his own ways to creep back in until he is all but empty of God and full of himself again.
This is the very problem Jeremiah addressed. The people of his day had allowed more and more of self to slip into their hearts until the God who brought them out of Egypt and blessed them above all human beings was almost entirely crowded out of their lives and forgotten. Chapters two and three of Jeremiah clearly outline this crowding-out process. The Word of God to backsliding Israel commences with a lament concerning the former days:
Joseph saw God in the room!
(Brooks, "The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures")
"The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding
the evil and the good." Proverbs 15:9
The harboring of any known sin, either in heart or life,
is a high contempt of the all-seeing eye of God—of
the omnipresence of God.
It is well known what Ahasuerus, that great monarch,
said concerning Haman, when he found him cast upon
the queen's couch on which she sat: "What!" says he,
"Will he even assault the queen right here in the palace,
before my very eyes!" What! will he dare to commit
such a villainy—as I stand and look on?
"The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding
the evil and the good." Proverbs 15:9
The harboring of any known sin, either in heart or life,
is a high contempt of the all-seeing eye of God—of
the omnipresence of God.
It is well known what Ahasuerus, that great monarch,
said concerning Haman, when he found him cast upon
the queen's couch on which she sat: "What!" says he,
"Will he even assault the queen right here in the palace,
before my very eyes!" What! will he dare to commit
such a villainy—as I stand and look on?
The work of the Holy Spirit
(James Smith, "Rills from the Rock of Ages", 1860)
I love to meditate on the work of the Holy Spirit, to whom we are so much indebted, and from whom we receive such great and invaluable blessings. To Him, I feel that I am indebted, for every good thought, and for every good work. How wonderful His patience--that He should bear with me so long; and how wonderful His loving-kindness--that He should confer on me so much! O that I was more deeply sensible of my obligations!
It was the Holy Spirit who quickened me when I was dead in trespasses and sins--imparting a new life, infusing new thoughts, and producing new desires in my soul.
Having quickened me, He conquered me--subduing the enmity of my heart, theobstinacy of my will, the worldliness of my affections--and bringing every thought into subjection to the obedience of Christ.
Having quickened and conquered me, He comforted me, assuring me of a saving interest in--the love of God, the perfect work of Jesus, the precious promises of the Word, and the eternal rest which remains for the people of God.
Having quickened, conquered, and comforted me, He sanctified me--separating me from the world, and setting me apart for my Redeemer's glory and praise.
As my Sanctifier, He became my Guide--leading me into the truth, conducting me out of the paths of danger, and directing me into the everlasting way.
Not only my guide, but He became my Guard--preserving me from danger, protecting me from foes, and becoming a wall of fire round about me.
Whenever I wander--He reproves me; when I willfully go astray--He corrects me, and makes me smart for my folly.
The work He began so long ago--He carries on, nor will He withdraw His hand from it, until it is perfected, and I am fully fitted for glory.
Reader, what do you experimentally know the work of the Holy Spirit?
Has He quickened you?
Has He conquered you?
Does He comfort you?
Has He quickened you?
Has He conquered you?
Does He comfort you?
Are you sanctified by His presence, power, and operation in your heart?
Does He . . .
guide you by His counsel,
guard you by His power, and
correct you for your follies?
The work of the Spirit within us--is as necessary as the work of Jesus for us! For if the atonement of Christ entitles us to glory--it is the work of the Holy Spirit that prepares us to possess and enjoy it. We must be washed, justified, and sanctified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of God--or we cannot be saved!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
We have posted James Smith's outstanding 2 page article, "Is this like Jesus?" This is one of the most practical and helpful articles we have ever read!
DISCERNMENT OF FAITH by Oswald Chambers
"Faith as a grain of mustard seed. . ." Matthew 17:20
We have the idea that God rewards us for our faith, it may be so in the initial stages; but we do not earn anything by faith, faith brings us into right relationship with God and gives God His opportunity. God has frequently to knock the bottom board out of your experience if you are a saint in order to get you into contact with Himself. God wants you to understand that it is a life of faith, not a life of sentimental enjoyment of His blessings.
Your earlier life of faith was narrow and intense, settled around a little sun-spot of experience that had as much of sense as of faith in it, full of light and sweetness; then God withdrew His conscious blessings in order to teach you to walk by faith. You are worth far more to Him now than you were in your days of conscious delight and thrilling testimony.
Faith by its very nature must be tried, and the real trial of faith is not that we find it difficult to trust God, but that God's character has to be cleared in our own minds. Faith in its actual working out has to go through spells of unsyllabled isolation.
Never confound the trial of faith with the ordinary discipline of life, much that we call the trial of faith is the inevitable result of being alive. Faith in the Bible is faith in God against everything that contradicts Him - I will remain true to God's character whatever He may do.
"Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him" - this is the most sublime utterance of faith in the whole of the Bible.
LINK
We have the idea that God rewards us for our faith, it may be so in the initial stages; but we do not earn anything by faith, faith brings us into right relationship with God and gives God His opportunity. God has frequently to knock the bottom board out of your experience if you are a saint in order to get you into contact with Himself. God wants you to understand that it is a life of faith, not a life of sentimental enjoyment of His blessings.
Your earlier life of faith was narrow and intense, settled around a little sun-spot of experience that had as much of sense as of faith in it, full of light and sweetness; then God withdrew His conscious blessings in order to teach you to walk by faith. You are worth far more to Him now than you were in your days of conscious delight and thrilling testimony.
Faith by its very nature must be tried, and the real trial of faith is not that we find it difficult to trust God, but that God's character has to be cleared in our own minds. Faith in its actual working out has to go through spells of unsyllabled isolation.
Never confound the trial of faith with the ordinary discipline of life, much that we call the trial of faith is the inevitable result of being alive. Faith in the Bible is faith in God against everything that contradicts Him - I will remain true to God's character whatever He may do.
"Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him" - this is the most sublime utterance of faith in the whole of the Bible.
LINK
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