The royal death bed

‘Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?’ Amos 3:6

Suggested Further Reading: 1 Samuel 5:6–6:9

There are still some found foolish enough to believe that events happen without divine predestination, and that different calamities transpire without the overruling hand, or the direct agency of God. What would we be, brethren, if chance had done it? We should be like poor mariners, at sea in an unsafe vessel, without a chart or a helm; we should know nothing of the port to which we might ultimately come; we should only feel that we were now the sport of the winds, the captives of the tempest, and might soon be the victims of the deep. Alas! poor orphans would we all be, if we were left to chance. No Father’s care to watch over us, but left to the fickleness and fallibility of mortal things! What would all that we see about us be, but a great sandstorm in the midst of a desert, blinding our eyes, preventing us from ever hoping to see the end through the darkness of the beginning. We would be travellers in a pathless waste, where there would be no roads to direct us, travellers who might be overwhelmed at any moment, and our bleached bones left the victims of the tempest, unknown, or forgotten of all. Thank God, it is not so with us. Chance exists only in the hearts of fools; we believe that everything which happens to us is ordered by the wise and tender will of him who is our Father and our Friend; and we see order in the midst of confusion; we see purposes accomplished where others discern fruitless wastes; we believe that, ‘the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.’

For meditation: God is never the author of sin, but he himself claims responsibility not only for pleasant things which we welcome, but also for unpleasant events which we may call ‘evil’ (Isaiah 45:7). The English language even calls them ‘acts of God’ rather than ‘acts of chance’.

N.B. This was a memorial sermon for Albert, the Prince Consort, who died on 14 December 1861.

Sermon no. 426
19 December (Preached 22 December 1861)

365 Days with C.H. Spurgeon, Vol. 2: A Unique Collection of 365 Daily Readings from Sermons Preached by Charles Haddon Spurgeon from His Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit (365 Days With Series); edited by Terence Peter Crosby; (c) Day One Publications, 2002.

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Having a heavenly mindset — BEYOND MY LIMITATIONS

I read a blog entitled “Like A Winner.” The blog post talks having a winning mindset. I like the title and so I was obliged to read. It was a great read. In reading this blog post, I thought about also how it is important to have a heavenly mindset. Lets take a look at […]

Having a heavenly mindset — BEYOND MY LIMITATIONS

MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST

The Right Kind of Help And I, if I am lifted up…will draw all peoples to Myself.  John 12:32 Very few of us have any understanding of the reason why Jesus Christ died. If sympathy is all that human beings need, then the Cross of Christ is an absurdity and there is absolutely no need for it. What the world needs is not “a little bit of love,” but major surgery. When you find yourself face to face with a person who is spiritually lost, remind yourself of Jesus Christ on the cross. If that person can get to God in any other way, then the Cross of Christ is unnecessary. If you think you are helping lost people with your sympathy and understanding, you are a traitor to Jesus Christ. You must have a right-standing relationship with Him yourself, and pour your life out in helping others in His way— not in a human way that ignores God. The theme of the world’s religion today is to serve in a pleasant, non-confrontational manner. But our only priority must be to present Jesus Christ crucified— to lift Him up all the time (see 1 Corinthians 2:2). Every belief that is not firmly rooted in the Cross of Christ will lead people astray. If the worker himself believes in Jesus Christ and is trusting in the reality of redemption, his words will be compelling to others. What is extremely important is for the worker’s simple relationship with Jesus Christ to be strong and growing. His usefulness to God depends on that, and that alone. The calling of a New Testament worker is to expose sin and to reveal Jesus Christ as Savior. Consequently, he cannot always be charming and friendly, but must be willing to be stern to accomplish major surgery. We are sent by God to lift up Jesus Christ, not to give wonderfully beautiful speeches. We must be willing to examine others as deeply as God has examined us. We must also be sharply intent on sensing those Scripture passages that will drive the truth home, and then not be afraid to apply them. From My Utmost for His Highest Updated Edition Bible in One Year: Micah 1-3; Revelation 11

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS When a man’s heart is right with God the mysterious utterances of the Bible are spirit and life to him. Spiritual truth is discernible only to a pure heart, not to a keen intellect. It is not a question of profundity of intellect, but of purity of heart. from Bringing Sons Unto Glory, 231 L