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Tag Archives: John
An appeal to sinners
An appeal to sinners
“This man receiveth sinners.” Luke 15:2
Suggested Further Reading: Ephesians 1:3-8
Allow us just to amplify that word: “this man receiveth sinners.” Now, by that we understand that he receives sinners to all the benefits which he has purchased for them. If there be a fountain, he receives sinners to wash them in it; if there be medicine for the soul, he receives sinners to heal their diseases; if there be a house for the sick, an hospital, a home for the dying, he receives such into that retreat of mercy. All that he has of love, all that he has of mercy, all that he has of atonement, all that he has of sanctification, all that he has of righteousness—to all these he receives the sinner. Yea, more; not content with taking him to his house, he receives him to his heart. He takes the black and filthy sinner, and having washed him—“There,” he says, “thou art my beloved; my desire is towards thee.” And to consummate the whole, at last he receives the saints to heaven. Saints, I said, but I meant those who were sinners, for none can be saints truly, but those who once were sinners, and have been washed in the blood of Christ, and made white through the sacrifice of the lamb. Observe it then, beloved, that in receiving sinners we mean the whole of salvation; and this word in my text, “Christ receiveth sinners,” grasps in the whole of the covenant. He receives them to the joys of paradise, to the bliss of the beatified, to the songs of the glorified, to an eternity of happiness for ever. “This man receiveth sinners;” and I dwell with special emphasis on this point,—he receives none else. He will have none else to be saved but those who know themselves to be sinners.
For meditation: Contrast whom Christ receives with all that they receive in him in return (Luke 15:20-24). Are you one of them?
Sermon no. 219 14 September (1856)
All rights belong to the collections of Charles Spurgeon(C)
No respect to his greater Master
All-sufficiency magnified
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13
Suggested Further Reading: Acts 22:6-16
Christians, beware lest that village in which you have found a quiet retreat from the cares of business, should rise up in judgment against you, to condemn you, because, having means and opportunity, you use the village for rest, but never seek to do any good in it. Take care, masters and mistresses, lest your servant’s souls be required of you at the last great day. I worked for my master; they say, he paid me my wages, but had no respect to his greater Master, and never spoke to me, though he heard me swear, and saw me going on in my sins. If I could I would thrust a thorn into the seat where you are now sitting, and make you spring up for a moment to the dignity of a thought of your responsibilities. Why, sirs, what has God made you for? What has he sent you here for? Did he make stars that should not shine, and suns that should give no light, and moons that should not cheer the darkness? Has he made rivers that shall not be filled with water, and mountains that shall not stay the clouds? Has he made even the forests which shall not give a habitation to the birds; or has he made the prairie which shall not feed the wild flocks? And has he made thee for nothing? Why, man, the nettle in the corner of the churchyard has its uses, and the spider on the wall serves her Maker; and you, a man in the image of God, a blood-bought man, a man who is in the path and track to heaven, a man regenerated, twice created, are you made for nothing at all but to buy and to sell, to eat and to drink, to wake and to sleep, to laugh and to weep, to live to yourself?
For meditation: The Christian—chosen to do (John 15:16), created to do (Ephesians 2:10), commanded to do (1 Corinthians 10:31), continue to do (Galatians 6:9,10). What?
Sermon no. 346 19 November (Preached 18 November 1860)
All rights belong to the collections of Charles Spurgeon(C)
NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS-AMEN
Walking in the light and washed in the blood
‘But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.’ 1 John 1:7
Suggested Further Reading: John 12:20–36
Whereas there are some who urge you to look to your doctrinal intelligence as a ground of comfort, I beseech you beloved, look only to the blood; whereas there are others who would set up a standard of Christian experience and urge that this is to be the channel of your consolation, I pray you, while you prize both doctrine and experience, rest nowhere your soul’s weight but in the precious blood. Some would lead you to high degrees of fellowship; follow them, but not when they would lead you away from the simple position of a sinner resting upon the blood. There be those who could teach you mysticism, and would have you rejoice in the light within; follow them as far as they have the warrant of God’s Word, but never take your foot from that Rock of Ages, where the only safe standing can be found. Certain of my brethren are very fond of preaching Christ in his second advent—I rejoice wherein they preach the truth concerning Christ glorified, but my beloved, I entreat you to build your hope not on Christ glorified, nor on Christ to come, but on ‘Christ crucified.’ Remember that in the matter of taking away sin, the first thing is not the throne, but the cross, not the reigning Saviour, but the bleeding Saviour, not the King in his glory, but the Redeemer in his shame. Care not to be studying dates of prophecies if burdened with sin, but seek your chief, your best comfort in the blood of Jesus Christ which ‘cleanseth us from all sin.’ Here is the pole star of your salvation; sail by it and you shall reach the port of peace.
For meditation: Blessings spring from our reliance on ‘nothing but the blood of Jesus’—eternal life (John 6:53), propitiation (Romans 3:25), justification (Romans 5:9), redemption and forgiveness (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14), peace (Colossians 1:20), access (Hebrews 10:19), and cleansing (1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5). Why look elsewhere?
Sermon no. 663 3 December (1865)
All rights belong to the collections of Charles Spurgeon(C)
FAVOR OF GOD OR FAVOR OF MANKIND!
The loved ones chastened
MY ROSE
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Revelation 3:19
Suggested Further Reading: Job 12:1-6
See how the righteous are cast down. How often is virtue dressed in the rags of poverty! How frequently is the most pious spirit made to suffer from hunger, and thirst, and nakedness! We have sometimes heard the Christian say, when he has contemplated these things, Surely, I have served God in vain; it is for nothing that I have chastened myself every morning and vexed my soul with fasting; for lo, God hath cast me down, and he lifteth up the sinner. How can this be? The wise of the heathen could not answer this question, and they therefore adopted the expedient of cutting the intricate knot. We cannot tell how it is, they might have said; therefore they flew at the fact itself, and denied it. The man that prospers is favoured of the gods; the man who is unsuccessful is obnoxious to the Most High. So said the heathen, and they knew no better. Those more enlightened people who talked with Job in the days of his affliction, did not get much further; for they believed that all who served God would have a hedge about them; God would multiply their wealth and increase their happiness; while they saw in Job’s affliction, as they conceived, a certain sign that he was a hypocrite, and, therefore God had quenched his candle and put out his light in darkness. And alas! Even Christians have fallen into the same error. They have been apt to think that if God lifts a man up, there must be some excellence in him; and if he chastens and afflicts, they are generally led to think that it must be an exhibition of wrath. Now hear the text, and the riddle is all made clear; listen to the words of Jesus, speaking to his servant John, and the mystery is solved. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.€
For meditation: God is good to his children, both providing for them and disciplining them (Deuteronomy 8:1-5). Teachings such as the Prosperity Gospel and Healing being in the Atonement miss the point that such blessings are guaranteed to the believer only in the Glory (Revelation 21:3-7).
Sermon no. 164 22 November (1857)
all rights belong to the collections of Charles Spurgeon(C)
The standard uplifted in the face of the foe
The standard uplifted in the face of the foe
Be A Bearean
Acts 17:11-Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
Suggested Further Reading: Ephesians 6:10-18
Christian, you are in the land where foes abound. There are enemies within you; you are not clean delivered from the influence of inbred sin. The new nature is of divine origin, and it cannot sin because it is born of God; but the old nature, the carnal mind, is there too, and it is not reconciled to God, neither indeed can it be; and therefore it strives and struggles with the new nature. The house of Saul in our heart wars against the house of David, and tries to drive it out and despoil it of the crown. This conflict you must expect to have continued with more or less of violence till you enter into rest. Moreover, in the world without there are multitudes of foes. This vain world is no friend to the principle of the work of grace. If you were of the world the world would love its own, but as you are not of the world but of a heavenly race, you may expect to be treated as an alien and foreigner, no, as a hated and detested foe. All sorts of snares and traps will be laid for you; those who sought to entangle the Master in his speech will not be more lenient towards you. Moreover there is one whose name is called ‘the enemy,’ the ‘evil one;’ he is the leader among your adversaries; hating God with all his might, he hates that which he sees of God in you. He will not spare the arrows in his infernal quiver; he will shoot them all at you. There are no temptations which he knows of—and he understands the art well from long practice—there are no temptations which he will not exercise upon you. He will sometimes fawn upon you, and at other times will frown; he will lift you up, if possible, with self-righteousness, and then cast you down with despair. You will always find him your fierce, insatiable foe. Know this then, and put on the whole armour of God.
For meditation: Self, society and Satan are an unholy trinity to follow (Ephesians 2:2–3) and an unholy trinity to fight, but, in Christ, self (Romans 7:24–25), society (Galatians 1:3–4) and Satan (John 17:15; Hebrews 2:14–15) can all be overcome (Hebrews 2:18).
Sermon no. 718 28 October (1866)
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND LIVING WATER
HOLY SPIRIT AND THE WATER OF LIFE
Genesis 8:11 NIV
When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf ! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth.Nehemiah 9:20 NIV
You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst.Isaiah 41:17 NIV
“The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.Mark 6:45 NIV
[Jesus Walks on the Water] [6:45-51pp — Mt 14:22-32; Jn 6:15-21 6:53-56pp — Mt 14:34-36] Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.Mark 9:41 NIV
I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.John 7:38 NIV
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”Acts 1:5 NIV
For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 8:36 NIV
As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?”Acts 11:16 NIV
Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’Revelation 7:17 NIV
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”1 John 5:8 NIV
the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.HallelujahDear Father:Forgive us of any unconfessed sin our lives. We ask for you forgiveness in the name of Jesus. Father, we praise you and revere Your Holy Name. We sing praises an Hallelujah to you alone. We thank you for your precious Son, Jesus Christ, our anxiously awaited for Messiah! Amen. Maranatha, Yes and Amen. Come Lord Jesus! Amen
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- June 15, 2013 Be Baptized with the Holy Spirit (dailymannablog.wordpress.com)
June 28, 2013 “I will come back”
Christ Will Return
“I will come back”
JOHN 3:16
[Jesus said], “When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know where I am going and how to get there.”
John 14:3-4 NLT
His promise to return
As a child, George Tulloch was fascinated by stories of theTitanic.…In 1996 he put together a team of the best scientists and sailors and set out to the exact spot where the Titanic sank in 1912. He and his crew were able to recover numerous artifacts from the ship — eyeglasses, jewelry, dishware, some coins and the like. But the most exciting thing they found was a large piece of the hull resting several hundred yards away.
The team did its best to raise the twenty-ton piece of iron, but to no avail. At one point the team almost had it.…but a storm blew in and.…the Atlantic reclaimed its treasure. Then Tulloch did something surprising before they were forced to retreat. He descended into the deep once more in a small submarine, and using a robotic arm, he attached a small handmade placard onto the section. It said, “I will come back. George Tulloch.”
For a lot of the same reasons, Jesus left us a similar message. “I am going to prepare a place for you..…When everything is ready, I will come and get you” (John 14:2-3). Some may wonder why he cared in the first place. Why would he even want to reclaim us? What good are we to him? In many ways we’re just as worthless and cumbersome and unyielding as that lazy piece of iron in the Atlantic.
But Jesus doesn’t see us that way. He’s dreamed of this moment since the beginning of creation, and now that the time is near he can’t help but leave this mark on our hearts. “I’m leaving now. But don’t worry, I’ll be back.
Adapted from Embracing Eternity by Tim LaHaye, Jerry Jenkins and Frank M. Martin, Tyndale House Publishers (2004), entry for January 1.
Digging Deeper: This week (Tuesday) is the release of the The Rapture , the last of three prequel stories to the Left Behind series.
Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House
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June 23, 2013 Bond of understanding
God will wipe away sorrow forever
Faith does not isolate us from sadness
Hebrews 5
Jesus Our Priest Forever
Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. His anger lasts for a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may go on all night, but joy comes in the morning.
Psalm 30:4-5 NLT
I am leaving you with a gift — peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
John 14:27 NLT
Truly, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joywhen you see me again. It will be like a woman experiencing the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives place to joy because she has brought a new person into the world. You have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.
John 16:20-22 NLT
Bond of understanding
There is an immediate bond of understanding between people who have suffered similar hardships or losses. Parents who have lost children, widows and widowers, and families of terminal-disease patients, all find comfort and encouragement in the presence of those who have known similar pain.
Paul urges believers to see opportunities for giving comfort as both a way to share the comfort of God and to use their own experiences of sorrow for good. We rarely know why suffering or trials enter our lives, but we can know that God wants to do through our sorrow.
Who do you know right now who needs a word of encouragement or comfort that your experience has prepared you to give?
Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House
June 21, 2013 Bond of understanding
God will wipe away sorrow forever
Faith does not isolate us from sadness
Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. His anger lasts for a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may go on all night, but joy comes in the morning.
Psalm 30:4-5 NLT
I am leaving you with a gift — peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
John 14:27 NLT
Truly, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joywhen you see me again. It will be like a woman experiencing the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives place to joy because she has brought a new person into the world. You have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.
John 16:20-22 NLT
Bond of understanding
There is an immediate bond of understanding between people who have suffered similar hardships or losses. Parents who have lost children, widows and widowers, and families of terminal-disease patients, all find comfort and encouragement in the presence of those who have known similar pain.
Paul urges believers to see opportunities for giving comfort as both a way to share the comfort of God and to use their own experiences of sorrow for good. We rarely know why suffering or trials enter our lives, but we can know that God wants to do through our sorrow.
Who do you know right now who needs a word of encouragement or comfort that your experience has prepared you to give?
Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House
Thy Word is a Lamp 
