Showing posts tagged C.H. Spurgeon

God’s Kindness Should Lead To Repentance

Romans 2:4—”Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”

God not only acts kindly to sinners, but when they misuse his kindness he labors to set them right (Isa. 1:18, Hosea 11:8). It is a sad thing that any who have seen God’s judgments on others, and have escaped themselves, should draw from this special mercy a reason for adding sin to sin (Jer. 3:8).

God’s Kindness Should Lead To Repentance

The forbearance of God should lead us to repentance. For we should argue that:

He is not hard and unloving, or he would not have spared us.
His great patience deserves recognition at our hands. We are bound to respond to it in a generous spirit.
To go on to offend would be cruel to him, and disgraceful to ourselves. Nothing can be baser than to make forbearance a reason for provocation.
It is evident from his forbearance that he will rejoice to accept us if we will turn to him. He spares that he may save.
He has dealt with each one personally, and by this means he is able to put it, as in the text, “God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.” He calls us individually to himself. Let each one personally remember his own experience of sparing mercies.
The means are so gentle; let us yield to them cheerfully. Those who might refuse to be driven should consent to be drawn.

O sinner, each gift of goodness draws you to Jesus!
Forbearance causes humble repentance to Jesus! Long-suffering waits and woos you to Jesus! Will you not turn from sin and return to your God, or “do you presume on the riches of his kindness?”

Posted 2 years ago

Tags: The Resurgence, C.H. Spurgeon,

Spurgeon on Family Worship

C.H. Spurgeon:

I trust there are none here present, who profess to be followers of Christ who do not also practice prayer in their families. We may have no positive commandment for it, but we believe that it is so much in accord with the genius and spirit of the gospel, and that it is so commended by the example of the saints, that the neglect thereof is a strange inconsistency…

I agree with Matthew Henry when he says, “They that pray in the family do well; they that pray and read the Scriptures do better; but they that pray, and read, and sing do best of all.” There is a completeness in that kind of family worship which is much to be desired.

From Donald Whitney’s book Family Worship. For a great resource to help you lead your family in worship, check out the Rizers—fun, original music that helps kids memorize Scripture. Listen to the Rizers here.

Posted 2 years ago

Tags: C.H. Spurgeon, Tim Smith, Donald Whitney, Matthew Henry, Resurgence,

”
Christ is ‘a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.’ And in order to prove this from facts, we appeal to such of you as have had him for a friend. Will you not, each of you, at once give your verdict, that this is neither more nor less than an unexaggerated truth?

He loved you before all worlds; long ere the day star flung his ray across the darkness, before the wing of angel had flapped the unnavigated ether, before aught of creation had struggled from the womb of nothingness, God, even our God, had set his heart upon all his children.

Since that time, has he once swerved, has he once turned aside, once changed? No; ye who have tasted of his love and know his grace, will bear me witness, that he has been a certain friend in uncertain circumstances… .

You have often left him; has he ever left you? You have had many trials and troubles; has he ever deserted you? Has he ever turned away his heart, and shut up his bowels of compassion? No, children of God, it is your solemn duty to say ‘No,’ and bear witness to his faithfulness.

A Faithful Friend

‘There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.’ —Proverbs 18:24

- C.H. Spurgeon

Posted 2 years ago

Tags: C.H. Spurgeon,

”
What does faith exclude? Well, I am sure it excludes boasting. ‘He that believeth is not condemned’ (John 3:18). Oh, if it said, ‘He that works is not condemned,’ then you and I might boast in unlimited quantity… .

No, Lord, if I am not condemned, it is Your free grace, for I have deserved to be condemned a thousand times since I sat down to write this. When I am on my knees and I am not condemned, I am sure it must be sovereign grace, for even when I am praying, I deserve to be condemned. Even when we are repenting, we are sinning, and adding to our sins while we are repenting of them… .

Our best performances are so stained with sin that it is hard to know whether they are good works or bad works… . Ah, then, we cannot boast! Be gone, pride! Be gone! Quit boasting, Christian. Live humbly before your God, and never let a word of self-congratulation escape your lips.

Adding to Our Sins While Repenting of Them

Spurgeon, writing reflectively on Ephesians 2:8-9—

Posted 2 years ago

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Tags: C.H. Spurgeon, Ephesians, John,

Living and Dying with Jesus

Moving section from a Charles Spurgeon sermon (November 2, 1884):

The best preaching is, “We preach Christ crucified.”

The best living is, “We are crucified with Christ.”

The best man is a crucified man.

The more we live beholding our Lord’s unutterable griefs, and understanding how he has fully put away our sin, the more holiness shall we produce.

The more we dwell where the cries of Calvary can be heard, where we can view heaven, and earth, and hell, all moved by his wondrous passion—the more noble will our lives become.

Nothing puts life into men like a dying Savior.

Get close to Christ, and carry the remembrance of him about you from day to day, and you will do right royal deeds.

Come, let us slay sin, for Christ was slain.

Come, let us bury all our pride, for Christ was buried.

Come, let us rise to newness of life, for Christ has risen.

Let us be united with our crucified Lord in his one great object—let us live and die with him, and then every action of our lives will be very beautiful.

O that Christians today—that I—would truly get this: Living in union with Christ is the key to holiness.

Posted 2 years ago

Tags: C.H. Spurgeon, Tony Reinke,

It would un-Jesus him

“If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13

“I tell you, if he were to shut you out, dear soul, whoever you may be, if you go to him, he would deny himself. He never did deny himself yet. Whenever a sinner comes to him he becomes his Savior. Whenever he meets a sick soul he acts as his Physician… . If you go to him you will find him at home and on the look-out for you. He will be more glad to receive you than you will be to be received… . As Matthew sat at the receipt of custom, waiting for the people to pay their dues, so does Christ sit at the receipt of sinners, waiting for them to mention their wants. He is watching for you. I tell you again that he cannot reject you. That would be to alter his whole character and un-Christ himself. To spurn a coming sinner would un-Jesus him and make him to be somebody else and not himself any longer. ‘He cannot deny himself.’ Go and try him; go and try him.”

C. H. Spurgeon, Treasury of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, 1950), III:862.