Spurgeon's Evening for July 27

Every now and then one of Spurgeon's devotionals really encourages me and today's was one of those.

"Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?"
Romans 8:33

Most blessed challenge! How unanswerable it is! Every sin of the elect was laid upon the great Champion of our salvation, and by the atonement carried away. There is no sin in God's book against his people: he seeth no sin in Jacob, neither iniquity in Israel; they are justified in Christ for ever. When the guilt of sin was taken away, the punishment of sin was removed. For the Christian there is no stroke from God's angry hand-nay, not so much as a single frown of punitive justice. The believer may be chastised by his Father, but God the Judge has nothing to say to the Christian, except "I have absolved thee: thou art acquitted." For the Christian there is no penal death in this world, much less any second death. He is completely freed from all the punishment as well as the guilt of sin, and the power of sin is removed too. It may stand in our way, and agitate us with perpetual warfare; but sin is a conquered foe to every soul in union with Jesus. There is no sin which a Christian cannot overcome if he will only rely upon his God to do it. They who wear the white robe in heaven overcame through the blood of the Lamb, and we may do the same. No lust is too mighty, no besetting sin too strongly entrenched; we can overcome through the power of Christ. Do believe it, Christian, that thy sin is a condemned thing. It may kick and struggle, but it is doomed to die. God has written condemnation across its brow. Christ has crucified it, "nailing it to his cross." Go now and mortify it, and the Lord help you to live to his praise, for sin with all its guilt, shame, and fear, is gone.

"Here's pardon for transgressions past,
It matters not how black their cast;
And, O my soul, with wonder view,
For sins to come here's pardon too."

Memorization Monday -- Promised Blessings - Forgiveness

Our series of Scripture memory verses continues with this verse about forgiveness.

Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. (NKJV)

Have a good week.

Hymn of the Week -- All Because of God's Amazing Grace

Ruth and Erin are singing this song in church this morning. I love the words. Both words and music are by Stephen Adams

Amazing grace, oh how sweet the sound
that saved a poor sinner like me!
Though once I was lost, yet now I'm found,
Though I was blinded, now I see!

Through disappointment and danger, too,
through labors and sorrows we've come!
But God's grace has guided safely through,
And it will surely lead us home!

Then with the ransomed around God's throne
We'll praise our redeemer and King!
We'll tell how His mercy for sin did atone,
Through countless ages this song we'll sing!

It was all because of God's amazing grace!
Because on calv'ry's mountain He took my place!
And someday, some glorious morning
I shall see Him face to face,
All because of God's amazing grace!

Memorization Monday -- Promised Blessings - Forgiveness

This week we begin a series of verses which help us focus on the promised blessings we have as Christians. Each blessing will be emphasized in three verses. The first blessing we want to memorize and meditate on is Forgiveness.

The verse for this week is 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Memorization Monday -- Assurance

The third memory verse in the series on assurance is found in I John 5:13 "These things I have written unto you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life."

Next week we start memorizing Scriptures that help us review the promised blessings we have as Christians.

Christianity and the Importance of Reading - Part 1

Reading is important because God has given us His Word in written form. In 2 Timothy 3:16 we read that all scripture is given by inspiration of God. The Greek word for scripture in this verse is “graphe” from which we get the words graph, graphite, etc. All of these words in English have the concept of writing associated with them. So Paul is telling Timothy that all of “The Writing” is given by inspiration of God. It is God breathed and is profitable.

In 2 Peter 1:21 we learn that holy men spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

The Psalmist tells us that the Lord gave the word and great was the company of those that published it. Psalm 68:11

And finally in Hebrews 4:12 we learn that the Word of God is living and powerful and able to pierce down to distinguish between the soul and spirit and between the thoughts and intents of the heart.

So I maintain that reading is important because the God that exists has chosen to communicate with us through the medium of the written word. If we don’t know how to read or we don’t care to read then God’s Word will be closed to us unless we hear it read.

Next time we’ll look at how reading is commanded, encouraged and expected.

Memorization Monday -- Assurance

This week’s verse is again under the topic of Assurance. The verse is John 5:24, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”

What a promise! Sometimes when I start to doubt my salvation, I go back and think about this verse. It’s pretty clear, isn’t it?

Thoughts on Contentment

I mentioned in a previous blog post that Tim Challies is encouraging us to read through the book “The Rare Jewel of Christian contentment” by Jeremiah Burroughs. This book was first published in 1648 and so the perspective and vocabulary are a bit different than we are used to, but it gives some great thoughts on learning to be content. I’ll share some of them here from time to time in between my posts on reading and other things that I’m thinking about.

Burrough’s key verse for chapter 1 is Philippians 4:11: I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. This of course was written by the Apostle Paul. Burroughs points out that in verse 12 where Paul says, “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound; everywhere and in all things I am instructed…” the word “instructed” means to learn the secret of something. Burroughs calls it a mystery. Contentment is something that can be learned and there is a secret to it, just as someone who is a cook might say, “I’ll show you the secret of making a great pie crust.” It isn’t really a mystery as in mysterious. There are just certain skills and attitudes that need to be developed to learn contentment.

Burroughs gives the following definition of contentment: “Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.”

A couple of points that really spoke to me were first of all that it is inward. Contentment can’t be forced from without. In fact the outward circumstances don’t matter much when it comes to contentment. Another point is that it is gracious. That is, it comes from the grace of God and it forms the entire frame of the spirit. It is not just something that is partially content. Everyone can be content at times or in various ways. This is contentment that forms the very frame of our spiritual being. Finally, the most difficult aspect for me is that of freely delighting in God’s handling of every situation. The key words there are freely, delighting and every.

I’m looking forward to working my way through the entire book and learning a great deal from it. If you’re interested in joining in, you can find Challie’s posts here.

Memorization Monday -- Assurance

The Bible specifically declares that we can know we have eternal life. This week’s verse speaks to that assurance. It is found in 1 John 5:11, 12; “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

If you read some of the other posts that will be coming in the next days and weeks, you will find a discussion on the importance of the written word in the Christian life. A big part of using that word appropriately is meditating on it. It’s hard to meditate on Scripture if you don’t know it. This would be a good verse to get started with and to spend time really thinking about.

Christianity and the Importance of Reading

Words and reading are at the very core of the Christian faith. There are cultural trends that are taking their toll on careful, thoughtful reading and this has implications for us as Christians.

There seems to be a fairly significant generational divide developing in this area with people 55 and older having one understanding and attitude toward reading and those under 25 having a completely different viewpoint.

My hope is that by raising awareness of this situation within the church, we might be able to turn things around for those younger people with whom we have influence.

I am in the process of preparing a couple of Sunday School sessions dealing with this important topic and I will post summaries of some of the key points here. This is something I have been becoming more concerned about as time goes by and an interesting book spurred me on to think more deeply about the current situation. The book is called "Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age" by Maggie Jackson. Although not a Christian book, it raises a number of issues that should be of significance to all of us who believe that God has communicated in the spoken and written word.

Watch for follow-up posts in the coming days.

Learning to be Content

Do you have difficulty being content? I would say that it is one of my most besetting sins. There doesn't seem to be any reason for it since God has fulfilled every promise He has made and yet there is a struggle.

Tim Challies, a hyper-blogger... (I don't think he's missed a day in many years), often calls for others to join him in reading a Christian classic together. The book he's proposing this time is "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment" by Jeremiah Burroughs. I'm going to take this opportunity as a challenge for myself to learn more about this important topic and perhaps gain some much needed victory.

My encouragement to you would be to join me and other Challies' readers in this effort. You can find the information here. I think it would be great if my readers at Faithful Men could have our own mini-discussion as we work our way through this book.

Spurgeon's Evening Reading for June 11

Read Spurgeon's devotional on Christ's victory over sin and Satan from this evening's reading. If this doesn't thrill your soul...nothing will.

"There brake He the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle." --Psalm 76:3

Our Redeemer's glorious cry of "It is finished," was the death-knell of all the adversaries of His people, the breaking of "the and the battle." Behold the hero of Golgotha using His cross as an anvil, and His woes as a hammer, dashing to shivers bundle after bundle of our sins, those poisoned "arrows of the bow"; trampling on every indictment, and destroying every accusation. What glorious blows the mighty Breaker gives with a hammer far more ponderous than the fabled weapon of Thor! How the diabolical darts fly to fragments, and the infernal bucklers are broken like potters' vessels! Behold, He draws from its sheath of hellish workmanship the dread sword of Satanic power! He snaps it across His knee, as a man breaks the dry wood of a fagot, and casts it into the fire. Beloved, no sin of a believer can now be an arrow mortally to wound him, no condemnation can now be a sword to kill him, for the punishment of our sin was borne by Christ, a full atonement was made for all our iniquities by our blessed Substitute and Surety. Who now accuseth? Who now condemneth? Christ hath died, yea rather, hath risen again. Jesus has emptied the quivers of hell, has quenched every fiery dart, and broken off the head of every arrow of wrath; the ground is strewn with the splinters and relics of the weapons of hell's warfare, which are only visible to us to remind us of our former danger, and of our great deliverance. Sin hath no more dominion over us. Jesus has made an end of it, and put it away for ever. O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end. Talk ye of all the wondrous works of the Lord, ye who make mention of His name, keep not silence, neither by day, nor when the sun goeth to his rest. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Memorization Monday - Salvation Must be Personally Received

Salvation is a free gift, but it must be believed or received personally. Our verses for this week are Romans 10:9, 10: “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Notice the focus on “you”. It’s often easy to listen to sermons and assume that just because we are hearing it we must be “in”. But these verses say that you must confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead in order for you to be saved. Are these things true of you?

Paul challenges us in 2 Corinthians 13:5 to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. It never hurts to take that as a personal admonition. Jesus said there are many who will say, “Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name?” and He will say, “Depart from me, I never knew you.” Matt 7:22. It’s worth thinking about, isn’t it?

Memorization Monday -- Salvation Must be Received

The next topic in our Scripture memory series is that the free gift of salvation must be received. This week’s verse is John 1:12 – “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”

Hopefully most of you have already committed this verse to memory, but it’s worth a good review.

Have a good week.

Memorization Monday - Salvation a Free Gift

For those of you who are trying to work along with me in reviewing or memorizing scripture based on a topical approach, here is the third verse under the heading of Salvation – A Free Gift

Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.”

If you want to see the complete list, you can find it here.

Consider the Resurrection

Back in April as we were approaching Good Friday, I suggested that we take some time to consider the cross. At the time, I said that we would use the month of May to consider the implications of the resurrection of Christ in our lives. Well, I have just had four or five of the busiest weeks that I have had in a long time. It seems like so many important things have suffered because of the requirements of the urgent. I’m trying to refocus and get myself back on track.

So, I would like to move forward with the plan of thinking and writing about Christ’s resurrection during May and probably into June as well. The verse I would like us to think about and to launch our discussion is Philippians 3:10 “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”

I think we should ask ourselves if we have the same desire as Paul had? Do we want the power of the resurrection in our lives? How does it look to know Him and have the power of His resurrection?

Let’s talk about this a little bit. You can either respond on the Faithful Men blog or join the Facebook discussion group on this topic.

Memorization Monday - Salvation a Free Gift

I don’t know where the past two weeks have gone. I’m sorry for having missed last Monday. It’s time for me to get back on track.

This is the second verse under the heading, “Salvation – A Free Gift
Our verse is Romans 3:24 “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Let’s never forget that our salvation is a free gift. Never ever add anything to the gospel. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone.

Memorization Monday -- Sin's Penalty Paid by Christ

Our verse for this week is found in Ephesians 2:8,9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

Let's never forget the word grace in this passage. There is no boasting. God's favor toward us was not earned in any way. In our natural state we did to seek after God nor understand anything of spiritual matters. If it were not for God's grace at work in us, we would be in the same position as countless others who do not know Christ.

Hymn of the Week -- I Sought a Flag to Follow

I sought a flag to follow, a cause for which to stand,
I sought a valiant leader, Who could my love command;
I sought a stirring challenge, Some noble work to try,
To give my life fulfillment, my dreams to satisfy.

I sought a ringing answer for all my doubts inside,
A torch of truth uplifted, My searching steps to guide;
I sought a word of wisdom, A true authority,
I sought to know life's purpose, to solve it's mystery.

I sought for satisfaction, for yearnings deep within,
I sought for full deliverance, from chains of guilt and sin
I sought for peace and pardon, for freedom from my fears
I sought a hope to cling to beyond these passing years.

I found them all in Jesus, the Life, the Truth, the Way;
Beneath His flag I'll take my stand and follow Him today!

From Boy to Man

Albert Mohler had an interesting radio broadcast on the Eclipsing of Biblical Manhood. You can find the online version here. There is a serious erosion of manhood going on that partly displays itself in the extension of adolescence into a man's twenties and in some cases thirties. One of the interesting resources that Dr. Mohler included on the radio website is a list of 13 marks that indicate that a boy has moved on to manhood.

I am going to take some time personally to work through these things even though I'm 62 years old, I think there is much to learn and I would encourage all of you to take some to think about this as well. Those of you who are young men in your teens and twenties would do well to meditate on the concepts that Dr. Mohler is addressing and look for passages of Scripture that might go along with his insights. Perhaps there some areas where you would disagree. It would be interesting to talk about that as well.

So from time to time over the next few weeks look for this topic as we work through the 13 marks that he has given us.

Resources from Dr. Mohler

Albert Mohler Website

Albert Mohler Radio

From Boy to Man Part 1

From Boy to Man Part 2