An attempt to declare the Glory of God for what He has chosen to do with our lives. A legacy to leave to my children in the telling of it.

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Spurgeon


I stumbled across this video of an old Spurgeon sermon on YouTube. Oh my, here's a man of God preaching the word of God. It spoke volumes to my heart. Hope it does to yours, too.

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{My notes while listening, then the video link follows.}

God intended His trials to be felt.

It is feeling a trial that makes it a trial. The essence of the trial lies in the feeling of it.  God's blows fall just where He intends us to feel them the most. He smites us where we are sure to be affected. Trials which are not felt are unprofitable trails. If there be no crying out then there will be no emptying out of our depravity. It is just so much as we feel that we are profited. A trial unfelt must be a trial unsanctified. We are only blessed by feeling it under God's agent, the Holy Spirit. Though He slay me yet I will trust Him. For God sent the trouble that we might feel it. Not excessively that we would murmur against God, but that we may feel the rod; that we may kiss the rod.

Let the smoke {trials} come - they reveal our hearts. Trials till the soil of our heart. They make us know our blackness. We feel worthless, good for nothing, useless. How empty we become in trials. All our hope is gone, we feel empty, we need a full Savior to save us. In trials we are capable of being affected.

Christians, though they have trouble and feel their troubles, they do not forget God's statutes. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but not one word of Scripture. All Christians must carry the words of Christ, all must take up their cross and follow Him. His statutes are statutes of promise, as faithful as the God who uttered them. Hold fast to God's statutes. Our trials are only the smoke, not the fire. They might smoke, but they do not destroy us. There is nothing that will burn the Christian. Smoke might blur our vision, but it does not destroy us. There is no cause why we should forget our God in the midst of our trials.

We are washed on the shores of Christ by our trouble. Remember that Jesus is in the smoke with us. God's statutes are in the furnace with us, too. God's word is subject to the trial and it will come out shining brighter in the end. The more flame there is, the better we will be able to see our Master in the smoke with us. And if my sufferings may augment Thy praise, behold me well content, let sorrow well attend.

God's statutes are in our soul, where trials cannot steal. Christ and grace are unaffected by the smoke of trials. The outward man decays, but the inward man is being renewed day by day. Hold fast by God's word. If under our trial and troubles we hold fast to God's word, we can take assurance that we are children of God.

Guilty, weak and helpless I may be, but there, in God's arms, unshaken, will I rest until this vial body dies. If you can stand a little smoke, then you may believe yourself a child of God. Fair-weather birds are good for nothing. God loves those who can move in the storm, those who can make the wind their chariot. "I  know whom I have believed."  If you do not swerve from your post when the trials come, then you are verily a child of Heaven. Constancy, endurance and perseverance are the true marks of a hero of the cross and are the invincible warriors of the Lord. Know that every man is expected to do his duty.

Those who overcome will receive a crown of glory. Be refined by your trials. Do not consume {triumph by yourself in} your own trial. Let God consume you in them. Suffering Christians might be pitied now, but our light trials are working for us an exceeding glory. Our temporary trials are allowing us an escape from an eternal trial of punishment.

If thou art not a sinner, I have no salvation for thee. If thou art a Pharisee and knows not thy sins, I have no Christ for thee. But if thou art a real sinner, I have this for thee: Jesus Christ.

Listen to the sermon - Charles Spurgeon: Heaven and Hell

4 comments:

Camille said...

I *LOVE* Spurgeon! Do you have his "Morning and Evening" devotional book? I like the original based on the KJV because they stay true to Spurgeon's words...and, he was a master with the English language. May the Lord bless you all this year, Terri. I appreciate you. I'm praying for you today. Hugs, Camille

Sherry Sutherby http://russ-stickacres.blogspot.com/ said...

Thank you, for this...and for your amazing surprise in the mail. I can't begin to tell you how much it meant to me. Keep watch for something coming your way soon. P.S. I actually looked for air vents in the box, thinking...Boaz...:)

OurCrazyFarm said...

Camille~ So good to hear from you! I thought of you often and wondered how your Christmas went. Aahh, Spurgeon! They just don't make preachers like that any more:)

Sherry~ You are so welcome! It is always fun to surprise you. HaHa about the air vents:) If we didn't have two mortgages I would try to talk Rob into making a road trip and deliver you a Boaz!

Elizabeth said...

Hi, I wanted to comment on your post, "The Monster", but couldn't figure out how. I just wanted to say thank you for writing that. A couple things you wrote resonated with where I am (lost a preemie in 2012 and a miscarriage in 2013.)
I have found that others can't make sense of what I do sometimes, so it's nice to know I'm not alone. :)
I'm at this place, too: "But then there is the future, the glorious future. To keep my eyes trained there often times becomes difficult. Its reality seems unreal, lately. As if God has asked too much. I force my heart to repeat the promises. Clinging to the hope in them. Battling for victory.
Victory.
The victory to overcome this deceitful heart of mine. Victory over unbelief. Victory over thinking that it would be better to have Trent here. Victory to live victoriously."
Many days I feel like God has asked too much. Thank you for not being afraid to say that.
God bless. I'm so sorry for your loss.
Liz Lovelace