The Sun of righteousness

(Charles Spurgeon, "The Sun of Righteousness")  LISTEN to audio!  Download Audio

(You will find it helpful to listen to the audio above, as you read the text below.)

"But for you who revere my name, the Sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings!" Malachi 4:2

The golden tressed sun is the most glorious object in creation;
and in Jesus, the fullness of glory dwells.

The sun is at the same time the most influential of existences, acting upon the whole world.
Just so our Lord is, in the deepest sense—both eye and soul of this great world. He with benevolent ray—sheds beauty, life, and joy from above.

The sun is, moreover, the most abiding of creatures; and therein it is also a type of Him
who remains from generation to generation, and is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The 'king of day' is so vast and so bright that the human eye cannot bear to gaze upon him. We delight in his beams, but we would be blinded should we continue to peer into his face.
Even yet more brilliant is our Lord by nature—for as God, He is a consuming fire.
But He deigns to smile upon us with milder beams, as our brother and Redeemer.

Jesus, like the sun, is . . .
  the center and soul of all things,
  the fullness of all good,
  the lamp that lights us,
  the fire that warms us,
  the magnet that guides and controls us.

Jesus is the source and fountain of all . . .
   life,
   beauty,
   fruitfulness,
   and strength.

Jesus is . . .
  the fosterer of tender herbs of penitence,
  the quickener of the vital sap of grace,
  the ripener of fruits of holiness, and
  the life of everything that grows within the garden of the Lord.

Whereas to adore the sun would be idolatry—it is treason not to ardently worship the divine Sun of righteousness.

As the sun is the center,
so is Christ to His people.

As the sun is the great source of power,
so is Christ to His people.

As the sun is the fountain from which light, life, and heat perpetually flow,
so is the Savior to His people.

As the sun is the fructifier by which fruits multiply and ripen,
so is Christ to His people.

Enthrone Jesus as the central sun of your hearts!

Bask in his beams, and let Him rule your entire being . . .
  enlightening your understanding;
  warming your hearts;
  filling all your powers, passions, and faculties with the fullness of His presence.

Come and lay your souls beneath His divine influence.

Come, plunge into this sea of sweetness, dive deep into this abyss of happiness!