Charles SpurgeonOff must come the right hands, and out must go the right eyes!
(Be sure to
LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and
love the other; or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money!"
It is impossible to serve both sin and Jesus. How can a man
continue to live in sin--and yet be saved from sin? Oh, sirs, be
not deceived! Your sins and you must part--or Jesus will have nothing to do with
you. Do you think so badly of my Lord, as to dream that He will pander to your
passions by giving you liberty to live in sin--and yet go to Heaven? Has Jesus
come to play the lackey to your lusts, and let you do the work of Satan--and
then receive the wages of the godly?
Though you never can attain perfection--yet in your desires, you
must aim for perfection. You must from your heart, strive against every
single sin--whatever shape it may be, and however pleasurable or profitable it
may appear. Off must come the right hands, and out must
go the right eyes! It would be better for you to go through life
maimed and blind, than that you should perish in your beloved sins.
There must be the full assent of your will to the reigning power of Jesus
in your soul, or else He does not reign at all. What do you say? Are you willing
that Jesus should henceforth rule and reign over your entire
nature, as your heart's supreme Lord?
Until Jesus is received by you as your sovereign King, then you are still
under the reign of self, sin and Satan. Whatever you may
think of it--the devil is your master! You say you do not like him, but he is
your master and lord for all that, since he leads you captive at his will.
Until Jesus truly reigns in your heart, you are also in the utmost danger--in
danger of damnation and eternal punishment. Let your breath go the wrong
way, or let your heart cease beating just for a little--and you will be
in Hell. My friends, you will be in Hell!
Every man in the world has a master of some kind. Some principle
or another has dominion over him. The worst tyrant a man can serve, is
himself. Self is the hardest and most contemptible of all despots. Seeing
then that you must have a king, can you have a better king than King Jesus, who
is incarnate love? Think of His wondrous character, and of the love He has shown
to sinners, and then tell me if you could have a better King?
"On His robe at His thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord
of all lords!" Revelation 19:16
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