Grace Gems for AUGUST, 2026
Feeding Sheep, or Amusing Goats?
(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
An evil is in the 'professed' camp of the Lord, so gross in its impudence, that the most short-sighted Christian can hardly fail to notice it. During the past few years this evil has developed at an alarming rate. It has worked like leaven, until the whole lump ferments!
The devil has seldom done a more clever thing, than hinting to the Church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them. From speaking out the gospel, the Church has gradually toned down her testimony--then winked at and excused the frivolities of the day. Then she tolerated them in her borders. Now she has adopted them under the plea of reaching the masses!
My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the Church. If it is a Christian work, then why did not Christ speak of it? "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature--and provide amusement for those who do not relish the gospel."
No such words, however, are to be found. It did not seem to occur to Him. Where do entertainers come in? The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them. Were the prophets persecuted because they amused the people--or because they confronted them? The 'concert' has no martyr roll.
Again, providing amusement is in direct opposition to the teaching and life of Christ and all His apostles. What was the attitude of the apostolic Church to the world? "You are the salt of the world"--not the sugar candy. You are something the world will spit out--not swallow.
Had Jesus introduced more of the bright and pleasant elements into His teaching, He would have been more popular. When "many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him," I do not hear Him say: "Run after these people, Peter, and tell them we will have a different style of service tomorrow; something short and attractive, with little preaching. We will have a pleasant evening for the people. Tell them they will be sure to enjoy it! Be quick, Peter, we must get the people somehow!"
No! Jesus pitied sinners, sighed and wept over them--but never sought to amuse them!
In vain will the epistles be searched to find any trace of the 'gospel of amusement.' Their message is, "Therefore, come out from them and separate yourselves from them . . . Don't touch their filthy things..." Anything approaching amusement is conspicuous by its absence. They had boundless confidence in the gospel, and employed no other weapon.
After Peter and John were locked up for preaching, the Church had a prayer meeting, but they did not pray: "Lord, grant unto your servants that by a wise and discriminating use of innocent recreation we may show these people how happy we are!"
No! They did not cease from preaching Christ! They had no time for arranging entertainments. Scattered by persecution, they went everywhere preaching the gospel. They turned the world upside down--that is the only difference from today's church.
Lastly, amusement fails to effect the end desired. Let the heavy-laden who found peace through the concert, not keep silent! Let the drunkard to whom the dramatic entertainment had been God's link in the chain of their conversion, stand up! There are none to answer! The mission of amusement produces no converts!
The need of the hour for today's ministry is earnest spirituality joined with Biblical doctrine, so understood and felt, that it sets men on fire.
Lord, clear the Church of all the rot and rubbish the devil has imposed on her, and bring us back to apostolic methods!
. . .
The hell of Hell!
Thomas Brooks, "The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures"
(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
As there are a diversity of torments in Hell, so the torments of Hell are eternal.
"Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels!" Matthew 25:41
The sentence which shall be passed upon them, is eternal.
God Himself, who damns them, is eternal.
The prison and chains which hold them, are eternal.
The worm which gnaws them, is eternal.
The fire which torments them, is eternal.
Grievous is the torment of the damned, for the bitterness of the punishments.
It is more grievous, for the diversity of the punishments.
But it is most grievous, for the eternity of the punishments!If, after so many millions of years as there are drops in the ocean, there might be a deliverance out of Hell--this would yield a little ease, a little comfort to the damned. But oh,
this word, Eternity!
this word, Everlasting!
this word, Forever!
--will break the hearts of the damned into ten thousand pieces!Suppose that the whole world were turned into a mountain of sand, and that a little bird would come once every thousand years and carry away one grain of sand from that heap. What an infinite number of years would be spent before this great mountain of sand would be fetched away! Just so, if a man should lie in everlasting burnings so long a time as this, and then have an end of his woe--it would give him some ease, some hope, and some comfort.
But when that immortal bird shall have carried away this great mountain of sand, a thousand times over and over--alas, alas, sinful man shall be as far from the end of his anguish and torment as ever he was! He shall be no nearer coming out of Hell, than he was the very first moment that he entered into Hell!
Suppose, say others, that a man were to endure the torments of Hell for as many years as there are . . .
sands on the sea-shore,
drops of water in the sea,
stars in the heavens,
leaves on the trees,
blades of grass on the ground
--then he would comfort himself with this poor thought, "Well, there will come a day when my misery and torment shall have an end."But woe and alas! This word, "Forever! Forever! Forever!" will fill the hearts of the damned with the greatest . . .
horror and terror,
anger and rage,
bewilderment and astonishment!If the fire of Hell were terminable, then it might be tolerable.
But being endless, it must needs be easeless, and remediless.The eternity of Hell, is the hell of Hell.
The damned shall live as long in Hell--as long as God Himself shall live in Heaven!
The reprobate shall have . . .
punishment, without pity,
misery, without mercy,
sorrow, without support,
crying, without compassion,
mischief, without measure,
and torment, without end!"And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Matthew 25:46
All the pains, torments, curse, and wrath which were due to the elect--fell on Christ, until divine justice was fully satisfied!
"For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Oh, exalt and extol that Savior, who has loved you, and saved you from that eternal wrath!. . .
All the sins of the saints
(Thomas Brooks, "The Crown and Glory of Christianity, or, HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness", 1662)
(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
"We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28
All the afflictions,
and all the temptations,
and all the desertions,
and all the oppressions,
and all the oppositions,
and all the persecutions;
which befall a godly man, shall work for his good.Every cross, and every loss, and every disease--which befall the holy man, shall work for his good.
Every device,
every snare,
every deceit,
every depth,
every stratagem,
and every enterprise of Satan against the holy man;
shall work for his good.They shall all help to make him . . .
more humble,
more holy,
more heavenly,
more spiritual,
more faithful,
more fruitful,
more watchful.Every prosperity, and every adversity;
every storm, and every calm;
every bitter, and every sweet;
every cross, and every comfort;
shall work for the holy man's good.When God gives a mercy, that shall work for his good.
When God takes away a mercy, that shall work for his good.Yes, even all the falls and all the sins of the saints shall work for their good. Oh . . .
the care,
the fear,
the watchfulness,
the tenderness,
the zeal;
which God raises in the souls of His saints by their very falls!Oh the hatred, the indignation, and the detestation, which God raises in the hearts of His children against sin--by their very falling into sin!
Oh what love to Christ,
what thankfulness for Christ,
what admiration of Christ,
what cleaving to Christ,
what exalting of Christ,
what drawings from Christ's grace;
are saints led to, by their very falls!It is the glory of God's holiness, that . . .
He can turn spiritual diseases, into holy remedies!
He can turn soul poisons, into heavenly cordials!
He can prevent sin by sin, and cure falling by falling!O Christian! What though friends and relations frown upon you,
what though enemies are plotting and conspiring against you,
what though needs, like armed men, are breaking in upon you,
what though men rage, and devils roar against you,
what though sickness is devastating your family,
what though death stands every day at your elbow;
yet there is no reason for you to fear nor faint, because all these things shall work for your good! Yes, there is wonderful cause of joy and rejoicing in all the afflictions and tribulations which come upon you--considering that they shall all work for your good.O Christians! I am afraid, I am afraid--that you do not run so often as you should to the breasts of this promise, nor draw that sweetness and comfort from it that it would yield, and that your several cases may require. "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." I have been the longer upon this verse, because the condition of God's people calls for the strongest cordials, and the choicest and the sweetest comforts.
. . .
A heaven unto me!
Thomas Brooks, "Heaven on Earth" 1667
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That knowledge which accompanies salvation, is a heart-affecting knowledge. It affects the heart with Christ, and all spiritual things. Oh, it does wonderfully endear Christ and the things of Christ to the soul.
"Oh, feed me with Your love--Your 'raisins' and Your 'apples'--for I am utterly lovesick!" Song of Songs 2:5 "Oh," says the spouse, "my heart is taken with Christ, it is ravished with His love; my soul is burning, my soul is beating towards Christ. Oh, none but Christ, none but Christ! I cannot live in myself, I cannot live in my duties, I cannot live in external privileges, I cannot live in outward mercies; I can live only in Christ, who is . . .
my life,
my love,
my joy,
my crown,
my all in all.
Oh, the more I come to know Him . . .
in His natures,
in His names,
in His offices,
in His discoveries,
in His visits,
in His beauties,
the more I find my heart and affections to prize Christ, to run after Christ, to be affected with Christ, and to be wonderfully endeared to Christ!Oh God, forbid that my heart should be affected or taken with anything in comparison with Christ.
The more I know Him, the more I love Him;
the more I know Him, the more I desire Him;
the more I know Him, the more my heart is knit unto Him.His beauty is captivating,
His love is ravishing,
His goodness is attracting,
His manifestations are enticing,
His person is enamoring,
His lovely looks please me,
His pleasant voice delights me,
His precious Spirit comforts me,
His holy Word rules me.
All these things make Christ to be a heaven unto me!Oh, but all that mere notional knowledge, that speculative knowledge, which leaves a man short of salvation--never affects the heart; it never draws it, it never endears the heart to Christ, or to the precious things of Christ. Hence it is that such men, under all their notions, under all their light and knowledge, have . . .
no affection to Christ,
no delight in Christ,
no workings of heart after Christ."If anyone does not love the Lord, that person is cursed." 1 Corinthians 16:22
. . .
More fit to be called a devil than a parent!
Richard Baxter, 1615 - 1691
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"Bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4
Parents! Your example and life are a continual and powerful sermon which is always seen by your children!
Parents! Your children have an everlasting inheritance of happiness to attain--and it is that which you must bring them up for. They have an endless misery to escape--and it is that which you must diligently teach them. If you don't teach them to know God, and how to serve Him, and be saved, and to escape the flames of Hell--you teach them nothing, or worse than nothing. It is in your hands to do them the greatest kindness or cruelty in all the world! Help them to know God and to be saved, and you do more for them than if you helped them to be kings or princes.
If you neglect their souls, and bring them up them in ignorance, worldliness, ungodliness, and sin--you betray them to the devil, the enemy of their souls, even as truly as if you sold them to him! You sell them to be slaves to Satan!
If you saw but a burning furnace, much more the flames of Hell--would you not think that man or woman more fit to be called a devil than a parent, who could find in their hearts to cast their child into it? What monsters then of inhumanity are you, who read in Scripture that which is the way to Hell, and who they are that God will deliver up to Satan--and yet will bring up your children in that very way, and will not take pains to save them from it!
If you love them, show it in those things on which their everlasting welfare depends. Do not say you love them, and yet lead them unto Hell! If you do not love them, yet do not be so unmerciful to them as to damn them! You cannot possibly do more to damn them, than to bring them up in . . .
ignorance,
carelessness,
worldliness,
sensuality,
and ungodliness!
And yet, will you bring them up in such a life--and say that you do not desire to damn them?But if you train up your children in ungodliness, you may as well say that you intend to have them damned! And is not the devil more excusable, for dealing thus cruelly to your children--than you who are their parents, who are bound by nature to love them, and prevent their misery?
Let me seriously speak to the hearts of those careless and ungodly parents, who neglect the holy education of their children. Oh, do not be so unmerciful to those who you have brought into the world! Oh, pity and help the souls that you have defiled and undone! Have mercy on the souls that must perish in Hell, if they are not saved! Oh help them that have so many enemies to assault them. Help them that have so many temptations to pass through; and so many difficulties to overcome; and so severe a judgment to undergo! Help them that are so weak, and so easily deceived and overthrown! Help them speedily--before sin hardens them, and Satan makes a stronger fortress in their hearts!
Oh be not cruel to their souls!
Do not sell them to Satan, and that for nothing!
Do not betray them by your ungodly negligence, to Hell!
If any of them will perish, let it not be because of you--who are so much bound to do them good.
The undoing of your children's souls is a work much fitter for Satan, than for their parents!
Consider how odious, soul-betraying parents are--who betray their children to be the slaves of Satan here, and the firebrands of Hell forever! O do not join with the devil in this unnatural, horrid wickedness!
(Please forward this to every parent you know!)
. . .
The silent influence in parental conduct
J.A. James, "The Christian Professor" 1837
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Parents have a great power of influence over the minds and hearts of their children. Their children are almost continually with them--they are seen by them in nearly all they do, in their habitual conduct, and character at home. They are . . .
heard in what they say;
seen in what they do;
studied in all their behavior;
by little ears, and eyes and minds, which are scarcely ever closed!The child's heart is soft and pliable to a father's or a mother's influence. Their constant influence has been molding him from the dawn of reason. What, then, ought to be the parents' behavior at home? The whole cultivation, and direction, and management of a child's mind, from the very dawn of reason, should be carried on with special reference to the formation of Christian character. This should be the one thing, to which all other things should be in subordination.
The silent influence in parental conduct is far greater, either for good or for evil, than most parents are aware of. They teach by what they say, they influence by what they do; and also by what they do not say, and do not perform.
The pious parents, who embody a meek, benevolent, ardent and consistent godliness in their character; exert a tremendous influence over the minds of their children!
But oh! the dreadful contrast in the case of those parents who are characterized by . . .
ungodly dispositions,
worldly associations,
mirthful and extravagant living,
trifling conversation,
and lack of all seriousness and spirituality.Oh! what can be expected from such parents, but children who regard their religion with disgust!
Every man is best known at home. Parents are ever doing something to prejudice their children in favor of true religion, or to prejudice them against it; doing something to draw them into the church, or to drive them into the world; lending a helping hand to lead then to heaven, or taking them by the hand and leading them to Hell.
Parents! Must you employ your influence in ruining the souls of your children, and sending them to perdition? Oh! tremble at the interview you must have with them at the day of judgment, and the dialog you must hold with them forever in the bottomless pit!
. . .
A faint symbol of unutterable affection!
(Charles Spurgeon, "Gleanings among the Sheaves")
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Song of Songs 5:16, "Yes, He is altogether lovely. This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend!"In calling the Lord Jesus "altogether lovely," the redeemed Church asserts that she sees nothing in Him which she does not admire. The world may rail at His cross and call it shameful; but to her it is the very center and soul of glory. He is never without beauty to her! She presses His pierced feet to her embrace--and looks upon His wounds as jewels! Fools stand by His cross and find many a theme for jest and scorn; but she discovers nothing but solemn reason for reverent adoration and unbounded love!
"You are absolutely beautiful, my Beloved--with no imperfection in You!" Song of Songs 4:7. Viewing Him in every office and relationship--she cannot discover a flaw! She knows too well, His perfect Godhead and His spotless manhood, to offer a moment's shelter to the thought of a blemish in His immaculate person! She abominates every teaching that debases Him! She spurns the most gorgeous religious drapery that would obscure His beauteous features! Yes, so jealous is she of His honor, that a hint against His unsullied purity would stir her soul to holy wrath! Nothing has ever aroused the ire of the Church so much--as a word against her beloved Redeemer. To all true believers, this is high treason and an offense which cannot be treated lightly.
Jesus is without a single blot or blemish, yet this negative praise--this bold denial of any fault, is far from representing the fullness of the loving admiration of the Church.
Jesus is positively lovely in her eyes! Not merely lovely--His beauties are attracting beauties, and His glories are such as charm the heart. But although this utterance of the Church is the very climax of the language of praise, and was doubtless intended as the pinnacle of all description--yet it is not possible that this one sentence, even when expanded by the most careful meditation, should be able to express more than a mere particle of the admiration felt. Her description towers above all others; but its stature fails to reach the towering height of Heaven-born love. It is but a faint symbol of unutterable affection! It is a choice pearl washed on shore, from the deep sea of Divine love.
"Yes, He is altogether lovely. This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend!" Song of Songs 5:16
. . .
He is half beast and half devil!
Charles Spurgeon(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
Genesis 6:5, "The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time."Jeremiah 13:23, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?
Neither are you able to do good--you who are accustomed to doing evil."Jeremiah 17:9, "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked!"
Man by nature is worse than any one wild beast, for he is a jungle of beasts.
There is lion in him, and there is serpent in him;
there is tiger in him, and there is wolf in him;
there is dog in him, and there is devil in him.
He is half beast and half devil through the fall. I do not caricature him; his body allies him to the beast, and sin makes him a child of Satan.Shall the Ethiopian change his skin? No, he cannot do that! Our defect is not merely skin deep--it is much more extreme than that. Changing skins is difficult, but changing hearts is impossible, except to God. You cannot change your heart, any more than you can create a new world. That is God's royal prerogative. It is a pure act of divine sovereignty and omnipotent love.
Shall the leopard get rid of his spots? Well, that is difficult; but still the task of taking spots out of leopards would be small, compared with the miracle of taking evil out of the very core of our wild-beast-like heart. The leopard's spots are far more superficial than the soul's sinful corruption. Only the blood of the Lamb has omnipotent cleansing power.
We are not merely a little out of order; we are totally ruined. The fall has not broken the leg of humanity--it has broken its neck! There is no ability in sinful men to change their own wicked hearts. Man is dead in sin--not sick, not faint, not dying, but dead! And none but the eternal God who first made him, can make him live again.
All the tears of repentance,
all the efforts of morality,
all the strivings of religion,
cannot blot out a single sin. Our nature is so deeply polluted, that there is not a single faculty free from defilement:
the will is stubborn,
the understanding is darkened,
and the affections are earthly and sensual.View human nature in the looking-glass of Scripture, and you will see a leper from head to foot, covered with the foul disease of sin--incurable by any human remedy.
These truths crush self-righteousness and exalt the glory of God in salvation. By the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, God . . .
grants repentance and faith,
removes the heart of stone,
and writes His law upon the heart."I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean.
I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you;
I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances." Ezekiel 36:25-27. . .
There is no better school for a Christian!
(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
Job 1:21, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will return.
The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD!"That is the way to be at peace with God--to be thankful at all times.
Thank God for your mercies, and for your miseries.
Thank Him for your gains, and for your losses.
Thank Him for your enjoyments and pleasures, and also for your aches and pains.
Thank Him for every hard thing that comes from Him, for there is as much love in the hard things as in the pleasant things. God is as kind when He uses His chastening rod, as when He gives a kiss.I owe more than I can tell to . .
God's hammer and the anvil,
His fire and flood,
His pruning knife and the threshing floor.The Lord's dealings with me have been full of mercy, though they have often been painful.
I have learned more from my trials, than from my prosperity.
I have been better taught by the thorn, than by the lily.
I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.
There is no better school for a Christian, than that of sorrow and trial. The greatest blessing that God can give us is not a comfortable life, but a cross. It is the cross that makes us like our Lord Jesus. The furnace of affliction is the place where the Lord purifies His people. We may thank God for the fire, because it separates the precious from the vile.
Affliction is the torch which God uses to show us the vanity of earth, and the preciousness of Heaven. We are often better for our trials. We would not have known the sweetness of His promises, if we had not tasted the bitterness of affliction. We may be grateful for our afflictions, for they have been the means of driving us to prayer, and bringing us nearer to Jesus.
We cannot always understand God's purposes in affliction, but we may always trust Him, for we know that He causes all things to work together for good to His redeemed children.
"Because of the LORD's faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness!" Lamentations 3:22-23What a mercy to be out of the hospital!
What a mercy to have the use of one's limbs and mind!
What a mercy to be out of prison!
What a mercy to be out of Hell!
Surely He has not dealt with us after our sins!
Job 2:10, "Should we accept only good from God, and not adversity?"
. . .
Pure, unalloyed, perfect truth!
(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
The Bible is a vein of pure gold, unalloyed by any earthly substance.
The Scripture is,
a star without a speck,
a sun without a blot,
a light without darkness,
and a glory without a dimness.O Bible! It cannot be said of any other book, that it is perfect and pure; but of the Bible we can assuredly declare that all
wisdom is gathered up in it, without a particle of folly.This is the judge that ends the strife, where wit and reason fail.
This is the Book untainted by any error; but is pure, unalloyed, perfect truth.
"The Law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy,
making wise the simple.The precepts of the LORD are right,
bringing joy to the heart;the commandments of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;the judgments of the LORD are true,
being altogether righteous.They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.By them indeed Your servant is warned;
in keeping them is great reward."
Psalm 19:7-11. . .
Strangers and pilgrims on the earth!
(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
Hebrews 11:13, "They acknowledged that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth."
This poor world is a boarding-house in which we lodge for a night or two, but it is not our home. The furniture is not ours, the title-deeds are not in our name, and the lease will soon expire. Why then, do we fret over its broken chairs, or quarrel about the best rooms? The Christian's true estate lies yonder, where Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us. Let us hold all earthly things with a loose hand, lest when the Master calls, we be found glued to the toys of the nursery, instead of ready for the palace of the King.
The path of the Christian pilgrim is not strewn with flowers, but with thorns. He must expect to be misunderstood by the men of this world, for he speaks a different language and seeks a different country.
Beloved friends, you and I are passing through Vanity Fair, but we are not free to set up shop there. The true pilgrim buys none of the merchandise of the place--neither its honors, its pleasures, nor its empty praise. He has his treasure in Heaven, where moth and rust do not corrupt.
A pilgrim must travel light. The more luggage he carries, the more weary he becomes. So the Christian is called to lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets him. Houses, lands, gold, and reputation are heavy burdens for a man who is bound for eternity.
This world is a wilderness, and though the desert winds howl and the fiery serpents hiss, the pilgrim need not fear. His God has sworn to bring him safely to the land that flows with milk and honey--the better country of everlasting rest.
Our Lord Jesus was the great Pilgrim who had nowhere to lay His head. If we are in Him, we must share His pilgrim spirit. The cross marks the pilgrim's pathway, but the crown lies at the end of it!
We are pilgrims and strangers upon the earth, and we do well to remember it every day we live. This poor world is not our rest, for it is polluted! Our home is beyond the river of death, in the land where the flowers never fade and the sun never sets. Let us not build our nests too firmly in these trees that will soon be cut down, but keep our hearts loose from earthly things, that when the trumpet sounds we may rise and enter into the joy of our Lord.
What is this poor dying world, that we should fall in love with it? Its smiles are deceitful, its riches take wings and fly away, and its pleasures bite like adders! The believer has been taught by the Spirit to call it what it is--a broken cistern, a fading flower, a temporary tent. His heart is fixed on things above, not on earthly toys.
To the true believer, this world is a wilderness, dry and barren, full of serpents and thorns. He finds no lasting satisfaction in its broken cisterns. He is a pilgrim passing through, and though the road may be rough and the sky dark, he knows that every step brings him nearer to the city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
"Get up, go away! For this is not your resting place, because it is defiled, it is ruined beyond all remedy!" Micah 2:10
"Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul!" 1 Peter 2:11
. . .
Strangers and pilgrims on the earth! (part 2)
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Hebrews 11:13, "They acknowledged that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth."
Beloved, you are only lodgers in this poor world for a very little while. Soon this earthly tent will be taken down, the pilgrim's staff will be laid aside for the last time, and you will cross the Jordan into the better country: the heavenly homeland prepared for the people of God. Therefore travel light; do not load yourself with the cares and treasures that perish with the using. Your inheritance is incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in Heaven for you who are kept by the power of God.
The true Christian cannot rest in this poor world. Its fashions, its applause, its riches are all empty to him. He is a pilgrim who has left the City of Destruction, and is bound for the Celestial City. We tarry but a little while in this valley of tears; eternity with Jesus is our eternal portion.
The Christian is a holy pilgrim, journeying through the wilderness of this world to the Celestial City. The manna of yesterday, will not feed you today. Fresh grace is needed for fresh journeys, and the Lord delights to supply it to His faithful pilgrims.
This poor world cannot fill an immortal soul. You may heap together its gold and silver, its honors and pleasures, and still the heart cries, 'Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!' The pilgrim has learned to say, 'Whom have I in Heaven but You? There is none upon earth that I desire beside You.' Jesus is his everlasting portion, and in Him he possesses all things.
Our life here is but a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. The Christian numbers his days and applies his heart unto wisdom. He knows that the longest life is short, when measured by eternity. Therefore he redeems the time, runs with patience the race set before him, and keeps his eyes fixed on Jesus!
The Christian's path is the pilgrim's path--narrow, uphill, and often lonely, yet it leads home. We are strangers here, and the world's fashions, maxims, and joys are not ours. Pilgrims must expect rough roads, but the end of the journey will make amends for all!
"Get up, go away! For this is not your resting place, because it is defiled, it is ruined beyond all remedy!" Micah 2:10
"Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul!" 1 Peter 2:11
. . .
Society's view of sin
John MacArthur
(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
Sin has become so deeply woven into the fabric of our society that it receives little notice today, and even less opposition. Outrage over lying, cheating, or stealing is essentially nonexistent. Sexual sins like adultery and homosexuality are commonplace. Even violent crimes and murders will find defenders in certain circumstances. Only a few particularly heinous sins are still seen as unacceptable, like pedophilia (you may recall the scandals that erupted some years back regarding the Roman Catholic Church). Yet today even that wicked perversion has some proponents who want us to believe it is natural and acceptable.
It is undeniable that we are a people quite comfortable with sin. So, unsurprisingly, our world rarely thinks there should be consequences for people's misdeeds and evil. And when people grow up in a world where sin has been dismissed and redefined, and wickedness has no consequences, immorality abounds.
But not only is sin tolerated--it is also celebrated. For example, when a child announces that he is homosexual or transsexual, suddenly his parents become the strongest advocates for his preferred sexual perversion. This is what Paul described in Romans 1:32, "Although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them." Merely tolerating sin is not enough today. It must be celebrated.
The result is that our culture is characterized by a warped sense of good and evil, and a distorted understanding of justice. People do not know what sin is--and they certainly don't think anything they do qualifies. And because the culture imposes no consequences on sin and no stigma on people for it, the idea that sin carries an eternal cost is completely alien to their worldview.
As a result, verses like Romans 2:5 make no sense to the world. Paul writes, "You are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God." The apostle makes it clear that sinners are not getting away with anything. No act of fornication or adultery will be overlooked. No sin of the mind, lips, or any other kind will be ignored. The rebellious heart mistakes the absence of immediate punishment as a kind of license to keep sinning. It can't perceive, much less appreciate, the deferral of punishment as a mercy rather than as approval, so it just keeps accumulating iniquities--all of which will be confronted and judged. As Paul says, they are "storing up wrath." And one day, those immense storehouses of divine wrath will break upon their heads, and they will understand the crushing weight of their sin. But in a world where sin has no consequences, that is virtually impossible for people to comprehend.
And today that's not just a problem in the world--sadly, it's also rife within so-called churches which never confront sin. Too many preachers never speak of sin or repentance, and too many churches resist the divine prescription for biblical church discipline. Just as in the world, sin goes unaddressed and unpunished, and the truth about hell and God's wrath has been forfeited and forgotten.
(Copyright 2026, Grace to You. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)
. . .
Society's View of GOD
Various authors
(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
Psalm 115:3, Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases!"
Just as our culture has radically redefined sin, it has also radically redefined God. The God of Scripture has been replaced in the minds of most people, with a deity fashioned according to human preference--a god who exists to affirm, comfort, and accommodate us, but who makes no righteous demands upon us. The God of the Bible is infinitely different.
The God of Scripture is holy (Isaiah 6:3), yet society prefers a god who overlooks sin.
The God of Scripture is absolutely sovereign (Psalm 135:5-6), yet mankind prefers a god who exists to fulfill their wishes and desires. He reigns with absolute control over all that is, and ever will be. He governs the flight of every bird, and the rise of every king. There is no detail too small, no power too great. Our lives are not ruled by luck or fate, but by the omnipotent sovereignty of God.
The God of Scripture is truthful and unchanging (Numbers 23:19; Malachi 3:6), yet the modern mind wants a god who can change with the times.
The God of Scripture is righteous and just (Deuteronomy 32:4), yet our culture imagines a god who would never judge anyone.
Even God's love has been distorted. Scripture declares that "God is love" (1 John 4:8), but biblical love is not sentimental approval. God's love is holy, purposeful, and righteous. He does not love us by pretending our rebellion and sins are harmless. Rather, He commands us to repent, and graciously provides salvation from the very sins we are so eager to excuse.
A culture that denies sin, inevitably creates a god who cannot judge it. If there is no real sin, then there is no need for a holy Judge. If there is no judgment, then there is no need for a Savior. Thus the false god of our age ultimately leaves people comfortable--but condemned to eternal Hell.
The true God cannot be reshaped according to our preferences. He is the Sovereign Creator, Lawgiver, King and Judge. Yet astonishingly, this holy God is also merciful and gracious, "slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love" (Psalm 103:8). His holiness should cause us to tremble; His justice should cause us to repent; and His mercy should cause us to flee to Jesus for salvation.
The question is not whether we believe in God. The question is which God we believe in. The God of our imagination cannot save us. Only the God who has revealed Himself in Scripture can.
"The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and kind in all His works." Psalm 145:17
. . .
Society's View of SALVATION
Various authors(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
Just as our culture has redefined sin, and reshaped its understanding of God, it has also radically distorted the meaning of salvation. The prevailing message is that people are essentially good, that no one is truly guilty, and therefore no one needs to be saved from the righteous wrath of God. Salvation, if it is considered at all, has been reduced to becoming a better person, doing one's best, finding personal peace, discovering one's true identity, or simply being a decent human being.
But the Bible presents a radically different picture. Salvation is not self-improvement; it is deliverance from the guilt, the power and ultimately from the presence of sin! Salvation begins with the devastating recognition that we are heinous and destitute sinners who deserve God's righteous wrath, and cannot save ourselves. It is not something we achieve; it is something God graciously accomplishes for helpless sinners. We are not saved because we imagine that we are better than others, and deserve to be saved. We are saved because Christ died for undeserving, ill-deserving, and Hell-deserving sinners--bearing the wrath which our sins deserved.
Our society instinctively resists this message because it wounds human pride. We want to believe that we are "good people", hence we deserve to be saved. We prefer a salvation that requires no repentance, no submission to Jesus, and no acknowledgment of guilt. Many have embraced the comforting idea that there are countless paths to God, that sincerity is what matters, and that a loving God would never condemn anyone. But Scripture offers no hope for such vain delusions.
Biblical salvation is therefore exclusive by the fact that there is only one way to be saved. Salvation is not found in our goodness, our religious achievements, our morality, or our sincerity; but by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus alone. The same holy God whom sinners have offended, has provided the only sufficient sacrifice for their sin.
And this salvation is received only through sincere repentance and faith. We are not merely called to profess that Jesus lived and died for sinners. We are called to turn from sin, surrender to Jesus, and trust wholly in Him for salvation. The gospel does not promise that God will receive us, so long as we are sincere and desire to go to Heaven. It promises that in Christ alone, sinners can be forgiven, justified, reconciled to God, and made new.
The world imagines that we all have good hearts at the bottom, and that God will receive everyone into Heaven. But the Scripture says, "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked!" (Jeremiah 17:9)
"For at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6, 8
. . .
Society's View of HEAVEN
Various authors(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
1 John 3:2, "Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is!"
Philippians 1:23, "I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far!"
Just as our culture has distorted its understanding of sin, God, and salvation--it has also created a deeply sentimental and superficial view of Heaven. To many, Heaven is little more than a comforting idea--a beautiful place where everyone goes after death, regardless of how they lived or what they believed. Heaven is imagined as an eternal vacation, a place to have fun with old friends, where earthly pleasures continue forever, and where there is neither judgment nor accountability. Heaven has become less the dwelling place of the holy God, and more a reflection of what sinful humanity wishes the afterlife to be.
But Scripture presents Heaven as something infinitely more glorious--and infinitely more serious. Heaven is not about perfect weather, reunited families, good food, hobbies, or freedom from earthly troubles. Heaven is all about loving, enjoying and worshipping Jesus! It is the place where His glory is perfectly revealed, where His redeemed people behold Him, dwell in His presence forever; and become like Him! The supreme joy of Heaven is not merely enjoying nice things, but being with Jesus!
Our culture also struggles with the biblical truth that Heaven is not the universal destination of mankind. Jesus spoke of two roads and two destinies: one broad road leading to destruction; and one narrow road leading to life (Matthew 7:13–14). Scripture never teaches that sincerity, morality, religious affiliation, or simply being a "good person" secures entrance into Heaven. The entrance is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
This truth is uncomfortable in a world that has rejected the reality of sin and judgment. If everyone automatically goes to Heaven then, repentance is unnecessary, the cross is unnecessary, and Christ's sacrificial death becomes inexplicable. But the gospel tells us that Heaven is not something sinners deserve--it is a gift of divine grace, purchased by the sin-atoning death of Jesus.
And what a destination He has prepared for all who love Him! There will be no sin, death, mourning, crying, or pain (Revelation 21:4). There will be perfect righteousness, perfect worship, perfect fellowship, and everlasting joy in the presence of our Lord Jesus.
"Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"
"And they sang a new song: "Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation."
"In a loud voice they were saying: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!" And I heard every creature in Heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying: "To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever!" Revelation 4:8; 5:9, 12-13
. . .
Society's View of HELL
Various authors(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
Just as our culture has softened sin, reshaped God, redefined salvation, and sentimentalized Heaven--it has almost entirely erased the biblical doctrine of Hell. In popular culture, Hell is often treated as a joke, a metaphor, or a cartoonish place ruled by a red-suited devil with a pitchfork. In ordinary conversation, it is frequently used as a profanity, rather than regarded as a terrifying reality. Even many who profess Christianity, are uncomfortable speaking about Hell.
The prevailing cultural assumption is simple: A loving God would never send anyone to Hell. But that assumption begins with a god of our own imagination, rather than the God of Scripture. The Bible does not conceal Hell, minimize it, or speak of it merely as an ancient metaphor. Jesus Himself spoke repeatedly and solemnly about eternal judgment. He warned of "eternal fire" (Matthew 18:18), and described Hell as a place of "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 8:12). The One who spoke most tenderly about God's mercy, also spoke most plainly about the dreadful Hell which awaits the lost.
A culture that refuses to acknowledge the seriousness of sin, will naturally reject the seriousness of judgment. Yet Scripture declares that God "will by no means leave the guilty unpunished" (Exodus 34:7). Every sin is ultimately an offense against the infinite holiness of our Creator, and no sinner will escape the righteous judgment of God in Hell, by simply refusing to believe that it exists.
The horror of Hell, makes the wonder of salvation immeasurably greater. At the cross, Jesus endured the judgment that His people deserved, so that those who trust in Him might never face condemnation.
The world says, "There is no Hell." Scripture says, "It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!" and "our God is a consuming fire!" (Hebrews 10:31, 12:29). The world says, "Everyone will be fine in the end." Jesus says that the wicked shall be thrown into the fiery furnace, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth! (Matthew 13:42, 50).
Hell is evidence that God is holy, righteous, and just! Hell is not a doctrine to mock, dismiss, or use merely to frighten others. It is a solemn warning from the God of truth. Therefore, the proper response is not denial, but repentance; not presumption, but faith; not delay, but fleeing to Jesus for salvation. The reality of Hell, should drive us to the mercy of the cross!
Hell is not a place where God is absent, but where His holy presence is revealed in righteous judgment. The God whom sinners refused to honor in this life, does not cease to be their Judge in eternity. There . . .
His justice will be perfectly manifested,
His holiness fully vindicated,
and every sin equitably punished.Hell is therefore not the absence of God, but the dreadful and inescapable presence of the holy God before whom no sinner can finally hide!
"I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into Hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!" (Luke 12:5)
. . .
Peter's fish!
Charles Spurgeon, "All Joy in All Trials"(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
James 1:2-4, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But patience must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing."
"Various trials." The trials and temptations of each Christian, are distinct from those of every other Christian. That which would most severely test me, would perhaps be no trial to you; and that temptation which tries you, might be no temptation to me. We are not to try ourselves, nor to desire other men's trials; it will be well if we endure those trials which the Lord Himself appoints for us, for they are wisely chosen.
God's rod of affliction is not a toy to play with. His furnace of affliction, believe me, is no mere place of extra warmth to which you may soon accustom yourself. When God puts His redeemed children into His furnace, He takes care that we shall not stay there too little, nor be burned up; but He intends that we should be purified.
Trials are like a fire; they burn up nothing in us but the dross, and they make the gold all the purer.
The spiritual benefit that I have received from my sorrows, and pains, and griefs is altogether incalculable. What blessings I would have missed, but for my trials and afflictions! I owe more than I can tell, to God's hammer and anvil, His fire and furnace. The greatest blessings that God has given us, have come to us through the instrumentality of our trials. There is no teacher like sanctified affliction. It is a great schoolmaster, and we learn much more under its rod, than we do anywhere else.
Affliction is the stone which our Lord Jesus throws at the brow of our giant pride; and patience is the sword which cuts off its head.
As Peter's fish had money in its mouth, so sanctified trials have spiritual riches for those who endure them patiently.
Tried Christians are the most grateful people. I have known what it is to praise God for the power to move one leg in bed. It may not seem much to you, but it was a great blessing to me.
Those Christians who are heavily afflicted, often come to thank God for everything. I am sure that woman who only had a piece of bread and a cup of water for her meal, must have been a tried woman, or she would not have exhibited so much gratitude: "What! All this, and Jesus too!" Yes, greatly troubled Christians often become the most grateful of men, and that is no small thing.
Sanctified trials also ripen our graces. No flower of grace ever blossomed in this wretched climate, without being tried with frost or blight! A certain amount of trouble appears to be needful to Christians, to create a certain sugar of graciousness in them, so that they may contain the rich, ripe juice of a gracious character.
Ah, that sick chamber ripened the grace of sympathy. That loss, that cross, that bereavement--these softened the natural roughness, and made the man meek and humble, like his Savior.
Those Christians who are heavily afflicted, often become unworldly men. They have had too much trouble to think that they can ever build their nest in this dark and tangled valley of tears. There are too many thorns in their nest, for them to reckon that this poor world can be their eternal home. These birds of paradise take to their wings, and are ready to fly away to the land of unfading flowers!
"We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that:
suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character;
and character, hope!" Romans 5:3-4. . .
What unsearchable riches there are in this golden mine!
Letters of William Romaine, 1714-1795(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
Psalm 119:103, "How sweet are Your Words to my taste--sweeter than honey in my mouth!"
Jeremiah 15:16, "Your words were found, and I ate them. Your Words became my joy and my heart's delight!"
In books I converse with men; in the Bible I converse with God.
The more I read, the more I long to read.
The Scripture is always new, always instructing, always delightful.The value of the Bible is inestimable. It is not only a perfect map of the spiritual world; but the believer surveying its riches and beauties and pleasures, has a good warrant to say, "All these are mine, for God Himself is mine!"
God has spared me to read through His Word once more. Oh, what a treasure--what unsearchable riches there are in this golden mine! I have never dug deeper, nor found more precious jewels than upon this last perusal. Indeed, upon every reading of the Bible it grows more precious to me, as it has become the conveyance of the unsearchable riches of Christ to me.
It is our duty to read and meditate on the Word, but we should always do it with the fixed dependence of our hearts upon His divine teaching. Without meditation, the Word itself will profit us nothing.
The Word of God can be made useful to us, only by the enlightening of the Spirit of God. It is by continual dependence on the teaching of the Spirit, that we come to find its value and to taste its pleasures. For it then opens a new world to us--a spiritual and eternal world.
Thanks be to Him . . .
who revealed His Word to me,
who opened my eyes to see wondrous things out of His Word,
who often made me look up and say, "Oh, how sweet are Your Words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"God has made His Word very precious to me. My love for it has grown much in taste and value.
In taste, it is sweeter than honey.
In value, it is more precious than gold, yes, than much fine gold! As I dig deeper, the mine becomes richer, and the treasures of grace are greatly enhanced by their being the pledges of glory.The great end and design of the Scripture, is to conform us to itself. When the Word is understood and believed and lived upon--God makes it the means of conforming the whole man to it. It is so assimilating that every tint is to be seen upon him.
"I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread." Job 23:12
. . .
Christ, who is our life
Charles Spurgeon(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
Colossians 3:4, "When Christ, who is our life, appears--then you also will appear with Him in glory!"
Paul's marvelously rich expression indicates that Christ is the source of our spiritual life. "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins!" Ephesians 2:1. That same voice which brought Lazarus out of the tomb, raised us to newness of life.
Christ is now the substance of our spiritual life. It is by His life that we live. He is in us as, the hope of glory, the spring of our actions, the central thought which moves every other thought.
Christ is the sustenance of our life. What can the Christian feed upon but Jesus? O wayworn pilgrims in this wilderness of sin--you never get a morsel to satisfy the hunger of your hearts, unless you find it in Him!
Christ is the solace of our life. All our true joys come from Him. In times of trouble, His presence is our consolation. There is nothing worth living for, but Him. His loving-kindness is better than life!
Christ is the object of our life. As the ship speeds towards the port--so the believer hastens towards the haven of his Savior's bosom. As the arrow flies to its goal--so the Christian flies towards fellowship with Jesus.
Christ is the exemplar of our life. If we live in near fellowship with the Lord Jesus, then we shall grow like Him. We shall set Him before us as our Divine example, and we shall seek to tread in His footsteps. "Whoever claims to live in Him, must walk as Jesus did." 1 John 2:6
Oh! how safe, how honored, how happy is the Christian--since Christ is our life!
"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain!" Philippians 1:21
. . .
We are never beyond the reach of His care!
(J.C. Ryle, "The Gospel of Mark" 1857)
(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
Mark 6:50, "Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid."
Mark how our Lord sees the troubles of His believing people, and in due time will help them.
We read that when the ship was in the midst of the sea, and He was alone on the land, that He saw they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves; He came to them walking on the sea; and cheered them with the gracious words, "Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid," and changed the storm into a calm!
There are thoughts of comfort here for all true believers. Wherever they may be, or whatever their circumstances, the Lord Jesus sees them!
Alone or in company;
in sickness or in health;
by sea or by land;
in perils in the city;
in perils in the wilderness;
the same eye which saw the disciples tossed on the lake, is ever looking at us!We are never beyond the reach of His care!
Our way is never hidden from Him!
He knows the path that we take, and is still able to help. He may not come to our aid at the time we like best, but He will never allow us utterly to fail.
He who walked upon the water, never changes!
He will always come at the right time to uphold His people. Though He tarries, let us wait patiently.
Jesus sees us, and will not forsake us.
"Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid." Mark 6:50
. . .
Degrees and varieties of grace
(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
(J.C. Ryle, "The Gospel of John")
John 11:5, "Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus."
This verse teaches us that Christ loves all who are true Christians.
The characters of these three people seem to have been somewhat different. Of Martha, we are told in a certain place, that she was "anxious and troubled about many things," while Mary "sat at Jesus' feet, and heard His word." Of Lazarus we are told nothing distinctive at all.
Yet all these were loved by the Lord Jesus. They all belonged to His family, and He loved them all.
We must carefully bear this in mind in forming our estimate of Christians. We must never forget that there are varieties in character, and that the grace of God does not cast all believers into one and the same mold.
Admitting fully that the 'foundations' of Christian character are always the same, and that all God's children repent, believe, are holy, prayerful, and Scripture loving; we must make allowances for wide varieties in their temperaments and habits of mind. We must not undervalue others, because they are not exactly like ourselves.
The flowers in a garden may differ widely, and yet the gardener has interest in all.
The children of a family may be curiously unlike one another, and yet the parents care for all.
It is just so with the Church of Christ. There are degrees of grace, and varieties of grace; but the least, the weakest, the feeblest disciples, are all loved by the Lord Jesus.
Then let no believer's heart fail because of his infirmities; and above all, let no believer dare to despise and undervalue a Christian brother.
. . .
The Puritans on Heaven and Hell
(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
Richard Baxter:
When we come to Heaven, we shall not need to quench our thirst with any stream, when we have so crystal a fountain as this, where we may lie down and drink our fill!
Thomas Boston:
The damned will find a prison they can never escape out of, a lake of fire where they will ever be swimming and burning, and a pit whereof they will never find a bottom.
Thomas Brooks:
Those who've heard and rejected the gospel all their life, will be thrust into the Hell of Hell.
John Bunyan:
Those who live and die outside of Christ:
lose Heaven, for Hell;
lose God, for the devil;
lose light, for darkness;
and lose joy, for sorrow.
John Calvin:
He who does not yearn to be in Heaven with Jesus, has made little progress in the Christian life.
William Gearing:
The joys of our glorious condition in Heaven, far exceed the largest desires of our souls.
Christopher Love:
Hell is a place of torment ordained by God for demons and reprobate sinners, whereby in His justice He confines them to everlasting punishment.
Matthew Mead:
Heaven is the epitome of all blessedness, the sum of all felicity. Count up all comforts and pleasures and satisfactions and delights and happinesses; and put them all together in one bundle; and then separate them from finiteness and sin, and that is Heaven!
Edward Pierce:
God the Father will greatly rejoice to see His Son's spouse come home to Him so richly decked and adorned. Jesus will greatly rejoice that He's gotten His spouse into His bosom, never to depart from Him again.
Samuel Rutherford:
Were there a thousand heavens piled on top of one another, my Lord Jesus Christ would be the centerpiece of them all.
Jesus is standing at the gate of Heaven with a soft cloth in His hand, to wipe away every last tear from my eyes!
Thomas Vincent:
The Lord's reference to unquenchable fire refers to the torments of the body in Hell.
His reference to the undying worm refers to the painful gnawing of the conscience in Hell.
Robert Bolton:
Oh eternity, eternity, eternity! Upon the little inch of time in this life, depends the length and breadth, the height and depth of immortality in the world to come!
. . .He left Heaven for us!
Thomas Brooks, "The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures"
(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
"If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me." Matthew 16:24Let the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ, work us into a gracious willingness to embrace sufferings for His sake, and cheerfully and resolutely to take up His cross and follow Him.
Did Christ suffer, who knew no sin; and shall we think it strange to suffer, who know nothing but sin?
Shall He lie sweltering under His Father's wrath, and shall we cry out under men's anger?
Was He crowned with thorns, and must we be crowned with rose-buds?
Was His whole life, from the cradle to the cross, made up of nothing but sorrows and sufferings; and must our lives, from the cradle to the grave, be filled up with nothing but pleasures and delights?
Was He despised, and must we be admired?
Was He debased, and must we be exalted?
Was He poor, and must we be rich?
Was He low, and must we be high?
Did He drink of a bitter cup, a bloody cup, and must we have only cups of consolation?
Let us not think anything too much to do for Christ,
nor anything too great to suffer for Christ,
nor anything too dear to part with for such a Christ, such a Savior--who thought nothing too much to do, nor too grievous to suffer--so that He might accomplish the work of our redemption!He left Heaven for us, and shall not we let go of this world for Him?
He left His Father's bosom for us, and shall not we leave the bosoms of our dearest relations for Him?
He underwent all sorts of sufferings for us, let us as readily encounter all sorts of sufferings for Him.
"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich!" 2 Corinthians 8:9
. . .
The great master-scar of the soul!
Thomas Brooks, "A Word in Season to Suffering Saints"
(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
Proverbs 8:13, "I hate pride and arrogance!"What is the scandal and reproach of religion at this day? Nothing more than the pride of professors.
Humility makes a man like an angel--but pride makes an angel, a devil! Pride is worse than the devil--for the devil cannot hurt you, until pride has possessed you. Proud souls are Satan's apes, none imitate him to the life like these; for as face answers to face in a looking-glass, so does a proud soul answer to Satan!
Take heed of pride and arrogance. Pride is the great master-scar of the soul; it will bud and blossom--it cannot be hidden. Pride is the leprosy of the soul, which breaks forth in the very forehead! Pride is . . .
the sum of all vileness,
a sea of sin,
a mother sin,
a breeding sin,
a sin which has all sorts of sin in its womb!
In pride, all vices are wrapped up together in a bundle!Pride is Satan's disease! It is so base a disease, that God would rather see His dearest children buffeted by Satan, than that in pride they should be like Satan (2 Corinthians 12:7). Pride is . . .
a gilded misery,
a secret poison,
a hidden plague,
the engineer of deceit,
the mother of hypocrisy,
the parent of misery,
the moth of holiness,
the blinder of hearts,
the turner of medicines into maladies.God will have nothing to do with proud people.
He won't come near such loathsome lepers!Therefore as ever you would enjoy God's presence,
arm yourself against pride,
watch against pride,
and pray hard against pride!"The Lord detests all the proud of heart.
Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished!" Proverbs 16:5. . .
My little children
Charles Spurgeon, "A Sermon to the Lord's Little Children"
(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)1 John 2:1, "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin."
John is evidently addressing every believer when he speaks of them as "my little children," as, for instance, in the closing verse of his letter, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." 1 John 5:21. Surely, all the saints are included in these exhortations.
There is a sense in which every Christian is still a little child, a sense in which he ought to be so. We are to be:
ever dependent upon our great Father,
ever ready to receive the Word of our Father without questioning,
ever teachable,
ever restful in our Father's care,
and full of love to Him who is our all in all.Of necessity we must ever remain children before God; for our finite capacity is so limited that we are mere babes in knowledge in the presence of Infinite Wisdom. We know enough to make us understand that we know very little. The most advanced intellects in the church are but as infants, compared with the Ancient of Days. We are of yesterday, and know nothing. With all our experience, with all our study, with all our meditation, we remain "little children" when measured by the boundless knowledge of our omniscient God.
Children are expected to bear some likeness to their parents. Children of God, regenerated by the almighty energy of the Holy Spirit, are sure to bear a high degree of likeness to their heavenly Father. "Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children, and walk in love, just as Christ loved us, and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God." Ephesians 5:1–2
The believer is as a little child . . .
utterly dependent upon our Father,
sheltered in the bosom of our Savior,
and finding our highest happiness in loving Him and obeying His Word."As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." 1 Peter 1:14-16
"Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is!" 1 John 3:1-2
. . .
Jesus gives His people His own glory!
Charles Spurgeon
(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)Psalm 84:11, "The LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity."
The Lord will give us nothing less than glory!
We deserve shame, but He will give us glory.
We deserve misery, but He will give us glory.
We deserve condemnation, but He will give us glory.
We deserve Hell, but He will give us glory.If we belong to Jesus, then all that He has is ours.
The poorest believer shall be as rich as Jesus;
the weakest believer shall be as strong as Jesus;
the most despised believer shall be as glorious as Jesus!"The glory which You have given to Me, I have given to them!" (John 17:22) His glory belongs to us; He has made us heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Himself. What a wondrous gift is this! Jesus gives His people His own glory . . .
the glory of sonship,
the glory of union with Himself,
the glory of likeness to Himself,
the glory of being with Him forever!
This is the perfection of Heaven--that we shall be conformed to the image of God's dear Son.The saints shall have . . .
a glory which shall never fade,
a beauty which shall never wither,
and a blessedness which shall never end.
This is the very summit of our desires.
We shall see Him as He is, and we shall be like Him!The certain hope of every true saint is not merely escape from judgment; but final conformity to, and communion with, the glorified Christ (Romans 8:29–30; 1 John 3:2).
"Those He predestined, He also called;
those He called, He also justified;
those He justified, He also glorified." (Romans 8:30)