Sep 11
3
ENDLESS ADORATION!
The vista of a praiseful life will never close,
but continue throughout eternity.
From psalm to psalm, from hallelujah to hallelujah, we will ascend the hill of the Lord; until we come into the Holiest of all, where, with veiled faces, we will bow before the Divine Majesty in the bliss of endless adoration! -Spurgeon, “Breaking the Long Silence”
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It is not enough to know by the Word that there is strength and righteousness in Christ, but the Spirit must open the eyes of the soul to see, else we shall only have a natural knowledge of supernatural things. I t is necessary to have a supernatural light to see supernatural things, so as to change the soul, and therefore the Spirit only works faith to see Christ is mine. Further, only the Spirit can lead the conscience to rest, because He is greater than the conscience, and can answer all inward objections and quibbles of flesh and blood; unless therefore the Holy Ghost does effectually apply what Christ has done, the conscience will not be satisfied. Richard Sibbes
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Christ must be all!
from Octavius Winslow’s, “Morning Thoughts”
We cannot keep our eye too exclusively or too intently fixed on Jesus. All salvation is in Him. All salvation proceeds from Him. All salvation leads to Him. And for the assurance and comfort of our salvation we are to repose believingly and entirely on Him.
Christ must be all!
Christ the beginning; Christ the center; and Christ the end.
Oh sweet truth to you who are sensible of your poverty, vileness, and insufficiency,
and of the ten thousand flaws and failures of which, perhaps, no one is cognizant but
God and your own soul! Oh, to turn and rest in Christ; a full Christ; a loving Christ;
a tender Christ, whose heart’s love never chills, from whose eye darts no reproof,
from whose lips breathes no sentence of condemnation!
Christ must be all!
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Have you seen Jesus lately?
“But they did not know who He was.” Luke 24:16 (Charles Spurgeon)
The disciples ought to have recognized Jesus, they had heard His voice so often, and gazed upon that marred face so frequently, that it is amazing that they did not know Him. Yet is it not so with you also? Have you seen Jesus lately? You have been to His table—and you have not met Him there. You are in a dark trouble, and though He plainly says, “It is I—do not be afraid,” yet you do not recognize Him. Alas! our eyes are blinded! We know His voice; we have looked into His face; we have leaned our head upon His bosom—and yet, though Christ is very near us, we are saying, “O that I knew where I might find Him!”
We should know Jesus, for we have the Scriptures to reflect His image. Yet how frequently we open that precious book—and have no glimpse of our Well-beloved! Dear child of God, are you in that state? Jesus walks through the glades of Scripture, and desires to commune with His people. Yet you are in the garden of Scripture—but cannot see Him, though He is always there!
Make it your prayer, “Lord, open my eyes—that I may see my Savior present with me!” It is a blessed thing to desire to see Him. But oh! it is better far to gaze upon Him! To those who seek Him—He is kind; but to those who find Him—He is precious beyond expression!
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A world without night! A heaven without a sun!
(John MacDuff, “The Faithful Promiser”)
“And the city has no need of sun or moon — for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light!” Revelation 21:23
“There shall be no night there!” Revelation 21:25
My soul! is it night with you here? Are you wearied with these midnight tossings on life’s tumultuous sea? Be still! The day is breaking! Soon shall your Lord appear! That glorious appearing shall disperse every cloud, and usher in an eternal noontide which knows no twilight. “The Lord will be your everlasting light — and your God will be your glory! Your days of sorrow will come to an end!” Everlasting light! Wondrous secret of a nightless world — the glories of a present God!
Strange realities! A world without night! A heaven without a sun! And, greater wonder still, yourself in this world — a joyful citizen of this nightless, sinless, sorrowless, tearless Heaven — basking underneath the Fountain of uncreated light! No exhaustion of glorified body and spirit to require repose; no lassitude or weariness to suspend the ever-deepening song, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain — to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
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Whose presence is thus promised and pledged?
(Octavius Winslow, “Christ is Ever With You!” 1863)
“Lo, I am with you always — even unto the end of the world!” Matthew 28:20
Whose presence is thus promised and pledged?
It is the presence of Christ! The Christ who is God. “Immanuel, God with us!”
The Christ who . . .made all worlds, created all beings, governs all empires,
controls all events! The Christ who replenishes . . .earth with beauty,heaven with glory,
eternity with song! The Christ before whom angels and archangels, principalities and powers bend, and at whose name every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that He is Lord!
The Christ . . .whose glory is divine, whose beauty is peerless, whose wealth is boundless,
whose love is as infinite as His being!
The Christ who . . .bore and put away your sins forever,uplifted and forever removed your curse, paid all your great debt to Divine justice, sorrowed for you in the garden,suffered and expired in your stead on the cross,rose from the grave, ascended up to heaven, lives and intercedes for you, representing your person and presenting your prayers and praises with ineffable acceptance and delight — to His Father and your Father, to His God and your God.
“Lo, I am with you always! Mark! Behold! I the Incarnate God, I who opened my bleeding heart for your redemption on Calvary, I who am your dearest Friend — I am with you always, in all places, and at all times, unto the end of the world!”
O honored saint of God! You have . . . the Divinest in the universe to love you,
the Mightiest in the universe to shield you, the Loveliest in the universe to delight you,
the Dearest in the universe to soothe, cheer, and gladden you! O favored disciple of Jesus — you have such a one ever at your side!
This is the promise of promises — the richest pearl of all the promises, exceeding in its mightiness and preciousness; while it is the substance, sweetness, and pledge of all the rest!
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All that can possibly want!
(Octavius Winslow, “The Witness of the Spirit”)
“From the fullness of His grace—we have all received one blessing after another.” John 1:16
Child of God, all that can possibly want
is treasured up in Christ! You have . . .
no cross—but Christ can bear it,
no sorrow—but Christ can alleviate it,
no corruption—but Christ can subdue it,
no guilt—but Christ can remove it,
no sin—but Christ can pardon it,
no need—but Christ can supply it!
Lift up your heads, you who are poor, needy
and disconsolate! Lift up your heads, and
rejoice that Christ is ALL to you!
All you need in this valley of tears.
All you will need in the deepest sorrow.
All you need under the heaviest affliction.
All you need in sickness.
All you will need in the hour of death.
All you will need in the day of judgment.
Indeed, Christ is IN ALL too.
He is in all your salvation.
He is in all your mercies
He is in all your trials.
He is in all your consolations.
He is in all your afflictions.
What more can you want? What more do you desire? A Father who loves you as the apple of His eye! A full Savior to whom to go, moment by moment!
“Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with confidence—so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
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“Your eyes will see the King in His beauty!”
Isaiah 33:17
Where in heaven or on earth can there be found such
a lovely Object as the Son of God? If you have never
seen any beauty in Jesus . . .
you have never seen Jesus,
He has never revealed Himself to you,
you never had a glimpse of His lovely face,
nor a sense of His presence,
nor a word from His lips,
nor a touch from His hand.
But if you have seen Him by the eye of faith—and
He has revealed Himself to you even in a small
measure—you have seen a beauty in Him beyond
all other beauties, for it is . . .
a holy beauty,
a divine beauty,
the beauty of His heavenly grace,
the beauty of His uncreated and eternal glory.
How beautiful and glorious does He show Himself to be
in His atoning blood and dying love. Even as sweating
great drops of blood in Gethsemane’s gloomy garden,
and as hanging in torture and agony upon Calvary’s
cross—faith can see a beauty in the glorious Redeemer,
even in the lowest depths of ignominy and shame!
“How is your Beloved better than others?”
“My Beloved is dark and dazzling, better
than ten thousand others!” Song 5:9-10
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Personal, spiritual, experimental
knowledge of Jesus
It is our dim, scanty, and imperfect knowledge of
the Lord Jesus Christ in His eternal love—and in
His grace and glory—which leaves us so often cold,
lifeless, and dead in our affections towards Him.
If there were more blessed revelations to our soul
of the Person and work, grace and glory, beauty and
blessedness of the Lord Jesus Christ—it is impossible
but that we would more and more warmly and tenderly
fall in love with Him—for He is the most glorious object
that the eyes of faith can see!
He fills heaven with the resplendent beams of His
glorious majesty—and has ravished the hearts of
thousands of His dear family upon earth by the
manifestations of His bleeding, dying love. Just in
proportion to our personal, spiritual, experimental
knowledge of Him, will be our love to Him.