May 25
25
Look! Look!
>From Spurgeon’s sermon, “The Eternal Name”
Look! Do you see yonder thief hanging upon the cross?
Behold the evil spirits at his foot, with open mouths;
charming themselves with the sweet thought,
that another soul shall give them food in hell.
Behold the death-bird, fluttering his wings
over the poor wretch’s head.
‘Vengeance’ passes by and stamps him for her own.
Deep on his breast is written “a condemned sinner.”
On his brow is the clammy sweat, forced from him
by agony and death.
Look in his heart; it is filthy with the crust of years of sin;
the smoke of lust is hanging within in black festoons of
darkness– his whole heart is hell condensed.
Now, look at him- he is dying. One foot seems to be in hell;
the other hangs tottering in life–only kept by a nail.
There is a power in Jesus’ eye. That thief looks to Jesus;
he whispers, “Lord, remember me.”
Turn your eye again there. Do you see that thief now?
Where is the clammy sweat? It is there.
Where is that horrid anguish? It is ‘not’ there.
There is a smile upon his lips.
The fiends of hell, where are they? There are none-
but a bright seraph is present, with his wings outspread,
and his hands ready to snatch that soul, now a precious jewel,
and bear it aloft to the palace of the great King.
Look within his heart now; it is white with purity.
Look at his breast now; it is not written “condemned,”
but “justified.”
Look in the book of life: his name is graven there.
Look on Jesus’ heart: there on one of the precious stones
he bears that poor thief’s name.
Yes, once more, look!
Do you see that bright one amid the glorified,
clearer than the sun, and fair as the moon?
That is the thief!
That is the power of Jesus to save!
One foot in hell
(Horatius Bonar, “The Three Crosses”)
“Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in
paradise.” Luke 23:43
The saved thief is a specimen of what the cross is appointed
to do. Sin abounding, grace super-abounding.
What is yon cross erected for? To save souls!
See, it saves one of the worst; one who had done
nothing but evil all his days!
What does that blood flow for? To wash away sin!
See, it washes one of the blackest!
What does yon Sufferer die for? To pardon the
guiltiest! Not merely to save from hell, but to open
Paradise to the chief of sinners—to open it at once;
not after years of torment, but “today.” Today “with
Me.” Yes, Jesus goes back to heaven with a saved
robber at His side! What an efficacy in the cross!
What grace, what glory, what cleansing, what healing,
what blessing—at yonder cross! Even “in weakness”
the Son of God can deliver—can pluck brands from
the burning—can defy and defeat the evil one! Such
is the meaning of the cross! Such is the interpretation
which God puts upon it, by saving that wretched thief.
See how near to hell a man may be—and yet be
saved! That thief, was he not on the very brink of the
burning lake—one foot in hell; almost set on fire by
hell? Yet he is plucked out! He has done nothing but
evil all his days—down to the very last hour of his life;
yet he is saved. He is just about to step into perdition,
when the hand of the Son of God seizes him and lifts
him to Paradise!
Ah, what grace is here!
What boundless love!
What power to save!
Who after this need despair?
Truly Jesus is mighty to save!
See how near a man may be to Christ—and
yet not be saved. The other thief is as near the
Saviour as his fellow—yet he perishes. From the
very side of Christ—he goes down to hell. From
the very side of his saved fellow—he passes into
damnation. We see the one going up to heaven
—and the other going down to hell.
This is astonishing—and it is fearful!
Oh, what a lesson—what a sermon is here!
Two Thieves
Luke 23:32-43
How willing, how anxious the Lord Jesus Christ is to save poor, lost sinners! The cross of Christ is a vivid declaration that “where sin abounded grace did much more abound!” What is the meaning of the cross? Why was our Lord Jesus nailed to the cursed tree? Behold the dying thief and hear the answer. The Son of God came into the world to save sinners. Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost!
The Dying Thief
The dying thief is a true specimen of God’s elect. This man appears to have done nothing but evil all his life. We know nothing about him, except that he was a thief, a thief who had executed his crimes with violence, a thief who continued to blaspheme, even as he was being executed, a thief who was loved and chosen of God (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).
Why was Immanuel’s blood poured out at Calvary? Christ Jesus poured out his life’s blood upon the cursed tree to wash away sin. Here I see it washing away the sins of one like myself, whose heart and life were as black as hell. Why did Christ suffer and die? It was to pardon the most guilty. It was not merely to save us from hell, but to open Paradise to the chief of sinners, to open it at once; not after years of torment, but “today.” Today “shalt thou be with me.” Yes, the Lord Jesus went back to heaven with this saved thief in his hands.
By his death upon the cursed tree, the Son of God delivers and saves his people from their sins. Satisfying the justice of God, He plucked us as brands from the burning, conquered hell, and defeated the devil and cast him down to hell. The first sinner saved by the cross, after it had been erected upon Calvary’s hill, was a wretched, justly condemned thief; and the Son of God went up to heaven with him to join in that joy that is in heaven over one sinner who repents.
The Brink of Hell
How near a person may be to hell and yet be saved! That thief was, as it were, upon the very brink of hell. He had one foot in the pit. Hell was in his heart. Hell had been his life. Soon, hell must be his portion forever! He had done nothing but evil continually all the days of his life. In the very last hour of his life, he is heard blaspheming and railing against the Lord Jesus. Yet, he was plucked from the fire by omnipotent mercy! — Saved by the Son of God! He was just about to step into everlasting damnation when the omnipotent hand of the Son of God seized him and lifted him up to Paradise! Oh, what grace is here! What boundless love! What power to save! Who after this need despair? Truly our Lord Jesus Christ is mighty to save!
The Other Thief
How near you may be to Christ and yet be lost forever! The other thief was as near the Saviour as the one who was saved. Yet, he perished. He went to hell from the very side of the Son of God, from the very presence of Immanuel! Can anyone be nearer to Christ than that thief was? Looking at him, hearing him, speaking to him, he was lost after all! Be warned. Outward nearness, religious duties, familiarity with the Word of God, baptism, eating and drinking the symbols of the Saviour’s body and blood, none of these things can save. You may be very near Christ, and yet not be in Christ. Salvation is not being near Christ. Salvation is being found in Christ.
Here are two men. Both are thieves. Both are damned. Both are lost. Both are without God, without Christ, without hope. Both are in the immediate presence of the crucified Christ. One is taken up to glory. One is taken up to heaven. The other is cast down to hell. What made the difference?
Two Facts
Here’s the difference. “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). —
Throughout the Word of God, we are constantly assured of two facts.
- If anyone goes to hell, it is his own fault alone, his own responsibility, altogether the result of what he has done, and that for which he alone must bear the blame forever.
- If anyone is saved, if anyone goes to heaven, it is God’s work alone, altogether the result of that which God has done, and that for which God alone must have the praise forever.
Wages Paid
“The wages of sin is death!” — Sin is what we all are by nature; and sin is all that we do in a state of rebellion against God. It is as impossible for a sinner to do good as it is for water to be dry. Our corrupt nature corrupts all our thoughts, feelings, words, and deeds. As a corrupt fountain only brings forth corrupt water, so a corrupt heart only brings forth corruption. That means that the very plowing of the wicked is an abomination to God, and even our righteousnesses are filthy rags in his sight (Proverbs 21:4; Isaiah 64:6). Sin is also our choice. We all drink iniquity like water (Job 15:16). And that which sin deserves is death, eternal death, which is eternal separation from God and the eternal vengeance of his holy wrath. Death is the debt God owes to sin. And God always pays his debts. The reprobate thief went to hell because he ate the fruit of his own way.
Gift Bestowed
“But the gift of God is eternal life!” — Eternal life comes to guilty sinners not as a debt, or a reward for something we have done, but as the free grace gift of God. The new birth, which is the beginning of eternal life in the soul, is the gift of God. Faith in Christ is the gift of God. Heavenly glory, which is the consummation of eternal life, is also the gift of God. Death, hell, and judgment are things we earn by sin. But grace, life, and heaven are things freely given to sinners “through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
Christ paid the debt of sin for his people by his death upon the cross, making it right and just for the holy Lord God, who must punish sin, to give eternal life to all for whom he died. Through the merits of his blood and righteousness, God gives eternal life to everyone who believes on him. Even the faith by which we receive this gift is the gift of God and the result of his operation of grace (Ephesians 2:8; Colossians 1:12). Faith in Christ is not the cause of God’s gift, but the result of it. If you now believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, God has given you eternal life. It is altogether his work. — “Salvation is of the Lord!”
Don Fortner
“LOVE ONE ANOTHER”
I John 4:11
The whole law of God is summed up in this one word – LOVE. Love is the reflection of God’s character. Love is the reflection of God’s mercy. Love is the reflection of Christ’s substitutionary work as our Redeemer. And love is the reflection of saving grace in the heart. If I have truly experienced grace in my heart, there will be a manifest love in my heart for the children of God. This love reveals itself in many practical ways. Love is FORGIVING. Love is not easily OFFENDED. Love is PATIENT, LONG SUFFERING, and KIND. Love is THOUGHTFUL and MERCIFUL. Love will cause a man to PRAY FOR HIS BRETHREN. Love will cause a person to SEEK THE COMPANY AND FELLOWSHIP OF HIS BRETHREN. Love will cause us to CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER, sharing each other’s joys and sorrows, bearing each other’s burdens, seeking each other’s welfare.
Do I have this LOVE? Do you? It matters not what else we have, or what else we may experience – IF LOVE IS ABSENT, CHRIST IS ABSENT, GRACE IS ABSENT, SALVATION IS ABSENT!
Don Fortner
“Bear ye another’s burdens—and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Gal 6:2
Author unknown
The law of Christ—is the law of love. “A new commandment,” said
He to His disciples, “Love one another. As I have loved you, that ye also
love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye
have love one to another.” Jn 13:34, 35
Love, manifesting itself
in practical sympathy and in deeds of
kindness—should characterise the followers of Christ. They are exhorted to look
not only on their own things, but also on the things of others; to be pitiful
and tender-hearted one towards another; to lighten each other’s loads, to
“bear one another’s burdens—and so fulfil the law of Christ.”
O Lord, give unto us more of the spirit of Christ, who, though He was rich, for
our sakes became poor, that we, through His poverty, might be rich. Help us, as
we have opportunity, to do good unto all men—but especially unto those who are
of the household of faith. Oh that it may be manifest to the world that we are
the disciples of the loving Saviour—by our love one to another!
So mighty — yet so
loving!
(John MacDuff, “Ripples in the Twilight” 1885)
What a wonderful Saviour! So mighty — yet so loving!
Spurning, indeed, all baseness and vileness, all mere lip-homage and
hypocrisy.
Upsetting all false human ideals and empty philosophies.
At war with conventional empty religious rituals.
Denouncing every white-washed sepulcher that serves only to screen spiritual
rottenness.
But welcoming . . .
many of those who were looked at askance by their fellows;
some who were the subjects of social ostracism;
those deemed fit only to be trampled, as bruised battered flowers,
underneath the feet;
the repentant harlot and sinner, the prodigal, the outcast, the lost.
His heart is a very hive of tenderness . . .
washing His disciples’ feet in token of humility;
standing by the grave of buried affection;
wiping away the tear of bereavement;
calming the paroxysms of untold sorrow;
arrested by the penitential sighings of the contrite spirit.
In a word, imparting . . .
rest to the weary and heavy-laden,
hope to the desponding,
sympathy to the mourner,
healing to the brokenhearted; and
finally showing, in the scenes of Gethsemane and Calvary which
crowned that Incarnation of suffering love — what He the
Divine Man could do and dare for perishing sinners.
The kindness of the kindest on earth has a limit — His had
none.
Human affection and love may come and go — but His flows on forever!
“Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with
lovingkindness I have drawn thee!” Jeremiah 31:3