Dec 25
21
Psa. 9:9 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
Psa. 9:10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
Psa. 9:11 Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.
Everything that God requires from me and you He must provide, and the only thing He accepts is what He provides, and all that He provides He provides in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Greg Elmquist
“You and I cannot be useful if we want to be sweet as honey in the mouths of men. God will never bless us if we wish to please men, that they may think well of us. Are you willing to tell them what will break your own heart in the telling and break theirs in the hearing? If not, you are not fit to serve the Lord. You must be willing to go and speak for God, though you will be rejected.”
Charles Spurgeon
“If God be for us, who can be against us!”—Romans 8:31.
THE truth here asserted is indisputable. Even heathens have taken this for their motto, and emblazoned it upon their standards of war. “God is for us!” has been the war-cry of many a warrior as he has dashed to the fight; however out of place it was in such association its force was clearly perceived. Our text, however, protects itself from ill usage, for you observe that the text is guarded with the little word “If,” as a sentinel. No man, therefore, has any right to the treasures of this text, unless he can give the pass-word, and answer the question. It is not every man who can say that God is on his side; on the contrary. the most of men are fighting against the Lord. By nature we are the friends of sin, and then God is against us; with all the powers of justice he is against us for our destruction unless we turn and repent. Is God for us? Remember he is so if we have been reconciled to him by the death of his Son; but an absolute God must be in arms against us, for even our God is a consuming fire. It is only when we behold the Lord Jehovah in the person of Jesus Christ that our hope and joy can begin; when we see Deity incarnate, when we see God surrendering the glories of his throne to become man, and then stooping to the shameful death of the cross-it is then that we perceive Emmanuel, “God with us,” and perceiving him, we feel that he is on our side. Question yourself then, soul, whether you are in Christ. He who is not with Christ is not with God. If you are without Christ, you are without God, and a stranger from the commonwealth of Israel; but if through the sprinkled blood you can say that you are reconciled unto God, then take the full meaning of this text, and feast upon it, and be you blessed, for “If God be for us, who can be against us?”
C.H.Spurgeon
“On whom dost thou trust?” Isaiah 36:5
Reader, this is an important question. Listen to the Christian’s answer, and see if it is yours. “On whom do you trust?”
“I trust,” says the Christian, “in a triune God. I trust the Father, believing that He has chosen me from before the foundation of the world; I trust Him to provide for me in His providence, to teach me, to guide me, to correct me if need be, and to bring me home to His own house where the many mansions are!”
“I trust the Son. The man Christ Jesus—is also the true God. I trust in Him to take away all my sins by His own sacrifice, and to adorn me with His perfect righteousness. I trust Him to be my Intercessor, to present my prayers and desires before His Father’s throne, and I trust Him to be my Advocate at the last great day, to plead my cause, and to justify me. I trust Him for what He is, for what He has done, and for what He has promised yet to do!”
“And I trust the Holy Spirit—He has begun to save me from my inbred sins; I trust Him to drive them all out. I trust Him to curb my temper, to subdue my will, to enlighten my understanding, to check my evil passions. I trust Him to comfort my despondency, to help my weakness, to illuminate my darkness. I trust Him to dwell in me as my life, to reign in me as my King, to sanctify me wholly—and then to take me up to dwell forever in glory!”
Oh, blessed trust! To trust Him
. . .
whose power will never be exhausted,
whose love will never wane,
whose kindness will never change,
whose faithfulness will never fail,
whose wisdom will never be confounded, and
whose perfect goodness can never know a
diminution!
Happy are you, reader—if this trust is yours! So trusting, you shall enjoy sweet peace now, and glory hereafter! The foundation of your trust shall never be removed!
C.H.Spurgeon
“David’s Spoil”
I Samuel 30:18-20
Throughout this story David is a type of Christ. In his conquest over the Amalekites, in his recovery of that which had been lost, and in the spoils he gathered, David represents our Saviour. When Christ accomplished redemption for us by his death on the cross, he recovered all that we lost in the fall and gathered great spoil for us (Isa. 53:12). The spoils which David brought back to Israel were things they could never have possessed had the Amalekites not taken them captive. Their captivity was a very painful and sorrowful thing in the experience of it. But it proved to be a most blessed thing in the end. Israel lost nothing by their captivity, but gained much in their recovery. And God’s elect really lose nothing by our fall in Adam. It is a painful, sorrowful thing to experience. But in the end it will prove to have been a great act of mercy on God’s part that he allowed us to fall in Adam, that we might be redeemed by Christ. I say, with Martin Luther, “O happy fall!” In the end God’s elect will find great reason to praise and give thanks to God for their fall in Adam, because it paved the way for our redemption by Christ. Had there been no fall, there could be no song of redemption to the glory of the Lamb (Rev. 5:9-14). Here are a few of the spoils Christ has won for us, treasures we could never possess had God not allowed the fall and redeemed us by Christ (l.) Manhood is lifted to the highest possible glory and honour, because we are now one with Christ our God (Eph. 5:30). (2.) We shall be creatures in heaven who have known the glory, grace, love and goodness of God in redeeming us from sin by Christ (Rev. 7:14). (3.) In redeemed sinners God shall show forth the riches of his glory to wondering worlds, as they could never have been known apart from the fall (Eph. 2:7, 3:10). (4.) And we shall be perfectly conformed to the image of Christ in glorious resurrection bodies, which we could never possess had there been no fall.
As David turned Israel’s loss into great gain, Christ turns our fall into a great blessing. In him the promise is fulfilled, “They that spoil thee shall be a spoil” (Jer. 30:16-17).
Don Fortner
Jehovah-Shammah: The Lord Is There
Ezekiel 48:35
Don Fortner
This is the name given to God’s Church by the prophet Ezekiel. While Ezekiel has in his mind’s eye the Church of God in its glorified state, this name is equally applicable to the Church below. Wherever you find God’s elect in this world individually, gathered as local churches, or considered as the whole Church universal, “THE LORD IS THERE!”.
This name, Jehovah-shammah, means that God dwells with us, “the Lord is there”. And it is the presence of God with her that is the blessedness, happiness, security and glory of God’s church on earth and in heaven. It is true, God is with all his creatures in a general way. He is everywhere at all times, because he is omnipresent. And the Lord is everywhere in a providential way, sovereignly performing his will and accomplishing his purpose in all things. But when the Holy Spirit calls the Church of God “Jehovah-shammah”, he means for us to understand that “the Lord is there” in a special way to exercise his grace and power and make himself known. The Lord is in Zion as he is nowhere else. And the Lord does for Zion what he does for no one else. Therefore the Psalmist sang, “God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice: the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God os Jacob is our refuge” (Psa.46:5-7). The prophet Zephaniah said, “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (3:17). And the Lord himself declares, “I will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her” (Zech. 2:5).
Child of God, your Lord and Redeemer has made all these blessed promises to you. Believe him. Wherever you are, whatever your trial, temptation, struggle and trouble of heart is, “the Lord is there”. He is present to support you, comfort you, help you, instruct you, guide you and deliver you. Set your heart not upon your troubles, but upon your God. And “rejoice in the Lord alway, again, I say, rejoice. Let your moderation be known to all men, the Lord is at hand!” Our God is at hand. What shall we fear? Our God is at hand. Of whom shall we be afraid? Our God is at hand. What can make us sad, or cause our hearts to fail?
“And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.” Jeremiah 15:21
Note the glorious person of the promise. I will, I will. The Lord Jehovah Himself interposes to deliver and redeem His people. He pledges Himself personally to rescue them. His own arm shall do it, that He may have the glory. Here is not a word said of any effort of our own which may be needed to assist the Lord. Neither our strength nor our weakness is taken into the account—but the lone “I”, like the sun in the heavens, shines out resplendent in all-sufficiency. Why then do we calculate our forces, and consult with flesh and blood—to our grievous wounding? Jehovah has power enough, without borrowing from our puny arm! Peace, you unbelieving thoughts! Be still, and know that the Lord reigns!
Nor is there a hint concerning secondary means and causes. The Lord says nothing of friends and helpers—He undertakes the work alone, and feels no need of human arms to aid Him. Vain are all our lookings around to companions and relatives; they are broken reeds if we lean upon them. The are often unwilling when able—or unable when they are willing. Since the promise comes alone from God, it would be well to wait only upon Him; and when we do so, our expectation never fails us.
Who are the wicked that we should fear them? The Lord will utterly consume them! They are to be pitied, rather than feared! As for cruel ones, they are only terrors to those who have no God to fly to—for when the Lord is on our side, whom shall we fear? If we run into sin to please the wicked, we have cause to be alarmed—but if we hold fast our integrity, the rage of tyrants shall be overruled for our good. When the fish swallowed Jonah, it found him to be a morsel which he could not digest; and when the world devours the church, it is glad to be rid of it again. In all times of fiery trial, in patience let us possess our souls.
C.H.Spurgeon
The Lord reigns!
(John Newton)
“The Lord reigneth, He is clothed with majesty; The Lord is
clothed with strength, wherewith He has girded Himself:” Psalm 93:1
“The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble:” Psalm
99:1
The Lord reigns! He who once bore our sins
and carried our sorrows – is seated upon a throne of glory and exercises all
power in heaven and on earth! Thrones, principalities and powers bow before
Him. Every being and event are under His
rule. His providence pervades and manages the whole, and is as
minutely attentive to every part-as if there were only that single object in
His view.
From the tallest archangel, to the meanest ant or fly-all
depend on Him for their being, their preservation and their powers! He directs
the sparrows where to build their nests, and to find their
food. He overrules the rise and fall of nations; and bends, with an
invincible energy and unerring wisdom-all events! So that, while many intend
otherwise-in the outcome their designs all concur and coincide in the
accomplishment of His holy will. He restrains with a mighty
hand the still more formidable efforts of the powers of darkness; and Satan
with all his hosts cannot exert their malice a hair’s breadth beyond the limits
of His permission. Satan may rage-but he is a chained enemy!
This is He, who is the Redeemer and Husband of His believing
people.
How happy are those whom it is His good
pleasure to bless!
How safe are those whom He has engaged to
protect!
How honoured and privileged are
those whom He enables and warrants to claim Him as their friend and their
portion!
Having redeemed them by His own blood, He sets
a high value upon them! He esteems them His treasure, His
jewels! He guards them as the pupil of His eye. They shall not
lack, and they need not fear!
His eye is upon them in every situation,
His ear is open to their prayers, and
His everlasting arms are under them for their
sure support.
On earth, He guides their steps, controls their
enemies, and directs all His dispensations for their good! While, in Heaven,
He is pleading their cause, preparing a place for them, and communicating down
to them reviving foretastes of the glory that shall shortly be theirs!
“The Lord shall reign forever, even thy God, O Zion, unto
all generations. Praise ye the Lord!” Psalm 146:10