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The Bride

The Bride of Christ ought take her stand.
Her time is always, but particularly now.
If she doesn’t, she has no legs, no heart,
no brain, no voice, and no face.

Will the Bridegroom return for a ghost?
He will prepare her for His appearing.
The true Church will be made ready. God is
holy and will be glorified.

The true Church will prevail.

Walley

But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating
of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of
cattle that I hear?” I Samuel 15:14

Why did you not obey the Lord? I Samuel 15:19a

“But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said.” I went on
the mission the Lord assigned me. I Samuel 15:20 a,b

But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt
offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the
voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion
is the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of
idolatry. I Samuel 15: 22-23a

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight
in his commands. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is
steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Psalm 112:1b,7

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations will bow down before him,
for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over all the
nations. Psalm 22: 27,28

Religious Tranquilizer

March 18, 2020 jakin7

But hear, O ye heavens, and be astonished, O earth, for a mighty derangement has occurred in the relative position of the church and the world, a transposition so radical and so grotesque as would not have been believed if it had been foretold but a few years ago.

The church has lost her testimony. She has no longer anything to say to the world.

Her once robust shout of assurance has faded away to an apologetic whisper.

She who one time went out to declare now goes out to inquire. Her dogmatic declaration has become a respectful suggestion, a word of religious advice, given with the understanding that it is after all only an opinion and not meant to sound bigoted….

But let us be more specific. About whom am I speaking here? The liberal who denies the authenticity of the Scriptures? I wish it were so. No, I write off the liberal as long dead and expect nothing from him.

It is of the evangelical church that I speak, and of the so-called gospel churches.

I speak of the theology of popular evangelism which quotes the Bible copiously but without one trace of authority,…

offers Christ as a religious tranquilizer who is without sovereignty and without any semblance of Lordship, …

I refer to the masses of Christians who have “accepted” Jesus, but who turn their churches into playhouses, are entirely ignorant of worship,

misunderstand the cross and are totally blind to the serious implications of discipleship.

…Christians in bondage have no authoritative message to declare…

But what is the church called to declare?…The first is that God is all in all. He is the great Reality which gives meaning to all other realities….

The next great fact is that we are made by God and for Him…

The Christian is not sent to argue or persuade, nor is he sent to prove or demonstrate; he is sent to declare “Thus saith the Lord.”…

…Seeing who God is and who we are, a right relationship between God and us is of vital importance.

That God should be glorified in us is so critically important that it stands in lonely grandeur, a moral imperative more compelling than any other which the human heart can acknowledge.

To bring ourselves into a place where God will be eternally pleased with us should be the first responsible act of every man.

There is one thing more: the Christian witness includes also the faithful warning that God is a just and holy Being who will not trifle with men nor allow them to trifle with Him.

He is long-suffering and waits patiently to be gracious, but after a while the friendly invitation of the gospel is withdrawn. The effort to persuade the incorrigible sinner is discontinued, death fixes the status of the man
who loved his sins and he is sent to the place of the rejected where there is for him no further hope.

A.W. Tozer (1897-1963) from God Tells the Man Who Cares pp. 35-40

Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

To Stand Still

March 12, 2020 jakin7

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:13

“In our struggle with Satan, we need to take our stand with Jesus, waiting for God to deliver us.

Charles Spurgeon wrote:
I dare say you will think it a very easy thing to stand still,

but it is one of the postures which a Christian soldier learns not without years of teaching. I find that marching and quick marching are much easier to God’s warriors than standing still.

It is, perhaps, the first thing we learn under the Captain of our salvation. The apostle seems to hint at this difficulty when he says, “Stand fast, and having done all, still stand.

To stand at ease in the mist of tribulation, shows a veteran spirit, long experience, and much grace.

It is hard to be still and wait for God. Our temptation is to run away, cry out in fear, or try to fix things on our own. Instead, God orders us to stand our ground.

He is our defender, our champion. When we are caught between the desert and the sea, all we need to do is to be still and look for his salvation.”

from Exodus by Philip Graham Ryken p.388

The Lions

March 11, 2020 jakin7

The lions may grow weak and hungry,

but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Psalm 34:10

…And is there not a vast elegance in the comparison taken from the hunger and rapacity of the lion, even the impetuousness of the young lion,

to that of the patience and silent waiting of the faithful believer?

A life of faith will find food in everything, because it is all founded in Christ.

The young lions may, and will lack, because nothing will supply their voracious appetites but that which is carnal. -Robert Hawker (1803-1875)

Balance

March 3, 2020 jakin7

Horatius Bonar wrote,”Scripture is wonderfully balanced in all its parts; let our study of it be the same, that we may be well-balanced men.”

Horatius Bonar (1808-1889)

My Soul

February 29, 2020 jakin7

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
Langston Hughes (1901-1967)

If you must look back, do so forgivingly. If you will look forward, do so prayerfully. But the wisest course would be to be present in the present gratefully.

Maya Angelou (1928-2014)

How Long?

February 15, 2020 jakin7

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
Psalm 13:1a

“So doth God with his saints, and with those that be
in league with him; he withdraweth himself oft, and
keeps aloof oft for a long time together to try what
they will do, and what courses they will take when
God seemeth to break with them and to leave them in the suds,
as we say; amist many difficulties much perplexed, as
it was with David at this time. “
-Thomas Gataker (1574-1654)

How long will you hide your face from me?
Psalm 13:1b

“Though it be proper to know our own hearts, for the purposes
of conviction, yet, if we expect consolation from this quarter,
we shall find ourselves sadly disappointed. Such, for a time, appears
to have been the case of David. He seems to have been in great
distress; and as is common in such cases, his thoughts turned
inward, casting in his mind what he should do, and what would be the end of things. While thus exercised, he had sorrow in his
heart daily; but, betaking himself to God for relief, he succeeded,
trusting in his mercy, his heart rejoiced in his salvation. There
are many persons, who, when in trouble, imitate David in the former part of this experience: I wish we may imitate him in the latter.”
Andrew Fuller (1754-1815)

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts

and every day have sorrow in my heart? Psalm 13:2a

How long will my enemy triumph over me? Psalm13: 2b

Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; Psalm 13:3

my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall. Psalm13:4

But I trust in your unfailing love;

my heart rejoices in your salvation. Psalm 13: 5

I will sing to the Lord,
for he has been good to me. Psalm 13:6

“Faith keeps the soul from sinking under heavy trials, by bringing
in former experiences of the power, mercy, and faithfulness of God to the afflicted soul. Hereby was the Psalmist supported in distress.
Oh, saith faith, remember what God hath done both for thy outward and
inward man: he hath not only delivered thy body when in trouble, but
he hath done great things for thy soul; he hath brought thee out of
a state of black nature, entered into a covenant relation with thee,
made his goodness pass before thee; he hath helped thee to pray, and
many times hath heard thy prayers and thy tears. Hath he not formerly
brought thee out of the horrible pit, and out of the miry clay, and
put a new song in thy mouth, and made thee to resolve never to give way to such unbelieving thoughts and fears again? and how unbecoming is it for thee now to sink in trouble?
John Willison (1680-1750)

Idol Factory

February 14, 2020 jakin7

The human heart is an idol factory.

John Calvin (1509-1564)

I Am

January 31, 2020 jakin7

God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” Exodus 3:14

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35

But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. John 8:23

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” John 8:58

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25, 26

“I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener.” John 15:1

“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. ” John 10:9a

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

John 10:11

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

Ask Seek Knock

January 28, 2020 jakin7

Ask and it will be given to you;

seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7,8

…”Well,” saith the Lord, “you have only to ask and have; ye have not because ye ask not;

you have only to seek and you will be sure to find, for holy things, like rare pearls, are to be discovered if you look for them:

you have only to knock and spiritual secrets shall open to you, even the innermost truth of God.”

…ask as a beggar petitions for alms. They say that begging is a poor trade, but when you ply it well with God no other trade is so profitable.

Men get more by asking than by working without prayer.

Though I do not discommend working, yet I most highly commend praying.

Nothing under heaven pays like prevailing prayer.

He that has power in prayer has all things at his call. Ask as a poor mendicant who is hungry and pleads for bread.

Then seek as a merchant who hunts for goodly pearls, looking up and down, anxious to give all that he has that he may win a matchless treasure.

Seek as a servant carefully looking after his master’s interests and labouring to promote them.

Seek with all diligence, adding to the earnestness of the beggar the careful watchfulness of the jeweller who is seeking for a gem.

Conclude all by knocking at mercy’s door as a lost traveller caught out on a cold night in a blinding sleet knocks for shelter that he may not perish in the storm.

When you have reached the gate of salvation ask to be admitted by the great love of God, then look well to see the way of entering, seeking to enter in; and if still the door seem(s) shut against you,

knock right heavily, and continue knocking till you are safely lodged within the home of love.

An excerpt from a sermon entitled “Knock!” May 27, 1883

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)

From: Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volume 29