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\ / Charles Spurgeon's MORNING & EVENING
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Saturday, October 27, 2007
MORNING:
"It is a faithful saying."
-- 2 Timothy 2:11
Paul has four of these "faithful sayings." The first occurs in 1
Timothy 1:15, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all
acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."
The next is in 1 Timothy 4:6, "Godliness is profitable unto all things,
having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to
come. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation." The
third is in 2 Timothy 2:12, "It is a faithful saying-If we suffer with
him we shall also reign with him"; and the fourth is in Titus 3:3,
"This is a faithful saying, that they which have believed in God might
be careful to maintain good works." We may trace a connection between
these faithful sayings. The first one lays the foundation of our
eternal salvation in the free grace of God, as shown to us in the
mission of the great Redeemer. The next affirms the double blessedness
which we obtain through this salvation-the blessings of the upper and
nether springs-of time and of eternity. The third shows one of the
duties to which the chosen people are called; we are ordained to suffer
for Christ with the promise that "if we suffer, we shall also reign
with him." The last sets forth the active form of Christian service,
bidding us diligently to maintain good works. Thus we have the root of
salvation in free grace; next, the privileges of that salvation in the
life which now is, and in that which is to come; and we have also the
two great branches of suffering with Christ and serving with Christ,
loaded with the fruits of the Spirit. Treasure up these faithful
sayings. Let them be the guides of our life, our comfort, and our
instruction. The apostle of the Gentiles proved them to be faithful,
they are faithful still, not one word shall fall to the ground; they
are worthy of all acceptation, let us accept them now, and prove their
faithfulness. Let these four faithful sayings be written on the four
corners of my house.
EVENING:
"We are all as an unclean thing."
-- Isaiah 64:6
The believer is a new creature, he belongs to a holy generation and a
peculiar people-the Spirit of God is in him, and in all respects he is
far removed from the natural man; but for all that the Christian is a
sinner still. He is so from the imperfection of his nature, and will
continue so to the end of his earthly life. The black fingers of sin
leave smuts upon our fairest robes. Sin mars our repentance, ere the
great Potter has finished it, upon the wheel. Selfishness defiles our
tears, and unbelief tampers with our faith. The best thing we ever did
apart from the merit of Jesus only swelled the number of our sins; for
when we have been most pure in our own sight, yet, like the heavens, we
are not pure in God's sight; and as he charged his angels with folly,
much more must he charge us with it, even in our most angelic frames of
mind. The song which thrills to heaven, and seeks to emulate seraphic
strains, hath human discords in it. The prayer which moves the arm of
God is still a bruised and battered prayer, and only moves that arm
because the sinless One, the great Mediator, has stepped in to take
away the sin of our supplication. The most golden faith or the purest
degree of sanctification to which a Christian ever attained on earth,
has still so much alloy in it as to be only worthy of the flames, in
itself considered. Every night we look in the glass we see a sinner,
and had need confess, "We are all as an unclean thing, and all our
righteousnesses are as filthy rags." Oh, how precious the blood of
Christ to such hearts as ours! How priceless a gift is his perfect
righteousness! And how bright the hope of perfect holiness hereafter!
Even now, though sin dwells in us, its power is broken. It has no
dominion; it is a broken-backed snake; we are in bitter conflict with
it, but it is with a vanquished foe that we have to deal. Yet a little
while and we shall enter victoriously into the city where nothing
defileth.
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MORNING & EVENING from HEARTLIGHT /\/\
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