INSIGHTS & NOTES FROM
"Purpose In The Deeper Life"
"The ultimate purpose of God in bringing a body of saints into a deeper place of consecration unto Him... It is for the purpose of perfection, preparation, restoration, manifestation, & glorification." "He is pouring forth His Spirit throughout the world in preparation for the 'restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began' (Acts 3:21)." "He is beginning to shake everything in heaven & earth in preparation for a great breakthrough, & intends to remove all those things in the religious order which He Himself did not ordain, so that only His work will remain." Hebrews 12:26, 27 "...God says, 'I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them' (Ezekiel 34:10)." "As John the Baptist was the forerunner of Christ at the First Advent, sent to prepare the way of the Lord, so God is raising up other (Spirit-filled apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors & teachers) to carry on a similar ministry in the preparation of His people in anticipation of His Second Advent (Ephesians 4:11-13). Jesus came the 1st time to a 'prepared' people. They would never have understood His message & ministry had not John come & prepared them, preaching, 'Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand,' baptizing them as He taught them of Jesus. Christ is coming back a 2nd time to a spiritually baptized & 'prepared' people, & in anticipation of this He is raising up once again voice, crying in the wilderness - not just one, but a chorus of many voices, 'to make ready a people prepared for the Lord' (Luke 1:17)." "This is a privileged generation, for God is preparing to bring a company of Spirit-filled believers into a higher realm in the Spirit than they have ever known before - 'unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.'" "THE 5-FOLD PURPOSE" "1. PERFECTION" "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." "The goal of the deeper life is the perfection of the believer." "...the doctrine of sanctification is usually confused with the Biblical idea of perfection by most interpreters, which only adds to the perplexity on the subject." "...groups use such terms as 'holiness,' 'sinless perfection,' 'positional sanctification,' & so on, in setting forth their views concerning perfection." "Is the perfection that Jesus demands of the believer in Matthew 5:48 possible to attain to? If so, what exactly is it & how is it accomplished in us?" "I Thessalonians 4:3... 'For this is the will of God, even your sanctification... 'It is clear from this statement that sanctification is not only the privilege of every believer, but is God's will for the Christian;" "What does the term 'sanctification' mean?" "...the verb 'to sanctify' in both the Hebrew & Greek Scriptures means literally to be set apart, or to be consecrated." John 17:19 "...anything consecrated unto God, Who is pure & holy, is set apart unto holiness, purity, moral or ceremonial cleanness, & perfection. That which is set apart partakes of the nature & character of the one it is consecrated unto." "...the moral & ethical sense of 'to sanctify' means in Scripture (1) to be set apart from sin, & (2) consecrated unto God, to be conformed to His holiness, purity, & perfection of character." "'When does the Believer obtain sanctification?'" "All attempt at achieving perfection without the Holy Spirit generally result in frustration & failure, inasmuch as 'flesh' cannot crucify flesh. Until the Holy Spirit comes & puts the 'self-life' to death, perfection & holiness remain mere theological concepts to be discussed but never realized in the present experience of the believer." Ephesians 2:1-3. "The goal of the deeper life, as previously stated, is the perfection of the believer." "As long as we are living in a world filled with wickedness & sinful allurements & are still in a physical body with its appetites & desires which may be perverted, we will be subject to temptation." Hebrews 4:15 "Perfection does not mean, therefore, that we arrive at a state where we cannot be tempted. Perfection is not freedom from temptation; it is being tested in all points & resisting & overcoming the temptation." II Peter 2:21, 22 I Peter 1:15 I John 3:8-9 I Corinthians 10:13 Matthew 5:48 "God expects the Christian to overcome all temptation to sin & walk in perfection." I John 4:4 "The perfection demanded by Jesus is not, secondly, sinless perfection. This term... does not occur in Scripture, for it implies that the Christian could arrive at a state where he could not sin." "Although the Christian has put away sin & does not walk in sin, it is not impossible for him ever to sin again, which sinless perfection might imply, but it is a spiritual warfare in which he overcomes the temptation to sin & walks in holiness & righteousness in the sight of God." "...the perfection which the believer is to attain ...It is not perfection of doctrine, as no Christian has all truth, walking in obedience to it." "What then is the nature of the perfection which Jesus requires of us? It is Christian perfection - a perfection of the believer's character & conduct... It is a perfection which is within the reach of every Spirit-filled Christian & is a growth unto the full measure of the stature of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16)." "...the 3-fold perfection to which the Christian is to attain is a perfection in consecration, holiness, & of the fruit of the Spirit." "Perfect consecration involves, as we have shown, the total yielding of one's life to the Holy Spirit; the willing acceptance of a Kenosis or self-emptying experience; living the crucified life; being an overcomer; & accepting the conditions of total discipleship." Ephesians 1:4 "...holiness in the likeness of God Himself" I Peter 1:15-16 "We are perfected as we conform our lives to God's likeness & moral character." Titus 2:11-12 "...justification by faith is incompatible with living in sin. The justified believer is brought into such a relationship to Christ that he dies with Him (dies to sin), & rises to new life with Him that is to be without sin." Romans 6:1-7 "To the extent that he is led by the Spirit, Christ will reveal Himself to his heart, & he will more & more grow into His likeness. It is divine holiness, not human self-improvement, which is the result. As we give ourselves in deeper consecration, the Holy Spirit will lead us in a deeper separation, not only from overt sin, but from earthly affections, merging our hearts & wills into oneness with Him." Galatians 5:22-23 "How are we to bear this fruit?" "...experience the infilling of the Holy Spirit, for the fruit is in Him" "...it is to the extent that we yield our lives to Him that we are enabled to bear this fruit, as His ministry in us in this realm is only by our consent. What is the secret of the Spirit-filled life?" Galatians 5:24-25 "...there is ...for every temptation to sin an opposite fruit of the Spirit which may be manifested instead. The Holy Spirit will produce this fruit in our lives if we so desire. It is, in the final analysis, our choice." "Are we tempted to be impatient about some matter that is not working out as we would like? What is the fruit which the Spirit will manifest at such a time if we submit to His ministry in us? - longsuffering." "Has someone offended you, ridiculed you, lied about you, or mistreated you in some way? You have the choice of responding in kind, returning evil for evil, or bearing in opposite fruit of the Spirit - love. Has some situation developed whereby you are tempted to be discouraged, or someone, whom you trusted, has disappointed you about some matter?" "You can allow yourself to become dejected & discouraged, or bear the opposite fruit of the Spirit which is joy. Since 'the joy of the Lord is your strength' (Nehemiah 8:10) Satan will seek to rob you of your spiritual strength & powers of resistance through adverse circumstances if you allow him. When one is beset with doubts because of pain or lingering symptoms, or begins to wonder as to the successful outcome concerning some matter about which he has prayed, then faith in God's Word is the fruit of the Spirit that will dispel all fear & anxiety. The temptation to gluttony, fleshly excesses, or materialism can be overcome by manifesting the fruit of temperance or self-control. When the believer is falsely accused or misrepresented, he may, as is too often the case, attempt to justify himself by argument, or he can choose to follow in the steps of Jesus by expressing meekness of spirit (I Peter 2:21-23)." "In a world filled with war, strife, chaos & rebellion, those who go on to perfection will be characterized as men of peace" "When the flesh tries to take control of any situation, such as lust, pride, intemperance, envy, worry, doubt, impatience, hatred, resentment, jealousy, ingratitude, & so on, then, by a positive act of the will, put to death that impulse, desire, or emotion, & allow the Holy Spirit to bring forth a fruit of the Spirit in its place." Galatians 5:24 "Do not expect the flesh to submit humbly to anything as painful & drastic as its own death. The flesh will beg, plead, protest, argue & reason with such logic that it will seem as if heaven & earth would have to be moved before its surrender. The Scriptures plainly declare that the flesh & the spirit are in an irreconcilable warfare & will never be joined in any form of compatible harmony. The flesh is to be ruled over by the spirit: 'Walk in the Spirit, & ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh... for the flesh warreth against the Spirit, & the Spirit against the flesh: & these are contrary the one to the other...'" "The flesh will rationalize any attempt at spiritual development" "Or the flesh, which loves to procrastinate, will plead that it needs some rest, & that you can read your Bible & pray after you relax for a few minutes before the TV, or tomorrow morning when you feel fresh & the children are off to school. Victory will never be achieved in one's life until he awakens to the fact that he cannot argue or reason with the flesh & the Devil - the flesh must be crucified if the fruit of the Spirit is to be manifested in his life." Deeper Life In The Spirit, Hobart E. Freeman, pgs. 87 - 106.
0 Comments
"VERS. 1 - 9. In those days the multitude being very great, & having nothing to eat. - Christ knows & supplies our need"
"MAN MUST WORK." "...man may do all his part, & yet not one single grain could he gather into barn or rick if our heavenly Father did not cause the earth to revolve, the planets to move, the inconstant moon to wend its way along the star-bespangled firmament, the river to roll on its pebbly bed, the myriad-laughing ocean in its cradle to ebb & flow, the entrancing landscapes of the sun-tinted clouds to sail in the balmy air, & the barriers of the dawn to be loosened that the golden rays of the lord of day may dance on the petals of the flowering wheat, & kiss the dew from the lips of the lily." "The harvest alone enriches, the harvest alone satisfies." "Riches, pleasure, fame, empires even, do not satisfy; these things only increase the hunger of the soul, created to have its enjoyment & satisfaction in God alone." "If God be here you will not go away empty. The Divine presence gives eternal satisfaction. 'Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that which endureth unto everlasting life.'" "Those who have large means, & do but little, have no fragments to gather." "...He asks for the 7 loaves that we have." "Bring that - do that, say that - as what thou hast; very small, very trivial, very worthless, if thou wilt" "Nothing works of itself - nothing by human willing or human running - but only by the grace of Him who giveth liberally, & who showeth mercy." "...man's extremity is God's opportunity." "God is a frugal economist. He never wastes what already exists." "The true effects of God's mercy - what He gives us is that true food which really satisfies, & which alone can satisfy, the whole nature of man. (W. Denton, M. A.)" "The more we feed upon Christ, the Bread of Life, the more there is to feed upon." "That is the origin & source of help for man. Because of His compassion - 1. He came from heaven to earth to bring to famishing men the Bread of Life. 2. He sends to us His Church, by & through the ministry of which He gives us all the means of grace." "'Sit down.'" "(1) Let me calmly, honestly, & thoughtfully look into my past life, especially examining... (2) Let me see where I am, & what I am. (3) Let me try my best to see my sins as they really are, & as they are recorded in God's book. (4) Let me truly repent of past sins, & make my humble confession to God, honestly purposing amendment of life." "Gather up - 1. Fragments of time. 2. Fragments of opportunities. 3. Fragments of temporal goods. 4. Fragments of prayer, repentance, worship, grace. (Canon Ingram.)" "In the original it is, 'They were fed to satisfaction.'" "God alone can satisfy" "He only can feed the myriads of famishing souls which, even in listening to His words, have only felt their hunger growing keener. He can & will, & it makes no difference to Him how many the people, how few the loaves, they shall all be satisfied & go home in the strength of that food; He can & will, & it makes no difference to Him how many millions of souls are waiting upon Him for spiritual food - how feeble, apparently, & paltry the means of grace by which He designs to feed them." "If you would learn, teach. You will catch new gleams of His gracious heart in the very act of commending it to others. Work for God if you would live with God. Give the bread to the hungry, if you would have it for the food of your own souls." "Vers. 10 - 43. Seeking of Him a sign from heaven, tempting Him." "Our request must be for necessary things, from right motives." "Tempting God: - It is a wicked & sinful practice for any to tempt the Lord, i.e., to make unlawful & needless proof of His Divine attributes such as Power, Providence, Justice, Mercy, etc." "...the temper of unbelief is simple selfishness." "'A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.' Belief will not suffer itself to be divided. (C. S. Robinson, D. D.)" "Vers. 14. Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees." "Our Lord's warning against false doctrine." "Vers. 16 - 21. And they reasoned among themselves." "How is it that ye do not understand?" "This losing of things is of the mercy of God; it comes to teach us to let them go." "Vers. 22 - 26. And He cometh to Bethsaida; & they bring a blind man unto Him." "Christ's method of dealing with individual souls: - I. HE ISOLATES FROM DISTURBING INFLUENCES." "II. HE ENCOURAGES & CONFIRMS FAITH. ...III. HE EXACTS IMPLICIT OBEDIENCE. ...if Christ is to be a complete Saviour, He must be an absolute & unquestioned Lord. (A. F. Muir, M. A.)" "IT IS A COMMON WEAKNESS OF FAITH TO EXPECT THE BLESSING IN A CERTAIN WAY." "He used a means never suggested by them - 'spit on his eyes.'" "Faith ever honours the Lord, & therefore the Lord honours it." "If those who are spiritually blind will not pray for themselves, let others pray for them." "A lesson about Christ's character; His benevolence was without ostentation." "God stoops to a feeble faith, & gives to it outward things by which it may rise to an apprehension of spiritual realities." "He was healed slowly because he believed slowly. His faith was a condition of his cure, & the measure of it determined the measure of the restoration; & the rate of the growth of his faith settled the rate of the perfecting of Christ's work on him." "'According to your faith, be it unto you.'" "Christian progress does not consist in seeing new things, but in seeing the old things more clearly: the same Christ, the same Cross, only more distinctly & deeply apprehended, & more closely incorporated into my very being." "You will get as much of God as you want & no more. The measure of your desire is the measure of your capacity, & the measure of your capacity is the measure of God's gift. 'Open thy mouth wide & I will fill it.' (A. Maclaren, D. D.)" "Vers. 27 - 30. Whom do men say that I am?" "Their opinions respecting Christ indicated their own true state & character." "Having sown, He now looks for the fruit." "The knowledge of Christ revealed by God" "It is the prerogative of the Father in heaven to reveal His Son." "...it must be the everlasting Spirit 'taking of the things of Christ, & showing them to us.'" "Ver. 31, 33. That the Son of Man must suffer many things." "From Christ's rebuke let us learn that the 'heavenly thing' is not to seek for glory, but for usefulness, even if we can reach it only through a cross. (R. Glover.)" "To discover a Divine person is to discover what death cannot touch" "Ver. 34. Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself." "If any would come after Him, they must expect hardships, self-denial, cross-bearing, & scorn." "To be a true follower of Christ one needs the courage of deep conviction & strong desire." "Following Christ... It must be absolutely a voluntary choice - 'Whosoever will.'" "It must be absolutely an entire surrender. (a) A surrender of every part of our being to Christ as Master. (b) A surrender of every object which He requires to be given up." "THE MANNER WHEREIN WE MUST FOLLOW CHRIST. 1. We must follow Him in faith. 2. In ardent affection. 3. Sincerely. 4. Wholly. 5. Constantly." "If the Spirit dwelling in us be not mightier than that which is in the world, we cannot be Christ's disciples." "The ignorant must be taught; the knowledge of Christian principles spread; the wiles of the devil exposed." "...every crown earned & won may be placed on the head of Him who wore for us the crown of thorns. (J. Leifchild.)" "He must deny the wisdom of the flesh, which is enmity to God. He must deny his own corrupt will, which is contrary to God's will. He must deny all his carnal passions & affections, as carnal love, hatred, fear. He must deny all his own wicked inclinations. He must deny all wicked habits & sins." "The gospel offers Christ as a Physician, man must therefore deny the means he can devise to help himself, before he come to see what need he hath of Christ." "None every yet entered into the kingdom of heaven without tribulation; not, perhaps the tribulation of fire, or rebuke, or blasphemy, but the tribulation of a bowed spirit & a humble heart; of the flesh crucified to the spirit, & of hard conflict with the powers of darkness" "Ver. 35. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it." "EACH MAN HAS 2 LIVES - A lower & earthly, & a higher & heavenly." "THERE IS A VAST DISPROPORTION BETWEEN THE 2 LIVES." "Loving Christ best: - I. If we look at Christ, He is to be loved best of all, & all things must be accounted 'dross & dung in comparison of Him' (Philippians 3:7, 8)." "We must learn to love ourselves by not loving ourselves." "...to lose thyself for Christ, is to save thyself, & to reap an hundredfold. For it is but sown to spring out unto the eternal harvest." "Vers. 36, 37. For what shall it profit a man?" "The soul of man is of inestimable value." "THE GAIN SUPPOSED. 1. It is an uncertain gain - 'If.' 2. It is a difficult gain. 3. It is a trifling gain. 4. It is an unsatisfactory gain. 5. It is a temporary gain." "THE LOSS SUSTAINED. 1. The loss of heaven. 2. The loss of happiness. The loss of hope." "Will any worldly gain compensate you for the loss of the soul? (H. F. Pickworth.)" "The more a man is addicted to gain the world, the greater is the danger of losing his soul." "Matthew 19:20: 'It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to be saved.'" "The soul! How shall I estimate the value of it?" "Profit & loss: - What is the good of life to us if we do not live?" "Without something higher & better than even intellect & mental culture & activity, you cannot gain the world, except in a poor & illusory manner." "Where man's higher life has not been called forth, the loss is not what may be, but what is - it is condemnation & death." "Use the soul, exercise your higher life, & you will thus save the soul, thus promote your higher life." "When, instead of a man having passions & commanding them, passions possess the man & command him, all human life, all higher life is lost; it is gradually or rapidly narrowed, curtailed, darkened, debased, emptied of its worth & value. The soul is perverted in the sphere of the lower life." "If the light that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness!" "'Come to Me; repent of sin; trust Me for an atonement; enter upon My service..." "The Son of God became the Son of man in order to make this offer for human souls. (C. S. Robinson, D. D.)" "IRREPARABLE. Other losses may be repaired. Lost friendships may be regained or replaced; lost health may be restored; lost property recovered; but the loss of the soul can never be retrieved." "He who possesses all things without God, has nothing." "...what is it to lose a soul? It is to let weeds grow there instead of flowers. It is to let selfishness grow, suspicious, curious tempers grow, wantonness grow, until they have all the field to themselves." "Know that in your soul you have a pearl above all price, the loss of which nothing can ever make up." "...who is responsible for the loss of your soul? No one but yourself!" "THE LOSS OF ANY MAN'S SOUL IS THE HEAVIEST LOSS HE CAN SUFFER." "ANY MAN'S SOUL MAY BE SAVED." "1. Do not neglect your own soul. 2. Come to Christ without delay. 3. To all who have sought to have their souls saved, & have found Jesus a Saviour, 'cleave to the Lord with purpose of heart' (Bishop Ryle.)" "This world is like the boy's butterfly - it is pretty sport to chase it; but bruise its wings by an over-earnest grasp, & it is nothing but a disappointment." "Ver. 37. Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? - The folly of setting the heart on things below, & not on things above" "He that hath the Son hath life." "Nothing can compensate for loss of soul" "No satisfaction from the world at death" "'My riches & experience is having known Jesus Christ. All the rest is nothing.'" "Ver. 38. Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me & of My words." "There is a contagion in ill company, & he who dwells with the scorner shall not be guiltless." "Our great work for Christ is to confess Him" "Ashamed of Jesus... (1) Decline to assume a profession of the gospel; (2) Do not maintain a consistent profession of the gospel; (3) Abandon the profession of the gospel." "THE DOOM THREATENED. It is certain, awful, just. (Plans of Sermons.)" The Biblical Illustrator, Baker, pgs. 304 - 341. "VERS. 1 - 16. The came together unto Him the Pharisees, & certain of the Scribes."
"The tradition of men - It is the folly of men that, in discharge of the duties of religion, they are satisfied to put ceremonies & confessions that cost but little, in the place of righteousness of heart & life which cost a great deal." "...it is for God to decide what is satisfactory to Him." "Let God speak for Himself, & listen only to Him, & all is plain. (Monday Club Sermons.)" "Why, think you, were lying prophets permitted? Why are lying teachers still suffered? Why even lying wonders? To try the state of men's hearts. Is your heart, by the grace of God, made humble & teachable? then will you be taught of the Spirit 'to discern the things which differ' - to detect the fallacies & delusions practised upon it - and 'to approve the things which are more excellent.' Is your heart self-sufficient, careless, carnal? then will it by deceived & led astray by plausible & flattering pretences. In contending that the Scriptures are the sole rule of faith, we give them exclusive authority over the judgment & the conscience." "I. CEREMONIALISM SUBSTITUTES WASHING WITH WATER FOR PURITY OF HEART. II. CEREMONIALISM SUBSTITUTES THE TRADITIONS OF THE ELDERS FOR THE COMMANDS OF GOD. III. CEREMONIALISM SUBSTITUTES THE WORSHIP OF THE LIPS FOR THE WORSHIP OF THE HEART. IV. CEREMONIALISM SUBSTITUTES A SUBTLE EVASION FOR FILIAL DUTY. V. CEREMONIALISM SUBSTITUTES AVOIDANCE OF UNCLEAN FOOD FOR AVOIDANCE OF IMPURE & MALICIOUS THOUGHTS." "Know the Scriptures & revere them." "Hypocrites perform small duties & neglect great" "God requires soul worship" "He asks for the heart, & they present Him with their lips; He demands their thoughts & their minds, & they give him banners, & vestments, & candles." "Human tradition versus Divine command" "Vers. 17 - 23. Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man. - The true source of defilement" "...MERE EXTERNAL OBSERVANCES DO NOT AFFECT OR CHANGE THE MORAL STATE & CHARACTER OF MAN." "...THE MORAL STATE & CHARACTER OF A MAN, IS AFFECTED BY THAT WHICH COMETH OUT OF HIS HEART." "THE DEPRAVITY OF HUMAN NATURE EXHIBITED. We are shown - 1. The source of evil. It is in the heart. 2. The diversified streams of evil. 'Adulteries, fornications, thefts, murders, covetousness, etc. 3. The contaminating influence of evil. These are the things by which men are defiled. (Expository Outlines.)" "Out of the heart. - The heart determines the life" "It is vain to go about an holy life till the heart be made holy." "Evil thoughts. - Source of evil thoughts" "...out of the heart, out of the unseen & unthinkable depths within, proceed the evil thoughts which become evil acts within before they are incarnated, as it were, in some evil deed without. (M. F. Sadler, M. A.)" "Your habitual desires or fancies are shaping your eternal destiny. (American National Preacher.)" "Though we cannot keep vain thoughts from knocking at the door of our hearts, nor from entering in sometimes, yet we may forbear bidding them welcome, or giving them entertainment. 'How long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee?'" "If men did more carefully watch their thoughts, they would not so readily fall into evil ways." "Covetousness." "Covetousness exchanges true riches for the false" "Pride." "Ver. 24. But He could not be hid." "A day is coming, when every eye shall see Him, & self-deception will be no longer possible. (J. Fleming, B. D.)" "Christ could not be hid, because of the self-sacrificing nature of His perfect goodness." "Never does the world appear more foolish than when it attempts to extinguish a burning & shining light." "The desperate need of sinners rendered it impossible that He should be hid." "Vers. 25 - 30. The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation: & she besought Him that He would cast forth the devil out of her daughter." "'O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.'" "Faith triumphant over refusal" "She most firmly believed Christ to be the Lord, able to work a miracle on her daughter: & her devotion & confidence was so strongly built, that neither silence nor denial nor a reproach could shake it." "'She worshipped Him.' Not a humility which stays at home, but which 'comes out of her coasts' after Christ." "'A little,' saith the Psalmist, 'which the righteous hath is more than great revenues of the wicked.' (Psalms 37:16)." "...for this faith he grants her her request: 'Be it unto thee even as thou wilt:'" "When you pray for the reconstruction of your character, will you not wait till God can perform such an act of mercy? If, looking at the interior, He sees that the work can be expedited, He will expedite it; but you must be patient. (H. W. Beecher.)" "She believes in her own lowliness; she believes in God's absolute supremacy;" "Prayers may be heard, yet kept in suspense." "Though Christ was silent she did not drop, but continued her suit." "1. Her faith was owned, commended, & admired by the Author of it, whose words are always spoken according to truth, most clearly & certainly. 2. The reward of her faith was ample, as large as her desires were, to have it to be." "1. Seasons of affliction furnish opportunities for prayer. 2. The special presence of Christ, either at times of public worship, or in the influence of His Spirit in private, furnish opportunity for prayer." "Prayer to be successful - 1. Must be persevering. 2. Must be offered in faith." "...faith triumphed over all disappointment, & her desire was granted." "Pure gold loses nothing in the testing for alloys; the diamond shines all the more clearly for being rid of the rough surface which hid its light." "Vers. 31 - 37. And they bring unto Him one that was deaf, & had an impediment in his speech." "We must seek to make ourselves one with those whom we would gather into Christ, by actual familiarity with their condition, & by identification of ourselves in feeling with them." "...avoid vainglory in all our works of mercy to others." "...the penitent must separate himself from the crowd of worldly cares, tumultuous thoughts, & inordinate affections, if he would find rest for his soul in God." "...he must tear himself from the company of evil & frivolous companions, & from the bustle of incessant occupation." "Man, made in God's image, had become through sin the poor dumb creature on which Christ looked." "The Lord our Master is ready [to bestow the hearing ear & the speech of faith. (Dean Bramston.)" "True happiness, happiness in the midst of even scorn & persecution, happiness even in the felon's prison & in the martyr's flame, is the high prerogative of God's saints alone" "...those who are spiritually deaf have also an impediment in their speech." "...look at the means of cure." "Bringing men to Jesus: - They brought the afflicted man to Jesus." "If we would find pardon & healing, we must be brought to Jesus." "Sometimes it is a word in a sermon, or a verse in a hymn; sometimes it is the question of a little child, or the sight of a dead face in a coffin; but whatever it is which brings us back to Jesus, that must be the first step to finding pardon & healing." "'Looking to heaven,' not to earth, 'He sighed.' Let us be comforted in sorrow." "It may be He sighed because the trouble He met always had its origin & its aggravation in sin." "It may be He sighed because so few persons were willing to forsake the sins which made the trouble. It may be He sighed because the spectacle of a ruined & rebellious world saddened Him." "Christians must follow sighs with more 'looking up to heaven.'" "Christ sees sin as it is; sees it in its nature, as a defiance of God; sees it in its effects, as leaving behind it in each heart that it enters defilement, & weakness, & hardness, & misery; sees it in its consequences, as bringing forth fruit unto death - a death not of annihilation, not of blank unconsciousness, but a death of unspeakable & interminable wretchedness." "The ears of the deaf must be unstopped before the tongue of the dumb can sing. The heart must believe unto righteousness, before with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." "Deaf to the calls of mercy; deaf to the alarms of danger; deaf to the warning of conscience; deaf to to voice of the Son of God." "Must not the finger of Jesus be put into them, making a passage through, so that His word may reach the heart. Brethren, let us all pray for unstopped ears." "Ver. 37. He hath done all things well. - Excellency of Christ's operations" "...the experience of His people. He sought & found them - He forgave & healed them - He renews & sanctifies them - He keeps & upholds them, & He glorifies them for ever." "How worthy is Christ of our admiration, reverence, & love." "Let it be our concern to do all things well. (J. Orton.)" "Those who oppose Christ are sure to perish for the right must prevail. They will stand self-condemned. The universe will say 'Amen' to their condemnation, for they have conspired against it. (L. Palmer.)" The Biblical Illustrator, Baker, pgs. 270 - 304. "VERS. 1 - 6. And He went out from thence, & came into His own country. - Jesus re-visits Nazareth"
"Nazareth turned its back on Jesus." "Humanity cannot comprehend divinity. Now, no more than then, is there any room for Christ where Satan rules." "GOD'S GREATEST BLESSINGS ARE OFTEN PREVENTED BY MAN'S DISTRUST. Unbelief forfeits infinite mercies. (De W. S. Clark.)" "Beware of that familiarity with sacred things which deadens spiritual sensibility." "When the business of the kingdom seems at a standstill, ask whether the cause be not want of wish, will, prayer. (E. Johnson, M.A.)" "Vers. 3, 4. Is not this the carpenter?" "They find no fault in his character; they can only complain of His trade." "Christ knows good work..." "He found the school for His spiritual training in His practical work. (W. F. Adeney, M.A.)" "Jesus came from amongst the labouring classes" "People in high station or of high birth are very often displeased if one of humbler position excels them in anything." "Vers. 5, 6. And He could there do no mighty work." "WHERE THE UNBELIEF WAS STRONGEST, THE MIRACLES WERE FEW" "If faith be surprising from what its possession can effect, it is yet more surprising from what its non-possession can effect." "'The Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.'" "Great & many are the things which God has done for every one of us, they are but as nothing in comparison with what He might have done, & would have done, if only we had let Him." "They had no faith - the material view destroyed the spiritual." "Before you can have the gift, you must believe the Giver. Continually God is communicating the power to believe, in order that afterwards He may fill the vessel of your belief with every possible good." "1. Unbelief is absurd & unreasonable. God has ever kept His word. 2. Unbelief is absolutely criminal. Implies forgetfulness of past favours, etc. 3. Unbelief is ruinous. It prevents man's salvation, etc. (A. Weston.)" "1. Sinner, Jesus marvels at your unbelief. 2. Anxious soul, Jesus marvels at your unbelief. 3. Backslider, Jesus marvels at your unbelief. 4. Believer, Jesus marvels at your unbelief. (H. Bonar, D.D.)" "UNBELIEF RESTRAINS CHRIST." "...the absence of faith restrained Him." "Unbelief ASTONISHES Christ." "THE EVIL OF UNBELIEF. 1. Unbelief undervalues all the perfections of Deity. 2. Unbelief insults all the persons of the Godhead. 3. Unbelief renders the all-important work of salvation impossible." "THE CAUSES OF UNBELIEF. 1. There is the natural depravity of the heart (Hebrews 3:12). 2. There is ignorance, or blindness, of mind. 3. There is love of sin. 4. There is satanic influence (2 Corinthians 4:14). 5. There is the pride of human nature." "UNBELIEF, OR WANT OF CONFIDENCE IN THE DOCTRINES, THE PROMISES, & PROVIDENCES OF GOD." "Vers. 7 - 13. And He called unto Him the Twelve, & began to send them forth by two & two." "Christ's ministers receive from Him power for their appointed work." "When called to high service, they need not care for common wants." "Vers. 14 - 29. And king Herod heard of Him; (for His name was spread abroad) & he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead." "Herod illustrates the sensuality of the world, the imperious domination of appetite & passion." "It is refreshing to see the moral heroism of John set sharp against the worldliness of Herod." "...one sin naturally leads to another" "...if you indulge in small offences, you will be carried headlong into greater." "Make your stand through Divine grace against the beginnings of sin: for you know not what will be the end thereof." "Herod... Had he heeded the faithful prophet & put away Herodias, he might never have had the sin of murder to answer for." "We must not only hear, but heed the warning voice." "Ver. 17. For Herodias' sake." "Ver. 18. For John had said unto Herod." - The difficulty of wise rebuke: - It is difficult to rebuke well; i.e., at a right time, in a right spirit, & in a right manner." "Ver. 20. For Herod feared John." "How many men might be rescued from the abyss which finally overwhelms & destroys them, how many men might be brought up from their degradation & peril, if only we were wise to seize the hours in which they are impressible." "If you would have the help of Jesus Christ; you must surrender the case to Him; & prepare for thorough treatment, perhaps for sharp surgery." "...the true preacher of holiness, the real forerunner of Christ, is the man who holds up in himself the Divine truth, as a true mirror holds the light, so that whoever comes to him, will see his own character just as it is." "VERS. 1-20. Into the country of the Gadarenes."
"THE POWER OF EVIL SPIRITS." "Their field is the world." "CHRIST'S POWER OVER EVIL SPIRITS. 1. Feared by them... 2. Hated of them... 3. Absolute over them - 'Come out of him, thou unclean spirit.'" "Christ only can deliver us from the power of Satan." "THE GREAT POWER OF THE INHABITANTS OF DARKNESS OVER THE EVIL HEART." "THE UTTER IMPOTENCY OF MAN TO DELIVER THE POSSESSED FROM THE POWER OF THE INHABITANTS OF DARKNESS." "THE WEAKNESS OF THE POWERS OF DARKNESS IN CONFLICT WITH CHRIST. A legion of demons expelled by a word!" "Beware of tampering with evil." "Be thankful to be saved from the physical tyranny of the devil. He would make us all howling demoniacs if he could: but he is restrained by the power & interference of Jesus Christ." "HUMAN EFFORTS EXERTED." "Notice modern human restraints. Law, prisons, reformatories, policemen, & punishments. Besides these there are public opinion, fashion, custom. These are often used to keep the unruly in check." "HUMAN EFFORTS FRUSTRATED. No restraints could be found that were strong enough." "Observe how futile are human efforts in restraining sin." "HUMAN EFFORTS SUPERSEDED. Jesus did not rebuke those who had done their best, but He did something better. He exorcised the evil spirit." "Hopeless until some one stronger than the devils should come - then deliverance" "Satan's work is a work of destruction." "Ver. 6. But when he saw Jesus afar off." "Immeasurable is the distance between God & a sinner; it is wide as the gulf between sin & holiness, death & life, hell & heaven. (C.H. Spurgeon.)" "...is the sinner's wisest course to run to Jesus; for - 1. He is the Son of the Most High God. 2. He is the great Enemy of our enemy, the devil. 3. He is abundantly able to drive out a legion of devils. 4. He can cause us to be clothed in our right mind. 5. He permits us, even now, to draw near & worship Him." "Ver. 7. What have I to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of the most high God?" "THE DEVIL CRIES OUT AGAINST THE INTRUSION OF CHRIST." "MEN UNDER THE DEVIL'S INFLUENCE CRY OUT AGAINST THE INCOMING OF CHRIST BY THE GOSPEL." "The gospel is a great disturber of sinful peace." "IN THIS REJECTION OF THE GOSPEL YOU INCUR TERRIBLE GUILT." "Ver. 9. My name is Legion." "Truly the name of sin is Legion." "Like a foul demon, it has poisoned & polluted, blighted & cursed everything it has touched." "Vers. 11-14. Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them." "Men must part with their sins, if they want to have their Saviour. The swine will be driven out of our hearts, if Christ enters them." "Vers. 15, 16. Sitting, & clothed, & in his right mind. - The joy of freedom from satanic tyranny" "Ver. 17. To depart out of their coasts." "They have the opportunity of reformation & rejuvenation; life, & immortality, & glory, are within their reach; but there are the swine. In order that they may sit at the feet of Christ, they must lose their herds of unclean beasts, they must lose their unjust profits & wicked pleasures; but, rather than lose these, they will sacrifice the Saviour." "Vers. 18, 20. Prayed Him that he might be with Him." "Every man who is conscious that his character has been brought under the power of the Spirit of God, is bound to let men know that the life which is flowing out from him now is not his own natural life, but one which proceeds from the Spirit of God." "...THE PATH OF DUTY WHICH CHRIST HAS MARKED OUT FOR US MAY BE THE OPPOSITE OF THAT WHICH WE NATURALLY THINK & ARDENTLY DESIRE." "The mission of the saved: - Men saved from Satan - 1. Beg to sit at Jesus' feet, clothed, & in their right mind. 2. Ask to be with Him always, & never to cease from personal attendance upon Him. 3. Go at His bidding, & publish abroad what great things He has done for them. 4. Henceforth have nothing to do but to live for Jesus & for Him alone. (C.H. Spurgeon.)" "Go to the sphere in which providence has placed you, & into that sphere bring the glorious riches with which grace has enriched you." "...the devils acknowledge the power of Christ over them" "THEY SAW THE POOR WRETCH DISPOSSESSED, & INSTEAD OF BRINGING ALL THEIR SICK TO BE HEALED BESOUGHT JESUS TO DEPART. How dreadful was this prayer!" "Vers. 21, 23, 35, 43. Jairus by name." "Distress is a great schoolmaster. It teaches men many things; among the rest the greatest of all attainments - the power to pray. (R. Glover.)" "Mark the extreme tenderness of Jesus, 'Fear not, only believe.' Be not afraid convicted sinner. My blood is sufficient, My grace & love are sufficient. (J. H. Evans, M.A.)" "Jesus stronger than death: - And just remember, that when Jesus allows death to knock at your door, & to come in, it is not because death is stronger than He." "CHRIST'S RESTORATIVE POWER TRANSCENDS THE ORDINARY EXPECTATIONS OF MANKIND." "CHRIST'S RESTORATIVE POWER IS EXERTED ON CERTAIN CONDITIONS." "CHRIST'S RESTORATIVE POWER ACCOMPLISHES ITS OBJECT WITH THE GREATEST EASE." "CHRIST'S RESTORATIVE POWER CONFOUNDS THE SCOFFING SCEPTIC WITH ITS RESULT." "Life is indestructible by death." "Vers. 24, 34. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood 12 years." "HOW A CURE CAN BE WROUGHT. I must press to get near Him. I must touch. The least of Christ will save. (C. H. Spurgeon.)" "The disease of humanity incurable except by Christ: - The disease of fallen humanity is wholly incurable except by the hand of Omnipotence." "...the slightest connection with Jesus will bless us. (C. H. Spurgeon.)" "She felt in her body that she was healed.'" "Oh, therefore, thou that feelest thy soul diseased with sin, make haste unto Christ to be cured by this Divine healing virtue that is in Him" "Do this therefore, & do it speedily, without delay." "A weak faith may lay hold on a strong Christ" "We, too, have a need of Christ. He alone can (1) pardon our sins; (2) renew our nature; (3) strengthen us to wage the spiritual conflict with success." "He is more ready to give than we to receive." "The farmer does not show his faith by lying in his bed & waiting for God to plough & harrow his field & sow his seed. He ploughs, & harrows, & sows, & shows his faith in then waiting for God to give the increase." "Instead of the survival of the fittest, we have a law requiring the strong to help the weak, the healthy to improve their health for the sake of the diseased, & even those who are hopelessly stricken, & for ever invalided from the battle of life, are cast on us as a peculiar care" "Those who do not touch Christ by faith, their sorrows are but sorrows, their disappointments bring no outweighing joy, their troubles are not trials, only calamities." "...touch is pollution (Haggai 2:12, 13)" "...touch is consecration (Exodus 3:26, 29)" "...touch is strength (Daniel 10:10, 16, 18)" "...touch is wisdom (Jeremiah 1:9)" "...touch is purity (Isaiah 6:7)" "Imputed righteousness is really transferred righteousness; the purity of the Saviour becomes ours." "Lessons: 1. Trouble comes to all. 2. Trouble should drive us to Christ. 3. Trouble should bind us more closely in sympathy & love with our brethren. 4. Trouble should endear to us the more the hope of heaven. (W. Forsyth, M.A.)" "Ver. 36. Be not afraid, only believe." "Be not afraid that the day of grace is past." "Be not afraid that your sins are too many." "'Only believe.' ...Simply, trust to Me." "Believe that He is able to save thee." "Believe that He is willing to save you." "Believe that He is ready to save you." "Believe that He will save you. This you must do." "A man at the feet of Jesus need not indulge in tormenting fear, for there is no evil he is in danger of but he may be saved from - no blessing he needs but he may secure." "With men 'seeing is believing' but with the believer 'believing is seeing.'" "Ver. 43. Something should be given her to eat." "Whatever knowledge, or grace, or peace, or comfort, God has given you, He says, 'Feed, with this, one of My lambs.'" The Biblical Illustrator, Baker, pgs. 189 - 224. "VERS. 1, 2. And He began again to teach by the seaside."
"By parables." "Ver. 3. Hearken; behold, there went out a sower to sow." "This parable is both a solemn lesson & warning, & also a description of what is actually taking place in the world." "To begin a thing, & to go on with it, are 2 totally different affairs. The commencement is in its own nature something fresh; but to go on with an undertaking is to do things over & over again, when all the freshness has disappeared, & no incentive remains but the sense of duty. This is the true test, & under it how many fail!" "Those who have begun well may boldly cast away the Spirit, or they may fall away from grace because they have no root, or they may be swallowed up by the cares & aims of worldly life." "Let us strive to enter in at the strait gate, & to be found among the faithful. (J. R. Mozley, D. D.)" "The FUNCTION of the sower, not destructive but constructive; not to root up or remove, but to plant." "Thousands reap the fruit of what one man sows." "...the most skillful & painful of all sowers was our Lord Jesus Christ." "...the gospel is the seed of this kingdom." "The ground must be first made good, & then it will be fruitful." "The growth of the seed depends always on the quality of the soil. The stress of the story lies not on the character of the sower, or even on the quality of the seed, but on the nature of the soil. The character of the hearer determines the effect of the Word upon him. We should cultivate the habit of profitable hearing." "The man of depth looks before he leaps." "...the merely impulsive, shallow, flippant hearer acts without deliberation, signs his bond without reading it, & is therefore easily discouraged." "THE QUALITIES TO BE CULTIVATED BY GOSPEL HEARERS... 1. Attention: they hear. 2. Meditation: they keep. 3. Obedience: they bring forth fruit with patience. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)" "Varied soils: - The wayside hearers do not take in the seed at all; the rocky-ground hearers take in the seed, but do not let it sink deep enough; the thorny-ground hearers take it in, but take in bad seeds also; the good-ground hearers take the seed into their deepest heart, & take in nothing else." "God's Word has all the hidden life of a seed." "Heaven & earth shall pass away, but the Word of Christ shall not pass away." "Vers. 4 - 15. Some fell by the way-side, & the fowls of the air came & devoured it up. - Though men be outward hearers of the Word, & do also in some sort understand what is taught, yet if their hearts be so hardened in sin & through Satan's temptations that they are not affected & moved by it, it can never profit them." "If the seed of the Word be only sown in their outward ears & in their minds; if it lie above ground, i.e., if it swim & float aloft in their brain & understanding only, & do not enter & sink into their hearts; if their hearts be not affected to love & embrace it, as well as their understandings enlightened by it, it will never take root or bear fruit in them. (G. Petter.)" "1. Satan uses his utmost endeavours to divert men's attention from the Word while they are hearing it. 2. Satan uses every art to excite & inflame men's prejudices against the Word they hear. 3. Another artifice Satan uses to counteract the influence of God's Word on men's hearts is to prevent their recollecting it after they have heard it. (S. Stennett, D. D.)" "Wasted food, wasted money, wasted health, wasted time, wasted instruction, wasted opportunities of doing & receiving good; these, in their several ways, are all sins against God & our own souls." "How needful in time of hearing to watch against Satan, that he hinder not our attention by suggesting to us roving thoughts." "How needful to watch against Satan after we have heard, that he do not quickly thrust the Word out of our minds & memories." "Vers. 5, 16, 17 - And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth." "Stone is a figure used in Scripture to signify the obstinate aversion of the mind to what is holy & good. So Ezekiel speaks of a stony heart in opposition to a heart of flesh; & Paul, of the living epistles of Christ being written, not on tables of stone, but fleshly tables of the heart." "THE CAUSE OF MEN'S APOSTASY." "1. Something is wanting within. ...'The seed forthwith sprung up, because it had no deepness of earth.' ...'and lacked moisture'" "'The Word preached does not profit them, not being mixed with faith" "Excited but not converted..." "...charmed but not changed" "These are they that 'have no root in themselves, & so endure but for a time.'" "Fair-weather Christians" "Vers. 7, 18, 19. And some fell among thorns, & the thorns grew up & choked it. - The character of worldly-minded hearers considered:" "These thorns choke the Word." "WHAT THESE THINGS ARE WHICH OBSTRUCT THE DUE OPERATION OF GOD'S WORD ON THE HEARTS OF THESE MEN? The cares of the world." "The deceitfulness of riches." "The pleasures of this life, or 'the lusts of other things.'" "'The carnal mind is enmity against God.'" "Covetousness, drink, the love of pleasure, & pride, have often been the ivy that has wrought the ruin. (The Sword & Trowel.)" "Let our chief care be for heavenly & spiritual things, which concern God's glory & the salvation of our souls. This will moderate & slake our care for temporal things. (G. Petter.)" "Prosperity causes men to forget God: - Prosperity most usually makes us proud, insolent, forgetful of God, & of all duties we owe unto Him." "Vers. 8, 20. And other fell on good ground, & did yield fruit that sprang up & increased. - The character of sincere hearers considered:" "They hear it with attention, candour, meekness, & simplicity" "Understand the Word." "It is laid up in the understanding, memory, & affections; & guarded with attention & care, as the most invaluable treasure." "They bring forth fruit. The seed springs up, looks green, & promises a fair harvest." "How gracious is that influence which the blessed God exerts, to make the heart honest & good, & so dispose it to receive the Word, & profit by it!" "Of what importance is it that we converse intimately with the gospel, in order to our bringing forth the fruits of holiness!" "In the garden of God there are trees of different growth." "Hold on; hold fast; hold out;" "Ver. 9. He that hath ears to hear." "...our dependence should be firmly placed on the gracious & seasonable influences of the Holy Spirit." "Ver. 11. Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of God." "The truth of things, begin with it where you will, if you follow it out will lead you up to God." "Ver. 12. That seeing, they may see, & not perceive." "Ver. 21. Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed?" "Ver. 22. For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested." Many things are concealed, both in nature & by art, though the concealment is by no means designed to be permanent." "The precise time for the unveiling it is not always easy to decide, because man's knowledge is finite, but we rest assured that it will coincide with the need for its use." "Everything is brought to light sooner or later." "Secret sin comes out at the judgment" "Ver. 23, 24. Take heed what ye hear." "Hear the truth & the truth only." "Hear with discrimination, shunning false doctrines. 2. Hear with attention; ...3. Hear for yourself, with personal application. 4. Hear retentively, endeavouring to remember the truth. 5. Hear desiringly, pryaing that the Word may be blessed to you. 6. Hear practically, obeying the exhortation which has come to you." "There is no place where His voice does not reach." "Truth glories in exposure." "Men fail to receive truth because of the impurity of their hearts. (W. L. Watkinson.)" "Whosoever 'willeth to do the will of God, shall know the doctrine that is of God.'" "It is only through obedience that we get knowledge. It is only in obedience that light passes into knowledge" "The dawn of truth will pass to the noon, only whilst we do the work God gives us to do." "Believe in God's love as declared in the cross; imitate the principle in your own life, & you 'shall comprehend with all saints the length, & breadth, & depth, & height, & know the love of God which passeth knowledge.'" "Teach, instruct, give forth illumination, & as you do so your own brain shall be the clearer, your own knowledge the more full & certain. Light comes through evangelistic work." "...we should hear for ourselves, & cause others to hear, the gospel" "Ver. 25. For he that hath, to him shall be given. - The law of increase:" "A base & slothful soul grows poorer every day, until it is stripped of all." "Capital tends to gather more wealth." "One victory leads the way to another." "Any one can 'have' what is given; only the diligent have more." "The more wealth a man has, the easier it is for him to increase it. So of knowledge; so of influence; so of affection. So also of spiritual gifts." "Vers. 26, 29. So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground." "There are 'means of grace;' human beings must put themselves in the way of them. The first step in the new life is displayed in the willingness to take every other step." "The man does not need to 'know how.' He needs only to keep growing, & all will be right in the end." "Time is wasted in efforts to help man savingly in any other way than by teaching them to 'grow up in all things into Christ, which is the head ' (Eph. 4:14-16)." "As it requires a whole man to make a successful farmer, so all the energies of character, study & devotion are needed to make a successful sower of the seed of the kingdom." "The test of real life is growth." "No standing still." "God leads on the converted soul step by step;" "Confine your care to the seed you sow, &, calm & hopeful, leave the rest to God." "Plants that are meant to live long grow slowly. A mushroom grows swiftly, & passes away swiftly. The oak grows slow to stand long. Grace is meant to live for ever, & grows, therefore slowly." "We are eager for quick results; we have not the patience to wait for the slow development from seed to fruit. BUT THIS IS GOD'S PLAN IN ALL THINGS." "We 'cast the seed into the ground,' we 'sleep & rise night & day.' We go about our customary avocations & know nothing for certain of what has become of the seed for a time." "...a lesson of diligence. We can only sow, therefore let us sow." "The Spirit of God is striving with human spirits!" "Having sown the seed, leave it with God. Think - 'It has passed now from my care into a more sacred department, & into far higher hands. With Him let me leave it.' Finally, a lesson of trust. (A. Raleigh, D. D.)" "THE PROGRESS OF CHRISTIAN LIFE." "We are born infants, & we gain strength & knowledge by gradual progression." "The plant does not reach its maturity in one hour, but it is the growth of different seasons, treatment night & day, weeks & months." "If we are slow in the climbing, we have time to reflect & gain wisdom as we proceed" "Light, faith, love, hope, patience, action, communion, perseverance, & sacrifice, must be united in the delicate & important work of the building up of Christian life." "Salvation comes not from the personal authority of the preacher, but through the personal conviction, personal faith, & personal love of the hearer." "We are all casting live seeds. Every word, act, look, goes down into somebody's mind, & lives there." "The seeds growing secretly: - 1. God does His work silently. 2. God does His work slowly. 3. God does His work surely." "1. Has the Word of God been sown in your hearts? ...2. You that seem to receive the Word, what evidence have you of its growth? 3. What prospect have you of this glorious result? (T. Kidd.)" "Unto the ministers of the gospel, who are the great moral labourers in the field of the world, there is entrusted the task of preparing the soil & of casting in the seed." "Often, when we do not see it... (God) is at work; often, when we never suspected it, it has made considerable progress." "Thought it is very slow & imperceptible in its growth, still the seed never really lies idle. From the moment of its first start to its final ripening, it is always on its way; it never once stops, far less does it ever go backward." "...so, too, it is with the good seed in the heart. Trials & temptations may check its growth there for a while; but it is only for a while" "It has but one way of growing, & that is heavenwards. (H. Harris.)" "But let it begin as it may, the process is one of continuous growth, innocence maturing into holiness, passion deepening into principle, struggle developing strength, laborious act becomes easy habit; a gracious mellowing influence permeating & glorifying the entire life; the life of the soul growing, not as a fragile succulent gourd, but as a close-grained tree, every day & every experience adding growth & strength. (H. Allon.)" "You see a foolish, wicked boy, into whose heart a praying mother has dropped the good seed. All seems lost; but wait, & he becomes a great Christian like John Newton, like thousands whose biographies are the best commentaries upon this parable. (J. Wells, M. A.)" "Real life is that which has in it a principle of expansion. It 'springs & grows up.'" "Ministers need not torment themselves about the issue of their work, for God gives the increase." "All around you are things that are growing, but that you cannot see grow. And if it is so with trees, & things that spring out of the ground, how much more is it so with the kingdom of God? That kingdom is advancing surely, though it advances slowly, & though it is invisible to us." "You will find that things have been done, though you could not see them done." "Christ's kingdom goes forward from age to age, though you cannot discern the steps by which it is going forward. While men, as individuals, pass off from the stage of life, God's work does not stop. (H. W. Beecher.)" "The growth of Christianity is MYSTERIOUS." "Once, like a grain of mustard seed, it was the smallest of seeds; but now it has become the largest of herbs, overshadowing with its blessed canopy that fairest portion of the world which we fondly call Christendom. But how came it thus to spread? Because the doctrine of the cross has been preached." "The kingdom of God, like the seed which grows GRADUALLY, stage by stage, does not burst forth full-grown" "Just as the seed does not leap instantly or whimsically into the fruit, but unfolds itself in ORDERLY SUCCESSION - first the tender blade, then the swelling ear, then the ripe grain in the ear - so it is with the seed of the kingdom, or God's truth." "Christianity means something more than sowing: it also means reaping. Do not be over-anxious." "Plant faithfully the seed, & then go trustfully away. (G. D. Boardman, D. D.)" "Vers. 30, 32. It is like a grain of mustard seed." "The growth of the little seed: - This suggests the treatment we ourselves should give the truths of God." "Spiritual growth: - Impressions growing into resolutions constitute conversion, or the beginning of the Divine life in man." "VITALITY. The small seed of the mustard is brimful of life." "The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Divine thoughts are full of life because the Spirit of God is in them." "Christ in the heart enlarges its capacity for purity, love & goodness." "MATURITY. The life of the believer steps forward by slow degrees, until it reaches the measure of the stature of Christ." "The maxims of human philosophy not so productive as Divine truth" "All great movements have had trivial commencements" "All the greatest work has been done both before & after, not often by producing immediate results, but by sowing seeds." "Vers. 33, 34. But without a parable spake He not unto them." "Be it a boat, a plank, a rope, a beggar's rags, an imperial robe, we would seize on anything to save a drowning man; & in His anxiety to save poor sinners, to rouse their fears, their love, their interest , to make them understand & feel the truth, our Lord pressed everything - art & nature, earth & heaven - into His service." "And when they were alone. Christ alone with His disciples; or, the parable expounded" "Parables... It was a way of teaching, but by calling out the desire & effort to learn." "Christ is the best revelation of spiritual truth, its strongest evidence, & its only quickening force; & we may say of Him & Christianity, what Cowper says of God & Providence - 'He is His own interpreter, & He will make it plain.'" "Vers. 35 - 41. And the same day, when the even was come, He saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side." "THE INFLUENCE OF DANGER. It caused the disciples to doubt the care of Christ. Why is it we doubt the Lord in seasons of danger? 1. Imperfect knowledge of the Lord. 2. Natural impatience. 3. Satanic temptations." "Unbelief causes God to delay or deny (Matt. 13:58)" "Our childlike faith has seen the Saviour as the little ship of life glided over the smooth waters; it has not yet learnt to know Him in the storm & the tempest." "...Lord I believe; help Thou mine unbelief." "It is when men have weighed Him in the balances of some great necessity, & found Him not wanting, that they believe in Him." "Worse than the storms of political violence or of intellectual rebellion, have been THE TEMPESTS OF INSURGENT IMMORALITY THROUGH WHICH THE CHURCH HAS PASSED." "...FOLLOWING CHRIST WILL NOT PREVENT OUR HAVING EARTHLY SORROWS & TROUBLES." "'Master, carest Thou not that we perish?' 1. There was impatience. 2. There was distrust. 3. There was unbelief." "How TENDERLY & PATIENTLY THE LORD JESUS DEALS WITH WEAK BELIEVERS." "...PEOPLE WHO FOLLOW CHRIST MUST NOT ALWAYS EXPECT SMOOTH SAILING." "...CHRIST CAN HUSH THE TEMPEST. Christ can hush the tempest of bereavement, loss & death. (Dr. Talmage.)" "I. THE INNER CALM. In every soul there has been storm. It rages through the whole being. But Jesus is the stiller of this storm in man. 1. In his conscience. 2. In his heart. 3. In his intellect." "Consider Jesus as the stiller of the heart." "...we should always have Christ aboard with us; we should have Him formed within us as our hope of glory; under His ensign we should sail, as our only hope of reaching that haven for which we are making. (W. B. Philpot, M. A.)" "I. They escaped one fear, only to get into another; losing the fear of the tempest, they get a greater fear, that of the Lord of the tempest. II. They lose a bad fear to get a good one - a fear which is reverent, & one which has as much trust as awe in it. Such fear is the beginning of faith in Christ's Godhead." The Biblical Illustrator, Baker, pgs. 122 - 189. "VER. 1 - 5. And there was a man there which had a withered hand."
"...a vivid picture of that infirmity which destroys a man's power of doing anything well in this world of ours." "...human skill, power, & usefulness, & for the studied adaptation of means to ends." "There are many men - & professing Christians, too - who are so full of obstinate prejudices that they invariably find fault with every good work that has to be done, & with every possible way of doing it; but who very seldom do anything themselves. Their hand is withered." "...while we 'work out salvation with fear & trembling,' God is working 'within us both to will & do of His good pleasure.'" "'Stretch forth thine hand.'" "It is easy to see that there was FAITH required." "Faith is the mysterious moral force which thrusts out the hand of humanity to take the gift Divine." "The faith of this man was accompanied by OBEDIENCE." "...in the very act of obedience he found the blessing that he craved. This obedience was the fruit of his faith, & the faith which does not produce obedience is of little worth." "It seems evident that there was needed in the case of this man a STRONG RESOLUTION." "Your will is all God waits for." "Faith is shown in doing what He commands even when it seems to be impossible." "Where there is the 'obedience of faith,' power will be granted. (A. F. Muir, M. A.)" "It is as natural for Christ to show unmerited kindness as for the sun to shed its light, the rose to diffuse its fragrance. (D. Davies, M. A.)" "They watched Him with an evil eye." "Ver. 5. Being grieved for the hardness of their hearts." "He hated the thing which alienated the sons from the Father." "We are always right in being angry with sin." "We must be impartial being displeased at sin wherever & in whomsoever we find it; as well at our own sins, as at the sins of others; as well at the faults of friends as of enemies." "It is the duty of a Christian to sorrow not only for his own sins, but also to be grieved for the sins of others." "Our indignation against wickedness must be tempered by compassion for the persons of the wicked. (T. H. Horne, D. D.)" "THE CAUSES OF HARDNESS OF HEART. 1. By neglecting the word & ordinances of God." "When painful events do not rouse to seriousness, & fiery trials do not melt to tenderness, we generally see increased levity & obstinacy." "By persisting in any known course of sin (Deuteronomy 29:19)." "It is HARD when nothing moves it;" "Signs whereby men may know whether their hearts are hardened: - 1. If they are not moved to repentance & true humiliation for sin, by seeing or hearing of the judgments of God inflicted on themselves or others;" "2. If the mercies of God, shown to themselves & others, do not affect them & persuade their hearts to turn to God (Romans 2:4). 3. If the word preached fail to humble them in the sight of God; but the more the hammer of the Word beats on their hearts, the harder they become, like the smith's anvil." "Let them consider how fearful their case is, & fear to continue in it." "Remedies for hard-heartedness:" "Be diligent & constant in hearing the Word of God. This is the hammer which will break the stone; the fire to melt & thaw the heart frozen in sin." "Guard against negligence & coldness in... prayer, hearing & reading the Word, etc." "Ver. 6. How they might destroy Him. - The meanness, evil & sinfulness of hatred" "Sin breeds sin: - The Pharisees having before harboured malice & hatred in their hearts, now show it by seeking Christ's death." "Our envy will make us dislike His goodness; our pride, His authority; our evil, the purity of His precepts;" "Vers. 7, 8. Came unto Him." "If some will not have the Saviour, others will; God's eternal purpose will stand, & the kingdom of His anointed will come." "Ver. 9. A small ship." "Some persons cannot preach unless they have a proper pulpit, their priestly robe, organ, choir, & other things; but Christ is at home anywhere, & can preach afloat as well as in the synagogue." "Ver. 10. They pressed upon Him for to touch Him." "Ver. 11. And unclean spirits, when they saw Him, fell down before Him. - Christ's supremacy over evil spirits" "Evil confesses the superiority of good" "They worshipped, but it was in demon fashion, the worship of terror." "HE WHOSE SUPREMACY IS ACKNOWLEDGED BY EVIL SPIRITS IS YOUR FRIEND & SAVIOUR, IF YOU WILL ACCEPT HIM AS SUCH." "Following the Redeemer, you will be shortly where evil spirits cannot follow you. (W. Leask, D. D.)" "Ver. 12. That they should not make Him known." "Vers. 13 - 21. And He ordained twelve, that they should be with Him." "Whoever looks upon the ministerial office as a state of ease, & not of continual labour, understands but very little these words of Christ. (Quesnet.)" "Nothing Divine is ever done by chance. (G. R. Leavitt.)" "Christ Himself commissioned & authorized these agents. 1. To preach the gospel. 2. To cast out devils. (J. R. Thomson, M. A.)" "Ver. 17. And He surnamed them Boanerges, which is The sons of thunder." "Barnabas & Boanerges, 'the sons of consolation & of thunder' make a good mixture." "Discretion must hold zeal by the heel." "Ver. 21. He is beside Himself. - The sinner mad, not the saint" "Vers. 22 - 26. And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub." "Labour not only to know the Word of God, but for a sanctified heart to yield obedience to it." "Look to they knowledge, therefore, that it be such as not only floats in the head but goes down to the heart, & causes it to yield obedience to the things thou hast learned out of the Word of God. Get this wisdom above all possessions, & thou shalt be rich & learned indeed. (G. Peter.)" "On which side are we? For Christ, or against Him? Are we His open enemies? Are we His half-hearted friends? Are we His faithful disciples?" "'He that is not with Me is against Me' (Matthew 12:30)." "The friends of Christ are EVIDENCED BY THEIR OBEDIENCE - 'Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.'" "That Christ came & destroyed the works of the devil shows that He is Satan's enemy & Satan's conqueror." "Ver. 27. No man can enter into a strong man's house & spoil his goods." "Christ is showing that He casts out demons by a greater power than Satan's, viz., by the power of His own Godhead." "Vers, 28, 30. All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men." "Beware of sinning that grace may abound; beware of turning the grace of God into wantonness, for God has said He will not be merciful to such as sin, presuming on His mercy." "...blasphemy against God" "This sin is committed in the following ways, 1. By attributing to God that which is dishonourable to Him, & unbeseeming His Majesty; e.g., to say He is unjust, cruel, or the author of sin, etc. 2. By taking from God, & denying unto Him that which belongs to Him. 3. By attributing the properties of God to creatures. 4. By speaking contemptibly of God." "Labour for a reverent fear of God in our hearts." "How significant it is that it is the attributing goodness, righteousness of word, life, action, 'good works' in short, to an evil source, which is the unpardonable sin" "The inevitable sign of the commission of the unpardonable sin is a condition in which men are past feeling; & if a man has come into that condition in which he is unpardonable - incurable - the sign will be that he does not care." "Vers. 31 - 35. There came then His brethren & His mother. - Spiritual kinship with Christ" "The grace of faith engrafts the believer into the stock of Christ, & brings him within His pedigree, making him to be of most near kindred with Him in a spiritual manner: it makes Christ & the believer as near to each other as natural parents & children; yea, as husband & wife, for it marries them together, whence it is that Christ is said to be the Husband of the true Church." "To be Christ's disciple is to belong to His family." "THE WEAKNESS OF THE TIES OF NATURE, WHEN COMPARED WITH THOSE TIES TO WHICH THE GOSPEL GIVES EXISTENCE." "THE HONOURABLE POSITION OF BELIEVERS - the kinsmen of Christ." "All that our kinsman has becomes ours." The Biblical Illustrator, Baker, pgs. 96 - 121. "VERS. 1 - 12. And again He entered into Capernaum."
"Christ's apparent delays are only the maturings of time - the ripenings of opportunity. He will come, not when impatient men think best, but when His wisdom determines: neither too soon nor too late." "The CHIEF GLORY OF A CHRISTIAN CHURCH - not the building, nor the form of service, nor the social position of its members, nor the eloquence of the preacher, nor its past history - but the CHRIST who dwells within it." "If we would draw the multitude we must do it, not so much by eccentricities - advertisements, as by obtaining the presence of Jesus Christ. He will draw all men unto Him. Christ within will attract the mulititude without. (L. Palmer.)" "We should seek Christ on our own account; & we should seek Him on account of others. (G. Rogers.)" "'That house shall be preserved, & never shall decay, Where the Almighty God is worshipped, day by day. A.D. 1558.'" "Ver. 3. And they come unto Him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four." "THOSE WHO WOULD BE HEALED BY CHRIST MUST COME TO HIM." "THERE ARE THOSE WHO WILL NEVER REACH CHRIST UNLESS THEY ARE BROUGHT TO HIM BY OTHERS." "The Church cannot cure the world of its sin." "THOUGH THE WAY OF COMING TO CHRIST MAY BE IRREGULAR, HIS HEALING BLESSING WILL BE CERTAINLY GIVEN WHEN ONCE HE IS TRULY FOUND." "There is no more unrest, for 'being justified by faith we have peace with God.'" "While reason is speculating & balancing things, & doubts which way to proceed, faith moves rapidly & majestically forward, & sheds blessings at every footstep. While reason inquires whether the waters can possess any healing power, faith steps in, & is made whole." "If there be in your families any paralyzed by sin & wickedness, men whose moral principles are deadened, & sensibilities benumbed, by the poison of licentiousness, or infidelity, or worldliness, do you try by importunate application, & kind but constant entreaty, to bring them to the living fountain, open for sin & uncleanness?" "Similar, beloved brethren, shall be your reward; if you, with the same quiet constancy & steadfastness, seek to bring souls to Him, who is the good Physician." "...with faith, toil on; toil on. Carry your wicked & morally paralyzed friends, on the arms of prayer, to Christ;" "Ver. 4. They uncovered the roof where He was." "The best work done in the world has been work that could not be done" "TRUE FAITH IS ALWAYS CONCERNED FOR THE WELFARE OF OTHERS." "TRUE FAITH ALWAYS LOOKS TO CHRIST AS THE CENTRE OF ITS OPERATIONS." "TRUE FAITH IS FERTILE IN EXPEDIENTS FOR OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES." "TRUE FAITH MEETS WITH ITS APPROPRIATE REWARD." "Ver. 5. When Jesus saw their faith." "If there be anything good within us Christ will be sure to see it." "If God has placed us in such a connection with those around us that their virtue & happiness will be affected by our conduct, we are evidently bound to act with a regard to their interest. (J. Lathrop, D. D.)" "Son, thy sins be forgiven thee." "Ver. 6. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, & reasoning in their hearts." "THE WORST OPPOSITION WHICH CHRISTIANS HAVE TO MEET IN OFFERING THE GOSPEL TO MEN IS FOUND IN THE MENTAL RESERVATIONS OF ITS REJECTORS" "There cannot possibly be any reasoning in one's heart which our omniscient Judge is not able instantly to perceive & to answer." "Vers. 7 - 11. But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins." "An example of Christ's supreme power: - I. Power to FORGIVE sin. ...II. Power to HEAL DISEASE. ...III. Power to SILENCE CAVILLERS." "There is no want of man so central as his need to be rid of the power & guilt of sin." "...if Jesus Christ has 'power on earth to forgive sins,' THEN IT IS OUR DUTY TO URGE MEN TO GO TO CHRIST THAT THEY MAY RECEIVE THE BLESSING OF PARDON. (Monday Club Sermons.)" "...He paid the debt; He became Surety, & He met the claim; He paid it to the uttermost farthing, till He could say with His expiring breath, 'It is finished' - till He had 'finished transgression, made an end of sin & brought in everlasting righteousness.'" "Ver. 12. We never saw it on this fashion." "God's power not to be limited by human calculation" "Ver. 13. And He went forth again by the seaside." "Vers. 14, 15. And as He passed by, He saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the receipt of custom." "HIS CALL WAS SUBLIMELY SIMPLE." "'Follow Me.'" "HIS CALL WAS A DOOR OF HOPE FOR OTHERS. 1. His salvation encouraged other publicans to come to Jesus." "When the Saviour calls, follow him gladly. Never regret a duty, or lament a responsibility, or grieve over a sacrifice required." "NO MAN SHOULD PERMIT HIS BUSINESS OR HIS SOCIAL SURROUNDINGS TO HINDER HIM FROM FOLLOWING CHRIST." "Ver. 16. And when the scribes & Pharisees saw Him eat with publicans & sinners." "The most alarming sin is the self-delusion that we have no sin." "The Christian must go into the company of the morally depraved with right views of their sad condition, & with an intense desire for their recovery. The Christian can give forth healing influences to the morally depraved by kindly words, by gentle disposition, by judicious teaching, & by unpretentious example." "Ver. 17. They that are whole have no need of the physician." "Without repentance none can be saved. Let all, therefore, lay hold on it without delay." "Christ is the soul's Physician, skilled to heal all its diseases." "He came to call SINNERS." "All sinners." "He came to call to REPENTANCE." "Sin, like sickness, is very disabling. It prevents our serving God. We cannot pray or praise God aright" "Fearfully polluting." "Contagious. A man cannot be a sinner alone." "Most men are unconscious of the misery of the fall." "Oh, what wretchedness was mine before I laid hold on Christ." "Man cannot cure himself." "Jesus Christ never came into the world merely to explain what sin is, but to inform us how it can be removed." "...for the terrible sickness of sin none but Christ - 'Neither is there salvation in any other'" "There needs no other." "There is no relapse where Christ heals" "...a new heart also does He give him, & a right spirit does He put within him." "Vers. 18 - 20. And the disciples of John & of the Pharisees used to fast." "The more appetite is indulged, the less the soul can act with energy, & the more the man shrinks from self-denial." "...the only cheerful Christianity is a Christianity that draws its gladness from deep personal experience of communion with Jesus Christ." "Vers. 21, 22. No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment." "Learn the methods of the Spirit's working & follow them. (D. Davies, M. A.)" "The 'inner man' must have its new attire. You must put off the old garment & put on the new. You must 'put on Christ Jesus the Lord, & walk in Him.' Do not try to mend the old nature. Seek a new one. Old habits will not do for a new spirit, & yet we cling to them, or they cling to us" "Things once pleasant to us will now be unpleasant & irksome. Many amusements & pleasures will be instantly abandoned, when we have got the right spirit within us; (Congregational Pulpit.)" "Vers. 23, 24. And it came to pass, that He went through the cornfields on the sabbath day." "Pharisaical pride makes men set themselves up for judges of everything, & require an account of everything to be given them." "Vers. 25, 26. And He said unto them, Have ye never read what David did?" "Use of the Scriptures: - The cause of so many gross & foolish opinions which many amongst us hold & maintain, is nothing else but their ignorance of the Scriptures, either because they read them not duly & diligently, or else because they understand them not aright." "Vers. 27, 28. And He said unto them, the Sabbath was made for man." "It is a simple fact in medical science, that the human frame is not made so as to bear up under constant labour without rest." "It is the Lord's day. If is for Him to say how the day shall be spent." "'The Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath' - the JUDGE to punish the breach of it." "The Sabbath was made for man: - I. As a periodical reprieve from the curse of labour. ...III. As a day of holy convocation for the purpose of worship & instruction. IV. As an emblem & an earnest of the saint's everlasting rest (G. Brooks.)" "Exertion demands rest." "A world without a Sabbath: - A world without a Sabbath would be like a man without a smile, like a summer without flowers, & like a homestead without a garden. It is the joyous day of the whole week. (H. W. Beecher.)" The Biblical Illustrator, Baker, pgs. 58 - 96. VER. 1. The beginning. - The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ"
"A WONDERFUL THING HERE BEGUN." "...it is good news from God to man - from heaven to earth - from the infinitely holy to the lowest depths of human wretchedness & sin." "...it is a voice from heaven, breaking through the silence or discord of our natural condition. Oh, could the tumult of this life cease to fill our ears, we might hear another sound - good news from God to each of us." "The love, pity, wisdom of God were the sources of the gospel." "It began first in the PURPOSE of the Almighty Father." "It had a second beginning IN THE ADVENT OF OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST." "It had another also IN THE WORK OF THE HOLY GHOST." "CHRIST JESUS IS THE AUTHOR OF THIS GOSPEL. How great, then, is the sin of those who despise, or refuse to believe & obey the gospel. They reject Christ Himself." "CHRIST IS ALSO THE CHIEF SUBJECT MATTER, & ARGUMENT OF THE GOSPEL." "...let us joyfully embrace the doctrine of the gospel, which brings to us the news of spiritual freedom from sin & Satan, purchased by Christ, & of the pardon of our sins procured for us by Him." "Together with the Father, He is the object of trust, love, & worship; the same in power & glory; to be honoured of all men, even as they honour the Father." "Ver. 2. As it is written in the prophets." "Which shall prepare Thy way before Thee." "How to prepare the way for Christ: - How was John to prepare the people to receive Christ? 1. By foretelling them that Christ was to come immediately after him. 2. By preaching the doctrine of Christ, touching His Person & offices. 3. By preaching the doctrine of faith in Christ, stirring up the people to believe in Him as the Messiah. 4. By preaching repentance, exhorting them to turn unto God from their sin, that so they might be fit to receive Christ. 5. By administering baptism. (G. Petter.)" "...we are not to preach ourselves, but Christ; we are not to prepare our own way, or the way of any other, but the way of Christ in the hearts of our people." "We must plan to find room for the Lord in our hearts. We must make ready to do His bidding. We must decide to give up all habits of life that are inconsistent with His service." "Ver. 3. The voice of one crying in the wilderness." "A minister of the Word must not do the work of the Lord negligently or coldly, but with zeal & fervency of spirit." "MINISTERS SHOULD ALSO, WITH COURAGE & BOLDNESS OF SPIRIT DELIVER THE WORD & MESSAGE OF THE LORD (Eph. 6:20; Jer. 1:17; Ezek. 3:9)." "Ver. 4. - John did baptize in the wilderness." "Solitary communion with God; - Every preacher & teacher, to do his work aright, must go into the wilderness." "Do not grudge the time you spend alone with God. He will teach all His scholars what none others can impart." "Ver. 5. And there went out to him all the land of Judaea. - The Baptist's audience" "Secret of John Baptist's influence: - In one word, it was 'reality.' In an age of hollowness & hypocrisy never equalled before or since, such a characteristic was bound to startle men & arrest their attention." "Repentance is a pool, or rather a river, which carries our impurities far from us, so as never to be resumed again." "The man's words... were positive, straightforward, unmistakable. He aimed directly at the great need of his generation." "Ver. 6. And John was clothed with camel's hair." "Our apparel must be worn & used to the right ends for which it is appointed by God." "Ver. 7. There cometh one mightier than I after me. - Christ mightier than the Baptist" "I. In HIS PERSON. 'The power of God.' II. In HIS PREACHING. Christ's words were spirit & life. III. In HIS WORKS. John did no miracle. IV. In THE PERMANENCE OF HIS MINISTRY. Christ's disciples are an ever-increasing body to-day. V. In HIS DEATH. Christ's death really began His ministry; John's closed his. VI. In HIS POWER OVER THE HUMAN HEART. Christ can win its love & devotion now that He has gone." "Vers. 9, 10. Jesus came from Nazareth." "Its beauty & peacefulness." "The village of Nazareth is reached by a narrow, steep, & rough mountain path." "And was baptized of John in Jordan." "When the Baptist shrank back from an act that must have seemed profane, He pointed out that it was incumbent on Him to show an example of perfect obedience to His Father's will." "CHRIST WAS HONOURED BY A DIVINE COMMENDATION - 'This is my beloved son.'" "CHRIST OUR LORD THERE SET FOR US A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF PERFECT OBEDIENCE. Baptism was an ordinance of God; Christ will not exempt Himself from any duty." "Every true follower of Christ must publicly renounce his sins & confess his faith." "The approval & blessing of God are essential to a true work." "It was an act of obedience to a Divine appointment, & therefore it 'became' Him. It was the fulfillment of 'righteousness;'" "...the Father's delight in the Son is through the Son extended to all who love & trust the Son. In Jesus, God is well pleased towards us." "Ver. 10. The heavens opened." "The Spirit like a dove." "A most captivating symbol." "Dovelike properties in Christ: I. INNOCENT & harmless (Heb. 7:26). II. LOVING & tender-hearted (Eph. 3:19). III. MEEK & gentle (Matt. 11:29)." "Use frequent self-reflection to know whether you are indeed washed from the guilt & filth of sin (I Cor. 6:11)." "Ver. 11. Thou art My beloved Son." "He of whom the Father thus speaks, is worthy of all our honour, gratitude, & devotion. (Family Churchman.)" "Vers. 12, 13. - The Spirit driveth Him into the wilderness. - The temptation of Christ" "Christ was tempted AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF HIS MISSION. The greatest obstacles often beset the first steps of a new course - in attempting a new work, in first attacking a bad habit, in entering on the Christian life. This tests genuineness & teaches humility, self-diffidence, & reliance on God." "'The Spirit driveth Him.' ...God permits, nay, requires us to pass through the fire of temptation." "The same Holy Spirit who led Jesus into the wilderness leads us thither too." "It is absolutely necessary for us all sometimes to stand aside from the busy crowd, & to seek quiet & retirement for prayer & self-examination, without which our spiritual life must grow feebler & fainter till it dies. (H. J. Wilmot Buxton, M. A.)" "...man has the power to resist the strongest opposition of hell." "Tempted of Satan." "Temptation... 1. A trial of our faith , to bring out some hidden virtue. ...2. A provoking to anger. 3. A leading into sin." "Why does God allow us to be tempted? 1. To strengthen our faith. ...2. To bring out latent good qualities. 3. To make us watchful. We must prove our armour. We must learn our weak points. 4. That He may one day give us our reward (James 1:12)." "Subtlety of Satan's temptations: - Satan will lie in wait for the Christian in his time of weakness, even as the wild beasts do at the water side for the cattle coming to drink." "He who has formed the believer for Himself is not going to break or destroy the work, the beautiful work of His own hands. He is purifying, fitting, fashioning, polishing." "The force of temptation: - Run with the wind & you hardly know it is blowing. Run against it, & you are convinced of the existence of a resisting medium, & in direct proportion to the speed with which you run, will be your consciousness of the force by which you are opposed. Thus as long as you run with the devil & promptly do his behests, you may be inclined to deny his existence; disobey him, & you will be made painfully aware of his presence, & his endeavours to thwart all your efforts after good." "With the wild beasts." "And the angels ministered unto Him." "Ver. 14. Now after that John was put in prison." "The silencing of Christ's ministers not the suppressing of Christ's gospel" "No sooner was John cast into prison THAN JESUS HIMSELF BEGAN TO PREACH THE GOSPEL." "The world will never succeed in suppressing the truth." "...USEFUL MEN ARE OFTEN RENDERED INCAPABLE OF WORK THROUGH THE TYRANNY OF OTHERS." "Preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God." "WHAT MUST WE DO TO BECOME SUBJECTS OF THIS KINGDOM? 1. Repent of sin. 2. Believe the gospel." "...Jesus differed from all other preachers. 1. He was Divine. 2. He was infallible. 3. He was sympathetic. 4. He was most clear & simple. 5. He was most interesting. 6. Most faithful & earnest. 7. He preached most affectionately & tenderly." "THE SPECIAL APPEAL HE MADE. 1. He urged repentance. 2. He demanded faith. ...Men perish by not believing the gospel of Christ. (J. Burns, D. D.)" "Ver. 15. And saying, The time is fulfilled." "True repentance is 'towards God' - 'for the remission of sins' - 'unto salvation.'" "'The time' of God's special influence & grace is 'now fulfilled.'" "...God is this moment waiting to set up that kingdom in your hearts. Let repentance & faith ever be connected." "Repentance begins in the humiliation of the heart, & ends in the reformation of the life. (Mason.) There is no going to the fair haven of glory without sailing through the narrow strait of repentance. (Dyer.)" "Repentance a reversal of conduct: - A locomotive is rushing at express speed along the main line of a railway, when suddenly, by a pointsman's mistake, it is switched off into a side-line. Instantly the brakes are applied, & the moving mass is brought to a standstill. Then the engineer lays his hand upon a lever, the motion of the engine is reversed, & the train moves back to the main line, & continues on its course. In human life, such an abandoning of the main line is transgression; such a reversal is repentance." "Christ preached the NATURE of repentance." "Christ preached the NECESSITY of repentance." "He pressed it home upon every man's conscience." "The whole gospel is practically reduced to repentance. Christ joins it to the hope of heaven, as being the only means of arriving there." "Repentance is manifested by its effects: (1) Contrition; (2) confession; (3) self-abhorrence; (4) self-abandonment. (W. W. Whythe.)" "For a sinful man the only way into a kingdom of righteousness is through repentance & renewal." "Repentance... Abhorrence of one's past life, because of the love of Christ which has pardoned it. Avoidance of present sin, because not one's own, but bought with a price. Resolution to live henceforth like Jesus." "Faith. That is, trust in Christ. This goes hand-in-hand with repentance. Neither will be of any use without the other." "Vers. 16 - 18. Now as He walked by the Sea of Galilee." "We do not need high education to fit us to do good." "God calls men when they are busy; Satan, when they are idle. For idleness is the hour of temptation, & an idle person the devil's tennis ball, which he tosses at pleasure" "The Lord chose - I. Unlearned & ignorant men, that His grace might be made perfect in their weakness." "WHOM DID HE CHOOSE? Not the wise & learned" "He did not choose the rich" "These men who gave up all at once for Him, had impulse, heart, impetuosity, love; & these were the main things He wanted for His work." "Conversion is most fully displayed when it leads converts to seek the conversion of others; we most truly follow Christ when we become fishers of men." "When Jesus draws us we shall draw men." "'Come ye after Me.' 1. We must be separated to Him, that we may pursue His object. 2. We must abide with Him, that we may catch His spirit. 3. We must obey Him, that we may learn His method. 4. We must believe Him, that we may believe true doctrine. 5. We must copy His life, that we may win His blessing from God." "By our discipleship the Lord makes us fit to be used." "By our personal experience in following Jesus, He instructs us until we become proficient in soul-winning." "By inward monitions He guides us what, when & where to speak." "By His Spirit He qualifies us to reach men." "By His secret working on men's hearts He speeds us in our work." "Following Christ, if rightly understood, is the destruction of selfishness." "All Christians ought to pray for this power of catching souls." "Vers. 19, 20. And when He had gone a little farther thence, He saw James." "Christ does not often call idle men to discipleship." "It involves the subordination of all human relationships." "Of trade relationships." "Of domestic relationships. (Joseph S. Exell, M. A.)" "What the Gospel ministry is: - 1. Called men... 2. Separated men... 3. Commissioned men... 4. Equipped men... with His presence - with His Spirit. (The Christian Advocate.)" "Ver. 21. And they went into Capernaum." "Many wonder, who do not believe." "THE CHARACTERISTIC OF CHRIST'S TEACHING was authority. 1. The scribes employed tradition. 2. Christ spoke assured & naked truth - delivered a message from God - awakened the testimony of conscience. (Expository Discourses.)" "Ver. 22. For He taught them as one that had authority." "Christ's authority is not based upon force, or craft, or popular regard; but upon right & upon conscience." "OBSERVE HOW CHRIST'S AUTHORITY AFFECTS ALL HEARERS OF THE GOSPEL." "HE TAUGHT... 1. With direct plainness. 2. He was a faithful & earnest teacher. 3. He was an affectionate & tender teacher. 4. He was a diligent & persevering teacher. 5. He embodied all His instructions in His own blessed example." "MEN WILL TEACH WELL ONLY AS THEY TEACH UNDER CHRIST." "AUTHORITY IS IMPOSSIBLE APART FROM ASSOCIATION WITH THE MASTER." "Ver. 23. - A man with an unclean spirit. - Possessed with a devil" "His authoritative command, 'Hold thy peace,'" "The spirit's reluctant submission." "The devil is a liar - his testimony not needed" "FAME SPREAD ABROAD" "Ver. 24. Let us alone; what have we to do with Thee?" "'Let us alone! What have we to do with Thee?' is the sole thought & desire of unclean souls, even while they acknowledge His Majesty. None but the holy can look upon the Holy One; without holiness no man can endure to see the Lord. (J. H. Newman, D. D.)" "Vers. 29 - 31. But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever." "Christ's gracious touch elevates prostrate humanity - 'He lifted her up.'" "CHRIST IS THE HOPE OF HUMANITY, BUT THE TERROR OF DEMONS." "...HEALING WAS EFFECTED BY PERSONAL CONTACT - 'Took her by the hand.'" "After a storm there is a swell, before the sea sinks into a calm. But Christ reduced the fury of the sea by a word to perfect calm, as He did the rage of the fever to perfect health." "Whatever we are we may do something for Christ. Some can speak for Him, more can sing for Him, & more still can smile for Him." "Vers. 32 - 34. And at even when the sun did set." "What is the use of faith in Christ without appropriation? Jesus has not come into the world to condemn, but to heal & save it." "Ver. 35. And in the morning, rising up a great while before day. - If we would pray well, we must pray early." "He had no time for prayer, but He made time, rising ' a great while before day.'" "Do all work for God, & seek to have God with you in it all." "Prayer is a holy conference with God" "He prayed as a Man." "He prayed as Mediator." "He prayed as an Example." "The highest form of prayer is conversation with God - the familiar talk of a child with his Father." "Ask God for getting-up grace." "Vers. 36 - 39. And when they had found Him." "Vers. 40 - 45. And there came a leper to Him, beseeching Him." "HIS CURE - 'Jesus spake & it was done.'" "The cure was instantaneous." "It was complete." "Lessons: 1. ...it is well for a needy life to approach Christ. 2. ...a needy life should approach Christ with humility & faith. 3. The marvellous way in which Christ can supply the need of man. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)" "A PAINFUL CONSCIOUSNESS OF HIS TRUE POSITION. He looked at his leprosy; felt its pain; knew its disabling uncleanness. The sinner sees his sin as a disgrace, a danger, & a disgust." "He was drawn to Jesus; prostrate before Jesus; urgent upon Jesus." "Leprosy a symbol of sin: - I. FROM A SMALL BEGINNING IT SPREADS OVER THE ENTIRE MAN. II. ITS CURE IS BEYOND THE REACH OF HUMAN SKILL OR NATURAL REMEDIES. III. IT IS PAINFUL, LOATHSOME, DEGRADING, & FATAL. IV. IT SEPARATES ITS VICTIM FROM THE PURE & DRIVES HIM INTO ASSOCIATION WITH THE IMPURE. V. IT IS A FOE TO... (GODLY) PRIVILEGES. VI. IT CAN BE REMEDIED BY THE INTERPOSITION OF GOD." "Ver. 45. And they came to Him from every quarter." "Those whom grace leads arrive at rest in Christ" The Biblical Illustrator, Baker, pgs. 1 - 57. "VER. 1. In the end of the Sabbath."
"Vers. 2-4. And, behold, there was a great earthquake." "An earthquake was a royal trumpet to proclaim this victory, the greatest that ever was obtained, against an enemy." "...our hearts must be shaken & inwardly troubled with compunction & repentance before we believe steadfastly in the resurrection of Jesus." "Ver. 5. And the angel answered & said unto the women. - Fears dispelled." "They that seek Christ should rejoice; for in seeking they shall certainly find." "Vers. 6, 7. He is not here: for He is risen, as He said." "The open grave of Christ is a 3-fold sign of (1) acceptance; (2) liberty; and (3) life." "The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead we affirm to be a FACT." "...Christ's resurrection brings living hope to the sinner's heart." "...behold the completion of human redemption." "The offering of Jesus for the sins of men is hereby accepted." "Are we risen with Christ?" "Your is a living faith in a living Saviour." "'If Christ be not risen from the dead, then is our preaching vain, & your faith is also vain.'" "It means that the atonement is complete." "Ver. 8. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre." "So often, in celestial gardening, every leaf of earthly joy must drop, before a new & Divine bloom visits the soul. (Mrs. H. B. Stowe.)" "Vers. 9, 10. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them saying, All hail." "Let us not be satisfied unless it is often said of us, 'Jesus met them.' I. IN THE WAY OF SERVICE JESUS MEETS US... He is likeliest to come when we are doing His work II. WHEN JESUS MEETS US HE HAS EVER A GOOD WORD FOR US. III. WHEN JESUS MEETS US IT BECOMES US TO AROUSE OURSELVES." "All alive with hopeful energy." "What life it would put into preachers & hearers if the Lord Jesus would manifestly appear unto them!" "They grasped Him, & held Him by the feet." "We must communicate what our Lord has imparted - 'Go, tell.'" "...let us go to holy work hoping to meet Jesus as we go." "Let us labour to abide in Him, looking for His promised appearing, & exhorting others to do the same. (C. H. Spurgeon.)" "Vers. 11-15. Say ye, His disciples came by night, & stole Him away." "The immediate followers of Jesus had no motive to steal the body of their Lord." "The main intended contrivance was to discredit the true doctrine of our Saviour's resurrection." "The remaining of the burial clothes affords proof that the body was not removed by friends or other men." "Vers. 16-20. Then the 11 disciples went away into Galilee." "'Go ye therefore.'" "Tell men that God loves them. Such is the great commission." "Ver. 17. But some doubted." "FROM WHENCE ARISE THOSE DOUBTS & FEARS SO DISTRESSING TO MANY?" "1. Sin is often the cause. Inward foes..." "2. Carelessness will often lead to uncertainty & doubt. 3. Disobedience, neglected duty, etc. 4. Worldliness necessarily produces them. 5. Seasons of temptation are often seasons of doubt." "6. Ignorance is perhaps the most fruitful source." "Losing sight of Christ, many become taken up with feelings & self." "1. Doubts dishonour God... 2. Mar our comfort. 3. Weaken our strength for service, conflict & devotion. 4. They chill our affection. 5. They stunt our spiritual growth. 6. Unfit us to witness for Christ. 7. Influence others unfavourably." "Seek to have a more simple, child-like faith - faith that takes God at His word;" "The truth-loving man will read & search, & think, &, let me add, pray, with the view to enlarge, & build, & beautify such a home for his soul as we are reminded of by the words of Solomon. 'Every wise woman buildeth her house, but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands;' & 'wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her 7 pillars.'" "Ver. 18. All power is given unto Me in heaven & in earth." "The undelegated rule & perpetual presence of Christ in His Church: - I. The Lord Jesus Christ is THE SOURCE OF ALL AUTHORITY. II. THE DUTY OF THOSE COMMISSIONED BY CHRIST. To teach, not to sacrifice. To baptize. III. The SPECIAL PROMISE which is to animate Christ's true disciples. (R. Hibbs, M. A. )" "The universal dominion of Christ, the foundation of the commission which His ministers receive, & His promised presence their encouragement in fulfilling it" "...Christ; He has both the ability to act & the authority to warrant His acting." "This power is deposited in Christ as the Head of the Church, & to be exercised for her benefit." "Christ is with His Church, & people always;" "Ver. 19. Go ye, therefore, & teach all nations. - A plea for missions." |
AuthorCross Preaching Pentecostal Pastor. Husband to Tonia, Father to 3 beautiful girls, Monica, Zoe & Briana, & Grandfather to Wesley & Elliott Archives
September 2023
Categories |