Happy New Year!

Taking a moment to wish you a wonderful year full of blessings in 2011. We're taking a bit of a break but will be back in the New Year with more inspiring excerpts!

Good Tidings of Great Joy

The joy which this first gospel preacher spoke of was no mean one, for he said, “I bring you good tidings” — that alone were joy: and not good tidings of joy only, but “good tidings of great joy.” Every word is emphatic, as if to show that the gospel is above all things intended to promote, and will most abundantly create the greatest possible joy in the human heart wherever it is received.

Man is like a harp unstrung, and the music of his soul’s living strings is discordant, his whole nature wails with sorrow; but the son of David, that mighty harper, has come to restore the harmony of humanity, and where his gracious fingers move among the strings, the touch of the fingers of an incarnate God brings forth music sweet as that of the spheres, and melody rich as a seraph’s canticle. Would God that all men felt that divine hand.

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Joy Born At Bethlehem," delivered December 24, 1871. Image by Caleb Kimbrough under Creative Commons License.

Sailing into Glory

Suppose, dear friend, the thought of departing from this world to the glory-world should ever startle you, let me remind you that you are not the first that ever went that way. Your vessel is in the pool, as it were, or in the dock; she is going out on her voyage; oh, but you will not go alone, nor have to track your course through paths unnavigated or unknown before!

When the Portuguese captain first went by the Cape of Storms it was a venturous voyage, and he called it the Cape of Good Hope when he had rounded it. When Columbus first went in search of the New World, his was a brave spirit that dared cross the unnavigated Atlantic. But oh, there are tens of thousands that have gone whither you go. The Atlantic that severs us from Canaan is white with the sails of the vessels that are on voyage thither. Fear not, they have not been wrecked; we hear good news of their arrival - there is good hope for you. There are no icebergs on the road, no mists, no counter currents, and no sunken vessels or quicksands; you have but to cut your moorings, and with Christ on board you shall be at your desired haven at once.

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "A Last Look-Out." Image by Hans Kylberg under Creative Commons License.

He purifies us

The Lord Jesus Christ, by his Spirit, is carrying on in believers daily a purifying work; for he sits as a refiner and he purifies the sons of Levi. He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap. Let us pray that, however trying it may be to us, and whatever rough providences it may involve, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ may be with us all in this respect. May our prayer be, “Refining fire, go through my heart!”

Let the winnowing fan be used; let our chaff be driven away, there is not a particle of it we would wish to retain. We desire to be sanctified- spirit, soul, and body- through him who leads his people without the camp that they may be separated unto himself. May we walk in the light as he is in the light, and so have fellowship one with another, and may the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s dear Son, cleanse us from all sin.

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "The Pastor's Parting Blessing," delivered. Image by James Whitesmith under Creative Commons License.

Healing The World

It is only at the cross, it is only by Jesus crucified that the world can be healed. Hitherto little has been accomplished compared with our desires; and in contrast to our ambitions, next to nothing; but faith, darting beyond the things that are seen, flying into the presence-chamber of God, can behold him writing with the eternal pen, “All flesh shall see the salvation of God;” and she is sure that the tree will sweeten the waters yet. Come, brethren, let your faith prove itself by your works. Help today — today, by your gifts; help tomorrow — tomorrow, by your prayers. Help, some of you, by consecrating yourselves to mission labor.

There is a prayer I mean to continue to offer until it is answered, that God would pour out on this church a missionary spirit. I want to see our young men devoting themselves to the work, some that will not be afraid to venture and preach Jesus Christ in the regions beyond. I have not much faith in missionary societies; it gets less, I must protest, each year; yet we must never put aside one instrumentality until we have a better ready. If the Lord would send the living fire through the churches of England, if he would send from on high a divine impulse, we should see starting up here and there men who would say: “Here are we: send us.” The Spirit of God will say, “Separate me Paul and Barnabas for the work,” and when this is done I look to see far happier days.

We have sweetened the waters a little; no more the suttee burns; the African is free; the slave-ship crosses no more the deep. In some regions exterminating wars have ceased; the white dove of peace flies where the raven of war was seen. Glory be to God. A few leaves cast into the waters have done this. Let us bear a whole Christ and a whole gospel amongst the nations, and lay the tree in this Marah, until at last the whole world shall drink of the sweet waters of divine love, and God shall be all in all. God bless you, beloved, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Marah, Or, The Bitter Waters Sweetened," delivered April 23, 1871. Image by Wei Zhang under Creative Commons License.

Gentle Messiah

He never yet said an unkind word to a soul that desired to find mercy at his hands. In the records of his life you may find him try, but you shall never see him repel, an anxious spirit. When feeble faith could only touch the hem of his garment, yet virtue flowed from him. When the leper said, “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean,” it was but poor faith, but that faith saved him. Though you cannot yet believe as you would, yet say, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief,” and he will not reject you. Look at the smoking candle-wick which yields no light, but makes much offensive smoke; yet, perchance, a living fire lingers in it, and therefore the tender Savior will not quench it, but will even fan it to a flame. And that bruised reed, how it mars the music of the pipes; draw it out and break it. So would men do, but not so the sinner’s Friend. He makes it perfect yet again, and pours the music of his love through it.

O thou who art in thine own esteem utterly worthless, only fit to be thrown away, unfit to live and unfit to die; Jesus Christ, the gentle One, will give thee mercy, if thou seek him, and in giving he will not upbraid thee. O wandering child, Jesus will introduce thee to his Father, who will kiss thee with the kisses of his love, and take off thy rags of sin, and clothe thee with glorious robes of righteousness.

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Victor Emmanuel, Emancipator." Image by rohit gowaikar under Creative Commons License.

Private Prayer

Public prayer is no evidence of piety: it is practiced by an abundance of hypocrites; but private prayer is a thing for which the hypocrite has no heart — and if he gives himself to it for a little time he soon finds it too hot and heavy a business for his soulless soul to persevere in, and he lets it drop. He will sooner perish than continue in private prayer. O for heart searchings about this! Do I draw near to God alone? Do I pray when no eye sees, when no ear hears? Do I make a conscience of private prayer? Is it a delight to pray? For I may gather that if I never enjoy private prayer I am one of those hypocrites who will not always call upon God.

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "The Touchstone of Godly Sincerity." Image by Alkuin under Creative Commons License.

The Banner of the Cross

Believe in your hearts what you profess to believe; proclaim openly and zealously what you know to be the truth. Be not ashamed to say such-and-such things are true, and let men draw the inference that the opposite is false. Whatever the doctrines of the gospel may be to the rest of mankind, let them be your glory and boast. Display your banners, and let those banners be such as the church of old carried. Unfurl the old primitive standard, the all-victorious standard of the cross of Christ. In very deed and truth — in hoc signo vinces — the atonement is the conquering truth. Let others believe as they may, or deny as they will, for you the truth as it is in Jesus is the one thing that has won your heart and made you a soldier of the cross.

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "The Church As She Should Be." Image by Nick Russill under Creative Commons License.

Lest you also be tempted

Brother Christian, you carry much combustible matter in your nature, be warned when you see your neighbour’s house on fire. When one man falls, the next should look to his steps. You are a man of like passions, remember yourself, lest you also be tempted. In these days of epidemics, if we knew that a certain house was tainted with disease, and if we saw a person who had come from it with the marks of the disease in his face; what should we feel? Should we not take it as a warning to keep clear, both of the house and of him; because we ourselves are as likely to take the disease as He was? So when we see a sinner transgressing we should say to ourselves, “I also am a man, and a fallen man, let me abhor every evil way, and guard myself jealously, lest I also fall into sin.”

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Moab My Washpot." Image by Bas Lammers under Creative Commons License.

Visit the Reformed Quotes Fellowship!

Hello Daily Spurgeon readers!

We seldom interrupt our regularly scheduled program, but I wanted to invite you to visit a brand new website called Reformed Quotes Fellowship.

RQF was the brainchild of Web luminaries Matthew Blair from The Octavius Winslow Archive and Erik Kowalker from J.C. Ryle Quotes, with just a little prod here and there from yours truly.

What's the aim of RQF?

“The Reformed Quotes Fellowship exists to bring together those of us throughout the internet who have created and administer websites, blogs, and other media outlets that are dedicated to routinely posting quotes from writers, preachers, teachers, and scholastics of the reformed faith.

“The Fellowship is simply a gathering of such like minded people who wish to see the fame of Christ spread throughout the internet by the use of God glorifying, cross centered, gospel rich, and unashamedly reformed quotes from saints of the past and present.”

If you have a blog or website which consistently posts a handful of Christ-centered quotes every month, or if you know of one, we invite you to join us at the Reformed Quotes Fellowship as we aim to redeem the internet for the glory of God and the benefit of His church…one Christ-centered quote at at time.

Special thanks to Matt Blair for making a nice graphic that doesn't look like it will be obsolete in six months.

The Substance of Things Hoped For

Jesus is no more seen of human eyes; and it is well, for faith’s sight is saving, instructing, transforming, and mere natural sight is not so. Had he been here we should have regarded much more the things which are visible, but now our hearts are taken up with the things which are not seen, but which are eternal. This day we have no priest for eyes to gaze upon, no material altar, no temple made with hands, no solemn rites to satisfy the senses; we have done with the outward and are rejoicing in the inward. Neither in this mountain nor in that do we worship the Father, but we worship God, who is a Spirit, in spirit and in truth. We now endure as seeing him who is invisible; whom, having not seen, we love; in whom, though now we see him not, yet believing, we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. In the same fashion as we walk towards our Lord, so walk we towards all that he reveals; we walk by faith, not by sight.

Israel, in the wilderness, instructed by types and shadows, was ever prone to idolatry; the more there is of the visible in religion, the more is there of difficulty in the attainment of spirituality. Even baptism and the Lord’s Supper, were they not ordained by the Lord himself, might be well given up, since the flesh makes a snare of them, and superstition engrafts on them baptismal regeneration and sacramental efficacy. Our Lord’s presence might thus have become a difficulty to faith, though a pleasure to sense. His going away leaves a clear field for faith; it throws us necessarily upon a spiritual life, since he who is the head, the soul, the center of our faith, hope, and love is no more within the range of our bodily organs. It is poor believing which needs to put its finger into the nail-prints; but blessed is he that hath not seen and yet hath believed. In an unseen Savior we fix our trust, from an unseen Savior we derive our joy. Our faith is now the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "The Ascension Of Christ," delivered March 26, 1871. Image on Flickr by Michael L. Baird under Creative Commons License.

He can save

One moment will suffice, if Jesus speaks, to make the despairing happy, and the unbelieving full of confidence. What we cannot do with our reasonings, persuadings, and entreaties, nor even with the letter of God’s promise, Christ can do in a single instant by his Holy Spirit, and it has been our joy to see it done. This is the standing miracle of the church, performed by Christ today even as aforetime. Paralysed souls who could neither do nor will, have been able to do valiantly, and to will with solemn resolution. The Lord has poured power into the faint, and to them that had no might he hath increased strength. He can do it still.

I say again to loving spirits who are seeking the good of others, let this encourage you. You may not have to wait long for the conversions you aim at; it may be ere another Sabbath ends, the person you pray for may be brought to Jesus; or if you have to wait a little, the waiting shall well repay you, and meanwhile remember he has never spoken in secret in the dark places of the earth; he has not said to the seed of Jacob, “Seek ye my face in vain.”

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Carried By Four," delivered March 19, 1871. Image by tainara under Creative Commons License.

On not missing the point

A man may be well versed in Scripture, both in the English and in the original tongue; he may be accustomed to read the best of commentaries, and be acquainted with Eastern manners, and yet he may be quite ignorant as to the word of God. For the understanding of this Book, as to its depth of meaning, does not lie within the range of natural learning and human research; reason alone is blinded by the excess of light, and wanders in darkness at noon day; for “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

Before my conversion I was accustomed to read the Scriptures, to admire their grandeur, to feel the charm of their history, and wonder at the majesty of their language; but I altogether missed the Lord’s intent therein; but when the Spirit came with his divine life, and quickened all the page to my newly-enlightened soul, the inner meaning shone forth with quickening glory. The Bible is to many carnal minds almost as dull a book for reading as an untranslated Latin work would be to an ignorant ploughman [ed. - plowman], because they cannot get at the internal sense, which is to the words as juice to the grape, or the kernel to the nut. It is a tantalising riddle till you get the key; but the clue once found, the volume of our Father’s grace absorbs our attention, delights our intellect, and enriches our heart.

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Hidden Manna," delivered March 12, 1871. Image by Ian Muttoo under Creative Commons License.