KNOWing GOD is The WAY to Eternal LIFE

"A high view of GOD leads to high and holy worship. A high view of GOD leads to transcendent living. A low view of GOD leads to trivial worship. A low view of GOD leads to common, mundane living. So, what you believe about Who GOD IS is really the rudder of the ship. It's the engine of the car and it's the steering wheel. Your whole life, whether you realize it or not, is being driven and directed by Who you believe GOD IS.

"The doctrine of GOD is the most important doctrine in the Bible, because your doctrine of GOD becomes the paradigm or the lens or the template through which you see everything else. What you believe about GOD affects your worldview and how you view history and how you view the culture and how you view society. It affects how you view politics. It affects how you view marriage. It affects everything. Your knowledge of GOD either blurs or brings sharply into focus how you see what you see. It is the knowledge of GOD that affects how you see trials, how you see persecution, how you see tribulation. It is all governed by the knowledge of GOD" (Steven Lawson -- "The Attributes of GOD" seminar).

The One TRUE Living TRIune GOD -- 'HE Who is THE Blessed and Only SOVEREIGN, The KING of those who reign as kings and The LORD of those who rule as lords, Who alone possesses IMmortality and dwells in UNapproachable LIGHT, whom no one has seen or can see. To HIM be Honor and Eternal DOMINION! Amen.' (1 Timothy 6:15-16)

"The Sovereignty of GOD is the towering, foundational TRUTH of ALL CHRISTian Theology -- that GOD IS -- and The GOD Who IS, is The GOD Who reigns over the entirety of HIS created order. HE has supreme authority in His right to exercise His Sovereignty -- His absolute, active, continual reign over the Heavens and the Earth and Hell itself. It is HIS undisputed right to govern ALL He has created" (Steven Lawson -- "The Sovereignty of GOD").

"GOD is preeminent in Power and Authority. GOD’s Sovereignty is a natural consequence of His Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Omnipresence. The fact that GOD is SOVEREIGN essentially means that HE has the Power, Wisdom, and Authority to do ANYthing He chooses within His Creation. GOD rules the Universe" (Got Questions).

'And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, Who was and Who is and Who is to come"' (Revelation 4:8).

"The one attribute of GOD that is raised to the superlative degree is the Holiness of GOD -- that HE is Holy-er than any of His works/creatures, HE is the Holy-est of ALL beings; that HE is elevated to the very highest level of Holiness. GOD Himself is perfectly HOLY... The angels are not crying out LOVE, LOVE, LOVE... nor TRUTH, TRUTH, TRUTH... nor WRATH, WRATH, WRATH -- but they are crying out day and night, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is The LORD GOD Almighty! EVERYthing about GOD IS HOLY" (Steven Lawson -- "The Holiness of GOD").

The LOVE of GOD is AGAPE-Love -- the highest expression of REAL Love. "It is a LOVE that is rooted deep within The ONE Who loves, that sacrificially gives to seek the highest GOOD in the one who is loved... who is unlovely... who is abhorrent to GOD because of their sin and their disobedience. GOD's LOVE is redeeming LOVE -- a Love SO great that He has given His ONLY Begotten SON to die for us upon Calvary's CROSS" (Steven Lawson -- "The Love of GOD").

'And may you have the Power to understand, as all GOD’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His LOVE is. May you experience the LOVE of CHRIST, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with ALL the fullness of Life and Power that comes from GOD.' (Ephesians 3:18-19)

The breadth and length and height and depth of the Love of GOD IN CHRIST "was proven when GOD sent His SON to die on the Cross for sinners. When CHRISTians look at GOD's LOVE, they see their FATHER Who cares for them, Who redeemed them through His SON, and made them HOLY by His SACRIFICE. ALL Believers should experience the Depth and Breadth of GOD’s LOVE for them IN CHRIST JESUS. This great TRUTH is an anchor for all in times of suffering and depression, and it is this TRUTH in which all CHRISTians can put their Hope and Trust" (Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones -- https://www.mljtrust.org/sermons-online/ephesians-3-18-19/breadth-length-depth-height/).

'And this is The WAY to have Eternal LIFE—to KNOW You, The ONLY TRUE GOD, and JESUS CHRIST, The ONE You sent to earth' (John 17:3).

("Attributes of GOD" sermons by various preachers -- Steven Lawson, John MacArthur, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, R.C. Sproul, Ligon Duncan, W. Robert Godfrey, Sinclair Ferguson)

Such WERE Some of You... BUT GOD!

  

'DO YOU NOT KNOW that the UNrighteous will NOT inherit or have ANY share in the Kingdom of GOD? DO NOT BE DECEIVED -- neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [by perversion], nor those who participate in homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers [whose words are used as weapons to abuse, insult, humiliate, intimidate, or slander], nor swindlers will inherit or have ANY share in the Kingdom of GOD' (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Amplified Bible, with brackets).

'Now the practices of the SINful nature are clearly evident -- they are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality [total irresponsibility, lack of self-control], idolatry, sorcery, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions [that promote heresies], envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior, and other things like these... those who practice such things will NOT inherit the Kingdom of GOD' (Galatians 5:19-21, AMP).

'Now we know [without any doubt] that The LAW is GOOD -- IF one uses it lawfully and appropriately, understanding the FACT that Law is not enacted for the RIGHTeous person [the one in RIGHT standing with GOD], but for LAWLESS and REBELLIOUS people, for the UNgodly and SINful, for the irreverent and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for sexually immoral persons, for homosexuals, for kidnappers and slave traders, for liars, for perjurers—and for WHATever else is CONTRARY to SOUND Doctrine' (1 Timothy 1:8-10, AMP).

'And such WERE some of you [before you believed]. BUT you WERE Washed [by the ATONING Sacrifice of CHRIST], you WERE Sanctified [set apart for GOD, and made HOLY], you WERE Justified [declared FREE of guilt] in the Name of The LORD JESUS CHRIST and IN The [Holy] SPIRIT of our GOD [The SOURCE of the Believer’s NEW Life and CHANGED behavior]' (1 Corinthians 6:11, AMP).

BUT GOD -- 'JESUS said to her (the woman caught in ADULTERY), “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She answered, “No one, LORD!” And JESUS said, “I DO NOT CONDEMN you either. GO. From now on SIN NO MORE”' (John 8:10-11, parenthesis mine).

BUT GOD, speaking through the holy prophet Isaiah -- '“To the EUNUCHS who keep My Sabbaths and choose what pleases Me, and hold firmly to My covenant -- to them I WILL give in My house and within My walls a memorial, and a name better than that of sons and daughters; I WILL give them an EVERlasting name which will not be cut off"' (Isaiah 56:4-5).

BUT GOD (The Holy SPIRIT), through the apostle Philip's preaching the GOOD News to an Ethiopian EUNUCH -- quickened ALIVE the spiritually DEAD eunuch, and by GOD's GRACE granted the eunuch Saving FAITH (in the finished atoning work of The GOD-Man CHRIST JESUS) who then  proclaimed '"I BELIEVE that JESUS CHRIST IS The SON of GOD"' -- and after having been baptized in obedience to The LORD's command, 'went on his way REJOICING' (see Acts 8:26-39).

BUT GOD (IN CHRIST JESUS), speaking to the Samaritan woman (an outcast of ill-repute who've had FIVE husbands and living with another man who was not her legal husband) -- revealed to her that HE Himself was the long-awaited Jewish MESSIAH, The CHRIST Who was sent of GOD to this world to SAVE sinners from their SINs -- '"I Who speak to you AM HE"' (see John 4:9-26).

BUT GOD -- The ONE TRUE LIVING TRIune SOVEREIGN LORD of ALL Creation -- forgives ALL PENITENT SIN-natured SIN-doers who've realized their NEED of a SAVIOR and who've received The LORD JESUS in their Hearts to be GOD/Master of their reNEWed lives! By GOD's GRACE alone (HIS totally UNdeserved Favor, HIS totally UNmerited Mercy), through FAITH alone (fully TRUSTing) in GOD The SON's shed BLOOD for the REMISSION/FORGIVENESS of ALL his/her sinS, through FAITH alone IN CHRIST's DEATH and RESURRECTION to rescue him/her from ETERNAL Hell and to bring him/her to The FATHER of GLORY, to the REALITY of ETERNAL Life IN The GLORY with CHRIST JESUS Himself -- The LORD of GLORY! HalleluJAH! \o/

'Therefore, reject ALL FALSEhood [whether lying, defrauding, telling half-truths, spreading rumors, ANY such as these], speak TRUTH each one with his neighbor, for we are all parts of one another [and we are all parts of the Body of CHRIST]. Be angry [at SIN—at IMmorality, at INjustice, at UNgodly behavior], yet do not sin; do not let your anger [cause you shame, nor allow it to] last until the sun goes down. And do not give the devil an opportunity [to lead you into SIN by holding a grudge, or nurturing anger, or harboring resentment, or cultivating bitterness]. The thief [who has become a Believer] must NO LONGER steal, but instead he must work hard [making an HONEST living], producing that which is GOOD with his own hands, so that he will have something to share with those in need. Do not let UNwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is GOOD for building UP others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a BLESSING to those who hear [you speak]. And do not grieve The Holy SPIRIT of GOD [but seek to please Him], by Whom you were sealed and marked [branded as GOD’s own] for the Day of Redemption [the FINAL Deliverance from the consequences of SIN]. LET ALL BITTERNESS and WRATH and ANGER and CLAMOR [perpetual animosity, resentment, strife, fault-finding] and SLANDER be put away from you, along with every kind of MALICE [all spitefulness, verbal abuse, malevolence]' (Ephesians 4:25-31, AMP).

'BE KIND and HELPFUL to one another, TENDER-HEARTED [compassionate, understanding], FORGIVING one another [readily and freely], just as GOD IN CHRIST also forgave you' (Ephesians 4:32, AMP).

'But SEXUAL IMMORALITY and ALL [moral] IMPURITY [indecent, offensive behavior] or GREED must not even be hinted at among you, as is proper among saints [for as Believers our way of LIFE, whether in public or in private, REFLECTS the validity of our FAITH]. Let there be NO FILTHINESS and SILLY talk, or COARSE [obscene or vulgar] joking, because such things are not appropriate [for Believers]; but instead speak of your thankfulness [to GOD]. For be sure of this: NO IMMORAL, IMPURE, or GREEDY person—for that one is [in effect] an IDOLATER—has ANY inheritance in the Kingdom of CHRIST and GOD [for such a person places a higher value on something other than GOD]' (Ephesians 5:3-5, AMP).

O PRAISE our ALL-Wise GOD for the many "BUT GOD"s written in His HOLY Word -- from the O.T. Book of Genesis to the NT Book of 1 Thessalonians -- so that those who are Born-Again of GOD, vitally united WITH CHRIST Himself, INcorporated INto CHRIST's Body, HIS Church -- may be enCOURAGEd, enLIGHTened, emBOLDened with His INfallible TRUTH! For i, myself, WAS such ALSO before the "BUT GOD" of The WORD 'Who is able to do EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL that we ask or think, according to the POWER that works IN us -- to HIM (our TRIune GOD, FATHER SON SPIRIT) be GLORY!' (Ephesians 3:20-21a) \o/

Are you bound for The GLORY?

CHRISTmas is The WORD made Flesh

CHRISTmas IS the GREATest, MOST Supreme Mystery in ALL of human history  -- 'The WORD Himself BECAME Flesh!'

The superlative uniqueness of the CHRISTmas Message of the truly staggering Reality of GOD's unfathomable INCARNATION into His own Creation boggles the rational mind. GOD The SON was that helpless baby JESUS -- EMMANUEL, "GOD with us," the Second Person of the GODhead -- Who took on Manhood to Himself without any loss of His personal Deity, Who became TRULY and FULLY Divine GOD, and yet, TRULY and FULLY Man. The INfinite ONE limited Himself into finite Flesh -- and within that finite Flesh was treasured The INfinite ONE!

'In the Beginning was The WORD, and The WORD was With GOD, and The WORD Was GOD. HE was (ALREADY) in the Beginning With GOD. ALL things were made Through HIM, and without HIM NOthing was made that was made. IN HIM was Life, and THE Life was THE Light of men. And The WORD became Flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld HIS GLORY, The GLORY as of The ONLY Begotten of The FATHER, Full of GRACE and TRUTH.' (John 1:1-4,14)

"GOD's Word in the Old Testament is His creative utterance, His POWER in action fulfilling His Purpose. The OT depicted GOD's utterance, the actual statement of His Purpose, as having POWER in itself to effect the thing purposed. 'GOD said, "LET there be... and there was..." (Genesis 1:3). 'By the Word of The LORD were the heavens made... He spoke, and it came to be' (Psalm 33:6,9). The Word of GOD is thus GOD at work." (This quote and the following exposition of the Book of John's prologue is an excerpt from "KNOWing GOD" by J.I. Packer.)

"'In the Beginning WAS The WORD' (John 1:1). Here is The WORD's Eternity. HE had NO Beginning of His own; when other things began, HE--Was (ALREADY). 'And The WORD was WITH GOD' (1:1). Here is The WORD's Personality. The POWER that fulfills GOD's Purposes is the POWER of a distinct personal Being, ONE Who stands in an ETERNAL Relation to GOD of active Fellowship.

"'And The WORD WAS GOD' (1:1). Here is The WORD's Deity. Though personally distinct from The FATHER, HE is NOT a creature; HE is Divine IN Himself, AS The FATHER IS... this is the mystery of personal distinctions within the Unity of The GODhead. 'THROUGH HIM -- ALL things were made' (1:3). Here is The WORD Creating. HE was The FATHER's Agent in EVERY act of making that The FATHER has EVER performed. ALL that was made was made THROUGH HIM.

"'IN HIM was Life' (1:4). Here is The WORD Animating. There is NO physical life in the realm of created things EXCEPT IN and THROUGH HIM. Here is the Bible answer to the problem of the origin and continuance of Life, in ALL its forms -- Life is GIVEN and MAINTAINED by The WORD. Created things do NOT have Life IN themselves, but Life IN The WORD, the Second Person of The GODhead.

"'And THAT Life was The LIGHT of men' (1:4). Here is The WORD Revealing. In giving Life, HE gives Light too... ALL people receive intimations of GOD from the very FACT that they are alive, is due to the Work of The WORD.

"'The WORD BECAME Flesh' (1:14). Here is The WORD Incarnate. The Baby in the manger at Bethlehem was none other than The Eternal WORD of GOD... a Divine Person, Author of ALL things. The WORD was REVEALED by the INCARNATION to BE GOD's SON. 'We have SEEN HIS GLORY, The GLORY of The ONE and ONLY, Who came from The FATHER' (1:14).

"The SON of GOD IS The WORD of GOD. The CHRISTmas message rests on the staggering FACT that The CHILD in the manger was -- GOD! The Baby born at Bethlehem was GOD made Man. The WORD had become Flesh -- a REAL human Baby. HE had NOT ceased to be GOD; HE was no less GOD then than before -- but HE had begun to be Man. HE was NOT now GOD Minus some elements of His Deity -- but GOD Plus ALL that HE had made His own by taking Manhood to Himself.

CHRISTmas is the profoundest and MOST UNfathomable Revelation of CHRISTianity's HIStory -- the UNION of The GODhead and Manhood IN the very Person of CHRIST JESUS! 'The WORD BECAME Flesh' (John 1:14). "GOD BECAME Man; The Divine SON became a Jew; The ALMIGHTY appeared on earth as a helpless human Baby, unable to do no more than lie and stare and wriggle and make noises, NEEDING to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child -- the Babyhood of The SON of GOD was a REALITY! The MORE you THINK about it, the MORE STAGGERING it gets. NOthing in fiction is SO FANTASTIC as is THIS TRUTH of The INCARNATION." (J.I. Packer)

The world's traditional concept of CHRISTmas is but a meager show of goodwill that ends at midnight of the 25th of December. ALL the "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Xmas" or "Santa's Coming!" are shelved for the next shopping frenzy in 2022.

BUT the breathtaking Wonder of CHRISTmas is that GOD GAVE GOD! The AWEsome TRUTH of CHRISTmas is that The LORD of GLORY, The SON of GOD and Creator of ALL things visible and INvisible -- was treasured within the cramped confines of the Virgin Mary's womb for nine months -- like a natural human baby!

The GLORY of CHRISTmas is the INcomprehensible EXpression of The GLORY of the GRACE of GOD towards arrogant, proud, rebellious SIN-natured, SIN-doers like you... like me... like ALL of the posterity of Adam and Eve! 

Oh The GLORY of CHRISTmas -- GOD IN CHRIST reconciling us GOD-hating, UNbelieving, UNrepentant sinners back to Himself, redeeming us from the slave market of SIN with The SON's own BLOOD, so that by FAITH in His atoning DEATH for us helpless sinners, we may receive FULL Pardon, 100% Forgiveness for ALL our sins -- AND abundant LIFE forEVERmore! -- by enTRUSTing our very lives IN CHRIST JESUS as our Sovereign LORD, and as Redeeming SAVIOR of our eternal souls from GOD's Holy Wrath and Righteous JUDGMENT, from a destiny of EVERlasting HELL.

Oh The GLORY of CHRISTmas! HalleluJAH! \o/

 

FATHER, GLORIFY YOUR NAME!

 'FATHER, GLORIFY YOUR NAME.' (John 12:28) May this prayer accompany my very breath from this day September 1, 2021, onward -- 24/7, 365/365... forEVERmore. AMEN!

CHRIST JESUS: “The Hour has come for The SON of Man to be GLORIFIED and EXALTED. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, UNLESS a grain of wheat falls into the earth and DIES, it REMAINS ALONE -- just one grain, never more. BUT IF it DIES, it produces MUCH grain and yields a harvest. The one who LOVES his life eventually loses it through Death, but the one who hates his life in THIS world -- and is concerned with pleasing GOD -- will KEEP it for Life ETERNAL. IF anyone serves Me, he must continue to faithfully FOLLOW Me -- without hesitation, holding steadfastly to Me, conforming to My example in living and, IF need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of FAITH IN Me -- and wherever I AM in Heaven’s GLORY, there will My servant be ALSO. IF anyone serves Me, The FATHER will honor him" (John 12:23-26, Amplified).

“Now My soul is TROUBLED and DEEPLY DISTRESSED -- what shall I say? ‘FATHER, SAVE Me from THIS Hour of trial and agony’? BUT it is for THIS very Purpose that I have come to THIS Hour -- THIS time and place. Rather, I will say, ‘FATHER, GLORIFY -- honor, extol -- YOUR NAME!’” Then a VOICE came from Heaven saying, “I have both GLORIFIED It, and will GLORIFY It AGAIN” (John 12:27-28, Amplified)

(The following are notes and/or excerpts from C.H. Spurgeon's sermon, "A Golden PRAYER" -- a MUCH NEEDED message for ALL who are IN CHRIST -- Born-Again Believers of The LORD JESUS, Heaven-bound Pilgrims who are NOT of THIS world, who are presently experiencing MUCH suffering in this fallen, darkened, sin-FULL world.)

"The Death of CHRIST was a very PECULIAR one -- and in FACT, it stands by itself ALONE. HIS DEATH was the VINDICATION of Justice. It was the DEATH of The Sin-BEARER. It was a SACRIFICIAL, SUBSTITUTIONARY, EXPIATORY Death. HE was MADE a Curse for us that we may be BLESSED IN HIM" (C.H. Spurgeon).

When JESUS said in  public 'Now My soul is troubled and deeply distressed' (John 12:27a) -- it was a public rehearsal of that MENTAL Battle, that INNER Conflict, that SOULful Anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane, where He expressed -- 'My Soul is EXCEEDINGLY SORROWFUL, even to DEATH' (for in His Humanity, JESUS experienced powerful emotions of "horror, anxiety, agitation. JESUS' contemplation of taking on The WRATH of GOD for the SINs of the world caused REVULSION in the Sinless SAVIOR" -- John MacArthur's commentary on John 12:27). And The SON asked The FATHER thrice, 'O My FATHER, IF it is possible, LET this Cup pass from Me -- nevertheless, NOT AS I WILL, BUT AS YOU WILL' (Matthew 26:38a,39b). JESUS' depth of distress was such that 'being in AGONY, He prayed more earnestly. Then His SWEAT became like great drops of BLOOD falling down to the ground' (Luke 22:44). Yet He was VICTORious at Gethsemane. He RESOLUTELY 'SET His Face like flint' -- and RESOLVED to accomplish ALL for His FATHER's GLORY.

When JESUS proclaimed in a loud voice -- 'FATHER, GLORIFY YOUR NAME!' amidst a great multitude who were in Jerusalem that Palm Sunday -- in effect, was what He said later in Gethsemane, 'FATHER, NOT AS I WILL, BUT AS YOU WILL' -- GLORIFY YOUR NAME IN MY DEATH. And when JESUS cried out 'IT IS FINISHED!' on The CROSS at Calvary -- The FATHER of GLORY WAS GLORIFIED IN DEED by The LORD of GLORY.

When the Twice-Born Child of GOD feels overwhelmed, near total despair in his/her personal sorrow -- grieving unconsoleably over the loss of a loved one, feeling helpless against ongoing illness, suffering deep mental depression, utterly distraught after a disaster has taken away every physical comfort and future security -- WHAT can he ask of GOD his FATHER, of GOD his LORD and SAVIOR, of GOD The SPIRIT his Comforter and Helper? May our own prayer be -- HOLY FATHER, in my sorrow, GLORIFY YOUR NAME! LORD JESUS, in my illness, GLORIFY YOUR NAME! LORD SPIRIT, in my losing all my possessions, GLORIFY YOUR NAME! My GOD IN CHRIST, even in my death -- GLORIFY YOURSELF IN me! AMEN

When the GLORY-Bound Child of GOD is deeply troubled and doesn't know what to say, but will pray from the depth of his soul -- "FATHER, GLORIFY YOUR NAME! -- he has said the RIGHT thing. When this prayer rises from his innermost heart -- the conflict is over. NO outward fright nor inward fear remains. He can cast aside all gloomy forebodings, and he can thoughtfully and passively pursue the way into the UNknown TOmorrow."

When the BLOOD-Bought Child of GOD can truly pray, 'FATHER, GLORIFY YOUR NAME!' -- he means, "LORD, do what YOU Will with me. i will make NO stipulations, but leave ALL to YOU. Do not spare me... GLORIFY YOUR NAME in me by ANY means and by ALL means. i am willing to be made NOthing of, so that YOUR WILL may be done. i am willing to be as one dead and buried, forgotten and UNknown if YOU may be magnified. i am ready to be buried and sown because i believe that this is the way that i shall grow and bring forth Fruit to YOUR PRAISE."

This self-renouncing SURRENDER includes OBEDIENT service. Our LORD JESUS said, 'IF anyone serves Me -- let him FOLLOW Me' (John 12:26). The totally surrendered, fully committed Follower of CHRIST will pray, "FATHER, GLORIFY YOUR Name IN me. i am the recipient of SO MUCH Mercy -- get some GLORY out of me, i pray!"

"The man who REALLY lives is the man who has learned to live for Others and for GOD. IF any man is living for himSELF, he will be UNloveable. IF you will even act under the ambition to be loved -- you will miss the mark. But IF you will LOVE for LOVE's sake, IF you seek to be CHRIST-like, IF you will lay yourself out to GLORIFY GOD and increase HIS Kingdom and BLESS your fellow men -- you will live in the highest and noblest sense. Seek NOT your OWN greatness, but labor to make JESUS great and you will live."

"CHRISTians -- LIVE BY DYING. Kill SELF -- and CHRIST SHALL LIVE IN you, and SO shall you yourself MOST TRULY LIVE. The way to TRUE Life and Honor is to go downward in SELF-humiliation. Renounce ALL -- and you shall be RICH. Have NOthing -- and you shall have ALL things. Try to be SOMEthing -- and you shall be NOthing. BE NOthing -- and you shall LIVE. That is the GREAT lesson that JESUS would teach us, but are SLOW to learn."

"We IN CHRIST desire The LORD to GLORIFY that NAME in ourselves by preventing our IMpatience in suffering, in keeping us from faintness in labor. We beseech our Heavenly FATHER to destroy our SELFishness, to cast out our PRIDE, to overcome EVERY evil propensity that prevent His getting GLORY out of us. Fling ALL away that will not turn into YOUR GLORY, but use ALL that can be used. To the UTMOST -- GLORIFY YOUR NAME."

Let us pray -- "FATHER, GLORIFY YOUR NAME YOURSELF. In YOUR Providence, so arrange my position and condition as to GLORIFY YOUR NAME. By YOUR GRACE, so sustain me and sanctify me that i may GLORIFY YOU. IF you can pray this way, your confidence will come back to you. IF you have been greatly distracted, calm PEACE will visit you again."

Let us pray, "i will bear The LORD's Will and will be content therewith. i can't quarrel with my Master's dealings anymore, for i have asked Him to GLORIFY HIS NAME, and as i KNOW that HE is doing it, i cannot murmur. How can i struggle with that which is REALLY GLORIFYING my FATHER? My heart will stop to question and quake, and nestle down beneath the ETERNAL Wings in PEACE. Filled with patience, i will take the Cup which had stood UNtasted, and grasp it with willingness. It is to GLORIFY GOD! Every drop of this Cup is for HIS GLORY."

"THAT which most thoroughly yields itself to GOD, THAT which most completely annihilates itself to the Eternal ALL is MOST GLORIFYING to HIM. May GOD in His INfinite Mercy bring us to this SELF-annihilation and THIS care for His GLORY ONLY. Strive after it, beloved, by the POWER of The Holy SPIRIT."

"IF i find Him, IF i follow -- what reward is here? Many a labor, many a sorrow, many a tear. JESUS Himself said, 'UNLESS a man take up his cross daily and FOLLOW Me, he cannot be My disciple.' But mark you, those who were willing to suffer for CHRIST will be counted to be the ONLY SANE persons who ever lived. And those who looked to the main chance, and cared only for SELF, and DISregarded GOD and Faith IN CHRIST and Love for their fellow men will be regarded as having been mere IDIOTS and DRIVELS."

 

 

"Scatter... scatter your lives for Others. GIVE yourselves UP to JESUS. For 'he who loves his life will LOSE it -- but he who hates his life in THIS world will keep it for ETERNAL Life' (John 12:25). But as for the UNgodly UNbeliever -- if you lived only for your SELF, GOD will yet have HIS GLORY out of you. You shall not rob Him of HIS Honor... GOD WILL be GLORIFIED by you or in you in some form or other... GOD's Wisdom will be vindicated for ALL Eternity. You will be obliged to own that the warnings of The Gospel were TRUE and that GOD IS JUST... and you will have to CONFESS that JESUS was RIGHT and you were WRONG, and that to BELIEVE IN Him and to be HIS Disciple was the RIGHT thing. And to despise HIM and to live for your SELF was what HE told you -- DESTRUCTION and RUIN."

"A Golden PRAYER" -- sermon by C.H. Spurgeon, on December 30, 1877. ALL of us can enCOURAGEd by the Prince of Preachers -- Charles H. Spurgeon -- and be STRENGTHened by The Holy SPIRIT withIN applying this MUCH-NEEDED message to each and every Child of GOD whose soul is suffering, who is under extreme duress, who is feeling utterly helpless with his/her ongoing plight -- whether spiritual, mental, physical or material loss. Click on link for other GOD-glorifying, JESUS-pointing, SPIRIT-anointed sermons by C.H. Spurgeon.