Grace Gems

[nChrist]

Preach with your feet!

(Charles Spurgeon, sermon #2432)

It is well to preach as I do, with my lips. But you can
all preach with your feet and by your lives--and that
is the most effective preaching! The preaching of holy
lives is living preaching! The most effective ministry
from a pulpit is that which is supported by godliness
from the pew! God help you to do this!

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[nChrist]

       

God's Jewels

        (Arthur Pink, "God's Jewels")

        "And they shall be Mine, says the Lord Almighty, in
        that day when I make up My jewels." Malachi 3:17

        It almost surprises one to learn that the great and self-sufficient God has 'jewels,' but our surprise increases to astonishment when we learn that these 'jewels' are living creatures. And astonishment gives place to overwhelming amazement when we discover that these living creatures are fallen and depraved sinners redeemed from among men! Truly, nothing but Divine grace would ever liken such wretched worms of the dust, unto precious jewels! Yet that is the very thing which we find God doing in our text. It is not the unfallen angels, nor the holy seraphim and exalted cherubim who are spoken of as Jehovah's valued treasure--but lost and ruined sinners saved by amazing grace!

        The Lord has likened His people to 'jewels' because of their inestimable value in His sight. This is an exceedingly hard thing for the Christian to really grasp, for he feels such a wretched and worthless creature in himself. That the Lord of Glory should deem him of great worth, is difficult to conceive. Yet so it is!

        >From the earliest times, men have thought much of precious gems, and fabulous prices have been paid for them. With great ardor and toil, do men hunt after gold; but with even greater eagerness and labor will they seek the diamond. Hundreds of men will labor for a whole year in one of the diamond mines of Africa, and the entire result of their efforts may be held in the palm of your hand. Princes have been known to barter their estates in order to obtain some gem of peculiar brilliance and rare excellence.

        Yet more desirable still, are His saints in the esteem of the Lord Jesus. The value of a thing in the eyes of its possessor, may be gauged by the price he was willing to pay for it. So valuable was the Church unto Christ that He gave Himself for it, and shed His precious blood to purchase it for Himself. Thus, the saints are likened unto 'jewels' because of the great value which the Lord places upon them.

        "You will be a glorious crown in the Lord’s hand, and a royal diadem in the palm of your God." (Isaiah 62:3) What marvelous words are these for faith and hope to lay hold of! Our feeble intellects cannot grasp them! Wondrous is it to think of rough stones, which first look like small pebbles, being found in the mud and mire of earth; then cut and polished until they scintillate with a brilliancy surpassing any earthly object, and being given an honored place in the diadem of a monarch. But infinitely more wonderful is it, that poor lost sinners, saved by sovereign grace, should be among the crown-jewels of the Son of God!

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[nChrist]

       

Letter to a stricken soul

        (Arthur Pink)

        My dear brother,
        My heart goes out to you in sympathy in this dark hour, and I feel my helplessness to comfort you. The loss you have sustained is far greater than any human creature can make up--your suffering is too acute for any fellow-mortal to alleviate. I may endeavor to pour into your sorely-wounded heart something of 'the balm of Gilead,' but only the great Physician can give any efficacy to the same. I can do little more than point you to Him who alone can 'bind up the broken-hearted'. Jesus is a Friend who sticks closer than a brother. Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you. Unburden yourself to Him.

        May divine grace be given you, so that you shall be enabled to meekly acquiesce unto whatever our all-wise God may appoint. It is in heart-submission to God's providential dealings with us, that true religion largely consists. Your acute sorrow is among the 'all things' which work together for good to those who love God. If the Spirit of God is pleased to sanctify this affliction unto you, it will prove a real blessing in disguise. May I suggest several lines of meditation which, if pursued by you and blessed to you by God, will enable you to improve this affliction.

        1. Learn anew the terribleness of sin. 'Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.' (Romans 5:12) Yes, had sin never entered this world, no graves would have ever been dug in it. Every funeral should be a forceful reminder to us of what the Fall has brought in! Every funeral ought to beget in us a deeper hatred of sin. It was sin which necessitated the death of God's beloved Son. Then how we should loathe it, seek grace to resist its evil solicitations, and follow hard after its opposite--holiness.

        2. See the great importance of holding all God's temporal mercies with a light hand. The best of them are only loaned us for a season, and we know not how early we shall be called to relinquish them. It is the part of wisdom for us to recognize and remember this while they are in our hands: not to grasp them too tightly, nor to look upon them as ours to enjoy forever in this perishing world. Holy Writ bids us to 'rejoice with trembling', for that which delights my heart this morning may be taken from me before the shadows of night fall. The more I live with this fact before me, the less shall I feel the loss when it comes!

        3. Endeavor to get your heart more weaned from this perishing world. 'Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.' (Col. 3:2) But we are slow to heed this exhortation, and often God has to use drastic means to bring us to a compliance with it. It is for our own good as well as His glory, that we do so. It is only heavenly things which abide; then let us seek grace to have our hearts more and more set upon them.

        4. Seek to demonstrate the reality of true religion. Only the real child of God is enabled to say, 'The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away: blessed be the name of the Lord.' Earnestly seek supernatural help from above, dear brother, that you may be enabled to manifest the sufficiency of Divine grace to strengthen and support--to show you do have a peace and comfort which the Christless are strangers to. Sorrow not as others do, who have no hope. Doubt not the Lord's goodness. "Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will support you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken." Psalm 55:22

        Yours by God's abounding mercy,
        A. W. Pink

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[nChrist]

On just such husks do the religious swine feed

(Arthur W. Pink)

"Take heed what you hear." Mark 4:24

The word hear obviously includes what is read, for
that which is written or printed is addressed to the
ears of our intellect. Few people today realize the
urgent need for 'taking heed' unto what they read.
Just as the natural food which is eaten either helps
or hinders the body; so the mental food we receive
either benefits or injures the mind, and that, in turn,
affects the heart. Now just as it is harmful to listen
to the rubbish and poison which is being served from
the great majority of present-day pulpits, so it is
exceedingly injurious to the soul to read most of
what is now being published. Take heed what you
hear--and read!

"Those who are after the flesh do mind the things
of the flesh" (Romans 8:5), and are charmed with
oratorical eloquence, catchy sayings, witty allusions,
and jocular displays. On just such husks do the
religious swine feed; but the penitent prodigal
can find no nutriment therein!

Christian reader, if you value the health of your soul,
cease hearing and quit reading all that is lifeless,
unctionless, powerless--no matter what prominent or
popular name is attached thereto. Life is too short
to waste valuable time on that which profits not.

Ninety-nine out of every hundred of the religious books,
booklets, and magazines now being published, are not
worth the paper on which they are printed! Take heed
what you hear--and read!

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[nChrist]

Adorned with a heavenly life

(Thomas Brooks, "Holiness the Only Way to Happiness")

"Be an example to all believers in what you teach,
 in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and
 your purity." 1 Timothy 4:12

A preacher's life should be a commentary of his
doctrine; his practice should be a counterpart of
his sermons. Heavenly doctrines should always be
adorned with a heavenly life.

"He will remind you of my way of life in Christ
 Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere
 in every church." 1 Corinthians 4:17

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[nChrist]

He does whatever He pleases!

(Arthur Pink, "The Attributes of God")

"He does whatever He pleases!" Job 23:13

Ah, my reader, the God of Scripture is no make-believe
monarch, no mere imaginary sovereign; but King of kings,
and Lord of lords! To countless thousands, even among
those professing to be Christians, the God of the
Scriptures is quite unknown.

The god of this twentieth century no more resembles
the Supreme Sovereign of Holy Writ, than does the
dim flickering of a candle, the glory of the midday sun!
The god who is now talked about in the average pulpit,
spoken of in the ordinary Sunday School, mentioned in
much of the religious literature of the day, and preached
in most of the so-called Bible conferences, is the figment of
human imagination, an invention of mushy sentimentality!

The heathen outside of the pale of Christendom form gods
out of wood and stone; while the millions of heathen inside
Christendom manufacture a god out of their own carnal
mind! In reality, they are but atheists, for there is no other
possible alternative between an absolutely supreme God,
and no God at all. A god whose will is resisted, whose
designs are frustrated, whose purpose is checkmated,
possesses no title to Deity; and so far from being a fit
object of worship, merits nothing but contempt!

"Our God is in heaven and does whatever He pleases."
    Psalm 115:3

"I know that You can do anything, and no plan of
 Yours can be thwarted." Job 42:2

"The Lord does whatever He pleases in heaven and
 on earth, in the seas and all the depths." Psalm 135:6

"Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns!"
    Revelation 19:6

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[nChrist]

The power of God

(Stephen Charnock, 1628-1680)

"All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing.
 He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and
 the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand
 or say to Him--What have You done?" Daniel 4:35

The power of God is that ability and strength whereby
He can bring to pass whatever He pleases, whatever His
infinite wisdom may direct, and whatever the infinite purity
of His will may resolve. As holiness is the beauty of all God's
attributes; so power is that which gives life and action to all
the perfections of the divine nature. How vain would be the
eternal decrees, if power did not step in to execute them.
Without power--
  His mercy would be but feeble pity,
  His promises an empty sound,
  His threatenings a mere scarecrow.
God's power is like Himself--infinite, eternal,
incomprehensible; it can neither be checked,
restrained, nor frustrated by the creature.

As His essence . . .
  is immense--not to be confined in place;
  as it is eternal--not to be measured in time;
  so it is almighty--not to be limited in regard of action.

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[nChrist]

The wrath of God let loose upon His Son!

(Stephen Charnock, 1628-1680)

"Yet it was the Lord's will to crush Him and cause
 Him to suffer." Isaiah 53:10

Not all the vials of judgment that have or shall be poured
out upon the wicked world, nor the flaming furnace of a
sinner's conscience, nor the irreversible sentence pronounced
against the rebellious demons, nor the groans of the damned
creatures--give such a demonstration of God's hatred of sin--
as the wrath of God let loose upon His Son! Never did
divine holiness appear more beautiful and lovely than at the
time our Savior's countenance was most marred in the midst
of His dying groans--when God had turned His smiling face
from Him, and thrust His sharp knife into His heart, which
forced that terrible cry from Him, 'My God, My God, why
have You forsaken Me!'

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[nChrist]

Whence, then, this loveliness, this charm?

(Arthur Pink, "The Attributes of God")

"The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord." Psalm 33:5

The goodness of God is seen in the variety of natural
pleasures which He has provided for His creatures. God
might have been pleased to satisfy our hunger without the
food being pleasing to our palates--how His benevolence
appears in the varied flavors which He has given to meats,
vegetables, and fruits. God has not only given us senses,
but also that which gratifies them; and this too reveals His
goodness. The earth might have been as fertile as it is
without its surface being so delightfully variegated. Our
physical lives could have been sustained without beautiful
flowers to regale our eyes with their colors, and our nostrils
with their sweet perfumes. We might have walked the fields
without our ears being saluted by the music the birds.
Whence, then, this loveliness, this charm, so freely
diffused over the face of nature? Truly, "the earth is full
of the goodness of the Lord."

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[nChrist]

The model and strength of his life

(Arthur Pink, 1886-1952)

"Christ is all!" Colossians 3:11

Christ is not only the Christian's righteousness,
but also the model and strength of his life.

"Apart from Me you can do nothing." John 15:5

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[nChrist]

Correcting in love--not smiting in wrath!

(Arthur Pink, "Comfort for Christians")

"Whom the Lord loves, He chastens." Hebrews 12:6

The Father's wise and loving discipline is in view here.

It is of first importance that we learn to draw a sharp
distinction between Divine punishment and Divine
chastisement. The distinction is very simple, yet is
it often lost sight of. God's people can never by any
possibility be punished for their sins, for God has
already punished them at the Cross. The Lord Jesus,
our Blessed Substitute, suffered the full penalty of all
our guilt, hence it is written "The blood of Jesus Christ
cleanses us from all sin." Neither the justice nor the
love of God, will permit Him to again exact payment
of what Christ discharged to the full. The difference
between punishment and chastisement lies not in the
nature of the sufferings of the afflicted. There is a
threefold distinction between the two.

First, the character in which God acts. In the
former God acts as Judge--in the latter as Father.
Sentence of punishment is the act of a judge--a
penal sentence passed on those charged with guilt.
Punishment can never fall upon the child of God in
this judicial sense, because his guilt was all transferred
to Christ, "Who His own self bore our sins in His own
body on the tree."

But while the believer's sins cannot be punished, while
the Christian cannot be condemned (Romans 8:3)--yet
he may be chastised. The Christian occupies an entirely
different position from the non-Christian: he is a member
of the Family of God. The relationship which now exists
between him and God is that of parent and child; and as
a son he must be disciplined for wrongdoing. Folly is
bound up in the hearts of all God's children, and the
rod is necessary to rebuke, to subdue, to humble.

The second distinction between Divine punishment and
Divine chastisement lies in the recipients of each. The
objects of the former are His enemies. The subjects of the
latter are His children. As the Judge of all the earth, God
will yet take vengeance on all His foes. As the Father of
His family, God maintains discipline over all His children.
The one is judicial--the other parental.

A third distinction is seen in the design of each. The
one is retributive--the other remedial. The one flows from
His anger--the other from His love. Divine punishment is
never sent for the good of unrepentant sinners--but for
the honoring of God's law and the vindicating of His
government. But Divine chastisement is sent for the
well-being of His children: "God disciplines us for our
good, that we may share in His holiness." (Heb. 12:10)

When the believer is smarting under the rod let him not
say--'God is now punishing me for my sins.' That can never
be! That is most dishonoring to the blood of Christ. God
is correcting you in love--not smiting in wrath!

Chastisement proceeds from God's goodness and faithfulness,
and is one of the greatest blessings for which we have to thank
Him. Chastisement evidences our Divine sonship. It is designed
for our good, to promote our highest interests. Look beyond
the rod--to the all-wise hand which wields it!

Some of the saintliest of God's people, some of the most
obedient of His children--have been and are the greatest
sufferers. Oftentimes, God's chastenings are corrective.
They are sent to empty us of self-sufficiency and self-
righteousness. They are given to discover to us hidden
transgressions, and to teach us the plague of our own
hearts. Or again, chastisements are sent to strengthen
our faith, to raise us to higher levels of experience, to
bring us into a condition of usefulness. Still again, Divine
chastisement is sent as a preventative--to keep under
pride, to save us from being unduly elated over success
in God's service.

Remember, your afflictions are among the "all things"
which work together for good. Learn, then, to look
upon trials as proofs of God's love--purging, pruning,
and purifying you.

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[nChrist]

The marks of a true shepherd

(Arthur Pink, Studies in the Scriptures, May, 1939)

How diligently should they scrutinize their motives, who think of entering the ministry; for thousands have abused this Divine institution through love of ease, desire for authority and reputation, or love of money--and brought upon themselves "greater damnation" (James 3:1). Thousands have invaded the pastoral office in an unauthorized manner, to fleece sheep rather than feed them, robbing Christ of His honor and starving His people.

Solemn beyond words is it to observe how sternly our Lord denounced these false shepherds of His day. (Matthew 23) As J. C. Ryle rightly said, "Nothing seemed so offensive to Christ as a false teacher of religion, a false prophet, or a false shepherd. Nothing ought to be so much feared by the Church, be so plainly rebuked, opposed and exposed."

What are the marks of a true shepherd, how are God’s people to identify those called and qualified by Him to minister unto His people?

First, the genuine pastor has the doctrine of Christ on his LIPS. The ministers of the new covenant are described as those who had "renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness." Christendom today is infested with men who are full of deceit and hypocrisy, trimming their sails according to whatever direction the breeze of public opinion is blowing.

"We have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God." (2 Cor. 4:2). The true servant of Christ holds back nothing which is profitable, no matter how unpalatable it may be unto his hearers. He is one who magnifies not himself, nor his denomination, but Christ--His wondrous Person, His atoning blood, His exacting claims.

Second, the genuine pastor has the Spirit of Christ in his HEART. It is the Spirit who opens to him the mysteries of the Gospel, so that he is "the faithful and wise servant" (Matt. 24:45). It is the Spirit of Christ who gives him a love for His sheep, so that it is his greatest delight to lead them into the green pastures of His Word. It is the Spirit of Christ who enables him to use "great boldness of speech" (2 Cor. 3:12), so that he shuns not to declare all the counsel of God. It is the Spirit of Christ who makes him to be "prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction" (2 Tim. 4:2). It is the Spirit of Christ who gives efficacy to his ministry, making it fruitful according to the sovereign pleasure of God.

Third, the genuine pastor has the example of Christ in his LIFE, which is a conforming of him to the image of his Master. It is true, sadly true, that there is not one of them who does not fall far short both of the inward and outward image of Christ. Yet there are some faint tracings of His image visible in all His true servants. The image of Christ is seen in their words, spirit, actions; otherwise we have no warrant to receive them as God’s servants.

Find a man (no easy task today!) who has the doctrine of Christ on his lips, the Spirit of Christ in his heart, and the example of Christ in his life--and you find one of His genuine ministers--all others are but "thieves and robbers."

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Something infinitely better!

(Letters of Ruth Bryan)

It is only "Christ enjoyed" which can loosen our hold
of things seen, and of those earthly attractions which
have long entwined themselves around the heart--for
then we have found something infinitely better!

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The sweetest mercies of God!

(Robert Hawker, "Zion's Pilgrim" 1827)

All afflictions which tend to . . .
  bring the soul to God,
  keep up a life of communion with the Redeemer,
  make us sensible of the gracious influence of the Holy Spirit,
  spiritualize our affections,
  wean our hearts from a world from which we must soon part,
and promote a more intimate acquaintance with that world in
which we are shortly forever to dwell--are undeserving the name
of afflictions! They are among the sweetest mercies of God!

God removes earthly comforts--in order to make room for heavenly
delights. He empties the soul of all creature-comforts--that He may
fill it with Creator-mercies. We should embrace our afflictions, as
affording the choicest proofs of divine love.

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[nChrist]

A double hell

(John Angell James, "Life and Letters")

You who are poor--with this 'pearl of great price'
to enrich you, with a title to a priceless inheritance,
reserved in heaven for you, pure and undefiled,
beyond the reach of change and decay--to animate
and comfort you; all the privations of your earthly
poverty can be borne--not only with patience, but
with cheerfulness.

The grace of God in the heart, the promise of God
in the hand, and the glory of God in the eye--are
enough to reconcile us to the longest life of the
most dire poverty.

But poverty, without true piety--is to be poor indeed!
To be both poor and wicked, is to have a double hell
--a hell here, and a worse hell hereafter!

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