hound of heaven spurgeon

[34] Who is to condemn? He has been given all power by the Father to execute His life-saving mission here on earth (see chapter 5). [v] John M. Frame, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief, Pg. Secondly, the living of this son is the life promoted by the world. He said, The church is on mission because God is on mission.. That is why we say: Come Lord Jesus! If you have come to a point where you realize the condemning nature of your sin, and the need for salvation, then I urge you to surrender and be forgiven and receive eternal life in the name of Jesus. It shows us His deity, His majesty, His obedience to the Father and His love for us. C.H. When you take the entire corpus of his work, his writing, youll see a man so transfixed on Jesus that in order to summarize his entire mission to the Corinthians he says that he resolved to know nothing else but Christ and Him crucified. This is made plain even as far back as Moses interactions with the Israelites when he told them: And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. It is a matter of the will. We know His motivation, as discussed earlier, for this was love. It is a world-historical movement, following the fall of Adam, in which God works to defeat Satan and bring human beings to acknowledge Christ as Lord. This saying of Jesus to Mary not to cling to me is one of the most difficult verses in Scripture to understand, according to D.A. For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered., [37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Romans 15:8-13, ESV), [v] In Gods Greater Glory Bruce Ware explains: Both Jacob Arminius and John Wesley agreed with John Calvin, who in turn agreed with Augustine, on this point (although many in the Arminian tradition have departed from the view of the founders of Wesleyan Arminianism). This is a truth which finds is greatest expression in the person of Jesus: I am the good shepherd. Ordo we stay in our homes sobbing over a loss or a heartache. His grace is so powerful and so effective, that when He calls you, He will not fail in His mission to bring you all the way from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. 5:43-48), and to love our neighbor/others (Mark 12:31). What the author of Hebrews is saying is that these men and women in the church had let that foundation rot and deteriorate over and over and over. GotQuestions.org sums up this popular teaching in this way: Since phileo love involves feelings of warmth and affection toward another person, we do not have phileo love toward our enemies. Christ was ushering in His spiritual kingdom in a way that no man could deny. This is not to say that we dont cherish the foundation, of course. In so doing, He softens our hearts with this love. 15 September 2019. Then Jesus came announcing the presence of the kingdom. [2] He makes me lie down in green pastures. Such was the nature of His patience and longsuffering. He is the sum total of bliss; the fountain from which heaven flows, the element of which heaven is composed. Angels celebrate when we repent and are saved. Later in 2 Corinthians 4, Paul describes it in this way: For God, who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The Greek language also had terms for two other types of love, eros and storge, which do not expressly appear in the Bible. And God will continue to empower this mission until the last day, until there are believers from every kingdom, tongue, tribe and nation. Supposing him to be the gardener, thenlet us bring forth fruit to him. And as we see in chapter 15, it is a kingdom populated by sinners. Pink notes some of the differences between Adam in the Garden of Eden, and Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. J.C. Ryle, the great 19th century contemporary of Spurgeon, wrote hinting about this way of thinking: Let us dismiss from our minds the vain idea that nations will ever give up wars entirely, before Jesus Christ comes again. Its a given, its natural. (g) Finally, I think that our Lords sudden appearing on shore, when the morning broke, may possibly represent our Lords second advent. The realization that here in one man is Peters God and friend, his Savior, and His Lord, this must have been overwhelming. [20]So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 3)! The more I read this section of Scripture, and the more I prayed about this message, the heavier the burden became to examine with you a few very simple, yet profound truths this morning. [viii] What He is doing now in and through us by His Spirit and His Lordship over all history and creation is a shadow of what will be upon the consummation of His purposes. For He delights in taking weak dying sinners and bathing them in the nutrition imparting light of His gospel. [3] He restores my soul. We are to be zealous for the Lord's great Name - through His power for His glory. He goes to a familiar place, and knows full well that Judas will certainly find Him and fulfill a plan laid long before the foundation of the world. It is the beautiful glory of His holiness which confounds men. As I was thinking on this passage this week, one of the great passages about love reminded me of Christs character here. What a wonderful feeling and a wonderful knowledge that is. Joseph Scrivens great hymn, What a Friend We Have in Jesus. Piper closes his thoughts on the matter this way: When Jesus died, he glorified the Fathers name and saved his Fathers people. And if you are not a Christian then you have no lens to properly view these events. But long before I began with Christ, He began with me.[12]. They were so close to the event itself, that what they were witnessing seemed confusing amidst their fears and sorrow. If there was no resurrection then we have no reason to believe anything Jesus said. Carson and F.F. [18] Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 3:12)[ix]. The text that harmonizes this for him is 2 Corinthians 4:4 a text I use above. [26] And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. It is, preeminently, the history of salvation.[v], The kingdom of God, therefore, is to be understood as the reign of God dynamically active in human history through Jesus Christ, the purpose of which is the redemption of Gods people from sin and from demonic powers, and the final establishment of the new heavens and the new earth. [20] And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time. (Luke 1:19-20), Gabriel is saying, I was JUST in heaven before Gods throne. Then she sees something that Peter and John didnt, 20:12-13 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. And He has provided us a way of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. Her breathless voice bursts out the news and immediately Peter and John take off for the tomb. You were dead. In these ways and many more, Christ is the suffering servant; He is the very heart of love. Jesus was all to him. If we are brothers, then we are sons, and heirs also. Although it is evident here that both sons were really lost, and many believe that the Pharisees are represented in the older son in this final parable. It is easy to fall into a legalistic mindset, so much so that you are unwilling to have a beer with a colleague after work. Lastly, and I touched on this a moment ago, in revealing the nature and character of the Son in this moment we also see His sovereignty. I fled Him down the nights and down the days. Peter learned that fateful evening that though the spirit may be willing, the flesh is weak. [vii] Bruce Ware talks about how people see Christ intellectually, but they dont see him as glorious. (Hebrews 12:7-11). The revelation of the name of Christ is the revelation of who He is. Perhaps this is obvious, but Christ never boasted in Himself but allowed His truthful teaching, His actions and the testimony of others to glorify Him. Just a few sentences later Spurgeon goes on to say, It is the spirit, the real inner meaning, that is sucked into the soul, by which we are blessed and sanctified. I cannot believe that at this point, for these men, there was much doubt as to the veracity of the miracle(s); the issue was what to do about it. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."Matthew 8:11-12. The Spurgeon Library | 7 Reasons Spurgeon Longed for Heaven God doesnt not discriminate based on sex, age, race, and ethnicity. And He appears precisely at the point where his presence is required, because all other voices for conveying to her the gladsome tidings have failedThe first person to whom He showed Himself alive after the resurrection was a weeping woman, who had no greater claim upon Him than any simple penitent sinner has. In fact, He later called Himself the bread from heaven, which is simply another way of saying that He is the Word of God incarnate. (2 Corinthians 4:4, ESV). One might wonder why it was that the disciples werent putting two and two together here. We are commanded by Paul to speak the truth in love.. (Human Inability, 1858). It is passages like this which kept Spurgeon busy for hours at a time! Is it not significant that Martha had a better understanding of the resurrection than the Sadducees? Well first, although John isnt saying in THIS verse explicitly that Jesus is the only way to salvation, I believe that it is implied simply by the context. We all must stand in debt and awe that the Hound of Heaven has chased us down, has set His great and mighty love upon us, and though we deserved it not, has rescued us from certain death. It takes a lot to get up that early in the morning. About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. (Ephesians 2:8-10). Therefore we note once again that God desires for us to know Him. The sadness we endure now is like that of Mary and Martha. With this cursory understanding of the kingdom of God under our belts, let us examine the four major views on the reign of Christ in the millennium. Often it is very easy to get caught up in viewpoints about the millennium, and I do not want to detract from the importance of the millennium. I expect a blessed transplantation of all these flowers below to a clearer atmosphere above, away from all this smoke and fog and damp, up where the sun is never clouded, where flowers never wither, where fruits never decay. I think theres something to this. Listen to what Paul says in Romans 15: For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show Gods truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. "It hath not entered the heart of man, the . Its like a lightening storm that overwhelms your homes circuits. And He does this by stating I am he. This phrase is ego eimiand it is undoubtedly the open declaration of Jesus as Jehovah. [15] I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. 18:28-38a), which was followed by Herods interrogation (Lk. Marthas response to Christs instruction is one of unbelief this is what tempers us from having been led to believe she had the kind of faith that Abraham had (see above). This so much reminds me of Peters great confession when Christ put a similar question to Peter that He just asked Martha. [47]So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, What are we to do? We see here that there is a transformational effect from simply beholding the glory of the Lord. John explains in his epistles that: Beloved, we are Gods children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. As long as ever I could, I rebelled, and revolted, and struggled against God. For those of us who are children of God, saved from the wrath of the Father because of the work of Christ on the cross, we must not miss the importance of this text. Cant they just let this go? John is concerned to show that Christ Jesus understands our pains, He understands our sorrows. As Sproul points out though, Caiaphas must have forgotten Proverbs 17:15, which says, He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.. The meaning is understood. Im not saying that the Postmillennial view is perfect, but their mindset on the nature of the kingdom certainly seems to make more sense and align more Biblically to me. (Isaiah 66:18-19), ***Isaiah clearly has an eschatological purpose here, and I will talk later about how Paul sees Gods glory as currently mediated through the Bible (2 Cor. [27] And he said to him, Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound. [28] But he was angry and refused to go in. He weaves the denials of Peter in with the first part of the Jewish trial of Jesus. The Hound of Heaven Pursued John Stott. However, the post-millennial viewpoint was really made popular and caught on prior to the 20th century. That exposure testifies to one thing, according to John: man loves the darkness. You need milk, not solid food, [13] for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. I think the answer is emphatically no. For our Lord had many times predicted not only His own death, but also His resurrection. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, [18]and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.(Genesis 22:15-18), Therefore God used His Son Jesus Christ to die for the sins of His people His chosen people, a holy nation, a people called after His own name. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. For even though the millennium the 1,000 year reign of Christ mentioned in the first few verses of chapter 20 takes up a very short space in terms of the book itself, its importance is seen in how we interpret what its saying. Jesus has been taken away and in this passage of Scripture is brought before Annas and then before his son in law Caiaphas. Lastly, as Christ raised Lazarus from the dead, it was a clear indication that the kingdom of God was upon them. Earlier in Johns Gospel we read the following: For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. (John 10:17). 1 Peter 4:5 says, but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. The living are those who have been born again to new life, and the dead are those who are spiritually dead. He knew what it was to lose a loved one. 11:43-44When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out. [44]The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. 45, [vii] Anthony Hoekema, The Bible and the Future, Pg. Here Ryle is discussing the Olivet Discourse and particularly, Christs predictions concerning the nations and the world. That this important, and sound, theologian and pastor would raise such a warning flag against the post-mil mindset while its popularity was at its zenith is (to me) a very important note. Furthermore, it is the universal witness of Scripture that calls attention to ITSELF as the instrument by which God changes us and blesses us with a closer knowledge of Him: Consider just a few examples, o David begins the Psalms with this important exhortation, Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; [2] but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. It is the good life it prioritizes the self ahead of others, and the temporal before the eternal. Nevertheless, the Bible makes clear that we are still held responsible for our actions and our choices. [vii] This quote from Schreiner is from his New Testament Biblical Theology, Page 512. Well, we know enough about Peter to know that it isnt simply because of a weak disposition within Peter. Wed love to move closer to church and to my work. His power is so exacting, so overwhelming that at the mere mention of His name soldiers, criminals, and traitors eat the dirt their bones were fashioned from. We remain on earth as sowers to scatter good seed; as ploughmen to break up the fallow ground; as heralds publishing salvation. Would God keep his children out of paradise a single moment longer than was necessary? This is a supernatural thing. Proper 19C'19. Thats when you start looking through your bank statements, scrolling furiously through the online line items. Last night I preached a message from verses John 3:16-21 in our evening service and Ive posted both the notes and the audio below. Look at what we read in Acts 4: [12] And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved., [13] Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. [38] For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, [39] nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Hed be put on notice that His defeat was imminent. They ought to be teachers but instead they need someone to still teach them the basics. "The Hound of Heaven" is a 182-line poem written by English poet Francis Thompson (18591907). The horrid realization is setting in that everything you did today doesnt even matter. This is a great insight for us because it shows us firstly that the priorities of heaven are not the priorities of earth. Do you welcome and surround yourself with sinners who need saving? I say all that because, while I do not consider myself Postmillennial, I really respect those who take that view, and their arguments are generally very scriptural. Repentance! I must admit that when I study the history of the world since the spread of the gospel, I do not see a uniform trajectory upward toward a world of people who are united in morals and standards. May his words bring you the comfort they brought me: If God had willed it, each of us might have entered heaven at the moment of conversion. [xv] Frame, Systematic Theology, Pg. [1] Ryken, Commentary on Luke, Volume II, Pg. The answer, simply, is nothing. It would have taken an amazing effort to have accomplished this this was a coordinated effort. Jesus reply to Peters declaration was to prophecy that in just a few short hours Peter was deny Him not once, but three times. While Peter is denying, Jesus is embracing who He is and why He came. [32] And he said this plainly. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. The Word of God is that which feeds the church and it must be spread throughout the whole world. He learned more of the things that matter in those years than most men learn in a lifetime. 11:30-32Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. This ability, this foundation, is always grounded in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the power of God the Spirit working within us. This is why we study the character of God. 15:14-15 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. [20]Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, [21]so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And just as Jesus bid the disciples to come and eat breakfast with him, so he calls to us, his children, to dine with him. The Jesuit J.F.X. Also, God works from a different plane of reality here. o Children have a taste for simple foods, simple drinks, and simple deserts. But such as receive it, and embrace Jesus the Savior by a true and living faith, are by Him delivered from the wrath of God and from destruction, and have the gift of eternal life conferred upon them., [iii] This list was taken from reformationtheology.com. Finally, in the parable of the prodigal son, we see the longsuffering father, effusive with joy and love upon the return and restoration of his long lost son. So perhaps its only natural for her to sprint out to see the Lord. And that group includes me. From the law, wisdom literature, the prophets, our Lord Himself, as well as the Apostle Paul, there has been a call to deepen our knowledge of the Almighty, His ways and His Son, and to lean on His Spirits power in order to shine that light[ii] of knowledge to all nations[iii] as well as with our own families and friends. [16] For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. You really get the feeling from chapter 17 that there is a plan that is unfolding hour by hour here, that the Father and the Son who is filled with the Spirit are working in complete coordination on the unfolding of their glory in a way that will seem terrible and confusing to any bystander unacquainted with Jesus teaching. It doesnt say the entire world would be saved. These are people whose lives have been changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. [11] Romano, August 24, 2013, mens campout, personal notes on his lesson. Certainly they should also keep us busy in our meditation. Later in the chapter John explicitly spells this out: Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. When I read this passage several years ago I thought (rightly) that I cant teach anyone now, but realized that my inability wasnt God telling me not to teach, but rather it was Him calling me to learn and grow closer to Him in obedience in order to teach when the time presented itself. While Peter is sinning, Jesus is obeying. Sign up below & check your inbox to receive your discount! (Romans 9:17-18, ESV), Note: When Scripture talks of Gods hardening our hearts it cannot mean God is creating evil that isnt already there. I raise this only as a caution that we approach Scripture with humility especially those with learning and education. So did Christ. Her response shows she has still not transcended the explanation to which she had earlier gravitated (vs.2).. Here is what he says: Other expositors, of a more figurative and imaginative turn of mind, go into heights and depths where I cannot pretend to follow them. He is the one who is cleansing our hearts and renewing our minds and He will give us the faith to press on, and the discernment to do His will. [33] Who shall bring any charge against Gods elect? Whereas Phileo is a love of affection and is based somewhat on emotion. The first thing this verse assumes is that people in the world have the wrath of God abiding on them otherwise there would be no need for a Savior. 11:54-57Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples. Johns editorial note in verse two that it was Mary who anointed the Lord helps us understand that John is assuming his readers would have heard of this story from the synoptic gospels. Yes while most everyone else in the world is either trying purposefully to spread the word of God, or trying hard to stop the spread of this word, the Catholic hierarchy is content to slow drip the Word to a body that is thirsty and dying of starvation. The solid food they need is a development of the themes of repentance and faith, resurrection from the dead and eternal judgment, in the light of the authors exposition of the high priesthood of Christ.. He was going to use His disciples to proclaim this gospel of peace to all the nations in order that He might gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad., This process of spreading the gospel and blessing the nations through the spread of the gospel is the same as gathering into one the children of God, because when a person believes in Christ they are united with Christ and are adopted into His family. Theyd just come from a party in heaven and here on earth the reality of what had been accomplished had not yet been discovered. I, pp. What an amazing display of forbearance. Collection administered by Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Take them and see that they are worthless and temporary compared to what I have to offer you!, But it is devastating to realize that this son wants to waste everything his father has worked so hard to save.[9]. The last days of the earth shall be its worst days. So John came first with his warning of the radical nearness of the kingdom. It was first printed in 1890 in the periodical Merry England,[1] later to appear in Thompson's first volume of poems in 1893. DESIRE. 11:23-24Jesus said to her, Your brother will rise again. [24]Martha said to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.. It is a supernatural strength which loves when hate is the natural (and perhaps deserved) response of our hearts. And having spent time on this already, I will not review all that was said, except to remind you that in that prayer Jesus explicitly prayed for His disciples, and not for the world. He makes special mention of those who He came to save, and makes intercession on their behalf. It is the story of Peters three denials, and the power of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. [32] It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.. This biography follows the journey of a young man who plummeted from the heights of a comfortable life to the depths of drug addiction in London's seedy alleysand then found redemption. And while we may not fully understand why God chooses to work this way, I praise God that He is who He is, and that He has intervened in my life. Apart from Christ in the dark night of his soul, he flees into the darkness of night leaving the Prince of Light to single-handedly parry with the heaviest concentration of evil ever seen on this earth. 482 ratings62 reviews. But what John is highlighting here by leaving this part in about Peter is to say that humanly speaking we try so very hard to be in control. We have the benefit of looking back 2,000 years later and closely and slowly examining the sequence of events and the words of the Lord and the OT prophets. The veracity of His teaching is at stake, but of course much more than that, His saving grace is non-existent if He didnt accomplish a victory over death. And parry He doesmuch more than this He overcomes! It is also at these moments I wonder why Im still here. And while we need to take a sample of the common vernacular as well, I would think that the authorial usage takes slight precedent over cultural commonality if there are multiple examples to draw from, and indeed there are in this book. Although Thompson was a follower of Christ, he struggled with poverty, poor health, and an addiction to opium (which in those days was sold as an "over-the-counter" medication). We are told that this is what saving faith looks like. I, chaps. Consequently, thats why He was so poignant in His remarks about eternity earlier. IT is a gentle reproof: by this time Mary should not have been crying. Lastly, I think what is instructive about this verse is that the Lord spent His days on earth loving others. [16]And the free gift is not like the result of that one mans sin. Lastly this verse teaches us how people are saved: by believing in the Son of God. The shepherd of Israel was always seen as the Lord. More likely still, they would not have removed them at all, since it would have been easier to transport the body it if were still wrapped. Heres what he says: I am ascending is part of the message Mary is to convey, not part of the reason Mary should not cling to Jesus. Life (of the abundant kind) is about believing in Him, in placing full confidence in His words and surrendering to His leadership and direction. Here we learn how this discernment is achieved: by constant practice. For as Paul says elsewhere: o Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, [13] for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. For we continually point people to the foundation points of the gospel and we too need to be continually reminded about them and revel in their glories!

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