Morning and Evening: Daily Readings
by C. H. Spurgeon
Monday Morning, June 21
Thou art fairer than the children of men.
Psalm 45:2
The entire person of Jesus is but as one gem, and his life is all along but one impression of the seal. He is altogether complete; not only in his several parts, but as a gracious all-glorious whole. His character is not a mass of fair colours mixed confusedly, nor a heap of precious stones laid carelessly one upon another; he is a picture of beauty and a breastplate of glory. In him, all the things of good repute are in their proper places, and assist in adorning each other. Not one feature in his glorious person attracts attention at the expense of others; but he is perfectly and altogether lovely.
Oh, Jesus! thy power, thy grace, thy justice, thy tenderness, thy truth, thy majesty, and thine immutability make up such a man, or rather such a God-man, as neither heaven nor earth hath seen elsewhere. Thy infancy, thy eternity, thy sufferings, thy triumphs, thy death, and thine immortality, are all woven in one gorgeous tapestry, without seam or rent. Thou art music without discord; thou art many, and yet not divided; thou art all things, and yet not diverse. As all the colours blend into one resplendent rainbow, so all the glories of heaven and earth meet in thee, and unite so wondrously, that there is none like thee in all things; nay, if all the virtues of the most excellent were bound in one bundle, they could not rival thee, thou mirror of all perfection. Thou hast been anointed with the holy oil of myrrh and cassia, which thy God hath reserved for thee alone; and as for thy fragrance, it is as the holy perfume, the like of which none other can ever mingle, even with the art of the apothecary; each spice is fragrant, but the compound is divine.
Oh, sacred symmetry! oh, rare connection Of many perfects, to make one perfection! Oh, heavenly music, where all parts do meet In one sweet strain, to make one perfect sweet!
Evening, June 21
The foundation of God standeth sure.
2 Timothy 2:19
The foundation upon which our faith rests is this, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. The great fact on which genuine faith relies is, that the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and that Christ also hath suffered for sin, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God; Who himself bare our sins in his own body on the tree; For the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. In one word, the great pillar of the Christian's hope is substitution. The vicarious sacrifice of Christ for the guilty, Christ being made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him, Christ offering up a true and proper expiatory and substitutionary sacrifice in the room, place, and stead of as many as the Father gave him, who are known to God by name, and are recognized in their own hearts by their trusting in Jesus--this is the cardinal fact of the gospel. If this foundation were removed, what could we do? But it standeth firm as the throne of God. We know it; we rest on it; we rejoice in it; and our delight is to hold it, to meditate upon it, and to proclaim it, while we desire to be actuated and moved by gratitude for it in every part of our life and conversation. In these days a direct attack is made upon the doctrine of the atonement. Men cannot bear substitution. They gnash their teeth at the thought of the Lamb of God bearing the sin of man. But we, who know by experience the preciousness of this truth, will proclaim it in defiance of them confidently and unceasingly. We will neither dilute it nor change it, nor fritter it away in any shape or fashion. It shall still be Christ, a positive substitute, bearing human guilt and suffering in the stead of men. We cannot, dare not, give it up, for it is our life, and despite every controversy we feel that Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure.
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The Cross
Description
This course is designed as a follow-up course to all the courses , or for unbelievers who do not know Christ. If you desire to see the power of God then look at the cross of Jesus Christ. This course will help focus your attention there.
More Information
There has come a very destructive teaching into the church in the past century, a teaching that basically says this: "the gospel is 'the salvation message.' It is for unbelievers to 'get saved, and then we move on to deeper teachings.'" As if to say that the gospel is just some spiritual kindergarten through which we pass, tipping our hats to the cross, on our way to the deeper teachings of the Bible. This is destructive because it implies that once we know the gospel, we're good to go, we can move beyond that now, we're saved.
But you see this is a half-truth. It is true that the gospel is a salvation message, it is "the power of God unto salvation" (Romans 1:16). But it is also a sanctification message, in other words, that which sets believers apart from our sins. In Galatians 3 Paul is talking to believers who were trying to set themselves apart from sin by their own efforts at keeping the Law, and what he says to them in verse 1 is amazing. He says, "you foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes, Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified." In other words, the cross is the message that will separate us from our sins. The cross is not merely a salvation message, it is also a sanctification message. It's for believers.
But, it is not only a salvation message, it is not only a sanctification message, it is also a stabilization message. You know, an airplane has what's called a "horizontal stabilizer", it's on the back of the plane, its basically the tail of the airplane. Now what would happen if that stabilizer was gone? Well let's just say you wouldn't want to be in the airplane. Just so, what would happen if the gospel was gone from the church? Let's just say, you wouldn't want to be in it.
Want to know how to become stabilized in life, how to have a firm foundation, how to become rooted and grounded, how to be constant and steady and firmly planted, unshakeable? Paul says it is "by my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ."
And I have not even mentioned the most important part of the cross. It is not only a salvation, sanctification, stabilization message, it is also a glorification message. This is the most important part. After Paul explains the gospel in all its fullness to the Romans in chapter 15 he tells them why,
The message of the cross is that which glorifies God, indeed, brings out praise and rejoicing to God. It exalts God to be Christ-centered and to love the gospel.
This study was written as a follow-up course to all courses currently available at Setting Captives Free as well as for anyone who wishes to take a look at the many aspects of the cross of Jesus Christ as it applies not only to salvation, but also to our daily walk. It seeks to not be a shallow portrayal of the unfathomable riches of Christ, but rather to dig deep into the meaning, and reveal the divine power of the cross of Jesus Christ.
It was also written for those who do not believe, or for any who wish to understand the distinctive difference between Christianity and every other religion. Say to a Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist, "Fear God, hate sin, repent" and he will agree with you. Only the Christian religion tells of a Substitute who died in our place to save us from our sins. Only the Christian religion declares that we gain heaven not by our own works but by the death of Another, Jesus Christ, Who purchased our eternal life when He died in our place. If you do not believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior, Lord and Master, but would like to examine the evidence and consider the distinctive teaching within Christianity, we invite you to enroll in this free course.
This study was written by Mike Cleveland, founder and president of Setting Captives Free.
...the Bible teaches very clearly that there is only one gospel; the gospel is the same in the Old Testament as it is in the New. Again, I am surprised when a preacher does not see it in the Old Testament, for if a man does not see it there, I doubt if he understands the gospel in the New Testament. Take the gospel that was preached by God in the Garden of Eden and also the promise made to Abraham; that is the essence of the gospel. Look at all the types and shadows, look at the various offerings described in Leviticus and elsewhere. Look even at the very furniture of the tabernacle. All these things preach the gospel; they are the types of the gospel and its message. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
To read an article entitled "Hermeneutics 101" by Mike Cleveland, click here
To read an article entitled "The Gospel as a Mystery" by Mike Cleveland, click here
To read an article entitled Important Theology on the Cross, United with Christ by George Smeaton, click here
To view the lesson titles and summaries, click here
The Cross Testimony: Denise
I was feeling sorry for myself when I started this course because things did not go the way I thought they were supposed to go. I had devoted the past 11 years to a ministry only to be mistreated and then forgotten by people that I had worked with and prayed with everyday. Through this course I learned to focus on what I do have in Christ and not what I don't have. I also learned to forgive as I saw what Jesus suffered so that I might be forgiven. To see how the Word of God points to Jesus and His work on the cross in so many places was a reminder that God is always in my life loving me , even when I feel unloved. I had the most wonderful mentor Bonnie who prayed for me and encouraged me throughout the study. May God bless her and all those in these ministry.
The Cross Testimony: Josh
Go slow if you have to. It may take time but the rewards of it are sweet. I think you'll see a whole new approach to the Bible and how it is a story of redemption and we're in the middle of it. My approach and appetite for the Bible have changed because of these lessons and I can tell you with full assurance that the entire Bible is pointing towards Jesus. The OT points forward to him and the NT points back to him. It's all about Jesus. I would also say not to approach this course as a knowledge gainer but as a means to have your heart changed. It did mine on several occasions. My heart broke because I could see how my sin was fleshed out over the course of the study of the cross. The more you study the cross and remind yourself of the gospel and celebrate (as this lesson said to) you will find joy and happiness in the cross.
The Cross Testimony: Tori
After finishing TLT I was looking for another study that would help me to keep my focus on Christ and stay true to Him and what He had taught me about my sin of overeating. I needed His Word to feed on. The Cross seemed a good choice. The first several lessons went quickly. I devoured them, but they didn't seem to fill me. The material was all very familiar I'd learned it long ago but, I kept going forward. Around the 40th lesson I began to see new truths about how really terrible and beautiful Christ's sacrifice was for me. I learned things about the depth of His sacrifice and the immenseness of what He had to give up for me. I was drawn to his "precious bleeding side" in a way that I had never experienced before. I am more in love with Him today because of it. I still sin and I will sin until I am released from this body and made complete in Christ, but sin does not have rule in my life. I was bought with a great price and I belong to the One True Sovereign and Holy God because he gave up his Son for me. I live in power over sin because Christ overcame that sin on the Cross for me. Therefore, I live in victory and sin can not defeat me. Everyday is a new day in Him, everyday is an opportunity to praise Him, thank Him, live for Him and be empowered to do so by Him. How my heart sings because He has redeemed me and set me free to live for Him and to know His peace and joy no matter what lies before me. I cannot wait to look into the battered face of my Redeemer one day and see clearly, not a shadow but in full, His beauty and grace.
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