Grace Greater Than Our Sin
Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. ---Romans 5:20 Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt! Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured, There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled. Refrain Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within; Grace, grace, ...
Grace Greater Than Our Sin
Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. ---Romans 5:20 Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt! Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured, There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled. Refrain Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within; Grace, grace, ...
A Prayer Anticipating the Lord’s Day Morning
O Maker and Upholder of all things, Day and night are thine; they are also mine from thee – the night to rid me of the cares of the day, to refresh my weary body, to renew my natural strength; the day to summon me to new activities, to give me opportunity to glorify thee, to serve my generation, to acquire knowledge, holiness, eternal life. But one day above all days is made especially for thy honour and my improvement; The sabbath reminds me of thy rest from ...
A Prayer Anticipating the Lord’s Day Morning
O Maker and Upholder of all things, Day and night are thine; they are also mine from thee – the night to rid me of the cares of the day, to refresh my weary body, to renew my natural strength; the day to summon me to new activities, to give me opportunity to glorify thee, to serve my generation, to acquire knowledge, holiness, eternal life. But one day above all days is made especially for thy honour and my improvement; The sabbath reminds me of thy rest from ...
Sin’s Painted Pleasures and Sugared Poisions…
As the Scriptures often call attention to the “heart” or “soul” of a person, Owen argues that such references tend to be shorthand for the various faculties, and thus to deal with sin the whole person must be engaged. Although Owen gives ample attention to each of the faculties, let us focus on the affections as a test case to show the nature of sin and temptation. Far too often Christians working within the Reformed ...
Sin’s Painted Pleasures and Sugared Poisions…
As the Scriptures often call attention to the “heart” or “soul” of a person, Owen argues that such references tend to be shorthand for the various faculties, and thus to deal with sin the whole person must be engaged. Although Owen gives ample attention to each of the faculties, let us focus on the affections as a test case to show the nature of sin and temptation. Far too often Christians working within the Reformed ...
The Law not for Condemnation, but Sanctification
For the law indeed says that it is God’s will and command that we walk in new life. However, it does not give the power and ability to begin or to carry out this command. Instead, the Holy Spirit, who is given and received not through the law but through the proclamation of the gospel (Gal. 3:2, 14), renews the heart. Thereafter, the Holy Spirit uses the law to instruct the reborn and to show and ...
The Law not for Condemnation, but Sanctification
For the law indeed says that it is God’s will and command that we walk in new life. However, it does not give the power and ability to begin or to carry out this command. Instead, the Holy Spirit, who is given and received not through the law but through the proclamation of the gospel (Gal. 3:2, 14), renews the heart. Thereafter, the Holy Spirit uses the law to instruct the reborn and to show and ...
A Christless Gospel is No Gospel at All
Every week, in the tradition of Daily or Weekly dose of Spurgeon's all around the blogosphere, we in New.Demonstration would like to present our own version of it. Every week, once a week, I will be reading chronologically from Charles Spurgeon's Sermon Archive. I will be beginning with his very first published sermon 'till his last, Lord willing, if there are choice excerpts to be taken from each sermon, each week I will post them ...
A Christless Gospel is No Gospel at All
Every week, in the tradition of Daily or Weekly dose of Spurgeon's all around the blogosphere, we in New.Demonstration would like to present our own version of it. Every week, once a week, I will be reading chronologically from Charles Spurgeon's Sermon Archive. I will be beginning with his very first published sermon 'till his last, Lord willing, if there are choice excerpts to be taken from each sermon, each week I will post them ...
The Dark Night of the Soul
The dark night of the soul. This phenomenon describes a malady that the greatest of Christians have suffered from time to time. It was the malady that provoked David to soak his pillow with tears. It was the malady that earned for Jeremiah the sobriquet, “The Weeping Prophet.” It was the malady that so afflicted Martin Luther that his melancholy threatened to destroy him. This is no ordinary fit of depression, but it is a depression ...
The Dark Night of the Soul
The dark night of the soul. This phenomenon describes a malady that the greatest of Christians have suffered from time to time. It was the malady that provoked David to soak his pillow with tears. It was the malady that earned for Jeremiah the sobriquet, “The Weeping Prophet.” It was the malady that so afflicted Martin Luther that his melancholy threatened to destroy him. This is no ordinary fit of depression, but it is a depression ...
How Sweet and Aweful is The Place
How sweet and awe-full is the place With Christ within the doors, While everlasting love displays The choicest of her stores! Here every bowel of our God With soft compassion rolls; Here peace and pardon bought with blood Is food for dying souls. While all our hearts and all our songs Join to admire the feast, Each of us cry, with thankful tongues, “Lord, why was I a guest? “Why was I made to hear Thy voice, And enter while there’s room, When thousands make a wretched choice, And rather ...
How Sweet and Aweful is The Place
How sweet and awe-full is the place With Christ within the doors, While everlasting love displays The choicest of her stores! Here every bowel of our God With soft compassion rolls; Here peace and pardon bought with blood Is food for dying souls. While all our hearts and all our songs Join to admire the feast, Each of us cry, with thankful tongues, “Lord, why was I a guest? “Why was I made to hear Thy voice, And enter while there’s room, When thousands make a wretched choice, And rather ...
God, the only Potentate Sovereign King!
In Arthur W. Pink's book, The Sovereignty of God, he writes in his introduction: After nineteen centuries of Gospel preaching, Christ is still “despised and rejected of men”. Worse still, He (the Christ of Scripture) is proclaimed and magnified by very few. In the majority of modern pulpits He is dishonoured and disowned. Despite frantic efforts to attract the crowds, the majority of the churches are being emptied rather than filled. ((Pink, A. W. (1996). The ...
God, the only Potentate Sovereign King!
In Arthur W. Pink's book, The Sovereignty of God, he writes in his introduction: After nineteen centuries of Gospel preaching, Christ is still “despised and rejected of men”. Worse still, He (the Christ of Scripture) is proclaimed and magnified by very few. In the majority of modern pulpits He is dishonoured and disowned. Despite frantic efforts to attract the crowds, the majority of the churches are being emptied rather than filled. ((Pink, A. W. (1996). The ...
First Effect of the Gospel: Make People Stop & Think
So the first effect of Christianity is to make people stop and think. They are not simply overawed by some great occasion. They say, “No, I must face this. I must think.” That is the work of the Spirit. The people in Acts thought again. They repented—the Greek word is metanoia—they changed their mind completely. The Spirit always leads people to think, and, as I have been showing you, the greatest trouble is that men ...
First Effect of the Gospel: Make People Stop & Think
So the first effect of Christianity is to make people stop and think. They are not simply overawed by some great occasion. They say, “No, I must face this. I must think.” That is the work of the Spirit. The people in Acts thought again. They repented—the Greek word is metanoia—they changed their mind completely. The Spirit always leads people to think, and, as I have been showing you, the greatest trouble is that men ...