Understanding!

Friends it is that time again to sit back and receive from another; we are not to receive from just anyone but when they have been tried and proved like our brother Charles Spurgeon we know we are in good hands and what he says will be fruitful manna from heaven. We are all the same in part as we all carry with us the “body of death”, therefore it is good to sometimes to be still and listen to others so that we do not get caught up with ourselves and our own pet subjects.

“Friend, go up higher.”

- Luk_14:10

“When first the life of grace begins in the soul, we do indeed draw near to God, but it is with great fear and trembling. The soul conscious of guilt, and humbled thereby, is overawed with the solemnity of its position; it is cast to the earth by a sense of the grandeur of Jehovah, in whose presence it stands. With unfeigned bashfulness it takes the lowest room.

But, in after life, as the Christian grows in grace, although he will never forget the solemnity of his position, and will never lose that holy awe which must encompass a gracious man when he is in the presence of the God who can create or can destroy; yet his fear has all its terror taken out of it; it becomes a holy reverence, and no more an overshadowing dread. He is called up higher, to greater access to God in Christ Jesus. Then the man of God, walking amid the splendours of Deity, and veiling his face like the glorious cherubim, with those twin wings, the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ, will, reverent and bowed in spirit, approach the throne; and seeing there a God of love, of goodness, and of mercy, he will realize rather the covenant character of God than his absolute Deity. He will see in God rather his goodness than his greatness, and more of his love than of his majesty. Then will the soul, bowing still as humbly as aforetime, enjoy a more sacred liberty of intercession; for while prostrate before the glory of the Infinite God, it will be sustained by the refreshing consciousness of being in the presence of boundless mercy and infinite love, and by the realization of acceptance “in the Beloved.” Thus the believer is bidden to come up higher, and is enabled to exercise the privilege of rejoicing in God, and drawing near to him in holy confidence, saying, “Abba, Father.”” (C.H.Spurgeon)

How grateful I am for the way in which ones thoughts are confirmed, here we see reference made by our brother about the privilege we Christians have, we are encouraged to approach the throne room of grace, addressing this awesome God as our Father (ABBA FATHER). This thought blows my mind and yet this is exactly what Christ has achieve for us on Calvary, He has opened the door to His Father by His perfect sacrifice whereby we may also address Him as our Father, praise His name!

How unworthy I feel on a daily basis, but only when I forget why I are able to approach the throne room of grace with boldness does this fear grip my heart, it is not about me or any of us, it is all about the King of kings and the Lord of lords and no one else. How often we need to be reminded about this truth! How often we tend to look at our accomplishments instead of His, forgive me Father! “Change my heart O God, make it ever new, may I be like you.”

It was not that David was skilled with a slingshot, although he most certainly was; it was about His belief in His God’s ability to bring down the giant Goliath, the obstacle that stood in Israel’s path. In case you are not convinced about my reasoning let me then use another example; the walls of Jericho came tumbling down by men blowing a trumpet and a shout. Obviously the men used to blow the trumpet where trained buglers. We too need to be trained as Christians that do not put their trust in the flesh but those who have learnt to walk in and by the Spirit. That is all that is needed and God will give us the victory. “Faith the substance of things hoped for.” Which means we need to have faith in future grace! There is something within that tries to convince us that we are still alive to the old man and we find ourselves often living there. But in fact we have died and our new lives in Christ have begun, we need to believe and bleed this truth as we now look to grow in future grace.

Let us remember our Saviour…

“For your sakes he became poor.”

- 2Co_8:9

“The Lord Jesus Christ was eternally rich, glorious, and exalted; but “though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor.” As the rich saint cannot be true in his communion with his poor brethren unless of his substance he ministers to their necessities, so (the same rule holding with the head as between the members), it is impossible that our Divine Lord could have had fellowship with us unless he had imparted to us of his own abounding wealth, and had become poor to make us rich. Had he remained upon his throne of glory, and had we continued in the ruins of the fall without receiving his salvation, communion would have been impossible on both sides. Our position by the fall, apart from the covenant of grace, made it as impossible for fallen man to communicate with God as it is for Belial to be in concord with Christ. In order, therefore, that communion might be compassed, it was necessary that the rich kinsman should bestow his estate upon his poor relatives, that the righteous Saviour should give to his sinning brethren of his own perfection, and that we, the poor and guilty, should receive of his fulness grace for grace; that thus in giving and receiving, the One might descend from the heights, and the other ascend from the depths, and so be able to embrace each other in true and hearty fellowship. Poverty must be enriched by him in whom are infinite treasures before it can venture to commune; and guilt must lose itself in imputed and imparted righteousness ere the soul can walk in fellowship with purity. Jesus must clothe his people in his own garments, or he cannot admit them into his palace of glory; and he must wash them in his own blood, or else they will be too defiled for the embrace of his fellowship.

O believer, herein is love! For your sake the Lord Jesus “became poor” that he might lift you up into communion with himself.” (C.H.Spurgeon)

What we have just read has been achieved for every true believer; we sing praise and shout acclamations unto our great redeeming King and we say we love Him. We will bow to know other is our instinctive cry and yet we understand our frailty; help us to live in obedience we pray.

Signing off

Tyrone