Milo

July 23

“Giving thanks always for all things unto God.” (Eph. 5:20.)

NO matter what the source of the evil, if you are in God and surrounded by Him as by an atmosphere, all evil has to pass through Him before it comes to you. Therefore you can thank God for everything that comes, not for the sin of it, but for what God will bring out of it and through it. May God make our lives thanksgiving and perpetual praise, then He will make everything a blessing.
We once saw a man draw some black dots. We looked and could make nothing of them but an irregular assemblage of black dots. Then he drew a few lines, put in a few rests, then a clef at the beginning, and we saw these black dots were musical notes. On sounding them we were singing,
“Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below.”
There are many black dots and black spots in our lives, and we cannot understand why they are there or why God permitted them to come. But if we let God come into our lives, and adjust the dots in the proper way, and draw the lines He wants, and separate this from that, and put in the rests at the proper places; out of the black dots and spots in our lives He will make a glorious harmony. Let us not hinder Him in this glorious work!—C.H.P.

“Would we know that the major chords were sweet,
If there were no minor key?
Would the painter’s work be fair to our eyes,
Without shade on land or sea?
“Would we know the meaning of happiness,
Would we feel that the day was bright,
If we’d never known what it was to grieve,
Nor gazed on the dark of night?”

Many men owe the grandeur of their lives to their tremendous difficulties.—C. H. Spurgeon.
When the musician presses the black keys on the great organ, the music is as sweet as when he touches the white ones, but to get the capacity of the instrument he must touch them all.—Selected.

23 JULY (PREACHED THURSDAY 20 JULY 1775)

Just what we could wish for

‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.’ Acts 16:31
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Song of Solomon 2:1–17

All that I have already said on the Lord Jesus Christ may be applied to this as a ground, warrant, encouragement. His power as God, his nearness, sympathy as man, the suitableness of his offices to our case—he is just what we could wish, and has all we could want. Add to this his promises (Matthew 11:27–28), the examples of others (whom did he ever refuse that called upon him?) and that this was the express design of all (1 Timothy 1:15).
To believe implies a persuasion that he is able to save and he only (John 6:68), and a dependence on him (2 Timothy 1:12). The chief evidences are love (1 John 4:19) and obedience (1 John 2:6).
Fear not poor soul. Do not listen to Satan and unbelief. Continue waiting and you shall grow.
Let none dare to build upon another foundation.
It is said, Thou and thy house. Not that they should be saved for his faith, but to show the blessing open to all who seek. Have you obtained it? Go then, as you have opportunity, to your friends and neighbours; tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and invite them to taste—see how gracious he is.
FOR MEDITATION:
‘Look to JESUS,’ they replied,
Sinners, CHRIST is still the same,
‘If on him thou canst believe;
O that you could likewise fear!
By the death which he has died,
Then the mention of his name
Thou salvation shalt receive’:
Would be music to your ear:
While the living word he heard,
JESUS rescues Satan’s slaves,
Faith sprung up within his heart;
His dear wounds still plead, ‘Forgive!’
And released from all he feared,
JESUS to the utmost saves;
In their joy his soul had part.
Sinners, look to him and live.

SERMON: ACTS 16:31 [4/4]

July 22nd

Sanctification

This is the will of God, even your sanctification. 1 Thess. 4:3.

The Death Side. In sanctification God has to deal with us on the death side as well as on the life side. Many of us spend so much time in the place of death that we get sepulchral. There is always a battle royal before sanctification, always something that tugs with resentment against the demands of Jesus Christ. Immediately the Spirit of God begins to show us what sanctification means, the struggle begins. “If any man come to Me, and hate not … his own life, he cannot be My disciple.”
The Spirit of God in the process of sanctification will strip me until I am nothing but ‘myself,’ that is the place of death. Am I willing to be ‘myself,’ and nothing more—no friends, no father, no brother, no self-interest, simply ready for death? That is the condition of sanctification. No wonder Jesus said: “I came not to send peace, but a sword.” This is where the battle comes, and where so many of us faint. We refuse to be identified with the death of Jesus on this point. ‘But it is so stern,’ we say; “He cannot wish me to do that.’ Our Lord is stern; and He does wish me to do that.
Am I willing to reduce myself simply to ‘me,’ determinedly to strip myself of all my friends think of me, of all I think of myself, and to hand that simple naked self over to God? Immediately I am, He will sanctify me wholly, and my life will be free from earnestness in connection with everything but God.
When I pray—‘Lord, show me what sanctification means for me,’ He will show me. It means being made one with Jesus. Sanctification is not something Jesus Christ puts into me: it is Himself in me.

July 22

“And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you … blessed are all they that wait for him.” (Isa. 30:18.)

WE must not only think of our waiting upon God, but also of what is more wonderful still, of God’s waiting upon us. The vision of Him waiting on us, will give new impulse and inspiration to our waiting upon Him. It will give us unspeakable confidence that our waiting cannot be in vain. Let us seek even now, at this moment, in the spirit of waiting on God, to find out something of what it means. He has inconceivably glorious purposes concerning every one of His children. And you ask, “How is it, if He waits to be gracious, that even after I come and wait upon Him, He does not give the help I seek, but waits on longer and longer?”
God is a wise husbandman, “who waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it.” He cannot gather the fruit till it is ripe. He knows when we are spiritually ready to receive the blessing to our profit and His glory. Waiting in the sunshine of His love is what will ripen the soul for His blessing. Waiting under the cloud of trial, that breaks in showers of blessings, is as needful. Be assured that if God waits longer than you could wish, it is only to make the blessing doubly precious. God waited four thousand years, till the fullness of time, ere He sent His Son. Our times are in His hands; He will avenge His elect speedily; He will make haste for our help, and not delay one hour too long.—Andrew Murray.

22 JULY (PREACHED THURSDAY 20 JULY 1775)

Who is Jesus Christ?

‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.’ Acts 16:31
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Hebrews 8:1–13

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. But lest any of you are ready to say with the blind man, Who is he? [John 9:36] I shall speak something of him. The little I can speak of the LJC [Lord Jesus Christ] may be summed up in two particulars: his person and his office.
(i) His person: he is God, blessed for ever (Romans 9:5; Isaiah 9:6; John 12:41). He is man (1 Timothy 3:16) here, or named Emmanuel (Matthew 1:23). This is the great mystery of Godliness; we can see but little of the wisdom, condescension and love. The angels cannot fathom. God alone can reveal it. For this the Holy Spirit is given, that we may know the mystery of God, of the Father, and of Christ in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:2–3).
(ii) His office: in general, Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5). There is no other (John 14:6). This includes his whole undertaking. We may consider:
(a) What he did as Mediator upon earth, summed up in his obedience unto death. He fulfilled the law for us—he made atonement for our sins.
(b) Now he is in his kingdom he acts the Mediator’s part, applying the benefits of his righteousness to those who believe: as a Prophet, a Priest, a King.

FOR MEDITATION: The doctrine of Jesus Christ crucified: I believe to insist much upon the great essential points of the glories of his person and offices, his wonderful love and condescension, his power, faithfulness and readiness to save, the grandeur of his works, the perfection of his example, his life, passion, death and resurrection. I say thus to enlarge much on the Names, properties, and so on, of our dear Redeemer, as it is undoubtedly the most pleasant set of topics, so the most useful and effectual, to rouse a hatred against sin, to feed the springs of grace into the heart, to animate and to furnish every believer for his spiritual warfare.
Miscellaneous Thoughts, Friday 4 August 1758

SERMON: ACTS 16:31 [3/4]