August 10, 2017
Rev. Charles Haddon Spurgeon
The Prince of Preachers
1834-1892
Pastor, Metropolitan Tabernacle, London
Colossians 3:1-11
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.”
Renunciation of Vice
“Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.6 Because of these the wrath of God is coming upon the disobedient. 7 By these you too once conducted yourselves, when you lived in that way. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths. 9 Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all and in all.”
Paul’s marvelously rich expression indicates, that Christ is the source of our life. “You hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.” That same voice which brought Lazarus out of the tomb raised us to newness of life. Christ is now the substance of our spiritual life. It is by His life that we live; Christ is in us, the hope of glory, the spring of our actions, the central thought which moves every other thought.
Christ is the sustenance of our life. What can the Christian feed upon but Jesus’ flesh and blood? “This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.” O way worn pilgrims in this wilderness of sin, you never get a morsel to satisfy the hunger of your spirits, except when you find it in Him! Christ is the solace of our life.
All our true joys come from Christ; and in times of trouble, His presence is our consolation. There is nothing worth living for but Him; and His lovingkindness is better than life! Christ is the object of our life.
As speeds the ship towards the port, so hastes the believer towards the haven of his Savior’s bosom. As flies the arrow to its goal, so flies the Christian towards the perfecting of his fellowship with Christ Jesus. As the soldier fights for his captain, and is crowned in his captain’s victory, so the believer contends for Christ, and gets his triumph out of the triumphs of his Master.
“To live is Christ.” Christ is the exemplar of our life. Where there is the same life within, there will, there must be, to a great extent, the same developments without; and if we live in near fellowship with the Lord Jesus, then we shall grow like Him. We shall set Him before us as our Divine copy, and we shall seek to tread in His footsteps, until He shall become the crown of our life in glory. Oh! how safe, how honored, how happy is the Christian, since Christ is our life!
If you would like to have a personal relationship with God, then read the Four Spiritual Laws – http://www.4laws.com/laws/englishkgp/default.htm
CRTXNEWS. All rights reserved www.crtxnews.com