Witness And Testimony - Blog

A Hazardous Game!

10/5/2018

If we play around the viper's hole - is it no wonder that we are bitten!

An old proverb advises us not to play with sharp-edged tools, lest we cut our fingers.

It is a sin to trifle with sin!

If we must play, we had better find harmless toys!

That evil which caused Christ a bloody death, is no fit theme for any man's sport.

Playing with wickedness is a hazardous game!

Sooner or later, we will pluck the lion of sin by the beard, and we shall be torn in pieces!

This is true of indulgence in strong drink: Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly...

In the end it bites like a snake, and poisons like a viper!

This is equally true of all other forms of evil, especially of the lusts of the flesh.

Lewd words, soon lead to foul deeds....

Yet such is the folly of men, that they run dreadful risks in sheer wantonness, as though vipers and cobras were fine playmates, and devils were merry-makers!

Psa 19:13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

~Charles Spurgeon~

Let Trials Bless

9/21/2018

This is a promise in essence if not in form.

We have need of patience, and here we see the way of getting it...

It is only by enduring that we learn to endure, even as by swimming men learn to swim.

You could not learn that art on dry land, nor learn patience without trouble.

Is it not worth while to suffer tribulation for the sake of gaining that beautiful calmness of mind which quietly submits in all the will of God?

Yet our text sets forth a singular fact, which is not according to nature but is supernatural.

Tribulation in and of itself worketh petulance, unbelief, and rebellion.

It is only by the sacred alchemy of grace that it is made to work in us patience.

We do not thresh the wheat to lay the dust: yet the Rail of tribulation does this upon God's floor.

We do not toss a man about in order to give him rest, and yet so the LORD dealeth with His children.

Truly this is not the manner of man but greatly redounds to the glory of our all-wise God.

Oh, for grace to let my trials bless me!

Why should I wish to stay their gracious operation?

LORD, I ask Thee to remove my affliction, but I beseech Thee ten times more to remove my impatience.

Precious LORD , Jesus with Thy cross engrave the image of Thy patience on my heart.

~Charles Spurgeon~

It Is The Only Way In Which I Can Ever Kill It!

9/8/2018

We go to Christ for forgiveness...and then too often look to ourselves for power to fight our sins.

Christian! Take your sins to Christ's cross, for the old man can only be crucified there!

The only weapon to fight sin with, is the spear that pierced the side of Jesus!

To give an illustration: You want to overcome an angry temper...how do you begin?

It is very possible you have never tried the right way of going to Jesus with it.

How did I get salvation?

I came to Jesus just as I was, and I trusted Him to save me.

I must kill my angry temper in the same way--it is the only way in which I can ever kill it!

I must go to the cross with it, and say to Jesus, "Lord, I trust You to deliver me from it."

Are you covetous?

Do you feel the world entangle you?

You may struggle against this evil as long as you wish...but if it is your besetting sin, you will never be delivered from it in any way but by the blood of Jesus.

Take it to Christ!

Tell Him: "Lord, I have trust You, and You save Your people from their sins. "

Lord, this is one of my besetting sins--"save me from it!"

You must be conquerors through Him who has loved you, if conquerors at all.

~Charles Spurgeon~

Abiding In Obedience, In Love

9/1/2018

John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

These things cannot be parted...Abiding In Obedience And Abiding In The Love Of Jesus.

A life under the rule of Christ can alone prove that we are the objects of our LORD's delight.

We must keep our LORD's command if we would bask in His love.

If we live in sin we cannot live in the love of Christ.

Without the holiness which pleases God we cannot please Jesus.

He who cares nothing for holiness knows nothing of the love of Jesus.

Conscious enjoyment of our LORD's love is a delicate thing. ..

It is far more sensitive to sin and holiness than mercury is to cold and heat.

When we are tender of heart and careful in thought, lip, and life to honor our LORD Jesus, then we receive tokens of His love without number.

If we desire to perpetuate such bliss we must perpetuate holiness.

The LORD Jesus will not hide His face from us unless we hide our face from Him.

Sin makes the cloud which darkens our Sun:

If we will be watchfully obedient and completely consecrated we may walk in the light, as God is in the light, and have as sure an abiding in the love of Jesus as Jesus has in the love of the Father.

Here is a sweet promise with a solemn "if," LORD, let me have this "if" in my hand; for as a key it opens this casket.

~Charles Spurgeon~

GOD Above Human Philosophy

8/24/2018

1Co 1:19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

This verse is a threatening so far as the worldly wise are concerned, but to the simple believer it is a promise.

The professedly learned are forever trying to bring to nothing the faith of the humble believer, but they fail in their attempts.

Their arguments break down...

Their theories fall under their own weight...

Their deep-laid plots discover themselves before their purpose is accomplished.

The old gospel is not extinct yet, nor will it be while the LORD liveth.

If it could have been exterminated, it would have perished from off the earth long ago.

We cannot destroy the wisdom of the wise, nor need we attempt it, for the work is in far better hands.

The LORD Himself says, "I will," and He never resolves in vain.

Twice does He in this verse declare His purpose, and we may rest assured that He will not turn aside from it.

What clean work the LORD makes of philosophy and "modern thought" when He puts His hand to it!

He brings the fine appearance down to nothing...

He utterly destroys the wood, hay, and stubble.

It is written that so it shall be, and so shall it be.

LORD, make short work of it.

Amen, and amen.

~Charles Spurgeon~

I Hate Buttermilk!

8/16/2018

One Sunday morning at a small southern church, the new pastor called on one of his older deacons to lead in the opening prayer.

The deacon stood up, bowed his head and said, "Lord, I hate buttermilk."

The pastor opened one eye and wondered where this was going.

The deacon continued, "Lord, I hate lard." Now the pastor was totally perplexed.

The deacon continued, "Lord, I ain't too crazy about plain flour.

But after You mix 'em all together and bake 'em in a hot oven, I just love biscuits.

Lord, help us to realize when life gets hard,...

When things come up that we don't like...

Whenever we don't understand what You are doing...

That we need to wait and see what You are making.

After You get through mixing and baking, it'll probably be something even better than biscuits. Amen.

Help me, O Lord, to make a blessed use of all disappointments and calamities in this life, in such a way that they may unite my heart more closely with You.

Cause my disappointments to separate my affections from worldly things, and inspire my soul with more vigor in the pursuit of true happiness. Amen."

~Susanna Wesley (1669-1742), mother of John and Charles Wesley and 17 other children.~

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

The Repentance Of Judas

8/9/2018

Mat 27:3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

Mat 27:4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.

Mat 27:5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

We read of two kinds of sorrow for sin: godly sorrow and the sorrow of the world.

We are told that godly sorrow, "produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly sorrow produces death" (2 Corinthians 7:10).

2Co 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Now it is said here that Judas "repented" ...but it is plain that his repentance was not repentance unto salvation (indeed the word in the original is quite different), but on the contrary ...it was the sorrow of the world.

It was sorrow, not so much for sin as for the consequences of sin...

For it was only when he saw that Jesus was condemned that he repented.

And it worked death in his case.

A bitter remorse took hold of him...an insupportable load of despair pressed upon his mind.

Yet this did not lead him to God...but rather drove him to destruction.

His heart was still unchanged. "He departed, and he went and hanged himself."

An unchanged heart often feels remorse...but it never feels godly sorrow.

A great crime weighing on the conscience has often clouded all the after life of the criminal, and has sometimes driven him to give himself up to justice.

And many have passed a sad old age by reason of youth wasted, the best years of life misspent, opportunities gone forever, and perhaps the consequences of sin still felt in ruined health and blighted prospects.

All this may be and yet no godly sorrow, no true repentance, no change of heart.

True repentance is the gift of God, and comes only when the heart is changed by grace.

Then is there a true sorrow for sin itself.

Then the sinner comes to Christ.

Then does he draw near to God.

With trembling step perhaps and downcast look, like the publican in the temple...yet still he draws near.

For godly sorrow leads to God ...while the sorrow of the world only drives the heart from Him.

If repentance is the gift of God, then we may pray for it.

Jesus Christ is exalted "as Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins" (Acts 5:31)...True repentance, a change of heart.

We may seek this precious gift therefore from Him.

How earnestly should we seek it!

Some say, "I cannot go to Jesus until I repent." Nay, rather, you cannot repent until you go to Jesus. If repentance is His to give then how can we have it but by going to Him for it?

Now observe how little help this miserable man got from his companions in sin.

They proved but false friends in the hour of need.

But a little while ago Judas and the chief priests and elders were plotting together with one object.

Their motives, indeed, were different: his motive was mere gain; their motive was the destruction of Jesus.

But they were joining together for one end; they were partners and associates.

One might have thought them fast friends.

A few hours only have passed, and see them now.

In his deep remorse and despair, Judas comes to the chief priests and elders. "I have sinned," says he, "by betraying innocent blood!"

How do his partners receive him?

They have no word of pity for him in his misery...no help, no comfort, no sympathy.

Though every tone and look must have spoken the anguish of his heart...Judas meets with nothing but hard-hearted indifference and mocking scorn. "What is that to us?

You have done our work, and we have paid the price...the business is finished.

Your sorrow and His innocence...what do they matter to us?

What is that to us?

See to it yourself.

Ah, there is nothing sure in a friendship or companionship based on sinful, or even on mere worldly principles.

How often in trials at law, do we read of companions in crime betraying one another! Sometimes in order to save themselves, but quite as often from the hope of reward.

How often do old companions, friends as they called themselves fail in the hour of need!

They seemed firm friends indeed.

They were blessing companions, perhaps.

They laughed, they sang, they drank.

Many a merry evening did they pass together.

But let one of their number be brought into trouble and how often do such friends as these forsake him entirely!

Some fever seizes him perhaps, some contagious fever and they flee from his house as from the plague!

Or he comes to poverty and want; he can no longer feast them; he stands in need of the very necessities of life.

Often in such a case, he seeks help in vain from these old friends.

Did not the prodigal find it so?

Though there was a mighty famine in the land yet all were not brought to destitution, for we know that there was one citizen of that country who still kept his property, and if one, there were probably more.

Yet "no one gave him anything."

Of all those with whom he had wasted his substance with riotous living...there was not one to help him in his need.

How different is true Christian friendship.

It is based on the love of God.

It is kind, generous, unselfish.

It leads men to regard one another as brethren...brethren in the Lord.

Even where this bond is lacking on one side, the Christian himself is kind and loving to all.

Often, when one who has kept company with the worldly and ungodly and shunned, and even scoffed at the servants of God, is brought into some sore trouble...he finds at last who are his true friends.

While old companions come not near him...he finds at his bedside some kind Christian person, whom once perhaps he disliked and despised, and hears from his lips the words of truth and of prayer and receives from his hand those comforts which the sick man needs.

Seek such friends.

Be such friends.

We should all be helpers to one another...helping each other with kindness, with comfort, with sympathy, with gifts.

We should be companions, not in sin, not in folly; at times, it may be, in tribulation; but always in godliness, fellow-travelers towards the heavenly city, cheering one another along the way

~Francis Bourdillon~

He Routs Our Enemy

7/30/2018

Zep 3:15 The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.

What a casting out was that!

Satan has lost his throne in our nature even as he lost his seat in heaven.

Our LORD Jesus has destroyed the enemy's reigning power over us.

He may worry us, but he cannot claim us as his own.

His bonds are no longer upon our spirits: the Son has made us free, and we are free indeed.

Still is the archenemy the accuser of the brethren; but even from this position our LORD has driven him.

Our Advocate silences our accuser.

The LORD rebukes our enemies and pleads the causes of our soul, so that no harm comes of all the devil's revilings.

As a tempter, the evil spirit still assails us and insinuates himself into our minds; but thence also is he cast out as to his former preeminence.

He wriggles about like a serpent, but he cannot rule like a sovereign.

He hurls in blasphemous thoughts when he has opportunity; but what a relief it is when he is told to be quiet and is made to slink off like a whipped cur!

LORD, do this for any who are at this time worried and wearied by his barkings.

Cast out their enemy, and be Thou glorious in their eyes.

Thou hast cast him down; LORD, cast him out.

Oh, that Thou wouldst banish him from the world!

~Charles Spurgeon~

Heavy Duty Shoes

7/21/2018

Here are two things provided for the pilgrim: shoes and strength.

As for the shoes: they are very needful for traveling along rough ways and for trampling upon deadly foes.

We shall not go barefoot - this would not be suitable for princes of the blood royal.

Our shoes shall not be at all of the common sort, for they shall have soles of durable metal, which will not wear out even if the journey be long and difficult.

We shall have protection proportionate to the necessities of the road and the battle.

Wherefore let us march boldly on, fearing no harm even though we tread on serpents or set our foot upon the dragon himself.

As for the strength: it shall be continued as long as our days shall continue, and it shall be proportioned to the stress and burden of those days.

The words are few, "as thy days thy strength," but the meaning is full.

This day we may look for trial, and for work which will require energy, but we may just as confidently look for equal strength.

This word given to Asher is given to us also who have faith wherewith to appropriate it.

Let us rise to the holy boldness which it is calculated to create within the believing heart.

~Charles Spurgeon~

Opposition? It's Inevitable!

7/14/2018

Luke 12:49 I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

Luke 12:51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

If you and I are going to be men and women of the Spirit, we are not going to have an easy time.

Hell will see to that.

At once the clash arises and it is true that the more the Holy Spirit is able to have His way in us and to lead us into all the will of God, the more we find this opposition, this antagonism.

And it not only comes between us and the world, it sometimes comes in the circle of the Lord's own people.

It is inevitable provocation.

You wonder why, sometimes.

As you read the New Testament you wonder, "What is the matter with these people?

Why should they be so upset and so annoyed?

And why should it be so spontaneous, this thing?

And persistent; so unreasonable?

But there it is.

There is the fact.

It is inevitable.

You see, this thing that the Lord came to do and is doing, will not allow for any neutrality.

It is going to be one thing or the other.

It is going to be for or against.

The eyes of flame (here the fire comes in again) the eyes of flame will not allow lukewarmness or anything that is of the Laodicean character.

The fire is a positive element always, and it will create positive situations.

If everything is all just nice and quiet, no disturbance, no trouble and no antagonism and opposition, you have reason to question whether the Holy Spirit is doing much...

Because He does aim at such a positiveness, which is a very, very costly thing.

It is either with the Lord, or not with the Lord, and there is nothing between.

It is going to come out sooner or later and be precipitated.

Now, the Lord says that is what He came to do.

This is not an accident, a chance or things having gone wrong or miscarried.

This is exactly what He came to do – to scatter fire on the earth and these are the inevitable effects of the fire.

They are going to work out.

~T. Austin Sparks~