When The Earth Trembles: GOD'S Sovereignty In Calamity

Amos 3:6  Shall a Trumpet be blown in the city, and the People not be afraid? shall there be Evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? 

When Earthquakes shake cities, Storms destroy homes, and Floods sweep away lives--the human heart instinctively asks, "Why, Lord?"

Yet Scripture Does Not Leave Us Without An Answer. 

The Word of God boldly proclaims that even the Most Terrifying Natural Events are Not random, but Sovereignly decreed by the Lord who works all things according to the counsel of His will.

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have Obtained an inheritance, being Predestinated according to the Purpose of him who Worketh all things after the Counsel of His Own Will:

Every Calamity--whether Storm, Drought, Fire, or Plague--reveals the Holy Justice and Majesty of GOD. 

These events are Not outside of His Control, but are part of His All-Encompassing Providence.

This is not to say GOD delights in Destruction; rather, He Uses it to Awaken Dead Hearts to the Reality Of Sin and the Urgency Of Repentance. 

Jesus Himself affirmed this when discussing the tower that fell in Siloam: Those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them--do you think they were worse sinners than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish!

Luke 13:4  Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? 

Luke 13:5  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Thus, Natural Disasters serve as Divine Megaphones Calling mankind to Humility, Repentance, and Renewed Reverence for the Almighty Creator and Sustainer.

They Remind Us of humanity's frailty, and the Curse that Sin brought upon creation.

Yet for the Believer, the Storm that Humbles us, is also the Storm that Sanctifies us.

Beloved, the Storms of this world are Reminders that Judgment is coming--but so is Restoration.

Every Tempest Whispers the Promise of a New Heavens and a New Earth In which Righteousness Dwells. 

Until that day, let every Earthly Disaster remind us: the Same hand that Sends the storm, also Holds His People Secure Within His Loving Heart.

Sovereign Lord, when Creation Groans and the World Trembles, Teach us to see Your Holiness and Justice in Every Storm. 

Lead us to Repentance, to Awe, and to Unwavering Trust in Your Righteous Rule.

May we Proclaim that in all things--even in Disaster--You Alone are Worthy of Praise. Amen.

Psa 46:1  God is our Refuge and Strength, a very Present Help In Trouble.

Psa 46:2  Therefore Will Not We Fear, though the earth be removed, and though the Mountains be Carried into the Midst of the Sea;

The Shrine Of Mammon

Mar 10:21  Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

Mar 10:22  And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

At this, the man's face fell, and he went sadly away because he had Many possessions.

You see what the defect was in this young man. He did not possess the faith which overcomes the world. 

He wished to Unite two utterly Irreconcilable things: the Love of GOD, and the Love of Money. 

He wanted to serve Two Masters: GOD, and Mammon.

It was not open vice and profligacy that kept him from salvation.

It was the more decent and reputable sin, of Supreme Attachment to Worldly Things. 

He could give up many sins, but he could not give up his Besetting sin--Supreme regard for Wealth. 

He could do many things, but he could not give up All to follow Jesus.

He could give up open vice, but he could not deny himself and take up his cross. He had many good qualities, but he Lacked one thing.

If open vice has slain its thousands, then Worldliness has slain its tens of thousands!

Of all the false gods, the Shrine of Mammon is most resorted to.

It is from that Idolatrous Temple, that the broadest and most beaten path to the Bottomless Pit will be found.

Included in the crowd which press along that broad road that leads to destruction, are not only the blasphemous, the murderers, the liars and cheats, the proud, and the immoral.

But also those who follow things which are just, and honest, and true, and reputable.

Yet they rise no higher than to be the Worshipers of this sordid deity, Money!

Yes, even Mammon can boast of devotees who hate all that is vile, dishonorable and unjust.

In the Broad road which leads to destruction, there is a path for the Lovers of Money--as well as for the Lovers of Heinous Sins!

Luk 16:13  No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye Cannot serve God and mammon.

~J. A. James

IF Our HEARTS Are GLUED To The WORLD!

Run for your lives! Do not look back, and do not stop anywhere on the plain! Flee to the mountains, or you will be swept away

Gen 19:17  And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

Gen 19:26  But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

When the time to leave Sodom arrived, Lot's wife Could Not Tear Herself Away From It. 

She had always lived in Sodom, and had Loved it, and Delighted in it.

Lot's wife never had any spiritual life; and now, when she is called to leave Sodom, she showed her True Character by a Deliberate Disobedience to God, and risked her all--to give a lingering Love-glance at the Doomed city. 

And so she Perishes. Dreadful doom! 

On the Verge of Mercy--to be Slain by Justice; on the Brink of Salvation--to be the Victim of Eternal Wrath!

This is the subject of our discourse: The love of the world is a soul-damning sin. 

Those who cling to it must perish, be they who they may.

To be Separated from the Ungodly world, its Trifles, its Maxims, its Motives, it's Aims--is the Mark of a True Disciple of Jesus. 

So our Lord implores us to, "Remember Lot's wife!" 

She is to be a Caution to us all, for God will deal with us, as He did with her--if we Share her Character.

If our hearts are Glued to the world, then we shall Perish with the world. 

If our Desires and Delights look that way, and if we find our Comfort in it, then we ourselves will be Consumed with it in the Day Of Judgment. 

Separation is the only way of escape. 

We must either Flee from the Ungodly world, or Perish with it.

I fear that the number of True Christians is very much less than most suppose. 

We are surrounded by a host of people who call themselves Christians, but are as much of the world as other people, whose Pleasure is in the world, whose Speech is worldly, and who are Altogether of the world!

Remember Lot's wife! Whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it. 

Luke 17:32  Remember Lot's wife.

Luke 17:33  Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

~Charles Spurgeon

It Is BETTER To Be DEAF!

Pro 10:18  He that Hideth Hatred with Lying lips, and he that Uttereth a Slander, is a Fool.

In the case of Slander, the Listener is almost as bad as the speaker.

The only proper response, is to Shut Your Ears the moment you begin to hear an Evil Report of another from anyone.

The person has No Right to Tell It to you and you have No Right to Listen to it!

If you Refuse To Listen he will not be able to go on with his story.

Ears are made to hear with, but on occasion it is better to be deaf.

We all aim at courtesy, and courtesy requires that we be patient listeners, even to dull speakers; but even courtesy does not require us to Listen to evil reports about a neighbor.

Ears should be Trained to Shut instinctively when the Breath Of Slander touches it, just as our eyes shut at the slightest approach of harm.

~J. R. Miller~

"He who Speaks A Slander, carries the Devil on his Tongue and he who Listens to it, carries the Devil in his Ear!"

~Thomas Watson~

If YOU Can SIN And Not WEEP Over it!

If You can Sin and Not Weep over it, you are an Heir of Hell.

If you can go into sin, and afterwards Feel Satisfied to have done so, you are on the Road of Destruction.

If there are No prickings of conscience...

No Inward Torments...

No Bleeding Wounds...

If you have No Throbs and Heavings of a bosom that cannot Rest...

If your Soul Never feels filled with Wormwood and Gall when you Know you have Done Evil, you are No Child of God.

-Charles Spurgeon

The Forces Which Are At Work!

The forces which are at work to bring a soul to ruin...

To prevent a man or a woman from reaching God’s appointed and desired haven...

Are far greater and more terrible and persistent than anything that has ever been encountered in the natural realm of storms. 

Of course, you do not know that Until you Definitely Set yourself in the Direction of GODS Will. 

A great many people in this world seem to be getting along very well...

With not very much trouble... 

And Think that they are going (in that easygoing, carefree way) to get where God wants them to be. 

That is an illusion. 

Never yet has there been a Definite and Serious association with the Will of GOD...

The purpose of GOD...

Except there has been the rising of terrific conflict and tempest to make that realization impossible...

And I say when a man or a woman does Seriously have an understanding with God that His Will and purpose is to be realized in their life and that they are Abandoned to Him for that...

Then such a life will Know that it is Not all plain sailing, or easygoing. 

There will be forces which were not imagined arising to Hinder that, to make that impossible.

The course of the salvation of a soul is the course of no less a conflict than all the forces of heaven and hell locked in battle over that soul.

That is not exaggerating. 

Sooner or later it is found that we are Not going to get through quite so easily. 

In the early stages of this story, these people thought they had gained their end - "the south wind blew softly".

The thing seemed to be going very well. 

Oh no, that is not the experience of those who are Really In Union With GOD for His purpose, and we shall find that we need a good cargo of anchors before we are through. 

If there is one thing that we shall need, it will be Anchors. 

We are going to be put under Terrific Testing and Strain and there has got to be some Real Holding Power or we are going to be on the rocks spiritually, our destiny will be a shipwreck. 

There are those referred to in the New Testament as those who "concerning the faith have made shipwreck".

1Ti 1:19  Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

That is a terrible possibility. 

But there are those referred to also as having, "an Anchor of the soul, both Sure and Steadfast and Entering into that which is Within The Veil".

Heb 6:19  Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

 ~T. Austin Sparks~

The Powerful Weapon Of "It Is Written."

                                                 
Now, it may be that the devil is trying some of you tonight. 

You are very poor, or business is going very awkwardly, and Satan suggests that you should Help Yourself in an Improper manner. 

He tells you that you can get out of your trouble Very Easily by some action which, although it may not be strictly right, may not be so very wrong after all. 

He said to Jesus, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." 

But Jesus answered him saying "It is written" That is Christ's sword. 

See how swiftly he drew it out of its sheath. 

What a Sharp Two-Edged Sword is this to be used against Satan! 

You also, believer, have this Powerful Weapon in your hand. 

Let no man take it from you. 

He should Overcome the tempter "It is Written" "It is Written" 

~Charles Spurgeon~

Better Pleased If The LORD Did Not Inquire?

Most Christians would be Better Pleased...if the Lord Did Not inquire into their Personal affairs too closely. 

They want Him to save them...

Keep them happy...

And take them to Heaven at last...

But not to be too inquisitive about their Desires or Daily Conduct.

But He Has searched us and known us...

He knows our down sitting and our uprising and understands our thoughts afar off. 

There is No place to hide from those eyes that are as a flame of fire...

And there is No way to escape from the Judgment of those feet that are like fine brass. 

It is the part of Wisdom to live with these things in mind!

~A. W. Tozer~

Be Strong In Adversities And Storms!

Eph 6:10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

The Lord Does Not Put Us In Glass Houses to Grow us, to be His Trees...

The Lord Does Not Protect Us From The Storms, The Adversities...

He Exposes us to the Bitter Winds and the Scorching Suns of Adversity and Trial.

The Lord is Working In Us that which is According To His Own Nature...Eternity, The Enduring, The Everlasting God...

That which will not be Easily or Hardly carried away.

He Is Putting Substance In You.

Oh, today we fear that the Appeal to become Christians is so often in terms of having an Easy or a Good time...

Being happy and enjoying yourself...

Well, thank God for ALL Divine Joy...

But this is True to the House, to the City...

That the First Thing the Lord is Working Toward...

And Seeking To Work Into His People is that Substantial, Steadfast, Enduring Faithfulness that is according to His Own Nature.

Substantial!

Oh For Substantial Christians That Don’t Need Coddling And Nursing And Running After All The Time...

Being Pandered To Get Them To Go On Or Stand Up.

Men And Women Like Cedars Of Lebanon...

Like The Hewn Stones...

Weighty, Accountable, and Responsible to Carry Weight...

And all that is meant by Strength.

I can only remind you again of what a Large Place that has in the Word of God...

Be Strong, Be Strong in the Lord in the Strength of His Might...

Be Strong in the Grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Think again...

Want to Understand Why the winds are Allowed to blow so Fiercely...the storms?

To Get Us Away From That Natural, Easy-going-ness or Cheapness, Lightness, Frivolousness...

And To Make Us People Of Weight.

Strength Through Testing, Through Adversity...

Strength To Endure Throughout All Ages.

There is much which is going to be Carried Away in the Last Great Testing...

And if, therefore, Trial and Adversity is the Only Way to Deepen us, to Put Caliber into us...

I Suppose We Must Expect More Of It As The Time Shortens.

~T. Austin Sparks

In THAT Time BEFORE All Time!

 

Meditate, dear friends, upon the Whole Range Of God's Works in Creation and Providence.

There was a period when God dwelt alone, and creatures were not.

In that time before all time, when there was No day but "The Ancient Of Days,"...

When Matter and Created Mind were alike Unborn, and even space Was Not...

God, The Great I AM, was as Perfect, Glorious, and as Blessed as He is now.

There was No sun, and yet Jehovah Dwelt In ineffable Light.

There was No earth, and yet His throne Stood Fast and Firm.

There were No heavens, and yet His Glory Was Unbounded.

God inhabited eternity in the infinite Majesty and Happiness of His Self-Contained Greatness.

If the Lord, thus abiding in Solemn Solitude, should Choose To Create Anything--the first thought and idea Must come from Him... for there was no other to think or suggest.

All things must be of Him in design.

With whom can He take counsel?

Who shall instruct Him?

There existed no other to come into His council-chamber, even if such an assistance could be supposable with the Most High.

In the beginning of His Way, before His works of old, Eternal wisdom brought forth from its own mind the perfect plan of future creations...

And every Line and Mark therein must Clearly have been of the Lord Alone.

He Ordained the pathway of every planet, and fixed the abode of every star.

He Poured forth the sweet influences of the Pleiades, and girt Orion with its bands.

He Appointed the bounds of the sea, and settled the course of the winds.

As to the earth, the Lord Alone Planned Its Foundations, and Stretched His Line Upon It.

He Formed in His own mind, the mold of all His creatures, and found for them a dwelling and a service.

He Appointed the degree of strength with which He would endow each creature...

Settled its months of life...

Its hour of death...

Its coming and its going.

Divine Wisdom Mapped This Earth...

Its Flowing rivers and Foaming seas, the Towering mountains, and the Laughing valleys.

The Divine Architect Fixed The Gates Of The Morning...

And The Doors Of The Shadow Of Death.

Nothing could have been suggested by any other, for there was no other to suggest.

It was in His Power to have made a universe very different from this-if He had so pleased.

That He has made it what it is, must have been merely because in His Wisdom and Prudence, He Saw Fit To Do So.

Rev 4:11  Thou Art Worthy, O Lord, to Receive Glory and Honour and Power: for thou hast Created All Things, and for Thy Pleasure they are and were created.

~Charles Spurgeon

From Groaning To Glory

Rom 8:17  And IF children, then Heirs; Heirs of God, and Joint-Heirs with Christ; IF so be that we Suffer with him, that we may be also Glorified together.

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the Sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the Glory which shall be revealed in us.

What Grace is this, that those who were once Rebels and Enemies of God, are now called His Children. 

Not merely Pardoned, not only Adopted-but made heirs of God Himself and co-heirs with Christ. 

This is a staggering truth, and one far beyond human merit or imagination. 

It is God's sovereign grace on display, lifting the ruined sons of Adam into the royal family of Heaven.

To be a Child of God is the Highest Privilege known to man. 

It is not something earned, but Granted by Divine Grace to those who are United to Christ by faith. 

And with Sonship comes Inheritance, not merely an inheritance from God, but God Himself as our portion. 

We are Heirs of God, and Joint-Heirs with Christ.

But there is a Condition, "IF indeed we Share in His sufferings." 

This is not a condition of merit, but of Identity. 

To Belong to Christ is to Walk The Path He Walked. 

There Can Be No Crown Without The Cross; No Glory Without The Grief. 

This World That Hated Him, Will Not Embrace His Followers. 

And while our afflictions may differ in kind and degree-Every True Believer will in some form, Share in the Fellowship of His Sufferings.

How can that be? Because the Weight of Glory is Infinite. 

The Suffering is Momentary, yet the Glory is Eternal. 

The Trials are Temporal-yet the Inheritance is Incorruptible, Undefiled, and Unfading. 

IF we are to Reign with Christ, we Must Be Content to Suffer with Him. 

The Cross Is The Stepping-Stone To The Crown. 

The Cross we Bear today, is but the Prelude to a Crown of Righteousness that Christ Himself Will Place upon our heads.

Believer, are you Weary under the Burden of Sorrow, Temptation or Persecution? 

Are you Misunderstood, Slandered or Lonely in your walk with Christ?

Take Heart. These Are The Marks Of Sonship. 

Do not look merely at what is Seen. Fix your gaze on what is Eternal. 

You are an Heir of God. You are a Co-Heir with the Risen, Reigning Christ. 

Every tear shall be Wiped Away. Every groan shall be turned to praise. 

Every Trial is Preparing you for a Glory that shall be Revealed in you-a Glory that is nothing less than Full Conformity to Christ, and Everlasting Communion with Him.

Yet even in the midst of these afflictions, the Spirit testifies of something far greater--the Glory that will be Revealed in us. 

This is not a hope based on feelings or fantasies. 

It is the Spirit-Wrought Assurance that suffering is Not the end, but the Appointed Path to Everlasting Glory.

Paul, a man well acquainted with agony and loss, weighs both suffering and glory in the scales of eternity-and declares that our sufferings are not even worthy of comparison.

Our sufferings, though real, are Fleeting Shadows. 

The Glory that awaits is Full, Eternal and Transforming. 

It shall be revealed IN us, not merely before us, or around us, but WITHIN us. 

The Glory of Christ shall Shine in and through all the Redeemed, when we are made like Him and be with Him Forever.

Believer, when the burden is heavy and the path is dark, let your heart Anchor itself to this truth-you are an Heir of Glory! 

You may  Groan today, but you will be  Glorified tomorrow. 

These light and momentary afflictions, are Preparing You for an Eternal weight of glory that far outweighs them all. 

Keep Your Eyes On The Unseen. 

The Sorrow is Passing-the Glory is Everlasting.

Father, Help us to Endure the Sufferings of this present time with Hope and Perseverance. 

Fix our eyes on the Glory that is to come, and let the Promise of our Inheritance in Christ Sustain us through every trial. 

May we Rejoice, not in the ease of our path, but in the Certainty of our Destination. In Jesus' name, Amen.

~Charles Spurgeon

The Absolute Sovereignty Of GOD!

The Absolute Sovereignty of God extends to All things, including Wars, Disasters and Plagues. 

Scripture testifies that these events are neither random nor outside of His Control. 

God Ordains All things, including calamities. 

Nothing happens outside His Sovereign decree. 

Yet, while God Decrees and Governs all things, He remains perfectly Holy and Unstained by sin.

Psa 46:8  Come, behold the Works of the LORD, what Desolations he hath made in the earth.

From the Decimating Earthquake, to the Devouring Fire; From the Devastating Tsunami, to the Deadly Plague; From the Volcanic Eruption, to the Destructive Hurricane

The Bible clearly teaches that all what we call "natural disasters" fall under the Sovereign decree of Almighty God. 

He governs all of His creation according to His Decreed Will--yet He remains Unstained by sin, executing His Sovereign purposes in Justice, Wisdom and Righteousness.

"Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?" (Amos 3:6)

Amo 3:6  Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil(affliction,calamity) in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?

When the earth quakes beneath us, let us not attribute it to chance, or accident, or laws of nature--but to Him Who Alone Shakes The Pillars thereof. 

Storms at sea, Earthquakes on land, and Tempests in the sky--are but the outstretched rod of Jehovah, Calling men to Repentance and reminding them that He alone is God!

Though God ordains all these events, He remains holy and without sin. "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:5). 

1Jn 1:5  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

He does not do evil, nor can He be accused of injustice. God's purposes are always just and righteous. "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" (Genesis 18:25).

Let us, therefore acknowledge God's Sovereign hand in all things, and Bow in Reverence!

~Charles Spurgeon

Two Gates, Two Ways, Two Ends!

There Are Only Two GATES:

One of them is Wide. Its name is Self...
 
My Own desires, my Own proud thoughts, my Own righteousness, my Own beloved and darling sins, my Own plans and pleasures.

The other gate is Narrow. Its name is Christ...

Christ sought with Repentance and Godly sorrow, Christ followed at any hazard.

It is the gate of the Crucifixion of Self!

There are Only two WAYS:

One of them is Broad, Easy, Pleasant, Comfortable, Pleasing to the Flesh, Thronged with Multitudes...

A Primrose path, but always tending downward, and bringing Disastrous consequences.

The other way is Difficult and Narrow, as it were through a gorge between craggy cliffs which nearly meet...

Haunted by Dangers and Enemies, chosen by comparatively Few.

The Christian's Toilsome pilgrimage and Dangerous journey...

Ah, how the road climbs up and up!

There are Only two ENDS:

One of them is Destruction...

Dark, Hopeless, Irretrievable, the Death of peace, the Death of hope, the Death of every good impulse,  the Death of the soul!

The other end is Life...

Life at its Fullest, Sublimest, Sweetest, Life Without sin and Without Sorrow...

Life in the land of Life and Glory, Life in the Presence of Christ For All Eternity!

Consciously, Deliberately, Unequivocally, may I Seek...

The Narrow gate, the Difficult way, the end which is Everlasting Life!

~Alexander Smellie
 

GOD'S Enemies SHALL BOW!

Exo 7:5  And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.

The ungodly world is hard to teach. Egypt Does Not Know Jehovah and therefore dares to set up its idols and even ventures to ask, "Who is the LORD?" 

Yet the LORD means to Break Proud Hearts, whether they will or not. 

When His judgments Thunder over their heads, Darken their skies, Destroy their harvests, and Slay their sons, they Begin To Discern somewhat of Jehovah's Power. 

There Will Yet Be Such Things Done In The Earth as shall bring skeptics To Their Knees. 

Let us not be dismayed because of their blasphemies, for the LORD can take care of His own name, and He Will Do So in a Very Effectual Manner.

The salvation of His own people was another potent means of making Egypt know that the GOD of Israel was Jehovah, the Living and True GOD. 

No Israelite died by any one of the Ten plagues. 

None of the Chosen Seed were drowned in the Red Sea. 

Even so, the salvation of the elect and the sure glorification of all True believers will make the most obstinate of GOD'S enemies Acknowledge that Jehovah, He Is GOD.

Oh, that His Convincing Power would go forth by His Holy Spirit in the preaching of the gospel, till all nations Shall Bow at the name of Jesus and call Him LORD!