The Highway Forums Active Threads Since Yesterday

08/19/AM

"He shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord."

—Micah 5:2-4 (KJV) " 2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, [though] thou be little among the thousands of Judah, [yet] out of thee shall he come forth unto me [that is] to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth [have been] from of old, from everlasting. 3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time [that] she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. 4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth."

Christ's reign in His Church is that of a shepherd-king. He has supremacy, but it is the superiority of a wise and tender shepherd over his needy and loving flock; He commands and receives obedience, but it is the willing obedience of the well-cared-for sheep, rendered joyfully to their beloved Shepherd, whose voice they know so well. He rules by the force of love and the energy of goodness.

His reign is practical in its character. It is said, "He shall stand and feed." The great Head of the Church is actively engaged in providing for His people. He does not sit down upon the throne in empty state, or hold a sceptre without wielding it in government. No, He stands and feeds. The expression "feed," in the original, is like an analogous one in the Greek, which means to shepherdize, to do everything expected of a shepherd: to guide, to watch, to preserve, to restore, to tend, as well as to feed.

His reign is continual in its duration. It is said, "He shall stand and feed"; not "He shall feed now and then, and leave His position"; not, "He shall one day grant a revival, and then next day leave His Church to barrenness." His eyes never slumber, and His hands never rest; His heart never ceases to beat with love, and His shoulders are never weary of carrying His people's burdens.

His reign is effectually powerful in its action; "He shall feed in the strength of Jehovah." Wherever Christ is, there is God; and whatever Christ does is the act of the Most High. Oh! it is a joyful truth to consider that He who stands to-day representing the interests of His people is very God of very God, to whom every knee shall bow. Happy are we who belong to such a shepherd, whose humanity communes with us, and whose divinity protects us. Let us worship and bow down before Him as the people of His pasture.

- Charles H. Spurgeon

Holy comfort leads the believer to regularly examine themselves honestly, while false joy encourages the hypocrite to avoid such self-examination. True consolation is lasting, fixed in the heart by the Holy Spirit so that it is never completely lost, and it is so strong that it overcomes almost all fear and sorrow. If a believer loses sight of their relationship with Christ, they may lose the sense of joy, but the root of that joy still remains. On the other hand, the hypocrite’s sense of comfort vanishes even if they still think they have God’s favor—the joy itself turns empty. The more a believer experiences holy comfort, the more their duty becomes their delight. Renewed in mind and heart, the clearer they see God’s beauty in Christ, and the more firmly they believe in his love for them, the more they love and delight in God. As they recognize the infinite goodness and holiness of God, and truly believe in His redeeming love, their approval and joy in God grows. The more they are able to trust that God loves them in Christ, the richer their spiritual comfort. And the more they rejoice in God, the more they delight in Him as their own Father.

~ John Colquhoun

True consolation is glorious; it is both the beginning and the promise of future glory. Counterfeit joy is base and fleeting. True comfort is holy—it promotes holiness and a willingness to obey God. It energizes and motivates believers in their pursuit of holiness. The joy of the hypocrite is not holy. It leaves the heart just as worldly and the life just as unholy as before—sometimes even strengthening selfish desires and encouraging laziness or secret wrongdoing. True comfort humbles the sincere Christian, bringing them low before God’s holiness and grace, while counterfeit joy only makes the hypocrite proud and self-satisfied. Real consolation is always accompanied by a reverent fear of displeasing God; fake joy only fears God’s punishment, not His displeasure. Spiritual comfort cannot be maintained without a sensitive conscience and a continual struggle against sin, but hypocritical joy needs neither. True comfort makes every sin more hateful, while false joy allows the hypocrite to continue loving sin, especially their favorite hidden sins.

~ John Colquhoun

The distinguishing qualities of true spiritual comfort, as opposed to the fleeting joy of the hypocrite, are these: True consolation is real and solid; even when the believer’s sadness seems deep, his joy is deeper and more genuine. The hypocrite’s joy is only on the surface and quickly fades. True joy is rooted in the beauty and excellence of Christ Himself, not just in the experience of joy. The true Christian delights most in who Christ is, not merely in the benefits received. A hypocrite delights more in his own experience or supposed interest in Christ than in Christ Himself. True comfort usually comes along with, or after, genuine sorrow for sin. The hypocrite’s joy appears quickly and without repentance. If the hypocrite tries to mourn for sin, it takes away his joy, but the believer finds joy even in repentance and a softened heart. True comfort is hidden from those who are not born again. The world cannot understand or interfere with the spiritual joy of a true Christian. The comfort of the sincere Christian is deep and inexpressible, while the joy of the hypocrite and worldling is shallow and easily explained.

~ John Colquhoun

We have turned everyone to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6) describes the course which we all follow by nature. Before conversion every soul lives to please self. Of old it was written, “every man did that which was right in his own eyes,” and why? “In those days there was no King in Israel” (Jdg 21:25). Ah! that is the point we desire to make clear to the reader. Until Christ becomes your King (1Ti 1:17; Rev 15:3), until you bow to His scepter, until His will becomes the rule of your life, self dominates, and thus Christ is disowned.

~ Arthur Pink, "Is Christ Your Lord?"

08/18/AM

"Strangers are come into the sanctuaries of the Lord's house."

—Jeremiah "51:50-52 (KJV) 50 Ye that have escaped the sword, go away, stand not still: remember the LORD afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your mind. 51 We are confounded, because we have heard reproach: shame hath covered our faces: for strangers are come into the sanctuaries of the LORD'S house. 52 Wherefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will do judgment upon her graven images: and through all her land the wounded shall groan."

In this account the faces of the Lord's people were covered with shame, for it was a terrible thing that men should intrude into the Holy Place reserved for the priests alone. Everywhere about us we see like cause for sorrow. How many ungodly men are now educating with the view of entering into the ministry! What a crying sin is that solemn lie by which our whole population is nominally comprehended in a National Church! How fearful it is that ordinances should be pressed upon the unconverted, and that among the more enlightened churches of our land there should be such laxity of discipline. If the thousands who will read this portion shall all take this matter before the Lord Jesus this day, He will interfere and avert the evil which else will come upon His Church. To adulterate the Church is to pollute a well, to pour water upon fire, to sow a fertile field with stones. May we all have grace to maintain in our own proper way the purity of the Church, as being an assembly of believers, and not a nation, an unsaved community of unconverted men.

Our zeal must, however, begin at home. Let us examine ourselves as to our right to eat at the Lord's table. Let us see to it that we have on our wedding garment, lest we ourselves be intruders in the Lord's sanctuaries. Many are called, but few are chosen; the way is narrow, and the gate is strait. O for grace to come to Jesus aright, with the faith of God's elect. He who smote Uzzah for touching the ark is very jealous of His two ordinances; as a true believer I may approach them freely, as an alien I must not touch them lest I die. Heartsearching is the duty of all who are baptized or come to the Lord's table. "Search me, O God, and know my way, try me and know my heart."

- Charles H. Spurgeon