Wherever He Turned, the Sun Was There!

Wherever he turned, the sun was there!

(Thomas Guthrie)

The dimness of sin impairs our vision, but were we to see Jesus, as we shall see Him in Heaven--I think it would happen to us as once it happened to a celebrated philosopher: 

Pursuing his discoveries on the subject of light--he ventured on a bold experiment. He fixed his gaze steadily, for some time, on the sun--exposing his naked eyes to the burning beams of the fiery disc. 

And such was the impression made on the organ of sight--that wherever he turned, the sun was there! 
If he looked down, the sun was beneath his feet; 
it shone in the top of the sky in the murkiest midnight;
it blazed on the page of every book he read;
he saw it when he shut his eyes--and he saw it when he opened them. 
The sun was the last object which he saw when he passed into sleep--and it was the first to meet his waking eyes. 

Happy would it be for us, if we got some such sight of Jesus, and the glory of that Sun of Righteousness were so impressed upon the eye of faith--that we could never forget Him, and, ever seeing Him, ever loved Him!

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus!" Hebrews 12:2
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A spiritual instinct!(J.C. Ryle)
"He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. When He has brought out all His own, He goes on ahead of them--and His sheep follow Him because they know His voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." John 10:3-5

We have in these verses, a peculiar picture of true Christians. Our Lord describes them as sheep who hear the voice of a true Shepherd, and know His voice--and as "sheep who will never follow a stranger--they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice."

The thing taught in these words is a very curious one, and may seem "foolishness" to the world. There isa spiritual instinct in most true believers, which generally enables them to distinguish between true and false teaching.
When they hear unsound religious instruction, there is something within them that says, "This is wrong!" When they hear the real truth as it is in Jesus, there is something in their hearts which responds, "This is right!"

The careless man of the world may see no difference whatever between minister and minister, sermon and sermon. The poorest sheep of Christ, as a general rule, will "distinguish things that differ," though he may sometimes be unable to explain why.

Let us beware of despising this spiritual instinct. Whatever a sneering world may please to say, it is one of the peculiar marks of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. As such, it is specially mentioned by John, when he says, "You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things." (1 John 2:20) Let us rather pray for it daily, in order that we may be kept from the influence of false shepherds. To lose all power of distinguishing between bitter and sweet, is one of the worst symptoms of bodily disease. In the same way, to be unable to see any difference between . . .
  the gospel--and the law,
  truth--and error,
  Protestantism--and Popery,
  the doctrine of Christ--and the doctrine of man,
is a sure proof that we are yet dead in heart, and need conversion!

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If you would adopt a swine to be your child!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will" Ephesians 1:5

"Beloved, now we are children of God!" 1 John 3:2

No man has any 'right' to be a child of God--it is an act of pure unmistakable grace!

If we are born into God's family--it is a miracle of mercy. It is one of the ever-blessed exhibitions of the infinite love of God, that has set itself upon us.

If you are this day an heir of Heaven--remember, man, you were once the slave of Hell. Once you wallowed in the mire of sin!

If you would adopt a swine to be your child--you would not then have performed an act of greater compassion, than when God adopted you.

And if an angel could exalt a gnat to equal dignity with himself--yet this would not be as great a privilege as that which God has conferred on you.

He has taken you from the dunghill--and He has set you among princes!

Remember that this is pure grace! Look back to the hole of the pit from where you were dug, and the miry clay from where you were drawn.

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The Bible!(author unknown)

"And we also thank God continually because, when you received the Word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the Word of God, which is at work in you who believe!" 1 Thessalonians 2:13 

The Bible contains . . .
  the mind of God,
  the state of man,
  the way of salvation,
  the doom of sinners, and 
  the happiness of believers. 

Its doctrines are holy, 
its precepts are binding, 
its histories are true, and 
its decisions are immutable.

Read it to be wise, 
believe it to be safe, 
and practice it to be holy. 

The Bible contains . . .
  light to direct you,
  food to support you,
  and comfort to cheer you.

It is . . .
  the traveler's map,
  the pilgrim's staff,
  the pilot's compass,
  the soldier's sword and
  the Christian's charter. 

Here too, Heaven is opened--and the gates of Hell are disclosed.

Christ is its grand subject, 
our good is its design, and 
the glory of God is its end. 

The Bible should . . .
  fill the memory,
  rule the heart
  and guide the feet. 

Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully.  

The Scripture is . . .
  a mine of wealth,
  a paradise of glory,
  and a river of pleasure!

It . . .
  is given to you in life,
  will be opened at the judgment,
  and be remembered forever. 

The Bible . . .
  involves the highest responsibility,
  rewards the greatest labor, and
  will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents!

"Forever, O LORD, Your Word is settled in Heaven!" Psalm 119:89 
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Religious entertainment!

(A.W. Tozer)

A great company of evangelical churches have already gone over into the area of religious entertainment, so that many churches are tramping on the doorstep of the theater!

The tragic results of this spirit are all about us:
  shallow lives,
  hollow religious philosophies,
  the preponderance of the element of fun in gospel meetings,
  the glorification of men,
  trust in religious externalities,
  quasi-religious fellowships,
  salesmanship methods,
  the mistaking of dynamic personality for the power of the Spirit.

These and such as these, are the symptoms of an evil disease--a deep and serious malady of the soul.

Religious entertainment has so corrupted the Church, that millions don't know that it's a heresy. Millions of evangelicals throughout the world have devoted themselves to religious entertainment. They don't know that it's as much heresy, as the "counting of beads" or the "splashing of holy water" or something else. To expose this, of course, raises a storm of angry protest among the people.

Isn't there a difference between worship and entertainment?

The church that can't worship, must be entertained. And men who can't lead a church to worship, must provide the entertainment. That is why we have the great evangelical heresy here today--the heresy of religious entertainment!