IF YOU NEVER …

If you never felt pain, how would you know that I am a Healer?
If you never had to pray, how would you know that I am a Deliverer?
If you never had a trial, how could you call yourself an overcomer?
If you never felt sadness, how would you know that I am a Comforter?
If you never made a mistake, how would you know that I am a forgiver?
If you knew all, how would you know that I will answer your questions?
If you never were in trouble, how would you know that I will come to your rescue?
If you never were broken, how would you know that I can make you whole?
If you never had a problem, how would you know that I can solve them?
If you never had any suffering, how would you know what I went through?
If you never went through the fire, how would you become pure?
If I gave you all things, how could you appreciate them?
If I never corrected you, how would you know that I love you?
If you had all power, how would you learn to depend on me?
If your life was perfect, what would you need me for?
-author unknown

1Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.
This home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus was as close to a home as Jesus had; it was a surrogate home. This house and its people were dear to Jesus and He spent many hours here. It was His physical refuge from Jerusalem.

3So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”
This is a good model for prayer – humble – no demands or requests, just a statement of the facts. We are to bring our cares before God and trust that He will take care of things and do so in His own time. ‘He whom you love’ – not ‘the one who loves you’. Jesus’ care for us is not dependent on our love for Him but instead on His love for us. We love Him because He first loved us. The word for love here is brotherly love (philia), not erotic love (eros) or divine love (agape). This use instead of agape shows Christ’s humanity as does vss 35 and 36.

4But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
This message was not news to Jesus. As God, He knew of the illness, death, and coming resurrection of Lazarus before the messenger ever approached. Our God is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. There is nothing that has or ever will happen that He does not know about and is sovereign over. Illness – this is the word for ‘very sick leading to death.’ “It” in the next sentence refers back to this word and is for God’s glory (why?) so that God’s Son may be glorified through it. The purpose of this whole event is God’s glory. We must not forget, overlook, or have the event itself diminish this. God’s glory and the Son of God’s (Christ’s) glory are the same and equal. This is consistent throughout the Bible. We cannot give glory to God without also giving glory to Christ. Any trial a believer faces can ultimately bring glory to God because God can bring good out of any bad situation. When trouble comes, do you grumble, complain, and blame God, or do you see your problems as opportunities to honor Him?

5Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
The word for love used here is agape and not philia as before. This love is in no hurry (see next vs and Isaiah 30:18).

6So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
So – transition word – ties previous verse to the next. He stayed where he was two more days because of his love for Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. This is also for the disciples’ benefit (vs 15). The timing of God is seen by us as His always being late. His delay had a specific purpose. God’s timing, especially His delays, may make us think He is not answering or is not answering the way we want, but He will meet all our needs according to His perfect schedule and purpose. Patiently await His timing.

7Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?”
Jesus had a good ministry in Bethany while a stoning awaited Him in Jerusalem. In addition, He had just stated that this sickness would not end in death. So the response of the disciples is understandable. The ‘Jews’ here refer not to the Jewish people but instead to the Jewish leaders. This is also true when ‘the Jews’ is used later in vss 19, 31, 33, and 36.

9Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
This was a common cultural saying and was used to indicate that all things are to be done in their time. Jesus was saying that He would go where He was supposed to go when He was supposed to go there. In this instance, that meant going to Bethany. However, as Jesus often does, this saying also had spiritual significance. In this situation, Jesus was also saying that God has control over the length of life and is in control of when night (death) comes. This would apply to their going to Jerusalem and the assumed stoning that awaited them as well as the result of Lazarus’ sickness. Also, while similar but slightly different, this saying also indicates that things must happen according to God’s timeline. This is similar to what Jesus meant when he said “Mine hour has not come.”

11After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”
Fallen asleep is a euphemism for death. This term is used 14+ times in the Bible and always means death. Anyone that teaches ‘soul sleep’ based on this term is misinterpreting the Bible. This misinterpretation is addressed head-on in vss 13-14. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

13Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
This is days before the cross and this will be Jesus’ last miracle. Jesus needed something the disciples could cling to as they gazed upon Him on the cross. This would do that and bring to mind His power and that they could trust in it and in Him. Again we see Jesus’ omniscience.

16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
This is a sarcastic comment. Thomas’ love was so strong he was willing to die with Jesus, but his faith was so weak he knew he would. “Doubting Thomas” doubted long before the resurrection. Thomas was eventually martyred, so this was somewhat prophetic. Would you die for Christ? Even harder – would you live for Him? To live for Christ you must crucify yourself daily. It is wise to consider the high cost of being Jesus’ disciple.

17Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.
This is a humble act by Jesus. He put Mary and Martha before Himself. He stopped what He was doing and came in response to the request. He came to give life. In the same way, Jesus put us before Himself. He stepped down out of heaven and came to this world, into a funeral, out of humility to give life. Humility is the first of four basic ingredients of salvation.

18Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house.
Jesus deals with Martha and Mary differently since their personalities are different, respecting them as individuals, and loving them each as they needed. Jesus, the unchanging God, does the same with us.

21Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
There is no indication of tone here. Is this an accusation? Some argue that it is or that it is laced with a touch of sarcasm. If taken by itself, it could be seen that way. However, this is not all that Martha said. One must continue reading (vs 22) and when taken as a whole, combined with her personality as seen throughout Scripture and her relationship with Jesus, this is most likely not the case and is instead a lament and/or a statement of fact/faith.

22But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
The topic of the resurrection was a highly debated ‘hot topic’ of the day. This shows that Martha was informed of the theology, had considered the arguments, and had come to a conclusion. From this we gain a little insight into her personality.

25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
Vs 25 pertains to the physical while vs 26 pertains to the spiritual. These two vss are revelation – divine truth revealed. Revelation is the second basic ingredient of salvation. This is the fifth of seven ‘I am’ statements in John’s Gospel where Jesus takes the same title that God ascribed to himself in Exodus 3. There is no life without Him. Do you believe this? This question forces Martha to NOT look at herself, her pain, her loss, her brother, or anything else but instead to look to Him. This question is for us as well as Martha. To those who believe, what wonderful assurance and certainty we have.

27She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
Faith – I believe. Faith is the third basic ingredient of salvation. Martha demonstrates here that Lazarus’ death and her grief had not undermined her confidence in God or her Savior Jesus Christ. She demonstrates how we can maintain our trust in God even when we do not understand why God allows tragedy. This intellectual approach, that is getting things settled mentally, is important to do before the tragedy strikes because when it does, this understanding will guide the emotional side of it during it.

28When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.
This is love. Love is the fourth component of salvation. It is the overarching umbrella under which the other three operate and is the thing that ties them all together. In vs 33, Jesus is intensely human, loving, and caring. ‘Deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled’ – see notes on vs 37.

34And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
Vs 35 shows the same deep human emotion of Jesus as in vs 33. The word love in vs 36 is again the word philia.

37But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”
For some of those there, seeing Jesus weeping did not add-up. His display of emotion at the loss of Lazarus did not seem to align with His power to give sight to the blind. This calls into question exactly what Jesus was weeping over. Was it indeed Lazarus’ death, or was it something else such as the ‘put-on’ mourning by some of those present, the pain that death causes loved ones, sin that causes death, etc. The same questions arise regarding the unrest and troubled spirit we read about above in vs 33. One argument is that Jesus was angered at the emotional grief of the people because it implicitly revealed unbelief in the resurrection and the temporary nature of death. The group was acting like pagans who had no hope. We are left to draw our own conclusions, however, and perhaps it is some of all of these things and more. Regardless of the reasons, we see Jesus’ humanity and the heart of God- raw, intense, and real. Also missing is the tone of this question. Is there an accusation here, or is this simply a statement of perplexity? What they failed to recognize is His will, power, and timing are not ours. We must trust Him for these things. How often do we see that in times of tragedy and difficulty people point the finger at God? Without tone we must reconcile and harmonize this with vs 36, but it does bring up a good question nonetheless.

38Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.”
Our logic is based on our power and abilities. We can arrive at a conclusion that ‘it’s impossible’. This is because we do not look beyond ourselves to Him who made the world. This shows lack of faith. Should it be His will, there is nothing that is impossible; should it not be, nothing is possible (understanding properly God’s ordained will, permissive will, etc.). Culturally, some Jews believed the spirit hovered over the corpse for four days before departing, waiting for an opportunity to re-enter the body. By waiting, Jesus would have dispelled the explanation that Lazarus’ spirit came back to him of its own.

40Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”
This promise is not contingent upon her faith as it may appear. The miracle would happen whether she believed or not. What her faith was required for was to see God’s glory in the miracle. Martha is to watch Jesus, not Lazarus.

41So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.”
Father and Son are one – unified – connected. This prayer was said for the benefit of those that heard it. Likewise, our audible prayers bless those that hear them.

43When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.”
Some say that had Jesus not called Lazarus by name, cemeteries the world over and possibly Hell itself would have been emptied at this command. Again, this is done for the faith of those that heard, either to strengthen it or initiate it. This audible statement was not necessary to accomplish the feat.

44The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Notice the involvement of man in vss 39 and 44. Jesus does not need nor require our involvement, but allows it that through it our faith might be increased and others might be won to Him. Our service to Him is a blessing for us. He gives life, we get to roll away grave-stones and take off grave-clothes. How wonderful He is to permit us to do such things.

Rob Bell’s video transcript:

Several years ago we had an art show at our church and people brought in all kinds of sculptures, and paintings, and we put them on display. And there was this one piece that had a quote from Gandhi in it; and lots of people found this piece compeling. They’d stop and sort of stare at it, and take it in, and reflect on it—but not everybody found it that compelling. Somewhere in the course of the art show somebody attached a hand-written note to the piece, and on the note they had written: “Reality Check—He’s In Hell.”

Gandhi’s in hell? He is? And someone knows this, for sure; and felt the need to let the rest of us know? Will only a few, select, people make it to heaven? And will billions and billions of people burn forever in hell? And, if that’s the case, how do you become one of the few? Is it what you believe; or what you say, or what you do, or who you know—or something that happens in your heart? Or do you need to be initiated, or baptized, or take a class, or converted, or being born again—how does one become one of these few?

And then there is the question behind the questions, the real question: What is God like? Because millions and millions of people were taught that the primary message—the center of the Gospel of Jesus—is that God is going to send you to hell, unless you believe in Jesus. And so, what gets, subtlely, sort of caught and taught is that Jesus rescues you from God. But what kind of God is that; that we would need to be rescued from this God? How could that God ever be good; how could that God ever be trusted? And how could that ever be good news.

This is why lots of people want nothing to do with the Christian faith. They see it as an endless list of absurdities and inconsistencies; and they say: “Why would I ever want to be part of that?” See, what we believe about heaven and hell is incredibly important because it exposes what we believe about Who God is, and what God is like. What you discover in the Bible is so surprising, unexpected, and beautiful, that whatever we’ve been told or taught, the good news is actually better than that; better than we could ever imagine.

The good news is, that love wins.

Jeremy Grinnell’s response:

Several years ago I was touring a holocaust museum, and I was deeply moved the images of suffering and inhuman brutality that I saw there. And near the end of the tour on the wall was a picture of Hitler standing in front of the Eifel Tower in Paris. I and many who were with me were struck by the idea of Hitler enjoying the beauties of Paris while at the same moment one of the greatest genocides the world has ever known was being carried out on his orders. But apparently not everyone saw it exactly the same way. Sometime in the previous few hours, somebody had attached a hand written note to the picture, and on the note they had written, “It’s okay because God forgave Hitler too.”

God forgave Hitler? He did? And someone knows this for sure? And felt the need for the rest of us to know? Do the most evil and unrepentant people in history, remaining what they are, still make it to heaven? And what of those who aren’t quite so evil as that—Child molesters, racists, drug lords. And what of the rest of us who only yell at our children, cut people off on the highway, and cheat on our taxes? And what makes our evil less and Hitler’s more? Is it the number of people you hurt? Or how badly? Or whether anyone else knows? Or whether you meant to? And what if you’re the one who was molested or your loved ones murdered because of their ethnicity?

And then there’s the question behind the question? The real question… What is God like? Because millions and millions were taught that the primary message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that God is willing to forgive everybody no matter who they are or what evils they’ve committed against the rest of us. So what gets subtly sort of caught and taught is that God is willing to forgive the perpetrators of evil, regardless of whether or not their victims ever see justice. That God is willing to let slide things that we mustn’t. But what kind of God is that? Can a God so uninterested in justice be good? How can that God ever be trusted? How could that ever be…good…news?

This is why lots of people want nothing to do with the Christian faith. They see it as an endless list of absurdities and inconsistencies, and say, “why would I ever want to be a part of that?” See what we believe about heaven and hell is incredibly important because it exposes what we believe about who God is and what God is like. What you discover in the bible is so surprising, and unexpected, and beautiful, that whatever we’ve been told or taught, the good news is even better than that, better than we can ever imagine. It means pure and perfect justice, no wrong accusations, no punishments that don’t fit the crime, no hidden motives, no unaccounted pains or sorrows. But overflowing compensation for anyone who’s ever been hurt or betrayed.

The good news is that “justice wins.”

Stop.  At this point, most likely, you have someone in mind.  Really I could have said most any common name like Jim or Tom or Bob, but that’s not the point.  The point is you are probably thinking of someone.  If not, feel free to play along.    And the someone you are thinking of is DIFFERENT than the someone I’m thinking of.  True, they are both called “John” but they are different people.  If I had told you more about John, perhaps given you some specific details about him like he’s married, has two boys, has a limp from a car accident, his wife plays the piano at the church, and the pickup he drives is a black restored ’46 Ford with flames down the hood and fenders.  With these additional details, you would have realized that you were not thinking about the person I was describing and would have moved away from whomever you were thinking about since he no longer met the given description.

Let’s try this little exercise again.  I’d like to give you another name.  Jesus.  Do you know Jesus?

Stop.  At this point, most likely, you have someone in mind.  His name is Jesus, sure, but what’s he like?  Can you describe him?  What’s his character like?  Is the Jesus you are thinking of the same Jesus of the Bible?  Are you sure?  This may seem silly to you, but millions of people have a Jesus that is not the Jesus of the Bible.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) do not believe in or teach about the Jesus of the Bible.  The same can be said of Jehovah’s Witnesses and Unitarians.  They have ‘a’ Jesus, not ‘the’ Jesus.  Unfortunately, most are not willing to investigate the discrepancies between what the Scriptures say and their own beliefs.

Sadly, these same claims can be made of many Christians.  Yep.  Many self-professed Christians, when questioned about the Jesus they have in their head, profess belief in ‘a’ Jesus that is not ‘the’ Jesus of the Bible.  And just like the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, they too are not willing to investigate or even listen to the discrepancies between what the Scriptures say and their own beliefs.  “So what?” you say.  “What’s the big deal?  So everyone doesn’t has every little detail down perfectly.  That doesn’t matter.  The only thing that matters is that I believe in Jesus.”  If you believe in ‘the’ Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible, okay.  We can move on to other, lesser-important things and discuss and debate them as brothers.  If, however, you believe in ‘a’ Jesus and this Jesus of yours is not ‘the’ Jesus of the Bible, then there is a major problem.

In the 14th chapter of John, Jesus says that He is the only way to the Father.  If your Jesus is not this Jesus, then you don’t have the right Jesus and you have no way to the Father.  That’s a major problem if you believe you are going to heaven yet don’t believe the Bible or the Jesus of the Bible.  So what DOES the Bible say about Jesus?  Who is the Jesus of the Bible?  In the 8th chapter of Mark, Jesus asked His disciples “Who do you say I am?” and that is basically the question here; who do you say Jesus is?  Here are a few of the essentials:

• Second person of the Trinity
• Divine
• Eternal, not created
• God incarnate (Emmanuel)
• 100% man, 100% God (hypostatic union)
• Born of a virgin
• Lived a sinless life
• The fine payor for your sin
• Crucified, dead, and buried
• Arose on the third day defeating death
• Ascended into heaven

I have now told you more about Jesus.  I have given you specific details about Him.  Have you realized that you were not thinking about the Jesus described in the Bible?  Have you moved away from the Jesus you were thinking about since he no longer meets the given description?  You would have earlier with John.  Why not now?

Make sure your Jesus is ‘the’ Jesus.  Your eternity depends on it.

As I consider how truly little we are, it’s easy to get lost in it.  It’s a really big place, and it’s easy to give in to desperation and a sense of futility.  What’s the point in what little-ole-me does in such a vast place?  But as that thought crosses my mind, another one immediately replaces it.  Diamonds are small too.

Diamonds are small.  Diamonds are rare.  Diamonds are valued.  I am small.  I am rare.  And I am valued.  I watch that video and I see God.  There is no other reasonable explanation for the amazing intricacy, balance, power, size, and design than an almighty God.  (It amazes me that others can watch that video and see the absence of God – read the comments – but that’s a different post).  Out of that vastness, we are.  And to our knowledge, there are no others.  Some theologians go so far to say that, based on the Bible, there can be no others.  Regardless, despite being small, we are NOT insignificant.  And being rare in this large universe makes us all the more special.  We ARE valued.  We are NOT worthless.  How do I know?  The creator of all this has told us so.  ”But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

I still feel little, but only because it’s such a big place.  I am loved by God, the one who measures the universe with the span of His hand, and He has promised me that He will not lose me.  I am His and I am valuable to Him. That’s a Valentine’s Day message everyone should hear.

• Charles Haddon Spurgeon is history’s most widely read preacher (apart from the biblical ones).  Today, there is available more material written by Spurgeon than by any other Christian author, living or dead.
• Spurgeon was born on the outskirts of London in 1834.
• Both Spurgeon’s father and grandfather were in the ministry.
• When Charles Spurgeon was only 10 years old, a visiting missionary, Richard Knill, said that the young Spurgeon would one day preach the gospel to thousands and would preach in Rowland Hill’s chapel, the largest Dissenting church in London, and that his sermons would be translated into many languages. His words were fulfilled.
• At the age of 15, a snow storm forced Spurgeon to cut short his journey and seek refuge in a nearby chapel.  The minister was not in attendance and instead a layman was preaching.  After about 10 minutes or so, the preacher commented on Spurgeon’s miserable appearance and continued  ”and you always will be miserable—miserable in life, and miserable in death—if you don’t obey my text; but if you obey now, this moment, you will be saved.  Young man, look to Jesus Christ. Look! Look! Look! You have nothin’ to do but to look and live.”  Spurgeon writes, “I saw at once the way of salvation.”
• Spurgeon began preaching the same year of his conversion at the age of 15.
• At 17, Spurgeon was asked to pastor a rural Baptist church.
• At 19, Spurgeon was called to The New Park Street Church in London.
• One woman was converted through reading a single page of one of Spurgeon’s sermons wrapped around some butter she had bought.
• Spurgeon read The Pilgrim’s Progress at age 6 and went on to read it over 100 times.
• The New Park Street Pulpit and The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit—the collected sermons of Spurgeon during his ministry with that congregation—fill 63 volumes. The sermons’ 20-25 million words are equivalent to the 27 volumes of the ninth edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. The series stands as the largest set of books by a single author in the history of Christianity.
• Spurgeon’s mother had 17 children, nine of whom died in infancy.
• Spurgeon missed being admitted to college because a servant girl inadvertently showed him into a different room than that of the principal who was waiting to interview him. (Later, he determined not to reapply for admission when he believed God spoke to him, “Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not!”)
• Spurgeon’s personal library contained 12,000 volumes—1,000 printed before 1700. (The library, 5,103 volumes at the time of its auction, was housed at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, until being moved to Midwestern Baptist Theological College & Seminary in 2006.)
• Before he was 20, Spurgeon had preached over 600 times.
• Spurgeon drew to his services Prime Minister W. E. Gladstone, members of the royal family, Members of Parliament, as well as author John Ruskin, Florence Nightingale, and General James Garfield, later president of the United States.
• The New Park Street Church invited Spurgeon to come for a 6-month trial period, but Spurgeon asked to come for only 3 months because “the congregation might not want me, and I do not wish to be a hindrance.”
• When Spurgeon arrived at The New Park Street Church in 1854, the congregation had 232 members. By the end of his pastorate, 38 years later, that number had increased to 5,311. (Altogether, 14,460 people were added to the church during Spurgeon’s tenure.) The church was the largest independent congregation in the world.
• Spurgeon typically read 6 books per week and could remember what he had read—and where—even years later.
• Spurgeon once addressed an audience of 23,654—without a microphone or any mechanical amplification.
• Spurgeon began a pastors’ college that trained nearly 900 students during his lifetime—and it continues today.
• Spurgeon built two orphanages.
• Spurgeon started a monthly magazine and wrote over 150 books.
• In 1865, Spurgeon’s sermons sold 25,000 copies every week. They were translated into more than 20 languages.
• At least 3 of Spurgeon’s works (including the multi-volume Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit series) have sold more than 1,000,000 copies. One of these, All of Grace, was the first book ever published by Moody Press (formerly the Bible Institute Colportage Association) and is still its all-time bestseller.
• During his lifetime, Spurgeon is estimated to have preached to 10,000,000 people.
• Spurgeon once said he counted 8 sets of thoughts that passed through his mind at the same time while he was preaching.
• Testing the acoustics in the vast Agricultural Hall, Spurgeon shouted, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” A worker high in the rafters of the building heard this and became converted to Christ as a result.
• Spurgeon and his wife Susannah Thompson both suffered physical maladies their enire lives.  Susannah became an invalid at age 33 and could seldom attend her husband’s services after that.  In addition to the physical ailments, Spurgeon also fought clinical depression.
• Spurgeon’s stance on orthodoxy resulted in his being shunned by his denomination.
• Spurgeon spent 20 years studying the Book of Psalms and writing his commentary on them, The Treasury of David.
• Spurgeon insisted that his congregation’s new building, The Metropolitan Tabernacle, employ Greek architecture because the New Testament was written in Greek. This one decision has greatly influenced subsequent church architecture throughout the world.
• The theme for Spurgeon’s Sunday morning sermon was usually not chosen until Saturday night.
• For an average sermon, Spurgeon took no more than one page of notes into the pulpit, yet he spoke at a rate of 140 words per minute for 40 minutes.
• The only time that Spurgeon wore clerical garb was when he visited Geneva and preached in Calvin’s pulpit.
• By accepting some of his many invitations to speak, Spurgeon often preached 10 times in a week.
• Spurgeon met often with Hudson Taylor, the well-known missionary to China, and with George Muller, the orphanage founder.
• Spurgeon had two children—twin sons—and both became preachers. Thomas succeeded his father as pastor of the Tabernacle, and Charles, Jr., took charge of the orphanage his father had founded.
• Spurgeon’s wife, Susannah, called him Tirshatha (a title used of the Judean governor under the Persian empire), meaning “Your Excellency.”
• Spurgeon often worked 18 hours a day. Famous explorer and missionary David Livingstone once asked him, “How do you manage to do two men’s work in a single day?” Spurgeon replied, “You have forgotten that there are two of us.”
• Spurgeon spoke out so strongly against slavery that American publishers of his sermons began deleting his remarks on the subject.
• Occasionally Spurgeon asked members of his congregation not to attend the next Sunday’s service, so that newcomers might find a seat. During one 1879 service, the regular congregation left so that newcomers waiting outside might get in; the building immediately filled again. 
• Spurgeon died at the age of 57.
• Spurgeon is known today as “The Prince of Preachers”.

Frederick M. Lehman, 1917

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Refrain:
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

When hoary time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

Verse 3 was penciled on the wall of a narrow room in an insane asylum by a man said to have been demented. The profound lines were discovered when they laid him in his coffin. ]]> http://ttlministries.com/2010/11/28/the-love-of-god/feed/ 0 http://ttlministries.com/2010/11/19/youre-dirt/ http://ttlministries.com/2010/11/19/youre-dirt/#comments Fri, 19 Nov 2010 21:34:08 +0000 troyk http://ttlministries.com/?p=158 You’re dirt.  The question is:  which kind?

I’d like you to do something.  2 Corinthians 13:5 says “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”  I’d like to ask you to do just that.  Examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith.  I’m not asking you to do this alone.  I’ll help – along with another passage of scripture.  But to be fair, I should warn you….this might hurt a little.  Or a lot.

Jesus taught about people that have heard the Gospel and how they respond to it.  This teaching can be found in Matthew (chapter 13), Mark (chapter 4), and Luke (chapter 8).  As recounted in Mark 4, verse 13 says “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?’” As you may know, Jesus used parables a lot and the secret to understanding them, Jesus says, is in understanding this one.  But not only can we learn from this parable how others respond to the Gospel, you can, if you will be honest with yourself, use it to see how you have responded to the Gospel and to see whether you are in the faith.

The parable, as recounted in Matthew 13:3-9, reads as follows:

Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.  As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.  Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.  But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.  Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.  Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

The disciples didn’t know what to make of this; they missed His point and did not or could not understand what Jesus was trying to get across to them.  So He explained the parable to them in verses 18-23:

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:  When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.  The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.  But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.  The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.  But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

So which are you?  If you have not heard the Gospel, please click here.  If you have and you have rejected it, then you are like the path – hard, beaten down, and trod upon.  I would plead with you – soften your heart to the saving grace and loving kindness of Jesus Christ.  Repent of your sins and put your faith in Him.

Have you at one point responded to The Good News in some way, such as perhaps you walked to the front of the church and/or signed a commitment card, but shortly after quit going to church and stopped reading your Bible (if you ever even started)?  If this is you, then you are like the rocky ground springing up and then withering away.  Or perhaps you openly call yourself a Christian, but don’t go to church unless it’s Christmas or Easter, you don’t read your Bible, and unless you tell someone you are a Christian nobody would ever know?  If this is you, then you are like the thorny ground allowing the world to rule you instead of the Lord.  Both of these types of false converts can occur for a number of reasons, but usually they happen due to a lack of repentance and responding to the Gospel with your head instead of your heart.  Focus on your sins, let them drive you to your knees, and just when you cannot bear looking at yourself in front of a holy, almighty God, look up and see your Jesus on the cross paying your penalty for you.  Then turn to Him out of gratitude and thankfulness for His amazing love and He promises you He will never lose you.

Are you a regular church attender, reading your Bible regularly if not daily?  Do you participate in programs and activities in the community?  Are you a Christian?  Are you sure?  Are you sowing seeds?  Have you produced a crop?  If not, don’t do so out of guilt or obligation nor for pride or reward.  The crop these motives will produce will be burned up.  Instead, do so in response to what has been done for you by Christ on the cross.