Grace Audio Treasures

Matthew 9:37, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few!"The minister who does not work hard in his ministry, will find it very hard work to answer for his idleness at the day of judgment. A gentleman who wants an easy life should never think of occupying the Christian ministry, for he is out of place there; and when he gets there, the only advice I can give him is to get out of it as soon as possible! And if he will not leave the position voluntarily, I call to mind the language of Jehu concerning Jezebel, "Fling her down!" This same advice applicable to a lazy minister. A mere idler has no right in the pulpit. He is an instrument of Satan in damning the souls of men. The ministry demands brain labor; the preacher must throw his thought into his teaching, and read and study to keep his mind in good trim. He must not weary the people by telling them the truth in a stale, unprofitable manner, with nothing fresh from his own soul to give force to it. Above all, he must put heart-work into his preaching. He must feel what he preaches. It must never be an easy thing with him to deliver a sermon. There must be soul-work in it, the entire man must be stirred up to effort, and the whole nature that God has endowed him with, must be concentrated with all its vigor upon the work in hand. Such are the kind of ministers we need. To stand and drone out a sermon in a kind of articulate snoring to a people who are somewhere between awake and asleep--must be wretched work indeed. I wonder what kind of excuse will be given by some men at last, for having habitually done this. To never to deal with men's consciences, never to upbraid them for their sins, never to tell them

God's jewelry!Those bright constellations, Christ created them.Those burning suns, Christ kindled them. Those snow wreathed alps, those cloud-capped mountains, Christ raised them. Those verdant valleys, Christ spread them.That blushing rose, that graceful lily, that exquisite fern, that curious sea-flower tossed upon the shore, that wayside violet that screens the dew drop from the sun, that winding stream, that leafy grove, Christ formed and penciled them all! Yes, Christ is the one who . . . clad that magnificent landscape with its robe of living green; scented the air with its fragrance, and hollowed out the depth of that expansive ocean, dimpled with beauty by the gentle breeze, or awesome in its grandeur, when trod by the storm. Truly, He has made everything beautiful in its time! Oh! I delight to see the Incarnate God, who died to save, scattering from the opulence of His own boundless resources, all this jewelry; making man's sinful home so rich, so lovely, so attractive!"The heavens tell of the glory of God.  The skies display His marvelous craftsmanship.  Day after day they continue to speak;  night after night they make Him known.  They speak without a sound or a word;  their voice is silent in the skies;  yet their message has gone out to all the earth,  and their words to all the world." Psalm 19:1-4

"Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love! Therefore with loving-kindness I have drawn you." Jeremiah 31:3How ravishing is the thought of eternal love! Try to drink it in. If you are a believer in Christ, you were loved before time began its cycles. In that old eternity, before the earth was born, you were beloved of the Lord. You were dear to Jehovah's heart when this great world, the sun, the moon, the stars--slept in the mind of God like unborn forests in an acorn-cup. He loved you with an everlasting and infinite love. God chose you, not because of any goodness in you--but of his own sovereign will and good pleasure. Rejoice in this and let your heart be glad. Never forget that sovereign and eternal election is the source of your every spiritual blessing!"We love Him, because He first loved us!" 1 John 4:19 "May blessing (praise, laudation) be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm! Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight." Ephesians 1:3-4

Sovereign Ruler of the skies,Ever gracious, ever wise;All my times are in your hand,All events at your command.His decree who formed the earth,Fixed my first and second birth;Parents, native place, and time,All were appointed by Him.He who formed me in the womb,He shall guide me to the tomb;All my times shall ever be,Ordered by His wise decree.Times of sickness, times of health;Times of poverty, and wealth;Times of trial, and of grief;Times of triumph, and relief;Times the tempter's power to prove;Times to taste the Savior's love;All must come, and last, and end,As shall please my heavenly Friend.Plagues and deaths around me fly;Until He bids, I cannot die;Not a single shaft can hit,Until the God of love sees fit!

"How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you!" Psalm 31:19"They will celebrate Your great goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness." Psalm 145:7Ingratitude makes little of much--but gratitude sees much in little. Brethren, we have received no little goodness from our heavenly Father, but all has been great goodness. Is there a blessing that we enjoy from God, which we can dare to despise? Whatever comes to us from Him, is great goodness. Oh, beloved, we need not continue to talk about it, for surely upon the very surface we can see:the great goodness of electing love, the great goodness of redeeming love, the great goodness of converting love, the great goodness of pardoning love, the great goodness of upholding love, the great goodness of sanctifying love, the great goodness which has sent the Savior to prepare Heaven for us, and the great goodness which is preparing us that we may enter into the Heaven. "Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever!" Psalm 23:6"How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?" Psalm 116:12

"When He comes-He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment!" John 16:8The Holy Spirit is the only effectual reformer of the world! If He is absent- legislators may make laws against crime; philosophers may reason against vice; ministers may preach against sin; conscience may remonstrate against evil; the divine law may prescribe, and threaten Hell; the gospel may invite, and allure to Heaven; but all will be in vain!The strongest arguments, the most melting entreaties, the most alarming denunciations from God and man, enforced with the highest authority, or the most compassionate tears-all will have no effect-all will not effectually reclaim one sinner, nor gain one sincere convert to righteousness! Paul, Apollos, and Peter, with all their apostolic abilities, can do nothing, without the Holy Spirit. Paul may plant the seed-and Apollos may water it; but God alone can make it grow! "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything-but only God, who makes things grow!" 1 Corinthians 3:6, 7Never will peace and harmony be established in this jangling world-until this Divine Agent takes the work in hand.It is He alone, who can melt down the obstinate hearts of men into love and peace! It is He alone, who can soften their rugged and savage tempers, and transform them into mutual benevolence! It is He alone-who can quench those lusts that set the world on fire, and implant the opposite virtues and graces. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, are mentioned by Paul, as the fruit of the Spirit, because the Spirit alone is the author of them. And if these dispositions wer

The Sovereignty of GodIsaac Watts, 1674-1748Keep silence all created things,And wait your Maker's nod;My soul stands trembling while she sings,The glories of her God.Life, death, and Hell, and worlds unknown,Hang on His firm decree;He sits on no precarious throne,Nor asks assent to be.Chained to His throne, a volume lies,With all the fates of men,With every angel's form and size,Drawn by the eternal pen.His providence unfolds the book,And makes His counsels shine;Each opening leaf, and every stroke,Fulfills some deep design.Here He exalts neglected worms,To kingship and a crown;And then the following page He turns,And treads the monarch down.My God, I would not long to see,My fate with curious eyes;What gloomy lines are writ for me,Or what bright scenes may rise.In your pure book of life and grace,O may I find my name,Recorded in some humble place,Beneath my Lord the Lamb.

Richard Baxter:"Your afflictions may be sharp, but they are short. Your deliverance will be eternal.""Our sufferings are but God's tools to carve His image more clearly upon us.""Affliction opens our ears to the voice of God, and shuts our hearts to the allurements of the world."William Bridge:"Every affliction is a messenger from God, teaching and correcting the soul for its eternal good.""The worst that God ever does to His children, is to whip them to Heaven.""The waters of affliction, are often the means by which we are carried nearer to Christ."John Bunyan:"In times of affliction, we discover the sufficiency of Christ and the shallowness of the world."Thomas Brooks:"The promises of God, shine brightest in the furnace of affliction."Jeremiah Burroughs:"The bitter cup of affliction, is sweetened by the pierced hand that gives it.""Sanctified afflictions, are spiritual promotions.""The burdens God lays on us, are designed to press us closer to Himself."Stephen Charnock:"God's greatest mercy, is sometimes wrapped in His sharpest judgments.""Affliction is God's flail, to separate the chaff from the wheat.""In the furnace of affliction God burns away the dross of self-reliance, and reveals the gold of His sufficiency.""Afflictions drive the soul to its knees, where it finds the richest treasures of grace."John Flavel:"The believer's afflictions are God's pruning, not His lopping. They are to make them fruitful, not to destroy them.""God's strokes are strokes of love, meant to awaken our souls and draw us closer to Him."William Gurnall:"The greatest honor God can put on a soul, is to place it in the school of affliction."

The Works and the Word of GodPsalm 191. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. 3. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. 4. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, 5. which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. 6. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat. 7. The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. 10. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. 11. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Another insightful and helpful gem by Spurgeon!