Morning and Evening with Charles Spurgeon

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Morning and Evening with Charles Spurgeon episodes

October 12 October 12th Evening
“The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost.” — John 14:26
This age is peculiarly the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, in which Jesus cheers us, not by His personal presence, as He shall do by-and-by, but by the indwelling and constant abiding of the Holy Ghost, who is evermore the Comforter of the church. It is His office to console the hearts of God’s people. He convinces of sin; He illuminates and instructs; but still the main part of His work lies in making glad the hearts of the renewed, in confirming the weak, and lifting up all those that be bowed down. He does this by revealing Jesus to them. The Holy Spirit consoles, but Christ is the consolation. If we may use the figure, the Holy Spirit is the Physician, but Jesus is the medicine. He heals the wound, but it is by applying the holy ointment of Christ’s name and grace. He takes not of…
His own things, but
of the things of Christ. So if we give to the Holy Spirit the Greek name of
Paraclete, as we sometimes do, then our heart confers on our blessed Lord
Jesus the title of Paraclesis. If the one be the Comforter, the other is the
Comfort. Now, with such rich provision for his need, why should the
Christian be sad and desponding? The Holy Spirit has graciously engaged
to be thy Comforter: dost thou imagine, O thou weak and trembling
believer, that He will be negligent of His sacred trust? Canst thou suppose
that He has undertaken what He cannot or will not perform? If it be His
especial work to strengthen thee, and to comfort thee, dost thou suppose
He has forgotten His business, or that He will fail in the loving office
which He sustains towards thee? Nay, think not so hardly of the tender
and blessed Spirit whose name is “the Comforter.” He delights to give the
oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of
heaviness. Trust thou in Him, and He will surely comfort thee till the
house of mourning is closed for ever, and the marriage feast has begun.
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Producer: Todd Adkins
Voice Artist: Ian Cullen
4 min
October 12 October 12th Morning
“I will meditate in Thy precepts.” — Psalm 119:15
There are times when solitude is better than society, and silence is wiser than speech. We should be better Christians if we were more alone, waiting upon God, and gathering through meditation on His Word spiritual strength for labour in His service. We ought to muse upon the things of God, because we thus get the real nutriment out of them. Truth is something like the cluster of the vine: if we would have wine from it, we must bruise it; we must press and squeeze it many times. The bruiser’s feet must come down joyfully upon the bunches, or else the juice will not flow; and they must well tread the grapes, or else much of the precious liquid will be wasted. So we must, by meditation, tread the clusters of truth, if we would get the wine of consolation therefrom. Our bodies are not…
supported by merely taking food into the mouth, but the process
which really supplies the muscle, and the nerve, and the sinew, and the
bone, is the process of digestion. It is by digestion that the outward food
becomes assimilated with the inner life. Our souls are not nourished merely
by listening awhile to this, and then to that, and then to the other part of
divine truth. Hearing, reading, marking, and learning, all require inwardly
digesting to complete their usefulness, and the inward digesting of the truth
lies for the most part in meditating upon it. Why is it that some Christians,
although they hear many sermons, make but slow advances in the divine
life? Because they neglect their closets, and do not thoughtfully meditate
on God’s Word. They love the wheat, but they do not grind it; they would
have the corn, but they will not go forth into the fields to gather it; the
fruit hangs upon the tree, but they will not pluck it; the water flows at
their feet, but they will not stoop to drink it. From such folly deliver us, O
Lord, and be this our resolve this morning, “I will meditate in Thy
precepts.”
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Producer: Todd Adkins
Voice Artist: Ian Cullen
4 min
October 11 October 11th Evening
“Whom He did predestinate, them He also called.” — Romans 8:30
In the second epistle to Timothy, first chapter, and ninth verse, are these words — “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling.” Now, here is a touchstone by which we may try our calling. It is “an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace.” This calling forbids all trust in our own doings, and conducts us to Christ alone for salvation, but it afterwards purges us from dead works to serve the living and true God. As He that hath called you is holy, so must you be holy. If you are living in sin, you are not called, but if you are truly Christ’s, you can say, “Nothing pains me so much as sin; I desire to be rid of it; Lord, help me to be holy.” Is this the panting of thy heart? Is this the tenor of thy life towards God, and His divine will? Again, in Philippians, 3:13, 14, we are told of…
“The high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Is then
your calling a high calling? Has it ennobled your heart, and set it upon
heavenly things? Has it elevated your hopes, your tastes, your desires?
Has it upraised the constant tenor of your life, so that you spend it with
God and for God? Another test we find in Hebrews 3:1 — “Partakers of
the heavenly calling.” Heavenly calling means a call from heaven. If man
alone call thee, thou art uncalled. Is thy calling of God? Is it a call to heaven
as well as from heaven? Unless thou art a stranger here, and heaven thy
home, thou hast not been called with a heavenly calling; for those who
have been so called, declare that they look for a city which hath
foundations, whose builder and maker is God, and they themselves are
strangers and pilgrims upon the earth. Is thy calling thus holy, high,
heavenly? Then, beloved, thou hast been called of God, for such is the
calling wherewith God doth call His people.
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Producer: Todd Adkins
Voice Artist: Ian Cullen
4 min
October 11 October 11th Morning
“Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.” — Lamentations 3:41
The act of prayer teaches us our unworthiness, which is a very salutary lesson for such proud beings as we are. If God gave us favours without constraining us to pray for them we should never know how poor we are, but a true prayer is an inventory of wants, a catalogue of necessities, a revelation of hidden poverty. While it is an application to divine wealth, it is a confession of human emptiness. The most healthy state of a Christian is to be always empty in self and constantly depending upon the Lord for supplies; to be always poor in self and rich in Jesus; weak as water personally, but mighty through God to do great exploits; and hence the use of prayer, because, while it adores God, it lays the creature where it should be, in the very dust. Prayer is in itself, apart from the…
answer which it
brings, a great benefit to the Christian. As the runner gains strength for the
race by daily exercise, so for the great race of life we acquire energy by the
hallowed labour of prayer. Prayer plumes the wings of God’s young
eaglets, that they may learn to mount above the clouds. Prayer girds the
loins of God’s warriors, and sends them forth to combat with their sinews
braced and their muscles firm. An earnest pleader cometh out of his closet,
even as the sun ariseth from the chambers of the east, rejoicing like a strong
man to run his race. Prayer is that uplifted hand of Moses which routs the
Amalekites more than the sword of Joshua; it is the arrow shot from the
chamber of the prophet foreboding defeat to the Syrians. Prayer girds
human weakness with divine strength, turns human folly into heavenly
wisdom, and gives to troubled mortals the peace of God. We know not
what prayer cannot do! We thank thee, great God, for the mercy-seat, a
choice proof of thy marvellous lovingkindness. Help us to use it aright
throughout this day!
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Producer: Todd Adkins
Voice Artist: Ian Cullen
4 min
October 10 October 10th Evening
“And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.” — Jeremiah 15:21
Note the glorious personality of the promise. I will, I will. The Lord Jehovah Himself interposes to deliver and redeem His people. He pledges Himself personally to rescue them. His own arm shall do it, that He may have the glory. Here is not a word said of any effort of our own which may be needed to assist the Lord. Neither our strength nor our weakness is taken into the account, but the lone I, like the sun in the heavens, shines out resplendent in all-sufficience. Why then do we calculate our forces, and consult with flesh and blood to our grievous wounding? Jehovah has power enough without borrowing from our puny arm. Peace, ye unbelieving thoughts, be still, and know that the Lord reigneth. Nor is there a hint concerning secondary means and causes. The Lord says nothing of…
friends and helpers: He undertakes the work alone, and feels no need of
human arms to aid Him. Vain are all our lookings around to companions
and relatives; they are broken reeds if we lean upon them — often
unwilling when able, and unable when they are willing. Since the promise
comes alone from God, it would be well to wait only upon Him; and when
we do so, our expectation never fails us. Who are the wicked that we
should fear them? The Lord will utterly consume them; they are to be
pitied rather than feared. As for terrible ones, they are only terrors to
those who have no God to fly to, for when the Lord is on our side, whom
shall we fear? If we run into sin to please the wicked, we have cause to be
alarmed, but if we hold fast our integrity, the rage of tyrants shall be
overruled for our good. When the fish swallowed Jonah, he found him a
morsel which he could not digest; and when the world devours the church,
it is glad to be rid of it again. In all times of fiery trial, in patience let us
possess our souls.
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Producer: Todd Adkins
Voice Artist: Ian Cullen
4 min
October 10 October 10th Morning
“Faultless before the presence of His glory.” — Jude 24
Revolve in your mind that wondrous word, faultless!” We are far off from it now; but as our Lord never stops short of perfection in His work of love, we shall reach it one day. The Saviour who will keep His people to the Lend, will also present them at last to Himself, as “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but holy and without blemish.” All the jewels in the Saviour’s crown are of the first water and without a single flaw. All the maids of honour who attend the Lamb’s wife are pure virgins without spot or stain. But how will Jesus make us faultless? He will wash us from our sins in His own blood until we are white and fair as God’s purest angel; and we shall be clothed in His righteousness, that righteousness which makes the saint who wears it positively faultless; yea, perfect in the sight of God. We shall be…
unblameable and unreproveable even in His eyes. His law will not only
have no charge against us, but it will be magnified in us. Moreover, the
work of the Holy Spirit within us will be altogether complete. He will
make us so perfectly holy, that we shall have no lingering tendency to sin.
Judgment, memory, will — every power and passion shall be emancipated
from the thraldom of evil. We shall be holy even as God is holy, and in His
presence we shall dwell for ever. Saints will not be out of place in heaven,
their beauty will be as great as that of the place prepared for them. Oh the
rapture of that hour when the everlasting doors shall be lifted up, and we,
being made meet for the inheritance, shall dwell with the saints in light. Sin
gone, Satan shut out, temptation past for ever, and ourselves “faultless”
before God, this will be heaven indeed! Let us be joyful now as we
rehearse the song of eternal praise so soon to roll forth in full chorus from
all the blood-washed host; let us copy David’s exultings before the ark as a
prelude to our ecstasies before the throne.
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Producer: Todd Adkins
Voice Artist: Ian Cullen
4 min
October 09 October 9th Evening
“But He answered her not a word.” — Matthew 15:23
Genuine seekers who as yet have not obtained the blessing, may take comfort from the story before us. The Saviour did not at once bestow the blessing, even though the woman had great faith in Him. He intended to give it, but He waited awhile. “He answered her not a word.” Were not her prayers good? Never better in the world. Was not her case needy? Sorrowfully needy. Did she not feel her need sufficiently? She felt it overwhelmingly. Was she not earnest enough? She was intensely so. Had she no faith? She had such a high degree of it that even Jesus wondered, and said, “O woman, great is thy faith.” See then, although it is true that faith brings peace, yet it does not always bring it instantaneously. There may be…
certain reasons calling for the trial of faith, rather than the reward
of faith. Genuine faith may be in the soul like a hidden seed, but as yet it
may not have budded and blossomed into joy and peace. A painful silence
from the Saviour is the grievous trial of many a seeking soul, but heavier
still is the affliction of a harsh cutting reply such as this, “It is not meet to
take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.” Many in waiting upon the
Lord find immediate delight, but this is not the case with all. Some, like the
jailer, are in a moment turned from darkness to light, but others are plants
of slower growth. A deeper sense of sin may be given to you instead of a
sense of pardon, and in such a case you will have need of patience to bear
the heavy blow. Ah! poor heart, though Christ beat and bruise thee, or
even slay thee, trust Him; though He should give thee an angry word,
believe in the love of His heart. Do not, I beseech thee, give up seeking or
trusting my Master, because thou hast not yet obtained the conscious joy
which thou longest for. Cast thyself on Him, and perseveringly depend
even where thou canst not rejoicingly hope.
To make sure you never miss an episode, please subscribe today wherever you listen to podcasts.
Producer: Todd Adkins
Voice Artist: Ian Cullen
4 min
October 09 October 9th Morning
“Able to keep you from falling.” — Jude 24
In some sense the path to heaven is very safe, but in other respects there is no road so dangerous. It is beset with difficulties. One false step (and how easy it is to take that if grace be absent), and down we go. What a slippery path is that which some of us have to tread! How many times have we to exclaim with the Psalmist, “My feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipped.” If we were strong, sure-footed mountaineers, this would not matter so much; but in ourselves, how weak we are! In the best roads we soon falter, in the smoothest paths we quickly stumble. These feeble knees of ours can scarcely support our tottering weight. A straw may throw us, and a pebble can wound us; we are mere children tremblingly taking our first steps in the walk of faith, our heavenly Father holds us by the arms or we should soon be down. Oh, if we are kept from…
falling, how must we bless the patient power which watches over us day
by day! Think, how prone we are to sin, how apt to choose danger, how
strong our tendency to cast ourselves down, and these reflections will
make us sing more sweetly than we have ever done, “Glory be to Him,
who is able to keep us from falling.” We have many foes who try to push
us down. The road is rough and we are weak, but in addition to this,
enemies lurk in ambush, who rush out when we least expect them, and
labour to trip us up, or hurl us down the nearest precipice. Only an
Almighty arm can preserve us from these unseen foes, who are seeking to
destroy us. Such an arm is engaged for our defence. He is faithful that hath
promised, and He is able to keep us from falling, so that with a deep sense
of our utter weakness, we may cherish a firm belief in our perfect safety,
and say, with joyful confidence,
“Against me earth and hell combine, But on my side is power divine; Jesus is all, and He is mine!”
To make sure you never miss an episode, please subscribe today wherever you listen to podcasts.
Producer: Todd Adkins
Voice Artist: Ian Cullen
4 min
October 08 October 8th Evening
“Praying in the Holy Ghost.” — Jude 20
Mark the grand characteristic of true prayer — “In the Holy Ghost.” The
seed of acceptable devotion must come from heaven’s storehouse. Only
the prayer which comes from God can go to God. We must shoot the
Lord’s arrows back to Him. That desire which He writes upon our heart
will move His heart and bring down a blessing, but the desires of the flesh
have no power with Him.
Praying in the Holy Ghost is praying in fervency. Cold prayers ask the Lord not to hear them. Those who do not plead with fervency, plead not at all. As well speak of lukewarm fire as of lukewarm prayer — it is essential that it be red hot. It is praying perseveringly. The true suppliant gathers force as he proceeds, and grows more fervent when God delays to answer. The longer the gate is closed, the more…
vehemently does he use the
knocker, and the longer the angel lingers the more resolved is he that he will
never let him go without the blessing. Beautiful in God’s sight is tearful,
agonizing, unconquerable importunity. It means praying humbly, for the
Holy Spirit never puffs us up with pride. It is His office to convince of
sin, and so to bow us down in contrition and brokenness of spirit. We shall
never sing Gloria in excelsis except we pray to God De profundis: out of
the depths must we cry, or we shall never behold glory in the highest. It is
loving prayer. Prayer should be perfumed with love, saturated with love
— love to our fellow saints, and love to Christ. Moreover, it must be a
prayer full of faith. A man prevails only as he believes. The Holy Spirit is
the author of faith, and strengthens it, so that we pray believing God’s
promise. O that this blessed combination of excellent graces, priceless and
sweet as the spices of the merchant, might be fragrant within us because
the Holy Ghost is in our hearts! Most blessed Comforter, exert Thy
mighty power within us, helping our infirmities in prayer.
To make sure you never miss an episode, please subscribe today wherever you listen to podcasts.
Producer: Todd Adkins
Voice Artist: Ian Cullen
4 min
October 08 October 8th Morning
“Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.” — Luke 5:4
We learn from this narrative, the necessity of human agency. The draught of fishes was miraculous, yet neither the fisherman nor his boat, nor his fishing tackle were ignored; but all were used to take the fishes. So in the saving of souls, God worketh by means; and while the present economy of grace shall stand, God will be pleased by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. When God worketh without instruments, doubtless He is glorified; but He hath Himself selected the plan of instrumentality as being that by which He is most magnified in the earth. Means of themselves are utterly unavailing. “Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing.” What was the reason of this? Were they not…
fishermen plying their special calling? Verily, they were no raw hands;
they understood the work. Had they gone about the toil unskillfully? No.
Had they lacked industry? No, they had toiled. Had they lacked
perseverance? No, they had toiled all the night. Was there a deficiency of
fish in the sea? Certainly not, for as soon as the Master came, they swam
to the net in shoals. What, then, is the reason? Is it because there is no
power in the means of themselves apart from the presence of Jesus?
“Without Him we can do nothing.” But with Christ we can do all things.
Christ’s presence confers success. Jesus sat in Peter’s boat, and His will,
by a mysterious influence, drew the fish to the net. When Jesus is lifted up
in His Church, His presence is the Church’s power — the shout of a king
is in the midst of her. “I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me.” Let
us go out this morning on our work of soul fishing, looking up in faith, and
around us in solemn anxiety. Let us toil till night comes, and we shall not
labour in vain, for He who bids us let down the net, will fill it with fishes.
To make sure you never miss an episode, please subscribe today wherever you listen to podcasts.
Producer: Todd Adkins
Voice Artist: Ian Cullen
4 min