You might as well expect to raise the dead by whispering in their ears, as hope to save souls by preaching to them, if it were not for the agency of the Spirit.
Preaching-Effectiveness
The grandest era in the world’s history was ushered in by nobodies, by persons who, like their Leader, were despised and rejected of men.
The Treasury of the New Testament, 1:793.
The gospel is preached in the ears of all; it only comes with power to some. The power that is in the gospel does not lie in the eloquence of the preacher; otherwise men would be converters of souls. Nor does it lie in the preacher’s learning; otherwise it would consist in the wisdom of men. We might preach till our tongues rotted, till we should exhaust our lungs and die, but never a soul would be converted unless there were mysterious power going with it – the Holy Ghost changing the will of man. O Sirs! We might as well preach to stone walls as to preach to humanity unless the Holy Ghost be with the Word, to give it power to convert the soul.
This is noble encouragement to all the saints; die they must, but rise they shall, and though in their case they shall see corruption, yet they shall rise to everlasting life. Christ’s resurrection is the cause, the earnest, the guarantee, and the emblem of the rising of all His people. Let them, therefore, go to their graves as to their beds, resting their flesh among the clods as they now do upon their couches.
Treasury of David, Commentary for Psalm 16:10.
To bring His chosen [people] to eternal happiness was the high ambition which inspired [Jesus Christ], and made Him wade through a sea of blood.
Treasury of David, Commentary on Psalm 16:11.
When you go through a trial, the sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which you lay your head.
If we choose a false way of worship we shall, before long, choose to worship a false god.
O think, that he who was master of all heaven’s majesty came down to be the victim of all man’s misery!
Obedience rendered without delight in rendering it is only half obedience.
You must keep all earthy treasures out of your heart, and let Christ be your treasure, and let Him have your heart.
Believing right doctrine will no more save you, than doing good works will save you.
Christ and we will never be one until we and our sin are two.
When thou sleepest, think that thou art resting on the battlefield; when thou walkest, suspect an ambush in every hedge.
As for beauty, one of its most potent charms lies in its modest unconsciousness; it is greatly marred when accompanied by vanity.
To deny the great doctrine of atonement by the blood of Jesus Christ is to hamstring the gospel, and to cut the throat of Christianity.
Nearness to God brings likeness to God. The more you see God the more of God will be seen in you.
Of all the things in the world that stink in the nostrils of men, hypocrisy is the worst.
There is mercy for a sinner, but there is no mercy for the man who will not own himself a sinner.
We rob the gospel of its power if we leave out its threatenings of punishment.
A prayerless church member is a hindrance. He is in the body like a rotting bone or a decayed tooth. Before long, since he does not contribute to the benefit of his brethren, he will become a danger and a sorrow to them. Neglect of private prayer is the locust which devours the strength of the church.
Winners of souls must first be weepers for souls.
God’s heart, not mine, is the measure of His giving; not my capacity to receive, but His capacity to give.
There can be no peace between you and Christ while there is peace between you and sin.
Work is always healthier for us than idleness; it is always better to wear out shoes than sheets.
Though infinitely better able to do without prayer than we are, yet [Christ] prayed much more than we do.
God writes with a pen that never blots, speaks with a tongue that never slips, acts with a hand that never fails.
It is never said, “Whom the Lord loveth He enricheth,” but it is said, “Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.”
Nobody can do as much damage to the church of God as the man who is within its walls, but not within its life.
- « Previous
- 1
- …
- 6
- 7
- 8
