By Charles H. Spurgeon (1834 – 1892)

    “Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death:  that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4).

    In Christ believers possess all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and grace, and power, and love.  All things are yours, if you are Christ’s.  From our union to Christ follows our sanctification.  He died unto sin once, and we are henceforth dead to it.  He is risen by the glory of the Father, and we are risen with Him into righteousness, and acceptance, and joy.

A Display of the Glory of God

    It is a blessed thing that we should be made alive in Christ.  In you has the LORD repeated the miracle which He performed on His beloved Son.  Your true life has come to you by your being born again from above.  “…This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  He that hath the Son has life…” (1 John 5:11-12).  The Holy Spirit has worked in us a higher life than nature possessed.  We have received a living and incorruptible seed which lives and abides forever (1 Pet. 1:23).  In this there is a striking display of the glory of God.  As in the resurrection of Christ we see all the glorious attributes of God, so is there in every believer’s spiritual quickening a manifestation of the divine presence.

    Know you not that regeneration is one of the greatest miracles that God Himself can perform?   To be begotten again unto a lively hope is a mass of wonders.  We, who before lay under spiritual death, have become possessors of a heavenly life; who shall fully comprehend this?  This is a miracle indeed, and we ourselves are the subjects of it.

    The life which is in you springs up unto eternal life.  You shall surely behold His face whose life is already within your breast.  What a blessed thing is this!  I cannot declare to you the measureless glory of God which I perceive in this quickening of souls unto God, and yet that which I perceive is the bare fringe of the glory.  Wondrous grace!  He that sits on the throne says, “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:5), and never is He to our hearts more truly on the throne than in this new creation of which we are this day the happy subjects –

Raised from the dead, we live anew;
And, justified by grace,
We shall appear in glory, too,
And see our Father’s face.

New Life and Hope

    Notice that the life then given is emphatically new.  When we are born again we receive a life which we never before possessed.  We begin to feel, to think and to act as we never did before.  In your quickening you received a light which had never before shone in your bosom – a life that came not from men, neither by men.  It is not a development of something which was hidden in our constitution, it is not the evolution of a principle which really exists, only it is hampered and hindered.  “…You hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1).  You had no life; you had nothing out of which life could come.  Eternal life is the gift of God.

    You live now to please God; before you lived to please yourself, or to please your neighbors.  Once you lived for what you could get for yourself; you lived for the passing pleasures of a fleeting life, but now you have launched upon eternal seas.  Eternity holds your treasures; eternity excites your efforts; eternity elevates your desires.  You live as seeing Him who is invisible, and your conduct is controlled, not by the judgment of fallible men, but by the rule of the heart-searching God.

    Your new life has new objectives.  You aim higher, yes, you aim at the highest of all, for you live for the glory of God, and seek that your light may so shine, “that [men] may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).  The will of God has now become your law.  You count yourself only happy as you may fulfill His purposes, honor His name, and extend His kingdom.

    Now are we cheered by new hopes; we have a hope of immortality; a hope so glorious, that it causes us to purify ourselves in preparation for its realization.  We wait for the glorious appearing of our Lord.  We look for new heavens and a new earth.  We have a lively hope which defies death.  Now have we new possessions.  We used to wonder what the Christian meant when he spoke of “possessing all things” (2 Cor. 6:10).  We know now.  God has made us “rich in faith” (Jas. 2:5), and He has given us greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt.

    Behold the desert now rejoices and blossoms as the rose.  Now we have peace like a river, and a secret joy which no man takes from us.  We drink of a well which none can dry up; we have bread to eat that the world knows not of.  Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and this, even to ourselves, is so vast a joy that it overwhelms us.  We have come into a new world altogether; a world far more grand than that which nature reveals.  That text has come true to some of us, “…Ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace:  the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands” (Isa. 55:12).  It is a wonderful thing, this new life.

A Holy, Active Walk

    You were dead, but you have been raised from among the dead, and now you walk in “newness of life.”  The new life that God gives us is exceedingly active.  God’s children are not of a sluggish race.  There is vigor and fervency about them.  The new life in a Christian is quick, energetic, forceful.  The new life produces a holy walk as soon as it is created.  If you have been born unto God, you have cast off your lethargy, and are ready to run the race set before you.

    When in spiritual health, you will glow with divine ardor and burn with holy fervency, delighting yourself in serving the Lord.  This activity of life induces progress.  If we are really quickened, we are to walk in newness of life; that is to say, we shall move on.  We march on, going from strength to strength.  We are not at the end yet; we must advance.  It is true we have the new life in us, but we have not yet obtained everything; we must climb higher, and go further.  We are not to act or grow in the energy of the old life, but in newness of life.

    Brethren, have done with the things of the flesh.  Put off the old man.  If Christ has quickened you, walk in newness of life.  Say to the old man, “Down with you, sir!  I have done with walking in your way.”  Let the new man come to the front, and do follow his guidance.  Say in your soul, “O life of God within me, be supreme.  Take the upper hand, and let every thought be captive to your power.”  Let us not live in oldness of spiritual death, but in newness of spiritual life.

    The Lord, by all that He has done for us, and in us, has changed everything.  No point is unaffected.  Newness of life affects us from head to foot.  The Lord has made us rich in Himself, by the gift of Jesus, and by the work of His Spirit, and He would not have us grieving and fretting about the little matters which once were so exceedingly great to us.  “…After all these things do the Gentiles seek…” (Matt. 6:32).  Let us have higher cares and more divine aspirations.  Let us seek to live the life of heaven on earth.  We are called unto righteousness; let us not follow after mammon.

    We are new creatures; may the Lord renew us day by day!  Let us quit the old, for the time we have spent in it may well suffice.  Now to a nobler destiny our soul aspires.  The Christian life should be one of joyful vivacity.  The Christian man, living in newness of life, should find life fresh about him.  Our inner man is renewed day by day.

    A healthy Christian is one of the liveliest creatures on earth.  When he is at work you may hear him sing.  He cannot help it; do not blame him for a little noise.  Let him sing, and laugh till he cries.  Sometimes he cannot help it; he will burst if his soul may not have vent.  When he begins to talk about his Lord, his eyes flash fire.  Some people hint that he is out of his mind, but those who know best assure us that he was never before as sane as now.

    Of course, the world thinks religion is such poor stuff that nobody could grow excited about it.  To my mind, cold religion is the nastiest dish ever brought to the table.  True godliness is served up hot.  Newness of life means a soul aglow with love to God, and therefore earnest, zealous, happy.

    Do not live the old life over again.  Why should you?  Come, my soul, if Christ has raised you from the dead, do not live after the fashion of the dark grave which you have left.

    Oh, that you would plunge into the river of life!  How it would brace you!  What tone it would give you!  Be a Christian, out and out.  Serve the Lord with your whole being.  Give yourself wholly to Him who bought you with His blood.  Plunge into the sacred flood by grace, and you will exclaim – “Oh, this is life!  Oh, this joy, my God, to find You so!  Your face to see, Your voice to hear, and all Your love to know.”  May we thus walk in newness of life!  Amen.

 

By Brad Tuttle

    We pray because with man alone, it is impossible.  Recently, I woke up with a heavy burden to pray for the children around the world (born and unborn).  The more I interceded against abortion, sex-trafficking, transgenderism, and lies that are being taught to the children in schools, the heavier the burden became.  It was almost overwhelming, but then I heard that sweet and much needed voice of the Lord tell me:  “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26; see Mark 10:27; Luke 18:27).

    “But with God” – I instantly laughed with joy in my heart how quickly His one sentence turned everything around in my heart, mind, and spirit.  I quickly went from a depressing “oh my, this is terrible, this is impossible,” to “but with God, nothing, absolutely nothing, is impossible!”

    We find an encouraging story in Second Kings 3:4-18 where the kings of Israel and Judah planned on fighting against Moab.  But, on the way there, they traveled seven days without water; not a good place to be in when you are going to battle.  They then sought out Elisha the prophet and were given a word from the Lord.  “…You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water…” (v. 17).  And then they were told, “And this is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord; He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand” (v. 18).  Oh, may we always remember “this is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord.”

    We read in Genesis 18:12 when Sarah was told by the Lord she would have a son way past childbearing, she laughed.  She was then admonished with “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (v. 14).  Job 42:2 reassures us that no plan of the Lord can be thwarted.  Oh, let faith arise as Jeremiah 32:27 says, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh.  Is there anything too hard [difficult] for Me?”  As we go through each day, can we ever declare this Scripture enough?

    A very promising and heartwarming story is found in Luke 1:26-38 where the angel of the Lord informed the virgin Mary she would have a Son, to which Mary inquired as to how this was pos­sible, since she was a virgin.  And the angel declared, “For with God nothing will be impossible” (v. 37).  When we are in a seemingly “impossible” situation, may our response always be as Mary’s – “Let it be to me according to Your word” (v. 38).

    Thank You, Jesus, You always give us a word in due season.  Our hope is not in man, or the world’s system, no, it is in You and You alone.  Whenever we find ourselves hopeless, discouraged, feeling defeated, let us lift up our head and shout:  But with God – all things are possible!  May we be so filled with Your Word, that Scriptures of hope and faith instantly come to our heart and mind to counter­attack the lies of our enemy.  Whatever we are facing, let us remind ourselves, “but with God, all things are possible.”

By W. C. Moore (1890 – 1980)

    “Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matt. 24:12).  The fact that now iniquity does abound and that the love of many does wax cold does not mean that we must be among that “many” whose love has grown cold toward our blessed Lord!  Rather, it is a direct challenge and a warning to us to stir up ourselves to take hold of God and press toward the mark as never before and to continue to have faith in God regardless of how dark things look.

    The perilous times spoken of in God’s Word (2 Tim. 3:1-17) are a call not to retreat or to retrench, but rather to advance.  Days of terror and peril and danger such as we face today are days of opportunity for us.  The Lord calls us to be witnesses unto Him right out among the people (Acts 1:8).  Jesus says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).

    Oh, to let the light of God’s love, and the assurance of the great salvation wherewith He has saved us and the light of unswerving devotion to the Lord we love and trust – so shine before a frightened and frustrated people that they too may turn unto God!

Full Reliance on God’s Faithfulness

    In this darkening hour, face all problems in full reliance upon God’s faithfulness.  No situation, no condition, no difficult, involved, unknown, untried, dark and dangerous circumstance or combination of circumstances is too hard for God.  He knows all things.  And He cares for us (1 Pet. 5:7; 1 John 3:20).  Nothing is too hard for God (Jer. 32:17).  With God all things are possible (Matt. 19:26).

    Instead of facing difficult situations, intricate obstacles, obstinate hindrances, sorrowful testings, large demands, heavy responsibilities in fear and dread and trembling – rather, rejoice!  God is bigger than it all put together, and He loves us and desires that we trust and obey Him always.  God is greater than any crisis which might be frightening you.

    Never face difficult and involved tasks and circumstances in a fearful attitude of mind or heart, as though God had gone off and left us, as though He had lost His power and His wisdom and His almightiness, as though He were not our faithful Creator, who in His love, has already shown and manifested His compassion for us by giving His only begotten Son (1 Pet. 4:12-19; Rom. 8:26-39).  Let us eagerly face hard things because it gives God a chance to manifest yet further His faithfulness and His supernatural might.  Hallelujah!

    “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Phil. 4:6).

Live Right

    To the end that we may always have God’s help, let us be sure that our lives are lined up in His will, according to His Word – that we are not living in sin, that we are not grieving God by unbelief in His Word, by criticism of other Christians, by carelessness, by self-indulgence, by deceitfulness, by hatred of other people, by neglect of known duties, or by any other sin of neglect or of positive disobedience.

    “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.  And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:21-22).

    Feed on the Word of God.  “…Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4).  Realize that our soul needs nourishment as well as our body.  Take time, make time, use time for reading and also for meditating on God’s Word, that you may know His will, and that you may be strong to do His will!

Trust God in the Dark

    Abraham waited for years in faith for Isaac to be born.  So we may need to learn to keep on believing though answers to prayer may be delayed.  We may need to learn to trust God in the dark.

    “Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of His servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light?  Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God” (Isa. 50:10).

    Was David always on the mountain top?  Was Paul always out of the land of trouble and distress?  (Read the Psalms, Second Corinthians 11:23-33; 12:1-10; Philippians 4:13.)  How are we ourselves ever to know the true depth of our own love to God, and of His love to us, unless He suffers us to be tempted and tried?  Let us remember the “all things” of Romans 8:28 – “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”

    Oh, to have in our very heart of hearts, that simple childlike trust in God that delights His heart!  Years ago I was thinking, “It is so hard to have faith.  It is so hard to believe.”  Immediately the Lord spoke to my heart:  “It is not hard to believe.  Even a child can trust.  You do not have to think to trust.”  And through the years, that has been an encouragement and a comfort to me.

    “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Prov. 3:5).  As we obey this Word and trust in the Lord with all our heart, we have no heart left with which to worry, or fear or fret.  We are not even to “lean” unto our own understanding.  Give no place to doubt or fear!  Resist the devil.  Give no place to him (Jas. 4:7-8; Eph. 4:27).

See the Rainbow on the Storm Clouds!

    God is the God of the miraculous.  His ways are not our ways (Isa. 55:8-13).  God’s promise to Abraham was indeed to be fulfilled that he should have a son and heir, but Isaac was born when Abraham was “as good as dead” (Heb. 11:8-12).

    When the Lord, the miracle-working Son of God, was crucified between two thieves, and the disciples were scattered, was not that an hour of midnight gloom, and unutterable defeat – to all appearances – for the followers of Jesus?  Yet in about fifty days thereafter, the great revival burst forth on the day of Pentecost! 

    Although we today live in one of the earth’s darkest hours since Calvary, let us believe God to send yet another mighty Pentecost and save multitudes from among the Gentiles before He grafts Israel back into His favor (Rom. 11:1-32).  Let us set our faces (Dan. 9:3), and stir up ourselves to take hold of God (Isa. 64:7), and pray through till God comes and rains righteousness upon us (Hos. 10:12).

By Rich Carmicheal

    “…The end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers” (1 Pet. 4:7).

    This certainly is an hour to be serious and watchful in prayer!  The signs of the times make it clear that we are in the last of the last days with the Return of the Lord drawing ever near.  As Jesus forewarned, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matt. 24:7-8).  He goes on to warn of increased persecution, hatred, deception and lawlessness, and that the love of many will grow cold (vv. 9-12).

    Of course, these signs go hand in hand with conditions in our day.  In regard to international tensions and war, not only are there the ongoing concerns with Russia and Ukraine, but also the increasing concerns that China will invade Taiwan – and the impact that will make in the world.  And what may the near future hold for Israel and the world as Iran pursues nuclear capabilities?  As one news source recently pointed out, “Israel considers Iran to be its greatest enemy and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said he will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.”

    Think also of the many millions of people suffering today because of famines, droughts, pestilences, earthquakes and other natural disasters.  And extreme events such as these are only increasing in frequency and intensity.

    On a moral level, could we have imagined even a few decades ago how rapidly traditional values would decline?  Hatred, deception, lawlessness and immorality are now marks of our day.  As Franklin Graham shared recently, “The world is deteriorating so quickly.  It seems like every demon in hell has been turned loose.”  He believes a storm is coming and warns, “And we cannot be deceived and can’t be fooled.  We need to get ready and be prepared.”

By Rich Carmicheal

    We are living in a critical time as we see the increase of evil, lawlessness, deception, sin and spiritual darkness all around us.  This increase is not really surprising since the Bible forewarns us of such things, including the Apostle Paul’s warning that “in the last days perilous times will come” (2 Tim. 3:1; cf. Matt. 24:7-13).   A spiritual battle is raging and our adversary the devil knows his time is short.

    All of this is of great concern, of course, but how good it is to know that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church! (Matt. 16:18).  How good to know that as believers we are strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, and, clothed in the armor of God, we can withstand in the evil day! (Eph. 6:10-18).  How good to know that our God is sovereign over all and His purposes are being fully accomplished!  The Lord Jesus Christ will soon return in all of His glory as King of kings and Lord of lords, and evil will be cast away forever!

    So while we may grieve the conditions around us, our hope is full as we set our hearts on all the glory that is to come.  We also realize that this is not the time to cower, but the time to take full advantage of the opportunity to impact the world around us – “redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16).  We are “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (Matt. 5:13-16) and we are called to be “children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom [we] shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life…” (Phil. 2:15-16).

    Consider as well this beautiful description of our vital calling:  “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special ­people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:11-14).  We are the Lord’s own special people, saved by His grace, redeemed by His precious blood, and this is the hour for our lives to be filled with righteousness, godliness and good works – for His glory!

Supernatural Resources

    In order for us to live and bear fruit to the Lord’s glory, other people will need to see something in us that ultimately draws them toward the Lord.  We have no hope of impacting others apart from the Lord’s touch upon our lives.  In fact, apart from Him, we can do nothing! (John 15:5).  We cannot depend upon our own strength, abilities and resources, but we need, as Jim Cymbala states in the opening message, “something from heaven” – fire and strength that only the Lord can provide.  We need supernatural measures of wisdom, power, mercy and godliness.  We need rivers of living water flowing from within us (John 7:38).  We need lives marked by the fruit of the Holy Spirit – love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).

    Thankfully, our Lord is much more than able to fill our lives with all that we need.  As A.W. Tozer reminds us in his article, our God is infinite and has unlimited resources, including unlimited life, love and mercy to share with us.  Our God is indeed “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Eph. 3:20).  As we draw near to Him, He promises to draw near to us (Jas. 4:8), and as He does, He fills our lives with His power, His life and His love.

The Ministry of the Holy Spirit

    A vital key to all of this is the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus told the early disciples:  “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).  They were faithful to wait and to pray, and on the Day of Pentecost the Lord was faithful to pour out the Holy Spirit upon them (2:1ff), and to continue to fill them with the Spirit (4:31).  And with His presence and power, they moved out and began to impact cultures around them to the point they were accused of turning the world upside down (17:6).

    What about us?  Are we willing to wait and pray for the Spirit’s presence and power today?  As Jesus teaches, our heavenly Father is certainly generous to give the Holy Spirit:  “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13).  Along with this, Jesus promises, “…Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (11:9-10).  Is it not time that we ask, and seek, and knock until the Lord fills our lives to overflowing with His Holy Spirit?  Do we not need Him to fill us with His power, His fruit and His gifts?  Do we not need the Spirit of truth to guide us into all truth? (John 16:13).  Do we not need the Spirit to fill us with boldness to speak the word of God? (Acts 4:31).  Do we not need the Spirit of holiness to sanctify us? (Rom. 15:16; 1 Cor. 6:11).

Prayers for God’s Blessings

    On this last note, a major theme in the center portion of this issue is sanctification.  We realize this is a vital theme and we are grateful to the Lord for the opportunity to share these ­articles with you, including an outstanding one by Charles H. Spurgeon.  We pray the Lord touches your heart through these messages and through this entire issue, even as He has our hearts.  We also include two prayers below, asking the Lord to work through them in your life and ours as we live and minister in these last days.

    “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:14-19). 

    “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light” (Col. 1:9-12).