A Christmas Question E-Book

Charles Spurgeon

• Herausgeber: Darolt Books
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

A Christmas Question is a message of meditation based on the Bible and written by one of the most important Christian writers of all time.
A devotional message of faith and hope for you.
Charles Haddon (CH) Spurgeon,19 June 1834 - 31 January 1892) was a British Particular Baptist preacher.
Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, among whom he is known as the "Prince of Preachers".
He was a strong figure in the Reformed Baptist , defending the Church in agreement with the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith understanding, and opposing the liberal and pragmatic theological tendencies in the Church of his day.
It is estimated that in his lifetime, Spurgeon preached to around 10,000,000 people,Spurgeon was the pastor of the congregation of the New Park Street Chapel (later the Metropolitan Tabernacle) in London for 38 years.
He was part of several controversies with the Baptist Union of Great Britain and later had to leave the denomination.
In 1867, he started a charity organisation which is now called Spurgeon's and works globally. He also founded Spurgeon's College, which was named after him posthumously.
Spurgeon was a prolific author of many types of works including sermons, an autobiography, commentaries, books on prayer, devotionals, magazines, poetry, hymns and more.
Many sermons were transcribed as he spoke and were translated into many languages during his lifetime. Spurgeon produced powerful sermons of penetrating thought and precise exposition. His oratory skills held his listeners spellbound in the Metropolitan Tabernacle and many Christians have discovered Spurgeon's messages to be among the best in Christian literature.

Leseprobe

PREFACE

About Charles Spurgeon

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (19 June 1834 - 31 January 1892) was an English Particular Baptist preacher. Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, among whom he is known as the "Prince of Preachers". He was a strong figure in the Reformed Baptist tradition, defending the Church in agreement with the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith understanding, and opposing the liberal and pragmatic theological tendencies in the Church of his day.

Spurgeon was pastor of the congregation of the New Park Street Chapel (later the Metropolitan Tabernacle) in London for 38 years. He was part of several controversies with the Baptist Union of Great Britain and later he left the denomination over doctrinal convictions.3 In 1867, he started a charity organisation which is now called Spurgeon's and works globally. He also founded Spurgeon's College, which was named after him posthumously.

Spurgeon authored many types of works including sermons, one autobiography, commentaries, books on prayer, devotionals, magazines, poetry, hymns, and more. Many sermons were transcribed as he spoke and were translated into many languages during his lifetime. He is said to have produced powerful sermons of penetrating thought and precise exposition. His oratory skills are said to have held his listeners spellbound in the Metropolitan Tabernacle and many Christians hold his writings in exceptionally high regard among devotional literature.  

A CHRISTMAS QUESTION

UPON other occasions I have explained the main part of this verse “The government shall be upon His shoulders, His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God.”

 If God shall spare me, on some future occasion I hope to take the other titles, “The Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” But now, this morning, the portion which will engage our at  tention is this, “Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given.” The sentence is a double one, but it has in it no repetitiveness. The careful reader will soon discover a distinction. And it is not a distinction without a difference. “Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given.” As Jesus Christ is a child in His human nature, He is born, begotten of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. He is as truly born, as certainly a child, as any other man that ever lived upon the face of the earth! He is, thus, in His humani  ty, a child born. But as Jesus Christ is God’s Son, He is not born, but given, begotten of His Father from before all worlds, begotten not made, being of the same substance with the Father. The doctrine of the eternal affiliation of Christ is to be received as an undoubted truth of our holy religion. But, as to any explanation of it, no man should venture thereon, for it remains among the deep things of God one of those solemn mysteries, indeed, into which the angels dare not look, nor do they desire to pry into it a mystery which we must not attempt to fathom, for it is utterly beyond the grasp of any finite being! As well might a gnat seek to drink in the ocean, as a finite creature to comprehend the Eternal God! A God whom we could understand would be no God. If we could grasp Him, He could not be infinite; if we could understand Him, then were He not divine. Jesus Christ, then, I say, as a Son, is not born to us, but given! He is a blessing bestowed on us, “For God so loved the world, that He sent His only begotten Son into the world.” He was not born in this world as God’s Son, but He was sent, or was given, so that you clearly perceive that the distinction is a suggestive one and conveys much good truth of God to us. “Un  to us a child is born, unto us a Son is given.”

This morning, however, the principal objective of my discourse and, indeed, the sole one, is to bring out the force of those two little words, “unto us.” For you will perceive that, here, the full force of the passage lies. “For UNTO US a child is born, UNTO US a Son is given.” The divisions of my discourse are very simple ones. First, is it so? Secondly, if it is so, what then? Thirdly, if it is not so, what then?

CHILDREN

1. In the first place, IS IT SO? Is it true that unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given? It is a fact that a child is born. Upon that, I use no argument. We receive it as a fact, more fully established than any other fact in history, that the Son of God became man, was born at Bethlehem, wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger. It is a fact, too, that a Son is given. About that, we have no question! The infidel may dispute, but we, professing to be believers in Scripture, receive it as an undeniable truth of God that God has given His only begotten Son to be the Savior of men! But the matter of question is this Is this child born to us? Is He given to us? This is the matter of anxious inquiry. Have we a personal interest in the child who was born at Bethlehem? Do we know that He is our Savior? that He has brought glad tidings to us? that to us He belongs? That we belong to Him? I say this is matter of very grave and solemn investigation. It is a very observable fact, that the very best of men are

sometimes troubled with questions with regard to their own interest in Christ. But men who are never troubled at all about the matter are very frequently presumptuous deceivers, who have no part in this matter! I have often observed that some of the people about whom I felt most sure were the very persons who were the least sure of themselves. It reminds me of the history of a godly man named Simon Brown, a minister in the olden times in the City of London. He became so extremely sad in heart, so depressed in spirit, that, at last, he conceived the idea that his soul was annihilated. It was all in vain to talk to the good man, you could not persuade him that he had a soul; but all the time he was preaching and praying and working, like a man who had two souls than none! When he preached, his eyes poured forth plenteous floods of tears and when he prayed, there was a divine fervor and heavenly prevalence in eve  ry petition. Now, so it is with many Christians. They seem to be the very picture of godliness—their life is admirable and their conversation heavenly, but yet, they are always crying “‘Tis a point I long to know, Oft it causes anxious thought! Do I love the Lord or no?

Am I His or am I not?”

So does it happen, that the best of men will question while the worst of men will presume.

Yes, I have seen the men about whose eternal destiny I had serious questions, whose inconsistencies in life were palpable and glaring. They have prated concerning their sure portion in Israel and their infal  lible hope, as though they believed others to be as easily duped as themselves! Now, what reason shall we give for this foolhardiness? Learn it from this illustration: You see a number of men riding along a narrow road upon the edge of the sea. It is a very perilous path, for the way is rugged and a tremendous precipice bounds the pathway on the left. Let but the horse’s foot slip once, and they dash downwards to destruction! See how cautiously the riders journey; how carefully the horses place their feet. But do you observe yon rider, at what a rate he dashes along, as if he were riding a steeplechase with Satan? You hold up your hands in an agony of fear, trembling lest any moment his horse’s foot should slip and he should be dashed down. And you ask, why so careless a rider? The man is a blind rider on a blind horse! They cannot see where they are! He thinks he is on a sure road, and therefore it is that he rides so fast. Or to vary the picture sometimes when persons are asleep, they take to walking and they will climb where others will not think of venturing. Giddy heights that would turn our brain seem safe enough to them! So there are many spiritual sleepwalkers in our midst, who think that they are awake. But they are not. Their very presumption in venturing to the high places of self confidence proves that they are sleepwalkers. Not awake, but men who walk and talk in their sleep. It is, then, I say, really a matter of serious questioning with all men who would be right at last, as to whether this child is born to us and this Son given to us.

I shall now help you to answer the question.