Dearly Beloved,
Getting old isn’t for sissies, but then neither is marriage, parenting or living in a fallen evil world. We are instructed to “fight the good fight of faith; take hold of eternal life to which we were called.” Have you taken hold of eternal life? There is someone whose desire is for you to give up and throw in the towel. But let me remind as we have the last two Sunday’s that the “battle belongs to the Lord.”
Tuesday morning Patty and I read the reading below by Spurgeon and thought it would be good to pass it along. Last Sunday, as some of you know, a little squirrel (who Daniel has named Sparky) caused a power outage that prohibited us from meeting indoors and knocked out all the power at Valley except to our Student Center. So, we flexed and had church on the grass by our tennis courts. I changed my message and so my title from last week is the same for this week, “When life crashes in on you!” Read Job 1 and 2!
Because as He is so are we in this world,
Glen
“The breaker [the Messiah, who opens the way] shall go up before them [liberating them]. They will break out, pass through the gate and go out; So their King goes on before them, The Lord at their head.” Micah 2:13
Inasmuch as Jesus has gone before us, things remain not as they would have been had he never passed that way. He has conquered every foe that obstructed the way. Cheer up now thou faint-hearted warrior. Not only has Christ travelled the road, but he has slain thine enemies. Dost thou dread sin? He has nailed it to his cross. Dost thou fear death? He has been the death of Death. Art thou afraid of hell? He has barred it against the advent of any of his children; they shall never see the gulf of perdition. Whatever foes may be before the Christian, they are all overcome. There are lions, but their teeth are broken; there are serpents, but their fangs are extracted; there are rivers, but they are bridged or fordable; there are flames, but we wear that matchless garment which renders us invulnerable to fire. The sword that has been forged against us is already blunted; the instruments of war which the enemy is preparing have already lost their point. God has taken away in the person of Christ all the power that anything can have to hurt us. Well then, the army may safely march on, and you may go joyously along your journey, for all your enemies are conquered beforehand. What shall you do but march on to take the prey? They are beaten, they are vanquished; all you have to do is to divide the spoil. You shall, it is true, often engage in combat; but your fight shall be with a vanquished foe. His head is broken; he may attempt to injure you, but his strength shall not be sufficient for his malicious design. Your victory shall be easy, and your treasure shall be beyond all count.
“Proclaim aloud the Saviour’s fame,
Who bears the Breaker’s wond’rous name;
Sweet name; and it becomes him well,
Who breaks down earth, sin, death, and hell.”
C.H. Spurgeon