Why hast thou forsaken me?

I posted this mornings devotion from Spurgeon's devotional titled, "Morning and Evening." This is a very fitting verse and devotion to meditate on as we approach the Easter weekend.

"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” — Psalm 22:1

We here behold the Saviour in the depth of his sorrows. No other place so well shows the griefs of Christ as Calvary, and no other moment at Calvary is so full of agony as that in which his cry rends the air—“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” At this moment physical weakness was united with acute mental torture from the shame and ignominy through which he had to pass; and to make his grief culminate with emphasis, he suffered spiritual agony surpassing all expression, resulting from the departure of his Father’s presence. This was the black midnight of his horror; then it was that he descended the abyss of suffering. No man can enter into the full meaning of these words. Some of us think at times that we could cry, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” There are seasons when the brightness of our Father’s smile is eclipsed by clouds and darkness; but let us remember that God never does really forsake us. It is only a seeming forsaking with us, but in Christ’s case it was a real forsaking. We grieve at a little withdrawal of our Father’s love; but the real turning away of God’s face from his Son, who shall calculate how deep the agony which it caused him? In our case, our cry is often dictated by unbelief: in his case, it was the utterance of a dreadful fact, for God had really turned away from him for a season. O thou poor, distressed soul, who once lived in the sunshine of God’s face, but art now in darkness, remember that he has not really forsaken thee. God in the clouds is as much our God as when he shines forth in all the lustre of his grace; but since even the thought that he has forsaken us gives us agony, what must the woe of the Saviour have been when he exclaimed, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Charles Spurgeon)


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What is your desire?

Below is a very searching verse and quote from Albert Barne's commentary.

Psalm 106:15, "And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul."

It means here that the effect of all this on their souls was similar to the effect on the body when it wastes away by disease or want of food. This effect often occurs. In the gratification of their desires, in great temporal success and prosperity, individuals, churches, nations, often forget their dependence on God; lose their sense of the value of spiritual privileges and blessings: are satisfied with their condition; become selfconfident and proud, and forfeit the favor of God. If we pray for temporal prosperity, we should also pray that we may at the same time have grace commensurate with it, that it may be a blessing and not a curse; if we are visited with prosperity when it has not been a direct object of our prayer - if we inherit riches, or if our plans are successful beyond our expectations - or, in the language of the world, if "fortune smiles upon us," there should be special prayer on our part that it may not be a curse rather than a blessing; that it may be so received and used as not to alienate our minds from God. Few are the Christian people who can bear continued success in life; few are those who are not injured by it; rare is it that growth in grace keeps pace with uninterrupted worldly prosperity; rare is it that the blessings of earth are so received and employed that they are seen to be a means of grace, and not a hindrance to growth in piety. A man does not know what is best for him when his heart is set on worldly prosperity; and God is more benevolent to people than they are to themselves, in withholding what is so often the object of their intense desire. "What is asked in passion, is often given in wrath" - Henry.

 

John Blanchard Books

John Blanchard will be at Berean Baptist Church on Good Friday and on Easter Sunday. We are offering a preorder discount on the books/pamphlets that he will be focusing his sermons on during his visit.

Book Titles offered in discount package:
Why the Cross?
Jesus: Dead of Alive?
Meet the Real Jesus
Travel with John Blanchard

Retail for all 4 books is over $35.00

Pre order discount of over 40% = $20.00!!!

$20.00 for all 4 books/pamphlets

Early bird special only on April 10th and 17th!!

Visit the table in the Narthex and place your order with Neal Ruffner or Pastor Eric Stewart by April 17th.


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You alone are holy

"Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy.
For all nations shall come and worship before You,
For Your judgments have been manifested.”
Rev 15:4

God and God alone is the holy one. He is independently, infinitely, and immutably holy. In Scripture one characteristic that is often used to describe God is 'holiness.' This attribute is clearly revealed throughout the canon of Scripture.

The Bible contains some wonderful pictures of a heavenly worship service. There are two specific spots I am referring to in the Bible. In these angelic worship services we find holiness to be the great theme of the angels singing. In the book of Isaiah we find a miraculous event that transpired before Isaiahs very eyes. The Heavens were opened and the Seraphim bursted forth a Heavenly anthem:

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of
hosts;
The whole earth is is full of His glory!"

Or towards the beginning of the apocalyptic book of Revelation John recalls the vision he had while being in the Spirit on the Lord's day. Again the angels stayed focused on this same theme:

"Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is to come!"

So, we must conclude a couple of things from these worship services. The first conclusion we certainly must make is God is holy. The angels sang about it as it is an essential characteristic of the Lord. Secondly, we must conclude that it is an important attribute of God. For there could have been many other attributes the angels sang about but in both of these accounts they were found praising His holiness.



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The example of children

"Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein" Mark 10:15

O how I wish all people would come to Christ as dear children. For they have no prejudices, no preconceived theories, nor opinions it cannot give up; the dear little convert simply believes the word of Christ.

A little child believes with an unquestioning faith which makes everything vivid and real. Believe just so! The child believes in all humility, looking up to its teacher, and receiving its teachers words as decisive. Believe in Jesus just so! Say, "Lord, I am a know nothing--: I come to thee to be taught. I am nothing, be thou mine all in all."

A child when it comes to Christ comes very sincerely, and with all its heart. It knows nothing of sinister motives, or of formality. Its repentance and faith are genuine. The children do not play at religion. They do not look for fine words with which to trim themselves and make their prayers look neat and pretty, but they simply come.

When a child believes in Jesus it cares nothing for critical points. That is the way you must come to Christ. You that have been always inventing religious conundrums; you that have addled your brains with the vain thoughts of vain men, come to Jesus as you are, and believe what Jesus says because Jesus says it. Take Christ at his word, and trust him: that is the way to be saved.

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