Life in Christ Vol 1

Lessons from Our Lord's Miracles and Parables

Charles H. Spurgeon

• Publisher: Aneko Press
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781622453917
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

Original title: Miracles and Parables of Our Lord.
Volume 1
A deep, inspiring, and often challenging study of the Lord Jesus Christ's miracles and parables.
Men who were led by the hand or groped their way along the wall to reach Jesus were touched by his finger and went home without a guide, rejoicing that Jesus Christ had opened their eyes. Jesus is still able to perform such miracles. And, with the power of the Holy Spirit, his Word will be expounded and we'll watch for the signs to follow, expecting to see them at once. Why shouldn't those who read this be blessed with the light of heaven? This is my heart's inmost desire.
I can't put fine words together. I've never studied speech. In fact, my heart loathes the very thought of intentionally speaking with fine words when souls are in danger of eternal separation from God. No, I work to speak straight to your hearts and consciences, and if there is anyone with faith to receive, God will bless them with fresh revelation.
- Charles H. Spurgeon
In this first volume, Charles H. Spurgeon expounds on the following miracles:
•Jesus heals two blind men by touching their eyes (Matthew 9: 27-30).
•Jesus uses spit to heal another blind man (Mark 8: 22-25).
•Jesus passes through the midst of those who would kill him (Luke 4: 28-30).
•Jesus brings a widow's son back to life (Luke 7: 11-17).
•Jesus releases a woman from a spirit of infirmity (Luke 13: 10-13).
•Jesus heals ten lepers but only one thanks him (Luke 17: 12-16).
•Jesus gently rebukes his mother then makes wine for the wedding (John 2: 1-5).
•Jesus tests a nobleman's faith and his son is healed (John 4: 46-53).

Chapter 1

Our Lord’s Question to the Blind Men

And when Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed him, crying out and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yes, Lord. Then he touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no one knows it. (Matthew 9:27-30)

In our own streets, we may occasionally meet a blind beggar, but they fill the streets of the Middle Eastern cities. Inflammation of the eye is the scourge of Egypt and Syria. Volney (1759-1820) declared that in Cairo, out of a hundred people he met, twenty were completely blind, ten were blind in one eye, and twenty others suffered some form of disease in their eyes to varying degrees. The problem is immense in the Middle and Far East, and things were probably worse in our Savior’s time. We ought to be grateful that leprosy, afflictions of the eye, and other forms of disease have been held in check among us in modern times to the point that the plague, which devastated our city (London) two hundred years ago, is now unknown, and our hospitals are no longer crowded with lepers.

Today, blindness is often prevented, frequently cured, and no longer a leading cause of poverty in this country. Because there were so many blind people in our Savior’s day, many flocked to him, and we read about him healing them. Mercy met misery on its own battlefield. Where human sorrow was most obvious, divine power displayed compassion.

Today, though, it is a very common thing for men to be blind spiritually. This fact causes me to have great hope that our Lord Jesus will act in the same way and display his power in the midst of our abundant evil. I trust that some who read these words long to obtain spiritual sight and see Jesus like the two blind men in Matthew, because to see Jesus is to see everlasting life. To those who feel their spiritual blindness and yearn for the light of God and of pardon – the light of love and peace, the light of holiness and purity – our eager desire is that the darkness may be lifted, and the divine light may find a passage into your soul’s inner gloom to cause the night of your sinful nature to pass away forever.

Oh, that the moment of light may be at hand for many of you who are “inwardly blind.” The possibility of immediate illumination is the blessing I urge you to consider. I know that truth can dwell in the memory for years and at some point produce fruit. But our prayer is for immediate results, considering the nature of the light we’re talking about. In the beginning, God said, Let there be light, and there was light (Genesis 1:3). And when Jesus, the Son of God, walked as a man on earth, all he did was touch the eyes of the blind, and immediately they received sight. If only that was the norm today!

Men who were led by the hand to Jesus or groped their way along the wall to find him were touched by his finger and went home without a guide, rejoicing that Jesus Christ had opened their eyes. Jesus is still able to perform such miracles. And, depending upon the Holy Spirit, we will preach his Word and watch for the signs to follow, expecting to see them at once. Why shouldn’t those who read this and are blinded by sin be blessed with the light of heaven? This is our heart’s inmost desire, and to this end we direct our efforts. With that said, let’s look at the text and allow ourselves to be affected by the truths which it will present to us.

The Seekers

First, we must look at the seekers themselves – the two blind men. There’s something about them worthy of imitation by all who desire to be saved.

The two blind men were in downright earnest. The words which describe their appeal to Christ are crying out. This doesn’t mean simply speaking, because it says, crying out and saying. Crying out implies earnest, energetic, pathetic begging and pleading. Their tones and actions indicated that their desire was a deep, passionate craving. Imagine yourselves in such a case and how starved for blessed light you would be if for years you had been forced to live in what Milton called “the ever-during dark.” They hungered and thirsted after sight.

We can’t hope for salvation until we seek it with the same sense of need. Few display such a strong sense of earnestness about being saved, but many demonstrate this type of passion regarding their money, their health, or their children. They’re quick to show their passion for politics and business, but the moment you bring up matters of true godliness, they’re as cool as the Arctic snows. How can this be? Do you expect to be saved while you’re half asleep? Do you expect to find pardon and grace while you continue in lethargic indifference? If so, you are sadly mistaken, for life is given unto the kingdom of the heavens, and the valiant take hold of it (Matthew 11:12).

Death and eternity, judgment and hell are not things to play with. The soul’s eternal destiny is no small matter, and salvation by the precious blood of Christ is not something to take lightly. Men aren’t saved from eternity in hell by a careless nod or a wink. A mumbled “Our Father” or a hasty “Lord, have mercy upon me” will not suffice. These blind men would have remained blind if they hadn’t cried out in earnest to have their eyes opened. So, many today continue in their sins, because they don’t act with a strong sense of urgency to escape. These men were fully awake. Are you? Can you, with a sincere heart, join with me in these two verses?

Jesus, who now art passing by,

Our Prophet, Priest, and King thou art:

Hear a poor unbeliever’s cry,

And heal the blindness of my heart:

Urging my passionate request,

Thy pardoning mercy I implore,

Whoe’er rebuke I will not rest,

Till thou my spirit’s sight restore.

(John Wesley)

Perseverance in Prayer

The blind men were persevering in their devoted pursuit of Christ. How did they manage to follow the movements of the Lord? We don’t know. It must have been very difficult, because they were blind, but they probably asked others which way the Master had gone and kept their ears open to every sound.

They likely asked, “Where is he? Where’s Jesus? Lead us, guide us. We must find him.” We don’t know how far our Lord had gone, but we do know they followed as far as he went. They persevered so bravely that when they reached the house where he was, they didn’t stay outside until he came out again. They pressed into the room where he sat. Their quest for sight was so persistent that their pleas attracted his attention. He paused and listened while they said, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.

In this way, their perseverance prevailed: no man will be lost who knows the art of persistent prayer. If we resolve to never leave the gate of mercy until the gatekeeper opens to us, our persistence will cause him to open the door. If we grab onto the angel of the Lord and hang on saying, “I won’t let go until you bless me,” we will emerge from the wrestling more than a conqueror.

A mouth open in unceasing prayer will result in open eyes that see faith clearly. So, pray in the darkness, even if there seems to be no hope of light. When God, who is light, moves a poor sinner to plead and cry out with the commitment to continue until the blessing comes, he doesn’t even consider disregarding that poor crying heart. Perseverance in prayer is a sure sign that the day of opening the eyes of the blind is near.

The blind men had a definite objective in their prayers. They knew what they wanted. They weren’t like children crying for nothing or greedy misers crying for everything. They wanted their sight and they knew it. Many blind souls are unaware of their blindness, so when they pray, they ask for anything except the one thing they need.

Many so-called prayers are made up of nice words and pretty, pious sentences, but they are not prayer. To those who are saved, prayer is communion with God. To those seeking salvation, it’s asking for what you want and expecting to receive it through the name of Jesus. But what sort of prayer is it when there’s no sense of need, no direct asking, and no intelligent pleading? Have you in precise words asked the Lord to save you? Have you expressed your need for a new heart, your need for being washed in the blood of Christ, and your need for being made God’s child and adopted into his family? There is no praying until a man knows what he’s praying for and determines to pray for it, as if he cares about nothing else.

If someone is filled with passion and insistence and makes his requests known, he is sure to succeed in his pleading. With a strong arm, he draws the bow of desire and places a sharp arrow of passionate longing upon the string. Then, with clarity of sight, he takes deliberate aim. Because of his diligence, we can expect him to hit the very center of the target. Pray for light, life, forgiveness, and salvation; pra...

Table of contents

• Our Lord’s Question to the Blind Men
• The Plain Man’s Pathway to Peace
• Men as Trees
• Jesus Rejected
• Young Man, Is This for You?
• Lifting Up the Bowed Down
• Only Trust Him
• Where Are the Nine?
• Obeying Christ’s Orders
• The Waterpots at Cana
• Satan’s Banquet
• The Feast of the Lord
• The Beginning of Miracles
• The Nobleman’s Faith
• Characteristics of Faith
• About the Author