Thomas Watson – The Art of Divine Contentment (1 of 8)

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Rich Moore

Thomas Watson – The Art of Divine Contentment (1 of 8)

Thomas Watson playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9B58A93B5F60F495

Link to my “Christian Devotional Readings” Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christian-Devotional-Readings/196846270398160?ref=hl

Proverbs 15:23 A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!

Luke 12:42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

Author: Watson, Thomas (1620-1686)

The Apostle Paul, in Phil. 4:11, says “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Thomas Watson, an English Puritan preacher, wants to teach readers how to gain the same contentment as Paul. Living in the 16th century, Watson believed that discontentment was a sin, and so wrote the book The Art of Divine Contentment: An Exposition of Philippians 4:11. Watson spends the entire book on this one verse, and in doing so, presents Christians with a comprehensive method for becoming content. Centered on the idea that “A gracious spirit is a contented spirit,” Watson believes that Christians can be and should be content because of God’s wonderful promises to his people. “The way for a man to be contented,” Watson says, “is not by raising his estate higher, but by bringing his heart lower.” In our contemporary society where discontent is the norm, disillusioned readers will benefit from The Art of Divine Contentment. Watson’s content is God-centered rather than focused on material possessions as so many Christians are today, so it is sure to bring comfort to those who strive to be happy in Christ.

Abby Zwart
CCEL Staff Writer

Text: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/watson/contentment.html

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J.C. Ryle – Remember Lot (He Lingered)

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Rich Moore

J.C. Ryle – Remember Lot (He Lingered)

Genesis 19:16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.

J.C. Ryle playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F5502DD37912A9C7

J.C. Ryle – (1816-1900), first Anglican bishop of Liverpool

John Charles Ryle was born at Macclesfield and was educated at Eton and at Christ Church, Oxford. He was a fine athlete who rowed and played Cricket for Oxford, where he took a first class degree in Greats and was offered a college fellowship (teaching position) which he declined. The son of a wealthy banker, he was destined for a career in politics before answering a call to ordained ministry.

He was spiritually awakened in 1838 while hearing Ephesians 2 read in church. He was ordained by Bishop Sumner at Winchester in 1842. After holding a curacy at Exbury in Hampshire, he became rector of St Thomas’s, Winchester (1843), rector of Helmingham, Suffolk (1844), vicar of Stradbroke (1861), honorary canon of Norwich (1872), and dean of Salisbury (1880). In 1880, at age 64, he became the first bishop of Liverpool, at the recommendation of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. He retired in 1900 at age 83 and died later the same year.

Ryle was a strong supporter of the evangelical school and a critic of Ritualism. Among his longer works are Christian Leaders of the Eighteenth Century (1869), Expository Thoughts on the Gospels (7 vols, 1856-69) and Principles for Churchmen (1884).

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A.W. Tozer – A Biography of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s Son

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Rich Moore

A.W. Tozer – A Biography of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s Son

A.W. Tozer sermon playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=66987CD6E419E258

Link to my “Christian Devotional Readings” Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christian-Devotional-Readings/196846270398160?ref=hl

http://www.sermonaudio.com

Aiden Wilson Tozer was born April 21, 1897, on a small farm among the spiny ridges of Western Pennsylvania.

Tozer’s forte was his prayer life which often found him walking the aisles of a sanctuary or lying face down on the floor. He noted, “As a man prays, so is he.” To him the worship of God was paramount in his life and ministry. “His preaching as well as his writings were but extensions of his prayer life,” comments Tozer biographer James L. Snyder. An earlier biographer noted, “He spent more time on his knees than at his desk.”
Tozer’s love for words also pervaded his family life. He quizzed his children on what they read and made up bedtime stories for them. “The thing I remember most about my father,” reflects his daughter Rebecca, “was those marvelous stories he would tell.”
Son Wendell, one of six boys born before the arrival of Rebecca, remembers that, “We all would rather be treated to the lilac switch by our mother than to have a talking-to by our dad.”
Tozer’s final years of ministry were spent at Avenue Road Church in Toronto, Canada. On May 12, 1963, his earthly pursuit of God ended when he died of a heart attack at age 66. In a small cemetery in Akron, Ohio, his tombstone bears this simple epitaph: “A Man of God.”
Some wonder why Tozer’s writings are as fresh today as when he was alive. It is because, as one friend commented, “He left the superficial, the obvious and the trivial for others to toss around. . . . [His] books reach deep into the heart.”
His humor, written and spoken, has been compared to that of Will Rogers–honest and homespun. Congregations could one moment be swept by gales of laughter and the next sit in a holy hush.

For almost 50 years, Tozer walked with God. Even though he is gone, he continues to speak, ministering to those who are eager to experience God. As someone put it, “This man makes you want to know and feel God.”

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Charles Spurgeon Sermons – Human Responsibility

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Rich Moore

Charles Spurgeon Sermons – Human Responsibility

Charles Spurgeon Sermon playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=CDB844A9113F938C

Charles Haddon (C.H.) Spurgeon (June 19, 1834 January 31, 1892) was a British Reformed Baptist preacher who remains highly influential among Christians of different denominations, among whom he is still known as the “Prince of Preachers.” In his lifetime, Spurgeon preached to around 10,000,000 people, often up to 10 times a week at different places. His sermons have been translated into many languages. Spurgeon was the pastor of the New Park Street Chapel in London for 38 years. In 1857, he started a charity organization called Spurgeon’s which now works globally. He also founded Spurgeon’s College, which was named after him after his death.

Spurgeon was a prolific author of many types of works including sermons, an autobiography, a commentary, books on prayer, a devotional, a magazine, and more. Many sermons were transcribed as he spoke and were translated into many languages during his lifetime. Arguably, no other author, Christian or otherwise, has more material in print than C.H. Spurgeon.

Charles Spurgeon Sermon – Human Responsibility

John 15:22

King James Version (KJV)

22If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.

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Charles Spurgeon Sermon – Secret Sins ( Turn…or Burn )

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Rich Moore

Charles Spurgeon Sermon – Secret Sins ( Turn…or Burn )

Charles Spurgeon Sermon Playlist 2: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAFB98CCADC2677AF

Psalm 19:12

King James Version (KJV)

12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.

http://www.sermonaudio.com/main.asp

Charles Haddon (C.H.) Spurgeon (June 19, 1834 January 31, 1892) was a British Reformed Baptist preacher who remains highly influential among Christians of different denominations, among whom he is still known as the “Prince of Preachers.” In his lifetime, Spurgeon preached to around 10,000,000 people, often up to 10 times a week at different places. His sermons have been translated into many languages. Spurgeon was the pastor of the New Park Street Chapel in London for 38 years. In 1857, he started a charity organization called Spurgeon’s which now works globally. He also founded Spurgeon’s College, which was named after him after his death.

Spurgeon was a prolific author of many types of works including sermons, an autobiography, a commentary, books on prayer, a devotional, a magazine, and more. Many sermons were transcribed as he spoke and were translated into many languages during his lifetime. Arguably, no other author, Christian or otherwise, has more material in print than C.H. Spurgeon.

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Charles Spurgeon Sermons – True Prayer-True Power!

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Rich Moore

True Prayer-True Power!

Charles Spurgeon Sermons playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=CDB844A9113F938C

Charles Haddon (C.H.) Spurgeon (June 19, 1834 January 31, 1892) was a British Reformed Baptist preacher who remains highly influential among Christians of different denominations, among whom he is still known as the “Prince of Preachers.” In his lifetime, Spurgeon preached to around 10,000,000 people, often up to 10 times a week at different places. His sermons have been translated into many languages. Spurgeon was the pastor of the New Park Street Chapel in London for 38 years. In 1857, he started a charity organization called Spurgeon’s which now works globally. He also founded Spurgeon’s College, which was named after him after his death.

Spurgeon was a prolific author of many types of works including sermons, an autobiography, a commentary, books on prayer, a devotional, a magazine, and more. Many sermons were transcribed as he spoke and were translated into many languages during his lifetime. Arguably, no other author, Christian or otherwise, has more material in print than C.H. Spurgeon.

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The Life of God in the Soul of Man – Henry Scougal (1 of 4)

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Rich Moore

The Life of God in the Soul of Man – Henry Scougal (1 of 4)

“I never knew what true religion was till God sent me this excellent treatise.” – George Whitefield

Henry Scougal playlist http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=5EDCC1CE9F5173B2

Henry Scougal – (1650 – 1678), Scottish Puritan
Scougal produced a number of works in his brief life while a pastor and professor of divinity at King’s College, Aberdeen. His greatest production is by consensus, The Life Of God In The Soul Of Man, which was originally written to a friend to explain Christianity and give spiritual counsel. This short treatise displays unusual perception and maturity for one so young. In fact, this work was almost universally well-spoken of by the leaders of the Great Awakening, including George Whitefield, who said he never really understood what true religion was till he had digested Scougal’s treatise.

In addition to his literary productions, Henry Scougal was also noted for his piety and his clear grasp of scripture, aided in turn by his proficiency in Latin, Hebrew, Greek, and some of the cognate oriental languages. Taken out of the world at the young age of twenty-eight by tuberculosis, perhaps the words preached at his funeral service most aptly characterize the man, for there it was declared of Henry Scougal that – “he truly lived much in a few years and died an old man in eight and twenty years.”

John 12 King James Version (KJV)

27Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

28Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

John 15
4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

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The Love of Many Shall Wax Cold – Matthew Henry ( Bible Commentary )

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Rich Moore

Love of Many Shall Wax Cold ( Bible Commentary )

Last Days End Times playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PLB227FC75AC58D3E4

Matthew Henry playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=D7D28E0CDFFEA3D6

Matthew 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Matthew Henry – (1662-1714), Calvinist biblical exegete

Matthew Henry was born near Wales on October 18, 1662 and was primarily home-educated by his father, Rev. Philip Henry, and also at the Thomas Doolittle academy from 1680-1682. Henry first started studying law in 1686, but instead of pursuing a career in law he began to preach in his neighborhood.

After the declaration of liberty of conscience by James II in 1687, he was privately ordained in London, and on June 2, 1687, he began his regular ministry as non-conformist pastor of a Presbyterian congregation at Chester. He remained in this position for 25 years. After declining several times offers from London congregations, he finally accepted a call to Hackney, London, and began his ministry there May 18, 1712, shortly before his death.

Henry’s reputation rests upon his renowned commentary, An Exposition of the Old and New Testaments (1708-10, known also as Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible). He lived to complete it only as far as to the end of the Acts, but after his death other like-minded authors prepared the remainder from Henry’s manuscripts. This work was long celebrated as the best English commentary for devotional purposes and the expanded edition was initially published in 1896. Instead of critical exposition, Henry focuses on practical suggestion, and his commentaries contains rich stores of truths. There is also a smaller devotional commentary on the Bible from Henry known as Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary.

From Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible

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A.W. Pink – The Sovereignty of God (1 of 11)

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Rich Moore

A.W. Pink – The Sovereignty of God (1 of 11)

A.W. Pink – The Sovereignty of God playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4884571B8BCD567F

A.W. Pink Playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=10C95ED824AA4503

A.W. Pink (1886-1952): Pastor, itinerate Bible teacher, author of Studies in the Scriptures and many books including his well-known The
Sovereignty of God; born in Great Britain, immigrated to the U.S., and later returned to his homeland in 1934; born in Nottingham, England.

FOREWORD TO THE THIRD EDITION

That a third edition of this work is now called for, is a cause of fervent praise to God. As the darkness deepens and the pretentions of men are taking on an ever-increasing blatancy, the need becomes greater for the claims of God to be emphasized. As the twentieth century Babel of religious tongues is bewildering so many, the duty of God’s servants to point to the one sure anchorage for the heart, is the more apparent. Nothing is so tranquilizing and so stabilizing as the assurance that the Lord Himself is on the Throne of the universe, “working all things after the counsel of His own will”.

The Holy Spirit has told us that there are in the Scriptures “some things hard to be understood”, but mark it is “hard” not “impossible”! A patient waiting on the Lord, a diligent comparison of scripture with scripture, often issues in a fuller apprehension of that which before was obscure to us. During the last ten years it has pleased God to grant us further light on certain parts of His Word, and this we have sought to use in improving our expositions of different passages. But it is with unfeigned thanksgiving that we find it unnecessary to either change or modify any doctrine contained in the former editions. Yea, as time goes by, we realize (by Divine grace) with ever-increasing force, the truth, the importance, and the value of the Sovereignty of God as it pertains to every branch of our lives.

Our hearts have been made to rejoice again and again by unsolicited letters which have come to hand from every quarter of the earth, telling of help and blessing received from the former editions of this work. One Christian friend was so stirred by reading it and so impressed by its testimony, that a check was sent to be used in sending free copies to missionaries in fifty foreign countries, “that its glorious message may encircle the globe”; numbers of whom have written us to say how much they have been strengthened in their fight with the powers of darkness. To God alone belongs all the glory. May He deign to use this third edition to the honour of His own great Name, and to the feeding of His scattered and starved sheep.

1929 Morton’s Gap, Kentucky.

ARTHUR W. PINK

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John Bunyan – Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (Part 1 of 19)

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Rich Moore

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners – John Bunyan playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB382B1C51F7B073C

Grace Abounding is the spiritual autobiography of John Bunyan, who also penned Pilgrims Progress, perhaps one of the most significant pieces of Christian literature, second only to the Bible. Grace Abounding follows Bunyan’s struggle to find true repentance and forgiveness, his battle with Satan’s temptations of unbelief, his comfort found in the Bible and his overarching victory gotten by the grace of God through Jesus Christ his Son. Readers familiar with Pilgrims Progress will recognize that many of the allegorical points in his famous work came out of Bunyan’s own struggles and discoveries, and it has been said that Bunyan could not have written Pilgrims Progress without first going through the battles chronicled in Grace Abounding.

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