DEVOTION for February 23rd *A.D. 2024
Written and calendared by Charles H. Spurgeon.

PRAYER 10, Part 5 of 9

THE MUSIC OF PRAISE.

As for Thy people, we are grieved [convicted, guilt-ridden] to think that we do not live better than we do. Blessed be Thy name for every fruit of holiness, for every work of faith, but oh! for more. Thou hast [have] changed the tree; it is no longer a bramble [unfruitful thorny plant]; it can bring forth figs, but now we want to bring forth more of these sweet fruits. [I pray for more fruit through the instrumentalities You choose in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.]

(Attachment: PRAYER 10.doc)
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ANECDOTE 206: Christ’s Instant Pardon.

The Emperor of Germany, in the olden times when popes were popes, had offended his
"Un-holiness", [the pope] and before he could be restored to favor he had to stand for three days (I think it was three) outside the castle gate, in the deep snow, in the depth of winter, and do penance [suffer punishment required by the pope for actions of offense against his accuser, truthfully proclaimed [charged] or otherwise].

I have seen, myself, in Rome and elsewhere, outside of the older churches, places uncovered and exposed to wind and rain, to the heat of summer and the frost of winter, where backsliders were made to stand, sometimes for years even, before they were restored, if they had committed some offence against ecclesiastical statutes.

You will sometimes see in old country churches of England little windows that run slanting and just look towards the communion table through which poor offenders who professed repentance, after some months of standing in the churchyard, or perhaps outside of it, were at last allowed to take a peep at the altar [table for offering the sacrifice of the Lord again], at the expiration of their weary term of penance [punishment].

All this is contrary to the spirit of the gospel, for the spirit of the gospel is, “Come now, and let us reason together; though thy sins be as scarlet, they shall be as wool.”

The spirit of my text is

“Kiss the Son now;”

and that is all. Tho [although] those lips were once blaspheming, let them kiss the Son. Tho [although] those lips have uttered high words and proud words, or perhaps lying and lascivious words,

“Kiss the Son.”

Bow down at those dear pierced feet, and trust Emmanuel, and own [acknowledge] yourself as his servant, and you shall be forgiven, forgiven at once, without delay and this night [right now] you shall be accepted in Christ.

[Accepted in the Beloved]

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FAITH’S CHECKBOOK FEBRUARY 23 UNBROKEN FELLOWSHIP ESSENTIAL

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you —”John 15:7

Si estuviereis en mi, y mis palabras estuvieren en vosotros, pedid todo lo que quisiereis, y os será hecho — Juan 15:7

Of necessity we must be in Christ to live unto Him, and we must abide in Him to be able to claim the largesse [generosity] of this promise from Him. To abide in Jesus is never to quit [leave] Him for another love, or another object, but to remain in living, loving, conscious, and willing union with Him. The branch is not only ever near the stem, but ever receiving life that and fruitfulness from it. All true believers abide in Christ in a sense; but there is a higher meaning, and this we must know before we can gain unlimited power at the throne.

-Ask what ye will-

is for Enochs who walk with God [Enoch did not die but was transported directly into the presence of God because

“He pleased God”.],

for Johns who lie in the Lord’s bosom [on His chest nearest to His heart] [In scripture it was said of John
“whom the Lord loves”],

for those whose union with Christ leads to constant communion. [fellowship] The heart must remain in love, the mind must be rooted in faith, the hope must be cemented to the Word, the whole man must be joined unto the Lord, or else it would be dangerous to trust us with power in prayer.

The carte blanche can only be given to one whose very life is,

-Not I, but Christ liveth in me.-

O you who break your fellowship, what power you lose! If you would be mighty in your pleadings,

the Lord Himself must abide in you, and you in Him.

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MORNING February 23

"I will never leave thee." —Hebrews 13:5

─No te desampararé, ni te dejaré. — Hebreos 13:5

NO promise [in scripture] is of private interpretation [if applied individually to one, it must be applied equally to all].

Whatever God has said to any one saint, He has said to all. When He opens a granary [silo] door to give out food, there may be some one starving man who is the occasion of its being opened, but all hungry saints may come and feed too. Whether He gave the world to Abraham or to Moses, it matters not, O believer;

He has given it to you as one of the covenanted seed. [promised ones] There is not a high blessing too lofty [high] for you, nor a wide mercy too extensive for you. Lift up your eyes to the north and to the south, to the east and to the west, for all this is yours.

Climb to [Mt.] Pisgah's top and view the utmost limit of the divine promise, for the land is all your own.

There is not a brook [stream] of living water you may not drink from. If the land flows with milk and honey, eat the honey and drink the milk, for both are yours.

Be bold to believe, for He has said,

“I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

In this promise, God gives to His people everything.

"I will never leave thee." Then no attribute [characteristic] of God can cease to be engaged for us.

Is He mighty? He will show Himself strong on the behalf of them that trust Him.

Is He love? Then with loving-kindness will He have mercy upon us. Whatever attributes may compose the character of Deity [God], every one of them to its fullest extent shall be engaged on our side [behalf].

To put everything in one, there is nothing you can want, there is nothing you can ask for, there is nothing you can need in time or in eternity, there is nothing living, nothing dying, there is nothing in this world, nothing in the next world, there is nothing now, nothing at the resurrection-morning, nothing in heaven that is not contained in this text—

"I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

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EVENING February 23

"Take up *the cross, and follow Me. " —Mark 10:21

─Ven, sígueme, tomando tu *[la] cruz—. Marcos 10:21

*Textus Receptus is “the” not “your”.

You have not the making of [the things needed to make] your own cross although unbelief is a master carpenter at cross-making; neither are you permitted to choose your own cross although self-will would fain [greatly desire to] be lord and master. But your cross is prepared and appointed for you by divine love, and you are cheerfully to accept it.

You are to take up the cross as your chosen badge and burden, and not to stand quibbling [questioning or picking] at it. This night [tonight, right now] Jesus charges you to submit your shoulder to His easy yoke.

Do not kick at it in petulance [impatience], or trample on it in vain-glory, [inordinate pride] or fall under it in despair, or run away from it in fear, but take it up like a true follower of Jesus.

Jesus was a cross-bearer; He leads the way in the path of sorrow. Surely you could not desire a better guide! And if He carries a cross, what nobler burden would you desire? The Via Crucis [Way of the Cross] is the way of safety; fear not to tread its thorny paths.

Beloved, the cross is not made of feathers, or lined with velvet. It is heavy and galling [blistering] to disobedient shoulders.

But it is not an iron cross, though your fears have painted it with iron colors; it is a wooden cross, and a man can carry it, for the Man of Sorrows tried [undertook] the load. Take up your cross and by the power of the Spirit of God you will soon be so in love with it that, like Moses, you would not exchange the reproach of Christ for all the treasures of Egypt. Remember that Jesus carried it, and [therefore] it will smell sweetly; remember that it will soon be followed by the crown, and the thought of the coming weight of glory will greatly lighten the present heaviness of trouble.

The Lord help you to bow your spirit in submission to the divine will before you fall asleep this night [tonight], that waking with tomorrow's sun, you may go forth to the day's cross with the holy and submissive spirit which becomes [graces] a follower of the Crucified. [Lord Jesus]

A SINNER’S PRAYER: … FOR WHOSOEVER: [One and all]

Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2:21
Call on the name of the Lord Jesus and be saved … pray like this, won’t you?

“Lord Jesus, I’m a lost sinner and without You I am hopeless. I can’t save myself. Without your death on the cross for my sin debt I would be condemned to spend eternity condemned to Hell. I have been self-centered from birth. Please forgive me.

I realize that doing my best, being as good as possible, or being better than other people can never save me. . I’m guilty and sorry for each and every sin I have done and look to You to forgive me of them all.
I look to You, alone Lord Jesus to save me.
I call on You, Lord Jesus, right now to save me. You died on the cross for me, because of my sin and You say, “It shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2:21.

Right now, just as I am, I call on You, Lord Jesus to save me, I trust You, to be my Lord and Savior from now on.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You have forgiven me of all my sins. I ask You to abide in me and give me the desire to always follow You.
You paid the price for all of my sins by dying on the cross. Even the sins of the whole world.

Thank you, Lord Jesus that You loved me and died for me even before I was born and that You still love me now. I love You too.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, that You have called me away from sin and death into the Life everlasting in Your only begotten son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank You, Heavenly Father that you raised Jesus from the dead. He is ALIVE and in Him we are victorious over sin, death and the grave. Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. [Holy Ghost, The Comforter, The Spirit of Truth]

Thank You for saving me heavenly Father. With all my heart, thank you Father for saving me in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Allow us to share the joy of your new birth with heaven. Won’t you? Heaven rejoices over each redeemed sinner. Luke 15:7

The John Mark Publishing Company, P.O. Box 21, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92693, U.S.A. or e-mail: dailyspurgeon@aol.com. Write us, won’t you?

You too can cast your cares on the Lord…

Call on Him. As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me.. ...Psalm 55:16
Trust Him. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass ... Psalm 37:5
Come to Him. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.. Matthew 11:28
Give Him the burden. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22]

MISSION STATEMENT:

Our aim is to be Christlike. We desire to fulfill the Great Commission in taking the GOOD NEWS of Salvation by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ [The Messiah] to every creature, making and baptizing disciples in the name of God the Father, Jesus the Christ and the Holy Ghost.

The Published Titles from Spurgeon that are included exclusively each day in the Devotion are:

· C.H. Spurgeon Prayers

· Spurgeon’s Illustrative Anecdotes

· Faith’s Checkbook

· Morning & Evening

These titles are selected from the inspired body of work created from the preaching and writing of Charles Haddon Spurgeon 1834-1892. He created an excellent legacy of gospel preaching and exposition and is known as the “Prince of Preachers”. Spurgeon has been and is today widely read with great benefit from the 1800’s to this present time. He is the beloved founder of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, England (Still thriving TODAY through the faithful preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.) [Click to live-stream current gospel preaching in real time each Sunday from London by Dr. Peter Masters, Metropolitan Tabernacle pastor since 1970.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, please bless Your disciples toward the winning of many souls, and help us to be loving and compassionate toward all who are in need, especially those in the household of faith. I pray this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and for His sake, Amen.

Disclaimer: The John Mark Publishing Company does not praise or exalt Charles H. Spurgeon beyond the honor due him. He didn’t need or want it when he was on earth and would have no need or desire for it now. Our aim is to lift up and glorify the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and to preach HIM and Him crucified.

Precaution: These Messages and prayers alone will not substitute for continual fellowship with the Lord Jesus. Neither do they replace personal reading, meditation, prayer and fasting over God's divinely preserved and eternal Word. (The King James version (KJV), known also as the Authorized Version (AV), is the preferred English Bible because its accuracy and fidelity to the Greek Textus Receptus [received text] and the Hebrew Masoretic Text) avoid doctrinal and editorial weaknesses found in many contemporary editions.

Prayer Selection by Spurgeon must not be offered as a substitute for personal, intimate fervent, heart-felt, prayer. It is intended rather, to warm the hearts of those who are in prayer seeking a season of authentic two-way, heart-to-heart fellowship and prayer with the Father, His Son and the Holy Spirit. Read from the NT Book of Romans Chapter 8.

Preaching Preparation: Use these links to find a sermon by Charles H. Spurgeon from the same scripture(s) of the sermon you’re now preparing.

New Testament

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Old Testament

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Prayer for all Preachers and visitors: Dear Father, please lift up, build up, encourage and draw to Yourself all readers. Bless the preaching of the Gospel and be glorified in your all sufficient, atoning grace that redeems all who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ [Messiah], in Your name, Lord Jesus, Amen.

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Editorial Support: [Bracketed additions] clarify words and expressions that are unfamiliar or not in contemporary (USA) English use today. No changes other than spelling differences between the UK and the United States English (USA) have been made to Spurgeon’s original, unabridged text. Scripture references are blue hyperlinks that open The full Bible text. (English: AKJV, Authorized King James Version]; Spanish: Reina Valera/Gomez) The mailing list is strictly confidential and will not be used or distributed in any way for any purpose other than to send this daily message.

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The Authorized King James Bible
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https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/King-James-Version-KJV-Bible/

The above link is to search for specific words or Scripture references in the King James Bible (KJV) inerrant and infallible English Bible because it is providentially protected and preserved by GOD Himself through the only translation into English by faithful brethren from the established majority text MT from which the Greek Textus Receptus [received text] manuscripts of the New Testament was taken and the Hebrew Masoretic Text of the Old Testament (Jewish Tanakh). These manuscripts are providentially protected, and frequently give greater glory to God when compared to variant readings of all modern translations from Modern Critical Texts based on inferior Greek manuscripts.

The established majority manuscripts avoid doctrinal error, inaccuracies in translation, uninspired editorial notations, variant or ambiguous readings taken from Codices Vaticanus, or Sinaiticus.

Copyright: The King James Version is distinguished by the requirement of Great Brittan that all King James bibles be printed by the Cambridge University Press, the Crown’s authorized printer. No one other than the Crown’s printer, is allowed print, copy or import the King James Bible into Great Brittan by order of the Crown.

In the United States there is no Copyright protection and the KJV is deemed Public Domain. If a new publication changes at least a 10% of an existing publication a lucrative Copyright can be granted. Therefore the NKJV and many other copyrighted translations. Only the King James Version New Testament is unique from among the over 100 English translations that follow modern textual criticism and only the King James is translated from the superior Greek Textus Receptus as its Primary time tested and self-authenticating Greek text Source.

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DEFENDINGTHE KING JAMES BIBLE by Millennium Bible Institute

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https://youtu.be/RL1px3GRfo4

This is fact filled video to present the essential truth for those who seek to learn about and use the providentially protected, preserved and immutable Holy Bible that is both inerrant and infallible and gives God the utmost praise, and the greatest glory due to GOD, HIMSELF, alone. Praise and worship are rightfully insisted upon and commanded in God’s inspired [God-Breathed (Spoken) Word from God himself. HOLY WORDS that were given by God through the Holy Ghost, word by word, to His Holy Prophets and Apostles and comprise all eternal (Matthew 5:18) Holy Scripture.

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HOW HAS THE MAJORITY TEXT AND THE TEXTUS RECEPTUS BEEN PROVIDENTIALLY PROTECTED AND PRESERVED?

THE INSPIRED, GOD BREATHED, IMMORTAL WORDS, WERE UTTERED, WORD-BY-WORD, TO THE HOLY PROPHETS AND APOSTLES, WHO WERE MOVED BY THE HOLY GHOST ARE PROTECTED AND PRESERVED IN HOLY SCRIPTURE THAT WAS WRITTEN WORD-FOR-WORD IS IMMUTABLE, INERRANT, AND INFALLIBLE AND IS FOR EVER SETTLED IN HEAVEN BY GOD HIMSELF IN THE SELF AUTHENTICATING WORD OF GOD, ITSELF.

Authorized (King James) Version:

ל Lamed

89 For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.

Psalm 119:89

Authorized (King James) Version:

21For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
2 Peter 1:21

Authorized (King James) Version:

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1

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Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort

URL:
https://www.febc.edu.sg/v15/article/def_the_inside_story_of_westcott_and_hort

In 1870, The Anglican Church of England passed a resolution to revise the English Bible. The New Testament revision committee which finally consisted of 25 scholars (though only about 16 eventually attended the meetings) which included Westcott and Hort. The committee worked for ten years in the Jerusalem chamber, and these two scholars swept the Revision Committee along with them after work commenced. In fact, the “Cambridge trio” (Westcott, Hort and Lightfoot) colluded with others to dominate the meetings with their views of the text and to defeat any who opposed them. Their *letters reveal this conspiracy:

* Letters from close relatives are quoted in the Inside Story above

The only voice defending the Textus Receptus was Dr Scrivener, probably the foremost scholar of the day in the manuscripts of the Greek New Testament and the history of the Text. But he was systematically outvoted by the Cambridge trio and outdone by Hort’s powerful debating skill. When the revision was completed, the revision committee had altered the Greek Text in 5,337 places,

thus violating the original rule that had been set for the committee of not altering the Greek Text unless absolutely necessary to do so.

Link above, for The complete Inside Story of Westcott and Hort.
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CONCLUSION

In conclusion, let it be said that no matter how good any modern version of the New Testament is in other ways, it is clearly blemished if the work of Westcott and Hort is present in it. The presence of their work means that it is based on a defective text. Those who want to honor the Word of God must not promote the use of any of these versions by the church, not because the content of the version is evil in itself, but because the attitude of being contented to use a blemished version rather than an existing unblemished one, dishonors God. If God has taken the trouble to preserve for His people a good Greek text of the New Testament for 18 centuries, how dishonoring it would be to Him if His people now chose instead to change over to a version that is based on a defective text.

Let the biblical story of Nadab and Abihu be a lesson to all:

And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp. So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said. And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled” (Lev 10:1–6).

– Published in The Burning Bush, Volume 4 Number 1, January 1998

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Heavenly Father, Thank You that You will save those who call out to You in faith in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, according to Your Promise, Amen.

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For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.
-Psalm 119:89 Authorized (King James) Version

1 Corinthians 14:33 Authorized (King James) Version

33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

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