Bringing Forth Fruit with Patience ~ LORD Help us!

"But that on the good ground, are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience." -Jesus Christ the LORD , as per Luke 8:15 [KJV]

Disciple, tread warily on this good ground. Speak cautiously about it. Lest thy soul be lifted up, and thou shouldest say, I made myself to differ. My nature is better to receive the seed, and my heart more honest and good to retain it, than others. Know thyself by nature upon a level with wayside, stony-ground, and thorny hearers. See what is predicted of these blessed hearers. Examine if we are of the happy number: if so, let us fall down in humility, and cry, What hath God wrought! Let us give all the glory to the God of all grace. 

(1st.) “That on good ground.” It is made good by the labour of the husbandman: tilled, cultivated, and made fit to receive the seed, by the grace of the Spirit, in an honest and good heart. No man has such a heart naturally. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. See the cursed weeds it brings forth. “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,” etc. (Mark 7:21.) Such an old, wicked heart as this, can neither receive, nor retain the seed of the kingdom, so as to bring forth fruit unto perfection. New wine of gospel grace and love, must be put into new bottles. Therefore saith the LORD, “A new heart will I give you” (Ezekiel 36:26.) Precious promise! This is that good and honest heart. Hath the Lord given it thee? 

If so, (2d.) You will hear the Word (-of God) and keep it. It takes root downward. Thou hast, and dost retain an abiding sense of thy own vileness, poverty, and wretchedness. Thou wilt be rooted and grounded in the love of Christ, knowing that in Him thou art rich, righteous, and happy. As the word made thee thus wise and happy, thou wilt keep it: ponder it in thine heart: meditate upon it day and night. It will be dear and precious to thy soul. This is an evidence of a good and honest heart: it delights in the good news of the word of grace—the faithful promises of a covenant God in Christ Jesus. 

(3d.) Such bring forth fruit with patience. Because they keep the word in their hearts, they go on patient in well doing, and patient in suffering the will of God. Says David, “Thy word have I hid in my heart.” To what end? “...that I might not sin against Thee” (Psalm 119:11.) Says St. Paul, “The word of the truth of the gospel, bringeth forth fruit in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth” (Colossians 1:5, 6.) 

That soul in whose heart THE WORD OF GRACE takes the deepest root, brings forth most fruit to God. O soul, wouldst thou be more holy and more happy? Keep the Word of God. Study it. That directs thee to Christ, in Whom all thy happiness centres, and from Whom all thy holiness springs. 

 

-preacher Wm. Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CHRIST OUR ONLY AND PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS

" The flesh lusteth against the Spirit." —Galatians 5:17 [KJV] Christian experience fully proves this apostolic truth. Hence the children of God cannot do the things that they would: nor have we any authority from God's word to conclude this lusting ever ceased in any of the saints till they got to glory; none are delivered from it while in the flesh. For, as the renewed soul or spirit loves to enjoy spiritual and heavenly objects, so the flesh, or unrenewed part, lusts after those objects it is naturally conversant with, and from which it derives its happiness.  Here is thy conflict, O Christian. Hence the necessity of thy Lord's command, "Watch always." This is the use of the doctrine. What woeful effects have fulfilling the lusts or desires of the flesh produced in eminent saints! Thou standest by faith, be not high-minded, but fear. The conceptions of lust are the productions of sin.— see James 1:15 . The commission of sin contracts fresh s
Read more

Encouragement in Christ JESUS ~ 04 October, 2023 A.D.

" All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient." —I Corinthians 6:12 [KJV] The constraints of love and jealousy of fear sweetly unite in the believing heart. Where the faith of Jesus prevails, love constrains. It holds and keeps us in our station and duty, as soldiers are kept together under a banner or ensign displayed. What cheerfulness and activity of soul do we experience, when we can say with the church in the Canticles (Songs of Solomon), ch. 2, vs4. "Jesus' banner over me was love!" Then how sweetly do we judge and determine our conduct by the law of Christ, which is LOVE!  This excites a godly fear lest we should allow ourselves a latitude in things in themselves indifferent, to the wounding and hurt of our souls or our fellow-soldiers. Though all things of an indifferent nature, which are innocent in themselves, are lawful to us; yet the cause and interest of our dear Saviour, and the good and edifying of His beloved memb
Read more

JESUS - Rock of Ages

Jesus remains the same in all ages. He is the One who is constant when everything and everyone else fails. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever; the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is our R ock [I SAMUEL 2:2 ] . In the Old Testament, in Exodus 33, Jesus is pictured as the Cleft Rock. In that chapter, verse 18 and following, Moses desired to see the glory of the Lord, but was told, "You cannot see My face; for there shall no man see My face and live.” And the Lord said, “There is a place by Me, and you shalt stand upon a rock: and it shall come to pass, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by." Notice that as Moses stood upon the rock, the Lord hid him in the cleft. This wonderfully applies to us today! Believers are both standing on and hidden in Christ [COLOSSIANS 3:3 ] . We are both in and on the Rock. As life with its many bitter events presses upon us,
Read more