Limerick City Church
Facebook Page
  • Limerick City Church
    • Who We Are
    • Where we meet
    • Leadership >
      • The Task of Leadership
      • The Need for Leadership
    • When we meet
    • What We Believe
    • Testimonies >
      • What is Life all About?
      • Margaret
  • Sermons
    • Sermon Series >
      • Book of Acts
      • Choose Your Church
      • The Faith of Abraham
      • Fruit of the Spirit
      • Christian's Warfare
      • The Healthy Church
      • B.H. Clendennen
      • How to Judge
      • Grace in Jonah
      • The New Wineskin
      • The Uniqueness of the Bible
      • Strange Trials
      • The Prayer Closet
      • Mighty Conversions
      • Various 2013-14 Limerick sermons
      • Sanctification of the Spirit
      • Lot's Journey to Sodom
      • Wisdom for the Wise
      • 2015 Limerick Ireland
      • Redeeming the Time
      • Mary Limerick Malcomson
      • Salvation by Faith
      • The Ministry of Christ
      • Temptation
      • 2016 Sermons Limerick
      • Genesis 1-10
      • Rebuilding the Gates Nehemiah
      • The Shadow of the Cross
      • The Blood of Jesus
      • Unity in the Church
      • My Testimony
      • A Man Under Authority
      • Authority & Submission
      • Various 2017
      • Justification by Faith
      • Born Again
      • The Church
      • The Gifts of the Spirit
      • Various 2018
      • Jerusalem and Bible Prophecy
      • How to Store up Treasures in Heaven
      • How to Hear
      • Is this the Last Generation?
      • The Divine Exchange at the Cross
      • Water Baptism
      • School of Christ Convention 2018
      • The Latter Rain Covenant
      • The Marriage Covenant
      • Lost Things
      • Genesis 24
      • The Fight of Faith
      • 2019 Sermons LCC
      • Assurance of Salvation
      • Missing Links
      • Prayer
      • The Bible
      • Psalm 119
      • Grace Gifts
      • Various 2020
      • 2020 Vision
      • Battle for the Mind
      • Blood of Everlasting Covenant
      • Christ in the Crisis
      • The Corona Crisis
      • Czech Republic Page >
        • Czech 1
      • Biblical Teaching of Head Covering
      • Christ the Healer
      • Reaching Cults for Christ >
        • Candace healing testimonies
        • New Page 1
        • New Page
        • Ladies Meeting
        • Importance of church
        • Rest in the Lord
        • New Page
        • Birthday
        • Candace May 21
        • Shona test
      • Wise & Foolish Virgins
      • God's Message in an Evil Hour
      • Biblical Love
      • The Great Reset
      • Witchcraft in the Church
      • Joseph: A Vessel of Recovery
      • LCC sermons 2021
      • The Heaven's Rule
      • The Blood of Jesus & The Last Days
      • Spiritual Warfare
      • The Centrality of Christ
      • The Battle for the Mind Vol.2
      • SOC 2021
      • Raising Children Under Rising Tyranny
      • The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
      • London Conference
      • The 21st Century Church
      • The Advocate & the Accuser
      • Various 2022
      • Little Things of Scripture
      • Russia, Magog & Tarshish
      • A Heart for God
      • Social Justice & the Gospel
      • A Vessel of Revival
      • Ruin, Redemption & Regeneration
      • Candace Malcomson >
        • Candace Malcomson Funeral
        • Candace Testimonies
        • Candace Malcomson Bible Studies
        • Candace Worship & Songs
        • Candace Children's Talk
        • Candace Written Articles >
          • Christian Romance Novels
          • Christliche Romane. ROMANTISCHE ROMANE
          • Worship and Contemporary Christian Music
      • Sof
      • The Four Seasons of Life
      • Providence in the Book of Ruth
      • Daily Devotions
      • The God of the Valleys
      • Penal Substitution
    • Latest News
    • Articles >
      • Great Commission
      • Christ the Creator
      • Repentance
      • Jesus The Preacher
      • Missionary Churches
      • Leadership
      • Fasting
      • Unity in the Church
      • The Prayer Closet
      • GOD'S DWELLING PLACE IN EPHESUS
      • Things God Hates
      • CAN CHRISTIANS BE INDWELT BY DEMONS?
      • German
    • Books
  • Missions
    • Missionaries
    • Limerick Bible School
    • Encouraging Links
  • Blog
  • Contact LCC
    • Donate Page
    • LCC Events

SHEEP AMONG WOLVES—Pt.6

20/5/2017

0 Comments

 
by Charles Spurgeon
“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be you therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Matthew 10:16. ​
“be you therefore wise as serpents” (Pt.5)

But then you are to add to this—which might otherwise degenerate into cunning, the innocence of the dove. The Greek for harmless is “without horn.” The dove is without horn, hoof, fang, or other means of defence. You are to have positively no weapon. Like the dove, you are to be defenceless. It seems a singular thing to set doves flying at eagles and lambs at war with wolves, but this is what the Lord has done. This defencelessness, however, which looks like our weakness, is our real strength. Our being harmless appears to predict sure destruction, but it is to be the means of certain victory. You are to be gentle and easily entreated. You are not to fly into a passion because you are contradicted, nor to be angry because you are reviled. You are to endure contradiction and slander with tenderness and gentleness, as a dove bears all things.

You are not to be driven into any sin by opposition. The dove is pure—it loves to be by the rivers of waters, in the quiet and clean places. So do you never be driven to sinful word or deed, but do good to all men and glorify God in all things by being both gentle and pure as a dove. And as the dove is very simple and is altogether artless and unworldly, so let your strength and your wisdom lie in your artless truthfulness and childlike dependence upon God
.

See how Christ explains His own utterance a little further down. “Harmless as doves,” then He adds, “But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what you shall speak.” Be like a dove, confident because fearless, gentle, artless, simple, and restful. Do no ill and fear none. You Christian people, if you are going to defend the gospel, need not study oratory or become expert in pleading such as are used at law. Tell the truth and baffle the devil. Truth is the most powerful weapon and the most subtle policy. I believe that even in affairs of state, truth is wisdom. No diplomatic agent would so confound intriguers as a man who should tell the truth. They would conclude that what he said was a lie because they are accustomed to regard everything as having another meaning. An ambassador was formerly said to be a gentleman who is sent abroad to lie for the good of his country, but I hope it is not so now. If straightforward truth should ever become the policy of any country, it would be invincible in council. If in politics a man were to throw away all arts and tricks and adhere only to principle, he must gain respect. The greatest art in all the world is to fling all art away and the grandest policy is to have no policy, but honest dealing.

The bravest thing that can ever be done, and the most noble, is to be artless and harmless as a dove. There, then, is the policy of your warfare—be prudent, but be innocent and simple-minded. Oh, the power of truthfulness! Do not believe that men are strong in proportion as they are artful. By no manner of means. Do not believe that they are strong in proportion as they can bend a fist. No, the power of a Christian must lie in his holy heart and in his earnest tongue and in his look of love. By this he shall vanquish, but by nothing else.

The conclusion of my sermon is this. Does it come home to you, brothers and sisters? Do you hear the Lord sending you out to work? Then I entreat you, go forth. Suppose I make that one sentence my last word—“go forth.”
0 Comments

Sheep Among Wolves - Part 5

6/5/2017

1 Comment

 
by C.H. Spurgeon
“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be you therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Matthew 10:16. 
You have a tough task before you, to act as sheep among wolves. Your Lord leaves you not without guidance in the form of plain precepts. What are you to do, then? Be bold as lions? Yes, but that is not the principal thing. Be swift as eagles? Yes, by all means, but that is not the main requirement. For everyday life, for the wear and tear of this great battle, there are two grand requisites. The first is prudence—be wise as serpents and the next thing is innocence—be harmless as doves.

First, be prudent and wise as a serpent. Do not imitate a serpent in any other respect but in this. Never let the devil enter into you as he did in to the serpent, nor become groveling and cunning. But still, the serpent is an exceedingly wise creature and it had need to be, for it lives in a world where it is hated by a deadly foe. It is natural for man to hate the whole serpent tribe. The very first thing you do if you see a viper is to look for a stick to kill it. Everybody is the enemy of serpents and if they are to exist, at all, they must be very wary—in this you are to copy them. What does a serpent do to preserve itself? What is it which proves its wisdom?

First, it gets out of the way of man as much as it can. Our Lord meant this, for immediately after our text He says, “But beware of men.” It is well to get out of the society of ungodly men and let them see that their habits and modes of conversation are not ours. Seek to benefit them, but do not seek their society. Their wolfish propensities are most seen in their leisure time, in their drinking and reveling, therefore keep far from these. You have no business in their gay parties, their frivolous assemblies, their drinking bouts, and places of lascivious song. Do not accept their invitations when you know that they will be under no restraint. Do not linger near them when they are talking lewdly or profanely. Your moving off will be your most telling protest. You must be with them in your business—indeed, you are sent to them, but while you are with them you must not be of them and you should discreetly avoid them when you know that you can do no good.

You younger ones should get out of the way of old blasphemers and scoffers as much as you ever can, for they delight to worry the lambs. Do not attempt to answer them, but keep out of their way. Do not court quarrelling and controversy, but avoid all disputing upon the gospel. Your workmates will chaff you and no doubt you will receive many opprobrious epithets (nicknames), but neither provoke this treatment nor resent it in any way. Do not cast pearls before swine and do not introduce religion at unseasonable times. Hold your principles very firmly, but when you know a man will only blaspheme if he hears you name the name of Jesus, do not give him the occasion. Stand up for Jesus when the time is fit, but do not exercise zeal without knowledge. When a man is half drunk or in a passion, leave him to himself and thus escape many a brawl. At another opportunity, when the occasion is more favorable, then endeavor to instruct and persuade, but not when failure is certain. Be very prudent and hold your peace when silence is better than speech.

How else does the serpent act? It glides along very quietly. It can hiss, but it does not very often do so. As it glides along, it neither sings, nor roars, nor barks. It does not court observation. It slips off quietly, gracefully, swiftly, and without noise. Now, do not seek after great publicity. There may be times when it may be well to ring the great bell. If you can get multitudes of people together to hear the gospel, by all means ring the bell as loudly as you can, but as far as you are personally concerned, do not make a fuss, do not blazon abroad what you are going to do, do not call upon everybody, saying, “Come, see my zeal for the Lord of hosts.” Glide along through a useful life as quietly as the serpent which does what he finds to do and says nothing, dreading rather than courting the eye of man. Unobtrusive earnestness, quiet, simple-minded resolution to achieve your purpose, whether men will bear or whether they will forbear, whether they will praise or whether they will laugh at you—this is your wisdom.
​
Then, again, the serpent is famous for finding his way where no other creature could enter—any little space, any tiny opening will be sufficient for his purpose. His form is adapted to progress among obstacles. You may block the way to other creatures, but he will wriggle in somehow. So should it be with us. If we cannot get at men’s hearts one way, we must try another. If you cannot induce them to read the gospel, get them to hear it. If you cannot induce them to hear a sermon, drop a verse into their ears. If a tract is refused, put a word in edgeways for your Lord and Master. There is a way into everyone’s heart if you know how to find it—be wise as serpents and discover it. Though it seems very difficult to reach some minds, yet with holy perseverance and serpentine adroitness (skill) continue the attempt and you will succeed. There is a weak point in the strongest man’s mind, where his opposition can be wounded. Even Leviathan that laughs at the spear has a tender place where the spear’s point may come at him—and so the most ungodly, wicked, blaspheming, profane infidel has some point where you may reach his better feelings if you do but search it out. Be wise as serpents in this respect. 

(Last part — next week)
1 Comment

    Limerick City Church

    We are a church that has a real burden for the city of Limerick. We are praying that many will experience true salvation in Christ and that the Lord will pour out His Holy Spirit in a genuine revival.

    Categories

    All
    B.h. Clendennen
    Faith
    Hymn
    Men Of Faith
    Shiloh
    The Church

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    April 2022
    August 2020
    May 2018
    April 2018
    November 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    August 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013