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10,054 illustrations — Lessons from history, biography, and world events
God's Withdrawn Joy: The Desolation of Willful Sin
Yet here, God withdraws His all-vitalizing and all-blessing presence.
Isaiah 9:17Universaldivine judgmentconsequences of willful disobedience
What Shall I Do Then with Jesus? The Question Every Soul Must Answer
Pilate acted with limited knowledge; we possess the full light of Christian revelation streaming upon that Divine face across two millennia.
Matthew 27:22Universalpersonal decision for Christ
New Wine in Old Bottles: The Law of Congruity
Both old cloth and new cloth share the nature of cloth; similarly, old wine and new wine share the nature of wine.
Matthew 9:17Universaltransformation
Christ's Self-Assertion: Understanding and Strength
First, He claims boundless power to satisfy human want and longing.
Proverbs 5:14UniversalChrist's authority
Wrath and Envy: The Hidden Poisons of the Human Heart
Exell's Victorian commentary illuminates why envy surpasses even explosive anger in spiritual danger.
Proverbs 26:4Universalhidden corruption of the heart
The Sacrifice of the Wicked Versus the Prayer of the Upright
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord—not because the ritual itself is defective, but because the worshipper lacks consideration.
Proverbs 13:8Universalinsincerity versus genuine devotion
The Indwelling Spirit as God's Mark Upon the Believer
It is the shepherd's mark distinguishing the flock of the Lord Jesus from the rest of the world.
Romans 9:11Universalindwelling presence of the Holy Spirit
Four Essentials of Effectual Prayer Before God
Spurgeon identifies four critical matters that constitute our main concern in prayer.
Psalms 54:2
Faith as the Obedience That Transcends Human Reason
Yet he frames this through prophecy—Isaiah foretold both the sending and the incredulity.
Romans 10:16Universalgrace transcending reason
Stephen's Prayer: Christ as God in the Hour of Death
He invoked the risen Jesus directly: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." This prayer reveals a cardinal truth that transcends doctrinal assertion—it emerges from the believer's lived experience.
Acts 7:59Universalthe divinity of Christ
Faith's Two Stages: The Trial and the Triumph
For six days, Israel performed what appeared utterly useless—a silent, circular procession around an impregnable fortress.
Joshua 6:10-11
The Woman's Touch: Faith Discovers Christ in the Crowd
This narrative reveals the desperate calculus of faith.
Matthew 9:20-22Universaldesperation leading to faith
Christ Rendered Powerless: The Peril of Adding to Grace
First, consider the effect of the gospel truly preached.
Galatians 4:4Universalthe sufficiency of Christ's work
The Golden Chain of Common Faith in Christian Families
The hereditary monarchy secured peaceful succession but never guaranteed continuity of godly policy.
2 Chronicles 17:1-10
The Bruised Reed: Christ Arrests the Beginnings of Evil
The *bruised reed*—a slender bulrush crushed by wind or foot, its head hanging by a thread yet not severed—represents evil in its incipient stage, a destructive process begun but still avoidable.
Isaiah 42:3-4
Fear Not: The Angel's Word to Seeking Hearts
Why should not the seekers of Jesus fear?
Matthew 27:6UniversalGod's comfort in fear
The Wicked Driven Away; The Righteous Held by Hope
The wisdom of religion is vindicated in the contrasting ends of good and evil men.
Proverbs 13:32Universalcontrasting destinies of righteous and wicked
The Printing Press as Evangelist: Books and the Battle for Souls
1887, when the printing press has become the mightiest agency for good or evil ever unleashed upon civilization.
Ecclesiastes 11:12
The Angry Countenance That Silences the Backbiter
The proverb's geography matters—the north wind's effect depends on terrain, just as righteous anger's effect depends on its proper object.
Proverbs 25:23Universalrighteous anger
Self-Oblivion in the Midst of Self-Consciousness
The Apostle never visited Rome, possessed no established relationships with those believers, had never looked upon their faces—yet his heart went out toward them with undisguised yearning.
Romans 1:11-12
Baptism Without Repentance: The Viper's False Security
They streamed into the wilderness seeking baptism as a *talisman*, a magical protection against coming judgment.
Luke 3:144
The Power of Christ's Silence Before His Accusers
Titus Vespasian, the Roman general, claimed he stood above false reports; if accusations were true, he had more reason for anger with himself than with the relator.
Matthew 26:63Universalthe power of silence
Charity Rejoices in Truth, Not in the Falsehood of Iniquity
Iniquity expresses unevenness or inequality—a want of rectitude or moral principle.
1 Corinthians 13:6Universalthe opposition between love and wickedness
Spiritual Courage: Building While Armed for Battle
Consider the work of mortification—to pluck out our eyes, to chop off our hands, to cut off our feet.
Psalms 31:24
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