the gospel of the glory of the blessed God is the greatest thing in the world at this moment - Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“Him we proclaim…” - Colossians 1:28 ESV; “Whom we preach…”- Colossians 1:28 KJV

“Let us notice first of all what the Apostle tells us about the nature of this message. ‘Whom we preach’ – a better word there would be, ‘Whom we proclaim.’ The Apostle says: I am a man who is proclaiming something; I am making an announcement; I am making a declaration.
And that at once tells us a great thing about this gospel, does it not? You see, Paul is a proclaimer of the great good news. He is proud of it. He says ‘Whom we proclaim’! He is like a man who has been commissioned to sound a trumpet call. He calls everybody to listen. He has the most marvelous good news to give his readers, the most thrilling good news that this world has ever heard. This message that we are considering together is the greatest thing in the world at this moment. There is nothing to compare with it. It is the most glorious, the most wonderful thing.

Charles Wesley wrote a hymn which says:

O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise!

Could you sing that honestly? Would you really mean it? Do you wish that you had a thousand tongues to proclaim what you know about the gospel and what you feel concerning the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you feel that? Charles Wesley did; Paul did. So, you see, the way we test whether we believe the gospel or not, at the very beginning, is to ask ourselves: Is this the most glorious and wonderful thing we have ever heard of or ever can hear of? If it is not, then it is not the gospel. Take the idea that you make yourself a Christian by living a good life – there is no good news about that, is there? There is nothing thrilling. You do not need a thousand tongues to proclaim that. But this, says Paul, is good news, it is a proclamation!”

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Love So Amazing: Exposition of Colossians I,
An all-inclusive message

the cross of Christ & the precious blood of Christ - C.H. Spurgeon

“O beloved, abide not in any place from which your eye cannot behold the cross of Christ. When you are thinking of the doctrines of the gospel, or the precepts of the Word, or studying the prophecies of Scripture, never let your mind relinquish the study of the cross. The cross was the place of your spiritual birth; it must ever be the spot for renewing your health, for it is the sanatorium of every sin-sick soul. The blood is the true balm of Gilead; it is the only catholicon which heals every spiritual disease. Come, sin-sick soul, & breathe the air which was purified when the blood of the heart of Jesus fell from His wounds to the ground, for no spiritual disease can abide the presence of the healing blood. Hasten, ye weak ones, to Calvary, & partake in God-given strength & vigor. It is from Calvary that you shall see the Sun of Righteousness arising with healing beneath His wings. The beloved Physician meets His patients at the foot of the cross, & relieves them from all their ills…

Believer, if thou wouldst overcome in prayer, tell the Lord of all the groans of His dear Son; never dream of arguing except with arguments fetched from Jesus’ wounds: these are potent pleas with God – the bloody sweat, the flagellation, the nails, the spear, the vinegar, the cross – these must be the mighty reasons with which to overcome the Infinite One…It is not our prayers that will be in themselves prevalent, nor our praises, nor our love; but the blood gives prevalence, acceptance, & power to all. Come hither, then, and let us lay our heart itself, all bleeding upon that altar, & let our prayers and praises rise to heaven, like pillars of smoke, accepted through the blood.”

– C.H. Spurgeon, The sin offering, Sermon #739

Is Jesus Christ in forefront? Is He in the centre? - Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“A very good way in which we can test our own profession of the Christian faith is just to apply this test to ourselves. Is Jesus Christ in forefront? Is He in the centre? You will find that in this introduction the Apostle mentions Him at least five times (Romans 1:1-7). I had occasion to note recently that in the first fourteen verses of the Epistle to the Ephesians he mentions Him fifteen times. He cannot get away from Him, as it were; he must keep on mentioning the Name. He uses the terms ‘Jesus Christ’, ‘the Lord Jesus Christ’, ‘Christ Jesus our Lord’, and so on. Watch him in his epistles, he is always using the Name, and it evidently gives him great pleasure to do so, And the question, I repeat, is, ‘Is this true of us? Is Jesus Christ in the forefront of our minds, and our hearts, and our conversations? I mean - and here I am talking to Christian people, to believers – when we talk to one another, are we always talking about some experience or some blessing we have had, or are we talking about the Lord Jesus Christ? I have no hesitation in asserting that as we grow in grace, we talk much less about ourselves and our experiences, and much more about Him.”

- Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans (Volume 1): Exposition of Chapter 1 - The Gospel of God

the smallest faith, the strong faith – the gift of God - Robert Hawker

“Let it be remembered therefore, that with respect to our own personal salvation, the smallest portions of faith, as they are from Christ, do prove an union with Christ, as truly as the largest gifts the Lord may be pleased to bestow upon His members. The drop of water in the dew, is as truly water as all the rivers of the world. It is the same in nature & in quality, though not in quantity. The same may be said in respect to faith. And this ought to comfort & encourage a poor child of God under weak faith, whose cries for an increase of faith are great & continual (Luke 17:5). Moreover those portions of faith, which are of the operation of the Spirit of God, however small & inconsiderable, yet carry with them the true marks of a child of God.

“For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake” (Philippians 1:29) Faith is the gift of God. And wheresoever this grace is given, it proves the possessor of it to be a child of God. For when Paul preached among the Gentiles, we are told, that as many as were appointed to eternal life believed (Acts 13:48).

And as to the act of being justified by faith, it is plain from the whole tenor of Scripture, that while it is blessed to have strong & lively acting of faith on the person, work, & righteousness of God our Savior, yet the babe in Christ, as well as the strong man in the Lord, is as truly justified, because it is Christ which justifies, and not the strength of our faith in Christ which contributes thereto. By Him, (says Paul) that is, by Christ, all that believe, whether slender faith or strong faith, all that believe are justified from all things (Acts 13:39).”

- Robert Hawker, The Poor Man’s New Testament Commentary, Volume 1
comments on Matthew 17:14-21

live in the blood of Jesus by faith - Friedrich W. Krummacher

“Live in the blood of Jesus by faith, and like a miraculous dew, it will cause the virtuous germ of thy new nature to spring up and expand. It will flow like oil into the flame of thy love, and will assist humility in obtaining the victory in thee. It will render thee merciful, and forgiving, and patient. It will make the vain delights of the present world as nothing to thee, and give the courage and fortitude in the distresses of life, as well as at death. Yes, in whatever way thou regards it, it is true what the Scriptures say, that “life is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11).”

- Friedrich Wilhelm Krummacher, Gems of F.W. Krummacher

“The Lord shut the door upon Noah. When this was done Noah was removed from the view of those who were left behind; & thus it is with all who enter into the true ark. The world knows them no more. They travel incognito. Their life is hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). But what does it concern them, whether or not the world is able to comprehend & value them, it is enough for them that “the Lord knows them that are His” (2 Timothy 2:19)”

- Friedrich Wilhelm Krummacher, Gems of F.W. Krummacher

“The office of the Holy Spirit – the Builder” - F.W. Krummacher

“Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?” - 1 Corinthians 3:16

“The Holy Spirit builds; this is His occupation when we first learn to know Him, & certainly we often behold Him employed in it (1 Cor 3:16)…There is a city existing upon earth, which has nowhere its equal; it consists of holy sanctuaries & temples; it is invisible & yet close at hand; & the world contemns it, although it is the most glorious thing in it. The wings of Eternal Love are spread over it; heaven smiles on it benignantly; its walls & ramparts are of fire, & its foundations are firm as the eternal mountains. It is the city of the King of kings, & it is the office of the Holy Spirit to raise & extend it. He is a builder of temples; & in this point of view He stands in the same relationship to Christ that Solomon did to David. The latter by His victories & conquests first rendered the building of the temple possible; he also provided materials, & sketched the plan which Solomon put into execution.

No one is by nature a temple; on the contrary, by nature we are the dwelling places of an evil spirit, who has his work in the hearts of the unregenerated, & who blinds them so that they believe a lie. It is now the employment of the Holy Spirit to remodel this living charnel house, & for this purpose He throws down & raises up; He destroys & creates anew. His instrument is the Holy Scriptures; He makes the word penetrating & sharper than a two-edged sword; giving it power to make impression, & animating it with the breath of life. You know from experience how it acts; sometimes it strikes like a thunderbolt, & sometimes it flashes past; two houses stand together, the one is struck, while the other is untouched: Sunday after Sunday pass by, while the heavy laden cloud of our sermons thunder & lighten over the heads of the people; but what good does it do? They pass away without effect until the Spirit direct them. Then indeed there is a change; the rain falls on the heart; the fiery flames descend, & the word strikes like an invisible sword, reforming & creating anew.”

- F.W. Krummacher, The Martyr Lamb,

The office of the Holy Spirit