All the Days of My Appointed Time Will I Wait
Our stay on earth is not a hindrance to heaven, but a means to make heaven more heavenly and to glorify God.
C.H. Spurgeon emphasizes the value of enduring life's trials as a means to deepen our fellowship with Christ and to prepare us for the glory of heaven. He suggests that our struggles on earth enhance the sweetness of eternal rest and that our suffering can serve a greater purpose in ministering to others and glorifying God. Spurgeon encourages believers to view their earthly experiences as opportunities to reflect Christ's honor, asserting that even the most difficult trials can be a light price for the privilege of sharing in His kingdom. He concludes by reminding us to patiently await our appointed time, trusting in God's eternal plan.
Text
A little stay on earth will make heaven more heavenly. Nothing makes rest so sweet as toil; nothing renders security so pleasant as exposure to alarms. The bitter quassia cups of earth will give a relish to the new wine which sparkles in the golden bowls of glory. Our battered armour and scarred countenances will render more illustrious our victory above, when we are welcomed to the seats of those who have overcome the world. We should not have full fellowship with Christ if we did not for awhile sojourn below, for He was baptized with a baptism of suffering among men, and we must be baptized with the same if we would share his kingdom.
Fellowship with Christ is so honourable that the sorest sorrow is a light price by which to procure it. Another reason for our lingering here is for the good of others. We would not wish to enter heaven till our work is done, and it may be that we are yet ordained to minister light to souls benighted in the wilderness of sin. Our prolonged stay here is doubtless for God's glory. A tried saint, like a well-cut diamond, glitters much in the King's crown. Nothing reflects so much honour on a workman as a protracted and severe trial of his work, and its triumphant endurance of the ordeal without giving way in any part.
We are God's workmanship, in whom He will be glorified by our afflictions. It is for the honour of Jesus that we endure the trial of our faith with sacred joy. Let each man surrender his own longings to the glory of Jesus, and feel, "If my lying in the dust would elevate my Lord by so much as an inch, let me still lie among the pots of earth. If to live on earth for ever would make my Lord more glorious, it should be my heaven to be shut out of heaven." Our time is fixed and settled by eternal decree. Let us not be anxious about it, but wait with patience till the gates of pearl shall open.
Sermon Outline
- The Purpose of Our Stay on Earth
- The Honour of Fellowship with Christ
- The Good of Others
- The Glory of God
- The Honour of Jesus
- We must surrender our longings to the glory of Jesus
- Our time on earth is fixed and settled by eternal decree
Key Quotes
“A little stay on earth will make heaven more heavenly.” — C.H. Spurgeon
“Nothing makes rest so sweet as toil; nothing renders security so pleasant as exposure to alarms.” — C.H. Spurgeon
“We are God's workmanship, in whom He will be glorified by our afflictions.” — C.H. Spurgeon
Application Points
- We should view our time on earth as an opportunity to glorify God and make heaven more heavenly.
- We should prioritize the glory of Jesus above our own longings and surrender them to His glory.
- We should wait with patience for the gates of pearl to open and trust in God's eternal decree.