"A Sad Wonder"

     As Christians, those of us who are saved by the grace of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, are instructed in the scriptures to walk by faith, and furthermore that, everything that is not of faith is sin. I wonder,

Is this something that we truly believe? Oh, it looks very well on paper, but to take it from paper and put it into practice? To be lived out in the very life of the child of God?

  There is no doubt that, far to often (more often than we would like to confess) it is forgotten that

 "Without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to him must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." - Hebrews 11:6. 

     How much of our time is wasted in the pursuit of this world's cares and wares, in its idols and ideals; the lusts for carnal comforts; the foolish follies with which this world is packed, filled to the brim; the vain importance of views, opinions, and status of how others (Christians and lost alike) think of us, instead of what God thinks. Such endeavors do take their toll upon the faith with which we ought to walk in before our God. Remember Lot and the effect that Sodom had upon him (II Peter 2:7-8). And what was the iniquity of Sodom? Many blame homosexuality alone; but no, see what God said:

"Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good." - Ezekiel 16:49-50

     Do we believe that He "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.."? I fear that it must be concluded by our very actions, and by the limitations with which we determine to place the Lord under, that we do not. It must be that either we want the faith needed to ask great things of our God; or we have want of the kind of faith in God which believes that He is able, and that He is desiring that we call upon Him and ask of Him, that He might be glorified; or we want the holy living that honours God, and the obedience that God honours, thus granting us an audience before Him, and having His ear in the courts of heaven (James 5:16b).
     Do we believe that there will be a day when God shall judge the world and all secret things? Then why do we fail to warn men that such a judgment is coming, and warn them of their impending and unavoidable and inevitable doom? Do we truly understand what the "terror of the Lord" is? (II Cor. 5:10-11) Do we believe that God is holy, righteous, and just, and that by the very definition of those attributes sin must be punished? We see such punishment and vengeance of His holiness poured out upon Christ on the cross; the wrath and fury of the Almighty unleashed as a flood upon His own Son. Can we then afford to be ignorant of that soon coming judgment which shall overtake this world as a thief? Shall we be sloth and lax toward a perishing world and expect to be crowned?

     Below is a message titled, "The Sad Wonder" by Charles Spurgeon.
There are 6 parts, each alittle under 10 minutes, with part 6 being just over 3 minutes.

     ****I encourage those of you that have families to gather your loved ones together and sit for a while and listen to preaching; granted this sermon and others like it are read from books, they were, at one time preached, copied out via short-hand.****

     PLEASE NOTE:
"wonderful" or "wonder-ful" = "full of wonder"
"want" = "lack" or "lacking"

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6