But when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, darkness fell. Sermons
I. DISAPPOINTMENT IS ONE OF THE INEVITABLE TRIALS OF LIFE. We should not be overwhelmed with despair when we meet with it. It is part of the common lot of man, part of the common fate of nature. How many blossoms of spring fall to the ground frost-bitten and fruitless! How many hopes of men are but "castles in Spain"! If all we had dreamed of attaining bad become ours, earth would not be the world we know, but some rare paradise. II. DISAPPOINTMENT AGGRAVATES TROUBLE. Its inevitability does not draw its sting. To be expecting good and yet to meet with ill is doubly distressing. It gives a shock like that which is experienced in coming upon a descending step where one was preparing to take an ascending step. All sense of security is lost, and a painful surprise is felt. Feeling is just experienced in the transition from one condition to another, and the violence of the transition intensifies the sensation. When the eye is adjusted to see a bright light, the gloom of a dark place is all the deeper. The sanguine suffer from pangs of distress which duller natures are not prepared to experience. III. DISAPPOINTMENT SPRINGS FROM IGNORANCE. There must have been an error somewhere. Either we judged by mere appearances, or we trusted too much to the desires of our own hearts. God can never be disappointed, for God knows all and sees the end from the beginning. Hence his patience and long-suffering. It is well to see that God who thus knows everything is supremely blessed. No disillusions can dispel his perfect joy. Therefore not evil and pain, but good and gladness, must be ultimately supreme in the universe. IV. DISAPPOINTMENT IS A WHOLESOME DISCIPLINE. God suffers us to be disappointed that we may profit by the painful experience. Sometimes we have been trusting to an unworthy hope; then it is best that the idol should be shattered. If any earthly hope has been idolized, the loss of it may be good, driving us to our true God. It is possible, however, to be the worse for disappointment, which may embitter the soul and lead to misanthropy and despair. We need a stout faith to stand up against the blows of unexpected trouble. V. DISAPPOINTMENT WILL NEVER DESTROY THE TRUE CHRISTIAN HOPE. Earthly hopes may vanish in smoke, but the hope in Christ is sure. Even this may be lost sight of as the beacon-light is obscured by the driving storm; but it is not extinguished. For our Christian hope rests on the eternal constancy of God, and it concerns not fading and fragile earthly things, but the everlasting verities of heaven. Browning describes the man whose heart and life are strong against disappointment - "One who never turned his back, (J. M'Connell Hussey, B. A.) I. HUMAN SYMPATHY, ITS COMMENDATIONS. 1. We may say of it, first, that even nature dictateth that man should feel a sympathy for his kind. Humanity, had it remained in its unfallen estate, would have been one delightful household of brothers and sisters. Alas! for us, when Adam fell he not only violated his Maker's laws, but in the fall he broke the unity of the race, and now we are isolated particles of manhood, instead of being what we should have been, members of one body, moved by one and the same spirit. Called with a nobler calling, let us exhibit as the result of our regenerate nature a loftier compassion for the suffering sons of men. 2. Further, we may remark that the absence of sympathy has always been esteemed, in all countries, and in all ages, one of the most abominable of vices. In old classic history who are the men held up to everlasting execration? Are they not those who had no mercy on the poor? 3. Sympathy is especially a Christian's duty. 4. Remember the blessed example of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, that we through His poverty might be rich." 5. Sympathy is essential to our usefulness. 6. Here I must supplement that thought with another; sympathy may often be the direct means of conversion. 7. And I shall say here, that this sympathy is sure to be a great blessing to yourselves. If you want joy — joy that you may think upon at nights, and live upon day after day, next to the joy of the Lord, which is our strength, is the joy of doing good. The selfish man thinks that he has the most enjoyment in laying out his wealth upon himself. Poor fool! II. THE HINDRANCES TO CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY. 1. One of the great impediments to Christian sympathy is our own intense selfishness. We are all selfish by nature, and it is a work of grace to break this thoroughly down, until we live to Christ, and not to self any longer. How often is the rich man tempted to think that his riches are his own. 2. Another hindrance lies in the customs of our country. We still have amongst us too much of caste and custom. The exclusiveness of rank is not readily overcome. 3. Much want of sympathy is produced by our ignorance of one another. We do not know the sufferings of our fellows. 4. No doubt the abounding deception which exists among those who seek our help has checked much liberality. III. THE FRUITS OF CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY. 1. The fruit of Christian sympathy will be seen in a kindly association with all Christians: we shall not shun them nor pass them by. 2. It will be seen next, in a kindly encouragement of those who want aid, constantly being ready to give a word of good advice, and good cheer to the heart which is ready to faint. 3. Show it, also, whenever you hear the good name of any called into doubt. Stand up for your brethren. 'Tis an ill bird that fouls its own nest, but there are some such birds. 4. But still, there is no Christian sympathy in all this if it does not, when needed, prove itself by real gifts of our substance. Zealous words will not warm the cold; delicate words will not feed the hungry; the freest speech will not set free the captive, or visit him in prison. ( C. H. Spurgeon.). People JobPlaces UzTopics Dark, Darkness, Evil, Expected, Hoped, Wait, Waited, Waiting, YetOutline 1. Job's honor is turned into extreme contempt15. and his prosperity into calamity Dictionary of Bible Themes Job 30:26 4811 darkness, symbol of sin Library Christian SympathyJob, in his great indignation at the shameful accusation of unkindness to the needy, pours forth the following very solemn imprecation--"If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail; or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof; if I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering; if his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; if I have lifted up my … Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 8: 1863 What Carey did for Science --Founder of the Agricultural and Horticultural Society of India Whether the Limbo of Hell is the Same as Abraham's Bosom? Of Confession of Our Infirmity and of the Miseries of this Life Epistle xxxvi. To Maximus, Bishop of Salona . Messiah Unpitied, and Without a Comforter Epistle Xlv. To Theoctista, Patrician . No Sorrow Like Messiah's Sorrow Love Second Stage of Jewish Trial. Jesus Condemned by Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin. Job Links Job 30:26 NIVJob 30:26 NLT Job 30:26 ESV Job 30:26 NASB Job 30:26 KJV Job 30:26 Bible Apps Job 30:26 Parallel Job 30:26 Biblia Paralela Job 30:26 Chinese Bible Job 30:26 French Bible Job 30:26 German Bible Job 30:26 Commentaries Bible Hub |
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