CROWNING BLESSINGS ASCRIBED TO GOD – Charles Spurgeon
Crowning Blessings Ascribed to God
“You crown the year with Your goodness.” Psalm 65:11. Godly men in olden times felt God very near them and attributed everything in nature to His direct operation. They rarely spoke of “the laws of matter,” “the operation of natural forces,” or “the outcome of different causes,” but focused on the First Cause, the foundation of all existence, seeing His hand in all things. Listen to the Psalmist’s reverence: “You make the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice. You visit the earth and water it. You prepare them corn when you have so provided for it. You water the ridges thereof abundantly; you settle the furrows thereof: you make it soft with showers; you bless the springing thereof. You crown the year with Your goodness.” God’s presence was palpable in those days.
Philosophy and Divine Presence
If our philosophy distances us from God, let us abandon it and return to a simpler state where we see ourselves as children dependent on our heavenly Father. The Psalmist’s words emphasize God’s omnipresence and benevolence. Let us adopt the old way of recognizing God’s direct involvement rather than our supposed knowledge.
Spiritual Interpretation of the Psalm
I will interpret our text not in reference to the physical world but within the Church, God’s spiritual field. We celebrate our 25th year together as pastor and flock, a period truly crowned by God’s goodness. The analogy between the world of Grace and the world of Nature is so striking that the spiritual lessons from the Psalm are equally applicable to the Church.
Divine Goodness Adored
We begin by adoring divine goodness. Every success and righteous outcome we’ve experienced has come from the Lord, who works through us. We must acknowledge Him as the source of all good and give Him the glory for the blessings we’ve received. Our collective gratitude is overwhelming, prompting us not to preach but to lead in holy adoration for the mercies shown to our congregation.
Praise Reserved for God Alone
Praise waits for You, O God, in Sion.” Let us direct all praise to God, dismissing any thoughts of self-glorification. Even when we accomplish great deeds, we must recognize that it is by His grace and not our own merit. If we ever feel inclined to pride, let us quickly dismiss such thoughts and focus solely on glorifying God.
Gratitude for Answered Prayers
Our church has witnessed the power of prayer in remarkable ways. From the necessities of building our place of worship to the support of our ministries like the Orphanage, God has answered our calls for help in ways that affirm His presence and power. By reflecting on these answered prayers, our gratitude and praise for God deepen, acknowledging His role in every aspect of our church life.
Acknowledging Our Imperfections
While we strive to serve God, our efforts are often flawed. Our sins and shortcomings could have justifiably led to our abandonment by God, but His mercy prevails. We’ve had an advocate in Christ, and His atonement continues to cleanse and renew us. Recognizing our failures makes God’s patience and forgiveness all the more precious, urging us to praise Him even more fervently.
Celebrating Sacred Privileges
We have experienced profound spiritual blessings as a church. Many have come to faith, learned of God’s electing love, and enjoyed fellowship with Him and each other. These privileges, which began when we first approached God in repentance and have continued as we’ve grown in faith, underscore the reasons for our heartfelt praise.
The Encircling Blessing of the Divine Goodness
The Psalmist describes God’s goodness as a crown encircling the year. For us, these past 25 years have been similarly encompassed by His grace. Even our trials and tribulations have turned into blessings, teaching us valuable lessons and strengthening our faith. As we look back, we see a tapestry of God’s provision and faithfulness, encouraging us to trust Him more fully.
The Crowning Blessing Is Confessed to Be of God
Ultimately, the crown of our church is not in worldly attributes like music, intellect, or respectability, but in the spiritual riches we’ve received. Our crown is the souls saved, the poor hearing the Gospel, and Christ being glorified through our efforts. As we continue in our ministry, let us keep our focus on these eternal achievements and give all glory to God.
Exhortation to the Beloved Church
O my beloved Church, hold fast what you have, that no man take this crown away from you! As for me, by God’s help, the first and last thing that I long for is to bring men to Christ! I care nothing about fine language, or about the pretty speculations of prophecy, or a hundred dainty things! I desire only to break the heart and bind it up—to lay hold of a sheep of Christ and bring it back into the fold is the one thing I live for! You, also, are of the same mind, are you not? Well, we have had this crowning blessing that, as nearly as I can estimate, more than 9,000 persons have joined this Church. If they were all alive now, or all with us now, what a company they would be! Some have fallen asleep and many are members with other churches, working for the Master where they are probably more influential than they could have been at home. Some of our members we were glad to lose because our loss was the gain of the universal Church. We sent them out to colonize and so to increase the Master’s kingdom. For these 9,000 and more let God be praised! It is a crown in which we must and will rejoice.
Sustaining Members in Faith
But another crown to any Church, I think, is when its members are maintained in their profession. If many are added and then they are scattered again—if they do but come to go, if they are found and then straightway lost—what is the benefit of it? But this has been our crown of rejoicing, that we have seen the young converts matured in Divine Grace. The blade has become the ear and the ear has become the full corn in the ear for which God is thanked! And there has been this about it, that as we built together as living stones, so we have remained together! I have a great many faults and I often wonder how it is you put up with me, but we have not thought of parting—the mortar which holds us together in the building is very binding. I am not so much surprised that I put up with you, for it is my duty and office to bear with all and none of you have caused me grief except such as have walked unworthy and grieved the Spirit of God. We have gone on well together, under God’s blessings, these many years and have no hesitation about continuing in the same loving unity.
Harmony Amidst Challenges
During these 25 years I have had to attend to the quarrels and differences of scores of little Churches where their weakness should have been the strongest argument for union. Men usually divide when they are already too few for the work and this is a most grievous evil under the sun. Churches torn apart with contention have laid the wretched differences before me and I have had many a heavy burden to carry while trying to set things right. But I have not had to spend one five minutes in seeking to heal a breach in this Church or maintain its unity! The Lord has given us brotherly love and unto His name be praise! Brothers and Sisters who have been members of other Churches where you have seen trouble, you know what a comfort it is to be connected with a Church where we endeavor to walk in love to one another and where the noise of war has not disturbed our gates. Truly I must say and I do say it, “O Lord, You give peace in our borders and You fill us with the finest of the wheat. You crown the years with Your goodness.”
A Global Impact Through Missionary Work
But is this all? We ought to bless God for the fruit-bearing ones that have been among us. Workers of all sorts are found for the different agencies of the Church as they are required and God has given us some whom He has honored exceedingly who are our strength for home work. But, besides that, this Church has, this day, an army of above 400 ministers trained at her side who are now scattered all over the globe preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, while as a militia we have some 80 or more disseminating godly books! Best of all, we have a growing band of missionaries! My heart leaped within me on Monday night when I heard the young people and saw how one and another of our Brothers were devoting themselves to mission work. This I reckon to be the brightest crown of all! If the Lord will but infuse the missionary spirit into us and force out many to go abroad to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ our cup will run over and we shall again have to say, “Praise waits for You, O God, in Sion, for You crown the years with your goodness.”
Remembering Those Who Have Passed
Last of all, and never to be forgotten, during these 25 years there have gone from us to the upper realms about 800 who had named the name of Jesus. Professing their faith in Christ, living in His fear, dying in the faith they gave us no cause to doubt their sincerity and, therefore, we may not question their eternal safety. Many of them gave us in life and in death all the tokens we could ask for of their being in Christ and, therefore, we sorrow not as those that are without hope. Why, when I think of them, many of them my sons and daughters now before the Throne of God, they fill me with solemn exultation! Do you not see them in their white robes? Eight hundred souls redeemed by blood! These are only what we know of and had enrolled. How many there may have been converted here who never joined our earthly fellowship, but, nevertheless, have gone Home, I cannot tell. There probably have been more than those whose names we know, if we consider the wide area over which the printed sermons circulate. They are gathering Home, one by one, one by one, but they make a goodly company! Our name is Gad, for “a troop comes.” Happy shall we be to overtake those who have marched out ahead of us and entered into the Promised Land! Let us remember them and by faith join our hands with them. Flash a thought to unite the broken family, for we are not far from them, nor are they far from us, since we are one in Christ! This, too, is our crown.
A Call for Greater Commitment and Conversion
And now I want one thing more. There is such a thing as a greed that is never satisfied and I have a great greed upon me now. I frankly confess my covetousness. Whenever the Lord gives us any great spiritual gift we want more, nor are we blamed for this, but bid to covet earnestly the best gifts! This, then, is my further desire. I should be rejoiced beyond measure if, on this night and during the next two or three days in which we keep holy day and bless the Lord for His goodness, some Brothers and Sisters were moved by the Holy Spirit to undertake some new work for Christ which they had not thought of before. Come, my Brother, may the Lord crown this year this day with His goodness by putting it into your heart to break up new soil and sow a fresh field for Jesus! Have you been an idler? Buckle up! Today join the laborers and leave the loiterers! Get to the Master’s work! Have you already been diligent? I have more hope in appealing to you! Brother, Sister, try something more— something more tonight! Roll over in your mind what there is that is left undone in the branch of holy service for which you are fitted, or for which you might get to be fitted and engage in it at once! Come now! Consecrate yourself to the Lord anew tonight and pray Him to lift you to a higher platform and into a nobler state of consecration! That would be a blessed crowning of the years with His goodness! And what if some young men here were to say, “We shall prosper in business, no doubt, for we feel up to the mark for it. God has given us brain and skill and a fair opening, but inasmuch as we have capacity we will consecrate it”? I hear the sorrows of China borne on the wailing of the wind and the sighing of the sea! Millions upon millions are perishing for lack of knowledge—will no one pity them? The need of India’s teeming population cries to us in voices which pierce the heart—will no one listen and help? A voice comes forth from the excellent Glory, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” It were a crown to end the year with if there came from this and that set of useful, earnest Christian men the reply of individual hearts, “Here am I! Here am I! Send me!” The Lord give us this crown! One thing more. Oh, if some hearts would yield themselves to the Savior tonight! If some were converted tonight, what a crown that would be to finish up these years with! Testimonial, Sirs? No testimonial can ever be given to the preacher which can equal a soul converted! These are the seals of our ministry and the wages of our hire! Socrates, on his birthday, had a present given him by each of his students. Some brought less and some brought more. Among the rest there was one who had nothing in the world to bring and so he came to Socrates and said, “Master, I give you myself. I love you with all my heart.” The sage judged this to be the most precious of all the tributes. Will not some of you cry, “I do not know that I could be a missionary, or that I have any gifts, or talents, or substance that I could contribute, but, Lord, I give my heart to You to be renewed by Grace”? God bring you, poor sinner, to Jesus’ feet to surrender your whole nature to His sway that He may wash it in His blood, fill it with His Spirit and use it for His Glory! He says, “My son, give me your heart,” and when the heart is yielded, He accepts the gift! May the Eternal Spirit lead many to give themselves thus to Jesus this night and it will be the crowning joy of all the years! Amen and amen!