He Carries Us With Joy
Jesus carries his people with joy, showing loving-kindness and compassion, and desires for them to be happy and walk in the light.
C.H. Spurgeon emphasizes the tender mercy of Jesus, who carries His people in His bosom, symbolizing love and comfort. He highlights the importance of making believers, especially young ones, feel joy and happiness in their faith, countering the misconception that following Christ leads to gloom. Spurgeon encourages Christians to uplift others by sharing the richness of the gospel and the faithfulness of Christ, ensuring that they experience peace and pleasantness in their walk with God. He reminds us that the Good Shepherd desires the comfort and joy of His lambs, guiding them towards happiness.
Text
It is said that he carries them [as a shepherd does]; this is mercy; but this is not all, for he carries them in his bosom, this is tender mercy. To carry is kindness, but to carry in the bosom is loving-kindness. The shoulders are for power, and the back for force, but the bosom is the seat of love. Jesus would warm, cheer, comfort, and make them happy. The Lord wishes all his people to be happy; "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God." It is a worthy object to try and make any Christian happy, but especially a young believer, whose weakness needs great gentleness. To clothe religion with gloom is to slander the name of Christ. We should always be most eager to prevent young believers from imagining that to follow Christ is to walk in darkness, for, indeed, it is not so. Hath he not himself said, "He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness"? Did not the wise man say concerning wisdom, "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace"?
The good Shepherd looks to the comfort, peace, and enjoyment of his lambs, and he carries them where they will be most happy. If you are to be like your Master you will try to take away from young believers' hearts all temptation to despondency; you will set before them the richness and freeness of the gospel, the "exceeding great and precious promises," the oath and covenant, and the stability of the engagements of God; yea, you will try to let them see the preciousness of Christ, and tell them how exceeding faithful and true you have found him to be in your own experience.
From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "A Sabbath-School Sermon," delivered October 28, 1877.
Sermon Outline
- The Mercy of Carrying
- The Seat of Love
- The Good Shepherd's Care
- The Richness of the Gospel
- Exceeding great and precious promises
- The stability of God's engagements
Key Quotes
“To carry is kindness, but to carry in the bosom is loving-kindness.” — C.H. Spurgeon
“Hath he not himself said, 'He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness'?” — C.H. Spurgeon
“Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace” — C.H. Spurgeon
Application Points
- We should strive to make young believers happy and prevent them from imagining that following Christ is to walk in darkness.
- We should set before them the richness and freeness of the gospel, the exceeding great and precious promises, the oath and covenant, and the stability of God's engagements.
- We should try to let them see the preciousness of Christ and tell them how exceeding faithful and true he has been in our own experience.