Who Is Fit to Live on Earth?
Being prepared to die is a source of joy and a sign of being fit to live on earth.
C.H. Spurgeon emphasizes that being prepared for death brings joy and readiness for life, as true fitness to live on earth comes from being fit for heaven. He argues that a good hope through grace is invaluable, and that those who have found mercy through Christ are the ones who truly experience lightness of heart. Spurgeon encourages believers to view their eternal security as a source of joy rather than melancholy, asserting that the one who has glimpsed heaven is best equipped to live fully on earth.
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Heaven at any price is well secured. A good hope through grace is worth a thousand worlds. But it is a mistake to suppose that melancholy attends upon fitness to die. Why should it? To be unprepared for death, and to know that it may come at any moment, is a fair reason for sadness, but to have that great matter secure must surely be a source of joy. To be prepared to die is to be prepared to live; to be ready for eternity is in the best sense to be ready for time. Who so fit to live on earth as the man who is fit to live in heaven? Who hath brightness of the eye? Is it not the man who has looked within the gate of pearl, and seen his place prepared among the blessed? Who hath lightness of heart?
Is it not the man who is unloaded of his sin, and has found mercy through the blood of Christ?
From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Our Last Journey," delivered September 9, 1877.
Sermon Outline
- The Security of Heaven
- The Joy of Being Prepared to Die
- The Character of the Prepared Man
- Brightness of the eye
- Lightness of heart
Key Quotes
“Who so fit to live on earth as the man who is fit to live in heaven?” — C.H. Spurgeon
“To be prepared to die is to be prepared to live; to be ready for eternity is in the best sense to be ready for time.” — C.H. Spurgeon
Application Points
- Having a secure hope of heaven through grace brings joy and peace.
- Being prepared to die means being prepared to live, and vice versa.
- A light heart and bright eyes are signs of a man who is fit to live on earth.