NO. 2636<\/b><\/p>\n
INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD\u2019S DAY, AUGUST 20TH, 1899, <\/b><\/p>\n
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,<\/i><\/p>\n
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON,<\/b><\/p>\n
ON LORD\u2019S-DAY EVENING, MAY 28TH, 1882.<\/p>\n
\u201cHeaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.\u201d \u2014 Luke 21:33.<\/i><\/p>\n
LAST Lord\u2019s-day morning, (Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, No. 1,660, \u201cThe Perpetuity of the Law of God.\u201d) I preached upon the perpetuity of the law of God, basing my remarks upon our Lord\u2019s words, \u201cFor verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.\u201d To-night, I am not going to speak of the law, but of the gospel; and, by the term, \u201cthe gospel,\u201d I mean the summary of all that our Lord Jesus Christ spoke when he was here below. Of that gospel it may be said, as he himself said of the law, that not one jot or tittle of it shall pass away till all be fulfilled. The gospel of Christ is not merely the gospel of yesterday; but, like Christ himself, it is \u201cthe same yesterday, and today, and for ever.\u201d It is not a gospel simply for this age, or for some other age, a gospel which shall, by-and-by, be worn out and cast aside; but when yon blue heavens shall be folded up, like a worn-out vestment, still shall the gospel be as powerful as ever. \u201cHeaven and earth shall pass away,\u201d says our Lord, \u201cbut my words shall not pass away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n
I. <\/b>Without further preface, I remark, first, that The Words Op Jesus Must Stand, Come What May. If you accept the testimony of Christ concerning his own words,\u2014 and you who are his followers will not question anything that he says,\u2014 then this is certain, that the words of Jesus must stand for ever, come what may.<\/p>\n
The major change, of heaven and. earth passing away, includes all lesser changes; but whatever alteration may come before the last great change, Christ\u2019s words shall still stand. The world gets more civilized; \u2014 so I am told, though, when I read the newspapers, I am not quite sure of it. The world gets more intelligent; \u2014 so I am told, though, when I read the magazines,\u2014 I mean, the first-class quarterlies,\u2014 I am not certain that it is so, for, in that direction, the ignorance appears to me to become greater every day, I mean, the ignorance among the learned and scientific men, who seem to me, in their discoveries, continually to wander further and further, not only from that which is revealed and infallible, but also from that which is rational and truthful. But, still, the world does alter; and, according to its own notion, it is getting wonderfully near perfection. Was there ever such a century as the nineteenth? Was there ever such a period of time since the world began? What is there that we are not doing? Lighting ourselves by electricity, speaking by means of the lightning, travelling by steam,\u2014 what a wonderful people we are! Yes, yes; and we are going to do much greater things than these, no doubt; and many matters, which are now reckoned. as mere dreams, will probably because accomplished facts in a few generations; but after these marvels have all come and gone, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ will still abide, they will not pass away. Fashion follows fashion; systems succeed systems; everything beneath the moon is like the moon, it waxes and wanes, and is ever on the change; but come whatever change there may, even if the human race should reach that wonderful development which some prophesy for it, yet still, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ shall not pass away. And when the greatest alteration of all shall take place, and this present dispensation shall come to an end, and all material things shall be consumed. with fire, encl be destroyed, yet, even then, there shall remain, above the ashes of the world, and all that is therein, the imperishable revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, for, as Peter says, \u201cThe word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why is it that Christ\u2019s words will last in this way? I answer, first, because they are divine<\/i>. That which is divine will endure; all God\u2019s works will not last for ever, but his words will; he will never retract anything that he has said. Even Baalam had light enough to declare. \u201cGod is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, tea\u2019. he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?\u201d God has never had, as our common saying puts it, to \u201ceat his own words,\u201d nor will he; and Christ has never had to retract anything that he has uttered. All his life long, he had not even once to make au apology, and say, \u201cI spoke too fast, or too warmly, or somewhat inaccurately;\u201d but everything that he said has stood, and shall stand, because the divinity that is in it makes it everlasting.<\/p>\n
Again, the words of Christ must stand because they are the revelation of the innermost heart of God<\/i>. This great world, and the sun, and moon, and stars, reveal God; but not as fully and as clearly as the Son of God reveals him. The incarnate Word is the grandest manifestation of Deity, and the words of that eternal Word are the revelation of the purpose of God which he formed in his infinite mind before he made the world. That which, in the secret counsels of eternity was planned,\u2014 that which\u2014 <\/p>\n
Ere sin was born, or Satan fell,<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
was devised in the heart of the Most High,\u2014 is revealed to us, as far as it may be revealed, in the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. God\u2019s essential purposes cannot be altered; they must all be fulfilled. His eternal plan was formed in the foresight of all generations that shall exist, so it must stand unchanged; and, inasmuch as those purposes and that plan are closely connected with the words of Christ, and indeed are made known to us by his words, therefore the words of Christ must stand for ever.<\/p>\n
Further, the words of Christ must abide, even when heaven and earth have passed away, because they are pure truth. Everything that is absolutely and purely true must be abiding and enduring. See how long solid silver lasts. You may buy plated goods for use in your house; but, after a time, you begin to see the baser metal underneath, in the process of wearing; but if you have real silver, hall-marked, it will last your lifetime. David truly said, \u201cThe words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.\u201d Their surface does not wear off, and reveal the dross beneath, for there is none; all is pure throughout. Impurity breeds decay; error is corruption; every evil thing carries within it the seeds of its own death; but God\u2019s truth has no corruption in it; it is the living and incorruptible seed which, therefore, liveth and abideth for ever. That which is perfectly pure will not ferment, because it contains within itself no germs of decay, nor shall it pass away, but it shall abide for ever. Our Lord Jesus Christ spoke nothing but pure, unalloyed truth,\u2014 the very truth of God; and, therefore, it shall stand fast for ever.<\/p>\n
And that Christ\u2019s words shall abide eternally, we do believe, again, because no power can prevent it<\/i>. What power is there that can prevent Christ\u2019s words from being triumphant? Do you hear the roar from the pit of hell as that question is asked? The devil and his legions of fallen spirits say that they will prevent the triumph of the words of Christ; and, whereas he has declared that his kingdom shall come, they conspire to prevent its coming. But Christ has already broken the head of the dragon, he has trampled. the old serpent beneath his feet, and his omnipotency is greater than Satan\u2019s potency. The devil may be mighty, but Christ is almighty, and hell shall suffer dire defeat at the hand of the crucified Savior. As for the wicked men upon this earth, they often league themselves together, and take counsel \u201cagainst the Lord, and against his Anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.\u201d You know how futile are all their efforts; for the psalmist says, \u201cHe that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord. shall have them in derision. Then shall he speal\u2014 unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion.\u201d Yes; there is no power that can effectually resist the words of Christ. \u201cWhere the word of a king is, there is power;\u201d but where the word of a God is, there is infinite power. What he says, must be done. Before he said, \u201cLet there be light,\u201d there was not a spark, amid all earth\u2019s gloom, that could help to make the day; there was nothing lying here that could have created the light, and yet the darkness fled before that fiat of God. And so, to-day, if there be nothing on earth to help the fulfillment of Christ\u2019s word, he has said to this poor dark world, \u201cLet there be light,\u201d and that light, which he has kindled, is growing brighter and brighter, and shall increase unto the perfect day. O devils in hell, can ye blot out that light? Impossible! Christ\u2019s word. must stand.<\/p>\n
And yet once more, Christ\u2019s word must stand, because his honor is involved in its permanence<\/i>. If he had to alter anything he said, it would be manifest that he had made mistakes which he must rectify. I often get books, in which there is a slip of paper, containing errata<\/i>, fastened at the beginning. They are said to be printers\u2019 blunders, but I should not wonder if they are also the mistakes of the writer; but there they are, and I have to take a pencil, and make these emendations in the volume. There are no errata<\/i> in the words of Christ, nor can there be any emendations in anything that he has said. David\u2019s declaration applies to all the words of Jesus: \u201cThe law of the Lord is perfect.\u201d Christ\u2019s words are all they should be, no less and no more; and cursed shall that man be who shall add to or take from them. There cannot be any alteration in them, for that would be to dishonor Christ\u2019s wisdom. Alteration indeed! That would make it appear that Christ trifled while he was here, or that he said what he must needs unsay, and that he was, after all, but an experimenter as to truth, getting as near it as he could, and afterwards correcting his mistakes, like a physician who does not understand a disease, and who gives a medicine which drives his patient too far one way, and then gives him another drug which brings him bacd again, but never completely cures him. Christ never has to act in that fashion. He knew what he meant, and he said what he meant; and that which he said, and. that which he meant, shall stand even when, like withered figs that drop from the tree. the stars shall fall from their places, the sun shall be turned into blood, and the moon shall become black as sackcloth of hair. It must be so; therefore, all ye who believe in Jesus, believe firmly in this double declaration that he has made, \u201cHeaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n
II. <\/b>Now, secondly, This Declaration Applies To All Christ\u2019s Words; \u2014 not merely to some of them, but to all, for it is left with an intentional indefiniteness which makes it refer to all that he said: \u201cMy words shall not pass away.\u201d<\/p>\n
This declaration applies, then, to the doctrinal teaching of Christ<\/i>. Whatever doctrine Christ taught, either himself personally, or by his apostles guided by the Spirit of God, is definite, distinct, immovable truth. There are many ministers, nowadays, who think that they must shift their doctrinal landmarks, and there are others who have no landmarks at all. They believe something, or everything, or nothing,\u2014 it is dificult to tell which; and their common cry is, \u201cWe must be charitable.\u201d I have known many people who were willing to be charitable with other people\u2019s money, and I have known others who are charitable with doctrines that are not theirs to give away, for they are Christ\u2019s doctrines; but these supposed custodians of them care so little for them that they offer to give them away in any quantity. But a faithful steward of Christ\u2019s gospel will not do so; he who loves Christ, and wishes to honor him, keeps Christ\u2019s words, and @ treasures them up. I have heard of this body of divinity and that; but the body of divinity that I believe in is the body of Jesus Christ; and the true divinity, the real theology, is that wondrous Logos, the incarnate Word of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If we will take Jesus, and. him only, to be our Leader, there are a great many ways that we shall never go, and there are a great many things, which are done by diferent sects of professing Christians, which we shall not do, as we cannot see that Christ ever did anything of the sort; and if he did not, neither will we. That is a good rule for all Christians which I saw in one of our Orphanage schoolrooms,\u2014 \u201cWhat would Jesus do?\u201d There cannot be a better guide than that for believers. for our text is true with regard to doctrine, \u201cHeaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.\u201d I am often said to be a very old-fashioned, narrowminded sort of person, and I have not the slightest objection to the accusation. I certainly am not new-fashioned, and do not intend to be, for \u201cthe old is better\u201d; and, in theology, there is nothing new that is true, and nothing true that is new. The truth is as old as the everlasting hills, and to that I desire to keep even to the end, and I trust that you also will be of the same mind.<\/p>\n
Next, we have the words of Jesus, not only about doctrine, but he has given us plain practical commands<\/i>. The Master taught a wonderful system of ethics, and to that system we are to cling with the same tenacity that should characterize our hold on the doctrines that Christ taught. Brethren, let us never get away from such a divine teaching as this: \u201cI say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.\u201d Let us not only love one another, but let us seek to do good unto all men as we have opportunity, especially to such as are of the household of faith. Be it our daily delight to as! out all malice and unkindness from our hearts, that the law of love may be fulfilled in us, \u201cwho walk not after the mesh, but,after the Spirit.\u201d You may depend upon it that there will never be any improvement upon the teaching of Christ; there have been some persons who have tried to improve upon it, but they have made a signal failure of all their attempts. His ethical teaching \u2014 his teaching of morals \u2014 has in pressed even some of those who have not accepted his doctrines, or even believed in his Divinity; they have been astonished at the purity, the holiness, the love which Jesus Christ inculcated in the laws which he laid down for the guidance of his disciples.<\/p>\n
But I must press on, and remind you that the promises of Christ shall stand for ever<\/i>. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but his promises shall not pass away. Is not that a blessed truth. For he said, \u201cCome unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.\u201d Come along with you, then, poor laboring and heavy laden souls, for ho will give you rest; heaven and earth shall pass away, but he will give you rest if you come unto him. And he has said, \u201cHe that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.\u201d Come along with you, then. Obey both his commands; first believe, and. then be baptized, for, though heaven and earth shall pass away, you shall be saved. There are many things which may be but actions; like the phantom visions of a night they may dissolve, but you shall be saved, that is a sure thing, that is certain, beyond all question. The Lord Jesus has promised such great things to his people that I should keep you here all night if I were to try to repeat those gracious words of promise which streamed out of his lips. Here is one of the sweetest of them: \u201cAll that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.\u201d If you come to him, then he will not in any wise cast you out; he must, he will receive you; heaven and earth may pass away, and they shall pass away in due time, but never shall a soul that comes to Jesus be rejected by him. Oh, that many of you would avail yourselves of that promise this very hour! Dear aged friend, you are getting very feeble, and, you have passed through a great many changes, but that promise has not been altered all the while. Do you recollect when your mother told you about Christ when you were a curly-headed boy? \u201cAh!\u201d you say, \u201cit is too late now.\u201d No, my dear friend, no; heaven and earth have not passed away yet, and that promise has not passed away; you may still come to Christ, so come and welcome, for still it is written, \u201cHim that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.\u201d \u201cHe is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.\u201d Trust his promise even now; bow your head in the pew, and silently seek the ever-blessed One, and ho will be found of you, for his word is as sure to you as it was to me, as sure to you as it has been to tens of thousands who, in different times, have tried it, and found that promise true.<\/p>\n
But remember, also, that as every word of promise from Christ shall stand, so shall every word of prophecy<\/i>. There is a whole Book of Revelation which I do not understand, but which I fully believe. I am very glad to find something in the Bible which I cannot comprehend, but which I may believe, for I do not call that faith which limits its belief to what it can understand. If you have any little children, you delight to see the way in which they trust you when they cannot make out what you are doing, though they are sure that you are doing right. I want you, dear friends, to have just that kind of faith in the Book of Revelation; it is all true, although you cannot interpret all its mysteries; and it will all come true \u2014 every word of it \u2014 in God\u2019s good time. The Lord shall come, the Lord shall reign, the Lord shall judge, the Lord shall justify and glorify his people, and the Lord shall bid the ungodly depart from him under the curse. I pray that we may all be helped to believe every word of it. When I read the Bible, I like to read it in the spirit of the little boy whose mother told him something, but his schoolmates laughed at him for believing it. They asked him how he knew that it was true, and he said that his mother told. hire so, and his mother never told a lie. They tried. to prove that it could not be so, but he said, \u201cLook you here, my mother said so, and it is so if it isn\u2019t so.\u201d And if I find anything in the Word of God, and somebody with wonderful wisdom tells me that it cannot be so, he is quite sure of it, I laugh his \u201ccannots\u201d into oblivion, and reply, \u201cIt is so if it isn\u2019t so; your supposed proof is nothing to me. If God has said it, and all the tongues that ever wagged should deny it, I would still say, \u2019Let God be true, and every man a liar.\u2019\u201d Hold you then, dear friends, to the words of Christ even though you do not always understand them.<\/p>\n
I must also remind you that every word of threatening, that Jesus Christ has spoken, is true<\/i>. Oh, that we could have seen his face, and heard the very tones of his voice! There must have been an inexpressible sweetness, and an ineffable tenderness, about the speech of Jesus Christ. All those who heard him spear. knew that he loved. them; and the publicans and sinners, the poor pariahs, the off-casts, those who were scouted by everybody else, drew near to hear him, because they felt that there was sympathy towards them in that great heart of his. Yet, did you ever notice \u2014 you must have noticed it,that never man spake such terrible words of threatening to the ungodly as this Man spake? It was Jesus who spoke of the worm that never dies, and of the fire that never shall be quenched; it was Jesus who spoke of destroying both body and soul in hell; it was he who said many of the most terrible things about future punishment that ever were uttered, such as that parable of the rich man who \u201cdied, and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in hie bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.\u201d When you hear men trying to soften down the threatenings of the Scriptures, do not believe that love to souls suggests such a course of action; it often is the proof of true love that it can speak harsh things. If a man comes, and tells you very pleasant things about yourself, beware of him; he is not your friend; but the man who can warn you,who can point out your fault and your folly,\u2014 who can run the risk of losing your esteem by indicating your danger,\u2014 that is the one who has a sincere affection for you, and a wise man will choose such a friend as that. Whatever anyone may think. or say, there is not a terrible word, that ever fell from the Savior\u2019s lips, which will not stand. Though you do not like it, you cannot alter it; it will not be selected by your likes or dislikes. \u201cHe that believeth not shall be damned.\u201d You call that a hard saying; it is true, however, or Christ would not have said it. It must have cost him much inward anguish to utter such a sentence as that; it must have been a sort of mental crucifixion to him to apeak as he did about the terrors of the world to come; and be ye sure that they are not less awful than he described, not less horrible than he depicted them; so, whatever any may say by way of toning down his threatenings, reject their falsehoods, for heaven and earth shall pass away, but the words of Christ shall not pass away.<\/p>\n
\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n
III. <\/b>Thirdly, and lastly, I want to show you that This Truth Has A Bearing Upon Us All.<\/p>\n
First, I am sure that it has a relation to the preacher<\/i>. My text innately concerns me and all who are called to be ministers of the gospel. Dear brethren, we have to preach the same gospel that our Lord Jesus Christ preached, and no other. I am thankful that I do not know any other gospel. Long ago, I came to Paul\u2019s resolve, and \u201cI determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.\u201d I stick to that, and, thai; is what all of us must do if we would please our Master. There is no progression in the truth itself; we progress in our knowledge of what Christ said, and in our understanding of it, but the truths that he uttered remain just the same as they were in his days. You know that, when your little children go down to the sea-side, they build tiny castles and. houses, and make gardens in the sand.; but they are all washed away when the tide rolls over them. I should not like to preach a theology of the kind that is being constantly washed away, leaving me to start afresh with some more sand. The Eddystone lighthouse has stood gloriously, and the reason why another has to be built is because the rock has given way under it,\u2014 the lighthouse itself is all right We thank God that, when we build. upon what Christ says, we build on a rock that will not give way under us; and if we are as steadfast as the old lighthouse, and not a stone of us will stir, we shall be perfectly justified by the equal steadfastness of that truth upon which we build. There is no stirring that rock which is formed of what Christ said. The earth may not only quake, but melt; and the unpillared vault of heaven, that has stood so firm these many ages,even it shall come down with a crash; but no word of Jesus Christ shall ever be dissolved or pass away. We must stick to the old gospel, then. It sufficed for our fathers and our grandfathers; and it will suffice for our grandchildren, if the world stands so long as to see them also grow up to preach it.<\/p>\n
This text also has a bearing upon church-members<\/i>, especially upon you very timid. souls who, now and then, get afraid that everything good is coming to an end. I meet with some dear old ladies, of both sexes, who are very nervous about what is coming to pass. They are afraid that dreadful times are coming. Yes, no doubt they are; but there is a sinful timidity which does dishonor to the power and. truth of God. There have always been, in all ages, some Latimers and Luthers who had no fear for God\u2019s truth. People complained that they were very dogmatical; but they did not care what was said about them, they were probably just as happy whatever the world said. Luther had one very special friend among the German princes, and someone asked the Reformer, \u201cSuppose that he should withdraw his protection from you, where mould you hide?\u201d \u201cBeneath the broad shield of heaven,\u201d he answered; and Luther spoke wisely. He would not feel that he was dependent upon any man, but upon God aloneI wish, my poor trembling friend, that you had something of his holy courage. Do not get into that doubting state of mind again; heaven and earth shall pass away, so wait till you see them all going; and when they do go, just sit still, and sing,\u2014 <\/p>\n
Then should the earth\u2019s old pillars shake,
And all the wheels of nature break,
Our steady souls should fear no more,
Than solid rocks when billows roar.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
But, next, our text has a bearing on all believers<\/i>. Dear friends, if Christ\u2019s words shall never pass away, let us believe them to be true to ourselves. Are any of you persecuted? Do not give way for a single moment; stand to your colors; never be ashamed to own your Lord. Remember how he sail, \u201cWho art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; and forgettest the Lord thy Maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? Hold thou to Christ, whose words shall never pass away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Are you very sick and weak, or are you getting very poor? Well, your health and your property, too, will pass away; but Christ\u2019s words will never pass away. Axe you dying? Christ\u2019s words will never die or pass away; die with them in your heart. When I went, last week, to see one of the members of this church who is very ill, I had a little of my own teaching given back to me. This dear brother said to me, \u201cDo you remember saying to us, years ago, \u2019What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee,\u2019 is a third-class carriage, but it is in the gospel train, and it will take you to heaven;\u201d but you added, \u201cWhy do you not go in the first-class carriage,\u2014 \u2019I will trust, and not be afraid\u2019?\u201d I commend that first-class carriage to all of you: \u201cI will trust, and not be afraid.\u201d Let faith expel fear, and so travel to heaven first-class. You well may do so, for there is no cause to be afraid.<\/p>\n
If any of the words of Christ could pass away with this wind, and that wind, and the other wind, oh, dear, what a card-house we should live in! But if they all stand firmly for ever,\u2014 as they do,\u2014 then why and wherefore should we indulge the slightest fear? One reason why some of you do not rest in Christ as you should, is because you do not get right down flat on to his words, and trust wholly to them. You know what the negro said when his master asked him why he was so confident about salvation. He answered, \u201cMassa, you try to stand; but Sam fall flat down on de promise, and when he is Sat down on de promise, he can\u2019t fall any lower.\u201d Just so; then fall flat on the promise; and if you lie there, clinging anti resting there alone, then heaven and earth shall pass away, but not the words on which you are trusting.<\/p>\n
Now, last of all, this is a word to sinners<\/i>. What s message my text has for those of you who do not love Christ, those of you who are undecided. Christ\u2019s words shall not pass away; what then? This is the only gospel that you will ever hear; the last train is about to start. If you do not go by that, there is no other that will carry you to heaven; \u201cfor there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.\u201d The gospel will never change its character. Are any of you waiting till it does, like the countryman who said he would cross the river when all the water had run by? There will never be any easier way to heaven than there is at this moment. I verily believe that some people, by delay, make the road to heaven harder for themselves than it would otherwise be. If they are ultimately saved, it is more difficult for them to trust to Christ when they have been long delaying. Even mercy seems sometimes to act like Benjamin Franklin did when a man came into his shop to buy a book, \u2019hut wasted the bookseller\u2019s time by his foolish delay. The man asked, \u201cWhat is the price of this book, sir?\u201d \u201cFour shillings,\u201d said Franklin. \u201cIt is rather dear,\u201d said the man; \u201cI will not take it.\u201d He waited about ton minutes, and then he asked, \u201cWhat now, really, will you take for that book?\u201d \u201cFive shillings,\u201d said Franklin. \u201cNo,\u201d said the customer, \u201cyou asked only four shillings just now.\u201d Franklin replied, \u201cSir, you have taken up ten minutes of my time attending; to you, so that makes the price of the book one shilling more; it is five shillings now; but if you do not buy it quickly, it will be more.\u201d There was some common sense in that mode of dealing; and you will truly find, in spiritual matters, that there is nothing gained by delay, but there is increased sin, increased hardness of heart, and even an increased difficulty in yielding the soul to Christ.<\/p>\n
The best time for any of you to come to Jesus is just now; you never can have a fairer opportunity than that which lies before you at the present moment. I am sure of it, because God\u2019s wisdom always picks the best opportunity; and what does God\u2019s wisdom say I \u201cTo-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts;\u201d and yet again, \u201cBehold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.\u201d If Christ\u2019s words are to stand, there will be no other gospel ever presented to you. If Christ\u2019s words are to stand, why should you delay? Sometimes, when I have been returning from preaching away from here, I have seen people outside the theater as I have gone by, quite a crowd of them, and I have asked a friend why they were waiting. \u201cOh!\u201d he has answered, \u201cthey are expecting to get in at half-price.\u201d Well, now, you cannot expect anything of that kind in the matter of salvation, for the original charge is \u201cwithout money and without price,\u201d and it never can be any lower than it is now. Then, why not come at once? I came to Jesus Christ when I was fifteen years of age, and I wish I had come to him fifteen years before if it had been possible. Oh, that I should ever have lived a single minute without the sweet knowledge of salvation by Jesus Christ! It is not a thing to be put off; God grant that you may no longer put it off! You have done too much of that already, so make haste, and come to Christ this very moment.<\/p>\n
Let me earnestly entreat you not to be looking out for some larger possible hope that may reach you after death. That is a terrible delusion; I pray you, risk not your soul upon it. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but Christ\u2019s words shall not pass away; and, as I have already reminded you, he has said, \u201cHe that believeth not shall be damned.\u201d And so he will be, and there is nothing but that awful doom for him. You have your choice now. If you trust in Christ, you shall have eternal glory. If you will not have Christ as your Savior, you shall have everlasting punishment; there is no other hope for you. I do pray God to lead you to come to Christ at once. Oh, that you would not hesitate, since he invites you! Oh, that you would not tarry, since that were to insult him! May his blessed Spirit now compel you to come in, that the house of his mercy may be filled! All you have to do is to trust him; you have not to be doers until first you have trusted to what he has done. Then he will make you doers. Come empty; come sinful; come hard-hearted; come just as you are. Tarry not to cleanse or mend; but, just as you find yourself, rest yourself on Jesus. Fall flat on his promise. Depend upon the merit of his blood, and the power of his ever-living plea. God help you now to do this, for his dear name\u2019s sake! Amen. <\/p>\n
EXPOSITION<\/p>\n
PSALMS 20. AND 21.<\/b><\/p>\n
The 20th Psalm is a prayer for the King; not only for David or Solomon, but for \u201cgreat David\u2019s greater Son,\u201d the true King of the Church. As if the Church saw Jesus going forth to his work, she offers up a prayer for him.<\/p>\n
Psalm 20:1. The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;<\/i><\/p>\n
And so it came to pass; in that dread night in Gethsemane, Jesus \u201cwas heard in that he feared.\u201d The God of wrestling Jacob heard the cries of his dear Son, and defended him, or supported him, as it is in the marginal reading.<\/p>\n
2. Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;<\/i><\/p>\n
And you know how there came, from yonder heavenly Jerusalem, an angel strengthening him. The celestial messenger stood. at his side amidst the gloom of the olive garden, and brought him comfort and succor from God\u2019s right hand. <\/p>\n
His earnest prayers. his deepening groans,
Were heard before angleic thrones;
Amazement wrapt the sky:
\u2019Go, strengthen Christ!\u2019 the Father said:
The astonished seraph bow\u2019d his head
And left the realms on high.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
3. Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.<\/i><\/p>\n
And so he did; there was never such acceptance given to any burnt sacrifice as was given to our Divine Lord when he overed up himself.<\/p>\n
4. Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfill that counsel.<\/i><\/p>\n
Is it not written, \u201cPrayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised\u201d? Here, then, is a suitable prayer for you to present on behalf of the Lord Jesus,\u2014 that God would grant him according to his own heart, and fulfill all his counsel.<\/p>\n
5. We will rejoice in thy salvation,<\/i><\/p>\n
Come, brothers and sisters, let us make this verse true; and even if we have anything to sigh over, let us lay it aside while we now devote ourselves to the happy work of rejoicing in the glorious salvation of our Lord and King.<\/p>\n
5-9. And in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfill all thy petitions. Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven, with the saving strength of his right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call.<\/i><\/p>\n
What a blessing it is that our King does hear us when we call upon him ! He is full of sympathy with all his people, for, in the time of his sojourn on earth, he often knew what it was to plead with his Father; and as God heard him then, so does he himself hear us now. All glory be to his blessed name!<\/p>\n
The 21st Psalm views the King as having ended his battle, and achieved his victory.<\/p>\n
Psalm 21:1, 2. The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! Thou hast given him his heart\u2019s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.<\/i><\/p>\n
God gave to Jesus the strength needed to accomplish the work which he came to do, and he is daily giving him to see of the travail of his soul that he may be satisfied.<\/p>\n
3. For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness:<\/i><\/p>\n
They go before him, like scouts or forerunners. Wherever Jesus comes, the blessings of goodness fly before him to the sons of men.<\/p>\n
3. Thou settest a crown of pure yond on his head.<\/i><\/p>\n
Let us crown him afresh to-night with our poor garlands of praise, while God sets a crown of pure gold upon his head.<\/p>\n
4. He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of dang for ever and ever.<\/i><\/p>\n
And because he lives, we shall live also; the Father hath given to him to have life in himself, and hence he communicates of that life to us who believe in him.<\/p>\n
5. His glory is great in thy salvation: honor and majesty hast thou laid upon him.<\/i><\/p>\n
Heaped it on him. There is no one so worthy of honor as our Lord Jesus is; none are so majestic as the Man of sorrows who once bowed his head to death on his people\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n
6. For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.<\/i><\/p>\n
The Father rewards him for all his service: \u201cThou hast made him most blessed for ever.\u201d We cannot imagine how great is the joy of Christ as his Father smiles upon him: \u201cThou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.\u201d<\/p>\n
7, 8. For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved. Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies:<\/i><\/p>\n
Oh, what a wonderful prophecy that is! Christ\u2019s hand shall find out all his enemies. If they hide themselves, he shall discover them. If they cover themselves with chain armor, yet still his hand will find out their vulnerable parts, and touch their very souls until they melt with fear: \u201cThine hand shall find out all thine enemies.\u201d Are there any of these enemies of Christ here to-night? If so, not only will his eye find them out, but his hand will find them out, too.<\/p>\n
8-13. Thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shell swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them. Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children, of men. For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform. Therefore shalt thou male them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arroyos upon thy strings against the face of them. Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power. <\/i><\/p>\n
HYMNS FROM \u201cOUR OWN HYMN BOOK\u201d \u2014 166, 346, 527. <\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NO. 2636 INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD\u2019S DAY, AUGUST 20TH, 1899, DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON, AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON LORD\u2019S-DAY EVENING, MAY 28TH, 1882. \u201cHeaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.\u201d \u2014 Luke 21:33. LAST Lord\u2019s-day morning, (Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, No. 1,660, \u201cThe Perpetuity of the … Continue reading “THE PERPETUITY OF THE GOSPEL.”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3965"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3965\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}