NO. 2876<\/b><\/p>\n
A SERMON PUBLISHED ON THURSDAY, MARCH 24TH, 1904,<\/b><\/p>\n
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,<\/i><\/p>\n
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON,<\/b><\/p>\n
ON LORD\u2019S-DAY EVENING, MARCH 5TH, 1876.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis glory is great in thy salvation: honor and majesty hast thou laid upon him.\u201d \u2014 Psalm 21:5.<\/i><\/p>\n
I Feel quite sure that David here sings first concerning himself, and then concerning the far greater King, \u201cgreat David\u2019s greater Son,\u201d the Lord Jesus Christ; but I shall apply the text entirely to our blessed Redeemer; and, surely, the psalmist\u2019s language is most appropriate to him.<\/p>\n
Some of us are going to meet, presently, around the table of our Lord, to commemorate his death for us; and, of course, there must be some sorrowful redactions connected with that ordinance. How can we remember his death without sorrowing over the sin which made that death necessary? How can we remember \u201cthat the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and brake it,\u201d without feeling that there is a somberness of spirit which becomes us as we surround his table? Yet we must not indulge the mournful strain too much, for we must never forget that it is a joyous feast, not a funeral repast, to which our Lord invites us; it is a feast which reminds us of his triumph as well as of his conflict and agony. \u201cAfter supper,\u201d we are told, in the record of its institution, \u201cthey sang a hymn;\u201d and our Lord Jesus Christ would have us come to his table in the spirit of hymn-singing, making melody in our hearts unto the Lord. No funeral dirge is appropriate here, no muffled drums nor wailing pipes; but let the daughters of song sound the loud timbre, as Miriam and the women of Israel did at the Red Sea.<\/p>\n
Let it not be forgotten, too, that the last time this supper will ever be celebrated on earth, it will not die out amid groans and lamentations, but it will cease to be observed any longer because he will have come, whose coming will have been welcomed by the acclamation of all his saints, both those that are alive and remain, and those who come with the King and all his holy angels. This ordinance is full of joy, for each time it closes with a hymn when it is properly celebrated; and, at the last, like all external symbols, it shall pass away amidst the hallelujahs of eternity. Come, then, beloved, let us not be in a dolorous mood as we come to the table of our Lord; but let us take all our harps down from the Willows, and wake their glad strings to exultant music. He, whom we remember in this ordinance, is not here, for he is risen. He is not there, on yonder crucifix. His wounds bleed no longer; no thorns surround his brow, no nails pierce his feet and hands, no spear tears open his side, for he has gone back into the glory which was his ere the worlds were made, and it is thus that we are now to think of him: \u201cHis glory is great in thy salvation: honor and majesty hast thou laid upon him.\u201d<\/p>\n
In meditating upon this text, we shall notice, first, that it reminds us of a divine salvation;<\/i> secondly, it sets forth the glory of Jesus in that salvation;<\/i> and, thirdly, it reveals to us the reward which Jesus has obtained for that salvation,<\/i>: \u201cHonour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.\u201d<\/p>\n
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I. <\/b>First, then, The Text Reminds Us Of A Divine Salvation. It speaks of \u201cthy<\/i> salvation\u201d, that is to say, the salvation of God, by which is intended, according to the Hebrew idiom, not merely the grandest of all salvations, the chief of all deliverances; but, actually, that the salvation of which we speak is God\u2019s. O brethren, though the truth be very simple, and the observations I shall make upon it may be very trite, yet is it a truth never to be put in the background that \u201csalvation is of the Lord\u201d!<\/p>\n
Remember that the salvation of man is God\u2019s, in the conception of it<\/i>. He first conceived the idea of redeeming the rebellious sons of Adam. It must be so, for the sons of Adam were not born when first the Lord planned the way of their salvation. From old eternity, ere yet the sun had opened his eye of fire, God in far-reaching foresight had-beheld the sons of Adam ruined by the fall; and he resolved that, out of them, he would choose a people who should be redeemed, and who, to all eternity, should show forth his praise. From the august mind of the infinite God, the first thought of salvation sprang; and it was he who sketched and mapped it all out, electing unto eternal life as many as it pleased him, settling the way by which they should be redeemed, the method by which they should be called, arranging the place, the day, the hour, the means, by which they should be converted, fixing it all, according to his eternal purpose, in infinite wisdom and prudence, for in every part it was to be of him, and through him, and to him. Even as in the old tabernacle in the wilderness, every board, and curtain, and hook, and silver socket, every badger skin, and every vessel of the sanctuary, was ordained by God, and man was only left to carry out God\u2019s plan, even so is it in the salvation of God. In its minutest details, as well as in its grand outline, the provisions of eternal love are of the Lord, so it is his salvation.<\/p>\n
But you know, dear brethren, that it was not only his in the arranging but it was also carried out by God<\/i>. Who is he that hath redeemed us by his blood, but he who is over all God, blessed for ever, Who trod the wine-press side by side with him? Did he not stand there alone, and, single-handed, win the victory? And whence comes every blessing of salvation! Who provided it? Has man any share in the provision of any of the mercies by which sinners are taken out of sin into righteousness, and raised from the ruins of the fall to all the glories of heaven? No, from first to last, all the provisions of eternal love are of the Lord, so it is his salvation.<\/p>\n
Nay, more than that, God has not only planned and provided everything relating to it, but it is he who applies the salvation which he has thus provided<\/i>. No one believes that Jesus is the Christ but by the teaching of the Holy Ghost. \u201cNo man cometh unto the Father but by me,\u201d says Christ. Much is said by some people about free will, but free, will has never done anything in this world yet \u2014 unless moved by free grace, \u2014 except to ruin mankind. Leave men to themselves, and they are sure to choose that which is evil. As naturally as the river runs downwards to the sea, so does the heart of man turn towards that which is unclean. If the heart ever ascends towards holiness, and Christ, and God, it is because it is drawn upward by grace, and the Lord is working in us to will and to do of his own good pleasure. From the first sigh of repentance to the last hymn of thanksgiving, everything in us that is good is his workmanship; and so, in that respect, our salvation is of the Lord. And, beloved, when it is all finished, \u2014 when every one, who ever shall be called, has been called, \u2014 when every one of the Lord\u2019s elect has been regenerated, justified, sanctified, and glorified, \u2014 when the whole of the bloodwashed family of God shall surround his throne above, all the glory shall be given unto the Lord alone. There will be no jarring note in heaven, no whisper of human merit, no claim of a reward for good intentions; but every crown shall be cast at Jesus\u2019s feet, and every voice shall join in the ascription, \u201cNot unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name be all the glory of the salvation which thou hast wrought out for us from first to last.\u201d<\/p>\n
Let me pause, just a minute, to put this question to each one here, \u2014 Do you, dear friend, know anything about this salvation which is all of God? I fear that there are many who have no more religion than they have made themselves. Their religion is the result of their own efforts to improve themselves. Ah, sirs! our Savior\u2019s words are still true, \u201cYe must be born again;\u201d and, as it was in our first birth, so must it be in our second birth, \u2014 not our own act. Depend upon it, if all the good you have has been fetched out of yourself as the spider draws its web out of its own bowels, it will all have to be brushed away. All that nature spins will have to be unravelled, and all that nature builds will have to be pulled down. God must save you, or you will be lost for ever. The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the blessed Trinity in Unity, must come upon you, and quicken you into newness of life, and renew you in the spirit of your mind, or else you will fall short of that which is requisite for admission into the kingdom of God; That which is born of the flesh is flesh.\u201d The best flesh is only flesh; and only \u201cthat which is born of the Spirit is spirit.\u201d Consequently, the Spirit of God must operate upon us, or else we shall remain unspiritual, not able to understand spiritual things, and not possessing that spiritual life without which we cannot enter, at the last, into the enjoyment of those spiritual pleasures which are at God\u2019s right hand for evermore. One thing I can say without any doubt. I, personally, know that it is God\u2019s salvation that has saved me; and I think I speak the mind of many here when I say that they feel that, if the Holy Spirit does not work in them from the first to the last, their salvation will never be accomplished. I do not know any doctrine which my experience more fully confirms than that to which Jonah gave utterance when he was in the whale\u2019s belly, \u201cSalvation is of the Lord.\u201d It is, as our text reminds us, a divine salvation.<\/p>\n
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II. <\/b>Now, secondly, I come to the subject which I desire to impress most deeply upon your memory, that is, The Glory Of Christ In The Salvation Of God: \u201cHis glory is great in thy salvation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ah, brethren! the tongues of men and angels can never fully tell the glory of Christ in salvation. It is a subject to be thought over by the loftiest intellects; a theme for men, who lie awake at nights, to meditate upon; a topic worthy of the thoughts of those who linger on the verge of heaven. Dr. John Owen\u2019s pen was somewhat heavy in its style, but it never glowed and burned so much as when he wrote upon the glory of Christ. This is a theme which the glorified spirits before the throne perpetually contemplate; and the more fit we are to be among them, the more delightful will this subject be to us. As to that glory, oh, if I had the allotting and the measuring of it, what glory I would give to my dear Lord and Master! I read, the other day, \u2014 I cannot exactly quote the words, though I give the sense, \u2014 a sentence by Samuel Rutherford, in which he said that he would like to pile up ten thousand million heavens upon the top of the third heaven to which Paul was caught up, and put Christ in that high place; and then he would not be as high as he deserved to be put; and, truly, no honors seem sufficient for him who stripped himself of all he had that he might become the Savior of sinners.<\/p>\n
And, first, it is his glory that he has redeemed his people from stupendous evils<\/i>. When a statesman or a warrior rescues a country from a cruel despotism, and brings to it the blessings of liberty, he deserves great praise. But, my brethren, the tyranny of sin, from which Christ has delivered his people, was a thousand times worse than the rule of the worst human despot. Consider, for a moment, the position in which his people were in the sight of God. They had sinned, and they had therefore become exposed to the wrath of God. Unless some power, greater than their own, should intervene, they must be cast into hell for ever. God himself could not lay aside his justice, for God would cease to be if he ceased to be just, and an unjust God is a contradiction in terms, an impossible combination. How, then, were these, who had sinned against God, to be delivered from the peril which hung over them? Moreover, they were held in bondage by sin, so that, even if the punishment of their past sin could be removed, they were still members of an enslaved race. Satan had cast his iron chains about them, and they were led captive by him at his will.<\/p>\n
Ah, sirs! it is from this bondage that Christ has set us free, for he has taken away our guilt, bearing it in his own body up to the tree; and then hurling it away from the tree into his grave, to be remembered against us no more for ever. By bearing the punishment that was due to us, Christ has delivered us from the yoke of Satan and of sin; and, by the wondrous redemption which he has wrought out, and brought in, he has made his people \u201cfree indeed.\u201d No curse now hangs above their head; no sin now hath dominion over them, for they are not under the law, but under grace. Therefore, sound aloud your Deliverer\u2019s praises, all ye who have been thus delivered! Think of what stupendous evils these were from which Christ set us free. To overthrow an oppressive empire, is a great achievement. To rout the vast hordes that are led into the battlefield by great tyrants, is no slight victory. The conqueror\u2019s statue is set up on high, and his name is emblazoned upon the scroll of earthly fame; then, what honor shall be given to Christ, who hath set us free from mightier foes than ever trampled upon a nation\u2019s liberties?<\/p>\n
Recollect, too, that he has not only delivered us from stupendous evils; but, in the process, he has crushed the mightiest powers<\/i>. It did seem, at one time, as if evil would got the mastery in God\u2019s universe. God had permitted the strange experiment, as it seemed, of making creatures, gifted with free agency, with whose free agency he would not interfere. These creatures broke his law. How was the evil to be prevented from spreading? They would multiply and increase; as, indeed, they have done; and, multiplying and increasing, there would be so many millions of spirits in the universe, all rebellious against God; and, consequently, all suffering. There would be countless myriads, born into God\u2019s world, all bearing hearts of sin within their bosoms, and all, therefore, subject to the wrath of God. How Satan exulted at the prospect of evil increasing! But when Jesus came into this world, he put his foot upon the head of the old dragon, and so effectually crushed him to the earth that he has never been able to rise again. Satan saw Christ hanging upon the cross, and thought that was his opportunity for gaining a decisive victory, yet it proved to be the hour of his greatest defeat. Death drove his sting right through the heart of Christ, but it so fixed itself in his cross that it could never be drawn out again, and, now, that sting of death, which is sin, is gone so far as all believers in Christ are concerned. He has vanquished all the powers of evil, \u2014 sin, death, and hell, \u2014 and shattered their forces for ever. Hark to this great shout of victory; oh, that I had a voice loud enough to make it ring round the globe: \u201cThou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men, yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perhaps the main point of Christ\u2019s glory in the salvation of his people is that he has achieved this by means which reflect unbounded honor upon his holy name<\/i>. I have often read the story of Cromwell\u2019s Ironsides; and, sympathizing deeply with them in the object of their fight, I have greatly admired their stern courage and consecrated ardor; but, still, I cannot think of battles and of fighting for the best of objects without something of a shudder; so I cannot approve of the means which they employed. Doubtless, our country owes her present liberties to those brave men; yet, for all that, I grieve over the awful price of blood at which those liberties were purchased. Our blessed Lord and Master conquered all our foes, but what were the weapons he used to secure so glorious a victory? Do you look up to him, and enquire, \u201cWhere is thy battle-axe, O Lord Jesus, where are thy spear, thy sword, thy quiver, and thine arrows? \u201cHe bids you look at his hands, his foes, his side, his heart. These are the weapons with which he overcame all the powers of darkness. There was much suffering in that awful conflict, but the suffering was all his own. There was a terrible gory sweat, but it came from his own body. There were wounds, and there was death, but the wounds were in his precious body, the death was all his own. This is how evil was conquered, \u2014 by love which denied itself, even to the death, for the sake of others. This is how human stubbornness was vanquished, \u2014 by an almighty patience that could suffer at the hands of rebellious sinners till it bled to death. This is thy death, O death; \u2014 this is thy hell, O hell; \u2014 this is thy destruction, O destruction; \u2014 that God himself bore the consequences of his creatures\u2019 sin! Nay, start not back at that expression, I pray you; do not think of Christ as being separated from God. God did not find somebody else to be the Substitute for sinners, but he gave his only-begotten and well-beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who is the equal and in all respects one with the Father. It was God himself, in the person of the man Christ Jesus, who bore the penalty that was due to human sin; it was God, in the person of his Son, suffering, agonizing, groaning, dying, to put our sin away for ever. I cannot conceive, nor do I think that cherubim and seraphim could conceive of anything more noble and more glorious than this self-sacrifice of the Son of God. He conquers, not by making others suffer, but by sufferings all his own.<\/p>\n
A kindred thought to that is this. Christ\u2019s glory is great in the divine salvation, because It developed and revealed the most wonderful attributes<\/i>. Suppose England were to win a great victory at sea. We should probably ascribe it to her superior men-of-war. Generally, battles are decided, as Napoleon said, by the big battalions, or by the excellence of the weapons that are used by the soldiers. If one man has an old Brown Bess, and another a modern rifle, we can pretty well guess on which side the victory will be. We call it \u201cglory\u201d when one fellow, who is twice as big as another, knocks the little one down; at least, we call it \u201cglory\u201d when the nation, which has the better ships, and the bigger army, wins the victory. I saw a huge Newfoundland dog pick up a poodle, and shake him, there was about as much \u201cglory\u201d in that as when great nations war against little ones, and overpower them. It is the same kind of \u201cglory\u201d as being a bigger bully, and having a harder fish and a stronger muscle than anybody else. That may be the sort of glory for a bull, or a lion, or an ass; but it is not the glory that is suited to men, and especially to Christian men. But when Christ came, and redeemed us, there was, on his part, no display of physical power, mere brute power. There was a display of power, but it was the power of goodness, the power to suffer, the power to be patient, the power to love; as if God said to men, \u201cSinners and rebels as you are, I love you more than you hate me; and great as your badness is, my goodness shall overwhelm your badness, my pardoning mercy shall overpower your power to transgress.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the result of his death upon the cross, our Lord Jesus has saved a multitude whom no man can number; and a part of his glory consists in the fact that there are so many whom he has saved.<\/i> The salvation of God is not for just a little privileged company. I know that certain \u201csound\u201d brethren imagine that the blessings of salvation are confined to just a few favored individuals in Little Zoar, or Rehoboth; they delight in the idea that there are only a few that will be saved. I trust that we have no sympathy with such narrow views; for my own part, I rejoice to know that, in heaven, there will be \u201ca great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues,\u201d who shall cry, \u201cSalvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.\u201d So our Lord Jesus Christ has great glory from the fact that he saves so many sinners.<\/p>\n
There is this peculiarity about all whom he saves, that they are attached to him for ever<\/i>. His glory is great in their salvation because every one of them is, from that day forth, Christ\u2019s man, Christ\u2019s woman, for ever and for evermore. In travelling through France, lately, I have been greatly amused at seeing in various public squares, pedestals that were evidently intended for equestrian statues, but there are no statues upon them; and there are escutcheons upon town halls, which look as if there should have been medallions upon them, but there are no portraits where the medallions should have been. On making enquiries, you will find that a statue of Napoleon the Third used to stand on that pedestal, and a medallion of him used to be on that town hall. That must be a fine country for stone-masons, because they so frequently have fresh governments, and need also to have fresh statues. I have heard of a man, living in Paris, who used to ask, every morning, whether he was under a republic, or a monarchy, or an empire; and when he was told which it was, he was not at all sure that it would last till the evening. No matter how good the ruler has been, nor how many times they have painted his likeness, or set up his image, the moment he has ill fortune, away go all the representations of him.<\/p>\n
You would have thought that many rulers would have obtained a permanent place in the hearts of their people; yet we know, from the history of various countries, that very few have done so. Those who are idolized to-day are despised to-morrow. But our Lord Jesus has a glory which is great in our salvation, because his image is for ever shrined in our hearts. The great Napoleon hit the nail on the head when, at St. Helena, musing upon his own position, he said to one who walked with him, \u201cJesus Christ is the most wonderful of men. I founded an empire, which has passed away; but his never will, and I see the reason for that. Mine was founded upon force, but Christ\u2019s is founded upon love.\u201d Ah, that is the reason for our devotion to him! He has loved us so much that he has won us to himself for ever. These hands of mine are manacled with blessed, invisible, but unbreakable bands of love; never was I truly free until I felt those fetters binding me to my Lord. This heart of mine is fast riveted to Christ. It never was really my own till it became his; but now it is his for ever and ever. \u201cI bear in my body,\u201d said Paul, \u201cthe marks of the Lord Jesus. \u201cHe felt it to be an unspeakable honor to be the branded slave of Jesus Christ, with the cross burnt into his very flesh by the suffering which he had endured for the sake of his dear Lord and Master. Truly, brethren, to rule over other men is a great thing; to have moral power over men, is no mean matter; but to get men so to love you that they would willingly die for you, \u2014 to get them so to love you that they would sooner cease to live than cease to love you, \u2014 this is to occupy a glorious high throne; and such is the throne upon which Christ sits in the hearts of all his people, such is the dominion which he wields over all the hosts that he has purchased with his precious blood. Well saith the prophet in our text, \u2014 for the psalmist was a true prophet, \u2014 \u201cHis glory is great in thy salvation.\u201d<\/p>\n
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III. <\/b>Now, thirdly, Our text Reveals The Reward Which Jesus Has Obtained For This Great Salvation: \u201cHonor and majesty hast thou laid upon him\u201d I do not intend to preach upon this last point, but only to give you just a few sentences by way of an outline of the honor and majesty which God the Father has laid upon Christ.<\/p>\n
First, our Lord Jesus Christ has been exalted, as man, to reign over the angels<\/i>. As God, he was ever Ruler, Governor, and Lord of all; but the man Christ Jesus died, was buried, and rose again, and then ascended into the glory; and now he is Head over all principalities and powers, and all the holy angels, that have never fallen, delight to do his bidding. My brother, in that very sweet prayer before the sermon, to which I assented with all my heart, pleaded that we, might get a view of Jesus Christ within the veil in his glory. That is how I want you to think of him, \u2014 that very man, who hung upon the tree; that very man, who was the butt of all the reproaches and scorn of his enemies, now sits upon the throne of God, and around him all the cherubim and seraphim are gathered, all worshipping and adoring him, and praising and magnifying his holy name.<\/p>\n
Then, my brethren, God has given to the Lord Jesus to be the head of his Church<\/i>. Over all the redeemed, on earth and in heaven, Christ presides and rules. While he is the Lord of the angels, he is also the Lord of all elect men. His Father gave them to him from eternity, and made him to be the Head and made them to be the members of his mystical body. Christ is the one and only Head and supreme Ruler of his Church. It is true that there are men who sat themselves up as governors of Christ\u2019s Church; and there is an antichrist, at Rome, who calls himself the head of the church; but that is only a wicked fiction, a manifest lie. There is but one Head of the Church, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only supreme Ruler, and before him all his loyal subjects bow. \u201cHonour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Being Head of his Church, He is also Head over all things, outside of his Church, in which his Church is concerned.<\/i> Joseph ruled Egypt for the good of Israel; and in like manner does Christ rule the whole world for the good of his people. All the arrangements of providence are under his control; nothing is done in the entire universe without his command or his permission. Does that statement startle you? It is, nevertheless, true. He, who was made Lord of the angels, hath had all things put under his feet, and he is, at this moment, Lord of all; and, brethren, we shall see this demonstrated soon, for he is coming. As surely as he went up to heaven, literally and personally, so surely will he come again, literally and personally; and when he does come, it will to as Ruler and Lord over all, for he will come to judge the quick and the dead according to his gospel. Then will all created intelligences behold the honor and majesty which God has put upon him. There will have to appear, before the judgment seat of the Nazarene, the spirits that fell ages upon ages ago. Satan shall come, and receive his final sentence, and be banished for ever to hell. Then shall come the unbelieving world, to hear from Christ\u2019s lips the terrible message, \u201cDepart, ye cursed! \u201cThe earth shall reel beneath his presence, \u2014 that earth which could scarcely lend him a sepulcher; and heaven and earth shall flee away from that face which earth once seemed to scorn and heaven to forget. Ah, it will be seen who the Christ is in that day! A trumpet blast, more terrible than that which startled the echoes of Sinai, shall ring over land and sea. A cloud shall come, and on it-shall stand the great white throne, and upon it shall be seated the \u201cman of sorrows and acquainted with grief.\u201d But, oh, how changed!<\/p>\n
\u201cWith rainbow wreath and robes of storm,\u201d \u2014 <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
he shall come; \u2014 with a face shining above the brightness of the sun, and with eyes like flames of fire, he shall come in all the glory of his Father, with all his holy angels to attend him, and to swell the triumph of his appearing. O brothers and sisters, let us anticipate that glorious appearing, and begin to clap our hands with exultation over our Lord\u2019s triumphal advent!<\/p>\n
But are we all his people? Do not desire that day if you are not his, for the day of the Lord will be darkness, and not light, to all who are his enemies. The more glorious Christ is to his own people, the more dreadful will his appearance be to you if you live as unbelievers, and if you die without trusting in him. O Christians, I bid you be glad in your Lord, and I also bid you pray for the unsaved, that they may trust, and love, and serve Jesus, too, kind rejoice with you in recollecting that he is coming again to receive unto himself all to whom he is both Lord and Savior! Amen.<\/p>\n
EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON.<\/p>\n
LUKE 7:18-50.<\/b><\/p>\n
Verse 18. And the disciples of John shewed him of all these thing.<\/i><\/p>\n
John was in prison, and, possibly, troubled in spirit.<\/p>\n
19. And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus saying, art thou he that should come? or look we for another?<\/i><\/p>\n
Did John doubt, then? Perhaps not. It may be that he sew that his disciples doubted, and that he wished their fears to be removed. It is possible, however, that he did himself have doubts. It is no unusual thing for the bravest hearts to be subject to fits of doubt. Elijah, you remember sat under a juniper tree in the wilderness, \u201cand he requested for himself that he might die,\u201d though he was the man who never was to die. And John, \u2014 the Elijah of the Christian dispensation, though a man of iron, was but a man, so he sent two of his disciples to Jesus, saying, \u201cArt thou he that should come, or look we for another?\u201d<\/p>\n
20-22. When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come, or look we for another? And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard;<\/i><\/p>\n
Our old proverb says that actions speak louder than words, so an answer in his actions would be more eloquent with these enquirers than even an answer in our Lord\u2019s own words. He bade them look at the evidences of his Messiahship which he gave them by his miraculous cures, and then he said to them, \u201cGo your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard.\u201d It would be well if our lives were such that, if any enquired what we were, we should only have to say that they might judge us by what they had seen and heard in our common every-day life and conversation.<\/p>\n
22, 23. How that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.<\/i><\/p>\n
According to our Lord\u2019s testimony, the preaching of the gospel to the poor is as great a proof of his Messiahship as the raising of the dead. Then how highly it ought to be prized by them, and how glad should they be who have the gospel now preached freely in their hearing!<\/p>\n
24. And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?<\/i><\/p>\n
The wind on the banks of the Jordan, where there are plenty of reeds growing; \u2014 did you see a man who would bow before every breath of popular favor or popular wrath? Was John the Baptist such a man as that? No, certainly not.<\/p>\n
25. But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment Behold, they which are gorgeously appareled, and live delicately, are in kings\u2019 courts.<\/i><\/p>\n
They do not preach repentance. As is their clothing, so is their doctrine. They try to show a royal road to heaven \u2014 a smooth and easy path. But was John the Baptist a preacher of that kind? No, that he was not.<\/p>\n
26-28. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. For I say unto your, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.<\/i><\/p>\n
Passing into the dispensation of clearer light, he who is least among the believers of the gospel of Jesus is, in some respects, greater than this man, who could only preach repentance, and point to a coming Savior.<\/p>\n
29-32. And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? They are like unto children fitting in the marketplace,<\/i><\/p>\n
At play; the playing of children is often according to the manners and customs of grown up people.<\/p>\n
32. And calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced;<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cYou would not play a merry game when we asked you to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n
32. We have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cYou would not play either at funerals or weddings.\u201d<\/p>\n
33. For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cHe came among you as an ascetic, denying himself, not only the luxuries of life, but even the common comforts that others enjoyed, and ye say, \u2019He hath a devil.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
34. The Son of man is come eating and drinking;<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cHe does not pretend to be an ascetic, he comes, on the contrary, to show that neither meat nor drink can save a man What do you say, then, of this Son of man?\u201d<\/p>\n
34, 35. And ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! But wisdom is justified of all her children.<\/i><\/p>\n
Though the world contemns all wisdom\u2019s children, whichever way they go, and is not pleased with their manners, whatever manners they possess, yet, in the long run, when the wisdom of God shall be all unfolded, it will be seen that the roughness of John and the gentleness and lovingkindness of Jesus were both right in their proper place. If fish are not caught in the gospel fishery, it may sometimes be the fisherman\u2019s fault, but more often, it is the fault of the fish themselves. Here we have two very different kinds of fishermen, yet neither of them attracts all, though each of them draws some.<\/p>\n
36, 37. And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee\u2019s house, and sat down to meat. And, behold, \u2014 <\/i><\/p>\n
For it is a wonder of grace: \u201cBehold,\u201d \u2014 <\/p>\n
37. A woman in the city, which was a sinner, \u2014 <\/i><\/p>\n
A sinner by profession, a public and notorious sinner, \u2014 <\/p>\n
37-44. When she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee\u2019s house, brought an alabaster box; of ointment, and stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet:<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cThough it was only a common act of courtesy, such as should always be shown to a guest, thou didst neglect that;\u201d \u2014 <\/p>\n
44. But she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cShe has given my feet no common washing, for she has washed them with her tears. You would only have brought me a linen napkin, but she hath \u2019wiped them with the hairs of her head.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
45. Thou gavest me no kiss,<\/i><\/p>\n
Which was usually given as a greeting to guests at that time. Simon had not given to Jesus the honor which was due to him, which would have been to kiss his forehead.<\/p>\n
45. But this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.<\/i><\/p>\n
Every word is emphatic to show how far she had gone beyond Simon, who thought himself so much better than she was.<\/p>\n
46. My head with oil thou didst not anoint:<\/i><\/p>\n
Another usual Eastern custom with guests whom the host intended to honor.<\/p>\n
46. But this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.<\/i><\/p>\n
Anointed them, not with ordinary olive oil, but with precious costly ointment.<\/p>\n
47. Wherefore I say unto thee, her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much:<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cYou know that her sins were many, and I tell you that they have been forgiven, and you can see, by her actions, that she loves much.\u201d<\/p>\n
47, 48. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.<\/i><\/p>\n
What music that sentence \u201cThy sins are forgiven,\u201d must have been to her! \u2019Ah!\u2019 says one, \u201cI also should like to hear that sentence. Beyond everything else in the whole world would I desire to hear Jesus say to me, \u2019Thy sins are forgiven.\u2019\u201d Then put yourself in the place that this woman occupied. When Joab clung to the horns of the altar, he had to die there, but this woman had fled to the feet of Jesus, and she did not die there; nor shall you, but at those blessed feet, weeping for sin, and trusting the great Sin-bearer, you shall receive assurance of pardon: \u201cThy sins are forgiven.\u201d<\/p>\n
49, 50. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? and he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.<\/i><\/p>\n
He did not want this young convert, this beginner in the Christian life to hear the bickerings and controversies of these coarse spirits, so he said to her, \u201cGo in peace;and, dear soul, if you have begun to find out that, even in the Christian Church there are many opinions concerning many things, do not trouble yourself about those things. This is enough for thee: \u201cThy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.\u201d There may be some who are galled to contend for this or that point of the faith; but, as for thee, poor child, if, with thy broken heart, thou hast found the Savior, and if thou lovest him with an inward, warm, and hearty love, do not spoil that love by getting into a controversial spirit: \u201cThy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NO. 2876 A SERMON PUBLISHED ON THURSDAY, MARCH 24TH, 1904, DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON, AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON LORD\u2019S-DAY EVENING, MARCH 5TH, 1876. \u201cHis glory is great in thy salvation: honor and majesty hast thou laid upon him.\u201d \u2014 Psalm 21:5. I Feel quite sure that David here sings first concerning himself, … Continue reading “CHRIST\u2019S CROWNING GLORY.”<\/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-4205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4205","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=4205"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4205\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}