"Jesus Our Lord"
(No. 2806)
A SERMON INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD'S-DAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1902.
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON LORD'S-DAY EVENING, APRIL
1, 1877.
"Jesus our Lord." Romans 4:24.
"JESUS our Lord" is a somewhat unusual form of expression to be used in
the Scriptures. We have many references to, "Jesus Christ," and to,
"our Lord Jesus Christ," but there is only one other passage in which
this occurs. Yet, to me, it seems to be inexpressibly sweet. I shall be
devoutly grateful to God if, in my sermon, I am able to convey to you
even a tithe of the sweetness which I have drawn from this expression
for my own enjoyment.
It is part of faith to accept very great contrasts and if we look, for
a moment, at the words of our text, "Jesus our Lord," and especially if
we look at the connection in which they are found, we shall see a great
contrast. Jesus, the "Man of Sorrows," and yet, "our Lord" Jesus!
Thoughts of sorrow, rejection and shame cluster around that blessed and
ever-musical name, yet He is "our Lord" in the highest and Divine
sense–our Lord and our God! Faith has learned to think of Him, even
before His birth, as the Christ of God, and to give heed to the angel's
message to Joseph, "You shall call His name, Jesus, for He shall save
His people from their sins." Faith also bows at the manger with the
worshipping shepherds and with the wise men from the East presenting
gifts, realizing that the Infant is the Infinite and that the Babe of
Bethlehem is the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Faith sees Jesus in the humble garb of a Galilean peasant, moving about
in the company of a band of fishermen. She sees that He is a friend of
publicans and sinners, yet she believes Him to be the Son of the
Highest, though flesh and blood have not revealed that great Truth of
God to her. Even in His humiliation, she knows Him as Lord of the sea
who made the stormy waves lie still at His command, and as the Master
of diseases, before whom all manner of sicknesses, and even devils,
themselves, fled apace. She knows Him to have been a suffering Man, yet
she calls Him, "Lord." Yes, even though, on the Cross, she beholds,
with tearful eyes, His agony and death–yet even there she salutes Him
as Lord! She did so in the dying thief's prayer, "Lord, remember me
when You come into Your kingdom." And she has done it thousands of
times since. And now, today, though the name of Jesus of Nazareth is
bandied about and to many it is only a byword and the despised Galilean
has, as yet, only a partial sway over the sons of men, yet Faith sees
Him exalted to the highest heavens and she acknowledges Him as both
Lord and God!
And these things which I said were contrasts which it was the part of
Faith to accept, have ceased to be contrasts with her now, for now
Faith sees but little contrast between Christ's death and His reigning
in Glory! In fact, she understands that the one is the outgrowth of the
other, especially as she reads such a passage as this, "Who, being in
the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made
Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a Servant, and
was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a Man,
He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of
the Cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him a
name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in earth, and things under
the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Faith delights to think that Christ's being Lord is the actual fruit of
His having died and having risen again from the dead, for she
comprehends the meaning of the Apostle Peter, at Pentecost, when he
said to the Jews, "This Jesus has God raised up, whereof we all are
witnesses…Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that
God has made that same
Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ." Faith has quick
ears and she has heard Jehovah speaking in the same language as that
which saluted David's ears, "Jehovah said unto My Lord, Sit You at My
right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool." Even when Faith
sees Jesus Christ under the most humiliating circumstances, she
perceives how, out of that very humiliation, His mediatorial Kingdom
has grown and she delights to acknowledge that glorious fact–and with
adoring reverence she calls Him, "Jesus our Lord."
Before I finish this introduction to my discourse, I want to remind
you, Beloved, that notwithstanding all the sweetness with which the
name of Jesus is associated, and the blessed condescension by which He
has brought Himself so near to us, yet our faith never takes liberties
with Him, or forgets that He is, "Jesus our Lord." He is, "Jesus." Oh,
the ineffable sweetness of that dear, precious and consoling name! But
He is also, "Jesus our Lord." And you will always find that in
proportion as faith grows, reverence grows. Unbelief is presumptuous,
but faith is always humble. The more you know of Jesus as your Savior,
saving you from sin, the more you will also recognize Him as your Lord.
No one rebels against Christ because he believes in Him, but, because
we believe in Him, He becomes our Lord and we learn to obey Him. That
is the spirit I long to have reigning in all our hearts–the spirit of
devout, worshipful reverence towards "Jesus our
Lord."
First, I shall try to show you that Christ's tender condescensions
endear this title to us. Secondly, that our loving hearts read that
title with peculiar emphasis. And, thirdly, that we find special
sweetness in that word "our'–"Jesus our Lord."
I. First, then, I want to show you that CHRIST'S TENDER CONDESCENSIONS
ENDEAR THIS TITLE TO
US–"Jesus our Lord."
First, dear Friends, we claim to give Him this title specially because
He is Man. "Jesus our Lord," says the Apostle, "who was delivered for
our offenses, and was raised again for our justification." We worship
Him all the more reverently and affectionately because He is Man as
well as God. We call Him, "Jesus our Lord," as if we thereby meant to
appropriate Him especially to ourselves. We can even say to the angels,
"He is your Lord, for He created you and He sustains you. And you
delight to do Him homage, yet He is not an angel. He took not upon Him
the nature of angels. He never redeemed you with His precious blood,
neither is He so near akin to you as He is to us. He never called you
His brethren, but He is Jesus our Lord, for He was born of a woman and
made under the Law, and became a partaker of our human nature and,
therefore, He is not ashamed to call us brethren–and He is bone of our
bone, and flesh of our flesh."
It is a delightful thought to us that the Kingdom of "Jesus our Lord"
has no bounds to it. Indeed, we can hardly imagine how wide is His
dominion or how numerous are His subjects! It may be that there are
innumerable beings in yonder starry worlds–as countless as the sands
on the seashore–and that Jesus is Lord over all these. Yet He bears
such a special relationship towards this little planet and this poor
race of fallen men and women, that this round earth calls Him hers as
no other world can call Him! And we, His people, call Him ours as no
other creatures can, for, just as truly as He is God, so is He also
Man. Behold, on the very Throne of God above, there sits a Man like
ourselves! The men of Israel said that they had 10 parts in the king
and more right to David than Judah had–and we have 10 parts in the Son
of David and more right to Him than all the rest of His creatures have!
His tender condescension, in becoming Man, endears to us the title,
"Jesus our Lord." We call Him Lord with all the greater willingness and
delight because He loved us and gave Himself for us. You remember the
argument of the Apostle Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, "You are
not your own, for you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in
your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." He who bought us with
such a price claims us as His own and none of us, I trust, will dispute
His claim. We rightly sing–
"To Him that loved the souls of men
And washed us in His blood.
To royal honors raised our head
And made us priests to God.
To Him let every tongue praise
And every heart love!
All grateful honors paid on earth,
And nobler songs above!"
We call Him Lord because He has made us to be new creatures in Him and
because, as our Shepherd, He has not only led us and fed us, but
because He has laid down His life for us who are the sheep of His
flock. Now that He has done this
for us, He must be our Lord and He shall be our Lord! Every drop of His
blood shall be a jewel in the crown which He shall wear as He exercises
His rightful Sovereignty over us. Every scar on His blessed body shall
be to us a token of His true royalty and all that He has endured and
suffered–even the wormwood and the gall–all this shall be but another
token of the gracious Sovereignty to which we most cheerfully submit
ourselves! Brothers and Sisters in Christ, do you not feel that because
He died for us, we do all the more, and certainly none the less, call
Him "Jesus our Lord"? Thus again His tender condescension endears the
title to us.
Further, in all the privileges that are accorded to us in Him, He is
our Lord. They, all of them, remind us of His lordship and sweetly, yet
effectually, enforce that lordship over us. Are we not His Church and
is He not the Head of the Church? We acknowledge no other head! The
Church of Christ finds supreme delight and satisfaction in His
headship. Are we the members of His mystical body? Then let us remember
that He is never called an arm or an eye–He is always the Head,
controlling the whole body. Are we the flock which He has purchased
with His own blood? Then He is the Shepherd of that flock. Does He make
some of us to be the under shepherds of His flock? Then He is the Chief
Shepherd and when He shall appear, we "shall receive a crown of glory
that fades not away." Does He make us to be a spiritual house? Then He
will dwell in that house as its Lord and Master. Are we, through His
Infinite Love, united to Him in the bonds of sacred marriage? Then He
is our Husband and it becomes our delight to bow to His will and yield
ourselves absolutely to His control. Are we dead and buried with Him
and do we expect to rise from the dead? He "is the beginning, the
first-born from the dead, that in all things He might have the
preeminence." Do we expect to enter into Glory? When we do, we shall
see the Lamb in the midst of the Throne of God and we shall bow before
Him as Lord of all. Are we looking for the splendors of the millennial
age and expecting to share in them? We shall then behold Him reigning
here as King and breaking His enemies into pieces like potters'
vessels. You cannot draw near to Jesus without being impressed with the
thought of His Lordship over you as well as His Divine condescension
toward you. In fact, it is in His condescension that His Divine
Lordship comes out more than anywhere else!
Once more, in our dearest fellowship at the Communion Table He is,
"Jesus our Lord." Some of us are coming, presently, to the Table where
Jesus deigns to sit and eat with us, and there is no fellowship closer
than that which this memorial supper so sweetly yields us. Yet you must
have noticed, I think, how Paul, in his account of the institution of
this ordinance, constantly uses the expression, "the Lord." "I have
received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the
Lord Jesus, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread." Why
did He not simply say, "Jesus"? Further on, he says, "You do show the
Lord's death till He comes." And that those who, "drink this cup of the
Lord, unworthy, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, not
discerning the Lord's body." All through, the Apostle speaks of Christ
as the Lord who sits at the head of the table as the king presides in
his palace. He is our dearly-beloved Spouse, of whom we may truly say,
"My Beloved is mine, and I am His." Yet is He still the King and we
feel that even in all the nearness of communion that He permits us to
enjoy with Him, there is still a distance as to quality and rank
between Him and ourselves–and so we call Him Master and Lord–and we
do well in speaking thus. We probably never feel how much He is our
Lord till we come to the Communion Table. His very condescension makes
this blessed title to become more bright to us and to be better
understood by us.
II. I think I have said enough upon that first head to make it clear,
so I will turn to the second one, which is this,
OUR LOVING HEARTS READ THE TITLE WITH PECULIAR EMPHASIS. Oh, that we
might suck the sweetness
out of these words, "Jesus our Lord!" George Herbert wrote–
"How sweetly does 'My Master 'sound! 'My Master!'" I may alter the
words a little and say–
"How sweetly does 'Jesus our Lord' sound! 'Jesus our Lord!'
As ambergris leaves a rich scent unto the taster,
So do these words a sweet content,
An oriental fragrance, 'Jesus our Lord.'" So, our loving hearts read
this title with peculiar emphasis, for, first of all, we never yield
this title to anybody but to Him–"Jesus our Lord." We say, with the
Prophet, "O Lord our God, other lords beside You have had dominion over
us: but by You only will we make mention of Your name." Moses was once
lord over us–we put the Lord out of His rightful place and sought to
serve the Law–but now we know that while "Moses verily was faithful in
all his house, as a servant"…Christ is "a Son over His own house."
Beloved, I charge you to let the Lord Jesus be the only Lord of your
conscience! Obey none beside Him for He, alone, has the right to rule
over you. I fear that there are some who take a thing for granted
because some one of my Master's servants said that it was so. He was an
eminent servant and highly favored by his Master and, therefore, they
take what he says for law. But we, who also are our Master's servants,
beseech you never to look to us as though we were masters, for, "one is
your Master, even Christ, and all you are brethren." It is a blessed
day for any man when he is able to cast off every yoke except the yoke
of Jesus Christ! Blessed shall we be if, henceforth, "Jesus our Lord"
and He, alone, shall receive our complete obedience and the loyal
homage of our hearts. Thus, we emphasize this title by reserving it for
our Master.
We also render it to Him with the emphasis that arises from great
willingness. We are not only willing, but anxious that Jesus should be
our sole Lord and Master. And we feel angry with ourselves that we did
not let Him be our Master years ago. We are so glad that He is our Lord
that we wish never again to grieve Him–never to have a will of our
own–never to do anything but what would perfectly accord with His rule
over us. I know that every saved one feels just like that and says, " O
Lord, rule over me! Be You my only Lord! I wish it with intense desire
and most cheerfully acknowledge that this is Your rightful title."
And every true Christian pronounces this phrase, "Jesus our Lord," with
the emphasis of unreservedness. We desire that Christ Jesus should be
our Lord in everything–and Lord over every part of our being. Each one
of us has said to Him, "My Lord, do just what You will with me. If I
can the better glorify You by patient endurance or by active service,
only give me the necessary Grace and I will not fail to acknowledge You
as my Lord." Have you not, Beloved, given up to the Lord Jesus
everything that you have? Have you not felt that you love Him better
than husband, or wife, or child? Do you not feel that your spirit, soul
and body all belong to Him and that you desire to consecrate to Him all
your goods, all your hours and all your powers? Are you keeping back
from Him any of your substance? Do you reckon that anything you have is
your own? If so, you are not true to Jesus your Lord, for he who truly
loves Jesus and who knows that he is one of those who are redeemed by
Him, says with all his heart that Jesus is his Lord, his absolute
Sovereign, His Despot, if that word may be used in the sense of Christ
having unlimited monarchy and supreme sway over the soul! Yes, O,
"Jesus our Lord," You shall be the autocratic, imperial Master of our
heart and of the whole dominion of our manhood!
The Church of God, in a very special manner, calls Jesus "our Lord,"
for there is not, and there cannot be any Head of the Church except the
Lord Jesus Christ. It is awful blasphemy for any man on earth to call
himself Christ's "vicar and the head of the church." And it is an
usurpation of the crown rights of King Jesus for any king or queen to
be called the head of the church, for the true Church of Jesus Christ
can have no Head but Jesus Christ Himself! I am thankful that there is
no head to the Church of which I am a member save Jesus Christ,
Himself, nor dare I be a member of any church which would content to
any headship but His. You may put some other interpretation upon the
title, but if it means what is meant, in Scripture, by the term, "the
Head of the Church," it is an infringement of the crown rights of the
King of Kings and Lord of Lords! The true Church of Christ keeps that
title only for her Lord and will not acknowledge another head. Nobody
can make new laws for the true Church of Christ. You know that
parliament makes laws which tell which way you shall turn when you say
your prayers and what clothes you shall put on, and I know not what
besides, but that is a poor parody of the true Church which submits to
such lordship as that!
If I were a member of a church whose laws were made by a parliament
that might consist of Jews and Gentiles, atheists and skeptics, I would
be out of it as quickly as I could! There is no lawmaker for the Church
of God but Jesus Christ, Himself, and no one can take His place! And no
one will be allowed to take it when the Lord wakes up His people to be
loyal to what is written in this blessed Bible. This is our
Statute-Book and we acknowledge no other but that which King Jesus has
given us. "To the Law and to the Testimony: if they speak not according
to this Word, it is because there is no Light of God in them."
Do you say that these are matters of little importance! Ah, Sirs, the
Covenanters of Scotland bled and died for this which you call an
unimportant matter–that Christ alone is Lord of His Church! You may
call it a small thing if you like, but that teaching which is contrary
to it is the mother of a thousand mischiefs to this, our beloved land,
and is doing it inconceivable damage. I pray that there may come to all
sections of the Church of Christ–Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist,
Episcopalian–this one resolve, "We will get back to Holy Scripture and
to the sole Headship of Christ, cost
whatever it may." If all of us should ever get to that point, we should
get closer to one another than we now are, for we should be all one in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
Once more, dear Friends, we call "Jesus our Lord" forever When the true
Church takes Jesus Christ to be her Lord, it is in a marriage bond that
shall never be dissolved. And when any individual soul takes Jesus
Christ to be her Lord, she takes Him to have and to hold, in life and
in death, in time and throughout eternity! Is it not so? Then a very
precious thought which arises out of this Truth of God is that however
poorly we do our duty as His servants, He will carry out to the
fullest, His Character as our Lord! A lord, you know, takes care of his
servants. He sees that they do not die of starvation and he protects
them and, as far as he can, sees that they do not need any good thing.
I always feel quite certain that if we faithfully serve our Lord, He
will keep us in our needs and, having food and clothes, we ought to be
content. His promise to the upright is, "Bread shall be given him; his
waters shall be sure." If you get anything over and above bread and
water, you may know that He has given you more than He promised–and He
will keep you in your needs till you need them no more–and then He
will give you those spotless garments of light and joy in which you
shall serve Him forever and ever!
"Jesus our Lord" is not like that Amalekite who, when his Egyptian
servant was sick, left him to die. He is not like some masters whom we
have known, who, the moment a servant is taken ill sends him off,
caring not whether he dies or lives. Our Lord and Master never
discharges His old servants–He never turns them adrift. Remember the
Psalmist's testimony and petition–"O God, You have taught me from my
youth: and up to now have I declared Your wondrous works. Now also when
I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not." Nor will He. He is a
good Master whom we serve–the best of all masters–"Jesus our Lord!"
III. Now I come to the third point, which is that WE FIND MUCH
SWEETNESS IN THAT LITTLE WORD IN
THE MIDDLE OR OUR TEXT, "Jesus ourLord."
It is very sweet because it helps us to remember our personal interest
in Christ. My Brothers and Sisters, let me remind you that you can
never truly say, "Our Lord," till you have first said, "My Lord." It is
blessed to be able to say it as David did, "The Lord said unto my Lord,
Sit You at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool."
David claimed this blessed Son of his as his Lord, and he did well in
doing so. And it is a very sweet thing when any of us is also able to
say, "Jesus Christ, the Son of David, and the Son of God, is my Lord."
It is truly blessed to be able to say, as Thomas did, "My Lord and my
God." Each one of you needs to have the personal conviction that Jesus
Christ is Lord to you. I would even like to say this if I only said it
as tremblingly as Mary Magdalene did when she supposed that she was
talking to the gardener, "They have taken away my Lord, and I know not
where they have laid Him." It is still better if we can say this as
Paul once said it, "Yes doubtless, and I count all things but loss for
the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I
have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that
I may win Christ, and be found in Him." This title, "Jesus our Lord,"
reminds me, and I hope it also reminds you of the time when you first
said–
"'Tis done! The great transaction's done! I am my Lord's and He is
mine– He drew me and I followed on, Charmed to confess the voice
Divine."
There is, however, even more sweetness than this in the expression,
"Jesus our Lord," for it brings us into fellowship with all the saints.
"Our Lord"–then, David, Thomas, Mary Magdalene and Paul–we have the
same Lord that you had! Yes, and we seem to join with all the goodly
fellowship of the Prophets, the whole company of the Apostles and the
noble army of martyrs as we say, "Jesus our Lord." Yes, and all the
great company who served their Master here with patience, labored for
Him with diligence and have now gone to their reward–we are one with
all of them–we have "one Lord, one faith, one baptism." This term,
"Jesus our Lord," seems to draw a circle around all the elect of God,
the whole host of the redeemed out of every nation, kindred, tribe,
tongue and people in every land and every age! It seems to remind me of
a kind of clanship which exists among all Believers. Just as the old
Highland clansmen, when they saw the head of the clan, all felt intense
enthusiasm at the very sight of him–for he was the great center and
meeting place for all the divers families in the clan–and with him
leading them they rushed forward to victory or death with the utmost
enthusiasm, so, when I look you in the face, Beloved, we may differ
very greatly in station, in ability and in a thousand
things, but yourLord is myLord, so we are Brothers and Sisters in Him
and we clasp hands around Him and say, "Jesus our Lord." This one
peerless name wakes us all to enthusiasm and holy daring–
"Jesus, the name high over all, In Hell, or earth, or sky"–
stirs our very blood as nothing else can and we feel a closer tie than
ever to all the saints. This one touch of Grace has made us all akin.
The blessed name of "Jesus our Lord" has banded us all together in one
holy brotherhood and we join in singing–
"One family we dwell in Him, One Church above, beneath."
And, further, the example of "Jesus our Lord" will foster practical
love to one another. It will if it works rightly, for we shall remember
what our Lord did and seek to follow His example. Do you remember what
He did on the night when He was betrayed? "He rose from supper, and
laid aside His garments; and took a towel, and girded Himself. After
that He poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciple's
feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded." After
He had done so, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you?
You call Me Master and Lord: and you say well; for so I am. If I then,
your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; you also ought to wash one
another's feet. For I have given you an example that you should do as I
have done to you." After such an example as that, we ought to be
willing to do anythingfor one another! We should feel as if " Jesus our
Lord" constrained us to make any sacrifice and to take the humblest and
lowliest place, so long as we might be of service to anyone else who
also calls Him
Lord!
And, Brothers and Sisters, what a death-blow this title ought to deal
to all pride! Diotrephes still loves to have the pre-eminence but would
he love it if he really knew "Jesus our Lord" as He has revealed
Himself in His Word? This Brother wants more respect shown to him. That
Brother must have some office given to him and that Sister must be held
in high esteem or she will not be happy. Ah, yes, and you remember that
there were two Apostles whose mother asked for them that they might
sit, one at the right hand and the other at the left hand of Christ in
His Kingdom! And when the other Apostles were moved with indignation
against the two brothers, our Lord said to them, "You know that the
princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are
great, exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you;
but whoever will be great among you, let him be your minister (that is,
your servant), and whoever will be chief among you, let him be your
servant: even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to
minister, and to give His life a ransom for many." As we recall this
act and these words, we cry, "Down, pride! You are not lord! Down,
ambition! You must not wish to rule! Down, every proud thought, that
only 'Jesus our Lord' may rule absolutely over us!"
Now, dear Friends, are you enjoying the sweetness of this title? Do you
feel as if you wish to roll it under your tongue as a sweet morsel?
Then I will not detain you longer except to say just these two things.
First, this title, " Jesus our Lord, "gives us great confidence in our
common service. As a Christian Church, we are all working for Jesus. I
hope I may say that the members of this Church are all seeking the
Glory of God. Then, let us remember what our Lord said to His disciples
before He went back to His Father, "All power is given unto Me in
Heaven and in earth. Go you, therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatever I have
commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the
world." March on, then, you armies of the living God, for Christ is
your Lord and He has given you your commission–and it is His power
which will make your march to be victorious! Does any man think of
turning his back in the day of battle when he has such a Captain as
this to lead him? Does anyone dream of defeat, or talk in a
half-hearted way of what the issue of the conflict is certain to be?
"Jesus our Lord" is the world's Creator–He that can shake Heaven, and
earth, and Hell with His word! So, in His name let us set up our
banners and march onward, confident of victory!
The thought with which I close is one that ought to yield considerable
comfort to many of you. Our common joy in "Jesus our Lord" becomes an
evidence of Grace. Have you felt a gracious sweetness stealing over
your soul because Jesus Christ is your Lord? Then listen to these words
of the Apostle Paul–"Therefore I give you to understand that no man
speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed: and that no man can
say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit." Anyone can repeat
these words, but you cannot say them aright–as I hope you have been
saying them–with an ineffable sweetness stealing over your soul as you
said them–"but by the Holy Spirit." Go your way, therefore, you
whose heart has leaped at the very sound of those three words, and say,
"I have the witness of the Holy Spirit within my spirit that I am a
saved soul, or else I would never have said, in my inmost heart, 'Jesus
our Lord.'" O Brother or Sister, here is a sign that cannot lead you
wrong, for you have the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, to tell
you that you could not say that in your inmost soul but by the Holy
Spirit! Come, then, Beloved, and worship "Jesus our Lord." Continue to
worship Him! Continue to love Him! Continue to trust Him! Continue to
serve Him! Continue to magnify Him among the sons of men!
But to you who love Him not and who have not accepted Him as your Lord,
I can only say, in God's own words, "Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
and you perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him." And this other verse
which is, to my mind, the most awful in the whole Book of God, yet it
was uttered by one who loved the souls of men beyond all conception,
"If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema
Maranatha," that is, "let him be accursed at Christ's coming." God save
you from that terrible doom, for Jesus Christ's sake! Amen.
EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON: PSALMS 2; 110.
Psalm 2:1-3. Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain
thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take
counsel together against the LORD, and against His Anointed, saying,
Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
This was what they did when they took the Lord of Life and Glory,
dragged Him to the judgment seat and then nailed Him to the accursed
tree. "This is the heir," they said, "let us kill Him and the
inheritance shall be ours." They thought that they had destroyed the
power of Christ, the appointed and Anointed King, and that He would
never reign among the sons of men.
4. He that sits in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in
derision. God might well laugh at their folly, for they were really
executing His will all the while they were rebelling against Him! They
were really laying the foundation stones of His mediatorial throne in
fair colors and cementing them with His own most precious blood, for it
was by His Cross that He climbed to His crown! Well did Peter say to
the Jews, on the day of Pentecost, "Him, being delivered by the
determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken, and by
wicked hands have crucified and slain."
5, 6. Then shall He speak unto them in His wrath, and vex them in His
sore displeasure. Yet have I set My king upon My holy hill of Zion. In
the Resurrection, God lifted up the head of Christ above all the sons
of men and made them see that all their craft and cruelty had been
displayed in vain.
7, 8. I will declare the decree: the LORD has said unto Me, You are My
Son; this day have I begotten You. Ask of Me, and I shall give You the
heathen for Your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for
Your possession. The risen Christ is pleading, and pleading
successfully, before the Throne of God on high. And His plea is that
the heathen may be given to Him for His inheritance–and the uttermost
parts of the earth for His possession.
9. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them
inpieces like apotter's vessel. He does this even now in the working of
His Providence, but He will do it still more manifestly at the Second
Advent, when Christ will not allow the kings of the earth to any longer
set themselves against Him, but He will finally destroy their power and
prove Himself to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords even here
below.
10-12. Be wise now therefore, O you kings: be instructed, you judges of
the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss
the Son. That is the Lord Jesus Christ–"Kiss the Son."
12. Lest He be angry, and you perish from the way, when His wrath is
kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.
Psalm 110:1. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I
make Your enemies Your footstool. Here we see the Christ–whom we just
now saw as risen from the dead and acknowledged as the Son of
God–seated upon the Throne of God. "Jehovah said unto my Adonai, Sit
You at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool."
2. The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion: rule You
in the midst of Your enemies. No sooner was Christ ascended into Heaven
than, out of the midst of His Church–the earthly Zion–the scepter of
His power was stretched forth and its might was displayed among the
sons of men! Witness what happened on the day of Pentecost,
which was but the beginning of Christ's ruling in the very midst of His
enemies, who then became His friends and yielded their hearts and lives
to Him so that Jerusalem, where He had been crucified, became the very
center of His Kingdom on earth, from which His servants went forth to
evangelize the world! 3. Your people shall be willing. They shall be
willingness itself.
3. In the day of Your power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb
of the morning: You have the dew of Your youth. That is, as soon as the
ascended Christ began His reign in Heaven, and the power of His Church
begin to be felt on earth, there was a willing people coming forward in
the beauty of holiness, like priests clad in their sacred robes. Such
the early Christians truly were–and they were as numerous, as
refreshing and as bright to the world as the sparkling dew of the
morning. Then, indeed, had Christ the dew of His youth most clearly
manifested! Multitudes of young hearts yielded to Him and His Church on
earth seemed to have had a new birthday when He ascended up on high and
led captivity captive!
4. The LORD has sworn, and will not relent, You are a Priest forever
after the order of Melchizedek. That is, a Priest without predecessor
or successor–a Priest who was at the same time a king–a Priest of the
Most High God who was greater, even, than Abraham, the friend of God.
Jesus our Lord is not a priest after the order of Aaron, for He came
not of that line, but He was "a Priest forever after the order of
Melchizedek."
5. The Lord at Your right hand shall strike through kings in the day of
His wrath. When that Last Great Day shall come, Christ shall no longer
patiently wait for the overthrow of His enemies–He shall win a
complete victory over them!
6. He shall judge among the heathen, He shall fill the places with the
dead bodies; He shall wound the heads over many countries. Thus will
You, O Lord, cut down all evil principles and everything that is
opposed to You!
7. He shall drink of the brook in the way. That is, He shall not be
wearied with thirst, as Samson was, but He shall hasten on in His
mighty achievements, without pausing to rest, until He has fully
accomplished the whole of His great
task.
8. Therefore shall He lift up the head.
HYMNS FROM "OUR OWN HYMN BOOK"–317, 382.