Rough, But Friendly
(No. 3379)
A SERMON PUBLISHED ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1913.
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.
"Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore
every man's money into his sack, and to give them provisions for the
way: and thus did he unto them." Genesis 42:25.
AN immense number of persons came down into Egypt from all parts of the
world to buy corn. Many of these Joseph never saw. Many others came
into his presence. I do not find that of all who came, he treated any
of them roughly, except his own brothers. "Strange!" you will say, and
if you did not know the sequel of the story, it would not only seem
strange, but cruel. You would not know how to account for such a thing.
Very like this is the manner of God's Providence. There are thousands
of people living in this world, with all of whom God deals according to
wisdom. We all bear trouble in a measure, for, "Man is born unto
trouble, as the sparks fly upwards."Some have more troubles than others
and these often happen to be those who are dearest to the Lord. If any
man escapes the rod, the true-born children of the royal family of
Heaven never can! Some may sin and prosper, but the righteous, if they
sin, suffer. The ungodly are permitted to fatten like sheep for the
slaughter, to have no bands even in their death. Their strength is
firm, they are not in trouble, as other men, neither are they plagued
like other men. But as for God's people, the waters of a full cup are
wrung out to them. Through much tribulation they inherit the Kingdom.
To them is a special promise which is sure to be fulfilled–"In the
world you shall have tribulation." Now, if we did not know the end of
the Lord and His great design in thus dealing with His people, it would
seem to be a strange, inexplicable mystery that the best beloved should
be the most afflicted and that the Brothers and Sisters of the reigning
Savior should be those whom He treats most roughly. Others take their
sacks of corn and go–these, 'tis true, shall have their sacks filled
and more–but they shall not go until first there have been some rough
passages of arms between them and the Brother, who, though he loves
them so well, speaks so shortly to them!
Laying it down, then, as a rule, that God's servants will be dealt
roughly with by their Master, that the Brothers and Sisters of Christ
must accept it, I shall now proceed to offer a few thoughts, which,
perhaps, may be comfortable to those of God's people who are in
trouble. From the text and its surroundings, I gather this Truth of
God–
I. WHEN THE LORD IS ABOUT TO GIVE GREAT FAVORS, HE OFTEN DEALS ROUGHLY
WITH THOSE
WHO ARE TO RECEIVE THEM.
Joseph intends to bless his brothers. He has the most liberal of the
royal designs towards them, but he first deals roughly with them.
Before the Lord Jesus Christ shall come to give His Church her last and
most transcendent blessing in His millennial reign of splendor, there
are vials that are to be poured out. There will be wars and rumors of
wars. There will be the shaking of Heaven and earth–great distress,
famine, pestilences and earthquakes. The greater the blessing, the
greater the trial that shall precede it! So, too, with our own souls.
When the Lord Jesus Christ intended to save us and to give us a sense
of pardon of our sins, He began by convincing us of our iniquity. He
dealt heavy blows at our self-righteousness. He laid us in the dust and
seemed to roll us in the mire. It seemed as though He delighted to
tread upon us and to crush our every hope and destroy every fond
expectation! It was all to wean us from self-righteousness, to pull us
up by the roots, to prevent our growing and taking fast hold on the
earth, to compel us to rest in His blood and righteousness and to seek
our soul's life entirely from Him! That great blessing of salvation
was, with the most of us, at any rate, preceded by thick clouds and
tempests! We were convinced of sin, of self-righteousness, of judgment
to come, and our heart trembled! And afterwards, when He had dealt
roughly with us, He said, "Your sins, which are many, are all forgiven
you: go in peace." It seems, then, our experience is general and
common, that the love letters of our Lord Christ
have come to us in black envelopes and there has generally been a
thunderstorm preceding a shower of special mercy! The clear shinings
have been after the rain. The flood tide has come in most gloriously,
but there has first been an ebb. It has always been so with us till
now. I think experienced Christians begin to dread their joy and to
expect blessings from their sorrows. When things apparently go bad,
they know they really go well, and when things apparently go well, we
are very apt to fear and tremble for all the good which God makes to
pass before us and fear, lest in the dead calm, there may lurk some
mischief to our souls.
Why does the Lord deal roughly with His servants when He means to bless
them? Is it not to keep them sober?High spiritual joys have about them
an intoxicating element to our poor nature. "Lest I should be exalted
above measure," said the Apostle, "there was given unto me a thorn in
the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me." Sometimes the trial
comes before the mercy, sometimes with the mercy, sometimes after the
mercy–but a trial and a high degree of spiritual joy are usually
wedded together so that when you get the one–you may look out of the
window for the other. 'Tis to keep us sober. Here is a brisk gale of
spiritual influence upon our fluttering sail. What then? And why? Our
poor boat would soon be upset, but God ballasts us with a weight of
affliction, so that the vessel may keep steady amidst the waves. Master
Brookes gives us a simile in which he shows us the danger there is even
in the best and most spiritual enjoyments–he says, "Suppose a man
loved his wife so very dearly and gave her so many rings, jewels and
earrings, that she prized these and wore them till she began,
by-and-by, to dote upon her ornaments and to forget her husband? You
could not blame him if he took these away because he wants her love for
himself, not for his gifts." Now, instead of taking away these things,
which it would be necessary for Him to do in order to keep us from
spiritual ruin, the Lord is pleased to checker our lives. There are the
bright stripes, or evidences of Grace, and then there are the black
squares of our troubles and afflictions. In that way an equilibrium is
kept up–we are balanced–we do not grow top-heavy. And we are enabled
to walk safely in the ways of the Lord. That is one reason He speaks
roughly and deals graciously, to keep us sober.
Is it not likewise, to keep ushumble?When a child of God gets one inch
above the ground in his own esteem, he gets an inch too high! Whenever
the man of God says, "I am rich and increased in goods and have need of
nothing," he is very close to spiritual bankruptcy! None are so rich in
Grace as those who pine for more. None are so near to fullness as those
who mourn their emptiness–the men who find their fullness not in
themselves, but in Christ Jesus the Lord! Brothers and Sisters, those
10 sons of Jacob must have felt their importance evaporate when Joseph
put them in prison. Here they were "true men," as they said, "the sons
of one man," but no respect is paid to the Patriarch or to their
patriarchal descent. They are put in prison as if they were common
spies whose fate is generally the most ignoble. Now they begin to think
of themselves in a very different light from that in which they did
when they set out with their money in their hands to pay for their corn
and have their money's worth. They were gentlemen, merchant traders
when they entered Egypt, but after awhile they seemed like beggars in
their own esteem and better still, they begin to remember their faults!
They call to remembrance that they were verily guilty concerning their
brother. And the Lord never intends us to ride the high horse in
thinking large things of ourselves. One thing I have always noticed as
an observer, that whenever any man of God begins to get great, God
always makes him smart. I think I have never seen a Brother prospering
in the ministry, or anywhere else, who began to be too large for
association with his brethren, too good and too holy, perhaps, even to
meet with common Christians–such a man has never kept up long–that
balloon has come down–that bubble has, before long, gone to pieces.
The profession of very extreme holiness has generally ended in the most
dolorous iniquity and the professed exaltation of the heart on account
of talent and success has generally led to degradation and shame! Hence
the Lord, who would not have us exalted above measure, speaks roughly
to us to keep us humble, as well as to keep us sober.
Why does He deal roughly with us? Is it not to give us another reason
for coming to Him? Jacob's sons might not have come down to Egypt
again. They might have said, "We would rather starve than go to be
bull-baited by the lord of the land." But when Simeon is in prison they
must go down. They have a reason for going and a reason which overcomes
them, let them strive against it as they may! And, child of God, when
the Lord favors you with His smile and with the light of His
Countenance, He takes care at the same time to give you a trouble that
shall compel you to come to the Mercy Seat. Oh, but I think it is a
blessed thing to go to the Throne of Grace on an errand! Many pray out
of custom, perhaps that is well, but I believe there is no praying like
the praying of a man who has got an errand–he who goes to God because
he needs, must go because he has something to ask for–and these rough
dealings of God keep us well stocked with
motives for being much on our knees, for much pleading with the Father
of Mercies that He would deliver us out of affliction and out of
temptation–and is not this kindness on our Father's part thus to deal
roughly with us that He may compel us to the sweet duty of prayer?
Moreover, Brothers and Sisters, does it not strike you that the Lord's
rough dealings with His children, when He intends to bless them, have
the effect of making them see how utterly dependent they are for that
blessing from Him? Why, Jacob's sons could now see that Joseph could
lock them up for life, or take away their lives, or could send them
back, if he pleased, with empty sacks to starve! They were entirely in
his hands. They had no more power to escape than the dove has from the
talons of the hawk. So God would have us know that we are entirely and
absolutely in His hands, as the clay in the hand of the potter. If He
pleases to withhold His hand, all the world and all Heaven cannot help
us! If the Lord did not help you, how shall I help you out of the barn
floor, or out of the winepress? That well stopped, all the world is
walled up–there are no other bottles that can water you. Child of God,
you are as dependant today upon the bounty of Heaven as at your
conversion! A babe in Grace is not more dependent upon God than the
mature and venerable Christian! Our life is in the hands of Christ. Our
breath is in His nostrils. Let the foundations of our lives, either
natural or spiritual, be taken away by a cessation of Divine Power and
we crumble into spiritual and into physical death! We shall hold on our
way, glory be to God, but not from any power that is in us, nor through
our own innate strength! These shall melt away and droop and die under
the exigencies of our spiritual pilgrimage. It is from the overflowing
fountains of inexhaustible strength we must derive our supplies and so
hold on to the end. Thus, treating us roughly makes us like bottles in
the smoke–we become dry, shriveled up and empty–but still, it leads
us to see how much the Lord can do for us. Being brought into need, it
shows that all that is done, is done of His mercy and His
sovereignty–not of our merit, nor through any concurrent help from
us–but altogether, utterly and alone of Him!
Now, child of God, let me put this point to you very plainly. Without
saying anything further, are you in very deep trouble tonight? Do all
God's waves and billows go over you? Does deep call unto deep at the
noise of His waterspouts? Then expect that now some great blessing will
come of it! That stone on the lapidary's wheel has been cut, and cut,
and cut again. That other stone in the corner of the shop is but a
common pebble and he never vexes it upon the wheel, for it is
worthless. But the more precious the stone is in His esteem, the more
diligently does He cut its facets. You are dear to God. Therefore is it
that He tries you again and again, but good shall come of it and you
shall blaze and sparkle, and glitter with Divine Grace which would have
been otherwise unknown to you! Your tribulation shall work patience in
you, and patience shall work experience, and experience hope, and hope
shall make you not to be ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad
in you. You are trading in a profitable market! There is no usury so
heavy as the interest of affliction. The black ships of trouble come
home laden with pearls of Grace. Therefore, be of good cheer. Take the
rough usage from your Brother Joseph–you must and will prevai1! But I
must change the tune. Our next observation upon the text is that while
the Lord deals roughly with His servants–
II. HE USUALLY GIVES THEM AT THE SAME TIME PROVISION BY THE WAY so that
they may be enabled
to bear His roughness and to endure all the difficulties through which
they are called to pass.
You observe Joseph had put Simeon in prison and had treated his other
brothers very roughly, yet he gave them their sacks full of corn and
put money into the mouths of their sacks. And then, as a third
blessing, he gave them provisions for the way. Never does a child of
God pass through trial without some special provision being made for
him during his time ofneed.
But what provision is this? Why, dear Brothers and Sisters, there are
different provisions according to different needs! Sometimes the child
of God under trial has a wonderful sense of Divine Love. ' 'Oh, how He
loves me," he says. There comes stroke after stroke–husband dies,
child is buried, the property is wasted–yet the dear child says, "I
cannot weep or repine, for I feel God loves me. I know not how it is,
but I feel it so fresh and strong upon my soul and I have such a
wonderful impression of that dear love of His, that it quite overcomes
my sorrows and takes the edge off my grief." And, let me say, there is
nothing that under trial can support a soul so well as the love of God
shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit, which is given unto us! To
know that my Father sees it all and orders all in love–in special love
to me–oh, this makes the back strong enough to bear a very world of
trouble and yet not to be wearied!
At other times God's servants have been fed on a joyous view of the
Covenant of Grace. I have known some who in their trouble have come to
understand the deep doctrines of the Word of God as they never
understood them before and could then say with David, "Although my
house is not so with God, yet has He made with me an Everlasting
Covenant, ordered in all things and sure." And as they look to the
provisions of that Covenant, to the sureness of the Covenant, to the
blessings of the Covenant, to the everlasting nature of the Covenant,
their souls have been so ravished and transported with joy that they
could beat poverty, or pain, or whatever form of roughness their
heavenly Joseph might choose to put upon them!
Others of the Lord's people have been sustained in their trouble by a
delightful outlook to the end of their sorrows and the better land on
the other side of Jordan. Oh, there have been saints upon sick beds who
have scarcely felt the torture of their pain or their disease, through
the excess of bliss they have enjoyed in foretastes of the better land!
Martyrs have been heard to call the fiery branches a bed of roses! And
sometimes it has been almost questionable whether they suffered or not!
The bodily pain must have been there, but the wonderful excitement of
sacred joy in the thought that they were so soon to be with Christ and
that their burning pile was but a chariot of fire to bear them to their
Beloved has lifted them up above the tormenting sensation! They have
been treated roughly, but they have had such provision by the way that
they forgot the roughness as they rejoiced with unspeakable joy and
full of glory! Well may the traveler trip over a rough road when his
home is so near before him–the glittering spires of the new Jerusalem,
the everlasting rest, the sweet fields arrayed in living green, the
rivers of delight–
"Oh, could we stand where Moses stood,
And view the landscape o'er–
Not Jordan's stream nor death's cold flood
Should fright us from the shore." Roughly treat us as You will, good
Lord, if we have this money in our sack's mouth and this provision by
the way, we will be well content!
The Lord sometimes sustains His people under His own roughness by the
recollection of their past experiences.''My God, my soul is cast down
within me; therefore will I remember You from Hermon and from the hill
Mizar." The faithfulness of God in the past has been so vividly
remembered that the child of God could not dare to doubt! The evidence
of God's love was so strong, vehement and fresh in his soul that he
cried, "Though He slays me, yet will I trust in Him; let Him do what He
will to me, yet do I know that in very faithfulness He has afflicted
me." He could hear these silver bells, thousands of them, all around,
above, below, beneath–ringing out this tune–
"For His mercy shall endure, Ever faithful, ever sure."
Oh, let the Hell drum be beaten as loudly as the devil can beat it and
let affliction come from Heaven, earth and Hell all at once–as long as
we know that God's mercy endures forever, our mouth shall be filled
with laughter and we shall boast in the name of the Lord!
The saints of God have also had this provision by the way. In their
sufferings they have enjoyed a sight of the greater sufferings of
Christ–
"Why should I complain of want or distress,
Temptation or pain? He told me no less.
The heirs of salvation, I know from His Word,
Through much tribulation must follow their Lord.
How bitter that cup, no heart can conceive,
Which He drank quite up that sinners might live!
His way was much rougher and darker than mine–
Did Christ my Lord suffer, and shall I repine?" A sight of the steps of
the Crucified One has often checked the tears which have been flowing,
while the enraptured child of God would stand and sing in holy wonder–
"Christ leads me through no darker rooms
Than He went through before–
He that into this Kingdom comes
Must enter by this door."
Thus I might continue to show what kind of provision it is that the
Lord gives by the way, but the time fails me. Indeed, for me to tell
you of it has nothing to do with receiving it. Oh, child of God, let me
rather put it close to you and
may the Holy Spirit comfort you with it! You shall never be sent on a
journey without provender and you shall never have to go to battle at
your own charges. If the Lord tries you, it shall never be above what
you are able to bear, for He will, with the temptation, make a way of
escape, that you may be able to bear it. He may treat you roughly, but
He will fill your sack. He may speak sharp words, but He will put your
money into your sack's mouth. He may take your Simeon and bind him
before your eyes, but He will give you provision by the way till you
get to the goodly land where you shall need no more provision and the
Lamb shall be forever with you–and you with Him! The third lesson
which we draw from this is that though sometimes the Lord treats His
people roughly, more roughly than He does any other people, yet–
III. HE GIVES THEM THE BEST OF THE BARGAIN IN THE LONG RUN.
These, his brothers, were the only ones Joseph spoke roughly to, but
they were the only ones upon whose necks he afterwards fell and wept.
They were the only ones that made the tears come into his eyes. They
were the only ones of whom he said, "I will preserve you alive." They
were the only ones for whom he sent the wagons to bring them down,
saying, "Regard not your stuff, for the whole land of Egypt is yours."
They were the only ones whom he brought in before Pharaoh and said,
"Behold my father and my brothers." They were highly favored and they
dwelt in the land of Goshen and they had rest. Child of God, you will
have the best of it soon! Even now you are the only ones that Christ
deigns to call His Brothers and Sisters. You are the only people of
whom it is written that you are a people dear to Him. You are the only
people for whom Christ prayed, for He said, "I pray not for the world,
but for those whom You have given Me out of the world, that they may be
one." You are the people for whom all things work together for good. As
many of you as have believed in the Lord Jesus and are resting upon Him
for salvation, though your path may be rough and thorny, you are the
only people who have God, Himself, to be your Captain, who have His
fiery cloudy pillar to be your direction and who shall have the
everlasting rest, the eternal portion! Be of good courage. Your riches
in reversion are such that you can smile at poverty. Your rest which is
yet to come is such that you may well despise the labor which makes you
eat your bread in the sweat of your face. Your glory which is to come
so excels that you may forget your poverty and your reproach. Your
being with Christ will be so superlatively, Divinely blessed, that you
may well, for awhile, bear to have a rough word or two from Him–
"Forever with the Lord! Amen, so let it be!"
When it shall be so, when you are forever with the Lord, if you could
be ashamed, you would be ashamed and confounded to think that you ever
murmured, or ever entertained a thought of complaint against the kind
and gracious God who ordered all things for the best for you to promote
your profit and His Glory! May that thought cheer you, you who are
depressed and cast down–and may you go on your way rejoicing!
As for such as have never trusted Christ, it often makes my heart bleed
when I talk of these things, to think that I cannot speak to them, that
I cannot tell them that these comfortable things are theirs. Oh,
unbeliever, you are an alien and a stranger to the privileges of
heavenly citizenship! For you there is no blessedness, either now or
hereafter! Why will you remain an unbeliever? Why will you continue to
be careless and godless, Christless? I trust the Lord has designs of
love to you. Leave your sins, for you must either leave them or be
lost! Trust the Savior. Rely wholly upon His blood and righteousness,
for there is no other righteousness that can ever help you. But if you
cast your soul upon Him, it shall be well with you forever! God grant
that we may all be found in the day of the appearing of our Lord Jesus
Christ, as Brothers and Sisters who are in allegiance to Him. So may it
be with you all. Amen.
EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON: MATHEW 7:13-29; 15:1-12.
Verse 13. Enter you in at the strait gate. It is very unpopular. The
great ones will recommend to you great liberality and breadth. But
enter yet in at the strait gate.
13. For wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to
destruction, and many there are which go in there. That is a rule that
is very unfashionable in these times, but depend upon it, the Lord who
gave it to us, meant it for all times. That which seems narrow, which
costs you self-denial–that which is contrary to the will of the
flesh–that which does
not seem to charm the eye and fascinate the senses–go after that!
"Enter you in at the strait gate." You will not be likely to err much,
or too much on that side. Let this be a gauge to you. That kind of
preaching which allows you to indulge in sin–that sort of teaching
which lowers the standard of God's Word for you and makes you think
more of your own judgment than of the teachings of Christ–away with
it! Let others have it if they like. "Enter you in at the strait gate,
for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction,
and many there are which go in there."
14. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leads unto
life, and few there are that find it It is still so. Indeed, none find
it unless Grace finds them! He who made that gate must go after the
wandering sheep and bring them through that gate. They will never
choose it of themselves.
15. Beware of false prophets. Some honor and esteem all prophets. "Is
not it a very high office? Is not a prophet a man sent from God?" Yes,
and no! For the very reason there are counterfeits whom God has never
sent. Beware of false prophets.
15. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly they are ravening wolves. They look just like sheep. They
look just like shepherds, but it is only their clothing. The mere
hypocrite is the goat in sheep's clothing. But a false prophet is a
wolf in sheep's clothing because he can do so much more harm–and will
do so much more damage to the Church of God!
16. You shall know them by their fruits. They are sure to come out in
their actions. If you have not got the knowledge of theology and the
like, to be able to judge their teaching, yet the simplest persons can
judge their actions "You shall know them by their fruits," which are
sure to come out sooner or later.
16. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?Did you
ever find a cluster of grapes growing upon a thorn bush? Grapes and
figs are pleasant fruit, and holy living, true devotion, communion with
God–these are the things that are sweet to God and to good men. But
they come not of false doctrine. They are not seen in false prophets.
Such prophets despise such things as these. They are for worldly ways
and places of worldly gaiety they can frequent. Not so the servants of
God!
17-19. Even so, every good tree brings forth good fruit: but a corrupt
tree brings forth evil fruit A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit Every tree that
brings not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. That
is what comes of it in the end. It may spread itself abroad and may
gather much admiration to itself for its verdure, but there is an axe
being sharpened and a fire being kindled!
20. Therefore by their fruits you shall know them. You cannot judge
them by their bark or by the spread of their branches, or by the
verdure of their leaves, or even by the beauty of their blossoms in
springtime. "By their fruits you shall know them." The Savior here
gives us a very earnest and very necessary warning, lest we should be
deceived, for there are such who are not only deceived by their own
sins, but deceived by false prophets who are among Satan's best agents!
21. Not everyone that says unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
Kingdom ofHeaven. They were very sound in Doctrine. They called Jesus,
"Lord." They believed in His Deity. Apparently they were very devout.
They said, "Lord." They worshipped Him. They were very importunate and
earnest. They said, "Lord, Lord," crying to Him again and again. But
"not everyone that says unto Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter into the
Kingdom of Heaven." External utterances, however orthodox–professions,
however sound, are not enough!
21. But he that does the will of My Father which is in Heaven. Oh, dear
Friends, there must be holiness in us, for without holiness no man can
see the Lord! It is not knowing the will of the heavenly Father, but
doing it which is the mark of Divine Election. If God's Grace has
really entered into us, we, like the Prophets, shall be known by our
fruits! But if we are not doing the will of our Father who is in
Heaven, we shall not come to the Heaven where He is!
22. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in Your name? Yes, so did Balsam. Was not King Saul also among the
Prophets, and yet neither Balsam nor Saul was accepted of God, but they
were castaways! "Have we not prophesied in Your name?" A man may be a
preacher and an eloquent preacher, and he may even have some blessing
upon his preaching–and yet be cast away forever!
22. And in Your name have cast out devils? Yes, and there was one that
cast out devils and he was a devil, himself, namely, Judas Iscariot,
who also betrayed Him. He went out and worked miracles in the name of
Christ–and then sold Christ for 30 pieces of silver!
22. And in Your name done many wonderful works?Yes, and we may do many
wonderful works and yet be wonderfully deceived! It is not wonderful
works–it is holy works! Not works that amaze men, but works that
please God, which are the proof of Grace in the soul. Well, there will
be some who will be able to say that they prophesied–that they cast
out devils–that they did wonders.
23. And then, will I say unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me,
you that work iniquity. "I was never acquainted with you. I never had
anything to do with you. I was never on speaking terms with you. You
never had any fellowship with Me. I never had any fellowship with you.
Your motives and designs were very different from Mine. I never knew
you." If Christ once knows a man, He will never forget him. But He
says, "I never knew you. Depart from Me, you that work iniquity. Get
you gone–you are none of Mine." Oh, that we might never hear that
dreadful sentence pronounced upon us in the day when Christ shall come!
And yet we may be preachers! We may be wonderworkers! We may be famous
in the visible Church of Christ and yet, He may say, "I never knew you;
depart from Me, you that work iniquity." These are solemn thoughts. Let
them sink into your hearts.
24. Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I
will liken him unto a wise man who built his house upon a rock It was
the doing of those sayings that was the building on the rock. You may
hear and only increase your condemnation–but to do what you hear is to
have a good foundation! This man built his house upon a rock. He was
not, therefore, free from troubles. Oh, no!
25. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew,
and beat upon that house.Wherever you build, troubles will reach
you–and if you are a child of God you are sure to have troubles! "A
Christian is seldom long at ease." The road to Heaven is usually a
rough one and there are thieves, lions, giants, and all sorts of
enemies on that road. It was a house built on a rock. But the rain
descended, the floods came and the wind blew and beat upon that house.
25. And it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock Is not that
glorious? "And it fell not." Then the more rain, the more flood and the
more wind, the more was the house praised for its good foundation and
for its stability. "It fell not, for it was founded upon a rock." Oh,
if God has made us holy in life so that we are doing what Christ
preaches, especially this Sermon on the Mount, of which this is the
close, then we need not fear all the troubles of life or death, for it
shall be said, "It falls not, for it was founded upon a rock!"
26-27. And everyone that hears these sayings of Mine and does them not,
shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the
sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds
blew.For fools get into trouble, too! However big a fool you may be,
you will have big troubles all the same for that. "Many sorrows shall
be to the wicked." Houses built on sand must still be tried. "And the
rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds
blew."
27. And beat upon that house and it fell: and great was the fall of it
For it could never be set up again! It was down once and for all. A man
may fail in life and yet commence again and succeed. But once a
bankrupt with your souland you are broken forever! "It fell and great
was the fall of it." Do not believe those who tell you that to lose
your soul is a small affair which will be made right, by-and-by, by
either annihilation or restoration. It is all a ruinous lie! This is
the Truth of God concerning it–"It fell, and great was the fall of
it."
28, 29. And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the
people were astonished at His Doctrine. For He taught them as one
having authority, and not as the scribes. He did not quote this learned
Rabbi and that–or propose this theory to their thoughtful
consideration–He spoke the Truth of God and left the Truth to work its
way upon the minds of men, knowing that many would reject it, for it
would be a savor of death unto death to them–but knowing, also, that
some would receive it, whom He had ordained unto eternal life, to whom
it would be a savor of life unto life. Let us copy our Divine Master's
example and speak boldly as we ought to speak.
MATTHEW 15:1-12.
Verses 1, 2. Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of
Jerusalem, saying, Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of
the elders? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. A very
amazing omission, certainly! But it seems to have struck them as a very
great crime. "They wash not their hands when they eat bread"–as if the
commands of God were not enough–men must overload us with their own
commands, and sometimes the very people who would see us break God's
commands without being at all distressed are dreadfully shocked if we
do not keep theirs, showing clearly that they have a higher estimate of
themselves than they have of God!
3-6. But He answered and said unto them, Why do you also transgress the
Commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honor
your father and mother and, He that curses father or mother, let him
die the death. But you say, Whoever shall say to his father or his
mother, It is a gift by whatever you might be profited by me, and honor
not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have you made the
commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. The cant said, "I
cannot give you any help. I have vowed to give it as a subscription to
the synagogue, or to the temple, therefore I cannot give it to you,"
and if he could plead that he had given it as a gift in the form of a
religious offering, he was exempted from assisting his own parents.
"Well," said Christ, "you do by this make the commandment of God of no
effect." "You hypocrites"–our Savior is the most gentle of men, but
how plainly does He talk–and how honestly does He denounce everything
like hypocrisy!
7-9. You hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, This
people draws near unto Me with their mouth and honors Me with their
lips; but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they do worship Me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Now, may God save us
from these two faults! The first is that of being content with the
outside worship of God. Unless our very hearts worship, there is
nothing whatever in the outward performance of religious rites or
religious worship! Indeed, it is hypocrisy to draw near to God with the
lips and knees when the heart is not there. The next evil to be dreaded
is teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Whatever is not
plainly taught in Scripture is of no binding force upon any conscience!
And it is evil to invent rites and ceremonies which are not taught in
Holy Scripture. We must mind what we are doing! If we have not the
plain warrant of Christ's command for our teachings and our doings, we
shall rather vex the Spirit of God than honor Him. Whatever our
intention may be, we have not any right to worship God otherwise than
according to His own mind. If we do, it will not be worship and not
acceptable with Him.
10, 11. And He called the multitude and said unto them, Hear, and
understand. Not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man; but that
which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man. "And He called the
multitude and said unto them–"Not that which goes into the mouth
defiles a man"–not that which he eats and drinks, "but that which
comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." That is–what he
says–that is the point.
12. Then came His disciples, and said unto Him, Know You that the
Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?Some very kind
friends are very jealous of the preacher lest he should offend
anybody–and they will come in all tenderness of spirit and say, "Know
you that the Pharisees were offended after they heard this saying?"