Joy in Salvation

Joy in Salvation

A Sermon

(No. 3503)

Published on Thursday, March 16th, 1916.

Delivered by

C. H. SPURGEON,

At [11]the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington.

On Lord's-day Evening, July 30th, 1871.

"I will rejoice in thy salvation."–Psalm 9:4.

I DESIRE to continue the topic of the morning, only we will look at
another side of the same important matter.

We spoke this morning, as you have not forgotten, upon these words,
"Your own salvation." I trust most of us–would God I could hope all of
us–were earnest about our own personal salvation. To those who are
earnest this second text will be the complement of the first. They
desire that their own salvation shall be secure; it is their own
salvation when they obtain it; but here is the guide as to what is the
right salvation–what our own salvation ought to be. It is not our own
in another sense; it is God's. "I will rejoice in thy salvation." While
it becomes our own by an act of faith, it is not our own so that we can
claim any merit or take any part of the glorying to ourselves. The only
salvation that is worth being our own is that which is God's. "I will
rejoice in thy salvation." Having this morning somewhat at length
explained what salvation is, showing that it was not a mere deliverance
from wrath to come, but from the present wrath of God, and yet more
essentially from sin, from the power of evil within us, there is no
need that we should go over that again, I trust; but we shall begin by
noticing the speciality which is in the text, dwelling upon the divine
salvation. "I will rejoice in thy salvation." So, then, we look at once
at:–

I. A DIVINE SALVATION.

The salvation we have already spoken of is God's, and it is God's
salvation in many ways. It was his in the planning. None but himself
could have planned it. In his infinite wisdom he devised it. The
salvation which is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ, in the
gospel is every part of it in all its architecture the fruit of divine
skill. We may say, "Or with whom took he counsel, and who instructed
him, and who taught him knowledge?" In every part the divine hand may
be seen; it is of God's planning and ordaining, or ever the earth was.
So is it of God's providing. You have salvation wrapped up in the gift
of the person of Jesus Christ. All of it lies in Christ. Because he
died, our sin is put away. Because he lives, we shall live also. And
Christ is the pure gift of God. All salvation is in him, and,
therefore, all salvation is thus procured by God. It is God's
salvation. And what is more, God not only plans and procures, but he
also applies salvation. I believe in free agency, but I never yet met
with a Christian man who was able to say that he came to Christ of his
own free will without being drawn by the Spirit of God. Whatever our
doctrinal view may be, the experimental fact is the same in every case.
All believers will confess that they are God's workmanship, created
anew in Christ Jesus. "No man can come unto me except the Father which
hath sent me draw him." There is a want of power. "Ye will not come
unto me that ye might have life." There is a want of will, and the
Spirit of God, therefore, applies the salvation which God has planned,
and which God has provided. And as the first application of this
salvation is of God, so is it all the way through. I do not believe,
dear brethren, that our religion is like the action of a clock wound up
at first by a superior hand, and then left to go alone. No! every day
the Holy Ghost must continue to work upon us, and in us, to will and to
do according to God's good pleasure. And if you and I should ever get
right up to the gate of pearl, and should hear the songs of the blessed
within that gate, we should not be able to take the last step, but
should turn back to our sin and folly even, if he that began a good
work in us should cease to carry it on. He is Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the ending. "Salvation is of the Lord," from first to
last. He makes the rough draft of it, in conviction, upon our
conscience; he goes on to complete the picture; and if there be one
touch in the picture that is not of God, it is a blot upon it. If there
be anything of the flesh, it will have to be wiped out; it is not
consistent with the work of God. Of God is it in all respects. Now we
know that this salvation is of God, not only because we are told that
he planned it, and provided it, and applies it, but because it has the
marks of God upon it. There is a certain line of poetry; I know it is
Shakespeare's. Well, you know, I cannot quite tell you why, but yet I
am sure no one ever wrote exactly in that way. I am reading the Psalms
through, and I read and I say, "That is David's." I observe certain
critics who say, "No, this belongs to the time of the captivity." I am
certain it does not. And why? Because there is a Davidic ring about it,
you know. The son, of Jesse, and he alone, could have said such things.
Now in salvation there are the marks of divine authorship. I once saw a
painting by Titan at Venice, and he had written, "Fecit, fecit Titian."
He claimed it twice over, as if to make sure that someone else should
not claim it. And God has put it three times over that there should be
no doubt whatever that salvation is of God, and he must have the glory
of it. Now observe the marks of God–what I may call the broad arrow of
the King–set on salvation. It is full of mercy. Here is salvation for
the blackest of sinners–salvation for all manner of sin–forgiveness
for all manner of sin–salvation so full of grace that only God could
have conceived it. "Who is a pardoning God like thee?" But this
salvation is equally congenial with justice, for God never absolutely
forgives a sin. There is always punishment for sin in every case. Jesus
Christ, the Substitute, comes in and satisfies Justice before the word
is spoken to the sinner, "Thy transgression is blotted out." In the
salvation which God has provided on the cross by the death of his dear
Son there is as much justice as there is mercy; and there is an
infinity of both. Now this is God-like. Man, if he brings out one
quality, usually clouds another with it; but God exhibits his character
in harmonious completeness–as merciful as if he were not just, and as
just as if he were not gracious. In the gospel, on this account, five
see also divine wisdom. Whatever some may say about the doctrine of
substitution, Christ is still the power of God and the wisdom of God.
The way, so simple, yet so sublime, by which God is just, and yet the
justifier of him that believeth, exhibits the infinite wisdom of the
Most High.

But I won't keep you by mentioning all the divine attributes. It is
certain they all shine in the gospel, nor can any tell which of the
letters best is writ–the power, the wisdom, or the grace. They are all
there, proving the salvation to be of God.

And there is one other matter. True salvation is of God because it
draws toward God. If thou hast God's salvation, thou art being drawn
towards thy heavenly Father, nearer and nearer every day. The ungodly
forget God; the awakened seek God; but the saved rejoice in God. Ask
thyself this question, Couldst thou live without God? The ungodly man
would be happier without God than he is with. It would be the best
piece of news in the newspaper to thousands, if we could publish it
to-morrow, that God was dead. To ungodly men it would be like ringing
the bells of universal Joy; they would run riot after their own will.
And where would the believer be? He would be an orphan. His sun would
be blotted out; his hopes would be dead and buried. Judge by this
whether thou art saved. If thou art saved, thou art drawn to God, thou
seekest to be like God, thou desirest to honour God. If there be none
of these things in thee, then I charge thee see to it, for thou art in
the gall of bitterness, and in the bonds of iniquity. God have mercy
upon thee! I need not further say that the salvation is of God, and God
must have all the glory of it. All on earth who are saved, and all in
heaven who are saved, will ascribe their salvation entirely to the ever
blessed God, and join with Jonah, who in the very depths of the sea
made this, his confession of faith, "Salvation is of the Lord." But
now, secondly, our text (having noticed the divine salvation in it)
has:–

II. AN OUTSPOKEN AVOWAL.

"I will rejoice in thy salvation." Here is someone springing out from
the common crowd and saying, "I have heard of God's salvation; I will
rejoice in it! I will rejoice in it! Some despise it. They hear it, and
they turn a deaf ear. When they have listened to it longest, they are
most weary of it. But I will rejoice in thy salvation." Here is a
distinguished character, who is made so, doubtless, by distinguishing
grace. Oh! I hope there are many of us here who could stand up and
say–if this were the time and place–"Let others say what they will,
and count the cross a thing to mock at, and Jesus Christ to be
forgotten, I am his servant; I will rejoice in his salvation." There
are some that rest in another salvation. We all did so once. But he who
speaks in the text throws aside self-righteousness as filthy rags. He
puts it all aside, and says, "I will rejoice in thy salvation." If I
were righteous, I would not say so. Had I a perfect holiness, I would
not mention it in comparison with the righteousness of Christ; but
being an unworthy sinner, without a single merit of my own, I will not
be so foolish as to patch up a fictitious righteousness, but I will
rejoice in thy salvation. You see them there!–those worshippers of the
scarlet woman–they are resting in their priest! He puts on millinery,
blue, pink, scarlet, white, and I know not what–all kinds of little
toys to please fools with. And there be some that rejoice in that
salvation that comes from an "infallible" sinner–that comes from a
sham priest of God. But we are looking to Christ, who stands before the
eternal throne and pleads the merits of his own blood. We say:–

"Let all the forms that men devise

Assault our faith with treacherous art,

We'll Can them vanity and lies

And bind the gospel to our heart."

"I will rejoice in thy salvation." There may be some tonight to whom I
shall speak who are rejoicing in God's salvation through his abundant
grace who have very little else to rejoice in. You are very poor. Ah!
how welcome you are to this house! How glad I am that you have come. I
feel it always a joy that the people have the gospel preached to them.
Well, you have no broad acres, you have no gold rings on your fingers;
you come in the garb of toil. Never mind, my brother, lay hold on
eternal life and say, "I will rejoice in thy salvation." Perhaps you
are sick to-night–your poor weak body could scarcely drag itself up to
the assembly of God's people. Well, well, it is a heavy thing to have
to suffer so, but if you cannot rejoice in a hale body, yet rejoice in
his salvation. Look to-night to Jesus; put your trust in him alone, and
you will have a sufficient well-spring of joy, if you have nothing
else. Possibly some of you who lay hold on Christ and rejoice in him
will have hard times of it at home your father will mock at you, your
mother will not sympathise with you; your workmates to-morrow, if they
hear that you are converted, will laugh, and jest, and jeer at you.
What say you? Are you a coward? Will you back out of it because it
demands a sacrifice? Oh! if it be so, then you are indeed unworthy of
the name, and you count yourself so; but if you are what you should be,
you will say, "Let them; laugh at me as they will, and spit upon me as
they please, I will rejoice in thy salvation."

"If on my face for thy dear name,

Shame and reproach may be;

I'll hail reproach and welcome shame,

For thou'lt remember me."

It takes some pluck, but we ought to have it in the cause of Christ.
Your mean, miserable wretches that will only go out to follow Christ in
sunny weather, and get them gone again when a cloud darkens the sky,
deserve well the wrath that comes upon them. They are like the
Nautilus, very well on the placid sea, but the first billow that arises
they furl their sails and drop into the deep, and are seen no more. Oh!
beware, beware, beware of a sunny-weather religion; beware of a
religion that will not stand the fire; but be you such that, if all the
world forsook Christ, you would say, "I will rejoice in his salvation";
and if you were turned out of doors, if you were turned out of the
world itself, and thought not fit, to live, you would yet be content to
have it so, if you might be numbered with the people of God, and be
permitted to rejoice in his salvation. Does this, as I try to speak it,
awaken a holy emotion in any soul here? Is there someone who has been a
stranger to my Lord who to-night can say, "I desire to rejoice in his
salvation"? I cannot forget, when I sat as a young lad under the
gallery of a little place of worship, hearing the gospel simply
preached–the blessed moment when I was led to resolve to follow
Christ. I have never been ashamed of having done so. I have never had
to regret it. He is a blessed Master. He has handled me roughly lately,
but he is a blessed Master. I would follow at his heels if only like a
dog, for it is better to be his dog than to be the devil's darling. He
is a blessed Master. Let him say what he will, and do what he will. Oh!
is there no young man here, no youth, no child, no girl; is there no
gray-headed one who will say, "I will rejoice in thy salvation" O
eternal Spirit, come and touch some heart, and make this, their
spiritual birthright, that they may say, "I–I–I will rejoice in thy
salvation."

But we must pass on, for time presses. We have, in the third place, to
consider in the text:–

III. A DELIGHTFUL EMOTION.

We have noticed the divine salvation, and the outspoken avowal; now we
will notice the delightful emotion. "I will rejoice in thy salvation."
It is an unfortunate thing that Christianity gets associated with
melancholy. I will not forbid the banns, for they are not very near of
kin, but I wish they were further apart every day. It is a good thing
for the melancholy to become a Christian; it is an unfortunate thing
for the Christian to become melancholy. If there is any man in the
world that has a right to have a bright, clear face and a flashing eye,
it is the man whose sins are forgiven him, and who is saved with God's
salvation. In order for any man, however, to rejoice in God's
salvation, he must, first of all, know it. There must be an intelligent
apprehension of what it is. Next, he must grasp it by an act of faith
as his own. Then, having grasped it, he must study it to know the price
at which it was bought, and all the qualities–the divine qualities
that follow from it. Then he must hold it fast, and seek to get out the
sweetness from it. What is there in God's salvation that should make us
rejoice? I do not know what to select, for it is all joy and all
rejoicing. It is enough to make our heart to ring with joy to think
that there should be a salvation at all for such poor souls as we are.
We may well hang out all the streamers of our spirits, and strew the
streets of our soul with flowers, for King Jesus has come to dwell
there. Ring every bell; give him a glorious welcome. Let all the soul
be glad when Jesus enters and brings salvation with him, for the
salvation of Christ is so suitable that we may well rejoice in it. Dear
brother, if you are saved, I know the salvation of Christ suited you.
It did me–exactly–it was made on purpose for me. I am as sure of it
as if there were no other sinner to be saved. It was the gospel that
brought power to the weak, nay, it brought life to the dead; it brought
everything to those that had nothing; it is just the sort of gospel for
a penniless, bankrupt sinner like myself. We rejoice in the suitability
of the gospel; we rejoice in the freeness of it. We have nothing to
pay; we have no price to pay, neither of promise, nor of anything that
was our own. Salvation was freely given to us in Christ Jesus. Let us
rejoice in it, then. Oh! rejoice in the richness of that salvation.
When the Lord pardoned our sins, he did not pardon half of them, and
leave some of them on the book, but with one stroke of the pen he gave
a full receipt for all our debts. When we went down into the fountain
filled with blood, and washed, we did not come up half-clean, but there
was no spot nor wrinkle upon us–we were white as driven snow. Glory be
to God for such a rich salvation as this. And he did not in that day
save us with a perhaps and a chance salvation that set us on a rock,
and say, "Keep yourself there–you must depend upon yourselves", but
this was the covenant he made with us, "A new heart also will I give
thee, and a right spirit will I put within thee." It was a complete
salvation, which would not permit a failure. The salvation, which is
given to the soul that believes is on this wise, "I give unto my sheep
eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them
out of my hand." "The water that I shall give him shall be a well of
water springing up unto everlasting life." I believe the perseverance
of the saints to be the very gem of the gospel. I could not hold the
truth of Scripture if this could be disproved to me, for every page
seems to have this upon it, if nothing else, that "the righteous shall
hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall wax stronger and
stronger." In this my soul rejoices, that I have a salvation to preach
to you which, if you receive it, will effectually save you if your
hearts are given to Christ, and will keep you, and preserve you, and
bring you into the eternal kingdom of his glory. I will rejoice in the
certain and abiding character of that salvation. Oh! there is enough in
the salvation of Christ to make heaven full of bliss; there is enough
to make us full of praise. Let us take up the theme; let us talk by the
way to one another about it; let us talk to sinners about it; let us
recommend religion by our cheerfulness. Levity be far from us, but
happiness let it be the happiest sphere in which we live if we have
little else to rejoice in, we have enough here. Whatever may be our
condition or prospects, we may still rejoice in God's salvation, and
let us not fail to be filled with this most blissful emotion.

And now I must close. The text has in it a word of the future which we
must not quite overlook. Here is a joyful gospel, "I will rejoice in
thy salvation." You may read it if you like, "I shall"–"I shall" or "I
will"–it would be quite right. The Hebrew has no present. It seems to
have given up all tenses–like God himself who was, and is, and is to
come. I shall rejoice in thy salvation. Now here is:

IV. A BLESSED PROSPECT.

You may live to grow old; well, we shall never grow weary of Christ. If
we are his people, we shall never have any cause to part from him; "I
will rejoice in thy salvation." I could bring up to this platform an
aged brother whom all of you would know, who has infirmities and has
age creeping upon him, but there is not a happier soul in this house
than he; and when I had made him speak to you, I could bring you many
more aged women too, and I would ask them what they think of Christ,
and I am sure they would say with greater emphasis than I can, "I will
rejoice in thy salvation." I almost wish my grandfather were alive and
behind me to-night, for on one occasion I preached with him in the
pulpit, and when I came to speak of experience he pulled my coat-tail
and came to the front, and said,"My grandson can tell you that he
believes it, but I can tell you experimentally," and on the old
gentleman went with it. Well, many an aged Christian can tell you he
has rejoiced in God's salvation. He does rejoice, and, instead of age
making the joy of his youth to become dim, it has mellowed and
sweetened the fruit, which was sweet even at the first. Oh! that we
may, when these hairs grow hoar with years, and the snows of many
winters lie white upon our head, may we still rejoice in God's
salvation. But then, whether we reach old age or not, there is one
thing that is certain–we shall assuredly die, and when we come to die,
what shall we do? I know what you are thinking of. You say, "I should
groan." Ay, sinner, you are thinking of the friend that is wiping away
the clammy sweat from the brow and those closed eyes. Now those may
never occur. We often hear them mentioned in reference to dying beds,
but they are not so constantly there as to be, necessary. And if they
were there' if we did lose sight itself before life fails–what then?
Why, the vision of the Christ, who is our salvation, and in whom we
rejoice, shall then be more gloriously clear and radiantly beautiful,
because the sights and sounds of earth have vanished from us.

Now, instead of looking at these outward parts of dying, think of this,
"I will rejoice in thy salvation." When I parted from our dear brother,
Cook, a few days ago, he could not say much. He was very, very weak,
but what he did say was just this, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus is all." Well,
I talked, and read, and prayed, and so on, and when we had done, he
simply said, "The blood–the blood, the blood–that is all my hope."
Why, he looked as calm in prospect of dying as any of you do in sitting
here, and was as delighted with the hope of being where Jesus is as
ever bride was at the coming of the marriage day. It was delightful to
see the blessed calm and peace that was upon that man of God. And when
I come to die, whoever I may be, however little my standing in the
Church of God is, if I am in Christ, I will rejoice in his salvation; I
will make the dark valley ring with his praises; I will make the river
of death itself to roll back as the Red Sea did of old, with my
triumphant songs; I will enter heaven with this upon my heart and upon
my lip,'I will rejoice in thy salvation! Worthy is the Lamb that was
stain to receive honour, and power, and dominion, and glory for ever
and ever!" And, brethren, if that is what we may do in dying, this is
what we shall do for ever and ever, "I will rejoice in thy salvation."
Millions of ages, throughout all the cycles of years that interpose ere
Christ delivers up the kingdom to God, even the Father, and then
onward, even through eternity, this always shall be our own ground of
rejoicing, "I will rejoice in thy salvation."

Now I cannot come and stand at the door and speak to everyone as the
congregation withdraws, but if it were possible I should like to stand
there and shake the hand of everyone that has been in the house
to-night, and say, "Well, friend, how fares it with you?" Can you say,
'I will rejoice in thy salvation?'" If I cannot do that, I wish it were
possible to speak in the silent shades of night to you when you awoke,
so that you might hear a voice ringing in your ears, "Do you rejoice in
God's salvation?" Perhaps some of you may have come a long distance
across the sea. You may be by-and-by on shipboard again. It may be that
you will be in peril, or it may be that afterwards you shall be in
sickness. Well, may this evening's congregation in this day of July
rise up before your minds, and if you forget the preacher (and that
will not matter), yet if you hear a voice that says, "Can you rejoice
in God's salvation?" I hope that, even if it is twenty years to come,
it may then be as the voice of God to your soul, and bring you to the
Saviour. But better far would it be if you would come to him tonight
and you may. May the Spirit of God bring you! Whosoever believeth on
the Lord Jesus Christ hath everlasting life. The whole of the gospel is
wrapped up in Christ's message, which he has sent by his apostles, "He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." To you each
this–this–is the word, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved, and thy house." God add his own blessing, for Christ's
sake. Amen.

*"Your Own Salvation," Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, 1,003.