"Jesus Only" –a Communion Meditation
(No. 2634)
INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD'S-DAY, AUGUST 6, 1899.
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT NEW PARK STREET CHAPEL, SOUTHWARK, ON LORD'S-DAY EVENING, AUGUST 2,
1857.
"Jesus only." Mark 9:8.
THIS was the last sight the disciples had upon the mountain and it
seems to me to have been the best. They saw "Jesus only." Jesus was
often with His people. He was usually with His disciples, but they did
not often notice Him as "Jesus only." They probably did so, in this
case, because He had been accompanied by two great and notable
personages, who, all of a sudden, withdrew themselves and then, "they
saw no man any more, save Jesus only." The disciples had seen their
Lord transfigured and attended by Moses and Elijah, representatives of
the Law and the Prophets. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah vanished from
their sight and then, "they saw no man any more, save Jesus only."
Beloved, we shall never see "Jesus only," till, like the disciples, we
have seen Moses and Elijah, too! Never was there an eye which saw
"Jesus only," until it had first seen Moses. We must first pass under
the rigors of Sinai and the terrors of the Law of God–we must first
look upon the awful countenance of that dread Lawgiver, whose words are
thunder, and whose speech is fire. We must be made to tremble beneath
the denunciations of the Divine Law and stand abashed, astonished and
amazed while the thunders of the wrath of God roll over our heads. We
must see Moses first, or else we shall never see "Jesus only." We shall
be trusting in our own self-righteousness, putting something with
Christ–making it Christ and self–until Moses comes in and breaks
self-righteousness into shivers, and stains self with the filth and
mire of the streets. We must have the breaking down by Moses–the
smashing hand, the terrible strife that the Law of God brings into the
conscience–or else we shall never know the sweetness of relying wholly
upon Jesus and placing our confidence in Him alone.
And mark you, Beloved, in another sense, we shall never see "Jesus
only" till we understand something about the Prophets. We must see
Elijah, or else we shall not see "Jesus only." There are some men who
have not yet seen Elijah– they do not understand the prophecies. They
think they perceive in the future a great progress of civilization and
they expect to see the spread of the Gospel. They expect to hear of
great agencies employed, of multitudes of ministers going forth to
preach the Word of God and of a gradual conversion of the world to the
religion of Christ. But he who understands the Prophets and has seen
Elijah, believes not in the immediate conversion of the world, nor in
universal peace– he believes in "Jesus only." He expects that Jesus
will first come and, to him, the great hope of the future is the coming
of the Son of Man. "I know," he says, "that God shall overturn, and
overturn, and overturn, until He shall come whose right it is to reign.
I know that empires shall totter to their bases and that the world
shall reel to and fro in terror and alarm until He shall appear whose
name is Melchisedec, the King of Righteousness and the King of Peace,
who shall set His hand upon the floods and His empire upon the
rivers–and shall reign 'from sea even to sea, and from the river even
to the ends of the earth.'" We shall not see "Jesus only," as the
world's great Deliverer, as the sinners' one Redeemer, as the earth's
bright Sun, as well as her Morning Star until we have studied the
prophecies and seen how they all speak concerning Jesus, even of Him
who is yet to come! We shall see Moses and Elijah first–and when we
have seen them, their united testimony will lead us to see "Jesus
only."
And now, beloved child of God, we are about to approach the Lord's
Table. I shall only utter a few thoughts which may help you in your
meditations there. When we come to the Communion Table, we are to think
of "Jesus only." We have no business with anything, tonight, except
"Jesus only." We are to forget that we have a wife and children, that
we have a house or a barn, that we have fields or a shop. We are not to
remember anything about these things, but to say, as far as we can–
"Fair from my thoughts, vain world, be gone!
Leave my religious hours alone.
Gladly would my eyes my Savior see–
I wait a visit, Lord, from Thee.
My heart grows warm with holy fire,
And kindles with a pure desire.
Come, my dear Jesus, from above,
And feed my soul with heavenly love." By God's Grace, tonight, you have
nothing to do with any other set of people under Heaven. Remember that
you are coming to the Lord's Table simply as God's saints. There are
many religious controversies which shake the world, but you have
nothing to do with them tonight. When you come to the Lord's Table, you
have nothing to do with the question whether Baptism is by immersion or
by sprinkling, and nothing to do with the question whether church
government should be Episcopal or Presbyterian. You have nothing to do
with what anybody else in the whole world believes. Men may be
Arminians and you may combat their errors in other places, but not
here. You have nothing to think of, tonight, except these two
things–you, a sinner, loved by a gracious Savior. Try, if you can, to
fix your thoughts on these facts– "I was lost, perishing, and ruined
through my own sins but, glory be to God, the all-sufficient Atonement
of the Lord Jesus Christ has set me free and made me an heir of
Heaven!" Oh, make "Jesus only" the subject of your thought and your
trust and, at this Table, cast aside everything else and come, just as
you are, to Him–and then it will be a precious Lord's Supper to you,
indeed!
I am going to speak to you about "Jesus only" and to show you that it
must be "Jesus only" for your justification. It must be "Jesus only"
for your sanctifcation. It must be "Jesus only" for your object in life
and it must be "Jesus only" for your hope of Heaven.
I. First, it must be "JESUS ONLY" FOR YOUR JUSTIFICATION.
We were born fools and we shall continue fools till we get to
Heaven–and one of the foolish things that will always be sprouting out
of us is our wanting to put something else with Christ in the matter of
our justification. You tell me you never do that, but I am sure you do.
You may be the most enlightened and intelligent saint, but,
unconsciously to yourself, you will be very often joining something to
Christ and setting up an antichrist in your soul. How often does even
the most orthodox preacher give utterance to sentiments which seem to
militate against the great Truth of God that Christ Jesus is our only
justifying righteousness! It is a hard thing to stick fast by this
great fundamental Truth–"Jesus only" as the rock and foundation of our
salvation. Remember, Christian, that the meritorious cause of your
salvation is not in the least degree dependent upon yourself–it is
dependent on "Jesus only." Your responsibility is now merged in the
Divine responsibility of Christ on your behalf. The Lord Jesus has
covenanted for you that–
"He will present your soul,
Unblemished and complete
Before the glory of His face,
With joys divinely great"
O Beloved, always hang your confidence where it ought to hang–on
"Jesus only!" And when you find yourself full of sin and wickedness,
grieve over it, but do not think that the ground of your hope is one
whit the less firm for all that! When sin prevails and guilt rises,
remember that as your righteousness cannot make Christ's righteousness
any better, so your sin cannot make it any worse–and, clothed in His
righteousness, though black with sin, you may, with deep repentance,
yet with holy faith, cry–
"When from the dust of death I rise, To take my mansion in the skies,
Even then shall this be all my plea, 'Jesus has lived and died for me.'
Bold shall I stand in that great day, For who anything to my charge
shall lay, While through Christ's blood absolved I am, From sin's
tremendous curse and shame?"
And, then, will you please remember that all your good works do not
make you any safer?f you were to die the moment you believed and never
did a good work at all, you would be as sure of Heaven as you would be
if you lived to love and serve your Maker with all your soul and all
your might! Remember that the saint who lives from day to day, devoting
all to Christ, spending and being spent in His Master's service, has
more happiness than the saint who is not so full of love, but he is not
a whit more secure. Be active and you will be happy–but do not be
active in order to be safe! The heir of Heaven is no more secure when
he is abundant in good works and diligent in the service of God, so far
as his ultimate salvation is concerned, than when he is allowed to
backslide and to become faint and weak in the cause of God, for our
security lies not in anything that we do, or do not do–it lies only in
the Covenant of Free and Sovereign Grace. And the only basis of our
salvation is Christ who died for us, "yes, rather, that is risen again,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for
us."
I want you also to remember that all your sufferings do not make you
any safer They make you better, by God's Grace, but they do not make
you any more sure of Heaven. They are not meritorious afflictions!
Persons often misjudge concerning their troubles–they think that they
are punishments for sin. Let the child of God remember that God never
punishes His children for sin! He chastises them for it, but never with
the penal punishment of a lawgiver! God's people were punished, once
and for all, in the Person of their Scapegoat and Surety, Jesus
Christ–and God will never punish twice for the same offense. The
chastisements of God's Providence are the fatherly acts of His
love–they are not the wrathful acts of His justice! As the righteous
Judge, God cannot punish either you or me, if we are believers in
Jesus. As holding the scepter of righteousness, He cannot unsheathe the
sword against a Believer! He has punished our sins upon the Lord
Jesus–the whole of the vials of His wrath were emptied on Christ's
head–and they cannot now come on yours or mine. But, as a Father, God
uses the rod. As a loving and tender Father, He uses chastisements and,
as a kind Physician, He gives us bitter medicines to take.
But, for your own sake, and for Christ's sake, dear Brothers and
Sisters, do not get to mingling your own sufferings with the Savior's.
Remember, if you suffered ever so much, all your sufferings would not
be any atonement for your sins, nor even a punishment for them unless
you are one of those who are not redeemedand, therefore, bear the
penalty of your own sin and perish everlastingly! But, as a child of
God, as a redeemed and elect vessel of mercy, your sufferings are not
penal and, suffer or not suffer, the Atonement of Christ is enough for
you–you, by God's Grace, can say, "Jesus only is the ground of my
justification. I will rest there and nowhere else."
And now I will ask you, Beloved, do you not frequently find when you
have been in a very good frame of mind, when you have been praying well
at the Prayer Meeting and helping the poor, when the minister has
patted you on the back and said what a good fellow you were, and the
deacons have looked lovingly at you and said you were a very useful
man, and when you have got on well at Sunday school, and have had a
letter from Mary James, telling you that she was converted through your
teaching–do you not find that you have gone home and you do not know
how it was, but, in a day or two, you got so dull and low, you could
not tell what was the matter with you? Have you ever thought what was
the cause of it? You have lost all your hope and confidence and you
have been obliged to come, as a guilty sinner, to the footstool of
Christ's mercy and take His love and blood to be your only trust? Do
you know why it was you were so low in spirit?
It was for this reason. Unconsciously to yourself, you had been leaning
a little on your own good works! You had said to yourself, "Well, now,
I really begin to think I am sure of Heaven. Look, are not these things
the fruits of the Spirit? Oh, may I not rejoice with confidence? Am I
not secure? Surely, now I am safe! How I prayed the other day! What a
blessed season I had in private prayer the other evening! Now I know I
can trust Christ." Stop, my Friend! You are really saying, "I know I
can now trust in myself," for that is the English of it! And then you
get into a heavy, dull frame of mind for a long time afterwards, only
to make you spell out those two words, "Jesus only." And He will make
you spell them out until you are bound to say, every day, by a
constraint upon your heart and conscience, that it must be there, and
there, alone, that you can put your confidence and trust! That is the
first point–"Jesus only" for our justification. II. Next, it must be
"JESUS ONLY" TO SANCTITY US.
Some professors will not say so. "We are justified by God," they say,
"but we have to sanctify ourselves." They believe in what they call
progressive sanctification. Is that Scriptural or not? Well, I have
always thought that sanctifica-tion is continual, but I am not sure
that it is progressive. Many divines have written it down as a settled
truth, that God's people are sanctified progressively and that, the
longer they are here, the more and more sanctified they get. Did any of
them ever stop and ask an old Believer whether he found it so? I have
asked many and I have heard a venerable saint, whose hairs are silvered
over with gray, say, "I think my heart is as bad, now, as ever it was.
And I am sure if it is not actually so, I think it is, and it plagues
me more than it ever did." It has been the custom to pray God to
protect young men in the slippery paths of youth. Why, the paths of old
age are quite as slippery! They are allslippery paths–all the way to
Heaven! The old nature still remains in us, unchanged and unchangeable,
and there will have to be a fight between the new nature and the old
nature, between the house of David and the house of Saul until, at
last, the house of David shall overcome and we shall get clean free
from sin. Beloved, do not be looking, with regard to your
sanctification, for any great progress! Expect it to be continual every
day, but do not expect that your old nature will get holier every day–
and in your sanctification take this for your motto, "Jesus only."
If you cannot see Christ in your prayers, and in your good works, away
with them! Your good works are sins unless Christ Jesus lies in them!
Unless through Him, and for Him, and by Him, you perform your works,
your best works are bad works! Remember, it is not the outward fashion
of the work, it is the inward spirit of it that makes it good.
Therefore, it is not the mere outward appearance of sanctification, it
is the inward spirit of it that makes it true sanctifcation. Desire,
then, if you desire and pray for sanctification, not after the virtues
of a Paul, or after the glories of an Evangelist, or the magnificent
excellences of some of God's saints–but desire, first and last, after
the Character of Jesus, in all its sublimity and perfection! And pray
for the Spirit of Jesus to sanctify you, for, "Jesus only" is enough in
sanctification, as the pattern to which you are to attain, and as the
One who, by His Spirit, shall make you conformable unto Himself.
Keep your eyes on your Savior, as much in your good works as in your
bad ones. After your prayers, look to the Cross, as well as after your
sins. After the Lord's Supper, look to the Cross, as well as after a
fall. Look to the Savior as much in almsgiving, as much in Bible
reading, as much in preaching, as much as you ever do in looking to Him
for justification, for, unless you do, your sins will unman you, yet,
and bring you down, again, with some sad fall to make you learn the
truth of this motto, "Jesus only."
III. Now, dear Friends, thirdly, I will speak of "JESUS ONLY" AS THE
OBJECT OF OUR LIVES.
It was my privilege, this morning, to address a congregation, most of
you being present, from the text, [Sermon #144,
Volume 3– Waiting Only Upon God] "My soul, wait you only upon
God." Now, if you please, just extract the marrow out of the morning's
discourse and put that into the third head. Let "Jesus only" be the
object of your life. Oh, I pray the Holy Spirit so to enter into our
hearts, minds, consciences, judgments and affections, that every
idolatrous love–all affection towards everything but Christ–may be
cast out of all the Lord's family and that they may be brought to set
Jesus upon the throne of their hearts, and to utterly crush every
rival! O Brothers and Sisters, after all, we do not love Jesus Christ
much! Oh, if we saw the ocean of Christ's love running towards us, and
the little stream of our love running towards Him, what a shocking
contrast it would be on our part! There is His love–I cannot see
across it! It is a sea without a shore! The wings of imagination flag
with fatigue before they can cross that shoreless sea! There is His
love–I cannot fathom it! The plumb line fails. But, oh, here is our
love– it is a little stream that is almost dry! The heat of worldly
joys will sometimes absorb it till the stones stand in the bed of its
little brook, unwashed and dry. Oh, it is so small that sometimes it
takes an hour to scoop up so much as a cupful of it to give to the
Lord's poor family! It will take us, perhaps, a week to get even a
consciousness that we love Christ–and we will be singing for hours
together–
"Tis a point I long to know,
Oft it causes anxious thought!
O do I love the Lord, or no?
Am I His, or am I not?"
That is because we have so little love–otherwise we would know whether
we did love Him or not. If we loved Him more, there would be no doubt
about it! But we love Him so little that we have reason to cry, "O
Jesus, fill our hearts with Your love! Come and enter our souls and
reign there forevermore!" I beseech you, dear Friends, do not be
content with the poor little paltry love you already have. Ask Him who
gave you that little which you have, to give you a thousand times more!
Do not sing that hymn–
"Had I ten thousand tongues, they all Should join the harmony." Do not
wish for so many tongues. Do not say–
"Had I ten thousand hearts, dear Lord, I'd give them all to You."
Try and give Him the one you have–that will be enough for you. Ask
that your whole heart may be offered on the altar, that your whole
tongue may be dedicated to God and that your body, soul and spirit may
be a whole burnt-offering, holy and acceptable unto God, presented to
Him as your reasonable service. "Jesus only." Put that on your banner
and go on fighting for "Jesus only." Strive not for sect or party.
Strive not for self or family. Strive not for your own aggrandizement
or wealth, but sanctify all you do, sacred or secular, with this motto,
"I do it for Jesus only." IV. And then, Beloved, to conclude–"JESUS
ONLY" IS OUR ONE HOPE OF HEAVEN. What do I hope to have when I die? I
may answer, in the words of my text, "Jesus only." "Whom have I in
Heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside You."
Be not beguiled with the poet's visionary Heaven–he tells you of a
Heaven of the intellect, a Heaven of imagination. Be not carried away,
like children, by any such fictitious paradise! The Heaven of your
heart, and the only Heaven that can content it, is "Jesus only." To lie
in His embrace, to be pressed to His bosom, to feel the kisses of His
lips, to drink the wine of His eternal love, to be forever steeped in
the ocean of His Grace, to know His heart, to behold His Countenance,
to admire His beauties and to be swallowed up in His Glory is the
highest ambition of the Believer! There is nothing in Heaven that is
equal to Christ! There is no flower in all the gardens of Paradise that
blooms so sweetly as the Rose of Sharon! There is not a gem with which
the crowns of the glorified are now adorned that glistens one half so
gloriously as the eye of Christ! There is not a splendor in the realms
of Paradise, however God-like and Divine, that is one half so majestic
as that head of His, the locks whereof are bushy and black as a
raven's. Well may we sing–
"When shall I see Your smiling face,
That face which often I have seen?
Arise, you Sun of Righteousness,
Scatter the clouds that intervene."
And–
"Oh when, you city of my God, Shall I, your courts ascend, Where
congregations never break up, And Sabbaths have no end?"
Oh, when shall I behold my Savior and, wrapped in His embrace, be
forever blest? So "Jesus only" is our one hope of Heaven!
Now, poor Christian, you have this precious treasure, have you not? I
was wondering how a man would feel if he could say that he had nothing
in the world but "Jesus only." You do not know, and I do not know. You
have a pretty fair income now–you are tolerably well off and you have
good strong limbs. You can work and earn your own living. But now
suppose a case. Suppose there is a man somewhere on the face of the
earth who can say, "There, now, I have not a rag nor a crust. I have
not in the whole world so much as would fetch a solitary half-farthing.
I have no health, I am as sick as I can be. I have no fame–foul
slanders have blasted my character. I have no friends. I have buried
the last of my family. I have no earthly hopes, no prospects. All that
I have is 'Jesus only!'" Now, I can imagine, no, I can express my firm
belief that a consciousness of the possession of Jesus would have such
an overcoming effect upon the heart of this poor beggar that he would
forget his poverty, forget his nakedness, forget his lack of kindred
and forget his hopelessness! This one thought would swallow up all his
misery–"I have Christ! How, then, can I be poor when I have Him?"
But, now, there is another case which you need notsuppose. Perhaps such
a man is here tonight. You have a fortune! Or you have money enough for
your needs. You have a wife and children. You have houses, lands, a
name, honor and reputation. You seem to have everything! What is there
that you have not? I go into your pantry–it is well-stocked. I go into
your parlor–it is well-furnished. I go into your treasury and see your
coffers–there is abundance–your business yards and warehouses are
filled with goods. The whole place is busy, from the highest room to
the lowest, and a stream of wealth is pouring in upon you every day.
You have everything that heart can wish–except Christ. Now, I cannot,
by any flight of imagination, think of you as a happy man! I did not
need to stretch my thoughts to think of that poor penniless beggar as
being happy, after all, but I cannot imagine that if you know what it
is to be without Christ, you can be a happy man. Just think a moment
what will happen to you if you continue living as you now are. You will
die and your soul will be driven into Hell! Within a little while, your
riches will "take to themselves wings and fly away."
Your family may die, or if they do not, you will die–you cannot take
your money with you. If you are buried in a gold coffin, it will not
enrich you! All your lands will belong to another. Somebody else's eyes
must see your fair acres. Somebody else's hands shall pluck the fruit
from your trees. Think of this and then remember that all this while
you will be in Hell–in torments! I cannot think of you as a happy man.
Go home and take your wine–and see damnation in its dregs! Go home and
walk over your farm and see death in its clods, and damnation in its
meadows! Go home to your house and climb its topmost story and look
abroad upon your estates and see the autumn coming on–and remember
that "we do all fade as a leaf" and that, if not in Christ, our
transgressions, like the wind, shall carry us away! Go home and let the
thoughts of eternal fire mingle with all you have! You have all things
but Christ. Go, then, and stir up in your most joyous pleasures the
prospect of eternal wrath! And if you can be happy after that, you must
not be men! You must be brute beasts.
But if you can say, "Jesus," do not be afraid to say, "Jesus only." If
you have a prospect of losing all, gladly give it up for Christ. If you
are afraid you should not have enough, just be sure of this–that if
you have Jesus, you have enough! And remember, if the worst should come
to the worst and you were locked up in prison without a bed to lie on,
or a crust to eat–if you had Jesus with you, you might be as happy as
an angel in your prison! But if you had all the wealth of India, you
might be as wretched as a devil if you had not Christ with you. Oh,
treasure up the text and make it true of yourself, "Jesus only!"
And you, poor Souls, who are panting to know the way to Heaven,
remember, there is only one ladder that can ever take you there. The
rungs of it are made by Sovereign Grace. That ladder is called Jesus.
The foot rests on the earth, in His humanity. The top leans in Heaven,
on His Godhead. Poor Sinner, run up the rungs! Do you think you are so
heavy that you will break the them? Oh, no! There have been some stout
old sinners up that ladder before now! Many a guilty one has run up it
with enough weight of sin upon his back to have crushed the heavens
into Hell if God had put their sin there! But the ladder has never been
broken, yet, and it never will be! Up with you, Sinner! If your feet
are ever so black, they will not soil the ladder. Run up with all your
sin, and care, and woe! Come to the Lord Jesus and He will not cast you
away, for He has said, "He that comes to Me, I will in no wise cast
out."
EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON: HEBREWS 11.
This is a very familiar chapter, but it is none the less precious. It
is the roll of the heroes of faith. Here you have a list of the men who
believed in God and who, therefore, did great things.
Verses 1, 2. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good
report. "The elders"–that is, those who lived in the ancient
times–worked wondrous works by faith, and the "report" of them still
encourages others to try to do likewise.
3. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word
of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do
appear That is one of the earliest lessons of faith. We do not discover
the secrets of Creation by mere reason, or the teachings of science–it
is only by Divine Revelation that the marvelous story can reach us.
Faith accepts the Inspired declaration that God made all things, and
that the things that are seen were made out of things that are not
seen, so that, after all, the foundation of everything is that which is
not seen. The visible is but a dream. The things which are round about
us are the transient things that shall all pass away. The things that
are not seen are eternal and shall abide forever. The things which are
seen were made out of the invisible, not out of things which are seen.
4. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain,
by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of
his gifts: and by it he, being dead, yet speaks. Paul begins his list
of heroes of faith with Abel. And you will notice that faith works
differently in each one of these mighty men. It is the same living
principle in all of them, but they are different men and their faith is
seen in very different circumstances. Faith is able to work in all
manner of ways–it is good at everything. There is nothing that God
calls us to do but faith can enable us to accomplish it. In Abel's
case, we see that faith is grand at worshipping. Faith brings a right
sacrifice–brings it in the right way and speaks even after she is
dead, for the blood of Abel cried out of the ground. Oh, that all of us
might so live that, even out of our graves, there might come a voice
speaking for God!
5, 6. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and
was not found, because God had translated him: for before his
translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without
faith it is impossible to please Him: for He that comes to God must
believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek Him. See, here, how faith has learned the secret art of pleasing
God. God is the thrice-Holy One. He is a jealous God and a very little
sin greatly provokes Him. But faith knows how to please Him. I do not
wonder that Enoch did not die–it was a less thing to be translated to
Heaven than it was to please God! To live for 300 years in constant
communion with God, as he did, to be always pleasing God, was a mighty
triumph of faith! May God grant that during all the years that we live,
whether they are few or many, we may so live as always to please Him!
"But without faith it is impossible to please
Him."
7. By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved
with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his home; by which he
condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by
faith Fear and faith may sometimes dwell together. There is a holy,
humble fear that perfect love never casts out, but entertains and
cherishes– this is the kind of fear that Noah possessed. "Being warned
of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, he prepared an ark."
Noah was a practical life-saver–an ark-builder. And so he became the
second father of the human race–a sort of new Adam–and that simply by
his faith! Oh, what is there that is impossible to the man who believes
in God? "All things are possible to him that believes."
8. By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he
should layer receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not
knowing where he went He was self-exiled from his home–a wanderer upon
the face of the earth. Yet, when called of God, it mattered not to him
where he was bid go! He seemed to say, "Appoint my way, great God. It
is for me not to ask the reason why, but to obey Your command"
9-11. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange
country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with
him of the same promise: for he looked for a city which has
foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God. Through faith, also, Sara
herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a
child when she was past age, because she judged Him faithful who had
promised. So that faith made the barren woman to keep house and to be a
joyful mother! Faith has caused our spiritual barrenness to bring forth
abundantly. Oh, that some barren soul here might catch the blessed
influences of faith and begin at once to bear fruit for God!
12. Therefore sprang there even of one, andhim asgoodas dead, so many
as the stars of the sky in multitude, andas the sand which is by the
sea shore innumerable. "Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as
good as dead." That "one" was Isaac, for he was given up to die and,
apparently, nothing could save him from death. Yet God did save him,
and from him there sprang "so many as the stars of the sky in
multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable."
13. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but
having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced
them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
' 'These all"–Paul means Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Jacob "died in
faith." They "embraced" the promises–threw their arms round them–
hugged them to their hearts–embraced them as those who dearly loved
them!
14. 15. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a
country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from where
they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. If
they were seeking a country, might they not have gone back to their own
country from where they came out? No. True Believers know nothing about
going back! We are bound to go forward to the better land that is
before us! Almighty Grace will not permit the people of God to turn
aside and find their rest anywhere else. We are bound for the Kingdom
of God and, by the Grace of God, we shall not rest until we enter it,
to go no more out forever.
16-19. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly:
therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He has
prepared for them a city. By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered
up Isaac: and be that had received the promises offered up his
only-begotten son, of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall your seed
he called: accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the
dead, from whence also he received him in a figure. See how faith
consecrates natural affection! See also how faith laughs at
impossibilities. Abraham expects that God will raise his son from the
dead, or do something equally amazing, so that the promise He had given
shall be fulfilled. It was not Abraham's business to keep God's promise
for Him. It was God's business to do that for Himself and He did it.
You remember how Rebecca tried to make God's promise come true for
Jacob, and what a mess she made by her plotting and scheming!
When we give our attention to keeping God's precepts and leave Him to
fulfill His own promises, all will be well. It was Abraham's part to
offer up his son–it was God's part to fulfill the promise to his seed
according to the Covenant which He had made.
20. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
Looking into the future, although he was blind. Poor old man, lying
upon his bed, with his eyes so dim that he could not tell one of his
sons from another, he could yet look into the future and bless his sons
"concerning things to come." Oh, what sharp eyes faith has! Even when
the eyes of bodily vision have become dim, we may see far more by faith
than we can by sight.
21. By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of
Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff Ah, that
staff of his! You know why he used it? I believe he loved it because it
made him remember the Brook Jabbok where "he halted upon his thigh." It
had long been his companion, for he said, "With my staff I passed over
this Jordan." But it became more than ever necessary to him after he
had won that victory and had also learned his own weakness. And now, as
if in memory of the God who had blessed him, he leans upon the top of
his staff and blesses the sons of Joseph. Now the chapter goes on with
a long list of those who, by faith, worked wonders.
22-31. By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of
the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones. By
faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months by his parents,
because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the
king's commandment By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused
to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer
affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of evil
for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the
treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the
reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king:
for he endured, as seeing Him who is invisible. Through faith he kept
the Passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest He that destroyed the
firstborn should touch them. By faith they passed through the Red Sea
as by dry land: which the Egyptians attempting to do were drowned. By
faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about
seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that
believed not, when she had received the spies with peace. What? Has the
unchaste Rahab got in here with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph–the
chaste Joseph? Yes! "By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them
that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace." She hid
them in her house, although that action would have cost her her life if
they had been discovered. And though there was some deception mixed
with her faith, which we need not dwell upon now, yet God the Holy
Spirit records her faith and hides her fault.
32-39. And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of
Gideon, and ofBarak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah; of David, also,
and Samuel, and of the Prophets who through faith subdued kingdoms,
worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of
weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the
armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again:
and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might
obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mocking and
scourging, yes, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned,
they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they
wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted,
tormented; (of whom the world was not worthy). They wandered in
deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And
these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not
the promise. They did not live to see Christ come. They expected Him,
but before the time when Paul was writing–before the actual coming of
Christ–they had all passed away. "These all, having obtained a good
report through faith, received not the promise."
40. God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us
should not be made perfect Is it not wonderful that we, who bring up
the rear of the army of faith, are necessary to its completeness? It
cannot be perfect without us! Yes, Heaven itself will not be complete
without us who are on the road to it! There would be empty seats in the
holy orchestra, gaps in the sacred circle–so we who believe must all
go there to make them perfect. God help us to hasten on our road, for
our Lord Jesus Christ's sake! Amen.
–Adapted from The C. H. Spurgeon Collection, Ages Software,
1.800.297.4307
PRAY THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL USE THIS SERMON TO BRING MANY TO A SAVING
KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST.