DELIVERED ON LORD'S-DAY MORNING, JANUARY 30, 1870,
BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.
"And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord
Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father by Him." Colossians 3:17.
IT is always an advantage to have the laws of a kingdom as concise as
possible. No one will ever be able to tell how much of litigation and
consequent calamity has been caused in this country by the confused
condition of our laws. When Napoleon issued his celebrated "Code
Napoleon," which is an admirable summary of French Law, he conferred
upon the empire one of the greatest gifts and proved himself a wise
ruler.
We want law to be put into such a form that it can be understood, and
that its application to many cases can be discovered at once. In the
great moral government of God we have no room to complain in this
matter–the precepts of holiness are few and comprehensive. First of
all, the whole of morality was summed up in the Ten Commandments, and
written upon two tablets. Then, as if this were not concise enough, we
have the whole Law summarized in two commands, "You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself."
And even this is brought into shorter compass still, for that one word,
"love," is the essence of all Divine Law. We, as Christians, find in
the text an instance of the terseness, brevity, and clearness of Divine
precepts. We have here a Law applicable to every Believer–to every
action, word and thought–in every place, under all circumstances. And
yet this comprehensive command is expressed in very few words. It is a
great advantage to the mechanic to be able to carry with him in a small
compass his square or rule by which he can adjust his materials,
discover his errors, design correctly, and estimate his work when
finished. Without such a rule he would be quite at a loss–with it he
is ready for work.
We have before us a compendious rule of life, a standard of morals, a
guide to holiness which we may carry in our memories without the
slightest difficulty. And which, if we have but the will to use it,
will be found never to fail us on any occasion. As the mariner's
compass or the polestar, so may the text be to us. Here is an
infallible directory as to the way of holiness–a judge whose decisions
in the matter of righteousness and Truth none need distrust. Read the
text over, and then I shall ask you to observe the points in it.
"Whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord
Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father by Him."
Observe, first, holy walking described. In the second part of the verse
note holy music prescribed. And to enforce the whole text bear with me
patiently till we close with the third head, which will be holy motive
inscribed–inscribed, I trust, upon all our hearts.
I. HOLY WALKING DESCRIBED. "Whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all
in the name of the Lord Jesus." This rule is not applicable to every
person here present. It can only be practiced by the regenerate. You
must be in Christ before you can do anything in Christ's name. Until
your nature is renewed, until you have submitted yourselves unto the
righteousness of Christ, until Christ is formed in you the hope of
Glory, you are not capable of walking after this high and hallowed
fashion. "You must be born again."
The precept demanding your immediate attention is not the precept of
this text but another. The words of Peter, in the Acts of the Apostles,
are for you, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit." Or this, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and
you shall be saved." You must begin at the beginning. It will but
mislead you if I exhort you to walk as Believers before you have
received the inner life. The root must be changed before the fruit can
be bettered. You need a radical change, my unconverted Hearer, and you
must have it or perish forever.
Do not imagine that any imitation of Christian manners will save
you–do not conceive that hanging upon your lifeless branches the
semblance of fruits will transform you into a tree of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord. Oh, no, the sap within you must be changed.
The life of God must be infused into your soul. You must be made one
with Christ, or you cannot serve Him. This precept, belongs, therefore,
to none of you who have not believed in Christ Jesus! But it belongs to
all of you, without exception, who are named by the name of Jesus
Christ in Truth and sincerity. To all of you who have submitted
yourselves to His government and are trusting in Him for salvation. You
will listen, I trust, and give earnest heed to this message from your
Beloved.
What, then, does this mean, that we are to do everything both in word
and deed in the name of the Lord Jesus? Answer–there are six points in
which this precept requires reverent care. First, do all through the
office and name of Christ as Mediator. You as a Christian are bound to
offer daily praise. You should often lift up your heart in grateful
songs and Psalms to God–but see to it that you do all this work of
praise in the name of the Lord Jesus. No praise of yours can be sweet
with God except it is presented through your great High Priest. Bring,
therefore, your gifts of thankfulness to this altar which sanctifies
the giver and the gift, and ever bless God through Jesus Christ.
You are also to abound in prayer. It is your vital breath. You cannot
flourish as a Christian unless you constantly draw near to God in
supplication. But your supplications must always be presented through
the name of Jesus Christ. His name gives prevalence to prayer. It is
not so much your earnestness or sincerity as His precious blood that
speaks in the ears of God and intercedes for you. Pray always, then,
with your eyes upon the finished Propitiation and the living
Intercessor. Always plead the merits of Immanuel, and Heaven's gate
shall open to you.
In addition to your prayers and praises, you are bound to serve Him
according to the abilities entrusted to you in teaching the ignorant
the way of salvation, in bringing in the unconverted, and in edifying
the saints. But remember that your service to God in these respects can
only be acceptable as you present it through the name of Jesus Christ.
The hand of the Crucified One must offer for you the sweet cane which
you have bought with money, and the fat of all your sacrifices. If you
could give to God all the wealth that you possess, all the time of your
mortal existence, all the talents with which you have been endowed–if
you could do this from now on without a failure–if you did not present
the offering through Jesus Christ it would be as though you had done
nothing.
Your burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings would have no acceptance
with Jehovah, for your sinful nature pollutes them all. How necessary
it is, then, that we should often pause in our holy work, and say, "I
am doing this for God, but am I presenting it in the appointed way? If
I see anything of merit in what I am doing, I am acting contrary to the
Gospel rule and I shall be rejected. I must bring all my work to the
High Priest of my profession and offer it through
Him."–
"The iniquity of all our holy things Is cleansed by His blood, which
covers all, And adds a rich perfume divinely sweet, Winning acceptance
at the Throne of God For broken prayers, and faulty songs, and even For
service marred with sad infirmities." Take heed, dear Hearer, that you
see the blood sprinkled on your service for God. Almost all things
under the Law were sanctified by blood, and all things under the
Gospel, without exception, must be thus made sweet to God. The atoning
sacrifice, the prevalent intercession of the one appointed Mediator,
Christ Jesus, must be constantly before our minds in all that we
attempt to do for our Lord God. Let us never forget this lest we
utterly fail.
A second meaning of this precept is, "Do all under the authority of the
Lord Jesus as your King." Say of such-and-such a doubtful or evil
action, "This I cannot do. I could not feel that I was authorized to do
it by any precept or example of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This I
cannot do, for I should be stepping aside from the allegiance which I
owe to Him. Therefore this I will not do, be the consequences what they
may of loss or of suffering. I am not authorized by Christ to follow
this course, neither will I, come fair, come foul."
On the other hand, when the act is allowed in Scripture, and only
forbidden by the traditions of men, you may safely say, "This I feel
that I may do. I see my Master has laid down no restrictions, therefore
I will submit to no human traditions or regulations. The commands which
will-worship would inflict upon me I cast to the wind, for
superfluities of pretended holiness are but superfluities of
naughtiness." When positive duty is concerned, your language will be,
"This ac-
tion I find that I must do, for I see an express command for
it–therefore, by His Grace, it shall be done. Be it difficult, it
shall be achieved. Be it impossible, I will wait on Him who enables
faith to remove mountains."
O that every Christian were altogether and evermore obedient to
heavenly rule! As the planet revolves undeviatingly in its orbit,
because with the law imposed upon it there has come forth a
constraining and impelling force–so may we also pursue our course of
duty, because we have not only heard the Divine precept–but feel the
sacred energy of the Holy Spirit leading us in the prescribed path.
Brethren, how safe we feel, and how happy in our consciences, if we are
certain that we have the authority of the Great King for all our
actions! The business of a Christian upon earth is not an independent
one. He is not acting on his own account, but he is a steward for
Christ.
What if I compare him to a commission agent who is sent abroad by his
firm with full powers from his employer to transact business for the
house which he represents? He is not to trade for himself, but he
agrees to do all in the name of the firm which commissions him. He
receives his instructions and all he has to do is to carry them out.
His whole time and talent being by express agreement at the absolute
disposal of his employers. Now, if this man shall lend himself to an
opposition firm, or trade on his own account, he is not true to his
engagements and he has to bear the responsibility of his acts. But so
long as he acts for his firm, and does his best, his course is an easy
and safe one.
If he follows the instructions of his principals he is eased of all
responsibility. Should his trade be profitable or otherwise, he need
not be vexed with anxieties, provided he has diligently followed the
commands received from home. His acts are authorized from headquarters,
and they are, therefore, safe for him. He falls back on his principals
who gave him the commands, and in whose name he acted.
Now if we serve ourselves or the world, we must take the consequences
of our unfaithfulness. But if we honestly serve the Lord, all is clear.
When a Christian can say concerning any course of conduct, "I am bid to
do this by Christ Jesus my Lord–I can find chapter and verse to
authorize my acts." When he can feel that he is working for Christ and
not for himself–with a single eye to the glory of God, and not with
sinister aims and selfish motives–then he treads as on a rock, and
defies the censures of his enemies. Let us, then, take good heed to our
Lord's words, and walk carefully in His commands, for then His
authority protects us, and every tongue that rises against us in
judgment we shall condemn.
This rule of acting under the authority of Christ is applicable in an
emphatic sense to those who are called to special service in the
kingdom of Christ. Every man is called to do all the good he can, but
some men are set apart to labor in peculiar departments of Christian
work–and these should be doubly careful to do all in their Master's
name. If a man were sinking through the rotten ice, any one of us would
be authorized to do all we could to save him. But the iceman, who is
appointed on purpose that he may save lives, has a peculiar authority
for anything that he takes upon himself to do in the way of rescuing
the drowning. He has the name of the Royal Humane Society at his back.
If a stranded ship were breaking up and the crew were ready to perish,
we are all of us authorized to do all we can to save the shipwrecked.
But the men who belong to the lifeboat's appointed crew have a right to
come to the fore and take the oars and put out to sea. They are
authorized to lead the way in daring and danger. So, my Brethren, those
of you who have felt the Divine call within you, the sacred impulse
which compels you to devote yourself to the salvation of your fellow
men, you may do it boldly and without apology.
Your authority is from Christ, for the Holy Spirit has set you apart
for the work. Let no man hinder or dispirit you. Press forward to the
front rank in self-denying labor. Call it not impertinence, O you
carping critics! It is but holy courage which brings earliest hearts to
the fore. Push to the very front, you men of God, filled with daring
and self-sacrifice–for if others should impute your zeal to evil
motives, the Lord who reads the heart understands you–and having given
you a commission He will not fail to vindicate His faithful servants.
A third sense of the text is important. We should do all under the
sanction of the Lord Jesus as our Exemplar. It is an admirable course
for us all to pursue, if when we find ourselves in circumstances of
perplexity we ask ourselves the question, "What would Jesus Christ have
done if He were in my circumstances?" The answer to that question is
the solution of your difficulty. Whatever He would have done it will be
safe enough for you to do. It is certain that He would not have been
unbelieving. Equally certain that He would not have done a wrong thing
to deliver Himself. We are also sure that He would not have been
impatient, rebellious, or despairing–nor would He have grown wrathful
or morose.
Well then, I know what I must not be and it may be possible to learn my
positive, as well as my negative behavior from the same Guide. I shall
be able to discover by turning over the pages of the Evangelists some
portion of the Savior's
life very like my own. What He was in that situation I must pray for
Divine Grace that I may be, and I shall certainly be led in the path of
wisdom. The royal rule for a Christian is not what is fashionable, for
we are not to be conformed to this world. It is not what is gainful,
for the pursuit of gain would lead us to run greedily in the way of
Balaam for reward.
It is not that which is generally prescribed in society, for full often
the prescriptions of society are antagonistic to the teachings of
Christ. Not even the conduct of professors, for too many even among
them walk as Paul tells us even weeping, as the enemies of the Cross of
Christ. Alas, my Brethren, the current holiness of the Church falls far
below the Scriptural standard! Neither are the common rules of action
among professors such as we could safely follow. A safe example is to
be found nowhere but in the life of Jesus Christ Himself. Even the
holiest of men are only to be followed so far as they follow Christ,
but no further.
My Brethren, how calm will your hearts be, how serenely will you face
your afflictions if you can feel, "I have done nothing but what my
Master did before me. I have sought to tread in the footprints of His
pilgrimage!" Why, you must be safe, you must be accepted if you do as
Jesus did–for never can Christ's example lead a simple soul astray–
"It is always safe for souls to follow on Where Christ their holy
Shepherd leads the way." Furthermore, as we are to do all through the
office of Christ as Mediator, within the authority of Christ as King,
under the sanction of Christ as Exemplar, so we should do everything to
the glory of the Lord Jesus as our Lord and God.
When the Spanish mariners were traversing the seas upon voyages of
discovery they never touched upon new land, whether an insignificant
island or a part of the main continent, without at once setting up the
standard of Ferdinand and Isabella, and taking possession of the soil
in the name of their Catholic Majesties of Spain. Wherever the
Christian goes, his first thought should be to take possession of all
hearts in the name of the Lord Jesus, consecrating all opportunities
and influences to the Redeemer's service. Such common things as eating
and drinking become, by the giving of devout thanks, consecrated to
Christ's name. There is no action which is lawful, however commonplace
it may be, but may be sanctified by the Word of God and prayer.
If the intense desire of our spirit shall be that we may glorify God as
long as we are in this body, we shall find ways and means of
accomplishing our object–and the Holy Spirit will help our
infirmities. My dear Brethren, our soul's desires should be always true
to Christ–most chastely faithful so as not to tolerate any carnal
motive or self-seeking. How easily do we give place to
self-glorification! How almost insensibly do we expect to receive honor
of men! It is very hard to keep ourselves clear of self-seeking under
some form or other–for even self-denial may be used with an object
which is the reverse of self-denial.
The old philosopher, seeing a fool in fine apparel, pointed at him, and
said, "that's pride," but he was equally right when seeing certain
Spartans who affected to dress meanly, he said, "and that's pride."
Pride often stands in the doorway, but it can as readily hide in the
corner. There is a pride of self-sacrifice and a pride of apparent
humility, which is everyway as haughty as vainglory itself.
Dear Friends, we must live for Christ, cost us what it may of
watchfulness. We must not fail here. We dare not live for a party, or a
sect, or even altogether for any one Church, however dear to us. We may
live for the Truth, but only because God is glorified thereby. First
and last, in the middle and everywhere, the constraining thought of
Christian life should be, "all for Jesus."–
"All for the Master, all without reserve, All to the utmost of our
manhood's might Each pulse, each throb of heart and thrill of nerve,
Each hour of busy day and silent night."
Beloved, it is delightful to know that Christ is all mine, and I am all
Christ's. It is a holy aspiration to desire to enjoy as much of Christ
as our nature can receive, and then to exhibit as much of Christ as
Divine Grace can enable us to reveal. "Everything for Jesus." "Christ
all and in all Christ." Let these be the mottoes of every Believer.
"Whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord
Jesus." Aim in all you do to do if for His Glory.
The fifth point is, do all in the strength of the Lord Jesus as your
Helper. With Him is the residue of the Spirit. And the Spirit of God is
the Believer's power. "Without Me you can do nothing," says our Lord.
We know the truth of that saying by unwise attempts which have ended in
mournful failures. But let us in the future remember this Truth of God
practically. Never let us commence a work without seeking strength from
on High. We go about Christian service very
often as though we felt ourselves quite up to the mark for it. We pray
without asking the preparation of the heart from
God.
We sing–ah, my Brethren, how universally is it so–without at all
entreating the Holy Spirit to quicken our praises. And I fear some of
us must confess sorrowfully that we preach at times as though the
preaching were to be our work and not the work of the Holy Spirit
through us. Do not you, as hearers, too often listen to the Word as if
the mere hearing of it would do you good, or as if the speech of
such-and-such a man would be certainly blessed to you? Shouldn't you,
instead, wait upon God beforehand that your going up to the assembly
might be profitable to your souls? Do all in the Master's strength, and
how differently everything will be done!
Acknowledge all the time you are at your work that your strength comes
from the Lord alone. Never let the thought cross your mind that you, as
an experienced Christian, have a fitness for the work peculiarly your
own–so that you can dispense with prayers for Divine aid, so necessary
to the young! Never imagine that because through long years you have
performed a service with acceptance that you can therefore now do it
without renewed help. This is the way by which we sink into routine,
degenerate into religious automata, and become like formalists and
hypocrites. This is the way in which the power of God and the vitality
of godliness are rendered so rare in the Churches.
If we do not feel conscious day by day of abiding weakness and
consequent need of fresh strength from the Most High, we shall soon
cease to be full of Divine Grace. Write this upon the tablets of your
heart, "All my fresh springs are in You," and from this day forward in
word and deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus–and you will derive
all your spiritual energy from Him, the Source.
Sixthly, we should do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, for He should
be the element in which we live. It is said of the modern Greeks that
whatever may be their faults mentally, they are faultless physically,
for you never saw a Greek peasant in an ungraceful attitude, however
much he might be off his guard and unconscious of your gaze.
Gracefulness is a part of the Greek nature. So let the Lord Jesus
Christ be so woven and intertwisted into your very self that you cannot
be otherwise than Christ-like under any circumstances. Lord, grant us
this. It would be a glorious thing to be saturated through and through
with the spirit of Christ, so as to live Christ evermore.
That eminent ornithologist, M. Audubon, who produced accurate drawings
and descriptions of all the birds of the American Continent, made the
perfection of that work the one object of his life. In order to achieve
this he had to earn his own living by painting portraits, and other
labors. He had to traverse frozen seas, forests, canebrakes, jungles,
prairies, mountains, swollen rivers, and pestilential bogs. He exposed
himself to perils of every sort and underwent hardships of every kind.
Now, whatever Audubon was doing, he was fighting his way toward his one
object–the production of his history of American birds. Whether he was
painting a lady's portrait, paddling a canoe, shooting a raccoon, or
felling a tree–his one goal was his bird book.
He had said to himself, "I mean to carve my name among the naturalists
as having produced a complete ornithological work of America." This
resolution ate him up and subdued his whole life. He accomplished his
work because he gave himself wholly to it. This is the way in which the
Christian man should make Christ his element. All that he does should
be subservient to this one thing–"That I may finish my course with
joy, that I may deliver my testimony for Christ, that I may glorify God
whether I live or die."
We have thus seen what it is to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Let us stop a moment to remind you that this text administers a severe
rebuke to many professed Christians. Too many Church members do nothing
in Christ's name. Since the day when they were baptized into the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, they have done
nothing else in that name. Ah, hypocrites! Ah, hypocrites! God have
mercy upon you! Alas, how many others do but very little in Christ's
name! I noted in a letter, by a certain pastor–not, I think, given to
speaking severely, this remark–that he did not think in his own Church
one in three of the members were doing anything for Christ.
I could not speak so sorrowfully as that concerning you, but I much
fear that a large proportion of the strength of this Church is not used
for the Lord. I believe that there is more used here than in almost any
other Church, but still there is a great deal of wasted steam, a great
deal of buried talent, and thereby Jesus is defrauded. I noticed in an
American paper an observation made concerning the Baptist Churches of
North Carolina. A man acquainted with them said, "There are a hundred
thousand members reported in the various associations. There are a
hundred thousand baptized persons, and seventy-five thousand of them
are only 'baptized dead heads.' "
It is an American term, but I am afraid we shall have to import it, for
it is frightfully true that numbers of professors are just so many
"baptized dead heads." They are of no use. They are not working. They
are perhaps grumbling–the only sign of life they have–but they are
neither giving of their substance nor laying out any other talents in
the cause of Christ. If there are any such present, I pray that this
text may be a thorn in your side and act as a spur to you. And may you
from this day on do all that lies in your power in the name of the Lord
Jesus.
The text also rebukes those Christians who do much in the name of some
eminent Christian man. I shall not censure any particular denomination,
but if the Truth censures them, let them hear it. When George Whitfield
refused to form a new sect, and said, "Let my name perish, and let
Christ's name last forever," he acted as his Lord would have him. Paul
was not crucified for you, neither did Apollos die for you! Therefore
take none of these names–but let the name of Christ be named among
you–and under that name be known!
Though there is a Lutheran Church, it was a good saying of Luther,
though couched in rugged words, "I desire above all things that my name
should be concealed. That none be called by the name of Lutheran, but
of Christian. What is Luther? My doctrine is not mine, but Christ's. I
was not crucified for any. How comes it to pass, that I, who am but a
filthy, stinking bag of worms, that any of the sons of God should be
denominated from my name? Away with these schismatic names. Let us be
denominated from Christ, from Whom alone we have our doctrine." It
shall be well for all Churches when they are ruled by the like spirit.
Names which indicate their difference of doctrine will probably survive
till Christ comes, but the names of men they will do well to discard.
Once more–what a rebuke is our text to those professors who dishonor
the name under which they profess to live! The Spaniards in America
acted so cruelly, and with such a dreadful lust for gold, that when
they sent their missionaries to convert the Indians, the Indians wished
only to know whether the religion that was taught them was the religion
of the Spaniards–for if it were they should like to believe something
the very opposite. And if there was no Heaven but where the Spaniards
went, they would sooner go to Hell than be with them.
Truly some professors' lives give much the same savor to the Christian
religion. Men say, "Are these Christians, these mean, covetous,
quarrelsome, domineering, boastful people? Then we will sooner be
infidels than Christians." Out upon you, you caricatures of godliness!
If there is one such here, may his conscience prick him. You have
crucified the Lord afresh, and put Him to an open shame. How dreadful
will be your punishment if you die in your present state! Repent of
your sin and ask of God Grace to make your profession sincere.
And if you will not do this, at least be honest enough to give up your
false profession–for you do but degrade it and yourself. There is no
necessity, surely, to add to your innumerable sins, this sin of
hypocrisy. What do you gain by it? No, Sir, if you must serve mammon
and the devil, serve them. But why with supererogation of iniquity must
you pretend to serve Christ?
II. We leave this first point, and find in the second part of the text,
HOLY MUSIC PRESCRIBED. "Giving thanks
unto God the Father by Him." Soldiers march best to battle when the
trumpet and drum excite them with enlivening strains. The mariner
brightens his toil by a cheery cry at every pull of the rope. And it is
an excellent thing when Christian men know how to sing as well as to
work, and mingle holy music with holy service. The best music of a
Christian consists in thankfulness to God.
Thanks should be rendered by the Believer with all the acts common to
men. Our eating, our drinking, our social meetings, our quiet
conversations with one with another–in all we should give thanks unto
God the Father. This we should do in the labors peculiar to our
vocation. Whatever your trade and calling may be, if you cannot sing
aloud, you can sing in your hearts while your hands are busy. You can
ring out the praises of God as well to the sound of the hammer on the
anvil as to the peal of the organ. Your feet at the sewing machine may
beat time to a sacred tune.
You can as well praise God while you crack your whip as when you sing a
Psalm. Why not? If the heart is right you can mount up to the heavens
from any place or labor. Whatever your calling may be you shall find
some peculiarity in it which shall help you to magnify God, if you will
but use a spiritual eye to discover it.
We ought especially to praise God in the exercise of our religion.
Whenever the assemblies of God's people meet, there should be much of
holy joy. Some people are so afraid of joy that one might suppose them
to labor under the delusion that all who are devout must also be
unhappy. If we worshipped Baal, to lance ourselves with knives were
most fitting. If we were worshippers of Juggernaut or Kalee,
self-inflicted tortures might be acceptable. If we adored the pope, it
might be proper for us to wear a hair shirt and practice flagellation.
But we worship the ever-blessed God, whose delight is to make His
creatures happy!
Holy happiness is a part of worship, and joy in the Lord one of the
accepted Graces of the Holy Spirit. Brethren, let us be happy when we
praise God. I have noticed with pain the way in which people will get
rid, if they can, of happy words out of their hymns. The hundredth
Psalm for instance, runs thus–
"All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice,
Him serve with_"
What? Well, they modernize it into–
"Him serve with fear." But, as I believe, the older form is–
"Him serve with mirth, His praise forth tell,
Come you before Him and rejoice." I am amazed some other scribe did not
cut out the word "cheerful," and put in–
"Sing to the Lord with doleful voice." In this way the Psalm might have
been "improved" until there would not have been a grain of worship left
in it. I mean to sing it, "Him serve with mirth." And with a glad and
merry heart will I praise my God. If you are His child, rejoice in your
Father's Presence. If you are pardoned, rejoice in the mercy that
washed away your sins. Even if you are tried and troubled, rejoice that
your afflictions are working together for your good! "Rejoice in the
Lord always. And again I say, Rejoice."
The text tells us under what aspect we should regard God when we are
thus thanking Him, "Giving thanks unto God the Father," blessing Him
that He stands in that relation to us as well as to the Lord Jesus. The
belief in the Divine fatherhood will surely make the sons of God happy.
It is instructive to observe that thanks are directed to be offered
especially to the Father. I suppose because we are most apt to forget
to praise the Father. We love Jesus Christ for dying for us. We forget
not the Holy Spirit because He dwells in us. But the common idea of the
Father is dishonoring to Him.
Is He not regarded as all Justice, and seldom as the Fountain of Love?
Now, it is the Father who stands at the back of all in the eternal
purpose. It is the Father who gave the Son to die. It is the Father who
justifies us through the righteousness of Christ, and adopts us into
His family. The Father is equally to be loved and worshipped with the
Spirit and the Son. And through Jesus Christ we should come to God, the
terrible God as He was to us in our ungodliness, and worship Him as the
Father now with thankful joy, because of the mercies we have received.
The gist of this second precept is that you stir up your hearts, my
dear Friends, to the cultivation of a cheerful spirit. That you excite
that cheerful spirit to the use of thankful words, telling your friends
and neighbors of the goodness of God to you. These words should be
oftentimes elevated into songs. These songs should, as on wings of
flame, ascend up to where perfect spirits praise God both day and
night. O, we that love the Savior, do not neglect this, "Whoso offers
praise glorifies God." Glorify Him, then.
This praise, this cheerful spirit wins others. They, marking how you
give thanks, will be attracted to your Savior and your God–while you
will strengthen yourselves, also–for "the joy of the Lord is your
strength." Despondency and murmuring will hamper you in all your
efforts to glorify Christ, but to maintain an inward spring of
thanksgiving is one of the best ways to keep yourselves in spiritual
health. God help you, then, to carry out both these precepts–
"Work and praise! Hearts upraise!
Drink your fill of joy!
Happy they who all the day
Spend in Christ's employ.
For their song makes them strong,
Ready for their toil;
And their mirth, not of earth,
Sorrow cannot spoil."
III. A few words upon the third point, namely, HOLY MOTIVE TO BE
INSCRIBED upon our hearts to secure obedience. These motives are four.
A word on each.
Beloved in Christ, you have received all you have from God the Father
through Christ. That you are not in Hell is due to His longsuffering.
That you have been spiritually quickened is due to His gracious
operation. That you are pardoned is due to His precious blood. Owing
all to Him, what arises in your mind but gratitude? And what is the
dictate of gratitude? Does it not teach you that it is your reasonable
service to surrender yourselves to Him who bought you at such a price?
For, ah, what a return it will be–how poor compared with what He has
done for you! If you give your body to be burned for Him, yet He
deserves infinitely more than all the sacrifices of the most painful
death to recompense His stoop from the highest Throne in Glory to the
Cross of the deepest woe. Let your gratitude compel you to do
everything for Jesus.
Reflect, too, that the Well-Beloved for whom I plead today is worthy.
"Him has God the Father exalted." Do you object to that exaltation?
Should you not rather rejoice in it? Is not that song most true —
"Worthy is He that once was slain, The Prince of Peace that groaned and
died; Worthy to rise, and live, and reign, AtHis Almighty Father's
side"? Will you deny, then, to Christ that which He is worthy to
receive? He deserves the crowns of angels, and the songs of all the
perfected! Will you not give Him the best you have, even your hearts? I
appeal to the justice which I trust governs your judgment–should not
Jesus Christ be the one object of your life?
Further, many of us here present have professed to be His disciples. We
remember well the day when we were buried with Him in Baptism unto
death. We voluntarily came forward and we took upon ourselves to be
immersed in His name, copying His example and obeying His command. If
that act meant anything, it meant this–that we professed ourselves to
be dead henceforth to the world and risen with Christ. Now, by the
profession then made, by the communion then enjoyed, I pray you, my
dear Brothers and Sisters, whatever you do in word or deed, do all in
the Master's name. Let not this appeal to your honor be forgotten.
Lastly, I need not thus plead with some of you, for your hearts are
pleading with you. I know you love Him whose name is as ointment poured
forth. I know how the tendrils of your heart have entwined themselves
about His Cross. His Person fixes all your love. You are only happy
when you are walking in communion with Him. He is the sun of your soul,
without whom you cannot live. Well, then, do what love dictates–bring
forth the alabaster box of ointment, break it, pour the sacred nard
upon His head, and if any ask, "Why is this waste?" say that He is
worthy of it–and that you love much because you have had much
forgiven.
This day bring forth the best that is within your store, the spiced
wine of your pomegranate, and set it before your Lord, while Jesus sups
with you and you with Him. Again I say arouse yourselves to live at a
more vigorous rate, and let the whole of the force and energy that
dwells within you, and all that you can borrow from the seventh Heaven,
be given up to Him who loved you and gave Himself for you. May my
Master's blessing be with these words, to all who hear or read them,
for Jesus' sake. Amen.
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Work in Us and Work by Us