One Aspect of Christ's Death
(No. 2986)
A SERMON PUBLISHED ON THURSDAY, MAY 3, 1906.
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON THURSDAY EVENING, OCTOBER
14, 1875.
"Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for
his friends." John 15:13.
I FELT, today, after a very weary and, in some respects, a very
sorrowful week, as if I could not preach tonight–or that if I did
stand up to speak, it must be upon some very easy and simple theme and,
at the same time, it must be some great subject which would give me
plenty of sea-room. I think the text I have read to you fulfills both
these conditions. And, although I shall not attempt to sail across it,
or to fathom it, for that would be impossible, yet, at any rate, there
will be no fear that I shall run aground, or need to exercise great
skill in threading my way through a tortuous channel, where, perhaps,
one might be on the rock or the sandbank before he was aware of his
danger. If there is anything about which Christians are sure–and
concerning which they can speak with confidence, surely it is the love
of Christ! And though that is one of the simplest things in the world,
yet it is also the very sweetest. Whenever you spread the table for any
meal, you are pretty sure to put bread and salt upon it. And whenever
we preach, if we preach as we should, we are sure to have something of
the savor of the love of Christ in our preaching. I have heard that in
a certain country, the way in which a stranger is welcomed is by giving
him just bread and salt–nothing more. That is what I am about to do.
We will have bread and salt on the table–the essential things, the
common things–but, blessed be God, with a fullness of nourishment and
a savor of tastefulness in them which those who are taught of God will
be able to relish!
The death of Jesus Christ may be viewed in many aspects, but we,
Brothers and Sisters, have learned to see very clearly the
substitutionary character of it. It is our delight to believe that
Christ laid down His life for the sake of His friends, thereby
rendering complete satisfaction to offended Justice, presenting Himself
as a vicarious Sacrifice in their place, that they might be reconciled
to God and might be "accepted in the Beloved." We are quite sure about
this Truth of God. We do not gather it from this particular verse which
I have selected for my text, but from the whole run and tenor of
Scripture, but especially from such a passage as this, "Forasmuch as
you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver
and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your
fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot."
This Doctrine of Redemption tallies with the types of the old Jewish
dispensation and corresponds with the prophetic descriptions of the
promised Messiah, especially those wonderful chapters in Isaiah and
Ezekiel in which His Character is so accurately foretold. This view of
Christ dying as the great substitutionary Sacrifice for sinners cannot
be dispensed with for a single moment–it seems to us to be the very
essence of the Gospel. Cloudiness with regard to this great central
Truth of God involves mistiness concerning everything else. And the
poet was quite right when he wrote–
"You cannot be right in the rest Unless you think rightly of Him." If
you have any question about that great Truth, you will have your brain
more or less muddled concerning every other Doctrine in the Word of
God. And I would take this Doctrine just as I would the Doctrine of
Justification by Faith, as being the test of a standing or falling
church, and of a God-sent ministry!
Yet, Brothers and Sisters, there are other aspects of the death of
Christ beside the one I have mentioned and a Christian's eyes should
see both the greater objects and also the smaller ones. I am always
glad that a painter does not merely give us the foreground of his
picture, but gives us the background, too–and even when his painting
is a portrait and he desires to have all our attention fixed upon the
portrait–yet he does not neglect the little accessories of the
picture. They may be unimportant, but if they are properly painted,
they will not distract attention from the main subject of the picture,
but will rather help to point to it. Now, the death of Christ was the
greatest possible display of the love of God to men. Never forget that
it was not merely Infinite Justice that blazed forth from the Cross,
but also Infinite Affection! Indeed, the Cross displayed all the
attributes of God and they can still be plainly perceived by those
whose eyes have been Divinely opened. God revealed Himself there,
through the dying Savior, in a very wonderful way. If I may use such an
image–and I think I may–through the smoked glass of the humanity of
Christ, the Deity of God in all its fullness can be better seen by us
than if we could, with our naked eyes, gaze upon the excessive
brightness of that Glory. Indeed, blindness would follow upon a vision
of absolute Deity–if such a vision were even possible. To dwell long
upon the Doctrine of the Trinity, and to vex your mind with the various
theories of that mysterious subject which men have imagined, is the
sure road to Socinianism or some other heresy! But, to see God veiled
in human flesh and especially to see Him revealed in the Person of the
dying Mediator, is to see God in the only way in which He canto seen by
mortal men! We do, not, therefore, for a moment forget that Christ's
death was the greatest possible display of God's love to men.
It was, doubtless, also necessary to complete the perfect example of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He would have set before us a grand
example of self-denial and disinterested love, even if He had not died
for us, for it was no little thing that He should make Himself of no
reputation and take upon Himself the form of a Servant and be made in
the likeness of men and humble Himself as He did. Still, becoming
"obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross," was the crown of
His life. It was because He endured the Cross, despising the shame,
that Paul wrote to the Hebrews, "Consider Him that endured such
contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest you be wearied and faint
in your minds." We also may remember that we "have not yet resisted
unto blood, striving against sin," but Christ has done this and more
than this! He knows what it is to be made perfect through sufferings. I
have no doubt that they speak the truth who say that the death of
Christ was the climax of His example, but I am going to call your
attention to another aspect of His death, namely, as a display of His
own love to His own people–"Greater love has no man than this, that a
man lay down his life for his friends." This is, I believe, what Christ
meant–that His love to His friends was to be most clearly made
manifest by His dying for them!
There is no need, with such a subject as this, for the use of grand
periods and eloquent language, even if I ever indulged in that kind of
thing. But I shall just give utterance to a few simple Truths of God
which you already know, trying to stir up your pure minds by way of
remembrance. And, first, let us contemplate the love of Christ
resplendent in the act of death, l aying down His life for His friends.
Secondly, let us see that love enhanced by a consideration of the
friends for whom He laid down His life. And then, thirdly, let us see
the love of Christ reflected and reproduced by His friends. This,
however, will have to be done outside this place–I can only make the
rough outline of the picture which is to be drawn by all of you who are
the friends of Christ. My text reminds us of one of the strongest
reasons why we should love one another even as Christ has loved
us–"Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life
for his friends."
I. Let us, then, first SEE CHRIST'S LOVE RESPLENDENT IN THE LAYING DOWN
OF HIS LIFE FOR HIS
PEOPLE.
When He says, "Greater love has no man than this," He seems to me to
imply that there are manifestations of His love which are not as great
as this. The love of the Lord Jesus Christ to His people is always
great. I may truly say that it is always greater than any other love. I
might even say that it is always in the superlative degree–the
greatest love there ever was, or is, or can be! Yet there are displays
of that love which can be rightly described as great, greater,
greatest. Our Lord had already displayed His love to His people in the
great and the greater forms of it–now He was about to display it in
the highest and greatest of all ways.
It was great love that made Him come to this earth and be Incarnate
here. Have you ever thought of the greatness of the love of Christ in
being a Child, a Youth, a Man and of His love in being willing to live
in obscurity and retirement as the Son of Mary for 30 years? Wondrous
love was there in that arrangement by which He was able, from His own
experience, to sympathize with retiring Christians and with young
Believers whose duties do not cause them to be conspicuous in the
world. The thought of God in the carpenter's shop at Nazareth is to me
very wonderful. As Moses took off his shoes at the sight of God in the
burning bush, we may well manifest our awe and reverence as we see the
Son
of God, the express image of His Father's Person, in the midst of the
implements used by the village carpenter! That was truly great love.
Then, when the time arrived for Him to come forth from His obscurity,
He showed great love to His friends in calling them to Him one by one.
His mind was altogether unique. He had the tenderness of a woman, yet
He was to the highest degree, manly. Indeed, all the attributes of a
perfect man and a perfect woman appear to have been blessedly blessed
in His perfect Humanity. We might have supposed that He would have
looked for companions somewhat like Himself, though I know not where He
could have found them, but He seems to me to have looked for those
whom, in a wondrous way, He could make to be like Himself rather than
for those who were already like Himself! So He finds some
fishermen–very rough fellows to be associated with the gentle Jesus!
He finds a tax-gatherer–commercial, grasping– a strange companion for
Him who cared not one farthing for gold or silver! The Apostles, as a
whole, were a motley crew. Speaking after the manner of men, one could
almost account for Jesus choosing John and there are some points in
Peter that are very lovable, yet, as a band of men called to such
exceptional service, they were rough and coarse! We might have thought
that Christ would have looked for more refinement in those who were to
be His daily companions for three years–and had He been thinking only
of Himself, He might have sought others than He did seek. Certainly,
Brothers and Sisters, in my own case, I have often felt that I could
adopt the language of Faber, which we sang just now–
"Howmany hearts You might have had More innocent than mine! How many
souls more worthy far Of that pure touch of Thine! Ah, Grace! Into
unlikeliest heart It is your boast to come– The glory of your light to
find In darkest spots a home."
So Jesus Christ showed His love to His friends in the very act of
calling them to be His friends. And He also showed His love in fitting
them for the position to which He had called them. He laid Himself out
to teach them, to train them, to build up their characters upon a firm
foundation and to infuse into their minds right principles and noble
sentiments so that they could be fully qualified to be the servants of
the churches and the glory of Christ–vessels to be used no longer for
merely worldly purposes, but to be meet for the Master's use! With what
singular wisdom He trained them! With what patience He bore with them!
Had they had any other master, they would, many a time, have been
liable to be discharged for their stupidity, but He simply said, "Have
I been so long a time with you, and yet have you not known Me, Philip?"
This was a proof of great love on His part, yet He seems to me to have
shown even greater love when, towards the end of His life, He bade
these friends of His sit and eat and drink with Him at His Table and
expressed His desire that His friends should continue, in all later
ages, thus to remember Him. Then, after the Supper, He rose from the
table, laid aside His outer garment, took a towel and girded
Himself–poured water into a basin and washed His disciples' feet! Oh,
this was great love indeed!
Still, our text talks about a greater display of Christ's love than
this, so we conclude that while to choose and call, to instruct and
edify, to entertain and refresh was proof of very great love on
Christ's part–to die for His friends was evidence of still greater
love. There are, in this world, many persons who will lay themselves
out to help their fellow creatures to resist temptation and to struggle
out of the ways of vice into the path of virtue and who would, with
heroic self-denial, bring themselves well-near to the grave's mouth to
accomplish these ends–but they will not lay down their lives for their
fellows. If they did, it would be the greatest thing they could
possibly do for them, for the text is true, "Greater love has no man
than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
But our Lord was willing to die for His friends. Some people might lay
down their lives for their friends, but it would be quite unwillingly
that they would do so. They might make the supreme sacrifice under the
force of some strong compelling passion, yet they would escape if they
could. But look at our blessed Lord and Master! When the time came for
Him to go out of this world unto His Father, He did not make the
slightest effort to escape from death. Judas knew
the place where He was in the habit of going for private meditation and
prayer–and to that very place our Master went, as He had often gone
before, although He knew that He would meet the traitor there. When the
officers and men from the chief priests and Pharisees came there with
lanterns and torches and weapons, a word from Him made them fall to the
ground! He could, therefore, in an instant, have driven them all out of
the garden and have escaped from them. But He did not do so. He could
never have been delivered up to be put to death, either by Jews or by
Romans, if He had not been perfectly willing to die! From the time when
they took Him to Annas to the moment when they nailed Him to the Cross,
one solitary wish on His part would have scattered all His foes and He
could have gone wherever He pleased–but He would not express such a
wish, or even cherish it. Admire the wonderful reticence of Christ!
That He did not speak in His own defense, was marvelous, but, that He
did not even wish to escape, or think of escaping, is still more
amazing, for a thought would have been sufficient to have procured His
release! How wonderfully Omnipotence held in check Omnipotence! How
majestic does that almighty attribute appear when it proved its power
over itself by not using the power which it manifestly possesses!
More than that, remember that our Lord Jesus Christ was under no sort
of necessity to die. When a man lays down his life for his friend–and
how seldom has that been done–he only anticipates the debt of Nature
which, in any case, he has to pay before long. If you were to die for
me, or I were to die for you, tomorrow, we would, both of us, only do a
little earlier what we must both ultimately do! Death will, before
long, claim everyone of us, and to the sepulcher we must all descend
unless our Lord should speedily come. But He possessed inherent
immortality! No sentence of death was written across His brow–He could
live on forever even when He was in the grave–corruption could have no
dominion over Him. He could say, with an emphasis that the Psalmist
could not use, "You will not leave My soul in Hell; neither will You
suffer your Holy One to see corruption." So Jesus Christ's laying down
of His life for His friends was beyond anything that could ever happen
in any other man's life, a voluntary act and, consequently, a more
wonderful display of love than could ever be given in any other case.
"Greater love has no man than this."
We must also remember that our Lord Jesus Christ had been accustomed,
for many years, to contemplate the laying low of His life before He
actually did so. No, I must not speak of years–doubtless from
eternityHe had foreseen that terrible time when He would have to do
battle on His people's behalf, with all the powers of Darkness. He had
looked forward to that hour with the strong glance of the eyes that
could weep for sorrow, but could not grow dim with fear. And, often,
when He was here below, He seemed to long for the time when He could
make the master-sacrifice of His life. He said, "I have a baptism to be
baptized with and how am I straitened till it is accomplished!" His
face was set, not merely once, but in very deed always, steadfastly to
go unto Jerusalem, knowing well all that would befall Him there. Now,
what man is there who could look death in the face, for the sake of his
friend, year after year, and even contemplate it with ardent desire? We
might, in an outburst of strong affection, in a moment of unusual
excitement, be willing to leap into the gulf of death in order to
rescue a sinking friend, but as for the quiet resolution that could
calmly think it all over and weigh every circumstance–and ponder over
every detail and then deliberately give oneself up to death–where
could you find such a spirit as that? It is only to be seen in Him who
has given the grandest display of love that was ever manifested on
earth or even in Heaven–and whose death was the grandest manifestation
of that love!
Let me also further remind you that our Lord Jesus Christ did actually
die for His friends. He was not merely willing to do so and long
contemplated dying, but He didreally die and He died under
circumstances that rendered the laying down of His life for His friends
the more remarkable! He died for them, yet they had all forsaken Him in
the hour of His greatest need, after having fallen asleep and left Him
to endure in utter loneliness the agony of bloody sweat. When He was
arraigned before His enemies, Peter, the boldest man in His little band
of disciples, was so cowed with fear that he denied, with oaths and
curses, that he even knewHim! These "friends" of His were quite
unworthy of His love, yet He died for them. Do men generally die for
such "friends" as they proved themselves to be? No, but they have often
cried with Job, "Miserable comforters are you all." Yet Christ died for
His friends though they forsook Him when He most needed their sympathy
and support.
And He had to die for them under a criminal charge. I believe that
there are many of us who would not be nearly as much startled by death
as by a criminal accusation. When I have seen some good man whom I have
highly esteemed, charged falsely, as I think, with high misdemeanors, I
have felt that I would sooner die than be guilty of the crime of which
he has been accused. But here is our gracious Lord and Master willingly
giving Himself up to death although He is
innocent of the crime's laid to His charge–sedition against the State
and blasphemy against God. It is a felon's death that He must die–not
merely a death like that of a felon, but the death of a felon, for the
verdict of one tribunal after another is that He is worthy of
death–and the popular voice applauds the verdict, and cries, "Let Him
be crucified!" O You blessed Son of God, were You thus numbered with
the transgressors? Yes, He was. And this was the greatest manifestation
of His love.
Let us not forget, too, that Christ's death was attended by cruelties
of the grossest sort. I will not harrow up your feelings with any
description of that terrible flagellation which He received at the
hands of the Roman lictors. Yes, Christ did suffer intensely in many
ways, as the Prophet Isaiah had foretold that He would–"He was wounded
for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the
chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are
healed." All the sufferings of Christ's–physical, mental, and
spiritual–which were attendant upon His death, are to be regarded by
us with awestruck and grateful emotions, for they help to make up the
perfection of His wondrous work of laying down His life for His
friends!
Remember, too, dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, as I have already
reminded you, that Christ, although He was absolutely innocent, did die
as the Substitute for sinners. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "For He
(that is, God) has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we
might be made the righteousness of God in Him." And to the Galatians He
wrote, "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a
curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangs on a
tree." To a pure mind, contact with sin in any form is truly horrible.
I can imagine the Savior being willing to suffer and even being willing
to die–but His holy Nature must have revolted at the thought that He
must stand in the sinner's place, that He must be reckoned as the
sinner, that against Him the sword of Divine Justice must be drawn and
that in His heart it must find a sheath! The great terror of Christ's
death upon the Cross must have been that it was the penalty for
sin–the execution of the righteous judgment of God against
unrighteousness and iniquity! None of us can even guess–perhaps the
lost souls in Hell cannot tell–what it must have been for Christ to
have come thus under the wrath of God because of the sins of His
people. When we have been deeply convinced of sin, we may have had some
slight conception of what it was, but our most vivid imagination must
have been dim and feeble compared with the terrible reality!
Above all else, let us remember that our Savior died forsaken of His
God. Even the martyrs were not obliged to do that. They stood at the
stake and clapped their hands–they even sang songs of triumph amidst
the fury of the flames! But Jesus had to cry, "My God, My God, why have
You forsaken Me?" That is the pitiful wail of a broken heart and a
sinking spirit. It does not surprise us that "the earth did quake and
the rocks split"–it would have been a greater wonder if they had not
been stirred at the sound of such grief as His! O Beloved, greater love
has no man than this, that he will even dare to die forsaken of his
God! I thank God that we are not asked to do this! But Jesus did it for
us, His friends. Oh, what amazing love is His! There is much more that
might be said upon this stupendous theme, but I must ask the Holy
Spirit to lead you into the mystery of those unknown deeps of suffering
by which Christ manifested His love to His friends.
II. Now, secondly, I want to show you that THE LOVE OF CHRIST, IN
LAYING DOWN HIS LIFE, WAS GREATLY ENHANCED BY THE CHARACTER OF THOSE
FOR WHOM HE LAID DOWN HIS LIFE, namely,
"His friends."
Let it never be forgotten by us that this sacred title is one which our
Lord Himself gave to His disciples–"I have called you friends." If we
are His disciples, we are also His friends. Our original title would
have been enemies, for that is what we were–but He has transformed us
into His friends, for, "when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God
by the death of His Son." The text would not be true if you were to put
the emphasis in the wrong place. "Greater love has no man than this,
that a man lay down his life for his friends," for Christ manifested
greater love than that in laying down His life for His enemies. It is
indeed surprising that He should have laid down His life for those who
were His enemies and who are only His friends because He has made them
so. You scorned Him, you despised Him, you crucified Him, your sins
were the nails and the spear that pierced His hands, feet and side–yet
He died for you! He was the sandalwood tree, and yours was the hand
that held the axe that wounded Him, yet He perfumed the axe, and also
the hand that wielded it–and healed that hand of all its
leprosies–yes, healed your whole being of whatever disease it had.
Thank God for love like that!
Then, putting aside the fact that we were once His enemies, think of
the greatness of His love is laying down His life for such
insignificant people as we are. I have heard the argument used by
unbelievers that it is not feasible–considering the immense size of
the universe and the inconceivable number of starry worlds in it, that
this little inconsiderable speck of a globe, which, in proportion to
the rest of the universe, is as a single atom of dust to the entire
chain of the Alps–to think that Christ should come to redeem the
inhabitants of such a poor little world as this is and that if He came
to the earth at all, many of the poorest and meanest of the people
would be the peculiar objects of His choice! Well, it is marvelous! It
is a marvelous instance of the condescension of Christ–and while it
may stagger the faith of some, it certainly inflames the love of
others! We feel that if He condescends to choose us, our love shall
rise to the utmost heights that it can reach–and we will bless and
magnify the name of the Lord in that, while He took not up angels, He
took up the seed of Abraham! While He left the fallen angels to perish
without hope, He has come to save us, the fallen sons of Adam, and has
laid down His life for us!
There is, however, a Truth of God that is even more significant and
instructive than that. It is not merely true that we were once Christ's
enemies and that we were also utterly insignificant and unworthy of His
notice, but it is amazing that He should lay down His life for such
unworthy friends, even as friends, as we are. There are some professing
Christians who can speak of themselves in terms of admiration, but,
from my inmost heart I loathe such speeches more and more every day
that I live. Those who talk in such boastful fashion must be
constituted very differently from me. While they are congratulating
themselves upon all the good things that they find within themselves, I
have to lie humbly at the foot of Christ's Cross and marvel that I am
saved at all, for I know that I am saved. I have to wonder that I do
not believe Christ more and equally wonder that I am privileged to
believe in Him at all–to wonder that I do not love Him more, and
equally to wonder that I love Him at all–to wonder that I am not
holier and equally to wonder that I have any desire to be holy at all
considering what a polluted, debased, depraved nature I find still
within my soul notwithstanding all that Divine Grace has done in me! If
God were ever to allow the fountains of the great deeps of depravity to
break up in the best man that lives, he would make as bad a devil as
Satan, himself, is. I care nothing for what these boasters say
concerning their own perfections–I feel sure that they do not know
themselves, or they could not talk as they often do! There is tinder
enough in the saint who is nearest to Heaven to kindle another Hell if
God should but permit a spark to fall upon it. In the very best of men,
there is an infernal and well-near infinite depth of depravity! Some
Christians never seem to find this out. I almost wish that they might
not do so, for it is a painful discovery for anyone to make–but it has
the beneficial effect of making us cease from trusting in ourselves and
causing us to glory only in the Lord.
Why should Christ ever have loved us? Why should He ever have loved us?
When at His Table, we often have wandering thoughts. Even in our faith
we often find a mixture of unbelief. Even when we love Him, we grieve
that we do not love Him more. Even when we are closest to Him in
communion, we have to smite our breast and mourn that we do not enjoy
the nearness we might have, and ought to have, for, after being so
greatly loved by Christ, we ought to be sinless! Under such obligations
to Christ as we have, we ought to be wholly sanctified–spirit, soul,
and body–and never have a wandering thought or an unholy desire. But
that we are not what we ought to be is very clear. And the wonder is
that Jesus Christ should ever have laid down His life for such
miserable "friends" as we have proven ourselves to be! Beauty, you
know, will often win affection against a man's better judgment, for
there is something about it which is so attractive that it overcomes
him. But Christ's love to us was not won by any beauty that He saw in
us. When He says to us as the Bridegroom in the Song of Solomon says to
His bride, "Turn away your eyes from Me, for they have overcome Me."
And when He says, "You are all fair, My love; there is no spot in you,"
I think He must see Himself mirrored in us and that this is why He
loves us, for certainly there is nothing lovable in us but what He has
bestowed upon us by His Grace! I do not know what you, Beloved, say
concerning this theme upon which I have been speaking, but I think you
will agree with me when I say that, to me, the superlative point of the
love of Christ is that He laid down His life for me, unworthy as I have
been even since I have been His friend!
III. I must speak very briefly upon the last point which is that THIS
GREAT LOVE OF CHRIST IS TO BE
REFLECTED AND REPRODUCED BY HIS FRIENDS.
Christ is the sun in our heavens and His Church is the moon. Why does
the sun shine upon the moon? For the moon's sake? Yes, in part, but
also for the sake of the earth, which would be dark at night if the
moon did not reflect the light it
receives from the sun. Brother, Sister, the light of Christ's love has
fallen upon you, not only that it may benefit you, but also that you
may reflect it.
First, reflect it upon Christ. He has loved you, so love Him in return!
It is a blessed thing, sometimes, to do nothing but love Christ for a
while. It is well, at least now and then, for us not to think so much
of what we are going to do for Christ as of what He did for us and what
He is to us. If I ever try to secure a quiet half-hour's meditation
upon His love to me, somebody is pretty sure to come and knock at the
door. But if I can keep the door-knocker still, and get alone with my
Lord and only think about His love to me–not trying to elaborate any
theories, or to understand any doctrines, but just sitting down with
the view of loving Him who gave Himself for me–I tell you, Sirs, that
this thought is positively inebriating to the soul! It not merely
refreshes, quickens, consoles, but it absolutely overcomes us with
intense delight till we feel as though we could only fall upon our face
and worship the Lamb who was slain for us! At such times we have to
make our expressive silence mean His praise, for our soul is so full of
His love that we cannot possibly express it. That is the first thing
for Christians to do–as Christ is shining upon you with His
love–shine back upon Him with your love!
Then, next, He said to His disciples, "This is My commandment, That you
love one another, as I loved you." As you have received the light of
Christ's love, pass it on to your fellow Christians. Do you want to
know where to find Christ? He is dwelling in His people and especially
in His poor people, in His suffering people, in His tried people! So,
when your heart is full of love to your Lord, let some of the light of
it shine upon them. Perhaps this is a dark time with them and a kind
word from you, or a kind action, will be like the light of the moon to
them in the middle of the night, and will cause them great gladness.
The moon cannot shine as brightly as the sun does, and you cannot love
as much as Christ does– but you can be like the moon and shine with
borrowed light–you can reflect upon others the light of the love which
Christ has shed upon your own soul.
And when you have done that, remember that your light will be even more
needed in the dark world of the ungodly. "Christ died for the ungodly,"
and that is what you were once! O Beloved, I pray you, love the sons of
men! Somebody has asked, "How are we to convert sinners?" That is not
our work. It is only the Spirit of God who can do that. But what we can
do is this, we can love sinners to Christ. That is the way in which God
says that He worked–"I drew them with words of a man, with bands of
love." I will give you this message as a text for you to preach upon
practically all your life–Love sinners to Christ! Love the enmity out
of them if they hate the Gospel. Love the prejudice out of them if they
cannot bear to hear it preached. Love them out of their vices! Love
them up from their degradation, for love is of God, and God is Love and
God dwells in love. That which is in Him and comes from Him, is the
best thing in the world to draw people to Him! So use no other cords
but the cords of a man, and no bands but the bands of love. When you
really love souls, it is amazing how wise you will be in dealing with
them.
I have never heard that anybody has opened a school for teaching young
mothers how to manage their first babies, but, somehow or other, when
love is in the mother's heart, she finds out the proper way to care for
her baby. And better than any College training for the home or the
foreign field of service for the Savior is it to get your heart full of
love to your Lord. Then you will know how to do His work–it will come
to you by a sort of sacred instinct. You will know when you are to tell
them of the terrors of the Law, and when to speak of the loveliness of
Christ, and just how to deal with them under all manner of
circumstances. The love of Christ will teach you how to do this if it
is shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Spirit which is given unto
you.
Oh, that all men knew, by happy personal experience, what the love of
Jesus is! I have not said much to you unconverted people who are
present, but I have often thought that when we are preaching about
Christ, even if we do not say much directly to you, the subject itself
speaks to you. It is like spreading a dinner where there are hungry
people near. You have only to say to such persons, "You are welcome to
all there is on the table," and there is no need of a sermon, or any
eloquence. Their mouths begin to water while you are laying the cloth
and the sight of the provisions makes them begin to eat as soon as you
say, "Come along." What big slices they take! Well, poor starving
souls, here is the great Gospel feast–may your mouths water for a
taste of it! All I have to say is–
"Come and welcome, sinner, come." Come and taste the great love of God
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. May His gracious Spirit bring you,
for Jesus Christ's sake! Amen.
8 One Aspect of Christ's Death Sermon #2986