Till We Meet Again

DELIVERED BY

C. H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

"The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." Revelation
22:21.

THE first saints could never be long without speaking of their Lord and
Savior. He filled their hearts and, therefore, they must necessarily
speak of Him. How ingeniously they bring Him in! When they commence an
Epistle, the salutation will be sure to bear His name. When they are in
the midst of a letter, they lay down their pen and offer a prayer. And
when they begin, again, it is with a benediction in which His name is
prominent, or with a doxology ascribing glory unto Him, with the Father
and with the Holy Spirit. John's Book of Revelation is full of Christ.
Its opening verse rings out the precious name and the closing line,
which is now before us, repeats the heavenly music! Is not the Lord
Jesus the sum and substance, the Glory of every vision seen in Patmos?
May I not say of the Apocalypse, as John said of the New Jerusalem,
"the Lamb is the light thereof?

Until He looses the seals and opens the roll, the book of John's
prophecy is so folded up that no man shall understand it. John could
not finish his book without mentioning that name which was dearest of
all names to him. As he puts aside his pen to write no more, he
concludes with an invocation of blessing upon all the saints in every
place–and this is the form of it–"The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
be with you all." Paul is thought to have claimed the use of this
benediction as his particular token–"in every epistle so I write." I
am not sure that it is so, for I suspect that the Apostle referred to
his own large handwriting and to the signature which he put to his
letters. But still, according to many interpreters, Paul used this
particular blessing as his private mark–the seal of the authenticity
of a letter.

See the end of the Epistles to the Corinthians and Thessalonians–"The
Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all." Certainly Paul used
the words often, but, perhaps, when Paul had been taken up, John deemed
it right to adopt Paul's motto and with it to set, as it were, his
stamp and seal upon the last book of Revelation. It was a benediction
which could not be engrossed by any one Apostle, nor, indeed, by all
the Apostles put together! Paul made it his own, but John had equal
right to use it. And it is now all the dearer to us because both these
mighties employed it.

Brothers and Sisters, the benediction before us is not only Paul's word
and John's word–and the Bible's last word–but it is now the chosen
word of all the ministers of Jesus Christ! Is not this the benediction
with which we dismiss the faithful–"The Grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be
with you all"? So shall it remain until the Lord shall come a second
time! It is an expression suitable to the most gracious heart, a prayer
with which the Believer may vent his best wishes and express his most
devout desires. Over you all at this time, in my own most humble but
sincere manner, I would pronounce the benediction, "The Grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ be with you all."

If the Spirit shall help me, I would at this time say, first, let us
consider this benediction. And then, secondly, let us consider its
peculiar position, for something can be learned from it.

I. First, then, let us CONSIDER THIS BENEDICTION. It divides itself
into three parts, under these heads–What? How? And, to whom?

1. What? What is this which John desires when he says–"The Grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all"? The word is "Charis." I do not
think any better translation could be given than, "Grace"–it is
usually translated Grace throughout the New Testament. Those who
understand the Greek language thoroughly tell us that it has for its
root, "joy." There is joy at the bottom of Charis, or Grace. It also
signifies favor, kindliness and especially love. And I might, without
violating the meaning of the Spirit, read the words thus–"The love of
our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all." But inasmuch as love to
unworthy creatures such as we are can only display itself in free
favor–that is, Grace–and we know that the term used is an accurate
expression, we will let it stand as it is, only putting in a drop or
two of the sweet honey of the love which lies within it.

John desires that we may have the free favor of Jesus Christ, the love
of Jesus Christ, the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ
Himself is generally mentioned in our benedictions as having Grace and
the Father as having love– and our usual benediction begins with the
Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God. Is that the proper
order? Should we not rather say, the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit? Brothers and Sisters, the order observed in the benediction is
that of our experience–the order in which we learn–the order in which
we receive. We first receive the Grace and free favor which are in
Christ Jesus–and then, from these we learn the love of the Father–for
no man comes unto the Father but by Jesus Christ.

The order is correct to our experience and, in an instructive
benediction, the Holy Spirit intends this for our learning. The
Father's love is, as it were, the secret, mysterious germ of
everything. That same love in Jesus Christ is Grace. His is love in its
active form, love descending to earth, love wearing human nature, love
paying the great ransom price, love ascending, love sitting and
waiting, love pleading, love soon to come with power and Glory! The
eternal love which, as it were, did lie in the bosom of the Father,
rises up and comes into activity and is then called the Grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ. This Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is, therefore,
the Grace of a Divine Person.

We wish you, Brethren, as we wish for ourselves, the Grace of God,
Himself–rich, boundless, unfathomable, immutable, Divine–not
temporary Grace, such as some speak of, which keeps not its own but
suffers even the sheep of its own pasture to go astray and perish. No,
we wish you the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it is written,
"Having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the
end." That Grace most potent of which it is said, "None shall pluck
them out of My hand!" We wish this Grace to be with you–the Grace
which loved you before the earth was made–"I have loved you with an
everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you."
That is the Grace which will be with you when this poor world shall
have melted back into the nothingness from which it sprang– infinite,
everlasting, unchanging Grace–we wish you may have that!

May its Divine height, depth, length and breadth be enjoyed by you! May
you know the loving Grace of Christ which passes knowledge! May you
grasp the unsearchable riches of Christ. This is no small
treasure–this Grace of a Divine Person. Yet our Lord Jesus is also
human, as truly human as He is Divine and, believing in Him, you have
the Grace of Jesus Christ, the Man, to be with you all. May you feel
His tenderness, His brotherliness, His Grace. He is your kinsman and He
graciously favors His own kinsfolk. The Man is next of kin to us and as
Ruth enjoyed all the love of Boaz, so may you possess all the heart of
Jesus! May He redeem your inheritance for you and take you to Himself
to be His own, in blessed union with Himself forever. May the Grace of
the Man of Nazareth, the Grace of the Son of Mary be with you, as well
as the Grace of "God over all, blessed forever," to whom be praise!

The Grace of that wondrous Person who is God and Man in one Person and
whom we call Lord, is now solemnly invoked upon you. Read the text
again and pause a while in the middle to enjoy, "The Grace of our
Lord." Whatever familiarity we have with Him, we call Him Master and
Lord, and He says, "You do well, for so I am." Let us never forget
that! The Grace that comes from His majesty, the Grace that comes from
His headship, the Grace that comes from His divinely human supremacy
over His Church, which is His body–this is the Grace which we desire
for you all! Read the next word, "the Grace of our Lord Jesus"–may
that be with you–that is to say, the Grace of our Savior, for that is
the meaning of the word, Jesus. All His saving Grace, all that which
redeems from guilt, from sin, from trouble–all that which saves us
with an everlasting salvation–may that be yours to the fullest!

Then comes the other word, "the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with
you." May He, as the Anointed One, visit you. May the Grace of His
anointing be with you! May the holy anointing which was poured upon the
Head come down upon you, as the sacred nard dropped from Aaron's beard
and perfumed all his robes! May you have that anointing from the Holy
One which shall make you know all things. I am tempted to linger over
each one of these words, but I may not, for time would forbid. Yet must
we tarry on that word, "our." "May the Grace of our Lord." Catch at
that sweet word! It may not, perhaps, be genuine in this case, for it
is not in the Sinaitic manuscript, but whether it is so in this
particular instance or not, it is in the Word of God and stands forever
true. Jesus is our Lord–our Lord Jesus Christ–both yours and ours.
May the fullness of His Grace be with you and with us.

2. Our next division is How? "May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with you all." What doe this mean? Our first answer is the wish that
the Grace of our Lord may rest upon you as a matter offact–that He may
love you truly and intensely! That He may love you, not only as He
loves the world, but as He loved His own which were in the world. May
you have His Redemption, not as a general thing, but according to that
Word of God, "He has redeemed us from among

men out of every kindred." May you have the special, peculiar love
which Christ has to those whom His Father gave Him, whose names are on
His breastplate and for whom He has paid an effectual ransom price that
they, thereby, might be delivered–may such Grace be with you! As a
matter of fact, may it rest upon you as the chosen, adopted, called and
sanctified!

Next, may you believe that Grace; may you trust that Grace; may it be
with you because your faith has closed in with it and you are relying
upon it! You believe that Jesus loves you. You believe in His Grace and
trust yourself to Him, committing your spirit to the keeping of those
hands which were pierced and fastened to the Cross for you. May His
Grace be with you in that sense, so that you realize it! Still further,
may His Grace be with you as the object of faith, so that your belief
comes to be full assurance, till you know the love which Christ has
towards you and no more doubt it than you doubt the love of the dearest
friend you have on earth. May His love be a present fact and not a
thing to be questioned. May it be a treasure in which you glory in the
secret places of your soul, saying, "He loved me and gave Himself for
me." May His Grace be with you in the sense that you are confidently
assured of it.

And may His Grace be with you, next, as to the favors which flow out of
it. May you enjoy all the blessings which the Grace of Christ can
yield–the Grace of a peaceful conscience, the Grace of a cleansed
walk, the Grace of access to God, the Grace of fervent love, the Grace
of holy expectancy, the Grace of self-denial, the Grace of perfect
consecration–and the Grace of final perseverance. May the fountain and
wellhead be with you, so that the sparkling streams may flow at your
feet. And may Grace be with us, next, so as to produce constant
communion between us and Christ, His favor flowing into our heart and
our hearts returning their gratitude. O, to carry on blessed commerce
with Christ, exchanging weakness for strength, sin for righteousness
and trust for care! O to give love for love and heart for heart, till
my best Love loves me and my best love is all His own!

O, to come to this pass, that our Well-Beloved is with us, and we enjoy
sweet mutual communion–this is to have the love, or Grace, of Jesus
with us! May our Lord Jesus Christ, in His Grace, be with us and may He
work for us all that He can work. May the Grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with you, Brothers and Sisters, when you desire to pray–then
may the great High Priest intercede for you! May the Grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with you so that when you are downcast He may say, "Let
not your heart be troubled." May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with you to check you when you are likely to stray aside; to guide you
when you know not your way; to inspirit you when you are ready to be
cast down; to confirm you when you have almost slipped.

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you when heart and flesh
are failing you; when the last hour has come and you are about to
appear before God! God grant you to know, always, all that Christ can
do in you and for you, and with you and by you. What better benediction
could John, himself, utter?

3. But, now, the third part of our discourse comes under the head of
"to whom." "The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all." Surely
if we were to take this in the widest possible sense and say–may it be
with you all–it could not be wrong to wish that all should have the
Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ with them. Yet I know some sound
Brethren are very jealous of anything that looks like a wide
expression–an expression which would wish good to all. For my own
part, I do not understand the nature of the orthodoxy which would limit
benevolent desires. I should like to be more and more heterodox in the
direction of desiring good to all that come in my way. Would to God
that the best that could happen to all men did happen to them!

I would, without the slightest hypocrisy, breathe this desire over all
mankind, "The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all." Still,
there is no doubt that the context in which it stands and also certain
versions of it, do confine this benediction to the saints and,
practically, it must always be confined to them, for the Grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ is only known and enjoyed by those who have given
their hearts to Jesus and are living by Him, in Him and to Him. Let us
wish the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to all the saints, at any rate.
Some of the saints will hardly acknowledge us, but may the Grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ be with them!

They would not let us preach in their pulpits, but may Grace be with
them. They would not partake of the communion with us, but may Grace be
with them! They call us sectarians and schismatics, but may "the Grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ be with them all. Amen!" May it be with every
one of them, whoever they may be! If they are in Jesus Christ, may the
Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with them! If, every now and then,
you come across a book written by one who is a long way off from
understanding all the Truth of God–yet He knows Jesus Christ–as you
read the sweet words that come from his pen concerning the Master, you
feel your heart knit to him. Your soul feels that it is a pity that the
writer

was a High Churchman, but if he loves the Lord Jesus Christ, we forget
his errors and are delighted with the life of Jesus which we see in
him!

If a man knows Christ, he knows the most important of matters and is
possessed of a secret quite as precious as any in our own keeping–for
what do we know more than Christ–and what hope have we but in Christ?
If you love Christ, give me your hand, my Friend, notwithstanding your
blunders! If Christ is all your trust and all your confidence, I am
sorry for your eyes that you cannot see a great deal more. I am sorry
for your head that you cannot think more straight–but your heart is in
the right place resting on Jesus, reposing on Him–and who am I that I
should judge you? There is a life in Christ which a thousand errors
cannot kill! There is a life which is the same in all that have it,
however diverse they may happen to be upon opinion or outward ceremony.
There is a life eternal and that life is Christ Jesus! And to all that
have that life we, with intensity of heart, say, "The Grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with you all."

I notice Paul says this in one of his Epistles to a Church that
misbehaved itself dreadfully. It was one of the churches that would not
have any minister–a Church where they all spoke as they pleased–to
whom Paul said, "God is not the author of confusion." They were so
depraved a Church that they allowed an incestuous person to be present
at the communion, but still, after the Apostle had rebuked them, he
said, "The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all." Even so
must we say to those who err ignorantly, as the Corinthians did! If we
differ from Brethren. If we have to rebuke them. If sometimes they also
rebuke us and show temper over it, yet may this be the finale of it
all, "The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all."

Should we not wish the highest degree of Grace to all who are in the
body of Christ? Let us not utter this benediction merely because we
ought to say it, but because we delight to say it! Let us not only wish
well to the saints because we are bound to wish them well, but because
our hearts cannot do otherwise.

II. So now, not to detain you much longer, I ask your earnest attention
for a few minutes to THE POSITION OF THIS BENEDICTION. First, I draw
what I have to say from the fact that it is the last word of Scripture.
I regard it, therefore, as being the Apostle's last and highest wish.
We are glad to find that while the Old Testament finishes with a
curse–"Lest I come and smite the earth with a curse"–the New
Testament concludes with a blessing, "The Grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with you all," as if to show that the very life and spirit of
a Christian should be blessing. And this should be, to us, our last and
highest wish for men–that they may receive and retain the Grace of our
Lord Jesus

Christ!

I wish this blessing to you all, my dear Brothers and Sisters. Whatever
you may miss, may the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be always with
you. In whatever points you, or any of us may fail, may we never come
short of the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ! What if the preacher
should preach to others and himself be a castaway? Pray that it be not
so! What if a deacon or elder should lead the flock of Christ and yet
the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ should not be with him? He would
become another Judas or Demas! That would be dreadful. What if you
should teach the little ones in the school and yet not learn,
yourselves? It would be a sad thing to have come to the Lord's Supper
and yet never to have eaten His flesh and drunk His blood–to be
immersed in water, but never to have known the Baptism of the Holy
Spirit–nor to have been baptized into Christ with the spiritual
Baptism!

What a thing it will be, if, after all our professions, all our labors
and all our teachings, the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ should not be
with us! I pray, Brothers and Sisters, whatever other prayer may not be
granted, that this may be, concerning every member of this Church and
every member of every Church of Jesus Christ, that at any rate the
Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ may be with us! We cannot do with less
than this and we do not need more than this. If we have Grace from
Jesus, we shall have Glory with Jesus, but without it we are without
hope! Standing at the end of the Book of Revelation as this does, I
next regard its position as indicating what we shall need till the end
comes–that is, from now till the descent of our Lord in His Second
Advent. This is the one thing we require, "The Grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with you all."

May it be with us daily, hourly! May it be with us, instructing us as
to our behavior in each generation! May it be with us cleansing us from
all sin; enabling us to walk in the Light of God as He is in the light!
May it be with us, strengthening us to carry our daily burdens and to
bear our witness for His name under the varying circumstances of the
ages. May it be with us counseling us when the trials of life distract
us! May it be with us transfiguring us from glory to glory till we
shall bear the image of Jesus Christ! May it be with us
all-sufficiently! Has He not said, "My Grace is suffi-

cient for you"? May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all
in every way in which you shall require it till He comes! He can
furnish you with the whole armor of God. He can equip you with all the
necessities of the pilgrim life.

For our labor as Gospel fishermen He supplies all the nets that we
shall require. For our work in His vineyard He gives us every tool. May
the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us and we shall be swift of
foot as a young roe and sure of foot as the hart on the mountainside
that slips not, however slippery the crags may be. Only let Christ be
with us and we are complete in Him–perfect in Christ Jesus! All the
equipment that men shall need between earth and Heaven to fight against
Hell, to trample on the world and to enter into eternal perfection is
found in Christ! May His Grace be with you all. Amen.

Placed as this blessing is, at the end of the book, there is but this
one more thought–this is what we shall wish for when the end comes. We
shall come to the end of life, as we come to the end of our Bibles. And
oh, aged Friend, may your failing eyes be cheered with the sight of the
Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ on the last page of life, as you will
find it on the last page of your well-thumbed Bible! Perhaps some of
you may come to the last page of life before you get Divine Grace–I
pray that there you may find it. The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with you! Or, suppose we should not die–suppose the Lord should
suddenly come in His Glory? Oh, then may we have Grace to meet Him!

I am so glad that a benediction closes the Apocalypse, for, as you
stand in the book of Revelation, you hear the thunders roll, peal after
peal! You see the vials poured forth, darkening the air, and sun and
moon turned into blackness and blood! Earth reels beneath your feet and
stars fall like fig leaves from the trees! You are full of confusion
and dismay until you hear this holy whisper, "The Grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with you." Let every star of the firmament fall where
it will–the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is with us! Rock and reel,
you mountains! Be dissolved, O Earth, and pass away! If the Grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ is with us, we fear not the end!

We can serenely look upon the wreck of matter and the crash of worlds.
Let the last august tribunal sit and men summoned to stand before it to
receive their final doom–we shall, without trembling, advance before
that Great White Throne and stand there, if the Grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ is with us–

"Bold shall I stand in that great day, For who anything to my charge
shall lay? While through His blood absolved I am From sin's tremendous
curse and shame." Oh, happy are they, shrouded, sheltered and hidden in
Christ their Savior, to whom His Grace shall be like the white robes of
Mount Tabor's transfiguration, for they shall be accepted in the
Beloved, glorified in the Glory of their Master! These are they to whom
the text shall be fulfilled–"The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with you all."

Finally, Brothers and Sisters, farewell, and as you go out I would like
just to take my place at the doorway, to offer my hand of friendship
and say to each one, "Farewell for a little while. This is my best wish
for you–The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you." Will you
start back and say, "Sir, I know nothing of this Grace"? Then would I
ask you to stay a moment while I breathe the prayer, "The Grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ be with you." Maybe there is only a tear of penitence
in your eye, no light of faith is there as yet. May the Grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ be with you, poor broken-hearted Penitent! Maybe you
do not know Jesus, yet, and you are only seeking Him. His Grace be with
you now–may He manifest Himself to you!

And you, Backslider, do you feel as if you cannot receive a blessing?
The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be especially with you, to raise you
up and set you on your feet again, as He did fallen Peter! I would
like, if I could, to say to the stranger within our gates, tonight, who
does not often attend the House of God–it is our heart's desire for
you that you may know the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in truth! To
the boys and girls here, the pastor says, "God bless you." Little Mary,
or Jane, or John, or Willie, or whatever your name may be, "The Grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you," for He says, "Suffer the little
children to come unto Me, and forbid them not."

As for you, gray-headed Friends, you who will soon be Home, I wish you
this parting blessing, "The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with
you." Till I see you again, "God bless you." Till the day breaks and
the shadows flee away, may the Lord Jesus never be absent from you.
Amen and amen!
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Two Good Things