Israel’s Hope–Or, The Center of the Target

Israel's Hope–Or, The Center of the Target

(No. 2199)

A SERMON INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD'S-DAY, APRIL 19, 1891,

DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

"Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and
with Him is plenteous redemption." Psalm 130:7.

When he penned this Psalm, the writer, David, was in deep distress, if
not of circumstances, yet of conscience. He constantly mentions
iniquities and begs forgiveness. He felt like a shipwrecked mariner,
carried overboard into the raging sea. Thus he reviews the
situation–"Out of the depths have I cried unto You, O Lord." Yet he
lived to tell the tale of deliverance! His prayer from among the waves
was a memory worth preserving and he preserves it. The mercy of God to
him he weaves into a song for us–and in this our text is found.

Two things the rescued sufferer tells us. First, that, as God delivered
him from the power of sin, so He will deliver all His praying,
wrestling, believing people. That is the last verse of the Psalm–"He
shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities." The argument is–He
delivered me. What am I more than others? The gracious Lord who saved
me will save all those who call upon Him in truth. He delivered me,
though laden with iniquities, and His pardoning mercy is unfailing and,
therefore, He can and will rescue others from their uttermost
distresses. This is a good line of reasoning, for the Lord's ways are
constant and He will do for all Believers what He has done for one of
them.

The other thing which the Psalmist sets before us is this–we are wise
if we apply to God, alone, for help. He says, "I wait for the Lord, my
soul does wait. My soul waits for the Lord more than they that watch
for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning." He
incidentally tells us that it is vain to wait upon man and put our
trust in any human support, for the way of deliverance only lies in
reliance upon God, immediately and alone. We are not to depend upon
outward means, but upon the God who lends efficacy to all means. Why is
it that we need to be told of this? Why is faith in God so rare? To go
first to the Lord is to save time! Straightforward always makes the
best runner and to go straight to God is not only our duty, but it will
be our happiest course. The Psalm encourages us to this by the
assurance that the Lord can and will help all that seek Him–and it
urges us to let that seeking be distinctly and directly turned to the
Most High, to Him alone and to none other. To join another ground of
confidence with the Lord is a sort of practical idolatry which is to
the wounding of faith.

May we learn well the lesson of this Psalm! When we meet with a man who
has been in special trouble and he has escaped from it, we are anxious
to know how it came to pass in order that if we are cast into similar
trial, we also may resort to the same door of hope. You meet with a man
that has long been sorely afflicted–to find him full of joy at his
relief is a pleasure and a personal comfort! You heard him lamenting
for years and now you hear him rejoicing–and this excites your wonder
and your hope! It is as though a cripple saw another lame man leaping
and running. He very naturally enquires, "How is this?" The other day
you saw a blind man begging in the street–and now he has eyes bright
as that which sparkle on the face of a gazelle–and you cry in
astonishment–"Tell me who was the oculist that operated on your eyes,
for I may be in the same case and I would be glad to know where to go."
Here, then, we have a gate of knowledge opened before us. The Psalmist
found salvation and deliverance in going directly to God and trusting
in Him! Let us follow his example and in all times of distress, caused
by our own iniquity, or by anything else, let us repair to the Throne
of Grace, for the Most High will also deal with us even as He dealt
with His servant of old, to whose cries, out of the depths, He lent an
attentive ear. This Psalm is called "De Profundis"– its teaching is
not only profound but practical.

Let me freely speak with you as concerning the great salvation which,
as fallen creatures, we all need. In that matter our only resort must
be to God, alone, for, "salvation is of the Lord." God has been
pleased, in these last days, to reveal Himself in a glorious manner,
suitable to our salvation. He was always to be seen in creation by
those whose sight was not darkened by moral evil and, doubtless,
angelic eyes always beheld Jehovah in all the works of His hands. He
was to be seen under the old Law in types and shadows and, believing
men and women were enabled, by the illumination of the Holy Spirit, to
behold the Lord in His Temple. But in these last days, the Lord has
spoken to us by His Son, whom He has made heir of all things, and in
whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. There is the Father
most clearly to be seen–and now, if we read that Israel is to hope in
the Lord and if we see that the way of salvation lies in relying upon
"the Lord"–we must read between the lines and understand that the
glorious Lord must always be the object of faith according as He, at
this time, reveals Himself.

It is written, "They that know Your name will put their trust in You."
That is to say, they trust, as they know how He reveals Himself. At
this moment the manifestation of God stands thus–His dear Son has
descended from the highest heavens and taken upon Himself our human
nature, so that He is God and Man in one sacred and mysterious Person!
In that complex form, the Word made flesh dwelt among men on earth some
30 years and more. And then He took upon Himself the weight of human
sin and bore it upon His shoulders up to the Cross. He was arrested by
the hand of Divine Justice and treated by Justice as if He had been a
sinner, though sinner He could never be. He was numbered with the
transgressors and given over to wicked men, who, in their willful
malice, scourged Him, spit upon Him, crowned Him with thorns and
condemned Him to a felon's death. He died, not for any iniquity of His
own, but for the transgression of His people was He smitten. The
chastisement of our peace was upon Him. Yes, "He was made a curse for
us" and even more–"He was made sin for us, that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him." "He died, the Just for the unjust, that
He might bring us to God."

If, then, we would trust God for our personal salvation, we must
confide in Him as He manifests Himself for that purpose. And as we
perceive that God sets forth Christ to be the Propitiation for our sin,
we must accept that ordained way of putting away our sin. This is the
way in which, "with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous
redemption." And thus it is that, "He shall redeem Israel from all his
iniquities." We trust in the Lord God as He reveals Himself in the
Person of His Son Christ Jesus who has displayed in His own self the
Love and the Justice of God–and has shown how these were equally
glorified by the way of redemption through the substitution and
sacrifice of One who is the Fellow of the Highest, and yet next-of-kin
to man! Our Lord has buried our sin in His sepulcher and has gone up
into Heaven to plead, there, with God, for transgressors and, at the
same time, to prepare a place for as many as believe in Him and so are
saved by His plenteous redemption! Understand, then, that if we read in
the text, "Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is
mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption," we now, today, in the
light of the Gospel, read it thus–"Let the seeking sinner, who would
be redeemed from all his iniquities, trust in God as He is seen in and
through Jesus Christ, for there forgiveness is freely given through
plenteous redemption, and sin is no longer marked or imputed to the
Believer, because the sacrifice of Jesus has blotted it out and removed
it forever."

This is the introduction of our discourse. May the Holy Spirit now
grant His anointing both to preacher and hearers!

I. The chief point to which I desire you to give earnest heed is
this–in obtaining Gospel blessings, THE FIRST EXERCISES OF FAITH MUST
BE TOWARDS GOD IN CHRIST JESUS and not towards the blessings,
themselves. "Let Israel hope in the Lord." We do not read, "Let Israel
hope for mercy." But we read, "Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with
the Lord there is mercy." Neither does it say, Let Israel hope for
plenteous redemption." But it is worded thus, "Let Israel hope in the
Lord: for with the Lord there is plenteous redemption." To me this has
the look of a very encouraging Truth of God–the sinner is not to
hasten with his first thoughts to the mercy that he needs, nor even to
the promise of God to which he may look–but he is to go to the Lord
Jesus Christ, Himself, as the Lord of Mercy and Fountain of Redemption!
The first exercise of our faith is to deal immediately with the Lord
God as He meets us in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here let me say that this is the most natural order which faith can
follow. Look first to the Giver and then to the gift! Look for the
Helper and then for the help! Do not be saying, "I long to be forgiven.
I labor to believe that I am forgiven. I desire to be saved. I want to
know that I am saved." This is looking for the fruit, when you have
need, first, to find the

tree! Your first business, as a seeker of pardon and salvation, is to
believe in Jesus Christ, that is, to trust yourself with the Divine
Savior. The natural order is believe in the Promiser and then you will
believe the promise! You never say to yourself, "I should like to be
able to take that man's word. I will sit down and try to make my mind
confident of the truth of what he says." This would be a foolish and
futile method of procedure. You follow a much more reasonable
course–you enquire about the individual's character and standing–you
find out who he is, what he is and what he has done. And thus you
gather arguments for confidence and faith. You cannot help believing
the promise when once you believe in the promiser. If you find a
merchant to be an eminently upright and substantial man, you do not
hesitate to take his checks. In fact, you would be glad to have your
wallet full of them! Faith prizes the promises of her faithful God, and
calls them precious.

Apply this rule and deal with heavenly things in due order. You seek
pardon. Do not look continually at this priceless mercy at first, but
look to the pardoning God! You will soon believe in forgiveness if you
cause the first exercise of your faith to refer to the Forgiver, even
Christ Jesus, Himself. When you have believed in Him, as able to say,
"Your sins are forgiven you," then you will believe in sins being
forgiven! This is the natural order of things. So, also, if you desire
to believe for salvation and to be assured that you have it, or may
have it at once, the simple course–the natural course–is to believe
in the Savior! To be healed, you believe first in the Healer. When you
have believed in the Savior, then you will believe in the salvation. If
you know that Jesus can save you; if you desire to be saved, you will
trust Him to save you. You will be readily able to believe that you can
be saved when you trust in Jesus as able to save to the uttermost.

Poor trembling Heart, do not look at the blessing and say, "Alas, it is
too great!" Look at the Savior Himself! Is anything too great for Him
to give who gave His heart's blood to redeem? Do not say, "My heart is
so hard it cannot be changed." Look at the Savior–is anything
impossible to Him to whom the Father has committed all power? Is He not
mighty to save? Fix your eyes, first and foremost, upon Him who is both
God and Man and has, therefore, power and sympathy, majesty and mercy,
Omnipotence and brotherliness. I pray you, do not consider so much the
greatness of the effect as the unlimited power of the Cause. I may
doubt my washing, but not when I believe in the cleansing virtue of the
precious blood! It may be difficult to believe in my salvation, but not
to believe in my Savior! It may be hard to hope for Heaven, but the
text sets me an easier task–"Let Israel hope in the Lord." When I open
my window God-wards and look towards the Lord Jesus, I see glorious
things in the light of the rising sun, even things which I could not
have seen if I had not first turned towards the light. "In the
beginning God"–this, according to the first chapter of Genesis, is the
natural order of all Divine work–do not attempt to alter it.

To this I would add, this is the necessary order. It must be so–the
Savior first and then the salvation. Suppose, for a moment, that it
were possible for you to obtain pardon without Christ–what good would
it do you? I would remind you that no blessing is a Covenant blessing,
or a blessing at all, except as it is connected with Christ Jesus and
so with the Lord God. No comfort is worth having if Jesus does not
comfort us! No forgiveness is worth the words which utter it if Jesus
does not forgive. There is no coming to the Father except by Christ.
If, therefore, I imagine that I have come to the Father without Christ,
it is clear that I have not come! If I fancy that I have saving
blessings apart from the appointed Savior, I am a deceived man!
Beloved, do not seek after mercy, pardon, holiness, Heaven–except
through Christ Jesus our Lord–for you will be seeking counterfeits,
shadows, delusions. Begin at the Cross! See how Jesus puts it–"Come
unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest." He does not first say, "Take My yoke upon you," but first, "Come
unto Me." He first gives us rest and then, afterwards, we find it. But
we begin with coming to

Him.

First Christ and then His yoke. First Christ and then rest. Do not ask
for rest, first, and then say, "I will come to Christ afterwards." This
is an impossible order! Do not even say, "I must get a broken heart and
then come to Christ." No, come to Christ FOR a broken heart! I preach a
Savior to you, tonight, who wants nothing of you, but who is ready to
begin with you at the beginning, just where you are, in all your
unworthiness and ill desert–in all your depravity and vileness! He is
ready to take you up from the mire of the pit wherein you lie and to
look on you with love in all the pollution with which you are
disgraced! Come, then, and begin with Jesus! It is the necessary order
of your coming–first to Christ and then to His yoke and to His peace.
Let your faith exercise itself, not so much on what you ought to be, or
on what you hope to be, as on what Christ is and on His ability to make
you all that your heart pines after. Hear the good word of my text and
give good heed to it. Note well the permission of heavenly love–"Let
Israel hope in the Lord."

Observe, also, that, as it is the natural order and the necessary
order, so it is evidently the easiest order. Sometimes it seems, to a
burdened heart, to be more than difficult to believe in the pardon of
innumerable sins–it appears impossible. Guilty One, do not try to
believe in pardon in the abstract, but believe in Jesus the Sacrifice
and Savior, who has once and for all appeared to put away sin. Believe
in the Divine Substitute and then you will believe that the forgiveness
of your sins is a thing provided for by Him. Do not even say, "I can
never be sanctified. Such a wretched sinner as I am could never be made
into a saint." Do not try to believe in sanctification, but rely upon
the boundless power of Jesus to "make you perfect in every good work to
do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight."
For all parts of salvation, hope in the Lord and look to His hands for
the working thereof. Forget yourself, now, and only think of Him who
works all things according to the good pleasure of His will. Cease
looking for the water and look for the Well! You will more readily see
the Savior than see salvation, for He is lifted up, even He who is God,
and beside Him there is none else. You will more easily fix your eyes
on Jesus than upon justification, sanctification, or any other separate
blessing. When the work seems hard, look to His hands–"Is anything too
hard for the Lord?"

You may fix your eyes upon a Covenant promise till it dazzles you, but
if you see Jesus, the sight will strengthen your eyes and you will see
the promise in Him–and perceive it to be, yes and amen, to the Glory
of God. It is easier to believe in a personal Christ than in impersonal
promises. That poor woman who was sick, in Jesus Christ's day, might
have said to herself, "It is impossible that I should be healed," but
then she thought not so much of the healing as of the Healer– and when
she saw Jesus walking about among the crowds, healing all manner of
diseases–and when she believed that God was in Him, why, then she
inferred that He could heal her disease! And so she came up behind Him
and touched the hem of His garment. She sought Him and so sought
healing! Stay in this line–let not the devil take you from it–that
the first object of your faith should be the Lord Jesus, for by Him, as
the Ladder which God has set up, you can climb to the highest place of
privilege and lay hold upon the choicest gift of Divine Grace!

This is the way to God, Himself, and the only way which our human feet
can tread. Consider well who Christ was and what He has done–and then
you will conclude that He can save even you! By looking to Him, you
will be saved and what is easier than to look? To hope in God is a far
more simple matter than to search for signs and evidences in yourself,
or to labor to force yourself up into certain states of mind. Answer
the question, "Will He save me?" by looking to see what kind of a
Savior Jesus is–and when you perceive the Glory of His Person, the
perfection of His obedience and the merit of His blood–you will be
convinced that you may safely trust in Him according to His command,
for He commands you to believe! Jesus declares, "Him that comes to Me I
will in no wise cast out." Let us come at once, for it is the nearest
and best road to peace!

To come, first of all, to God in Christ Jesus is the wisest course. You
are too bewildered to know which blessing to seek, therefore seek
Jesus, Himself, and He will be unto you wisdom! It is easier to come to
the Cross than to the separate blessings which come of it. Take the
straight road which lies plainly before your face.

In faintness and trembling of heart we dare not appropriate a
mercy–our palsied hands cannot grasp a favor and, therefore, it is our
wisdom to fall at Jesus' feet and let Him give us what seems good to
Him. Through our ignorance, we know not what to ask for–and through
our doubt we are afraid to ask–therefore, let us leave all with our
Lord. We need the wine and oil, but we are sorely wounded and shall do
well to lie still and let Him pour them in. When the Good Samaritan is
come, all is come. Let us, therefore, neither cry for wine nor oil, but
for HIM–we know His name! The wisdom of the prayer is seen in its
completeness. At first, sinners, conscious of their ill desert, cry to
be saved from Hell and this is the most of their prayer. But suppose
the Lord should give them this and not change their natures–would they
be one whit the better? If there were no fires of Tophet, so long as a
man has sin within him, he creates his own Hell! In seeking the Lord
Jesus, a man finds escape from punishment and much more. No man knows
enough to be able to ask for an all-round salvation–he will only seek
this or that which seems to him most pressingly necessary. We are too
ignorant, too much the creatures of feeling, too partial, too childish
to make a catalog of what we need. But we can ask for Jesus, and He is
all in one! How excellent is that hymn of ours with the refrain–

"Give me Christ, or else I die!"

We have asked all when we have asked for the Savior anointed of the
Lord. When our hope is in God through the Mediator whom He has
appointed, we hope in Him in a way which renders our hope sure and
steadfast–and this is the highest wisdom. In laying hold upon Jesus
you have obtained not only something, but everything. In looking first
to

Jesus, you have sought for the Kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and you know the promise that all other things shall be added. If you
need strength, comfort, guidance, fruitfulness and anything else that
makes up eternal salvation, behold, you have it in your Lord! Nothing
that is needed for a soul between this present state of trial and the
perfection of Heaven is omitted from Christ–"you are complete in Him."
If, therefore, you make Him the first object of your faith, and lay
hold upon Him, rather than upon any or all blessings, you are delivered
from anxiety as to whether your ignorant prayers have comprehended all
you need–and this is be a wise course to follow.

It is, therefore, the most profitable course for needy souls like
ourselves. By grasping our Lord and hoping in Him, we fill our hands,
not with brass or silver, but with gold of Ophir. Let others hope where
they may, but let Israel, the Prince, hope in the Lord from whom he has
already won such royal favors. I see at times, in the newspaper,
"Principals only will be dealt with," and in our heavenly business we
had better keep to this rule. Go not to the servants–make all your
applications to the Master–and in your dealings with Him seek not so
much His gifts as Himself, for the Giver is always greater than what He
gives! The bottle of water which Hagar carried for Ishmael is a poor
thing compared with that well of God beside which Isaac abode. Fruit
from a choice tree is well, but apples of gold in baskets of silver are
not to be despised. But, if one can have the tree planted in his own
garden, he is far richer. Our Lord is the apple tree among the trees of
the forest and, to possess HIM, is to have the best of the best, yes,
all things that can be desired! Covenant blessings are streams, but our
Lord Jesus is the Wellhead. Believe for the infinite, immutable,
inexhaustible "deep which lies under," and you may sink as many wells
as you please.

I believe that in every case wherein the soul finds peace, this is the
actual order. We may go about after pardon, renewal and holiness, but
we find no rest unto our souls while hunting for these. As a matter of
fact, we look unto HIM and are lightened–and not by any other means.
If, by aiming even at repentance, we are taken off from the Lord–we
are taken off the right road. It is possible even to look to faith in
such a manner as to forget the Object of faith! It is not my hand, but
what my hand grasps that saves me when I lay hold on Christ! It is not
my eye, but what my eyes see which saves me when I look to Jesus! In
very deed no heart can find salvation in that which comes forth from
itself–its hope lies only in the Lord, alone, to whom it must trust
for everything. Beware of trusting to an anchor which lies on your own
deck, or to a confidence which depends in the least degree on yourself.
"Let Israel hope in the Lord." Now the Lord is not self, nor will He be
joined with self! The Lord is beyond and outside of all that the
creation can find within, or hope to produce from itself. Mercy and
redemption are with the Lord, not with self. Why, then, should we look
where, in the very nature of things, those are not and cannot be? Why
not look to the Lord, in whom, alone, all heavenly treasures abide?

This, then, is my message to every man or woman who desires salvation,
"Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and
with Him is plenteous redemption." Do not begin by hoping in mercy and
redemption, for these are not to be found apart from the Lord–but go
at once to that Divine Person with whom there is mercy and plenteous
redemption–then both of those will be granted to you. I wish I knew
how to put this so plainly that every bewildered and cast-down spirit
would catch my meaning and accept its counsel. I would also have
preachers learn a lesson from the point I have been driving at. Let
them not so much preach sinners to Christ as preach Christ to sinners.
I am persuaded that a full and clear declaration of what Jesus is, as
to His Person, offices, Character, work and authority would do more to
produce faith than all our exhortations. "Whoever believes in Him has
everlasting life"–but how shall they believe unless they hear of Him?

The very best topic for the immediate conversion of men is Christ
Crucified–the doctrine that God was in Christ reconciling the world
unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. I know one that
came in here full of evil, living an unchaste life–and the text was,
"He that believes in Him has everlasting life." There would not seem to
be anything about the sermon to convict of sin but the charming mercy
of God won that heart, and that heart, being won by love, learned at
once to hate evil and to serve the Lord Jesus in all that is pure,
lovely and of good report! There sat in this very house, not long ago,
side by side with one who is still in the service of Satan, a woman who
had not attended the House of God for years. Nothing was heard but the
simple proclamation of the Grace of God in Christ Jesus to the
guilty–and she was shot down by the side of her companion–the thought
of the amazing mercy and infinite love of God, in giving His Son to
die, touched her heart and she began to weep. Immediately her companion
upbraided her, but she answered, "I have found mercy." That was enough
for her–she made no other excuse for her emotion.

I pray that the same effects may follow this sermon. I bid you hope in
the Lord! Look not to abstract mercy! Look not to any feelings or
resolves in yourselves! Look not, even, to the hearing of the Word of
God, or to promises, alone, but look to Jesus, who still lives, and who
is in the midst of His people at this time, waiting to receive all who
are willing to come to Him! While I tell you this, I am praying the
Holy Spirit to bless the Word to your souls, so that, at once, without
delay, you may look only to the Lord and may trust in Him and be saved!
You are allowed to do so, for the text says, "Let Israel hope in the
Lord." If the Scripture permits, who shall forbid?

II. Another form of the same Truth of God now invites our
attention–ALL EXERCISES OF FAITH IN REFERENCE TO OTHER THINGS MUST BE
IN CONNECTION WITH THE LORD. I began with our first exercise of faith,

but I would not end there. As the stars called, "the Pointers," always
point to the polestar, so must our faith always look to God in Christ
Jesus. Having begun with Jesus, our faith must not look elsewhere. Let
Israel always hope in the Lord, for with Him is what she still
requires. What do you need tonight, dear Friend? Ask, and you shall
receive–but ask only of the Lord! Knock, but knock at the same door!
Plead, but when you are pleading, still plead the name of Jesus!
Whenever you are expecting a heavenly favor, expect it from the Father
through His dear Son, by the Holy Spirit! Whenever you are longing,
long for nothing more than there is in Christ! And whenever you obtain
a mercy, remember that you have received it only because you have, by
faith, received Jesus, and so have become a child of God. Whenever you
rejoice in a mercy, take care that you do not so much glory in it as in
the Lord from whom it came. Hope in the Lord and never have any hope in
yourself, for that would be a fruitless, groundless, rootless, sapless
hope! You are still to find mercy and plenteous redemption in the Lord
alone.

I am afraid that sometimes we seek mercies apart from God the Giver, or
apart from Christ, the channel of their bestowal–and this is always
ill of us. Avoid such dangerous error! I read in the papers,
frequently, allusions to "Providence." I know what I mean by
Providence, but I do not know what the newspapers mean by it. I fear it
is only a convenient phrase, a conventional expression which is not to
be too carefully examined. They do not mean a living, foreseeing,
providing, working Personality–that would be too much like religion!
They admit a certain something, "a power which makes for
righteousness," a nonentity called, "Providence." I have too often
heard Christian people talk about thanking Providence. What is that? Do
you mean, "thank God"? If so, say it boldly! It is God that provides.
God arranges, God overrules, God works out His gracious designs! Again,
how often do we hear of, "Nature" doing this and, "Nature" being that
and, "Nature" producing the other! What do you mean? An infidel, some
time ago, was speaking in the open air and he orated very eloquently
about the elevating influences of Nature and what a blessing it was to
study Nature. A friend in the crowd said to him, "That is very pretty,
but would you have the goodness to tell me what Nature is, which does
all this?" The orator answered tartly, "Every fool knows what Nature
is." "Well," said the questioner, "then it will be easy to tell us."
"Nature," said the speaker, "Well, Nature is Nature."

Just so. That is where it ended. And so it is with very many people
when they talk about Providence or Nature. Let us not speak without
knowing what we mean, or without declaring our meaning. We do not erect
an altar and inscribe it TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. We know the Lord and are
known of Him and, therefore, we should speak of Him as our hope, our
trust, our joy! We know no Providence apart from Jehovah-Jireh, the God
who foresees and provides! To us there is no fickle chance, but the
Lord reigns. Equally to us is there no blind, inexorable fate, but the
Most High decrees and works out His wise and sovereign will! Therefore
do not let God's Israel talk as if they hoped in luck or fate, but let
them, "hope in the Lord," and acknowledge their reliance upon a
personal God who is always working for them–"for with Him is mercy,
and with Him is plenteous redemption."

Now, dear Brothers and Sisters, do you need mercy? In your prayers for
pardoning mercy, quote the Savior's Sacrifice. Do you need sparing
mercy? Mention Him whom God did not spare in the great atoning day. Do
you need restoring mercy? Plead Him whom God brought again from the
dead! Do you need to behold the light of Jehovah's Countenance? Plead
Him who said, "Why have You forsaken Me?" In hoping for mercy, set the
eyes of your hope upon the Lord Jesus and let no mercy be hoped for by
you apart from Him! Remember what happened to Uzziah. He was a man of
God and a king–but when he had grown very great, he thought that he
would act as priest for himself. He went into the sanctuary of the Lord
and burned incense on his own account–without the Lord's appointed
priest–and he was struck with leprosy! And not only was he thrust out
of the Temple, but he, himself, hurried to get out!

I tremble for those in whom I see any sign of going before God in right
of their own character. I fear that among God's own professing people
there are some who are so conscious of their own knowledge and growth,
that they pray without Christ, praise without Christ, and talk of being
no longer in need of confessing sin! They dare to act without humbly
depending upon the Presence of the great High Priest–and then they
fall into sin and thus they are struck with leprosy and, perhaps, to
their dying day they can never enter into such fellowship with God as
once they knew. I would do nothing without Jesus! I would not even wish
to repent except my eyes were upon the Cross. I would not hope to think
a holy thought except as my soul still gazed upon Jesus my All. Away,
away with every idea of mercy except it is mercy received through
Jesus, for He, alone, is full of Grace and of His fullness must we
receive! I would bind you, Brothers and Sisters, if I could, to the
Cross as your one hope! I pray the Lord bind me forever to the
Cross–the wounds my only fountains of hope, the blood and water my
only cleansing! Go, you who have a righteousness of your own, and hope
elsewhere! The only hope of my soul is the bleeding, dying, buried,
risen, coming Savior! "Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord
there is mercy," and with Him, alone! All the exercises of faith about
mercy must always be tethered to the Cross. Mercy flows through Christ
alone.

So is it with "plenteous redemption." What a grand utterance that
is–"plenteous redemption!" I would like to dwell upon it. Is there not
rare music in the sound? It means plenteous forgiveness for plenteous
sin, through a price paid, a ransom given. Only in Christ can you find
this! "With Him is plenteous redemption." Do not dream of finding
redemption in ordinances, in prayers, in tears, or in anything but the
life and death and Person of the Son of God! "With Him is plenteous
redemption." He has paid a great price and, therefore, a great debt is
blotted out! Great offenses are forgiven, but only through the precious
blood of our adorable Redeemer.

"Plenteous redemption." Why, that means deliverance from the bondage of
many lusts, freedom from the thralldom of strong passions, a ransom of
captives from fierce taskmasters! My God, I long to be so delivered and
redeemed! And there is with You all Grace, power and provision for
plenteous deliverance by redemption–but this is found in Christ alone.
I charge you, my Hearers, do not look for escape from the slavery of
sin apart from the redemption of Christ! Do not expect to overcome the
smallest sin except by the blood of the Lamb! There is nothing, I
believe, more deceiving than the notion of the unregenerate heart that
it is seeking after holiness–though it is destitute of the power of
the Holy Spirit and takes no thought of the merit of Jesus Christ. We
need much grace and plenteous redemption in fact–but all of all that
we receive must come to us from the Lord, by Jesus Christ the Mediator!

"Plenteous redemption" includes in its range of meaning great growth in
Divine Grace, abounding usefulness, high spirituality and perfect
preparedness for Heaven. For all these we must hope in the Lord, for
they are with Him. Never think to have redemption in the least or in
the highest degree apart from your hope in the Lord–your trusting in
Christ Jesus.

The pith and marrow of what I have said is this–hope distinctly in the
Lord. There are many stars, but let one, alone, of all the train be the
Object of your believing eye. Lay the foundation of your hope in the
Lord! Go on building up your comfort in the Lord Jesus and in Him bring
forth the top stone. Begin with Christ and end with Christ! As Christ
grows more to you, take care that self grows less and less. If your
Christianity puffs you up, it is not Christ's Christianity. I spoke
just now of King Uzziah, let me refer to him once more. Read in the
Second of Chronicles, chapter 26, at the 15th verse–"He was
marvelously helped, till he was strong." When he became strong, he went
off the lines and we read, "When he was strong, his heart was lifted up
to his destruction." Mind that. God will always help us while we are
weak. When we are strong–what shall I say? Then are we weak and have
need to fear, for we are already being lifted up, or we should not
count ourselves strong–poor, puny creatures that we are! God will
always bless us as long as we confess our dependence upon His blessing.
He will always fill us as long as we are empty! He will always feed us
as long as we are hungry. He will be your All in All so long as you are
nothing.

But the moment you boast in yourself, and say, "I am rich, and
increased in goods, and have need of nothing," you will be left to
learn that you are naked, poor and miserable! Woe was the day in which
dust and ashes set up somebody! Nebuchadnezzar is proud and soon finds
a rapid descent from the throne to eating grass like cattle! Worms, in
the Presence of the Lord, do all they may do when they hope–they do
all they can do when they hope in Him! They have nothing but sin and He
has mercy upon them. They are slaves to evil, but He has plenteous
redemption with which to set them free. The poorest, weakest, saddest
among us may hope in the Lord, for He can do all things! Therefore, let
us end our

meeting with each one of us hoping in the Lord–and let us continue in
our faith in "the God of hope"–till we receive the Heaven we hope for
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

PORTIONS OFSCRIPTURE READ BEFORE SERMON–Psalm 130, John 3.