“Never, No Never, No Never”

"Never, No Never, No Never"

(No. 3150)

A SERMON PUBLISHED ON THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 1909.

DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON LORD'S-DAY EVENING, MARCH
16, 1873.

"Let your conversation be without covetousness: and be content with
such things as you have. For He has said, I will never leave you, nor
forsake you. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I
will not fear what man shall do unto me." Hebrews 13:5, 6.

[Other Sermons by Mr. Spurgeon upon the whole or parts of these two
verses, are as follows–Sermons #477, Volume 8–NEVER! NEVER! NEVER!
NEVER! NEVER!; #1449, Volume 24–A VILE WEED AND A FAIR FLOWER and
#1880, Volume 32–A LESSON AND A FORTUNE FOR CHRISTIAN MEN OF
BUSINESS–.]

WHEN the Lord foretold, through the mouth of His servant, the Prophet
Isaiah, that He would "make unto all people a feast of fat things, a
feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow," surely He
must have had in His mind such precious Truths of God as this one which
we have in our text, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." This is
the very essence of consolation! I might truly say that it is the
quintessence of delight! Here is solid spiritual food condensed into a
very small space. Take these eight words and extract the marrow from
them, or treat them as a honeycomb and get the sweetness out of them
into your soul–and it will be full of content, no, more–it will be
overflowing with sacred delight! "I will never leave you, nor forsake
you."

I. With such a text before us, we need no further preface, so we will
at once begin our meditation upon the text. And first, I will ask you
to VIEW THESE WORDS AS A QUOTATION.

You observe that the Apostle writes, "He has said, I will never leave
you, nor forsake you," from which it plainly appears that Paul was
quoting from Holy Writ. This should teach us how necessary it is for
us, also, to quote Scripture whenever we can. The Holy Spirit abounds
in gracious thoughts and in fitting language in which to express those
thoughts, so He has no need to make extracts from what He has
previously said. Yet He pleases to do so. Instead of giving us a new
promise, He here gives us an old one over again, as if to remind us
that there are no better things in the world than the Words of God,
Himself, and that the very noblest expressions are those which have
been already used!

Besides, the Holy Spirit here puts honor upon the Old Testament by
quoting from it for the consolation of New Testament Believers. There
are some persons who seem to think more of the New Testament than they
do of the Old Testament. I have met with Christians in Germany with
whom it has been quite a superstition that the Evangelists were
superior to the Apostles and that the Apostles were superior to the
Prophets. I trust that such notions as those will never spread among
us! We see here that when an Apostle writes as an Inspired man, he
quotes from the Pentateuch, he quotes from the Chronicles and he quotes
from the prophecy of Isaiah–so that we are to honor the Old Testament
and not to look upon it as a secondary book compared with the New
Testament, but to reverence the Divine teaching in both portions of the
Inspired Word.

In addition to that, the Holy Spirit bids Paul apply this Old Testament
promise to us to show us that the Words of God spoken to saints in the
ancient times were spoken also to us, so that if the Lord gave a
promise to Jacob, it was not meant to be restricted to Jacob, but to
belong to all those who, like Jacob, can wrestle in prayer! And that if
God spoke, as He did, a promise to Joshua, it was not intended to be
only for Joshua, but for all who were in like circumstances to his.
Scripture promises have, all of them, a message to all Believers–and
if you believe in Jesus Christ–what God has said to other Believers of
old He says this day to you!

I think we may learn much from the fact that this promise is a
quotation from the Old Testament. Where did Paul find it? It is not
very easy to say, because it occurs in various places and the Apostle
has not quoted it literally. He has given the sense rather than the
exact words of the quotation. He may have quoted the Septuagint version
rather than the Hebrew, for no doubt he was familiar with both. There
is not any one text in the Old Testament of which you could positively
say that it is the one he intended, but there are several passages, any
one of which you might say, "The words are almost here, and the spirit
and meaning of the passage are entirely here."

One of the first passages which Paul may be supposed to have quoted is
Genesis 28:15. The fugitive Jacob lies asleep, with a stone for his
pillow. In his dream, he sees a ladder reaching from earth to Heaven.
At the top of it stands the Almighty, who makes a Covenant with
him–and among the other Covenant promises is this, "Behold, I am with
you, and will keep you in all places where you go, and will bring you
again into this land; for I will not leave you until I have done that
which I have spoken to you of." Here you get the words, "I will not
leave you." Does not that passage, in its proper connection, suggest
that the promise is very applicable to young people starting out in
life?Jacob was leaving his father's house under very unfavorable
circumstance and he was going to a distant country where he had
relatives, but strangers might have been kinder to him than Laban was,
for he got all he could out of him and gave him as little in return as
he could! So Jacob, starting for Padanaram, gets this promise from God,
"I will not leave you."

I can conceive of that promise coming to some young friend here. You
have committed yourself to God's keeping. You are a Believer in the
Lord Jesus Christ and now you are about to start on a new career. Some
measure of trembling comes over you and you have been breathing this
prayer to God, "O Lord, lead me in the way in which You would have me
go–guide me in all my untrodden way." It is just possible that you are
going to a distant land and you are a lover of your home, as Jacob was,
and you feel some natural anxiety concerning the change that you are
about to make. Here comes in the promise that is just suited to your
case, "I will not leave you." Jacob proved the truth of that promise.
Although he had many trials, which were, most of them, of his own
making, yet never was he deserted by his God! In his old age, he said,
"All these things are against me," but he was not speaking the truth
when he said that, for even then everything was working for his good!
And, notwithstanding his troubles, he died a blessed old man who was
able to give blessings to others as well as to enjoy them himself. So,
my dear young Friend, take this text as the Lord's promise to you for
many years to come, "I will not leave you until I have done that which
I have spoken to you of."

There is a second passage which is more nearly to the point from which
the Apostle probably quoted. That is Deuteronomy 31:6-8. Moses first
speaks to the children of Israel and he says to them, "Be strong and of
a good courage: fear not, nor be afraid of them: (that is, of the
Canaanites) for the Lord your God, He it is that does go with you; He
will not fail you, nor forsake you." Then turning to Joshua, Moses
says, "The Lord, He it is that does go before you; He will be with you,
He will not fail you, neither forsake you fear not, neither be
dismayed." In Joshua 1:5, we find that the Lord repeated the promise to
Joshua, "I will not fail you, nor forsake you." In the version which
Paul may have read, the words here may have been identical with those
he uses in writing to the Hebrews. What do we learn from the context of
this passage? God was here speaking to those who were about to lose
their leader and who would need this assurance. Moses was about to die.
He had been the mainstay of the children of Israel and they had always
looked up to him as their leader. Under God, Moses was the father of
that nation and he carried them like children in his bosom. If they
wanted water, it was he who smote the Rock to make the stream gush
forth. If they needed that their enemies should be destroyed, it was he
whose uplifted hands brought them the victory! Now Moses was about to
go up to the top of Nebo and to die there–and the people greatly
trembled at the prospect of losing him. But the Lord gave them this
promise to console them, "I will not fail you, nor forsake you."

Moses dies, but Moses' God does not die! The strong man, whose eyes had
not waxed dim, and whose natural force had not abated, must look from
the mountaintop upon the good land beyond the Jordan–and then his God
must take away his soul as with a kiss–yet God would not be gone. He
is the dwelling place of His people in all generations! You see then,
dear Friend, what is the bearing of the text upon your experience. You
have lost, or are about to lose, the mainstay of your house. Your
father is failing in health and you cannot shake off from your mind the
apprehension that in a few more days, you may have to pay a visit to
the grave. One in whom you have rightly reposed much confidence and in
whose presence you have felt that all was well, is soon to be taken
away from you. But be not distressed as though God Himself were about
to die, for Jehovah ever lives and He said to you, "I will not fail
you, nor forsake you." You who are

already, or who soon will be a widow, dry your eyes with this blessed
handkerchief! You who are, or soon will be, a fatherless child, be of
good comfort, for your Father in Heaven will not leave you nor forsake
you! Perhaps I am addressing members of a bereaved Church. You have
lost a man of God who went in and out among you as Moses did among the
children of Israel in the wilderness–and you are asking, "Where is his
successor to come from?" Perhaps there is a Joshua within sight, but
you are half afraid as to whether he will have the power needed to
carry on the great work. Trust that the God who was with Moses will
also be with Joshua and take this promise home to your own heart–and
say to each of your fellow members in the sorrowing Church that the
Lord has said, "I will not fail you, nor forsake you."

There is another passage from which Paul may have quoted, in the first
Book of the Chronicles, in the 28th Chapter, at the 20th verse, where
David says to his son, Solomon, "Be strong and of good courage, and do
it: (that is, build the Temple) fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord
God, even my God, will be with you; He will not fail you, nor forsake
you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house
of the Lord." I scarcely need indicate that the promise is applicable
to any who are about to undertake some great enterprise for God's
Glory. You have not to build a material temple, but you have, perhaps,
to build up a spiritual Church, or to evangelize a wide district, or to
gather together a class of young people–and you feel half afraid that
you are unequal to the task–but will not this promise be like a girdle
about your loins? Will it not strengthen you to do exploits when the
Lord says, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you"? Go in this your
might, O you who are full of weakness and trembling! Go, for God bids
you go and, therefore, let not your heart again ever fear!

One other passage contains part of our text in another form. It is that
well-known one in Isaiah 41:10–"Fear you not; for I am with you: be
not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; yes, I will
help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of My
righteousness." There the promise is enlarged, but the sense of it is
the same–it is a promise of the Divine Presence and of the Divine help
to the Lord's tried and afflicted people!

II. Now we will change the run of our thought and VIEW THESE WORDS AS
AN ADAGE OR HOUSEHOLD

WORD FROM GOD.

I think this must have been a sort of proverb or common saying among
the early Christians, "The Lord has said, I will never leave you, nor
forsake you," and that it was one of the things that they constantly
said, the one to the other. I wish that we had more such holy proverbs
current among us nowadays–that our common sayings were more worth
saying than they often are, and that our proverbial philosophy were
more truly Christian philosophy!

This saying, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you," is peculiarly a
saying of God. Paul puts a, "Thus says the Lord" to this saying–"He
has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you." To my mind, it
invests these words with special power to my soul when I remember that
it is God who speaks to me and to each of my fellow Believers, and
says, "I–Isay this, I will never leave you, nor forsake you." As I
repeat these words, they may not seem to you to have much power in
them, but if the Holy Spirit will impress these simple syllables upon
your heart, they will come to you full of the music of Heaven and you
will realize that it is GOD who says, "I will never leave you, nor
forsake you."

Further, these words are remarkably forcible in the original. You
probably have heard that in the Greek there are no less than five
negatives. We cannot well translate them into English except in such
language as that of the verse we were singing just now–

"The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose, I will not, I will not
desert to his foes! That soul, though all Hell should endeavor to
shake, I'll never, no never, no never forsake!"

In our English language, two negatives would destroy each other, but it
is not so in the Greek language–and the heaping up, as it were, of
these denials on God's part of all thought of ever forsaking His people
ought to be sufficient to satisfy even the most doubtful among us! If
God has said, "I will not, not, NOT, no never forsake My people," we
must believe Him! And we must chase away all thought of the possibility
of the Lord's forsaking His servants, or leaving them to perish.

These words also derive much of their preciousness as a Christian
proverb from the fact that they relate to God Himself and His people.
They are God's own words and they speak concerning Himself–"Iwill not
leave you." This is not merely a promise of deliverance out of trouble,
or of the presence of angels to bear us up in their hands lest we dash
our

feet against a stone. God is not here promising us any temporal
mercies, nor indeed any spiritual mercies by themselves, but He is
speaking concerning Himself, who is the Substance of all His own
promises, but Infinitely greater than the promises! And He says, "I
will never leave you, nor forsake you."

And you will observe that this promise ensures to us God's Presence and
God's help. "I will never leave you"–that is, "I will always be with
you"–"nor forsake you." The force of that promise is, "Being with you,
I will never let you work alone. I will help you. I will not desert you
as to My Presence and I will not desert you as to My succor. I will be
with you and I will help you in all that you have to do." This is a
double promise and it is doubly sweet!

Besides that, this promise wards off from us the most terrible calamity
that could possibly occur to us. It may help to make this promise
increasingly precious to us if we think for a minute what would become
of us if God did leave us or forsake us. Then, indeed, might the
heavens be hung with blackness and the light of the sun be put out
forever if God should leave us! The straight road to Hell would be open
before us and we should soon be going there if we were forsaken of God.
It would have been far better to never have been born, or never to have
known the way of life at all than, after all, to be deserted of God and
be left to perish! Thank God that can never be the portion of anyone
who has truly trusted in Him.

Recollect also that, if He had not been God, He would have forsaken us
long ago. Our patience with our fellow creatures holds out but a very
little while. But it is because God is God and, therefore, changes not,
that we are not consumed. Have you not done a thousand times enough to
have made Him forsake you if He were like the sons of men? I confess
sorrowfully that I know I have. And if He could turn from His eternal
purpose, and if His everlasting love could change, then surely He would
long ago have cast my poor soul far away from His Presence, to receive
its well-deserved punishment! Is it not a blessed thing to think that
the very thing that is most to be feared by any man can never happen to
a Believer, for God has said, "I will never leave you, nor forsake
you"? You well deserve to be forsaken of God, but He will never leave
you! He will deal with you in the way of Grace, and not of Justice. If
He left you, you would utterly perish, but He will not and cannot do
so–you are too dear to Him for His heart to ever turn away from you.

And while this promise averts from us the direst ill, it secures to us
the richest possible blessing. To have God with us–is there anything
beneath the sky–is there anything above the sky that is a choicer
blessing than that? To be with God and to have God with us is the very
Heaven of heavens! And he who has this blessing here has a veritable
Heaven upon earth! No other blessings can ever be compared with this
one. No mirth of them that make merry in the dance, or of those who
shout by reason of wine can ever be likened to the holy excitement and
enthusiasm of a soul that is in the Presence of God and knows that it
is there! To be helped of God, which is the second part of the promise,
is bliss indeed. What better help than that does anyone need? We are
glad to be helped by our fellow Christians who have the ability to aid
us–but to be helped of God is to have the Treasury of Heaven and the
great deeps of Divine Omnipotence to draw upon! Whatever it is that we
really need, we already have if God is with us, for, "no good thing
will he withheld from them that walk uprightly." The best of blessings
are secured to the man or woman to whom God has said, "I will never
leave you, nor forsake you."

Then, Beloved friends, this is a promise that only God could give. The
husband whispers in the ear of his wife, "I will never leave you, nor
forsake you," but he forgets the hour of death when he must go from all
below. The mother, as she presses her child to her bosom, says, "I will
never leave you, nor forsake you," but she knows not how soon that
little child may be an orphan to need another's care. Friend says to
friend, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you," forgetting how
changeable human friendships are, for many are the hearts that have
been torn asunder by vows, honestly whispered at the time, which have
been forgotten through the lapse of years, or have been treacherously
broken. "I will never leave you, nor forsake you," is not a promise for
mortal lips to utter! Transient beings like ourselves must not venture
to say, "I will never do this or that," for, alas, we know not what we
may do, or may not do! Even though we think we shall never prove to be
traitors, yet traitors we may prove to be. Or if not traitors, our
power may fail so that we shall be unable to do what we have promised.
But when Jehovah says, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you," it is
a Divine Promise and He who utters it, Divinely keeps it! 'Tis a fit
promise for God to speak and 'tis a fit promise for God's servants to
hear. You have lost many of those dear to you, but you have not lost
your God! They have gone from you, one by one, "as star by star grows
dim," but His Light still shines on–and shall shine on forever!

Further, Beloved, this choice promise provides against all troubles. We
do not know what troubles may come upon us. Let us not think about
them. They will come soon enough and it will be quite sufficient for us
to trouble ourselves about them when they do come. But whatever they
may be, "He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you." There
may come to us great losses. Our riches may take to themselves wings
and fly away–where we had large estates, we may be without a place
whereon to lay our head. But "He has said, I will never leave you, nor
forsake you." We may be the victims of cruel slanders and under the
pressure of those slanders those that used to respect us may avoid
us–and former friends may be alienated from us. But "He has said, I
will never leave you, nor forsake you." We may have to suffer great
pain and the earthly physician may be unable to relieve us. But God's
promise will still avail us, for, "He has said, I will never leave you,
nor forsake you." Sore sinking of heart may come upon us and all God's
waves and billows may roll over us–but "He has said, I will never
leave you, nor forsake you."

In the course of our service for God, we may meet with many
difficulties. Where we looked for helpers, we may find opponents. But
let us still press onward, for, "He has said, I will never leave you,
nor forsake you." We may have to move to distant lands, but "He has
said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you." Days of weakness may
come to us, when the pillars of the house shall tremble, when they that
look out of the windows shall be darkened and our teeth shall fail
because they are few. The infirmities of old age may tell upon us, but
"He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you." And with old
age may come the loss of children and friends till we seem left, "like
the last rose of summer," or the last sere leaf of the woods in the
autumn–yet "He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you." And
then shall come the chill river of death and the gathering darkness of
the night–but "He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you."
And after that shall come another world where our spirit shall fly
through tracks unknown and where new and wondrous scenes shall burst
upon our astonished view! And, in the fullness of time, Christ shall
come and the last great battle shall be fought–but whatever is to be,
or is not to be–a Christian has nothing to fear, for, "He has said, I
will never leave you, nor forsake you." Come forth, you dragon bound
with the chain and ravage the world again if so it must be! Rise,
Antichrist, from your den amidst the seven hills! Pollute the Churches
once again if you can! Let war and bloodshed, famine and pestilence
break loose again with unknown fury–but whatever happens, in time or
in eternity, "He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you."
"Therefore will we not fear, though the earth is removed, and though
the mountains are carried into the midst of the sea." If the Lord of
Hosts is with us, what grounds can there be for fear? I know of no
supposable dangers, no imaginable troubles, no conceivable difficulties
through which, and out of which, and beyond which this text will not
carry us–if by faith we grasp it–"He has said, I will never leave
you, nor forsake you."

III. Now I must pass on to the next point. We have viewed these words
as a quotation and as a proverbial saying. Now the practical outcome of
this subject, according to the text, is that we are to VIEW THESE WORDS
AS A MOTIVE FOR CONTENTMENT. "Let your conversation be without
covetousness; and be content with such things as you have. For He has
said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you." That is to say, do not
be grasping, do not be seeking to rake all the world to yourself, do
not stretch out your arms, like seas, to enclose all the shore!

"But," says one, "I have so very little." You have as much as God has
been pleased to give you, so be content with such things as you have.
"I wish I had a great deal laid by," says another. Do you need more
than this–"He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you"? "I
wish I had a large regular income," says another. This looks pretty
regular, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." Someone asks, "But
does that mean temporal things? "Do you think that God will let your
body die of starvation when He promises to take care of your soul?
There is an ancient promise for the man who walks righteously and
speaks uprightly–"Bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure."
And it shall still be so in this matter, also–the Lord will not leave
you, nor forsake you if you trust in Him. It seems to me that the man
who can claim this promise has his fortune made for him. If he had made
large investments, they might turn out badly. If he possessed large
estates, they might have to be sold. If he had wealthy friends, they
might all forget him, for memories are not always very strong in the
direction in which some people wish they might be. Many a man has
fallen from the pinnacle of personal wealth to the pit of personal
need–and many others who were waiting for dead men's shoes, have had
to go barefoot to their own graves. It is poor confidence that trusts
in men, but it is blessed confidence that rests in this glorious Truth
of God, "He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you." "Trust
in the Lord, and do good: so shall you dwell in the land, and verily
you shall be fed."

But I know how it is with many of us–we cannot live by faith! We are
so apt to think that something to see and to handle is so much more
satisfactory than a promise of God. But is not that a species of
blasphemy? Is not God's promise better, more sure, more satisfactory,
more ennobling, more Divine than anything that can be seen? O child of
God, what more do you need than this gracious assurance, "I will never
leave you, nor forsake you"? What though your wallet holds but little,
if your God has said that He will fill it every morning and every
evening, what more do you need? The children of Israel tried to store
the manna, but it bred worms and stank, for they were to gather their
daily supply morning by morning. There is many a man who has not been
content to trust in God, so he has asked for something to look at and
to handle–and he has had it and it has been a stench in his nostrils
all his days! And he has never again been the man he was when he had
not given way to an evil spirit of covetousness! I would rather be the
poorest Christian in this world and live on this promise, than be the
richest man that lives and not have this promise! And in saying this I
am sure that I am speaking for every Christian here. Our true treasure
is this, "He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you." That
is our bank stock in the Bank of Heaven! All else that we have is but
the spending money of a traveler when he stays at an inn. But we are
soon to be up and away to the land where our true treasure lies, where
our God and our Father lives who has said, "I will never leave you, nor
forsake you"!

IV. The last point is that THESE WORDS ARE TO BE VIEWED AS A REASON FOR
COURAGE. So that we

may boldly say, The Lord is my helper and I will not fear what man
shall do to me."

If God says to me, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you," I never
ought to be the victim of fear of man. Yet the fear of man that brings
a snare is one of the curses of the lives of many professors. They are
afraid of opposition and afraid of persecution–and although
persecution is very mild nowadays compared with what it used to be,
they are afraid of the public opinion in their little circle, afraid of
the contemptuous remarks that will be made, afraid of the cold
shoulder, afraid of the innuendoes and the dark hints, afraid to be
thought to be one of those "vulgar people" who believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ and who desire to follow Him "wherever He goes." That
horrible fear of losing the respect of ungodly people still operates
upon thousands and tens of thousands who, if they only realized the
Truth of this promise, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you,"
would, each one, say, "Let men think what they like of me. Let them
call me a fool or a fanatic. Let them shun me, but what does it matter
as long as You, my Lord, do not forsake me?"

So, my Brothers and Sisters in Christ, let every one of us, first of
all, fling away from our souls, by the power of God's Spirit, all
desire to grasp this world and make that our god! Let us abhor
covetousness. If God sends us wealth, let us reckon that we are only
stewards of it and use it for His Glory. If He does not send it to us,
let us be quite content to be without it, for it brings a heap of
trouble with it! Let us always keep the world under our feet and reckon
it to be unworthy of a Christian's craving!

Then let us fling away all cowardice and boldly say that the Lord is
our Helper, so we will not fear what man may do to us. Accursed be the
lips of any minister who dares to say, "I must not utter that unpopular
Truth of God for fear I should have the censure of the public press or
public opinion." Shall such fear as that ever stop us from uttering
what we believe to be true? If it does, how shall we be able to give in
our account at the Last Great Day? I reckon it to be my business, as a
man sent of God, never for a moment to consider how you or anybody else
will like what I have to say in my Master's name, nor whether it shall
be approved by this man or that, whether he is eminent in rank or
eminent as a critic! No, let him be what or who he may, if I have done
my Master's work faithfully, it matters not to me whether the man
praises it to the skies or condemns it to the bottomless Pit! In the
pulpit it does not concern me what man's judgment upon my message shall
be–and you in the pews must never hesitate to take the consequences of
doing what is right. Be just in your business, come what may of it! Be
honest in your profession, carry out your principles and if that should
involve loss, be content to lose! Whatever comes of it, be straight–as
straight as though God had ruled you with His own Divine hand and there
was ne'er a bend or crack in your character! Press onward towards the
goal of sincerity and purity–and may God strengthen you to reach it!

Though there are a thousand influences that might make a true man fall
and cause a brave man to turn coward and might urge you to sell your
principles, or at least to take off the sharp angles of them, do not do
it–do not do it–by the love of God, do not do it! As "He has said, I
will never leave you, nor forsake you," do not leave your God, do not
forsake his Truth! Your fathers died rather than give up the Gospel.
Your ancestors fought for it on many a bloody field. We have cast away
the sword of the warrior and we have done well, for we fight not with
carnal weapons, but, by the

Grace of God we grasp "the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of
God"–and with brave hearts and strong we stand steadfastly for the
faith! And so will we stand until the Truth shall win the day and the
victory shall be unto the Captain of our salvation! Stand fast,
Brothers and Sisters, in the name of God, and may the Lord bless you,
for Jesus Christ's sake! Amen.

EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON: HEBREWS 13:1-21.

This is a practical Chapter at the close of this most instructive
Epistle.

Verse 1. Let brotherly love continue. The word, "continue," implies
that the "brotherly love" exists. There are many things which might put
an end to it, so see to it that as far as you are concerned, it
continues. Under all provocations and under all disappointments, "let
brotherly love continue."

2, 3. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have
entertained angels unawares. Remember them that are in bonds, as bound
with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in
the bod}. And being likely, therefore, to take your own turn of
suffering and to need the sympathy of your fellow Christians. Show
sympathy to others while they need it and they will gratefully remember
you when you are in bonds or in adversity.

4. Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but
whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. And terrible will be their
doom when God does judge them! They may think that because they sin in
secret, they shall escape punishment–but it shall not be so. Whether
men judge them or not, God wiljudge them.

5. Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with
such things as you have: for He has said, I will never leave you, nor
forsake you. Therefore you have a grand reserve! What you have in
possession is only a little spending money to use on the road to
Heaven, but "He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you." You
may confidently fall back upon the Providence of God in all times of
straitness and need.

6-8. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not
fear what man shall do unto me. Remember them which have the rule over
you, who have spoken unto you the Word of God: whose faith follow,
considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ the same
yesterday, and today and forever. [See Sermons #170, Volume 4–the
immutability of

CHRIST; #848, Volume 15–JESUS CHRIST IS IMMUTABLE and #2358, Volume
40–THE UNCHANGEABLE CHRIST.] It is for your own benefit to remember in
your prayers those who preach the Word of God to you, for what can they
do without Divine assistance and how can you be profited by them unless
they are first blessed of God? Remember them, therefore.

9. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. Do not put
yourself into every man's hand to let him play with you as he pleases.
The fish that never nibbles at the bait is not likely to be caught by
the hook–and he who will not give heed to "divers and strange
doctrines" is not likely to be carried away in the net of heresy!

9. For it is a good thing that the heart is established with Grace, not
with meats, which have notprofited them that have been occupied
therein. Some in the Apostle's day made religion to consist almost
entirely in observing certain rules as to what they ate and what they
drank. "Be not so foolish," says Paul, "there is something better than
that. Seek to have your heart established with Divine Grace."

10. We have an altar, of which they have no right to eat which serve
the tabernacle. Those who cling to the external and ceremonial
observances of religion have no right to the privileges which belong to
those who come to the spiritual altar–they cannot share that secret.

11-14. For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the
sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp.
Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own
blood, suffered outside the gate. Let us go forth, therefore, unto Him
outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here have we no continuing
city, but we seek one to come. Then, my Brother or Sister, do not look
for a continuing city here. Do not build your nest on any one of the
trees of earth, for they are all marked for the axe–and they will all
have to come down, and your nest too, if you have built upon them.

15. By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God
continually, that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks

to His name. [See Sermon #2048, Volume 34–A LIFE-LONG OCCUPATION.] If
you are Believers in Christ, you are God's priests and this is the
sacrifice that you are continually to offer–the fruit of your lips,
giving thanks to God's name!

16. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such
sacrifices God is well please . We are to do good to others, to
communicate [give] of our own good things to those who need them and to
do this at some sacrifice to ourselves, "for with such sacrifices God
is well pleased."

17-19. Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves:
for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that
they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable
for you. Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all
things willing to live honestly. But I beseech you the rather to do
this, that Imay be restored to you the sooner.You must have noted how
often the Apostle asks for the prayers of those to whom he is writing.
So we are following a good example when we ask you to pray for us.

20, 21. Now the God of Peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus, that Great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the
Everlasting Covenant make you perfect in every good work to do His
will, working in you that which is ever pleasing in His sight, through
Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. [See Sermons
#277, Volume

5–THE BLOOD OF THE EVERLASTING COVENANT; #1186, Volume 20–THE BLOOD
OF THE COVENANT and #1368, Volume 23–THE GOD OF PEACE AND OUR
SANCTIFICATION.]