"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay
tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of
the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave
the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside
of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and
excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and
platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed
appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all
uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye
are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the
sepulchres of the righteous. And say, if we had been in the days of our
fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the
prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children
of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
Ye serpents, ye generations of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of
Hell?"
Matt. 23:23-33.
The Lord Jesus never preached a bigger sermon in all His life. He
was preaching to the greatest sinners He ever met and so He preached
accordingly.
Here is an example for modern preachers. We need to be lion-like
if we are to be Christ-like. Some preachers haven't any more backbone than a
fishing worm. No preacher needs a piece of "boiled spaghetti" for a
backbone. Mr. Pacifist, Mr. Middle-of-the-Roader, Mr. Self - Complacent -
Mollycoddle, that gelatin-like gentleman says that we ought to be sweet and
gentle and never offend anyone, yet no man ever lived that was more lion-like
than Christ. Thus in this chapter, 12 times Jesus Christ calls His audience
fools, blind guides, and hypocrites. Finally with the most scathing
denunciation of all. He says concerning the unsaved of His day, "Ye
generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" (Matt.
23:33).
Jesus' audience was composed entirely of unsaved folk. The very
fact that He said, "How can you escape the damnation of Hell?" proves
that they were unsaved. To be sure they were religious leaders but that meant
nothing in Jesus' day nor does it mean anything today. We have countless
professors but very few possessors. Many have churchanity but few have
Christianity. When Moses was leading the children of Israel out of Egypt, we
read that a "mixed multitude" journeyed with Israel. Israel was the
redeemed people of God. This mixed multitude knew nothing of the redemption but
attracted by the miracles and manifestation of the supernatural, they journeyed
along with the Jews. We have many, many thousands like them today who during
the emotional excitement of a revival meeting have joined the church and have
never known the meaning of redemption. It was this type of people that Jesus
was dealing with in the chapter we have before us.
Jesus described them again in the parable of the tares sown among
the wheat. "Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house:
and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the
tares of the field. He answered and said unto them. He that soweth the good
seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the good seed are the children
of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the
end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are
gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The
Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his
kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them
into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth"
(Matt. 13:36-42). There are multiplied thousands today who as church members
look like saints on the outside. They go to church with an air of piety. They
sing sanctimoniously. They probably carry a song book and Bible under their arm
whenever they go to God's House. Still their heart is far removed from God.
They are tares the Devil's imitation Christians, which he plants along side
of the genuine in order to deceive the world. It was to this crowd that Jesus
said, "Ye generations of vipers (literally, you brood of snakes), how
can you escape the damnation of Hell?"
As we read this chapter we notice many characteristics which Jesus
gives of His audience. They were first of all teachers of the law. "The
scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat" (Matt. 23:2). Note the
expression: "Sit in Moses' seat." This means that they were Moses'
successors and thus were teachers of the law. Surely in this responsible place
we should find saved persons. However our expectations are in vain. It reminds
us of many hundreds and thousands today who are Moses' successors, namely
preachers. Not everyone who calls himself a preacher is a God-called preacher
and not all who prefix some ministerial title to their name, know the Lord.
Fully nine-tenths of the preachers are unsaved if they believe what they
preach, since they preach salvation by works or salvation by the city's water
works instead of salvation by grace as taught in the Scriptures. But these
unsaved preachers will come up to the bar of God unredeemed. Listen to Jesus' description
of that scene. "Not every one that saith unto me. Lord, Lord, shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven. Many will say to me in that day. Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in
thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many
wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart
from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matt. 7:21-23).
These unsaved folk were strong believers in works. We have a
description of their efforts, for Jesus said, "AH their works they do for
to be seen of men" (Matt. 23:5). Like many moderns today, they thought
their works would save. At least nine of every ten whom you meet are expecting
to go to Heaven because of their works. Suppose you go out tonight and ask the
first man you meet, "Are you saved?" He will answer, "I hope
so," or "I think so." Ask him why he is expecting to go to
heaven and he will say, "I am not a very bad man; I am doing the very best
I can." You see he is depending upon what he is doing instead of the
finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. In Jesus' day there were many who
expected that they might be saved by their doings. They even said to Jesus,
"What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and
said unto them. This is the work of God that ye believe on him whom he hath
sent" (John 6:28,29). Thus you see that Jesus settled for once and all
time the plan of salvation by declaring that it was not our works but His
finished work that gives us salvation. Yet in spite of His teachings there are
multiplied thousands who, like the audience to whom Jesus was preaching, are
depending upon their works for salvation. Sometime ago one of the members of
our church visited a woman in the hospital who had been an active church worker
for years. In the course of the conversation the lady from our church said,
"But you aren't afraid to die, are you? You're surely ready to meet the
Lord." To which the other, an unsaved church member, said, "I don't
think I have done enough yet to be saved." May God help those of our
audience tonight who are listening, to realize that salvation is not something
that we do, but something that Jesus Christ has done on the cross. "For by
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8,9). "Knowing
that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus
Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by
the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the
law shall no flesh be justified" (Gal. 2:16). "Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us"
(Titus 3:5).
Those who composed Jesus' audience were also men of prayer.
"Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows'
houses and for a pretense make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the
greater damnation" (Matt. 23:14). We usually think that if a man is a
praying member of a church, that surely he is all right, and that he knows the
Lord. Yet this is no proof of one's salvation. Read the spiritual pedigree of
Cornelius as described in the book of Acts. "There was a certain man in
Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band; a
devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to
the people, and prayed to Cod alway" (Acts 10:1,2) One of his
characteristics was that he "prayed to God alway." Still he was
unsaved, for God said to him, "Send men to Joppa and call for Simon, whose
surname is Peter; who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house
shall be saved" (Acts 11:13,14). Though a man of prayer, God knew that he
needed to be saved.
Several years ago I held a revival meeting for a Baptist church in
Ashland. One Sunday night an old gentleman sitting next to the front seat
gripped the bench in front of him, as we gave the invitation song, as though he
were already slipping into the jaws of Hell. After the service I said to the
pastor, "Did you see that man's reaction to the sermon tonight?" The
pastor replied in the affirmative but said, "He's all right; he is one of
the charter members of this church; he's been a member of Baptist churches for
nearly 45 years and has been a deacon for over 40 years. Why, he is one of our
praying members." The next night the pastor met me at the door of the
church and said, "You were right, for before I got out of bed this morning
that man who was so agitated last evening came to my home and told me he had
never been saved in all his life until last night. He said he had been a church
member but that he had never seen that Jesus on the cross paid for all sins
past, present, and future until last evening." I dare say that we have
in our audience tonight many hundreds who are praying church members but who
know not the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Another characteristic of Jesus' audience is that they were
personal workers. "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye
compass sea and land to make one proselyte and when he is made, ye make him
two-fold more the child of hell than yourselves" (Matt. 23:15). I have
always tried to show unsaved church members in my church or in any organization
that they are lost. Sometime ago because I spoke to one who was a member of
another church organization, I received a very scurrilous letter in which this
verse which I have quoted was applied to me. I only wish that I were as zealous
for my Master as these folk of whom and, to whom the Lord Jesus spoke. They
were willing to "compass sea and land." That is, they were willing to
go around the world in order to proselyte just one man. Truly they were the
greatest personal workers of whom I have ever read. With such zeal and
sincerity we think that they must be saved. But may I remind you that one is
not saved by zeal and sincerity. "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer
to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that
they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being
ignorant of God's righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the
righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to
every one that believeth" (Rom. 10:1-4). Though they were great personal
workers Jesus said, "You are just a brood of snakes; how can you keep out
of Hell!"
These folk further had great religious oaths and creeds. "Woe
unto you, ye blind guides, which say. Whosoever shall swear by the gold of the
temple, he is a debtor!" (Matt. 23:16). They had a mental belief about
great religious creeds. Still all that means but little. It is not head faith
nor intellectual faith that saves, but a heart faith which brings redemption.
"For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation" (Rom. 10:10). A man may believe all the
ritual and rubric of his church, and yet be lost. He may know all that his
church stands for and he may have memorized the "discipline," or the
"findings of the presbytery,'' or the "tenets of the church,"
and after having memorized it he may still be a stranger to Christ. There are
multiplied thousands of Catholics, Jews, Methodists, Presbyterians, Holiness,
Campbellites, and Missionary Baptists who know everything their church stands
for, but who know not the Christ of Calvary.
Jesus audience were also liberal givers. In fact they were
tithe-payers. "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay
tithe of mint and anise and cummin" (Matt. 23:23). We usually think that
if we can get a church member to bring his tithe to the Lord that surely he
must be right with the Lord. When the Pharisee went into the temple to tell God
of his goodness, one characteristic which he mentioned was, "I give tithes
of all that I possess" (Luke 18:12). Yet Jesus' estimate was that he went
down to his house condemned. Every man owes God one-tenth of his income. Still
this has nothing whatever to do with his salvation.
Further, the outside life of those of Jesus' audience was clean.
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the
outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion
and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and
platter, that the outside of them. may be clean also. Woe unto you scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed
appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all
uncleanness. Even so ye also outward appear righteous unto me, but within ye
are full of hypocrisy and iniquity" (Matt. 23:25-28). Outwardly they
looked all right. This is all that man asks for. But man can only see the
outside. "For the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the
outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (I Sam. 16:7). You
can whitewash a pig pen or a manure pile but it is still a pig pen or a manure
pile. You can whitewash the outside of a typhoid pump but that does not affect
the germs inside. A man's life may be scrupulously clean in the eyes of man and
yet his heart may be exceedingly filthy in the sight of God. "Out of it
(the heart) are the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23). Did not God declare
concerning man's righteousness, "and all our righteousnesses are but as
filthy rags?" (Isa. 64:6). If our best deeds look like filthy rags to God,
what must our sins, our immoralities, and our evil deeds look like?
Those of Jesus' audience thus had many good characteristics which
we have enumerated:
1. Teachers of the law.
2. Strong believers in works.
3. Men of prayer.
4. Personal workers.
5. They had great religious oaths and creeds.
6. Tithe payers.
7. Their outside lives were clean.
Yet there was something that they lacked, "And have omitted
the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith: these ought ye to
have done, and not to leave the other undone" (Matt. 23:23).
They lacked judgment. They had failed to pass judgment on their
sins. Every man needs to judge himself a sinner. A man does not like to call
himself a vile wretch or a sinner. That was true of Jesus' audience. They had
failed to judge themselves sinners in need of salvation.
They also lacked mercy. That is, they lacked the mercy or love of
God in their lives. The word "mercy" as used in the Bible means
"grace." We love to sing the old song:
"Amazing
grace! how sweet the sound,
That
saved a wretch like me!
I once
was lost, but now am found,
Was
blind, but now I see.
"
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And
grace my fears relieved;
How
precious did that grace appear
The
hour I first believed!
"Thro'
many dangers, toils and snares,
I have
already come;
'Tis
grace hath bro't me safe thus far,
And
grace will lead me home.
"When
we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright
shining as the sun,
We've
no less days to sing God's praise
Than
when we first began."
These folk to whom Jesus was speaking had omitted the mercy or
grace of God from their lives.
They likewise lacked faith. No man can ever be saved unless he
judges himself a sinner and then by faith accepts the mercy or the grace of God
as shown in the death of Jesus at Calvary. It is saving faith in Christ which
brings redemption to us. "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but
he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the
name of the only begotten Son of God"' (John 3:18). "Verily, verily,
I say unto you. He that heareth my Word, and believeth on him that sent me,
hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from
death unto life" (John 5:24).
Finally they lacked an inward cleansing. "Thou blind
Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the
outside of them may be clean also" (Matt. 23:26). I am sure that there are
many, many within our audience who need such an inward cleansing. If we might
see our hearts as God sees them tonight, many would be willing to heed the
words of Jesus: "Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born
again" (John 3:7), "I tell you, nay: but except ye repent, ye shall
all likewise perish" (Luke 13:5).
Years ago D. L. Moody closed a revival meeting in Birmingham,
England. As a young man bid him good-bye, he said, "I am coming to America
sometime and hope to preach for you." Six months later he wrote from New
York that he would be in Chicago on Wednesday night and hoped to preach for him
at that time. It happened that Moody had to be out of town. He left orders for
the young man to preach and told the deacons of his church to be ready for he
did not believe the young man could successfully conduct the services to a
conclusion. The young man came and preached from the golden text of the Bible,
John 3:16. His audience was deeply stirred. He announced an after-service and a
dozen responded. They asked him to speak the next night. A larger audience
greeted him on Thursday evening when he used the same text of the evening
before, and 20 were converted. Then on Friday night 30 were saved, when he
preached from the same text again. When Mr. Moody returned on Saturday his wife
told him of the glorious revival meeting they were having. He said,
"Revival? Why I haven't planned for a revival meeting and I don't think
that the deacons would plan for one without consulting me." She replied,
"It seems that the Lord has planned one without consulting you or the
deacons either. I want you to go down tonight and get converted yourself."
This was a shock to Moody. It was like a flash of lightning out of a clear sky,
or like a dash of ice water in one's face on a cold night. He said, "Wife,
I have been preaching for 20 years. I have preached all over America; I have
preached all around the world; don't you think I've got religion?" To this
she replied, "That's just exactly what I think you have, and when you go
tonight to the services you will understand." That night the young man
preached again on John 3:16. And that night Moody was converted. Hitherto he
had preached law and works. That night he saw the Truth that Jesus Christ had
died for all of his sins and judging himself a sinner he accepted by faith
Jesus work at Calvary. They asked the preacher to continue the meeting. The
next day Sunday morning, he preached to 1800 people. For six weeks Harry
Moorehouse continued this meeting until hundreds were saved.
Perhaps there may be some preacher in my audience tonight or some
unsaved church worker who has been depending upon the law and upon his own
works. Like Moody, may you tonight realize that Jesus on the cross fulfilled
the law, satisfied God, and paid for all of your sine past, present, and
future.
"Jesus Christ who gave himself for us, that he might redeem
us from all iniquity" (Titus 2:14). "The blood of Jesus Christ his
Son cleanseth us from all sin" (I John 1:7).
May you tonight judge yourself a sinner and accept the mercy of
God offered you at Calvary.
"But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and
brought them forth, and said. Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people
all the words of this life" Acts 5:19,20
This text grows out of the second persecution, which was aimed at Jesus' infant church. It was instigated by the Sadducees. Through their efforts all of the apostles were put in jail. Immediately the Lord sent an angel who opened the doors of the prison, led the preachers out, and set them free.
Apparently this was God's answer to the Sadducees. They said in
their doctrines, "There is no resurrection; there are no angels." But
when they imprisoned the apostles for preaching the resurrection, an angel came
from Heaven and loosed the apostles from prison. Thus God answered these
enemies of His church.
Now that the apostles were freed, the angel gave them a charge a
charge to preach. "Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the
words of this life" (Acts 5:20).
The angels of God are much interested in the work of preaching.
"Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did
minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached
the gospel unto you with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven; which things
the angels desire to look into" (I Pet. 1:12). Note the expression:
"Which things the angels desire to look into."
But this is nothing new. The angels have always been interested in
this world and its events. That is, they are interested in the preaching of the
Gospel. Away back in eternity when this world was created, the angels of God
clapped their hands and shouted for joy. "When the morning stare sang
together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy" (Job 38:7). They
watched with evident interest as God fashioned man out of dust. From that time,
the angels above and the angels below, angels of love, and angels of woe,
concentrated their attention on the problems of man's earthly and eternal life.
Then with horror, they listened to the fatal conversation between the serpent
and Eve. If the angels of God can weep, how they must have wept when sin came.
They heard the promise which God gave relative to redemption, when the Father
banished Adam and Eve from Eden. "And I will put enmity between thee and
the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and
thou shall bruise his heel" (Gen. 3:15).
From that time on the angels have been peculiarly interested in
the Doctrine of Redemption. When the Ark of the Covenant was made, as a part of
the furniture of the Tabernacle, figures of golden angels were carved as
bending over the mercy seat and looking down where the blood falls, as if
studying the meaning of the blood shedding. When Solomon's Temple was built we
read, "And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord unto
his place, unto the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the
wings of the cherubims. For the cherubims spread forth their two wings over the
place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof
above" (I Kings 8:6,7). When the temple was built in the wilderness, under
Moses' direction, on the veil which separated the Holy of Holies from the outer
Holy place, the figures of the cherubims were placed, as if investigating the
shedding of the blood. "And he made a veil of blue, and purple, and
scarlet, and fine twined linen; with cherubims made he it of cunning work"
(Ex. 36:35).
When we come to the New Testament we find that they are
tremendously interested in all of its events, beginning with the announcement
of Jesus' birth. It was an angel who announced Jesus' coming to Mary. "And
in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee,
named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the
house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her
and said. Hail, thou are highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art
thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and
cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said
unto her. Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold,
thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name
Jesus" (Luke 1:26-31). It was the same angel that came to Joseph with a
message announcing the birth of Jesus. "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was
on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came
together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband,
being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to
put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel
of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David,
fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is
of the Holy Spirit. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shall call his
name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matt. 1:18-21).
Was it not an angel who preached the first Gospel sermon of the New Testament
when he said to the shepherds, ". . . Fear not, for, behold, I bring you
good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born
this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke
2:10,11). Did not all the heavenly host join in a great angelic chorus to sing
the first Gospel hymn at Jesus' birth? "And suddenly there was with the
angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying. Glory to God in
the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:13,14). An
angel sat at the foot of Jesus' cradle and warned Joseph to take Jesus into
Egypt for safety. "Behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a
dream, saying, arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into
Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young
child to destroy him" (Matt. 2:13). The angel kept close watch over the
cradle during their stay in Egypt and it was an angel that led them when they
left Egypt. "But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord
appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. Saying, Arise, and take the young
child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which
sought the young child's life" (Matt. 2:19,20). The angels were all about
the tomb of Jesus and it was a shining angel who first announced His
resurrection. "And behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of
the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the
door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment
white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead
men. And the angel answered and said unto the women. Fear not ye: for I know
that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he
said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay" (Matt. 28:2-6). Even when
Christ ascended, two angels spoke to the disciples saying, "Ye men of
Galilee why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up
from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into
heaven" (Acts 1:11).
Thus we see that the angels have always been interested in the
events of this world and particularly concerning the work of preaching. Now
that Christ has ascended, the angels give this charge to the preachers:
"Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this
life" (Acts 5:20).
The agents employed for the spreading of the Gospel though are
men, not angels. Oh, the honor of being a preacher. It would seem that the
angels, having been as interested in the work of redemption as they have,
should be the ones chosen to the high honor. But not so! Ours, as preachers, is
a work which angels can't perform. There is no office, no honor, and no
position which can equal the work of a preacher. When Andrew Jackson was
elected to the presidency, an office seeker who had worked for Jackson's
election came to him for a position. Mr. Jackson said, "And what is your
present' work?" When told that he was a preacher. Old Hickory said,
"Man, go home and preach; if I were to give you my office it wouldn't be
as great as the one you now occupy." Carey the missionary, had a son who
professed to be called to the ministry. Later on, he accepted an appointment of
an ambassadorship from England. Most folk consider this an honor. When Carey
heard it he said "My son Felix has dwindled into an ambassador."
How wonderful it is to think that the agents who are employed for
the spreading of the Gospel are just preachers mere human beings. However
imperfect as we preachers are, we are better preachers than the heavenly host
with their perfect angelic righteousness. It is true that we preachers cannot
sing with their celestial melody nor can we charm you with eloquence. But we do
have a sympathy which they cannot feel, since they have not known the
infirmities of man.
And now please note that these angels who have always been so
interested in the preaching of the Gospel, though they can't preach, go to church
to hear the agents whom God has employed for the spreading of the Gospel.
"For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the
angels" (I Cor. 11:10). That is, because of the presence of the angels.
"To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly
places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God" (Eph.
3:10). The "principalities and powers in heavenly places" are the
angels. They go to church to learn. Do you not imagine that the angels often wonder
when they attend our services? When we recall that our commission of preaching
was given by an angel to Jesus' preachers, why don't we carry out their charge
more effectively than we do? Do they not often say, "Why do preachers
neglect to preach? Why do they preach as though asleep? Where is their zeal for
Christ in carrying out the charge we gave them?" Then they note men so
eager in politics and business, yet negligent of souls. Are they not amazed
when they behold the church split into factions which minimizes the power of
the preacher as he tries to carry out their charge? Do they not say, "Why
do they fuss?" Surely many times when they go to church to learn, they go
away saying, "Oh, that God would let us preach!" Beloved, these
angelic hosts must often feel ashamed of us. May I address myself now to any
preacher in our audience or Sunday school teacher: "I charge you by the
angels of God who are not permitted to touch this Holy work of teaching and
preaching: 'preach the word; be instant in season and out of season.' "
It is interesting to notice what it was that the angels said for
us to preach. "All the words of this life" (Acts 5:20). Life! The
same word which is translated elsewhere eternal salvation or everlasting life.
Then I and all other preachers are to preach everlasting life. We
are not to preach a religion that you can get today and lose tomorrow but
rather everlasting life. Surely it is everlasting life for every saved sinner
can never lose his salvation since he is kept by the power of God. "Now
unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to prevent you faultless
before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 24). "You
who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed
in the last time" (I Pet. 1:5). "Wherefore he is able also to save
them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25). "For I know whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him
against that day" (II Tim. 1:12). These texts teach us that the power to
keep lies outside the sphere of personal ability, and that God keeps us from
the power of external, internal, and infernal agencies. When the jewel of my soul
is surrendered to God's keeping. He is responsible for my eternal security.
"Firm
as His throne the promise stands,
And He
can well secure,
What
I've committed to His hands,
Till
the decisive hour."
I would be unsafe to attempt to walk the streets of any town with $1,000 in my pocket. I hand it through the bank window to the cashier and he keeps it since he has the ability to do so. I haven't the power to keep my salvation, since the Devil is stronger than I, but I can commit myself unto God, who is "able to keep." The day that I was saved, I thus committed my soul to Him. Then do I realize: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Rom. 8:1).
This life which we are commanded to preach is made everlasting by
the covenant between God and Christ which secures the righteous. "Then
thou spakest in vision to thy Holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one
that is mighty: I have exalted one chosen out of the people. Also I will make
him my first born, higher than the kings of the earth. My mercy will I keep for
him forevermore and my covenant shall stand fast with him. His seed also will I
make to endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven. If his children
forsake my laws, and walk not in my judgments; if they break my statutes and
keep not my commandments; then will I visit their transgression with the rod,
and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not
utterly take from them, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I
not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips" (Psa.
89:19,27-34). This covenant was made with Christ before the foundation of the
world. When His children go astray. He promises chastisement and yet declares
He will not withdraw His lovingkindness nor suffer His faithfulness to fail.
When a believer is saved. He possesses eternal life. "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life"
(John 6:47). "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only
true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3). "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent
me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed
from death unto life" (John 5:24). "And whosoever liveth and
believeth in me shall never die" (John 11:26). "And this is the
record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is his Son. These
things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that
ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of
the Son of God" (I John 5:11, 13). The life Christ gives us is eternal
never ending. Forty-three times in the New Testament "everlasting"
qualifies the life we receive when we receive Christ. Then it is a 43-0 hope
that the believer is eternally secure. In Matt. 25:46, "everlasting"
describes the punishment of the wicked. In Rom. 16:26, "everlasting"
describes the duration of Christ in glory. In II Peter 1:11,
"everlasting" describes the duration of Christ's kingdom. Then as
long as the wicked are punished, as long as God exists, and as long as Christ's
glory exists, and as long as Christ's kingdom continues, just that long the
believer has eternal life. If the punishment of the wicked can have an end, if
God can have an end, and if Christ's glory and kingdom have an end, then the
believer can perish. In view of this shall we not write in letters of gold
across the heavens, that all may read: ETERNAL SALVATION!
"The
soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will
not, I will not desert to his foes;
That
soul, tho' all Hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll
never, no never, no never forsake!"
How can we ever forget this charge of the angel? Eternal life! Doubtlessly there are many of my audience who are preaching apostasy and are telling their congregation that it is possible for one to fall away, and be eternally lost after he has been eternally saved. The devil was the first preacher of apostasy when he lied to God, saying that Job would apostatize under his difficulties. God proved through Job that the Devil lied when he preached apostasy. Some day God will prove through each saved believer that every preacher of apostasy is a liar.
Isn't this something to make us rejoice? Just to think that the
angel who have always been so interested in this world and its events,
particularly God's plan of redemption, though they are not permitted to preach,
yet they say to us whom God has commissioned: "Preach everlasting
life." Shall we ever cease to thank God for calling us into such an
elevated position? What rejoicing it will bring to that individual who has been
faithful to the charge of the angels when he meets them face to face around the
throne of God.
WHEN
THE ANGELS SING
"There
is singing up in heaven such as we have never known.
Where
the angels sing the praises of the Lamb upon the throne,
Their
sweet harps are ever tuneful and their voices always dear,
Oh,
that we might be more like them while we serve the Master here!
"Holy,
holy is what the angels sing,
And I
expect to help them make the courts of Heaven sing,
But
when I sing redemption's story, they will fold their wings,
For
angels never felt the joys that our salvation brings.
"But
I hear another anthem blending voices clear and strong,
'Unto
Him that hath redeemed us and has bought us,' is the song;
'We
have come through tribulations to this land so fair and bright,
In the
fountain freely flowing He hath made our garments white.'
"Then
the angels stand and listen for they cannot join that song,
Like
the sound of many waters, by that happy, blood-wash'd throng,
For
they sing about great trials, battles fought and vict'ries won,
And
they praise their great Redeemer who hath said to them, 'Well done.'
"Holy,
holy, is what the angels sing,
And I
expect to help them make the courts of Heaven ring,
But
when I sing redemption's story, they will fold their wings,
For
angels never felt the joys that our salvation brings.
"So,
although I'm not an angel, yet I know that over there
I will
join a blessed chorus that the angels cannot share;
I will
sing about my Saviour who upon dark Calvary,
Freely
pardoned my transgressions, died to set a sinner free.
"Holy,
holy, is what the angels sing,
And I
expect to help them make the courts of Heaven ring,
But
when I sing redemption's story, they will fold their wings,
For
angels never felt the joys that our salvation brings."
Just a further word. In a moment you will be through with this
message. Through with it until the morning of eternity. The question is: Are
you sure you possess everlasting life? If not, then you need to heed the words
of Jesus, "Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that believeth on me hath everlasting
life" (John 6:47). May God help you now to trust Jesus' death for your
life and may you come to know that your past, present, and future sins are paid
for by His death at Calvary.