Part 16
not these things!
Notice two or three thoughts in this text worth remembering.
"They went forth." Energetic action! Men are not saved while they
are asleep. No riding to Heaven on feather beds! "They went forth
to the land of Canaan." Intelligent perception! They knew what
they were doing. They did not go to work in a blundering manner,
not understanding their drift. We must know Christ if we would be
found in Him. It must be given us to look to Him, and trust to Him,
understanding what is meant by so doing. Men are not to be saved
through the blindness of an ignorant superstition. "They went forth
to the land of Canaan, and to the land of Canaan they came." Firm
resolution! They could put up with rebuffs, but they would not be
put off from their resolves. They meant Canaan, and Canaan they
would get. He that would be saved must take Heaven by violence.
"To the land of Canaan they came." Perfect perseverance! "He that
endures to the end, the same shall be saved." Not a spurt and a rest,
but constant running wins the race. All these thoughts cluster
around the one idea of final perseverance which the text brings out.
But, ah, dear Friends, how many there are who set out to go to
Canaan, but unto Canaan they come not! Some are stopped by the
first depression of spirits that they meet with. Like Pliable they run
home with the mud of Despond on their boots. Others turn aside to
self-righteousness. They follow the directions of Mr. Worldly
Wiseman, and resort to Doctor Legality, or Mr. Civility–and Sinai
falls upon them and crushes them. Some turn to the right hand with
Hypocrisy, thinking that to pretend to be holy will be as good as
being so. Others go on the left hand to Formality, imagining that
sacraments and outward rites will be as effectual as inward purity
and the work of the Spirit in their hearts.
Many fall down the silver mine where Demas broke his neck.
Hundreds get into Despair's castle and leave their bones there
because they will not trust Christ and so obtain eternal life. Some
go far, apparently, but, like Ignorance they never really go, and
when they come to the river they perish at the very last. Some, like
Turn-Away, become apostates, and are dragged away by the back
door to Hell after all their professions. Some are frightened by the
lions. Some are tempted by By-Path Meadow. Some would be
saved but they must make a fortune. Many would be saved but they
cannot bear to be laughed at.
Some would trust Christ, but they cannot endure His Cross. Many
would wear the crown, but they cannot bear the labor by which
they must attain it. Ah, you sons of men, you will turn aside to
Madame Wanton, and to Madame Bubble! You will be bewitched
with this, and that, and the other which ensures your destruction,
but the beauties of the glorious Savior, the lasting joys, the real
happiness which He has to give, these are too high for you! They
are above you, and you reach not after them–or if you seek them
for awhile, the dog returns to his vomit, and the sow that was
washed to her wallowing in the mire.
The stone thrown up mounts not to Heaven, for the attraction of
earth brings it back again. O that God would be pleased to send
Divine Grace into our hearts from His own Holy Spirit that we, too,
might set out in the spirit of humility in confidence in Christ, in the
power of the Spirit to the land of Canaan and to the land of Canaan
may we truly come, and the Lord shall have the praise! Amen.
Ge 14:18-20 • Jesus Meeting His Warriors
ERMON 0589
Jesus Meeting His Warriors
"And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine:
and he was the priest of the Most High God. And he blessed him
and said, Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of
Heaven and earth: and blessed be the Most High God, which has
delivered your enemies into your hand. And he gave him tithes of
all."
Genesis 14:18-20
What a splendid type is Abram, in the narrative before us, of our
Lord Jesus Christ! Let us read this story of Abram in connection
with our Savior and see how full of meaning it is. Our Lord Jesus
Christ, in the abundance of His love, had taken us to be His
brothers. But we, through our sin, had gone into the land of Sodom
and Jesus Christ dwelt alone in His safety and His happiness,
enjoying the Presence of God. The hosts of our enemies, with
terrible force and cruel fury, carried us away captives. We were
violently borne away, with all the goods which we possessed, into a
land of forgetfulness and captivity forever.
Christ, who had lost nothing by this, nevertheless being a "brother
born for adversity," pursued our haughty foes. He overtook them.
He struck them with His mighty hand–He took their spoil and
returned with crimsoned vesture, leading captivity captive. He
restored that which He took not away. I think, as I see Abram
returning from the slaughter of the four kings, I see in him a picture
of a greater than Abram, returning "from Edom, with dyed
garments from Bozrah, traveling in the greatness of His strength"
who answers to my inquiry of who is he? "I that speak in
righteousness, mighty to save." Abram was that righteous man
raised in the East, to whom God gave his enemies as driven stubble
to his bow.
And so the Lord Jesus has driven our enemies like chaff over to
the wind, for they fled at the Presence of Jehovah Jesus, and by the
valor of the atoning Lamb they have been utterly broken in pieces
forever. Let that thought dwell with you–it may furnish you with
matter for meditation at your leisure. We shall this morning rather
consider Abram as the type and picture of all the faithful. He was
the father of the faithful. And in his history you have condensed–as
I think–history of all faithful men. You will scarcely find a trial
which will befall you which has not in some respect happened to
Abraham.
I will not say that he was tempted in all points like as we are, but
he was tempted in so many points that he well deserves to be called
the father of the faithful–being partaker of flesh and blood even as
all the children are who belong to his faithful family. Observe then,
in handling our subject in this manner, that Believers are frequently
engaged in warfare. Notice, secondly, that when they are thus
engaged they may expect to be met by their Lord, the great
Melchizedek! And remember, thirdly, that when they are favored
with an interview with Him and are refreshed by Him as with bread
and wine, then, like Abram, they consecrate themselves anew and
as Abram gave tithes of all, even so do they.
We mention, then, what you must all know right well by
experience–you who are God's people–that the Believer is often
engaged in warfare. This warfare will be both within and without–
within with the innumerable natural corruptions which remain–with
the temptations of Satan, with the suggestions of his own wicked
heart. And without he will frequently be engaged in warfare,
wrestling "not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places."
The peculiar case of Abram leads me to remark that sometimes
the Believer will be engaged in warfare, not so much on his own
account as on the account of erring Brethren who, having gone into
ill company, are by-and-by carried away captive. It was no quarrel
of Abram's–it was Lot's matter. Lot had gone to Sodom. Instead of
standing in the separated path of the true Believer he had joined
himself to the world. And when evil days came Lot was carried
away captive with the rest.
Abram cared little enough for the king of Sodom–I do not
suppose he would have taken his sword from the sheath for all the
men who dwelt in Admah or Zeboim. But for Lot's sake, seeing
him in ill company and in danger, he draws the sword. And
sometimes, Brethren, when we see those who are God's servants
putting themselves into alliance with evil systems, we find them
carried away captive and taken where we believe their hearts would
never go. And so we feel compelled to come out and draw the
sword against the common enemy of Christ and of all His people.
And though they may heartily wish that we would let them alone in
their sin and let them be quiet in their evil union, we see into what
spiritual capacity it leads them and we cannot be silent. We must
draw the sword when conscience and when God demand it and
never sheath it until God's work is done.
However, this rarely occurs. For the most part the Christian
spends his sword's edge upon his own spiritual foes–and truly we
have enough of these. What with pride, sloth, lust–what with the
arch enemy of souls and his insinuations and blasphemies–the lust
of the eyes, the pleasures of this world and the pride of life–what
with enemies who come upon us even from Providence in the
shape of temptations arising out of our trials and our vocations, we
ought to carry our sword always drawn! And, above all, we should
ever carry the shield of faith and take the weapon of all-prayer.
The Christian is never to feel himself at ease so long as he is on
this side of Jordan. This is an enemy's land. Expect a foe behind
every bush. Look to hear the shot come whistling by and each night
adore almighty Grace that you have not fallen prey to your cruel
and remorseless foes. The Christian is engaged throughout his
whole life as a soldier–he is so called in Scripture–"A good soldier
of Jesus Christ." And if any of you take the trouble to write out the
passages of Scripture in which the Christian is described as a
soldier and provision is made for his being armed and directions
given for his warfare, you will be surprised to find there are more
of this character than concerning any other metaphor by which the
Christian is described in the Word of God!
His chief and main business seems to be, like his Master, to bear
witness for the Truth of God. "For this purpose was I born and sent
into the world." And though in himself a man of peace, yet he can
say with his Master, "I came not to send peace but a sword."
Wherever he goes he finds that his presence is the signal for war–
war within him and war outside him–he is a man of peace and yet a
man of war because a man of peace. The Christian is engaged in
warfare with sin, Satan, error and falsehood and sometimes he is
called to fight for erring friends.
Observe that this war is one against powerful odds. The four
kings mentioned in this chapter were all great sovereigns. From
what little we can glean from profane history, they appear to have
been very mighty monarchs and they must have been assisted by
very valiant armies to have struck the giants whose names are
mentioned in the opening verses. They appear to have carried away
the five kings of the plain with the greatest possible ease. Yet here
is Abram, who has little more than three hundred of his own armed
servants at his call–and yet he ventures against the embattled
thousands of the kings of nations!
Such is the warfare of the Christian–he has to contend against
foes far too many for him–he is like the worm that is to arise and
thrash the mountain. He is little and despised and if he measures his
own strength he will find it to be perfect weakness. And yet, for all
this, he anticipates a victory and like Abram hastens to the holy
war. Carefully notice that as it is a battle of fearful odds, it is one
which is carried on in faith. Abram did not venture to this fight
with confidence in his own strength, or reliance upon his own bow.
He went in the name of the Lord of Hosts. Faith was Abram's
continual comfort. Sometimes his faith failed, as it will in the best,
but still, the spirit of the man's life was a simple confidence upon
God–whom he had not seen–but whose voice he cheerfully obeyed.
The Christian is to carry on his warfare in faith. You will be
vanquished, indeed, if you attempt it by any other method!
Brethren, there is not a sin in your heart which will not master you
if you seek to fight it by resolutions of your own. Faith in the
precious blood of Christ must win you the victory and the world
will laugh you to scorn if you assail it with any other weapons than
such as Calvary will furnish you. "This is the victory which
overcomes the world, even our faith." And if you ask Faith what
weapon she uses, her reply is, "They overcame through the blood
of the Lamb." Live near to Jesus Christ. Rest upon the power of
His Atonement and the prevalence of His plea–and then go forward
against every enemy without and every foe within–and you shall be
more than a conqueror!
In this great battle, carried on by faith, Abram had a right given
him from God and the promise of God's Presence virtually in that
right. What business had Chedorlaomer to come to Canaan? Had
not Jehovah said to Abram, "All this land will I give unto you"?
Therefore he and his confederate monarchs were neither more nor
less than intruders. For thirteen years they might have exercised
sovereignty over the cities of the plain, but those cities and
everything around them belonged virtually to Abram. It is true they
would have laughed at the very idea of Abram's claiming the whole
land of Canaan, but that claim was nevertheless valid in the court
of Heaven and the Patriarch, by Divine right, was heir of all the
land.
Christian, you are, by virtue of a Covenant made with you to
drive out every sin as an intruder. "Sin shall not have dominion
over you: for you are not under the Law, but under Grace." You are
to drive out every error, for you are a servant of the Truth of God
and the Truth alone has a right to live and a right to exist. And in
fighting this lawful warfare you may expect that the right arm of
the Most High God–the Possessor of Heaven and earth–will be
bared that He may show Himself strong on behalf of all those who
are valiant for His Truth and for His name. Fear not! The battle is
not yours, but God's. You go not to a warfare at your own charges.
And though Hell may roar, as it will, and earth be all in arms–and
your own heart may fail you and your flesh, when you take counsel
with it, makes you feel a coward–yet say, "In the name of God will
I destroy them," and go forward and conquer! "They compass me
about like bees," said David, "yes, like bees they compass me
about: but in the name of God will I destroy them." And what
David did you shall do through David's God!
Yet more–the Christian is engaged in a conflict in which he walks
by faith and leans upon God. But yet it is a conflict in which he
uses all means, calls in all lawful assistance and exerts himself with
all vigor and speed. Abram did not sit still and say, "Well, God will
deliver Lot. He has promised to keep His servants as the apple of
His eye." Oh, no, that is not faith–that is foolish presumption!
Abram did not take his time about it and go marching leisurely
after the foe, nor did he go without the assistance of his friends,
Aner and Eshcol and Mamre. So the Christian, if he sees any
method by which he may be assisted in overcoming sin or
promoting the Truth of God, uses it with wisdom and discretion. He
trusts in God as though he did nothing himself and yet he does
everything as if all depended upon himself. He knows that good
works cannot save him and he equally knows that he is not saved
unless there are some fruits of good works.
He understands that the means of Grace cannot of themselves
convey Grace to him and yet at the same time he never despises
them but looks to find a blessing in the use of them. He
understands that the ministry and private prayer and the searching
of the Scriptures cannot save him–but he also understands that thus
using them helps which God has given him and diligently pressing
forward and setting a bold face before the foe–he is in the path of
God's ordinances and may expect to have God's help. And do
observe, dear Friends, yet again, that Abram marching on thus with
activity and using discretion–by attacking his enemies at night
rather than by day–did not cease until he had gained a complete
victory over them.
It was not enough to strike them at one corner of their host, nor
merely to deliver Lot. Now that he is come out against them he will
win a sure and decisive victory. O Beloved, you and I are never to
sit still and say, "It is enough." Have I struck my drunkenness?
Have I overcome by blaspheming habits? Am I delivered from
Sabbath-breaking? Have I become honest and chaste? Yet this is
not where I should stop. Have I sought to bring down my self-
conceit, my pride, my sloth? It is well and good but let me never be
satisfied with any attainment short of absolute perfection. We do
not believe we shall be perfect in this life, but we will never be
satisfied until we are. "Onward," is the Christian's motto! As long
as there is one sin which is not removed we will fight and cry and
groan and go to the Cross concerning it.
As long as there is one soul in this world unsaved, we will wrestle
with the Mighty One of Jacob to stretch out His hand to save it! So
long as there remains one error upon earth–so long as we have a
tongue to speak and God gives us Grace–we will bear our witness
against it. In this battle there is no keeping back our hand till the
victory is wholly won. We must bring back the goods and the men
and the women and Lot and the whole company–the victory must
be complete. More than conquerors must we be through Him who
has loved us. Let us anticipate the time when it shall be so.
O Brethren, I think I see the victors ascending the starry steeps in
triumphal state! Christ at their head rides gloriously! He who loved
them leads the van. The gates open to Him as the great Conqueror
who has led their captivity captive. I think I see the glad faces of all
those soldiers of the Cross as they enter the portals of eternal
peace–
"I ask them where their victory came.
They with united breath,
Ascribe their conquest to the Lamb,
Their triumph to His death."
See, then, Beloved, you are this morning soldiers! You are to fight
by faith in God. However tremendous the power of your
adversaries, you are not to fear since God is with you. You are to
fight using discretion as your armor-bearer, but you are also to
couple this with perseverance, continuing faithful to the end, for
only those who overcome shall sit upon the Throne of God forever!
We have thus, perhaps, said enough concerning this first point
and now may the Holy Spirit bedew with His holy influences while
we talk of the second, for otherwise it will be only talk.
II. While engaged in such earnest spiritual contention the Believer
may expect to see his Lord. When Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego were fighting Christ's battles in the fiery furnace, then
the Son of Man appeared to them. As in the building of Jerusalem
in troublous times they had the sword in one hand and the trowel in
the other, so our Lord Jesus Christ, while He teaches us to use the
sword, takes care to edify and build us up in the faith at the same
time! He understands that warriors require strengthening meat and
that especially when they are under stern conflict they need
extraordinary comforts that their souls may be stayed and
refreshed.
Why does Jesus Christ, as set forth here under the type of
Melchizedek, appear unto His children in times of conflict?
Answer–He comes to them, first, because they are weary. In every
conflict which the child of God has to wage, it is not the private
person who goes to the warfare–it virtually is Christ fighting–
Christ contending. It is a member of Christ's body laboring against
Christ's enemy for the glory of the Head. Christ the Head has an
intense feeling of sympathy with every member, no matter how
humble. Since there is a vital union between Christ and every
member, there is also an undying sympathy. And whenever,
Brothers and Sisters, you contend for the faith till you grow weary,
Jesus Christ will be sure to give you some proof of His close
communion with you.
The martyrs proclaim that they never had such communion with
God anywhere as among the caverns of the hills, or the swamps of
the woods to which they were exiled for Christ. And even on the
rack, in extremity of torture, or even upon the gridiron in the heat
of the fire–even there the sweet Presence of Christ has been
overpoweringly delightful to them so that they almost lost the sense
of pain! You, Lord, do send a plenteous rain whereby You refresh
Your heritage when it is weary! Spend your strength for God,
Brothers and Sisters, for when fainting seems inevitable, then shall
come such a sweet renewing of your strength that, like an eagle,
you shall stretch your wings and mount aloft to commune with God
in solitary joys! Christ, your Melchizedek, will meet you in your
conflicts if He never did before!
The King of Peace met the returning warrior for another reason.
Abram was probably flushed with victory and this is a very
dangerous feeling for any child of God. When the seventy disciples
returned to Christ they said, with evident exultation, "Lord, even
the devils are subject unto us." But Jesus Christ sweetly and gently
rebuked them by saying, "Nevertheless, rejoice not in this, but
rather rejoice because your names are written in Heaven." The true
secret of a Christian's joy is not to be his conquest over sin or over
error, but the Person of his Lord Jesus Christ! The Lord knows that
His people, if they are successful even in spiritual warfare–when
they have used the best of means and felt the best of motives–are,
nevertheless, very liable to the intoxication of pride. And therefore
He either sends "a thorn in the flesh," or else, what is better still,
He comes Himself!
I am persuaded, Beloved, that the best cure for pride is a sight of
Christ. Oh, when your eyes see Him, then your own loathsomeness,
blackness and deformity are clearly revealed. I am fair until I see
the sun–then–then am I black, indeed! I think myself pure until I
see Him whiter than any fuller could make Him and then I fall
down and cry, "Unclean, unclean, unclean!" "Now my eye sees
You," said Job, "why I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
Down go your flaunting banners and your lofty plumes when you
have a sight of Christ! No humbler man than George Herbert–no
humbler man than Samuel Rutherford–and these were men who
lived close to Christ. Christ's Presence is a cure-all.
When Melchizedek comes every spiritual disease flies before
Him. The Church at Laodicean was very far gone and how did the
Master propose to cure it? Here it is–"Behold, I stand at the door
and knock: if any man hears My voice and opens the door, I will
come into him and will sup with him." What? Lord, is this Your
delightful treatment of Your sick Church? "Yes, My communion
with you, poor lukewarm Laodicean, will revive you." Truly that is
a most suggestive figure by which John describes the countenance
of Christ–he says, "His countenance was as the sun shining in his
strength." So, Lord, it does not matter how dark I am, the moment
You show Your face, all must be light! This, I think, was the reason
why the King of Righteousness met Abram–to turn away his
thoughts from the tempting joys of victory to his sure portion in the
Most High God, possessor of Heaven and earth.
Yet again, was not this visit bestowed because Abram was about
to be tried in a yet more subtle manner than he had been before? It
is easier to fight Chedorlaomer than to resist the King of Sodom.
Joshua down in the plain never grew weary when he was fighting
the Amalekites, but Moses on the mountain felt his hands grow
heavy. Why? Because the more spiritual the exercise, the more apt
are we to grow weary in it. And so the more spiritual the temptation
the more likelihood of our becoming a prey to it and the more
strength do we need to overcome it. That was a very subtle
temptation to Lot, by the King of Sodom. Why it looked so right–
perfectly right. Abram has brought back these captives–he has a
right to the spoil–he ought, therefore, to take it. If he had done so,
no one would blame him on ordinary rules. But there is a higher
rule for Believers than for other men!
Brethren, I contend that the common rules of morality are binding
upon all–but that a supernaturally high rule of morality should
regulate the Christian! The Christian is not allowed to wink at an
evil because he has educated his conscience not to think it so–but
he shall so act that there shall not be any wrong in the action upon
the common judgment of any unbiased spectator. He who is of the
King's Council must walk very daintily lest he offend his Master. I
tell you, from experience, that the nearer you come to Christ and
the more you have of communion with Him, the more jealous you
must be of yourself, or else, if other men escape the rod you will
not–you will have to smart for it behind the door where another
may not see nor understand your grief.
Beloved, it is well to have communion with Christ to prepare us
against subtle temptations, for to feed us upon Melchizedek's bread
and wine is to make us more than a match for the King of Sodom.
O Jesus! When I have seen Your face, my soul beholds not the
dazzling beauties of earthly excellence. Brothers and Sisters, if ever
you have seen Christ's face, that painted harlot, the world, will
never win your love again! Did you ever eat the pure white bread
of Heaven? Then the brown gritty bread of earth will never suit you
but will break your teeth with gravel stones. You will never care to
drink earth's sour and watery wine if you have once been made to
drink of the wines on the lees well refined–the spiced wine of
Christ's pomegranate. If you want to be strengthened against the
most subtle worldly temptations, cry, "Let Him kiss me with the
kisses of His mouth: for Your love is better than wine." And you
may go forth to conflicts of every kind more than a conqueror,
through Him that has loved you!
Thus we have spoken upon the fact that Melchizedek met Abram
and the reasons. Now, let us look a little more closely at what he
did. In what character did he meet Abram? The reply is easy–he
met him as one possessed of a royal priesthood. Christ meets us,
Brethren, as a Priest and a King in all our battles. What a mercy it
is that Christ visits us as a Priest, for we never fight against sin
without being in some measure partakers of it. I do not believe
there ever was a controversy for the Truth of God upon which any
gracious man, though engaged upon the right side, could look back
without some regrets and some tears.
I much believe that even Martin Luther or John Knox, when upon
their dying beds, though never regretting that they contended
earnestly for the faith yet felt that while they were in the flesh
something of flesh mingled with all that they did. Thus it will be to
the end and even when contending against our own sins and lusts.
Yet, Beloved, our very repentance has something in it to be
repented of and our very flying to the Cross has something in it of a
lingering from the Cross and therefore something of evil. Jesus, all
hail! How much I need to meet You as a priest! And you, Beloved,
do you not feel that you need Him, too? Do you not, as you look
upon Calvary and the flowing blood, confess that you need, in all
spiritual conflicts, to meet Christ?
But Melchizedek was also a king and truly thus we want to view
our Lord whenever we are fighting His battles. "The Lord reigns,"
is perhaps one of the most comforting texts in the compass of
God's Word to the contending Christian. "Ah," says the poor soul,
"I am trod under foot of Satan, but rejoice not over me, O my
enemy–though I fall, yet shall I rise again, for the Lord reigns!"
Oh, that is our consolation when at any time we think we are
routed! When we see our Church dismayed and our banner trailed
in the mire–we then remember Jesus, for Him has God the Father
exalted, "and given Him a name which is above every name: that at
the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven and
things in earth and things under the earth."
Hail, King of Righteousness and Peace, much do we need to meet
You! Come, mount Your glorious chariot, ride forth conquering and
to conquer drawn by Your three white horses, Meekness, Truth and
Righteousness! Heaven adores You, earth obeys You, Hell trembles
at Your Presence! Gates of brass must burst at Your touch and bars
of iron snap at Your Word! O King Immortal, ride gloriously and
let Your people behold You and rejoice in You. But we must see
Christ, see Him, by close communion with Him. You cannot see
Him by my description. Melchizedek met Abram and Jesus Christ
must meet you. He must stop you all of a sudden, when you least
expect it, and reveal Himself to you as He does not unto the world.
Jacob, before wrestling, was met by hosts of angels at
Mahanaim–but what are these when compared with the Lord
Himself? There is a high blessing in being met by angels–do not
mistake me there–but oh, to be met by the Angel of the Covenant,
the Michael the Archangel, to be met by Him! Ah, what comfort is
here! And will He meet me? Will He meet you? Yes, we can
answer, He will–for we have met with Him. "My eyes have seen
the King in His beauty." Many of us can say that and our souls are
exceedingly comforted and full of holy joy because we have beheld
Him as Priest and King.
The next inquiry is what did he do for him? He brought him bread
and wine, precisely setting forth what Jesus does, who brings us
His flesh and His blood. Carnal people say in order to understand
Christ's words, that when you eat bread and drink wine at the
Lord's Table, there is His flesh in the bread, or that the bread is
transubstantiated into flesh and the same with the wine. But the
spiritual mind understands that these emblems awaken the spiritual
powers and that the spiritual powers–not the lips and the stomach,
but the spiritual powers–do really and spiritually feed upon the
flesh and blood of Jesus Christ and so the Word is
fulfilled–"Except you eat My flesh and drink My blood, there is no
life in you."
I do not know that Christian people feed altogether on doctrine. I
know that the Truth of God is food, but Believers get richer
nourishment than even this affords. When I am very gloomy I like
to take down some work upon the high doctrines–God's
Sovereignty, election, perseverance–and I get comforted. But there
are other times when I am brought very low and that kind of food
will not suit me. I am obliged then to turn to my Lord Himself.
There is, I believe, in times of conflict, no food which can be the
stay of an immortal soul except the Master Himself–communion
with Him–a putting of the fingers into the print of the nails and a
thrusting of the hand into the side. This is the sovereign remedy for
unbelief and the best food for faith. His manifest Presence is our
noblest nutriment.
When Christ reveals Himself, all grows calm and peaceful. But
until we can get Him we still abide in darkness and we see no light.
The worshiper who came up to the temple could not live upon the
brazen laver, nor the golden snuffers, nor even upon the cherubic
emblems–he must partake with the priests of the lamb offered in
sacrifice! And so the true food of the child of God is Jesus Christ
Himself–not so much ordinances and doctrines, which are only the
utensils and the vestments–but Christ Himself! The very Christ,
made flesh for us, received with joy into our soul and fed upon,
until, like Abram, we go on our way rejoicing. That is what the
royal priest did for the Patriarch.
Bear with me patiently while I remark what Melchizedek said to
him. First he blessed him and then he blessed God and that is just
what we need our Lord to do for us. We want our Lord Jesus Christ
first to bless us. "Blessed be Abram of the Most High God,
possessor of Heaven and earth." We need a blessing upon our own
persons and especially upon our own works. What are our works
when we have done them all but futile vanity until God comes to
strengthen us? Beloved, you and I may contend for Christ until we
are dumb but not a soul will see the light or know the Truth of God
by our witness of itself! We may go with tender hearts and seek to
bring sinners to the Cross of Christ, but we shall never bring a
sinner unless God's own arm is revealed.
We shall come back like the Prophet, saying, "Who has believed
our report?" And feeling that the arm of God has not been revealed
unto men. But when, on the other hand, the Possessor of Heaven
and earth has blessed us, then our earthly substance is blessed and
our earthly words are blessed and then we get a heavenly blessing!
Heaven's rest and peace–Heaven's Omnipotence rest upon us and
in the glory of a Heaven-given strength we go forth confident of
victory. We want a blessing from Christ. Ask for it now, Beloved!
Ask for it now, you who are weary with last week's fighting, you
who can scarcely endure any longer by reason of your trials and
troubles! Say to Him now, "Melchizedek, bless me! O Jesus, bless
me now!"
Possessor of Heaven and earth, forget not one of us, Your beloved
ones, but give us a blessing! Beloved Brethren, Melchizedek did
not stop there, but he fulfilled another part of his priestly office–he
blessed God. Whenever we are singing here, when I am in right
order, my soul takes wing and wants to fly to Heaven! When we all
sing with power and force there is a sweetness and grandeur about
the song which we do not often meet. Yet I am always conscious
that we cannot praise God as He deserves to be and herein I bless
the great Melchizedek that though we cannot bless God as He
should be blessed, yet He can! Jesus Christ presents the praises of
His saints before God as well as their prayers. He is the Intercessor
and while He has the vials full of odors sweet to present, He also
presents the music of our harps. Both our offerings come up
accepted in the Beloved.
Now what do you say, Brethren? Have you done anything this
week that is of good repute? Has God given you any success? Dear
Sister, have you won any souls for Christ? I know you have! Dear
Brother, has God blessed you in any witness-bearing? Have you
felt that God has been with you? Well now, come and lay your
honors down at His feet, whatever they may be! Put them there and
pray the great Melchizedek to take out of your heart every particle
of self-glory and every atom of self-exaltation and ask Him to say
for you in a higher sense than ever you can say it, "Blessed be the
Most High God, possessor of Heaven and earth who has delivered
my enemies into my hand." Thus you shall be glad that the great
Melchizedek has met you!
I have talked thus, but truly one word from the lips of Christ will
be worth ten thousand of mine! And if you ever have seen Him,
you will think me a very dauber when I try to paint Him. If you get
this day so much as ten minutes real fellowship with Jesus, you will
wonder how it is, that I, if I know anything about Him, could talk
in this cold way! Go your way, Brethren, and pray Melchizedek
will meet you!
III. Lastly, and very briefly, indeed, since our time is gone–when
a wrestling Believer is favored with a sight of the great
Melchizedek–voluntarily and yet necessarily he makes a new
dedication of himself to God. You see Abram does not appear to
delay a moment but he gives to Melchizedek a tithe of all, by
which he seemed to say, "I own the authority of my superior liege
lord, to all that I am and all that I have." There is one of our hymns
which says–
"Hail, Melchizedek Divine!
You, great High Priest, shall be mine.
All my powers before You fall
Take not tithe, but take them all."
And truly our holy faith deserves that we should give all to
Christ!
I would that some Christians, however, practiced the rule of
giving a tenth of their substance to the Lord's cause. The Lord's
Church need never lack if you had a bag in which you stored up for
Christ–when you gave anything, you would not feel it was giving
of your own–your left hand would not know what your right hand
did, for you would be taking out of the Lord's stock which you had
already consecrated to the Lord's cause. Not less than one-tenth
should be the Lord's portion, especially with those who have.
And more than this, I think, should be expected of those who
have wealth. But there is no rule binding with iron force upon you
for we are not under Law in Christ's Church, but under Grace and
Grace will prompt you to do more than Law might suggest. But
certainly the Christian should reckon himself to be not his own and
that he has nothing to retain for his own private account. I pray
God if I have a drop of blood in my body which is not His, to let it
bleed away! And if there is one hair in my head which is not
consecrated to Him, I would have it plucked out–for it must be the
devil's drop of blood and the devil's hair. It belongs to either one or
the other–if not to God, then to Satan. No, we must, Brethren, have
no division of ourselves–no living unto this world and unto God,
too.
Mark Anthony yoked two lions together and drove them through
the streets of Rome–they do strange things at Rome and there are
many people who can yoke two lions together and drive towards
Rome. But you will never be able to yoke the lion of the tribe of
Judah and the lion of Hell together–they are at deadly antagonism
and Christ will not have you for His servants if you seek to serve
two masters. I know that any talk of mine here will be in vain, but
if, Beloved, you should see Christ and have communion with Him,
your consecration to Him will be a matter of course. I will suppose
that this afternoon one of you should sit down in your arm chair
and, as you are sitting there, you will be thinking, "How little I
have been giving of late to the cause of Christ! How seldom I have
opened my mouth for Him!" Perhaps you will think, "I have got on
in the world, too, but I really cannot afford it! My expenses are so
great!"Suppose the Lord Jesus Christ should come into the room
with those pierced hands and bleeding feet–suppose He were to
remind you of what He has done for you–how He visited you in
your low estate when your heart was breaking under a sense of sin?
You would not tell Him you could not afford to give to His cause!
Suppose our Lord Jesus Christ should look you in the face and say
to you, "I have done all this for you. What will you do for Me?"
What would be your answer? Why, you would say, "Take it all, my
Master, take it all, all that I am and all that I have shall be forever
Yours."
Or, if you felt niggardly–supposing He should say to you, "If you
will never ask anything of Me, I will never take anything from
you." Would you agree to that? No! Because you still will have
immense demands to make upon His liberality cease not to give
your whole spirit, soul and body as a whole burnt-offering unto
God. As Abram did before Melchizedek so you do in the Presence
of Christ. Admit that you are His and give yourself to Him. My
dear Brethren, I pray God that this may stir you up to seek a high
grade of piety and to live in daily communion with a living Savior
and He will bless and keep you.
But there are some of you who are not like Abram. You need not
hope, yet, to see Melchizedek. There are some of you strangers, far
off. Ah, I may rather compare you to the men of Sodom! Christ has
done something for you as Abram did for Sodom. You know it was
only for the sake of Lot that He brought them back, but He did
bring them all back and for the sake of Lot gave a respite to them
all–although a few years after they had grown so wicked that they
were all destroyed. My Master has given a respite to free you all.
While His great work was the salvation of His own chosen, yet He
has spared you all in the land of the living. Take heed lest you do as
did the men of Sodom, for then a hail more fiery, a destruction
more terrible must come upon you, seeing that you turn not aside
from your evil ways, nor seek His face.
Trust Christ and you are saved! Believe in Him and your sins are
forgiven. But if you refuse, beware lest that come upon you which
is written in the Prophets, "Behold, you despisers and wonder and
perish!" The Master now send us away with His benediction.
Amen.
Ge 15:1 • Abraham's Great Reward
ERMON 2814
Abraham's Great Reward
" Fear not, Abram: I am your shield, and your exceeding great
reward."
Genesis 15:1
You have probably heard a great many sermons on the first part of
the text, "I am your shield," so, on this occasion, I am going to
leave that portion in order to more fully consider the second part–"I
am your exceeding great reward."
Notice, first, the circumstances under which these words were
spoken to Abraham. It must have been in his memory that not very
long before, he had parted from his nephew, Lot, and had given
him his choice as to which way he would go with his flocks and his
herds. And Lot, regardless of the character of the people among
whom he was going to dwell, chose the well-watered plain of
Jericho or Jordan in which were the sinful cities of Sodom and
Gomorrah. He thought only of temporal advantages and now he
had lost everything in the battle of the four kings against five.
Abraham had an eye to the Kingdom of God and His righteousness,
so he had not lost anything. In fact, he was able to restore to Lot all
that he had lost. And now the Lord appears to him and seems to say
to him, "Your nephew Lot trusted in what he could see. He
followed the leading of his own judgment and chose that which
seemed to be for his own immediate advantage, and now he has
lost all. But, fear not, Abram: I am your shield, and your exceeding
great reward. You shall not lose. You have chosen the good part
which shall not be taken from you. You have no share of the well-
watered plain of Jordan to lose. You need not fret, for you shall
never lose your portion." The Patriarch might also have said, on his
own account, "The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore will
I trust in Him."
You, Beloved, have probably seen others suffering the loss of all
things and brought to deep despair as the result. But do not be
alarmed at whatever happens to you. You have made God to be
your refuge and you shall find a most secure abode in Him. You
may have losses and afflictions–these are a part of your lot–but
they shall not overwhelm you. You shall be no real losers in the
end, but you shall be kept by the power of God and shall be
delivered out of every trial and affliction. He shall also be to you
your shield and your exceeding great reward.
Again, Abraham had just at that time refused the gifts of the king
of Sodom. They were his rightful spoil and he might very properly
have taken them, yet he would not do so, lest, in later days the king
of Sodom should say, "It was not Abraham's God that enriched
him. It is no use for him to talk about living by faith, for it was my
gifts, or the spoilsof war that enriched him." "No," says Abraham,
"you shall never be able to say that! Whatever I have shall be
God's gift to me, not the king of Sodom's gift. I will be
independent of men. I will be dependent only upon the living God."
The Lord admires this spirit, so He comes and says to His servant,
"Fear not, Abram. Whatever you may have given up for My sake,
for My Glory's sake, for the sake of My honor, you shall not be a
loser in any respect, for I will be your shield, and your exceeding
great reward."
Have you, dear Friend, made any sacrifices for Christ? Have you
lately been called to imperil your own interests by pursuing a right
course? Have you been steadfast even though you lost friendships?
Have you been so firm in your adherence to principle that you have
been judged to be obstinate? Well, if so, you shall be no loser
through your faithfulness! As certainly as God is in Heaven, you
shall prove, in some way or other, that in keeping His
commandments there is great reward. It is always a pity when any
of the children of God begin to think that they can be enriched by
the king of Sodom, or try to find their portion, in any measure,
among the ungodly sons of men. God's command to His people is,
"Come out from among them, and be you separate, says the Lord,
and touch not the unclean thing." And His promise to those who do
is, "I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and you shall
be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
We must also remember that at the time the Lord spoke thus to
Abraham, the Patriarch was not the possessor of a single foot of the
land which had been promised to him. The whole of it was to
belong to his posterity and, in God's promise, Abraham held the
title-deeds to the freehold. Those who were in possession were but
leaseholders and their lease would soon run out, but, at that time,
Abraham had not even a foot of ground that he could call his own.
And when he needed a sepulcher, he had to buy the cave of
Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, in the presence of the children
of Heth. So, in our text, the Lord seems to say to him, "Abraham,
you have no possession in this land. You are a stranger and a
foreigner in it, but 'fear not,' I am your portion and your heritage,
your exceeding great reward.' Although others look upon you as a
mere Bedouin wandering about with your flocks and herds, and
pitching your tents here, today, and there, tomorrow, with no settled
resting place, be not troubled because of that." It is the same with
us, Beloved, for the Lord has been the dwelling place of His people
in all generations, even as He was the dwelling place of Abraham!
And He would have Abraham know that it was so and feel that he
was not penniless, or landless, for the Lord was his "exceeding
great reward."
One other circumstance is worth remembering. Abraham had just
been paying tithes to Melchizedek, so now was just the time for the
Lord to give him a blessing. Have you ever heard a sermon from
the text, "Prove Me now herewith, says the Lord of Hosts, if I will
not open to you the windows of Heaven, and pour you out a
blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it"? I have
read discourses upon that passage, but the singularity of the
sermons has consisted in the fact that they were not fairly preached
from the text, because it runs thus, "Bring you all the tithes into the
storehouse, that there may be meat in My house, and prove me now
herewith, says the Lord of Hosts." It was their bringing ofthe tithes
that was to be the test as to the time when the blessing should be
given to them–and the proof of God's fidelity to His promise would
be seen by the filling of their barns and houses by His bounty!
Abraham had paid to Melchizedek, as the representative of the
Most High, tithes of all–then came the blessing–"Fear not, Abram:
I am your shield,and your exceeding great reward."
Solomon's word is still true, "There is that scatters, and yet
increases; and there is that withholds more than is meet, but it tends
to poverty." The most impoverishing money in the world is God's
money locked up in His own steward's possession, left to canker
and to rust among the gifts of His Providence–not the man's own
possession at all, but stolen from his Master, embezzled–that he
might accumulate more and more, to die a little richer and so be
unfaithful to his stewardship! O my Brothers and Sisters, this may
seem to some of you a thing about which we ought not to speak,
but we will hold our tongue about nothing that is a part of the duty
of Christians and the will of the Lord! And since we do believe that
many professors bring a curse upon themselves through neglect of
this duty, we must speak of it. You will find that in faithfully
serving the Lord in this matter, He will give you such a blessing
upon your substance that you shall praise His name that He ever
taught you the value of self-sacrifice and self-denial–and showed
you how to consecrate your substance to Him!
These are the circumstances under which these words were
spoken to Abraham. Now let us consider the text itself–"I am your
exceeding great reward." And let us ask, first, What is this reward?
What are the excellences of thisexceeding great reward? What
then?
First, then, let us enquire, WHAT IS THIS REWARD? "I am your
exceeding great reward."
It is not the land of Canaan. That was to be given to Abraham, but
that was not his great reward. It is not a posterity, though he pined
for it. No, it is not anything that God will give him–it is God,
Himself. I–I, Jehovah–the Hebrew is peculiarly emphatic in setting
apart the word, "I, Jehovah, am your exceeding great reward." The
Lord Himself is the portion of His people! When Canaan was
divided, there was a lot for Judah, for Simeon, for Reuben and so
on–but as for the Levites, the Lord was their portion–and we are
like the Levites–as many of us as who have believed inthe Lord.
The Lord is our portion and He is such a portion as excels
everything else that we might have!
I do not think that any human mind can ever grasp the fullness of
meaning of these four words, "I am your reward." God Himself the
reward of His faithful people! This I feel sure of–that although I
can enjoy the sweetness of this text for myself, my feeble lips can
never tell even the hundredth part of the precious meaning of it!
Therefore, my Brothers and Sisters, do not depend upon me, but
appropriate the text to yourselves. Be not content for me to cook
and carve for you,but come and cut from the roast for yourselves–
and cut large slices, too! Let each man take to himself all that he
needs out of this glorious text as he meditates upon it!
Think what a reward it is for us even to know God. Years ago we
knew that there was a God. At least we heard so,but He was a
perfect stranger to us. We never recognized Him. Possibly we
asked His blessing upon our meals, but it was a mere formality. We
did not see His hand in everything–in fact, we lived almost as if
there was no God. If there had really been no God, probably we
would have been all the happier. But now we know Him! We know
that He made the heavens and the earth, that He is the Preserver of
men and we see His hand in every gift of Providence. As we walk
about the earth, we are accustomed to say, "These are His glorious
works. My Father made them all. Here is God's pencil, painting
each flower. Here is God riding on the wings of the wind and there
is God walking on the waves of the sea! To us, God is
everywhere." It has made life so happy, at least, I speak for myself,
to feel, "My God is everywhere." Perhaps you remember that
simple story of Mungo Park when he was lost in Africa, recovering
his spirits by looking at a little piece of moss and admiring its
beauty, and saying, "Here is God at work even here," and feeling
that, if God was there, He was not really lost, He was still safe
enough, for His Father was close at hand! It is worthwhile living
when we have come into a practical recognition of God, when we
have made the acquaintance of that glorious Divine Being who fills
all in all! If we never had any reward but this, this would be a great
one.
But we have gone on from knowing God to loving Him, which is
much more. A good man once said, "If God did notlove me, yet if
He would but allow me to love Him forever, I think that I could not
be unhappy." Surely you must know that to love God is a most
blessed emotion! To look up to Him in all His excellence and
goodness. To admire Him with all your heart. To realize that your
lips cannot sufficiently extol Him, or your mind think highly
enough of Him–this is a most profitable exercise! The very thought
of God, to a man who truly loves Him, is ecstasy! If my eternity
could be spent in a dungeon with my heart full of love to God, it
could not be an unhappy experience to live so!
But, at the back of this, there comes a far greater thing. Brothers
and Sisters, we know that God loves us. I neverdare to try to speak
about this great Truth of God–it is a thing to think over rather than
to talk of. I like to get away quietly in a corner and just try to roll
this sweet morsel under my tongue, to suck on it till I draw the very
essence out of it–God loves me–or, as the hymn puts it–
I am so glad that Jesus loves me."For God to think me practically,
is still more. But forHim to love me–this is the greatest wonder of
all! You know how you, being evil, love your own children, but
yourHeavenly Father loves you far more! You husbands know how
you love your wives, yet there is One who loves His Church far
more, for He gave Himself for her! God loves you, my Brother.
God loves you, my Sister, if, indeed, you have been brought to
believe in Jesus. And to know this great Truth of God is to have an
"exceeding great reward," because, if God loves us, everything
must be right!
I was going on to say what He would do for us, but it seems to be
almost too selfish to go into those details, for, asHe loves us, what
is there that He will not do for us? Why, He has already done more
for us than He ever can do in the future! He has already given to us
His greatest Gift, for He has given His Son to us and, in so doing,
He has given us all things. Your Father loves you, dear child of
God and, therefore, He will continue to feed you, and clothe you,
and teach you, and support you, and preserve you, and educate you
till He has made you meet to see His blessed face and then you
shall no longer be here at school, but go Home to dwell in His
blessed Presence forever and forever! Is not this an "exceeding
great reward"–to know God, to love Him and to be loved by Him?
What more can we desire than this?
Yet we have even more than this, for, loving God we come to
realize that we have possession of Him, so that we cansay, "This
God is our God forever and ever." We say of Jesus Christ, our Lord
and Savior, "My Beloved is mine, and I am His." We have bowed
before Him, as Thomas did, and cried, "My Lord and my God."
Just think, for a minute, dear Friends, what the possession of God
means. God is yours in everything that He is. His Omnipotence is
pledged to strengthen you. His Omniscience is engaged to direct
you. All His attributes are employed on your behalf. He is
everywhere present and, therefore, He will show Himself
everywhere strong for your defense! He is Immutable so He
changes not in His love to you. He is Eternal so His mercy endures
forever. Even the sterner attributes of God smile upon the saint–His
Justice, His Righteousness, His Glory are all on the side of every
Believer! You say, "I am poor," but how can you be poor with such
a rich Father? You say, "I am heavy of heart because of my low
estate." What? With God as yours. With Father, Son and Spirit
yours. With the everlasting God, the Creator of Heaven and earth as
your Father and your Friend forever and forever–how can you be
troubled by reason of the difficulty of your circumstances? Brother,
Sister, chide your heart for its foolishness! End your sighing and
begin to sing! When we have God as our possession, we have an
"exceeding great reward!"
And the reward seems to grow all the greater in the course of
years, Gods infinite mercy has transformed us, at leastin part, into
His likeness. God is so fully ours that we enter into fellowship with
Him and receive of His sacred influences till we are changed into
His image, even by the Lord, the Spirit. As you read the story of
Abraham, you can see many of the attributes of God reflected in
the character of His noble servant. Now, child of God, you should
mourn that you are so little like God, but you should also rejoice
that you are already made somewhat like Him and that when He
shall appear, in whom your life is hid, you shall be like He is, for
you shall see Him as He is. Oh, it is worthwhile to have lived, is it
not, notwithstanding all the cares of life, when this is to be the end
of it all? Though man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly
upward, blessed be God for an existence that has for its end that we
should be made partakers of the Divine likeness and should be
lifted up to be the sons and daughters of the Most High and dwell
with Him in perfection forever! I thank God for His great Truth of
the immortality of the soul, even with all the dreadful risks of
everlasting wrath that surround it! It is worth the risk to have the
possibility of becoming like God and we who have believed in
Jesus have gone beyond the possibility, for we have the earnest and
the assurance, the pledge and the token of the good work
commenced within us, which, when it is perfected, shall make us
like God Himself!
O my Soul, bow yourself before the Lord in reverent and adoring
gratitude! You were almost like the devil by nature and what are
you even now? You are dust and Deity combined, for the Hoy
Spirit dwells in you! That body of yours must crumble back to dust,
but, by-and-by, it shall be refashioned in glory and in power, and
then, creature as you are, you shall be near and like your God! Is
not this an "exceeding great reward" to even now be in process of
preparation for so wonderful a climax as that?
I must also mention that God is our "exceeding great reward" in
another sense, namely, that He deigns to visit usand speak with us.
We have been moved by Divine influences. I am, of course,
addressing myself only to those who have been born from above
and are Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Upon you, Beloved,
God has already bestowed a great reward, for He has raised you
from your death of sin and His Spirit abides in you, fashioning and
forming you unto perfection. And the Lord has, I trust, often
spoken with you. If not often, whose fault has it been? Some of us
can testify that He has drawn very near to our spirits at times. Do
you not remember some happy seasons when you felt that you
could not have borne any more delight? I mean, when you were so
happy that to have been happier might have made you run the risk
of death from excess of joy! Oh, the indescribable bliss, the
heavenly joys of a soul when it feels the love of Christ shed abroad
in the heart by the Hoy Spirit who is given unto it!
II. The time will not allow me to say more on that point, so now I
come to enquire, in the second place, WHAT ARE THE
EXCELLENCES OF THE GREAT REWARD WHICH IS
PROMISED IN THE TEXT?
Notice, first, that it is an infinite reward–"I am your reward."
Anything earthly that God pleases to give to us, wecan take away,
carry it off and house it somewhere. But when God says, "I am
your reward," we pause and look with mingled wonder, love and
praise! This reward is incomprehensible–who can carry it away?
Who can even measure it? Who can fathom the depths of this
ocean, or soar to this vast height? God gives to other men health,
wealth, fame, pleasure. But to you, Beloved, He gives Himself!
Their gifts are no more comparable to yours than the darkness is to
the sun! In giving you Himself, He has given you all that He is!
Truly, that is an infinite portion.
Then, next, this is a spiritual reward. There are some people who
will not value it because of this very excellence. Andthis may be a
test between the regenerate and the unregenerate. The ungodly say,
"If God will but give us our barns full of wheat and our winepress
bursting with new wine. If He will only fill our purses with gold
and our houses with all manner of earthly delights, that will be
enough for us." But you, Believer, are of another mind, for you
have seen through the emptiness and vanity of all material things.
You say, "What is the mere pleasure of eating and drinking but that
with which a beast is my associate? What if I have honor among
my fellow mortals? What is it but so much breath from other men's
nostrils, so much clapping of the hands of fools? That is all it really
is." What is there beneath the sun, that, to a man who is born of
God, is worth his stooping down to pick it up? But when he gets his
God, the new-born spirit within him, which hungers with an
infinite hunger for the highest good, he says, "Here I have all that I
need! Father, Son and Spirit–blessed Trinity, You are mine! My
awakened spirit feels that this is a sea in which I can swim forever.
This is the element in which I can truly live." To possess God is a
great spiritual blessing, so the declaration of the text is true–"I am
your exceeding great reward."
Notice, next, that this is an eternal reward, for he who has God as
his own shall never lose Him since God changesnot. And he shall
never exhaust Him, for who would even think that he can drain dry
the infinite all-sufficiency of Jehovah? If God is yours, you have all
for today, tomorrow, for time, for eternity, forever! All emergencies
and circumstance of life–all for the tremendous terrors of the Day
of Judgment, all for the ages of ages that shall never end! What
more can you need?
To have God is, also, most ennobling. I do not know that there is
anything in a great deal of wealth to make a mannoble. Many men
seem to get more greedy, the more money they have. Their soul
cleaves to their dust. But he who gets God as his own, oh, what a
privileged man is he! Talk of princes–here is a prince, indeed! You
may put as many emperors and great ones of the earth as you
please in a barrel, but, if they are not saved by the Grace of God,
they are not worthy, in the sight of God, of being compared with
the poorest, weakest, most despised of all His people, to whom He
is an "exceeding great reward!" O you great ones of the earth, you
might well be content to become beggars if you might but have
God to be your everlasting portion!
And what a soul-satisfying portion and reward this is! If you have
God as yours, my Soul, sit down and see if you canthink of
anything else–you cannot do it! Try and let your desires ramble
over other fields. Untie them and give them liberty. But what can
they ask for, seek for, wish for beyond God Himself? There are,
alas, some Christians who do not seem to realize the truth of this
and they get dissatisfied with God. You have been serving the
Master, my Brother or Sister, for some months. Perhaps it is in the
Sunday school that you have been working, but nobody has taken
much notice of you. The superintendent has not praised you, so you
are discouraged. But remember that when you serve God, He
isyour reward!
"Oh, but, Sir! I have been trying to do good in many ways. I have
labored hard, but people only misrepresent me." Did you look for
your reward in that way? If you did, I am glad that you are
disappointed, because God says, "I am your reward." To know that
you love God and that He loves you–that He is yours, and you are
His–that is reward enough for you. "Oh, but," says a minister, "you
do not really know how badly I have been treated. I have had many
years of service in my congregation, but they are most ungrateful
and do not appreciate me. They even want to get rid of me!" But,
my Brother, God does not want to get rid of you. And He will
appreciate you, for He loves you with an infinitelove. Why did you
look to men and women for your reward? A man may have other
rewards if he is content with God as his reward, but he who has any
sinister or even secondary aim in what he does in the cause of God,
spoils it all. This is the fly in the precious ointment! We must get
rid of everything of this sort and be just as satisfied to serve God in
obloquy and reproach as we are to serve Him amid the
acclamations of the multitude!
"It is not easy to do that," says one. No, Beloved, nothing is easy
that is good, except to God–and you must go to Him to enable you
to act so. But never shun a duty because you think it is difficult. Sit
down with your Lord, alone, and He will speak to you and comfort
you, and strengthen you. Remember how Elkanah comforted his
wife, Hannah, when she sorrowed because she had no children?
"Am not I better to you than ten sons?" And as he drew her close to
him and she felt the warm glow of his loving heart, she realized