Sermon 2806. 'Jesus Our Lord'
(No. 2806)
A SERMON INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD'S-DAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1902.
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON LORD'S-DAY EVENING, APRIL 1, 1877.
"Jesus our Lord." Romans 4:24.
"JESUS our Lord" is a somewhat unusual form of expression to be used in the Scriptures. We have many references to, "JesusChrist," and to, "our Lord Jesus Christ," but there is only one other passage in which this occurs. Yet, to me, it seems tobe inexpressibly sweet. I shall be devoutly grateful to God if, in my sermon, I am able to convey to you even a tithe of thesweetness which I have drawn from this expression for my own enjoyment.
It is part of faith to accept very great contrasts and if we look, for a moment, at the words of our text, "Jesus our Lord,"and especially if we look at the connection in which they are found, we shall see a great contrast. Jesus, the "Man of Sorrows,"and yet, "our Lord" Jesus! Thoughts of sorrow, rejection and shame cluster around that blessed and ever-musical name, yetHe is "our Lord" in the highest and Divine sense-our Lord and our God! Faith has learned to think of Him, even before Hisbirth, as the Christ of God, and to give heed to the angel's message to Joseph, "You shall call His name, Jesus, for He shallsave His people from their sins." Faith also bows at the manger with the worshipping shepherds and with the wise men fromthe East presenting gifts, realizing that the Infant is the Infinite and that the Babe of Bethlehem is the King of kings andLord of lords.
Faith sees Jesus in the humble garb of a Galilean peasant, moving about in the company of a band of fishermen. She sees thatHe is a friend of publicans and sinners, yet she believes Him to be the Son of the Highest, though flesh and blood have notrevealed that great Truth of God to her. Even in His humiliation, she knows Him as Lord of the sea who made the stormy waveslie still at His command, and as the Master of diseases, before whom all manner of sicknesses, and even devils, themselves,fled apace. She knows Him to have been a suffering Man, yet she calls Him, "Lord." Yes, even though, on the Cross, she beholds,with tearful eyes, His agony and death-yet even there she salutes Him as Lord! She did so in the dying thief's prayer, "Lord,remember me when You come into Your kingdom." And she has done it thousands of times since. And now, today, though the nameof Jesus of Nazareth is bandied about and to many it is only a byword and the despised Galilean has, as yet, only a partialsway over the sons of men, yet Faith sees Him exalted to the highest heavens and she acknowledges Him as both Lord and God!
And these things which I said were contrasts which it was the part of Faith to accept, have ceased to be contrasts with hernow, for now Faith sees but little contrast between Christ's death and His reigning in Glory! In fact, she understands thatthe one is the outgrowth of the other, especially as she reads such a passage as this, "Who, being in the form of God, thoughtit not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a Servant, and was madein the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a Man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even thedeath of the Cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at thename of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that everytongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Faith delights to think that Christ's being Lord is the actual fruit of His having died and having risen again from the dead,for she comprehends the meaning of the Apostle Peter, at Pentecost, when he said to the Jews, "This Jesus has God raised up,whereof we all are witnesses...Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made that same
Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ." Faith has quick ears and she has heard Jehovah speaking in the samelanguage as that which saluted David's ears, "Jehovah said unto My Lord, Sit You at My right hand, until I make Your enemiesYour footstool." Even when Faith sees Jesus Christ under the most humiliating circumstances, she perceives how, out of thatvery humiliation, His mediatorial Kingdom has grown and she delights to acknowledge that glorious fact-and with adoring reverenceshe calls Him, "Jesus our Lord."
Before I finish this introduction to my discourse, I want to remind you, Beloved, that notwithstanding all the sweetness withwhich the name of Jesus is associated, and the blessed condescension by which He has brought Himself so near to us, yet ourfaith never takes liberties with Him, or forgets that He is, "Jesus our Lord." He is, "Jesus." Oh, the ineffable sweetnessof that dear, precious and consoling name! But He is also, "Jesus our Lord." And you will always find that in proportion asfaith grows, reverence grows. Unbelief is presumptuous, but faith is always humble. The more you know of Jesus as your Savior,saving you from sin, the more you will also recognize Him as your Lord. No one rebels against Christ because he believes inHim, but, because we believe in Him, He becomes our Lord and we learn to obey Him. That is the spirit I long to have reigningin all our hearts-the spirit of devout, worshipful reverence towards "Jesus our
Lord."
First, I shall try to show you that Christ's tender condescensions endear this title to us. Secondly, that our loving heartsread that title with peculiar emphasis. And, thirdly, that we find special sweetness in that word "our'-"Jesus our Lord."
I. First, then, I want to show you that CHRIST'S TENDER CONDESCENSIONS ENDEAR THIS TITLE TO
US-"Jesus our Lord."
First, dear Friends, we claim to give Him this title specially because He is Man. "Jesus our Lord," says the Apostle, "whowas delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification." We worship Him all the more reverently and affectionatelybecause He is Man as well as God. We call Him, "Jesus our Lord," as if we thereby meant to appropriate Him especially to ourselves.We can even say to the angels, "He is your Lord, for He created you and He sustains you. And you delight to do Him homage,yet He is not an angel. He took not upon Him the nature of angels. He never redeemed you with His precious blood, neitheris He so near akin to you as He is to us. He never called you His brethren, but He is Jesus our Lord, for He was born of awoman and made under the Law, and became a partaker of our human nature and, therefore, He is not ashamed to call us brethren-andHe is bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh."
It is a delightful thought to us that the Kingdom of "Jesus our Lord" has no bounds to it. Indeed, we can hardly imagine howwide is His dominion or how numerous are His subjects! It may be that there are innumerable beings in yonder starry worlds-ascountless as the sands on the seashore-and that Jesus is Lord over all these. Yet He bears such a special relationship towardsthis little planet and this poor race of fallen men and women, that this round earth calls Him hers as no other world cancall Him! And we, His people, call Him ours as no other creatures can, for, just as truly as He is God, so is He also Man.Behold, on the very Throne of God above, there sits a Man like ourselves! The men of Israel said that they had 10 parts inthe king and more right to David than Judah had-and we have 10 parts in the Son of David and more right to Him than all therest of His creatures have! His tender condescension, in becoming Man, endears to us the title, "Jesus our Lord." We callHim Lord with all the greater willingness and delight because He loved us and gave Himself for us. You remember the argumentof the Apostle Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, "You are not your own, for you are bought with a price: therefore glorifyGod in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." He who bought us with such a price claims us as His own and none ofus, I trust, will dispute His claim. We rightly sing-
"To Him that loved the souls of men
And washed us in His blood.
To royal honors raised our head
And made us priests to God.
To Him let every tongue praise
And every heart love!
All grateful honors paid on earth,
And nobler songs above!"
We call Him Lord because He has made us to be new creatures in Him and because, as our Shepherd, He has not only led us andfed us, but because He has laid down His life for us who are the sheep of His flock. Now that He has done this
for us, He must be our Lord and He shall be our Lord! Every drop of His blood shall be a jewel in the crown which He shallwear as He exercises His rightful Sovereignty over us. Every scar on His blessed body shall be to us a token of His true royaltyand all that He has endured and suffered-even the wormwood and the gall-all this shall be but another token of the graciousSovereignty to which we most cheerfully submit ourselves! Brothers and Sisters in Christ, do you not feel that because Hedied for us, we do all the more, and certainly none the less, call Him "Jesus our Lord"? Thus again His tender condescensionendears the title to us.
Further, in all the privileges that are accorded to us in Him, He is our Lord. They, all of them, remind us of His lordshipand sweetly, yet effectually, enforce that lordship over us. Are we not His Church and is He not the Head of the Church? Weacknowledge no other head! The Church of Christ finds supreme delight and satisfaction in His headship. Are we the membersof His mystical body? Then let us remember that He is never called an arm or an eye-He is always the Head, controlling thewhole body. Are we the flock which He has purchased with His own blood? Then He is the Shepherd of that flock. Does He makesome of us to be the under shepherds of His flock? Then He is the Chief Shepherd and when He shall appear, we "shall receivea crown of glory that fades not away." Does He make us to be a spiritual house? Then He will dwell in that house as its Lordand Master. Are we, through His Infinite Love, united to Him in the bonds of sacred marriage? Then He is our Husband and itbecomes our delight to bow to His will and yield ourselves absolutely to His control. Are we dead and buried with Him anddo we expect to rise from the dead? He "is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in all things He might have thepreeminence." Do we expect to enter into Glory? When we do, we shall see the Lamb in the midst of the Throne of God and weshall bow before Him as Lord of all. Are we looking for the splendors of the millennial age and expecting to share in them?We shall then behold Him reigning here as King and breaking His enemies into pieces like potters' vessels. You cannot drawnear to Jesus without being impressed with the thought of His Lordship over you as well as His Divine condescension towardyou. In fact, it is in His condescension that His Divine Lordship comes out more than anywhere else!
Once more, in our dearest fellowship at the Communion Table He is, "Jesus our Lord." Some of us are coming, presently, tothe Table where Jesus deigns to sit and eat with us, and there is no fellowship closer than that which this memorial supperso sweetly yields us. Yet you must have noticed, I think, how Paul, in his account of the institution of this ordinance, constantlyuses the expression, "the Lord." "I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, thesame night in which He was betrayed, took bread." Why did He not simply say, "Jesus"? Further on, he says, "You do show theLord's death till He comes." And that those who, "drink this cup of the Lord, unworthy, shall be guilty of the body and bloodof the Lord, not discerning the Lord's body." All through, the Apostle speaks of Christ as the Lord who sits at the head ofthe table as the king presides in his palace. He is our dearly-beloved Spouse, of whom we may truly say, "My Beloved is mine,and I am His." Yet is He still the King and we feel that even in all the nearness of communion that He permits us to enjoywith Him, there is still a distance as to quality and rank between Him and ourselves-and so we call Him Master and Lord-andwe do well in speaking thus. We probably never feel how much He is our Lord till we come to the Communion Table. His verycondescension makes this blessed title to become more bright to us and to be better understood by us.
II. I think I have said enough upon that first head to make it clear, so I will turn to the second one, which is this,
OUR LOVING HEARTS READ THE TITLE WITH PECULIAR EMPHASIS. Oh, that we might suck the sweetness
out of these words, "Jesus our Lord!" George Herbert wrote-
"How sweetly does 'My Master 'sound! 'My Master!'" I may alter the words a little and say-
"How sweetly does 'Jesus our Lord' sound! 'Jesus our Lord!'
As ambergris leaves a rich scent unto the taster,
So do these words a sweet content,
An oriental fragrance, 'Jesus our Lord.'" So, our loving hearts read this title with peculiar emphasis, for, first of all,we never yield this title to anybody but to Him-"Jesus our Lord." We say, with the Prophet, "O Lord our God, other lords besideYou have had dominion over us: but by You only will we make mention of Your name." Moses was once lord over us-we put theLord out of His rightful place and sought to serve the Law-but now we know that while "Moses verily was faithful in all hishouse, as a servant"...Christ is "a Son over His own house." Beloved, I charge you to let the Lord Jesus be the only Lordof your
conscience! Obey none beside Him for He, alone, has the right to rule over you. I fear that there are some who take a thingfor granted because some one of my Master's servants said that it was so. He was an eminent servant and highly favored byhis Master and, therefore, they take what he says for law. But we, who also are our Master's servants, beseech you never tolook to us as though we were masters, for, "one is your Master, even Christ, and all you are brethren." It is a blessed dayfor any man when he is able to cast off every yoke except the yoke of Jesus Christ! Blessed shall we be if, henceforth, "Jesusour Lord" and He, alone, shall receive our complete obedience and the loyal homage of our hearts. Thus, we emphasize thistitle by reserving it for our Master.
We also render it to Him with the emphasis that arises from great willingness. We are not only willing, but anxious that Jesusshould be our sole Lord and Master. And we feel angry with ourselves that we did not let Him be our Master years ago. We areso glad that He is our Lord that we wish never again to grieve Him-never to have a will of our own-never to do anything butwhat would perfectly accord with His rule over us. I know that every saved one feels just like that and says, " O Lord, ruleover me! Be You my only Lord! I wish it with intense desire and most cheerfully acknowledge that this is Your rightful title."
And every true Christian pronounces this phrase, "Jesus our Lord," with the emphasis of unreservedness. We desire that ChristJesus should be our Lord in everything-and Lord over every part of our being. Each one of us has said to Him, "My Lord, dojust what You will with me. If I can the better glorify You by patient endurance or by active service, only give me the necessaryGrace and I will not fail to acknowledge You as my Lord." Have you not, Beloved, given up to the Lord Jesus everything thatyou have? Have you not felt that you love Him better than husband, or wife, or child? Do you not feel that your spirit, souland body all belong to Him and that you desire to consecrate to Him all your goods, all your hours and all your powers? Areyou keeping back from Him any of your substance? Do you reckon that anything you have is your own? If so, you are not trueto Jesus your Lord, for he who truly loves Jesus and who knows that he is one of those who are redeemed by Him, says withall his heart that Jesus is his Lord, his absolute Sovereign, His Despot, if that word may be used in the sense of Christhaving unlimited monarchy and supreme sway over the soul! Yes, O, "Jesus our Lord," You shall be the autocratic, imperialMaster of our heart and of the whole dominion of our manhood!
The Church of God, in a very special manner, calls Jesus "our Lord," for there is not, and there cannot be any Head of theChurch except the Lord Jesus Christ. It is awful blasphemy for any man on earth to call himself Christ's "vicar and the headof the church." And it is an usurpation of the crown rights of King Jesus for any king or queen to be called the head of thechurch, for the true Church of Jesus Christ can have no Head but Jesus Christ Himself! I am thankful that there is no headto the Church of which I am a member save Jesus Christ, Himself, nor dare I be a member of any church which would contentto any headship but His. You may put some other interpretation upon the title, but if it means what is meant, in Scripture,by the term, "the Head of the Church," it is an infringement of the crown rights of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Thetrue Church of Christ keeps that title only for her Lord and will not acknowledge another head. Nobody can make new laws forthe true Church of Christ. You know that parliament makes laws which tell which way you shall turn when you say your prayersand what clothes you shall put on, and I know not what besides, but that is a poor parody of the true Church which submitsto such lordship as that!
If I were a member of a church whose laws were made by a parliament that might consist of Jews and Gentiles, atheists andskeptics, I would be out of it as quickly as I could! There is no lawmaker for the Church of God but Jesus Christ, Himself,and no one can take His place! And no one will be allowed to take it when the Lord wakes up His people to be loyal to whatis written in this blessed Bible. This is our Statute-Book and we acknowledge no other but that which King Jesus has givenus. "To the Law and to the Testimony: if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no Light of God inthem."
Do you say that these are matters of little importance! Ah, Sirs, the Covenanters of Scotland bled and died for this whichyou call an unimportant matter-that Christ alone is Lord of His Church! You may call it a small thing if you like, but thatteaching which is contrary to it is the mother of a thousand mischiefs to this, our beloved land, and is doing it inconceivabledamage. I pray that there may come to all sections of the Church of Christ-Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Episcopalian-thisone resolve, "We will get back to Holy Scripture and to the sole Headship of Christ, cost
whatever it may." If all of us should ever get to that point, we should get closer to one another than we now are, for weshould be all one in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Once more, dear Friends, we call "Jesus our Lord" forever When the true Church takes Jesus Christ to be her Lord, it is ina marriage bond that shall never be dissolved. And when any individual soul takes Jesus Christ to be her Lord, she takes Himto have and to hold, in life and in death, in time and throughout eternity! Is it not so? Then a very precious thought whicharises out of this Truth of God is that however poorly we do our duty as His servants, He will carry out to the fullest, HisCharacter as our Lord! A lord, you know, takes care of his servants. He sees that they do not die of starvation and he protectsthem and, as far as he can, sees that they do not need any good thing. I always feel quite certain that if we faithfully serveour Lord, He will keep us in our needs and, having food and clothes, we ought to be content. His promise to the upright is,"Bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure." If you get anything over and above bread and water, you may know thatHe has given you more than He promised-and He will keep you in your needs till you need them no more-and then He will giveyou those spotless garments of light and joy in which you shall serve Him forever and ever!
"Jesus our Lord" is not like that Amalekite who, when his Egyptian servant was sick, left him to die. He is not like somemasters whom we have known, who, the moment a servant is taken ill sends him off, caring not whether he dies or lives. OurLord and Master never discharges His old servants-He never turns them adrift. Remember the Psalmist's testimony and petition-"OGod, You have taught me from my youth: and up to now have I declared Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and gray-headed,O God, forsake me not." Nor will He. He is a good Master whom we serve-the best of all masters-"Jesus our Lord!"
III. Now I come to the third point, which is that WE FIND MUCH SWEETNESS IN THAT LITTLE WORD IN
THE MIDDLE OR OUR TEXT, "Jesus ourLord."
It is very sweet because it helps us to remember our personal interest in Christ. My Brothers and Sisters, let me remind youthat you can never truly say, "Our Lord," till you have first said, "My Lord." It is blessed to be able to say it as Daviddid, "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit You at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool." David claimed thisblessed Son of his as his Lord, and he did well in doing so. And it is a very sweet thing when any of us is also able to say,"Jesus Christ, the Son of David, and the Son of God, is my Lord." It is truly blessed to be able to say, as Thomas did, "MyLord and my God." Each one of you needs to have the personal conviction that Jesus Christ is Lord to you. I would even liketo say this if I only said it as tremblingly as Mary Magdalene did when she supposed that she was talking to the gardener,"They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him." It is still better if we can say this as Paul oncesaid it, "Yes doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: forwhom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him." Thistitle, "Jesus our Lord," reminds me, and I hope it also reminds you of the time when you first said-
"'Tis done! The great transaction's done! I am my Lord's and He is mine- He drew me and I followed on, Charmed to confessthe voice Divine."
There is, however, even more sweetness than this in the expression, "Jesus our Lord," for it brings us into fellowship withall the saints. "Our Lord"-then, David, Thomas, Mary Magdalene and Paul-we have the same Lord that you had! Yes, and we seemto join with all the goodly fellowship of the Prophets, the whole company of the Apostles and the noble army of martyrs aswe say, "Jesus our Lord." Yes, and all the great company who served their Master here with patience, labored for Him withdiligence and have now gone to their reward-we are one with all of them-we have "one Lord, one faith, one baptism." This term,"Jesus our Lord," seems to draw a circle around all the elect of God, the whole host of the redeemed out of every nation,kindred, tribe, tongue and people in every land and every age! It seems to remind me of a kind of clanship which exists amongall Believers. Just as the old Highland clansmen, when they saw the head of the clan, all felt intense enthusiasm at the verysight of him-for he was the great center and meeting place for all the divers families in the clan-and with him leading themthey rushed forward to victory or death with the utmost enthusiasm, so, when I look you in the face, Beloved, we may differvery greatly in station, in ability and in a thousand
things, but yourLord is myLord, so we are Brothers and Sisters in Him and we clasp hands around Him and say, "Jesus our Lord."This one peerless name wakes us all to enthusiasm and holy daring-
"Jesus, the name high over all, In Hell, or earth, or sky"-
stirs our very blood as nothing else can and we feel a closer tie than ever to all the saints. This one touch of Grace hasmade us all akin. The blessed name of "Jesus our Lord" has banded us all together in one holy brotherhood and we join in singing-
"One family we dwell in Him, One Church above, beneath."
And, further, the example of "Jesus our Lord" will foster practical love to one another. It will if it works rightly, forwe shall remember what our Lord did and seek to follow His example. Do you remember what He did on the night when He was betrayed?"He rose from supper, and laid aside His garments; and took a towel, and girded Himself. After that He poured water into abasin, and began to wash the disciple's feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded." After He had doneso, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Master and Lord: and you say well; for so I am. IfI then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an examplethat you should do as I have done to you." After such an example as that, we ought to be willing to do anythingfor one another!We should feel as if " Jesus our Lord" constrained us to make any sacrifice and to take the humblest and lowliest place, solong as we might be of service to anyone else who also calls Him
Lord!
And, Brothers and Sisters, what a death-blow this title ought to deal to all pride! Diotrephes still loves to have the pre-eminencebut would he love it if he really knew "Jesus our Lord" as He has revealed Himself in His Word? This Brother wants more respectshown to him. That Brother must have some office given to him and that Sister must be held in high esteem or she will notbe happy. Ah, yes, and you remember that there were two Apostles whose mother asked for them that they might sit, one at theright hand and the other at the left hand of Christ in His Kingdom! And when the other Apostles were moved with indignationagainst the two brothers, our Lord said to them, "You know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, andthey that are great, exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you; but whoever will be great among you,let him be your minister (that is, your servant), and whoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as theSon of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many." As we recall this actand these words, we cry, "Down, pride! You are not lord! Down, ambition! You must not wish to rule! Down, every proud thought,that only 'Jesus our Lord' may rule absolutely over us!"
Now, dear Friends, are you enjoying the sweetness of this title? Do you feel as if you wish to roll it under your tongue asa sweet morsel? Then I will not detain you longer except to say just these two things. First, this title, " Jesus our Lord,"gives us great confidence in our common service. As a Christian Church, we are all working for Jesus. I hope I may say thatthe members of this Church are all seeking the Glory of God. Then, let us remember what our Lord said to His disciples beforeHe went back to His Father, "All power is given unto Me in Heaven and in earth. Go you, therefore, and teach all nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whateverI have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." March on, then, you armies of the livingGod, for Christ is your Lord and He has given you your commission-and it is His power which will make your march to be victorious!Does any man think of turning his back in the day of battle when he has such a Captain as this to lead him? Does anyone dreamof defeat, or talk in a half-hearted way of what the issue of the conflict is certain to be? "Jesus our Lord" is the world'sCreator-He that can shake Heaven, and earth, and Hell with His word! So, in His name let us set up our banners and march onward,confident of victory!
The thought with which I close is one that ought to yield considerable comfort to many of you. Our common joy in "Jesus ourLord" becomes an evidence of Grace. Have you felt a gracious sweetness stealing over your soul because Jesus Christ is yourLord? Then listen to these words of the Apostle Paul-"Therefore I give you to understand that no man speaking by the Spiritof God calls Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit." Anyone can repeat thesewords, but you cannot say them aright-as I hope you have been saying them-with an ineffable sweetness stealing over your soulas you said them-"but by the Holy Spirit." Go your way, therefore, you
whose heart has leaped at the very sound of those three words, and say, "I have the witness of the Holy Spirit within my spiritthat I am a saved soul, or else I would never have said, in my inmost heart, 'Jesus our Lord.'" O Brother or Sister, hereis a sign that cannot lead you wrong, for you have the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, to tell you that you could notsay that in your inmost soul but by the Holy Spirit! Come, then, Beloved, and worship "Jesus our Lord." Continue to worshipHim! Continue to love Him! Continue to trust Him! Continue to serve Him! Continue to magnify Him among the sons of men!
But to you who love Him not and who have not accepted Him as your Lord, I can only say, in God's own words, "Kiss the Son,lest He be angry, and you perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put theirtrust in Him." And this other verse which is, to my mind, the most awful in the whole Book of God, yet it was uttered by onewho loved the souls of men beyond all conception, "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha,"that is, "let him be accursed at Christ's coming." God save you from that terrible doom, for Jesus Christ's sake! Amen.
EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON: PSALMS 2; 110.
Psalm 2:1-3. Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers takecounsel together against the LORD, and against His Anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away theircords from us. This was what they did when they took the Lord of Life and Glory, dragged Him to the judgment seat and thennailed Him to the accursed tree. "This is the heir," they said, "let us kill Him and the inheritance shall be ours." Theythought that they had destroyed the power of Christ, the appointed and Anointed King, and that He would never reign amongthe sons of men.
4. He that sits in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. God might well laugh at their folly, forthey were really executing His will all the while they were rebelling against Him! They were really laying the foundationstones of His mediatorial throne in fair colors and cementing them with His own most precious blood, for it was by His Crossthat He climbed to His crown! Well did Peter say to the Jews, on the day of Pentecost, "Him, being delivered by the determinatecounsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain."
5, 6. Then shall He speak unto them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure. Yet have I set My king upon My holyhill of Zion. In the Resurrection, God lifted up the head of Christ above all the sons of men and made them see that all theircraft and cruelty had been displayed in vain.
7, 8. I will declare the decree: the LORD has said unto Me, You are My Son; this day have I begotten You. Ask of Me, and Ishall give You the heathen for Your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Your possession. The risen Christis pleading, and pleading successfully, before the Throne of God on high. And His plea is that the heathen may be given toHim for His inheritance-and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession.
9. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them inpieces like apotter's vessel. He does this even now in theworking of His Providence, but He will do it still more manifestly at the Second Advent, when Christ will not allow the kingsof the earth to any longer set themselves against Him, but He will finally destroy their power and prove Himself to be theKing of Kings and Lord of Lords even here below.
10-12. Be wise now therefore, O you kings: be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice withtrembling. Kiss the Son. That is the Lord Jesus Christ-"Kiss the Son."
12. Lest He be angry, and you perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put theirtrust in Him.
Psalm 110:1. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool. Here we see the Christ-whomwe just now saw as risen from the dead and acknowledged as the Son of God-seated upon the Throne of God. "Jehovah said untomy Adonai, Sit You at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool."
2. The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion: rule You in the midst of Your enemies. No sooner was Christ ascendedinto Heaven than, out of the midst of His Church-the earthly Zion-the scepter of His power was stretched forth and its mightwas displayed among the sons of men! Witness what happened on the day of Pentecost,
which was but the beginning of Christ's ruling in the very midst of His enemies, who then became His friends and yielded theirhearts and lives to Him so that Jerusalem, where He had been crucified, became the very center of His Kingdom on earth, fromwhich His servants went forth to evangelize the world! 3. Your people shall be willing. They shall be willingness itself.
3. In the day of Your power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: You have the dew of Your youth. Thatis, as soon as the ascended Christ began His reign in Heaven, and the power of His Church begin to be felt on earth, therewas a willing people coming forward in the beauty of holiness, like priests clad in their sacred robes. Such the early Christianstruly were-and they were as numerous, as refreshing and as bright to the world as the sparkling dew of the morning. Then,indeed, had Christ the dew of His youth most clearly manifested! Multitudes of young hearts yielded to Him and His Churchon earth seemed to have had a new birthday when He ascended up on high and led captivity captive!
4. The LORD has sworn, and will not relent, You are a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. That is, a Priest withoutpredecessor or successor-a Priest who was at the same time a king-a Priest of the Most High God who was greater, even, thanAbraham, the friend of God. Jesus our Lord is not a priest after the order of Aaron, for He came not of that line, but Hewas "a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."
5. The Lord at Your right hand shall strike through kings in the day of His wrath. When that Last Great Day shall come, Christshall no longer patiently wait for the overthrow of His enemies-He shall win a complete victory over them!
6. He shall judge among the heathen, He shall fill the places with the dead bodies; He shall wound the heads over many countries.Thus will You, O Lord, cut down all evil principles and everything that is opposed to You!
7. He shall drink of the brook in the way. That is, He shall not be wearied with thirst, as Samson was, but He shall hastenon in His mighty achievements, without pausing to rest, until He has fully accomplished the whole of His great
task.
8. Therefore shall He lift up the head.
HYMNS FROM "OUR OWN HYMN BOOK"-317, 382.