INSIGHTS & NOTES FROM
"VERS. 1-20. Into the country of the Gadarenes."
"THE POWER OF EVIL SPIRITS." "Their field is the world." "CHRIST'S POWER OVER EVIL SPIRITS. 1. Feared by them... 2. Hated of them... 3. Absolute over them - 'Come out of him, thou unclean spirit.'" "Christ only can deliver us from the power of Satan." "THE GREAT POWER OF THE INHABITANTS OF DARKNESS OVER THE EVIL HEART." "THE UTTER IMPOTENCY OF MAN TO DELIVER THE POSSESSED FROM THE POWER OF THE INHABITANTS OF DARKNESS." "THE WEAKNESS OF THE POWERS OF DARKNESS IN CONFLICT WITH CHRIST. A legion of demons expelled by a word!" "Beware of tampering with evil." "Be thankful to be saved from the physical tyranny of the devil. He would make us all howling demoniacs if he could: but he is restrained by the power & interference of Jesus Christ." "HUMAN EFFORTS EXERTED." "Notice modern human restraints. Law, prisons, reformatories, policemen, & punishments. Besides these there are public opinion, fashion, custom. These are often used to keep the unruly in check." "HUMAN EFFORTS FRUSTRATED. No restraints could be found that were strong enough." "Observe how futile are human efforts in restraining sin." "HUMAN EFFORTS SUPERSEDED. Jesus did not rebuke those who had done their best, but He did something better. He exorcised the evil spirit." "Hopeless until some one stronger than the devils should come - then deliverance" "Satan's work is a work of destruction." "Ver. 6. But when he saw Jesus afar off." "Immeasurable is the distance between God & a sinner; it is wide as the gulf between sin & holiness, death & life, hell & heaven. (C.H. Spurgeon.)" "...is the sinner's wisest course to run to Jesus; for - 1. He is the Son of the Most High God. 2. He is the great Enemy of our enemy, the devil. 3. He is abundantly able to drive out a legion of devils. 4. He can cause us to be clothed in our right mind. 5. He permits us, even now, to draw near & worship Him." "Ver. 7. What have I to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of the most high God?" "THE DEVIL CRIES OUT AGAINST THE INTRUSION OF CHRIST." "MEN UNDER THE DEVIL'S INFLUENCE CRY OUT AGAINST THE INCOMING OF CHRIST BY THE GOSPEL." "The gospel is a great disturber of sinful peace." "IN THIS REJECTION OF THE GOSPEL YOU INCUR TERRIBLE GUILT." "Ver. 9. My name is Legion." "Truly the name of sin is Legion." "Like a foul demon, it has poisoned & polluted, blighted & cursed everything it has touched." "Vers. 11-14. Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them." "Men must part with their sins, if they want to have their Saviour. The swine will be driven out of our hearts, if Christ enters them." "Vers. 15, 16. Sitting, & clothed, & in his right mind. - The joy of freedom from satanic tyranny" "Ver. 17. To depart out of their coasts." "They have the opportunity of reformation & rejuvenation; life, & immortality, & glory, are within their reach; but there are the swine. In order that they may sit at the feet of Christ, they must lose their herds of unclean beasts, they must lose their unjust profits & wicked pleasures; but, rather than lose these, they will sacrifice the Saviour." "Vers. 18, 20. Prayed Him that he might be with Him." "Every man who is conscious that his character has been brought under the power of the Spirit of God, is bound to let men know that the life which is flowing out from him now is not his own natural life, but one which proceeds from the Spirit of God." "...THE PATH OF DUTY WHICH CHRIST HAS MARKED OUT FOR US MAY BE THE OPPOSITE OF THAT WHICH WE NATURALLY THINK & ARDENTLY DESIRE." "The mission of the saved: - Men saved from Satan - 1. Beg to sit at Jesus' feet, clothed, & in their right mind. 2. Ask to be with Him always, & never to cease from personal attendance upon Him. 3. Go at His bidding, & publish abroad what great things He has done for them. 4. Henceforth have nothing to do but to live for Jesus & for Him alone. (C.H. Spurgeon.)" "Go to the sphere in which providence has placed you, & into that sphere bring the glorious riches with which grace has enriched you." "...the devils acknowledge the power of Christ over them" "THEY SAW THE POOR WRETCH DISPOSSESSED, & INSTEAD OF BRINGING ALL THEIR SICK TO BE HEALED BESOUGHT JESUS TO DEPART. How dreadful was this prayer!" "Vers. 21, 23, 35, 43. Jairus by name." "Distress is a great schoolmaster. It teaches men many things; among the rest the greatest of all attainments - the power to pray. (R. Glover.)" "Mark the extreme tenderness of Jesus, 'Fear not, only believe.' Be not afraid convicted sinner. My blood is sufficient, My grace & love are sufficient. (J. H. Evans, M.A.)" "Jesus stronger than death: - And just remember, that when Jesus allows death to knock at your door, & to come in, it is not because death is stronger than He." "CHRIST'S RESTORATIVE POWER TRANSCENDS THE ORDINARY EXPECTATIONS OF MANKIND." "CHRIST'S RESTORATIVE POWER IS EXERTED ON CERTAIN CONDITIONS." "CHRIST'S RESTORATIVE POWER ACCOMPLISHES ITS OBJECT WITH THE GREATEST EASE." "CHRIST'S RESTORATIVE POWER CONFOUNDS THE SCOFFING SCEPTIC WITH ITS RESULT." "Life is indestructible by death." "Vers. 24, 34. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood 12 years." "HOW A CURE CAN BE WROUGHT. I must press to get near Him. I must touch. The least of Christ will save. (C. H. Spurgeon.)" "The disease of humanity incurable except by Christ: - The disease of fallen humanity is wholly incurable except by the hand of Omnipotence." "...the slightest connection with Jesus will bless us. (C. H. Spurgeon.)" "She felt in her body that she was healed.'" "Oh, therefore, thou that feelest thy soul diseased with sin, make haste unto Christ to be cured by this Divine healing virtue that is in Him" "Do this therefore, & do it speedily, without delay." "A weak faith may lay hold on a strong Christ" "We, too, have a need of Christ. He alone can (1) pardon our sins; (2) renew our nature; (3) strengthen us to wage the spiritual conflict with success." "He is more ready to give than we to receive." "The farmer does not show his faith by lying in his bed & waiting for God to plough & harrow his field & sow his seed. He ploughs, & harrows, & sows, & shows his faith in then waiting for God to give the increase." "Instead of the survival of the fittest, we have a law requiring the strong to help the weak, the healthy to improve their health for the sake of the diseased, & even those who are hopelessly stricken, & for ever invalided from the battle of life, are cast on us as a peculiar care" "Those who do not touch Christ by faith, their sorrows are but sorrows, their disappointments bring no outweighing joy, their troubles are not trials, only calamities." "...touch is pollution (Haggai 2:12, 13)" "...touch is consecration (Exodus 3:26, 29)" "...touch is strength (Daniel 10:10, 16, 18)" "...touch is wisdom (Jeremiah 1:9)" "...touch is purity (Isaiah 6:7)" "Imputed righteousness is really transferred righteousness; the purity of the Saviour becomes ours." "Lessons: 1. Trouble comes to all. 2. Trouble should drive us to Christ. 3. Trouble should bind us more closely in sympathy & love with our brethren. 4. Trouble should endear to us the more the hope of heaven. (W. Forsyth, M.A.)" "Ver. 36. Be not afraid, only believe." "Be not afraid that the day of grace is past." "Be not afraid that your sins are too many." "'Only believe.' ...Simply, trust to Me." "Believe that He is able to save thee." "Believe that He is willing to save you." "Believe that He is ready to save you." "Believe that He will save you. This you must do." "A man at the feet of Jesus need not indulge in tormenting fear, for there is no evil he is in danger of but he may be saved from - no blessing he needs but he may secure." "With men 'seeing is believing' but with the believer 'believing is seeing.'" "Ver. 43. Something should be given her to eat." "Whatever knowledge, or grace, or peace, or comfort, God has given you, He says, 'Feed, with this, one of My lambs.'" The Biblical Illustrator, Baker, pgs. 189 - 224.
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"VERS. 1, 2. And He began again to teach by the seaside."
"By parables." "Ver. 3. Hearken; behold, there went out a sower to sow." "This parable is both a solemn lesson & warning, & also a description of what is actually taking place in the world." "To begin a thing, & to go on with it, are 2 totally different affairs. The commencement is in its own nature something fresh; but to go on with an undertaking is to do things over & over again, when all the freshness has disappeared, & no incentive remains but the sense of duty. This is the true test, & under it how many fail!" "Those who have begun well may boldly cast away the Spirit, or they may fall away from grace because they have no root, or they may be swallowed up by the cares & aims of worldly life." "Let us strive to enter in at the strait gate, & to be found among the faithful. (J. R. Mozley, D. D.)" "The FUNCTION of the sower, not destructive but constructive; not to root up or remove, but to plant." "Thousands reap the fruit of what one man sows." "...the most skillful & painful of all sowers was our Lord Jesus Christ." "...the gospel is the seed of this kingdom." "The ground must be first made good, & then it will be fruitful." "The growth of the seed depends always on the quality of the soil. The stress of the story lies not on the character of the sower, or even on the quality of the seed, but on the nature of the soil. The character of the hearer determines the effect of the Word upon him. We should cultivate the habit of profitable hearing." "The man of depth looks before he leaps." "...the merely impulsive, shallow, flippant hearer acts without deliberation, signs his bond without reading it, & is therefore easily discouraged." "THE QUALITIES TO BE CULTIVATED BY GOSPEL HEARERS... 1. Attention: they hear. 2. Meditation: they keep. 3. Obedience: they bring forth fruit with patience. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)" "Varied soils: - The wayside hearers do not take in the seed at all; the rocky-ground hearers take in the seed, but do not let it sink deep enough; the thorny-ground hearers take it in, but take in bad seeds also; the good-ground hearers take the seed into their deepest heart, & take in nothing else." "God's Word has all the hidden life of a seed." "Heaven & earth shall pass away, but the Word of Christ shall not pass away." "Vers. 4 - 15. Some fell by the way-side, & the fowls of the air came & devoured it up. - Though men be outward hearers of the Word, & do also in some sort understand what is taught, yet if their hearts be so hardened in sin & through Satan's temptations that they are not affected & moved by it, it can never profit them." "If the seed of the Word be only sown in their outward ears & in their minds; if it lie above ground, i.e., if it swim & float aloft in their brain & understanding only, & do not enter & sink into their hearts; if their hearts be not affected to love & embrace it, as well as their understandings enlightened by it, it will never take root or bear fruit in them. (G. Petter.)" "1. Satan uses his utmost endeavours to divert men's attention from the Word while they are hearing it. 2. Satan uses every art to excite & inflame men's prejudices against the Word they hear. 3. Another artifice Satan uses to counteract the influence of God's Word on men's hearts is to prevent their recollecting it after they have heard it. (S. Stennett, D. D.)" "Wasted food, wasted money, wasted health, wasted time, wasted instruction, wasted opportunities of doing & receiving good; these, in their several ways, are all sins against God & our own souls." "How needful in time of hearing to watch against Satan, that he hinder not our attention by suggesting to us roving thoughts." "How needful to watch against Satan after we have heard, that he do not quickly thrust the Word out of our minds & memories." "Vers. 5, 16, 17 - And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth." "Stone is a figure used in Scripture to signify the obstinate aversion of the mind to what is holy & good. So Ezekiel speaks of a stony heart in opposition to a heart of flesh; & Paul, of the living epistles of Christ being written, not on tables of stone, but fleshly tables of the heart." "THE CAUSE OF MEN'S APOSTASY." "1. Something is wanting within. ...'The seed forthwith sprung up, because it had no deepness of earth.' ...'and lacked moisture'" "'The Word preached does not profit them, not being mixed with faith" "Excited but not converted..." "...charmed but not changed" "These are they that 'have no root in themselves, & so endure but for a time.'" "Fair-weather Christians" "Vers. 7, 18, 19. And some fell among thorns, & the thorns grew up & choked it. - The character of worldly-minded hearers considered:" "These thorns choke the Word." "WHAT THESE THINGS ARE WHICH OBSTRUCT THE DUE OPERATION OF GOD'S WORD ON THE HEARTS OF THESE MEN? The cares of the world." "The deceitfulness of riches." "The pleasures of this life, or 'the lusts of other things.'" "'The carnal mind is enmity against God.'" "Covetousness, drink, the love of pleasure, & pride, have often been the ivy that has wrought the ruin. (The Sword & Trowel.)" "Let our chief care be for heavenly & spiritual things, which concern God's glory & the salvation of our souls. This will moderate & slake our care for temporal things. (G. Petter.)" "Prosperity causes men to forget God: - Prosperity most usually makes us proud, insolent, forgetful of God, & of all duties we owe unto Him." "Vers. 8, 20. And other fell on good ground, & did yield fruit that sprang up & increased. - The character of sincere hearers considered:" "They hear it with attention, candour, meekness, & simplicity" "Understand the Word." "It is laid up in the understanding, memory, & affections; & guarded with attention & care, as the most invaluable treasure." "They bring forth fruit. The seed springs up, looks green, & promises a fair harvest." "How gracious is that influence which the blessed God exerts, to make the heart honest & good, & so dispose it to receive the Word, & profit by it!" "Of what importance is it that we converse intimately with the gospel, in order to our bringing forth the fruits of holiness!" "In the garden of God there are trees of different growth." "Hold on; hold fast; hold out;" "Ver. 9. He that hath ears to hear." "...our dependence should be firmly placed on the gracious & seasonable influences of the Holy Spirit." "Ver. 11. Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of God." "The truth of things, begin with it where you will, if you follow it out will lead you up to God." "Ver. 12. That seeing, they may see, & not perceive." "Ver. 21. Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed?" "Ver. 22. For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested." Many things are concealed, both in nature & by art, though the concealment is by no means designed to be permanent." "The precise time for the unveiling it is not always easy to decide, because man's knowledge is finite, but we rest assured that it will coincide with the need for its use." "Everything is brought to light sooner or later." "Secret sin comes out at the judgment" "Ver. 23, 24. Take heed what ye hear." "Hear the truth & the truth only." "Hear with discrimination, shunning false doctrines. 2. Hear with attention; ...3. Hear for yourself, with personal application. 4. Hear retentively, endeavouring to remember the truth. 5. Hear desiringly, pryaing that the Word may be blessed to you. 6. Hear practically, obeying the exhortation which has come to you." "There is no place where His voice does not reach." "Truth glories in exposure." "Men fail to receive truth because of the impurity of their hearts. (W. L. Watkinson.)" "Whosoever 'willeth to do the will of God, shall know the doctrine that is of God.'" "It is only through obedience that we get knowledge. It is only in obedience that light passes into knowledge" "The dawn of truth will pass to the noon, only whilst we do the work God gives us to do." "Believe in God's love as declared in the cross; imitate the principle in your own life, & you 'shall comprehend with all saints the length, & breadth, & depth, & height, & know the love of God which passeth knowledge.'" "Teach, instruct, give forth illumination, & as you do so your own brain shall be the clearer, your own knowledge the more full & certain. Light comes through evangelistic work." "...we should hear for ourselves, & cause others to hear, the gospel" "Ver. 25. For he that hath, to him shall be given. - The law of increase:" "A base & slothful soul grows poorer every day, until it is stripped of all." "Capital tends to gather more wealth." "One victory leads the way to another." "Any one can 'have' what is given; only the diligent have more." "The more wealth a man has, the easier it is for him to increase it. So of knowledge; so of influence; so of affection. So also of spiritual gifts." "Vers. 26, 29. So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground." "There are 'means of grace;' human beings must put themselves in the way of them. The first step in the new life is displayed in the willingness to take every other step." "The man does not need to 'know how.' He needs only to keep growing, & all will be right in the end." "Time is wasted in efforts to help man savingly in any other way than by teaching them to 'grow up in all things into Christ, which is the head ' (Eph. 4:14-16)." "As it requires a whole man to make a successful farmer, so all the energies of character, study & devotion are needed to make a successful sower of the seed of the kingdom." "The test of real life is growth." "No standing still." "God leads on the converted soul step by step;" "Confine your care to the seed you sow, &, calm & hopeful, leave the rest to God." "Plants that are meant to live long grow slowly. A mushroom grows swiftly, & passes away swiftly. The oak grows slow to stand long. Grace is meant to live for ever, & grows, therefore slowly." "We are eager for quick results; we have not the patience to wait for the slow development from seed to fruit. BUT THIS IS GOD'S PLAN IN ALL THINGS." "We 'cast the seed into the ground,' we 'sleep & rise night & day.' We go about our customary avocations & know nothing for certain of what has become of the seed for a time." "...a lesson of diligence. We can only sow, therefore let us sow." "The Spirit of God is striving with human spirits!" "Having sown the seed, leave it with God. Think - 'It has passed now from my care into a more sacred department, & into far higher hands. With Him let me leave it.' Finally, a lesson of trust. (A. Raleigh, D. D.)" "THE PROGRESS OF CHRISTIAN LIFE." "We are born infants, & we gain strength & knowledge by gradual progression." "The plant does not reach its maturity in one hour, but it is the growth of different seasons, treatment night & day, weeks & months." "If we are slow in the climbing, we have time to reflect & gain wisdom as we proceed" "Light, faith, love, hope, patience, action, communion, perseverance, & sacrifice, must be united in the delicate & important work of the building up of Christian life." "Salvation comes not from the personal authority of the preacher, but through the personal conviction, personal faith, & personal love of the hearer." "We are all casting live seeds. Every word, act, look, goes down into somebody's mind, & lives there." "The seeds growing secretly: - 1. God does His work silently. 2. God does His work slowly. 3. God does His work surely." "1. Has the Word of God been sown in your hearts? ...2. You that seem to receive the Word, what evidence have you of its growth? 3. What prospect have you of this glorious result? (T. Kidd.)" "Unto the ministers of the gospel, who are the great moral labourers in the field of the world, there is entrusted the task of preparing the soil & of casting in the seed." "Often, when we do not see it... (God) is at work; often, when we never suspected it, it has made considerable progress." "Thought it is very slow & imperceptible in its growth, still the seed never really lies idle. From the moment of its first start to its final ripening, it is always on its way; it never once stops, far less does it ever go backward." "...so, too, it is with the good seed in the heart. Trials & temptations may check its growth there for a while; but it is only for a while" "It has but one way of growing, & that is heavenwards. (H. Harris.)" "But let it begin as it may, the process is one of continuous growth, innocence maturing into holiness, passion deepening into principle, struggle developing strength, laborious act becomes easy habit; a gracious mellowing influence permeating & glorifying the entire life; the life of the soul growing, not as a fragile succulent gourd, but as a close-grained tree, every day & every experience adding growth & strength. (H. Allon.)" "You see a foolish, wicked boy, into whose heart a praying mother has dropped the good seed. All seems lost; but wait, & he becomes a great Christian like John Newton, like thousands whose biographies are the best commentaries upon this parable. (J. Wells, M. A.)" "Real life is that which has in it a principle of expansion. It 'springs & grows up.'" "Ministers need not torment themselves about the issue of their work, for God gives the increase." "All around you are things that are growing, but that you cannot see grow. And if it is so with trees, & things that spring out of the ground, how much more is it so with the kingdom of God? That kingdom is advancing surely, though it advances slowly, & though it is invisible to us." "You will find that things have been done, though you could not see them done." "Christ's kingdom goes forward from age to age, though you cannot discern the steps by which it is going forward. While men, as individuals, pass off from the stage of life, God's work does not stop. (H. W. Beecher.)" "The growth of Christianity is MYSTERIOUS." "Once, like a grain of mustard seed, it was the smallest of seeds; but now it has become the largest of herbs, overshadowing with its blessed canopy that fairest portion of the world which we fondly call Christendom. But how came it thus to spread? Because the doctrine of the cross has been preached." "The kingdom of God, like the seed which grows GRADUALLY, stage by stage, does not burst forth full-grown" "Just as the seed does not leap instantly or whimsically into the fruit, but unfolds itself in ORDERLY SUCCESSION - first the tender blade, then the swelling ear, then the ripe grain in the ear - so it is with the seed of the kingdom, or God's truth." "Christianity means something more than sowing: it also means reaping. Do not be over-anxious." "Plant faithfully the seed, & then go trustfully away. (G. D. Boardman, D. D.)" "Vers. 30, 32. It is like a grain of mustard seed." "The growth of the little seed: - This suggests the treatment we ourselves should give the truths of God." "Spiritual growth: - Impressions growing into resolutions constitute conversion, or the beginning of the Divine life in man." "VITALITY. The small seed of the mustard is brimful of life." "The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Divine thoughts are full of life because the Spirit of God is in them." "Christ in the heart enlarges its capacity for purity, love & goodness." "MATURITY. The life of the believer steps forward by slow degrees, until it reaches the measure of the stature of Christ." "The maxims of human philosophy not so productive as Divine truth" "All great movements have had trivial commencements" "All the greatest work has been done both before & after, not often by producing immediate results, but by sowing seeds." "Vers. 33, 34. But without a parable spake He not unto them." "Be it a boat, a plank, a rope, a beggar's rags, an imperial robe, we would seize on anything to save a drowning man; & in His anxiety to save poor sinners, to rouse their fears, their love, their interest , to make them understand & feel the truth, our Lord pressed everything - art & nature, earth & heaven - into His service." "And when they were alone. Christ alone with His disciples; or, the parable expounded" "Parables... It was a way of teaching, but by calling out the desire & effort to learn." "Christ is the best revelation of spiritual truth, its strongest evidence, & its only quickening force; & we may say of Him & Christianity, what Cowper says of God & Providence - 'He is His own interpreter, & He will make it plain.'" "Vers. 35 - 41. And the same day, when the even was come, He saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side." "THE INFLUENCE OF DANGER. It caused the disciples to doubt the care of Christ. Why is it we doubt the Lord in seasons of danger? 1. Imperfect knowledge of the Lord. 2. Natural impatience. 3. Satanic temptations." "Unbelief causes God to delay or deny (Matt. 13:58)" "Our childlike faith has seen the Saviour as the little ship of life glided over the smooth waters; it has not yet learnt to know Him in the storm & the tempest." "...Lord I believe; help Thou mine unbelief." "It is when men have weighed Him in the balances of some great necessity, & found Him not wanting, that they believe in Him." "Worse than the storms of political violence or of intellectual rebellion, have been THE TEMPESTS OF INSURGENT IMMORALITY THROUGH WHICH THE CHURCH HAS PASSED." "...FOLLOWING CHRIST WILL NOT PREVENT OUR HAVING EARTHLY SORROWS & TROUBLES." "'Master, carest Thou not that we perish?' 1. There was impatience. 2. There was distrust. 3. There was unbelief." "How TENDERLY & PATIENTLY THE LORD JESUS DEALS WITH WEAK BELIEVERS." "...PEOPLE WHO FOLLOW CHRIST MUST NOT ALWAYS EXPECT SMOOTH SAILING." "...CHRIST CAN HUSH THE TEMPEST. Christ can hush the tempest of bereavement, loss & death. (Dr. Talmage.)" "I. THE INNER CALM. In every soul there has been storm. It rages through the whole being. But Jesus is the stiller of this storm in man. 1. In his conscience. 2. In his heart. 3. In his intellect." "Consider Jesus as the stiller of the heart." "...we should always have Christ aboard with us; we should have Him formed within us as our hope of glory; under His ensign we should sail, as our only hope of reaching that haven for which we are making. (W. B. Philpot, M. A.)" "I. They escaped one fear, only to get into another; losing the fear of the tempest, they get a greater fear, that of the Lord of the tempest. II. They lose a bad fear to get a good one - a fear which is reverent, & one which has as much trust as awe in it. Such fear is the beginning of faith in Christ's Godhead." The Biblical Illustrator, Baker, pgs. 122 - 189. "VER. 1 - 5. And there was a man there which had a withered hand."
"...a vivid picture of that infirmity which destroys a man's power of doing anything well in this world of ours." "...human skill, power, & usefulness, & for the studied adaptation of means to ends." "There are many men - & professing Christians, too - who are so full of obstinate prejudices that they invariably find fault with every good work that has to be done, & with every possible way of doing it; but who very seldom do anything themselves. Their hand is withered." "...while we 'work out salvation with fear & trembling,' God is working 'within us both to will & do of His good pleasure.'" "'Stretch forth thine hand.'" "It is easy to see that there was FAITH required." "Faith is the mysterious moral force which thrusts out the hand of humanity to take the gift Divine." "The faith of this man was accompanied by OBEDIENCE." "...in the very act of obedience he found the blessing that he craved. This obedience was the fruit of his faith, & the faith which does not produce obedience is of little worth." "It seems evident that there was needed in the case of this man a STRONG RESOLUTION." "Your will is all God waits for." "Faith is shown in doing what He commands even when it seems to be impossible." "Where there is the 'obedience of faith,' power will be granted. (A. F. Muir, M. A.)" "It is as natural for Christ to show unmerited kindness as for the sun to shed its light, the rose to diffuse its fragrance. (D. Davies, M. A.)" "They watched Him with an evil eye." "Ver. 5. Being grieved for the hardness of their hearts." "He hated the thing which alienated the sons from the Father." "We are always right in being angry with sin." "We must be impartial being displeased at sin wherever & in whomsoever we find it; as well at our own sins, as at the sins of others; as well at the faults of friends as of enemies." "It is the duty of a Christian to sorrow not only for his own sins, but also to be grieved for the sins of others." "Our indignation against wickedness must be tempered by compassion for the persons of the wicked. (T. H. Horne, D. D.)" "THE CAUSES OF HARDNESS OF HEART. 1. By neglecting the word & ordinances of God." "When painful events do not rouse to seriousness, & fiery trials do not melt to tenderness, we generally see increased levity & obstinacy." "By persisting in any known course of sin (Deuteronomy 29:19)." "It is HARD when nothing moves it;" "Signs whereby men may know whether their hearts are hardened: - 1. If they are not moved to repentance & true humiliation for sin, by seeing or hearing of the judgments of God inflicted on themselves or others;" "2. If the mercies of God, shown to themselves & others, do not affect them & persuade their hearts to turn to God (Romans 2:4). 3. If the word preached fail to humble them in the sight of God; but the more the hammer of the Word beats on their hearts, the harder they become, like the smith's anvil." "Let them consider how fearful their case is, & fear to continue in it." "Remedies for hard-heartedness:" "Be diligent & constant in hearing the Word of God. This is the hammer which will break the stone; the fire to melt & thaw the heart frozen in sin." "Guard against negligence & coldness in... prayer, hearing & reading the Word, etc." "Ver. 6. How they might destroy Him. - The meanness, evil & sinfulness of hatred" "Sin breeds sin: - The Pharisees having before harboured malice & hatred in their hearts, now show it by seeking Christ's death." "Our envy will make us dislike His goodness; our pride, His authority; our evil, the purity of His precepts;" "Vers. 7, 8. Came unto Him." "If some will not have the Saviour, others will; God's eternal purpose will stand, & the kingdom of His anointed will come." "Ver. 9. A small ship." "Some persons cannot preach unless they have a proper pulpit, their priestly robe, organ, choir, & other things; but Christ is at home anywhere, & can preach afloat as well as in the synagogue." "Ver. 10. They pressed upon Him for to touch Him." "Ver. 11. And unclean spirits, when they saw Him, fell down before Him. - Christ's supremacy over evil spirits" "Evil confesses the superiority of good" "They worshipped, but it was in demon fashion, the worship of terror." "HE WHOSE SUPREMACY IS ACKNOWLEDGED BY EVIL SPIRITS IS YOUR FRIEND & SAVIOUR, IF YOU WILL ACCEPT HIM AS SUCH." "Following the Redeemer, you will be shortly where evil spirits cannot follow you. (W. Leask, D. D.)" "Ver. 12. That they should not make Him known." "Vers. 13 - 21. And He ordained twelve, that they should be with Him." "Whoever looks upon the ministerial office as a state of ease, & not of continual labour, understands but very little these words of Christ. (Quesnet.)" "Nothing Divine is ever done by chance. (G. R. Leavitt.)" "Christ Himself commissioned & authorized these agents. 1. To preach the gospel. 2. To cast out devils. (J. R. Thomson, M. A.)" "Ver. 17. And He surnamed them Boanerges, which is The sons of thunder." "Barnabas & Boanerges, 'the sons of consolation & of thunder' make a good mixture." "Discretion must hold zeal by the heel." "Ver. 21. He is beside Himself. - The sinner mad, not the saint" "Vers. 22 - 26. And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub." "Labour not only to know the Word of God, but for a sanctified heart to yield obedience to it." "Look to they knowledge, therefore, that it be such as not only floats in the head but goes down to the heart, & causes it to yield obedience to the things thou hast learned out of the Word of God. Get this wisdom above all possessions, & thou shalt be rich & learned indeed. (G. Peter.)" "On which side are we? For Christ, or against Him? Are we His open enemies? Are we His half-hearted friends? Are we His faithful disciples?" "'He that is not with Me is against Me' (Matthew 12:30)." "The friends of Christ are EVIDENCED BY THEIR OBEDIENCE - 'Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.'" "That Christ came & destroyed the works of the devil shows that He is Satan's enemy & Satan's conqueror." "Ver. 27. No man can enter into a strong man's house & spoil his goods." "Christ is showing that He casts out demons by a greater power than Satan's, viz., by the power of His own Godhead." "Vers, 28, 30. All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men." "Beware of sinning that grace may abound; beware of turning the grace of God into wantonness, for God has said He will not be merciful to such as sin, presuming on His mercy." "...blasphemy against God" "This sin is committed in the following ways, 1. By attributing to God that which is dishonourable to Him, & unbeseeming His Majesty; e.g., to say He is unjust, cruel, or the author of sin, etc. 2. By taking from God, & denying unto Him that which belongs to Him. 3. By attributing the properties of God to creatures. 4. By speaking contemptibly of God." "Labour for a reverent fear of God in our hearts." "How significant it is that it is the attributing goodness, righteousness of word, life, action, 'good works' in short, to an evil source, which is the unpardonable sin" "The inevitable sign of the commission of the unpardonable sin is a condition in which men are past feeling; & if a man has come into that condition in which he is unpardonable - incurable - the sign will be that he does not care." "Vers. 31 - 35. There came then His brethren & His mother. - Spiritual kinship with Christ" "The grace of faith engrafts the believer into the stock of Christ, & brings him within His pedigree, making him to be of most near kindred with Him in a spiritual manner: it makes Christ & the believer as near to each other as natural parents & children; yea, as husband & wife, for it marries them together, whence it is that Christ is said to be the Husband of the true Church." "To be Christ's disciple is to belong to His family." "THE WEAKNESS OF THE TIES OF NATURE, WHEN COMPARED WITH THOSE TIES TO WHICH THE GOSPEL GIVES EXISTENCE." "THE HONOURABLE POSITION OF BELIEVERS - the kinsmen of Christ." "All that our kinsman has becomes ours." The Biblical Illustrator, Baker, pgs. 96 - 121. "VERS. 1 - 12. And again He entered into Capernaum."
"Christ's apparent delays are only the maturings of time - the ripenings of opportunity. He will come, not when impatient men think best, but when His wisdom determines: neither too soon nor too late." "The CHIEF GLORY OF A CHRISTIAN CHURCH - not the building, nor the form of service, nor the social position of its members, nor the eloquence of the preacher, nor its past history - but the CHRIST who dwells within it." "If we would draw the multitude we must do it, not so much by eccentricities - advertisements, as by obtaining the presence of Jesus Christ. He will draw all men unto Him. Christ within will attract the mulititude without. (L. Palmer.)" "We should seek Christ on our own account; & we should seek Him on account of others. (G. Rogers.)" "'That house shall be preserved, & never shall decay, Where the Almighty God is worshipped, day by day. A.D. 1558.'" "Ver. 3. And they come unto Him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four." "THOSE WHO WOULD BE HEALED BY CHRIST MUST COME TO HIM." "THERE ARE THOSE WHO WILL NEVER REACH CHRIST UNLESS THEY ARE BROUGHT TO HIM BY OTHERS." "The Church cannot cure the world of its sin." "THOUGH THE WAY OF COMING TO CHRIST MAY BE IRREGULAR, HIS HEALING BLESSING WILL BE CERTAINLY GIVEN WHEN ONCE HE IS TRULY FOUND." "There is no more unrest, for 'being justified by faith we have peace with God.'" "While reason is speculating & balancing things, & doubts which way to proceed, faith moves rapidly & majestically forward, & sheds blessings at every footstep. While reason inquires whether the waters can possess any healing power, faith steps in, & is made whole." "If there be in your families any paralyzed by sin & wickedness, men whose moral principles are deadened, & sensibilities benumbed, by the poison of licentiousness, or infidelity, or worldliness, do you try by importunate application, & kind but constant entreaty, to bring them to the living fountain, open for sin & uncleanness?" "Similar, beloved brethren, shall be your reward; if you, with the same quiet constancy & steadfastness, seek to bring souls to Him, who is the good Physician." "...with faith, toil on; toil on. Carry your wicked & morally paralyzed friends, on the arms of prayer, to Christ;" "Ver. 4. They uncovered the roof where He was." "The best work done in the world has been work that could not be done" "TRUE FAITH IS ALWAYS CONCERNED FOR THE WELFARE OF OTHERS." "TRUE FAITH ALWAYS LOOKS TO CHRIST AS THE CENTRE OF ITS OPERATIONS." "TRUE FAITH IS FERTILE IN EXPEDIENTS FOR OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES." "TRUE FAITH MEETS WITH ITS APPROPRIATE REWARD." "Ver. 5. When Jesus saw their faith." "If there be anything good within us Christ will be sure to see it." "If God has placed us in such a connection with those around us that their virtue & happiness will be affected by our conduct, we are evidently bound to act with a regard to their interest. (J. Lathrop, D. D.)" "Son, thy sins be forgiven thee." "Ver. 6. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, & reasoning in their hearts." "THE WORST OPPOSITION WHICH CHRISTIANS HAVE TO MEET IN OFFERING THE GOSPEL TO MEN IS FOUND IN THE MENTAL RESERVATIONS OF ITS REJECTORS" "There cannot possibly be any reasoning in one's heart which our omniscient Judge is not able instantly to perceive & to answer." "Vers. 7 - 11. But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins." "An example of Christ's supreme power: - I. Power to FORGIVE sin. ...II. Power to HEAL DISEASE. ...III. Power to SILENCE CAVILLERS." "There is no want of man so central as his need to be rid of the power & guilt of sin." "...if Jesus Christ has 'power on earth to forgive sins,' THEN IT IS OUR DUTY TO URGE MEN TO GO TO CHRIST THAT THEY MAY RECEIVE THE BLESSING OF PARDON. (Monday Club Sermons.)" "...He paid the debt; He became Surety, & He met the claim; He paid it to the uttermost farthing, till He could say with His expiring breath, 'It is finished' - till He had 'finished transgression, made an end of sin & brought in everlasting righteousness.'" "Ver. 12. We never saw it on this fashion." "God's power not to be limited by human calculation" "Ver. 13. And He went forth again by the seaside." "Vers. 14, 15. And as He passed by, He saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the receipt of custom." "HIS CALL WAS SUBLIMELY SIMPLE." "'Follow Me.'" "HIS CALL WAS A DOOR OF HOPE FOR OTHERS. 1. His salvation encouraged other publicans to come to Jesus." "When the Saviour calls, follow him gladly. Never regret a duty, or lament a responsibility, or grieve over a sacrifice required." "NO MAN SHOULD PERMIT HIS BUSINESS OR HIS SOCIAL SURROUNDINGS TO HINDER HIM FROM FOLLOWING CHRIST." "Ver. 16. And when the scribes & Pharisees saw Him eat with publicans & sinners." "The most alarming sin is the self-delusion that we have no sin." "The Christian must go into the company of the morally depraved with right views of their sad condition, & with an intense desire for their recovery. The Christian can give forth healing influences to the morally depraved by kindly words, by gentle disposition, by judicious teaching, & by unpretentious example." "Ver. 17. They that are whole have no need of the physician." "Without repentance none can be saved. Let all, therefore, lay hold on it without delay." "Christ is the soul's Physician, skilled to heal all its diseases." "He came to call SINNERS." "All sinners." "He came to call to REPENTANCE." "Sin, like sickness, is very disabling. It prevents our serving God. We cannot pray or praise God aright" "Fearfully polluting." "Contagious. A man cannot be a sinner alone." "Most men are unconscious of the misery of the fall." "Oh, what wretchedness was mine before I laid hold on Christ." "Man cannot cure himself." "Jesus Christ never came into the world merely to explain what sin is, but to inform us how it can be removed." "...for the terrible sickness of sin none but Christ - 'Neither is there salvation in any other'" "There needs no other." "There is no relapse where Christ heals" "...a new heart also does He give him, & a right spirit does He put within him." "Vers. 18 - 20. And the disciples of John & of the Pharisees used to fast." "The more appetite is indulged, the less the soul can act with energy, & the more the man shrinks from self-denial." "...the only cheerful Christianity is a Christianity that draws its gladness from deep personal experience of communion with Jesus Christ." "Vers. 21, 22. No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment." "Learn the methods of the Spirit's working & follow them. (D. Davies, M. A.)" "The 'inner man' must have its new attire. You must put off the old garment & put on the new. You must 'put on Christ Jesus the Lord, & walk in Him.' Do not try to mend the old nature. Seek a new one. Old habits will not do for a new spirit, & yet we cling to them, or they cling to us" "Things once pleasant to us will now be unpleasant & irksome. Many amusements & pleasures will be instantly abandoned, when we have got the right spirit within us; (Congregational Pulpit.)" "Vers. 23, 24. And it came to pass, that He went through the cornfields on the sabbath day." "Pharisaical pride makes men set themselves up for judges of everything, & require an account of everything to be given them." "Vers. 25, 26. And He said unto them, Have ye never read what David did?" "Use of the Scriptures: - The cause of so many gross & foolish opinions which many amongst us hold & maintain, is nothing else but their ignorance of the Scriptures, either because they read them not duly & diligently, or else because they understand them not aright." "Vers. 27, 28. And He said unto them, the Sabbath was made for man." "It is a simple fact in medical science, that the human frame is not made so as to bear up under constant labour without rest." "It is the Lord's day. If is for Him to say how the day shall be spent." "'The Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath' - the JUDGE to punish the breach of it." "The Sabbath was made for man: - I. As a periodical reprieve from the curse of labour. ...III. As a day of holy convocation for the purpose of worship & instruction. IV. As an emblem & an earnest of the saint's everlasting rest (G. Brooks.)" "Exertion demands rest." "A world without a Sabbath: - A world without a Sabbath would be like a man without a smile, like a summer without flowers, & like a homestead without a garden. It is the joyous day of the whole week. (H. W. Beecher.)" The Biblical Illustrator, Baker, pgs. 58 - 96. VER. 1. The beginning. - The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ"
"A WONDERFUL THING HERE BEGUN." "...it is good news from God to man - from heaven to earth - from the infinitely holy to the lowest depths of human wretchedness & sin." "...it is a voice from heaven, breaking through the silence or discord of our natural condition. Oh, could the tumult of this life cease to fill our ears, we might hear another sound - good news from God to each of us." "The love, pity, wisdom of God were the sources of the gospel." "It began first in the PURPOSE of the Almighty Father." "It had a second beginning IN THE ADVENT OF OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST." "It had another also IN THE WORK OF THE HOLY GHOST." "CHRIST JESUS IS THE AUTHOR OF THIS GOSPEL. How great, then, is the sin of those who despise, or refuse to believe & obey the gospel. They reject Christ Himself." "CHRIST IS ALSO THE CHIEF SUBJECT MATTER, & ARGUMENT OF THE GOSPEL." "...let us joyfully embrace the doctrine of the gospel, which brings to us the news of spiritual freedom from sin & Satan, purchased by Christ, & of the pardon of our sins procured for us by Him." "Together with the Father, He is the object of trust, love, & worship; the same in power & glory; to be honoured of all men, even as they honour the Father." "Ver. 2. As it is written in the prophets." "Which shall prepare Thy way before Thee." "How to prepare the way for Christ: - How was John to prepare the people to receive Christ? 1. By foretelling them that Christ was to come immediately after him. 2. By preaching the doctrine of Christ, touching His Person & offices. 3. By preaching the doctrine of faith in Christ, stirring up the people to believe in Him as the Messiah. 4. By preaching repentance, exhorting them to turn unto God from their sin, that so they might be fit to receive Christ. 5. By administering baptism. (G. Petter.)" "...we are not to preach ourselves, but Christ; we are not to prepare our own way, or the way of any other, but the way of Christ in the hearts of our people." "We must plan to find room for the Lord in our hearts. We must make ready to do His bidding. We must decide to give up all habits of life that are inconsistent with His service." "Ver. 3. The voice of one crying in the wilderness." "A minister of the Word must not do the work of the Lord negligently or coldly, but with zeal & fervency of spirit." "MINISTERS SHOULD ALSO, WITH COURAGE & BOLDNESS OF SPIRIT DELIVER THE WORD & MESSAGE OF THE LORD (Eph. 6:20; Jer. 1:17; Ezek. 3:9)." "Ver. 4. - John did baptize in the wilderness." "Solitary communion with God; - Every preacher & teacher, to do his work aright, must go into the wilderness." "Do not grudge the time you spend alone with God. He will teach all His scholars what none others can impart." "Ver. 5. And there went out to him all the land of Judaea. - The Baptist's audience" "Secret of John Baptist's influence: - In one word, it was 'reality.' In an age of hollowness & hypocrisy never equalled before or since, such a characteristic was bound to startle men & arrest their attention." "Repentance is a pool, or rather a river, which carries our impurities far from us, so as never to be resumed again." "The man's words... were positive, straightforward, unmistakable. He aimed directly at the great need of his generation." "Ver. 6. And John was clothed with camel's hair." "Our apparel must be worn & used to the right ends for which it is appointed by God." "Ver. 7. There cometh one mightier than I after me. - Christ mightier than the Baptist" "I. In HIS PERSON. 'The power of God.' II. In HIS PREACHING. Christ's words were spirit & life. III. In HIS WORKS. John did no miracle. IV. In THE PERMANENCE OF HIS MINISTRY. Christ's disciples are an ever-increasing body to-day. V. In HIS DEATH. Christ's death really began His ministry; John's closed his. VI. In HIS POWER OVER THE HUMAN HEART. Christ can win its love & devotion now that He has gone." "Vers. 9, 10. Jesus came from Nazareth." "Its beauty & peacefulness." "The village of Nazareth is reached by a narrow, steep, & rough mountain path." "And was baptized of John in Jordan." "When the Baptist shrank back from an act that must have seemed profane, He pointed out that it was incumbent on Him to show an example of perfect obedience to His Father's will." "CHRIST WAS HONOURED BY A DIVINE COMMENDATION - 'This is my beloved son.'" "CHRIST OUR LORD THERE SET FOR US A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF PERFECT OBEDIENCE. Baptism was an ordinance of God; Christ will not exempt Himself from any duty." "Every true follower of Christ must publicly renounce his sins & confess his faith." "The approval & blessing of God are essential to a true work." "It was an act of obedience to a Divine appointment, & therefore it 'became' Him. It was the fulfillment of 'righteousness;'" "...the Father's delight in the Son is through the Son extended to all who love & trust the Son. In Jesus, God is well pleased towards us." "Ver. 10. The heavens opened." "The Spirit like a dove." "A most captivating symbol." "Dovelike properties in Christ: I. INNOCENT & harmless (Heb. 7:26). II. LOVING & tender-hearted (Eph. 3:19). III. MEEK & gentle (Matt. 11:29)." "Use frequent self-reflection to know whether you are indeed washed from the guilt & filth of sin (I Cor. 6:11)." "Ver. 11. Thou art My beloved Son." "He of whom the Father thus speaks, is worthy of all our honour, gratitude, & devotion. (Family Churchman.)" "Vers. 12, 13. - The Spirit driveth Him into the wilderness. - The temptation of Christ" "Christ was tempted AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF HIS MISSION. The greatest obstacles often beset the first steps of a new course - in attempting a new work, in first attacking a bad habit, in entering on the Christian life. This tests genuineness & teaches humility, self-diffidence, & reliance on God." "'The Spirit driveth Him.' ...God permits, nay, requires us to pass through the fire of temptation." "The same Holy Spirit who led Jesus into the wilderness leads us thither too." "It is absolutely necessary for us all sometimes to stand aside from the busy crowd, & to seek quiet & retirement for prayer & self-examination, without which our spiritual life must grow feebler & fainter till it dies. (H. J. Wilmot Buxton, M. A.)" "...man has the power to resist the strongest opposition of hell." "Tempted of Satan." "Temptation... 1. A trial of our faith , to bring out some hidden virtue. ...2. A provoking to anger. 3. A leading into sin." "Why does God allow us to be tempted? 1. To strengthen our faith. ...2. To bring out latent good qualities. 3. To make us watchful. We must prove our armour. We must learn our weak points. 4. That He may one day give us our reward (James 1:12)." "Subtlety of Satan's temptations: - Satan will lie in wait for the Christian in his time of weakness, even as the wild beasts do at the water side for the cattle coming to drink." "He who has formed the believer for Himself is not going to break or destroy the work, the beautiful work of His own hands. He is purifying, fitting, fashioning, polishing." "The force of temptation: - Run with the wind & you hardly know it is blowing. Run against it, & you are convinced of the existence of a resisting medium, & in direct proportion to the speed with which you run, will be your consciousness of the force by which you are opposed. Thus as long as you run with the devil & promptly do his behests, you may be inclined to deny his existence; disobey him, & you will be made painfully aware of his presence, & his endeavours to thwart all your efforts after good." "With the wild beasts." "And the angels ministered unto Him." "Ver. 14. Now after that John was put in prison." "The silencing of Christ's ministers not the suppressing of Christ's gospel" "No sooner was John cast into prison THAN JESUS HIMSELF BEGAN TO PREACH THE GOSPEL." "The world will never succeed in suppressing the truth." "...USEFUL MEN ARE OFTEN RENDERED INCAPABLE OF WORK THROUGH THE TYRANNY OF OTHERS." "Preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God." "WHAT MUST WE DO TO BECOME SUBJECTS OF THIS KINGDOM? 1. Repent of sin. 2. Believe the gospel." "...Jesus differed from all other preachers. 1. He was Divine. 2. He was infallible. 3. He was sympathetic. 4. He was most clear & simple. 5. He was most interesting. 6. Most faithful & earnest. 7. He preached most affectionately & tenderly." "THE SPECIAL APPEAL HE MADE. 1. He urged repentance. 2. He demanded faith. ...Men perish by not believing the gospel of Christ. (J. Burns, D. D.)" "Ver. 15. And saying, The time is fulfilled." "True repentance is 'towards God' - 'for the remission of sins' - 'unto salvation.'" "'The time' of God's special influence & grace is 'now fulfilled.'" "...God is this moment waiting to set up that kingdom in your hearts. Let repentance & faith ever be connected." "Repentance begins in the humiliation of the heart, & ends in the reformation of the life. (Mason.) There is no going to the fair haven of glory without sailing through the narrow strait of repentance. (Dyer.)" "Repentance a reversal of conduct: - A locomotive is rushing at express speed along the main line of a railway, when suddenly, by a pointsman's mistake, it is switched off into a side-line. Instantly the brakes are applied, & the moving mass is brought to a standstill. Then the engineer lays his hand upon a lever, the motion of the engine is reversed, & the train moves back to the main line, & continues on its course. In human life, such an abandoning of the main line is transgression; such a reversal is repentance." "Christ preached the NATURE of repentance." "Christ preached the NECESSITY of repentance." "He pressed it home upon every man's conscience." "The whole gospel is practically reduced to repentance. Christ joins it to the hope of heaven, as being the only means of arriving there." "Repentance is manifested by its effects: (1) Contrition; (2) confession; (3) self-abhorrence; (4) self-abandonment. (W. W. Whythe.)" "For a sinful man the only way into a kingdom of righteousness is through repentance & renewal." "Repentance... Abhorrence of one's past life, because of the love of Christ which has pardoned it. Avoidance of present sin, because not one's own, but bought with a price. Resolution to live henceforth like Jesus." "Faith. That is, trust in Christ. This goes hand-in-hand with repentance. Neither will be of any use without the other." "Vers. 16 - 18. Now as He walked by the Sea of Galilee." "We do not need high education to fit us to do good." "God calls men when they are busy; Satan, when they are idle. For idleness is the hour of temptation, & an idle person the devil's tennis ball, which he tosses at pleasure" "The Lord chose - I. Unlearned & ignorant men, that His grace might be made perfect in their weakness." "WHOM DID HE CHOOSE? Not the wise & learned" "He did not choose the rich" "These men who gave up all at once for Him, had impulse, heart, impetuosity, love; & these were the main things He wanted for His work." "Conversion is most fully displayed when it leads converts to seek the conversion of others; we most truly follow Christ when we become fishers of men." "When Jesus draws us we shall draw men." "'Come ye after Me.' 1. We must be separated to Him, that we may pursue His object. 2. We must abide with Him, that we may catch His spirit. 3. We must obey Him, that we may learn His method. 4. We must believe Him, that we may believe true doctrine. 5. We must copy His life, that we may win His blessing from God." "By our discipleship the Lord makes us fit to be used." "By our personal experience in following Jesus, He instructs us until we become proficient in soul-winning." "By inward monitions He guides us what, when & where to speak." "By His Spirit He qualifies us to reach men." "By His secret working on men's hearts He speeds us in our work." "Following Christ, if rightly understood, is the destruction of selfishness." "All Christians ought to pray for this power of catching souls." "Vers. 19, 20. And when He had gone a little farther thence, He saw James." "Christ does not often call idle men to discipleship." "It involves the subordination of all human relationships." "Of trade relationships." "Of domestic relationships. (Joseph S. Exell, M. A.)" "What the Gospel ministry is: - 1. Called men... 2. Separated men... 3. Commissioned men... 4. Equipped men... with His presence - with His Spirit. (The Christian Advocate.)" "Ver. 21. And they went into Capernaum." "Many wonder, who do not believe." "THE CHARACTERISTIC OF CHRIST'S TEACHING was authority. 1. The scribes employed tradition. 2. Christ spoke assured & naked truth - delivered a message from God - awakened the testimony of conscience. (Expository Discourses.)" "Ver. 22. For He taught them as one that had authority." "Christ's authority is not based upon force, or craft, or popular regard; but upon right & upon conscience." "OBSERVE HOW CHRIST'S AUTHORITY AFFECTS ALL HEARERS OF THE GOSPEL." "HE TAUGHT... 1. With direct plainness. 2. He was a faithful & earnest teacher. 3. He was an affectionate & tender teacher. 4. He was a diligent & persevering teacher. 5. He embodied all His instructions in His own blessed example." "MEN WILL TEACH WELL ONLY AS THEY TEACH UNDER CHRIST." "AUTHORITY IS IMPOSSIBLE APART FROM ASSOCIATION WITH THE MASTER." "Ver. 23. - A man with an unclean spirit. - Possessed with a devil" "His authoritative command, 'Hold thy peace,'" "The spirit's reluctant submission." "The devil is a liar - his testimony not needed" "FAME SPREAD ABROAD" "Ver. 24. Let us alone; what have we to do with Thee?" "'Let us alone! What have we to do with Thee?' is the sole thought & desire of unclean souls, even while they acknowledge His Majesty. None but the holy can look upon the Holy One; without holiness no man can endure to see the Lord. (J. H. Newman, D. D.)" "Vers. 29 - 31. But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever." "Christ's gracious touch elevates prostrate humanity - 'He lifted her up.'" "CHRIST IS THE HOPE OF HUMANITY, BUT THE TERROR OF DEMONS." "...HEALING WAS EFFECTED BY PERSONAL CONTACT - 'Took her by the hand.'" "After a storm there is a swell, before the sea sinks into a calm. But Christ reduced the fury of the sea by a word to perfect calm, as He did the rage of the fever to perfect health." "Whatever we are we may do something for Christ. Some can speak for Him, more can sing for Him, & more still can smile for Him." "Vers. 32 - 34. And at even when the sun did set." "What is the use of faith in Christ without appropriation? Jesus has not come into the world to condemn, but to heal & save it." "Ver. 35. And in the morning, rising up a great while before day. - If we would pray well, we must pray early." "He had no time for prayer, but He made time, rising ' a great while before day.'" "Do all work for God, & seek to have God with you in it all." "Prayer is a holy conference with God" "He prayed as a Man." "He prayed as Mediator." "He prayed as an Example." "The highest form of prayer is conversation with God - the familiar talk of a child with his Father." "Ask God for getting-up grace." "Vers. 36 - 39. And when they had found Him." "Vers. 40 - 45. And there came a leper to Him, beseeching Him." "HIS CURE - 'Jesus spake & it was done.'" "The cure was instantaneous." "It was complete." "Lessons: 1. ...it is well for a needy life to approach Christ. 2. ...a needy life should approach Christ with humility & faith. 3. The marvellous way in which Christ can supply the need of man. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)" "A PAINFUL CONSCIOUSNESS OF HIS TRUE POSITION. He looked at his leprosy; felt its pain; knew its disabling uncleanness. The sinner sees his sin as a disgrace, a danger, & a disgust." "He was drawn to Jesus; prostrate before Jesus; urgent upon Jesus." "Leprosy a symbol of sin: - I. FROM A SMALL BEGINNING IT SPREADS OVER THE ENTIRE MAN. II. ITS CURE IS BEYOND THE REACH OF HUMAN SKILL OR NATURAL REMEDIES. III. IT IS PAINFUL, LOATHSOME, DEGRADING, & FATAL. IV. IT SEPARATES ITS VICTIM FROM THE PURE & DRIVES HIM INTO ASSOCIATION WITH THE IMPURE. V. IT IS A FOE TO... (GODLY) PRIVILEGES. VI. IT CAN BE REMEDIED BY THE INTERPOSITION OF GOD." "Ver. 45. And they came to Him from every quarter." "Those whom grace leads arrive at rest in Christ" The Biblical Illustrator, Baker, pgs. 1 - 57. "VER. 1. In the end of the Sabbath."
"Vers. 2-4. And, behold, there was a great earthquake." "An earthquake was a royal trumpet to proclaim this victory, the greatest that ever was obtained, against an enemy." "...our hearts must be shaken & inwardly troubled with compunction & repentance before we believe steadfastly in the resurrection of Jesus." "Ver. 5. And the angel answered & said unto the women. - Fears dispelled." "They that seek Christ should rejoice; for in seeking they shall certainly find." "Vers. 6, 7. He is not here: for He is risen, as He said." "The open grave of Christ is a 3-fold sign of (1) acceptance; (2) liberty; and (3) life." "The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead we affirm to be a FACT." "...Christ's resurrection brings living hope to the sinner's heart." "...behold the completion of human redemption." "The offering of Jesus for the sins of men is hereby accepted." "Are we risen with Christ?" "Your is a living faith in a living Saviour." "'If Christ be not risen from the dead, then is our preaching vain, & your faith is also vain.'" "It means that the atonement is complete." "Ver. 8. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre." "So often, in celestial gardening, every leaf of earthly joy must drop, before a new & Divine bloom visits the soul. (Mrs. H. B. Stowe.)" "Vers. 9, 10. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them saying, All hail." "Let us not be satisfied unless it is often said of us, 'Jesus met them.' I. IN THE WAY OF SERVICE JESUS MEETS US... He is likeliest to come when we are doing His work II. WHEN JESUS MEETS US HE HAS EVER A GOOD WORD FOR US. III. WHEN JESUS MEETS US IT BECOMES US TO AROUSE OURSELVES." "All alive with hopeful energy." "What life it would put into preachers & hearers if the Lord Jesus would manifestly appear unto them!" "They grasped Him, & held Him by the feet." "We must communicate what our Lord has imparted - 'Go, tell.'" "...let us go to holy work hoping to meet Jesus as we go." "Let us labour to abide in Him, looking for His promised appearing, & exhorting others to do the same. (C. H. Spurgeon.)" "Vers. 11-15. Say ye, His disciples came by night, & stole Him away." "The immediate followers of Jesus had no motive to steal the body of their Lord." "The main intended contrivance was to discredit the true doctrine of our Saviour's resurrection." "The remaining of the burial clothes affords proof that the body was not removed by friends or other men." "Vers. 16-20. Then the 11 disciples went away into Galilee." "'Go ye therefore.'" "Tell men that God loves them. Such is the great commission." "Ver. 17. But some doubted." "FROM WHENCE ARISE THOSE DOUBTS & FEARS SO DISTRESSING TO MANY?" "1. Sin is often the cause. Inward foes..." "2. Carelessness will often lead to uncertainty & doubt. 3. Disobedience, neglected duty, etc. 4. Worldliness necessarily produces them. 5. Seasons of temptation are often seasons of doubt." "6. Ignorance is perhaps the most fruitful source." "Losing sight of Christ, many become taken up with feelings & self." "1. Doubts dishonour God... 2. Mar our comfort. 3. Weaken our strength for service, conflict & devotion. 4. They chill our affection. 5. They stunt our spiritual growth. 6. Unfit us to witness for Christ. 7. Influence others unfavourably." "Seek to have a more simple, child-like faith - faith that takes God at His word;" "The truth-loving man will read & search, & think, &, let me add, pray, with the view to enlarge, & build, & beautify such a home for his soul as we are reminded of by the words of Solomon. 'Every wise woman buildeth her house, but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands;' & 'wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her 7 pillars.'" "Ver. 18. All power is given unto Me in heaven & in earth." "The undelegated rule & perpetual presence of Christ in His Church: - I. The Lord Jesus Christ is THE SOURCE OF ALL AUTHORITY. II. THE DUTY OF THOSE COMMISSIONED BY CHRIST. To teach, not to sacrifice. To baptize. III. The SPECIAL PROMISE which is to animate Christ's true disciples. (R. Hibbs, M. A. )" "The universal dominion of Christ, the foundation of the commission which His ministers receive, & His promised presence their encouragement in fulfilling it" "...Christ; He has both the ability to act & the authority to warrant His acting." "This power is deposited in Christ as the Head of the Church, & to be exercised for her benefit." "Christ is with His Church, & people always;" "Ver. 19. Go ye, therefore, & teach all nations. - A plea for missions." "VERS. 1 - 10. Then Judas, which had betrayed Him, when he saw that He was condemned."
"Sin began by severing the bond between man & his Maker, & what other bond can henceforth have any permanence?" "JUDAS... begins in the guilt of selfishness, & ends in its utter solitude." "He can no longer keep company with his own thoughts." "The heart of stone may be crushed & remain stone in its every fragment; it can only be melted when the love of God is suffered to shine on it." "How differently would Judas have been treated, had he gone to Christ!" "Infinitely better to meet the ridicule of sinners for not joining them, & to keep a good conscience, than to end by being subjected to their taunts with the bitter knowledge that they are deserved! (J. Ker, D. D.)" "Sin will surely prove evil & bitter, when the bottom of the bag is once turned upward." "What an awful difference there is in the look of a sin before you do it & afterwards!" "When we get the prize of our wrong-doing we find out that it is not as all-satisfying as we expected it would be." "Your conscience... it is reduced to issuing vain edicts & to saying, 'Thou shalt not!' & if you turn round & say 'I will, though,' then conscience has no more that it can do." "The worst man is least troubled by his conscience." "Judas repented not of his crime, but of its consequences." "Satan deludes men." "...whatever amount of repentance a man may possess, in the absence of faith in Christ the soul will perish." "...the atonement alone presents the only remedy that will meet all the deep-felt necessities of a guilty conscience. (A. Weston.)" "In true confession we take our proper place; we come to see sin somewhat as God sees it. (Dr. Bonar.)" "The sense of guilt may take either of 2 very different forms - 'godly sorrow' or the 'sorrow of the world.'" "...the poisoned arrow a man uses may wound himself." "It is conjectured that Judas may have hung himself on the edge of a precipice near the valley of Hinnom, & that the rope breaking by which he was suspended, he fell to the earth, & was dashed to pieces." "...no man who is capable of repentance is wholly & irredeemably bad" "...passion is thoughtless" "...Judas was displeased with the ugliness of his treachery, & had a misshapen sorrow, like a bear's whelp, but without any conversion to God, or hope of mercy, or prayer for pardon, or purpose to amend." "Vers. 11 - 14. And Jesus stood before the governor. - Pontius Pilate" "The Eternal Word keeps silence." "...the Saviour appears to have exercised the most marked grace towards all who were concerned in His final agony." "Pontius Pilate... 1. He was influenced by the fear of man. 2. He had a sordid regard to place & power. 3. He discovers a servile love of human applause. 4. The sequel of his history is affecting & instructive; the thing he dreaded came, he lost the favour of the emperor." "The fear of man bringeth a snare. (G. Clayton.)" "Calm endurance answers some questions infinitely more conclusively than the loftiest eloquence." "Did not the silent Lamb of God furnish us with a grand example of wisdom?" "By His quiet He conclusively proved Himself to be the true Lamb of God. (C. H. Spurgeon.)" "Vers. 15 - 18. Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ." "Ver. 19. His wife sent unto him saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man." "The wife failed; but it was well to have tried. (G. T. Coster.)" "The enormity of his sin is also enhanced by the warning he received through his wife." "What a scene will it be when this Roman stands forth to answer for himself at the tribunal of Christ." "Christ will then be in glory & power. (H. Melvill, B. D.)" "Ver. 20. And destroy Jesus. - The cruel purpose" "The enemies of Jesus shall be destroyed." "In the death of Jesus lay His most sublime victory for men." "Vers. 21 - 23. They said, Barabbas. - The choice - Barabbas or Jesus: - The same choice continues still." "There is, in everything, a better & a worse, a good & an evil to us. If we choose good, we choose God, Who alone is good, & is in all things good; if we choose evil, we do, in fact, choose the evil one." "Either we are striking more into the narrow way, or we are parting from it; we are, by God's grace, unbinding the cords by which we are held, or we are binding them tighter. (E. B. Pusey, D. D.)" "Ver. 22. What shall I do then with Jesus? - The question that must be answered" "We must do something with Jesus. He is here. What shall it be? I. You can let Him stand without a word of recognition. ...II. You can thrust Him back from your heart & tell Him to stand aside. But surely you will not. Even Pilate treated Him better than that. III. You can look on Him merely as an optician to help blind eyes, or an aurist to retune deaf ears, a friend, a good friend, a helpful companion, a cheerful passenger on shipboard. Yet what good will all that do you? Surely He is something more. IV. You can take Him into your heart. That is the best thing you can do with Him, & the only safe thing. (T. de Witt Talmage, D. D.)" "THE ANSWER GOD EXPECTS US TO GIVE. Welcome Him to our hearts. Love Him supremely. Obey Him fully. Serve Him faithfully & constantly. (S. Smith.)" "...sinner, what will you do with Christ? Will you send back the insulting message that you do not want Christ to rule over you. (D. L. Moody.)" "Ver. 24. When Pilate saw that he could pervail nothing." "Whoever does wickedness through others is not less wicked than they, but more." "As soon as he said to them, 'Take Him; see ye to it,' he did all that was necessary to make him a partaker in their villany." "Wickedness which a man can prevent, & which he does not prevent, inculpates him. (H. W. Beecher.)" "Ver. 25. His blood be on us." "You then who knowingly continue in sin have identified yourselves with the enemies who killed our Lord. His blood is on you. (P. B. Power, M. A.)" "Vers. 29 - 31. And when they had platted a crown of thorns." "Thorns & rough blows accentuate mockeries & scoffs." "1. See what sin deserved. All laid on Him. (a) Ridicule for its folly. (b) Scorn for its pretensions. (c) Shame for its audacity." "Our rebellion is a crown of thorns on his heart." "The crown of thorns symbolized - I. That Christ was about to bear the CURSE for sinful man. Thorns were part of the original curse upon the soil. II. That Christ was about to endure PAIN for sinful man. The piercing thorns were harbingers of the cruel spear & nails. III. That Christ was about to CONQUER death for dying man. Christ was crowned before He came to the cross; undesignedly indicating His victory. (F. W. Brown.)" "Vers. 32. Him they compelled to bear His cross." "This incident shows us that Christ was as sensitive to bodily pain as we are." "The offence of the cross has not ceased." "...take comfort: the cross was carried by Christ before it was carried by Simon." "Vers. 33 - 37. And they crucified Him, & parted His garments, casting lots." "The winnings that come so easily are not so much the gifts of fortune as they are the baits of misfortune that lead on to beggary." "IT IS POSSIBLE TO LOOK AT CHRIST ON THE CROSS AND SEE NOTHING. For half a day there these soldiers sat, & it was but a dying Jew they saw - 1 of 3. They were unmoved witnesses of God manifest in the flesh, dying on the cross for the whole world, & for them. Their ignorance made them blind. Let us all pray to have our ignorance & blindness removed, our hearts softened by the sight of Christ crucified for us. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)" "Ver. 38. Two thieves crucified with Him." "There is more reason to fear that sin indulged will get the better of you, than you of it." "Vers. 39, 40. He saved others; Himself He cannot save." "Christ seems a failure." "CHRIST WE CLAIM WAS & IS A SUCCESS." "As a martyr, example, victim of sin, substitute for sin, He could not save Himself." "The death of Christ a lesson of self-sacrifice." "He was bound there by the cords of love & by the bands of his own infinitely merciful purpose. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)" "Without shedding of blood was no remission. If others were to be saved Christ must die. The everlasting purpose of the Father was another reason why He could not save Himself." "Ver. 45. There was darkness over all the land." VERS. 1 - 5. That they might take Jesus by subtilty, & kill Him."
"...our Saviour, being reviled, did not only commit His cause to God, but Himself to God" "Vers. 6 - 13. Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper." "There can be no doubt that the majority of Christians would express SUPRISE AT THE HIGH HONOUR PROMISED TO MARY FOR SO SLIGHT A SERVICE." "The conduct of the woman was the result of overpowering love." "A marvellous effort of faith." "What the world calls waste, as done to Christ & His cause, the Saviour Himself commends as duty, which secures our truest interest & honour. (J. R. McGavin, D. D.)" "...as we possess this gospel ourselves it is our duty to impart the knowledge of it to others." "Love was her motive." "It was a striking act of faith. She did it for His burial." "With what coin minted by man can you purchase the tenderness of sympathy, the confidence of friendship, the devotion of love?" "The things that cannot be bartered, the price of which no merchant quotes, the value of which no figures can express, which no thief can steal, & no moth or rust corrupt, alone form the wealth of the soul. (J. R. S. Harington.)" "Devotion to the Lord's person is the chiefest of Christian virtues." "She could not have given more. Christ gave all that He could. He emptied Himself." "It was an act of faith in a crucified Saviour." "How exceedingly precious to Christ is the love of His people!" "How precious to Christ is the memory of His people!" "...some seasons & circumstances may justify uncommon expense." "Vers. 14 - 19. Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests." "How dreadful a folly to hoard up gold, & to lose heaven." "Vers. 20 - 25. And as they did eat, He said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray Me." "The essence of every evil is selfishness" "All sin is living to oneself instead of to God, & it may easily pass from one form of evil into another, just as light & heat, motion & electricity, are all various forms of one force." "Is it I? - Sinful possibilities" "None of them could think that he was the traitor, yet none of them could be sure that he was not." "Need for self-control: - Do not say, 'I know when to stop.' Do not say, 'I can go go so far; it will not do me any harm.' Many a man has said that, & been ruined by it. Do not say, 'It is natural to me to have these inclinations & tastes, & there can be no harm in yielding to them." "Very bad are the men who can look at their deed, described in its own inherent deformity, & yet say, 'Yes, that is it, & I am going to do it.' 'One of you shall betray Me.' Yes, I will betray you.' It must have taken something to look into the Master's face, & keep the fixed purpose steady." "He (Jesus) sat down with the very men who were to forsake him; but He utters no word of stern rebuke. (F. W. Brown.)" "IT REVEALS HIS UTTER MORAL HARDNESS. Christ had said, 'Woe unto that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.' At this saying Judas asks, 'Lord, is it I?'" "Vers. 26 - 29. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, & blessed it." "The New Testament: God's covenants with His people" "WE have a covenant; God has shown us what He is going to do, & has thereby pledged Himself to the performance." "The death of Christ is brought before us. The death of Christ as an offering for sin is brought before us. The death of Christ as the seal of the everlasting covenant between the Father & the Son is brought before us." "In the Lord's Supper 2 things done - 1. We commemorate Christ's death for us. 2. We feed upon Him by faith. (E. Stock.)" "...COMMEMORATION. ...COMMUNION. ...CONSECRATION. We cannot commemorate Christ as our Saviour without thereby acknowledging ourselves to be His - the purchase of His blood, & devoted to His service. (C. Hodge, D. D.)" "The new covenant of forgiveness & life. On God's side is pledged forgiveness, remission of sins, sustained acceptance. On man's side is pledged the obedience of faith." "Christ's blood instead of ours" "Christ 'made a curse, that we might be redeemed from the curse of the law.'" "Ver. 30. And when they had sung an hymn." "We should join praise with prayer & recount God's mercies when face to face with new trials." "...the inspiration of Christian song." "...the comfort of Christian song." "...the power of song." "Vers. 33 - 35. Though all men shall be offended because of Thee, yet will I never be offended. - Enthusiasm & its dangers" "...PETER'S OVER-CONFIDENCE WOULD SEEM TO HAVE BEEN DUE IN PART TO HIS NATURAL TEMPERAMENT, & TO HIS RELIANCE ON IT." "Estimate enthusiasm at is proper value." "Dangers of impulsiveness: - 1. Prone to over-estimate self, & underrate others - 'though all men - yet not I.'" "...all promises to adhere to Him should be made relying on Him for aid." "...we little know how feeble we are till we are tried." "Let us not mistake passion for principle..." "Ver. 36 - 39. A place called Gethsemane." "Submission to the Divine will" "'Thy will, not mine be done.'" "There are only 2 wills in the world - God's will & man's will." "How can these 2 wills be brought together into harmony? ...Not by any changing of the perfect will of God. Man's will is wrong, imperfect, misguided, it may be changed, it ought to be changed, it must be changed." "What shall change it? The truth as it is in Jesus. The work wrought out for us by Jesus. The grace won for us by Jesus. The constraining of the love of Jesus. The power of the risen & living Jesus." "...be aware of the enormous cost at which you have been ransomed." "Without the agony, without the cross, Christianity & Christendom would not have been." "...God's will be done, for He knows our necessities before we ask, & our ignorance in asking. His will, His supreme will in nature & in grace, let us learn to know; & having learned, to do it." "All prayer is to change the will human into submission to the will Divine." "Humility gives us good foot-hold in prayer." "The righteousness of God in all His ways, if duly considered, will compose the afflicted spirit to quiet & humble submission." "Vers. 40 - 45. Watch & pray, that ye enter not into temptation." "...the Christian does not attempt to fight temptation in his own strength." "THE CHRISTIAN A SENTINEL; HIS CAPTAIN IS CHRIST; AND THE WORD OF COMMAND IS 'WATCH.'" "A sentinel must distinguish between an enemy & a friend." "A sentinel will scrutinize & test the character." "Watchfulness implies a close & thorough consideration of the several ways by which temptation has at any time actually prevailed either upon ourselves or others." "Watchfulness implies a continual, actual intention of mind upon the high concern & danger which is before us, in opposition to sloth, idleness, & remissness." "...watchfulness without prayer is presumption, & prayer without watchfulness is a mockery." "What is watchfulness?" "We walk as it were upon precipices, & therefore had need to look to our standing, when we see persons falling on every side." "Avoid all occasions of sin; watch the beginnings of sin; watch your besetting sin; watch your thoughts; watch your company; watch your pursuits; watch in dependence upon God." "Vers. 47 - 52. And Jesus said utno him, Friend, wherefore art thou come?" "The PATIENCE of Christ's love." "Sin is mighty, but it cannot make God cease to love us." "Non-submission is rebellion." "Ver. 53. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to My Father?" "Ver. 56. Then all the disciples forsook Him & fled. - The causes, signs, evils, & cure of backsliding" "Jesus, as it were, lays Himself down on our path; nor can any become backsliders, & return to the practice & pleasure of sin, without trampling Him under their feet. (T. Guthrie, D. D.)" "Vers. 57, 58. But Peter followed Him afar off." "THE SAD CONSEQUENCES OF FOLLOWING CHRIST AFAR OFF. 1. Such a course grows worse & worse. 2. Such a state brings its own punishment. 3. Such a course is unspeakably offensive to Jesus Christ." "Ver. 63. But Jesus held His peace." "Silence sometimes the wisest policy" "NO VERBAL DEFENCE WOULD HAVE AVAILED HIM ANYTHING with those who were determined to procure His condemnation." "Silence is often the best reproof of profane conversation." "Vers. 69 - 75. Now Peter sat without in the palace. - The fall of Peter" "Peter's sorrow was full of hope, but Judas' was full of despair." "Peter's sorrow drove him nearer to God, but Judas' drove him further from God." "The old nature in Peter was fighting against the Christ that was within him" The Biblical Illustrator, Baker, pgs. 600 - 634. "VERS. 1 - 13. Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto 10 virgins."
"'5 were wise & 5 were foolish.'" "...CHARACTER IS REVEALED BY CRISIS." "...CHARACTER IS A PERSONAL THING, & cannot be given by one man to another, but MUST BE ACQUIRED & MANIFESTED BY EACH ONE FOR HIMSELF." "...LOST OPPORTUNITIES CANNOT BE RECALLED." "The souls NEEDS LIGHT. The fact that Christ died to save sinners is the only torch that can scatter the soul's gloom." "The gospel the only true soul torch" "The folly & danger of resting satisfied with the outward form of godliness" "...many professed Christians content themselves with the mere outward forms of religion." "'5 of them were wise & 5 were foolish.' Their wisdom was shown in making a proper preparation for the future." "...those who make such a vain profession are most unwise." "Not what I say, but what I am, is my security." "The design of Christ in the parable is to induce watchfulness" "'And the door was shut.'" "Heaven will never be seen & enjoyed by sinners. Their probation is ended; their glad time is over. All the means of grace have passed away. The dispensation of the gospel is closed. All instruments employed to convert & to save will be employed no more. The Spirit will strive no more. Hope is for ever past." "Let Christians be watchful: trim their lamps; the Bridegroom is at hand." "Many talk well; their notions are high & strict, but observe them narrowly, & you will find them cold & careless" "The folly of the foolish: - It consisteth - I. In their attaining to some degree of the knowledge of the way of salvation, & yet having no interest in the blessed Saviour." "Their folly consisteth in believing the father of lies, & in trusting in their own hearts, when nothing is more deceitful." "Trimming the lamps: - The trimming of the lamp denotes the cleansing of it, & the taking off of the dead ashes that hinder the light, or prevent its burning so clearly as otherwise it would. Now what is this, but the putting away of all iniquity by faith & unfeigned repentance." "Unbelief, deadness, earthliness, & self-confidence is like to a thief in the candle, or dead ashes in the wick of a lamp, & therefore must be snuffed by mortification, lest the spirit of God be grieved & depart from us" "...a man may be very much like a Christian & yet not be one. He may come very near the kingdom, & yet not enter in." "He may have the complete dress of the saint, & yet not be one. He may have a good life, a sound creed, a strict profession; he may be one who says & does many things excellent;" "He may lack the oil, the Holy Spirit. (H. Bonar, D. D.)" "...wisdom lieth in providence, & folly in negligence" "The lamp of faith is only an instrument. It needs the oil; 'That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.' Therefore arise & trim the lamp. (Paxton Hood.)" "A creed about Christianity will not do. A philosophy of Christianity will not do. Deeper, deeper - 'I know whom I have believed.'" "Ver. 10. And the door was shut." "EXCLUSION." "WHAT IS THE DOOR WHICH IS SHUT. 1. The door of repentance will be shut." "The door of heaven was shut." "The door of mercy was shut." "The door of hope was shut." "It is God who shuts the door." "Distinction between saints & sinners is a lasting one. (B. Beddome, A. M.)" "The duty of watching for the Lord's coming; - Many things should make us look & long for the Lord's coming." "If you were always watching, it would have an effect on those among whom you live; it would either condemn or awaken them." "Vers. 14 - 30. Who called his own servants, & delivered unto them his goods. - Life a journey" "Time is a talent. Intellectual power is a talent. Moral capacity is a talent." "Relative influence is a talent." "...HE WHO HAS IMPARTED THESE TALENTS RIGHTEOUSLY DEMANDS THEIR IMPROVEMENT." "THE PERIOD WILL ARRIVE WHEN HE WILL COME TO DEMAND AN ACCOUNT." "...make the best use of whatever we have." "Make a good investment by investing in eternity." "When the talents are used they grow by use, & increase for God." "No commendation like the Master's 'well done.'" "If Christ has given you 1 talent; it is because at present He sees you cannot handle more." "...NEW OPPORTUNITIES COME TO US WITH OUR IMPROVEMENT OF THOSE WHICH WE ALREADY HAVE." "Faithful service widens opportunity." "He who buried 1 talent would have buried 5, his failure was in his character." "The reward of faithful service will be enlarged capacity & scope for service." "Better to use 1 talents well than 5 wickedly" "ALL THAT WE HAVE, &, INDEED, ALL THAT WE ARE, BELONGS TO GOD." "We are servants - under authority... God's authority over us is entire & unlimited." "God has entrusted us with 'His goods.'" "THE DOOM OF THE SERVANT WHO HAD BUT 1 TALENT..." "His sin was slothfulness." "There can be no valid excuse for not serving God. (T. D. Crothers.)" "The good servant: - 1. He is commended. 2. Promoted. 3. Admitted to joys unspeakable. (W. Jowett, M. A.)" "What a lamentable state of mind to wish to get to heaven, & yet to turn in a bad temper from the only path that leads to it!" "The sin of unprofitableness: - I. UNPROFITABLENESS IMPLIES A MIND UNLIKE THAT OF GOD, & THEREFORE UNFIT FOR COMMUNION WITH GOD. 1. The mind of the unprofitable one is marked by indifference to the welfare of others." "'Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness.' (D. Moore, M. A.)" "He was wicked because unfaithful to his trust." "...THOSE WHO FAITHFULLY IMPROVE THE BLESSINGS WHICH GOD BESTOWS UPON THEM MAY REASONABLY EXPECT FURTHER MARKS OF HIS FAVOUR." "God has promised to reward past fidelity with future favours." "Those who abuse God's favours have reason to expect that He will diminish them. (N. Emmons, D. D.)" "Every one hath his service & opportunity to do something for God" "Use the talent we have" "Strength is not to be wasted in sin & vanity, but employed for God." "'Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down & cast into the fire.' Not only the poisonous, but the barren tree." "Oh! for a spirit that bows always before the sovereignty of God. (C. H. Spurgeon.)" "Multiplied talent: - It is not only enjoined upon us if we would be Christians to occupy with our gifts, but to multiply them. The industrious servant of God will do this." "The faithful servant of Christ studies to do his Lord's will, & has a delight in the work." "THE FAITHFUL SERVANT'S REWARD. 1. He receives the commendation of his Master. 2. Made ruler over many things. 3. Enters into the joy of his Lord." "The noblest powers are often the most slowly developed." "It is faithfulness, & not amount, which links the talent to the joy of the Lord, the 'few things' to the 'many.'" "Each time we use the grace we have by responding to the demands made upon it, it returns to us increased." "The average man: - 1. HIS DANGERS." "He will be tempted to underrate himself." "He may lose himself in the crowd." "THE ENCOURAGEMENTS." "God designed to do most of His work in the world through the average man." "The magnificent reward that awaits him. (F. E. Clark.)" "Do not darken your life by fear." "The judgment is severe, not on those who tried & failed, but on those who never tried." "The reward will be in proportion to the actual improvement which men make of the talents entrusted to them." "The world we live in is not a great play-ground, but a vast harvest field, where every man, each in his own particular sphere, must thrust in the sickle & reap." "Ver. 31. When the Son of Man shall come in His glory." "THE IMPORTANT PERIOD REFERRED TO - 'When the Son of Man shall come.'" "...how He will come." "'in His glory.'" "The great separation" "It will be made by the Judge Himself." "It will be made wholly on the ground of moral character." "It will be a separation in place & residence." "It will be a separation in interest & employment." "It will be eternal." "Vers. 34 - 44. Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed." "THE PERSONS TO WHOM THIS INVITATION WILL BE GIVEN. 1. Those who have abounded in good & charitable works." "The righteous, to their astonishment, hear themselves commended for loving services to the King, which they are quite unconscious of ever having rendered. The wicked, on the other hand, to their amazement & dismay, hear themselves condemned for having refused to the King services which they are quite unconscious of ever having had opportunities to render or refuse." "Selfishness is a direct contradiction of the entire mission & character of Christ." "There is joy in an unselfish ministry." "Love thinks nothing of the sacrifice it makes." "Self-forgetfulness is the first sign that we are doing work for the God above us. (C. D. Bridgeman, D. D.)" "VER. 1. And Jesus went out & departed from the temple."
"Judgment has begun at the House of God, but it stays not there." "...though God may bear long, yet He will not bear always, with a sinful & provoking people." "When we hear the thunder, in a dark night on our beds, we fear the lightning. Our Saviour's gospel, premonishing of this day, is like thunder; if it cannot wake us from our sins, the judgment shall come upon us like lightning, to our utter destruction." "Ver. 6. But the end is not yet." "'The end is not yet.' Let us not imagine our work done. (J. A. Alexander, D.D.)" "Ver. 7. - For nation shall rise against nation. - War for those who reject peace:" "They that would have none of the gospel of peace shall have the miseries of war." "Christianity comes as the consoler of the sufferings of war. (J. B. Mozley, D.D.)" "Ver. 12. - The love of many shall wax cold. - The love of the saints destroyed by the abounding of iniquity" "Ver. 14. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness." "'GOSPEL' - good news..." "The kingdom of Christ, as a kingdom of control..." "It controls the opinions." "It controls the will." "It controls the belief of mankind." "It controls the affections." "The gospel shall be preached for a WITNESS. Of human depravity." "It must be preached freely, plainly, affectionately, faithfully." "Submit to Christ as a King." "Seek the extension of His kingdom..." "The gospel is now a witness to warn & direct: hereafter it will accuse & condemn. (H. Melvill, B.D.)" "Vitality of the gospel: - See what vitality the gospel has! Plunge her under the wave, & she rises the purer from her washing; thrust her in the fire, & she comes out the more bright for her burning; cut her in sunder, & each piece shall make another church; behead her, & like the hydra of old, she shall have a hundred heads for every one you cut away. She cannot die, she must live; for she has the power of God within her. (C. H. Spurgeon.)" "Vers. 15 - 19. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation." "We are not left without consolation & hope. There was an elect who escaped the destruction when Jerusalem fell. Jesus will save His own in the day of doom. (J. A. Seiss, D. D.)" "Ver. 20. Not in the winter." "The winter season is especially full of temptation, because of the long evening allowing such full swing for evil indulgences." "The river of life from under the throne never freezes over. The foliage of life's tree is never frost-bitten." "Ver. 23 - 26. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ." "Let us learn more & more of the true Christ, & we shall not be led astray by false Christs." "The Christian dispensation is disturbed by attempts of impostors to delude the unwary." "There is in our possession a test sufficient to unmask all pretenders." "Ver. 27. For as the lightning." "Christ's advent shall be SUDDEN." "Christ's advent will be with INTENSE AND VIVID SPLENDOUR." "Christ's second coming..." "THAT COMING IS PERSONAL & LITERAL." "THIS GREAT COMING IS TO BE CONNECTED WITH A SEPARATION OF THE GOOD FROM THE BAD, THE BELIEVERS FROM THE DENIERS, THE SPIRITUALLY ALIVE FROM THE SPIRITUALLY DEAD." "Ver. 28. For wherever the carcase is." "Our Lord says, wherever there is a rotting, dead society, a carcase hopelesly corrupt & evil, down upon it, as if drawn by some unerring attraction, will come the angel, the vulture of the Divine judgment." "God can tell when evil has become incurable, when the man or country has become a 'carcase.'" "Judgment only follows on the heels of offence." "Ver. 29 - 34. Immediately after the tribulation of these days shall the sun be darkened." "There will be a manifestation of Christ in truth & UNMISTAKABLE REALITY." "Christ will be manifested as IN SEARCH OF HIS OWN." "Tokens of perdition: - I. Vicious habits. II. A resort to infidelity... III. A false hope & a false profession. IV. The approach of age without religion. V. Carnal security. VI. Satisfaction with worldly good. VII. A loose & presumptuous confidence in God's mercy. VIII. Increasing hardness of heart. IX. Neglect of prayer & the means of grace. X. The rejection of many calls. How many of these marks of death do you find upon yourself? (E. Griffin, D. D.)" "Ver. 35. But my words shall not pass away." "The permanency of Christ's teaching..." "His words cannot die by reason of the living power that is in them." "Every portion of the gospel we learn & feel & practice will remain with us for ever. (The Weekly Pulpit.)" "THERE IS A PERMANENT, & THAT THERE IS A TRANSIENT." "What are some of the marks & characteristics of Christ's word? ...1. Authoritative. ...2. True. 3. Spirit and life. 4. 'Never a man spake like this man.'" "Vers. 38, 39. And took them all away." "The mass of men are busy about fleeting interests, & neglect the salvation of their souls." "ALL WHO WERE IN THE ARK WERE SAFE. (C. H. Spurgeon.)" "Vers. 40, 41. Two women shall be grinding at the mill. - Routine life" "...Strength of character lies not in demanding special circumstances, but in mastering & using any that may be given." "Faithful performance of common duties" "Ver. 42. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." "Watchfulness is the habit of keeping the eye constantly alive to events; prayer is the habit of keeping the heart constantly lifted up to God." "THE NEEDFUL WATCHING. 1. With increasing prayer. 2. With unfaltering diligence. 3. With unfailing patience. ...(J. C. Gray.)" "Ver. 44. Then be ye also ready." "THE ABSOLUTE NECESSITY FOR BEING READY." "Be ready: the act is ours, the grace is God's." "To be ready for the coming of Christ ought to be the great end of life." "To be ready for death, is to have obtained the pardon of all sins." "It is to have all the graces of the Spirit in vigorous exercise." "Great events require suitable preparation." "Faith in Christ, which is instrumental in obtaining pardon of sin" "Holiness" "MOTIVES TO URGE US TO BE READY. 1. Death is sure to come. 2. The time of death's approach is uncertain. ...4. The present life is the only period in which we can prepare for death. 5. To be ready indicates true wisdom, & gives peace." "WHY WE ARE TO BE READY. ...It is Christ's command. Surely that is enough." "The SOLEMN EVENTS for which we ought always to be ready. 1. Death. 2. Judgment. 3. Eternity." "Vers. 45, 51. Who, then, is that faithful & wise servant." "1. Fidelity. 2. Wisdom is associated with faithfulness - 'faithful & wise.' 3. Habitual & persevering continuance in well-doing." "The faithful servant is one whose service is sincere." The Biblical Illustrator, Baker, pgs. 537 - 558. |
AuthorCross Preaching Pentecostal Pastor. Husband to Tonia, Father to 3 beautiful girls, Monica, Zoe & Briana, & Grandfather to Wesley & Elliott Archives
September 2023
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