A promised gospel.
It sometimes happens that a blessing long promised, loudly heralded, and warmly extolled, loses thereby something of its charm, and suffers in the warmness of its welcome when it appears. That must be a vast and priceless boon which will bear to be promised and expected generation after generation. Expectation is aroused, the flame of hope is fanned, desire stands on tip-toe and strains her eyes. And when the gift comes, it must be of surpassing value, if no disappointment follow. The gospel of Jesus Christ was foretold for centuries. It had become "the desire of all nations." But when it came, it was more glorious and welcome than all hope, all imagination, could have dreamed.
I. IT WAS TAUGHT BY CHRIST AND HIS APOSTLES THAT THE GOSPEL WAS A BLESSING PROMISED FROM ANCIENT TIME. Here are three direct proofs of this.
1. Our Lord, in his conversation with the disciples on the way to Emmaus, reproached them as "slow of heart to believe all that the prophets had spoken;" and, "beginning at Moses and all the prophets, expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself."
2. Upon the Day of Pentecost Peter instanced the resurrection of Christ as a fulfilment of Hebrew prophecy; David, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn to raise up his descendant to sit on his throne, "seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ."
3. When before Agrippa and Festus, Paul affirmed that, in his witnessing, he said "none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: that Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles." Add to these the many instances in which the writers of the New Testament declare the gospel to be the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy, and it becomes apparent that the Founder and first preachers of Christianity all claim that the Hebrew Scriptures testified beforehand to their glorious theme.
II. THE MEN BY WHOM THE GOSPEL WAS FORETOLD WERE GOD'S PROPHETS. They were so called because they uttered forth, as his representatives, the mind and will of God. And they fulfilled this office, not only with a view to the time then present, its circumstances and duties, hut with a view to a time to come. Thus prophecy and prediction were closely linked together. With God is neither past, present, nor future. The promise was first made to our first parents, and through Adam to his posterity. The seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head. Abraham, in whom the human race took a new departure, was assured that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed. This declaration, made to the father of the faithful, was believed by him, and his faith was accounted as righteousness. Through him it became the property of his descendants; for it was evidently so understood by Jacob. To Moses the promise was given, and by him it was recorded, that God should raise up a prophet like unto himself. But Moses prophesied of Christ rather in the ordinances he instituted than in the words he uttered. The sacrifices especially of the Jewish dispensation were an earnest of him who in due time should die for the ungodly. In the Psalms of David are several passages in which the Holy Spirit assured to the Israelitish monarch a successor to more than his own dignity and dominion. Isaiah spoke of a suffering and victorious Messiah. And others of the goodly fellowship, especially Jeremiah, Zechariah, Malachi, and Daniel, announced beforehand the advent or Israel's and the world's Deliverer.
III. THE SCRIPTURES WERE THE RECORD IN WHICH THE PROMISE OF THE GOSPEL WAS PRESERVED. Admire the wisdom of God manifested in this provision. Men have sneered at a "book-revelation;" but it should be remembered that the only alternative to this, so far as we can see, was tradition—shifting, untrustworthy tradition. The Hebrews valued their sacred writings, and they had good reason for doing so. The Lord Jesus bade his opponents "search the Scriptures," knowing that these testified of him. The apostles always appealed, when reasoning with the Jews, to the books they justly deemed inspired. These books contained a treasure which those who knew only their letter, not their spirit, often failed to discern and value. "Holy," because inspired by the Holy Ghost; because written by the pens of holy men; because containing holy doctrine; because tending to foster a holy character and life, to leaven society with holy doctrines and principles. Above all, holy because witnessing to him who was the "Holy One and the Just," God's "holy Child Jesus." The Scriptures are the casket, and Christ the Divine Jewel within.
IV. CONSIDER THE PURPOSES FOR WHICH THE GOSPEL WAS THUS FORETOLD AND PUBLISHED, with growing clearness in the centuries before the coming of the Christ. There was Divine reason in this arrangement; and Paul saw this to be so, or he would not have put this forward in the forefront of this document. Observe these three evident intentions.
1. Thus the hopes of God's people were sustained. How needful must express promises have been to the godly who lived in the twilight of Judaism, surrounded by the dark night of heathenism! Often must their hearts have sunk within them, only to be revived by the gracious declarations of the universal Lord and King.
2. Thus were displayed the wisdom and the benevolence of God. He would be known, not only as the moral Ruler, but as the gracious Saviour, of mankind. The glowing language of inspired prophets depicted the attributes of the great Redeemer in such colours as to inspire the nation with a lively and a blessed hope.
3. Thus was provision made for establishing the credibility and authority of the gospel, when revealed. Much that was written aforetime could not at that period be fully understood. These things were written, not for those who then lived, but for us. Looking upon the prophecy, and then upon the fulfilment, recognizing the wonderful correspondence, we see the presence of the same God in the old covenant, and in that new covenant which is in truth more ancient than the old.
APPLICATION. The great practical lesson conveyed in this passage is obvious enough. If the gospel was the matter of a Divine promise, repeated by prophet after prophet through a long course of ages, and if the fulfilment of that promise was the greatest event in the history of mankind,—how immensely important must this gospel be to us! A stranger to the Christian religion might naturally think it an unaccountable, even an unreasonable, thing, that an assembly of English people in the nineteenth century should spend an hour in solemnly meditating upon words spoken by religious teachers who, thousands of years ago, lived in a remote strip of land in Asia, between the desert and the sea. He might naturally ask—What possible bearing can such words have upon the principles which govern your life, the aims and hopes that inspire your heart? Our answer is plain. God, in the ancient days, gave to mankind a promise which their circumstances rendered unspeakably timely, welcome, and precious. A sinful race, in rebellion against the Divine authority, deserving and daring punishment, needed nothing so sorely as an assurance of the King's compassion, as the revelation of a way of salvation, of reconciliation, of loyal obedience, of eternal life. Under the prophetic dispensation, this want was met; this declaration, this promise, was given. In the coming of Christ, in his life of benevolent ministry, his death of sacrifice and redemption, his victorious rising, his spiritual reign, the ancient words of prediction and promise found an echo corresponding with, but stronger than, themselves. And now the gospel is preached—that the counsel of God has been fulfilled, the grace of God has been displayed, the power of God has been put forth. We have not to tell of what God will do, but of what he has done. We have not now to raise men's hope, but to require their faith. To receive this revelation is to come under a new principle, a new power, to become a new creation, to live a new life. Remember that the promise refers, not only to the facts which, in one sense, constitute the gospel, but to the blessings which the gospel secures to those who accept it. If the gospel of Christ has, as we believe and teach, Divine authority, then there is, by the Lord Jesus, forgiveness for sins, renewal for the heart, grace for all need, and immortal life and joys; there is all that man can ask and God can give. In Christ provision is made for every want of sinful, ignorant, and helpless man. All the blessings of the gospel are offered of God's free mercy to the repenting and confiding applicant. What spiritual need is there which experience does not show may be satisfied by the gospel of Christ, by Christ himself? None! All blessings are assured to his faithful people.
The theme of the gospel.
Observe how the apostle's mind is burdened with the one great subject of his ministry. He has proceeded only a very few words with his Epistle, and behold! already he is introducing, by the force of an overmastering impulse, a full statement of the main facts and doctrines regarding the Lord Jesus Christ.
I. We have here a complete and concise DESIGNATION OF THE BEING who was the theme of the gospel which Paul preached. The human name, "Jesus," "the Salvation of the Eternal," is followed by the official name of the Mediator, "Christ," "the Anointed of God," and this by the title denoting his just relationship to his Church, "our Lord."
II. The HUMAN NATURE of Christ is clearly asserted. If, according to the flesh, he was born of the seed of David, he was
III. The DIVINE DIGNITY of the Saviour is simply but gloriously affirmed. In the very same sentence in which he is called the Son of an earthly king, he is designated "Son of God." This he was manifested, declared, as being. We cannot fathom this mystery; but. it may be reasonably received, and cannot be reasonably rejected. This combination of the two elements in our Redeemer's nature renders him an all-sufficient Mediator between God and man.
IV. Here is SUPERNATURAL ATTESTATION to Christ's nature and mission boldly asserted. Resurrection from the dead was not only a miracle wrought by him as an accompaniment of his mission; it was exemplified in his own Person, for he was the Firstfruits of them that sleep. Spiritual resurrection is the pledge of that which is bodily; and the resurrection was always mentioned by the first preachers of Christianity, in connection with the authority and Lordship of Christ. The lesson is pointed by the added clauses, "with power," and "by the Spirit of holiness."
APPLICATION.
1. Let us take a just and complete, not a partial, inadequate view of our Saviour's wondrous nature.
2. What a justification and encouragement may be found in this representation for the sinner to commit his eternal interests to One so qualified, so sufficient, to care for and to save the believing soul!