I WILL address you this afternoon upon the subject of salvation through the blood of Christ. As a foundation for my remarks, I will read John 3:14–16:—
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” In this text reference is made to a circumstance that occurred during the wanderings of the children of Israel in the wilderness, and one which is of very great interest to us as setting forth the way of salvation to those who are perishing under the guilt and power of sin. We are told that Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, and that after this manner the Son of man himself must be lifted up; and that the object of this lifting up of Christ would be, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
The apostle Paul, in the fourth chapter of Hebrews, in comparing our case to that of the people in the wilderness, says, “For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them,” implying that the gospel was preached to them very clearly. Our measure of light on the gospel is compared with theirs, not theirs with ours. It does not say the gospel was preached to those in the wilderness as well as to us, but to us as well as to them; and therefore we conclude that the people who lived in the days of Moses, the man of God, and who had the teachings of God for the space of forty years, were a people who understood gospel truths, not merely in types and shadows, but in the great realities of the gospel.
By referring to this circumstance which the Saviour has brought forward to represent his being lifted up, we shall find that a very impressive lesson was taught the children of Israel in the wilderness. We find this incident recorded in Numbers 21. It is said, in verse 5, that the people murmured against God, and against Moses, because they had been brought out of Egypt to die in the wilderness, and because of the food which they received; and in verses 6–9 we read:—
“The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people; and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole; and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.”
This is the incident to which our Lord refers as representing the death he should die in behalf of sinners; and even the very manner of his death was signified by Moses in the act of lifting up the serpent. A serpent of brass was made, and suspended on a pole in the sight of the people, that they might look upon it, and be healed from the wounds caused by the bite of those serpents in the wilderness. The Saviour dwells particularly upon this lifting up of the serpent, and says that as the serpent was thus lifted up, so the Son of man must be lifted up in order that salvation may come to us through him. I shall show you, I hope, with some degree of clearness, how it is that we have salvation through the blood of Christ, and how significant is the manner of his death.
There are three references made in John's gospel to this lifting up of Christ. The first is this in my text, that the Son of man is to be lifted up even as the serpent was lifted up. The second is found in the eighth chapter and twenty-eighth verse: “Then said Jesus unto them, when ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.” The third is found in the 12th chapter, verses 32 and 33, where the significance of the expression is explained: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.”
It appears, then, from this last expression, that by the lifting up of Christ, to which John alludes three times in his gospel, is meant his crucifixion or death upon the cross. It not only signifies that the Saviour was to die for the sins of men, but that he was to die in a particular manner. He might have been put to death in some other way, for there were many other ways in which death was inflicted; but, in order that his death might be properly appreciated, it was necessary that he should die in the most ignominious manner,—so considered among the Jews,—that of being suspended upon the cross between heaven and earth.
There is a reference made to the death of Christ in Gal. 3, which shows why it was that he died by crucifixion. The 10th verse says, “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” The apostle represents that curse as resting upon all mankind,—the curse that comes from disobedience to the law of God. Sin is the transgression of the law, and the law demands the life of the transgressor. For this reason the curse of the law rests upon all men, for all have sinned against God. Now we come to learn the significance of the death of Christ upon the cross. The 13th verse says, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” So it appears that when the Saviour was to die in behalf of sinners, in order that the curse which rests on us might be removed, and that the law might be honored, and the justice of its sentence be acknowledged, it was necessary that he should die upon the cross.
Thus the curse, pronounced in the law against the transgressor, fell upon our Lord Jesus Christ, who died as a malefactor. I use this word malefactor because the Saviour was put to death as such. In order to show the propriety of this language, I will read 2 Cor. 5:21: “For he [God the Father] hath made him [Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” The dear Saviour, the sinless Lamb of God, who had kept his Father’s commandments perfectly, never in the smallest particular failing to fulfill them, took upon himself the sins of men, thus honoring the law of God, in the very act of extending mercy to poor fallen man. As man’s substitute he is hanged upon the cross, and suffers the curse of the law of God, that mercy and pardon might be extended to those who have broken the law of God. The curse of the law demands the death of the transgressor, and Christ redeems us from this curse by giving his life for our lives. The act of Moses in lifting up the serpent upon a pole represents the crucifixion of Christ upon the cross. Those who had been bitten by the serpent received a deadly wound, of which they could be healed only by looking upon the brazen serpent. Those who exercised faith by looking upon the brazen serpent, were healed; and those who did not look upon it, suffered death. Before God offers pardon, he shows that our condemnation is just, that he abhors sin, and that he will surely punish sin upon whomsoever it is found. He teaches us the lesson of faith and repentance, that we may find deliverance through this divine Redeemer, who has given his life for us.
There is something very significant in the death of Christ upon the cross; and that is, the manifestation of his justice in this act of infinite love. The justice of God requires that he should maintain his government by upholding the right, even in the very act of pardoning the transgressor. God, in giving his Son to be offered upon the cross as a sacrifice for our sins, that we might be redeemed, has not only exhibited to us his infinite justice, but has manifested his matchless love, mercy, and pity toward us. What the Scripture says of the love of God is all true; what it says of his willingness to forgive sin and save sinners is true, and we might say, more than true; but, at the same time, his decision to uphold right, to maintain his justice, will not permit him to save the sinner without the death of Christ as the sinner’s substitute, nor without repentance and faith on the part of the sinner.
The object of the lifting up of Christ upon the cross is set forth in my text: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” What was it that prompted the Father to give his Son to die for us? The answer is given in the text. It was love. God’s love toward sinful man was such, and his desire for his salvation so strong, that he permitted his Son to come to this sinful world, and take upon himself the penalty of sin. What wondrous love was this! Oh, that we might appreciate the love of God, and of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Oh, that we might partake more of his spirit! Why was it that when God designed to save sinful man, and when his great heart of love caused him to reach out his arms to all mankind, he did not save them without subjecting his Son to this shameful and humiliating death? The answer is short and easy to remember. It was because he could not deny himself. The infinite God has infinite love, and mercy, and pity for sinners, because they have fallen from their pure state through temptation; and he also has in his nature the principles of truth and justice and right. God cannot save sinful man at the expense of his own just laws; and hence he cannot reach out his arms of love to forgive and save sinners, without manifesting to them his justice and righteousness.
But the manifestation of his love in the death of Christ is not the only condition of our receiving pardon. The children of Israel were not saved by Moses’ simply suspending the serpent upon the pole, neither are we saved by the fact that our divine Lord was nailed to the cross, and suffered death. We must exercise faith in the virtue of the blood of Jesus Christ, the same as they looked to the brazen serpent to be healed. While God has such pity and saving love as to extend mercy and pardon to us, he shows that there is something for us to do on our part. And this is implied in the very act of God in giving his Son. If it were necessary that God’s love should be manifested in the gift of his dear Son, it is necessary on our part that we exercise faith in him who gave himself for us.
Let us for a moment consider the subject of redemption. Why did God give his Son to die for us? Paul says, “Ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” And there are other passages which teach us that we are “redeemed by the blood of Christ.” Now, what is meant by this statement that we are bought with a price? Does it mean that he has purchased us of some being who previously owned us? No, it cannot mean that; it means rather that man has broken God’s law, and thus forfeited his right to live. The life of the sinner has been forfeited, and Christ has by his death bought back man’s forfeited life. The great gift of God to man is the life of his only Son, that man might be saved from the penalty of sin, and yet God not be dishonored.
Now I wish to say a few words in regard to this gift, and the relation which we sustain to it. You know that people do not love repentance, and they devise every means to avoid it. Many say, If the blood of Christ has been given for our lives, if this great debt has been paid, then we shall be saved; for it was given in behalf of all mankind, and all mankind will share it. I do not know but there may be some in this congregation who cherish this hope,—that they will be saved by the death of Christ, independent of their actions with respect to it.
Now I want to ask you a few questions. How much sacrifice did you make to God when Christ died? Not any at all. Did the life of Christ belong to you, and did you take that costly offering and give it to God, and thus did you purchase your life? By no means. All that was done without your participation. It was a wonderful exhibition of the love of God to us; and we did nothing in order to the salvation of our own souls. Now it is evident that in order for us to partake of the heavenly benediction,—through this great sacrifice,—we must, in some way, become connected with Him who made that sacrifice; and in order for the blood of Christ to avail for us, it is necessary that the Saviour should extend to us the benefits of this great redemption which he has purchased for us by his own blood.
I will now show what the Bible says on this point. The death of Christ is the great sacrifice for sin; but the intercession of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary, where he acts as our great High Priest, is of no less importance to us in obtaining the final reward of the just. The book of Hebrews teaches us that after Christ’s death upon the cross, and his resurrection from the dead, he ascended into Heaven, and became a great High Priest after the order of Melchisedec; and we understand that he is now in the second apartment of the heavenly sanctuary, wherein is the ark which contains the ten commandments, the law of God. Christ entered there to appear before his Father and present the merits of his blood in the behalf of every repentant sinner. The Saviour stands in the heavenly sanctuary and pleads the cause of every person who repents of sin; but he makes this offer of pardon on conditions. One condition is repentance,194the result of which is a change of conduct; for true repentance causes a change of conduct. Another condition is faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; and the man who repents, and exercises faith in the virtue of the blood of Jesus Christ, will come to God, through the great High Priest, expressing his sorrow, and saying, I have sinned against God; I have broken his commandments, and deserve to die. I acknowledge that my condemnation is just, that my sin is without excuse; but I have learned, through the gospel, that the Saviour was put to death for poor sinners like me; and now I ask that this death which took place upon the cross, and that this blood that was there poured out upon Calvary, may be accepted in my behalf. The High Priest takes up this case, and presents it before the Father, and he has a right so to do, as he was the one who made the sacrifice; and he says, Here is a man who has broken thy law; but he comes repenting, and in sorrow for his sins, and desires mercy and pardon; and now I ask, as the High Priest, that my blood which I shed on Calvary may be accepted in his behalf, that he may be accepted in thy sight, and that his sins may be pardoned through the merits of my blood.
Every sinner that repents and comes to Christ for pardon, believing in him, will receive it. The High Priest will present his case before the Father, and if his repentance is thorough, God in his infinite mercy will forgive. I think I have made it clear that the death of Christ in behalf of all mankind cannot save all men, because there is something for sinners to do; and that their salvation is to be secured only by their praying the Saviour to plead their cause, that his blood may avail in their behalf. Those who refuse to repent will find that they have been in no wise benefited by the death of Christ; they have made a terrible mistake; and because they have neglected to secure salvation by repentance and faith in Christ, the curse of the law of God will fall upon them, and they will experience the terrible sentence of being destroyed in the lake of fire, which is the second death.
I wish now to call your attention to what the Lord requires of us in order that we may be accepted of him, and to the duties of the Christian as a servant of God. And if I present this subject to you as I find it in the Bible, it seems to me that I shall move some here this afternoon to give their hearts to God, and to do so without delay, and without reserve. If you will not give your hearts to him, why not? Do you think the way of salvation is too hard? Do you think that God calls for things on our part that are too costly for us to give, that he requires too great a sacrifice at our hands? Let us inquire what the Lord does ask of us. One thing which he requires of us, is to give our hearts without reserve to him; another is, that we should put away our sins, or what is the same thing, in substance, that we should turn and obey him, that his will should be our will, and that our will should be lost in his; or, that we should turn from the service of Satan, self, and the world, to the service of God and of Christ, to a life of obedience, and to the duties of religion as set forth in the Bible. He requires of us that we should make this the business of our lives.
I know that some people think this a very great sacrifice, and that some think the only good to be found in this world is to be found in sin. They consider that everything desirable is to be found in the service of the devil; that no man can be happy unless he can have his own way; and that the man who surrenders his will to the will of God, becomes a slave. I am also aware that some have gone even so far as to say that all the freedom men enjoy is in following out their own evil propensities, which is only rebellion against God.
I do not know that I can answer these erroneous opinions, and make it as clear to your minds as it is to my own; but, oh! that I could represent the work of the Christian in such a manner that you could understand that there is no freedom except that which comes from God, except that which comes through obedience to his law; that there is no good, no comfort, in this world except that which we find by walking in obedience to that which is right; that in the service of Satan, who is ever in rebellion against God, is only darkness and gloom, misery, pain, and death; but that in the service of Christ, which costs some self-denial, is that which surpasseth all understanding, and that the joy, and blessing, and happiness which come from above, are the only things worth having. It was God that made the human heart, and he has a place there for himself. No man is, or ever has been, able to find any means to fill this place, except as it is found by the indwelling of God’s Spirit, so that the heart is made his holy habitation. I have to state to you, then, that the service of God is something blessed.
If you live, you are the Lord’s; if you die, you are the Lord’s. If you live, you have God for your father and friend; if you die, you have God to stand by you in the moment of death; and you have an assurance, too, when you are in the dark valley of death, that the time will come when you shall have everlasting life in the kingdom of God; and this, you know, the sinner can never enjoy. This hope alone cheers the Christian, and it makes his toil sweet, and even turns his persecutions and afflictions into rejoicing. I wish to show you how desirable is the service of God, and how great is his goodness to us; and I would that I could so speak as to impress it upon your hearts, that it might move you to stronger exertions in his precious cause.
In the law of God is embodied the great commandment which says, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind.” This is just, and it is good; but there is something in us which rebels against it, until our hearts are converted. The Old Testament commands us to love God supremely as our just duty. When we come to the New Testament, we find something more. Here we learn not simply our duty to love God, but also the infinite love of God toward us. The law of God says, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, etc.;” but the New Testament, in addition, shows how much God loves us. In Romans 5:6–8 we read: “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Oh, what words are these to express his love! Oh, how his heart yearned to take us in his arms and give us salvation! What words could be more expressive of God’s love toward us than these, “While we were sinners [while we were yet enemies to God], Christ died for us.” Oh, think of it! that while God’s law says, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,” his gospel teaches that he gave his Son to die for us, even while we were sinners against him! He commends his love, that is, sets forth its excellence, by showing that while we were yet sinners, he gave his Son to die for us. And I ask, Shall not this great fact move those here this afternoon to renew their love to God, to renew their covenant with him, and to strive more earnestly to give in return for the love he has manifested toward us, our unreserved service to him? Oh, I ask, shall this sight of the amazing love of God toward lost man be lost to the view of any who are here to-day, so that they shall fail to give their hearts to him?
If you ask me what the Saviour requires you to give, I will say that he asks you to give him your heart; he who created you, and desires to give you salvation, asks you this afternoon to put away your sins, to cease your rebellion against him, and entreats you to yield in submission to his will, and become a partaker of his salvation, through the merits of his blood, which is able to cleanse us from all sin. I wish here to say that although some claim to enjoy sin and the service of Satan, yet no man who has ever been a true servant of God has ever tried sin to any extent, but he has learned to his regret and shame that “the wages of sin is death,” that the way of the transgressor is hard, and that he is making his way down to perdition, and will finally, if he does not change his course, have his share with the ungodly in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
The service of Christ is light, and in it is to be found joy and peace; while there is no peace nor happiness in sin, no lasting joy in wickedness. There is no joy so precious as that which comes from true repentance, and from seeking the favor of God with a full desire to surrender everything to him. There is no peace to be experienced like this, and no condition so desirable as that of the Christian. Perhaps you do not believe in the truthfulness of these words. Perhaps you think it is not possible for this to be so; but let me say to you, that it not only rests upon my word, and the testimony of millions of witnesses, but we have it in the Book of God itself. I say there are millions of witnesses to this fact; yes, there are, no doubt, many here in this assembly who can testify that there is a divine reality in the service of Christ, and that there is something in it that gives joy, and peace, and comfort to the Christian. Paul says that we are “heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” Nothing could be more honorable.
There is nothing incredible or inconsistent in the way of salvation through the blood of Christ. The serpent in the wilderness was the cause of death, and it might have seemed incredible that the representation of a serpent should be the means of healing those who were bitten; and I suppose there were many who thought it impossible that they should be healed simply by looking upon the representation of a serpent. Many, no doubt, did not look upon it, because of unbelief. Perhaps some felt unworthy to look upon it and be healed. I do not know how that was; but we find it thus in the lifting up of the Saviour upon the cross. The serpent was made to represent Christ. As it was made the means of healing those who looked upon it, so Christ is made sin for us, that we may look to him and receive pardon, and the restoration of life. If you will fix the eye of faith upon him, you will find that there is pardon and forgiveness; and though you may not feel worthy, you will find that there is worthiness in Christ, and that it is not necessary to be worthy in order to have pardon. If you will give your heart, then, to this Redeemer, lay down your rebellion, cease to break his commandments, and turn to him, there is pardon for you, and it is for you here this afternoon.
My dear friends, many of you are in the same case with those who were bitten with serpents. How many ways there are in which we may be drawn from God! how many ways in which we may fall in sin! In how many ways we grieve God’s Spirit away from us! But let us not be discouraged by this; let us not think that the way is hard; there is restoration, there is life, there is healing power for you in the blood of Jesus, and you may come to him and receive it now. There are blessings for you, and you can have them now if you will. There is mercy and pardon for you, and you can have it if you will only repent, forsake your sins, and give your whole heart to Jesus. If you will fully surrender to his will, and die to sin by putting off the old man and putting on the new,—if you will only do this, it will make you infinitely blessed; it will give you peace and comfort now, and finally that which will afford permanent satisfaction,—everlasting life in the kingdom of God. Oh, that you would do this!
This everlasting life that shall be given is a life that will measure with the life of God; it is a life that shall last to all eternity,—a life to which you shall never know any end,—a life which, after you have lived millions upon millions of years, and this multiplied a million times by itself, you are only at its beginning. And it is where there will be no sin nor death, no sickness nor sorrow, no crying nor tears, no anguish of any kind, nor anything that is unpleasant; for all this is passed away, and in its place is given an everlasting life of peace and happiness, joy and bliss, and love unspeakable in the kingdom of God. To this you are invited. And in the kingdom of God will be the city where Christ, and angels, and the good of all ages dwell. What a glorious atmosphere will be there! It will be the atmosphere of the kingdom of God,—an atmosphere of love, pure and undefiled. There will be no jealousy nor envy; but God will be all and in all, and love, and peace, and harmony will reign throughout the endless ages. Were we taken there in our present rebellious condition, we would mar the holiness of Heaven. In order to dwell there, we must be born again; we must have that deep conversion that shall make us altogether like our Lord Jesus Christ. This is not the work of one day, but the work of our entire lives; and at last, Christ being in us, we shall be found worthy of a place in his kingdom.
My dear friends, the great work of human salvation is almost brought to a close; but the last warning message of the approach of the advent of Christ must be carried to the world. It must go, as John says, “to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,” and to such an extent that the one hundred and forty-four thousand will be prepared for redemption,—for translation into the kingdom of glory. It is those who are laboring for Christ, and seeking for divine grace to sustain them in the time of great trial, that will stand firm, and hear the invitation, Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. And may the Lord grant that when that time comes, you may all be there.