Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 592
Delivered on Sunday Morning, October 2nd, 1864, by C, H. Spurgeon, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington
Ephesians 1:13.
MANY sincerely seeking souls are in great trouble because they have not yet attained to an assurance of their interest in Christ Jesus—they dare not take any comfort from their faith because they suppose that it has not attained to a sufficient strength. They have believed in the Lord Jesus and they have His promise that they shall be saved, but they are not content with this—they want to get assurance and then they suppose they shall have a better evidence of their salvation than the bare word of the Savior.
Such persons are greatly mistaken. But as that mistake is a very painful one, and exercises the most injurious influence upon them, we will spend this morning in trying, as God shall help us, to clear up their difficulty. We want them to see that if they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, even though they should not have attained to the precious Grace of full assurance of faith, yet nevertheless they are saved! And being justified by faith, they may rightfully enjoy peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Their mistake seems to me to be this—they look for ripe fruit upon a tree in spring and because that season yields nothing but blossoms, they conclude the tree to be barren. They go to the head of a river—they find it a little rippling brook, and because it will not float a “Great Eastern,” they conclude that it will never reach the sea, and that, in fact, it is not a true part of the river at all. They look upon themselves as being little children and such they are—but because they cannot speak plainly on account of having been so newly born, they therefore conclude that they are not the children of God at all!
They see strong men in Christ Jesus performing great exploits. And because they, as yet, are but young and feeble, they conclude that they are not in the family of Grace. They compare themselves with giants in the Church of God and then, because they rightly perceive the difference between themselves and these mighty ones, they imagine that they are not saved—that they cannot be numbered among the faithful and have no part nor lot in this matter. They put the last things first. They make comforts essentials. They consider that which is the fruit of Grace to be the root of Grace. And herein they pierce themselves through with many sorrows.
Perhaps they will not fall into this error again if they get a right understanding of the text before us. The Apostle Paul here explains the process by which sealing—the sealing of assurance—is obtained. There are three steps by which the hallowed elevation is reached. The first is hearing—they heard first the preaching of the Word. The second is believing. And then, thirdly, “after that you believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.”
I. To begin then, faith comes by HEARING. The preaching of the Gospel is God’s soul-saving ordinance. It has pleased God by the “foolishness of preaching” to save them that believe. In every age God raises up men who faithfully proclaim His Word and, as he departs, another arrives. Elijah ascends to Glory, but his mantle falls upon Elisha. Paul dies not until Timothy is in the field. This true Apostolic succession is continued evermore, for when we know not where to find ministers, we may rest assured that in nooks and corners the Lord is preparing men for His work.
The true preacher has a claim upon men’s attention. If God has sent him, men should receive him. If he comes as an ambassador from the King of kings, let his commission be proved and he has a right to receive the careful and prayerful attention of all who come in his way. No, more—God’s true ambassador not only claims a hearing, but he wins it—for there is an attractiveness in his theme which holds men by the ears! “I, if I am lifted up,” said Christ, “will draw all men unto Me,” and among the other drawings there is this peculiar fact that men are drawn to hear where Christ is preached!
He who preaches Christ has golden chains coming from his mouth with which he binds men’s ears, if not their hearts. They are not all bound to salvation, but bound somehow they shall be—the savor shall go forth even though it should be a savor of death unto death and not of life unto life. The preacher claims a hearing and he wins it! What is that message which we are to hear in order to the attaining of faith, and, through faith, of full assurance?
Our text is very expressive, for it tells us, “You heard the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation.” It is of little use to hear that which is not the Word of Truth—no, it is worse than useless—for by error we shall soon be misled. And if the preaching is not concerning the Word of Truth, even though it should be a word of truth, yet it can be of no value to the getting of faith—it must be the Word—the Word peculiarly above all others having the Truth of God and substance in it. There is no doubt that the expression here is a Hebraism for, “the true Word,” you heard the true Word.