Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 929
Delivered on Thursday Evening, April 14, 1870
“Who went about doing good.” Acts 10:38.
In aid of the Funds of the Baptist British and Irish Home Missionary Society.
OUR Lord’s public ministry on earth was a Home Mission. He Himself said to His disciples, “I am not sent save to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” He went to the very borders of the Holy Land. But there He stayed, and north and south, east and west, in all directions, in towns and in villages, He itinerated preaching to His own countrymen. Afterwards there sprang out of His home work what may be called the foreign Mission, when they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Gospel.
And thus the blessing of Israel became a blessing to all nations. It was always the Lord’s intention that the Gospel should be preached to every creature under Heaven, but, so far as His own work was concerned, He began at home. And herein we see His wisdom, for it will be of little avail to attempt much abroad unless there is a solid basis at home, in an earnest sanctified Church, affording a fulcrum for our lever. We want to see England converted to Christ, and then shall she become the great herald of Christ’s Gospel to other lands.
As things now are, our soldiers and sailors are, too often, witnesses against the Gospel. And our travelers of all grades in foreign countries too frequently give an impression very unfavorable to the Cross of Christ. We want to have this nation saturated through and through with the Spirit of Jesus Christ. We want all its darkness chased away and the true light made to shine—then Missionary operations will receive a wonderful impetus. God will make His Truth to be known in all nations when He has first caused His face to shine upon His chosen.
We shall now speak about Home Mission work under two heads. First, we have before us a Model Home Mission. And secondly a model Home Missionary. When we have talked about these two things, we shall press a third point, namely, the duty of imitating the works of the great Master.
I. First, then, we have before us A MODEL HOME MISSION. We see sketched in the text the great Home Mission which was conducted by the Lord Jesus Christ, “who went about doing good.” I am sure we shall learn much if we consider the way in which He conducted that enterprise.
In commencing His work He selected as His great instrument the preaching of the Gospel. The Lord had anointed Him to preach the Gospel. He performed thousands of gracious actions. He officiated in many ways for the good of His fellow men, and for the glory of God. But His Throne on earth, if I might so speak, was the pulpit. It was when He began to declare the Gospel of the kingdom that His true glory was seen. “Never man spoke like this Man.”
Brethren, He would have His followers depend upon the same agency. The scattering of religious books and the institution of schools and other godly efforts are not to be neglected. But first and foremost it pleases God by the foolishness ofpreaching to save them that believe. The cardinal duty of the Christian Church is thus laid down, “Go you into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.”
Notwithstanding all that may be said about the advance of the times, and the non-adaptation of the pulpit to this present age, we shall be very foolish if we imagine that we have found a better instrumentality than that which Jesus selected and which His Father so highly blessed. Let us stand to our preaching like soldiers to their guns. The pulpit is the Thermopylae of Christendom where our foes shall receive a check. The field of Waterloo on which they shall sustain a defeat. Let us preach, and preach evermore. Let us continue sounding, even if it is but the rams’ horns, for by-and-by the
walls of Jericho shall fall flat to the ground. Preach, preach, preach! The Master’s life clearly tells us that if we would save souls and glorify God we must constantly proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom.
In connection with His own personal preaching, we find the Master forming a seminary for the training of ministers. Those who have, at any time, thought properly conducted collegiate institutions to be unscriptural can hardly understand the action of our Lord in retaining under His own eyes a band of scholars, who afterwards became teachers. After He had called Peter and John, and some few others, He at first admitted them, as it were, into His evening classes. For they pursued their ordinary business, and came to Him at fitting seasons for instruction.
But after awhile they separated themselves from all the pursuits of business, and were continual with their great Teacher. They learned how to preach as they marked how He preached. He even taught them to pray, as John also taught his disciples. Many dark subjects which He did not explain to the people, we are told He opened up to the disciples. He took them aside and gave them the mysteries of the kingdom, while to the rest of the people the Truth was only spoken in parables.