Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 1362
Delivered on Lord’s-Day Morning, July 1, 1877
“I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of Grace and of supplications. And they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” Zechariah 12:10.
Look, Beloved, from where every good thing flows—“I will pour upon the house of David the Spirit of Grace.” The starting point is the Lord’s sovereign act in giving the Spirit! Every work of Grace begins with God! No gracious thought or act ever originates in the free will of unregenerate man. The Lord is first in all things which are acceptable in His sight. It is God that “works in us to will and to do of His own good pleasure.” “You have worked all our works in us.” Then notice how exceedingly effectual the work of the Lord is. Men may persuade and even inspired Prophets may warn without effect, but when the Lord puts His hand to the work, He never fails! As soon as He says, “I will pour,” the next sentence is, “and they shall look.”
When He works, who shall hinder? His people shall be willing in the day of His power! “They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn.” This is effectual calling, indeed! In such results we see what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead. Observe, thirdly, the dignity and the prominent position which is occupied by faith. “I will pour upon them the Spirit of supplication and they shall look.” Faith is evidently intended here, for faith is always that glance of the eyes which brings us the blessing which Christ has to bestow. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whoever believes in Him should not perish.” A look at the bronze serpent healed Israel and, according to the figure, believing in Jesus Christ is a saving look.
Now, this look of faith is mentioned as the first fruit of the Spirit—before they mourn, they look. When the Spirit of Grace and supplication is given, its principal result is looking unto Jesus. But now see what a choice fruit follows upon faith—a soft, sweet, mellow fruit of the Spirit—“They shall mourn for Him as one that mourns for his only son.” This sorrow is a sweet bitter, a delicious grief full of all manner of rare excellencies! It is a peculiar order of mourning and differs greatly from the sorrow of the world which works death. Those who mourn in this fashion are made sorry after a godly manner, for godly sorrow works repentance to salvation not to be lost forever.
Mark, it is godly sorrow or repentance towards God. Its specialty is that it looks Godward and weeps because of grieving Him. The lamentation described in the text is a mourning for Christ. “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of Grace and of supplications. And they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”
This is a very remarkable peculiarity of true Spirit-worked repentance. It fixes its eyes mainly upon the wrong done to the Lord by its sin. No other repentance but that which is evangelical looks in that direction. The repentance of ungodly men is a horror at their punishment, an alarm at the dire result of their transgressions. They repent like Esau, not of eating the pottage, but of losing the birthright. They see sin only in reference to themselves and their fellow men—its higher bearings in reference to the Lord they quite ignore. The ungodly, at times, and especially in the hour of death, feel remorse, but it has nothing to do with God unless it is that they tremble at His justice and fear the punishment which He executes. It is, after all, pure selfishness! They are sorry because they are about to suffer the consequences of their rebellion.
Evangelical repentance sympathizes with the Great Father and grieves that He should have been so sadly provoked. See it in David—“Against You only have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight.” See it in the prodigal—“Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you, and am no more worthy to be called your son.” See how it was worked in Saul of Tarsus, for the voice from Heaven said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” It was sin as against the exalted Savior which struck home to Paul’s heart and laid him low at the feet of his Lord. All true repentance has this for its special mark, that it is attended with evident reconciliation to God since it now regrets the wrongs done to Him. One sure seal of its genuine spirituality is that it is a lamentation on account of the dishonor which sin has done to God and to His Christ.