Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 1961
“What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith? But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone; as it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense: and whoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed.” Romans 9:30-33.
FOR several Sabbath mornings I have sought the comfort and edification of God’s people, although I trust I have not, even in such discourses, overlooked the unconverted. How can we forget them while they are in such peril? At the same time, the main drift of the service has been for the people of God and it will not be wise to continue long in that line. We must not forget the lost sheep—it were better that we left the 99 than that we neglected the rambler. We must this morning, therefore, seek to go after that which is gone astray until we find it. Oh, that God the Holy Spirit would make every word to be full of His power! He can fill each sentence with a celestial dynamite, an irresistible energy which will blast the rocks of self-righteousness and make a way for the Gospel of the Grace of God through the impenetrable barriers of sin! For that end I am anxious that while I speak on God’s behalf, the prayers of the faithful may bring down God’s power and make the feeble voice of man to be the vehicle for the Omnipotence of God!
It is very necessary to go over the elements often —the foundation Truths of the Gospel. Schools may rise to the classics, but they can never dispense with the spelling book. All over the country there must be the repetition of the alphabet and words of one syllable—or there will be no scholarship. I feel that it is necessary to give line upon line, precept upon precept, as to the first principles of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Multitudes of persons are in bondage and will continue to be so until they hear a very clear and simple description of the way of salvation! This is the key of their liberty. You that know these first things must be willing to hear them often. Indeed, I find that you are the people that never grow tired of viewing that stone which God has laid in Zion for a foundation, for it never becomes a rock of offense to you. To you the repetitions of Jesus are more acceptable than the novelties of human invention. The system and method of salvation, therefore, will come before you, again, this morning. Oh, that to some it may seem to be heard for the first time, though they may with the outward ear have heard “the old, old story” a thousand times! Oh, that they may now understand it, grasp it, find the blessing of it and so rejoice in God their Savior!
Paul had two facts before him. The first was that wherever he went preaching Jesus Christ, certain Gentiles believed the doctrine and straightway became justified persons, receiving forgiveness of sin and a change of heart at once. He had been in Ephesus and Thessalonica, in Corinth and in Rome—and at his preaching of the Word of Life, the heathen who were outside of the pale of true religious profession had believed in the Lord Jesus—and so had attained to righteousness and proved that they had done so by their righteous, pure, devout lives. On the other hand, there was the sad fact that whereas he had usually commenced his ministry in the synagogues and so had opened his commission by addressing the seed of Abraham to whom belonged the covenants of promise, yet they had almost everywhere rejected the Messiah and refused the Grace of the Gospel. At the same time, it was evident that they had missed the righteousness which they conceived they had obtained, for, as a nation, they were in bondage to superstitious prejudice and were fallen low, both as to morality and spirituality, insomuch that they were correctly described by the Prophet when he said, “Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom and been made like unto Gomorrah.”
There were these two facts before the Apostle ‘s mind—the Gentiles, who had been far off, had attained to righteousness. And the Israelites, on the border of it, yet perished there and did not attain to the law of righteousness. To this he calls our attention and I shall ask you to look, first of all, at a wonder of Grace—“The Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness.” Secondly, I shall ask you to note a marvel of folly—“Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.” And when I have done that, I shall have to throw my whole strength into a discourse of affectionate concern about those of you who, as yet, have not attained unto the righteousness which is of faith. Oh that you may see yourselves and then see the Lord Jesus by the light of the Holy Spirit! Like the prodigal, may it be said of each one of you, “He came to himself,” and then, “he arose, and came to his Father.”