Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 2636
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away.” Luke 21:33.
LAST Lord’s-Day morning I preached upon the perpetuity of the Law of God, [Sermon #1660, Volume 28— The Perpetuity of the Law of God] basing my remarks upon our Lord’s words, “For verily I say unto you, Till Heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law till all is fulfilled.” Tonight, I am not going to speak of the Law, but of the Gospel. And, by the term, “the Gospel,” I mean the summary of all that our Lord Jesus Christ spoke when He was here below. Of that Gospel it may be said, as He, Himself, said of the Law, that not one jot or tittle of it shall pass away till all is fulfilled. The Gospel of Christ is not merely the Gospel of yesterday, but, like Christ Himself, it is “the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” It is not a Gospel simply for this age, or for some other age, a Gospel which shall, by-and-by, be worn out and cast aside. But when yon blue heavens shall be folded up, like a worn-out vestment, the Gospel shall still be as powerful as ever. “Heaven and earth shall pass away,” says our Lord, “but My Words shall not pass away.”
I. Without further preface, I remark, first, that THE WORDS OF JESUS MUST STAND, COME WHAT MAY. If you accept the testimony of Christ concerning His own Words—and you who are His followers will not question anything that He says—then this is certain, that the Words of Jesus must stand forever, come what may.
The major change of Heaven and earth passing away includes all lesser changes, but whatever alteration may come before the last great change, Christ’s Words shall still stand The world gets more civilized—so I am told, though, when I read the newspapers, I am not quite sure of it. The world gets more intelligent—so I am told, though, when I read the magazines—I mean, the first-class quarterlies—I am not certain that it is so, for, in that direction, the ignorance appears to me to become greater every day. I mean the ignorance among the learned and scientific men, who seem to me, in their discoveries, to wander continually further and further, not only from that which is revealed and Infallible, but also from that which is rational and truthful.
But still, the world does alter and, according to its own notion, it is getting wonderfully near perfection! Was there ever such a century as the nineteenth? Was there ever such a period of time since the world began? What is there that we are not doing? Lighting ourselves by electricity, speaking by means of the lightning, traveling by steam—what an amazing people we are! Yes, yes, and we are going to do much greater things than these, no doubt. And many matters which are now reckoned as mere dreams will probably because accomplished facts in a few generations! But after these marvels have all come and gone, the Words of our Lord Jesus Christ will still abide—they will not pass away! Fashion follows fashion, systems succeed systems, everything beneath the moon is like the moon, it waxes and wanes and is always on the change! But come whatever change there may, even if the human race should reach that wonderful development which some prophesy for it, yet still, the Words of our Lord Jesus Christ shall not pass away. And when the greatest alteration of all shall take place and this present dispensation shall come to an end—and all material things shall be consumed with fire and be destroyed—yet, even then, there shall remain above the ashes of the world and all that is therein, the imperishable Revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, for, as Peter says, “The Word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the Word which by the Gospel is preached unto you.”
Why is it that Christ’s Words will last in this way? I answer, first, because they are Divine. That which is Divine will endure. All God’s works will not last forever, but His Words will. He will never retract anything that He has said. Even Baalim had Light of God enough to declare. “God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: has He said, and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken, and shall He not make it good?” God has never had, as our common saying puts it, to “eat His own words,” nor will He! And Christ has never had to retract anything that He has uttered. All His life, He had not even once to make an apology and say, “I spoke too fast, or too warmly, or somewhat inaccurately.” Everything that He said has stood and shall stand because the Divinity that is in it makes it everlasting!
Again, the Words of Christ must stand because they are the Revelation of the innermost heart of God. This great world, and the sun, and moon, and stars, reveal God—but not as fully and as clearly as the Son of God reveals Him. The Incarnate Word is the most grand manifestation of Deity and the Words of that Eternal Word are the Revelation of the purpose of God which He formed in His Infinite mind before He made the world. That which, in the secret counsels of eternity was planned—that which—