Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 3387
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have, for He has said, I willnever leave you, nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5.
OBSERVE the way in which the Apostles were accustomed to incite Believers in Christ to the performance of their duties. They did not tell them, “You must do this or that, or you will be punished. You must do this and then you shall obtain a reward for it.” They never cracked the whip of the Law in the ears of the child of God. They knew the difference between the man who was actuated by sordid motives and the fear of punishment—and the newborn man who is moved by more sublime motives, namely, motives that touch his heart, that move his regenerated nature and that compel him, out of affection, to do the will of Him that sent him. Hence the address, here, is not, “Be content, or else God will take away what you have,” but, “Be content and have nothing to do with covetousness, for He has said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.”
The promise is made the argument for the precept! Obedience is enforced by a Covenant blessing. He has said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” What then? Shall I be discontented and covetous? No! But for the very reason that He has made, by His promise, my very safety absolute and unconditional, assuring me, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you”—for that reason I will keep covetousness and every other evil thing out of my conversation and will seek to walk contentedly and happy in the Presence of my God! See, Brothers and Sisters, this Gospel motive. It is a Free Grace argument. It is not a weapon taken from the arsenal of Mount Sinai, but taken from the region of the Cross and from the council chamber of the Covenant of Love!
Another thing in the text to which I would call your notice is this—that an Inspired Apostle who might very well have used his own original words, nevertheless, in this case, as indeed in many others, quotes the Old Testament. “He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” Behold, then, the value of Holy Scripture! If an Inspired man quotes the text as of Divine authority, much more should we so regard it, who are without such inspiration. We should be much in searching the Scriptures and when we want to clench an argument, or answer an opponent, it would always be well for us to take our weapon from the grand old Book and come down with, “He has said.” Oh, there is nothing like this for force and power! We may think a thing, but what of that? Our opinions are but of little worth. General authority and universal opinion may sustain it, but what of that? The world has been more frequently wrong than right and public opinion is a fickle thing. But ‘“He has said,” that is to say, God has said—Immutable Truth and eternal fidelity have said God, who made Heaven and earth, and who changes not, though nations melt like the hoar frost of the morning—God who always lives when hills, mountains and this round world and everything upon it shall have passed away—“He has said!” Oh, the power there is in this, “He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you”! So, then, let us be much in searching the Scriptures, much in feeding upon them, much in diving into their innermost depths—and then afterwards much in the habit of quoting them, using them as arguments for the defense of the Truths of God, as weapons against error and as reasons to call us to the path of duty and to pursue it!
But now to come to the promise, itself, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” I shall call your attention, first of all, to—
I. The Remarkable Character of This Promise
Is it not an amazing fact that while others leave us and forsake us, that God never does? It is to each one of His own redeemed people that He says, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” How often do men play false and forsake those whom they call their friends when those friends fall into poverty Ah, the tragedies of some of these cruel forsakings! May you never know them! These so-called friends knew their friends when that suit of black was new, but how sadly their eyesight fails them, now it is turned to a rusty brown! They knew them extremely well when once a week they sat with their legs under their table and shared their generous hospitality—but they know them not, now that they knock at their door and crave help in a time of need!
Matters have changed altogether and friends that once were cherished are now forgotten. In fact, the man almost pities himself to think that he should have been so unfortunate to have a friend who has come down so and he has no pity for his friend because he is so much occupied in pitying himself! In hundreds, thousands and tens of thousands of cases, as soon as the gold has gone, the pretended love has gone! And when the dwelling has been changed from the mansion to the cottage, the friendship, which once promised to last forever, has suddenly disappeared!