Isaiah 62:10-12 Go through, go through the gates; prepare you the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones… I. ENDEAVOUR TO REMOVE SOME OF THE STUMBLING-BLOCKS OUT OF THE POOR BEGINNER'S WAY. 1. Let us begin with a very old and common difficulty, the doctrine of election. Many will say, "Perhaps I am not one of God's chosen." I know not any better way of practically treating the matter than of saying, "I will go to Jesus because He bids me.' When you are ill you do not know whether you are ordained to get well, but you send for the doctor; you cannot toll whether you are predestined to be rich, but you endeavour to make money; you do not know whether you will live through the day, but you work to provide yourself with bread; thus common-sense cuts the knot which mere theory can never untie. Leave the subtleties of argument alone, and act as sensible men. Go to Jesus and try whether He will reject you. 2. A deep sense of sin. If there had not been great sin, there would not have been need of a great Saviour. 3. A fear that the day of grace has passed. The Lord's grace can come to a man at any time, and at any hour. 4. A tendency to blasphemous thoughts. They should lead you to go and tell Jesus Christ about it, but they should not drive you to despair. 5. The absence of anything like a horrible thought, or a terror, or an alarm. If you arc allowed to come to Jesus without being so molested by the Evil One, do not fret about that, but rather rejoice. There is no need to go round by bell's gate to get to heaven. 6. A want of sensibility with regard to their sins. A man is saved by having his heart broken, and being led to cast himself upon Jesus; and if you have not yet received this part of salvation, your business is to come to Jesus for it, not to stay away till you get it of yourself, and then come to Christ with your feelings as a recommendation. 7. "I cannot believe." The smallest grain of saving faith will save a man. It is the object of faith we should look to. 8. "I do not think I can be saved, because I am not like so-and-so." Do be content to have nothing good in yourself, and to be nothing good, and to take all your good from Jesus Christ. 9. "I never have any joy and peace." You shall receive the joy when you exercise the faith. II. POINT YOU TO HIM WHO IS "THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE" who has already cleared the stumbling-blocks out of the way. ( C. H. Spurgeon.) Parallel Verses KJV: Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. |
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