Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. The Lord gives; there is nothing freer than a gift, and there can be nothing freer than that greatest of all the gifts of God, eternal life. That expression, "eternal life," sums up these two things, grace and glory. "The Lord will give grace and glory." It is His glory to give His grace; and because of His graciousness, He gives glory. Glory never comes without grace coming first, but grace never comes without glory coming last; the two are bound together, and "what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." I. THE FIRST GIFT: "The Lord will give grace." 1. The Lord will give grace to all those who feel that they need it, and confess their need. Claim anything as of right, and God will only give you what you have a right to claim, and that will be everlasting destruction from His presence and from the glory of His power. But confess that you are guilty, and stand ready for the death-sentence to be executed, and appeal to the unmerited mercy of God, and you shall have it freely given to you. 2. He will give grace to those who believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. Nay, He has given grace to them already. It has pleased the Father that in Christ should all fulness dwell, and therefore fulness of grace abides in Christ. 3. He will give more grace to those to whom He has given some grace. If you have had the first droppings of grace, keep on looking to Him who gave you those first drops, for there is a shower on the way. 4. He will give grace in the form in which it is needed. 5. He will give grace when it is needed. Grace is a thing which has to be used, and the Lord who gives it means us to use it. Whenever God sharpens my scythe, I know that there is some grass for me to cut. If ever He hands me down a sword, He seems by that very action to say to me, "Go and fight," and He does not give it to me that I may have it dangling between my legs to show what a man of war I am. When you need grace, you shall have grace. 6. He will give us grace to a much larger degree when we are prepared to receive it. 7. He will give grace till it melts into glory. II. THE LAST GIFT. When our entire manhood, spirit, soul, and body shall be in heaven, then will this promise be fulfilled, "The Lord will give glory." 1. "Glory" means, first, recognition. When Christ shall declare that He knows us, and shall say to each one of us, "Well done, good and faithful servant"; when He shall confess us before men when He comes in the glory of His Father; O sirs, when Christ shall call out His poor persecuted followers, and amidst such a scene as never was beheld before, when angels shall lean from the battlements of heaven, and a cloud of witnesses shall gather round about assembled men, when Christ shall say, "You were with Me in My humiliation, and I own you as My chosen, My beloved, My brethren," that will be glory. 2. The next meaning of the word "glory" is vision. "Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty." With Job, each believer can say, "I know that my Redeemer liveth," etc. 3. The third meaning of the word "glory" is fruition. What the fruition will be I will tell you when I have been there. Long ago, we learned that "man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him for ever." Brothers and sisters, we have enjoyed His Word; we have enjoyed His day; we have enjoyed His covenant; we have enjoyed His love; but what will it be to enjoy God Himself, and to enjoy Him for ever? ( C. H. Spurgeon.) Parallel Verses KJV: For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. |
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