The Gospel is No Failure

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, salvation, Sovereignty of God Leave a comment

For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. – Romans 3:3,4

Some will say, “If So-and-so, and So-and-so do not believe the gospel, then religion is a failure.” We have read of a great many things being failures nowadays. A little time ago, it was a question whether marriage was not a failure. I suppose that, by-and-by, eating our dinners will be a failure, breathing will be a failure, everything will be a failure. But now the gospel is said to be a failure. Why? Because certain gentlemen of professed culture and supposed knowledge do not believe it.

Man has gone from one form of philosophy to another, and every time that he has altered his philosophy, he has only made a slight variation in the same things. Philosophy is like a kaleidoscope. The philosopher turns it round and exclaims that he has a new view of things. So he has; but all that he sees is a few bits of glass, which alter their form at every turn of the toy. If any of you shall live fifty years, you will see that the philosophy to today will be a football of contempt for the philosophy of that period. They will speak, amidst roars of laughter, of evolution; and the day will come, when there will not be a child but will look upon it as being the most foolish notion that ever crossed the human mind. I am not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet; but I know what has befallen many of the grand discoveries of the great philosophers of the past; and I expect that the same thing will happen again. I have to say, with Paul, “What if some did not believe?” It is no new thing; for there have always been some who have rejected the revelation of God. What then? You and I had better go on believing, and testing for ourselves, and proving the faithfulness of God, and living upon Christ our Lord, even though we see another set of doubters, and another, and yet another ad infinitum. The gospel is no failure, as many of us know. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2255.cfm

Pray and Tell

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, salvation 2 Comments

For what if some did not believe? – Romans 3:3

…he that believeth not is condemned already… – John 3:18

The question of the apostle is, “What if some did not believe?” Well, if I had to ask and answer that question, at this time, I would say, “What if some do not believe?” Then they are lost. “He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.” There still remains, to those who hear the gospel, the opportunity to believe; and, believing in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. There still remains, to those who hear the gospel, the opportunity to believe; and, believing, they shall find life through the sacred Name. Let us pray for them. If some do not believe, let us, who do believe, make them the constant subject of our prayers; and then let us tell them what it is to be believed, and bear our witness to the saving power of the gospel. When we have done that, let us scrupulously take care that our life and conduct are consistent with the doctrine that we teach, so that, if some do not believe, they may be won to Christ by the example of those who believe in Him. Oh, that every Christian here would seek to bring another person to Christ! I pray you, beloved, if you have tasted that the Lord is gracious, be not barren nor unfruitful. If you know the great secret, tell it to others. Tell it out; tell it out; we all want stirring up to this blessed work; I am sure we do. I heard of a Christian who always spoke about Christ to at least one person every day. I commend the example for your imitation. How many of us could say that we do that? I know there are some here who do ten times as much as that. It has grown to be a habit with them to speak of Christ to every one they meet; but it is not the habit even of all who believe. It takes some Christians a long time to begin to say anything for their Lord. Let us try and labour hard, that, if some people do not believe, we may bring them to the Saviour, that God may have praise from them also. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2255.cfm

These Should Have Believed

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, salvation, the unbelieving life Leave a comment

For what if some did not believe? – Romans 3:3

In our Saviour’s day, they said, “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in Him?” The gospel has usually had a free course among the poor and among those who some call “the lower orders”, though why they are said to be lower than others, I do not know, unless it is because the heavier and more valuable things generally sink to the bottom. The Church of God owes very little to kings and princes and nobles. She owes far more to fishermen and peasants. Jesus said, “I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight.” I suspect that, until the King Himself shall come, we shall still find that the common people will gladly hear the gospel; and that, while Christ the Lord will choose for His own some from all ranks and conditions of men, it will still be true that “not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.”

In the days of our Lord and His apostles, the scribes and Pharisees were the greatest haters of the doctrine of Christ. Those whom you might have supposed, being most familiar with the Scriptures, the scribes, would soonest have recognized the Messiah, were the men who would not acknowledge Him. So it was with the priests, even the chief priests, the men who had to do with the sacrifices and with the temple. They rejected Christ, although they were the religious leaders of the people. Do you suppose it is very different now? …Believers are not always those whom you would suppose would be believers…But alas! Alas! Among those who appear to be the children of the kingdom, brought up in the worship of God, there are some, yea, many, who have not believed on Christ; and, saddest of all, even among those who are the teachers of others in the things of God, there are some that have not savingly believed. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2255.cfm

A Numerous “Some”

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises Leave a comment

For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? – Romans 3:3

“What if some did not believe?” It is implied that some did believe. Glory be to God, there is a numerous “some” who have believed that Jesus is the Christ; and believing in Him, have found life through His name! These have entered into a new life, and now bear a new character, “being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” Beloved, we do thank God that the preaching of the gospel has not been in vain. Up yonder, more numerous than the stars are they that walk in white robes which they have washed in the blood of the Lamb; and down here, despite our mourning, there is a glorious company, who still follow the Lamb, who is to them, their only hope.

It must be admitted that, sometimes, unbelievers have preponderated even among the hearers of the precious Word. Read the story of Israel through, in the Books of Kings and Chronicles, and you will be saddened to find how again and again they did not believe. The history of Israel, from the moment they became a nation, is a very painful one. It is full of the mercy of God; but it is also full of treachery of the human heart. In the days of the judges, the people served God while a good judge ruled over them; but as soon as he was dead, they went astray after false gods. I almost think that the Christian church is in the period of the judges now. When the Lord raises up, here one and there another, to preach His Word faithfully, the people seem to take heed to it; but when the faithful preachers are gone, many of their hearers turn aside again.

Blessed be to God, we expect the coming of the King soon; and when the King comes, and the period of the judges shall have ended, then we shall enter upon a time of rest and peace. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2255.cfm

The Lily Among Thorns

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You who are King of kings and Lord of lords, we worship You. Before Jehovah’s awful throne we bow with sacred joy.

Sermon Text

God Will Be Vindicated

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, promises, salvation, Sovereignty of God, the unbelieving life Leave a comment

For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, and every man a liar; as it is written, That Thou mightest be justified in Thy sayings, and mightest overcome when Thou art judged.- Romans 3:3, 4

The seed of Israel had great privileges even before the coming of Christ. God had promised by covenant that they should have those privileges; and they did enjoy them. They had a revelation and a light divine, while all the world beside sat in heathen darkness. Yet so many Jews did not believe; that, as a whole, the nation missed the promised blessing. A great multitude of them only saw the outward symbols, and never understood their spiritual meaning. They lived and died without the blessing promised to their fathers. Did this make the covenant of God to be void? Did this make the faithfulness of God to be a matter of question? “No, no,” says Paul, “if some did not believe, and so did not gain the blessing, this was their own fault; but the covenant of God stood fast and did not change because men were untrue.”

When God devised the great plan of salvation by grace; when He gave His own Son to die as the Substitute for guilty men; when He proclaimed that whosoever believed in Jesus Christ should have everlasting life; you would have thought that everybody would have been glad to hear such good news, and that they would all have hastened to believe it. Christ is so suitable to the sinner. Why does not the sinner accept Him? The way of salvation is so simple, so suitable to guilty men, it is altogether so glorious, so grand, that if we did not know the depravity of the human heart, we should expect that every sinner would at once believe the gospel and receive its boons. But, alas, some have not believed! When the great drama of human history shall have been played out, the net result will be that the ways of God shall be vindicated notwithstanding all the unbelief of men. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2255.cfm

He Has Made My Peace with God

Sherry Attributes of God, Character of Jesus, Christian Life, promises, salvation Leave a comment

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. – Acts 16:31

In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace… – Ephesians 1:7

To this day we find no reason for forgiveness in ourselves. The precious blood is still our one plea. Lost and condemned are we apart from the one offering of our Great High Priest. But cleansed and justified are we in Him.

“Oh! how sweet to view the flowing
Of His sin-atoning blood,
With divine assurance knowing,
He has made my peace with God.”

Dear friend, what would you give to have this assurance? Thou mayest have it-“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” Whoso believeth in Him is justified from all sin. “He that believeth in Him hath everlasting life.” Oh, that God’s grace may lead you to cast away all other confidences, and to lay your guilty spirit down at Jesus’ feet! Then shall you go your way rejoicing that you also, with us, can say, “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Blessed be His adorable name! Amen, and Amen. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2207.cfm