- Jan 1, 2024
- 731
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- United States
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- Widowed
From his message by that name:
"He that knows the Lord aright also trembles with fear lest he should break God’s law. He sees what a perfect law it is, and how spiritual it is, and how it overlaps the whole of human life, and the man cries, “‘It is high, I cannot attain unto it’ (Psa 139:6); O my God, help me, I pray Thee.” He views the law with reverence. He admires with a sacred fear. He trembles at God’s Word, not because he dislikes it, but because he cannot bear to be so far off from compliance with its righteous demands. He sees the law fulfilled in Christ, and there is his peace; but yet the peace is mingled with deepest awe. “Oh,” says one, “if he trembles like that, it shows he does not know the love of God.” It shows that he does know it. Have you heard of the boy whose father was exceedingly fond of him? He was asked by some other boys to go and rob an orchard with them, but he said, “No, I will not go.” They replied, “Your father won’t scold you, nor beat you; you may safely come.” To this he answered, “What! Do you think because my father loves me, that therefore I will grieve him? No, I love him, and I love to do what he wishes me to do. Because he loves me, I fear to vex him.” That is like the child of God. The more he knows of God’s love, the more he trembles at the thought of offending the Most High."
We, also, tremble lest we should miss the promises when they are spread out before us, sparkling like priceless gems. We hear of some who “could not enter in because of unbelief” (Heb 3:19), and we are taken with trembling lest we should be like them. We tremble lest there should be any passage of Scripture or doctrine of revelation that we are not able to believe: we pray for grace that we may never stagger at anything in the Word. I believe Martin Luther would have faced the infernal fiend himself without a fear; and yet we have his own confession that his knees often knocked together when he stood up to preach. He trembled lest he should not be faithful to God’s Word. Angels have a holy fear of God, and well may you and I tremble when engaged in His service. To preach the whole truth is an awful charge. It was as much as even the Son of Man could do fully to discharge his mission here below. You and I, who are ambassadors for God, must not trifle, but we must tremble at God’s Word."
"The look of the Lord shall mean a third thing, namely, delight. We had a part of that in the term approbation: it is marvelous that God should take delight in the man that trembles at His Word. The Lord has no such pleasure in the careless and carnally secure. He that goes tramping through his Christian career as if he were somebody and all were safe is no favorite of heaven. The man who takes things easily and self-confidently, with a kind of happy-go-lucky feeling that all must end well with him—he has no consideration from God. Have you seen the fine professor who has despised the tender in heart? Mark that man, for the end of that man will be a crash—great shall be the fall thereof. Have you heard the boastful preacher, self-sufficient as to his own knowledge and eloquence? Mark that man also, for his end is confusion. But watch that trembling one, whose only hope is in Christ, whose only strength is in the Lord, for he shall be sustained. Watch the self-distrustful one who never pounces upon a privilege as if it were his by right of merit, but humbly accepts it as a gift to the unworthy—he is the man that shall stand in the evil day. He that goes through life fearing is the man who has nothing to fear. “Happy is the man that feareth alway” (Pro 28:14), says the Word of the Lord. He that is afraid of falling under trial and cries, “Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil;” he shall be kept from sin; but he who rashly rushes into temptation shall fall by it. He who watches by day as well as by night, puts on his armor when there seems no war, and carries his sword always drawn even when there is no enemy visible—oh, that is the man who shall cope with the deadly enemy of souls! The Holy Ghost is in him, and the Lord has regard unto him; he shall not fall by the hand of the enemy. Though oftentimes he trembles, he shall be safe at last. Glory shall thus be given to God that helped him. The self-confident would not have glorified God if he had succeeded, or he would have thrown up his cap inside the gates of heaven and magnified his own name. As for this man, he doffs his crown. “Non nobis, Domine,” he cries when he enters heaven. “Not unto us, not unto us, O Lord” (see Psa 115:1), is still his cry. “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Rev 1:5), unto Him that kept us from falling, and preserved us to His kingdom and glory, unto Him shall be all honor. Every man who this day trembles at God’s Word says “Amen” to this. God bless you, my beloved! The Lord Himself look to you, and dwell with you!"
www.chapellibrary.org
"He that knows the Lord aright also trembles with fear lest he should break God’s law. He sees what a perfect law it is, and how spiritual it is, and how it overlaps the whole of human life, and the man cries, “‘It is high, I cannot attain unto it’ (Psa 139:6); O my God, help me, I pray Thee.” He views the law with reverence. He admires with a sacred fear. He trembles at God’s Word, not because he dislikes it, but because he cannot bear to be so far off from compliance with its righteous demands. He sees the law fulfilled in Christ, and there is his peace; but yet the peace is mingled with deepest awe. “Oh,” says one, “if he trembles like that, it shows he does not know the love of God.” It shows that he does know it. Have you heard of the boy whose father was exceedingly fond of him? He was asked by some other boys to go and rob an orchard with them, but he said, “No, I will not go.” They replied, “Your father won’t scold you, nor beat you; you may safely come.” To this he answered, “What! Do you think because my father loves me, that therefore I will grieve him? No, I love him, and I love to do what he wishes me to do. Because he loves me, I fear to vex him.” That is like the child of God. The more he knows of God’s love, the more he trembles at the thought of offending the Most High."
We, also, tremble lest we should miss the promises when they are spread out before us, sparkling like priceless gems. We hear of some who “could not enter in because of unbelief” (Heb 3:19), and we are taken with trembling lest we should be like them. We tremble lest there should be any passage of Scripture or doctrine of revelation that we are not able to believe: we pray for grace that we may never stagger at anything in the Word. I believe Martin Luther would have faced the infernal fiend himself without a fear; and yet we have his own confession that his knees often knocked together when he stood up to preach. He trembled lest he should not be faithful to God’s Word. Angels have a holy fear of God, and well may you and I tremble when engaged in His service. To preach the whole truth is an awful charge. It was as much as even the Son of Man could do fully to discharge his mission here below. You and I, who are ambassadors for God, must not trifle, but we must tremble at God’s Word."
"The look of the Lord shall mean a third thing, namely, delight. We had a part of that in the term approbation: it is marvelous that God should take delight in the man that trembles at His Word. The Lord has no such pleasure in the careless and carnally secure. He that goes tramping through his Christian career as if he were somebody and all were safe is no favorite of heaven. The man who takes things easily and self-confidently, with a kind of happy-go-lucky feeling that all must end well with him—he has no consideration from God. Have you seen the fine professor who has despised the tender in heart? Mark that man, for the end of that man will be a crash—great shall be the fall thereof. Have you heard the boastful preacher, self-sufficient as to his own knowledge and eloquence? Mark that man also, for his end is confusion. But watch that trembling one, whose only hope is in Christ, whose only strength is in the Lord, for he shall be sustained. Watch the self-distrustful one who never pounces upon a privilege as if it were his by right of merit, but humbly accepts it as a gift to the unworthy—he is the man that shall stand in the evil day. He that goes through life fearing is the man who has nothing to fear. “Happy is the man that feareth alway” (Pro 28:14), says the Word of the Lord. He that is afraid of falling under trial and cries, “Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil;” he shall be kept from sin; but he who rashly rushes into temptation shall fall by it. He who watches by day as well as by night, puts on his armor when there seems no war, and carries his sword always drawn even when there is no enemy visible—oh, that is the man who shall cope with the deadly enemy of souls! The Holy Ghost is in him, and the Lord has regard unto him; he shall not fall by the hand of the enemy. Though oftentimes he trembles, he shall be safe at last. Glory shall thus be given to God that helped him. The self-confident would not have glorified God if he had succeeded, or he would have thrown up his cap inside the gates of heaven and magnified his own name. As for this man, he doffs his crown. “Non nobis, Domine,” he cries when he enters heaven. “Not unto us, not unto us, O Lord” (see Psa 115:1), is still his cry. “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Rev 1:5), unto Him that kept us from falling, and preserved us to His kingdom and glory, unto Him shall be all honor. Every man who this day trembles at God’s Word says “Amen” to this. God bless you, my beloved! The Lord Himself look to you, and dwell with you!"
