The Fruits and Marks of the Lord Being Our God

Next Part The Fruits and Marks of the Lord Being Our God 2

"I am the Lord your God who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way that you should go." Isaiah 48:17

God has a peculiar people. We may believe it, or we may not believe it. Our faith or our unbelief does not alter the solemn fact, which stands upon the foundation of immutable truth. "If we believe not, yet he abides faithful; he cannot deny himself." (2 Tim. 2:13.) But I may go a step further. I may assume there is not a single individual in this congregation who doubts that truth. I may suppose there is not a person present here this evening who is not persuaded that God has a peculiar people. But you may believe that, and yet have no saving interest in it. There are hundreds of people who believe that God has a peculiar people, who live and die without being one of that peculiar people. Balaam believed that God had a peculiar people; for he would have cursed them if he dared, and was only prevented from cursing them by the restraining power of God. When Ahithophel took sweet counsel with David, and walked to the house of God in company with him, their "sweet counsel" was not upon human merit, or the sufficiency of works; but it was, no doubt, upon grace, and the things connected with grace. Yet he lived and died under the wrath of God; and when his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey, and arose and went home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself. (2 Sam. 17:23.) Such was the end of that great professor—David's loving friend.

And Judas also, no doubt, preached free grace as well as the rest of the apostles; for had his preaching been different from theirs, when they came home from their mission, they would have said, 'Lord, Judas does not preach the same gospel as we do; he cannot be of your sending, one of your disciples, because he preaches a different doctrine from us.' Yet Judas died under the wrath of God. It is therefore no mark, nor proof of our saving interest in the doctrine of election that we believe it, or make a profession of doing so. We need some other proof, some other evidence, than a mere belief, in our judgment, of God's having a peculiar people.

What do we need, then, if this be not sufficient? What is needful? To this question we may answer, that two things are necessary. The first and highest proof is, the immediate testimony of God in our conscience. When God speaks to the soul with a divine power, and says, "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness;" (Isa. 41:10); or, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn you;" (Jer. 31:3); when God thus shines with his own light into the soul, this is the highest testimony we can have upon earth; it is the witness of the Spirit to our spirit, that we are the "children of God;" and we can have no higher.

But in the absence of this higher testimony, where this shining in of God's presence, mercy, and love is withheld or withdrawn, there is another testimony to our interest in God's electing love—and that is, the fruits and evidences that flow out of our saving interest in it. Thus, if the root be hidden, the stem may appear; and if we cannot see, by the Lord's own shining, our names written in the book of life, yet if we can trace the fruits and effects that flow out of electing love, then we have a testimony to our saving interest in it, lower indeed, and not so blessed, but still scriptural and safe.

In our text, the Lord brings forward two of these blessed fruits. It runs thus, "I am the Lord your God." These are the very highest words God can speak to the creature. "I am the Lord your God." But how are you to know it? What is the evidence, what the divine proof of it? "Who teaches you to profit; who leads you by the way that you should go."

Thus, we may argue from the words both positively and negatively—positively, thus, 'If the Lord is my God, then he is teaching me to profit; then he is leading me in the way that I should go'; negatively, 'If the Lord be not my God, then he is not teaching me to profit, and he is not leading me in the way wherein I am to go.' And thus the words, (as the Lord may be pleased to bless them,) may be for the comfort and encouragement of the living family, and a word of warning and conviction, if it be his will, to some of his elect, still lying in the ruins of the fall.

In handling these words, I shall, as the Lord may give me grace and wisdom this evening,
First, speak a little upon the meaning of the first leading feature, "I am the Lord your God."
Secondly, upon the "teachings to profit," with which God is pleased to bless the soul; and
Thirdly, the leadings of God in the way wherein he would have us to go.

I. "I am the Lord your God." Upon my first point I shall not speak at great length, as my object is to dwell more on the teachings and leadings of God—and yet I cannot pass over this portion of my text, for it contains everything a child of God can enjoy here, and everything he hopes to enjoy hereafter.

"I am the Lord your God." If the Lord is our God, we have everything that we can ever want to have; for in giving himself to us he gives us everything. What sweet and blessed feelings are raised up in the soul, when we can believe that the Lord is our God! When we cannot believe it; when we cannot raise up our faith so high; when doubts and fears oppress the mind, and darkness fills the soul, then everything appears against us. For, if the Lord be not our God, where are we? what are we? what will be our end? and where will be our eternal portion?

But if the Lord be our God, then we have everything that can make us happy here, and fill us with bliss and blessedness hereafter. What a sweet and blessed feeling, then, it is in the soul, when the Lord speaks thus, "I am the Lord your God," who brought you into being. It is I who formed you in the womb, and brought you forth into your present existence; it is I, the Lord your God, who has fed you, and clothed you from that hour up to the present moment. It is I, the Lord your God, who has preserved you on every side. When you were upon a sick bed, it was I, the Lord your God, who visited your soul, raised up your body, and gave you that measure of health which you do now enjoy. It is I, the Lord your God, who placed you in the situation of life which you do now occupy; it is I, the Lord your God, who deals out to you every trial, who allots you every affliction, who brings upon you every cross, and who works in you everything both "to will and to do of my own good pleasure." When we can thus believe that the Lord our God is about our bed and our path, and spying out all our ways; when we can look up to him, and feel that he is the Lord our God, there is no feeling more sweet, more blessed, or more heavenly.

But, as I before hinted, there are times and seasons, and these more frequent than the other, when we cannot raise up faith so high—when our evidences are beclouded, our signs not seen, the soul sitting in darkness and having no light, Satan powerfully tempting, past sins coming to mind, and such a 'cloud of darkness' resting upon the soul that we cannot believe any one promise. Yet, if the Lord be our God, our darkness and our unbelief, does not alter his love. He is still the Lord our God, in darkness as well as in light; he still rests in his love, though we cannot raise up faith so high, and though our soul may be sunk fathoms deep in doubt and fear.

But there are fruits, evidences, marks, tokens of the Lord being our God, though we may for the most part walk in darkness and have no light; and these marks and evidences we have in the text before us, who leads us to our second point.

II. Which was to show, that if the Lord is our God, He TEACHES us to profit.
It seems as though the Lord were here drawing a distinction between the teachings of men and the teachings of God, and pointing out one mark, as though he would fix our attention upon that as a sign whereby we may know whether the teaching that we have had is the teaching of man or of God. To use an illustration. It is like the mark upon a bank note. Take a note to the bank, and the clerk will look at the water mark, or fix his eye upon other signs, and if he finds them present, he knows that the note is genuine; but let them be absent, and he knows the note is counterfeit. So it is with respect to the teaching of men and the teaching of God. I may profess a certain creed, and take a certain stand in doctrine—where did I get this profession, or this creed, and how did I come to be possessed of this knowledge? If it came from man, there is this certain mark upon it—it was not to profit; it never did my soul any good; it never came with any blessing to my heart; it left me just as it found me.

But, on the other hand, if what I know, if what I believe, if what I feel, has been wrought in my heart by the power of God; in other words, if the religion that I profess is of God's teaching, then there will be this mark upon it, it has been to profit.

Now, just look at your knowledge of divine things, and at your profession. You profess a certain creed; you have a certain measure of knowledge of the truth as it is in Christ Jesus. Now just look at the character of your knowledge and profession, and see what you can find of the stamp of God upon it. If you can find this stamp upon it—that it has been to profit, then you may say, this is the teaching of God. But, on the other hand, if it be not to profit, then you may say, it is but the teaching of man. We read of those (and the Lord is against them) who are taught the fear of God by the precept of men. A man may get his religion from men, but will that profit his soul? will that save him from the wrath of God? will that stand by him in a dying hour? will that be to his peace and comfort on a death-bed? No! No! when most needed, it will all flee away, like the smoke out of the chimney, and chaff from the threshing-floor.

But if his religion has been taught to him by God, and wrought in his soul by a divine power, it will be not only to his profit here, but it will be to his profit hereafter; for "godliness is profitable unto all things, having the promise not only of the life that now is, but of that which is to come."

Let us, by way of contrast, put side by side the teaching of man and the teaching of God. I will mention several things whereby we may know what teaching is to profit, and what teaching is not to profit; and then you may compare what takes place in your heart with what I shall endeavor to lay down from God's word and experience.

1. True teaching HUMBLES the soul; false teaching puffs it up with pride. Weigh that against your profession and knowledge of divine things, and see what your religion has done for you viewed in that light. Has it humbled you? laid you low in your own eyes? brought you to nothing in your own sight? Then it has been to profit, and you may bless God for having given you his own special teaching. But, on the other hand, has it puffed you up with pride? made you think highly of yourself? exalted you in your mind above others? filled your mouth with boasting, and your heart with arrogance? Then it is the teaching of man. Were it the teaching of God, it would have humbled you and brought you down to the very dust.

2. Again. Teachings which are to profit, soften and melt a man's HEART, as Job says, "God makes my heart soft" (23:16); and we read this especial promise, that the Lord "will take away the heart of stone and give a heart of flesh." In other words, that he will melt and soften the spirit. Now see if you can find any of these effects in your soul from what you believe and hope to be special teaching from God. Has it softened, melted, broken, humbled, dissolved your spirit? When eternal things have come with weight upon your soul; when you have had views of the Lord Jesus Christ; when the word of God has been opened up with power to your heart; when you have heard the servants of the living Jehovah; when you have been upon your knees before God; when your souls have been engaged in divine matters—has there been a softening, dissolving, melting effect produced? Or, on the other hand, has your profession rather hardened your heart, and instead of making it tender in God's fear—produced a light, trifling, indifferent state of mind.

3. Again. Teachings which are to profit make SIN exceedingly sinful—fill us with shame and confusion of face before God—cut us up in our feelings—and make us loathe and abhor ourselves in our own sight as the worst monster of iniquity. Divine views of what we are as "fallen sinners in the sight of a holy God," will be sure to make sin exceedingly sinful—will cut up root and branch all creature righteousness—and make us feel that we are the chief of sinners.

But that teaching which is not to profit, makes sin to appear a light thing—gives us very slight and superficial views of sin's nature—does not hold up to us sin's awful character—does not fill us with the deepest abhorrence of sin—nor make us loathe ourselves in our own sight as the vilest of the vile; but seems rather to excuse and justify sin—and make sin to appear not such a very dreadful thing. No, it will insinuate there is no great harm in this or that indulgence, and that a child of God may do what other children of God have done. This is the very teaching which is from beneath and not from above, and is that wisdom which is "earthly, sensual, and devilish." If your religious feelings, from whatever source they come, make sin to be in your eyes not exceedingly sinful; if they never fill you with self-abhorrence; bring no godly sorrow into your heart on account of it; cause no tear of contrition to fall down your cheek; no self-hatred to spring up in your bosom; but rather fill you with light, vain, and trifling thoughts concerning sin—depend upon it—that teaching is not from above, but from beneath, for it lacks this mark—it is not to profit.

4. Again. Teaching to profit makes JESUS precious to the soul. When God is pleased to manifest the Lord Jesus Christ in any measure unto us—and we get glimpses of his Person, glory, blood, obedience, sufferings, and love—it will make him exceedingly precious to our souls. And when he becomes exceedingly precious to our souls, then we may say, this teaching is to profit. "Unto you who believe, he is precious." "Whoever has heard and learned of the Father comes unto me." But if, on the other hand, our profession of Jesus Christ never brings any of these blessed feelings into our heart; if we have but a 'doctrinal knowledge of Jesus'—and no discovery of him to our souls by the operations of the Spirit, there is no such admiration, no such adoration of him, no such hope in him, no such love towards him, no such delight in him—it is but a 'letter Christ', a 'nominal Jesus', a seeing of him in the word of God, but not a seeing of him by the eye of a living faith. If such be our teaching and profession, it is not of God—for it is not to profit.

5. Again. If we are taught of God, and our teaching is to profit, it will make us SPIRITUALLY-MINDED. If ever the Lord Jesus Christ is made in any measure precious to our souls, it makes us spiritually-minded—it takes our affections, lifts them above all earthly things to heaven—and fixes them, for the time, where Jesus sits at God's right hand—and then we shall desire nothing but to have communion with the Lord, and to live to his glory. But if, on the other hand, the views of Christ which we have, or profess to have, only make us cleave more to the flesh, only strengthen the spirit of the world more in our hearts, and foster an idolatrous attachment to the things of time and sense—then we may say that these views of Christ are not of God, because they are not to profit.

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