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To Make Men Glad
- By Robert M McCheyne
- Published 09/21/2007
- Sermons , Topical Studies
Robert M McCheyne
View all articles by Robert M McCheyne
III. I would now apply this.
You may learn from this if you are disciples. What does your joy flow from? Does it flow from riches, from friends? The disciples' joy proceeded from a spiritual sight of the Lord Jesus. When are your happiest moments? Are they when the world prospers with you? When friends are kind, when friends and lovers come around you? Is your joy gone when they are taken away? Ah! then, you are a disciple of the devil! 'Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord.' Examine again. Does it flow from your own righteousness? Does it flow from your knowledge of the Bible? From your many prayers? Does it flow from self? Then it is not a disciple's joy. 'Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord.'
I would exhort all present to seek a sight of Jesus. Oh seek this joy! A joy that will not pass away. Friends will be taken away, riches may flee away; but this joy will never pass away. Oh seek a spiritual discovery of the excellency of Christ's person and work! Oh it is a sweet joy! It is that that will be with you in death. The Author of it says, 'I will never leave thee nor forsake thee' (Heb 13:5). O let not the world keep you from looking to Jesus! It is eternal life -life eternal.
To you that are seeking Christ night and day. Oh how glad you will be when you find the Lord! Look away from all to Jesus. Oh look to him as a crucified and risen Saviour! Oh get a sight of his beauty and his love! O dear anxious soul! seek to have joy by looking at the finished work of the Lord Jesus.
To you that once had this joy, but have backslidden and lost it. Ah! you must look again to Jesus. The disciples had it once, but they had lost it; but Jesus came to them: 'Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord.' Ah! we must have a spiritual discovery of his complete work, and his living power. O seek a true joy - a full joy!
Here learn all of you the folly of self-righteousness. Suppose the disciples had looked to themselves, what would they have seen? One had denied, all of them had forsaken him in his sufferings; but the disciples looked only to Jesus: 'Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord.' Look, then, to Jesus, and you will have true peace, true joy, fulness of joy - joy that the world cannot give nor take away. You that are Christ's rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice.
May God bless his own Word. Amen.
You may learn from this if you are disciples. What does your joy flow from? Does it flow from riches, from friends? The disciples' joy proceeded from a spiritual sight of the Lord Jesus. When are your happiest moments? Are they when the world prospers with you? When friends are kind, when friends and lovers come around you? Is your joy gone when they are taken away? Ah! then, you are a disciple of the devil! 'Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord.' Examine again. Does it flow from your own righteousness? Does it flow from your knowledge of the Bible? From your many prayers? Does it flow from self? Then it is not a disciple's joy. 'Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord.'
I would exhort all present to seek a sight of Jesus. Oh seek this joy! A joy that will not pass away. Friends will be taken away, riches may flee away; but this joy will never pass away. Oh seek a spiritual discovery of the excellency of Christ's person and work! Oh it is a sweet joy! It is that that will be with you in death. The Author of it says, 'I will never leave thee nor forsake thee' (Heb 13:5). O let not the world keep you from looking to Jesus! It is eternal life -life eternal.
To you that are seeking Christ night and day. Oh how glad you will be when you find the Lord! Look away from all to Jesus. Oh look to him as a crucified and risen Saviour! Oh get a sight of his beauty and his love! O dear anxious soul! seek to have joy by looking at the finished work of the Lord Jesus.
To you that once had this joy, but have backslidden and lost it. Ah! you must look again to Jesus. The disciples had it once, but they had lost it; but Jesus came to them: 'Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord.' Ah! we must have a spiritual discovery of his complete work, and his living power. O seek a true joy - a full joy!
Here learn all of you the folly of self-righteousness. Suppose the disciples had looked to themselves, what would they have seen? One had denied, all of them had forsaken him in his sufferings; but the disciples looked only to Jesus: 'Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord.' Look, then, to Jesus, and you will have true peace, true joy, fulness of joy - joy that the world cannot give nor take away. You that are Christ's rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice.
May God bless his own Word. Amen.
