Matthew 22:4

GOD’S READINESS

‘All things are ready.’

Matthew 22:4

It is so pleasant to turn from the narrownesses, and the littlenesses, and the sluggishnesses of man, and get out into the largeness, and the freeness, of God’s anticipating, waiting love,—‘all things are ready.’ The readiness of God rests upon an eternal counsel, a finished work, and a free grace.

I. The eternal counsel.—Nothing ever takes life, or form, or being, in this visible universe, but that it existed first, invisible, in the mind of God. The Lamb that bled on Calvary was but ‘the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.’ Every soul, called, and drawn out, and saved, was a soul ‘chosen in Christ before the world was.’

II. The finished work.—We shall see the truth standing stronger still in the finished work of Christ. When Christ declared, ‘It is finished,’ your salvation was so exquisitely complete, that not only does it need no addition, but it cannot bear it, or be capable of an addition; to add is to destroy.

III. The free grace.—The love of God is in itself an object which we have no power to grasp. There are many beautiful interpositions in providence, but none can fairly represent God’s love, that is so very deep, so vastly large. Therefore, God has given one manifestation, that of His only begotten Son, ‘that we might live through Him.’ God is waiting, and has been waiting so very long, for your poor, unwilling soul. His language is, ‘ Come now, and let us reason together,’ etc.

—The Rev. James Vaughan.

Illustration

‘The Father is ready to love and receive; the Son is ready to pardon and cleanse guilt away; the Spirit is ready to sanctify and renew; angels are ready to rejoice over the returning sinner; grace is ready to assist him; the Bible is ready to instruct him; heaven is ready to be his everlasting home. One thing only is needful, and that is,—the sinner must be ready and willing himself.’