Romans 10:21

THE OUTSTRETCHED HANDS

‘All day long have I stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.’

Romans 10:21

When we think of Calvary we see Jesus stretching forth His hands all the day to a disobedient and gainsaying people. Even when the nails had done their cruel work, and had torn the flesh of the Son of God, there were the hands outstretched lovingly as ever.

I. Those hands are outstretched now, and for you.—All the day long, ever since you were born, has Jesus stretched forth His hands to you.

II. Some of us, alas! have turned aside from those dear hands.—When they have knocked at the door of our house, we have not opened; when they pointed upwards, we have turned our eyes down to the ground. We have preferred the world’s caresses to the love of Jesus, the full-mixed cup of sinful pleasure to the bitter gall of penitence, the easy couch of self-pleasing to the hard cross of self-denial.

III. Shall we not learn the real nature of sin by gazing on the agony of mind and body which sin brought on the Son of God? Shall we not learn to hate sin for the future, not from the cowardly fear of its consequences, not from a shrinking dread of the judgment which follows it, but from the knowledge of what it cost our Saviour? When next the temptation comes upon you, pause and send your thoughts to Calvary; think of your wilful sins as thorns in the head of Jesus, as drops of agony forced from His brow, as nails in His hands—those hands stretched out to save you; as nails in His feet—those feet which ever went about doing good; as a spear in His loving heart. Shrink from sin which gave Jesus to the Cross, and shrink not from the cross of self-denial which shall join you to Him. Let the outstretched hands of Jesus lead you all your journey through.