_Behold Thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the Sabbath day._ 1. It is no new thing to see men who are otherwise learned, and are in account for their holiness in the church, to be adversaries unto Christ, and His disciples. 2. Christ’s disciples readily shall be misconstrued, do... [ Continue Reading ]
_That in this place Is One greater than the temple._ CHRIST GREATER THAN THE CHURCH I. Look at the things essential in the structure of the church, and show what Christ is in relation to these. The things essential in the structure of the church are the plan, the foundation, and the materials. 1.... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will have mercy, and not sacrifice._ MERCY, NOT SACRIFICE When St. Spyridion was about eighty years old, it happened that a traveller came to visit him at one of those periods of the year when it was his custom to fast on alternate days. Seeing that the stranger was very tired, Spyridion told h... [ Continue Reading ]
_And behold there was a man which had his hand withered._ THE WITHERED HAND I. The person to whom the command in our text is addressed. 1. TO a man who was hopelessly incapable of obeying. The hand had lost the moisture of life. Christ’s power is displayed on our inability. 2. To one who was per... [ Continue Reading ]
_How much then is a man better than a sheep! _ THE DIGNITY INHERENT IN MAN’S NATURE This is not a question, but an exclamation, and it is so punctuated in the Revised Version. Exclamation rare with our Lord; He can say great things without becoming perturbed. “How much, then, is a man better than... [ Continue Reading ]
_The men of Nineveh shall rise in Judgment._ THE GREATER THAN JONAS I. To show that sufficient cause in the different circumstances of the two, why the repentant ninevites should be witnesses against the impenitent Jews. Now what account are we to give of this repentance of the Ninevites? At first... [ Continue Reading ]
_That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet: _ ISAIAH’S DESCRIPTION OF CHRIST I. When our Lord knew that the Pharisees were plotting His destruction, it is saw that he withdrew himself: from that place. He did not avenge their malice. He allowed it space to dissipate. Give n... [ Continue Reading ]
_A bruised reed shall He not break._ THE TENDERNESS OF CHRIST 1. The originality of Christ. It is easy to smile on the strong and prosperous: Christ’s smiles were for the weak. 2. The love of Christ is the root of His tenderness, This brought Him from the land of glory; He came to save man. 3. H... [ Continue Reading ]
_One possessed with a devil, blind and dumb._ I. What kind of power satan still exercises generally over mankind. II. All who apply to, Jesus shall surely obtain deliverance. III. On this deliverance an experience of Christ’s mercy will excite our admiration and confirm our faith. (_W. P. Wait, M... [ Continue Reading ]
_One possessed with a devil, blind and dumb._ I. What kind of power satan still exercises generally over mankind. II. All who apply to, Jesus shall surely obtain deliverance. III. On this deliverance an experience of Christ’s mercy will excite our admiration and confirm our faith. (_W. P. Wait, M... [ Continue Reading ]
_He that is not with Me is against Me._ NEUTRALITY IN RELIGION IMPOSSIBLE I. The character described. 1. Let us direct our attention to the openly profane. 2. There are others not habitually profane. 3. The honest and well-disposed. 4. The outwardly religious. II. The light in which they are... [ Continue Reading ]
_All manner of sin and blasphemy._ SIN AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST 1. This is not a sin which one can commit by accident, and without knowing it. This is an alleviation to many who are in great distress. They fear that they have committed the unpardonable sin. It is the closing of a long series of wick... [ Continue Reading ]
_Either make the tree good and his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt._ TREES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS There are two kinds of religion in the world: one teaches that men are not so holy as they should be, but that by a little attention they may be improved; the other that men are only evil, and mus... [ Continue Reading ]
_A good man out of the good treasure of the heart, _ THE TREASURES OF A GOOD AND EVIL HEART I. Describe the good treasure of the heart. 1. A good heart contains good affections. 2. Good desires. 3. Good intentions. 4. Good volitions. 5. Good passions. II. Describe the evil treasures of the e... [ Continue Reading ]
_That every idle word._ IDLE WORDS The Pharisees bad said, “This fellow doth not east out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.” Christ meets this objection in two ways. I. He shows its unreasonableness. It is against experience that any power, good or bad, consciously seeks its own... [ Continue Reading ]
_Master, we would see a sign from Thee._ RELIGIOUS SIGN-SEEKERS I. That the demand for additional advantages generally comes from those already Possessed of very many. It was the scribes and Pharisees that made this request, not the publicans. II. God never gives additional advantages when those... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Queen of the South shall rise up in judgment._ THE QUEEN OF THE SOUTH, OR THE EARNEST INQUIRER I. Let us commend her for her inquiring spirit. 1. She was a queen. 2. Her royal court was doubtless already stored with wisdom. 3. She came from a very great distance. 4. She was a foreigner to... [ Continue Reading ]
_When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man._ FURNISHED, BUT VACANT The central lesson of this text is this: that reformation is not necessarily salvation-that, indeed, reformation without godliness may bring a curse rather than a blessing. And it is not the history of the Jewish nation only whic... [ Continue Reading ]
_When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man._ FURNISHED, BUT VACANT The central lesson of this text is this: that reformation is not necessarily salvation-that, indeed, reformation without godliness may bring a curse rather than a blessing. And it is not the history of the Jewish nation only whic... [ Continue Reading ]
_The same is My brother, and sister, and mother._ CHRISTIANS ARE CHRIST’S RELATIONS I. That Jesus here implies that the supreme relationships of life are moral 1. It is similar to that of the family. 2. It is superior to that of the family. (1) It is non-artificial (2) It is intimate. (3) It... [ Continue Reading ]