_He went throughout every city and village, preaching_ VILLAGE PREACHING I. WE HAVE HERE THE SUBJECT OF OUR LORD’S MINISTRY--“the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.” In these words there is a manifest allusion to the predictions in which the prophets foretold the dispensation of grace and truth by... [ Continue Reading ]
_And certain women_ MARY OF MAGDALA This woman has “suffered much at the hand of many” commentators; preachers, painters, and poets, ancient and modern. It is high time to do something to remove the foul stain which has so long rested on her fair fame. In the various notices of her history in the... [ Continue Reading ]
_He spake by a parable_ NATURE AND DESIGN OF PARABLES I. WHAT IS A PARABLE? It is a mode of instruction founded on the resemblances or analogies between spiritual and natural objects or events. 1. The form of the parable is a direct or indirect statement of a fact, or a narrative of either some p... [ Continue Reading ]
_A Sower went out to sow his seed_ PARABLE OF THE SOWER I. BY THE WAYSIDE. 1. The design intended in God’s ordinance of preaching--what is it? We answer, your salvation. 2. The means of becoming interested in this salvation are also here declared. “Lest they should believe,” says the parable, “a... [ Continue Reading ]
_Some fell by the wayside_ THE FIELD-PATH This first kind of soil is the only one of the four mentioned in which nothing came of the sowing. In this alone there is a combination of causes which renders any good result impossible. Three causes are shown: 1. Before the sowing the soil was incapabl... [ Continue Reading ]
_And some fell upon a rock--_ THE SHALLOW SOIL It is evident that there is a very considerable difference between the persons whose state is signified by the shallow soil and those who are represented by the hard field-path. By those the Word of God is not received at all--merely heard with the ou... [ Continue Reading ]
_And some fell among thorns_ THE THORN ROOTS These are not thoroughly worldly persons, who pay no heed at all to the Word of God; nor yet are they persons who trust to their own feelings and impulses, and what are called religious impressions, for strength to stand in the evil day, and to endure t... [ Continue Reading ]
_And other fell on good ground_ THE GOOD GROUND Here consider, as in the former-- 1. The soil, good ground: where first, how it comes to be good: secondly, how it is known to be good, namely, by hearing with honest and good hearts. 2. The success of the seed in it--fruitfulness. 1. For the mea... [ Continue Reading ]
_Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of GOD--_ THE MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM A mystery, as the word is used in Scripture, is nothing more than an unknown thing. It has no reference to anything obscure, or awful, or difficult to understand. The most simple truth may be called... [ Continue Reading ]
_The seed is the Word of God_ THE SEED I. THE TRUTH TAUGHT, THE SEED SOWN BY JESUS CHRIST, THE GREAT SOWER. 1. The necessity of repentance. 2. The forgiving love and power of God. 3. The necessity of holiness; of obedience, submission, trust, unselfishness, and brotherly love. 4. Christ enjoin... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then cometh the devil_ THE DEVIL’S PUNCTUALITY, POWER, AND PURPOSE I. First observe the evil one’s PUNCTUALITY. NO sooner does the seed fall than the fowls devour it. Our text says “then,” that is, there and then, “cometh the devil.” Mark renders it, “Satan cometh immediately.” Whoever else may l... [ Continue Reading ]
_And that which fell among thorns_ SIGNS OF EXCESSIVE WORLDLINESS I. TO APPLY TESTS OF WORLDLINESS IS VERY NECESSARY. It is difficult to convince ourselves that we are too much engrossed in our worldly cares. If a man is intemperate, or profane, or fraudulent, it is easy for him to know his own si... [ Continue Reading ]
_But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it_ THE NECESSITY OF PATIENCE The necessity of patience in the Christian course appeareth by these reasons: 1. The scope of the gospel is to make men fruitful Christians. But this can never be,... [ Continue Reading ]
_No man, when he hath lighted a candle_ THE LIGHTED LAMP The truth symbolized by this imagery is the self-revealing character of the real disciple of Christ. His teaching is reproductive as the seed corn, it is diffusive as the light. The lamp is lighted to fill the room with light, and for no ot... [ Continue Reading ]
_Far nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest_ THE PARADOX Nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest, etc. , that is to say, “There is now absolutely no light or truth veiled from men which it is not the intention and purpose of God to uncover and reveal to them as soon as they a... [ Continue Reading ]
_Take heed, therefore, how ye hear_ HOW TO HEAR THE WORD Several classes of persons, to be met with in every congregation, should attend to this caution. I. In the first rank of these may be placed THE INDIFFERENT HEARER. II. Another class of persons who should give heed to the warning of the te... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then came to Him His mother and His brethren_ SPIRITUAL RELATIONSHIP TO CHRIST It is the higher kinship of the soul. Christ did not set aside time relationships, but He opened up a far higher view, with which these were in analogy. Men know each other in various relationships; but very few men kn... [ Continue Reading ]
_He went into a ship with His disciples_ THE SAVIOUR IN THE SHIP 1. We do not need to be literally at sea, or to feel waves literally breaking over our heads, to find out what absolute helplessness is. The greater number of us, at some time in our lives, have known what it was to touch the last l... [ Continue Reading ]
_Where Is your faith?_ WHERE IS YOUR FAITH? It is as much as if He had said, “You thought that I was sleeping. But was it indeed only Me, or chiefly My eye, that slept? Was it not your faith.? _You say_, ‘Where is the Lord?’ but I say, ‘Where is your faith?’” It is a mistake, brethren, we are all... [ Continue Reading ]
_A certain man who had devils long time_ THE DEMONIAC IN THE TOMBS AS HE RESEMBLES THE UNCONVERTED SINNER Observe the parallel that exists between this poor demoniac and the unconverted sinner. I. PREVIOUS TO CONVERSION. 1. Possessed by an unclean spirit. 2. Living among the dead. 3. Disordere... [ Continue Reading ]
_Sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind_ SITTING AT THE FEET OF JESUS Sitting at the feet of one is an expression which seems fitted not merely to describe local position, but to image forth the state of the mind of him who occupies it. And among these we may notice-- 1. Re... [ Continue Reading ]
_Return to thine own house_ THE BLESSEDNESS OF ACTIVE SERVICE The words of this refusal seem to suggest to us its cause; for instead of staying with Him, our Lord bade the lately possessed man go home to his friends, and tell them the great things which God had done for him. And in giving him thi... [ Continue Reading ]
_The people gladly received Him: for they were an waiting for Him_ A WELCOME FOR JESUS When Jesus is waited for and welcomed, He delights to come. He is not waited for by all in our congregations; so that we may ask the question of our present hearers--Do you welcome Christ? Let it be answered by... [ Continue Reading ]
_And, behold, there came a man named Jairus--_ CHRIST AND THE RULER “And behold there came one of the rulers unto Him. ” This shows us the helplessness of the greatest men. The Word ruler indicates position, influence, power, personal supremacy of one kind or another. And yet here is a ruler comin... [ Continue Reading ]
_Came behind Him, and touched the border of His garment_ LIFE BEHIND AND LIFE BEFORE CHRIST We believe in the progressive character of the Christian life. It is like the increasing light, which comes to us first as the dim dawn, then as the grey morning, and afterwards as the noon-day brightness.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thy daughter is dead--_ CHRISTIAN CONSOLATION UNDER BEREAVEMENT BY DEATH Now the great grounds of Christian comfort in times of bereavement are two. One relates to those you have lost; the other relates to yourselves. The first is, that those who have died in Christ have made a blessed and happy... [ Continue Reading ]