NORTH AND SOUTH – Charles Spurgeon

NORTH AND SOUTH

“I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back.” — Isaiah 43:6

Introduction to the Divine Promise of Restoration

In the fullness of the promised days, when the Jews shall be restored from their wanderings, and all the seed of Jacob shall again meet in their own land, God, in His mighty providence, will speak to all the nations, saying: “To the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back.” At the divine bidding, free passage shall be given, all hindrances shall be removed, and His people shall return to their own land. Entailed on Abraham’s seed by a covenant of salt, the Holy Land shall receive again its rightful heirs, and no nation or people shall keep them back. This refers to the literal meaning, but as I am not skilled in guessing at the meaning of dark passages, I will leave such things to those who think it is given to them to explain. Now, let us pursue the spiritual teaching of this passage.

The Spiritual Meaning of the Passage

At this moment, my brothers and sisters, we who follow in the footsteps of King Jesus are soldiers of an army that has invaded this world. This land belongs to our great Leader, for He made it. It is right that everywhere, all around the globe, His name should be honored, for He is the King among the nations and the Governor of them. But our race has revolted, set up another monarch, and bowed its strength to support another dynasty—the dynasty of darkness and death. Our race has broken the good and wholesome laws of the great Lord, the rightful King, and set up new laws and customs that oppose the truth and righteousness of God. This is the Great Rebellion, the Revolt of Manhood, the Sedition of Sinners.

Now, no king will willingly lose his dominions, and therefore, the Great King of kings has sent His Son to conquer this world, not by the arms of steel, or weapons that cut and kill, but by arms far more mighty! This earth is to be subdued to the Kingdom of the Crown Prince, the Prince Imperial of Heaven, Jesus Christ, the Lord! We, His regenerated people, form part of the army of occupation; we have invaded the land. Hard and stern has been the battle up to this point. We have had to win every inch of ground by sheer force, effort after effort put forth by the Church of God under the guidance of her heavenly Leader. None of it has been in vain, but much remains to be done. Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites still must be driven out. The whole world seems to lie in darkness, still under the dominion of the Wicked One. We hold but a few sacred fortresses for truth and holiness in this world, and we must retain them until the Lord Jesus sends us more prosperous times. The battle shall be tamed, and the Kingdom shall come unto our Prince.

Courage and Faith in the Battle Ahead

There is no fear, for such a time will indeed come. Therefore, let us have courage! Soldiers of the Cross, have faith! Have faith in your great Leader, for behold, He is still at the head of you, and is still omnipotent! The hour of His weakness is past. His sun set once in blood, but it has risen to go down no more. Once it was eclipsed at midday, but now the Sun of Righteousness arises with healing beneath His wings! He who died once for all is now the Source, Center, and Lord of Life! The living Christ is present among us as the Commander-in-Chief of the Church militant. Let us refresh our souls by drawing near to Him by the power of the Holy Spirit!

I. The Royalty of the Word

The text has two grand matters in it. First, here is the royalty of the Word—where the Word of this King is, there is power. Secondly, here is the Word of royalty, and that Word we may well consider, for where the Word of this King is, there is wisdom.

First, the royalty of the Word. It is more than an imperial edict; it is the fiat of omnipotence! Jesus Christ says to the north, “Give up,” and it does give up; and to the south, “Keep not back,” and it cannot keep back. I understand from reading this declaration that there is a general opposition in the world to the Cause and Kingdom of God. Until He says, “Give up,” and “Keep not back,” men do not come to Immanuel’s feet, and even the chosen of God do not come forth from their hiding places. All around the world, there is opposition to the Cause of Christ, to the doctrine of truth, to the throne of God. Go where you may, in the highest places of the earth, you will find true religion despised. Among the lowest of the land, you will find that same religion blasphemed, and in the middle classes, where some seem to fancy that all virtue resides, you will find carelessness about the things of the world to come and selfishness about the present life. Jesus Christ is everywhere despised in comparison with the things that perish. The trees of the wood reject Heaven’s cedar and choose Hell’s bramble. Even the eleven sell the true Joseph into Egypt, and no one defends the chosen of God.

Go among savage nations, and there the idol is worshipped, but Jesus is not known. Go among civilized nations, and you will find they have only changed their idols. They have rebaptized their infants, given new names to the objects of their superstitious reverence, but the true Christ is misunderstood and rejected. Go to the swarthy Hindu, the man of deep philosophy and sophistry, and you will find his heart set against the Gospel of Jesus of Nazareth. Sail over the blue sea to the islands of the deep, and man in his simplicity worships, yet not the Incarnate God. Traverse the central parts of continents where civilization has scarcely reached, and you will find that man is still opposed to his Maker and hates the name of the Only-Begotten Son of God.

The Universal Opposition to Christ

Nor need we travel or even look abroad; the opposition is universal among ourselves, among the old, among the young. Striking is that text, “They go astray from the womb, speaking lies.” An old Puritan puts it: “They go astray before they go; they speak lies before they speak.” And so it is. Before it comes to acts, the evil propensity is in the heart; before the lips can frame the falsehood, there is the lie within the soul. From the earliest infancy to palsied age, nothing seems to cure manhood of its rebellious disposition. The carnal mind is enmity against God and is not reconciled to God, and while it remains what it is, it cannot be.

There is a general opposition to the Cause and Kingdom of Christ. But the text seems to hint that there is a particular form of that opposition in each case. There is a word to the north and a different word given to the south. The north holds fast, and therefore the word is, “Give up.” The south is retreating and is despairing, and therefore the word is, “Keep not back.” The opposition takes different shapes, and there is a different word to meet its ever-varying forms.

Diverse Obstacles in Reaching the Heart

How true is Dr. Watts’ verse—“We wander each a different way, but all the downward road.” As each land has its own tribes of wild animals, so has each heart its indigenous sins. All land will grow weeds, but you will not find the same type of weed equally abundant in every soil. In one heart, the deadly nightshade of ignorance chokes the seed, and in another, the prickly thistle of malice crowds out the wheat. There are difficulties in reaching the heart of any man, but not the same difficulties in all men.

Different Obstacles in Winning Souls

Some cannot be influenced because of their lack of intelligence; others because of their supposed learning. Some cannot be reached because of their presumption; others because of their despondency. Some spend their all on the pleasures of this world; others spend nothing but find pleasure only in hoarding, yet they are equally averse to heavenly things. Whatever form sin takes, it is the same opposition, but it may need a different mode of treatment, and by a different weapon, it will have to be overcome.

The Power of Christ’s Word to Convert

You may have a different personal spiritual difficulty than I have; I have no wish to change with you, and I should not advise you to change with me. The same is true with our trials in winning souls; we each have our difficulties, but they are not exactly alike in detail. You may have to fight the north, while I fight the south. But the same Lord and Master will make us victorious, and without Him, we shall be equally defeated! The opposition we encounter in serving our Lord is the same, so don’t be disheartened. Whether our task seems particularly hard, or our battle especially difficult, both tasks are impossibilities without God, but both shall be readily performed if Jesus speaks the divine fiat, saying to the north, “Give up; and to the south, Keep not back.”

Christ’s Sovereignty in Conversion

Further, as there is opposition in all, and distinct opposition in each, no power can, in any case, subdue any part of the world to Christ apart from Him. You may fall in with a family that seems naturally religious, and even meet tribes of people inclined toward godliness. However, if you bring the religion of Christ to them, you will find that their very religiousness can be the greatest difficulty to deal with. Some may never have been superstitious, and the very common sense they hold will be the main difficulty to overcome.

Human Efforts Alone Are Insufficient

The preacher may think, “I have only to put the truth in a reasonable way, and the man will see it.” But sinners are not reasonable. They are the most unreasonable of creatures. And even if you tell them of the love of Christ in an affectionate, loving way, your affection and earnestness will be powerless unless the Holy Spirit drives home your appeals.

The Power of Prayer and Divine Will

We know some who have been reasoned with, and if logic could win them, they should have been won long ago. But all human art has been tried and failed. Yet there is no room for despair, for Jesus can conquer the unconquerable and heal the incurable. Don’t be disappointed if you have failed in your efforts; you have merely proven that “vain is the help of man.” It is not of him who wills or runs, but of God who shows mercy. It is your duty to try, but the result is with Him. If the field will never yield a harvest, you are still bound to plow it if your Lord commands it.

The Power of Christ’s Word in Our Work

We may not see immediate results, but the Lord can and will provide the light and blessings needed for conversions. When He speaks to the north and the south, His word will bring about the results. You may be discouraged, but with His guidance, great things are still possible, and He will send blessings where He leads His people to pray for them.

The Free Agency of Man and the Power of Christ

Before I leave this point, let me remind you of the power of the King’s Word, always exercised in full consistency with the free agency of man. We should not think that Christ violates human free will. His Word is an instrument suited to the mental nature of man, and He uses it wisely. While human hearts are not coerced, they are drawn and transformed by the working of God’s grace.

II. The Word of Royalty

Now, we will consider the Word of Royalty. The King says to the north, “Give up; and to the south, Keep not back.” We will not spend too much time on these words, but let us briefly reflect on the meaning they convey.

For some, when the powerful word of grace comes, it speaks in this way—“Give up. Give up.” For others, in a different state of mind, it says, “Keep not back. Keep not back.” To those who hear the word, “Give up. Give up,” the message is clear. Renounce your fancied goodness and self-esteem. Give up your false righteousness, for there is a better righteousness to be had. Your own works will never cover you as you should be covered. There is a better footing to stand before God upon than anything you have done. Give up your self-trust— it is a rotten plank, a foul deception, a false traitor. JESUS is the sinner’s only hope. Give up every other reliance!

If you have opposition in your hearts to the Gospel, the Word says to you, “Give up.” Perhaps you were prejudiced against it, or your religion is based on forms, but rest assured, the sooner you give up those false reliances, the better for you.

The Urgency to Yield to Christ

Finally, the message to all is clear: Yield yourself up to Christ’s love. For unless you do so, you shall find His power in Christ to be your destruction. Give up the old ways, the false comforts, and trust in Him alone for salvation!

Give Up and Keep Not Back

That question is put to every man who hears the Gospel faithfully preached! Most men, in their heart of hearts, would like to have their sins and go to Heaven, too, but that cannot be! While God is just, Heaven is holy, and truth is precious, it cannot be! What then? “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Give up, give up! Give up your sin! What is the sin? Is it the drunk’s cup? Away with the bewitching draught! Is it the drunk’s company? That is as damnable as his cup! Renounce such society at once! Is it blasphemy? O man, God rinse your mouth out of such black stuff as that! Have done with a sin for which there cannot be any excuse, for it cannot bring you any pleasure or profit, nor can there be any necessity for it; it is a degrading, useless, senseless, God-provoking crime! Is it some secret sin that must not be named lest the cheek of modesty be reddened? Give it up, Friend! It will be much better for you to lose it, though it were as precious as your right arm or your right eye, than to keep it and be cast into Hell. The chamber of wantonness is the gate of death; flee from it without delay! The sins of the flesh are a deep ditch, and the abhorred of the Lord fall in. But as you love your soul, O young man, escape like a bird from the fowler’s snare! Here is the message from God to you—“Give up, give up your sin.”

The Danger of Merely Changing Sinful Habits

Perhaps, though you hear the summons, you trifle with it, and reply, “Yes; I mean to give them all up, and I hope by so doing I shall find my way to Heaven. I shall deserve well of my Maker when I have denied myself all sinful pleasures.” But stop! Let me not deceive you—this is not all! I fear that some men are not improved in their hearts when they are altered in their outward behavior. I am glad of the outward improvement, but I have sometimes fancied that they have only changed their sins, but not given them up! They show no leprosy in their skin, but it dies in their bones and their flesh. It is of little use to merely shift the region in which sin sets up its throne if its dominion is still undestroyed! It reminds one of the verse:

“So when a raging fever burns,
We shift from side to side by turns;
And it is a poor relief we gain
To shift the place, but keep the pain.”

What if the man does not go to Hell as a drunk? It will not remedy it if he is ruined by being self-righteous. As long as he is lost, I do not see that it materially matters how! Many a man has given up outward sins and set up a self-righteousness of his own, saying, “These are your gods, O Israel,” and so he fled from a bear and a lion slew him! He leaned on a wall, and a serpent bit him! All sin must be cast out of the throne of the heart, and whatever righteousness that is not Christ’s righteousness must go with it!

Give Up All That Opposes Christ

I would gladly put the sword-point to your heart, O sinner, and say, “Give up all that opposes Christ,” for if you do not give it up, your soul will be lost. In fact, dear friends, speaking to the children of God as well as to those who are not yet converted, I say, give up all, and have Christ! Give up all attempts to save yourself, and let Christ save you! Work afterwards, because He works in you to will and to do; but now do nothing either great or small to make yourself righteous, for Jesus did it all long, long ago! Do nothing by way of straining for merit, but begin to do everything by way of gratitude. “Give up”; that is, give up yourself to Christ, whatever His will may be. If it is His will that you be sick, that you be poor, that you die, give all up and say, “Your will be done; I resign all to You, my God.”

Unreserved Surrender to Christ’s Will

Does Jesus command you to do anything? Let it not be irksome to you; whatever He says to you, do it. Let there be no backstairs by which to play the truant—no keeping back of part of the price as though you would not do Christ’s will except in some points. Give up unreservedly, and make no provision for the flesh! Let His will be your will; yield entirely! And if you have anything in this world of substance, of talent, of opportunity, “Give up.” Begin with resignation; go on to obedience, and finish with consecration. “Give up, give up” till all is given up—body, soul, and spirit; a reasonable sacrifice to Him, till you can say—

“Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone,
And wholly live to You.”

A Call to Christ’s Near and Dearest Friends

I perceive that my text has grown from a word to the sinner who has to be conquered into a word directed to Christ’s nearest and dearest friends, even to those who are the soldiers of His army. It is, in effect, a lofty, far-reaching precept, and would to God we could live up to it by presenting our all to Jesus, our Lord!

The Call to Come and Confess

Let us now spend a minute or two on the second word of the King—“Keep not back.” Is there some person within this assembly who feels within his heart the desire to come and confess his sins to his God? Standing at the filthy swine trough, does the prodigal say within himself, “I will arise and go unto my Father, and say unto Him, Father, I have sinned”? “Keep not back!” Quench not that holy flame! If you have a desire to come and acknowledge your transgressions to the pardoning Savior, let nothing keep you back: neither fear, nor shame, nor procrastination! Rest not till you have reached the bosom of your God, and acknowledged all your guilt before Him! A repulse need not be feared, nor even an upbraiding; a rich, free, loving welcome is sure. “Keep not back.”

The Assurance of God’s Love in Confession

But is there another who has confessed his sin, but yet has found no peace? Do you see yonder Christ on the Cross? “Yes,” you say, “I know there is life in a look at Him, but may I look?” My Master’s message to you is, “Keep not back! Keep not back,” for whoever looks shall be made whole, and none are forbidden to look! Does the crowd around the Savior hinder you, you sick and dying soul? Be not baffled by difficulty, but persevere; press into the thickest of the throng, for if you do but touch the hem of His garment, you shall be made whole! “Keep not back! Keep not back!” You may believe in Jesus now! May you? No, you are commanded to do it! And you are threatened if you do not, which proves that you have permission and something more! It is written—“He who believes not shall be damned.” O man, it is but another way of saying you have full permission to do it, for you are threatened if you do not! Come, then; come now, right joyfully! “Keep not back.” Confess your sins with repentance, and lay them on Christ by faith, and you shall be saved!

The Call to Confess Christ Publicly

Dear brothers and sisters, many of you have come to Christ and have been saved, and to you the text says, “Keep not back,” in another sense. Do not keep back from confessing Christ; if you have the love of Jesus Christ in your soul, confess it, tell it to others! Never be ashamed of your Lord and Master; come and unite with His Church and people. You owe it to the Church; you owe it to the preacher who was the means of your conversion! You owe it especially to your Lord and Master that you “keep not back.”

Overcoming Excuses for Holding Back

I have heard of some who keep back because the Church is not perfect. And are you perfect, I dare ask? Why, if the Church were perfect, we could not endure you in it, my critical friend; I have no doubt whatever that you will find the Church quite as perfect as you are! There are others who keep aloof from the people of God because they feel they are not perfect themselves. My dear friend, if you were perfect, we would not want you because you would be the only perfect member among us—and having a very imperfect pastor, I do not know what we would do with you! We would find you such a speckled bird among us that we should probably pray the Lord to take you home to Heaven at once! I should like to have you become perfect, and the nearer perfection the better, but still, if you make no profession of faith till you are sinless, it will not be this side of the grave. No, confess Christ, for is it not written—“He who with his heart believes, and with his mouth makes confession of Him, shall be saved”? Do not forget the confession of the mouth!

The Call to Press On in Grace and Fellowship

“Keep not back”; and when you have done that, if there is any Christian quality that can be reached, do not despair of reaching it! “Keep not back,” and if perfection, itself, is attainable, never be content till you get it. If you are a child of God, you never will be self-satisfied; you will always be crying, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” O that you may never be content with yourself! Self-satisfaction is the death of progress! You have come into the lowest seat at the feast, but Jesus says— “Friend, come up higher.” And when you get into a higher room, and enter into closer communion with Him, He will say to you, “Friend, come up higher.” Do not hesitate to climb higher in grace and fellowship! Let your prayer be, “Nearer to You, my God, nearer to You.” Be insatiable in the longings of your soul—hunger and thirst after His righteousness; covet earnestly the best gifts; grow in grace, and in the knowledge of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “Keep not back.” There is no point in grace at which we are prohibited from aiming; we ought, none of us, to say, “I am all I can ever be.” Oh, no, let us reach to the front ranks by God’s grace, for He says, “Keep not back.”

The Call to Do More for Christ

Let me add, if there is a brother who could do more for Christ than he is doing, let him “keep not back.” Could you preach? Well, there are plenty of places needing occasional ministers, and others that are quite destitute; I do not know a nobler occupation for a man who is in business in London than for him to be maintaining himself by his shop, or whatever else his calling may be, and going out to suburban villages on Sunday to preach! I often wonder why more persons do not imitate the example of some good brothers, whom I could name, who are in their business diligently, and who are also fervent in spirit in their Master’s work. What reason can there be that for every little church there should be a pastor specially set apart for the work? It is a very desirable thing wherever there are enough Christian people to be able to support a minister, that there should be such.

Encouraging More Lay Ministry

But I believe we very much hamper ourselves in our Christian work through always imagining that a paid person set apart to preach is necessary for every Christian Church. There ought to be more farmers who educate themselves and preach in their own barns or on the village greens; there ought to be more men of business in London who seek to improve their minds so they may preach acceptably, anywhere, the Gospel of Jesus Christ! And I hope the time will come when our dear friends, the members of churches in London, will not be so backward as they are, but will come forward and speak to the honor of the Lord Jesus. If you cannot edify a thousand, perhaps you can influence ten. If you cannot, with a regular congregation, continue to find fresh matter year after year (and believe me, that is a very difficult thing), yet you can preach a sermon here, and a sermon there, and tell different companies the same story of the Savior’s love. I do not know what special work you can do, but something is within your power, and from that, “Keep not back.”

The Call to Serve Christ Boldly

Besides, there are all our street corners; in spring and summer, how delightful to stand in the thick of the throng and uplift the Crucified One! Of course, you are sure to have a congregation out of doors, and a congregation that is rather attentive, and sometimes rather inquisitive, and do not need to be so inconveniently crowded as we are in this Tabernacle! Take the wide sweep, cast the big net, and hope for fish! If you have any grace or gift, “Keep not back.”

Overcoming Pride and Laziness in Serving Christ

“Alas,” murmurs the glowworm, “I mean to shut up my lamp and hide under those damp weeds, and never shine again.” What is the matter with you? “Why,” says he, “I have seen the sun! I shall never shine again after seeing the sun!” That glowworm is stupid; if he were wise, he would say, “I have looked upon the sun, and I perceive with shame that my lamp is but a poor light, but for that reason, I must use it the more diligently. The sun may well hide its light after 12 hours are over, but I must try to glimmer during the whole 24 hours, and so give as much light as I can, little though it is.” You complain that you have but one talent; that is the reason for being doubly diligent with it! If you had five, they ought to be fully used, but if you have only one, you must put all your wits to work to make something more of it. At any rate, “Keep not back.”

The Call to Serve Christ Without Hesitation

“Well,” says one, “I think I could do something, but I am of a retiring disposition.” I am afraid if I had been in the French army in the late war, I would be very much of the same disposition. But in a soldier, as a rule, a retiring disposition in the hour of battle is not much commended by his captain! You who are so modest (shall I say so cowardly?) that you cannot do for Christ what you ought to do, will have an account to settle with your consciences one of these days which will cost you a world of sorrow! Break through this bashfulness, this laziness (for it comes to that in the long run), this silly, wicked shame! Pride must also be slain, for this hinders many; they cannot be so prominent as others, and therefore shun the work altogether. Get rid of all that cripples you! Shake all off by the power of the Holy Spirit, my dear brethren, and “Keep not back,” for who knows but that you may yet bring sinners to Jesus; may save a soul from death; and hide a multitude of sins, through God’s eternal Spirit? May it be so, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

Portion of Scripture Read Before Sermon: Isaiah 43
—Charles Spurgeon