THE LORD KNOWETH HOW TO DELIVER - Robert Murray Mcchene
“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.” 2 Peter ii., 9.
THERE are only two great classes of people in the world—the godly and the unjust; and the way in which God deals with these two classes makes up the history of the universe. To one of these classes every one of you belongs. 1. The godly are those who have been born again—made partakers of the divine nature, and live unto God. 2. The unjust are those who are ungodly— who have never been born again—who live to themselves and to the world. God deals very differently with these two classes.
I. His treatment of the godly.
1. He allows them to fall into temptations. The whole Bible shows that it is common for believers to be carried through many and great temptations. Temptations may be understood in two ways. (1.) Solicitations to sin. All believers are allowed to fall into these. The old nature remains; though crucified, and mortified, and hated, yet it remains. Satan shoots his fiery darts— lays snares for the soul. The world watches for our halting. No doubt Noah felt these in the old world, and Lot as he walked through the streets of Sodom. (2.) Trials. All kinds of trial which try the soul whether it will abide in Christ or no—reproaches and persecutions. Often the trial is fiery. The whole Bible testifies that it is common for believers to fall into these. The ordinary course of a believer passes through these: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able.”—1 Cor. x., 13. Think it not strange. James says: “Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.” And Paul says, “that he served the Lord with all humility of mind, with many tears and temptations.”—Acts xx., 19. You may think it strange that God should take us by such a way to glory— by tears and temptations. Why did he let Noah live so long in a world of trials? Why did he let Lot remain in the midst of Sodom ?
1st, To manifest the reality of grace. It is said: “There must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.”—1 Cor. xi., 19. For the same reason there must be temptations, that those of you who are really God’s children may be made manifest. In a time when there is no trial or temptation, it is easy to receive the Word with joy, and many among you appear to be Christians; but when temptation comes, many go down—many that seemed to get good at one time, to be moved, and to wait diligently on the Word. Perhaps if you had been allowed to go smoothly through life without temptations, you would have remained with a name to live all your days; but temptation came, and you sank, just to show that you were none of his. But Noah is kept in the midst of the old world, not conforming to the world, to show that there is a divine power working in him—to show that there is an electing, forgiving, upholding God. Lot is kept in Sodom to show the same thing. And you that are believers are kept by the power of God, through manifold temptations.
2d. To condemn the world. Noah was moved with fear, by which he condemned the world. When a poor fellow-worm and fellow-sinner was enabled to live above the world, to commune with God, and to go in and out among them, living for eternity, it proved to them that there was a Saviour—that there was a God of grace. A believer is a living demonstration of the way of salvation. Lot condemned the men of Sodom, when he vexed his soul from day to day, when he lived among them a pardoned sinner, upheld by the Holy Spirit. And so the few believers in this place are condemning it. O, if you had never seen what conversion is—if you had no examples of a holy, renewed believer in your neighborhood, you would stand with a bolder face in the judgment! But, ah! every believer in this place condemns you. Why not wash where we have been washed?
3d, That we may be conformed to Christ. Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial that is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you; but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of the sufferings of Christ. Christ was tempted by the devil, and hated by the world; and we must be glad to share in his sufferings. God desires us to be like our Head in all things.
2. The Lord knows how to deliver them,
(1.) They know not how to deliver themselves. I have no doubt Noah often said: I fear I too shall be carried away with the flood; I fear my faith will fail me; I know not what to do. And Lot often trembled in Sodom; and David, when Saul pursued him. Many of you do not know how to deliver yourselves. You are compassed about as with a flood, by old companions, old lusts, & hating world, a roaring lion. (2.) Man knows not how to deliver you. It is common for souls under temptation to ask counsel of ministers, but they cannot deliver you. Nothing is more vain than the help of man in an hour of temptation. (3.) The Lord knows. More is meant than the mere words imply. The Lord not only knows how to do it, but will certainly deliver the godly out of temptation. He loves them. Every godly one is a jewel in his sight; he died for them, and he will not lose one. When he puts them into the furnace, he sits as a refiner. He has promised they shall never perish: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” He will with the temptation make a way of escape: “I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.”
It matters not what the temptation be. It matters not how great the temptation be, and how weak the believing soul. Some children of God say sometimes: If it were a lesser trial, I could bear it; if the furnace were not so hot, if the temptation were not so great, I could get through; or, if I had more strength, if I were an older and more experienced believer. Look at the words: “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation.” Is anything too hard for the Lord ?
It matters not how few the believers be. There was but one Lot and one Noah. Perhaps they said: “The Lord hath forgotten me, and my God hath forsaken me.” God is as able to deliver one as a thousand. One soul is precious in his sight: “I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and bring you to Zion”— “I will sift the house of Israel like as corn is sifted in a sieve; yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth”— “Those whom thou hast given me have I kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.”
II. God’s treatment of the unjust: “God knoweth how to reserve the unjust to the day of judgment to be punished.”
1. The end of all the ungodly n to be punished. Whatever be God’s present dealings with the ungodly, their end is to be punished. Whatever shall be found laden with sin, his end is to be punished. The angels sinned. They were of a noble nature— originally in the image of God; yet God did not spare them, but cast them down to hell. The old world sinned—a great multitude—a world full; God brought in the flood upon them. An individual town sinned; God turned it into ashes, and made it an example to all that should afterwards live ungodly. This will be the end of all in this congregation who live on in sin. Ah! it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for you. Your end is to be burned.
2. Not now: “God knoweth how to reserve.” Judgment against an evil work is not executed speedily. During the French Revolution, a young man stepped forward, and dared God Almighty to strike him dead. No evil followed. Many of you have gone on in sin thus. The first time you sinned, you trembled lest you should be quickly summoned to judgment; but no evil followed, and now your heart is fully set in you to do evil. Ah! you little understand. “The Lord knoweth how to reserve.” God’s ways are not like our ways. When a man steals, the cry immediately follows: “Stop, thief!” else he will be out of reach. When a murder is committed, a reward is offered for the apprehension of the murderer, lest he should escape from the hands of justice. Not so with God. He is not in haste to punish. You cannot flee out of his dominions. Your feet shall slide in due time. God is reserving you to the day of judgment to be punished. He endures with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction.
(1.) It is not that you have sinned little. Many of you have sinned more than others that have been taken away. I have no doubt there are many in hell who had far less sin than some of you.
(2.) It is not that God loves your sin. God hates it infinitely. Every new sin you commit provokes him in a fearful manner. Every new Sabbath you break—every new lust you pour forth— God is more and more angry with you.
(3.) It is not that you are in health—that there are no means of your destruction at hand. God could smite in one hour. Here is the explanation: “God knoweth how to reserve the unjust.” O employ this day of long-suffering, while Jesus waits to save you, and God refrains from destroying you I Lord, help a worm !