Well, good evening. It's good to see you here tonight. We've enjoyed a wonderful time this week in the C. H. Spurgeon Teaching Conference. We've heard messages that told us the facts of Spurgeon's life, the importance of sound doctrine, the sovereignty of God, and how God's sovereignty is to be understood in relationship to evangelism. And tonight we're going to finish the conference by talking about circumstances that I believe revealed most clearly the work of God's grace and the life of Charles Haddon Spurgeon. You know, folks, we are tested in two directions as believers. We're tested by prosperity and we're tested by adversity. We're tested by how we respond to God when things seem to be good. And we're tested by how we respond to God when things are at their worst. And we give the Lord praise and thanks that in the life of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, he was proven in this man's life both in the best of times and in the worst of times. And we'll see that tonight. I'm going to ask you please to turn in your Bibles to Zephaniah chapter 3. Zephaniah chapter 3. Yes, that is in your Bible. This is not a Hezekiah trick. It's one of the minor prophets in the Old Testament. Zephaniah chapter 3, right after the book of Habakkuk. Zephaniah chapter 3. I want us to read verses 16-18. In that day it will be said to Jerusalem, do not be afraid, O Zion. Do not let your hands fall limp. The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exalt over you with joy. He will be quiet in His love. He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts. They came from you, O Zion. The reproach of exile is a burden on them. Let's pray together. Our gracious Heavenly Father, we pray your blessing on this time of preaching tonight. We ask that your Spirit would move in our midst in a mighty and powerful way. that, Lord, You would bring Your Word home to our minds and hearts in an undeniable fashion, that we would leave here, Lord, knowing that we've met with You and having work done in our lives that is indeed eternal and lasts. We pray for those with us tonight who may not know Christ, Lord, that You would draw them to see their need for Jesus and, Lord, bring them to a place of repentance and faith in Your Son. We pray for your people that tonight, Lord, you would edify us and build us up in our walk with you. We ask you this in Jesus' name. Amen. Tonight, I'm going to present this sermon to you in a way that's a little different for me. The first part of it is basically history. I want to tell you about what is now known as the downgrade controversy. And then after I've talked to you about the downgrade controversy, I want to turn to our text here, And I want us to see together how we should respond to the downgrade that we see in our own generation, in our own time. Let's begin, though, tonight with the downgrade controversy. What was it? Well, in March of 1887, March 1887, C.H. Spurgeon published in his monthly magazine, The Sword and the Trowel, two articles entitled The Downgrade. Spurgeon did not write those articles. They were written by a pastor friend of his, a man by the name of Robert Schindler. Those articles were written, however, with input from Spurgeon, and Spurgeon, in a footnote, endorsed those articles. Those two articles talked about a departure from the doctrine that had come to England with Puritanism. And Schindler talked about how evangelicalism there in England and around the world, but especially there in England, was on the downgrade. Those two articles met with a lot of reaction. They received a lot of correspondence in response to those two articles. A lot of it was negative, but most of it was positive. spoke of the accuracy of the articles and the urgency of the problem that was confronting the churches. Spurgeon saw that correspondence and he already saw evidence of apostasy, he already saw evidence of problems in the churches, but when he saw the correspondence from those articles, he was more convinced than ever that there was indeed a problem in the churches and that it was an urgent problem. And so in August of 1887, he took up the pen himself and he wrote an article entitled, Another Word Concerning the Downgrade. The tone of his article, though, was much more urgent than that of Schindler's articles. And he made very clear that he saw not only apostasy in the churches, but he was troubled by the effect that it was having on the people in those churches. He wrote this in that August article, quote, Our solemn conviction is that things are much worse in many churches than they seem to be and are rapidly tending downward. Read those newspapers which represent the broad school of dissent and ask yourself how much farther could they go? What doctrine remains to be abandoned? A new religion has been initiated which is no more Christianity than chalk is cheese. And this religion, being destitute of moral honesty, palms itself off as the old faith with slight improvements, and on this plea usurps pulpits which were erected for gospel preaching." Spurgeon's concerns could be broken down into two categories. He saw liberalism affecting the churches, and he saw worldliness affecting the churches. He saw liberalism denying the Word of God in its doctrine, in its statements. And he saw worldliness denying the Word of God in practice. John MacArthur, commenting on Spurgeon's concerns in the book, Ashamed of the Gospel, writes this, in place of gospel preaching, this new and improved variety of Christianity was substituting amusement. Spurgeon warned that many were turning the church into a playhouse, allowing the values and techniques of the theater to invade the sanctuary of the Lord. So Spurgeon was concerned in that he saw a departure in the church, a departure in doctrine, and he saw a departure in terms of the church's methodology. He saw a worldliness invading the churches. And I might just add at this point that these two things always go hand in hand, beloved. We've said it many times here and I want to say it again tonight. You cannot separate your methodology from your understanding of God's message. Or I'll say it to you another way. When you abandon biblical methodology, it is because you have lost confidence in the core of the biblical message. You no longer trust God's Word to do what God promises God's Word will do. And so you resort to worldly methods. At the end of that August article, he sort of fired off a volley that said, we're very serious. He threw down the gauntlet. He raised an issue that had not been previously raised. Listen to what he writes, quote, It now becomes a serious question how far those who abide by the faith once delivered to the saints should fraternize with those who have turned aside to another gospel. Christian love has its claims. and divisions are to be shunned as grievous evils. But how far are we justified in being in confederacy with those who are departing from the truth?" Spurgeon asked basically, look, how much longer are we going to cooperate with those who no longer represent the truth? Well, that drew a lot of criticism. And there were many responses to his August article. So what he did in September was he added heat to the fire. And he pressed the issue. And he responded to his critics with evidence. And he wrote this in the September article in the Sword and the Trowel, quote, a chasm is opening between the men who believe their Bibles and the men who are prepared for an advance upon Scripture. And I love this illustration. He says, the house is being robbed. Its very walls are being digged down. But the good people who are in bed are too fond of the warmth and too much afraid of getting broken heads to go downstairs and meet the burglars. Inspiration and speculation cannot long abide in peace. Compromise, there can be none. We cannot hold the inspiration of the Word and yet reject it. We cannot believe in the atonement and deny it. We cannot hold the doctrine of the fall and yet talk of the evolution of spiritual life from human nature. We cannot recognize the punishment of the impenitent and yet indulge the larger hope, that is, that someone may go to heaven, though they haven't repented and trusted Christ. He says, one way or the other, we must go. Decision is the virtue of the hour. Well, sadly, by this time, Spurgeon was also having major health problems. He was struggling with recurring kidney ailments, and he'd been absent for a long time from his pulpit. And so those who didn't want to receive his message saw an open door to attack him personally. And what they began to insinuate is, these are the rantings of a sick man. This is a man who is physically ill. This is a man whose judgments have been colored. This is a man who's just ranting and raving because he's ill. Spurgeon, of course, was aware of that. It deeply grieved him. He wrote this, quote, Our opponents have set to work to make sneering allusions to our sickness. All the solemn things we have written are the suggestions of our pain, and we are advised to take a long rest. with pretended compassion, but with real insolence. They would detract from the truth by pointing to the lameness of its witness." If we were in a debate with Christians, we should feel sure that however short they might run of arguments, they would not resort to personalities. And so he ended his September article by writing this, let us not pretend to a fellowship we do not feel. nor hide convictions which are burning in our hearts. The times are perilous, and the responsibility of every individual is a burden which he must bear or prove a traitor. What each man's place and course should be, the Lord will make clear to him." So you had Schindler's two articles, that set off a firestorm. You had Spurgeon's two articles that continued to point out the problem, but with greater urgency. And he began to suggest that maybe a separation on the part of those who believed the Bible was in order. All of this Spurgeon hoped would cause the Baptist Union to which he belonged to take a stand. What Spurgeon recognized was this, the only thing that held the Baptist Union together was a common belief about baptism. And what he hoped would happen is that they would come out with a clear doctrinal statement, a clear statement of faith. Here is what we believe, stated in uncertain terms, stated in language that could not have double meaning, so that we could find out who in the camp really believed the Word of God and who in the camp didn't. That's what he wanted. But sadly, what happened is the union ignored all of that. And he saw that, and so in October of 1887, he made a decision. He decided it was time for him personally to pull out of the Baptist Union. One of the things you need to know is the Secretary of the Baptist Union, Samuel Harris Booth, early in this controversy had come to Spurgeon privately. Now this was a man in the leadership of the Baptist Union, and he told Spurgeon of specific instances of liberal pastors in the union. He brought evidence to Spurgeon, and he encouraged Spurgeon to address it. Well, once Spurgeon began to address it, and the attacks began to be leveled at him, and one of the attacks is, Mr. Spurgeon, why don't you bring forth specifics? Why don't you name names? Why don't you bring us evidence? Well, right about the time they began to call for evidence, Samuel Booth, went to Spurgeon and said, listen, what I told you was private communication. And it is a matter of honor that you do not reveal who told you these things. And so Spurgeon was left in a position where he could not bring forth the specifics. He was called on his honor not to reveal the things that Samuel Booth had told him. And yet, instead of Booth coming to Spurgeon's defense, Booth joined those who stood against Spurgeon. In my mind, in Christian history, one of the greatest betrayals that we could read about. So Spurgeon decided to withdraw from the Union. And on October 28, 1887, he wrote a letter to Samuel Harris Booth, General Secretary of the Baptist Union, and he wrote this, quote, Dear friend, I beg to intimate to you as the Secretary of the Baptist Union that I must withdraw from that society. I do this with utmost regret, but I have no choice. The reasons are set forth in the Sword and the Trowel for November, and I trust you will excuse my repeating them here. I beg you not to send anyone to me to ask for reconsideration. I fear I have considered too long already. Certainly every hour of the day impresses upon me the conviction that I am moving none too soon. I wish also to add that no personal peak or ill will has in the least degree operated upon me. I have personally received more respect than I desired. It is on the highest ground alone that I take this step, and you know that I have long delayed it because I hoped for better things. Yours always heartily, C.H. Spurgeon." Well, unfortunately, that didn't end things. That set off a greater firestorm. You have to understand something. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, when he was alive, was the most influential Baptist pastor in the world. And he was the most influential Baptist pastor in the Union. And the most influential Baptist pastor in London. And so when the most influential Baptist pastor in the Union in London, in the world, pulls out of the Union, and does so because he says the Union will not take a stand against liberalism and worldliness, That's something that the whole world takes notice of. And so what was the union to do? Well, what they did, Spurgeon was in France. They sent message to him that they wanted to send delegates to meet with him. And they wanted to meet with him on the grounds of Matthew chapter 18. They said that what he had done is violate the terms of Matthew chapter 18 because he had not brought forth specifics He had not addressed the individuals that had strayed in their doctrine, but rather by his articles and by his actions, he had cast a shadow of doubt over the whole union, including those men who taught the truth, and that that was wrong. And so they wanted to meet with him, and they were going to send four doctors of divinity to meet with him in France. Well, Spurgeon was a very discerning man, and he understood exactly what this was about. This was not about biblical faithfulness. In fact, the leaders of the union knew that he had gone to them personally and privately many times. And Samuel Booth, the secretary, especially knew that. This wasn't about biblical faithfulness. This was about trying to shift the spotlight, trying to say to the world, the watching world, look, the problem is not with the union and compromise. The problem is with Mr. Spurgeon. And he is a hard man who is an unbending man and he is in the wrong. Spurgeon knew that. In fact, right about this time he wrote a letter to his wife Susanna. And in that letter he said, quote, Think of four doctors of divinity coming all this way to see me. I was in great perplexity and knew not what to reply. I don't quite see what it all means. I lay awake till one o'clock. I do not fear for doctors, but I think it a very wise move on their part. If it means they will surrender, it is well, but if it is meant to fix on me the odium of being implacable, it is another matter." At the same time, he wrote in correspondence to ministers who belonged to the pastor's college conference, right about the same time he wrote this to them, What a farce about my seeing these brethren privately, according to Matthew 18, 5. Why, I saw the secretary and the president again and again. And then I printed my complaint and only left the union when nothing could be done. Now something will be done. Not until I took the decided step could I affect anything. And by the way, that tells you something about his motive, too, doesn't it? His motive was to get something affected. His motive was to get a wrong righted. But he told the delegates, no, I don't want to meet with you in France. I'll meet with you when I get back to London. And so in January of 1888, if you're tracking this in your mind, the first downgrade article was written in March. Spurgeon wrote his first article in August and again in September. He left the Union in October, so November, December, January of 1888. Now he's meeting with representatives from the Union. When he met with them, the union delegates called upon him to withdraw his resignation, to reconsider his withdrawal. Spurgeon refused. And he called upon them to bring forth a very clear statement of faith on behalf of the union. Please, let's find out what we believe. Let's find out who is in this union. Well, they refused that. And five days later, after their meeting with him in January of 1888, the full Baptist Union met, over 100 delegates were there, and they voted not only to accept Spurgeon's withdrawal, but they also voted to condemn him, to condemn his actions. They passed a resolution, a censure, condemning his actions. And they did it all sort of under this motto, this umbrella. Here's what they said, no creed but Christ. No creed but Christ. Now if that sounds somewhat familiar to you, it's because that's exactly what the Baptist General Convention of Texas has been saying when conservatives say to them, what do we believe? Why don't we sign statements of faith at our seminaries saying, stating clearly what we believe and what do the, quote, moderates, who are in fact liberals, what do they say? No creed but Christ. Oh, Jesus is the guide. Isn't it funny how error just repeats itself over and over and over again? How ironic. So they condemned him. But they also knew they were sort of in a tough spot because he had made a very public charge that they were compromising with error. So after voting censure on him, they decided they would draw up a statement of faith. It was going to be an evangelical statement of faith. And the council, the Baptist Union Council, was going to draw it up. And to show you the largeness of this man's Christian character, Spurgeon, to show you what kind of man he was, even after they had censured him, in correspondence from him, you can see that he still hoped for something good to come out of this doctrinal statement. He sent a letter to the editor of the Baptist and it said this, whatever the council does, Let it above all things avoid the use of language, which could legitimately have two meanings contrary to each other. Let us be plain and outspoken. There are grave differences. Let them be avowed honestly." He was still hoping for something good. But the Union did the exact opposite. The Council prepared a brief, vague, quote, evangelical doctrinal statement. And then even with that brief, vague statement, when they got up to present it to the Baptist Union, they presented it, introducing it with a statement, disclaiming that the union had any authority to enforce doctrinal standards on its members. In other words, here's the thing that we all believe, but before we even present it to you, let us just be plain that you're going to be a part of this union whether you believe it or not. That's what they did. And worse, they added a footnote. And the footnote said this, some brethren in the union have not held the common interpretation on passages regarding the resurrection and final judgment. So they say this has no authority and you need to know that a lot of us here don't believe the same, the common interpretation on the resurrection and final judgment. Before the vote on that statement was taken, The motion was made by a man by the name of Charles Williams. He was a liberal. And he stood up and he delivered, before they took the vote, he delivered an impassioned plea in favor of liberal ideas. And then the second to the motion to pass this doctrinal statement, the second was made by Charles Spurgeon's brother, James Spurgeon. He stood up and he said that he seconded the motion, but did not second Charles Williams' speech. In other words, he wanted to make clear he was not a liberal, but he did want to see this evangelical doctrinal statement passed. The vote was taken and the resolution passed 2,000 to 7. Despite all the warnings of Spurgeon, despite all those downgrade articles, 2,000 to 7, they passed the resolution. There was an eyewitness at that meeting, a man by the name of Henry Oakley, who wrote about it later. When Oakley saw what was going on, he understood it correctly. He understood that that vote was not just a statement about doctrine, it was a statement about Spurgeon. That in that vote, they were saying something about Charles Haddon Spurgeon and about his concerns. Some of the men there, no doubt, didn't think of it that way. But in reality, that's what was going on. And Oakley understood it. Here's what he wrote. Here was his eyewitness account. I was present at the city temple when the motion was moved, seconded and carried. Possibly the city temple was as full as it could be. I was there very early, but found only a standing seat in the aisle of the back gallery. I listened to the speeches. The only one of which I have any distinct remembrance was that of Mr. Charles Williams. He quoted Tennyson in favor of a liberal theology and justification of doubt. The moment of voting came. Only those in the area, that is the area of their union, were qualified to vote as members of the assembly. When the motion of censure was put, a forest of hands went up. Against, called the chairman Dr. Clifford, I did not see any hands, but history records that there were seven. Without any announcement of numbers, the vast assembly broke into tumultuous cheering and cheering and cheering, yet, from some of the older men, their pent-up hostility found vent. From many of the younger men, wild resistance of any obscurantist trembles, as they said, broke loose." And what they meant is that they believed that Charles Haddon Spurgeon believed obscure things from the Bible that shackled them. It's like a net that holds fish and won't let them get out. They believed that's what Spurgeon's influence was. And so they're cheering and cheering and cheering. He goes on to write this, it was a strange scene. I viewed it almost with tears. I stood near a Spurgeon's man, whom I knew very well. Mr. Spurgeon had welcomed him from a very lowly position. He went wild, almost with delight, at this censure of his great and generous master. I say it was a strange scene. that that vast assembly should be so outrageously delighted at the condemnation of the greatest, noblest, and grandest leader of their faith. Again, you see the stature of Charles Haddon Spurgeon and how he reacted to this. He wrote to a friend, my brother thinks he has gained a victory, but I believe we are hopelessly sold. I feel heartbroken. Certainly he has done the very opposite of what I should have done. Yet he is not to be blamed, for he followed his best judgment. Pray for me that my faith fail not." Ask yourself a question tonight. Why? Why do you think those pastors Those people present. Why such delight in taking a course the exact opposite of the warnings of Spurgeon? Why was there this wild cheering, this tumultuous cheering? Why? One reason certainly was that some of those men thought that real good had been accomplished. At least there was some kind of doctrinal statement. Some, no doubt, were cheering because perhaps they had been jealous of Spurgeon. And for them, this was sort of a slap back at that man. But as you begin to read the quotes from the newspapers and the Christian periodicals and their take on it, as you begin to read those things, you realize there was something else at work. And what was at work is not that they hated C.H. Spurgeon so much as they hated his theology. They hated his doctrine. And specifically, they hated his teaching about the sovereignty of God. Listen to what you find in the newspapers of that day. The Birmingham Daily Post said that the key to Spurgeon's resignation from the Baptist Union was that he was, quote, a convinced and vehement Calvinist. In other words, they said, we know why Spurgeon pulled out of the Union. It's because Calvinism is falling out of favor. That's why he pulled out. The Sunday School Chronicle blames Spurgeon for, quote, making the precise lines of his own theology the standard by which he measures fidelity to the gospel. He is a Calvinist, but it's not fair to judge a man's attachment to the teaching of Christ and his apostles by the standard of even so revered an authority as the assembly's catechism. A minister writing to the Congregational Review wrote this, What has been given up is not faith, but mainly Calvinism. A former generation was Calvinistic to the backbone. Indeed, there were not wanting those who treated Calvinism as the essential creed of Congregationalists. This is so no longer. As it seems to me, not the younger men only, but the bulk of Congregational ministers have moved far from the Calvinistic standpoint, which Mr. Spurgeon still courageously holds. The Methodist Times said this, it can no longer be concealed that Mr. Spurgeon is out of touch with the new democracy and the younger generation of devout evangelicals. He is standing still, but the Church of God moves on. Old-fashioned Puritan formulae are driving him into a reactionary and vanquished camp. The National Reformer A non-Christian wrote in and said this, if any such terrible being as Mr. Spurgeon's God existed, I would not worship him. The Christian World, a Baptist minister from Leicester wrote, I hope I love the holy book, but I do not read it as Mr. Spurgeon reads it. The God of Mr. Spurgeon's theology is not my God. J.P. Williams, a Yorkshire congregational minister wrote, I fully endorse The late Henry W. Beecher's view that the old Calvinistic form of stating Christian truth is at the root of a great deal of the skepticism of the age. Rather than fear, I hail with delight the desire that prevails in the pulpit and pew of today for a restatement of Christian truth. And then perhaps the most telling of all. There was a man by the name of T.R. Stevenson. He was a member of the Baptist Union, and listen, he was a member of the Baptist Union's council. In 1887, the council, you'll remember, that met with Spurgeon, the council that rejected his call for a doctrinal statement, the council that led in a vote to censure him and condemn him. This man served on the council. He wrote to the Derby Daily Telegraph. Here's what he said. The Reverend C.H. Spurgeon is a noble man. We all admire him. His generosity and self-abnegation are notorious. To love and value him amounts to duty, but he is not infallible. Much of his theology is unworthy of him. It is out of joint with the Bible. It is also opposed to the best instincts of humanity. To be plain, Calvinism has had its day. It is sick unto death. All the restoratives so diligently administered by its friends will not save it. Thank heaven the world has outgrown it and nothing for it but a smile of pity on account of its ignorance. One leg is in the grave. Where will the other be in 50 years? There let it lie forever. I am, sir, your obedient servant, T.R. Stevenson. Well, beloved, we're past 50 years down the road, aren't we? Would you say it's in the grave? It's not in the grave. I tell you, the Lord's truth about His sovereignty, it's in my heart, it's in your hearts, and it's in His Word, most importantly. And we could literally go on and on with what went on in the papers of His day. Can you understand now why we heard that it was this controversy that sent Him to an early death, that broke His heart, that robbed Him of His help, He was attacked on every quarter. He was basically left alone. Spurgeon trusted God and honored God when everyone sung his praises, but there are many who could do that. He trusted God and he honored God when everyone abandoned him. Every believer will always be tested on both ends. How do you respond to God in the midst of prosperity? How do you respond to God in the worst of times? How did he respond? Did he respond with anger? Did he respond with bitterness? Did he respond with despair? Did he fold his hands and wait in a corner, waiting for the Lord's return? And how are we going to respond? How are we going to respond to the downgrade of our day? Because I'm here to tell you tonight that there's a downgrade right now. The church is on the downgrade in our day. There has been a theological departure in our day. It's a strange one, though. Because many of the churches that I consider to be on the downgrade, they would not deny the deity of Christ. They would not deny salvation by grace through faith. They would not deny in their doctrinal statements a belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. The problem is, all of their methodologies are opposite of what they say they believe. And remember, Spurgeon was concerned about two things. Not just a departure in doctrine, but a departure into worldliness. And folks, listen, there were things going on in his day in the churches that certainly grieved him, but I want to contend, nothing that compares to what's going on today. Nothing that compares to what's going on today. Just this week, here's some things that I had placed on my desk. These are fresh things, just this week. This is from one church in the area. Don't let this exciting event slip away. It's all free Sunday, April 14th, 9.30am to 11am. A special event for kids from K through 5th. So-and-so Baptist Church invites you to super face painting, live silly clowns, real fire truck, speed soccer, moonwalks, fresh popcorn, trackless train, giant 18-foot slide, magical magician, balloons, extreme kids. It's all free. Not one word about Jesus Christ. Not one word about the Word of God. Not one word that would even let you know it is Christian. And I wish I could say, this is out of the ordinary. But it's not. It's not. Here's another church. All these are in our area. Most people live extremely busy lives with no overarching purpose. Most people never discover their purpose in life. Most people go through life just existing instead of really living. But you can discover the purpose of life. Join thousands of your neighbors and friends for a new six-part series of messages by so-and-so pastor designed to help you live a purpose-driven life. Begins next Sunday, April the 7th. Special guests. And this one is April the 14th. Please don't go. Love connection. Making the connection with God and others. Pastor So-and-so talks with television game show host Chuck Woolery about the connections that make all the difference in our lives. So we're going to have the host of the love connection. And this is a very well-known, very popular church in our area. This is another church in our area. Rules of the game, because life is a contact sport. Ever feel like your life is some sort of game where the rules constantly change? How can you ever expect to win? We understand. But before you throw in the towel, I hate to think about what that could mean, right? Before you throw in the towel, take a time out to refocus your game. We've designed a special series of messages to give you that competitive edge you've always wanted. Come huddle up with us. We can help. Not one word about Jesus Christ. Not one word about the Word of God. Not one word other than the fact it is a church advertisement that would let you know that they are Christian. Beloved, this is not out of the ordinary in our day. This is the norm. This is the norm. This is how we have come to believe you win a lost world. Don't be clear about what you believe. Make sure you give Gospel light. Whatever you do, don't mention the H-word. And you can win the masses. What are we to do? Well, the reason why I led you to this text tonight is something very interesting. Remember I told you Spurgeon withdrew from the Union on October 28, 1887. On October the 30th, Sunday morning, October the 30th, two days after, he preached his Sunday morning message from this text. Let's read it together again. And that day it will be said to Jerusalem, do not be afraid, O Zion, do not let your hands fall limp. The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy. He will be quiet in His love. He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feast. They came from you, O Zion. The reproach of exile is a burden on them." And he had three points. He worked his way up from verse 18 to verse 16. Point number one, a trying day for God's people, verse 18. Point number two, a glorious ground for consolation, verse 17. Point number three, a brave conduct suggested thereby, verse 16. Tonight, as I look at this with you, I'd like to organize it in this way. Point number one, a burden that the godly know. That's verse 18. A burden that the godly know. Second, a blessing that the godly must remember. That's verse 17. A blessing that the godly must remember. And then third, a bravery that the godly should know. Verse 16. A bravery that the godly should know. Verse 16. Let's talk first of all about a burden. A burden that the godly should know. Verse 18. I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts. They came from you, O Zion. The reproach of exile is a burden on them. When this was written, the northern kingdom had already been taken captive by Assyria. It would not be long before the southern kingdom would fall to Babylon. God is looking in this passage, however, beyond the time of the exile. Past the time of the exile, when He is going to, in the millennial kingdom, restore the fortunes of His people, when He is going to return to this earth in the person of Jesus Christ and set up His kingdom of righteousness, He's looking to that time. But as he looks forward to the millennial kingdom, he acknowledges something, that those godly ones who will be taken into exile in between these two times, who will be taken into exile, that exile will be for them a time of great grief and a time of heavy burden. It's going to be a time when they were not going to be able to celebrate the solemn assemblies, the appointed feasts, the kind of worship that God had set forth in the Old Testament. They were not going to be able to do that as exiles. And because of the apostasy of the nation, and because of the visiting of God's chastening hand, the godly among them would be grieved. And you know what? That's always going to be the case with the godly. If you're not burdened, If you're not grieved when the truth is dishonored, when the people of God have gone into apostasy, when God must visit His people with chastening, if that doesn't grieve you, if that doesn't burden you, then you don't share the heart of your Savior. If it doesn't burden you and grieve you when you see fools' gold being substituted for the true riches of God. And something is wrong in your heart. Godly people will always be grieved. The reproach of exile, the reproach of disobedient people and those who have apostatized, that reproach will always be a burden on the godly. Spurgeon preached this message on October 30th. He said this, True, there were many who said, that the evil did not exist at all, and others who declared that it was not present in any great degree. Yes, and more hardened spirits declared that what was considered to be a reproach was really a thing to be boasted of, the very glory of the century. But there was a remnant to whom the reproach of it was a burden. These could not bear to see such a calamity. God's people cannot bear that Christ's atoning sacrifice should be dishonored. They cannot endure that His truth should be trodden as mire in the streets. To true believers, prosperity means the Holy Ghost blessing the Word to the conviction of sinners and the building up of saints. And if they do not see this, they hang their harps upon the willows. So it is with God's true people. They lay it much to heart that the truth is rejected. This burdened spirit is a token of true love to God. Can I ask you tonight? When you see ads like this, when you read things like this, when you hear what's going on in the churches around us, not in every one, thank God, we've seen this week, right? There are godly pastors, godly churches. But when you see this stuff, does it burden your heart? Does it bother you at Christmas time to see New York style productions supposedly meant to lead people to Christ instead of the plain declaration of the Gospel? Does it bother you to think that we have actually come to the place where we think we can entertain unbelievers into the Kingdom? Does that burden you? Do you see the wrong in it? Later in that same sermon, Spurgeon said this, those who are unspiritual care nothing for truth or grace. They look to finances and numbers and respectability. Well, you'd think he was living in 2002, wouldn't you? He says, but men whose spirits are of God would sooner see the faithful persecuted than see them desert the truth. Sooner see churches in the depth of poverty full of holy zeal than rich churches, dead in worldliness. Unless the Lord Jesus be extolled and His gospel conquer, we feel that our own personal interests are blighted and we ourselves are in disgrace. It is no small thing to us. It is our life. Some may say, oh, what does it matter? We have our church. We're talking about the cause of Christ. It's much larger than the Spring Memorial Baptist Church. And when our Lord is misrepresented, when His truth is misrepresented, when what His church is, is misrepresented, it affects every Christian. And it ought to burden our hearts. And so the first thing we see in verse 18 is we see a burden that godly people know. But then we've got to ask, alright, we're burdened. But what then should that burden do to our attitudes? What should it do to our outlook in the midst of apostasy and unfaithfulness? Should we despair? Should we become this perpetually grumpy people who cannot smile and cannot laugh and cannot see one good thing in the world? Should the burden rob us of our joy and happiness? Not at all. You know why? Because verse 17 tells us God has promised a future. The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exalt over you with joy. He will be quiet in His love. He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. God promised these people that He knew would be reading this in the midst of the exile or would be hearing this or would be remembering this, and they would be under a great burden. He reminds them, listen, your future is certain. And there's coming a day when the Lord your God will be in your very midst. That's the coming of Christ to this earth. And He is a victorious warrior and He will exalt over you with joy. He will be quiet in His love. He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. This is a fixed certainty. You can rejoice in that. Can I tell you something? Even if we lose the battle in our generation, the war is already settled. And we know that Christ will settle every account and set it all straight. We can rejoice in that. But this doesn't just speak of future blessing. This verse also speaks of things we can encourage our hearts with right now. Let me point these out. First of all, we're reminded in verse 17 that our greatest encouragement in the worst times is found in our God. Do you notice how it begins verse 17? The Lord, what? Your God. Jehovah, Your God. The One who is unchangeable. Though culture changes all around us, be encouraged with this, Christian, your God never changes. The immovable One. Though it seems like the church is moved out of her place, out of the truth, out of this solid state of walking in holiness, though it seems like the church is moved, God's purpose is immovable. and will be accomplished. That's where we have to look for our encouragement. We look directly to our God. Where do you look for your encouragement? Do you look to your circumstances? Circumstances will lie to you. Circumstances will rob you of your joy. Circumstances could convince you that all is lost. You can't look to your circumstances. Are you going to look to the obedience of others? Praise the Lord, we have many faithful brothers and sisters who walk along with us, but what if we came to the day where no one walked with you? Would you lose your joy? Spurgeon came to a place, there was a time when everyone was singing his praises, and everyone thought him to be the greatest preacher in all of London, and indeed he was. But there also came a time when he was condemned by his own brethren. Though he stood on the right, where was he to find his joy? We find our joy in God. Look to your unchanging God. He's your joy. We're also taught something else in verse 17. Not only is our joy to be found in our God, our God is presently in our midst. Yes, one day He will be in the midst of His people face to face, but it is still a truth that He is in our midst right now in His Spirit. What did the Lord Jesus tell us? And lo, I am... where? with you. How long? Always. Even to the end of the age. And in the book of Revelation, where is Jesus Christ in relationship to His church? He is walking right in the midst of His churches. He's here with us tonight. He's here with every believer every day. We're alive on this earth. We are the temple of God individually, and we are the temple of God corporately, and He is always in our midst. There's a reason for encouragement. Do you feel like you seek to honor the Lord? Do you seek to obey the Lord all by yourself? Do you feel like sometimes you're out on an island? Do you feel like you're an oddball and you're out of step with everyone else? Can I encourage you with this thought? You are never alone. Your God is always in your midst. Spurgeon said, ah, friends, if we have God with us, we can bear to be deserted by men. Let me say it again. Our friend, if we have God with us, we can bear to be deserted by men. We rejoice in our God and our God is in our midst. Something else we're told here. Our God is able to save. A victorious warrior. Literally, that line reads, a warrior who saves. Our God is a warrior who saves. And not only is He able to save, He will indeed display that ability. And he'll either do it in some measure now or for certain he will do it in terms of the future, in terms of eternity, in terms of the kingdom. One way or the other, the war is over and our victorious warrior has already told us the outcome. What we pray for, however, is we pray for him to demonstrate that right now, don't we? Wouldn't it be wonderful for the Lord to pour out His Spirit in a mighty way on and through those churches that believe sound doctrine so that He would demonstrate His power to save as the sovereign God He is? Wouldn't that be marvelous? For Him to demonstrate in such a way that it shut all the mouths of the critics? That's what Spurgeon longed for. In the sermon that he preached on this text, he said this, Oh, that we might see a great revival of religion. This is what we want before all things. This would smite the enemy upon the cheekbone and break the teeth of the adversary. If tens of thousands of souls were immediately saved by the sovereign grace of God, what a rebuke it would be to those who deny the faith. Oh, for times such as our fathers saw when first Whitefield and his helpers began to preach the life-giving word. When one sweet voice was heard clear and loud, all the birds of paradise began to sing in concert with Him, and the morning of a glorious day was heralded. Let us not seek power of rhetoric, much less of wealth, but let us look for the power which saves." What do we mean in our day? Not fine sounding speeches, not wealth and riches, but a move of the Holy Spirit of God. power of the hand of our sovereign God. That's what we ought to pray for. But Spurgeon did not live to see a great revival. In fact, he died before there was even clear evidence of a great departure. Yet, he still was not rejoicing in vain because God's cause is settled. And our Lord is a victorious warrior and the truth will be vindicated. There's something else here that encourages us. Our God is our encouragement. He's in our midst. He's a victorious warrior, a warrior who saves. Something else. Notice, He will exalt over you with joy. Do you feel alone sometimes, Christian? Can I give you something to be encouraged by? Your God rejoices over you. He rejoices over all of His elect. Do you feel like that? You know, there's sometimes this wrongful, huge gap between what we know and what we feel. Do you feel like the Lord takes pleasure in you, believer? Do you feel like He's pleased with you? Do you feel like that He rejoices over you? Do you know that He does? In fact, do you know that in some measure, the salvation of God's elect is what allowed Jesus to endure His suffering? Hebrews 12.2 says this, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. What was the joy set before Him? No doubt the glory of His Father, no doubt the accomplishment of the eternal counsels of God, the eternal purpose of God, but also a part of that joy was seeing His elect redeemed by His own blood offering. And now God, because you are accepted by God, not based on your works, but based on the shed blood of Jesus Christ, God rejoices over you. Something else to encourage your heart, in verse 17 we're told that God rests in His love to His people. It says He will be quiet in His love. When Spurgeon preached this, he said, the Hebrew of this line is, He shall be silent in His love. His happiness in His love is so great that He does not express it, but keeps a happy silence. His is a joy too deep for words. The Lord wants you to know that you're a source of His pleasure to such a degree that He says to you, there is a sense in which He is silent over you in His love. Have you ever been so overwhelmed by an awareness of love, an awareness that you were not chatty, but you were silent? Have you ever thought about how much you love your wife or how much you love your children, and there's no way for you to express it? And so you just sit and you think about it. Have you ever been so overwhelmed by your love for the Lord and your knowledge of His love for you, that your desire was not to sing a song and not to pray out loud, but just to sit without a word and enjoy Him? Do you know that God rejoices over you in silence? That His love for you is so deep that in a sense He is speechless? He's satisfied. He rests. And then, the most amazing statement, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. God delights in His people. Sometimes in silence, but sometimes in great sound. He will one day. And I believe it expresses the attitude of His heart toward His elect right now. Think about what a unique statement this is. He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. By the way, some versions you may note translate this, He will sing over. And indeed, the word could be translated that way twice in the Old Testament in the New American Standard. It is translated sing or joyful singing. But more often than not, it refers to a joyful shout, or as the lexicon has it, a ringing cry. And let me try to put that in some context for you. Do you remember what God said to Job in Job 38, verses 1 and following? Listen. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now gird up your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you instruct me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have an understanding. Who set its measurements, since you know? Or who stretched the line on it? Or on what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone? Now listen, verse 7, those are the angels. When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy. When God created the universe, the Bible says He took pleasure in it. He said it was good. But the only ones the Bible tells us were singing and shouting were the angels. They were amazed by what God did. They sang and they shouted. God simply rested. But when God looks at His new creation, He shouts. When He gathers His people into the promised land one day, and He's in their midst, He's not only silent over them with joy, He shouts over them with joy. Here is the accomplishment of the eternal counsels of God. Here is what has been brought out of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. He shouts over the new creation. Glory. Spurgeon noted this. Creation could not make Him sing. And I do not even know that providence ever brought a note of joy from Him, for He could arrange a thousand kingdoms of providence with ease. But when it came to redemption, that cost Him dear. Here He gave His only begotten Son and put Him to grief to ransom His beloved ones. When all was done, and the Lord saw what became of it in the salvation of His redeemed, then He rejoiced after a divine manner." There's a burden that we know, but it's not a burden that leads us to despair. It's not a burden that makes us sour. It is a strange thing, but it's a reality that we can have a broken heart and a joyful heart at the same time. We can be saddened over what's going on around us and sometimes within us, and yet at the same time rejoice over what our marvelous God is doing in our midst. and rejoice over the fact that He is our God and in Him is our joy, and rejoice over the fact that He is indeed in our midst, and rejoice over the fact that the victory is already ours, whether He ever demonstrates it in our present generation, and rejoice over the fact that He rejoices over us, to the point of silent, resting satisfaction, to the point of shouts of joy. There's a reason to be encouraged. But that leads to a third thought. Verse 16, a bravery that then we should know. In that day it will be said to Jerusalem, do not be afraid, O Zion. Do not let your hands fall limp. In the day when Jesus Christ comes to this earth and sets up His Millennial Kingdom, do you realize all the fear of His godly ones will be put away? All the things used to make their hands fall limp and cause them such despair that they were moved to inactivity. They will all be put away. All be put away. But that causes us to ask the question, then why should we be afraid right now? Why shouldn't we have courage right now? And so with this in mind, Three very quick closing thoughts. How do we address the downgrade? How do we address this stuff we read about tonight? How do we do it? First of all, I would say, be happy as you engage the enemy. Don't be silent. Speak the truth in love. Stand as a courageous, Servant of Christ, to speak the truth, but be a joyful person as you do it. Spurgeon said, any man can sing when his cup is full of delights. The believer alone has songs when waters of a bitter cup are wrung out on him. Any sparrow can chirp in the daylight. It's only the nightingale that can sing in the dark. Children of God, whenever the enemies seem to prevail over you, Whenever the serried ranks of the foe appear sure of victory, then begin to sing. Your victory will come with your song. It is a very puzzling thing to the devil to hear saints sing when he sets his foot on them. He cannot make it out. The more he oppresses them, the more they rejoice. Let us resolve to be all the merrier when the enemy dreams that we are utterly routed. Brethren, it is a splendid thing to be quite alone in the warfare of the Lord. If you're quite alone, so much the better. There's more room for God. When desertions have cleaned the place out and left you no friend, now every corner can be filled with deity. Isn't that wonderful? We're not alone. And no doubt there are people in our generation saying the same thing they said of Spurgeon. Calvinism is dead. What they're really saying is the truth of the gospel is dead. Which is man is not saved by his will, but saved by the sovereign will of God. Beloved, that's no invention of ours. That is the teaching of the Scriptures. Second, not only be happy as you engage the enemy. Second, be fearless as you engage the enemy. Be fearless. He says in verse 16, do not be afraid. This will be true when he's in our midst physically. Why should it not be true when he's in our midst spiritually? Do not be afraid. Do not be anxious for anything the Scriptures say. With prayer and supplication let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Why be afraid? Spurgeon compared it to passengers on a ship. that when the wind blows up and a storm is raging, they're made confident because they can hear the captain whistling. And he says, if the Lord is at the helm singing, let us not be fearing. Oh, the storm blows all around us in the downgrade. It looks awful at times. But we're told here that He sings over His elect. He shouts over His people. He's rejoicing right now over you. If the Lord is whistling and singing, why should we be fearing? Be fearless as you engage the enemy. And finally, be zealous as you engage the enemy. No limp hands. No slack hands. This is the day for people who have confidence in the sufficiency of Scripture to go to work, not sit idle, not wring their hands, not say, oh, the downgrade is all around us. It is. This is the day to go to work and to watch the Lord do through truth what will never be done through error. Beloved, you can fill a church without the truth. You can fill a church without the work of the Spirit of God. But you can't make holy people. Only God with His truth can make new creations. People who have a love for obedience and holiness and who want to honor God with their whole life, only God and His truth can produce that. I close with this quote. Spurgeon said this, now is the time when every Christian should do more for God than ever. Let us plan great things for God and let us expect great things from God. Now is the hour for redoubled prayers and labors. Since the adversaries are busy, let us be busy also. If they think they shall make a full end of us, let us resolve to make a full end of their falsehoods and delusions. I think every Christian man should answer the challenge of the adversaries of Christ by working double tides, by giving more of his substance to the cause of God, by living more for the glory of God, by being more exact in his obedience, more earnest in his efforts, and more importunate in his prayers. This is not the day for slack hands. This is the day for abandoned disciples. people who are abandoned to God, that God may be manifest in His people. And all God's people would say, Amen. Let's bow our heads together, please. We've spoken all this week about an almighty, glorious, beautiful, holy, sovereign God. You can know about Him and yet not know Him. The only people who will be in heaven one day, the only ones whom the Lord will sing over, are those who have been saved by grace, made new by the Spirit of God. Has it happened in your life? Do you know Jesus Christ? The good news tonight is that Christ died and His precious blood was shed for sinners. And if you know yourself to be a sinner, and if you know you deserve nothing, deserve nothing from God but judgment, and if you would look away from yourself and anything you've trusted in previously, and look to Jesus, putting your whole weight on Him, crying out to Him, looking to His precious shed blood for the forgiveness of your sins and the Holy Spirit of God for the changing of your wicked heart, if you would repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be saved. He will not cast you away. Would you cry out to Him even right now? Would you place your faith in Him right now? And in a moment when we give the invitation, would you come and make that public and follow your Lord in believer's baptism? And then, dear believer, can I encourage you? You can't be comfortable when the downgrade is all around us. There's a burden that godly people must know. Would you stop deadening your conscience with so many amusements, and take note that the time is short, that this is the time for earnest believers. This is no time to be playing games and putting on shows. This is the time for the church to be what the church is intended to be. And yet in the midst of receiving that burden, would you at the same time Have the confidence and the joy and the courage and the fearlessness that reflects that you have Jehovah as your God and He's in your midst. Would you with bravery and gladness of heart serve your Lord? If your need tonight is to make salvation known, rejoin this church. Or if you just need someone to pray for you, this will be our time to respond. Father, thank you for your Word. Please bless this time of decision, we pray. In Jesus' name, Amen.