A Gospel Address delivered by Heyman Wreford at the Victoria Hall, Exeter.
Part 3. (conclusion).
“And Moses said unto the people, ‘Fear ye not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will show to you today; for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever, The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.’” — Exodus 14:1313And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. (Exodus 14:13) and 14.
A Grand Climax.
“See God’s Salvation.”
This brings us to the third part of our verse, and here we are taught to win a victory over ourselves. Israel was exhorted to see God’s salvation; it gave them someone to think about besides themselves. Their thoughts were directed God-ward, and they were to be occupied with God’s Salvation. And is it not so today? Would not God have you, one and all, to be occupied with someone else besides yourself? Would He not have you now to see with eyes of faith His Salvation, and would He not engage your hearts with what He has done for you?
A man has a disease; it gives him a great deal of pain; he thinks about it all day long, and he is miserable. At last he hears of someone who can cure him, and he is immediately occupied with this person. He goes to him, and tells him all about himself, and he is cured. Now, as long as you are occupied with yourself you are miserable. Many an anxious sinner has been kept miserable for years by self-occupation. You think of your sins, they are fearful; you groan in your misery, “Oh, wretched man that I am.” But have you never heard of the Great Physician? Of the One Whose precious blood was shed to blot out sin? Surely you have! Will you not go to the One Who can forgive you all your sins? He is waiting to save you, and God is eager for you to see His Salvation in Christ Jesus.
A man is a prisoner. He looks at his cell, and his chains, and he is unhappy. He thinks to himself, “I am a captive; around me are dungeon walls, and upon me chains. I cannot escape; outside, the birds are singing, and the green grass is growing; outside are the blue skies, and the fragrant flowers, and the happy hearts of liberty, but I am in bondage.” He bemoans his fate, he is occupied with himself, he sees nothing but walls, and bolts, and bars, and chains. One day he hears that one is coming to set him free, and then the angel hope becomes the companion of his cell. He thinks hourly of his deliverer. I was a prisoner in Satan’s cell — I wore his chains, the chains of sin and groaned in his hard bondage; but one day I heard of Him Who came to give “deliverance to the captives,” and I longed to see His salvation. He came and set me free. And where are you, my friend? You are, if unsaved, a captive of the destroyer. Will you think of Him Who died to set you free? Will you look away to Jesus and cry to Him for help? He will open the dungeon door, strike off the manacles, and say to you, “Rejoice in the liberty wherewith I have made thee free.” It is thinking of Christ that gives peace and rest; it is seeing God’s salvation that makes me happy and keens me so.
“The Lord shall fight for you.”
Here we get the victory over our self-righteousness if the Lord, Jehovah, fought for Israel, there was nothing for Israel to do if God has saved my soul, then I am saved. If Christ has borne my sins in His own body on the tree, then they are gone. It wanted David to fight and conquer Goliath. It wanted Christ to defeat Satan. The Lord has fought for the sinner. Christ has done everything that was necessary for the, sinner, so that the believer can rest in peace upon that finished work. It is when I think of my Lord’s battle for me that I win my victory over self-righteousness. What am I in myself? A vile sinner, a prey for Satan. What is Christ for me? A Saviour, a Deliverer, a Ransomer, a Refuge. He is everything I need. The song of Israel when they stood upon the further shore was all about what God had done; there was nothing of, man in the song at all. And the song the ransomed sing is all about what Christ has done. It is this: “Unto Him that loveth us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Can you sing this? Are you willing to lose yourself in Christ; to be nothing apart from Him, and everything in Him? These are indeed blessed words, “The Lord shall fight for you.” Can you say “He died for me; He fought the fight of Calvary for me”?
In London last week, a dear Christian told me a striking instance of conversion. He was asked to go and see a dying man that he had been much interested in. On the way, with the Bible in his hand, he prayed God to give him just the right verse for the poor sinner he was going to see. And this was the text God gave him: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” He repeated it to the man and asked him if he understood it. He answered “No.” My friend held out his hand and said, “You see my hand, don’t you?” “Yes,” was the answer. He then took the rug from the bed, and threw it over his hand, saying, “Can you see my hand now?” “No,” was the answer, “I can only see the rug.” “Well,” said my friend, “between your sins and God there is the blood of Christ; God sees the blood and says ‘When I see the blood, I will pass over you;’ and ‘the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin.’ The believer’s sins are covered, as the rug covers my hand, and as the robe covered the rags of the prodigal.” The man saw it, and believed it, and it was victory at last. He saw that the Lord had fought for him. Now, have you thought of that? That between the believer’s sins and God there is the blood of Christ; what Christ has done for the sinner is ever in the mind of God; and the moment you believe that Jesus has died for you, that moment you are sheltered by the blood.
“And ye shall hold your peace.”
This is my last sentence this evening. No voice must speak while Israel is being saved. No voice must speak while Christ saves the soul. The silence of man’s helplessness listens for the voice of salvation from above. And amid the deep, deep silence of a lost and ruined world I hear a voice say, “It is finished.” Who speaks? It is the voice of the Son of God. I stand by Calvary and hold my peace, for I want to listen to His words. I realize that I am saved apart from myself altogether. I was saved before I knew it. I believed it when it was told me. Let me try to illustrate this.
A man has a beautiful mansion and large estates. These are to be possessed by the son and heir-to-be. They are his before he is born. When he is born, and is old enough to understand, he is shown the house, and told it is his; he is led through the estates, and is told they belong to him. He believes it, and enters into the enjoyment of their possession. Now God wants you to believe this evening that you are saved by virtue of what Christ did for you more than eighteen hundred years ago. God wants you to believe that the “many mansions” in heaven are for you, and that your inheritance is there. Will you believe it and thank Him? You had to hold your peace about your salvation, but when you are saved “He puts a new song into your mouth.” On one side of the Red Sea Israel had to be silent; on the other, their voices pealed forth the song of praise. Before I am saved I have not a word to say; when I know my sins are gone I praise my Redeemer. On the world’s side of the cross, silence reigns. On the resurrection side, there is the song of victory through the blood of the Lamb.
I have tried this evening to show from this text how completely God saves and delivers the sinner apart from himself altogether. The sinner loses his fear at the command of God when he learns that God is love. He stands still to see God’s salvation in the gift of His beloved Son. He learns that Jesus had fought the battle for him and won the victory, and he can say, “I triumph in Thy triumphs, Lord.” Dear friends, may you all know what is to be troubled as Israel was, about your position as sinners, and may you know, as they did, the delivering hand of God. And then when faith has led to victory, you will be able to exclaim: “The Lord is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation.”