Page 357

The importance of the gospel is paramount. In the gospel, the deepest revelation of God's love is revealed -His one-sided, free, and sovereign grace. In the gospel and Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord bares His heart of love the most openly. In the gospel, the richest invitation to sinners is extended.

By grace, to receive this gospel is to receive and enjoy the deepest expression of love possible. It produces a melting of the heart that is unspeakable and a peace that passes all natural understanding.

To reject this gospel is to wilfully step upon the heart of God; it is to reject the deepest expression of His love. The consequences of this rejection are also unspeakable, but unspeakably terrible. This truth is revealed in the following parable.

The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen

Then began He to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time,

And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.

And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.

And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.

Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.

But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.

So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?

He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.

And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?

Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

-Luke 20:9-18

    Why will the righteous vengeance of God upon the despisers of His gospel be most terrible?

The gospel presents only two possibilities -believing and experiencing the infinite depth of divine love, or rejecting and experiencing the infinite depth of divine vengeance. Which will be your eternal portion?

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not His Son into the word to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.

He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

-John 3:16-19

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.

-I John 3:1

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth in him.

-John 3:36

Then began He to upbraid the cities wherein most of His mighty works were done, because they repented not:

Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they should have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee.

-Matthew 11:20-24


357

Previous PageNext Page