As a Christmas present, my mother-in-law gave me a book of Spurgeon Sermons. The first series of sermons were, in fact, Christmas messages and the first message, which set the tone for the book, was based on Luke 2:14, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
What I find so wonderfully amazing about Spurgeon's preaching is how easily he understands and links the glory of God and the gospel in his messages. Spurgeon's concern is always that God be recognized as Almighty Sovereign, particularly in salvation, and that man recognize his own need of all-grace, all-mercy, and all-effort on the part of this benevolent God to even have the hope of eternal life. In other words, if God did not act on His own for His own, His "own" would never have believed, would never have repented, and would never experience the bliss of salvation in Jesus Christ. All glory to God who first loved us and first opened our eyes to behold the beauty of Christ as Savior and who first instilled in us the very faith to come to Christ (John 6:44).
The following excerpt so firmly communicates what is at stake if we undermine the truth of Jonah 2:9, that salvation comes from the Lord. May I remind you again that this was found in a Christmas message entitled "The First Christmas Carol." This is no side issue for even in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ we find the sweet doctrines of grace, of God's goodwill toward man so evident. Please be in awe of the great truths communicated here as well as wary of any system of thinking or theology that undermines these biblical truths. May our longing be that God receives all the glory for salvation, for as the Scriptures say of God...
Revelation 4:6
Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.
And of Jesus it says:
Revelation 5:9
"Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
Spurgeon spoke:
But, let me say one word here before I go away from this point. We must learn from this, that if salvation glorifies God, glorifies him in the highest degree, and makes the highest creatures praise him, this one reflection may be added—then, that doctrine, which glorifies man in salvation cannot be the gospel. For salvation glorifies God.
The angels were no Arminians, they sang, "Glory to God in the highest." They believe in no doctrine which uncrowns Christ, and puts the crown upon the head of mortals. They believe in no system of faith which makes salvation dependent upon the creature, and, which really gives the creature the praise, for what is it less than for a man to save himself, if the whole dependence of salvation rests upon his own free will?
No, my brethren; there may be some preachers, that delight to preach a doctrine that magnifies man; but in their gospel angels have no delight. The only glad tidings that made the angels sing, are those that put God first, God last, God midst, and God without end, in the salvation of his creatures, and put the crown wholly and alone upon the head of him that saves without a helper. "Glory to God in the highest," is the angels' song.
May we sing with the angels and give all glory to God for so great a salvation as found in Jesus Christ our Lord!
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