Expository sermons on the Heidelberg catechism

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1st Lord's Day

"Christian Experience" 15

2nd Lord's Day

I. First Lord's Day Of The Heidelberg Catechism

"CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE 5 Ye are Christ's.— I Cor. 3 :23.

NE of the finest descriptions of life is that it is the adjustment of forces within to forces without; this is not a definition of life, — no one can give that, — it only says what it does. The living being is dependent upon its environment — it has the power of adapting itself to its surroundings. One of the finest descriptions of the use of the mind gives the same thought. Its use is to enable the man to come into harmony with his environment. This may be physical — the earth where he dwells— or social — the relations with his fellows — or spiritual — the God, "in Whom he lives, and moves and has his being." Now it is quite evident that knowledge of the surroundings is the condition of coming into harmony with them: the bird must know where to find water, and food and the place for its nest; the man must know where to find God and how to come into harmony with Him. Still it is just as evident that knowledge alone is not enough: the bird may be caught in a snare and so be utterly unable to find water or food or nest; the man may know where and how to come into harmony with God, and yet he may utterly refuse to act upon his knowledge ; he, to, may be caught in the snare of worldliness and so fail to attain the noblest life — harmony with his God.

A catechism is a clear, concise and full statement of the truths of religion ; it gives us knowledge of utmost importance to our well being ; but knowledge is not enough. If the catechism can give us this knowledge with the experience of one who has acted upon these truths, then it guides the example and the incentive to like action on our part, then it commends the truths it teaches to the acceptance of the mind, to the approval of conscience and to the action of the will, by the experience of one who has fully tested them and who tells us the blessedness of coming into harmony with God.

This feature of experience is the striking characteristic of our Heidelberg Catechism. The first question:

"What is the only comfort in life and death?" gives the keynote of the whole catechism. It requires in its answer more than an intellectual statement of truth, however correct and full that may be, it must be experimental, it must give the personal experience of one coming into harmony with the person, God, by accepting and obeying the truth. This is clearly seen if we contrast it with the first question of another great catechism:

"What is the chief end of man?"

The answer is :

"To glorify God and enjoy Him forever."

The maker of anything, a watch for example, is glorified when the thing made fulfills the ideal of the maker, and the watch is only a good one as it keeps time. So the question with its answer of that catechism is only a matter of pure intellect. An irreligious man may give it — a desperately wicked man of great mental power may see and state this truth — even Satan himself may give the answer full and clear. But Satan is dumb before our question:

"What is your only comfort in life and death ?"

He may know all the truths of religion but he has no comfort from them.

Comfort is relief from past pain or distress and from all fear of its return, or it is opposing to a still existent evil a present good the enjoyment of which lessens the trial or strengthens one to bear it. Our whole Catechism then is more than an intellectual statement of the truths of religion. It states these truths as they result in the experience of the one who accepts and obeys them, who trusts in God.

The Catechism is experience throughout. We now confine our attention to the first question. It clearly can be answered affirmatively only by experience. There may of course be many negative answers. We may readily think of three large classes of people of whom we may ask this question and who will give widely different answers to it.

Let me ask this question first of that large class who are careless about religion. There are many grades in the class — a wide diversity both of character and condition. This is a Church Audience, but there are doubtless many of this class present now. They are here from various motives but in their hearts they are conscious they are careless of religion. Take the very best of this class of people, morally upright, successful in life, having good social standing, living in happy homes, but conscious that they are careless about God, that they are worldly minded. Let me ask the best representative of this class our question :

"What is your only comfort in life?"

"Comfort," he answers, "I have no need of comfort. I have the good things of life, its worthy employments, pleasures and friends. Do not disturb me; take comfort to someone who needs it, I do not."

I ask still further:

"What is your only comfort in death?"

"Death," he answers, "I do not allow myself to think about death. When it comes I suppose I will die as others do. I do not think of what may be beyond. I only hope that as I have lived a fairly good life here, and had a fairly good time I may have the same experience after death."

Poor voyager on life's mysterious sea — your ship is strong, the sea is smooth, the wind is fair, the sky is clear. But you are simply drifting, you know not how near a rocky coast, how near a roaring storm — you have no knowledge of the stars — no chart on board — no compass — no pilot — no captain, — you are bound for no harbor, — you are simply drifting on life's wide ocean.

This is a very earnest question I am asking you— it arises from a consideration of many important truths you ignore. Are you living without a thought of responsibility to God for the use of the powers He gives you, of the time He grants you, without any gratitude to Him, — without even consulting Him? You say you have no need of comfort; but rather is it not possible that you are in great need, but that your conscience is asleep, that you are drugged with worldliness, that you simply do not recognize your need?

The second large class of people of whom this question may be asked is also of many grades and conditions ; some may be living wicked lives ; some may be living upright lives as their neighbors recognize; but as a class they have an aroused and condemning conscience — they may be said to be convicted of sin. There are also grades of this conviction; in some it is very deep and harassing; they sometimes plunge into sin to drown it, or they harden themselves to bear it; in others it is more shallow and less disturbing, but still a disagreeable companion whenever it demands a hearing.

Let me ask our question of all the grades of this large class. There may be many here in this Church Audience.

"What is your only comfort in life and death?"

The answer is prompt and clear:

"We have no comfort at all, either in life or in view of death. Our religion has thus far brought us only unrest and distress. Tell us where we may secure comfort and you will confer the greatest favor upon us."

And now I will ask our question of the third class of people — those who are really Christians, those who believe in Christ as their Saviour.

"What is your only comfort in life and death?"

The answer comes clear and strong from each one:

"That I belong to my faithful Saviour, Jesus Christ."

Doubtless there are many grades of character and conditions also in this class. Doubtless also the large proportion of this Church Audience is made up of the many grades of this large class.

The answer given to this question in our Catechism may be of great service to us all: to the careless to arouse a sense of need and its supply; to the convicted of sin in their trouble, to give them full relief ; and to believers to make more clear and full their trust in Christ, as they define and describe it, and to show them a way in which they may serve Christ by telling others of Him.

The answer covers the past, the present, and the future. In the past the believer came to recognize his need of the forgiveness of his sins and of strength to resist sinfulness. He had tried to live as his own governor, as belonging to himself, as his own, but he had learned to recognize that his own will had gone far astray from God's law of his life, — that he was under the condemnation of that law and under the power of his own deceived, ignorant and stubborn will. Then he learned of Jesus Christ as the lover of mankind, as the lover of his guilty and sinful soul, and he began to trust Him as his Saviour. Now he belongs to Christ for he says :

"Christ with His precious blood hath fully satisfied for all my sins."

We know something in our business life of ransom, — one's home has been sold for unpaid taxes, — he may ransom it under certain conditions; also in history of man, a prisoner is ransomed by an exchange. So Christ says He gave His life a "ransom for many"; so Paul says:

"While we were yet sinners Christ died for us."

We can never fully realize the price He paid, — He gave His life to redeem us from our sins. He has ransomed us.

More than this the answer says :

"Christ has delivered me from all the power of the devil."

The believer had thought he was his own, was guiding his own life, but in reality he was deceived by Satan; he was yielding him service, following his devices, yielding to his temptations.

But at length he recognized there was a sinful nature within him which held him a willing prisoner; call it by whatever name you will, recognizing its source and its power, it is the enemy of God in the world and in our souls. Christ called it the "Prince of this world," and said He would by His death strip him of all his disguises, judge him, and cast him out. John, the beloved disciple of Christ said :

"For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil."

So the believer trusting Christ says: "He hath delivered me from all the power of the devil."

We may not fully recognize the power of evil over us or the dreadful battle Christ fought with the Prince of this world, even unto death, but He has stripped him of his disguises, broken his power, and aroused our manhood to fight against him as our enemy. We belong to Christ, — He hath redeemed us from the penalty and the power of our sins. We are His by ransom, by deliverance.

The comfort of the believer is that he has been delivered from a dreadful condition, that he belongs now (in his gratitude and devotion), to the one who had delivered him and that he has a growing appreciation of his deliverer's power, love and faithfulness as he contemplates his acts of deliverance. Christ has ransomed us, has satisfied fully for all our sins. The business man has become involved in debt, slowly, steadily, for years. At the close of a period of anxiety his creditors are about to sell him out, and so notify him. He goes home at the close of that day, and all the world is dark to him, — he has failed — he must tell his wife and children, their home must be given up, — his friends will soon know it, — -the whole community will know it, — his helpless failure shrouds his whole world in gloom. Now his greatest creditor comes to him, — he has not seen him in years, — he proves to be the friend of his youth. He says:

"I cannot see you fail. I will satisfy your other lesser creditors. I, your chief creditor, will sacrifice myself for you. I will even go in business with you as your partner. We will renew companionship, the friendship of our boyhood days." Who can tell how the gloom of failure passes away before such sacrifice, before such ransom, and how the renewed friendship will incite to effort and success. But any business affair of modern life can throw but little light upon the great mystery of Christ's sacrifice for us in His infinite love, of His paying our debts even to Himself, to divine justice, of His satisfying for all our sins. Before God we are hopelessly in debt, complete and absolute failures, our future filled with gloom, and Christ, the Son of God, takes our place, pays our debts, satisfies completely for us, — yes, even becomes our surety, our partner for all the future. And all out of love for us. Surely in gratitude and devotion, we will not try any longer to live for ourselves. We belong to Him, we will live with Him and for Him.

So also He has delivered me from all the power of the devil. We can easily in these dreadful days of warfare imagine the hard lot of one taken captive by the enemy and held fast in prison. — day and night the hardship, the gloom of his captivity oppresses him. Then one dark night his old Captain holding him in high esteem risks his life, fights his way through the guards, comes to the prison door, forces it open, awakens the sleeping prisoner, gives him a sword, and now together, his Captain and he fight their way back through their foes to their own army and freedom again. Think you that rescued soldier can ever forget the gloom of prison, and that he owes his freedom to the love and sacrifice of his Captain, surely he will be loyal to the Captain his whole life long. But any deliverance from a bodily prison can throw little light upon Christ's deliverance from our spiritual bondage.

This seems to be only in the past, but it is not altogether so. It is true the saving acts of ransom and deliverance were wrought by Christ while He lived upon the earth centuries ago. He loved us then with the wonderful love which led Him to die the shameful death of the Cross for us. But He lives, Who once was dead, the triumphant and glorious Savior, and He loves us now with the same wonderful love, He forgives and He renews us in His spirit today. So we think of our past when we first became conscious of our sins and sought His forgiveness, when we first saw the hideous nature and malignant designs of sin, the Prince of the world, and sought Christ's deliverance. Christ was our Savior when we first trusted Him; just as truly He is our Savior today. He is enthroned in power and glory, He lives and He loves and He saves us today, He ransoms and He delivers.

The answer of the Catechism describes now the comfort of belonging to Christ in all the varied experiences of the present life. Christ owns me. He will take care of His own. Christ says :

"No one shall pluck them out of My hand." Paul says:

"All things work together for good to them that love God."

Christ says:

"Abide in Me and I in you."

Paul says:

"If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by His life."

He Who loved us so He died for us now loves us as He lives for us. This does not mean the believer will have only an easy time in this life. He may have hard battles to fight with the evil within him and without him, — battles calling for all his courage and strength, but his great Captain is leading and watching him. He may have great duties to do calling for all his devotion and care, but God's grace is sufficient for him. He may have heavy trials to bear heavy and long continuing, but Christ assures him, "I am with thee, I will not leave thee nor forsake thee." The believer too is sailing on the mysterious sea of life — it may be very dark and tempestuous, the winds and the waves seek his destruction, but in the roar of the storm he may shout "All's Well," for his Captain is on board and in full command. Also if the sea is smooth, the sky clear and the wind fair this voyager on life's ocean is not drifting, he is sailing to a fair harbor.

The answer of the Catechism now speaks of the future. I belong unto Christ and "he assures me of eternal life." Christ says to his disciples, "Where I am there ye shall be also." Paul says : "I have a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better."

Eternal life begins now. Christ says: "This is life eternal to know God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent." To know Christ, to trust Him, to adore Him, to love Him is to be led by His Holy Spirit and to be sincerely willing to live unto Him — an ever growing appreciation, friendship, and intermingling of life with Christ — a life growing in his likeness. Here amid the many blessings, the great service of this life, here amid the many duties and temptations of this life, here amid the growth and discipline of this life. What of the life beyond?

We know but little of the circumstances, of the eternal life beyond earth's varied scenes. It is so glorious that it cannot be fully described in our language arising only out of an earthly experience. Let it suffice, we will be with Christ where He is. What is good enough for Him will be good enough for us. We belong to Him and He loves us so He wills to have us with Him in eternity.

So let the worldling seek something richer far than all he now possesses. Let the troubled in conscience find relief in trusting Christ. Let the believer learn more and more in his deep experience of the comfort of belonging to his faithful savior Jesus Christ.

Let us all having spiritual life come into full harmony with our highest and all inclusive environment, with our God, our Father revealed in His Son, by the Holy Spirit!

II. Second Lord's Day Of The Heidelberg Catechism

"NATURE OF SIN"

By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified in His sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin. — Rom. 3:20.

HE Epistle to the Romans is divided into three parts. The first part shows that all men are sinners under the law, Jew and Gentile alike and it ends with our text. The second part shows there is full and free salvation for all by faith in Jesus Christ and it ends with the 11th Chapter. The remainder of the Epistle is an exhortation to believers in Christ to lead a holy life.

Our Catechism is constructed upon the plan of the Epistle to the Romans. The second question concisely sets forth this plan. Our text says the law of God brings us to a knowledge of our sin.

The Catechism says that our knowledge of our misery is a necessary step to securing comfort. One may be in danger and not know it — he may be sound asleep in a burning house, — he may have a deadly disease and not feel it. He is a true friend who will wake him up in time to escape, who will make him conscious of his disease in time to apply sufficient remedy to it.

A wise and brave man desires to know his true condition with reference to physical dangers that he may properly treat them. With regard to spiritual diseases and dangers it behooves each one of us to face the truth however miserable it may make us, for there may be a remedy, there may be an escape. In ignorance there is death, in knowledge there is life.

Let us now therefore frankly, fully, and courageously compare ourselves with the law of God. How do we measure up to the standard of the law of our being? Christ teaches us this law briefly:

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind and with all thy strength. This is the first and great commandment, and the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

As soon as the law is declared there is something within us that instantly responds "The law is right." God has given us all our powers and preserves us in their enjoyment, they should turn to Him as naturally as flowers turn to the sun. Each one is a creature of God, — he should love himself as such a creature. Every other man is likewise a creature of God. Each one should love each other as he loves himself. The proper love of one's self is the standard of the love for one's neighbor. Each one should love one's self to make the most possible out of himself according to the ideal of God. Call this, if you please, to make himself the super-man. Then he should love every other man as he loves himself, to make him too a super-man, — far above man's present ideals to reach God's ideal. Instead of one's self struggling in seeking from another or even oppressing that other, true self seeking becomes seeking the best for every other man also.

There are three striking particulars in which this law differs from laws made by man.

First, — It is Universal. The fact that it awakens this instant response shows it is already written in our nature. It is not for a single nation but for the race. True there are some portions of the race who know it clearly — the Christian portions. There are others who know it dimly or not at all, — the heathen portions. The law is written upon their nature but it is so blurred they do not read it.

Let us not think about them, — how they will be judged. Let us leave that to God, — surely the Judge of all the earth will do right.

Let us look steadily at our own case as we face this universal law of our being, for there is not a single one of us exempt from it.

In the second place this law is spiritual. The laws made by man command outward obedience. Keeping the letter satisfies such laws. But in this law there is no letter, it is all spirit. Not an outward act is commanded but an inward: the mind, the heart, the soul, to love with all one's strength; the outward acts follow as pure water flows from a pure spring.

There are several features of love we are very familiar with among ourselves. Love delights in the one loved, to be in his presence, or to think about him gives pleasure. Then also love strives to please the one loved, consults him and acts in harmony with his tastes and desires. Then also love seeks a return love, and strives in constant and strong feeling and action to awaken and strengthen such return love. When we thus analyze love we see the kind of acts that will flow from it; they will not be irksome, not from fear, but from delight — striving to please God and rejoicing in His love for us.

In the third place this law is distinguished from all man made laws in that God made it. Man makes laws for his own government as he discovers his needs. Man is by nature a social being and his relation to his fellows forms the basis of many of his laws. He has an ideal of God, often very high, as also a social being and forms rules of action based on his relation to Him. But no enactment of man, however lofty, has attained to this perfect law. Besides in the supernatural revelation of God culminating in Jesus Christ we find this law described as coming direct from God. He is the great law giver of this perfect law.

Two truths are thus clearly brought to our attention, God had a plan in making man, — a plan in His eternal, all-wise, and all-powerful mind before man was created. This law therefore is the exact description of that plan; it shows the purpose of God in creating man and so it defines and describes all man's powers. Man is the intelligent maker of many things. The plan exists in his mind before the thing is made; for example, a clock, — the plan is a law for the clock, it is constructed to measure time; to set it to do any other kind of work degrades it and dishonors its maker.

Since God is infinitely good and has at infinite pains through all ages created man; the highest honor and highest good for man is to fulfill God's plan in accomplishing the object for which he was made. To live any other kind of life degrades man and dishonors God. Man's highest happiness can only be found in attaining God's plan, in keeping His perfect law of love.

The other truth clearly seen is that the authority of the law giver cannot be questioned and so the law is the expression of His nature. Sometimes it may be a question of a man made law whether it does not exceed its authority and so condemn itself. Here the authority is clear. It cannot be exceeded and thus only the character of God is seen in it. How much God cares for man's obedience may be seen in the value He places upon a man as he gives this law describing him. God is infinitely good and the law is the expression of His goodness. The right of the good God to govern His creatures is unquestioned. The law therefore flows from the goodness of God and so expresses it as truly as it describes man's powers.

We are now ready to consider the next question of the Catechism, it is intensely personal and it requires our faithful consideration and so enters into the deep experience of each one of us.

Can you keep all these things perfectly? In no wise, is the answer given. In no wise for I am prone by nature to hate God and my neighbor. If the question was: Have you kept this law perfectly? I suppose each one of us would answer, if we thought seriously at all, — No, I have not. If the question was : Do you keep this law perfectly? I suppose each one of us would be compelled to answer, — No, I do not. But the question is deeper: Can you keep it perfectly? It covers the other two by asking the reason: Why have you not kept it? Why do you not keep it? It goes still deeper: Why have you come — why do you come so far short of it? It goes still deeper: Is your disobedience merely a negative — a failure to keep it — or is it a positive one —a transgression — a doing the reverse, a hating? I suppose each one of us would hesitate about using that strong word hate still the Apostle Paul uses a word like it. He says the carnal, that is, "The natural mind, is enmity against God, is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." The Catechism softens the harsh hard word, enmity, a little by saying : I am prone to hate — .

But is even that so? Can I truthfully say it describes me? I am indifferent to God. I ignore Him and His law. I neglect my fellowman. I do not care for him, but I go no further. I do not hate either one. But consider a little. Suppose you have set your heart upon some object, made it the one thing you live for, and God forbids it and opposes you, or man sets himself across your path and tries to defeat you. You are, as you say, careless and indifferent about God and man, if all goes well, but if they are strongly and persistently against you, if they stand across your cherished life effort and you still press on, is there not something resembling hate awakened in your strong and losing fight? A proneness may not be open and extreme at all times but it arouses itself against God's holiness and justice, it arouses itself against man when he becomes disagreeable to us, when he dislikes and hates and fights us; it lies in the depths of our nature, and as by a flash it sometimes gives us a hideous sight of ourselves. Call it what you will, there is something in our nature opposed to God and man, that violates the law of love, does not keep it, is prone to break it. In proportion as this is true of each one of us, or rather in proportion as we are conscious of its truth, we must recognize it as a condition f rought with danger, a miserable condition. We may be loath to look at it steadily and in detail, but surely it is our interest to know the whole truth, and we should bravely and frankly seek this knowledge.