VIII. Paul’s sermon to the Athenians. He got fruit at Athens by preaching the same old gospel to the philosophers.
IX. Paul’s sermon at Jerusalem.
X. Paul’s defence before Agrippa. I think that is the grandest sermon Paul ever preached. He preached the same gospel before Agrippa and Festus that he did down in Jerusalem. He preached everywhere the mighty fact that God gave Christ as a ransom for sin, that the whole world can be saved by trusting in Him.
“Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:
That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people and to the Gentiles.”
THE MICROSCOPIC METHOD.
Let me show what I mean by the microscopic method by taking the first verse of Psalm 52: “Why boastest thou thyself in iniquity, O mighty man? The goodness of God endureth continually.” This verse naturally falls into two divisions, on the one side being—man, on the other—God. Man—mischief; God—goodness. Is any particular man addressed? Yes: Doeg the Edomite, as the preface to the psalm suggests. You can therefore find the historic reference of this verse and Psalm in 1 Samuel 22:9. Now take a concordance or topical text-book, and study the subject of “boasting.” What words mean the same thing as “boasting”? One is glorifying. Is boasting always condemned? In what does Scripture forbid us to boast? In what are we exhorted to boast? “Thus saith the Lord: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom; let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this: that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise loving-kindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.” Treat the subject “mischief,” in a similar manner. Then ask yourself is this boasting, this mischief, always to last? No: “the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment.” “I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and lo, he was not: Yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.” The other half of the text suggests a study of goodness (or mercy) as an attribute of God. How is it manifested temporally and spiritually? What Scripture have we for it? Is God’s goodness conditional? Does God’s goodness conflict with His justice? Now, as the end of Bible study as well as of preaching is to save men, ask yourself is the Gospel contained in this text in type or in evidence? Turn to Romans 2:4: “Despiseth thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long suffering: not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” Here the verse leads directly to the subject of repentance, and you rise from the study of the verse ready at any time to preach a short sermon that may be the means of converting some one.
[ CHAPTER X. ]
One Book at a Time—Chapter Study—The Gospel of John.
I KNOW some men who never sit down to read a book until they have time to read the whole of it. When they come to Leviticus or Numbers, or any of the other books, they read it right through at one sitting. They get the whole sweep, and then they begin to study it chapter by chapter. Dean Stanley used to read a book through three separate times: first for the story, second for the thought, and third for the literary style. It is a good thing to take one whole book at a time.