The Happy Believer

Adapted From A Sermon By

George Burder

And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.

(Luke 1:45 ESV)

Our text this morning in this sermon by George Burder, is Luke 1:45: And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord. The theme of the sermon is: The Happy Believer.

These words were spoken, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, by Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist, to Mary the mother of our blessed Lord. When Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, and entered her house, Elizabeth no sooner heard her voice, than the infant leaped in her womb and she broke out in the praises of which the text is a part, pronouncing her to be truly happy, who had given credit to the promise which God had made to her concerning the infant Jesus, who should be born of her, and assuring her that whatever the Lord had spoken to her should certainly be accomplished.

But, though these encouraging words were spoken to a certain individual, and on an altogether unique occasion, yet they may with equal truth be addressed to every believer. Blessed are you, believer, for all the precious promises which God has made in his holy word, will be fulfilled for you. The observation we may derive from these words is this:

They are truly happy persons who rely upon the promises of God in his gospel, for they may confidently expect their fulfillment.

When we consider the nature and tendency of the gospel, it is evident that real Christians are entitled to happiness. The word gospel denotes as much; for it stands for good news or a good message. In the Old Testament the promised coming of the Savior is always represented as an occasion of the greatest gladness. The prophet Isaiah says, "Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God!"(Isaiah 40:9) This good news should be universally proclaimed.

And when, in the fullness of time, God became incarnate; when the eternal Word was made flesh, and came to dwell with men, a multitude of the heavenly host burst forth into that joyful chorus, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased."(Luke 2:14) And when the pious Simeon, who was one of those that waited for the Consolation of Israel, had embraced the infant Savior in his arms, he wished to live no longer; he was completely happy, and cried, "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation."(Luke 2:29-30)

Observe also the immediate effect of receiving the gospel by the first Christians; those who "gladly received the word"(Acts 2:41 NKJV) professed it, and associated together; and "they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart;"(Acts 2:46)---the joy of their souls in the great salvation, gave an additional relish to the comforts of life.

When Philip, the Evangelist, went down to Samaria, and preached Christ to the people, "there was great joy in that city;"(Acts 8:8) and when the jailer of Philippi suddenly received the good news of the gospel from the mouth of his prisoners, Paul and Silas, "he rejoiced with all his household;"(Acts 16:34) and this joy took place immediately, on the simple belief of the truth, and before there was time to display the fruits and evidences of faith, which no doubt were afterwards exhibited, and which are produced in every sincere believer. Such is the nature, and such the effect of the gospel, heartily received; for the kingdom of Christ consists not in ceremonial observances, but in "righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."(Romans 14:17)

It is nevertheless a certain truth, that many pious persons, of whose sincerity there can be no doubt, do not enjoy this happiness, at least not in any great degree, nor with constancy. They are oftentimes dejected, and troubled with much anxiety, and many distressing doubts and fears. Now, as the gospel is calculated to promote joy and peace, there must be something wrong in a sincere disciple of Christ if these are not possessed---if distressing fears generally prevail. It is therefore important to find out the causes of this evil, and, if possible, prescribe a certain remedy.

As we consider it, we will likely find that the principal causes are (1.) Imperfect views of the gospel of Christ, and a mistaken notion that its blessings are conditionally bestowed, so that something good in the sinner must first be produced, which may authorize him to hope in Christ; or (2.) A dependence, more or less, on some good qualities in, or good actions done by himself, the discovery of which enlivens his hope, and the supposed absence of which destroys it, and leaves him the prey of guilt and fear.

The following case, frequently occurs. A person is convinced of sin, humbled for it, seriously worried about its consequences, dreading the anger of an offended God, and desiring, above all things, to escape from the wrath to come. We will suppose that person to be also, in some degree enlightened in the knowledge of Christ, convinced of the value and efficacy of his blood, and earnestly wishing to have an interest in him; he looks to Jesus as his only refuge, and, at times, possesses a humble, feeble, variable hope. When participating in divine ordinances, when hearing the heart-warming doctrines of grace, when listening to the charming invitations and promises of Christ, his heart is warmed, his fears let up, and his soul is happy. But, sadly! this pleasing condition soon vanishes; he looks again at himself, he feels that he is yet a sinner, his fears return, and he is again miserable.

We can imagine such a one exclaiming "It is true; the gospel is most excellent, and Jesus Christ is infinitely precious: but what pretensions have I to his blessings? I,---who am every way so unworthy and vile!---who am the chief of sinners! If I look at my prayers, they do not deserve the name of prayers, they are so cold, so wandering! My corruptions are many and strong; surely, real Christians are not like me; and as to my religious attainments, they bear no proportion to those of others, nor to the many privileges I have enjoyed. I look for the acknowledged evidences of a gracious state, and I can find but few, and sometimes none at all. What then must I do?"

And if a person in this state of mind should, at the same time, be the subject of such diseases as disturb the body and depress the spirits, he may be reduced to a pitiable condition; and if to all this be added the assaults of the tempter, who will not fail to take advantage of his weakness, he may be brought low indeed, and walk for many days in the valley of the shadow of death.

But what is the meaning of these complaints? What is the genuine language of these feelings and fears? Is it not this? I want to find something good in myself to build my hope upon; or at least, something so good as may encourage me to hope in Christ; because I cannot think of trusting in him just as I am. If I were more humble and more holy, then, perhaps, he would receive me, and I might venture, without presumption, to hope in his mercy.

Few people would actually speak in this way, in so many words, but this is the real meaning of their objections; they want the benefits of the gospel, and they "come to the waters" for them; but they are not yet content to "buy without money and without price."(Isaiah 55:1) They are not content to let Christ "justify the ungodly"(Romans 4:5)---or to "save the lost"(Luke 19:10) and "without strength;"(Romans 5:6 NKJV) but they want to find some previous qualification in themselves; and for lack of this they are despondent.

Here then are those imperfect views of the gospel which prove such a hindrance to the exercise of simple faith, believing the testimony and promises of God concerning Jesus Christ, and concerning all those who look to him, receive him, come to him, and trust in him. For to those who are in the state which has been described, this is the remedy proposed. "Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord" (that is, in Christ) "and rely on his God."(Isaiah 50:10) In the absence of every other source of consolation, let him trust alone in the all-sufficient Redeemer. A belief that Jesus is able to save to the uttermost, and will cast out none that come to him, will immediately relieve the burdened mind, and provide peace and joy---peace to the conscience, and joy to the heart.

Another great hindrance to the joy of faith is, making too much of evidences; that is, building too much upon them, and deriving hope from them rather than from Christ himself and the atonement of his blood.

Now this is not to do away with evidences; The Scriptures of truth themselves propose them. For instance, "If you love me, keep my commandments."(John 14:15) "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren."(1 John 3:14) From these and many similar passages, the Christian may rightly derive comfort; and the truth of our faith must be tested by the fruits of our faith, for true "faith works through love."(Galatians 5:6)

The argument is not against the use, but against the abuse of evidences. Let them have their proper, that is, their secondary and subordinate place; but let us first look to Jesus, as exhibited in the testimony and promises of the gospel; and with confidence rely on divine faithfulness to make those promises good to us; for, if we are not on our guard, our minds may be subtly turned away from Christ, to a dependence not upon his work for us, but, rather to that worked in us, the imperfection of which will always make our peace imperfect.

Let the Christian examine himself. He ought to do it. Let him inquire into the state of his heart, and "prove his own work;" but let him look where and at what he may, he will find defects and imperfections; such imperfections as will often leave him in doubt whether his graces are genuine or not; and the deeper acquaintance he has with the deceitfulness of his own heart, the greater will be his suspicions, and the less his confidence; so that, after all his inquiries, he will find it necessary to resort to the Savior, and build his hope alone on him.

But evidences are chiefly abused when they are made meritorious qualifications for trusting in Christ; when they are made the foundation of our claim to the pardoning mercy of God, through the blood of Jesus. If the language of the heart is, "If I am deeply humbled for sin; if I can pray with fluency and fervency; if I can overcome my corruptions, and practice the duties of holiness, then may I venture to come to Christ and hope in him." But this is reversing the proper order of things; for we are not first to make ourselves holy, and then apply to Christ for pardon; but we are first of all to believe the gospel and receive a free pardon from him, and then being "sanctified by faith in him,"(Acts 26:18) we are to produce the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory of the Father.

To do otherwise, to attempt to make ourselves, in any way or degree, worthy of Christ, is only to imitate (though in a refined and delusive way) the conduct of the self-righteous Jews, lamented by the apostle Paul, who, "being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, did not submit to God's righteousness."(Romans 10:3) The hopes of such will rise or fall with every change of scene: with every change of weather.

Having considered this great mistake, let us now consider a more excellent way. Let us look into the following particulars:

1. The facts recorded in the gospel;

2. The testimony and promises of God connected with them;

3. The credence to be given to these; and,

4. The happy effect of giving that credence.

The gospel includes a series of the most important events that ever took place in our world, and which took place exactly in the manner which had been predicted long ago by the prophets. "When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son;"(Galatians 4:4) "God was manifested in the flesh."(1 Timothy 3:16) He was declared to be the Son of God with power, by voices from Heaven, by numerous and undeniable miracles, and by his resurrection from the dead. He was without sin in his nature; he committed no sin in his life; he obeyed all the precepts of the law without failure; he endured the penalty which the law denounces against transgressors; that so what the law could not do, namely, justify us, because we are sinners, God has done another way; that is, by condemning and punishing sin, in the person of his Son; making him a sin offering for us, that we might be treated and accepted as righteous in his sight, the righteousness of Christ being put to our account, as our sins had been put to his account. These are the principal facts recorded in the New Testament.

2. Let us next notice the Testimony of God concerning these facts, with the promise of eternal life to all believers. We are to receive these facts and the doctrines connected with them, not as the traditions of men, or public rumors, but on the authority of God, who requires our belief of them. He has commanded this gospel to be preached to all the world, accompanied with this solemn sanction: "Whoever believes will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."(Mark 16:16) He has commanded that repentance and remission of sins be universally preached, together with an assurance that whosoever believes on Christ will not perish, but have everlasting life; that his blood cleanses from all sin; and that believers having passed from death to life, will never come into condemnation.

The gospel also abounds with gracious invitations to the guilty and unworthy, requiring sinners to come to Christ and receive mercy and peace, "without money and without price,"(Isaiah 55:1) that is, without any meritorious qualification. And lest any should be discouraged by a sense of their guilt and vileness, he has made this most generous declaration: "whoever comes to me I will never cast out."(John 6:37) Indeed, he has added his authority to his invitation, saying, by the apostle John, "this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ."(1 John 3:23) Surely then it can be no presumption, even in the most guilty sinner, to come to Christ that he may have life.(John 10:10)

3. Here then comes in the credence before mentioned---a simple and sincere belief of the Testimony that God has given of his Son, and a reliance on the promises made respecting salvation by him. When God sets before us his dear Son, and with him salvation, we must either believe or disbelieve what he says. Thus the apostle John states the matter in his First Epistle: "There are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree."(1 John 5:7-8) And the testimony in which they unite is this: "God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."(1 John 5:11) Eternal life is a free gift, not a purchase, not the reward of human merit, and this life is procured by the death of his Son, and treasured up in him, for all who by faith apply for it. This all real Christians do. But all others, who, rejecting this testimony, expect life in another way, treat the God of truth as if he were a liar(1 John 5:10) which is the greatest and most destructive sin that a mortal can commit.

This belief of the truth includes, of course, a rejection of every other plan of salvation as false, dishonorable to God, and ruinous to man; while the believer thus "comes to Christ,"(Matthew 11:28) "receives Christ,"(John 1:12) "hopes in Christ"(Matthew 12:21)---all which expressions are descriptive of true faith. Thus God is honored by taking him at his word. Thus Abraham the father of the faithful, trusting to God's faithful word, and disregarding all the seeming difficulties of its accomplishment, grew "strong in his faith as he gave glory to God."(Romans 4:20) In like manner, Sarah, Abraham's wife, "considered him faithful who had promised,"(Hebrews 11:11) and this is all that faith can do.

4. Let us, in the last place, contemplate the happy effect of thus believing. Elizabeth pronounced Mary blessed, because she believed the promise and because the promise would certainly be fulfilled, and so we may, without hesitation, pronounce every believer to be a happy person. The first question we ask, when good news reaches us of some great event which closely concerns us is, Is it true? And if its truth is established, we naturally rejoice. The news of safety when in danger, of peace when at war, of wealth to the destitute, of health to the sick, of pardon to the criminal, fill the mind with pleasure and delight. Thus if the good message and gracious promise of God in the gospel is fully credited, "joy and peace in believing,"(Romans 15:13) will be the happy result.

And the practical effect will be happy too, for it is a certain truth that faith works by love. It is possible indeed that bad men may abuse good doctrines, and turn the grace of God into licentiousness; but we dare appeal to the history of the church in all ages, not excepting the present, that this "grace of God," for which we plead, teaches true believers "to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,"(Titus 2:12) and thus to adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. Yes, he that has this hope in him, purifies himself from the pollutions of the flesh and of the world. So Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, those ancient believers, embraced the gospel promise, and were not ashamed to confess themselves pilgrims and strangers on earth and so the apostle Paul, the great champion of these truths, declared, that by faith in the cross of Jesus he was crucified to the world, and the world was crucified to him.

In closing,

What has been said may account for the fear and dejection of many serious persons. The life of faith, in looking at unseen things, and trusting in an unseen Savior, is so remote from our ordinary affairs, that it is difficult to attain it. We are strongly inclined to depend upon our dispositions and feelings, and to derive our comfort from anything rather than from the word of God. We have therefore great reason to be ashamed of our unbelief, and to cry earnestly to God, in the language of one of old, Lord "we believe; help our unbelief!"(Mark 9:24)

We may also learn, from what has been advanced, that the way to be truly happy is to rely with confidence on the word of God. If we honor God by trusting his word, he will honor us by granting the light of his countenance. Let it, then, be the language of our hearts, "Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope:"(Psalm 119:49) or as expressed in another place, "Do as you have spoken."(1 Chronicles 17:23) When is it that the Christian finds his mind relieved from the load of guilt? When does he experience peace, and hope, and love, and joy, but when he hears, or reads, or thinks on the love and grace, the blood, and righteousness, and intercession of the Divine Savior? It is this, probably, that renders the sacrament of the Lord's Supper so eminently useful, and so delightful to the believer, because then his eye is withdrawn from every object except Christ crucified, and his simple business is to receive him as there displayed.

Finally. This happiness is promoted by a well-grounded expectation of the promised blessings. Blessed are you, believer, because there will be a fulfillment of all things told you by the Lord. Did Abraham, after long waiting, receive the Son of promise? Was Israel delivered from Egypt and settled in Canaan, according to the word of God? Did Christ appear at the appointed time? Did he suffer, and die, and rise, and ascend, according to the Scriptures? So be assured, Christian, that God will be faithful in fulfilling to you all that he has promised. And, when you arrive in the heavenly Canaan, Joshua's appeal to Israel will be adopted, "You know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed."(Joshua 23:14)