And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness.
The gospel of the kingdom
I. “gospel”-good news, God spell-the information God has to tell us. An epitome of the news. Familiarity with the message takes aways its edge, and blunts its impressions.
II. It is not merely a gospel, good news, but a gospel of something very specific-of a kingdom. This kingdom is composed first of moral and next of personal elements-“The kingdom of God is not,” etc. Who are the personal subjects of this kingdom? Men of every rank and every clime. The gospel is not so cramped as we sometimes think.
III. This kingdom, thus composed, shall overflow all kingdoms. Heathendom is gradually dying out over all the world. Mahometanism is almost gone; the crescent wanes over all the earth, etc. The gospel shall be preached to all the world as a witness. Not to convert all nations, etc. (J. Cumming, D. D.)
The controlling influence of the gospel
I. The kingdom of Christ, as a kingdom of control, set up in the hearts of His followers.
1. It controls the opinions. They who are under this kingdom are obliged to believe all the truths of the Bible.
2. It controls the will. God makes it criminal to choose the evil and refuse the good.
3. It controls the belief of mankind. The subjects of this kingdom are called upon to trust in Christ, and in Him only, for salvation.
4. It controls the affections-“Thou shalt love,” etc. It controls the temper, pride, and all those feelings which are akin to it.
II. There is infinite mercy in such control.
1. Without it the opinions of mankind have ever been tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine.
2. There is mercy in a control being exercised over the will. Man is in a wilderness of sin, etc.
3. Were it not for this, every man might form a system of belief for himself, etc.
4. Man’s affections are collected to one point.
III. The gospel shall be preached for witness. Of human depravity. Of the method of reconciliation with God, etc. (R. Watson.)
The gospel of the kingdom
I. The subject of the text. The gospel. The gospel of the kingdom.
II. The mode of its communication. The gospel of the kingdom is to be “preached.” It must be preached freely, plainly, affectionately, faithfully.
III. The extent of its diffusion. The whole world stands in need of it. The gospel is the only remedy for it. It is expressly designed for all.
IV. The great end of its publication, As a witness. It shall witness to man’s mind, state, etc.
1. The responsibility of having the gospel preached to us.
2. Our duty to labour for its diffusion among those who possess it not. (J. Burns, D. D.)
I. The King is our Lord Jesus Christ,
II. The seat of this kingdom is the soul.
III. The spirit of this kingdom is wise and beneficent and holy. Every kingdom has its peculiar character.
IV. The progress of His kingdom is unostentatious; irresistible, yet noiseless, like many of the mightier forces in nature.
IV. The boundaries of His kingdom are the boundaries of the dwellings of human kind.
1. Submit to Christ as a King.
2. Seek the extension of His kingdom by personal exertions, by pecuniary contributions, by payer. (Anon.)
The gospel a witness
1. That there are ends to be answered by the publication of the gospel, over and above the gathering in of a remnant from the mass of human kind. The statement is simply that the gospel is to be preached for a witness.
2. We are bound to ascertain the nature of this witness, in order that we may understand the responsibleness laid on all who ever heard the gospel, and the ends which are answered by its publication.
3. You are sufficiently acquainted with the nature of the gospel to regard it as an authoritative account of all that is benevolent, and all that is awful in Deity.
4. It is not an uncertain and unaccredited witness, but one which carries with it its credentials in all its marchings over the face of the globe.
5. The witness of the gospel hereafter. The gospel is now a witness to warn and direct; hereafter it will accuse and condemn. (H. Melvill, B. D.)
The universal witness
The preaching of the gospel throughout the world testifies-
1. To the unchanging mercy of God. He is the same as He was before the flood-would have been warned of the end of their evil courses. Men shall be without excuse.
2. To the character and mission of Christ. Men who accept the gospel shall prove that He is the Saviour.
3. To the invincible hostility of men. They shall have in their own characters a vindication of God’s past judgments.
Universal adaptation of the gospel to men’s needs
The gospel is a plant which is not affected by earthly changes. It is the same in the temperate as in the torrid zone, and as in the frigid. It does not seem to be scorched by heat, or benumbed by cold. Age does not diminish the freshness of its bloom; soil does not affect its nature; climate does not modify its peculiar properties. Among the frost-bound latitudes of North America, and the burning sands of Africa, or the fertile plains of India, we find it still shooting up the same plant of renown, the same vine of the Lord’s right-hand planting, the same “tree of life,” raised up from the beginning of time, “whose leaves were for the healing of the nations,” and under which all kindreds, and tribes, and tongues, and people shall one day rejoice, when privileged to take shelter under its all-covering shade, and draw refreshing nourishment from its perennial fruits. (Dr. Duff.)
Vitality of the gospel
See what vitality the gospel has! Plunge her under the wave, and she rises the purer from her washing; thrust her in the fire, and she comes out the more bright for her burning; cut her in sunder, and each piece shall make another church; behead her, and like the hydra of old, she shall have a hundred heads for every one you cut away. She cannot die, she must live; for she has the power of God within her. (C. H. Spurgeon)