The cedars of Lebanon

‘The trees of the Lord are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted.’ Psalm 104:16

Suggested Further Reading: 2 Corinthians 8:1–7

A traveller tells us that in the wood, bark, and even the cones of the cedar there is an abundance of resin. They are saturated with it so that he says he can scarcely touch one of the cedars of Lebanon without having the turpentine or resin of them upon his hands. That is always the way with a truly healthy Christian; his grace is externally manifested. There is the inner life within, it is active, and by and by when it is in a right state, it saturates everything. You talk with the gracious man, he cannot help talking about Christ; you go into his house, you will soon see that a Christian lives there; you notice his actions and you will soon see he has been with Jesus. He is so full of sap that the sap must come out. He has so much of the divine life within, that the holy oil and divine balsam must flow from him. I am afraid this cannot be said of all of us; it is because we get to be dependent upon man, and not on God, and therefore have little of this sap; but if we are independent of man, and live wholly upon God, we shall be so full of sap that every part of us will betray our piety. And then let me say that this sap is abundantly to be desired. Oh, when I think what glory a full-grown Christian brings to God, what honour the faith of a believer puts upon Jesus, when I think what a knowledge of God and divine things an advanced believer possesses, when I contemplate his own joy and peace of mind, I could wish that every one of you, (though it is well to be hyssops on God’s wall), could be cedars upon God’s Lebanon. Oh that we would grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

For meditation: Inner spiritual life must be seen in outward deeds. What a joy it is when truth in the soul overflows to such an extent that it fills a Christian’s life (Romans 15:14; 2 John 4; 3 John 2–4). Our perfect example is the Lord Jesus Christ who was full of grace as well as truth (John 1:14).

Sermon no. 529
13 September (1863)