An Earnest Invitation

Spurgeon unpacks the command "Kiss the Son" through four progressively deeper meanings — a kiss of reconciliation that ends the sinner's rebellion against God, a kiss of homage that acknowledges Christ as king, a kiss of worship that bows before his full divinity, and a kiss of affectionate gratitude like Mary Magdalene weeping at Christ's feet — arguing that each aspect of this single command encompasses the entire movement from enmity to love, and that Christ stands ready to receive every sinner who comes with any one of these intentions. He then turns to the warning with thunder and urgency: Christ the Lamb can become angry, and when he does it is the most fearful anger in the universe — the wrath of the very one who is "mighty to save" — and even a little of that anger is enough to destroy the sinner forever, while death may come without warning at any moment, so that delay is not merely foolish but potentially fatal. He closes with the benediction as a second and sweeter argument: those who trust Christ are not merely promised blessing but receive it really, consciously, and increasingly, growing from the first ray of faith all the way to eternal glory — and he urges every trembling sinner to simply trust Christ now, since no soul that ever cast itself on Christ has perished, the door of mercy stands wide open, and the only qualification required is to feel your own need.Sermon delivered by Charles Spurgeon on July 3rd, 1859.