May it please Almighty God to
bless us together this morning as we've gathered for worship
and to meditate in His precious Word. Let us turn to the Gospel
of Luke chapter 19 and we'll read verse 40. The Gospel of
Luke chapter 19 and reading verse 40. And He answered and said
unto them, I tell you, that if these stones, sorry, I tell you
that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately
cry out. Well, this is a very wonderful
chapter, really, the 19th chapter, and it has some great and glorious
truths contained in it. And we should always be thankful
that we have the Word of God to read and to rejoice in. And as we come down towards the
end of this chapter, we find that there was this occasion
when we're told from verse 28, when he had thus spoken, he went
before ascending up to Jerusalem It came to pass when he was come
nigh to Bethany and Bethany, at the mount called the Mount
of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying, Go ye into
the village over against you, in the which, as you are entering
in, ye shall find a cold tide whereon yet never man sat. Loose him, and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why do
you loose him? Thus shall you say unto him,
Because the Lord hath need of him. And they that were sent
went their way, and found him, found even as he had said unto
them. And as they were loosing the
colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? And they said, The Lord hath
need of him. and they brought him to Jesus
and they cast their garments upon the colt and they set Jesus
thereon. So we have there this very simple
picture of the Lord Jesus telling his disciples to go and to find
this colt and when they found the colt bring him to Jesus,
which they did. And then we find that Jesus then
sat upon this colt. And then as he went, they spread
their clothes in the way. And when he was come nigh, even
now at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude
of the disciples began to rejoice. and praise God with a loud voice
for all the mighty works that they had seen. Well, that must
have been a very glorious and wonderful occasion. And there
would of course have been a large multitude because it was just
before the day of Pentecost and therefore many people would have
come to Jerusalem, many people would have been there and therefore
we're able to read as the Lord tells us the whole multitude
of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice
for all the mighty works that they had seen. Well, it's a beautiful
picture, isn't it? We can imagine. We've seen, I'm
sure, many drawings of this scene with Jesus on this colt and the
multitude around him. about to realise they were rejoicing
and praising God with a loud voice. It wasn't a time when
they were ashamed. It wasn't a time when they kept
quiet. You see, we live in a day when
many people seem to keep quiet. They don't seem to want to truly
rejoice and to testify of the greatness and the goodness and
the favor and the mercy of Almighty God. But this company, they desired
to do this. They desired indeed to rejoice
and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that
they had seen. Well, we live in a day when we
still see the mighty works of God. We see the mighty works
of God hopefully in our own lives and we see the mighty works of
God in answer to our prayers in a much broader and wider sense. Perhaps we desire that we might
see far more of this and I'm sure we would. and we are reminded
that we are to pray earnestly to God that he would do great
things because he is able to do far more exceedingly abundantly
than we can ask or even think. The things which are impossible
with men are possible with God but nonetheless we should not
forget what God has done and desire to thank and to praise
and to glorify his name for what he has done. How often we fail,
do we not, in these things? You know last Sunday evening
some of you may remember that we preached from Zephaniah We
preach from the 3rd chapter and the 14th verse and it was really
similar words and we had no real thought of it or this verse when
we spoke but we're told here, Well that was a good few years
before this occasion. But we see the same effect of
the blessed work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers,
bringing them to this situation and this condition with this
desire to truly praise God and to praise God audibly and to
praise God loudly and to praise God with shouting. We have these
examples in the Word of God and therefore our instruction and
we should not think well of course that was just a very special
occasion these times and therefore they're not repeated. Well let
us remember the Lord God is the same yesterday, today and forever. And the Lord still does great
things. And we should be very thankful
for it. And if we just perhaps pause
and consider what He's done in our own lives. Again, you and
I each have our own little life. But what a mercy if God has caused
us to pray unto Him. What a mercy if that God has
heard and answered our prayers. And we have cause, therefore,
to truly enter in to what we have here, that these people,
they rejoiced and praised God with a loud voice. Well, I hope
we can look into our lives and realize that God has heard and
God has answered our prayers perhaps in a natural way and
wonderfully if it's in a spiritual way and sometimes God brings
us into situations where we realize that we have not perhaps asked
God or prayed to God as we should and perhaps that's changed attitude
and perhaps that's changed our concern. I remember in my in
my own life going back when I was I think it was 11 years old in
those days you don't have it now but we had what was the 11
11 plus when we took exams to either go to a grammar school
or to other schools. And I remember taking that exam
and I remember looking back and I probably didn't pry about it.
And the result was that I failed that exam. And that was a great
blow to pride. All my friends passed and I didn't.
And it was significant in my life and I realised that I hadn't really prayed to
God. Well, in those days we had a
different situation and when we became 13 there was what we
called a 13 plus when we could take another exam and go to a
technical college. Well, I remember on that occasion it was really quite different
and I remember praying praying earnestly that God would help
me in that exam and thankful to say God did help me and I
did pass that exam and as I look back I realize in God's providence
that my course of my life has really changed through passing
that exam so we have reason and cause to thank God for such things
but how important it is that we do have occasions like that
in our lives and we are able to come and be like this multitude
of the disciples to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice
for all the mighty works well that they had seen which you
and I may have seen in our life in different ways different ways
the ways which concern our natural life and there are many things
in our natural life not only exams but as we get older then
to find jobs and then perhaps to find husbands and wives all
these things are in the control of Almighty God. And it's wonderful when we can
see God appearing for us in these things. And here, in this occasion,
we have this time when the people are able to look back and to
remember the mighty works that they had seen. Now we shouldn't,
we're told not to despise the day of small things. Sometimes
you and I might think well That wasn't very important. That was
only a small thing in my life. Well, it may prove To be a great
thing It may be what appears to be a small thing, but it may
have a big effect In our lives And what a mercy
then if we see through this the mighty work of God being performed. It's a great blessing to know
that the Lord is still in control in the day and age in which we
live and God still does great things in the age in which we
live. Well, to think then not only
of natural things, but then also to think of spiritual things. And in this account, in this
chapter, we have, of course, a wonderful occasion of God's
wonderful blessing in spiritual things. When we read that account
of Zacchaeus, you know, there was a sudden change, a sudden
time of blessing. in the life of Zacchaeus. It would appear that he just
out of curiosity went along and climbed up into this sycamore
tree to be able to see Jesus. He heard a lot about him but
he wanted to physically see him. He wanted to have a good view
of him but he didn't expect that which occurred because when Jesus
came to the very place where He was He looked up and that's
a great blessing for you and me in our lives when perhaps
we've come to a certain place in our life a certain time in
our life when perhaps Jesus has looked at us and we've never
realised it before and we've realised The Lord is looking
at us. He's not looking past us. He's
looking at us. And so he was. He looked at Zacchaeus. And he spoke. And he spoke. What did he say? Make haste and
come down for the day. I must abide at thy house. And what was the result? What
was the result of Zacchaeus? Did he say, well, I don't really
think I want to come down. I don't really think I want you
to come and be with me today. But no, we're told he made haste
and came down and received him joyfully. That's good news, isn't
it? And what a blessing and what
a favor if Jesus has perhaps called us unexpectedly and yet
it's been a marked time a marked occasion in our life when the
Lord has looked upon us he hasn't passed us by he's looked upon
us and he's spoken to us and called us and what a mercy if
we are like Zacchaeus we received him joyfully. We make haste. We don't ignore what the Lord
has said to us. Zacchaeus didn't ignore what
the Lord has said to him. And the Lord graciously then
blessed him. And he told him, this day This
day is salvation come to this house for as much as he also is a son of Abraham. This day. Well, my friends, it's
a great blessing for us if you and I can look back in our lives,
look back in our lives. and realized this has been a
mighty work of God in our hearts. A mighty work when there's been
this day when salvation, the awakening of our soul has come.
The day of salvation has come to our souls. And Zacchaeus knew
that it was so, and he rejoiced in it. And you and I will rejoice
in it if we have the evidence that Almighty God has spoken,
has called us. Every true believer receives
a call from God. A call from God. And that call
is a call which brings spiritual life. The Apostle, when he wrote
to the Ephesians, he commences in that second chapter by saying,
And you hath he quickened, or made spiritually alive, who were
dead in trespasses and in sins. Well, it'll be a great blessing
and a great mercy if we can look into our lives, our spiritual
life, and therefore recognise that this has occurred and therefore
rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works
that they had seen. And so it's really because of
this reason, because of this which was spoken by the Saviour
that there was that criticism Criticism by the Pharisees. They didn't want to hear about
this. They didn't want to know about it. And therefore, they
asked Jesus, and they said, Master, rebuke thy disciples. Rebuke thy disciples. Yes, he's the devil today, doesn't
want us to be blessed. He doesn't want us to hear the
word of God. He doesn't want us to be moved
by the word of God. And so here was this request
by the Pharisees to rebuke the disciples. But we have this wonderful
reaction, the wonderful response from Jesus. And he says, I tell
you that if they should hold their peace, the stones would
immediately cry out. There was something to speak
about. There was something to shout
about. And it was for the honor and
glory of God. and therefore moved by the Holy
Spirit they did and they did indeed rejoice and praise God
with a loud voice and the Lord says if this hadn't occurred
because it was a wonderful occasion the effect would be that even
stones who would appear to be unable to do anything or would
immediately cry out. Cry out. Yes, so we have the
comparison here between a living soul and just a dead stone. What a mercy if you and I are
therefore a living stone. Not a dead stone. A living stone
that truly does desire to cry out. and to praise God. That's a wonderful blessing when
that occurs. Put it this way, there's also
a wonderful relief. Sometimes we can be very tight-lipped
and we don't want to speak about the things of God and it's very
sad. I suppose in the day and age
in which we live it's more prevalent There's less speaking about the
truth of God and the wonders of God. And yet we're told very
clearly in the Malachi, then they that feared the Lord spake
often one to another. And a book of remembrance was
written. You see, the people of God, it's
a blessing when they're moved by the Holy Spirit to declare
what God has done for their souls. Here were these people, this
multitude, it wasn't just one or two on this occasion, it was
a multitude. And it was a wonderful occasion.
He was come night, even now in the descent of the Mount of Olives.
The whole multitude, the whole company, the whole company rejoiced
and praised God with a loud voice. for all the mighty works that
they had seen. Well, wouldn't it be glorious
today if the whole multitude, the whole
company rejoiced and praised God for what he'd
done. God is worthy. And I hope we
recognise the wonder of it to think that as dead sinners no
spiritual life to have received the glorious gift of God of eternal
life which has brought life and we've come therefore into that
category I've already mentioned those who are quickened quickened
made spiritually alive and you hath he quickened who were dead
who were dead and so all of us today you know there's only two
categories in the Word of God those who are dead spiritually
and those who are alive spiritually you and I fall into one of those
categories and what a mercy if we have the wonderful favour
of God upon us, which has produced in our hearts the wonderful gift
of eternal life, and we are amongst those who have the evidence within
us. And we do know that blessed work
of the Spirit has an effect. It had an effect
upon these people here. So they cried out. They rejoiced. They rejoiced. It wasn't something
which was unimportant. They rejoiced and they praised
God. Praise God. Conversions, spiritual
life is for the praise of God. God doesn't do these things.
just so that you and I can forget about them as something of no
importance. If God has blessed us with spiritual
life, it is the most important gift that you and I could receive. What a mercy. What a wonderful
thing to realise that God hasn't passed us by. which we deserved. We deserved to be ignored. You may say, well why is that?
Because we've ignored God. We deserve to be ignored. What
a mercy if God does not ignore us. But if God does come and
bless us then with the wonderful evidence of spiritual life, and
the wonderful thing is here that we will realize as these people
did it was God it was God and again just to pause for a moment
to think of the wonderful favor that the creator of the universe
the God who controls everything in this vast world should have
looked upon you and me and had compassion and called our souls
out of darkness so that we come into the light of the glorious
gospel that's what these people had seen the mighty works that
they had seen the Lord gave and brought many natural works many
glorious works remember he brought that mighty work in the life
of blind Bartimaeus Bartimaeus had been blind from his birth
and yet you see he cried to God have mercy thou son of David
My friends, it's a mercy when God's given us prayer, grace,
to pray to Him for mercy. Bartimaeus prayed, he cried to
God. The people told him to stop.
But the Lord Jesus had heard his prayer and He called for
him. and he was brought to Him and
God gave him the glorious gift of natural sight. Well it's a
greater blessing if God gives you and me the wonderful gift
of spiritual sight. Spiritual sight because spiritual
sight is never removed. And spiritual sight is that which
will show us the right way. Show us the way to glory, because
we'll be blessed with spiritual lives. And what will that site
direct us to? It'll direct us to the glorious
Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. These people, on this occasion,
they'd seen the Saviour, they'd seen His works, His mighty works,
but they hadn't as yet seen that great work of salvation. because
the Lord Jesus Christ had not been crucified, and he'd not
risen again, and he'd not ascended up into glory. All those things
were to come to pass. But we today, by the grace of
God, are able to read of those wonderful, wonderful occasions
when truly salvation came. Yes, salvation came through the
death, that sin-atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ. what
reason it is for you and me today to praise and to glorify God. Oh my friends, let us do so. Let us realize that otherwise
the Lord might pass us by and in fact the stones might cry
out and we pass by the gospel day. But oh may the blessed work
and work of the Holy Spirit be such in our lives. And it is,
my friends, an all-powerful work. It is, as we read here, a mighty
work. A mighty work. You and I can
recognise it, can we not? Naturally, to raise a dead person
from the dead is an impossible work for poor, sinful men. It's just impossible. A dead
person has absolutely no life. And you and I cannot give that
life to a dead person. And it's no different with regard
to a spiritually dead person. You and I cannot give life. But my friends, God can and God
does give life to those who are spiritually dead. Cry unto Him
for mercy. Well, what a day of blessing
that is. And what a mercy if you and I
know what that is and understand what it is and can truly praise
God for what it is. You know, the last verse that
we read here in this 19th chapter It is very wonderful. This is
what it says. And they could not find what
they might do for all the people were very attentive to hear him. All the people were very attentive
to hear him. That's a wonderful blessing,
isn't it? And what a blessing if you and I come into that all
into that number who are very attentive to hear what the Lord
will speak very attentive not just listening here and there
for a few minutes but very attentive well some of us can thank God
when there have been those occasions when we have been very attentive
we've come to chapel and we've been very attentive. We've come
to hear whether God will speak to us. Very attentive. What a mercy if that is so. And what a mercy if it should
be so today that you and I hear very attentive to hear what God
will speak and then as we may be able to trace out in our spiritual
life the wonderful evidence that God has been mindful of us and
that we have passed from death to spiritual life that is reason
to greatly rejoice and to praise God because if that is so Our
eternal life is secure. God does never give life and
then takes it away. Because that life is given through
his death, through what he's done to take away our sin. And the Lord Jesus Christ never
gave his life in vain. He died that unjust sinners might
be justified, that unworthy sinners might be saved, that unworthy
sinners might be brought to praise and to rejoice in the finished
work of the Saviour and to believe that even today that same Jesus
is now in glory and that same Jesus intercedes for you and me and
that same Jesus will come again and receive us unto himself and
that same Jesus will come and appear in the clouds on that
great day at the end of time. Oh Jesus is the same yesterday
and today and forever. Well, there was a time the apostle
speaks to us when he wrote to the Ephesians about that time
when he was dead, they were dead. And he tells us that at that
time you were without Christ being aliens. You weren't part
of the church of God. aliens from the Commonwealth
of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having
no hope and without God in the world. Well, all of us by nature
are in that condition, have been in that condition. But the apostle
goes on and he says, but, but now, but now, in Christ Jesus,
the only way. But now in Christ Jesus, ye who
sometimes were far off, that's where we were, far off, are made nigh, brought nigh,
brought to the Saviour. How? He tells us, by the blood
of Christ. yes that sin atoning death and
he goes on for he is our peace who has made both one and has
broken down the middle wall of partition between us this is
the greatness of the gospel this is the glory of the gospel and
this sure is why we come together to worship to hear the truth
of the gospel, and to rejoice in it and be like these people,
this multitude on this wonderful occasion. They gathered together
and they, with one voice, rejoiced and praised God, the loud voice
for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, Blessed
be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven
and glory in the highest. Just like it was, wasn't it,
when the shepherds saw the angels. They said very, very similar
words. They rejoiced, didn't they, on
that occasion. Well, it's good if you and I
have an occasion to rejoice truly in what God has done. And he
answered and said unto them, I tell you, that if they should
hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. Well, what a mercy for us today,
if God has done something for you and me, in our soul, blessed
us with that heavenly light, that light from heaven, which
has shone into the darkness of our soul, brought about the evidence
of eternal life. My friends, it's reason, is it
not? To truly rejoice and to praise
God and maybe therefore be amongst that number and go on our way
rejoicing today, thankful for the evidence that it is well
with our soul. That's the great question. Is
it well with our soul? Is it well with your soul? Well, may we be able to say,
by the grace of God, it is well. Amen.