The notices for the coming week are, God willing, as follows. Pastoral will preach here next Lord's Day at 10.30 and 2 o'clock. Also on Thursday evening at 7 o'clock. And there'll be a prayer meeting here on Tuesday evening at 7 o'clock.

The collection and online giving during December amounted to £3,005.50. Donations to the book fund were £20. We announced the collection for the Mombasa admission last Lord's Day, but since then some more has been given online. So the collection for the Mombasa was £897.02. We sincerely thank you for your continued support of this cause of truth.

Let us commence our services today by singing together hymn number 499, the tune is Eternal Rest, number 28. Great God, before thy throne, we joyfully appear in songs to make thy glories known and thus begin the year.

Hymn 499, tune Eternal Rest, 28.

With God in the high throne,
With God in the highly elevated,
With souls to make known,
♪ Glory thou ♪
♪ Let us be in the midst ♪
♪ Of people so divine ♪
♪ Our blessings shall remain today ♪
♪ The blessings of love from us are you to us alone ♪
♪ In the gentleness there's ♪
♪ And still presents us here ♪
♪ And lo, they come, they come, they come ♪
♪ Christ our praise be given ♪
♪ Have thou this gospel given ♪
♪ As hosts in thy kingdom? ♪

And now our song is with thee,
Till all the angels sing thy praise.
Prepare us for thy will,
whatever day and day.
And when thy coming on earth shall face the world,
And the vessels in me, fill me now, Lord, in Thee
And let all precious Jesus be a song to you.

Let us read together from the Holy Word of God in the Gospel according to Matthew and chapter 11.

Matthew's Gospel, chapter 11.

And it came to pass when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples He departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. Now when John had heard in prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said unto him, Are thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again, those things which ye do hear and see. The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me.

And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitude concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what went ye out for to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, a more than a prophet.

For this is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist. Notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven greater than he and from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force for if the prophets for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John and if ye will receive it this is Elias which was for to come He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

But whereunto shall ye liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced. We have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say he hath a devil. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, behold, a man gluttonous and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners, but wisdom is justified of her children.

Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell. For if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee at that time

Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father, and no man knoweth the Son but the Father. Neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls, for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

May the Lord bless the reading of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real prayer. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which is an art, an art to come, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, We bow before thy glorious majesty. We desire, O Lord, a spirit of true worship. We desire the heavenly power and the divine unction of the Holy Ghost as we gather together around thy word. We need thee, O Lord, by thy blessed spirit, to open our hearts to receive thy word. We need thee to open our eyes that we might behold wondrous things in thy word. We need thee to indelibly write thy word upon our heart, not with pen and ink, but with the finger of the living God on the fleshy tables of the heart. We pray that it may be so today, that we may hear thy voice,

We need thee, Lord, to unstop the deaf ears, to open the blind eyes. Just as we read that thou didst when thou wast here upon earth, we need thee to do it by thy blessed spirit even now, O Lord. O thou gracious Comforter, we do pray that thou wouldst bring those rich covenant blessings into our hearts even today. and that thou wouldst open the word of truth to our heart and to our understanding, and that we may read the word with new eyes, and that we pray that our hearts may be prepared of thee to receive thy word, that there may be a breaking up of the fallow ground, and that the word of truth may be sown and that there may be those showers of blessing that shall cause it to bring forth fruit to the great glory of thy holy name, as promised in thy word that they will send showers of blessing upon the little hills of Zion. We pray that it may be so today. We come together, O Lord, in this new year, and we desire to come in confession As we view the year already past, we do pray that thou wouldst forgive all our sins, all our shortcomings, all our heart wanderings, and grant that we may feel the drawing power of our Heavenly Father, drawing us unto thee, Lord Jesus Christ. For thy word declares unto us that none can except the Father draw. May we know those divine drawings of our Heavenly Father.

And may the Lord Jesus come and stand in our midst, and may we behold His glory, the glory out of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Thou hast said, and I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me. We pray that it may be so today. that the Lord Jesus may be lifted up, and poor sinners may look, and even as thou hast said, look unto me, all ye ends of the earth, and be ye saved, for I am God, and there is none else.

Lord, we come together then in confession of our shortcomings and heart-wanderings, but also we come together to render thanksgiving and praise and adoration unto thy glorious majesty. In spite of all our shortcomings, our pathway has been strewn with mercies rich and rare, proceeding from thy tender love and care. We desire to bless thy glorious name. Oh, bless the Lord, my soul, that all within me join to praise and bless his holy name. whose favours are divine.

Gracious God, we do pray then that thou wouldst be with us this day. Remember us as a church, as a congregation. Remember our brethren, the deacons, and richly bless them. And as we enter this new year, and all that it may bring, we pray that thou wouldst cause thy goodness to pass before us in the way. We pray, most gracious Lord, that there was blessed one of our brethren and sisters in fellowship in the gospel, that we may grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and that the ministry of the word may be used to this end, to deepen that work of grace in our hearts, to deepen our knowledge and understanding of thee, and especially of that grace that is in Christ Jesus.

We pray that thou would direct our hearts into the love of God and the patient waiting for Christ Jesus. None of us knows, O Lord, what this year may bring, but all is known to thee. We pray, most gracious God, that thou wouldst remember those in bereavement and graciously draw near and comfort every grieving heart, and grant thy supporting and thy sustaining mercy, we do humbly beseech thee. We pray, O Lord, for those that are far off, have wandered away, that they're not beyond thy care, and they are known to thee, We pray that thou wouldst stretch out thy almighty arm, that thou wouldst cause them to be in want and cause them to return, and that thou wouldst grant that we may be constant in prayer, as thou hast said, Lord Jesus, manner always to pray and not to fain.

Oh, we pray for that grace continually to hope in thee, Why art thou cast down, O my soul? Why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God. Help us to look to thee, to cleave to thee. Remember, Lord, the little ones and the children, and put thy holy fear in their hearts. An unctuous light to all that's right, a bar to all that's wrong. Lord, remember, we do pray thee, young people and graciously bless them. Bless them with that rich grace that is in Christ Jesus. Bless them with light and understanding in thy word. Bless them in all the paths of providence and help them to commit their way unto the Lord. Trust also in him for he will bring it to pass.

Lord we we do pray that thou in thy great mercy was remember parents and give wisdom and grace to bring up their children, the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Remember all those that are in the midst of the journey of life and we pray that thou would graciously bring them to the saving knowledge of the truth, that thou would deliver us from the power of Satan and the dominion of sin and bring us into precious faith in Jesus Christ. We do humbly beseech them.

Pray for any and any particular trouble or trial or perplexity that thou wouldst undertake for them. We seek, O Lord, grace to bear one another's burdens and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. Remember those of us that are now in the evening time of life's journey, we pray that thou wouldst graciously Remember us and guide us safely unto thy heavenly kingdom. Thou hast promised in thy word that not a hoof shall be left behind.

Lord, we pray that thou wouldst remember this village and the surrounding villages and hamlets. Precious souls may be gathered in, strongholds of Satan pulled down. the kingdom of our Lord Jesus set up in the hearts of sinners. Lord, let thy work appear unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children, we do humbly beseech thee.

Lord, we do pray for all of thy labouring servants as they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion today. that thou would set them free and at liberty, that they may dip their foot in oil, may be made acceptable unto the brethren. O do hear us, Lord, we humbly beseech thee for thy great namesake.

O Lord, we do pray thee that thou, in thy precious mercy, would remember thy Zion, that thou, the great Lord of the harvest, may send true labourers into the harvest, and build the walls of Jerusalem. Hear us, O Lord, we humbly beseech Thee for Thy great namesake.

We pray, most gracious God, that Thou in Thy precious mercy wouldst arise and may bear Thine holy arm, that in Zion it may be a year of jubilee, that we may see the turning of our captivity as the streams in the south that we may see the outpouring of the Spirit, that we may see thy work and thy power and thy glory as thou usest to be in the sanctuary.

We thank thee, Lord, for those evidences that thou art still among us. We thank thee for those that have brought forth to speak of the wonders of redeeming love and to walk in the way of thy holy ordinances. Be with us this afternoon as we gather round the table of the Lord. Grant that spirit of remembrance of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Lord, we pray that thou wouldst look upon our nation, give wisdom to our leaders, guidance and direction. We live in troublous times, but Lord, informed in thy holy word by me king's reign and prince's decree justice and we thank thee that thou art the lord god the omnipotent reigneth and set us up one and put us down another lord do hear us we humbly beseech thee that for thy great name's sake for the leaders of the earth bring to naught the counsels of the ungodly war and bloodshed

We pray for those that live in those countries where the name of Christ is hated and where thy people are persecuted even unto death. O Lord, do hear us, we humbly beseech thee for thy great namesake.

Remember, O Lord, our King and grant thy richest blessing upon him and the royal household. Remember those that go forth from among us as a group of churches. that labour in the word of truth, we think of the Mombasa mission and thy servants there, grant the outpouring of thy spirit signs to follow the preaching of the word. Grant thy blessing upon the Savannah Education Trust and that great work that they are doing in Ghana. Remember Ian Sadler, that great work that is doing in so many places in the distribution and the exposition of thy holy word of God supply all their needs oh lord we beseech thee

we thank thee for the throne of grace we thank thee for our great high priest we thank thee for the incarnation of the son of god we thank thee for the holy life he lived for the holy law he fulfilled for the bringing in of everlasting righteousness. We thank thee, most gracious God, for the glory of the sufferings and death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Lord, we do desire to enter thy gates with praise and with the voice of thanksgiving. Come and touch one's lips with the live coal for of the heavenly altar, come and open the word of truth, make up in giving where we do so fail in asking, for thy great name's sake, amen.

Let us now sing together hymn 171. The tune is Walton 430. Join all who love the Saviour's name to sing his everlasting fame. Great God, prepare each heart and voice in him forever to rejoice. Hymn 171, tune Walton, 430.

O come all ye faithful joyful and triumphant
O come ye, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem
Great God, in heav'nly joy, Thee do I say praise,
Alleluia! Praise God! ♪ Alleluia to Jesus Lord ♪ ♪ Alleluia to Jesus Lord ♪ ♪ We pray thy goodness, O Lord, for evermore. ♪

God of Israel, Lord of Israel, God of Israel, Lord of Israel,
♪ In thee be I, in thee be I ♪ ♪ Ever true to thee ♪ ♪ I give my soul to thee ♪ ♪ I give my soul to thee ♪ ♪ I give my soul to thee ♪

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of ♪ Silent night ♪

The people of the world, in all their faith, stand with you. Haste in, O God of hosts, to give your heart its precious. We sing in honor of Thee We pray all the day for Thee, O Israel

Greatly feeling to need the Lord's gracious help, direct your attention to the chapter that we read, the 11th chapter in the gospel according to Matthew and we'll read verses 28, 29 and 30. The last three verses of Matthew chapter 11.

Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest under your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

The Lord Jesus here, he goes from city to city. And we notice at the beginning of the chapter, it came to pass when Jesus had made an end of command in his 12 disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. And of course, to perform miracles. Just as he speaks to John the Baptist, when the dear man of God sent unto the Lord Jesus, he himself in prison sent his disciples. It says here now, when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said, To him, art thou he that should come? Or do we look for another?

Doesn't this show us some of the personal experiences of the Lord's living family? Jesus says here that there was not a greater prophet than John the Baptist. John the Baptist, he stood and he pointed to Jesus and he said to the disciples, Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. John the Baptist baptised the Lord Jesus Christ in the River Jordan and he witnessed and said he beheld the Spirit descending like a dove upon him when he baptised him in the River Jordan. And he heard the voice from heaven, the voice of the Father, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.

He had such clear views. He was the herald of salvation. He was sent to go before the Lord, just as we read in the history, et cetera, that when a king or queen or great person goes to another nation, they send an ambassador before them. And so everything is prepared and put in order. And that is exactly what happened with Jesus Christ.

John the Baptist is the last of the prophets of the Old Testament. And he came to, as it were, usher in the gospel era, the bringing of our Lord Jesus Christ. And then he said to John, he said, go and tell John, the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached unto them.

Wherever Jesus went, he preached. And we're given instruction in Holy Scripture on what he preached, on what John the Baptist preached, on what the apostles preached. It's very striking, you know, friends, that in each case, that when John the Baptist went forth to preach, He commenced, repent ye for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. When Jesus went to preach the first words, repent ye for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. When the apostles went to preach, repent ye for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

That was the burden of their message, to exhort men and women to to turn away from the ways of sin and unrighteousness in this world and to turn unto God, as the Apostle says in the Acts of the Apostles. Repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. That's the very essence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. What a vital doctrine is the doctrine of repentance. It is one of those wonderful graces of the Spirit. We cannot do it ourselves. I mentioned to you not too long ago a man rang me when I was in Scotland on holiday. And he said, I understand you're a Calvinist. And he said, you're a very wicked man, teaching that God chooses a people and preaching that God alone. He said, you don't need the Holy Spirit to believe.

You see, my beloved friends, there are those that would say that there is duty, it's your duty to repent, it's your duty to believe. You know friends, both of those things are the graces of the Spirit. You can't believe without faith. Faith is the gift of God. You can't repent unless the Lord gives you repentance. It's a divine act of the Spirit of God to bring a poor sinner

Now, the preacher, of course, is to preach repentance, and the doctrine of repentance, and the need of repentance, and the vital necessity of repentance, but he can't make anyone repent, no more than he can make anyone believe. You see, my beloved friends, these are vital truths of our most holy faith, and As we look through this chapter, it says in verse 14, if you will receive it, he's speaking of John the Baptist, this is Elias, which was for to come.

In the last chapter of the Old Testament, it speaks of the coming of Elias, which means the coming of John the Baptist. Elias is Elijah, who was the greatest of all the prophets. You see, also here the Lord Jesus gives a very solemn warning. We've spoken of the doctrine of faith, the doctrine of repentance. What about the doctrine of man's accountability to God? We must all appear before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. to give an account. I know it's very common in evangelical circles today to speak of the doctrine of man's responsibility. But you know that word is not once found in scripture. It's a very different thing to the doctrine of man's accountability. We must give an account.

So the Lord Jesus here from verse 16, he says, but where unto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets and calling unto their fellows and saying, we have piped unto you, and ye have not danced. We have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. For John came, neither eating nor drinking, and they say he hath a devil. The Son of Man, that's our Lord Jesus Christ, eating and drinking, and they say, behold, a man gluttonous and a wine-bebber and a friend of publicans and sinners. Amen. He is a friend of publicans and sinners. See, they meant it in a derogatory way concerning him. The Pharisees said, this man receive his sinners and eateth with them. They spoke it in a derogatory way. But so he does. This man This glorious holy God man, the man Christ Jesus, receives his sinners. He does. Sinners can say, and none but they, how precious is the Saviour.

But then the Lord Jesus here, from verse 20 to 24, he speaks of this solemn doctrine of man's accountability to God. Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not. You see, we must all give an account. Sinner, you'll answer for every sermon you've heard. You will. We must all give account unto God in the day of judgment. You might say, what do you mean? Well, listen to what Christ says here. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for you. Why? Because they heard Christ preach, they saw his miracles. they rejected him. He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

And thou Capernaum which are exalted unto heaven. Wonderful things were done by our Lord Jesus Christ in Capernaum, wonderful things. Thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell. For if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. This is the doctrine of man's accountability. But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee. So solemn, solemn warning. We must all appear at the judgment seat of Jesus Christ to give account of the deeds done in the body. In that judgment we read in Holy Scripture every idle word, every idle word Just think, my beloved friends, how many idle words we speak. Just off-the-cuff remarks. Every idle word we shall answer for in the day of judgment. It's a solemn, solemn thought, isn't it? For that the Lord would grant that we may lay these things to heart.

At that time, Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. So what do we draw from this? Some things are hidden to the wise and prudent who think they're knowledgeable and have so much wisdom they know everything. They're hidden from the wise and prudent and that's revealed them unto babes. We find from this that real religion is something revealed by God the Holy Ghost.

Surely that is what the apostle so clearly drives at in the first epistle to the Corinthians where he speaks in the second chapter of that divine work of the Spirit of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, this is 1 Corinthians chapter 2, save the spirit of man which is in him, even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Doesn't this so clearly show to us the vital need of the work of the Holy Ghost? You hath he quickened who were dead. And my beloved friends, that is where we are by nature. We're dead in trespasses and in sins. We are spiritually dead. We need the Holy Spirit to enter their heart, to open our eyes, our ears, our heart, to open it. We read of Lydian, whose heart the Lord opened.

For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man, which is in him, even so the things of God no man but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God, which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

even so father for so it seemed good in thy sight all things are delivered unto me of my father and no man knoweth the son but the father neither knoweth any man the father save the son and he to whomsoever the son will reveal him all this precious truth the vital need of this work of the spirit the work of the Son, the work of the Father, the work of the Eternal God, that's what salvation is.

So we come then to the words of our text, come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. First let us look at the person who is speaking, because this is the vital thing here, come unto me, Who is this speaking? It's Jesus Christ. It's the eternal Son of God that is speaking. It's the King of Kings. It's the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. That is who is speaking in our text. It is the glorious person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God that was manifest in the flesh. He came down from heaven to earth. He came here upon this world and lived as a man. What a profound mystery that is, isn't it? He lived as a man here upon earth. He came though with a mission. It was a divine call.

God so loved the world, that is God the Father. so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should be saved I was thinking yesterday looking at this word and it seemed to rather stand out to me come unto me and my mind seemed to go to those words of the Lord Jesus Christ in the gospel of Luke the first recorded words of Christ on earth Wish ye not that I must be about my Father's business. That's the first recorded words of Jesus Christ. I come to do the will of Him that sent me. The Lord Jesus Christ was sent of the Father. He's the Father's eternal, only begotten Son. He was made of a woman. It's a profound mystery. The infinite, the eternal was made of a woman, made under the law that he might redeem them that are under the law. The Holy Ghost overshadowed the womb of the Virgin Mary and took of her seed and the Holy Ghost immediately assumed that seed. so that the Son of God became bone of our bones, flesh of our flesh. He became a brother, a kinsman to his people. It behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, this glorious person, Jesus Christ.

And in that holy life that he lived as a man here upon earth, under the law, he came to fulfill it. He said himself, didn't he, I come not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. And that is what Jesus has done. He's fulfilled the law. He's done something that you and I cannot do. That you and I find impossible to do.

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and thy neighbour as thyself. That's the law. And if we fail to do that, we break God's holy law. We come under its solemn curse. Cursed is every man that doeth not all things that is written in the book of the law to do them.

It is. in righteousness doesn't he cursed be the man forever cursed that does one willful sin commit my beloved friends jesus did no sin the lord jesus christ when he lived here upon earth he did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth he lived a life that was holy A life that was pure, a life that was righteous, a life that pleased his father. He delighted to do the will of him that sent him. This glorious person of Jesus Christ.

He said to the scribes and Pharisees, who were of course very, self-righteous he said to them accept your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees you should in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven it's an impossibility and what what does he mean then a righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees well it means the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the perfect obedience of Jesus Christ. We read twice in Psalm 119, thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness. It's a beautiful, it's described in scripture as a robe, the robe of the righteousness of Christ. One hymn writer says, unless the shadow of a spot should on my soul be found, he took the garment he had brought and cast it all around. That glorious everlasting robe of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

This same Jesus that lived this holy life was taken by the hands of wicked men He was condemned to death as a common criminal. He was crucified, as the Apostle says, even the death of the cross. He was numbered among the transgressors. This is our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the me in our text, come unto me. You see, the law is fulfilled in Christ. The Apostle puts it this way in the Romans, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness unto all them that believe. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness.

If you're trying your hardest to make yourself better, to make yourself more acceptable to God, to make yourself holy, you're on a path, my beloved friends, that is absolutely impossible. We sin because we're sinners. That's what we're born in sin. We sin because we're sinners. We're born in sin. We're shapen in iniquity. That's our state. That's our condition.

But look at Jesus. He was born without sin. And he lived without sin. and he fulfilled the law. You look at the life of Jesus Christ and the love, the kindness, the compassion, and in it you see the fulfilling of the law. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. That's what Jesus did. The poor, the needy, the helpless, the afflicted, the tried, the tempted, they all came to Him. You see, my beloved friends, come unto Me. Not only did He fulfill the Law, but He became our sin-bearer. In the Garden of Gethsemane, our Heavenly Father, took our sins and laid them on his Son, Jesus Christ. He became our sin-bearer. Or as the Word of God says, he was made sin for us. He was made sin for us. And then the Apostle, he puts it in this way, he took our sins that was in the Garden of Gethsemane and nailed them to his cross. He was condemned to die because he became our sin-bearer. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. Jesus did no sin, but he took our sin. And the Father, in infinite love, imputed our sin to his Son, Jesus Christ.

What a precious doctrine is the cross of Christ. the substitution work of Jesus Christ. This speaks to us of the vital need and necessity, you know, there are those, and there always has been, you can go right back in church history, that deny that Jesus had a human soul. But you know, friends, that's a vital doctrine. If Jesus never had a human soul, our soul has never been redeemed. That's the doctrine of substitution. If he only had a physical body, then it's only our physical body that is redeemed. Well, that is something that is utter nonsense. He came to save our whole person, body and soul. And as it says in Isaiah, when thou shalt make his soul, who? Jesus, the Son of God. When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. That's how our souls are redeemed. That's the doctrine of substitution. Jesus became a real man. He had a real body, a real soul. And he offered that. That was an integral part of that sacred offering on the cross of Calvary.

For by one offering, that is of his own holy body and soul, for by one offering, he had perfected forever. all them that are sanctified. He has. Jesus has. And he died for our sins. He voluntarily entered into death. Jesus, the Son of God, died for our sins. He laid down his life. He said, I lay down my life for my friends. I have power to lay my life down. I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my father. And so he died for our sins and rose again for our justification. That name, the word justification to be declared to be without sin. That's what justification is. It's a wonderful doctrine. It was a central doctrine upon which the Reformation was fought on and the Lord so opened the eyes of Martin Luther when he went to do a penance etc when he took a pilgrimage to Rome and as he was one of the penances was to kiss the steps of St Peter's and as he was so doing the truth of God was open to him, the just shall live by his faith. And his eyes were open. He saw that it was only by faith alone in Jesus, the son of God, that a sinner could ever be saved and delivered from their sins.

Oh, the wonderful light that shone into his heart and the wonderful light that was written in Europe as that dear man boldly nailed his 95 thesis onto the church door at Wittenberg. You see the power of truth had reached his heart. That was the realization justified by faith alone in the finished work of Jesus Christ and a hope in that glorious resurrection. You see the The wonderful thing is, is that the resurrection of Jesus Christ, if the sin of the church had not been atoned for, Christ would have never risen from the grave. So the meaning of this justification is that when Christ rose, he left all our sins, all those sins that were laid upon him, for which he was suffered and bled and died. When he rose from the dead, That is the evidence that that sin has all been forgiven. That sin has all been taken away. And then that holy sacrifice of Calvary. God and sinners are reconciled. Peace is made between God and man. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's son, cleanseth us from all sin. From all sin. It does. There is none other name given unto heaven whereby you must be saved.

And this same Jesus led them out as far as unto Bethany, that living savior, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them, and they beheld him as he ascended up into heaven in a cloud. And we see the fulfilling in Psalm 24 of that wonderful glory of the ascension of Christ into heaven. Lift up your heads, O ye gates, be lifted up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? It's the Lord Jesus, as he ascends up into heaven. The gates of heaven were shut when Adam fell, where sin inhabited the world. But lo, the second Adam comes, the Lord from heaven, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, and he deals with the sins of his people. but that one offering he put away sin, he destroyed death, swallowed up death in victory, and then bodily ascends into heaven, and the gates of heaven open, and the King of glory enters in. He hath made a new and living way into heaven itself.

You see, my beloved friends, I saw this so yesterday come unto me. This is who's speaking. It's the glorious Saviour. It's the almighty Saviour. He's the one that is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. Seeing He ever liveth, He hath the power of an endless life. This glorious Saviour. And He says to poor, wretched sinners today, Come unto Me, all ye that labour.

So this speaks of the character to whom He's speaking. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden. How many here today? How many that are listening online? And you're labouring. You're labouring under a sense of your helplessness. You're labouring under a sense of your sinfulness. You're labouring under the sense of distance from God, you long to get near but you can't, you pray but you have no light, you feel to be in bondage, you feel to be in darkness, you feel there's no hope, you feel that you're without God in the world. You feel darkness, you feel bondage. And it's these people that feel and know their dark and wretched condition, that feel their helplessness, their hopelessness. It's these people that Jesus is talking to. Come unto me.

What a beautiful word, isn't it? Come. Come unto me. There's no greater nor beautiful word that can be spoken to a poor sinner by the Eternal God. And Jesus is the Eternal God. He's Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever. Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. I will give you rest. What is this rest? It's what is known in scripture as the rest of faith. It's when the blessed spirit gives faith and Christ is revealed and made precious. And then there is some relief. Instead of bondage, there is liberty. Instead of darkness, there is light. Instead of torment, there is peace.

Come unto me, all ye that labour. You think of that lovely word in Isaiah chapter 45, and the person speaking is the same person as in our text, the Lord Jesus Christ. And what does he say there? Look unto me, all ye ends of the earth, and be ye saved, for I am God, and there is none else. Look unto me, come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. What gives a poor sinner rest is when they're raised up to a hope in the glorious person of Jesus Christ. That hope, you think of that lovely word, the blood of Jesus Christ, God's son, cleanseth us from all sin. Now, when you have a little realization of the love and mercy and grace of God in Christ, and that His blood cleanses from all sin, there's a hope raised up in your soul. There's a way of salvation. Jesus is the way to God. Jesus said to His disciples in John 14, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. You see, this coming unto the Father, we can only come in Jesus Christ.

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. So, there's the glorious synatonic sacrifice of Jesus Christ. You know, when the Spirit of God opens those words in Isaiah, your heart will rejoice. your heart will be melted. When you see Jesus crucified and those words come to your heart, he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed. My beloved friends, when that is revealed to you, how precious, what a rest that will be.

What Jesus has done, is everything that Jesus has done, the life he lived, the righteousness he brought in, the sacrifice he offered, his precious sin-atoning blood, his death, his resurrection, a door of hope is open wide in Jesus' bleeding hands and side. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke, upon you. What does it mean? A yoke joins two things together. The illustration that is most clear is the yoking of oxen to pull the plough. He used to use ox to pull the plough. There used to be sometimes several oxen all yoked together. That's a piece of wood that you put across the shoulders of the ox, and it joins them to the ox next to them.

Take my yoke. You see the words of Jesus, take my yoke upon you. You see, to be united to Christ. This is such a vital point, my beloved friends, to be united to Christ. In union with the Lamb, from condemnation free, the saints were everlasting were and shall forever be. What a union, isn't it? There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me. Learn of the meek and lowly in Jesus and learn of me. for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest for your souls. You know this meekness, this lowliness, it comes from the Spirit of Christ in the believer. When we're humbled under the mighty hand of God and you know friends yes it will humble you when you're convicted and convinced of your sin but it'll far more humble you when you see what Jesus has done for you.

When you see how the eternal Son of the Father suffered and bled and died on Calvary's trail, my sins were the nails and the spear. When you really feel that, there's a rest there. Ye shall find rest unto your souls. This is the rest of faith. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn number 723 The tune is Hemsley, 674.

Come ye sinners, poor and wretched,
weak and wounded, sick and sore.
Jesus ready stands to save you,
full of pity joined with power.
He is able. He is willing.
Doubt no more.

Hymn 723. Tune Hemsley 674.

♪ God bless America ♪ ♪ God bless America ♪
♪ Great and wonderful ♪
♪ Great and strong ♪

♪ Sing, sing, sing ♪ ♪ Sing, sing, sing ♪ ♪ Sing, sing, sing ♪

Be as they were, as they were, if they did not know you. The compotions they do make, And all the things that are made here,
♪ O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave ♪
♪ Hail to you, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave ♪
♪ O come, O come, Emmanuel ♪
♪ And ransom captive Israel ♪
♪ O come, O come, Emmanuel ♪
♪ It's the truth we're fighting for ♪
♪ One day we'll be free ♪
♪ Every maker ♪
♪ Lost and found ♪
♪ One and all ♪
♪ In one time ♪

O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.

Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the sacred fellowship of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each. Amen.