The tune is Ombudsly 385. Rejoice, ye saints, in every state. Divine decrees remain unmoved. No turns of providence obey. God's care for those he once has loved.

Hymn 82, tune Ombudsly 385.

Let us read together from the Holy Word of God in the Prophet Malachi chapters three and four.

Malachi chapters three and four. Behold, I will send my messenger and he shall prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in. Behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap, and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old as in former years. I will come near to you to judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the false swearers, and against those that oppress the harling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me. saith the Lord of hosts.

For I am the Lord, I change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Even from the days of your fathers ye have gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said wherein shall we return?

Will a man rob God, that ye have robbed me? But ye say wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings? Ye are cursed with a curse, for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, And prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground. Neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of Hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed, for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of Hosts.

Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, what have we spoken so much against thee? Ye have said, it is vain to serve God. And what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts? Now we call the proud happy. Yea, they that work wickedness are set up. Yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.

Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another. And the Lord hearkened and heard it. And a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels. And I will spare them as a man spareth his own son. that serveth him. Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall be stuffed. And the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts. that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

But unto you that fear my name shall the Son of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings, and you shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall, and you shall tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts,

Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers. lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

May the Lord bless the reading of his own precious word and grant unto us the spirit of real prayer.

Gracious and merciful and almighty God, we do desire to bow before thy glorious majesty. We do desire O Lord, a spirit of real prayer, Lord, teach us how to pray and for what to pray, for we know not what to pray for as we ought. But may it please the blessed spirit to indict in our hearts that real prayer, that we may humbly bow before thy glorious majesty and who truly worshipped Thee.

We think of that dear woman that came to Thee with her sick child and she worshipped Him, saying, Lord, help me. And maybe, Lord, there's one and another here in the congregation today and that's how they've come to the house of God today. Lord, help me. And we pray that Thou wouldst graciously grant answers to prayer, that thou would send answers of peace, that we may wait upon thee to fulfil our petitions, that we may watch unto prayer.

O Lord, we do pray that we may be guided and directed by thee. We pray that thy word may be a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path, that we may be led of the Spirit continually, and that we may often be found in thy word, reading and studying thy word, and that thy word may be sealed into our hearts by the Holy Ghost.

Oh, do hear us, Lord, we humbly pray thee. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, my Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

Lord, we pray that it may be with us here this afternoon that the eyes of your understanding be enlightened. Lord, grant that the light of truth may shine forth so that where there is darkness there may be light. Where there is bondage there may be liberty. Where there is torment, there may be peace. Where there is a felt distance between our soul and God, we may be made nigh by the precious blood of Christ.

Oh, we do pray that thou wouldst make us more spiritually minded, that our heart and our affections may be set upon things above. Lord, we do pray that Thou wouldst keep us from the natural and sinful inclinations of our heart, for we constantly prove, O Lord, and painfully prove, that the heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. We pray to be delivered from it. Deliver us from the power and the dominion of sin. Deliver us from the temptations of Satan. Whether he comes as a roaring lion to devour, or whether he comes as an angel of light to deceive, we pray to be delivered from his power and from his influence.

We pray that, like that dear woman that we read of, who pressed through the crowd, saying, if I might but touch the hem of his garment, and Lord, she touched the and immediately she was healed. Oh may there be those here this day that will touch and feel the healing virtue of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we may behold him as our prophet, our priest and our king, that we may behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world, that we may behold his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Lord, may we be favoured as we gather round thy word with thy presence. Come, Lord Jesus, and stand in our midst and say, peace be unto you. Lord, we do pray that thou wouldst graciously fill our hearts with gratitude for the wonderful glories of Emmanuel, God with us, even our Lord Jesus Christ, and that we may be favoured, Lord, to see and receive and realise that He was a man to take away our sins, He was a man to fulfil the law of God.

May we see that wonderful glory of the eternal word that was manifest in the flesh and in him may we see in that holy life the law fulfilled and honoured and magnified and that we might see in that holy sacrifice of Calvary sin put away, divine justice satisfied. God and sinners reconciled, peace made between God and man. May we feel in our hearts as we gather that covenant of peace, peace by his cross as Jesus made, the church's ever-living head.

O Lord, we do thank thee for that holy life, for that holy sacrifice, wherein the church is accepted in the beloved and complete in him. We do thank thee that he died for our sins and rose again for our justification and now bodily sits in heaven at thy right hand, the King of kings, the Lord of lords. Lord, we thank thee that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens Jesus the Son of God and we thank thee Lord that he's coming again and that he will receive his people unto himself even as he said in his word I will see you again.

Oh we thank thee for that lovely word and we pray that faith may lay hold upon it. I will see you again. Lord, we do pray that thou would remember us then as a church and as a congregation. Remember our brethren the deacons who give grace, wisdom, and help in their responsibilities. And Lord, we do pray that thou would remember each one of our brethren and sisters in church fellowship. And we do pray that thou would remember the whole of our congregation. Remember them with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people. Visit them with thy great salvation.

It may be, Lord, with some, those feeble desires, those wishes so weak, tis Jesus inspires and bids thee still seek. May seeking souls be encouraged to keep praying, to keep watching, to keep waiting, May those hungry souls that hunger and thirst after righteousness, may they be filled. Oh, do hear us. And may the peace of God that passes all understanding keep our hearts and minds through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Lord, we pray for the little ones and the children. We thank thee for them. We pray that thou wouldst bless them. We pray that thou would remember each one of our younger friends and graciously bless them, guide them, lead them, teach them for thy great namesake. Bring them to living faith in Jesus Christ. Make them true followers of thee and of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Hear us, O Lord, we humbly pray thee.

Remember the prodigals that have wandered away, and stretch out thy almighty arm and cause them to return, Lord, what wonderful rejoicing there would be to see those prodigals return, to see the power of thy grace and of thy love manifested to poor, wretched, hell-deserving sinners. Oh, do hear us, Lord, and grant thy rich blessing to rest upon us.

And, O Lord, we pray that Thou wilt remember parents and give them grace and help and guidance and direction in all matters. May they remember that word, the cause that is too hard for thee, bring it unto me, Lord, and enable us to bring all our hard causes unto thee. Enable us to cast all our care upon thee, knowing that thou carest for us.

Lord, we do pray that thou, in thy great mercy, would remember all in the midst of the journey of life and grant divine guidance and teaching and leading, we humbly pray thee. Give us real, true repentance, godly sorrow for our sin and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, do hear us. Oh, Lord, we pray thee. and may we see the fruits of faith among us and that it may be down to the great glory of thy name.

Fill our hearts, O Lord, in this coming week as we remember the wonderful miracle of God manifest in the flesh. Fill our hearts with gratitude, with thanksgiving for all thy tender mercies and thy loving kindnesses. that have passed before us in the way.

Lord, we do pray that those remember those of us that are now in the evening time of life's journey, guide us safely unto thy heavenly kingdom. Lord, we do pray for those that may be careless and give very little thought to the time of their departure, we do pray that thou wouldst exercise their hearts and to realize that we too must die and that we too must soar through tracks unknown and see the on thy judgment throne.

And Lord, we do pray that The solemnity of thy word may search each one of our hearts. Thou hast a name that thou livest and yet art dead. O Lord, we do pray to be delivered from such a condition. We do humbly beseech thee.

We thank thee for every mercy of thy kind providence. We thank thee for our little house of prayer. We thank thee for the word of God, for the light of truth. We pray that the wonderful light of gospel truth may shine into this village and the surrounding villages of Hamlets and that this little house of prayer may yet be filled with hungry, longing souls pressing into the kingdom of heaven.

Lord, exercise our hearts. in these things, we do humbly beseech thee. For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. Lord, may we see such wonderful things.

Remember each one of thy laboring servants as they labor in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion. Set them free. Set them at liberty. Remember those of thy servants that soon expect to begin a period of probation with a view to the pastor, do graciously help them and do guide and direct them.

And O Lord, we do pray that thou, the great Lord of the harvest, would send true labourers into the harvest and would build the walls of Jerusalem. We pray that thou would come now and touch one's lips with a live coal from off the heavenly altar. Come and breathe thy word into our hearts. Come and grant the power of the Holy Ghost.

We ask with the forgiveness of all our many, many sins for Jesus Christ's sake, amen. Let us now sing together hymn number 516. The tune is Covenant Mercy, 739.

Greatly feeling to need the Lord's gracious help, I direct your attention to the prophet Malachi chapter three, and we'll read verse six for our text. The prophet Malachi chapter three, verse six. For I am the Lord, I change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob, are not consumed.

For I am the Lord. I am Jehovah, the Almighty, the Self-existent, the Eternal God. From everlasting to everlasting Thou God. Jehovah is the, as we often point out to you, the word Lord here is in capital letters and the reason being it denotes that it was translated from the name Jehovah. Which if you break the word up, G means all eternity to come. Ho means the present and Va means all eternity past. It's called the incommunicable name because it cannot be given to anyone else but the eternal God, he that ever liveth, he that always has been and he that always will be, he that cannot change as the apostle Writing in the Hebrews he says that how the immutability of his counsel God does not change

The word immutable it doesn't mean he just he does not change he cannot change He cannot change He lives in one eternal now The there is no such thing as time with God. He lives in eternity. We live in a time state which God created and the times are fixed by God in creation. The times now that we live in are exactly the same as the times that God created now over 6,000 years ago. And we read in Genesis chapter one, the evening and the morning were the first day. And then we read the evening and the morning were the second day and so on in those six days.

So the time spoken of and as it says he set the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night he made the stars also. So God created the sun to rule the day and the moon to rule the night and he set them as it says for times and for seasons. Everything is in creation. The days in the, what evolutionists try and tell us today, it is the days spoken of in Genesis weren't 24-hour days. My beloved friends, they were. The time that we live in today is exactly as God created it. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. all ordered by God and the seasons are controlled by the sun and the moon. We have summer, we have autumn, we have winter, we have spring and God created in light And these different seasons of the year depend how far the sun is away or the moon is away. It's all exactly planned by God. And it hasn't changed since creation. And it will not change until the end of time. Because that is the way that God created it. And that is the way it will be to the end of the world.

We hear men today, and of course they've gone right away from the Word of God and what the Word of God teaches us. And they say, well, we have climate change. And the seasons are going to change, and this is going to happen, and that's going to happen, and something else is going to happen. And our climate will completely change and the places in the world that today are nice and green are going to be desert, et cetera. And they say it's caused by man-made climate change.

But what has God said in his word? Well, God, in his wrath, brought a flood upon the earth in the days of Noah. And in his wonderful loving kindness, he called Noah by divine grace. As it says in Genesis, and Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. It wasn't because he was better than anyone else. Absolutely far from it. It was just the same as all other sinful men. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And the Lord warned him and he commanded him to make an ark, to build an ark to the saving of his house. And as he was building the ark, and it seems to intimate in scripture that he was possibly building that ark for 120 years. It was a tremendous job that he had at hand. And he warned men and women that we're told in the New Testament that Noah was a preacher of righteousness.

Well, what did they do? They laughed him to school until the flood came. They laughed him to school until the floods came. And then can we imagine how many people there were trying to get in that ark? But there was no way you could get in that ark. The Lord shut him in. with all those animals. Then when the whole of mankind was destroyed with the exception of Noah, there was eight souls, Noah, his sons and his daughters-in-law and his wife. You see, they were preserved.

That ark is a beautiful type of our Lord Jesus Christ. And our Lord Jesus Christ is coming again. And when he comes, it will not be by a flood, but the whole of this earth shall dissolve. The heavens shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. You see, all these things shall pass away when Jesus Christ comes a second time without sin unto salvation. It's a solemn thought, isn't it? spoken of as these things, these words, but the point I wanted to come to is when we hear so much today about man-made climate change.

What does the Lord say to Noah? I've set my bow in the cloud. And what was in that bow that was in the cloud? The rainbow. It was a promise from God that he would not flood the world again. And with that promise he said to another, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter shall not fail while the earth remain. So we know from God's word that these things that men are now so saying will happen, they will not happen. Because God has declared to us in his holy word that he will not do this.

But when he comes again, all material things will be dissolved and burned up. Nothing will be left. And then the Lord, he says he will create a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. And he's recorded these things in his word. I am the Lord. I am Jehovah. I am the creator of the heavens and the earth. I sustain the very world. God does. The Apostle says in Acts chapter 17, in him we live and move and have our being. In God we live and move and have our being. That is our natural being. How much more so our spiritual being? Doesn't he say in the Ephesians chapter 2, you hath he quickened who were dead? You see, all of us are spiritually dead by nature. We are. And unless the Holy Spirit comes and quickens our soul, We shall remain spiritually dead.

God is a sovereign in salvation. God has chosen a people. In fact, when I was looking at this word on Friday, for I am the Lord, I change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed, my mind was very much drawn to Ephesians chapter 1. And in Ephesians chapter 1, the Lord, he reveals to us the wonderful covenant of grace. The wonderful covenant of grace. See, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, to the saints which are Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus, grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us, you see these blessings they come from God, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

And then He goes on, he speaks here of the wonderful sovereignty of God in salvation. According as he had chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. That we should be holy and without blame before him in love. It's these wonderful doctrines of grace. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children. by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will. I the Lord, change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. The sons of Jacob is the whole election of grace. It's the chosen people of God. And as he says here, chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. before we were even born, before there was any world that was here. You see, this God, this Jehovah, lives in one eternal now.

I know, my beloved friends, it's quite a difficult concept to, as it were, grasp, but God is as fully acquainted with all eternity to come as He is with all eternity that is past. Now we can easily understand that God knows everything that is past, but my beloved friends, God knows everything that is to come. He worketh all things after the counsel of His own will, according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. This is the eternal love of God, the eternal love of the Lord Jehovah. Spoken of in Jeremiah chapter 31, yea I have loved thee with an everlasting love. That everlasting is not only eternity to come, but it's all eternity that is past. There's never been a time when the Lord didn't love his people. I've loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness, have I drawn thee.

I, the Lord, change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob, that is the Lord's living family, the election of grace. You see, according as he had chosen us in him before the foundation of the earth, that we should be holy. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure His will. It's the eternal will of Jehovah according to the good pleasure of His will. This is free grace. This my beloved friends is what we glory in and this is the wonder of the eternal love of God. A love that has no beginning and a love that has no end. It's beautifully illustrated in Solomon's Song, where there is that lovely description of Jesus Christ in chapter five, and he says, his hands are as gold rings. His hands are as gold rings. You just picture, you know, poetry is written using things to illustrate, metaphors, et cetera, to illustrate something. The gold in there in Solomon's Song It represents divinity. It says his head is as the most fine gold. Who? Jesus Christ. He's divine. He's God. So the gold in that ring represents divinity. But a ring has no beginning and it has no ending. just like the love of God in Christ. It has no beginning and it has no ending.

Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee. See this is the evidence my beloved friends of the unchangeable love, the eternal love of the Lord Jehovah. with loving kindness have I drawn them. And this is what he does with his children whom he loves with an everlasting love. He draws them spiritually to Jesus Christ, the King of glory, the King of saints.

Jesus said when he was about to ascend up into heaven, All power is given unto me. Note that my beloved friends, not some power, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. And that power that is given unto Christ is the power to save, the power to redeem, the power to deliver, the power to convert, the power to keep The power to guide, the power to direct, it's all in our Lord Jesus Christ. All power.

The hymn writer, he looks at it in another light. He says, with heaven and earth at his command, he waits to answer prayer. This glorious savior, this great redeemer. All things are in his hand. And these sons of Jacob, His chosen people, they're in His hand. And all events in their life are in His hand. And all the circumstances in their life are in His hand. My life's minutest circumstance is subject to thine eye. The Lord Jesus said, the very hairs of your head are numbered, not one of them falleth without your Father's leave. Just think of that, the hairs of your head. We don't think anything of the hairs of our head. But God does. But God does.

But what is the, what is the Lord Jesus saying when he says that the very hairs of your head are numbered? Everything, the most minute things in your life, ordered, directed by God. Parents, native place and time, all appointed were by him. They are. And then in that sweet confidence of faith, the hymnology closes that lovely hymn.

Plagues and deaths around me fly.

Till he bids I cannot die.

Not a single shark can hit

till the God of love sees fit.

I, the Lord, change not. Therefore, ye sons of Jacob, are not consumed. The unchangeable love, power, God's power never changes. Hallelujah for the Lord God omnipotent reigning. He always has and He always will. He reigns omnipotent. He is God over all and blessed for evermore.

You see, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will. What the Arminian would say, an Arminian is a person that believes in free will, so what the free will people say, God loved the whole world, God redeemed the whole world, And it's up to you whether you believe or you don't believe. It's all what you can do. But the Bible teaches us that God chose a people from the foundation of the world. And at the appointed time, he quickened their soul into life. In his time. He brought them to faith in Jesus Christ. He brought them to be followers of Jesus Christ. He put his spirit in their heart, that is the spirit of Christ and the mind of Christ, so that he changes their heart, renews their will and turns their feet to Zion's hill. This wonderful act of divine grace.

You know, my beloved friends, if God hadn't loved us, we would have never loved him. No. We love him because he first loved us. That's why we love him. It's a divine act of grace.

I, the Lord, change not. Therefore, his sons of Jacob are not consumed. Because you're loved with an everlasting love. You see, to the praise of the glory of His grace wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved, the Beloved is Christ. And our Heavenly Father has made us accepted in the Beloved. Accepted in the finished work of Christ. Accepted in the blood of Christ. Accepted in the righteousness of Christ. You are complete in Him. Complete in Him, accepted in the Beloved. That word complete is sometimes translated perfect. You are perfect in Him. One of the hymn writers says, doesn't he, no spot nor wrinkle can I see. in them that unto Jesus fled. Why? Because their sins and their iniquities are all put away. Their sins and their iniquities are all forgiven. How? In the glorious sacrifice of Jesus Christ, in the precious blood of Jesus Christ, in the glorious sacrifice of Calvary, divine justice was satisfied. And this is what is revealed by faith to these sons of Jacob. Not by works of righteousness that I have done, but according to his abundant mercy.

You see, in whom we have redemption, through his blood. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, that cleanses from all sin. In whom we have redemption through his blood. The forgiveness of sins. according to the riches of His grace. You know, my beloved friends, how humbling, isn't it? It's not by anything that we have done. It's not by anything that we can do. It's entirely the sovereign grace of God in Jesus Christ, our Lord. That is where salvation is.

It says wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of his will. And it is a mystery. There are many mysteries in God that we do not have the mental capacity to understand. You think of the profound mystery of the Trinity. There are three divine persons existing in the Godhead. And yet the scriptures maintain very clearly there is one God. But subsisting in that one God are three divine persons. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And as the scriptures say, these three are one. Glorious Lord Jehovah. These three are one. And that is where salvation is.

God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should be saved. And as the Bible says so clearly, there is salvation in none other. There is none other name that is given unto heaven whereby you must be saved, but the name of Jesus Christ, wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, and having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to the good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself.

You know, these things can't be clearer, can they? The mystery of His will which He has purposed in Himself. It's nothing to do with us. Our salvation is entirely of free and sovereign grace. It's the electing love of the Father, the redeeming love of the Son, and the sanctified love of the Holy Ghost. That is where salvation is.

says that in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in christ both which are in heaven and which are on earth even in him even in him everything is here i the lord change not therefore ye sons of jacob are not consumed.

Our salvation is entirely in the hands of Jesus Christ. Entirely. In whom we have redemption. See, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own where he worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.

And it's because he does not change, because he is eternally the same. Therefore, these things are recorded in God's holy word. For I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Out of Christ, almighty power can do nothing but devour. It says in Hebrews, doesn't it, for our God is a consuming fire. But in Christ, He's the God of eternal love. In Christ, we read of His loving kindness. His loving kindness is which are free. His grace which is free. I think that's a beautiful word. So beautifully expressing the eternal love of God. Loving kindness. It flows from God. to poor wretched sinners, his loving kindness.

In John 17, in the beautiful prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ, how beautifully in that prayer, the precious doctrine that is contained there, these words speak Jesus and lift up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come, glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee, as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. What wonderful doctrine of truth is set before us there in these precious words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

And as we look through this prayer, and he prays for all believers, So the beginning there, as thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And then in verse 21, that they all may be one. You see this is what's in our text, the sons of Jacob. That they all may be one as thou father art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us. that the world may believe that Thou hast sent me and the glory which Thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are one I in them and Thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that Thou hast sent me and hast loved them as Thou hast loved me.

I will, see this is the divine will of God, Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world.

My beloved friends this eternal love this eternal love, for I am the Lord, I am Jehovah. When the Lord sent Moses to deliver the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage, and Moses said, who shall I say to the children of Israel, who shall I say that sent me? And he said, I am. It's written in capital letters in the text of scripture. To tell them I am has sent The great I am, the creator of the heavens and the earth. He that controls all things, he that knows all things, he that sees all things, he that understands all things. His understanding is infinite. His love is infinite. His justice, his solemn justice is infinite, is eternal. My dear beloved friends, We ask that question that John Kent asks in his hymn, How stands the case, my soul, with thee? For heaven are thy credentials clear. Is Jesus' blood thine only plea? Is he thy great forerunner there? Is he? And that is a vital question.

All those that are in Christ, All those that have been born again, been called by divine grace, been brought to saving faith in Jesus Christ, they will reach heaven. They will reach eternal glory. Because this God, He doesn't change. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance. God doesn't change His mind. You can't be in Christ one Christ, day and out of Christ the next day. This love is an eternal love. It's an unchanging love.

For I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore, because of this wonderful grace, therefore these sons of Jacob are not consumed. No. These sons of Jacob are eternally safe. These sons of Jacob are saved with an everlasting salvation. I know Noah was before the time of Jacob, but in this sense, he was one of the sons of Jacob. He's one of those chosen ones. He was one that was delivered from the bondage of sin and corruption and brought into the glorious liberty of the people of God. He was the ark of God that he was preserved in the ark, he and his household. Such a beautiful type of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What a great trouble that must have been to Noah when he preached and preached and preached and all he received back was mocking and mocking and mocking. Christ says, as in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man. You know, and by and large, if you speak to men and women of their souls, they will mock you, they will laugh at you. The minister that was at Jireh Chapel Lewis, one of Dr Paisley's ministers, he told me himself, that he knocked every single door in Lewis and Rigma and he said the vast majority slammed the door in my face. You see, there's no respect for God. He told me himself, he said that doesn't happen in Northern Ireland. Most people respect and they wouldn't slam the door in your face. See, but we've sunk to such a depth of iniquity and unrighteousness that there's no respect for God or for God's word or for that wonderful salvation.

But there is a people taught by God that they know the tremendous weight of sin, they know what guilt is, they know their need of salvation, they know their need of redemption, and it's a people that seek Him, that seek Him. Are you among that people? Am I among that people? For I am the Lord. I change not. Therefore, ye sons of Jacob are not conceived.

May the Lord add His blessing. Let us now sing together hymn number 87, part one. The tune is Haslingdon, 544.

With Davies, Lord, and ours, a covenant once was made, whose bonds are firm and sure, whose glories ne'er shall fade. Signed by the sacred three in one, In mutual love our time began.

Hymn 87, Part 1, Tune Haslingdon 544.

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, both now and forevermore. Amen.