Let us commence our service this afternoon by singing together hymn 405 to the tune Richmond Street 394. I'll read the first two verses and we will commence singing at verse three.

To which Jesus and the chosen race subsists a bond of sovereign grace, that hell with its infernal train shall ne'er dissolve nor rend in twain. this sacred bond shall never break, though earth should to her centre shake, rest doubt in saint assured of this, for God has pledged his holiness.

Hymn 405, commencing in at verse 3.

Let us read together from the Holy Word of God in the second epistle to the Thessalonians, chapter 3.

The third chapter of the second epistle to the Thessalonians.

Finally, brethren, pray for us. that the word of God may have free course and be glorified, even as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men, for all men have not faith. But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you and keep you from evil. And we have confidence in the Lord touching you that you both do and will do the things which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patient waiting for Christ Jesus.

Now we command you brethren in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us, for we behave not ourselves disorderly among you. Neither did we eat any man's bread for naught, but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you, not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensemble unto you to follow us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he.

For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all but our busy bodies. Now them that are such, we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ that with quietness they work and eat their own bread. But ye, brethren, be not weary in well-doing. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all. The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle, so I write. the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

May the Lord bless the reading of his own precious word and grant to us a spirit of real prayer. Almighty, most merciful and eternal God, we do pray for grace to bow before thy glorious majesty, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and that we do pray for grace to confess our sins and our sinfulness, and that graciously grant that we may lay hold of that hope that is set before us in the gospel, in our Lord Jesus Christ, which hope we have as an anchor for the soul, both sure and steadfast, anchored within the veil that is to say His flesh.

O most gracious Lord, may our anchor be cast fast in that glorious person of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, that glorious, precious sacrifice. We pray for truly thankful hearts, thankful for that wonderful truth of the Son of God being made flesh and dwelling among us and that wonderful truth of being made of a woman and made under the law that he might redeem them that are under the law and that wonderful truth that in him the law is being fulfilled and honoured and magnified and everlasting righteousness has been brought in, in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Oh, we do pray, most blessed Spirit, that thou wouldst reveal these things unto us, open our eyes, our ears, our hearts, seal the word of truth into our hearts, both in its solemnity as being a solemn word of warning, but also in that wonderful, joyful way, in being a door of hope that is open wide, in Jesus' bleeding hands and side.

Oh, we do pray that we may be like that dear woman when she pressed through the crowd, saying, if I might but touch the hem of his garment, I should be made whole. Lord, may there be one and another here this afternoon, and that is the very desire of their soul to touch the hem of Jesus' garment. And we read that as many as touched him were made whole. And we pray that it may be so today.

And we pray, most gracious Lord, that thou wouldst fill our hearts with gratitude for that infinite love of our eternal Father in giving his only begotten Son to be the saviour of sinners. come here upon earth, to live as a man and to fulfil the law, to offer that holy, precious, sacred sacrifice in which all our salvation is, in that precious sin-atoning blood of Calvary, in that glorious everlasting righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ, in that He died for our sins and rose again for our justification.

May our hearts be lifted up with thanksgiving and with praise for these wonderful, precious truths of our most holy faith. Oh, we do pray that we may behold him as he ascends up on high, like those dear disciples as they watch him ascending bodily into heaven in a cloud and now sitting at thy right hand may we as we bow before thee as we call upon thy great name have that sacred realization tis he instead of me is seen when i approach to god we have an advocate with the father and we desire to give thanks and we desire to bless thee

And we desire to adore our heavenly father for what he has given, for what he has done in the person of his son, to completely redeem the church from all sin and Satan's power, from the curse of the law, from the bondage of sin and corruption, and to bring thy people into the glorious liberty of the people of God.

Oh, that we could know and feel that liberty, that light, that life, that power. Lord, we pray that thou wouldst remember us and that thou wouldst bless us. Remember each one that gathers here today, from the youngest to the eldest. Remember them with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people. Visit them with thy great salvation. Show them thy ways, O Lord, and teach them thy paths. graciously make thy word a living word in their hearts. Give eyes to see, ears to hear, hearts to receive thy precious word, thy sacred gospel.

A realization too, Lord, that that precious Redeemer who has ascended up on high and led captivity captive, who now sitteth at thy right hand, that he sits on no precarious throne, that he's able to do abundantly more than we can even ask or think, who has said, call upon me in the day of trouble and I will hear thee, and I will answer thee, and I will deliver thee.

And thou hast said, O Lord, that when the poor and needy seek water and there is none, and their tongue failing for thirst, I, the Lord, will hear them over from rivers in high places and streams in the desert. Lord, we thank thee for these wonderful gospel promises.

We pray, most gracious Lord, that thou, in thy precious mercy, will remember us for good. Lord, we pray for any that may be in darkness, that they may be brought into that wonderful light of the gospel.

any that are in bondage, and may the Spirit of the Lord grant liberty, for where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. And may there be a proclamation of the wonderful liberty that is found in Jesus Christ to proclaim liberty unto the captives.

Lord, if there's any here that feel to be far off and out of the secret, may it please thee to draw them by thy irresistible grace unto Jesus Christ, that they may behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. Oh, do hear us, Lord, we pray thee.

So remember the little ones and the children, each one of them, and put thy holy fear in their hearts and thy grace in their souls in their young and tender years. We read of one O Lord in Holy Scripture in whose heart was found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel. We pray for our dear children that it may be so with them.

We seek O Lord that they always remember all the young friends and graciously guide and direct and teach and undertake for them. Graciously have mercy upon them bring them to living faith in Jesus Christ, grant that they may become true followers of thee and of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

And Lord, if there's any here that come like the door upon its hinges backwards and forwards with no light or life or liberty or power, we pray that today may be the day when the word of the Lord will enter their hearts. when their eyes shall be opened and their ears unstopped.

Oh, do grant, Lord, we humbly beseech thee thy richest blessing then upon our young friends. Remember, Lord, the village and the surrounding villages and hamlets, and graciously work mightily, powerfully, and effectually, and grant the pulling down of the strongholds of Satan and the setting up of the kingdom of the Lord Jesus in the hearts of sinners and grant that this little house of prayer may yet be filled with hungry, longing souls pressing into the kingdom of heaven.

Will thou not revive us again, O Lord? We do humbly beseech thee. Thou hast said in thy word that wonderful promise, for this will I yet be inquired of the house of Israel to do these things for them. I will increase them with men like a flock.

or do grant a godly increase, do grant, Lord, a building up, a reviving. And what we pray for this little house of prayer, we pray for all the little houses of prayer up and down the nation, that thy work may appear, that thy power may be known, that thy grace may be made manifest. Lord, we pray that thou wouldst remember all in the midst of the journey of life and graciously undertake for each one in all their different concerns. And thou hast said in thy word the cause that is too hard for thee, bring it unto me. Lord, may each one be enabled to do so.

Lord, we Do pray that Thou in Thy great mercy would remember the prodigals that have wandered away and that Thou would stretch out Thy almighty arm and bring them to see there is but one thing that is needful. Bring them to see that Jesus Christ is the way to God and I without Him perish must.

Lord, we do pray that that thou wouldst hear our entreaties, that thou wouldst send real prosperity, that thou wouldst send out thy light and send out thy truth. Lord, we pray that thou wouldst remember those of us that are in the evening time of life's journey. None can say how nigh when we must pass from life into death, but we pray to be prepared. We pray that thou wouldst graciously make us ready.

Prepare me, gracious God, to stand before thy face. Thy spirit must the work perform, for it is all of grace. In Christ's obedience clothe and wash me in his blood. So shall I lift my head with joy among the sons of God.

Do hear us, Lord, we humbly pray Thee, and be with us here this afternoon. We thank Thee for every mercy of Thy kind providence. We thank Thee for all Thy goodness that has passed before us in the way. We thank Thee, Lord, for Thy servants and pray that Thou would grant them that fresh anointing of the Spirit today as they preach the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ. and to grant signs to follow the preaching of the word. And we pray thee, the great Lord of the harvest, that thou would send true labourers into the harvest.

Lord, we do pray that thou would remember our brethren, the deacons, and give them needed grace, wisdom, and help in all matters. And Lord, we pray that thou would now be with us as we turn to thy holy word, and come and touch one's lips with a live coal from off the heavenly altar, as we ask, with the forgiveness of all our many sins, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

Let us now sing together hymn number 594. The tune is Vienna, 517. I'll read the first two verses and we'll commence with singing at verse three.

O my soul, with wonder tell,

Jesus has done all things well,

and through his atoning blood

I have a settled peace with God.

He bequeathed his peace to me

as a gift divinely free,

and it is his righteous will

that my soul in peace shall dwell.

Hymn 594, commence singing at verse three, tune Vienna, 517.

rightly feeling to need the Lord's gracious help, I'll direct your attention to the chapter that we read, the third chapter, in the second epistle of the Thessalonians, and we'll read verse 16 for our text. Second epistle to the Thessalonians, chapter three, verse 16.

Now the Lord of peace himself Give you peace, always, by all means. The Lord be with you all.

Now the Lord of peace himself. What a wonderful description we have here of the God of heaven. Now the Lord of peace himself. the Lord of Peace. One of the titles that we read of in the epistle to the Hebrews, he's called the King of Peace. And in that interpretation of the name Melchizedek, he's called the King of Peace, King of Salem. Salem means peace. Jerusalem is the city of peace. and that Christ is the Lord of Peace. He has made peace between God and man. What a wonderful peace that is.

Man fallen into sin. Man lost and ruined in the fall. Man born in sin, shaped in iniquity. alienated from God. Or as the apostle puts it, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and from the covenants of promise. And that is where we're each found by nature. Alienated from God. In a state of sin. In a state of unrighteousness. In a state of rebellion. against God. That's our state and condition by nature.

Of course this state and condition can be as it were covered over by a veneer of outward religion. Yet inwardly we're not reconciled to God. Inwardly we're not alive or realize that we're in this state and condition. We come to chapel and we believe the things that we hear preached, we believe the Word of God, we read the Word of God and it's something I would always encourage anyone always to do. It's a good thing to read the Word of God and to study the Word of God. But has the Word of God read you? Has it read me? Because that's what happens, you know, when the Spirit of God quickens our soul, we're quickened by the Word of God and we're made aware by the Word of God, where we are, as poor, lost, ruined, wretched sinners.

And without this quickening power of the Holy Ghost in the heart, we're unaware. we're unaware that we're in a state of rebellion against God. As I say, we have to be careful of in this veneer of religion that isn't in our heart, it's just an outward thing. People accept and believe that we're Christians because we come to the house of God, because we try to practice the word of God, and all those things are right and proper in their place, but you can have all those things and not have spiritual life, and not have spiritual light, and not have a spiritual understanding. It's just a veneer of religion.

Oh, my beloved friends, this is something so deeply solemn that we must warn you that it is possible to have all these things an outward veneer of religion without the inward power of it in the soul. Twice in the book of Proverbs we read there is a way that seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof is death. It seems right, it sounds right, it looks right, it passes current among men as being right, yet the end thereof is death, eternal death.

You know, friends, why I must warn you, I personally, I cannot think of anything worse than to go all the way through life and thinking that you're right and thinking that you're on the road to eternal glory, but when you get there you're not. Many shall say unto me, these are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, many shall say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, and I will say unto them that depart from me, I never knew you, I never knew you. You might say, what does it mean I never knew you? Well, there's no personal union between Christ and the soul. I never knew you. And another way of looking at that is I never knew you in that the Father gave a people unto Christ for the foundation of the world for him to redeem. And he says, I never knew you. You weren't given to me. I didn't suffer, bleed and die for your sins. I never knew you.

And the other way of looking at that word is the Holy Spirit is sent from the Father and the Son into the heart of every chosen vessel of mercy. And we cannot know God unless the Holy Spirit enters our heart, quickens our soul and brings us to live in faith in Jesus Christ. Though we may have this outward veneer of religion and past current among men as being a Christian, yet the Lord says, I never knew you.

That's the warning that Christ gives us. that we can go an awful long way in religion and not have real religion. And they will protest unto him. What do they protest? They say, but Lord, we've preached in thy name, we've cast out devils in thy name, we've wrought miracles in thy name. And he will say, depart from me. You might have done all those things, but it wasn't by me. It wasn't by me.

As we go away from this service today, it'd be a wonderful mercy if the Lord would seal that word into your very soul. There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is death. end thereof is death. Oh that we may by God's grace take heed to this warning.

You see the Apostolere opens this chapter, finally brethren pray for us that the word of the Lord may have free cause and be glorified even as it is with you. How we need to pray for the ministry, for the minister. Our dear brother here, he said in the vestry before the service, concerning this morning's service, what a powerful declaration of the truth of God. And he doesn't know, but that meant so much to me. because you know the enemy spent the whole of the lunchtime attacking me that my ministry wasn't real, it wasn't effective, it wasn't powerful and even though I felt liberty in preaching there was nothing in my ministry whatsoever and that has been with me right the way through the break between the services and hence you see pray for us

The minister, you know, is in the front line of the battle. He has a great enemy, Satan. Now, of course, it's needful and necessary in the Lord's goodness to us that our flesh should not be allowed to rise up and get the better of us. And one of the reasons the Lord allows the enemy to attack is to humble us. But little do you realize the effect that that has on the minister. And then before I came out, there was that conflict, how can you go and preach now? When you spent the whole of your lunchtime battling with the enemy, What a needs be there is here, you know.

Finally, brethren, pray for us. We need your prayers. You know, when we mentioned it this morning, that time when the Israel was in the wilderness and the Amalekites came out against them and how Moses prayed, lifted up his arms in prayer unto the Lord, the battle went on and on and all the time he lifted up his arms in prayer then the Israelites prevailed and as soon as his arm failed and they dropped then the Amalekites prevailed. What a lesson there is there, a spiritual lesson.

So Aaron and Hur, they stood in front of Moses and so he could rest his arms on their shoulders. So his arms remained up and Israel prevailed. See, pray for us. What an emblem that is. And there we read, and as we said this morning, that Moses set up an altar there and he called the name of it Jehovah-Nissi, the Lord our banner. The Lord our banner.

Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified, even as it is with you, that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men. For all men have not faith, but the Lord is faithful. I love that word. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. Faithful is he that calleth you.

What a mercy if we've been called. That call may be very gentle, but it's still a divine call. The work of the Spirit in your heart may be here a little, there a little, line upon line, precept upon precept, but it's still a divine call. Maybe that gentle work of the Spirit so that you're brought to feel your need and your emptiness and your poverty, and you begin to pray. You begin to pray. Pray unto God. Pray. You may know not what it is that you need, but you still pray. You feel this, I think the hymn writer puts it so beautifully, an aching void you feel in your heart. An aching void that the world can never fill.

mercy if you've got that and so you're praying and then then he says here in verse 5 and the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patient waiting for Christ Jesus and I can honestly say that that is my desire for each one of you here in this chapter and the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God. God is love. And he that loveth is born of God. God is love. God is essential love. God is infinite love. God is eternal love. God has spoken, that yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness have I drawn thee mercy if you can say the Lord has drawn you with loving kindness you felt his love shed abroad in your heart and you feel drawn to Christ you feel drawn heavenward and and this is a vital part of Roman religion the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God

You know that love that we read of in, we so often quote it to you because it is such a wonderful love. God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him shall be saved. Now John, the Apostle John, in his first epistle in chapter four he speaks of this love, this beautiful love of God to his people. Beloved let us love one another. John 4 verse 7. For love is of God and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God.

I know of several of the Lord's people and knowing that they are the Lord's people, one of them was my late brother that I buried, Timothy, and the first impression he ever had of anything spiritual was the love of Christ shed abroad in his heart. And he said it used to really try him when ministers stood in the pulpit and said you must have this, this and this in that order. You must have conviction of sin, you must have that and then you must have Christ revealed and raised to a hope etc. But he said it used to trouble me because the first thing I ever felt was the love of God shed abroad in my heart. You see the Lord is a sovereign in the way that he begins with his people. He said afterward I knew much of conviction of sin But he said, the first spiritual impressions I ever had was I felt love.

Now, of course, John says in that first epistle, we know that we are passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. Last week, we spoke of Ruth and Arbitus. And we know What it was that motivated her to follow Naomi, her mother-in-law. She said to her, entreat me not to leave thee, nor to return from following after thee, for where thou dwellest I will dwell, where thou goest I will go. Thy God shall be my God, thy people my people.

You know, passing from death unto life, You feel a love to the Lord's people. You feel a love to his house. You feel a love to the Lord himself. The hymn writer puts it very beautifully, doesn't he? I love to meet among them now before his gracious feet to bow, though vilest of them all. I love to meet among them now What a mercy if you can say that.

He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. Love is one of those root graces. What the Holy Spirit puts in the heart, if this was manifested, the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten son into the world, that we might live through him. here in his love, not that we love God, but that he loved us. He loved us. He loved us for all eternity and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we are also to love one another. You know, friends, one of the principal graces of the Spirit, We know, and I don't disagree, that faith is of course that great wonderful grace that the Holy Ghost puts in the heart, but listen to what the Word of God says about faith. Faith that worketh by love. If we have true faith, it's not some cold mechanical thing, intellectual thing, it's a love is in the very affections of our soul and you know how we need the Lord then to give us this love give us this love God is love and in verse 19 of that 1 John 4 he says we love him because he first loved us We love him because he first loved us.

The evidence, you see, that we pass from death unto life because we love the brethren. The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patient waiting for Christ. There's a waiting. How many of us here are waiting? Maybe there are those here that you've been waiting for quite a long season. And you're still waiting. Blessed is the man that waiteth at my doors. Are you among those that are waiting? Wait on the Lord. That exhortation that we have in the Word of God.

And then in Isaiah 40, but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount upon wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. That's walking by faith. Now the God of peace himself give you peace always by all means. Lord be with you all.

Now the Lord of peace he says here, in the Hebrews it's a common expression with the dear apostle, in the Hebrews he says now the God of peace, in the Romans he says now the God of peace. Peace by his cross as Jesus made the church's ever-living head, And when the apostle writes to the Philippians he says, the peace of God that passeth all understanding. What does he mean when he says it passeth all understanding? When that peace of God is given, it's beyond our comprehension, it passeth all understanding. The peace of God that passeth all understanding.

Keep your hearts and minds Peace found in that reconciling love of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now the Lord of peace himself, the Lord of peace himself. Of course we could always speak of each one of the, we know it's the Lord Jesus Christ that has made peace, He said to his disciples and in my peace, I give unto you, not as the world giveth give I unto you. We read in the prophecies, this man shall be the peace. Which man? The man Christ Jesus. This man shall be the peace. This wonderful peace, this reconciling love, that Christ has made between him and the church, a peace, the peace speaking blood of Jesus Christ, that precious holy sacrifice of the cross of Calvary, peace speaking blood. He poured out his soul unto death. Why did he do that? Why did he suffer? Why did he bleed? Why did he die? to bring peace, to reconcile, to reconcile poor sinners unto God.

You know the Apostle Lee speaks of it in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians and it goes through that divine order Right at the beginning in verse 2 he says, Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. From God our Father. It goes to the very foundation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. From God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. He goes on and he speaks of these wonderful spiritual blessings in verse three, in heavenly places in Christ. And then he goes through that divine order of how this came about.

According as he hath chosen us in him, that is the father chose us in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy without blame before him in love. In love. Notice this wonderful root grace of the Spirit, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will. The wonderful love of our eternal Father, the spirit of adoption. He's predestinated us unto that, to the praise of the glory of his grace when he has made us accepted in the beloved. The beloved is Christ. And to be accepted is to be justified. Now to be justified is to be washed in the blood of Jesus, to cleanse us from all our sins.

therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Peace with God. Here in Ephesians 1, he says, in whom, verse 7, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace, wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence. having made known unto us the mystery of his will according to the good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself. See our salvation was purposed in God before the foundation of the world. And he speaks here in the dispensation of the fullness of times you might gather together in one all things in Christ both which are in heaven and which are on earth even in him 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 will.

This is where peace comes from. It comes from a crucified Saviour. It comes through the precious blood of Jesus, the Son of God. It comes when the Spirit works faith in our hearts and Christ is revealed and made precious unto our souls. And it's that faith that worketh by love so that you love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and in truth. a wonderful thing and it goes on in Ephesians 1 in verse 18, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saint and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us ward who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come. You see this wonderful peace that comes through our Lord Jesus Christ unto a poor sinner that when the Spirit of God works faith in the heart and Christ is revealed, light and life flows into the soul and the peace of God that passes all understanding, that realization that you're reconciled unto God. Oh, what a mercy then.

Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. God is a God of means and he uses means to give us this peace. You might say what are those means? Well it's what is known commonly among us as the means of grace. The means of grace that he says here by all means and the Lord can use things in nature to convey to our mind the wonderful truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Always, by all means, something that you're daily doing and the Lord, he'll work in your heart and give you to see something in something that you're doing. You just think about Lord Jesus Christ and his parables and how He draws from nature all the time, so in the seed. And the weeps and the tears, how the Lord Jesus conveys through our minds in natural things that are around us. The Word of God says, the heavens declare the glory of God, day unto day utter His speech, night unto night utter His knowledge. And the Lord sometimes uses things in nature open to us the wonderful deep and profound truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Christ did it in parables, the Lord may do it with you in various things daily in your life but it's the means of God. Now there are of course what we call principal means and the means of grace when we speak of the means of grace we're speaking of the house of God it's a means that the Lord uses to convey his truth into our hearts. One of those principal means that the Lord uses is the ministry of the word. That's one of the principal means that the Lord uses. So I would encourage every one of you to attend on the preaching of the world because it's one of the principal means that the Lord uses to convey his truth into our hearts and that as the minister led of the spirit to speak of various things and to open the word of God in various ways and and so the Lord conveys his truth into our hearts the eyes of your understanding being enlightened and the peace of God conveyed into your heart. It may be only a sentence that the man speaks. It may be a whole sermon. It's not very often we receive a whole sermon, but it has been, and I've known it when a whole sermon I felt has been absolutely for me. And the word of God has been made a living word. And it's the means that God has used to enlighten us and to deliver us.

It's the means that God uses in the preaching of the Word to warn us of our lost condition, to warn us of the solemn day of judgment. And this is through the ministry of the Word, it's part, an integral part of the ministry to warn. And like we've just warned you of having as it were an outward religion with nothing real in the heart. Now it's part of the ministry of the Word and it's the means that God uses to enlighten us and to realize that we're not right as before God. And as the main thing that is to be preached is Jesus Christ and Him crucified and so it's that means that the Lord uses in the preaching of the cross, the means He uses to open our eyes. and to give us to realize what we stand in need of. Maybe you've been for some time and you don't know what it is you need, but then perhaps a minister speaking of Jesus Christ and you realize that that's just what I need. That's what I stand in need of.

Is Jesus Christ not in just the letter of God's truth? I want the power of it. I want to believe on him. I want to love him. I want to serve him. I want to follow him. It's the means that God uses.

Another means that God uses is the Word of God. We should always be reading the Word of God. We should always be studying the Word of God. Why? Because it's a means that the Lord uses to open our eyes and to open our hearts. We read of Lydia, the seller of purple, whose heart the Lord opened. Has he opened your heart? He opened my heart.

Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all. Peace always by all means.

You know sometimes the prayer meeting can be quite despised and you hear comments like well it's only a prayer meeting but you know That is one of the means that the Lord uses to bring us into union and communion with the brethren. It's a means that the Lord uses to increase our faith and our love. And as we hear the brethren in prayer, we feel our hearts go with them. And the desires expressed, you feel your hearts go with them. And when there's a sense of thanksgiving, praise unto the Lord for the wonderful blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and your heart goes with them. It's the means that the Lord uses to unite us together in love, in union, in communion.

Now, if we despise the means or neglect the means, it will be to our spiritual, it won't be for our benefit. No. It will lead to spiritual decline. Because these are the means that God has given us. That we should be taught, and led, and guided, and directed by the Spirit. And if we neglect those means, you know, friends, that we should have a seat to be at the house of God. We have a real spiritual appetite, not just on Sunday, but also in the week on the Thursday preaching service and on the prayer meeting.

You might say, why? Because it's the means that God uses to feed our souls. It's a spiritual means of grace unto our hearts. And the Lord will use it to deepen that work of grace your heart to deepen your knowledge and understanding of the truth or that the Lord would enable us then to to wait upon him the means of grace there's the throne of grace that's where Jesus sits and it's the it's the use of that throne of grace in prayer that will the means that God uses to deepen the work of grace in our hearts and to deepen our love to him and to guide us into the truth. It's almost never-ending the different means that the Lord uses to teach and lead and guide and direct his people.

Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means the Lord be with you all. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn number 925. The tune is Church Triumphant 868.

peace by his cross as Jesus made,

the church's everlasting head,

all hell and sin has victory won,

and with a shout, to glory God.

Hymn 925, Tune Church Triumphant, 868.

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 for evermore. Amen.