Let us commence our service this evening by singing together hymn number seven. The tune is Rest 211. God shall alone the refuge be and comfort of my mind. Too wise to be mistaken he, too good to be unkind. Hymn number seven, tune Rest 211.

Let us read together from the holy word of God in the prophecy of Isaiah under chapter 60.

Isaiah chapter 60 and gross darkness the people, but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see, all they gather themselves together, they come to thee. Thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see and flow together, and thine heart shall fear and be enlarged, because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, and the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah, all they from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and incense, and they shall show forth the praises of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee. The rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee. They shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory.

Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? Surely the Isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.

And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their king shall minister unto thee, For in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee. Therefore thy gates shall be open continually, they shall not be shut day nor night, that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.

For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish. Yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir-tree, the pine-tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and I will make the place of my feet glorious.

The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee, and all they despise thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet, and they shall call thee the city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel, whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breasts of kings, and thou shalt know that I, the Lord, am thy Saviour, and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood, brass, and for stones, iron. I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, Wasting nor destruction within thy borders, And thou shalt call thy walls salvation, And thy gates praise.

The sun shall be no more thy light by day, Neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee, But the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself, for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.

Thy people also shall be all righteous. They shall inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation. I, the Lord, will hasten it in his time.

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

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which is and was and art to come, we desire to bow before thy glorious majesty. We come as poor sinners unto thy holy and glorious majesty, Father, Son and Holy Ghost. We come to confess our sins and our wanderings and our backsliding. and our unworthiness of all thy tender mercies and thy loving kindnesses.

For, Lord, we all have sinned and come short of thy glory, and we desire to be washed in thy precious blood. We desire to be clothed in that glorious robe of thine everlasting righteousness, even the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. Things, O Lord, are our only hope of salvation. Our only hope and desire is in the glorious person of our Lord Jesus.

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. Lord, we dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. We pray to be led of the Spirit of God, and that the Word of God may be open to our heart and to our understanding, and that we may be enabled to delve into that deep that couches beneath in thy Word, and that we may indeed hear the Word of the Lord, that thou wilt unstop the deaf ears, and open the blind eyes, and cause thee Tongue of the dumb to speak, O Lord, we do beseech Thee.

Graciously show us Thy ways, teach us Thy paths, bring us to the feet of Jesus.

Holy, blessed, divine Spirit of truth, we pray that Thou wouldst convince us of our sin and lead to Jesus' blood and to our wandering eyes reveal the secret love of God. We pray, most gracious God, that thou wouldst hear us in heaven, thy holy dwelling place, and that thou wouldst, most blessed Spirit, open the word, that we may delve into the deep that coucheth beneath in thy word, and that thy word may become a living word in our hearts. breathed into our souls by the Holy Ghost, we do humbly beseech thee.

And O Most Blessed Spirit, we do pray that thou wouldst take of the things of Jesus and reveal them unto us, that we may behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world, that we may behold his glorious and his everlasting righteousness, his holiness, He did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. O most gracious Spirit, we do pray that thou wouldst take of those things of Jesus and reveal them unto us. We pray that we may be clothed upon with that glorious everlasting robe of his righteousness and that we may be washed in that precious sin atoning blood that he shed on the cross of Calvary for he hath put away sin.

O most gracious Lord, may we lay hold of that blessed truth tonight, that he hath put away sin by the offering of himself on the cross of Calvary, that our sins and our iniquities are all put away. He blotteth out our transgressions, O to know this evening hour that we are indeed justified in the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ our Lord.

We pray that the wonderful grace of our Lord Jesus Christ may fill our hearts and that the love of Christ may be shed abroad in our souls and that we may behold your lovely man that we may behold that scene of matchless grace, tis Jesus in the sinner's place, heaven's brightest glory sunk in shame.

Gracious God, incline thine ear, we do humbly beseech thee, for thy great name's sake, and have mercy upon us, we do beseech thee. We pray, most gracious Lord, that thou, in thy great mercy, would draw us those sacred, divine drawings of our Heavenly Father, drawing us unto His Son, Jesus Christ. Thou hast said, I will draw thee with the cords of a man. Oh, we do pray that we may be drawn unto Jesus Christ, that we may have that witness of Thy Spirit with our spirit, that we are the children of God, that we have a Heavenly Father, who's loved us with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness have I drawn thee.

May we have that witness of thy spirit, thy spirit tonight. Oh Lord, we do beseech thee that we may be lifted into the realms of the spirit and the word of truth may be open to our heart and to our understanding and that the word of truth may meet our needs, our concerns, our burdens, our sorrows, And that those things, O Lord, that trouble us and that burden us, may our souls be fed. May we be strengthened by thy spirit in the inner man. And may grace triumphant reign in our hearts and in our lives. And may we be favoured to follow thee, Lord Jesus, with us whoever thou didst lead and guide and direct.

Help us to lay aside every weight and the sin that does so easily beset us, and that we might run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame thereof, and is now set down at the right hand of the majesty on high. O Lord, we do thank thee. that it is so.

Lord, we do pray that thou wouldst graciously remember us as a church, as a congregation, remember our brethren, the deacons, and give grace, wisdom, and help in all matters, and undertake for them in all their concerns. Remember each one of our brethren and sisters in Christ Jesus, and graciously Help us to love each other, serve each other, bear each other's burdens, thereby fulfilling the law of Christ.

Lord, we do pray that thou wouldst give us a thankful heart. Thy word declares unto us, and be ye thankful. And it is a good thing to give praise unto God And as we come into the sanctuary, Lord, we would offer a note of thanksgiving, of praise, of adoration unto thee for that new and living way that has been made into the holy place. We thank thee for our little house of prayer. We thank thee for supplying all our many returning needs. But above all, we thank thee for Jesus Christ, Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift. And what a gift it is, the gift of His only begotten Son. Oh, we thank Thee for that holy life He lived and that holy law He fulfilled and honoured and magnified, bringing in everlasting righteousness for Thy people.

We thank Thee for that holy, sacred sacrifice of Calvary and that sin has been put away, and divine justice has been satisfied, and God and sinners are reconciled, and peace is made between God and man. Lord, we thank thee that he died for our sins, and rose again for our justification, and he has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

We thank thee that he has ascended upon high, that he now sits at thy right hand, that we have a great high priest and advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Lord, do hear us, we pray. We thank thee that in him we know that wonderful love of our heavenly Father, and through him we receive that precious gift of the Holy Ghost. Oh, hear us, Lord, we pray.

Remember this village. Send out the wonderful glory and light of gospel truth into this village, gathering precious souls. Bring our sons from far and our daughters from the ends of the earth. Grant that we may see Zion's offspring come. Grant that we may see the strongholds of Satan pulled down and the kingdom of our Lord Jesus set up in the hearts of sinners.

Let thy work appear unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children, O Lord, we do humbly beseech thee. We pray, most gracious Lord, that thou wouldst be with us as we turn to thy holy word and that thou wouldst come and open the word of truth to our heart and to our understanding at this evening hour. We do humbly beseech thee. touch one's lips with a live coal from off the heavenly altar, we ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

Let us now sing together hymn number 366. The tune is Heap, 156.

The Lord in Zion placed his name. His ark was settled there. To Zion the whole nation came to worship thrice a year.

Hymn 366, tune Heap, 156.

Greatly feeling to need the Lord's gracious help or direct your attention to the chapter we read, the prophecy of Isaiah chapter 60. and we'll read verse 13 for our text. Isaiah chapter 60, verse 13. The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee. The fir tree, the pine tree, and the box tree together to beautify the place of my sanctuary. and I will make the place of my feet glorious. These are wonderful and precious promises that the Prophet brings forth to the Church in these New Testament days.

The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ ushering in the New Testament of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. As he opens the chapter, he says, Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

And the Lord Jesus, he said, I am the light of the world. He's that light that shineth in a dark place, the light of truth, the light of love, the light of grace, the light of mercy, the light of peace, it all flows through our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who was fulfilled when he was made of a woman made under the law, that he might redeem them that are under the law. And so this is the promise of his coming.

And as the apostle Paul tells us in the Corinthians, that all the promises of God are yay and amen in Christ Jesus. They're all yay and amen. Arise, shine, for thy light is come. And the glory of the Lord is risen upon them.

Think of the glory of the Lord in that holy life of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God that was manifest in the flesh and that glorious light that shines in Him. God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined into our hearts with the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Arise, shine, for thy light is and the glory of the Lord is written upon thee. These promises and these prophecies are fulfilled in the church of God here on earth, in Zion. Zion is the church of the living God.

It says, for behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And gross darkness the people, but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. The Apostle says so beautifully, doesn't he? And we beheld his glory. What glory? The glory of Christ. The glory of the Son of God manifest in the flesh. The glory of his holiness. The glory of the law fulfilled and honoured and magnified in his glorious person. The glory of that holy birth. It's the only holy birth that ever happened on earth. The only man ever born without sin. It's a wonderful precious truth. The incarnation of the Son of God.

He said, but the Lord shall arise upon thee, that's upon his church, his people here on earth, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And then he speaks here of the calling of the Gentiles in these gospel days. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light.

You see, when Christ is preached, a light shines. When believers follow the Lord Jesus Christ and try to live as he did, then a light shines. We're not to hide our light under a bushel, but we're to put it in a high place so everyone can see it.

There's a light shines in God's holy word. The light of divine truth shines in God's holy word. And when the Holy Spirit breathes it into the heart, you think of the light that shines in God's holy righteous law. It's the light of holiness. It's the light of perfection. And when the Holy Spirit takes that holy law and breathes it into our heart, then we find death and damnation.

There's that light that has shone into our heart, revealing our sinfulness, our corruption, our unrighteousness. We all have sinned to come short of the glory of God, and that's what that light of the Holy Ghost breathed in the Word of God into the soul, convinces us of our sin. When the Holy Spirit enters a sinner's heart, the spirit of life that is in Christ Jesus, that light shining in the heart. And then there's that wonderful glory of the light of the gospel that shines in the heart of that poor lost sinner, when the blessed spirit takes of the things of Jesus and reveals them unto us. And then light shines. Instead of mourning, there is rejoicing. Instead of torment, there is peace. Instead of a great distance between your soul and God, there is nearness, there is union, there's communion. Where? In Jesus Christ.

He says, doesn't he, in the Blessed Spirit, it leaves on record in the Corinthians, But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit, for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. God has revealed them. Real religion, my beloved friends, is a revelation. It's a revelation of our lost condition. It's a revelation of our helplessness, our hopelessness, our sinfulness, our inability. but it's also a revelation of Jesus Christ, the saviour of sinners. What that wonderful word, for God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him shall be saved. What a light dawns upon the soul when the reality of that experience is given.

You see, and the Gentiles shall come to thy light. and kings to the brightness of thy rising, lift up thine eyes round about and see, all they gather themselves together, they come to thee. These are divine promises and divine prospects, they come to thee. Thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Why are these wonderful promises revealed unto us in the Word of God. You know, friends, we should take these promises and we should plead them before the Lord. Plead that we might see our sons come. Thy son shall come from far, and thy daughter shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see and flow together See what the gospel does, is that flowing together, there's union, there's communion.

One hymn writer says, doesn't he, I'd love to meet among them now, before thy gracious feet to bow the vilest of them all. We know, you think of these precious portions of scripture, we know, that we are passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. You see, then thou shalt see and flow together and thy heart shall fear and be enlarged because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee and the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. He speaks here of the camels and the dromedaries is people coming to the church of God, coming to Zion, coming to the house of God, coming to worship the Lord our God, coming to behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. Do we long for such a day? You think of these wonderful promises that the Lord gives us in these these chapters here in Isaiah. He says, I will work. I will work. And who shall let it? That word let is an old English word, which means hinder. I will work and who shall hinder it? Who shall stop it? You know, my beloved friends, none can stop it. Not when the Lord works.

And it speaks in these different ways. says in verse 8 who are these that fly as a cloud and as doves to their windows this is the lord's little ones they fly as a cloud there's an abundance that shall come and they fly as a cloud we've seen it sometimes in you get what's a called a mermation of starlings and they fly as a cloud there's a huge Thousands of them all flying together. And what the Lord promises here to the church of God. Who are these that fly as a cloud and as the doves to their windows? And then it speaks of waiting for him. Surely the isles shall wait for me and the ships of Tarshish first to bring thy sons from far and their silver and their gold with them unto the name of the Lord thy God and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.

Speaks of the Gentiles here being called of God to preach the everlasting gospel. Verse 10, the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls. and their king shall minister unto thee, for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour I had mercy on thee, and then therefore thy gate shall be open continually.

The hymn writer says, doesn't he, the door of thy mercy stands open all day, for the poor and the needy that knock by the that wonderful door of His mercy, that wonderful door of His grace, that wonderful door of His everlasting love, it's open. It's open. Therefore, thy gates shall be open continually. They shall not be shut day nor night, that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.

You see the glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee. Lebanon is a Gentile country. So this is the promise here of the calling of the Gentiles. The glory of Lebanon, the best of Lebanon shall come unto thee.

And then we have these trees, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box tree together. These are all evergreen trees. They're all evergreen trees. You know, the church of God is planted in a wilderness. You know, it's the last place that we would, naturally speaking, that we would plant trees, isn't it? Trees are not going to root down and grow in a desert. You might say, why not? Because there's no water. There's no water.

No, the wilderness is this world. It's a desert. There's nothing here to feed a living soul. It's a desert. And we have that beautiful well-known promise in chapter 41 and verse 17, when the poor and needy seek water and there is none. What a beautiful description that is of the true living child of God, the poor and needy. Because when the Spirit truly works in our hearts, that's what we shall be, poor and needy. It doesn't say if the poor and needy seek water, when the poor and needy seek water. It is something that is divinely sure.

Has there come a time in your life when you've been brought to hunger and to thirst, spiritually, inwardly? You greatly feel your need when the poor and needy seek water and there is none. And their tongue faileth for thirst. I the Lord will hear them. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. I the Lord will hear them. I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places. Remember, it's a wilderness, a desert. I will open rivers in high places and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land springs of water.

that those rivers of water is the Holy Ghost. You know, my beloved friends, nothing can be done in the Church of God without the Holy Ghost. It's only as the Spirit is poured upon us from on high that anything can be done in the Church of God. And the Lord, He says here, I will open fountains in the midst of the valleys. I'll make The wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.

And then we have these lovely words. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shitter tree, and the myrtle in the oil tree. I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together. See, I the Lord will do it. These trees are of the Lord's right hand planting. And we read elsewhere in Isaiah that they will take root downward and bear fruit upward. They'll be rooted and grounded in love. The Lord's living family, rooted and grounded in love. They shall know the love of Christ which parts of knowledge.

And these little hills of Zion, because that is what is described in the Word of God, is the little hills of Zion, the little places, they're like an oasis in the desert. And in those little hills of Zion, there's a spring, a living spring. It's the Holy Ghost. There is a river, the streams will make glad the city of God. dwelling places of the Most High.

You see, they will grow even though it's in a desert, even though it's in desolate places. They will grow. Why? Because there's a living spring. They'll be rooted because of that living water in the church. They'll root down bear fruit upward that they may see and know and consider and understand together that the hand of the Lord hath done this and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

These wonderful gospel promises my beloved friends to the Church of God that they are written to encourage us I know we live in days of great declension. I know there is a withholding of the Spirit's power. It's painfully evident in the churches. But the Lord has promised to come again.

My mind in meditation this morning, it not only led to that chapter 41, but chapter 43. Look at the wonderful promises that are found there. But now thus saith the Lord that created the old Jacob and he that formed the old Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine.

When thou passest through the waters, those waters can mean many different things. It can be the water of conviction. When you think it will overwhelm you, the sense and realisation of your sinfulness. It can be the waters of affliction. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee. And through the rivers they shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon them.

There will be these times of great trouble and trial. That there will be these times of temptation. But the Lord promises, I will be with thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour. I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and sea before thee. He said these wonderful promises. Fear not. for I am with thee.

I will bring thy seed from the east and gather thee from the west. I will say to the north, give up, and to the south, keep not back. Bring my sons from far and my daughters from the ends of the earth, even everyone that is called by my name, for I have created him for my glory. I have formed him, Jay, I have made him. You see, I have created him for my glory.

There is a family on earth whose father fills a throne, and though a seed of heavenly birth to men, they're little known. You see, and the Lord, he gives these wonderful promises to them. Say, I am with thee. In verse 5 in chapter 43, fear not for I am with thee. I will bring thy seed from the east and gather thee from the west. I will say to the north give up and to the south keep not back. Bring my sons from far and my daughters from the ends of the earth. Not a hoof shall be left behind. He says, even everyone that is called by my name, everyone that is called by my name, for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him, yea, I have made him. My beloved friends, it says in chapter 43, And verse 13, yea, before the day was, I am he. And there is none that can deliver out of my hand. I will work and who shall let it? The Lord will work in his own time, in his own way. I am the Lord, your holy one, the creator of Israel, your king. Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea and a path in the mighty waters.

You see, this is what the Lord does. He does for his people. These wonderful gospel promises are written to encourage us to pray, to seek, to seek for an outpouring of the Spirit, to seek for an engathering of precious souls, to seek that there may be a generation raised up that shall call him the Redeemer, blessed, the glory of Lebanon, shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the brocks together.

You know, you've got the fir tree as a big tree, the pine tree as a very tall tree, the box tree as a little bush. And what these trees represent, as we've already said, they're all evergreen. What these trees represent is all the different characters that the Lord's people calls by divine grace and brings them together into the church of God. They come from every different avenue of life, Some are poor, some are rich. Some have got difficult characters, some have got very nice characters. But the Lord brings them all together.

How does he do that? Well, he dwells in their hearts by his Spirit. He convicts and convinces them of sin. He brings them to the feet of Jesus. so that they become followers of our Lord Jesus Christ. He works faith in their hearts and he turns their darkness into light, their bondage into liberty. The Lord does this in the hearts of each one of his people.

Now this people though from all from different walks of life and all with different characters they're brought together. I shall never forget my late pastor he often used to speak of it but when when he was brought to follow the Lord and the late pastor at Black Boys and the Lord had so blessed my dear pastor in his soul and He saw all the Lord's people sitting round the table of the Lord, and he said, I saw them all in Christ. They were all perfect in Christ Jesus. And he said, I long to be with them. And then he said the pastor gave out the word at the ordinance, just one verse, with desire, Have I desired to eat this Passover with you? And he said, that absolutely did it. He said, I had to go forward with desire.

Well, he saw them all in Christ. He wanted to be among them. I'd love to meet among them now, before his gracious feet to bow, though vilest of them all. There's that longing desire to be with and to follow the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ the glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee the fir tree the pine tree and the box together

You know just think of that. You've got some of the Lord's people by God's grace. They're like the great Caesars of Lebanon They're men of stature And of wisdom and of understanding they're like Caesars of Lebanon Others are like the fir tree and the pine tree, and then there's the little box tree. And some of the Lord's people always feel like that, like that little box tree. It can never get very big, can never seem to, as it were, enter into the deeper things of God. And yet they're still part of the number. part of the Lord's people. They're still planted in the wilderness and the river of life still feeds them. That wonderful divine work of the Spirit is in their hearts. Now I often direct you to that last chapter of Holy Scripture because that so beautifully speaks to us in Revelation 22 verse 1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. The pure river of water of life is the Holy Ghost. The throne of God is the throne of our Heavenly Father and of the Lamb. That's our Lord Jesus Christ. So we have there the glorious precious doctrine of the Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, essential unto salvation.

The Father chose a people from the ruins of the Adam four. The Son redeemed a people from the ruins of the Adam four. The Holy Ghost sanctifies a people from the ruins of the Adam four. He enters into their hearts. You know there's nothing done spiritually without the Holy Ghost. Nothing. Nothing can be done, nothing ever has been done spiritually without the divine and blessed work of the Spirit of God. This work is a work of God, it's not a work of man. It's the work of God.

You see, we read in 1 Corinthians chapter 2, I have not seen nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, said 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, which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth. comparing spiritual things with spiritual. That the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for there are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

You see, we cannot know anything spiritual until the Holy Ghost has entered our heart and quickened our soul and given us spiritual life. That's the new birth, you must be born again. And that new birth can only be done by the Holy Ghost. It's the divine work of the Spirit.

He says that these trees, the glory of Lebanon, the fir tree, the pine tree, the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary. the house of God, the Lord's people, as they are wrought upon by the Spirit, as they are brought into union and communion with Christ, with the Father, with the Son, with the Holy Ghost. And they are brought to testify to the Lord's people of what he has done for their soul. And when they do, They beautify the place of my sanctuary and I will make the place of my feet glorious.

The place of my feet. You know, the place of his feet is the church of God. We read in Isaiah 66, thus saith the Lord, the heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house that you build unto me? Where is the place of my rest? For all these things hath mine hand made, and all those have been, saith the Lord. To this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. To this man will I look. The place of my feet, the earth is my footstool. I'll make the place of my feet glorious. There's a wonderful glory, my beloved friends, that is revealed when the Lord works, when a poor sinner is brought to saving faith in Jesus Christ, and that poor sinner feels constrained to tell the Lord's people what the Lord has done for their soul, and that they come in no more a stranger or a guest, but like a child at home. They feel union and they feel communion. Some of them were enemies of truth. It says in the following verse, the sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee and all they that despise thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet and they shall call thee the city of the Lord. The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

Now, my beloved friends, what is it that unites these souls together? Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The precious blood of the Lamb. The glorious righteousness of Jesus Christ. And when He is exalted in the ministry of the world, that's what draws them together. In union with the Lamb. From condemnation free. The saints were everlasting were, and shall forever be. Shall forever be.

The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee. And it says here in verse 19, the sun shall be no more thy light by day, neither brightness shall the moon give light unto thee, but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light. God thy glory, and then in the consummation of all things, thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself, for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. The days of thy mourning shall be ended.

Why? Christ is revealed, sin is put away, divine justice is satisfied, God and sinners are reconciled. Christ has swallowed up death in victory. Christ has opened a new and living way into the holy place. Thy people also shall be all righteous. What? In Christ, justified, declared to be without sin. Thy people also shall be all righteous. shall inherit the land forever, the branch of my plant in the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, a small one a strong nation. I the Lord will hasten it in his time.

May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn number 996 to the tune Bodmin, 934.

While the dear saints of God below travel this vale of sin and woe,

there is a river through the road makes glad the city of our God.

Hymn 996, tune Bodmin, 934

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.