service this evening by singing together hymn number 303. The tune is Hollinside, 514.

Jesus, lover of my soul,
let me to thy bosom fly,
while the raging billows roll,
while the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Saviour, hide,
till the storm of life is past.
Safe into the haven guide,
O receive my soul at last.

Hymn 303 Tune Hollingside 514

In Jesus, the Lord of my soul,
Lend me to thy bosom, Lord,
While the raging billows roll,
While the tempest still is firm,
Hide thee, earth, thy Saviour high,
Till the storm of life is past.
Save him to the haven God

Courage, faith, heart, soul, and love
Father, refuge have I now,
and my helpless soul on thee.
Viva libri data nobis,
still support and comfort me.
All my trust on Thee is safe,
all my help from Thee I bring.
Cover my defenseless head
With the shadow of thy grace.
Thou art Christ, of whom I come,
All in all in Thee I come.
Raise the fallen, cheer the pain,
Fearless, faithful, friend of mine,
Just and holy is thy name.
I am all of righteousness,
Wild and full of sin I am,
Thou art full of truth and grace.
Let just praise within you sound,
praise to pardon all my sin.
Let the heathen stranger bow,
make and keep me within.
Thou of life, thou fount I was,
predestined take of me.

Let us read together from the holy Word of God in Psalm 32 and Psalm 143.

Psalm 32 and then Psalm 143.

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered,
Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no guile.
When I kept silence, my bones waxed old
through my roaring all the day long.
For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me.
My moisture is turned into the drought of summer sealer.
I acknowledge my sin unto thee,
and mine iniquity have I not hid.
I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord,
and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin, sealer.
For this shall everyone that is godly pray unto thee
in a time when thou mayest be found.
Surely in the floods of great waters
They shall not come nigh unto him.
Thou art my hiding place.
Thou shalt preserve me from trouble.
Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.
Sheila, I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go.
I will guide thee with mine eye.
Be ye not as the horse or as the mule,
which have no understanding,
whose mouth must be howled in with bitter and bridal,
lest they come near unto thee.
Many sorrows shall be to the wicked,
but he that trusteth in the Lord,
mercy shall compass him about.
Be glad in the Lord,
and rejoice, ye righteous,
and shout for joy, all ye that are upright, in heart.

Let us now read together Psalm 143.

Hear my prayer, O Lord.
Give ear to my supplications.
In thy faithfulness answer me,
and in thy righteousness enter not into judgment with thy servant.
For in thy sight shall no man live who be justified.
For the enemy hath persecuted my soul.
He hath smitten my life down to the ground.
He hath made me to dwell in darkness as those that have been long dead.
Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me.
My heart within me is desolate.
I remember the days of old.
I meditate on all thy works.
I muse on the work of thy hands.
I stretch forth my hands unto thee.
My soul thirsteth after thee as a thirsty land, sealer.
Hear me speedily, O Lord.
My spirit faileth.
Hide not thy face from me.
lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.
Cause me to hear thy loving kindness in the morning,
for in thee do I trust.
Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk,
for I lift up my soul unto thee.
Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies.
I flee unto thee to hide me.
Teach me to do thy will,
For Thou art my God,
Thy Spirit is good,
Lead me into the land of uprightness,
Quicken me, O Lord, for Thy name's sake,
For Thy righteousness' sake,
Bring my soul out of trouble,
And of Thy mercy cut off mine enemies,
And destroy all them that afflict my soul.
for I am thy servant.

May the Lord bless the reading of his own precious word and help us in prayer.

Almighty, most merciful and eternal God,
Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
we desire to bow before thy holy and glorious majesty.
And we desire, O Lord, a spirit of confession,
for Thou art holy and we are unholy.
Thou art righteous and we are unrighteous.
Thou dwellest in light inaccessible unto which no man can approach unto.
And by nature, Lord, we are in darkness and in bondage.
And we come to Thee at this evening hour
and we think of that wonderful word of grace
if you confess your sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
oh we do pray that we may lay hold of that hope that is set before us in the gospel
we do pray that the grace of our lord jesus christ
and the love of god our father
and the sacred fellowship of the Holy Spirit
may rest and abide upon us.

We read of our Lord Jesus Christ,
for through him we have access by one spirit unto the Father. And we thank thee for that door of hope that is open wide in Jesus' bleeding hands and We thank thee for that wonderful grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the grace to save, the grace to deliver. And we think of those precious words of our Lord Jesus, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. And oh Lord, we do pray that we may behold our great high priest, who is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the son of God.

You may behold him as our prophet, our priest and our king. We pray that thy word may be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, that was guided so thou great Jehovah, where pilgrim is in a barren land. We are weak, but thou, almighty, hold us with thy powerful hand. Gracious God, do incline thine ear and do have mercy upon us. We do humbly beseech thee. graciously guide us by thy counsel and afterward receive us unto glory.

And we do pray that as we meditate in thy word, that thy word may enlighten us, enliven us. May there be the application of thy word by the power of the Holy Ghost into our souls. Oh do hear us Lord, blessed, holy, divine Spirit, we pray for thy heavenly power. Convince us of our sin and lead to Jesus' blood and to our wandering eyes reveal the secret love of God. Oh that we might have these precious truths of the gospel revealed unto us.

The dear Apostle went right into the Thessalonians He could say, for our gospel came unto you, not in word only, but in power, in the Holy Ghost, and with much assurance. Lord, we do thank thee that we have known that sacred assurance in our hearts of the wonderful glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal word that was made flesh and dwelt among us. We pray that tonight as we gather round thy word, we may indeed behold thy glory, and like thy servant David, being able to say thou art my rock and my fortress, my strong and my high tower, and unto thee shall I continually resort.

O Lord Jesus, we do pray that we may know thy presence here this evening hour. that we may touch the hem of thy garment and draw from that fullness that is in thee, that wonderful fullness that is in thy precious sacrifice, that sin-atoning sacrifice on Calvary. Jesus has made an end of sin. We thank thee for that glorious sacrifice. We thank thee for that precious blood. that has satisfied all the demands of divine justice, that has swept away the sins of thy people. O most gracious Lord, fill our hearts with thankfulness, with gratitude for thy wonderful lovingkindness and thy great goodness, that we've sung together in the hymn, O Lord, Jesu, lover of my soul.

Oh, we do come. Hide me. O my Saviour, hide, till the storm of life is past. Safe into the haven guide, O receive my soul at last. Lord, we do pray that the language of the hymn may be our language. We do humbly pray thee. We pray, most gracious Lord, that thou would remember us as a church and as a congregation, Our brethren the deacons give wisdom and grace. Our brethren and sisters in church fellowship undertake for each one. Unite us together in those sacred bonds of Christian love and union and communion. We do humbly beseech thee. Deliver us from the work of Satan who is the separator of the brethren and grant that there was increase our faith and increase our love.

Grant that we may see, O Lord, a day of prosperity, an in-gathering, a building up, a reviving, a renewing, a replenishing. Oh, do hear us, Lord. Remember the whole of our congregation. Remember them with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people and visit them with thy great salvation. And so that the word of the Lord may become a living word in each one of our hearts, we do humbly pray thee, unstop the deaf ears, open the blind eyes. We do humbly pray, Lord Jesus, when thou wast here upon earth, thou didst do these things continually. And we pray that thou wouldst come and do these things today, that thou wouldst turn our captivity as the streams in the south that we may see the abundance of blessing, that we may see the fulfilling of those wonderful gospel promises.

I will bring thy sons from far and thy daughters from the ends of the earth. And they shall come from the north and from the south and from the east and from the west. O Lord of hosts, O God of Israel, O thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, the Son of Man, whom thou madest strong for thyself. Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. We read in thy word concerning thy church that there shall be an abundance of blessing. Thou hast said, I will abundantly bless her provision. I will satisfy her poor with bread. Arise, arise, O God of grace, into thy rest descend, thou and the ark of thy strength, and let thy priests be clothed with salvation, and thy saints shall shout aloud for joy. O abundantly bless the provision of thy house, and satisfy her poor with bread.

Do hear us, Lord, we humbly beseech thee, we long, we watch, we wait for thy appearing. Oh, do hear us, Lord, in heaven, thy holy dwelling place. And when thou hearest, O Lord, forgive. For we're solemnly aware that there is sin that is mixed in all we do, in all we say, even in our most holy things that we attend to. O Lord, there is sin that is mixed with everything. So we come to thee in the name and for the sake of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Nothing in my hand I bring. Simply to thy cross I cling. Foul I to the fountain fly. Wash me, Saviour, or I die.

We pray, most gracious Lord, that thou wouldst bless the little ones and the children, that thou wouldst bless our young friends, that thou wouldst guide and direct each one. We do humbly pray thee, Pray for those that have wandered away, that thou would stretch out thy almighty arm, that thou would cause them to return. O Lord, do hear us, we humbly pray thee, and have mercy upon us, we beseech thee, and grant that we may see thy blessing, and thy power, and thy glory in the gospel, that there may be those that shall come and tell to sinners round, What a dear Saviour they have found, appoint to thy redeeming blood, and say, Behold thee, way to God.

O Lord, may we see that abundance of blessing upon us as a church and congregation. Lord, remember all in affliction and trouble and trial, perplexity and sorrow and sadness and bereavement. Lord, undertake for each one we do humbly beseech them and graciously guide and direct us.

And he led them forth by the right way unto a city of habitation. O most gracious Lord, we feel to Thee that divine leading of the spirit. We pray that the wonderful light and glory and power of gospel truth may shine into this village precious souls may be gathered unto Christ, the strongholds of Satan pulled down among us here, among the village and the villages that surround us, that we may see an ingathering, that we may see a building up, that we may see a reviving, a renewing, a replenishing in the church of God, that instead of a declension, we may see a rebuilding, a renewing,

Do hear us in heaven, thy holy and thy blessed dwelling place, we do humbly pray. Remember all in the midst of the journey of life and undertake for each one. Remember those of us that are now in the evening time of life's journey and pray for a gracious preparation for that great change that must come.

Prepare me, gracious God, to stand before thy face Thy spirit must the work perform, for it is all of grace.

We thank Thee, O Lord, for the wonderful glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. The way, the truth, and the life. Jesus is the way to God. Jesus is the way to bless. Oh, we do thank Thee for our Lord Jesus Christ. for the incarnation of the Son of God. For the holy life He lived as a man here upon earth, when He was made of a woman made under the law, that He might redeem them that are under the law. We thank Thee that in Him the law has been magnified and honoured, and Thy name has been glorified in His holy life, and the law has been fulfilled and everlasting righteousness has been brought in.

We thank Thee for that precious sacrifice, for sin put away, for divine justice satisfied. We thank thee that he died for our sins and rose again for our justification and as bodily ascended into heaven and sitteth at thy right hand. Lord, we have a complete saviour and we do desire to bow in humble adoration, thanksgiving and praise. for the wonderful glory of his holy and precious name.

Lord, we thank thee for every mercy of thy kind providence and for all thy goodness that has passed before us in the way. Do come now and 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 1093. The tune is Jayser 164.

A welcome to the tempest-tossed amidst the storm's career,
while horror spreads from coast to coast,
is some kind haven near.

Hymn 1093. Tune Jazer 164.

In the valley of tears and sorrows,
the leaves are soft and green.

? From earth to earth ?
? Hymns of the living Godhead ?
? Hark, the herald angels sing ?

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

Oh.

? In seven serpents ?
? In ocean blue ?
? I live in the promised land ?
? From day to day ?

I love you so, I'll always love you.

? In my home, in my embrace ?
? Let me be a child of God ?
? Next to the one I love ?

Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

? Give her a gift of love eternal ?
? Make it shine evermore ?
? Through all eternity ?

Greatly Feeling to need the Lord's gracious help, I would direct your attention to the Psalm 32 and we'll read the first clause of verse 7. Psalm 32, the first clause of verse 7. Thou art my hiding place. The whole verse reads, Thou art my hiding place, Thou shalt preserve me from trouble, Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. So I was getting my breakfast this morning and my heart was up unto the Lord to grant that divine direction for this evening. And that these words, just this first clause, seem to just rest and abide on my spirit. Thou art my hiding place. What a mercy, my beloved friends. This is a confession of faith. He's looking to the Lord and to the Lord alone. And he says to the Lord, thou art my hiding place.

Martin Luther, he called the Psalms 32 and 51, 130 and 143. And he was asked on one occasion what his favorite Psalms were. and he mentioned these ones they're often called the penitential psalms but he said why he loved it and he called them psalmi paulini the psalms of paul and he said in those psalms it's clearly and emphatically set forth that salvation is all of grace that it's all by the finished work of Jesus Christ, that it's all nothing of the creature, no works of the creature, no condemnation under the law, but faith in Jesus Christ. the gospel according to the sweet psalmist of Israel.

You'll notice at the top of this psalm it says the psalm of David Mashgil. Now I understand the word Mashgil is a Hebrew word and it means instruction. So in this psalm we are instructed by the Holy Ghost concerning the way of salvation. Indeed the psalm commences Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. That's the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to David, the man after God's own heart.

Blessed is he whose transgression, we've often explained to you the word transgression is to break God's holy law. And when we transgress, we break that holy law. We break its holy commandments. But here it speaks of transgression forgiven. It's free grace. The free grace of God in Jesus Christ, whose sin is covered. I understand it's similar to what is said in the prophecy of Isaiah on a number of occasions. who blotteth out our transgressions. And where it says here, whose sin is covered, who blotteth out. Now, I understand also that the idea behind the word of blotting out was in those ancient days, they used to have a board and they covered it with wax. And then they got a pen and they wrote in the wax the words that they wanted to put. there on that. Now there came a time when they wanted that to write something else on there so they would completely move the wax so the words were completely taken away and that is the idea behind whose sin is covered, is forgiven, is put away and as far as the east is from the west says the Lord so far Have I removed thy sins from thee, O Israel?

Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and whose spirit there is no guile, imputeth not iniquity. Why doesn't the Lord impute iniquity unto these particular people? Because they are a particular people. They're a chosen people. They're a redeemed people. And the reason he doesn't impute iniquity on them, even though they're guilty of sin and iniquity, because he imputed their sins on another. The Lord Jesus Christ, who took our sins and now them to his cross.

You think of that wonderful transaction in that eternal covenant ordinary all things and sure, when our Eternal Father took our sins. So lovely that word in Isaiah 53, He laid upon Him, as the Father laid upon His Son manifest in the flesh, He laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. And it says there in Isaiah 53, He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. This is where forgiveness is found, friends. In Jesus, the Son of God, the Son of God that was manifest in the flesh,

In Psalm 130, the Psalmist says, but there is forgiveness with thee. I have quite a large volume at home written by Dr. Owen on Psalm 130. And the reason he wrote that commentary on Psalm 130, he'd been in the ministry for quite some time. He was a very learned man. And it was while he was in the ministry, meditating in the Word, that I got a deep sense of his own sinfulness and wretchedness by the Holy Spirit. And then those words were so open to his soul, but there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be freed. The hymn writer says, doesn't he, forgiveness is a joyful to guilty souls condemned to die. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

I often think of the words of our Lord Jesus Christ when they questioned him for giving sins, when he healed the man that was sick of deporting, the man that was let down through the roof, And he marveled at their faith that they went up on the roof and took the tiles off the roof and lowered the man down at the feet of Jesus. And the Lord Jesus said, Thy sins are forgiven. And the Pharisees all said, well, who is this? Man, that's blasphemy. Who is this forgiving sins? Because Jesus had the power to forgive sins. And Jesus still has the power to forgive sins. The Eternal Father anointed him as the great king and head of the church, the shepherd of the sheep. He offered a holy sacrifice unto his Father. We read in Hebrews Chapter 10, for by one offering He had perfected for heaven all them that are sanctified, all that were given to the Father, but all that the Father gave to the Son. That's what it means when it says sanctified. Separated by the electing love of the Father, given by deed of gift unto Jesus, the Eternal Son of God. This was done before the foundation of the world.

The Apostle, he writes extensively on it in the Officials of the Romans. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputed, not iniquity. Understand, this is a long time ago, reading Stephen Charnock, the Puritan, and he expounded a little on the word iniquity. And he said, that iniquity refers principally to our fallen state by nature. It's the state that we're born in. Like David says in Psalm 51, we're born in sin, we are shaped in iniquity. In sin did our mothers conceive us. We're born in sin. That's our state. and our condition and therefore because we're born in sin we're born under the curse the curse of the law it's a solemn thought isn't it that Jesus came to deliver his people from the curse of the law that lovely word in Galatians chapter 4 verse 4 about the Lord Jesus Christ when he was made of a woman, made under the law. What an emphasis there is there. When the Son of God became a man, he came under the law. He lived under the law as a man, here upon earth. And the purpose, the divine purpose, to fulfil it, Jesus said I come not to destroy the law but to fulfill it. The apostle says in Romans chapter 7 we establish the law in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We don't destroy it. The law is fulfilled and established in the glorious person of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's what he did in his holy, pure and spotless life. fulfilled and honoured and magnified the holy law of God. He did no sin, neither was any guile found in his name.

Now here, in this psalm, David, he says in verse 3, when I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my glory. all the day long, for day and night my hand was heavy upon me, my moisturies turned into the drought of sun.

See my beloved friends, daily brought under conviction of sin. Sin, the language is found of course in Psalm 51. And then he says, I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and my iniquity have I not hit.

You know, John in his first epistle, he says, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. If we say that we have no sin, and he says if we say that we have no sin we may become a liar because the word of God says we all have sinned and come short of thy glory so we have here these principal doctrines of grace and the wonderful work of the spirit in the heart when he convicts them convinces of sin they said in verse five i acknowledge my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have i not been I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.

See that, the iniquity of my sin. You know, every true child of God, sin is a burden to them. It is. Sin is a burden to them.

These people that make a big thing of saying they never ever doubt the Lord and they always live in the light of his countenance because I'm a Christian and I believe in Jesus Christ and I believe in his precious blood. Wonderful thing my beloved friends but if we're truly taught of the Spirit and these things are true concerning Jesus Christ but every believer under the teaching of the Spirit they're constantly brought to confess their sins.

We carry a bell, as the apostle puts it, a body of sin and death. And we have to come to the Lord again and again to confess our transgressions. If ye confess your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

For this, verse 6, for this show, everyone that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found. What a wonderful thing that is. A time when thou mayest be found. There is a set time to faith as I am, but there is a time when the Lord is to be found by his blood-brought people There is a time when the Holy Ghost enters the heart, quickens the soul, convinces us of sin, brings us to feel our need of salvation, brings us to acknowledge my sin unto thee. It is as if will this show everyone that is godly. What makes a person godly? The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The word godly means god-likeness. The Apostle says in Philippians 2, let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. God-likeness.

For this shall everyone that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. These floods of great waters Humanity speaks of it, doesn't it? Jordan's waves. The floods of great waters. The storm of death draws nigh. The floods of great waters. We have the sentence of death within ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves but in the living God. And it's that constant teaching of the Spirit that brings us to confess our sins. and to look alone to Jesus Christ. That's the divine teaching of the Spirit. He works faith in the heart so that we believe. He works faith to believe in Jesus Christ. Faith to believe in his precious blood. Faith to believe in his glorious righteousness.

Thou art my hiding place. Thou art mine hiding place. You know, David in that psalm that he wrote, Psalm 18, is recorded also in the book of Samuel as well. And he says there in the beginning of Psalm 18, I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my strength. Notice the my, and it is in our text as well. Thou art my hiding place, my strength, in whom I will trust, my buckle, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

You see, my beloved friends, real religion is a very personal thing. It's like in the Song of Solomon. My beloved is mine, and I am his. My beloved is mine, and I am his. And in this personal, experimental religion in the soul, we are brought into union with Christ. And the Holy Ghost working faith in our hearts, we belong to believe on Jesus Christ. In his precious sin atoning glass, in his holy sacrifice of Calvary, where sin has been put away, where divine justice has been satisfied, where God and sinners are reconciled.

For this shall everyone that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found. You see, thou art my hiding place. My mind was much drawn in reading in the provision made in the Levitical dispensation when Moses was setting up the land of Israel and it was divinely decreed and purposed that there should be seven cities of refuge. If a person inadvertently, not purposefully, killed a man, what we call manslaughter, then he had to flee to a city of refuge. And the revenger of Bath could not get in there. He was saved.

You know those cities of refuge are beautifully, beautifully typical of our Lord Jesus Christ. My rock, my fortress, my strong, my high tower. We read in the book of the Proverbs that the name of the Lord is a strong tower and the righteous run into it. Why? It's a place of refuge. Jesus is that strong tower. Jesus is that refuge. I love that beautiful hymn, a refuge for sinners. The gospel makes known, it is found in the merits of Jesus alone. The weary, the tempted, the burdened by sin, were never exempted from entering therein.

Thou art my hiding place. Thou art my hiding place. What a mercy if we are instructed in the ways of the gospel, instructed to flee unto Jesus Christ. John the Baptist, he said, didn't he, when he saw Jesus, behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. Behold the Lamb of God. He said in his teachings, I think it's in Matthew chapter 3, and he says, flee from the wrath which is to come. Where do you flee? To Jesus Christ. The rock and refuge of his people.

Thou art my hiding place. It's a very personal thing. Thou art my hiding place. And what he saw here in the glorious person of our Lord Jesus Christ, thou shalt preserve me from trouble. The Lord will preserve his people from trouble. You know, we read in the Gospel according to John, in the 10th chapter, the Lord Jesus He sets before us there something of that glorious safety and security that there is in himself. He says, verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. Very subtle, we know, friends. It's a solemn word of admonition, to climb up some other way.

John Beveridge, he puts it in one of his hymns, Have you found Jesus Christ? but he that entereth in by the door is the second of the sheep to him the porter openeth and the sheep hear his voice and he calleth his own sheep by name and leadeth there Jesus calls his own sheep by name he says they are mine they are mine and he puteth forth his own sheep he goeth before them And the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of strangers. It's to follow our Lord Jesus.

You see, he spake a parable unto them, but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. By thee, if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. I am the Good Shepherd, the Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an Hylian and not the Shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth. And the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The Hylian fleeth, because he is an Hylian. It's a very certain word, isn't it? And careth not for the sheep. I am the Good Shepherd and know my sheep, and I know that mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. And then these other sheep I have, which are not of this fold, them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice. and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life that I might take it again. My Father loves me.

See, everything, my beloved friends, it centres in the person, power, grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ. For I have pleased the Father that in Him shall all fullness dwell. There's a fullness of grace in Jesus Christ. It's an inexhaustible supply of grace in Jesus Christ. And there is safety and security in Jesus Christ.

Here in this chapter 10 in John, Verse 27, it says, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. When I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. You see, they aren't My hiding place. What a hiding place. What a secure hiding place. It speaks in the Old Testament in one of the prophets about the shadow of a great rock in a weary hand. That's what Christ is. He's the shadow of a great rock in a weary hand.

When I went to Israel in 1994 and we took a journey in a truck down through the Judean wilderness and it was a very rough ride, and we came down round some steep bends, and there was this great rock, and we went round, it was a hot day, we went round underneath that rock, and the shadow of that rock, what a hiding place, and I immediately thought of that scripture, that a man shall be in hiding place, shall be as a shadow of a great rock in a weary land. What a refuge Jesus Christ is. What a refuge for poor sinners, for poor helpless sinners.

My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish. neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

I was given a book to look at just recently and immediately it was quite dark when I started to read it and the person writing it he put in there, oh we hear so much about the person of Jesus Christ And more of the same, I must get away from the person of Jesus Christ. I thought, man, this is completely wrong. Completely wrong. We need the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. We need the Son of God manifest in the flesh. We need his holy life. We need his sacred sacrifice. We need his righteousness. We need his forgiving love. Is he alone that can blot out our transgressions? There is none other name that is given unto heaven whereby ye must be saved but the name of Jesus Christ.

Thou art my hiding place. What a hiding place He is. The glorious person of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Where there is forgiveness. And in that psalm, we read together Psalm 143, we hear the wrestlings of a living soul. Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications in thy faithfulness, answer me in thy righteousness, and enter not into judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. And how true that is, in thy sight shall no man living be justified. And the enemy hath persecuted my soul, he hath sipped my life down to the ground, he hath made me as well in darkness as those that have been long dead. Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within them. My heart within me is desolate.

He said, I stretch forth my hands unto thee, my soul thirsteth after thee as a thirsting hand. What I liked about it is that Verse 8, cause me to hear thy loving kindness. It's a beautiful word, isn't it? Love and kindness. Cause me to hear thy loving kindness in the morning. For in thee do I trust. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk. For I lift up my soul unto thee. And that humility here in verse 10, teach me to do thy will. For thou art my God, thy spirit is good, lead me into the land of uprightness.

Thou art my hiding place. What a hiding place, isn't it? What a rock, what a refuge. What an answer the Lord Jesus gave to Peter when he said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And what was the answer that he gave? Upon this rock. Christ himself upon this rock I build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against me. He's the hiding place of his people. He will cover his people. He covers them in his righteousness. They feel unrighteous but he makes them righteous. They feel defiled with sin but he washes them in his precious blood.

And you know, when that happens and when the Spirit of God reveals Christ and there's an application of the precious blood, oh my beloved friends, there's an assurance of faith. Sin has been put away. Divine justice has been satisfied. God and sinners are reconciled. That's what happens when Christ is revealed at our hiding place.

You see, in the previous psalm, Psalm 31, it says in verse 19, O how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee, which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men. Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man. Thou shalt hide them. Thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongue.

Where is that secret place? It's in Christ. The secret place. When Moses asked that he could see the Lord, and the Lord said to Moses, there is a place by me. What is that place by him? It's Christ. Christ, the refuge of sinners.

And we have here in the book of Psalms, Psalm 91, He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. That secret place is Christ. To dwell in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

It's speaking, the book of Ruth, and Boaz speaking to Ruth about coming under the wings of the Lord God Almighty, in whom they have been brought to trust. Ruth was a Gentile, but she was brought to trust in the Lord Jehovah. She was brought to shelter under the shadow of his wings.

The Lord Jesus, he gives us that same illustration. As a hen gathereth her chicks under her wings, so shall I gather thee.

You know, it's a very well-known story of the fire there was on a farm, in the chicken house. And afterwards, they went through where that fire had been, and somebody kicked the mother hen And out from under her wings came live little chickens. The little chicks had survived. Mother died, but they survived. They were under the shadow of her wings. And we shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God. In Him will I trust. Thou art my hiding place. And you know, my beloved friends, this hiding place is eternal. It's eternal. He that hath begun a good work in you shall perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ. This hiding place is eternal. That there's eternal life. I give unto my sheep eternal life. I've come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly. Oh, my beloved friends, this rock, this refuge in Jesus Christ is an eternal rock, an eternal refuge. I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee, world, without end. No. What a wonderful thing to dwell under the shadow of the Almighty.

It goes on in that psalm, agreed it's a prophecy concerning Christ, but it's also His people in Psalm 91 verse 11, for He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and the abbot, the yongle and the dragon, shalt thou tramp on their feet. because he hath set his love upon me. Therefore will I deliver him. I will set him on high because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honour him with long life. With that long life you can put eternal life. With long life. Will I satisfy Him and show Him my salvation? Thou art my hiding place.

May the Lord grant His blessing. Let us now sing together hymn number 711 The tune is Alstoe 330. Amidst the sorrows of the world, Lord Jesus, teach my soul to pray, and let me taste thy special grace, and run to Christ, my highly placed. Hymn 711, tune Alstoe 330. Bids them soar as far away, For Jesus' sake my soul to pray. And let me taste thy sensual grace, And contemplate thy holy face.

? And thanks for all his hard work ?
? To raise him from the grave of death ?
And when the bells are tolling day, When the bells are tolling day, Good tidings to thee, O Holy Mary, and glory to thy blessed seed.
? I come unto God the Son of the Grace ?
? The one and only God, my God and King! ?
? And still I hear him call ?
? From tides of day ?
? That endeth all ?
? And strideth forever ?
? God, I praise thee ?
? And sing in praise of thee ?
? God, I praise thee ?
? And sing in praise of thee ?
? And peace be with the king of kings ?
? In heav'n I look to thee my praise ?
? Since then have I come to die in Christ ?
? O Jesus, child of God ?
? When I enter his secret grave ?
? Salvation spreads, and there's a seal on my heart ?

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.