A sovereign protector I have,
Unseen yet forever at hand, Unchangeably faithful to save, Almighty to
rule and command. He smiles and my comforts abound,
His grace as the dew shall descend, and walls of salvation surround
the souls he delights to defend. Hymn 346. Tune Auburn 734. O protector I have, I'll see
in your ever at hand, I'll change to be faithful to say, Almighty
to throne and command. His powers are my comforts abound,
His grace has the tuition which can And walls of salvation surround
The souls He delights to defend I know of the land round of my
birth, Beneath whom I come, I am found. My Father, then, is just
and kind, Thou know, Thou hast, Thou pray, till now. Thine ears on the years that
are past, Wherein my defense shall not spurn, Nor will for
many years have passed, While still the star-signalling light. Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in Psalms 91 and 92. Psalms 91 and 92. He that dwelleth in the secret
place of the Most High 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. Surely he shall deliver thee
from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings
shalt thou trust. His truth shall be thy shield
and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for
the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flyeth by day,
nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction
that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy
side and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not
come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou
behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast
made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most high thy habitation,
there shall no evil before thee, neither shall any plague come
nigh thy dwelling, 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, Anna the young lion and the dragon shalt thou
trample under 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'll be
with him in trouble i will deliver him and honor him With long life
will I satisfy him and show him my salvation. It is a good thing
to give thanks unto the Lord, to sing praises unto thy name,
O Most High, to show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning
and thy faithfulness every night. upon an instrument of ten strings,
and upon the salt tree, upon the harp, with a solemn sound. For thou, Lord, hast made me
glad through thy work. I will triumph in the work of
thy hands. O Lord, how great are thy works,
and thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish man knoweth not, neither
doth a fool understand this, when the wicked spring as the
grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish, it is
that they may be destroyed forever. But thou, Lord, art most high
forevermore. For lo, thine enemies, O Lord,
for lo, thine enemies shall perish. All the workers of iniquity shall
be scattered. But my horn shalt thou exalt
like the horn of an unicorn, I shall be anointed with fresh
oil. Mine eye also shall see my desire
on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked
that rise up against me. The righteous shall flourish
like the palm tree. He shall grow like a cedar in
Lebanon. Those that be planted in the
house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They
shall still bring forth fruit in old age. They shall be fat
and flourishing to show that the Lord is upright. He is my
rock and there is no unrighteousness in him. May the Lord bless the
reading of his own precious word. and grant unto us a spirit of
real prayer. Almighty, most merciful and eternal
God, we do pray for grace to be bowed before thy great majesty
and to call upon thy great and holy name. 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 pray that thou wouldst cause
thy goodness to pass before us in the way. We pray that thou
wouldst lead us forth in the footsteps of the flock. And we
pray that thou wouldst come and open thy word at this evening
hour and breathe thy word into our hearts. with the divine power
of the Holy Ghost. May we be led of the Spirit of
God, and may the Spirit of God open the Word of God, and may
the Spirit of God enlighten our hearts and our minds, that we
may behold wondrous things in thy holy Word. All scripture
is given by inspiration of God, and that, Lord, we thank thee
for them. We can trust in thy word. This
is the word by which the gospel is preached unto us. This is
the word of thy grace, the word of thine everlasting love under
poor, lost, ruined, wretched sins. Oh, we do pray that the
word of the Lord may have free course and that thy name may
be honoured and glorified We do pray that the strongholds
of Satan may be poured down and the kingdom of Jesus set up in
the hearts of sinners. Lord, let thy work appear unto
thy servants and thy glory unto their children. We do humbly
beseech thee, show us thy ways, teach us thy paths, grant that
thy word may be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. that we may be guided in that
good and that right way. And we read in thy word, and
he led them forth by the right way unto a city of habitation. And we pray that we may have
those evidences in our hearts, in our souls, that we are indeed
in that right way. Jesus is the way to God. Jesus
is the way to bliss. In this way, the saints have
trod down from Adam's day to this. We pray that we might hear
the voice of Jesus tonight. Thy sheep, they know thy voice
and they follow thee. And may we hear thy voice. And
may we take heed unto thy word. And may we not be as the horse
or as the mule that has to behold with bit bitten bridal, but may
we understand what the will of the Lord is and may we be given
grace, the grace of humility and love and submission to walk
in that way. Now I said in thy word to this
man will I look, to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit
and that trembleth at my word. Lord may we be like that. that we may be truly humbled
under thy mighty hand, and we shall be exalted in due season.
We do pray to be delivered from an evil heart of unbelief, from
the power and dominion of sin, from the workings and temptations
of Satan. Deliver us from these things.
O Lord, we do beseech thee. We think of those precious words
of grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, fear not little flock. It is
your father's good pleasure to give you a kingdom. Lord, we
do thank thee for these wonderful promises in thy word, which thou
wilt perform in thine own time for all the promises of God,
aye, aye, and amen, in Christ Jesus. Oh, we do pray that Thy
word may be made unto each one of us a living word, a powerful
word, an effectual word, that it may be sown in our hearts,
that we might indeed hear the word of the Lord. We do pray for our brethren,
the deacons, that they may be given grace, wisdom, and help.
We pray, most gracious Lord, that thou wouldst especially
be with them in these coming three weeks, and that thou wouldst
graciously help them, and undertake for them, and be with thy servants
that come in and out among us, and grant that thou wouldst give
them thy word, and that the word of the Lord may have free course,
and that there may be a great profit. We pray that thou wouldst
go with one to the place appointed and that we may be enabled to
preach the word, and be instant in season and out of season,
and determined to know nothing among men, save Jesus Christ
and him crucified. Oh, do hear us, Lord, we humbly
beseech thee, and graciously bless us as a church and as a
congregation, and go before us in each untrodden step. And Lord, give us that grace
that they'll just speak of in thy word, take no thought for
the morrow, but let the morrow take thought for the things of
itself, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Oh, that
we might take heed unto thy word. Bless each one of our brethren
and sisters in Christ, in church fellowship. We pray that there
may be an increase of love union and communion. We pray for our
dear beloved brother and sister here from Holland and that as
they in the coming week journey home we pray that thou would
be with them and undertake for them and may they have been profited
by their visit among us here at this time that may be to the
good of their immortal souls and sustain them in the journey.
And, O Lord, we pray for the little ones and the children,
that they may be blessed of Thee, that the fear of the Lord, which
is the beginning of wisdom, may be given unto them. And we pray,
most gracious God, that Thou wouldst bless our young friends,
bless them with that rich grace that is in Christ Jesus, bless
them with light and understanding in Thy Word. Oh, do hear us,
Lord, bring them to living, vital, saving faith in Jesus Christ. Help us each 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. O gracious God,
we do pray that we may be enabled to cleave to thee and to look
to thee and to cast all our cares upon them. We pray, most gracious
Lord, that we always remember any and any particular trouble
or trial or perplexity. Remember all in the midst of
the journey of life and undertake for each one. Remember the prodigals
that have wandered away and cause them to return. We do humbly
beseech thee for thy great namesake. And oh Lord, we do pray that
thou, in thy precious mercy, wouldst graciously be with those
of us that are now in the evening time of life's journey. Guide
us safely unto thy heavenly kingdom, and help us continually to look
to thee, and at the appointed time, give us an abundant entrance
into thy heavenly kingdom. Oh, do hear us, O Lord, we pray
thee, for thy Great namesake, send the light and glory and
power of gospel truth into this village and work mightily, powerfully,
and effectually. Fulfill those wonderful gospel
promises. I will bring thy sons from far
and thy daughters from the ends of the earth. O gracious God,
fulfill thy word. Said in thy word that they shall
come, Oh, we pray that we may see them come, and that we may
be given grace to welcome them into the house of God and among
thy people. Oh, gracious God, no more a stranger
or a guest, but like a child at home. So bless us, Lord, we
do humbly pray thee. Remember thy servants as they
labor in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion. Set them free,
set them at liberty, O Lord, we do pray that Thou, the great
Lord of the harvest, would send true labourers into the harvest
and build the walls of Jerusalem, that we may see the fulfilling
of that wonderful word, I am returned unto Jerusalem with
mercies. O, do hear us, Lord, we humbly
pray Thee for Thy great namesake. Remember those that labour in
word and doctrine among the nations of the earth that go forth from
amongst. Remember that great work that
is being done by thy servant Ian Sadler in the distribution
and exposition of thy holy word in Africa, in India, Burma, in
Bangladesh and Pakistan. We pray that thou wouldst gird
him with all sufficient grace and supply all his many returning
needs. Remember, Lord, we pray thee,
the Savannah Education Trust and that great work that they're
doing in Ghana. Do bless that work and it may
be down to the great glory of thy holy name. For, Lord, the
day will declare it. Bless thy servants in the Mombasa
mission. Fill them with thy spirit. Grant
that they may see thy work and thy power and thy glory in the
gospel. We do humbly beseech thee. And
our friend who hopes shortly to go with them, we pray that
thou would supply all their needs and help them in this work and
labor of love. We do humbly pray thee. We pray most gracious Lord, that
thou wouldst remember our nation. We live in very dark and solemn
days and that we pray that thou wouldst graciously arise and
shine with the light of thy truth in those dark places. Our Lord
Jesus is the light of the world. We pray that that light may shine
and that we may be as lights in the world and that we may
be fruitful unto every good work and word and way. Oh, do hear
us, Lord, we pray Thee. While our days on earth are lengthened,
may we give them, Lord, to Thee, cheered by hope and daily strengthened. Help us to present our bodies
a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto Thee, which is
our reasonable service, and that we be not conformed to this world,
But may we be transformed by the renewing of our mind that
we might know what that good and perfect and acceptable will
of the Lord is. O Lord, do hear us, we humbly
pray thee for thy great namesake. We thank thee, O Lord, for our
little house of prayer. We thank thee for all thy tender
mercies toward us. We thank Thee for every mercy
of Thy kind providence, which are new every morning, but above
all we thank Thee for Jesus Christ, for the incarnation of the Son
of God. We thank Thee for the holy life
He lived and the holy law He fulfilled and the bringing in
of everlasting righteousness for His people Thank thee for
that holy, sacred sacrifice of Calvary, where the lamb was slain,
where sin was put away, where divine justice was satisfied,
where God and sinners are reconciled. Fill our hearts, O Lord, with
thanksgiving, with adoration, with praise, for all thy wonderful
mercy and thy loving kindness that has passed before us in
the way. Oh we thank thee that he died
for our sins and rose again for our justification and is now
bodily ascended into heaven and that we have indeed a great high
priest who is passed into the heavens. Jesus, the son of God,
touched with the sympathy within, he knows our feeble frame He
knows what sore temptations mean, for he has felt the same. Come,
Lord, and touch one's lips with a live coal from off the heavenly
altar, as we ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 137 to the tune King's College 716. How happy is the little flock
who safe beneath their guardian rock in all commotions rest when
war and tumult waves run hot And moved above the storm they
lie, They lodge in Jesus' breast. Hymn 137. Tune King's College
716. ? And the land is filled with the
blood of Jesus Christ ? ? To shake thee in the darkened
night ? ? With hope of helplessness ? ? When war and fear of Satan
hide ? ? The river and the storm and I
? ? With God in heaven's grace ? ? Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia
? ? Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia ? ? I love her more than you do me
? ? I'll be there, Lord, when my time comes nigh ? Where'er
I go, I'll be home. ? The love my soul will ever praise
? ? And shine through all the years of years ? Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help and direct your attention to Psalm 91 and we
will read verse 11 for our text. Psalm 91 verse 11. For he shall give his
angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. For he shall give his angels
charge over thee to keep thee in all What a wonderful precious
line of divine truth is the ministry of angels unto the Lord's people. And we read in the Old Testament
of the appearances of angels in times of great difficulty. We read of it also in the times
in the New Testament and in the apostles in their many trials
and perplexities and great losses and yet the Lord watched over
them, kept them, preserved them in the midst of the most hostile
world and went before them and delivered them. It says in the
beginning of this psalm He that dwelleth in the secret place
of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. The secret place of the Most
High is Jesus Christ, the Eternal King. That's the secret place
of the Most High. He that dwelleth in the secret
place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the
Almighty. These are wonderful, precious
truths that are set before us to support, sustain, strengthen
and help us in life's journey. When we become perhaps overwrought
etc. with various things that happen
in the world. And the Lord, He says, He that
abides. Christ said, didn't abide in
me and I in you, or that we may indeed abide in
him. The Apostle Paul, he says concerning
man in general, in him we live and move and have our being. Now if that is the case of man
in general, how much more It is the case with the Lord's living
family. In Him we live and move and have
our being in the Lord. In the Lord Jehovah is everlasting
strength. Oh my beloved friends, may we
know what it is to he that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most
High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. He makes here
a confession of his faith. I will say of the Lord, He is
my refuge and my fortress, my God. In Him will I trust. How soon we get tossed around. This has happened or that has
happened or this is going to happen and we think this is going
to happen or something else is going to happen and if we're
not careful friends we get so agitated and become so tried it's like Peter when the Lord
asked him to come to him and to walk on the sea he asked the
Lord didn't he and the Lord said come and he walked on the sea
But then he took his eyes off Jesus. Jesus, the King of Kings. Jesus, the mighty God, who is able to save to the uttermost
all that come unto God by him. He took his eyes off Jesus. It's written there, my beloved
friends, for our instruction. What happened when he took his
eyes off Jesus, he began to see And he cried out, Lord save me
or I perish. See my beloved friends, these
things are written for our instruction in God's holy word. And then there are some things
in here which are most definitely regarding our Lord Jesus Christ.
In fact, our text is quoted by the devil when he tempted the
Lord Jesus Christ in the wilderness. He said to the Lord Jesus Christ,
who will give his angels charge over thee, keep thee in all thy
ways. They shall bear thee up in their
hands, lest thou dash thy foot against the stone. That's what
the devil quoted to the Lord Jesus in his temptation. And there are things in here
regarding Christ. Verse 14, we see our Lord Jesus
Christ, as well as his own people, because he has set his love upon
me, therefore will I deliver him. I will set him on high because
he had known my name. He shall call upon me. The Lord
Jesus Christ called upon his father. He shall call upon me. I will answer him. I will be
with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor
him with long life. Will I satisfy him? The wonderful
promises that are given to our Lord Jesus Christ. And because
they are given to our Lord Jesus Christ, they're given to his
people. They're given to his people. You know his people, they follow
the Lord Jesus Christ. And indeed, by God's grace, they
set their love upon Him. They say, with the psalmist,
I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice, the voice of
my supplications. Therefore, will I deliver Him,
or set Him on high, because He hath known my name. Mercy, if
we know His name, How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer's
ear. It soothes his sorrows, heals
his wounds, and drives away his fears. That sweet name. That name which is above every
name. Above every name. All hail the power of Jesus'
name. It's a wonderful name. This is
the name The father loves to hear his children plead and all
such pleadings he approves when offered in his name, this wonderful
name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the fact that he called upon
him and the Lord's children, he shall call upon me and I will
answer them. I will be with him in trouble.
Just as he was with our Lord Jesus Christ, he will be with
each one of his children. The Lord Jesus knew what it was
to be in great trouble, great trial. The hymn writer touches on it,
doesn't he? Touched with the sympathy within. He knows our
feeble frame. He knows what sore temptations
mean. He has felt the same. He doesn't despise you. He knows. He knows. He knows what troubles
your heart. He knows what burdens your soul.
He knows what brings you into great trial and great perplexity. He knew what it was to be tempted. To be tempted. The Word of God
says in the Hebrews, He was tempted in all points. like as we are,
yet without sin. He knows what these things mean.
I know it's a great deep, but it's true. And he's touched with the feeling
of our infirmities. The Lord Jesus knew all the sinless
infirmities of our nature. He knew what it was to hungry,
knew what it was to thirst. He knew what it was to need sleep.
He knew what it was to be weary. But all those sinless infirmities
of our nature, He knew them. He experienced them by a personal
experience in that holy human nature that the Son of God assumed
in the womb of the Virgin Mary. So He knows. He will not quench
a smoking flax, but raise it to a flame. He knows. He knew what it was
to be enfeebled, and yet he's Lord of all. It's that lovely
word, the Apostle Paul. You know the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that though he were rich, yet for our sakes,
he became poor. That's the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Though he were rich, yet for
our sakes he became poor. He lived here on earth, though
he's Lord of all, though he's the creator of the heavens and
the earth, he lived here on earth as a poor man. When they wanted to give money
for the tax, the Lord Jesus He told the disciples to take a
fish and in the fish, his mouth, there was money. You see, he
didn't have any with him, but he knew what it was. You see,
we think of those words, my God shall supply all your need according
to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus, all your need. And this, in a sense, as I was
meditating here today, you could call this psalm a psalm of protection. That's what led me to our first
hymn, the sovereign protector I have, unseen yet forever at
hand. We do. We have a sovereign protector. He's unseen but he's ever at
hand. He's never far from us. He has promised, I will never
leave thee nor forsake thee. He has said, and what more can
he say than to you he has said, fear not, I am with thee. Be
not dismayed, I am thy God, I will help thee, I will strengthen
thee, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. You see, sometimes friends, we
get very troubled Perplexed about things that we cannot do anything
about As part of our nature But here
he says he will deliver us. He says in verse 3 He shall deliver
thee from the snare of the fowler. That's Satan And from the noisome
pestilence, that's the world That's the world the world that
lieth in wickedness Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare
of the fowler. Think of that wonderful promise. When the enemy comes in like
a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against
him. That standard is Christ. It is. The armies of old, when they
went forward to battle, they used to have a standard or a
flag. that they carried in front of their army. And the soldiers
rallied to that flag, it was called a standard. And in the
army today, they still have the regimental standard. And in battle,
they rally to that flag, that standard. And Christ is the standard
for the Lord's people. And they rallied to that flag,
to the glorious person, of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord has
given a banner to them that fear Him. That banner is Christ. That
banner is Christ. Oh that we may be found looking
unto Jesus. How often we are like Peter and
we look at the waves and we hear the roaring of the waves and
we're ready to give up We're nigh overwhelmed at the thought
of things. Oh, that the Lord will give us
a view by faith of the King of Kings, of the Lord of Lords,
of the mighty God, of the everlasting Father, of the Prince of Peace. He is able to save to the uttermost
all that come unto God by Him, seeing the ever living. It doesn't
matter what you come into, It doesn't matter what trials, what
perplexities, what sorrows, what losses, what crosses, He remains. It says here in the book of Psalms,
but thou remainest. How true that is. But thou remainest. Who? The Lord Jesus Christ. He remains. He will be with His
people. in the latter part of Psalm 102. We read there, verse 20, to hear
the groaning of the prisoner, to lose those that are appointed
to death, to declare the name of the Lord, that's Christ, in
Zion and his praise in Jerusalem. When the people are gathered
together and the kingdoms to serve the Lord, he weakened my
strength in the way, He shortened my days. Maybe that's where you
are. I said, oh my God, take me not
away in the midst of my days. Thy years are throughout all
generations. Of old hast thou laid the foundations
of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They
shall perish, but thou shalt endure till the Lord remains. Yet all of them shall wax old
like a garment, as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they
shall be changed, but thou art the same, and thy years shall
have no end. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday,
and today, and forever, the children of thy servants shall continue,
and their seed shall be established before them. Nothing can change
them. Never forget, my beloved friends,
the only reason that this world remains is because there is yet
the election of grace to be called out of darkness into the marvelous
light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And the only reason that
this earth remains is because there are yet precious souls
to be gathered unto Jesus Christ. And when that last precious soul
has been gathered unto Jesus Christ, Then the archangels'
trump shall sound, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, and
we that are alive and remain shall meet the Lord in the air.
The very first act of the Lord Jesus Christ, when he comes in
that day of judgment, he will send his angels to the four corners
of the earth, and they will gather his elect unto himself. You see,
these things, my beloved friends, are written for our consolation. Surely he shall deliver thee
from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence,
the world that lieth in wickedness, the noisome pestilence. He shall
cover thee with his feathers, and under his wing shalt thou
trust. His truth shall be thy shield.
And, Poplar, thou shalt not be afraid, for the terror by night
nor for the arrow that flyeth by day, nor for the pestilence
that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction that wasteth
at noonday. See, these things are written
for us. It says in verse 8, only with
thine eyes shut thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the
most high thy habitation, There shall no evil before thee, neither
shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling, for he shall give his
angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. His angels. You know the Apostle
Paul in the first chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews, he
speaks there of the ministry of angels and how the Lord sends
his angels. He says indeed in the last verse
concerning angels, are they not all ministering spirits sent
forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation. That's what the angels are. It
says here that Christ wasn't an angel, it lays it down very
clearly. There was obviously some notion
around that the Lord Jesus Christ was an angel. And so the apostle
emphasises that he was a man, a real man, he wasn't an angel.
He was the Son of God that was manifest in the flesh. And he says in verse 13 of Hebrews
1, but to which of the angels said he at any time, sit on my
right hand until I make thine enemies by footstool. Are they
not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who
shall be heirs of salvation? You know, the Lord Jesus, he
actually speaks of the ministry of angels in his teachings. And
we should take note of these things, my beloved friends, because
they're there for our instruction. And in Matthew chapter 18 and
verse 10, the Lord Jesus says, take heed, that ye despise not
one of these little ones. And these little ones are the
Lord's children. They're the Lord's children.
There is a family on earth whose father fills a throne, and though
a seed of heavenly birth to men there little known, take heed
that ye despise not one of these little ones. For I say unto you
that in heaven Their angels do always behold the face of my
Father which is in heaven." They always behold the face of my
Father. You see, He will give His angels
charge over them. This is written for our instruction,
for our comfort, and for our consolation. It says here in
what we've just looked at in the Hebrews but we see Jesus
who was made a little lower than the angels. What does that mean? He was made a man. Angels are pure spirit. They
are created spirits but they are pure spirit. And when it says he was made
a little lower than the angels and in this sense man is lower
than the angels because he has a spiritual soul but it has a
physical body. The angels don't have that. The
angels fly at his command. They go in a moment hither and
thither. But human beings are made a little lower than the
angels. They have a physical body which is confined to one
place and they have a spiritual soul. Very clearly defined in
Genesis chapter 2, how the Lord God created man. It says, and
the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground. And he breathed into man the
breath of life, and man became a living soul. That's what constitutes
human nature. It's a body and a soul. And we
are instructed in James that the body without the spirit is
dead. That is when death comes to us, the body separates or
the soul separates from the body. The spirit returns unto God who
gave it. And just that point, the Lord
Jesus had a holy human soul. It behoved him to be made like
unto his brethren. in all points. And when he was
on the cross of Calvary, he voluntarily gave his life. He says in the,
I think it's in the 10th chapter of John's gospel, I have power
to lay my life down. I have power to take it again.
This commandment have I received of my father. And then we read on the cross
of Calvary, Father, into thy hands I commend
my spirit. And having said that, he gave
up the ghost. He gave up his soul, ghost means
spirit. He gave up his spirit into the
hands of his heavenly Father. It was a divine act of the Son
of God to do that. He said, no man taketh my life
from me. I have power. No man has that
power. I have power to lay my life down.
Why did he lay his life down? To redeem his people from the
grave. Why did he enter into the grave? To deliver his people
from the grave. He hath destroyed death, and
him that hath the power of death, that is the devil. He's brought
life and immortality to light through the gospel. This is what
our Lord Jesus Christ has done. The Son of God manifest in the
flesh. He took our sins and he nailed
them to the cross. And that is why he suffered and
bled and died for our sins. He died, but he rose again for
our justification. What does that mean when he rose
again for our justification? If one sin of the church had
been left unforgiven, Christ would have never risen from the
grave. But the very fact that he rose from the dead is the
proof that the redemption price has been paid and the Father
freed him from the grave. He did. And so when it says he rose again
for our justification, it is to declare that we are
without sin. Why? Because he left our sins
in the grave. He left them there. their sins
and their iniquities will I remember no more? Doesn't the Lord, he
says to us in the prophet Micah, in the last chapter of the prophet
Micah, who is a God like unto thee, the last few verses of
chapter seven, who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity
and passeth by the transgression of his heritage, he retaineth
of the remnant of his heritage, he retained it of his anger forever
because he delighteth in mercy. And that mercy, my beloved friends,
flows to us through King Jesus. It's the mercy of God. It's a
mercy that endures forever. It's a mercy that is unchangeable. It is. He will turn again. He will have compassion upon
us. He will subdue our iniquities and they will cast all their
sins into the depths of the sea. That's what the Lord has promised
to do for his children. That's what has been done in
Christ. It's done, it's accomplished,
it's fulfilled. For he shall give his angels
charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. You know, there's probably some
things that we've been kept from, that we don't even know about. We don't even know about. But
we've been kept. As the Apostle Peter says, kept
by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation, ready
to be revealed at the last day. We read in Psalm 34 verse 7,
the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him
and delivereth them and delivereth them. We know in which recording
the acts of the apostles how the apostles were delivered from
the chains of prison by the ministry of angels. We read of Peter walking out of prison and
the angel opening the doors before him. See the angel of the Lord. And they stand before our Father
which is in heaven. Always before our Father which
is in heaven. And he sends them. See we see
this ministry of angels in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. in the in the great temptation
of Christ in the wilderness when he was led of the spirit into
the wilderness to be tempted of the devil for 40 days and
40 nights and and any of you that have known the severe temptations
of Satan you will know this that it weakens you. It spiritually
weakens you and it can physically weaken you. I've known it to
do that to myself. Just think of our Lord Jesus
in those tremendous temptations. And what do we read? And there
appeared an angel from heaven strengthening him. That was strengthening
the man, Christ Jesus. His divine nature didn't need
strengthening, but that holy human nature that he assumed,
and that he lives here upon earth in, It knew what extreme weakness
was. It did. But the Lord, he sent
angels to strengthen him. And then in the Garden of Gethsemane,
under the tremendous weight of the sin of the church, we read
that he sweat, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to
the ground. Tremendous weight of all the
sin of the whole church was resting and laying upon him. It was imputed
him by a heavenly father. Being in agony, he sweat as it
were great drops of blood falling down to the ground and there
appeared an angel from heaven strengthening him. You see that
ministry of angels to the Lord Jesus Christ. 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. And what was true of Jesus Christ,
my beloved friends, is true of every living child of God. The
Lord has given his angels charge over them. to preserve thee,
to keep thee, to deliver thee. Peter says, doesn't he, kept
by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation, ready
to be revealed at the last day. You see, he says about an inheritance
incorruptible and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven
for you who are kept by the power of God. through faith, unto salvation,
ready to be revealed. You may fear that you'll make
shipwreck of faith. You may fear that you'll be overcome
with unbelief. That's what you fear. But the
Lord will send deliverance. My mind was, in meditating, very
much drawn to that beautiful Psalm 37. And we're given some very clear
instructions in Psalm 37. It begins with, fret not thyself
because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers
of iniquity. Fret not thyself. see my beloved friends, we do
get fretful. We sometimes do get overcome
with a fretfulness when we see what's happening in the world. But he says here, neither be
thou envious against the workers of iniquity, for they shall soon
be cut down like the grass and withereth the green herb. They're
not to be ended, my beloved friends, they'll be pitted. Trust in the Lord and do good,
so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed."
See, we're to trust in the Lord and to do good. Do good unto
all men, especially unto the household of faith. That's what
we're exhorted to do in the Word of God. Trust in the Lord and
do good, so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou
shalt be fed. And he gives this exhortation,
commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall
bring it to pass. In verse seven, he says, rest
in the Lord. What does that mean? It means
to rest by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, to rest in his
covenant faithfulness, to rest in his everlasting love, to rest
in his sacrifice, in his precious blood, in his glorious righteousness. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently
for him. Here's a word of exhortation.
Threat not thyself because of him who prospers in his way,
because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger and forsake
wrath. Threat not thyself in any wise
to do evil. We're not to do that. We're to
trust in the Lord. Were to be found looking unto
Jesus, were to be found casting all our care upon him, for he
careth you, he shall give his angels charge over thee. Cease thy anger, and forsake
wrath, fret not thyself. In any wise to do evil, for evildoers
shall be cut off, but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall
inherit the earth. That's what we're to do. Even
the ewe shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly
fall, but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up on wings as eagles, they shall run and
not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. but they that
wait upon the Lord." We're to wait by faith, in prayer, not
to fret ourselves. The Lord Jesus, in his teachings,
he said that we're not to be over-anxious. Take no thought
for the morrow, let the morrow take thought for the things of
itself, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Not to be
over-anxious about things that are happening in the world. And because of the prosperity
of the wicked, for he shall give his angels charge over thee.
You see, it says from verse 9, because thou hast made the Lord
which is my refuge, even the most high thy habitation, there
shall no evil before thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy
dwelling, for he shall give his angels charge over thee to keep
thee in all thy ways, kept by the power of God through faith,
unto salvation, ready to be revealed at the last hour. The Lord has
promised to keep his people. The Lord has promised to reserve
his people. The Lord has promised to deliver
his people. The Lord has promised, the eye
of the Lord is upon the righteous, and his ear is open unto their
cry. It is, always. The darkness and the light are
both a light to him. There's nothing hid from the
Lord. He sees everything in your pathway, for he shall give his
angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways, and to
preserve you unto his heavenly kingdom. He's promised that you
will safely arrive at his heavenly kingdom. Never forget, my beloved
friends, With heaven and earth at his command, he waits to answer
prayer. With heaven and earth at his
command, he waits to answer prayer. For he shall give his angels
charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. May the Lord
at his blessing. This last hymn I've chosen as
it's a hymn of parting and that we are now to part for the coming
three weeks and I felt it very appropriate that we should sing
this hymn tonight. Hymn 631, tune is Evan 136. The Lord himself be with you
all to teach you his own will and guide you safe from every
thrall to Zion's heavenly hill. Hymn 631. Tune Evan 136. Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave ? I am filled with you ? ? Keep
it, good Lord, all this praise ? ? And make this world divine
? Unleather the rings of His face,
and make Himself sunshine. God hath a people of faithful
praise, The Lord himself be near. To God the heav'nly embrace,
? And break your curse six days
a week ? Thus may He prove me for His
King, And glorify His name, And ev'ry day from strength renew, And life and breath remain. The Lord be with you to the end. ? And then to say goodbye ? ?
The lonely path between two strands ? ? Will see me go this time
? 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.