Let us commence our service this
afternoon by singing together hymn number 71. The tune is Richmond 212. Jesus, the man of constant grief,
a mourner all his days, his spirit once rejoiced aloud and turned
his joy to praise. Hymn number 71. June Richmond,
212 ? Constant reign ? ? And honour
your glorious days ? ? May spirit, heart, and soul ? Mother, I am, I'm a wondrous
boy, And as a child I'm strong. You cannot love him that you
please, as they all shall know. The mistress of great believing
grace, The hidden crown of the Christ, I that cannot praise with joy,
to spare a mind that cries, The stars and God above them,
heaven and earth, His reign in great peace compel, And God and all His acts of grace, Like Him
is our song of praise. Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in Psalms 126 and 127. Psalms 126 and 127.
When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like
them that dreamed. Then was our mouth filled with
laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then said they among
the heathen, the Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord
hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad. Turn again
our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the sound. They that
sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth
bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
bringing his sheaves with him. Except the Lord build the house,
they labour in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the
city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to
rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows,
for so he giveth his beloved sleep. Lo, children are an heritage
of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows
are in the hand of a mighty man, so are children of the youth.
Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them. They shall
not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the
gate. 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 an art, an art to come, We desire to bow before thy glorious
majesty. Holiness becometh thine house. We pray that thou wouldst grant
us the spirit of holiness, and the spirit of love, and the spirit
of repentance, and godly sorrow for our sin. Come, Lord, as poor
sinners before thy glorious majesty. And we desire, O Lord, that spirit
of true confession of our sins and of our sinfulness. And we feel, O Lord, that grief
continuing in our hearts because of our sinful heart, because
of our corrupt nature, because of enmity and pride and
of every evil work that dwells in our hearts. We pray to be
delivered from it and we pray that thou wouldst
give us that grace to put off the old man which is corrupt
and that we might put on the new man which is created in holiness. We pray that this afternoon who
may be in the Spirit on the Lord's Day. Holy, blessed, divine Spirit,
convince us of our sin and lead to Jesus' blood and to our wandering
eyes reveal the secret love of God. May we this afternoon, as we
gather round thy word, And as we gather round the table
of the Lord, may we behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away
the sin of the world. And we pray, most gracious Lord,
that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God our Father,
the sacred fellowship of the Holy Spirit may rest and abide
upon us. that our heart and our affections
may be set upon things of heart, that we might know those divine
drawings of our Heavenly Father, drawing us unto his only begotten
Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. For none come except
the Father draw, all to know those sacred drawings in love
unto our Lord Jesus Christ, that we may indeed behold his glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth, that we may behold the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world, that we may behold him as our prophet,
our priest, our king, that we may be favoured to touch the
hem of his garment, and draw from that sacred fullness that
is in him. May it please thee, Lord, that
each one of us may know those same desires of the dear apostle,
that I might know him in the power of his resurrection, in
the fellowship of his sufferings, be made conformable unto his
death. O gracious God, we pray, that
thou wouldst come and fulfil those longing desires, those
wishes so weak. We do pray that thou wouldst
come and fulfil this afternoon some of those hopes and those
desires, those longings in the hearts of thy people. May there
be one another come here this afternoon and that is the very
language of their souls. if I might but touch the hem
of his garment, I should be made whole. We pray that that may
be a blessed reality this afternoon, that we may draw from that sacred
fullness of the virtue, power and love of our Lord Jesus Christ
into our very souls. We thank thee for those Wonderful
words of grace, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Come unto
me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn
of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest
for your souls. Remember us, Lord, as a church
and as a congregation, work mightily, work powerfully, work effectually
among us. Cause the prodigals to return
and thy wonderful grace to be seen in this. Lord, we long to
see the prodigals return. We long to see thy power and
thy glory as thou usest to be in the sanctuary. We long to
see precious souls gathered from this village and the surrounding
villages and hamlets. Lord, let thy work appear unto
thy servants and thy glory unto their children. We do humbly
beseech thee. We look back into the history
of our little chapel here and thy wonderful work that has been
seen among us here, right from the beginning. We think back,
O Lord, to those times when thy servant laboured here for so
many years and there was a building up, there was a reviving, there
was an ingathering. Lord, we pray that thou wouldst
come again. We thank thee for what thou hast
done for us. We thank thee follow mercies
to us. We thank thee for those who have
come to tell to sinners round what a dear saviour they have
found, point to thy redeeming blood and say, behold the way
to God. We pray that the Lord Jesus Christ
may be exalted among us, set forth in all his glory as a prince
and as a saviour for to give faith and repentance and remission
of sins. Lord let thy work appear unto
thy servants and thy glory unto their children. Remember our
brethren the deacons and give them needed grace wisdom and
help in all their responsibilities. Graciously remember each one
of our brethren and sisters in Christ Jesus in church fellowship. Be with us as we gather round
the table of the Lord in the close of this service. Grant
that we may feel thy presence. Grant that we may feel union
and communion and the preciousness of our Lord Jesus Christ, of
our suffering Saviour. Remember, Lord, we pray, our
dear brother and sister from Holland with us at this time.
and do bless them indeed and do grant that they may feel and
that we may feel our hearts knit together in love that we may
love Thee and serve Thee and follow Thee in our day, in our
generation. Maybe there's one and another
hero Lord and as they see us gather round the table of the
Lord and they feel the strength of that word in their hearts
with desire, have I desired to eat this Passover with you. We
pray that that may come to fruition, that they may come and tell to
sinners round what a dear saviour they have found and point to
thy redeeming blood and say behold the way to God. And O Lord we
do pray that thou in thy Precious mercy, which remember the little
ones, the children, that was blessed them in their young and
tender years, bore their ears to the doorposts of thy house,
no more a stranger or a guest, but like a child at home. Lord,
so bless those little children, and remember our young friends.
Bring them to living, vital, saving faith in Jesus Christ,
that they may become true followers of thee and of those who through
faith and patience inherit the promises. Remember Lord we pray
the parents and all of those that are now in the midst of
the journey of life and deliver from the temptation from the
power of satan whether he comes as an angel of light to deceive
or whether he comes as a roaring lion to devour. We pray to be
kept from his power. We plead that precious promise.
When the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord
will lift up a standard against him. Lord grant that that may
be so among us. Thou hast given one of the names
to the enemy Lord in thy word. the separator of the brethren.
We pray that thou wouldst preserve us here and keep us here from
the power of Satan and fill our hearts with love, with union,
with communion, that we might esteem each other better than
ourselves to be. Thus may we be delivered from
the power of Satan and from his work and his power. Lord we do
pray that thou wouldst remember those of us that are now in the
evening time of life's journey and the longest can't be long
before we bid adieu to everything here below when we shall launch
through tracks unknown and see the on thy judgment throne. Prepare
me gracious God to stand before thy face. Thy spirit must the
work perform, for it is all of grace. Grant us each that gracious
preparation. And, O Lord, we do pray that
thou wouldst fill our hearts with thanksgiving, thankful for
our house of prayer, thankful for the liberties that we have
to meet together around thy word, Thankful, most gracious Lord,
for that love and fellowship in the gospel. Thankful, O Lord,
for the open Bible, the word of truth. Thankful for the glories
of Christ. We will bow in humble adoration,
thanksgiving and praise for the incarnation of the Son of God. the holy life he lived, for the
holy law he fulfilled, thereby bringing in everlasting righteousness. We thank thee for the holy sacrifice
he offered on the cross of Calvary, for by one offering he hath perfected
forever all them that are sanctified. Oh we do thank thee for that
one offering. We thank Thee for that precious
blood, the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, that cleanses us from
all sin. We thank Thee that He died for
our sins and rose again for our justification. We pray, O Lord,
that as we are parted in the coming weeks, we pray that the
God of Mishpa may watch between us that thou wouldst be with
thy servants as they come in and out among us, that the flock
of God may be fed and watered and kept together, and as thy
servant said to his brethren, see that ye fall not out by the
way, and that may it please thee, Lord, that we may be kept together. in the sacred bonds of Christian
love, union, and communion. Be with us, Lord, as we now turn
to thy holy word. Come and touch one's lips with
a live coal from off the heavenly altar. Come and breathe thy word
into our souls. We ask with the forgiveness of
all our sins for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 65. The tune is Confidence, 317. Expand my soul, arise and sing. The matchless grace of Zion's
king. His love as ancient as his name. Let all thy powers aloud proclaim. Number 65, tune Confidence 317. Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave ? It's all a matter of age and
reputation ? ? And all I matter, I am remembered ? ? Jester of old, thou fount of
rest ? ? Devoutly tender and true ? ? When all is calm ? ? And peace
prevails ? ? And peace prevails ? ? Christ has risen ? To sin and guilt, in flesh and
guilt, In Christ's name, O God, please help me. The Lord's blessed house is made
with light, His people faithless shall return, ? Lift him up from the dead of
sorrow ? ? For he shall treasure glory evermore ? ? And love in ev'ry mood ? ? Is
chastened and unfettered too ? And when my soul is filled with
rejoice, May we be granted Thy grace this
day. Eternal praise to Christ our King. Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to Psalm 126,
and we'll read the last verse, verse 6. He that goeth forth
and weepeth, there in precious seed, shall doubtless come again
with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves. with him. There is no doubt, my beloved
friends, that the primary meaning of this word is the glorious
person of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. As the Apostle
says, that in all things he might have the preeminence. He that
goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless
come again with rejoicing bringing his sheaves with him. Some very
precious things to notice here. Firstly, there is a going forth. Secondly, there is a weeping. And thirdly, there is precious
seed. So he that goeth forth. We read in the Minor Prophets,
his going forth was from of old, from everlasting. That's our
Lord Jesus Christ. He is from everlasting. says in Proverbs chapter 8 and
it's Christ that is speaking there, I was set up from everlasting. Never forget the Lord Jesus Christ
always has been and always will be. He is the eternal son of
the eternal father. My mind it just goes to those
opening verses in the Gospel according to John, speaking of
the glorious person of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's a title given
to him almost exclusively by the Apostle John. He calls the Son
of God the Word. John had a very deep insight
into that union and there was between the father and the son. Here he says, in the beginning
was the word. And basically that word means
from everlasting. In the beginning was the word. Just like it says in the beginning
of scripture, in the beginning, God. That means from all eternity. And the son is co-equal with
the father. So here he says in the beginning
was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. What a statement of the reality
of the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Word was with
God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning
with God all things were made by him And without him was there
anything made that was made. In him was life and the life
was the light of men and the light shineth in darkness. And
the darkness comprehended it not. The glorious person of the
son of God. And it says in that same chapter
in John, and the word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory the glory
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. He that goeth full. It says again in Proverbs chapter
eight, and it's Christ that is speaking, my delights were with
the sons of men. That is in eternity past, before
this world was created, my delights were with the sons of men. See, I was set up from everlasting. It was eternally decreed that
the virgin should be with child and that she would bring forth
her firstborn son, Isaiah chapter 9. They should
call his name Emmanuel, which by interpretation is God with
us. So the going forth, of the Son
of God to save his people from their sins. That's why he came
to this world. The Son of Man is come to seek
and to save that which was lost. He that goeth forth to seek and
to save that which was lost. Now, there's another thing here,
and weeping, and weeping. Our Lord Jesus Christ. We read
of him in the 53rd chapter of Isaiah, a man of sorrows. So that's the one that has gone
forth. The Son of God assumed a human
nature. The Son of God was manifest in
the flesh. It's a deep mystery. The Son
of God was made of a woman, made under the law that he might redeem
them that are under the law. He's gone forth. He's gone forth. And weepeth. He weeps. The man of sorrow. He had a tremendous burden. He was to redeem his church and
his people. He was to deliver them from sin
and Satan's power. That's what he came to do. That's
what he went forth to do. That is why he was made of a
woman made under the law. The law was made for man, the
son of God was made under the law when he became a man. He that gave the law was made under
the law. You see, and he that goeth forth
and weepeth. The man of sorrows. we sung in
our opening hymn Jesus the man of constant grief and mourner
all his days. You might say why that constant
grief? Well I believe the principal
part of that grief that he felt when he was here upon earth it
because he is holy and pure and righteous all together and he was living in the midst
of a wicked and perverse generation. and he himself, and I believe
that was all his days, when he was a little babe, when he was
a child, when he was a youth, when he was a man, he was despised. Why? Because he was holy, because
he was pure. Men men love darkness rather than
light because their deeds are evil and in Jesus there was no
evil and that light would have exposed the sinfulness both of
his parents his own brethren and sisters and then in the world
at large he lived a life that was absolutely pure and absolutely
holy The Lord Jesus himself, what you might say, encapsulates
the law of God. Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and thy neighbour
as thyself. That is what Jesus did. He did
it the whole of his life. And in doing that, the whole
of his life, he fulfilled He honoured the holy law of God
which none of his children could do. You see, it says here, he
weepeth bearing precious seed. He had a burden. He had a weight
that was resting on him. And that weight was the church. whom he loved with an everlasting
love. We read in the opening of that
beautiful prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ in John 17, all
that the Father giveth me, this is the seed what we read of in
our text, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me and
him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out. come to me. This is something
my beloved friends that is divinely certain but none of us could
come to God without that holy life and that distressing life of
our Lord Jesus Christ when he was encompassed with sins when
he was despised and rejected of men, and a man of sorrows
and acquainted with grief. He that goeth forth didn't stop
him coming forth. It says in Hebrews, 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. He that goeth forth and weepeth,
therein precious seed. So the whole church of God, we
spoke of it this morning when we were speaking in Ephesians
chapter four. The whole church of God, the
body, the bride of our Lord Jesus Christ. He came to redeem her,
to deliver her. is purposely set before us in
Holy Scripture as a marriage union. She was given to Christ
before the world began, before the foundation of the world.
She was given to Him by His Holy Father and He willingly came
to this sinful world. He willingly was a man of sorrows
and acquainted with grief. He willingly was despised and
rejected of men. He willingly went to Gethsemane
and it was there in the garden of Gethsemane where the father
laid upon him the iniquity of us all. What a weight what a burden and
being in an agony he sweat as it were great drops of blood
falling down to the ground being in an agony he sweat as it were great drops
of blood falling down to the ground we cannot even begin to
describe the agony, the grief, the sorrow of our Lord Jesus
Christ are under the tremendous weight of the sin of the whole
church. He that goeth forth and weepeth
bearing precious seed, precious seed he was carrying. You know, I remember reading
a piece on the husbandman going forward to sow the seed and that
seed was very precious. It got to, it's the next year's
crop. And perhaps when there wasn't
such a good, plentious harvest, he still had to take out a certain
amount for the seed for the next year, even though perhaps wheat
that year was very scarce and so that seed was very precious. It's very precious. And it is said sometimes that
when they sowed the seed they wept as they sowed because this
precious seed it was their hope for the harvest to come in the
next year. That's just speaking of it naturally. He that, you see it says in verse
five, they that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth
forth and weepeth bearing precious seed shall doubtless, this is
a beautiful word, relative to our Lord Jesus Christ, shall
doubtless come again with rejoicing. bring in his sheaves with him. He will doubtless. It's a wonderful
promise isn't it? He will doubtless. You see the
Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary offered a holy, pure
and perfect sacrifice. And that holy, pure and perfect
sacrifice, he was carrying the whole church. It all rested on
him and on his sacrifice. It had to be pure because divine
justice demanded holiness. It found it. Christ is the substitute. It
found that holiness of life walk of conduct and in his sufferings in his sufferings in his sorrows
that there's a purity there's a holiness like john bunyan who
calls it the acceptable sacrifice it was acceptable because it
was freely offered It was acceptable because it was holy and pure
and righteous altogether. It was acceptable unto the Father. And in that holy sacrifice of
his son, on the cross of Calvary, he receives the whole of the
Church of God. That's the precious seed that
he was carrying. He that goeth forth and weepeth,
bearing precious seed shall doubtless. You see, it was something so
sure and so certain and the salvation that is in our Lord Jesus Christ
is very sure and very certain. He has accomplished what his
father gave him to do. He lived a holy life. He fulfilled
the holy law. And then he offered that holy
life on the cross of Calvary. A perfect sacrifice. A sacrifice acceptable unto God. My mind, it just goes to those
beautiful words that we have in the epistle to the Hebrews
in the 13th chapter. concerning the sacrifice of our
Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. And it says in chapter 13, from verse 8, Jesus Christ, the
same yesterday and today and forever, be not carried about
with divers, that's diverse and strange doctrines. For it is
a good thing that the heart be established with grace, not with
meats. which have not profited them that have been occupied
therein. That's the Jews. We have an altar
whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.
For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the
sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned without the
camp. Wherefore Jesus also that he
might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered without
the gates. Let us go forth therefore unto
him without the camp bearing his reproach for here have we
no continuing city but we seek one to come. Let us go forth
therefore unto him. So we see that yes it is our
Lord Jesus Christ and yes he will come again with rejoicing
He will receive the whole church of God because he has redeemed
them, because he has satisfied the demands of divine justice.
He has made a new and living way. He died for our sins. He rose again for our justification. He bodily ascended into heaven,
making a new and living way into the holy place. He that goeth
forth. Oh, my beloved friends, what
Jesus done, It is beyond our comprehension to redeem us and
to deliver us from sin and Satan's power. But now let us just look
at this from the believer's point of view. Because every believer
goes forth. Time comes like it was with Abraham
where he was called out of Ur of the Chaldees. he went out
not knowing whether he went. He went out in faith. That happens to every living
child of God. One hymn writer says, calls effect
shall reach their heart. Has that divine call entered
your heart? A call of the spirit in the soul
and then you have to leave everything. He that goeth forth. It's like
it says in the epistle to the Corinthians. Come out from among
them and be ye separate. Touch not the unclean thing and
I will be a father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters,
saith the Lord God Almighty. Come out from among them. And
we have to come out. Calls effect shall reach their
hearts. And then they're on a journey.
When those calls reach their heart, they're on a journey.
And they come in the compass of the text here. He that goeth
forth and weepeth bearing precious seed. See, every true child of
God, the seed of the word is sown in their heart. They're
on a journey. And that seed of the word is
sown in their heart. Are you on a journey? He that
goeth forth and weepeth. Why do they weep? Because they're
sinners. Because they're sinners in the sight of God. And they
feel and know that they're sinners. And they feel the weight and
the burden of their sin. Weeping, bearing precious seed,
shall doubtless come again with rejoicing. You see, there are
two sides to real religion. There is the one side of conviction
and of sin and the sense and realization that we've got a
corrupt and simple heart and nature and that will cause us
much grief and much shame and much pain. But on the other side,
there is the revelation of Jesus Christ. There is the revelation
of his precious blood that cleanseth us from all sin. that there is
the revelation of his glorious everlasting righteousness that
covers our nakedness. My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness that is the language of a living
soul. They that sow in tears shall
reap in joy. He that goes forth and weepeth
bearing precious seed, the seed of the word, the hope that is
in Christ shall doubtless. There's nothing, my beloved friends,
that is doubtful. It says about the hope in Hebrews,
which hope we have as an anchor for the soul, both sure and steadfast,
anchored within the veil, that is to say, in his flesh, in the
glorious person, power and grace, our Lord Jesus Christ and these
precious souls that are raised up to a hope in the finished
work of Jesus Christ shall doubtless, there's nothing doubtful about
it, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing. You see Christ
will come bringing his sheaves with him. He will. He will come
in power and in great glory. but he'll be bringing his sheaves
with him. The very first act of the Lord Jesus Christ when
he comes to judge the world in righteousness, the very first
act, it records it in Holy Scripture. He will send his angels to the
four corners of the earth and he will gather his elect unto
himself. That's the very first act of
Jesus Christ when he comes to judge the world in righteousness.
He will gather his people unto himself, and hence this lovely
word, shall doubtless come again. Jesus said, didn't he, let not
your heart be troubled. If you believe in God, believe
also in me. In my father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you,
and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you. unto myself, that where I am,
there shall ye be also. Thine eyes, Isaiah chapter 33,
thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty, and they shall
behold the land that is a very far off. As King Jesus shall
see the King in his beauty. You see a loveliness, a glory
in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. You see a loveliness
and glory in Him as your substitute, as your Redeemer, as your Deliverer,
as that one who's able to save to the uttermost all that come
unto God by Him. That's what you'll see in our
Lord Jesus Christ. They shall behold the King in
His beauty, all the beauty of the Lord, the beauty of holiness. beauty of the perfections of
Christ, the beauty of the sacrifice of Christ, the beauty of the
blood of Christ, the beauty of the righteousness of Christ. As it says in the Song of Solomon,
he's the altogether lovely one, he's the chiefest among 10,000
and that's what is made unto your soul, the altogether lovely
one, the chiefest among 10,000. and I shall see the King in his
beauty, in that glory prepared in heaven. I go to prepare a
place for you. We cannot even begin to describe
the glory of the upper saints, the glory of heaven itself. My brethren, it does not appear
yet what we shall be, but we know that we shall be like him.
We shall be as Jesus is. Holy, pure, righteous, holy in
His holiness, pure in His purity, righteous in His righteousness. Oh, my beloved friends, may the
Lord give us that spirit of faith to stretch forth, to lay hold
of this hope that is set before us in the gospel, which hope
we have as an anchor for the soul both sure and steadfast. It's divinely certain, my beloved
friends. We know that in this wilderness
journey, when you're here on earth, when you have an evil
heart of unbelief, when you feel the power and dominion of sin,
when you have the temptations of Satan, when he tells you that
how can you be a child of God when you're such a sinful person?
But my beloved friends, Pour not on thyself too long, house
to a sink thee lower. Look to Jesus. That's where your
righteousness is. That's where your perfection
is. We are complete in Him. We are accepted in the Beloved.
He that goeth forth and weepeth. You see though, when you feel
the burden of your sin, when you feel the corruption of your
nature, when you feel and know the temptations of satan and
the power of those temptations can make you weep it does but
there's that precious seed that has been sown in your heart shall
doubtless doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing his sheaves
with him all my beloved friends there is nothing nothing uncertain
about the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Oh that the Lord would give us
clear views of the wonderful glory, power and grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ. They that sow in tears shall
reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth
bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing
he sheaves with him. May the Lord add his blessings.