336. Deep in our hearts let us
record the deepest sorrows of our Lord. Behold the rising billows
roll to overwhelm his holy soul. Hymn 164. Tune Gethsemane 336. in the hearts that thus recall,
that he has for us all found love. Hold the rising, it will
not come, Till the world around it slowly swells. In the poem I dispense this prayer. One knows of the path of death. And all the sons of Bethlehem
join, To the executor's blessed sign. Yet, gracious God, thy parent
love hath made the curse of blessing prove. Thou'st dreadful sorrow,
O my soul, And dreadful sins when we're done. The banjo bearing Siren Boy. In colors of the Holy Sculpture,
His sorrows they use justice now. Have faith, for some it's not
his own. Bow for his sake, a guiltful
king, and that the Holy Spirit live. The Lord will hear us in His
name. Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in Psalm 69. Psalm 69. This is one of the beautiful
messianic psalms. It's quoted probably more than
any other psalm in the New Testament and it records the sufferings
of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Save me, O God, for the
waters are come into my soul, I sink in deep mire where there
is no standing. I am come into deep waters where
the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying. My throat is dried. My eyes fail
while I wait for my God. They that hate me without a cause
are more than the hairs of my head. They that would destroy
me, being my enemies wrongfully, are mighty. Then I restored that
which I took not away. O God, Thou knowest my foolishness,
and my sins are not hid from Thee. Let not them that wait
on Thee, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed for my sake. Let not those that seek thee
be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel, because for thy sake
I have borne reproach. Shame hath covered my face. I
am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my
mother's children. For the zeal of thine house hath
eaten me up, and the reproaches of them that reproach thee are
falling upon me. When I wept and chastened my
soul with fasting, that was to my reproach. I made sackcloth
also my garment, and I became a proverb to them. They that
sit in the gate speak against me, and I was the song of the
drunkards. But as for me, my prayer is unto
thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time. O God, in the multitude
of thy mercy, hear me in the truth of thy salvation. Deliver
me out of the mire, and let me not sink. Let me be delivered
from them that hate me, and out of thee deep waters. Let not
the water flood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow
me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me. Hear me, O
Lord, for thy lovingkindness is good. Turn unto me according
to the multitude of thy tender mercies, and hide not thy face
from thy servant, for I am in trouble. Hear me speedily. Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem
it. Deliver me because of mine enemies. Thou hast known my reproach.
and my shame and my dishonour, mine adversaries are all before
thee. Reproach hath broken my heart,
and I am full of heaviness, and I looked for some to take pity,
but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. They gave me
also gall for my meat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar
to drink, Now we have a very solemn prayer of our Lord Jesus
Christ against his enemies. Let their table become a snare
before them and that which should have been for their welfare let
it become a trap. Let their eyes be darkened that
they see not and make their loins continually shake. Pour out thine
indignation upon them and let thy wrathful anger take hold
of them. Let their habitation be desolate,
and let none dwell in their tents. For they persecute him whom thou
hast smitten, and they talk to the grief of those whom thou
hast wounded. Add iniquity unto their iniquity,
and let them not come into thy righteousness. Let them be blotted
out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous. But I am poor and sorrowful.
Let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high. I will praise
the name of God with a song and will magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord
better than an ox or bullock that have horns and hoofs. The
humble shall see this and be glad. and your heart shall live
that seek God. For the Lord heareth the poor
and despiseth not his prisoners. Let the heaven and earth praise
him, the sea and everything that moveth therein. For God will
save Zion and will build the cities of Judah, that they may
dwell there and have it in possession. the seed also of his servants
shall inherit it, and they that love his name shall dwell therein. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real
prayer. Holy, almighty, and eternal God
of heaven, we do desire to bow before thy glorious majesty Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost, we desire to approach thee in that precious
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, for through him we have access
by one spirit unto the Father. Lord, do grant us that free access
as we gather round thy word this afternoon. Grant that the word
of truth may have free course and that thy name may be honoured
and glorified and the truth of God may reach into our hearts
with the power and unction of the Holy Ghost, that we may have
the word of truth opened unto us, and that we may have eyes
to see and ears to hear and hearts to receive thy precious word
of truth. Grant that the grace, that wonderful
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, that we may truly worship thee. We've read in thy
word, O Lord, that as many as are led by the Spirit of God,
they are the sons of God. And we pray that we may indeed
be led of the Spirit of God here this afternoon in the word of
truth, that there may be unction and power that shall seal the
Word into our hearts, and that the eyes of our understanding
may be enlightened, and that we may receive of thy Word. This
is the Word by which the Gospel is preached unto you, and this
is that Word which liveth and abideth for ever. May it live
and abide for ever in our hearts. We do humbly beseech thee. May we know the sealing of the
Spirit Oh, do hear us, Lord. May we know what we thought upon
this morning, the spirit of adoption, that union and communion with
our Heavenly Father, and the sacred sense of the Spirit of
God in our hearts, and the realization that Jesus has redeemed us because
we are sons. Oh, we do pray, most gracious
Lord, that the truth of God We may know it in its living reality,
in our hearts. We love him because he first
loved us. We do pray, most gracious Lord,
that those precious truths may be laid like a foundation within
our hearts. Other foundation can no man lay
than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus, this eternal
foundation. this eternal rock of ages. Upon
this rock I build my church, and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it. Lord Jesus, we come with the
sweet psalmist of Israel. Thou art my rock and my fortress,
my strong and my high tower, and unto Thee shall I continually
resort. Help us, Lord, continually to
be found looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our
faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
despising the shame thereof, and is now set down at the right
hand of the majesty on high. Oh, we do pray that thou wouldst
look upon us as a church and as a congregation, and that thou
wouldst mightily bless us from the youngest to the eldest, that
we may see thy work, thy power, thy glory in the gospel, that
we may see, most gracious Lord, that sovereign work of thy spirit
in bringing one and another from spiritual death into spiritual
life, to dwell in their hearts, to reveal thyself to them. Lord,
let thy work appear unto thy servants and thy glory unto their
children. We do humbly beseech thee. We
long to see thy work. We long to see thy power. and
thy glory as thou usest to be in the sanctuary. We long to
touch the hem of Jesus' garment and to draw from that sacred
fullness that is in him. We come like the dear apostle
that I may know him in the power of his resurrection, in the fellowship
of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. to know my Jesus crucified by
far excels all things beside. Remember us then, Lord, as a
church and as a congregation, and work mightily, powerfully,
and effectually among us. Remember our brethren, the deacons,
and graciously help them continually in all their needs and in all
their concerns. Remember the little ones and
the children mercy upon them, O Lord. Put the fear of the Lord,
which is the beginning of wisdom, into their hearts, that they
may be brought in their young and tender years with a godly
fear to follow Thee. O do hear us, Lord. Remember
the young friends in their pathway. Help them, lead them, guide them,
direct them, help them, O Lord, to realise there is but one thing
that is needful, and that they might seek first the kingdom
of heaven, and thy righteousness and all these things shall be
added unto them. May they be brought to see that
and feel that, that Jesus is the one thing needful. I without
him perish must. Lord, do hear us, we pray. And
so bless our young friends, bring them to living faith, in Jesus
Christ and make them true followers of thee and of those who through
faith and patience inherit the promises. To hear us, Lord, we
humbly pray thee. Grant that a seed shall be raised
up to call thee the Redeemer. Blessed, a seed raised up to
follow on to know the Lord. Oh, do grant the fulfilling of
those wonderful promises in thy word. for all thy children shall
be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of thy children.
Gracious God, may we see signs to follow the preaching of the
word. Be with our young friends in
all of life's journey. Preserve and keep them from the
allurements of this vain world. Preserve and keep them from the
temptations of Satan. whether he comes as an angel
of light to deceive or a roaring lion to devour, we pray that
they may be delivered from the power of Satan and that they
must fulfil that wonderful promise. When the enemy comes in like
a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against
him. Grant, Lord, that that may be so with our dear young friends. We do humbly beseech thee. We
pray O Lord, her parents, that thou wouldst give them grace,
wisdom, and help to bring up their children in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord, and that we may not do or have those
things that will stumble them from wisdom's way and turn them
aside. Gracious God, we do pray that
thou wouldst be with all in the midst of the journey of life,
each and every one, and knowest where they are. and they know
it's what they stand in need of. We pray for the prodigals
that have wandered away, and that their wonderful power may
be seen in bringing them back to the great glory of thy holy
name. Oh, do hear us, Lord, we pray
thee, and may we be laborers together, and may we be united
together in prayer. For Lord, the appointed time
rolls on apace, not to propose but call by grace to turn the
feet to Zion's hill. Oh, that we may see such a blessing
to rest upon us as a church and as a congregation. Oh, Lord, let thy work appear
unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children. Remember,
Lord, we pray thee, Those of us that are now in the evening
time of life's journey, soon, Lord, we must bid adieu to everything
here below. The young may die, but the old
will most certainly die. We do pray to be prepared, and
that we may indeed pause, my soul, and ask the question, are
thou ready to meet God? Am I made a real Christian, washed
in the Redeemer's blood? O, that that may resound in each
heart present with us today, that they may pause and stop
and consider we do humbly beseech thee. We pray, O Lord, that the
wonderful light and glory and power of gospel truth may shine
into this village and the surrounding villages and hamlets, that thou
wouldst bring our sons from far and our daughters from the ends
of the earth, that we may see them come, that we may rejoice
in seeing them come. Oh, do hear us, Lord, that have
been those days in this house of prayer. And especially thy dear servant
that laboured here for so many years, and that, Lord, thy blessing
rested upon his labours, and it redounded to the glory of
thy great name and the engathering of many precious souls. And that
no doubt, Lord, as the dear man of God preached here, that he
offered up many prayers unto thee for the future prosperity
of this house of prayer, we do pray that ours Hear those prayers
and those cries and those entreaties and grant that we may see thy
work and thy power and thy glory as thou used to be in the sanctuary. Lord, we pray that thou in thy
precious mercy would remember all thy servants as they labour
in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion. Pour thy spirit
into their hearts Touch their lips with a live coal from off
the heavenly altar. Deliver them from the temptations
of Satan. For, Lord, they are many, and
sometimes the battle is very great. Oh, do be gracious, Lord,
and let thy work appear unto thy servants. We do humbly beseech
thee, and we pray thee, the great Lord of the harvest, to send
true labourers into the harvest, many of thy servants, Lord, that
are of a good age, and we do pray that thou wouldst raise
up your others. We thank thee for what thou hast
done in these past years in sending young men into the ministry.
We pray that thou wouldst go on, most mighty God, thy wonders
to make known. Put forth thy spirit with the
word and cause the dead to hear. We do humbly beseech of thee. Oh, we do pray for that grace
to wrestle with thee and to travail for souls. This can come alone
from thee and we pray that thou was granted to us. For as soon
as Zion traveled, she brought forth her children. Lord, we
do thank thee for all thy mercies to us as a church and congregation. We do thank thee most gracious
Lord that thou art a God that hears and answers prayer, we
do thank Thee above all for our great High Priest, our Lord and
Saviour, Jesus Christ. We thank Thee for His glorious,
sacred, holy life, that perfect obedience of the Holy God, man
to the law, everlasting righteousness brought in for Thy people, Jehovah
said, Kenya, we pray for a spirit of adoration and thanksgiving
and praise unto thee for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank thee that he was made
sin for us, that our sins have been put away, laid upon him. We thank thee that he suffered
and bled and died for our sins and rose again for our justification. and is now ascended into heaven
and sitteth at thy right hand, we will bow in humble adoration
and thanksgiving before thy glorious majesty. We thank thee for the
love of our eternal Father and we thank thee for the power,
grace of the Holy Spirit. We pray that we may feel more
of it in our hearts and that we might live closer to thee
and that we may be guided and directed by thee day by day. Hear us, O Lord, we pray thee.
Be with us now as we turn to thy holy word. Come and open
thy word to our heart and to our understanding. Come and grant
that we may delve into the deep that coucheth beneath in thy
word. Come 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 600. The tune is Zurich 703. Truth
and mercy meet together. Righteousness and peace embrace. Each perfection of Jehovah meets
and shines in Jesus' face. Here the Father can be just and
saved by grace. Hymn number 600, tune Zurich
703. O come, let us adore Him, O come,
let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. ? And each the longing grow ? ?
Each them shining, each them shining ? ? In the garden, in the garden ? And we just can't say I know.
? In her own consolation ? ? We
were all beggars somehow ? ? Joy to the world, joy to the world
? ? And shall forever survive ? ?
Redeemer, Redeemer ? ? Bestower of life ? ? God seeks us to possess Him ?
? Like the angels of heaven ? ? God, I have you in my heart ? ? O say can you see by the dawn's
early light ? ? He is the Lord, the God, the
Everlasting One ? ? Joy in the Lord shall come ?
? And with Jesus, and with Jesus ? ? With his sight on earth shall
come ? God rest ye merry, gentlemen. shall be heard. And forever,
shall forever, shall be praise to Christ Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I direct your attention to Psalm 69, and we
will read verses 35 and 36 for our text. Psalm 69, verses 35
and 36. For God will save Zion. and will build the cities of
Judah, that they may dwell there and have it in possession. The
seed also of his servant shall inherit it, and they that love
his name shall dwell therein. For God will save Zion. is the Church of the Living God. It's the Bride of Christ. And it is saved with an everlasting
salvation. It says, not a hoof shall be
left behind. All that the Father has chosen,
the Son has redeemed. And all that the Son has redeemed,
the Holy Spirit will sanctify. that heavenly power of the Holy
Ghost who proceeded forth from the Father and the Son will enter
into every chosen vessel of mercy and will quicken their soul into
life. And you know, my beloved friends, there are some very
odd characters that we find in the Word of God who were children
of the living God. They were. We wouldn't have chosen
them. But God did, not only chose them,
He saved them with an everlasting salvation. For God will save
Zion, the Lord will save His people. And He chose, not only
does He choose people that we wouldn't choose, but He also chose them in His Son, Jesus
Christ. and he chose the way that he
would redeem them, the way that he would deliver them. We were
looking close to that word concerning our Lord Jesus Christ this morning,
Galatians 4, made of a woman. That's the Lord Jesus Christ,
made of a woman. Notice what the apostle says,
he doesn't say made of a man, made of a woman, very correct
doctrine. He was born of the Virgin Mary,
without a man. Mary said to the angel, how can
these things be, seeing I know not a man? The Holy Ghost shall
come upon thee, the power of the highest shall overshadow
thee. So the Son of God was made flesh and without a man. And we read of him that he came
unto his own and his own received him not. The eternal son of God, the Lord
of heaven and earth. We've read here today, this afternoon
in this Psalm 69, of some of the deep sufferings of our Lord
Jesus Christ, David, here he speaks in the person of Christ
as it often does in the book of Psalms and just look at the
language I've no doubt David himself knew what these things
were experimentally in his own soul but he's speaking prophetically
concerning the person of Christ and he's speaking in the person
of Christ. Save me oh God. This is Christ speaking the waters
are come into my soul. I sink in deep mire where there
is no standing. I am come into deep waters where
the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying, my throat
is dried, my nines fail while I wait for my God. We read in Psalm 22 right at
the commencement of the psalm, my God, My God, why hast thou
forsaken me? David there again is a prophet.
He's prophesying and speaking in the person of Christ. And
when our Lord Jesus Christ was on the cross of Calvary, those
are the very words that he uttered. My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? Eloi Eloi lama sabachthanai. Why? Why this holy, spotless,
undefiled Son of the Father? Why this innocent, perfect man? I always think of Psalm 37 verse
37 when I think of the person of Christ. Mark the perfect man
and behold the upright for the end of that man His peace, that's
Christ. Mark, the perfect man. He did
no sin and yet he came into such sufferings and sorrows that nobody
else has ever passed through. Such agony, such sorrow, such
grief. I am weary of my crying. My throat
is dried, my eyes fail while I wait for my God. They that
hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head.
They that would destroy me being mine enemies wrongfully are mighty. And then we have this, you know,
we read in Solomon's song of apples of gold with borders of
silver, something very beautiful. And that's what this last clause
of verse four is. It's the words of Christ, then
I restored that which I took not away." Who took away man's
innocency, Adam and Eve, when they fell into sin? They took
it away. They sinned. As in Adam, all
die. Every one of us is born in sin.
All of the posterity of Adam, as the hymn writer says, he ruined
all his future race. Adam did. He took it away. But Christ, the second Adam,
the Lord from heaven, then I restored that which I took not away. When
the Lord Jesus Christ, the suffering Saviour, the man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief, when he walked here upon this earth, he brought in everlasting righteousness
for his people. that which we'd lost in Adam.
He restored it. He lived a life that was pure,
that was holy, that was undefiled. And he offered a sacrifice that
was pure and holy and undefiled. He shed his precious blood that
was pure and holy and undefiled. And in that sacrifice he satisfied
all the demands of divine justice. The Lord Jesus Christ did. He
brought in everlasting righteousness. I restored that which I took
not away. He suffered, bled and died on
the cross at Calvary. He restored that which he took
not away. He died for our sins and rose
again for our justification. He restored that which he took
not away. He ascended up into heaven. And
those pearly gates lifted their everlasting heads, and the King
of Glory entered in. He restored that which He took
not away. He has made a new and living
way into the holy place. There's something so very beautiful
in these words. Then I restored that which I
took not away. And Lord Jesus Christ, the Son
of God, manifest in the flesh. You see, it goes on here. It says, I am become a stranger,
verse 8, unto my brethren and an alien unto my mother's children. And this is, verse 9, is quoted
in the New Testament, for the zeal of thine house hath eaten
me up. It's quoted in relation to the
Lord Jesus driving the money changers out of the temple. And
it's quoted in the New Testament, the zeal of thine house hath
eaten me up. Do you and I have a zeal for
God's house? Do you and I have a zeal for
the cause of God and truth? Do you and I have a zeal for
the glorious person, power and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ? What a mercy if we do have a
zeal. We long, we desire the salvation
of souls. We long, we desire. for the prosperity
of Zion. It's the Spirit of Christ, and
all that we might know more of that Spirit of Christ. For the
zeal of thine house hath eaten me up, and the reproaches of
them that reproach thee have fallen upon me. You see, it was the Song of the
Drunkards, and in verse 13 he says, but as for me, my prayer
is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time, O God, in the multitude
of thy mercy. Hear me in the truth of thy salvation. And then we see the Lord Jesus
in the mire. Deliver me out of the mire and
let me not sink. Let me be delivered from them
that hate me and out of the deep waters. And this, let not the
water flood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up. We read in another psalm, and
again it's a Messianic psalm, it says, all thy waves and thy
billows have gone over me. Think of the Lord Jesus when
he stood in the room and the place and the stead of his children. Think of him in the garden of
Gethsemane and being in agony. He sweat, as it were, great drops
of blood falling down to the ground. So great was the weight of the
sin of the church that was placed on him there, imputed to him
as if it was his own sin. Being in agony, he sweat, as
it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground. You see, he says here, verse
18, draw nigh unto my soul and redeem it. Deliver me, because
of mine enemies thou hast known my reproach and my shame, my
dishonor, mine adversaries are all before thee. Reproach hath
broken my heart. This is Christ. And I am full
of heaviness. And I looked for some to take
pity. There was none. For comforters
that I found, but I found none. I used to live next door when
we were first married to Mr. and Mrs. Humberstone. You older
ones will remember Mr. Humberstone. He was a minister
and he had a stroke and several times I went in to see him and
he was so thirsty and his wife gave him to drink and as he drank
it he then said they gave me also gall for my meat and my
thirst they gave me a vinegar to drink. He said but I've got
water. He was thinking on the glorious
person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Gall is very bitter, very bitter. and it doesn't quench thirst.
It added to the agony. It was reckoned to deaden the
pain. You see, they gave me also for my meat, gall for my meat,
and in my thirst they gave me vinegar. Vinegar does not quench
thirst. You see, it added to the grief
and the sufferings of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. But I am poor, verse 29. But I am poor and sorrowful. This is how the church was redeemed. It's in this suffering saviour.
He gave his life a ransom for all. This is the place of salvation. This is where we need to look.
Look unto me, all ye ends of the earth, and be ye saved, for
I am God and there is none else. There's no other place of salvation
but in the Lord Jesus Christ. As we read in the Acts of the
Apostles, the words of the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, there
is none other name given unto heaven whereby you must be saved
but the name of Jesus Christ. His precious name. When we read
name, it means the person. The name of God, it's the person,
the name of Christ, the Messiah, the Redeemer, the
Deliverer. You see, it says here, verse
32, the humble shall hear this and be glad and your heart shall
live that seek God. May that be a word in season
here this afternoon. Your heart shall live that seek
God. The fact that you are seeking
God is an evidence that you have life. The fact that you pray continually
to God is the evidence that you have spiritual life. You feel
a need. And this is a word of encouragement. The Lord Jesus, he says, doesn't
he? Seek, and ye shall find, knock, and it shall be opened.
Ask, and it shall be given you. Seek, and ye shall find, knock,
and it shall be opened unto you. Your heart shall live that seek
God. For the Lord heareth the poor,
and despiseth not his prisoners. They're his prisoners. Do you
feel that you're in prison? Do you feel you're shut up? Do
you feel that you can't break out? Do you feel that you're
in bondage? Do you feel that you're in darkness
and have no light? You see, these are places where
the Lord's people come. The Lord heareth the poor and
despiseth not his prisoners. His prisoners? Are you in prison? Are you in prison? spiritually
in your soul, you can't break out, you can't get any light,
you feel that you're shut up in prison, but there's hope, there's hope. Isn't there a beautiful word,
if I can turn to it, that is found in the minor prophets a
word about the prisoners of hope.
These things are written in Holy Scripture my beloved friends
for our instruction in the spiritual journey and there is such a thing
as a prisoners of hope and if I can turn to it and The Lord,
He speaks to those prisoners of hope. He speaks a word of
encouragement to these prisoners of hope. Says in Zephaniah chapter
3 and in verse 12, I will also leave in the midst of thee an
afflicted and poor people and they shall trust in the name
the Lord, an afflicted and a poor people. Are you afflicted? And by that I don't mean necessarily
a natural affliction of our body or of our mind, I mean affliction
of soul, affliction of soul. You feel to be bound up, you
feel to be in prison, you feel to be in darkness. You know, the dead know not anything. But those that feel this darkness,
there was a time when you didn't even realize you were in darkness
and bondage and death. You had no perception whatsoever
of it. But now you feel within you that
darkness and death. And what do you desire? Light.
and life. He that hath the Son, that's
Jesus, the Son of God. He that hath the Son hath life.
Jesus said, I am the light of the world. And when Christ is
revealed, you'll see that light. For God will save Zion and will
build the cities of Judah that they may dwell there and have
it in possession. The seed also of his servants
shall inherit it, and they that love his name shall dwell therein."
In Zion. Because these precious souls
who are brought to feel their darkness, their bondage, their
emptiness, their poverty, their sinfulness, they're led of the
Spirit then to seek salvation. They're led of the Spirit to
Jesus Christ, the only Saviour of sinners. They then are brought
to see Him by the Spirit's inward teaching and the power of faith
in their hearts to look to Jesus. To look to Jesus. For God will
save Zion. You know in Isaiah chapter 28,
there's a very beautiful promise that is given us there concerning
Zion, the church. of the Living God and it speaks
so beautifully of the Lord's blessing. Isaiah 28 verse 16,
Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for
a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone,
a sure foundation, He that believeth shall not make haste. What is
this stone? It's Christ. Upon this rock I
build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it. This is the eternal rock of ages. Our Lord Jesus Christ. He will
never fail. He never has and he never will.
He has redeemed his people. He loved not his life unto death.
He gave his life a ransom for all to be testified in due time. Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation,
a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. He that believeth shall not make
haste. A precious cornerstone. That's
what Christ is. You know, when they built the
temple of the Lord, It was a cornerstone had to be put in Solomon's temple. It was a large stone that were
different to all other stones. But the wise builder, he knew
the stone that he had to choose for the foundation of the house
of God. And that foundation is Christ. You know, we read in Zechariah
of the foundation stone, but we also read of the top stone.
Now what does that mean? The foundation is Christ, the
top stone is Christ. Christ is all in all, Christ
is the first and the last, the beginning and the ending. The
glorious person of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. You see, it speaks in the word
of God. Again, it's messianic in its
message in Psalm 118. It speaks there of our Lord Jesus
Christ. It says in verse 14 in Psalm
118, the Lord is my strength and song. That's Christ, and
he's become my salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation
is in the tabernacles of the righteous. The right hand of
the Lord, that's Christ, doeth valiantly. The right hand of
the Lord is exalted. The right hand of the Lord doeth
valiantly. I shall not die. These are the
words spoken of Christ. I shall not die, but live, and
declare the works of the Lord. He died for our sins, but he
rose again for our justification. He has made a new and living
way into the holy place. The Lord hath chastened me sore,
but he hath not given me over unto death. Open to me the gates
of righteousness. This is the gates of heaven,
and I will go unto them. And I will praise the Lord, the
gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter. I
am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the
Father but by me. I will praise thee, for thou
hast heard me, and art become my salvation. Now this is the
point I wanted to come to. The stone which the builders
refused is become the headstone of the corner. This is the Lord's
doing. And it is marvelous in our eyes.
came unto his own, and his own received him not. The stone that
the builders refused. Christ spoke this against the
rulers of his day. He actually quoted this scripture.
The stone which the builders refused to become the head of
the corner. This is the Lord's doing. You
see, when those wicked men took our Lord Jesus Christ, whether
they were Romans or whether they were Jews, and when they Crucified
him on the cross of Calvary. They thought that was the end
And I believe the devil thought that was the end as well. That
was a finish of the messiah but how wrong they were that that
cross where he was crucified it is now the very Center of
the hope of the lord's living family the cross of christ I
to the cross of christ repair and seek salvation only there
That's where my beloved friends, where salvation was wrought out
for God will save Zion. Now my beloved friends, all that
the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh unto
me I will in no wise cast out. All that the Father giveth me,
that's who Christ has redeemed. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. Not uncertain, is it? They shall. You see, they've been redeemed.
They've been redeemed. Therefore, they must come. They
cannot be lost. Not a grain of wheat shall fall
to the ground. My people shall never be ashamed. The smallest, the least, will reach heaven at last. They
will. A Christian's hope shall never
fail. It's not. Why? You think of those
lovely words in the beginning of Isaiah 42. Behold my servant
whom I uphold, my elect, and whom my soul delighteth. And
it goes on to say, he will not fail. No, and he'll never fail
you. He didn't foul you when He paid
your redemption price. No. He poured out His soul unto
death to redeem you. He shed every drop of His precious
blood to redeem you. You're precious in the sight
of the Lord. He's paid a ransom price to deliver
you. He said, I will never leave thee
nor forsake thee. It means exactly what He says.
All the promises of God are yay and amen in Christ Jesus. He will not fail. The bruised reed, he will not
break. No. Smoking flax, you will not quench.
It's all in that beginning of Isaiah 42. You think of your
soul's experience and sometimes You've perhaps felt a little
of the life of God in your soul, a little bit of warmth, of love,
of desire to our Lord Jesus Christ. But perhaps now, there's not
a fire burning, it's just a smoking, that you can't see any red hot,
it's just smoking. Seeing He will not quench, smoking. The hymn writer says he'll raise
it to a flame, he'll blow at the appointed time with the wind
of the Spirit on your soul and that which is just smoking will
then burst into flame and precious faith in our Lord Jesus Christ
and that door of hope that is open wide in Jesus' bleeding
hands and size will be revealed. for God will save Zion and will
build the cities of Judah. This is a promise to the church
of God. We see the desolations and we
see Zion as it's minished and brought low, but this is a sweet
promise, my beloved friends, that we should keep praying,
keep wrestling, for God will save Zion and will build the
cities of Judah, that they may dwell there and have it in possession. The seed also of his servant
shall inherit it, and they that love his name shall dwell therein. These are those divine promises
of our God unto his people. They are divine promises and
they are yay and amen in Christ Jesus. My mind in meditating
was much drawn to the prophet Obadiah And there we read in
verse 17, but upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance and there
shall be holiness and the house of Jacob shall possess their
possessions. What a word of promise, isn't
it? Upon Mount Zion. It's obviously a prophecy concerning
our Lord Jesus Christ. He suffered and bled and died
at Jerusalem, upon Mount Zion, shall be deliverance. That is
where our deliverance is, in the precious blood and righteousness
of Jesus, the Son of God. And there shall be holiness.
You see, the holiness of Christ, the holiness of His life, the
holiness of His sacrifice. These are the things that satisfy
divine justice. The holiness of Christ. says
here there shall be holiness but then it says and the house
of Jacob which means the Lord's people shall possess their notice
how it's written t-h-e-i-r their personal possessions they shall
possess maybe you feel there's so much left to be done maybe
you feel so unprepared and maybe you feel that you have such a
little faith and such a small religion and perhaps you write
many bitter things against yourself but the house of Jacob shall
possess her possessions that's divinely certain Those whom Christ
has died for, lived for, suffered for, died for, risen again for,
they shall possess. Christ is theirs. Like the spouse
in Solomon's song, I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine. It's
theirs. And if you're brought to feel
that, I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine, there's such
a sacred assurance then in your own soul that Jesus has suffered
and bled and died for your sins. That his precious blood has washed
away all your iniquity. That his precious blood has satisfied
all the demands of divine justice. He has. That's when you possess your
possessions. But of course, in the fullest sense of the word,
the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions, and upon Mount
Zion shall be deliverance, the fullest sense, they possess Christ. But they possess him in heaven,
this is the fullest sense. Let not your heart be troubled,
you believe in God, believe also in me, in my Father's house are
many mansions, if it were not so, 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 you may be also then to see him as he is to behold
him face to face to sing the song of the redeemed in heaven
what a what a song that will be won't it the song of of the
redeemed in heaven. And I beheld, she's Revelation
chapter 5 verse 11, I beheld and heard the voice of many angels
round about the throne and the beasts and the elders and the
number of them was 10,000 times 10,000 and thousands of thousands
saying with a loud voice, worthy is the lamb that was slain to
receive power and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor,
and glory, and blessing. And every creature that is in
heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and such as are in
the sea, and all that are in them, heard I say, blessing,
and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon
the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever. You know, to be with Christ,
which is far better. That's the heavenly Jerusalem. We've read of it in Galatians
this morning, didn't we? The heavenly Jerusalem for God
will save Zion and will build the cities of Judah that they
may dwell there and have it in possession. The seed also of
his servant shall inherit it and they that love his name shall
dwell therein. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 993. The tune is Montgomery 375. O Zion afflicted with wave upon
wave, Whom no man can comfort, whom no man can save, With darkness
surrounded by terror dismayed, In toiling and ruin by strength
is decayed, 993, TUNE MONTGOMERY 375 ? And shining evermore ? ? In thy
service evermore. ? ? Thou knowest the willows
now ? ? Nigh o'er the plain, ? God still holds them high in
the highest heaven and earth. His wisdom conquers sin, his power in the
earth. Inside the empire, I watered
the ants. O faithful, O faithless, in mercy
He cried, I promise, I do, Thou art right in my blood. Still,
still I am with Thee, I promise to serve. ? With tempest and tossing ? ?
I'll bring thee to that place ? ? O Mary, I will not ? ? I
cannot, I pray ? They break on the cross for every day. The
gods on the mountain are your comrades, Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave I filleth my heart, O thy sight
and thy grace. O Thou art most dearly my flesh
and my blood. In all thy distresses, thy pain
fills the flame. If all of us be full of pride, Then trust me, Lord, my righteous
Seeker. Thy wisdom is love, still remains
my blood. In love I forget thee, my soul
to be thine. To thee be perfect in my life. 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.