Let us commence our worship this
afternoon with hymn 804, tune Hanover 807. Ye lambs of Christ
fold, ye weaklings in faith, who long to lay hold on life
by his death, who fain would believe him, and in your best
room would gladly receive him. but fear to presume. Hymn 804,
tune Hannover 807. The hands of Christ go in replacing
mine. Good hope to lay hold on life
by His strength. good and good, believe Him, and
in your best faith, you'll gladly receive Him, not fear to pray. Remember one thing, though may
it seem feeble, a shepherd and king has much for his sheep. To trust in And ever, evermore is His love. He makes them believers, And
His king is proud. Most people did it not, so that
in the way, His people did not, and it is the same. His spirit will cherish the life
we've bestowed. We never shall perish in Jesus'
love. O clients and foes, When lost,
sick, and young, Sing fine to their cause, Shall confidence
grow. Romantic with hunger He will
their strength bear O'er valiant, yet stronger And bosom with care Lands are preserved to help those
in crime When lions are sung, they nourish mankind There's Jacob from Olsen, with
faith in his heart, And Ethan and Colson and Justin from Carl's. Though sometimes we seek the
places of past, past shepherds will lead their flocks back to
us. The shepherd that chose us will
surely be loved. Who other than Jesus would share his first blood? A soul that can say, I shall
be, I see. Grateful in the way, Be content,
O be. ? The golden crown's safest ? ?
Will not have me held ? ? And to him the weakest will fall
? We turn again to the infallible
Word of God. The first book of the Kings,
chapter 8. Commencing to read at verse 22
to verse 61. Chapter 8 in the first book of
the Kings. Commence to read at verse 22. And Solomon stood before the
altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Israel
and spread forth his hands toward heaven. And he said, Lord God
of Israel, there is no God like thee. in heaven above or on earth
beneath, who keep His covenant and mercy with Thy servants that
walk before Thee with all their heart, who has kept with Thy
servant David, My Father, that Thou promisest him Thou spakest
also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand,
as it is this day. Therefore now, Lord God of Israel,
keep with thy servant David my father, that thou promestest
him saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit
on the throne of Israel, so that thy children take heed to their
way, that they walk before me, as thou hast walked before me. And now, O God of Israel, let
thy word I pray thee be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant
David, my father. But will God indeed dwell on
the earth? Behold, the heaven and heaven
of heavens cannot contain thee, how much less this house that
I have built Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant
and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry
and to the prayer which thy servant prayed before thee to thine,
that thine eyes may be opened toward this house night and day,
even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall
be there. That thou mayst hearken unto
the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place,
and hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people
Israel, when they shall pray toward this place, and hear thou
in heaven thy dwelling place, and when thou hearest, forgive. If any man trespass against his
neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear,
and the oath come before thine altar in this house, then hear
thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the
wicked to bring his way upon his head, and justifying the
righteous to give head according to his righteousness. When thy people Israel be smitten
down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee,
and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray,
and make supplication unto thee, in this house then hear thou
in heaven and forgive the sin of thy people Israel and bring
them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers. When heaven is shut up and there
is no rain because they have sinned against thee. If they
pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their
sin, when thou afflictest them, then hear thou in heaven, and
forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel. that thou teach them the good
way wherein they should walk. Give rain upon thy land which
thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance. If there
be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew,
locusts, or if there be caterpillars, if their enemy besiege them in
the land of their cities, whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there
be, what prayer and supplication so ever be made by any man, or
by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man, the plague
of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house. Then, here thou in heaven, thou
dwell in grace, and forgive, and do, and give to every man
according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest for thou,
even thou only knowest the hearts of all the children of men. They may fear thee all the days
that they live in the land which thou gavest unto their fathers. Moreover concerning a stranger
that is not of thy people Israel that cometh out of a far country
for thy name's sake but they shall hear of thy great name
and of thy strong hand and of thy stretched out arm when he
shall come and cry toward this hill Then, here thou in heaven,
thou dwelling close, and do according to all that the stranger calleth
to thee for, that all people of the earth may know thy name,
to fear thee, as do thy people Israel, and that they may know
that this house which I have builted is called by thy name. If thy people go out to battle
against their enemy, whithersoever thou shalt send them, and shall
pray unto the Lord toward the city which thou hast chosen,
and toward the house that I have built for thy name, then Hear thou in heaven their prayer
and their supplication, and maintain their cause, if they sin against
thee. For there is no man that sinneth
not. And thou be angry with them,
and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away
captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near. Yet if they shall bethink themselves
in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent,
and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried
them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely
we have committed wickedness and so return unto thee with
all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their
enemies which led them away captive and pray unto thee toward their
land which thou gavest unto their fathers the city which thou hast
chosen and the house which I have built for thy name. Then, hear thou their prayer
and their supplication. In heaven they dwell in place,
and maintain their cause. And forgive thy people that have
sinned against thee, and all their transgression. wherein
they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion
before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion
on them. For they be thy people, and thine
inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt from the midst
of the furnace of iron, that thine eyes may be opened unto
the supplication of thy servants, and unto the supplication of
thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they call
for unto thee. For thou didst separate them
from among all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance,
as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou
broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God. And it was so, that when Solomon
had made an end of praying, all this prayer and supplication
unto the Lord. He arose from before the altar
of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees, with his hands spread
up to heaven. And he stood and blessed all
the congregation of Israel with a loud voice saying, Blessed
be the Lord. that hath given rest unto his
people Israel according to all that he promised there hath not
failed one word of all his good promise which he promised by
the hand of Moses his servant the Lord our God be with us as
he was with our fathers let him not leave us nor forsake us that
He may incline our hearts unto Him, to walk in all His ways,
and to keep His commandments, and His statutes, and His judgments,
which He commanded our fathers. And let these, my words, wherewith
I have made supplication before the Lord, be nigh unto the Lord
our God, day and night, that he maintain the cause of his
servants and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as
the matter shall require, that all the people of the earth may
know that the Lord is God, and that there is none else. Let your heart, therefore, be
perfect with the Lord our God to walk in His statutes and to
keep His commandments as at this day. You'll leave the reading
there, dear friends. Oh, may the Lord bless and answer
that prayer and help us to continue in the sign. O Lord, Thou hast said that man
ought always to pray and not to faint. O we would confess
our shortcoming in this exercise of soul. And pray that Thou wilt
grant to us now a true spirit of prayer and the grace of supplication
that we may be enabled to make our requests known Lord to Thee. For we are in need of the continuation
of Thy gracious help day by day, service by service. We would
acknowledge with gratitude Thy great goodness to us we can join
with the Apostle of old. Having obtained help of God,
we have continued unto this day. Thou hast in thy mercy maintained
us and upheld us in the ministry of thy word. But Lord, we need
Thee now, again this afternoon, to strengthen us with all strength
in the inner man, to lead and guide us further into the deep
that coucheth beneath Oh, the deep well, the deep wells of
salvation. Oh, the eternal word of God. Lord, we are creatures of a day. We're poor and needy and finite
and we're not sufficient. for these things in and of ourselves. But all to know, as we hope and
trust we have, over the many years, that our sufficiency is
of God. And so, Lord, do we pray thee,
continue favourably with us and enable us to continue in Word
and Doctrine and Faith and Practice. Help us to continue in the ministry
of Thy Word, for Thou, Lord, hast ordained the preaching of
the Gospel to save them that believe. And O we pray that thou
wilt bless the gatherings together of thy people as we meet unitedly
in the house of God where thy name is recorded. and there unitedly and yet as
the heart of one man to worship the Lord our God in the beauty
of holiness. For Lord it is no vain thing
to serve Thee the only living and true God. And is it not,
Lord, a sacred pleasure to us so to do? May thy name, dear Lord, be glorified
and magnified in the midst of Zion, today and every Lord's
Day and in the week when thy people gather for worship. O may we be favoured with thy
sweet and sacred presence as thou didst grant to those on
thee Emmaus road O Lord come in thine appointed ways and teach
my soul to sing thy praise for thou art dear to me O Lord do
them bless the provision of thy health, and satisfy thy poor
with bread. And do remember thine exercised
living family, thy dear people who need thee, all those things
that so Exercise their hearts, Lord, before they, those things
that we cannot do ourselves, but the things which are impossible
with men are possible with God. And so, Lord, we thank Thee that
Thou doth have a living exercise people and they need a living
exercise ministry. Now knoweth, Lord, the way that
we have to take, the path we walk in. The flesh dislikes the
way, but faith approves it well. And Lord, in these things thou
dost teach and instruct, and thus thy word is preached and
proclaimed and maintained in the sanctuary of God. And do bless, Lord, thine own
word, or may it not return, Lord, to thee void. No, but all may
accomplish that which is pleasing to Thee, and find a place in
the hearts of Thy dear people. And so, Lord, Thou knowest all
things concerning this age, but Thou wilt be inquired of by the
house of Israel, to do these things for them, make us more
fervent in spirit, seeking unto God. I would seek unto God, and
unto God would I commit my cause. This is it, Lord, help us each
so to do. When thou said, seek ye my faith,
My heart said, thy face, Lord, will I see. Now, Lord, thou hast spared us
to see the light of this, another Lord's day. Oh, may the glorious
light of the gospel shine into our hearts, bringing light and
liberty, speak, Lord, for thy servant hearing. O give those
hearing ears those wise and understanding hearts concerning thy truth. And now, Lord, again we cry for
this honour cause of truth. Been honoured Lord with godly
pastors and they have a man after God's own heart over them now. Have been now for a number of
years since our dear brother came amongst them in this office
as pastor. We pray that he may hold up his
hands by prayer and that they will continue to help him and
strengthen him in the great work of the ministry. Indeed he is
an able minister of the New Testament and we pray that they would help
him as he stands here in this pulpit and comes in and out amongst
them continually and wherever he doth go to preach thy word
may he go with a thus saith the Lord O give the word Lord help
him to publish it and may it bear fruit to thine honour and
glory, and for the good and the peace and the prosperity of this
cause of truth, and for the furtherance of the kingdom of thy grace on
this earth, where thou, O Lord, doth reign as Yet have I set
my King upon my holy hill of Zion to strengthen him Lord in
body and in mind and in soul for the continual labour. It is Lord a continual labour,
it never stops. And so we need, Lord, thy strength. He needs thy strength. And all
thy sermons need thy strength to be made perfect as we labour
under felt weakness from time to time. And so, Lord, do remember
thy cause and interest to you. We remember so well the former
pastor and his widow that passed away a year or two ago now. Oh Lord, the older generation
taken, but Lord how good it is to see a body of believers here,
the congregation, meeting in this house of God. And we pray
that thou will favour them as they await upon them, and serve
them in this house of God. We pray for each member of the
church, the congregation, the dear children, and our brethren
in office as deacons in their responsibility here, together
with their responsibility within the beloved denomination of which
we are a part and the many years that they have laboured for the
good of the causes of truth and the gospel standard denomination. And so Lord, we do pray that
each one of us may be helped to serve the Lord lovingly and
faithfully in our day and in our generation. And do, dear
Lord, maintain the cause of truth, the causes of truth at all times,
as the matter shall require. We pray that thou wilt send forth
labourers into the harbours that harvest truly is great, the labourers
are few, and those of us who, Lord, have attained to mature
years. Oh, we find, Lord, that we cannot
do perhaps as we did formerly, that we would use our strength
and our time, dear Lord, to serve thee. And now we do pray that
they would accept that their gratitude for every mercy and
favour conferred upon us as a God of providence. Oh, the royal
bounty of thy good providence. We would thank thee for, for
we have food and raiment and the necessities of life May we
then be content for godliness with contentment is great gain. May it be so, Lord. Save us from
a covetous nature and help us to thank Thee for Thy goodness. And so, dear Lord, help us to
put Thee first and all these other things shall be added unto
us. Do continue to bless the singing
of thy worthy praises here today. And oh may we be refreshed from
the presence of the Lord. Now Lord do make up in giving
where I fail to ask our mercies, Lord, that Thou art able to do
exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or even think. O Lord, how great and glorious
Thou art, and we pray that it may be so if it is thy sovereign
will. And, O Lord, do hear us in heaven,
thy dwelling place. And when thou hearest, O Lord,
forgive. O dear Lord, have mercy upon
us. We plead the precious name the
precious sin-atoning blood, and the glorious righteousness of
Emmanuel, God with us. And so do help us now to further
wait upon thee in this service. We would desire to glorify the
precious name and glorious person of God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Ghost. God bless her forevermore. Amen. We'll sing hymn 113, tune Ombudsly
385. Who but the soul that led to know
how just and holy is the law will to the cross of Christ repair
and seek salvation only there. Hymn 113 Tune Ombudsley 385. Look up the sun and let it glow,
And let thy holy face glow. Will to the cross of Christ repent,
And sin shall hate, shall not repent. My soul shall come whence to
Thee, O Lord, in truth and virtue be. ? Through hope and pride ? ? Christ
hath willed ? ? To shine our fields ? ? And regions fair ?
? Still our faith ? ? Welcome to our university ? ?
God bless our university ? ? God bless our university ? ? God
bless our university ? ? Of God the Christ my soul can
know ? ? May he fill my self and love ? will make me ready to face the
storm, and hold my feet on the highest hill. ? And bitterness can not bring
cheer ? ? Still feel the shame and nakedness ? ? Till they behold ? ? The glorious
truth ? ? That saved the poor ? ? When they should grieve ?
? And found the rest ? ? We'll ever sing this glorious
song ? ? We'll live together through the years to come ? And
I think that it's all right to be Where I always should have
been ? And I'm on my way ? ? To bend
the kinsman ? ? And find him ashamed ? ? But my brother ?
? My brother is my son ? Again, dear friends, by the help
of God, we turn to the first book of the Kings, chapter 8.
And we read again verses 55, 56, and I'll read verse 57 this
afternoon as well. Verses 55, 6, and 7, chapter
8, the first book of the Kings. And he stood and blessed all
the congregation of Israel with a loud voice saying, Blessed
be the Lord that hath given rest unto his people Israel according
to all that he promised. There hath not failed one word
of all his good promise which he promised by the hand of Moses
his servant. The Lord our God be with us as
he was with our fathers. Let him not leave us nor forsake
us. Oh, as we come to consider, dear
friends, these words, what a fervency there was upon the spirit of
the Lord's dear servant Solomon, we see the effect of that God-given
wisdom, that God-given understanding, We see the effect of the Holy
Spirit of God working effectually and wonderfully and blessedly
in his heart and causing, as I say again, this fervency of
spirit. He was so concerned and exercised
concerning the welfare of Zion. And the prayer he prayed covers
all the vicissitudes and situations and matters that God's dear people
come into. And dear friends, this prayer,
well, it'll take you through the journey of life, will it
not? Oh, the wonder of prayer. And friends, this prayer then,
you can plead before the Lord as you're brought into those
situations and experiences that Solomon desired in prayer. Oh, I love the fervency of the
dear man's heart and his desires. He wasn't half-hearted. He wasn't
careless. He wasn't indifferent. But he
had one concern, the glory of God. And this was made known
in prayer and in preaching. And it's the same today, dear
friends. Oh, in the services of the sanctuary,
may there be that fervency, the effectual prayer of a fervent
righteous man, availeth much. And so, he blesses the congregation
as we decide to bring before you this morning. And then, blessed
be the Lord. And friends, the Lord's dear
people, desire to ascribe all the honour and the glory unto
his great and holy name. for all his mercies and all his
truth sake. And this couplet, the fullness
of it, blessed be the Lord. Oh, is this your fervent desire
to join with the dear psalmist? Blessed is he that cometh in
the name of the Lord. Who came in the name of the Lord? Well, it was the dear Redeemer
as he rode into Jerusalem on that ass's coat. And what did they say? Hosanna! Blessed is he that cometh in
the name of the Lord. We have blessed you out of the
house of the Lord. And a part, friends, of true,
vital worship is to say, blessed be the Lord. And if the Lord has answered
any of your prayers, and if the Lord has blessed you under the
ministry of his word, you will have this desire. Blessed be
the Lord. And one of the Psalms concludes,
The last little couplet is, Blessed be God. Friends, does that conclude your
prayer sometimes? Blessed be God. And so the psalmist, in the fullness
of this, he says, Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts, ye ministers
of his, that do his pleasure. Oh friends, the ministry is,
with the Lord's help, a sacred pleasure. I'm sure if you said
to your beloved pastor, what is your greatest pleasure, what
would he say? I can tell you what he would
say. Preaching the gospel, preaching Jesus Christ. That would be his
greatest, and his, and mine, greatest Pleasure. Bless the
Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very
great. Thou art clothed with honour
and majesty. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. It's our soul, friends, that
desires to bless the Lord. And you see, this begins on earth
and it'll continue throughout and never ending eternity. Well, what then in our text are
we to bless the Lord for? Well, in this particular, that
hath given rest unto his people Israel. Given. What a gift. What a gift. Anything that's given is a blessed
gift. It's something that naturally
we do not deserve, but it's given for love's sake. There's a great difference, dear
friends, in wages being received for work done and a gift given
due to love. Now we all had to labour and
we still do and in that one receives their wages. We should all receive our wages
when we come to die because the wages of sin is death. That's the wages. Sometimes when
I hear men complain about They need more money, more wages. They think, yes, you'll get your
wages the day I come, when you'll get them, in the full measure
of them, when death takes your breath away. But the gift of
God is eternal life. No death there, friends. Eternal
life. And so it's a gift. given by
God. Every good and perfect gift cometh
down from heaven, given by God. Oh, blessed be the Lord that
hath given. What's he given here? He's given
rest. Well, friends, as I said this
morning, in conclusion, there's no rest. on this sin-cursed earth
for a child of God. There is none. It's vanity of
vanities, saith the preacher. All is vanity. And all divine
pleasures that men seem to enjoy, what is it to a child of God?
Vanity. Vanity of vanities. there's no
rest in it. No. And as we consider this you
can ponder Noah and the Ark. When the Ark rested on Mount
Ararat then the Lord sent through Noah a raven and the raven went
to and fro on the face of the water, the face of the earth,
to and fro, the raven. Satisfied with this world. Now take the contrast, and that
sets before us, you see it's an unclean bird, it sets before
us the ungodly. Satisfied with this world. Now, the dove. was sent forth by Noah. What a difference it was. For
Noah, you see, the dove came back to the ark. And Noah put
his hand to bring the dove back into the ark. Now why did the
dove come back? Why? For one reason, friend. it found no rest for the soul
of its foot. No rest. None at all. And there's no rest, friends,
for a child of God apart from the rest of faith into the ark
which sets forth Christ in all the fullness of his beauty and
grace and goodness and mercy. So the dove came back to the
ark. Wonderful friends, isn't it?
Is that the same with you? You say, come back, give him
rest unto his people Israel. And the Lord has, through Moses,
the servant of God, who just before his death, he gave wonderful
promises of God's goodness, and the Lord fulfilled those promises. So the Lord has given rest unto
his people. Now in the Gospel day, in the
New Testament, what did the dear Redeemer say? He says, Come unto
me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. Oh, the dear man of God, Solomon,
could rest in this that the Lord had given him to speak. And you
can rest, friends, in what the Lord has spoken to you. And you
can rest in the oath and promise of God. You can rest in the promises
which are yea and amen in Christ Jesus, rest. What a wonderful provision. And
the Lord Jesus said, come. What a blessed invitation for
the Lord's dear people to the true Israel of God. Israelites, indeed, for not all
that came out of Egypt, friends, entered the promised rest. No. Many, their carcasses fell in
the wilderness because of unbelief. and because of sin. But there
were those of the Lord's dear people, the spiritual Israel,
who were Israelites indeed. There's the difference there.
An Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. There's the sincerity. There's the unleavened bread
of sincerity and intrigue, like it was with Nathanael. And oh,
the wonderful words of grace that the Lord spoke to Nathanael
when Philip was instrumental in bringing him to Christ. Friends,
a thought comes here. I wonder if you have ever been
instrumental in bringing one soul to Christ. Philip brought
Nathanael. Can any good come out of Nazareth? Come and see. When he was coming,
the Lord saw him and gave that wonderful declaration, Behold,
an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Indeed, not just
in word, but indeed in practice, in whom is no guile. There's
a sincerity of a true Israelite indeed. So, you see, rest unto
his people. Israel. And then the Lord was
given a day of rest. The Lord in his creation work,
worked for six days and everything he did was very good. Very, very good. And he rested
the seventh day of all his labour. He rested. And of course it's
a day of rest for creation. given by God, but of course it's
not used in the way that it should be. But then this is man by nature. Sin always corrupts the good
things that God gives. That's the nature of sin. To
corrupt all the good things that God has done. Sin just corrupts
it. So the Lord has given this day
of rest. And of course now We have the
first day instead of the seventh to commemorate the glorious resurrection
of Christ from the dead. But it's a day of rest, to enter
into the house of God. This is my rest. Here will I
dwell, for I have desired it, the Lord said. Zion is a place
where the Lord rests. And He rests in His love, as
King. and His subjects in His kingdom
come to Him, and they receive rest. Oh, the wonder, friends,
of having spiritual rest. Now in the week you may be troubled
and burdened and oppressed and vexed with different matters,
and you come up to the house of God on the Lord's day, and
this word is fulfilled, return unto thy rest, O my soul. Return, you've known rest before. Now you know unrest in the week
through tribulations and various things that conflict in your
poor mind. Yet you see, you come and then
the Lord restores. Restore the joy of thy salvation. Restore that rest that the Lord
has given. Wonderful, friends, isn't it?
To have it restored, to have it renewed, to have it being
brought, this rest, and you rest in His Word. You can't rest in
anything short of Christ, and He is the incarnate Word. He
is the incarnate Word. He rose the first day. You can rest, friends, in Him. All that He's done, all that
He's said, You know nothing that Christ did or Christ said has
ever been lost or can ever be lost. The Holy Spirit brings
to the remembrance of his dear people all that he spoke and
all that he did. This beginning of miracles did
Jesus in the container of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory. This beginning of miracles. And
then the word that he spoke, the word that he preached, the
word that he taught, the Holy Spirit testifies of Christ. Nothing's lost. Not a word that
Christ spoke will ever fall to the ground. Not one word. Well,
dear friends, there's your rest. in what he's spoken. The sacred
promises which are yay and amen in him, they're eternal. They
can never alter, they can never change, they can never diminish,
they can never wither, they can never fail. They're eternally
the same. So here's the rest. There remaineth
therefore a rest to the people of God. And there's that eternal
rest for the Lord's dear people in eternal glory. There's no
rest here below in Christ. Jeremiah couldn't rest, but there
it is resting place, couldn't he? Nor can we. But we can rest
in Christ, the Ark of Christ. Oh dear friends, what a wonderful
provision it is. Zion, the Church of the Living
God. This is my rest. This is where
you'll obtain it as well, spiritual rest. It's a wonderful provision,
is rest. Sometimes I feel so unutterably
weary. I just long for rest. I'm speaking naturally, just
to lay my head down and complete quietness, complete rest, complete
peace. It's a wonderful provision, wonderful
provision. And then it's a, you see, David
after he had served the Lord, in his own generation, Solomon's
father, and Solomon speaks of his father in the prayer, what
the Lord did for his father, After dear David served the Lord
in his own generation, he fell on sleep. He fell on sleep, was
gathered to his father. Oh friends, may that be with
us when we come down to the end of our journey, to fall asleep
in Jesus. Fell asleep. Very beautiful to
naturally fall asleep, spiritually, to fall asleep in Jesus. Eternal
rest. Eternal night for this request
to every saint is given. Safety on earth and after death,
the plenitude of heaven. Eternal rest. It's a very beautiful way to
think of dear ones who have gone, isn't it? Eternal rest. Eternal peace. Eternal worship. Eternally praising and blessing
God. Because the redeemed in glory
do it without any cessation. We on earth do, as enabled by
the Lord, but it's not continuous. It's, you see, cessation. There are times when we don't.
Well, dear friends, how wonderful it is then to have the servant
long in desire to bless the Lord, because it's according to all
that he promised. There had not failed one word
of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses,
Now I said just now that just before dear Moses died, then
you see this he brought before them. Moses went and spake these
words unto all Israel, and he said unto them, I am 120 years
old this day, I can no more go out and come in. Also the Lord
hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan. Now he spake a wonderful word
of promise, an exhortation to the people. And what did he say? And our text says, you see, that
the Lord promised by the hand of Moses his servant. This was
what Moses did at the end of his days, a hundred and twenty
years of old. And he says this to the true
Israel of God, Be strong and have a good courage, fear not,
nor be afraid of death. For the Lord thy God, He it is
that doth go with thee. He will not fail thee, nor forsake
thee. Well this was fulfilled because
you see Solomon speaks of it here and of course Solomon was
years after the death of Moses. So that's the word for the people
of God. Now it's the same for substance
concerning Joshua who was then appointed to continue where Moses
could not through death. He was taken away by death and
so Moses my servant is dead, now therefore arise and take
the people over Jordan. So just like it was with David
and then Solomon took his place or followed, then Moses died
And then Joshua was there to continue the work and to take
them over the Jordan into the promised land. And Moses spake
to Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be
strong and of a good courage, for thou must go with this people
unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers
to give them, and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. You
see, dear friends, it's the same promise that was given to dear
Solomon and the Lord. He it is that doth go before
thee. He will be with thee. He will
not fail thee, neither forsake thee. Fear not, neither be dismayed. So this was fulfilled. God fulfilled
it. what He spake and promised Moses'
servants. And now, dear Solomon, is for
substance declaring the same. Because the Lord is the same
yesterday, today and forever. And He's faithful to His promise.
And so it is with us now today. We have these wonderful words
that Moses spake that Solomon spake, and the Lord is speaking
the same to us today, because He is the same. I am the Lord,
I change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. And this is the promise of God. And it's yea, yes, amen, so let
it be. It can't change. And therefore,
friends, you can plead this before the Lord. Say, Lord, thou hast
said. Thou hast said. Do you know,
dear friends, the Lord loves to hear his people plead his
own word. You've no pleading ground, nor
have I, in and of ourselves. That was all taken away when
Adam fell. Our pleading ground is what the
Lord has said. Lord, thou hast said. And by two immutable things in
which it is impossible for God to lie, we have this strong consolation
to lay hold upon the refuge set before us as an anchor of your
soul. The authority of God's word is
your pleading ground. And dear friends, you must, your
pride is prayer as well. that dear Solomon prayed, because
the things in that prayer will suit you so well. So we plead,
we plead what God has said. The Lord, he it is, that doth
go before thee, he will be with thee, he will not fail thee,
neither forsake thee, fear not, neither be dismayed. That's just
what you want, friend, isn't it? In the path you're in today,
that's just what you need. Promise of God. Oh, the pleading
grave. I remember as it comes to mind,
and just allow me this personal word, many years ago now, and
I had such a grievous opposition and a letter from a certain man,
an evil letter of intent this man sent to me. And oh, it so
grieved me and pained my heart. I could never retaliate, I could
never answer that man at all, but I'll tell you what I did.
In those days, I was attending the deacon, and I had a key to
the chapel. And one day in that following
week, I went into that sanctuary of God, and I went to the dead. and I opened the Word of God
just where Hezekiah did concerning the letter he had from Sennacherib
and I laid that letter by the side of the Bible and I prayed
that same prayer word for word what Hezekiah prayed and left
the matter with God And I never heard another word from that
man to the day of his death. Here we are. You see, friends,
I've proved the faithfulness of God. And friends, I'm not going to
turn from the Lord now. He's brought me to forescore
years through his faithfulness and goodness. I'm not going to
turn back from the Lord now, friends. No, never. Steadfast,
unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. For as
much as ye know that your labour is not in thine, in the Lord,
is not in thine, the Lord prospers there, which is pleasing to Him. So, dear friends, the sacred
words of truth I would exhort you lovingly to plead them before
God, Lord thou hast said. The Lord takes pleasure in his
dear people doing just that which is pleasing to him. And you'll
be brought to it friends, you'll be brought to it because you're
coming to a straight and you don't know what to do. Like a
Jehoshaphat He didn't know what to do, but on the other hand,
he did. Our eyes are up on to Him. Naturally, he didn't know
what to do. Spiritually, he did. His eyes
are heaven, heavenward. I will lift up mine eyes unto
the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from
the Lord, which made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that
is therein, who keepeth True, forever. There it is, friends,
forever. Not just for time, but forever. Keepeth true. Oh, friends, you'll
love the Lord, because every word he speaks is true. The Holy
Spirit of God is the spirit of truth, and the dear Redeemer
is the incarnate word of truth. Oh, you can rest here. A resting
place for your soul, for time and all eternity in the word
of God. Now what has the Lord spoken
to you, friends? What word has he spoken? What
promise has he given you? Has it failed? It can't. It can't. It never will. It'll
sustain you as you pass through the waters. And the fires, the
waters of affliction, the waters of trouble, the fires of temptation,
they'll sustain you, they'll uphold you and support you. Well,
dear friends, you see what was spoken a thousand years ago is
applicable today. Today. Today, if ye will hear
his voice, Don't harden your heart, and you won't if you hear
His voice speaking unto you. So, you see, this is the word
that He had promised. Oh, the promise of God. Look
at dear Abraham, the seeming impossibility that he was in
regarding what the Lord had said, naturally speaking, it seemed
impossible and his wife Sarah laughed the laugh of impossibility
but you see we read concerning dear Abraham he staggered not
at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith
giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that what He
had promised, He was able also to perform. So naturally, it
seemed impossible, but friends, faith loves that impossibility. and says it shall be done. And
there may be something in your life and path at the present
time. Naturally, it seems impossible. But friends, the things which
are impossible with men are possible with God. And living faith, you
see, doesn't stagger at the promise of God because of unbelief. You're strong in faith. And you're giving glory to God
in so doing. And you're fully persuaded that
what God has promised, He was able to perform. Never the Lord
did perform it, and Isaac was born. Now look at the promise
fulfilled. In Isaac shall thy seed be called,
and in Isaac there is to be the blessing of the Lord for the
church of God down to the end of time. By myself have I sworn,
saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, that is,
dear Abraham took Isaac up and out Mariah, because thou hast
done this thing, and it's not withheld thy's done, thine only's
done, that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying
I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens, Solomon
speaks of this great number, and as the sand which is upon
the seashore, and thy seed shall possess the gate of its enemies.
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,
because thou hast obeyed my voice. All the nations in thy seed,
because that is Isaac. But of course, the seed of the
woman shall bruise the serpent's head, which is Christ. And this
seed is the seed of Christ. And in thy seed shall all the
nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed thy
voice. Abraham did, Jesus Christ did. Not my will, but thine be done. He came to
do the will of God. And what did the dear Redeemer
say? I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished the
work which thou gavest me to do, the work of salvation, and
that will bring you to bless the Lord. Salvation. Salvation, O my soul, rejoice. Salvation, fallen free. And we shall bless the Lord eternally
for the wonder's work. as salvation. And I see the time
has gone, when the shorter are close, may the Lord add his blessing
to his own word. Amen. Hymn 420, Tune St. Ethelwald, 58. O bless the Lord my soul, let
all within me join, and aid my tongue to bless his name, whose
favours are divine. Hymn 420, Tune St. Ethelwald, 58. Oh, say does that star-spangled And they cried out to bless his
name, whose name was the divine. O Lord, my soul, your heav'nly
presence ? Alleluia, thankfulness ? ? And
with our praises rise ? ? Facing all his glory still ? Is he really time vain? Sitting there, he'll try to make
sense And makes it round again. ? In anxiety now, ? ? When answered
from the grave, ? ? He that fear'd it, I should comprehend, ? ?
As sunbeams have descended ? ? Angels have all returned ? ? The angels
have all returned ? ? The angels have all returned
? A judgment full of crime And
justice for my crime In Congress and the way be made thy meditation. God save the world, with truth
and grace, thy peace in compassion. O Lord, we would thank Thee for
Thy great goodness, for the word of Thy grace, and for the sacred
hymns that we have sung today. O Lord, may it be that we have
all been refreshed from the presence of the Lord. Dear Lord, be with
us again this evening. as we go to Hanover Chapel, God
willing. And may thy word this day being
proclaimed by thy servants be crowned with good success. And now may thy grace, Lord Jesus,
the Father's love, the communion of thy Holy Spirit, Rest, remain
and abide with us each now and forevermore. Amen and amen. Blessed be God.