service this afternoon by singing
together hymn number 20, the tune is Church Triumphant 868. Ere the blue heavens were stretched
abroad, from everlasting was the word, with God he was, the
word was God and must divinely be adored. Hymn number 20, tune
church triumphant 868. ? In the justice circle ? ? From
where the sick was delivered ? ? In the divorce of the foster
home ? Oh, say does that star spangled
banner yet wave Thy future, ever o'er things
day, Thy gifts afforded all may stand. He is the holy nation's head,
and He will die at His throne. God or Satan can behead the host
of falling stars. Fine generation, good capture, O come, O come, O come, O come,
O come, O come, O come, ? After we've been so triply lost
? ? And the deep sins and guilty plague ? ? That we may hold on
thus without death ? O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of ? Joy be all ye saints ? ? Eternal
Father's holy song ? ? Hell full of truth and full of grace ? And through His eyes the prophets
saw. Blest angels, save them, I offer
To the new-missed, dear and fair Let us read together from the
holy word of God in Paul's epistle to the Hebrews, chapters 1 and
2. The first and second chapters
of the epistle to the Hebrews. God, who at sundry times and
in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath
appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds,
who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image
of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his
power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on
the right hand of the majesty on high, being made so much better
than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent
name than they. For unto which of the angels
said he at any time, thou art my son, this day have I begotten
thee. And again, I will be to him a
father, and he shall be to me a son. And again, when he bringeth
the first begotten into the world, he saith, and let all the angels
of God worship him. And of the angels he said, who
maketh his angel spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
But unto the sun he saith, thy throne, O God, is for ever and
ever. A sceptre of righteousness is
the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness
and hated iniquity. Therefore God, even thy God,
hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And thou, Lord, in the beginning
hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the
works of thine hands. They shall perish, but thou remainest. and they all shall wax old as
doth a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and
they shall be changed, but thou art the same, and thy years shall
not fail. But to which of the angels said
he, At any time sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies
thy footstool. Are they not all ministering
spirits, sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of
salvation. Therefore we ought to give the
more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at
any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels
was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just
recompense of reward, how shall we escape? if we neglect so great
salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord,
and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him. God also
bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers
miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will. For unto the angels hath he not
put in subjection the world to come whereof we speak? But one
in a certain place testified, which is in Psalm 8, saying,
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? Or the Son of man, that
thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower
than the angels. Thou crownest him with glory
and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands.
thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet for in that he
put all in subjection under him he left nothing that is not put
under him but now we see not yet all things put under him
but we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels
for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor that he
by the Grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became
him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing
many sons unto glory to make the captain of their salvation
perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth
and they who are sanctified are all of one For which cause he
is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name
unto my brethren. In the midst of the church will
I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust
in him. And again, behold I and the children
which God hath given me. For as much then as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took
part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that
had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them
who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to
bondage. For verily he took not on him
the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham,
Wherefore, in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his
brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For
in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to
succor them that are tempted. May the Lord bless the reading.
of his own precious word and grant to us a spirit of real
prayer. Almighty, most merciful and eternal
God of heaven, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, we bow before thy
glorious majesty. Thou art the one and true God,
the creator of the heavens and the earth. In thee we live and
move and have our being, and we desire now to come and bow
before thy glorious majesty and to confess our sins and our sinfulness. And the prophet of old declared,
and we prove it true from the crown of the head to the sole
of the foot, wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. there is
no soundness in my flesh. And Lord, we truly feel it to
be so. We come together here this afternoon
in the sanctuary, and we desire to worship Thee in the person
of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No man cometh unto the Father,
but by me. O Lord, we do thank Thee for
the wonderful glories of Thine only begotten Son, the glory
of the eternal Word that was made flesh and dwelt among us. And may we hear this afternoon,
behold His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth. We pray, O Lord, that Thou wouldst
fill our hearts with gratitude, with thanksgiving for the wonderful
truth of the incarnation of the Son of God, of the eternal Word
that was made flesh. We thank Thee that He was made
of a woman, made under the law, that He might redeem them that
are under the law. We thank Thee, most gracious
Lord, that he has in his holy sinless life fulfilled and honoured
and magnified thy holy righteous law and thereby bringing in everlasting
righteousness for thy people. And this, Lord, is all our desire
and all our hope to be clothed upon with that glorious everlasting
robe of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Oh, we do thank
thee for Calvary where the Lamb was slain, where sin was put
away, where divine justice was satisfied, where God and sinners
are reconciled, where peace is made between God and man in that
glorious sacrifice, that precious holy sacrifice of Calvary. Oh, we do desire, O Lord, to
thank thee. the glories of a saviour that
died for our sins and rose again for our justification. We thank
thee for that precious blood that he shed that cleanses from
all sin. We thank thee that he rose again
for our justification and he swallowed up death in victory
and he brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
We thank thee that he hath bodily ascended into heaven and sitteth
at thy right hand. And Lord, we do believe, tis
he instead of me is seen when I approach to God. Oh, we do
thank thee that we indeed have a great high priest who is passed
into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. We have an advocate
before the throne of love. O most gracious Lord, we do pray
then that thou wouldst fill our hearts with gratitude and with
thanksgiving for the wonderful glories of our precious Redeemer. We pray that thou wouldst remember
us here as a church and as a congregation, and that thou wouldst work mightily,
powerfully, and effectually among us, that we may see thy work
and thy power and thy glory as thou usest to be in the sanctuary. Lord, we live in the day of great
declension, the great falling away. Few come to thine solemn
feast. Oh, we do pray that thou wouldst
arise, that thou wouldst make bare thine holy arm, that thou
wouldst gather in precious souls that thou wilt build the walls
of Jerusalem. Thou hast promised in thy word,
I will abundantly bless her provision. I will satisfy her poor with
bread. Lord, we think of those wonderful
gospel promises in the prophecy of Isaiah. I will bring thy sons
from far and thy daughters from the ends of the earth. And they
shall come from the north and from the south and from the east
and from the west. O Lord of hosts, O God of Israel,
O Thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth. We
do humbly beseech Thee. Let Thy hand be upon the man
of Thy right hand, the Son of Man, whom Thou madest strong
for Thyself. So will not we go back from Thee. O Lord, grant signs to follow,
the preaching of the Word. Grant Thee pulling down of the
strongholds of Satan. Grant the setting up of the kingdom
of the Lord Jesus in the hearts of sinners. Quicken souls and
make them cry, give me Christ or else I die. Oh, let thy work
appear unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children.
Oh Lord, we do beseech thee, we pray, that thou in thy great
mercy With them, remember us as a church, as a congregation.
Remember our brethren, the deacons, and give needed grace, wisdom,
and help. Remember each one of our brethren
and sisters in church fellowship. Remember us with the favour that
thou bearest unto thy people, and visit us with thy great salvation. Remember the little ones and
the children. We thank thee for them. We love
to see them in the sanctuary and to hear them. We pray that
thou wouldst bless them. with those rich spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. And, O Lord, we do pray
that thou, in thy great mercy, remember the young friends, bless
them indeed, guide them and teach them and lead them into thy truth,
and that they may be brought into subjection unto Jesus Christ. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh,
O most mighty, and ride prosperously because of truth and righteousness. Oh, arise, arise, O God of grace,
into thy rest descent, thou and the ark of thy strength. Oh,
do hear us, Lord. We pray for those that are away
from us at this time. Be with them as they seek rest
and change, and bring them home in peace and safety at the appointed
time. We pray for our friends here
from Holland, that thou wouldst bless them as they gather with
us, that they may feel at home as they gather here in the sanctuary. We pray for the churches in Holland,
that the glory and light of the truth may shine forth. We do
humbly pray thee. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou wouldst remember parents and give wisdom and grace to
bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord. And remember, Lord, we pray, all in the midst of the
journey of life, help and undertake for each one, bring them to living
faith in Jesus Christ, make them true followers of Thee and of
those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Remember
the prodigals that have wandered away and cause them to return. O Lord, we pray Thee. And Lord,
we We pray that thou would remember those of us that are now in the
evening time of life's journey and prepare us for that great
change that must come. Prepare me, gracious God, to
stand before thy face. Thy spirit must the work perform,
for it is all of grace. Gracious God, do hear us, we
pray. We do pray for all in affliction
and trouble and trial and bereavement that thou wilt maintain and sustain
and strengthen each one, we do humbly beseech thee. And we pray
that we may each find that heavenly kingdom, that place of eternal
rest. And that though it may be some
on boards and some on pieces of ship, that we may all get
safely to that celestial city, that home which is above. Lord,
we do pray that thou would remember all thy servants as they labour
in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion today. Set them
free, set them at liberty, grant signs to follow the preaching
of the word. Remember this village and the
surrounding villages and hamlets and oh, send out thy light and
thy truth. Gather in precious souls, bring
them into the gospel of Jesus Christ. we do humbly beseech
of thee. Lord, we do pray that thou wouldst
be with us now as we turn to thy holy word, that thou wouldst
come and open the word to our heart and to our understanding.
We ask all, with the forgiveness of all our many sins, for Jesus
Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 173. The tune is St. Polycarp 405. Jesus, before thy face I fall,
my Lord, my life, my hope, my all. For I have nowhere else
to flee, no sanctuary, Lord, but thee. Hymn 173. tune st polycart
405. ? There is my hope ? ? My hope,
my hope, my hope, my hope ? ? Lord, I have no else to give to thee ? In thee I every glory give, O say can you see, by the dawn's
early light, ? Ever green ? ? Westward to glory
? ? Onward to green ? God shed his grace on thee in
this night ? If I could close the world behind
? ? Then I'd let go my soul to thee ? ? Look how I turn to thee
? ? Mary, please ? ? Earth, life,
and home ? ? We change in tears ? ? And honor in praise ? ? This is the coast I came to know
? ? And now I stand in heavenly love ? That makes the soul ever new-torn.
When I was young, I lived and died ? Fountain of joy, resplendent
is ? ? Jesus, my strength to carry on ? ? Make the highway ? ? Like a mountain
range ? ? All the people of God ? ? Will see this place ? ? And their
names ? Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, and direct your attention to the first chapter
of the Epistle to the Hebrews, and we'll read the first three
verses. Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews,
chapter one, reading the first three verses. God, who at sundry times and
in divers manners spake in time past, unto the fathers by the
prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son,
whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made
the worlds, who be in the brightness of his glory, and the express
image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his
power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on
the right hand of the Majesty on high. This epistle, it's a general
epistle, not written to a specific church and it was addressed to the Jews
in the early church. There were many Jews that were
in the early church that were converted unto Christ. Hence it's called the Epistle
to the Hebrews. Now, these Hebrew believers had
a very peculiar difficult path to walk. In this sense, in that anybody
that followed the Lord Jesus Christ, that despised Nazarene,
they were persecuted. And mothers and fathers, brothers
and sisters persecuted their own offspring if they left the
Jewish church and joined the Christian church to become a
follower of Jesus Christ and that Persecution became so intense
that the Apostle Paul felt he needed to write to these Jewish
believers in the early church because many of them were ready
to turn back. Many of them were ready to give
up. They were accounted as the off-scouring
of all things because they became followers of Jesus Christ. They were rejected of their mothers,
their fathers, their brothers and their sisters. They were
hated for the name of Jesus Christ and there were many of them that
were ready to turn back and ready to give up. I've always felt
that the watchword of the epistle to the Hebrews is hold fast. Again and again throughout this
epistle the apostle exhorts them to hold fast, to hold fast to
Jesus Christ, to hold fast to that hope which is set before
you in the gospel. And of course in this epistle
to the Hebrews he quite clearly and beautifully opens up the
Levitical dispensation, the sacrifices, the offerings and what they mean
and what they typify and what they represent, and I find it
one of my favourite epistles, so beautifully, nowhere else
is the priesthood of Christ so beautifully spoken of than in
the epistle to the Hebrews. Our great high priest he calls
him, for such an high priest have we that is passed into the
heavens Jesus the Son of God. And so here we notice then he
opens the epistle by exalting and setting before us the glorious
person of Jesus Christ. God who at sundry times and in
divers, that word divers is an old English way of saying diverse,
in diverse manners or ways. And in diverse manners spake
in time past unto the fathers by the prophets hath in these
last days spoken unto us by his son. See, the Jews generally
did not accept Jesus Christ was the Son of God. They did not
accept that he was the true Messiah. They totally rejected him. As we read in the Word of God
in Isaiah 53, he was despised and rejected of men, a man of
sorrows and acquainted with grief. We read that he came unto his
own and his own received him not. as in the beginning of John's
Gospel. His own were the Jewish people.
He came unto His own, but His own received Him not. What a mercy, my beloved friends,
if you and I, by the grace of God, have received Christ. You see Him as the Prophet, the
Priest and the King of His people. The Prophet to teach the priest
to intercede, the king, the omnipotent one, that is able to save to
the uttermost all that come unto God by him. Now, he says, he
spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. My mind, it
went very much to that record that we have in the Gospels of
the Mount of Transfiguration when the Lord Jesus took Peter,
James and John up into the Mount and he was transfigured before
them and his raiment was white and glistening. And they beheld the Lord Jesus
glorified, they beheld his glory and the Apostle Peter speaks
of it in his epistle. how that he beheld the glory
of the Lord and they saw with the Lord Jesus Christ Moses and
Elias which is Elijah. Now Moses represents the law,
the law came by Moses and Elijah being the most prominent represents
the prophets of the Old Testament. and we read that as the disciples
beheld him conversing with Elijah and with Moses and it wasn't
any idle conversation we're told in Luke's gospel that they spoke
of the things that he would suffer and how that he would bleed and
die for the sins of the people And then we read that they entered
into a cloud and the disciples feared when they entered into
the cloud and there was a voice came from heaven, this is my
beloved son, hear ye him. And it's as much as to say you've
heard what Moses has said, you've heard what the prophets have
said, now hear what Jesus the son of God has to say, hear ye
him. Him. And you know that was something
that they would never forget. Beholding the glorified Saviour
and that conversation with Moses and with Elijah. And this is the emphasis here.
You see God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in
time past unto the fathers by the prophets hath in these last
days. Now the term last days which
is used frequently in the teachings of Christ and the apostles it's
the period of time from the first coming to the second coming of
Christ. And those days are referred to
as the last times, the last days. Why is that so? Because after
this dispensation of time, then time will be no more. We read
that in the book of the Revelation and time shall be no more. This world will depart on fire. and all the elements shall mount
with a fervent heat, and then shall we behold the Lord coming
in the clouds of heaven with power and with great glory. Oh, to be prepared for that day. Do you feel your need of being
prepared for that great day when Christ comes a second time without
sin unto salvation and we read several times in scripture the
end of all things is at hand and as we look around today and
we see the iniquity and the wickedness and the evil that abounds on
every hand we see the spirit of antichrist everywhere it's
a sign that Jesus is coming again no man knows the day nor the
hour But we look at these signs of what's happening in the world
today and how men are rejecting the Word of God and the truth
of God and the morals of the Word of God. They're rejecting
them all. It's a sign of the end of time. Perilous times shall
come, the Apostle writes when he writes to Timothy, in these
last times, in these last days. hath in these last days spoken
unto us by his son. The Lord Jesus gave a parable,
didn't he? Of sending the vineyard and sending
his servants into the vineyard and they entreated them spitefully
and then it says eventually he sent his son. It's a beautiful
parable of the coming of Jesus Christ. the first coming sent
his son and they took him and they crucified
him and they crucified him there's going to be my beloved friends
what is said in holy scripture to be the restitution of all
things when this world will depart on fire depart on fire And then
there is the judgment day of our Lord Jesus Christ when he
will judge the world in righteousness. And just remember who he is.
He's the eternal Son of God. He's the King of kings and the
Lord of lords. In one place he's called the
Prince of the kings of the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness. in the prophet Joel we read of
the day of judgment it says in one verse in the second chapter
of Joel multitudes multitudes in the valley of decision the
Arminian will expound that word as making a decision for Christ
because it's it doesn't mean that at all It's actually the
day of judgment. Multitudes, multitudes in the
valley of decision. There's a judge sitting upon
the bench as we call it. And before him is gathered all
nations. Now in a court of law, whose
word comes over everything? The judge. What he decides. And in that word, multitudes,
multitudes in the valley of decision, it's the day of judgment. The
decision is not the sinner. The decision is the king that
sitteth on the throne, the judge of all the earth. And as we read in Matthew chapter
25, the Lord Jesus Christ vividly sets before us the judgment day. Before him shall be gathered
all nations. he will separate them it's the
work of the king of kings and the lord of lords to separate
between the sheep and the goats and when we come to that great
day my beloved friends you'll either be a sheep or a goat the sheep will be put on his
right hand and the goats he'll put on his left hand he will separate. And to the sheep he will say,
come ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from before the foundation of the world. Come ye blessed
of my father. Surely my beloved friends, there
can be no more wonderful word that can be spoken by the eternal
God to a poor sinner, come. Come. You think of those lovely
words of our Lord Jesus in the Matthew chapter 11. Come unto
me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. Take my yoke upon you. That yoke means to be united. 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. Come unto me." And in that great
day, when those on his right hand, the sheep on his right
hand, he will say, come. They won't be strangers to that
voice. My sheep, they know my voice
and they follow me. And that word in that day, will
fill their hearts with unspeakable joy. Come, ye blessed of my Father,
inherit. Can't be purchased. This is something
that has been purchased by the blood and righteousness of Jesus
Christ. It's an inheritance. It's like
when your parents leave you an inheritance. You can't buy that
inheritance, it's freely given. And it's the same in the day
of judgment. You can't buy this inheritance, it's freely given. Inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from before the foundation of the world. Do you have an
inheritance in Christ, in eternal glory? Think of those lovely
words he speaks concerning his people in that great day. I go,
he says to the disciples, 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. John 14,
one to three. There I am. That's where Christ is. And he's
preparing a place for his people. My dear beloved friends, Heaven
is a prepared place for a prepared people. Hell is a prepared place
for an unprepared people. Are you being prepared? It's
a very important question. And the Lord Jesus speaks these
things to us in his teachings in the gospel, hath in these
last days spoken unto us by his son. whom he hath appointed heir
of all things, by whom also he made the worlds. But then in
that great day of judgment we've spoken of what he says to those
on his right hand, those that have been prepared, come ye blessed
of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from before
the foundation of the world, but then what does he say to
those on his left hand? Depart from me ye curse it into
everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Just think of that. You cannot
think of a word more awful for the eternal God to speak. When
he says come you cannot think of a word better suited to the
living child of God, come you blessed of my father, but all
my beloved friends, to hear that word, depart from me, ye curse
it, into everlasting fire, eternally, forever. When he says come, it's
forever. When he says depart, it's forever.
I think it's John Kent, the hymn
writer, How stands the case, my soul, with thee? For heaven
are thy credentials clear. Is Jesus' blood thine only plea? Is he thy great forerunner there? It's a vital question, friends.
It's an absolutely vital question. It hath in these last days spoken
unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things,
by whom also he made the worlds. You know this speaking, it hath
in these last days spoken us by his son. If you look at the
chapter that we read together, chapter two, and the beginning
of it, therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to
the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let
them slip. For if the word spoken by angels,
that of course is the giving of the law, if the word spoken
by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience
received a just recompense of reward, how shall we escape if
we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be
spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him? The Lord Jesus in the parable
of the sower, he says, take heed how ye hear. Take heed how ye
hear. We know the parable of the sow,
we're familiar with it. And how some seed fell upon dry
ground. And some fell on ground that
it took root but never very far. And others fell into good ground
that was made prepared. You know we hearts need to be
prepared for the Word of God. There's only one that can do
that, that's the Holy Ghost. To plough up the shallow ground
of our heart and then the farmer he puts the plough, the harrowing
to break up that ground that has been ploughed. What an illustration
of the work of the Holy Ghost in the heart. We need the fallow ground of
our heart ploughed up. We need to be convicted and convinced
of sin. I know I've often said it, and
I shall often say it again if spared. I couldn't give anything
for your religion if it doesn't have sin in it. You might say,
well, it's a strange thing to say. No. When he, the spirit
of truth, is come, He will reprove the world of sin. If you have
a real religion, you will know yourself to be a sinner. You
will feel yourself to be a sinner. You will confess yourself to
be a sinner. And that same blessed spirit
that convicts and convinces of sin, that's breaking up the fallow
ground of our heart. He then reveals the precious
things of Jesus. He will take of the things of
Jesus and reveal them unto you. And when he does that, Christ
will be made precious. Christ will become the altogether
lovely one. Christ will become the chiefest
among 10,000. Christ will become the very center,
sum and substance of all your hopes and all your desires. That's
real religion, my beloved friends. What think ye of Christ? That's
real religion. You know, there's a certain type
of people that we find sometimes among the churches. And they're very heavy. And they
always have their black suit and black tie. And they have
a very heavy disposition. And everything is so solemn,
and so this and so that. And people say, what a godly
person. I've met some of these people,
friends. They know nothing of Christ. That's not a godly person. They know nothing of Christ. Christ is the centre of everything
to the true believer. A godly person, their life is
centred in Christ. And they're like the Apostle,
he says, that I might know him in the power of his resurrection,
in the fellowship of his sufferings. He goes on in our text, he says,
who be in the brightness of his glory, this is Christ, the brightness
of the Father's glory, who be in the brightness of his glory
and the express image of his person and upholding all things
by the word of his power. when he had by himself purged
our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high,
who'd be in the brightness of his glory. You know, there's
that lovely word, we often quote it in the first chapter of the
gospel according to John, speaking of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ and the glory of his person. Right at the beginning of that
chapter he says, in the beginning was the word. Capital W. Why is he called the word? And
by the word it means the Son of God. Why was he called the word? Because
it was through him that the Father would reveal precious things
of God, through Christ, the eternal Word. He speaks the Word of God. His name is the Word of God. He discovers himself to the children
of men. That's why he's called the Word.
Now, in the beginning was the Word, this speaks of the eternal
nature. In the beginning, and right at
the beginning of scripture, in the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth that doesn't just mean literally a beginning
there it means from all eternity and it does here in the beginning
was the word from all eternity and the word was with God so
the eternal son with the eternal father for all eternity and the
word was with God and the word was God. That's a definite statement
that Jesus is the son of 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. What a glorious
light shone in the person of Jesus Christ. Not a light that
could be seen. Now we don't agree with pictures
of the Lord Jesus, but if you do see pictures of the Lord Jesus,
they often have a halo around his head and an aura around his
person. But he wasn't like that. He was
just like any other man in that sense that there wasn't an aura
around him. There is no form nor cunningness
we should design, the prophet Isaiah says. But to those whose eyes were
opened, he's the glory of God. He's the very center of all their
hearts' desire. The light shining in darkness,
in the darkness of this world. It says in verse 9 of John 1,
that was the true light, capital L, because it's speaking of the
person of the Son of God. That was the true light which
lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the
world and the world was made by him and the world knew him
not. The great thing, my beloved friends,
is do you know him? Do I know him? And to know him
spiritually, to be quickened into life, and to have revealed
this glorious person of Jesus Christ. Has he been revealed
to you? Has he been revealed to me? These
are vital questions. We cannot see him with the natural
eye. We see him with the eye of faith. We behold him. Then he says here, he came unto
his own, his own received him not, but as many as received
him, To them gave He power to become the sons of God, even
to them that believe on His name, which were born, not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of
God. And the Word was made flesh. It's the beautiful glory of the
incarnation of the Son of God. 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. You know, the wonderful thing,
my beloved friends, is he's always full of grace and truth. That never diminishes in his
glorious person. And the true child of God feeds
on Christ. Christ said, I am the bread of
life. I am the water of life. If any man drink of the water
that I shall give him, it shall be in him a well of water springing
up into everlasting life, who be in the brightness of his glory. Now, the express image of his
person and upholding all things by the word of his power, when
he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand
of the majesty on high, he came to purge our sins. We read in
the Gospels, the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that
which was lost. That's why he's come. He came
to live for his people. Some people have hinted wrongly,
grievously so, that The life of Christ doesn't mean anything,
but the sufferings and death of Christ means everything. Friends,
that's completely wrong. The life of Christ is just as
important as the suffering and death of Christ. You might say,
why is it so important? Because it was in that holy life
that he lived, as a man here upon earth, that the law was
fulfilled. One of the reasons the son of
God became a man was so that he could fulfill that holy law
as a man. The law was made for man. And
the son of God came in human nature and fulfilled and honored
and magnified that holy law in his holy life. And it's called
in scripture, the righteousness of Christ, the perfect obedience
of the holy God man to the law. I always think of those beautiful
words of our Lord Jesus Christ. I come not to destroy the law,
but to fulfill it. And that is exactly what Jesus
Christ has done. What you can't do and what I
can't do, Jesus Christ has done. He's fulfilled and honored and
magnified that holy law. Now, in that holy life, in bringing
in everlasting righteousness for his people, what a glory
there is there, isn't it? who be in the brightness of his
glory and the express image of his person. What a wonderful
glory there is. There's always been something
particularly attractive and precious to me about the holiness of Jesus
Christ. He's holy, he's pure, he's righteous. Altogether, he is. He did no sin, neither was guile
found in his mouth. In him, the law has been fulfilled. There's a beautiful prophecy
of Christ in Isaiah chapter 42 and it says there, he will magnify
the law and make it honorable. And that is exactly what Jesus
done. And he's done it for poor sinners.
He's done it for poor sinners. He's done what they could not
do. I can never quote it properly.
It's not in our book, but there's a hymn, isn't there? did not live, upon a death I
did not die, hangs my everlasting awe. Isn't that so? Upon the
life of Christ, upon the death of Christ, upon the resurrection
of Christ, hangs everything that we stand in need of, this glorious
Saviour, who be in the brightness of his glory and the express
image of his person and uphold in all things by the word of
his power when he had by himself purged our sins. When he suffered
and bled and died on the cross of Calvary. You know, friends,
just let us go back from Calvary to the Garden of Gethsemane.
And what do we see in the Garden of Gethsemane? We see the Lord
Jesus in agony. And it says, he being in agony,
sweat as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the
ground. What is the significance of that
agony of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane? You'll find it in Isaiah 53.
He laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. And that is what happened
in the Garden of Gethsemane. Our gracious, eternal Father,
He took the sin of the church, He lifted it off the church,
and He laid it on His Son, Jesus Christ, so that our sin became
His, and His righteousness becomes ours. What an exchange, isn't
it? What an amazing exchange. Our
sin, our wickedness, our evil, our iniquity was laid upon Him. And His perfect obedience is
what is called in theological terms the doctrine of imputation. The sin of the church was imputed
to Christ. and the perfect obedience of
Christ is imputed to the church. That's the tremendous exchange
in the gospel. John Newton in that well-known
hymn, he says, amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved
a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm
found, was blind, but now I see, who be in the brightness of his
glory and the express image of his person, upholding all things
by the word of his power when he had by himself purged our
sins. The Apostle in one place he said
he took our sins and he nailed them to his cross. He took our
sins in Gethsemane and he nailed them to his cross. He suffered
and bled and died for the sins of his people. You know there
is that very beautiful word in the second epistle to the Corinthians
in chapter 5, beautifully speaks of the sin atoning work of Christ. Last verse of 2 Corinthians 5,
for he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin. Christ knew no sin. He had made
him to be sin for us who knew no sin. that we might be made
the righteousness of God in him. What an exchange. The believer
loses their sins in Christ, and the believer receives an everlasting
righteousness in Christ. The apostle says, doesn't he,
for we are complete in him, we are accepted in the Beloved when
he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand
of the Majesty on high. He died for our sins and he rose
again for our justification. To be justified is to be declared
to be without sin. He rose again. What does it mean? He died for our sins because
our sins were laid on Him. He rose again, and that is the
evidence that He paid the redemption price, His life. And because
of that resurrection from the dead, all His children are justified,
eternally justified to be declared to be without sin in that glorious
Savior. And then, after he rose from
the dead he led them out as far as unto Bethany he lifted up
his hands and blessed them and was received bodily up into heaven
and the apostles stood watching as he ascended up on high and
my mind always goes when I think of that ascension of Christ into
heaven to Psalm 24. Lift up your head, O ye gates,
be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory
shall come in. Who is this King of glory? It's
the Lord Christ. He's the King of glory. He's
opened heaven. He's made a new and living way
into the holy place. I am the way, the truth, and
the life. And because I live, ye shall
live also. It's all in this glorious, precious
redeemer. Does it make you feel like the
dear apostle, that I might know him in the power of his resurrection,
in the fellowship of his sufferings, that I might know him, to know
my Jesus crucified, by far excels all things beside, who be in
the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his
person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when
he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand
of the majesty on high. He was Isaiah chapter 53 verse
five. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him and with his strife We are healed. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 171. And the tune is Ombudsly 385. Join all who love the Saviour's
name to sing His everlasting fame. Great God, prepare each
heart and voice in Him forever to rejoice. Hymn 171, tune Ombudsly
385. O come all ye faithful joyful
and triumphant O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave ? Give him forever to rejoice ?
? God give more fervent hymns of
joy ? In Him, Lord, always I belong, Lord, to my God and God and King, Stir in my soul forever peace. In him thy treasures all contain,
I live like Thee, oh, the stars outstring me. To Thee, my home,
let heaven sing. ? Good in my soul shall ever be
? ? With him I came in afternoon ? ? Open
thy soul ? ? Here I settle ? ? Open thy throats ? ? My every word
? ? Like him one day ? ? Christ the Lord be with you ? Bless him, my soul, from day
to day. Trust him to reign beyond my way. It is my throne, which stand
for all, Which in the wind will never fall. ? Make him full strength and righteousness
? ? Make him, Lord, your deficits ? ? Lord, give her power and
strength ? ? And in heaven, praise him evermore
? May it give thee cheerful, grateful
souls, To live your holly days in awe, ? Is given us from every form ?
? And it comes, see, forevermore ? Now may the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the sacred fellowship
of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each both now and
forevermore. Amen.