Let us commence our service this
afternoon by singing together hymn number 542. The tune is
Vienna, 517. Jesus is my great high priest,
bears my name upon his breast, and that we may never part, I
am sealed upon his heart. Hymn 542, Tune Vienna 517. Jesus, listen in my prayer, As
my neighbor on the trail, And that we may never part, ? Until the morning light ? ? O night divine ? ? O night divine
? ? Behold Him in wonder ? Be ye, O my blessed Son, And
blesseth my soul and mind. I, his owner, O shall there be light and snow
O shall there be light and snow At the tip of hope's daunted
tongue. We have never went beyond Through
His station tend the fee, And with Him proclaim the rest. In the North Star's burning light. He has put me in his love. Records of my truth A meaningful
glory true, And will bring me safely through. Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 10. Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews,
chapter 10. For the law having a shadow of
good things to come and not the very image of the things, can
never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually
make the comers there unto perfect. For then would they not have
ceased to be offered because that the worshippers once purged
should have no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices
there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the
blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore, when
he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering
thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me. In burnt
offerings and sacrifices of sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, that's Christ, though
I come, In the volume of the book it is written of me, to
do thy will, O God. Above, when he said, Sacrifice
and offering, and burnt offerings, and offering for sin, thou wouldst
not, neither has pleasure therein, which are offered by the law.
Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away
the first, that is the law, that he may establish the second,
that is the Gospel, by the which will we are sanctified through
the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every
high priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same
sacrifices which can never take away sins. But this man, after
he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on
the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting to his enemies be made
his footstool, for by one offering he hath perfected forever them
that are sanctified. Well, the Holy Ghost also is
a witness to us, for after that he had said before, this is the
covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith
the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their
minds will I write them. This is in the gospel. And their
sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission
of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us, through
the veil, that is to say his flesh, and having an high priest
over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in
full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an
evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us
hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for he
is faithful that promised. Let us consider one another to
provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling
of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting
one another, and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. For if we sin willfully after
that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no
more sacrifice for sins. but a certain fearful looking
for a judgment, and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three
witnesses. Of how much sore a punishment
suppose ye? Shall he be thought worthy who
hath trodden underfoot the Son of God? and hath counted the
blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing,
and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace. For we know
him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense
the Lord. And again, the Lord shall judge
his people. It is a fearful thing to fall
into the hands of the living God. but call to remembrance
the former days in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured
a great fight of afflictions, partly whilst ye were made a
gazing-stock both by reproaches and afflictions, and partly whilst
ye became companions of them that were so used. For ye had
compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling
of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better
and an enduring substance. Cast not away therefore your
confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye
have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God
ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he
that shall come will come. and will not tarry. No, the just
shall live by faith. But if any man draw back, my
soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who
draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving
of the soul. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word and teach us how to pray. Almighty, most merciful and eternal
God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, we bow before thy glorious majesty. We desire a spirit of true worship. Holy, blessed spirit of truth,
we pray that thou would teach us how to pray and for what to
pray, For we know not what to pray for as we ought, but may
the Spirit make intercession for us with groanings that cannot
be uttered. We do desire, O Lord, to be made
spiritually minded. We do desire that our affections
may be placed upon things above and not on things of the earth.
And we do desire that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and
the love of God our Father, and the sacred fellowship of the
Holy Spirit may rest and abide upon us, that thou would give
us light and understanding in thy word. We pray for that constant
and continual teaching of the Holy Ghost in our hearts, that
the eyes of our understanding may be enlightened, and that
we may behold wondrous things in thy holy word, and that thy
word may be open to our heart and to our understanding, and
we may be enabled to delve into the deep that coucheth beneath
in thy holy word. We pray to be led of the Spirit
of God, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are
the sons of God. We pray that we may have that
witness that we are indeed the sons and daughters of the Lord
God Almighty, and that thou would breathe thy word into our hearts. O gracious God, may we be favoured
this afternoon with the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. We
may behold the wonders and the glories of the atonement of that
precious sacrifice, of that precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. That we may behold the Lamb of
God that taketh away the sin of the world, we do humbly beseech
them, that we may touch the hem of his garment, that we may draw
from that fullness is in him, that we may know him in the power
of his resurrection and in the fellowship of his sufferings
and be made conformable unto his death. We pray that we might
experience those wonderful drawings of our heavenly father, drawing
us unto his glorious and eternal son, was manifest in the flesh. O do hear us Lord, we humbly
pray thee for none come except the Father draw. We come as poor
sinners, poor guilty sinners, poor wretched sinners, poor undone
sinners. We have to echo the words of
the dear Apostle constantly in our hearts, O wretched man that
I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death, Or we
thank God that through Jesus Christ our Lord, this is our
only hope in his precious blood, in his glorious righteousness,
as the way, the truth, and the life. Or we do pray that thou
would remember us as a church and as a congregation, that thou
would work mightily, powerfully, and effectively among us, that
the glory and light of the gospel may shine among us as a church
and as a congregation and that the word may be a living word
a powerful word just as we read in thy word our gospel came unto
you not in word only but in power in the holy ghost and with much
assurance grant signs to follow the preaching of the word grant
that poor sinners may come and tell To sinners round, what a
dear Saviour they have found, and point to thy redeeming blood,
and say, Behold the way to God. Do hear us, Lord, we humbly beseech
thee. Do send real prosperity. Do send
out the glory and light and power of the gospel into this village,
and the surrounded villages and hamlets, and bring our sons from
far, and our daughters from the ends of the earth, Oh, do grant
that we may see Zion's offspring come, that we may see prodigals
return. Lord, Thou alone are able to
do this and accomplish this. And that we do pray, most gracious
Lord, that we might have that gracious determination to know
nothing among men, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Oh,
do hear us, Lord, we humbly beseech Thee. and be with us in this
service this afternoon and grant that something may be done in
the name of the Holy Child, Jesus. Lord, we do pray that thou wouldst
remember the children, the little ones. We love to see them in
thy house and we pray that they may be blessed of thee and that
the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom, may
be given unto them, and that it may be an unctuous light to
all that's right, and a bar to all that's wrong. We pray for
each one of our young friends, that thou would remember them
with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people, and visit them
with thy great salvation, and bring them to living faith in
Jesus Christ, and grant that they may be true followers of
thee, and of those who through faith and patience inherit the
promises. So bless us Lord we pray thee
for thy great namesake. We pray most gracious God for
parents that they may be given grace and wisdom to bring up
their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and
we pray for those with hard cases, difficult cases in their families
and We lovingly commend them to thee, and pray that thou wouldst
enable them to cast their burden upon the Lord, and to watch unto
prayer. Prayer can force a passage through
iron bars and brazen gates. Help us to take that weapon of
all prayer. For thou, Lord Jesus, didst say,
men are always to pray, and not to faint, we pray. that we may
be among those that always pray, and that constantly come to thee,
and that as thou hast exhorted in thy word to pray without ceasing. Lord, we do pray that thou wouldst
graciously remember all in the midst of the journey of life
and undertake for them. Remember those in temptation
and darkness and bondage, that thou wouldst deliver them, Remember
those that are in affliction and pain and weakness. We pray that thou wouldst undertake
for each one, that thou wouldst help them to look to thee, help
them to cleave to thee, help them to see thee as Jesus Christ,
the same yesterday and today and forever. Do hear us, Lord. We humbly beseech thee and have
mercy upon us, we pray thee. Remember, those of us that are
now in the evening time of life's journey, the day is far spent
and we pray to be prepared for that change which must come when
we shall soar through tracks unknown and see thee on thy judgment
throne. Gracious God, incline thine ear,
we do humbly beseech thee for thy great namesake. We pray,
most gracious Lord, that thou would remember each one of thy
servants as they labor upon the walls of Zion, that thou would
set them free and set them at liberty and send out thy light
and send out thy truth. And we pray thee, the great Lord
of the harvest, to send true laborers into the harvest. We do beseech thee, for Lord,
the laborers are few. And we pray, Most gracious Lord,
that there may be a reviving in the Church of God, that there
may be a turning again unto Thee, that there may be a renewing
and a replenishing. We do humbly beseech Thee, let
Thy work appear unto Thy servants and Thy glory unto their children. We do humbly beseech Thee for
Thy great namesake. We think of that precious promise,
instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest
make princes in all the earth. Oh, do hear us, Lord. We humbly
pray thee and send a day of prosperity. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that the glory and light of the gospel may shine up and down
our land once again. And it may shine in the nations
of the earth We think of those places where there is war and
bloodshed. We pray that the glory of the
gospel is shined. We understand, oh Lord, in the
Ukraine, the churches are full. Oh, that thou would work mightily
and powerfully and effectually. Lord, we pray for those that
live in those countries on the earth, China and North Korea
and Iran, where Thy people suffer persecution in the Middle East,
and we pray that there was a rise and that the glory of the gospel
may shine again and the power of it. For, Lord, there is nothing
too hard for thee. Thou hast said in thy word, I
will give the heathen for thine inheritance. We pray that we
may see such a thing in the day in which we live. and the wonderful
glory and light of the gospel may shine forth. We thank thee
that we have the privilege of the throne of grace. We thank
thee for the Lord Jesus Christ that sits upon that throne, that
he's touched with the sympathy within. He knows our feeble frame. He knows what sore temptations
mean, for he has felt the same. Oh, we do thank thee for our
great high priest, who is now passed into the heavens, Jesus,
the Son of God. We thank thee for his holy life
and the holy law fulfilled and honoured and magnified in his
glorious person as he lived as a man here upon earth. Oh, we
thank thee for everlasting righteousness brought in for thy people in
his glorious person. We thank thee that precious sin-atoning
sacrifice offered on the cross of Calvary where sin has been
put away and divine justice has been satisfied and God and sinners
are reconciled. We thank thee for that precious
sin-atoning blood that cleanses from all sin. We thank thee that
he died for our sins, he poured out his soul unto death, but
he rose from the dead for our justification. He has destroyed
death and him that hath the power of death, that is the devil.
We thank thee, our gracious and eternal Father, for the sending
forth of thine only begotten Son, for the law fulfilled and
honoured and magnified, for everlasting righteousness brought in, for
a new and living way that has been made into thee. holy place. May our hearts rejoice
at the glories, the wonderful glories of our Lord Jesus Christ. Be with us, Lord, as we turn
to thy holy word. Open thy word to our heart and
to our understanding. Come and touch one's lips with
a live coal from off the heavenly altar. Come and breathe thy word
into our souls. Come and open the blind eyes. and the deaf ears, cause the
tongue of the dumb to speak and the lame to walk, we do humbly
beseech thee for thy great namesake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 571, The dune is Saint Anatolius,
555. Behold with wandering eyes the
servant of the Lord. On wings of love he flies, his
counsels to unfold. He comes, he comes with truth
and grace, and Zion shall behold his face. Hymn 571. Dune, Saint
Anatolius. O come, let us adore Him, O come,
let us adore Him, ? Hail, all hail our dear old campus
? ? And triumph shall be, all hail to thee ? O say can you see, by the dawn's
early light, ? Behold the angel ? ? Shepherds
did ? ? And the hymns ? ? And angels sing ? ? Behold Him ?
? With songs of eternal life ?
? Worthy and honoured be ? ? And sanctified be ? ? O great I wish ? ? Which I could
take ? ? Now for ages ? ? God have mercy ? O come, let us adore Him, O come,
let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help of direct your attention again to the ninth
chapter of Paul's epistle to the Hebrews. And this afternoon
we will read verse 24 for our text. Hebrews chapter 9, verse 24. For Christ is not entered into
the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the
true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence
of God for us. I felt the sweetest part of this
text is the last two words, for us. Christ has entered into heaven
itself. Now to a prayer in the presence
of God for us. He is our eternal High Priest. He's now in heaven. He now sits
upon a glorious throne at the right hand of his Father and
here in the Hebrews it's called the throne of grace. And of course it's in the fourth
chapter of the Hebrews that the Apostle so beautifully opens
that precious truth unto us of our great High Priest in heaven. He says in chapter 4 verse 14,
seeing then that we have a great High Priest that is passed into
the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. We noticed this morning that
the watchword of the epistle to the Hebrews is hold fast.
Do we need that exhortation today to hold fast? Not to turn back, not to turn
away, but to hold fast. What are we to hold fast to?
To Jesus Christ, to our great high priest, who is able to save
to the uttermost all that come under God by him, seeing he ever
liveth. There you see in the fourth chapter,
the Son of God, let us hold far to our profession, for we have
not an high priest which cannot be touched. with the feeling
of our infirmities and I always look upon this as one of the
deepest and the most profound words in scripture but was in
all points tempted like as we are yet without sin. There's no temptation that we
can come into here upon earth that Jesus does not understand. He was tempted in all points,
like as we are. It's a great mystery, isn't it?
A profound one. That the glorious, holy, divine
person of the Son of God, manifest in the flesh, was tempted. As
the Son of God, He couldn't be tempted of evil. God cannot be
tempted of evil. As the Son of God, He could not
die. God cannot die. in that profound mystery of godliness
of God manifest in the flesh he could suffer bleed and die. The apostle he brings that out
so beautifully and and this exhortation we have in the fourth chapter
that seeing that we have this great high priest who is passed
into the heavens whose touch with the feeling of our infirmities
let us therefore come boldly You may say, but I'm a sinner. I'm a poor, wretched, wretched
sinner. I have a heart which is simple
and corrupt. I've done things that I'm ashamed of. Let us therefore come boldly.
Not the boldness of the flesh. No, our flesh has to be humble
has to be brought down, but the boldness of faith, faith in the bleeding lamb, faith
in his precious blood, faith in his glorious righteousness.
Sinners are welcome still to Christ the sinner's friend. He
says, come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden. I
will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn of me for
I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest for your
souls for my yoke is easy. What does it mean my yoke is
easy? It's the illustration of is a
ox and yoke together to pull the plough or to pull a cart. Two oxen together very strong
One on its own probably couldn't do it, but two together can. So the illustration is to be
yoked unto Jesus Christ, to be united unto Jesus Christ. That's
what it means to be yoked, united to Christ. In union with the Lamb, from
condemnation free, Saints from everlasting world and shall forever
be in union with Christ. I think it's William Gadsby in
one of his hymns, he says, the vilest sinner out of hell that
lives to feel his need is welcome to the throne of grace, the Saviour's
blood to plead. See, such an high priest have
we. our great High Priest. It is, oh, that the Lord will
draw poor sinners unto Christ. In the second chapter of the
Hebrews, we have some solemn warnings, but we also have some
wonderful truths set before us. And it speaks of man in verse
six. It's a quotation from Psalm 8,
but one in a certain place testified saying, what is man that thou
art mindful of him, or the son of man that thou visitest him?
This is man when he was created, Adam. Thou madest him a little
lower than the angels, thou crownest him with glory and honour, and
didst set him over the work of thy hands. This is man. does it mean when it says he's
made a little lower than the angels there's a what is set before
us in the word of god there is god the eternal god the almighty
god the uncreated god the god who ever has been whoever will
be from everlasting to everlasting thou art god god is that infinite
eternal spirit It is He that has made us and not we ourselves.
He is our Creator and He supports and sustains the universe in
which we live. The Apostle says in Him we live
and move and have our being. That's all of us. We live and
move and have our being in God. There is a time to be born. There
is a time to die. There is a time for every purpose
under heaven. It's all in the hands of God.
And then There are created angels which are spirits. It says in
the last verse of chapter one in the Hebrews, speaking of angels,
are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister
for them who shall be the heirs of salvation? And then we have
man, a little lower than the angels. You might say, what does
it mean? It means he's not just spirit,
the ages are. He has a physical body and his
spirit dwells within his body and his spirit is called his
soul and it's the soul that animates the body. We read in the Word
of God that the body without the spirit is dead, being alone.
It's when our soul departs from our body that we enter into death. And in this sense, man is a little
lower than the angels because he's confined to one place in
his own body. The body is called the tabernacle
of the soul, the dwelling place of the soul. And this is what
makes man different from all the beasts of the field and the
birds of the air and the fishes of the sea. You might say, what
makes the difference? He has a soul. He has a soul. He's answerable to God. The soul
is the seat of his intellect. Animals do not have intellects.
They can't work things out like human beings can. And the seat
of our intellect is our soul. What is man that thou art mindful
of him? He says here, Thou hast put all
things in subjection under his feet. That's everything that
was created. 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. What a beautiful way he opens
this word. But we see Jesus. Who was made
a little lower than the angels. In other words, he became a real
man, a true man. He 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. Goes on in verse 14 of chapter
two, for as much then as the children, that's the children
of God, or all of the sons and daughters of Adam, for as much
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself,
who is the son of God, he also himself likewise took part of
the same. And again, notice the connection,
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
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. What does that mean? He had a human nature exactly
the same as ours, made like unto a body and a soul. That is what
human nature is. It's a body and a soul. The soul animates the body. But 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 has suffered
being tempted. Again notice the connection between
the human nature and death, and the human nature and temptation. We tried to point out to you
that the Son of God couldn't be tempted of evil. And the Son
of God couldn't die, cannot die. He's the eternal, the almighty,
the ever-living God. But the Son of God manifest in
the flesh, He could suffer, He could bleed, He could die. for
in that he himself has suffered being tempted he is able to succor
them that are tempted. He's able to succor them that
are tempted. You know in that beautiful chapter
we noticed it I believe on Thursday evening where Isaiah chapter
42, Behold my servant mine elect in whom my soul delighteth is
Christ my servant mine elect in whom my soul delighteth the
father delights in his only begotten son manifest in the flesh he
says behold my servant but it says he will not fail we fail
we do fail but he never will fail we fail him but he'll never
fail you He will not fail. The other thing it says there
is that he will not break the smoking, he will not break the
bruised reed. A bruised reed bows down. Maybe
there's one here this afternoon and you're bowed down, bowed
down under a sense of your sin, bowed down under a sense of your
wretchedness, bowed down under a sense of your hopelessness.
bow down under a realisation of the darkness that dwells within
you. He will not break the bruised reed. The other thing is a bruised
reed cannot lift itself up. But the Lord will not break that
bruised reed. Nor will he quench the smoking
flax. Maybe That's how your religion
feels. There was a time when there was
a fire burning in your breast of love to the Lord, to his people
and to his ways. But now it's like smoking flax. You can't see any fire, just
smoke. It says you will not quench the
smoking flax. will blow upon it like the bellows
onto a fire, it will revive and renew. Oh my beloved friends these things
are written for our instruction, they are. The Lord's people get
into some very dark places, they do and they need the Lord
to deliver them from it. My old pastor He used to say
you need a deadlift. You know that sometimes you have
to completely lift something up, a deadlift. Can't lift itself
up. But then he would correct himself.
No you don't, he said. You need a living lift. You need
the Lord to lift you up, to lift you out of that place of darkness
and bondage, of unbelief and sin. You know friends, unbelief will deaden the heart, harden
the heart. Speaks of it here in the epistle
to the Hebrews. Harden not your hearts as in
the day of provocation in the wilderness. Harden not your hearts. Don't forget that our great high
priest loves the beggar's knock. You think of that poor blind
man sitting by the wayside and he heard that Jesus Christ was
coming past. You wonder what all the people
were coming and who it was and they said Jesus Christ is coming
and immediately he began to cry out Jesus thou son of David have
mercy upon me and the people were so annoyed at this man And
they said, be quiet, man, be quiet. But it said he cried the
more vehemently, Jesus, our son of David, have mercy upon me. Then what do we read? Jesus stood
still. Jesus stood still. Why? Because of the cry of a poor
sinner, a poor blind man who couldn't help himself. nor could
anyone else help him. But the Lord Jesus heard his
cry, have mercy on me. You know, we read that the Lord
touched him and he received his sight, but we read also of the
parable of the Pharisee and the public, and two men went up to
the temple to pray. The Pharisee was so full of himself
In actual fact, it says he prayed with himself. He wasn't praying
to God. I thank God that I'm not as other
men are, even as this publican. He despised the publican. The
publican could not so much as lift his eyes up onto heaven,
but he smote upon his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me,
a sinner. And Jesus said, this man went
down to his house justified rather and the other. What is it to be justified? To
be declared free from sin. He rose again for our justification
that we might be declared free from sin. It speaks of it in
various ways in scripture. Another way of speaking of justification,
their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. Justified. Therefore, being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
We don't. Oh, my dear beloved friends,
the gospel is for the poor, the needy, the wretched, the undone. It is. Now, here in this ninth of Hebrews,
We read in verse 23, it was therefore necessary that the patterns of
things in the heavens should be purified with these, that
is the old dispensation, the rites, the sacrifices, et cetera,
of the Old Testament, but the heavenly things themselves with
better sacrifices than these. a better sacrifice. We looked
at it this morning in verse 14, how much more, you see it's a
better sacrifice, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God,
purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Not by works of righteousness
I have done, according to his abundant mercy. You know sometimes
my beloved friends it takes us a long time to learn that and
sometimes we have to learn it again and again and again. Sinners
can say and none but they how precious is the Saviour. It is. It makes Christ far more precious.
Now having made atonement for sin, having offered that glorious
sacrifice of the cross of Calvary. Having satisfied all the demands
of divine justice when he was crucified on the cross of Calvary,
having shed his precious sin atoning blood, he gave his life
a ransom for all to be testified in due time. Having then entered
into the grave, he died for our sins. He rose again. our justification. He rose again. What a mercy! And having risen
again from the dead, he appeared unto his disciples and then he
led them else as far as unto Bethany. He lifted up his hands
and blessed them and was received up into heaven. They beheld Christ
ascending into glory in a cloud. A wonderful sight They returned
to Jerusalem with praise and great joy. They did. They beheld
Christ entering into heaven. It's beautifully spoken of in
Psalm 24, because when Christ ascended into heaven, the gates
that were shut, the gates of heaven, it says in the Genesis
that when Adam sinned and was cast out, that there was a fiery
flaming sword. the sword of divine justice that
kept the way of the tree of life. Man was barred from approaching
God because of sin. Sin will bar you from approaching
God. Sin will separate you from God. It does. But lo, the second Adam comes,
the Lord Jesus Christ. And he has destroyed death. He swallowed up death in victory.
He's brought life and immortality to life through the gospel. And
he's ascended up on high. He's ascended up on high. And
the disciples beheld him ascending up into heaven. And David in
a prophetic way, he speaks in the Psalm 24 concerning the pearly
gates of heaven lift up your heads O ye gates be ye lifted
up ye everlasting doors and the king of glory shall come in.
You know if you go into the castles that are in the old castles in
the they had a a gate what's called a portcullis and if an
enemy was coming they would quickly drop the portcullis so they couldn't
get in it lifted up into a void above the gate And when the enemy
came, they dropped it and nobody could get in. And this is the
illustration of the gates of heaven. Lift up your heads, all
you gates, they were lifted up. And the King of glory shall come
in, our Lord Jesus Christ, having atoned for the sins of his people,
having destroyed death and him that had the power of death,
that is the devil. He then triumphantly rises into heaven it says in
one of the psalms that God has gone up with a shout the eternal
son of God in human nature you know even in death there
was never separation between the divine and the human in that
dead body in the tomb was the son of God the lord of life experienced
death he did and then he rose from the grave and in so doing
he destroyed death, him that had the power of death. It says
here in the Hebrews, he hath made a new and living way into
the holy place. We read together this afternoon
in chapter 10 and verse 10, by the witch will we are sanctified
to the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every high priest standeth
daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices
which can never take away sins. But this man, this glorious holy
God man, the man Christ Jesus, but this man, after he had offered
one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of
God from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his
footstool. For by one offering, all my beloved
friends, May the import of these words reach into your very soul,
for by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Perfected. All of the Lord's
children are perfected in that one glorious sacrifice of our
Lord Jesus Christ. By one offering he hath perfected
forever The Apostle, he puts it in a different way. Ye are
complete in him. Oh, you'll never be complete
in yourself, sinner. While you're here on earth, you'll
always be a sinner, a wretched sinner, undone sinner, rebellious
sinner. That's what you are. That's what
you always have been. That's what you always will be.
But in Christ, a sanctified sinner, a sinner delivered from sin and
Satan's power for Christ is not entered into the holy place is
made with hands he's likening this here to the tabernacle and
the high priest going in to the holy of holies and he likens
it to heaven this morning we spoke of the tabernacle as being
a beautiful type of christ which it is but here he likens the
tabernacle to heaven itself and he says for christ is not entered
into the places made with hands as the earthly high priest did,
but into heaven itself. That's where Jesus is. That's
where our great high priest is. He sits at the right hand of
the Father. He does. I remember many years
ago now reading an excellent piece by Dr. Gill on Christ in
heaven and he said we mustn't run away with the idea that the
son of god is on his knees before the father pleading the cause
of his people he said that's a wrong conception he said christ
is sitting upon a throne at the right hand of the father and
when a poor sinner comes pleading for mercy in jesus christ he
said the father looks upon his son at his right hand and he
receives that sinner in the glorious person of Jesus, the son of God,
at his own right hand, at the hand of his beloved son. And
you know, my beloved friends, you and I are only accepted in
Jesus Christ, accepted in the beloved, complete in him. I know, I know it's something
that is profound, and you may perhaps not be able to fully
grasp it, but the sinner in Christ is made holy. He's complete,
he's perfect. He is. Now, you may feel, and
you will feel, that you're very imperfect and very sinful. But in Christ, you're accepted. His precious blood is atoned
for your sin. He has died and risen again and
He says, because I live, ye shall live also. You will reach heaven. You'll reach eternal glory in
the book of the Revelation and in the chapter 7 it speaks there
of those in heaven, the saints in heaven. and taken to heaven.
And it says, Revelation 7 verse 13, And one of the elders answered,
saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes,
and whence came they? This is the saints of God. And I said unto him, Sir, thou
knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great
tribulation. Tribulation takes many different
ways. Some people pass through fierce
temptations. Some people pass through deep
darkness. Great, great trials here upon
earth. But they will be triumphant through
Christ. These are they which came out
of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the
throne of God." What a beautiful word, isn't it? They made their robes white
through the blood of the Lamb. Therefore. What a connective
word, isn't it? Therefore are they before the
throne of God. and serve him day and night in
his temple. And he that sitteth on the throne
shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither
thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any
heat. For the lamb which is in the
midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto
living fountains of waters. And God shall wipe away all tears
from their wonderful prospect for the living child of God,
that when they're done with this wilderness journey, they shall
enter into eternal glory. It says in Revelation chapter
21 verse 2, and I John saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem,
coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband. And I heard a great voice out
of heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people,
and God himself shall be with them and be their God. And God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be
no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, Neither shall there
be any more pain, for the former things are passed away. No more death, no more sorrow,
no more pain. Eternal light and eternal life. Absolute peace, perfect peace. It's very difficult to describe
heaven, We live on earth, a sinful earth. Heaven is pure. Heaven
is holy. For Christ is not entered into
the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the
true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence
of God for us. I think they are the most beautiful
words for us. Jesus is in heaven for us. Our great high priest is in heaven
for us. Our great high priest lived for
us. Our great high priest suffered,
bled and died for us. He did it. Our great high priest
rose again for us. For us. Our great high priest
bodily ascended into heaven for us. He has made a new and living
way into the holy place for us. For us. I think these are such
beautiful, sacred words, for us. In that, in verse 12, it
says, neither by the blood of goats and of calves, but by his
own blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained
eternal redemption for us, or that if only these two words
remain with you and you take them home with you, they are
so full of comfort and consolation. It's for us. That's why Jesus
is at the right hand of the father for us. That's why he's our great
high priest and he will never fail. No, I will never leave
thee nor forsake thee. No, 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, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place
for you, I will come again. Listen, poor soul. If I go to
prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto
myself, the where I am. there ye may be also. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 468 to the tune Violet Cottage, 256. Death is no more a frightful
foe, since I with Christ shall reign. With joy I leave this
world of woe, for me to die is gain. Hymn 468, Tune Violet Cottage,
256. If it can't be true. And I wish on earth With joy I leave this hell-bought
world, All the anguish and pain, To darkness floats and pays adieu. Adieu, thou world so vain, When
shall I know no more of you? For me to die is gain. I'm off to Satan's deck, my soul. Corruption shall be slain. ? That my treasure only one ? ?
Love me to die is to say ? ? How shall I know her
heart? ? But ever with him be, And where'er
he must be, ? Happy to die today ? ? Song of joy I shall ever sing
? ? Forever free from pain ? And all the pains of radiant reign Are beaten by His name. And earth, my raptured soul,
declared, No longer here remain, But dwelt
in Jesus' rectal place. 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.