The notices for the coming week
are God willing as follows. Pastor will preach here next
Lord's Day at 10.30 and two o'clock, also on Thursday evening at seven
o'clock. There will be no prayer meeting
here on Tuesday evening this week. Let us commence our services
today by singing together hymn 414, The tune is Saint Marie,
835. I long for a concert of heavenly
praise, to Jesus my God, the omnipotent Son. My soul should
awake in harmonious lays, could it tell half the wonders that
Jesus has done. Hymn 414, tune Saint Marie, 835. Oh. the autumnal concert of heavenly
praise. To Jesus, my God, the only begotten
Son, My soul should awake in harmonious
peace. Little hearts the wonders that
Jesus has done. I've seen how He left His own
mansions of night, The rose-mane of glory, and His dinner-pot. Yet pleased with his journey,
and swift in his flight, He came on the brimstone of Canaan's
mount. He came, we adore Him, to raise
us on high. He came to earth to the dread
justice of God, and to God he's blinded, he able to die. O'er heaven and earth sing of
Sir Carina Brown His face and his spirit, with gladness they
show The oceans of sorrow, they press
him with doubt. But love stands there forever,
a will which he holds. was found in the chains of Him,
weary and stale. He in Thine eye crafted a prisoner,
He made Live by thy captive lovers from
Nicaea, And be to them fields of Ethereal day. In it stood there a prophet,
angels of God, The diamonds of hell, and their pouring of blood. We lift up our eyes to his shining abode, And
bow this earth's banners his name shall adore. Peaceful rest is crowned with
honours before. Hosanna to all ye faithful in
the thrones. ? The God of heaven ? ? Now filleth
up His throne ? ? How He shines, how He smiles ? ? In earth and
in heaven ? Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the Gospel according to Luke, chapter 13. Luke's Gospel, chapter 13. They were present at that season,
some that told him, of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled
with their sacrifices. Jesus answering said unto them,
suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all Galileans,
because they suffered such things? I tell you, nay, but except ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen upon
whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that
they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell
you nay, but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. He spake also this parable. A
certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came
and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto
the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come
seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none. cut it down, why
cumbereth it the ground?' And he answering said unto him, Lord,
let it alone this year also, till I shall dig it about and
dung it, and if it bear fruit well, and if not, then after
that thou shalt cut it down. And he was teaching in one of
the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman
which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed
together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus
saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou
art loose from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her,
and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. and the ruler of the synagogue
answered with indignation because that Jesus had healed on the
Sabbath day and said unto the people there are six days in
which men ought to work in them therefore come and be healed
and not on the Sabbath day. Then the Lord then answered him
and said thou hypocrite doth not each one of you on the Sabbath
loose his ox or his ass from the stall and lead him away to
watering. And ought not this woman, being
a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound low these eighteen
years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day? And when
he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed,
and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that
were done by him. Then said he, unto what is the
kingdom of God like, and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like
a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and cast into his
garden, and it grew, and waxed a great tree, and the fowls of
the air lodged in the branches of it. And again he said, whereunto
shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven which
a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till the whole
was leavened. And he went through the cities
and villages teaching and journeying towards Jerusalem. Then said
one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said
unto them, strive to enter in at the straight gain. For many,
I say unto you, shall seek to enter in and shall not be able.
When once the master of the house is risen up and has shut to the
door, and you begin to stand without and to knock at the door,
saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us, and he shall answer and say
unto you, I know you not whence ye are. Then shall ye begin to say, We
have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are.
Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves
thrust out. And they shall come from the
east and from the west, from the north and from the south,
and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And behold, there are
last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be
last. The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying
unto him, Get thee out and depart hence, for Herod will kill thee,
And he said unto them, Go ye and tell that fox, because I
cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third
day I shall be perfected. Nevertheless, I must walk today
and tomorrow, and the day following. For it cannot be that a prophet
perish out of Jerusalem, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killest the prophets
and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I
have gathered thy children together as a hen doth gather her brood
under her wings, and ye would not. Behold, your house is left
unto you desolate, and verily I say unto you, ye shall not
see me until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that
cometh in the name of the Lord. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real
prayer. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
which is an art, an art to come, we do desire to bow before thy
Glorious Majesty, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, we desire a spirit
of true worship, a spirit of true confession, a spirit of
real repentance, the spirit of faith. Oh, do grant us these
precious graces of the Holy Ghost as we gather together around
thy word. What is the house, O Lord, to
me unless the master I can see, O we pray, that we may behold
the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world, that
we may touch the hem of his garment and draw from that sacred fullness
that is in him. We come like the dear apostle
of old, that I might know him in the power of his resurrection,
in the fellowship of his sufferings. Gracious God, do then bless us
as we gather do graciously undertake for us as a church and as a congregation,
and do work mightily, powerfully, and effectually among us, and
do send out the glory and light of thy gospel into this village,
and the surrounding villages and hamlets, and grant that there
may be an ingathering of precious souls, that we might see the
fulfilling of those wonderful promises. O, bring thy sons from
far, and thy daughters from the ends of the earth, and they should
come from the north and from the south and from the east and
from the west. Gracious God, incline thine ear,
we do humbly beseech thee, and send real spiritual prosperity. Revive thy work in the midst
of the years, in the midst of the years make known, in wrath
remember mercy, we do humbly beseech thee. We're not worthy,
O Lord, of the least of thy tender mercies. all our righteousnesses
are as filthy rags, we are all as an unclean thing, and we are
to echo in our hearts the language of the dear Apostle, for I know
that in me, that is in my flesh, there dwelleth no good thing.
Oh, we pray that this day as we gather around thy word, 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. We pray, most gracious Lord,
for those divine drawings of our heavenly Father, for none
come except the Father draw. We pray for the divine power
and the heavenly unction of the Holy Spirit to be known in our
assemblies today, that the word preached may be in power in the
Holy Ghost and with much assurance Without thy heavenly power, O
Lord, no sweets the gospel can afford, no drops of heavenly
dew will fall. Lord, we are dependent upon thee.
We pray that we may know and feel the sacred presence of Jesus
Christ, the King eternally immortal and invisible, the only true
God, that we may behold his glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth, O gracious God, do
incline thine ear, we do humbly beseech thee. Do teach us thy
ways and lead us in thy paths. Do draw us unto thyself. Do open
the deaf ears and the blind eyes and cause the tongue of the dumb
to speak. O do hear us, Lord, and make
the lame to walk. And may the poor have the gospel
preached unto them. we do humbly beseech them. We
pray, O Lord, for our brethren, the deacons, that thou wouldst
bless them indeed and undertake for them. We pray for our dear
brother at Staplehurst today, that thou wouldst be with him
and help him as he conducts the services there. We pray, most
gracious Lord, for each one of our brethren and sisters in church
fellowship, that we may know thy blessing and thy favour,
that it may rest upon us, that we may love each other, serve
each other, that we may live to Thee, that we may be an example
of the glorious person of our Redeemer, our Lord Jesus Christ,
that we might shine as lights in this world. Lord, we pray
for those that have that desire and that longing in their hearts
to become one with us. We pray that they will constrain
constrain them by thy love, to 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. O gracious God, do incline
thine ear, we do humbly pray thee, and do work mightily, powerfully,
and effectually among us. We pray most gracious Lord for
thee, the little ones and the children, that thou wouldst graciously
bless them, that thou wouldst put thy holy fear in their hearts
in their young and tending years. We pray for our young friends
that they too may be brought to living faith in Jesus Christ
and may become true followers of thee and of those who through
faith and patience inherit the promises. Do bless them, Lord,
we pray thee. raise up a seed to call thee
the Redeemer, blessed, and fulfill that wonderful promise, instead
of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes
in all the earth. Oh, we pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou wouldst hear us in heaven, thy holy dwelling place,
and when thou hearest, O Lord, forgive. For, Lord, we are very
conscious that everything we do is stained and dyed with sin. We seek thy blessing upon our
young friends in the paths of providence, that thou would guide,
direct, and undertake for them. And those that would seek a partner
in life's journey, we lovingly commend them to thee and to the
word of thy grace and pray that thou would do what thou didst
in these days in holy scripture. Thou didst bring a Ruth unto
Boaz, and thou didst bring a Rebekah unto Isaac, and thou art able
to do that even today. Lord, we pray that thou, in thy
precious mercy, grant thy blessing upon parents, give wisdom and
grace to bring up their children in the nurturing and admonition
of the Lord, and all in the midst of the journey of life, grant
thy blessing, thy favour, thy love to rest upon them. And,
O Lord, we do pray that thou wouldst cause the prodigals to
return, and thy wonderful grace to be seen in this. O let thy
work appear unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children,
O Lord, we do beseech thee. We do pray for those of us, O
Lord, that are now in the evening time of life's journey, We pray
that thou would graciously guide us safely unto thy heavenly kingdom. Preserve and keep us from all
evil. Deliver us from the temptations
of Satan, whether he comes as a roaring lion to devour, or
whether he comes as an angel of light to deceive. We pray
to be delivered from his power. Oh, we do pray, most gracious
Lord, for all thy servants, as they labour in word and doctrine
upon the walls of Zion, that thou would set them free, set
them at liberty. We do humbly beseech thee for
thy great namesake. Lord, we do pray that thou, the
great Lord of the harvest, would send true labourers into the
harvest and that thou would build the walls of Jerusalem that thou
wouldst gather precious souls unto Christ. And, O Lord, we
do pray thou wouldst remember our nation, remember our leaders,
give wisdom, guidance, and direction. We do humbly beseech thee. We
live in very dark and solemn times when iniquity abounds on
every hand, O Lord. Do arise in thy sight and do
send out thy light and thy truth Do give guidance in these troublous
days to our leaders in all matters. Bless our king and the royal
household with that rich grace that is in Christ Jesus. And
oh Lord, we do pray that we'll graciously remember those that
go forth to minister the word among the nations of the earth.
We will especially remember those, Lord, that go from among us as
a group of churchmen We think of the Savannah Education Trust
and the great work that they're doing with the Christian schools
in Ghana. And you remember also the Mombasa
mission and thy servant there, that there was grant good success
to their labours. And oh Lord, do remember Ian
Sadler and that great work he does in the distribution of the
word of God and the exposition of it throughout the nations
of the earth. Lord, supply all their needs,
we do humbly beseech Thee. Help us to pray for one another.
Help us to seek one another's good. O Lord, we do pray. We do thank Thee. We thank Thee
for every mercy of Thy kind providence, their new every morning, and
greatest Thy faithfulness. We thank Thee for our little
house of prayer, for the open Bible, for the liberty that we
have to declare the gospel. We thank thee for these wonderful,
precious blessings. Above all, we thank thee for
Jesus Christ, the incarnation of the Son of God, the wonderful
glory of his holy life. And in that holy life, the law
fulfilled and magnified and honored. We thank thee for that holy sacrifice
of Calvary where sin has been put away and divine justice has
been satisfied and God and sinners are reconciled. We thank Thee
for the precious blood of the Lamb that cleanses from all sin. We thank Thee, most gracious
Lord, for the resurrection from the dead. Death has been swallowed
up in victory in that risen Saviour. We thank Thee for His ascension
into glory. and His session at Thy right
hand. Oh, we do bow before Thee, Lord Jesus, and thank Thee for
Thy wonderful mercies and the glory of Thy person and for the
throne of grace. We thank Thee that through Thee
we know the love of our Heavenly Father and that we receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost. Lord, be with us now as we turn
to Thy holy word. and come and touch one's lips
with a live coal from off the heavenly altar. We ask with the
forgiveness of all sin, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
421. The tune is Monma 47. To God the only wise, our Saviour
and our King, let all the saints below the skies their humble
praises bring. Hymn 421, tune Monma 47. ? Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave ? It's still so nightly now, ? Reach out to the world, reach
there ? ? Reach out to see, come see the world ? O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the
brave? ? Sing glory, glory, glory to thee
? ? Sing glory, glory, glory to thee ? ? Sing glory, glory,
glory to thee ? ? Sing shall we evermore ? ? Adore
thee ? ? Evermore ? ? Adore thee ? ? Evermore ? Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave ? Have pity on us ? ? Make all
the world ? ? A better place ? ? Have pity on us ? Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, direct your attention to the gospel according to Luke
and chapter 13, and we'll read verse 17 for our text. Luke's gospel, chapter 13, reading
verse 17 for our text. And when he had said these things,
all his adversaries were ashamed and all the people rejoiced for
all the glorious things that were done by him. We read in Mark's gospel when
the people were flocking to the Lord Jesus they brought their
sick and their afflicted the blind and the deaf and the lame
And they came also themselves, poor and needy, seeking something
from Jesus Christ. And He didn't turn away any of
them. What a mercy that is. What an
encouragement to poor sinners to come to Jesus Christ. He didn't
turn any away. No. He met their needs. He delivered them from Satan's
power. He shone into their heart that
was dark and benighted with the glorious light of the gospel.
He said himself, I am the light of the world. And there in Mark
it says, and the people said, he hath done all things well. The Lord Jesus Christ hath done
all things well. And when he had heard these things,
all his adversaries were ashamed, and all the people rejoiced for
all the glorious things that were done by him. Glorious things. When John the
Baptist was in prison, and the dear man of God, who
had such a glorious view of Christ by faith, who pointed to Jesus
for his disciples and he said, behold the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world. The Lord Jesus came to John the
Baptist and asked him to baptize him. And it says in John's gospel
that it was revealed unto John that who it was that he would
baptize and the Spirit would descend upon him, that this was
the Messiah, the Son of God. And John bear witness. And he
said that he did behold the Spirit descended from heaven and alighted
upon him. And he heard a voice from heaven,
the voice of our eternal Father. This is my beloved Son. in whom I am well pleased, and
you would think that he wouldn't never doubt again, would you?
But when the dear man of God was in prison, he sent his disciples
to the Lord Jesus, art thou he that should come, or look we
for another? You know, the Lord's people,
they may have had wonderful blessings, favours, but then they sometimes
come into a place where They cannot see so clearly as they
did and that's where John the Baptist came. And so the disciples
of John came to Jesus and they asked him what John had asked
them to do. Aren't thou he that should come
or look we for another? And the Lord Jesus said go and
tell John that the blind received their sight and the deaf hear
and the lame walk and the poor have the gospel preached unto
them. That was the message that Jesus
sent back to John. In other words, I am the Christ,
the son of the living God. I am the savior of mankind. And when he had said these things,
all his adversaries were ashamed and all the people rejoiced for
all the glorious things that were done by him. In the Gospel
according to John, John in recording these wonderful acts of grace,
in many ways the Gospel of John is very distinct from Matthew,
Mark and Luke and it reflects the intimate union and communion
that John had with the Lord Jesus Christ. He speaks much of the
divinity of Christ and the glory of his eternal nature. But he said that he'd written
what he'd written, but he said there was so much more that could
have been written about Jesus Christ that he said there wouldn't
have been enough room in the world for the books that could
be written. He went about doing good. He went about preaching the gospel
to poor sinners. He called him Matthew at the
receipt of custom. Follow me and immediately he
left everything and followed him. He called Zacchaeus. Both
of them were publicans despised by the Jews. He called Zacchaeus
down from the sycamore tree. Zacchaeus come down. The wonderful power The power
of that voice that Zacchaeus said, Lord, I will restore fourfold
that which I've taken. He was a rich man, rich because
he was a tax collector. He used to keep the money himself. I will restore fourfold what
I have taken away. You see the wonderful grace of
God and the effect it has in the hearts of sinners. They leave
everything. They leave everything. Have you,
have I, left everything for Jesus Christ? The Apostle, when he
writes to the Hebrews, he says, let us lay aside every weight
and the sin that does so easily beset us and run with patience
the race that is set before us. How? Looking unto Jesus, this
glorious Saviour. who is able to do abundantly
more than we can even ask or think, looking unto Jesus, casting
all your care upon Him, for He careth for you, this Almighty
Saviour. You know, it's a wonderful reflection. In the life of Christ, the law
was fulfilled. You might say, how? Because he
did no sin. He was sinless in his very birth.
He was sinless in his very life. These are the glorious things
that were done by Jesus Christ on the behalf, in the room, in
the place, in the stead of his own people. He lived for his
people. He suffered and bled and died
for his people. The Lord Jesus Christ, that's
what he came to do. The Son of Man has come to seek
and to save that which was lost. What a mercy if we have some
lost sinners here today that feel and know that they're lost
sinners. The Son of Man has come. a wonderful glory. That term,
the Son of Man, I think it's used relative to Christ about
72 times in Holy Scripture. I always love that in the Psalm
80. Let thy hand be upon the man
of thy right hand, the Son of Man, whom thou madest strong
for thyself. That's Christ. What does that
term, the Son of Man, What does it convey to our minds? That
the Son of God became a real man. The term the Son of Man
highlights the sacred humanity that the Son of God assumed in
the womb of the Virgin Mary. And hence David prays, doesn't
he? Let thy hand. Praying to his Heavenly Father.
Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, the Son of
Man, whom thou madest strong for thyself. Paul, when he writes,
he speaks, doesn't he, when he writes to Timothy concerning
there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man,
Christ Jesus, the Son of God. became a real man, lived as a
real man, put so beautifully by the Apostle Paul in Galatians
chapter four, made of a woman, made under the law that he might
redeem them that are under the law, this glorious person of
Jesus, the son of God, of God manifest in the flesh. You know,
all the dignity, worth and power and glory that is in Christ rests
in this. He is the eternal son of God. He is able to do abundantly more
than we can even ask or think. When he had said these things,
all his adversaries were ashamed and all the people rejoiced for
all the glorious things that were done by him. What a glorious
thing that is the holy life of Jesus Christ. Jehovah said, The
Lord, our righteousness. You know the wonderful worth
of that everlasting righteousness of Jesus Christ. We read in Psalm
119 twice, thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness.
An everlasting righteousness. It's the righteousness of Jesus,
the Son of God, was manifest in the flesh and therefore it's
infinite righteousness it's eternal righteousness and it's portrayed
in holy scripture as being a robe one hymn writer says a royal
robe to cover thee jesus thy blood and righteousness my beauty
are my glorious dress that precious blood that he shed on calvary
in that glorious holy sacrifice You know, it was one sacrifice. One sacrifice. I always feel so beautifully
set forth in the ninth chapter of Paul's epistle to the Hebrews. And it says there, verse 11,
but Christ being come a high priest of good things to come. When it says being a high priest,
It was when he assumed human nature that he became the priest
of his people. Christ being come and high priest
of good things to come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle that
means his holy human nature. The tabernacle in the wilderness
that Moses set up is a beautiful type of our Lord Jesus Christ. The outward adornments of badger
skins represent his human nature. There is no form nor comeliness
that we should desire him in that holy human nature. But inside
was the golden mercy seat, the golden cherubims of glory. And
the Lord had said to Moses, there will I meet with thee, there
will I commune with thee. And so it beautifully typifies
the person of Jesus Christ, the son of God manifest in the flesh.
Once a year, the high priest went into the holy place, he
sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice seven times before the golden
mercy seat. And the Lord said, there will
I meet with thee, there will I commune with thee. Where? In
Christ. In a typical way, that is what
the Lord was teaching the Israelites. So that tabernacle so beautifully
displays the glories of Christ. And this is what the apostles
alluded to, but Christ become an high priest of good things
to come by greater and more perfect tabernacle, that's his holy human
nature, not made with hands, that is to say not of this building,
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. For if the
blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of an heifer, sprinkling
the unclean, sanctify the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall
the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit, that's his
divine nature, is one sacrifice. How much more
shall the blood of Christ, who that's of course his human nature,
who through the eternal spirit, that's his divine nature, offered
himself without spot to God, purge your conscience and dead
works to serve the living God. You know, you look at the type
of the sacrifice in the Levitical dispensation. You have the altar,
and on the altar, distinct from it, you have the sacrifice. In
that altar it typifies and represents the divine nature of the Son
of God. The sacrifice on the altar typifies
and represents the human nature that the Son of God assumed in
the womb of the Virgin Mary. So it was one glorious sacrifice. He offered himself upon the altar
of his divinity. a perfect 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? Oh, my beloved friends,
may we have a little view today by faith of the glory of this
exalted Saviour, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today
and forever. May we have a view by faith of
that glorious life that he lived and the law fulfilled and honoured
and magnified and everlasting righteousness brought in and
may we have a view of that precious sacrifice of Calvary of the Son
of God in human nature suffering, bleeding, dying for the sins
of his people. May we have a view by faith of
the fullness and preciousness of that blood that he shed. The
blood of Jesus Christ, God's son. That's what gives it all
its worth. God's son. The blood of Jesus
Christ, God's son, cleanseth us from all sin. From all sin. What a wonderful truth then,
my beloved friends, is set before us in the word of God. He died
for our sins, but he rose again. Oh, that we may have a view by
faith that we read of in the gospels. Come see the place where
the Lord lay. He is not here. He is risen.
He is risen. We do not worship a dead Christ.
We worship a living Christ who has the power of an endless life. who is able to save to the uttermost
all that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth, seeing
he ever liveth. And when he has said these things,
all his adversaries were ashamed, and all the people rejoiced for
all the glorious things that were done by him. Consider the wonderful ascension bodily ascension. Now when it
says in the Philippians, I think it is, isn't it, second chapter,
wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name
which is of every name that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bear. Things in heaven, things in earth,
things under the earth. Now the divine nature had always
been full of glory. Says it in John 1, doesn't it?
We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the
Father. So the exaltation is of the human nature. His divine nature is eternally
the same. when he took into union with
his divine nature, holy human nature and lived as a man here
upon earth and fulfilled the law and then offered that holy
sacrifice of Calvary and he entered into death itself, that on the
third day he might rise from the dead and swallow up death
in victory. And then we read, he led them
out as far as unto Bethany. He lifted up his hands and blessed
them, and they beheld him as he ascended up into heaven. And
of course, that is so beautifully opened in Psalm 24, when we read
there, lift up your heads, 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 Jesus Christ, my beloved
friends. as he entered into heaven. And
as he ascended up on high, the gates of heaven that had been
shut when Adam fell were opened. They opened to the glorious King.
They lifted up their everlasting heads and Jesus entered into
heaven. For such an high priest have
we, who is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. And there he is, our great high
priest. Advocate with the Father. Come
then, repenting sinners, come. Come well to Jesus. What did he say? Come unto me,
all ye that labour. I say, do we have any poor, lost,
benighted sinners here today? Come unto me, all ye that labour
and are heavy laden. and I will give you rest. Take
my yoke upon you, that is to be united to Christ. 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. Rest in that glorious
everlasting righteousness of Christ. For a poor wretched sinner,
rest in that precious sin atoning blood, Jesus Christ, that blood
that cleanses from all sin. Rest in the resurrection of Jesus
Christ who said, because I live ye shall live also. Rest in the
sacred glory that we have a great High Priest. I love what the
hymn writer says, tis he instead of me is seen when I approach
to God. And when he had said these things,
all his adversaries were ashamed and all the people rejoiced for
all the glorious things that were done by him. Look at some
of these things. Look at the first five verses
of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their
sacrifices. And what the Lord Jesus is doing
here is overturning what the Jews and the Pharisees believed
and that they would have said oh well they did some terrible
sin just as Job's friends said to Job he'd done some terrible
sin and the Lord Jesus he turns the tables around Jesus answering
said unto them suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners
above all the Galileans because they suffered such things I tell
you nay but except ye repent He turns it right round, except
ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Then another illustration, or those 18 upon whom the tower
of Siloam fell and slew them, think ye that they were sinners
above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you nay, but except ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish. How vital is the doctrine
of repentance? And what it literally means is
to turn right round and face the opposite direction. That
is the actual meaning of the word repentance, is to turn right
round. The Apostle says, repentance
toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance turns
a sinner round. It's a wonderful gift of grace
of the Spirit. something that we should take
notice of, friends. In the commencement of the ministry
of John the Baptist, he said, repent ye, for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand. In the commencement of the preaching
of our Lord Jesus Christ, he said, repent ye, for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand. In the preaching of the apostles,
they preached the doctrine of repentance and faith in Jesus
Christ. These things are recorded for
our instruction. except ye repent ye shall all
likewise perish. Perish in your sins. Then from verses six through
to ten we read of a certain man had a fig tree planted in his
vineyard and he came and sought fruit there and found none. But
then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these
three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none. Cut it down! Why cumber it at
the ground? Then he answering said unto him,
Lord, let it alone. This year also, till I shall
dig about it and dung it, and if it bear fruit well, and if
not, then after that thou shalt cut it down. shall cut it down. In all the parables of Jesus
there is teaching. There is a spiritual application
in all the parables of Jesus Christ. And you think of those that come
to the house of God, that sit in the house of God week after
week, week after week. No change. No faith, no repentance. Dead in trespasses and in sins. Dig it about, dung it around.
No fruit. No fruit to the glory of God.
Dig it about, dung it around. That's part of the office of
a ministries, to dig it about and to dung it around. The plants
that are under his charge, Seeking fruit. That's what the
minister longs to see, spiritual fruit. Faith, repentance, godly
sorrow for sin. Humility and love. Walking in
the holy commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what
he longs to see. Behold these three years I've
come seeking fruit on this victory and find none. Cut it down. Why cumber it at the ground?
And he said, dig it around. That can be likened to the Lord's
servants. Dig it around. Dig it about and
dung it. And if it bear fruit, where?
And if not, then after that, thou shalt cut it down. Searching
truth, isn't it? What fruit? is brought forth
in your life. You sit under the preaching of
the gospel, you constantly hear the gospel preached, you read
the word of God, but there's no fruit. There's no change. Oh, that these things may truly
search our hearts. Jesus says here in Luke's gospel,
be ye also ready For at such a time as ye think not the Son
of Man cometh." Are you ready? Aren't they all ready to meet
God? Vital question. Are you ready to meet God? If
your life was taken away today, are you ready to meet God? And He says, and he was teaching
in one of the synagogues, verse 10, on the Sabbath, and behold,
there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity, 18 years, and was
bowed down together, couldn't in no wise lift up herself. So
the poor woman was bowed right down. So she couldn't lift up herself.
But look at the love and kindness of the Lord Jesus. And when Jesus
saw her, he called her to him and said unto her, Woman, thou
art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her,
and immediately she was made straight and glorified God. Now, what a wonderful act of
grace, of love, of mercy. But this is why he's speaking
it. And the ruler of the synagogue,
obviously a Pharisee, answered with indignation because that
Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day. Said unto the people, there
are six days in which men ought to work. In them, therefore,
come and be healed and not on the Sabbath day. Look at the
clear, solemn answer that the Lord gave to him. The Lord then
answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one
of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall
and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being
a daughter of Abraham, no doubt a child of God, whom Satan hath
bound lo these eighteen years, eighteen long years, be loosed
from this bond on the Sabbath day? And when all these He said
these things, all the adversaries were ashamed and all the people
rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him. And we have many instances of
this in the life of Jesus Christ recorded in the Gospels. Many
instances of the Pharisees opposing Jesus Christ and trying to denigrate
him You know one of the great things
why they hated Jesus Christ and one of the great things why the
world hate the Lord's people is because they see the grace
of God. They see the grace of God. And the upright walk and conversation
and the spirit of love. That's what they see in the world
and they hate it. Why? Because it exposes their
own shortcomings. I hate him. Oh, my beloved friends, may we
be found walking in the footsteps of Jesus, following the Lord
Jesus, the spirit of Christ, the spirit of love, that we might
show it to our fellow creatures in the way that we live, in the
way that we behave ourselves, And he says here, verse 18, unto
what is the kingdom of God like and where unto shall I resemble
it? It is like a grain of mustard seed. Mustard seed is actually
just like dust. It's tiny. It's just like dust. It is like a grain of mustard
seed which a man took and cast into his garden and it grew and
waxed a great tree and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches
of it. He likens the kingdom of heaven.
You think of the beginnings of the New Testament church and
the preaching of the apostles at Jerusalem and the wonderful
power. It says in Isaiah 16, and a little
one shall become a thousand On that day of Pentecost, the
preaching of Peter, a beautiful, simple, clear sermon. 3,000 souls were wrought upon by the
Spirit of God. It is like a grain of mustard
seed. And we've seen this down through
the ages of time since. One man, perhaps in one country,
we know that in Ethiopia there was a large Christian church
in the early days of the church in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian eunuch who went
back to his land after being converted and brought to living
faith in Jesus Christ and there is no doubt that through that
one man the gospel spread throughout Ethiopia. You see This is what
the kingdom of heaven is like, it's like a grain of mustard
seed. Never despair, my beloved friends. If the Lord blesses the world,
he breathes it into the heart of poor sinners and they're brought
to living faith in Jesus Christ and they become followers of
him and of those who through faith and patience Inherit the
promises and again, he said where unto shall I liken the kingdom
of God? It is like leaven that is yeast which a woman took and
hid in three measures of meal Till the whole was leaven. He
said this is what the kingdom of heaven is like It permeates
through the whole lump what the grace of God a little leaven
leaven it the whole lump You see the wonderful power of God
Then we have the answer of the Lord Jesus here. They said in
verse 23, then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that
be saved? And he said unto them, what teaching
there is here? Strive to enter into the straight
gate. It's almost as they said in another
place, what is that to thee? What is that to thee? Are there
few that be saved? Are you saved? That's the vital
question. Have you been brought to live
in faith in Jesus Christ? Have you become a follower of
Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ said, I am the way,
the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. Strive to enter at the straight
gate. For many, I say unto you, will
seek to enter in and shall not be able. When once the master
of the house is risen up, this is the second coming of Christ.
And as shut to the door, you think of the parable in Matthew
25, the power of the 10 virgins. Those 10 virgins represent the
whole of the church of Christ, the professing church of Christ. And what does Christ say of his
professing church? Five were wise, five were foolish. Five had the grace of God, they
had oil in their lamps, but five had no oil in their lamps. They
made a profession of Christ and professed that they were followers
of Christ and believers in Christ, but they didn't have grace. It's a solemn word that Jesus
speaks in another place. If that light which is in you
be darkness, how great is that darkness. solemn thought isn't
it when once the master of the house has risen up and has shut
to the door there's coming a time my beloved friends when the door
of his grace will be shut. It says in the parable of the
ten virgins and the door was shut the five virgins that were
ready that had grace in their hearts entered in and the door
was shut and then the other five returned and they And he said,
open to us. But the door was shut. Those
that were ready entered in. Gives a new meaning to the word,
doesn't it? Be ye also ready. For at such
a time as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh. When once the
master of the house is risen up, Now shut to the door and
you begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying,
Lord, Lord, open unto us. And he shall answer and say unto
you, I know you not, whence ye are. People make a great play. Not
right to make an open profession. Don't miss out. I love the Lord. But does the Lord love you? That's
the vital thing. You might say, I love the Lord,
but does the Lord love you? Has the Holy Ghost entered your
heart, quickened your soul, made you aware of your lost condition,
and you've been led unto Jesus Christ as the way, the truth,
and the life? Or have you a religion that you've
been brought up in? no power, no life, no life. Lord, Lord, open unto us and
he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye
are. Then shall you begin to say,
we've eaten and drunk in thy presence and have taught in our
streets. And he shall say, I tell you,
I know you not whence ye are. Depart from me all you workers
of iniquity there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you
shall see Abraham you speaking here to the Jews to the Pharisees
who they were they they followed Abraham Isaac and Jacob they
claim them as their as their forefathers Then shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth when you shall see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the
prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves shut out. Then he speaks of the spread
of the gospel throughout the world in verse 29, and they shall
come from the east and from the west, and from the north and
from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. Oh, be ye also ready. For at such a time as ye think
not, the Son of Man cometh. And lastly here, in these last
verses, the Lord Jesus speaks of the sending the prophets of
the Lord to the children of Israel. exhorting them to turn from their
idolatry and to repent of their sins and their iniquities. We read elsewhere, rising up
early and sending the Lord's servants. But what does Jesus
say as he looks over Jerusalem? Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, verse
34, which killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent
unto thee? How often would I have gathered
thy children together as a hen doth gather her brood under her
wings, and ye would not. Behold, and just think now of
the 70 years after Christ, the Emperor
Titus came down upon Israel, upon Jerusalem, and he literally
destroyed the city, and tens of thousands were taken from
time into eternity, and tens of thousands were spread throughout
the earth. Behold, your house is left unto
you desolate. And verily I say unto you, you
shall not see me until the time come when ye shall say, blessed
is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Oh, my beloved friends,
lovingly put these things before you. And when he had said these things,
all his adversaries were ashamed, and all the people rejoiced for
all the glorious things that were done by him. May the Lord
add his blessings. Let us now sing together hymn
410. The tune is Walton 430. O for a heart prepared to sing
to God my Saviour and my King, while with his saints I join
to tell, my Jesus has done all things well. Hymn 410, tune Walton O come, O come, O come, O come,
O come, O come, O come, to Bethlehem. How many times I've joined to
tell my Jesus' word, the Lord will tell. O'er all His glorious power confess,
His wisdom, all His love express. God of Israel, turn and tell,
Thy Jesus heard, God of Israel. And so they roamed and roamed
and dreamed Each for his own, each in the green He loved me as a friend, From
hell I did, Such as the folding fan. ? And slipped my soul as hell is
born ? ? What passage first he made me prove? ? That sin's rage o'er thy rage
excel, Like Jesus' curse on all things bad. ? When am I Savior and my God?
? ? As on the day His venture brought, ? ? I am reborn, ? by Jesus Christ, the Lord himself. At the blistered site this late,
Her pain he made most late, I cried. Yet have I held from this to
dwell My dear sister's unmoving hand. Soon shall I close the veil of
day, And in his arms shall lose my breath. Yet there Every soul shall tell why Jesus
hurt the Lord himself. ? And when to the bright star I
rise ? ? And joy in the air, love in the skies ? ? Above the
rainbow's bright skies ? 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. Amen.