Let us commence our service by
singing together hymn number 750. The tune is Albert, 135. Come ye that know and fear the
Lord, and lift your souls above. Let every heart and voice accord
to sing that God is love. Hymn 750, tune Albert, 135. And I'll be there when that day
dawns, And let your souls abound. Let every heart have voice and
hope To sing that college song. His precious blood is my weakness,
and always has saved me. Jesus, the gift of gift-giving,
to shelter all his love. Behold His face, and take them
out, to desert from Him ground. ? And calls me there to reach their
hearts ? ? To teach them what is love ? ? Let there be knowledge ? It only
ever, ever comes. ? And the Christian compassion
of God ? ? And the Christian compassion of God ? ? And the
Christian compassion of God ? ? There may be over me ? ? Behold
the angels ? ? Of British birth ? ? Here o'er the heartache ?
? I tethered to ? Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in Paul's epistle to the Romans and chapter 6. The epistle to the Romans Chapter
6. What shall we say then? Shall
we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid! How shall we that are dead to
sin live any longer therein? Know ye not that so many of us
as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death.
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death, that
like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of
the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For
if we have been planted together with him in the likeness of his
death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection,
knowing this that our old man is crucified with him, that the
body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not
serve sin, for he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we
be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with
him, knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no
more, death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died,
he died unto sin once, but in that he liveth, he liveth unto
God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed
unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should
obey it in the lust thereof. Neither yield ye your members
as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves
unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members
as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have
dominion over you, For ye are not under the law, but under
grace. What then, shall we sin, because
we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not that to whom ye yield
yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye
obey? Whether of sin unto death, or
of obedience unto righteousness, But God be thanked that ye were
the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form
of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from
sin, ye become the servants of righteousness. I speak after
the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh.
For as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness, and
to iniquity unto iniquity even so now yield your members servants
to righteousness unto holiness for when you were the servants
of sin you were free from righteousness what fruit had you then in those
things were of you are now ashamed for the end of those things is
death but now being made free from sin and become servants
to God, you have your fruit unto holiness and the end of a lasting
life. For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord. 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, all we do desire to bow before Thee, that Thou art indeed
the only true God. And we desire to worship Thee.
And them that worship Thee must worship Thee in spirit and in
truth. And we pray for that true spiritual
worship tonight. We pray for the divine power
the heavenly unction of the Holy Ghost, for without him we can
do nothing. We need thy sacred influence
in our hearts, most blessed Spirit of truth. We need thy heavenly
power to enable us to yield our members unto righteousness and
holiness. For Lord, we We solemnly know
what it is to be left to the flesh, which is sinful and corrupt
and unrighteous. We pray that thou wouldst motivate
us and guide us. Give us that spirit of love.
We love him because he first loved us. And may that love be
shed abroad in our hearts, enabling us to follow the Lord Jesus. to serve the Lord Jesus, to live
unto him, that we may indeed be among those that are raised
from the dead, that have a new life, born again of the blessed
spirit. Oh, to know the sacred power
of divine love in our hearts, for the love of God is shed abroad
in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. And we pray that it may be so
tonight, as we gather around thy Word. May we be led and directed
by the Spirit of God. For as many as are led by the
Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. And may we have that
witness of thy Spirit with our spirit, that we are the sons
and daughters of the Lord God Almighty. And therefore, by that
same spirit, may we come out from among them and be separate,
and touch not the unclean thing, and I will be a father unto you,
and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord God Almighty. May we know the sacred experience
of what the apostle speaks of, for God has sent forth the Spirit
of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Oh, to know that
we have a heavenly Father, that He has loved us with an everlasting
love, that He sent His Son to suffer, bleed, and die for our
sins, and to deliver us from all unrighteousness. We pray,
most gracious Lord, to be led and taught by Him, to be guided
and directed by that we do pray that we might know the sacred
experience that we read of in the Word. Yea, I have loved thee
with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn
thee. Oh, that we might know that sacred
drawing to our Lord Jesus Christ at this evening hour. And thou
hast said in thy word, I will draw them with the cords of a
man, with the bands of love. We do pray that it may be so
tonight, as we gather round thy word, that thou would draw us
by the cords of our Lord Jesus Christ, the holy God man. We thank thee for those wonderful
words of grace. There is one God and one mediator
between God and man. the man Christ Jesus, who gave
his life of ransom for all to be testified in due time. Lord
Jesus, we pray that thou wouldst shine into our hearts. Lord Jesus,
shine, and then I can feel sweetness in salvation's plan. And as a sinner plead for grace,
through Christ the sinner's hiding place, Oh, we do pray that thou
wouldst bless us as a church and as a congregation, that thou
wouldst work mightily, powerful and effectually among us to the
great glory of thy holy name. We pray, O Lord, that thou in
thy great mercy wouldst graciously send out thy light and thy truth
into this village. and that thou wouldst graciously
work to the glory of thy name. Many, many precious souls may
be gathered in. We pray that the word of the
Lord on the front of the chapel may be used of thee to convict
and convince of sin and to lead to Jesus Christ. There's nothing
too hard for thee. And may thy word be like an arrow,
gird thy Sword upon thy thigh, O Most Mighty, and ride prosperously. We do humbly beseech thee, let
thine arrows be sharp in the heart of the king's enemies,
that the people may fall under thee. And Lord, we pray for the
prodigals that have wandered away, that thou would stretch
out thy almighty arm, that thou would cause them to be in want,
that thou would graciously cause them to return. Lord, we long
to see such a day, to see thy power and thy glory as thou usest
to be in the sanctuary. O Lord, we do pray that thou
in thy precious mercy would remember each one, thou knowest where
they are. And we think of the words of
the hymn, that there is a period known to God, that when all his
sheep, redeemed with blood, shall leave the hateful ways of sin,
turn to the fold and enter him. Lord, may we see such a day.
We do humbly beseech thee. We pray that the word of the
Lord may have free course and that thy name may be honoured
and glorified. We pray that the word may be
blessed as it goes out over the internet and it may redound to
the honour, glory and praise of thy great name, as thy word
declares, the day will declare it. And, O Lord, we do pray that
the strongholds of Satan may be pulled down and the kingdom
of our Lord Jesus set up in the hearts of sinners. O let thy
work appear unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children,
O Lord, we do beseech of thee for thy great namesake, have
mercy upon us and send real prosperity and return unto Jerusalem with
mercies. And O Lord, we do pray for grace
to plead those precious promises that thou hast made. I will bring
thy sons from far and thy daughters from the ends of the earth. they shall come from the north
and from the south and from the east and from the west. Lord,
may we see Zion's offspring come. May we see thy power and thy
glory as thou usest to be in the sanctuary. May we see a day
of great prosperity when there is a turning unto thee. And,
O Lord, we do pray that thou would remember our brethren,
the deacons, and give them grace wisdom and help in all their
responsibilities both here and among the churches of God. We
pray for each one of our brethren and sisters in church fellowship
that thy blessing may rest upon them. We pray for the whole of
our congregation that thou hast said, I will work and who shall
let it? And we pray that thou wouldst
work mightily among We pray for the little ones and the children
as they're brought into the sanctuary, that thy blessing may rest upon
them, that the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom,
may be given unto them. We pray for our young friends,
that they each may be brought to living faith in Jesus Christ,
to become true followers of thee and of those who through faith
and patience inherit the promises. We pray for our friends that
would seek a partner in life's journey. We would lovingly commend
them to them. And that there are instances
in thy word of thy wonderful grace in this matter, in bringing
a Rebecca unto Isaac, and in bringing a Ruth unto Bias. Lord, there is nothing too hard
for thee. Help them to look to thee, help
them to cleave to thee. Help them to cast all their care
upon them. And O Lord, we do pray, remember
parents, give wisdom, give grace, give help, give guidance, give
direction. Remember the families in their
homes and grant the spirit of worship. We do humbly beseech
thee for thy great namesake. And O Lord, we do pray, remember
all in the midst of the journey of life. Grant thy gracious support,
grant thy divine help, grant that they may be drawn to thee,
and the very language of their heart may be, draw me, we will
run after thee. For none can except the Father
draw. All to know that sacred drawing,
especially as we gather in the sanctuary, that the word of the
Lord may have free course and thy name may be honoured and
glorified. We seek, O Lord, thy blessing
upon those of us in the evening time of life journey. Pray for
that help and that guidance and that
teaching to bring us safely unto thy heavenly kingdom. May we
be kept by the power of God through faith, unto salvation, ready
to be revealed at the last day. Lord, make us more spiritually
minded, set our affections on things above, help us to lay
aside every weight and the sin that does so easily beset us,
and that we may run with patience. The race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. O
gracious God, do incline thine ear, and do have mercy upon us. Come up with thy dear servant
expected here on the Lord's day. Grant that he may dip his foot
in oil and be made acceptable unto the brethren, and that the
word preached may be in power, in the Holy Ghost, and with much
assurance. Lord, we We do pray that thou
would remember all thy servants as they labour in word and doctrine
upon the walls of Zion. And O, we beseech thee, thou
great Lord of the harvest, to send true labourers into the
harvest and to build the walls of Jerusalem. May thy servants
take pleasure in her stones and favour the dust thereof. O Lord,
we do beseech of thee. Lord, we We do pray that thou
wouldst give wisdom and guidance and direction to all in authority
over us. There may be those that are placed
in authority over us that have integrity and uprightness. And gracious God, the spirit
of Antichrist that is so prevalent, may it please thee to graciously
lessen it. We live in truly dark days, solemn
days, when iniquity abounds on every hand. We pray, O Lord,
that thou would remember this world. We think of Israel and
that great conflict there. And we pray that thou would graciously
bring a stop to war and the terrible bloodshed, and the Ukraine also. Lord, hear us. humbly beseech
thee and have mercy upon us, we pray thee, and that graciously
bring to naught the counsels of the ungodly, we do humbly
beseech thee. We do thank thee that thou art
a God that hears and answers prayer. We thank thee for the
throne of grace and that glorious king that sits upon it. But we thank thee for every mercy
of thy kind providence. We thank thee for our little
house of prayer. We thank thee for the word of God, the open
Bible. We thank thee for Jesus Christ,
made of a woman, made under the law, that he might redeem them
that are under the law. Oh, we thank thee for the incarnation
of the Son of God, the glory of his holy life, the bringing
in of everlasting righteousness, the fulfilling of the law on
the behalf of thy people, our glorious substitute, we thank
thee for Calvary. And those blessed words, he was
wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities,
and the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes
we are healed. Oh, we do thank thee, most gracious
God, for the wonderful glories of Christ and the fullness of
that salvation that is in him. We thank thee that he rose from
the dead, he swallowed up death in victory, his precious blood
was shed to wash away all the sin and guilt of the church.
We thank thee that he rose from the dead, destroyed death, and
him that had the power of death, that is the devil, and brought
life and immortality to light through the gospel. Fill our
hearts with gratitude, with thanksgiving for all thy tender mercies. Come
and touch one's lips with a live coal from off the heavenly altar. We ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 144. The tune is Blessedness 301. Jesus, my all to heaven is gone,
he whom I fix my hopes upon, his track I see, and I'll pursue
the narrow way till him I view. Hymn 144. to Blessedness 301. His flesh my hope to Him is shown, He heard my prayers, my hopes
were gone. His track I see, and I understand.
? Come, Lord, I will praise you
? ? When I do ? ? Now praise ye the Lord ? ? Ye prophets great ? ? The truth that leads ? ? From
selfishness ? ? That leads my way ? ? From loneliness ? ? Her glory ? ? Just a feat ? ? This is the way ? ? Of God and
souls ? ? Then come with us ? ? Then come
with us ? ? And be kinder ? ? Kinder than a homeless king ? ? Be kinder
than a homeless king ? ? Learn the sins of sin ? ? Therefore
I should have made it plain ? ? I'm still in the shadow of the rock
? ? Till many times I've heard ? ? My saving God say ? ? I'll
be able ? ? So alone I am away ? ? And I, I come ? ? And I understand
? ? Shall sing with you ? ? The hours of death ? ? Now keep us
still ? ? By faith and fear ? ? The King of the world to thy
praise sing ? ? O Israel, Israel, to thee we sing ? God to earth, his kingdom come,
and reign. Now I, too, have religion in
my heart, and take me on the way to God. Greatly feeling today the Lord's
gracious help, I direct your attention to Romans chapter six. We'll read verses three, four,
and five for our text. The sixth chapter in the epistle
to the Romans, reading verses three, four, and five. Know ye
not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were
baptised into his death. Therefore we are buried with
him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should
walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together
in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness
of his resurrection. Know ye not that so many of us,
as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into his death? The hymn writer, puts it in a
nutshell, concerning the sacred ordinance of believer's baptism,
view the rite with understanding, Jesus' grave before thee lies,
be interred at his commanding after his example rise. And that really, my late pastor
used to say the hymn writer sometimes puts in a nutshell what I've
been trying to say for an hour. You see, know ye not that so
many of us, as we're baptized, the word baptized is what is
called an anglicized form of the Greek word baptizo. And the
Greek word baptizo means to dip or to immerse. When the First Baptist began
to practice in this country, back in the 1600s, they were
very persecuted. It was not permitted for anybody
to worship outside of the Church of England. But in a mocking
way, they were always known as Dippers. The Dippers. Really, it speaks of the meaning
of the word baptizer to dip or to immerse. Baptism by immersion. Know ye not that so many of us
as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death. So there we have the meaning
of baptism and the mode of baptism. There used to be a Lord Alexander
who worked in the Second World War in the Treasury in London. And he said they used to get,
he was a Baptist, and he said we used to get messages from
the Greek Navy that when the Germans had sunk a Greek ship,
they would give you the name of the ship and afterward baptizer. He said there is no sprinkling
there. it meant the ship had been sunk.
Baptizer, that's the meaning of the Greek word baptizer from
whence we have this word baptism. J.C. Philpott, he wrote a very
beautiful piece. It's in one of his reviews on
baptism and the meaning of the word baptism or baptizer as it
was in the original. And he said the reason that the
translators of our Bible put it in as baptism is to avoid
using the word dip or immerse. So he said they took the Greek
word baptizo and anglicized it and it now reads baptism. And he said that word Baptizer
means literally to immerse in water. Now, he wasn't complaining. He merely said that we have a
beautiful word for a very sacred ordinance in the providence of
God. And the reason that they use
the word baptism was because they didn't want to use the word
dip because all of them were infant sprinklers. Therefore,
they wouldn't use the word dip which is what it should have
been. But he says that through the providence of God we have
a very unique word in the English language, baptism, which comes
from the Greek word baptizer. Know ye not that so many of us
as were baptised into Jesus Christ were baptised into his death. We are buried with him. This
gives us the meaning of the ordinance of believers' baptism. Therefore,
we are buried with him by baptism into death. It's the grave of
Christ. That's what the baptistry represents. And the believer, when they come
forth to be baptized, they give their confession of faith. And
if the church receives their confession of faith, They are
then baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Ghost. Therefore we are buried with
him by baptism into death. That like as Christ was raised
up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also
should walk newness of life. So there we have you see it says
here if we have been planted together in the likeness of his
death we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. So in this sacred ordinance of
believers baptism that we have so clearly set before us the
glorious person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was baptised
in those terrible sufferings on the cross of Calvary. Why? Because the Father laid upon
Him the iniquity of us all. So the believer, when they're
baptised, they're giving all the glory to Christ. He was baptised
in those terrible on our behalf, to redeem us from
sin and Satan's power. Oh, the wonderful grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Both the sacred ordinances of
God's house, there's only two. The Roman Catholic Church insists
that there are seven, and they call them sacraments. We don't
call them sacraments. We call them Sacred New Testament
Ordinances. One is Believers' Baptism, the
other is the Lord's Supper. Both of these Sacred Ordinances
in the New Testament Church represent one thing, Jesus Christ and Him
crucified. They represent the suffering
Saviour as He stood in the room, the place and the stead of his
church and of his people. That is what we see in baptism,
that is what we see in the Lord's Supper. The Lord Jesus himself
said when instituting the Lord's Supper, this do in remembrance
of me, for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup,
ye do show the Lord's death till he come. It's a sacred simple
ordinance. Again, the Roman Catholic Church,
they claim blasphemously that when the priest blesses the bread
and the wine, that it's literally actually turned into the real
body and flesh of Jesus Christ, and the wine is turned literally
and actually into the blood of Christ. And when the priest takes
those elements and he blesses them he then bows down and worships
them because he said it's literally Jesus Christ and the people bow
down and worship them because they say it's literally Jesus
Christ it's literally his body it's literally his blood and
those are and so when he actually performs the mass as it's called
He then says that he's offering again the sacred sacrifice of
Christ whenever they perform the Mass. Of course, those things
are very blasphemous. When we partake of the Lord's
Supper, we are drinking wine, not blood. When we eat the bread,
we are drinking bread. We are eating bread, not flesh. It represents the body of Christ. This is my body broken for you.
And the wine represents the blood of Christ. The blood of Christ that cleanses
us from all sin. So we see then in these two sacred
ordinances that are found in the New Testament What is prominent
and set forth in them it is the glorious person love and grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ He came here upon earth He was made of
a woman made under the law that he might redeem them that are
under the law That's what he came to do and
he redeemed them by firstly fulfilling the law on their behalf Jesus
himself said I come not to destroy the law but to fulfill it and
that is exactly what he did when he lived a life that was perfect
a life that was spotless a life that was sinless as the
Word of God declares he did no sin neither was guile found in
his mouth Spotless, innocent and pure, our great Redeemer
stood, while Satan's fiery darts he bore and did resist to blood.
He did. And this is what these sacred
ordinances represent. They bring vividly before us
what Jesus Christ has done. This is my body, broken for you. This do in remembrance of me.
We think of the Wonderful words of grace in the prophecy of Isaiah,
you know, the Puritans quite rightly used to call Isaiah the
gospel of Isaiah Because he's so full of gospel truth Especially
when we look at Isaiah 53 We think of those words and we think
of a suffering Savior on the cross of Calvary. He was wounded
for our transgressions He was bruised for our iniquity The
chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes
we are healed. Oh, my beloved friends, his visage
was so marred more than any man's. More than any man's. No man has
ever suffered. And you think of what people
have suffered in terrible circumstances over the years. But the vision,
the Christ, His visage was so marred, more than any man. And
when you think of what actually took place, when our Lord Jesus
Christ, just before his crucifixion, was in the Garden of Gethsemane.
And when we go in, we read in Isaiah 53, and it opens to us
what was done in the Garden of Gethsemane. He laid upon him
the iniquity of us all. That is what happened in the
Garden of Gethsemane. Our Eternal Father took the sin
of the church. He lifted it off the church.
It's what is called the doctrine of imputation. He lifted the
sin of the church off the church. And He laid it on His glorious,
holy, best beloved Son that was manifest in the flesh. And when
He laid that sin upon Him, He took that sin. And look at the
tremendous weight of that sin. And this is why his visage was
so marred more than any man. The sin of the whole church from
the day of Adam to the end of time. The sin of the whole church. My sins, not in part but the
whole, were laid on him there. He laid upon him the iniquity
of us all. And then we see the effect that
that had upon his holy human nature. We read in Luke's gospel,
and he being in agony, this is in the garden of Gethsemane,
and he being in agony, sweat as it were, great drops of blood
falling down to the ground. Oh, the tremendous way. The pressure
was so intense that blood forced itself through the pores of his
skin. So intense was that burden, was
the weight of that sin that was laid upon him. Oh, my beloved
friends, we cannot really begin to comprehend the tremendous
weight of the sin of the whole church he laid upon him and we
realize that that is why he was crucified. He was taken by the
hands of wicked men and crucified on the cross of Calvary and though
the sufferings of his body were intense the sufferings of his
holy human soul were far more intense. My God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping
me? These things are recorded in
Holy Scripture. At your leisure, you read Psalm
22, and the person speaking in Psalm 22 is our Lord Jesus Christ. And that psalm starts, my God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why? Because of the sin of
the church. Because our sins were laid on
him there. And were it not for this suffering
saviour, this precious blood that was shed, we would all be
lost. There would be no hope. there will be no hope. But now,
my beloved friends, in this precious Redeemer, a door of hope is open
wide in Jesus' bleeding hands and side. It is a door of hope. I am the way, the truth and the
life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. By virtue of the holy life of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the sinless life that He lived, and thereby
He wrought out a glorious everlasting robe of His righteousness, and
that, my beloved friends, is the righteousness of the Church.
It's the righteousness of every true believer. You see, who was delivered for
our offenses and was raised again for our justification. Delivered
unto death for our offences and raised again for our justification. The sin of the church was laid
upon him in Gethsemane and he paid the redemption price. He gave himself a ransom for
all to be testified in due time He suffered and bled and died
for the sins of his people. He did indeed. And those things
are so beautifully open to us in the prophet Isaiah. How beautifully he speaks of
that wonderful grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and his willingness
to suffer, to bleed, and to die. Though he was holy, pure, and
righteous, it says in Isaiah 53, verse three, he is despised
and rejected of men. A man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief, and we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed
him. now it gives us an insight into
surely he hath borne our griefs and he carried our sorrows yet
we did esteem him stricken smitten of God and afflicted but he was
wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities
the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes
we are healed or we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned
everyone to his own way. And the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all." The iniquity of us all. Says in verse
8, he was taken from prison and from judgment and who shall declare
his generation for he was cut off out of the land of the living
for the transgression of my people. was he stricken and he made his
grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death because
he had done no violence neither was any deceit in his mouth no
deceit in his mouth no sin in his glorious person but you know
um in the i often draw your attention to it in the fifth chapter of
the second epistle to the Corinthians, the Apostle, he speaks so beautifully
there of our Lord Jesus Christ and of his sufferings and of
what it was he made him to be sin for us. The last verse of 2 Corinthians
5, for it made him to be sin for us who knew no sin. Jesus never knew any sin but
he made him to be sin for us. He laid upon him the iniquity
of us all that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. You know we've spoken of that
sacred doctrine of imputation and we spoke of it on one side
and that is of the sin of the church being imputed by our eternal
father unto his son. Jesus Christ, just as if it was
his own sin. It was laid upon him. And then on the other side, that
perfect obedience of Christ, that royal robe of the righteousness
of Jesus Christ, is taken by our Eternal Father and it covers
the nakedness of a poor sinner. So they're washed in the precious
blood of the Lamb to cleanse them from all sin, and they're
clothed in that glorious everlasting robe of the righteousness
of Jesus Christ. What an exchange, know ye not,
that so many of us, as we're baptized into Jesus Christ, we're
baptized into his death. Therefore, we are buried with
him by baptism into death. that like as Christ was raised
up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also
should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together
in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness
of his resurrection. The believer after death will
be raised from the dead. In Thessalonians, the apostles
speak so clearly of the resurrection of the dead, of those that have
believed in Jesus Christ. He rose again for our justification. In other words, the meaning of
justification to be declared to be without sin, the believer
is declared to be without sin because Jesus rose from the dead.
He died for our sins. Our sins were laid upon him and
he died for our sins. And on the third day he rose
again and that glorious fact of the resurrection of Jesus
Christ declares the justifying of the church of God in that
their sins have been put away. and that Christ has paid the
redemption price and the evidence, he rose from the dead. Had one sin been left unforgiven,
unpaid for, unredeemed, Christ would have never risen from the
grave. But my beloved friends, he has risen from the dead because
he's paid the redemption price and he's delivered everyone of
those that the Father chose. He delivered them from death
itself. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death,
that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory
of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. There's an emphasis, you know,
in the Word of God on this walking in newness of life. If we look
at the beginning of Romans chapter 8, there is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit. There's an emphasis there,
isn't there? We often quote the first part,
there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus,
but it tells us that those that are in Christ Jesus, those that
are born again, those that are living by faith, who walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the Lord of the Spirit
of life in Christ Jesus had made me free from the law of sin and
death. For what the law could not do,
in that it was weak through the flesh, that is the weaknesses
in our flesh, our sinful inability to keep its holy commandment,
God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and
forcing condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness
of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the
flesh, after the spirit. For they that are of the flesh
do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the spirit
the things of the spirit. For to be carnally minded is
death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. This explains something of the
conflict in the true believer because the carnal mind is enmity
against God For it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed
can be. So then they that are in the
flesh cannot please God, but ye are not in the flesh, but
in the Spirit. If so, be the Spirit of God dwelling
in you. Now, if any man have not the
Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. He is none of his. You see, know ye not that so
many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into
his death. Therefore we are buried with
him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should
walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together
in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness
of his resurrection. In that beautiful account that
we have in the third chapter of Matthew's Gospel, the account
of the baptism by John the Baptist of Jesus, the Son of God, in
the River Jordan, and we read in Matthew 3, verse 13, Then
cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptised
of him. But John forbade him, saying,
I have need to be baptised of thee, and comest thou to me?
And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now,
for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Suffer it
to be so now. Oh, I would that that may be
a word in Caesar. Suffer it to be so now, for thus
it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. My beloved friends,
it's a right or a righteous thing for a believer to be baptized
in the name of the Father and of the Son. and of the Holy Ghost
then he suffered him and Jesus when he was baptized went up
and that shows us he went down went up straight way out of the
water and lo the heavens were opened unto him and he saw this
is John he saw the Spirit of God descend like a dove and lighting
upon him and lo a voice from heaven saying this is my beloved
son, in whom I am well pleased. My beloved friends, the believer,
when they're baptized, are following the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord
Jesus gave a commandment to his disciples that they should go
to all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. If you look with me at Mark chapter
16, and in Mark chapter 16 is the commandment of our Lord Jesus
Christ at the resurrection of Christ and then afterwards. Now
when Jesus, verse nine, was risen early, the first day of the week,
he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he cast seven devils.
And she went and told them that had been with him as they mourned
and wept. And they, when they had heard
that he was alive and had been seen of her, believed not. And
after that, he appeared in another form unto two of them as they
walked and went into the country. And they went and told it unto
the rest. Neither believed they then. And
then we have these words of the Lord Jesus. Afterward he appeared
unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with
their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed
not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto
them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature. He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved. He that believeth not shall be
damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe. In
my name they shall cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues. You see, going into all the world,
preaching the gospel unto every creature, the exclusive nature
of the truth among the Jews had come to an end. In the New Testament,
the gospel was to spread to every nation, kindred, tongue, and
tribe, and people. And, you know, in Acts chapter
8, again, this speaks of the mode of baptism, the baptism
of the Ethiopian eunuch. He was reading in Holy Scripture,
Philip was commanded to go down to Gaza. Well, we all know where
Gaza is, we hear a lot about it today. which is desert. And when he spoke to the eunuch
he said, he answered him, he said, how can I, this is verse
31, how can I accept some man should guide me? And he desired,
Philip, that he would come up and sit with him. The place of
the scripture which he read was this, again it's Isaiah 53, he
was led as a sheep to the slaughter, And like a lamb done before her
shearers, so opened he not his mouth. In his humiliation his
judgment was taken away, and who shall declare his generation?
For his life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch answered
Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet
this, of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened
his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto
him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain
water, and the eunuch said, See, here is water. What doth hinder
me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest
with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the
chariot to stand still. This informs us of the mode of
baptism, and they went down both into the water, both Philip and
the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they were come up out
of the water, the spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that
the eunuch saw him no more, and he went on his way rejoicing. What a wonderful picture we have
there. of walking in sacred obedience
unto the commandments of the Lord. If ye love me, keep my
commandments. Know ye not that so many of us
as were baptised into Jesus Christ were baptised into his death?
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death, that
like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of
the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life, for
if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death,
we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. May the
Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 428. The tune is Melodious Sonnet
647. Humble souls who seek salvation
through the Lamb's redeeming blood, hear the voice of revelation,
tread the path that Jesus trod, flee to him your only Saviour,
in his mighty name confide, In the whole of your behaviour,
own him for your sovereign guide. Hymn 428, tune Melodious Sonnet
647. ? In the light of the nation ?
? To the Father, Jesus Christ, be praised ? Reaching and confining in the
heart of your behavior, burning for your sovereign power. He has blessed, redeemed, and
called you. His concern, His gracious voice. Queen of Heavens, where can we
call you? ? How you make it with your cross
? ? Jesus said that each believer
? ? Be baptized in my name ? He himself came short of favor,
God's image beneath his feet. His first transfiguration On
our feet, without defilement Gladly he's come on and praised
Him Though your craft may meet the
pain, Hear the guide with understanding. Wish to train in holy light, Now may the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the sacred fellowship
of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each both now and
for evermore. Amen.