our service this afternoon by
singing together hymn number 99, the tune of Colbeck, 880. Blessed Jesus, thee we sing,
thou of life, the eternal spring, thou art worthy, thou alone,
thou the rock and cornerstone. Hymn number 99, tune Colbeck,
880. Lord Jesus, we praise Thee. Eternal Spring Thou art worthy,
Thou alone Thou the Rock and Thou the Stone is from His salvation Christ. It's a ransom still unearthed, Thou art right, our God is near,
When we seek His poverty. ? Thou who be in my sight ? ? All
the labours that are right ? ? All the labours that are right ? Help him make from the dust ground. He shall become a living, In redemption glorious be. It will be a song of praise to
Thee. Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the third chapter of Paul's epistle to
Titus. Titus chapter three. Put them in mind to be subject
to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates to be ready
to every good work, to speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers,
but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men. For we ourselves
also are sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers' lusts
and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hate in
one another. But after that the kindness and
love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he
saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost,
which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour. that being justified by his grace,
we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou
affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God be
careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable
unto men. But avoid foolish questions,
and genealogies and contentions and strivings are at the law,
for they are unprofitable and vain. A man that is inherited
after the first and second admonition reject, knowing that he that
is such is subverted and sinneth, being condemned of himself. When
I shall send Artemis unto thee, or Tychicus, Be diligent to come
unto me to Nicopolis, for I have determined there to winter. Bring
Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently,
that nothing be wanting unto them. And let ours also learn
to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful. All that are with me salute thee,
Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen. May the Lord bless the
reading of his own precious word and grant to us a spirit of real
prayer. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty,
which is an art, an art to come, We desire to bow before thy great
majesty, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. We desire a spirit of
true worship. We desire also, Lord, that spirit
of confession, to confess our sins, our wanderings, our backslidings. We leave undone things that we
ought to do. We do things that we ought not
to do. We find a law within our members that when I would do
good, an evil is present with me. We do pray, most gracious
Lord, that we may be given more grace, even the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that we may live as we ought to live, that
we may speak as we ought to speak, come like David of old, create
in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Gracious God, grant that constant renewing of the Holy Ghost, that
constant and heavenly pouring forth of His power in our hearts
and in our lives and in our assemblies. Oh, for the outpouring of the
Holy Ghost. We read O Lord, until the Spirit
be poured upon us from on high. And Lord, that is what we need.
We need the outpouring of the Holy Ghost. We need the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ. We need the love of God our Father.
We need to taste and handle and feel of the good word of life.
We need light upon thy word. We need understanding. We need
what but thy word declares unto us the eyes of your understanding
being enlightened, and we pray that it may be so, that we may
indeed be enlightened and enlivened and taught of the Spirit and
guided by thee. Oh, to hear us, most gracious
Lord, we humbly beseech thee, make us more spiritually minded,
help us to be much in thy word, in reading and studying thy word,
that thy word may be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our
path we do humbly beseech thee we pray that the word among us
in the ministry in our assemblies may may be in power in the holy
ghost and with much assurance that it may reach into our very
souls sometimes lord we need the word of conviction and sometimes
lord we We need a word of comfort, a word of consolation. But Lord,
we constantly need that power, the divine power of the Holy
Ghost, in whichever way thy word comes. And we pray that thy doctrine
may distill as the dew and rain upon the mown grass. O grant
that it may be so, Lord, we humbly beseech thee, that there may
be that sweet savour an unction of the Holy Ghost. We need to
be drawn by our Eternal Father, for none come except the Father
draw. We need to be given the eyes
of faith to behold Jesus, Jesus the Son of God, Jesus in all
his suitability, in all his power and loveliness. Oh, to have a
revelation of Christ and to see his glory, that we may behold
his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth, that we may behold his glorious righteousness,
and not only behold it, but be clothed upon with it, the everlasting
robe. Oh, do hear us, Lord, we humbly
pray thee. We do thank thee for the gospel.
We do thank thee for the person, power, and love of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Eternal Son of the Eternal Father, manifest in the
flesh. And the fullness of time was
come. We thank Thee that it has come, that Christ has come, that
Christ has fulfilled the law and honoured it and magnified
it in His holy life, and thereby bringing in everlasting righteousness
for His people. That righteousness which is obtained
by faith, in Jesus, the Son of God. We do thank Thee for Calvary,
where the Lamb was slain, where sin was put away, where divine
justice was satisfied, where God and sinners are reconciled,
where peace is made between God and man. Oh, we thank Thee for
that sacred sacrifice. For by one offering He hath perfected
forever all them that are sanctified. Oh we do pray most gracious Lord
for faith in the bleeding lamb, faith in his precious blood,
faith in his glorious sacrifice, that sacred atonement for sin,
faith in his death and resurrection from the grave. He has swallowed
up death in victory, And He has said, because I live, ye shall
live also. O gracious God, we do thank Thee
for a risen Saviour, for a Saviour that has bodily ascended into
heaven and sitteth at Thy right hand, that great High Priest. O we do bless Thee for our great
High Priest. May we have that sacred sense
this afternoon, tis He, instead of me is seen when I approach
to God. Lord, do grant us clear views
of the glory of Christ, of the fullness of his salvation. O
Lord, we do pray that thou would bless our brethren, the deacons,
and give needed grace, wisdom, and help in all their responsibilities
here and elsewhere. And we do thank thee for the
And we thank thee for our brethren and sisters in church fellowship. Pray that we might know that
full of union and communion, one with another, and praying
for one another. Lord, do give us that grace. May we each esteem each other
better than ourselves to be. Give us humility and love. We
do humbly beseech of thee. Lord, we pray that we may walk
according to thy word according to the precepts of the gospel
and that we may shine to those that are without we do humbly
beseech them and fruitful as we've been exhorted in thy word
as we've read this afternoon fruitful unto every good work
and word and why thy word declares unto us that faith without works
is dead being alone For we do pray, most gracious God, that
thou, in thy precious mercy, wouldst bless the little ones
and the children as they are brought into the sanctuary. Bless
them with the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom.
We do pray that thou wouldst graciously bless the young friends
as they stand on the threshold of life's journey. Bring them
to living faith in Jesus Christ. Make them true followers of thee
and of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Graciously bless them, Lord. There may be a generation raised
up to call thee the Redeemer blessed. Any, Lord, that are
sick, we pray for thy healing hand upon them and thy restoring. Jehovah Rophi. Lord, not only
that restoring of their body, but that restoring of their soul.
Even as thy dear servant of old declares, he restores my soul. May that blessing be upon our
young friends. We do humbly beseech thee. Oh, remember those prodigals
that have wandered away and cause them to return. Remember our
young friends in all the paths of providence and help them to
commit their way unto thee and trust also in thee. Remember
them, O Lord, in their schoolwork, in their employment, and regarding
a partner in life journey. We lovingly commend them to thee
and to the word of thy grace, which is able to build them up
and to grant them an inheritance among them that are sanctified. Lord, remember the young friends.
We do humbly pray We read in thy word and we plead that precious
promise. Instead of thy fathers shall
be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth. We pray, most gracious God, that
thou in thy precious mercy would remember all in the midst of
the journey of life. Have mercy upon them. And grant,
Lord, we pray thee thy blessing, thy guidance, thy direction.
and help them to cast all their cares upon Thee, especially parents. Help them to bring up their children
in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Bless them with
that rich grace that is in Christ Jesus. Lord, we pray that Thou
in Thy precious mercy would remember those of us in the evening time
of life's journey. We pray, most gracious God, to
be helped and prepared. We read of thy servant of old
he came as a shock of corn fully ripe and we pray that it may
be so with us. We may be ready when the archangels
trump shall sound. Oh do hear us Lord and prepare
me gracious God to stand before thy face. Thy spirit must the
work perform for it is all of grace in Christ's obedience clothe
and wash me in his blood. So shall I lift my head with
joy among the sons of God. Oh, to hear us, Lord, we humbly
beseech thee and guide us, O thou great Jehovah. We're pilgrims
in a barren land. Lord, we pray, especially for
our dear aged sister, Mrs. Field, that thou would be with
her and bless her in her old age and its increasing infirmities
and weakness. May thy eternal arms surround
her, and that she may feel, O Lord, in her own soul, the eternal
God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. So
bless, Lord, we do humbly pray thee. and graciously remember
thy servants as they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls
of Zion. Bless them with light and life
and liberty in the preaching of the word and we pray thee
the great Lord of the harvest to send true labourers into the
harvest to build the walls of Jerusalem to gird them with all
sufficient grace. We pray for the neighbouring
cause at Tunbridge Wells and the loss of dear Mrs. Podden,
a dear sister in Christ. We thank thee, Lord, that she
is safely landed on yonder happy shore. And oh, most gracious
God, we do pray that thou would be with the sorrowing cause of
truth and the sorrowing family at this time and comfort them. We do humbly beseech of thee. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou would remember thy Zion that thou wouldst send out
thy light and thy truth, that thou wouldst return in thy power
and in thy glory as thou usest to be in the sanctuary, and that
thou wouldst bring our sons from far and our daughters from the
ends of the earth, and that thou wouldst grant that not only this,
but many other little causes of truth may yet be filled with
hungry, longing souls pressing into the kingdom of heaven. Thou
hast said in thy word, O Lord, given that sweet promise, for
I will yet be inquired of the house of Israel to do this thing
for them. I will increase them with men
like a flock. O Lord of hosts, O God of Israel,
O thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth. Graciously
grant that thy hand may be upon the man of thy right hand, the
son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. Arise, arise, O
God of grace, into thy rest descend, thou in the ark of thy strength,
and let thy priests be clothed with salvation, and thy saints
shall shout aloud for joy, how abundantly bless the provision
of thy house, and satisfy her poor with bread, O Lord, we do
humbly beseech of thee. O for thy great namesake, we
present not our supplications unto thee for our namesake, Lord,
for all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. But we come to
thee in the name of Jesus Christ, and we plead his precious blood,
his glorious righteousness, as our only hope of salvation, of
redemption, of acceptance with thee, in and through thy glorious
Precious Beloved Son, that was manifest in the flesh, Lord,
this is all our hope, and thou hast said, upon this rock I build
my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Come, Lord, and touch one's lips
with a live coal from off the heavenly altar. Come and open
thy word to our heart and to our understanding. We ask for
Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 896. The tune is Slade 413. A fountain
cries the man of God, a fountain with a purple flood,
a fountain open for the poor, where sickly souls may find a
cure, hymn 896, tune slayed 413. ? Heaven and earth ? ? Are full
of your glory ? ? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting
in air ? ? Gave proof through the night that our flag was still
there ? ? In heaven above ? ? In heaven
above ? ? And heart of shame ? ? And blinding pitch ? ? The
remembrance of you ? ? In the shade of Zion ? ? And
the corner of heaven ? ? Deepens to the eye ? ? It is the time
? ? Give praise to thee ? ? And answer
our calls ? ? With praise to thee ? ? Alleluia ? ? When all is well ? ? When all
is well ? ? When all is well ? O come, O come, Emmanuel, and
ransom captive Israel. O come, O come, Emmanuel, and
ransom captive Israel. I should have never known. Take them, Jesus take, and with
them wash my soul. O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I direct your attention again to the second
chapter of the Epistle of Paul to Titus, and we will read verses
11 to 15 for our text. Titus chapter two, verses 11
to 15. For the grace of God that bringeth
salvation hath appeared to all men. teaching us that denying
ungodliness and worldliness, we should live soberly, righteously
and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope
and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem
us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people,
zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort,
and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee. We looked perhaps more pointedly
this morning at verses 11 and 12 and This afternoon we want to continue
looking at verses 13, 14 and 15, looking for that blessed
hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour,
Jesus Christ. What a blessed hope that the
Christian has. The Christian's hope will never
fail. It is a hope in the divine person of Jesus, the Son of God. It is a hope that is fixed on
the eternal rock of ages. It's a hope that can never fail.
The Christian, true Christian believer dare not trust in themselves. Dare not trust in what they can
do. It says here in the third chapter, we read it this afternoon,
but after the kindness in verse four, but after the kindness
and love of God our Saviour, toward man appeared, not by works
of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy
he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of
the Holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus
Christ our Saviour. That being justified by grace,
we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. There's a hope of eternal life. Now, it's often been said of the Gospel
Standard Strip Baptists in particular, oh you're the hope souls. But
you know, there's a complete misrepresenting there of what
hope means. The apostle says in the Romans,
hope maketh not ashamed. It's not a flimsy hope. It's
not perhaps or maybe. It's not ambiguous in any way. The Christian's hope is founded
upon the eternal rock of ages. It's founded on the finished
work of Jesus Christ. It's a hope that will not make
us ashamed. It's a certain hope, it's a sure
hope, in hope of eternal life. Or that the Lord would grant
us that sacred realisation of it this afternoon as we gather
round his word, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious
appearing of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. the great God and our Saviour,
Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Son of God. Let us never lose sight of that
glorious truth. Jesus, the Son of God. But whenever
we think of Jesus, let us think of it in this light. He's the
Son of God. He has power to save, to redeem,
to deliver. It says in concerning Jesus Christ
in the 42nd chapter of Isaiah. He will not fail. No. He will never fail you. You may
fail him and we do fail him. But he will never fail us. The
Christian's hope will never fail. It's a hope that is both sure
and steadfast and anchored within the veil. That's in Christ. anchored in Christ the eternal
son of the eternal father it says here in verse 14 who gave
himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and
purify unto him a peculiar people zealous of good works you see
what he has done for us is done forever what God doeth he doeth
it forever what Christ has done for his people in redeeming them,
in delivering them from sin and Satan's power in that glorious
redeeming work that he has fulfilled on their behalf who gave himself
for us. This is where our hope is. Never think or despise that humble
saviour who went to the cross of Calvary who humbled himself
and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Never despise this dear Saviour. Never lose sight, when you see
that suffering Saviour, never lose sight that He is the Son
of God. That He said Himself, I have
power to lay my life down. I have power to take it again. It was the almighty power of
God It says in the Acts of the Apostles, one of the Apostles
in preaching, he says, by the determinate counsel of God, he
was taken by the hands of wicked men and crucified. It was the determinate counsel
of God. He said himself, just before
he was to be crucified, to this end was I born, for this cause
came I into the world. Christ himself said that. You know, though he succumbed,
willingly succumbed to death, we must always remember that
Jesus did no sin. That Jesus was pure and holy.
He was righteous altogether. So, the law found nothing in
him. Christ himself says that. He
hath nothing in me. there was no sin in Christ but
the sin that was laid upon him because it speaks sometimes in
the word of God in that way whereby Christ confesses sin but it's
not his own sin it was the sin of the church in that beautiful
word in Isaiah 53 He, that's our Eternal Father, laid upon
Him, that is His only begotten Son manifest in the flesh, the
iniquity of us all. That is why the Lord Jesus Christ,
on the behalf of His people, suffered and bled and died. It was our sins. And it was the infinite love
of our Eternal Father that took our sins. laid them on his side,
found a substitute. Indeed, the whole of the Old
Testament, right the way through when you read of the sacrifices
and offerings that were offered under the law, it points us to
Christ, to his sacrifice and his offering. The blood that
was taken from those sacrifices, whatever that blood touched,
it was made holy. When the blood touched it, it
was declared to be holy. What a beautiful illustration
or type of the blood of Christ. When that blood of Christ is
applied, whatever it's applied to, it's holy. It's holy. For the grace of God that bringeth
salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly, righteously
and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope,
looking for. So the true believer is looking
for something. The Apostle says, does he, looking
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy
that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame
thereof, looking for that blessed hope. This is the hope. that the Christian believer looks
to the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior
Jesus Christ. In that exceedingly well-known
scripture, I often quote it to you, the last two verses of Hebrews
chapter 9, and where it speaks there of the, and as it is appointed unto men once
to die, but after this the judgment, So Christ was once offered to
bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall
he appear the second time without sin unto salvation, unto them
that look for him. My dear beloved friends, examine
your heart. May we examine each one of our
hearts. What are you looking for? What are you seeking for? What
is the chief concern, your chief concern, in what you're looking
for? Is it to do well in business? Is it to be ambitious for the
things of this life? What a mercy if we've been brought
to see that, like the Apostle says, if in this life only we
have hope, but to have a hope that goes
beyond this life, into that life which is to come. Now, we've
just read there in the Hebrews, it will come a second time. Christ
will come a second time. So I can never understand that
those people that, I wouldn't make a point of it, because it's
not fundamental doctrine, but I can never understand those
people that speak of Christ coming three times. They believe in
what is called the rapture. Christ will reign for a thousand
years here upon earth. And then he'll come again to
judge the world. Of course, to my mind, I cannot
understand that point of view. Because the Bible is very clear.
Christ comes twice. He's come once already. He suffered
and bled and died for the sins of his people. rose again for
their justification and as bodily ascended into heaven there he
sits at the right hand of the father for such an high priest
have we who is passed into the heavens this same jesus shall
come again in like manner it's what the apostles say in acts
chapter one this same jesus shall come again in like manner unto
them that look for Oh my beloved friends, are you looking for
Him? Are you waiting for Him? Are you seeking Him? Do you long
to lay hold of Him? Do you long to see Him, to know
Him? It's a wonderful thing if you
have been brought to seek Him. And there are wonderful and precious
things that encourage you to seek Him. These are the words of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Ask, and you shall receive. Seek, and you shall find. Knock,
and it shall be opened unto you. Precious words of encouragement
to seeking souls. And you think of the amount of
times it says in scripture about those that wait upon the Lord.
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They
shall mount up on wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint. There's a hope, there's a blessed
hope of the Lord's appearing. And there are many encouragements
to encourage you to keep looking, looking for that blessed hope
and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour,
Jesus Christ in the in the second epistle to the Thessalonians,
it speaks there in the first chapter of the coming again of
our Lord Jesus Christ and it says in verse six of the first
chapter, seeing it as a righteous thing with God to recompense
tribulation to them that trouble you. He's writing here to the
Christian church and to you who are troubled rest with us when
the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels
in flame and fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and
that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Just think
of this, my beloved friends, when Christ comes again, who
shall be punished with everlasting destruction. You might say, who
does it mean, them that know not God? than that no not God punished
with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord
and from the glory of his power when he shall come this is what
is in our text you see when he shall come to be glorified in
his saints and to be admired in all them that believe because
our testimony among you was believed in that day Notice the difference
though between these two types of people. Those that know not
our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and in truth, that know not God, shall be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord. But them that do
know him, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints
and to be admired in all them that believe, because our testimony
among you was believed in that day. You see, the Christian's
hope shall never fail, shall never fail. Oh, my beloved friends,
are you, am I, being prepared? The late Mr. Wood, we often used
to quote that hymn, it's in the old ancient and modern hymn book,
which apparently he used to sing at school. And now my God, prepare my soul
for that great day and wash me in thy precious blood. Take all
my sins away. He said when he was a young man
at school, that made a great impression on him. Take all my sins away. There's
only one place where our sins are taken away. That is in the
glorious person. of our Lord Jesus Christ. You
think of those in that great day, and Christ speaks of it
in his teachings in the Gospels, of those that will seek him in
that great day, you think of the parable of the ten virgins. That is something very deeply
solemn. Most of us here have been brought up to chapel. But
what does Those ten virgins represent the professing Church of Christ
on Earth. But look at the way the Lord
Jesus Christ divides the Church. Those that have made a profession
of the name of Christ. Five were wise. Five were foolish. Half of them were wise, half
of them were foolish. They all appeared the same. They were all clothed as virgins,
they all had lamps, which represents a profession of the name of Christ. So the oil that was in their
lamps, that could have been seen from the outside. But when at
midnight a cry was made, Those that were ready went in. You
see the others they said to those that had oil in them, give us
of your oil. What does oil represent? Grace. Grace. So what does that
parable teach us? It's possible to make a profession
of the name of Christ and be without grace. What a deeply
solemn thing that is. And those five foolish virgins
had no grace they had no oil in their lamps and the wise said
unto the foolish go and buy go to them that sell and buy so
that you have oil and when they went to buy the bridegroom came
you see looking for that blessed hope the bridegroom came and
them that were ready You see the door was opened and they
went in. And the foolish then came and
it says when they went in and the door was shut. There's a blessed thing to that.
The wise were shut into heaven. They were shut into eternal glory,
everlasting blessedness. But the foolish were shut out.
They were shut out. What a solemn thought, isn't
it? It makes us think of that word
of our Lord Jesus Christ. We preached from it not long
ago. Be ye also ready, for at such a time as ye think not,
the Son of Man cometh. If my hope on Christ is staid,
let him come when he thinks best. Is your hope fixed alone on Christ? Has the Holy Spirit quickened
your soul? We spoke of it this morning. Has the Holy Ghost quickened
your soul? Does He dwell in your heart?
Are you being made ready, being prepared for this great day that
we have here, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious
appearing of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. You see, one hymn writer speaking
of the Day of Judgment, he says, see the Judge our nature wearing, when the Son of Man. I think
in almost every reference to Christ coming the second time,
he's actually called the Son of Man. And of course as we've
already said he is the Son of God and the term the Son of Man
is speaking of that holy human nature that the Son of God assumed
in the womb of the Virgin Mary when he became bone of our bone
and flesh of our flesh who gave himself for us that he might
redeem us from all iniquity purify unto himself a peculiar people
this word peculiar people it really means a chosen people
a special people they were chosen unto life and immortality in
Christ and the grace of God reaching into their hearts changes their
lives they no longer live to themselves This is a mark of the true child of God.
James, in his epistle, he says, faith without works is dead,
being alone. And here, again and again, it
says here. And even right at the end of
the epistle, as he's signing off in verse 14, he says, but
let us also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses.
that they be not unfruitful? What evidence do you and I have
that we indeed have the grace of God? Do we consider how we live or
do we live to ourselves? And if we have Money, wealth. Do we think, I'll have this,
I'll have that, I'll have something else? Or do we think, what would
the Lord have me to do with it? Lord, what will they have me
to do? Or do we think, oh, I'm just gonna have this, I'm gonna
have that, I'm gonna have something else, and not thinking of other
people, not thinking of the poor and the needy. You see, my beloved
friends, these peculiar people You see the world live to themselves. They do. They do what they want
to do. But the Lord's people are peculiar
in this way. They live for others. How do we measure up to this
particular aspect of divine grace in the heart? Do we live to others? Who gave himself for us You know,
the reason they seek to live to the Lord, because He gave
Himself for us. He gave everything. He loved
not His life unto death. He gave everything for us. He
suffered, He bled, He died. He suffered the most awful humiliation
to redeem us from our sin. He gave His life for ransom for
all. Christ is see my beloved friends,
these things are written for our instruction. In my mind it
just goes to the, if I can turn to it, in the gospel according to John, it
speaks there of Christ giving us an example. And in chapter
13 of John's gospel, now before the feast of the Passover when
Jesus knew that his hour was come, that he should depart out
of this world unto the Father. Having loved his own, which were
in the world, he loved them unto the end. And he still loves them. It's an eternal love. And supper
being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas
Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus knowing that the Father
had given all things into his hand and that he was come from
God and went to God, he riseth from supper and laid aside his
garments and took a towel and girded himself. After that he
poureth water into a basin and began to wash the disciples'
feet and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
Then cometh he to Simon Peter, and Peter saith unto him, Lord,
dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto
him, What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt
never wash my feet. This shows us the impulsive nature
of Peter. Jesus answered him, If I wash
thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him,
Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith
to him, he that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but
is clean every wit. And ye are clean, but not all.
For he knew who should betray him, therefore said he, ye are
not all clean. so after he had washed their
feet and had taken his garments and was set down again he said
unto them know you what I have done to you ye call me master
and lord and you say well for so I am if I then your lord and
master have washed your feet ye also ought to wash one another's
feet for I have given you an example that you should do as
I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
the servant is not greater than his Lord, neither he that is
sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things,
happy are ye, if ye do them. This is the thing, it's if ye
do them. Isn't it John in his epistle,
He speaks of, let us not say, but let us do. Let us not say,
be you warmed and filled, the Lord will provide. He said, what
good is that to anyone? But do those things. If you don't
give to a person what they need, this is what he's saying, if
we don't give to a person what they need, it doesn't do them
any good. If you just say, platitudes of the Lord will provide, when
you have it by you to help them. You see, my beloved friends,
this is what Christ did. His life was given for us, the
whole of his life. The 33 years that he lived here
upon earth, he lived them for his people, on the behalf of
his people, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us
from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people. zealous of good works, not niggardly
but zealous of good works. So the whole mind being that
way, the whole spirit being that way, what can I do to help? Are we like this friends? Do
we live like this? What a mercy if we are among
that peculiar people, zealous. of good works. Not at all trusting
in our good works. No. It's like we just alluded
to in the third chapter here. But after that the kindness and
love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of
righteousness that we have done. We don't depend on their works. Those works are the fruit of
salvation. It's because we love the Lord.
And we desire to give ourselves to the Lord. That is the desire
of the true Christian. Not by works of righteousness
that we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us. By
the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. And it's that work of the Holy
Ghost, it says in verse 7, that being justified by his grace,
we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life,
justified in Christ. I've often explained to you the
meaning of justification. It's to declare a person is without
sin. That is literally what justification
means. The person is declared to be
without sin. He suffered, he bled and died
for our sins and he rose again for our justification. that we
might declared to be without sin. And when he comes again,
my beloved friends, he comes without sin. Just think when
he was here upon earth, he suffered, he bled, he died because the
sin of the church was laid upon him. But that sin has been atoned
for. The church is completely redeemed,
delivered from sin and then through the precious blood and righteousness
of Jesus Christ. Oh sinner, this is the only place
you need for salvation. It's in the finished work of
Christ. It's in what Jesus has done. It's in his precious blood
and his glorious righteousness. This is where salvation is. This
is where redemption is. This is where our hope is. My
hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness
who gave himself for us. that he might redeem us from
all iniquity. The Word of God declares, doesn't
it, he suffered the just for the unjust. And in the Hebrews
the Apostle says there, for by one offering he hath perfected
forever all them that are sanctified. Who are the sanctified ones?
Chosen by the Father. sanctified by the Holy Ghost,
brought to live in faith in Jesus Christ, brought to trust in his
precious blood and righteousness. If ever my poor soul be saved,
it is Christ must be the way who gave himself for us, that
he might redeem us from all iniquity. I understand that Stephen Charnock, I was reading
him, and this different names there are for iniquity and for
sin and for transgression. They're all different names.
But I understand that in the root of the, from the word iniquity,
it's actually referring to our indwelling sin, what is in our
nature. It dwells in us. And one of the
biggest trials to the living child of God is that indwelling
sin, that iniquity that is in us, in our nature. We're born
like it. Just like the Bible says, we're
born in sin, in iniquity. That's what it means, born in
sin, shapen in iniquity. And I understand the word iniquity
particularly refers to indwelling sin. But when Christ suffered
and bled and died, It was to redeem us from all iniquity.
Now the child of God carries to the grave this wicked, sinful
old man, this corrupt nature. It's one of the punishments,
and the apostle uses this as an illustration, one of the barbaric
punishments of the Romans if a man I don't know what sin it
was that would bring this, but they literally used to tie a
dead body to the man's back and he had to carry it wherever he
went. A dead, stinking corpse he had to carry all around wherever
he went. And the apostle uses that as an illustration that
the Christian believer carries about the old man of sin, which
is corrupt. carries it about all the time,
it's a heavy burden, it's a great weight, it's a stinking corpse
of sin and iniquity. But when he dies, that old man
is laid in the grave and it will rise in newness of life when
Christ comes a second time without sin unto salvation, the old man
is buried in the grave. The new man rises. He does. You know, you just think of those
beautiful words. I was speaking with our dear
Sistrina on the past day and I read it with her in the Thessalonians, how the
apostle in the fourth chapter For if we believe, this is 1
Thessalonians chapter 4, verse 14, for if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the
word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain under the
coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of the archangel with the trump of God and the dead
in Christ shall rise first then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air so shall we ever be with the Lord wherefore comfort
one another with these things they are written for our comfort
They are written for our consolation. In the 15th chapter of the first
epistle to the Corinthians, he speaks of this great day which
the church is looking for. He says in verse 50, Now this I say unto
your brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom
of God, neither does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold
I show you a mystery we shall not all sleep but we shall all
be changed in a moment in the twinkling light at the last trump
for the trumpets shall sound and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible and we shall be changed for this corruptible
must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality
so when this corruption shall have put on incorruption and
this mortal shall put on immortality then shall be brought to pass
the saying that is written death is swallowed up in victory oh
death where is thy sting oh grave where is thy victory the sting
of death is sin the strength of sin is the law but thanks
be to god which giveth us the victory through our lord Jesus
Christ, therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye
know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. For the grace of God that bringeth
salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying
ungodliness and worldliness We should live soberly, righteously
and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope
and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us
from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people,
zealous of good works. These things speak and exhort
and rebuke with all authority, let no man despise thee. May the Lord add his blessing
to these few remarks that we have made. Let us now sing together hymn
number 905. The tune is Ransom. 722. My heart by nature is a stone
and unconcerned can look upon eternal misery, feels no affection
for the Lord, takes no impression from his word, but lumpish is
and dry. Hymn 905. Tune Ransom 722. ? With the sun and the moon set
? ? Evermore the light of hope is on you ? ? With the sun and
the moon set ? ? God be with you, God be with
you, Jesus. I will take my life and undertake
the Saviour's count, the crown of ruthless strife. High, high the stem of Caesar's
tree, All hail, all hail, all hail, all hail, All hail, all
hail, all hail, all hail to God. My struggles will not bear the
load, The work is only big, O God, The work of heavenly grace. The Lord to God's created man
was created new again, and in the fallen rage Welcome to Him, I live by eye. My guide, come, hear me when
I cry. And fill my heart with gladness. A heart will yield thy faith
and love, And stakes of joys lift her over, And can not be
conquered. What hope so rich in love and greed? Which is if Jesus softly
sleep, And on his birth can feast? A heart with faithful, great
and strong, And in it not like Tybalt, No, no, no, no, No, no,
no, no, No, no, no, no, No, no, no, no, No, no, no, no, No, no,
no, no, No, no, no, no, 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.