Let us commence our service this
afternoon by singing together hymn 746, the tune is Salvatore
652. Jesus is our God and Saviour,
guide and counsellor and friend, bearing all our misbehaviour,
kind and loving to the end. Trust him, he will not deceive
us, though we hardly of him deem. He will never, never leave us,
nor will let us quite leave him. Hymn 746, tune Salvatore 652. Jesus is our God and Saviour,
guide and counsellor and friend. The rain on earth is behaviour, kind and loving to the end. Trust Him, He will forgive us. Alleluia! Alleluia! He will never, never leave us,
Nowhere else I'd be free. Nothing but the lifeblood of
Jesus can redeem us from our swamp. Nothing else can Nothing
else can melt the heart. Lonesome terrors do but harden. ? All the while they walk alone
? ? Not a sense of love or pardon ? ? There's peace out there,
out of stone ? Teach us by thy patience, Spirit,
How to hold and not despair. Let us bring in all thy merit, With soul, heart, with golden
prayer. Whatsoever afflictions cease
us, We shall cross them without fear. Happy day, we thank thus Jesus
for saking us this day and age. ? To thy covenant lead us ? ? To
thee, O God, in body, spirit ? ? O thou from the castles bestowed
? ? There was not a cross for us
? ? By thy crowns and crowns rehearsed ? ? By the Spirit in
our ears ? Let us read together from the Holy Word of God in the prophecy of Isaiah, chapters
62 and 63. Isaiah, chapters 62 and 63. For Zion's sake will I not hold
my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest. until the righteousness thereof
go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that
burneth. And the Gentiles shall see thy
righteousness, and all kings thy glory. And thou shalt be
called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.
Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem, in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more
be turned forsaken, neither shall thy land any more be turned desolate. But thou shalt be called Hepzibah,
and thy land Beulah. For the Lord delighteth in thee,
and thy land shall be married. For as a young man marrieth a
virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee. And as the bridegroom rejoiceth
over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. I have
set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never
hold their peace, day nor night. Ye that make mention of the Lord,
keep not silence, and give him no rest till he establish, until
he make Jerusalem praise in the earth. The Lord hath sworn by
his right hand and by the arm of his strength, surely I will
no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies, and the sons
of the stranger shall not drink thy wine for the which thou hast
laboured. But they that have gathered it
shall eat it, and praise the Lord. And they that have brought
it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness, go
through Go through the gates, prepare ye the way of the Lord,
cast up the highway, gather out the stones, lift up a standard
for the people. Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed
unto the end of the world, saying ye, say ye to the daughter of
Zion, behold, thy salvation cometh. Behold, his reward is with him,
and his work before him. and they shall call them the
holy people, the redeemed of the Lord. And thou shalt be called
sought out, a city not forsaken. Who is this that cometh from
Eden with dyed garments from Basra, this that is glorious
in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength?
I that speak in righteousness, mighty to say. Wherefore art
thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth
in the wine-fab? I have trodden the wine-press
alone, and of the people there was none with me. For I will
tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury, and
their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will
stain all my raiment, for the day of vengeance is in my heart. and the year of my redeemed is
come. I looked, and there was none to help, and I wondered
that there was none to uphold. Therefore, mine own arm brought
salvation unto me, and my fury upheld me. And I will tread down
the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and
I will bring down their strength to the earth. I will mention
the loving-kindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the
Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and
the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath
bestowed on them, according to his mercies, and according to
the multitude of his loving-kindnesses. For he said, Surely they are
my people, children that will not lie, So he was their saviour. In all their afflictions he was
afflicted and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love
and in his pity he redeemed them and he bared them and carried
them all the days of old. But they rebelled and vexed his
Holy Spirit. Therefore he was turned to be
their enemy and he fought against them. Then he remembered the
days of old, Moses and his people, saying, where is he that brought
them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? Where
is he that put his Holy Spirit within him, that led them by
the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the
water before them to make himself an everlasting name, that led
them through the deep as a horse in the wilderness that they should
not stumble? As a beast goeth down into the
valley, the Spirit of the Lord calls him to rest. So didst thou
lead thy people to make thyself a glorious name. Look down from
heaven, and behold, from the habitation of thy holiness and
of thy glory, where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding
of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? Doubtless Thou art our Father. Though Abraham be ignorant of
us, and Israel acknowledge us not, Thou, O Lord, art our Father,
our Redeemer. Thy name is from everlasting. O Lord, why dost Thou make us
to err from Thy ways, and harden our heart from Thy fear? Return
for thy servant's sake. The tribes of thine inheritance,
the people of thy holiness, have possessed it but a little while.
Our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary. We are thine. Thou never bearest rule over
them. They were not called by thy name. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word. and grant unto us a spirit of
real prayer. Almighty, most merciful, and
eternal God of heaven, we read of thee in thy word, thus saith
the high and lofty one that inhabited eternity, whose name is holy. We come to bow before thee, to
call upon thy great and thy holy name. We come and seek and hope
to find a portion for our soul. We come like that dear woman,
if I might but touch the hem of his garment, I shall be made
whole. We come to hear of Jesus Christ,
the only saviour of sinners. We come, Lord, to draw near to
him, to converse with him, we long to hear his voice and to
see his countenance. We long to enter, as the spouse
says, my beloved spake and said unto me, oh, we pray that thou
wouldst come and speak unto our souls here this afternoon as
we gather together in the sanctuary and grant 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. I
have read together in thy word, doubtless thou art our Father.
Gracious God, grant that confirmation here this afternoon that thou
indeed art our eternal Father in Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray
that thou wouldst grant us free access unto the Lord Jesus Christ. Thou hast said in thy word, let
us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may
obtain mercy and find grace to help in every time of need. Help us to come. We have a great
high priest who is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of
God. We come to thee, O Lord, in his
name. We plead his precious merits,
his blood, his righteousness. We come, Lord, because we have
no righteousness of our own. Indeed, O Lord, we are unrighteous
altogether. Oh, we come and seek that we
might hear thy voice and see thy countenance and that we might
truly worship in thy holy hill of Zion. We thank Thee for all Thy mercies.
We thank Thee for all Thy loving-kindnesses that have passed before us in
the way. The Lord will make His goodness pass before Thee in
the way. And Lord, here we raise our Ebenezer. Hither by Thy help we've come,
and we hope by Thy good pleasure safely to arrive at home overcome all our sins, all our
wanderings, all our doubts, all our fears, and graciously breathe
life and light and power into our hearts this afternoon. We have some clear views of our
Lord Jesus Christ, a sacred sense of his love and mercy in our
souls, some clear views of that holy life he lived, and the everlasting
righteousness that he has brought in for his people. May we have
some clear views of Calvary, where the lamb was slain, where
sin was put away. As we come together, Lord, we
pray for a thankful heart for our Lord Jesus Christ, for his
holy life, for his glorious sacrifice. We thank thee for his precious
blood, Oh, this is our only hope of salvation. We pray that we
may feel the power of that blood. We may have a realization that
the children of Israel did on the night of the Passover. When
I see the blood, I will pass over you. Gracious God. We pray that it may be so. and
that we may have a feeling sense of that union and communion with
thee, and something of what thou didst say in thy prayer here
upon earth, that they may be one with us, thou in me and I
in them. Oh, to know that oneness, that
union and communion with Jesus Christ, holy, Blessed Divine
Spirit of Truth, we pray for Thy heavenly power and Thy divine
unction that thou wouldst take of the things of Jesus and reveal
them unto us. We pray that we may know Him
in the power of His resurrection, in the fellowship of His sufferings.
We pray that we may have a view of the empty tomb, death swallowed
up in victory, the works of Satan destroyed. Gracious God, we thank
Thee that that is the divine reality that we see in our Lord
Jesus Christ. And that we pray that we may
view those heavenly gates open, even as the sweet psalmist, 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? O Lord Jesus, Thou art the King
of Glory. We thank Thee for those lovely
words and the reality of them. Yet have I set my King upon my
holy hill of Zion. Lord, we thank Thee that it is
so. And therefore, because we have
this great High Priest, we're able to come boldly unto the
throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and grace to help
in time of need. We pray that thou wouldst bless
us as a church and as a congregation and work mightily and powerfully
and effectually among us to the great glory of thy name. Oh,
we do pray that we might partake of that fullness that there is
in Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. And we pray that we may partake
of that fullness, that inexhaustible supply of grace. And Lord, truly
we can echo with the hymn writer, amazing grace, how sweet the
sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now
am found, was blind, But now I say, bless us as a church and
as a congregation. Remember those that are away
from us at this time. Graciously grant them a time
of rest and change, that they may be refreshed and strengthened.
But above all, grant them, Lord, that spiritual rest, the rest
of faith in Jesus Christ, and bring them home in peace and
safety at the appointed time. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that Thou in Thy precious mercy would remember our brethren,
the deacons, and give them wisdom and grace in all their responsibilities,
not only here but among the churches. May they draw from Thy fullness.
And that, Lord, we We pray for each one of our brethren and
sisters in church fellowship. And we pray, most gracious Lord,
help us to pray for each other, bear one another's burdens, thereby
fulfilling the law of Christ. Deliver us from the works of
Satan, who is the separator of the brethren. We pray for our
dear brother and sister that have moved to another cause,
Be with them and bless them where they are. We do humbly beseech
them. And, O Lord, we pray that thou
wouldst bless the little ones, the children, as they come into
the sanctuary. Bless them with the fear of the
Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. Bless the young friends
as they launch into life's journey. Watch over them, keep them, preserve
them, deliver them. We do humbly pray thee for thy
great name's sake. Bring them to living faith in
Jesus Christ, that they may follow thee and serve thee in their
day and in their generation, that we may see the fulfilling
of that word. Instead of thy fathers shall
be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.
Remember the prodigals and cause them to return and thy wonderful
grace to be seen in this. Lord, there is nothing too hard
for thee, nothing beyond thy power. We pray that we may see
precious souls gathered in from this village and the surrounding
villages and hamlets and farmsteads. Let thy work appear, let thy
power be known, let thy grace be seen. We do humbly beseech
thee. for thy great name's sake. Lord,
we pray that thou would remember parents and give wisdom and grace
in the bringing up of their children. Remember all in the midst of
the journey of life and undertake for each one. We do humbly beseech
of thee for thy great name's sake. We pray most gracious Lord that
thou in thy great mercy I wish to hear prayer for those
of us in the evening time of life's journey. Grant, Lord,
that gracious preparation for that time of our departure.
May we be ready. We do humbly beseech you. Remember
any and any particular trouble or trial or perplexity or sorrow
or sadness. or bereavement. Remember all
thy servants as they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls
of Zion today. Remember them, O Lord, and pour
forth thy blessed Spirit, and grant it all of utterance, and
the Spirit of power and mighty signs and wonders to follow the
preaching of the Word. And that which is sown in weakness
may it be raised in strength, we do humbly beseech of thee.
Lord, we pray to be led of the Spirit of God, for as many as
are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Oh,
to be led and to be guided and to be directed by thee, we do
humbly beseech of thee. May they be those, O Lord, constrained
to follow thee in thy ways. Then shall I tell to sinners
round what a dear Saviour I have found, and point to thy redeeming
blood, and say, Behold the way to God. O do hear us, Lord, we
humbly beseech thee, and come and bless us here this afternoon,
and come and open thy word to our heart and to our understanding. and grant that we may delve into
the deep that couches beneath in thy word for thy great namesake. Come and touch one's lips with
a live coal from off the heavenly altar. Grant thee spirit of power,
we ask with the forgiveness of all sin, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 1131. The tune is Arizona 284. We have thy promise, gracious
Lord. Thou wilt beware thy people meet.
Oh, then fulfill thy gracious word and make our happiness complete. Hymn 1131. Tune Arizona 284. you. ? Thou wilt be ever near to me
? ? And fulfill my wishful truth ? ? And make the world a better
place ? ? My college dreams ? ? Teach me
those dreams ? ? Glory to heaven in the highest
? ? And to the Lord God Almighty ? ? In the shine of gracious grace ? ? Oh, sweet enjoyment of Thy love
? ? Oh, how beautiful shall Thee appear ? ? And shift Thy countenance
? ? God is love above ? ? He loves
my heart ? ? He takes care of me ? ? And cares for me ? ? We ask for love in every way
? ? If we shall find it there and we pray ? Give us, O Grace, the strength
with which to find our heaven within. ? Till death the anguish of this
? ? And every shame of more shall disappear ? ? We are one to Thee ? ? And to
Thee we sing ? ? We are one to Thee ? ? And to Thee we sing ? ? We are one
to Thee ? Right. Feeling to need the Lord's gracious
help, I would direct your attention to Isaiah chapter 63 and verses
15 and 16. The prophecy of Isaiah
chapter 63 verses 15 and 16. Look down from heaven. and behold from the habitation
of thy holiness and of thy glory, where is thy zeal and thy strength,
the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? Are
they restrained? Doubtless thou art our Father,
though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us
not. O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer. Thy name is from everlasting. This is the longing of the church
for the Lord's appearing in the church. And the prayer, look
down from heaven. and behold from the habitation
of thy holiness and thy glory. And this longing to see the Lord's
work, we read in another place, let thy work appear unto thy
servants and thy glory unto their children. And that is the desire,
I believe, of the true child of God, the longing to let the
Lord's work appear, let his power be known Let His grace be seen
in the sanctuary. And where is thy zeal? You see,
friends, it's not our work. What he says here to the Lord
is, where is thy zeal and thy strength? Not our zeal, not our
strength. Where is thy zeal and thy strength? This is to put things the right
way round. that we might see the Lord's
work and the Lord's power and the Lord's grace made manifest
in the church. Signs to follow the preaching
of the word. Look down from heaven and behold
from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory where is thy
zeal and thy strength and the sounding of thy bowels and of
thy mercies toward me. Are they restrained? There was
a sense of doubt. There was a sense of desolation. There was a sense of desertion.
Are they restrained? Look down. What a prayer, isn't
it? What a longing, you know, in
the first part of this chapter, the first six verses, we have
a revelation of Jesus Christ when he comes to judge the world
in righteousness. I've heard it interpreted otherwise,
but I cannot agree. Some would interpret it when
Christ came the first time to suffer, bleed and die for his
people. And they would say, wherefore
art thou ready in thine own power of blood? And they would interpret
it as being the precious blood of Christ. And I have trodden the winepress
alone and they would say, well, that's the Lord Jesus Christ
redeeming his people. If we look more closely, at this
and you will see it's Christ coming a second time, not the
first time. First time he came, he was the
man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. The second time he comes, he
comes in power and in great glory to judge the world in righteousness
who is this that cometh from Eden. with dyed garments from
Bosra. This that is glorious in his
apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength. I that speak
in righteousness mighty to say, as Christ himself. When he comes
a second time, the very first act of Christ is to send his
angels to the four corners of the earth. and to gather his people. He
comes in the greatness of his power. But in this second coming
he says, I have trodden the wine-place alone and of the people there
was none with me. For I will tread them in mine
anger and trample them in my fury and their blood shall be
sprinkled. This is the blood, this is the
blood of his enemies and their blood shall be sprinkled. upon
my garments, and I will stain all my raiment for the day of vengeance. It's
Christ's second coming. When Christ came the first time,
it was to redeem, it was to deliver. When he comes a second time,
it is the end of the world and the day of judgment, for the
day of vengeance is in mine heart and the year of my redeemed."
That's all those whom he redeemed on his first coming to this earth. He redeemed a people. He delivered
them from the curse, from the power and dominion of sin. And it says here, and I looked
and there was none to help. And I wonder that there was none
to uphold. Again, just remember it's his
second coming. Therefore mine own arm brought
salvation unto me and my fury. You see, when he came the first
time, listen to his language on the cross. Father forgive
them, for they know not what they do. But when he comes a
second time, I will tread down the people
in mine anger and make them drunk in my fury and I will bring down
their strength to the earth. That's the second coming. I looked
and there was none to help. I wondered that there was none
to uphold. Therefore, mine own arm brought salvation unto me
and my fury it upheld me. Oh, that solemn day. Enoch, we just mentioned him
this morning, the man that found grace. I think he's called the
8th from Adam, that means the 8th generation from Adam. And it says in the epistle of
Jude, Enoch said, I beheld the Lord coming with ten thousands
of his saints and all his holy angels. You see, he had a view
of the second coming. of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus
Christ. And then in verse 7, it speaks
of the coming of Christ to redeem his people. I will mention the
loving-kindnesses of the Lord and the praises of the Lord according
to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us. And the great goodness
toward the house of Israel which he hath bestowed on them according
to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses."
It's a beautiful word, isn't it? Lovingkindnesses. It seems to convey the idea of
an abundance. Lovingkindnesses. Not just lovingkindness,
but lovingkindnesses. You think of the abundance of
the mercy that there is in Christ Jesus. The abundance of his goodness. and seek you first the kingdom
of heaven and my righteousness what abundance of righteousness
there is in Christ what abundance of redemption there is in Christ
it's like we spoke of this morning and he giveth more grace he gives
more grace he's full of grace and there's an abundance of grace
in him and here it's called the multitude of his loving kindnesses
I know the thoughts that I think towards you, thoughts of peace
and not of evil, to give you an expected end. I know the thoughts
that I think towards you." You see, he says here in verse 8,
for he said, surely they are my people, children that will
not lie. So, he was their saviour. You see, it says in Proverbs
8, my delights, this is Christ before the world began, my delights
were with the sons of men. From all eternity he loved his
people. Expressed in Jeremiah 31, yea,
I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness
have I drawn thee. And then in verse nine, in all
their afflictions, he was afflicted. And the angel of his presence
saved them. In his love and in his pity,
he redeemed them. And he bared them and carried
them all the days on. You see, his love and his pity. It was love that moved Christ. to come from heaven to earth.
It was love that moved the son of God to become a man and to
live under the law. It was love that moved him to be not with the rich and the
mighty but with Joseph and Mary and their humble dwelling at
Nazareth. It was love that moved him to be born in a stable. To
be laid in a manger. It was love. The love of Christ. He humbled himself. Became obedient
unto death. Notice the way it's worded. Death
had no hold on the person of Christ. Why? Because he was holy.
The wages of sin is death. He did no sin. Death had no hold
on Christ. When Christ suffered and bled
and died for his people, it was an absolutely voluntary act to
do that for his people. You see, in all their afflictions.
When he passed through his pilgrimage here below, it says in Hebrews,
doesn't it, he was tempted in all points like as we are, yet
without sin. in all their afflictions. He
was afflicted. That's the afflictions of his
people. And the angel of his presence. It's a very sacred
thing when we're in affliction. And affliction can have a very
broad meaning. It doesn't necessarily just mean
the literal afflictions of the body or of the mind. It can be
heavy trials, temptations that we pass through. The angel of his presence. What
a great thing, when we come to the end of ourselves, the end
of all hope in ourselves, when the Lord draws near, when he
grants his presence, you see, the angel of his presence saved
them. What a precious thing that is,
isn't it? The angel of his presence. Oh, that we might know more of
him. The angel of his presence saved them. In his love and in
his pity he redeemed them. And he bared them and carried
them all the days of old. You know, we can't cast stones at the children
of Israel, can we? It says here in verse 10, but
they rebel. One of the hymn writers, and
he puts it in a nutshell, rebellious, thou hast been and art rebellious
still. But since in love I took thee
in, my promise I'll fulfill. But they rebelled and vexed his
Holy Spirit. We have that word in Ephesians
chapter 4, grieve not. the Holy Spirit of promise, whereby
ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Grieve not. You know,
friends, if we grieve the Holy Spirit by the things that we
do, the hymn writer, he puts it in a nutshell. You know, all
our spiritual exercises and desires are from the divine work of the
Spirit in the heart. But if we grieve the Holy Spirit,
it no longer burns our love. Our faith and patience fail. This is true. Why? Because we
grieve the Holy Spirit of promise whereby you are sealed unto the
day of redemption. But they rebelled and vexed His
Holy Spirit. Therefore He was turned to be
the enemy and fought against them. Then he remembered. Then he remembered. The days
of old of Moses and his people. You see, and those wonderful
things that he did for the children of Israel, which are a spiritual
emblem of the children of God in the day in which we live in
being brought out of Egypt. The Lord sent Moses and he led
them out of Egypt into the wilderness. And this happens to every true
child of God. Every true child of God knows
what it is to be brought out. To be brought out. He brought
Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees. You see, he led them through
the Red Sea, led them through the deep. Now, we have our text, look down
from heaven and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and
of thy glory, where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding
of thy bowels and thy mercies toward me? Are they restrained?
This is the church pleading with the Lord, pleading with their
eternal Father. Whatsoever ye ask in my name,
It's the words of Christ. Who are we asking? Our Heavenly
Father. And He says, whatsoever ye ask
in my name, I will do it. He's our great High Priest. And we ask the Father. You know,
it says in our text, doubtless thou art our Father. It's a mercy,
you know, can really feel that he is our father, that he has
loved us with an everlasting love, that he has sent his son
to suffer, bleed and die for our sins, and to rise from the
dead and to swallow up death in victory. And he sends his
spirit into the heart, quickens the soul, makes them alive to
their lost condition, and shows them that Jesus is the way to
God. That's the work of the Holy Spirit. And to know that in Christ. That's what it means, you know,
here in Isaiah, where it gives names to Christ in chapter 9. Those beautiful names it gives
to Christ. One of them is the Everlasting
Father. What that means of course, it's
in Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6. For unto us a child is born,
that's Christ. Unto us a son is given and the
government shall be upon his shoulder. And his name shall
be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. The Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. But by me. What a wonderful salvation
that is, isn't it? And his name shall be called
Wonderful. Counsellor, the Mighty God, the
Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. we can only know the
Father's love in the Son. There is one mediator between
God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave his life of ransom for
all to be testified in due time. And of the increase of his government,
this is the government of Christ, and peace, there shall be no
end. Upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order
it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from
henceforth even forever, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will
perform. And that has been performed in
the glorious person of our Lord Jesus Christ in coming to this
sinful earth, living his holy, pure, and spotless life, fulfilling
and honoring and magnifying God's holy, righteous law, and thereby
bringing in everlasting righteousness. Noah received a righteousness
by faith. So did Abraham. So do all the
people of God. Doubtless, thou art our Father,
though Abraham be ignorant of us. What I believe this means, is the Christian Church. Doubtless, thou art our Father,
though Abraham be ignorant of us, And Israel acknowledges not. The Jews, even today, do not
acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ. They do not acknowledge that
He's the Son of God. They crucified Him because they
said He made Himself the Son of God. And even now, the Jews are enemies
of truth and of Christianity. Doubtless thou art our father,
though Abraham be ignorant of us. And Israel, acknowledge us
not. Israel, of course, is that name
that was given to Jacob at the Brook Jabbok, when the Lord met
with him and wrestled with him. And he wrestled, and the Lord
wrestled with him. I will not let thee go, said
Jacob, until thou bless me. You see, my beloved friends,
These things are written for our instruction. And after that
he was called Israel. Jacob's name was changed. No
more we called Jacob, but Israel. For as a prince hast thou prevailed
with God. So he's now called a prince. It's a word spoken by Christ.
The kingdom of heaven suffered violence and the violent take
it by force. Look at the illustration, there
is that in Jacob. He wrestled. He prevailed. The angel that he speaks of is
Christ. The angel wrestled with him.
Brought him down to nothing, tucks a hollow in his thigh.
He was called a prince. He prevailed. Abraham, though
Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not, Thou,
O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer. Thy name is from everlasting. Our Father. Doesn't the Lord
Jesus Christ in his teachings, he teaches us to pray. Our Father,
which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come,
thy will be done, In earth as it is in heaven, give us this
day our daily bread. You see, our Father. It's a wonderful, precious thing.
It's a privilege of the true people of God. They have a heavenly
Father. He sits on no precarious throne,
nor borrows leave to be. In John chapter 16, the Lord
Jesus says, for the Father himself, Loveth you. Father himself loveth
you. It's a wonderful truth, you know.
I always marvel at the, in John 17, how the precious doctrine
of truth is set before us there. Right from the beginning of that
prayer, Father, the hour has come. This is Christ praying
to his Holy Father. Father, the hour has come. Glorify
thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee. As thou hast given him power
over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many
as thou hast given him. Look at the sacred doctrine of
truth. Doubtless thou art our Father.
And this is life eternal that they might know thee the only
true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. He goes on in
this prayer. He says some very sacred things.
Neither, verse 20, neither pray I for these alone but for them
also which shall believe on me through their word, that they
all may be one. As thou, Father, art in me, and
I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world
may believe that thou hast sent me. Precious truth, isn't it? Thou, Father, art in me, and
I in thee, that they also may be one in us. Father, verse 24, Father, I will
that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am
that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for
thou lovest me before the foundation of the world. You know the dear
apostle, he speaks in the epistle to the Romans, chapter 8, and
also he speaks in the epistle to the Galatians, very similar
things. He says in Romans 8, verse 14, for as many as are
led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. They are
the sons of God. If you're a son or a daughter,
you have a father, an eternal father. For as many as are led
by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For we have
not received the spirit of a bondage again to fear, but we have received
the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, father the spirit
itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children
of god and if children then heirs heirs of god and joint heirs
with christ if so be that we suffer with him that we may be
also glorified together think of those precious words in john
chapter 14 I go to prepare a place for you. He says, let not your heart be
troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's
house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. A place where the father is.
A place where the father dwells. In his presence, I go to prepare
a place for you. That where I am, there ye may
be also. What a wonderful, precious truth,
isn't it? Doubtless. Thou art our Father. Though Abraham be ignorant of
us, and Israel acknowledge us not, Thou, O Lord, art our Father,
our Redeemer. Thy name is from everlasting. It's called the everlasting Father,
isn't it? My name is from everlasting.
Christ always has been from all eternity and always will be to
all eternity. That is why it's called the only
begotten Son of the Father. The term only begotten He wasn't
created. He's of the same nature as the
Father. The Father is from everlasting,
so is the Son. And they're two everlasting.
And that is why He says in Jeremiah, Yea, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love. That love is in Christ. The love
of the Father that we experience is in Christ. Doubtless, Thou art our Father. Though Abraham be ignorant of
us and Israel acknowledge us not, Thou, O Lord, art our Father,
our Redeemer. And there's a marginal reference
and it says, Our Redeemer from everlasting is Thy Name. From everlasting. Jesus Christ,
the same yesterday, from everlasting. And today. And forever. It's an eternal love. It's an
unchanging love. It's an infinite love. It's an
almighty love. The love of God to His people.
Doubtless, thou art our Father. Oh, my beloved friends, these
precious truths are set before us in the Word of God for our
instruction. They are for our instruction. It says in the chapter 64 in
verse 8, but now, O Lord, thou art our Father. We are the clay,
and thou our potter, and we are all the work of thine hand. We are the work of thy hand.
What a precious, sacred thing when we feel and experience that
love of our eternal Father. Perfect love casteth out fear. There's no fear in love. When
the love of Christ is shed abroad in our heart, there's no fear
of our Eternal Father because He's in Christ. We're in Christ and therefore
in the Father. I in them and they in me. And
there's no fear. It's peace, perfect peace. Peace, perfect peace, is then
experienced in the heart, doubtless. Thou art our Father, though Abraham
be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not. Thou, O Lord,
art our Father, our Redeemer, and thy name is from everlasting. You know the Lord Jesus Christ,
He speaks to his disciples on this very point, doesn't he?
In John 14, Thomas saith unto him, this is verse 5, Lord, we
know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the way?
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If he had known me,
he should have known my Father also. And from henceforth ye
know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord,
show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have
I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me,
Philip? He that has seen me has seen
the Father. And how sayest thou then, Show
us the Father? Believest thou not that I am
in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak
unto you I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth
in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father
and the Father in me or else believe me for the very works
sake. Look down from heaven and behold
from the habitation of thy holiness and thy glory, where is thy zeal? and thy strength, the sounding
of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me, are they restrained?
Doubtless thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of
us, and Israel acknowledge us not. Thou, O Lord, art our Father,
our Redeemer. Thy name is from everlasting. May the Lord add his blessing
to these few remarks that we have made. Let us now sing together hymn
number 1144. The tune is Lux EI, 896. I'll read the first two verses. We'll commence singing at the
third verse. Savior, visit thy plantation. Grant us, Lord, a
gracious reign. All will come to desolation unless
thou return again. keep no longer at a distance,
shine upon us from on high, lest for want of thine assistance
every plant should droop and die. Surely, once thy garden
flourished, every part looked gay and green. Then thy word
our spirits nourished, happy seasons we have seen. But a drought
has since succeeded, and a sad decline we see. Lord, thy help
is greatly needed. can only come from Thee. Hymn number 1144, singing from
verse 3 to the end, tune Lux Ioi, 896. ? Oh, say can you see by the dawn's
early light ? ? What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last
gleaming? ? Silent night, all is calm, Silent
night, all is calm, Some on a swing, they're all
blighted, That's the signal, be patient. ? Younger, bouncer, bright, and
pleasant ? ? Cometh he with us concerned ? ? Bound by causal
trade and present ? Cross hath kept them in the path. Dearest Savior, hasten with us,
O come take them in again. Thy comforter not to weather,
let not all our hopes be vain. Let our mutual love be fervent,
Make us prevalent in prayer. Let each one's fame or each other Shun the world in which it stands. Make the tempter's fatal power
The most stony of two thorns. 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.