mistakenly gave out this morning
that there was a prayer meeting on Tuesday but there is no prayer
meeting on Tuesday as it is Mattfield anniversary services when Mr. Timothy Paris is preaching at
3.30 and 6.30. Let us commence our service this
afternoon by singing together hymn number 136 the tune is Dale
Hurst 124 Dear refuge of my weary soul,
On thee when sorrows rise, On thee when waves of trouble roll,
My fainting hope relies. When the future of my weary soul,
Lonely when sorrows bow, On thee when waves of trouble
rock, By fainting hope in us. ? To thee I tell it's rising rain
? ? Lord of all, Lord God still ? ? Thy Word can bring us peace
? ? Willing for every day ? Rain I hear. Water when gloomy clouds prevail,
I fear to call divine. The springs of comfort seem to
fail, And, O my heart, delay. Yet gracious God-man,
Shall I flee, Thou art my only choice. And still my soul will cling
to Thee, The prostrate in the house. Hast Thou not with Thee seen
Thy face? And shall Thou seek Him late? Hear our sovereign praise, Feed
them when they come late. Lord shield the ear of suffering
grace, that in tumult would spread. Her may I ever find in vastness,
? Can bring my sorrows down ? ? Thine mercy safe is open still ? ?
Here let my soul retreat ? Let us read together from the holy
word of God in the book of Genesis and chapter
24. Genesis chapter 24 will commence
a reading at verse 32. In the beginning of this chapter,
Abraham sends his servant to his brethren. to get a wife for
Isaac, his son. And the man came into the house,
and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for
the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men's feet
that were with him. And there was set meat before
him to eat. And he said, I will not eat until
I have told mine errand And he said, speak on. And he said,
I am Abraham's servant, and the Lord hath blessed my master greatly,
and he has become great. And he hath given him flocks
and herds and silver and gold and men's servants and maidservants
and camels and asses. And Sarah, my master's wife,
bear a son to my master when he was old. and unto him hath
he given all that he hath. And my master made me swear,
saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of
the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell, but thou shalt go unto
my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto
my son. And I said unto my master, Peradventure
the woman, will not follow me. And he said unto me, The Lord,
before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper
thy way. And thou shalt take a wife for
my son of my kindred, and of my father's house. Then shalt
thou be clear of this oath, when thou comest to my kindred, and
if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath.
When I came this day unto the well, and said, O Lord God of
my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go,
behold, I stand by the well of water, and it shall come to pass
that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her,
give me, I pray thee a little water of thy pitcher to drink.
And she say to me, both drink thou, and I will also draw for
thy camels. Let the same be the woman whom
the Lord hath appointed out for my master's son. And before I
had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebecca came forth with
her pitcher on her shoulder, And she went down unto the well,
and drew water. And I said unto her, Give me
drink, I pray thee. And she made haste, and let down
her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give
thy camel's drink also. So I drank, and she made the
camel's drink also. And I asked her, and said, Whose
daughter art thou? And she said, the daughter of
Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Melchah bear unto him. And I put the
earring on her face and the bracelets upon her hands. And I bowed down
my head and worshipped the Lord and blessed the Lord God of my
master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my
master's brother's daughter unto his son. And now, if ye will
deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me, and if not,
tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.' Then
Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from
the Lord. We cannot speak unto thee bad
or good. Behold, Rebecca is before thee,
take her and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as
the Lord hath spoken. And it came to pass that when
Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshipped the Lord,
bowing himself to the earth. And the servant brought forth
jewels of silver, and jewels of gold and raiment, and gave
them to Rebecca. He gave also to her brother and
to her mother precious things. And they did eat and drink, he
and the men that were with him, and tarried all night. And they
rose up in the morning, and he said, send me away unto my master
and her brother and her mother, said let the damsel abide with
us a few days at the least ten after that she shall go and he
said unto them hinder me not seeing the lord hath prospered
my way send me away that i may go to my master and they said
we will call the damsel and inquire at her mouth And they called
Rebekah and said unto her, will thou go with this man? And she
said, I will go. And they sent away Rebekah, their
sister and her nurse, and Abraham's servant and his men. And they
blessed Rebekah and said unto her, thou art our sister, be
thou the mother of thousands of millions. and let thy seed
possess the gate of those which hate them. And Rebekah arose
and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels and followed
the man. And the servant took Rebekah
and went his way. And Isaac came from the way of
the well of Hoiroi, for he dwelt in the south country. And Isaac
went out to meditate in the field at the eventide. And he lifted
up his eyes, and saw, and behold, the camels were coming. And Rebekah
lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off
the camel. For she had said unto the servant,
What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And
the servant had said, It is my master, Therefore she took a
veil and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all
things that he had done. And Isaac brought her into his
mother's Sarah's tent and took Rebekah. And she became his wife
and he loved her. And Isaac was comforted after
his mother's death. May the Lord bless that reading.
of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real
prayer. Almighty, most merciful and eternal
God of heaven, do solemnize our hearts as we come together around
thy word. Do 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 as
we gather round thy word. How we need our triune Jehovah,
how we need our Lord Jesus Christ, his precious blood, his glorious
righteousness, how we need the glorious person and power of
the Holy Ghost to seal the truth into our hearts, and to work
faith in us, to lay hold of Jesus Christ, and how we need the power
of our Heavenly Father. For none come except the Father
draw. Oh, to know that sweet drawing,
and to lay hold of that hope that is set before us in the
Gospel. Come and work in our hearts. Come and draw us to thyself. Help us to look to Jesus. Help
us to lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily
beset us, and that we might run with patience the race that is
set before us, 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, and is now set down at the right
hand of the majesty of thy eye. Oh, we do pray that thou wouldst
fill our hearts with gratitude. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable
gift, that wonderful gift of Jesus Christ, that wonderful
gift of salvation in his precious name, the way, the truth, and
the light, the light of the world. Oh, we do thank thee for Jesus
Christ. We thank Thee for that holy life
He lived as a man here upon earth, fulfilling and honouring and
magnifying Thy holy law, and thereby bringing in everlasting
righteousness for His people. We do thank Thee for the cross
for Calvary, where the Lamb was slain, but where the sin of Thy
people was put away. And we thank Thee He died for
our sins and rose again for our justification, and now sitteth
at thy right hand. Oh, we do thank thee, most gracious
Lord, for the wonderful glories of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
sitteth king forever. We have a great high priest who
has risen from the dead, who has opened a new and living way
into the holy place and who now sits as our mediator. We think
of those wonderful gospel words, there is one God and one mediator
between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave his life
a ransom for all to be testified in due time. We do thank the
most gracious Lord for that glorious hope that is in him, and that
in him we know the love of our eternal Father, and through him
we receive the wonderful gift of the Holy Ghost. Lord Jesus,
thou art the very centre, the sum and the substance of all
our hopes and all our desires. Thou art the altogether lovely
one, the chiefest among ten thousand, and like Abraham's servant we
would bow ourselves to the earth and worship thee, the only true
God. We do pray that thou would bless
us as a church and as a congregation. Remember us for good and let
thy work appear, the work of thy grace, the power of thy spirit,
the sweet drawings of our eternal Father. May we witness them,
may we see them, may precious souls come, and tell to sinners
round what a dear Saviour they have found, and point to thy
redeeming blood, and say, Behold the way to God. O most gracious
Lord, we do pray that thou wouldst send out thy light and thy truth,
and return in thy power and in thy glory, as thou usest to be
in the sanctuary. We pray that thou wouldst work
mightily amongst We think of the little ones and the children
that are brought into the sanctuary. We lovingly commend them to thee
and to the word of thy grace, which is able to build them up,
to grant them an inheritance among them that are sanctified. We pray for the young friends
as they stand on the threshold of life's journey. We pray that
they may each be brought to live in vital faith in Jesus Christ
and become followers of thee. and of those who, through faith
and patience, inherit the promises. We think of our young friends
in all the paths of life's journey. Let us guide them and direct
them, whether it's to do with their education or whether it's
to do with employment and a partner in life's journey. Lord, we lovingly
commend them to Thee. We've read together in Thy word,
of thy wonderful guiding hand for a wife for thy servant Isaac
and thou didst hear the prayer of thy servant Abraham. We thank
thee that thou art indeed a prayer hearing and a prayer answering
God. We pray that thy word may be
a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Lord we seek that thou in thy
great mercy was graciously bless and undertake for parents and
give them wisdom and help to bring up their children in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord. And that we pray, most
gracious Lord, that we may not have those things that will stumble
our children, that will turn them aside from wisdom's way.
Oh, do hear us, Lord. We humbly beseech thee and deliver
us from the snares of the wicked one. from the power of Satan. We pray to be delivered from
the illuminance of this world, which has to death 10,000s hurled. Lord, we pray to be delivered
from the power and dominion of sin. Lord Jesus, thou alone are
able to do these things. And we pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou would remember each in the midst of the journey of
life and remember the prodigals and cause them to return and
to be in want. There's nothing too hard for
thee, Lord. None are beyond thy power, of
thy grace, of thy love and of thy mercy. 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, abundantly bless the provision of thy house
and satisfy her poor with bread we do humbly beseech of thee
for thy great name's sake. We pray most gracious God that
thou in thy great and precious mercy would remember each and
every one in all the various pathways in life's journey We
think of dear Ina at home and pray that they will strengthen
and help her in her great age and draw near to her in those
many hours of loneliness that she spends and grant thy blessing
in her soul. And that we pray for each one
of us in the evening time of life's journey that we may be
guided safely unto thy heavenly kingdom. kept by the power of
God through faith unto salvation. Remember, O Lord, this village,
and send out thy light and thy truth in this village and in
the surrounding villages and hamlets. Precious souls may be
gathered in. The word of the Lord distributed
may be richly blessed of thee, that it may be down to the honour
and glory and praise of thy great and holy name. Lord, we do pray. Thou in thy great mercy wouldst
heal us. Remember all thy servants as
they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion. Graciously
anoint them with that fresh anointing of the Spirit, that the word
preached may be in power in the Holy Ghost and with much assurance. O Lord, and grant that the Lord
Jesus may be exalted as a Prince and as a Saviour, for to give
faith and repentance and remission of sin. Gracious God, how dependent
we are upon thy grace. Oh, we humbly beseech thee to
have mercy upon us and to bless us. We pray, most gracious God,
that thou, the great Lord of the harvest, would send true
labourers into the harvest, and that thou would grant the settlement
of pastors among the churches, and that thou would rebuild and
renew and revive and replenish thys I am. O Lord, thou art able
to do abundantly more than we can even ask or think. Nothing
is beyond thy power. Thou art God over all and blessed
for evermore, and there is nothing too hard for thee. And thou hast
said, the cause that is too hard for thee, bring it unto me. Lord, enable us to do so. we
humbly beseech them and bless thy word and come now and open
the word of truth to our heart and to our understanding that
we ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together Hymn
number 796, to the tune Taunton, 607. When we pray, or when we
sing, or read, or speak, or hear, or do any holy thing, be this
our constant care. With a fixed and constant faith,
Jesus Christ to keep in view, trusting wholly in his death.
in all we ask or do. Hymn 796, tune Taunton 607. ? In the grave of every sin ? ?
Glory to speak the truth ? ? God who led me, now lead me ? ? In this your constant
care ? ? With a patient caution give ?
? Jesus Christ to be with you ? ? Trusting only in his death ? ? In all we ask for thee ? ? Holiness in all its worth ? ? Perfection's
grace and worth ? Self-abhorrence contrives us in pillaging of
life. Every virtue, every quest, Lord and Master, Name of goodness,
Perseverance in the rest, We draw from Jesus' hand. ? Lamb of God, in thee we trust
? ? All thy peace, love, and praise be to thee ? ? Thou art maker, true and just
? ? And the best to the end ? ? Where thy fruit shall blossom ? ? Where
thy fruit shall blossom ? ? Oh, for thy pleasure, thou and
I ? ? Christ, thy children, stand fast here ? ? When all these
men fail so ? greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the chapter
that we read, Genesis chapter 24, and we will read verse 58
for our text. The book of Genesis, chapter
24, verse 58. And they called Rebekah and said
unto her, Won't thou go with this man? And she said, I will
go. Wonderful as we read through
this narrative, how the Lord was so gracious unto his servant,
Abraham. He was now of great age, He would have been around about
140 years old when this happened. And Isaac would have been 40. And the Lord laid it in his heart
that his servant must go to his brother's house and fetch a wife
for his son, Isaac, Rebecca. And we've read it together, that
Abraham had said that if she wasn't willing to go that he
was free from that oath that he swore to Abraham to fetch
a wife for his son Isaac. What we mustn't lose sight of
is of course you look through the divine cause in the Word
of God and particularly let us think now of Abraham that when
Abraham was in Ur of the Chaldees, and the Lord called him out of
Ur of the Chaldees. It was a divine call to come
out from among his people. And the Lord is still doing that
today to his people. And we think of that word in
the Corinthians, and it says, come out from among them. That
is from among the world. come out from among them and
be ye separate, 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. That is a divine call. And these
divine calls come from God. They are His will and His purpose. And here in this instance, and
it is with each one of the Lord's people, it's a very personal
thing. The Lord speaks to his people personally, and he calls. It's the very basis of the Christian
gospel, how the Lord calls his people. We call it, do we not? It's a common term among us,
a call by grace. A call by grace. Abraham's was
a call by grace. And the Lord promised Abraham
that in thee and in thy seed shall all the nations of the
earth be blessed. Why did he say that to Abraham?
We actually read it when we were looking at Galatians this morning,
that divine call to Abraham. And all the nations of the earth
shall be blessed. Well, of course, the basis as
all the promises of God, because that was a promise given to Abraham,
all the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ Jesus. They
are fulfilled in Christ and they are divinely certain. The Lord's promises are sure
and they are certain and they are not subject to change. And
though Abraham was going to have an exceedingly great trial, 75 when he was called out of Ur
of the Chaldees and he was a hundred years old when he had Isaac,
that's the promised seed. See the wonderful purposes of
God in his own time, in his own way are fulfilled. In thy seed. shall all the nations
of the earth be blessed. Harriet to wait for Isaac. He
himself tried to fulfill the promise really at the behest
of Sarah his wife. She said go and lay with my maid
take my maid and have a child of my maid and that will be the
child of promise but of course that cannot stand before God.
God had decreed and purposed that Sarah was his wife and it
was of her seed that all the nations of the earth would be
blessed, Isaac. And the Lord, you know, there
was a time when Abraham, he more or less argued with God. He said,
let Ishmael live before me. Ishmael was the son of Hagar,
Sarah's maid. And it's not in the exact words,
but it's almost as if the Lord said, no, no. This must be in
the promise seed, not in what your flesh has produced, it's
the promise seed. And eventually, and it says to
us in the Hebrews, very clearly, very emphatically, that when
Isaac was to be born, it says that Abraham was as good as dead
and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. But it was the Lord's time. And however impossible things
look, those promises will be fulfilled. And most certainly
that promise was fulfilled. And she was with child. And we
read in that context there that Abraham believed God. And it
was counted unto him for righteousness. Now, for the fulfilling of that
promise, He had to wait 25 years. We read of those in the gospels.
You think of that man by the pool of Bethesda, and it says
very clearly, he was 38 years by the pool of Bethesda. But
what do we read? And Jesus came right where he
was. You see, the time had come. When
the Lord said to him, Rise up, take up thy bed and walk, and
he rose up. He'd been laying there for 38
years, and now he rose up. Wonderful miracle by our Lord
Jesus Christ. And the same with Abraham and
Sarah. A wonderful fulfilling of his
promise and of his word unto them. Be sure of it, friends,
if the Lord has given you a promise, he, in his own time, in his own
way, will perform that promise. The hymn writer says, doesn't
he, his purposes will ripen fast, unfold in every hour. And what's
it say? God moves in a mysterious way,
his wonders to perform. He plants his footsteps in the
sea and rides upon the storm. It's a mysterious way, and maybe
the path that you're walking at this present time, to you
it seems mysterious. But the Lord will fulfill his
word, his purposes, just as he did in giving Isaac unto Sarah
and Abraham, the promised seed. And now 40 years on from there,
and we read that Abraham, he was burdened and concerned that
the seed would continue. And so he sends his chief servant
Eliezer of Damascus, he sends him. He was obviously a very
faithful man and there's no doubt from what we read here, he was
a godly man. He was a man of prayer. He was. It's wonderful to read it, isn't
it? A man of prayer. Three times in his chapter he
bowed and worshipped the Lord. But the other thing here, in
this narrative is the Lord's guiding hand. And Abraham had
said to him, and we read it here together, how that the Lord would
guide him. And he said unto me, it says
in verse 40, he said unto me, the Lord before whom I walk,
this is Abraham, will send his angel with thee, and prosper
thy way. and thou shalt take a wife for
my son, of my kindred, and of my father's house. You see, he
knew that this was of the Lord, and he sent his servant to fulfill
what was the Lord's will. And then we see the signs, how
the Abraham's servant prayed in his heart that the Lord would
grant that the first damsel that came to the well would be the
one he was looking for. And he says, while I was yet
speaking. We read in the prophecy of Isaiah, while they're yet
speaking, I will hear them. While he was yet speaking, we
read in Daniel, and Daniel, he says, while I was yet speaking,
the Lord sent. You see, the Lord's people, the
Lord will appear in his time, in his way. he will appear it
is something that is divinely certain and he asked for this
sign that if this damsel would give him water and then draw
water his camels as well that this would be the one that he
was looking for and and we see how the Lord fulfilled that you
know friends it is not wrong to ask for a sign Gideon when
the Lord was sending him he asked for the fleece wet and he asked
for the fleece dry so that it was wet on all the ground with
dew and then when he asked it was just wet on the on the fleece
and that was a sign that the Lord gave him and the Lord heard
him and here with Abraham's servant the Lord heard his prayer and
it happened exactly as He'd asked in prayer. Whatsoever ye ask
in prayer, believe Him. You see, believe Him. You see,
asking in prayer. Whatsoever ye ask in my name,
I will do it. We don't ask it in our own name
and for our own benefit, we ask it in the Lord's name. And that
He would fulfill and do these things. And then we see here the willingness
of Rebecca to go with him. What a wonderful thing that is.
Now these things are very precious and very wonderful and very sacred. But I want to look at something
deeper than just the narrative because here all scripture is declaring the will of God and
the purposes of God, and there is a spiritual looking at this
narrative that is before us. So the man, Isaac, in this sense,
in the spiritual sense, is like Christ. He's like a type of Christ. And the question in our text
is, and they called Rebecca and said unto her, won't thou go
with this man? And she said, I will go, I will go. She was willing to go. And think
of the man Christ Jesus. We read several times in the
Hebrews, very beautiful language, but this man, but this man, that
is the man Christ Jesus. But this man, because he continueth
ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood, the man Christ Jesus. But this
man, will they go with this man? What a question, isn't it? To
follow the Lord Jesus Christ. We read in Psalm 110, thy people,
as the Lord's people, thy people shall be willing in the day of
thy power. And we see this with Rebecca.
She was willing. She was willing to leave her
family and to go with this man. Well, they'll go with this man.
My mind seemed much drawn when meditating here and thinking
of this word to the Lord's handmaiden, Ruth. Ruth the Marbitess, who
returned to or rather went to the land of Israel with her mother-in-law
Naomi. And just as much as Rebecca here
was called, because let us be clear, she was called, this call
was of God, so we find with Ruth the Moabitess. She followed her
mother-in-law back to the land of Israel. When her mother-in-law
tried to turn her back, she said, entreat me not to leave thee,
nor to return from following after me. For where thou dwellest,
I will dwell. Thy people, show me my people.
Thy God, my God. Where thou diest, I will die.
And when she saw that she was steadfastly minded, you see,
the Lord had put that in her heart. She loved her mother-in-law. I believe that she saw in Naomi
the grace of God. Naomi was a godly woman. And
Ruth saw that godliness. Her sister-in-law, Orpah, didn't
see that. She returned to the land of Moab. But Ruth clave unto her. She was steadfastly minded. She
wasn't going to be separated from her. And they came into
the land of Israel, into the town of Bethlehem, at the time
of barley harvest. And we know the narrative there. And Ruth speaking to her mother-in-law,
she said, let me go and glean in the field. And I thought so
much of that word that Naomi speaks to Ruth, go my daughter.
go my daughter, you see and that was a divine direction that the Lord used through her
mother-in-law that she should go and glean in the field and
it says her hap was to glean in the field belonging unto Babas
and that the word hap you see it means it's a shortened verse
and it happened but of course it was divinely purpose that
it should happen. The hymn writer says, it's Gatsby
isn't it, to Bower's field he led astray, see, and go not into
to glean in another field but keep fast by his maidens, he
spoke kindly to her, and the upshot was, my beloved friends,
is that she married him. This outsider, foreigner, she
was a Moabite, And this wealthy man, he was a mighty man of wealth,
she married him. See, the divine purposes of God
were fulfilled. Now, that desire that she had
in the land of Moab to follow with her mother-in-law was a
divine call. Ruth is in the lineage of Christ. She's the great-grandmother of
King David. from those origins where she
came from. Just like Abraham was called
out of Ur of the Chaldees, so Ruth was called out of the land
of Moab. That was a divine call that brought
her to Bethlehem. And that was divine leading that
led her to the field of Boaz and to Glean there and him to
deal so kindly with her. And then You see, my beloved
friends, how they were married together. What a wonderful thing
it is when we see these divine leadings in the Word of God,
and here with Isaac. The Lord prepared a wife. He loved her. He loved her. But, you know, there was a great
trial that came on. Isaac was 40 years old when she
came to him but the scriptures clearly reveal that it was 22
years before she had Jacob and Esau 22 years what a great trial
that must have been just as that great trial that Abraham had
waiting for the birth of Isaac and now Isaac had this great
trial waiting for a child through his wife Rebecca And they waited
22 years and then the Lord granted her twins you see my beloved
friends the the Lord's purposes will ripen fast and there's no
doubt that Abraham would have been washing too Because this
was the promised seed and he must have seen And what a trial
that must have been to Abraham as he watched. And Rebecca was
barren. But of course he'd been through
the same trial himself. But all this was divinely ordained
because the Lord he brings to pass his purposes, even though
sometimes they look impossible. And they called Rebecca and said
unto her, will they go with this man? And she said, I will go. And then you think of Naomi speaking
to Ruth, go my daughter. She was willing, go my daughter. Or that the Lord would grant
us that divine direction in the way that we should go. But this,
will they go with this man? Just let us think of the man
Christ Jesus. What they'll go with this man.
Who is this man? He's the holy God man. He's the
eternal son of the eternal father. He is the king of kings and he's
the lord of lords. And he himself said all power
is given unto me in heaven and in earth. power and he's speaking there to the
disciples when he said all power is given unto me in heaven and
in earth he says go ye therefore and preach the gospel among all
nations because I have all power in heaven and in earth and I
am with you fear not I am with you be not dismayed and I'm thy
God I will help them I will uphold them with the right hand of my
righteousness, he has all power. He will support you, he will
sustain you, just as he supported and sustained Abraham, just as
he supported and sustained Isaac. So the Lord was with them, and
he undertook for them, and he fulfilled his purposes in his
own time. But this question, Well, they'll
go with this man, the man Christ Jesus. The Redeemer. He that is able
to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him. Well,
they'll go with this man. He that is the altogether lovely
one. You know, the bond of the believer
with Christ is a bond of love. Eternal love. You know, we love
him because he first loved us. And that sacred bond between
the believer and Christ, it's a union of love. And the apostle
tells us in one of his epistles through faith, that work is by
love. Real faith works by love. And
that love is to Christ. And that love is to his people.
We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love
the brethren. But the principle thing is to
love Christ. David, he says in Psalm 116,
I love the Lord because he hath heard my voice, the voice of
my supplications. I love the Lord. So in Solomon's
song, it's a song of love. Again, In this song of love,
there are divine calls, just as Isaac was called, just as
Rebecca was called and Ruth was called, that these are divine
calls. It says in Solomon's Song, chapter
2, the voice of my beloved, behold he coming, leaping upon the mountains,
skipping upon the hills. What does he say? You read in
the first chapter of John's Gospel when he found Andrew and Peter
and he says, follow me. Matthew at the receipt of custom,
follow me. Follow me. Exactly the same in
Galilee with the Zebedee's children, John and James, follow me. It's the Lord Jesus Christ. It's
a divine call, follow me. He that will follow me, let him
deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. It doesn't promise
an easy journey, does it? Take up his cross and follow
me. When the Lord called Saul of
Tarsus on the road to Damascus And he was blinded, wasn't he,
for three days. And Christ spoke to him. And
then he sent Ananias to him in Damascus. And he says, show him
what great things he must suffer for my name's sake. Show him. You see, it's a divine call. You know, it says here in Solomon's
psalm, And chapter 2, verse 3, as the apple tree among the trees
of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons. Now, the person
speaking is the church, the spouse. And the beloved is Christ. So
is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with
great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. Oh, the
preciousness of Christ. the loveliness of Christ. He
brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me
was love. Stay me with flagons, comfort
me with apples, for I am sick of love. His left hand is under
my head. His right hand doth embrace me.
We often explain to you the meaning of these metaphorical languages. A left hand blessing is a providential
blessing. A right hand blessing is a spiritual
blessing. And when she says, his left hand
is under my head, supporting her, sustaining her in a providential
way. You see, just as he did with
Abraham's servant, supporting him, sustaining him, guiding
him, directing him, and fulfilling the signs that he asked to be
given. And the Lord does that with the people, his left hand
is under my head. It's always there. His right
hand. Now these right hand blessings,
these rich spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus, it's when His love and His grace is poured into your
heart, into your soul. And you feel the sweet peace
of God that passeth all understanding. When Christ is made exceedingly
precious to your soul, His right hand does embrace me. His love
to his people. He makes known his love. And
the Apostle speaks of it, doesn't he? For the love of Christ is
shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. Oh, what a wonderful
thing when the love of Christ is shed abroad in our hearts
by the Holy Ghost. And Christ becomes the altogether
lovely one. the chiefest among 10,000. She
goes on, the voice of my beloved. She heard his voice. Behold,
he cometh. She could hear him at a distance
before he got there. Behold, he cometh, leaping upon
the mountains, skipping upon the hills. You see, my beloved
is like a roe or a young harp. Behold, he standeth behind our
wall. He looketh forth at the window,
showing himself through the lattice. The lattice is the Word of God.
The lattice is the Word of God and how the Lord shows himself
in his Word. Perhaps if we're privately reading
and meditating in the Word of God and Christ becomes precious. You feel his presence. It's a
very wonderful thing when that happens and you see him Now,
equally, the lattice can mean the ministry of the word. When
the Lord's servant is preaching, it's made a living word in your
heart. And Christ becomes so precious
to your soul. You see, showing himself through
the lattice. It's a very sweet and sacred
thing. But, you see, my mind was much
drawn to Solomon's song in the fifth chapter, where there is
that lovely description. And this word that we have as
our text, will thou go with this man, this glorious holy God man? And the fellow believers, they
ask in verse nine of chapter five in Solomon's Song, what
is thy beloved more than another beloved? O thou fairest among
women, what is thy beloved more than another beloved? that thou
dost so charge us. And now there follows a beautiful,
the most sacred description of Christ. My beloved is white and
ruddy. My beloved is white and ruddy.
White represents purity, holiness, perfection. That's what Christ
is to the believer. purity, perfections, righteous. He's holy. My beloved is white. It's like we were speaking this
morning of the obedience of Christ and how he fulfilled and honoured
and magnified the law and he did so for his people, making
them righteous in his righteousness. And this is what the spouse sees
here in her beloved. White, pure, Holy, righteous,
the law fulfilled, honored and magnified in his glorious person. And of course Ruddy is red. It's
his precious blood. Doesn't the hymn writer say,
Jesus, thy blood and righteousness, my beauty are, my glorious dress. And this is what the spouse saw
in her beloved. Will thou go with this man? And
she said, I will go, I will go. One says, doesn't he, in another
place, I will go in the strength of the Lord God, I will speak
of thy righteousness even of thine only. My beloved is white
and ruddy. Oh, think of that perfect holy
obedience of Christ to the law, how he magnified the law, honored
it for his people on their behalf, in their room, in their place,
and in their stead. He offered that holy, pure, and
righteous sacrifice. You know, divine justice demanded
that the sacrifice offered had to be pure, had to be without
blemish. How it beautifully speaks of
the sacred purity and holiness of our Lord Jesus Christ. He
did no sin. Neither was guile found in his
mouth. The spotless, the holy one. My
beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among 10,000. Will thou
go with this man? What a question, isn't it? Will
thou go with this man? He's the chiefest among 10,000.
His head is as the most fine gold. Now that gold represents divinity
in this metaphorical language of Solomon's song. He's the Son
of God. He's declared to be the Son of
God with power. He has power to save. He has
power to redeem. He has power to deliver His people
in all circumstances. He has power to deliver them
from their sins, from the curse of the law, from the bondage
of sin and corruption. Won't they go with this man,
this glorious, holy God-man, who is the chiefest among 10,000
and his head is as the most fine gold? He's the Eternal Son of
the Eternal Father, manifest in the flesh. Will thou go with
this man? And she said, I will go. You see, thy people shall be
willing in the day of thy power. You see, it goes on in verse
12 in Solomon, Psalm 5, and it says, his eyes are as the eyes
of doves by the rivers of waters washed with milk. and fit his
head, his eyes. You know, especially for a couple
in love, you can tell a lot by looking into your eyes. You can
tell whether somebody's angry. You can tell whether it's a loving
look, a kind look, a compassionate look. You can see in the eyes. And in this lovely illustration
of Christ, His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of
water, washed with milk and fitly set. Just think, and I always
feel it's a wonderful explanation of this. Think of Peter. The Lord warned him that he would
deny him. And he said, I will go with thee
even unto death. And yet three times, within a very short space,
he denied his Lord and Master. The last time with oaths and
with curses. And we read this, at the last
denial, Jesus turned and looked upon him. And he went out and
he wept bitterly. You know, friends, that look
was a look of love, infinite love, eternal love, and it broke
his heart. He just denied his Lord and Master
with oaths and with curses. It broke his heart, that look
of love, his eyes. What a wonderful thing it is
when the Lord looks upon us. I remember an occasion when no
words were spoken and the Lord so blessed my soul. You see,
he looked and you felt his look, his eye was upon you and it melts
your heart. It's a look of love, it's a look
of divine compassion in the midst of all your troubles and all
your trials. And as I've often told you, that hymn that so expressed
the feelings of my heart at that time, I'm blessed, I'm blessed,
forever blessed. My rags are gone and I am dressed
in garments white as snow. His eyes are as the eyes of doves
by the rivers of waters washed with milk and fitly said, wilt
thou go with this man, this glorious, holy, loving, kind, compassionate
man? He is full of grace and truth,
full of love to man's lost race. Wilt thou go with this man? Wilt
thou follow him? Wilt thou deny thyself, take
up thy cross and follow him? Will you follow him In the sacred
ordinance of believers baptism But that he has divinely commanded
that we should follow him Well, they'll go with this man and
she said I will go It was a willingness to go and to follow the Lord
Jesus Christ You know the the baptistry represents the Sacred
grave of Christ It does indeed. And what the believer, when they're
baptized, and what they're professing, is that they believe that the
Lord Jesus Christ suffered and bled and died for their sins. And when the believer comes up
out of the baptistry, they're professing that he justified
them when he rose from the grave. That's what the profession is.
This is very clearly and beautifully set forth in Romans chapter six. And it speaks there so lovely
of the baptistry and of being baptized. And verse three, Romans
six, verse three. 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. You see,
what a wonderful picture that is. of the sacred work of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And they called Rebecca and said
unto her, well they'll go with this man. And she said, I will
go. Now the other thing that has
been divinely commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord's
Supper. this do in remembrance of me.
It's for those who've been born again, those who've been brought
to love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and in truth, and
he commands us, this do in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat
this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death
till he cometh. Wilt thou go with this man? You know, in the end, my beloved
friends, is eternal glory. He that hath begun a good work
in you shall perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ and the
end of this wonderful work of grace in the heart. Now, there
may be those of you that you feel backward in coming forward
and to speak. Just look at verse 56 here. And
he said unto them, when they sought him to stay longer, hinder
me not. Hinder me not. Seeing the Lord
had prospered my way, send me away that I may go to my master. Hinder me not. It's a lovely
hymn. I think it's in denim selection.
And the last verse is, the last line of each verse is, hinder
me not, my much loved friend. to follow the Lord in the way
of his holy ordinances and in the way that he is guiding you
and directing you. Oh, that the Lord would indeed
make you willing in the day of his power to follow him, even
our Lord Jesus Christ, not to be ashamed of him, but to follow
him and to profess his wonderful grace. and he's promised to be
with you. He's promised to supply all your
need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. What more can he say than to
you he has said, you who unto Jesus for refuge have fled? And they called Rebecca and said
unto her, wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. May the Lord add his blessing
to these few remarks. 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, tune Blessedness 301.
? This I know, this I know, this
I know ? Gave proof through the night
that our flag was still there Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave The way of the holy prophets
went, ? The God that is from punishment ? ? That keeps thy
way of holiness ? I'll go for the Christmas of peace. It is the way I know, I found it not, my Queen, my
Madame, Because I could not change, can't
change. ? The more I struggle against it
now ? ? My Savior's come, O God, my Lord ? ? Till then I know my Savior's
name ? ? Come, ye heavens, show my love the way ? How can I come when the helpless
man Shall take me to the place of triumph? Nothing but sin I think can be.
Nothing but love shall I receive. Then will I tell to sin and doubt
But that dear Saviour I have loved ? Have fallen to life ? ? Redeeming
with blood ? ? And standing beyond the grave ? 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.