Let us commence our service this
afternoon by singing together hymn number 79. The tune is Blackwell
Hall, number 11. Behold what wondrous grace the
Father has bestowed on sinners of a mortal race, to call them
sons of God. Hymn number 79. O God, wondrous
grace! The Father has bestowed on sinners
of the mortal race, Jericho. of God. It's just that by its name, that
we should be unknown. The Jewish Lord knew not the
King's but everlasting Son. ? Hold us with ever giving ? ?
The great we must repay ? ? But when we see a stranger ? ? Which Thou behind Thou cast ?
? The host of light divine ? ?
May trials well endure ? ? For we are sons in Christ the made
? As pure as He is pure. If He were not the star I shall
not fear your power, Send on my spirit like a dove, To treasure
all my love. We would no longer lie like saints
before thy throne. Let us read. together from the Holy Word of
God in Paul's epistle to the Colossians and at chapter one. Colossians chapter one. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ
by the will of God, and Timotheus, our brother, to the saints and
faithful brethren in Christ, which are at Colossae. Grace
be unto you, and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus
Christ. We give thanks to God and the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since
we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which
he have to all the saints. for the hope which is laid up
for you in heaven whereof ye heard before in the word of the
truth of the gospel which has come unto you as it is in all
the world and bringeth forth fruit as it doth also in you
since the day we heard of it and knew the grace of God in
truth as ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellow servant who is
for you a faithful minister of Christ, who also declared unto
us your love in the Spirit. For this cause, we also, since
the day we heard of it, do not cease to pray for you and to
desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will
in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that you might walk worthy of
the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work and
increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all might
according to his glorious power unto all patience and long-suffering
with joyfulness, giving thanks unto the Father which hath made
us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in
light, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and
has translated us into the kingdom of his dear son, in whom we have
redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins,
who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature,
for by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are
in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers, all things were created by him
and for him. And he is before all things,
and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body,
the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased
the Father that in him should all fullness dwell, and having
made peace through the blood of his cross by him to reconcile
all things unto himself. By him I say, whether they be
things in earth or things in heaven. And you that were sometime
alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now
hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to
present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight.
If ye continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and be
not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have
heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under
heaven, whereof I, Paul, am made a minister, who now rejoice in
my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the
afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for his body's sake, which is
the church, whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensation
of God, which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of
God, even the mystery which has been hid from ages and from generations,
but now is made manifest to his saints, to whom God would make
known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the
Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory, whom
we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all
wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus,
whereunto I also labor striving according to his working, which
worketh in me mightily. May the Lord bless that portion
of his own precious word, grant unto us a spirit of real prayer. Almighty, most merciful and eternal
God, all we do desire, most gracious Lord, grace to bow before thee. Grace to pray, grace to worship
thee. And dear Lord Jesus, all grace
is in thee. And we thank thee that thou art
full of grace and truth. And we bless thee for those lovely
words, and he giveth more grace. For Lord, we continually feel
to need more grace. Oh, we pray to be led and taught
and guided and directed by thy spirit this afternoon. and that
thy word may be open to our heart and to our understanding, and
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 with us, that we may feel thy presence. We've sung together,
O Lord, of being sons, and we pray that we may have that realization
that we do have a heavenly Father, and that he has loved us with
an everlasting love, a love that will never change, a love that
is almighty and eternal. Oh, we do pray, most gracious
Lord, that we may feel that love shed abroad in our hearts this
afternoon, that we may enter into those precious words, for
God has sent forth the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying,
Abba, Father, O that it may be so, and that we may truly feel
that we are indeed the sons of God, the sons and daughters of
the Lord God Almighty. Gracious God, we pray that thou
would pour upon us then that spirit of true worship. We come
as poor sinners, and we would indeed seek, O Lord, to confess
our sins. We come like thy servant Daniel
of old, Shame and confusion of face belongeth unto us as at
this day, for we have sinned. Sins against a holy God, sins
against his righteous laws, sins against his love, his blood,
sins immense as is the sea. Hide me, oh Gethsemane. Oh, we pray, most gracious Lord,
to be washed in that precious blood of the Lamb that cleanses
from all sin. We pray to be clothed upon with
that glorious everlasting robe of the righteousness of Jesus
Christ to cover our nakedness, that we may be presented sound
and whole in that tremendous day. And Lord Jesus, we can only
be sound and whole in Thee. We pray, most gracious Lord,
we may indeed feel the sanctifying love of the Father, the redeeming
love of the Son, and the precious inward teaching and power of
the Holy Ghost as we gather together around the Word of God this afternoon. We would especially thank thee
at this time of the year for the wonderful occasion of the
birth of Jesus Christ, the eternal Word that was made flesh, and
dwelt among us, and we pray that we may behold his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth, and of his fullness of all we received. And we pray
that it may be so here this afternoon that we may receive of the fullness
of Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray thy blessing, They
may rest upon us as a church and as a congregation. Remember
our brethren, the deacons, in all their responsibilities. Help
them, support them, sustain them. We do humbly pray thee. Help
us each to bear one another's burdens. Help us each to love
each other and serve each other. And grant, most gracious Lord,
thy sacred blessing in our assemblies. that we may be enabled to truly
say, I love to meet among them now, before thy gracious feet
to bow, though vilest of them all. Lord, how true it is. Hear, my best friends, my kindred
dwell. Hear, God, my Saviour reigns. Lord Jesus, we do thank thee
that all power is given unto thee in heaven and in earth.
We do thank Thee for what Thou hast done. Salvation is of Thee,
and it is in Thee, and by Thee, and through Thee. Lord Jesus, we thank Thee for
that wonderful act, in that Thou didst come to be a man upon earth,
and live as a man under the law, fulfilling and bringing in everlasting
righteousness, fulfilling that righteousness of the law, which
none of us can do, thou Lord Jesus has done. We do thank thee. We thank thee that thou didst
offer that perfect, holy sacrifice of Calvary, for by one offering
he hath perfected forever all them that are sanctified. We
do thank thee for that perfect sacrifice that acceptable sacrifice
and the putting away of sin and the reconciling of God unto poor
sinners in Jesus Christ our Lord. We do thank thee most gracious
Lord that thou didst die for our sins thou wast our sin bearer
and didst die for our sins and rose again for our justification
bring in light and immortality to light through the gospel for
he hath swallowed up death in victory. Oh the glorious hope,
mercy and grace that there is in Jesus Christ our Lord and
what he has done and what he has fulfilled and accomplished
on the behalf of his people. We thank thee that thou didst
ascend into heaven and open those pearly gates of heaven that thy
people may enter therein. He hath made a new and living
way into the holy place. We do thank thee that it's opened
a way whereby we can come to thee on the throne of grace and
we can, Lord, pray unto thee and call upon thy name. Our great
high priest who is passed into the heavens, we thank thee that
there is one there to receive our prayers. even our Lord Jesus
Christ. We thank Thee that He's touched
with the sympathy within. He knows our feeble frame. He
knows what sore temptations mean, for He has felt the same. O Lord,
we do thank Thee for every mercy of Thy kind providence, the tender
mercies of our God. Oh, we do thank Thee for them.
We pray that thou would bless, Lord, the whole of our congregation,
the little ones, the children. Bless them indeed. Bless them
with that rich grace that is in Christ Jesus. Bless the dear
young friends. Show them thy ways and teach
them thy paths. Open their hearts to receive
thy word. We do humbly beseech of thee
for thy great namesake. We do thank thee. most gracious
Lord for them. May there be a generation that
shall be raised up to call thee the Redeemer blessed and the
young friends on the threshold of life journey undertake for
them and bless them. Make a way where there seems
no way, bring them to the feet of Jesus to find him the only
Saviour, the only Redeemer, the one that is able to save to the
uttermost all that come unto God by him. And Lord, we do pray
that thou would graciously hear our entreaties, our cries for
the prodigals, that they may return, that we may see them,
that they will come into the sanctuary, and that we may rejoice
over them. We do humbly beseech thee that
we pray for that long patience to wait upon them, For 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. O Lord, we do thank Thee for
all Thy mercies, for all Thy great goodness that has passed
before us in the way. Bless all in the midst of the
journey of life. Give wisdom, guidance unto parents. and that help us to bring up
children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Lord, remember,
we do humbly pray thee the families as they gather together. And
we do pray for any and any trouble or trial or affliction or perplexity
or sorrow, all in the path of bereavement, that we pray that
thou would uphold and strengthen each one, but for thy great namesake. We pray for each one in the evening
time of life's journey, and we come to the last Sabbath of another
year of time. And, O Lord God, we do pray that
thou wouldst prepare me, gracious God, to stand before thy face,
that thy spirit must the work perform, for it is all of grace. In Christ's obedience clothed,
and wash me in his blood. So shall I lift my head with
joy among the sons of God. O gracious God, grant that it
may be so, that we may be graciously prepared. We pray, most gracious
Lord, that the glory, light and power of the gospel may shine
into this village. and that many precious souls
may yet be gathered in in the surrounding villages as well,
and that we may see the fulfilling of that wonderful promise, I
will bring thy sons from far and thy daughters from the ends
of the earth. O Lord of hosts, O God of Israel,
O thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth. Let
thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, the Son of Man, whom
thou madest strong for thyself, so will not we go back from thee. O Lord, we do pray that thou,
in thy precious mercy, would remember thy Zion, thy Zion in
its lowest day, as a great withholding of the Spirit's power. And we
do long to see the Spirit poured upon us from on high, We do long
for reviving, personal and collectively, and that we may grow in grace
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Oh,
do hear us, Lord, we humbly beseech thee, and have mercy upon us,
we pray thee. Remember all thy servants as
they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion. Set them
free, set them at liberty, bless the little hills of Zion, Grant
the settlement of pastorates, we do humbly pray thee. And we
pray that there may be a building up, there may be a renewing,
there may be a reviving, and we pray thee, the great Lord
of the harvest, to send true labourers into the harvest. Come
and touch one's lips with the live coal from off the heavenly
altar. We ask for Jesus Christ's sake,
Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 624 to the tune Didemata 77. The Lord Jehovah is our father
and our friend. Immortal majesty is his, nor
can his glory end. He guards his children well,
nor shall they starve for want. When they their needs unto him
tell, he'll answer their complaint. Hymn 624. ? To the place ? ? Of our Lord
and our friend ? ? In aught of majesty's name ? ? O come this
glory now ? Because his children well, God
shall bless the poor. O come, let us adore Him, O come,
let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Jesus Christ, your
light, your physical embrace, ? And the free races round yon
high ? ? Begotten sons of day ? This infant, at Thy birth, is
more than in distress, with strength and righteousness. ? The day in darkness falls ? ?
It is the Father's day ? ? And when it's too late ? ? It is
all over ? His children peace have blest,
With blood and faith with truth. He brings his wisdom, faith,
and wisdom to this land where he lives. ? To make the saints appear ? ?
And all their fathers sing his glory evermore ? ? To God the King's own side ?
? We'll make His goodness nigh ? Greatly. Feeling to need the Lord's gracious
help, I would direct your attention to the epistle to the Colossians,
chapter one, and we'll read verses 12 and 13 for our text. Colossians chapter one, verses
12 and 13. Giving thanks unto the Father,
which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light, who hath delivered us from the power of
darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear
Son. Giving thanks unto the Father. our eternal Father, full of love,
full of kindness, full of compassion. There is a tendency to fall into
that erroneous view of the Father as being holy and austere and
looking and scowling down upon the sons of men. Of course that
is a completely wrong view of the Eternal Father. He's full
of love. God so loved the world. God the
Father that is. He gave his only begotten Son. It's the eternal infinite love
of the Father that did that. He chose a people. Our Eternal
Father chose a people from the ruins of the Adam fall. He chose
them in Christ his son. And what infinite love, what
infinite mercy, what infinite grace that we see in the eternal father in his love. You know friends, it's right
to speak of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. But it's also
right to speak of the grace of our eternal Father. And it's
also right to speak of the grace of the Holy Spirit, the divine
person of the Holy Spirit. In the first epistle of Peter,
in the first chapter, in the introduction to that epistle,
the apostle Peter, by the inward teaching of the Spirit, he opens
up to us just a little of the wonderful grace of the Father,
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And you notice in verse two,
he says, elect according to the full knowledge of God the Father,
through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling
of the blood of Jesus Christ. You see how he beautifully joins
together, unites together, that the three persons of the Trinity,
that God the Son and God the Father and God the Holy Ghost
are all involved in our salvation, in our redemption. And he goes on there in verse
three, he says, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, which according to His, that's the Father, so according
to His abundant mercy, has begotten us again unto a lively, that's
a living hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
to an inheritance. You know, friends, we need to
look at these words and as to what they mean. What is an inheritance? It is something that is left
to you. It's not something that you can purchase. By its very
nature, it's given. And this is why that word is
used. Because salvation is not something
that you can purchase. A good hope is not something
that you can purchase. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
is not something that you can purchase. It's something that
is beyond our comprehension and beyond our ability to pay for. It's without money and without
price and that's exactly what that means. It is far too great. It's without money and without
price. But oh, what grace, isn't it?
What wonderful grace, what wonderful love, what wonderful power to
an inheritance incorruptible. It can never corrupt. Everything
about us and around us is corruptible. We are corruptible. We are corrupt
by our very nature. But everything here is given
to us by our Eternal Father is incorruptible. To an inheritance
incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved
in heaven for you. What a wonderful thought, isn't
it? Reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of
God, through faith, unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last
time. That when the child of God dies,
that they enter into a completely new life. It's an eternal life.
where there is no tears and no sorrow, no sadness, no pain,
no grief, but eternal peace and everlasting happiness and inheritance. And here in our text, in Colossians,
giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet, that
is, he has made us ready by his Spirit. by the wonderful work
of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. He has made us meet to be partakers
of the inheritance. Again, the same word, an inheritance. Partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light. You see, we were in darkness.
That's where we were by nature, but now we're in the light. Doesn't
the Apostle Paul, when he writes, I think it's to the Thessalonians,
he speaks of the being delivered and being brought from darkness
into light, the same as it does in our text, who have delivered
us from the power of darkness. That, of course, is Satan. He's
the prince of darkness in Holy Scripture. The prince of darkness. In Christ there's a deliverance
from that darkness. Delivered us from the power of
darkness. And hath translated us. There's
a translation. Just as you translate from one
language to another. So the Eternal Father hath translated
us. These things are attributed to
the Eternal Father. giving thanks unto the Father,
which hath made us meet, prepared us. What a wonderful thing, if
you and I are being prepared. You know that very well-known
hymn, Hymn 471, Prepare Me. You know that is the prayer of
a living soul, 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. There's another old hymn, it's
not in our book, now my God prepare my soul for that great day and
wash me in thy precious blood take all my sins away how vital
is that preparation work for eternity we often point out that
hell is a prepared place for an unprepared people Those that
reach hell, they're not prepared for it. They try to say it doesn't
exist, and that such a God does not exist. But of course they're
so wrong, my beloved friends. All the teaching of the word
of God is very clear. The wicked shall be turned into
hell, and all nations that forget God. It's very clear what the
word of God teaches us, isn't it? But there is a family on earth
whose father fills a throne. And though a seed of heavenly
birth to men, they're little known. You see, what we have here, friends,
is that exhortation for us to give thanks unto the Father. I sometimes fear that we're very
short in this. We don't concentrate enough on
this aspect of the truth. And here's the divine direction
that we have in the Word of God, giving thanks unto the Father. You know, again, the Lord Jesus
Christ in his teachings, when he teaches us in the Gospels,
he speaks of the Father and approaching the Father. He says whatsoever
you ask in my name, I will give it. So if Christ is speaking
and he says whatsoever you ask in my name, he's speaking of
the eternal father. Whatsoever you ask him in my
name. You see, these are the divine
directions that we have in the word of God from our Lord Jesus
Christ. It says in John 14, verse 23,
that Jesus answered and said unto him, if a man love me, he
will keep my words, and my Father will love him. And we will come
unto him. The we is the Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost, and we will come unto him. Because as we often
explain to you that we can only be a real true believer If the
Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts, and you can't separate the Father,
Son and Holy Ghost, these three are one. So the Holy Spirit dwelling in
the heart, and that's exactly what is meant here in this 23rd
verse of John 14. If a man loved me, he will keep
my words and my Father will love him. and we will come unto him
and make our abode with him. What a wonderful precious truth
that is, make our abode with him. What a precious thing when
the, like the apostle says in Romans chapter eight, for God
has sent forth the spirit of his son, that's the Holy Ghost,
into our hearts, crying, Abba, Perhaps it is with you like it
was with Anne Steele, in that lovely hymn, My God, My Father,
blissful name, O may I call thee mine. May I call thee mine. It's a wonderful, precious thing
to be able to do. It's the privilege of a child
of God to be able to do that. My Heavenly Father. You see, In the beginning of
that chapter 14 in John, the Lord Jesus in verse 8, 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 hath seen me hath 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. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also,
and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto
my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in
my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in
the Son. If ye shall ask anything In my
name, I will do it. I will do it. What a wonderful,
precious truth that is. In that same discourse of our
Lord Jesus Christ, in the 16th chapter, verse 27, for the Father
himself loveth you. Precious truth, isn't it? The
Father himself loveth you. It's a wonderful thing, my beloved
friends, when we experience the love of Christ, we also experience
the love of our eternal Father. And it's the Father that sent
the Son. The hymn writer says, doesn't
he, the Father sent the Son, the willing Son obeys. The Holy
Spirit ratifies. He witnesses in the heart that
this is so, that you're loved with an everlasting love. We
often quote that verse, don't we? It's a verse that has been
very special to me. Yea, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness
have I drawn thee. I believe that in a very clear
way that is the Father that is speaking there. You might say, why do you say
that? Well, in the John's Gospel, the Lord Jesus, he speaks that
none come except the Father draw. And then you compare that with
what we have in Jeremiah. I've loved thee with an everlasting
love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee. In another
place it says, I will draw thee with the cords of a man. And
that of course is the holy God man, the man Christ Jesus. When he's made so attractive
unto the soul, when the Holy Spirit worketh faith in the heart,
and a faith that worketh by love, and you feel an affection to
Jesus Christ, you feel a love to Jesus Christ. These things flow. from the blessings
of that eternal covenant, ordered in all things and sure, giving
thanks unto the Father, which has made us meet or suitable,
that's what it means, to be partakers. We have to be made meet or suitable. We have to be prepared. Prepared
by the Holy Ghost. Prepared. brought to know that
we're sinners, brought to know that we're undone, brought to
know our need of salvation. Those hungerings and thirstings
and the Lord Jesus, he says, blessed are they that hunger
and thirst after righteousness. Who is it that hungers and thirsts
after righteousness? Those that feel they're unrighteous.
They can't find it in themselves. The Pharisees don't. hunger and
thirst after righteousness. Why? Because they're righteous
already, they're self-righteous. But those truly born-again souls
who have been quickened, who have spiritual life, they hunger
and they thirst after righteousness because they can't find it in
themselves. It's something that greatly troubles
them because they're a sinner, because they're undone. Therefore
they hunger and thirst after righteousness, not their own
righteousness, but the righteousness of Jesus Christ. They hunger
and thirst after it, that they might be clothed upon with that
glorious everlasting robe of the righteousness of Christ because
I'm a sinner, because I'm undone. I need a righteousness to be
given to me because I have no righteousness of my own. giving thanks unto the Father
which hath made us meet, suitable, prepared us to be partakers of
the inheritance of the saints in life, prepared, made ready. Wonderful thing to be made ready. We thankfully, we do not see
many little children die in the day in which we live. We know
that little children do die. But if you look back in those
stories in the Victorian times, how many little children died
while they were little children. And yet there's a wonderful record
there of the Lord preparing them for eternity. They were brought
to feel their lost estate, They were brought to feel that they
were sinners. They were brought to feel that they were undone.
That they needed salvation. And it's the Holy Spirit that
prepared them for that. And then the Lord Jesus was revealed
unto them. And they loved him. They were
drawn to him. They felt a love to him. Precious
love of Christ was shed abroad in their hearts. They died in
sweet hope of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Oh, my beloved
friends, that we might be thankful for that wonderful grace that
was revealed even to little children. Giving thanks unto the Father,
which has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light. See, the saints dwell in light. God dwells in light inaccessible
unto which no man can approach unto. But you know, the saints,
they dwell in that eternal light, of eternal glory. My mind just
goes to the dear apostle, when he writes to the Thessalonians,
the apostle Paul, In that epistle, the first epistle to the Thessalonians
and in the chapter 5, he speaks there of this light and of those
that dwell in the light. He says there in the beginning
of chapter 5, For when they say peace and safety, then sudden
destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with
child, and they shall not escape. But ye brethren are not in darkness. What a wonderful thing that we're
not in darkness. Ye brethren are not in darkness
that that day should overtake you as a thief. He's speaking
of course here to Christian brethren, brethren and sisters in Christ.
You're all the children of light and the children of the day.
We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not
sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober. For they
that sleep, sleep in the night, and they that be drunken are
drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day,
be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and from helmet
the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us
to rot, but to attain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who
died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live
together with him. Wherefore, comfort yourselves
together and edify one another, even as also ye were exalted
to comfort one another, to edify one another. I think it's in
the Ephesians, the Apostle says, let your conversation always
be seasoned with salt. You know, sometimes our conversations
are very flippant. Let your conversations always
be seasoned with salt. May we indeed be sober, because
these are very sober things. What we're speaking of is eternal
realities. That we're either going to eternal
damnation or we're going to eternal glory to be with Christ, which
is far better. And what he's saying here is
if indeed we have been awakened, we're going to eternal glory,
then we're the children of the light, we've been enlightened.
Doesn't Christ say, The eyes of your understanding being enlightened. Or is it the apostle in the Ephesians
says that? The eyes of your understanding
being enlightened. Now, friends, have the eyes of
your understanding been enlightened? So that you now see things that
you never saw before. And you think about things that
you never used to think about. When it comes to eternity, heaven
and hell, and the word of God. You desire that light to shine
into your heart. There's a sense of darkness and
you feel to need light. There's a sense of bondage and
you feel to need liberty. There's a sense of being far
off but you feel the need to be made nigh. Now there was a
time when you didn't feel that. But now you do feel it. And that
is an encouraged thing if you do have those desires. after
righteousness. What a wonderful thing if we
are indeed quickened by the Spirit of God who hath delivered us. And he attributes this to the
Eternal Father who hath delivered us. What a wonderful thing. In the Corinthians, the dear
apostle, just like he says in that well-known scripture, in
Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 8, Jesus Christ the same yesterday
and today and forever, that threefold sense of past, present, and future. And when he writes to the Corinthians,
he says, who hath delivered us, who doth deliver us, and who
will yet deliver us. Again, that threefold sense of
time. He hath delivered us, He doth
deliver us, and He will yet deliver us. He's Jesus Christ the same
yesterday, and today, and forever. And as we often point out to
you in the Revelation when He speaks to John, that is Christ
speaking to John, I am He which is, and which was, and which
is to come, the Almighty. or that we may be given that
grace to meditate a little upon that wonderful grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that wonderful love of our Lord Jesus Christ
in coming to this sin-cursed world, made of a woman, made
under the law, that he might redeem them that are under the
law. You know, here in the epistles,
the dear apostle my mind it just goes to the Galatians, it's a
text that I often quote, Galatians chapter four, but it speaks of
us being the sons of God, the beginning of that chapter four
in Galatians. Now I say that the heir, as long
as he is a child, differs nothing from a servant, though he be
lord of all, but is under tutors and governors until the time
appointed of the father, Even so we, when we were children,
this is when we were, before we were called by grace, even
so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements
of the world. That's where every one of us
is. But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth
his son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them. that were under the law, that
we might receive the adoption of sons, to have that experimental
realization that we are indeed the sons and daughters of the
Lord God Almighty. And because we are sons, it's
a wonderful way that that is put, and because we are sons,
The children of God have been the children of God from all
eternity. When they were chosen by the
Father, and subsequently redeemed by the Son, they've been the
sons and daughters of the Lord God of Heaven from all eternity. And because you are sons, God
has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts. Crying, Abba Father, The spirit
of his son, of course, is the Holy Ghost. You'll notice it's
written with a capital S. Called in the Romans, the Spirit
of Christ. Wherefore, thou art no more a
servant, but a son. And if a son, then an heir of
God, through Christ. How be it then, when ye knew
not God, You did service unto them which by nature are no gods. He's speaking here to heathen
people. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather have
known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements,
whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage. But how beautifully
he speaks there of that liberty, that wonderful liberty of the
people of God. He does it again in Galatians
chapter 5. Stand fast therefore in the liberty
wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again
with the yoke of bondage. That's the law. Behold, I, Paul,
say unto you that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
For I testify again to every man that is circumcised that
he is a debtor to do the whole law. just the same as any other
man is. Christ is become of no effect
unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law, ye are
fallen from grace. But we, through the Spirit, as
the Holy Ghost, wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision
availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith that worketh by love. Faith that worketh by love. Do you have this faith? This
faith that works by love? Is it yours? This faith in Jesus
Christ? This faith that works by love,
that your affections are drawn to Christ? That's what it means
when it says faith that works by love. Faith isn't just some
cold intellectual principle. It's a divine, active grace of
the Spirit. It looks to Christ. It builds
on Christ. It longs for Christ. And in Christ,
they find a Heavenly Father. Surely, the meaning of those
beautiful words that are so well known to us, His name shall be
called Wonderful, Counselor, the Everlasting Father. You know,
we can only know the love and grace of our Eternal Father in
His Son, Jesus Christ, that is the divinely appointed way. To
know that grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of the
Father. It's a wonderful grace, giving
thanks and, oh, my desire, friends, for you is that you might, indeed,
your hearts may be so touched that there may be a giving thanks
unto your heavenly Father. giving thanks unto the Father.
We just sung in that hymn, it was something that drew me to
it. Not like slaves, but like free men. Not serving our eternal Father
as a slave, as though you're in bondage, but as at liberty. And that liberty is in Christ.
We just read in the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
he that hath the Son hath the Father also. There's a wonderful
oneness there between the Father and the Son, giving thanks unto
the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light, who hath delivered us from the power of
darkness. and has translated us into the
kingdom of his dear son. And then he speaks of the wonderful
benefits of being translated into the kingdom of his dear
son, in whom we have redemption. In his dear son, through his
blood, even the forgiveness of sins. How those two are so beautifully
joined together Redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness
of sins. It reminds us of the words of
David, doesn't it? In Psalm 130, but there is forgiveness
with thee, that thou mayest be feared, in whom we have redemption
through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. I always rather admire
the way that the dear apostle Paul In the Ephesians, he speaks
of this forgiveness of sins in the beginning of the epistle
to the Ephesians. Again, he joins together again
these wonderful truths. If you look in verse 3, blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
If you know the love of Christ shed abroad in your heart is
because you have a heavenly Father. He's blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. If your heart has been sweetly
softened under a sense of the mercy of God, you have a heavenly
Father who's loved you with an everlasting love. Oh, that our
hearts may be expanded to give thanks unto the Father for his
wonderful mercy. When we consider the birth of
his son and the bringing forth of light and life in the glorious
gospel of Jesus Christ, it's because you have a heavenly father,
it's because he loves you with an everlasting love, and therefore
he's drawn you to his son, Jesus Christ. As it says here in Ephesians
1, according as he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love. And he's speaking here of the
Father having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will,
to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made
us accept Our Eternal Father has made us accepted in the Beloved,
in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of
sins, according to the riches of his grace, wherein he hath
abounded toward us in all wisdom. You see, this is the grace and
love of the Father, all wisdom and prudence, having made known
unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure
which he has purposed in himself that in the dispensation of the
fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in
christ both which are in heaven and which are on earth even in
him in whom also we have obtained an inheritance you see May the
Lord so direct our hearts into the love of God, into the love
of God our Father, who sent his Son. We sung together this morning
in that hymn, the body prepared by the Father assumes, that sacred
body that prepared by the Father, and the Eternal Son assumes it
in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Again, linking together the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit, and their almighty work of grace, giving
thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet that is suitable
to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in life, who hath
delivered us from the power of darkness. Not just from darkness,
but from the power of darkness that of course is satan and his
power and his kingdom and and the children of god through jesus
christ are delivered from the power of darkness and have translated
us into the kingdom of his dear son may the lord add his blessing
to these few remarks that we have made Let us now sing together hymn
number 531. The tune is Rangeley 393. Beloved
of the Lord Most High, Let praises be your sweet employ. Ye sons of God, rejoice and sing
the honours of your Lord and King. Hymn 531. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. ? Holy Father ? ? Heaven and earth
? ? Are full of your glory ? ? And all of his joys ? ? Shall come
to thee ? Great God, with heart, all hail
thee, heaven with you proud. Whatever may your lot be done,
How you to miracles may come, Your heavenly Father is your
light, and he will guide your footsteps right. In every changing, changing world,
Jesus, by faith, is raised today. ? Help the weak sent and little
gone ? ? But take me to that place where I'm found. ? In every trying, in distress,
in poverty and prejudice, It thrills me now, first to hear
the call. By them we are, the sons of God. Let the ranger whisper that all
is with nature, i.e. love and pride. We must possess the real good
Since we are sons and daughters of God Dear Father, bless us with His
praise While traveling through this wilderness A strong ship still to keep him
pure and dark. 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.