The pastor will preach here next Lord's Day at 10.30 and 2 o'clock. Also on Thursday evening at 7 o'clock, there will be a prayer meeting here on Tuesday evening at 7 o'clock. There are two brochures on the table in the porch from the Bethesda Fund for the new flatlets at Swayvesey. and please take one if you would like, if you're interested.

Let us commence our services today by singing together hymn 636. The tune is Reuben 725.

The Sabbath was a day of rest, the day the Lord Jehovah blessed, a lively type of Christ. The labouring poor may venture here, The guilty banish all their fear, And lean on Jesus' breast.

The sun was a day of rest, a day the moon beheld,
? The great icon of Christ ?
? The laboring, foaming angel here ?
? The guilty, purring angel there ?
? Come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye, come ye

The poor at sea's hand will tell you still, The turn of the world there. The deepest end, the stress with which He enters in, shall rise forever. In thy gentle breast. Jesus, in Zion's holy rest, Life's happiness shall show the world The angel who lives in me This exchange of new experiences will stay with you forevermore. I made with my spirit. A precious person I seem to be,
? God's mercy will cleanse thee ?
? This richly treasured meal ?
? This day the Lord's life ?
How beautiful to drink the cup of heaven
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,
Alleluia, alleluia,
Alleluia, alleluia,
Heaven and earth stand again,
Lord of the strangers world.
Where Jesus laid my broken heart.
Forever I'll live in promise now,

Let us read together from the holy word of God in the book of Exodus and chapter 20. Exodus chapter 20.

And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them. For I am the Lord thy God.

For I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children. unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and show in mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Remember thee Sabbath day to keep it holy, Six days shalt thou labour, and all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. In it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day. Wherefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's.

And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. And when the people saw it, they removed and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, speak thou with us, and we will hear, but let not God speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not, for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold. And water of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep and thine oxen, in all places where I record my name, I will come unto thee and will bless thee. And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone, for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. Neither shalt thou go up by steps upon mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.

May the Lord bless the reading of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real prayer. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which is an art, an art to come, We desire to bow before thy glorious majesty, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. We desire a spirit of true worship. They that worship thee must worship thee in spirit and in truth. And we do pray that thou wouldst grant us of thy Holy Spirit this day, that we may feel his heavenly power His divine unction resting upon the word of truth, and that thy word may be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.

We pray 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. Lord, guide us into thy truth. Open our hearts to receive thy word. And we read in thy word the eyes of your understanding being enlightened. And we pray that as we gather round thy word today, that may be so, that the eyes of our understanding may be enlightened.

We pray, most blessed spirit of truth, that thou wouldst convince us of our sin and lead us to Jesus' blood. and to our wandering eyes reveal the secret love of God, that we may have a revelation of Jesus Christ, that the spirit of faith may be given us, that we may lay hold of that hope that is set before us in the gospel. We pray that we may worship our Lord Jesus Christ, for through him we have access by one spirit unto the Father, May we be favoured with the spirit of adoption, as thy word declares. For God has sent forth the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Oh, we do pray, most gracious God, that it may be so today, that the spirit of truth may enlighten our hearts and our minds. For the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are spiritually discerned. And we pray that the Spirit of God may give us life. As we meditated on this past week, O Lord, you must be born again. And may that be the exercise of all that gather here today, that we might be born again of the Holy Spirit and brought to live in faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and brought to realise that we're loved with an everlasting love.

Therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee, and thy word declares none come except the Father draw. And we pray that we may be drawn by our heavenly Father unto Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, that was manifest in the flesh. Thy word declares I will draw thee with the cords of a man, with the bands of love, and we pray that we may have that faith that work is by love, that we may love thee and serve thee and follow thee in our day and in our generation, and that even as our Lord Jesus Christ said, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy mind, and thy neighbour as thyself, and we pray that we may be given that grace, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to do that.

and to follow thee, and to serve thee, and to live unto thee. As we are exhorted in thy word, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed, that you might know what that good and perfect acceptable will of the Lord is.

We've read, O Lord, in thy holy word, thy holy law, and we pray that we may lay it to heart. And we pray for grace to live in accordance with its holy commandments and precepts, even the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we may follow him and serve him

We pray, most gracious Lord, that thou would remember us as a church and as a congregation and work mightily and powerfully and effectively among us. We pray that thou would remember our brethren, the deacons, and give needed grace, wisdom, and help in all their responsibilities. Remember each one of our brethren and sisters in church fellowship and grant thy blessing that we may love each other

Remember the whole of our congregation and work mightily, powerfully and effectually among us that precious souls may be brought unto Christ. We pray that the glory and light of the gospel may shine into this village, that the strongholds of Satan may be pulled down and the kingdom of our Lord Jesus set up in the hearts of sinners here in this village and the surrounding area. that we may see the fulfilling of those wonderful gospel promises.

I will bring thy sons from far, and thy daughters from the ends of the earth, and they shall come from the north and from the south and from the east and from the west. Lord, hear us, we humbly beseech thee, and remember us. Remember us with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people, and visit us with thy great salvation.

Lord, we pray for the little ones and the children as they're brought into the sanctuary, that they may be blessed of thee, that the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom may be placed in their hearts, in their young and their tender years. And we pray most gracious God for our dear young friends, as they stand on the threshold of life's journey, we pray that thou would graciously bless them Bless them with that rich grace that is in Christ Jesus. Bless them with light and understanding in thy word. Bless them with faith in Jesus Christ, that they may become followers of thee and of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. We think of that wonderful promise in thy word. Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth. We pray that it may be so. Bless our young friends in all their relationships and graciously guide and direct them in all matters. We pray for those that would indeed seek a partner in life's journey. We pray that they may be led and taught and guided and directed by thee, just as thou didst bring Rebecca to Isaac and Ruth to Boaz. We pray that it may be so with our young friends.

We pray for parents that they may be given wisdom and understanding, guidance and direction in all matters to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We pray most gracious God that thou would remember all in the midst of the journey of life and undertake for each one, deliver us from temptation, Deliver us from the power and dominion of sin. Deliver us from the allurements of this world that has the dead and thousands hurled. Lord, deliver us from Satan when he comes as a roaring lion to devour. Deliver us from him when he comes as an angel of light to deceive. Lord, we pray that thou would deliver us from temptation.

We pray, most gracious Lord, for any who need trouble, or trial, or perplexity, or sorrow, or sadness, or bereavement. Undertake for each one. Lord, we pray that they always remember those of us that are now in the evening time of life journey. Guide us, O thou great Jehovah. We're pilgrims in a barren land. We pray to be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed at the last day. We pray that thou wouldst grant us at the appointed time an abundant entrance into thy heavenly kingdom, and we pray that we may be diligent to make our calling and our election sure, that we may be confirmed in the faith keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins.

Lord, we pray that thou wouldst remember all thy servants as they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion, that thou wouldst set them free and at liberty, that they may dip their foot in oil and be made acceptable unto the brethren, and that the word preached may be in power in the Holy Ghost and with much assurance. We pray, most gracious God, that thou was to remember the churches and send out thy light and thy truth. Zion is minished and brought low. We pray that the glory and light of the gospel may again shine forth. Precious souls may yet be gathered, that there may be a reviving, a renewing, a replenishing.

We pray for those that labor in word and doctrine among the nations of the earth. We think of those that go forth from among us as a group of churches. Pray for the Mombasa mission and thy servants there, that thy rich blessing may rest upon them, that there may be an abundant harvest in due season. We pray for the great work that is being done by the Savannah Education Trust in Ghana. Lord, do supply all their needs, we humbly pray, and grant that it may redound to the great glory of thy name and the good of thy church in Ghana.

We pray, most gracious God, that thou would remember Ian Sadler and the great work that he does in so many different countries throughout the world in the distribution and the exposition of thy word. Lord, abundantly bless his labours. We pray for our nation, we live in very solemn days, when the spirit of Antichrist is so prevalent in the whole of the nation, and especially among them that rule us. We pray that thou wouldst work, and that they may be raised up in high places, those that love thee, and fear thy great name, and that stand for right things.

Lord, do hear us, we humbly pray thee, give wisdom and guidance in all matters to those that rule us. Remember our king and the royal household and bless them with that rich grace that is in Christ Jesus. We thank thee for every mercy and every favour. We thank thee for our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank thee for the glory of his name and the fullness of his grace and the wonders of redeeming love.

We thank Thee for our Heavenly Father, for God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall be saved. Oh, we do thank Thee for the Holy Ghost, for His divine power, for His heavenly unction. We pray for it today. Hear us, O Lord, we do beseech Thee. Have mercy upon us. We bless Thee for every mercy of Thy kind, Providence, and of thy lovingkindness.

We pray that thou wouldst now come and touch one's lips with the live coal from of the heavenly altar, and make up in giving where we do so fail in asking. We ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

Let us now sing together hymn number 585. The tune is Trent 562.

Where must a sinner fly that feels himself undone?
On what kind hand rely eternal wrath to shine?
Can wit or reason help him out?
and bring a lasting peace about.

Reason no help can give, but leaves him in distress,
nor can he be reprieved by works of righteousness.
The law as loud as thunder cries,
the soul that sins against me dies.

Hymn 585, tune Trent, 562.

? O my God ?
? Thou music so profound ?
? Thou music so profound ?
? Thou music so profound ?
? Thou music so profound ?
? Thou music so profound ?
? Thou music so profound ?
? Thou music so profound ?

O Christmas tree, O night divine, O night divine, O night divine.

? Peace on earth, love from heaven ?
? Love eternal, true and strong ?
? Lord, let me live with thee forevermore ?

I yearn to love with justice. The Lord is mine, as I am thine, and to thee I give my life.

? Share it with all of me ?
? To give thanks and congrats ?
? May heaven bless you and me ?
? Above all else ?
? Alleluia ?
? Alleluia ?
? Alleluia ?

Salvation is our cause, in your goodness you thrive. O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

? God who built the world ?
? He made the nations greater than all ?
? He is the everlasting Lord ?
? Make all things new again ?
? All things new again ?
? Make all things new again ?
? All things new again ?

Greatly feeling to need the Lord's gracious help, I direct your attention to the book of Exodus and chapter 20 and we will read verses 1 and 2 for our text. Exodus chapter 20, reading verses 1 and 2. And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

It's very solemn to meditate on the holy law of God, but we should meditate on it more often. It declares the will of God concerning man. We've just sung in our hymn, as loud as thunder cries, the soul that sins against me dies. We are given a definition of sin in the first epistle of John, sin is any transgression of the law of God. The word transgression, the idea is a boundary, You take animals in a field and you have a hedge or a fence all around them to keep them in that field. And if one of them was to break out through the fence or the boundary, then they transgress the boundary. And God has put a boundary around man. And that boundary is His holy righteous law, the 10 commands, which we've read together and we have here before us in the word of God and God spake all these words, these sayings, I am the Lord, thy God.

You see, as we look through this holy law and this law, we must ever remember there are those that would teach us that the law has been completely abrogated. And it's finished with and it no longer is. But my beloved friends, that's not what the Bible teaches us. You think of the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, I come not to destroy the law, but to fulfill the law. That's what Christ came to do. And why was it needful and necessary that he had to come to fulfill the law? Because man was fallen into sin. Man transgressed God's holy law. And the hymn writer says, when Adam by transgression fell, he ruined all his future race. The seeds of evil once brought in, increased and filled the world with sin.

We're all lawbreakers by nature. That's our natural condition. The Bible says we are born in sin, we are shapen in iniquity. We're born in sin, we're shapen in iniquity. That's our condition. We're lawbreakers by our very nature. We're not capable of fulfilling God's holy law and the demands of God's holy law.

Now, when we transgress God's holy law, it's very clear in the word of God that we're under a curse. The word of God declares, cursed is every man that doeth not all things that are written in the book of the law to do them. And that remains today, my beloved friends. This law is still God's holy law. It always has been. It always will be. It's the holy eternal law of the eternal God that is given to man. And when we When we break this holy law, we transgress. We transgress God's holy law and therefore we're under a curse, a solemn curse.

You see, we're going to die, every one of us. Why? Because we have sinned. The Word of God declares the wages of sin is death. wages of sin is death. That's the result of sin, of man's sin, of our sin. We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

And God spake all these words saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. We notice, you see, I am the Lord thy God. And we read in the Deuteronomy in particular, but we read it elsewhere in the word of God, that the Lord said to Israel, thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the house of Egypt. Now if we look at this in a spiritual light, what Egypt means to the church today, and what the word of God is teaching us, Egypt is a type of the world, is a type of the world. And we're all born into this world. And that's something very obvious, isn't it? And we live in this world. And the Lord, he calls his people out of this world. He says to us that we're to remember that we were in bondage in Egypt just as the children of Israel were.

I think of those words in Paul's epistle to the Corinthians how he sets before us the law and grace And also the Word of God sets before us what God commands man, even in the day in which we live, in these Gospel days. You see, the law has been fulfilled and honoured and magnified in the glorious person of our Lord Jesus Christ. That was one of the main things that he came to do. came to fulfill the law. I come not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it.

See, the Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. And He was manifest in the flesh. Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. He had a virgin birth. He was born holy. we're all born unholy but Jesus was born holy and he calls his people out of this world just as he called the children of Israel out of Egypt and so he calls his children out of this world and in 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 14 We read, being not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. He's now speaking to Christian believers. For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye, he's speaking now to Christian believers, for ye are the temple of the living God.

Why is the believer called the temple of the living God? Because God dwells in them. In the temple at Jerusalem, it was a temple because God dwelt there. In the Ark of the Covenant, in the Holy of Holies, the Lord was there in a very special way. And he said, there will I meet with thee, there will I commune with thee, from off the golden mercy seat.

And so, what makes a Christian believer is the Holy Ghost dwelling in their heart. It's the Spirit of God giving them spiritual life. Just as we outlined last Lord's Day morning, you must be born again. It's to be given spiritual life. And once the Holy Spirit enters a sinner's heart, he'll never leave. In that beautiful discourse in John's Gospel, the Lord Jesus said, he will dwell with you forever. And we read in Hebrews, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.

So the Christian believer is the temple of the Holy Ghost. And what we have here is that guidance that is given to us by the Spirit of God in the Word of God. For ye are the temple of the living God. As God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

The only evidence, my beloved friends, that I can find in the Word of God is to be that they're a child of God is to be called of God. A divine call reaches into their hearts by the Holy Ghost, bringing them to realize their lost condition, bringing them to realize their law breakers, bringing them to realize that they're under the curse, bringing them to realize that they're separated from God and that they're sinners in their very nature. And then when the Holy Spirit brings a poor sinner there, they say, what must I do to be saved like the Philippian jailer? What must I do to be saved? And as Paul said to the jailer, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.

Now here in 2 Corinthians 6 it goes on, he says, wherefore come out from among them. Why? Because you are the children of the living God. Come out from among them. In the epistle of James he says the friendship of the world is enmity to God. Enmity to God. Wherefore, come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord. And touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you and will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord God Almighty.

What a wonderful word, isn't it? And ye shall be my sons and daughters. You see, we have before us here the holy law of God. And in the New Testament, the apostle lays out very clearly, where we're looking at the moment, in the second epistle to the Corinthians, he lays out very clearly the distinction between law and grace, between the holy law of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. And he says in the third chapter of the second epistle to Corinthians, verse six, who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the spirit. For the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

What does that mean, the letter killing? Well, just a head knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, just a head knowledge of the truth, just an intellectual understanding and it's very easy to fall into this if you're brought up to the house of God and you know the truth of God from a child. You can rest just in an intellectual knowledge. But what the Apostle says here, the letter killeth. It doesn't give life. The letter killeth. It's a solemn thought, isn't it? But the Spirit, that's of course the Holy Ghost, giveth life.

And then he gives us this comparison between the gospel and what comparison he makes in verse 7. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away? Notice he calls the law the ministration of death. The holy law of God cannot give us life. The apostle says, I think it's in Romans, by the law is the knowledge of sin. And that's all it can give. It cannot give life. In actual fact, See the soul that sinneth it shall die. Sin is any transgression of the law of God. Hence he calls it the ministration of death. Written and engraved in stones. And even in that sense he says there was a glory in it. So that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance which glory was to be done away.

How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious? That's the ministration of the Holy Ghost in the New Testament Church, revealing the Lord Jesus Christ as the light of the world, revealing the Lord Jesus Christ as the way, the truth, and the life, revealing the Lord Jesus Christ as that one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. That is what the ministration of the Spirit means.

But he goes on and he says, for if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness. See, the ministration of condemnation be glory, that's the ministration of the law. It condemns us. And that's all it can do. Why? Because we're sinners. We're sinners. And when the Holy Spirit brings that much more, he says, the ministration of condemnation, which is the law, much more does the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.

That the ministration of righteousness is the preaching of Jesus Christ and the holy life that he lived as a man here upon earth. And in that holy life that he lived, he fulfilled and honored and magnified the holy law of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. And that perfect obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ is called the righteousness of Jesus Christ. And when a poor sinner is brought to live in faith in Jesus Christ, they receive, by faith, the righteousness of Christ. The righteousness of Christ. For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. That's the gospel. For even that which was made glorious, that's the law, had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which is done away which is the law of the sacrifices and offerings, if that which is done away was glorious much more, that which remaineth is glorious.

seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech. Not as Moses which put a veil on his face that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which was abolished. But their minds were blinded for until this day remained it the same veil that's on the Jews untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament which veil was to be done away in Christ.

For even unto this day when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that spirit. That means Jehovah is that spirit. And where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Jehovah is that spirit. Speaking there of the divinity of the Holy Ghost. He is a divine person. He proceeded forth from the Father and from the Son. And he proceeds forth into the heart of the Lord's people.

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out. You know in the epistle to the Hebrews the apostle Paul there in the twelfth chapter he speaks of the law of the Lord and he makes a very clear distinction between law and grace He says in Hebrews 12 verse 18, for ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched.

We just read the holy law of God and the children of Israel, they removed themselves back from the Mount Sinai because they could not abide the holy law of God and the thunderings and the lightnings. That's what comes with the holy law of God. But here the apostle, he says, fear not come unto the mount that might be touched, that burned with fire, nor unto blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, that's the voice of God, which voice they heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.

For they could not endure that which was commanded, neither can you and I. And if so much as a beast touched the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust through with a dart. And so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake. That's the giving of the holy law of God. There's no hope under the holy law of God. There's no mercy under the holy law of God. There's no reconciliation. under the holy law of God.

What often happens when the Lord begins a work of grace in the heart of a poor sinner and the Holy Spirit begins to convince them of their sin is the very first thing that we do is to try and please God. We try to make ourselves better. We try to keep God's holy law. We try and we try and we try. And we fail and we fail and we fail. Why? Because we can't do it. That is what the deception of the Pharisees was. They believed that they kept the holy law of God. They believed that they were righteous because they kept the holy law of God. They didn't realize their sinfulness and that they approach God as self-righteous sinners.

My beloved friends, if there's one here that is trying your hardest to fulfill God's holy law, let me tell you, my beloved friends, you'll never do it. But what is revealed in the gospel is Jesus has fulfilled it. Jesus has honoured it and magnified it on the behalf of poor sinners. And what is revealed in the Gospel is that the Lord Jesus Christ offered a perfect holy sacrifice on the cross of Calvary to deliver his people from their sins. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin.

You see, so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake. But then he says, but ye are come unto Mount Zion, unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. and to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

What did Abel's blood speak? Revenge, vengeance. The Lord said to Cain, thy brother's blood, cryeth. Cried for vengeance. But the blood of Jesus Christ, mercy, peace, salvation, reconciliation, peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, that's what the gospel is.

The gospel is the law fulfilled in the glorious person of Jesus, the Son of God. Holy, sinless, spotless life. and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

You know friends, there are so many places in the New Testament where we have these contrasting views of the truth of God and We read in Romans chapter 3 and the Apostle, he says, he goes to the book of Psalms in verse 10 of Romans 3, he says, as it is written, there is none righteous, no not one. Speaking now of the whole of mankind. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They all gone out of the way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre. With their tongues have they euthyse and the poison of asphyx under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. And so it goes on.

And then he says in verse 19, now we know that what things whoever the law say is said to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified we've often explained to you the meaning of the word justified It means to be declared to be without sin and that is through the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe. For there is no difference for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

You see, my beloved friends, There's only one deliverance from the law of God, and that is through the blood and righteousness of Jesus, the Son of God. In the epistle to the Galatians, the apostle, he very clearly and emphatically sets out there. He says in the second of Galatians, And he speaks of the Jews and the Gentiles. Galatians 2 verse 15, we who are Jews by nature are not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing this, that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in the Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law. for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

If while we seek to be justified, and this was one of the great problems in the church at Galatia, these deodizing teachers had come in and they were teaching the believers in the church at Galatia that they could, now they had become Christian believers, they could fulfill the law. And of course, the apostle immediately realized that this was a deadly error. We're sinners. And the Christian believer is a sinner.

He says here, for if while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also have found sinners, it's therefore Christ the minister of sin, God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgression, for I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God, for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

And he speaks very strongly, O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you. This only will I learn of you, receive you the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith. Are ye so foolish, having begun in the Spirit? Are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

You see, he therefore that ministereth you the Spirit and worketh miracles among you, doeth it by the works of the law, by the hearing of faith even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Then he goes on in verse 10 of chapter 3 of Galatians and he says for as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse for it is written cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident. For the just shall live by faith, and the law is not of faith. But the man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse the law be made a curse for us as it is written curse it is everyone that hangeth on a tree

you see he says in verse 18 of chapter 3 in Galatians for if the inheritance of the law if the inheritance be of the law it is no more promise but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law. It was added because of transgressions till the seed should come to whom the promise was made and it was ordained by angels in the hands of a mediator.

He goes on in verse 22 he says, but the scripture hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. Before faith came, we were kept under the law. And if any of us here do not have faith in Jesus Christ, then we're under the law. And we're shut up under faith, which afterwards should be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by faith.

I always feel I must point out in that verse to bring us is in italics. What does it mean when it's in italics? It means it wasn't in the original Greek. The translators put it in. But if you read that verse without to bring us, It says, wherefore, the law was our schoolmaster unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. The apostle in the Romans, he says, you're not under law, but you're under grace. The believer is delivered from the law. is only the believer delivered from the law.

For we are all the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you're all one in Christ Jesus. And if you be Christ, then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. Wonderful, precious truth, my beloved friends, that the apostle so clearly sets before us in the epistles concerning law and grace.

It says in Galatians 4, I quote it to you very regularly, Galatians 4, verse 4, But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law. That's an important statement of truth. Christ, when he became a man, came under the law. To redeem them, they were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Christ has redeemed us from under the law. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. Christ gives us that glorious liberty of the children of God.

He goes on to redeem them that are under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, beautiful word that is, and because ye are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father, because you are sons, because you were chosen before the foundation of the world, because you were given to Christ by the Father before the foundation of the world, because Jesus has lived and suffered and bled and died for your sins. He died for the sins of his people, and because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Wherefore, thou art no more a servant, but a son, and if a son, then an heir of Christ, of God through Christ. You see, my beloved friends, these things are written for our instruction, and God spake all these words saying I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage.

Have we been brought out of the land of Egypt? Have we been enabled by grace to lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily beset us, and to 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 on high.

Is Jesus yours? It's a vital point. Is Jesus your law fulfiller? Is Jesus your righteousness? Is Jesus your sacrifice? Is Jesus your atonement? Your reconciliation? These things are clearly set before us in God's holy word. I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Like we commenced in Corinthians 2, come out from among them and be ye separate. Touch not the unclean thing. He said, I will be a father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord God Almighty.

Now Because the believer is not under the law and it's very clear in the gospel that he isn't, we're not against the law. We're followers of Jesus Christ. We're believers in Jesus Christ. What did Jesus come to do? To fulfil the law. If you're walking in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, in the footsteps of the flock, you will not seek to break God's holy law. Why? Because you're following Christ. Christ will never lead you to break his law. Christ came to fulfill it.

We're not under the law. We're under grace. But you won't despise the law. You know you can't fulfill it because you're a poor sinner. But you know that Jesus has fulfilled it for you. We're not antinomians. You might say, what do you mean by antinomian? It means a person without law. We're not antinomian. We're not against the law of God. But we're believers in Jesus Christ. And we're delivered from the law and from its curse. And because we love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, And in truth, we follow him. We will never seek to break God's holy law when we're following our Lord Jesus Christ.

And God spake all these words saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage. May the Lord have his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn number 97. The tune is Mount Zion, 377.

Tis finished, the Messiah dies,
cut off for sins but not his own.
Accomplished is the sacrifice,
the great redeeming work is done.

Hymn 97, tune Mount Zion, 377.

the the This is the Sacrifice of Mary, Queen of Peace now. In which the Father's vision is, And in which the King of glory is. Heaven knows in righteousness His moral code, His will, O King. This village, oh, my gilded place, I promise every night this night, O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, O come, O come, O come, O come, O come, O come, to Bethlehem. And now I greet your holy birth, O God of holy gifts of heaven.

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. Amen.