And for the help of the Lord, I direct your prayerful attention to the passage in the second epistle of Corinthians. 2 Corinthians chapter 13. We will read as our text the benediction, verse 14. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen.

Paul is closing this second epistle and he's bidding them farewell. Verse 11, finally, brethren, farewell. And in this doxology, in this benediction, there's a difference. A benediction is a closing blessing that is spoken by the minister to the congregation. It is coming from God to the people. A doxology is the other way around. A doxology is a short hymn or a statement that is directed towards God, is from the people to God. And usually in our services, we close our services with the benediction, as we have as our text here, blessing the people from God. And when we have Thanksgiving services or other anniversary services, we might close with a doxology, praise God from whom all blessings flow, or a doxology like that. Each of them, they give that glory and honor to God, but in this case, it is from God unto the people, Paul desiring these blessings upon the Corinthians.

When he closes his epistles to the Thessalonians, The Apostle does it in a similar way, but in this time he just says the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. He doesn't include the whole Trinity. But what he does say is the salutation of Paul with my own hand, which is the token in every epistle So I write, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. It was his signature, and you notice that in his epistles. Why, we wonder? Well, you think of what the grace of God meant to Paul.

He said, by the grace of God I am what I am. And the time when he had the thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet him, and the Lord gave him, my grace is sufficient for thee. My strength is made perfect in weakness. And he said, much rather then will I glory in my infirmity that the grace of God or the strength of God might be manifest in me. So you can see why he desired to leave that blessing when he said farewell, when he left off writing to those that he wrote to. So this evening I wish to, with Lord's help, speak on this benediction.

So my thought really was, do we know what the blessing is that is being actually asked? And if it was answered, Could we recognize it? Could we go home and we say, that blessing that was pronounced in the house of God, the Lord has answered it. And if we did recognize it, would we give thanks to the Lord for it? Or would we just pass it by without thanksgiving at all? And are we encouraged by it? If it is answered, if we do realise this blessing in our souls, are we encouraged?

Do we have actually encouragements in our hand and yet we don't see them and we still are bowed down, we still are disheartened when actually if we're able to really recognise it, the Lord has answered the petition, the blessing, we have received of that blessing. So it is in that way that I wanted to look at the Word tonight. I want to look at it under two heads, two main heads.

Firstly, just briefly consider our belief in the Trinity as taught in the Word of God. Because that is what we have here, we have the Trinity set forth. And then secondly, consider the blessing from each person in the Trinity as it is in the text here. Now, what is set forth here is blessings that are communicatable blessings. from God, from the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.

Each person in the Godhead is equal in those attributes that we may say cannot be communicable, that eternity of God immutable, is omnipresent, omniscient, is all-powerful, all-knowing, omnipotent. All of these things, they belong to God. It cannot be conveyed to us at all. But there are those things, like the wisdom of God, the grace of God, the holiness of God that in measure can be imparted to sinners and to man.

And it is those things that are being desired and prayed for here. And though we may have some of the attribute some of those blessings ascribed to God the Father and some to God the Son, is not to say that they do not belong to each one in the Godhead as well. In fact, perhaps some of the illustrations we use, we find that they are used interchangeably.

But it is emphasized here where they, as it were, emanate from, come from, and that each one of the Trinity delights in lifting up and exalting, you might say, the other, to please the Father that in Him, in Christ, should all fullness dwell. Or the Holy Spirit, He shall not speak of Himself, but what He sees, that shall He show unto you. He shall magnify me, He shall glorify my name. And so, within the Trinity, one God, but three distinct persons, that is exalting each other and exalting the attributes that belong really to the all, but is clearly seen as in the benediction that is here. We would not want to divide, and the Apostle Paul is not seeking to say this, If you want grace, you cannot look for it in the Father or the Holy Spirit, it must be the Lord.

But we know of the office of our Lord is where that flows forth from and how it can be shown. And the same with the other in the Trinity as well. It is a most precious truth and yet there are some that really hate the idea of They try you in God. They try to reason it through. They cannot understand it. But great is the mystery of godliness.

It is clearly set forth right through the Word of God. And a blessing, if we know the blessings that are here, that ascribe to each one, is the same, flowing from God Himself, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. want to look then secondly at the blessings as they flow forth. So firstly we have the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is the Apostle seeking to be the blessing that is coming to those his hearers? These Corinthians He says, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. What does he actually mean? How are we to understand it? Well, if we were to go back a couple of chapters, if we went back to 2 Corinthians 8 and verse 9, we read this, for ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. So there is one of the first blessings that flow, and it is that ye might be rich, not in material things, not in homes and money and wealth of this world, but reach toward God, spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. So when Paul is desiring this, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you, He is desiring that that which flows from the Lord Jesus Christ in a gracious, free, unmerited way to sinners. That is what grace is. It is undeserved and it is given to those that don't render a gain according to the benefit.

If you think of Hezekiah, that he was graciously given an extension of 15 years to his life, but then we read that The messengers from Babylon came, and in the pride of his heart he showed them all that was in his house. And Isaiah asked him, where did these men come from? What have you shown them? And then came the prophecy of Babylon coming, 130 so years later, and all being taken away. But we read that he did not rend according to the benefit. God has shown him great favour and blessing, but he had acted in a way that didn't render the kindness or blessing back to God.

And that is what we are doing all the time. God is showing kindness, but in response we do not show kindness in return, and yet he still shows kindness again. And that is the wonder, the blessing of grace. One of our hymns says, we cannot promise future good to bring. And we can't, we know we can't. And if benefits and blessings received to us were dependent upon us responding in a right, a good, a God-honoring way to be able to get more, we would not have any more blessings at all.

Because we need the grace of God, and that should be very encouraging to poor sinners. And when you think of the, if you know, these two epistles to the Corinthians, the opening verses it shows he esteemed them highly, they were a church of Christ, they were called, they were chosen, but what reproofs he had for them, and even in the closing chapters he has, they weren't perfect by any means, and so really in this sense they needed grace, you and I need grace, we couldn't continue without grace, we needed, and yet we see in the Lord Jesus Christ, His sufferings, His condescension, and doing it for our sakes, Him becoming poor, was that we through His poverty might be made rich. So not only are we to understand that this is desiring for us rich spiritual blessings graciously given, but to understand how they can be given as well. because the Lord Jesus Christ has suffered, bled, and died, which of course means as to why this specific blessing is joined with our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, our Heavenly Father is gracious, the Holy Spirit is gracious, but here we find the source and reason why God can be gracious to sinners. Let me think of what I've already referred to, the Apostle Paul with the thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan.

Sufficiency of grace to bear afflictions and to bear trials. That is what he's desiring for them. Whatever trials they were to go through, whatever difficulties they were to face, whatever thorns in the flesh, that God would give them that which he had had My grace is sufficient for thee. Grace to be able to bear those afflictions and those trials. It is the grace of God that shapes a character as well. We said what the Apostle said, what I am, I am by the grace of God. And some of us, I think no doubt all who have been called, if we think back, to how we were before we were called and the course of our life and what we were doing and what we were saying. Our life then was very different to what it is now. What made the difference? What changed the course? Why are we now what we are and not what we once were?

It all is to grace, the free grace of God. And every one of God's children should be able to look back and say to the Apostle Paul that what I am, as now I am by the grace of God. He has shaped me, taught me, chastened me, instructed me, kept me. He has formed my character and made me to be what I am. A vessel we trust unto honour and not dishonour.

And this is what the Apostle then is desiring for these Corinthians that the Lord would so graciously work in them that it might be seen that all men might take knowledge of them, that the Lord had done great things for them, that they were witnesses to the grace of God.

We think of what is set before us in Hebrews chapter four. At the end of that chapter, We have the exhortation to come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Grace to help in time of need. What a wonderful thing for the apostles to be desiring for these Corinthians that they might have the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in this way in time of need. whatever that be, whatever need that might be. And what kind of graces would it be? Well we think of in the very calling in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8, by grace ye are saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.

God graciously gives faith to his people and that faith, that saving faith at the beginning That gift, that is what is to sustain and help the people of God through. Think of the Apostle Peter and how the Lord prayed for him that his faith fail not. Was it not grace that desired that blessing and that favour and that it was given him? Though he denied the Lord, yet still he came out the other side, still as a believer, still with faith, and his prayer was answered.

And so, through the grace of God, he gives faith to his people, he gives them wisdom, he gives them understanding. You think of when our Lord rose from the dead, then opened to their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures. Or we think of wisdom, James, if any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and abrideth not, and it shall be given him. We think of the patience endured. You have heard of the patience of Job, the endurance of Job.

These are graciously given. We don't deserve them. We have no right to them. But the Lord gives them. And we need those graces and we ask for them coming boldly unto the throne of grace. What a blessed thing that there is a throne of grace and to actually ask for these things and for these blessings. Well, in a way, Paul is asking this in this benediction. We think of humility, the grace of humility. We think of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he humbled himself and was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God hath highly exalted him, given him a name which is above every name.

The greatest sin, you might say, an enemy for the child of God is pride. And if the Lord is pleased to give grace and humility, and meekness and lowliness. Learn of me who am meek and lowly in heart, ye shall find rest unto your souls. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, I will give you rest.

It is the Lord walking with him and to graciously learn of him these graces that flow forth from him to be more and more like the Lord. And really That is another thing, that we, in our turn, are to be gracious to others. If the Lord has been gracious to us, then we also might be marked of having a gracious character, one that is to emulate what our Lord and Master is. And perhaps another thing to add here, And that is to notice that in all of our lives the Lord is gracious. You know, there is such a thing as common grace.

The Lord is good to all, His tender mercies are over all His works. He opens His hand, He satisfies the desire of every living thing, He makes His sun to shine upon the just and unjust. He gives to those in this world, every creature, those blessings. They don't ask for it, they don't acknowledge Him, they don't bless Him for it, but it is the Lord that does this. He restrains wickedness. The wrath of man shall praise Thee, remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain.

And the Lord is giving that in a gracious way throughout the world, common grace is not saving grace. Saving grace is very different, but it all comes from our God. And Peter, he says, if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. And sometimes with the Lord's people, they begin to taste that the Lord is gracious in temporal, in natural things. The Lord opens their eyes to see what the world is not seeing. That He is giving them their food. He is protecting them. He is caring for them. He's watching over them. And they see this as undeserved favours from the Lord.

And it's good then to lead from that to seek spiritual, seek eternal blessings and the grace of God eternally. And so when the apostle then is asking for them, that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. These are things that he's desiring. And may we notice, even on the common grace side, those goodness and mercies and kindness, and be some of those upon this earth who do render praise to God for those lesser things. but then go on to those further things and look for those spiritual blessings.

When someone is afflicted, when someone is in hospital, when someone is in trial, instead of making intercession for them, just that they'd get healed, just that their finances would be looked after, make intercession. Lord, that Thou has grant them spiritual blessings and grace, saving grace. not just a natural grace of healing, but make this time a blessed time. So they say to the psalmist, it was good that I was afflicted. Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now have I kept thy word.

And then we'll begin to recognize what we are receiving from the Lord and from his hand. I hope we're mindful when we hear each time then the benediction being pronounced, that we have some kind of knowledge of what is being asked. And then we watch in our lives, is this being granted? Is the Lord answering? And if the Lord is answering, then to give thanks and to be encouraged.

The Lord is hearing these prayers. Sometimes when we have a form, a form of worship like this, we can get so hardened to it. As a minister, we just rattle it off at the end. It might not be exactly the same words as here, but in a similar way. And as a hero, some people sometimes might use the benediction just to gather up their books or to get ready to leave. That happens sometimes.

And you're not realizing what a blessing is being pronounced, thinking, this is what I need. And if this rests upon me, what a blessed thing, to go home and to watch, to see the Lord provide. And the love of God, that is God the Father. Now may we be clear on this, that God always loves his people. I have loved thee with an everlasting love, and therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.

Paul is not undermining this. He's not saying the Lord gives his love sometimes and then takes it away. That is not what is being set forth here. We think at the end of Romans chapter 8, Beautiful chapter, if you read from verse 37, he says, No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. So there's a couple of things there. One, he's setting forth that love that does not change. It is eternal, nothing can separate. But he's also joining together the love of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

See what we said about the Trinity, the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And the Lord at one time, he said the Father himself loveth you. And so we have these attributes, or the blessing of love is from the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. But it's set forth here as the Father, as the love of God, and that which is the spring of every blessing and everything that comes to His people, an everlasting love.

And so also it's added in the sense of what we find in Ephesians chapter 3. In Ephesians chapter 3 verse 19, we read this, or if we read from verse 18, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled with all the fullness of God. And he's using Christ and God interchangeably. The greatest way that God commends His love toward us is that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

So you have the love of the Father in giving His Son. You have a picture of this in Jacob, in Genesis chapter 22, where He offered up His Son, or was intending to do so, offer up Isaac, And the blessing was, because thou hast not withheld thy Son, thy only Son, whom thou lovest, that in blessing I will bless thee, and indeed in thy seed shall all nations be blessed. And so the love of the Father is set forth in the giving of the Son, not withholding Him. And it is the way the Scriptures emphasize that love of God in sending forth His only begotten Son. So what is being asked is not that God will love us, but that we will feel it, and that we will know it, and that we have a sense of it in our own souls.

After Peter had fallen and the Lord met with him on the lake, He asked him those three times, lovest thou me? Lovest thou me more than these? Now, the Lord could have said to him, in a way assuring him, Peter, I love thee. I still love thee. You have sinned like this. You've denied my name, but I still love thee. But he didn't.

He asked Peter, did he feel the love to the Lord? And of course, in John's epistles, he says that we love him because he first loved us. It's important we realize that. If the Lord had just assured his love to Peter, that could not be replicated. Because our Lord is in heaven. He's not on earth. That couldn't be done.

But what can be replicated is a poor sinner feeling the love of God shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost. there again, we have the two together, we have the love of God and the Holy Ghost shedding it abroad in the heart. And so it is the actual sense of it, the feeling of that love in one's own soul.

And so that also transpires to follow on that we also love one another as well. One of the greatest blessings is and tokens of being a child of God, that we know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. And where the Lord has loved us and bestowed that love in our souls, then that begets also love to those that are begotten of Him. So if this is granted, the love of God, Then there'll be things that happen like this, the love of Christ constraineth us.

The love will be something that moves a poor sinner to do things that otherwise they would not do. They're not driven, they're not forced, but they're constrained by love. Even in a natural sense, between men and women, between men, children, Love is a very powerful thing and so what the apostle is desiring is that love of God be realised and felt in the soul and that there is a real witness that we are a child of God and that the Lord has loved us first otherwise we would never love Him. The spring of love is from God, not from man.

And may we realise that blessing when it's granted. The love of God be with you all. What a happy, a sacred church that that would be, where the church, the congregation loved God and loved his people. and loved his ways, and loved his ordinances, and loved his word, everything about him. We think of the beautiful chapter that Paul writes in the earlier letter to the Corinthians on practical love, of charity that never faileth. He says, And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three, for the greatest of these is charity. a real practical, a working love, a love that makes an effect. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and lastly, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all.

I want to go back to Romans, to Romans chapter 5 and verse 5. And this then is joining together the love of God and the Holy Ghost. Hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. The Holy Ghost is again the gift. We spoke of the Father giving the Son, and then we have the Holy Ghost that is given I'll give you another comforter which shall abide with you forever. I will pray the Father. There we have the son, he's praying the Father and the gift of the Holy Ghost. And it is the Holy Ghost that then takes the things of Jesus and reveals them unto the soul.

Wherever the Holy Ghost is present, the Lord Jesus Christ will be exalted, will be precious and be glorified not the Holy Spirit, is where the charismatic, the Pentecostal churches put it round completely the wrong way to Scripture. Where the Holy Spirit is in evidence, Christ will be very precious. He will be glorified. He will be lifted up. The Holy Spirit does not speak of Himself.

But the fruits of the Holy Spirit are very, very evident With the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul said that the word that they preached, that it did not come unto them in word only, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, the power of God that bringeth salvation. That's why the Apostles, the Lord said, tarry in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high. It was useless to preach, to go forth with the Word, except having that power. And so, what Paul is desiring for these Corinthians, that they might have the Holy Spirit, that they might have that power of God. What effect did it have with the Apostles? They were ignorant and unlearned men.

But they were speaking with boldness, and even their adversaries had to say that they were, and that they had been with Jesus. You compare how the disciples, they all forsook Him and fled before our Lord, or when our Lord was being crucified. But after the Holy Spirit was come, they were fearlessly preaching and declaring Him before councils and the people. And what's more, their ministry was so abundantly blessed, And they were the miracles as well that our Lord worked in healing and raising the dead. Often think of what the Lord says that when he was working the miracles, greater things shall ye do because I go to my Father.

And when you think of the parallel passage with Elijah and Elisha, ask what I shall give thee. And Elisha asked a double portion of thy spirit. He says a hard thing. But if thou dost see when I am taken from thee, it shall be granted, and his soul, when he is parted from him. Elisha worked twice as many, sixteen miracles, and Elijah eight.

And you think then with the disciples, they saw the Lord being taken up from their midst and into heaven. And the blessings, the witness of the Holy Spirit and the power of God, was very abundant. Always the apostles were saying, these miracles are done in the name of Jesus Christ. But it was through the Spirit, the power of the Spirit, that was upon them.

And so this is what the apostle is desiring, but he's desiring the communion of the Holy Ghost specifically. Communion. One of the main Shall we say aims of salvation is to restore that communion and fellowship that was broken. Remember with Adam and Eve that the Lord came in the cool of the day. They had that communion, they had that fellowship one with another.

No, it's useless just to go through rounds of dead service forms and ways, or just to preach sermons, if we haven't got a daily walk with the Lord and communion and fellowship, that we know each other, we speak to each other, we have the spirit, that is so vital, and it's a battle to do it, it is a real fight, we may know what we need, we may know what we want, but to actually have it, As soon as we go to prayer, often you get all sorts of things coming into your mind, taking your mind away. You might read your portion, and you've read it, you've paid attention to the Word, then you come to prayer, and as if the devil immediately attacks, and he doesn't want you to pray, and he doesn't want you to spend time with the Lord, or to spread your everything before the Lord. Notice this opposition, this hatred that Satan has that the people of God have time with the Lord. Our Lord spent whole nights in prayer to his Father. When he was on earth, humility as a man, humbled as a man, he trod the path of prayer that we have to trod. And he gives that example of what it is to have as a communion. and fellowship and union one with another.

And it is the Holy Ghost that is given to every believer. Every believer is indwelt by the Holy Ghost. It seals them as heirs of heaven. But again, it's like with the love. God loves his people, that is not taken away. But the sense of that love, that varies.

That is what is desired here. and the Holy Spirit is with all of his people, but the sense of that and the benefits and the blessings of having his presence with us and to have that communion and fellowship. That's the thing, to be in the Spirit on the Lord's day and to come into the Lord's house and already spiritually minded, which is life and peace, it's a hard thing and painful for the Lord's people. when they feel so barren, so hard, so worldly, so carnal, and they come into the Lord's house. And bless God, there's been some times we've come in like that and we haven't gone out like that, and the Lord has made a wonderful difference. But this blessing that the Apostle desires for them here as he leaves them, that they'd have this communion of the Holy Ghost, whether individually, or collectively, to have that real fellowship one with another. Spiritual worshippers, spiritual communicants at the Lord's table, spiritual friends that could sharpen as iron sharpeneth iron, so the countenance of a man, his friend.

That is a blessing indeed, to realise that. And so these are the things that the Apostle as he takes his leave of them, he says, finally, brethren, farewell, be perfect or complete, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace, and the God of love and peace shall be with you. Greet one another with an holy kiss. All the saints salute you. And then gives this beautiful benediction in closing. the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen.