Let us commence our service this evening by singing together hymn 531. The tune is Hillwood, 873. 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. June Hillwood, 873 Now that God our God was born, let praises be your sweet accord.

Gives us all comfort from sin's deep, Gives us all comfort from sin's deep. of every part of heaven and earth, and all its houses, rifts, and hills, together Let all things come to an end with you, God. you're happy and he will guide your footsteps by day. Every day you'll see him now. ♪ May we never be separated ♪ ♪ Let each other never part ♪ ♪ Thou shalt live forevermore ♪ Jesus, Lord, have mercy. Give me joy, give me strength, Live for a day and then shed tears.

It's true, sweet time for children of old. In our way of love, of God. Let the rich earth restore their joy, Which they shall garden like the grass, In the forest and on the oak grove. Gently ascends the chaise of God. King of heaven and earth, God's sweet praise. ♪ Of drumming birds ♪ ♪ Still flap their wings ♪ ♪ Of sunbeams still ♪ ♪ Still gleaming through ♪ ♪ And on the leaves ♪ Let us read together from the Holy Word of God in the Gospel according to John, chapter 16. John's Gospel, chapter 16. These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues. Yea, the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that ye doeth God's service.

And these things were they do unto you, because they have not known the Father nor me. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go my way to him that sent me, and none of you asketh me whither goest thou. But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you. But if I depart, I will send him unto you.

And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment, of sin because they believe not on me, of righteousness because I go to my father and ye see him no more, of judgment because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. How be it when he, the spirit of truth, is come, who will guide you into all truth? For he shall not speak of himself, But whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak. And he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine. Therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.

A little while, and ye shall not see me, and again a little while and you shall see me because I go to the father. Then said some of his disciples among themselves what is this that he saith unto us a little while and you shall not see me and again a little while and you shall see me and because I go to the father. They said therefore what is this that he saith a little while, we cannot tell what he is saying. Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him and said unto them, Do you enquire among yourselves that I said a little while and ye shall not see me? And again, a little while and ye shall see me?

Verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice. And ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in travail, hath sorrow, because her hour is come. But as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow.

But I will see you again. and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name. Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

These things have I spoken unto you in Proverbs, but the time cometh when I shall no more speak unto you in Proverbs, but I will show you plainly of the Father. At that day ye shall ask in my name, and I say not unto you that I will pray the Father for you, for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. i came forth from the father and then come into the world again i leave the world and go to the father his disciples said unto him lo now speakest thou plainly and speakest no proverb now are we sure that thou knowest all things and it is not that any man should ask thee by this we believe that thou becamest forth from god Jesus answered them, do ye now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

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. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, we bow before thy glorious majesty. We think of those precious words, these three are one. One blessed, infinite, almighty, and eternal God. He that ever liveth, from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. And we read in thy word, thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabited eternity, whose name is holy.

Lord, we are poor, base, sinful worms of the earth. We are the fallen sons and daughters of Adam. We were born in sin and shaped in iniquity. We're unrighteous altogether. And we desire to come in confession of our sins and our sinfulness, and that we desire to confess our sins. And thou hast said in thy word, if ye confess your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We pray that we may feel the cleansing power of the precious blood of Jesus Christ, thine only begotten son. that His blood may wash away all our sins and reconcile us unto Thee. So Lord, we come to Thee, our Heavenly Father, in the precious name of Thine only begotten Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

For through Him we have access by one Spirit unto the Father. We pray, most gracious God, we may feel the divine power, the divine leading, the divine unction of the Holy Ghost as we meet together around the word at this evening hour, that the word of truth may be opened, that our hearts may be opened. May the power that brings salvation be exerted in the word, may it be with us as it was with the dear apostle at Thessalonica when he could say, for our gospel came unto you, not in word only, but in power, in the Holy Ghost, and with much assurance. And we pray that it may be so here with us tonight, a little company gathered together in thy name, with that desire to worship thee in spirit and in truth. Lord, we pray that we may be favoured to feel those divine drawings of our Heavenly Father, drawing us unto his best beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, for none come except the Father draw, all that we might know, those sacred drawings unto our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that we may be favoured by faith to catch a glimpse of the glory of Christ, of the wonderful glory of the incarnation of the Son of God, and the wonderful glory of the law fulfilled and honored and magnified in his holy life and everlasting righteousness brought in for thy people.

Lord, this is all our hope and this is all our desire. We pray, most gracious God, that thou wouldst hear us in heaven, thy holy dwelling place. And when thou hearest, O Lord, forgive. We pray, most gracious God that we might behold the wonderful and the sacred and profound glory of the cross of Calvary, of the garden of Gethsemane, of sin laid upon thee, and of sin put away, and of salvation through the blood of the Lamb.

He laid down his life for his friends. He rose again for our justification. O Lord, thou hast destroyed death, and him that had the power of death, that is the devil. And thou hast brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. The Lord is risen indeed.

Lord, we pray that we may view a precious risen Saviour at this evening hour. And we pray that we may view with awe and wonder, the bodily ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven, that we may see the gates of heaven opened and the King of glory entered in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, our Lord Jesus Christ. For such an high priest have we, who is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, and we desire to worship. and to bow before thee. As one says, it is he instead of me is seen when I approach to God.

Lord, we thank thee for our great High Priest sitting at thy right hand. We pray that thou wouldst breathe thy word into our hearts. We do humbly beseech you. We thank thee that through our Lord Jesus Christ we know the love of our Heavenly Father. and we know union and communion with thee. Lord, we pray that we might know more of that union and communion. And we pray, most gracious Lord, that thou wouldst come and open the word of truth to our heart and to our understanding. And we pray that thou wouldst remember our deacons and grant thy blessing and thy favour.

Undertake for them in all their concern Remember those in affliction Grant restoring mercies where it is thy heavenly mind and will And grant us grace to be humbled under thy mighty hand We pray to be delivered from a spirit of rebellion And to be delivered from the power and dominion of sin And to be delivered from the temptations of satan and that thou wouldst reveal thy Son in us, that we may have Christ in our hearts, the hope of glory, and that we may have that hope which is an anchor for the soul, both sure and steadfast, anchored within the veil, anchored within the glorious person of the holy God-man. Oh, do hear us, Lord, and grant that we may know those sure and certain mercies of David. May we be enabled to say with thy servant David, though my house be not so with God, yet hath he made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure. O most gracious Lord, we pray that we might know these wonderful blessings, and like thy servant Jabez in holy scriptures, O that thou wouldst enlarge my coasts, we pray that it may be so, Lord, with us. We may have enlarged views of the glory of Christ, enlarged views of the blessed and divine person of God the Holy Ghost, and enlarged views of our Heavenly Father, of His everlasting love. God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall be saved, or that we could view these things and know the power of these things, in our hearts we do humbly beseech thee.

Lord, we do pray that thou wouldst remember our brethren and sisters in church fellowship, that thou wouldst remember the children, the little ones, as they're brought into the sanctuary, that thou wouldst richly bless them that they was put the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom into their hearts. We pray that they was remember our young friends each one of them and we pray that they may be brought to living faith in Jesus Christ and become true followers of thee and of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. We pray that they was grant them a partner in life's journey One that they can walk together with in the things of God. Lord, do bless them, we do humbly pray them. We look into thy holy word and we see thy wonderful mercy in bringing Rebecca to Isaac and bringing Ruth unto Boaz. And we pray that thou wouldst do this for our friends here.

Lord, thou knowest all their needs, all their concerns. Remember those that have wandered away no longer desire to come to the house of God, no longer desire the ways of God, the truth of God. Lord, we pray that thou would stretch out thy almighty arm, cause them to be in one, cause them to return. There is nothing too hard for thee. Indeed, O Lord, thou art able to do abundantly more than we can even ask or think.

Lord cause those prodigals to return and this wonderful grace to be seen among us here. We pray that the wonderful light and glory and power of gospel truth may shine into this village and the surrounding villages and towns that precious souls may be gathered in and that this house of prayer may be filled with hungry longing Precious souls pressing into the kingdom of heaven, Lord, thou canst do all things, for with God nothing shall be impossible. Lord, we thank thee for those precious words of our Lord Jesus Christ, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Oh, we do thank thee for that glorious truth, our exalted Saviour, sitting at thy right hand, for it hath pleased the Father that in him shall all fullness dwell. Lord, we thank thee for that fullness of salvation that is in him.

Remember those of us that are now in the evening time of life's journey, graciously guide us safely unto thy heavenly kingdom. And now, my God, prepare my soul for that great day, and wash me in thy precious blood, take all my sins away. Lord, we pray then that thou would remember us, and be with us, and as we turn to thy holy word, come and open thy word to our heart and to our understanding. Remember those, O Lord, that labour in word and doctrine, all thy servants as they travel up and down the nation to grant the divine anointing of the spirit and signs to follow the preaching of the word and that there may be a confirming of the disciples and an engathering of precious souls. We pray thee, the great Lord of the harvest, that thou would send true labourers into the harvest. Lord, we pray that was remember those that labor in word and doctrine among the nations of the earth that go forth from among us.

Remember thy servants in the Mombasa mission and that great work that they have there. Oh that there might be an outpouring of thy spirit and in gathering of precious souls. Remember the Savannah Education Trust and grant Lord thy help to them and that great work that is being done in Ghana. O that it might redound to the glory of thy great name and the building of thy church in that nation. Remember Ian Sadler and the great work that he does in so many different places upon earth in the distribution of thy word and in the exposition of it. Lord, do abundantly bless that provision that thou hast made.

We do humbly beseech thee. Come and touch one's lips with a live coal from off the heavenly altar. Come and breathe thy word into our hearts. We ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn 192. The tune is Celestial, 111. As newborn babes desire the breast to feed and grow and thrive, so saints with joy the gospel taste and by the gospel live. Hymn 192. Tune Celestial, 111.

♪ Christ the Lord is risen from the dead ♪ ♪ To give thee a joy and pride ♪ ♪ To take thee to your foster place ♪ and by the cross shall be healed. O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. ♪ And make the country great again ♪ ♪ The home of the brave ♪ ♪ And the home of the brave ♪ ♪ Shall father and son unite ♪ ♪ My pride and honor ever give to thee ♪ ♪ The paths of victory ♪ ♪ In spine and heart and mind and mind and mind ♪ ♪ Thou for us a prince enthroned ♪ ♪ In all our praises thou art holy ♪ ♪ By the sounds of love to sing ♪ ♪ The time has come to say good-bye to you ♪ O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? ♪ It's taking too much to bear ♪ ♪ To die in a place I've never known ♪ Send the Holy Spirit, Thou my Son, To whom all love belongs.

♪ The joys and sorrows of old ♪ ♪ And when the dawn was done ♪ ♪ And children were born ♪ Greatly feeling to need the Lord's gracious help or direct your attention, to the chapter that we read, the 16th chapter in the gospel according to John and we will read verses 26 and 27 for our text. John's gospel chapter 16 verses 26 and 27. At that day ye shall ask in my name And I say not unto you that I will pray the Father for you, for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me and have believed that I came out from God. At that day ye shall ask in my name in the previous verse the Lord Jesus says in verse 23 and in that day you shall ask me nothing verily verily I say unto you whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name he will give it to you some people have a very strange peculiar unscriptural view of these things I mean now generally among the churches and among some of the Lord's servants.

I've heard it said, you cannot pray to the Father. I heard of a minister taking a Sunday school address and he said to the children, you cannot pray to the Father. You know friends, that is totally unscriptural. For through Him, that's Jesus, we have access by one Spirit unto the Father. That's fundamental scriptural doctrine. We do have access unto our Heavenly Father. And we have that access through the Lord Jesus Christ. We have that access through the perfect holy obedience of the holy God-man in his perfect obedience to the holy law of God.

He did in his holy life what his children could never do. And why couldn't we do it? Because we're born in sin, we're shaped in iniquity. And it's impossible for us to fulfill that holy righteous law of God. And it must be fulfilled in every jot and every tittle. And you and I can never do that.

Because we're simple in our very nature. when the Holy Spirit begins that work of grace in the heart it gives us to begin to feel that sinfulness and to feel the uncleanness and to feel the unrighteousness that is in and that this is in these precious doctrines are contained in this sacred discourse in chapters 14, 15 and 16 known as the valedictory discourse of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And it was spoken to the disciples just before the Garden of Gethsemane. He opened up to them the truth of God and he informed his disciples that he was going away. from them. He told them on several occasions but they couldn't receive it and we notice as we read through this chapter tonight there were things that they could not receive. It says in verses 15 and 16 all things that the father hath are mine therefore said I he shall take of mine and shall show it unto you that's the Holy Ghost a little while and you shall not see me and again a little while and you shall see me because i go to the father see but they they didn't understand they said in verse 18 therefore what is this that he said a little while we cannot tell what he said and then the lord jesus he asked them a question do you ask what i said And then he opens the truth onto them very clearly, how that he was, and he told them on several occasions that he would suffer, bleed and die. And on the third day he would rise again, but they couldn't see it.

And what it shows us, my beloved friends, is that the Lord gradually teaches his children. We don't learn everything at once. We don't become deep theologians in a moment. We know the Lord could do that but that is not the case. We do see exceptional cases in the case of the Apostle Paul or as he was Saul of Tarsus when he was in Damascus and the Lord called him by his grace and brought him to the knowledge of the truth and he was baptised and immediately he began to preach Christ in the synagogues of Damascus. Immediately!

Well because the Lord had opened his understanding by a revelation of Jesus Christ, a man that were, as he says himself, a Pharisee of the Pharisees. And yet the Lord stopped him. The Lord opened his eyes. You know, we notice in this, because Saul of Tarsus was an out and out Pharisee. Is he so himself? And yet the Lord in a moment stopped him. The Lord convinced him. The Lord Jesus spoke to him.

He saw that light and it blinded his eyes. He was led into the city of Damascus and then the Lord speaks to Ananias, one of the brethren at Damascus to go and speak to this Saul of Tarsus. I love those words when, Ananias went into him. He said brother Saul, brother Saul. See the Lord had made him a brother. He was no longer an enemy of the church. The Lord had changed his heart, renewed his will and turned his feet to Zion's hill.

But what you notice in the life of Paul and in the epistles of Paul is that he had such a clear understanding the distinction between the Pharisee and the believer and the difference and he detects the spirit of the Pharisee and in his epistles especially in the Romans and the Galatians he attacks the spirit of the Pharisee just as our Lord Jesus Christ did because it was a form of religion destitute of power But we often find that the Lord, he works mightily and powerfully in these people, so that when they are converted and their eyes are opened, they have such a clear view of the truth. You know, when the false teachers in the church at Galatia tried to introduce the works of the law, basically what they were saying, these deodizing teachers in the church at Galatia, they were saying now you're a believer you can fulfill the law because you're a believer and now you can fulfill the law now you can produce a righteousness acceptable to God and Paul immediately saw the deadly danger of such an error you and I my beloved friends those of us that are believers you will prove that You're a sinner to the very days of your death, to the end of your life. You're a sinner, a poor, corrupt sinner. And what the Lord teaches us by the Holy Ghost is just like Top Lady writes, nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling, foul I to the fountain fly, wash me, Savior, or I die.

It's like the Apostle Paul, he so clearly opens up the inner recesses of the heart of the Christian believer in Romans chapter 7.

And he says, that which I would, I do not. That which I would not, I do. I find a law within my members that when I would do good, that even is present with me. O wretched man, that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death. He knew these things by experience as the Lord taught him. guided him, directed him. It's one thing, my beloved friends, to know the truth of God in your head and it's another thing altogether to know the truth of God in your heart. It's a very different thing. I saw this so clearly and so beautifully when the Lord brought me into Gospel Liberty and I had such a view of the Trinity. such a view of the love of my heavenly father he loved me with an everlasting love he took my sins and he laid them on his son and then his son came to this sinful world as a man and he lived in this world as a man and fulfilled the law for me for me honored and magnified that holy righteous law of god which i couldn't do But the Lord showed me that Jesus had done it.

And then he offered that holy, sinless sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. He put away sin by the offering of himself. What a precious Saviour. What a love I felt to Jesus Christ, who'd redeemed me. who suffered and bled and died for me and rose again for my justification and had now bodily ascended into heaven, I felt such a love to Jesus Christ.

And then I felt such a love to the Holy Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit who proceeded forth from the Father and the Son that had entered my heart, that had quickened my soul, that had convinced me of my sins, that had led me to Jesus Christ as the only saviour of sinners. My beloved friends, I felt such a love to the Holy Ghost. And the overriding sense I had with that revelation of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, these three are one.

I shall never forget it. It was a remarkable, deep impression right into my heart. It's just like Apostle says, written by the finger of the Living God upon the fleshy tables of the heart and these wonderful truths. You know friends, I've been raised in a godly house and I've never doubted the doctrine of the Trinity.

But when you have a personal experience of it, when you feel the love of your Heavenly Father and when you Feel the love of your savior, Jesus Christ. And when you feel the divine power, the heavenly unction of God, the Holy Ghost, that is indelibly imprinted on your heart. And nobody can shake you from it.

Why? Because it's like John says in his epistle, it's the things that we've tasted and handled and felt of the good word of life, not just studying them, not just a head knowledge, it's right to study, it's right that we should constantly read the scriptures, and it's right that we should read good books and enlarge our knowledge, but it's something quite different to have an experience of the truth. Then you know it. John says in his first epistle, we know, and he says it again and again, we know. What he means is, This is what we've tasted and handled and felt of the good word of life.

We know it by blessed experience. You see, my beloved friends, as the Lord teaches us, as he deepens that work in our hearts, the Lord Jesus, he says, verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament and the world shall rejoice, but ye And ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. When would their sorrow be turned into joy? When the Holy Ghost was poured upon them from on high. When they beheld Christ bodily ascending into heaven. When they saw him when he was risen from the dead. What joy they had and peace in believing. Ye now therefore have sorrow.

But I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. And in that day, ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, I will give it to you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name. Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. These things have I spoken unto you in Proverbs, but the time cometh when I shall no more speak unto you in Proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father."

Plainly of the Father. It's a wonderful thing when you have those clear views of your Heavenly Father, of His everlasting love. I always think of the love of our Heavenly Father when I think of that wonderful promise Or a statement of truth in Jeremiah chapter 31. Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee. I always feel that refers very specifically to our Heavenly Father.

Because here in the Gospels, it says none come except the Father draw. Therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you. Now where does the Father draw a poor sinner? To Jesus Christ. To Jesus Christ. They're drawn to him. They're drawn by the cords of a man. And that man is the man Christ Jesus. The God of heaven that was manifest in the flesh. You're drawn there because the Father draws you there. The Spirit leads you there.

You know, as the Lord Jesus speaks of the divine work of the Spirit in this chapter. He says, how be it when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. For he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine and shall show it. unto you. What the Lord Jesus does in this wonderful sacred discourse of John 14, 15 and 16, he speaks of the distinct work of the Father and the distinct work of the Son and the distinct work of the Holy Ghost in the economy of grace. All things that the Father hath are mine. Therefore said I that he shall take of mine and shall show it unto you.

And that's what the Blessed Spirit does. It says earlier that well-known word in verse seven, nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away. For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you. But if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove, the margin says, convince the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.

So this is the divine work of the Spirit. But really, you know, what seemed to draw me so much to this portion of scripture is verse 27, for the Father himself loveth you. The Father himself loveth you. loved with an everlasting love. I love that beautiful hymn, number 10. "'Twas with an everlasting love that God his own elect embraced, before he made the worlds above, or earth on her huge columns place. Long ere the sun's revolt soldier ray, primeval shades of darkness drove, They on his sacred bosom lay, loved with an everlasting love.

The wonderful everlasting love we read in Holy Scripture of the love of the Father, we read in Holy Scripture of the love of the Son, and we read in Holy Scripture of the love of the Spirit. These three, this one blessed almighty God, a God of love, God is love. God the Father is love, God the Son is love, God the Spirit is love. God is love. He's love in his very being.

There is this, and I know it's the work of Satan, and even the Lord's dear disciples were afflicted with it. And it's the temptations of Satan. I've proved it to be so over the years. And the Lord Jesus in chapter 14, Jesus said, Unto him I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No man cometh unto the Father but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also. And from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip said 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 thee? 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 work's sake. You see how clearly and beautifully the Lord Jesus opens this precious truth, this access. We have access through Jesus Christ. He's the way, the truth and the life.

He says there, 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. Anything in my name. I will do it. What an invitation, isn't it? To poor needy sinners. Anything in my name.

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in the believer's ear. It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, and drives away his fear. And so we can approach our Heavenly Father in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. In union with the Lamb, From condemnation free, the saints will everlasting were and shall forever be. This wonderful union and communion.

In chapter 15, the Lord Jesus says, verse 12, this is my commandment that ye love one another. As I have loved you, greater loveth no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth, but I have called you friends. For all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, I have chosen you and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever you shall ask of my Father in my name, He may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another.

Oh, that the Lord would give us more faith, more love, more faith in our heavenly father, in his son, Jesus Christ, in the blessed spirit of truth, a clear of views, given to us of the way of salvation, of the way of redemption, and a realization of what we have in our text, for the father whose love loveth you.

You see there is this, and it comes from Satan, there is this, well, the father's high, and holy and you cannot approach to him. That's not true. He is high, he is holy, but you cannot approach to him. We have access in and through the glorious person of our Lord Jesus Christ unto our Heavenly Father, we do.

At that day, you shall ask in my name and I say not unto you that I will pray the father for you for the father himself loveth you because you have loved me and have believed that I came out from God. There is that and we often refer you to it in the epistle to the Galatians and in chapter 4 and the apostle there He discourses here to the Galatians in the fourth chapter.

Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all. That's an heir to a fortune. But until he comes of age, he's under tutors and governors, until the time appointed of the father. It's like the Prince of Wales and the present king was for many, many years the Prince of Wales. All the time his mother lived, he was under tutors and governors. Until the time appointed, that was when his mother passed. And then he became the king.

Even so, we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. That is when we were, before we were born again. But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son, made of woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

And because she are sons, it's a very beautiful point of doctrine there. Sons of God. from all eternity. That's what it means. And because you are sons, because the Father chose you, in His Son, Jesus Christ, and because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. He sent His Spirit because you are sons. There's something very deep, very sacred and very precious there.

If the Spirit as God has entered your heart, it's because you're one of the sons or daughters of the Lord God Almighty. It's because you're loved with an everlasting love. It's because you were chosen before the foundation of the world. But you don't know that until the Spirit enters your heart and reveals these wonderful truths unto you.

And because ye are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. What a wonderful thing to have that blessed Spirit of Christ, Abba, Father. The Apostle has a very similar word in the eighth chapter of the Romans. where he opens up there to the church at Rome of the this wonderful glory.

Wherefore thou art no more a servant but a son and if a son than an heir of God through Christ. Howbeit then when ye knew not God ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods but now after that ye have known God or rather are known of God how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly ailments whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage, because that's what the deodizing teachers were doing in the church at Galatia. You observe days and months, that is the old Jewish calendar. You observe days and months and times and years, I'm afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

You see, my beloved friends, the dear apostle, his heart aches for especially when he saw them going astray. And you know, that is the case with the Lord's servants, the Lord's true servants, their heart aches for their heroes. But they might be established in the truth, if they see them going astray, it makes their heart ache. It causes many errands to the throne of grace. or that the Lord would grant that we might know more of this sacred spirit of adoption, know more union and communion.

The apostle in the second epistle to the Corinthians in chapter 6, and he says there in the last two verses, wherefore come out from among them, that's come out from paganism, idolatry, the world. 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 Almighty. Ye shall be my sons daughters.

And in the latter part of verse chapter 5 rather of 2nd Corinthians, speaking of the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he says in verse 19, to wit that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now, then we are ambassadors for Christ. As though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's dead be ye reconciled to God.

For it made him to be sin for us. Our heavenly Father, in infinite love, he hath made him. The Father took our sins and he laid them on his Son. Jesus Christ, for he hath made him to be sin for us. Who knew no sin? Jesus knew no sin. Jesus did no sin. Jesus lived a holy life, a spotless life, a perfect life. Look at that lovely word in Psalm 37, mark the perfect man and behold the upright. The end of that man is peace. That's Christ. the perfect man, mark the perfect man, behold the upright, the end of that man is peace.

For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him, in him. What an exchange, isn't it? Our gracious, eternal Father, he took our sins, He took the sin off of the church, he lifted it off of the church.

This is the meaning of the word imputation. He lifted the sin off of the church and he laid it on his son. And that is what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane. He laid upon him the iniquity of us all. So our sin became his. and his perfect obedience, righteousness becomes ours. What an exchange.

The father, he took the perfect obedience of Christ and he laid it on the church. So he took away the sin of the church. This is the sacred doctrine of imputation. He took away the sin of the church and laid it on his son and his son paid the redemption price when he suffered and bled and died for the sins of his people, and he satisfied all the demands of divine justice. He shed every drop of his precious blood. He entered into death itself and rose from the dead. He rose again for our justification.

It's a precious gospel, isn't it? What a gospel it is. But the root, the love of our Heavenly Father, for the father himself loveth you what a lovely word isn't it the father himself loveth you because you have loved me and have believed that i came out from god i came forth from the father and i come into the world again i leave the world and go on to the father you know in the Epistles of the Romans, the Apostle Paul, by these spirits inward teaching, he brings out so beautifully how the Lord Jesus suffered and bled and died for the sins of his people. He speaks of the faith of Abraham in chapter four. And it says in verse 21, This is concerning Abraham and being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification. Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom also we have access by faith into this grave wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God and not only so but we glory in tribulations also knowing that tribulation worketh patience, patience experience, experience hope and hope maketh not a shame because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. He says in verse 8, but God commended his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

What a wonderful, precious, full, complete gospel it is, my beloved friends. At that day, you shall ask in my name, and I say not unto you that I will pray the Father for you, for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me and have believed that I came out from God.

In the following chapter, chapter 17, that beautiful prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ, verse 21, that they all may be one as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing 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, tune Blackwell Hall, number 11.

♪♪♪ is most apprised in thee, that which doth be unknown The Jewish world will not be king, God's everlasting Son. Lord, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. How can we say Our Saviour there, We shall be like that there. Thou put'st thy heart behind, ♪ May triumphs ever come ♪ ♪ O'er meek and stout ♪ ♪ In Christ the Lord ♪ ♪ As firm as he was ♪ Here in my Father's love I shall never fail, O God, Send down thy Spirit like a cloud, clear and soft, Give earth her longer life, Thy shades below thy throne, Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the love of God the Father, the sacred fellowship of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each both now and for evermore. Amen.