evening by singing the first
three verses of hymn 559. The tune is Samuel 2, 561. The works of God proclaim the greatness
of his power. Jehovah is his name, the saints
his name at all. All creatures are at his control. He rules and reigns from pole
to poll. In 559 singing the first three
verses, tune Samuel 2, 561. The words of God the Lamb, the
greatness of His power, tree of the rich His name. The saints his name adore. All creatures of heav'n his work
show, He rules and reigns from fall to fall. Such is our live and death, and
such is justice true. The world he drowns and floods,
except the very truth. He sent his angels down to earth,
and yet it's just a foolish thing. But O my soul of God, Thee outwit my infants, And all the leaves inside will
helplessly dismay. And sin and justice, fear and
pain, Let us read together from the Holy Word of God in the second
epistle of Paul to the Corinthians in chapter 1. Second Epistle to the Corinthians,
chapter one. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ
by the will of God. And Timothy, our brother, unto
the church of God, which is at Corinth, with all the saints
which are in all Achaia. Grace be to you and peace from
God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be
God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies,
and the God of all comfort, who comforted us in all our tribulation,
that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble
by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God, For as
the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also
abounded by Christ. And whether we be afflicted,
it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual
in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or whether
we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation, And
our hope of you is steadfast, knowing that as ye are partakers
of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation. For
we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble,
which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure,
above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life. but
we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should
not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead, who
delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver, in whom we
trust that he will yet deliver us, ye also help him together
by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the
means of many persons, thanks may be given by many on our behalf. For our rejoicing is this, the
testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity,
not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we've had
our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you, Ward,
for we write none of the things unto you than what we read or
acknowledge. I trust ye shall acknowledge
even to the end, as also ye have acknowledged us in part that
we are your rejoicers, even as ye also are ours in the day of
the Lord Jesus. and in this confidence I was
minded to come unto you before that you might have a second
benefit and to pass by you into Macedonia and to come again out
of Macedonia unto you and of you to be brought on my way toward
Judea. When I therefore was thus minded
did I use likeness or the things that I purpose, do I purpose
according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea,
yea, and nay, nay. But as God is true, our word
towards you was not yea and nay. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ,
who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and
Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea, and all the
promises of God in him are yea, and in him, amen, unto the glory
of God by us. Now he who establisheth us with
you in Christ and hath anointed us is God, who hath also sealed
us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. Moreover, I call God for a record
upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth,
not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers
of your joy, for by faith ye stand. May the Lord bless the
reading. of his own precious word and
grant to 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, we desire to come in prayer before thee, We desire to come with a spirit
of confession. For thou art the high and lofty
one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy. And Lord,
we are unholy. We are unclean. We are unrighteous. And we do desire, most gracious
God, to come then to confess our shortcomings, our heart wanderings,
our backslidings. We desire to set our affections
on things above. We desire to turn aside, O Lord,
from the ways and the things of this world and to come into
thy sanctuary. We read, O Lord, in thy word
of those that met together at the time of the evening sacrifice. And how many times, O Lord, it
pleased Thee to meet with them and to reveal Thyself unto them.
And we pray that it will be so this evening hour, that Thou
wouldst come and draw near to us, and that we may behold Thee,
that we may behold our Lord Jesus Christ, that we may behold the
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. Even as
thou hast said in thy word, behold my servant, mine elect, in whom
my soul delighteth. May we behold him as our prophet,
as our priest, as our king, as our all and our in all. We thank thee, O Lord, for what
we've read together, that all the promises of God in him I
gay and amen. We pray that even tonight as
we gather round the word, we may feel that that is the case.
Gay and amen. In Christ Jesus. That we may
feel and know the truth of those words. Jesus Christ. The same yesterday, and today,
and forever. the Alpha and the Omega, the
beginning and the ending, the first and the last. In Him is
life. So we come, O Lord, and we pray
that that life may be poured into each one of our hearts,
that the spirit of life that is in Christ Jesus may be sweetly
applying the truth unto our souls as we gather around Thy Word
in the sanctuary. What is the hell, O Lord, to
me, unless the Master I can see? O, that we may behold Him then
as our Prophet, our Priest, and our King, as our Saviour and
our Redeemer, as our Great Deliverer, even as the dear Apostle himself
proved when he was delivered from so great a death. And, O
Lord, we do pray that Thou wouldst come and deliver us then from
all things that are of the flesh. The calm of mind is enmity to
Thee, and we do desire, O Lord, to come in that sweet exercise
of faith, laying aside every weight and the sin that doth
so easily beset us, that we may run with patience the race that
is set before us. looking unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith. Help us to look to him, help
us to cleave to him, help us to cast all our care upon him. I think, Lord Jesus, of those
wonderful words of grace, come unto me, all ye that labour and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you
and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall
find rest for your souls. Lord, may we find that gospel
rest as we gather together around thy Word. We pray that thou wouldst
remember us then as a church and as a congregation. Remember
our brethren, the deacons, and give them grace, wisdom, and
help continually, day by day. that thou would remember each
one of our brethren and sisters in church fellowship, and that
we may pray for one another, that we may bear one another's
burdens, thereby fulfilling the law of Christ. We pray that we
may encourage one another, that we may love one another. We pray
for that unfaithful love of the brethren, Oh, do hear us, Lord,
we pray thee, and graciously deliver us from the works of
the flesh, the old man of sin, which is corrupt. Often, Lord,
we have to echo the language of the dear apostle, O wretched
man, that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death. We come, Lord, all our need then
and pray that thou would graciously bless us as a church and as a
congregation and work mightily, powerfully, effectually among
us. Precious souls may be gathered
unto Christ. Bless the little ones and the
children as they're brought into the sanctuary. Bless them, O
Lord, with the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom.
that thou wouldst bless our young friends and undertake for them
and bless them with that precious gift of faith in Jesus Christ,
that they may become followers of thee and of those who through
faith and patience inherit the promises. Lord, do hear us, we
pray. In heaven, thy holy dwelling
place, and when thou hearest, O Lord, forgive. O Lord, we do
pray that Thou in Thy great mercy would remember the prodigals
that have wandered from the house of God, stretch out Thy almighty
arm, cause them to return, cause them to turn their feet to Zion's
hill, to follow Thee, to serve Thee. Lord, we do pray that Let
us break down that spirit of enmity that is in us by nature. For by nature, Lord, we love
the things that please our taste, but we hate the God of truth
and grace. We pray to be delivered from
that in and through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. We
pray to be led of the Spirit of God for as many as are led
By the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. We pray, most
blessed Spirit, that thou wouldst convince us of our sin, and lead
to Jesus' blood, to our wandering eyes reveal the secret love of
God. Remember parents, Lord. Give
grace, wisdom, and help to bring up their children, the nurture
and admonition of the Lord, Lord, do hear us, Lord, we pray Thee.
Remember all in the midst of the journey of life and graciously
undertake for them. Those that are far off, make
them nigh. Those that are in darkness, bring
them into light. Those that are in bondage, bring
them into liberty. We do humbly beseech Thee. Blessed Divine Spirit of Truth,
work mightily, powerful and effectually among us, to the great glory
of Thy name, and that we might receive the earnest of the Spirit
in our hearts, we do humbly beseech of Thee, and that we might receive
the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. We do pray, most gracious Lord,
Thou wilt hear us in heaven, thy holy and thy blessed dwelling
place. And when thou hearest, O Lord,
forgive. For we are very conscious that
even in our spiritual exercises there is sin is mixed with all
we do. We pray, most gracious Lord, to
be delivered from that pride which dwells in our fallen nature,
our corrupt nature. and grant us humility and love. Remember those of us, O Lord,
that are now in the evening time of life's journey. We thank Thee
for every mercy and favour that has brought us hither to. And here we would raise our Ebenezer.
Hither by Thy help we've come. We pray for an abundant entrance
into Thy heavenly kingdom. at the appointed time. Guide
us, O thou great Jehovah, pilgrims in this barren land. We are weak,
but thou art mighty. Hold us with thy powerful hand. We do humbly beseech of thee. Send out the light and glory
and power of gospel grace from this house of prayer. Grant that
we may see the pulling down of the strongholds of Satan and
the setting up of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus in the hearts
of sinners. Do hear us, Lord, we humbly pray
thee for thy great namesake. Graciously bless us. Bless us,
Lord, we pray that there may be an abundance, that there may
be mighty signs and wonders to follow the preaching of the word. We think of that wonderful promise,
I will abundantly bless her provision, I will satisfy her poor with
bread. Lord, may it be so. We do humbly
beseech thee, and may grace triumphant reign, and Christ exalted be,
and sinners deserve an endless pain, may great salvation see. We thank thee for our little
house of bread, We thank Thee for the open Bible. We thank
Thee for the freedoms that we have to meet together around
Thy Word. We thank Thee for Thy Word. This
is the Word by which the Gospel is preached unto us. We thank
Thee for that precious Word. We thank Thee above all for the
Word that was made flesh and dwelt among us. May we this night
behold His glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth. O Lord, we thank Thee for that
holy life that Jesus lived here upon earth, fulfilling, honouring,
magnifying Thy holy law and bringing in everlasting righteousness.
We thank Thee for that everlasting righteousness We bow in holy
wonder, adoration and thanksgiving for Calvary, for the precious
blood of the Lamb, for that sin-atoning sacrifice on Calvary, where sin
has been put away and divine justice has been satisfied, and
God and sinners are reconciled. Oh, we do thank thee for the
glories of Christ, We preach Christ crucified. We thank Thee
that He died for our sins and rose again for our justification. We pray that we may, in spirit,
hear the voice of the angel, come, see the place where the
Lord lay. He is not here, He is risen. Oh, we do thank Thee for that
risen Saviour who is now bodily ascended into heaven. who sit
in that thy right hand, we thank thee that we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. We pray that thou
hast come up with thy dear servant on the coming Lord's day, and
that he may dip his foot in oil and be made acceptable unto thee,
brethren, and the word preached may be in power in the Holy Ghost,
and with much assurance we do humbly beseech thee. May the
gathering of the people be unto thee, be with us in our journeys,
bring us home in peace and safety at the appointed time. Lord,
we pray that thou wouldst now be with us as we turn to thy
holy word. Come and touch one's lips with
the live coal from off the heavenly altar. We ask for Jesus Christ's
sake. Amen. Let us now sing the remaining
verses of hymn 559, verses 4 through to 7. And the tune is Arncliffe,
529. That Zion might be free, the
angry powers of her, as settled by decree upon the Saviour fair,
So as in this way the Lord did show what his almighty love could
do. Hymn 559, commencing in at the
fourth verse, tune Arncliffe, 529. When I am weak, when I am weak,
I'm so glad has set to hide him with the
corner chain of hell. O shame, this grave and all its trill,
? God's age-old mighty Calvary. ? ? God's age-old mighty Calvary. ? ? God's age-old mighty Calvary. ? ? God's age-old mighty Calvary. ? ? God's age-old mighty Calvary. ? ? God's age-old mighty Calvary. ? ? God's age-old mighty Calvary. ? ? God's age-old mighty Calvary. ? ? As I pass by, O Lord ? ?
I bear you, O my child ? ? Who only live by God's own power
? O say can you see, by the dawn's
early light, Christ is born in Bethlehem,
born in Bethlehem, born in Bethlehem. He knows that I have gone away
And never lived such as you say ? I will come and see him ? ? The
Lord is great indeed ? ? Great is his love to me ? ? And all
things good to me ? His praise the triumph shall
record, The greatness of the rising Lord. Greatly feeling today the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the first chapter
of the second epistle to the Corinthians, and we'll read verses
19 to 22. Second epistle to the Corinthians,
chapter one, verses 19 to 22. For the Son of God Jesus Christ, who was preached
among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not
yea and nay, but in Him was yea. For all the promises of God in
Him are yea, and in Him, Amen, unto the glory of God by us. He which establishes us with
you in Christ and hath anointed us is God, who hath also sealed
us and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ. What a beautiful affirmation
to the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, for the Son of God, Jesus
Christ. We often try to explain to you
it's a profound and deep mystery, but it's wonderfully revealed
in the Word of God and it's sweetly experienced by the living family
of God that Jesus is indeed the Son. of God, that He is the Eternal
Son of the Eternal Father and that in His glorious person we see the Son of God who took
into union with His divine nature a holy human nature. I always feel that we should
emphasize this point, because there's confusion on this issue,
that he's the son of God. He's not
two persons. If there was a human person and
a divine person, it would be utter confusion. But there isn't. There's one person, the son of
God, who assumed human nature, who became bone of our bone,
it was his own personal human nature. It never ever had any
existence separate to the Son of God. Now, these may feel to
you to be intellectual points, they're not, they're fundamental
doctrine. The Son of God assumed that holy
human nature, As soon as the Holy Ghost overshadowed the womb
of the Virgin and sanctified that seed of the woman, the Son
of God assumed it. It never had any existence separate
to the Son of God. It was his own personal human
nature. And that union that was made
between the divine and the human is an eternal union. union. Surely that is one of the points
that the Apostle is driving at in Hebrews chapter 13. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday
and today and forever. Jesus Christ, the same, unchangeably
the same. He's Jehovah Jesus. He's the Eternal Son of the Eternal
Father. I do love the way that John puts
it in the first chapter of John's Gospel, and the word, that term,
the word refers to the Son of God. Now listen to what it says,
and the word, the Son of God was made flesh and dwelt among
us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. For the Son of God,
Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us. The Son of God,
Jesus Christ. What a beautiful part, affirmation
of the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. My mind in meditating
was much drawn to the opening passage of the Epistle to the
Romans. In Romans chapter 1, Paul, a
servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto
the Gospel of God, which he had promised afore by his prophets
in the holy scriptures concerning his son Jesus Christ
our Lord which was made of the seed of David according to the
flesh and declared to be the son of God with power according
to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. See how he beautifully sets before
us The glorious person of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. God manifest in the flesh. And you know, that union that
was made between the divine and the human, that's the deep mystery. That's what Paul says when he
writes to Timothy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was
manifest in the flesh. It's a great mystery. One hymn
writer says, doesn't he, how it was done we can't discuss.
But this we know, it was done for us. It was done for us. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ,
who was preached among you by us, even by me, and Silvanus,
and Timotheus, was not yay and nay but in him was yay. Speaks here of the divine certainty
of divine things. The divine certainty of the gospel
of Jesus Christ. You know in his first epistle
to the Corinthians he He says in the first chapter,
the first epistle, verse 17, For Christ sent me not to baptise,
but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the
cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching
of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. But unto
us which are saved, it is the power of God For it is written,
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. I will bring to nothing
the understanding of the prudent. See, this glorious gospel goes
on there in that chapter one, it says in verse 23, but we preach
Christ crucified. Unto the Jews, a stumbled block. Unto the Greeks, foolishness. But unto them which are called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom
of God. The power of God and the wisdom
of God. And he says in chapter 2 of that
first epistle, and I brethren when I came to you came not with
excellency of speech or of wisdom declaring unto you the testimony
of God for I determined not to know anything among you save
Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That seems to intimate to me. I determined that there were
much opposition and he had to battle through.
He had to battle through. I remember in my early days in
the ministry It's always been my practice to sit on a Saturday
morning and seek the Lord's mind for the Lord's day. And you know sometimes friends,
I would have a text come on my spirit and I would read and as
it were, and I could gather together probably two sermons. This experience,
that experience, another experience. and that word would come to me
with a measure of power. We preach Christ crucified. You can preach this experience
and that experience and there's nothing wrong in it but central
to the whole of the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ
is the glorious person of Jesus the son of God and his work that
he has performed and fulfilled When he was made of a woman,
made under the law, that he might redeem them that are under the
law. That's why the Son of God was made of a woman and made
under the law. Number one, that he might fulfill
the law. As he said himself, I come not
to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. That's what he's done in his
holy life. He's fulfilled the holy law of
God. You know, friends, he's the only
man that has ever done that. He's the only man that's ever
done that. The holy God man. When he was made of a woman,
when he was made under the law, that he might redeem them that
are under the law. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ,
who was preached among you by us, even when me and Silvanus
and Timotheus was not yay and nay, but in him was yay. That's a divine certainty. In him was yay. Not nay. Not give it or leave it or give
and take. Yay. Definite. Not yay and nay. It's not, my
beloved friends, a gospel we preach that is, as it were, take
it or leave it, or this or that, or something else, or something
a bit ambiguous. No! It's Yah! It's Jesus Christ
the same, yesterday, today and forever. Upon this rock I build
my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. It's Yah! It's divinely Satan,
Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us,
even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in Him
was yea. He is Jehovah Jesus. He is eternally the same. He is immutable in his counsel. It's immutable. That means he
cannot, not that he just doesn't change, but he cannot change.
He's God. Jesus is the Son of God, he cannot
change. He's unchangeably the same. Doesn't the apostle in the sixth
chapter of the Hebrews, if I remember correctly, he dwells upon this
very point of the immutability of our Lord Jesus Christ in his
glorious person. And so in Hebrews chapter 6,
and it starts at verse 16, for men verily swear by the greater
and an oath of confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise
the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that
by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to
lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay
hold upon the hope set before us. Which hope we have? as an anchor of the soul, both
sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the
veil, whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus,
made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. You see, wherein God, willing
more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability
of his counsel, affirmed it by an oath. And what was that oath?
That oath is found in Psalm 110. The apostle quotes it here in
the Hebrews in chapter 7 verse 17. For he testifieth thou art
a priest forever. After the order of Melchizedek. A priest forever. An eternal
priesthood. Goes on in verse 22 in chapter
7. By so much was Jesus made a surety
of a better testament. And they truly were many priests
because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death.
But this man, which man? The holy God man, the Lord Jesus
Christ. But this man, because he continueth
ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to
save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him. seeing
he ever liveth, to make intercession for them. For such an high priest
became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners,
and made higher than the heavens. Such an high priest. You see,
my beloved friends, these precious doctrines that they are set before
us by the Holy Ghost to confirm our faith in the glorious person
of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ,
who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and
Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in Him was Yeah, divinely
certain. For all the promises of God,
in Him, we think of all the promises of God in the breadth of a short
sermon, we cannot go through all the promises of God. They're
scattered throughout the Word of God. For all the promises
of God, in Him, That is in Jesus the Son of God, aye, aye, and
in Him, Amen. Divinely certain. That's what
the word Amen means, so be it. It's divinely certain. And all
these promises that God gives in Christ. You know, thinking
of the promises of God, my mind seemed very much this morning
drawn to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Abraham was called out of Ur
of the Chaldees. We have the record of it in Genesis
chapter 12, that divine call of Abraham. He was called out and by faith that was a divine
call that reached his heart and he left that place of Ur of the
Chaldees, along with his father, Tira, and Lot, his nephew. And we read in the Hebrews, he
went out not knowing whether he went. He went by faith. The Joshua lived by his faith
and he walked by faith, not knowing whether he went. He went in faith. looking unto Jesus. Now, the
wonderful thing is, it is the promises made to Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob, the patriarchs. And each one
of them received this promise, that in thee, and in thy seed,
shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. That promise
was given unto Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob. The same precious
promise, in thee and in thy seed shall all the nations of the
earth be blessed. And you see my beloved friends,
the Lord was establishing something there, something that was very
precious. That Jesus Christ would be born
of the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and if we look at the Lord's
servant Jacob in Genesis chapter 28 when he left the place of
his nativity and he journeyed he journeyed to fetch a wife
from Laban, Rebecca's brother And as far as we can see, this
is the first time the Lord had spoken to Jacob. It says in Genesis
28 verse 10, Jacob went out from Beersheba and went towards Haran. And he lighted upon a certain
place and tarried there all night because the sun was set. And
he took of the stones of that place and put them for his pillows
and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed and behold
a ladder set up on the earth and the top of it reached to
heaven and behold the angels of God ascending and descending
on it. What was revealed to Jacob? Christ. You might say, how the ladder? Its bottom was on earth, its
top was in heaven. There is one God and one mediator
between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave his life
a ransom for all to be testified in due time. And that is what
Jacob saw. A wonderful vision that was that
he was given, wasn't it? And behold, the angels of God,
the messengers of God, were told in the Hebrews, are they not
ministers of God sent forth to minister to them that shall be
the heirs of salvation? And these angels of God, these
messengers of God are ascending and descending on it. But this is what Jacob saw, and
behold, The Lord, that is Jehovah, stood above him and said, the
Lord spoke to him from heaven, I am the Lord God of Abraham
thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon thou liest,
to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall
be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad
to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the
south. and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth
be blessed. You see, all the promises of
God are yay and amen in Christ Jesus, in Jesus the Son of God. And this wonderful promise that
Christ would be born of his seed And I've often looked at it in
this way, this promise to Isaac, to Jacob rather, and he says,
and thou shalt spread abroad to the west and to the east.
The apostle makes it very clear in Romans and Galatians that
the spiritual seed of Abraham is the Christian church in Jesus Christ. And when it
says here, and to the north and the south. And the divine commission
that the Lord gave the apostles going into all the world and
preach the gospel unto every creature. So included in this
promise is the whole Christian church. Not just the coming of
Christ but the spread of the gospel throughout the nations
of the earth and thy siege shall be as the dust of the earth and
thou shalt spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the
north and to the south and in thee and in thy seed shall all
the families of the earth be blessed. All the promises of
God are yea and amen in Christ Jesus. Everything you stand in
need of is in Christ Jesus. Then we have this wonderful word,
And behold, I am with thee. What a promise, isn't it? And
behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither
thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land. For I will
not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee
of. will not leave until I've done
that which I have spoken to thee of. Look at the trials the dear
man of God had. He found the house of labour
and what wonderful rejoicing there was and when the maid came down. You know it's wonderful when we read
of the wonderful power and grace of God. And yet we see the trials
we have. Laban promised him Rachel, who
he'd obviously fell in love with. But then, instead of giving him
Rachel, he gave him Leah. And so he served seven years
for Leah and then seven years for Rachel. All those years,
And we read that Laban changed his wages ten times. What do we see in this? As he
sowed, so shall he reap. Jacob's name was Deceiver. He
deceived his father at the behest of his mother. But he sowed what he reaped.
Esau was going to slay him so he was sent away. And then when he came back Esau
came to meet him with 400 armed men. No doubt with that purpose of
slaying him. But we see the Lord brought him
to him. As we spoke last Lord's Day, how he wrestled with God. Wrestling prayer can wonders
do. Bring relief in deepest straits.
Prayer can force a passage through iron bars and brazen gates. We read here in Genesis 28, Jacob
awaked out of his sleep and he said, surely the Lord is in this
place and I knew it not. And he was afraid. and said,
how dreadful is this place? This is none other but the house
of God and this is the gate of heaven. Jacob rose up early in
the morning and took the stone which he had put for his pillow
and set it for a pillow and poured oil upon the top of it and he
called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of that
city was called Luzert I. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying,
if God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go,
and will give me bread to eat and raiment to put on, so that
I come again to my father's house in peace, then shall the Lord
be my God. And this stone, which I have
set for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that thou shalt
give me, I will give thee the tenth unto thee. These wonderful
promises that the Lord gives his people. These wonderful promises
that the Lord gave to Abraham first, then to Isaac, and then
to Jacob. These over many years were fulfilled
and eventually the children of Israel came into the land of
Canaan. and overcome their enemies after
many years in the land of Egypt. The Lord's way is perfect. We read, as for God, His way
is perfect. His way is perfect. You know, for the Son of God,
Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us Me and Silvanus
and Timotheus was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. For all the promises of God in
him, I yea, and in him amen, unto the glory of God by us. You know the Apostle Paul, he
had great trials, just like Jacob did. It says here in this chapter
verse 8 for we would not brethren have you ignorant of our trouble
which came to us in Asia that we were pressed out of measure
above strength in so much that we despaired even of life but we have the sentence of death
in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves but in God
which raises the dead who delivered us from so great a death, and
doth deliver us, in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us. You know the Lord's people, they
come into spots and places, just like Paul, they have the sentence
of death within themselves. They have a deep sense of their
sin, their iniquity. They sometimes say, can ever
God dwell here? The apostle, he came again and
again to the end of his strength, the end of his wisdom. It's like
he says, pressed out of measure. Maybe that's where you come sometimes,
pressed out of measure. King we read of, isn't it? Now
know we not what to do? But our eyes are up unto the
Lord. Now He which establishes us with
you in Christ and hath anointed us is God, who hath also sealed
us and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. The earnest of the spirit. You
may say what does the word earnest mean? Well there was an ancient
custom prevalent in the Middle East and apparently it was a
custom in this country many many years ago. If a man went and
purchased a piece of land and the price was agreed They took
a spade and they dug up a sod of that land that he'd purchased. And it was given to him. And
that piece was called the earnest. The earnest. We read elsewhere
in the Word of God, the earnest of your inheritance. So what
he says here is the Holy Ghost given to the Lord's people is
the earnest. who hath also sealed us and given
the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. The Holy Ghost dwelling in the
heart. It's a wonderful line of divine
truth. The Apostle says here in the
Corinthians that know ye not ye are the temple of the Holy
Ghost if so be the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. It's an earnest. If you feel
the Spirit moving in your heart, there's a sealing of the Spirit. There is a divine sealing in
various ways with the Holy Ghost. There is a sealing of the law
of God into the heart. Some to a greater, some to a
lesser degree. And what's meant by that sealing
of the law into the heart? A conviction and convincing of
sin. That's what the law does. It convinces us of our sin. And then there is the sealing
of the spirit when Christ is first revealed. When the spirit of God works
faith in the heart and in some little measure Christ is apprehended.
And a hope is raised up in the soul. Which hope we have as an
anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast, we're in Christ. The Spirit, it says, will take
of the things of Jesus and reveal them unto you. The earnest of the Spirit in
our hearts. It's with the heart that man
believeth unto righteousness. There may be a raising up to
a hope in the glorious person of Jesus Christ and a gradual
opening up of who he is and what he has done. And then there are
those times when the blessed spirit of truth will so reveal
Christ unto you that you feel your sins forgiven. You feel his blood was shed for
you. You feel that that glorious everlasting robe of the righteousness
of Christ is yours. It's yours. These times are sealing
times, when the Spirit seals us as the sons and daughters
of the Lord God Almighty, when Christ is revealed, when Christ
is made precious. when Christ becomes the altogether
lovely one, when Christ becomes the chiefest among 10,000, when
you can say from the very depths of your soul, I could from all
things parted be, but never, never, Lord, from thee, never
from thee, who hath also sealed us and given the earnest of the
Spirit in our hearts. You see, it says in the previous,
now he which establisheth us with you in Christ and hath anointed
us is God who hath also sealed us and given the earnest of the
Spirit in our hearts. You think of that word, that
promise, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. That's the
Holy Ghost dwelling in the heart. I will never leave thee nor forsake
thee. They never leave. They never
forsake you. And you know, we've often pointed
out, you can't have the Holy Ghost without the Father and
the Son. If the Holy Ghost dwells in your
heart, so does the Father and the Son. I've often felt that
when we read in John chapter 14, when the Lord Jesus there
is speaking to his disciples and speaking to them of his that
he was about to leave them and he says unto them by way of comfort
and consolation verse 23 of John 14 Jesus answered and said unto
him if a man love me he will keep my words and my Father will
love him and we, notice that, and we will come unto him that
is Father, Son and Holy Ghost and we will come unto him and
make our abode with him. All my beloved friends may these
precious truths be food to our souls for the Son of God Jesus
Christ who was preached among you by us even by me and Silvanus
and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. For
all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him, Amen, unto
the glory of God by us. Now he which establisheth us
with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God, who hath
also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our
hearts. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 14. The tune is Burnet 109. begin my tongue some heavenly
theme, and speak some boundless theme, the mighty works or mightier
name of our eternal King. Hymn number 14, Tune Burnet,
109. In life's long-suffering and
pain, And sweet compassion, While I reflect on life's great pain,
? O come, O come, Emmanuel ? ?
O come, O come, Emmanuel ? ? And strong this power abroad
? ? Save the sweet promise of His praise ? ? Let the earth
adore Him ? Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? ? Without an equal to bear ? ?
And may that in eternal rest the mighty Lord
be with us ? O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the
bombs bursting in air, Be there on earth, O world to
earth, And with heavenly peace, Be sweet and kind, ? O mighty man ? ? O infinite grace
? ? E'er shall he work ? ? How great
they show ? ? At last they fill the sky ? ? Their voice echoes
? ? And songs unwind ? 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.