The notices for the coming week
are, God willing, as follows. Pastor will preach here next
Lord's Day at 10.30 and 2 o'clock. Also on Thursday evening at 7
o'clock. There'll be a prayer meeting
here on Tuesday evening at 7 o'clock. The collection taken as our anniversary
services on Friday for pastor amounted to £1,562 and I would
sincerely thank you for your kindness, love and generosity. Let us commence our services
today by singing together hymn 1062. The tune is Carlisle Street
451. King of Kings and Lord of Lords,
these are great and awful words. Tis to Jesus they belong. Let
his people raise their song. Hymn 1062, tune Carlyle Street,
451. We thank you, Prince and God
of hosts, Face of great and awful worlds, ♪ Praise to Jesus they belong ♪
♪ Let his people raise their song ♪ Which in glory Thou didst show,
Thou that art my faithful foe, Thou hast taught the way, my
faith, which in glory all may see. When we think of love like this,
joy and shame apart, Join the power of divinity in
us. Shameful touch returns from us. When we bow, the angels sing,
When we shout from a happy frame, On and on to heav'n he goes As
to praise him as we pause how we still continue him. Let
this hope, our spirit share, Shed an angel thy face, we see,
Speak thus, Lord, tenderly, Let us read together from the
holy word of God in the book of the Revelation and chapter
19. Revelation chapter 19. And after these things I heard
a great voice of much people in heaven saying, Alleluia, salvation
and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God for true
and righteous are his judgments for he hath judged the great
war which did corrupt the earth with her fornication and hath
avenged the blood of his servants at her hand and again they said
alleluia and her smoke rose up forever and ever And the four
and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped
God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen, Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne,
saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear
him, both small and great. And I heard, as it were, the
voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters,
and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord
God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice and
give honour to him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his
wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she
should be arrayed in finding in, clean and white, for the
fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he said unto me,
Write, blessed are they which are called unto the marriage
supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are
the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship
him, and he said unto me, See thou do it not? I am thy fellow
servant, and of thy brethren which have the testimony of Jesus.
Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. And I saw the heaven opened,
and behold a white horse, and he that sat upon him was called
faithful and true, and in righteousness doth he judge and make law. His
eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns,
and he had a name written that no man knew but he himself. And
he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and his name
is called the Word of God. And the armies which were in
heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen,
white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a
sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations, and
he shall rule them with a rod of iron. And he treadeth the
winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he
hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of
kings and Lord of lords. And I saw an angel standing in
the sun, and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls
that fly in the midst of heaven, come and gather yourselves together
under the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh
of kings and the flesh of captains and the flesh of mighty men and
the flesh of horses and of them that sit on them and the flesh
of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw
the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gather
together to make war against him that sat on the horse and
against his army. And the beast was taken, and
with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him,
with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the
beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast
alive into a lake of fire, burning with brimstone, and the remnant
were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse,
which sword proceeded out of his mouth, and all the fowls
were filled with their flesh. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real
prayer. Almighty, most merciful and eternal
God, we do desire to bow before thy glorious majesty. We come
as poor sinners We are the sons and daughters
of Adam, born in sin, shapen in iniquity. And we echo, Lord,
the language of the dear Apostle, for I know that in me, that is
in my flesh, there dwelleth no good thing. And we would come
in confession of our sin and of our sinfulness. And we pray
to be washed in that precious, sin-atoning blood of our Lord
Jesus Christ, to cleanse us from all our sin. And we pray to be
clothed upon with that glorious, everlasting robe of the righteousness
of Jesus Christ, that we may be fitted and prepared and made
ready to stand in thy presence, O thou mighty God. We do pray
that today we may have the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
we may behold his glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. We do pray that we
may touch the hem of his garment and draw from that sacred virtue
that is in him the virtue of His precious blood, the virtue
of His glorious righteousness. May we be partakers of that virtue,
O Lord, we do pray Thee, to be fitted and prepared. And now,
my God, prepare my soul for that great day and wash me in Thy
precious blood. Take all my sins away. We think of those wonderful words
of grace. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, cleanseth us from all sin. And this Lord is our only hope,
that precious, sin-atoning blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We
do pray that we may be favoured this day with the divine power
the heavenly unction of the Holy Ghost, and that we may be led
and guided and directed by Him, and that word of truth may be
opened up and the eyes of our understanding enlightened. For, Lord, as many as are led
by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. And we pray
that we may have that inward evidence that we are indeed the
sons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty. We pray that we may be favoured
with that sacred spirit of adoption, whereby we may cry, Abba Father,
my God, my Father, blissful name, O may I call thee mine. Or do grant then that we may
know these things experimentally in our hearts. that we may be
guided into thy truth, and that the light of the gospel may shine
into our hearts, and that thy word may be a lamp unto our feet
and a light unto our path. Oh, do hear us, Lord, we humbly
beseech thee, and bless us, we do pray thee, for without thee
we can do nothing, we have nothing, we are nothing, Our all is bound up in the Lamb.
Everything that we stand in need of is in Him. We do pray that
we may catch a sight by faith of the glory of His person and
a taste of the fullness and wonder of His grace as we gather round
Thy Word today, that we may truly worship Thee in spirit and in
truth. Lord, we do pray that thou wouldst
bless us as a church and as a congregation, that thou wouldst work mightily,
powerfully, effectually among us, that it may be to the great
glory of thy holy name. We do pray that the word of the
Lord may have free course and thy name be honoured and glorified. Pray that the Lord Jesus Christ
may be exalted among us as a prince and as a saviour, for to give
faith and repentance and remission of sins. Oh, to grant these rich
blessings we do humbly pray thee. May we see the fulfilling of
that beautiful word, and he went forth conquering and to conquer. Lord Jesus, we do pray that thou
wouldst do so among us here. Go forth conquering and to conquer. by thy irresistible grace, by
thy almighty power. All we read together in thy holy
word, Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. We pray
that we may experience that even today as we gather round thy
word, and that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love
of God our Father and the sacred fellowship of the Holy Spirit
may rest and abide upon us. We pray for those that are away
from us today, that those graciously be with them and grant rest and
change, and that they may be brought home in peace and safety
at the appointed time. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that remember our deacons and give grace, wisdom, and help
in all matters. Help them to look to thee and
to cleave to thee. Be with our brother at Tunbridge
Wells this morning and grant him thy divine help and blessing.
And Lord, we do pray that thou would remember each one of our
brethren and sisters in church fellowship and that thou would
graciously bless and undertake for each one of us make us more
spiritually minded, set our affections on things above, help us to lay
aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily beset us,
and that we may run with patience the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. O
gracious God, help us to continually be found looking unto Jesus. We do pray, most gracious Lord,
for signs to follow the preaching of the word. We do pray, most
gracious Lord, for the little ones and the children. Oh, that
thou wouldst bless them indeed, that thou wouldst graciously
put the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom, into
their hearts in their young and their tender years. an unctuous
light to all that's right, a bar to all that's wrong. We do pray,
most gracious Lord, that thou wouldst remember our young friends,
each one of them, that thou wouldst bless them indeed, that thou
wouldst teach them thy ways, that thou wouldst bring them
to living faith in Jesus Christ, that thou wouldst make them true
followers of thee and of those who through faith and patience
inherit the promises Do hear us, O Lord, we pray, and graciously
grant the fulfilling of that word. Instead of thy father shall
be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.
And, O Lord, we do pray thee that thou wouldst graciously
remember parents and give grace, wisdom, and help to bring up
their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, Lord,
remember them for good. We do humbly beseech Thee. And
Lord, we do pray that Thou wouldst be with all in the midst of the
journey of life and graciously help and undertake for each one
and draw us away from all earthly things. Dear Saviour, let Thy
beauties be my soul's eternal food. and grace command my heart
away from all created good. Lord, grant that that may be
our experience and that we may grow in grace and in the knowledge
of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Deliver us from the temptations
of Satan, whether he comes as a roaring lion to frighten us
or whether he comes as an angel of light to deceive us. We pray
to be delivered from his power. We pray that when the enemy comes
in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord may lift up a standard
against him. We do humbly beseech thee. Lord,
remember all in the evening time of life's journey. Graciously
prepare us for that great change which must come. We do humbly
beseech thee. and grant at the appointed time
to each one an abundant entrance into thy heavenly kingdom. We
pray that the glory, light, power of the gospel of Jesus Christ
may shine into this village and the surrounding villages and
hamlets and farmsteads. Many, many, many precious souls
may yet be gathered in. We do humbly beseech for thy
great namesake. And, O Lord, we do pray that
thou, in thy precious mercy, wouldst be with all thy servants
today, as they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls of
Zion, some to two or three, and some to greater companies. We
pray that thou wouldst grant thy gospel good success, and
that the Lord Jesus may be exalted and set forth in all his glory
and suitability as the saviour of sinners. And O Lord we do
pray that thou in thy precious mercy would then remember thy
Zion and thy people everywhere and that thou wouldst graciously
work mightily in our nation up and down the land and send out
thy light and thy truth, and pull down the strongholds of
Satan, and set up the kingdom of the Lord Jesus in the hearts
of sinners. And, O Lord, we do pray that
thou, in thy great mercy, would fill our hearts with gratitude
and thanksgiving for all the tender mercies of thy kind providence. Thy anew every morning and great
is thy faithfulness. Remember our government. We live
in very solemn days, Lord, when iniquity abounds on every hand,
and those that rule over us encourage it. Oh, we humbly beseech Thee
to give wisdom to our leaders in guidance and direction, and
to bring to naught the counsels of the ungodly, and raise up in our Parliament
men of God, men of wisdom, men of understanding, Lord we pray for our King that
they always richly bless him and the royal household, bless
them with that rich grace that is in Christ Jesus. We thank
thee most gracious Lord that thou art God over all and blessed
forevermore. We thank thee most gracious God
for our Lord Jesus Christ for the fullness of that salvation
that is in him, for the glory of his name, for the wonder and
glory of his holy life, of his sin atoning death and resurrection
from the dead. He has swallowed up death in
victory. He had put away sin by the offering
of himself on Calvary. for the bringing in of everlasting
righteousness in his holy life. Lord, fill our hearts with gratitude
for the wonderful glories of our Lord Jesus Christ. Remember
those that labour, that we particularly think of those that go forth
from among us, for who labour in different places on the earth,
And the Savannah Education Trust, may thy rich blessing continue
to be upon them there in Ghana. The Mombasa Mission to help thy
servant there to grant good success to his labours. And Lord, we
think of Ian Sadler and that many labours in many different
places and the distribution and exposition of thy word. Lord,
supply their every need. Pour forth thy blessed spirit.
Come and revive us again. Come and send out thy light and
thy truth. Come and return in thy power
and in thy glory as thou usest to be in the sanctuary. Come, Lord, and open thy precious
word unto us here at this morning hour. Come and touch one's lips
with a live coal. from of the heavenly altar, we
ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 854. The tune is Taunton 607. Jesus, Lord of life and peace,
to Thee we lift our voice. Teach us at Thy holiness to tremble
and rejoice. Sweet and terrible is Thy word. Thou and Thy word are both the
same. Holy, holy, holy Lord, we love
Thy holy name. Hymn 854. Tune Taunton 607. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ♪ He shall carry all my burden
♪ ♪ And my power all my strength ♪ ♪ Glory, glory, glory, O'er
the land of the free ♪ ♪ In all my lonely life ♪ ♪ Praise, cherish, love, and grow
♪ ♪ Be of your brightest light ♪ ♪ Now and forevermore ♪ Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome,
welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome,
welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome,
welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome,
welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome,
welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome,
welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome,
welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome,
welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome,
welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome,
welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome,
welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome,
welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome,
welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, ♪ Holy, holy, holy Lord ♪ ♪ We
adore thy holy name ♪ ♪ Stay with us, my children ♪ He is heaven's deep riches, and
sight to nature free. ♪ Great and beautiful in height
and shape ♪ ♪ Holy, holy, holy Lord ♪ ♪ We adore thy holy name
♪ ♪ He who does the work of will
♪ ♪ And by foundation does ♪ ♪ He who by faith and love will live
♪ ♪ God of God ♪ ♪ His holy name
crowned ♪ ♪ Through the earth ♪ ♪ Saving us from all ♪ ♪ Who
wish to fray ♪ ♪ Holy, holy ♪ We love thy holy name. I can taste of Thee, Glorious
in holiness. ♪ To each their own quality ♪ ♪
In all completion best ♪ ♪ So saluable Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ Under the passing crescent moon
♪ ♪ Gloria in, Gloria in excelsis Deo ♪ Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, direct your attention to the book of the Revelation
in chapter 19 and we will read verse 6 for our text. The book of the Revelation, chapter
19, verse 6. And I heard, as it were, the
voice of a great multitude and as the voice of many waters,
and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord
God omnipotent reigneth. What a great mercy that these
things are recorded in Holy Scripture for our comfort and for our consolation
that the Lord reigns. Indeed, that is the whole purpose
of the Book of the Revelation, is to show us that the Lord reigns. We see various battles that take
place. We see things that come to pass
here on earth, wickedness about it. But here in the book of the
Revelation, we see that the Lamb, the Lamb
of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, always reigns supreme. No matter how great the enemy, He will overcome and the church
will overcome in Him because He omnipotent reigns. It says here, and after these things
I heard a great voice of much people in heaven. So there's the connection to
the previous chapter and after these things. In the previous
chapter, we see the destruction of the mystery of Babylon, the
great Antichrist, and the world power. And you know, friends,
as we look at the world today, we see all these things coming
to fruition. The nations seeking to join together. You look at the United Nations.
and how they seek to join everyone together. They want one world
religion, etc. It will be, whatever it is, it
will be to the glory of man and not to the glory of God. But
it's prophesied here in Holy Scripture. But then in chapter
18 it's prophesied that this great world order that comes
to pass, the great Antichrist that comes to pass, will be destroyed. and it will be destroyed by the
God of heaven. Says in chapter 18, and after
these things, I saw another angel come down from heaven and a great
power and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried
mightily with a strong voice saying, Babylon the great is
fallen, is fallen. And it's become the habitation
of devils and the hold of every foul spirit and the cage of every
unclean bird. You see, but it's fallen. You know, some have the idea
that the only Antichrist is the Roman Catholic Church. And they
firmly believe that. I respect what they believe,
but I cannot agree. There is more than one Antichrist.
Even in the days of the Apostle, when he said the Antichrist is
beginning to work. Anything that opposes Christ
is Antichrist. And all the different world powers.
Not just the Pope. The Pope is an Antichrist. Let's
be very clear on that. And the Catholic Church is an
Antichristian Church. It believes in everything that
is contrary to the Word of God. It's not the only Antichrist.
but that Antichrist is going to be destroyed. We're given a little light on
that by the Apostle Paul in the second epistle to the Thessalonians
and in that second epistle he speaks there of the Antichrist
and of the lying wonders, says in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2,
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon
shaken in mind or troubled, neither by spirit nor by word, nor by
letter as from us, that the day of Christ is at hand. There were
many who believed that the day of Christ was going to be immediate.
And what the apostle here is telling them, it will not be. let no man deceive you by any
means for that day shall not come except their comer falling
away first and that man of sin be revealed the son of perdition. The man of sin, the great world
power who opposeth and exhorteth himself above all that is called
God or that is worshipped so that he as God sitteth in the
temple of God showing himself that he is God. You see, and
the Apostle, he warned them about these things. And he said in
verse 7, that for the mystery of iniquity hath already work,
only he whom now letteth, that means hindereth, will let until
he be taken out of the wine. Then shall that wicked be revealed
whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall
destroy with the brightness of his cunning and that is what
is revealed in Revelation 18. Even him whose coming is after
the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders
with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because they
believe not the love of the truth they receive not the love of
the truth and that they might be saved. You see For this cause,
God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lie.
You see, my beloved friends, the great Antichrist that it
speaks of here in the Revelation and elsewhere in the Word of
God. And we see it taking shape in
the day in which we live. Just as it was in the days when
the men They tried to build the Tower of Babel and they said
it would reach up onto God in heaven and God confounded them. God confounded them and stopped
them in the madness that they were trying to do. And just as
we see all these things taking place in the world today and
We see the wickedness, the immorality, the unrighteousness that abounds
on every hand. Yet the Lord, He will destroy
it all when He comes. He will. And these things are
written, my beloved friends, for our consolation. It's like Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar, in the land of Babylon when he
came to interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar. And what did
he say? But there is a God in heaven.
My beloved friends, may we never forget that. That word was made
especially special to me in a time of great triumph. When I was
up at four o'clock in the morning to walk my dog, it would have
been about this time of the year. I was so troubled and so burdened
and those words they dropped into my heart with such a power. It was a rebuke, but there is
a God in heaven. It was as if the Lord said to
me, you're going about as though there's no God. It's like Martin
Luther, that dear man of God, he was given to fits of great
depression and he would get so cast out when he was in such a battle.
And his wife came downstairs one morning and she was dressed
in black. He said, whatever are you doing?
She said, God is dead. He said, what do you mean God
is dead? She said, the way you're behaving
and the way that you're approaching things, it's just as if God is
dead. He took it to heart, he realized, you see, we never forget,
but there is a God in heaven. And we must never forget, hallelujah,
for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Omnipotent reigneth. He does. He is God over all, blessed forevermore. He reigns omnipotent. One hymn
writer says, with heaven and earth at his command, he waits
to answer prayer. He does. There's nothing too
hard, nothing too small, nothing too great, that this great God
can do, He reigns omnipotent, even in the minutest circumstances
in men's lives. The Lord Jesus speaks of it,
the very hairs of your head are numbered. Not one of the four
is without your father's leave. The very hairs of your head are
numbered. You look in the book of Esther,
You read it at your leisure. The wonderful thing about the
Book of Esther is the only book in the Bible where God or the
Lord is not mentioned once. But as the godly old Puritans
used to say, though his name is not mentioned once, yet you
see his finger on every page in the Book of Esther. My mind
it just goes to when Haman wanted to hang Mordecai the Jew, Esther's
uncle who brought her up. And he came in to see, he built
a gallows presumptuously and he went in to see the king to
ask the life of Mordecai the Jew. And we read this, that night
could not the king sleep. You might say well what is the
significance of that? That night could not the king
sleep. Just something so insignificant
as that. And he asked for the books of
the Chronicles and they read and in the reading of those Chronicles
it had in there that Mordecai the Jew had informed the king
of two men that were seeking to take his life. and to assassinate
him. And the king said, what has been
done to this man? And they said nothing. And at
that moment, Haman came into the presence of the king to seek
the life of Mordecai the Jew. And before he could speak, the
king said to him, what should be done unto the man the king
delighted to honour? and Haman thinking that would
be him, he was so full of pride, he thought who would the King
delight to honour but me. So he said let him be clothed
royal apparel and be placed on the King's horse and be paraded
through the city of Shushan, thus shall it be done unto the
man whom the King delighted to honour. And as soon as And the
king said to him, go and do this to Mordecai of the Jew. The Zohaiman
who'd come to hang Mordecai of the Jew had to take him and parade
him to the city of Shushan in the king's apparel upon the king's
horse. You see, my beloved friends,
all those minute little details, God was in them. God was in them. Hallelujah, for the Lord God
omnipotent reigneth in all matters. He does. You see and after these things
I heard a great voice of much people in heaven. So the setting of this chapter
is in heaven, not on earth. The previous chapter is on earth,
but this is in heaven. I heard a great voice of much
people in heaven saying Alleluia. That the Alleluia is what you
might say the Greek form of the Old Testament word Hallelujah.
Praise ye Jehovah. And why do they say Alleluia? Why do they praise Jehovah? Salvation
and glory and honour and power unto the Lord. Our God. These divine attributes. The Church bows in humble adoration,
thanksgiving and praise. Unto our God, unto the Lord Jehovah,
unto the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Alleluia. Salvation. This is what the Church
praises Jehovah for. salvation. Alleluia, salvation
and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God. For true and righteous are his
judgments, this is referring to the previous chapter, for
true and righteous are his judgments for he hath judged the great
whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication and that
avenged the blood of his servants at her hand and again at the
this voice that they heard and this reality that they had revealed
and again they said alleluia and her smoke rose up forever
and ever and the fallen 20 elders We've often explained to you
the four and twenty elders. The twelve apostles of the Lamb
and the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. Those four
and twenty elders which we read frequently of in the book of
the Revelation represent the complete Church of God. The Church
of God of the Old Testament and the Church of God of the New
Testament. And that is what is represented
by those four and twenty elders. And the four and twenty elders,
and the four beasts, these four beasts that go to the four corners
of the earth, fell down and worshipped God
that sat on the throne saying, Amen, Alleluia, praise ye the
Lord. You know my mind was much drawn
in meditation yesterday into the Psalm 93 and David in his
wonderful way with writing his Psalms, by the Spirit he enters
so beautifully into this same language that we have before
us here, the Lord reigning. You know just on a personal No,
my beloved friends, I used to work in a big meat processing
plant and with some exceedingly unpleasant men. Very ungodly
men, very violent men. And things happened and come
to a head and I was a very marked man because I'd informed the
police of what they were doing. They were stealing meat wholesale
from that company. And the very man that was the
leader of that gang was then made foreman. And I was a marked
man. I really was. And I went into
this large cutting room where I worked early one morning and
those words dropped into my heart with such power. The Lord reigneth. And there was this atmosphere
all around at the time and I walked down through that cutting room
into a great big hanging hall where they hung the sides of
beef and there were five of these men. They actually came from
a borstal in Luton and they all had knives in their hands and
I walked right through the middle of them and they didn't touch
me. Those words, the power of those words I shall never forget
I felt such a calmness, such a sweetness. The Lord reigneth."
And another man, he told me about a day later, he said, they've
tried to, he said, I would get out of here if I were you. They've
tried to kill you. Three times. But those words,
the Lord reigneth. And just after I moved down to
Sussex to get married to my wife. There was a little note in the
Daily Telegraph. A man stabbed to death at Associated
Meat Company yesterday. And it was the very place that
I used to work. I never forget the wonderful
power of these words. The Lord reigneth. He is clothed
with majesty. The Lord is clothed with strength
wherewith he hath girded himself The world also established that
it cannot be moved. Thy throne is established of
old. Thou art from everlasting. The
floods have lifted up, O Lord. The floods have lifted up their
voice. The floods lift up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier
than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of
the sea. See, thy testimonies are very
sure. Holiness becometh thine house.
O Lord, forever. The Lord reigneth. He is God over all. Blessed forevermore. My life's
minutest circumstance is subject to thine eye. Sometimes you may
feel that your circumstances are all out of control. And sometimes
you may feel that everything seems wrong. But never forget
this. the Lord God, omnipotent reigneth. And the four and twenty elders
and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on
the throne, saying, Amen, Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne,
saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear
him, both small and great. It's the voice, as it says in
the beginning, a great voice of much people in heaven. This omnipotent Lord Jehovah. And I've always felt that this
verse 6 is what you might say the watchword of the book of
the Revelation. I find, you know, that each book
of the Bible that there is a word in there that stands out and
the fundamental lesson of the book of the revelation is that
the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. That though there are great powers
of evil, great powers of antichrist, great powers of Satan and they
rise up and we read of it here in the revelation but every single
time the Lamb of God subdues them, overcomes And it's the
same with his people. And they overcame him by the
blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony. My beloved
friends, we can only overcome Satan in our Lord Jesus Christ. We can. And I heard, as it were,
the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters,
and as the voice of mighty thunderings. You can't even begin to hardly
conveys to our mind the tremendous voice of the Lord. Again, my mind this morning,
as I just sat quietly reading before I came out, and it went
very much to Psalm 29, and it speaks there in Psalm 29 of the
voice of the Lord. It is an almighty voice. It's
the voice of the eternal God. Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty.
Give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord
the glory due unto his name. Worship the Lord in the beauty
of holiness that's in Christ. The voice of the Lord is upon
the waters. The God of glory thundereth.
The Lord is upon many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is full
of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaketh
the cedars. Yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars
of Lebanon. He maketh them also to skip like
a calf, Lebanon, Sarion, like a young unicorn. The voice of the Lord divideth
the flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shaketh
the wilderness. The Lord shaketh the wilderness
of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord maketh
the hinds to calm, and discovereth the forest, and in his temple
doth everyone speak of his glory. The Lord sitteth upon the flood,
Yea, the Lord sitteth king forever, the Lord will give strength unto
his people, the Lord will bless his people with peace. Once have I heard this, said
David, yea, twice, that power belongeth unto God. The word
here, omnipotent, as we break it up, omni, Potent means power. Omni is a prefix which means
universal and complete. So when it says omnipotent, it's
only God that is omnipotent. There cannot be more than one.
He's omnipotent and He reigns and He rules. My life's minutest
circumstance is subject to thine eye. It is. Everything is in
the Lord's hand. He's the sovereign ruler of the
skies. He's ever gracious, ever wise.
All my times, whatever those times may be, all my times are
in thy hand. You know, and I've passed through
this sometimes in way of temptation The devil tempts you that he's
in power. He tries to tempt you that he's
in control and that he's ruling the earth and he's doing this.
And when we see all the powers of Antichrist and the wickedness
abounding on every hand, we begin to think the devil's in power.
That's what he wants you to think. But he isn't and he never has
been and he never will be. We read in the prophecy of Isaiah
how the satan was lucifer son of the morning and he we read
that he sought to sit where he ought not to sit now what does
that mean it means he sought to sit upon the throne of god
a throne is symbolic of power and authority he sought to take
the power and authority of god and there was war in heaven and
he was cast out of heaven he was cast down to the earth he
was Now he wants the Lord's people on earth to think he's in power
and in control. He never has been and he never
will be. Why? Because the Lord God omnipotent
reigneth. That's why he does. Hallelujah. For the Lord God
omnipotent reigneth. He reigns, he rules. Nowhere do we see this more clearly
than in the glorious person of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the incarnation of the Son
of God. In a sense, as we look at the
Almighty God, in a sense it seemed a strange way, didn't it? That
God chose to save rebellious, sinful man. that His only begotten Son, co-equal
and co-eternal with Him, should come to this earth. And that He was going to rule
and reign on behalf of His people. His people had broken God's holy
law. They were chosen in Him. And
so on their behalf, It's lovely, isn't it, what we read in John
3, 16. God so loved the world, he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not die,
no, but should be eternally saved in the glorious person of his
Son, Jesus Christ. And that holy law that his people
had broken, the Son of God became a man, He became bone of our
bone and flesh of our flesh to live on our behalf. To live in our ruined place instead.
Says here in the book of the Revelation how that John wept
in chapter 5. And he wept much. Why? Because
there was nobody that was found that could open and to loose
the seven seals. I saw in the right hand of him
that sat on the throne a book written within on the backside,
sealed with seven seals. I saw a strong angel proclaim
with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book and to loose
the seven seals? And no man in heaven, nor on
earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither
to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man
was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to
look thereon. This book of the eternal decrees
of the Lord Jehovah, this book of the everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things and sure, this book, sealed with seven
seals. This book of salvation and redemption,
sealed with seven seals. I went much, and one of the elders
said unto me, weep not, Behold the lion of the tribe of Judah.
That's our Lord Jesus Christ. The root of David had prevailed
to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof. The glorious person of God manifest
in the flesh. He was to open those seven seals
and open that book and realization of the eternal covenant and the
precious, you know in Hebrews 13 it's a beautiful word, the
blood of Jesus Christ is called the blood of the everlasting
covenant. That covenant is sealed with
the blood of Christ. It's a covenant of salvation. We read here in chapter 5 again
of the 4 and 20 elders in verse 8. And when he had taken the
book, the 4 beasts and the 4 and 20 elders fell down before the
Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials full of
odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new
song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book and to open
the seals thereof, for thou was slain and has redeemed us to
God. by thy blood out of every kindred
and tongue and people and nation and has made us unto our God
kings and priests and we shall reign on the earth you see and
then we read of the Lamb of God in verse 12 worthy is the Lamb
that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength
and honour and glory and blessing. Alleluia for the Lord God omnipotent
reign. The Lord Jesus did no sin. He
fulfilled the holy righteous law that his church had broken
and he fulfilled it. He will magnify the law and make
it honourable. That's what Jesus has done. How
he reigned, didn't he? even though it was a path of
humiliation and trouble and sorrow and temptation and much opposition,
and yet in it he reigns victorious. He reigns victorious in that
he brings in everlasting righteousness for his people. His name is Jehovah
Sidkenu, the Lord Our Righteousness. That's what our Lord Jesus Christ
has done. He's brought in everlasting Righteousness. Hallelujah. For the Lord God
omnipotent reigneth. That law that was broken by man
has now been restored. It's now been restored in the
holy God man, the man Christ Jesus. It has. And then even
in his sufferings and his death, he reigns. He reigned. You might say, but He succumbed
to the death of the cross. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.
You say, but He died. Yes, He died for our sins. The
Lord declared, Cursed is every man that doeth not all things
written in the book of the Deuteronomy, and the soul that sinneth it
shall die. So Jesus, the Holy Son of God,
manifest in the flesh, lived and suffered and bled and died
for his people. Why did he die? We're told in
the Word of God that he might destroy death. And him that had
the power of death, that is the devil. That's what Christ has
done. How the scribes and Pharisees
rejoiced when he was crucified. How the devil rejoiced when he
was crucified. But what a different thing when
he rose again from the dead, when he swallowed up death in
victory, when he brought life and immortality to light through
the gospel. What a wonderful glory there
is in that empty tomb, in Christ risen, hallelujah, for the Lord
God omnipotent reign. The last enemy to be destroyed
is death, and Christ has destroyed it. What a wonderful glory, my
beloved friends, There is in the Risen Saviour, in the Risen
Saviour, prophesied, you know, in the Old Testament that there
are prophecies concerning the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
My mind, it just goes to the Isaiah chapter 25 and verses
6, 7 and 8. And in this mountain shall the
Lord of hosts make unto all people, the mountain is Mount Zion, a
feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat
things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. This
is the crucified Saviour, this feast of fat things. And He will
destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over
all people, and the vow that is spread over all nations, he
will swallow up death in victory. And the Lord God shall wipe away
tears from off all faces, and the rebuke of his people shall
he take away from off all the earth, for the Lord hath spoken
it." You see, he swallowed up death in victory. He's brought
life and immortality to light through the Gospel. And not only
that, He led them out as far as Antebeth and he lifted up
his hands and blessed them and was received up into heaven and
the disciples beheld him as he went up to heaven in a cloud.
What a victory that was, wasn't it? The gates of heaven were
shut. They were when Adam fell. There
was the fiery flaming sword of divine justice that was placed
in the way to keep the way of life. And then Christ ascended into
glory. And those gates that were shut
when Adam fell were opened. Why? Again, we go to the book
of Psalms, and in Psalm 24, and it speaks of the ascended Savior.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates, be ye lifted up, ye everlasting
doors, and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King
of glory? It's the Christ of God as he
ascends into heaven. And those eternal gates lift
their heads. He hath made a new and living
way into the holy place, Christ says. And there he sits at the
right hand of the Father. He sits on no precarious throne,
nor borrows leave to be. And what does the Apostle say?
Let us therefore come boldly. Why does he say that? He says,
for such an high priest have we, who is passed into the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God. He sits at the right hand of
the Majesty on high. I love what the hymn writer says,
"'Tis He instead of me is seen when I approach the God of Christ."
His precious blood, His glorious righteousness, everything is
embodied in the glorious person of our Lord Jesus Christ. He's touched with the sympathy
within. He knows our feeble frame. He
knows what sore temptations mean, for He has felt the same. Let
us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may
obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Why? Because there's a High Priest.
Because the Almighty Saviour is at the right hand of the Father.
Another word that Jesus speaks in Matthew chapter 28 just as
he's about to ascend on high. All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth. It's written for our comfort,
our consolation. All power, not some power, all
power. That's the meaning of the word
omnipotent. All power. Christ has all power. He has
all power to save. He has all power to redeem. He
has all power to deliver. He does. Thou art coming to a
king. Large petitions with thee bring.
For his grace and power as such, none can ever ask too much. Alleluia. For the Lord God omnipotent
reigneth. He always has. and he always
will. It's on the basis of that that
the dear apostle speaks so beautifully in the epistle to the Hebrews
concerning our Lord Jesus Christ and he speaks of this man in
chapter 7, Hebrews chapter 7 and this glorious man, the hymn writer
says to him, this glorious man thy peace shall be Hebrews 7
verse 24, But this man, that of course is the man Christ Jesus,
But this man, because he continueth ever hath an unchangeable priesthood,
wherefore he is able 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, made higher than the heavens. Let not your heart be troubled.
Ye believe in God, believe also in me. These are the words of
Jesus. In my Father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place
for you, I will come again. I will come again. What a promise, isn't it? and
receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent
reigneth. May the Lord add his blessings. Let us now sing together hymn
number 19. The tune is Lydia 177. Behold the glories of the
Lamb amidst his father's throne. Prepare new honors for his name
and songs before unknown. Hymn number 19, tune Lydia 177. O come all ye faithful joyful
and triumphant O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem Honors for his name, and something
for a nooner. Something for a nooner. Let angels worship at his feet,
The church adore above. With a yoke full of odor sweet,
And pops of sweetest sound. And pops of sweetest sound. The roots of the prairies on
the stairs, And each the dreams they raise, Jesus is mine to accomplish He
loves to hear of me Makes me love to hear her voice. Be to the Father a new chapter
of eternal life's secret rhythm. Birth of that Son shall take
that word, and own them every sin, and own them every sin. It shall fulfill my great dream.
God's power preserves it well. Love in His presence so great
is. All heaven and earth can tell
of Him, Him, Him, Him. Down to the man that once was
safe He left, and that's his name Shall they share your rejoicing
rain Forever on thy head Forever on thy head Thou hast redeemed my soul with
Thine. Thou that art the Prince of Peace, that make us kings and queens
to come and we shall reign with thee and we shall reign with
thee The worlds of nature and of grace
are within thy power. Orchard, we take thee in grace,
And bring thee promise fair and faithful. Now may the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the sacred fellowship
of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each. Amen.