Commence our service this evening
by singing hymn number 626. The tune is St. Helens, number
498. Sinners who on Jesus rest must
eternally be blessed. All Jehovah's love can give,
they from Jesus shall receive. Love of God to Jesus given in
the purposes of heaven. They are bought with blood divine
and they must in glory shine. Hymn number 626, June St Helens,
number 498. In mercy, Lord Jesus Christ ? How sweet the melody we bless
? ? Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave ? O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? How good they look, they shine,
When they look at the rich man. O come, O come, Emmanuel, O come,
O come, Emmanuel, ? When we took our first steps
together ? ? And looked up at the sky above ? ? Bring us back to life ? Joy to the world ? ? Heaven and
earth ? ? Are a-glistening ? ? Peace and love are everywhere ? Hail, O Christ, the God-Saviour,
Born in Israel's holy child. For nation of the earth, to the
sun and to his praise. ? After Jesus lay me near ? ? Only
Jacob comforted me ? ? And in every knee ? Is dead, he had no idea of death. Let us turn together in God's
holy word to the Gospel according to Luke and reading chapter 24. The Gospel according to Luke and
chapter 24. Now upon the first day of the
week, very early in the morning, They came unto the sepulchre,
bringing the spices which they had prepared and certain others
with them. And they found the stone rolled
away from the sepulchre, and they entered in and found not
the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they
were much perplexed thereabouts, behold, two men stood by them
in shining garments. And as they were afraid, and
bowed down their faces to the earth. They said unto them, why
seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is
risen. Remember how he spake unto you
when he was yet in Galilee, saying, the son of man must be delivered
into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and the third
day rise again. And they remembered his words,
and returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto
the eleven, and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna
and Mary, the mother of James, and the other women that were
with them, which told these things unto the apostles. And their
words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them
not. Then arose Peter and ran unto
the sepulchre, And stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid
by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that
which was come to pass. And behold, two of them went
that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem,
about three score furlongs. And they talked together of all
these things which had happened. And it came to pass that while
they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near and went
with them. But their eyes were holden that
they should not know him. And he said unto them, what manner
of communications are these that you have one to another as you
walk and are sad? And the one of them whose name
was Cleopas answering said unto him, "'Art thou only a stranger
in Jerusalem "'and hast not known the things which are come to
pass "'there in these days?' And he said unto them, "'What
things?' And they said unto him, "'Concerning Jesus of Nazareth,
"'which was a prophet mighty indeed "'and word before God
and all the people, "'and how the chief priests and our rulers
"'delivered him to be condemned to death and have crucified him. But we trusted as it had been
he which should have redeemed Israel. And besides all this,
today is the third day since these things were done. Yea,
and certain women also of our company made us astonished which
were early at the sepulchre. And when they found not his body,
They came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels
which said that he was alive. And certain of them which were
with us went to the sepulcher and found it even so as the woman
had said, but him they saw not. Then he said unto them, O fools,
and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.
Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into
his glory? And beginning at Moses and all
the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scripture the
things concerning himself. And they drew near unto the village,
whither they went. And he made as though he would
have gone further. But they constrained him, saying,
Abide with us, for it is toward evening. and the day is fast
spent. And he went in to tarry with
them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he
took bread, and blessed it, and break, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and
they knew him, and he vanished out of their sight. And they
said one to another, did not our hearts burn within us, while
he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the
Scriptures. And they rose up the same hour
and returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven gathered together
and them that were with them, saying, The Lord is risen indeed
and hath appeared unto Simon. And they told what things were
done in the way and how he was known of them in breaking of
bread. And as they thus spake, Jesus
himself stood in the midst of them and saith unto them, peace
be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted
and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them,
why are you troubled? And why do thoughts arise in
your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet,
that it is I myself, handle me and see. for a spirit hath not
flesh and bones as you see me have. And when he had thus spoken,
he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they believed
not for joy and wondered, he said unto them, have you here
any meat? And they gave him a piece of
broiled fish and of a honeycomb. And he took it and did eat before
them. And he said unto them, These
are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you,
that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law
of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms concerning
me. Then opened he their understanding,
that they might understand the scriptures, and saith unto them,
thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer,
and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance
and remission of sins should be preached in his name among
all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these
things. And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you. But tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem
until ye be endued with power from on high. And he led them
out as far as Bethany, as far as to Bethany. And he lifted
up his hands and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he
blessed them, he was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him and returned
to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple,
praising and blessing God. Amen. May they all bless to us the
reading of his word and may we be helped to continue in prayer. O Lord our God, we come to thee,
the true and living God, who acknowledge that there is no
other God beside thee. We acknowledge, Lord, that all
others are the imagination of men's minds and the creation
of their hands. We thank thee that we come unto
thee, the true and living God, and that thou art able to hear
in heaven thy dwelling place as we approach the throne of
grace through thy beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank
thee for this new and living way We thank thee that the Lord
Jesus Christ ever lives to intercede for us. We thank thee that he
is our great high priest, touched with the feelings of our infirmities,
tried and tested in all points as we are, yet without sin. We thank thee for the gift of
thy Holy Spirit, the Comforter, and we pray that he may teach
us this night how to pray. We ask, Lord, that we may be
knit together in the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace.
We ask that our minds may be prompted, that we may pray and
petition thee for those things which are pleasing and acceptable
in thy sight. We ask, Lord, that we may witness
the answers to our requests. We acknowledge that we are not
worthy, we do not deserve the least of thy mercies, but in
thy wrath do remember mercy. We pray that thou look upon us
as a company gathered together this night to worship thee. We
desire to see no man save Jesus only. We desire to be moved upon
by thy Holy Spirit, that we may worship thee in spirit and in
truth, and that our worship may be acceptable in thy sight. We
pray for broken and contrite hearts, O Lord, for thou will
not despise. We pray for reverence and godly
fear. We pray, Lord, that Thou would
crucify our flesh and enable us to walk in step with Thy Holy
Spirit. And we pray, Lord, that Thou
would remove from our minds any distracting thoughts, any things
that have taken our concern throughout this day and enable us to look
unto the Lord Jesus Christ and to focus upon those eternal things. We thank Thee, Lord, for the
promises of Thy Holy Word. We thank Thee that we can experience
Thy presence. And for Thou has said, where
two or three are gathered in Thy name, there Thou art in the
midst of them. And we pray, Lord, as we have gathered together
around Thy Holy Word, that Thou give us a true hunger and a true
thirst for the things of God. We ask, Lord, that our thirst
may be satisfied, that it may be quenched and that our hunger
for spiritual food also may be satisfied, that we may feast
of the manna that came down from heaven, that we may partake of
a crumb that might fall from the Master's table. And we ask,
Lord, that Thou would bless us and sustain us and cause us to
grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We
pray, Lord, for of this church and people here that gather week
by week. We pray for their continued sustaining
grace and upholding. We pray for their pastor, Mr. Rutt, to be with him as he labours
in word and in doctrine. Could you guide him in his pastorate
work? Enable him, Lord, to rightly
divide the word of truth and may they experience those divine
appointments week by week meet together, that there may be that
growing together in the graces of thy spirit. We pray for him
now as he is away for a little while. We ask, Lord, that thou
bless him with journeying of mercies as he goes through thy
creation, as he witnesses another country. Lord, we pray that thou
bless him with spiritual meditation and that he may benefit from
being aside for a little while and we pray that he may be restored
to full strength as he returns back in this week according to
thy will. We pray, Lord, that he may know
that the blessing of the Lord upon his life and upon his ministry.
We pray that he may experience good health, Lord, that thou
watch over him, for he labours often much affliction, and we
pray for thy blessing to rest upon him and help him as he labours
in thy work. We pray, Lord, for the brothers
as deacons here, to encourage them in their labours, help them
in the things that concern them, Lord. We pray for thy blessing
also to be on them and upon their families. Pray for each church
member, Lord, who go before them and help them in their lives
and as they seek to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, enable them
to shine as lights in a dark place, to be faithful witnesses
and ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray, Lord, that they
may experience here a building up, a gathering in, that thou
have mercy upon those people around about this area, Lord,
who, naturally speaking, have no concern for the things of
eternity. Lord, we pray that thou give
them that concern, that thy Holy Spirit may bring them into a
condition of want and concern for their eternal state. We pray, Lord, that they may
be drawn into this building, this chapel, and to hear the
word of the Lord. We pray, Lord, that thou hear
the cries of for thy people who cry and sigh for the abominations
that are done in this land of ours. Lord, we pray for those
who rule over us. Have mercy upon their souls as
we beseech thee. We pray, Lord, for our fellow
citizens throughout the country. Have mercy, Lord, upon them as
they walk in blindness with no guide. Lord, we pray that thy
spirit may move upon this nation of ours that thou raise up faithful
ministers of thine, and to proclaim the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. We ask, Lord, that thou not deal with us as we deserve
to be dealt with, but please, we pray, in thy wrath, do remember
mercy. We pray, Lord, for those who
faithfully proclaim the truth of thy word, to encourage them
and help them week by week. We pray that others may be sent
forth into the ministry, Lord, that thou lay burdens upon the
young men and give them that concern to know and to do as
I will, we pray that as the harvest is truly great, yet the labourers,
they are so few. Lord, we pray especially this
day for Mr. Parrish and his family as they
travel to America, not sure as their itinerary, Lord, but we
pray for them at this time as they separate from their earthly
ties and as they travel to that faraway land, Lord, we ask that
Thou go with them and bless them, that Thou deliver them from any
obstacle of Satan, any temptation, any distraction. Lord, we pray
that they may know the peace of Thy Holy Spirit, that they
may know favour and grace in the eyes of the customs officers
and officials in America, that all may go smoothly as they arrive
there. We pray that they may reach their
final destination in safety, And we pray that Tim, Lord, may
be strengthened and encouraged in the ministry of thy word.
And as he seeks to shepherd that people there, we pray, Lord,
that thou help him with any cultural differences that there may be
and help him, Lord, to faithfully expound thy word and to faithfully
divide the truth. We ask that he may see the evidences
of thy Holy Spirit working through him. and for the advancement
of thy kingdom. Do bless his wife also and the
children that are going with him and those who have to remain
behind, Lord, we pray that thou bless them each with that contentment
and with that submission to thy holy will. We acknowledge that
we are not alone, Lord, that we have been indeed brought with
a price and Lord, we pray that thou help us each to serve thee
in our day in our generation. Help us, Lord, to be willing
to forsake all and to follow the Lord Jesus. Help us, Lord,
to be able to say, like our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, nevertheless,
not my will, but thy will be done. Help us, Lord, to submit
under thy sovereign hand in all things. We pray for our brother
Graham also. as he hopes to do the trial in
Luton. Lord, we pray for him at the
end of this year and as he begins in January, according to thy
will, to go before him and his family in that testing of faith. And Lord, we pray that they may
see clearly thy hand and that the church there at Luton also
may be able to see thy hand in all of these things as they desire
to know thy will and thy will alone. We pray for, Lord, the
advancement of thy kingdom, that thy will may be done on earth
as it is in heaven. We thank thee that there is that
great promise that thou build thy church and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it. We ask then, Lord, that thou
continue to work, continue to build thy church, continue to
gather in the lost sheep, to hear the cries of those who have
prodigal sons and daughters, Lord, we pray that thou go to
them even this night and bring them into that condition of want,
that they may look again to their father's house. Oh Lord, have
mercy, we pray, and hear the cries of thy people regarding
their loved ones, that have no concern for their souls. We do
pray, Lord, for the young ones, those that have come here this
night, Lord, we pray for them, do bless them, and go before
them in their lives. We pray, Lord, for the young
people growing up in this very difficult time with so much temptation,
so much to draw them aside. Lord, we pray that they may come
to know the Lord Jesus Christ early in their lives. Cause them,
Lord, we beg of thee to seek first thy kingdom and thy righteousness
and all these other things will be added unto them. Lord, do
give them eyes to look to the Lord Jesus Christ and to be saved.
Help them in their studies. Do help them, Lord, in their
decisions in life. Enable them to commit their way
unto thee. Help them, Lord, as they seek for partners, as they
seek for godly husbands and wives, we pray, Lord, that they may
be guided in these things. We pray that they may be guided
also to suitable colleges and universities and places of employment. Do bless them Go before them
in all of these things. Enable them, Lord, to realise
that Thou art in heaven, Thy dwelling place, and that Thou
art able to guide and direct and providentially alter and
change things according to Thine own will. And Lord, we pray that
Thou help us each to rest upon Thee as our guide and director
in life. And Lord, we pray then, Lord,
that Thou continue to Remember and encourage each one. We pray
for those unable to be with us through sickness. Lord, lay thy
healing hand on them, we pray. Those away with the children,
Lord, we pray that thou bless them at home also. And Lord,
we pray that thou be with us. Do draw near once again and enable
me, Lord, to speak in thy name. Do pour in, Lord, that I might
be enabled to pour out, that thou open up my understanding
to thy holy word, you may be able to preach the truth and
that we may be able to, Lord, feed from that spiritual manner
and we may be encouraged and edified to press on. We do remember
those also attending the funeral tomorrow, we pray for Mr Hyde
as he seeks to take that, to grant him that freedom and liberty
needed, to bless the congregation and, Lord, we pray that that
thou hold the weather that it might be suitable for such an
occasion. Have mercy and comfort those
who are mourning that one who has passed. And we pray, Lord,
that it might be that the memory of the just is blessed. Do then, Lord, we pray, forgive
us of our many sins and do make up where we fail as we ask all
of these things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Continue our service by singing
hymn number 622. The tune is Mitten, number 374. O fearful saint, be not dismayed,
Nor dread the dangers of the night. Thy God will ever give
thy aid, And put the hosts of hell to flight. Nor sin, nor
Satan, can o'ercome the arm that vindicates thy cause. God, thy
own God, will lead thee home, in spite of all that may oppose. Hymn number 622, tune Mitten
number 374. O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the
brave? ? I hope they never leave my side
? ? And never let us part ever again
? O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the
brave? ? The heaven-born King of angels
? ? She shines upon the day of birth ? ? At once with the Lord ? ? Let
us unite to bring him peace ? ? The Lord shall come ? ? And rule
over Israel ? ? Heaven and earth adore thee ?
? In heav'nly song and in heavenly
song ? ? I am thy God, shall be thy Son ? ? Thine altar, O
my life, be filled ? O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? Christus tecum, tecum, tecum,
tecum. ? With sorrows deep and sorrows
long ? ? I know never will be the same ? Seeking once again the help of
God, I'd like you to turn with me to the chapter that we read
together, the Gospel according to Luke, chapter 24, and the
text you'll find in verse 45. Then opened he their understanding,
that they might understand the Scriptures. As we look through the life of
the Lord Jesus Christ, and especially his death upon the cross and
his resurrection and ascension, it is very interesting to notice
of how much the apostles failed to understand of all of these
things that were going to take place in the life of the Lord
Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ had told
them on many occasions that he was going to be crucified, that
he was going to die and that he was going to be handed over
into the hands of sinful men and to be crucified and to rise
again the third day. And as those things took place
in his life, all the apostles forsook him and fled. They were nowhere to be seen
when the Lord Jesus Christ, we could naturally speaking, needed
them, but that the scripture might be fulfilled that they
all forsook him and fled. And as the Lord Jesus was crucified
and then rose again on the third day, these things were hidden
from the memory of the apostles of the Lord Jesus and the women
that followed the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus told them
plainly of the things that were going to happen in Luke 18, verse
81. And he took unto him the 12 and
said unto them, behold, we go up to Jerusalem and all things
that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall
be accomplished. and he shall be delivered unto
the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and
spitted on, and they shall scourge him, and put him to death, and
the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these
things, and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they
the things which were spoken. And so the Lord Jesus clearly
explains to his disciples all those things that were going
to take place, even right down to the spitting, and to be spitefully
entreated, and the scourging. They were all laid out before
them, but the scripture tells us that these things were hid
from them, and neither knew they the things which were spoken. It shows us, doesn't it, how
reliant we are upon the Lord Jesus Christ and upon the Holy
Spirit to illuminate the scriptures and to illuminate our mind, to
give us the understanding that is needed to rightly divide the
Word of God and to read and to grasp and to believe and to trust
in the Word of God. If these men who had followed
the Lord Jesus Christ and sat under his ministry, witnessed
his miracles, came to crucial parts of the life of the Lord
Jesus, those parts were hidden from them, they didn't understand
at what was going to take place. And even when those things took
place, they failed to remember all that the Lord Jesus Christ
had spoken to them and as the women come to the grave expecting
to find the stone there, they find the stone rolled away. They
find that the Lord Jesus Christ is not there. They find that
the angels are there and they give them the message, why are
you seeking the living among the dead? He is not here. These things had been hid from
their minds. And then the Lord Jesus opens
up their understanding. Even those two that were walking
on the road to Emmaus, they knew something of the Lord Jesus.
They knew that he was a prophet, mighty in deed and in word. And
they believed him to be the one that was going to come to redeem
Israel. And yet when the Lord Jesus came
and walked with them, The scripture tells us that their eyes were
holden. They were unable to recognise
the Lord Jesus Christ. Although as they looked back
on that experience, as the Lord Jesus walked with them and expounded
the scriptures to them, right from Moses and the prophets and
the Psalms, they said, didn't our hearts burn within us on
the way when he spoke? with us. So they knew something,
they had some understanding, they had some tantalising response
to the word that was spoken. But it wasn't until the breaking
of bread that they realised who it was, that their eyes were
opened and they knew him and then he vanished out of their
sight. So we see the dependence that
the Lord's people are on. How dependent the Lord's people
are on the Holy Spirit of God, that it is Him that is needed
to open up their understanding and to enable scripture to be
applied to their life, that they may lay hold of it and have faith
and trust in the word and in the true living word of the Lord
Jesus Christ himself. We know that God's word, it is
a living word, it's not a dead word, it is an eternal word. The scripture tells us that all
these things that we see round about us, they are going to fade
away, At the end of time, when the Lord Jesus Christ comes again,
this earth is going to be consumed. Yet the word of the Lord endureth
forever. It is a powerful word. The scripture
tells us, by the word of the Lord was the earth framed, put
together. God spoke and it was done, created
from nothing. And so it is a powerful word,
it is an eternal word, it is a living word. The Hebrews tells us, for the word of God is quick,
or it's alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing
even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit and of
the joints and marrow. It is the discerner of the thoughts
and intent, of the heart. And so God's word is not just
black and white written upon a paper. It is a living and a
powerful word, a word that enters into the lives of people and
cuts their soul asunder. It gives them spiritual life. The Bible tells us, or Jesus
tells us about the seed, that the word is the seed of God entering
into the heart enters onto various types of ground, but the good
ground, it bears root, it produces fruit for the honour and glory
of God. And so God's word, it is alive,
it is powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. It is the truth. Jesus tells
us, thy word is truth. Jesus tells us that Satan is
the father of lies. The world is held in darkness
under the grip of lies. Believing they have the truth,
yet they're holding on to a lie. Yet the Word of God is truth,
it is unchanged, it doesn't alter. The world's truth is constantly
changing. Something that is true today
in the world may not be true tomorrow. Yet the word of God
stands as truth spanning generations. Because God doesn't lie, he cannot
lie. His word, it is truth, it is
powerful. Yet the problem we have is that
people desire to listen to a lie rather than the truth. A lie
is more pleasing to the flesh, a lie is more satisfactory to
a blind man. The scripture tells us that the
natural man cannot receive the things of God, for they are foolishness
unto him. But the natural man receives
not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness
unto him. Neither can they know them, because
they are spiritually discerned. And so the things of God, they
are spiritual things. and to understand spiritual things
you must have the Spirit of God. You must be indwelt by the Spirit
of God, illuminated by the Spirit of God. Someone may study the Word of
God and historians have studied the scriptures and to them it
is a historical document. ungodly people have studied the
scriptures. There are intellectuals who can
recite the whole of the scriptures from memory. There are intellectual
people that have said that they've read the scriptures and to them
it doesn't make sense. But you see, it doesn't. It doesn't
make sense to the unconverted heart. It is like taking a blind
man and pointing him to the sun. Yes, he may be able to feel the
heat, but that's as far as it goes. He cannot see his majesty. He cannot see its illumination,
illuminating effects upon the creation. He cannot see its life-giving
power. And so it is when the ungodly
come to the Word of God, they're just like a blind man looking
at the sun. They may appreciate the language,
they may appreciate its historical content, but they're spiritually
inept. They're unable to grasp the spiritual
truths that are written here. because they come with blind,
hard hearts. The apostles of Christ who walked
with the Lord, there were certain things that were hid from them
until Christ opened them up to them. And so it is with even
the unconverted. The book is a closed book until
Christ opens up the understanding. until Christ puts a hunger in
the soul, until Christ puts a thirst for the things of God. It gives
them his Holy Spirit and then they are able to discern spiritual
things. The natural man cannot receive
the things of God because they are foolishness to him. Isn't
that what we hear? If you go and speak to an unbeliever,
they will say that it's foolishness. There is no God, there's no need
of Christ. The Word of God is contradictory.
They come out with all manner of excuses. Why? It's because they are blind.
They are dead. These things are hid from them.
They see no beauty in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they should
desire Him. But it's not until the veil is
removed from the eyes, it's not until the heart has been transformed,
we are able to receive the things of God and to believe and to
trust in them. Then opened he their understanding
that they might understand the scriptures. It was Jesus who
opened up their understanding. was not them from study. It was not them from intellect. It was the Lord Jesus Christ.
He opened up their understanding that they might understand the
scriptures. And we see as the apostles preached, Peter as he
preached on the day of Pentecost, they beheld them that they were
ignorant and unlearned men, but that they had been with the Lord
Jesus Christ. It was not in them naturally
to be able to rightly divide the truth of God. It was not
in them naturally to be able to have an effect upon such a
multitude of people. As they looked upon Peter and
the others, they realised that they were ignorant and unlearned
people. but that the spirit of God was
upon them, that they had been with the Lord Jesus Christ, and
that he had opened up their understanding to the scriptures. They were
able to go back all the way to the books of Moses, and they
were able to fully grasp the truth there, the types and shadows
of the Lord Jesus Christ, those things that were once hid from
them. were now clear in their minds.
They could look at the seed of the woman and they could see
Christ. They could look at Moses and
they could see Christ. They could look at Joseph and
they could see Christ. They could look at the high priest
and see Christ. They could look at the temple
and the sacrifices and the Passover lamb and they could see the Lord
Jesus Christ. And they could look into the
promises of Abraham. And they could see that his seed
would be as the stars of the sky and as the sand of the sea.
And that in Abraham, all the nations of the earth would be
blessed. And they could see now the Lord
Jesus Christ. It is Christ. He opened up their
understanding and he takes them back through the whole of the
scriptures and reveals himself to them. Or he says, beginning
at Moses, beginning at Moses and all the
prophets, he expounded unto them all the scriptures concerning
himself. Often said, isn't it, what a
wonderful sermon that would have been. To see things that you
had never seen before, and then Christ revealing himself in the
scriptures. Even today, You may read through
the Bible from beginning to end and then
you may read through it again and you'll see something new,
something that you missed, something that now is applicable to your
life. something that the Holy Spirit
of God opens up to you and you get greater insight, you get
greater depth, it comes out of the page as it were and you wonder,
well I've never seen that before. It's like the first time you
read the Lord hid it from you, but this time he has opened up
the scriptures to you and that word has been made a real blessing.
You see Christ where you never saw him before. You're able to
meditate upon him and you're able to understand the scriptures. He removed the veil from their
eyes. What a blessing it is. to have
the veil removed from our eyes. Yes, in salvation, when the blindness
is taken away, but also as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, there
are times it seems that the veil comes down and we grope in the
darkness, but the Lord Jesus comes by His Spirit and removes
the the veil, we were able to see clearly of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Blind Bartimaeus sat at the wayside
begging and he had heard of the Lord Jesus Christ. He knew more
than many other people. He cried out, Jesus, our son
of David, have mercy upon me. And the Lord Jesus stood still
and commanded him to be called. And they called the blind man,
saying unto him, Be of good comfort, arise, he calleth thee. And he,
casting away his garments, rose and came to Jesus. And Jesus
answering, said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto
thee? And the blind man said unto him,
Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him,
Go thy way, thy faith has made thee whole.' And immediately
he received his sight and followed Jesus in the way." Blind Bartimaeus,
a bit like the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ, had some understanding
of who Jesus was. Jesus, thou son of David, have
mercy on me. Yet he was not, we could say,
didn't have full of faith. He was still having the veil,
still walking in the twilight. And he wanted to see Jesus more
clearly. He viewed him by faith, but he
wanted to see Jesus more clearly. You want to see him as he is.
Lord, that I might receive my sight. I wonder maybe if there's any here.
That's how you feel. You know something of the Lord
Jesus Christ. It's like blind Bartimaeus, you
know, thou son of David, have mercy upon me. Yet your faith
is clouded. you're still in the darkness,
you still need something more, something confirming, you still
need the indwelling spirit to open up your understanding to
the scriptures to give you true faith to see who the Lord Jesus
Christ is. You need to see him like those
on the road to Emmaus. Yes, your heart, it has burnt
within you before. Yes, you've been touched by the
Spirit of God and you've been satisfied by the Word of God,
but you want something greater, some experience. Just like those on the road to
Emmaus, they saw Christ. They saw Christ clearly. as he broke the bread with them. Blind Bartimaeus saw Christ clearly
when his eyes were opened and he followed him. The apostles,
they had seen Jesus, but they didn't understand the workings
out of his salvation. But when he opened unto them
the Scriptures, then they were able to see Him as the Lord Jesus
Christ, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.
They were able to see Him in the Old Testament, and they were
now able to see Him in the New Testament, in the New Covenant,
because their understanding had been heard, had been opened. That's why Jesus opened up their
understanding. Verse 44 says, and these are
the words which I spake unto you while I was with you, that
all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law
of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning
me. Then he opened up their understanding that they might understand the
scriptures and he said unto them thus it is written and thus it
behoved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead at the
third day and that repentance and remission of sin should be
preached in his name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem. He showed them that Christ, Christ
is the central theme of the whole of the word of God. It is the
binding by which the whole of the Word of God is hinged together
on, it is the Lord Jesus Christ. Alpha and Omega, the beginning
and the end, everything speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ and
it can't be seen until the understanding is open, until faith is given. You come back and you can see
in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and
the Word was God. All things were made by him,
and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was
life, and the life was the light of men, and the light shining
in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. It is Christ
who gives understanding, who gives faith to be able to lay
hold of the truths of the word of God, and to enable them all
to be put together and understood. Yes. The natural man cannot comprehend
the things of God, for they are foolishness to him. But the Spirit
of God gives understanding. He opens up the understanding
that we may take the scriptures as the Word of God, as our rule
of life and faith. And he began at Moses. It's not just
knowing these things, but it's believing them. You
see, you can know that there are 365 fear nots in the Bible, but that's no good if it's just,
to you, black and white on a paper. It can't offer you any comfort
or any help in time of trouble. It's not having a knowledge of
these things, it's believing these things. The psalmist in Psalm 119, which is all on
the law of God and the word of God. You can see that the psalmist
so loved God, so loved God's word that he was able to write
the Psalm 119 and in verse 18 he says, open thou mine eyes
that I may behold wonderful wondrous things out of thy law. That was his desire. He wasn't
just satisfied with a knowledge He wanted to experience something
wondrous out of the things of God. He wasn't happy with just
a black and white printed word. He wanted to know something of
the living word of God, the wondrous things. The Lord Jesus Christ
is the wonderful thing that the scripture presents to us, beginning
at Moses, ending in the book of Revelation. It's all about
the Lord Jesus Christ. And he prayed that his eyes would
be opened, that he would behold wondrous things out of thy law. Our eyes need today be opened
to behold wonderful things out of the law of God. If something is beautiful, You
keep looking. This time of year we see the
blossom on the trees and the plants beginning to flower. And you can sit there and you
can look and look and look at the wonder of creation. And you
say it is wondrous. It's the same with the Lord Jesus
Christ. Once your understanding has been
opened, Once you've seen something of the beauty of the Lord Jesus
Christ, that He came to suffer and to rise again the third day,
you experience the repentance and remission of sin. Christ
has been preached to you. You can't stop looking. You can't
stop thinking. You want to know more and more
and more about the Lord Jesus Christ. as he revealed himself to the
apostles. The scripture says that they
were, while they believed not for joy
and wondered, they couldn't comprehend what was taking place in their
lives. The risen saviour had appeared to them. He opened up
their understanding and they gazed upon him. And he reveals to them his hands
and his feet. Open thou mine eyes, I may behold
wondrous things out of thy law. It is a great privilege to have
our understanding open to the scripture and be able to view
the Lord Jesus Christ by faith and be not doubting but believing.
He says, behold my hands and my feet. He says, all this was
done for you to comprehend the wonder of salvation. that God
would put on flesh and be born into this world and to die for
undeserving sinful people and then to experience the grace
of God yourself as it is applied to you by God's Spirit. To have the understanding opened,
the veil removed, the darkness removed and sight given just
like blind Bartimaeus. He was able to see the Lord Jesus
Christ as he is. But also, it's not just viewing
Christ, it's following Christ, obeying
Christ, feeding of Christ, being satisfied
with Christ, if he is the central theme of the whole of the Word
of God. And it's not just what is written about him in black
and white, it is what is experienced through him. The Word of God
becomes that living reality to the people of God, more than
just Nice words to read. But they are real words. Real
words that have real power. Real words that have real effect. And they are eternal words. There
are many things that we hear daily that we forget. But when the living word is applied
to our life, those words are never forgotten. Sometimes if
you go and visit old people and they speak of their experiences
and they will quote to you a text that has been a blessing to them
years ago, it is still fresh in their mind. because it's a
living word that Christ has spoken to them, their understanding
was opened, they laid hold of it, they were blessed by it,
that caused them to pass through much trouble, resting on that
word, that word of comfort, the word of Christ. Those fear nots
that are there in the word of God, they are there for the good
of the Lord's people, the good of those who have had their understanding
are opened, that they may rest upon those fear nots. Fear not
that I am with thee, be not dismayed for I am thy God. They are promises
for the Lord's people and they are there for their comfort.
The living Christ has given them his living word to give them
a real comfort by an experience that they may have with him. It's not just Vain imagination. It is the living word of God
applied to the lives of the believer. Often, because our flesh is so weak, we forget all that Christ has
spoken. We have to have our understanding
opened again, that this word is real, that Christ, he is real,
that God, he is real, that his angels are real and that he's
able to assist his people in their lives, that he's intimately
acquainted with the lives of the people of God for their good
and for their benefit. My mind went to Kings with Elijah,
as Elijah was surrounded by a great army. And as his servant got
up in the morning, he looked out at this great army that was
round about them, and he cried, alas, master, how shall we do? And he answered, fear not, For
they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
And Elisha prayed and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes that
he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes
of the young man and he saw and behold, the mountain was full
of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. And when
they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord and said,
smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote
them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha. He's a
young man with a prophet of God, surrounded
by an army. Yet Elisha sees something that
he doesn't see. Elijah sees the chariots of God
round about and he says, they that be with us are more than
they that be with them. And how often it is we forget
that. We feel that we are surrounded by a great army, an army of impossibility. We can't go forward, we can't
do anything. We forget the greatness of God.
We are veiled We've been veiled. We forget the word. We forget
the Lord Jesus Christ. We forget that God is all mighty
and all powerful. And we are, as it were, blinded
by our unbelief. And we need an Elisha to pray,
open the young man's eyes that he may see and he saw. And behold,
the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about
Elisha. And Jesus said, then opened he
their understanding that they might understand the scriptures,
understand the scriptures concerning the Lord Jesus Christ as the
centrality, the central point of the whole word of God. Christ is there from beginning
to end. And he is there with his word,
his powerful word. and his word for his people,
to encourage them and enable them to press on, that his army
is a vast army, that his spirit is a powerful spirit, that his
word is a powerful word. And then he opened up their understanding,
that they might understand the scriptures. Well, may the Lord
give us that spiritual understanding of the word of God. May not just
be an intellect, that we might know from back to front the historical
accounts. May we know the Lord Jesus Christ. May we believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ as our saviour and see him page by page throughout the
word of God and knowing that his work of salvation was done
for us. May he open our eyes that we
might know him and believe upon him. I do without his blessing.
Amen. We conclude our service this
evening by singing hymn number 209. Tunis, Dublin, number 129. Grace like a fountain ever flows,
fresh succors to renew. The Lord my wants and weakness
knows, my sins and sorrows too. He sees me often overcome and
pities my distress, and bids affliction drive me home to anchor,
on his grace. In number 209, June Dublin, number
129. Restore to us, heaven and earth,
Restore us, dearly dear. O come all ye faithful joyful
and triumphant o'er the land of the free and the home of Teach me, O God, the Word, and
the Law, and predict my fates. And in the region where we first
met the promise was. Pursuing thy purpose, thy path
of progress, ? Ever new dawn boroughs ? ? Rejoice
in the new ? ? Resurrection ? ? And gladness and praise ? May the grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ and the love of God the Father for the fellowship and
communion of the Holy Spirit to be with us each now and forevermore. Amen.