Let us commence our service this
evening by singing together hymn 187, Tunis Festus 464. Jesus draws the chosen race by
his sweet resistless grace, causing them to hear his call and before
his power to fall. Hymn 187, Tunis Festus Jesus Christ, the true salvation,
By His Spirit, faith and strength, Was invented in Israel. ? And people all it has to offer
? ? Come, let this program stand
loud ? ? Stripped as I be, my tears are gone ? ? Rotten flesh,
dead am I ? ? Heaven, I burn, all shall be mine ? ? And crown Him, the King and Lord
? ? In the happy pastures above ? ? Heav'nly glory in the clouds
above ? We can teach you sacred words. When the Lord appears in you, ? All things rich and glorious
in you ? ? Love divine, all things personal ? ? Love does every
sin control ? Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in Psalms 16 and 17. Psalms 16 and 17. Preserve
me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust. O my soul, thou hast said unto
the Lord, Thou art my Lord. My goodness extendeth not to
thee, but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the
excellent in whom is all mighty life. Their sorrows shall be
multiplied that hasten after another God. Their drink-offerings
of blood will I not offer. nor take up their names into
my lips. The Lord is the portion of mine
inheritance and my cup, thou maintain'st my lot. The lines
are fallen unto me in pleasant places, yea, I have a goodly
heritage. I will bless the Lord who hath
given me counsel My reins also instruct me in the night season.
I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right
hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and
my glory rejoiceth. My flesh also shall rest in hope,
for thou wilt not leave my soul in hell. Neither wilt thou suffer
thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of
life. In thy presence is fullness of joy. At thy right hand are
pleasures for evermore. Hear the right, O Lord, attend
unto my cry. Give ear unto my prayer that
goeth not out of faint lips. Let my sentence come forth from
thy presence. Let thine eyes behold the things
that are equal. Thou hast proved mine heart.
Thou hast visited me in the night. Thou hast tried me and shalt
find nothing. I am purposed that my mouth shall
not transgress concerning the works of men By the word of thy
lips have I kept me from the path of the destroyer. Hold up
my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not. I have
called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God. Incline thy ear
unto me and hear my speech. Show thy marvellous lovingkindness. O thou that savest by thy right
hand them which put their trust in thee, from those that rise
up against them, keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under
the shadow of thy wings. From the wicked that oppress
me, from my deadly enemies who compass me about, they are enclosed
in their own fat, With their mouth they speak proudly. They
have now compassed us in our steps. They have set their eyes
bowing down to the earth, like as a lion that is greedy of his
prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.
Arise, O Lord, disappoint him, cast him down, and deliver my
soul from the wicked, which is thy sword, from men which are
thy hand, O Lord, from men of the world which have their portion
in this life, whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure.
They are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance
to their babes. As for me, I will behold thy
face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied when I awake
with thy likeness. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real
prayer. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
which is an art and art to come, We do desire to bow before Thee,
the only true God, the Lord Jehovah, in whom is everlasting strength. Jehovah, Jehovah, what wonderful
provision, O Lord, Thou hast made for Thy people and the glorious
person of Thine only begotten Son that was manifest in the
flesh. What a wonderful provision for
our salvation. for our redemption, for our deliverance
from sin and Satan's power. Oh, to enter into that rest of
faith, to lay hold of that hope that is set before us in the
gospel. We come as poor sinners, Lord, at this evening hour. We
come with that desire to worship Thee, that desire, O Lord, to
draw near to Thee, to confess our sins, As we come, Lord, into
thy presence, we're very conscious of our sinfulness, that proneness
to wander, that sense of sin within. And we come like thy servant Ezra.
We blush before thee, O Lord, ashamed of our nakedness, our
sinfulness, our wretchedness. and seek and hope to find a portion
for our soul. Oh, we pray, most gracious Lord,
that our souls may be fed, that the living bread of heaven may
be broken and that we may taste of that bread of life, that we
may taste and see that the Lord is gracious, that we may be partakers
of that bread of life, that we may drink of the water of life,
that we may indeed be humbled under thy mighty hand and to
feel the power of thy love and of thy grace in our hearts as
we gather round thy word at this evening hour. We pray to be delivered
from all the hardness of the flesh and the worldly-mindedness
of the flesh. For, Lord, we prove the carnal
mind is enmity to God, is not subject to the law of God, but
neither indeed can be. We come, most gracious Lord,
and we seek that thou wouldst graciously grant thy presence.
May we feel the presence of the Lord Jesus in our midst, May
we behold his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth. May we see your lovely man. May
we see that scene of matchless grace, to Jesus in the sinner's
place, heaven's brightest glory sunk in shame. Oh, to behold
the man, the man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, to
touch the hem of his garment, to draw from that sacred fullnesses
in that holy God man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave his life
a ransom for all, lead us to Calvary, that we may behold him
in our room place instead, fill our hearts with gratitude, with
thanksgiving, for the wonderful glory of his name, for the sacred
fullness of his sacrifice. We thank thee for the holiness
of his life, his perfect obedience to the law on the behalf of thy
people. For Lord, this is all our hope
in what Jesus has done in that holy life, in the bringing in
of everlasting righteousness, O truly, Lord, the Apostle says,
for ye are complete in him, we are accepted in the Beloved.
Oh, we do pray that it may be so, that we may feel that to
be so here at this evening hour, that we may see yon lovely man,
that we may worship at Emmanuel's feet, that we may lose the burden
of sin, and guilt, and know that perfect freedom and liberty in
Christ. May we be favoured with those
divine drawings of our Heavenly Father, drawing us unto our Lord
Jesus Christ. And may we be favoured with the
divine power and the heavenly unction of the Holy Ghost. All
we do thank thee for the Holy Ghost. We thank thee for the
sacred, glorious person of the blessed spirit. We thank thee
for his mighty work, for his indwelling in our hearts, for
his reviving breath in our souls. May we know it tonight, Lord,
as we gather round thy word. May we know the truth of those
blessed words, for our gospel came unto you, not in word only,
but in power. in the Holy Ghost and with much
assurance. We pray that it may be so, even
tonight. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou wouldst grant that we may be favoured as a church
and as a congregation with a true revival. We thank thee that there
is nothing too hard for thee. We thank thee for our Lord Jesus
Christ, for the fullness that there dwells in Jesus our head
and ever abides to answer our need. We thank thee, O Lord,
that there is always that fullness in our Lord Jesus Christ, an
undiminished fullness. And we thank thee for the fullness
of Calvary, the precious shed blood of Jesus, the Son of God. We thank Thee for the power of
that blood to cleanse from all sin. We thank Thee for that,
the wonderful glory of the Cross of Calvary, where sin has been
put away and where divine justice has been satisfied and where
God and sinners are reconciled and where peace is made between
God and man. All that we could enter thy gates
with praise and with the voice of thanksgiving for the wonderful
glory of his name. And O Lord, we do pray that thou
wouldst bless our brethren, the deacons, and thou knowest the
needs and the concerns and the infirmities of each one. We lovingly
commend them to thee. Pray that thou wouldst Grant
that we, pastor and deacons, may be as a threefold cord that
cannot easily be broken, and that we may walk in love and
union and communion. We pray for each one of our brethren
and sisters in church fellowship, that thy blessing may rest upon
us, that we may each be found endeavouring to keep the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace. we may be delivered from
the power of satan who is the separator of the brethren. Lord
deliver us from his power and from his influence and from his
subtle deceptiveness and grant that we may be made wise unto
salvation that we may be oh lord as wise as serpents and as harmless
as doves Pray for our brother and sister in Holland that thy
rich blessing may rest upon them there and that they too there
may feel that deep and sacred sense of love and union with
us as a church and as a congregation. Lord, let thy work appear unto
thy servants and thy glory unto their children. We do humbly
pray thee and graciously pour forth thy blessed spirit in our
assemblies. As we gather together for prayer,
as we gather together for the preaching of the word, as we
gather together around the table of the Lord, may we know thy
presence, thy power, and thy grace. May we know the heavenly
unction of the Spirit. May we know that divine presence
of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we know those divine drawings
of our Heavenly Father. O Lord, do hear us, we pray thee.
Bless us as a church, as a congregation. Work mightily, work powerfully,
work effectually in our midst. Cause the prodigals to return,
and thy wonderful grace to be seen in this. Thou hast said,
let patience have her perfect work, We pray for the grace of
patience, to patiently wait upon thee, to patiently watch unto
prayer. Oh, do hear us, Lord, we pray.
Thou hast said the husbandman hath long patience, as he waited
for the fruits of the earth. We pray for that patience to
be given to us. As promised in thy word, I will
work, and who shall let in? And we pray that the glory, light,
and power of gospel truth may shine into this village and the
surrounding villages and hamlets. Many, many, many precious souls
may be gathered here, that instead of a declension and a falling
away, we may see a building up, a renewing. Lord, not many years
ago, there was a house of prayer every village that surrounded
us. Oh, we do pray that we may again see thy work and thy power
and thy glory as thou used to be in the sanctuary. And that
the gathering of the people may be unto thee. May we 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. let
thy work appear unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children,
O Lord, we do beseech thee. We do pray that thou wouldst
be with all thy servants as they labour in word and doctrine upon
the walls of Zion, that thou wouldst graciously grant that
they may dip their foot in oil and be made acceptable unto thee,
brethren. and that the word preached may
be in power in the Holy Ghost and with much assurance. And
we pray thee, the great Lord of the harvest, that thou would
send true labourers into the harvest, that thou would build
the walls of Jerusalem, that thou would grant a day of real
spiritual prosperity. Revive the hearts of thy people,
renew thy mercies within, and grant, O Lord, we pray Thee,
that diligence to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy
and acceptable unto Thee, which is our reasonable service, and
that we be not conformed to this world. But may we be transformed
by the renewing of our mind that we might know what that good
and perfect and acceptable will of the Lord is. Lord, hear us,
we humbly pray Thee, Have mercy upon us, we beseech thee, for
thy great namesake. Bless the little ones and the
children. Bless the dear young friends.
Pour forth thy blessed spirit. Raise up a generation that shall
call thee the Redeemer blessed. Grant that we may see thy work
and thy power and thy glory in the gospel. Fulfill that wonderful
promise, instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou
mayest make princes in all the earth. Deliver us from the temptations
of Satan, whether he comes as an angel of light to deceive
us, or whether he comes as a roaring lion to devour us. We pray to
be delivered from his power and from his influence. We do humbly
beseech of thee. And O Lord, we do pray to remember
all in the midst of the journey of life and graciously work. We do humbly beseech thee, grant
that we may see thy power in those of us in the midst of the
journey of life and that we may be made more spiritually minded
and that our heart and our affections may be set upon things above,
and that we may be enabled to lay aside every weight and the
sin that doth so easily beset us, and that we might run with
patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus,
the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was
set before him endured the cross, despising the shame thereof,
and is now set down at the right hand of the majesty on high. Lord, enable us, we pray, while
our days on earth are lengthened, may we give them, Lord, to Thee. Remember, Lord, those of us that
are now in the evening time of life's journey, and we feel the mud walled cottage
shake, and the clouds return after the rain. We feel, O Lord,
our mortality, and we know that the longest can't be long. Prepare
me, gracious God, to stand before thy face. Thy spirit must the
work perform, for it is all of grace. In Christ's obedience,
clothe and wash me in his blood. So shall I lift my head with
joy among the sons of God. Lord we pray that thou wouldst
remember all thy servants as they labour in word and doctrine
upon the walls of Zion and we pray thee the great Lord of the
harvest to send true labourers into the harvest. And Lord we
think O Lord as we have heard this day of thy great goodness
in hearing and answering prayer, in the thwarting of the assisted
suicide bill. We pray that thou wouldst bring
their counsels to naught and overturn their wicked devices. We do humbly beseech of thee. Lord, we live in solemn days
when the spirit of Antichrist is very present in our society. And, O Lord, we do pray that
thou wouldst put a stop to war, bring to naught the counsels
of the ungodly. We do humbly beseech thee for
thy great namesake. And, O Lord, we do pray for truly
thankful hearts, for our house of prayer, for the liberties
that we enjoy being able to freely meet together around thy Word.
We thank thee for thy Word, We thank thee for every mercy of
thy kind providence. Thy mercies to us are new every
morning. Great is thy faithfulness. Be with us, Lord, as we turn
to thy word. Come and open thy word to our
heart and to our understanding. Come and touch one's lips with
a live coal from of the heavenly altar as we ask for Jesus Christ's
sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
941. The tune is Arizona 284. Jesus, my Lord, my life, my all, Prostrate before thy throne,
I fall. Fame would my soul look up and
see. My hope, my heaven, my all in
thee. Hymn 941, tune Arizona, 284. you ? Jesus, have mercy on my soul
? ? Have mercy on my soul ? ? Have mercy on my soul ? I am I Am I Am I Am I In this world of sin and love
I will rejoice in sin and love God of which we have little rest,
with the living, living rest. In the breaches of my sleep The
world made louder and asleep And crown thy good With brotherhood
From sea to shining sea. ? With a heart deep to reach the
sun ? ? Come to the world I have found ? ? Come to the world I
have found ? ? Come snow and rain ? ? Come snow
and rain ? ? Come snow and rain ? ? When I'm on the ice ? ? Where
sleep and pain and sorrow rejoice ? ? Sleep is restored ? I'll look again, I'll be somewhere,
but I'll be true ? The living and the dead ? ? The
sun and the rain ? ? The sun and the rain ? I'm greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help and direct your attention to the Psalm number
17 And reading verse 15 for our
text. Psalm 17, reading verse 15 for
our text. As for me, I will behold thy
face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied when I awake
with thy likeness. as for me. King David here expresses
the confidence of faith as for me. And of course he's speaking
of those that surrounded him, that desired his hurt, that desired
his destruction. He says in verse 8, keep me as
the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings. He says the wicked that oppress
me from my deadly enemies which compass me about. He was surrounded
with enemies. They have now compassed us in
our steps he says in verse 11 they have set their eyes bowing
down to the earth and he was surrounded with these enemies
and they desired his destruction he said there in verse 12 like
as a lion that is greedy of his prey as it were a young lion
lurking in secret places No doubt they laid snares for him. And so, arise in the midst of
this trouble, these enemies that surrounded him. Arise, O Lord. O Jehovah, arise. Disappoint
him, cast him down. Isn't this what we need the Lord
to do for us? especially from that great enemy,
Satan. You may have enemies that are
men of this world, women of this world, but the great enemy of
the Lord's people is Satan. And as it's clearly laid out
in God's Word, Satan comes to us in different ways. You know, The apostle is speaking
in the Corinthians of a gospel minister. And he gives a warning. They may appear to be a gospel
minister. And he says, know ye not that
even Satan is changed into an angel of light? I find that a
very searching, separating word. that even those that appear to
be the Lord's servants are not. They're angels of light,
transformed so by Satan. It's a very certain thought,
isn't it? Arise, O Lord, disappoint him, cast him down, deliver my
soul from the wicked which is thy sword. Now, so often when
we come into troubles and trials and perplexities, opposition we look at second causes when we say if this if that if
something else he says deliver my soul from the wicked which
is thy sword which is thy sword against him And the Lord, he speaks to his
servants in Isaiah chapter 54, the last verse. It was the first
verse the Lord ever spoke to me regarding the gospel ministry. No weapon that is formed against
thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against
thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants
of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, as for men. And he says in verse 14, from
men which are thy hand. He saw the hand of the Lord.
David was well acquainted with that word that he himself speaks,
my times are in thy hand. sovereign ruler of the skies
ever gracious ever wise all my times are in thy hand all events
at thy command all events all enemies all those
that oppose us satan himself and the other thing of course
is that satan doesn't always come as an angel of light He
sometimes comes, it says in Peter, as a roaring lion, seeking whom
he may devour. But he often uses men to attack
us, whether it be as an angel of light or whether it be as
a roaring lion. From men which are thy hand,
O Lord, from men of the world which have their portion in this
life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure. They are
full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their
babes. As for me, David, by faith, stood above. He stood above the troubles and
the trials and the perplexities. sometimes we get so low and so
downcast we get underneath them and they seem to get the better
of us but here David he's lifted above it by faith by faith faith
is the substance of things hoped for yet not seen it's what you're
hoping for praying for seeking for but not yet seen, but you
believe, because the Lord has persuaded you. It's a lovely
word, you know, when we read it on a number of occasions in
scripture, for I am persuaded. It's a wonderful thing when the
Lord persuades us in a good thing. For I am persuaded. It's a mercy
if we are. as for me. I will behold thy
face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied when I awake
with thy likeness. This is the language of faith.
The little hand of faith stretches out. Our Lord Jesus feeds that
little that little hand of faith. What does he say? Let not your
heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also
in me. 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 and receive you unto myself,
that where I am, there ye may be also. As for me. I will behold thy face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied when I awake
with thy likeness. What a prospect there is for
the living child of God. You know the whole basis, foundation
on which this hope is stayed and The Apostle says in the Hebrews,
which hope we have as an anchor for the soul, both short and
steadfast, anchored within the veil. That's in Christ. That's in the Son of God manifest
in the flesh. That's where our faith looks. That's where faith is fed. In the previous Psalm that we
read together, we really have what you might say the whole
basis of the foundation of the believer's hope. It says in verse 8 of Psalm 16,
I have set the Lord always before me, because he is at my right
hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore, my heart is glad and
my glory rejoicing. When he speaks of his glory,
he's speaking of his soul. And the person speaking here,
my beloved friends, though it is King David, it's Christ. David being a prophet of the
Lord. And he speaks here in a prophetic way. And this is quoted by the
apostles, it's quoted by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Therefore
my heart is glad, my glory rejoices, my flesh also shall rest in hope. And then we have, this of course
is Christ himself. For thou wilt not leave my soul
in hell. I understand that hell there
comes from the Hebrew word Hades, which means death. Thou wilt
not leave my soul in death. That is the meaning of it. Neither
wilt thou suffer thine Holy One. That's the glorious person of
our Lord Jesus Christ, holy one to see corruption. When the Lord
Jesus Christ died, he told the disciples on a number of occasions
that he would be crucified and buried and on the third day he
would rise again. They didn't know what he was
speaking about, they didn't understand what he was saying, but he actually
warned them, you find it in the Gospels, on a number of occasions
that on the third day he would rise again. See, when the Lord
Jesus died, he died for our sins. He himself did no sin. That's
why it says, thy holy one. Thy holy one. Neither wilt thou suffer thine
holy one to seek corruption. We, when we die, our bodies are
laid in the grave, and it corrupts, it starts corrupting almost immediately. But with the Lord Jesus Christ,
his holy sacred body never corrupted when it was in the grave. He
said to his eternal father when he was on the cross of Calvary,
Father into thy hands I commend my spirit, And he's so saying
that he commended his holy human soul into the hands of his eternal
father. And in so doing he entered into
death. The body without the spirit is
dead being alone. But he never corrupted. On the third
day he rose again. He saw no corruption. He was
holy. He was pure. Our bodies die and
corrupt. We are sinful and unrighteous.
But this man, this glorious holy God man, for by one offering
he has perfected forever all them that are sanctified. For thou wilt not leave my soul
in hell and death, Wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see
corruption? Thou wilt show me. You see, speaking
of his resurrection, see, friends, when Christ died, though under
those tremendous pains of death and of the wrath of God, he died in hope. And this really
expresses it. for thou wilt not leave my soul
in hell, in death, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to
see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of
life. Thou wilt show me the path of
life. The hymn writer says concerning the death of Christ, He speaks of the Lord Jesus dying
and entering into death and we've already spoken that it was a
voluntary act of the Son of God to do that. He says in John,
I have power to lay my life down. I have power to take it again.
And the life that he's speaking of is that holy human life that
he assumed in the womb of the Virgin Mary. And in that sacred,
holy human nature, the Son of God could suffer, bleed and die. Doesn't the hymn writer say,
the Lord of life experienced death? I know it's a deep mystery friends.
In fact, it's a profound mystery. But in that lifeless corpse,
For three days and nights in the tomb was the Son of God. There was never any dissolution
between the divine and the human. The Son of God was there, and
I believe that is what the hymn writer is referring to when he
says, the Lord of life experienced death. For thou wilt not leave
my soul in hell in death, wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to
see corruption, thou wilt show me the path of life. In thy presence
is fullness of joy. At thy right hand are pleasures
for evermore. At thy right hand. The Lord Jesus
is at the right hand of the Father. Let thy hand, Psalm 80, Let thy
hand be upon the man of thy right hand, the son of man, whom thou
madest strong for thy son. That's the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the psalmist there, he prays that the Father's hand might
be upon the man of his right hand, on Christ. You see, when the Lord Jesus
entered into death, he did it to destroy death. says doesn't it, O death, I will
be thy plagues. O grave, I will be thy victory. As in the prophecy of Hosea chapter 13,
it says in verse 14, I will ransom them from the power of the grave. I will redeem them from death. O death, I will be thy plagues. O grave, I will be thy destruction. Repentance shall be hid from
mine eyes." What that means is he would fulfil what he came
to do. He came to live and to bring
in everlasting righteousness for his people. And in that holy
life of Christ is wrought out the glorious righteousness of
Christ. He lived as a sinless man here
upon earth. The only sinless man ever walked
upon the earth. And that lovely word in Psalm
37, mark the perfect man, that's Christ. Mark the perfect man
and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace. glorious person of Jesus, the
Son of God, manifest in the flesh. Suffering, bleeding and dying
for the sins of his people. In those sufferings, Isaiah opens
it up really, doesn't he? In Isaiah 53, he was wounded
for our transgression. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him and with his stripes we are healed. And then in the grave, when he
enters into death, it was in hope of eternal life. He entered into death to destroy
death. And him that had the power of
death, that is the devil. That's why he entered into death.
I will ransom them from the power of the grave. I will redeem them
from death. O death, I will be thy plate. O grave, I will be thy destruction. Repentance shall be hid from
mine eyes. I will not change my mind until
I've done it. I love those words on the cross.
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus, knowing that all things
were now accomplished. He knew that he had redeemed
his people. He knew that he had paid the
ransom price. And the last enemy, the apostle
says this, the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
And when the Son of God laid down his life He laid it down to take it again. He entered into death that he
might destroy death, that he might rise again from the dead.
You know, it's beautifully spoken of in that really well-known
chapter in 1 Corinthians in chapter 15. And there the apostle speaks
beautifully of the Lord Jesus Christ. He says in verse 45,
And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul,
the last Adam, that's Christ, was made a quickening spirit.
How be it that was not first, which is spiritual, but that
which is natural, and afterwards that which is spiritual, that
is Christ. The first man, that is our forefather Adam, is of
the earth earthy, the second man is the Lord from heaven.
As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthly and as
is the heavenly such are they also that are heavenly and as
we have borne the image of the earthly we shall also bear the
image of the heavenly Christ did all what he did for his people to make them righteous to clothe
them and then to stand in their room law place instead he He
was crucified on Calvary's tree. He suffered the awful wrath of
his father to redeem his church and people from their sins. Now this I say, brethren, that
flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. neither doth
corruption inherit incorruption but I show you a mystery we shall
not all sleep but we shall all be changed in a moment in the
twinkling of an eye at the last trump for the trumpets shall
sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be
changed this is this is what David means as he says in Attic
as for me He would arise in a moment in
the twinkling light at the last trump, for the trumpet shall
sound, that's the coming of Christ, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed. One thing, the living
child of God, they mourn over their corruption and over their
sinfulness. But it says here, for this corruptible,
shall put on incorruption. He says I will awaken thy likeness
this corruptible shall put on incorruption and this mortal
shall put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall
have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on
immortality then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written
death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, the
strength of sin is the law, but thanks be to God which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. You see, my beloved
friends, what I mean that What we've looked at in Psalm 16 is
the foundation of what we have here in the last verse of Psalm
17. As for me, I will behold thy
face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied when I awake
with thy likeness. I remember reading Bishop Leighton,
I believe it was, and he said this. In this life,
the joy of the Lord enters the heart of the Lord's people. They
taste of that joy of the Lord. I think it's in the book of Ezra,
the joy of the Lord shall be your strength. They taste it,
they feel that joy and that rejoicing in their heart, the joy of the
Lord. But then he went on to say, but
in that life which is to come, they enter into the joy of the
Lord. Here, the joy of the Lord enters
into our hearts, but in glory that is to come, we enter into
the joy of the Lord. We behold the Lord Jesus Christ,
as for me, I'll behold thy face in righteousness. He sitteth
at the right hand of the Father, For such an high priest have
we, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God. Thou wilt show me the path of
life. In thy presence is fullness of joy. At thy right hand are
pleasures for evermore. It's Christ. Christ is heaven. Heaven is Christ. We shall then
enter into a fullness that here we cannot even begin to comprehend. The Apostle Paul when he saw
wonderful things and great mysteries when he was taken up into the
third heaven and he says I saw things that was not lawful for
me to say what he means is it wasn't possible for me to express
the glories that he saw in the third heaven. See we have heaven which we can
see, been a beautiful day today, and we can see the heavens. That's
the first heaven. And then beyond our atmosphere
is the universe, the stars, and the moon, et cetera. And then
beyond that is the dwelling place of God. It's beyond that. Far above all principalities
and powers, and every name that is named. As for me, I will behold
thy face in righteousness. See, the Son of Man, let thy
hand be upon the Son of Man, at thy right hand. Christ is
at the right hand of the Father. I will behold thy face in righteousness. You know, I was just thinking
when I was reading this morning, there's a beautiful word in the
third chapter of Paul's epistle to the Philippians. And it speaks so beautifully
there in the last two verses of that third chapter of the
Philippians. For our conversation, if you
have a marginal reference, For conversation it says citizenship,
for our citizenship is in heaven. For whence also we look for the
Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body,
that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according
to the working, whereby he is able even to subdue all things
unto himself. all things by his mighty power. We shall be changed. We just
read it in Corinthians 15. We shall be changed as the twinkling
of an eye. And this corruption shall then
shall put on incorruption. And we shall see the Lord Jesus
face to face. And we shall worship his glorious
person in heaven above. Christ is heaven. Heaven is Christ. Emmanuel is all the glory in
Emmanuel's land. You know, in the Epistle of Jude,
very beautifully speaks there of the final perseverance of
the saints. The last two verses of the Epistle
of Jude. Now unto him that is able to
keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory
with exceeding joy. To the only wise God our Saviour,
be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. At the right hand of the Almighty,
at the right hand of God. There are pleasures forevermore. Pleasures forevermore for the
Lord's living family. They enter into a state which
will never change. The Apostle speaks very beautifully
of it in the epistle to the Colossians in the first chapter. And he says in verse 21 of Colossians
1, and you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your
mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body
of his flesh through death. You see here how he connects
all these things together. It's through the incarnation
of the son of God and it's through death to present you holy and
unblameable and unreprovable in his sight. It's a wonderful
thought isn't it? I remember just after we married
sitting in the little cottage at Mayfield one evening and I
was reading in Colossians chapter 1 and I came to that verse and
I sat there amazed. It seemed something so wonderful I could grasp this poor wretched
sinner in the body of his flesh through death this is what amazed
me to present you holy I thought how can that be and as I sat
and meditated I thought on the blood of Christ the blood of
Jesus Christ God's Son cleanseth us from all sin to present you
holy and unblameable. Do you see what is so amazing?
Though we have sinned and come short of the glory of God, yet
He will present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in His sight. Just think of that. It's almost
beyond our comprehension to think that this great God This great
God is able to do these wonderful things. As for me, I will behold
thy face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied. You know,
there again, it's something that is beyond our comprehension here,
isn't it? Because we, each one of us, carry
about a body of sin and death. But David, he looked beyond the
grave. When this body of sin and death
had been put aside, I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy
likeness. With thy likeness. The likeness
of Christ. It says in John, the first epistle
of John, Brethren, it does not appear what we shall be, but
we know that we shall be like him. To be like Christ, what
a wonderful prospect. To enter heaven, to behold the
glory of the Lamb in the midst of the throne, a Lamb as it had
been slain. As for me, I will behold thy
face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied when I awake
with thy likeness. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
473. The tune is Pentecost 390. Lord, I am thine, but thou wilt
prove my faith, my patience, and my love. When men of spite
against me join, they are the sword, the hand is thine. Hymn 473, tune Pentecost 390. you. Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave ? O come, let us adore him ? ?
O come, let us adore him ? ? O come, let us adore him ? ? O come, let us adore
him ? And take that tread, and leave
the rest above the head. ? O sinner's value ? ? I resign
thee ? ? O tears, ye ? ? Of the world ? ? Adore thee ? ? I shall be known ? my blissful days, and stand for
me in righteousness. This life's a dream, And teach us
of the bright path to which we go. and joy substantial and sincere,
when shall I pray and find thee there? Lord, Lord and Son, the Prince
of Love, I shall be near and wide, I hope, and fashioned in the robe of
truth a sacred mattress of life's soul. My flesh shall suffer in the
ground, Till the Lord's promise to me fulfill. When past the drains this rich
land runs, And in my chains 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 forevermore. Amen.