Let us commence our service this
afternoon by singing together hymn number 119 to the tune Bedford,
98. Great God, from thee there's
naught concealed, thou seest my inward frame, to thee I always
stand revealed, exactly as I am. Hymn 119, tune Bedford, 98. O God, who made this mortal sea,
From sea to shining river plain, To thee I shall
always stand, be near, ? Exactly as I am ? ? Since I cannot be there for her
? Thou kind sea, Thou kind manner,
Thou Sire dear, Most happy God to thee. God saves, thy saviour stands
between thee. In darkness, hide in light. is me. Instead of me, I see where
I belong to God. Thus spoke the sinner, I am saved,
He pleads before the throne. Is life and death in my being
now? And what, my saving teacher, What one has known, what wisdom
is, it is a point and sign. Thy preachers of the law, of
peace, and His obedience. Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the Prophecy of Isaiah and Chapter 63. The Prophecy of Isaiah, Chapter 63. Who is this that cometh from
Eden, with dyed garments from Bozrah, this that is glorious
in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength,
I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art
thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth
in the wine-fat? I have trodden the wine-press
alone, and of the people there was none with me, for I will
tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury, and
their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will
stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in
my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked,
and there was none to help, and I wondered that there was none
to uphold. Therefore my own arm brought salvation unto me, and
my fury it upheld me. I will tread down the people
in mine anger and make them drunk in my fury. I will bring down
their strength to the earth. I will mention the loving-kindnesses
of the Lord and the praises of the Lord according to all that
the Lord hath bestowed on us. and the great goodness toward
the house of Israel which he hath bestowed on them according
to his mercies and according to the multitude of his loving-kindnesses. For he said, Surely they are
my people, children that will not lie. So he was their Saviour. In all their afflictions he was
afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them. his love
and in his pity he redeemed them and he bared them and carried
them all the days of old but they rebelled and vexed his Holy
Spirit therefore he was turned to be their enemy and he fought
against them then he remembered the days of old Moses and his
people saying, where is he that brought them up out of the sea
with the shepherd of his flock? Where is he that put his Holy
Spirit within him, that led them by the right hand of Moses with
his glorious arm, dividing the water before them to make himself
an everlasting name, that led them through the deep as a horse
in the wilderness, that they should not stumble As a beast
goeth down into the valley, the spirit of the Lord caused him
to rest. So didst thou lead thy people
to make thyself a glorious name. Look down from heaven and behold
from the habitation of thy holiness and thy glory, where is thy zeal
and thy strength? The sounding of thy bowels and
of thy mercies toward me, are they restrained? Doubtless thou
art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel
acknowledge us not, thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer,
thy name is from everlasting. O Lord, why hast thou made us
to err from thy ways, and harden our heart from thy fear? Return,
for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance, The people
of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while. Our adversaries
have trodden down thy sanctuary. We are thine, thou never barest
rule over them. They were not called by thy name. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word and grant to us a spirit of real
prayer. Almighty, most merciful and eternal
God, we do desire to bow before thy great and holy majesty. We
do desire a spirit of true worship, like thy servant Eliezer as he
bowed and worshipped thee, and we pray that we may be given
that same spirit of worship as we come together this afternoon
around thy word and around the table of the Lord. We pray 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. May it please thee to send thy
Spirit into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father, And may it please
thee, Lord Jesus, to come and stand in our midst, that we may
behold thy glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth. May we be favoured to touch the
hem of thy garment and to draw from that sacred virtue that
is in thee, that we may draw from the sacred virtue of thy
precious blood and the sacred virtue of thy glorious righteousness,
and that that wonderful grace that thou art full of may be
poured into our hearts, even the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. For, Lord, this is our only hope
in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. No help in self I find,
yet oft have sought it well, The native treasure of my mind
is sin and death and hell. We pray, O Lord God, that thou
wouldst graciously hear us and be with us and bless us here
this afternoon. We read, O Lord, of thy disciples
beholding thy glory, and we pray that we may do so. For through
him, through our Lord Jesus Christ, we have access by one spirit
unto the Father. And Lord, what a wonderful, sacred
privilege that is. And thou hast said, whatsoever
ye ask in my name, I will do it. And we pray for grace, for
faith, to believe and to lay hold of that hope that is set
before us in the gospel. We pray for that grace to lay
aside every weight and the sin that does so easily beset us.
that we might run with patience the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus, that we may be enabled to cast all our care
upon him and have that sacred realisation for he caring for
you. Lord, we pray that thou would
lead us into the heartbreaking sorrows of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lead us by thy blessed Spirit.
into that profound mystery of godliness of God manifest in
the flesh. And that lead us into that profound
mystery that he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised
for our iniquities and the chastisement of our peace was upon him. And
with his stripes we are healed. Oh Lord, lead us by thy blessed
spirit into these wonderful sacred truths of our most holy faith. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou wouldst guide us in that right way. We read in thy
word, and he led them forth by the right way unto a city of
habitation, and that city whose builder and maker is God. O Lord,
we pray to be kept from every wrong way and every sinful way
and every corrupt way. And we pray to be kept from ourselves. For Lord, we prove that our heart
is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. We pray
to be delivered from our hearts. And we have to come often with
the dear apostle concerning that conflict that is within us. That
which I would, I do not. That which I would not, I do.
I find a law within my members that when I would do good, then
evil is present with me. Lord, we pray that thou wouldst
deliver us from evil, that thou wouldst deliver us from temptation,
that thou wouldst deliver us from the power and dominion of
sin, and that thou wouldst grant us that precious gift of living
faith that we may believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. that we
may draw from that sacred fullness that is in him, we do humbly
beseech of thee. We pray to be made more spiritually
minded and that our heart and our affections may be set upon
things above and not on things of the earth. We pray, most gracious
Lord, that our affections may be upon thee, upon the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Ghost, that we may love Thee, that we
may serve Thee, that we may follow Thee in our day and in our generation,
and that Thou wouldst graciously afterward receive us unto glory. We pray that Thou wouldst safely
guide us unto Thy heavenly kingdom and enable us to continually
repent. Daily I would repent of sin,
daily washing Jesus' blood, Lord, grant us that daily religion,
that daily hungering and thirsting after Thee, that daily union
and communion with Thee, that we may be made more spiritually
minded, and that, Lord, we constantly need Thy chastening hand, and
that Thou hast said in Thy word, whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth,
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. And Lord, we need
thy chastening hand to keep us close to thee, to keep us away
from those things which are of the flesh, those things that
would lead us astray from wisdom's way. Do bless us then, Lord,
as a church and as a congregation. Bless our brethren, the deacons
who have needed grace, wisdom, and help. We thank thee that
our dear sister Audrey has been able to come out this afternoon
And we lovingly commend her to thee. Thank thee, O Lord, for
that measure of health and strength given to come thus far. And,
O Lord, we thank thee for our dear brother and sister here
from Holland. We lovingly commend them to thee and to the word
of thy grace. And we're thankful to thee for
bringing them here safely. And we pray that it may be a
time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. We do humbly beseech
thee. And we pray, most gracious Lord,
that those blessed, the little ones and the children, bless
them, O Lord, to seek thee. Grant them the beginning of wisdom,
which is the fear of the Lord in their hearts, in their young
and in their tender years. And we pray, dear Lord, that
those blessed, the dear young friends, each one of them, bless
them with that rich grace that is in Christ Jesus. Bless them
with light and understanding in their hearts. Bless them with
living faith to lay hold of that hope that is set before us in
the gospel, that they may become true followers of Thee and of
those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. So bless
our young friends. O Lord, we do beseech Thee, be
with them, Lord, in all of the pathway of life's journey. Be
with them in all the paths of providence. Guide and direct
them, keep and preserve them, and lead them in that right way. O Lord, we do beseech thee. Remember
all in the midst of the journey of life, especially parents,
give wisdom and grace to bring up their children in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord. And Lord, remember, we do beseech
thee, each and every one, deliver us from temptation. Whether the
enemy comes in like a flood, whether as an angel of light
or as a roaring lion, we may be delivered from his power and
from his influence. Oh, we do pray. Remember those
of us that are now in the evening time of life's journey. Graciously
guide us safely unto thy heavenly kingdom and enable us to continually
come to thee. Remember the prodigals, Lord,
and cause them to return. Remember this village and the
surrounding villages and hamlets, and grant that many, many, many
precious souls may yet be gathered in. Oh, let thy work appear unto
thy servants and thy glory unto their children. We do humbly
beseech thee. Lord, send a day of real prosperity. Pull down the strongholds of
Satan. Set up the kingdom of the Lord
Jesus in the hearts of sinners, we do humbly beseech of thee
for thy great namesake. Fill our hearts with gratitude
and with thanksgiving for the wonderful glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ, for the love of our Heavenly Father, for the gift, power and
grace of the Holy Ghost. Oh, we do thank thee for all
thy tender mercies, thy loving kindnesses, We thank thee that
thy mercies to us are new every morning, and great is thy faithfulness. Come and touch the lips of this
poor sinner, that we may be enabled to speak the word of truth, and
that the word may have free course, and that thy name may be honoured
and glorified. We ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us continue by singing together
hymn number 20. The tune is Newcastle 194. Hymn number 120. With joy we meditate the grace
of our high priest above. His heart is made of tenderness.
His bowels melt with love. Hymn 120. Newcastle 194. ? Of thy peace above ? ? This heart
is made of tenderness ? ? This heart is made of tenderness ?
? God gave us heaven and earth ? ? In the time of
need and pain ? O temptation! O temptation! ? Sopre deus, Emmanuel ? ? Donde
vivas tu? ? ? O saintentorium gratio ? God's angels are in us, in you
and in me. We wish this to the world. ? We make the case of our evil
flesh ? ? On our weak strides and tears ? ? And in this treasure
we'll suppress ? ? And in this nation ? ? Is the
flesh of death ? ? In the end of days ? ? For evermore ? And shall praise Him to the end. The fruits shall be given for
grace, The fruits shall be given for grace, His mercy and his love. We shall attend him with thanks
and love to him Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I direct your attention to the chapter that
we read, Isaiah chapter 63 and verse 9 for our text. The prophecy of Isaiah chapter
63, reading verse 9 for our text. In all their affliction, he was
afflicted and the angel of his presence saved them in his love
and in his pity he redeemed them and he bared them and carried
them all the days of old in all their afflictions. As is so often in Isaiah, this
is a Beautiful prophecy concerning the glorious person of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ in all there, so It's speaking of the
church the Church of Christ Who in Scripture is set before us
as the bride of Christ? She's the closest to his heart
He loves her with an everlasting love And he says in Jeremiah,
I've loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving
kindness, have I drawn thee. That loving kindness of our eternal
Father. That loving kindness of our Lord
Jesus Christ. That loving kindness of the glorious
person, power. grace of the Holy Ghost, the
loving kindness of our God. Here in verse 7 he says I will
mention the loving kindnesses, it's a beautiful word isn't it?
Loving kindness. In a sense it's very similar
to when we read in the Corinthians charity. Charity, the meaning
of the word charity is love in action and this word here loving
kindness is love in action it's not the apostle says he says
let us not love him word only but indeed and in truth and that
is what the love of god is it's not in word only but it's indeed
and in truth i will mention the loving kindnesses of the lord
the praises of the Lord according to all that the Lord hath bestowed
on us and the great goodness toward the house of Israel which
he hath bestowed on them. The house of Israel and the children
of Israel were the Lord's chosen people in the Old Testament and
when we speak it speaks of the house of Israel it doesn't just
confine itself geographically to the children of Israel because
the Christian church are the spiritual seed of Abraham and
they are they come under that term the house of Israel they're
the chosen of God they were loved by the eternal father he chose
them and that is the reason that they are redeemed that is the
reason that they're loved because they were chosen and they were
given to Christ by a precious deed of gift. They were given
to Him because He loved them. The Father loved them, the Father
took them, the Father gave them unto His Son to redeem, to redeem
them from sin and Satan's power. He says in the first verse, of
this chapter 63 and the last clause, I that speak in righteousness,
mighty to save. Jesus is mighty to save. Jesus is able to save to the
uttermost all that come unto God by him. I think it's in one
of William Gadber's hymns, the vilest sinner out of hell that
lives to feel his need is welcome. to the throne of grace, the Saviour's
blood to plead in all their afflictions. You see, in the previous verse,
in that verse 8, he says, for he said, surely they are my people,
children that will not lie. So he was their Saviour. He was their Saviour. That lovely
word in Luke chapter 19 and verse 10, the Son of Man is come. Who is the Son of Man? He's the
Son of God manifest in the flesh. The Son of Man is come to seek
and to save that which was lost. And that's where all of us were
found, lost, dead, in trespasses and in sins. That's our state
and condition by nature. until the Lord comes. The Apostle says in Ephesians
2 verse 1, you hath he quickened. It's an old English word which
means to give life. You hath he quickened who were
dead. That means you're spiritually
dead until the Holy Ghost comes and gives you spiritual life. That divine and quick in power. the Holy Ghost in the heart,
being born again, he must be born again, except a man be born
of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Now it's these people then that
were chosen by the Father and redeemed by the Son, the Holy
Ghost enters their hearts. We read in Timothy, the foundation
of God standeth sure, having this seal upon it, Lord knoweth
them that are his. The Lord knoweth them that are
his. And of course in a sense this
beautiful word in all their afflictions he was afflicted it's very expressive
in Isaiah 53 where it says he that is the Lord Jesus Christ
was wounded for our transgression. He Christ, our, the Church. Here, in all their, that's the
Church, in all their afflictions, He was afflicted. We've just sung together that
beautiful hymn, and it was while thinking of this text that it
seemed to come so sweetly on my spirit, that the great High
Priest, our Lord Jesus Christ, touched with the sympathy within. He knows our feeble frame. He
knows what sore temptations mean for he has felt the same. He knows in all their afflictions. He has a personal experience
and that personal experience of Christ is actually far deeper
than any of us individually can bear his experience of pain and
suffering and grief and sorrow and rejection. He was a man of
sorrows and acquainted with grief. It says in Exodus chapter 3 concerning
the children of Israel when the Lord was to send Moses to deliver
them from Egyptian bondage There's those beautiful words, I know
their sorrows. I know their sorrows in all their
afflictions. He was afflicted. The Lord Jesus in a far deeper
and fuller way that any of us could ever know. In all his life was a man of
sorrows and acquainted with grief. and though he were the king of
kings and the lord of lords and the eternal son of the eternal
father and yet he was despised and rejected he was of men a
man of sorrows and acquainted with grief he was and in all
there his church's afflictions his bride he loved her with an
everlasting love feels their pain, he feels their affliction,
he feels their sorrow, he does, in all their afflictions, he
was afflicted. You know, friends, the outward
afflictions, the pain and the grief that the Lord Jesus passed
through, especially on the cross of Calvary, in suffering and
bleeding and dying, being crucified It was for the sins of his people.
That's the meaning of this text. In all their afflictions he was
afflicted. Wounded for our transgressions,
bruised for our iniquities. And though those outward sufferings
of Christ in his human nature, in his mind, in his soul, they
were very great. Very great. And yet nothing to
be compared to the inner spiritual afflictions that he suffered.
If you think of that word again from Isaiah 53, he, that is our
eternal father, laid upon him, that's his only begotten son
manifest in the flesh, he laid upon him the iniquity of us all. Just think of that. whole church
from the time of Adam to the end of time our eternal father
took the sin of the whole church and he laid it on Christ and
that is what happened in the garden of Gethsemane when our
Lord Jesus Christ was the sin bearer. The apostle says he took
our sins and he nailed them to his cross And in the garden of
Gethsemane, there was the deepest pain and the deepest suffering. We read in Luke chapter 22 that
the Lord Jesus Christ, it says, in the garden of Gethsemane,
he being in an agony, sweat as it were, great drops of blood
falling down to the ground. Why such pain? Why such agony? Why such grief? Because he laid
upon him the iniquity of us all. And that is the tremendous weight
that he carried. He carried it from the cross,
from the garden to the cross. And he stood as a substitute
for the sins of his people, Our sin is not his own. Our sin
is not his own. That's why the Lord Jesus Christ
suffered and bled and died. I would again just direct your
attention to the fifth chapter of the second epistle to the
Corinthians and it's there that the Holy Spirit so beautifully
sets before us. Lord Jesus Christ, verse 21,
2 Corinthians 5 verse 21, for he hath made him to be sin for
us. Who knew no sin? Christ did no
sin. Christ was without sin at his
birth. Christ was without sin in his life. He knew no sin. He never, sin is any transgression
of the law of God and the Lord Jesus Christ never sinned. He
never broke God's holy righteous law. He lived a life of perfect,
holy obedience to the law of God. And that's what he means
here, who knew no sin. Spotless, innocent and pure,
our great Redeemer stood. while Satan's fiery darts he
bought and did resist to blow. For he that is our eternal Father,
for he hath made him, that's Jesus the Son of God, to be sin
for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. What an exchange, wasn't it? What amazing grace. Truly Newton in his hymn, it
really hits the nail on the head, doesn't it? Amazing grace, how
sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but
now I'm found, was blind but now I see. What amazing grace. Oh the depth of the riches of
his grace. They're unfathomable. The sufferings
of Christ are unfathomable. What he bore, what he suffered
is unfathomable by us. But it was for our sins, wounded
for our transgressions. That's the amazing grace, isn't
it? Wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities. The
chastisement of our peace was upon him in all their afflictions
he was afflicted and the angel of his presence saved them. You
know in our afflictions I don't want to concentrate too much
on us but in our afflictions is when the Lord appears in those
afflictions isn't it? when the Lord draws near in those
afflictions. They may be mental afflictions,
they may be physical afflictions, but come what may they're afflictions.
But it's when the Lord appears in those afflictions, when his
presence is felt in those afflictions, and the angel of his presence
saves You know, friends, when the Lord appears, when he reveals
himself, what a change there is. It may be, maybe, it's in
these things that we're led more deeply, more fully, into who
Jesus is, his everlasting love to our souls. I remember in the A&E at Eastbourne
Hospital and I was having lots of seizures and I felt very very
ill. I had to wait about three or
four hours before they found a bed for me and I kept having
these seizures and at that time in life we were in great providential
straits, we really were. I felt I so felt for my wife
at home with five little children and there was me, I couldn't
even help her. And I knew she had no money,
nothing in the bank at all. And here was I taken into hospital.
I felt utterly useless and utterly helpless. And as I lay there
and feeling so ill and feeling overwhelmed, not only with the
affliction, but with the circumstances that we were in. And it was,
those little words in Psalm 86, dropped onto my spirit with such
a heavenly power, thou art God alone. Thou art God alone. And you know, friends, what a
difference. The Lord, as I lay there, that
gave me such meditation on the greatness of God, the infinity
of God, the wisdom of God, the power of God, the mercy of God,
the grace of God. You know, as I meditated and
the Spirit of God opened up to me, you know it says, the Apostle
says in the Ephesians, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened,
and that's exactly what happened to me there. The eyes of my understanding
were enlightened. Oh, the loving kindness, the
mercy, love of God to me, a poor sinner and I could honestly say
it was peace, perfect peace. There was nothing wrong and yet
my circumstances were exactly the same and yet there was nothing
wrong. Peace, perfect peace. I was exactly
where the Lord would have me to be. Poor, ruined, helpless,
Hopeless sinner, but then the angel of his presence In all
their afflictions he was afflicted and the angel of his presence
Saved them, you know at that time if I remember correctly,
I was laid up not able to preach for about 12 weeks and You know,
I said the circumstances we were founded and I had an old Volvo
car that had done pretty nearly 200,000 miles and it was beginning
to cost me a lot of money. And when I went, just before
I went back to preach, I was able to replace that car with
an almost new car. During that, those weeks, week
after week, day after day, checks, money was sent in the post so
that I was able to go and buy a nearly new car. It was a wonderful
time. not just providentially but spiritually,
when the Lord was made so precious to our souls. In all their afflictions,
he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them. In
his love and in his pity, he redeemed them. It says in one place concerning
the sufferings of Christ, Repentance shall be hid from
mine eyes. That means that however deep
the sufferings, however great the sorrows, however tremendous
the pain, he would not change his mind. Repentance shall be
hid from mine eyes. He would not change his mind
until he had redeemed them. No, he suffered and he bled. He was in agony, great sorrow,
in the garden, in the judgment hall, despised and rejected of
men, on the cross of Calvary, in tremendous pain and agony.
But do you know the deepest pain? My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? That was his deepest pain. That
was his deepest grief. last enemy to be destroyed was
death and he loved not his life unto
death he was numbered among the transgressors for he bare the
sin of many and his love and his pity never
failed in his love and in his pity he redeemed them and he
actually entered into death itself And to me, in and of itself,
this is a wonder of wonders. This is the Lord of life and
glory. This is the mighty God, the everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. Yet he gave his life, a ransom
for all. He suffered, he bled, he died. It was a voluntary act of the
Lord Jesus Christ to die. We read that when he was on the
cross of Calvary he said father into thy hands I commend my spirit
and having said that he gave up the ghost that is his holy
human soul so he voluntarily entered into death itself and
just like the apostle says the last enemy that to be destroyed
is death and Christ he entered into death itself And you know,
in death, I know this is a deep, profound mystery, but it is a
most sacred mystery of our most holy faith, that that dead body
of our Lord Jesus Christ, we read of Joseph of Arimathea and
Nicodemus come and took his body, and they lovingly took it down
from the cross, wrapped it in grave clothes, and laid him carefully
in the sack. You see how our Heavenly Father
took care of that dead body, of his only begotten Son. But
what I want to come to is this, this is the mystery, and it is
a mystery, but it's a sacred mystery. In that dead body was
the Son of God. There was never ever any separation
between the divine and the human. That union that took place in
the womb of the Virgin Mary between the divine and the human was
a union that would never be broken, not even in death. For three
days and three nights he lay in the grave and I believe that
that is what the hymn writer is referring to when he says
that the Lord of life experienced death. See how it was done we
can't discuss but this we know was done for us he experienced
death he passed through death itself but what was the purpose
well number one his church his bride was under the sentence
of death and so he underwent the sentence of death on her
behalf and he literally actually entered into death itself on
her behalf and then on the third day he
rose again now what was the purpose have been rising again. What
did it mean? Number one, it meant the church's
sins had been put away. It's what the apostle says, he
rose again for our justification to declare that we were without
sin. Being risen from the dead, it declared that the sin of the
church, the bride of Christ was completely put away and she was
delivered forever from the power of sin and death. That's the
glorious meaning. of the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead. In all their afflictions he was
afflicted and the angel of his presence saved him. In his love
and in his pity he redeemed them. He redeemed them from sin and
Satan's power. He redeemed them from the grave.
He redeemed them from the grave. In his love and in his pity he
redeemed them and bared them and carried them all the days. see my beloved friends he left
our sins in the grave what a glorious truth isn't it that is the very
rock upon which the doctrine of justification is founded that
christ left our sins in the grave i love that way the hymn writer
puts it payment he cannot first imam first at my bleeding shortest
hand, and then again at mine. In those two hymns that we sung
together, it spoke of the sinner in their lost condition, and
it spoke of the hope and the glory of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. He has swallowed up death in
victory. He has brought life and immortality
to life through the gospel. Oh, my beloved friends, In him
is life. He said, I am the way, the truth
and the life. In him is life. He's the living
one. He's the one that has destroyed
death and him that had the power of death, that is the devil.
And he has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
And now my beloved friends, he has ascended into heaven, bodily
ascended into heaven. And he sits at the right hand
of the father for such an high priest have we. who is passed
into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. The apostle in the
Hebrews, he says, he hath made a new and a living way into heaven
itself. And the apostle says, now to
appear in the presence of God for us. I love those two little
words, for us. That's why Jesus is in heaven,
for us, now to appear the presence of God for us in all their afflictions. He was afflicted and the angel
of his presence saved them in his love and in his pity he redeemed
them and he bared them and carried them all the days of old. May the Lord add his blessing
to these few remarks.