The notices for the coming week
are God willing as follows. Pastoral will preach here next
Lord's Day at 10.30 and 2 o'clock. Also on Thursday evening at 7
o'clock. There will be no prayer meeting
this week on Tuesday evening as there is a church meeting
here on Tuesday at 7 o'clock. Donations on online giving for
February amounted to £2,834.80 and donations to the book fund were
£45. We sincerely thank you for your
continued support of this cause of truth. Let us commence our services
today by singing together hymn number 1003, the tune is Southwell,
239. O that the Lord would guide my
ways to keep his statute still. O that my God would grant me
grace to know and do his will. Hymn 1003, tune Southwell, 239. Amen. Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the
brave to come and do His will. O say does that star-spangled
banner yet How to write thy glory on my heart? Now all that I saw
came down to see, ♪ Look at the lion's heart ♪ ♪ Come let me turn off my eyes
♪ O come all ye faithful joyful
and triumphant O'er the land of the free and the home of ♪ For am I who stand by my word
♪ ♪ And make my God sincere? ♪ ♪ Mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy,
mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy ♪ ♪ And keep my conscience fair ♪
♪ Make me to know you, Lord ♪ is a day I confess. Lord, let my soul Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the book of Genesis and chapter 24. the book of Genesis chapter 24
and we'll read down to verse 40. And Abraham was old and well
stricken in age, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.
And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house that ruled
over all that he had, I pray thee thy hand under my thigh,
and I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and
the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my
son of the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I dwell, but thou
shalt go unto my country and to my kindred and take a wife
unto my son Isaac. And the servant said unto him,
peradventure, the woman will not be willing to follow me into
this land. Must I need to bring thy son
again unto the land from whence thou camest? And Abraham said
unto him, beware that thou bring not my son thither again. The Lord God of heaven which
took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred,
and which spake unto me, and that swear unto me, saying, Unto
thy seed will I give this land. He shall send his angel before
thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence. And
if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt
be clear from this my oath only bring not my son thither again
and the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his
master and swear to him concerning that matter and the servant took ten camels
of the camels of his master and departed for all the goods of
his master were in his hand and he arose and went to Mesopotamia
unto the city of Nahor. And he made his camels to kneel
down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening,
even the time that women go out to draw water. And he said, O
Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed
this day and show kindness unto my master. Behold, I stand here
by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city
come out to draw water. And let it come to pass that
the damsel to whom I shall say, let down thy pitcher, I pray
thee that I may drink, and she shall say, drink, and I will
give thy camels drink also, let the same be she that thou hast
appointed for thy servant Isaac, and thereby shall I know that
thou hast showed kindness unto my master.' And it came to pass,
before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out,
who was born to Bethuel, son of Melchah, the wife of Nahor,
Abraham's brother. with her pitcher upon her shoulder.
And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither
had any man known her. And she went down to the well
and filled her pitcher and came up. And the servant ran to meet
her and said, let me, I pray, they drink a little water of
thy pitcher. And she said, drink, my Lord.
And she hasted and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave
him drink. And when she had done giving
him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until
they have done drinking. And she hasted and emptied her
pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw
water, and drew for all his camels. And the man wondering at her
held his peace, to wit whether the Lord had made his journey
prosperous or not. And it came to pass, as the camels
had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half
a shekel weight and two bracelets for her hand of 10 shekels, weight
of gold, and said, whose daughter art thou? Tell me, I pray thee,
is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in? And she said unto him, I am the
daughter of Bethuel, the son of Melchah, which ye bear unto
Nahor. She said, moreover, unto him,
where both straw and provender enough, and room to lodging. And the man bowed down his head
and worshipped the Lord. and he said blessed be the Lord
God of my master Abraham who hath not left destitute my master
of his mercy and his truth I've been in the way the Lord led
me to the house of my master's brethren and the damsel ran and
told them of her mother's house these things and Rebecca had
a brother and his name was Laban And Laban ran out unto the man,
unto the well. And it came to pass, when he
saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister's hands, and
when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake
the man unto me, that he came unto the man, and behold, he
stood by the camels at the well. And he said, Come in, Thou blessed
of the Lord, wherefore standest thou without? For I have prepared
the house and room for the camels. And the man came into the house,
and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provident for
the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men's feet
that were with him. And there was set meat before
him to eat, And he said, I will not eat until I have told mine
errand. And he said, speak on. And he
said, I am Abraham's servant, and the Lord hath blessed my
master greatly, and he has become great, and he hath given him
flocks and herds and silver and gold and men's servants and maid's
servants and camels and asses. And Sarah, my master's wife,
bare a son to my master when she was old, and unto him hath
he given all that he had. And my master made me swear,
saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of
the Canaanites in whose land I dwell, but thou shalt go unto
my father's house and to my kindred and take a wife unto my son.
And I said unto my master, peradventure, the woman will not follow me.
And he said unto me, the Lord before whom I walk will send
his angel with thee, and prosper thy way, and thou shalt take
a wife of my son, of my kindred, and of my father's house. 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, an art to come, we bow before thy glorious majesty. Thy word declares unto us from
everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. and thou hast spoken to us in
thy word. Thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabited
eternity, whose name is holy. Therefore, Lord, we would come
humbly to bow before thy great majesty. We come humbly, O Lord,
because we are poor sinners. We have broken thy holy laws.
We have done those things that are displeasing to thee. and
we desire to come before thee in a spirit of confession of
our sins and of our wanderings. And pray, most gracious Lord,
that we may be washed in the precious blood of Jesus Christ,
thy only begotten Son, that we may be cleansed from all our
sin and that we may be reconciled unto thee. We pray that this
day we may be led and taught and guided and directed by the
Spirit of God, and that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
the love of God our Father, and the sacred fellowship of the
Holy Spirit may rest and abide upon us as we gather round thy
word this day. All we do pray, that most blessed
Spirit of truth, that thou hast grant thy heavenly power and
grant the opening of the word of God, and grant that thou wouldst
unstop the deaf ears and open the blind eyes, we do humbly
beseech thee, and that thou wouldst graciously bless us. Oh, without
thy heavenly power, O Lord, no sweeps the gospel can afford,
no drops of heavenly love will fall. We pray for thy heavenly
power. We think of the dear Apostle
when he could say, for our word or our gospel came unto you not
in word only, but in power, in the Holy Ghost, and with much
assurance. So we pray, Lord, that it may
be so today. There may be that power and that
assurance that were known and felt in each one of our hearts. We pray that we may know those
divine drawings of our Heavenly Father, drawing us unto His Son,
Jesus Christ, for none come except the Father draw. We do thank
Thee that we have a heavenly Father. We do thank Thee that
there is a family on earth whose Father fills the throne. Oh,
we do thank Thee that Thou art God over all and blessed for
evermore. We think of those lovely words,
for your heavenly Father knoweth what ye have need of before ye
even ask him. Oh, we do pray that we may know
what the dear Apostle speaks of in the word, for God has sent
forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. We pray for the presence of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that we may worship him in spirit and in
truth. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that we may behold his glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. We pray that there
may be one and another, like we read of in Holy Scripture,
that approach the Lord Jesus, saying, if I might but touch
the hem of his garment, I should be made whole. Thou wouldst come
and stand in our midst, that we may hear Thy voice, that we
may see Thy countenance, that we may worship in Thy holy hill
of Zion. We pray, Lord, that Thou wouldst
bless our brethren, the deacons, and give wisdom, grace, and help
in all their responsibilities. We pray that Thou wouldst be
with all those in affliction and trouble and trial and perplexity
and undertake for each one. We pray for Audrey, that thy
healing hand may be put forth, that she might know thy restoring
mercy in body and in soul. We do humbly pray thee. We pray,
Lord, for any that are in trouble, any in darkness, may they be
brought into light. Any in bondage, may they be brought
into liberty. Any far off, may they be made
nigh. We do humbly pray thee. even
this day, that the word of the Lord may have free course, that
thy name may be honoured and glorified, that the strongholds
of Satan may be pulled down and the kingdom of our Lord Jesus
set up 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 pray that the prodigals may return and that we may see
thy wonderful grace in this. And thou hast promised in thy
word, I will work and who shall let it? Let us see thy work and
thy power and thy glory as thou usest to be in the sanctuary. Remember the little ones and
the children as they gather with us. Grant thy richest blessing
to rest upon them. Remember the young friends that
each one of them may be brought to living, vital, saving faith
in Jesus Christ, and to become true followers of thee, and of
those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Remember
them with the favor that thou bearest unto thy people, and
visit them with thy great salvation. Be with them in all the paths
of providence. We've read in thy word this morning
of thy divine leading and teaching, and we pray that it may be so
with our young friends, that they may be led and taught and
guided by thee. We do humbly pray thee, for none
teach like thou dost teach. And, O Lord, we do pray that
thou, in thy precious mercy, remember all in the midst of
the journey of life, that thou knowest where each one is, And
now it's those that perhaps used to be here but no longer are.
And now it's where they are. Oh Lord, remember them for good.
Remember each one, oh Lord. And graciously bring from spiritual
death into spiritual life. Remember seeking souls and grant
that they may find even this day. And oh Lord, we pray. that thou
wouldst graciously be with parents and give wisdom, grace, and help
to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of
the Lord. And Lord, we pray that thou wouldst be with those of
us that are now in the evening time of our life's journey, and
graciously guide us safely unto thy heavenly kingdom, and prepare
us for all thy will, and at the appointed time May it please
thee to grant us an abundant entrance into thy heavenly kingdom. Hear us, O Lord, we do humbly
beseech thee. Lord, remember this village and
send the glory and light of the gospel into this village, and
gather in precious souls and build the walls of Jerusalem.
O, do hear us, O Lord, we pray thee, and graciously have mercy
upon us, and send a day of real prosperity We plead before thee
those wonderful gospel promises. I will bring thy sons from far
and thy daughters from the ends of the earth, and they shall
come from the north and from the south and from the east and
from the west. Lord, let thy work appear unto
thy servants and thy glory unto their children. We do humbly
beseech of thee. May the strongholds of Satan
be pulled down, and the kingdom of the Lord Jesus set up in the
hearts of sinners. Lord, remember those that go
forth from among us, among the nations of the earth, spreading the word of truth and
the gospel of thy salvation. Remember Ian Sadler, working
in so many different countries and the orphanages that he runs.
and the distribution of the word of God and the exposition of
it. Grant him good success. Remember the Savannah Education
Trust and that great work that they're doing in Ghana. Lord
richly bless them and supply their needs. Remember the Mombasa
mission and grant thy richest blessing to rest upon them there. We do humbly beseech of thee
for thy great namesake. Remember our nation. Indeed,
remember the nations of the earth, where there is war, bring peace.
We do humbly pray thee, bring to nought the counsels of the
ungodly, for thy great name's sake. Remember all that have
authority over us, and graciously give wisdom, guidance, and direction. And remember, Lord, we pray thee,
our king and the royal household, and grant thy rich blessing to
rest upon them. We do humbly pray thee. We thank
thee for every mercy and every favour. Thy mercies to us are
new every morning and great is thy faithfulness. We thank thee
above all for Jesus Christ, for the glory of his name, for the
fullness of his grace, for the wonderful glory of the incarnation
of the Son of God. We thank thee that He has fulfilled
and honoured thy holy law on the behalf of his people and
thereby bringing in everlasting righteousness. We thank the most
gracious Lord that he took our sins and he nailed them to his
cross and he suffered and bled and died for our sins. He satisfied
all the demands of divine justice in that holy sacrifice of Calvary. He reconciled us with that precious
blood that He shed, the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, that
cleanses from all sin. We thank Thee for that precious
blood. We thank Thee that He died for
our sins and rose again for our justification. We thank Thee
that His body ascended into heaven and that such a high priest have
we who has passed into the heavens, Jesus. the Son of God. O most gracious Lord, do hear
us, we pray thee, and be with us this day. Do come and touch
one's lips with a live coal from off the heavenly altar. Come
and breathe thy word into our hearts. Bless the word as it
goes forth on the internet, and grant that it may have free course,
and that thy name may be honoured and glorified among the nations
of the earth. We ask all for Jesus Christ's
sake. Amen. Let us continue our worship by
singing together hymn number 462. The tune is Kim Ronda, 902. Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,
pilgrim through this barren land. I am weak, but thou art mighty.
Hold me with thy powerful hand, bread of heaven. Feed me now
and evermore. Hymn 462, tune Kim Ronda 902. I am here, I am here, I am here,
I am here. ♪ O'er ev'ry mountain and o'er
every valley ♪ ♪ O'er every valley and o'er every valley ♪ ♪ O'er
every valley and o'er every valley ♪ Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded! Rejoice,
O Bride Unwedded! Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded! The mistle-branching winds are
beaming, strange to find ♪ Let the glory of the angels in
me glorify you ♪ O come ye, O come ye, O come
ye to Bethlehem. ♪ Keep our precious Jesus kind
♪ ♪ Let our prayers ever be sung again to Thee ♪ ♪ Truth to praises ♪ ♪ Hark! The
herald angels sing ♪ ♪ Hark! The herald angels sing ♪ greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the chapter
that we read, Genesis chapter 24, and we will read verse 31
for our text. The book of Genesis chapter 24,
reading verse 31, and he said, come in, Thou blessed of the
Lord, wherefore standest thou without? For I have prepared
the house and room for the camels. It was a shame that because of
time we're not able to read the whole chapter through to get
the whole narrative that here as we see the Lord guiding and
directing. Firstly, Abraham and then Eliezer,
his chief servant, a man who no doubt was a man of faith, along with his master, Abraham. Abraham, as we read here, was
a very great man. when he spoke to the children
of Abimelech in the previous chapters to bury his wife Sarah,
they said thou art a prince among us and a great man. Abraham was
a prince and a great man. Abraham had his armies. It was
Abraham by the grace of God that pursued the kings and overcame
them. So he was a very great man and
he was a very wealthy man. As it says here in the verse
35, and the Lord hath blessed my master greatly and he has
become great and he hath given him flocks and herds and silver
and gold and men's servants and maid's servants and camels and
asses. You see how the Lord greatly
blessed his servant Abraham. but how he guided him and directed
him. Right from, we read in chapter
12 of when Abraham was called out of Ur of the Chaldees. The
Lord spoke to Abraham and called him out of Ur of the Chaldees. And we read in the epistle to
the Hebrews, he went out not knowing whither he went. He went out in faith. He didn't
know where his destination was going to be. But as we are instructed
in the Word of God, he believed God and it was counted unto him
for righteousness. His faith in God was accounted
unto him for righteousness. And you know, my beloved friends,
it's no different today in this sense, that every true believer
in Jesus Christ, his faith, is accounted unto him for righteousness. He has no righteousness of his
own, and I've no doubt Abraham didn't, Jacob didn't, Isaac didn't,
the saints of old didn't. In fact, they prove very much
that they had no righteousness of their own. but they had a
righteousness in Jesus Christ who so beautifully reveals himself
in Jeremiah as the Lord, our righteousness. Jehovah Sidkenu,
the Lord, our righteousness. What a mercy if we, being led
by the Spirit, been brought to see our Lord Jesus Christ as
our righteousness. If we've been brought to see
that we have no righteousness of our own, like it says in Isaiah, all our
righteousnesses are as filthy racks. We are all as an unclean
thing. But then to be led by the Spirit
to see by faith that Jesus Christ is our righteousness. was counted
unto him for righteousness. So we read in Romans chapter
8 verse 14, as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are
the sons of God. We spoke on that recently. as many as are led by the Spirit
of God. They are the sons of God. They're
the sons and the daughters of the Lord God Almighty. And of
course, the great question for us, each one of us here, whether
we're young or whether we're old, are we being led by the
Spirit of God? So vital. The only evidence that
we have that a person is being led by the Spirit of God It is... They are brought to faith. To
follow. They're called. They're called
by Divine Grace. The Holy Spirit enters the heart. The Holy Spirit shows them their
lost condition. The Holy Spirit makes them realise
that they have a need. What a mercy if you and I Like
Abraham, called. The Lord called him. That was
the evidence that he was special in the eyes of the Lord. And
you know, every one of the Lord's people, they're special in the
eyes of the Lord. They are called. You know, He had trials, he had troubles.
Abraham did. He had to wait. The Lord promised
him that in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed
and when he came out of there of the Chaldees he was only 75
years old. But that promise was not fulfilled
in thy seed until he was a hundred years old. So he had a promise
given to him that promise was not fulfilled for 25 years and we read here in the book
of Genesis how the Abraham he was very tried very perplexed
as to why he said it at one time that he had had not a son born
into his house I have only this Eliezer of Damascus which was
his chief servant and the Lord said to him that
his seed would not be through Eliezer of Damascus but it would
be through Sarah his wife and though he had to wait a long
time and there may be those of you
here that are waiting and perhaps you've been waiting a long time Sometimes you say and you get
very tempted and tried and you say that I keep praying, I keep
seeking, I keep looking, I keep asking but nothing happens. You know that there's that word
in Isaiah chapter 40, but they that wait upon the Lord shall
renew their strength, they shall mount upon wings as eagles, they
shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. They
that wait upon the Lord. There are many encouragements
my beloved friends in the Holy Scriptures to wait upon the Lord. There is. We read in Hebrews chapter 12,
rather chapter 11, faith, real true faith which is wrought in
the heart by the Holy Ghost which we're instructed in Ephesians
2 is the gift of God. Faith looks to Jesus. Faith seeks
Jesus. It does. Faith prays. If you have faith, you pray.
When the Lord stopped Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus,
we read this, behold, he prayeth. And when the Lord works in the
heart, the evidence of spiritual life in the heart is prayer,
seeking. The Lord Jesus in that way of
exhortation is ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find,
knock and it shall be opened unto you. And these things are written
for our instruction and also for our encouragement to continue
to seek and to continue to pray and to wait upon the Lord. Now, Abraham, he instructed his
servant, he didn't want Isaac to marry one of the Canaanites, but he instructed him to go to
his brother Nahor's house in Mesopotamia and there to take
a wife. And we see how the Lord guided
and directed him. Guided and directed Eleazar. And the Lord does guide and direct
his people. and it brings them to pray about
it. Maybe you've come to chapel this
morning and you're praying about something. You're praying perhaps for divine
guidance, perhaps for divine leading, perhaps to know what
you should do. That's what led me to our hymn
that we've just sung together, guide me, O thou great Jehovah. Pilgrims in this barren land,
we are weak but thou art mighty, hold me with thy powerful hand,
guide me. Lord grant thy divine guidance
in the way that we should go. Eleazar, he says to Abraham,
Peradventure, verse five, peradventure, the woman will not be willing
to follow me into this land. And then Abraham says to him in verse
seven, the Lord God of heaven, which took me from my father's
house. Now this is the confidence of
faith. Abraham had proved these things and he rehearses before
his servant. God of heaven which took me from
my father's house and from the land of my kindred and which
spake unto me that swear unto me saying unto thy seed will
I give this land he shall send his angel before thee and thou
shalt take a wife unto my son from hence he will send his angel
before the angels are heavenly messengers and we're instructed
in the Hebrew that they are sent forth to minister to them that
are the heirs of salvation. The Lord guides and directs his
people principally by his word. David in prayer doesn't he in
Psalm 119 he says let thy word be a lamp unto my feet and a
light unto my path. If you're seeking divine guidance
and divine direction, read the Word of God privately. Read the Word of God, search
the Scriptures, because that is one of the principal means
that the Lord uses to direct his people. Hence David, the
man after God's own heart, let thy word be a lamp unto my path
and a light unto my feet. at thy word and the Lord will guide and direct
you if in all humility you come to him and pray and he will guide
you by his word and into his truth and so we read that Eliezer
he following then the instructions of his master Abraham he arose
and went to Mesopotamia unto the city of Nahor. And this is
the way we see that he himself was a man of faith. And we read here in verse 12,
how he prayed unto the Lord. Oh Lord God of my master Abraham,
I pray thee, send me good speed this day and show kindness unto
my master Abraham. Behold, I stand here by the well
of water, and the daughters of the men of the city come out
to draw water, and let it come to pass that the damsel to whom
I shall say, let down thy pitcher, I pray thee that I may drink.
And she shall say, drink, and I will give thy camels drink
also. Let the same be she that thou
hast appointed for thy servant Isaac. and thereby shall I know
that thou hast showed kindness unto my master. And it came to
pass, before he had done speaking, that behold, Rebecca came. You
see, we read in the prophecy of Isaiah, while they are yet
speaking, I will answer them. And while Abraham's servant was
praying unto the God of heaven, He was praying in his heart,
it says so later on in the chapter, that the Lord would prosper his
way and that the Lord would grant that the person, the damsel that
came would be that damsel and you see the Lord heard. He heard
and he answered those petitions that were offered unto him and
it came to pass before he had done speaking behold Rebecca
came out who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah the wife of
Nahor Abraham's brother with her picture upon her shoulder
and the damsel was very fair to look upon. You see the wonderful
answer to prayer and the divine guidance that was given and how
he asked that there would be a clear sign not only that this
was the damsel but that she would give him to drink and then without
him saying anything that she would then give to drink of the
camels and it and the lord answered that petition he gave those signs
servant ran to meet her he's let me I pray they drink a little
water of thy pitcher and she said drink my lord and she hasted
let down her pitcher upon her hand and gave him drink and when
she had done giving him drink she said I will draw water for
thy camels also until they have done drinking. The clear direct
answer to the prayer of Aliezer unto the lord He was given this
wonderful, it says here in verse 21, and the man wondered at her,
how would his peace, whether the Lord had made his journey
prosperous or not. What an answer to prayer, wasn't
it? And the Lord still answers prayer. And you know, we think
of those lovely words, your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need
of all these things. You know, sometimes, friends,
and I was saying to our brethren in the vestry, sometimes I feel
that we don't think enough of the love and kindness of our
Heavenly Father, His compassion, His love to His people. And of course, His compassion
and His love is shown and seen so fully in the glorious person
of His Son, Jesus Christ. God so loved the world, He gave. It was a free gift. He gave His
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall be saved. The glorious person of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God that was manifest in the
flesh, the eternal Son of God that became a man and lived here
upon earth, the eternal Son of God that lived as a man under
the law and fulfilled and honoured and magnified the holy law of
God. This is the love of our Heavenly
Father. He sent His Son to fulfill and
honour and magnify the law of God on the behalf of His people.
And that perfect obedience of Christ is the righteousness of
the people of God. He sent His Son to suffer, to
bleed and die for the sins of His people. You know, we often
say about the sufferings of Christ, and we mean it, and absolutely,
but think of it regarding our Heavenly Father. On such love,
on such love, my heart still ponders. Love so rich, so full,
so fresh. the love of our Heavenly Father,
who hears the cries of His people in and through the glorious person
of His Son, Jesus Christ. He sent His Son to shed His precious
blood, to cleanse us from all our sin. He sent His Son to satisfy
all the demands of divine justice. There was nobody else that could
do it. but Jesus, the Son of God, that was manifest in the
flesh. He alone could take that book.
He alone could fulfill the decrees of the eternal covenant. He alone
could save his people from their sins. When you think of that
perfect, infinite love of the Father and the Son, we see it
here in the 22nd chapter of the book of Genesis when Abraham
was commanded of God to take thy son, thine only son, and
offer him for a sacrifice. And as we see Abraham and Isaac
walking to Mount Moriah, we see the father and the son walking
through the corridors of eternity until they come to the Mount
Moriah. Mount Moriah is the same mount
in which Jesus was crucified. And that was where Abraham was
commanded to take his only son, Isaac. And how his son, and what
that must have meant to him when his son said to him, Father,
here is the fire, here is the wood, where is the sacrifice?
Where is the sacrifice? And Abraham answered and said
to him, the Lord will provide a sacrifice. And when Abraham took, he bound
Isaac and put him on the altar and lifted up his hand to slay
him. And the Lord called from heaven,
Abraham, Abraham, do the lad no harm. And Abraham turned and
there's a ram caught in a thicket. We see in Isaac, bound on the
altar, we see the church of God. We don't. Bound by the holy law,
under its condemning sentence, the sentence of death. But then we see the ram, caught
in the thicket, our Lord Jesus Christ. And Abraham sets Isaac
free. he fetches the ram and he offers
the ram as a substitute in the place of his son Isa and I believe
that that is what our Lord Jesus Christ is referring to when he
says Abraham saw my day Abraham saw my day he rejoiced to see
the day of Christ and I believe it that is when he so clearly
saw the day of Christ he saw in his son Isaac, the church,
delivered and set free. And he saw in that ram, the glorious
person of Jesus, the son of God, a sacrifice of nobler name and
richer blood than they. All the wonderful glory, my beloved
friends, of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now we see,
he says here, I being in the way, the Lord met me. Says in verse 27, and he said,
blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not
left me destitute, my master of his mercy and his truth. I being in the way, the Lord
led me to the house of my master's brethren. Alice speaks of the
Church of God. I being in the way, the Lord
led me to the house of my master's brethren. You see, wonderful thing how
the Lord leads and guides and directs his people. You know,
one of the prayers in Solomon's Song, chapter one, the prayers
of the spouse, tell me, thou whom my soul lovest, where thou
dwellest, where thou causest thy flock to rest at noon. That's the desire of a living
soul. That's the desire of a child
of God. Tell me. How many of you have
come to chapel this morning? Tell me. You're praying. You're
asking. You're seeking. Tell me. And there was something that
the spouse knew, O thou whom my soul loveth. David says, doesn't
he, in Psalm 116, I love the Lord because he hath heard my
voice, the voice of my supplications. I love the Lord. How many of
us in this chapel this morning, you can say from the very depth
of your heart, I love And he said, come in, thou blessed
of the Lord, wherefore standest thou without? For I have prepared
the house and room for the camels. A place prepared. Heaven, heaven is a prepared
place for a prepared people, it is. The Lord Jesus said, didn't
he, before he was to suffer, bleed, and die for his people,
he said to the disciples, 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.' And he said, Come in,
thou blessed of the Lord, wherefore standest thou without? For I
have prepared the house and room for This word in a spiritual way
can be looked at in many different ways. And we think perhaps of those
that are without in our village, in the surrounding villages and
hamlets. And there are those of us that
long and yearn and pray that the Lord would gather in, that the Lord would build us
up a truly spiritual people. that the Lord would pull down
the strongholds of Satan and gather precious souls unto Christ. We read in past days of the wonderful
revivals that the Lord has wrought in the church of God and gathered
in many precious souls. Sometimes in a great abundance. And the church that met in those
places were waiting for them. we're waiting for them. Are we waiting? Are we waiting for these precious
souls to come in, for the prodigals to return, for the wonderful
grace of God to be seen in working among us. The Lord has said hasn't
he in Isaiah, I will work and who shall let it So in this sense
then, that desire, that longing in the heart, come in thou blessed
of the Lord, wherefore standest thou without? For I prepared
the house and room for the camels. You know, that is whether it
be a prodigal returning that we read of so beautifully in
Luke chapter 15, the parable of the prodigal son returning. See the wonderful grace of God
there in the prodigal son. And what rejoicing there was
when that prodigal son returned. These things are written for
our instruction in spiritual things. And these things are written
to encourage us to pray for these things. I will yet be inquired
of the house of Israel to do this thing for them. I will increase
them with men like a flock." There is that longing in the
heart. I often think of that word in
Isaiah, I've set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, that
shall never hold their peace, day nor night. Ye that make mention
of the Lord, keep not silent. until he established, until he
make a Jerusalem, a praise in all the earth. Come in thou blessed
of the Lord, wherefore standest thou without, for I have prepared
the house and room for the camels. What a wonderful word of invitation,
what a wonderful welcome. I know I've said this to you
sometimes, and I quote that scripture and it's very true in the book
of the Proverbs he that will have friends must show himself
to be friendly and when people visit our little house of prayer
we should show ourselves friendly he that will have friends must
show himself friendly the same spirit that we have set before
us here in our text come in thou blessed of the lord wherefore
standest thou without for i prepared the house and room for the camels
that that longing desire to see the lord gather in precious souls
i think on the past day throughout our little group of churches
there were six baptisings And it's quite an encouragement,
isn't it? To hear one and another hymn being gathered into the
Church of God, gathered among the people of God. One hymn writer
says, doesn't he, and may it be the language of your own heart
concerning coming among the people of God. I love to meet among
them now, before thy gracious feet to bow, the vilest of them
all. I love to meet among them now.
And David says, doesn't he, in the Psalms, I have loved the
habitation of thy house and the place where thine honour dwelleth.
Loving the habitation of his house. Loving the ways of God. If ye love me, keep my commandments. The words of our Lord Jesus Christ,
if ye love me, keep my commandments and that brings us to another
point here and we've been speaking of people being gathered in what
we call outside the chapel and being gathered in to the chapel
and that that's what we long for and prodigals to return and
that's what we long for but now look among us here as a church
as a congregation And so we believe it's the proper scriptural order. We are what are called strict
and particular Baptists. We believe that a person when
pulled by divine grace and brought to living faith in Jesus Christ,
the Lord has given a commandment that those persons that have
been born again and brought to faith in Jesus Christ should
follow the Lord. in the holy ordinance of God's
house. And we believe the right entrance
into the church, we have a congregation, we have a church, and the right
entrance into the church is by baptism. It's persons that have faith
that are baptized. It's believers in Jesus Christ
that are baptized. If ye love me, keep my commandments. and we we have the ordinance
of believers baptism and the lord jesus sets a wonderful
example in this in the gospel according to matthew in particular
of course it's recorded in the other gospels as well but in
the in the third chapter of matthew's gospel we have the record there
of the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then this is a Matthew 3 verse
13 then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized
of him and John forbade him saying I have need to be baptized of
thee and comest thou to me. Surely we can understand the
feelings of John the Baptist. Jesus answer him and what a lovely
word this is Jesus answering said unto him suffer it to be
so now for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness
then he suffered him what do we draw from that that it is
a righteous thing for a believer to be baptized suffer it to be so now for thus
it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness then he suffered
him we read in psalm 110 that thy people shall be willing in
the day of thy power that wonderful power of the holy ghost in the
heart That wonderful power of the love of Christ in the soul.
We really, do we not, the love of Christ constraineth us. What
a wonderful thing to be constrained. And Jesus, when he was baptized,
went up straightway out of the water, and lo, the heavens were
opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like
a dove and lighting upon him. lower voice from heaven saying
this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. So in the
baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ there is a revelation of the
doctrine of the Trinity. So we have the Lord Jesus Christ
the Son of God that was manifest in the flesh we have him being
baptized And then we read, and lo the
heavens opened unto him and he saw the Spirit of God, there's
the Holy Ghost, he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove
and alighting upon him. And lo a voice from heaven, that's
the voice of our Eternal Father. And lo a voice from heaven saying,
this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased. It was something that was pleasing
to the Father. So on the believer's baptism,
which we believe firmly from scripture to be by immersion,
there is divine approbation. The approbation of the Lord Jehovah,
the approbation of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost divine
approbation on this sacred ordinance and then of course we have the
words of our text come in and may it be a word in season to
one and another come in thou blessed of the Lord wherefore
standest thou without for I have prepared the house and room for
the camels. You know, often when one comes
forward to be, to join the church and to give their testimony and
to be baptised, it was so with me at Westerley. When I went
forward, I went to see one of the deacons and I told him what
I'd come for I wanted to be baptized. And he said, I said to my wife
at the prayer meeting last night, somebody is coming forward. I was so surprised. I thought,
how did he know? You see, the Lord prepares his
people for these things. Come in, thou blessed of the
Lord, wherefore standest thou without? For I have prepared
the house and room for the camels, come in our blessed of the Lord. Such a person that has faith
in Jesus Christ, however small they may be in their own eyes,
they're very precious in the Lord's eyes, they are. I have to say, when I came forward,
which is over 50 years ago now, I felt so small, so insignificant,
I felt my experience was so little and it was a huge thing to go
forward and to give a testimony and yet we look back and see
how wonderful it was. I felt it so small and when I
gave my testimony before the church and my father was chairing
the church meetings at that time was in the vestry and I was asked
to go into the chapel while they discussed my testimony and I
overheard my father from the chapel in the vestry saying there
is a glorious revelation of Christ. And you know friends my heart
sank and I thought you've deceived them. How could I speak of a
glorious revelation of look back now and it's exactly what it
was but at that time I felt such a poor little needy sinner that
to me to speak with high language of the glorious revelation of
Christ was too great and I thought I've deceived them and yet I
was received you see we we don't think much of ourselves not where
the grace of God is we're humbled under the mighty hand of God
and he says Come in, thou blessed of the Lord, wherefore standest
thou without? For I have prepared the house
and room for the camels. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 1119. The tune is St Mabin 650. Jesus, thou almighty saviour,
prostrate at thy feet I lie. Humbly I entreat thy favour. Condescend to hear my cry. 1119. Tune St Mabin, 650. ♪ Christ is risen ♪ ♪ Hosanna in
the highest ♪ ♪ Now may I offer you my favor ♪ ♪ Lord, bless your name ♪ When I cross with Thee, O Saviour,
opening, opening the way, From the past all sin and hate
the man is born, in high, high praise. ♪ Let the pen I have drawn ♪ ♪
Now bring forth all my hope and light ♪ ♪ Let my arms unfold
my head ♪ Help me, that I may see only
Thee. Run behind me by Thy pleasure,
With the weight of my treasures And I have thee, my protection,
from the wrath of every foe. May the Saviour never leave thee,
Thou my source and comforter, 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.