Let us commence our service this
evening by singing together hymn number 736. The tune is Brookfield 310. Show me some token, Lord, for
good, some token of thy special love. Show me that I am born
of God and that my treasure is above. Hymn 736, tune Brookfield,
310. ? To preach for the people of the
earth ? ? To tell them of our essential work ? ? To the people
of the earth ? ? And in the ground ? ? And salvation
on His hands ? ? And all our sins ? ? May He forgive ? ? And
all thy virtues ? ? Prophesies ? ? May peace and healing ? ? Have all my flesh ? ? O say can you see ? ? By the
dawn's early light ? ? The help of faith I reach within ? ? Thou
shake thy good, dear Lord, just show ? ? And that will be a gift to thee ? ? Then
I will sing it through all my heart ? ? And crown thy good
with brotherhood from sea to sky ? ? And crown thy good with
brotherhood from sea to sky ? ? And teach my troubles in thy
praise ? ? The strength I take and I am fine ? ? And build a
high wall to keep us safe ? ? Then shall I know that I am not alone
? Let us read together from the Holy
Word of God, in the book of Joshua, in chapter 1. in the first chapter of the book
of Joshua. Now after the death of Moses,
the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto
Joshua, the son of Man, Moses' minister, saying, Moses, my servant
is here. Now therefore arise, go over
to this Jordan, thou and all this people, unto the land which
I do give to them, even to the children of Israel, every place
that the sole of your foot should tread upon. That have I given
unto you, as I said unto Moses, from the wilderness and this
Lebanon, even to the great river, the river Euphrates, or the land
of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down
of the sun shall be your coasts. There shall not any man be able
to stand before thee all the days of thy life. As I was with
Moses, so I will be with thee. I will not fail thee nor forsake
thee. Be strong and of a good courage,
for unto this people shall thou divide and inheritance the land
which I swear unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong
and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according
to all the law which Moses, my servant, commanded thee. Turn
not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest
prosper with us whoever thou goest. This book of the law And
in this context, friends, the Book of the Law is the first
five books of the Bible, called the Pentateuch. This Book of
the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt
meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do
according to all that is written therein. For then thou shalt
make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
have not I commanded thee, be strong and of a good courage,
be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God
is with thee, whithersoever thou goest. Then Joshua commanded
the officers of the people, saying, pass through the host, and command
the people, saying, prepare your vituals, for within three days
ye shall pass over this Jordan to go in to possess the land
which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it. And to the
Reubenites and to the Gadites and to half the tribe of Manasseh
spake Moses saying remember the word which Moses the servant
of the Lord commanded you saying the Lord your God hath given
you rest and hath given you this land, your wives, your little
ones, and your cattle shall remain in the land which Moses gave
you on this side, Jordan. But ye shall pass before your
brethren, armed, all the mighty men of valor, and help them until
the Lord hath given your brethren rest, as he hath given you. And they also have possessed
the land which the Lord your God giveth them, then ye shall
return unto the land of your possession and enjoy it which
Moses the Lord's servant gave you on this side Jordan toward
the sun rising. And they answered Joshua saying,
all that thou commandest us we will do and with us whoever thou
sendest us we will go. according as we hearken unto
Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee. Only the
Lord thy God be with thee as he was with Moses. Whosoever
he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not
hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he
shall be put to death. Only be strong and of a good
courage. 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, thy triune majesty,
Father, Son and Holy Ghost. We pray for thy presence For,
Lord, we can say with the hymn writer, in thy presence I am
happy, in thy presence I am secure, in thy presence I can easily
all things endure. So, Lord, grant us thy presence.
And we think, O Lord, of the wonderful promises of thy word. Fear not, I am with thee. Be
not dismayed, I am thy God. I will help thee. I will uphold
thee, gracious God. Thou hast said in thy word, I
will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Grant us clear believing
views of our Lord Jesus Christ, of his unchanging love and faithfulness,
of his fulfilling of all thy decrees and thy eternal purposes. O Lord, we thank Thee that in
Him was brought in everlasting righteousness, and through Him
sin was put away, through that glory of sin atoning sacrifice
on the cross of Calvary. In Him there dwells a treasure
all divine, and may we be able to affirm that matchless grace
has made that treasure mine. Lord, we do pray that thou wouldst
grant us then those clear, believing views of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and that thou wouldst enable us 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. Gracious God, we pray
to be led, taught, guided, directed by the Holy Ghost. Holy Ghost,
we look to Thee. Raise the dead, the captive free.
From the mighty take the prey. Teach the weak to watch and pray. Grant that we may see Thy mighty
work among us as a church and as a congregation. that wonderful,
glorious, separating, sanctifying work that Thou alone canst do,
that wonderful work in bringing poor sinners out of nature's
darkness and death into the glorious light and life of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. Lord, no man can say that Jesus
Christ is Lord but by the Holy Ghost, or that we might know
then the power of the Holy Ghost in taking of the things of Jesus
and revealing them unto us. We read concerning that glorious
person of God the Holy Ghost that he will reprove the world
of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. and he will take
of the things of Jesus and reveal them unto us. For God hath revealed
them unto us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all
things, yea, the deep things of God. Grant that we may know
as we gather in the sanctuary tonight that sacred spirit of
adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. For God hath sent forth
the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father,
all to know more of that wonderful, sacred spirit of adoption. We
do humbly pray Thee. And Lord, we do pray that Thou,
dear Lord Jesus, would come and stand in our midst, and as we
prayed in our opening hymn, that Thou would show us a token for
good, a token of thy special love. Show me that I am born
of God and that my treasure is above. Grant that we may realise,
as we gather round the world, those sacred divine drawings
of our heavenly Father, drawing us unto his best beloved, his
all-glorious Son. Oh, we do pray that thou wouldst
remember our brethren, the deacons, that thou wilt give them needed
grace and wisdom and help in all their responsibilities. Grant
thy guidance and thy direction in all matters. Help them to
commit their way unto the Lord. Trust also in him. We thank thee,
Lord, for the help given over these past weeks. Thou hast helped
our brother conduct the services and to give an address. And Lord,
it has not been without profit. And we would thank thee for that
mercy unto us as a church and congregation. We pray that we
may love each other, serve each other, bear each other's burdens,
that we may be submissive one to another in the fear of the
Lord, and that we may not do those things which are contrary
to thy word, and which will offend our brethren. Do hear us, Lord,
and grant us that tenderness of conscience. Grant us that
tender walk in the filial fear of the Lord, that fear of the
Lord which is the beginning of wisdom. Grant it to each one
of us, that we may truly bear one another's burdens, thereby
fulfilling the law of Christ. We read of our Lord Jesus Christ
that he went about doing good. And we do pray that we may have
that same spirit, the spirit of Christ, that we might go around
doing good, that we may indeed do good unto all men, especially
unto the household of faith. we do humbly beseech of thee. We enter, Lord, upon another
gear of time. And we look back in the past
year. Many have been thy favours, thy
loving kindness, and thy great goodness that has passed before
us in the way. Our path has been strewn with
mercies rich and rare, proceeding from thy tender love and care. Lord, we thank Thee above all
for our Lord Jesus Christ and those revelations of His glorious
person unto our souls. We thank Thee that in those wonderful
revelations of Christ there is a lifting up of the downcast.
There is a bringing from darkness into light and from bondage into
liberty. And, O Lord, we do pray that
thou wouldst fulfil that wonderful promise that when the enemy comes
in like a flood, that the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard
against him. We pray that it may be so with
us personally, that thou wouldst deliver us from temptation, that
thou wouldst deliver us from evil, that thou wouldst deliver
us from the allurements of this vain world, that has the debt
and thousands help, that thou wouldst deliver us
from that inherent sin and iniquity that lies within us. How often,
Lord, we have to say, O wretched man, that I am who shall deliver
me from the body of this death. Pray for parents that thou wouldst
give grace, wisdom, and help to bring up their children, the
nurture and admonition of the Lord. We pray for the dear children,
that thou wouldst bless them indeed, teach them thy ways,
lead them in thy paths, and graciously deliver them from evil. And Lord, we pray for the young
friends, that they too may be blessed of thee, that thy spirit
would enter their heart, quicken their souls, that they might
know the blessed reality of regeneration. We do humbly pray thee that they
may be brought to a knowledge of themselves as poor lost sinners
and be brought to a knowledge of Jesus Christ as the only saviour
of sinners. Lord, there is but one thing
that is needful. And, O Lord, we do pray that
Thou wouldst be with them in life's journey, go before them
in every untrodden step in providence, and that Thou hast promised in
Thy Word that Thou wouldst go before Thy people. And we pray
that it may be so with our young friends, that Thou wouldst go
before them. Pray for those that would desire
a partner in life's journey, we lovingly commend them to thee
and pray that they may indeed be favoured with that blessing,
one that they can walk with in the fear of the Lord. Hear us,
O Lord, we humbly pray thee for thy great namesake. Remember
the prodigals that have wandered away, that no longer desire to
meet in the sanctuary, that have been led astray. O
Lord, remember them with the favour that thou bearest unto
thy people. Visit them with thy great salvation. We read of one that ran away
from his father, spent his inheritance, wasted it, and then brought into
great need. He said, oh, go unto my father's
house. that that day may come with the
prodigals that have wandered away, that they may go and come
under their father's house. Lord, we do pray that the wonderful
glory, light and power of gospel truth may shine forth. We pray thy blessing upon the
distribution of the calendars and also the distribution of
thy word. Thou hast promised in thy word
that my word shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish
the thing whereto I sent it. And thou hast promised in thy
word I will work, and who shall let it? Lord, let thy work appear
unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children. we do humbly
beseech thee for thy great name's sake. Graciously draw us by thy good spirit into the truth
as it is in Jesus. Put the arms of thine everlasting
love around us and grant us sweet and sacred union and communion
with thee and with each other as we gather in the sanctuary. Pray for all in affliction and
trouble and trial and perplexity. We pray, Lord, for our dear sister
that has had surgery this week and pray that thy continued healing
hand may be known and felt and realised. Pray for our dear sister
who is expecting to have surgery in the coming weeks, we lovingly
commend her to thee, that thou wouldst be with the family at
this time, and undertake for each one. And may she feel that
the eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting
arms. Hearken, O Lord, we pray thee.
We thank thee for the wonderful glories of our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank Thee for that fullness
that dwells in Jesus our Head and ever abides to answer our
need. Oh, we thank Thee for that eternal, infinite fullness that
there is in our Lord Jesus Christ, that fullness of salvation, that
fullness of redemption. We thank Thee for the fullness
that is in His precious blood that cleanses from all We thank
thee for the fullness that is in his glorious everlasting righteousness. We pray to be clothed upon with
it. O gracious God, do incline thine ear, do help us to love
each other, and grant that we may not stumble one another,
but that we may walk in the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning
of wisdom. Lord, we pray for this village. Oh, that the glory, light and
power of the gospel may shine forth. And we think of those wonderful
gospel promises. I will bring thy sons from far
and thy daughters from the ends of the earth. Come, Lord, and
touch one's lips with a live coal from off the heavenly altar.
We ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 1022. The tune is Southwell, 239. There is a land of pure delight, where
saints immortal reign. Infinite day excludes the night,
and pleasures banish pain. Hymn 1022, tune Southwell, 239. O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave, In the night, I hear the music
of the night, and I watch the stars align. ? The tears with the blood ? ?
And the life within us ? ? And that Thou art with us ? ? In life, in death, in life ? I've heard they had a house where
they could make us gentiles. ? And we know, and we know ? ?
We won't leave them behind ? ? And we would know you, we would know
you ? Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I will direct your attention to the prophecy
of Obadiah, and we'll read verse 17 for our
text. The prophecy of Obadiah, verse
17. But upon Mount Zion shall be
deliverance and there shall be holiness, and the house of Jacob
shall possess their possessions. We notice in this short prophecy,
just this one chapter, and much is spoken against Esau, Edomites. The land of Edom was
the land where Esau dwelt, Jacob's brother. And it says in verse six, how
are the things of Esau searched out? How are his hidden things
sought up? You think of the, in the prophet
Malachi, it speaks there of Esau and of Jacob and how that the Lord loved the
one and hated the other. What a solemn thought, isn't
it? He loved the one and he hated the other. And it says in Malachi chapter
1, the burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi
I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say wherein hast thou
loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother,
saith the Lord? Yet I loved Jacob, and I hated
Esau, and laid his mountains and his
heritage's waste with the dragons of the wilderness. This point
is taken up by the Apostle Paul in the ninth chapter of Romans
and he quotes again from Malachi, Jacob have I loved Esau have
I hated. And he says in that same chapter
that the purpose of election might stand. before the child
had done good or done evil, and this is speaking of Jacob and
Esau, the Lord said, the elder shall serve the younger. Esau
was the elder, Jacob was the younger. And you know, friends,
these are very cutting, very searching, And this is what it's
saying here, how are the things of Esau searched out? How are
his hidden things sought out? And we can only answer it as
the apostle does in Romans 9, that the purposes of election
might stand. Jacob had a possession. Now if we go back to the promises
made to Abraham, that the promised land would be his. Those promises
were given to Abraham long before they were come to pass. And the Lord said to him, the
place whereon thou livest and where thou art, I will give thee. And yet that was to be generations
ahead. long time after Joseph in Egypt
and yet it would come to pass, it would be fulfilled. The first
promise to Abraham of course was that he would have a son,
Isaac and again chosen of God, the seed of promise. Abraham
sought to fulfill the promises of God himself He allowed Sarah
to persuade him to take her maid and he went in the lay with her Hagar That's what the hymn writer
means when he says Hagarines have here no room The seed of
Hagar could not stand It was not the child of promise.
It was the child of the flesh. And Abraham pleaded with the
Lord, let Ishmael live before thee. But no, that couldn't be. Cast out the bond woman with
her son. And he cast out Hagar and Ishmael. And we see how the Lord wonderfully
preserved their life in the desert, in the wilderness of Paran. And we see the overruling providence
of God. And the Lord said that from Ishmael
would come, I think it was 12 dukes that would rule. So we see the hand of God. How are the things of Esau searched
out? How are the hidden things sorted? Esau sold Jacob his birthright and there was bitter enmity between
them because of that Jacob was a deceiver I've often felt when
you read about Esau and Jacob that actually as far as their
natures go that Esau probably had a nicer nature than Jacob Jacob his name means deceiver
He deceived his father, deceived his brother. And then he himself was deceived
by Laban, his father-in-law. Changed his wages 10 times. Caused
him to serve 20 years, 20 long years. But eventually, according to
the promises of God, he returned. The Lord said to Jacob when he
was going out, from to Laban and he came to Bethel
what was eventually to be called Bethel and he had a stone for
his pillow and that night all alone as far as we know it's
the first time he'd been away from home got a long journey
to make and the Lord revealed himself to him as far as we can
see That is the first time that the Lord revealed himself unto
Jacob. And he saw that ladder from heaven
to earth and the angels of God ascending and descending upon
it. He had a vision of Christ. My beloved friends, have you
had a vision of Christ? Has Christ been revealed to you?
That's what Jacob saw. He saw the angels of God, the
messengers of God ascending and descending on that ladder, on
Christ. What a wonderful vision he had
there. What a revelation to his soul. And the Lord said he would return. And he said to Jacob, I will
not leave thee until I've done that thing which I've spoken
to thee of. Jacob have I loved, Esau have
I hated. You know here in our text it
speaks of but upon Mount Zion. Mount Zion of course is the church
of the living God. Mount Zion geographically was
Jerusalem, one corner of Jerusalem. but spiritually it is the Church
of the Living God. Behold I lay in Zion a foundation. A foundation. I lay, the Lord
lays in Zion a foundation. That foundation is our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ. That's the foundation of all
our hope. The glorious person of the Son
of God that was manifest in the flesh. Isaiah chapter 28 verse
16, Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion
for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone,
a sure foundation. He that believeth shall not make
haste. wonderful promise and these possessions
that we have in our text that they belong to the church of
God just as the Lord had promised to Abraham the promised land
the land of Canaan and that he would put out all those nations
before him and we read at the beginning of that in the in the
book of Joshua in chapter one how the Lord promised unto Joshua
that they were to go in and possess the land. That's what led me
to read that chapter. They were to go in and possess
the land. But it was here in Mount Zion that we read in Psalm
2, do we not? Yet have I set my King upon my
holy hill of Zion. It's Christ. Everything centers
in Christ. Our all is in Christ. Everything is in Christ. I am
the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. The way, the truth, the life. Now in each of these instances
in the Word of God as we've read of Joshua going in the next chapter
we read that he goes over the River Jordan. The Lord caused
the waters to stand like an heap. It was in the time of the harvest
when the River Jordan overflows its banks, and that was when
the Lord commanded the children of Israel to go over. Just when
it looked utterly impossible, there are several places on the
River Jordan that can be easily forded. You can cross over them
because it's shallow water. But when the Lord commanded Joshua
to lead the children of Israel over the river Jordan, it was when it was overflowing
its banks, when it looked absolutely impossible. And naturally speaking,
it was impossible. The waters of Jordan come from
Mount Lebanon, or as it's called in scripture, Mount Hermon. Just
north of the Sea of Galilee, you've got Mount Hermon, which
is in Lebanon. And it's a very high mountain
and it's snow-capped all the year round. And those snows continually
melt. And that's what forms the River
Jordan, that snow melt. And it runs down few miles from
Mount Hermon into the Sea of Galilee and that is the main
source of water in the whole of the land of Israel. That water
of course beautifully represents the Holy Ghost and the water
of regeneration and it represents the water of
life And that's what keeps alive the church. And upon Mount Zion
shall be deliverance. Let's look firstly then, in a
broad sense of the word, at the covenant, the eternal covenant,
ordered in all things and sure. That eternal covenant, those
eternal decrees of salvation, of redemption, of deliverance
from sin and Satan and the law and the curse. They're the wonderful
way that God has made whereby poor sinners can be delivered
from the curse and condemnation of his holy law. The soul that sinneth it shall
die. That's the solemn word of the holy law of God. Cursing
is every man that doeth not all things that are written in the
book of the law to do them. And that is the solemn state
and condition that every one of us is found in by nature.
We're sinners. We're sinners by nature, we're
sinners by actual sinning. We sin because we are sinners. And the only deliverance, my
beloved friends, from sin and Satan's power, from the curse
and condemnation of the law, is found in Jesus Christ, the
eternal Son of God, who came to this earth in the fulfilling
of those wonderful decrees of salvation. His name shall be
called Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. the house of Jacob, the Lord's
chosen people, shall possess their possessions.
And their possessions are in that eternal covenant that has
been sealed with the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son. They are theirs by deed of gift. They were chosen in him before
the foundation of the world. And this is their possession. And we read in Holy Scripture,
not a hoof shall be left behind. Not a hoof shall be left behind.
And if you just look in the previous chapter in Amos, chapter nine
and verse nine, for lo, I will command and I will sift the house
of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve,
yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. That means those chosen vessels
of mercy, each one is likened unto a grain of wheat. And though
the Lord sift them among all nations, not the least grain
shall fall upon the earth. They are eternally saved. They are eternally chosen. And as many, you know, the Apostle
Paul, he outlines it for us in the eighth chapter of the Romans.
And in the eighth chapter of the Romans, he tells us very
clearly, very beautifully, it gives us what we might call the
divine order. In Romans 8 verse 28, and we
know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of his son. that he might be the firstborn
among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called, and whom he called, them he also justified,
and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we
then say to these things, if God before us, who can be against
us, he that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for
us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect is God that justifies. We're justified
not by works of righteousness. We're justified not because we
believe. It is true we are justified by
faith. We are justified because Jesus
bear our sins on the cross of Calvary. We're justified because
our eternal father took our sins and laid them on his only begotten
son. And he offered a perfect, holy,
sin atoning sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. And that is
why we are justified when we are brought by faith unto Jesus
Christ to lay hold of that hope that is set before us in the
gospel. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died. Yea,
rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of
God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us
from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril assault?
As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long,
we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these
things we are more than conquerors. through him that loved us, for
I am persuaded. You know, it's a good thing to
be persuaded by faith, in these wonderful foundation truths of
our most holy faith, for I am persuaded that neither death,
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature
shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord. But upon Mount Zion, that's in
Christ, shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness.
You think of the holiness of Christ. I love that beautiful
word in Psalm 37, mark the perfect man and behold the upright for
the end of that man is peace mark the perfect man that's our
Lord Jesus Christ he did no sin neither was guile found in his
mouth he lived a life that was pure and holy and righteous all
together and it's that pure and holy life of Jesus that is called
the righteousness of Christ. It's the Lord Jesus Christ, the
Son of God, manifest in the flesh, in that holy life He lived, fulfilled
the law. The law that you have broken,
that I have broken. But there is a man, the perfect
man, who did never break that law. And thereby he brought in
everlasting righteousness for his people. and there shall be
holiness. He lived a holy life. He offered
a holy sacrifice. He shed holy blood. He died for
our sins. I lay down my life for my friends.
I have power to lay my life down. I have power to take it again.
This commandment have I received of my father. And he did just that. His holy
life was laid down. He gave his life a ransom for
all to be testified in, in due time, in due time. What a mercy when the Lord, by
His Spirit, testifies these things in our hearts, testified. And when we're brought to live
in faith in Jesus Christ, And the apostle says in Galatians
chapter two, verse 19, for I through the law am dead to the law, that
I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ. What a mercy. Crucified with
Christ. Nevertheless, I live yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by faith of the son of God who loved me
and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace
of God, for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ
is dead in vain. Righteousness comes by faith
in Jehovah Sidkenu, the Lord, our righteousness. And this glorious
person of Jesus Christ, his holy life, his holy sacrifice, his
fulfilling of the law, his atonement, that perfect sinless atonement.
This is the meaning and there shall be holiness, that holiness
is in Christ. That holiness is in his conception,
that holy thing that shall be born of them. His holiness is
in his life as he walked to the man here upon earth. He did no
sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. And then his holiness
in submission, to the will of his heavenly father. He said
before he was crucified, to this end was I born, for this cause
came I into the world, to suffer, to bleed and to die. And Isaiah,
he opens it so beautifully, doesn't he? He says, he was wounded for
our transgressions. Now, my beloved friends, if he
was wounded for your transgressions, The Holy Spirit by faith will
reveal this unto you. And this is the meaning of our
text. And the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. He suffered, he bled, he died
for our sins. He rose again for our justification. Whatever Jesus did, it was for
his people. It was to deliver his people
from sin and Satan's power. It was to deliver his people
from the Bondage of sin and corruption it was to bring them into the
glorious liberty of the people of God So we see how that Joshua
crossed over the Jordan And entered into the promised land and the
Lord subdued that land before them he did The Lord said to Joshua that
whoever the sole of his foot came he would possess that land
wherever his foot stood and the Lord was good to his promise
and the Lord is still good to his promise. You know it may be that we get
turned aside sometimes and we look at things that we do and
we look at this and we look at that and I haven't done this
and I have done that etc etc And we get all chewed up about
not having done this, not having done that. My beloved friends,
the great, the vital thing is, did Jesus live, suffer, bleed
and die for your sins? That is the one thing needful.
That is. And just as Joshua crossed over
into the promised land and the people were subdued before him,
that was the wonderful grace of God, it was, that subdued
all the people before him. And that they took the land,
it was their possession. The Lord had said to Abraham,
the land were in thou dwellest, I will give unto thee. And they
possessed it. Now just as the children of Israel
possessed the promised land, So the Lord's people in the day
in which we live will possess the promised land, the promised land of eternal
glory. They won't possess it in anything that they have done or anything that they can do. They will possess it because
it's all of grace. They will possess it because
they're loved with an everlasting love. Yea, I have loved thee
with an everlasting love. Therefore with loving kindness
have I drawn thee. Loved with an everlasting love. Loving kindness. Where is it? It's in Christ. You know, it's
the Father that speaks that promise. Some promises that can clearly
be spoken of the Trinity, but that promise is very clear. Therefore
with loving kindness have I drawn them. And we read in the teachings
of our Lord Jesus Christ that none come except the Father drawn. And the house of Jacob shall
possess their possessions. They will. Every one of them. Every one of them. And just as the Lord starts that
work of grace in the heart, my mind was actually very much drawn
in meditation to the prophet Ezekiel. And in the prophet Ezekiel,
in chapter 16, We have the case of the wretched infant. That wretched infant, it says
in its blood, it means in its sin. And we have a picture of
you and I by nature. Again, the word of the Lord came
unto me saying, son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations. In other words, she got nothing
the great cry of the children of Israel, we are Abraham's children.
What does the Lord say here? Thus saith the Lord God unto
Jerusalem, thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan. Thy father was an Amorite, and
thy mother an Hittite. And as for thy nativity in the
day thou wast born, thy navel was not cut, neither was thou
washed in water to supper thee. Thou wast not salted at all,
nor swallowed at all. None eye pitted thee. to do any
of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee, but thou wast cast
out into the open field, and that's a description of us by
birth, born in sin, shapen in iniquity, cast out, the oscar
of all things, to the loathing of thy person
in the day that thou wast born. Now we read of sovereign grace.
And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own
blood, I said unto thee, when thou wast in thy blood, that
means when thou wast in thy sin, live. Yea, I said unto them,
when thou wast in thy blood, live. You know, friends, that
is what has to happen. Unless the Holy Spirit enters
your heart, unless the Holy Spirit quickens your soul into life,
you will remain dead in trespasses and in sins. Whatever religious
things you do, however you may try to make yourself better,
you cannot do it. You cannot do anything until
the Lord passes by and says, you must be born again. Except a man be born of water
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. It says in verse 7, I have caused
thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased
and waxen grain, and thou art come to excellent ornaments.
Thy breasts are fashioned, thine hair is grown, whereas there
was naked and bare. Now when I pass by thee, This
is Israel, of course. And looked upon thee, behold
thy time was the time of love. And I spread my skirt over thee,
and covered thy nakedness, the righteousness of Christ. Yea,
I swear unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith
the Lord God, and thou becamest mine. How do we become one of
the Lords. I do love that, the beautiful
doctrine that we have in John 17, the prayer of our Lord Jesus
Christ, when he speaks of that wonderful oneness of the Church
with Christ. And he says in verse 21, that
they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee,
that they also may be one in us. That the world may believe
that thou hast sent me, and the glory which thou gavest me I
have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one. I in them, and thou in me, that
they may be made perfect in one, that the world may know that
thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me. That oneness. The hymn writer says, doesn't
he, one in the tomb, one when he rose, and triumphed all his
foes, one in Christ. When Jesus fulfilled the holy
law as a man, the church was in him. When the Lord Jesus suffered
and bled and died, The church was in him and he did it for
them. He didn't need salvation. His
people needed salvation. His own arm brought salvation
unto him. His righteousness upheld him. And when I passed by thee and
looked upon thee, behold thy time was the time of love. And
I spread my skirt over thee. covered thy nakedness. Yea, I
swear unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith
the Lord God, and thou became is mine. Then washed I thee with
water, that's the water of regeneration. The Apostle speaks of it when
he writes to Titus, his own son in the faith, the washing of
regeneration. Then washed I thee with water.
Yea, I throughly washed away thy blood, that is thy sin, from
thee, and I anointed thee with oil, that's the holy anointing
of the Spirit. I clothed thee also with broided
work, and shod thee with badger skins, speaking now of course
of the tabernacle. I girded thee about with fine
linen, and I covered thee with silk. I decked thee also with ornaments,
and I put bracelets upon thy hand, and a chain on thy neck,
the electing love of the Father, the redeeming love of the Son.
These are wonderful ornaments, the sanctifying love of the Holy
Ghost. That's what these ornaments are,
these bracelets. A chain on thy neck, and I put
a jewel in thy forehead, an earring in thine ears, and a beautiful
crown upon thine head. was decked with gold, this is
the church, and thy raiment was of fine linen, thou didst eat
fine flour and honey and oil, thou wast exceeding beautiful,
thou didst prosper into a kingdom, and thy renown went forth among
the heathen for thy beauty, for it was perfect through my comeliness,
through the righteousness of Christ. Christ says, doesn't
he, thou art all fair my love, there is no spot in thee, for
it was perfect through my comeliness, which I put upon thee, said the
Lord God. You see friends, forgiveness of sin, the washing of regeneration, the divine work of the spirit.
These are the sovereign works of the eternal God in the heart
of each one of his children. We read in the book of Psalms
about the forgiveness of sins and David says, for this shall
everyone that is godly pray for in a day when they mayest be
found. It's something that the Lord has laid in your heart,
that the Lord would bless you with the forgiveness of sins,
that the Lord would clothe you in that glorious everlasting
robe of his righteousness, that you might be able to say,
I'm blessed, I'm blessed, forever blessed. My rags are gone and
I am dressed in garments white as snow. Do you have these spiritual
exercises in your heart? These longings for greater blessings,
for a clearer revelation of Christ, the spirit of adoption. Maybe
that is what lays close to your heart. And you pray to the Lord
that he may give it. For this will I be inquired of
at the house of Israel to do this thing for them. To do this
thing for them. But upon Mount Zion shall be
deliverance. and their super holiness, and
the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. The hymn writer
says, I shall possess within the veil a life of joy and peace. What a wonderful thought, isn't
it? There's a great glory to come.
It's like Bishop Layton said, in this life, the joy of the
Lord enters in some measure into the heart. the Lord's people.
But in the life to come, in heaven, in glory, they enter into the
joy of the Lord. What a difference! They'll be
immersed in Him, to be with Christ, to behold the Lamb in the midst
of the throne, to see the King and His beauty.
They shall behold the land that is a very far off and they shall
see the King in his beauty, King Jesus, the King of glory, the
King of righteousness. That's who our Lord Jesus Christ
is. Oh, my beloved friends, these few remarks, may it please the
Lord to, as it were, give you a spiritual appetite for these
wonderful spiritual blessings. And I'm looking forward to that
great day when we shall enter into glory. The bride dyes not
her garments, but her dear bridegroom's face. I will not gaze on glory,
but on my King of Grace, not on the crown he giveth, but on
those pierced hands where glory, glory dwelleth in Emmanuel's
land, and the house of Jacob shall. Certain friends, Not who
should be left behind. It's absolutely certain. And
the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. I haven't
referred much to Joshua. I had intended to, but the Lord
knows. And we know that through the
grace of God, Joshua led the children of Israel to possess
the land that the Lord had promised unto them. And the Holy Spirit
will lead every one of his children to possess the land. There is
a land of pure delight, to possess that land of eternal glory and
everlasting happiness. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 477, The tune is Evangelist 138. Give me the wings of faith to
rise, within the vale and sea, the saints above, how great their
joys, how bright their glories be. Hymn 477, tune Evangelist
138. ? Lift your voice, oh raise your
voice ? ? And let the world hear you sing ? God save the Queen, the Queen
of Peace, the Queen of Peace. O say can you see, by the dawn's
early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last
gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright
stars, through the perilous fight, ? Touch me in the ground ? ? It's gentle
as the breeze ? ? I'm lost and lost again ? O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? Namo'valokiteshvaraya ? And God in heav'n ? ? With God
in heaven ? ? With God in heaven ? Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the
brave? 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.