for the benefit of those that
are listening online. Our pastor is unwell this evening
and we have kindly, in his place, we have Mr. Marcus Funnell with
us this evening. May the Lord sanctify these as
we review a change of arrangements. We'll commence our service this
evening by singing hymn number 699. The tune is Ella's. Number 752. Lord, we adore thee, and would
fain express thy matchless goodness and our worthlessness. Ashamed
of self, we prostrate at thy door, confess our sin, and thy
free grace implore. Another year of our short life
is gone, and many are the wonders we have known. Our paths been
strewed with blessings rich and rare, proceeding from our special
love and care. Hymn number 699, tune Ellis,
number 752. Who can hold me when the pain
extends? I cannot do it on my own terms. The gentle serenity of my heart
I'll never forget, I'll never forget. ? Come, my hope, my best hope ?
? I'll give Thee all the world ? ? I'll give Thee all the world
? O come all ye faithful joyful
and triumphant O come ye, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem ? Alighting so low ? ? Silent sleep
has come ? ? And finished sleep ? ? All around the world ? ?
Eternal rest ? And every blessing that it shall
endure ? To the liberty free ? ? And the
home of the brave ? ? Oh, say does that star-spangled banner
yet wave ? ? O'er the land of the free ? Namo Tushita, Namo Tushita, Namo
Tushita, The sun and rain must be an omen
to us all in the same way. ? I stand in tears ? ? In darkness,
in the storm ? ? In darkness, in the storm ? O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? And the home of the brave? May we be helped to read this
evening from the Gospel of John, chapter 15. The Gospel of John, chapter 15. I am the true vine, and my father
is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth
not fruit he taketh away, and every branch that beareth fruit
he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are
clean through the word which I have spoken unto you, abide
in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit
of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye except
ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I
in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me ye
can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he
is cast forth as a branch, and is withered, and men gather them,
and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide
in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will,
and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified,
that ye bear much fruit, so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father
hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye
shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments,
and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto
you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might
be full. This is my commandment, that
ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath
no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever
I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants,
for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth, but I have called
you friends. For all things that I have heard
of my father I have made known unto you. You have not chosen
me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you that you should
go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain,
that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he
may give it you. These things I command you, that
ye love one another. If the world hates you, You know
that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world,
the world would love his own. But because ye are not of the
world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the
world hateth you. Remember the word that I said
unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord, If they
have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they have
kept My saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things
will they do unto you for My name's sake, because they know
not Him that sent Me. If I had not come and spoken
unto them, They had not had sin, but now they have no cloak for
their sin. He that hateth Me hateth My Father
also. If I had not done among them
the works which none other man did, they had not had sin. But now have they both seen and
hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that
the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, they
hated me without a cause. But when the Comforter is come,
whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of
truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify
of me and ye also shall bear witness because ye have been
with me from the beginning. We'll leave the reading there
friends. May the dear Lord bless the reading
of his holy word to each of our hearts, and may we each engage
in prayer as we come before the throne of grace silently and
audibly. Lord help us. As we come dear
Lord Jesus once more, we would find that we might truly be in
our rightful place before thee, humbled. that we might look up
and not look down upon thee. Thou knowest the pride of man,
thou knowest the haughtiness of man, Lord thou knowest us
all together. May we be amongst those that
look up, in sweet humility we do pray, as we come before him
who rules everything, our hearts, our breath, Lord, what are we? What is man that thou art mindful
of him as we come before the Almighty? O Lord, we do pray
that thy presence might be known and felt this evening, that there
might be an overwhelming sense that Jesus is present, there
might be our hearts filled with the joy of thy salvation that
we might know what it is dear Lord and truly that we might
know what it is to lose sight of each other and to see no man
save Jesus only. Lord we do pray that we might
be found as dear Peter was it is good for us to be here. Lord
we do pray as we come before thee that our hearts and our
minds might be focused upon thee and that thou wouldst take out
all those things that would grieve us and that will grieve thee. Lord, do keep and put a guard
about our mouth as we speak thy word. Lord, we do pray that thou
wouldst conduct the service and may it all fall out for the furtherance
of the everlasting gospel. We pray for thy dear servant,
the pastor, dear Uncle James, Do remember him, dear Lord, as
thou hast laid him aside once more. We pray that these times
of laying aside might be times of strengthening. They might
be times of having fresh displays of a precious Christ. There might
be these times, dear Lord, where he is invigorated to go on, that
he might receive that strength to his faith. Oh, we do pray,
dear Lord, that thou will be mindful of him in his affliction. Be with him and may he come once
again into the sanctuary to preach the everlasting gospel. Be with
him and help him, dear Lord, in his lonely hours, we do pray
and remember him. And may there be much prayer
from this cause of truth for their pastor. Silent prayers,
audible prayers, Those prayers, dear Lord, and thou knowest what
prayer really is, and what prayer really means, and whether it
really enters thine ears, and whether thou wilt really answer
it. Dear Lord, how often we pray with ourselves. We wouldn't like
to think so. We wouldn't like others to think
so. But the pride of man prays with himself to entertain the
hearer. to say those things that we think
will exalt God, as if God needs exalting. Lord, help us. Oh, we do pray, in our poor own
little way, each one of us, to plead mercy once again, to plead
mercy at the door, to plead that thou would shower down those
right things upon us. Oh, come, Lord Jesus, do come. What is the house to me? Whatever
we do, what is it to us, dear Lord, if thou art not present
with us? Oh, take our tongue, take our
mind, and may we speak well of Christ. May there be those things,
dear Lord, that are sealed upon our own hearts. May we receive
that unction from on high, that sweet anointing that comes alone
from thee. Dear Lord, and may we not court
the frowns or the smiles of men. but may we truly covet earnestly
the best gifts, to go out after the kisses of the dear Redeemer.
Lord, help us, then we do pray. How thy servants are criticised,
how they're pulled down, how they're pulled apart, but may
the standard be lifted, may the standard be high, may it be erected
upon the gospel pole. Dear Lord, man, may do what they
can, but it is God, that giveth the increase. Oh, we thank Thee
for it, Lord. We thank Thee so much for that
personal application of Thy precious Word. There would be those that
would stop the Word going to certain ones, but Thy glorious
Spirit has a work to do. Despite name, despite man, Thy
Spirit will work and will apply and seal that precious Word to
each one of the elect vessels of mercy so that they might be
prepared, so that they might be being made ready to stand
before thee. Lord what tremendous truths these
are. Bless the dear young people and
the children that attend this cause of truth, do remember them
and help them, guide them dear Lord we do pray. Oh, we pray
that thou wouldst help each one of them as they come to thee,
and may that work be begun in the young, and Lord, may it be
begun in the old. For how often we see that the
old have missed the mark, the old have wandered, the old have
been passed by, and it was the young that got into Canyon. It
was those, dear Lord, who believed. The rest were slain. The unbelief
of man. Oh, Lord, make us like little
children this evening. We do pray. We pray for all thy
servants as they go out once more to preach the glorious gospel. We pray, dear Lord, that it might
be with power, that it might be with divine power into the
soul, to do the soul good, Oh, what profit is it to the flesh?
But the Word of God enters the soul, that we might be building
up on that one foundation for time and for eternity. Dear Lord,
thou hast said thyself that the flesh profiteth nothing. So as we present ourselves once
more as a living sacrifice in the house of God, we pray, dear
Lord, that thou wouldst receive and truly look upon thy dear
son and receive us in him. Help the deacons here dear Lord,
do bless them, do be with them and undertake for them in everything
and all those things that concern this cause of truth that lay
heavy upon their shoulders, we pray dear Lord that thou would
help them and be with them and unfold thy way to them as thou
has put them as burden bearers of this cause of truth. We pray
that thou would bear them up. Thou didst say, dear Lord, by
the psalmist, cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain
thee. And may it be so, Lord, may they
prove it. May they realise that their strength
comes from thee, and do help them to bear up, as Aaron and
Hur did, to bear up their pastor's arms. Oh, we pray, dear Lord,
for each one that's found here and all we love. do remember
them, do help them Lord, do go before them, and the prayers
that have been offered over many generations, and they have Lord,
many many generations, we pray that we might be the reapers
of these gracious promises, these gracious things that they have
prayed for. They sowed, dear Lord may this
generation be reaping the benefit. Oh we do beg, they were such
godly men of old, their prayers they knew the nearness of God
and they knew dear Lord what they were and we believe the
teaching of God is to show us what we are and who thou art. Lord may we not forget these
things but may we be instructed by thee. Help now as we come
to look into thy word dear Lord do look out at us once more may
we see the face of Jesus in the word display thyself in some
beauty dear lord we do pray attract us draw us out after thee and
dear lord may we be enabled to run as thou dost draw thy people
oh do come then we we've got so much to be thankful for uh
lord and we do confess how ungrateful we are to thee and what little
praise comes up from our hearts And so we do pray, dear Lord,
that thou would truly, from us each, receive the tribute of
a tear, the falling of a tear, the rejoicing of our hearts,
that thou has brought us into this new year. Lord, thou has
brought us safely into this new year. And we're still on praying
ground. Whether we realize it or not,
we are still where mercy and hope can reach us. We're still
in that place where the arm of the Lord snatch us as brands
plucked from the burning. Oh Lord then we do pray that
thy work might continue graciously amongst this people here and
amongst their own people and amongst the people up and down
the land. Lord as we come into this new
year may we see thy glory manifest in bringing souls to thy feet
and bringing those to profess dear Lord that they have been
wrought upon to confess what they are and who they are to
them. We pray, Lord, that there might
be many this year to put thee on in an open profession and
to walk it out. Lord, we do beg that grace to
walk it out. Oh, help them all. Be with us
now, Lord, and help with the singing of thy worthy praise.
And remember us once more, dear Lord Jesus, we come seeking thee.
We won't be happy unless we do see thee, Lord, so do encourage
us. Do hold us by the hand and guide
us into the scriptures by faith. Lord, we do pray for these great
things to be manifest here this evening and always in our lives. Bless us each for thy dear namesake. Amen. We continue our service by singing
hymn number 498. The tune is Lucius, number 857. Time, what an empty vapour tis,
And days how swift they are, Swift as an Indian arrow flies,
Or like a shooting star. His goodness runs an endless
round, All glory to the Lord, His mercy never knows a pound,
and be His name adored. Hymn number 498, Tune Lucius,
number 857. I thought that when she lay her
tears at me to sleep, ? In the valley of life ? ? O'er
life and death and joy ? ? O praise him, O praise the sunbeam ? ? And we can never say again ?
? How long we shall go on ? ? How long can we take the road away
? Oh ? Mighty Lord of withering age
? ? Thine art in ev'ry portion ? ? Heaven and earth are full
of thy presence ? ? All the world's to know thee ? ? It's a privilege in my duty ?
? That we are good people ? ? A praise and glory to you ? O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? ? Jesus, Lord of hosts above ?
? God, King and Lord of all ? ? Hark, the herald angels sing ? Amen. May the dear Lord help me to
say a few things from the book of Proverbs, chapter 17 and verse
17. The book of Proverbs, chapter
17 and verse 17. A friend loveth at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity. Chapter 17 of Proverbs, verse
17. A friend loveth at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity. As we commence this really first
day of the new year, or second day, we can truly say Jesus Christ,
the same yesterday, today, and forever. We can start the
year with that, can't we? He was with us yesterday. He
was, friends. He was with us in our lives last
year. Have you proved him already today?
Have you? Have you really proved him today
to be yours? Then one day, one day, one day
you're proven to be yours forever you will friend Jesus Christ
the same yesterday today and forever a friend I think it's
hymn number 131 and it says this there is a friend and I can't
quote it quite correctly a friend there is your voice is joined
his saints to praise his name whose truth and kindness are
divine, whose love's a constant flame, when once we prove him. Oh friend, as we come to this
service, and what an opportunity it is, I never dreamt that I
would be standing here today, it was furthest from my thoughts.
I thought the Lord would give me a rest until Sunday, but he
didn't. And here we have something of
a message from God himself. I know we can attend chapel,
friends. I know we can attend chapel. We can come to every
service there is and not have a friend in Jesus. We can. We can be found sitting under
the best gospel there ever is preached into our ears and it
never go into our heart. You've got to have a friend.
You've got to have a friend. You've got to have a friend.
You have. Without him, what are you? Without
him, friend, what are you? 10 years old, 20 years old, 30
years old, 40 years old, 50 years old, 60 years old, 70 years old,
80 year old, and you still haven't got a friend? Something's wrong. Something's wrong, friends. Something's
dreadfully wrong. To get to 80 years old and not
know who this friend is. Not know him, personally. Now to have a friend, it's a
lovely thing, naturally, because a friend halves their load. Don't they? If we've got a friend,
we can tell them things. We don't have to bear it all
alone. And you know the psalmist said
I am a companion to all those that fear God and a companion
is a friend. And as I read that I thought
all those that fear God are my friends. All of them. If they
really know the dear Redeemer himself, they're my friends.
If they don't, they're not my friend. They're not my friend. It's as close as that, dear heart.
It comes as close as that. We love who he loves. What about those he hates? Do you love them, dear friend? Do you love them? Could you call
the wicked your friends? Could you? Could you call those
that are walking in open sin your friend? We do. What does it do to his
heart? How does it affect him? How does
it affect you? That's the thing. That's the
deep-rooted thing, my dear brother. My dear sister, how does it affect
you? What beautiful words the dear
Lord has given to us. Do you know it's unworthy to
even read this text? Completely unworthy. A friend
loveth at all times. We have made the world our friend. In days gone past, the world
was their best friend. And what did the Lord say? Make
the world your friend and your enmity with God. Oh no, not for
me. Not for me, I can have both.
I can have both. No friends, you can't have both.
You think you can. You think, everybody thinks they
can. Until they stand before Him. Then everything's revealed. He was either your friend or
he wasn't your friend. May it search our hearts. May
it really search our hearts, friends. To go on just like we've
always been, and not have a change, not have something that we can
hold ourselves, not have this friend that we can tell everything
to, and he loves at all times. Think of it. Now, in an earthly
level, do your friends love you all the time? No, they don't
do that. Sometimes hot, sometimes cold. But Jesus is the same. He's the
same, friends. He was the same last year to
me. And this year, he's gonna be the same. Otherwise, something's
wrong. Something's wrong. We change, he never changes.
Never changes. If we are a friend of the world,
we're an enemy with God. You say, but I sit in chapel.
I sit in chapel. I've been brought up. My parents
were godly. Where do you stand, friend? Where
do you stand? Are you resting on your father? Resting on your mother? Resting on your siblings? Resting
on some minister? Resting on your profession? Are you resting on it? It'll do you no good. It'll do
you no good, friends. I know you hear this every Sunday,
but it will do you no good to rest apart from this one place. A friend. Just one person. Just one person. A friend. Now, when did your
friendship start? I do love this subject, don't
you? When did your friendship start with Jesus? Got that the wrong way round,
haven't I? I didn't, friend, I did it on purpose. When did
your friendship start with Jesus? Because if it started with Jesus
with you, friends, it's wrong. Completely wrong. The friendship starts with Him.
from all eternity. I love that what we read, I had
to read that in John's Gospel chapter 15, ye are my friends. The disciples didn't say Lord
thou art our friend. No, he said it first and the
moment he said it they became his friends. Lovely thing isn't it if God
starts with us I'm really sad that there's so many, and I wouldn't
point the finger, but I know there's so many that have started
with God. Yes, he's their friend, but it'll only be for time. It'll
only be for time. When eternity comes, you'll see
that he was not your friend. These things should search us.
So we shouldn't just push them away and think, well, the man
doesn't know what he's talking about. He's either a friend to
us or he's not. What's a friend like? You've
got some friends, haven't you? One or two, you've got a few
good friends, haven't you? What are they like? Are they really like friends?
Well, they're not afraid to tell you your thoughts, are they?
They're not afraid to tell you what's wrong about you, are they? They're not afraid to say if
you're doing something wrong, are they? That's a friend. People
take umbrage and they think, well, he told me this and I don't
like him anymore. Friend, that's what a real friend
does. He'll help you when you're down. He'll speak to you when you speak
roughly to him. When you have the down days, he's still there to uphold you
he's still there to help you when you have that wicked spirit
rising up within does he say you're not my friend anymore?
no he doesn't friends, a real friend would take you to one
side and say let's talk about it this is if you've got real friends
I don't know whether you've got a real friend here or not but
this is what real friends do I remember my old pastor, Mr.
Tyler, did love his ministry, you know. He said, how many friends
have you got? I can hear him as a little lad
now. He said, there's a day coming
when you won't be able to count them on your hand. You'll have less than
five friends that you can really rely upon to help you through. Sometimes, and I speak rightly
friends, but sometimes it's a wonder we have a friend, isn't it? If
people really knew what we would like, we wouldn't have any friends,
would we? I'll tell you something, Jesus knows what you're like
and he's still your friend. It's so beautiful. He knows what
you're like. If all my friends that I know
of knew about what I am inside, they'd cut you off. But he knows
what's inside of you. I hope you're all listening,
I hope there's none trying to go to sleep or trying to ignore
these words because he's a vital vital and look what it says about this
friend just read those words in your
heart It mounts you, doesn't it? A friend loveth at all times. At all times. Times of sickness, times of pain,
times of sorrow, times of travail, times of anguish, when we come to those places
where we can't love because we're in such a state our poor human
nature if the Lord shows you and he will show you how weak
and frail we really are we can't even love when we're in pain
we can't do anything when we're in sorrow or anguish and yet
look he loves at all times And if you really look at this,
friends, it's a two-way thing. He loves at all times. When it's our times, all the
different times that we have. Think of the different times
we have, friend. You could list them out, couldn't
you? Good days, bad days, indifferent
days. All these things are human things. But the spiritual days of darkness,
the spiritual days of fog, the spiritual days of gloom, the
spiritual days of being broken, the spiritual days of being held
down, the spiritual days of not being able to lift your head
up. He loves it all those times, all those times in the thickest,
do you know I was in something years ago, I must say this as
it comes to me, it's a word I've treasured and I didn't even know
it was in the bible till my dad told me, I was in the depths
of darkness and he said he in the thickest darkness dwells
and it just opened up I didn't I couldn't explain the feeling
the sense the beauty of it that he in the darkest thickest darkness
dwells what Solomon said and that's where he laughs that's
where he loves his people We tend to think, don't we, if there's
a big, bright light or there's joy coming out of our hearts,
he loves us then. Oh, he loves us when we're on
our best behaviour. He loves us when we dress right.
He loves us when we're doing everything right. But what about
you when you're in rags, in the darkness, begging him? He loves
you then. He loves you, friend. Isn't it
beautiful? I know if you've never walked
it. I know if it's all superficial to you, religion. It doesn't
mean anything. But friendship, when you walk it, when you actually
walk it, in the darkest, thickest times, when the briars are wrapped
around you, when the thorns are sticking in your heart, when
the thorns are tearing your flesh, and he says, but I love you,
I still love you there. He loves us at all times. What
a friend this is, what a friend this must be, mustn't he? He
must be a good friend, mustn't he? If you don't know the dear
Lord Jesus, he must be a good friend to his people, mustn't
he? He must be exemplary. He must be the best friend that
this world has ever known. Loveth at all times. If we go to the Song of Solomon,
just in our hearts, and we think of that dear one running the
streets, have you seen him? Have you seen him? Who my soul
loveth. He's my friend. He's my friend
and I'm looking for him. I'm searching for him. I sought him on my bed by night. Who my soul loveth. I couldn't
find him. Couldn't find him. Friend, if
you go naturally to a to a friend and they're not there or you
want to speak to them about something personal and they're not there,
do you go searching for them? The soul is taught to search
for Christ. It doesn't matter about anything
else. All that will fall into place as long as you can find
him. A friend loveth at all times and she sought him and she sought
him and she sought him and those that came to her smote her. the ministers of the gospel smote
her, and it wasn't long before she passed on from them. She
passed on, and what did she find? She found her friend. What does
she say? I found him. Oh, these walls,
these four walls could echo once again to souls finding Christ. I found him, whom my soul loveth. This is my friend. This is my
friend. Think how many have come in to
here, in this chapel, over the generations, and have found him
and their soul loveth, and at the end of the day, friends,
they've gone home to see their friend. They've gone home to
see him. This is what we are trying to
get to, isn't it? A friend loveth at all times. And what I was gonna say on the
other side of this, because he loves his people here, let's
go to the dear Redeemer in his pain did he love you did he love
you in pain you have a few pains don't you nothing can bear with
his nothing nothing at all our pains pale into insignificance
when we think of Jesus and like I just said we at times of pain
and at different events in our lives we can't love think of
the pain he was looking and feeling and he still had love he loves
at all times now we've come through last year and we've had pain
we've had those things come into our hearts we've had those things
in our lives You're going to have the same this year. Has
the Lord spared you? He hasn't promised you a lovely
year, has he? He hasn't promised you a lovely
year, he's promised you tribulation. Through much tribulation they
shall enter the kingdom. Through much, friends. Overlook
it if you like, but go to the scriptures and it'll tell you
again and again and again that it is not a rosy path, but if
you've got a real friend that loves at all times he walks with
you he will walk with you through this year he will he'll be right
near you if you're his children he'd be right there as a friend
someone to talk to someone to i like this don't you who is
this that cometh up from the wilderness someone to lean on someone to lean on A friend. I want to move on, but I'm struggling
to. Because he's a friend of the
friendless. He is. When everybody forsakes
you, he won't. He won't ever forsake you. When everybody around you fails,
and they will fail, won't they? human life fails friends we're
being taught it aren't we? daily by our own bodies that
are getting older and frailer and losing the strength of youth and yet it will never fail you
never it will never ever fail you and when you get to your
weakest A natural friend can't do this. But when you get to
your weakest, he'll give you some of his strength. He will. We've proved it. The apostle said, didn't he,
how he sums up the path of the Christian, when I am weak, then I am strong. Then, friends,
that's a secret. That's a real secret, only the
child of God knows. that when they're weak then are
they strong not strong in self strong in Christ what a beautiful
thing this is he loveth at all times so we can go from our birth
every year of our life until today until today we can truly
say that he's loved at all times is he going to stop loving his
people is he going to stop loving them never this friend I'll be
their friend think of his beautiful words I wanted to end with these
but they're coming powerfully to me and it's in the dear Lord
Jesus said this they asked him what are these wounds have you ever asked him friends
have you ever gone to the Lord Jesus and said what are these
wounds in thy hands Look how he answered them. Look how he
answered them. I hope I was there. I hope it
was my fault. He said, these are the wounds
I received. Not in the house of my enemies.
In the house of my friend. Did you wound him? Did you wound
him? Did those scars have your name
on? Then he's your friend. He's your friend. If your name wasn't in those
scars, he'll never be your friend. Never. Not in this life, nor
in the one to come. He'll never be your friend. Those
scars had to bear your name. If What did it say? Ye are my friends
if... Doesn't mean everybody does it?
Think friends, how separating this word is. Ye are my friends
if... You do those things which I command
you. Oh how short we come, how we fail. I'll have to move on
but it is such a lovely word isn't it? Because it means you
child of God and it means him brought together a friend in
Jesus and a brother is born for adversity there are many brothers that
were born in scripture and they brought adversity they brought
adversity Cain and Abel were the first brothers, and Cain
brought adversity. Absalom, Solomon, Absalom brought
adversity. Exact opposite. What about you
and me? Are you bringing adversity to
someone? Are you? Are you, friend? you confessed
last year, you're gonna have to confess if you haven't confessed
already, you're gonna have to confess this year of what you
are. You know, the one that stuck
out that I really felt is so beautifully typed here, and the
brother is born for adversity. And that is the type of the Lord
Jesus in Joseph. His brothers hated him. Did that stop him being their
brother? No, he was born for adversity. As he was growing up as a little
lad, and these were men, these were a lot older, they didn't
like him. They didn't like him at all.
They couldn't speak peaceably to him. He was born for their
adversity. He was going to be delivering
them. They couldn't see it. You know the account, he had
a coat of many colours and they hated him more. They sold him, they hated him
so much that they sold him. He was their brother born for
adversity. In the hands of God he turned
it right round that he would be the deliverer and yet he used
their hands to sell him. Joseph didn't know, the brothers
didn't know, but God knew. God knew and that's the difference
with you and me friends I love that word at the end of you you
read at the end of Genesis you thought evil against me but God meant it for good God
put me in this family this family Jacob's family God put me there
so that I should be born a deliverer brother born for adversity we've
just come through Christmas time and all of us have celebrated
the birth of the dear Lord Jesus but how many have celebrated
that he was born for adversity oh no that's forgotten that's
forgotten we don't want to think about that side of things no
we're joyful a babe's been born why has he been born why has
he been born for one reason To save his people. That's the reason
the baby was born. A brother born for adversity. And again in two ways. He was
born for our adversity. To deliver us from it. And he
was born to walk in adversity. All the days of his life. He
lived a day of adversity. you know more and more you see
our wicked nature don't you we complain if we have a few days
where we don't feel right or if we have a few days of something
that's upsetting he walked every single day from his birth to
his death in a day of adversity so that you should be free so
that you and i should be delivered by his life and by his death
it's the only way and he was born for that very reason he
says in Hebrews I believe it is he says this that he is not
ashamed to call us brethren you know we can read that in a few
seconds can't we? he's not ashamed to call us brethren sinners rebels aliens but in the household of faith,
they're my friends. They're my friends. Isn't it
a wonderful thing that God, in the Lord Jesus,
has become the friend of sinners? He says himself, doesn't he,
that he's the friend of sinners, real sinners. Not somebody that
keeps pointing at everybody else. Not somebody that's better than
everybody else. Not somebody that's living a
completely moral and upright life and self-righteousness.
Not that. No. Sinners of the worst degree. Sinners that have been brought
under the law of God. Sinners that have had the Holy
Spirit work in them and show them exactly what they are and
he's turned them inside out. These are the sinners that Jesus
came to save. These are the sinners that he
went to be a friend of. These ones. You know he turned
to the Pharisees didn't he and he said the harlots and whoever
it was he said the harlots are going in before you. They're
going in before you. Why? Because I'm their friend. Because they've got my work in
them. And I was born for them. I was
born for them. To set them free. You know, the
more the Lord blesses you in your own heart, the more you'll
see that word that he spoke, if the Son shall make you free.
Friend, if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.
He was born to make his people free. Born for the day of adversity. You may be well and you may not
have suffered much in your life, you may not have many illnesses,
you may not have many disturbances, but if you're a child of God,
there's a day of adversity coming. And we must all pass through
it one by one. A day of adversity. Then you'll
prove who your friend is. Then you'll prove it. Every single child of God that
has ever gone into glory has proved, even right down to that
last moment, I am he that carrieth thee. I am he that is with thee. safely born across the river.
How do we know? How do we know we haven't passed
that way? How do we know? We've seen those that have passed
that way. We've seen them go in the arms
of Jesus, straight into the arms of their friends. And aren't
you following on? Aren't you following on to this
same glorious place where this friend loves at all times here
Here below, he loves at all times, he really does. I don't know about you, but I
want to speak naturally to you, but are there those times sometimes
when you think he can't love me anymore? He can't love me. Everything's gone against me,
therefore we believe that God has gone against us. Everything
is turned upside down in their lives, therefore we think that
he's turned upside down. Our love is very small and we
think his love is very small. Not all the wanderings of our
heart, not all the wanderings of our heart, can from his chosen heir depart. That's not quite right but you
know the one I'm trying to quote. All the wanderings of our heart
when we wander from him, when we get away from him, In these
two words, he loveth at all times and is born for adversity is
our life. That's your life and that's my
life. Right down to the end of our days. To prove that the dear
Lord Jesus still loves us. Greater love hath no man than
this that a man lay down his life for his friends. I know the time of love, the
days of our espousals, when everything seemed to work right, when the
Lord seemed to speak, when your heart was overwhelmed, when every
time you looked in the Bible, you looked out. Every time. Every time you looked at the
Bible, there you could see Him. Every time you went to chapel,
you prayed for a confirmation and there He was confirming from
the pulpit. You thought, He loves me. He
loves me. I know He loves me. But what about when the days
get harder, the days get longer, the days get darker? What about
then? Then you know he loves you. Then
you know it, friends. You know with all your heart
that he still loves you. You knew it in the beginning,
but you never realized what you had to walk through to really
prove what love was. It's the same with intermarriage,
isn't it? Oh, you know, in the honeymoon
period, it's lovely, isn't it? It's lovely. Everything's fine
and everyone loves Don't they? A few years down the line, what's
happened? The love's grown. It's got deeper
and deeper and deeper. Now you understand what real
love is. Love really does love all your
faults and failings. All of them in a natural sense.
All of them. Your wife or your husband loves
you just as you are. Now what Christ is making you,
he loves you just what you are. No different to what he's doing
with you, he loves you just as he's making you the same as him. Born for adversity, no one wants
adversity do they? Even the most gracious person
alive doesn't want adversity, but he's a brother born for it.
do you know two cases Moses and Aaron Moses told the Lord it's
a strange account really because he told the Lord that he wasn't
able and he couldn't speak and he wasn't doing what the Lord
had said we think how did he do all that
how did he say all that but the Lord had something already prepared
for him he had a brother and he could well speak well And
he said, this is our brother. Moses, when you come into these
times of adversity, when you stammer or stutter or can't speak,
your brother's there. And he can speak for you. And
he can speak well. And he can do everything. You
will be my mouth and he will be your mouth. Because God raised
up Aaron to be Moses' brother in adversity. It's so beautiful and this is
what's so lovely in a church when this happens. When you have
those that really do love each other. They really do love each
other. They stand by each other, they
stick by each other, they uphold the truth. And all the brethren
uphold the truth. A brother born for adversity.
And then I think of that in Philemon, Onesimus. A dear Paul, old man
in jail, had nobody. Did he? God gave him a friend.
God gave him a friend. And this slave boy is thrown
into prison. And what Paul says, as he writes
back and he says, more than a servant. I heard Mr. Wood preach from
this once, you know, years ago when I was very young. A brother
beloved? A brother beloved? Have you got
one? Have you really got a brother
beloved? Or let me put it another way. Are you a brother beloved? Are
you? Is that you? No more a servant. No more a slave. You know, I always remember my
dear old dad saying this. One of the deacons at the dicker
came to speak about dad's exercise for the ministry and he rang the doorbell and
dad answered the door and he said, Brother Eric, Brother Eric, everything else had gone. If
you don't know it, friends, covet the best things. These times
when you can call the brethren beloved, when you can call them
beloved, how can you call another person beloved? Because you see
them in Christ. It's the only way, it's the only
way we can ever speak anything like it, is to see somebody in
Christ. If you've never seen it, pray
for it, pray for it. I know we can make a lot of show
and I know we can put our arms around each other and make a
lot of do and a lot of speak and all that. That's not being
a brother beloved. It's not at all. Paul knew what it was to say
those words. Why? Because his bowels moved
with love to that dear young man. And he sent him back and
I always love what he said, don't you? You read it afresh. He said,
if he owes you anything, put it to my account. Put it on my
account, that's what Jesus has said. That's what he said to
every one of these friends. If they owe anything in that
day, put it on my account and I'll pay for it. I'll ask you each, one by one,
is he your friend? Is he your friend? Is he your
friend? Is he your friend? Is he your? Yours. Yours. Answer. Yours. Yours before God. Is He a friend?
Is He actually a friend before the throne of love? Is He? What voice is this that speaks
for me? 11.56. Read it. You sing it. What voice is this
that speaks for me in heaven's high court above? precious voice of blood the voice
of Jesus speaks friends what voice is this that which
speaks for me in heaven's high court above for good and from
the curse has set me free it is Jesus precious blood and you'll
never ever ever have anybody like that speak for you here
below only the blood of Christ our friend and I chose that hymn
number 11 because there's something so special for the sinner that
feels it remember you have to come into these things you have
to feel it friends it's not just listening it's feeling it listen
to these words it says thy mercy in verse 2 thy mercy in Jesus
exempts me from hell its glories I'll sing and its
wonders I'll tell. T'was Jesus my friend when he hung on the tree that opened the channel, mercy
for me. A friend loveth at all times,
and a brother born for a I'll leave it with you. But may it
be your, you young people, may it be your life's ambition. And
you older ones, may it be your prayer right to your dying day.
To have a friend in Jesus. A friend loving, love is at all
times. And I'll leave you with this.
You prove who your friends are. You prove who they are, don't
you? They don't contact me. They don't help me. They don't
listen to me. They don't speak to me. They
can't be friends, can they? Has he ever said any of those
things to you? Has he ever refused you at the
throne of grace? Has he ever said, don't keep
bringing that same thing to me? No, because he's a friend. May
the dear Lord bless anything that's been said. Forgive anything
that's been said amiss. Amen. Conclude our service by singing
hymn number 11, the tune is St Luke, number 834. Thy mercy,
my God, is the theme of my song, the joy of my heart and the boast
of my tongue. Thy free grace alone, from the
first to the last, has won my affections and bound my soul
fast. Great Father of mercies, thy
goodness I own, and the covenant love of thy crucified Son. All praise to the Spirit, whose
whisper divine seals mercy and pardon and righteousness mine. In number 11, June St. Luke,
number 834. O my soul, the joy of my thought
and love, O my soul, I pray grace to learn from of her to love. has won my affection and found
my soul. Thy mercy in Jesus' works sends
me forward. His glory is our sacred promise
of death. O Jesus, my friend, where'er
you go, my friend, where'er you go, my friend, where'er you go,
my friend, where'er you go, my friend, where'er you go, my friend,
where'er you go, my friend, where'er you go, my friend, where'er you
go, my friend, where'er you go, my friend, where'er you go, my
friend, where'er you go, my friend, where'er you go, my friend, where'er
you go, my friend, where'er you go, my friend, where'er you go,
my friend, where'er you go, my friend, where'er you go, my friend,
where'er you go, my friend, where'er you go, my friend, where'er you
go, my friend, where'er you go, my friend, where'er you go, my
friend, where'er you go, my friend, where'er you go, my friend, where' Through the wisely passing, I
could not be near, Since you could reduce me to utter despair. and who like me do your best,
my spirit divine. And even though meekness still
keeps me alive. My mercy is more than the rest
of my heart. Which one else to give in the
mystery part? Peace of mind and goodness, I
hold true and well, And lead to the praise of the mercy I
tell. To the poor and the needy, who
no find a way, ? Sing, O child of God, glory and
peace evermore ? ? Live and love, speak in mercy, O Jesus, His
Son ? King Father of mercy, thy goodness
I own, and the covenant of God I crucify. ? All praise to thy spirit, whose
wisdom divine. ? ? Singers, mercy, and pardon,
and righteousness divine. ? And now, dear Lord, we thank
thee so much for thy help once again. Oh, may it, dear Lord,
have been profitable to us, and may it in days to come, dear
Lord, or years to come, bring forth fruit to thy account, that
thou mayest have all the glory, not unto us, O Lord, not unto
us, but unto thy name, give glory. Now, dear Lord, we pray that
thou wouldst take us each home in peace and safety, Once more
we pray for their dear pastor that they would touch him with
that healing touch and bring him amongst them again. And bless
all thy servants that stand here in the meantime. And now, Lord,
at what weight we fall, our hope is in thee. May the grace of
the dear Lord Jesus and the love of God and the sweet fellowship
and communion of thy Holy Spirit rest and remain with us each
now and forever. Amen.