we come to seek for living bread
and feast on love divine dear father let thy presence be enjoyed
by all thy family and make each face to shine hymn 643 tune hillmartin
713 Again, dear Lord, we work thee
fair. We come to sing thy living breath. ? And they shall know divine
? ? Dear Father that I am ? ? Blessed be the light of thy family ?
? And make thee great still shall be ? ? Till he, O blessed Trinity, ?
? From heaven above ? ? Souls retreat, ? ? And wish to speak with thee. ? Oh, let us thank the Queen and
King, and bow and pray, as children sing a song from God's great
tree. ? May we be strong and peaceful
as skies ? ? And live with pleasure real and bright ? ? The glory
of His love ? The beauty of Saturn's rays,
The comely face of Comet, And, funneled in its sound, ? Give peace, be content with the
Lord ? ? The world that lives and breathes in song ? ? The
gladdest of all praise ? In ev'ry time, Lord, we will
cry, And our gentle Mary, Sapphire, Earth, is smiling today. Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the Prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 53. The Prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 53. We will commence our reading
in chapter 52, verse 13. Behold, my servant shall deal
prudently he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.
As many were astoned at thee, his visage was so marred more
than any man, and his form more than the sons of men. So shall
he sprinkle many nations. The kings shall shut their mouths
at him, for that which had not been told them shall they see.
and that which they had not heard shall they consider. Who hath
believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root
out of a dry ground. He hath no form nor comeliness,
and when we shall see him there, is no beauty that we should desire
him. He is despised, and rejected
of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we
hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed
him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows. Yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes
we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone
astray. We have turned everyone to his
own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was
afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth, He is brought as a
lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is
done, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and
from judgment, and who shall declare his generation? For he
was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression
of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the
wicked, and with the rich in his death, because he had done
no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased
the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief. When
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed,
he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall
prosper in his hand. he shall see of the travail of
his soul, and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall
divide the spoil with the strong, because he hath poured out his
soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he
bared the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word and grant to us a spirit of real
prayer. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
which is an art, an art to come, bow before thy glorious majesty,
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, the only true God. We bow before
thee in hope of that precious mercy that is in Christ Jesus,
thine only begotten Son. Thou hast said in thy word that
whatsoever you ask in my name, I will do it. So we ask our gracious
heavenly Father that thou would meet with us here this afternoon,
that thou would speak to our hearts, that it may be with one
another as we read of whose heart the Lord opened. And may that
be so here this afternoon, that the Lord may open our hearts,
open our eyes, open our ears, loose our tongue, guide us in
the way of righteousness and of truth. We pray that that wonderful
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the eternal love of God our
Father and the sacred, divine love of the Spirit of God may
rest and abide upon us as we gather round thy Word, that we
may feel the power of thy Word, that we may feel the application
of thy Word into our hearts. We do humbly beseech of For Lord,
without thy heavenly power, no sweets the gospel can afford,
no drops of heavenly dew will fall. We pray for that dew of
heaven, for the love of God to be shed abroad in our hearts.
We pray to be brought to sweetly experience, yea, I have loved
thee with an everlasting love, therefore with Loving kindness
have I drawn thee. O Lord, we do pray that thou
wouldst draw us here this afternoon to thyself, that we may live
near thy heart, upon thy bosom lean, and all thy sovereign holy
will esteem. We pray for grace to be humbled
under the mighty hand of God, or do humble us, do grant humility
and love, do grant, O Lord, that continual and deep realisation
of our own sinfulness, our own wretchedness. We have to so often
cry, O Lord, as the dear Apostle himself did, O wretched man that
I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death. Lord,
we do pray that they would come and deliver us here this afternoon,
breathe comfort where distress abounds, and graciously reveal
unto us the precious things of Jesus Christ. For Lord, these
things are revealed, and we do pray that they may be revealed
here this afternoon unto us, and that the truth in all its
living power in all its divine reality, may be known and felt
and realized and experienced in our hearts. We do humbly beseech
of thee. Thy word, O Lord, declares that
none come except the Father drawn, O that we may be drawn, that
we may be guided. Guide us, O thou great Jehovah. Pilgrims in a barren land, we
are weak, but Thou art mighty. Hold us with Thy powerful hand.
We do humbly beseech Thee. Come and break the bread of life
among us. Come and open the word of truth
to our heart and to our understanding. We do humbly beseech Thee. We
read in Thy word and then open, He, their understanding, that
they might understand the Scriptures. And we do pray that it may be
so here today that our understanding may be enlightened, that we may
understand thy holy word, and that thy holy word may be breathed
into our hearts, that we may be made spiritually minded, that
our affections may be set upon things above, not on things of
the earth. Remember our brethren the deacons,
grant wisdom, grace, and help in all their responsibilities.
Remember, each one of our brethren and sisters in church fellowship.
Remember, O Lord, all in affliction and trouble and trial and perplexity,
sorrow, sadness, bereavement. Lord, we do pray that thou would
visit us with thy great salvation. We pray that those in darkness
may be brought into light and those in bondage may be brought
into liberty. and those far off may be made
nigh. We earnestly petition thee for
the prodigals that have wandered away and have no desire to be
with us. We pray that the appointed time
might roll on apace, not to propose but call by grace to turn their
feet to Zion's hill. Lord, we pray that it may be
thy sovereign pleasure So to do. We think of the wonderful
gospel promises in thy word and we come to plead them. Before
thee, I will bring thy sons from far, thy daughters from the ends
of the earth. Lord, we pray that in this village,
in the surrounding villages and hamlets, many, many, many precious
souls may be gathered in. And perhaps, Lord, there are
those much further afield that will be gathered into this little
sanctuary to worship thee in spirit and in truth. Lord, so
build us up, a truly spiritual people. Work mightily, work powerfully,
work effectually. Fulfill that wonderful promise,
I will work and who shall let it? Lord, we do pray to be delivered
from Satan's power and from his influence and from his temptations. Oh, we do pray that when the
enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord may lift
up a standard against him and the glories of Christ may be
revealed and the light of the gospel shine where there is darkness. We do humbly beseech them. And
oh Lord, we pray that it will set thy people at liberty. and
that thou wouldst proclaim liberty unto the captives. And where
there is sickness, give healing. There may be those that are sick
of heart. We pray that thou wouldst heal them. Heal us, Emmanuel,
here we are, waiting to feel thy touch. Deep-wounded souls,
to thee we pray, and, Saviour, we usher. We pray for those that
have been waiting for a long time. They keep seeking, they
keep praying, They keep coming. Lord, we pray that thou wouldst
send answers of peace, that thou wouldst graciously reveal thyself. We do humbly beseech of thee. Lord, we pray for the little
ones and the children as they're brought into the sanctuary, that
thou wouldst bless them indeed, that thou wouldst put thy holy
fear in their hearts, for the fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom. And we do pray that thou wouldst
indeed bless the young and the rising generation, our young
friends. Bring them to live in faith in
Jesus Christ. Make them true followers of thee
and of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Bless them, O Lord, we beseech thee for thy great namesake. No, Lord, we do pray that thou
in thy precious mercy would remember parents and give them wisdom
and grace and help to bring up their children in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord. Lord, we do pray that thou would
be with us each in the coming week, a time set apart to remember
the wonderful glories of the incarnation of the Son of God. We pray that our affections may
be set upon things above and not on things of the earth. We
do humbly beseech them. And may the joy of the Lord fill
our hearts at that wonderful glory of the incarnation of the
Son of God. And that we may behold his glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. We do pray, most gracious God,
that thou, in thy precious mercy, would remember all in the midst
of the journey of life and undertake for each one. I know, Lord, we
do pray for those in the evening time of life's journey. We pray,
Lord, that thou would be with us and grant that at evening
time there may be light and that thou wouldst grant us at the
appointed time an abundant entrance into thy heavenly kingdom. Impress upon each one of our
hearts, whether young or old, the brevity of life, the solemnity
of death, and the tremendous realities of eternal judgment. We do humbly beseech thee for
thy great namesake. We pray for all thy servants
as they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion, that
thou would set them free, that thou would set them at liberty,
that they may dip their foot in oil, that they may be made
acceptable unto the brethren. Lord, we pray that thou in thy
precious mercy would send out thy light and thy truth in the
length and breadth of our nation. and grant that we may see a reviving
in the Church of God. Lord, we thank Thee for Thy Word,
the glorious Gospel of the grace of God in Jesus Christ. We thank Thee for the glory of
His person, the fullness of His grace. We thank Thee that He
give us more grace. We thank Thee that there is more
grace. We thank Thee that there is an
abundance of grace, for He is full of grace and truth. We thank Thee for that wonderful
glory of the incarnation of the Son of God. We thank Thee for
the holy life that He lived as a man here upon earth and thereby bringing in everlasting
righteousness. in that perfect obedience of
the holy God-man. We thank Thee for that mystery
of God manifest in the flesh. We thank Thee for that glorious
everlasting robe of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We thank Thee
for Gethsemane where our sin was laid upon Him. He laid upon
Him the iniquity of us all. We thank Thee for the willingness
of our Lord Jesus to submit Himself to His Heavenly Father, to suffer,
bleed and die for the sins of His people. Oh, we thank Thee
for that holy, sin-atoning sacrifice of the Cross of Calvary. We thank
Thee that He died for our sins and rose again for our justification. Jesus, knowing that all things
are now accomplished, we thank Thee that all things are now
accomplished. Sin has been put away. Death
has been swallowed up in victory. Life and immortality are brought
to light through the risen Saviour. And He has bodily ascended into
heaven. We do bless Thee for a risen
and now exalted Saviour who sitteth at the right hand of the Father,
and that he will come again in like manner as he ascended into
heaven, when he comes to judge the world in righteousness, when
he comes to receive his people unto himself. We thank thee for
these glorious hopes that are set before us and the wonderful
reality of the glories of Christ, of the wonders of redeeming love.
Lord, as we are with thee at the throne of grace, we would
remember those places on earth where there is violence and bloodshed
and war. Oh, we do pray that thou wouldst
bring to naught the counsels of the ungodly, that thou wouldst
put a stop to war. Lord, tens of thousands are being
launched from time into eternity. that thou art God over all. Thy word declares, yet have I
set my King upon my holy hill of Zion. In the midst of all
those terrible conflicts and the heartache and the torment,
we pray that the light of the gospel may shine. We think of
Ukraine and the church in the Ukraine. We pray for them. We think of Israel and the church
in Israel, in those surrounding countries. And we pray that thou
wouldst be with and support and sustain thy people. And that
though these things are so terrible, may there be a furtherance of
the gospel. In the midst of it all, may precious
souls be turned unto Jesus Christ, the only Saviour, of sinners. Be with us now, Lord, as we turn
again to thy holy word. Come and touch one's lips with
the live coal from off the heavenly altar. We ask for Jesus Christ's
sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 145. The tune is University College,
515. Christ exalted is our song. Hymn
by all the blood-bought throng. To his throne our shout shall
rise. God with us by sacred ties. Hymn 145. Tune University College 515.
? With the Lord at the cross ?
? To his side the church shall rise ? ? God, without thy sacred
light ? ? Have faith in the good I love
? ? Be as once a child, yet strong ? ? Rich and good, far from denied
? ? Enter all my children mine ?
? If I breathe in wonder here ? ? Symptom may well be mine
? Praise the heaven-born children
Bright in heart, love, and glory ? Come help me lead ? ? Darkness
in his fields obscene ? ? Still to me to serve thy eyes ? ? It will turn and turn with light
? ? If I should be a dream ? ? Is it can turn and turn with light
? ? Prayers of perpetual love ? ? Holy as the Holy One ? ? To the height of kings of grace
? ? Shining with the brilliant light ? ? With her sacred devotion ? ? Shepherds back on the way to
work ? ? Stirrings in the field, seeds to sow ? ? We have been crowned champions
in thee ? ? And we praise thee, O God, the King of kings ? Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I direct your attention again to the first
chapter in the gospel according to Luke, and chapter one, Luke's gospel, chapter one, and
we'll read verse one for our text. For as much as many have
taken in habit to set forth in order a declaration of those
things which are most surely believed among us. It's particularly
these words, a declaration of those things which are most surely
believed among us. We spoke this morning of, just
touched upon various things, the creation of the world, and
the terrible fall of man into sin, alienating himself from
God. We spoke of the awful depravity
of man in his totally ruined state and condition, and we cannot
overemphasise that. Man is totally incapable of worshipping
God, of fulfilling his holy commandments, because of that solemn reality
that he is born in sin and shaped in iniquity. He's unholy, he's
unrighteous, and God is holy and God is righteous. We read
in a number of occasions in Holy Scripture, those words, holy,
holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. He's a holy God. He is without
sin. He abhors iniquity. It says,
he will not at all acquit the guilty for the righteousness
and holiness of God. Those things most surely believed
among us. We believe that God has given
a holy law. It's recorded in several places
in holy scripture But in a very particular way, in Exodus chapter
20, the holy law of God is laid down for us there. And the commands
that God has given man. And a solemn curse that is added
to those commands. It is declared in Holy Scripture
that the wages of sin is death. The wages of sin is death. That's
eternal death. It's eternal torment. Eternal
damnation. And these are among those truths
that it's a declaration of those things most surely believed among
us. God has appointed a time when
he will judge the world in righteousness by that man who he has appointed. And that man, of course, is the
man Christ Jesus. He's the Holy Son of God that
is manifest in the flesh. And God has appointed a time, a time when he would judge the
world in righteousness. We read in Hebrews chapter 9,
a declaration of that truth, as it is appointed unto man once
to die. after death, the judgment. In the first epistle of John
we have that clear declaration, sin is any transgression of the
law of God, that is what sin is, it's a transgression of God's
holy law. We've often declared unto you
the meaning of the word transgression, to transgress, The idea behind
the word transgress. The idea behind it, and there's
an idea behind every word, there's a meaning behind each word. But
the meaning behind the word transgression is a boundary. It's like a field
with livestock in it. And you put a fence or a hedge
all the way around it to keep the livestock within that field. You set a boundary. God has set
a boundary around man. And that boundary is Holy Righteous
Law, the Ten Commandments. And if we break the Ten Commandments, then we transgress. In the Epistle of James, again
there's a declaration of the truth of God, that he that is
guilty in one point is guilty of all. So it's no good making
an excuse and saying, I've done this but I haven't done that,
I haven't done that. My beloved friends, he that is guilty in
one point, is guilty of all, he's broken God's holy law. And he must and shall suffer
the consequences. And when you and I break God's
holy righteous law, we must and will suffer the consequences.
The soul that sinneth, it shall die. it shall die. That is the
declaration of those things which are most surely believed among
us. But there is a way been made
by God to deliver His people from sin and from the law. from its curse. Cursed, again
this is a declaration in the word of God, cursed is every
man that doeth not all things that are written in the book
of the law to do them. The hymn writer takes that very
point up doesn't he? Cursed be the man forever cursed
that does one willful sin We all have sinned and come short
of the glory of God, the declaration of those things which are most
surely believed among us. We read in prophecy of our Lord
Jesus Christ. We pointed out what we read this
morning in Genesis chapter 3, the seed of the woman, that's
the first promise of the coming of Christ. Immediately after
the fall of man it's declared, God declared unto man that there
would be a seed born of the woman that would bruise the serpent's
head. The serpent that deceived Eve, his head would be bruised,
he would be destroyed. And we are instructed in the
first epistle of John, there's a declaration there of the truth,
that the Lord Jesus Christ came to destroy the works of the devil. That was the purpose of the Son
of God coming here upon earth as a man. to destroy the works
of the devil. What a wonderful glory there
is then. The hymn writer says, doesn't
he, a door of hope is open wide. In Jesus' bleeding hands and
side. The hymn writer says, without
thy sweet mercy I could not live here. sin soon would reduce me
to utter despair, that sweet mercy that flows through a crucified
saviour, a crucified saviour. What wonderful glory there is
revealed in our Lord Jesus Christ, and that he would bruise the
serpent's head, that he would destroy the works of the devil,
and this is what was promised throughout the Old Testament
and clearly and beautifully revealed in the New Testament. You know
we read in Paul's epistle to the Hebrews of the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ and the fulfilling of the promise of
our Lord Jesus Christ in coming to this sinful wretched world
and how that he came to destroy the works of the devil. My mind,
it just goes to the epistles of the Hebrews in chapter two
and how beautifully the apostle sets before us the glorious person
of our Lord Jesus Christ. He gives a word of admonition in the beginning of that chapter
two. Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the
things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them
slip. This is a declaration that God has given to us. All scripture
is given by inspiration of God and this is a declaration of
God's word unto man. For if the word spoken by angels
was steadfast, and by that he's referring to the giving of the
law, and every transgression and disobedience received the
just recompense of reward, how shall we escape? You know, there
is a solemn, terrible warning that comes with the law. Cursed
is every man, forever cursed. who breaks the holy law. But
what the apostle is saying here, in the gospel of Jesus Christ,
in the declaration of that gospel, there is a greater light that
is given. And he says, how shall we escape
if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be
spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard them? but also bearing their witness
both with signs and wonders, with divers miracles and gifts
of the Holy Ghost according to his own will. See, a declaration. There's a declaration here of
the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and what it means. Verse seven. Thou madest him,
that's the Son of God, thou madest him a little lower than the angels.
See, this is actually speaking of the creation of Adam on this
earth. Thou madest him a little lower
than the angels. But if you look down at verse
nine, but we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the
angels for the suffering of death. Notice that that is why the Son
of God became incarnate for the suffering of death. As the Son
of God, he could not die. That's an impossibility. It's
not possible that God could die. But as the Son of God, in that
profound mystery of godliness, when he He took into union with
his divine nature, a sacred, holy human nature. And in that
nature, he could live a life that was holy, that was pure, that was righteous.
What you can't do, what I can't do, Jesus has done. And in that
holy, pure and righteous life that Jesus lived as a man here
upon earth is the fulfilling of the law of God. As it says
in Isaiah, he will magnify the law and make it honorable. But we see Jesus, who was made
a little lower than the angels. In other words, he became a man
for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he,
by the grace of God, should taste death for every man. Then it speaks so beautifully
of his divine nature for it became him for whom are all things by
whom are all things this is speaking of the omnipotent savior the
omnipotent son of god the almighty son of god who has all power
given unto him in heaven and earth for it became him for whom
are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons
unto glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect, complete,
through sufferings. How are we to look at that perfect
through sufferings? I should explain to you that
the word perfect sometimes is translated complete. We must remember what we read
in Isaiah chapter 53. He, that is our Eternal Father,
laid upon Him, that is His only begotten Son, that was manifest
in the flesh. He laid upon Him the iniquity
of us all. That is what happened in the
Garden of Gethsemane. He laid upon Him the iniquity
of us all. when he lived that perfect holy
life, when he suffered, bled and died on Calvary, that was for his people, that
was for the sins of his people. And that's what it's speaking
of there in verse 10 in Hebrews 2, perfect through sufferings. He was made sin for us. Jesus,
the Son of God, was made sin for us. In 2 Corinthians 5, the
last verse, it speaks there, He that knew no sin was made
sin for us. The pure, the holy, the spotless
person of Jesus, the Son of God, was made sin for us. Do you ever
stop to think, to meditate, to consider the sufferings of Jesus Christ?
Do you ever stop to think and consider that that is our salvation? What we should have suffered
forever in eternal damnation, He suffered for us. We just read
in Isaiah 53, he was wounded for our transgressions. He was
bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him and with his stripes we are healed. See my beloved friends He says
here in verse 14 and it's speaking of the incarnation of the Son
of God Hebrews 2 verse 14 for as much then as the children
are partakers Who does he mean by the children? It means all
those that the father gave him before the foundation of the
world All those that were chosen by
the father were given to the son by deed of gift, before the foundation
of the world. Doesn't Peter bring that out
in his first epistle? For as much as you were not redeemed
with corruptible things such as silver and gold from your
vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb slain from
before the foundation of the world, in the eternal councils
of God, which cannot be thwarted, which cannot be overturned, in
those eternal councils, in the everlasting covenant ordered
in all things and sure. It was decreed and purposed that
Jesus, the Son of God, would suffer, bleed and die for the
sins of his people. and that it was decreed that
he would become a man, that he would live here upon earth. As
the apostle puts it in Galatians 4, verse 4, made of a woman,
made under the law, that he might redeem them that are under the
law. For as much then as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took
part of the same. Notice again the connection that
through death he might destroy him that had the power of death,
that is the devil. He came to destroy the works
of the devil and deliver them who through fear of death were
all their lifetime subject to bondage. And it speaks of the
reality of his human nature here in verses 16 and 17. For verily he took not on him
the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
Wherefore, in all things, it behoved him to be made like unto
his brethren. He became bone of our bone, flesh
of our flesh. You know, in the It's needful for us to remind
ourselves, in the book of Genesis, it's clearly defined what human
nature is. It says that God took up the
dust of the ground and he formed the body of Adam. It's only God can do that from
the dust of the ground, isn't it? All the complexities of the
human body and God formed, how it declares
the glory of God, the complexity of the human body, created by
God, made out of the dust of the earth. And then we read,
and God breathed into man the breath of life and man became
a living soul, a living soul. And you and I, receive from our
parents that human nature, a body and a soul. It comes at conception in the
womb, a body and a soul. And that is what human nature
is. Some try to argue that the soul doesn't come until the baby
is born. That is contrary to the word
of God. That's contrary to the truth
of God. The body without the spirit is
dead. Being alone. What animates and
gives life to that body is the soul. God breathed into man the
breath of life and man became a living soul. This is a declaration,
my beloved friends, of the distinction between human life and animal
life. The beasts of the field, the
birds of the air, the fish of the sea, they do not have a soul. They do not have a human nature. They have a body, but no soul. And when they die, they die,
and that's it. But with man, Man became a living soul. He
was created in the image of God. The soul is the seat of our intellect
and this is what distinguishes man from the beast of the field.
It's the seat of our intellect, our reason. Hence it's often
called by theologians a reasonable soul and the reason it's called
a reasonable soul is because it's the seat of our reason,
our intellect. And in that sense, we have the
image of God. We are the image of God. For
as much then, as the children are partakers of flesh and blood,
he also himself likewise took part of the same. that through
death he might destroy him that had the power of death. You see
it goes on in verse 17, where for in all things, there's a
very important word that verse 17, in all things, it behoved
him to be made like unto his brethren. Just the same as we
are. He had a body and a soul. And
he lived in that body and soul here upon earth as a man. That he might be a merciful and
faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation
for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered
being tempted, he is able to suffer them that are tempted. great high priest. For such a high priest have we.
You see, and in that sacrifice that he offered on the cross
of Calvary, because he lived without sin, it was holy. It was pure. Now, this is a declaration
of the things most surely believed among us, that Jesus was pure,
was holy. was righteous, that Jesus did
no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. And this is an absolutely fundamental
doctrine of our most holy faith, that Jesus did no sin. He lived here for 33 years as
a man and he never sinned, not in thought, nor in word, nor
in deed. You know friends, That's something
that we can really hardly comprehend because we are full of sin and
we have sinful thoughts, sinful desires, we have a corrupt nature
and we can hardly conceive in our minds somebody that is absolutely
pure, spotless, innocent and pure. Our great Redeemer stood
Satan's fiery darts he bore and did resist to blood. You know
the Son of God in his divine nature could not suffer temptation. It says so in the Bible. God
cannot be tempted of evil. He cannot be tempted of evil. God manifest in the flesh, in
that profound mystery of godliness, he could be tempted of evil. And he was tempted of evil. Satan tempted him for 40 days
and 40 nights in the wilderness. And he never sinned, he never
succumbed. You see the first Adam, And this
rested much with me yesterday when I was seeking to prepare
for these services. The first Adam was of the earth
earthy. The second Adam is the Lord from
heaven. And we read in the 1 Corinthians chapter 15 concerning
these Adams. The first Adam was the federal
head of the human race, the first man created and the father of
us all. The second Adam is Christ. And
so the Apostle writes in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 45 and so it is written
the first man Adam was made a living soul The last atom was made a
quickening spirit, albeit that was not first which is spiritual,
but that which is natural, and afterwards that which is spiritual.
The first man is of the earthy, the second man is the Lord from
heaven. That's our Lord Jesus Christ,
the first man and the second man. Adam is the federal head of the
human race, Christ is the great king and head of the church. And again, let us just look at
Romans chapter five. And in Romans chapter five, the
Apostle Paul very clearly sets before us there, our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ. as the second Adam. And so we notice there in verse
14 of Romans 5, nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses,
even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's
transgression. Who is the figure? Notice this,
Adam is a figure of Christ, who is the figure of him that was
to come. But not as the offence, so also
is the free gift. For if through the offence of
one, that is Adam of course, many be dead, much more the grace
of God and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ,
hath abounded unto many. And not as it were by the one
that sinned, so is the gift. For the judgment was by one to
condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. For if by one man's offense,
that is Adam, death reigned by one, much more they which receive
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign
in life by one Jesus Christ. Therefore, by the offence of
one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation. Even so, by
the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men under
justification of life. Therefore, being justified by
faith, says so at the beginning of chapter five, therefore being
justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein
we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Justified
by faith. And that is what he's speaking
of in verse 18. Therefore, as by the offense
of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so
by the righteousness of one, that's Christ, the free gift
came upon all men unto justification of life. Justification is the
doctrine whereby the believer is declare to be free from sin
through the precious blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ. The believer is completely free. If the Son shall make you free,
then shall ye be free indeed. For as by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many
be made righteous. as through the obedience of our
Lord Jesus Christ, through his fulfilling of the holy law and
bringing in everlasting righteousness, so the whole church is justified
in Christ. Sinner, there's nothing for you
to do. Jesus has done it all. Jesus
lived, suffered, bled, and died for his people. rose again for
our justification. And that rising from the dead
is the declaration that sin has been put away, that divine justice
has been satisfied. Hence it says rose again for
our justification. What a glorious precious truth
is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Moreover the law entered that
the offence might abound, but where sin abounded, grace, that's
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, grace did much more abound. Our sin hath reigned under death,
even so might grace reign through righteousness, that's the righteousness
of Christ, unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Oh, my beloved friends, this
is a declaration. of those things which are most
surely believed among us. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God
hath not life. The Apostle speaks of it in Galatians
and he speaks of those that have been brought into that sacred
union with Christ and they've been made believers in our Lord
Jesus Christ. I love that beautiful verse in
Galatians chapter two. And he speaks of the law. And
he says, verse 19, for I through the law and dead to the law by
my live unto God, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I
live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in thee. 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." What a wonderful declaration
there is there of the precious truth of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. The life I now live is not the
life he used to live. And every true believer will
confess that. The life I now live It's not
like the life I used to live. The life I now live, I live by
faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. You know, friends, and what this
will do, a realization of this, the tremendous cost of your salvation
through that suffering Saviour, it will make you desire to live
to Him. It will make you want to live
according to the precepts of the gospel. It will make you
want to do good unto all men, especially unto the household
of faith. With that precious faith that
is given, and believing in Christ, it's a faith that worketh by
love. A declaration of those things most surely believed among
us By their fruits ye shall know them. It's the words of our Lord
Jesus Christ. By their fruits ye shall know
them. You know, friends, it's very
important how we live and the life that we live. The life that
I now live, I live by faith. It's a faith that worketh by
love. And it is a faith that is obedient
unto Christ. It's submissive unto Christ.
And faith without works is dead, being alone. That there will
be an effect on our lives. Instead of living selfishly and
living unto ourselves, we live unto the Lord. We have, as it
were, a realisation of what it cost Him to redeem us. The life I now live I live by
faith. Let us lay aside every way and
the sin that does so easily beset us. Let us run with patience
the race that is set before us. You say, how can I do that? Looking
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. The closer we live
to the Lord Jesus, the closer we shall resemble in the way
that we did. He went about doing good. He
loved his neighbour as himself. He fulfilled the law. And if
you and I love our Lord Jesus Christ, you will desire to do
everything that he did. As the Apostle says in the Romans,
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that's
that wonderful mercy of you, you've received through that
sin atoning sacrifice on the cross of Calvary, by the mercies
of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy
and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And
be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed. By the
renewing of your mind, you might know what that good and perfect
an acceptable will of the Lord is. A declaration of those things
which are most surely believed among us. On Christmas Day, I
hope to continue with this text, but then it will be in the context
of this first chapter of the Lord Jesus Christ and the incarnation
of the Son of God. May the Lord add His blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 167. The tune is Diademata, 77. Come all harmonious tongues, your noblest music bring, tis
Christ the everlasting God, and Christ the man we sing. Tell
how he took our flesh to take away our guilt. Sing the dear
drops of sacred blood that hellish monsters spill. Hymn 167, tune
Diademata 77. ? There's no escape ? ? O say can you see ? ? By the
dawn's early light ? ? What so proudly we hailed ? O say can you see, by the dawn's
early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's ? And the rich bough of Nauvoo
? ? The purpose weapons mine ? ? The weight of scarlet grain
? When there is water round, And
mountains of almighty ground, And in the eye of the star, Bound to the state of death Be
bound, little foul man Yet he arose to live and reign,
And death itself is dead. No more the crown is bare, ? And worship Him so low ? ? For heaven and nature
sing ? ? So praise Him ? ? And all the heavens adore ? ? Where the redeemer sleeps ? ?
High on his highest throne ? ? The Father raises ? ? Angels choir
? ? Sounds of joy ? There is hope, glory, joy, Where
the free and 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.