The notices for the coming week
are, God willing, as follows. Pastor will preach here next
Lord's Day at 10.30 and 2 o'clock. There will be no service here
on Tuesday evening nor on Thursday evening, but there will be a
service on Wednesday morning, Christmas Day at 9.30. And there
will be a collection taken at the Christmas Day service for
the Mombasa mission. Let us commence our services
today by singing together hymn 88. The tune is Adoration 276. How wondrous are the works of
God, displayed through all the world abroad, immensely great,
immensely small, yet one strange work exceeds them all. Hymn 88, tune Adoration O wondrous are the works of the
Lamb! His faith throughout the ages ? Of the road ? ? Limits he made
? ? With fancy school ? ? Yet God's great purpose ? ? He demurred
? Deep from the sun, their path
of light, The moon and stars stir up the night, ? The light and stars and bird
and song ? ? A little world for everyone ? He robed the seas, and set the
skies. Great can he sing, and countenance
bright, The meadows grow with ancient
green, And in the rivers' sight we dream. But not a seat or sight or veil,
Over the clouds or climbing rails, to the first man was born to
me. And on the star, redeeming love, is coming on Mother's express. All saints can pray for angel
? Angels a-tipping great diamonds
? ? Gold and pearl before the ground ? the highest end of human beings. It is deeper than the vast abyss. It is more than hope, O come, let us adore Him, O come,
let us adore Him, Almighty God, Son, and Human
Bread, The Lord of mine exuberances, How it falls down, we can't express
The need we know causes none for us Yes, with this pain and mental
strain, Our hearts in love, our voice in praise, O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the
brave? ? Childs may press on ev'ry storm
? ? They may be strong, they must be sure ? We now believe a certain shall
be the greatest glories of our old friendship. Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the book of Genesis and chapter 3. Genesis chapter 3. Now the serpent was more subtle
than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he
said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said. ye shall not eat of
every tree of the garden. And the woman said unto the serpent,
we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the
fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God
hath said, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it,
lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the
woman, ye shall not surely die. For God doth know that in the
day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye
shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman
saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant
to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she
took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her
husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of them both
were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed
fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. And they heard
the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of
the day. And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence
of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God
called unto Adam and said, Where art thou? And he said, I heard
thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked,
and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that
thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof
I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The
woman whom thou gavest to be with me She gave me of the tree,
and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the
woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said,
The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the Lord God said
unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed
above all cattle, and above every beast of the field. Upon thy
belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of
thy life. And I will put enmity between
thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed, and it
shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the
woman, he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow thou shalt bring forth
children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall
rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, that because
thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten
of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not
eat of it, cursed is the ground for thy sake. In sorrow shalt
thou eat of it all the days of thy life, Thorns at all sows
and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the
herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt
thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground. For out of it
wast thou taken, for thus thou art, and under dust shalt thou
return. When Adam called his wife's name
Eve, because she was the mother of all living. Unto Adam also
and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins and clothed
them. And the Lord God said, Behold,
the man is become as one of us to know good and evil. Now therefore,
lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life
and eat and live forever, Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from
the garden of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken.
So he drove out the man and he placed at the east of the garden
of Eden cherubims and a flaming sword which turned every way
to keep the way of the tree of life. May the Lord bless thee. reading of his own precious word,
grant to us the spirit of real prayer. Almighty, most merciful and eternal
God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, we bow before thy glorious majesty
and we desire a spirit of true worship. We desire, most gracious
Lord, sweet and sacred influence of the Holy Ghost in our hearts
that we may truly worship Thee in spirit and in truth and we
desire that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love
of God our Father and the sacred fellowship of the Holy Spirit
may rest and abide upon us. Thy word declares unto us as
many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God. O gracious God, we do pray that
we may be led by thy Spirit this day, even the Spirit of truth,
that glorious third person in the blessed Trinity. And we do
pray that he might enlighten us and that the word of the Lord
may be made a living word in our hearts. in our very souls,
and that the word of the Lord may read us as we read it, and
that we may have revealed unto us by thy Spirit our lost condition,
our helpless and our hopeless condition. And we pray that that
same blessed Spirit that reveals our lost condition may reveal
unto us the way of life. Lord Jesus, thou didst say, I
am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the
Father but by me. Oh, we do pray that Thou wouldst
graciously come, open our eyes and our ears and our hearts,
give us feet to run in the way of Thy holy commandments. We
do humbly pray Thee. And Lord Jesus, we do pray that
Thou wouldst come and stand in our midst, that we may behold
Thy glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth, that we may behold thee as our prophet,
our priest and our king, that we may touch the hem of thy garment
and draw from that sacred fullness that is in thee. A fullness resides
in Jesus our head and ever abides to answer our need. We do pray,
Lord Jesus, that thou would impart to us of that sacred holy fullness
that is in thee, the fullness of thy atoning love and blood. May we taste and handle and feel
of the good word of life we do humbly beseech thee. May we feel
and know the sacred drawings of our heavenly Father, for none
come except the Father draw. And may we experience, O Lord,
in our hearts even today as we gather round the word For God
hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying,
Abba, Father. Lead us, we pray thee, into the
truth, and grant that we may know the truth, and the truth
may set us free. We humbly beseech of thee. Remember
us as a church and as a congregation. Remember our brethren the deacons,
and give needed grace, wisdom, and help in all their responsibilities,
and graciously remember each one of our brethren and sisters
in church fellowship, and draw near to each one, fill our hearts
with love, grant us union and communion, help us to love each
other, to serve each other, to bear each other's burdens, thereby
fulfilling the law of Christ. Oh, do hear us, Lord, we pray
thee. deliver us from the work of the enemy who is the separator
of the brethren, and grant us clearer views of the glories
of Christ, of the wonders of redeeming love, and grant that
we may drink of that pure fountain of the everlasting love of our
Triune Jehovah, we do humbly beseech thee. And we do pray,
most gracious Lord, that thou wouldst remember the whole of
our congregation. Remember them with the favour
that thou bearest unto thy people, and visit them with thy great
salvation. O Lord, we do beseech thee. Remember
the prodigals that have wandered away, that have no desire, but
toward this place. Grant that the time may come
when they shall turn their feet to Zion's hills, Gracious God,
hear us, we pray thee, and grant us this rejoicing to see the
prodigals returning. Hear us, O Lord, we pray. Lord,
we pray that thou would remember the little ones, the children,
and bless them indeed, and grant the fear of the Lord, which is
the beginning of wisdom, may be given unto them in their young
and in their tending years. We often think, O Lord, of those
lovely words of our Lord Jesus Christ, suffer little children
to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom
of heaven. May we not do anything to hinder
the children or the young people. Remember the young people, Lord.
Bring them to living faith in Jesus Christ. Teach them thy
ways, lead them into into thy paths, O Lord, we pray thee.
Oh, we beseech thee, Lord, quicken souls and make them cry, give
me Christ or else I die. Let thy work appear unto thy
servants and thy glory unto their children. Remember the young
friends, grant them a partner in life's journey, one that fears
thy name. We do humbly beseech of thee. Be with them in all the paths
of providence, in their education and employment, in whatever way
it may be, O Lord, that they may feel to need thee. Help them
to cast their burden upon the Lord. Lord, remember parents
and give wisdom and grace to bring up their children in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord. And, O Lord, we do pray that
thou wouldst remember the families in their homes and grant that
the word of God may be read and prayer made, for all things are
sanctified by the word of God and prayer. Remember any and any particular
trouble or trial or perplexity or temptation. Remember thy promise,
O Lord, that when the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of
the Lord will lift up a standard against him. Grant that we may. know that sacred experience,
O Lord, we do beseech thee. And we pray, most gracious Lord,
that those remember all in the midst of the journey of life
and graciously bring them to thy feet as poor, needy, penitent
sinners. We do humbly pray thee. Remember
those, O Lord, that perhaps at this time are being disobedient,
and graciously bring them to the obedience of faith, we do
humbly pray thee. And O Lord, we do pray to remember
those of us in the evening time of life's journey. Remember us
with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people and visit us
with thy great salvation. Prepare us for that great change
which must come. And O Lord, we do pray that thou
would graciously remember this village, and that the glory and
light of the gospel may shine forth, the word distributed may
have free course, and thy name be honored and glorified, and
that this little house of prayer may be filled with hungry, longing
souls pressing into the kingdom of heaven. We think of those
wonderful gospel promises, O Lord, I will bring thy sons from far
and thy daughters from the ends of the earth. Lord, let thy work
appear unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children. We do humbly beseech thee. Remember all thy servants today
as they labour in word and doctrine. Graciously draw near to them
and bless them. We do humbly beseech thee. and
grant us all of utterance and the spirit of power and mighty
signs and wonders to follow the preaching of the word. Lord,
do hear us. Hear us in heaven, thy holy dwelling
place. And when thou hearest, O Lord,
forgive. We pray thee, the great Lord of the harvest, to send
true labourers into the harvest and to build the walls of Jerusalem. Lord, wherever thy servants stand,
wherever thy people gather in the length and breadth of this
nation and throughout the nations of the earth, remember them for
good. We do humbly pray thee. Remember,
O Lord, our nation. We live in the midst, O Lord,
of the spirit and power of Antichrist, and we pray that thou wouldst
arise and send out thy light and thy truth, and pull down
the strongholds of Satan. Lord, we pray for our leaders,
that they may be given wisdom and understanding, guidance and
direction. We pray for our King, that thy
rich blessing may rest upon him and upon the royal household
we do humbly beseech thee. And, O Lord, we pray that thou
would remember those that labour in word and doctrine through
the nations of the earth. We think especially of those
that go out from among us. We think of thy servant in the
Mombasa mission and pray that thou would gird him with all
sufficient grace and grant that he may see thy work appearing
and that precious souls may be gathered unto Christ. We pray
for the Savannah Education Trust and that great work in Ghana. Oh, that thou wouldst bless them
indeed, that it may be down to the great glory of thy name. We do humbly pray thee. Remember
thy servant Ian Sadler as he travels to so many different
countries in the distribution of thy holy word and in the exposition
of it. Help him, Lord. and supply all
these friends with their daily needs, O Lord, we do beseech
Thee. And, O Lord, we do thank Thee
for Thy holy day. We thank Thee for the freedom
we have to meet around Thy Word. We thank Thee for Thy Word, that
this is the Word by which the Gospel is preached unto you.
We thank Thee for Thy Word in our own language. We thank Thee
O Lord God, for our house of prayer and the supply of all
our many returning needs, thy mercies to us are new every morning
and great is thy faithfulness. And we thank thee, O Lord God,
especially for the incarnation of the Son of God. And we pray
that over this coming week, our hearts, our minds may be lifted
up unto thee to truly worship and praise thy great name for
the wonderful glory of God manifest in the flesh, the glory of our
Lord Jesus Christ. We thank thee that he was made
of a woman and made under the law that he might redeem them
that are under the law. We thank thee that he lived that
pure, that holy, that spotless life and bringing in everlasting
righteousness for his people. We thank thee for that sin-atoning
sacrifice of Calvary, for sin put away, for divine justice
satisfied, for reconciliation and peace through the precious
blood of the Lamb. We thank thee that he died for
our sins and rose again for our justification and is now bodily
ascended into heaven and sitteth at thy right hand. Gracious God. we would enter thy gates with
praise. And with the voice of thanksgiving,
we confess our unworthiness of the least of thy tender mercies. But come, Lord, and bless us
now. Come and touch one's lips with a live coal from off the
heavenly altar. Come and make up in giving where
we do so fail in asking. We ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 1107. The tune is Home 349. When some sweet promise warms our heart, and cheers us under every care.
It is the Spirit's gracious part to take that word and fix it
there. Hymn 1107, tune home 349. Christ, the Lord, is born of
God. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. In Jesus' name. Amen. ? To take the world ? ? And make
it better ? ? Oh, to take the world ? ? Come out of the grave
? ? The love of sin and hateful sight
? ? Is all created in this day ? Here she can bring contentment,
When we go away and not proceed. ? And by His chosen family crowned
? ? Thy schools of sin and wrongs complete ? I wait, I wait, waiting on the
throne. Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave Oh. O praise, O praise to Christ,
the God of glory, the God who was, and is, With hope prevailing, Shepherds
watch the hills approach, rightly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the Gospel
according to Luke chapter 1 and verse 1. Luke's Gospel, chapter 1, verse
1. For as much as many have taken
in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things,
which are most surely believed among us." And it's really this statement
of Luke, a declaration of those things which are most surely
believed among us. It's obviously a very comprehensive
work and The reason I read in Genesis
was that it speaks of the fall of man. And these are fundamental truths
of our most holy faith. We believe in that fundamental
doctrine that is taught in Holy Scripture of the total depravity
of man. And we emphasize that. There
are many, even in evangelical circles, that do not fully understand
the total depravity of man. That man is dead in trespasses
and in sins. And these things are most surely
believed among us. And we read together of that
fall of man, Obviously the time, we couldn't read more, but my
mind was drawn yesterday in thinking of this word, the declaration
of those things most surely believed among us. In the first chapter
of Holy Scripture, these are things most surely believed among
us. In the beginning, God. What a
statement. In the beginning, God. And as
we know, that word beginning doesn't mean God had a beginning. Actually, there is an element
in that word, it's speaking of the eternity of God, in the beginning
God. Indeed, these are fundamental
truths of our faith. It says in the commencement of
the Gospel according to John, in the beginning was the Word. Now that is written with a capital
W. Why? Because it's referring to
the Son of God. In the beginning was the Word.
Now listen to what it's saying here. And these are things most
surely believed among us. And the Word was with God. The Word was God. The same was
in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him.
And without Him wasn't anything made that was made. In Him was
life. And the life was the light of
men. And the light shineth in darkness. And the darkness comprehended
it not. The darkness in this world that
was brought about by the fallen man. that we read of together. These are the fundamental doctrines
of our most holy faith. Man's fall was complete. Man's fall was complete. It was
absolute. He died when he sinned. That means he died spiritually
when he sinned. He could no longer have communion
with God. God is a spirit and they that
worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth man is
incapable of that I remember hearing a man preach
many years ago now when we were on holiday and in his sermon
he was speaking from the book of Psalms pray for the peace
of Jerusalem Some of the things he said were quite nice. But
in the middle of his sermon, he laid great emphasis. You unconverted
sinners, pray for the peace of Jerusalem. And he emphasized
it and emphasized it. So as I was going out of the
chapel door, I shook hands with him. I said, friends, can you
just explain one thing to me? How can a man dead in trespasses
and in sins pray for the peace of Jerusalem? He said I didn't mean it like
that, but I said that's exactly what you said. You unconverted
sinners pray for the peace of Jerusalem. He was telling them
to do something that's impossible to do. Because they're dead. In trespasses and in sins. I feel the Apostle in Romans
chapter 3, he lays it out really clearly, the total depravity
of man. And he quotes to us from the
book of Psalms of course, in Romans chapter 3, in verse 10. As it is written, there is none
righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth,
There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of
the way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good.
No, not one. He's speaking here of man. Their
throat is an open sepulchre. With their tongues their views
deceit. The poison of Asp is under their lips, whose mouth
is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed
blood. Destruction and misery in their
ways. And the way of peace have they
not known? There is no fear of God before their eyes. What a
description of man. What a description of you and
me. As we are born in our natural
state. As the psalmist says, we are
born in sin. We are shapen in iniquity. Now when we look at these the
things most surely believed among us, we get it from the Word of
God. This is the Word of Truth. Holy
men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. The
Bible was written by divine inspiration. By divine inspiration. And therefore,
Whatever doctrine we hold to, whatever practice we hold to,
whatever experience we have, it must be consistent with the
Word of God. The Holy Ghost will never lead
you to do anything opposite to the Word of God. You know, over
the years you hear people and they talk to you and they say,
well the Lord led me to do this. And it's something that is completely
and absolutely opposite to what the Bible teaches. My beloved
friends, we can categorically say that that was not the Holy
Spirit that led them to do that. He will never need you. Contrary
to, and opposite to, the Holy Scriptures You know, the word
of God, and this is something so surely believed among us,
this depravity of man's heart. If you think of that word in
Jeremiah's prophecy, the heart of man, speaking of all men,
the heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately we must be informed, my beloved
friends, by the Word of God. And I would hope that if ever
I was to preach something that was contrary to God's Word, that
you would come and tell me so. It's what said the Scripture. That's the vital thing. And whether
the minister's preaching on doctrine, experience or practice, it must
be what said the scripture. And that is why, my beloved friends,
it is so important for us to constantly, to continually read
Holy Scripture. Somebody said of John Bundy,
prick him anywhere and he bleeds scripture. How right that is. We should prove everything Holy
Scripture. Our heart is so deceitful and
wicked and corrupt and depraved that will lead us astray. But
the Bible will never lead you astray. The Bible will never lead you
astray. A declaration of those things,
and that is what we find in the Bible, in the Word of God. A
declaration of of those things most surely believed among us. Probably the one thing that we
must speak of first is the doctrine of the Trinity. It's a fundamental doctrine of
our most holy faith. And you find it from Genesis
to Revelation, the doctrine of the Trinity. The Bible also makes
it abundantly clear there is one God. There is one God. The Lord our Lord is one Lord. One Lord. And yet, we have revealed in
Holy Scripture that within that Godhead are
three divine persons. Now, it says in Colossians, it
calls it a mystery, the mystery of God and of the Father and
of Christ. The mystery of God, that's the
Holy Ghost, of the Father and of Christ. It's a mystery. It's not something our natural
minds can see so clearly, because we would say, how can one be
three? And how can three be one? That's
our natural understanding. And yet, this is the mystery
that is revealed in Holy Scripture. In the first chapter of the book
of Genesis, And God said, let us, God in the singular, and then
the plural, and God said, let us, make man in our image. Again in the book of Genesis,
when the sons of men were building the Tower of Babel, and God said,
let us go down, let us go down. Again, it's speaking of the doctrine
of the Trinity, that us, the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Ghost. We read in the prophecy of Isaiah
concerning the Trinity, and it is in Isaiah chapter 48, and
verse 16, it speaks there so clearly of the Trinity, Come
ye near unto me, hear ye this. I have not spoken in secret from
the beginning. From the time that it was, there
am I. The person speaking is Christ. From the time that it was, there
am I. That's Christ. And now the Lord God and His
Spirit has sent me. So there we have the three persons
of the Trinity. and now the Lord God and His
Spirit has sent me. The person that is speaking is
the Son of God. He's speaking of Him being sent
forth into this world. So it opens to us the doctrine
of the Trinity. And of course, as you would expect
in the New Testament, these things are much clearer. a clearer revelation. We read
in the Gospel of Matthew, in the teachings of Christ, in the
baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ in the River Jordan, and how
that there's the Son of God being baptized, and it says in Matthew
chapter 3, And in verse 16, And Jesus, when he was baptized,
went up straightway out of the water, and, lo, the heavens were
opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like
a dove and lighting upon him. And, lo, a voice from heaven
saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. So
there we have the Spirit of God alighting on the Son of God that
was manifest in the flesh, and we hear the voice of the Eternal
Father speaking from heaven. And then in Matthew chapter 28,
the commission to the disciples,
and Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given
unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all
nations that tithe in them in the name of the Father and of
the Son. and of the Holy Ghost. Clearly, beautifully set before
us the sacred doctrine of the Trinity. And of course the clearest
message we have concerning the Trinity is found in the First
Epistle of John and Chapter 5. And there we have the, and it's
been a point of controversy for generations, There are those
that were denied that this verse is true. For there are three
that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy
Ghost, and these three are one. That comma, the Father, the Word,
and the Holy Ghost, and then the comma, and these three are
one, is called the Johannes comma. and modern liberal commentators
denied that it was in the original scriptures. You see the devil's
work is to destroy the foundation truths that are found in the
word of God and that are found in the scriptures of truth. A
declaration of the things most surely believed among us. And this is one the glorious
doctrine of the Trinity. And the Apostle Paul, when he
writes his epistle to the Ephesians, he says there in the second chapter
of verse 18, for through him, he's speaking of Jesus, the Son
of God, for through him, we have access by one Spirit unto the
Father. Again, the declaration of the
doctrine of the Trinity. It's what we believe, it's what
has been revealed. I remember that when it was so
clearly revealed to me, and I've been brought up in a Gotti house,
and I cannot say that I ever doubted what I was taught concerning
the doctrine of the Trinity. But after I was called by grace,
and some years later brought into Gospel Liberty, I was delivered
the incrogram, in fact a farm behind Forest Bowl Chapel. And
as I drove down to that farm, the Lord so blessed my soul,
I went in a little wood, and I knelt down before the Lord,
so overcome with His wonderful love and mercy to me, a poor
sinner. And this was nothing visually.
I went on my knees in that little wood, and I was so overwhelmed
with a sense of His love. I had such a revelation of the
Father that it was He that had chosen me from Adam's fall. It was He that had given me to
His Son before the foundation of the world. It was He that
sent His Son to suffer, bleed and die for my sins. It was such
a beautiful revelation. I felt such a love to my Eternal
Father. that He'd love me with an everlasting
love. Love with an everlasting love.
And then I felt such a love to the Lord Jesus Christ, that He
should come to this sinful world, that He should humble Himself
and become as a man, and live here as a man upon earth, and
fulfil and honour and magnify His holy righteous law. That's
what Christ did in His holy life. And I had such a clear revelation
of it. Oh, what a love I felt for the
Lord Jesus when He suffered and bled and died for my sins. He
rose again for my justification. And there I felt such a love
to the Holy Ghost who proceeded forth from the Father and the
Son. He entered into my heart. when I was dead in trespasses
and in sins. He quickened my soul into life.
He convinced me of my sin. He showed me the glories of Christ
and redeemed me. I felt such a love for the Holy
Spirit. But you know, the overarching
thing I felt, these three. One blessing in front. Now, you know, friends, As I
said, from a boy, I'd always believed in the doctrine of the
Trinity. But you know, when the Lord reveals Himself, and when
you have a sacred experience of it in your heart, it's indelibly
imprinted on your heart. Nobody can move you from it.
Because the Lord has revealed it, and you've felt His love
and His grace, a declaration. of those things which are most
surely believed among us. Now the Apostle, speaking of
God, he says, it is he that hath made us and not we ourselves. Hence we have the wonderful account
in Genesis chapter 1. I think there are 11 occasions
in Genesis chapter 1 where it says, and God said. And in Psalm
33, he says, by the word of the Lord were the heavens made. I believe there, by the word
of the Lord is a reference to the glorious person of Jesus
Christ, the son of God, the eternal word that was made flesh. by
the word of the Lord were the heavens made. And the act of
creation is attributed unto the Father, unto the Son, and unto
the Holy Ghost. Each one of them had a part because
they are one. They are one. And this great God that created
all things, we've just read that our Lord
Jesus Christ in Matthew that all power is given unto
me. It hath pleased the Father that
in him shall all fullness dwell. All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth in the glorious person of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we see that wonderful power
in creation. The heavens declare the glory
of God, day unto day uttereth speak, night unto night uttereth
knowledge. wonderful glory of God in creation. I remember the late Mr West,
I buried him at Black Boys Chapel. And I used to visit him a lot.
He retired from London down into Sussex. And he told me of a time
when it was springtime and he'd come down to his parents' home
for the weekend from London. And he said, I was in such a
dark place in my soul. He said, as I walked, I went
for a walk early in the morning down the lanes near Heathfield.
And he said the primroses were all out. He said it was so beautiful. The beautiful primroses, the
sun was shining, the green grass and the trees. He said it was,
and he said those, Words dropped into his heart with such power
and such sweetness. Let not your heart be troubled.
You believe in God. She said, with the glories of
creation, you believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's
house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I'd go to prepare a place for
you. Oh, he said, I had such a beautiful
revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He said instead of darkness
there was light, instead of bondage there was liberty. It's wonderful, my beloved. Instead
of being far off, He was made nigh. That's the only way that
you and I can ever be made nigh unto God. We're separated from
Christ because we're born in sin. This is a declaration of
those things most surely believed among us. We're separated from
God. Sin has separated us. We have a sinful inability to
believe and to lay hold of God. Not possible for us to do it.
Why? Because we're dead. We're dead. Spiritually dead. None that doeth good. None, not
one. It's only by the sovereign power
of the Spirit. You know, we read of the Spirit's
divine work in creation. In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth, and the Spirit of the Lord moved
upon the face of the waters. What I take that to mean is that
matter was created. And it was the Spirit of God
that moved on that matter and formed it. Now my beloved friends,
just as it needed that almighty power of the Holy Ghost in creation,
it needs that same power in your and my heart. It's with the heart
that man believed unto righteousness. Not with the head. Believing
is an act of faith. You can't believe unless you
have faith. And we are instructed very clearly
in Ephesians chapter 2, faith is the gift of God. It's a divine
act of the Holy Ghost to give faith. We're also instructed by the
Apostle in the Corinthians, know ye not that ye are the temple
of the Holy Ghost, if so be the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. The temple of the Holy Ghost,
every true believer, that is what makes them a believer, is
the Holy Ghost entering their heart, the Holy Ghost quickening
their soul, the Holy Ghost convincing them of their lost estate, the
Holy Ghost leading them to Jesus Christ in faith, to believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is the gift of God. It's a divine act of God the
Holy Ghost. We have that word in Timothy,
and again, it's a declaration of those things most surely believed
among us. The foundation of God standeth
sure, having this seal upon The Lord knoweth them that are his.
When man fell, God promised, we read of it this morning, the
seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head. That's Christ.
That's the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ. When man fell,
God gave a promise that there would be the seed of the woman.
And after that man was looking for the seed of the woman, for
the coming of the Messiah. This is what is clearly revealed
in the Holy Scriptures of truth. And it's only in Jesus, the Son
of God, that there is salvation. We read, do we not, that there
is salvation in none of us. There is none other name that
is given unto heaven whereby you must be saved, but the name
of Jesus Christ. His name shall be called Jesus,
for he shall save his people from their sins. This is the revelation in the
Old Testament, pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ, pointing to
the coming Messiah. And it is made very clear his
way is from everlasting in the prophecies concerning the coming
of Christ. He's the King Eternal, the Lord
Jesus Christ. He's an Almighty King. This is
revealed in Holy Scripture. He's able to save, he's able
to deliver from sin and Satan's power. the Lord Jesus Christ alone is
able to do that and this is what the Holy Spirit when he enters
into the heart of the poor sinner you know friends we often we
often emphasize the Lord Jesus Christ and how vital his work
is and of course it is absolutely vital but you know the work of
the Trinity is vital The work of the Trinity is right.
No man can say that Jesus Christ is Lord but by the Holy Ghost. But by the Holy Ghost. Romans
8, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, that's the Holy Ghost.
If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he have none of His. These Scriptures declare unto
us What is so vital in real religion? It's only by the sanctifying
power and work of the Holy Ghost, entering into the heart of a
poor sinner, that can bring that poor sinner from spiritual death
into spiritual life. The Apostle Paul, he opens it
up this so clearly in Ephesians chapter 2. You hath equipped So in this
word, which means to give life, you have been quickened who were
dead in trespasses and in sins. The vital question for each one
of us, whether we're young or old, have you been quickened
by the Holy Ghost? Have you been brought from spiritual
death into spiritual life? Spiritual death is spiritual
life. You realise your lost condition.
You realise your hopeless condition. You realise your hopeless condition.
It may be like one of the Himalayas says, you have an aching void
that the world can never fill. Do you have that aching void?
That longing, that yearning, You feel you don't know anything,
you feel that you're so far off, you feel completely dissatisfied
with your life. It's great mercy if the Lord
does that for you. That's the divine work of the
spirit in the heart that makes you feel dissatisfied. And it's
not until the Holy Spirit enters the heart that you and I can
discern the difference between spiritual darkness and spiritual
light. Because up until that time, we
do not discern these things. They are spiritually discerned. And we do not have spiritual
discernment. You know that very clearly. and
solemnly set before us in the first epistle to the Corinthians
in chapter 2. And it says there, he's quoting
from Isaiah verse 9, But as it is written, I have not seen,
nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things
which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed
them unto us by His Spirit, For the Spirit serves with all things,
yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things
of a man, so the Spirit of man which is in him. Even so the
things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God. Now we
have received, he's speaking here to Christian believers,
now we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the
Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that
are freely given to us of God. which things also we speak, not
in the word which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy
Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the
natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God,
for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually deserved. But he that is spiritual,
and by that he means He that is quickened by the Holy Ghost,
but he that is spiritual judge of all things, yet he himself
is judged of no man. But who have known the mind of
the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of
Christ. We have the mind of Christ. That's
the Christian belief, a declaration of those things most surely believed
among us. What a mercy! If you and I have
any little evidence of that divine work of the Holy Ghost in our
heart, when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, some would isolate
that word and say, well, that was just the day of Pentecost.
No, my beloved friends, that's for all time It's speaking, yes
he did, he was called forth on the day of Pentecost, but it's speaking of when he
comes to a sinner's heart, when he enters the soul, when he gives
spiritual light and life, when he has come, he will reprove
the marginal reading, which I prefer, he will convince the world righteousness
and of judgment and that word convince is a very strong word you know I've looked at it often
in this way it doesn't matter how deep your experience is and
some of the Lord's people do not have a deep profound experience
in fact many of them don't that their experience can be
spoken of like it is in Isaiah, hear a little, bear a little,
line upon line, precept upon precept. There's a gradual opening
up. There's a sense of unworthiness,
a sense of wretchedness, a sense of spiritual death, a sense of
separation from God. a realization that you're a sinner,
and that you need reconciling unto God. This is all the divine work of
the Spirit in the heart of the true believer. And as the Spirit
deepens that work in the heart, you know, some, like the Apostle
Paul, he would dramatically cut down on the road to Damascus.
And some aren't like that. And they can take it at the very
place where the Lord converted them. It was so clear, when you
were stopped in your mad career. But with others, they have a
job to deserve, especially those that have been brought up under
the sound of the truth. They have a job to deserve, where
the Lord began with them. But perhaps it's with them, like
it was with that blind man we read of in John chapter 9. One thing I know, one thing I
know, whereas I was blind, but now I see. I was blind, but now
I see. You see, this divine work of
the Spirit in the heart, you know that at one time you were
not concerned. You know that at one time you
came backwards and forwards to chapel just like the door has
hinges and it didn't mean anything to you. But there came a time when you came with a desire,
with a longing, with an appetite. The Lord Jesus puts it in this
way, Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness,
for they shall be filled. came a time when you desired
something, there was an inward need. There was an inward need. A longing. We read in Psalms,
don't we, he satisfied the longing soul and he filled the hungry
soul with goodness. How many of us here this morning
hunger? That's for spiritual things.
You come to chapel because you need to come. Because you want
to come. because you desire to come. A
wonderful thing if that change has taken place in your heart. And that only comes from the
indwelling of the Spirit of God in the heart. And with some,
gradually, Christ is made precious. Christ becomes the one thing
needed. With others, they have a very clear revelation. They're
delivered from that state of bondage and sin and corruption
and they're brought into the glorious liberty of the people
of God. There can be quite a dramatic
difference between the experience of one person and another. And
that is why we need to be very careful that we do not compare
our experience with someone else's. And also, the minister needs
to be very careful that he doesn't lay down his own experiences.
It's got to be the experience of everyone else. The Lord's people are all there
in very different ways. They're all from one spirit. All from one spirit. They're
all brought to the same place to fill their need of the Lord
Jesus Christ. and to seek the Lord Jesus Christ. Well friends, this afternoon,
if the Lord will enable us, I want to speak more clearly and fully
on the work of our Lord Jesus Christ, those things most surely
believed among us. May the Lord let us pray. Let us now sing together hymn
number 833. The tune is Swabia 71. By mercy, Lord, we praise. Of judgment, too, we see. For
all the riches of thy grace, our grateful tribute we give. Hymn 833. Tune, Swabia 71. ? Ever shall you be praised ? ?
For ever shall you be saved ? ? The home of the brave ? ? The
home of the brave ? ? The home of the brave ? ? Thus he went, thus he prayed
? ? As in that tranquil place ? ? And what then for him ? ?
In the fear returned for him ? Thy blessing in the skies, Thy
judgment's striking blow. Amen. ? His purpose ? ? And of thy righteousness
known ? ? Look at thy ancestors ? ? O praise
thy wondrous face ? ? How glorious is thy loveliness ? ? How terrific
thou art ? The loving goodness that we raise
To God's help in our need My God's the Fountain of all
goodness, And who creates is the same. For reasons I do struggle, 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 Amen.