at 10.30 and 2 o'clock. Pastor will preach here on Tuesday
evening this week at 7 o'clock and there'll be a prayer meeting
on Thursday evening at 7 o'clock. The collections of online giving
for November were £3,440.62 and donations to the book fund
were £295. We sincerely thank you for your
continued support of this cause of truth. Let us commence our services
today by singing together hymn 1127, the tune is Barnstable
294. When Zion's sons, great God appear, in Zion's courts for praise and
prayer, there in thy spirit deign to be as one with those who worship
thee. Hymn 1127, tune Barnstable 294. O tidings of great love appear,
O tidings of great love appear, Hail, with thy spirit named dear
thee, As one with those who else give thee. has gone without her
voice. Without thy suffering thou art
no more, Thou swift across them cannot fall. The drops of heav'nly love will
fall To cheer the weary country's soul to keep the weeping birds in
song. Which from the ♪ And shall away ♪ ♪ Take of the
grave ♪ ♪ All Jesus' pain ♪ ♪ Defuse, I Christ, it
♪ ♪ That shall be ♪ May God help peace that he brings here. May God help peace that he brings
here. Then shall we doubtless return,
Till our search be at the tip there. And, O how solemn, sweet and
cold, In hymns of joy to praise the Lord! In hymns of joy to Christ the
Lord. Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in Psalms 138 and 139. Psalms 138 and 139. I will praise thee with my whole
heart. Before the gods will I sing praise
unto thee. I will worship toward thy holy
temple and praise thy name for thy loving kindness and for thy
truth. For thou hast magnified thy word
above all thy name. In the day when I cried, thou
answerest me, and strengthenest me with strength in my soul.
All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord, when they
hear the words of thy mouth. Yea, they shall sing in the ways
of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. Though the
Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly, but the proud
he knoweth afar off. Though I walk in the midst of
trouble, thou wilt revive me. Thou shalt stretch forth thine
hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall
save me. The Lord will perfect that which
concerneth me. Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for
ever. forsake not the works of thine
own hands. O Lord, thou hast searched me
and known me. Thou knowest my down-sitting
and mine up-rising. Thou understandest my thought
afar off. Thou compassest my path and my
line down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is
not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, Thou knowest it all
together. Thou hast beset me behind and
before, and laid Thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful
for me. It is high, I cannot attain unto
it. Whither shall I go from my spirit?
Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up
into heaven, thou art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold,
thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning,
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall
thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say,
surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light
about me, Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee, but the night
shineth as the day. The darkness and the light are
both alike to thee. For thou hast possessed my reins,
thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. O praise thee, for I am
fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvellous are thy works, and
that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from
thee when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the
lovest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance
yet being unperfect, and in thy book all my members were written,
which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of
them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God, how
great is the sum. If I should count them, they
are more in number than the sand. When I awake, I am still with
thee. Surely thou wilt slay the wicked,
O God. Depart from me therefore, ye
bloody men. For they speak against thee wickedly,
and thine enemies hate thy name. in vain. Do not I hate them,
O Lord, that hate Thee? And am not I grieved with those
that rise up against me? I hate them with perfect hatred.
I count them mine enemies. Search me, O God, and know my
heart. Try me and know my soul. if there be any wicked way in
me, and lead me in the way everlasting. May the Lord bless the reading
of his precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real prayer. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
which is, and art, and art to come, we desire to bow before
Thee, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the ending,
the first and the last, the Eternal God. We read of Thee, O Lord, that
thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabited eternity,
whose name is Holy. And Lord, we feel our unholiness,
we feel our uncleanness, our unrighteousness, and we feel,
O Lord, that great disparity that there is between us and
Thee, because of our sinful nature. O most gracious Lord, we pray
that today we may have free access unto our Heavenly Father, through
our Lord Jesus Christ, for through him we have access by one Spirit
unto the Father, and oh that we might feel that access to
our Heavenly Father, that we may have that assurance in our
hearts that we indeed have a Heavenly Father, for God has sent forth
the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying Abba, Father,
all we do pray that thou wouldst bless us in thy Son, Jesus Christ. For there is one God and one
mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. We thank
thee for that glorious foundation truth of our most holy faith,
of God manifest in the flesh, What a profound mystery. And
yet, Lord, it's a most sacred mystery that our soul embraces
the wonderful glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son
of the Eternal Father that was made flesh, made a woman, made
under the law that He might redeem them that are under the law.
Lord, we thank Thee for that profound mystery then. We thank
Thee for the holy life He lived as a man here upon earth, under
the law, fulfilling all its precepts perfectly, magnifying and honouring
that holy righteous law. Lord, we would worship Thee.
Thou art our righteousness, for in that perfect life was the
bringing in of everlasting righteousness, O Lord. And we thank Thee for
it, that glorious everlasting road of the righteousness of
Jesus Christ. We thank thee for Gethsemane,
where the sin of the church was laid upon him. And we thank thee that he took
our sins and nailed them to his cross, satisfying all the demands of
divine justice with that perfect sacrifice. Oh, we do thank Thee,
most gracious Lord, for the wonderful glory of a crucified Saviour. We thank Thee for that holy sacrifice
that He loved not His life unto death, He poured out His soul
unto death. He was numbered among the transgressors,
for He bared the sin of many. Lord, these are the foundation
truths of our most holy faith, and we do thank thee for them.
We would bless thee that he rose again from the dead and bodily
ascended into heaven, making a new and living way into the
holy place, and that we have a great high priest who is passed
into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. Oh, we do pray that
we might feel thy presence and thy blessing here today. We thank thee for the Holy Ghost,
his glorious divine person, his heavenly power, his dwelling
in our hearts. Oh, most gracious Lord, we do
thank thee for the sweet influence and the divine power and the
heavenly unction of the Holy Ghost. We thank thee that Our
Heavenly Father so loved the world, he gave his only begotten
Son. So we would enter thy gates with
praise and with the voice of thanksgiving. We pray thy blessing
upon us as a church and as a congregation. Remember our brethren, the deacons,
and grant thy blessing upon them. Be with our brother at Tunbridge
Wells this morning and help him as he seeks to minister the word
there, and do grant, O Lord, thy divine favour upon them.
And O gracious God, we do pray that thou wouldst graciously
bless each one of our brethren and sisters in church fellowship,
and meet with us round thy table this afternoon, and grant 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, that we may love each other, serve each other,
bear each other's burdens, thereby fulfilling the law of Christ.
Lord, we pray for the whole of our congregation. Remember each
one, those present, those absent. Remember the prodigals that have
wandered away, and stretch out thy almighty arm and cause them
to return, and grant us that rejoicing, Lord, we do humbly
pray thee, for there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repented. We pray for the little ones and
the children, that thou wouldst bless them indeed, that thou
wouldst put the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom
in their hearts, in their young and tempting years, Remember
the young friends and graciously bless them with living faith
in Jesus Christ, that they may become true followers of thee
and of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Gracious God, we do pray that
thou would remember those that would desire a partner in life
journey. We lovingly commend them to thee and pray that thou
would grant this blessing unto them. And oh Lord, we do pray
that thou wouldst remember parents and give wisdom and grace to
bring up their children in accordance with thy holy word. And that
thou wouldst grant thy blessing upon those families that gather
for divine worship. And grant thy presence and blessing
there. And oh Lord, we do pray that
thou wouldst Remember all in the midst of the journey of life,
each and every one, and graciously bless them. Deliver us from temptation. Deliver us from the power and
influence of the enemy. Truly, Lord, he's very busy in
the day in which we live. When the enemy comes in like
a flood, the spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against
him. We thank thee, Lord, for that promise. We pray, most gracious
God, to remember those of us in the evening time of life's
journey. Guide us safely unto thy heavenly kingdom. May we
be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. We do humbly
beseech thee. Deliver us from the evil heart
of unbelief. Deliver us from the power and
dominion of sin. Help us to live as we ought to
live, help us to do what we ought to do. Help us to lay aside every
weight and the sin that does so easily beset us. Remember
this village and the surrounding villages and hamlets and send
out thy light and thy truth. Bless the word of the Lord distributed
and it may redound to the great honour, glory and praise of thy
holy name. and seeest, O Lord, the things
that have taken place in our Parliament in this past week,
and the solemn things that have been passed. And we pray, most
gracious Lord, that thou wouldst hear the cries of thy little
remnant in this nation, and overturn the desires of the wicked. We
do beseech of thee, Lord in wrath, remember mercy, give wisdom to
our leaders, Bless our king and the royal household. Bless them
with that rich grace that is in Christ Jesus. And O Lord,
remember all thy servants as they labour in word and doctrine
upon the walls of Zion today. Set them free, set them at liberty. O Lord, we do beseech thee. And O Lord, grant signs to follow
the preaching of the word. And grant, O Lord, Thou, the
great Lord of the harvest, would yet send true labourers into
the harvest for Thy great namesake. O Lord, we do pray that Thou,
in Thy precious mercy, would hear us in heaven, Thy holy dwelling
place. And when Thou hearest, O Lord,
forgive. We think of Thy servants that
labour throughout the nations of the earth. We think of Ian
Sadler and that great work that he does. and in the distribution
and in the exposition of Holy Scripture in so many different
countries and the orphanages that he runs. Lord, do bless
him and supply his needs and bless the Mombasa Mission and
thy servant that labours there and grant good success, we do
pray thee, and bless the Savannah Education Trust in Ghana. Oh,
do be gracious, Lord, we humbly pray thee for thy great namesake. Be with us as we return to thy
holy word. Come and touch one's lips with
a live coal from off the heavenly altar. Be with us as we gather
round the table of the Lord this afternoon and grant that kindred
spirit, that felt love, union and communion together as we
partake of the supper of the Lord. to hear us, Lord, in heaven,
thy holy dwelling place. And when thou hearest, O Lord,
forgive. We ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 343, that the tune is Beloved, 909.
If Jesus is ours, we have a true friend, whose goodness endures
the same to the end. Our comforts may vary, our frames
may decline, we cannot miscarry, our aid is divine. Hymn 343 The tune is Beloved, 909. ♪ Day and night are bright ♪ ♪
But to thee, Savior, we sing alleluia ♪ ♪ Thine amongst the heav'nly host ♪ ♪ We've heard the whole history
♪ ♪ And raised it ever high ♪ ♪ With God and heaven above ♪ ♪
Joy to the world, sing of God's love ♪ ♪ And heaven and earth sing
of God's love ♪ ♪ Treasure in the morning ♪ ♪ That's
what we come for ♪ ♪ Search for the dawn to leave ♪ ♪ With dreams
unspoken ♪ ♪ God is great in love ♪ ♪ And
great in spirit ♪ ♪ And in human love ♪ ♪ He is immortal ♪ ♪ The days of our lives ♪ ♪ Now
here with thee we go ♪ ♪ Eternally strong and free ♪ ♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪ ♪
Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪ Greatly Feeling to need the Lord's gracious
help, I would direct your attention to Psalm 138 and we'll read verse 8 for our text. Psalm 138, reading verse 8 for
our text. The Lord will perfect that which
concerneth me. Thy mercy, O Lord, endures for
ever. Forsake not the works of thine
own hands. The Lord will perfect that which
concerneth me. What a wonderful word. And what
a confidence, what is called the confidence of faith, that
the sweet psalmist of Israel felt. The Lord will perfect that,
which concerns me. He will do those things that
he has promised to do. In the New Testament, what you
might say the equivalent word and I suspect that the apostle
was probably commenting on this particular word when he wrote
it. You must remember that the apostles when they preach, they
preach in the Old Testament and often you have an exposition
of a word in the New Testament on a word in the Old Testament
and the word I'm thinking of is in the The Epistle to the
Philippians in chapter 1 and verse 6. Being confident of this
very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will
perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Being confident of this very
thing, that he that begun a good work in you shall perform it. until the day of Jesus Christ. The Lord will carry on and he
will perfect that which he has begun in your heart. We read in the word of God, though
thy beginnings be small, thy latter end shall greatly increase. though thy beginnings be small.
You know, that's a great trial to many of the Lord's living
family, especially those of us that have
been brought up to the house of God, as to where the Lord began. Some people, it was so with me,
there's a very clear mark where the Lord began. But with others,
it's very gradual. Like the prophet says, hear a
little, there a little. Line upon line, precept upon
precept. There's a gradual opening up
of the truth to the heart, to the soul of the believer. And this is the work of the Holy
Ghost. He dwells in the heart of every
true believer. He works in the heart of every
true believer. And he's promised, I will never
leave thee, nor forsake thee. What a promise that is, isn't
it? The Lord will perfect that, which concerneth me. Think of
those things that concern you. The matters of your soul. The
matters of eternity. Things that concern you. Life,
death and hell and worlds unknown. Hang on his firm decree. The
things that concern you. And that desire in your heart. You know, real religion often
starts with the desire, that desire that I may know Him in
the power of His resurrection, that desire to know Christ, that
desire to know God. And as the Lord increases those
desires, those longings, those hungrings, those thirstings. The Lord Jesus in his teachings,
he said, didn't he, blessed are they that hunger and thirst after
righteousness, for they shall be filled. The Lord will perfect
that, which concerneth me. Am I made a real Christian? washed in the Redeemer's blood. That may be the language of your
soul. Am I made a real Christian? Am
I washed in the Redeemer's blood? Does God's Spirit dwell in my
heart? Wonderful mercy if it does. And
a wonderful mercy if you have those desires as you come up
to the house of God. I remember reading of J.K. Popham, and of course he had
a very large congregation at Gilead Brighton. And a minister
going to preach at Gilead Brighton, he was very concerned. For one
thing, he greatly respected J.K. Popham. But it was that large
congregation of godly discerning people. And he went there in
trepidation and must have mentioned it to Mr Popham. And Mr Popham
said, my people will make you preach. What a mercy that is. If there are those in the congregation
that are spiritually minded, that are praying souls, that
are longing, watching, waiting, seeking, And it is those that
makes the minister preach. As their prayers go up unto the
God of heaven, so the Holy Spirit is poured upon the Lord's servant
in the pulpit. The Lord will perfect that, which
concerneth me. He will. He'll bring things to
a head. He'll bring you to see more clearly
what it is that you need, what it is that you want, what it
is that you desire. And your hunger and thirst after
those things. He'll bring you to feel your
emptiness, your poverty, your insufficiency, your sinfulness. He'll make you feel that. And
it's when you feel that, that you feel the need of salvation.
And when you feel that darkness and bondage within your soul,
it's then you need liberty, it's then you need light, and it's
then that you'll seek and pray for light and life and liberty. You see my beloved
friends, the true child of God longs for these things, hungers
for these things, thirsts for these things, to know the Lord
Jesus Christ, and to have a fuller knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ. And when the Lord Jesus has been
revealed to you and made precious to you, you long to know more
of Him. You do. When you've been raised
up to a sweet hope in that mercy that is in Christ Jesus, You
long then for the assurance of faith. The assurance of faith. What we commonly term gospel
liberty. You long for it. You pray for
it. You seek it. You need it. You need it. And it is these
hungry, longing, thirsty souls to whom the Lord Jesus is speaking. Blessed are they that hunger
and thirst after righteousness. Why do they hunger and thirst
after righteousness? Because they can't find any righteousness
in themselves. They find just the opposite.
And therefore they are brought to look out of self. The hymn writer says, doesn't
he, out of self to Jesus lead. the desire, out of self. Or as Joseph Hart
puts it in his hymn, that pour not on thyself too long, else
it will sink thee lower. Look to Jesus, firm and strong,
mercy joined with power. The Lord will perfect that which
concerneth me, which concerneth me. I think it's the dear Job, in his deep pathway that he had
to walk in, Job, he came into some very deep and dark places,
the dear man of God, in his soul's experience. But there are times when Job
breaks out and he says in the Job chapter 23 even today is
my complaint bitter my stroke is heavier than my groaning oh
that I knew where I might find him that I had that I might come
even to his seat now you see that may be the very longing
of your soul it may be the language of your soul as you've come to
the house of God today oh that I knew where I might find him
that I might come even to his seat. I would order my cause before
him and fill my words with arguments. I would know the words which
he would answer me and understand what he would say unto me. Would
he plead with me with his great power? No. You see, this soul knows something. No. But he would put strength
in me. in and through the glorious person,
power and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who himself is called
the strength of Israel. There the righteous might dispute
with him. So should I be delivered forever
from my charge. But now Job speaks of what he
was feeling at this time. Behold, I go forward and he is
not there. He's seeking, you see. He's looking,
he's praying, he's watching, he's waiting. And backward, but
I cannot perceive him. On the left hand where he does
work, but I cannot behold him. He hideth himself on the right
hand that I cannot see him. But then he has this confidence,
but he knoweth the way that I take. And when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as God. He knoweth the way that I take
and when he hath tried me I shall come forth as God. And he says and he comes to this
conclusion in verse 13 but he is in one mind and who can turn
him and what his soul desireth even that he doeth. He is here
submissive to the Lord. He is in one mind and who can
turn him and what his soul desireth even that he doeth. And what really drew me to the
chapter was this verse 14, for he performeth the thing that
is appointed for me And many such things are with him. He performeth the thing that
is appointed for me. You know, it may be, and if you
read in the Word of God the different pathways, we've just looked at
the Lord's servant Job. And look at the pathway he had
to take. He lost everything. He was one of the greatest men
of the East. One of the wealthiest men of
the East. And yet he lost everything. All his wealth. His family died. His wife said curse God and die. The poor man, he lost his health. He had boils from the crown of
his head to the sole of his foot. I've heard some people speak
quite glibly of Job's ditch. There's only one person I know
that has been in Job's ditch and that's Job. I'm not saying nobody else has
ever been there but look at the path Job walked and what is called
Job's ditch. He lost everything. His three friends, what miserable
comforters they were. They accused him of some terrible
sin and some great evil that he'd done. But you see, he was brought to
see, he performed the thing that is appointed of me. And the Lord, there are things
that are appointed in our pathway to humble us. As we read in the word of God,
to humble thee and to prove thee and to see what was in thine
heart. And you know, it says in Isaiah,
you may have come to the house of God this morning and it may
seem that everything's come to naught and come to nothing. All your hopes are dashed and
everything seems to be desolate. And yet you say, I keep praying,
I keep seeking, in Isaiah 30 and verse 18 we
read this and therefore will the Lord wait that he may be
gracious unto you and therefore will he be exalted
and that he may have mercy upon you for the Lord is a God of
judgment now what that means is and blessed are all they that
wait for Him. Where it says there that the
Lord is a God of judgment, it means in His judgment, the time is not ready. In God's
judgment. That's why the Lord hasn't appeared.
That's why the Lord hasn't delivered you. He will deliver you, but
at this present time, He's waiting. The Lord waits, and we have to
wait the Lord's time. that's that's a lesson that the
lord teaches his children that we have to wait his time you
can't turn the mercy of god on and off like a tap you have to
wait for him to be gracious therefore will the lord wait that he may
be gracious unto you blessed are all those that wait for him
we've sometimes used that illustration of the shepherd and the little lamb that fell
down a cliff and was on a ledge of the cliff. And the shepherd,
he waited. He was at the top of the cliff. And the person said, well, aren't
you going to go down and get the lamb? No, he said, I mustn't
do that. He said, if I go down too soon,
the lamb will be frightened and will leap off the cliff. and
it will be lost. But he said, if I listen to its
cry, and as that cry gets weaker and weaker and weaker, he said,
and when it's weak enough, I will go down, he said, and I will
pick it up and I will bring it up from off the cliff. You see,
and that's how the Lord, our shepherd, the shepherd of Israel,
he waits to be gracious. He waits until we, I've got no
strength. Till we've got no wisdom of our
own. Just like that little lad. Therefore will the Lord wait
that he may be gracious unto you and therefore he be exalted
that he may have mercy upon you for the Lord is a God of judgment
in his judgment. It doesn't mean those eternal
judgments. In the judgment of God. He knows
what's best for you. God moves in a mysterious way,
his wonders to perform. He plants his footsteps in the
sea and rides upon the storm. Deep in unfathomable minds of
never-failing skill, he treasures up his bright designs and works
his sovereign will. Blind unbelief is sure to her,
and scan his works in vain. God is his own interpreter, and
he will make it plain. And now look at verse 20 in Isaiah
30. And though the Lord give you
the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet shall
not thy teachers be removed into a corner anymore, but thine eyes
shall see thy teachers. What are thy teachers? The bread
of adversity, the water of affliction, the troubles, the trials, the
perplexities, that you and I come into, they are our teachers. They don't come by chance. Humble
yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, and he
will exalt you in due season. Thine eyes shall see thy teachers,
and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, this is the
way. Walk ye in it when ye turn to
the right hand and when ye turn to the left and therefore will
the Lord wait and therefore we have to wait we have to wait
if you turn with me to Isaiah 40 and again in Isaiah 40 we have a description given to
us by the prophet of the greatness of God verse 25 he says to whom
then will he liken me or shall i be equal saith the holy one
lift up your eyes on high and behold who has created these
things that's the world the and the eyes lifted up are the planets
the stars the universe lift up your eyes on high and behold
who has created these things that bringeth out their host
by number he calleth them all by names by the greatness of
his might for that he is strong in power, not one failing. And then he challenges Israel. Verse 27. Why sayest thou, O
Jacob, and speakest thou Israel? My way is hid from the Lord,
and my judgment is passed over from my God. The Lord can't see. He can't see the trouble I'm
in. He can't see the darkness I'm in. He can't see the bondage
I'm in. That was what Israel was saying. But what the answer
that the Lord gives them? Hast thou not known? Hast thou
not heard that the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of
the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary. There
is no searching of his understanding. When Israel, Jacob, were saying,
my way is hid from the Lord. And the Lord is saying, how can
that be? How can that be? He gave his power to the faint.
And to them that have no might, he increased his strength. Even
the youth shall find him be weary, and the young men shall utterly
fall. But they that wait upon the Lord. shall renew their strength. This is an encouragement to wait
upon the Lord, to patiently wait, shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings
as eagles, that's the wings of faith. When the Lord works faith
in the heart and there's hope raised up in the soul, faith
in the eternal God, faith in his wisdom and his power, he
makes no mistakes. But they that wait upon the Lord
shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings
as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. You see, my beloved friends,
that verse, in particular the last two verses there, were made
exceptionally precious to me when I was brought into affliction
when a young man Even the ewes, and I was a young man, shall
faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, and that
is exactly where I came. But these words were breathed
into my heart by the Spirit of God, but they that wait upon
the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings
as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. You see, my beloved friends,
these things are written in the Word of God for our encouragement. The Lord will. This is the divine
will. We read of the divine will in
Ephesians chapter 1. Who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will. God does. He worketh all things
after the counsel of his own will. The Lord will, perfect. Or we've often explained to you
that sometimes the word here that is translated perfect, it
is sometimes translated complete. It says for perfect in you are
complete in him. it means you are perfect in him
in Christ the Lord will perfect he will complete that which concerneth
me and it's only he that can do it you look at the way that the
Lord dealt with his servant Abraham when he came out of Ur of the
Chaldees and the Lord promised him didn't he that of his seed
his seed would be as the Sand upon the seashore, as the stars
of heaven, innumerable. But Abraham had to wait 25 years. 25 years, that's what you call
living by faith. The apostle says in the Hebrews,
faith is a substance of things hoped for, yet not seen. That's
the very nature of faith. It's the substance of things
hoped for, yet not seen. It's what you're hoping for,
it's what you're looking for, it's what you're praying for,
it's what you're seeking for. The Lord will perfect that, which
concerneth me. Now, I didn't read Psalm 139,
purely and simply because it came next to 138. I read it because
of the wonderful truths that are found in it, because it speaks
of the greatness of our God. David, he says in the commencement
there, O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me. The Lord has searched him. They'll
search me and know me. They'll know it's my down sitting
and mine uprising. They'll understand it's my thought
afar off. What's he speaking of here? The
omnipresence of Jehovah. The omniscience of
Jehovah. But what omni, is a prefix which
means universal and complete. So when it says omnipresent,
it means a universal and complete presence. In other words, God
is in all places at all times. All places at all times. And
David had that realization given to him here, thou knowest my
down-sitting. and mine uprising. Thou understandest my thought
afar off. You know when the Lord Jesus
was here upon earth, and on a number of occasions
we're reading the Gospels, Jesus knowing their thoughts. He knew what they were thinking.
Jesus knowing their thoughts. And the Lord knows exactly what
you're thinking. You may not have told anyone
else, but the Lord knows exactly what you're thinking. He knows
exactly what is going through your mind. They'll understand
this, my thoughts are far off. Look at the meditation here he
had. They'll accomplish this, my path,
and my lying down, and I'll be acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my
tongue. Now that word in his tongue, the Lord knew it when
it was in his thoughts, before it actually came to words. There
is not a word in my tongue. But lo, O Lord, thou knowest
it altogether. Altogether. It says, doesn't
it, in the book of Genesis, thou God, seeest me. He sees all your thoughts. He
does. Thou hast beset me behind and
before and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful
for me. It is high. I cannot attain unto
it. What does he mean when he says
it is high, I cannot attain unto it? I cannot grasp this tremendous
truth. I cannot reach to what this is,
the infinite presence and understanding of God. Such knowledge is too wonderful
for me. It is high, I cannot attain And
then he extrapolates from that and he says, whither shall I
go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from
thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou
art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold,
thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there shall
thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say surely the darkness
shall cover me, even the night shall be light about me. Yet
the darkness hideth not from thee, but the night shineth as
the day. The darkness and the light are both alike to thee. See the meditation he had on
the omnipresence of God. Doesn't matter where you are,
the Lord knows. Doesn't matter the circumstances
you're in, the Lord knows. He sees. He understands. He does. The Lord will perfect
that which concerneth me. You know the Lord, with his children, who are spiritual,
who have a spiritual understanding, who have spiritual desires and
longings, he exercises his people spiritually. And he may exercise
you about something that you've got to do, and a certain path
that you've got to take. and the Lord will exercise you
concerning it. I remember when the Lord exercised
me about the ministry of the word. It was literally right
at the beginning when Christ was first revealed to me. I'd been under the law for some
two years in utter darkness and bondage. And then in most wonderful
way, Christ was revealed as the way, the truth and the life.
And my darkness was turned into day. The son of righteousness
arose with healing in his wings. And I had a view by faith of
the glorious person of our Lord Jesus Christ. And it delivered
me from darkness and it delivered me from bondage. If the son shall
make you free, then shall you be free indeed. But when Christ was first revealed
and made precious to me, there were two exercises that were
put into my heart. One was to be baptized, and the
other was to preach the word. And within probably three months,
I was baptized at West End Chapel. But the other stayed in my heart. I didn't feel free to speak to
anybody about it concerning the ministry of the world. The only
person I spoke to was my godly father. We used to go to the
prayer meeting. There was only he and I at home
at the time. We used to go to the prayer meeting
on a Tuesday. I remember sitting around the
fire after that prayer meeting and I opened in my heart concerning
the ministry of the word. He was very wise. It was all
he said to me, speak to no man about that and watch the hand
of providence. That was very wise counsel and
the Lord himself would fulfil it. Now I carried that exercise
for three years and the Lord had not spoken to
me and there were times when I was burdened about it and there
were times when it disappeared and I wondered whether it was
of the Lord or whether it was or it wasn't and it wasn't until
just before we married I moved to Sussex and I transferred my
membership from Weston Inn to Black Boys And as is the usual,
when I was received into the church, at the first Lord's Day
afterwards, my late pastor, Mr. Jupp, gave me the right hand
of fellowship. As is common in Sussex, the Lord's
Supper is kept as part of the afternoon service. And it was before the whole congregation.
And when he gave me the right hand of fellowship, he said to
me, I had another word from the book of Ruth to give to you,
but the Lord has taken it away, and he's given me another word,
and it was that word in Isaiah 54. No weapon that is formed
against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise
against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage
of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of
me, saith the Lord." You know, friends, what was so amazing
at that time was the power that that word entered into my heart. Now, I'd carried that exercise
for three years, but that was the first time the Lord spoke
to me. And all the power that that word came into my heart,
I knew exactly what that word was for. But it was some 10 years after
that before I was sent into the ministry. The Lord will perfect
that. There was one thing that I carried
with that exercise is that I didn't put my own hand to it. It was too great a thing. I just
carried it, I prayed about it, To me it was too great. And eventually the Lord brought
it to a head. I was brought into gospel liberty.
I was greatly blessed of the Lord. And during that time, friends,
I wanted to go and preach. Oh, Christ was so precious. He
was the altogether lovely one. And I wanted to tell everyone
what a glorious and precious saviour he was. My late pastor, Mr. Jupp, one
Sunday morning, he stopped in the middle of his sermon, unusual
for him, and he said, you may be exercised to preach the gospel. You may long to go and preach
the gospel, but I just want to tell you this, before you go,
the Lord will make you a consummate fool and you won't know how to
go. And do you know, friends, he was a true prophet. That is
exactly what happened. how to go and preach. After the
Lord had dealt with me, made me to feel my weakness, my insufficiency,
my poverty, my foolishness, how to go and preach, I didn't know.
And yet I knew I'd got to go. It was as if I was hemmed in. But you see, when the Lord, he
sets free and he sets at liberty, and he brings things to pass,
He unfolds his will and his purpose concerning you, but he'll speak
to you. Now, during those 13 years that
I was exercised, the Lord spoke to me again and again and again
and again. I was on Ashdown Forest one morning,
delivering coal, and I was so blessed of the Lord,
so full, like naptalite, full of the blessing of the Lord,
It so humbled me. And I stopped for a coffee break
and I bowed my head before the Lord. Why me? I quoted the verse
of the hymn. Why me? Oh, blessed God, why
me? I couldn't get low enough. I
felt so full of the Lord's blessing and so I'm worthy of it. And
as I quoted that verse, those words came with divine power
into my soul. The Lord answered me. Why? The Spirit of the Lord God is
upon thee, for he hath anointed thee to preach the gospel. And
those words came with such power into my heart. It was probably
about four years before I was sent into the ministry. The Lord
will perfect that which concerneth me. Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth
forever. forsake not the work of thine
own hands. Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth forever. I love that beautiful word in
Psalm 103 and verse 17, but the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting
to everlasting upon them that fear him and his righteousness
unto children's children. The mercy of the Lord is from
everlasting. I remember that word was made
very sweet to me where some Dutch people came and sadly our Dutch
friends are often debating this and debating that and debating
something else. This doctrine, this one says
this, this one says that. And this young man, he said to
me, there's a great conflict going on in the churches. Is
a believer justified from when they believe Or are they justified
from all eternity? And I thought about it and that
word in Psalm 103 just dropped into my soul. The mercy of the
Lord is from everlasting to everlasting. A sinner is justified by the divine work of the Trinity
from all eternity. Now they come into it experimentally
when the Spirit of God enters into their heart, and when their
soul is quickened, when they're convinced of their sin, and when
they flee to Jesus Christ as the only saviour of sinners.
That is when experimentally they may be justified, but they're
justified from all eternity. And they're justified to all
eternity. And what is it to be justified?
To be perfect. be perfect ye are complete in
him to be perfect in christ you'll never be perfect in yourself
is to be perfect in christ to be justified in christ justified
from all sin that precious sin atoning blood of our lord jesus
christ cleanses us from all sin that glorious everlasting robe
of the righteousness of Christ covers a poor sinner, clothes
that poor sinner, and that sinner is justified. The literal meaning
of the word justified is to be declared to be without sin. Therefore being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord will perfect that which
concerneth me. By mercy, O Lord, endureth forever. Forsake not the work of thine
own hands. Just think of those wonderful
words of grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in John chapter 10. And we read in John chapter 10,
from verse 27 my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they
follow me and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never
perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand my
father which gave them me is greater than all and no man is
able to pluck them out of my Father's hand, I and my Father
are one. You see, that's the promise of
eternal life. I give unto my sheep eternal
life, and they shall never perish. In the closing two verses of
the epistle of Jude, It speaks there of the eternal safety and
the eternal security of the people of God. Now unto Him that is
able to keep you from falling. Maybe there's one here, certainly
me, and there may be others of you here, and you fear lest you
fall. You fall into sin, you fall into
temptation. Here is a wonderful promise.
Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to
present you faultless before the presence of His glory, with
exceeding joy, to the only wise God, our Saviour, be glory and
majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. You see, the Lord will. There's no doubt about it. The
Lord will perfect that. which concerneth men. And he
that hath begun a good work in you shall perform it unto the
day of Jesus Christ. We read in the first chapter,
the first epistle of Peter. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy
hath begotten us again unto a living, that's a living hope, by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. to an inheritance
incorruptible and undefiled, and that faith, if not away,
reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last
time. These wonderful promises, these
precious doctrines, the final perseverance of the saints, They
are revealed in God's Word. And they are revealed to His
people that they will reach eternal glory at last. Let not your heart
be troubled. You believe in God, believe also
in me. In my Father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place
for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that
where I am, there ye may be also. The Lord will perfect that which
concerneth me. By mercy, O Lord, endureth forever. Forsake not the work of thine
own hands. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 339. The tune is Hannah 958. O my distrustful heart, how small
thy faith appears, but greater, Lord, thou art than all my doubts
and fears. Did Jesus once upon me shine? Then Jesus is forever mine. hymn 339, tune Hannah 958. ♪ I wish not to know ♪ ♪ The story
of it ♪ ♪ But it's in your hands now ♪ In Jesus' bosom God made shine,
In Jesus' bosom ever mine. Unchangeable His will, How can
all be my fair? His love, dear, that is true,
I cannot even say. My soul, through Him it changes
course, Eternally relationless. The road will carry on And never
leave the home The path has become impenetrable It's all I'm living to remember. My spirit will not let me down. And the powers of Thy presence
at my beckoning call. I still shall sing thy names,
When will the clock be sound? Thy story to my arms I'll cast, 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.