Let's commence our service this
afternoon by singing together hymn number 1042. The tune is Luther's chant 362. I need not blush to own that
he on whom my hope of heaven is built was crucified on yonder
tree since tis his blood that cancels guilt. Hymn 1042 Tune Luther's Chant 362 I lift up the stubborn and the
weak, however my heart of heav'n is bent. Sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep. ? God made I possible in you ?
? Heaven and earth was built on this earth ? Yes, Jesus, rich by hair and
gold, in Him the brightest splendor burns. God, the God of glory, speaks,
Let in my soul and mind and heart, I wondered how things can increase
The value of himself and you I declare us to merit thus, And
Jesus had no chance for me. What great tide have we lost?
Now every thought in him I see. Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the Gospel according to Mark and chapter
15. Mark's Gospel chapter 15 and
we'll commence reading at verse 15. And so Pilate willing to content
the people released Barabbas unto them and delivered Jesus
when he had scourged him to be crucified. And the soldiers led
him away into the hall called Praetorium and they called together
the whole band and they clothed him with purple and plaited a
crown of thorns and put it about his head and began to salute
him. Hail, King of the Jews! And they
smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing
their knees worshipped him. And when they had mocked him,
they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes
on him, and led him out to crucify him. And they compelled one Simon
of Cyrenean who passed by, coming out of the country, the father
of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. And they bring him
unto the place Golgotha, which is being interpreted the place
of a skull. And they gave him to drink wine
mingled with myrrh, but he received it not. And when they had crucified
him, They parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what
every man should take. And it was the third hour and
they crucified him. And the superscription of his
accusation was written over the King of the Jews. And with him
they crucify two thieves, the one on his right hand and the
other on his left. and the scripture was fulfilled
which saith and he was numbered with the transgressors and they
that passed by railed on him wagging their heads and saying
ah thou that destroyest the temple and buildest it in three days
save thyself and come down from the cross Likewise, also the
chief priests, mocking, said among themselves with the scribes,
he saved others, himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of
Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe,
and they that were crucified with him reviled him. And when
the sixth hour was come, There was darkness over the whole land
until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour, Jesus
cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthanai,
which is being interpreted, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me? And some of them that stood by
when they heard it said, behold, he calleth Elias, one ran and
filled a sponge full of vinegar and put it on a reed and gave
him to drink saying let alone let us see whether Elias will
come to take him down and Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave
up the ghost and the veil of the temple was rent in twain
from the top to the bottom when the centurion which stood over
against him saw that he so cried out and gave up the ghost he
said truly this man was the son of God. There were also women
looking on afar off among whom was Mary Magdalene and Mary the
mother of James and the less and of Joses and Salome who also
when he was in Galilee, followed him and ministered unto him,
and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem. Now when the even was come, because
it was the preparation, that is the day before the Sabbath,
Joseph of Arimathea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited
for the kingdom of God, came and went in boldly unto Pilate
and craved the body of Jesus and Pilate marveled if he were
already dead and calling unto him the centurion he asked him
whether he had been any while dead and when he knew it of the
centurion he gave the body to Joseph and he brought fine linen
and took him down and wrapped him in the linen and laid him
in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock and rolled a stone
onto the door of the sepulchre and Mary Magdalene and Mary the
mother of Joses beheld where he was laid. May the Lord bless
the reading of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit
A real prayer. Almighty, most merciful and eternal
God, the high and lofty one that inhabited eternity, whose name
is holy, we do desire to bow before thee and pray that thou
wouldst be with us here in this service. What is the house, O
Lord, to me? unless the Master I can see. Come, Lord, we do pray Thee,
and graciously guide us into Thy truth. Come with Thy blessed
Spirit and open the Word of God to our heart and to our understanding,
and that we may delve into that deep that counted beneath. Come,
Lord, 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. We read in thy word
that as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons
of God. We pray to be led and guided
and directed by thee. We pray that thy word may have
free course, that thy name may be honoured and glorified, Only
Thou knowest, O Lord, what will prosper and what will redound
to Thy honour and to Thy glory. Lord, we do pray that there may
be one and another among us that shall be constrained by Thy grace
to come and tell to sinners round what a dear Saviour they have
found. We do humbly beseech Thee. Work mightily work powerfully,
work effectually, in our midst, O Lord, we do beseech Thee. Maybe
there's one or two, Lord, who've come here, even this afternoon,
and their very desire of their heart is that I may know Him
in the power of His resurrection, in the fellowship of His suffering.
Lord, we pray that Thou wouldst grant them that desire. that
they might know the power of thy truth, the power of thy love,
that love that draws. Yea, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness
have I drawn thee. Oh, that we might know that love
in our hearts today, and that we may come like David of old. I love the Lord because he has
heard my voice. the voice of my supplications. Lord, we pray that it may be
among us here as it was with the dear apostle at Thessalonica,
for our gospel came unto you not in word only, but in power,
in the Holy Ghost, and with much assurance. Lord, we do pray that
it may be so. We thank thee, O Lord, for the
table of the Lord, that which reminds us, in which
we are bid to remember. Remember the sufferings of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Remember what it cost Thee to
redeem us, all that we might truly remember. Remember, O Lord,
that it was our sins that nailed Thee to the cross. Hear us, O
Lord, we humbly pray, then meet with us around the table, as
we partake of the bread and of the wine, and we may have that
sacred assurance that this was done for thee, this do in remembrance
of me. O gracious God, do grant that
thou wouldst bless us as a church, and unite us together. Remember
our beloved brethren, the deacons, and give them grace, wisdom,
and help in all their responsibilities. And remember, Lord, we pray these,
one of our brethren and sisters in church fellowship. We lovingly
commend them to Thee, to the word of Thy grace. We pray for
grace to love each other, to serve each other, to bear each
other's burdens, thereby fulfilling the law of Christ. We pray, O
Lord, that thou in thy great mercy would graciously work mightily among
us. May it be with the sweet experience
of those that gather with us through the shedding abroad of
thy love, Then shall I tell to sinners round, what a dear Saviour
I have found. I'll point to thy redeeming blood
and say, behold the way to God. Lord, grant that it may be so.
We humbly beseech thee. Lord, we pray that the light
and glory and power of gospel truth may shine into this village.
Many precious souls may be gathered unto thee that this little house
of prayer may yet be filled with hungry longing souls pressing
into the kingdom of heaven and that the strongholds of satan
may be pulled down and the kingdom of our lord jesus christ set
up in the hearts of sinners we do humbly beseech them pour upon
us as a church as a congregation the spirit of travail, for as
soon as I am travail, she brought forth her children. And that,
Lord, is what we so long for, the bringing forth of spiritual
children, the deliverance from sin and Satan's power, and to
be brought into the glorious liberty of the people of God.
Lord, we do pray that thou wouldst bless the little ones and the
children Bless them in their young and
tender years. Bless them with the fear of the
Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. O gracious God, that there may
be a seed raised up to call Thee, Redeemer, blessed. Bless our
young friends, who knoweth their needs, and knoweth their concerns,
their burdens. Lord, we lovingly commend them
to Thee. Remember, all in the midst of the journey of life,
Graciously bless them. Remember the prodigals and cause
them to return. Lord, there is nothing too hard
for thee. None are beyond the arm of grace
or thy mighty power. Thou art indeed able to do abundantly
more than we even ask or think. As promised in thy word, I will
abundantly bless her provision. I will satisfy her poor with
bread. Lord, hear us, we pray thee,
and have mercy upon us, we beseech thee. Remember parents, give
wisdom and grace to bring up their children in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord. Lord, we pray. We live in very
dark and solemn days, but when iniquity abounds on every hand,
we feel for our young friends in that atmosphere of evil and
wickedness that surrounds us in the day in which we live.
When good is called evil and evil is called good, we pray
that thou would deliver them from these influences and this
power. We do humbly beseech them. And
oh Lord, we do pray that thou would remember those of us that
are in the evening time of life's journey Graciously prepare us
for that great change. We know now how soon it will
come. Gracious God, we do pray that thou would remember all
thy servants. Graciously pour forth thy spirit upon them and
bless them. Help them to preach the word
and to be instant in season and out of season. Remember thy servants
at labour among the nations of the earth. Lord, we would especially
remember Ian Sadler and that great work that he is doing in
so many different places. Do be gracious and help him and
supply all his many returning needs and bless his endeavours
in the distribution and exposition of the Word of God, all that
it may redound to thy honour, glory and praise. Bless the work
of the Savannah Education Trust and that great work that they
are doing in Ghana. Lord, supply their many needs.
We do humbly beseech of thee and send real, true spiritual
prosperity to that poor country. Remember the Mombasa mission
and thy servant that labours there. Grant that he may dip
his foot in oil and be made acceptable unto the brethren and the word
preached may be in power in the Holy Ghost and with much assurance. Lord, remember we do humbly beseech
thy Zion, thy people, throughout the nations of the earth. We
especially would consider those, O Lord, that suffer, that live
in those countries where the name of Christ is hated and thy
people are persecuted, tortured, imprisoned, even unto death. Lord, send them help from the
sanctuary, strengthen them out of Zion, and graciously put a
stop to the wars and the terrible bloodshed that is taking place
in the earth today. Hear us, O Lord, we pray Thee,
for Thy great namesake. We thank Thee for all Thy tender
mercies, Thy loving kindnesses, Thy great goodness that has passed
before us in the way. We thank thee for the glories
of Christ and the wonders of redeeming love and the fullness
of that salvation that is in Christ Jesus. Hear us, Lord. We humbly beseech thee and have
mercy upon us now as we seek to turn to thy holy word. Come
and open thy word to our heart and to our understanding. Come
and bless us with light and understanding in thy word. Come and touch one's
lips with a live coal from off the heavenly altar. We ask for
Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 161 to the Tune Foundation 829. The Lord in the day of his anger
did lay our sins on the Lamb, and he bore them away. He died
to atone for our sins, not his own. The Father has punished
for us, his dear Son. Hymn 161, Tune Foundation, 829.
? God is love ? ? And all that
has life ? ? For us is his child ? ? With our head unmoving ?
? The sun of Israel ? And see that there are no sorrows
on this earth. ? The Lord's passion river ? ?
The only rest of us ? ? May God keep her now ? ? And when time
is no more ? ? We still shall travel ? ? And
we'll travel on the wind and water for sure ? ? Another day
? Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave Christ, who came down this life
to redeem us from death, Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I'll direct your attention to the chapter that
we read, the Gospel according to Mark, chapter 15, and we will
read verses 25 and 26 for our text. Mark, chapter 15, verses
25 and 26. And it was the third hour. and they crucified him. And the
superscription of his accusation was written over the King of
the Jews. The Lord Jesus said, I think
it's recorded in the Gospel of John, to this end, This is just
before he was crucified. To this end was I born, and for
this cause came I into the world. And we read, do we not, that
God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever
believeth in him shall be saved. Saved with an
everlasting salvation as we come together on this first Lord's
Day of the month and we seek to remember what it cost God
to redeem us. The Father loveth the Son. He loves him with an everlasting
love. He's loved him from all eternity. As we read in Proverbs
8, I was set up from everlasting. And so that everlasting love
of God, the Father, towards his only begotten Son. Begotten, not created. He's the eternally begotten Son
of the Father. He has always been and he always
will be. He's Jesus Christ the same yesterday
and today and forever. He's the eternal Son of God. That holy thing that shall be
born of thee shall be called the Son of God. That doesn't
mean that that is when he came into existence. It means that at that time he
assumed human nature. son of God never has changed
and never will change, he's eternally the same. But he took into union
with his divine nature a sacred holy human nature and he became
bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh. Great is the mystery of
godliness, God was manifest in the flesh. and it was to this
end that he was born. He came on the behalf of his
people, firstly to live for them, and then to suffer, bleed and
die for them. In living for them, he wrought
out the everlasting robe of his righteousness, which he gives
to his church and people. It's called the robe of righteousness. It's the righteousness of Christ.
It's the perfect obedience of the holy God man to the law. We need to be clear on that.
I should never forget an occasion when a man, he was actually a
deacon in one of the churches. And I spoke on the righteousness
of Christ and what it really was. It's that perfect obedience
of the holy God man to the law. And the man withstood me. He
said, no, I don't believe that. He said, the righteousness that
the Lord gives me is his eternal righteousness of the great God
of heaven. I said, no, friend. I said, you're mixing things
up there. It's the perfect obedience of
the son of God who lived here upon earth as a man. It's his
perfect obedience, what this man said was the righteousness
that was given to him was the essential righteousness of God.
My glory will I not give to another? The righteousness, the life,
I lay down my life, that holy life, that pure life, that spotless
life, that sinless life, I lay down my life What's he speaking of? The Son
of God in his divine nature cannot lay that life down. That's eternal. From everlasting to everlasting
thou art God and God cannot die. So the Son of God in his divine
nature could not die. But in that profound mystery
of Godliness of God manifest in the flesh in that holy human nature the
son of God experienced death it was his own personal human
nature and it was in that nature that
he died and that is what he's speaking of when he says I lay
down my life for my friends that that holy life that he lived
as a man here upon earth in which he fulfilled and magnified God's
holy law We looked at that word in the
Corinthians this morning. He made him, that is the Father
made the Son, who was manifest in the flesh. He made him to
be sin for us, who knew no sin. Jesus knew no sin, but he was
made sin for us. When the Father laid upon him
the iniquity of us all. This is what we come to remember
as we partake of the Lord's Supper. The Lord Jesus, he said, this
do in remembrance of me, for as often as you eat this bread
and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come. And it was the third hour and
they crucified He became obedient unto death. You know, it's recorded in the
Gospels how the Lord Jesus Christ, when they came with swords and
shields to take him, they fell backwards. They saw something
of the glory of Christ and they fell backwards. It's also recorded
that Peter took the sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, the
servant of the high priest. And the Lord said to him, put
thy sword up in its sheath, the cup that my father hath given
me, shall I not drink it? Could I not have called on 12
legions of angels and they could have destroyed all these men? But that is not the will of my
father. The will of my father is that I should lay down my
life and that I should be wounded
for their transgressions and bruised for their iniquities
and the chastisement of my peace shall be upon them. You see,
it was the third hour and they crucified him. You know, I believe the Lord
Jesus Christ was so weakened passing through these sufferings
and this humiliation and mocking and scourging. It says in verse
21, and they compelled one Simon a Cyrenian who passed by coming
out of the country the father of Alexander and Rufus to bear
his cross. I believe he was so weak physically
weak, he had great difficulty dragging that heavy cross. So
they compelled Simon to take his cross and to carry it for
them. And you consider that this is the eternal son of God. You
consider the humiliation that he passed through. Though he
is the eternal son of God, yet he knew extreme weakness. The
psalmist says, doesn't he, I'm sure he's referring to Christ,
although he knew it in his own experience. He weakened my strength
in the way. He shortened my days. He weakened
my strength in the way. Christ knew that. Christ knew that. And they gave
him to drink wine mingled with myrrh, but he received it not.
And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting
lots upon them, exactly as it says in Psalm 22, they parted
my garments among them. And it was the third hour, and
they crucified him. And the superscription of his
accusation was written over the king of the Jews. Pilate wanted that changed. It says in another of the Gospels
that they went to him and said, you know, he said he's the king
of the Jews, we didn't. And Pilate said, what I have
written, that I have written, the king of the Jews. And it
makes us think of that word that we spoke from this morning, who
is this king of glory? He is the King of Glory. He's
God over all and blessed forevermore. But to redeem his church and
to deliver his people from sin, he passed through tremendous
sufferings, humiliation, sorrow and grief on the behalf, in the
room, in the place and in the stead of his people. Everything Jesus did was for
his people. His life was for his people.
And he laid down that life for his people. It was the third hour and they
crucified him. You know, crucifixion was a very
barbaric punishment that was used by the Romans.
In fact, they were very barbaric in their the way that they treated
prisons, etc. And that this was what the King
of Glory had to pass through on the behalf of his own people. Although we might be unable to
meditate just a little on these tremendous sufferings of our
Lord Jesus Christ, and to have that realization given to us,
all this was done for thee, that he suffered, he bled, he died
for his people. And we read in the 13th chapter of the Prophet Zechariah,
and it says from verse six, and this is a prophecy concerning
Christ, and one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in
thy hands? Then he shall answer, those with
which I was wounded in the house of my friends. We read in the
Gospels and in the prophecies concerning him, he came unto
his own, that's the Jews, and his own received him not. these wounds in his hands. In
Psalm 22, it says, they pierced my hands and my feet, prophesying
what would happen to Christ, how he would die, how he would
suffer. And then we read in Zechariah
13, a Waco sword. She's the father speaking. Awake, O sword. This is the sword
of divine justice. This is the sword that should
have swept the whole election of grace to eternal perdition
and everlasting damnation. But this sword, in the hands
of our eternal father, found a substitute so that his people
would be delivered from the curse and condemnation of the Lord. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd. It's the father speaking of his
only begotten son, the shepherd of Israel, the shepherd of Israel. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd
and against the man that is my fellow. You just think of that,
the man is my fellow, the man that is co-equal and co-eternal
with me. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd
and against the man that is my fellow. Saith the Lord of hosts,
smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered, and I will
turn mine hand upon the little ones. How the Lord Jesus Christ
was smitten smitten by his own holy loving
father, smitten in the room place instead of his people, that we
should be delivered from sin and satan's power. As we read
in Isaiah chapter 53, he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquitous in that same chapter he's the
man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and when when Philip
was sent to minister to the Ethiopian eunuch he was reading in Isaiah
chapter 53 he was led as a lamb to the slaughter as a sheep before
a shearer's is done so he opened not his mouth led as a lamb to
the slaughter. He didn't struggle, just the
opposite. When Peter took the sword, he
said, put up thy sword. One of the hymn writers, he says,
how willing was Jesus to die. And Jesus himself says, I come
to do the will of him that sent me. And this is the will of him that
sent him. that he would be a substitute, that he would suffer, bleed and
die in the room place instead of his own people and that he
would be bruised for our iniquities and the chastisement of our peace
was upon him and with his stripes we are healed and it was the
third hour and they crucified him. And the superscription of
his accusation was written over the king of the Jews. You know, friends, we shouldn't
marvel at the fact that the Jews, in many senses, completely, as
it were, misunderstood what Christ came to do. And they misunderstood
the disciples themselves. they were on the road to Emmaus. We thought it was he that would
deliver Israel. What they meant of course was
a literal deliverance of Israel from Roman domination and restore
the kingdom of Israel as it was in the days of Solomon. But that's
not what Christ came to do and we shouldn't be surprised friends
if we misunderstand prophecy and what's going to happen. that they couldn't see very clearly
exactly what was going to happen. He came to suffer, to bleed and
to die in the ruined place instead of his people. He came to make
them righteous. He came to satisfy all the demands
of divine justice. Divine justice demanded the soul
that sinneth it shall die. So Jesus died for the sins of
his people when his father laid upon him the iniquity of us all. And the superscription of his
accusation was written over the King of the Jews. You see, my
beloved friends, He's the King of Glory. He's the Eternal King
of Glory. And the wonder of wonders is
that He suffered, the Eternal King of Glory, in that sacred,
personal human nature that was His. Somehow, friends, I seem,
I must, seemed to emphasize this. It was his own personal human
nature. The eternal son of God took a
human nature that was literally his own human nature and he lived
in that nature here upon earth as a man. He fulfilled and honored and
magnified God's holy law and then he suffered and bled and
died for the sins of his people. King of the Jews, the king of
glory, seems to be the theme today, doesn't it? This glorious king suffered,
bled and died for the sins of his people. In those types and
shadows of the Jewish or the Levitical dispensation, when
the sacrifice was offered on the altar, all point to Christ. When the blood was shed it points
to Christ, to the blood of Christ. The sacrifice under the Levitical
dispensation had to be without blemish. It points to Christ. He was without
blemish, spotless, innocent and pure. Our great Redeemer stood
while Satan's fiery darts he bore and did resist to blood. It was the third hour and they
crucified him and the superscription of his accusation was written
over the King of the Jews. Then he says, and with him they
crucified two thieves, two common thieves. The one on the right hand and
the other on the left. And he says here, the scripture
was fulfilled. He was numbered with the transgressors. He was numbered with the transgressors. He was numbered with the transgressors.
on our behalf, in our room, and in our stead. May the Lord help
us then, as we come to the table of the Lord, may he help us to
remember the tremendous cost of salvation through the blood
of the Lamb.