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. Also on Thursday evening at 7
o'clock. There will be no prayer meeting
on Tuesday this week. And there will be a church meeting
here on Thursday, on Tuesday the 3rd of September. Let us commence our services
today by singing together hymn number 545 to the tune Henry
470. Truly that poor soul is just,
who by faith in Christ can trust. In him live, upon him rest, as
the Lord his righteousness. in 545, tune Henry, 470. Early that cross for poorish
jobs, Her by faith in Christ shall trust, Give him, give him
a honoured rest, As an opened righteousness. Since as far as I am ill-fine,
rising high in riches fine, He has died, is gone away. O come, let us adore Him, O come,
let us adore Him, Brighter than the shades of day,
suited to be passed away. When he hears the angel voices,
And the call of Satan's voice, Glacier, glacier, Christ is here,
All is fair, all is bright and new, O'er his culture bright as shine,
Faith in Christ and his divine. He from anger had shall come,
Still he knows what I shall know. ? And the hearing mind is frank
? ? To the eyes she has a friend ? In the glow of the April rain
We shall fly together Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the Song of Solomon, chapters 1 and 2. Solomon's Song, chapters 1 and
2. The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's. Let him kiss me with the kisses
of his mouth, for thy love is better than wine. Because of
the savour of thy good ointments, thy name is as ointment poured
forth. Therefore do the virgins love
thee. Draw me, we will run after thee. The King hath brought me into
his chambers. We will be glad and rejoice in
thee. We will remember thy love more than wine. the upright love
thee. I am black, but comely, O ye
daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains
of Solomon. Look not upon me, because I am
black, because the sun hath looked upon me. My mother's children
were angry with me, they made me the keeper of the vineyards,
but mine own vineyard have I not kept. Tell me, O thou whom my
soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to
rest at noon, for why shall I be as one that turneth aside by
the flocks of thy companions? If thou know not, O thou fairest
among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock,
and feed thy kids beside thee shepherds' tents. I have compared
thee, O my love, to a company of horses in fairer chariots.
Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains
of gold, will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver. While the king sitteth at his
table, My spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof. A bundle of
myrrh is my well-beloved unto me. He shall lie all night betwixt
my breasts. My beloved is unto me as a cluster
of campfire in the vineyards of Engidae. Behold thou art fair,
my love, behold thou art fair, thou hast dove's eyes. Behold,
thou art fair my beloved, yea pleasant, also our bed is green,
the beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters are fir. I am the rose of Sharon, and
the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thorns, so
is my love among the daughters. As the apple tree among the trees
of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under
his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my
taste. He brought me to the banqueting
house, and his banner over me was love. Stay me with flagons,
comfort me with apples, for I am sick of love. His left hand is
under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me. I charge
you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the rows and by the hinds
of the field, that ye stir not up nor wake, my love, till he
please, the voice of my beloved. Behold,
he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills, My beloved
is like a roe or a young harp. Behold, he standeth behind our
wall. He looketh forth at the windows,
showing himself through the lattice. My beloved spake and said unto
me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For lo, the winter is past, the
rain is over and gone, The flowers appear on the earth, the time
of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is
heard in our land. The fig tree put forth her green
figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell.
Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. O my dove, the
heart in the clefts of the rock, In the secret places of the stairs,
let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice, for sweet
is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. Take us the little
foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes.
My beloved is mine, and I am his, He feedeth on the lilies
until the daybreak, and the shadows flee away. Turn, my beloved,
and be thou like a roe or a young heart upon the mountains of Bitha. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real Almighty, most merciful and eternal
God, we do desire to bow before Thee. Thou art the high and lofty
One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy. And we come,
Lord, before Thee as unholy sins, unrighteous, The prophet of old
declared, from the crown of my head to the sole of my foot,
wounds and bruises and putrefying sores, there is no soundness
in my flesh. And so often, Lord, we have to
cry with the dear apostle, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver
me from the body of this death? We thank God. for Jesus Christ
our Lord, for this is our only hope of salvation in the finished
work of Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of the eternal Father. So
we come to thee, most gracious Lord, in confession of our sin. We come to thee with that desire
to worship thee in spirit and in truth, and we pray 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 today. May the power that brings salvation
be exerted in the word. Blessed, holy, divine Spirit
of truth, we pray for thy heavenly power. Without thy heavenly power,
O Lord, no sweets the gospel can afford. no drops of heavenly
love will fall. And it is our desire that those
drops of heavenly love, the dew of heaven, may rest upon our
branch. All we do pray to be led and
taught and directed by thee this day. Lord, we pray that thou
in thy precious mercy would come and seal the word of God into
our hearts. with heavenly power. Lord, we
do pray that the delivering power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
may be realised in our assembly today, and that the Lord Jesus
may be exalted, and we read of thee, most blessed Spirit, that
thou wilt testify of Christ the Lamb. And we pray that that may
be so today. testify to poor lost ruined sinners
who have no hope in themselves, but reveal thyself. Lord Jesus,
we pray that thou would come and stand in our midst, that
we may truly worship thee in spirit and in truth, that we
may touch the hem of thy garment, that we may draw from that sacred
virtue that is in thee at the virtue of thy precious sin-atoning
blood, the virtue of thy glorious everlasting righteousness. May
we be favoured with the sacred application of thy truth into
our hearts, that wonderful liberty of the people of God. If the
Son shall make you free, then shall you be free indeed. We
pray that we might know and feel and experience the sacredness,
for God has sent forth the spirit of his son into our hearts, crying,
Abba, Father. My God, my Father, blissful name,
O may I call thee mine. May we know that sacred spirit
of adoption, whereby we may cry, Abba, Father. Lord, so Bless
us and be with us this day. We do humbly beseech them. Bless
our brethren, the deacons. Give them grace and wisdom and
help in all their responsibilities, not only here, but among the
churches of God. And graciously guide and direct
us as a church and as a congregation. Grant that we may love each other,
serve each other, bear each other's burdens, thereby fulfilling the
law of Christ. Lord Jesus, we think of thy sacred
words. By this shall they know that
ye are my disciples, because ye have love one to another. Lord, we pray for a day of real
prosperity. We pray for the outpouring of
the Holy Ghost. We pray for the pulling down
of the strongholds of Satan and the revelation of Jesus Christ
unto poor sinners. We do humbly beseech thee, send
out thy light, send out thy truth, return in thy power and in thy
glory as thou usest to be in the sanctuary. We plead those
precious promises. I will bring thy sons from far
and thy daughters from the ends of the earth. O Lord of hosts,
O God of Israel, O Thou that dwellest between the cherubim,
shine forth. Let Thy hand be upon the man
of Thy right hand, the Son of Man, whom Thou madest strong
for Thyself. So bless us as a church and as
a congregation, and may the glory and light of the Gospel shine
into this village and the surrounding villages and hamlets, and may
we see thy work and thy power and thy glory as thou usest to
be in the sanctuary. Wilt thou not revive us again,
O Lord? May we know that reviving in
our own souls and the revelation of Jesus Christ personally to
our souls. May that be so from this pulpit. And as the word goes through
on the internet, may it be richly blessed of thee. and to the glory
of thy great and holy name. Lord, we do pray that thou would
remember the downcast. Remember those in darkness and
bring them into light. Remember those in bondage and
bring them into liberty. Remember those that are far off
and make them nigh by the precious blood of Christ. And oh Lord,
we do pray that thou wouldst remember thy servants as they
labour in word and doctrine today. Set them free, set them at liberty,
graciously bless them, O Lord, we do beseech thee. And they
may dip their foot in oil and be made acceptable unto the brethren. Lord, may it be so. And we pray
that thou, the great Lord of the harvest, wouldst send true
labourers into the harvest, and was build the walls of Jerusalem
for thy great namesake. We live in dark and solemn days
when we see the spirit of Antichrist so prevalent in our society and
throughout the nations of the earth. O Lord, do hear, we pray
thee, and arise again, and bless thy Zion, bless thy people. Return unto Jerusalem with mercies,
we do humbly beseech of thee. We pray for the children, the
young friends. Oh, do bless. We do humbly beseech
thee and raise up a seed to call thee the Redeemer blessed and
fulfil that ancient promise. Instead of thy fathers shall
be thy children whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.
We pray that the prodigals may return and thy wonderful grace
may be seen in this. and we might have that joy over
one sinner that repented. Hear us, O Lord, we pray thee,
for thy great namesake, and send real prosperity, revive thy people,
and bless thine inheritance. And O Lord, we do pray that thou
wouldst remember parents and be with them in the bringing
up of their children. And remember, Lord, we pray thee,
the families as they gather for worship, And remember all in
the midst of the journey of life, and be gracious, Lord, we humbly
beseech thee. We pray that thou, in thy precious
mercy, would be with those of us that are in the evening time
of life's journey, and graciously prepare us for that great change,
which must come. And now, my God, prepare. my
soul for that great day, and wash me in thy precious blood.
Take all my sins away. Gracious God, we do pray that
thou in thy great mercy would remember the churches up and
down the land, and that thou wouldst graciously pour forth
thy blessed spirit. Remember, O Lord, our government,
and give wisdom to our leaders, and guidance and direction, we
do humbly beseech thee. Be with and guide all that are
in authority over us. And bless our king and the royal
household with that rich grace that is in Christ Jesus. And
put forth thy healing hand, O Lord, we do humbly beseech thee. Lord,
we pray that thou wouldst remember those that labour in the nations
of the earth. We would remember thy servant
Ian Sadler and that great work that he's doing in the distribution
of Holy Scripture and in the preaching and exposition of thy
word. We pray that thou would guard
him with all sufficient grace and that thou would supply his
many returning needs. We do humbly beseech of thee. We pray that thou would remember
the Savannah Education Trust in Ghana and that great work
that they are doing with the Christian schools. Lord, may
it redound to the great honour, glory and praise of thy holy
name and that thou would supply all their many needs. Remember
thy servant at the Mombasa mission. Help him to labour and go forth
and grant signs to follow the preaching of the word. And though
there may often be much discouragement, we pray that thou help him to
continue. we do humbly beseech thee and
grant good success and grant real prosperity. Bring to nought
the counsels of the ungodly and the wars, and that we pray that
thou would put a stop to war and bring peace, we humbly pray
thee, O Lord God of heaven. Lord, we pray for thy church
in the Ukraine, that thou would bless thy people there and be
with them And we pray for Israel, surrounded with her enemies,
that thou, Lord, are able to deliver. Gracious God, we do
desire to thank thee. We thank thee for all thy tender
mercies, thy lovingkindnesses, thy great goodness that has passed
before us in the way. We thank thee that thy mercies
to us are new every morning, and great is thy faithfulness. We thank thee for Jesus Christ,
for the glory of his name, for the fullness of his grace, for
the wonder of God manifest in the flesh. We thank thee for
his holy life and the holy law he has fulfilled on the behalf
of his people of bringing in everlasting righteousness. We
thank thee for that glorious atonement on the cross of Calvary,
where sin has been put away and divine justice has been satisfied
and God and sinners are reconciled. We thank thee that he died for
our sins and shed his precious blood that cleanses from all
sin. We thank thee that he rose again
for our justification. And as bodily ascended into heaven,
we have a great high priest and we would bow in humble worship
before them and pray for thy rich blessing. to be upon us. We thank thee that in him we
know the love and grace of our eternal Father, and through him
we receive that wonderful gift of the Holy Ghost. Be with us
now, Lord, as we turn to thy word. Come and touch one's lips
with the live coal from off the heavenly altar, as we ask with
the forgiveness of all sin, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us continue by singing together
hymn number 557. The tune is Sweet Name, 730. How sweet and precious is the
name of Jesus Christ, the Lord, the Lamb, to sinners in distress. A name just suited to their case. Pregnant with mercy, truth and
grace, with strength and righteousness. Hymn 557, tune Sweet Name, 730.
? Sing a hymn to his glory ? ?
And give to them praise and honor ? ? And raise their voices high ?
? The King of Kings ? O'er the ramparts we watched
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs
bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still
there. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus ? Come, love, come with me ? ?
I will hold you close around me ? ? For still in time I rest
my head ? ? If I give unto you today ? ?
Then only justice will proceed ? ? And heaven and earth shall have peace ? ? And breath shall flee ? ? And
the world shall die in peace ? ? In eternal righteousness ? ? Yet in his name the Lord appears
? ? A prince of mighty power appears ? ? Now I can have a good time ?
? And in summer see the sun set ? ? For it shall sing, for it shall
rise ? ? For it was so heaven-bent ? ? It was so heaven-bent ? ? They shall learn of His holiness
? ? Glorious is the Lord God Almighty ? greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, direct your attention to the Song of Solomon in chapter
two, and we'll read verse 14 for our text. Solomon's Song, chapter two,
verse 14. O my dove, thou art in the clefts
of the rock, In the secret places of the stairs let me see thy
countenance, let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice
and thy countenance is comely. The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's. And the reason it's called the
Song of Songs is because there is no other song like it. Solomon's song is sacred Hebrew
poetry. And if you look at modern translators,
they will tell you it was written at the time when Solomon married
Pharaoh's daughter. Well, my beloved friends, we
don't believe that for a moment. This was written by Solomon in the fullness of that love
that he felt to Jesus Christ. And it's called the Song of Songs
because just as he is called the King of Kings and the Lord
of Lords, There's no other poetry that quite like it and it, as with all poetry, is written
in a metaphorical way. So different illustrations are
used from nature to express the fullness of that love, firstly
that Christ has to the church, and secondly that the church
has to Christ. fullness of that love, when that
love is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost, we love Him
because He first loved us. What a mercy, my beloved friends,
if you're in love with Jesus Christ, the great King and Head
of the Church, the son that will set his people
free. If the son shall make you free,
then shall you be free indeed. Now, the desires here of the
church toward Christ, sometimes in this beautiful book, it's
difficult to sometimes tell who is speaking. Sometimes it's very
clear, but other times it's not so clear. But in that second
verse here of the first chapter, this is the desire of the spouse,
the bride of Christ. Because what is set before us
here is a marriage between Christ and his church. The church is
the spouse of Christ. And he loves her with an everlasting love. therefore
with loving kindness have I drawn thee, yea I have loved thee with
an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn
thee. And indeed the desire of the
living soul that has been awakened to their lost condition and their
needy helplessness, awakened that they need salvation, that they need deliverance from
sin and Satan's power. And the blessed spirit working
faith in the heart reveals Christ. He reveals Christ. And then he
sheds abroad the love of God in the heart. And then the desire
here, let him kiss me. Union and communion, that's what
the spouse desires. Let him kiss me with the kisses
of his mouth for thy love. is better than wine. And then
in verse four of chapter one, the desire of this pair, draw
me. She desired spiritually to be
drawn, draw me. We will run after thee. The King,
that's Christ, had brought me into his chambers. We will be
glad and rejoice in thee. We will remember thy love. More
than wine, the upright love thee. So this is a song of love, spiritual
love, spiritual union, spiritual communion. Tell me, tell me,
O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest? That desire to
be where Christ would have us to be, where thou feedest? What
the meaning is, of course, is that the spouse desired to be
where Christ feeds his people. Do you desire to be where Christ
feeds his people? Does the language of this beautiful
book, does it find an echo in your heart? Tell me, O thou whom
my soul loveth where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to
rest at noon. That desire to be where the Lord
Jesus would have you to be, where the Lord Jesus would feed your
soul, where the Lord Jesus would give you spiritual rest, where
you would be under a living ministry. That's the desire of the child
of God. And the Lord Jesus immediately
answers it in verse eight, chapter one. If thou know not, O thou
fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps
of the flock and feed thy kids beside the shepherd's tents.
The footsteps of the flock are the footsteps of Jesus. My sheep,
they know my voice and they follow me and a stranger will they not
follow. What a wonderful thing, if you
and I are following Christ. As the hymn writer says, his
track I see, and I'll pursue the narrow way till him I view. To follow Christ. The apostle
Paul in writing to the Corinthians, he says, be ye followers of me,
even as I also am of Christ. even as I also am of Christ. We see here in chapter one, verse 13, a bundle of myrrh is
my well-beloved unto me. He shall lie all night betwixt
my breast. My heart, that's what it means,
all night in my heart. And in verse 15, similar to our text, Behold thou
art fair, my love. This is Christ speaking of the
church. Behold thou art fair, my love.
Behold thou art fair. Thou hast dove's eyes. You see,
it's a beautiful song of love. And then the spouse replies,
Behold thou art fair, my beloved. Also, our bed is green and the
beams of our house are cedar and our rafters are fir. You
see, she enjoys his love. She enjoys communion and union. I think it's in one of William
Gadry's hymns, isn't it? In union with the Lamb, from
condemnation free. The saints were everlasting were
and shall forever be. Oh my dove. So this is Christ
speaking of his spouse of the church. Oh my dove. The art in the clefts of the
rock. You know this term, my dove,
it reoccurs several times in the Holy Scriptures and my mind
it just goes to the sixth chapter and verse nine. My dove, my undefiled,
is but one. She's the only one of her mother.
She is a choice, one of her that bear. The daughters saw her and
blessed her. the queens and the concubines
and they praised her. See how beautifully Christ speaks
of his bride. He says in the fourth chapter,
thou art all fair my love. There is no spot in the, why
is there no spot? Because the church is made up
of the fallen sons and daughters of Adam. and they are defiled
with sin, and they are unrighteous altogether. There's a word in the book of
Psalms, speaks of the church in Psalm 68, reading Psalm 68 and verse 13,
though ye have lion among the pots, Yet shall ye be as the
wings of a dove, covered with silver, and her feathers with
yellow gold. And this is speaking of the spouse
of Christ. Though ye have lion among the
pots, in the earth, in the soil, A poor, fallen, wretched, ruined
sinner. Born in sin and shaped in iniquity
and unrighteous altogether. And by the Spirit's inward teaching
they're brought really to feel that. You know, and the teaching
of the Spirit to the true child of God continues right the way
through life. Just as it says in the teachings
of our Lord Jesus Christ in John 16, when he, the spirit of truth,
is come, he will reprove, the margin says, convince the world
of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. You know, friends,
let us not run away with the idea that that is just the beginning
of our spiritual experience. That will continue right the
way through life. right through the life of the
believer. And I know I speak for others
when I say personally myself, I feel more deeply now my sinfulness
than ever I did in my early days. I used to think I knew a lot
about conviction of sin. Having spent two years under
the law and the terrible bondage and darkness that that brought.
But you know, friends, I knew hardly anything. Though you have lying among the
pots, poor, wretched, sinful, and maybe you feel and know in
your own heart the wretchedness you thought perhaps at one time
You have become more holy, more righteous, more spiritually minded,
more separated from the world. But you find that you have a
heart which is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. And you feel it. To see sin smarts
but slightly, to own with lip confession is easier still, but,
oh, to feel cuts deep beyond expression. though ye have nine
among the pots, the potsherds of this earth, all our sinfulness,
all our wretchedness, all our emptiness, all our poverty. And
as we grow in grace, we're brought to feel that more. Now, just
listen to what he says here. Yet shall ye be as the wings
of a dove, covered with silver, and have feathers with yellow
gold. Again, this is speaking of the
true believer in Jesus Christ. Though ye have line among the
pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove, covered with
silver. Silver, in Holy Scripture, in
that spiritual way, it represents the divine work, power and grace
of the Holy Ghost. It's what it's speaking of. The
Holy Ghost. It says here in the, we read
it together this morning, and in verse 11 of chapter one, we
will make the borders of gold with studs of silver. Those borders
of gold are the divine and blessed graces of the Holy Ghost. that's
rather the studs of silver are. The borders of gold is Christ.
It's the same here in Psalm 68. Yet shall you be as the wings
of a dove. Give me the wings of faith to
rise within the vale and sea. You see the wings of faith. The wings of a dove covered with
silver. that blessed divine work of the
Spirit of God in the heart. Those precious graces of faith,
and of love, and of humility. They're the sacred graces of
the Spirit. And he says, with feathers, and
have feathers with yellow gold. Well, as we know in this metaphorical
way, we find it in song here. Gold represents deity. And the
feathers of gold represent the glorious person of our Lord Jesus
Christ. And that the believer is covered
in his righteousness. That is really the meaning of
those words. Those precious graces of the
Spirit. To fly away. To fly heavenward. To fly to Christ. We read of
it in Isaiah. as doves to their windows, as
dove to their windows. This is the true believer, oh
my dove, the art in the clefts of the rock. You know, it's very wonderful,
isn't it? The clefts of the rock. Rock
of ages cleft for me. let me hide myself in thee, let
the water and the blood from thy riven side which float, be
of sin the double cure, cleanse me from its guilt and power in
the cleft of the rock. You know, you're probably familiar
with the story of the hymn Rock of Ages and that top lady was
riding on a horse up through the Cheddar Gorge and there came
a great thunderstorm and he with his horse went up into a cleft
in the rocks to shouter from the thunder, lightning and the
rain and while he was shoutering in that cleft of the rock in
the Cheddar Gorge the words For his hymn came to his mind as
he sat there on his horse, sheltering in the cleft of the rock. And
how beautiful that hymn is, isn't it? Rock of ages, cleft for me. Let me hide myself in thee. Let the water and the blood.
Christ is the rock of ages, the eternal rock of ages. Christ,
he says to us upon this rock, I build my church and the gates
of hell shall not prevail against it. It's a hiding place. You know when Moses desired the
Lord that he would go with him and the Lord said, this is in
Exodus chapter 33, and we read in verse 14, and the Lord said
to Moses, my presence shall go with thee. and I will give thee
rest. And he said unto him, if thy
presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. Moses felt his
great need of the Lord's presence. And in verse 19, in Exodus 33, and the Lord said to Moses, I
will make all my goodness pass before thee. and I will proclaim
the name of the Lord before thee, and will be gracious to whom
I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show
mercy. And he said, thou canst not see
my face, but there shall no man, for there shall no man see me
and live. And the Lord said, behold, there
is a place Thou shalt stand upon a rock. That place by him is the eternal
rock of ages. There is a place by me. There's
a hiding place. A man shall be in hiding place
from the windy storm and tempest. That man is the glorious eternal
God-man, the man Christ Jesus. And thou shalt stand upon a rock.
when Bunyan speaks in the Pilgrim's Progress and of going through
Jordan, through death. And what did he say? The bottom
is good. The bottom is good. Thou shalt stand upon a rock
and it shall come to pass while my glory passes by that I will
put thee in a cliff of the rock. This is the Lord speaking to
Moses. cliff of the rock. Again, it's Christ. I will cover
thee with my hand. Many times in scripture, Christ
is called the hand of the Lord. I will cover thee with my hand
while I pass by. You see, my beloved friends,
these things are written for our instruction in the way of
truth and of righteousness. They are. Oh, my dove, that are
in the clefts of the rock, in the clefts of rock. What a wonderful thing to be
in the clefts of the rock, to be resting in the finished work
of Jesus Christ, to be resting by faith alone in the precious
blood, in the glorious righteousness, of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
is what it is to be in the cleft of the rock. Let the water and
the blood from thy riven side which flowed, O my dove, thou
art in the clefts of the rock, casting all your care upon him,
for he careth for you. And we have that exhortation
of the Apostle Paul in Hebrews chapter 12. Let us lay aside
every weight and the sin that does so easily beset us. Maybe
you feel the defilement of sin. Maybe you feel the corruption
of your nature. Maybe you thought that when you
got older you'd become more spiritually minded and you'd be a better
person, but you feel so much the deep corruption and sinfulness
of your heart. But you see, let us lay aside. We are sinners. We're all sinners. Let us not run away with the
idea that we become holy. always have the old man of sin and it will be a terrible burden
to you. You know one of the barbaric
punishments in the days of the Romans was if a man was convicted
of a certain crime that they would actually tie a dead corpse
onto his back And wherever he went, he had to carry a stinking,
putrefying, dead corpse wherever he went. That was a terrible,
barbaric punishment. But the apostle uses that as
an illustration. In the Romans, it says, we have
the old man of sin. Just like that person had to
carry that dead body, we have to. with all its sinfulness,
with all its corruption, with all its uncleanness, with all
its unrighteousness. We have to carry it about, a
body of sin and death. But then the exhortation to flee
to Christ. Let us lay aside every weight
and the sin that does so easily beset us, let us run with patience. The
race that is set before us is only one way that you and I will
ever run this race, looking unto Jesus, his precious blood, his
glorious righteousness, and that precious blood and righteousness
of Christ becomes more precious, becomes more attractive, becomes
your only hope, for time and for eternity. The finished work
of Christ. On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. I have no other hope. There is
no other way. Jesus said, I am the way, the
truth, and the life. O my dove, thou art in the clefts
of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs. The secret places
of the stairs. hiding. It's obviously to do
with the clefts of the rock. We go up and down stairs. It
reminds me of Jacob when he was at Bethel. And as far as we can see that
was the first time the Lord met with him. He was all alone and
he saw a ladder similar to what we have here, the stairs, he
saw a ladder, its foot was on the earth and its top reached
into heaven. And he saw the angel of God ascending
and descending upon that ladder. That ladder beautifully typifies
Christ. That's what Jacob saw. The angels
are heavenly messengers. And that we only have to do with
God as an in and through the person, power and grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life,
the secret places of the stairs. And Jacob, the other thing he
saw, and the Lord stood above him. The Lord stood above that
ladder. What was revealed to him? There
is a word. He said, How dreadful is this
place? It's none other than the house
of God and the very gate of heaven. That's what he saw. He saw the
way. Have you seen the way? Have you
seen Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life? Are you following
Jesus? Do you desire to follow Jesus? Oh, my darling. So Christ here
is speaking to the believer, oh my dove, the art in the clefts
of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs. This is his desire,
let me see thy countenance. Let me see thy countenance. Christ desired to see, I would
feel, that this is approaching the Lord in prayer, let me see
thy countenance. It's coming as a poor, wretched,
helpless sinner, coming unto Jesus, looking unto Jesus. Looking
unto Jesus. And the Lord Jesus is made so
precious. And because you feel yourself
to be such a defiled sinner, the Lord Jesus becomes so precious
to your soul. And you know that there is forgiveness
with him. There is forgiveness with him.
The sweet Psalmist of Israel, David, he says that in Psalm
130, doesn't he? But there is forgiveness with
thee, that thou mayest be feared. Let me see thy countenance. You
know, we can be in such an experience, I've known it myself, because we sin, this is after
we've come to a knowledge of Christ, after Christ has been
made precious, we sin. Perhaps we sin again, and again. And there is that within you
which says, I can't go again. How can I go again to such a
loving, gracious God when I've sinned again? I'm defiled again. But you know, friends, that's
the pride of our heart. I can't go again. That's the
pride of our heart. And how we need the Lord to humble
us and to bring us to realise there's only one place of grace. There's only one place of salvation. There's only one place of reconciliation. There's only one place where
you'll find peace. There's only one place where
you'll find salvation. There's only one place where
your defilement can be washed away. That is in Jesus. Come, then, repenting sinner,
and trust upon his grace. Oh, what thou wilt, the total
sum is cancelled by his death. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
son, cleanseth us from all sin. And here, let me see thy countenance. Let me hear thy voice. These are the words of Christ
to the believer. Let me see thy countenance. Let me hear thy voice. What an invitation, isn't it?
It reminds us of those lovely words of Jesus in the 11th chapter
of the Gospel of Matthew. Come unto me, all ye that labour
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon
you. That means to be united to Christ,
take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly
in heart, and ye shall find rest for your souls. Come unto me. What wonderful words of grace,
even the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, even the voice of the
beloved. As it says in verse 10, my beloved
spake and said unto me, rise up my love, My fair one. See the love he has. My love. My fair one. Come away. Come away. He loves you. He loves you with an everlasting
love. But you might say I've sinned. I've sinned and repented. I've sinned and repented. I'm
so defiled. I'm so corrupt. You'll never
get any better. never get any better. Your old
man will always be your old man. Your old man will always be corrupt.
Your old man will always be after the things of this world. That's
our old man. It's the old man of sin. Behold
the Shulamite within whom there is as it were a company of two
armies. That's the old man and the new.
Gadsby in one of his hymns says, that the old man and the new,
they can in no means agree. No, there's a conflict between
the two. Paul, when he writes to the Galatians,
he says, the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against
the flesh, and the one is the contrary to the other. So this
conflict goes on. The Apostle Paul, he speaks of
the same conflict. That which I would, I do not.
Romans 7. That which I would, I do not.
That which I would not, I do. I find a law within my members
that when I would do good, then evil is present with me. Oh, that the Lord will enable
you to come. And that these words may be by
the Spirit made very precious to you. Let me see thy countenance. Let me hear thy voice. You know, we sometimes dwell upon ourselves. We do. What does Joseph Hart
say? Pour not on thyself too long. Look to Jesus, firm and strong,
mercy joined with power. Let me see thy countenance. Let
me hear thy voice. These are the words of Jesus
to his spouse, to his bride. And listen to what he says. and
it is so sacred to think he's speaking of a poor wretched sinner
whom he has loved with an everlasting love, for sweet is thy voice, for sweet is thy voice and thy
countenance is comely. He sees that the Lord Jesus sees
his people washed in his precious blood, clothed in his glorious
righteousness, So their sins are washed away and they are
clothed in that glorious everlasting robe of his righteousness. We quoted it already. Chapter
four and verse seven. Thou art all fair, my love. There is no spot in thee. These wonderful words of grace,
of love, kindness, compassion, of our Lord Jesus speaking to
his spouse, to his church. He says in the beginning of chapter
4, this is Christ speaking of the church, Behold thou art fair
my love, Behold thou art fair, thou hast dove's eyes within
thy locks, thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Mount
Gilead. You see, he looks upon her and
he loves her with an everlasting love and he sees her redeemed. He sees her washed and cleansed
from all her sin and clothed with that glorious everlasting
robe of the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know
we read in that beautiful sacred messianic psalm, Psalm 40 and We read of the spouse of Christ
in that psalm. And he speaks, David, he speaks
in Psalm 45 so beautifully of our Lord Jesus Christ. My heart
is indicting a good matter, I speak of things what I've made, touching
the King, that's King Jesus. My tongue is the pen of a ready
writer. And then he speaks of Christ,
thou art fairer than the children of men. Christ becomes the altogether
lovely one to the true believer. Thou art fairer than the children
of men. Grace is poured into thy lips.
Therefore, God hath blessed thee forever. And then there's the
prayer. Gird thy sword. This is a prayer
unto Christ. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh,
O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. You know, when
I pray for us here as a church, as a congregation, Privately,
I often pray this prayer, gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O Most
Mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty, and that desire that
the Lord will work mightily among us, and in thy majesty ride prosperously,
because of truth and meekness and righteousness. And thy hand
shall teach thee terrible things, thine arrows are sharp in the
heart of the king's enemies, whereby The people fall under
thee. How he speaks here of our Lord
Jesus, thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter
of thy kingdom is a right scepter. But what I was thinking of more
was, if you look at verse nine in Psalm 45, king's daughters
were among thy honorable women. This is the church of God. Upon
thy right hand is stand the Queen in gold of Ophir. Hearken, O
daughter, and consider. This is, again, the voice of
Christ to the believer. Hearken, O daughter, and consider,
and incline thine ear. Forget also thine own people
and thy father's house. So shall the King greatly desire
thy beauty. For he is thy Lord, and worship
thou him. And the daughter of Tyre shall
be there with a gift, even the rich among the people, and shall
entreat thy favor. And listen to what he says of
his spouse, the king's daughter, verse 14. The king's daughter,
verse 13 rather, is all glorious within. Why? Because she's washed
in the blood of Christ. her clothing as of wrought gold. Why? Because she's covered in
the glorious everlasting righteousness of Jesus Christ. She shall be
brought unto the king in raiment of needlework. The virgins her
companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee with gladness
and rejoicing shall they be brought. They shall enter into the king's
palace. 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. they shall enter into the king's
palace. O my darl, thou art in the clefts
of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs. Let me see thy
countenance, let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice,
and thy countenance is comely. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 92. The tune is Alice, 279. Who is this fair one in distress
that travels from this wilderness and pressed with sorrows and
with sins on her beloved Lord she leans? Hymn number 92. tune alice 279 Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the
brave And praise His forehead, and
praise Him On every rock of Bethlehem. It is the spouse of Christ the
Lord, born with the pleasures of His love. Let our requests and our complaints Learned thy name, then brave
and stead, Bows all thy water, bow thy hand. ? Still the apple of my eye ? ?
Come and wed me ? ? At the bridge of Dove's eye ? Stronger than death, my love
is well, Which but a broken hammer fell. And heaven that it may provide
To all of us our watching eye. God, I am jealous of thy love,
Lest it should run from me, Let that thy name be well-addressed,
As heaven and seabed o'er thy breast. Till Thou hast brought me to
Thy throne, Where peace and hope shall never come, I know not that we all have sinned,
and thou have thou shalt 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. Amen. Thank you.