the notices for the week. If the Lord will, Pastor will
preach next Lord's Day at 10.30 and 2 o'clock. Pastor will also
preach here on Thursday evening at 7 o'clock. There will be a
prayer meeting on Tuesday evening at 7 o'clock. May the Lord help
us to commence our services today with hymn number 958, tune Harrington
155. O for a closer walk with God,
a calm and heavenly frame, a light to shine upon the road that leads
me to the Lamb. Hymn 958, tune Harrington 155. As the arrow with gold had come
and then it flew Oh my dear child, upon the road,
come and lead me to the land. O, what a death that I knew,
when first I saw the Lord. O come ye, O come ye, O come
ye to Bethlehem Only to others I then enjoy,
How sweet the memory still. But guide us, O Thine own. ? Sweet mercy ? ? Delightful grace
? ? How canst thou save us ? ? From every foe ? ? And no pain from my breast ?
? Lord Jesus, I do beseech thee ? ? How sweet the sound that saved
a wretch like me ? How sweet the sound that saved a wretch
like me O say can you see, by the dawn's
early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's May the Lord help us to read
from his infallible word. We go to the book of Deuteronomy. May the Lord help us to read
chapter 9, the ninth chapter in the book
of Deuteronomy. Hear, O Israel, thou art to pass
over Jordan this day. to go in to possess nations greater
and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven,
the people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom
thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand
before the children of Anak? Understand therefore this day
that the Lord thy God is he which goeth over before thee. As a consuming fire he shall
destroy them and he shall bring them down before thy face. So shalt thou drive them out,
and destroy them quickly, as the Lord hath said unto thee. Speak not thou in thine heart. After that the Lord thy God hath
cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness
The Lord hath brought me in to possess this land, but for the
wickedness of these nations the Lord doth drive them out from
before thee. Not for thy righteousness or
for the uprightness of thine heart dost thou go to possess
their land, that for the wickedness of these nations the Lord thy
God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may
perform the word which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. Understand therefore that the
Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it
for thy righteousness, for thou art a stiff-necked people. Remember, and forget not, how
thou provokedst the Lord thy God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day that thou didst
depart Out of the land of Egypt, until ye came into this place,
ye have been rebellious against the Lord. Also in Horeb, ye provoked
the Lord to wrath, so that the Lord was angry with you, to have
destroyed you. when I was gone up into the mount
to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant
which the Lord made with you. Then I abode in the mount forty
days and forty nights. I neither did eat bread nor drink
water. And that the Lord delivered unto
me two tables of stone, written with the finger of God. And on
them was written, according to all the words which the Lord
spake with you, in the mount, out of the midst of the fire,
in the day of the assembly. that came to pass at the end
of forty days and forty nights, that the Lord gave me the two
tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant. And the Lord
said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from thence, thy
people which thou brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They are quickly turned aside
out of the way which I commanded them. They have made them a molten
image. Furthermore, the Lord spake unto
me, saying, I have seen this people. Behold, it is a stiff-necked
people. Let me alone, that I may destroy
them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will
make of thee a nation mightier and greater than thine. So I
turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with
fire, and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands. And I looked, and behold ye had
sinned against the Lord your God, and had made you a molten
cup. He had turned aside quickly out
of the way which the Lord had commanded you. And they took
the two tables and cast them out of my two hands and break
them before your eyes. And they fell down before the
Lord as at the first 40 days and 40 nights I did neither eat
bread nor drink water because of all your sins which ye sinned
in doing wickedly in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to
anger for I was afraid of the anger and a hot displeasure wherewith
the Lord was wrath against you to destroy you. But the Lord
hearkened unto me at that time also. And the Lord was very angry
with Aaron to have destroyed him. And I pray for Aaron also
the same time. And I took your sin, the calf
which he had made, and burned it with fire, and stamped it,
and ground it very small, even until it was as small as dust. And I cast the dust thereof into
the brook that descended out of the mount. And at Tibera and
Massa and Kibra and at Ava he provoked the Lord to roar. Likewise when the Lord sent you
from Kadesh Barnea saying, Go up and possess the land which
I have given you. Then ye rebelled against the
commandment of the Lord your God, and ye believed him not,
nor hearkened to his voice. Ye have been rebellious against
the Lord from the day, that I knew you. Thus I fell down before
the Lord forty days and forty nights. I fell down at the first
because the Lord had said He would destroy you. I prayed therefore
unto the Lord and said, O Lord God, Destroy not thy people and
thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness,
which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Remember thy servants Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. unto the stubbornness of this
people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin. Lest the land
wench, they'll protest us outside. Because the Lord was not able
to bring them into the land which he promised them, and because
he hated them, He hath brought them out to slay them in the
wilderness. Yet they are Thy people and Thine
inheritance, which Thou broughtest out by Thy mighty power and by
Thy stretched out arm. May the Lord solemnise our hearts
and minds in consideration of his word read. May the Lord teach
us how to pray. O Lord, we would desire to humble
ourselves under thy mighty hand. For thou art the great, eternal,
all-glorious, clothed with majesty, everlasting. Thy knowledge is
supreme. Thou art the King of kings and
Lord of lords. O do grant to us some gracious
measure of thy greatness upon our spirit to die, that we might
be like Moses who fell before the Lord, that we might prostrate
ourselves before the God of heaven, and plead with thee that thou
wilt Have mercy upon us. We have read, Lord, concerning
Thine ancient people, their sin, their rebellion, their stubbornness. And Lord, we confess that we
are the same. Oh, the same. and solemn effect
of the Adam fool hath corrupted us. Sin lord hath corrupted us. And how quickly we can turn aside
out of the way. Oh we say with the psalmist I
had gone astray like a lost sheep. Seek thy servant, for I do not
forget thy commandments. And so, Lord, may it be a day
of true worship in consideration of thy great goodness. that thou
hath not cut us off as cumberers of the ground, that thou hath
lengthened our days and spared us to be the subjects of thy
free and sovereign grace, and that desire in our heart to still
wait upon the Lord and to worship him in spirit and in truth. And to this end, Lord, we are
found now in this honoured house of God, where thy truth is faithfully
and unctuously proclaimed. by their dear, esteemed, beloved
pastor, and a fellow labourer, with myself, in the bonds of
love and union, together in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And so, Lord, we do cry, that
thy word may have free course and be glorified in our midst
today, that the Lord Jesus may have thee pre-eminence, and we
thy humble servants might receive from thy hand those spiritual
blessings that are laid up in Jesus Christ. Oh, how great is
thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee,
which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee. And so, Lord, Do help us each
today that our hearts might be engaged in true worship, that
the Lord God Almighty might be glorified in our midst, and that
we might be favoured with the divine power and sacred influence
of Thy Holy Spirit to be felt and known in our hearts, moving
us toward the Lamb of God, those spiritual matters which can only
be known by divine revelation, But the carnal mind of man cannot
understand the deep things of God. What a mercy, Lord, that
Thou didst ever open our eyes, and unstop our ears, and open
our hearts, and our understanding, in some measure, to the deep
things of God. And that is our desire, Lord,
to know more and more of the precious things of God. Those things which are new and
old, laid up in the treasure house of Thy Word. and that these
truths may be the meat and the drink of our soul, so that as
we hunger and thirst after righteousness, we may be filled. Now, Lord, we thank Thee for
bringing us again into this sanctuary with the idea of people that
worship Thee here statedly. Oh the week, the days, the weeks,
the months pass so quickly and Lord we are found here again. We thank Thee for former visits
of thy love on Herman's Hill, on Mises Hill in Herman's May,
but still our souls desire anew thy sweetest, loveliest face
to view. Do come over, dear Lord, all
our infirmities, that hinder us in our spiritual pilgrimage
and in the ministry of thy work and grant that we might know
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ though he was rich yet for your
sakes he became poor ye through his poverty may be made rich. And so, Lord, do remember each
one gathered here today. And if there are any, Lord, away,
we would remember them as well. And may we each come to the feet
of Jesus, as Mary did. that good part that shall not
be taken away from her. Oh, to sit at thy dear feet and
to be taught, Lord, by thee. Oh, we feel, Lord, our need continually
of divine teaching, for thy word is a fullness that we cannot
comprehend that we cannot know on this earth in the complete
fullness of it that is reserved in heaven throughout eternity
to enter in to the depth and height and length and breadth
of the eternal Word of God, because it liveth and abideth forever. And so, Lord, we thank Thee that
Thou hast made known to Thy dear people a little of the deep things
of God that did which coucheth beneath. Lord, we do pray for
the peace, the prosperity of Zion. Oh, we live in a sad day
when compared to a former day. Never the less, dear Lord, We
can humbly say to thine honouring glory that thy spirit remaineth
among us. What a divine favour, Lord, that
is. One prayed, and take not thy
Holy Spirit from me. O do favour us, Lord, with the
indwelling of thy Holy Spirit, so that we may continue in word
and doctrine, and faith and practice, and the preaching of the Word
of God, which is ordained, dear Lord, by thee. And so may the
preaching of the cross be a saver of life unto life unto us. We do pray for each one gathered. Remember them, Lord, in their
spiritual pathway, their providential circumstances, their responsibilities
and labours in life. May we each, Lord, be given grace
and strength to serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. Help us each, Lord, to do that
which is right in Thy sight who bless the labours of us each,
that we might know that our labour in the Lord is not in vain. Remember the church members,
the members of the congregation also, our dear brethren in office
as deacons. Help them, Lord, in this responsibility
and also in their denominational responsibilities. May that wisdom and grace and
strength and help be afforded unto them and unto us each as
we desire to serve the Lord in our day and generation Remember
the different generations, Lord. We think of the little ones,
the children, the parents, the grandparents, different generations,
different needs. But Lord, thy word is not to
just three or four generations, but to a thousand. And so, Lord, do suit thy mercies
to us each according to our individual needs which are all known to
thee. Remember the afflicted, Lord,
in their afflictions. Be infirmed with their infirmities. Those, Lord, who are feeble-minded,
not able to do as they did formerly. Oh, we see and feel the effect
of the years, and these things come. And Lord, it proves to
us that this is not our rest. It is polluted. Oh may we be
prepared for that tremendous change. Prepare to meet thy God
and how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan. Now Lord as we come
to thy word we pray for ministerial grace and God-given ability. May the hymns continue to blend
with thy word. May we sing with a heart and
understanding also. And O do hear in heaven, dear
Lord, thy dwelling place. And when thou hearest, O Lord,
forgive. and pardon our iniquities and
receive us graciously through thy well-beloved Son. We desire fervently to glorify
the name and person of God the Father, God the Son and God the
Holy Ghost. God bless it forevermore. Amen. Hymn 921, the tune West Street
84. In union with the Lamb, from
condemnation free, the saints from everlasting were, and shall
forever be. Hymn 921, tune West Street 84. In union with the Lamb, both
now and in the ages past, Namo'valokiteshvaraya In the month of the moon, the
skies open wide. The people's blood in Jesus'
blood, the flesh in Jesus' blood. O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? Jesus, Lord, we love Thee. Jesus, Lord, we love Thee. O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave Jesus never dies, Jesus always
lives in heaven. We'll have our weary rest, O
come, O come, And with thy sweet enjoyment
blessed is mine. As the Lord shall be pleased
to help me, dear friends, I direct your loving and prayerful attention
to a word to be found in chapter 10 in the book of Deuteronomy,
and we read verses 12 and 13. Chapter 10, the book of Deuteronomy,
verses 12 and 13. And now Israel, what doth the
Lord thy God require of thee? But to fear the Lord thy God,
to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the
Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep
the commandments of the Lord and his statutes, which I command
thee this day for thy good. Well, the Book of Deuteronomy,
as we know, is the fifth book of Moses and the word Deuteronomy
is derived from two Greek words, deuterous which means second
and numerous which means law. So really the book of Deuteronomy
is like a second reading of the law. You can turn to the book
of Exodus And there you have the law, the commandments which
God gave to Moses when he came down, or in the mount, and when
he came down, he gave it to the people. But of course, many of
that generation had died, and so there is a repetition, a rehearsal,
a bringing again of the same truths to another generation,
so that they are not left in any degree of ignorance concerning
what God requires. Now of course in gospel days
this really is exactly the same. Because the truth of God is eternal
and so one generation passes, another generation coming. And
what's preached? Well friends it's the same preaching
with a former pastor here, Mr. J. Bisfield, your present pastor. It's the same preaching, nothing's
changed. The word of God is eternal, it
changes not. But the different generations
children are born, they need to be taught by God, they need
to know the scriptures. And so this is left on record,
friends, for that divine purpose. so that no one can claim and
say, well, we are left in ignorance of what God hath required. It is to be brought before us,
to be repeated, and friends, the truth of God. You may have
heard many times preached, and yet we need continually to be
taught, like Israel of old, The Lord had commanded that wonderful
deliverance from their Egyptian bondage, that iron furnace it
was called, and the bondage was cruel, and it caused anguish
in their soul and upon their spirit. And when the Lord said
to Moses to go and tell them about their deliverance, They
didn't believe what he said because of that hard bondage that they
were under. But the Lord performed his promise
and at that appointed time the Lord brought them out from bondage. Well dear friends, has the Lord
brought you out of bondage? Or are you still under servile
fear? under the terrors of a broken
law, feeling the hot displeasure or the wrath of God upon me. Ah, blessed be God, he brought
them out, and what a wonderful deliverance it was. You see,
on that night the Passover was kept, and when I see the blood,
I will pass over you. There's the Gospel, there's Christ,
there's redeeming blood. So, the Lord gave them his commands,
the covenant, the two tables of stone, the ten commandments
and all that God required. And when Moses gave them these
details concerning this covenant, What did the people say? They
said, all that the Lord hath commanded we will do. And I believe that they meant
it from their very heart. And I believe a child of God
is exactly the same to die. Under the Lord's goodness and
mercy to you, There's that desire to yield obedience to the will
of God, to the commands of God, to the word of God. There's that
desire so to do. And I'm sure there are those
present now who will say amen to that. Yes, that's my desire. That was my fervent desire when
the Lord favoured me and my soul. But friends, have you done it? Have you kept it? You see we
come short. Our spirit is willing but our
flesh is weak. And this is how it was with Israel
of old. Now when you consider when they
came down into Egypt there were only 70 souls, 70. And now the Lord hath a great
number, the promise fulfilled to Abraham. Look up into the
sky, the firmament, and see the stars. So shall thy seed be,
a multitude. And yet when they went down,
there was only seventy souls. But God fulfilled his promise,
his chosen people. The covenant he gave to Abraham,
to Isaac and Jacob. And that covenant, friends, remains
to die. Oh, blessed be God for this. And so they continue. And then when Moses was up in
the mount again, they waited for him. They became impatient. And so what did they do? They
took off the earrings and the gold, and they made a golden
calf. I thought when a friend gave
out the first hymn, and that verse came in, the dearest idol
I have made, I have known whate'er that idol be. Help me to tear
it from thy throne, and worship only thee. This is just what
was on my spirit, because, you see, this is just what they did. They made a molten calf. And look what they said. Oh,
friends, the solemnity of it. These be thy gods, O Israel,
which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. They ascribe the glory to an
idol. a golden calf. The Lord brought
them out and yet now this is what they've done and this is
what they're saying. How quickly they turned aside. Well the Lord said that he would
destroy them. Now therefore let me alone that
my wrath may wax hot against them that I may consume them
and I will make of thee a great nation. So the Lord's anger was
against them. What did Moses do? He interceded on their behalf
and he pleaded before the Lord. What did he plead? He didn't
plead any goodness in the Lord's people. And you can't plead,
friends, any goodness in your flesh. And their sins testified
against them. But Moses interceded. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self
and said, Unto them I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven,
and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your
seed, and they shall inherit it forever.' And the Lord repented
of the evil which he thought to do unto them." Oh, that pleading ground. The
interceder. A type of Christ. And so the Lord turned from his
fierce wrath and his anger. Why? Because they were his people. That's why, friend, they were
his people. Now we have the same, you see,
in Deuteronomy, as we read this morning in chapter 9. You see,
the same principle is set before us. And Moses fell down before the
Lord, as he did at the first. And I prayed unto the Lord and
said, O Lord God, destroy not thy people and thine inheritance,
which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast
brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Remember, it's
the same word again, remember thy servants, Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, Look not unto their stubbornness of this people,
nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin. Remember thy covenant
and thine oath. And because God could swear by
no greater, he swore by himself, saying, Surely, bless, and I
will bless thee, and multiply, and I will multiply thy seed
as the stars of heaven. Now this, of course, brings us
to our text. What the Lord has done in his
covenant love and in his divine mercy, in pardoning their iniquity,
forgiving their sins, and repenting of the evil which he thought
to do unto them. Oh, the virtue of intercession. And of course, in the gospel
day, we have a great high priest interceding for us in heaven's
high courts above. What are the Lord saying? The
prayer for his dear people in John 17, I pray for them. I pray for them. And the Lord
prays for his dear people. He intercedes for us. Blessed be his holy name. And
in various particulars, Moses was a type of Christ. And certainly in that particular
that he interceded and Lord Harkin had heard and he remembered his
covenant. Oh friends, this is a sacred
consideration for us today. This is our pleading grave. Jesus
Christ pleads for his dear people because he has borne our sins
upon the tree. And so, in consideration of all
that the Lord hath done, our text says, and now, and now. This word, dear friends, now,
is so wonderful in keeping with the whole tenor of the eternal
Word of God. Because the Word of God is past,
it's present, now, and to come. And this is the glory of the
Gospel. This is the glory of the truth
of God. Past, present, and to come. And why is that? It's because
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. And so as
we come to this word, written by Moses thousands of years ago,
it's applicable to us to die. Indeed it is. And now. Oh, the present time, dear friend. You can look back over your sins
and iniquities and shortcomings. And you can consider and remember
the Lord's great goodness and mercy and loving kindness to
you. And that we are His people, yet
they are thy people. and thine inheritance, which
thou broughtest out by thy mighty power and by thy stretched out
arm. They are thy people, Lord. They
are indeed, because they are under the covenant of God's divine
truth and oath. As I said, because he could swear
by no greater, he swear by himself. God cannot turn from that, friends. No. And so the Lord's people come
under His chastening hand. They're made to feel it and know
it, but it humbles them under His mighty hand. Now, and now
Israel, you have the commandments. You have that which God requires. Now Israel, It's your responsibility,
by the grace of God, to be obedient to what the Lord
has said. This is it friends, this is it. I've seen your backsliding, I've
heard your murmuring, And yet I have been gracious
and merciful to you. And friends, that's the same
with us. If the Lord had dealt with us after the strict tenor
of his holy law, there wouldn't be any hope for us friends, would
there? But he has given mercy, forgiveness, that he may be feared. On account of all that the Lord
has done, according to his covenant of grace, Now, Israel. And this of course embraces the
whole Church of God because you see Israel proceeded from the
12 tribes of Jacob and the Jewish nation and Abraham of course
was the friend of God and So it represents that great number
of the Lord's people. And in gospel sense, of course,
the gospel way and manner, it represents the Church of God
today and every true believer and every elect vessel of mercy. And now because of what the Lord
has done, he will place upon us a requirement. and the Lord is just to do it.
And it's ours to yield obedience to what the Lord has said in
consideration of what He's done in delivering you and forgiving
you and pardoning you. Oh friends, the goodness of God
leads one to repentance and then your desire to walk humbly before
the Lord. And now, Israel, oh friends,
not tomorrow, not tomorrow, but now. And this now, friends, you
see, is applicable to the Church of God today. And now Israel,
the chosen nation, my dear people, ah, the Lord will place a requirement
upon us. Friend, do you feel it? Do you submit to it? On account of what the Lord has
done, friends, a child of God will willingly submit to this
requirement. What does the Lord require of
you? Yes, what doth the Lord thy God
require of thee? Micah took this theme up as well
and said the same for substance, what doth the Lord require of
thee but to walk humbly before thy God. I cannot remember the
whole verse now but that's the substance of it, to walk in humility
and love and to show mercy and compassion, the same as the Lord
has done for you. And so if the Lord has done these
great things for you, dear friends, your desire to honour the Lord
and also to manifest that love and grace to the Lord's dear
people, His chosen people, because we are one in Christ and this
requirement covers us all. No one can say, well, I'm exempt. I am free. I can do as I will. No, friends, no. No, there's a narrow way to heaven.
And the Lord's dear people walk in it. And they know what the
Lord requires. And they have a conscience before
the Lord. And that conscience will register
anything that is not in keeping with the law of God and will
prevent you from doing it. But also your conscience will
know what God requires and your desire to do that in all good
conscience before the Lord. So you can say with the Apostle
that I exercise myself continually to have a conscience void of
offense before God and before man. So that, dear friends, is
very wonderful. And so the child of God knows
what the Lord requires. He's told us in His Word. It's all there, friends. It's
all there. No excuse, friends. No one will
ever be able to claim excuse at that great day and say to
the Lord, I didn't know. You can never do it, friends. I had
an experience that really kept my thoughts in that way that
I just mentioned. a certain workplace and employment
there was a manual of that which was required to do this particular
work. You had to adhere to that manual. And it said this, excuse, you cannot say well I don't know
You cannot just say, it's no way of saying I didn't know. The word I'm thinking of is ignorance. It's said ignorance is no excuse. Friends, it's the same in the
word of God. Ignorance is no excuse. When we come down to die, friends,
one cannot say I didn't know. God's volume is before the human
race. Many disregarded, condemned the
counsel of the Most High God. Therefore he brought down their
heart with labour. They fell down and there was
none to help. Then they cried unto the Lord
in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. So this requirement, oh friend,
what doth the Lord thy God? Now immediately you see the Lord
as directing Moses by his Holy Spirit, then you see they can
claim the Lord as thy God. Why is that? Because the Lord
claims us as his people. Now chapter 7 deals very wonderfully
with this, and this is another reason why we need to render
obedience unto God because the Lord's dear people are not just
an ordinary people. They are spoken of as an holy
people unto the Lord thy God The Lord thy God hath chosen
thee to be a special people unto himself above all people that
are upon the face of the earth. There's no people on earth like
the Lord's people, friends. No. The Lord did not set his
love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number
than any people, for ye were the fewest of all people. because the Lord loved you, and
because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your
fathers, that the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand and
redeemed you out of the house of Bonn, from the hand of Pharaoh,
king of Egypt. Know, therefore, that the Lord
thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and
mercy with them that love him and keepeth His commandments. There it is, friends. So the
Lord's people are a special and a particular people. They're chosen by God in Christ
before the foundation of the world. And these are the holy
doctrines of faith which we love, which we believe the Lord has
shown and revealed to us. and friends, every sacred doctrine,
where does it proceed from? It proceeds from Jesus Christ,
everyone. And so the Lord loves his dear
people. He chose them by electing love
and mercy. They fell in Adam, but he loves
them in Christ. and in Christ he views his people
as no spot or blemish or any such thing. Oh friends, the glory
of God in electing love and mercy, the glory of God the Son in redeeming
and the glory of God's Holy Spirit in revealing and making known
to us These sacred, divine truths. So, friends, love is the foundation. It's eternal. The love of Christ
is rich and free, fixed on His own eternally. Oh, do you believe
your love by the Lord? You might say to me, that's just
what I want to know. I just want to know, does the
Lord love me? Well, friends, let me ask you
this. Do you love the Lord? Because
we love Him. Because He first loved us. And love will enable you to walk
in obedience. That's the secret, friends. That's
the absolute secret. Love will enable you to walk
in accordance with what the Lord requires, and in consideration
of His love in choosing you. Oh, friends, although you are
few in number, there's a remnant according to the election of
Christ, that you say, why me, O Lord? Why me? Why? Because the Lord loved you. That's why. Oh, it's an eternal
love, a sacred love. And His love begets our love
and enables us to do what the Lord requires. That's just how
the Lord works. And so, dear friends, the doctrine
of elections is a glorious doctrine. How do you know it? Well, the
apostle says in writing to the church at Thessalonica, knowing,
brethren, beloved, your election of God. And how do they know
it? Because the word that was preached
was not in word only, but it was in power. It was in much
assurance, and by the Holy Ghost, much assurance
in your heart. So it's the effect of the preached
word, under the divine power of the Spirit, Fly in that word
and enable you to believe that you are an elect vessel of mercy,
knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God. God has not
exhorted his people to do something they cannot do. Every exhortation and requirement
can be done, not in our sinful flair, but in our mind, the mind
of Christ. By the grace of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ, by the sovereign power of God's Holy
Spirit, we are enabled to do that which the Lord requires. Those three favoured apostles
in Gethsemane, Peter, James and John. They were taken by the
Lord. There the Lord in his agony of
soul. Well, dear friends, what happened?
They fell asleep. They fell asleep. Oh, their flesh
is weak, but well-in-spirit, under the divine power of the
Spirit of God, will enable you to do what the Lord requires. A lovely word isn't it? Requires. Well sometimes a person in their
will bequeaths a sum of money to a certain person or a certain
cause in particular that's dear to their heart and they may put
a requirement on it. It's to be used for a particular
purpose and they have an absolute right to say that because they've
given it to that charity or whoever it may be. It must be used for
that express purpose. Now the law chosen us, loved
us, redeemed us, saved us. He puts a charge upon us, a requirement
to do what He requires. Now we have a wonderful example in the person of Jesus Christ
and thus this requirement can be done because it's been done
on behalf of his people. When the Lord Jesus came into
this world, it is spoken in prophetic language. And what do we read? Then said I, this is the Lord
speaking, Lord Jesus, Lo, I come, in the volume of the book it
is written of me. I delight to do thy will, O my
God. Yea, thy law is within my heart. There's the secret, friends.
blessed secret because the Lord delighted to do the will of God
and to walk and to keep the law in perfection and he did and
when he came as the man Christ Jesus he said I have not come
to destroy the law that to fulfill it. We took it away by our sin. But the Lord restored that
which He took not away. And He restored the law by keeping
it in perfection and He delighted to do it. because the law was
given by God the Father at Sinai. And so he delights to do his
Father's will and the commands. It's his delight to do it. Now
he has done it to restore a broken law and to deliver his people
from the curse of that law. Oh Fred, And in keeping it, he
honoured God his Father and he wrought that robe of righteousness
which he adorns his dear people with. And that robe, friends,
of righteousness is ever new, wrought by Christ in perfection
in keeping the law and faith puts it on. Oh, friends, Is that
robe of righteousness covering the nakedness of your sin and
shame? He delighted to do it. Now, this
then is the wonderful and glorious example. And the Lord has never
exhorted us to do anything, but it's been done before by Jesus
Christ. And that's how it can be done
and kept today by His people. and out of love to Christ and
all he's done for us, you desire to walk in obedience. Oh, the deep things of God, friends. Oh, how wonderful it is that
the Lord reveals these things to us. To some poor man like
me, the Lord reveals the deep things of God. Oh, friends, why? Love. Love. and because the Lord has ordained
that his word should be preached. It's an ordination of heaven. God's holy word, not only read,
but is to be preached. And the ministry is committed
to the charge of those that he has chosen to minister. So, dear
friends, Oh, the dear Redeemer has gone before us in everything,
interceded for us. Yes, the Holy Spirit intercedes
for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Oh, and He bared
the sin of men, did Christ, and made intercession for the transgressors. The wonder then of the deep,
precious things of God. And friends, you see the Lord
Jesus, I speak with the utmost reverence, but this requirement
was upon Him, because He came to do the will of God His Father.
It was a holy requirement for the salvation of His people. And He kept that charge. He fulfilled
that requirement in perfection. Perfection. As for God, His way
is perfect. So we walk in that narrow way. Who are we walking with? I hope
we're walking with the Lord Jesus while walking in the Gospel way. I would see Jesus every day. That's it, friends, isn't it?
So, and now Israel. What doth the Lord thy God? What a wonderful thing, for you
claim the Lord to be our God. And you turn the pages and you
come of Scripture and you come to Elijah's day and There the people were influenced
and started worshipping Baal. And Elijah said to them, how
long haught ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, worship him. If Baal, worship him. And so
it was put to the test, the sacrifice, water placed upon it. The sacrifice
that is consumed by fire is the true God. And the fire came down
and consumed the sacrifice. One of the people sighed, the
Lord, He is God. And they repeated it, the Lord,
He is God. You see, dear friends, and the
Lord will bring to your understanding You will know a little of the
greatness of God upon your spirit because you'll feel it. And this
will humble you under his mighty hand and his love will soften
your heart and enable you to walk in obedience. Well friends, there's a fullness
in the gospel that can never ever be exhausted on the face
of this earth. It's an eternal fullness. And may the Lord own and bless
that which we desire to attend unto, Sabbath by Sabbath and
week by week. We must leave it this morning,
friends. May the Lord add his blessing. Amen. We'll close with hymn 318, tune
Delight 25. God of eternal love, how fickle
are our ways, and yet how oft did Israel prove thy constancy
and grace. Hymn 318, tune Delight 25. Friend of the world, help me
to walk the way And let the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting
in air, They stole thy wonders, Lord,
And then thy praise they sung. Come, sing thy works of love,
Lord, And hold the Queen in her arms. Now the evening is white, ? All
around me rivers run ? ? And in the last drop of the morning
? ? And in the last drop of the morning ? ? Jesu, vidun eros ? ? Vigna et
in eros ? ? Quod etem ad in seritur ? I'm cold and still inside. The lantern in his hand is And in the skies of Nebuchadnezzar
The people have rejoiced ? And peace from heaven above ?
? To love and praise and praise ? ? And praise and join both
soul and body ? Now may thy grace, Lord Jesus,
the Father's love, the communion of thy Holy Spirit, be with us
all, now and forevermore. Amen.