God willing, the notices for
the coming week are as follows. Mr. Paul Tyler will preach here
next Lord's Day at 10.30 and 2 o'clock. The pastor will preach
here on Thursday evening at 7 o'clock. And there will be a prayer meeting
on Tuesday evening at 7 o'clock. Let us commence our services
today by singing together hymn number one to the tune Average
86. Great God, how infinite art thou! What worthless worms are we!
Let the whole race of creatures bow and pay their praise to Thee. Hymn No. 1, Tune Abridge, 86. Lord, how infinite are Thou,
what Thou hast done for me, that Thou, ? Praise the great Jehovah ? ?
And pay the price today ? ? I tell you, Jehovah ? ? The Lord,
an angel to serve ? ? As He taught sons of old ? ? How a heart can
ever grow old ? O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? Till love in excelsis Deo. They shall not pass by today.
? Stand present in my view ? ?
Dearly we exult in our own heritage ? ? The life-saving ? ? Ever-since
I was born ? ? And next will I take rest ? ? All I need now
? O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? God now on earth has come to
thee, and heaven, O grace of gracious birth, let us read together from the
holy word of god in the gospel according to john and chapter
8 John's Gospel, chapter 8, we'll
commence the reading at verse 33. They answered him, we beat Abraham's
seed and were never in bondage to any man. How sayest thou,
ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant
of sin, and the servant abideth not in the house for ever, but
the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make
you free, ye shall be free indeed. I know that ye are Abraham's
seed, but ye seek to kill me. because my word hath no place
in you. I speak that which I have seen
with my father, and you do that which ye have seen with your
father.' They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye
were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But
now ye seek to kill me. A man that hath told you the
truth, which I have heard of God, this did not Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your father.
Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication. We have
one father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God
were your father, you would love me, for I proceeded forth and
came from God, neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do you not understand my
speech, even because you cannot hear my word? Ye are of your
father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He
was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth, because
there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh
of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it. And because
I tell you the truth, you believe me not. Which of you convinceth
me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do
ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth my
words. Ye therefore hear them not, because
ye are not of God.' Then answered the Jews and said unto him, Say
we not well that thou art a Samaritan and hast a devil? Jesus answered,
I have not a devil, But I honour my father, and ye who do dishonour
me. When I seek not mine own glory,
there is one that seeketh and judgeth. Verily, verily, I say
unto you, if a man keep my sayings, he shall never see death. Then
said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil.
Abraham is dead. and the prophets. And thou sayest,
if a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. Art thou
greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? And the prophets
are dead. Whom makest thyself? Jesus answered,
if I honor myself, my honor is nothing. It is my father that
honoreth me. of whom ye say that he is your
God, yet ye have not known him, but I know him. And if I should
say, I know him not, I should be a liar like unto you, but
I know him and keep his sayings. Your father Abraham rejoiced
to see my day, and he saw it and was glad. Then said the Jews
unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, but hast thou seen
Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast
at him. But Jesus hid himself, and went
out of the temple, going through in the midst of them, and so
passed by. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real
prayer. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
which is an art, an art to come, we desire to bow before thy great
majesty, to call upon thy great and holy name, for thou art God
and there is none else. And thou hast said, look unto
me, all ye ends of the earth, and be ye saved, for I am God
and there is none else. So we come to thee, O Lord, this
morning hour in the attitude of prayer with that desire to
worship thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast
sent, We thank Thee that Jesus is the way to God. Jesus is the
way to bliss. We thank Thee for those wonderful
words of grace, I am the way, the truth and the light. No man
cometh unto the Father but by me. Lord Jesus, we do pray that
Thou wouldst be with us here today, that Thou wouldst come
and stand in our midst, that Thou wouldst come and speak to
our hearts. that thou wouldst come and guide us by thy counsel,
that thou wouldst send thy blessed spirit into our hearts, crying,
Abba, Father, that we might know that wonderful sacred spirit
of adoption, that we might indeed have that sacred sense that we
do have a heavenly Father who loves us with an everlasting
love. Oh, we think of those precious words of grace, God so loved
the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in Him shall be saved. We do thank Thee for those precious
words of grace, and we do pray that the Blessed Spirit may take
those sacred words, the Word of God, and seal them into our
hearts today, and make it a living Word. We pray, Most Blessed Spirit,
that Thou wouldst convince us of our sins, and lead to Jesus'
blood and to our wandering eyes reveal the secret love of God. 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, that
we may be led and taught and guided and directed by them.
We do pray that we might know those sacred drawings of our
Heavenly Father. Lord Jesus, Thou didst say, None
come except the Father draw. We pray to be drawn. Thou hast
said in Thy Word, I will draw thee with the cords of a man,
even that holy God-man, the man Christ Jesus. Gracious God, may
we know that drawing of our Heavenly Father today. And may we have
revealed unto us the precious things of the Gospel. And O Lord
we pray that Thou in Thy great mercy would remember us as a
church and as a congregation and work mightily, powerfully
and effectually among us. Quicken souls and make them cry,
give me Christ or else I die. Come and shine We read in thy
word, I am the light of the world. Lord Jesus, thou art the son
of righteousness. And we pray that thou wouldst
arise with healing in thy wings. That we pray that the glory and
light of the gospel may shine among us. Precious souls may
be converted. The strongholds of Satan pulled
down. The glory and light of the gospel
may go into this village. and the surrounding villages
and hamlets, and we may see fulfilled those gospel promises. I will
bring thy sons from far and thy daughters from the ends of the
earth, and they shall come from the north and from the south
and from the east and from the west. Gracious God, may we see
Zion's offspring come. May we see a reviving, a renewing,
a replenishing. May the power that Bring salvation,
be exerted in the word. All we do pray, most gracious
Lord, that thou wouldst hear us, that thou wouldst bless us. We pray, O Lord, for our brethren,
the deacons, that needed grace, wisdom, and help may be given
to them. We pray for our dear brother
that stay blessed this morning and that he may feel thy gracious
help and thy divine support as he takes the service there. We
pray, most gracious Lord, that Thou wouldst remember each one
of our brethren and sisters in church fellowship and that Thou
wouldst bless us together. We pray for our dear brother
and sister in Holland and seek that Thou wouldst bless them
and undertake for them and graciously go before them. We do humbly
beseech Thee. We pray, O Lord, that Thou in
Thy great mercy would remember the little ones and the children
We love to see them and hear them in the sanctuary, but we
pray that thou wouldst richly bless them. And that we do pray
that thou, in thy great mercy, wouldst raise up a seed to call
thee the Redeemer blessing, a seed that shall follow on to know
the Lord. So Lord, do bless us. We do humbly
pray thee, wilt thou not revive us again? Lord send prosperity. Let thy hand be upon the man
of thy right hand, the son of man, whom thou madest strong
for thyself. Great God, remember the young
friends and graciously bless them, teach them, lead them,
guide them. Open their hearts to receive
thy word. Bring them to the feet of Jesus
as poor needy sinners and reveal thyself unto them. that the glory
and light of the ghost may shine into their hearts. We do humbly
beseech them. Remember them in all the paths
of providence. Remember them regarding a partner
in life's journey. We lovingly commend them to thee.
Hear us, O Lord, we humbly pray thee. Remember the prodigals
that have wandered away. Stretch out thy almighty arm.
Cause them to return. Lord it's only thy power that
can do this. And we earnestly beseech thee
that we may have that rejoicing to see the prodigals return.
And oh Lord we pray that thou in thy great mercy would remember
those of us in the midst of the journey of life. We pray for
parents as they seek to bring up children that thou would give
them grace and wisdom to do so in the nurturing admonition of
the Lord. And Lord, remember, we pray thee all in the midst
of the journey of life, wherever they may be, have mercy upon
them, O Lord, we beseech thee, and graciously draw them to thyself. Lord, remember those of us that
are now in the evening time of life journey, and graciously
prepare us for that great day when heart and flesh shall fail
when we shall soar through tracks unknown and see thee on thy judgment
throne. Lord, what a day that will be,
what a wonderful day that will be, to be with Christ which is
far better. Gracious God, we do pray that
thou would guide us safely, honourably, through life, through death,
into eternal glory. We pray, O Lord for all thy servants
as they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion today,
that they may be set free and at liberty, that the light of
the gospel may shine forth, that we may see signs following the
preaching of the word, that instead of a declension we may see a
building up. O gracious God, they are able
to do abundantly more than we can even ask or think. We pray,
most gracious God, that thou wouldst hear prayer, that thou
wouldst revive us and renew us, personally and collectively,
and as a body of people. We pray that thy light and thy
truth may shine forth. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou wouldst remember all in darkness, bondage, those in
darkness, bring them into light. Those in bondage, bring them
into liberty. Those that are far off, make
them nigh. Oh, do hear us, Lord. Remember
all in affliction and trouble and trial and perplexity. Graciously
draw near. Send thy delivering grace. We
do humbly beseech thee. And Lord, we do pray for our
little group of churches. And we do pray that the wind
of the Spirit may blow the power of the Holy Ghost may be made
known and that thou wouldst truly revive us and renew us. We pray
for those that labour in word and doctrine among the nations
of the earth. We think of Ian Sadler and that
great work that he does in so many different countries in the
distribution of thy word and the exposition of Holy Scripture
and the running of the orphanages Help him, Lord, we humbly pray
thee. Supply all his many returning
needs. And, O Lord, we do pray. Remember
the Mombasa mission and thy servant there and his dear one and help
them as they labour. We do humbly beseech them and
graciously bless them. Grant signs to follow the preaching
of the word. Remember the Savannah Education
Trust and that great work that they're doing in Ghana. May it
redound to the honour, glory and praise of thy great and holy
name. And may precious souls be gathered
unto Christ. May poor, benighted sinners be
brought from darkness into light, from bondage into liberty. Hear
us, O Lord, we humbly pray thee. We pray for our government that
thou wouldst give wisdom to our leaders and guidance and direction.
and deliver us as a nation from anarchy. Lord, the spirit of
Antichrist is so prevalent. We pray that thou wouldst arise
and send out thy light and thy truth. We think, O Lord, of these
many immigrants that come among us. We pray that it may be the
purpose to call them by divine grace, to bring them to saving
faith in Jesus Christ, to make them true followers of thee,
and of those who, through faith and patience, inherit the promises.
Lord, thou art able to do abundantly more than we can even ask or
think. We pray for our King and the royal household, that thy
healing hand, thy support in mercy, but above all thy rich
grace, may be made known in our royal household. Lord, we do
thank thee for the liberties that we enjoy, being able to
meet together around thy word. We do thank thee for thy word.
This is the word by which the gospel is preached unto you.
We thank thee for the glories of Christ, the wonders of redeeming
love, the fullness of that salvation that is in him. We thank thee that he was made
of a woman, made under the law, that he might redeem them that
are under the law. We thank Thee for that holy life
that the Lord Jesus lived, and thereby bringing in everlasting
righteousness for His people. We thank Thee for the holy sacrifice
of Calvary, where sin has been put away, where God and sinners
are reconciled, where peace is made between God and man. Oh, we thank Thee for the precious
blood of the Lamb that cleanses from all sin. We thank Thee Most
gracious Lord that he died for our sins and rose again for our
justification and has bodily ascended into heaven and that
we have a great High Priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus
the Son of God. Come Lord and touch one's lips
with a live coal of the heavenly altar. Come and lead and guide
us and direct us. We ask for Jesus Christ's sake,
Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 20. The tune is Wilton 437. Ere the blue heavens were stretched
abroad From everlasting was the Word,
with God he was, the Word was God and must divinely be adored. Hymn number 20, Tune Wilton,
437. O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, ? Alleluia ? ? Alleluia ? ? Alleluia ? O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? ? Thy prayer joy ? ? And peace on high ? ?
H-T-O-R-O-C-H ? ? And the rose of the morning star
? ? Light of heaven and earth ? ? Heaven and earth ? ? Heaven
and earth ? O come, O come, O come, O come,
O come, O come, O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting
in air, O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O say can you see, by the dawn's
early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave ? Hail, hail, hail, hail, hail,
hail, hail, hail, hail, hail, hail, hail, hail, hail, hail, hail, hail, hail, hail, hail,
hail, hail, hail, hail, Is the heaven and the earth,
and the holy soul in heav'n and on earth. Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the 8th chapter
of the Gospel according to John, and we'll read verse 58 for our
text. Gospel according to John, chapter
8, verse 58. Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am. As we read in here this morning,
and we think of that word in the Hebrews, consider him which
endured such contradiction of sinners against himself. lest
ye be faint and wearied in your minds. Consider him. You think of the contradictions,
the accusations. And Jesus said in verse 49, I
have not a devil but I honour my father and ye do dishonour
me. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
light of the world. One of the most beautiful verses
that he ever spoke is found in verse 12 of this chapter. Then
spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the
world. He that followeth me shall not
walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. You know, friends, it's a fundamental
doctrine of our most holy faith, we just sung of it together,
that the Lord Jesus from all eternity has been the Son of
God, the Eternal Son. And surely we cannot think of
a clearer word that proves this than those well-known words in
chapter 3 of John's Gospel, God so loved the world he gave his
only begotten son. He's the only begotten son of
the Father. Full of grace and truth. And
it says that the other thing that word that is used relative
to the Lord Jesus Christ or rather his divine nature is the word. and we read in the first chapter
of John's gospel and the word was made flesh. So he already
was. There are those that argue that
he became the son of God when he assumed human nature. But
that contradicts the word of God and it contradicts our text. Then said the Jews unto him that
thou art not yet fifty years old and as they have seen Abraham,
Jesus said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, before
Abraham was, I am. You know one of the most beautiful
testimonies we have to the sacred glory of the divinity of Christ
is found in the epistle to the Colossians when
the dear Apostle Paul he writes to the Colossians and he speaks
of the divine nature of the Son of God and we read in Colossians
chapter 1 and from verse 12 giving thanks unto the Father which
hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints
in life who had delivered us from the power of darkness, and
had translated us into the kingdom of his dear son, in whom we have
redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.
This speaks of his divine person, who is the image of the invisible
God, the firstborn of every creature. For by him were all things created. What a testimony to the divinity
of Christ. for by him were all things created
that are in heaven and that are in earth visible and invisible
whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all
things were created by him and for him and he is before all
things what a testimony to the eternal nature of the Lord Jesus
Christ and he is before all things and by Him all things consist. He is the head of the body, the
Church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things He might have the preeminence. For it pleased
the Father that in Him, that is in Christ, should all fullness
dwell. You know friends, there is such
a fullness in Christ fullness as being the eternal son of the
eternal father. The Apostle Paul in his epistle
to the Hebrews he speaks of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ
and in the 7th chapter of the Hebrews he says but this man,
verse 24, but this man because he continueth ever hath an unchangeable
priesthood. This man, this glorious holy
God-man, the man Christ Jesus, because he continueth ever, hath
an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to
save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing
he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such a high priest
became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners,
and made higher than the heavens who needeth not daily as those
high priests to offer up sacrifice first for his own sins and then
for the people's for this he did once when he offered up himself
for the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity but the
word of the oath which was since the law maketh the son who is
consecrated for evermore, is consecrated for evermore. Again
in the Hebrews and chapter 13, Jesus Christ the same yesterday,
that's yesterday eternal, today and forever. It is actually a
paraphrase of the name Jehovah. Jesus Christ the same yesterday,
eternally, and today, and forever. It speaks of the eternity. The
name Jehovah speaks of the eternity of God. It actually, in essence,
means the self-existent one. The self-existent one. From all eternity. We read in
the Psalms, don't we? From everlasting to everlasting,
thou art God. Thou art God. From everlasting
to everlasting. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
before Abraham was, I am. I am from all eternity. I often draw your attention to
Proverbs chapter 8 and the reason I do so is because in my very
early spiritual days not long after I was baptized I was really
sorely tempted that Jesus Christ was not the Son of God and that
went on for several weeks and that temptation brought me into
terrible darkness and confusion in my mind And it didn't seem
to matter how much I searched the scriptures, I couldn't find
it. I couldn't find it. But then I was reading in the
early hours of one morning, this is when I was single, and in Proverbs 8, and it was
these words that were, it was just as scales fell off my eyes.
I had such a view of the glory of the Eternal Son, of the Eternal
Father. And it was these words in Proverbs
8 verse 22, The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His way,
before His works of old, and this is what delivered me. I
was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the
earth was. You know friends, the devil in
his temptations he brings us sometimes into great darkness
and bondage he tries to sow confusion in our minds but the Lord uses
those temptations to establish us in the truth to open the truth
and to reveal the truth unto us and ever since that wonderful
revelation of the glorious person of Jesus the son of God, nobody
can shake me on this fundamental doctrine. You know the Apostle
John in his first epistle, he constantly uses these words,
we know. Now he doesn't just mean that
we know literally we have this head knowledge. When he says
we know, it's been revealed. is something that has been made
very precious unto the soul. And when we're brought by the
Spirit to know these things, we know that we are passed from
death unto life because we love the brethren. We know it because
we love the brethren. I was set up from everlasting,
from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no
depths, I was brought forth. When there were no fountains
abounding with water, before the mountains were settled, before
the hills, was I brought forth. While as yet he had not made
the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust
of the world, when he prepared the heavens, I was there. when
he set a compass upon the face of the depth, when he established
the clouds above, when he strengthened the foundations of the deep,
when he gave to the sea his decree that the water should not pass
his commandment, when he appointed the foundations of the earth,
then I was by him. As one brought up with him, I
was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him. rejoicing
in the habitable part of his earth. When the Lord Jesus being
the eternal son of God, he knew what was going to happen and
he rejoiced the thought of coming here to earth to redeem and save
his people from their sins. My delights were with the sons
of men. You see my beloved friends, these
things are written for our instruction. Just think of that term, we've
quoted it already and it's mentioned several times about the only
begotten son. I always think that well-known
Christmas hymn, O Come All Ye Faithful, it seems to, very sweet
to me, begotten, not created. That seems to express to us the
eternity of Christ, begotten, not created. He always has been. He has the same nature. See,
some would argue and some have argued that the father was here
before the son, because of the very nature of a father-son relationship. But of course, that is not the
case. He has the same nature as the
father. It's eternal. from everlasting
to everlasting, now our God. It's an eternal nature, the same
as the Father. He's co-equal and co-eternal
with the Father and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one. One blessed, infinite, almighty
and eternal God. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
before Abraham was, I am. I am. You know, right in the
beginning of John's Gospel, and we read there in the first five
verses, I think it was J.C. Ryle that said if you alter a
full stop or a comma in the first five verses of the Gospel of
John, you introduce some terrible heresy into the church. So finely
is it spoken. The word spoken is so clear. In the beginning. Now that beginning
is the same as what we have in the book of Genesis. In the beginning
God is actually speaking of his eternity. In the beginning God. And here it says in the beginning
was the word. The term the Word refers to the
divine nature of the Son of God. In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was
in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him and
without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was
life and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth
in darkness. And the darkness comprehended
it not. It goes on and it speaks of receiving
him in verse 12 of chapter 1 in John. But as many as received
him, that's Christ, to them gave he power to become the sons of
God, even to them that believe on his name. And then it tells
us how it came about that they believe on his name, which were
born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the
will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh and
dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father. Begotten, not created. The glorious Trinity has always
been. I remember reading Dr Owen on this point,
and he makes this point, God is love. infinite love, eternal
love. Now, Dr. Owen makes this point. There must be something to love
if there is this love. And there is this infinite love
between the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. The Father loveth
the Son and hath given all things into his hand. In the Godhead,
there is this pure, infinite, eternal love between the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And it's that infinite love that
brings forth that beautiful word, God so loved the world, he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall be saved. You see, when Peter answered
for the other disciples, when the Lord Jesus asked the disciples,
whom say ye that I the Son of Man? He said first, whom do men
say that I the Son of Man is? Some say Jeremiah, some say Elijah,
some say this, some say that. And then Christ says, but whom
say ye that I am. Whom say ye that I am?" Christ said, or rather Peter
said, concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, that thou art the Christ,
thou art the Christ, the eternal Son of the eternal Father. And what did What did the Lord
Jesus answer to Peter when he said to him, thou art the Christ,
the son of the Father? He said, upon this rock I build
my church and the gates of hell. You see, the Lord said, this is in Matthew
16, the Lord said to Peter, but whom say ye that I am? And Simon
Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the
Living God. What a wonderful thing that had
been revealed to him. Thou art the Christ, the Son
of the Living God. And Jesus answered and said unto
him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood
hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
And I say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock,
the speaking of himself, and upon this rock I will build my
church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
see these wonderful words, before Abraham was, I am. before Abraham was, I am, the
Eternal, the Almighty Son of the Father. You know, in Hebrews
chapter 2, the dear Apostle there, so speaks beautifully both of
the human nature and of the divine nature of the Son of God. And what an instructive passage
it is. Hebrews chapter 2 and he speaks
of man that is the creation of man upon the earth and he says
in verse 8 he's quoting here of course from the Psalms he
says thou has put all things in subjection under his feet
that's man for in that he put all things in subjection under
him he left nothing that is not put under him But now we see
not yet all things but unto him, but we see Jesus. Now this speaks of the incarnation
of the Son of God who was made a little lower than the angels.
We've just established that the angels are men for the suffering
of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he by the grace
of God should taste death for every man. Now in verse 10 he
speaks of the glory of his divine nature. For it became him for
whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many
sons unto glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through
sufferings. Perfect through sufferings. Now
he's speaking here of the divine nature of the Son
of God and he quotes here in verse 12 from Psalm 22 which
is on the sufferings of Christ and it's a direct quotation saying
I'll declare thy name unto my brethren in the midst of the
church will I sing praise unto thee and then in verse 13 and
again this is a quotation from the Psalms I will put my trust
in him. And again, behold, I am the children
which God has given me." This is how it speaks of the eternity
of the Son of God. For as much then as the children,
that's all that the Father has given him, for as much as the
children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself, who? The Son of God. He also himself
likewise took part of the same. that through death he might destroy
him that had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver
them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject
to bondage. For verily he took not on him
who? The Son of God. He took not on
him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things It behoved
him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a
merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God,
to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that
he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour
them that are tempted." This glorious person of Jesus, the
Son of God. the eternal word that was made
flesh and dwelt among us. And we have that wonderful account
in the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke, the account of the incarnation
of the Son of God. And we read there in the sixth
month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee
named Nazareth to a virgin, espoused to a man whose name was Joseph,
of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And he speaks to her, the angel
came in unto her and said, Hail thou that art highly favoured.
The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women.
So when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast
in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel
said unto her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with
God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth
a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and
shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God. shall give unto him the throne
of his father David. He shall reign over the house
of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be? Sin I know
not a man. And the angel answered and said
unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, the power of
the highest shall overshadow thee, therefore also that holy
thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son
of God. You see friends, when the Holy
Ghost overshadowed the womb of the Virgin, He took of her seed, He sanctified
it perfectly and the Son of God immediately assumed that seed
in the womb of the Virgin Mary. That human nature that the Son
of God assumed never ever had any existence separate to the
Son of God. It was his own personal human
nature when he became bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh. You see, for with God nothing
shall be impossible. That holy thing that shall be
born of thee shall be called the Son of God. The Son of God
assumed human nature. What a fundamental doctrine of
our most holy faith. Jesus said unto them, verily,
verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am. I am. And I believe that this
I am has actually a reference to the words that were spoken
by the Lord unto Moses and when the Lord was to send Moses into
Egypt and to deliver his people from Egyptian bondage. Moses was greatly concerned about
this. He said to the Lord, who am I? I should go on to Pharaoh and
I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt. He said,
certainly I will be with thee. And this shall be a token unto
thee that I have sent thee. When thou hast brought forth
the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God upon this mountain. And Moses said unto God, Behold,
when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto
them, The God of your father sent me unto you. And they shall
say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them? And
God said unto Moses, I am that I am. And he said, thus shalt
thou say unto the children of Israel, I am has sent me unto
you. I am. You know, it's really another
aspect of the name Jehovah. I am that I am. I am the eternal God. I am the
one that changes not, I the Lord change not. I am the eternal
God. I am the self-existent God. I
am He which is and which was and which is to come, the Almighty. I am hath sent me unto you. What a commission, wasn't it,
that Moses received directly from the Lord. In the book of Exodus we have
a further how the Lord speaks to Moses and he reveals that
Jehovah is a covenant name. In Exodus chapter 6, then the
Lord said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh,
for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong
hand shall he drive them out of his land. God spoke unto Moses
and said unto him, I am the Lord. And I appeared unto Abraham,
unto Isaac and unto Jacob by the name of God Almighty. But
by my name Jehovah was I not known to them. And this is where we notice there's
a covenant name. And I have also established my
covenant with them to give them the land of Kenya. the land of
their pilgrims wherein they were strangers. I have also heard
the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians
keep in bondage, and I have remembered my covenant. But by my name Jehovah
was I not known to them." You see, whenever in the authorised
version we read LORD in capital letters, it was translated from
the name Jehovah. The translators made that distinction
so that we can tell when Jehovah speaks, when the Eternal God
speaks, when the Almighty God speaks. But by my name Jehovah
was I not known. Now, we know that Abraham offered
a sacrifice when the Lord instructed him in the mount with Isaac,
take thy son, thine only son, and offer him as a sacrifice.
And immediately Abraham obeyed. He took his son Isaac. Isaac
said to him as they journeyed, Father, here is the fire, here
is the wood, where is the sacrifice? Where is the sacrifice? And Abraham's reply was, God
will provide himself a sacrifice. Abraham believed God. Abraham
believed God. God will provide himself a sacrifice. And he bound Isaac. He built
the altar, he bound Isaac, put him on the altar, raised the
knife to slay him. And the Lord called him, out
of heaven. Abraham, Abraham, slay not the
lad. Do the lad no harm. Now I know,
now I know that thou art willing to follow me. And Abraham turned
and there caught in a thicket was a ram. You know, Isaac on
that altar, bound hand and foot, It's the church of God, that's
what it typifies. It's the whole church of God,
bound hand and foot by the law. By the law of sin. The soul that
sinneth it shall die. Under the curse of almighty God,
cursed is every man that doeth not all things that are written
in the book of the law to do them. And that is what we see
in Isaac, bound there upon the altar. But then, see, Jehovah
Jireh, God will provide himself a sacrifice. And he turned and
there was the ram caught in the thicket. He took the ram. He released Isaac from off the
altar. Set him free. And he took the
ram, such a beautiful type of Christ. And he slew the lamb
in the in the room and the place instead of his son Isaac in the
room place instead and where we read in scripture Abraham
saw my day we've read it in this chapter Abraham saw my day I
believe that's what the Lord is referring to when he was in
the mount of the Lord when he took his son his only son and
he offered him always prepared to offer him and the Lord stopped
him God will provide. Jehovah Jireh. God has provided a Lamb. Behold
the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. Who? The glorious person of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of
the world. Oh my beloved friends, these
beautiful illustrations in Holy Scripture are there for our instruction. Our instruction in the way of
righteousness. You know in the context here
of our Lord Jesus and he says in verse 51, Verily, verily,
I say unto you, if a man keep my sayings, he shall never see
death. He shall never see death. But
the Jews could not see that. Then said the Jews unto him,
Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets,
and thou sayest, If a man keep my sayings, he will never taste
of death. Art thou greater than our father
Abraham, which is dead, and the prophets are dead? Whom makest
thyself? You know what one of the chief
accusations against our Lord Jesus Christ by the Jewish elders
is found here in the Gospel of John and you'll find it in the
other Gospels as well and the Lord Jesus they said in John
19 verse 7 When the chief priest therefore
in office saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify
him. Pilate saith unto them, Take
him and crucify him. Try and find no fault in him.
The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought
to die, because he made himself the Son of God. And that was the chief accusation.
that they had against Christ to crucify Him because He made
Himself the Son of God. Oh, my beloved friends, their
eyes were blinded. Have your eyes been opened to
see how precious this Saviour is? To see who this glorious,
holy God-Man is? Has your eyes been opened to
see Him as the Way, the Truth and the Life? Has your eyes been
opened that you follow Him? Are you like that dear woman
that pressed through the crowd saying, if I might but touch
the hem of his garment, I shall be made whole? I shall be made whole. See, virtue
went out of him. Virtue went out of him when they
touched him. What a virtue there is in Jesus
Christ. What virtue there is in the precious
blood of Christ. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, cleanseth us from all sin. Cleanseth us from all sin. I
often think of that beautiful word in Acts chapter 20, when
the Apostle Paul is speaking to the Ephesian elders. He says
to them, verse 28, take heed therefore unto yourselves and
all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you
overseers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased
with his own blood." With his own blood. You see that sacred
human nature that the Son of God assumed in the womb of the
Virgin was his own personal human nature It had no separate existence
to him. It was his own personal human
nature. He's the holy God-man. He's the
man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He's the one that
we read of in Zachariah, a Waco sword against my shepherd and
the man that is my fellow. He's co-equal and co-eternal
with the Father and with the Holy Ghost, the man that is my
fellow. The glorious holy God man. And he purchased the church with
his own blood, with his own blood. All the infinite worth of that
precious blood of Jesus Christ, it cleanses from all sin, it
does. And then you think of the other
virtue, the glorious everlasting robe of the righteousness his own personal righteousness. I love the way the Apostle Paul
puts it when he writes to the Galatians, made of a woman, made
under the law that he might redeem them. The law was made for man,
the Bible is very clear on that. So when the Son of God assumed
human nature, became a real man, He came under the law and he
lived a life that was pure. There's that lovely hymn, isn't
there? Upon a life I did not live. Upon a death I did not die. Hangs
my everlasting awe. The life of Christ, the death
of Christ. It's everything to the true believer. It is indeed. Jesus said unto
them, verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am. Jesus suffered, bled, and died
for the sins of his people. We read in Isaiah 53, he poured
out his soul unto death. We read in the Gospels that Jesus
knowing in himself that all things were now accomplished. He said
in a loud voice, it is finished. And in so doing he gave up the
ghost, his holy human soul. He gave it up into the hands
of his eternal father and he entered into death itself. He
did. And the purpose? He died for
the sins of his people. He entered into death to destroy
death and him that had the power of death, that is the devil,
is only Jesus Christ the Son of God that could do that. He
destroyed death and in shedding his precious blood he redeemed
his people and in living a holy sinless life he brought in everlasting
righteousness for his people. Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 539. The tune is Gopsal. 542. It was the last verse of this
hymn that was made so sweet and precious to my late dear wife.
Christians rejoice and sing your maker's lovely praise. He is
your God and King, ancient of endless days. He lives, he reigns
and sits above, the King of kings and God of love. Hymn 539, Tune
Gopsal, 542. God rest ye merry, gentlemen. O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the
brave? ? And Christ shall reign from day
to day ? ? In earth's great keeping with us ? ? With nations, peoples,
and lands ? Give them the grace of God again,
And can you tell which road we've been? ? Is the divine expression ? ?
That it makes me feel ? ? That such a mem'ry ? ? In earth's green ? ? In earth's
green ? ? In earth's green ? ? In earth's green ? The time will surely come When
angels teach the Christ Will bind your soul and love May I reach the promised land,
Reaching to it with aim to win. 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.