meeting here on Tuesday evening
at seven o'clock. The collections and donations
during July amounted to £2,865.62. The donations to the book fund
was £45. We sincerely thank you for the
continued support of this cause of truth. We thought you would
like to know that through the book fund We supplied Maidstone
Prison with, I think it was 50 Farsi New Testaments. And Farsi
is the language spoken in Iran. May the Lord bless his word. Let us commence our services
today by singing together hymn 927 at the tune is Hope 350. Thou only Sovereign of my heart,
my refuge, my almighty friend, and can my soul from Thee depart,
on whom alone my hopes depend? Hymn 927, tune Hope 350. Thou mayst hold me in all thine
arms, my refuge, almighty friend. ♪ And my soul from thee depart
♪ ♪ No more my home but God's deep
land. ♪ ♪ Israel, our free land, ♪ 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. Eternal life, thy will to thee
be done, ♪ All is my faith in Him ♪ ♪ Yes,
He shall come, yes, He shall come ♪ ♪ Let us offer in joys divine ♪
♪ Our ever-giving hand ♪ ♪ And he will rule, and he will
rule, and he will rule, and he will rule, and he will rule, and he will rule,
and he will rule, and he will rule, and he will rule, and he
will rule, and he will rule, and he will rule, and he will rule, and he will
rule, and he will rule, and he will rule, and he will rule,
and he will rule, and he will rule, and he will rule, and he
will rule, and he will rule, and he will rule, and he will rule, and he will rule, and he
will rule, and he will rule, and he will rule, and he will
rule, and he will rule, and he will rule, and he will rule,
and he will rule, and he will rule, and he will rule, and he will rule,
and he will rule, and he will rule, and he will rule, and he
will rule, and he will rule, and he will rule, and he will
rule, and he will rule, and ♪ My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my,
my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my,
my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my,
my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my,
my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my,
my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my,
my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my,
my, my And I think I saw the light.
It's taking over me tonight. Stepping in with me. Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the Gospel according to Luke and chapter
6. Luke's Gospel, chapter 6. We'll commence our reading at
verse 17. And he came down with them and
stood in the plain and the company of his disciples, and a great
multitude of people out of all Judea and Jerusalem, and from
the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him and to
be healed of their diseases. And they that were vexed with
unclean spirits, and they were healed. And the whole multitude
sought to touch him, for there went virtue out of him, and he
healed them all. And he lifted up his eyes on
his disciples and said, blessed be ye poor, for yours is the
kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now,
for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now,
for ye shall laugh. Blessed are ye when men shall
hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company
and shall reproach you and cast out your name as Evian for the
son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day and leap
for joy for behold your reward is great in heaven for in the
like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. But woe unto
you that are rich, for ye have received your consolation. Woe
unto you that are full, for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that
laugh now, for ye shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you when all
men shall speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the
false prophets. But I say unto you which hear,
love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them
that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek, offer also
the other. And him that taketh away thy
cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man
that asketh of thee, And of him that taketh away thy goods, ask
them not again. And as ye would that men should
do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them
that love you, what thank have ye? For sinners also love those
that love them. And if ye do good to them which
do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even
the same. And if ye lend to them of whom
ye hope to receive, what thank have ye, for sinners also lend
to sinners to receive as much again. But love your enemies,
and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again, and your reward
shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the highest,
for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore
merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye
shall not be judged. Condemn not, and ye shall not
be condemned. Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven. Give, and it shall be given unto
you, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running
over shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure
that ye meet, with all it shall be measured to you again. And
he spake a parable unto them. Can the blind lead the blind?
Shall they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is not
above his master, but everyone that is perfect shall be as his
master. And why beholdest thou the mote
that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that
is in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to
thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in
thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is
in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first
the beam, out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly
to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye. For a good
tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit, neither doth a corrupt
tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his
own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather
figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of
the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is
good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart
bringeth forth that which is evil, for of the abundance of
the heart his mouth speaketh. And why call ye me Lord, Lord? and do not the things which I
say. Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth
my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like.
He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and
laid the foundation on a rock. And when the flood arose, the
stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it,
for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth and doeth
not is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon
the earth, against which the stream did beat vehemently, and
immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real
prayer. Almighty, most merciful and eternal
God, we do desire to bow before thy great majesty and to call
upon thy great and holy name. We desire that thou would grant
unto us this day a spirit of true worship. For they that worship
thee must worship thee in spirit and in truth. We pray, Lord,
for that true spiritual worship. We pray to be led of the spirit
of God, to be guided and directed into thy truth. We pray, Most
Blessed Spirit, that Thou wouldst open our hearts, our ears, our
eyes, our understanding. For, Most Blessed Spirit of Truth,
without Thee we can do nothing. Without Thy heavenly power, O
Lord, no sweets the gospel shall afford, no drops of heavenly
love will fall. We pray that it may be today
there may be a living power in the word of the Lord, both read
and preached, that it may reach into our very souls, that we
may be enabled to dig deep and build upon that eternal foundation
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, we do pray that we may
feel thy presence, Lord Jesus, here in the sanctuary. Jesus,
Son of God, Most High. This is a great privilege we
ask, Lord. But what is the house, O Lord,
to me, unless the Master I can see? Oh, we do pray that we may
catch a glimpse of your lovely man, that we may worship in thy
holy hill of Zion, and like we've read in thy word of those that
thronged him about, and that desire to touch him, for whoever
touched him was healed. May it be so today. May there
be those that are thronging about Jesus and that long to touch
the hem of his garment and draw from that fullness that is in
him. I do grant that it may be so. May we have, O Lord, granted
unto us that sacred spirit of adoption whereby we may cry,
Abba, Father, my God, my Father, blissful name, O may I call Thee
mine. Lord, we come to confess our
sins. We all have sinned and come short
of Thy glory. And we desire, O Lord, a spirit
of true confession of our sins. We pray to be washed in the precious
blood of the Lamb, to cleanse us from all our sin. We pray
for thy renewing, thy replenishing grace in our hearts. Oh, we do
pray, most gracious Lord, that we may be delivered from the
temptations of Satan, from the power and dominion of sin, and
from the workings of our own corrupt heart and nature. that
we may be led of thee and guided by thee, and that we may be like
the dear apostle, what wilt thou have me to do? Guide me, O thou
great Jehovah. We're pilgrims in a barren land.
We are weak, but thou art mighty. Hold us with thy powerful hand. We pray that today, as we gather
around the word, 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. Lord, we pray that thou
wouldst bless us as a church and as a congregation. We thank
thee for all thy mercies to us, and pray that thou wouldst be
gracious unto us. We pray for those that are not
able to gather, that are away, and we seek that thou wouldst
bless We pray, most gracious Lord, that thou in thy precious
mercy would remember our brethren, the deacons, and give needed
grace, wisdom, and help in all their responsibilities. And we
pray, most gracious Lord, that thou would remember each one
of our brethren and sisters in church fellowship. Have mercy
upon them. We think of our dear friends
in Holland, and we lovingly commend them to thee. pray that thou
would richly bless them and be with them. And we pray for others
listening online as well, that they may, O Lord, know thy rich
blessing, that the word of the Lord may have free course and
thy name may be honoured and glorified. We pray, O Lord, for
a closer walk with thee, a calmer heavenly frame, a light to shine
upon the road that leads me to the Lamb. Lord, we pray for the
little ones and the children as they're brought into the sanctuary,
that the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom, may
be granted unto them, that they may be guided by thee and directed
by thee. Pray for our young friends. We
lovingly commend them to thee. Pray that thou would bring them
to living, vital, saving faith in Jesus Christ. that they may
become true followers of thee and of those who, through faith
and patience, inherit the promises. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou, in thy great mercy, would cause the prodigals to
return, and thy mighty grace to be seen in this. Lord, thou
alone art able to do these things. Indeed, O Lord, thou art able
to do abundantly more than we can even ask or think. And does
not the hymn writer say thou art coming to a king large petitions
with thee bring for his grace and power as such none can ever
ask too much. Lord there is nothing too great
for thee and there is nothing too small. We pray that the glory
and light and power of the gospel may shine into this village and
into the surrounding villages and hamlets and that thou would
bring our sons from far and our daughters from the ends of the
earth. Arise, arise, O God of grace, into thy rest descend,
thou and the ark of thy strength, and let thy priests be clothed
with salvation. Thy saints shall shout aloud
for joy. Lord, remember parents and give
them wisdom and grace to bring up their children in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord. And remember our dear friends
here visiting from the USA, and that we pray that thou would
graciously bless them and bless the dear friends at Grand Rapids
and especially Lord in that new chapter that is to start when
thy servant takes the pastorate and we we lovely commend him
to thee pray that he may dip his foot in oil and be made acceptable
unto the brethren. Remember Lord we pray thee all
in the midst of the journey of life and undertake for each one,
guide and direct us, O Lord, we do pray thee, unto thy heavenly
kingdom. Lord, we pray that thou would
remember those of us that are now in the evening time of life
journey, and we pray that as the outward man perishes, the
inward man may be renewed day by day, and that at the appointed
time that thou wouldst graciously give us an abundant entrance
into thy heavenly kingdom. Remember all thy servants as
they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion. Set them
free, set them at liberty, we do humbly beseech thee. Grant
that they may dip their foot in oil and be made acceptable
unto the brethren, and that the word preached may be in power
in the Holy Ghost and with much assurance. Lord, so bless each
of thy servants. And Lord, what a great need there
is of thy servants. We pray thee, the great Lord
of the harvest, that thou wouldst send true labourers into the
harvest, that thou wouldst build the walls of Jerusalem, that
thou wouldst send a day of real prosperity. Turn us again, O
God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, the Son of
Man, whom thou madest strong for thyself, so will not we turn
back from thee. Remember the little hills of
Zion up and down the nation, and graciously bless them. Those
that are ready to die, revive them and renew them, and gather
in precious souls. O Lord, we do pray thee. O Lord,
we do pray. that thou wouldst remember our
nation. We live in truly solemn days
when iniquity abounds on every hand, when the spirit of Antichrist
is so prevalent. We pray that thou wouldst give
wisdom to our leaders and guidance and direction and help our judges
and magistrates and all in authority over them. Remember our King
and richly bless him with that rich grace that is in Christ
Jesus and each of the royal household. Hear us, O Lord, we pray thee.
Remember those that go out from among us at labour. In the doctrine
of truth, in the word of God, we think of thy servant, Ian
Sadler, and that great work that he does among so many places
here upon earth. In the distribution of thy holy
word, in the running of the orphanages, Lord, supply all his needs, we
do humbly beseech thee. Remember the Mombasa mission,
and thy servant that labours there. We do pray that thou would
grant good success, that there may be signs to follow the preaching
of the word. Remember the Savannah Education
Trust and that great work that they're doing in Ghana. Lord,
supply all their many returning needs and grant that these things
may be down to the great honour, glory and praise of thy holy
name. and the increase of thy church
in that nation. Lord, we do thank thee. Thank
thee for our house of prayer. We thank thee for the Word of
God. We thank thee for the open Bible. But above all, we thank
thee for the glories of Christ, the incarnation of the Son of
God, the holy life He lived, the holy law He fulfilled, O
most gracious Lord, and thereby bringing in everlasting righteousness. We thank Thee that He suffered
and bled and died for our sins, and rose again for our justification,
and that He has bodily ascended into heaven and sitteth at Thy
right hand For such an high priest have we, who is passed into the
heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. Lord, thy mercies to us each
are new every morning, and great is thy faithfulness. Come and
touch one's lips with a live coal from off the heavenly altar. Make up in giving where we do
so fail in asking, as we ask for Jesus Christ say, Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 543. The tune is Vienna 517. Jesus
is the way to God. Jesus is the way to bliss. In this way the church has trod
down from Adam's day to this. Hymn 543, tune Vienna, 517. He does this through praise and
thanks. In his favor, you must try. ♪ Strength to face ♪ ♪ Let us wish
the living God ♪ ♪ All praise for you and me ♪ O come, O come, all ye faithful,
joyful and triumphant, O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the
bombs bursting in air, ♪ Jesus, Jesus, come home again
♪ ♪ When you've eaten your fill of bread ♪ ♪ You can't have all this I've
got ♪ ♪ Jesus, Jesus, Lord of life ♪ ♪ Bright as stars above
♪ ♪ The divine and peace of grace
♪ ♪ Ever and ever in this very hour ♪ ♪ 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, O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the
brave? ♪ Jesus, Jesus, we love Thee ♪
♪ Rain from heav'n to heav'n will fall ♪ ♪ Grace, grace, grace, grace, grace, grace, grace,
grace ♪ O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? ♪ In His praise to be heard ♪ ♪
Ever and reign eternal ♪ Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the chapter
that we read, the gospel according to Luke and chapter 6. And we'll
read verses 46 and 47 for our text. Luke's gospel, chapter 6, verses
46 and 47. And why Call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do
not the things which I say. Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth
my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like. Very solemn searching words. Why call ye me Lord, Lord? This is quite a common saying
of our Lord Jesus Christ. He says in Matthew's Gospel that
many shall say unto me, Lord, Lord, in that day. And I will say unto them, depart
from me. I never knew you. It's a very
solemn thought, isn't it? You know, I think of that little
children's prayer in the hymn. I often say my prayers, but do
I often pray? And do the wishes of my heart
go with the words I say? These are very searching things,
friends. Is our religion real? It's one thing to profess, like it says here, and why call
ye me Lord, Lord? Professing that he was Lord of
Heaven. And yet, do not the things which I say. What Christ is saying
here, It's a very hollow religion that doesn't rise up to do something. And this could be looked at from
many many different angles. So whosoever cometh to me and
heareth my sayings and doeth them. vital point here,
my beloved friends. He heareth my sayings and doeth
them. I will show you to whom he is
like. Where do we stand relative to
these things? Are we true believers in Jesus
Christ? And if we're true believers,
are we true followers of Jesus Christ? Are we following Christ? He says, doesn't he, in John's
Gospel, if ye love me, keep my commandments. It's one thing to profess that
you love the Lord and that you have faith in Jesus Christ, but
how do you live? How do you live? How do I live?
With the exhortation of the dear apostle in Hebrews chapter 12,
he says, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that does
so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that
is set before us, looking unto Jesus. Have we been enabled by the grace
of God? to lay aside every weight and
the sin that does so easily beset us. In Zacchaeus, whom the Lord
wonderfully called by grace, he says in the scripture, doesn't
he, he was very rich. He was a publican, which is a
tax collector. He'd taken much more than he
should have taken, so that is why he was such a rich man. He'd
fraudulently taken it, And he'd taken it to himself. And the Lord Jesus, he comes,
Zacchaeus was a man of small stature and he climbed up in
the sycamore tree. What a shock that must have been. See, he couldn't see the Lord
Jesus because he was short. So he climbed up in the tree.
And when the Lord Jesus, the multitude thronging him about,
came under that tree, he looked up and said, what a shock it
must have been. Zacchaeus, come down. The Lord Jesus knew who was there.
The Lord Jesus knows where every one of his children are. The
foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal upon it. The
Lord knoweth them that are his. And Zacchaeus was one of his.
The most unlikely character, the Pharisees would have cast
him out straight away because he was rich and he dealt fraudulently,
took more than was necessary. And the Lord Jesus said to him,
for today I must eat in thy house. And immediately he came down
and went no doubt to his mansion, and he made a feast to them all.
But what stands out in that, where we see what he did, and
this is very important, Francis, one thing to make a confession
of Christ, it's another thing to follow him. He said that if he defrauded
anyone, he would restore them fourfold, gave his goods to the poor. That's
the effect. That's real repentance. When we turn away from our sin
and from our wrong ways, we lay them aside because Jesus is made
precious, because Jesus is revealed as the way, the truth and the
life. The hymn writer says, doesn't
he, let all fruitless searches go, which perplex and tease us,
but desiring not to know, but a bleeding Jesus. All fruitless
searches. We search for this, we search
for that, we search for something else. We try to make ourselves
better, we try to make ourselves more acceptable to God, but it's
all in vain. I'm not saying you shouldn't
try, but it's in vain, because you and I cannot make ourselves
any better. We have a heart which is deceitful
above all things and desperately wicked, and the word of God is
abundantly clear to us in our natural state, there is none
that doeth good. No, not one. You cannot make
yourself better. As I say, I'm not saying you
shouldn't try, but you can't do it. You and I have a heart
which is deceitful, sinful, wicked, unrighteous. You see, my beloved friends,
and this goes for perhaps those that are seeking the Lord. I
know when the Lord was working in my heart and convincing me
of my sins, how I tried as hard, as hard, as hard as I could to
make myself better, to make myself more acceptable to God. I felt
I couldn't come as a poor sinner. I had to make myself better and
then God would receive me. But that's completely wrong.
You cannot make yourself better. You're setting yourself a task
that is impossible. You may make yourself better
for a little while, but you will soon prove that you have a heart
that is very deceitful and very corrupt and very wicked. And that is the fruit that is
produced by your wicked sinful heart, your wicked sinful nature. You may say to me, well, you're
painting a pretty black picture of who we are. I can't paint
it black enough, friends. I can't paint it black enough. We cannot please God. The Bible
says it, doesn't it? That he that is in the flesh,
he cannot please God. And that corruption that is in
our nature, even the apostle speaks of it in Believers. those that have fled to Jesus
for refuge, and those that are desiring to follow Him and do
seek to follow Him. What does the Apostle say in
Romans 7 concerning the true Christian believer? 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, an
evil is present with me. We're sinful. We're corrupt. If you go to the law of God and
you say, well, now I must live in conformity to the law of God.
I must try to fulfill its holy commandment. That's very commendable. Very commendable. But you can't
do it. Everything we touch, literally
everything we touch is stained and dyed We sin, we pollute anything
we touch. We're utterly sinful and corrupt
by nature, we are. But what we have before us here,
why call you me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Those that profess that Jesus
Christ was Lord, and yet they didn't. do the things that He said, didn't
keep His commandments. We have some of His commandments
here that we read together here in the Word of God. And these
are the wonderful commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 27, I say unto you which
hear, love your enemies, do good to them that hate you. These
are the wonderful sacred commandments of Jesus Christ in the Gospel.
to his people, bless them that curse you, pray for them that
despitefully use you. How do we measure up to the word
of God that is here before us, of how we should live? Unto him
that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other, and
him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also. I say, how do we measure up to
that? These are the precepts of the
gospel. I'll tell you what this shows us, my beloved friends,
that the gospel is a higher law than the holy law of God. It
is. The holy law of the Ten Commandments. And what this, these teachings
of Christ reveal to us that the following Christ in love, you
can't follow Christ without love. How many there are that have
a faith? A faith that is of the flesh. A faith that is intellectual.
It is what you know you ought to do. And it's just intellectual. But
the faith of the Lord's people is very clear in the Word of
God. It's a faith that worketh by love. Now that's very different
to an intellectual faith. And a person that reads the Word
of God and hears the Word of God preached and thinks, well,
I should do this, I should follow because this is what the Word
of God says. I remember meeting a young man who just got baptized
and I used to preach at that chapel and next time I went to
preach there I shook hands with him and I said that I was very
pleased that he had been able to be baptised. And his answer
was completely unsatisfactory. Well Mr Rath, he said I was brought
up to chapel, I've always sat under the truth, I know the truth
and I know the Bible, I did this. Completely unacceptable. Nothing
about the conviction of sin, nothing about revelation of Jesus
Christ, nothing of any experience of the gospel, I thought that
I ought to do it. I think he remained at that chapel
for about two years and then went off to something really
loose and really light. It just shows, my beloved friends,
there is a way that seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof
is the way of death. That's a solemn word, isn't it?
The end thereof is the word death. It's like the word that the Lord
Jesus speaks to the church at Sardis in the book of the Revelation. He says, thou hast a name that
thou livest, yet art dead. What does it mean thou hast a
name that thou livest? They profess the name of Christ. They professed they were followers
of Jesus Christ. They professed they loved the
Lord Jesus Christ. They no doubt made a profession
of religion, were baptised and were church members. But God who sees the heart and
trieth the reins of the children of men, he said, thou hast a name that
thou livest, that is the name of Christ, I am the Way, the
Truth and the Life. He that hath the Son hath Life.
He that hath not the Son of God hath not Life. There's more to real religion,
my beloved friends, just think it. Something must be known and felt
where the Holy Spirit is working. where a person is truly brought
to feel their need as a sinner before a holy God and where eventually
the Spirit of God leads them and raises them up to a hope
in Jesus Christ and then they become followers of him and they
desire to do that which is right in his sight that they have the
tender fear of the Lord in their hearts And that fear of the Lord
is an unctuous light to all that's right and a bar to all that's
wrong. Do you and I have the fear of
the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom? You might say, what
is the fear of the Lord? Well, it's the beginning of wisdom.
It's when the Holy Spirit takes up residence in the heart, quickens the soul, testifies within. Now I want
to be careful here because some ministers, and I've done it in
the past, they lay down emphatically that their first must be this
deep conviction of sin and then afterwards Christ is revealed
and Yes, that may be the experience of probably most of the Lord's
people, there's a sense of a realization of our sinnership, but I happen
to know of two very godly people whom I knew and loved for the
truth's sake, and they both testified to me that the first thing they
ever knew of anything spiritual was Christ was made precious.
And the love of Christ was shed abroad in their hearts. Now both
of those men testified afterwards that they knew much conviction
of sin but the first moving of the spirit on their heart was
the love of Christ was shed abroad in their heart. So we need to
be very careful that we don't lay down certain tram lines and
this has got to be your experience because the Lord is a sovereign
in the way he leads his people. It may be that you felt the love
of Christ It's a very sacred thing to feel.
Then afterwards, by the Spirit's inward teaching, you feel and
know that you're a sinner. See, my beloved friends, that
there's more to real religion than just what we read in our
tech. Why call you me Lord, Lord, and do not the thing which I
say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth
my sayings, and doeth them." Now, we can only do them as the
grace of God is given. We can only do them as Christ
is revealed. And as Christ is made precious.
And then, that love of Christ shed abroad in your heart enables
you to do these things. It enables you to follow Christ.
It enables you to lay aside every weight and the sin that does
so easily beset us. And what did the Apostle say?
Looking unto Jesus. And that's what the grace of
God enables you to do. When the Holy Spirit gives faith
and Christ is revealed, and then you're enabled to follow Him.
And then you'll leave, doesn't John Kent in that lovely hymn
of his, shall leave the hateful ways of sin. turn to the fold
and enter in. Leave the hateful ways of sin. That's what Zacchaeus did. He left the hateful ways of sin
and he truly repented of his sin and he gave of his wealth
unto the poor. He restored what he'd taken fraudulently
from other people. And here in these words of our
Lord Jesus, verse 30, Give to every man that asketh of thee,
and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not again. These are the precepts of the
gospel, my beloved friends. Someone took away your goods,
immediately you want to get them again. You should ask them not
again. I always feel this is one of
the most comprehensive precepts in verse 31. The most comprehensive
of the gospel precepts. And as ye would that men should
do to you, do ye also to them likewise. You think of that word. You know, we see a beggar in the street.
we see somebody in need, and our old flesh will immediately
say, well, it's their own fault, it's this, it's that, it's something
else, and what's that got to do with me? Well, it's got everything
to do with you. To each one of us that are followers
of Jesus Christ, as you would, now, if you were that beggar
in the street, utterly destitute, or that neighbour in great need,
What would you want? You'd want someone to come by
and help you. Practically to help you in your
difficult situation. Just think of this precept. And
as ye would, that men should do to you, do ye also to them. You need to put yourself in the
place of that other person. And then consider what you would
like somebody to do for you in that situation. And as you would,
that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. That's such a comprehensive precept
friends. It really is. It gives you no
wriggle room at all. You've got to put yourself in
somebody else's situation. not as the Lord Jesus sets before
us in the parable of the Good Samaritan. The Good Samaritan,
of course, is our Lord Jesus Christ in that parable. But along
comes the priest and there was the poor man beaten and his wounds
all bleeding. What did the priest do? Walked
by on the other side. Along comes the Levite. What did he do? Walked by on
the other side. What do you do when you see somebody
in need? Do you walk by on the other side?
Do you say, well that's nothing to do with me? That's what our old flesh would
do. That is exactly what our old flesh would do. As you would
that men do to you, do you also to them likewise. When you see somebody in need,
if you have it by you, these are the precepts of the gospel.
If you have the necessary means by you, then you should relieve
them. We should relieve them of their
need. We should give to him that needeth. You know, one of the most practical
of all the epistles is the epistle of James. And there in the epistle
of James, we are given some very clear instruction Chapter 2, My brethren, have
not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with
respect to persons? For if there come unto your assembly
a man with a gold ring, or goodly apparel, and there come in also
a poor man in vile raiment, and ye have respect to him that weareth
the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good
place, and say to the poor, stand thou there, or sit here under
my footstool? Are ye not then partial in yourselves? Are I become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren,
hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith,
and heirs of the kingdom, which he hath promised to them that
love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress
you and draw you before the judgment seat? Do not they blaspheme that
worthy name by which you are called? If ye fulfil the royal
law, that of course is the holy law, the gospel law, according
to the scripture thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love thy neighbour as thyself.
what you would that men should do unto you do you also unto
them if you have respect of persons you commit sin and convinced
of the law as a transgressor you see my beloved friends these
are written for our instruction and it goes on further down that
chapter for He says, so speak ye and so do as they that shall
be judged by the law of liberty, that's the law of Christ. For
he shall have judgment without mercy that has showed no mercy.
And mercy rejoices against judgment. What doth it profit, my brethren,
that a man say of faith and have not works? Can faith save him? It was quite
a common belief among our churches. I remember it when I was a boy.
And this was explained away faith and works that they were spiritual
works. That's nonsense friends. These
were practical works. Look at the next verse. If a
brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and
one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled,
notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful
of the body, what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not
works, is dead. Being alone is dead. What a solemn thing to come under
then, the solemn judgment of God in the Lord Jesus speaking
to the church at Sardis. They have the name that they
live is, you have the name of Christ, yet are dead. That is the most terrible thing.
The Lord Jesus Christ in the parable of the ten virgins speaks
there, doesn't he, so clearly. Five were wise and five were
foolish. Those ten virgins represent the
whole of the professing Christian church. But what does he say? What does Christ say? Half of
them were foolish. They did not have grace. They
did not have the Holy Spirit dwelling in their heart. They
did not have the grace of God. The other half, they had grace. The Holy Spirit had quickened
their soul. Christ had been made precious, and they lived a life
consistent, and this is vital, friends. They lived a life that
was consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ, with the person
of Jesus Christ. I know these things are very
searching, friends, but we need to be searched out. You see,
even so, faith, if it hath not works, is dead being alone. Yea,
a man may say thou hast faith and I have works, show me thy
faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by
my works. Thou believest that there is
one God, thou doest well, the devils also believe and tremble.
But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? It's dead. We see here he speaks of the
works of Abraham in verse 21. Was not Abraham our father justified
by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works
was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled
which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto
him for righteousness. and he was called the friend
of God. You see then how that by works
a man is justified, not by faith only. By the way that we live,
by the things that we do, by practical godliness. You know
that's always quite striking, isn't it, in the lovely verse,
I often quote it to you, in Romans chapter 8. What does the apostle say there? There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus. Now listen to what it says because
it's vital. It's easy to quote that and it's
wonderful and comforting to quote that. There is now therefore
no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. But listen
to what it goes on to say. Who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and
death. For what the law could not do,
in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son
in the likeness of sinful flesh, and forcing, condensing in the
flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled
in us who walk, not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh
do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit,
the things of the Spirit. You see, my beloved friends,
may the Lord, the Spirit, seal these things into our hearts
and may indeed search us as to where we stand in these things. My mind, it just goes to that
word, in the first epistle of john and chapter two my little
children these things write unto you that you sin not and if any
man sin we have an advocate with the father jesus christ the righteous
and he is the propitiation that is the atonement of that for
our sins and not ours only but also for the sins of the whole
world what that means is there is none other name that is given
under heaven whereby you must be saved and hereby we do know
that we know him if we keep his commandments. Those commandments of love, the
love of Christ shed abroad in your heart. I remember ministering when I was
a boy, speaking of an old couple that used to go to all the special
services. They were very poor and they
didn't have a car so they had to get a bus to the services
in a bus home. They both came to get the bus
home and they were saying how the Lord so blessed them that
day in the services of God's health. And the wife said to
the husband, she said to him, I hope you've got the bus fare,
because I was so blessed in my soul, I put everything I got
into the collection. And he said, well, I was so blessed,
I did the same. So they got no bus fare to get
home. And there they were, walking
along to the bus stop, and there, laying on the path, was a 10
shilling note, which was enough to pay the fare home. My beloved
friends, when the Lord blesses your soul, when you feel union
and communion with Christ, you love him and it sets you
free and at liberty. You believe in him, you follow
him. Hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments. Think of Jesus, what he did.
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandment,
is a liar. Strong words, aren't they? And the truth is not in
him. But whoso keepeth his word, in
him verily is the love of God perfected. Hereby know we that
we are in him. He that saith, he abideth in
him, ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. You know, my beloved friends,
our walk and our conduct is extremely important. The way that we live. Give to every man that asketh
of thee and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not
again. And as ye would that men should
do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them
which love you, what thank have ye? For sinners also love those
that love them. And if ye do good to them that
do good to you, what thank have ye? For sinners do also even
the same. If ye lend to them of whom ye
hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to
sinners to receive as much again but love your enemies these are
the precepts of the gospel but love your enemies and do good
and lend hoping for nothing again what that means if you do lend
to someone you don't charge interest and that's very clear in the
word of God you lend hoping for nothing again not to make a profit
on it and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the children
of the highest, for he is kind unto the unthankful and unto
the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as
your Father also is merciful. And why call ye me Lord, Lord? And do not the things which I
say, whosoever cometh to me and heareth my sayings and doeth
them I will show you to whom he is like. You just think of
what the Lord Jesus says in the beginning of Matthew 25 when
he speaks of those ten virgins and that very solemnly he says
before us the truth then shall the kingdom of heaven be like
another ten virgins which took their lamps and went forth to
meet the bridegroom and five of them were wise and five were
foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps and took no
oil, they had no grace, that's what oil represents. But the
wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom
tarried they all slumbered and slept, all of them. And at midnight
there was a cry made, You see, think of that word, be ye also
ready, for at such a time as ye think, not the Son of Man
cometh. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom
cometh, go ye out to meet him. Then those virgins arose and
trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the
wise, Give us of your oil, for our lamps have gone out. The
wise answered, saying, Not so, lest there be not enough for
us and for you, but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for
yourselves. And while they went to buy, the
bridegroom came. That's the second coming of Christ.
And they that were ready, and this is the vital point that's
being made, and they that were ready, are you ready to meet God? Am I made a real
Christian washed in the Redeemer's blood? While they went to buy, the bridegroom
came. And they that were ready went
in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. Those
that were ready were shut in to eternal glory in the marriage
supper of the Lamb. Afterwards came also the other
virgin saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. And he answered and said,
Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for
you know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man
cometh. Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and
do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth
my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like.
He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep. This
is the point, friends, he digged deep, until he got down to the
rock, so that he could build upon a foundation. Other foundation
can no man lay, than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus.
Are you and I building on the eternal rock of ages on our Lord
Jesus Christ? Has that foundation been laid
in your heart? Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Is this the language of your
heart? Give me Christ or else I die. He's like a man which build a
house and dig deep. and laid the foundation on a
rock and when the flood arose the stream beat vehemently upon
that house and could not shake it for it was founded upon a
rock. It was founded upon the finished
work of Christ. It was founded on the blood of
Christ, on the righteousness of Christ. These truly spirit-taught
souls know that they're sinners, they know that they can do no
good, they know that they're lost and ruined in the fall,
and they're brought to see that Jesus is the way to God, you
just sung it together, Jesus is the way to bliss. In this
way the saints have trod down from Adam's day to this, but
he that heareth and doeth not is like a man that without a
foundation built an house upon the earth, against which the
stream did leap vehemently and immediately it fell and the ruin
of that house was great. What we have here, my beloved
friends, is this. Are you resting short of Christ? Is your religion resting short
of Christ, resting short of a hope in Christ, resting short of a
revelation of Christ, resting short of Christ being made precious
to your heart. Many rest upon their chapel going,
upon their moral uprightness, upon this, upon that, upon something
else. It's all to no avail. There's
only one resting place. that is our Lord and our Saviour
Jesus Christ. My mind seemed rather drawn to
the Apostle. He speaks in Hebrews chapter
12 and he speaks of But ye are come unto Mount Zion, verse 22,
and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
to innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church
of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, to God the judge of
all, and to the spirits of just men, made perfect, and to Jesus,
the mediator of the new covenant. This is where we have to come
to. And to the blood of Springton that speaketh better things,
than that of Abel. See then that ye refuse not him
that speaketh for if they escape not who refuse him that spake
on earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from
him that speaketh from heaven whose voice then shook the earth
But now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the
earth only, but also heaven. And this word yet once more signifieth
the removing of those things that are shaken as of things
that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom
which cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we may serve
God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. for our God is
a consuming power. The things that cannot be shaken.
What is it? Upon this rock, this is the voice
of Christ. Upon this rock, I build my church
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And why call
you me Lord, Lord? And do not the things which I
say whosoever cometh to me and heareth my sayings, and doeth
them, I will show you to whom he is like. It is like a man
that built a house and digged deep and laid the foundation
on a rock. When the flood arose, the stream
beat vehemently upon that house and could not shake it, for it
was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth and doeth
not is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon
the earth against which the stream did beat vehemently and immediately
it fell and the ruin of that house was great. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 143 to the June Wells 507 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. Hymn 143, tune Wells 507. ♪ O come, let us adore him ♪ ♪
O come, let us adore him ♪ ♪ Christ the Lord, Christ the Lord ♪ ♪
O come, let us adore him ♪ All my ribbons shine with her. Be of sin the devil pure, ♪ And we promise evermore ♪ ♪ God the neighbor of my care ♪
And fulfill thy God's demands, Cure thy sick, nourish thy health,
♪ Good tidings of heaven above
♪ ♪ All who seek do not attain ♪ and evermore. Loving in my heart, Take me to thy house, I pray. Take me to thy house, I pray. ♪ Worthy of praise ♪ ♪ Hail, all
ye true ♪ ♪ The fountain-born ♪ ♪ Most resaviour ♪ ♪ All right
done ♪ I know that He is in heaven,
One and my kind, strange and in heaven. ♪ When I saw thee at the door ♪
♪ Sitting on thy countenance low ♪ ♪ I for ages wondered where
you lay ♪ 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.