Let us commence our service this
afternoon by singing together hymn 157, the tune is St. Mabin, 650. Mourning souls by
sin distressed, lost and ruined, void of good, you can never be
released but by faith in Jesus' blood. Hymn 157, tune St. Mabin,
650. All in souls by sin beset, Lost
and ruined by the Lord. You can never be
with Him, He said, but by faith in Jesus' blood. Which they bowed the crimson
river Only man knows love beside. And in God will you be delivered,
Mother, Ever taste of light. Christ is ready to receive you,
say His bloody cross again. From your sins Be sure and exalt your every fear. O behold the Lord, exulted, see
the sun of God. And above the gent iron which
appears in streams of blood, Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the First Epistle of Peter, Chapter 2. First Epistle of Peter, Chapter
2. Wherefore, laying aside all malice
and all guile and hypocrisies and envies and all evil speakings,
as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may
grow thereby. If so be, ye have tasted that
the Lord is gracious, to whom coming as unto a living stone,
disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious. Ye also, as lively stones, are
built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore
also it is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief
cornerstone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on him
shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe,
he is precious. But unto them which be disobedient,
The stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made
the head of the corner, and the stone is stumbling, and a rock
of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient,
whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should
show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness
into his marvellous light, which in time past were not a people,
but are now the people of God, which had not obtained mercy,
but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you,
as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts, which war
against the having your conversation honest among the Gentiles, that
whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your
good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day
of visitation. Submit yourselves to every ordinance
of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the king as supreme,
or unto governors as unto them that are sent by him for the
punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do
well. For so is the will of God, that
with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish
men, as free, and not using your liberty as a cloak of maliciousness,
but as the servants of God. Honour all men, love the brotherhood,
Fear God, honour the King. Servants, be subject to your
masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also
to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if a
man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if when
you be buffeted for your faults, you shall take it patiently?
But if when you do well and suffer for it, you take it patiently,
this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called,
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example,
that ye should follow his steps. Who did no sin, neither was guile
found in his mouth, who when he was reviled, reviled not again,
when he suffered he threatened not, but committed himself to
him that judges righteously, who his own self bare our sins
in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins should
live unto righteousness by whose stripes ye were healed. for you
were a sheep going astray, but are now returned under the shepherd
and bishop of your souls. Let us pray. Almighty, most merciful, and
eternal God, we thank thee for thy word, and we thank thee for
the gospel of thy grace, the wonders of redeeming love, the
fullness of that salvation that is in our Lord Jesus Christ.
We thank thee for the love of our eternal Father and for the
gift of his only begotten Son and for that wonderful gift of
the Holy Ghost. Lord, we have much to be thankful
for and we would enter thy gates with praise and with the voice
of thanksgiving. We come as poor sinners before
thee We come to confess our sins and our wanderings and our backslidings. Pray to be washed in that precious
Sinatonian blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We often have to
cry, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the
body of this dead. Lord, we pray that thou wouldst
bless us as a church and as a congregation. Remember our brethren, the deacons,
and give wisdom, grace, and help. with our friends that expect
to be away from us and we would commend them to thee and to the
word of thy grace pray that thou would take and bring them home
in peace and in safety that they may be know what rest and change
is not only physically mentally but also spiritually lord we
pray thy blessing upon each one of our brethren and sisters in
church fellowship bless the little ones and the children Bless them
with that rich grace that is in Christ Jesus. Bless them with
light and understanding. Bless them with the fear of the
Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. Remember the young
friends, undertake for them, guide them, O thou great Jehovah. Bring them to living faith in
Jesus Christ. Make them true followers of thee,
and of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Gracious God, we do pray that
thou wouldst hear prayer for parents and give wisdom and help,
guidance and direction, and undertake for them. All in the midst of
the journey of life, we lovingly commend to thee. Those of us
in the evening time of life, Lord, we pray for thy gracious
help. And as the outward man perishes,
may the inward man be renewed day by day. we do humbly beseech
of thee. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou would be with us as we turn to thy holy word and
come and open thy word to our heart and to our understanding
and be with us as we gather round the table of the Lord and grant
a heart of gratitude, of thanksgiving for the precious blood and the
broken body of our Lord Jesus Christ. We ask these favours
and these blessings in that lovely name of our Lord Jesus Christ
and for his sake alone. Amen. The word that has rested on my
spirit is found in the first epistle of Peter chapter 2 and
particularly verse 24. 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 24, who
his own self bear our sins in his own body on the tree that
we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness by whose
stripes ye were healed. The apostle here very beautifully
speaks of our Lord Jesus Christ and it begins really this in verse
21 for even here unto were ye called because Christ also suffered
for us leaving us an example that you should follow his steps
who did no sin What an example, who did no sin. How ignorant are those people
that say that if you say we're not under the law but we're under
Christ, they said that will lead to sinfulness and unrighteousness
because we're following Christ. And yet listen, who did no sin. and we are clearly instructed
in the first epistle of John, sin is any transgression of the
law of God. If we're following Christ, we
will not fall into sin, and nor will it lead you to licentiousness
or looseness in any way, because this is to follow him as our
example. Christ also suffered for us,
leaving us an example that you should follow his steps, who
did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. Or that it may be so with each
one of us, that we may have the spirit and mind of Christ, who
did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. Sometimes,
you know, friends, we can speak in a deceitful way. It wouldn't be saying a lie, but it is deceiving
someone with guile. We distract them with guile.
We perhaps leave out things that we should say. And you know,
may we ever have that childlike spirit of faith to follow Christ
who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth he didn't
deceive any nor should we and each one of you will know those
times when you have used guile and used it in a way to make
yourself look better or or to deceive somebody in a certain
way and in a certain matter, who did no sin. Oh, that we may
be true followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, who when he was
reviled, reviled not again. We sometimes would rise up in
anger when we are reviled. You might say, well, that is
a natural human reaction. Well, yes it is, but it's sinful. When our Lord Jesus Christ was
reviled, he reviled not again, or that these things may lay
with a weight upon our heart. When he suffered, he threatened
not. This is the spirit and mind of
Christ. When he was reviled, he reviled
him again. When he suffered, he threatened not, but committed
himself to him that judges righteously. Oh, that the Lord would give
us a righteous judgment, a right understanding, and a right way
of speaking, not a deceptive way of speaking. Because you
know, friends, if we're really honest, our hearts are full of
guile. And sometimes, because of that,
our speech is full of guile. Now we come to that word, who
his own self. Who is it speaking of? The Son
of God. The Eternal Son of the Eternal
Father. Who his own self. Bear our sins
in his own body. on the tree, who his own self
bear our sins in his own body. We read in scripture, in Hebrews,
a body hast thou prepared me. The father prepared a body, a
human body. A human nature was probably a
better way of putting it, a human nature. that the Son of God assumed, that the Son of God lived here
upon earth in that holy body as a man. And as we read, He
did no sin. He did no sin in that holy body. The Holy Son of God assumed a
holy human nature and lived a holy life. A life that was perfect,
that was spotless, that was undefiled. He did no sin. Who his own self
bear our sins in his own body on the tree. And as we read in
Isaiah 53, he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised
for our and the chastisement of our peace was upon him and
with his stripes we are healed who his own self bear our sins
in his own body. Notice here friends also the
way it makes a distinction between the divine and the human in Christ
Some would accuse us of separating between the divine and the human.
We're not. That union that was made in the
womb of the Virgin Mary between the divine and the human never
has been and never will be divided. It never can be. It's an eternal
indissoluble union that is made between the divine and the human
in the glorious person of the Son of God, who was manifest
in the flesh. Just as we read in John, and
the Word, again, the Word refers to the divine nature of the Son
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, who his own self bear our sins
in his own body on the tree. So in another place the Apostle
Paul he speaks that he took our sins and he nailed them to his
cross. His righteousness becomes ours. Our sins become his. That is
the tremendous exchange in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our sins
become His, and His perfect obedience, His
glorious righteousness becomes ours. He is made unto us Jehovah
Sidkenu, the Lord our righteousness, who His own self bear our sins
his own body. I often try to emphasize to you,
and I believe it's an important point of fundamental doctrine,
his own body. And that sacred human nature
that was assumed by the Son of God never had any existence separate
to the Son of God. The person that inhabited that
body was the Son of God. that human nature never had any
separate independent life to the Son of God. As the Holy Ghost
overshadowed the womb of the Virgin Mary, the Son of God immediately
assumed the seed of the womb and became bone of our bone,
flesh of our flesh, who his own self bare our sins in his own
body on the tray. He suffered, he bled and died. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.
We read here he did no sin so suffering and death did not belong
to Jesus Christ in that judicial sense of the word. We shall die
because we sinned. The Lord Jesus suffered, bled
and died for our sins, for our sins, who his own self bare our
sins in his own body on the tree that we, being dead to sins,
should live unto righteousness by whose stripes ye were healed. What a wonderful thing, wounded,
for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement
of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. By whose stripes ye were healed. Now, he says the effect of this
knowledge of salvation, of redemption, it leads us As we're united to
Christ, as we're made aware by faith that Jesus suffered and
bled and died for our sins, it will have a sanctifying effect
in our life. When the Holy Spirit works faith
in our heart and we lay hold of Christ, and Christ becomes
precious, that will sanctify us. The word sanctification means
separating. It will separate us from this
world, from the spirit of this world, from the ways of this
world. That is the effect of divine grace in the heart. And
that is the sanctifying work of the Holy Ghost. And as Christ
is revealed and made precious, and as the spirit of faith that
worketh by love in our hearts lays hold of Christ, appropriates
him, with that belief that he suffered and bled and died for
our sins that we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness
what a mercy my beloved friends if we know the power of this
truth in our hearts if we know that that divine work of the
Spirit in convincing us of our own sin our own worthlessness
our own helplessness, our own hopelessness, and then leading
us unto Jesus Christ. The door of hope is opened wide
in Jesus' bleeding hands and side. What a great mercy, isn't
it? A door of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ through
his precious blood and his glorious righteousness. You know, this is the very heart
of the gospel isn't it? A suffering saviour. One that
suffered and bled and died for our sins. Who his own self bare
our sins in his own body and because he bare our sins in his
own body he bore the curse of those sins. He was made a curse
for us. Christ was. The holy, spotless
Son of God was cursed on our behalf. It's a solemn thought,
isn't it? A very solemn thought. That the
Son of God who did no sin, but then suffered and bled and died
for our sin. In the second epistle of the
Corinthians in chapter 5, I often quote it to you, the last verse
of that chapter five, for he, that of course is our heavenly
father, for he hath made him, that is our Lord Jesus Christ,
for he hath made him to be sin for us. Who knew no sin? Christ knew no sin, that we might
be made the righteousness of God in him. What an exchange,
isn't it? He has made Him to be sin for
us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. We're made righteous in the righteousness
of Jesus Christ. The hymn writer says, unless
the shadow of spot should on my soul be found, He took the
garment he had wrought and cast it all around. Now, do we have
those evidences of that sanctifying work of the Spirit in our hearts? A feeling sense of our own worthlessness,
our own insufficiency, our own sinfulness, and a feeling sense
of the preciousness of Christ the loveliness of Christ and
that desire to know him in the power of his resurrection and
that desire to live to him and to follow him and he tells us
here in the last verse of the chapter where we were for we
were a sheep going astray but are now returned unto the shepherd
and bishop of your souls, who his own self. May we never forget
the tremendous cost of salvation through the blood of the Lamb. Oh, never forget what it cost
him to redeem us. And oh, that our hearts might
burn with holy love with holy desire after the Lord Jesus Christ
and to live to his glory and to love him and to serve him
in our day and in our generation. Oh, that the Lord may so work
in each one of our hearts that we may live to the glory, the
wonderful glory of the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus that
we may ever be remembering the cost who his own self bear our
sins in his own body on the tree that of course is on the cross
that we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness by whose
stripes ye were healed. May the Lord add his blessing
to these few remarks that we have made. Let us now sing part of hymn
794. 794, the tune is Abends, 275.
We'll sing the last four verses, I will read verse
seven and we'll sing from verse seven to the end. So when our
great Melchizedek, the true atonement came to make, a holy oil anoints
him too, richer than Aaron ever knew. Verses seven to 10 of hymn
794. Though in a grave Thou cam'st
sitting, The true Atonement came to make. The holy holler points him to
which of the world man ever knew. His body bathed in sweat and
blood, Shed on the ground a purple flood. Then his effusion Selfish
man, to glad the heart of God and man. He, in his present grave, people
our names written written of scorn when pressed to earth in
prostrate pain shoved at the Some yet prompt to pay. My favorite incense of Israel,
To heav'n and high. through you be led. Have hymn
the throne of God on high, and come again. We will now commence the ordinance
service.