Let us commence our service this
afternoon by singing together hymn 572. The tune is Pembroke
719. Before the earth or seas were
made, Jesus was chosen as our head, the Father's first elect. In him the church was chosen
too, and he engaged to bring them through, nor will he then
neglect. Hymn 572, tune Pembroke, 719. Holy Lamb of Jesus Christ Jesus
Christ, Lord God, Son of the Father The Father's curse beheld, In
Him that dread was chastened, Come ye, then, Christ, to faith and
truth, Noel, ye heav'n-declared Behold the turn of heaven and
earth, and all its nations, world without end. ? And all His glory give ? ? And
on the others set my face ? nor did the Saviour give His
name, but others will turn to Him. Behold Him now, the Father Christ.
Behold Him, shadows in dark blue light. And do your Saviour pray, If
I shall be lightened one, I'll make a mountain hill full
of milk, and then be sure you're filled. It's like a tent, Tent in a tomb,
To find me there. On the tomb, To ransom you with blood. In
Him, I pray, one ever pleased, And you shall of your faith be
free, And see the smiling flood. Whatever be your frame of mind,
You never will perfection find. ? The deep and lowly grove ? ?
No scorn nor hateful ? ? Can I see ? ? In those that go ? Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in Isaiah chapter 40. The Prophecy of Isaiah, chapter
40. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem,
and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity
is pardoned. For she hath received of the
Lord's hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth
in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight
in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked
shall be made straight, and the rough places plain, and the glory
of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.' The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry?
All flesh is grass, and all the goodness thereof is as the flower
of the field. The grass withereth, the flower
fadeth, because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon him. Surely
the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower
fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever. O Zion,
that bringeth good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain.
O Jerusalem, that bringeth good tidings, lift up thy voice with
strength. Lift it up, be not afraid. Say unto the cities of Judah,
behold your God. Behold, the Lord God will come
with strong hand and his arm shall rule for him. Behold, his
reward is with him and his work before him. He shall feed his
flock like a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs with
his arm and carry them in his bosom and shall gently lead those
that are with young. Who hath measured the water in
the whole of his hand and meted out heaven with a span, and comprehended
the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in
scales, and hills in a balance. Who hath directed the Spirit
of the Lord, or been his counsellor, hath taught him. With whom took
he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path
of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of
understanding, Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and
are counted as a small dust of the balance. Behold, he taketh
up the isles as a very little thing, and Lebanon is not sufficient
to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.
All nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted
to him less than nothing and vanity. To whom then will ye
liken God? or what likeness will ye compare
unto him? The workman mounteth a graven
image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth
silver chains. He that is so impoverished that
he hath no oblation chooses a tree that will not rot. He seeketh
unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image that shall
not be moved. Have ye not known? Have ye not
heard? Has it not been told you from
the beginning? Have ye not understood from the
foundations of the earth? It is he that sitteth upon the
circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers,
that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them
out as a tent to dwelling, that bringeth the princes to nothing.
He maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. Yea, they shall not
be planted, yea, they shall not be sown, yea, their stock shall
not take root in the earth, and he shall also blow upon them,
and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away
as stubble. To whom then will he liken me,
or shall I be equal, said the Holy One? Lift up your eyes on
high, and behold, Who hath created these things, that bringeth out
their host by number? He calleth them all by names,
by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power,
not one faileth. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and
speakest, O Israel, my way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment
is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known? Hast thou
not heard? that the everlasting God, the
Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither
is weary, there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth
power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increases
strength. Even the youth shall fain to
be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. But they that wait
upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up
with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they
shall walk and not faint. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word and grant to us a spirit of real
prayer. Almighty, most merciful and eternal
God, we do desire to bow before Thee, the only true God. We desire
grace to confess our sins and to confess Thy holiness and Thy
righteousness. And we have to confess, O Lord,
that if my soul were sent to hell, Thy righteous law approves
it well. For, Lord, we are sinners. We
have broken all Thy ten commands. And thy word declares unto us,
cursed is every man that doeth not all things that is written
in the book of the law to do them. Lord, we are solemnly aware that
we're lawbreakers, that we're unrighteous, that we're unclean. We come to thee this afternoon
hour to confess our sins and our wanderings, our backsliding.
to confess that we leave undone things that we ought to do, and
we do things that we ought not to do, and we find a law within
our members that when we would do good, that evil is present
with us. And, O Lord, we pray that this
afternoon, as we gather round thy word, that our heart and
our affections, our minds, may be set upon things above, not
on things of the earth. that thou wilt deliver us from
a wandering mind. And as we come into the sanctuary,
we sit in the sanctuary. Give us that gracious ability
to concentrate on spiritual things. Hear us, O Lord, we humbly pray
thee. For, Lord, some of thy people
are greatly afflicted with a wandering mind, with an inability to concentrate
on spiritual things. We do pray, most gracious Lord,
that they will help one another as they come into the sanctuary
this afternoon and feel like the dear apostle, O wretched
man, that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death. Oh, we pray that we may be led
by the Spirit of God. For as many as are led by the
Spirit of God, they are the sons We do pray for real repentance
and godly sorrow for our sin, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ,
that we may behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin
of the world, that we may feel in our hearts, in our souls,
the reconciling power of the blood of Christ, cleansing all
our sin, taking away all our guilt, reconciling us unto thee. Oh, we thank thee for those lovely
words of grace. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, cleanseth us from all sin. And the sweet Psalmist of Israel
declared, but there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be
feared. Oh, Lord, we do pray thou would
remember us as a church and as a congregation. that thou wouldst bless us with
those rich spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus, that thou wouldst work mightily among us as a church
and as a congregation, and that we may see the fulfilling of
thy ancient promises, instead of thy fathers shall be thy children,
whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth. And we think
of those wonderful promises, desire, 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. Lord, hear us, we humbly pray
thee. Send out thy light and thy truth,
return in thy power and in thy glory, as thou usest to be in
the sanctuary, that we may see thy work and thy power in the
house of God, among the people of God. We remember those causes
of truth that are greatly weakened and very small in number and
appear to be dying. Lord, we humbly pray thee that
thou wouldst graciously bless, that thou wouldst gather others
in, that we may see the pulling down of the strongholds of Satan
and the setting up of the kingdom of the Lord Jesus in the hearts
of sinners. that we may see a reviving and
a renewing in thy Zion. Thine arm may bear in the gospel,
precious souls gathered in. We pray, Lord, for the little
ones and the children, that they may be blessed in their young
and tender years with the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning
of wisdom. And we pray that thou wouldst
teach them by thy good spirit the way of God and the way of
truth, We pray for our dear young friends, that thou wouldst bless
them, undertake for them, have mercy upon them. We do pray then,
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. O gracious God, do
imply in thine ear, we do humbly beseech thee. And Lord, we do
pray, that they always remember parents and give them wisdom
and help to bring up their children, the nurture and admonition of
the Lord. Remember all in the midst of the journey of life
and undertake for them. We pray for those away from us
at this time, that they may have rest given to them and be strengthened. But above all, that thou would
bless them with that rich grace that is in Christ Jesus. And
O Lord, we do pray that we may be delivered from the temptations
of Satan, from the power and the dominion of sin. We do humbly
beseech Thee, shine into our hearts, make the Lord Jesus precious,
truly sanctify us by Thy grace, enable us to present our bodies
a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto Thee, which is
our reasonable service, and that we be not conform to this world,
but may we be transformed by the renewing of our mind that
we might know what that good and perfect and acceptable will
of the Lord is. We do humbly beseech of thee. We do pray, most gracious and
eternal God, that thou wouldst remember each one of us in the
evening time of life's journey. And as the outward man perishes,
do grant that the inward man, may be renewed day by day. Make
us more spiritually minded. Set our affections on things
above. Draw my soul to Thee, my Lord. Let me love Thy precious Word.
As the spouse says, draw me. We will run after Thee. Tell
me, O Thou who my soul lovest, where Thou dwellest, where Thou
causest Thy flock to rest at noon. O gracious God, do incline
thine ear, we do humbly beseech thee. And, O Lord, we do pray
that thou wouldst graciously bless thy servants, grant that
they may dip their foot in oil and be made acceptable unto the
brethren, and grant that the word preached may be in power
in the Holy Ghost and with much assurance. And, O Lord, we do
pray. thou in thy great mercy would
yet send forth true labourers into the harvest, and to build
the walls of Jerusalem, to send a day of real prosperity, that
there may be a turning again unto them. Hear us, O Lord, we
pray thee. There are those that have wandered
from the sanctuary, wandered from the ways of God, no desire
for the ways of God. We pray that thou would stretch
out thy almighty that thou wouldst cause them to be in want, that
thou wouldst cause them to return. We do humbly pray thee, let thy
work appear unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children. O Lord, we do humbly beseech
thee. None are beyond thy almighty
power. O Lord, we do pray that thou
in thy great mercy wouldst fill our hearts with gratitude, with
thanksgiving, with adoration, with praise. for all thy tender
mercies. He saw me ruined in the fall,
yet loved me notwithstanding all. O Lord, how great is thy
lovingkindness! How great is thy goodness! We
thank thee for the sending forth of thine only begotten Son, our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who was made of a woman made
under the law, that he might redeem them that are under the
law. Oh, we would render thanksgiving
and praise unto our great Redeemer. We thank Thee for His holy life
as a man upon earth and the bringing in of everlasting righteousness
in His holy life, fulfilling the law, honouring and magnifying
the law in His holy life. We thank Thee for that holy sacrifice. Sin has been put away. Divine
justice has been satisfied. God and sinners are reconciled.
Peace is made between God and man. O Lord Jesus, we desire
to bless and praise thy holy name, for that fullness is in
thee. Fullness resides in Jesus our
head, and ever abides to answer our need. For in him dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. He died for our sins,
He rose again for our justification. He's now bodily ascended into
heaven and sitteth at thy right hand. We have a great high priest
who is passed into the heavens, a great high priest who is able
to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him. Oh,
may we see some uttermost sinners brought into union with Jesus
Christ, to know and to follow and to serve we do humbly beseech
of thee. Do hear us, Lord, we pray thee.
Remember our brethren, the deacons, and richly bless them, and remember
each one of our brethren and sisters in church fellowship,
and grant that they may be confirmed in the faith. Oh, do hear us,
Lord, we humbly pray thee, and grant that we may grow in grace
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Hear
us, Lord, Make thy word precious to our souls. Come and touch
one's lips with a live coal from off the heavenly altar this afternoon,
and that we may be allowed to speak forth the words of truth
and love, and that those words may be sealed into our hearts
by the Holy Ghost. We ask with the forgiveness of
all sin, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 585 and the tune is Waverton 565. Where must a sinner fly
that feels himself undone? On what kind hand rely eternal
wrath to shine? Can wit or reason help him out
and bring a lasting peace about? in 585, tune Waverton, 565. ? And heaven above is full of wonder
? ? And heaven above is full of wonder ? ? Peace on earth, and love within,
and peace within our hearts ? ? O come ye, O come ye, O come
ye to Bethlehem ? ? O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem ? Shepherds on a prairie lay their
sheep ? In heav'n o'er shepherds they
pray ? ? O say can you see by the dawn's early light ? ? What so proudly we hailed
at the twilight's last gleaming ? Salvation is upon us, deliver
us from evil. The same that shall be mine,
The Lord of my heart's desire, When all life is gone, and death
and pain pass, Leave me in a fleshless place. ? Blessed art thou ? ? Amen, amen, amen ? ? Symphony
in excelsis Deo ? Where to, how to, when to, when,
when, when, to, when, when, Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I direct your attention to the prophecy of
Isaiah in chapter 40, and we will read the last clause of
verse 9. Isaiah chapter 40, reading the
last clause of verse 9. Say unto the cities of Judah,
behold your God. Isaiah 40 verse 9, O Zion, that
bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain. O
Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with
strength. Lift it up. Be not afraid. Say unto the cities of Judah,
behold your God. This chapter begins with those
beautiful gospel words, comfort ye. Comfort ye my people, saith
your God. And that comfort flows through
a precious Christ, through the finished redeeming work of Jesus
Christ. That is where we receive comfort,
that is where we receive consolation, that is where we receive reconciliation,
that is where we have peace with God. And hence the comfort comes
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem
and cry unto her. Jerusalem here, it is the church
of the living God. Cry unto her. Not just some weak
little speaking, but cry unto her. forcefully speak to her,
that's what it means, and cry unto her that her warfare is
accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she hath received
of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. How is her iniquity pardoned?
In and through the precious blood and righteousness of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ, her warfare is accomplished. Christ
has conquered on her behalf. Christ has gained the victory
over sin, Satan, death and hell. Hence this wonderful message
of consolation. Her iniquity is pardoned. What
is it that separates between our soul and God's sin and iniquity? I've often tried to explain to
you, I remember reading one of the Scottish divines He was speaking
on iniquity and the meaning of the word iniquity. He was actually
going through the different names there is in scripture for sin. And he made this point that when
the Word of God speaks of iniquity, it's actually referring to our
fallen state and condition. We're born in sin. We're shaped
in iniquity. What it's referring to is we
have a fallen sinful nature. But here there's a wonderful
door of hope. Her iniquity is pardoned. For she hath received
at the Lord's hand double for all her sins. When I think of
that, she hath received at the Lord's hand double for all her
sins, I think of the blood and the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Double for all her sins. His
precious sin-atoning blood cleanses her from all sin. His glorious
everlasting robe of the righteousness of Christ covers her nakedness. So she completely attired. Her
sin is washed away. His righteousness clothes her
so that she is complete in Him. As the Apostle says, ye are complete
in Him, we are accepted in the Beloved. Our acceptance, my beloved
friend, is in the Beloved, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. That is where we are accepted
with God. And here you see it says, O Zion
that bringeth good tidings, get thee up into the mountains. Zion
is the Church of God. Jerusalem that bringest good
tidings. Again, Jerusalem, another aspect of the Church of God.
Lift up your voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid. Say
unto the cities of Judah, Judah is another representation of
the Church of the Living God. I expect in one sense of the
word, in one sense of the word, the Church of God is one, it's
complete. But here on earth, it tends to
be separate entities, different denominations, different groups
of churches, and hence the different names that are given here. Zion,
Jerusalem, Judah, but there's one God. The Apostle says in
the Corinthians, there are diversities of gifts, all from the one and
self-same Spirit. We differ in our church order
from the Presbyterians. We're strict Baptists, we believe
that is correct biblical order. But we would not deny that there
are some very godly people among the Presbyterians, the same as
there are among the strict Baptists. And so sometimes I see these
separate names in scripture given for the church here on earth,
that has been at various different churches. we're all worshipping
the same God. We can't cross every T or dot
every I, but we do believe that the Spirit of God is among, same
as he is among us. But it speaks here of good tidings. It's the good tidings of free
grace. It's the good tidings of salvation
through the blood of the Lamb. It's good tidings for poor lost
sinners who've broken God's holy law. Good tidings. The angels, didn't they? They
said when they appeared with the shepherds that they brought
good tidings of great joy unto you and all men. Why? Because Jesus Christ had been
born. The Son of God was manifest in
the flesh. and he dwelt among us. 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. And he says here, lift up thy
voice with strength. Lift it up. You know the apostle,
he says that if the trumpet, and he's speaking there of the
gospel trumpet, If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who
shall prepare himself for the battle? The trumpet should not
give an uncertain sound. It should give a clear sound. In the land of Israel, one of
the ordinance was if the trumpet sounded, that was a warning trumpet,
then everyone must prepare themselves for the battle. But the trumpet
was not to give an uncertain sound. And it's the same with
the preaching of the everlasting gospel. The trumpet must not
give an uncertain sound. It must be clear, it must be
the point. The soul that sins against me
dies. And it's a solemn thought, isn't
it? Cursed is every man that doeth
not all things that is written in the book of the law to do
them. The hymn writer, he takes up
that point, doesn't he? Cursed be the man, forever cursed,
that does one willful sin commit, death and damnation for the first. What a solemn thought, isn't
it? It's appointed, you know, we don't want to give an uncertain
sound. As it is appointed unto man once
to die, so after death the judgment. We're all going to die because
the wages of sin is death. after death the judgment. We
must all appear at the judgment seat of Jesus Christ to give
account of the deeds done in the body. And if we have never been born
again, if we have never been raised up to a hope in the glorious
person of Jesus Christ, then we must be lost forever. There
can be no hope in that day of judgment, no hope of any recovery. In that great day the Lord Jesus
Christ will separate the sheep from the goats. The goats are those that know
not our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and in truth. Those
that are the sheep, they have been brought to know him. They
may not raised very high in religion they may not be able to speak
of much but they can tell you that they love Jesus Christ and
that he is our only hope of salvation. They are among that group which
says the little a righteous man hath is better than the riches
of many wicked. Have you got a little that a
righteous man has? Have you been born again? These
things are set before us very clearly in the Word of God. You see, it says here in when
the Christ comes, it first speaks of the coming of John the Baptist
here. It says in verse three, the voice
of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God. And then it says
of what happens when Christ comes. He follows John the Baptist.
He said, prepare ye the way of the Lord. Every valley shall
be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and
the crooked shall be made straight, and rough places plain, and the
glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
We can look at that in the twofold sense, the first coming of Christ,
And the glory of the Lord is revealed in the holy life of
Jesus Christ, in the perfect obedience of Jesus Christ, in
the infinite love, compassion, and kindness of our Lord Jesus
Christ. The glory of the Lord shall be
revealed. And this man, he could forgive
sins. He's the Lord of life and glory.
He's the Son of God manifest in the flesh. and there were many weren't there,
their sins were forgiven. You think of that man sick of
a palsy and they let him down through the roof. What faith
they had. Jesus was in the house, they
couldn't get in. So they took him on a stretcher to the top
of the house and took the tidy off and let him down at the feet
of Jesus. And the Lord Jesus said, rise
up. take up thy dead and walk, and thy sins which are many are
all forgiven thee." And the Pharisees and the scribes they said, who
is this? It's only God that can forgive
sins. This is blasphemy. You say, but it wasn't blasphemy,
this is God. This is the Son of God that was
manifest in the flesh. and does forgive sins. David,
the sweet psalmist of Israel, he said, but there is forgiveness
with thee, O Lord, that thou mayest be feared. The Apostle,
in the Acts of the Apostles, he speaks there of the wonderful
glories of Christ and the fullness of that grace that is in Christ.
In the 13th chapter, of the acts of the apostles. And it says
in verse 38, and this is the apostle preaching, be it known
unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man, what man? The man Christ Jesus, through
this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. And
by him, all that believe are justified from all things from
which he could not be justified by the law of Moses. What a beautiful, sacred preaching
of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through this man, this glorious
holy God man, through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness
of sins. See it. Lift, he says, lift up
thy voice with strength. Lift it up. Be not afraid, say
unto the cities of Judah, behold your God. Behold your God. Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
manifest in the flesh, the mediator. There is one God and one mediator
between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave his life
a ransom for all to be testified in due time. Behold your God. And there are so many different
ways to behold him. Behold him as your prophet, as
your priest, as your king. He's the prophet, priest, and
king of his people. And he was anointed as the prophet,
priest, and king of his people. Christ was. The Father anointed
him with the Holy Ghost without measure. And he was anointed,
the holy God man was anointed with that sacred anointing of
the Holy Ghost was poured upon him as a man. He didn't need
that anointing as the Son of God, but his holy human nature
was anointed with the Spirit without measure. He was anointed to preach good
tidings. He was. So here in Isaiah, it's
the Lord Jesus Christ that read it himself in the synagogue at
Nazareth in Isaiah chapter 61. The spirit of the Lord God is
upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings. That's the prophet, to preach
good tidings unto the meek. He hath sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted. That is the priest. He's the
prophet, the priest, and then it says, to proclaim liberty
to the captives. That's the great king and head
of the church. To proclaim liberty to the captives
and the opening of the prison to them that are bound to proclaim
the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our
God, to comfort all that mourn. This is what Jesus came to do,
and what he did do, and what he has done, and what he's been
doing now for 2,000 years. when he sends his servants forth.
And according to what we read in scripture, what is it the
Lord's servants are to preach? We preach Christ crucified. To the Greeks, foolishness. To
the Jews, a stumble block. But to them that believe, to
them that are called, the wisdom and the power of God is all in
Jesus Christ. A fullness resides in Jesus our
Head and ever abides to answer our need. And this fullness is
for poor sinners, sinners concerned, and none but they. How precious
is the Saviour! You see, lift it up, that's the
voice, be not afraid, say unto the cities of Judah, behold your
God, behold the Lord Jesus Christ as the Prophet and the King and
the Priest of His people. the prophet to teach them, the
priest to make sacrifice for them. You see, the prophet, the
priest and the king to rule and reign in their hearts and in
their lives. A king is one of supreme power.
The Lord Jesus said he was about to ascend on high, all power
is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, preaching
the gospel among all nations, That's what the Lord's servants
are commanded to do, to preach the gospel among all nations.
You see, O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice
with strength, lift it up, be not afraid, say unto the cities
of Judah, behold your God, behold the birth of Jesus Christ. Angels sang to praise the birth
of Jesus Christ, Glory to God on high, peace among men. See, glory to God in the highest.
That's the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. But it was his holy life that
he lived as a man when he was made of a woman made under the
law that he might redeem them that are under the law. In that
holy life of Jesus Christ, behold your God. as your lawful filler. What did Jesus Christ himself
say? I come not to destroy the law,
but to fulfill it. All my beloved friends, there
is a fullness in Jesus Christ, a fullness of salvation, a fullness
of redemption, a fullness of love, a fullness of power is
all in Jesus Christ. Behold your God. He says in verse 10, the following
verse, behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand and his
arms shall rule for him. Behold, his reward is with him
and his work before him. This is the glorious person of
Jesus Christ, the Son of God manifest in the flesh. His arms
shall rule for him. We read in Psalm 89 how that
This psalm is speaking prophetically, I have laid help upon one that
is mighty. I've laid help upon one that
is mighty, even our Lord Jesus Christ, the mighty saviour, the
almighty saviour. Says here in Isaiah chapter nine,
doesn't it? His name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, the Prince of Peace, the Everlasting Father, the Almighty. That's who Jesus Christ is. He's
mighty to save. He is, he's mighty to save. That's a very beautiful word
in Zephaniah, isn't it? Where it speaks of the Lord God
coming, and it says there in the third chapter of Zephaniah,
verse 14, sing, O daughter of Zion. Shout, O Israel, be glad
and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem, the
Lord hath taken away thy judgments. The judgment bond that was against
you, that condemned you under the law, under its curse, the
Lord hath taken away thy judgments. How Jesus Christ suffered and
bled and died in the ruined place instead of his people. He was
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities
and the chastisement of our peace was upon Him. This is where salvation
is. This is where redemption is.
This is where deliverance is. This is where light is. I am
the light of the world. Christ is. Oh, that light may shine into
our hearts. The Lord hath taken away thy
judgment. He hath cast out thine enemy.
That is the devil. He's the enemy of God's people,
and he's cast him out. He has destroyed the works of
the devil, the Lord Jesus has. He's cast out thine enemy. The
King of Israel, this is speaking of Christ, the King of Israel,
even the Lord is in the midst of thee. Thou shalt not see evil
anymore. In that day it shall be said
to Jerusalem, fear thou not and to Zion, let not thine hands
be slack. The Lord thy God in the midst
of thee is mighty. He is. He's mighty to save. He's mighty to redeem. He's mighty
to deliver. He will save. He will rejoice
over thee with joy. He will rest in his love, that
is in eternal love, the eternal love of his Father. God so loved
the world, He gave His only begotten Son. He'll rest in that love.
He doesn't rest in your love to Him. No. He rests in His Son's
love to you. We love Him because He first
loved us. The Lord thy God in the midst
of thee is mighty. He will save thee. He will rejoice
over thee. He will rest in His love. He
will joy over thee with singing. I will gather them. What a wonderful
word that is, isn't it? I will gather them. It reminds
me of a word in Psalm 22. They shall come. Who? All that the Father giveth
me shall come to me, and him that cometh unto me I will in
no wise cast out. I will gather them that are sorrowful
to the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach
of it was a burden. Behold, at that time, you see,
thy God shall come, it says in the surrounding words, doesn't
it? At that time, I will bring you again. You know, the Lord will restore his people. He will renew his people. I will
bring thee again, even in the time that I gather you. For I
will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth.
when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord."
Look at the wonderful illustrations we have in the children of Israel
and the Babylonian captivity and 70 years in captivity and
yet the Lord had that power to restore and to renew Israel and
bring them back to the promised land and rebuild the city of
Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. Though that looked utterly and
absolutely impossible to be done, and yet it was done. because
the Lord commanded it. Lift up thy voice with strength,
lift it up, be not afraid, say unto the cities of Judah, the
little hills of Zion, behold your God, behold the Lord God
will come with strong hand and his arm shall rule for him and
his reward is with him and his work with him, he shall feed
his flock like a Christ will. He will feed his flock like a
shepherd. My sheep, they know my voice and they follow me.
Oh, that we may see more of this among us here. My sheep, they
know my voice and they follow me. He shall feed his flock like
a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs with
his arm and carry them in his bosom. and shall gently those
that are with you. You know, it goes on here in
this chapter and it speaks of the greatness of God, who hath
measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and meted out the
heaven with a span and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure
and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance.
Speaking here of the greatness of God, He created. It is He that hath made us and
not we ourselves. The Apostle, he says in the Acts,
doesn't he, in Him we live and move and have our being. It says
here in verse 14, with whom took He counsel and who instructed
Him and taught Him in the path of judgment and taught Him knowledge
and showed Him the way of understanding. Behold, the nations are as a
drop of a bucket and cowed as a small dust of the balance.
This is the greatness of our God. And it goes on, it speaks
of the idolatry and the workman melting a grave and image and
setting it up. And then in verse 21 he says,
have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not
been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from
the foundations of the earth? It is he that sitteth upon the
circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers,
that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreads them
out as a tent to dwell in. You see, this is this great God,
this almighty God, behold your God. And he says in verse 25,
to whom then would he liken me? or shall I be equal, saith the
Holy One. Now he exhorts us to look to
the heavens above and to behold it as the creation of God, the
sun, the moon, the stars, the millions of planets. Listen to
what he says about them. Lift up your eyes on high and
behold, who hath created these things? And behold, who hath
created these things that bringeth out their host by number He called
them all by names, by the greatness of his might, for that he is
strong in power, not one failing. You know, scientists, they know
exactly when certain comets are going to come. And some of them
only appear about every 90 years, but they know exactly when they're
going to come. They can literally time it. Why? Because God created it.
God created it. who bringeth out their host by
number, he calleth them all by names, where the greatness of
his might, for that he is strong in power, not one failing. Now he speaks to Jacob and to
Israel as his own people, and when they come into despondency
and depression, and they wonder where the scene's going to end,
they wonder whatever's going to happen, And he says to them,
why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, my way is
hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God? Why
sayest thou that? When thou knowest that I am the
mighty God, with heaven and earth at his command, he waits to answer
prayer. Why sayest thou, my way is hid
from the Lord? Hast thou not known? Hast thou
not heard? That the everlasting God, the
Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither
is weary, there is no searching of his understanding. Behold
your God. He will come. When you look at
the church of God and you see how depleted it is today, and
we can look at these sweet promises, They are promises unto the Church
of God. The Church of God has been in
times of great depletion and desolation before, but the Lord
will revive, the Lord will renew, the Lord will replenish. He giveth power to the faint. It's a description of those that
are ready to faint, ready to give up. They are. He giveth
power to the faint. Where is that power? In Jesus
Christ. You think of a poor sinner under
the dreadful load of their sin and their guilt. He giveth power
to the faint. What power? The power of Jesus
Christ to save, to redeem, to deliver. He giveth power to the
faint. The Blessed Spirit works faith
in the heart and reveals a precious Christ who's mighty to save,
who's mighty to redeem. He gives power to the faint,
and to them that have no might, maybe that's where you are today,
you're faint, you have no might. To them that have no might, He
increases strength, even the youth. We look at youth as being
strong and virile and able to do whatever they want to do because
they're so strong, even the youth, under the divine teaching of
the Spirit. Even the youth shall faint and
be weary. They'll faint at their sinfulness,
their wretchedness, when the Holy Spirit reveals it. And young
men shall utterly fall. But, what a but this is, isn't
it? It's all in our text. Behold
your God. Behold your God in Jesus Christ. Behold Him that is able to save
to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. Behold They
that wait upon the Lord. How many of us here in this chapel
this afternoon are waiting upon the Lord? But they that wait
upon the Lord. Maybe you've things in your life,
in your circumstances, troubles and trials and perplexities.
But they that wait upon the Lord. You keep waiting. Don't give
up. Don't turn back. Keep waiting. Keep watching.
Keep looking. But they that wait upon the Lord.
shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings
as eagles. We sang it this morning, give
me the wings of faith to rise within the vale and sea. See,
the wings of faith. And another hymn writer says,
on the wings of faith uprising, faith looks to Christ. Faith
looks to him as the holy one of Israel. Faith looks to him
as that one that is mighty to save, mighty to redeem, mighty
to deliver. Pour not on thyself too long,
else it will sink thee lower. Look to Jesus, firm and strong,
mercy, joined with power. But they that wait upon the Lord
shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings
as eagles. They shall run and not be weary,
and they shall walk and not faint. Lift up thy voice with strength,
lift it up, be not afraid. Say unto the cities of Judah,
Behold your God. Behold, the Lord God will come.
You think of it in your circumstances at this present time. This is
a word of promise, the Lord God will come. You think of the Old
Testament saints, they waited all those years, hundreds and
hundreds of years for the coming of Christ. They weren't disappointed when
he came, were they? The Lord God will come with strong
hands. and his arm shall rule for him.
Behold, his reward is with him and his work before him. He will
come. Behold, your God. They shall
run. It's a word of promise, isn't
it? They that wait upon the Lord, they shall run. You see, shall
renew their strength. Maybe you feel sometimes to be
so weak, so helpless, they shall renew their strength. The Lord
Jesus Christ in the book of Samuel is called the Strength of Israel.
You might say, how do you know that is Christ? Because it's
written with a capital S. The Strength of Israel. That's
the glorious person of Jesus Christ who's mighty to save,
who's mighty to redeem, who's mighty to deliver. He can do abundantly more than we
can even ask or think. What looks utterly impossible
to you is possible with God. He can make the crooked things
straight. He can. The rough place is even. We spoke
of it, didn't we, this past week about the Lord making the crooked
things straight and the rough places even. And as it says here
in this chapter, every valley, you think of those deep valleys
of trouble, of trial, of perplexity, of losses and crosses, every
valley shall be exalted. When Christ is revealed, and
every mountain and hill, you think of those great mountains
of sin, and those great mountains of impossibility, and those great
mountains of hopelessness. Every mountain and hill shall
be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the
rough places plain. The glory of the Lord, that's
Christ, shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it. say unto the cities of Judah,
behold your God. Doesn't the apostle himself say
when he writes to the Hebrews in chapter 12, he says, let us
lay aside every way 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. It's the only way you can run
this race, looking unto Jesus. It's the only way that you can
overcome these impossibilities, looking unto Jesus. That's the
only way. May the Lord enable you to do
it. Cast in all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. What appears hopeless to you
is not to Him. With heaven and earth at His
command, He waits to answer prayer. Behold your God. Behold those
wonderful deliverances that He has wrought in the earth, recorded
in the Old Testament here. When He's made the crooked things
straight and the rough places plain for His people. My beloved
friends, we worship the same God, who is able to do abundantly
more than we can even ask or think. Say unto the cities of Judah,
Behold your God. You may, and we do get very cast
down when we see the low state of Zion. And how few signs there are that
follow the preaching of the word. But you know friends, we need
that grace to look up. To look up. And not look at the impossibilities,
but look at the possibilities in Christ. in His glorious person. And what He's able to do, He's
able to do abundantly more than we can even ask or think. He's
Lord of all. He's God over all and blessed
forevermore. And He's promised to send deliverance
unto His people. Say unto the cities of Judah,
behold your God. It's like that word we spoke
from this morning. being confident of this very
thing that he which hath begun a good work in you shall perform
it unto the day of Jesus Christ. He's begun a good work in you
and he will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ. He's God. And that sometimes you may be
at such a low ebb in your spiritual experience in what it is I may
feel so much darkness and bondage but He's able to deliver you
out of all that darkness and all that bondage. And He's able
to make the crooked things straight and the rough places plain. Say
unto the cities of Judah, behold your God. He's made a new and
living way into the holy place. Behold your God. Behold Him as
He ascends up on high, as He leads captivity captive, as He
opens the gates of heaven. He's made a new and living way.
He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto
the Father but by me. He's made that way into heaven.
It's a new and a living way. Jesus is the way to God. Jesus
is the way to bliss. In this way the saints have trod
down from Adam's day to this. Oh, my beloved friends, at evening
time it shall be night. sigh unto the cities of Judah,
behold your God. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 688, The tune is Blockley 304. Ye that pass by, behold the man,
the man of Greece condemned for you, the Lamb of God for sinners
slain, weeping to Calvary pursued. Hymn 688, tune Blockley 304.
? We hope to serve thee o'er all
the land ? ? The land of Israel ? ? The land of Israel ? ? The
land of God ? O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the
brave? We hear His temples round with
songs, His reigning love extended far. This we repeat, transfigured
for The fountain flushing from its side ? Hold thou this heart, brave son
of God ? ? Thou doest die hard to see the truth ? Sprinkle on me thy precious blood,
and lead to taste thy dying blood. The rock stood there like barrow-deck,
And trembled at the sound of cry, Our prayer will die, exile I
wither. The garden of the Lord my heart. 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 both now and
for evermore. Amen.