The notices for the coming week
are God willing as follows. Pastoral preaching next Lord's
Day at 10.30 and 2 o'clock. Also on Thursday evening at 7
o'clock. There will be a prayer meeting
here on Tuesday evening at 7 o'clock. The collections taken during
March and the online giving amounted to 3,000 £816.28 and donations
to the book fund were £65. In the kitchen there is some
books, surplus books from Mrs Enofield and anybody that would
like them please go at the back and have a look and see what
you would like from those books. Let us commence our services
today by singing together hymn number 405, the tune is Church
Triumphant, 868. To which Jesus and the chosen
race subsist the bond of sovereign grace, that hell with its infernal
train shall ne'er dissolve nor rend in twain. Hymn 405, tune
Church Triumphant, 868. you. Jesus, in the chosen place, Stands
in the circle of suffering grace. Let her with each infernal train,
And let each aurora be free. This sacred bond shall never
break, That connection to the Son does make. Rest Thou, dear Savior, sure
of this, Thou God who doesst His own wills. Peace, for Thou Once the deep
was done, T'was settled in the grave's rebar. Night was appointed, to redeem
all that the Father hath redeemed. Hail, sacred, glorious, proud,
and strong, ♪ How great Thou, great Thou speakest, O! ♪ ♪ That
words of Us should ever be, ♪ ♪ That we think of Thee each day. ♪ And he hath heard the holy verse,
And with joy adored it was, ♪ Offering every future present
♪ ♪ Our shepherds are full as can be ♪ ♪ This sacred day ♪ The passion
makes the breeze, the body is warm at its best. With him the heavens are full
of hope, Their light, their sheltering, and their hope. The Spirit is heavenly, His righteousness
is in the grave. All that is on earth take children with all his children. Let freedom, wisdom, and the
grace Eternal love and faithfulness,
That in the cross can still reveal, When He's coming forth, Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the Gospel according to Matthew chapters
1 and reading down to verse 15 in chapter 2. The first and second chapters of
the Gospel according to Matthew. The book of the generation of
Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat
Isaac, and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob begat Judas and his
brethren, and Judas begat Phares and Zarah of Thamar, and Phares
begat Esron, and Esron begat Aram, and Aram begat Amminadab,
and Amminadab begat Nason, and Nason begat and Salmon begat
Boaz of Racab, and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth, and Obed begat
Jesse, and Jesse begat David the king, and David the king
begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Uriah, and Solomon
begat Roboam, and Roboam begat Abiah, and Abiah begat Asser,
and Asser begat Josaphat, and Josaphat begat Joram, and Joram
begat Osias, and Osias begat Jotham, and Jotham begat Achaz,
and Achaz begat Ezekias, and Ezekias begat Manassas, and Manassas
begat Ammon, and Ammon begat Josias, and Josias begat Jeconias
and his brethren about the time they were carried away to Babylon.
And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begat Salathiel,
and Salathiel begat Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel begat Abiad, and
Abiad begat Eliakim, and Eliakim begat Azor, and Azor begat Sadok,
and Sadok begat Achim, and Achim begat Eliud, and Eliud begat
Eleazar, and Eleazar begat Mathan, and Mathan begat Jacob. And Jacob
begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus,
who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham
to David were 14 generations, and from David unto the carrying
away into Babylon were 14 generations, and from the carrying away into
Babylon unto Christ are 14 generations. Now the birth of Jesus Christ
was on this wise, when, as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph
before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy
Ghost. Then Joseph, her husband, being
a just man and not willing to make her a public example, was
minded to put her away privily. And while he thought on these
things, behold, angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream,
saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary
thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name
Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all
this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with
child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his
name Immanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. Then Joseph,
being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had
bidden him, and took unto him his wife, and knew her not, till
she had brought forth her firstborn son, and he called his name Jesus. Now, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem
of Judea in the days of Herod the King, behold, there came
wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, where is he that is born
King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in
the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the King had
heard of these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with
him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes
of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be
born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus
it is written by the prophet, And thou, Bethlehem, in the land
of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah, for out
of thee shall come a governor that shall rule my people Israel. Then Herod when he had privily
called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time
this star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem
and said, Go and search diligently for the young child, and when
ye have found him, bring me word again that I may come and worship
him also. When they had heard the king,
they departed, and lo, the star which they saw in the east went
before them, till it came and stood over where the young child
was. When they saw the star, they
rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come
into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother,
and fell down and worshipped him. And when they had opened
their treasures, they presented unto him gifts, gold and frankincense
and myrrh. And being warned of God in a
dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into
their own country another way. And when they were departed,
behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream,
saying, Arise, take the young child and his mother, and flee
into Egypt, and be thou there. until I bring thee word, for
Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose,
he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed
into Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might
be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
Out of Egypt have I called my son. 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 of heaven, the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity,
whose name is holy, we desire to bow before thy great and glorious
majesty. And we desire, O Lord, a spirit
of true confession. For we all come as poor sinners
before thy great majesty. We're all born in sin and shaped
in iniquity. We're all unclean and unrighteous
altogether. And Lord, we feel very deeply
and painfully the sinfulness of our hearts and of our very
natures. And we desire to come in confession
before thee. And we pray to be washed in the
precious blood of Jesus Christ, thine only begotten Son, to cleanse
us from all our sin. And we desire, O Lord, that the
Lord Jesus might have the preeminence among us, and that he might be
the very centre, sum and substance of all our desires. Give me Christ,
or else I die, for in him is salvation. We, Lord, by nature
are in darkness, but in him is light. We are in bondage, but
in him is liberty. We are far off, but in him we
are made nigh. O Lord Jesus, we do pray that
thou wouldst graciously work in our hearts, and guide us by
thy counsel, and come and open thy word of truth unto us this
day. We do humbly beseech thee. Jesus,
reveal thyself to me. I do grant that that may be so
even today, as we gather round thy word and as we gather round
the table of the Lord, that we may truly worship thee. We pray,
most gracious Lord, that thou would remember us as a church
and as a congregation. Remember our beloved brethren,
the deacons, and be with them and help them, support them,
sustain them. Be with our dear brother at Tunbridge
Wells this morning and help him in the reading of a sermon. and
be gracious, Lord, unto us. We humbly pray thee. Remember
the little ones, the children. Have mercy upon them and bless
them. Show them thy ways and teach them thy paths. Lord, we
thank thee for those wonderful words of grace. Suffer little
children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such
is the kingdom of heaven. O gracious God, do incline thine
ear. We humbly beseech thee. and remember
the young friends, have mercy upon them, and richly bless them
with that rich grace that is in Christ Jesus, and supply all
their needs in providence, in their education, in employment,
Lord, and be with them regarding a partner in life's journey.
Lord, each one, thou knowest the needs of each one here in
this chapel, and we lovingly commend them to thee and to the
word of thy grace. Gracious God, Hear us, we humbly
pray thee. Thou art that great God that
did bring a Rebekah unto Isaac and a Ruth unto Boaz, and thou
art the same in the day in which we live as thou was then. Indeed,
O Lord, thou art able to do abundantly more than we can even ask or
think. Remember, all in the midst of the journey of life, especially
parents, Lord, give wisdom guidance, direction, we humbly pray they
lead them forth in that right way, help them as they seek to
bring up their children, that they may be given that wisdom
that cometh from above, which is first pure, then peaceable.
Lord, we pray that thou wouldst bless the families, bless them
in their family worship, and bless them as they come into
the sanctuary. and fulfil that wonderful promise,
instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest
make princes in all the earth. Lord, remember we do pray thee
that all in the midst of the journey of life, remember the
prodigals that have wandered away, and have mercy upon them,
O Lord, and cause them to return, that we may have a time of great
rejoicing for there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repented,
or that we could see thy work and thy power in the returning
of the prodigals. We do humbly beseech thee. And gracious God, we do pray
that thou in thy precious mercy would remember those of us that
are in the evening time of life's journey. And we pray that as
the outward man perishes, that the inward man may be renewed
day by day. And Lord, We pray for the family
of our late dear sister, Ina Field, and we pray that thou
would be with them at this time and bless them and undertake
for them. We do humbly beseech them and
graciously make crooked things straight and rough places plain.
And oh Lord, we do pray that the glory, light, and power of
gospel truth may shine into this village and into the surrounding
villages and hamlets, many, many, many precious souls may yet be
gathered, that we may see a turning of our captivity, that we may
see the light and glory of the gospel shining forth, 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. O Lord of hosts, O God of Israel,
O Thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. We do humbly beseech Thee. 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. Lord, remember all Thy servants
as they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion today.
Grant that they may dip their foot in oil, be made acceptable
unto thee, brethren, and the word preached may be in power
in the Holy Ghost and with much assurance. And we pray thee,
the great Lord of the harvest, to send true labourers into the
harvest. And we pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou wouldst remember those that go forth from among us into
the various nations of the earth. We think of thy servant, Ian
Sadler, as he labours in so many different places, in word and
doctrine, in the distribution of Holy Scripture and the orphanages
that they run. Supply all their many needs and
graciously bless them, O Lord, we do beseech thee for thy great
namesake. Remember the Savannah Education
Trust in Ghana and grant that at what they have been enabled
to do there, it may redound to the great honour, glory and praise
of thy holy name. Remember them on Bassamission
and thy servant that labours there, and graciously bless them. O Lord, we do beseech thee, send
a bountiful harvest, we do humbly beseech of thee. And we pray,
most gracious Lord, that thou, in thy precious mercy, was remember
our nation, remember the little hills of Zion up and down our
nation, wherever thy people gather, wherever thy servants stand,
O that thou wouldst turn again our captivity as the streams
in the south. 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, and thy saints shall
shout aloud for joy. Lord, bring our sons from far
and our daughters from the ends of the earth. We do humbly beseech
of thee for thy great name's sake. And may there be a reviving. May there be a day of great prosperity
in Zion among the churches of God. And oh Lord, remember our
nation. Remember all that have authority
over us. and give wisdom, guidance and
direction in all matters that we may live a quiet and a peaceable
life. But remember our King and the
Royal Household and those there in the Royal Household including
the King that are in affliction, we pray that it may be used of
thee to the good of his immortal soul and also of the Princess
of Wales. we pray that it may please thee
to put forth thy healing hand and grant restoring mercies,
we do humbly beseech thee. Gracious God, do incline thine
ear and do have mercy upon us as a nation. We do humbly beseech
thee and the glory and light of the gospel to shine for. We
thank thee, O Lord, for every mercy and every favour We thank
thee for all thy goodness that has passed before us in the way.
We thank thee for our little house of prayer, the supply of
all our many returning needs. We thank thee for thy word, the
open Bible. We thank thee for all thy tender
mercies and thy loving kindnesses that have passed before us in
the way. We thank thee above all for Jesus Christ, for the
incarnation of the Son of God, for the wonderful glory of his
name and the fullness of his grace, for in him dwelleth all
the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Oh, we thank thee that the word
was made flesh and dwelt among us, and may it be today that
we may behold his glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. We thank thee for
the holy life he lived as a man under the law, We thank thee,
most gracious Lord, for that holy sacrifice of Calvary and
for the bringing in of everlasting righteousness, the putting away
of sin, the swallowing up of death in victory in the glorious
person of our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank thee that he rose again
for our justification and has bodily ascended into heaven and
sitteth at thy right hand. O gracious God, Do hear us, we
pray thee, be with us now as we turn to thy word, and come
and open thy word to our heart and to our understanding, and
come and touch one's lips with a live coal from off the heavenly
altar, we ask with the forgiveness of all our sins, for Jesus Christ's
sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 329. The tune is Chorleywood, 827. How firm a foundation, ye saints
of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent word.
What more can he say than to you he has said, you who unto
Jesus for refuge have fled. Hymn 329. tune Charlie Wood 827. O come, O come, all ye faithful
joyful and triumphant! O come, O come, all ye faithful
joyful and triumphant! O come all ye faithful joyful
and triumphant O come ye, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem In ev'ry condition, in sickness,
in health, In poverty, in loss, and in health, ♪ The joy of the world, my God
and King ♪ ♪ As I praise Thee, my God and King ♪ ♪ The joy of the world,
my God and King ♪ ♪ In your time of living, earthling
of this day ♪ ♪ I, I am thy father, and you will be mine ♪ God save the Queen of Heaven,
all ye nations. Amen, all ye nations. Amen, amen. ♪ When you hear the angels sing
♪ ♪ Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ ♪ O'er the land of
the free and the home of the brave ♪ Light the water-bed, That I may
my day By Thee bless this day. ♪ Where the redeemed are used ♪
♪ Like heart, face, and tongue ♪ ♪ And with souls and visions ♪ ♪ Shall
be the voice of God ♪ ♪ Where the redeemed are used ♪ ♪ My God to consume ♪ ♪ And my
God to live on ♪ ♪ He can take away my pain ♪ I shall claim eternal body and
blood, And ever be blessed by Jesus my God. O come, O come, Emmanuel, O come,
O come, Emmanuel, Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I direct your attention to the first chapter
in the Gospel according to Matthew, and we'll read from our text,
verse 23. Matthew's Gospel, chapter 1,
verse 23. Behold, a virgin shall be with
child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his
name Immanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. When I was seeking the Lord's
direction to what to preach from yesterday morning and it was
just this one glorious name that just dropped on my spirit, Emmanuel. And of course we have the interpretation,
Emmanuel which being interpreted is God with us. The glorious person of our Lord
Jesus Christ is the Eternal Son of the Eternal God. And this
beautiful name, this is a direct quotation from the prophecy of
Isaiah chapter 7 and verse 14, Behold a virgin shall be with
child and shall bring forth a son. I felt very much constrained
to read through the lineage of Christ. We notice here in Matthew
it begins at Abraham and if you care at your leisure to look
into Luke and it begins with Adam or it goes right the way
back to Adam and it struck me how wonderful
it is that in the lineage of Christ there is Rahab the harlot and here it says in verse 5 and
Salmon begat Boaz or Boaz as it says and Rehab which is Rehab
and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth and Obed begat Jesse. See in the
lineage of Christ there are Gentiles and the gospel of Jesus Christ
is not confined just to the Jews but it is to the Gentiles too,
and in the lineage of Christ is Rahab the harlot. And it is
striking too, and Jesse begat David the king, and David the
king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Uriah. See, in the lineage of Christ,
these things happened, and these things were divinely ordered.
They were divinely ordered. The other thing that is striking,
and it says in verse 17, so all the generations from Abraham
to David are 14 generations, and from David unto the carrying
away into Babylon are 14 generations, and from the carrying away into
Babylon unto Christ are 14 generations. We see how there is a divine
order exact generations between Abraham
and David and Babylon and the coming of Christ. There is an exact order. All
things are divinely ordered. All things work together for
good to them that love God and to them that are called according
to his purposes. And as the Lord Jesus Christ
has spoken to us that there is coming a day when he will come
again. When the Lord Jesus Christ will
come a second time without sin unto salvation. He'll come to
receive his church unto himself and he will come to glorify that
church. He will call them to the marriage
supper of the Lamb and there'll be what is called the restitution
of all things. There'll be that great day of
judgment when the Lord Jesus will sit
upon the throne of his glory and he will judge the world in
righteousness. Everything is divinely ordered
and the end of the world is divinely ordered. Christ himself said,
no man knoweth when the end of the world will be. He said, not
even the Son of Man, but my Father which is in heaven. He knows
exactly when that will be and when that is ordained to come.
It won't be before and it won't be after. Because this is the
God that worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.
The Lord Jesus himself said, all power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth. All power. Nothing happens by
chance. These things are recorded to
instruct us in those things. Nothing happens by chance. Everything
is divinely ordered. and purposed by the God of heaven. Oh, the Lord would impress these
things upon our hearts and upon our minds. Now, the birth of
Jesus Christ was on this wise. When as his mother Mary was espoused
to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the
Holy Ghost. What a tremendous thing. One of the most tremendous things
that has ever happened in this world. It says in Jeremiah chapter
31, a woman shall encompass a man. Speaking of the birth of Christ.
A woman shall encompass a man. That is not by natural generation,
but a virgin shall be with child. We read in the Word of God, who
has heard such a thing? Mary herself says in the Gospel
of Luke, she said to the angel, how can this thing be, seeing
I know not a man? This is something that is impossible.
But what does the angel go on and say to her? What you see
is impossible with man is possible with God. And this is one of the most remarkable
things that has ever happened in this world. that is the virgin birth, but
accompanying with that, the most astonishing thing is, is that
this is the Son of God, the Eternal Son of the Eternal Father, that
was manifest in the flesh. Like John says in his first chapter
of his Gospel, and the Word, he's speaking there, that term,
the Word, refers to the divine nature of Jesus Christ and the
Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. There's a deep profound
mystery in the birth of Jesus Christ. How can the Almighty,
the Eternal, be brought into union with that which is finite
and created? And yet that is the deep mystery.
The apostle, he says, doesn't he, when he writes to his son
Timothy in the faith, great is the mystery of God, I guess.
God was manifest in the flesh. It's a mystery. You and I would
never work out that mystery. It's so profound. However can
it be that God was manifest in the flesh? And yet here we have
it prophesied by Isaiah the prophet, behold, a virgin shall be with
child and shall bring forth a son and they shall call his name
Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. God with us. What a wonderful
thing. You know, in the prophecy of
Isaiah, where this comes from, it continues from that chapter
7 into the 9th chapter and it's all part of the same prophecy
and it says in the 9th chapter and this is again a continuation
of the prophecy that began in the 7th chapter which is our
text and it carries on into the 9th chapter it says Unto us a
child is born. Unto us a son is given. Something
very precious and sacred in those. Unto us. Unto us. It's a very inclusive word, isn't
it? Unto us a child is born. This wonderful thing that happened.
Unto us a son is given. And the government, that's the
government of the whole world. I've just quoted. All power is
given unto me in heaven and in earth, and the government shall
be upon his shoulder. Rests on Christ. We read of the
Lord Jesus Christ when he ascended into heaven in Psalm 24, and
he says, who is this King of glory? He asks it about four
times, I think. Who is this King of glory? It's
the Lord, strong and mighty. It's the Lord Christ. You see, and his name. These
are what are called proper names. You might say, what do you mean
by a proper name? Well, and often it happened years
ago. I was personally named before
I was born. And many in the scriptures, they
gave their children a name according to how it came to pass. Samuel
is the gift of God, it was a wonderful gift of God, and all the names
applying to Christ, they're proper names, they have a meaning, they
were given because of the meaning. Moses is taken from water, you
see there's a meaning in those names, they're what are called
proper names. Today we tend to choose a name
because we like the sound of it, or we think it's a pretty
name etc but you know in in the scriptures they gave a name because
it meant something there was a meaning in the name and his
name who this this child that was born of the virgin and his
name shall be called wonderful Why, my beloved friends, his
name is wonderful in the things that we've just been speaking
of, in the fact that he is the eternal son of God. It's wonderful
that God was manifest in the flesh. It's wonderful that in
the life of Jesus Christ we see evidences in his life of who
he was and who he is. Even when he was 12 years old
and his parents had left Jerusalem and he stayed behind and he was
found with the doctors of law and of divinity in Solomon's
porch and he was discussing with them and they were amazed at
the understanding that he had as a 12 year old boy. See wonderful was His glorious
person in that He is God and man in one person. There is one
person but two natures. That's very important that we
should establish that. There is one person, the Son
of God. There are two natures, God and
man. He took into union with His divine nature, a holy human
nature, How it was done, we can't discuss. But this we know, it
was done for us. It was wonderful. His name shall
be called Wonderful. It was a wonderful fact. Now,
the other wonderful fact about this glorious person that was
born of the Virgin, he was holy. You might say, what is so wonderful
about that? is the only holy child that ever
lived on earth. Adam and Eve, when they were
created, they were of course made upright, but they fell into
sin. And great was that fall into
sin. Since Adam, by transgression, fell, he ruined all his future
race. The seeds of evil once brought
him increased and filled the world with sin. But this this
holy child, in Acts of the Apostles, twice it says, the holy child
Jesus. So even in that sense, a holy
child, a holy life, from the cradle
to the grave, he did no sin. It's wonderful. He was made of
a woman, made under the law, and that he might redeem them
that are under the law. and his name is called Wonderful
in that he fulfilled and honoured and magnified that holy law.
It was one of the great things that the Lord sent
him to do. The law that you and I have broken,
that you and I are incapable of fulfilling because of our
sinful nature. He fulfilled it. He honoured
it. He magnified it. He did no sin. Sin is any transgression
of the law of God. See, his name shall be called
Wonderful. He did no sin. This Immanuel,
which by interpretation is God with us, he did no sin, neither
was Gael found in his mouth. Wonderful. Counselor. A counselor gives advice and
counsels people. This is the Divine Counsellor.
And in His Word, from Genesis to Revelation, He has revealed
His mind unto His people. It's here in the Word of God
that Christ Himself said, search the Scriptures. Why? Because
those Scriptures through the Holy Spirit's application will
counsel you in the way that you've got to go. And His name is Counsellor. He will give us guidance. He will guide and direct His
people. He will be with us unto death. Wonderful counsellor. There's
nothing too hard. There's nothing too small. There's
nothing too great to bring to Jesus Christ. And you dear children
and young people, may you remember that. There's nothing too small
and there's nothing too great to take to Jesus Christ. No. He is a counsellor who will guide
you. The psalmist says, doesn't he,
he will guide us even unto death. Wonderful counsellor. This child
born of the Virgin, the mighty God, which is another name given
to this Holy Child that was born of the Virgin, the Mighty God. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
Mighty God. He has power to save. We read
of Him in the epistle to the Hebrews, wherefore, He is able
to save unto the uttermost all that come unto God by Him, seeing
He ever liveth. He's the Mighty God. There's
nothing too hard. There's nothing too great. There's
nothing too small. He's the mighty God. What seems
so impossible with you is not with Him. Commit thy way unto
the Lord. Trust also in Him, and He will
bring it to pass. Not you, He will bring it to
pass. This is this glorious Redeemer.
We spoke just recently, did we not, All the promises of God
are yay and amen in Christ Jesus. They're fulfilled in Christ.
And He will fulfill them on our behalf. Those promises that the
Lord has given you, those words of direction that the Lord has
given you, they're all fulfilled in and through and by the glorious
person of Jesus Christ. And all that the Lord will enable
us to look to Him wonderful counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting
Father. This is a name given to Jesus
Christ. What does it mean? Well, He's
co-equal and co-eternal with His Father. He's the Father's
only begotten Son. And He is the only way to the
Father. I am the way, the truth and the
life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. Surely that
is the meaning of this work. The everlasting Father. They
are co-equal and they are co-eternal. The Prince of Peace. That's who Jesus is. Peace by his cross as Jesus made. the church's ever-living head.
How did he make that peace? As the holy God-man. As the law-fulfiller
of his people. And by fulfilling the law, this
holy person, Emmanuel, he fulfilled and honoured and magnified that
holy righteous law on the behalf of his people. As Daniel puts
it, to the bringing in of everlasting righteousness. That everlasting
righteousness of Christ, it is Him fulfilling the law as a man
here upon earth. And bringing in everlasting righteousness
for His people. There's a glorious name given
to Him in Jeremiah chapter 23, Jehovah said, can you? The Lord,
our righteousness. That's who Christ is. He's the
Lord our righteousness. Have we got a poor, wretched
sinner here today? And you feel to be so unrighteous,
so unclean? We are. We are. And as the Holy
Spirit truly works in our hearts, He'll bring us to see just how
unrighteous we are. For all that that same Holy Spirit
may lead you to Jesus Christ. the Lord, our righteousness,
the Prince of Peace. He hath reconciled. He says,
my peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as
the world giveth give I unto you. You see, and the everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. The cross of Calvary, where this
holy child was crucified. where you know we must understand
why he was crucified because in the garden of Gethsemane the
father laid upon him the iniquity of us all. He was made sin for
us. He that knew no sin was made
sin for us. Christ did no sin but he was
made sin for us. What a profound Message the gospel
sends isn't it in Emmanuel God with us the law fulfilled honored
and magnified And And then Having the sin of
the church laid upon him or imputed unto him by the father. He was
crucified He suffered he bled he died the sufferings of Christ
were because of our sins because of our sin. Isaiah says, doesn't
he, he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities
and the testament of our peace was upon him and by his stripes
are we healed. That's what we see in Calvary.
We see a crucified Emmanuel, God with us. suffering, bleeding, dying, shedding
His precious blood. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, is the blood of Emmanuel. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, cleanseth us from all sin. All that precious blood. You
know that was holy blood, it was pure blood, it was righteous
blood. It came from a righteous man.
It satisfied all the demands of divine justice. Divine justice
demanding the soul that sinneth it shall die. Cursed is every
man that doeth not all things that is written in the book of
the law to them. You and I by nature come under
that solemn divine justice of God. We're cursed with a curse. We all have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. But this man, Emmanuel, this
man, had done nothing amiss. This man had done nothing amiss.
He did no sin, but he suffered. He bled and he died on the behalf
of his people. And he's brought in everlasting
salvation, an eternal salvation. And it says here in Isaiah chapter
9, of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.
Upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, you see my
beloved friends, it's an eternal kingdom, the kingdom of heaven,
and upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment
and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the
Lord of hosts will perform this. This mighty work of salvation
was the divine work of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. The
Father chose a people to redeem. The Son redeemed them. The Holy
Spirit sanctifies them, separates them unto Christ. Have you been
separated unto Christ? Has the Holy Spirit entered your
heart? Has the Holy Spirit quickened
your soul into life? Does the Holy Spirit dwell in
your heart? Has He made you to feel that
you're a poor sinner? Has He brought you to see your
need of salvation? Has He brought you to see a beauty
and a glory and a loveliness in Jesus Christ? Emmanuel, God
with us. God with us. Of the increase
of His government and peace there shall be no end. It's an eternal
government, it's eternal peace upon the throne of David and
upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment
and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the
Lord of hosts will perform this. Behold, a virgin shall be with
child and shall bring forth a son and they shall call his name
Immanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. God with us. That's who Jesus
Christ is. Now, the way, on all these truths,
they're foundation truths of our most holy faith, but the
way it has rested with me today, Yes, we've just spoken of these
wonderful truths that when Christ was here, he's Emmanuel, he's
God with us, but he's still with us. He's still with us. My mind was very much taken to
the, what is called the valedictory discourse of our Lord Jesus Christ
in John 14, 15 and 16. And He speaks to his people there,
how that he will be with them. How he will be with them. In the chapter 14 of John's Gospel,
verse 23, Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love
me, he will keep my words. And my Father will love him,
and we will come unto him, make our abode with him. How does
that happen? How can it be? In the epistle
of Peter he says about us being made the partakers of the divine
nature. How can a poor wretched sinful
worm of the earth be a partaker of the divine nature? Well it's
in the Holy Spirit dwelling in the heart What makes a true believer
and follower of Christ is that the Spirit of God dwells in their
heart. The Spirit of God is the divine
person of the Holy Ghost and he lives in the heart of the
believer. Now, if we look at this correctly, these three are
one. Father, Son and Holy Ghost are
one. You cannot have the Holy Ghost
and not have the Father and the Son, because they are one. They
are one. And this is the meaning of that
verse, and it opens to us this profound truth. Jesus answered
and said unto him, if a man love me, he will keep my words, and
my Father will love him, and we, Father and Son, no doubt
by the Holy Ghost, and we will come unto him and make our abode
with him. He lives in the hearts of his
people. He abides in the hearts of his
people. It says in the 15th chapter,
and he says in the verse 4, abide in me and I in you. As the branch
cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine, no more
can ye except ye abide in me. I am the vine. The person speaking
is Emmanuel, God with us. I am the vine, ye are the branches.
He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth
much fruit. For without me, how true this
is, without me you can do nothing. If a man abide in me, he is cast,
abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered,
and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they
are burned. If ye abide in me, my words abide in you, you shall
ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit, so shall you be my disciples. Does the Lord abide in your heart? In my heart? I humbly trust he
does. There are times that we feel
that divine moving and power of the Holy Ghost in our hearts
and giving us a spiritual mind and setting our affections on
things above and not on things of the earth. John in his first epistle in
the fourth chapter and he says in the thirteenth verse Hereby
know ye, know we, that we dwell in him, and he in us, because
he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify
that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God
dwelleth in him, and he in God. We have known and believed the
love that God hath to us. God is love, and he that dwelleth
in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. You see, it's the
indwelling, this divine indwelling of the Spirit. Never forget this
fundamental truth of our most holy faith. These three are one. The Father, the Son and the Holy
Ghost And God dwells in the hearts of his people. The apostle says
in writing to the Corinthians, know ye not that ye are the temple
of the Holy Ghost? If so, be the Spirit of God dwelling
in you. Every believer is a temple of
the Holy Ghost. One hymn writer, doesn't he,
I can't quote it exactly, but doesn't he say about going They
bring him to the house of God. You know, there's nothing in
a building. This is just a building. It's a convenient place for us
to worship him. The Lord dwells, not in a building,
but in the hearts of his people. In a very special way, in the
Old Testament, he dwelt in the temple at Jerusalem. He dwelt
in the tabernacle in the wilderness. But he no longer dwells in places
made with hands. He dwells in the hearts of his
people. He lives in the hearts of his people. The Apostle says,
doesn't he, Christ in you, Christ in you, the hope of glory. Oh, my beloved friends, may the
Lord truly open these precious truths unto our hearts. Behold,
a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son and
they shall call his name Immanuel, which being interpreted is God. with us, God with us, the Lord
is with us. What a wonderful mercy. Didn't
David prove that and felt that in Psalm 46, a well-known psalm about the Lord thy God in the
midst of his church. God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble. You see, a very present help.
He says, I am with thee. Fear not, I am with thee. Be
not dismayed, I am thy God. I will help thee, I will uphold
thee. He's Emmanuel, he's God with us. Therefore will not we fear. Why? Because God is with us. Though
the earth be removed, he speaks here of tremendous convulsions
in the earth. Though the earth be removed and
though the mountain be carried into the midst of the sea, though
the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains
shake with the swellings thereof. There is a river. There is a
river. The streams whereof shall make
glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the
Most High. Listen to this. God is in the
midst of her. She shall not be moved. God shall
help her and that right early. The heathen raged. The kingdoms
were moved. He uttered his voice. The earth
melted. The Lord of hosts is with us. The Lord of hosts is with us.
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. You know, we just sung
hymn 329, it was the thought of this Emmanuel, God with us,
that made me choose that hymn. Fear not, I am with thee, be
not dismayed, I am thy God. I am thy God, I will help thee,
I will strengthen thee. But listen to what he says, I
will never leave thee nor forsake thee. This Emmanuel, I will never
leave thee nor forsake thee. The Lord of hosts is with us.
Goes on in that same Psalm, he says in verse 10, be still. Why? Because the Lord of hosts
is with us. Emmanuel is with us. Be still
and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen.
I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us.
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah, Emmanuel, which by interpretation
is God with us, God with us. You know we've often pointed
out to you that in that lovely promises that we have in Isaiah,
my mind in particular just goes to chapter 41 and that exceedingly
well-known promise Fear thou not, for I am with thee. Isaiah 41 verse 10. Fear thou
not, for I am with thee. How true that is in the glorious
person of our Lord Jesus Christ, I am with thee. Be not dismayed. You know, we see the things that
happen in the earth and we see the things that surround us.
It may be the troubles or the trials that we come into, But
the Lord says, I am with thee, be not dismayed. For I am thy God, I will strengthen
thee. It's like we've said, there's
a multitude of promises in one word here, in one verse. Be not
dismayed, for I am thy God, I will strengthen thee. It says in Isaiah, doesn't it,
63, and the angel of his presence. What a wonderful thing that is,
the angel of his presence. Emmanuel, God with us, the angel
of his presence. I will uphold thee with the right
hand of my righteousness. He carries on in verse 14, he
says, fear not, thou worm Jacob and ye men of Israel, I will
help thee. saith the Lord and thy Redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel. These promises of God, you see,
I am with thee. I will never leave thee nor forsake
thee. I am with thee. I will never
leave thee nor forsake thee. He never will. He is Emmanuel. God with us, and I pray that
the Lord will give us a little meditation on this, of this glorious
Emmanuel, the God that is with us, the God that will sustain
us, the God that will strengthen us. In the end of the Gospel
of Matthew, when the Lord, in the last chapter, verse 28, when
the Lord Jesus and he says to the disciples as he's about to
ascend into heaven and it says in chapter 28 verse 16 then the
eleven disciples went away into Galilee into a mountain where
Jesus had appointed them and when they saw him they worshipped
him but some doubted and Jesus came and spoke unto them saying
all power just think of that all power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth. Thou art coming to a king, large
petitions with thee bring, for his grace and power are such
that none can ever ask too much. All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever
I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even unto
the end of the world. Behold, a virgin shall be with
child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his
name Immanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 557. The tune is Sweet Name, 730.
How sweet and precious is the name of Jesus Christ the Lord the
Lamb to sinners in distress, a name just suited to their case,
pregnant with mercy, truth and grace, with strength and righteousness. Hymn 557, tune Sweet Name 730. you ♪ To sing the praise of Jesus ♪
♪ Now is the time to come around ♪ ♪ To sing His praises ♪ ♪ I
thank you still ♪ Gentiles, bring them with mercy,
truth and grace, with strength and righteousness. As Jesus sued to men, they saved
from wrong, those who had them. From guilt and shame he's been. His name is wonderful in thee. Heavenly hope and strength come
to thee. The truth shall ways like theirs. Emmanuel's right blessed name,
the God we trust, he still hath saved. ♪ The wonders of the week
♪ ♪ The first in Austria's history ♪ ♪ So bitter and terrible ♪
♪ Precious hiding place ♪ Jesus Christ, Lord of Hosts, God is almighty, God is almighty,
God is almighty, God is almighty, God is almighty, God is almighty,
God is almighty, that's so heavenly, that o'er
him the bread of heaven's bread, earth gives her sweetest sound. In the gardens of Cheshire Cross,
the pimps shall sing, the pimps shall burst, the pimpers to break them. He is their God and they shall
learn what his almighty hand can do, what that knowledge may
do. 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.