Let us commence our service this
afternoon by singing together hymn number 1052, the tune Elmcott
785. Redeemer, whither should I flee? Or how escape the wrath to come? The weary sinner flies to thee,
for shelter from impending doom. Smile on me, gracious Lord, and
show Thyself the friend of sinners now. Hymn 1052. Tune Almkot 785.
? Take me home, take me home, take
me home, take me home, take me home, take me home, take me home,
take me home, take me home, take me home, take me home, take me home,
take me home, take me home, take me home, take me home, take me
home, take me home, take me home, take me home, take me home, take
me home, take me home, take me home, take me home, take me home, take
me home, take me home, take me home, take me home, take me home,
take me home, take me home, take me home, take me home, take me
home, take me home, take me home, take me home, take me home, take
me home, take me home, take me home, take me home, take me home, take
me home, take me home, take me home, take me home, take me home,
take me home, take me home, take me home, take me home, take me
home, take ? Star-spangled banner yet wave ? ? O'er the land of
the free ? ? And the home of the brave ? In the shadow of thy cross, the
heavy weight of I would extend the world my trust,
so I might make a right success. I take my every joy in Thee,
be Thou mine, and mine to be. Jesus was born in Bethlehem on
the morn of the last day. ? His stripes and mercies light
the way ? ? Every race of human being ? ? His bread and
His blood ? ? I may weep and cry until we die
? ? There flows still to the night ? ? Comes with its first rain ? ?
And I live, I live for thy breath ? ? Ever till morning light again
? Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God. in Paul's epistle to the Galatians,
chapter 6. The epistle to the Galatians,
chapter 6. Brethren, if a man be overtaken
in a thought, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit
of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear
ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing,
he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own
work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone and
not in another for every man shall bear his own burden but
him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth
in all good things be not deceived god is not mocked for whatsoever
a man soweth that shall he also reap for he that soweth to his
flesh shall of the fresh reach corruption, but he that soweth
to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let
us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap
if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity,
let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are
of the household of faith. You see how large a letter I
have written unto you with mine own hand. As many as desire to
make a fair show in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised,
only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of
Christ. For neither they themselves,
who are circumcised, keep the law, but desire to have you circumcised,
that they may glory in your flesh. But God forbid that I should
glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the
world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For in Christ
Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision,
but a new creature. And as many as walk according
to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel
of God. From henceforth let no man trouble
me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Brethren,
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. May the Lord bless that portion
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 thy great, eternal and almighty
majesty. We desire a spirit of true worship. We desire to approach unto thee
in godly fear, in the spirit of faith and of love. For we
do pray that thou by thy good spirit wouldst teach us how to
pray, and for what to pray. For we know not what to pray
for as we ought. O gracious God, may the spirit
Make intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered.
Lord, with my burden I begin. Oh, remove this load of sin.
Lord, our old man which is corrupt, with the lusts thereof. And Lord,
it doesn't get better, it seems to get worse. And we prove experimentally
day by day It is the spirit that quickens, the flesh profiteth
nothing. For I know that in me, that is
in my flesh, there dwelleth no good thing. Lord, we constantly
need that teaching to humble us that we might be crucified
unto the world. Oh, enable us, oh Lord, to humble
ourselves before thee in confession of our sins and of our sinfulness
and the wretchedness of our nature. But our hope is built on nothing
less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. Jehovah Sidkenu, the Lord our
righteousness. We do thank thee for that glorious
righteousness of Jesus Christ. We thank Thee for that perfect
obedience of the man Christ Jesus. We thank Thee for that royal
robe of His righteousness. Who are these that came out of
great tribulation, washed their robes and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb? Therefore are they before the
throne of God. And this, O Lord, is our only
hope. It's in the finished work of our precious Redeemer. It's
in his precious blood that cleanses from all sin, in his glorious
righteousness that covers our nakedness, our shame, and our
iniquity. O most gracious Lord, as we've
read together in thy Word, God forbid that I should glory save
in the cross of our Lord Jesus by whom the world is crucified
unto me, and I unto the world. Lord, we have the world in our
hearts, in our very nature, and our nature loves this world and
the ways of sin and of unrighteousness. Our nature, O Lord, is darkened,
unrighteous. But oh, we trust, O Lord, we
have that new man of grace, the new man of grace which loves
thee, which loves our precious Redeemer, which loves our eternal
Father, which loves the Holy Ghost, these three are one, that
one blessed, infinite, almighty, and eternal God. Jesus Christ,
the same yesterday, today, and forever. O we do thank thee for
thy unchanging faithfulness, love, mercy and grace. We do
thank thee for thy cross. We thank thee that sin has been
put away, that divine justice has been satisfied, not by works
of righteousness that I have done, but according to his abundant
mercy. O gracious God, this is our only
hope, this is all our desire. All my desire is before thee,
and my groaning is not hid from thee. And Lord, it is so. And we do pray that thou wouldst
grant a sacred and precious experience of the loving kindness, compassion
of our eternal Father, as we gather together around thy word
this afternoon, breathe into our hearts the spirit of adoption,
breathe into our hearts the love of Christ, Blessed, holy, divine
Spirit, we pray for thy heavenly power. Without thy heavenly power,
O Lord, no sweets the gospel can afford. Come and open the
eyes of the blind. Come and unstop the deaf ears.
Come and make the dead to live. O Lord, we do beseech thee, may
we see the precious fruits of the Spirit among us, in our own
hearts, in our own lives, and among us here. as a church and
as a congregation. Precious souls walking in obedience
to thy holy word and ways and truth. May we see precious souls
gathered in. We think of the promises, O Lord,
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. O Lord of hosts, O God
of Israel, O thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth
we humbly beseech thee in the gospel of thy grace and grant
that this little house of prayer may be as a city set upon a hill
precious souls may when their way here the light and truth
of the gospel may shine into this village and the surrounding
villages and hamlets and that we may see this pulling down
of the strongholds of satan and the setting up of the kingdom
of the Lord Jesus in the hearts of sinners. O do hear us, Lord,
we humbly beseech thee, and let thy hand be upon the man of thy
right hand, the Son of Man, whom the maid is strong for thyself,
has said in thy word, and they shall come. Lord, we await those
precious souls coming. We watch, we wait for the prodigals
to return, We watch, O Lord, unto Thee, for Thou alone art
able to do it, to cause them to return, and to cause precious
souls to add in, and to pour forth Thy Spirit upon the ministry
of the Word, and grant mighty signs and wonders to follow the
preaching of the Word. Hast Thou not promised, I will
work, and who shall let in? O gracious God! Let thy work
appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children,
O Lord, we beseech thee. Make us more spiritually minded,
set our affections on things above, draw us unto thyself,
none come except the Father draw, O draw us unto Jesus Christ. May we behold his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth, May we see a beauty in him. May we see him as the
altogether lovely one, the chiefest among ten thousand. May he be
to us the very centre, sum and substance of all our hopes and
all our desires. For thy great namesake, we do
humbly beseech thee. Bless thee, little ones and the
children. Bless them indeed. Bless thee,
dear young friends, with that rich grace that is in Christ
Jesus. bless and guide and direct them
in that right way. Oh, we do humbly pray thee, deliver
us each from an evil heart of unbelief and the power and dominion
of sin. And Lord, if there are any that
have a name to live and yet are dead, oh, we pray that this may
be the time when the Spirit of God may quicken their soul and
open their eyes to see the folly of where they are. Hear us, O
God, we do humbly pray thee, and work mightily, powerfully,
and effectually among us. Lord, we do pray that thou, in
thy precious mercy, would remember all in the midst of the journey
of life and their great needs and their great concerns. Be
with parents and give them wisdom and help to bring up their children
in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. and grant that they
may be made a good example unto their children in following the
Lord in the way of his holy ordinances we do humbly beseech them and
we pray thee most gracious God that thou wouldst remember and
undertake for those that are passing through temptation give
us to feel and to know that he was tempted in all points like
as we are yet without sin O Lord Jesus, we pray that Thou wouldst
help us through this wilderness journey, that Thou wouldst deliver
us from the power of sin and of Satan, and that Thou wouldst
graciously shine with the light and power of Thy Gospel into
our hearts to sanctify us and to separate us unto Thyself. We do humbly beseech of Thee,
deliver us from the broken law bring us into the glorious liberty
of the people of God. We do pray, most gracious Lord,
that we remember those in the evening time of life's journey.
Be with us, Lord. Guide us safely unto thy heavenly
kingdom. Keep and preserve us from all
evil. And as we've read in thy word, help us to remember those
that have fallen, that they may be restored. and help us to deal
with our brethren and sisters in Christ in a spirit of love,
we do humbly beseech of thee, realising that we are very weak
and sinful and corrupt. O Lord, we do pray that thou
will remember dear Ina at home, remember her with the favour
that thou barest unto thy people, visit her with thy great salvation. Remember those in affliction,
Grant thy restoring, upholding, renewing mercy, we do humbly
pray thee. Grant us each a closer walk with
thee, a calmer heavenly frame, a light to shine upon the road
that leads us to the Lamb. Remember all thy servants as
they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion. Set them
free, set them at liberty. Send out thy light and thy truth,
O Lord, we do pray thee. We pray thee, the great Lord
of the harvest, to send true labourers into the harvest. Many of thy servants, O Lord,
are in great age, and we pray that thou wouldst grant that
we may yet see, even as thou hast done, that we may yet see
the sending forth of thy servants to stand upon the walls of Zion. Hear us, O Lord, few one with
trumpets in their hand, to sound alarm by sea and land, O that
thou wouldst arise, and raise up, and send forth thy servants,
and send deliverance unto thy church. We thank thee for every
mercy of thy kind providence. We thank thee that thou art God
over all, and blessed for evermore. We thank thee that thou art able
to do abundantly more than we can even ask or think. We ask all, with the forgiveness
of all our many sins, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 167. The tune is Adida Mater, 77. Come, all harmonious tongues,
your noblest music bring. Tis Christ, the everlasting God,
and Christ the man we see. Tell how he took our flesh to
take away our guilt. Sing the dear drops of sacred
blood that hellish monsters spill. Hymn 167, tune Dido Marta, ? My heart and hands will sing
with thee ? ? Jesus, the everlasting Lord ? ? In Christ our heav'nly
King ? ? Evermore return again ? ? To
take the way of youth ? ? Take the way of soul ? ? Take the way of heart ? ? As the blue eyes see it ? ? When
gleaming to the sky ? ? Let there be light for evermore ? ? The
world to its greatest high ? The winds are setting free, In
our little town hall. And hath made the poor mighty
wrong With every wrong he's wronged. And he hath made all things ? Be thou little or great ? ? Let
me arise to hear thy praise ? ? When all things shall be well ? ?
Love of the Father ? ? And watch the hills unfold ?
? O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave ? ? O'er the
land of the free and the home of the brave ? ? High on each other's world ?
? And on the raging gentle tide ? ? That draws her from this
shore ? ? In each other's world ? will shine. Build on me angel
grace, and make this place Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the sixth chapter
in Paul's epistle to the Galatians, and read in verse 14 for our
text. Galatians chapter six, verse
14. But God forbid that I should
glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the
world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. You know, friends, we would tend
naturally in our fallen nature to glory in this and to glory
in that and to glory in something else. to glory in our obedience,
to glory in what we've done, to glory in the fact that we
believe in Jesus Christ. That's a good thing to glory
in, but we glory in other things. We say, well, my faith. You know, friends, we glory in
the person of Christ, the glorious person of God manifest in the
flesh. We glory in what He has done
for us, what He has accomplished for us. We glory, my beloved
friends, not because we've lived in obedience to the law, because
if we know anything of the Spirit's inward teaching, we know we can't
do that. Because if we could do it, we
would glory in it. And here the Galatians were glorying
in circumcision. and glorying in what we do in
the flesh. He says here in verse 12, as
many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh. They constrain
you to be circumcised only lest they should suffer persecution
for the cross of Christ. That is what they were doing.
And in the early church as much of this went on because in the
early church there were many converted Jews. They constrain you to be circumcised
because the other Jews would persecute them because they weren't circumcised.
Caused a lot of controversy in the early church. Circumcision. It says here in verse 13 for
neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law but desire So have you circumcised
that they may glory in your flesh? But the apostle, he makes it
very clear here that we shouldn't glory in anything, but in the
person, power, love, and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God
forbid that I should glory save in the cross. when Christ was about to be crucified
on the cross of Calvary he said to this end was I born and for
this cause came I into the world. God forbid that I should glory
saving the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ and you know central
to all gospel preaching is the cross of Christ. the person,
power and grace of Jesus Christ. This is what delivers souls from
sin and Satan's power. This is what lifts the Lord's
people out of their sins and their wretchedness. It's the
glorious person, power and grace of a crucified Saviour. Central
to the whole mission of the Son of God here upon earth is the
cross of Christ. You might say, why is that so
central? Why is the cross of Christ so
central? That, my beloved friends, is
where sin was put away. The cross of Christ. That is
why we have that custom once a month to have the Lord's Supper
in accordance with what Christ has directed us to. Not necessarily
once a month but He's directed us to continually come to the
Lord's table. Why has he done that? To remind
us of the tremendous cost of salvation. This do in remembrance
of me, for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup,
ye do show forth the Lord's death until he come, but God forbid,
that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. The world hates the cross of
Christ. It does. Hates the cross of Christ,
opposes the cross of Christ. cannot see the beauty or loveliness
in the cross of Christ but God forbid that I should
glory the Apostle Paul when he writes to the Corinthians remember
the Corinthian church it was very much taken up with gifts and the Apostle as he writes
to them You might say what's wrong with gifts but they were
so much taken up with the gifts that they'd been given more than
the cross of Christ. Hence the apostle when he writes
to them he says for I determined. You know some would say well
that's the minister's job is to be determined to preach Christ
absolutely right but there is in that word determined a sense
of force A determination. Now why is it
written that way? Because there are so many things
that the preacher could preach. I remember over the years, especially
my early ministry in particular, exercised about what to preach
from and a word would lay on my spirit and I'd sit and meditate
and I could see this experience, that experience, another experience. I could have filled up two sermons
easy with all these different experiences. And then that word would drop
onto my spirit, but we preach Christ crucified. To the Jews,
a stumbling block, to Greeks, foolishness. This is what the
apostle writes to the Corinthians, but we preach Christ crucified. The doctrine of the cross, it's
central to the whole of the Christian religion. Not just in the bare reading
of it, the experience of it. And that's what we have in our
text before us. The experience of it. Our flesh
has to be humbled. And the Lord leads us in such
a pathway that does humble our flesh. That's if we are the true
children of God. He leads us in a pathway which
crucifies our flesh. It's opposite to our nature.
We would love an easier pathway. Who wouldn't? You'd like an easier
pathway. But if you have an easier pathway,
then the flesh is not crucified. Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth. Chastening is a crucifying experience. No chastening for the present
seems to be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless, afterwards, there
will be an afterwards. When the Lord chastens us, it's
to humble our flesh, it's to crucify our flesh. You know,
friends, I see it, I mentioned it this morning, and I see it
so clearly and emphatically these last few weeks that I preached
just a few weeks back from that word in John 6. It is the spirit
that quickness, the flesh, profiteth nothing. Our old flesh will always
be our old flesh. What the apostle calls the old
man of sin, it always will be. Never, you know, we need this
inward teaching of the spirit which is so crucifying to our
flesh. to show us that we're sinful.
I've often told you of a time when that word walked up and
down in my very soul, turn again O son of man and thou shalt see
greater abominations than these and you know that went on for
several weeks or even months that word walked up and down
in my soul and every time I turned again the Holy Ghost revealed
another sin until I was brought so clearly to see that every
sin in this world You know, this teaching of the Spirit in the
soul crucifies the old man. It will stop you throwing stones
at other people. It will stop you being so judgmental
to other people. Because you'll have so much to
keep yourself at home. You realize it will give you
some sympathy with them. Not that you go along with their
sin or their wicked ways. that's in every one of us it's
like a seed it remained dormant until it's put into the right
conditions with the right humidity the right dampness and the right
heat and it germinates that may have laid for years but then
suddenly it germinates and it springs up the seed of every
evil in this world is in your and my heart And if it was put
into the right conditions, it will germinate, it will germinate
and it will bear fruit. And what a terrible fruit it
bears, it is. You see, it says here, the apostle,
he says in verse seven, be not deceived, God is not mocked.
For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For
he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption,
but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life
everlasting. How often, oh my beloved friends,
I'm preaching as much to myself as anyone else, how often we
sow to the flesh. We do. Then of the flesh, we
shall reap corruption. But he that soweth to the Spirit,
to the Holy Ghost, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And then he speaks here of the
fruits of the Spirit. Let us not be weary in well-doing,
for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Then these fruits
of the Spirit as we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto
all men. You see, we spoke of it this
morning, the covetous spirit that is in every single one of
us. It's a root evil in the heart of man. It's in every one of
us. We would keep back more than
we should, for ourselves. That's covetousness. It's a terrible spirit of covetousness.
it's in our hearts to do that. I remember so clearly on one
occasion when I was a member of Black Boys and there was a
lot of work that had to be done and my money and my work was
just about sufficient to keep us going. I never had enough
to put aside and I so begged of the Lord to help me to help
and no sooner I prayed that A neighbour of my father-in-law, he was killing
a bullock, and he approached me and said, would I cut up the
bullock? He'd pay me to do it. It was
such a clear answer to prayer. And he paid me. After he paid
me, this started working in my mind. You don't have to give
it all. You could keep that for yourself. You could deal with that with
your little family. And so it worked in my mind. until I saw
how terrible that was. The Lord had helped me to give
to the chapel. And here I was, I was going to
keep back part of the price. I thought of the solemnity of
Ananias and Sapphira's wife, how they kept back part of the
price. Why did they do it? Because covetousness. It's in our hearts, it's in our
very nature. And then we covet. the things of this life, wealth
and honor, fame, we covet it, we go after it. So that's our
nature. The love of money. Notice what
it says, not money, the love of money is the root of all evil. Oh my beloved friends, may these
things, may we lay them close to our hearts. But God forbid
that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Have you got something in your
life at this time that is crucifying? You might say, what do you mean
that is opposite to your nature? It humbles you. You would love
to be able to get rid of it, But it's there. It's there. And
it may be something hidden from everybody else. It may be some
particular temptation, some particular trial that nobody else can see,
that day by day you have to ask the Lord to deliver you from
it. It may be some particular sin, such as the Apostle speaks
of in the Hebrews, a besetting sin. I've heard people say that
there's just one besetting sin and that's unbelief, well that's
utter nonsense. That is a besetting sin but it's
a particular sin that is in your flesh and in your nature and
it's like a cross and it's crucifying and you would love to get rid
of it. But it's there, it's so powerful. And it utterly brings
you to nothing. You have to beseech the Lord
to have mercy upon you and to deliver you from it. But it has
a power in it. The power of sin. And the corruption
of our heart. They're in league together. They are. With Satan and our
old man. You know, if And it was so, if
Satan could cause Adam and Eve to sin in their state of innocency
and sinlessness, how much more us, in our fallen state and condition,
with our old man which is corrupt and unrighteous, do you have
a beset in sin? Do you? Something nobody else
knows about? Now the exhortation, my beloved
friends, is let us lie aside every weight. Trouble is, that
besetting sin is so pleasant to your old man, to your flesh. And there's a power in it. And
you have to pray to the Lord to deliver you from the power
of that besetting sin. God forbid, that I should glory
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, this
cross. What happened with this cross? Your sins were put away in this
cross, in this precious blood that was shed on the cross by
Jesus Christ our Lord. Redeemer, we've just sung it
together, Redeemer, whither should I flee? Ah, but to Christ. But to the cross, I to the cross
of Christ repair, and seek salvation only there. And that is where
this old man will bring you, under the divine teaching of
the Spirit. Feeling your sinfulness, your
wretchedness, and unable to deliver yourself from it, and feeling
the power of this indwelling sin. It will bring you to the
feet of Jesus, Lord help me, Lord deliver me. It may be not
so much a besetting sin but a temptation of Satan. It's a deep mystery
you know friends but Satan knows what our besetting sins are and
he will suit his temptations to your besetting sins. and he'll
bring it right before you, if you will. You can be spiritually
minded, your heart set on things above, you feel a warm love to
Jesus Christ and then suddenly that besetting sin is right in
front of you and your flesh goes after it. What a conflict isn't
it? Between the spirit, the Apostle
he says here, in the that it says in the latter part
of chapter 5. They that are Christ have crucified
the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the
spirit, let us also walk in the spirit. Let us not be desirous
of vain glory and provoking one another, envying one another.
You see, he says the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit
If you look at verse 17 in chapter 5, the exhortation in verse 16
is that this I say, walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill
the lusts of the flesh. For the lusts of the flesh, the
flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh
and these are the contrary, the one to the other, so that you
cannot do the things that you would. Similar, isn't it? what the Apostle speaks of in
Romans 7, that which I would, I do not. How many times has
your spirit had resting upon it some good thing that you should
do and then you just let it go, just carry on. When the spirit
prompts you to do something and you just let it go and you just
carry on, the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against
the flesh. There's a conflict, a constant
conflict. The battle sometimes is very
extreme and you fear that you're going to be overcome by the enemy.
You're going to be overcome by the old man, which is corrupt. When you know this inward teaching
of the spirit, You'll feel sorry for somebody
that is overcome. You won't throw stones at them.
You won't jeer at them. You will honestly say in your
heart, there go I, but for the grace of God. It is. And this is a very humbling teaching. is and it's constant and continual. Where is that spiritual exercise
in the soul? Sometimes we get to a place where
we're not spiritually exercised, when we are so worldly minded,
so carnally minded. And this is so trying to the
living child of God. The carnal mind is enmity to
God, is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. What a battle that goes on in
the heart, in the life, in the experience of the true believer. A constant need, my beloved friends,
of pulling down the old man, which is corrupt. And the Lord
knows how to do that. He knows what will be a trial
to you, what will be a trouble to you. But God forbid that I
should glory saving the cross. of our Lord Jesus Christ, that's
all you can glory in, by whom the world is crucified unto me
and I unto the world. You see, my beloved friends,
it's where we're brought to, isn't it? And the Lord's servants
are brought there and because that is wrought in their hearts,
it gives them that determination to know nothing among men, save
Jesus Christ and him crucified, and Him crucified. Oh, that the
Lord would enable us by His Spirit and grace to glory in that cross
of Christ. When you feel the defilement
of sin, the corruption of your nature, and then to be enabled
to glory in the precious blood of the Lamb that cleanses from
all sin. And then to bring it before the
Lord that this is your only hope. is the precious blood of Jesus
Christ God's Son that cleanseth us from all sin and when you
feel so defiled and the Spirit of God leads you
to to view and to feel that glorious everlasting robe of the righteousness
of Christ a royal robe to cover the you feel the need of it to
cover your nakedness to cover your shame, to cover your iniquity,
to cover your unrighteousness. You understand just a little
of what the hymn writer says, defiled I am indeed, defiled
throughout by sin. Is that so? And you really feel
it. But this teaching is just so
crucifying to our flesh. We would love to be able to think
that we've got some good in ourselves and that we're really good at
good works and we're really good at being kind and gracious to
other people and we'd love to glory in that. But you know,
friends, there's nothing to glory in. We glory in what Christ has
done. We glory in that wonderful truth
that we've sung together in our second hymn, "'Tis Christ the
everlasting God, "'Tis Christ the man we see." This is our
only hope of salvation. In his precious blood, in his
glorious righteousness, in his finished work, we glory in those
beautiful words on the cross of Calvary, it is finished, it
is finished. And that is where we see our
salvation. It's not by works of righteousness
that I have done, but according to His abundant mercy. That is
our only hope for time and for eternity for God. But God forbid
that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto world, a crucifying
pathway, a humbling pathway, a pathway whereby you experience
whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom
he loves. He loves them. He loves them
with an everlasting love. And that is why he constantly
convinces them of their sin. That is why he constantly shows
them their flesh is completely corrupted. And then that same
blessed spirit that shows you that will show you Jesus Christ. Will reveal unto you the Lord
Jesus Christ in all his glory, in all his suitability. That's why Christ says, isn't
it? Maybe there are those of you here that labour under this
sense of your sinfulness, your hopelessness, your wretchedness,
your filthy corrupt nature. You labour under it, you burden
under it. What's the remedy? Jesus Christ
and Him crucified. That's the only remedy. God forbid
that I should glory save in the cross. In that perfect obedience,
when the Spirit shows you your disobedience, the only thing
that will deliver you is the obedience of Christ, that glorious
everlasting road for His righteousness. When you feel those deep corruptions,
what will deliver you? The cross of Christ. I, too,
the cross of Christ repair and seek salvation only there. Only, just this one thing. Christ
has said, didn't he, one thing is needful. And this is the one
thing that is needful. And this is what will deliver
you from sin and from its power and from its dominion in your
own soul. It's a personal thing, this deliverance
that is wrought in the heart, in the soul of the true believer.
It's in this crucified Saviour. Jesus crucified for me. For me. God, but God forbid that
I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom
the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. For in
Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision. but a new creature, but a new
creature, the new man of grace. You know, friends, and he speaks
here of sow into the flesh and sow into the spirit. And the
more we sow to the flesh, the more we shall reap of the fruits
of the flesh. But the more we sow to the spirit,
shall of the Spirit reap everlasting life." Where? In a risen Saviour. In a risen Saviour. In a great
high priest. Passed into the heavens. Jesus,
the Son of God. That's what we glory in. What Jesus has done. That wonderful
free salvation that He has wrought out for His people. that wonderful
free salvation is in his glorious person, the Son of God manifest
in the flesh. You know, no mere man could ever bring forth a salvation such
as Jesus Christ, the Son of God has. As a man, he brought forth
an everlasting salvation. everlasting deliverance from
sin and Satan's power. When he himself, under the tremendous
weight of the sins of his people, that was what was done in Gethsemane,
he laid upon him the iniquity of us all and he died for our
sins. He rose again for our justification. He died for our sins. This is
where our hope is. Not in anything that you have
done or can do, or anybody else can do for you, but it's in Him.
And in Him alone, He died for our sins. He rose again for our justification. He did. And it is only through
the cross of Christ, only through the suffering Saviour, only in
him that we can ever know any deliverance. You know, it says
in Hebrews chapter 10, but this man, who the holy God man, the
man Christ Jesus, but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice
for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God from henceforth
expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one
offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. What a wonderful precious truth
that is. He's perfected forever them that
are sanctified. I know I've often mentioned to
you, reading Thomas Goodwin, The Puritan, We've just set before you how
the sin of the church was laid on Christ. And the apostle says
he took our sins and he nailed them to his cross. That was why
he was crucified. My sins were the nails and the
spear. But then it says in Hebrews chapter
9, the last verse, so Christ was once offered to bear the
sins of many. and unto them that look for him
shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Remember our sins and our iniquities
were laid upon him but when he appears he's without sin. That sin has been atoned for
and what so struck me was what Thomas Goodwin said on reading
that he will appear the second time without sin there is your
salvation your deliverance child of God that when he comes again
those sins that were laid upon him have all been atoned for
in that glorious sacred sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross
of Calvary so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many
and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time
without sin unto salvation. Are you looking for him? Are
you waiting for him? You keep looking. You keep waiting. You will not wait in vain. No. You keep asking. You keep seeking.
You keep knocking. Just remember what the Lord has
said, ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock
and it shall be opened unto you. A door of hope is open wide in
Jesus' bleeding hands and side. But God forbid that I should
glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the
world is crucified unto me and I Unto the world this crucifying
pathway these crucifying experiences That bring you to the end of
self and to the end of all hope in yourself And The Apostle, you know when
he speaks of that in them in the seventh chapter of the Romans
and He says immediately, doesn't he, when he speaks of that terrible
conflict that goes on in the heart of the true believer. And
he says, but I thank God. But I thank God. He says in verse 18 of Romans
7, for I know that in me, this is painful crucifying work, for
I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. Trouble is we're always looking
for some good thing, for to will is present with me, but how to
perform that which is good I find not, for the good that I would
I do not, but the evil which I would not that I do. Do you
know this conflict, this crucifying work? Now if I do That I would
not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in
me. And that is the great trial of the child of God, sin that
dwelleth in me. I find then a law that when I
would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the
law of God after the inward man, that's the new man of grace.
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my
mind. and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in
my members, that is the great trial of the child of God. O
wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this
death? I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, so then with
the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the
law of sin. You see, that is our flesh, the
law of sin. But in that new man of grace, that new man of grace, that sacred
principle within, and it goes on in Romans 8, there is therefore
now no condemnation. to them which are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For the
law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free
from the law of sin and death. There's a wonderful liberty in
the cross of Christ. There's a wonderful deliverance
in the life the sufferings in the death of Christ and that
is deliverance from the power and dominion of sin and Satan's
power and deliverance from death when Jesus rose from the dead
he said because I live ye shall live also for what the law could
not do that's what our old flesh seems to cleave to is the law
what cannot the law do in that it was weak through the flesh.
God sendeth his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and
for sin condemns sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the
law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh
do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit
the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is
death, But to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity
to God, it always will be. For it is not subject to the
law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in
the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh,
but in the Spirit. If so be that the Spirit of God
dwell in you, Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ
as the Holy Ghost, he is none of his. But if Christ be in you,
the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because
of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised
up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies
by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. God forbid the eyes of glory
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world
is crucified unto me and I unto the world. May the Lord add his
blessings. Let us now sing together hymn
number 439 to the tune Rockingham, 398. When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of Glory died, my richest gain I count
but loss and poor contempt on all my pride. Hymn 439. tune Rockingham 398. ? Bless my name ? ? Bless my heart
? ? For he is my glory evermore ? In which gain I can't forgot,
have no contempt of you. O beheaded Lord, that I should
curse, save thee in the cross of Christ my God. All the vain things that shall
become I sacrifice them to His blood See from on his head His hands,
his feet Sorrow and love flow mingled down In e'er such love and sorrow
meet, O thought, come thou's salvation. Now, may the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the sacred
fellowship of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each,
both now and forevermore. Amen.