The notices for the coming week
are God willing as follows. Pastor will preach here next
Lord's Day at 10.30 and two o'clock. Also on Thursday evening at seven
o'clock. There'll be a prayer meeting
here on Tuesday evening at seven o'clock. Let us commence our
services today by singing together hymn number 28 to the tune Tudor,
252. Blessed Spirit of truth, eternal God,
thou meek and lowly dove, who fills the soul through Jesus'
blood with faith and hope and love. Hymn number 28, Tune Tudor,
252. of truth eternal God's loving
and earning power. It fills the soul through Jesus'
blood with faith and hope and love. O come, Lord, let us adore Him,
our Founder and Son of grace, You till the dead can lie in
thought, And to the weary rest. Thy sweet communion turns the
soul, and gives new peace and joy. With Satan's back-bender, He'll
drown o'er all his thousand strife. Come from the pit for El-Tarar, Alone
in earthly sorrow, With eyes afraid of pain, In earth and
heaven sacred bow. Let both those camphors lift
us high To confidence that's vain Nor let them fade ? O good Lord, have mercy ? ? Great
comfort their distress around ? ? Make their whole conscience
free ? and here with God. Teach me the truth that lessens
foes of sin. ? Thank thee, shepherd, master
bridegroom ? ? Take thou the harp of stone ? ? Share us thy
flow'r ? ? Help us, Lord, prepare it ? ? Of the
sun ? ? The father sent the son to die
? ? Though it lives on the plain ? Let us read together from the
holy word of God in Paul's epistle to the Ephesians
in chapter one. The first chapter of the epistle
to the Ephesians. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ
by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus and to the
faithful in Christ Jesus, Grace be to you and peace from God
our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as
he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the
praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted
in the beloved, in whom we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace, wherein
he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having
made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his
good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself, that in the dispensation
of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things
in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth,
even in him, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance,
being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh
all things after the counsel of his own will, that we should
be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ,
in whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, after that ye believed,
ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the
earnest of our inheritance, unto the redemption of the purchased
possession, unto the praise of his glory. Wherefore, I also
After I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto
all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention
of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom
and revelation in the knowledge of him. The eyes of your understanding
being enlightened that ye may know what is the hope of his
calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance
in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power
to us all who believe, according to the working of his mighty
power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead,
and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places. far above all principality and
power and might and dominion and every name that is named,
not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. And
hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head
of all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness
of him that filleth all in all. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real
prayer. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty,
which is an art, an art to come, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
we bow before thy glorious majesty. We desire that thou was pour
upon us the spirit of grace and of supplications with thanksgiving,
that thou was pour upon us by thy blessed spirit, a spirit
of true worship, that we may indeed worship thee in spirit
and in truth, that we may hear thy voice, that we may see thy
countenance, that we may worship in thy holy hill of Zion, Without thy heavenly power, O
Lord, no sweets the gospel can afford, no drops of heavenly
dew will fall, or that there may be those drops of heavenly
love that shall be poured forth from Jesus, the great and glorious
Redeemer of the Church. Oh, we do pray that as we gather
in his name, that we may have a glimpse of this glory. that
we may feel the power of his grace in our hearts, subduing
all our sinful thoughts, subduing our corrupt nature, our uncleanness,
our unrighteousness. O Lord, we have to echo in our
hearts the language of the prophet of old, from the crown of our
head to the soul of our foot, wounds and bruises, and putrefying
source, there is no soundness in my flesh. Gracious God, do
have mercy upon us and do draw us now to thy mercy sea. We come
to confess our sins and our wanderings and our backslidings and our
hardness, hardness of heart, coldness of O that thou wouldst
come and warm our cold hearts with heavenly heat, and hear
that prayer of our opening hymn, O Lord, we do beseech thee. Lord,
send thy Spirit down to write thy law upon my heart, not with pen and ink, but by
the finger of the living God upon the fleshy tables of the
heart, O that we may truly worship thee. and that thou, Lord Jesus,
would come and stand in our midst and say, Peace be unto you. Lord,
what a great blessing, what a wonderful mercy that would be if we could
but see thy work and thy power and thy glory in our midst, that
we might see signs following the preaching of the word. O
may the power that brings salvation be exerted in the Word. May the
Lord Jesus Christ be exalted as a Prince and as a Saviour,
for to give faith and repentance and remission of sins. May we
feel His presence. May we behold His glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. May we know those divine drawings
of our eternal Father. For none come except the Father
draw, and we pray that we might know those sacred drawings, that
we may have the witness of the Spirit with our spirit, that
we are the children of God, and that we may, Lord, experience
what we read in thy word. Yea, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn
thee. Oh, that we could be drawn unto Jesus, the mediator of the
new covenant, that we may touch the hem of his garment, that
we may draw from that sacred fullness that is in him, we do
humbly beseech them. Oh, we plead with thee that the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God our Father
and the sacred fellowship of the Holy Spirit may rest and
abide upon us as we come together for worship. Lord, we pray that
thou would remember us for good. Remember our brethren, the deacons,
and give them grace, wisdom, and help, not only in their responsibilities
here, but their many other responsibilities among the churches. Do give them
that true wisdom which comes from above. And do help and guide
and direct them in all matters. O Lord, we do beseech of Thee,
we pray, most gracious God, that Thou in Thy precious mercy would
remember each one of our brethren and sisters in church fellowship.
Remember us with the favour that Thou bearest unto Thy people,
that visit us with Thy great salvation. And Lord, we pray
that we may truly love each other, serve each other, bear each other's
thereby fulfilling the law of Christ. Deliver us from the work
and power of Satan, the old serpent, the devil, who goeth about as
a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, who sometimes
comes as an angel of light, seeking whom he may deceive. We pray
to be delivered from his power and from his influence. We do
humbly beseech thee, Thou hast promised in thy word that when
the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord will lift
up a standard against him. Fulfil thy promise here today,
O Lord, we do beseech thee. We pray for our dear aged sister,
that thou wouldst graciously be with her in her home and walk
with her and speak to her heart and prepare her for all thy will
O Lord, we do beseech thee. As the outward man perishes,
may the inward man be renewed day by day. Lord, remember the
little ones and the children as they're brought into the sanctuary.
Remember them with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people.
We do humbly beseech thee. Put the fear of the Lord into
their hearts. An unctuous light to all that's
right. a bar to all that's wrong, all
that that holy fear may be placed in their young and tender hearts,
we do humbly pray thee. And bless, Lord, the dear young
friends as they come to manhood, womanhood, as they stand upon
the threshold of life journey, undertake for them, guide them,
direct them in all matters, but above all, bring them to living
save in faith in Jesus Christ, that they may become true followers
of thee, and of those who through faith and patience inherit the
promises. Lord, do graciously bless them.
And Lord, may there be the outpouring of thy spirit among us, that
there may be those that shall come and tell to sinners round,
what a dear Saviour they have found, and point to thy redeeming
blood, and say, Behold the way to God. Lord, any howled in bondage,
we pray that thou wouldst bring them into liberty. Any that are
far off, make them nigh. Any that are in darkness, bring
them into light. O gracious God, work mightily,
work powerfully, work effectually among us. Help us to love them
and to keep thy commandments. Help us to present our bodies,
a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto thee, which is
our reasonable service. Gracious God, incline thine ear. We do humbly beseech thee and
we earnestly pray, O Lord, that thou would remember the prodigals
that have wandered away. We pray that thou would stretch
out thy almighty arm that thou wouldst cause them to be in one,
that thou wouldst cause them to return. Hear us, Lord, what
rejoicing there would be if we could see those prodigals return. And, O Lord, we do pray that
thou, in thy great mercy, would remember this village and the
surrounding villages and hamlets, that we may see thy work, thy
power, thy glory, that thou wouldst bring our sons from far and our
daughters from the ends of the earth, that they may come from
the north and from the south and from the east and from the
west. Thou hast said in thy word, and they shall come. Oh, let
us see Zion's offspring come. Let us see the pulling down of
the strongholds of Satan, the setting up of the kingdom of
the Lord Jesus in the hearts of sinners. Let us see, O Lord,
a turning again unto thee, an outpouring of thy Spirit upon
thy Zion, upon thy servants. Lord, hear us, we pray thee.
Remember all in the midst of the journey of life, especially
parents, Lord. Give them wisdom and grace to
bring up their children, the nurture and admonition of the
Lord. And Lord, remember us each. make us more spiritually minded,
set our affections on things above, not on things of the earth,
for, Lord, by nature we're earthbound. Oh, we do pray, most gracious
God, that thou wouldst hear our entreaties. Let our cry come
unto thee. Remember, Lord, we pray thee,
any in trouble and trial and affliction undertake for them. Remember each one of us who now
are in the evening time of life's journey, O that thou wouldst
be gracious unto us, and that thou wouldst grant that at evening
time it may be light, and that we may indeed be made more spiritually
minded. Our affection set upon things
above, help us to lay aside every weight and the sin that doth
so easily beset us. that we might run with patience
the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith. O gracious God, give us that
true faith. May we be rooted and grounded
in love and know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge.
Lord, we pray that thou would remember thy servants as they
labour in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion today. that
they may dip their foot in oil, and be made acceptable unto the
brethren, and that the word preached may be in power in the Holy Ghost,
and with much assurance. O Lord, let us see thy work,
and we pray thee, the great Lord of the harvest, to send true
labourers into the harvest, and to settle pastors among the churches. O, do hear us, Lord, we humbly
beseech thee, wilt thou not revive us again? Oh Lord, we do beseech
them. Remember the little group of
churches to which we affiliate, and remember the editors of our
magazines, the secretaries of our societies, and the committees
as they gather. Oh, that thou wouldst revive
us again, that thou wouldst turn us again unto thee. Lord, there's
a great declension. Is there not a cause? Oh, we
would humble ourselves before thee. and beseech thee to have
mercy upon us, to turn again our captivity, to arise, and
if thou are indeed those things that aggrieve and offend thee,
we pray to be delivered from them, and our eyes may be opened
to see. Hear us, O Lord, we pray thee,
for thy great namesake. Lord, we do pray that thou would
remember those that go from us among the nations of the earth.
We think of Ian Sadler. and that great work and labour
of love he does in so many different places upon the earth. We pray that thou wouldst gird
him with all sufficient grace, supply every need, we do humbly
pray thee. And remember the Mombasa mission
and grant thy rich blessing there, we do humbly pray thee. And remember
the Savannah Education Trust and that great work they are
doing in the Christian schools in Ghana. Gracious God, incline
thine ear, we do humbly beseech thee, and have mercy upon us,
we pray thee. And remember our nation, we truly
live in tumultuous days, wars and rumours of wars. Give wisdom
to our political leaders, guidance and direction to all that rule
over us. Remember our king and the royal
household, and richly bless them each with thy grace, we humbly
pray thee. Remember, O Lord, where there
is war in the Middle East and in the Ukraine and thousands
being launched from time into eternity. Gracious God, we humbly
pray thee that thou wouldst bring a stop to war and the bloodshed
and send out the light of thy truth, especially among thine
ancient people, that they may be a turning unto thee in repentance
and godly fear. O Lord, we do beseech of thee,
thou hast promised these things in thy holy word. We thank thee,
O Lord, for our house of prayer. We thank thee for the word of
God. We thank thee for the liberties that we enjoy in being able to
meet together on thy holy day. around thy holy word, we thank
thee, that thou art God over all and blessed for evermore.
We thank thee for the love of our eternal Father, which we
know and experience in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ. We thank thee for the incarnation
of the Son of God, his holy life, that he lived as a man here upon
earth, that glorious everlasting robe of his righteousness. All
praise waited for thee, O God, in Zion. All we do bless thee
for Jehovah said, Kenya, the Lord, our righteousness. We thank
thee for that sacred, holy sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross
of Calvary in which sin has been put away and divine justice satisfied
and thy church has been redeemed and delivered and death has been
swallowed up in victory, and that blessed Redeemer that rose
for our justification has bodily ascended into heaven. Tis He
instead of me is seen when I approach to God. Gracious God, hear us
now. Come and open thy word. Come
and touch one's lips with a live coal from off the heavenly altar.
Come and open our ears and our eyes and our hearts to receive
thy word as we ask in that precious name of Jesus Christ for his
sake alone. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 243, the tune is Saint Marie, 835. Great Father of glory, how rich
is thy grace. What wonderful love is displayed
in thy face. In Jesus thy image with brightness
we view, and hope to be formed to that likeness. anew. Hymn 243 to and St Marie 835. Oh. ? When in my eyes ? ? In Jesus
I lay me ? ? And I bless with you ? ? Ever to behold you ?
? Heav'nly Lord, the Spirit in
our people give ? ? In Jesus' name, love and glory evermore
give ? ? And o'er an earthly store of
bones ? ? O come, all ye faithful ? ? And let us adore him ? which we from the water of heaven
abound. And thou, O my soul, keep my
faith in thee, ? How long we have longed thee
? ? In searing grief ? ? How long we have longed thee ? ?
In searing grief ? ? To all men and strangers ? ? And all his
own choice ? ? He took all his happiness ? ? He gave himself
for you ? ? And bring me a kiss upon thy
brow ? ? And Christ, the divine Light, the angel of love ? you greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the first chapter
of Paul's epistle to the Ephesians, and we will read the third verse
for our text. Ephesians chapter one, verse
three. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Blessed be the God and Father. In these first three chapters
of Ephesians, the Apostle again and again highlights the love
of our Eternal Father, the grace of our Eternal Father, the power
of our Eternal Father. And it's a very sacred, fundamental
truth of our most holy faith that in Jesus Christ we are adopted
into that heavenly family. We are received into that heavenly
family. and we are blessed with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Blessed be the God and Father.
He takes us to the fountainhead of all our blessings. Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus
himself in that beautiful prayer in John 17, he dwells much in that prayer
upon the love of his eternal father and the union that he
has and that through him we have, that sacred spiritual union. And he says in that prayer, Father
the hour has come, glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify
Thee, as Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He
should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him. And this is life eternal, that
they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
Thou hast sent. He goes on in that prayer, he
says, For I have given unto them, he's praying to his father, for
I've given unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they
have received them, and have known surely that I came out
from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. These wonderful, sacred, gospel
blessings. He says in verse 10, all mine
are thine. and thine are mine, and I am
glorified in them. And then he says, he's speaking
here of his ascension into glory in verse 13. And now come I to
thee, and these things I speak in the world, that they might
have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word, and
the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even
as I am not of the world. You see, these wonderful precious
truths, says in verse 19, for their sakes I sanctify myself,
that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray
I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me
through their word, that they all may be one. as thou, Father,
art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, and
that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory
which thou gavest me I have given them, that they may be one, even
as we are one, I in them, and thou in me, that they may be
made perfect in one, that the world may know that thou hast
sent me, and has loved them as thou hast loved me. And then
this wonderful verse 24, Father, I will that they also whom thou
hast given me may be with me where I am, that they may behold
my glory which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me before
the foundation of the world. Now, you know, friends, it shouldn't
be a great surprise to us that this is a point that is the love
of the Father in His Son to His people. It's a point that many
of the Lord's people have tried on. And it's a point that Satan
often attacks the church or the people of God on. This point
of having a heavenly father and he often sow the seeds of confusion
in our minds to the point where some people say well you can't
pray to the father as contrary to holy scripture Christ himself
says whatsoever you ask in my name I will do it who are you
asking your heavenly father in heaven Whatsoever ye ask in my
name, in the name of Christ. But then, we shouldn't be surprised. We only need to look at John
14, and there in verse 9, or verse 8, Philip says, Lord, show
us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have
I been so long time with you? And yet hast thou not known me,
Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen
the Father. How sayest thou then, show us
the Father? Believest thou not that I am
in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak
unto you I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth
in me, he doeth the works. Believe me, that I am in the
Father, and the Father in me, or else believe me, for the very
works say. You see, and then we go to verse
13, we've just quoted it. And whatsoever ye shall ask in
my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in
the Son. One of the great privileges of
a born again soul is to be able to approach their Heavenly Father. Now, if there was indeed this
confusion among the Lord's immediate disciples. Is it not surprising
that the devil sows confusion now in the church, concerning
this fundamental doctrine that we have a heavenly Father? Now,
you might say, why does Satan so do that? Because an experience
of this, of this spirit of adoption, of having your heavenly Father,
It brings such comfort and consolation to the heart of the Lord's living
family. And that is why Satan constantly
sows the seeds of confusion on this very fundamental doctrine
of our most holy faith. You see, what a precious thing
it is that we have a Heavenly Father. The Lord Jesus says in
verse 16 of John 14, I will pray the father and he shall give
you another comforter that he may abide with you forever even
the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because
it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him for he dwelleth
with you and shall be in you. All these sacred truth of our
most holy faith. May the Lord, indeed, the Apostle,
he says here in verse 17 of Ephesians 1, that the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit
of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, the eyes of
your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the
hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his
inheritance in the saints, the eyes of your understanding. This
is the secret, my beloved friends, the eyes of your understanding
being enlightened, to see by faith these precious
truths that are revealed in God's holy word. Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. You see, we trace these blessings
to the fountainhead, to the Father of glory. Some of those seeds of confusion
that the devil sows in the minds of the Lord's people is that
it's not possible to pray to the Father. It's not possible
to approach the Father, that He is so high and holy that we
cannot draw near to Him as poor, wretched sinners. We draw near
to Him in Christ. Notice what Jesus Himself said,
whatsoever ye ask in my name, in my name, for His name's sake. The hymn writer says, doesn't
he, I can no denial take. when I plead for Jesus' sake. And the Lord invites his children
near for Jesus Christ's sake. You know, that's so vital and
important that when we pray, that we should say, not by just
a formality, but feeling it, for Jesus Christ's sake. It's
what we ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Whatsoever ye ask in my
name, in the name of Jesus. Now, here in this chapter, the
Apostle, he opens up so beautifully the precious doctrine of truth,
and he continues in verse four of this love of the Father to
his people, according as he hath chosen us in him. In who? In Christ. It says in the previous
verse, our text, in heavenly places in Christ, according as
He hath chosen us in Him, before the foundation of the world.
This wonderful salvation of the church, of the Lord's people,
of the spouse of Christ, is something that has been eternally decreed
and purposed in that eternal covenant, ordered in all things
and sure. Chordians he hath chosen us in
him before the foundation of the world. How many people there
are that say, well, how do I know that I'm chosen? How do I know
that I'm one of the Lord's people? No, as far as I can see, there
is only one way that you and I can ever know this. To be called. To be called by divine grace.
to be born again of the Holy Spirit, a divine call. You must be born again. And in
that being born again, there is a divine call. There is spiritual
light and life that is given in the heart by the Holy Ghost. It may be initially to see your
lost condition, to see your helplessness, your hopelessness, But that same Spirit that quickens
our soul into life, He takes of the things of Jesus. As well
as convincing us of our sin, He takes of the things of Jesus
and reveals them unto Him. Now, why does He do that? According
as He has chosen us, in Him, before the foundation of the
world. And then these wonderful, sacred, spiritual blessings that
are in Christ, that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love. You see that the faith that the
Lord gives to his people to believe in Jesus Christ is a faith that
work is by love. It works by love. So we're drawn in love to Jesus
Christ. So we leave this world because
we love the Lord Jesus Christ. So we're separated from this
world because we love the Lord Jesus Christ. So we come away
from this world because the Lord has given us real repentance
of godly sorrow for our sin and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And we're enabled to leave the
hateful ways of sin, turn to the fold and enter in. Wonderful,
precious truth, you know. It wasn't always that way, was
it? There are some of the Lord's children, and I've met them,
and they have known the Lord since they were children. I remember reading a case not too
long ago of a little girl that was called by grace at three
years old. At three years old. And so the Lord worked. And why? Because it's chosen. The hymn
writer says, doesn't he, determined were the means and place where
he would show that glorious grace. It was determined and decreed
and purposed by God upon every one of his children that were
chosen by the Father and that were redeemed by the Son, just
as we have in our text, blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places, in Christ. Do you know Christ? That's the vital thing. Do you
know Christ? If you do know Him, your desire
to follow Him, Now, if indeed we do know Christ,
these sacred truths that he sets before us here, that we should
be holy and without blame before him
in love. How can that be? You say, I'm
a sinner. I know I'm a sinner. I have a
sinful heart, I have sinful inclinations, I do sinful things, I have sinful
desires. But if we are brought to Christ
in faith, and you know friends, it doesn't matter how little
that faith is, or how great that faith is, These spiritual blessings
are to the Lord's little ones and the Lord's greater ones as
well. Because we may not have such a deep experience of others,
we still have the same blessings. That faith in Christ, though
those that perhaps have a not such a deep experience don't
experience the greatness of the comfort, but the fact of the
matter is, is that in Christ they should be holy and without
blame before Him in love. And you say how can that be?
How can that be that a poor wretched sinner can be holy in Christ? He speaks of it here. He speaks here in verse 5 of
having predestinated us, who the Father, our Heavenly Father,
having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ, to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.
It was all according to the will of our Holy Eternal Father, to
the praise of the glory of His grace, even the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, wherein He hath made us accepted Our Eternal
Father has made us accepted in the Beloved, in Christ. What a wonderful thing to be
accepted. You know where it says there
that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, that
is what justification is. That is exactly what justification
is. person that is justified by faith
in Jesus Christ is declared to be without sin by faith in Jesus Christ these
are the fundamental truths of our most holy faith that was the great battle that
was fought by the Reformers Calvin Luther Knox and others the great
battle that they thought, the first great battle in the Protestant
Church, was on this very point of justification by faith alone
in the person, power, love, grace, blood and righteousness of Jesus
Christ. Nothing else could justify a
sinner. You see, in the Roman Catholic Church at that time,
they were taught that by works and by doing various penances
that they could be justified in the sight of God, or paying
certain money for indulgences that they could then be justified
and forgiven their sins and all that terrible corruption that
came into that church. So the great battle of the reformers
was that a sinner is justified, that is declared to be without
sin, in and through the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ
alone, declared to be without sin, that
we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. See, hence this wonderful verse
that we have for our text, blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings,
in heavenly places in Christ. It's the eternal love of our
Father. And so that in and through that
holy life of Jesus Christ, and that holy sacrifice of Jesus
Christ, a sinner is saved by grace, by faith alone, not by
works of righteousness that I have done, but according to his abundant
mercy, You cannot please God in the flesh. It's impossible. You might say, why? Because you're
a sinner and you'll always be a sinner. The only way that you
and I can obtain the favor of God is in Jesus Christ. You see, accepted in the beloved,
not in any way in ourselves, but entirely by faith in Jesus
Christ. Then he goes on and he says,
in whom we have redemption. Who? In Jesus Christ. We're accepted
in the beloved and in whom we have redemption. Through his
blood. The forgiveness of sins according
to the riches of his grace. It's entirely of grace. Just look with me at chapter
two here. And he says in verse seven, that
in the ages to come ye might show the exceeding riches of
his grace and his kindness toward us through Jesus Christ. For by grace are ye saved, through
faith, that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works. You see, his workmanship. which
God had before ordained that we should walk in them. You know,
these wonderful sacred blessings of free grace, according to the
riches of his grace, where he has abounded toward us in all
wisdom and prudence. Oh, the fullness of that grace
that is in Jesus Christ. You know, where it says in John
chapter one, It says that he is full of grace and truth. My beloved friends, he is always
full of grace and truth. It's an undiminished supply. It's a rich, infinite supply
of grace that is found in Jesus Christ. Hence, we have those
lovely words in the epistle of James, and he giveth more grace. He giveth more grace. You may
have come to chapel this morning You may be mourning over your
sinful inclinations, over the corruption of your heart, over
the spirit of unbelief that is sometimes in you. But He giveth more grace. And
what we need to be careful of, you know, I remember the late
Mr. Warder speaking on this. What
we need to be careful of is the pride of our heart. It will stop you coming to Christ.
It will hinder you coming to Christ. You might say, how? Because you're too proud. You
look at what the Lord has done for you and the mercy the Lord
has given you and the wonderful grace that he's given you in
Christ and now you've sinned again and now you've backslidden. And now you've fallen away in
some way. And you say, I can't go back. You must. There's only one place
of salvation. There's only one place of forgiveness.
There's only one place of reconciliation to God. It's in and through the
glorious person of our Lord Jesus Christ. And it's been put there
by God, our eternal Father, He's full of grace and truth. Come then, repenting sinner,
come. Trust upon his grace. Oh, what
thou wilt, the total sum is cancelled by his death. But we're too proud. We resist because of pride, we
do. that the Lord would break down
that pride. I know I said that I heard Mr. Balder preach on it, but I remember
so distinctly feeling I knew exactly what the man meant. We're too proud to return. We're too proud to confess our
sins again. We're too proud because we made
the same mistake over and over and over again. we fall into
the same sin over and over and over again and then the pride
of our heart rises. You see my beloved friends, he said, having made known unto
us, this is verse 9, the mystery of his will according to his
good pleasure which he purposed in himself in the dispensation
of the fullness of times you might gather together in one
all things in Christ which are in heaven which are on earth
even in him in whom also we have obtained an inheritance being
predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all
things after the counsel of his own will listen to the words
of the the sacred words of our Lord Jesus Christ to a poor,
wretched, ruined, helpless, hopeless sinner. What does he say? Come
unto me. That's where you'll find grace. You'll find it nowhere else.
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. That's
be united to Christ. Take my yoke upon you and learn
of me. for I am meek and lowly in heart,
and ye shall find rest for your souls. You won't find it anywhere
else. No. Not of works, lest any man
should boast. It's entirely by faith alone
in the finished work of Jesus Christ, in the precious blood
of Jesus Christ that cleanses from all sin. That's where, that's
the only place that you'll find salvation. See, he says here about those
who first trusted in Christ in verse 12, in whom you also trusted,
after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation,
in whom also, after you believed, you were sealed with that Holy
Spirit of promise. So it was that plus the last
verse of that first hymn we sung today, the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Ghost, It was that that drew me to that hymn, the sealing
of the Spirit. We read, the entrance of thy
word giveth light. It gives light. When the Holy
Spirit brings the word of God into your heart, it gives light.
It may be that first light that you have is to see your sin,
to see your wretchedness, There are those, and the first
light they have had, I've known godly men, the first light they
ever had was Christ revealed. Christ made precious. Christ
became the one thing needful. And both of those men that I
knew, one of them is still alive today. They said afterward they
knew much conviction of sin, but the first thing they ever
knew was the love of God. God is a sovereign the way that
He works. He is indeed. You see, blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Spirit
of God proceedeth forth from the Father and the Son. And He
proceeds into the heart of every single chosen vessel of mercy. And He quickens their soul into
life. He convinces them of sin. He seals in their heart that
they're sinners. And then he seals in their heart
that Jesus alone can save. He brings a poor sinner to see,
to experience. I am the way. They're the words
of Christ. I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. These things are sealed in the
heart. Now, he says here concerning the spivit in verse 13 and 14,
in whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed. Now, you might
say what does it mean sealed? Well, the illustration is taken
from, if a king sent by an ambassador a letter to another king, and
that letter would be sealed with wax, with the king's seal. And if that seal had been broken,
the king who receives it knows that someone has pried into what
other king has sent to him. And that is in, this is the illustration
used, this seal of the king's signet sealed onto it. And this is really what is behind,
you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. the truth
was sealed into our, that signet ring has on it the signature
of the king, that's why it's called a signet ring. And there's
another sense of this that the apostle speaks of, about receiving
the truth, and he says, not with pen and ink, but with the finger
of the living God upon the fleshy tables of the heart. That's how
we receive the truth. by the Holy Ghost in our hearts. You see, in whom also ye trusted, after that ye heard the word
of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after
that ye believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. So a person that has been born
again comes from a state of death, says in the first verse of the
second chapter of Ephesians here and you hath he quickened who
were dead in trespasses and in sins wherein in time past you
walk according to the course of this world according to the
prince of the power of the air the spirit that now worketh in
the children of disobedience among whom so also we all had
our conversation in time past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling
the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature
the children of wrath, even as others. But God, that's where
all real religion begins, friends. But God, who is rich in mercy,
in his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead
in sins, has quickened us together with Christ, by gracious aid. that has raised us up together
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. What
a wonderful thing. See the Spirit's work and the
work of Christ is to bring together, is to be brought into union,
into communion. even when you were dead in sins,
hath quickened us together with Christ by grace, i.e. has raised us up together. That
raising up, of course, is the divine work of the Spirit in
the heart. Your soul being quickened and
being brought from spiritual death into spiritual light. It's
raising us from the dead. Blessed and holy is he that hath
part in the first resurrection What is the first resurrection,
the new birth? And has raised us up together
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. You see this wonderful grace,
for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, held by our
eternal Father unto good works. which God hath before ordained,
that we should walk in them. You see this wonderful grace. And in verse 13 of chapter two,
but now in verse 12, of course, he says, but at that time you
were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,
strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and
without God in the world, But now, in Christ Jesus, ye who
sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath
made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition
between us, having abolished in his flesh, that's Christ,
the enmity, even the law of command, that's the holy law of God, contained
in ordinances, for to make in himself of twain one new man,
so make in peace, and that he might reconcile both unto God
in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby, and
came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them
that were nigh. That's the Jews and the Gentiles.
Then the lovely words of grace in verse 18 of chapter 2, for
through him, that's our Lord Jesus Christ, for through him
we both have access by one spirit unto the Father. Now therefore,
ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens
with the saints and of the household of God. Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He's blessed us with these rich
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. The other scripture that seemed
so sweet to me on Friday when I was meditating for today is
verse 14 of chapter 3. For this cause, I bow my knees
unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family
in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you. And
you know, friends, I can honestly say that it is my desire for
you. My flock. It's my desire for
you. That He would grant you according
to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might, by
His Spirit in the inner man. That's why He bowed His knees
unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. That Christ may dwell
in your hearts by faith. I've often told you these words
from verse 17. 17, 18 and 19 were the words
that the Lord used to bring me from darkness into light. These words were used to bring
me to faith in Jesus Christ, that Christ may dwell in your
hearts by faith. Christ was revealed, light shone,
love flowed. That faith that works by love. And what a love there is to Christ
when he is revealed, that Christ may dwell in your hearts Christ
in you, the hope of glory, that ye be enrooted and grounded in
love. That's the very fundamentals
of the Christian faith, isn't it? It's a doctrine of love. That Christ may dwell in your
hearts by faith, that ye be enrooted and grounded in love. May be
able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth length and
depth and height. You know, friends, we shall never
be able to comprehend that. I know he says be able to comprehend
only as the Spirit gives us the eyes of our understanding, enlightened.
And then we're able to comprehend in some little measure of the
infinite love of Christ. In coming, the Son of God came
to this sinful, wretched, cursed world He's a man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief. He came here below. He suffered,
he bled, he died for the sins of his people. And he rose again
for their justification, to know the love of Christ, which passeth
knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now, listen, friends. You might
say, well, these wonderful blessings, it's all very well for you to
preach about them, but oh, what do I know of them? Now listen,
verse 20 of chapter three. Now unto him that is able to
do, exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according
to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the
church by Jesus Christ throughout all ages. without end. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. May the Lord add his
blessings. Let us now sing together hymn
number 195. The tune is Niagara 877. Assist, my soul, my heavenly
King, thy everlasting love to sing, and joyful spread thy praise
abroad, as one through grace that's born of God. Hymn 195,
tune Niagara, 877. ?? ?? ? Come through grace that overflows
? ? There it goes to the cradle of man ? My soul's near and near,
O earth, became, Nor will nor power, nor flesh and blood Let her guide the cross into
love. Here in this city full of angels,
let's all remember This be my song through all the
world, and all I am, and all of God. How great is the high store of
strength, To make great the job of the great. ? That I were as it I am now ?
? May live like a match for the flowers ? ? May I die ? Praises may be shown,
Who has created all things new, And was created, saved those
not, Keep me that I'm a son of God. And when the appointed hour shall
come, that Thou wilt ? Near my home ? ? Joyful across
the chilling flood ? ? And highest wonder's hall of God ? Then shall my soul triumphant
rise, Till with flesh and soul in the skies, And in that glorious,
bright abode 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. Bye!