Let us commence our service by
singing together hymn number 771, that the tune is Samson
408. To know my Jesus crucified, by
far excels all things beside. All earthly good I count but
loss, and triumph in my Saviour's cross. Hymn 771, tune Samson
408. you ? The Lord Jesus crucified ? ?
Thy courage hath all things bestowed ? ? O earthly girl, I have loved
thee most ? and triumph in thy sacred throne. No pledge of hope, here is no
place, There to rise from, to pleasure bring. No peace, but
in the sun, The joys of truth is coming round. The good I know hath nothing more, And all is calm
at the breaking of day. Ne'er would I covet man's destiny,
But love with whom and love thou giv'st. Lord, may I bear Thy ev'ry bout,
Be patient under every cross. Ever, ever, ever Take away the blind despise of
his hearing. God's made me with Him, glorious
Lamb, to suffer all things for Thy name. And who else beware
Thine? Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the prophecy of Hosea, Chapters 5 and 6. The Prophecy of Hosea, Chapters
5 and 6. Hear ye this, O priests, when
hearken ye House of Israel, and give ear, O House of the King,
for judgment is toward you. because you have been a snare
to misbe and a net spread upon table, and the revolters are
profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them
all. I know Ephraim and Israel is not hid from me, for now,
O Ephraim, thou commitest whoredoms, and Israel is defiled. They will
not frame their doings to turn unto their God, for the spirit
of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known
the Lord. And the pride of Israel doth
testify to his face. Therefore shall Israel and Ephraim
fall in their iniquity. Judah also shall fall with them,
They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek
the Lord, but they shall not find him. He hath withdrawn himself
from them. They have dealt treacherously
against the Lord, their begotten strange children. Now shall a
month's devour them with their portions. Blow ye the cornet
in Gibeah and the trumpet in Ramah, Cry aloud at Beth Avon
after thee, O Benjamin. Ephraim shall be desolate in
the day of rebuke. Among the tribes of Israel have
I made known that which shall surely be. The princes of Judah
were like them that removed the bound. Therefore I will pour
out my wrath upon them like water, Ephraim is oppressed and broken
in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment.
Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of
Judah as rottenness. When Ephraim saw his sickness,
and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian,
and sent to King Jareb. Yet could he not heal you, nor
cure you? of your wound. For I will be
under Iphlium as a lion, as a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear and go away. I will tear and none shall rescue
him. I will go and return to my place
to acknowledge their offence and seek my face in their affliction. They will seek me early Come,
and let us return unto the Lord, for he hath torn, and he will
heal us. He hath smitten, and he will
bind us up. After two days will he revive
us. In the third day he will raise
us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know if
we follow on to know the Lord. His going forth is prepared as
the morning, and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter
and former rain upon the earth. O Ephraim, what shall I do unto
thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? For your goodness
is as the morning cloud, and as the early dew, it goeth away.
Therefore have I hewed them by thee prophets. I have slain them
by the words of my mouth, and thy judgments are as the light
that goeth forth. For I desired mercy and not sacrifice,
and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. But they,
like men, have transgressed the covenant. There have they dealt treacherously
against me. Gilead is mine. Gilead is a city
of them that work iniquity and is polluted with blood. And as the troops of robbers
wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way
by consent, for they commit lewdness. I have seen an horrible thing
in the house of Israel. There is the whoredom of Ephraim. Israel is defiled. Also, O Judah,
he has sent an harvest for thee, when I return the captivity of
my people. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word and grant to 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 and eternal majesty, and we desire
to come and worship thee. Pour upon us, O Lord, that spirit
of true worship. We read in thy word, until the
spirit be poured upon us from on high. And Lord, how true that
is, how we need the spirit to be poured upon us. May the power
that brings salvation be exerted in the word, O most blessed divine
Spirit of truth, we pray for thy heavenly anointing here this
afternoon, that the word preached may be in power in the Holy Ghost
and with much assurance. It may reach into our very souls
and that we may be given a spirit of true repentance and godly
sorrow. We do humbly pray thee for our
sins, for our wanderings, for our backslidings. We're prone
to wander, Lord. We feel it. Prone to leave the
God I love. Prone to go into by-path meadow. O gracious God, deliver us from
the temptations of the wicked one. Deliver us from the allurements
of this vain world. deliver us from a wicked, sinful,
corrupt and wretched heart, we do humbly beseech thee. This
wicked heart is no small part of all my grief and shame, and
we feel indeed, O Lord, the corruptions of our nature, they rise up within,
and that we do pray to be made more spiritually minded, and
our heart and our affections set upon things above, We do
pray to be led by the Spirit of God. We do pray that thou
wouldst bless us as a church and as a congregation. And we
do pray that thou wouldst build us up, that thou wouldst renew
us, that thou wouldst graciously gather in, that we may see thy
work and thy power and thy glory as thou usest to be in the sanctuary. We do pray that the glory and
light and power of the Gospel may shine into this village.
and the surrounding villages and hamlets, and we might see
the fulfilling of those precious gospel promises. 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 this cherubim, shine forth, shine
forth and work mightily, work powerfully, work effectually,
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. Gracious God, we do pray that
thou wouldst come this afternoon to open thy word to our heart
and to our understanding and give words to speak and ears
to hear and hearts to receive thy Precious word, we do humbly
pray thee. Whether it be a word of rebuke,
or a word of encouragement, or a precious word of doctrine,
we pray, most gracious Lord, that thou wouldst graciously
bless us and guide us. O thou great Jehovah, we're pilgrims
in a barren land. We are weak, but thou art mighty. Hold us with thy powerful hand. Feed us with the bread of heaven.
with that bread that cometh down from heaven, with that living
bread. Oh, gracious God, may we drink
this afternoon of that sacred fountain open for sin and uncleanness. And may the thirsty drink. Oh, everyone that thirsteth,
come ye to the waters, those precious waters of salvation.
water from salvation's wells. Thirsty sinner, come and draw,
Lord, may it be so. And may the gospel message be
preached into our hearts. Deliver us, O Lord, from just
a head knowledge of the truth, but grant us that living work
of the living Spirit of the living God in our hearts. We do humbly
beseech Thee that we may know Him in the power of His resurrection,
that we may follow him, that we may serve him. Enable us to
present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto thee,
which is a reasonable service. Be not conformed to this world,
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. Lord,
enable us, we do humbly beseech thee, so to follow thee and so
to serve thee in our day and in our generation. Lord, we pray
for our brethren, the deacons, that grace, wisdom, and help
may be given in all matters, both here and in their responsibilities
among the churches. And we pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou wouldst hear prayer for the afflicted, and that thou
wouldst graciously be Jehovah Rophi. I am the Lord that healeth
thee. O gracious God, we do pray that
those healing virtues that we see so beautifully displayed
in the person of our Saviour as he was here upon earth. Grant
those same healing mercies, O Lord, we do beseech thee. And graciously
support and sustain and uphold and guide and direct unto thy
heavenly kingdom, we do humbly beseech thee. We pray for grace
to pray for one another. to bear one another's burdens,
thereby fulfilling the law of Christ. And Lord, we do pray
that thou would remember the little ones and the children,
that thou would bless them indeed. And remember, O Lord, the families
and the young friends. Bless them with that rich grace
that is in Christ Jesus. Guide them in all matters in
providence. supply all their many returning
needs and graciously grant them a partner in life journey and
grant divine guidance in their lives, O Lord, we do beseech
thee. And O Lord, we do pray that we
may see the fulfilling of that precious
word, other sheep have I, which are not of this fold, them I
must bring. Gracious God. O that we may see
thy work and thy power and thy glory as thou usest to be in
the sanctuary, that thou wouldst build us up, that thou wouldst
revive us again. And O Lord, we do pray that we
may see the fulfilling of that precious word. Instead of thy
father shall be thy children, whom thou mayst make princes
in all the earth, Lord, we pray that thou would raise up godly
ministers in the generation that is following us. Send them forth
into the ministry of the word to preach the everlasting gospel
with that gracious determination to know nothing among men save
Jesus Christ and him crucified. Hear us, O Lord, we humbly beseech
thee and graciously return and may bear thine holy arm,
we do humbly beseech thee. We pray for those that are not
able to be with us today and whatever that reason may be,
we lovingly commend them to thee and to the word of thy grace
which is able to build them up and to grant them an inheritance
among them that are sanctified. Remember all in the midst of
the journey of life and graciously undertake for them and deliver
us from the work and power and temptations of the enemy. Deliver
us from an evil heart of unbelief. Deliver us from the power and
dominion of sin. We do humbly pray thee, dearest
Lord, to be made more spiritually minded, that thy word may be
a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. And O gracious
God, we do pray that thou wouldst remember that those of us in
the evening time of life's journey, prepare us for that great change
which must come. Gracious God, we do pray. Prepare me, gracious God, to
stand before thy face. Thy spirit must the work perform,
for it is all of grace. In Christ's obedience, clothe
and wash me in his blood. So shall I lift my head with
joy among the sons of God. We pray for all thy servants,
Lord, as they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls of
Zion today. Set them free, set them at liberty. Oh, grant those mighty signs
and wonders to follow the preaching of the word. And Lord, we pray
that we may be a praying people and that the congregations may
uphold thy servants by prayer and supplication. O do hear us,
Lord, we do humbly beseech thee. And where there is prayer in
the pew, there will be power in the pulpit, and we pray, Lord,
that it may be so. There may be that divine unction
of thy spirit. We pray, most gracious God, that
thou in thy great mercy wouldst hear prayer and that we may see
thy work and thy power up and down our nation. The great tides
of iniquity that envelop us may be the glorious standard lifted
up of the cross of the Saviour. We do humbly beseech thee to
stem the tides of evil and wickedness and iniquity. We think also of
the wars that are taking place at this time. Thousands being
launched from time into eternity. The inhumanity of man to man. And that ancient feud that always
has been, O Lord, between the seed of Ishmael and the seed
of Isaac. And we see it played out even
today. O most gracious God, we do humbly beseech Thee, that
Thou wouldst put a stop to war, and send out Thy light and Thy
truth, and return in Thy power and in Thy glory. Upon this earth
we do humbly beseech Thee, is not Thy chariot hastening on?
And O Lord, we do pray that we may yet see the turning of the
children of Israel unto unto our Lord Jesus Christ. Lord,
we pray for truly thankful hearts. Thankful for all thy tender mercies,
thy loving kindnesses. They're new every morning to
each one of us. We have a roof over our head, we have a well-spread
table, but thy mercies, O Lord, in providence are abundant, and
we desire to thankfully acknowledge thy loving kindness and thy great
goodness. And we do thank Thee above all
for the sacred and most precious glories of Christ, the wonders
of redeeming love, the wonders and glory and mystery of God
manifest in the flesh, and the law fulfilled in that glorious
person of our Lord Jesus Christ, not only fulfilled but honoured
and magnified. Thou hast glorified thy Father,
Thou hast fulfilled the law, Thou hast brought in everlasting
righteousness for Thy people. May we know Thee as Jehovah said
Kenya, the Lord our righteousness. And we do thank Thee for Calvary
where the Lamb was slain, where sin was put away, where divine
justice was satisfied. We thank Thee that He died for
our sins, paid the ultimate price, to redeem us and to deliver us
from sin, Satan's power, and that he rose from the dead and
swallowed up death in victory, and has ascended bodily into
heaven, and there sits at thy right hand. Lord, fill our hearts
with gratitude with thanksgiving for the King of kings and the
Lord of lords, for the mighty God, the everlasting Father,
the Prince of peace. Fill our hearts with gratitude.
with thanksgiving, with praise, and with adoration for thy wonderful
mercies and for thy great goodness. And O Lord, be with us now as
we turn to thy holy word. Come and touch one's lips with
a live coal from off the heavenly altar. Come and bless us with
light and understanding in thy word. There's a lad here with
two small fishes and a few loaves, O Lord. we may be fed, and that thou
wouldst bless and increase that which is given, that that which
is sown in weakness may be raised in strength, we ask for Jesus
Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together Hymn
number 950 to the tune Kinsella 167. What objects this which meets my eyes,
without Jerusalem's gate, which fills my mind with such surprise
as wonder to create. Hymn 950 to Kinsella 167. ? When I look in His eyes ? ? I
see His love in my eyes ? ? When I look in His eyes ? ? I see His love in my eyes
? ? To God be the glory given ? ?
The cross of our sinners ? Christ, Lord, have mercy on us, and forgive
us our trespasses, His grace on earth, the heavens
revealing, and on earth Your grace, your grace should
cover me and open my ears to you. Yet now I yearn, till see, till
see, till see that God is there. ? And if you ever need me to die
? ? All my life I'll be with you ? ? Which by the power of the Lord
? ? To save us all I pray ? ? I pray this I ever have to say ? God's name is the source of everything
that is good. God's name is the only way out. Amen. greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the prophecy
of Hosea, chapter 6, and we'll read the first clause of verse
3. The prophecy of Hosea, chapter
6, the first clause of verse 3. Then shall we know if we follow
on to know the Lord, then shall we know. In the context here, particularly
in the previous chapter, and if you notice there's a direct
connection between the two chapters, it's a continuation of the same
word. The Lord most solemnly upbraids
Israel, and Judah for their sins. He calls them revolters. He says
in verse 5 of chapter 5, And the pride of Israel doth testify
to his face. And it speaks of Ephraim, Israel
and Ephraim. There was Judah and there was
Israel. Judah was that that broke away
in the days of Rehoboam or rather the other Israel broke away from
Judah so the ten tribes went the other way and there was a
separation between them for many many years but they were still
all the flock of God and it says in verse 6 they will they go
with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord But they
shall not find him, for he hath withdrawn himself from them.
He was displeased with them, with their walk, with their conduct,
with their idolatry, with their covetousness. Says in verse 7,
they have dealt treacherously against the Lord. And you know the Lord, he was
going to deal with them. He says in verse 10, the princes
of Judah were like them that removed the bound, that is like
the boundary, therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like
water. Solemn, you see whom the Lord
loveth, he chastens. If the Lord really truly loves
us, he'll chasten us. And that solemn word in Hebrews
where He quoted actually from Proverbs chapter 3, whom the
Lord loveth he chastens and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. And then there's a very solemn
word, if ye be without chastisement then are ye bastards, not sons,
not a true child. A bastard is one that is illegitimate,
out of wedlock, then are you bastards and not sons, speaking
now in a spiritual way. You see, these things are written
for our instruction, my beloved friends. And I find it very searching
when I find the sin and corruption of my nature that rises up within. And I find these things exceedingly
searching and separated. And in that last verse, I will
go, says the Lord speaking, I will go and return to my place till
they acknowledge their offense and seek my face in their affliction. They will seek me early. In other
words, the Lord, you know, it speaks here of affliction, it
can of course be affliction of body, it can be affliction of
the mind, it can be affliction in our circumstances, in our
families, in our business, in church life, but all these things
will the Lord bring upon us. And we have that exhortation,
humble yourselves, therefore, under, not fight against it,
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God that he
may exhort you in due season. Oh, how we need that grace, my
beloved friends, to humble ourselves. What a solemn thing it is when
the Lord is silent, when the Lord doesn't speak. David, he
speaks of it in the Psalms, doesn't he? Be not silent unto me, O
God, lest if thou be silent unto me I become like them that go
down into the pit. Be not silent unto me, O God. The Lord's silence will truly
trouble us and perplex us. It will. And this is what he's
speaking of. I will go and return to my place. It's God that's speaking. Till
they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face in their affliction,
they will seek me early. And then it follows on immediately,
and this is the church replying here, come and let us return
unto the Lord, for he hath torn and he will heal us. He hath
smitten and he will bind us up. You know there's that lovely
word in Micah, he delighteth in mercy. He delighteth in mercy. What a great mercy that there
is, that the Lord delights in mercy. He delights when his children
return unto him. What this means of course, let
us return unto the Lord That is the exact meaning of the word
repent. Let us return unto the Lord.
Let us repent. It's not something that we can
actually do in and of ourselves. It's something that the Holy
Spirit alone can give and work in our hearts. He gives that
grace of repentance and with repentance always comes faith.
They never work separately, they work together. Repentance toward
God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. They are what you might say bedfellows. Repentance and faith. Come and
let us return unto the Lord for he hath taught and he will heal
us. What a precious mercy. So lovely
that hymn, isn't it? Heal us, Emmanuel. Here we are
waiting to feel thy touch. Deep wounded souls to thee repair
and save you. We are such. Heal us. Oh, to
be truly healed and to desire that healing. He has smitten
and he will bind us up. And then we have this wonderful
word. which is absolutely undoubtedly
refers to the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. After
two days will he revive us, in the third day he will raise us
up and we shall live in his sight. It's Christ, the glorious person
of Christ. the only place of mercy, the
rock upon which we build, upon this rock I build my church and
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. They'll try but they
will not prevail against it. This precious Redeemer who died
for our sins and lay in the grave for three days, after two days
will he revive us, in the third day he will raise us up and we
shall live in his sight. or to have that living power
of the Living God in our hearts, like we spoke of this morning,
the indwelling of the Spirit of God in the heart, and exercising
us in spiritual things, reviving us, how we need that. We would
remain in that place of darkness and bondage if the Lord didn't
revive us. We have to prove in all these
things that no man can keep alive his own soul. No man can keep
alive his own soul. You can't. And you have to prove
it. It's in these pathways of trial
and perplexity that you do prove it. We may keep up our outward
observance of religion, I hope you do, reading the word of God
and praying over the Word of God and coming to the sanctuary,
coming under the preaching of the Word of God, these outward
things, but we still need the power to attend them. And it's
when we come backwards and forwards and sometimes we get into that
state and we're just quite happy, as long as we're doing the outward
things and to be seen of men, no better than a Pharisee, because
they did everything to be seen of men. Sometimes we can be like
that and we come backwards and forwards like the door upon its
hinges, with very little spiritual exercise or concern. You see my beloved friends, the
Lord, he smites, he hath torn and he will heal us. He hath
smitten and he will bind us up. And we're all born in sin, we're
shaped in iniquity, go forth from the womb, speaking lies
and hypocrisy, and it's not until the Spirit dwells in our hearts
and gives us real repentance and godly sorrow for our sin.
It's very striking, isn't it, in the word of God, when the
ministry of John the Baptist, Repent ye. That was the beginning
of the ministry of John the, Repent ye, for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand. That was the ministry of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Repent ye for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand. That was the ministry of the
Apostles. Repent ye. You look into the Acts of the
Apostles in those first sermons preached, there was an emphasis
on repentance. How vital is that need of repentance? Godly sorrow for seeing the fruit
of repentance. and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ,
faith in that glorious person of King Jesus, laying hold of
him, then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord, then
shall we know, and mercy if we are indeed following on. You know there's that, and I
often refer you to it because it speaks of the experience of
God's people and that is the Apostle Paul speaking of his
own personal experience in Philippians chapter 3. And he speaks of how he had that
confidence in the flesh. He says in verse 3, for we are
the circumcision, speaking now of him as a Jew, as a Pharisee,
which worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus,
have no confidence in the flesh. And he says about, that I might
also have confidence in the flesh. If any man think that he had
whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more circumcised the
eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin. You
see his pedigree was good. and Hebrew of the Hebrews as
touching the law of Pharisee concerning zeal persecuting the
church touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless
as he thought but what things were gained to me those I counted
loss for Christ you have to lose a lot and we have to lose a lot
I counted loss for Christ Yea, doubtless I count all things
but loss. You see, what really drew me
to this passage is that little clause in verse 12, but I follow
after, but I follow after. Are we following Christ? Are we following Christ by faith? Have we been brought to see him
as the one thing that is needful? The one thing that you long to
lay hold on? He says, yea, doubtless, I count
all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus,
my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things. And to
count the but done that I may win Christ. You see what it speaks
of in our text, following after, that I may win Christ and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. And these
are the longings, this is what it means to follow after, that
I may know He'd known him for years when
he writes the letter to the Philippians. He'd known Christ for years.
But he longed to lay hold of Him, he longed to know Him more. So he's following after. You see, that I may know Him
in the power That's such an important thing, friends, the power. And
just like the Apostle when he writes to Thessalonians, for
our gospel came unto you not in word only, but in power, in
the Holy Ghost and with much assurance. Do you and I know
this power, this assurance, much assurance of the truth? We can
speak of assurance in so many different ways. We can be absolutely
assured that the soul that sinneth it shall die. There's an assurance
of it. It's found in God's Word. And when there's a deep sense
of that in the soul, and then there is the assurance of following
after Christ. Give me Christ or else I die.
Jesus is the one thing needful and that is what you long for,
the one thing needful, just as the apostle does here. And this
continues right through the life of the true Christian, the true
spiritually minded person. If by any means I may attain
unto the resurrection of the dead, that I may know him and
the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings
being made conformable unto his death, if by any means I might
attain unto the resurrection of the dead, if by any means. You know, it's almost as if he
says here that we shall all be hungry and thirsting all the
way through this journey in this wilderness below. He says in
the, when he writes to the Corinthian, yes to the Corinthian church,
about we have this treasure in earthen vessels. What does he
mean? They leak. And we have this treasure,
these bodies of ours are earthen vessels. We have this treasure
in earthen vessels. The excellency of the power might
be of God and not of us, if by any means. I might attain
unto the resurrection of the dead. No, not as though I had
already attained, either were already perfect, but I follow
after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended
of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself
to have apprehended But this one thing I do, forgetting
those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those
things which are before, I press toward the mark to the prize
of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. I press toward
the mark. Are you, am I, pressing toward
the mark to that high calling that is in Christ Jesus? The
Apostle says when he writes to the Hebrews, let us lay aside
every weight and the sin that does so easily beset us, and
let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking
on to Jesus. You see, I follow after, looking
on to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy
that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame
thereof, and he'd now set down at the right hand of the majesty
on high. Then shall we know, if we follow
on, to know the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ, that I may know
him in the power. Oh, how many of us here are there
that long to lay hold of Christ? You have that spiritual yearning
in your soul to know Him, to hear Him, to see Him, to follow
Him. You see, once Christ has been
made precious, you want to follow, you want to serve. If any man
will follow me, said the Lord Jesus Christ, let him take up
his cross and follow me. Take up his cross and follow
me. Or that, my mind much drawn in between the services to those
words, those well-known words that we often quote in Romans
12, verses one and two. I beseech you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service. You see, present your bodies,
this body. Ah, you say, but I'm such a poor,
needy, wretched sinner. No help in self I find, yet oft
have thought it well, the native treasure of my mind is sin and
death and hell. Well, that is true, but when
faith is in exercise in the heart, when Christ is made precious,
Isn't there that desire to follow Him? You present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God. How can we present our bodies
as they are sanctified in Christ Jesus? Our bodies as we are washed
in the precious blood of the Lamb, our bodies as we are clothed
upon with the everlasting robe of the righteousness of Christ,
that ye present your bodies. Notice what it says, by the mercies
of God, and those wonderful mercies in Jesus Christ, that's the source
of all our mercy. It's in Jesus Christ, it's in
the precious blood of the Lamb, it's in the glorious righteousness
of Christ, it's in the Saviour that died for our sins and rose
again for our justification. Everything is in Him. You see
in the exhortation here, it says, which is your reasonable service.
It's not unreasonable that the Lord requires you to follow Him. Let Him deny Himself, take up
His cross and follow me. We have to deny self. take up
our cross, follow him. In particular, my mind just goes
to the sacred and precious ordinances of God's house, the believer's
baptism, and of the Lord's supper. It's believer's baptism. There's
no aisling on it. It's believer's baptism. And then, to follow Him in that
way. This sacred right of believers
back to Him and view the right with understanding, Jesus' grave
before thee lies. Be interred at His commanding
after His example rise. You see my beloved friends, this
is the path the Lord has set before you. I beseech you therefore, notice,
it's by that mercy that you've already received. The Lord has
touched your heart. The Lord has softened your heart.
Christ has been made precious. You may not be able to speak
of great things in religion, but is Christ precious? And to
you that believe, therefore, he is precious. Now the other
thing, and be not conformed to this world. but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that ye might prove what is that
good and acceptable and perfect will of God." He said, to prove
it. Oh, that the Lord would enable
us to indeed present our bodies in this way, in the sanctuary,
in that gospel way. There's only two gospel ordinances. I think that the Roman Catholic
Church, they invented seven of them, but there's only two found
in the New Testament. And one is believers' baptism,
and the other is the Lord's table. The one leads to the other. That
is why we're called strict Baptists. The original word was restricted
communion, that those that are baptized in the name of the Father
and of the Son, baptised in faith, they then sit at the Lord's table
to partake of the Lord's supper. And he said, this do in remembrance
of me, for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup,
you do so forth the Lord's death till he come. It's a sacred requirement
of the Lord to those that love Him, to those that are drawn
in love to Him. And this word that we have before
us here, that then shall we know, then shall we know when we follow
Him. Then shall we know if we follow
on to know the Lord. What a mercy it is the Lord has
touched your heart, softened your heart and then you're enabled
to follow on and to make an open profession and to confess him
before men and to walk in those sacred waters of baptism and
to sit at the Lord's table, following on. These are laid down by our
Lord Jesus Christ You know, there's that lovely account, isn't there,
of the baptism of Christ in Matthew chapter three. And there are
some very precious things that are spoken there concerning believers'
baptism. Christ firstly sets us an example
of the way that we should do. And so when we're brought to
love our Lord Jesus Christ, we should follow him. Then cometh
Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptised of him. But John forbade him, saying,
I have need to be baptised of thee, and comest thou to me.
Now Jesus answered, and this is a very full of precious doctrine. Jesus answered and said unto
him, suffer it to be so now. Oh, that that may be a word to
you, suffer it to be so now. For thus it becometh us to fulfill
all righteousness. Then he suffered him. So what
do we read into that? Well, it's a righteous thing.
It's a right thing to do for a believer. It becometh us to
fulfill all righteousness. And that's part of it. By faith, and it must be by faith,
it's by faith to follow the Lord. the Lord Jesus in the way of
his precious ordinances. Thus it becometh us to fulfil
all righteousness, then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptised,
went up straight out of the water. That speaks to us of the mode of baptism. He went down
into the water, he came up out of the water. And you know, my
beloved friends, that is the scriptural way. It's baptism
by immersion. Like we've quoted that hymn,
view the right with understanding, Jesus' grave before thee lies,
that's what the baptistry represents, the grave of Christ. And so, the believer is baptized,
usually by a minister, doesn't have to be, but by a minister,
They're baptised in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Ghost. It's a righteous thing. It's
a right thing to do. And Jesus, when he was baptised,
went up straightway out of the water. And notice we have what
you might say the divine approbation of God here upon this sacred
ordinance. we have Christ in the water being
baptised of John the Baptist, he's the eternal son of the eternal
father manifest in the flesh. And then we read, and lo the
heavens were opened unto him and he saw the spirit of God
descending like a dove and lighting upon him, that divine person
of the Holy Ghost, his approbation resting upon this sacred ordinance. And then, and lo a voice from
heaven, saying this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. That's the voice of the Eternal
Father and he was well pleased that his son Jesus Christ was
setting this example for believers to follow. Then shall you know
if you follow on. There's a You know, the other
sense of this following on is found in the epistle of Peter. And he speaks there of following
on. And if we can just find it, I
think it's in the second epistle. Yeah, it is in the first chapter
of the second epistle of Peter. Now he says, according, verse
three, according to his divine power, hath given unto us all
things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge
of him, that's the knowledge of Christ. So it's what we've
been speaking of the apostle, that I may know him, the knowledge
of him, that hath called us to glory and virtue, whereby are
given unto us exceeding great and precious promises. to the
believer exceeding great and precious promises that by these
you might be partakers of the divine nature and have it escape
the corruption that is in the world through lust and beside
this now just think of our text to follow on then shall you know
if you follow on to know the lord and beside this giving all
diligence add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledge. You
only gain knowledge, my beloved friends, as you read and study
God's Word and the Lord breathes it into your heart. That's how
we gain knowledge. Sitting under the ministry of
the Word, that's how we gain knowledge. These are what are
known as means of grace. And to knowledge, temperance.
And to temperance, patience. And to patience, godliness. and
to godless brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you
and abound, they make you that you shall be neither barren nor
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then these
solemn words, but he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot
see afar off. and hath forgotten that he was
purged from his old sins. Wherefore, the rather brethren,
give diligence to make your calling and election sure. For if ye
do these things, ye shall never fail. For so an entrance shall
be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom
of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. You see, the Apostle
said he wouldn't be negligent to put your oars in remembrance
of these things, though you know them, and be established in the
present truth. You see, my beloved friends,
there is this constant need. And the apostle, when he writes
to his son Timothy in the faith, he says that he should put the
brethren in remembrance of these things. It was something that
he should constantly do, why? Because we forget them. and we
lose sight of what we should be doing and where we should
be going. And you see this text, then shall we know, and it's
in these paths of obedience that the Lord will give you enlarged
views of Christ and the answer of a good conscience before God.
and through the reading of the word and the ministry of the
word and the divine inward teaching of the spirit there's an opening
more fully of the truth as it is in Jesus. So that we know
him more, we have a greater, a fuller understanding of his
glorious person. Then shall we know if we follow
on to know the Lord. But may we be like the apostle
that we've read on, I follow after, this one thing I do, notice
that, it's called the single eye of faith, this one thing
I do, leaving those things that are behind. See, I press toward
the mark, to the prize of the high call of God in Christ Jesus. Another of this following on
to know the Lord, forsake not the assembling of yourselves
together as the manner of some is, but to be constant in your
attendance at the means of grace, at the house of God, under the
ministry of the word. Following on. All that the Lord
would enable us then to be found often in his word, read in his
word, I hope it's your habit to read habitually the Word of
God, private meditation, private reading, not just a quick look
and then walk away and forget all about it, but a spiritual
desire, a spiritual longing. And it's in this reading of God's
Word that our hearts are fed, strengthened, in the faith. Here a little, there a little,
line upon line, precept upon precept, as a gradual opening
up more fully, more clearly of the glorious person until you
get a clearer view of the person of Christ and a clearer view
as to where you are going. When we're enabled to lay aside
every weight and the sin that does so easily beset us and to
run with patience The race that is set before us, looking unto
Jesus. You know, in our second hymn.
And it so sweetly came to me as I was reading yesterday morning. And in Hebrews chapter 13, our
second hymn was based on it. Hebrews 13, where Jesus it says wherefore Jesus
also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered
without the gate let us go forth therefore unto him without the
camp bearing his reproach it's not an easy pathway for here
we have no continuing city but we seek one to come by him therefore
let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually that
is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name. But to do
good and to communicate, forget not, for with such sacrifices
God is well pleased. Oh, that the Lord will enable
us to go forth, let us go forth therefore unto him, without the
camp, bearing his reproach. For here we have no continuing
city, but we seek one yet to come. Therefore shall we know
if we follow on to know the Lord. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 144. The tune is Blessedness 301. Jesus my all to heaven is gone,
he whom I fix my hopes upon, his track I see and I'll pursue
the narrow way, till him I view. Hymn 144, tune Blessedness 301. He shall never cry shame, And I'll pursue the path of angels
in my youth. ? O'er the land of the free ? ?
And the home of the brave ? ? Holy night ? ? The dawn of glory
? ? Falls on thee ? ? This is the day ? Namo'valokiteshvaraya I'll be my own alone at last. The more I show the pages turn
I still can't stop the thought of you Dear man ? The righteous they contend ?
? Now with a song they sing ? Whom can I call? The love that's
found Shall take me to the earth's higher Nothing but sin, my pain and
gain Nothing but love can I receive Will I come to see the crown
Of love you say that I have found? appointed by redeeming love and
changing all the nature of Now, may the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the sacred fellowship
of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each, both now
and for evermore. Amen.