Commence our service this evening
by singing hymn number 1051. The tune is Wheelchair, number
268. Alas, what hourly dangers rise! What snares beset my way? To heaven, O let me lift my eyes,
And hourly watch and pray. O keep me in the heavenly way,
And bid thee tempt to flee, and let me never, never stray from
happiness and Thee. Hymn number 1051, tune Wheelchair,
number 268. ? And all is calm ? ? This peace of mind ? ? I'll trust
in thee ? ? O gracious Lord ? and strong in manly form. May the time come when all shall
know my name. And the home of the brave? To
give thanks to God Who sent me thus far ? And the angels sang ? ? And the
angels sang ? O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? O say can you see, by the dawn's
early light, May the Lord help us to read
two portions this evening. Firstly, from Chapter 35 in the
Book of Numbers, and then a part of Chapter 19 in the Book of
Deuteronomy. Firstly, Chapter 35 The Book of Numbers, reading
the first 15 verses. And the Lord spake unto Moses
in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, Command
the children of Israel that they give unto the Levites of the
inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in. And you shall give also unto
the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them. And the cities
shall they have to dwell in And the suburbs of them shall be
for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts. And the suburbs of the cities,
which he shall give unto the Levites, shall reach from the
wall of the city, and outward a thousand cubits round about. And you shall measure from without
the city on the east side 2,000 cubits, and on the south side
2,000 cubits, and on the west side 2,000 cubits, and on the
north side 2,000 cubits. And the city shall be in the
midst. This shall be to them the suburbs
of the cities. And among the cities which ye
shall give unto the Levites, there shall be six cities for
refuge, which she'll appoint for the man's slayer, that he
may flee thither. And to them ye shall add forty
and two cities. So all the cities which ye shall
give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities. Them shall ye give with their
suburbs. And the cities which ye shall
give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel. From them that have many ye shall
give many. But from them that have few,
ye shall give few. Every one shall give of his cities
unto the Levites, according to his inheritance which he inherited. And the Lord spake unto Moses,
saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them,
When ye be come over Jordan, into the land of Canaan, then
ye shall appoint you cities, to be cities of refuge for you,
that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares. And they shall be unto you sitters
for refuge from the avenger. Let the manslayer die not, until
he stand before the congregation in judgment. And of these sitters
which he shall give, six sitters shall he have for refuge. ye shall give three cities on
this side Jordan and three cities shall ye give in the land of
Canaan which shall be cities of refuge. These six cities shall
be a refuge both for the children of Israel and for the stranger
and for the sojourner among them, that every one that killeth any
person unawares may flee thither. And then if you would kindly
turn to the book of Deuteronomy and we go to chapter 19. Deuteronomy chapter 19. When the Lord thy God hath cut
off the nations whose land the Lord thy God giveth thee, and
thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities and in their
houses, thou shalt separate thee cities for thee in the midst
of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it. Thou shalt prepare thee a way,
and divide the coast of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth
thee to inherit into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither. And this is the case of the slayer
which shall flee thither, that he may live. Whoso killeth his
neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past, As when
a man goeth into the wood, With his neighbour to he wood, And
his hand fetcheth a stroke, With the axe to cut down the tree,
And the head slippeth from the hill, And lighteth upon his neighbour
that he die, He shall flee unto one of those cities, and live. Lest the avenger of the blood
pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him,
because the way is long, and slay him, whereas he was not
worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past. Wherefore I command thee, saying,
thou shalt separate three cities for thee. And if the Lord thy
God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers,
and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy
fathers. If thou shalt keep all these
commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love
the Lord thy God, and to walk ever in his ways, then shalt
thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three. That innocent blood be not shed
in thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance,
and so blood be upon thee. But if any man hate his neighbour
and lay in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite
him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities. Then the elders of his city shall
send and fetch him then, and deliver him into the hand of
the avenger of blood, that he may die. Thine eyes shall not
pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood
from Israel, that it may go well with thee. Thou shalt not remove
thy neighbour's landmarks which they of old time have set in
thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land, that
the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it. One witness shall not rise up
against a man for any iniquity or for any sin, in any sin that
he sinneth, at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of
three witnesses, shall the matter be established. We will leave the reading there.
Dear friends, from God's holy word, may the Lord help us now. in prayer. O Lord, our gracious God, thou
in thy divine mercy hath favoured us to be gathered together for
this evening's service in the midweek, between the Lord's days. And we thank thee, Lord, for
this provision, for this benefit, for this blessing. And may the
service, Lord, this evening prove to be a means of grace for us
each. For we need thy grace, Lord Jesus,
every day. We need grace for grace. And we thank thee, O Lord, that
there is the fullness that can never be exhausted. in the person of thy well-beloved
Son, in whose precious name we now make petition at the throne
of grace. And pray that for Jesus' sake
thou wilt hear and answer our petition as we make supplication,
Lord, before Thee in all our felt need and complete dependence
upon Thee. And Lord, Thou hath decreed that
this should be the case with Thy people so that being totally
dependent, we come to the throne of thy grace, praying for divine
help and spiritual leading, and also, and especially, the help
of thy Holy Spirit, so that our infirmities may not hinder us
in approaching Lord to thee. But oh, the sacred help and the
blessing of thy good spirit, enabling us to pray in the spirit
and in truth, so that we come before thee, Lord, with an unfeigned
lip. Oh, the need felt in the heart,
the word come through the mouth and the lip. Lord, help me. And thou, Lord, hast laid help
upon one who is mating. even King Jesus, who reigns on
Zion's hill, who has the preeminence in the Church of God. And Lord, do have the preeminence
in our hearts, and in our lives, and in our affections, and in
our desires. Now, dear Lord, we are all here,
present before thee. They'll see us, Lord, us through
and through. Their friends see the outward
appearance, but, Lord, they'll see us the heart. And thou knowest,
Lord, the things that are there in each one present. And we do pray, Lord, that thou
wilt, if there are the buyers and sellers and the money changers
there, that thou wouldest cast them out and grant that King
Jesus may reign without one usurper. And so, Lord, Thou knowest also
the deep exercise of soul, those things that burden our hearts,
those things that we seek Thy face for, those things that we
desire, Lord, for Thee to accomplish. O may the Lord perfect that which
concerneth us each. May thy word, Lord, be used in
this particular to come where thine exercised people are and
bring a word of divine comfort, a word of divine consolation,
a word of good hope. O Lord, do come. in thy appointed
ways. And teach my soul to sing thy
praise, for thou art dear to me, to us. And so, Lord, do remember thy
cause and interest here at Lambethurn. We pray for their dear, esteemed
pastor, the faithful, loyal friend to myself. Lord, do be with him where he
is at this time, in the United States of America, and pray that
they will be with him there, Lord, enable him to preach with
that divine authority, by the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven,
which things the angels desire to look into. And Lord, may the season there
be a help and comfort to him, as he is with his acquainted
friends in that land. Nevertheless, Lord, this is his
church and people over which thou hast given him that solemn
charge, to feed the church of God, which thou hast purchased
with thine own precious blood. Lord, as he comes in and out
amongst them frequently, all we pray that thy word through
him may be attended with divine power and efficacy in the hearts
of those that hear. those that love him for the truth's
sake, that he hath been the Lord's messenger with the Lord's message
for the dear friends here. We pray that he may be continually
strengthened in body, mind and soul for the continual labour
and exercise of the ministry of thy word. Do remember each
one that attends here on the Lord's day statedly. The Lord thou knoweth that some
are not able to be here in the week, as they have lawful responsibilities
and dear children to care for in the fear of the Lord. And so we do pray, dear Lord,
that thy blessing may rest upon thy cause and interest here,
thine approbation to rest upon them from above. to remember the church and the
congregation, our dear brethren in office as deacons of this
cause, together with their heavy responsibilities within the denomination,
the gospel standard body of churches. and help us each, Lord, to love
and serve Thee in our day and generation that grace and strength
may be given equal to our day. Remember Thy people, dear Lord,
in their deep tribulations. We weep with those that weep. We rejoice with those that rejoice. And there are those, Lord, in
weeping and mourning, due to bereavement. There are those
rejoicing who have been married of late. And there are dear friends
on the coming day who will celebrate their golden wedding anniversary
and so Lord it is a mixed cup but we pray that thou wouldest
be with thy dear people and help them to press on and to look
alone to the Lord Jesus who is the author and finisher of all
true faith And do remember, Lord, our body of churches up and down
the land and those in other lands as well. Oh, we thank Thee, Lord,
for that bond of love and union in the deep things of God. And pray that Thou wilt heal
any breaches that have been occasioned, O Lord, thou knowest. We look
to thee, Lord, for the things which are impossible with men
are possible with God. Now, Lord, our nation, our king, our government, the
national church, Oh Lord, what a sad, solemn, and distressing
condition we are in. Because men fear not God, neither
regard man. Those in authority, Lord, understand
not that which is required of them. For he that ruleth over
men must be just, ruling in the fear of the Lord. O could it please thee, Lord,
to grant to some at least thy tender filial fear, that it may
be a good and gracious influence to others, with whom they have
to do. And now, Lord, we thank thee
for every favour and blessing conferred upon us. Oh, we are exhorted to bless
the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless his
holy name, and forget not all thy benefits. O Lord, now as
we turn to thy word, we pray for ministerial grace, we pray
for God-given ability to speak in thy great and holy name. We ask thy blessing upon the
hymns to be sung this night. And O Lord, do have compassion
upon us, Remember him well, but dust. Like as a father pitieth
his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. We ask all with the forgiveness
of our every sin. For Jesus' sake, Amen. Continue our service by singing
hymn number 556. The tune is Silchester number
66. The Lord proclaims his name. and sinners hear his voice, his
mercy ever stands the same, and will in him rejoice. His name
is gracious still, and freely he bestows the bounty of his
sovereign will on all who feel their woes. Hymn number 556,
June, Silchester, number 66. ? In sacred devotion ? ? Have faith
in Jesus ? ? Let every heart be strong and free ? ? O come all ye faithful joyful
and triumphant ? ? O come all ye faithful joyful and triumphant
? ? O come ye, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem ? O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the
bombs bursting in air, ? Keep on through the perilous
fight ? ? O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? ? ? And the rocket's red glare,
the bombs bursting in air ? O come, O come, O come, O come, The land of the free and the
home of the brave. As the Lord shall be pleased
to help me this evening, dear friends, I would ask your prayerful
attention for words to be found in the Hebrews. The epistle to
the Hebrews, chapter 6. And we read verses 17, 18, and
19. Chapter 6 in the Hebrews, verses
17, 18, and 19, wherein God, willing more abundantly to show
unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel,
confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which
it was impossible for God to lie, We might have a strong consolation,
who have fled for refuge, to lay hold upon the hope set before
us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure
and steadfast, and which enters into that within the vial. Well, dear friends, and humbly
declare before the Lord and before you this evening that I come
here in deep exercise of soul regarding the word that the Lord
would have me to bring before you. And you will find or see
immediately the connection between the Red Lesson the truths that
we read in Numbers and Deuteronomy and the text before you, because
it speaks of a refuge fleeing to this refuge. And in the provision
of God's mercy to his ancient people, Then the Levites had
48 cities in the Promised Land, and the Lord's people had six
cities, appointed them for refuge. And there was a clear distinction
between manslaughter and murder. Now, in our text here this evening,
there is such a grand distinction between those who are guilty
of apostasy and the Lord's chosen people. Now those cities of refuge
in the Old Testament were a wonderful provision because if one inadvertently
smote his brother or another person unawares, unwittingly,
then he could flee to that city of refuge and he would be psyched
from the avenger of blood, but a murderer shall surely be put
to death. So what's the distinction, the
spiritual distinction between a manslaughter and murder? Well, one is done ignorantly,
the other is done willfully. And there is a difference, as
the Lord has said before. Now in verse 16 in the 35th chapter
in Numbers, if he smite him with an instrument of iron so that
he die, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be
put to death. And here we see the clear difference. Because a murderer is one where
the seed of evil is conceived in the heart and then a preparation
is made whereby they can fulfil that evil design, which is a
working of the sinful flesh of men, to kill. And they are equipped
to do it. if he smite him with an instrument
of iron. In other words, it's intentional. It starts in the heart, conceived
there, it is a working of our sinful flesh. And one goes out
deliberately and willfully to kill. Whereas the manslayer,
you see, It was vastly different, and this is why I read in Deuteronomy,
because you see, there we see the difference. As when a man
goeth into the wood with his neighbor to hew wood, and his
hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and
the head slippeth from the helf, and lighteth upon his neighbor,
that he die, he shall flee. and to one of those cities and
live. Now the connection between those
chapters or those truths that we read and the chapter before
us by way of text is this. This chapter speaks very, very
solemnly concerning apostasy heresy and apostasy because it
says for it is impossible for those who are once enlightened
and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers
of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good word of God and the
powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew
them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the
Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame. Now we see
there the willful act of sin after a knowledge of God. And that is likened to murder,
because seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh,
afresh. Now the Lord Jesus Christ was
crucified as we know on the cross at Golgotha and Calvary. But
he was crucified once. Once. Paul speaks of this in
the Hebrews concerning this glorious doctrine concerning the Lord
Jesus Christ. And he says this, that those
that sin in an unregenerate state, it
is crucifying Christ. But Christ was once crucified
for sins forever. Now, The crucifixion of Christ
bore, as we read in this sixth chapter, it bore shame. The crucifixion of Christ was
a shameful death, and Christ knew that shame, but he despised
it. because he was suffering the
just for the unjust for his dear church and people. So, he despised
the shame. We read that in chapter 12 in
the Hebrews. But these you see in this 6th
chapter, verse 7. At verse 6 in chapter 6, you
see it's a willful, deliberate act. Now a child of God In unregeneracy,
through sin, in ignorance, is crucifying Christ. But they don't
realise it because they are ignorant. The manslayer, unawares, ignorantly
slays a man. It's done in ignorance. It's
done not with any intended desire. It's done ignorantly. and the
ignorant sins of God's people have crucified Christ, and there's
been a shame attributed to that death, which Christ disposed. Now, after knowing the Lord,
after His grace, after being enlightened, after tasting of
the heavenly gift, after being made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
after tasting the good word of God, and the powers of the world
to come. If they should fall away, it
won't be in ignorance, it'll be deliberate, it'll be willful.
And that puts Christ to an open shame. It's crucifying Christ
afresh. Beloved friends, this is one
of the most solemn words in Scripture, the New Testament. to search
the hearts of God's people. But you see, the apostle said,
but beloved, we have persuaded better things of you, and things
that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. And then you see,
we come to the text. I'll just qualify what apostasy
is. It's a complete abandonment of
all that one has believed and professed in time past. It's abandoned. It's forsaken. They turn their back on it. They
go back into the world as the dog returns to its vomit and
the sow returns to the wallowing in the mire. It's a willful act. Nothing more solemn, Francis.
Now you can see the difference between two in the New Testament,
and I'll bring them before you to show this difference. Dear
Peter denied the Lord. He denied Christ, as we all know. The Lord said to him that he
would do that. But he said, no, I'll go to prison
and to death for this. And Peter denied the Lord three
times. And yet the Lord mercifully granted
him restoration. The reason being, because it
wasn't willful, he did not go out that night with that in his
heart to deny Christ. But when he was put to the test,
there, through the weakness of his flesh and the fear of his
mind, he denied the Lord. Now, the Lord told him he would
do it, and he did, but he was not willful. And that's why the
Lord restored him. He was a chosen vessel of mercy. He fled for this refuge. Now, the other case, where it's
deliberate, was the case of Judas Iscariot. He went unto the chief priests.
He went unto them. They didn't come to him. He went
to them. What will you give me? And I
will deliver him unto you. And they covenanted together
agreements, a promise, affirmation. They agreed. They gave him 30
pieces of silver. And then he went, leading a great
multitude to the Lord after he had been apprehended, or just
before his apprehension, after Gethsemane. And he led this great
multitude to Christ, and betrayed Christ to this multitude, which
really was just I was going to say a mob, that's all they were
really, to come to take Christ. Now that was absolutely willful. That was like murder. And what did he say, Judas Iscariot? He said, I have sinned in that
I have betrayed the innocent blood. What did the Lord say? Good for that man if he'd never
been born. So it sets before us, you see,
this chapter, exactly what we have in the Old Testament. And
here, in this beautiful chapter, though it's very solemn in that
part, there's a blessed part for the Lord's people because
there's a refuge for sinners. And the Lord's people feel themselves
to be sinners, and yet they're not guilty of willful and deliberate
sin. And there's a provision made
in the covenant of God's grace for them in those cities of refuge. Now the manslayer, as soon as
he committed that, or that took place, he had to flee. to the city of refuge to be completely
safe and to be safe from the avenger of God who pursued him. But he had to flee to those cities
of refuge. There was his safety. There was
his security. There was his protection. Because
God is our refuge and strength. a very present help in time of
trouble. And friends, sinners who are
made to feel themselves to be sinners and mourn over it and
grieve over it, then they flourish, they feel the burden of sin upon
their conscience to this refuge that there is made in the Old
Testament and of course in the New, in the person of Jesus Christ. Friends, what would you do without
a refuge? What would you do when you feel
those times when, like the manslayer, ignorantly, inadvertently, you
sin against God? Through the weakness of our flesh,
through the Adam fall, through our federal head Adam, we sin. But there's a great difference.
It's not willful, it's not deliberate. It's because we are weak in the
flesh. The Lord knows this. The Lord
knew all about Peter. The Lord saw his heart. The Lord
sees our heart. And you see, premeditated sin
is a solemn matter, especially for those who have You see, known
these spiritual blessings. Oh, friends, what a line of separation
there is. A clear line of separation between
the Lord's dear people and those, you see, who are not. Look at
the case of Saul in the Old Testament, anointed by the Lord to be king
of Israel. But he disobeyed the Lord. He
didn't do what the Lord said in slaying the Amalekites, all
of them. He disobeyed God and the Lord
marked him for it. And he went from bad to worse. He got murder in his heart. He
had a javelin in his hand to slay a dear David. Ah, what a
solemn character Saul was. Well friends, that's the solemn,
sober background in this chapter. But there's a blessed, sacred,
wonderful, blessed part for the Lord's dear people. And of course
the Old Testament will always lead us to the New. Every New Testament as a reference
in the old, which leads us to the new, that perhaps you've
never seen this connection before. I hadn't until today, I hadn't
until today, till the Lord showed it to me, then I could see it. And this is the Lord's way of
teaching and instructing, so that we can continue in the ministry
of God's word. And friends, the word of God
is quick and powerful, and sharpened than any two-edged sword, and
it divides, asunder. Oh, it discerns between the thoughts
and intents of the heart, the thoughts and intents. It divides,
it separates, and there you see the clear separation between
the manslayer and the murderer. Well, may the Lord help me, then,
to come to this sacred path wherein God willing more abundantly,
to show unto the heirs a promise, the immutability of his counsel,
confirmed it by an oath. Because God could swear by no
greater, he swear by himself. This is when God made promise
to Abraham. Here's the oath and covenant
of God. Friends, you see, there is no
greater oath than God's oath. He could swear by no greater.
Now, men on the earth, they have to testify sometimes on oath. In a lawsuit, And one is prosecuted,
and then the defense counsel and the two witnesses on either
side, they have to stand in the witness box. They take the word
of God in their right hand, and they promise to speak the truth
and nothing but the truth to the court. So the facts are determined. You see, they take an oath. They
take an oath. They promise. tell the truth. And if it's proved later that
they have not told the truth, then of course they're guilty
of perjury and they go to prison. But here you see, by two immutable
things, things that can never change, immutability, it means
it can never, ever change. Well, by two immutable things
in which it was impossible for God to lie. Every word that God
speaks is true. Impossible for God to lie. Now, Satan is the liar. He lies from the beginning. He
told a lie to our first parents and he's been telling lies ever
since. is a God of truth, and the lip
of truth shall be established forever, forever. So this provision has been made,
and this provision is in the Lord Jesus Christ, and it gives
a blessed hope to the Lord's dear people. Now, dear friends,
a poor sinner who's made conscious of their sinnership by the power
of God's Holy Spirit. Oh, initially at Thessalonians
they feel destitute of all hope, destitute. They feel condemned
by the law and wherever can I go, whatever can I do to escape the
vengeance due to me? Well, provision is made. Hope is a wonderful grace. Hope
that is seen is not hope. For what a man seeth, why doth
he yet hope for? But the child of God is brought
to hope in God. Do you remember a time, friends,
when you were brought to have a hope in God? Your case seemed Shall I say
hopeless to you? Nevertheless, against hope, ye
believed in hope. And the Lord gave you a who can
tell hope that the Lord will be merciful and gracious to you. Hope thou in God. What a wonderful
and gracious word of divine counsel and Christ, to a poor sinner,
to hope there in God. So this hope is set before us,
and the poor sinner flees, flees. Oh, you have legs and feet to
run. You have hands to embrace. You have eyes to see and ears
to hear, and you flee. And this is where this word flee
comes from. The manslayer flee to that city
of refuge, because there he'd be slain. Oh, friends, in this
death before us, the Lord Jesus Christ, as we should sing in
the closing hymn, have a place of safety, a place of security,
so that the Avenger of Blah cannot touch you, cannot slay you, cannot
claim you. You see, it's the same with the
Passover. In that Passover night in Egypt,
you see the destroying angel went through the land, and the
firstborn of every Household was slain apart from. Where there was blood sprinkled
on the lintel and the two side posts, and where there was blood, there was safety, there was security. The avenger of blood, the destroying
angel couldn't touch. When I see the blood, I will
pass over you. So God is willing more abundantly. Oh, what beautiful words, friends,
for a poor sinner to read, to plead before the Lord, wherein
God willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise,
the heirs of promise. Well, who was the heir of promise?
Well, the covenant given to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And through
that line was the seed, the promised seed that we read of in Galatians. And if ye be Christ's, then are
ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. an
heir to an inheritance, a spiritual inheritance, a heavenly inheritance. That's an heir. He has the promise
of an inheritance. I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I
am, there ye may be also. Well, dear friends, this is the
inheritance. These are the heirs according
to the promise, the promise that God gave to Abraham. God can
never lie. Thou shalt have a son. It seemed
impossible because of Sarah's age and Abraham's age, but the
Lord spoke. And in that chapter in the Genesis,
Is anything too hard for the Lord at the time appointed? At the time appointed? And you
see, this is the promise that God gave to Abraham, that in
thy seed, all families of the earth shall be blessed because
thou hast obeyed my voice. So dear friends, thee, the heir
from the, the, the birth of dear Isaac, the promised child that
God promised to Abraham, our father, that is the father of
the Jewish nation. And as we trace this with regard
to the New Testament, well, it's the church of God. It's set before
us, Zion, the church of the living God. So God is more willing,
willing more, oh, the love of God, to his dear people, to show
unto the ears of promise the immutability of his counsel. Oh, God's counsel can never change. There are many devices in the
heart of man, we read, but the counsel of God, that shall stand,
that can never, never, never change. So, this wonderful council,
the council of the Lord shall stand, the psalmist declared
in one of our beautiful psalms, the 33rd it is, and there we
read, the council of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts
of his heart to all generations. So the sacred counsel which God
confirmed in speaking to dear Abraham, saying, surely, blessed,
and I will bless thee, and multiply, and I will multiply thee. And so after he had patiently
endured, he obtained The promise of the holy, blessed, eternal
reality of the things of God is such a wonderful help to the
Lord's dear people. So, dear friends, to have a strong
consolation. Consolation is wonderful. It
is to have a comfort in distress, in soul trouble, to have this
strong consolation. Why is it strong? Because it's
given by God. I have strength, I have wisdom,
I have discretion, the Lord Jesus said. So the Lord's dear people,
have to flee for refuge. There's no safety,
friends, on this earth. There's no safety out of Christ. None at all. All my safety is
in Him. And so, under the Old Testament,
the manslayer went to the city of refuge and he stayed there
until the death of the high priest. Now under the old dispensation,
of course there were many priests. They could not continue by reason
of death. But this man, the Lord Jesus,
because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Now, The type then, with the
high priest, who went into the Holy of Holies once every year,
not without blood, then you see it set before us, the Lord Jesus
Christ, this sacred refuge, fleeing to Christ. Now, the poor sinner,
is not brought into gospel liberty in their experience until Christ
has died. He was delivered unto death for
our offences. When Christ died, He died for
the sins of his people. And so, under the old dispensation,
the manslayer could then leave and return to his city, completely
free. And the poor child of God shut
up in the fear, servile fear because of sin, flee into this
refuge, and there their safety, and there they stay, until they
know the death of Christ, experimentally. Because, you see, as Paul says,
for it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this to
judgment, 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. So, dear friends, the death of
Christ atones for our sins. All our sins were laid on Christ. He died. He said it is finished,
and he bowed his sacred head. and gave up the ghost. There,
friends, is that one sacrifice, that once offered, once, not
twice, not many times, but once. And so the cross of Christ, the
death of Christ, is that which it atones for the sins of his
dear people. They are then brought to know
that their sins were laid on Christ, that they are forgiven
and pardoned. And then they can return to their
fathers, to their possession given them by Joshua under the
requirement that God gave to take their part in the promised
land. And of course it's a figure of
the inheritance laid up for them in heaven. And they then enjoy
the freedom and the liberty of that which has been given them
by God. And so it is spiritually, the
child of God will then go to that provision. to the church
of God, the house of God, the people of God, and enjoy that
peace, that liberty, that quietness, that safety, that security. And then they enjoy the benefits
and the blessings which the Lord hath provided for them in the
church of God. that they may live a life of
faith upon the Son of God, and live to his honour and his glory,
and his praise, and follow him, and adhere to his counsel, to
his precepts, to his laws, to his commands, and it's the delight
of the child of God to do it. It's the delight. Is this your
delight, friends, to serve the Lord, to honour the Lord? Is
it a sweet and blessed delight to your soul? If you know this
benefit in fleeing to Christ, and you know His death and His
atoning sacrifice for you, oh, then you desire to live the rest
of your life honouring Christ, honouring Christ, the crucified,
not to put Him to an open shame. a guide, never, never, never,
but to live. And this is why you flee instead
of necessity. And there's a provision in Christ. It's all in Him. Everything you
need is in the dear Redeemer. And then you see there's a hope
set before you, a blessed hope. Yes, there's no hope apart from
Christ. But with the Lord there is a
blessed God wrought hope in your soul." Well, Abraham had this
hope. When the Lord gave to him, it
seemed impossible, but it wasn't hopeless in his heart, who against
hope believed in hope. And he believed the Lord could
fulfill and would fulfill that which he had promised. And you see the application is
for us today, right down to the end of time. Who against hope
believed in hope that he might become the father of many nations
according to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed be. And being fully persuaded that
what he had promised He was able also to perform, and therefore
it was imputed to Him for righteousness, attributed to Him, imputed to
Him, given to Him. Now, it was not written for His
sake alone that it was imputed to Him, but for us also. This is it, down to the end of
time. the Lord's dear people, but for
us also, to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him
that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. Now, you see,
this is why the manslayer fled, and this is why a sinner flees
to Christ, because you believe that he has power to forgive,
to atone, for your sin, you enter into the blessedness of it, if
we believe on him. And you do, you do. And so, dear friends, imputed
righteousness to the Lord's dear people who flee to Christ. Oh, there's no point, friends,
in lingering. There's no point in staying at
Sinai. You've got to flee. Oh, I love
that phrase. fled for refuge to lay hold upon
that hope that's in Christ. It's in Him. Which hope we have
as an anchor of the soul, an anchor, friends, makes you steadfast
and unmovable. And it's within the vial. It's
within the vial. It's within the Holy of Holies. Because the high priest went
in one every year, not without blood, which he offered for the
sins of the people. Well, this is a figure of the
truth. For Christ is not entered into
the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the
truth, but into heaven itself. Heaven itself. Now to appear
in the presence of God, for us. Well, this, friends, then, is
the anchor of your soul, sure and steadfast, sure and certain,
in truth, within the vial. Oh, beloved friends, you see,
oh, the truth is very deep, it's very profound, it's very solemn
and surging, and yet how blessed it is for the Lord's people Wonderful
friend. The provision that's laid out
in Christ for his dear church and people. It pleased the Father
that in him should all fullness dwell and the Lord's people are
taught to flee. You don't linger. Not like not
lingering down in Sodom and Gomorrah. All the danger that was surrounding
him is going to be destroyed. but they had to take him by the
hand and lead him out. But the Lord's people, friends,
under the exercise of grace, flew as fast as they could go. Well, may the Lord favour us
each then, so to do the blessed, wonderful, divine consolation,
heirs of the promise, the immutability of it, and that sacred, inheritance
laid up in heaven. For those who flee to Christ,
they'll be with Him in glory for ever. Well, perhaps the initial part of the
discourse was rather Unusual, can I use that word? But friends, we shouldn't really
have to say that, because the Word of God, whatever part it
is, is to be read, and God has ordained it to be preached. And
there are things new and old, friends. Oh, yes. There are things
new and old, things that we've never seen before. Divine teaching
and instruction goes on. And that's why the Lord said,
search the Scriptures. For in them ye think ye have
eternal life, and they are they who testify of me. Oh, the Lord,
friends, teaches his people and instructs them. And when you
feel the burden of sin, you flee to the refuge. Oh, may the Lord
favour us then with that safety and security, safety on earth
and after death. the plenitude of heaven. Amen. We'll close our service by singing
hymn number 1097. The tune is Promise, number 832. A refuge for sinners the gospel
makes known. It is found in the merits of
Jesus alone. The weary, the tempted, and the
burdened by sin were never exempted from entering therein. This refuge
for sinners His love did ordain, in Jesus the Lamb from eternity
slain. And if God the Spirit reveal
this to you, take refuge in Jesus, though hell should pursue. In
number 1097, Tune Promise, number 832. Oh, say does that star-spangled I'm This the gift of Satan, this
the gift of hell. And Jesus, the man from hell
to heaven descended. ? When we've come a-sittin' ? ?
We may well say, yeah ? ? Take me to the beach ? ? On the blue
coast ? And so that their winter Winter
brings their well There's no better winter Than in winter May thy countenance be blessed
from the earth. Thou shalt be commended. Thou shalt be comforted. ? And the people singeth ? ? The
children of youth ? ? As their heads are combined ? ? All in
exultation ? They say Columbus went on to
England, and took by the sea. to be good to God. Shepherds, come and see Jesus
as you find him now. Is all that man's aim could ever
endeavor With Jesus, Savior, and Savior child Now may thy grace, Lord Jesus,
the Father's love, The comfort and consolation of thy Holy Spirit
be with us all this night and for evermore. Amen.