Let us commence our service this
evening by singing together hymn number 690 to the tune Hillmartin
713. On wings of love the saviour
flies and freely left his native skies to take a human birth. The wise and righteous men go
near, his wonders see, his sermons hear. And think him nothing worth. Hymn 690. Tune Hilmartin 713. The wings of love the Saviour
brought, And He, who made His mate in strife, Will take you and I. A wise and righteous lender He
is who loves me and takeeth of me well. In the throne of humble souls,
His grace mysteriously ? Come, come, come, come, come, come,
come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come,
come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come,
come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come,
come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come,
come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come,
come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come,
come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come,
come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come,
come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come,
come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come, come,
come ? And take him for their own ? ? Out of this remnant I would be
? ? A soul departed unto me ? ? Clean and purified thy voice ? ? Hammer
on coldly ? ? Thou dost rest around her ? ? Tidst so grand
a price ? ? Of faith shall be my joy ? ?
Thou will o'er us dwell, my saviour, evermore be ? No one may be older than the
ever-turning sun. ? And any creature in the earth
? ? For any person in the earth ? ? Shall know peace ? ? And walking on the cross was
the way ? ? I could see Jesus every day ? ? And see in all
his grace ? See in my heart the creature
King See in my faith the priestess sing And sing in praise to thee Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the Gospel according to John, chapter 3. John's Gospel, chapter 3. There was a man of the Pharisees named
Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night
and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher
come from God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest,
except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto
him, Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God, Nicodemus saith unto him,
How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second
time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of
the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which
is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the
spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee,
ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth,
and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it
cometh. And whither it goeth, so is every
one that is born of the spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto
him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto
him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and
testify that we have seen, and ye receive not our witness. I have told you earthly things,
and you believe not. How shall you believe if I tell
you of heavenly things? No man hath ascended up to heaven,
but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man, which is
in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal
life. For God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son
into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through
him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not
condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because
he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation,
that light is coming to the world, and men loved darkness rather
than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that
doeth evil hateth the light, know that cometh to the light,
lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh
to the light, that his deeds may be manifest, that they be
wrought in God. After these things came Jesus
and his disciples into the land of Judea, and there he tarried
with them and baptized. And John also was baptising in
Anon near to Salem because there was much water there. And they
came and were baptised for John was not yet cast into prison.
Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and
the Jews about purifying. And they came unto John and said
unto him, Rabbi, He that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom
thou bearest witness, behold, the same baptiseth, and all men
come to him. John answered and said, A man
can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Ye
yourselves bear me witness, that I said I am not the Christ, but
that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the
bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom which standeth
and heareth him rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice.
This my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must
decrease. He that cometh from above is
above all. He that is of the earth is earthly,
and speaketh of the earth. He that cometh from heaven is
above all. And what he hath seen and heard,
that he testifieth. And no man receiveth his testimony. He that hath received his testimony
hath set to his seal that God is true. For he whom God hath
sent speaketh the words of God. For God giveth not the Spirit
by measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and
hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the
Son hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son
shall not see life. but the wrath of God abideth
on him. May the Lord bless the reading
of his 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, Or we do desire to bow before
Thee, the only true God, and to worship Thee in Thy Son, our
Lord Jesus Christ. Or we do pray for grace to approach
unto Thee, to confess our sins, our wanderings, our backslidings. Lord, we Pray to be delivered
from sin and from its power, and from the workings of it,
and from the temptations of Satan, whether he comes as a roaring
lion to devour, or as an angel of light to deceive. We pray
to be delivered from him and from his power. We do humbly
beseech thee, as 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. O that that may be so, O gracious
Lord, at this evening hour. May the power that brings salvation
be exerted in the word. May it be with us as it was with
the dear apostle, for our gospel came unto you, not in word only,
but in power, in the Holy Ghost, and with much assurance. Oh,
that that may be so, Lord, even tonight as we gather together
around thy holy word. May we be led and guided and
directed by the Spirit of God. For where the Spirit of the Lord
is, there is liberty. May we know that liberty and
like and life in our hearts. Holy Ghost, we look to Thee.
Raise the dead, the captive free. From the mighty take the prey.
Teach the weak to watch and pray. Gracious God, we do pray that
we may feel Thy power and Thy sweet influence. We think of
those wonderful and precious words of grace There is one God,
one mediated between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who
gave his life of ransom for all to be testified in due time. Oh, we thank thee for that glorious
saviour, for that precious redeemer, for that one that is able to
save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him. We thank Thee. He has fulfilled
and honoured and magnified the holy law of God and glorified
Thy holy name. We read of Him that He will magnify
the law and make it honourable. Gracious God, we do pray that
it may be so, even tonight, that we may see the law fulfilled
in Christ, and everlasting righteousness brought in for thy people. Oh,
that we may behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin
of the world, that we may behold his glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, that
we may behold him as our prophet, our priest, and our king, as
we gather round thy word tonight. Blessed divine spirit of truth,
we pray for thy heavenly power, for thy divine unction in our
hearts, in our souls, in our assembly. Unstop the deaf ears,
open the blind eyes. Gracious God, make us willing
in the day of thy power the power of thy grace, the power of thy
love, the power of thy mercy. Lord, may we feel that power.
We do humbly beseech thee. May the power that brings salvation
be exerted in the word. We do humbly beseech of thee. Bless us as a church and as a
congregation. Work mightily, work powerfully,
work effectually. And Lord, we think of thy servants
expected among us in the coming weeks. And we pray that they
may dip their foot in oil and be made acceptable unto thee,
brethren. And that the word preached may
indeed be in power in the Holy Ghost and with much assurance
and that something may be done in the name of the holy child
Jesus. Lord, we do pray that thou wouldst
be gracious unto us and have mercy upon us and grant signs
to follow the preaching of the word. To young and old, we thank
thee for those precious words of grace. Suffer little children
to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom
of heaven. May it be so with the dear children,
with the young friends, that they may come, looking unto Jesus,
the author and finisher of our faith, that in their young and
tending years they may be brought to living faith in Jesus Christ. Pray for the young friends, that
thou wouldst graciously bless them, bring them to living faith
in Jesus Christ and make them followers of thee and of those
who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Gracious
God, do incline thine ear, we do humbly beseech thee, and have
mercy upon us, and remember the prodigals that have wandered
from the sanctuary Stretch out thy almighty arm, cause them
to return. O Lord, we do beseech thee for
thy great namesake. We long to see the prodigals
return. Lord, we do pray that thou would
deliver us from the temptations of Satan, from the power and
dominion of sin. Bless our beloved brethren, the
deacons, especially be with them in these coming three weeks.
and grant thy presence and help in the conducting of the services.
We do humbly pray thee. And, O Lord God, go with one
to the place appointed, or the places appointed, that we may
truly worship thee, and that we may be enabled to set forth
the gospel of Jesus Christ in its sacred glory and blessedness.
and that poor sinners may hear and live. Light may be breathed
into their hearts by the Holy Ghost. Hear us, Lord. May the Lord Jesus Christ be
exalted as a Prince and as a Saviour. For to give faith, repentance,
remission of sins. Bless our dear beloved friends
here from Holland. Be with them. and they'll stay
among us and I'll bless them indeed and grant that it may
be a fruitful time for them. We do humbly beseech them as
they themselves feel no more a stranger or a guest but like
a child at home and we thank thee Lord that it is so. Increase
our faith, increase our love, give wisdom and grace to parents
that they may bring up their children in the nurture and admonition
of the Lord. We do humbly beseech thee for
thy great name's sake. And, O Lord God, we do pray that
thou wouldst remember all in the midst of the journey of life.
And as we have been reminded recently, O Lord, that in the
midst of life we are in death, And Lord, we pray for the sorrowing
family that have lost a young son. We lovingly commend them
to Thee and to the word of Thy grace. We thank Thee that they
sorrow not as others that are without hope. And O Lord God,
we do pray that Thou wouldst graciously bless them on the
coming week as they gather round the open grave. O Lord God, we
do pray that thou wouldst remember those of us in the evening time
of life's journey. The number of here now, Lord,
that we're, we've gone beyond the three score years and ten.
And we do pray that thou would strengthen us and help us. And
as the outward man perishes, may the inward man be renewed
day by day. Remember, O Lord, we do beseech
thee Dear Ina, in her great age and increasing infirmities, and
oh, do bless her, we do humbly beseech thee, and do support
and sustain her, and help her to lean hard upon thee, and to
watch unto prayer, and grant that at evening time it may be
light. May the glory, light, and power
of the gospel shine into this village and the surrounding villages
and hamlets. May precious souls be gathered
in. May the Lord Jesus be exalted among us. May the strongholds
of Satan be pulled down and the kingdom of our Lord Jesus set
up in the hearts of sinners. And may thy people be confirmed
in the faith. We do humbly beseech of thee. Well, we pray, most gracious
Lord, for a heart that is thankful, especially for the abundance
of grace in Jesus Christ, the fullness of that salvation that
he has wrought out for his people. We thank thee for our Lord Jesus
Christ. We thank thee that he was made
of a woman, made under the law, that he might redeem them that
are under the law, O Lord, we do thank Thee for the glory of
His name. Truly, He is the Son of God.
Oh, that we may worship Him this night. We thank Thee then for
Calvary, for the sacrifice, that glorious, perfect sacrifice,
for sin being put away, and divine justice being satisfied. Oh,
we thank thee for the precious blood of the Lamb that cleanses
from all sin. We thank thee, most gracious
Lord, that he died for our sins. He poured out his soul unto death,
but he is risen again. He is swallowed up in victory.
That hideous monster death brought life and immortality to light
through the Gospel. Eternal life at His request to
every soul is given. Oh, we thank Thee that Thou art
kind, that we might have life and that we might have it more
abundantly. Lord, may it be so. We do humbly
beseech of Thee. Come and touch one's lips with
a live coal from off the heavenly altar. Most gracious Lord, that
we may be enabled to speak forth the words of truth and love. We ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 34, The tune is Roscommon 401. To comprehend the great 3-1 is
more than the highest angels can, or what the Trinity has
done from death and hell to ransom man. Hymn number 34, tune Roscommon
401. ? Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen
? O friend, may beauty and handsome
Come where your friend fares to rest your head ? Of truth which can change the
earth ? ? And truth will lead us home again ? ? And the fish and the birds ?
? And the shepherds and the lambs ? ? And the shepherds and the
lambs ? O come, let us adore Him, O come,
let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. ? God's tree, God's tree ? ? With
its deep red leaves ? ? In blooming season of bright sunshine ? O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? ? He calls these generations to
die ? ? Glory to God, the Son of the Queen ? ? Glory to the Father and the Son
? ? Glory to the Father and the Son ? Christ, the holy one, came
to take the cross. Salvation and sanctification. Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the chapter
that we read, the third chapter of John's Gospel, and we'll read
the last two verses of the chapter. John chapter three, reading verses
35 and 36 for our text. The Father loveth the Son, and
hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the
Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son
shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. This chapter It is full of some
of the most precious, sacred truths of our most holy faith. And a word spoken by our Lord
Jesus Christ himself, commences with that well-known passage, the Lord Jesus speaking
with Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. You think Nicodemus was one of those who
was, what we might say, a hidden disciple. He didn't have the
courage to openly profess the name of Christ, mainly because he was a ruler
of the Jews and he would have been cast out if he'd have done
so. There were several secret disciples
in the days of No doubt that there are several secret disciples
in the days in which we live. And the Lord knows where they
are and he will speak to them. Now we read here, the same came
to Jesus by night and said unto him, Rabbi, that means master,
we know that thou art a teacher come from God, For no man can
do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him. It's
a statement of truth by Nicodemus. But look at the answer of Jesus
Christ, verily, verily. The word verily is translated
from the same word as amen. Or truly, or certainly. And there's
a double emphasis in the teachings of Jesus Christ, verily, verily,
certainly, certainly, or amen, amen. I say unto thee, except
a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. How the Lord Jesus comes straight
to the point. Nicodemus, as was the case with
many that the Lord Jesus met with. In the following chapter,
the fourth chapter, he met with the woman of Samaria by Jacob's
well. She misunderstood, naturally
interpreting what he said, not in a spiritual way, but in a
natural way. Same here with Nicodemus. How can a man be born when he
is old? Can he enter the second time
into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered again the same
emphasis, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born
of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. How vital then these teachings
are. You know the dear apostolate
He lays a similar emphasis in the first epistle of the Corinthians
in chapter 2. He says there in verse 10, But God hath revealed
them unto us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all
things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth
the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?
Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of God.
Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the
spirit which is of God. That we might know the things
that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not
in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy
Ghost teaches comparing spiritual things with spiritual. And I
believe what he means by that is comparing the Word of God
with the Word of God. Spiritual things with spiritual
things. But the natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness
unto him, neither can he know because they are spiritually
discerned. You see, my beloved friends,
do we have this spiritual discernment? Do we have this spiritual life? We can have a lot of religion
and it may be very sound in doctrine but do you have spiritual life? Think of what the dear Apostle
says in Ephesians 2, you hath he quickened who were dead in
trespasses and in sins. Then you think of what the Lord
Jesus says, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born
of water and of the Spirit, that's the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter
into the kingdom He makes a distinction here between
flesh and spirit. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee,
ye must be born again. Ye must. Oh, my beloved friends,
what an emphasis there is here. Ye must be born again. except a man be born of water
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. It's an utter impossibility. Oh, that these things may sink
deep into our hearts and that the Lord may unstop our deaf
ears and open our blind eyes to see, to know. It says here, there's different
names that are given to Christ in this chapter. And so we read
in verse 13, And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he
that came down from heaven, that of course is Christ, even the
Son of Man, which is in heaven. Very important doctrinal statement
there. When he was here on earth, He
was present in heaven. Not in his human nature, but
in his divine nature. Because he filleth all in all.
You cannot confine God to any place. He fills immensity. He's infinite in his very being.
So when Christ was here upon earth, he was still in heaven. he that came down from heaven
even the son of man which is in heaven in heaven now and was
in heaven when he was here upon earth because he's infinite he's
omnipresent we've often explained to you those pieces in the psalm
139 where it speaks of the omnipresence of God The term omnipresence
means in all places at all times. God is everywhere. And David,
meditating on this sacred search in truth that God is everywhere, God sees all things, knows all
things. He said, if I make my bed in
hell, behold thou art there. If I go into heaven, behold thou
art there. If I take the wings of the morning,
go to the uttermost parts of the sea, even there, even there
shall thy hand hold me. You see, my beloved friends,
thy right hand shall hold me. It's a very sacred truth. God
is everywhere. God is everywhere. We can't go anywhere. We can't
rest anywhere. We can't travel anywhere. But
God is there. Fear not. I am with thee. Be not dismayed. I am thy God.
I will help thee. I will uphold thee with the right
hand of my righteousness. He's there. He's there with his
people. Each one of his people here upon
earth is there with them. You think of the the same sacred
truth concerning the Holy Ghost, the divine sacred person of the
Holy Ghost, the third person of the Trinity. Just consider,
he literally dwells in the heart of every believer. Every believer. Tens of thousands
of believers throughout all the Earth. And the Holy Spirit dwells
in every one of them. He's present in the assembly
of his saints in every nation of the earth, wherever his people
gather together. The Holy Spirit is there. The
Lord Jesus is there. Our Heavenly Father is there.
They're co-equal and co-eternal. They are. It goes on here, and
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
the Son of Man be lifted high. that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish but have eternal life. One hymn writer says, doesn't
he, eternal life at his request to every soul is given. That whosoever believeth in him
should not perish but have eternal life. You may have a very weak faith. You may feel to be very small
spiritually. You don't feel to be strong spiritually. You feel to be weak. You look perhaps at others and
they have a stronger faith. They've had a deeper experience.
can speak of the love of Christ and the power of that love overpowering
them, filling them, you perhaps can't say that. One hymn writer says, relative
to God and believers, the weak are as dear as the strong. They
are. The spirit dwells in their heart
as well as in the strong. There are degrees of faith. Some
have a very weak faith and never rise very high in their spiritual
experience regarding their faith. Others, they do. The Lord is
a sovereign in what he gives to his people. Whosoever believeth
in him shall not perish. That's the weak as well as the
strong. It is for God. infinite love
of God, for God so loved the world, that is God our Heavenly
Father. In another sense, it's God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, for God so loved
the world, these three are one, for God so loved the world, that
He gave, it's God the Father, He gave His only begotten Son. that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. Oh my beloved friends,
there may be those little ones here tonight, and you feel that
you do not have a very strong faith. But it is not the strength of
your faith that will get you to heaven. It's having real faith
that will get you to heaven. whether it's weak or whether
it's strong, it makes no difference whatsoever. That person that
is weak in faith will spend an eternity worshipping the Lamb
in the midst of the throne along with those that are strong in
faith. For God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten Son. So here As you notice, we noticed
in verse 13 that he's called the son of man, which is in heaven. But here in verse 16, that he
gave his only begotten son. He's the only begotten of the
Father. The first chapter of John's Gospel,
it speaks of it. That John, he says, we beheld
his glory. the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. For God sent not His
Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world
through Him might be saved. The world through Him might be
saved. The apostles, they say, don't they? For there is salvation
in none other. For there is none other name
given unto heaven whereby ye must be saved. but in the name
of Jesus Christ who is the only begotten Son of the Father. One
hymn writer speaking of the begotten and he makes this point, begotten
not created. He's been the only begotten Son
of the Father from all eternity. There's never been a time when
there was not a Son of God. There's never been a time when
there's not a Holy Father. There's never been a time when
there was not a Holy Ghost. There always have been. From everlasting to everlasting,
Thou art God. Thou art God. These three are
one. One, blessed, infinite, eternal,
almighty God. We read in the, I believe it's
the Ecclesiastes, a threefold call. cannot easily be broken. What a beautiful description
there of the Trinity. A threefold cord cannot easily
be broken. He that believeth on him is not
condemned. But he that believeth not is
condemned already because he hath not believed in the name
of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation
that light is coming to the world. And men love darkness rather
than light because their deeds were evil. You see, my beloved
friends, these things are written for our instruction. For everyone that doeth evil
hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds
should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh
to the light. Jesus said, I am the light of
the world that his deeds may be made manifest that they are
wrought in God. You never chose God. You never
chose the way of righteousness. No. You have not chosen me, but
I have chosen you. It's a divine act of God. In eternity past, that sacred
compact or covenant made between the Father, the Son and the Holy
Ghost, a covenant of salvation, a covenant of redemption, a covenant
wherein it is agreed, the divine persons in the Godhead agreed to save, to redeem, to deliver, these persons from sin and Satan's
power. Jesus says here in John 17 concerning
those that thou hast given me. The Father chose a people in
the Adam 4. He chose them to salvation, to
redemption, to glorify his name forever and ever. An everlasting
salvation. It's decreed and purposed by
the Eternal God that these persons will reach Heaven. These persons
have been redeemed. When the Father chose those people,
He gave them to His Son, Jesus Christ. And He agreed in that
Eternal Covenant to redeem them. He agreed that He would take
our nature, that He would become bone of our bone and flesh of
our flesh. He would live as a man here upon
earth. As the Apostle says in Galatians
4, made of a woman. The Son of God was made of a
woman, made under the law that He might redeem them that are
under the law. I come not to destroy the law,
said Christ, but to fulfil it, and in that holy life he lived,
he fulfilled the law on the behalf of every single one of his blood-bought
people. He brought in everlasting righteousness. Oh, my beloved friends, there
is a righteousness that is obtainable by faith, and it's by faith in
Jesus Christ For he whom God has sent speaketh the words of
God. For God giveth not the spirit
by measure unto him. You see, God the Father, God
the Son, God the Holy Ghost are all here. All involved in the
salvation of the people of God. You see, for God giveth not the
spirit. The name in the Old Testament
given to Christ is or what Christ means is the Messiah. And throughout the Old Testament
there was the promise of the coming of the Messiah. Hence
His name is Jesus Christ. Christ means the Anointed One.
You see the Father loveth the Son. He anointed that sacred
holy human nature that the Son of God assumed without measure,
it says here, for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto
him. The Lord Jesus, when he speaks
of his miracles and his preaching and the power, he says, if I
by the finger of God, who is he referring to? The Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost, the finger of
God. If I by the finger of God cast out devils, And by his preaching, devils
were cast out of people. And by his preaching, poor sinners
were brought from darkness into light, from bondage into liberty. By the preaching of Jesus Christ,
and then subsequently by the preaching of the apostles. The Father loveth the Son. He loves him with an everlasting
love. from all eternity and to all
eternity. And you know, my beloved friends,
I believe that His love for Him was so great at the time of the
crucifixion. And in Gethsemane, when He laid
upon Him the iniquity of us all, and when in that holy human nature,
the Son of God suffered and bled and died, on Calvary's trail,
all the love of the Father, so great to His Son, and in those
perfect sufferings of the perfect man, the Church is accepted in
the sufferings of Christ. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. The Father loveth
the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. For the glorious person of Jesus,
the Son of God, anointed with the Spirit without
measure, sent on a mission by His Heavenly Father to redeem
the church, to suffer, bleed and die. What a strange way God
shows His love, His infinite love, to poor, lost, ruined,
sinful man. It's by the sending of His Son. And it says here, Verse 31, he
that cometh from above is above all. That's Christ. He that is
of the earth is earthly and speaketh of the earth. He that cometh
from heaven is above all. And what he hath seen and heard
that he testifieth. No man receiveth his testimony.
He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God
is true. What testimony? His precious
blood that cleanses from all sin. His glorious everlasting
righteousness that clothes a poor naked sinner. His blood that
washes away all their sins. The testimony, the testimony
of the Spirit in the heart of a poor sinner. In the first epistle of John,
But we read there concerning the believer in the fifth chapter
of the first epistle of John. And verse four, for whatsoever
is born of God overcometh the world. And this is the victory
that overcometh the world, even our faith. Faith and believing are synonymous
terms. They mean the same thing. Who is he that overcometh the
world? But he that believeth that Jesus
is the Son of God. This is he that came by water
and blood, even Jesus Christ, not by water only, but by water
and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth
witness, because the Spirit is truth. And there are three that
bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. and these three are one. It is the witness of God, the
witness of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the Lord's people. He witnesses of the preciousness
of the blood of Christ. He witnesses in the heart of
the sacred glory of the righteousness of Christ and the poor sinner
by faith receives the blood, is made at peace with God through
that precious blood of Jesus Christ. It is, the Father loveth
the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth
on the Son hath everlasting life. And he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. Oh, my beloved friends, how vital then is this union with Christ. There is therefore, now therefore,
no condemnation to them that are in Christ. No condemnation. We've noticed here, I've got
no doubt, that the Apostle is referring to that, when he says
about the Lord Jesus Christ, and for God so loved the world,
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son
into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through
him might be saved. There is therefore no condemnation
to them that are in Christ Jesus. No condemnation. What a wonderful
precious truth. The Father loveth the Son, and
hath given all things into his hand. You know in that next chapter,
chapter 4, when the Lord Jesus is speaking of the woman at the
well, the woman of Samaria? Just look at verse 14. He's speaking
of the Holy Ghost. But whosoever drinketh of the
water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that
I shall give him shall be in him, A well of water, springing
up into everlasting life, that's the Holy Ghost. Dwelling in the
heart of the believer, springing up. It's a spring, it's a living
spring in the heart, springing up. Not only just for this life,
but for that life which is to come. That eternal life, which
is in heaven, in glory. I love that word here in John's
Gospel, the Lord Jesus, speaking of the gift of the Holy Ghost. He shall be with you forever.
A wonderful truth, isn't it? He shall be with you forever.
If you have that evidence, that hope, that you're born again,
that the Holy Ghost has quickened your soul, and he witnesses in your heart
to your sinfulness, to your wretchedness, but he also witnesses in your
heart to the fullness of grace that is in Christ Jesus. And so you're brought to turn
away from self, to Christ. That's the divine
work of the Spirit. And there's no condemnation there. Indeed, those precious souls
that are brought to see and realise their lost condition, their wretched
condition, their hopeless condition, and they labour under it. They
labour under it. They feel their lost condition.
They know their lost condition. They feel the corruption of their
heart. They have to say sometimes, can ever God dwell here? Because
I have such a sinful heart. And when the Spirit of God work
in faith in the heart, Christ is revealed. No condemnation. Saved from sin and Satan's power. The peace of God that passes
all understanding. shall keep your hearts and minds
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. That's where salvation is, redemption
is. Reconciliation unto the Father
is in Christ. For through Him we have access
by one Spirit unto the Father. What a precious truth that is,
isn't it? Access unto the Father. And those lovely words, I often
quote them to you, for the father himself loveth you. He loves you with an everlasting
love. He does indeed. In that beautiful valedictory
discourse of John 14, 15 and 16. And he speaks there so beautifully.
Verse 23, Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love
me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and
we will, that is the Father and the Son, and we will come unto
him and make our abode with him. How? By the Holy Ghost. These
three are one. The Holy Ghost dwelling in the
heart of the believer. You can't have the Spirit and
not have Christ. They are one. You can't have
Christ and not have the Father. They are one. If a man loved me, he will keep
my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him
and make our abode with him. Make our abode with him. I like
what the hymn writer says about the Holy Ghost. He says concerning
the Holy Ghost dwell therefore in our hearts. Dwell therefore
in our hearts. Oh that we might feel more of
that indwelling and power and influence of the Holy Ghost in
our arms, witnessing to our lost condition and witnessing to the
power of Christ to save and to redeem and to deliver from sin
and Satan's power, witnessing that the blood of Jesus Christ,
God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. That's what the Holy
Ghost witnesses. Witnessing that the glorious
everlasting robe of the righteousness of Christ is the believers. The perfect obedience of Christ,
the righteousness of Christ, it's the believers. One hymn writer says, doesn't
he, a royal robe to cover thee. A royal robe to cover thee. to stand in the presence of God
in royal clothing. The king's daughter is all glorious
within her clothing. It is of raw gold. It is. We read in Isaiah 61 verse 10,
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful
in my God for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation. He hath covered me with the robe
of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments,
and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth
bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causes the things
that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause
righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. glorious, everlasting righteousness
of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Father loveth the
Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth
on the Son hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son
shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. You know the dear Apostle he
speaks in the 15th chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians,
speaks of Christ and the glory of Christ. He says in verse 51, behold I
show you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, But we shall all
be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trump. For the trumpet shall sound,
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed. For this corruptible must put
on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when
this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal
shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass
the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. The sting of death is sin, the
strength of sin is the law, but thanks be to God which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. All that our Lord
Jesus Christ may be made precious unto our souls both in the desire
after Him and in the sweet experience of His love. God is love and
that's what we read of here. The Father loveth the Son. God
is love. Infinite love. Eternal love. The Father loveth the Son and
hath given all things into His hand. He that believeth on the
Son hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son
shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. May the Lord add his blessing
to these few remarks. Lord Will, our pastor, will be
at Swayze on Lord's Day and next Tuesday will be traveling to
the USA and will be absent from us for about three weeks. We
thought it would be appropriate to conclude our service with
hymn number 373. We do pray for the Lord's rich
blessing on our pastor's ministry and likewise the Lord's servants
that come amongst us in his absence. We notice the heading for this
hymn is Prayer for a Minister and we can truly say a prayer
for our pastor. Hymn number 373. The tune is
Silver Hill, number 411. With heavenly power, O Lord, defend
him whom we now to Thee commend, his person blessed his soul secure, and make him
to the end endure. Before him thy protection send,
O love him, save him to the end, nor let him as thy pilgrim rove
without the convoy of thy love. Hymn number 373, June Silver
Hill, number 411. you. Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave His works are blessed, so secure,
And we give to him great thank you. ? Surging waves ? ? Violently beating
? ? As the wind ? ? Gliding through the plains ? ? Facing the wind
? ? Happy to be loving like you ?
? If only for a little while ? ? Hail, Georgetown ? ? Ever praise
to thee ? ? To thee be praise ? ? Glory to thee, O Israel ? ? Glory
to thee, O Israel ? ? And fill his heart ? ? Give him
the glory he deserves ? ? And a thousand years more ? ? Both
will be blessed ? 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
forevermore. Amen.