The notices for the coming week
are God willing as follows. Pastor will preach here next
Lord's Day at 10.30 and two o'clock. There'll be no prayer meeting
on Tuesday this week. There will be no service on Thursday
as it is our Thanksgiving services on Friday when Timothy Parish
is expected to preach at 3.30 and 6.30. Tea will be served
between the services The collection on Friday is on behalf of the
Christian Institute. There will be a church meeting
here on Monday the 4th of September at 7 o'clock. Let us commence our services
today by singing together hymn number 528 to the tune Coventry
119. The gospel is good news indeed. To sinners deep in debt, the
man who has no works to plead will thankful be for it. Hymn
528, tune Coventry 119. The gospel is the privilege of
the king, O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of ? Of living glory ? ? Till earth and heav'n
? ? Rest no more to pain ? Is there to hold this child till
birth? ? In many a perfect day ? ? And
said, it's all right now ? ? How beautiful ? ? How beautiful
heaven's grace ? ? How beautiful heaven's grace ? ? That banished
pain ? ? That banished pain ? ? Our resentment now ? ? The peoples of ages ? ? And men
of old remain ? We come from sin and take the
chance And seek the Lord ? When hosts of sleep have gone
their due ? ? They turn in spirit, humble and true ? ? How can we trust the prism of
need ? ? While Christ shall pass to dwell ? ? Day to day ? ? And bow the house of thee ? ?
And kneel before thee still ? The man that feels his guilt
abound, and knows himself a thing, We'll find the cross, and the
life of self, each one of each to be. Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 5. The Acts of the Apostles, Chapter
5, will commence our reading at verse 12. And by the hands of the apostles
were many signs and wonders wrought among the people. And they were
all with one accord in Solomon's porch. And of the rest, as no
man joined himself to them, but the people magnified them. And
believers were the more added to the Lord. Multitudes, both
of men and women, in so much that they brought forth the sick
into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at
least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out
of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks,
and them which were vexed with unclean spirits, and they were
healed every one. Then the high priest rose up,
and all they that were with him which is the sect of the Sadducees
and were filled with indignation and laid their hands on the apostles
and put them in the common prison. But the angel of the Lord by
night opened the prison doors and brought them forth and said
go stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of
this life. When they heard that They entered
into the temple early in the morning and talked. And the high
priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council
together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and
sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the officers
came and found them not in the prison, they returned and told. saying the prison truly we found
shut with all safety and the keepers standing without before
the doors but when we had opened we found no man within. Now when
the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priest
heard these things they doubted of them whereunto they would
grow. Then came one and told them saying
behold the men whom ye put in prison, are standing in the temple
and teaching the people. Then went the captain with the
officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the
people, lest they should have been stoned. And when they had
brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest
asked them, saying, did we not Did not we straightly command
you that you should not teach in this name? And behold, you
have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring
this man's blood upon us.' Then Peter and the other apostles
answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. The
God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew, and hanged
on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his
right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance
to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses
of these things. And so is also the Holy Ghost,
whom God hath given to them that obey him. When they heard that,
they were cut to their heart and took counsel to slay them.
Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee named Gamaliel,
a doctor of the law, had him reputation among all the people,
and commanded to put the apostles forth a little pace. And said
unto them, you men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what
you intend to do as touching these men, for behold, For before these days rose up
Thudas, boasting himself to be somebody, to whom a number of
men, about four hundred, joined themselves, who were slain. And all, as many as obeyed him,
were scattered and brought to naught. After this man rose up
Judas of Galilee in the days of taxing, and drew away much
people after him. He also perished. And all, even
as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. And now I say unto you, refrain
from these men, and let them alone. For if this counsel or
this work be of men, it will come to naught. But if it be
of God, ye cannot overthrow it, lest happily be found even to
fight against God. And to him they agreed. And when
they had called the apostles and beaten them, they commanded
that they should not speak in the name of Jesus and let them
go. And they departed from the presence
of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer
shame for his name. And daily in the temple and in
every house they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. May the Lord bless that portion
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, we desire to bow before thy great
majesty, Thou art the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and
the Ending, the First and the Last, the Creator of the heavens
and the earth, the High and Lofty One that inhabits this eternity,
whose name is Holy. We desire, O Lord, to bow before
Thee. We come as poor sinners. We come
with nothing in our hand. For, Lord, we have nothing to
bring. We are all as an unclean thing. We come and seek and hope
to find a portion for ourselves. We desire, most gracious Lord,
that thou, by thy good spirit, would lead us into the truth,
and that was open the gospel of thy grace unto our heart and
to our understanding. and that thou wilt grant that
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father,
and the sacred fellowship of the Holy Spirit, may rest and
abide upon us. We pray that we may be favoured
to feel and to know this day those divine drawings of our
eternal Father, drawing us unto his Son, Jesus Christ. We pray that we may be favoured
to have the Spirit of God, his inward teaching and power and
unction as we gather around the Word, that the Word of the Lord
may have free course and thy name may be honoured and glorified.
And Lord, it can only have free course if the Holy Spirit is
present with his heavenly power, with his divine unction. May
we know something this day of those blessed words, that the
Spirit will lead us into the truth. For God has sent forth
the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Oh, we do pray that we may experience
even today that divine anointing and that heavenly in the pulpit
and in the pew. Where there is deafness, give
hearing. Where there is darkness, give
light. Where there is a sense of being far off, make them nigh. O Lord, we do beseech of thee. Where there is death, give life. Where there is weakness, give
power. O Lord, do hear us. We humbly beseech thee for thy
great namesake, and have mercy upon us, and grant that thy word
here today may be a living word, a powerful word, among us here
as a church and as a congregation. And as the word goes forth on
the internet, may it be a living and powerful word there. May
precious souls be gathered unto Christ. May the strongholds of
Satan be pulled down. May the kingdom of the Lord Jesus
be set up in the hearts of sinners. May the glory and light of the
gospel shine into this village. We do humbly beseech in the surrounding
villages and hamlets that many, many, many precious souls may
be gathered in. We do humbly beseech of thee
for thy great names Show us thy ways, O Lord, and teach us thy
paths. We pray, O Lord, that thou, in
thy precious mercy, wouldst remember the little ones and the children
that gather with us. We love to see them in the sanctuary. And we pray that thou wouldst
give them the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom,
and that thou wouldst remember the dear young friends graciously
bless them and bring them to living faith in Jesus Christ,
that we may see the fulfilling of that word. Instead of thy
fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes
in all the earth. O Lord, thou art able to do abundantly
more than we can even ask or think. 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, we're all in the midst
of the journey of life, and graciously undertake for each one. Give
wisdom and grace to parents to bring up their children in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord, and grant thy blessing
upon the families in their homes. But we do pray for all in the
midst of the journey of life that thou would be gracious unto
them. We pray to be delivered from the temptations of Satan,
from the power and the dominion of sin. And we pray that most
gracious Lord that thou in thy precious mercy would deliver
us from the allurements of this vain world that has to death
ten thousands hurled. And sometimes, Lord, the enemy
comes in like a flood. Whether it be as an angel of
light to deceive us or a roaring lion to devour us, we need Thee
to lift up that glorious standard of the cross, to deliver us from
his power and from his influence. Lord, we do pray that we may
overcome him through the blood of the Lamb and the word of our
testimony. May thy truth dwell in our hearts. May we be made more spiritually
minded. And oh Lord God, we do pray that
thou in thy precious mercy would hear us and send prosperity. Remember those of us in the evening
time of life's journey. Undertake for each one. Oh Lord,
we do beseech thee and grant that at evening time it may be
light. Remember dear Ina at home and
bless her where she is. We thank thee, Lord, for the
internet and that she can listen to the services. Lord, do bless
her there. We do humbly beseech thee. And
oh Lord God, we do pray that thou in thy great mercy would
remember all thy servants as they labour in word and doctrine
this day upon the walls of Zion. set them free, set them at liberty,
O gracious God, we do humbly beseech Thee, and grant signs
to follow the preaching of the word. O do hear us, Lord, we
humbly pray Thee, and send real prosperity, that instead of declension
we may see an increase, instead the closing of chapels we may
see the building of chapels, O Lord, Thou art able to do abundantly
more than we could even ask or think. Thou hast promised to
bring our sons from far and our daughters from the ends of the
earth. O Lord of hosts, O God of Israel, O Thou that dwellest
between the cherubim, shine forth. Let Thy hand be upon the man
of Thy right hand, the Son of Man, whom Thou madest strong
for Thyself. Hear us, O Lord, and we read
together in thy word of the wonderful things that were done in the
days of the apostles. Grant such a day, Lord, we humbly
pray thee. We read those promises in thy
word, for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
Oh, that there may be that true spiritual travel we do humbly
beseech thee, that there may be a bringing forth of spiritual
children for thy great namesake. Constrain, O Lord, those that
do love Thee to follow Thee and to serve Thee. We do humbly beseech
of Thee, Lord, but we do pray that Thou in Thy precious mercy
would be with the twos and threes that gather together and probably
feel very lonely and isolated. We pray that Thou would draw
near and that thou wouldst graciously grant that godly increase, we
do humbly beseech of thee. Lord, we see so much surrounding
us of the spirit and power of Antichrist, and we pray to be
delivered from it and from its influence, but that thy word
may be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, we do
humbly beseech of thee. Lord, We pray that Thou wouldst
remember our nation and the solemn condition that we're found in.
Remember our leaders, O Lord, whether it be in Parliament or
judges and magistrates. Give wisdom, give guidance, give
direction. We do humbly pray Thee. We thank
Thee that Thou art God over all and blessed for evermore. And
there is nothing too hard for Thee. And the king's heart is
in the hand of the Lord, and as rivers of water he turneth
it withersoever he will. For thou art the sovereign ruler
of the skies, and ever gracious, ever wise. Remarquin, grant thy
rich blessing upon him and upon the royal household. We do humbly
beseech of thee. Remember those, O Lord, especially
we think of the people of Ukraine at this time of bloodshed and
war. We pray that thou would bring
to naught the counsels of the ungodly and that thou would overturn
their desires. We do beseech thee and we think
also of thy church that is in Ukraine. Pray for thy people
there that thou would indeed bless them, support them, revive
them, renew them, Lord, we pray that thou would remember those
that go forth from us as a group of churches among the nations
of the earth. We especially think of Ian Sadler
and pray that thou would supply all his many needs in the distribution
and the exposition of the word of God throughout the nations
of the earth. Gird him with all sufficient
strength. Oh Lord, we do beseech of thee.
Remember the Savannah education trust in Ghana and grant thy
rich blessing, O Lord, on that great work that they are doing
there in the Christian schools. And, O Lord, remember the Mombasa
mission and thy servant there and supply all their needs. We
do humbly beseech thee and grant good success unto their labours. We do humbly pray thee. Lord, we do thank thee. We thank
thee for thy holy day. We thank thee, most gracious
Lord, for thy holy word. This is the word by which the
gospel is preached unto us. We thank thee above all for Jesus
Christ and the sacred glory of his name and the fullness of
his grace and the power of his love. Oh, that we could know
that today, here as we gather, We thank Thee for His holy life
and the law fulfilled and honoured and magnified and everlasting
righteousness brought in. We thank Thee, most gracious
Lord, that He died for our sins. He suffered, He bled, He died
on Calvary's tomb. He shed His precious blood to
redeem His people. We do thank Thee for that dear
Saviour that has put away sin. And we thank Thee that He died
but rose again for our justification and has bodily ascended into
heaven and sitteth at Thy right hand. O Lord, we do thank Thee
for the sacred glories of Christ, for through Him we have access
by one Spirit unto the Father. We thank Thee that we have a
heavenly Father in Christ. We thank thee for the Holy Spirit,
for his heavenly power, for his divine unction. Come, Lord, and
touch one's lips with a live coal from off the heavenly altar
this day. We do humbly beseech you. Remember
our brethren, the deacons, and undertake for them. Give all
needed grace, wisdom, and help. And each one of our brethren
and sisters in Christ, in church fellowship, Lord, undertake for
each one. Those that are away, for rest
and change, we pray for each one, wherever they may be. We
ask all, with the forgiveness of all our sins, for Jesus Christ's
sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 239. The tune is Saint Marie, 835. The Lamb is exalted, repentance
to give. That sin may be hated while sinners
believe. Contrition is granted and God
justified. The sinner is humbled. and self
is denied. Hymn 239. Tune Saint Marie. 835. O come, let us adore Him, Christ
the Lord! ? Give us this day ? ? Eternal
return ? ? And inside our spirit ? ? Temperance unfold ? ? And we'll be blessed here ? ?
Till later and night ? ? And I'll be to the blessing ? ? A
strength and hope ever ? O come, O come, O come, O come,
O come, O come, Mir wendet sehns Blatte, auch
das Schicksal. Mir wendet sehns Blatte, auch
das Schicksal. Mir wendet sehns Blatte, auch
das Schicksal. ? God is good, God is lovely ?
? Let praise rise above ? ? For ever we will stand ? ? In spirit
and faith ? Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, direct your attention to the chapter that we read,
the fifth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, and we will
read verses 30, 31, and 32. The Acts of the Apostles, chapter
5, verses 30 to 32. The God of our fathers raised
up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exhorted
with his right hand to be a prince and a saviour, for to give repentance
to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses
of these things. So is also the Holy Ghost, whom
God has given to them that obey Him. The God of our fathers. This is right at the beginning
of the New Testament Church, after Christ has suffered, bled
and died for the sins of his people. The eternal son of the eternal
father. The only holy man born into this
world. Adam and Eve were created. And
they fell before they had any seed. And by falling into sin, they
ruined the whole of their race. Adam
is the federal head of the human race. The apostle, he says, as
in Adam all die. You know, we are born in sin. We are shapen in iniquity. That's our sad and solemn condition
by nature. And unless God, by His Spirit,
opens our hearts, enters our soul, then we shall be lost forever. The wages of sin is death. We all have sinned, the word
of God says, and come short of the glory of God. We're all unclean
by nature. The apostle quotes from the book
of Psalms in Romans 3, there is none that doeth good, no not
one. There is none righteous, no not
one. But this man, the man Christ
Jesus, but this man. You see, he lived. He lived here upon earth. The
Son of God lived here upon earth as a man. He that is infinite in his very
being. The Heaven of Heavens cannot
contain Him. What we have in the Word of God,
He's omnipresent. That means present in all places
at all times. And very clearly in the Gospels
when Christ was here upon Earth, it makes it very clear that He
was also in Heaven. You might say, well, how can
He be in heaven and on earth because he's the eternal son
of God and he cannot be contained anywhere. And so while he was here on earth
he was still in heaven in that eternal union with his father
as the son of God. But while he was here on earth
he came to redeem his people We read in Isaiah in prophecy,
a man shall rule, a king shall rule in righteousness. That is
Christ. We read in John's epistles that
he came, who the son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. It was the devil that tempted
Eve into sin. And as the scriptures say, he's
also the father of lies. The Lord Jesus Christ came to
destroy the works of the devil. And he did and he has destroyed
the works of the devil and he did and has redeemed his people. He saved them with an everlasting
salvation. Our gracious and our eternal
father took the sin of the church and laid it on his son. As it
says in Isaiah, He laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. He laid upon Him. What a sacred,
precious truth that is. The very heart of the Gospel. He took our sins, the sin of
the Church, and He imputed it unto His only begotten Son, who
was manifest in the flesh. He laid upon Him the iniquity
of us all, that sacred doctrine of imputation. Imputed unto his son, our sin,
the sin of the whole church. And we see the effect of that
in the Garden of Gethsemane, because that is where that was
done, in the Garden of Gethsemane. And he being in an agony, sweat
as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Why
was he in an agony? He was being punished for the
sin of the church. The hymn writer says, all penal
wrath to Zion due, infinite justice on him through. Oh, we cannot really fully enter,
can we? We know but in part, we cannot
fully enter the tremendous reality of the sufferings of Christ. And the tremendous burden of
the sin of the whole church laid upon him. But what we have here, you see,
it was because of those sins that he died. He gave his life for ransom for
all to be testified in due time. Jesus died for the sins of his
people. Jesus himself did no sin, neither
was guile found in his mouth. He never broke God's holy law.
He lived a life that was righteous and perfect and holy. But he did that for his people.
He did that for His people. And that perfect obedience of
Christ in Holy Scripture is called His righteousness. His righteousness. That wonderful
name given to Him in Jeremiah 23, Jehovah Sidkenu, the Lord
our righteousness. And this is what the righteousness
of Christ is. It's his perfect obedience to
the law. Upon a life I did not live, upon a death I did not die, hangs
my everlasting awe. Oh my dear beloved friends, do
you know anything of this? Of sin put away? Of divine justice
satisfied? in the glorious person of Jesus,
the Son of God. Never shall I forget that view
I had of Christ, feeling so desperately sinful
and wretched and rebellious and unclean. And those words were
poured into my soul like a heavenly balm. 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. Oh, that dear, suffering Saviour. And He voluntarily entered into
death. You know, it's purposely recorded
in Holy Scripture. It's recorded for our instruction. Father, says Christ, on Calvary,
Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." That's his holy human
soul. He commended it to his eternal
father and in so doing he entered into death. The body without
the spirit is dead, being alone. And he entered into death itself. And so in the beginning of our
text here The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom ye slew
and hanged on a tree. And as we read in the Word of
God in Romans, he rose again for our justification. Again,
I come back to dear Mr. Wood. Justification. How simply he used to put it.
just as if I had not sinned. See, their sins and their iniquities
will I remember no more. Why? Because Jesus lived and
suffered and bled and died for their sins. And then He rose again for their
justification. Put away, see, by that one glorious
offering, It says in the Hebrews, doesn't
it, concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, for by one offering,
He hath perfected forever all them that are sanctified. That
one offering is His sacred sacrifice on Calvary, where it says, all them that
are sanctified. It means all that the Father
gave Him. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. They are the sanctified ones
whom the Father chose and gave to the Son to redeem, to suffer,
to bleed and to die, to live for them, to suffer for them,
to die for them and then to rise again for their justification. One hymn writer says, payment
he cannot twice demand. First that my bleeding short
his hand, And then, again at mine, the God of our fathers
raised up Jesus, whom ye slew, and hanged on a tree. He rose again. Death was at the
end, was it? You know, this is one thing especially
the Apostle Paul was greatly challenged on. It's the doctrine. of the resurrection of the dead.
In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, he spends a whole chapter there
dealing with this issue. How that Jesus rose from the
dead. He said, if Christ be not risen
from the dead, we are of all men most miserable. It's only
through the resurrection of Christ from the dead that there is any
hope. It's only by the resurrection of Christ from the dead that
we are justified. See, all the sin of the church
was laid on Him. And when He suffered and bled
and died, He offered a holy sacrifice and He redeemed the church from
the curse of the law, from eternal damnation. He had delivered them
from the power and the dominion of sin. He's Jesus, the Son of
God. It was a glorious sacrifice.
I often try to explain to you like the Old Testament types
and the altar and the sacrifice and what it typifies. They all
pointed to Christ. Not all the blood of beasts on
Jewish altars slain could give the guilty conscience peace or
wash away the stain. But Christ the heavenly Lamb
bears all our sins away. A sacrifice of nobler name and
richer blood than they. Richer blood than they. The apostle
says when he writes to the Hebrews that none could take away sins. None of those legal sacrifices
offered under the Old Testament or the Old Covenant as it means.
None of them could put away sin. But they were typical and pointed
to the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Now that altar, the altar
typifies and represents the sacred divinity of the Son of God. That's what it represents. And
on the altar, in the old dispensation, was a sacrifice, a lamb or a
bullock or whatever it was that was being sacrificed. Had to
be without blemish, why? Because it typified Christ. And there it was laid on the
altar and burned with fire. So the Son of God offered himself. His divine nature is the altar.
The sacrifice on the altar of it is his human nature. You see
these things are, it's a complete sacrifice. The Son of God offered on the altar of his divinity,
his own sacred holy humanity. And as it says, for by one offering,
he hath perfected them forever. for ye are complete in Christ. Oh, my beloved friends, sin has
been put away. Divine justice has been satisfied. God and sinners are reconciled. Peace is made between God and
man. Where? In this glorious sacrifice
of Jesus Christ. That is where sin has been dealt
with. That is where the sinner is justified. So Christ entered
into death because the sin of the church laid upon him. And
he offered a perfect, holy, spotless sacrifice that was acceptable
unto his father. And then he was freed from death. Why? Because of that holy sacrifice. And the whole of his church,
his bride, his spouse, They are redeemed. They are freed from
sin. Therefore being justified by
faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Justified by faith. Peace with God. The God of our
fathers raised up Jesus whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his
right hand to be a prince. and a saviour and to give repentance
to Israel and forgiveness of sins. Him hath God exalted. Where? His right hand. The beginning, you know, it's
very profitable to look back into the Old Testament and the
sacrifices, the offerings and the all that is written and prophesied? Because it opens to us more fully,
more deeply. My mind, it goes to that beautiful
Messianic Psalm, Psalm 110. And what do we read there by
prophecy? It says in New Testament that
David himself being a prophet, and look what he writes, the
Lord, that's the Father, said unto my Lord, this is the first
verse of Psalm 110, the Lord said unto my Lord, that's Christ,
sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. He's exalted far above all principality
and power, and every name that is named, he sits at the right
hand of the Father, You know, when Solomon wanted to honour
his mother Bathsheba, he sat her at his right hand, at the
right hand of the throne, the place of honour. When our Eternal
Father honours his only begotten son, he sits at his right hand,
at the right hand of the Father. The Lord said unto my Lord, sit
thou, at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of
thy strength out of Zion. Roar thou in the midst of thine
enemies. And that is to spread the gospel. No longer confined just to the
Jewish church, but now every nation, every kindred, every
tribe, every tongue and every people. Send the rod of thy strength
out of Zion. Zion is the church of the living
God. It's where believers are gathered
together. It's called a little hill of
Zion. And it's said there, thy people
shall be willing in the day of thy power. What a wonderful thing. We've read together here in the
Acts of the Apostles, the day of God's power. And what did
it say? A multitude were added unto the
church daily. Multitudes. It's the day of God's
power. Isn't that what we need to pray
for? The day of God's power. As it
says in Isaiah, until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high.
How we need the power of the Holy Ghost. We need it in the
ministry of the Word. We need it in our hearts. We
need that divine indwelling and power of the Spirit of God in
our hearts to enlighten us, to give us liberty from sin and
bondage where the Spirit of the Lord is. There is liberty, liberty
from sin and Satan's power, liberty from the curse of the law, liberty
from the bondage of sin and corruption. Oh, that we might know that Spirit
of liberty the Holy Ghost bringing a poor sinner into union with
Jesus Christ, who's now exalted at the right hand of his Father. You know, the Apostle, he speaks
of it, doesn't he, so clearly, so beautifully, the exaltation
of our Lord Jesus Christ at the right hand of the Father. For such an high priest have
we, who is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. And John
says in his first epistle, we have an advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ, the righteous. In my thoughts and meditations
yesterday, my mind was very much drawn to Psalm 89. And in Psalm 89, how beautifully
David speaks there of the glory of Christ. Verse 19, then thou
spakest in vision to thy holy one and saidst, I have laid help
upon one that is mighty. I have exalted one chosen out
of the people. I have found David my servant.
Now it's David that is writing this. So what he's speaking of
is the son of David, even our Lord Jesus Christ, the son of
David. It's what the poor blind man
sitting by the wayside cried out, wasn't it? Jesus, thou son
of David, have mercy upon me. Jesus, thou son of David, my
beloved friends, is sitting at the right hand of the Father,
God manifest in the flesh, and he welcomes poor, guilty, wretched,
ruined sinners to come unto him. He does. Come unto me, all ye
that labour, labouring under a sense of your sinfulness, your
wretchedness, your lost condition. Come unto me, says this glorious
Redeemer. All ye that labour and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest, take my yoke upon you, and learn
of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest
for your souls. You see, I have found David my
servant. with my holy oil, that's the
Holy Ghost, have I anointed him, with whom my hand shall be established,
mine arm also shall strengthen him. The enemy shall not exact
upon him, nor the son of wickedness afflict him. I will beat down
his foes before his face and plague them that hate him, but
my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him. This is the
point of mercy. This is Where it says in the
Old Testament there, will I commune with thee? It's in Christ. The Ark, what
was in the Ark and the outward adornments of badger skins represent
Christ. But my faithfulness and mercy
shall be with him. And in my name shall his horn,
that's his power, be exalted. I will set his hand also in the
sea, and his right hand in the rivers. He shall cry unto me,
Thou art my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. Also
I make him my firstborn. He was his firstborn in that
he was sent forth and made of a woman and made under the law.
In that sense he is his firstborn. But he's also his firstborn and
this is quoted in the New Testament on this particular scripture.
He was made his firstborn when he rose from the dead. When he
destroyed death and him that had the power of death, I will
make him, my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.
He's now exalted at the right hand of the Father, King of kings
and Lord of lords. As he's called in Holy Scripture,
the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. My mercy will I keep for Him
forevermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with Him. My covenant, that covenant of
grace, that covenant of salvation, that covenant of redemption,
my covenant shall stand fast with Him. His seed also I make to endure
forever. Here is all the safety and the
security of the living Church of God. It's in Christ. Thou
art my rock and my fortress, my strong and my high tower,
and unto thee shall I continually resort, says the psalmist. That's
what Christ is to his people. Upon this rock, that's Christ,
I build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it. His seed also will I make to
endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven. His seed. His church. His people. The seed of David. The seed of
Abraham. The promise was given to Abraham
all those centuries ago. In thy seed, that is Christ,
shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. All the nations
of the earth be blessed. The God of our fathers raised
up Jesus whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted
with his right hand to be a prince and a saviour for to give repentance
to Israel and forgiveness of sins. Now this word, to be a
prince. Last Wednesday evening at Leatherhead
I spoke from Ezekiel chapter 37 and in Ezekiel 37 it prophesied Christ the Prince and it says
in if we just look at verse 24 and David my servant shall be
king over them again it's Christ Christ being the son of David
and David my servant shall be king over them and they all shall
have one shepherd They shall also walk in my judgments, this
is the church, and observe my statutes and do them. And they
shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant,
wherein your fathers have dwelt. And they shall dwell therein,
even they, and their children, and their children's children,
forever. And my servant David shall be
a prince forever. You see, our Prince, Christ Jesus,
sitteth at the right hand of the Father. He is exalted as
a Prince. The word or the name Prince means
a ruler. In some senses, it's the same
as the King, which Christ is. And very beautifully in Revelation
chapter one, it says, He is the Prince of the kings of the earth.
Who is Christ? He's the Prince of the Kings
of the Earth. He now rules in heaven above. He now sitteth
King forever. He's King forever. The word King,
or the name King, means one of supreme power. And Christ is
of supreme power. He's God over all, and blessed
forevermore. And he hath on his name, on his
side, a name written, King of Kings. and Lord of Lords, Him
hath God exhorted. This Saviour that was so humbled
here below, this Saviour that suffered and bled and died for
the sins of His people, this Saviour that was taken by the
hands of wicked men and crucified, He humbled Himself. He did. He humbled Himself as the Son
of God to become a man. And then even as a man, he humbled
himself. His mother Mary, according to
his human nature, was in very poor circumstances. She was a
daughter of David, but she was in very poor circumstances. Joseph
and Mary were just poor, ordinary people. And Christ lived here on earth,
didn't come to the rulers of the Jews, didn't come to the
emperors of the Romans and the governors of the Romans, to any
great people here on earth. He humbled himself. We have that
word, that word of exhortation in Philippians chapter 2, let
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who humbled
himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of
the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly
exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven,
of things in earth, of things beneath the earth." I always
feel that the One of the most beautiful passages in Scripture
concerning our exalted Savior is found in Ephesians chapter
1. And there in Ephesians chapter 1, he gives his desire. From verse 17, the Apostle Paul
gives his desire for the Ephesians. That the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit
of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, of Christ,
the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may
know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of
the glory of his inheritance in the saints and what is the
exceeding greatness of his power to us who are to believe according
to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ
when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right
hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and
power and might and dominion and every name that is named,
not only in this world, but also in that which is to come, and
have put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head
over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness
of him that filleth all in all. How beautifully there does the
Apostle, by the Spirit, speak so of this exalted Saviour, sitting
at the right hand of the Fathers. The God of our Fathers raised
up Jesus, whom ye slew, and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted
with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, and to give, look
at this, to give, repent of You know, there are many, and some
of them are good people. Don't misunderstand me, I'm cutting
people off here. But there are many that speak
of repentance as a duty. They say it's your duty to repent. It's your duty to believe. You know, here, it doesn't say
it's a duty. It says it's a gift. Repentance
is a gift from God. We just sung it in the hymn.
The Lamb has exalted repentance to give. For to give repentance to Israel
and forgiveness of sins. That's what he has to give. This
glorious Savior. He has to give repentance and
forgiveness of sins. These are the gifts of God. They
are. Christ himself said, except ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or that there may be
that desire, that longing, that yearning in your heart for real
repentance. When you feel the burden of your
sin, when you feel the defilement of your nature, when you feel
the corruption that is within you, then there is that desire
for repentance. And with repentance, I've often
explained this to you, but you know, friends, it's an important
point. There are those that think weeping
is repenting. And they say if someone weeps,
well, they're repentant. He doesn't. That's not really
right. The actual meaning of the word
repentance is to turn right round, facing God. It's a gift that
he alone can give, to turn you right round to face God. By nature
we face the world. The flesh and the devil, that's
the way we face. But when the Lord gives repentance,
he turns you away from all that. He turns you to God. As the apostle
himself says, repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus
Christ. You see, him has God exalted
with his right hand to be a prince and a saviour for to give repentance
to Israel. and forgiveness of sins. You know, repentance and faith
go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the
other. Some people, they speak as if, well, I have repentance,
but then they don't have faith. And they say, well, I have repented,
but they don't have faith. Do you know, friends, that's
confusion, utter confusion. You can't have one without the
other. If the Lord gives you faith, you'll have repentance.
If the Lord gives you repentance, you'll have faith. Those precious
graces of the Spirit. Repentance and faith. And the
reception of Christ in the heart, forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness
of sins. And he says here, and we are
his witnesses. these things and so is also the
Holy Ghost whom God hath given to them that obey him. That's
why they believe, that's why they repent. Now the fruit of
repentance is godly sorrow, godly sorrow. You might say why the
emphasis on the godly? Because there is a repentance
that is not underlined or as the Bible tells us, a repentance
that needs to be repented of. Not real, true, evangelical repentance. There's a legal repentance under
the law, but that's not a gracious, godly repentance. It's not in
Christ. We need the proper name that
is often used, especially by the Puritans, evangelical repentance. What does it mean? Christ is
the evangelist. Evangelical repentance comes
from Him. And that's what we need. Not
a legal repentance, but a true godly repentance. And coming with it, godly sorrow
for sin. You know friends, I quoted that
verse this morning already concerning Christ in Isaiah chapter
53. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.
If you come there in the spirit of faith to Calvary, that is
where you'll find repentance. Oh, my beloved friends, you see,
that legal repentance which is under the law, there's no softening
of heart, it's a heart. harsh condemning sentence it
is but that true evangelical repentance that is godly a godly repentance and well I have to speak from
my own experience here never have I felt repentance so fully
as I did when Christ was revealed suffering for my sins. I wept. The fruit of it was I
wept. Why? Because my sins were the
nails and the spear. It was my sins that made him
suffer, bleed and die. Did Joseph Hart in one of his
hymns, How Black, my sins appear when in that dear bosom they
meet? When you see Jesus suffering, bleeding, dying for your sins,
when you see the agony and the sorrow of Jesus the Son of God
on the cross of Calvary, and you're brought to realise by
the Spirit's inward witness, it was for you. He suffered for
me. He died for me. You see, and
we are His witnesses of these things and so is also The Holy
Ghost whom God has given to them that obey Him. And that is why
they obey Him. Because dwelling in their hearts
is the Holy Ghost. He's called the Spirit of Life
in Christ Jesus. And He gives life. He gives light. He gives light to see our sinfulness,
our wretchedness, our emptiness, our poverty, our hopeless condition. And He gives light and faith,
repentance to repent of our sins and turn away from our sins. And faith in the glorious precious
blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus Christ,
God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin, from all sin. That's how we're justified. Cleansed
from all sin, therefore being justified by faith. We have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ and we are his witnesses
of these things. And so is also the Holy Ghost
whom God has given to them that Obey Him. May there be that witness
in our hearts to the blood of Christ, to the righteousness
of Christ, and that desire in our soul, give me Christ or else
I die. May the Lord have His blessings. Let us now sing together hymn
number 145. The tune is Theodora, 511. Christ, exalted is our song,
hymn by all the blood brought throng, to his throne our shout
shall rise, God with us, by sacred ties. hymn 145, tune Theodora,
511. ? Jesus, Lord, in my heart I hold
Thee ? ? Glorious Christ, sacred child
? ? Shepherd, be gracious to us ? ? Where thy God ? ? He has once
divine bestowed ? ? His power to my love divine ? ? As it can climb ? ? Will I be
able to hear ? ? Symphony in bottom shape ? Raise your aim,
but still maintain I trade out the rival O come, O come, O come, O come,
O come, O come, O come, to Bethlehem. sacred night. Midnight shows me the way, His
dear hands were fist-holding, With his foam-less face adorned,
Holy as the clouds, ? O'er the valleys and depths of
grace ? ? Shining with their radiant rays ? With her sacred
record sure, Sinners ne'er could compare. ? They shall sing to thee from
heaven above ? ? They shall sing to thee from heaven above ? ?
They shall sing to thee from heaven above ? Now, may the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the sacred fellowship
of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each. Amen.