The notices for the coming week
are, God willing, as follows. Mr. Paul Tyler will preach here
next Lord's Day at 10.30 and two o'clock. Pastor will preach
here on Thursday evening at seven o'clock. And there will be a
prayer meeting here on Tuesday evening at seven o'clock. Let us commence our services
today by singing together hymn number 64, to the tune Melchizedek
483. I thought what an appropriate
hymn it was in the sad and sudden death of George Jemson this week.
Sovereign ruler of the skies, ever gracious, ever wise, all
my times are in thy hand, all events at thy command. Hymn number
64, tune Melchizedek O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? All my time shall in thy hand,
all events shall I command. ? O revenge and life from those
? ? Which degrade the earth ? ? It's my first and second life
? ? Parents waiting days and nights to see me again ? ? What love I give ? ? No other point in wonder I give
? ? He that holdeth me ? It shall guide me to the truth. Oh, my time shall never be O Lord of Light, this wise decree. O Lord of Light, this wise decree. Times of sickness, times of health,
Times of anger, grief, and battle, Times of trial and of grief,
Times of triumph and relief, ? Time's a-cryin' at every knee ? ? Time's a-tingin' at
every knee ? ? Thine to date the Saviour's power
? ? All must come and worship Him ? ? As shall it be ? ? Of every breath ? ? Earth shall
praise ? ? Of every breath ? ? Age and test ? ? Till he meets the Lamb of God. ? ? What a single child
shall need, ? ? Till the God above sees this ? ? Till the
God above sees this ? Let us read together in Psalm
48 and then Psalm 95. The book of Psalms number 48 and number 95. Great is the Lord, and greatly
to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his
holiness, Beautiful for situation. The joy of the whole earth is
Mount Zion on the sides of the north. The city of the great
king. God is known in her palaces for
a refuge. For lo, the kings were assembled.
They passed by together. They saw it, and so they marveled. They were troubled and hasted
away. fear to hold upon them there, and pain as of a woman
in travail. Thou breakest the ships of Tarsus
with an east wind. As we have heard, so have we
seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our
God. God will establish it forever,
sealer. We have thought of thy lovingkindness,
O God, in the midst of thy temple. According to thy name, O God,
so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth. Thy right hand
is full of righteousness. Let Mount Zion rejoice. Let the
daughters of Judah be glad because of thy judgments. Walk about
Zion and go round about her. Tell the towers thereof. Mark
ye well her bulwark. Consider her palaces, that ye
may tell it to the generation following, that this God is our
God for ever and ever. He will be our guide even unto
death. Now Psalm 95. O come, let us sing unto the
Lord, Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence
with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For
the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods. In his hand
are the deep places of the earth. The strength of the hills is
his also. The sea is his and he made it. and his hands form the dry land.
O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the
Lord our maker, for he is our God, and we are the people of
his pasture and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you will
hear his voice, harden not your heart, as in the provocation,
as in the day of temptation in the wilderness, when your fathers
tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. Forty years long was
I grieved with this generation, and said, it is a people that
do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways, unto
whom I swear in my wrath that they should not enter into my
rest. May the Lord Bless the reading
of his most precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real
prayer. Almighty, most merciful, and
eternal God of heaven, we do desire to bow before thy great
majesty, to call upon thy great and holy name. Truly thou art
the sovereign ruler of the skies, ever gracious, ever wise, too
wise to err, too good to be unkind. We desire to come before thee
and to worship as we've read together in thy word. Come now,
let us worship together. Lord, do grant us that spirit
of true worship as we gather round thy word today. and do
grant that the divine power and the heavenly unction of the Spirit
of God may be felt and realised as we gather around thy word
today, that the word of the Lord may be a living word, a powerful
word, that it may be with us as it was with the Apostle at
Thessalonica, for our gospel came unto you not in word only,
but in power, in the Holy Ghost, and with much assurance. Lord,
we pray that it may be so today, that the word of the Lord may
reach into our hearts, that we may feel the power of it in our
souls, that we may know its quickening influence in our hearts. Quicken
me according to thy word, O Lord, we do beseech thee. Grant that
the truth may live in our hearts, and the spirit of truth may live
in our hearts, that he may sanctify that place. For, Lord, our hearts
by nature are sinful, wicked, unrighteous, or we do desire
to come in confession before thy great majesty, confession
of our sin, and of our sinfulness. And truly, Lord, we painfully
feel that we were born in sin and shapen in iniquity. And as
the prophet declares, from the crown of the head to the sole
of the foot, wounds and bruises and putrefying sores, there is
no soundness in my flesh. And Lord, we prove it to be so
day by day. We pray that this day we may
be made more spiritually minded and that our heart and our affections
may be set upon things above. Lord, with the sudden death of
our young friend in this past week, it reminds us of thy word. In the midst of life, we are
in death. Gracious God, we are, it is true. and the wages of sin is dead.
But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Lord, we do pray for Stephen
and Helen and David at this time of great loss. We lovingly commend
them to thee and to the word of thy grace, which is able to
build them up. Let us breathe comfort where
distress abounds. and put forth thy healing hand,
and grant thy restoring mercies. Be Jehovah Rophi, I am the Lord
that healeth thee. Put the arms of thine everlasting
love around them, and grant that they may feel
something of the sweetness and power of those precious words.
Yea, I've loved thee with an everlasting love, Therefore,
with loving kindness have I drawn thee, draw them unto thyself,
O Lord, at this exceedingly sad time. We do pray that thou wouldst
bless us as a church and as a congregation, and that thou wouldst work mightily
and powerfully and effectually among us. Bless the little ones
and the children as they're brought into the sanctuary. We love to
see them and to hear them in the sanctuary. And thou, I said,
suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not,
for of such is the kingdom of heaven. We pray that we may each
be brought as a little child. Lord Jesus, didst thou not say,
except you become as a little child, you shall in no wise enter
the kingdom? Oh, do make me, Lord, a little
child, right, simple-hearted, meek and mild, and loving to
the end. Lord, we pray that Thou wouldst
bless the dear young friends, work mightily in their hearts,
bring them to living faith in Jesus Christ, that they may become
true followers of Thee and of those who through faith and patience
inherit the promises. that we may see the fulfilling
of that precious word, instead of thy fathers shall be thy children,
whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth. Bring us each
into subjection to thy word, to thy truth. We do humbly beseech
thee. And what I know not, teach thou
me. Lord, we do pray that thou would
deliver us from the snares of the wicked one. from the power
and dominion of sin. Thou hast promised in thy word
that when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the
Lord will lift up a standard against him. And how we need
the Spirit of the Lord to lift up that glorious standard of
Jesus Christ, to defend and keep us from the power and the dominion
of Satan. And though sin lives in us, may
we not live in sin. but may we live to him that died,
may we be surrendered to the crucified one. And while our
hearts, while our days on earth are lengthened, may we give them,
Lord, to thee. Enable us to do so, to live to
thy honour, to thy glory, and to thy praise, to lay aside every
weight and the sin that doth so easily beset and run with
patience the race that is set before us. May the glory, light,
and power of gospel truth shine into this village and the surrounding
villages and hamlets, that we may see an in-gathering, that
we may see a building of the wall, that we may see a godly
increase. Lord, we long to see Zion's offspring
come. As promised to Work, thou hast
said, I will work, and who shall let it? Gracious God, we pray
that thou wouldst work, that thou wouldst make bare thine
holy arm in the gospel, that thou wouldst rebuild, renew,
and revive thy Zion. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou wouldst remember parents and give them wisdom, and to
bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord, And we pray that most gracious Lord, that thou in thy precious
mercy would remember each in the midst of the journey of life. And that Lord, there are those
that are not here that could be here. We pray for them, that
thou would meet with them, that thou would speak to them. And
there are those not here because they can't be here. and we lovingly
commend them to thee. Oh, we pray that the prodigals
may return. Thy wonderful grace may be seen
in this. Remember our brethren, the deacons,
and give them needed wisdom and grace and help. We do humbly
beseech thee. And remember, oh Lord, those
of us in the evening time of life's journey. and remember
us for good. Remember us with the faith that
thou bearest unto thy people, guide us by thy counsel, and
afterward receive us unto glory. Lord, we pray for dear Ina in
her great age that thou wouldst undertake for her and bless her,
and breathe comfort where distress abounds. Remember all thy servants
as they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion. Set them
free, set them at liberty, many of them with long journeys. Lord,
watch over them and keep them, and grant mighty signs and wonders
to follow the preaching of the word, and grant the settlement
of pastors among the churches. We do humbly beseech of thee
that for thy great name's sake, Lord, we pray that thou, the
great Lord of the harvest, would send true labourers into the
harvest. Many of thy servants, O Lord,
are now in the evening time of life's journey, and thou hast
been pleased to raise up several younger men of late, and we pray
that thou, in thy great mercy, would bless their ministry and
grant an ingathering and a reviving and a renewing and a replenishing.
We think of those sacred promises to Zion. I will bring thy sons
from far and thy daughters from the ends of the earth. And they
shall come from the north and from the south and from the east
and from the west. Great God, let us see thy work. Let us see thy power. Let us
see thy glory. we do humbly beseech thee in
the gospel. O grant true prosperity and build
thou the walls of Jerusalem. Lord, it's thy work. And thy
power alone can bring a poor sinner from death into life.
Thy power alone can bring a poor sinner unto Jesus Christ and
to work faith in their hearts to believe. O let thy work appear
Let thy power be known, O Lord, we do beseech of thee. Arise,
arise, O God of grace, into thy rest descend, now in the ark
of thy strength. And let thy priests be clothed
with salvation, and thy saints shall shout aloud for joy. Oh,
abundantly bless the provision of thy house, and satisfy her
poor with bread. Lord, we pray for the dear friends
at Tunbridge Wells, that thou wouldst specially be with them
there today, and grant thy sacred presence and thy help unto thy
servant. We do humbly beseech thee. And
O Lord God, that we do pray for our nation, that the hills of
Zion up and down our nation, send out thy light, send out
thy truth. O Lord, we do beseech thee, for
thy great name's sake. And we pray, most gracious Lord,
that instead of a closing of causes of truth, we may see a
building, that we may see a foundation laid, that we may see the building
rising, and that we may cry grace, grace unto it. We do humbly beseech
thee. For it's not by might nor by
power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Oh, do be
gracious, Lord, we humbly beseech thee. Give wisdom to our leaders,
guidance and direction, and grant righteous government in our nation. And bless our king and the royal
household. Lord, remember us as a nation.
We've so turned away from thy word and from thy truth. Oh,
we do beseech thee, O Lord, to hear prayer and to return to
Jerusalem with mercies. We thank thee for every mercy
and every favour freely given. We thank thee for
all thy goodness that has passed before us in the way. Thy mercies,
O Lord, are new every morning, and great is Thy faithfulness.
We thank Thee for the sacred glory of Jesus,
the Son of God, manifest in the flesh, that profound mystery
of godliness. We thank Thee for His holy life
and everlasting righteousness brought in. We thank Thee for
His holy sacrifice sin put away. We thank thee that he shed his
precious blood, he gave his life of ransom for all, he died for
our sins. But Lord, we thank thee that
we worship a living Christ, who has the power of an endless life,
who rose again for our justification, and that he now bodily ascended
into heaven and sitteth at thy right hand. so we can come with
boldness, because we have such a high priest who is passed into
the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. Be with us, Lord, as we
turn to thy word, and make up in giving where we do so fail
in asking. Come and touch one's lips with
a live coal from off the heavenly altar. We ask for Jesus Christ's
sake, Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 61. The tune is Antwerp 283. Twas fixed in God's eternal mind when his dear son should mercy
find, from everlasting he decreed, when every good should be conveyed. Hymn number 61, tune Antwerp
283. It's all around the world. Shall
we still search for the missing one? Are we lost in the end?
? When every good should be done
? ? When every good should be done ? O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the
bombs bursting in air, ? And my heart contends ? ? Most
heavenly ? ? My greatest love ? ? Heaven and earth ? ? Study time and place ? ? Only
in time can learn ? ? Thy own nature can impart ? ? Oh, give them joy, oh, give them
grace ? ? Oh, give them joy, oh, give them grace ? ? Which by the dawn's early light
? ? O'er the land of the free ? ? And the home of the brave ? ? God's plan ? ? In every direction
? ? In every direction ? ? In every direction ? ? Where I shall always be to you,
my love ? ? And please don't be separate, my love ? ? Till
we meet again ? Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, put your attention to Psalm 48, and we'll read the last verse,
verse 14. Psalm 48, verse 14. For this God is our God forever
and ever. He will be our guide. even unto
death. For this God is our God forever and ever. From everlasting to everlasting. Thou art God. And then we have those beautiful
words that we quoted in prayer. The eternal God is thy refuge
and underneath are the everlasting arms. This God is our God, the creator
of the heavens and the earth. It says at the beginning of this
psalm, great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the
city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness, the city of
God. We see Zion, as it says here
in the next verse, beautiful situation, the joy of the whole
earth is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the
great king. The city of the great king. And the Apostle Paul, he dwells
on this when he writes to his son Timothy in the faith. And
he says, speaking of our Lord Jesus Christ, now unto the King
eternal, immortal and invisible, the only true God, be honor and
glory everlasting. Amen. Immortal, invisible. God over all, blessed forevermore. And it says here in the word
of God, he sits as king forever. He's a great God. And he's greatly
to be praised in the city of our God. That is where God is
praised. The church of God in the New
Testament is made up of believers. people that have been called
by divine grace, people in whom is spiritual life. Their souls
have been quickened. You hath he quickened who were
dead. And when their soul is quickened and they're brought
into union with Jesus Christ, they become citizens of Zion,
of the church of the living God. This God, you see, for this God
is our God. He's the King eternal, immortal,
and invisible. And as we've sung together, the
sovereign ruler of the skies. The apostle, he says in Ephesians,
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. He has his eternal purposes. We have those lovely words in
Romans chapter 8, how that all things, not just
some things, all things work together for good to them that
love God, to them that are the called according to his purposes. All things. We think of things working together
for our good, but we tend to think of the good things, the
blessings, the pleasurable things. But you know, friends, often it's the difficult things. Often it's the losses and the
crosses, the perplexities and the sorrows, the afflictions.
They're the things that work for our good. The psalmist, he
says, it was good for me that I've been afflicted. Before I
was afflicted, I went astray. It was good for him. Why? Because
he came back. Because the way the Lord dealt
with him, he brought him back. He brought him to see that it
was good and it was necessary. I can look back in my own life
and I see those very difficult Very perplexing things that have
happened, and yet they work for our good. They humble us. When the Spirit of God truly
uses it and sanctifies it, it humbles us. Humble yourselves
therefore under the mighty hand of God. He will exhort you in due season.
This great God, this almighty God, This King eternal, immortal,
invisible. With heaven and earth at His
command, He waits to answer prayer. Great is the Lord and greatly
to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of His
holiness. You think of the wonderful blessings
that are promised to be upon Zion, upon the church of the
living God. You look in the previous psalm
46 and how we read there of the things that happened and God
is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore
will not we fear though the earth be removed and though the mountains
be carried in the midst of the sea, though the waters thereof
roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the
swelling thereof sealer. There is a river. There is a
river the streams were of, shall make glad the city of God, the
holy place of the tabernacles. A tabernacle is a dwelling place.
The tabernacles of the Most High. In the Old Testament worship,
the presence of God was in the temple, in the holy place, between
the golden cherubims above the mercy seat. There was the Lord's
special presence there. When the high priest sprinkled
the blood seven times before the golden mercy seat, the Lord
said to Moses, there will I meet with thee, there will I commune
with thee from off the mercy seat. In the New Testament, the
presence of God is in the hearts of his people. He dwells in their
hearts. The hymn writer, I can't quote
it exactly, but he says, coming to the house of God, they bring
the Lord with them and go in, they take him home. What does
he mean? He means we don't have temples
anymore. We have places of worship set
aside for a right use and purpose, but not a temple. There's nothing
holy in bricks and mortar. The Lord dwells in the hearts
of his people. And this river that flows, there
is a river, the stream to our offshore make glad the city of
God. The river of his everlasting love. I have loved thee with
an everlasting love. Oh, the river of that love. Now,
where does the river of that love flow from? It flows from
Christ. Yet have I set my King upon my
holy hill of Zion, that King is Christ, the King eternal,
immortal, invisible. He sits on no precarious throne,
great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of
our God, where in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, Jesus, the Son of God, very God
and very man, the mediator. There is one mediator between
God and man, the man in Christ Jesus, who gave his life of ransom
for all to be testified in due time, a refuge for sinners the
gospel makes known. It is found in the merits of
Jesus alone, the weary, the tempted, the burdened by sin, were never
exempted from entering their inn. This great God has made
a wonderful provision for His people. And it's in Mount Zion,
in the Church of the Living God, in the person of His Son. Yet
have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion, King Jesus. It says here in this psalm that
we have, Psalm 48, and lo the kings were assembled they passed
by together they saw it that is mount zion and so they marveled
they were troubled and hasted away fear took hold upon them
there and pain as of a woman in travail you see in psalm 2
where we have it's a beautiful messianic psalm but it speaks
of the kings of the earth setting themselves Why do the heathen
rage? And the people imagine a vain
thing. The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers
take counsel together. And I believe that's exactly
what it's referring to here in this psalm. Psalm 48. Against the Lord and against
his anointed. That's the Lord Christ. The Lord's
anointed. They take counsel against him. And against his anointed, saying,
let us break their bands asunder. Cast away their cords from us.
That's the desire of the heathen. What would you call the bands?
Well, God's word. God's word. God's holy law. God's gospel. And the heathens say, those that
know not God, we don't want your word, your gospel, your truth,
your law. Away with it, we don't want it. He that sitteth in the heaven
shall laugh. What a solemn thought, isn't
it? And vex them in his sore displeasure. You know, you may
be tempted to think, and that's what the devil wants you to think,
that he's in control. And when we look into the corridors
of power and the wickedness and the evil in the day in which
we live, that's what the devil wants you to believe. Never forget
this word. It's a beautiful word. Yet, in
spite of all the wrath, opposition of the kings of the earth, Yet
have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree. The
Lord has said unto me, thou art my son. This is speaking of the
resurrection of the dead. Thou art my son this day, have
I begotten thee. Friends, this glorious person
of Jesus Christ, the great king and head of the church, On this
rock I build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against him. No. He sitteth king forever,
for this God is our God. You see, God so loved the world,
He gave His only begotten Son. Oh, the infinite and the eternal
love of the Father. God so loved the world, He gave
His only begotten Son. He was made of a woman, the eternal
Son of the Father, the King eternal and immortal and invisible. He
was made of a woman, made under the law, that He might redeem
them that are under the law. And that's what Jesus Christ
has done. That's what Jesus Christ has
done. He's accomplished it. And this
is the loving kindness of God. It says here in Psalm 48, we
have thought of thy loving kindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple.
Oh, the wonderful loving kindness of God in Jesus Christ. Him hath God exalted as a prince
and as a savior for to give repentance and remission of sins. God's
exalted him to give those precious gifts of faith and repentance,
godly sorrow for sin. A door of hope is open wide in
Jesus' bleeding hands and side. We see the Son of God in this world as a man. A true real man. He made him
a little lower than the angels. The apostle says in Hebrews 2,
doesn't he? But we see Jesus, who was made
a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death. He
came to save his people from their sins. When the angel named Jesus, Thou
shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from
their sins. Oh friends, we have an advocate
with the Father. Jesus lived a life that was holy
and pure and righteous. This is what makes this God so
great. He's great in holiness, he's
great in righteousness, he's great in mercy and in love. He's a great God in every way. Infinite love, infinite mercy,
infinite grace, infinite and eternal justice. Let us not have a lopsided view
of God. Some dwell absolutely entirely
on the love of God, But they ignore completely the anger and
wrath of God against sin and the holiness of God. Who were not at all acquitted
of their guilt. The soul that sinneth it shall die. These are
the words of this great God. The soul that sinneth it shall
die. When the Philippian jailer when
he was going to fall on his sword and the Apostle said unto him,
do thyself no harm. And he said, what must I do to
be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. Saved from what? Saved from your
sin. Saved from the power of sin.
Saved from the dominion of sin. Saved from the consequences of
sin. Saved in Jesus Christ, the Saviour
of sinners. They're lovely words, aren't
they? This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them. This holy
God-man, the man Christ Jesus, We have thought of thy loving
kindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple, according to thy
name, O God. God is love. So is thy praise
unto the ends of the earth. Thy right hand is full of righteousness. He's righteous and holy altogether. I felt very much drawn to that
Psalm 95 that we read together because of some of the similar
languages that we have in there relative to the psalm that we're
looking at. But there's this freedom, this
liberty, where the Spirit of the Lord, there is liberty, liberty
to worship God. set free from the curse of the
law, a door of hope in the glorious person, blood and righteousness
of Jesus Christ. O come, let us sing unto the
Lord, let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
That's Jesus, the rock of our salvation. Let us come before
his presence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise with
the Psalms. For the Lord is a great God and
a great King above all gods, above all gods. God over all,
blessed forevermore. I've always found the sweetness
in this fourth verse in Psalm 95. In his hand are the deep
places of the earth. the strength of the hills. He
says also, maybe you at this time are in the deep places of
the earth. Deep, calleth unto deep at the
noise of thy water spouts. Some deep things that some of
the Lord's people have to walk in. Paths of deep trouble and
deep trials. But never forget, those places
are in the hand of the Lord. They are. They're in His hands, are the
deep places of the earth. The strength of the hills is
His also. The sea is His, and He made it. You see, this great God, the
sea is His and He made it. And His hands formed the dry
land. O come. It's beautiful words, aren't
they? O come. Let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord
our maker. Wonderful thing, you know, when
we're given that liberty to do so. To kneel before the Lord
our maker and to worship the Lord our God. in spirit and in
truth, to be humbled under his mighty hand and to worship. O come, let us worship and bow
down. Let us kneel before the Lord
our maker. It's a sign of humility. Bow down, kneel. to obeisance
unto the God of heaven. You know, in the holy law of
God, it says there that the gods of the nations of the earth,
as it says in the Bible, they are no gods, but thou shalt not
bow down unto them. Thou shalt not worship them.
But this God is our God, the God that is the creator of the
heavens and the earth. and the sea is his, and he made
it, and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship. The Lord Jesus said to the woman
by the well, and them that worship him must worship him in spirit
and in truth. You know, friends, we cannot
truly worship God until the Spirit of God dwells in our hearts.
We cannot produce this worship in our flesh. It's a mockery
to God, where there is no spiritual life. It's a solemn thought, isn't
it? A natural man receives not the things of God, of the Spirit
of God. They're spiritually deserved.
And this worship that it speaks of here is a true spiritual worship. It's a person in whom the Spirit
of God dwells. person who has been brought to
see their lost condition and their helpless condition and
their hopeless condition and their insufficiency and their
poverty and they feel their need of salvation. They feel their
need of a way to God. Do you feel your need of a way
to God? Do you feel your need of salvation? Do you feel your need of being
reconciled unto God? O come, let us worship and bow
down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker, for He is our
God, for He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture,
and the sheep of His hand. Then there is this word, and
the Apostle takes this up in the Epistle to the Hebrews, today,
if ye will hear His voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation,
as in the day of temptation, in the wilderness. You know,
friends, I've actually heard people say, you know, you cannot
harden your hearts against God. Well, that is something that
is contradicting Holy Scripture. Because the Holy Scriptures tell
us you can. And the holy scriptures tell
us how we're hardened against God. And that's in Hebrews chapter
3, where there is the quoting of this psalm on several times. When the apostle, by the Spirit's
teaching, says in verse 7 in Hebrews 3, Wherefore, as the
Holy Ghost saith, today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not
your hearts, as in the provocation in the day of temptation in the
wilderness. When your fathers tempted me,
proved me, and saw my works forty years, wherefore I was grieved
with that generation. And so they do always err in
their heart. And they have not known my way,
so I swear in my brock They shall not enter into my rest. That's
the rest of faith. Take heed, brethren, lest there
be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from
the living God. Exhort one another daily while
it is called today. Lest any of you be hardened through
the deceitfulness of sin. It's sin that hardens. Habitual
sin. It hardens. or that we may lay
these things to heart and be brought to realise our
need, our need of faith, our need of repentance, godly sorrow. These must come from God, they
are divine gifts. Lord Jesus Christ is exalted
to give repentance. Some speak of repentance as a
duty, and I know in one sense that this is true, but since
when has grace been a duty? It's not something that we can
perform. It's something that has to be given. It's something
that the Holy Ghost gives. repentance toward God and faith in our Lord
Jesus Christ, faith in his glorious person. You see, we have thought
of thy loving kindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple. According
to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth. Thy right hand is full of righteousness. Those right hand blessings that
we often speak to you of. They are those rich spiritual
blessings that are in Christ Jesus. And one of those right
hand blessings is the righteousness of Christ. He gives this to his
people. He gives this to his people,
that glorious everlasting robe of his righteousness to cover
our nakedness. His precious blood that He shed
on Calvary. It cleanses from all sin. It
cleanses from all sin. This God is our God forever and
ever. He will be our guide even unto
death. According to Thy name, O God,
so is Thy praise unto the ends of the earth. This is a site
by the psalmist of the spread of the gospel throughout all
the nations of the earth. You'll find there are several
places in the Psalms where the psalmist had a clear view of
the Gentiles receiving the gospel. And this is one of them. According
to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth.
Thy right hand is full of righteousness, full of righteousness. The hymn
writer says, righteousness within thee rooted may appear to take
thy part, but let righteousness imputed be the breastplate of
thy heart. Righteousness imputed, the breastplate. the righteousness of Christ. Abraham, Noah were declared righteous
by God, by faith. Abraham believed God and it was
accounted unto him for righteousness. And it's when we're brought to
believe in the Lord Jesus and that believing in Christ, in
his glorious person, the holy God-man. Thy righteousness is
an everlasting righteousness. According to thy name, O God,
so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth. Thy right hand
is full of righteousness. Let Mount Zion rejoice. This
is the church of the living God upon earth, where the Spirit
dwells and reigns. Let Mount Zion rejoice. Let the
daughters of Judah be glad because of thy judgments. Walk about
Zion. Walk about Zion. These words
were made especially sweet and precious to me when I was exercised
about the ministry. A little spot I could take you
just close to Rotherfield out in the lanes there in my truck. And these words, the Lord breathed
into my heart, probably about two or three years before I was
sent into the ministry. Walk about Zion, go round about
her, tell the towers thereof, mark ye well her bulwarks. That mighty foundation upon which
the church is built. And then the bulwarks that are
placed upon that foundation, which is Jesus Christ and Him
crucified. The electing love of the Father,
the redeeming love of the Son, the sanctifying love of the Spirit,
these are the mighty bulwarks of Zion. Mark ye well her bulwarks. He that hath begun a good work
in you will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ, for this
God is our God forever and ever. who will be our guide even unto
death. Mark ye well, her poor bones. Consider the palaces. You know,
the palaces. He brought me into the banqueting
house and his banner over me was love. The love of Christ. The love of Christ to a poor
lost sinner. to a poor ruined sinner, to a
poor wretched sinner. He loves them with an everlasting
love. He brought me into the banqueting
house. His banner over me was love. The palaces, consider her palaces. Wonderful thing to be brought
in I love that beautiful psalm of going up onto the house of
the Lord and he says, our feet shall stand within thy walls,
O Jerusalem. Not without, within. No more
a stranger or a guest, but like a child at home, our feet shall
stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Mark ye well her ball works,
consider her palaces, that ye may, and this is so special to
me, that ye may tell it to the generation following. For this God is our God, for
ever and ever. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday,
and today, and forever. If once the love of Christ I
feel, impressed upon my breast, the mark of that celestial seal
can never be erased. In that lovely chapter 10 in
John's Gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ, he speaks of the divine
certainty of these spiritual blessings. Verily, verily, I
say unto you, he that entereth not by the door, the door is
Christ, into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the
same as a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the
door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth, and
the sheep hear his voice. And he calleth his own sheep
by name, and leadeth them out. When he puteth forth his own
sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they
know his voice. For a stranger will they not
follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of
strangers. Look at what the Lord goes on
to say. Verse seven, verily, verily,
I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came
before me are thieves and robbers, But the sheep did not hear them.
I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, he
shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture. He goes on there in verse 27. My sheep hear my voice and I
know them and they follow me. I give unto them eternal life,
and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. My Father which gave them thee
is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of
my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." All
that wonderful oneness. between the Father and the Son
and the Holy Ghost. And that wonderful oneness between
Christ and his Church, in that beautiful prayer of Christ, in
John 17. Father, the hour has come, glorify
thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee, as thou hast given
him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to
as many as thou hast given him, and this is life eternal, that
they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
thou hast sent. Then in verse 21, that they all
may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that
they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou
hast sent me, and the glory which thou gavest me I have given them,
that they may be one, even as we are. What a banquet in house,
isn't it? I in them, thou in me, that they
may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that
thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also
whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may
behold my glory, which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me
before the foundation of the world. Mark ye well her bulwarks,
consider her palaces, that ye may tell it to the generation
following, for this God is our God, For ever and ever he will
be our guide, even unto death. David, he says in Psalms, doesn't
he? Let thy word be a lamp unto my
feet and a light unto my path. You know, we find in the word
of God the way that we should go. David, Here in the book of Psalms,
he speaks of the way that we should go into that way of truth
and of righteousness to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. We just
read of it in John's Gospel. In Psalm 116, David says, I love
the Lord because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.
Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I
call upon him as long as I live. The sorrows of death compass
me, the pains of hell get hold upon me. I found trouble and
sorrow, then called I upon the name of the Lord. O Lord, I beseech
you, deliver my soul. Gracious is the Lord and righteous. Yea, our God is merciful. Then this exhortation, return
unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully
with thee. And then he says, verse 12, what
shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?
I will take the cup of salvation, that's Christ, and call upon
the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord
now, Notice that, it's what you might call an imperative word.
I will pay my vows unto Lord now, in the presence of all his
people. And then if you look again in
verse 18, and the scripture does not go in for vain repetition,
there's an emphasis. I will pay my vows unto the Lord
now, in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the
Lord's house, In the midst of thee, O Jerusalem, praise ye
the Lord, for this God is our God, is our God, forever and
ever. He will be our guide, even unto
death. You think of those lovely words
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let not your heart be troubled,
You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are
many mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place
for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that
where I am, there ye may be also. For this God is our God forever
and ever, who will be our guide even unto death. He that has
begun a good work in you will perform it unto the day of Jesus
Christ. May the Lord and His blessings. Let us now sing together hymn
number 525. The tune is Calper 318. What joyful news the gospel is
to guilty sinners in distress. It speaks of mercy rich and free
from such polluted words as we. Hymn 525. Kauper 318. Oh. The subject lived in fantasy. He sets my shadow in the night, Who took me in to intercede, Gave us Thy name upon His heart,
Thou wilt be with us when we fall. ? Holy Father of the world ? ?
Holy infant so tender and mild ? Dear and beside the God of peace, He loved me then the world began. Lord, You are the Savior of our
hearts. All the spirit and the heart
adjoins, As the deep blue of winter night. In endless love the world revealed,
All the spins of sacred hope revealed. O goodness worthy of ecstasy,
O Jesus Christ, ? What glory therefore toucheth
space ? ? The pity my Redeemer's face ? ? Would He hath taken ? 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.