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. Also on Thursday evening at seven
o'clock. There will be a prayer meeting
here on Tuesday evening at seven o'clock. The collections taken
during May amounted to £1,895. Donations to the book fund were
£70. We sincerely thank you for your
continued support of this cause of truth. Let us commence our
services today by singing together hymn number 745. The tune is
Pearly, 721. When Jesus would his grace proclaim, He calls the simple, blind and
lame to come and be his guest. Such simple folk the world despise,
yet simple folk have sharpest eyes and learn to walk the best. Hymn 745, tune pearly 721. Amen. Jesus would his praise proclaim
He calls us in the blind and lame To come and be his guest Such simple, but glamorous eyes,
Yet simple, but handsome disguise, And laughter of heav'n and air. They fear the wont of Jesus'
might, of Jesus' blood, of Jesus' blood, that shall not fail. They walk in Christ's heavenly
way, And fight and win the battle with peace on their side. ♪ Faithful King, where I have been
♪ ♪ My right is found in heaven ♪ ♪ Thy return, O Lord, is near
♪ ♪ The dawn is soon ♪ ♪ The dawn is nigh ♪ ♪ In Jesus' sight
♪ ♪ He is my rock ♪ ♪ My anchor ground ♪ ♪ And all my strength
♪ ♪ Such shepherds so kind may you
be ♪ ♪ Best of all the land ♪ ♪ Joyful be thy harvest ♪ ♪ They make me a little child ♪
♪ My symbol of strength ♪ ♪ Weak and proud and loving too ♪ Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the Book of Proverbs, Chapter 14. The Book of Proverbs, Chapter
14. Every wise woman buildeth her
house, but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands. He that walketh in his uprightness
feareth the Lord, but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth
him. In the mouth of the foolish is
a rod of pride, but the lips of the wise shall preserve them. Where no oxen are, the crib is
clean, but much increase is by the strength of the ox. A faithful
witness will not lie, but a false witness will utter lies. A scorner
seeketh wisdom and findeth it not, but knowledge is easy unto
him that understandeth. Go from the presence of a foolish
man when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.
The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, but the
folly of fools is deceit. Fools make a mock at sin, but
among the righteous there is favour. The heart knoweth his
own bitterness, and a stranger does not intermeddle with his
joy. The house of the wicked shall
be overthrown, but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish.
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end
thereof are the ways of death. Even in laughter the heart is
sorrowful, and the end of that mirth is heaviness. The backslider
in heart shall be filled with his own ways. and a good man
shall be satisfied from himself. The simple believeth every word,
but the prudent man looketh well to his going. A wise man feareth
and departeth from evil, but the fool rageth and is confident. He that is soon angry dealeth
foolishly, and a man of wicked devices is hated. The simple
inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge. The
evil bow before the good, and the wicked at the gates of the
righteous. The poor is hated even of his
own neighbor, but the rich hath many friends. He that despiseth
his neighbor sinneth, but he that hath mercy on the poor,
happy is he. Do they not err that devise evil? But mercy and truth shall be
to them that devise good. In all labour there is profit,
but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury. The crown of
the wise is their riches, but the foolishness of fools is folly. A true witness delivers souls,
but a deceitful witness speaketh lies. In the fear of the Lord
is strong confidence, and his children shall have a place of
refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain
of life to depart from the snares of death. In the multitude of
people is the king's honour, but in the want of people is
the destruction of the prince. He that is slow to wrath is of
great understanding, but he that is hasty of spirit, exalted folly. A sound heart is the life of
the flesh, but envy the rottenness of the bones. He that oppresseth
the poor reproacheth his maker, but he that honoureth him hath
mercy on the poor. The wicked is driven away in
his wickedness, but the righteous hath hope in his death. Wisdom
resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding, but that
which is in the midst of fools is made known. Righteousness
exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. The
king's favour is toward a wise servant, but his wrath is against
him that causes shame. May the Lord bless that portion
of his own 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. We desire to bow before thy great
majesty, to call upon thy great and holy name. We come, Lord,
as poor sinners. We read of thee in thy word that
thou art the high and lofty one, that inhabiteth eternity, whose
name is Holy. Gracious God, we are unholy. We are unrighteous. We are unclean,
as the Prophet himself 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. Gracious God, we come before
Thee in confession of our sins. We leave undone things that we
ought to do. And we do things that we ought
not to do. And as the dear Apostle says,
I find a law within my members that when I would do good, then
evil is present with me. So, Lord, we come to confess
these things before Thee. We often have to cry out with
the dear Apostle, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver
me from the body of this death. Gracious Lord, we pray that Thou
wouldst come and deliver us this day. We come to Thee in that
wonderful and precious name of Jesus Christ. our only hope of
salvation. We thank thee for those wonderful
words of grace. There is one God and one mediator
between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave his life
of ransom for all to be testified in due time. Gracious Lord, our
hope is in his precious blood, that blood that was shed at Calvary, our sins may be washed away,
and that this day we may be favoured to touch the hem of his garment
and draw from that sacred fullness there is in Christ Jesus. Gracious God, we do pray to be
led and taught and guided and directed by thee this day. Holy
and blessed Spirit of truth, we pray for thy divine power
and thy heavenly unction as we gather together around thy word,
make thy word a living word, a powerful word. We think of
the dear apostle when he preached at Thessalonica, and he could
say, for our gospel came unto you not in word only, but in
power, in the Holy Ghost, and with much assurance. And we pray
that it may be so today. We pray to be led and taught
and guided and directed by them, and that the word of truth may
be open to our heart and to our understanding. And may the power
that brings salvation be exerted in the word we do humbly beseech
thee. We pray that we may also feel
those divine drawings of our eternal Father, drawing us unto
his best beloved and all-glorious Son. O most gracious Lord, thy
word declares unto us, none come except the Father draw. Oh, to
know those sacred drawings, drawing us unto Jesus Christ. And as
the spouse says, draw me, we will run after thee. We pray,
most gracious Lord, that thou wouldst come and stand in our
midst. It is recorded in thy word, Lord Jesus, when thou didst
come and stand in the midst of thy disciples and say, Peace
be unto you. Come and stand in our midst today,
that we may feel thy presence, that we may see thy countenance,
that we may truly worship in thy holy hill of Zion. O most
gracious God, We're not worthy of thy mercy or of thy goodness. We all have come short of thy
glory, and we go forth from the womb speaking lies and hypocrisy,
and that is our solemn state by nature. But come and deliver
us today. Come and grant us a view by faith
of Jesus Christ. Come and grant, O Lord, that
we may behold him, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away
the sin of the world. Behold my servant, my elect,
in whom my soul delighteth. I do grant that it may be so
this day, as we gather around thy word. We pray for our friends
here from Holland, that thy rich blessing may rest upon them,
and that they may feel at home among us, as they gather with
us on this thy holy day. We pray, most gracious Lord,
thy blessing upon the churches in Holland and upon thy servants
as they labour in word and doctrine. We seek thy rich blessing upon
us as a church and congregation. We pray for our brethren, the
deacons, that grace and wisdom and help may be given to them
in all their responsibilities, both here and among the churches
of God. And we pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou wouldst bless each one of our brethren and sisters
in church fellowship. O gracious God, incline thine
ear, we do humbly beseech thee, and have mercy upon us. We pray
that we may love each other, serve each other, bear each other's
burdens, thereby fulfilling the law of Christ. We think of thy
words, Lord Jesus, By this shall they know that ye are my disciples,
because ye have love one to another. Lord, increase our faith, increase
our love, make us more spiritually minded, set our affections on
things above and not on things of the earth. We do humbly beseech
thee. We pray for the little ones and
the children as they come into the sanctuary. that thy rich
blessing may rest upon them in their young and tending years,
that the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom, may
be granted unto them. We're often encouraged, O Lord,
by that beautiful word. Suffer little children to come
unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of
heaven. Gracious God, do bless the young
and rising generation. Bless our young friends as they
stand on the threshold of life's journey. Bring them to live in
faith in Jesus Christ. Make them true followers of thee
and of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. We think of that lovely word,
instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest
make princes in all the earth. Lord, grant that it may be so.
among us here, that it may be those that shall follow on to
know the Lord, be with our young friends in their various concerns,
whether it's in their education, or whether it's regarding employment,
or whether it's regarding a partner in life journey. Lord, 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. Lord, remember the prodigals,
those that have wandered away from the house of God. Stretch
out thy almighty arm, cause them to be in want, cause them to
return. Lord, there is nothing too hard
for thee. Gracious God, remember parents. Give them grace to bring up their
children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We do humbly beseech
thee. And gracious God, we pray for
all in the midst of the journey of life, that they'll always
be gracious unto each one and deliver us from the temptations
of Satan. Whether he comes as a roaring
lion to devour, or whether he comes as an angel of light to
deceive, we pray to be delivered from his power. We do humbly
beseech them. We plead that precious promise.
When the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord
will lift up a standard against him. Remember those of us that
are now in the evening time of life's journey, and grant that
at evening time it may be light, that the light and power of thy
gospel may shine into our hearts. We may be prepared for that great
change which is to come. We do humbly beseech thee. Remember
all in the path of affliction, we think of our friend here and
we pray for him that thy healing hand may be placed upon him,
that he may prove thee to be Jehovah Rophi. I am the Lord
that healeth thee. Gracious God, do bless him and
his. We do humbly beseech thee. We
pray, most gracious Lord, that thou would remember this village,
and send out thy light and thy truth, and return in thy power
and in thy glory, as thou usest to be in the sanctuary. Grant
that we may see an ingathering of precious souls, and a building
of the wall of Jerusalem, and the stronghold of Satan pulled
down, and the kingdom of the Lord Jesus set up in the hearts
of sinners. Lord, let thy work appear unto
thy servants, and thy glory unto their children, we do humbly
beseech thee. Lord, there is such a falling
away in Zion, and that we pray that thou wouldst arise, arise,
arise, O God of grace, into thy rest descend, thou and the ark
of thy strength, and let thy priests be clothed with salvation,
and thy saints shall shout aloud for joy, O abundantly bless the
provision of thy house, satisfy her poor with bread. We think
of those wonderful promises that I was made 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. 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, we do humbly beseech thee, for
thy great name's sake. Remember thy servants this day
as they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion. Grant
them that fresh anointing of thy Spirit, we do humbly beseech
thee, for thy great name's sake. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that Thou in Thy precious mercy would bless the little hills
of Zion up and down our nation, wherever Thy servants stand,
wherever Thy people gather, O that there may be a turning unto Thee,
and an outpouring of Thy Spirit, and an ingathering of precious
souls. We do humbly beseech Thee. We
pray for our nation. Do bless our King. Bless him
with that rich grace that is in Christ Jesus. Bless the royal
household. Bless our political leaders,
give them wisdom and understanding. Thou hast exhorted it in thy
word to pray for all in authority over us. Lord, hear our prayers,
we humbly beseech thee, and again send out thy light and thy truth.
Remember those that labour in word and doctrine, that go out
from among us. We think of Ian Sadler and his
labours in Burma and India and Africa. Lord, we pray that they
will supply all his needs and grant good success. Remember
the Mombasa mission and pray thy blessing to be upon thy servant
there. Remember the Savannah Education
Trust. and that great work that they're
doing in Ghana. Gracious God, do bless thy people
and thy servants and do revive thy church and do return to Jerusalem
with mercies. We do humbly beseech of thee.
We do thank thee. We thank thee for thy holy day. We thank thee for our house of
prayer. We thank thee for the Word of
God. We thank thee that thy mercies are new every morning and great
is thy faithfulness. We thank thee above all for Jesus
Christ, the incarnation of the Son of God. We thank thee for
the holy law that he has fulfilled on behalf of his people and the
bringing in of everlasting righteousness in his glorious person. We thank
Thee for Calvary, where the Lamb was slain, where sin was put
away, where divine justice is satisfied, where God and sinners
are reconciled. Gracious God, we thank Thee that
He died for our sins and rose again for our justification and
has now bodily ascended into heaven. And such an high priest
have we, who is passed into the heavens Jesus, the Son of God,
gracious God, fill our hearts with gratitude, with thanksgiving
for all thy tender mercies. We thank thee that in our Lord
Jesus Christ we know the love of our heavenly Father and the
precious gift of the Holy Ghost. 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 four. The tune is Violet Cottage, 256. Keep silence, all created things, and wait your maker's nod. My
soul stands trembling while she sings the honours of her God. Hymn number four, tune Violet
Cottage, 256. ♪ And they will make their choice
♪ ♪ My soul shall fear them no more ♪ O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? ♪ And on his arm he'll be ♪ ♪ He
sits on the wing ♪ ♪ And that's the Lord ♪ ♪ The Lord is risen
♪ ♪ Came to this earth a new rise
♪ ♪ In the place of death ♪ ♪ To thy eternal rest ♪ ♪ Eternal
rest, eternal rest ♪ I'll make this water shine. It
took me three and a half weeks to open it. In exultant ecstasy, Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet Lord, as the faithful angel of
right, Lifting up all that is, ♪ I know the road now long to see
♪ ♪ I'm fain with her in her choice ♪ ♪ All to be thine shall
I be ♪ O come, Thou Seasten Christ,
O come, Thou Seasten Christ, We know that He is above all
ways. greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, direct your attention to the chapter that we read,
the book of Proverbs, chapter 14, and we will read verse 12
for our text. The book of Proverbs, chapter
14, verse 12. There is a way which seemeth
right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. What a deeply solemn word we
have this morning to meditate on. There is a way which seemeth
right. Solomon wrote most of the proverbs
And what a lesson there is, you think of the, and these are written
under the sweet influence of the Holy Ghost, as all the Word
of God is. And if we look at the life of
Solomon, there's no doubt Solomon was a godly man. But the Word of God says even
Solomon did strange women cause to sin. If you look at the way he fell
away, he backslid from the ways of truth and righteousness. If
you think that Solomon wrote the Proverbs and yet many of
the Proverbs he didn't keep himself. He fell into sin and unrighteousness. Solomon wrote Solomon's soul,
It's one of the most beautiful books of the Bible. The godly
old Puritans used to call Solomon's Song the Holy of Holies of the
Scriptures. The only entrance that you and
I can ever have into Solomon's Song is by a personal experience
of the love of Christ in our own hearts. And so he wrote Solomon's Song
from his own personal experience of the love of God and of the
love of Christ in his heart. And yet, he fell grievously into
sin, into unrighteousness. And it's a lesson to us, my beloved
friends, let him that thinketh he standeth, Take heed, lest
he fall. He that thinketh he standeth.
Just consider Solomon. Just consider David, the man
after God's own heart, who in a moment fell into the most grievous
sin. You see, friends, these things
are recorded in Holy Scripture as a solemn warning to each one
of us. how we can soon fall away in
a moment. David proved, and he says in
that confession of his in Psalm 51, I was born in sin. He confesses
it before the Lord. He had a sinful heart, a sinful
nature. In the book of Jeremiah, we read
that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.
Your heart, my heart. You know friends, that's one
thing that the true living child of God knows. The plague of their
own heart. We mentioned in prayer the dear
apostle Paul in the 7th of the Romans and he speaks there, that
which I would I do not. That which I would not, I do.
I find a law within my members that when I would do good, an
evil is present with me. You know friends, it's only the
Lord's living family that really know that conflict in their heart. That sense of sin. If you think
of the words of the Lord Jesus Christ regarding the Holy Spirit.
When He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will reprove the
world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. When He comes to a sinner's heart,
He shows us, He gives us to feel that we're sinners, we're unclean, we're unrighteous,
but don't run away with the thought as there is in so many evangelical
circles and that you just have conviction of sin at the beginning
of your Christian experience and after that it's all wonderful
and lovely and happy. What a fallacy! There is a way
that seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof are the ways
of death. Where there is that true work
of the Holy Spirit in the heart And let's be clear, that's what
makes a child of God. It's the indwelling of the Holy
Ghost. Hence the emphasis by our Lord Jesus Christ, you must,
it's not something that is optional, you must be born again. Except a man be born of water
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.
There's a vital question for every one of us here, young or
old. Have we been born again? Has the Spirit of God entered
our heart? Do we know ourselves as a poor
guilty sinner? Do we know Christ? Do we know
Christ? You know, we have to be careful
here. This word is a warning to each
one of us. There is a way which seemeth
right unto a man, but the end thereof are other ways of death.
Some people seem to glory in that they're sinners. They never
speak of Jesus Christ. They never speak of his love
or his mercy or his grace, but, oh, I'm such a poor sinner. I'm
such a ruined sinner. My dear, beloved friends, there
are two sides to real religion. On the one hand, there's the
knowledge of sin. On the other hand, there is the
knowledge of Christ. And we need both. not just a
one-sided religion. There are others that everything's
so wonderful and glorious and Christ is so precious and they
live in the clouds all the time, they know nothing of the depravity
or sinfulness of their heart. You know, friends, that's a false
religion. There is a way that seems right,
it looks right, it passes current among men as right, but it's
not. It's not. Oh, that the Lord would
truly impress these things upon our heart and upon our mind. There is a way which seemeth
right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. It ends in eternal death. Eternal damnation. The vital
things that we're speaking of is the indwelling of the Spirit
in the heart. You think of that solemn word
that the Apostle speaks in Romans chapter 8. If any man hath not
the Spirit of Christ, that's the Holy Ghost, if any man hath
not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. It's vital, friends. It's not something that we can
either just say, well, it doesn't matter. It does matter. It does
matter. And the Word of God makes clear
that it matters. You know, in the Church of God,
you think of the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his
teachings, he makes it very clear that the Church of God is a mixed
multitude. We don't need to go out of the
church and there find wicked people. We're all born in sin,
we're all shaped in iniquity. So, the Lord Jesus in Matthew
chapter 13, he sets before us the parable of the sower and
the parable of the tares. Very separating teaching. In
the parable of the sower, Christ interprets it to the disciples,
he therefore, the parable of the sower, this is in Matthew
13 verse 18, when anyone heareth the word of the kingdom and understandeth
it not, then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away that which
was sown in his heart. This is that which is of seeds,
received seed by the wayside. And then it says, But he that
received the seed into a stony place is the same as he that
heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it, yet hath he
not root in himself, but dureth for a while. For when tribulation or persecution
ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that receives seed among
the thorns is he that heareth the word and the care of this
world and the deceitfulness of riches cloak the word and he
becomes unfruitful, becomes unfruitful. But he that receives seed into
the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it,
which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth some an hundredfold,
some sixty, some thirty. So these are vital points that
the Lord Jesus makes, and if indeed the seed of the word
had been sown in our hearts, we shall bring forth fruit. we shall bring forth fruit to
the honour, glory and praise of his name. Do we bring forth fruit? Do we
live to the honour, to the glory of his name? I think the first
question in the Westminster Confession of Faith, what is the chief end
of man? To live to the glory God. Christian believers are given
grace to live to the glory of God. Do you have that grace? Do I have that grace? You know
the Lord Jesus Christ, he goes on and he says here, he carries
on from the parable of the sower in verse 24 of Matthew 13. Another parable put him forth
unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a man
which sowed good seed in his field, and while men slept, his
enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. And when the blade was sprung
up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
You know, you can't tell the difference between the tares
and the wheat. until the fruit comes. And it's
when the fruit comes, it declares whether it is the tare or the
wheat. And he says here, Sir, didst
not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath
it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath
done this. The servant said unto him, Wilt
thou then that we go and gather them together? He said, Nay. It's while we gather up the tares,
ye root up also the wheat with them, let both grow together.
It's a solemn thought, isn't it? And you find in the teachings
of Christ that the church is always portrayed, the church
here on earth is always portrayed as a mixed multitude. A mixed
multitude. You see, let them both grow together. Until the harvest, and in the
time of harvest, I will say to the reapers, gather ye together
first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them, but
gather the wheat into my barn. See, my beloved friends, you
think of that, let both grow together. both grow together, or that these things may be impressed
upon our hearts and our minds. We sing in one of the hymns,
don't we? Am I made a real Christian, washed in the Redeemer's blood?
Have I union to the church's living head? It's to have union
with Christ. that is the vital thing. There
is a way that seemeth right, looks right, passes current among
men's being right. You know some people, they rest
on their chapel going, their church going, and they rest on
that, and they think that they'll get to heaven because of that. You see, that won't save your
soul. Others rest on their baptism. You can't rest on that. It's
good, it's right, it's proper in its place, but it will never
get you to heaven. Others rest on the fact that
they're a church member, they can come to the Lord's table.
But you can't rest on that. There's only one thing that you
can rest on. Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Nothing else. Upon this rock
I build my church and the gates of hell. shall not prevail against
it. You know, there is a way that
seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways
of death. Just think of the words of the apostle in the epistle
to the Hebrews. He speaks of the deceitfulness
of sin. Sin has a very deceitful nature. It clothes itself. It presents
itself. Sometimes covetousness is put
down as being prudent. And many other different things
are put down as being something else. Somebody, another minister
was speaking to me one day and he was speaking about psychiatrists. He said they invent a thousand
ways to cause sin by another name. How true that is. They give it some big fancy name
and say, well, they can't help that, they're sick. My dear beloved
friend, sin is sin. It doesn't matter how you clothe
it. And in our hearts and our minds,
we're fallen and we're sinful. And we can succumb to looking
on sin as not being quite what it is. Sin will damn your soul
forever. The soul that sinneth, It shall
die. That's the holy law of God. Cursed
is every man that doeth not all things that is written in the
book of the law to do them. There's only one deliverance,
my beloved friends, from the curse of God's holy law, and
that's the cross of Jesus Christ. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness. I am the way, the truth, and
the life. You see, my beloved friends,
there is a way that seemeth right, that looks right, that we can,
as it were, convince our minds that it's right, and yet you
bring it to the word of God, and it proves to be wrong. Is
this blessed book the Bible that we must go by? What saith the
scripture should be our inquiry? Just think, also in Matthew chapter
25, again, we go to our text, there is a way that seemeth right
unto a man, but the end thereof is the way of death. In Matthew
25, The Lord Jesus gives us a parable of the ten virgins. Again, just
like the tares of the field, the seed sown, the gospel preached,
the word of God read, and the sowing of the seed by the Lord's
servants. But look at how the Lord Jesus
sets it before us in Matthew 25. Then shall the kingdom of
heaven be likened unto ten virgins. Those ten virgins represent the
whole of the professing Church of Jesus Christ. It says here, which took their
lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. When it says
took their lamps, it means they made a profession of the name
of Christ, that they were Christians. They took their lamps and went
forth to meet the bridegroom. The Lord Jesus who looks on the
heart and five of them were wise and five were foolish. Just think of that. It's the
whole of the professing church, Christian church. Five wise,
five foolish. What separated these wise and
foolish virgins, it couldn't be seen from outwardly. When it says they had their lamps,
they made a profession of religion. They professed that they were
followers of Christ. But the wise took oil in their
vessels. You see, they that were foolish
took their lamps and took no oil. Oil represents grace. That's what it usually represents
in Holy Scripture, is grace. Even the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ. The foolish virgins didn't have
that grace. They professed to have grace,
but they didn't. You see, my beloved friends,
it's written for our instruction. There is a way that seemeth right. You can have all the outward
trappings of the Christian religion, baptism, the Lord's table, church
membership, you can have all those outward things of religion
and yet be lost. John Bunyan in his Appeal to
His Progress, he says in one place, I'll never forget reading
it, it made a great impression on me, I saw that there was a
way to hell from the very gate of heaven. and go through life thinking
that you're a child of God, thinking that you're safe and secure. This is what the parable of the
10 virgins means. But the wise took oil in their
vessels with their lamps. They had grace. They'd been born
again. They were brought to faith in
Jesus Christ. They truly followed him. The
others thought they were, and they looked exactly the same,
but they weren't. When you think where the oil,
they wouldn't have had a glass thing then so you could see it.
You couldn't see it. But the wise took oil in their
vessels, with their lamps, while the bridegroom tarried They all
slumbered and slept. Notice that, they all, the wise
and the foolish, they all slumbered and slept. You see, and at midnight, there
was a cry made, behold, the bridegroom cometh. Go ye out to meet him. Of course, what we have set before
us there is the second coming of Christ. The bridegroom cometh. Then all those virgins arose,
not all of them, ten of them, they all rose, and trimmed their
lamps. And the foolish said unto the
wise, Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. But the
wise answered, saying, Not so, lest there be not enough for
us and you, but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for
yourselves. And while they went to buy, bridegroom
came, as Christ come in, the bridegroom came and they that
were ready. Are you ready? Am I ready? Christ says in another place
doesn't he, be ye also ready for at such a time as ye think
not the Son of Man It's that lovely hymn that we
sometimes sing, isn't there? Prepare me, gracious God, to
stand before thy face. Thy spirit must the work perform,
for it is all of grace. In Christ's obedience clothe
and wash me in his blood. So shall I lift my head with
joy among the sons of God. To be made ready. see and while they went to buy
the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with
him to the marriage and the door was shut. We're reminded of that with Noah
when Noah the Lord called him into the ark didn't he? You notice
the language in the bible the Lord called Noah into the ark
the Lord was in the ark and he called Noah in, and he also called
all those animals, two by two, into the ark. That was a divine
act of God. And then we read this, and the
Lord shut him in. But what that meant, that door
shut, the safety and security of Noah and his family. He was shut in. Everybody else
shut out. You see, And here, afterward
came also the other virgin saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he
answered and said, Verily, I say unto you, I know you not. What a solemn thought. What a
solemn thought to go right the way through life in a profession
of religion, believing that you're a Christian. And at last, I never
knew you. I never knew you in those councils
of eternity. The Father never gave you to
me. I never lived for you. I never
suffered for you. I never died for you. I never
rose again for you. You see, verily I say unto you, I know
you not. Lots of people speaking about
knowing the Lord. Do you know the Lord? The more vital thing is, does
the Lord know you? Does the Lord know you? Were
you chosen by the Father and redeemed by the Son and sanctified
by the Holy Ghost? Because these are the vital things
of real religion. Chosen by the Father, redeemed
by the Son at Calvary, You know, the teachings of Christ,
I lost a brother over 10 years ago now, but I remember him saying
to me once, he said, I find the teachings of Christ extremely
searching and separated. And they are, they are, very
separated. And Christ here says, I know
you not. And in another place he says,
many shall say unto me in that day, and he's speaking of the
Day of Judgment, many shall say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord,
and he said, I will say unto them, depart from me, I never
knew you. They think they know the Lord, but he doesn't know
them. Do you think you know the Lord? But does he know you? Does he know you? were you chosen in Christ? It's a vital point. Only those that are chosen in
Christ shall ever reach heaven. Those that have an experience. You know, I was asked not long
ago, a minister from another group of churches in his He was
saying to me, what's the difference between this Baptist and that
Baptist? I said, well, the principle one
is, is that among our own group of churches, the emphasis is
on spiritual experience. If you are a true child of God,
you will have a spiritual experience. And that is vital. when the Spirit
of God enters into the heart and convinces of sin, you feel
and know yourself to be a sinner. You feel to be lost. Then you
know something in reality of the truth of the publican's prayer,
God be merciful to me a sinner. Lost, ruined, undone, you feel
it. seeking though you feel to be
such a sinner and God is so holy and yet you know where there
is that divine work of the Spirit there's a seeking that that divine
work of the Spirit though it truly convinces you that you're
a sinner you still seek because he's given
you life it's like a little baby You think of the illustration
of the Lord Jesus, you must be born again. A little babe, when
it's born, it cries. If it's hungry, it cries. If
it needs something, it cries. It's the same spiritually. We read of Saul of Tarsus, when
he was stopped on the road to Damascus. And what is that prominent
thing? Behold, he prayeth. Do you? I'm not now talking about just
formal prayers. Do you pray from your heart?
Do you pray as a sinner before a holy God? Do you realize there's
a holy God? Do you realize the soul that
sinneth it shall die? Do you realize there's a judgment
day? It is appointed unto man once
to die and after death the judgment. You know, I look back many years
ago now, my own personal spiritual experience, when what we call
under the law, under conviction of sin, there were many times
when I used to make resolutions, there were things that I was
doing that were so sinful. And I would get up in the morning
feeling this sinfulness and I would Say to the Lord, I'm not going
to do that anymore. I'm not going to do this. I'm
not going to do that. I failed every single time. Every single
time. And there were times when I said,
I'm not going to think about this anymore. I'm just going
to get on with my life and have my fill of this world and do
what I want to do. But then there came such a burden. I had to pray. I was a sinner. God was holy. There was a judgment
day. I had to pray. And you know,
friends, I was like that for two years, under this solemn,
awful sense of my sinfulness, my wretchedness, darkness, bondage. That's all I could find. You see, and then, I've often
told you about the time I used to go to the brethren meetings,
and they would brethrens by and large, Arminian, and they would
give an altar call, come and accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour. This is when I was under the
law. If I could, I would, I couldn't. I couldn't. When that deliverance
came, it wasn't anything I'd done. It was so sovereign. I came home
from work I was finished, utterly finished. I remember standing
in my home and thinking, Lord, I can't go on, I'm finished,
utterly finished. I'm lost. And my godly father,
I picked a book off his bookshelf, a book of sermons, and I'd never
read a sermon before, I say it to my shame. Never felt the desire. It happened to be J.C. Philpott's.
sermon and I opened it on the sermon and the the text and ye
shall be rooted and grounded in love and know the love of
Christ which passeth knowledge do you know friends I went from
darkness to light from bondage to liberty from torment to peace
it was so sacred so sacred it's a living experience of those
things It wasn't anything I'd done. It was Christ revealed. The Holy Spirit brought faith
in my heart and Christ was revealed and made precious to my soul.
Has Christ been revealed to you personally? It's a personal thing. Real religion is very personal.
You'll not get to heaven because you have godly parents or godly
brothers and godly sisters or because you're a member of a
godly, upright, sound church. That will never get you to heaven.
You must be born again. You must be brought to know yourself
as a sinner and then to know Jesus Christ as the only savior
of sinners. You see, but there are so many
different ways. Think of the words of our Lord
Jesus Christ again, you know, in the gospel according to John
and chapter 10. And he speaks of, how some come
up another way. Verily, verily. In the original,
that is, amen, amen. Certainly, certainly. Verily,
verily. I say unto you, he that entereth
not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way,
the same is 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. And when he put forth his own
sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him. Are
you, am I, following Christ? And they know his voice. Do you
know his voice? Do you know the voice of the
good shepherd? And a stranger will they not
follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of
strangers. I say, my beloved friends, do
you know the voice of Jesus? Have you heard the voice of Jesus? Has he spoken to your heart?
You see, real religion is more than notion. Something must be
known and found. experienced in the heart. And
I'm not laying down the depth of experience. Some people have a very gentle
experience, just like it says in Isaiah, hear a little, dare
a little, line upon line, precept upon precept. Gradually there's
an opening of the truth to the heart and the mind. In fact,
I would say that most of the Lord's people have that gentle
experience. There are others that have a
much more clear experience, but most of the Lord's people, they
have this gentle experience. They become, they're brought
to realise they're a sinner. That God is holy and righteous
altogether, and will not at all acquit the guilty. And they begin
to seek. It may be, it can be over months. Even years, you read some of
the history of the Lord's living family in the church. Others,
they come in a much more dramatic way and more clearly and more
suddenly, like the Apostle Paul. But more often than not, it's
a very gradual thing. You see, do we know the voice
of the Good Shepherd? Are we following? The Good Shepherd. There is a way which seemeth
right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. In chapter 16, this verse is
repeated. And when something is repeated
in the Holy Scripture, it's because there is an emphasis that is
being laid on that word. You just think of those in Holy
Scripture that appeared to be right. You think of King Saul. It was said at one time, is Saul
also among the prophets? He appeared to be a prophesying,
he appeared to be a man of God. And yet his end was death. You see, My beloved friends,
what was it that so stood out with Saul? Disobedience. He was disobedient to the word
of God, to the ways of God. And that showed that he was not
a right character. It showed that he was not a right
character. And his end was to fall on his own sword on Mount
Gilboa. Solomon. And yet he appeared to be right.
You think of Ahithophel, David's chief counselor. David says of
Ahithophel, we went to the house of God together, we took sweet
counsel together. You see, David, the man after
God's own heart, confided in Ahithophel. He was a man of great
wisdom. and he didn't have grace. He
had great wisdom, but he didn't have grace. And he went to his own home,
he set his house in order, and he hung himself, left to eternal
despair. You see, he appeared to be right. He passed current among men as
being right. Yet his end was death, eternal
death. There is a way which seemeth
right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
You think of Judas Iscariot. He was actually a disciple of
Christ. He preached the Gospel. But look at his end. He betrayed
his Lord and Master with a kiss. Christ himself said, didn't he,
Have I not chosen you twelve, yet one of you is a devil? What
a solemn thought, isn't it? Look at his end. Eternal damnation. And yet he appeared to be an
immediate disciple of Jesus Christ. There is a way that seemeth right
unto a man, but the end thereof You see the end thereof. Oh that
the Lord would impress these things on our hearts and on our
minds. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 1085. The tune is Stockport 419. Hencevain intruding world depart. No more allure nor vex my heart. Let every vanity be gone. I would
be peaceful and alone. Hymn 1085, tune Stockport No more alone, all flesh by heart,
Let every man lift him in God. ♪ I hope they reach the land of
love ♪ ♪ Till earth is set by heaven's light ♪ And I its real
stain to hide, The secret weight of thought and joy, ♪ And call my patterned actions
on ♪ ♪ Eternity, tremendous hour ♪ Till guilty souls adrenaline,
Butter with Christ, and heaven be mine. How sweet the accent, how divine
It is, my friend, I only care My chief pursuits lie on the
air, An interesting The Saviour's
blood My pardon's shield and peace
with God Search, O Lord, search my inmost
heart, And light and hope and joy impart. from guilt and error, set me
free, and guide me straight to heav'n and deep. 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.