Let us commence our service this
evening by singing together hymn number 545, the tune University
College 515. Dangerous is the path we go in
this wilderness below, savage beasts of every kind aiming to
distress the mind. Hymn 645, tune University College, 515. Jesus is the God we love, In
this world earth has been loved. Serving each of every kind, aiming
to distress us. T'was as I'd hoped for it'd be,
Fade from danger, I'm all free. It's an unexpected way, Something fills them with despair. As he sheltered the evil, they
found no hope and no fame. ? Grant me the love that's ever
more divine ? We thank Thee, O Savior, Master
of the righteous men, And in tender watch and pray, O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the
bombs bursting in air, These His children watch and know.
May Him be a blessed place, Where to all can see His face. May we boast, may we praise,
And in her heart every place, Every pleasure ever new. O'er the trail which brought
them down, O say can you see, by the dawn's
early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last
gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright
stars, through the perilous fight, Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the Acts of the Apostles and Chapter 4. The Acts of the Apostles, Chapter
4. And as they spake unto the people,
the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees
came upon them, being grieved that they taught the people and
preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid
hands on them. and put them in hold unto the
next day, for it was now eventide, albeit many of them which heard
the word believed. And the number of men was about
five thousand. It came to pass on the morrow
that their rulers and elders and scribes and Anus the high
priest And Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as
were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together
at Jerusalem. And when they had set them in
the midst, they asked, by what power or by what name have ye
done this? Then Peter, filled with the Holy
Ghost, said unto them, ye rulers of the people, and elders of
Israel, if we this day be examined of the good deed done to the
impotent man, by what means he is made whole, be it known unto
you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised
from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you
whole. This is the stone which was set
at nought of you builders, which has become the head of the corner.
Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none
other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved. Now when they saw the boldness
of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and
ignorant men, they marveled. And they took knowledge of them,
that they had been with Jesus. And behold, in the man which
was healed, standing with them, they could say nothing against
him. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council,
they conferred among themselves, saying, what shall we do to these
men? for that indeed a notable miracle
hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem. And we cannot deny it. But that
it spread no further among the people, let us straightly threaten
them that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. And they called them and commanded
them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But
Peter and John answered and said unto them, whether it be right
in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God,
judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things
which we have seen and heard. So when they had further threatened
them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish
them because of the people for all men glorified God for that
which was done. For the man was above 40 years
old on whom this miracle of healing was shown. And being let go,
they went to their own company and reported all that the chief
priests and elders had said unto them. And when they heard that,
they lifted up their voice to God with one accord and said,
Lord, thou art God, which hath made heaven and earth and the
sea, and all that in them is, who by the mouth of thy servant
David hath said, Why did the heathen rage? And the people
imagined vain things. The kings of the earth stood
up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and
against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy
child Jesus whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate,
with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were gathered together,
to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before
to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings,
and grant unto thy servants that with all boldness we may speak
thy word. by stretching forth thine hand
to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of the
Holy Child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the
place was shaken where they were assembled together, and they
were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word
of God with boldness, and the multitude of them that believed
would have one heart and of one soul, neither said any of them
that ought of the things which he possessed was his home, but
they had all things common, and with great power gave the apostles
witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace
was upon them all. Neither was there any among them
that lacked, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses
sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
and laid them down at the apostles' feet. And distribution was made
unto every man according as he had need. And Joses, who by the
apostles was surnamed Barnabas, which is being interpreted the
son of consolation, a Levi, and of the country of Cyprus, having
land sold him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles'
feet. May the Lord bless the reading
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, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
we bow before thy glorious majesty. We think of those precious words
of truth. These three are one. One blessed, infinite, almighty,
and eternal God. Oh, we do pray that we may worship
thee this night in spirit and in truth, and that the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God our Father, and
the sacred fellowship of the Holy Spirit, may rest and abide
upon us. We come like the dear apostle
of old, that I may know him in the power of his resurrection. All to know my Jesus crucified,
by far excels all things beside. Gracious God, may we draw near
to thee this night, and may it please thee to draw near to us,
and may it be with us as it was with the dear disciples that
we read of in Scripture, how that Jesus himself stood in the
midst. May that be our blessed portion
tonight, Jesus himself. might stand in the midst, and
say, Peace be unto you. Lord Jesus, Son of God most high,
we do bow before thy glorious majesty. We think of those precious
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. Lord Jesus, come, visit us with
thy great salvation. Speak thy word into our hearts. Help us to come to thee in prayer.
Help us to call upon thy great and thy holy name. Help us to
cast our burden upon the Lord. We think of those precious words
of grace. Thy words, Lord Jesus, come unto
me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. Help us to come. Help us to look. Help us to watch. Help us to
wait. Guide us, O thou great Jehovah. We're pilgrims in a barren land.
We are weak, but thou art mighty. Hold us by thy powerful hand.
Come, most gracious Lord, graciously visit us with the divine and
heavenly power of the Holy Ghost. Holy Ghost, we look to thee.
Raise the dead, the captive free. From the mighty take the prey.
Teach the weak to watch and pray. Lord, help us continually to
come. We do humbly beseech them. Convince us of our sin and lead
to Jesus' blood and to our wandering eyes reveal the secret love of
God. Ah, may that be so tonight. May the precious things of Jesus
be sweet to our souls May his name be lifted high. May his
power and his grace be known and felt in our assembly tonight. We do humbly beseech of thee. We do thank thee, O Lord, for
the Holy Ghost, for his divine power, for his heavenly answer,
that we have known, that we have felt, that we have experienced,
And we pray that tonight we may know and experience that same
power, that same heavenly unction we do humbly beseech, then that
our souls may be fed. Make us all of one mind, of one
heart, one spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God
and Father of all, who is above all and in you, Oh, do grant
us that sacred oneness that there is in Christ Jesus. We do pray
that we may feel those divine drawings of our eternal Father. None come except the Father draw. Oh, to know those sacred drawings
of our eternal Father, leading us and drawing us unto Jesus
Christ, the Lord, We thank thee for those wonderful words of
grace, for the Father himself loveth you. And we would come
as instructed in thy word, our Father, all which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be
done, on earth as it is in heaven. Grant that it may be so. And
Lord Jesus, that we pray that we may catch a glimpse of Thee,
that we may know Thee, that we may serve Thee, that we may follow
Thee. Enable us, O Lord, by Thy grace
to present our bodies, a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable
unto Thee, which is our reasonable service. And that we be not conformed
to this world, but may we be transformed by the renewing of
our mind that we might know what that good and perfect and acceptable
will of the Lord is. Lord, we've read in thy word
together of that sacred oneness there was in that day when thou
didst bless the disciples, above 5,000 of them. that thy rich blessing was poured
upon them, and they felt that sacred spirit of love. Oh, to
have that same sacred experience here tonight, thy spirit poured
forth, thy power made known. Remember us as a church and as
a congregation. Richly bless us. For Lord, without
thee we can do nothing. We have nothing and we are nothing.
Oh, we do pray that thou wouldst ever keep it so. When is it brethren
all agree and let distinctions fall when nothing in themselves
they see and Christ is all in all. Oh, that that spirit may
pervade among us. We do humbly beseech thee. Remember
our beloved brethren, the deacons, and give them grace, wisdom,
and help. Remember each one of our brethren and sisters in church
fellowship, those here, those not able to gather. Lord, we
pray for each one, and that thou wouldst grant us that oneness,
that union, that union sweet. We do humbly beseech them. What
we seek, O Lord, that thou in thy great mercy would remember
the little ones and the children that are brought into the sanctuary
and richly bless them. Show them thy ways, lead them
in thy paths, open their hearts to receive thy word in their
young and in their tender years. We often think of those lovely
words of our Lord Jesus, suffer little children to come unto
me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Oh, we pray that we may become as a little child. Lord, we pray
by blessing upon the young friends on the threshold of life's journey,
no doubt ambitious and desire in this or that, Lord, we pray
that thou wouldst graciously bring them to see that Jesus
is the one thing needful. I, without him, perish must.
O gracious God, do so bless our young friends with that rich
grace that is in Christ Jesus, with a light and understanding
in thy word. Bless them with that faith, that
precious faith, that draws a sinner to look to Christ and leads a
sinner to Christ. So bless our young friends and
press upon their hearts and mind that without faith it is impossible
to please God. For he that cometh unto God must
believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek. Gracious God, guide them in all
the matters of providence also. Unfold thy will and thy purpose. Bring them to follow thee, to
serve thee, to let all fruitless searches go, which perplex and
tease us, but desiring not to know, but to bleed in Jesus. O gracious God, do incline thy
knee and do have mercy upon us. Remember, O Lord, parents, and
give them wisdom and grace to bring up their children. Remember
all in the midst of the journey of life that are among us. Graciously
bless them. Bless them with light. Bless
them with faith, that faith that worketh by love, that they may
be drawn to the sanctuary, drawn to Jesus Christ, the King of
glory, Hear us, Lord, we humbly beseech Thee, and remember the
prodigals that have wandered and that are wandering. Stretch
out Thy almighty arm. Cause them to be in want. Cause
them to return. Lord, what a wonderful day that
would be. What great rejoicing there would
be to see the prodigals returning. Remember, that those of us in
the evening time of life's journey, that we pray that we may be guided
safely unto thy heavenly kingdom. We may be made more spiritually
minded, our heart and affection set upon things above. We may
be enabled to lay aside every way and the sin that does so
easily beset us. and that we might run with patience
the race that is set before us. And at the appointed time, may
we be given abundant entrance into thy heavenly kingdom. Lord, we pray that thou would
send out the light and glory and power of the gospel into
this village, the surrounding villages and hamlets, precious,
precious souls may be gathered unto Christ. Oh, we long to see
Zion's offspring come. We long, Lord Jesus, to see the
purchase of thy precious blood gathered into the sanctuary,
brought to save in faith in thee, brought to follow thee and serve
thee in their day and in their generation. O Lord of hosts,
O God of Israel, O thou that dwellest between the cherubim,
shine forth. Lord, let thy hand be upon the
man of thy right hand, the Son of Man, whom thou madest strong
for thyself. Gracious God, we long for a day
of prosperity. We long to see the building of
the walls of Jerusalem. We long to see the pulling down
of the strongholds of Satan. the setting up of the kingdom
of the Lord Jesus in the hearts of sinners. As promised in thy word, I will
work, and who shall let it? As promised in thy word, I will
bring thy sons from far and thy daughters from the ends of the
earth, and they shall come. O gracious God, we long to see
them come. We long to see thy power and
thy glory as thou usest to be in the sanctuary. Arise, arise,
O God of grace, into thy rest descent, thou and 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. We thank thee for our house of
prayer. We thank thee for our dear friends
that gather with us. Here my best friends, my kindred
dwell. We thank thee for time to time
thy sweet presence known and felt in the sanctuary. We thank
thee for the preciousness of Jesus' for the glory of his holy
name, for the law fulfilled and honoured and magnified in his
glorious person, the bringing in of everlasting righteousness.
We thank thee, O most gracious Lord, for the sacred glories
of Emmanuel. 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. We thank thee
for the precious blood of the Lamb that cleanses from all sin. We thank thee that he died for
our sins. He poured out his soul unto death. He was numbered among the transgressors. He bared the sin of many. We
thank thee that he shall see of the travail of his soul and
shall be satisfied. We thank thee that he's now bodily
ascended into heaven, sitting at thy right hand, and that we
have an advocate with the Father. Jesus Christ, the righteous,
tis he instead of me is seen when I approach to God. We thank
thee that Jesus is coming again to receive his people unto himself. that where he is, there they
may be also. We thank thee for that bright
and glorious prospect of eternal glory. Give me the wings of faith to
rise within the veil and see the saints above, how bright
their joys, how great their glories be. Come and touch one's lips
with a live coal from off the heavenly altar Forgive all our
many sins and wanderings. We ask with the forgiveness of
all sin, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 1051. The tune is Kilmarnock, 856. Alas, what hourly dangers rise! What snares beset my way? To
heaven, O let me lift my eyes, And hourly watch and pray. Hymn 1051, tune Kilmarnock, ? To thee be glory evermore ? ?
Evermore be glory evermore ? ? To you, to you ? ? I give praise,
I give praise to you ? ? And show to all the people of
our land ? ? That we forever shall love you ? ? And we evermore
shall praise you ? ? Shine your light upon us ? ? Where'er thy way may trod ? Alleluia, my Redeemer. ? We pray, we pray, we pray, we
pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we
pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we
pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we
pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we
pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray,
we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray,
we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray,
we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray,
we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray, we pray,
we pray, we pray, we pray Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I direct your attention to the chapter that
we read, the Acts of the Apostles, chapter four, reading verse 31. Acts chapter four, verse 31. And when they had prayed, the
place was shaken where they were assembled together, and they
were all filled with the Holy Ghost and they spake the Word
of God with boldness. It was particularly the first
clause of the verse that has rested on my spirit. We shall
look at the whole of it but it was just these seemed to lay
hold of me today and when they What wonderful blessings, what
a wonderful outpouring of the Spirit that is recorded here
in the Acts of the Apostles. And it says in the beginning of the
chapter, and as they spake unto the people, the priests and the
captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them. being grieved that they taught
the people and preached through Jesus the resurrection of the
dead. And they laid hands on them and
put them in hold until the next day, for it was now eventide. Howbeit, many of them which heard
the word believed, and the number of the men, notice that, the
number of the men, was about 5,000. There was probably women
and children too. You see this wonderful power
of the Holy Ghost when he was poured forth. In the previous chapter we see
the witness of Peter and John and the impotent man at the gate
called Beautiful. the gate of the temple, that
is, and how he was healed. It was beautiful. Verse six,
then Peter said, silver and gold have I none, but such as I have,
I give thee. Give I thee in the name of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth. Rise up and walk. And he took him by the hand,
the right hand, and lifted him up and immediately his feet and
ankle bones received strength. You see the wonderful power of
the Holy Ghost in healing, in restoring. And this is what had
upset the chief, the priests and the captains of the temple
in the Sadducees, that this man was so signally healed By the
words of the, notice that, it was the words. Rise up, take up thy bed. He rose up. His ankle bones received
strength. And he leaped, leaping up, stood
and walked and entered with them into the temple. And it was through
this wonderful act, this miracle of healing, and the display of
the power of the Holy Ghost and the name of Jesus Christ. You see how Peter, when he stood
before them, and he speaks in the third chapter, how he charges
upon them. The God of Abraham, of Isaac,
and of Jacob, that's verse 13, The God of our fathers hath glorified
his Son, Jesus, whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence
of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. But ye, how he
charges it upon them, but ye denied the Holy One, and the
just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you, and killed
the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead. whereof
we are witnesses, and his name through faith in his name hath
made this man strong, whom ye see and know. Yea, the faith
which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the
presence of you all. You see, these things that were
done in the crucifixion of Christ, Now brethren, I want that through
ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. But those things
which God before had showed by the mouth of all his prophets,
that Christ should suffer, he has so fulfilled. Repent ye therefore,
and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the
times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. You see, and then they prayed. They were gathered together before
them. They were kept overnight in the hold. And in verse five,
it came to pass on the morrow that their rulers and elders
and scribes and Anas the high priest and Caiaphas and John
and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high
priest were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had
set them in the midst, they asked, by what power or by what name
have ye done this? Then Peter filled with the Holy
Ghost. You see how Christ was exalted. Ye rulers of the people and elders
of Israel, if we this day be examined of the good deed done
to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole, be it
known unto you all and to all the people of Israel that by
the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised
from the dead, even by him doth this man stand before you whole. You see, how with boldness. It says in verse 13, And when
they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that
they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled, and they
took knowledge of them. that they had been with Jesus.
See the wonderful things that the Holy Ghost did. And behold,
in the man which was healed, standing with them, they could
say nothing against it. See, and then they tell them
that they must not preach in the name of Jesus. And being let go, it says in
verse 23, and being let go they went to their own company and
reported all that the chief priests and elders had done unto them.
And this is what you might say the preface to our text, and
when they had prayed. And when they had heard that,
they lifted their voice to God with one accord and said, Lord,
thou art God, which has made heaven and earth and the sea
and all that in them is, who by the mouth of thy servant David
has said, why did the heathen rage? This is that well-known
psalm number two. Why did the heathen rage? And
the people imagined vain things The kings stood up and the rulers
were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ.
And they're still doing it today. There's nothing new under heaven.
They're still doing exactly this today. For of a truth against
thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and
Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were
gathered together. for to do whatsoever thy hand,
notice, they put the crown on the Lord's head, for to do whatsoever
thy hand and thy counsel deferment before to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings,
and grant unto thy servants that with all boldness they may speak
thy word. You see, my beloved friends,
Look at the boldness, the gracious boldness of the apostles, of
the people. You know, if left to ourselves,
we'd cower away in some corner and we'd be frightened, we'd
be so timid and so feeble. But these men were filled with
the Holy Ghost, filled with the Spirit of God, filled with faith
in Jesus Christ. draw him from that fullness that
there is in Christ. By stretching forth thine hand
to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy
holy child, Jesus. Twice we read here in this chapter,
isn't it? Thy holy child, Jesus. Holy, spotless, undefiled, without
sin, thy holy child, born holy. It says in Luke chapter 1, that
holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son
of God. Holy in his very birth, in his
inception, by the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin, Holy
in his very nature. Holy in his life, in his actions. We've often said about Christ
fulfilling the law, just as the Lord himself said, I come not
to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. And that's what Christ did. And he himself, encapsulates
that in the fulfilling of the law in what he says to the people. You see, in his teachings, in
his actions, he said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart, with all thy mind, and thy neighbour as thyself.
That's the fulfilling of the law. That is the life of Christ. He loved the Lord, his God, with
all his heart, with all his mind, with all his soul, and his neighbor. Jesus having compassion upon
the people. He loved the people. It says
in Deuteronomy, yea, he loved the people. And he did. Joseph heartened that lovely
hymn on Gethsemane. He says, full of love. to man's
lost race. Christ was full of love. He loved
his people from all eternity. It says of Christ before the
foundation of the world that my delights were with the sons
of men. He loved them. He loved them
with an everlasting love. Yea, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn
thee. Wonderful words of grace. And he says in the Ephesians,
and ye shall be rooted and grounded in love, and know the love of
Christ which passeth knowledge. What does it mean when it says
passeth knowledge? You can't express it. You can't
grasp it. This infinite love of God to
a poor, wretched sinner. Why me? Oh, blessed God, why
me? why such a wretch as me that
must forever lie in hell were not salvation free. But when they had prayed, you
know the one hymn writer says, prayer's a weapon for the feeble. It is weakest souls that wield
it best. How true that is. When I am weak,
says the apostle, then am I strong. And in his exhortation to be
strong in the Lord and in the power of his mind. And the Lord
Jesus Christ himself, he says, men are always to pray and not
to faint. You see, we're given to faintness,
aren't we? We're given to faintness. But the Lord Jesus, in his teachings
and exhortation my mind it just goes to Luke chapter 18 and there
in Luke 18 the Lord Jesus and he spake a parable unto them
to this end that men are always to pray and not to faint. Men are always to pray and not
to faint. And then he gives us this illustration
saying there was in a city a judge that feared not God nor regarded
man and there was a widow in that city and she came unto him
saying avenge me of mine adversary and he would not for a while
but afterward he said within himself though I fear not God
nor regard man yet because this widow troubleth me I will avenge
her lest by her continual coming she weary me, and the Lord said,
hear what the unjust judge said, and shall not God avenge his
own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear
long with them? Day and night, he will answer
prayer. Wrestling prayer can wonders
do, bring relief, deepest place. The kingdom of heaven is taken
by violence and it's the violence of prayer, the prayer of faith. It's taken by violence. I tell you, he will avenge them
speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of
Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? I believe he will. I believe he will. Oh that we
might be much enabled to press on, not to faint, not to give
up, not to turn back, but pressing on and pressing forward and looking
onto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. You just think
of what, this is just before that, the dear apostle, Let us
lay aside every weight and the sin that does so easily beset
us. There are sins of commission. There are sins of omission. Sins
of commission is when we do those things we ought not to do. It's a sin of commission. We
commit sin. Sins of omission are when we
do not do the things that we should do as a sin of omission. We omit to do what we know we
should do. I think it's in James, he that
knoweth to do good and doeth it not, it is a sin unto him. the Lord would truly exercise
our hearts in these matters and when they had prayed. And may the Lord bring us to
prayer. You know, prayer when we're tempted. Tempted by Satan. Allured by
the world, perhaps in some very specific thing, and it's constantly
alluring you and drawing you. And we need prayer. Take the
weapon of all prayer. And when they had prayed, oh
that we might take heed. You know the apostle Paul, when
he writes to the Hebrews, he gives that exhortation, doesn't
he, in Hebrews chapter four, that let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy. But he gives us a reason why
we should do that. Hebrews 4 verse 14, seeing then
that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For
we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling
of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we
are, yet without sin, Let us therefore come boldly. Why? Because
we have a great high priest. Because we have Jesus Christ,
the great high priest. Or as John puts it in his epistle,
an advocate with the Father. Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need. You know, There are times of
great need. We read in 1 John, chapter 1, if we say that we have fellowship
with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth.
Searching words, aren't they? But if we walk in the light as
he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another. And the blood
of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanseth us from all sin. Now listen carefully. If we say we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves. And the truth is not in us. You
see friends, where there is the work of the divine spirit dwelling
in the heart, there's a constant knowledge
of sin. There's a constant realisation
that we're sinners. We have a sinful heart, we have
a sinful nature, we have sinful desires. If we say we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned,
we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children,
these things write I unto you, that ye sin not, and if any man
sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous. He is the propitiation for our
sins, not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole
world. In other words, this is the only
place in all the world where God can forgive sin in his Son. We have it here in the Acts of
the Apostles. And it states very clearly and
very plainly that there is none of the name given under heaven
whereby you must be saved. When and when they had prayed,
the place was shaken where they were assembled together. and
they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and they spake the
Word of God with boldness. They were all filled with the
Holy Ghost. What a wonderful thing. What
a sacred thing when we are filled with the Holy Ghost. When we
gather together and we're filled with the Holy Ghost. The preacher
is the hearer, and there's a sweet sense of the Lord's presence,
his power, his love, his mercy. And when we are nothing in ourselves, when is it brethren all agree,
and let distinctions form. when nothing in themselves they
see. And Christ is all in all. That's what happens when we're
filled with the Holy Ghost. Christ is all in all. Christ is the centre of our attention. The spirit of faith lays hold
of and looks to Jesus Christ. and the multitude, and this is
the effect of it, and the multitude of them that believe were of
one heart. This is the effect of it, and
of one soul. Wonderful thing, you know, when
we feel that oneness of heart, that oneness of soul, union and
communion. It's a very precious, sacred
thing. Doesn't the apostle speak of it in the Ephesians chapter
4? And he says there, I therefore
the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that you walk worthy of the
vocation wherewith you are called, with all lowliness and meekness,
with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring
to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is
one body and one spirit, even as you're called in one hope
of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and
Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all,
that unto every one of us is given grace according to the
measure of the gift You see that gift of Christ, that oneness
that there is in Christ Jesus. And this effect of the grace
of God in the heart, in the walk, in the conduct of the Lord's
people. The effect of it here, The multitude
of them that believe are of one heart and one soul, neither said
any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was
his own." It reminds us of those words of the dear apostle. You're
bought with a price, you're not your own. You are not your own
and everything you've got is not your own. You're not your
own, you're brought with a price. The price, the precious blood
of Christ. He gave his all for you. He gave
everything for you. And when there is this filling
of the Holy Ghost and the spirit of faith and love, it's a faith
that worketh by love, neither said any of them that ought of
the things which he possessed was his own. But they had all
things kind. This is the effect of the grace
of God. You know, how we need this grace
to be given us. We think of that young man, wasn't
it? Young rich man that came to the
Lord Jesus Christ, and that Christ, when he said, what must I do
to inherit eternal life? And Christ said to him, that
he quoted him the law, He said, all these things I've kept from
my youth up. What did Christ say to him? One
thing thou lackest. Go, sell all that thou hast. Go, sell all that thou hast.
And he went away sorrowful. Now you know, I believe, and
in fact I'm firm and clear in my own mind, that that young
man was a good man. You might say, how would you
think that when he went away sorrowful, the Lord Jesus, the
disciples said, behold, he loved him. Christ loved him. But then
there's no doubt in my mind that that opposition he felt within
his heart was broken down, was broken down so that he was able
to do what the Lord commanded him to do. Who wouldn't be sorrowful? if they've got much goods as
he did, than to say go. You know, this wonderful grace,
and it's been so eminently seen in some of the Lord's people. I think in particular of William
Tipton. He inherited an estate and houses. Obviously a wealthy family, which
he inherited. And he never married. He gave
his life to the ministry of the word. And then he said wherever
he went, if there was a beggar, he'd always got cash in his pocket
and he always gave to the beggar. He didn't pass him by, he gave
to him. If he found anyone in need, he
gave to them. And one by one, he sold his houses.
So that when he died, it was all gone. You see, it's the same
grace as what the apostles people in the early church had. And
the multitude of them that believe were of one heart and of one
soul, neither said any of them that ought of the things which
he possessed was his own. But they had all things common,
and with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them
all, all that the Lord would give us. this great grace, this
wrestling prayer, so that we are able to watch unto prayer,
and that we may pray in the time of temptation, and that we may
love each other, serve each other, and bear each other's burdens,
thereby fulfilling the law of Christ. Neither was there any
among them that lacked, for as many as were possessors of lands
or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that
were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet, and distribution
was made unto every man according as he had need. You see the grace
of God, the effect of the grace of God. We see it in the conversion. Was it Matthew, Levi, Was it
another of the publicans? A rich man, I think it was Zacchaeus,
a rich man, a publican, despised, well known to be fraudulent in
their dealings. And the Lord, Zacchaeus was a
short man, he went up into a tree, a sycamore tree, so that he could
see the Lord Jesus Christ. He'd heard the fame of the Lord
Jesus Christ and he wanted to see Him. What astonishment there
must have been. When the Lord Jesus stood still
under that tree and he looked up, Zacchaeus, come down. This day salvation has come to
thy house. Wonderful power of the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ. He went to his house, this rich
man, What did Zacchaeus say to the
Lord Jesus? Lord, all that I have, whatever
I have taken by fraud from any man, I will restore it fourfold. That is what the grace of God
does. That is what real repentance is. I give half my goods to feed
the poor. See the wonderful power of divine
grace. It has a practical effect. Oh,
that we, may be enabled by the spirit and grace of God to live
as we ought to live, to do what we ought to do. And when they had prayed, may
the Lord pour upon us this spirit of prayer, this spirit of grace. And when they had prayed, the
place was shaken where they were assembled together, and they
were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the Word
of God with boldness. You see, the Lord Jesus was exalted
in their heart, in their affections, and the grace of God moved them
to lay aside everything for Christ's sake. Oh, that the Lord would
add his blessing few remarks that we have made. Let us now sing together hymn
number 394. The tune is Winchester New 439 what various hindrances we meet
in coming to the mercy seat, yet who that knows the worth
of prayer but wishes to be often there. Hymn 394, June Winchester
New, 439. Oh. ? We sing in praise of thee ? ?
We sing in praise of thee ? ? And we'll draw our lives onward
? ? How great Thou art, O Lord ? ? His exercise, truth, faith,
and love ? ? And every blessing ? ? From above ? ? His training railway ? ? Cease
to fight ? ? Fair makes her Christian ? ? From the bright ? And Satan
trembles when he sees Mary a sainter only. Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the
brave? As they play, I'm going down
on my way down. Happy are they who wait on Him
again, But for a great pain, great, long pain, And fill your heaven with rejoicing,
With the shepherds quaking. ? The hope that with God's fame
he spent to help the poor and needy ? they shall say. Oh, hear the
songbirds all happy. Hail, O'er the land of the free. Now, may the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the sacred fellowship
of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each, both now
and forevermore. Amen.