Let us commence our service this
evening by singing together hymn number 1090. The tune is Abbeydale,
274. Prisoners of hope, to Jesus turn. He's a stronghold ordained for
you. Gird up your loins and cease
to mourn. And to the Lamb, your way pursue. Hymn 1090. to Abbeydale 274. Christmas of hope and Jesus'
death, is a strong hope of life for you. Turn up your noise, thanks be
to God, And to the Lamb your way pursue. Thine eyes fetters bound, Bound
in the deepest bondage there. It is the gospel's joyful sound. Sing us to this strong glory
yet. ? Tell me early ? ? Her bonds were
blest ? ? With life the ways of Rotterdam ? ? But now your
thoughts ? The soul distressed, because
those golden hours are gone. The river, the river, I have
tried, I have salvation to obtain. The royal robe you have shaped
to mine, And mother takes up every stain. His name the terror of strength
rebound Shall save his people from their sin With grace shall
all the sins abound, Ye fearing,
doubt, in souls turning, Let us read together from the
holy word of God in Paul's epistle to the Ephesians and chapter
four. The fourth chapter of the epistle
to the Ephesians. I therefore, the prisoner of
the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith
ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering,
forbearing one another in love, endeavouring to keep the unity
of the spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and
one spirit, even as ye are 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. But unto every
one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of
Christ. Wherefore, he saith, when he
ascended upon high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men,
now that he ascended What is it but that he also descended
first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended
is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that
he might fill all things. And he gave some apostles, some
pastors, and some evangelists, some prophets and some evangelists
and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints,
for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body
of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith and of
the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. that we henceforth
be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with
every wind of doctrine by the slight of men, and cunning craftiness
whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love,
may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ,
from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted
by that which every joint supply, according to the effectual working
in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto
the edifying of itself in love. This I say therefore in testifying
the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk,
in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened,
being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance
that is in them because of the blindness of their heart, who
being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness
to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so
learned Christ. If so be that ye have heard him,
and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, that
ye put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which
is corrupt, according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed
in the spirit of your mind, and that ye put on the new man, which
after God is created in righteousness and true holiness, Wherefore,
putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour,
for we are members one of another. Be angry, and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon
your wrath, neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole
steal no more, but rather let him labour, working with his
hands the thing which is good. that he may have to give to him
that needeth. Let no corrupt communication
proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use
of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve
not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of
redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath
and anger and clamour and evil speaking be put away from you
with all malice, and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven
you. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
which is an art, an art to come, we bow before thy great majesty,
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. We desire to worship thee, the
only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. for through
him we have access by one spirit unto the Father. We pray that
as we bow before thy great majesty that we may indeed have access,
that we may lay hold of that hope that is set before us in
the gospel. We come like that dear woman
in the gospels and when she came to thee, Lord Jesus, I might
but touch the hem of his garment, I should be made whole. All that
we could come, O Lord, in that spirit. We do pray that we may be truly
humbled under a sense of our sinfulness, the corruption of
our heart, the uncleanness of our nature. O gracious God, pray
to be truly humbled under that and the realisation of it continually. And that grace to remember all
the way the Lord our God has led us, to humble us and to prove
us and to see what was in thine heart. And we prove, O Lord,
that man shall not live by bread only, but by every word that
proceeded out of the mouth of God shall man live. And we pray
that tonight as we gather together around thy word, that thy word
may be as the bread of life, that thy word may be as the water
of life. And even that water that our
Lord Jesus Christ speaks of, it shall be in your well of water,
springing up unto everlasting life. Oh, we do pray for that
springing well, for the indwelling of thy Holy Spirit in our hearts,
counselling us, making the word a living word, shining upon the
page of Holy Scripture, giving us a spirit of meditation therein. We pray to be delivered from
our own selves, from our own thoughts, and that we may be
given thy good spirit to direct our For as many as are led by
the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. And we pray to be
led by the Holy Ghost. And we pray to be truly convinced
of our sin. And to truly realise our lost
condition. And we pray, most blessed Spirit,
that thou wouldst take of the things of Jesus and reveal them
unto us. that Christ may be made precious,
that Christ may be exalted as a prince and as a saviour, for
to give faith and repentance and remission of sins, that we
might know the truth and its reality experimentally in our
hearts, and that we may follow thee, Lord Jesus. Help us to
let all fruitless searches go, which perplex and tease us, but
desiring naught to know, but a bleeding Jesus. O gracious
God, we pray that it may be so this evening hour, that we may
see no man save Jesus only. We pray for those divine, sacred
drawings of our eternal Father, And as thy word instructs us,
none come except the Father draw. May we know that sweet drawing
of our heavenly Father, drawing us unto his best beloved and
all-glorious Son. May we have the witness of thy
Spirit with our spirit. Yea, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness
have I drawn thee. Oh, to know that precious truth,
O Lord, we do beseech thee, in its sacred reality, experimentally
in our hearts. Lord, we pray that thou wouldst
make us more spiritually minded, that our heart and our affections
may be set upon things above and not on things of the earth. We've read in thy word this evening
of putting away and of putting on, or that that could be, O
Lord, at this evening hour, that there may be a putting away of
those works of the flesh, and a putting on of the new man of
grace, and that spiritual mindedness to be given, our heart and our
affections, set upon Thee, Lord Jesus. We pray for our brethren,
the deacons, that grace, wisdom, and help may be given in all
their needs and all their concerns. Not just those concerns among
us here, but they have many responsibilities among the churches. We pray that
thou would help, support, and undertake for them. We pray that
most gracious Lord that thou, in thy precious mercy, would
remember each one of our brethren and sisters, in church fellowship
and graciously draw us together in the spirit of love and union
and communion to pray for one another, to bear one another's
burdens, thereby fulfilling the law of Christ. We pray, most
gracious Lord, that it was blessed the whole of our congregation
and that thou wast graciously blessed, the little ones and
the children that meet with us on the Lord's Day, and the dear
young friends, we pray for each one, oh, that thou wast blessed
them indeed, and that thou wast worked mightily in their hearts,
that we may see a generation raised up to call thee the Redeemer
blessed, a generation that shall follow on to know the Lord in
this little sanctuary. Lord, we pray that thou would
send the light and glory and power of the gospel into this
village and into the surrounding villages and hamlets. Precious
souls may be gathered in. The strongholds of Satan pulled
down. The kingdom of our 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 of thee. We pray that the Lord Jesus may
be exalted, lifted high. Poor sinners may look on thee.
We pray for the word of the Lord as it goes out onto the internet
throughout the nations of the earth. Thou hast promised that
thy word shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish
the thing whereto I sent it. Gracious God, do hear us, we
humbly beseech thee for thy great namesake. Lord, we pray that
thou wouldst remember those in the midst of the journey of life.
We remember those that are bringing up children, that they may be
given wisdom and help to bring them up in the nurture and admonition
of the Lord. We pray for the prodigals that
have wandered away, and we beseech you that thou wouldst lay hold
of them, that thou wouldst cause them to return for thy great
name's sake. And O Lord God, we do pray that
thou in thy precious mercy wouldst revive us again. We pray, O Lord,
that there may be those prodigals that we know nothing of, that
maybe years ago attended this house of prayer, oh, that thou
wouldst graciously gather in, rebuild, renew, and revive thy
Zion. We think of the ancient promises,
I will bring thy sons from far and thy daughters from the ends
of the earth. They shall come from the north
and from the south, from the east and from the west, O Lord
of hosts, O God of Israel, O Thou that dwellest between the cherubims,
shine forth. Let Thy hand be upon the man
of Thy right hand, the Son of Man, whom Thou madest strong
for Thyself, so will not we turn back from Thee. Lord, Thou hast
said, I will work, and who shall let it? Deliver us from the power
and the influence of Satan, the separator of the brethren, or
that we may be aware of his work and seek, O Lord, that his work
may be undermined and set at naught. Lord, he is called the
separator of the brethren, and that we pray to be delivered
from him. Sometimes he comes as an angel of light to deceive,
and sometimes he comes as a roaring lion to devour. And we know not,
O Lord, what to do. But we pray that our eyes may
be up unto thee. Remember those of us, O Lord,
that are now in the evening time of life's journey. We pray to
be made more spiritually minded and that our heart and affection
may be set upon things above and not on things of the earth.
We pray for our dear sister Ina in her great age and that we
pray that thou would support and sustain and help her. We
do humbly beseech of thee. Remember all thy servants as
they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion. We pray
for thy servants up and down in this nation of ours. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou, the great Lord of the harvest, would send true
labourers into the harvest and grant the settlement of pastors.
We do humbly beseech of thee for thy great namesake. And,
O Lord, we do pray that thou in thy precious mercy was to
remember thy Zion and thy people in the nations of the earth, especially in those places where
the name of Christ is hated and thy people are persecuted. Lord,
strengthen them out of Zion. Send them help from the sanctuary. Lift the light of thy countenance
upon them for thou art God over all and blessed for evermore,
and there is nothing too hard for thee. Lord, we do pray then
for thy persecuted people throughout the nations of the earth. We
pray for those who, from among us, labour in Burma and Pakistan
and India and Africa, O that thou wouldst be gracious. and
to those that labour in those various places and those various
organisations to bring the gospel, the word of God unto those people. And Lord, we do pray for truly
thankful hearts, thankful for the house of prayer, thankful
that thy mercies are new every morning and great is thy faithfulness. thankful for the our little house
of prayer and for thou has maintained us and we're thankful to thee
for that we're thankful oh lord above all for jesus christ the
incarnation of the son of god we thank thee for the holy life
he has lived when he was made of a woman and made under the
law Oh, we thank thee that in him the law has been fulfilled
and honoured and magnified. We thank thee that he's offered
that glorious, precious sacrifice of Calvary. He's brought in everlasting
righteousness for his people. He shed his blood to wash away
all our sins. Gracious God. We can say with
the spouse, my beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among
10,000. Oh, that thou wouldst make thyself
the chiefest among 10,000 at this evening hour, and that the
word of truth may be opened, and that the power of it may
be known in our hearts. Come and touch one's lips with
a live coal from off thy heavenly altar. We pray for our friends
here from Holland with us tonight, that they may feel at home and
thy blessing. We pray for the churches of God
in Holland, and that the glory and light of the gospel may shine
forth. Lord, we ask all, with the forgiveness
of every sin, we pray that thou would make up in giving where
we do so fail in asking, as we ask for Jesus Christ's sake.
Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 582. The tune is Praise My Soul 682.
High beyond imagination is the love of God to man. Far too deep for human reason,
fathom that it never can. Love eternal, richly dwells in
Christ the Lamb. Hymn 582, tune Praise My Soul,
682. Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Lo, he is come, Lo, he is come,
Risen from the dead. No conditions, no permission,
no galleys, no inventions, is ? With streams we've heard ? ?
Jesus loved them not forever ? ? Silent night, holy night
? We will never, never, never leave
this church alone. God is gentle, God is gentle,
and righteous. greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the chapter
that we read, the fourth chapter of Paul's epistle to the Ephesians,
and we'll read verse 32 for our text. Ephesians chapter four, verse
32. And be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's
sake hath forgiven you. And be ye kind one to another. In the previous chapter, chapter
three, we notice from verse 17, that Christ may dwell in your
hearts by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth
and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ,
which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the
fullness of God. They were the words that the
Lord used to first bring me to a knowledge of Jesus Christ,
when his love was shed abroad in my heart for the first time. A poor, lost, wretched, hopeless,
hell-deserving sinner. And yet Christ was revealed,
even to me. Oh, that wonderful sight and
that wonderful light that flowed into my heart at that time. And those words, as you can imagine,
ever since have been exceedingly precious to me. And he speaks
of it as being all the fullness of God. And that fullness of
God is in Christ. And that fullness of love is
in Christ. The love of the Father is seen
in Christ. God so loved the world He gave
His only begotten Son. Oh, what such wonderful love,
such almighty love, and eternal love. You think of those words
that, in Jeremiah chapter 31 and verse three. Yea, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness,
have I drawn them? Oh, to know more of this love
and more of this loving kindness. And it's the Spirit of Christ
dwelling in the heart. And when we taste and handle
and feel of that Spirit of Christ and that love of Christ, then
we are melted under a sense of it, on such love My heart still
ponders. Love so rich, so full, so free. What a wonderful love it is. It's true what the hymn writer
says, isn't it? High beyond imagination is the
love of God to man. It surpasses all our thoughts. It really does. It's an infinite
love. And it all dwells in Jesus Christ. We read in John chapter one that
he is full of grace and truth. And friends, he's always full
of grace and truth. He always has been and he always
will be. That there's never any diminishing
of that love and that grace and that mercy and that power that
there is in Christ. He's full of grace and truth.
And the other wonderful truth that the Apostle writes, when
he writes to the Colossians, he speaks there of the fullness
that is in Christ. He says, in him dwelleth all
the fullness of the Godhead bodily. All the fullness of the Godhead
bodily in Christ. He's the eternal son. of the
Eternal Father, you know, and the wonderful dignity, power,
and fullness of the life and the sacrifice of Christ that
lies here. He is the Son of God. It's infinite
love, it's infinite grace, it's infinite power that is in our
Lord Jesus Christ. Power to save, power to deliver,
He will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler and from
the noisome pestilence. Oh, that we might know more of
this love. And doesn't the apostle say when
he writes to the Romans about the love of God being shed
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost? Do you know that? The love of God shed abroad in
our hearts You know, friends, it's what we know of Christ that
is really important. And John Newton, in one of his
hymns, he says, what think ye of Christ is the test. What think ye of Christ is the
test. And how would you answer that
question? What think ye of Christ? And do you know something of
his love? Do you know something of that
love? Love of the father in sending his only begotten son. That there should be in him a
fullness. That's a beautiful word, isn't
it? In John's gospel, for the father himself loveth you. For
the father himself loveth you. wonderful love. We read also
of the love of the Spirit. So these three divine persons
who are one, that we read distinctly of the love of the Spirit, the
love of the Son and the love of the Father. And may we know more of this
love and the more union and communion that we have with Him The more
loving, the more kind, the more gracious we shall be. Those things, they go together. Now, here in the Ephesians chapter
four, he's speaking of, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech
you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called. What a wonderful thing. to be
called. You notice here the prisoner
of the Lord. We sang in our opening hymn,
Prisoners of Hope, to Jesus' turn. Everything that you stand in
need of is in Jesus Christ. You say, I feel so cold. You need the love of Christ shed
abroad in your heart. You say, I feel so far off. You
need the Lord to draw you. None come except the Father draw.
To be drawn to Christ. To look to Christ. But the exhortation
here, with all loneliness and meekness, with long suffering,
forbearing one another in love. Forbearing one another in love.
And then we have that word in verse three, endeavoring. You
know, friends, I understand in the original Greek, it comes
from a very strong word, which means to strive, endeavoring
to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. All that
we might know more of this spirit, and that we may indeed be found
striving for more of this spirit, endeavouring to keep the unity
of the spirit in the bond of peace. And he speaks then of
that oneness, 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. What a wonderful thing if we
know something of this. This love, this grace. And he goes on and he speaks
of the how Christ has given gifts to the church. And he speaks
of those gifts. It says in verse 11, this is,
he speaks of the ascension of Christ. So we have the incarnation
of the Son of God, when he was made of a woman, made under the
law that he might redeem them that are under the law. but then he lived as a man here
upon earth, under the law, and the purpose and the object of
Christ being made under the law was that he might fulfil it,
he might honour it, he might magnify it, he might keep it
on the behalf of his people, something that you can't do and
I can't do. It's impossible for us to do
that. You might say, why? Because we're born in sin, we're
shaped in iniquity. There's only one person who's
ever fulfilled the law. Christ. That person is spoken
of in Psalm 37 and verse 37, mark the perfect man and behold
the upright, for the end of that man is peace. That's Christ,
the perfect man. The sinless man. Sin is any transgression
of the law of God and the word of God declares concerning Christ
he did no sin. He did no sin. He fulfilled,
he honoured, he magnified the holy law of God on the behalf
of his people. He lived a life that was pure,
that was holy. I can never quote it quite properly,
but there's a hymn. Upon a life I did not live. Upon
a death I did not die. Hangs my everlasting awe. I can't
quote the whole verse. But what beautiful words. Upon
a life I did not live. That's the life of Christ. Upon
a death I did not die. That's the death of Christ. Hangs
my everlasting awe. on the finished work of Jesus
Christ. It's not what you have done. It's not what you will do. It's
not what you can do. It's what Christ has done. That
is the important thing. It's what Christ has done. Christ
is the law fulfiller of his people. And that fulfilling of the law
and that perfect obedience of Christ is called the robe of
his righteousness. The everlasting robe that he
covers his people with to cover our nakedness. What wonderful
mercy, what wonderful grace. One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all
and in you all. You see, and then he goes on
and he speaks, of what Christ has done in ascending
into glory. He offered that holy sacrifice
of Calvary. Having fulfilled and honoured
and magnified the holy law of God on the behalf of his people,
he then offered that holy, sacred human nature, body and soul,
as a sin atoning sacrifice unto his eternal Father, And then
he gave up the ghost. He entered into death, a voluntary
act of Jesus, the Son of God. Father, into thy hands I commend
my spirit. And having so done, he entered
into death itself. And on the third day, he rose
again. He had destroyed death. And him
that had the power of death, that is the devil. Christ has. And then he led the disciples
out as far as unto Bethany. He lifted up his hands and blessed
them. And it says in verse 10, that
he that descended is the same also that ascended up far above
all heavens that he might fill all things. And he gave some. These are the wonderful gifts
that Christ has given to the church. He gave some apostles. and some prophets and some evangelists
and some pastors and teachers. And then he tells us what their
work is for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. That's the
work of the gospel ministry and of the gospel minister till we
all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of
the Son of God unto a perfect man. That's what Christ is. Mark,
the perfect man. And of the knowledge of the Son
of God unto a perfect man. Unto the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ. Friends, do we have the spirit
and mind of Christ? Searching, isn't it? The spirit and mind of Christ. You think of our Lord Jesus Christ. When he was on Calvary's tree, suffering and bleeding and dying,
for the sins of his people. The weight of all the iniquity
of the church was laid upon him. In the garden of Gethsemane.
And he took those sins and he nailed them to his cross. Christ
did. Oh, the tremendous weight and
the burden. So great that he sweat as it
were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. This is our
Lord Jesus Christ. What did he say on Calvary's
tree? Father, forgive them, for they
know not what they do. There's the Spirit and there's
the mind of Christ. Father, forgive them, for they
know not what they do. Oh, that we could know more of
this Spirit of Christ. Till we all come in the unity
of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. This is verse
13. Unto a perfect man, unto the
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. What the
apostle Labus for here is that we all might be like Christ,
to be Christ-like, to have his spirit, the spirit
of Christ, which was a spirit of love, a spirit of kindness,
a spirit of compassion. And he says in verse 15, but
speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things
which is the head, even Christ, speaking the truth in love. Oh,
that we could know more of this love. And you know, friends,
when I speak these things to you, I speak them to myself.
I'm not standing in some ivory tower looking down on everybody.
I preach to myself as much as to anyone else. But speaking
the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which
is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, fitly joined
together and compacted by that which every joint supply, according
to the effectual work and in the measure of every part, maketh
increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in in love and be kind one to another
tender-hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christ's
sake hath forgiven you. You know the Apostle Paul when
he writes to the Colossians and he speaks there so beautifully. He says in Colossians 3 and verse
12, put on therefore as the elect
of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness
of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another and forgiving
one another, If any man have a quarrel against any, even as
Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things
put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness, charity. What we've often explained to
you, the meaning of the word charity, there are many, who
argued that it should have been translated love. But the word
charity, it actually means love in action. I believe it's the
right translation. Love in action. Or that we each,
it doesn't mean that Apostle John, he says in his first epistle,
my brethren, let us not love in word, but in deed. Not just to say it, but to love
indeed and in truth. Oh, that we may be favoured to
know more of this love, this love of Christ, because that's
what it's rooted in. And be ye kind one to another,
tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's
sake, hath forgiven you. You know, my mind went very much
to the dear apostle Paul again in the second epistle to the
Corinthians and in the second chapter. And he speaks
there of forgiving one that was dealt with by the church and
he exhorts them to forgive. Verse 10. To whom ye forgave
anything, I forgive also. For if I forgave anything, to
whom I forgave it for your sakes, forgave I it in the person of
Christ. Lest Satan should get an advantage
of us. For we are not ignorant of his
cunning devices. We're not ignorant of his cunning
devices. And we're not, we know. how Satan, the old serpent, the
devil, he's called the separator of the brethren. That's what
he tries to do. He's very cunning. He tries to
cause a division among the Lord's people, but it's his work. It says here in the previous
verses to our text, Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor
and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. And
be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as
God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. See, it comes back
to for Christ's sake. This is the spirit and mind of
Christ. Again, in this chapter, He says
in verse 22 that you put off concerning the former conversation
the old man. That is our old man of sin. We need to put off the old man
of sin. Put off concerning the former
conversation the old man which is corrupt according to his deceitful
lust and be renewed in the spirit of your mind that you put on. You see there's a putting off
and there's a putting on. These are spiritual things that
the apostle is speaking of. You know this point here when
he says that you put off. Consider the apostle when he
writes in the 12th chapter of the Hebrews. Let us lay aside
every weight and the sin that does so easily beset us and let
us run with patience the race that is set before us Looking
unto Jesus. The only way you can run this
race is looking unto Jesus. The only way that we can run
this race is by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, given
to us. But you put off concerning the
former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according
to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed. To know what is called
in another place, the renewing of the Holy Ghost. and be renewed
in the spirit of your mind. And then he says, and that you
put on the new man. It's like taking a garment off,
and it's like putting a garment on, and that's the illustration
that the apostle is using here, and that you put on the new man,
which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. And again, he says, well, for
putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor,
for he remembers one of another. Be angry and sin not. Let not
the sun go down upon your wrath. My mother died when I was very
young, but that was one of the things I so distinctly remember
her speaking so clearly to us when we were children. Let not
the sun go down upon your wrath. And we need to take heed to these
things. Be angry and sin not. Let not
the sun go down upon your rock. Neither give place to the devil.
Because that's what we do. We just noticed in Corinthians
about giving place to the devil. Here it is as well. We give place
to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more,
but rather let him labour, working with his hands a thing which
is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Oh, that the Lord would give
us grace. You know, friends, when we walk
different to this rule, the rule of Christ, the law of Christ,
as the apostle calls it in one place, When we walk contrary to this
rule, then just look at verse 30. And
grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto
the day of redemption. When we walk contrary, when we
have a mind that is different to the mind of Christ and the
spirit of Christ, we grieve the Holy Ghost and
the exhortation here is grieve not the Holy Spirit of God. He dwells in our hearts. One
of the hymn writers says and he's speaking of when we grieve
the Spirit and I think it's John Bunyan in the Holy War he speaks
of the Spirit going into the inner keep. He withdraws himself
He withdraws his sweet influences in the heart, in the soul. And
the hymn writer says, no longer burns our love. Our faith and
patience fail. That's just what happens when
the Holy Ghost withdraws his sweet, when we grieve him, when
we offend him. Oh, that the Lord would give
us his mind and his spirit and his love. and grieve not the
Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. And be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted. You see, anything, my beloved
friends, that is different to this, it will grieve the Spirit. When there's, as it says in verse
31, bitterness, wrath, and anger, clamor, evil speaking, with all
malice, to put it away, he says, and be ye kind. Oh, that we could
have this mind of Christ. When is it brethren all agree
and let distinctions fall when nothing in themselves they see
and Christ is all in all. It's when Christ is made precious.
Then love flows from heart to heart. Then there's a spirit
of forgiveness, of kindness, of compassion, forgiving one
another. My mind in thinking on this text
this morning was much drawn to the teachings of our Lord Jesus
Christ, particularly in the Gospel of Matthew. And he speaks there
concerning prayer, et cetera, our Lord Jesus Christ. And he
gives them the exhortation and the Lord's Prayer in the sixth
chapter. And he says to them, but when
ye pray, verse seven, Use not vain repetitions as the heathen
do, for they think that they shall be heard for their much
speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto
them, for your father knoweth what things ye have need of before
ye ask him. And then he gives the Lord's
Prayer. After this manner shall ye pray. And in verse 14, at
the close of the Lord's Prayer, For if ye forgive men their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive
not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses. You know, these are the teachings
of our Lord Jesus Christ on forgiveness and kindness and compassion. And he indeed, in a number of
places in the Word of God, on my mind it just goes to chapter
18 in Matthew. And look at verse 21. Then came Peter to him and said,
Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me and I forgive
him? Till seven times Jesus saith
unto him, I say not unto thee until seven times, but until
seventy times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven
likened unto a certain king. He continues here with the same
teaching, which would take account of his servants. And when he
begun to reckon, one was brought unto him which owed him ten thousand
talents for as much as he had not to pay, the Lord commanded
him to be sold, and his wife and children and all that he
had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down
and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I
will repay thee all. Then the Lord of that servant
was moved with compassion and loosed him and forgave him the
debt. But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow
servants which owed him an hundred pence, and he laid hands on him,
and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou ow'st. And his
fellow-servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying,
Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not,
but went and cast him into prison till he should pay the debt.
So when his fellow-servant saw what was done, they were very
sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
Then his lord, after he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked
servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desirest me.
Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant,
even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wrought, and
delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was
due unto him. So Likewise shall my heavenly
Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not
every one his brother their trespass, and be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted. You know, it's a wonderful thing
to have a tender conscience and to be tenderhearted. We read in Ezekiel, isn't it,
that the Lord, he promises, and of course he's speaking of gospel
days, I will take away the heart of stone and give you a heart
of flesh. You see, kindness, love, compassion,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's
sake, has forgiven you. What a wonderful thing if we
are partakers of that precious mercy that is in Christ Jesus. That you know his forgiving love,
you know his kindness, you know his compassion. My mind often
goes when considering these things to the second chapter of the first epistle
of john and it says there in verse six he that saith he abideth
in him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked even
as he and if if we continue in that first epistle of john and
look at chapter four and we we notice there from verse seven
beloved let us love one another for love is of god and everyone
that loveth is born of god and knoweth god he that loveth not
knoweth not god for god is love in this was manifested the love
of god toward us because that god sent his only begotten Son
into the world, that we might live through Him, here in His
love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent
His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God
so loved us, we are also to love one another. Oh, that the Lord
would grant us this wonderful spirit of love, of kindness,
of compassion, and tenderhearted. Verse 12, no man has seen God
at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth
in us, and his love is perfected in us, hereby knowing that we
dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. If you look at verse 24 in chapter
3, and he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth
in us by the Spirit which he hath given us. Oh, that that
may be so with us, that we may truly love each other, serve
each other, bear each other's burdens, and thereby fulfill
the law of Christ, and be kind one to another, tender-hearted,
forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath
forgiven you. Just look for a moment in the
continuation into chapter five. Be ye therefore followers of
God, as dear children, and walk in love, as Christ also hath
loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice
to God for a sweet-smelling savour. Oh, to know this love, and that
this love may be shed abroad in our hearts. May the Lord add
his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 250. The tune is Hope Street, 745.
Though justly of wrongs we complain, or faithfully sinners reprove,
yet still we do all things in vain, unless we do all things
in love. Love makes us humble and meek.
Tis love makes us humble and meek. The wounds of ill usage
it cures. It pities the falls of the weak.
The pride of the lofty endures. Hymn 250, tune Hope Street, Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O come, O come, O come, O come,
O come, O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? ? As God hath longed to fulfill
? ? His pleasure of television ? ? Now brings him home again
? And what is the deed to be done?
But Jesus, a blessing must flow, to reach the spinning of the
heart. My thankful spirit is tired and rich under all. 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.