The notices for the coming week
are, God willing, as follows. Mr. Timothy Parrish will preach
here next Lord's Day at 10.30 and two o'clock. Pastor will
preach here on Thursday evening at seven o'clock. There will
be a church meeting here on Tuesday evening at seven o'clock. The collections taken during
April amounted to £2,309.60. Donations to the book fund were
£45. We sincerely thank you for your
support of this cause of truth. Let us commence our services
today by singing together hymn number 365. The tune is Alice
279. Where shall we go to seek and
find a habitation for our God, a dwelling for the eternal mind
amongst the sons of flesh and blood? Hymn 365, tune Alice,
279. Who shall we go to seek and find? ♪ Her habitation ♪ ♪ Caracoles
♪ ♪ Her dwelling for the eternal night ♪ ♪ Reminiscence ♪ and wine. The God of Jacob jousteth with of Zion for his presence. And Zion is his When he takes his last kiss With
his special touch Here will I fit my gracious strength,
And reign forever, praise the Lord. It shall my power and love be
known, Till Jesus comes in my blood. Where will I meet the hungry
Lord, And fill their souls with living bread? Sinners shall make him, O my
Door, which with the vision shall be fair. Heav'nly truth and full of grace,
Thy praise, Thy blessing, ever shall shine, No terror in his ghostly trace,
Make that appearance sturdy to hide. As saints from a ulterior tame,
Learning words I shall shout and sing, Thou shalt not leave it, it shall
reign, as I am drawn away from Thee. Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in Psalms 1, 2, and 3. The Book of Psalms numbers 1, 2,
and 3. Blessed is the man that walketh
not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is
in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day
and night. And he shall be like a tree planted
by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his
season. His leaf also shall not wither,
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not
so, But I like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore
the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in
the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way
of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing,
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together
against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, Let us
break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us.
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall have
them in division. Then shall he speak unto them
in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have
I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree. The Lord hath said unto me, Thou
art my son. This day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee
the heathen for thine inheritance. and the uttermost parts of the
earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a
rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces
like a potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings. Be instructed, ye judges of the
earth. Serve the Lord with fear and
rejoice with trembling. Kiss the sun lest he be angry
and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put
their trust in him. Lord, how are they increased
that trouble me? Many are they that rise up against
me. Many there be which say of my
soul, there is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, O Lord,
art a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of
his holy hill, Selah. I laid me down and slept. I awaked,
for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands
of people that have set themselves against me round about. Arise,
O Lord, save me, O my God, for thou hast smitten all mine enemies
upon the cheekbone. Thou hast broken the teeth of
the ungodly. Salvation belongeth unto the
Lord. Thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah. 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 do desire to bow before thy
great majesty, to call upon thy great and holy name. And we do
desire, O Lord, that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
love of God our Father, the sacred fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
may rest upon us in the services of thy house today, and that
thou wilt be the master of assembly. We pray that thy spirit may work
mightily in our hearts. For Lord, without thee we can
do nothing. May the power of the Holy Ghost
be known in the pulpit and in the pew. We do humbly beseech
thee, that for thy great name's sake, we pray to be led of thee. We read in thy word and he led
them forth by the right way. unto a city of habitation. And we read in thy word, O Lord,
that as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons
of God. Oh, to know that divine leading
and the heavenly power of the Holy Ghost in the pulpit and
in the pew. Give us ears to hear, eyes to
see, hearts to receive thy precious word. we do humbly beseech of
thee. And we read in thy word, O Lord,
that none come except the Father draw, that may we know those
sacred drawings of our eternal Father. As we gather round thy
word today, and as we gather round the table of the Lord,
O that we might feel thy presence and thy blessing, we do humbly
beseech of thee. that we pray that the dear Lord
Jesus, King Jesus, may come and stand in our midst, that we may
behold his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth. O most gracious God, we do humbly
pray. Thou hast said in thy word, I
will work, and who shall let it? And we pray that thou wouldst
work in our midst, that we may see thy work and thy power and
thy glory as thou usest to be in the sanctuary. Work mightyly,
Lord, among us as a congregation, and graciously guide us, O thou
great Jehovah. We pray for our friends here
with us from Holland, that thy blessing may rest upon them,
and that they may find it was good to be here, we do humbly
beseech. And we pray for the Church of
God in Holland. The glory and light of the gospel
in its heavenly power may shine forth, we do humbly pray thee. We pray for all the causes of
truth up and down our land. And we pray that thou would pour
forth thy blessed spirit, that thou would graciously work mightily,
powerfully, and effectually Let us see thy goings in the sanctuary. Let us see thy power and thy
glory as thou usest to be in the sanctuary. Let us see thee
fulfilling, O Lord, of thy word. And 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. Gracious God, we long to see
such a day. Revive us again, prosper thy
Zion, make bare thine holy arm in the gospel, pull down the
strongholds of Satan, set up the kingdom of our Lord Jesus
in the hearts of sinners. Gracious God, hear us in heaven,
thy holy and thy blessed dwelling place, and pour forth thy blessed
Spirit Grant that we may this day see no man save Jesus only. O most gracious Lord, we pray,
that we may behold him as our prophet, our priest, and our
king, and that we may behold him as the Lord of lords and
the King of kings, and that we may be favoured to see and to
behold by faith his cross, where sin has been put away, and that
dear man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, that we may behold
him in his sufferings and his sorrows, and that we may be enabled
to say, oh, this was done for me. Oh, gracious God, we need
a personal realization of thy truth in our hearts, of the glorious
person of Jesus Christ in our hearts, the hope of glory. And we come like the dear apostle
that I might know him in the power of his resurrection, in
the fellowship of his sufferings. O gracious God, do so work mightily
and powerfully and effectually among us, we do humbly beseech
of thee. And graciously gather precious
souls. Gather precious souls from this
village. and the surrounding villages
and hamlets. And grant that we may see thy
work and thy power in the gospel. Bless the word of the Lord distributed. Grant that it may redound to
thy honour and glory. It may be as a good seed that
shall find place in good ground and bear fruit to the glory of
thy great name. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou wouldst bless our beloved brethren, the deacons. Give them
needed grace, wisdom, and help. We do humbly beseech thee. And
each one of our brethren and sisters in Christ, in church
fellowship, we pray for each one. Oh, that thou wouldst unite
us together in love, in union, in communion. Enable us to bear
each other's burden. and thereby fulfilling the law
of Christ, to love each other, to serve each other in our day
and in our generation. We pray for our dear brother
and sister who have left us and we pray that thou would be with
them and bless them and undertake for them and guide them. We do
humbly beseech them. We pray most gracious God that
thou in thy great mercy would remember at the little ones and
the children, that they may be blessed of thee, that they may
receive the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom.
And we pray, most gracious God, for the young friends, that they
may know thy blessing, that they may be brought to live in faith
in Jesus Christ, that they may become true followers of thee,
and of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Lord, we do pray that thou wouldst hear prayer on their behalf,
guide them in all the matters of providence, help them to commit
their way unto thee and to trust also in thee. We do humbly beseech
of thee. And oh Lord God, we do pray that
thou wouldst that graciously hear prayer for parents, that
they may be given wisdom and grace to bring up their children
in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We pray for all
in the midst of the journey of life. Oh, do be gracious, deliver
us from the temptations of Satan, from the power and dominion of
sin. Sometimes, Lord, the enemy comes
in like a flood. Sometimes, as an angel of light,
sometimes as a roaring lion, O do grant us the whole armour
of God, that we may be enabled to stand. Gracious God, do hear
us, we humbly beseech thee. We pray for all of those of us
that are now in the evening time of life's journey, that thou
wouldst graciously undertake for us and help us. O God of
our salvation, Prepare us for that time, that great change
that must come. We do humbly beseech of thee.
O Lord God, we do pray that thou wouldst graciously hear prayer
for thy servants as they labour in word and doctrine upon the
walls of Zion. Set them free, set them at liberty. Grant signs to follow the preaching
of the word. Grant a day of power. When the
strongholds of Satan are pulled down, hear us, Lord, we humbly
beseech of Thee for Thy great namesake. We pray, most gracious
Lord, that Thou, the great Lord of the harvest, would send true
labourers into the harvest and build the walls of Jerusalem.
We pray, most gracious Lord, that Thou wouldst remember our
nation Remember our King. We lovingly
commend him to thee and to the word of thy grace, which is able
to build him up and to grant him an inheritance among them
that are sanctified. Grant indeed, O Lord, thy blessing
upon him, upon the royal household. Do hear us, Lord. We do thank
thee for the past day, in that thy name was glorified. and honoured
as the King of Kings, as the Lord of Lords. Lord, there are
many things that we are to be thankful for. We pray that his
reign may be long and prosperous over us. We do humbly beseech
of thee. We pray for our government, that
wisdom and help and guidance and direction may be given for
thy great namesake. Lord, we pray that thou would
remember those in those nations of the earth where the name of
Christ is hated and where thy people are persecuted, even unto
death. Send them help from the sanctuary.
Strengthen them, our desire. We thank thee for all thy tender
mercies. We thank thee that thy mercies
to us are new every morning and great is thy faithfulness. We
thank the most gracious Lord for the wonderful glory of our
Lord Jesus Christ. And we thank thee that he is
God over all and blessed forevermore and able to do abundantly more
than we can even ask or think. We thank thee for those lovely
words. Hallelujah for the Lord God omnipotent
reign Oh, we do thank Thee, most gracious Lord, that He is indeed
King of kings and Lord of lords. But we thank Thee, Lord, for
the incarnation of the Son of God, His holy, pure, and spotless
life, the bringing in of everlasting righteousness for His people.
We thank Thee for Calvary, where the Lamb was slain, where sin
was put away, and divine justice was satisfied. We thank Thee
that He died for our sins and rose again for our justification. O gracious God, we thank Thee
that He has ascended into heaven. Yet have I set my King upon my
holy hill of Zion. Lord, be with us now as we turn
to Thy holy Word. Come and open thy word to our
heart, to our understanding. Come and touch one's lips with
the live coal from of the heavenly altar. We ask, with the forgiveness
of all sin, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 539. The tune is Gottsall 542. It was the last verse of this
hymn that was made so precious and sacred to my late dear wife. Christians, rejoice and sing.
Your Maker's lovely praise. He is your God and King. Ancient
of endless days, he lives, he reigns and sits above, the King
of kings and God of love. Hymn 539, tune Gopsal 542. ♪ And so let his voices sing ♪
♪ To the makers of the ages ♪ ♪ Jesus, Lord God and King ♪ ♪ Angels
of heaven extend ♪ ♪ We will see waves and ships o'er
the sea ♪ ♪ Carrying hope in times of need ♪ ♪ Thou wast the Lamb of heaven
♪ ♪ We bless thee, Jesus ♪ ♪ We praise thee, O Israel ♪ ♪ The world will always choose
♪ ♪ It will be made to know the King ♪ ♪ And will hear his voice
♪ ♪ His strength divine is this ♪
♪ The majestic deed ♪ ♪ That shall
never fail ♪ It was He who dealt us this war,
to make you and for us free. ♪ Where by the coasts of Bethlehem
♪ ♪ That white star of God adored shines ♪ ♪ With angelic praises
he brings ♪ Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the second
psalm, Psalm number two, and we'll read verse six for our
text. Psalm number two, verse six. Yet have I set my King upon my
holy hill of Zion. Yet have I set my King. My King. This verse has rested on my spirit
for the whole of this week, and obviously with the events of
the past day, the crowning, the coronation of King Charles III,
and as one was listening to the service yesterday, of course
there are things that we wouldn't quite agree with, but Christ
was honoured, Christ was glorified, and that is something we should
be thankful for. You know, friends, we should
look at the mercy of God to us as a nation, but still central
to our constitution is the Protestant religion and the Word of God. And those of you that watch the
service, you'll notice the King kissed the Word of God. He is
King under Christ. And that was made very clear,
yet, have I set my King. Nothing can change that. Nothing can alter that. As the
Word of God declares, the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is who
is being spoken of here in this portion of Scripture, is the
King of kings and the Lord of lords. We read in Proverbs chapter
eight, and it's the person of Christ that is speaking. By me
kings reign and princes decree justice. And we read in the first
chapter of the book of the Revelation that he is the prince of the
kings of the earth. Christ is the prince of the kings
of the earth. And you know, friends, it's a
great mercy that yesterday, in the coronation of our King, these
things were openly acknowledged to millions and millions of people
around the world. The Word of God was read, and
the Holy Spirit can use that throughout the nations of the
earth, and the glorious light of the Gospel to shine, all that
it may be so. that we may again see the light
of the gospel shining, the Lord Jesus Christ exalted and acknowledged
as being the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Yet have I
set my King upon my holy hill of Zion. Zion is the church of
the living God. the Lord Jesus Christ, and just
bearing in mind the meaning of the name King, it means one of
supreme power. One of supreme power. Our Lord
Jesus Christ, when he was about to ascend from earth to heaven,
he led out his soldiers, his disciples as far as unto Bethany,
he lifted up his hands and blessed them. And one of the things that
he said to them was that he is the omnipotent ruler of all the
earth. The omnipotent ruler of all the
earth. God over all and blessed forevermore. And you know, friends, we should
ever remember that. He's the God over all. and he
has been anointed king by his eternal father. This was acknowledged yesterday
in the coronation service with the anointing of King Charles. And in the Old Testament, the
office of a king and the office of a priest and the office of
a prophet required anointing. It was a special act of anointing
to that office. Of course this was acknowledged
yesterday and it's something that we should be thankful for. But those offices in the Old
Testament of the Prophet, the Priest and the King are all typified
in the fact that they were anointed, are all typified. in the person
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of the Eternal Father,
that was manifest in the flesh. He was anointed again in the
service yesterday, in the beginning of Isaiah 61 was read. And concerning
our Lord Jesus Christ, a prophet, a prophecy by Isaiah, the Spirit
of the Lord God is upon me. for he has anointed me. He has
anointed me. Indeed, the name Christ means
the anointed one, the Messiah. And we are instructed in the
third chapter of John's Gospel that he was anointed with the
Spirit without measure. There was a gracious fullness
of the Spirit that was poured upon Jesus the Son of God that
was manifest in the flesh and that anointing of the Spirit
was poured upon his holy human nature. And Christ in several places
acknowledges that. That he cast out devils by the
power of the Holy Ghost. He healed diseases by the power
of the Holy Ghost. He preached the Gospel by the
power of the Holy Ghost. How central then This is to the
understanding of the glorious person of our Lord Jesus Christ
and of who he is, anointed by the Father. When he read those
first three verses of Isaiah 61 in the synagogue at Nazareth,
he closed the book and he said, this day, this scripture is fulfilled
in your ears. This day, this scripture. divine
anointing, to preach the everlasting gospel, to be the prophet of
the Lord, Moses in Deuteronomy. A prophet shall the Lord our
God raise up unto you from among your brethren. That prophet there
is written with a capital P. Why? Because he was referring
to the Messiah. He was referring to the eternal
Son of God that was to be manifest in the flesh. Prophets shall
the Lord raise up unto you from among your brethren. We read
in the prophecy of, I believe it's in Isaiah, a king shall
reign in righteousness. That's speaking of Christ. A
king shall reign in righteousness. It's a very well-known hymn,
isn't there? Jesus shall reign where the sun Does his successive
journeys run? He shall reign from shore to
shore. In the seventh chapter of the
prophet Daniel. And we read there a prophecy
concerning the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Daniel
7 verse 13, I saw in the night visions And behold, one like
the Son of Man, that's Christ, came with the clouds of heaven,
and came to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before
him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom,
that all people, nations, and languages should serve him. His
dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away. And
his kingdom, that which shall not be destroyed, Then we read
in verse 27, and the kingdom and dominion and the greatness
of the kingdom unto the whole heaven shall be given to the
people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him, the King
of kings and the Lord of lords. Daniel was given very clear views
of the glorious person of Jesus, the Son of God, yet have I sent
my King. Now, look at the context here
in this psalm. Why do the heathen rage? And the people imagine a vain
thing. The kings of the earth set themselves
and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord. and against
his anointed, that of course is Christ, saying, let us break
their bands asunder. You know, when you speak to people
today, and sadly, if you look back at the time when this nation
was a predominantly Christian nation, people respected the
word of God, they respected religion, they respected ministers. But
now if you speak to people, that they're totally ignorant of these
things. And if you speak to them about the holy law of God, and
the gospel of God, and the day of judgment, and they say, we
don't want anything to do with your laws, or your gospel, or
the day of judgment, we're free, we can do just as we want. And
they, just as it says here, let us break their bands asunder,
and cast away their cords from us. Now, listen to what God says,
the eternal God. He that sitteth in the heavens
shall laugh. What a solemn thought that is.
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall have
them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them
his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure. In spite of
what the heathen rage and the people imagine in a vain thing,
that is they deny the very being of God as a creator and as a
Lord over all. Yet. See the importance of this
word, yet. In spite of what all the heathens
say, all the wicked say, yet, have I set my king upon my holy
hill of Zion. He shall have dominion. We've
just read it in Daniel. From sea to sea. He shall have
dominion. He's the Almighty. You think
of those lovely words spoken in prophecy in Isaiah concerning
the birth of Jesus Christ and those wonderful names that are
given to our Lord Jesus Christ there in the ninth chapter of
the prophecy of Isaiah and it says there his name for unto
us verse six for unto us a child is born unto us a son is given
and the government shall be on his shoulder and his name shall
be called wonderful counsellor the mighty God the everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government
of peace, there shall be no end. Upon the throne of David and
upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment
and with justice from henceforth, even forever, the zeal of the
Lord of hosts will perform this. is the Lord of hosts. You know
when the Lord Jesus said, all power is given unto me in heaven
and in earth. Might we ever remember that?
And think of those words of the dear apostle when he speaks in
Romans chapter eight, there is therefore now no condemnation
to them that are in Christ Jesus. And he goes on towards the latter
part of Romans eight, And he says, if God before us, who then
can be against us. He's the king of kings. With
heaven and earth at his command, he waits to answer prayer. And
he's promised to answer prayer. And he's promised to defend and
deliver and keep his people. He has, never forget, yet, Have
I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion. He'd been an anointed
King. He'll be crowned King. Speaks
of the glory of Christ, doesn't it, in the book of the Revelation.
When he shall come in power and great glory and the marriage
supper of the Lamb. What a wonderful glory there
is there, my beloved friend. In Revelation it speaks of the
Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of the throne. Revelation chapter
5. And he saw a lamb in the midst
of the throne as it had been slain. It's a glorious person
of Jesus Christ in the midst of the throne. He sits on no
precarious throne nor borrows leave to be. He's the Almighty. He's the Almighty. Yet have I
set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. It's God speaking. It's God that is speaking here,
a divine truth. I will declare the decree. The
Lord has said unto me, thou art my son. This day have I begotten
thee. In the Acts of the Apostles,
The Apostles rightly interpret this as being the resurrection
of Jesus Christ. He died for our sins. He was
humiliated in his life. He humbled himself and became
obedient unto death, though he's the King of kings and the Lord
of lords. But when they came with swords
and staves to take him, they came towards him and they fell
backwards. Why? Because of who he is. Why
is that recorded? And why did that happen? To show
that Jesus Christ voluntarily went to Calvary. He knew what
he was to suffer. He was determined to save his
people. He was determined to deliver
his people. When Peter took the sword of
Malchus, the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear,
But what did Christ say to him? Could I not have called upon
12 legions of angels? I could have destroyed all these
men. But the cup that my father hath given me, shall I not drink
it? The king, the mighty king, was
determined to save, was determined to deliver. We read in Isaiah,
he set his face as a flint. Nothing was going to be to deflect
him from what it was decreed and purposed for him to do. Not
even death itself. This mighty king would destroy
death. And him that had the power of
death, that is the devil. He's an almighty king. He came
to destroy the works of the devil. And he's done that. He's accomplished
that. He has destroyed death. This is what it means, the Lord
God, the omnipotent reigneth in the glorious person of his
Son. In that profound mystery of godliness,
of God manifest in the flesh, he has destroyed the works of
the devil. He hath, and this is the glorious
person of Christ, manifest in the flesh, God manifest in the
flesh, He lived under the law. As the
apostle says, made of a woman, made under the law, that he might
redeem them that are under the law. That's what he's done. He
came to fulfil and honour and magnify God's holy law in his
glorious person, in his walk, in his conduct here upon earth. And that is exactly what he did.
And it's like Daniel says, to the bringing in of everlasting
righteousness, that's the coming of Christ. That's the holy, sinless
life that he lived. My righteous servant, he's called
in the prophecy of Isaiah, Christ, my righteous servant, shall justify
many. How? By living for them. by fulfilling
the law for them, by honoring the law for them, and thereby
making them righteous. It's that glorious everlasting
righteousness of Christ. It's the perfect obedience of
the Holy Son of God manifest in the flesh. The perfect obedience
of Christ is called the robe of his righteousness. And that
is what the child of God receives by faith. It's a wonderful thing
to receive that by faith. I've often told you of that time
when I so blessedly received that by faith. It was the words of a hymn that
was so sacred to my soul at that time, expressing the very things
that I felt in my heart. I'm blessed, I'm blessed, forever
blessed. My rags are gone and I am dressed. in garments white as snow. You know, friends, I looked for
my sins. My sins could not be found. They
were swallowed up in the everlasting love of Christ. That's what Christ
has done. That's what our almighty King
has done. He's brought in everlasting righteousness
for his people. And notice, and it says it twice
or three times in Psalm 119, Thy righteousness is an everlasting
righteousness. The righteousness of Christ is
an everlasting righteousness because He's the Son of God.
It's an everlasting righteousness. And He clothes His people in
that glorious everlasting robe of His righteousness. One of
the glorious names that is given unto Jesus Christ in Holy Scripture
Jehovah said Kenji the Lord our righteousness friends it's a
it's a royal righteousness it comes from the King of Kings
and the Lord of Lords he sends you know it's described
in the Gospels in the teaching of Christ isn't it one of the customs in biblical times, but
if People were invited to a wedding a wedding garment was sent with
the invitation So when those people came They could look and
say where they've been invited. They have a wedding garment on
What a lovely illustration that is of the righteousness of Christ
Those that are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb have
on a wedding garment. And the Lord Jesus in that way
of parables, he speaks of that man. He found a man there not
having on a wedding garment. And he went to him and said,
friend, how came is thou in hither? And he was speechless. And he
said to his servants, bind him hand and foot, cast him into
outer darkness. That's recorded in Matthew chapter
22. It's a solemn thought, isn't
it? Having no wedding garment, not prepared. That wedding garment
of the righteousness of Christ, it covers the nakedness. Our nakedness is covered with
that glorious everlasting robe of the righteousness of Jesus
Christ. It is indeed. Yet have I set
my King upon my holy hill of Zion. He suffered, he bled, he
died. Our King, our Almighty King,
how he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross. They spat on him. treated him, mocked him, set
him at naught, and yet he's the king of kings. You know, friends,
the sad, the solemn, the awful thing is all those people that
have done that will have to meet him when he comes to judge the
world in righteousness. It's a solemn thought, isn't
it? But you know, central to this
glorious king and this heavenly kingdom is the crucifixion. He suffered, he bled, he died
for our sins. In Gethsemane, our sins were
laid upon him. At Calvary, he suffered and he
bled and he died for those sins. He himself did no sin. Neither
was guile found in his mouth. He suffered, he bled, he died. He gave his life a ransom for
all. He did. What a wonderful glory
there is. You know, and I know I often
emphasize it, but these are wonderful and precious truths of one's
own soul. All the dignity, all the worth,
all the power, in the crucifixion. He is the
Son of God. He's the infinite, the eternal
King. He was crucified. He humbled
himself. He humbled himself when he came
to this earth. The Son of God has seen human
nature in the womb of the Virgin Mary. He humbled himself in that Joseph
and Mary were in very poor circumstances. He humbled himself. He didn't
come to the palaces of the rich and of the great. He was made
of a woman made under the law. And that little babe who is the
son of God manifest in the flesh was laid in a manger. He humbled
himself. One hymn writer says they lodged
him with the beast. He humbled himself. You know, Joseph and Mary were
a very poor couple. And you know there was a provision
made in the law on the offering of sacrifices. If it was a rich
man, he could bring several bullocks and lambs, etc. If a poor person
came who didn't have bullocks and lambs, two pigeons or turtle doves were
offered, I suspect that would have been what Joseph and Mary
would have taken. You see, he humbled himself. As a man, he humbled himself.
He humbled himself when he allowed these wicked men to treat him
so awfully and mock him. He humbled himself when he allowed
them to take him prisoner. You don't have to. It's a voluntary
act of Jesus, the Son of God. and he humbled himself before
Herod and before Pontius Pilate, the rulers of the day. They set
him at nought and they scourged him and then they crucified him. This glorious king and yet there's
a divine purpose. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our the King
of Kings, the Lord of Lords. You know, it says in Isaiah chapter
28, behold I lay in Zion a foundation, and this is the laying of that
foundation in Zion. It's in the glorious person of
Jesus, the Son of God, manifest in the flesh. When our sins and
our iniquities were laid upon him, and when he suffered in
our room place instead on the cross of Calvary. That precious
blood of Jesus Christ, it cleanses from all sin. It is of infinite
worth and power to redeem and to deliver his people and to
satisfy all the demands of divine justice. It's the royal blood
of Jesus Christ. There was a sweet savour that
ascended from the cross of Calvary unto the Eternal Father and the
whole Church of God is received in that glorious sacrifice of
the King of Kings and of the Lord of Lords. Yet have I set
my King upon my holy hill of Zion. Now, he humbled himself
and became obedient unto death. He did. He died. It was a divine act. of Jesus,
the Son of God. And he died to rise again. He died and entered into death
that he might destroy death. So on the resurrection morn,
he rose again. He swallowed up death in victory. Oh, death, where is thy sting?
Oh, grave, where is thy victory? It swallowed up in Christ. in
the glorious person of a living Savior who has the power of everlasting
life. I give unto my sheep eternal
life. Oh, it comes from the King of
kings and the Lord of lords, eternal life. Yet have I set my King upon my
holy hill of Zion. He's now ascended into heaven.
He now sits at the right hand of the Father. A man there is
a real man with wounds still gaping wide from which rich streams
of blood once ran in hands and feet and side. A real man. A real Savior. An almighty Savior. A Savior as the power of an endless
life. Now look at the last Verse of
Psalm 2, kiss the son, lest he be angry and you perish from
the way. Kiss the son, be united unto
Jesus Christ, that's what it means, in love, kiss the son,
lest he be angry with you and you perish from the way. When
his wrath is kindled but a little, blessed are all they that put
their trust in him. in John's Gospel, the Lord Jesus
Christ speaks to Nicodemus. And he says to Nicodemus, you
must be born again. Then, as we know, he questions
Nicodemus, how can a man enter a second time into his mother's
womb, completely misunderstanding the spiritual nature of the words
of Jesus Christ. And so, He says, except a man
be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of
heaven. This glorious eternal kingdom
must be born of the Holy Ghost. He must be born again. If you're never born again by
the Holy Ghost, you can never enter heaven. Except a man be
born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter. the kingdom
of heaven. Now when the spirit of God enters
into the heart of a person, just as we read in Ephesians chapter
two in the first verse, you hath he quickened who were dead in
trespasses and in sins. You hath he quickened, you hath
he given life. That's what that word quickened
means. You see my beloved friends, Have you been given life? Have
I been given life? Have you been born again? Have
I been born again? These are such vital, fundamental
truths of our most holy faith. And if we live and die having
never been born again, we must be lost forever. We must be cast out of the presence
of this King into eternal punishment forever. But if we are born again, if
we are brought into union, you see, when the Spirit works in
the heart, when there's a sense of our lost
condition, when the Spirit quickens, He gives a sense of our lost
condition. He gives a sense of our helpless
condition, our hopeless condition, that there is a sense given by
the Holy Ghost in the heart of condemnation. Condemnation. 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. When we sin, we break God's holy
law. That is the definition given
us in the word of God. Sin is any transgression of the
law of God. That's what sin is. That's how
it's defined in Holy Scripture. When we transgress, the idea
behind the word transgress is a boundary. It's like having
a field and you have a fence or a hedge all around it to keep
the livestock in. Now, if you break that boundary,
you transgress the boundary. That's the meaning of the word
transgress. And so the hedge or the fence that the Lord has
put around man is his holy righteous law. If we break that holy law,
we break God's command. And we come under the curse of
almighty God, of this eternal king. Now, the way appointed,
divinely appointed, to be delivered from that sin and Satan's power Jesus Christ. I am the way, the
truth and the life. I am the way to God. Jesus is
the way to God. Jesus is the way to bliss. In
this way the saints have trod down from Adam's day to this.
Are you in that way? Am I in that way? Now when we're
brought to realize our lost condition, we're brought to see You know
those lovely words of Jesus Christ recorded in the Gospels, ask
and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it
shall be opened unto you. Oh that the Holy Spirit may lead
us and guide us unto Jesus Christ, to seek salvation alone in him,
to seek an interest in the Saviour's blood my pardon sealed, and peace
with God. Kiss the son, lest he be angry,
and you perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but
a little. Kiss the son. Oh, to be reconciled
in Christ, and to have Christ revealed, that same blessed spirit
that convinces of sin reveals Christ. He reveals Christ. It's said in the teachings of
Christ, he would take, that's the Holy Spirit, he would take
of the things of Jesus and reveal them unto him. He would testify
of me, Christ says. The Holy Spirit will, in the
heart of a poor sinner, testify of their lost condition and then
testify that Jesus is the way to God. Under the law, there is darkness
and bondage. Under the gospel, there's light
and life. In Jesus Christ, I am the light
of the world. There is salvation in none other.
For there is none other name that is given unto heaven whereby
ye must be saved. Yet have I set my King upon my
holy hill. And these converts to Jesus Christ,
he gathers together in churches. He unites them together in church
fellowship, in union and communion together. We have those lovely
words in John, the first epistle of John. We know that we are
passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. It's just
like Naomi and Ruth. Ruth was joined in love to Naomi,
her mother-in-law. She encouraged her to go back
to Moab, to the gods of Moab. But we read Ruth clave unto her,
and she said, Entreat me not to leave thee, nor to return
from following after thee. Where thou goest, I will go.
Where thou dwellest, I will dwell. Thy God shall be my God. She
was united to her. She was brought into union. Naomi,
in a sense, in that narrow sense of the word, she's a type of
the church. And Ruth, clave unto her. But
what happened? She married Boaz. Boaz is a beautiful
type of Christ. Boaz, He says he's a mighty man
of wealth. What a beautiful type of our
Lord Jesus Christ. And Ruth of Moabitess, she was
married. She's in the lineage of Christ. What a wonderful thing that is,
that she wasn't an Israelite, but she was brought in. She wasn't
from among the Lord's people, but she was brought in. Oh, that
we may see These wonderful things in the day in which we live.
Precious souls brought in among the people of God. I love to
meet among them now, before thy gracious feet to bow, though
vilest of them all. I have loved the habitation of
thy house and the place where thine honor dwelleth. Isn't that
what we long to see? Precious souls gathered unto
Christ, worshiping King Jesus, following King Jesus, hearing
His commands, walking in His holy commands in love. If you
love me, keep my commandments. Oh, my beloved friends, isn't
this what we want to see? Isn't this what we desire? An
ingathering of precious souls. Yet, have I set my King upon
my holy hill of Zion. You know, the King, He speaks
a most beautiful word to us in the prophecy of Isaiah. I will
work and who shall let it. And there's another word in Isaiah
chapter 60 in the last verse. That chapter 60 is full of precious
promises unto Zion. And what does it say? I the Lord
will hasten it in his time. It's in his time. He will make
bare his holy arm in the gospel. He will arise for the help of
his people. Oh, my beloved friends, what
does one of the hymn writers say? Thou art coming to a king. Large petitions with thee bring.
For his grace and power as such, none can ever ask too much. You know, it's a very beautiful
gospel, isn't it? It's for the poor and the needy,
the wretched, the undone. They're welcome to Jesus Christ.
Listen to the voice of this almighty King. Come unto me, all ye that
labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my
yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart,
and ye shall find rest for your souls. This is the rest of faith.
Resting in the glorious person of Jesus, the Son of God. Resting
upon his promises, upon his word, resting upon His grace, resting
upon His precious blood, resting upon His glorious righteousness,
resting upon His power to save, and to redeem, and to deliver
poor sinners. All that we may be found. What
does He say, this glorious King? He speaks to us in Isaiah chapter
45. Look unto me, all ye ends of
the earth, and be ye saved, for I am God, and there is none else. That's the voice of King Jesus.
Look unto me, all ye ends of the earth. Yet have I set my
King upon my holy hill of Zion. You know, the church is described
in Holy Scripture as being a remnant. That means a small part of. The
true church of God has always been a remnant among men. surrounded with enemies, Satan
being the chief protagonist, but the Lord has promised to
defend his church, and he's promised to defend his people, and he's
promised that they will reach heaven. Listen, listen to the
voice of this almighty King. Let not your heart be troubled.
You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house,
many mansions if it were not so I would have told you I go
to prepare a place for you and if I go to prepare a place for
you I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I
am there he may be also yet have I set my King upon my holy hill
of Zion. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 194. The tune is Lydia 177. How mighty
Jesus, how divine is thy victorious sword, the
stoutest rebel must resign at thy commanding word. Hymn 194,
tune Lydia, 177. ♪ Christ, the Jesus of Israel ♪
♪ Christ, the Jesus of Israel ♪ Like a mountain boulder, Like
a mountain boulder. Deep are the rivers, ♪ They missed them not at all ♪
♪ They missed them not at all ♪ ♪ They missed them not at all
♪ ♪ And joys unspeakable ♪ ♪ And joys unspeakable ♪ Still can I soar upon thy flight. O sweet Prince, triumphant be,
and make thy person, make thy person When thy victories are complete,
When thy victories are complete, ♪ Shall revel in the glory of thee
♪ ♪ To sing thy conqu'ring praise ♪ ♪ To sing thy conqu'ring praise
♪ May my love also be found Thou
on earth, heaven and earth ♪ And I will hear your praises
shout ♪ ♪ Throughout the angels' light ♪ ♪ Throughout the angels'
light ♪ Now, may the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the sacred fellowship
of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each. Amen.