Let us commence our service this
afternoon by singing together hymn number 602. The tune is
St. Thomas Pendleton 559. Jesus the author is of true and
living faith. This blessed grace he gives and
saves our souls from death. By faith in him we live and view
the wonders God alone can do. hymn 602, tune St Thomas Pendleton,
559. In the sea of darkness I'll tremble
anyway This message will shake it and saves our souls from death. In Him, in Him, we live again. Amen. Lord of love and earth The principle
of faith Of Jesus we receive And o'er the valley light, And
o'er the straight path, Is it true, dear? Was it true,
dear? All wonders come and go. His Jesus gives us strength To
fight and overcome To gain peace, health, and love ? And trusting Him alone ? ? With
sweet surprise ? ? To soon have Him, O Father, come ? ? One can do ? ? Lord, help us in your hand ?
? By peace this faith can stand ? ? G-I's Son Jacob weighed ?
? And Jesus' culture had ? ? He came to our land to deliver us
? and you. To every trying sea, down
to the gates of death, O'er the land of the free and the home
of the brave? Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in Psalm 72. Psalm 72. Give the King thy judgments, O God, the king in this psalm
is Jesus Christ, and thy righteousness unto the king's son. He shall
judge thy people with righteousness and thy poor with judgment. The
mountains shall bring peace to the people and the little hills
by righteousness. He shall judge the poor of the
people. He shall save the children of the needy and shall break
in pieces the oppressor. They shall fear thee as long
as the sun and moon endure throughout all generations. He shall come
down like rain upon the mown grass, as showers that water
the earth. In his days shall the righteous
flourish and abundance of peace so long as the moon endures.
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river
unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness
shall bow before him, and his enemies shall lick the dust.
The kings of Tarshish and of the Isles shall bring presents.
The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall
fall down before him, All nations shall serve him, for he shall
deliver the needy when he crieth, the poor also, and him that hath
no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy,
and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their
soul from deceit and violence, and precious shall their blood
be in his sight. and he shall live, and to him
shall be given the gold of Sheba. Prayer also shall be made for
him continually, and daily shall he be praised. There shall be
a handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains.
The fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon, and they of the
city shall flourish like grass of the earth. His name shall
endure forever, His name shall be continued as long as the sun,
and men shall be blessed in him. All nations shall call him blessed. Blessed be the Lord God, the
God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed
be his glorious name forever, and let the whole earth be filled
with his glory. Amen and amen. The prayers of
David, the son of Jesse, are ended. May the Lord bless that
portion of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of
real prayer. Almighty, most merciful and eternal
God, we do desire to bow before thee, the King of kings. and
at the Lord of Lords. We do desire, O Lord, to worship
thee, and to humble ourselves before thee, 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 as we gather round thy word on the afternoon of thy
holy day. We pray that we may draw from
that sacred virtue that is in Jesus Christ, that we may lay
hold of him. Maybe one and another Lord here
who've come like that dear woman, if I might but touch the hem
of his garment, and that longing desire to touch the hem of his
garment, to lay hold of Jesus Christ by faith, grant us that
precious gift that we've sung about, the gift of true faith. and help us and grant us that
grace and that wisdom to lay aside every weight and the sin
that does so easily beset us, and that we might run with patience
the race that is set before us, looking on to Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before
him endured the cross, despising the shame thereof, and is now
set down at the right hand of the Majesty on High. Lord, we
do pray for that grace to cleave to Him and to look alone to Jesus. We pray for that vital union
and communion with Him. As one says in union with the
Lamb, from condemnation free, the saints from everlasting worth,
and shall forever be. Oh, do grant us that sweet union. Grant it to us as we gather round
thy word this afternoon, young and old, that union with Jesus
Christ, that grace to look to him, to seek him, to follow him,
to serve him in our day and in our generation. And give us that
grace, O Lord, to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy
and acceptable unto them, 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. We pray
to be led of the Spirit of God, For as many as are led by the
Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Oh, that we may be truly
led of thee. And the sweet psalmist, he says,
and he led them forth by the right way unto a city of habitation. Oh, lead us forth in that right
way. Deliver us from every wrong way, from every sinful way, and
graciously that bring us continually to Jesus Christ, who is the way,
the truth, and the life. We do humbly beseech of thee.
Oh, we do pray, most gracious God, that thou in thy precious
mercy would bless us as a church and as a congregation, that we
might be made more spiritually minded, that our heart and our
affections may be placed upon things above and not on things
of the earth. Oh, do hear us, Lord, we humbly
beseech thee. Sometimes, oh Lord, we're so
earthbound, we're so carnal, and we know that the carnal mind
is enmity to God. It is not subject to the law
of God, neither indeed can be. Oh, but do make us more spiritually
minded, and draw us unto thyself. Draw me, we will run after. Tell me, O thou whom my soul
lovest, where thou feedest, where thou causest thy flock to rest
at noon, for why should I be as one that is turned aside from
the flocks of thy companions? Oh, that we might know that sweet
drawing grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we may be attracted
to him, that we may be drawn to him, that we may long to lay
hold of him, that we may love him, serve him and obey him in
our day and in our generation, that we may be married to him
in that sacred gospel union, to be married unto Jesus Christ,
who is the husband of the widow and the father of the fatherless.
O gracious God, we do pray that we may walk in that beautiful
word, thy maker is thine husband, The Lord of hosts is his name.
And may the beloved speak. My beloved spake and said unto
me, O that it may be so this afternoon, that the beloved may
speak into our very hearts, that the Lord Jesus may be exalted
among us, that we may worship in his holy hill of Zion, and
that we may be given that grace to follow him and to serve him.
and that we may let all fruitless searches go, which perplex and
tease us, but desiring naught to know, but a bleeding Jesus. Lord, we pray for any that are
not able to gather with us today. Oh, that those graciously, bless
them indeed where they are. We do humbly beseech them. We
pray especially for dear Ina in her great age. that thou wouldst
undertake for her, strengthen her in the spirit of the inner
man, and grant her that strength, bodily strength, day by day.
Lord, we pray that thou wouldst hear prayer for any in the path
of affliction, sorrow, sadness, bereavement, and that thou wouldst
undertake for each one. We pray, most gracious Lord,
for that grace to love each other, to serve each other, to bear
each other's burdens, thereby fulfilling the law of Christ.
We pray for that grace to love the Lord our God with all our
heart, with all our mind, and our neighbour as ourself. Lord,
we pray thy blessing upon our brethren the deacons, bless them
indeed. We pray thy blessing to rest
upon each one of our brethren and sisters in church fellowship.
We pray for grace to indeed pray for one another. Each esteem
himself better than each other. Lord, hear us, we humbly beseech
thee. Help us to take the lowest place.
Give humility and love. Give us that contrite spirit. that I said to this man while
I work, to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that
trembleth at my word. Lord, bless the young and rising
generation, the little ones, the children as they're brought
into the sanctuary. Bless them indeed. Show them
thy ways. In their very young and tending
years, put thy holy fear in their hearts, an unctuous light to
all that's right, a bar to all that's wrong. We pray thy rich
blessing upon our dear young friends as they launch into life's
journey. We lovingly commend them to thee
and to the word of thy grace, which is able to build them up
and to grant them an inheritance among them that are sanctified. Those that are seeking thee,
may they find thee, may they follow thee, May they serve thee. Lord, we do pray that thou wouldst
deliver from the temptations of Satan, whether he comes as
a roaring lion to devour, or as an angel of light to deceive.
Lord, we pray that they may be delivered from the power of Satan. And may they, they're tempted
to give up. Help them to hold on. Help them
to look to the Lord Jesus. And we do pray, most gracious
Lord, that Thou in Thy precious mercy would be with them in every
path in providence. Help them to commit their way
unto the Lord and trust also in Him. He shall bring it to
pass. Help them to wait upon the Lord
and be of good courage. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that Thou in Thy Great mercy was remember parents, give wisdom
and help in the bringing up of their children. And that they
must remember all in the midst of the journey of life. And graciously
work mightily in their hearts. And may each one of us, O Lord,
be reminded that we must each soon die. And that we know not
how soon, For in the midst of life we are in death, and the
evidence of that, O Lord, is all about us. Oh, we do pray
that thou wouldst hear prayer then for each one. Remember all of us in the evening
time of life's journey, and bless us with that rich grace that
is in Christ Jesus. Remember the prodigals, cause
them to be in cause them to return. O Lord, we do beseech thee, for
thy great name's sake, have mercy upon them. Stretch out thy almighty
arm. O Lord, we do humbly beseech
thee. And O Lord, we pray for this
village, that the glory and light of the gospel may shine into
this village. Precious souls may be gathered
into the sanctuary. from this village and the surrounding
villages and hamlets, that this little house of prayer may yet
be filled with hungry, longing souls pressing into the kingdom
of heaven. O Lord, we do pray that thou
wouldst so bless us, we do humbly beseech thee, and bring our sons
from far, and our daughters from the ends of the earth. Remember
all thy servants as they labour word and doctrine up and down
our nation. Remember those that labour among
the nations of the earth and remember thy people in those
places in the earth where they suffer for the name and witness
of Jesus Christ. Send them help from the sanctuary.
Strengthen them out of Zion. We do humbly beseech of thee.
Remember our nation at this time. And in this coming week, O Lord,
we pray for the King, that the coronation may go smoothly, and
that we may be preserved from those that would seek harm. We
do humbly pray then, and do grant, Lord, that it may sink deep into
his heart, that great oath that he takes, the oath of office. Lord, we pray that thou wouldst
bless him and the royal household with that rich grace that is
in Christ Jesus. Hast thou not exhorted us to
pray for all in authority over us? We pray for our government
that wisdom and help may be given to them. We pray, O Lord, for
those places in the earth where there is much bloodshed and war.
Bring to naught the counsels of the ungodly. We do humbly
beseech thee for thy great name's sake. Are these not the signs of the
times in which we live? And there shall be wars and rumours
of wars, but the end is not yet. Lord, we thank thee for the throne
of grace, for our great high priest, for our glorious redeemer,
for his precious blood and righteousness, for what he has done to redeem
us and for what he will yet do in helping us through. We thank
thee that we have a heavenly father and that we have the gift
of the Holy Ghost. Oh, to have that gift here this
afternoon, that divine power and the heavenly unction of the
Holy Ghost and that thou wouldst touch one's lips with the live
coal from off the heavenly altar. Lord, 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 At 557, the tune is Southam, 729. How sweet and precious is
the name of Jesus Christ, the Lord, the Lamb, to sinners in
distress, a name just suited to their case, pregnant with
mercy, truth, and grace, with strength and righteousness. Hymn 557, Tune Southam, 729. He is the way, the peace, the
strength, the glory, the salvation. Amen. ? And with the stream to the grass
? ? Which flowed from the church of Jerusalem ? ? Israel, Israel,
Israel ? ? Resurrected, resurrected ? ?
From sin, the Lord had fled ? ? From sin, the Lord had fled ? ? From
sin, the Lord had fled ? O come all ye faithful joyful
and triumphant ? We thank you for all that you
have given us ? ? Let righteousness prevail ? ?
Let righteousness prevail ? ? Let righteousness prevail ? ? God's pure compassion ? ? Smiles
in flesh ? ? Which Jesus Christ to me ? ? Blessed be this heavenly day
? There is no place in the world
like this, this place where I once shone bright. O come, O come, Emmanuel, O come,
O come, Emmanuel ? If the Gentiles ever shelter
us ? ? The future of sin, the future of us, the future of us
? ? He is heaven-born from flesh
and blood ? ? God is almighty, God and King ? ? Wonderful angel,
wonderful angel ? Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to Psalm 72, and
we'll read verse 17 for our text. Psalm 72, verse 17. His name shall endure forever. His name shall be continued as
long as the sun, and men shall be blessed in him, all nations
shall call him blessed. This is a beautiful messianic
psalm, setting forth some of the glories of our glorious King,
Jesus Christ. David, what a crowning prayer
it is to David's life. It says the prayers of David,
the son of Jesse are ended. And what a beautiful prayer and
prophecy. And as we read in the New Testament,
David himself being a prophet, he was prophesying of the kingdom
of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. We've read of it in Matthew,
the kingdom of heaven, a spiritual kingdom, an eternal kingdom,
a kingdom that will never be destroyed. The Apostle Paul, he says, when
he writes his epistle to Timothy, now unto the King eternal, immortal
and invisible, the only true God be honour, glory and praise
everlasting, the king eternal. To be eternal is to be divine. As we read in the word of God,
from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God, the king eternal. So not only is it an eternal
kingdom, it is a kingdom I think one of
the hymn writers says, doesn't he, a kingdom of immense delight,
where life and health and peace unite, where solid pleasures
ever rise. The kingdom of our Lord and Saviour,
Jesus Christ, the eternal kingdom. Of His kingdom there shall be
no end. Give the King thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness,
unto the king's son. And so we read through this psalm
concerning this king, he shall judge the people. Verse two,
with righteousness. Verse four, he shall judge the
poor of the people. He shall save the children of
the needy and shall break in pieces the oppressor. He's a
great king. He's an Almighty King. We read in Isaiah chapter 9,
His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Prince of Peace,
the Everlasting Father. The glorious names that are given
to our Lord Jesus Christ. They declare what He is. It says in our text, His name
shall endure forever. The name of Christ. We've just
been singing of it, how sweet the name of Christ is to the
Lord's people. How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
in a believer's ear. It soothes his sorrows, heals
his wounds, and drives away his fear, the name of Jesus. But it's the meaning of the name.
And you shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people
from their sin. And when we read here in that
like we have in our text his name that we read of his person
That's what it's speaking of his person and who this person
is and how great this man is Doesn't the Apostle Paul he writes
to the Hebrews is this man Because he continues ever hath an unchangeable
priesthood this this glorious eternal God man the prophet,
the king, and the priest of his people. That's what Christ is
to his people. Under the Levitical Old Testament
dispensation, the three offices that required anointing was the
office of a priest, the office of a king, and the office of
a prophet. They all required anointing with
oil. Now, why was that? Well, it was
a It was ordained of God to show that Christ would be anointed
without measure. What those persons, sometimes
you have a prophet and a king, sometimes you have a priest and
a prophet in a king. There's only one person that
can bear all these offices. And he was anointed for that
purpose. The Holy Spirit anointed Christ without measure for the
salvation of his people, for the deliverance of his people.
What Christ did when he was here upon earth, the healing, the
power of healing, it was given by the Holy Ghost. He was anointed
without measure by the Spirit of the living God. The name Christ
means the Anointed One. His name is Jesus Christ. The
Saviour, the Anointed One. He was anointed as the Prophet,
the Priest and the King of his people. In those lovely words
in Isaiah chapter 61. In those first three verses of
Isaiah 61. The Spirit of the Lord God is
upon me. Christ read these words in the
synagogue at Nazareth. he closed the book and he said
this day this scripture is fulfilled in your ears and that that was
the commencement of the earthly ministry of our lord jesus christ
his public ministry that was when he was 30 years of age the
spirit of the lord god is upon me because the lord hath anointed
me to preach good tidings unto the meek there's the prophet
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, there is the priest,
to proclaim liberty to the captives, there's the key, and the opening
of the prison to them that are bound, to proclaim the acceptable
year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort
all that mourn, to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give
unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the
garment of praise, for the spirit of heaviness, that they might
be called the trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that
he might be glorified. You see, Christ was anointed
to those three divine offices, the prophet, the priest, and
the king of his people. Now, of course, here in Psalm
72, it particularly concentrates on the office of a king. Give
the king thy judgments, and his name shall endure forever. His name shall be continued as
long as the sun, and men shall be blessed in him. All nations
shall call him blessed." And apparently there is a interpretation of His name shall
be continued as long as the sun, and men shall be blessed in Him.
And it says in the original Hebrew that He shall be blessed with
many children, right to the end of time. Christ will be. He will have His children here
on earth, right to the end of time. And the promise here is
to Zion and Zion's King. He shall have His children here
upon earth, right to the end of time. But let us look here in the Psalm,
he shall judge the people with righteousness. We read in another
place in Isaiah where it speaks of a righteous king shall reign.
It says a king shall reign in righteousness. A beautiful prophecy
of the coming of Christ. He's a righteous king. And we
read in Psalm 45, the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter.
That is a righteous scepter. He was anointed by his Holy Father
as the prophet, the priest, and the king of his people. And he
will faithfully and fully fulfill those offices that he was anointed
to do as the prophet, the priest, and the king of his people. He
shall judge the poor of the need. The poor of the people, he shall
save the children of the need. and shall break in pieces the
oppressor. This glorious king. Of course,
the term king means one of supreme power. One of supreme power. In this coming week, we shall
witness the crowning of a new king here in our country. But in that coronation service,
it will say that he reigns subservient to Jesus Christ, who is the King
of kings, who is the Lord of lords. By me kings reign. I think you'll find in the service
of coronation that those words will be quoted. By me kings reign
and princes decree justice. So there's an acknowledgement
that Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And then
these words in verse five, they shall fear thee as long as the
sun and moon endure throughout all generations. They shall fear
thee that there will be a people here on earth throughout all
generations. And when that last vessel of
mercy chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, is sanctified by
the Spirit, then the archangel's trump shall sound. Then shall
the end be. You see, that's what we're all
coming to, the end. Each one of us is living to die.
This man is the King Eternal. And being the King Eternal, He
says, I give unto my sheep eternal life. I am come that they might
have life and that they might have it more abundantly. That
life that is given in Christ is eternal life. And it's an
abundant life. It's a life that will never end.
And it's a life in Christ. He is our life. Christ is our
life. I am the resurrection and the
life. How many times we read these things in the Word of God? I am the resurrection and the
life. He's the life of all that live. And we shall live in Him. And when we die, we shall be
raised in Him. Incorruptible. When Christ rose
from the dead, it says in the New Testament, He had destroyed
death. and him that hath the power of
death, that is the devil. There's only one person that
can do that, the Lord Christ, the King of glory. He has done
that. He has accomplished that. We
read in Psalm 24, who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts. It's Christ himself, anointed
to be the prophet, the king, and the priest of his people.
Now, it says here in verse six, he shall come down like rain
upon the mown grass, as showers that water the earth. He shall
come down. He came down to this earth as
a man. He lived a life as a man. And
the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. He shall come down. Friends,
he has come down. And he hath destroyed death,
and he hath put away sin, and he has destroyed the works of
the devil. Christ has done that. The King of glory has done that.
He's an almighty savior. He's an almighty redeemer. He's
able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him,
seeing he ever liveth. Seeing he ever liveth. as he's
called our great high priest, his name. What a name, isn't
it? A king, a priest, a prophet. It's said when Christ was here
upon earth, no man spake like this man. Not like Jesus Christ. You know, and his words were
with power. He was anointed with the Holy
Spirit. Many thousands of souls were
brought upon through the ministry of Christ and brought to know
themselves as sinners and to know him as the only saviour. Look at when he met Matthew at
the receipt of custom, follow me, and he left everything and
he followed him. Where the word of a king is,
there is power. And look at the power of King
Jesus. follow me and he left the receipt
of custom and he followed Christ. And we see there were others
also that were wrought upon in like manner when Christ was here
upon earth. In those first four disciples
that he called when they were on the Sea of Galilee and they
were fishermen and he said follow me and they left everything and
they followed him. You see the power of Jesus Christ
to cause those people to be willing. It says in Psalm 110, thy people
shall be willing in the day of thy power. Willing, willing to
leave everything. Let us lay aside every weight
and the sin that doth so easily beset us and let us run with
patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus,
the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was
set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame thereof,
and is now set down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. You know in Psalm 24, where it
speaks of Christ ascending to heaven, and the rhetorical question,
who is this King of Glory? It's the Lord Christ. He's the
King of Glory. He's the king eternally mortal
and invisible. Jesus shall reign where the sun. Does his successive journeys
run? Says here in verse eight, he
shall have dominion also from sea to sea and from the river
unto the ends of the earth. Says in Psalm 89, I will make
him my firstborn higher than the kings of the earth. higher
than the kings of the earth. Indeed, he is called the prince
of the kings of the earth, our Lord and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. He has dominion. When the Lord
Jesus was about to ascend into glory, he said to his disciples,
all power is given unto me, in heaven and in earth, all power,
not some power. It hath pleased the Father, that
in him shall all fullness dwell, and all power. Just think of
that, all power. There may be things in your life
that look impossible, that look so difficult, but not with Jesus. The apostle says, I can do all
things through Christ that strengthens me, all power. It is given unto
me in heaven and in earth. He shall have dominion also from
sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth."
Unto the ends of the earth. It says in another place, doesn't
it, unto the ends of the earth will I cry unto thee. Maybe,
you may have come to your feelings to the ends of the earth. Or
as it says in Psalm 107, to your wit's end, so that You don't know what to do. My
beloved friends, may you be enabled to look to Jesus. Look to the
Lord Jesus Christ, the King of glory, the omnipotent Saviour,
who is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. You see, here it says, verse
11, Yea, all kings shall fall down before him. All nations
shall serve him. This is the glorious King of
kings and Lord of lords. All nations shall serve him.
These things are written for our comfort, for our consolation,
that he is the almighty king. No, it speaks here, for he shall
deliver the needy when he crieth. See, it says in, you think of
our text, his name shall endure forever, his name shall be continued
as long as the sun. And just consider those lovely
words in the Proverbs. The name of the Lord is a strong
tower, and the righteous runneth into it. Oh, that you may be
enabled to run into This strong tower, this place of refuge,
of strength, of wisdom and of grace. That's what we find in
Jesus Christ. And the righteous runneth into
it. Oh, that you might find shelter there, that you might find refuge
there. Those are lovely words of the
hymn writer, aren't they? A refuge for sinners the gospel
makes known. It is found in the merits of
Jesus alone. The weary, the tempted, the burdened
by sin were never exempted from entering therein. What a refuge
is Jesus Christ unto poor dying sinners. He who has destroyed
death. He who has destroyed death. See,
he's omnipotent. We read in Revelation, hallelujah,
for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. And we read again in the Revelation
that we give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, for thou hast taken
to thy great power and hast reigned. Now, how did he take to his great
power? By sending his Son, Jesus Christ. God so loved the world, he gave
his only begotten Son. And he was made of a woman, made
under the law, that he might redeem them. that are under the
law. He shall spare the poor and needy
and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their
soul from deceit and violence. We read in Isaiah, the Redeemer
shall come to Zion. The Redeemer shall come to Zion.
Well, he's come. He lived as a man here upon earth
for 33 years. He honored, fulfilled, and magnified
the holy law of God on the behalf of his people. That was a central
part of his mission here on earth, to fulfill the law. I come not
to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. And that is what Christ has
done. He's fulfilled the law. He brought in everlasting righteousness
by fulfilling the law of God. His name shall endure forever
His name shall be continued as long as the sun, and men shall
be blessed in him, all nations. You know, this lovely, it's often
portrayed that the Old Testament is just a narrow compass of just
the children of Israel, but there are some beautiful flashes given
to us in the Book of Psalms and in Isaiah of the kingdom of Christ,
and even the promises that were made to Abraham, in these shall
all nations of the earth be blessed. There's no narrow compass at
all. It clearly speaks to us of the coming of Jesus Christ,
of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that all the nations shall
receive that gospel. And this gospel of the kingdom
must be preached among all nations as a testimony, all nations. All nations shall be blessed
in him. You know, when it says in the
several places in the New Testament, we've already quoted that verse
of John 3, 16, God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten
son. Now, of course, the Armenian,
they will interpret that as God loves the whole world. Now what
it means is, there's no other saviour. Doesn't matter where
you live. Doesn't matter what tribe you
belong to. Doesn't matter about the colour of your skin. There's only one saviour. There's
only one redeemer. There's only one deliverer. There's
only one that is able to save unto the uttermost all that come
unto God by him. This man. This glorious Holy
God, man, his name shall endure forever. His name shall be continued
as long as the sun. What I take from that, and as
I've already said, nearly all the commentators comment on it,
that it could have been translated, he will be gathering children
all the way through while the earth remaineth. Just like the
promise that was given to Noah, While the earth remaineth, seedtime,
harvest, summer, heat, cold, cold and heat, summer and winter
shall not fail. Well, you look at that in a natural
way and it's true. It will be to the end of time,
but look at it in a spiritual light. Seedtime, harvest, cold
and heat, summer and winter will not fail in the church. Not till
the end of time. His name shall endure forever,
his name shall be continued as long as the sun, and men shall
be blessed in him. All nations shall call him blessed. The blessed one, the holy one
of Israel, the savior of sinners, his name, the name of Jesus,
the name of Jesus Christ. Isn't it in in the prophet Daniel
in chapter seven, I believe, in Daniel's prophecy, where it
speaks so beautifully there of the eternal nature of the kingdom
of Jesus Christ. And Daniel saw this in the vision
that was given unto him of all the things that were going to
come to pass on the earth. And so we read in that seventh
chapter of the Book of Daniel, how he says, verse nine, I beheld
till the thrones were cast down, and the ancient of days did sit,
whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool. His throne was
like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire, a fiery
stream issued from before him, Thousands, thousands ministered
unto him and 10,000 times 10,000 stood before him. The judgment
was set and the books were opened. You see, how it's set before
us here. The glorious person of Christ.
Look at verse 13 in Daniel 7. 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." And then if you just look at verse
27, and the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdom
under 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. His name shall endure forever. His name shall be continued as
long as the sun, and men shall be blessed in him. All nations
shall call him blessed. See, David here, he saw right
through to the end of time. He saw the eternal kingdom of
Jesus Christ. He saw it by faith. Therefore,
he writes about it. You notice here, It speaks in
verse 15, and he shall live. And to him shall be given the
gold of Sheba. Prayer also shall be made for
him continually. Some would say, and I would rather
agree with them, prayer also be made to him continually. Why? Because he's our great high
priest. Prayer shall be made to him continually.
And daily shall he be praised. we may be enabled to be given
clear views of how great this man is. The King of Kings and
the Lord of Lords, the mighty God, the everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace. How great this man is. This glorious,
holy God name. He's given him a name which is
above every name. That at the name of Jesus, every
knee should bow. of things in heaven, of things
in earth, of things beneath the earth, the King Eternal. You know, friends, the great
thing is this, do you know this King? Those that are brought
to know Him, and brought to serve Him, and brought to follow Him,
they see Him as He is, the great King of kings, the great Lord
of lords, He is. And when you get a clear view
of that, you'll understand the language of the dear Apostle
Paul. He says, I can do all things through Christ that strengthens
me. You get a little view of the greatness of Christ, of the
power of Christ, of the wisdom of Christ, of the ability of
Christ, then you'll be able to go. Then you'll be able to As
David says, I will go in the strength of the Lord God. I will
speak of thy righteousness, even of thine only. He'll give you
grace. And there's that lovely word,
isn't there? And he giveth more grace. This path that the Lord
has set before you, what is this path? It's to follow Christ with
us wherever he leadeth. It is to follow him. He is to
be the center, the sum, and the substance. all your desires it's
in Christ that's what the Apostle he says that I may know him in
the power and that's what you need it the power of his resurrection
the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his
death but it's to follow him now he's laid out the way that
we are to follow him in the way of You know, in the gospel church,
there are only two sacred ordinances in the New Testament church. One is Believer's Baptism. The
other is the Lord's Supper. They are two sacred ordinances. But those that have been brought
to know the Lord Jesus Christ, it becomes a commandment. This
do. in remembrance of me. For as
often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the
Lord's death till he come. It's a divine command. And the divine command unto the
apostles and unto the Lord's servants today is go ye into
all the world preaching the gospel unto every creature, unto every
creature, And when you read through the Acts of the Apostles, etc.,
how we find that that is exactly what they did. And the Apostle
Paul, of course, was the one that most abundantly did those
things. Preaching the Gospel unto every
creature. Look at that wonderful sermon
of his on Mars Hill in Athens. Before heathen people, and he
lays clearly before them. that Jesus the Lord is King,
that he has power to save, that he alone is able to do that. How he sets before them that
all other types of religion is idolatry. It's idolatry. Now, just look at what the Lord
Jesus Christ said unto his disciples. It's very instructive. in Mark,
in Mark 16 and from verse 14. Afterward he appeared unto the
eleven as they sat at meat. So there was all of them with
the exception of Judas Iscariot who was now of course gone. And
upbraided them with their unbelief. Just think of that. He upbraided
them with their unbelief and hardness of heart. because they
believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. But then
immediately he says to them, and he said unto them, Go ye
into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth
not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow
them that believe. In my name shall they cast out
devils, They shall speak with new tongues. They shall take
up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not
hurt them. They shall lay hands on the sick,
and they shall recover. See, that was a divine commission. He that believeth and is baptized. That is what we base our church
order on. It's believers' baptism. He that
believeth and is baptised. Those two things are joined together. To believe is to have faith. Faith in what? Faith in Christ. Faith in the King of Kings. Faith
in the Almighty God. Faith in the Everlasting Father.
Faith in the Prince of Peace. Faith in Him that is able to
save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. Just remember,
you may be so troubled and so tried about following Him and
about serving Him, about making an open profession of His name,
just remember He's an almighty Savior. He's an almighty Savior. The
Apostle Peter says, kept by the power of God. through faith,
unto salvation, ready to be revealed at the last day, kept through
faith. That faith that the Lord has
given you will keep you close to Christ. It will keep you in
the right way. You'll feel your weakness, you'll
feel your insufficiency, you'll at times feel the power of unbelief
within, but oh that the Lord may give you that grace to press
on and to press forward, to press on and to press forward unto
the Lord Jesus Christ. His name shall endure forever. His name shall be continued as
long as the sun and men shall be blessed in him. All nations
shall call him blessed. Blessed be the Lord God the God
of Israel who only doeth wondrous things, and blessed be his glorious
name forever. Let the whole earth be filled
with his glory. Amen and amen. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 558 to the tune Melling, 883. Sweet the name of Christ
must be, from and to eternity, for it pleased the Father well,
fullness all in Christ should dwell. Hymn 558. to Mellon 883. O come, let us adore Him, O come,
let us adore Him, ? Jesus is the heaven-bride ? ?
Rejoice, O children, rejoice ? He hath saved my soul from
sin, And has done for me Thou shalt set us free, Thou. Hear my voice, hear from above. ? Praise him the earth and sky
? ? I the glory of Israel ? ? Hail, O Israel ? All is Christ-dirty,
and I shall victoriously ? Let all with peace make my trust
? ? And all fear will make my trust ? Christ the Lord. Christ the Lord. Christ the Lord. O come ye, O come ye, O come
ye to Bethlehem. May I ever live on high, and
whatever will be, shall be. ? It must end soon ? ? For have
we ever ? ? Suffered to ? ? May this day ? Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! 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.