um Before we begin our worship,
I've been asked to make the following announcement. I would just remind
you of the emergency alerts text from the government at three
o'clock this afternoon. It will be best to have all mobile
phones switched off, although we expect to hear the alarm through
the phone transmitting the service. I trust it will not be too much
of a disturbance. Let us begin the worship of almighty
God by singing hymn 366. The tune is Anne's No. 89. The Lord in Zion placed his name,
his ark was settled there. To Zion the whole nation came
to worship, thrice a year, but we have no such lengths to go,
nor wander far abroad. Where'er thy saints assemble
now, there is a house for God. 366. ? For this I embrace his name ?
? His love prospers again ? ? To Zion, the whole nation, hail
? ? Till worship's glorious new year ? And we have found such grace
to have, Love of heaven, love evermore. Where'er thy strength should
tremble now, There is a house full of love. Where I took Thee, O praise,
O Christ, And entered till I rest. And rise at once with glowing
eyes, Mastering goodness. Enter with hope for glorious
fame, Thy Spirit and Thy blood. O'er the valley of Kings, world's
fountain, and the shelt'ring place of home. Here, my dear God, where scattered
stones, Here, let Thy grace be spread. Get the provisions of my heart,
And fill thy food with praise. In e'er the sun, or the evening
rain, Let the twilight dim shine. Justice and truth is contacted, Winner, and proven right. ? When I think of the lost in fire
? ? And the tears in the grass ? ? Where Joram shall go for his cry ? I wish to read two psalms. The first is Psalm 26, then 27,
and then 73. So we begin with Psalm 26. of Psalm of David. Judge me,
O Lord, for I have walked in mine integrity. I have trusted
also in the Lord. Therefore I shall not slide. Examine me, O Lord, and prove
me. Try my brains and my heart, for
thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes, and I have walked
in thy I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in
with dissemblers. I have hated the congregation
of evildoers and will not sit with the wicked. I will wash
mine hands in innocency, so will I compass thine altar, O Lord,
that I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all
thy wondrous works. I have loved the habitation of
thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth. Gather
not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men, in whose
hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.
But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity. Redeem me, and
be merciful unto me. My foot standeth in an even place,
In the congregations will I bless the Lord. The Lord is my light
and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is
the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? When
the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to
eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should
encamp against me, my heart shall not fear, though war should rise
against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired
of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the
house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty
of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. For in the time of
trouble, He shall hide me in his pavilion. In the secret of
his tabernacle shall he hide me. He shall set me up upon a
rock. And now shall mine head be lifted
up above mine enemies round about me. Therefore will I offer in
his tabernacle sacrifices of joy. I will sing, yea, I will
sing praises unto the Lord. Hear, O Lord, when I cry with
my voice. Have mercy also upon me and answer
me. When thou saidst, seek ye my
face, my heart said unto thee, thy face, Lord, will I seek.
Hide not thy face far from me. Put not thy servant away in anger. Thou hast been my help. Leave
me not, neither forsake me. O God of my salvation! When my
father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me
up. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and
lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. Deliver me not
over unto the will of mine enemies, for false witnesses are risen
up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. I had fainted, unless
I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the
living. Wait on the Lord, be of good
courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on
the Lord." We turn now to Psalm 73. Psalm 73. the Psalm of Asaph. Truly, God
is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. But
as for me, my feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh
slipped. For I was envious at the foolish
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no
bands in their death, but their strength is firm. They are not
in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued like other men.
Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain. Violence covereth
them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness. They have more than heart could
wish. They are corrupt and speak wickedly concerning oppression. They speak loftily. They set
their mouth against the heavens and their tongue walketh through
the earth. Therefore his people return hither,
and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them. And they say,
How doth God know? And is their knowledge in the
Most High? Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the
world. They increase in riches. Verily
I have cleansed my heart in vain, and wash my hands in innocency. For all the day long have I been
plagued and chastened every morning. If I say I will speak thus, behold,
I should offend against the generation of thy children. When I thought
to know this, it was too painful for me until I went into the
sanctuary of God then understood I their end. Surely thou didst
set them in slippery places, thou castest them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation,
as in a moment? They are utterly consumed with
terrors. As a dream when one awaketh,
so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.
Thus my heart was grieved. and I was pricked in my brains. So foolish was I, and ignorant,
I was as a beast before thee. Nevertheless, I am continually
with thee. Thou hast holden me by my right
hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy
counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven
but thee? And there is none upon earth
that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever. For lo, they that are far from
thee shall perish. Thou hast destroyed all them
that go a-whoring from thee, but it is good for me to draw
near to God. I have put my trust in the Lord
God, that I may declare all thy works, so reads the Word of God. Let us ask the Lord's blessing.
Let us pray together. Once more, O God of grace, we
draw near in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the sinner's
friend, as we come to the throne of grace. We have found, O Lord,
it is a throne of grace and not a throne of judgment, which our
sins deserve. We come therefore with, we trust,
humble and holy boldness, seeking to make petition before thee,
asking for mercies of the God of heaven. We pray that our worship
this afternoon may be acceptable in thy sight, that we may not
mock thee with a mere form and round of duties, but that we
may enter into the spirit of the truth that we have read and
may consider together. Lord, we pray thou be pleased
to speak to the hearts of the people, as one has said. Speak,
Lord, in the stillness while we wait on thee. Hush our hearts
to listen in expectancy. May there be a spirit of anticipation
and desire as we open up the word of God together this afternoon. We give thanks for the public
assemblies of the Lord's people up and down this nation, small
in number, though many of them may be, but we are thankful,
Lord, that there are still a people throughout this island that desires
to meet to worship the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we
pray, Lord, that come to bless and to prosper the public ministry
of the word of God during the course of this day. It may indeed
truly be a good day, in the courts of the Lord. We pray, Lord, that
thou be pleased to come again in power to thy people, as we
prayed this morning, that thou come and visit this vine which
thou hast planted in this land, that it may yet prosper, its
branches may spread forth and may bear much fruit. Lord, we
know thou art the heavenly husbandman, and we pray that thou come to
deal graciously with thy people make us as individuals as fruit-bearing
branches. And may we be like Joseph, whose
branch was like a branch by a well that ran over the wall. We pray,
Lord, that we may, as it were, run over the wall in desire for
concern for those outside of the truth who are yet far distant
from thee, whether they be under the sound of the word or no,
whether they be out and out in the world at the present time.
We pray their heart's desire and prayer may be for them, that
they may be dealt with in grace and brought in to a saving knowledge
of the truth. We pray the steps of men and
women, even boys and girls, may be directed to come under the
sound of the word, who as yet are completely absorbed with
material things. Lord, we pray they'll come to
shake them, and to have mercy upon them, we pray. We pray once
more for our brother, the pastor of the church here. We pray,
Lord, that be pleased to help him as he brings forth things
new and old from the word of God. May there be a newness and
freshness, an unction from heaven attending his ministry as week
by week he labors, desiring to feed the souls of the people
desiring to see sinners saved by grace. We pray, Lord, that
work by thy gracious power. We pray that be pleased to hear
prayer for all thy people, not only in this nation, but around
the world. Many who are obliged to meet in secret for fear of
those that would oppress them and persecute them and harm them.
Lord, we pray for such that meet with fears. We pray that grant
them peace. and joy in believing, and we
pray for those who are indeed persecuted for righteousness'
sake, as they may languish in some filthy dungeon without drawn
air to bless them. As it was with Joseph, may the
prison be blessed with a sense of thy presence, for the Lord
was with Joseph, we are told. We pray that be with thy people
in adverse circumstances, We pray, Lord, help them, give them
strength to persevere. May they be faithful unto death
and receive a crown of life, as thy word promises. Lord, we pray that they'll be
pleased to bless the testimony of thy people, that those who
persecute them and hate them may see that there's something
different. And like it was with Saul of Tarsus, may they be pricked
in their consciences. May they come to realize the
wickedness of their actions, that in persecuting Christians,
they are persecuting Christ, the Master. We pray, O Lord,
they'll be pleased to turn such around and make them become bold
defenders of the truth. Lord, we pray this may be the
case, that they'll touch those that are openly wicked and rebellious,
to humble them and to change them, transform their lives,
we pray. We pray the one true church throughout
this world may be built up and established even in troublous
times. We pray for those places that
it's true to say that Christ has not yet been named, where
there's been no gospel testimony, where the word of God hasn't
yet reached. We pray for those places that the light of truth
may reach them, that sinners may be converted unto thee, that
new churches may be established, Lord, we are thankful to know
there are some places in the world where there is real progress
and much prosperity. We pray for believers in China
and Iran and Armenia and many other places where there is considerable
increase, but also great difficulties. We pray, Lord, help bless thy
people, raise up for them under shepherds to lead them and to
feed them in the truth We pray, Lord, for blessing upon these
scriptures as they go forth to the four corners of the earth,
that thy word may have free course and be glorified. Lord, we pray
that they'll be pleased to hear prayer for those in authority
over us in this country. We pray for our Prime Minister
and the members of the government, and we pray that they may be
given insight and understanding concerning our times. that they
may come to realize that we have gone astray, we've turned from
the right path. May they come to realize that
righteousness exhorteth the nation, but sin is a reproach to any
people. We grieve over the extent to
which as a nation we have departed from thee, turning to the darkness
from the light, turning away from the word to human philosophy
and the notions of fallen man. We grieve over legislation that
promotes that which is sinful and wicked. Oh Lord, do have
mercy, we pray. Hear the cries of thy people
who are burdened about these things. May there yet be better
days, days of the son of man upon earth, days of an outpouring
of thy spirit, that there may be a great flocking to hearing
the word of God, that there may be a great desire to know the
truth savingly, that many may be brought to repentance and
faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that you use thy people
and come and anoint thy servants with a greater measure of the
blessing of Pentecost. At least in some measure it may
be known in our times there may be a turning of the tide. We
pray, O Lord, for the situation in the Ukraine that now has has
continued for over a year. Lord, we know that none of these
things happens by chance. None of these things take thee
by surprise. But Lord, we pray that the aggressor may yet be
turned back and overthrown. We pray, Lord, that peace may
come to that country once more. We pray it may be used in some
way for the good of that nation. that they may be shaken regarding
their need of righteousness. Lord, we pray for believers in
that country who are seeking to remain at their post, to be
a witness and to seek to be a strength and a help to those in trouble.
We pray for blessing upon the distribution of the word of God
in that country and to those who have been displaced in Romania
and Poland and other such places. We pray, Lord, that this hunger
for Ukrainian and Russian scriptures may be a means of grace to many,
that these terrible evils may be overruled for good, that many
may come under the sound of the truth and hear the Word and live. Lord, we pray for the Holy Spirit's
power to be exerted through the Word in these times. So, Lord,
we look to Thee. We know that All things are being
worked together according to a plan, as year succeeds to year. And so, Lord, we humble ourselves
before thy sovereign dealings with individuals, with churches,
with nations, and we pray, Lord, thy will may be done on earth
as it is in heaven. And so we pray, Lord, help us
and bless us and look upon us in all our needs. We confess
that we are poor and needy in ourselves. We are empty vessels. But Lord, we pray that come to
fill us and to bless us, we pray, not because we are worthy, for
we are utterly and ever will be utterly unworthy, but thou
art worthy to receive praise and adoration and thanksgiving. We thank thee, O Lord, for the
little insights we have in thy word of the song of heaven. Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain and has redeemed us to God by His
blood out of every kindred, tribe, nation and people. So we pray,
O Lord, it may be in our sovereign purposes that each one found
in this chapel this afternoon will at last be found around
the throne, washed in the blood of the Lamb, clothed in Christ's
righteousness. May it be their exercise even
this day in their concern to be found amongst thy people.
And so, O Lord, we pray that come down, look upon us, we ask,
and hear us and receive us graciously as we give thanks for the boundless
mercies that come down to us day by day. We ask these things
for Christ's sake. Amen. We continue in worship by singing
the hymn number 95, the tune is Irish, number 160. Number
95. And did the holy and the just,
the sovereign of the skies, stoop down to wretchedness and dust,
the guilty worms might rise, yes, the Redeemer left his throne,
his radiant throne on high, surprising mercy, Love unknown, to suffer,
bleed and die. Number 95. Early in the morning's early
light, to God, to God, to God, to God,
to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God,
to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God,
to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God,
to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God,
to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God, to God Yes, the Redeemer left His word,
His praise to drive on high. O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the
brave? Eternal life, take the place
? God's Son, to thee we sing ?
? O come, O come, O come, Emmanuel ? ? O come, O come, Emmanuel ? ? O come, O come, Emmanuel ? O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? Hail, O'er the land of the free
and the home of the brave? ? Give life and turn it bright
? ? By day it grows thinner ? ? Stretched from earth anew ? O say can you see, by the dawn's
early light, ? And to thee, my own, this proudest
trust ? ? I'm giving it all to thee. ? I invite your attention to Psalm
number 26. The book of Psalms, Psalm number
26. And I'll read again the words
of verse 8, the words of King David. Lord, I have loved the
habitation of thy house and the place where thine honor dwelleth. You may have noticed that there
was a theme that ran through the three Psalms that we read,
Psalm 26, 27 and 73, each of them made reference at some point
to the house of God. We find these Psalms and others
as well give us a little insight into the godly in times past,
and here in particular King David, his love for the things of God
and the house of God, what these things meant to them. They didn't
go to chapels, we go to chapel. but nevertheless they loved the
things of God and they loved the worship of God's name. I wonder whether you can remember
the first time coming to chapel really meant something to you.
Some of us can look back and we remember the days when it
seemed to mean nothing to us. We may not necessarily have been
rebellious, we may have been happy to come, we felt it was
the right thing to do perhaps, but we just came and we went
and we came and we meant, we had an outward knowledge of the
things of God, we acknowledged them to be true, we had a certain
reverence perhaps for these things, but it meant nothing to us. But
the time came when that changed. Can you remember that change?
Can you remember the time when coming to chapel started to mean
something to you? Can you understand the psalmist
in Psalm 122 when he said, I was glad when they said unto
me, let us go into the house of the Lord. We open this morning
with that lovely hymn of Isaac Watts, effectively a paraphrase
on that psalm. Some of you will know, if you
love music, you will know that Hubert Parry wrote a grand anthem
on Psalm 122. Something about that psalm captures
for us something in the sense of jubilant, rejoicing in going
up to worship the Lord at Jerusalem. There are 15 Pilgrim Psalms,
Psalms 120 to 134. They're known as Psalms of Degrees,
which means Psalms of Going Up or Psalms of Ascent. And it describes
for us the people who left their homes, perhaps at a distance
from Jerusalem. They may have had a long way
to go, but they went with others. It was required of the men to
go on three occasions during the course of the year. Passover,
Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. The rest of the family could
go as well if they wished. We're told concerning Hannah
that she went up with her husband to Shiloh, in that case, of course,
before Jerusalem was established for the place of worship. But
those pilgrim psalms give us a little understanding of what
the godly felt in going up to Jerusalem, to go and meet with
the Lord, to worship with his people. It was the place of instruction. In days when there was a good
king on the throne, then the Levites were appointed to instruct
the people in the law of the Lord. They would effectively
preach to them the truths that were contained there in the Old
Testament. And the people of God would find their hearts being
touched and moved and comforted by these things. It wasn't just
a kind of mechanical exercise, it wasn't just a routine. They
went because they wanted to go. And in their going, the Lord
met with them and blessed them. Now, we have no temple to go
to today, do we? We don't have to go to Jerusalem
to worship. In fact, it'd be a hindrance
to us if we thought we had to and went off to Israel thinking
somehow we might be nearer to God. God has purposed that these
things no longer are needed as part of a darker, more obscure
dispensation. but it all prefigured the Lord
Jesus Christ. So many things that took place
under the ceremonial law, the offerings, the blood offerings,
the lambs, and the goats, and the heifer, and the bullocks,
and so forth. All these things prefigured the
atoning work of our Lord Jesus Christ. The special festive occasions
likewise had their significance regarding gospel truth. The writer
to the Hebrews reminds us that the gospel was preached to Israel
in times past, but it didn't profit them because it wasn't
mixed with faith in them that heard it. Yes, the gospel was
preached to them in type and shadow and symbols. These were
visual aids to faith. These all pointed forward. So
many signposts to the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Goldie understood
this. When they brought their offerings,
they realized that it wasn't the lamb, for example, that was
the means of forgiveness. They looked beyond the type to
the great anti-type, to the Lord Jesus Christ himself, the Lamb
of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. So when you
come to the New Testament, you find that these old things have
passed away. They serve their purpose. Christ
has come. You may remember that Daniel,
in captivity, he prayed toward Jerusalem. Why was that? Because
he knew that the symbolism, the ceremonies of the temple worship
Typical teaching of the atonement and the right approach to God.
But Christ has come to fulfill all these things. And so believers
are called upon to gather. And wherever they gather, in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, there is a house for God, as
we sang at the beginning of the service. And some of those hymns
in that section of the hymn book by Isaac Watts are especially
valuable to us. Beautiful paraphrases of some
of these psalms The Lord in Zion placed his name. His ark was
settled there. This is David's time, of course,
Jerusalem. To Zion the whole nation came to worship thrice
a year, but we have no such lengths to go, nor wander far abroad. Where'er thy saints assemble
now, there is a house for God. How thankful we should be that
we can meet in this way. We still have freedom to do so,
even if we had to meet in secret in a cave or a wood or in a cellar. They'll all be there if his people
are meeting together in his name. So when you look at the term
house of God in the New Testament, it's not referring to a building,
it's referring to the people. Paul instructing Timothy, writes
to him and says, thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave
thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living
God. And the church means the called
out ones, people called out of nature's darkness into the marvellous
light of the kingdom of God. So these few things by way of
background and introduction to this subject here. And remember
there were times in David's life when he was separated from the
public worship of the name of God. He was grieved on that account.
Would it trouble you if you couldn't come here to worship or you couldn't
go anywhere else to worship? If you were laid aside by some
serious Long-term affliction, you couldn't get out to chapel,
would that trouble you? How did you feel during the lockdown
when we couldn't meet together? Did you rather like it at home?
Some people did, sadly, and they haven't come back now chapels
are open again. But it was a test to us, what
really mattered to us? Did we really miss the assembling
of God's people together? Did we see it as important? Well,
these were surely certain challenges to us at such a time. And David
felt it deeply when he couldn't meet with the people of God.
When he's being pursued by Saul, having to hide in a cave or over
the mountains or in the woods, not knowing what a day may bring
forth. And he couldn't go to meet with others. And it grieved
him and distressed him. He said, my soul longeth even
fainteth for the courts of the Lord. And Psalm 42 gives us another
insight into the depths of the feelings of his heart in the
trying circumstances that he found himself in. Psalm 42, as
the heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after
thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for
the living God. When shall I come and appear
before God? My tears have been my meat day
and night, while they continually say unto me, where is thy God? When I remember these things,
I pour out my soul in me. For I had gone with the multitude. I went with them to the house
of God with the voice of joy and praise and with a multitude
that kept holy day. Although his soul was sometimes
cast down, he encouraged himself in the Lord his God. I shall
yet praise him, he says. And so David was indeed delivered
from the persecution of Saul. He became king, as you well know,
of all Israel. And it was his great concern
to establish the worship of God at Zion. Just to remind you,
of course, there was the tabernacle in the wilderness. Then it was
set up at Shiloh. And then when Shiloh was overcome,
it was David's concern that there should be the worship of God
centered in Mount Zion in Jerusalem. And then it was transferred to
Mount Moriah in the temple that Solomon built. So the term Zion
reminds us in of the worshipping people of God, wherever we meet
and in whatever circumstances, if the people of God meet for
prayer and for praise and Christ is designed to be in their midst,
then he promises to be where even two or three are gathered
together in his name. So I want to ask this question,
why is it that God's people love his house. Lord, I have loved
the habitation of thy house and the place where thou in honor
dwelleth. First of all, because of the
felt presence of the Lord, the habitation of his house. Where we live is our habitation,
isn't it? We dwell there. And the Lord promises to dwell
amongst his worshiping people. Of course, the Lord is with his
people wherever they go. He's with his people as they
worship privately, and when they worship as families, but in a
very special way, the Lord promises to be with his people as they
worship together publicly. Isaac Watts puts it so well when
he says, his mercy visits every house that pay their night and
morning vows, but makes a more delightful stay where people
meet to praise and pray. And when the presence of the
Lord is known and felt in the assemblies of his people, our
hearts are softened, aren't they? And our hearts are warmed. And
we start to breathe a new atmosphere, the atmosphere of heaven. We
breathe a new air, you might say. Sometimes in particularly
difficult circumstances, the worship of God's people have
been a special blessing when he's come to his people to help
in times of trial. You think of Jacob. Now Jacob
brought a lot of trouble on his own head, didn't he? He deceived
his father. And he received the blessing.
We know God overruled all these things for good, but Jacob was
wrong in what he did. He saw his brother had murderous
intentions and wanted to pursue him. So Jacob fled to Paneiron. He went as far as he could go.
That first day, in weariness, he laid down his head upon some
stones. But the law came in for Jacob.
Sinful Jacob, the way it transgresses is hard, isn't it? But the Lord,
in mercy to Jacob, he revealed himself to him in a vision in
the night. He saw this ladder set up between
earth and heaven. Jacob could see that a holy God
could have dealings with a sinner like him. It came down to where
Jacob was. It's a lovely picture to us of
our Lord Jesus Christ. At the end of John chapter 1,
you'll find the Lord Jesus refers to this to Nathanael. Thou shalt see the angels ascending
and descending upon the Son of Man. It doesn't mention Jacob's
ladder, but he's referring to it. He mentions himself in that
context. He is the mediator between God
and men, the man, Christ, Jesus. Jacob in some measure could see
this. When he woke up in the morning, do you remember what
he said? How dreadful is this place? He didn't mean bad, he
meant full of dread. A sense of the awesomeness of
the presence of God was so evident. This is none other but the house
of God and the gate of heaven. It was an experience he would
never, never forget. And there are times in our lives,
if we aren't the laws, that we'd be able to say, the Lord met
me there. That occasion to me was like
the experience of Jacob at Bethel. The Lord met me there. And that's
why God's people love the house of the Lord, because the Lord
meets with his people. Our hearts are made receptive
to the truth. We feel a sense of due enumption
resting upon the preaching of the word of God. It reaches our
hearts. It doesn't just reach our ears,
but it touches us within. The Lord has dealings with us
and speaks to us through his holy word. When there's a power
resting upon the truth that's being proclaimed from the word
of God. You see, there's a personal application
of the truth, isn't there? It's not just a social experience,
worship is. It is a social thing because
we are together and we are social creatures. But real worship is
when the Lord touches our hearts. It becomes a very personal experience. And we are refreshed. You see,
the Lord speaks to his people sometimes in times of great need,
where we come to the Lord in prayer, asking for direction
and for guidance regarding what decision we should make sometimes
and what the Lord would have us do. And these become critical
moments in our lives. Some of you have known these
things, no doubt. Perhaps I can just share with you just one
of those occasions in my life, going back to 1999, and I was
seeking, my wife and I were seeking clear direction regarding a certain
very important matter. We went to South Wales for a
holiday, and we went to Morriston Tabernacle on the Lord's Day.
To our surprise when we got there, we found the services were in
Welsh. But someone had told the minister that some visitors were
there from England. And at different points during
his sermon, he broke out into English. And in the morning sermon,
He quoted these words, whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. Well, we felt the Lord was there. So we went again to the evening
service, and again at different points in his sermon, he spoke
in English. And to our astonishment, he quoted
that verse again, whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And
my wife and I couldn't help but exchange glances. This was of
the Lord. The Lord was speaking to us in
those unusual circumstances. and confirming us regarding the
need to wait upon Him, and whatsoever He saith unto you, do it. Maybe that's a word for you this
afternoon. Has the Lord spoken to you concerning
a certain matter? Maybe your heart is exercised
in some way, and maybe you hesitate, maybe because of unbelief or
fear, but whatsoever He saith unto you, do it. The Lord requires
us to obey his voice, doesn't he? This is how the Lord works
sometimes as we come to hear his word proclaimed. He speaks
to our circumstances. He knows all about us. He knows
what we've prayed for. He knows our needs. He knows
what needs to be spoken from the pulpit and from the word
of God itself. You see, the Lord answers prayer
openly. You think of how the Lord Jesus
said, In fact, he was condemning those who prayed in a sort of
a very ostentatious way in the synagogues, wanting to be seen,
wanting some earthly reward, wanting people to be impressed
with them. And he condemned them for so doing, but he told us
this, that we are to go into our closet and shut our door
about us and pray to our heavenly Father which seeth in secret,
and he will reward us openly. And some of you know that experience.
You've gone to the Lord, alone, asking for direction, asking
the Lord to speak, and the Lord has rewarded you openly in the
public means of grace. Well, it's a mark of life, isn't
it? We noticed that this morning regarding the new birth. Prayer
is a clear demonstration that new life has been imparted to
the heart. Once we were happy to live without
prayer, had no felt need of the Lord, But that has changed. If
we've experienced this new birth, we're now praying characters.
We feel a need to continually call upon the Lord. Maybe you
can understand the words of Jabez. That remarkable set of chapters,
the early book of Chronicles, the first book of Chronicles,
you have those early chapters. Just long lists of names, those
genealogies. We know so little about so many
of those people, but then you have these little biographical
comments. And we read of Jacob and his
prayer. Oh that thou wouldst bless me
indeed. Now some people say we don't
use the word oh anymore, it's old-fashioned. But there's nothing
else to replace it, is there? It's a sense of longing desire.
Oh that thou wouldst bless me indeed. And his prayer was answered,
wasn't it? And it will be. That's your desire
and your prayer. Lord bless me indeed. Bless me
with the heavenly favours and blessings that the people of
God know. I want to be one of them. I want
to experience these things for myself. Oh, that thou wouldst
bless me indeed, an unworthy sinner. And such prayers will
never go unanswered. That's the public means of grace
the Lord primarily uses for the blessing of His people. Yes,
the Lord blesses His people, whether they're walking down
the street, maybe, or they're driving the car, or while they're
at home, or quietly reading the Bible. But the Lord often blesses
his people as they meet together with others. Prayer is heard
and prayer is answered. Times of special need. I think
of Hannah. She came up to the temple, Shiloh.
What was her trouble? She was childless. It distressed
her. She was provoked regarding these
things by Elkanah's other wife. Just reminds us of the problems
of polygamy, doesn't it? But nevertheless, Hannah came
up to the temple. She came with her burden. She
came to seek the Lord. And she was repelled to some
extent by Eli, who misunderstood her and assumed she was drunken.
But it was nothing of the sort. She was a woman filled with a
sense of sadness and sorrow, bitterness of spirit. And yet
she called upon the Lord, and the Lord heard and answered her.
She went home rejoicing, embracing her Samuel in the arms of faith.
And she knew and believed that in the appointed time, Samuel
would be born. And so it came to be. You see,
this is the Lord's doing, isn't it? It's marvelous in our eyes
when the Lord hears and answers the cries of His people. and
especially in a public way, when they're rewarded openly, as it
were, in the public means of grace. When I first moved to
Bedfordshire, I used to go and visit an elderly member of Providence
Chapel Bedford who was in the Harvinder Bethesda home, Mrs. Bath. She was in her 90s. And
she gave me a copy of her written testimony. One thing that struck
me in particular in reading her testimony was this in reference
to her time when she attended Ashwell Chapel was the number
of times when she prayed about certain things and asked the
Lord to speak to her in the public worship of his name. And he did
so. Again and again there were these
significant answers to prayer. Something was said directly to
her circumstances through the public ministry of the gospel. Well these things are to be remembered. We are to praise the Lord on
account of these things, and it gives us a deep sense of love
and affection and attachment to the public means of grace. When the Lord is able to appear
for the help of his people, it may be he removes the trial,
or it may be he gives grace to endure the trial. A word to encourage,
a word to uplift, that we may be able to rise above the storm
and the tempest. There are two of us here this
afternoon, attended a trustee meeting at Hope Chapel Horsham
recently. Sadly, that chapel is now closed.
And I've been thinking back over those 120 years that chapel was
open for worship, and how many came in now to that place with
their burdens and their cares, and the Lord heard and answered
them. In just one case, I want to mention the late Raymond Woodhams.
As a young man, he used to attend that chapel. He was a member
there. and he was seriously ill with breathing difficulties and
his doctor told him that he had emphysema and there was nothing
much that could be done for him. He said he went to chapel that
night and his pastor preached from these words, my grace is
sufficient for thee and my strength is made perfect in weakness. You see that's why there's a
love for the house of God because the Lord comes in for his people
in times of special concerns, special trials and special needs.
And the Lord comes and visits people in their trials and uplifts
them, helps them to go on. The circumstances may not change,
but when God promises to give grace for that trial, then he
gives strength to go on. And even to the point where the
apostle Paul could say, therefore I will glory in mine infirmities. that the power of Christ may
rest upon me, for when I am weak, then am I strong, strong in the
Lord and the power of his might. We read Psalm 73 earlier regarding
Asaph. Asaph went through a very, very
deep trial, a great temptation, and that's a biographical psalm,
isn't it? He tells us that truly God is
good to Israel, but as for him, his feet had well nigh slipped.
Now what was the problem? He became envious of the wicked. He looked to the world around
him. All these ungodly people, it seemed like they had everything
their way. They seemed to prosper in the world. It seemed like
their eyes stood out with fatness, in spite of their arrogance and
their pride Ungodliness, they seem to just get on so well in
this world, and yet he looked to his own life, and he sought
to walk uprightly and godly in the fear of the Lord, and he
felt the chastening hand of God upon him, and he felt that somehow
something wasn't right. Was it worth it after all, seeking
to follow the Lord and obey his voice? And that was his stumbling
block, until, he says, I went into the house of God, into the
sanctuary of the Lord, Then understood I their end. He'd forgotten the
terrible end of the wicked, those that reject the Lord, who hate
the Lord, and resist the things of God. He saw the terrible end
of the wicked, how they were cast down to destruction. But
not only that, the Lord came to him to reassure him of his
own interest in spiritual things. He could see that God was his
portion forever. and he couldn't get low enough.
He considered himself to be like a beast before God. He felt to
have been so foolish and so sinful. And yet the Lord came to reassure
him. Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon
earth that I have beside thee. Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel
and afterward proceed me to glory. So the Lord overruled the trial,
the temptation, delivered him from it. gave him to know in
a reassured manner the blessing of heaven upon him. Again, it's
the way the Lord had worked in him, in the public means of grace. So Asaph, like David, would have
said, Lord, I've loved the habitation of thy house and the place where
thine honor dwelleth. I think of the words of Psalm
20 when it says, send help from thy sanctuary and strengthen
us out of Zion. That's what we need, isn't it?
To be strengthened out of Zion. What a difference there is between
love and just a mere form of worship. I've loved, he says,
the habitation of thy house. It's more than just doing what
other people do. He wanted to know more of the
Lord and he loved the Lord's intimations of his grace and
mercy towards him. I want also to bring in another
verse, and that is this, the need to be established and settled
in the house of God. In Psalm 92, we have these words
toward the end. The righteous shall flourish
like the palm tree. He shall grow like a cedar in
Lebanon. Those that be planted in the
house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They
shall still bring forth fruit in old age. They should be fat
and flourishing. Fat here meaning prosperous and
flourishing to show that the Lord is upright. He is my rock
and there is no unrighteousness in him. Is this true of you? Are you planted in the house
of the Lord in a spiritual sense? I think it was a mark of a former
generation. Yes, it was true that many went
out of mere fashion and form. to a place of worship in Victorian
times in particular, but there was a time when there was a greater
sense of people being established in the house of the Lord. I think
back to my wife's grandmother. In the early 1930s, she worked
in a shop in Tunbridge Wells, and she had a desire to go to
the midweek service at Rehoboth Chapel, Tunbridge Wells, to hear
her pastor, Ernest Brooker, preach the word. Now she was saving
up to get married, so she didn't want to spend money on the bus
fare. So she ran all the way from the shop all the way down
to the bottom of the town where the chapel was. She did that
week after week. Why? Because she loved the habitation
of God's house, the place where his honour dwelleth. Would you
have done that? Or would you have seen that as
an acceptable excuse not to go? Or would you have gone then with
a sense of longing desire to hear the Word of God being proclaimed. What a good thing it is if we
put down roots in spiritual things in the house of God. Sometimes
we see trees, don't we, growing on rocks, and their roots find
their way through all the little crevices in the rocks, and that
tree's secure all the time, the rock is secure. If we are spiritually
putting down roots in Christ Jesus, we are secure, aren't
we, in Him. He is the rock of salvation,
better foundation can no man lay than is laid, that is Jesus
Christ. He's the rock of ages, which
will never, never move. If then by faith we are rooted
in these things, what a blessing it is to be settled then in the
house of the Lord, because we love Christ. We love the preaching
of Christ. We love the name of Christ. We
love the person of Christ. We love the work of Christ. All
that we hear of Christ we receive in our hearts with a sense of
joy. You see, David desired that he
may ever have this blessing. Notice verse four of the next
psalm. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek
after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days
of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in
his temple For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his
pavilion. In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me.
He shall set me up upon a rock. You see, if we're settled and
established in the house of God, we will know something, the spiritual
strength the Lord gives to us through his word. You think of
Psalm number one, this contrast between the godly and the ungodly.
The distinctive feature of the godly is that he is planted by
the rivers of water, and his leaf does not fade in a time
of drought, and brings forth fruit in its season. And surely
that is how we should desire to be, to be established in the
house of the Lord, though in something of the living streams
of salvation, and in God's goodness and grace, in some measure bringing
forth fruit to his honour and glory. Our grief is this, that
we seem to bring forth so little fruit. How much do we feel that
we bear fruit, the fruit of the Spirit? You look at that list,
the fruit of the Spirit. It condemns us, doesn't it? We
fear that we bring forth so little love, joy and peace and so forth.
But isn't it our desire to do so? Surely this is the case if
the Lord has established us in these things. We might be fruit-bearing
branches. And as the psalmist says in the
end of Psalm 92, still bringing forth fruit in old age, not growing
weary with the things of God, but feeling perhaps a greater
sense of appetite for these things, a greater sense of longing for
heavenly things. You see, it's not just a case
of beginning well. We want to wear well, and we want to end
well, don't we? And so the Lord would have it
that we would be established under the preaching of the word
of God and part of his people here upon earth, and bringing
forth fruit, growing in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ. I remember reading of an old
lady who had become almost completely deaf, but she still came to chapel.
Some people were surprised when somebody said to her on one occasion,
why do you still come? You can't hear anything. And
there were two reasons why she came. First of all, she said,
I come as an example to others. But secondly, although I can't
hear, I can pray for others who are hearing, that the Lord might
bless them. Well, what an example that is
to us, surely. Growing in the things of God,
being established in the house of the Lord. But we must come
on to this consideration, that God delights to dwell where he
is honored. and the place where thine honour
dwelleth. God is honoured when the truth
is preached, when Christ is exalted, the saviour of lost sinners,
when the glory of his person and the accomplishments of his
work while here below, when these things are preached, when Christ
is set before guilty sinners, a complete saviour is set before
sinners, and the gracious call and invitations of the gospel
are made, All ye that labour in a heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. The Lord is honoured by these things, isn't he? He delights to be honoured in
this way. He sends forth his servants to
tell them, come for all things are now ready. The feast is prepared. Everything has been done to full
satisfaction to God the Father. This was demonstrated in the
resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all that Christ
had performed was done to full satisfaction, and so the gospel
in its fullness is now to be proclaimed, and guilty sinners
can venture near. God is honoured in these things
when Christ is preached, and he is dishonoured when Christ
is not preached, when error starts to rear its ugly head, when people
take their eyes off the things of God and away from the Lord.
Remember the warnings to the seven churches of Asia John saw
Christ, as it were, walking in the midst of the candlesticks,
those seven candlesticks representing the seven churches. And five
of those seven churches displeased the Lord at certain points and
were warned, some of them severely warned, lest the candlestick
should be removed from them. It's a warning to us all, isn't
it? Lest we should turn away from the truth, lest we should
dishonor the Lord in some way. and the candlestick be removed,
his presence, his gracious presence removed from the public assemblies
of his people. Let us then be settled in our
minds in this. We need to hold fast to the truth,
buy the truth and sell it not. The book of Proverbs reminds
us. This unmovable rock of truth, truth discovered in the person
of the Lord Jesus Christ who said, I am the way, the truth,
and the life. We need to be jealous for the
truth, don't we? In these days of departure and
false doctrine and ecumenical things, we need to take our stand
for truth. Yes, there's unity in the things
of God with those who may be different to us in some ways
regarding church order and understanding of prophecy. We can shake hands
over the fence, as it were. and no heartfelt union with such
people, but there's such a thing as false unity, when truth is
derided and set aside, and things are said and done that displease
the Lord. You think of Elijah, how jealous
he was for the God of Israel, how grieved he was because of
all the false prophets that sat at Jezebel's table, how courageous
he was at Mount Carmel, when he was with God's intervening,
able to demonstrate to the people that the God of heaven, Jehovah,
was the true God. He answered by fire and consumed
the sacrifice. But then there seemed to be almost
a collapse of faith in Elijah's heart. He heard this threat of
Jezebel, he ran for his life, went as far as he could and lay
under a juniper tree and prayed that he might die. And the Lord
very graciously drew near and sent an angel to strengthen him,
to feed him. And he was told to go on his
way to Mount Horeb, and the Lord visit him again. There's still
small voice. He knew that voice. He knew the
gracious voice of the Lord. And he confessed that he'd been
very jealous of the Lord God of Israel. He felt he was wrong,
but he felt he was the only one left that stood for the truth. We need to beware of that spirit
thinking we're the only people left that hold to the truth.
We're not. God has his people around the
world that love him and serve him. But nevertheless, we need
to be jealous, in a right sense, for the Lord God of Israel to
hold fast to the truth in these times. Well, how happy it is
then if we love the gathering together of the Lord's people
because we love Christ and we love the truth. Lord, I have
loved the habitation of thy house and the place where thine honor
dwelleth. The psalmist writing Psalm 84
said that a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I'd
rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell
in the tents of wickedness. He saw the distinction between
the two, the tents of wickedness or the tabernacles of the Lord.
He knew which he loved and just one day, in the courts of the
Lord were far, far better than a thousand days anywhere else. Have you felt like that sometimes?
You wish you didn't have to go home. You wish the sermon wouldn't
end because the Lord is feeding your soul and ministering to
you through his word. They are happy seasons. It's
not always like that, but they are happy seasons under the word
of God. There's an elderly deacon at
Bedford Chapel who probably will never be able to come out again
to the public worship of the Lord. He told me on one occasion
that the first half of his life he had no interest whatsoever
in the things of God. He attended from a child, but
he had no interest in these things. But the Lord changed that, and
one of the distinctive features of his testimony was that his
love for the house of God, and his favorite hymn is a hymn you
may know, We Love the House of God, wherein thy honor dwells,
the joy of thine abode, All earthly joy excels. Happy we'll be if
we can come to the end of our days and say, Lord, I've loved
the habitation of thy house. It will not be like that for
everyone. Let me just read to you these words from the book
of Proverbs. And these are serious words,
aren't they? Regarding being with the Lord's
people but not being part of God's people. Proverbs chapter five, verse
11, and thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are
consumed, and say, how have I hated instruction, and my heart despised
reproof, and have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor
inclined my ear to them that instructed me. I was almost in
all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly. It's a solemn thing, isn't it,
to be under the sound of the word, No desire for Christ, no desire
for the truth, for just a drift in and out, unthinkingly, unconcerned
about the state of your soul. If that is the case for anyone
here this afternoon, may the Lord stop you in your wild career
and transform you by His grace, convict you of your sin, bring
you to your knees. You might seek for mercy. And
let me remind you, there's mercy for those who seek Him. The Lord
is gracious to those who call upon Him. Then you will come
in with the psalmist. Lord, I have loved the habitation
of thy house and the place where thine honor dwelleth. Amen. Let us sing together the words
of hymn 369. The tune is Meryton 369. and 66. To hymn 369. How pleasant, how
divinely fair, O Lord of hosts, thy dwellings are. With long
desire my spirit faints to meet the assemblies of thy saints. 369. ? Oh, say can you see by the dawn's
early light ? ? The Lord of hosts ? ? By heav'ns
above ? ? With the visions ? ? My spirit brings ? ? To me ? ? Is the hope thine sheds ? ? Yes,
the hope thine sheds ? ? Is the hope thine ? O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the
bombs bursting in air, Rest now the souls that find
your place, Who did good in all thy ways, ? Where they may recall thy gentle
rays ? ? And see thy face ? ? And learn thy praise ? Peace on earth and heaven Peace
on earth and heaven Peace on earth and heaven Peace on earth
and heaven Peace on earth and heaven Peace on earth and heaven
Peace on earth and heaven Peace on earth and heaven O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? Lord, be pleased to bless thy
word, we pray. May the Holy Spirit apply it
to the heart. We pray, Lord, that thy blessing may go with
us as we part and go as separate ways. And now may the grace of
the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father, the fellowship
and communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all now and forevermore. Amen.