The notices for the coming week
are God willing as follows. Pastor will preach here next
Lord's Day at 10.30 and two o'clock. Also on Thursday evening at seven
o'clock. There will be no prayer meeting
this week on Tuesday evening. The collection taken on Friday
at our service for the Oaktree Home Trust amounted to 308 pounds
and 50 pence. Let us commence our services
today by singing together hymn number 485. The tune is Easter
Hymn 512. Christ the Lord is risen today. Sons of men and angels say, raise
your joys and triumphs high. Sing ye heavens and earth reply. Love's redeeming work is done.
Fought the fight, the battle won. Lo, the sun's eclipse is
all. Lo, he sets in blood no more. hymn 485, tune Easter hymn 512.
? Whose broad stripes and bright
stars ? ? Through the perilous fight ? ? Should he then turn and reply
? ? Now should he make work his job ? ? Nor know how far he'd
have to travel ? The sun's eclipse is o'er, the
haze has been plumbed over. Fingers from the watchman's seat,
Christ has blessed each of them. ? Death, it painful, hits his heart
? ? Christ, the conserver, power and light ? ? Return, O glorious
King ? ? And in the midst of my sleep
? ? I take a certain shape ? ? Where's thy vict'ry post, ye
brave? ? ? Slowly now, where Christ
has led, ? May like Him, like Him, we rise
as one. of the free and the home of the
brave? Hail to thee, precious child
of God! Hail to thee, salvation! Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the Gospel according to Mark and chapter
16. Mark's Gospel, chapter 16. And when the Sabbath was passed,
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome had brought
sweet spices that they might come and anoint him. And very
early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came unto
the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among
themselves, who shall roll us away the stone from the door
of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw
that the stone was rolled away. For it was very great. And entering
into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right
side, clothed in a long white garment, and they were affrighted. And he saith unto them, Be not
affrighted. Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which
was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. Behold the place where they laid
him. But go your way. Tell his disciples
and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee. There shall
you see him, as he said unto you. And they went out quickly
and fled from the sepulcher, for they trembled and were amazed. Neither said they, anything to
any man, for they were afraid. Now when Jesus was risen early
the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene,
out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told
them that had been with him as they mourned and wept. And they,
when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her,
believe not. After that, he appeared in another
form unto two of them as they walked and went into the country. And they went and told it unto
the residue. Neither believed they then. Afterward, he appeared unto the
eleven as they sat at me, and upbraided them with their unbelief
and hardness of heart. because they believed not them
which had seen him after he was risen. 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. So then, after the Lord had spoken
unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right
hand of God, and they went forth and preached everywhere, the
Lord working with them and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. May the Lord bless thee,
read him of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit
of real prayer. Almighty, most merciful and eternal
God, or we do desire to bow as poor sinners before thy great
majesty. But we come, Lord, with a thankful
heart. The Lord is risen indeed. Gracious
God, we do pray that thou wouldst fill our hearts with gratitude
on this Lord's Day morning, for that first day of the week when
our Lord Jesus rose from the grave, swallowed up death in
victory, brought life in immortality to life through the gospel. Oh, that we may be enabled to
dwell on that glorious truth and that wonderful reality. He
rose again for our justification. Gracious God, we do thank Thee
for our Lord Jesus Christ. We do thank Thee for the incarnation
of the Son of God, the sacred glory of his person. May we know
little of what the dear apostle speaks, 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. We do thank thee. Most gracious
Lord, that he was made of a woman and made under the law, that
he might redeem them that are under the law. Love's redeeming
work is done. We thank thee that he took our
sins and nailed them to his cross. But we thank thee that he died
for our sins and rose again for our justification. We thank thee
that he is bodily ascended into heaven and has made a new and
living way into the holy place. Lord, we come to thee in his
precious name and we plead his precious merits alone. Nothing
in my hand I bring. Simply to thy cross I cling.
Foul I to the fountain fly. Wash me, Saviour, or I die. Lord Jesus, all our hope is in
thee, and thou hast promised to come again. And unto them
that look for him shall he appear a second time, without sin, unto
salvation. Oh, we do pray, most gracious
Lord, that we may lift our eyes up to thee. And as one says,
pour not on thyself too long, else it will sink thee lower.
Look to Jesus firm and strong, mercy joined with power. We pray to be led of the Spirit
of God for through that glorious sacrifice of Christ we receive the gift of the Holy
Ghost and we know the love of our Eternal Father and we do
desire to thank thee for that wonderful love of our Eternal
Father and the love of the Holy Ghost and the power of his grace
dwell in our hearts today. Grant that power in the pulpit
and in the pew. Grant the listening ear and unstop
the deaf ears and open the blind eyes and cause the lame to walk. Oh Lord, we do beseech thee.
But we do pray that thou wouldst come and stand in our midst.
We've read of thee coming and standing in the midst of the
brethren. And then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord.
May we know that gladness today. May we see no man save Jesus
only. And we pray most gracious Lord
that thou wouldst bless us as a church and as a congregation.
We thank thee for all thy mercies to us and thy loving kindness
and thy great goodness that has passed before us in the way.
But we pray for those that are away seeking rest and change.
Bring them home in peace and safety at the appointed time.
We pray, O Lord, that thou wouldst graciously remember our deacons. We think of our brother at Tunbridge
Wells this morning and pray that thou wouldst help him there.
and thy servant there in his great age. We pray that thy blessing
may rest upon them as a church and as a congregation, and the
light and glory of the truth may shine forth. And we pray
that it may be so among us here. May the power that brings salvation
be exerted in the words May the Lord Jesus Christ be exalted
as a Prince and as a Saviour, for to give faith and repentance
and remission of sins. May the Divine Spirit come and
witness in our hearts, we do humbly beseech of thee, that
we pray for any that are yet dead in trespasses and in sins,
that know thee not, that know not the power of the resurrection,
We pray that this may be the day when the Holy Spirit may
enter their heart and quicken their souls, that they may be
born again of the Spirit. We pray that thou would remember
the little ones and the children, bless them indeed. Oh Lord, we
do beseech thee for thy great namesake. Oh, we do pray that
thou would raise up a generation that shall call thee the Redeemer
blessed, and fulfil that precious promise. Instead of thy father
shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the
earth. Work in their young hearts, suffer little children to come
unto thee, O Lord, and may we forbid them not, but may we encourage
them. And we do pray for the dear young
friends that thy blessing may rest upon them. and that they
may be brought to living faith in Jesus Christ, that they may
become followers of thee and of those who through faith and
patience inherit the promises, and that thou wouldst graciously
bring them to thyself, and then to come and declare to sinners
round what a dear Saviour they have found, and point to thy
redeeming blood and say, behold the way to God, Lord, do hear
us. Grant that we may see signs following
the preaching of the word. We long to see the prodigals
return, and thy wonderful grace in this, that they may be wrought
upon by the Spirit. And like the prodigal, thou hast
caused them to be in want and to return unto their father's
house. Lord, there is nothing too hard
for thee. None are beyond thy power. Indeed,
thou art able to do abundantly more than we can even ask or
think. And thou hast promised in thy
word, I will abundantly bless her provision. I will satisfy
her poor with bread, or that that may be so among us. Thou
wilt send out thy light and thy truth into this village and the
surrounding villages and hamlets. and fulfil that wonderful promise,
I will bring thy sons from far and thy daughters from the ends
of the earth, and they shall come from the north and from
the south and from the east and from the west. O Lord of hosts,
O God of Israel, O thou that dwellest between the cherubims,
shine forth. Let thy hand be upon the man
of thy right hand, the son of man, whom thou madest strong
for thyself. Lord, strengthen us this day
by thy good spirit, by thy heavenly power, by the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray that thou would
remember parents and give them wisdom and grace to bring up
their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. And
that thou would grant that the family altar may be raised and
the word of God read and prayer made in the family. O Lord, do
grant that it may be so. For all things are sanctified
by the word of God and prayer. We pray for any and any particular
trouble or trial or perplexity, sadness or bereavement, that
thou would support, sustain, strengthen and help. Bring them
to see that thou art Jehovah Rophi. I am the Lord that healeth
thee. May they know that healing in
body and in soul. And, O Lord God, we do pray that
thou wouldst deliver us from the temptations of the enemy,
even Satan, that old serpent, the devil. Deliver us from his
power and from his influence, whether he comes as a roaring
lion to devour us or whether he comes as an angel of light
to deceive us. We pray to be delivered from
his power and from his influence. And thou hast promised in thy
word that when the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of
the Lord will lift up a standard against him. May it be so today,
Lord. We pray for each one of us that
is now in the evening time of life journey. We pass the allotted
time of man upon the earth, and we pray that thou would graciously
prepare us each to make us more spiritually minded, set our affections
on things above, help us to let go of those things that would
hinder us, and lay aside every weight and the sin that does
so easily beset us, and that we may run with patience the
race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus. Lord Jesus, we pray
that thou wouldst hear us. We pray for dear Ina at home,
in her great age, and increase in infirmity, that we lovingly
commend her to thee, and that thou wouldst draw near to her
and bless her. We pray for those that listen
on the internet, that the word of the Lord may have free course,
that thy name may be honoured and glorified. We do humbly beseech
thee, we thank thee, Lord, that we're now able to indeed broadcast
throughout this world O that thy gospel may spread, that thy
church may be revived and renewed and replenished, that thou wast
returned to Jerusalem with mercies. We do pray, most gracious Lord,
for all thy servants as they labour in word and doctrine upon
the walls of Zion today. We do pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou, the great Lord of the harvest, would send true
labourers into the harvest. and that thou wouldst return
to Jerusalem with mercies. Remember our nation. Send out
thy light and thy truth. Bless the royal household, the
king and all the royal family. We commend them to thee and pray
that they may be blessed of thee, be given wisdom by thee. And
our leaders, O Lord, may it please thee to guide and direct them
in all matters. Everything, Lord, is in thy hand,
all events at thy command. We do thank thee that it is so
and that all things work together for good to them that love God. We pray for those that labour
in word and doctrine among the nations of the earth. We think
also of those who are in those countries, Lord, where the where
Christ is hated and thy people are persecuted, even unto death,
or send them out from the sanctuary, strengthen them out of Zion.
Be with those that labour in word and doctrine among the nations
of the earth. We think of the Mombasa mission
in Kenya, that thou wast blessed then, and the Savannah Education
Trust in Ghana, all that thy rich blessing may be there. We
think of thy servant Ian Sadler as he travels around the globe
to different places preaching the word, distributing sound
scripture. Oh, we pray that thou wouldst
grant good success and supply all his many returning needs.
We do humbly beseech thee. Lord, we pray that thou wouldst
make up in giving where we do so fail in asking. and that thou
wouldst come and touch one's lips with a live coal from off
the heavenly altar, and come and open the word of God to our
heart and to our understanding, we ask all of the forgiveness
of all sin, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 193. The tune is St. Fulbert, 221.
I am, says Christ, your glorious head, May we attention give, the resurrection
of the dead, the life of all that live. Hymn 193. Tune St. Fulbert, 221. ? God rest ye merry
gentlemen, ? The resurrection of the dead,
the life of the living. ? I thank Him in my soul receives
? ? Dear life that gave me foe ? ? And in the deep I may believe
? ? Come give to thine abode ? ?
The sinner sleeping in his grave ? ? Shall at my voice proclaim
? And when I once begin to say,
I never ever say. ? O dear God, from this gracious
Lord ? ? For us assemble here ? ? But for Christ's giving with the Lamb ? ? And foster him to be free ? Is that the bough of faithful
life, Immortal, of thy name? The sinner of Satan may he strive
to quench the sacred flame. My Fatherland, how she first
prevailed, from death to set us free. ? And all good things have I had
there ? ? Let it not be near me ? ? To thee we go ? ? To thee we
go ? ? To thee we go ? ? To thee we go ? ? O night divine ? ? Rest thou wretched girl ? Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, we'll direct your attention to the Gospel according
to John, chapter 11, and we'll read verses 25 and 26. John's Gospel, chapter 11, verses
25 and 26. Jesus said unto her, I am the
resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth
in me shall never die. Believest thou this? Precious and wonderful words
of grace, I am. The person speaking, the eternal
son of God, I am. The great I am. I am the resurrection. You think
of when Moses was so troubled of being sent to deliver the
children of Israel from Egyptian bondage, and he said, how shall
they know that thou hast sent me? And it's written in capital letters,
and he said, thou shalt say, I am hath sent thee. The great I am. That's who Jesus
is. This, the I am is Jehovah. The Lord Jehovah. The Almighty
God. The Father, the Son, the Holy
Ghost. These three are one. One blessed,
almighty and eternal Lord Jehovah. I am the resurrection. and the life, the great I Am,
the Almighty. You see, it's He, the Lord Jesus
Christ, that has swallowed up death in victory. It's prophesied
in the prophecy of Isaiah, how that the Lord would indeed swallow
up death in victory. He was the only one that could
do it. The apostle, he puts it very strongly, Here in the New
Testament he hath destroyed death And him that hath the power of
death There's only God can do that my beloved friends and these
precious truths prove to us that Jesus is the eternal Son of God
He is declared to be the Son of God with power He has power to destroy death
and he used that power to destroy death He himself became a man. And as we've often looked in
Hebrew chapter two, it says there on two or three occasions that
it refers to the sacred humanity of the Son of God, and then it
refers to death. See, he came to destroy death. He came to swallow up death,
victory. I am. Jesus said unto her I am
the resurrection and the life. You just think of this I am for
a moment and consider the words of our Lord Jesus Christ when
he introduced himself to his servant John on the Isle of Paton.
And he says to John, I am Alpha and Omega. I am, the great I
am. I am Alpha, first letter of the
Greek alphabet, and Omega, the last letter of the Greek alphabet.
And then it goes on to say, I am the first and the last. I am
the beginning and the end. He feels all in all. He's Jesus
Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever. He remains eternally the same,
because he is eternal God. He's the eternal Son of God.
And as he's called here in John's Gospel, the only begotten Son
of the Father. The only begotten Son. The hymn
writer, I think, so simply, beautifully puts it, begotten, not created. He's of the same nature as the
Father. It's an eternal nature. It says
in Proverbs chapter eight, I was set up from everlasting, or ever
the earth was. This glorious, divine person
of the Son of God, who condescended to become a man, to live here
upon this earth, to redeem his people from their sins. As the
word of God says, we all have sinned and come short of the
glory of God. There is none that doeth good,
no not one. That's of the sons and daughters
of Adam. But this man, this glorious holy
God man, the man Christ Jesus, he has power to save, power to
redeem from sin and Satan's power. I am the resurrection. This is by way of answer to Martha. Martha said unto him, I know
that he shall rise again, that's her brother Lazarus, in the resurrection
at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the
resurrection and the life. We just sung in that lovely hymn. I felt so drawn to that. where
it speaks of Christ as the resurrection, Christ as the way, the truth
and the life. Here in this context here, we
have one of the last and the most prominent of the miracles
that was performed by Jesus Christ in that house of Bethany. It says here
in this chapter, in verse five, now Jesus loved Martha and her
sister, that's Mary, and Lazarus. What a wonderful house that was.
Jesus loved them. He loved them with an everlasting
love. And they turned to him when Lazarus
died. Both sisters, Mary and Martha,
said to him, Lord, if thou had been here, our brother had not
died. But you see, there was a purpose. This was literally just before
Christ himself was to suffer, bleed, and die. And one of the
last recorded miracles that Christ did, and certainly the most remarkable,
He literally raised from the dead a stinking, rotting corpse. Literally. He'd been dead four
days. And they said to him, Lord, he'd
been there four days, he stinketh. What a wonderful act. And we
read how many there were that believed on him because of this
wonderful act of divine grace. It was so astonishing that this
man and the people all knew him. He laid in the grave for four
days. And the Lord Jesus, you see,
where the word of a king is, there is power. That's in Ecclesiastes. Where the word of a king is,
there is power. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
King of kings and the Lord of lords. And he spake. In the creation
of the world, it says in Psalm 33, he spake, and it was done. In the first chapter of Genesis.
And God said, 11 times, and God said, God only has to speak. When you and I speak, we can't
effect anything by just speaking. But when God speaks, There is
divine power that accomplishes it. Where the word of a king
is, there is power. And the Lord Jesus, when he came
to the grave of Lazarus and the people were all gathered together
and they watched him, and we read that he cried with a loud
voice. He cried with a loud voice. Lazarus,
come forth, and he that had been dead came
forth from the grave, bound hand and foot with grave clothes.
That was the manner of the Jews to bury. You see, I am the resurrection
and the life. Oh, what a wonderful act of divine
grace. of divine love. And it was after
this that the leaders of the Jews, the Pharisees, the Sadducees,
they said here in this chapter, the whole world has gone after
him. And so they were determined, determined to condemn him to
death and to crucify him. You see, what are these miracles
and the purpose of these miracles of Jesus Christ was to show the
people that were around at that time that he is the Son of God. You've got that first miracle
in Cana of Galilee, where the Lord Jesus, at the wedding, he
changed water into wine. See, the wonderful act of Jesus,
the Son of God, and then we have here what the last recorded miracle
of Jesus when he spake the word and Lazarus rose from the dead. We read of course of the widow
of Nain when she was burying her son and he was in the coffin
and the funeral procession and the Lord Jesus come and he spake
and he arose out of the coffin. the wonderful power, the almighty
power of Jesus Christ. You see, there is none beyond
his power, his almighty power, his resurrecting power. That's what the apostle Paul
in particular, his great emphasis in all of his ministry was the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was of all the apostles, because
when he rose from the dead, he literally swallowed up death
in victory. The most wonderful thing that
Jesus did in rising from the grave, a door of hope is opened wide
in Jesus' bleeding hands and side. This dear suffering savior,
having shed his precious blood, the blood of Jesus Christ, God's
son, cleanseth us from all sin, from all sin. You think of Paul when he writes
to the Philippians and he speaks of the desires and longings of
his own soul. He says that I may know him in
the power of his resurrection. You know, friends, it's not sufficient
just to know and to intellectually accept that Jesus Christ is the
Son of God. To know and to intellectually
accept that he lived a sinless life and fulfilled God's holy
law. To know and to intellectually
accept that he suffered and bled and died for the sins of his
people. and was crucified, taken by the
hands of wicked men, in just an intellectual way. We need more than that. We need
the power of his grace in our hearts. What does the apostle
say when he writes to the, again, I believe it's the Thessalonians.
For our gospel came unto Not in word only, but in power, in
the Holy Ghost, with much assurance. The power, that's what we need.
It's not sufficient just to have an intellectual. It may be very
sound, and based on very sound doctrine. I hope it is. But we
need more than that. We need the power of this resurrection
in our own souls. It is the Lord Jesus alone that
can give us that power. See, Jesus said unto her, I am
the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live. It's a way of life. Jesus is
the way of life. I think it's in the first epistle
of John. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God
hath not life. My dear beloved friends, do you
have the Son of God? The Apostle speaks of it. Christ
in you, the hope of glory. Christ in you, the hope of glory. There's that lovely word in the
Galatians, I believe it is, the Apostle speaking of the wonderful
power and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. I think it's in the second
chapter of Paul's epistle to the Galatians and he speaks there,
the life I now live. He says, the last two verses of chapter
two in Galatians, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live,
yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. Not I, but Christ liveth
in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me. The error in the Galatian church
is that the, particularly the Jews, the Hebrews in the church
there, were teaching the believers that after they became a believer,
they were now able to fulfill the commands of God. They were
now able to fulfill the law of God. And of course that is not
true. And the apostle, he makes that very clear here. We have
a body of sin and death. It always will be sin and death.
But the true believer has a life within. The new man of grace,
the true believer has been quickened by the Holy Ghost. You hath he
quickened who were dead in trespasses and in sins. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless,
I live. What a wonderful thing, isn't
it? Nevertheless, I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace
of God, For if righteousness come by the law, then Christ
is dead in vain. What a solemn thought that is,
isn't it? See, the apostle, he immediately
saw the error, and that it was an awful error. Even the Christian believer cannot
fulfill God's holy law. It's an utter impossibility.
He desires to, It's like the Apostle says in the Romans, I
delight in the law of the Lord after the inward man. He desires
to. The gospel isn't against the
law and the believer isn't against the law. But the believer is
brought to realize by the inward power and teaching of the Holy
Ghost that he's not able to keep it. He cannot fulfill its holy
commandments. There's only one, my beloved
friends, that has ever fulfilled God's holy law. the glorious
eternal Son of the Father that was manifest in the flesh, that
was made of a woman, made under the law that He might redeem
them that are under the law. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness, this glorious Saviour, this almighty Redeemer. I am the way, the truth and the
life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. Oh, my beloved friends, here
is salvation. Here is redemption. Here is life. Here is power. Here is grace
to deliver. Even the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ. He's able to save to the uttermost
all that come unto God by him. See, he ever liveth. He has the
power of an endless life. He said himself, because I live,
yea, shall live also, because I live. I am the resurrection
and the life, because I live. Ye shall live also. You know, this again, this emphasis
is placed in Ephesians chapter two. And in those first verses
of the second chapter of the Ephesians, you hath equipped
who were dead. That's where you were. That's
where we all are by nature. We're dead in trespasses and
in sins. The Apostle Paul is writing to
the Ephesians and he says, you, you're Christian believers now.
You hath he quickened. You hath he given life. I am
the resurrection and the life and that life is in Christ. That
life is in Christ. and you hath he quickened who
were dead. It's exactly the same teaching
as our Lord Jesus in John chapter 3. You must be born again, except
a man be born of water and of the Spirit. He cannot enter the
kingdom of heaven. Now, there's death in us, but
there's life in Christ. There's death and condemnation
under the law, but there's life and salvation in the Lord Jesus
Christ. I am the resurrection and the
life. And you hath he quickened who
were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past you walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children's disobedience, among whom also we all had our conversation
in time past. How many times in scripture the
believer is to think of what you were? Do you think of what
we have in Deuteronomy? Thou shalt remember that thou
wast a bondman in the house of Egypt. Look at that in the spiritual
light. The house of Egypt is this world.
that is appointed to destruction, thou shalt remember. It says
in Isaiah that remember the hold of the pit from whence you were
digged. You were lost in sin. You were under the power of sin
and Satan until the Holy Spirit entered your heart and until
the Holy Spirit quickened your soul. You see, and you have to
say what the apostle says here, among whom also We all had our
conversation in times past in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling
the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature
the children of wrath even as other. That's where every one of us
is by nature. And if you live and die in that
spiritually dead state, you'll be lost forever, lost forever. but God. You see, this is where
real religion starts. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his
great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in
sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace are ye
saved, and hath raised us up together, and hath made us sit
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages
to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus. By grace are ye saved, through
faith, that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should
boast, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto
good works, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk
in them. I am the resurrection and the
life. He that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live. and whosoever liveth and believeth
in them shall never die. Believest thou this? Oh, my dear
beloved friends, here is the way of salvation. Here is the
way of redemption. It's only in Christ. The Lord, he said to Martha on
one occasion, didn't he? When Martha was complaining,
Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus and Martha was serving
tables and dealing with all the people there. And she said to
him, to speak to her sister, Martha, Martha, there are cumbered
about with many things, but Mary has chosen that good path which
shall not be taken away from her. sitting at the feet of Jesus,
clothed, and in his right mind, you just think of legion. You
think of Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus. You think of legion
sitting at the feet of Jesus. Wonderful grace had touched their
hearts. They were, to me, where it says
sitting, they were resting, alone. in Jesus Christ, that there is
a rest that remaineth for the people of God. It's the rest
of faith. It's faith in this glorious,
this almighty Saviour who has swallowed up death in victory.
Every one of us is appointed to die. The wages of sin is death. The gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus said unto her, I am the
resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth
in me shall never die. Believest thou this? Believest
thou this? You see, The Apostle, it says
in Hebrews, isn't it? Without faith, it is impossible
to please God. Now these, what it speaks here,
he that believeth in me, and whoso liveth and believeth in
me shall never die. Believest thou this? How do we
believe? By faith. By faith. That is the act of faith, to
believe. We just read in the Ephesians,
and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Faith, the
hymn writer says, doesn't he, faith implanted from above. Faith
implanted from above. And when the Lord gives faith,
you'll believe. You won't need anyone to tell
you to believe, you'll believe. When that faith comes into the
heart, Christ is revealed, Christ is made precious. And as the
apostle puts it, I think it's in the Colossians, faith which
worketh by love. Again, let us go back, we've
been trying to emphasize that we want more than just an intellectual
religion. We want more than just a natural
believing with a natural mind. We need a spiritual believing
We need to be given life and we need to be given faith by
the Holy Ghost. And when that faith is given,
Christ is revealed. Light shines into the heart.
Darkness is dispelled. Instead of bondage, there is
liberty. Instead of darkness, there is
light. That's when faith is given. And that deliverance from darkness
It's by Christ. It's by Christ. I am the light
of the world. Christ is the light of the world.
Here in the beginning of the Gospel of John in the first chapter,
it speaks of Christ there being the light. It speaks in particular
of his divine nature in those first five verses in particular. In the beginning was the word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, the same was
in the beginning with God, all things were made by Him, and
without Him was there anything made that was made. In Him was
life, and the life was the light of men. Notice the change in
what we would call metaphors. In Him was life, and the life
was the light of men, and the light shineth in darkness, and
the darkness comprehended it not. We go on at verse seven,
the same came, speaking of John the Baptist say, the same came
for a witness to bear witness of the light. You notice light
is written with a capital L, because it's the divine person
of the son of God. to bear witness of the light
that all men through him might believe. He was not that light,
but was sent to bear witness of that light. This was the true
light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. You
see this glorious person of Christ. If you look there in John 1,
the verses 12, But as many as received him,
to them gave you power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on his name. The word receive and the word
believe mean the same thing. To believe is to receive Christ. And we do that by faith. But
as many as received him, to them gave you power And it's how we
need this power. And surely that's what the apostle
means when he says that I might know him in the power of his
resurrection. He didn't just want to know about
him. He wanted to know the power of faith, of the life of God,
of the Holy Ghost in the heart. You want to light. in your soul,
life in your heart. That's all in Christ. I am the
light of the world. Do you have this? But as many
as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of
God, even to them that believe on his name. Now it tells us how it comes
about that they believe, which were born. not of blood, nor
of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. That's why a person believes,
because they're born again by the Spirit of God. Which were
born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the
will of man, but of God. Just as we look back at what
we just looked at in the Ephesians, you hath he quickened who were
dead. See these scriptures, they set
before us the way of salvation, the way of redemption, and how
it is accomplished in a poor sinner's heart. And how vital
it is that we need these things. Jesus said unto her, I am the
resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live. What a wonderful thing to have
this living faith, to believe, to believe, to exercise faith
in the glorious person of our Lord Jesus Christ, the one that
is able to save to the uttermost. Because he suffered and bled
and died for the sins of his people. because he fulfilled
the holy law of God on the behalf of his people. And that perfect
obedience of Christ in holy scripture is called the righteousness of
Christ. And that is what the believer
receives by faith. It's the righteousness of Christ. It's the blood of Christ. The
hymn writer, he says, doesn't he, Jesus, thy blood and righteousness,
my beauty are my glorious dress. The everlasting robe of the righteousness
of Jesus Christ. That is what the believer receives
in Christ. I'm blessed, I'm blessed, forever
blessed. My rags are gone and I am dressed
in garments whitest night. the everlasting Rome, of the
righteousness of Christ that covers our nakedness, that precious
sin-atoning blood of Jesus Christ which washes away all our sins and that presents us that blood
and righteousness. You think of those first two
things, in that description of Christ in Solomon's Song chapter
5. What is the first thing the spouse
says? My beloved is white and ruddy. My beloved is white and ruddy. And that again is beautiful Hebrew
poetry and in poetry there is the use of metaphors. So when
it says white, it means holy, righteous. My beloved is white,
holy, righteous. And to the eye of faith, there
is something very beautiful in the perfect obedience of Christ,
in the sacred holiness of Christ. He did no sin, neither was guile
found in his mouth. Now to the eye of faith, there
is something very precious there. This perfect obedience of the
holy God man to the law. On the behalf, in the room, in
the place, in the stead of his people. He lived, he suffered,
he bled, he died. under the holy law of God. You know the apostle in that,
there's that beautiful passage in Romans chapter three concerning the spirit of faith. He speaks of the holy law of
God first and he says in Romans three verse 19 and 20, now we
know that what things whoever the law says It says to them
who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all
the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds
of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. For
by the law is the knowledge of sin, and that's as much as the
law can do. It will convince you of your
sin. It will show that you're lost, you're undone, you're ruined.
But it cannot do anything for you. It's either Berridge or
Gadsby, and one of his hymns, he says, concerning the law,
it gives me neither feet nor hands. It doesn't give me the
ability to fulfill it. Now the gospel is completely
different. It gives the ability to believe. When the Holy Spirit enters the
soul, when he convinces us of our sin, and brings us utterly
to the end of ourselves and of our own righteousness, then,
you see, he reveals Christ. He gets faith to lay hold of
Christ. Faith to believe. Oh, my beloved
friends, may the Lord give us each this faith. For without
it, it's impossible to please God. Now, he goes on in Romans
chapter three, after speaking there of the law, but now. What
a wonderful thing that is, but now. The righteousness of God
without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and
the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of
Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe. For there
is no difference. What does he mean when he says,
for there is no difference, Jew and Gentile, bond and free. There is no difference. There's
only one way of salvation. Whether you're Jew or Gentile,
Jesus is the way to God. Jesus is the way to bliss. Even
the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto
all, and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference for
all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation. The word
propitiation is very similar to atonement, but it actually means the wrath-ending
sacrifice of Christ on Calvary. That was a propitiatory sacrifice
whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith
in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that
have passed through the forbearance of God. And then he emphasizes
here, to declare, I say at this time, his righteousness, that
he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Him which believeth in Jesus. I am the resurrection and the
life. He that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live. and that life is in Christ, yet
shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth
in me shall never die, shall never die. Every one of us will die, but
the believer in Christ, when they die, they die to be with
Christ. Death to them is the door into
eternal glory. They leave behind this body of
sin and death, and they enter into eternal glory, into everlasting
happiness. You see, death is swallowed up
in victory. Isn't it the dear apostle in
that very well-known chapter In 1 Corinthians and chapter
15, he speaks there of the resurrection and he emphasized it. There were
some in the church that were saying that the resurrection
was already passed. But he says, if in this life
we have hope in Christ Jesus, we're of all men, if this life
only, we're of all men most miserable, but now is Christ risen from
the dead. and become the firstfruits of
them that slept. For since by man came death,
by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all
die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every
man in his own order, Christ the firstfruits. Afterward, they
that are Christ's are his coming. You see, my beloved friends,
eternal life, I give unto my sheep eternal life. And when the believer is laid
in the grave, he likens it to seeds sown in the ground. See, he says here in 1 Corinthians
15, concerning the believer being buried. But some, verse 35, but
some man will say, how are the dead raised up? And with what
body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest
is not quickened except it die. And that which thou sowest, thou
sowest not that body which shall be, but bare grain. It may chance
of wheat or some other grain. But God giveth it a body as it
hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh
is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men,
another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, another of birds.
You see, and he goes on, verse 42, so also is the resurrection
of the dead. It is sown, that is our sinful
body, it is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.
It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in
weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it
is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there
is a spiritual body. As it is written, the first man,
Adam, was made a living soul. The last Adam, that's Christ,
was made a quickening spirit. And then he goes to the end of
the chapter and he says, Verse 53, for this corruptible must
put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and
this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought
to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin. The
strength of sin is the law, but thanks be unto God, which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. I am the resurrection
and the life. He that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth
in me, shall never die. Believest thou this? May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 171 and the tune is Bodmin 934. Join all who love the Saviour's
name to sing his everlasting fame. Great God, prepare each
heart and voice in him forever to rejoice. Hymn 171, tune Bodmin
934. ? Of the Savior's name ? ? To sing
his heaven-bound, all-singing name ? ? Praise, Lord, with heav'n
rejoicing ? Thank you. The day of wondrous things hath
come, In him what glories I behold. For it I have, in your name's
name, Filled in my soul, forever clean. In Thee, my precious, O contain
I in my faithful soul sustain ? All here my hope is now received
? ? Through him my soul shall ever live ? O hear my song, it lights to
tone. my every care. And in one day
I shall appear. As in my day to day. Trust him to bring
thee hope by way. Give him thy hope, preach to
him from above. With him you'll never, never
part. Take him for strength and righteousness,
May give thy refuge in this place, That we may have all earthly
joy, ? Until we ever sing and play ?
? Praise him in gentle grateful
songs ? To Him your highest praise belong dear to you does your
hand prepare, and in your single effort there. May the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the love of God the Father, the sacred fellowship of the
Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each. Amen. Thank you.