I don't know. Daddy. I'll just announce the notices
for the coming week. If the Lord will, pastor will
preach next Lord's Day at 10.30 and 2 o'clock. Our pastor will also preach on
Thursday evening at 7 o'clock. And there will be a prayer meeting
on Tuesday evening at 7 o'clock. will commence the worship of
God with hymn 1055. The tune is Lewisham 678. Come, ye souls by sin afflicted,
bowed with fruitless sorrow down, by the broken law convicted,
through the cross behold the crown. Look to Jesus, mercy flows
through him alone. Hymn 1055, the tune Lewisham
678. In unbidden, bound with fruitless
surrender. ? By the dawn's early light ? ?
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming ? Love to Jesus, love to Jesus,
as he comes to give and learn. ? May your wings, weary ? ? Fly
to give me ? ? Earth and ice ? ? Earth which springs in desolate glory
? ? Peace and love ? O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of ? With early light have seen him
? ? And seen his hand with his voice ? ? Listen all the children
close him and his voice ? ? Oh, rejoice ? ? It's the moment
? ? It's the moment ? ? Then may come them happy joys ? To sing the rest we lay in bottomed
towns the short pastures. ? Heavenly chimes are ever o'er
me ? ? That they cannot tell me to do ? ? Make me listen, love, and sense it
? From the Word of God we shall
read the thirteenth chapter. in the Gospel according to Luke. The Gospel according to Luke,
chapter 13. There were present at that season some
that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled
with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto
them, suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans,
because they suffered such things. I tell you nay, but except ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Oh, those 18. upon whom the tower in Siloam
fell and slew them. Think ye that they were sinners
above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you nay, except ye repent, ye shall all
likewise perish. He spake also this parable A
certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came
and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto
the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come
seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none. Cut it down. Why cumbereth it the ground?
And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year
also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it, and if it bear
fruit, well, and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it
down. and he was teaching in one of
the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman
which had the spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed
together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus
saw her, He called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou
art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her,
and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. And the ruler of the synagogue
answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the
Sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in
which men ought to work. In them therefore come and be
healed, and not on the Sabbath day. The Lord then answered him,
and said, Thou hypocrite, Doth not each one of you on the Sabbath
loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away
to watering? And ought not this woman, being
a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen
years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day? And when
he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed,
and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that
were done by him. Then said he, Unto what is the
kingdom of God like, and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like
a grain of mustard seed which a man took and cast into his
garden, and it grew and waxed a great tree, and the fowls of
the air lodged in the branches of it. And again he said, Whereunto
shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven which
a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole
was leavened. And he went through the cities
and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then said one
unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto
them, strive to enter in at the straight gate. For many, I say
unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able, when
once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to
the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the
door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us. And he shall answer
and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are. Then shall ye begin to say, we
have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are. Depart from me, all ye workers
of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all
the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust
out. and they shall come from the
east and from the west and from the north and from the south
and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And behold, there are
last which shall be first and there are first which shall be
last. The same day there came certain
of the Pharisees saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart
hence, for Herod will kill thee. And he said unto them, Go ye,
and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today
and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. Nevertheless,
I must walk today, and tomorrow, and the day following, for it
cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that
are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children
together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and
ye would not. Behold, your house is left unto
you desolate, and verily I say unto you, ye shall not see me
until the time come when ye shall say, blessed is he that cometh
in the name of the Lord. May God bless that portion of
his holy word. May he help us in prayer. O thou most gracious and merciful
Lord God, We pray that thou wilt have compassion upon us as we
meet to worship thee. And may our gathering not be
in vain. Do send forth thy spirit into
poor sinners' hearts that we might know what it is to worship
the Lord in the beauty of holiness. May we worship God, then in his
Son, a precious Christ. Oh, that there was kindle in
hearts here this morning, that true spirit of worship, where
we're enabled to turn from everything to one thing, to thee, Lord Jesus,
the one thing needful, the eternal Savior, are once crucified, but
now risen and exalted Saviour. Lord, we are conscious of this,
that we are but poor sinners still, and we need cleansing
and washing, and only Thou canst wash and cleanse poor sinners. We pray that in Thy great mercy,
that thou wilt wash us and cleanse us. The poor sinners who have
come feeling what they are and what they need. Lord, once we
didn't, but now we do. For how sin taints everything. Our best is dyed with sin. Our all is nothing worth. We cannot serve thee as we ought. Thou knowest what we are, we
confess it. But Lord Jesus, thy precious
blood cleanseth from all sin. Thy precious blood sanctifies
and separates us from sin. Oh, do then be of sin the double
cure. Cleanse us from its guilt and
power. We pray that thy power might
be put forth as we gather round the word. We're but poor sinners. The power is thine. We pray for
it. Lord, the power of the Spirit's
work. The power of the love of the
Father. The power of thy precious love. Oh, to feel it, to know it. as
we gather round the Word, we seek thy blessing upon it. May
the portion we have read together, Lord Jesus, go forth in power,
and in the Holy Ghost, and with much assurance. May poor sinners
be taken by thy hand, the hand of living faith, and lead us
into thy Unfold the sacred Word to our unworthy souls, and grant
that the hungry might feed upon it, that the weary might find
rest, that helpless sinners might be helped, that any poor sinner
who feels far off, so far off through sin, might know what
it is to be made nigh by the precious blood of Jesus. We do
pray, Lord, that thy dear people might be fed and nourished, that
thou wouldst make it a true Sabbath, a real day of rest, a day when
weary souls are gathered to thee, when they hear thy voice, Come
unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. Oh, we pray for that precious
gift, that rest that thou hast made at Calvary. Oh, to feel
and to know it. And we do pray that the poor
and the weary and the helpless, the Lord might know thy blessing
in their poor hearts. We pray that any who are unconcerned
might be made concerned. Lord, concerned over their souls,
concerned over eternity, concerned over their sin. Lord, their solemn
state by nature. We pray for the clear work of
the Holy Spirit in teaching poor sinners their need. the need
of a Saviour. So work, we pray. May there be
a gracious gathering in of thy dear children. Gather in the
purchase of thy precious blood, we beseech thee. And Lord, let
thy work appear. Lord, even as we gather round
the Word, do use it for our good. and for thy glory we do beseech
thee. We pray for thy presence, that
thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down, and move among
us, we pray. Lord, as the rain falls outside,
and we thank thee for it, to nourish the ground and to bring
forth the fruit We thank Thee for these mercies, but, O, we
pray for heavenly showers of blessing, for those soft rains
of the Spirit, of repentance, of godly sorrow, that will soften
sinners' hearts, soften our hearts, we pray, with that divine unction
that can come alone from Thee. And may the unction of salvation
supple our souls, our hearts and our consciences. The Lord
do then cause these things to happen as only thou canst, that
we might not gather here in vain. For Lord, if thou dost not come,
all is in vain. Have mercy upon us. We pray for
the dear friends here that they will be with them, graciously
support them. And our dear brother, as he passed
us here, help and be with him. Be with him at Matfield today. May good be done. Lord, may thy
name be glorified, sinners nourished and instructed in the way of
salvation. So bless the word there. And wherever thy dear servants
labour this day, we seek thy blessing upon thy word. We pray that the name of Jesus
might be made precious from the rising of the sun to the going
down again of the same throughout this earthly ball. Lord, we live
in days of declension, days of falling away days when sin rages
and Satan too. Yet thou art the same, thy power
is the same, and nothing can quell it, Lord. Thou amidst it
all put forth thy power, gathering in thy dear children, building
up poor sinners in Christ, rooting and grounding us in the Gospel,
delivering us from the snares of Satan, Lord, so bless the
word to the ends of the earth and bless it here this morning
if it could please thee. Mason has been nourished, instructed,
helped, and guided in the way of salvation, in that path of
life. The only way of safety through
this world of sin is thee, Lord Jesus. And we think of the simplicity
of thy command. Follow me. Thou art safety. And where thou art, there is
safety. And help thy dear people simply
to follow Jesus, to cleave to thee. Because, Lord, we are prone
to wander. Prone to wander, Lord, we feel
it. Prone to leave the God we love.
Come and seal us from above. Renew us, we pray. Grant us strength
for the unknown way. Help thy dear people to press
on. May we be amongst those that
press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of
God in Christ Jesus. Teach us, we pray, to lay aside
every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, be found
cleaving to thee alone. We seek thy blessing on the families,
the dear children, the little ones, that thou would remember
them for good. May they be taught by thee, and
kept in the tenderness of youth, if it could please thee. And
Lord, remember the aged. And Lord, be with them, we pray.
as the outward man perisheth. Oh, may the inward man of grace
be strengthened and renewed. Do remember any in affliction. Do grant healing mercies where
it can please thee. Lord, sanctify afflictions through
thy redeeming love and blood and uphold them, we pray. and
any in trial or in trouble, graciously support them, make crooked things
straight, and the rough places plain. Lord help us, day by day
we pray thee, be with us as we turn to thy word, we feel our
need of thy help, we pray for it, that thou who art the helper
of the helpless, the strength of the weak, the riches of the
poor. Come to our aid. Help us, whether
we speak or hear. And Lord, enrich our hearts and
souls through redeeming love and blood. Forgive our many sins. Wash us in thy precious blood. Cleanse us from above, we pray. We ask these mercies in thy name,
Lord Jesus, amen. We'll continue the service with
hymn 892. The tune is Westcliffe, 932. Art thou by sin a captive led? Is sin thy daily grief? The man
who break the serpent's head can bring thee sweet relief. Hymn 892. The tune is Westcliff,
932. Still earth, grant him rest,
Peace in thy name be free. O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? His name is Jesus, all ye saints, and
saintly kept in three. ? Liberty ? ? O'er the ramparts
we watched, were so gallantly streaming? ? and joy in heav'n for people
this day. O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the
bombs bursting in air, ? In that stone ? ? Her sighs were melted ? ? With
just one ? ? Stern touch with human one ? And may He now thy
guilt disperse, His treatment thou shalt receive. You will find the word on my
spirit this morning in the 13th chapter of the Gospel according
to Luke. And we shall read the 11th verse. And behold, there was a woman
which had a spirit of infirmity 18 years, and was bowed together and could
in no wise lift up herself. The Gospel according to Luke
chapter 13 verse 11. And behold, there was a woman
which had a spirit of infirmity 18 years and was bowed together
and could in no wise lift up herself. It was the Sabbath day. It was a Sabbath day that a poor
woman would never forget. And perhaps one or two of you
have got Sabbath days like that. You can still remember them.
You can remember what the Lord did for your soul. How he appeared
for you in your greatest need. It was something like that with
this poor woman. We don't know her name. We don't
know where she lived. But we know this. But on this
Sabbath, she had made her weary way to the house of God. She didn't give up. She didn't say, I can't go because
of this infirmity. But she pressed to the house
of God. And she didn't press there in
vain. Now I realize that with some afflictions, a poor sinner
cannot get there. We understand that, like the
man who they let down through the roof. But this dear woman,
though she was bowed together, that is, she spent 18 years looking
at the ground, bent right over. And not only Was it that Sabbath
morning? But for 18 years she'd been like
it, looking down. What was wrong with her? What
was the cause of this great affliction? The devil. He'd got a hand in it. And he can have a hand in our
affairs too. And we're not always aware of
it. I wonder how much this woman knew of what the devil was doing. I do believe this, and I'm sure
perhaps some of you do. Wherever you gather together
around God's word, the devil is not far away. He's not far
away this morning. Because Jesus tells us in the
parable of the sower, doesn't he? And the seed is cast. The seed is this book. The birds
of the air come. And they snatch it away. Then
when he explains it, what does he tell us? It's the devil. He comes pecking away. He's pecking
away this morning with thoughts, worldly thoughts, business thoughts,
carnal thoughts. They come, and they just take
away, and we get home. We know what it is. I'm not excluding
myself. Somebody says, what's the text? What was the text this morning?
I can't remember. What did he read? I've forgotten. Why? Because the chirping little
thoughts of the devil and all he wants is to snatch this seed
away so that we leave the house of God with nothing. But it wasn't like that with
this poor woman. Satan bent her double Yes, Satan
can afflict people he did Joe He got a big hand in Satan's
Satan had in Job's afflictions, and he had with this poor woman
She couldn't lift herself up So when we see that word behold
second word of the text The Holy Spirit is telling us. There's
something worthy here to look at never passed quickly by the
beholds of scripture. It could have said there was
a woman which had a spirit of infirmity, but no, says the Holy
Ghost, we're to behold it, consider it. Now let's just go
through this poor woman's case first, and see what the Holy Spirit
tells us. She went to the synagogue, to
the house of God, bowed double. We don't read that she said a
word. We don't read that she prayed. That doesn't mean she
didn't. But we don't read it. I rather think her affliction
closed the poor woman's mouth. She probably spent all her strength
trying to get there. There's something wonderful happened
when Jesus saw her. Now, in salvation's work, it's
always Jesus first. He saw her. That's what happens
in salvation. That's what happens in our trials.
We'll come back to that later. He saw her. And more than that, he called
her. He saw her, he called her, and
he spoke to her. There's nothing like the voice
of Jesus to poor sinners who are bound like this dear woman.
Thou art loose. from thine infirmity. Remember
that. There's only one person that
can loose the devil's power. That's Christ. Nobody else. She couldn't. Nor can you, dear
child of God. Nor can I. If he gets hold of
us, you can't wriggle out of his power. No more than Peter
could. Could he? When the Lord said
to him, Peter, Satan has desired to have you. See, there's one
who knows the desires of the devil, and the schemes of the
devil, and how the devil operates, and it's Jesus. Peter, I know
his thoughts, I know his desires, and I know what he wants to do.
The wonderful thing with Peter was, but, I pray for you, that
thy faith fail not. There's no saviour like Jesus. Well, after he'd saw her, called
her, spoke to her, he laid his hands upon her. And immediately she was made
straight. Only Jesus can do things like
that. The cure that a precious Christ
can give can be immediate. So we see the wonderful power,
the love, the mercy of Christ to this poor woman. Now what happened? where the ruler of the synagogue
answered with indignation. The man who owned Leaflow, he
was the chief there, why did he complain? Because that Jesus had healed
on the Sabbath day. It sounds like he was a Pharisee,
doesn't it? Oh, he didn't like that at all.
And he said unto the people, notice that, how often we see
that in scripture. He didn't face Jesus. They go
to the people. People do that sometimes with
the poor old minister. They don't face him, but they
say, oh, did you hear that? Didn't like that, couldn't receive
that. It might cut them right to the heart. The hypocrites don't change.
He didn't go to the Lord, but he went to the people. Why, he
says, there are six days in which men ought to work. In them, therefore,
come and be healed. And not on the Sabbath day. There's the Pharisee, there's
the hypocrite. Don't heal and do any good on
the Sabbath day. That's part of his religion.
That's how they hold men in bondage. That's what was happening when
Jesus spoke that beautiful, glorious gospel invitation, come unto
me all ye that labour, and have ye laid, and I will give you
rest. This was the sort of thing that
was happening. Poor sinners were held in bondage. This particular
woman is in Satan's bondage. The Lord then answered him. He may have spoke to the people,
but there's not a thing that Jesus doesn't know. Not a word
can, or even a thought, can pass through our minds for what he
doesn't know. The Lord answered him, Thou hypocrite,
doth not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass
from the stall, and lead him away to the watering, then ought
not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, she's a child of
God, elect according to the foreknowledge of God, one who Christ came to
die for, oh the hypocrite, they don't realise what they're saying,
the daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound over these 18
years. The Lord completely knew her
case from start to finish. Be loosed from this bond on the
Sabbath day. Now, if you stop here a moment,
it tells us a little more about this woman's state. The wisdom in the teaching of
Christ. You see, it was a common thing
for the people to have an ox or an ass. In the days of Jesus, there were
many houses, there were just two rooms. Not all, but some. And in one room, the family all
lived. But next to it was the stall,
adjoining it. And there, they would keep the
animals. Many have felt it was somewhat
like that Jesus was born at Nazareth. It was the room where they lived
that was full up and there was the stall next to it where the
Lord came from heaven to this earth. And it wasn't against the law
of God to be kind to animals. The poor ox or the ass had been
penned up all night. They were taken in at the end
of the day and take it into the store for its safety. It was
locked up, been in the dark, it had nothing to drink, no watering,
anything like that. And then all of them, pretty
well, those who were complaining, they
got up Sunday morning or on the Sabbath morning and out of kindness
to the livestock, would open the stall door, take the rope
off the animal, and lead it away, so that it could be fed, and
watered, and nourished, and looked after. That was a kind act. The Lord wouldn't have cruelty
to animals, or let them be tied up until, we would say, the Monday
morning. You see, the whole thing speaks
to the case of the woman. Just as that ox or ass had been
tied up and kept in the stall overnight, one night, this woman
had been tied up by the devil for 18 years. And just as that ox or ass, when
the sun rose, would long, long to be let out for the watering, to go, as it were, skipping down
the pasture, in the light of day, for food and nourishment. Again, it speaks to the case
of the woman. The Lord's comparing the one
with the other. You tied up your ass, and you've
loosed it. Satan has tied up this poor woman,
and I've loosed her on the Sabbath. What's the difference? Well,
in some ways, the great difference is the comparison. We have to
be aware of hypocrisy, of complaining, perhaps, that one person is doing,
and doing the same ourselves in another way. The Lord doesn't condone breaking
the Sabbath, not at all. But kindness to the animal. But
this dear woman, how much more so? So really the Lord, he throws
light, more light, on how this woman had felt for 18 years.
She had felt like a stalled ox that couldn't get out, that longed
to break out, but she couldn't do it herself. The more than
the ox can untie the rope and open the stall door. You see, Jesus was able to do
that. No wonder. all his adversaries
were ashamed. And all the people rejoiced for
all the glorious things that were done by him. And immediately
she was made straight. She glorified God. So very briefly,
that's this little story, this narrative that the Holy Spirit
has left on record for our instruction. But are there any here who are
like this woman? That's the point, isn't it? And
are there some here, you say, ah, I know how she felt. I know
how that poor woman felt. It wasn't just the Sabbath morning
she felt, bowed down, it was for 18 long years. I know somebody who was in bondage
for 12 years. I remember at my old church up
in Luton there was a man, he was 39 years. And he related
himself to the man by the pool of Bethesda. And he could relate
to that poor man laying there and laying there and laying there.
But no help come, no help come. And it was literally 39 years. It was his testimony or part
of it. So even today, spiritually, poor
sinners can relate to the case of this woman. Some are set free
suddenly. Others lay long in bondage. God is sovereign. He knows what's
best for his children. The wonder, the beauty is she's
the daughter of Abraham, the child of God. And what do poor
sinners say when they're bound like this? What does the devil say to them? You are not a child of God. God's children don't feel like
this. and he binds them, holds them fast. Don't they have such a struggle?
Like this woman, how many times did she struggle up in the morning? She must have done, poor thing.
How many times did she struggle through the day, bound by Satan? How many times did she say to
herself, oh I would that I wasn't like this? How many days was it? 18 years
she was just looking at the ground. We can easily say, oh she was
looking in the wrong direction. Well, true. If the devil gets his hand in
the heart of a poor sinner, he's stronger than the sinner. And that poor sinner needs one
mightier to release them. Oh, she was having a struggle.
One cannot help feeling, every reason to feel, that there was
something spiritual going on in her heart. Why did she haste
as fast as she could in her weak, weak condition to the synagogue? She didn't say, I can't do it,
I'll give up. I've got to be there. I've got to be there. I must be there. How many Sabbaths bound? Bound down by twice 10,000 ties. The devil has so many ways of
tying poor sinners up. The last thing the devil wants
is to see a poor sinner near the Lord Jesus that's his masterpiece to keep them away and he'll use
anything and it'll tie that poor sinner up well you might not
be bound like this woman no not at all but mentally in your thoughts
in the snares of the devil he's got many of them They could tie poor sinners up,
drag them down, bind them to the earth, carnal things, earthly
things, anything but Christ. And so he works, and so he works,
until the poor things are double, groaning. Something affected this woman
every day for 18 years. would get up in the morning and
something was holding her. An unseen power, she was probably
unaware what it was. The poor dear, she probably not
related the condition she was in to the devil's power. She hadn't known this truth that
we're all the children of Satan until Christ releases us. because the world is his kingdom,
the whole of it. And it's full of snares, full
of snares, this world. Oh, how the devil snares poor
sinners. They believe him. Everything
out of Christ is not truth. Christ says, I am the way, the
truth, The life. If ever a poor sinner wanted
a way, a living way, if ever a poor sinner wanted the truth,
the truth as it is in Christ, it was this poor woman. If ever
a poor woman wanted life, it was this poor woman. It's this
poor woman here this morning. You're bound. You hear this and
you hear that. You hear the other and it snares
you. And it holds you. And you're
troubled and you're anxious. And you fear what might happen
to you and what the end of it will be. I'm sure these thoughts
fill the heart of this woman. But Jesus, Jesus, poor sinner,
if the Satan has got one here in his various ways, there's
only one that can release you from your fears and your anxieties
and the burden. and the sorrow, and the difficulty,
and the perplexity. And it's Jesus. Jesus saw her. That's mercy, isn't it? Jesus saw her. He still sees
his people. Now in heaven, are once crucified,
but now risen and exalted saviour, he looks down, and on this earth
his people are dear to him. And he sees them. And he understands. It's very
clear from what he said to the ruler of the synagogue. He knew
just how long she'd been like it. Just how long she'd struggled. Just how long she'd been perplexed. She didn't know the truth yet
of those words, all things work together for good. To them that
love God. To those who are called according
to his purpose. First he saw her. Saw her sad
state. He saw all that was happening
to her. He could see the wows of the
devil more clearly than ever she could. He could see what the devil was
up to. He goeth about sometimes as a
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Yes, he can roar
and rage, but then he is more subtle than all the beasts of
the field, and he can come in subtlety and deceit. He cannot
speak truth. It's impossible for him to speak
truth. He's a liar from the beginning.
And he makes poor sinners believe lies. And everything out of Christ
It's not truth. It's deception. The whole world one day will
be swept away. The devil won't have you to believe
that. And all manner of other things. But Jesus saw her. The eye of truth was on her. The eye of wisdom was on her. Not only did he see her, he called
her, he spoke to her. The voice of Jesus to a poor
sinner bound like this is beautiful. Perhaps one or two of you here
can remember when Jesus first spoke to you. and the amazing voice of Christ. It's the voice of truth. It's the voice that sets free. It's a voice that's eternal. With her, it was the voice of
pity. It was the voice of mercy. It
was the voice of love. She'd never heard a voice like
this before. He called her to him. This is what happens, really,
in conversion. Poor sinner's bound up. It ruined
Jesus' cause. And then he spoke. Thou art loosed from thine infirmity. That must have sounded strange
to her. She was still bound. But Jesus knows before what he's
going to do. Thou art loosed, I'll free thee
from these hands of evil. that have wrapped themselves
around thee, and tied thee tight, and holding thee. The fear of
man, the fear of all sorts of things, Satan is coming. He knows
how to hold. But now a greater power comes,
the greatest power, the power of Christ, that alone can deliver. He laid his hands on her. His touch has still its ancient
power. Still. It hasn't diminished. It never will. When grace touches
the soul, the sin is released. Is that what you feel you need
of, poor sinner? Every bond broken of sin and
Satan and the world and all that goes on in it, wrapping itself
around your soul, tying you in knots as it were. There's a voice
that's more powerful, glorious than it all. It's the voice of
a once crucified and now risen and exalted saviour. He laid
his hands on her. and immediately she was made
straight. What is it? What is it that can
make poor broken sinners straight? Broken with sin, broken with
Satan's power, broken with fear, broken with anxieties, tied up
in knots, Really, they're in a real bound,
sinful state. Where was Satan's power broken? You tell me that. On a cross. Called Calvary. There, he was defeated and finished. There he lost his power. And he knows it. Poor sinner, if you're bound
this morning, it's there. The cross. Where sin was dealt with. Who by God. Truth. Completely dealt with. where Satan was utterly defeated
because his power was lost. He was bruised. It is when grace brings the sinner
there. Just as I am. O child of God,
those of you who have known a little of it, is there anything sweeter
than the love of Calvary when it touches the heart? when it
breaks the power of sin, when it breaks the power of Satan,
when it delivers, when the sinner, as it were, spiritually can stand
up and say, I'm free, Christ has made me free. For if the
Son shall make thee free, ye shall be free indeed. It's the
power of Christ. From every fear, every sorrow,
all of Satan's temptations, Christ has the power to break them all,
and only Him. You see, the dear woman, in the
course of her life, was brought where Jesus was. That's where every child of God
is delivered, by His power. The power of His love, His mercy,
it flows through redeeming love and precious blood. When it flows
into the soul, Satan is finished. And the world, finished. And sin, finished. And sweet
are those moments. Jesus then can deal with the
power of the devil, and his darkness, and his confusion. He saw her. He called her. He spoke to her. He laid his hands on her and
she was made straight. What was the first thing she
saw, do you think? As she stood up and straightened up,
buckled back. Surely it was Christ. She saw a saviour who loved her and had done everything for her
and delivered her and it changed her life completely. Now is Jesus her deliverer when
he comes to his dear daughters and delivers them from dark despair
from bondage, from Satan's servitude, from the world, and everything,
because everything out of Christ is bondage, darkness, confusion. And the daughters of Jesus are
brought to realize it, and he teaches them the difference between
bondage and liberty. Why is she liberating them? She
has a hope of heaven, She has a hope she'll be where Jesus
is. And it's just a touch. And it's immediate. One or two
here can give witness, I'm sure, to that. When he appeared and
turned our darkness into day, our confusion into the simplicity
of the gospel. What's the simplicity of the
gospel? Jesus. That's it. Simply that. He's the sum and
substance of it, the glory of it, the beauty of it. What did
she do when she was delivered? Glorified God. Who? God. Now Jesus is God, her savior. She believes in his divinity. because she'd experienced the
power. And a power above every power is the power of Christ. When Jesus rose and ascended
to glory, he said, all power, not some, all power is given
unto me. Both on earth and in heaven,
all is his. She proves it. And what does
she glorify? More than she can express, I
think. Is it like that when you're set free? Love, mercy, truth,
the glories of the Lamb. Oh, the wonder of it. Why, our
faith sees more then than we can understand. Delivered, set
free, the wonder of it. You see, the Lord alone can handle
the affairs of his people. or when he draws near to them
and sets them free. They feel it and they know it.
Behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen
years and was bound together and could in no wise lift up
herself. Now briefly in conclusion. As
the Lord's dear people journey on, they too come into trials. Maybe one here. You're in a trial,
a difficulty. And perhaps the devil's got his
hand in it. You haven't realized it. But
it is like that sometimes. You read the Psalms and see David. Oh, some of the places he'd come.
You could tell by his prayers, dear child of God, he was, as
it were, doubled up. With fear. With anxiety. With perplexity. with the events
that surrounded him. The way to heaven is through
much tribulation. And sometimes even that poor
sinner whose known deliverance is brought into this condition,
that bound up. Left to ourselves, we try and
untie the knots. And what do we find? we tie ourselves
up in more knots, because that's all we're capable of doing. What's the answer? I'll go to Jesus. The cause that is too hard for
thee, bring it to me, and I will hear it. If it's Satan, He can't
stand before Christ. If it's circumstances, there's
nothing too hard for the Lord. If it's your fears, he says,
fear not, little flock. It's my father's good pleasure
to give you the kingdom, and so we might go on. So as a child
of God journeys on, they get their infirmities, fear infirmities. Satan infirms us. The world infirms
us. If you're a daughter or a son
of Abraham, beloved, the devil won't like it. He harasses. You've
got old, I think William Gurnall said, the devil's a fool. He
gets his hand in the matter. You say, well, however could
he say that? The dear old man said, a fool?
He said, he chases the saints to Christ. Because that's where
they have to go. Grace teaches them to fall at
his dear feet. Help Lord, undertake for me. Make this crooked thing straight.
Take away this infirmity, this temptation. You see the power
of Christ. And as they journey on, they
live to prove this, that he is able, he is able. So beloved, There seems to me
a lot of teaching in this little portion, as there is in all the
Word of God. But may we behold what the Lord
did for this woman. And poor sinner, if you're so
troubled, then the Lord give you grace to take her case then.
Say, Lord, what thou didst for this woman, do it for me. Have mercy upon me. Pity my case. I cannot free myself. But I read
in thy word that thou canst. The daughters of Abraham, they're
praying daughters. They're seeking daughters. Grace
brings them. And it will be Jesus only. And
behold, There was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity, 18
years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up
herself. Our closing hymn this morning
is 989. the tune is sorely 231. Ye captive souls in fetters bound,
who feel your misery, the way to liberty is found, the sun
shall make you free. Hymn 989, the tune is sorely
231. ? Hear the angels' songs in pleasant
heav'n ? ? O hear the angels' songs in pleasant heav'n ? The way to liberty is found,
the sun shall guide you free. Here the Redeemer's precious
blood, How can it not still be? Into my heart, all free and whole,
A land of many, new, free, ? I should hear now ? ? Is the
Lamb of God ? ? Should live forever ? ? Give it to me ? ? This is
the Lord ? Pointed hand, he waits to make
you free. That's how true love, my Jesus
preached. ? The Lord shall walk with thee
? ? God save the day ? ? The King will be with thee ? ? His name can make me free ? ?
Jesus, my Son, come and receive me ? ? Set me thy servant free ? ? Awakened
me ? ? My conscience free ? Now may thy grace, dear Lord
Jesus, and the love of God, the communion of the Holy Spirit,
rest and abide with us each, now and for evermore. Amen.