Let us commence our service by
singing together hymn number 1013. The tune is Gainsborough
148. There is a family on earth whose
father fills a throne, but though a seed of heavenly birth, to
men they're little known. Hymn 1013, tune Gainsborough
148. Christ, the heavenly Father,
Christ the Lord, in his death's right, O come, O come, O come, O come,
O come, O come, O come, O come, to Bethlehem. O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? Christ is born in Bethlehem. ? God is the King ? ? Who reigns
above ? ? God reigns above Israel ? ? God reigns above Israel ? of Israel, and of Israel. ? God fell the King ? ? Himself
was killed ? ? His face was set at naught ? ? New day had come
? Now day will tread the meager, When thou, when thou hast atoned,
Come take thy own flesh with thee, O girl, Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians and chapter
4. The Epistle to the Ephesians,
chapter four. I therefore, the prisoner of
the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith
ye are called, with all loneliness and meekness, with long-suffering,
forbearing one another in love, endeavouring to keep the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and
one spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling.
One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who
is above all and through all and in you all. But unto every
one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of
Christ. Wherefore he saith, when he ascended
up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. Now that he ascended, what is
it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of
the earth? He that descended is the same
also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill
all things. And he gave some apostles and
some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers
for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in
the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God
unto a perfect man. unto the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children
tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine
by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in
wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love
may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ,
from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted
by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working
in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto
the edifying of itself in love. This I say therefore, and testify
in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk,
in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened,
being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance
that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart, who
being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness,
to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so
learned Christ, if so be that ye have heard him and have been
taught by him as the truth is in Jesus. That ye put off concerning
the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according
to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your
mind. And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created
righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore, putting away lying,
speak every man truth with his neighbour, for we are members
one of another. Be ye angry and sin not. Let
not the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to
the devil. Let him that stole steal no more,
but rather let him labour, working with his hands a thing which
is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let
no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which
is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto
the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit
of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let
all bitterness and wrath, and anger and clamour, and evil speaking,
be put away from you with all malice, and be ye kind one to
another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for
Christ's sake, has forgiven you. May the Lord bless that portion
of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real
prayer. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
which is, and art, and art to come, all we do desire to bow
before thy great majesty, to call upon thy great and holy
name. We come, Lord, as poor sinners,
the fallen sons and daughters of Adam, born in sin and shapen
in iniquity. We come and seek and hope to
find a portion for our soul. O gracious God, do come and spread
the gospel table. May it be even as that one that
thou did speak with. The crumbs eat, the dogs eat
of the crumbs from the master's table. May there be some crumbs
of the living bread of life. May there be the living water
of life to drink. May the hungry eat and live. May it be as it was when thou
wast here upon earth in the five loaves and two fishes and yet
broken and blessed to feed 5,000. We pray that it may be so, among
us in the ministry of the word, in the breaking of the bread
of life, that there may be a portion for seven and yea for eight also,
that poor needy hungry sinners may eat, and poor thirsty souls
may drink, and the Lord Jesus Christ made precious. We think
of the Wonderful word of promise, where two or three are gathered
in my name, there am I, in the midst. Lord Jesus, come and stand
in the midst. Come and speak to our hearts. Come and graciously draw us to
thyself. Dear Jesus, let thy beauties
be my soul's eternal food, and grace command my heart away.
from all created good. We pray to be prepared for all
thy will and thy purposes concerning each one of us. Make me to know
mine end and the measure of my days, how short it is. Make us
to realise, O Lord, the brevity of life, the solemnity of death. And help us to take heed To thy
words, Lord Jesus, be ye also ready, for at such a time as
ye think not, the Son of Man cometh. Oh, to be made ready
for that great day. And now, my God, prepare my soul
for that great day, and wash me in thy precious blood. Take
all my sins away. Gracious God, we pray that the
Lord Jesus Christ may be exalted among us as a Prince, as a Saviour,
for to give faith and repentance and remission of sins, and that
the sacred plaster of the Gospel may be applied, even as Thou
didst to Thy servant Hezekiah, and he was healed. We pray that
There may be that healing in our hearts, in our souls, in
our circumstances. Heal us. Emmanuel, here we are,
waiting to feel thy touch. Deep-wounded souls, to thee,
Repair and Saviour, we are such. We come, most gracious God, and
we pray that we may know those divine drawings of our Eternal
Father, and that sweet spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba,
Father. And may we know the divine wind,
power, efficacy of the Spirit of God in our hearts, in the
ministry of the Word, in the application of that Word into
our souls. May all those sweet promises
in thy Word, which are all yea and amen in Christ Jesus, May
they be breathed into our hearts. We do humbly beseech of thee.
All we pray, most gracious Lord, thy blessing upon us as a church,
as a congregation. Work mightily, work powerfully,
work effectually among us to the great glory of thy holy and
thy eternal name. All we do pray, most gracious
Lord, that we may see thy work, see thy power and thy glory as
thou usest to be in the sanctuary. Father, we may be delivered from
the works of Satan when he comes as a roaring lion, when he comes
as an angel of light. We need thee to deliver us from
his power and from his influence. We need thee to deliver us from
unbelief, the spirit and power of it in our hearts. We need
thee to give us clear views by faith of the glory of the person
and the power and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to make
us more spiritually minded, to set our affections on things
above. We need thee to shed abroad the
love of Christ in our hearts, and that we may be rooted and
grounded in love and know the love of Christ which passeth
knowledge, and that we may love each other,
serve each other, bear each other's burdens, thereby fulfilling the
law of Christ, that we may be kind and tender-hearted and forgiving
one another, that even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven
you. Oh, we pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou wouldst bless the little ones and the children as they're
brought into the sanctuary. Oh, that thou wouldst bless them
indeed and show them thy ways. Put thy holy fear in their hearts,
in their young and in their tender years. Bless the dear young friends,
O bless them indeed. Guide them, O thou great Jehovah.
Bring them to living faith in Jesus Christ. Bring them to follow thee and
serve thee. Bring them to have that hungering
and thirst so that they desire to come to the week evening service
to hear the word of the Lord. O do so bless us as a church
and as a congregation. So shall we know if we follow
on to know the Lord. Oh, that we may indeed follow
on to know the Lord, that we may indeed grow in grace and
in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Give parents wisdom and grace
and help to bring up their children in the nurturing and the admonition
of the Lord Give us wisdom to do that which
is right in thy sight. We do humbly pray thee. Lord, we do pray for all in the
midst of the journey of life that thou wouldst graciously
undertake for them. And we pray that thou wouldst
fulfil their desires, the longings of their heart. Do grant that
blessing upon each one. We do humbly pray thee. And now
is the way that I take. And when he hath tried me, I
shall come forth as gold. Maybe there are those here that
are very tried, very perplexed. Help them to cast all their cares
upon thee. And deliver them from the temptations
of the wicked one. And deliver them from an evil
heart of unbelief. Help them to keep looking, watching,
waiting, like thy servant Abraham, hoping against hope. So may it
be. O Lord, we do beseech thee. Remember
those of us in the evening time of life's journey, and knowest,
Lord, the needs of each one, the concerns of each one. Especially,
Lord, we remember dear Ina in her great age, that she may know
thy presence and thy blessing and thy help, O Lord, we do beseech
thee. And Lord, we do pray that thou,
in thy great mercy, wouldst remember the prodigals that have wandered
from the ways of God, cause them to return, cause them to come,
and grant us each that growth in grace and in the knowledge
of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Lord, let thy work appear
unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children. We do humbly
beseech thee, fulfil that precious promise, instead of thy fathers
shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the
earth, grant that it may be so. We think of those lovely words
of promise, or bring thy sons from far and thy daughters from
the ends of the earth. They shall come from the north
and from the south and from the east and from the west. Gracious
God, do hear us. We pray thee for thy great namesake. We pray that thou, in thy great
mercy, would remember this village. that the glory, light, and power
of the ghost may shine into this village. Precious souls may be
gathered into the sanctuary. The strongholds of Satan poured
down. The kingdom of our Lord Jesus
set up in the hearts of sinners. Hear us, Lord. We pray thee,
we pray for thy servants that come in and out among us from
time to time. that they may come in the fullness
of the blessing of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We pray that
thou would return unto Jerusalem with mercies, O that it may be
so, that thy servants may take pleasure in her stones and favour
the dust thereof. Remember all thy labouring servants
as they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion. Set them
free. set them at liberty. O Lord,
we do pray for thy great namesake, grant signs to follow the preaching
of the word. We pray that thou, the great
Lord of the harvest, wouldst send true labourers into the
harvest and build the walls of Jerusalem. We pray for Graham
in America, that he may feel thy rich blessing there, Gilbert,
in Australia. Lord, bless them as they minister
the word of truth. May it be a time of refreshing
from the presence of the Lord. Grant journey and mercies at
the appointed time. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou would remember those little outposts where thy people
gather in quite remote areas. and visit them with thy great
salvation, and gather others also. Grant them a minister,
Lord, in Australia, one of thy servants to go in and out among
them, and feed them with knowledge and with understanding. Lord,
do hear us. In heaven, thy holy dwelling
place. And remember the churches in
America. Lord, visit them with thy great salvation and thy servant
there, and also thy servant in Canada. Help them, Lord. We do humbly pray thee. Remember
those who labour in word and doctrine. We think especially
of Ian Sadler as he labours, O Lord, in the gospel in India
and Pakistan and Burma and Africa. Lord, help him. supply all his
many, many returning needs. Remember the Savannah Education
Trust in Ghana and bless that great work that they are doing
there in the Christian schools. Remember, O Lord, we do pray
thee the Mombasa mission and as thy servant labours there,
grant good success. We do humbly beseech of thee.
We thank thee for all thy tender mercies. We thank thee that thy
mercies to us each are new every morning and great is thy faithfulness,
in spite of our unfaithfulness and our unbelief. How great,
how unchangeable it is, thy love. We thank thee for the wonderful
glories of Christ, the law fulfilled, honoured, magnified and fulfilled
in his glorious person. Jehovah Sidkenia, the Lord our
righteousness. We thank thee for Calvary, where
the lamb was slain, where sin was put away, where God and sinners
are reconciled, where peace is made between God and man. We
thank thee for that sin-atoning blood of Jesus, the Son of God. We thank thee for the the death
and the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ, who rose again
for our justification. We thank thee for that risen,
now bodily exalted Saviour, our great High Priest, who sitteth
at thy right hand. Make it a divine reality unto
our souls this night. Come and touch one's lips with
the live coal from off the heavenly altar, come and open the word.
We feel our poverty. We feel our insufficiency. We
feel the need of thy help. Come and touch one's lips with
a live coal from off the heavenly altar and grant a door of utterance. We ask for Jesus Christ's sake.
Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 976. The tune is Set in Sun, 661.
Jesus is a wise physician. skillful and exceeding kind,
through him sinners find remission and enjoy sweet peace of mind. Hymn 976, tune set in sun, 661. This is a wise decision, Still
hope and exceeding power, thy creation, and evermore speak
peace of mind. ? And the rich expansion ? His best spirit justified. His position and ascending All is calm, all is bright. Namo'valokiteshvaraya Namo'valokiteshvaraya Can ye souls who now are sighing,
And the hills with streams in strain, ? To the Savior now declining ?
? He will release you from your pain ? ? But for God is a King
? ? Your beauty contend you ? ? Be
a single manifestation ? ? With heaven and earth, heaven and
earth ? greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help. I would direct your attention
to the chapter that we read, the epistle to the Ephesians,
chapter four, and we'll read verse 15 for our text. Ephesians, chapter four, verse
15. But speaking the truth in love
may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. But speak in the truth, in love. One of the hymn writers, he says
that love is the golden chain that binds those happy souls
above. And he's an heir of heaven that
finds his bosom. glow with love. What a wonderful
thing, if like we touched on in the third chapter at the prayer
meeting, to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge,
that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. We read in first epistle of John,
God is love. God is love. Infinite love. Eternal
love. Unchanging love. Faithful love. Almighty love. It's as God is. Because it is
a divine attribute of God. God is love. Love in all its
fullness. Love in all its glory. Love in
all its power is in God. Oh, that we might know that love. That love may touch our hearts. He wrote, he says, doesn't he?
Loved of my God, for him again, see with love intense I'll burn. Oh, that we may indeed know this
spirit of love. but speak in the truth, in love. Indeed, in chapter three, he
says, you may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth
and length and depth and height of the love of God in Christ. We can only know the love of
God in Christ. We can only experience the love
of God in Christ. It's the essence of our text.
Speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things,
which is the head, even Christ. Speaking the truth in love. Unless we do all things in love,
and then we do all things in vain. You see, love It's that very
beautiful, sacred grace of the Spirit that the Holy Ghost works
in the heart by His power. He gives us love. We love Him
because He first loved us. What a mercy if we are indeed
among those that truly love Him. in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 and
we read there that I speak with the tongues of men and of angels
and have not charity. So I've often explained to you
that the meaning of that word in the original Greek, the word
charity, means love in action. Some have said that the translation
should have said love. I don't agree. I believe it's
the perfect word, love in action. My brethren, let us not love
in word only, but an active love, but indeed
and in truth, so that we love in the things we do, not just
in the things that we say, not just in word only, but in what we do for each other. for the Lord's
people, for the church of God, for those less fortunate than
ourselves. Here in this chapter that we
have before us, let him that stole steal no more, but rather
let him labour with his hands that he may have to give to him
that need it. That should be the whole bent
of our life here below. not to live unto ourselves. When
we're left to ourselves, that's us. We're covetous. We live to
ourselves. We keep it to ourselves. I've
worked for it. I've worked hard. That's mine.
What have you? It doesn't just mean spiritual
things. What have you that you have not received? Freely you
have received. Freely give. My beloved friends,
Does our faith bear fruit? Does our faith bear fruit? In
the way that we live, in the things that we do, are we fruitful? We're exhorted in God's Word
to be fruitful unto every good work. And here in 1 Corinthians 13,
speaking of charity, he explains the meaning of charity. Though
I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not charity,
I am become as sound in brass or a tinkling cymbal. And though
I have the gifts of prophecy and understand all mysteries
and all knowledge, And though I have all faith so that I could
remove mountains and have not charity, I am nothing. I always find the third verse
quite astonishing. And though I bestow all my goods
to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned and
have not charity, it profited me nothing. motivation behind what we do. Do all things as unto the Lord,
as unto the Lord. Freely ye have received, freely
give. Charity, this is again speaking
of the nature of charity, this love in action. Charity suffereth
long and is kind. Charity envieth not, Charity
vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly,
speaketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no
evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth
all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all
things. Do you, do I, have that faith
that worketh by love? This wonderful love of Christ,
shed abroad in our hearts, bringing forth fruit in our lives, it's
a very sacred and a very precious thing to experience. But speaking the truth in love,
may be able to grow up into him in all things, which is the head,
even Christ. This morning I was reading in
the Gospel of John, and the record there, when Christ washed his
disciples' feet, and he said to them, I have given you an
example. that I, your Lord and Master,
I've washed your feet. Now go and do likewise. He didn't
lift himself up. He's Lord of all, he's King of
kings, he's the mighty God. He humbled himself. This, my
beloved friends, is the spirit and mind of Christ. Let this
mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. that we might
have the mind of Christ, the spirit of Christ, that we might
live according to that mind and according to that spirit. How soon, my beloved friends,
that we become carnal and our reasoning becomes carnal. The
carnal mind is emitted to God, is not subject to the law of
God, neither indeed can be. See, to be carnally minded is
death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. I want
to know more of that spiritual mindedness. You know here, it
goes on in the next verse, and he says, till we all come. Now, from whom the whole body
fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth,
according to the effectual working in the measure of every part,
maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. And then he exhorts us not to
walk as other Gentiles walk, but to walk as Christians. to
walk as followers of Christ. That's the exhortation. And he
likens the church as the body of Christ. Christ himself, of
course, is the head of that body. He's the head of that body. And
in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, he speaks of all these different
works. and the divine work of the spirit
there he speaks of. And he says in the eighth verse
of 1 Corinthians 12, for to one is given the spirit, the word
of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by the same spirit,
to another faith by the same spirit, to another gifts of healing
by the same spirit. It speaks in our, Our text of
growing, growing up into Christ. The church of God is a living
organic thing. The body of Christ is a living
body. That mystical union between Christ
and his church. He gives her life. He gives her
his spirit. It's called the spirit of life
in Christ Jesus. And the exhortation is to be
filled with the spirit. And he will give these gifts.
The Holy Ghost will. You see, it goes on in the 12th
of Corinthians to another working of miracles, another prophecy,
another deserting of spirits. See, all these different things,
but all these worketh that one and the selfsame spirit divide
unto every man severally as he will. For as the body is one,
and hath many members, and all the members of that one body
being many are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit
are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles,
whether we bond or free, been all made to drink into the one
spirit. But then he opens it up, he says,
for the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say,
because I am not the hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore
not of the body? If the ear shall say, because
I am not the eye, am I not of the body? Is it therefore not
of the body? If the whole body were an eye,
where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where
were the smelling? But now hath God set the members,
every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if
that they were all one member, where were the body? But now
are there many members, yet but one body. The eye cannot say
unto the hand, I have no need of thee, nor again the head to
the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more, those members
of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary. And
those members of the body which we think to be less honorable,
upon these we stow more abundant honor. And our uncomely parts
have more abundant comeliness. You see, the body. The point
he's making here, for our comely parts have no need, but God has
tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to
that part which it lacked, that there should be no schism in
the body, similar to what the apostle says in the beginning
of our chapter, but that the members should have the same
care, one for another. And whether one member suffer,
all members suffer with it. As one member be honoured, all
members rejoice with it. Now we are the body of Christ
and members in particular. Members in particular. All that
the Lord would bring us to rightly meditate and consider these things
but speaking The truth in love may grow up into him in all things,
which is the head, even Christ. Christ is the head. The great king and head of the
church. In our head is the brain of Christ. And it's in our brain that controls
the body, that animates the body. No doubt, the soul of man is
there. What in our articus faith is
called a reasonable soul. Because it's the seat of our
reason. And we know in a physical sense of the word, the seat of
our reason is our brain. But of course man being spirit
and a physical body, that's what constitutes human nature. Now
the illustration used here of course is that the church is
likened to a body and Christ is likened to the head of that
body. But speaking the truth in love
may grow up into him as a growth. There's a growth. The Apostle
Peter says, but growing grace. Now my beloved friends, are you
growing? Am I growing spiritually? We need to ask that question. Do we profit in the reading of
God's word? Are the eyes of our understanding
enlightened? Do we seek to be more spiritually
minded? Do we seek to love the Lord? That we might have that evidence
that we are indeed growing in grace and in the knowledge of
our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You see, he says here, about
in this fourth chapter. We just looked at it there in
the Corinthians. He quotes from the Psalms and
he says about Christ ascended up on high. He descended into
the lower parts of the earth that he might fill all things.
Then he gave the church gifts. He gave gifts unto men and he
gave some apostles. and some prophets and some evangelists
and some pastors and teachers. And he tells us why he gives
them, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come. There is a progression, my beloved
friends, in spiritual life. It's true, we do not believe
in progressive sanctification, but that term, progressive sanctification,
principally John Wisley taught that a man could become more
holy and more holy until he reached a point of holiness in this life. Because he'd grown so much in
grace, he became holy. We do not agree with that type
of progressive sanctification but we do agree that we must
grow in grace that we as it says in our text we grow up into him
in all things into christ so that our knowledge our understanding
is enlightened and christ becomes all in all and the light shines
into our hearts or that we might know that light
shining into our hearts. In the first chapter of the Ephesians,
in verse 17, the apostle there, he says that the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit
of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. Isn't that
what we need? Isn't that what we need to pray
for? Isn't that what we need when we come to the Word of God?
As Joseph Hart says, join prayer with each inspection. Lord, open
my eyes. David says, open thou mine eyes
that I may see wondrous things in thy law. What he means is
in God's Word, that we might grow. The seed of the Word sown
in the heart, So it's likened in several places. That seed,
it has to have rain, it has to have fertile soil, it has to
have the sun, the warmth and heat of the sun to make it grow. And surely that's exactly the
same teaching for the child of God when the seed of the word
has been sown in the heart. And the rain must come. The rain must come. The dew must
come, the light of the sun, the heat of the sun, to make it grow
and spring up. Oh, my beloved friends, are we
growing? Are we growing? Growing in grace. And so we go back to chapter
one in the Ephesians, that the God, our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom, and
revelation in the knowledge of Him. The eyes of your understand
being enlightened that you might know what is the hope of His
calling and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance
in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of His power
to us, Lord, who believe according to the working of His mighty
power. which he wrought in Christ when
he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand
in the heavenly places. Far above all principality and power and might. You see,
like it says in our text, even Christ, even in him, in the glorious
person of Jesus Christ, the great king and head of the church, and be in the head of the church
so that he constantly sends those messages down into his church,
the living body of the church on earth. Christ speaks, Christ
breathes his love, Christ sends his spirit. The eternal father
draws poor sinners. There's activity going from the
head down into the body and it increases. That we may increase
in faith and in love. Or that we might know this growth
and this increase and this communion. It's a wonderful thing to know
this communion. Again, we touched on it on Tuesday
evening. and to make all men see what
is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the
world have been hid in God, who created all things by Christ
Jesus to the intent that now unto the principality and powers
in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom
of God. All that wonderful wisdom of
God in him that is in Christ dwell all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge and of understanding. Oh, my beloved friends, it's
even Christ. It's even Christ. That's the
very center of our religion, of our hope. Now, within the
context here, the dear apostle, he speaks of, he starts off,
he says, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that
you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called. You
see, my beloved friends, if Christ dwells in our hearts by faith,
if there is that union between our soul and Christ, it will
change our lives. It will stop us walking as other
Gentiles walk. that spirit of love and kindness,
with all loneliness and meekness and long-suffering, forbearing
one another in love. And then there's a very strong
word here, I understand, in the original Greek, where it says
here, endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond
of peace. The word endeavouring, it means
striving, striving. Oh, that the Lord would give
us this spirit of faith, and this spiritual striving, endeavoring
to keep, so that we do not do things that will offend our brethren,
do not do things that will hinder the work of God, that will break
the spirit of love, of union, of communion. Endeavoring. We have to think. You know, you
should think before you speak. Once you've spoken, once that's
come out of your mouth, you can't take it back. The damage is done. So we need to be careful what
we say and the way that we say it. This is all within this endeavouring
to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit
even as ye are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord,
one faith, one baptism. The oneness that there is in
Christ. One God and Father of all who is above all and through
all and in you. All that glorious oneness in
the Godhead. For unto every one of us is grace
given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. You see, and then these wonderful
gifts. Now, the effect, the gracious
effect of the gospel ministry, of a pastoral ministry, is to
unite together. That's the effect of it. And
he says here about these gifts, and he says, for the perfecting
of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the, edifying
of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the
faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect
man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. In him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead body, And he is full of grace and truth, our
Lord Jesus Christ. It's all, as it says, the last
two words of our text, even Christ. He's the head, he's the great
king and head of the church. And know the exhortation here
that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro,
jumping from one thing to the other, unstable. First one thing. Then you get
tired of that. Then another thing. Then you
get tired of that. That's us by nature. We're unstable. But the exhortation here is that
we should be stable. That we henceforth be no more
children. That's what children, that's
what young people do. They jump from one thing to the other.
But the exhortation is that we shouldn't be like that. We should
continue in well-doing. We should be patient in well-doing,
that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, and
carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of
men, and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive.
But, see this is the spirit of Christ, but speak in the truth,
in love, may grow up. into him in all things, which
is the head, even Christ. Then this glorious oneness, from
whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that
which every joint supplieth according to the effectual working in the
measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the
edifying of itself in love. That's what edifies the body.
That's what edifies our communion, our union. It is. This I say therefore and testify
in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk,
in the vanity of their mind. He says in verse 20, but ye have
not so learned if so be that ye have heard him
and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus. Just think
of those times when the Lord Jesus Christ has communicated
to your heart his love. When his word has been breathed
into your heart, something is communicated from the head down
into the body of Christ. And of course it's grace. some
fitly word spoken into your soul, some gracious fear not when you're
in great fear, some word of encouragement to help you to continue. It's
a wonderful thing you know. And then Christ when she looks
upon his spouse and he looks at her in Solomon's song and
speaks of that intercourse that goes on between Christ and the
church. It's not one way, it's both ways.
And when the love of Christ is shared abroad in your heart,
you can freely speak to your beloved. You can ask him for more grace,
you can ask him for wisdom, ask him for guidance, when those
sweet comforts fill your heart. You see, but these other things
the Gentiles walk in, and he said their past feeling have
given themselves over to lasciviousness, but ye have not so learned Christ.
If so be that ye have heard him and have been taught by him as
the truth is in Jesus. Now, look at these verses here. Verse 22 and past, it says, that
you put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which
is corrupt according to the deceitful lust. It's like the illustration
is like taking a piece of clothing off that you put off concerning
the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt. And be renewed in the spirit
of your mind And now in verse 24, and that you put on the new
man. Again, it's like putting on a
piece of clothing. That's the illustration. And
that you put on the new man, which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness. Now, of course, the new man,
wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his
neighbor. For we are members one of another. Be ye angry and
sin not. Let not the sun go down upon
your wrath, neither give place to the devil. This is the exhortations to the
new man of grace. Let him that stole steal no more,
but rather let him labour, working with his hands a thing which
is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Do
we give to him that needeth? Are we fruitful unto every good
work? Listen to the teachings of Christ, that they may see
your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Do
they see those good works in our lives, in our walk, in our
conduct, in our conversation? Let no corrupt communication
proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good. to the use
of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Rather, that may be so, but you
know, friends, if there's the opposite, that is the spirit
of the flesh, and then we grieve the spirit. As it says in verse
30, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed
unto the day of redemption. and those impassions of our old
man of the flesh. Let all bitterness and wrath
and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you
with all malice, with all malice. But speak in the truth and love.
May grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ,
and be ye kind. Just think of those wonderful,
amazing words of grace. Father, forgive them, for they
know not what they do. And be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's
sake, hath forgiven May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 624. The tune is Diademata, 77. The Lord Jehovah is our Father
and our Friend. Immortal majesty is His, nor
can His glory end. He guards His children well,
nor shall they starve for want. When they their needs unto Him
tell, He'll answer their complaint. 624, tune diademata 77. ? And a friend ? ? Immortal, precious
be his name ? ? Glorious be for him name ? ? When they hear him talk to them
there ? ? His counsel they forget ? ? Keep it, ye saints, from
them ? ? Nor bitter cold in hand ? ? And thou, the ancient throne
of mine ? ? Behold their sons and heirs ? He sympathized in power, cared
for them in distress, and of divine need within power His strength and prideless rest. Early in the day's morn' In his
head Father stared, And when He's chosen His pearls
for, He will His grace repay. His truth shall be surmised With
truth and truth alone. Be with his wisdom, grace, and
might, and with the strength in you. Should man and devil strive,
? To make the saints acclaim ? ? The Lord their Father still
is nigh ? ? To love them in their way ? ? Through all the seas of time
? ? Here with his goodness found ? ? His sons in every age and
kind ? Now, may the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the sacred fellowship
of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each, both now
and forevermore. Amen.