The notices for the coming week
are God willing as follows. Pastoral preach here, next Lord's
Day at 10.30 and two o'clock. There will be no prayer meeting
this week as we have a church meeting on Tuesday evening at
seven o'clock. And there is no service here
on Thursday this week as it is East Peckham anniversary services
when pastor is expected to preach at 3.30 and 6.30. We hope you'll
be able to join us at those services. The collections taken during
February amounted to £2,594.25. Donations to the book fund were
£70. We sincerely thank you for your
continued support of this cause of truth. Let us commence our
services today by singing together hymn number 983, The tune is Swabia, 71. Spirit
of truth, come down. Reveal the things of God. Oh,
make to us salvation known and witness with the blood. 83. Spirit of truth, come now. We will hear the things
of God. ♪ The victor of salvation known
♪ ♪ And in it filled the crowd ♪ ♪ No man can truly say ♪ And
Jesus keeps the good. Hark! Yes, now take the dead
away, And breathe the living fresh. Then, unbidden, we feed her,
Our interest in these all know, And pride will join us, bring
them home, ♪ Thou art my Lord, my God ♪ ♪ All that we ever might have ♪
♪ Thee, O God, turn in love ♪ Spirit of faith, descend and show the
virtue of His praise. His Father giv'n name, Which
to stubborn beards sees, Thou with mercies bestow'd bid them and joyfully with thee. Let us read together from the
holy word of God in the gospel according to Matthew and chapter
22. Matthew chapter 22 and Jesus answered and spake
unto them again by parables and said the kingdom of heaven is
like unto a certain king which made a marriage for his son and
sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the
wedding and they would not come Again he sent forth other servants,
saying, Tell them which are bidden, and behold, I have prepared my
dinner, my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are
ready, come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and
went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise. And
the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully,
and slew them. But when the king heard thereof,
he was wroth, and he sent forth his armies and destroyed those
murderers, and burned up their city. Then said he to his servants,
The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways,
and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into
the highways and gathered together all as many as they found, both
bad and good, and the wedding was furnished with guests. And
when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there was
a man which had not on a wedding garment, and he saith unto him,
friend, How camest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment?
And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants,
bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer
darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth, for many are called, but few are chosen. Then went
the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in
his talk. And they sent out unto him their
disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that
thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth. Neither
carest thou for any man, for thou regardest not the person
of men. Tell us, therefore, what thinkest
thou Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar or not? But Jesus
perceived their wickedness and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Show me the tribute money. And
they brought unto him a penny. And he said unto them, Whose
is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar's.
Then saith he unto them, render therefore unto Caesar the things
which are Caesar's, but unto God the things that are God's.
When they had heard these words, they marveled and left him and
went their way. The same day came to him the
Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked
him, saying, Master, Moses said, if a man die, having no children,
his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were with us seven
brethren, and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased,
and having no issue, left his wife unto his brother. Likewise
the second also, and the third unto the seventh, and last of
all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection,
whose wife shall she be of the seven? For they all had her. Jesus answered and said unto
them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures nor the power
of God. For in the resurrection they
neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels
of God in heaven. But as touching the resurrection
of the dead, Have you not read that which was spoken unto you
by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac
and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead,
but of the living. And when the multitude heard
this, they were astonished at his doctrine. But when the Pharisees
had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, They were
gathered together. Then one of them, which was a
lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him and saying, Master,
what is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him,
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with
all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great
commandment. And the second is like unto it.
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments
hang all the law and the prophets. While the Pharisees were gathered
together, Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye of Christ? Whose
son is he? They say unto him, The son of
David. He saith unto them, How then
doth David in spirit call him Lord? saying the Lord said unto
my lord sit thou on my right hand till i make thine enemies
thy footstool if david then call him lord how is he his son and
no man was able to answer him a word neither durst any man
from that day forth ask him any more questions may the lord Bless
the reading of his precious word and grant unto us a spirit of
real prayer. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
which is an art, an art to come, we desire to bow before thy great
majesty, the high and lofty one that inhabited eternity, whose
name is holy. O, we do come, most gracious
Lord, as the poor sinful sons and daughters of Adam, solemnly
aware that we are born in sin and shapen in inequity and unclean
and unrighteous altogether. But we do thank Thee that Thou
hast made a provision for Thy people to approach Thy great
majesty. And we thank thee for those wonderful
words of grace. There is one God and one mediator
between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave his life
for ransom for all to be testified in due time. May it be testified
this day of the wonders of redeeming grace that are found in Jesus
Christ, our Lord, May it please thee, O Lord, to bless us as
a church and as a congregation, and work mightily, powerfully,
and effectually among us, and come and build the walls of Jerusalem,
and come establish thy people in their most holy faith, and
come and quicken souls and make them cry, give me Christ or else
I die. Come and teach us thy ways, and
lead us in thy What I know not, teach thou me. Gracious God,
grant us each, whether young or old, a humble and a teachable
spirit. And grant that as we gather round
thy word today, that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
the love of God our Father, and the sacred fellowship of the
Holy Spirit, may rest and abide upon us. that we may be led and
guided and directed by thee into the treasures of thy grace that
are found in thy word. May thy word be a lamp unto our
feet and a light unto our path. We do humbly beseech thee. May
it be with us as it was at Thessalonica with the dear apostle, for our
gospel came unto you, not in word only, but in power, in the
Holy Ghost. and with much assurance. Lord,
may it be so. We do humbly beseech of thee,
that for thy great name's sake, we pray most gracious Lord, that
thou would remember our brethren, the deacons, and give them needed
grace and wisdom and help. We do humbly beseech thee, and
graciously help them not only here, but in their many other
responsibilities. among the churches of God. And remember each one of our
brethren and sisters in Christ Jesus. Remember us this day,
as we hope to gather round the table of the Lord this afternoon,
grant thy sacred presence, grant the unity of the spirit and the
bond of peace. We do humbly beseech thee, and
above all, the presence of our beloved Redeemer. Grant that
we may this day touch the hem of his garment, and that there
may be some food for our souls today, that we may be strengthened
with thy might in the spirit of the inner man. Gracious God,
we do pray to be made more spiritually minded, our heart and our affection
set upon things above, to be guided and directed by thee.
We do pray, most gracious Lord, that thou, in thy precious mercy,
wouldst remember the whole of our congregation. Have mercy,
O Lord, upon each one, and bring to living, vital, saving faith
in Jesus Christ. Show them thy ways, teach them
thy paths. O Lord, we do beseech of thee.
We would remember the prodigals that have wandered away. Lord,
bring them back. cause them to return. May it
be with them, O Lord, as it was with Naomi and Ruth, and they
heard that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread,
and so they returned unto Bethlehem. Oh, that we may see such a return
here, and the wonderful power of thy grace among us, and may
the light and power of gospel truth shine into this village,
and into the surrounding villages and hamlets. And may many precious
souls be gathered in, that we may see thy work and thy power
and thy glory as thou usest to be in the sanctuary. And may
we not be weary in well-doing, O Lord, we do beseech thee. We
pray for our dear Dutch friends here with us today. Thankful
thou has brought them over to us again safely. to bless us
as we gather together, we do humbly beseech them. And do remember
the dear children, bless them indeed, the little ones as they
come into the sanctuary. Grant them each the fear of the
Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. We do humbly pray
that thou would bless the dear young friends in all their concerns
Bring them each to living faith in Jesus Christ. Preserve them
from the allurements of the world and the temptations of the wicked
one. Lord, we need thee to keep us
day by day. Supply all their needs in providence,
whether it's to do with their education or any future employment
or a partner in life's journey. Lord, We lovingly commend them
each to thee and to the word of thy grace, which is able to
build them up and to grant them an inheritance among them that
are sanctified. Lord, we do pray that thou wouldst
remember parents and give them wisdom and grace and help in
bringing up their children in the nurture and admonition of
the Lord. May the family all to be raised. May the word of
God be read and prayer made within the family at home, for all things
are sanctified by the word of God and prayer. Gracious God,
make us a truly spiritual people. Lord, we're often afflicted with
the temptations of the wicked one. We're often afflicted with
the power of sin. Let sin have no dominion, Lord,
but keep my conscience clear. And though sin lives in us, may
we not live in sin, but may we live to him that died, that may
we be surrendered to the crucified one. May we be enabled to present
our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto thee,
which is our reasonable service. Sometimes, Lord, the enemy comes
in like a flood. Sometimes he comes as a roaring
lion to devour. Sometimes he comes as an angel
of light to deceive. Defend us, deliver us, grant
us the whole armour of God. We do humbly beseech thee. Help
us to fight the good fight of faith and lay hold on eternal
life. Remember those of us in the evening
time of life's journey and be gracious unto us, O Lord, we
beseech thee. And prepare us for whatever thy
will is concerning us. Remember, dear Mrs. Field, in
her old age and infirmities, we lovingly commend her to thee. Do undertake for her. We do humbly
pray thee. And, O Lord, we do pray that
thou wouldst remember all thy servants as they labour in word
and doctrine upon the walls of Zion today. Set them free, set
them at liberty, Grant mighty signs and wonders to follow the
preaching of the word. We think of two of thy servants,
that one has gone to Australia this week and one is to America
tomorrow. We pray that thou would be with
them in their long journeys and grant good success unto the ministry
of the word in those places. Supply the needs of those remote
churches, O Lord, we do beseech thee. that remember all the little
causes of truth up and down the land, wherever thy servants stand,
wherever thy servant minister the word, and thy people gather
around the word, sometimes for the reading of a sermon, sometimes
in twos and threes, but thou hast promised, there am I in
the midst, all that they may prove that promise today, we
do humbly beseech of thee, and that thou wast aright, Arise,
arise, O God of grace, into thy rest descend, thou and the ark
of thy strength, and let thy priests be clothed with salvation,
and thy saints shall shout aloud for joy, O abundantly bless the
provision of thy house, and satisfy her poor with bread, O Lord,
we do beseech of thee, for thy great name's sake, and O Lord,
we do pray. that thou, in thy great mercy,
would remember our nation. Send out thy light and thy truth
in the length and breadth of our nation, and bless our king
and the royal household. O Lord, we do beseech of thee,
and give wisdom and guidance to our leaders. Lord, we commend
them to thee. We pray that thou would guide
and direct them. We thank thee that by thee kings
reign and princes decree justice. We thank thee that thou art God
over all and blessed for evermore. We thank thee that there is nothing
too hard for thee. Thou art able to do abundantly
more than we can even ask or think. We thank thee that he
is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him,
seeing he ever liveth. We thank thee for the profound
glory of God manifest in the flesh, the wonderful glory of
our precious Redeemer, Jesus Christ. His name shall be called
Wonderful, Counselor, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Oh, we thank Thee for the glory
of His person and the wonder of His grace. We thank Thee for
His holy life, and in it the holy law fulfilled. We thank
Thee for Calvary, where the Lamb was slain, where sin has been
put away, where divine justice has been satisfied, where God
and sinners are reconciled. Oh, we thank Thee that He died
for our sins and rose again for our justification, and has now
bodily ascended into heaven. We have a great high priest,
oh, what wonders and glories dwell in our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank Thee for the love of
our eternal Father in sending His only begotten Son We thank
thee for the wonderful gift, power and grace of the Holy Ghost. We pray for those that minister
the word of truth in the nations of the earth. We would especially
remember Ian Sadler and the great work that he is doing in Pakistan
and India and Burma and Africa in the distribution of thy word,
in the expounding of the scriptures of truth. Lord, help him. and supply all his many returning
needs. Bless the Mombasa mission. Bless
the ministry of the word there, that it may be down to the great
glory of thy name and the salvation of many souls. Remember the Savannah
Education Trust and that great work that they are doing in the
Christian schools in Ghana. Do supply all their needs. Do
grant that these things may be to thy great glory. We do humbly beseech thee, be
with us now as we turn to thy holy word. Come and open thy
word to our heart and to our understanding. Come and touch
one's lips with a live coal from off the heavenly altar. And make
up in giving, O Lord, where we do so fail in asking. We ask
with the forgiveness of all sins, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 814. The tune is St. Columba, 899. I'll read the first four verses
and we'll commence singing at verse five. Brethren, woe toy
ye thus for toys, and reckon trash for treasure. Corgae deception,
solid joys, intoxication pleasure. If more refined amusements please,
as knowledge, arts, or learning, a moment puts an end to these
and sometimes shorts the warning. What balm could wretches ever
find in wit to heal affliction? Or who can cure a troubled mind
with all the pomp of diction? Reflect what trifles ye pursue,
so anxious and so heedful, for after all you'll find it true.
There is but one thing needful. Hymn 814, commence singing at
verse 5. O come, let us adore Him, O come,
let us adore Him, Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home Satsang with Mooji ♪ Who risen from the dead ♪ ♪ Who
risen from the dead ♪ ♪ Who risen from the dead ♪ ♪ God's help me ♪ ♪ The deep concern
♪ ♪ Of all mankind ♪ ♪ Should be ♪ O say can you see, by the dawn's
early light, May their vows be one, but found From sin
and death which from their fruit hath been
sown. ♪ The seasons of wind and dirt
♪ ♪ And there is love inside you ♪ ♪ And there is love inside
you ♪ ♪ And hope in all we find here
♪ ♪ O tell me now how I stand ♪ O come, O come, O come, O come,
O come, O come, to Bethlehem. O Jesus Christ, and give the
world its daily bread. Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the Gospel
according to Matthew chapter 22 and we'll read verse 29 for
our text Matthew's gospel chapter 22 verse
29 Jesus answered and said unto them ye do err not knowing the
scriptures nor the power of God how separating are the discourses
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They're simple, they're
clear, they're to the point, but they are very searching as
to whether we have the truth, as to whether we are in the way
of truth. We see in this chapter how the Pharisees were put to
silence by the Lord Jesus Christ, We must remember that he's God
over all and blessed for evermore. He's the eternal son of God.
You think of Christ when he was only 12 years of his age and
speaking with the doctors of law and divinity, et cetera,
in Solomon's porch in the temple and they marveled at his understanding. He's the son of God. He's declared
to be the son of God with power. But we notice that these various
ones, the Sadducees and Pharisees, the Herodians, they came to him
and they tried to trip him up. They spoke in a feigned way of
humility. They said, we know that thou
art a teacher come from God. But they were seeking to catch
him out. In the beginning of this chapter,
The Lord Jesus, he speaks of the kingdom of heaven. It says,
and he, and spake unto them again by parables. The Lord Jesus in
his teachings constantly used parables. He used illustrations
from everyday life that we would understand. And he used it to
illustrate spiritual truth. It speaks in the book of Psalms
of it, doesn't it? A prophecy concerning Christ.
and the speaking of parables. But here he says the kingdom
of heaven is like unto a certain king which made a marriage for
his son. Of course he's speaking this
parabolic way, but he's speaking of the kingdom of heaven. A spiritual
kingdom, a heavenly kingdom, an eternal kingdom. He himself,
the Lord Jesus Christ, is the king of that kingdom of heaven. We read in Psalm 2, yet have
I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. And this is what has
been spoken of here. But there's something very solemn
here, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden
to the wedding, and they would not come. And of course he's
alluding here to the Jews. He came unto his own and his
own received him not. He was despised and rejected
of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. They set
at naught his counsel and his teachings, especially the Pharisees,
because the teachings of Christ were absolutely opposite to the
teachings of the Pharisees. And he says here, behold, I've prepared
my dinner My ox and my fatlings are killed and all things are
ready. Come unto the marriage. No scripture is of any private
interpretation. You cannot say that this was
just for the people that Christ was speaking to then. It's for
us now. But they made light of it. You
might say, but we haven't been invited to a marriage supper.
Every time you come to chapel, every time you listen to the
preaching of the word, you're listening to the word of God.
Sometimes it's spoken of as a feast, and the gospel table is spread.
But you see, they made light of it. What about you? Do you make light of it? Light
of the word of God, of the truth of God? of the ways of God, and
went their ways, one to his farm and another to his merchandise.
It wasn't bothered about spiritual things, only about their earthly
things. And then, of course, the Jews
took Christ, and it says here, and the remnant took his servants
and intrigued them spitefully and slew them. And when the king
heard thereof, he was wroth. He sent forth his armies and
destroyed those murderers and burned up their city. This literally
happened, my beloved friend. The Jews despised and rejected
Christ. The vast majority of the Jews
did. And some 70 years after Christ,
Emperor Titus come down upon Jerusalem and utterly destroyed
it. I think of those chilling words of the chiefs of the Jews
at the time of Christ. His blood be upon us and upon
our children. and God took them at their word. You see, then saith he to his
servants, now it's speaking to the disciples of the Lord and
the New Testament church. Then saith he to his servants,
the wedding is ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy.
Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find
bid, to the marriage. So the Lord's servants go ye
into all the world preaching the gospel unto every creature.
Teaching them. That is the lot of the Lord's
servants. So those servants went out into
the highways and gathered together all the, and as many as they
found. And that is what is still happening. And while there is
yet precious souls to be gathered unto Christ, This world will
remain. When the last vessel of mercy
has been gathered unto Christ, the archangels trump shall sound.
The dead in Christ shall rise first. A great time will come when all
these things shall be dissolved. The elements shall melt with
a fervent heat. Are you prepared, my beloved
friends? Are you being prepared? for eternity. Heaven is a prepared place for
a prepared people. Hell is a prepared place for
an unprepared people. Do you make light of it? You
might not make light of it in literal words. You probably have
more respect for it, but you make light of it in the way that
you live. You see, my beloved friends,
actions speak louder than words. Actions speak louder than words,
they really do. I think it's John Newton that
said, wasn't it, that don't tell me how a man died, but tell me
how he lived. Tell me how he lived. And that
is what the important thing is, my beloved friends. And then
we have another searching point here, verses 11 to 14. And when
the king came in to see the guests, he saw there was a man which
had not on a wedding garment. The custom in Eastern countries,
it was that when a wedding feast was made, a garment was made,
they were probably all of the same shape and color, and when
you got the invitation to the wedding, that garment was sent
to you. And you were required to wear it to the wedding. So
anybody there, you could see whether they had on a wedding
garment, whether they'd had an invitation. What an illustration this is
that Christ has given us of the marriage supper of the Lamb. A wedding garment. It's the righteousness of Christ.
Spoken of in Isaiah chapter 61. A robe, the robe of His righteousness. That's the wedding garment. Who are these that are arrayed
in white garments? From whence came they? Do we
have a wedding garment? Are you clothed in the righteousness
of Christ? Think of that lovely hymn sets
that truth so clearly before us, I'm blessed, I'm blessed.
Forever blessed, my rags are gone and I am dressed in garments
white as snow. What a sacred, precious thing
that is, to be clothed in the righteousness of our Lord Jesus
Christ. But this man, he had no wedding
garment. Friend, how camest thou in hither? not having a wedding garment,
and he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants,
bind him hand and foot, and take him away and cast him into outer
darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth, for many are called, but few are chosen. Many What
we might call outward believers, but they don't know the truth
and the power of it in their hearts That's the meaning of that word
many are called they come under the preaching of the gospel And
in an outward they were very outward way. They respond to
the preaching of the gospel But they're not prepared for eternal
glory what they know they know in their head what they know
that they've probably been brought up to know, and sat under the
sound of the truth, and heard many gospel sermons, but don't
know the power of it in their hearts. That this is, my beloved
friends, these things are written for our instruction in the ways
of righteousness and of truth, for many are called, but few
are chosen. You see, those that are chosen,
they are brought to living faith in Jesus Christ. They are brought
to follow Jesus Christ, know Jesus Christ, to follow Jesus
Christ, to love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and in truth. They have a faith which worketh
by love. Do you? Do I have that living
faith? Think of the words of scripture
and and that's the emphasis that is in our text ye do err not
knowing the scriptures nor the power of god we will always err if we don't
know the scriptures or the it's not just the scriptures many
many have the scriptures in the head knowledge of it may be very
learned in it and very familiar with it but it's what we know
of the power of those scriptures our heart and that they're the
two points in our text ye do er number one not knowing the
scriptures and number two nor the power of God nor the power
of God the scriptures my beloved friends it's God's holy eternal
word this is the word of by which the gospel is preached unto you. It's the word of his grace. I
think it's Peter in his first epistle, in that first chapter
of his first epistle, he speaks there of the, really setting
the same truth before us, the power of God, in the word of
God applied into the heart. And this is so vital for us here
today, friends. Do you know the power? You dear
young friends, it's good that if you know the scriptures and
you're familiar with the scriptures, but you need to know the power
of those scriptures in your heart. So in the first chapter of the
first epistle of Peter, we read there, in the latter part of
the chapter, verse 21, who by him do believe in God that raised
him up, that's Christ, from the dead, and gave him glory that
your faith and hope might be in God. Seeing you have purified
your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit. See, the
Spirit is the power of God. It's one thing to have an intellectual
knowledge of the Scripture, but we need the power of it in our
hearts. in our souls seeing that you
purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit
and the fruit of that wonderful work of the spirit unfeigned
love of the brethren see that you love one another
with a pure heart fervently and then the reason for that being
born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by
the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. The Word of the Lord, which liveth
and abideth forever, born again. When the Spirit of God brings
the Word of God in its living power into your heart, convinces
you of your sin, convinces you of your lost estate, convinces
you of your need of salvation, of your need of redemption, convinces
you of your need of Jesus Christ. So you become a seeker after
Jesus Christ. Why? Because the Holy Ghost has
quickened your soul. You want to know him. You understand
the language of the apostle, that I may know him in the power.
That's the vital thing there, you know. That I may know him
in the power. That's what the apostle felt
a need. Do you feel to need that power?
Being born again, not of corruptible seed. He's likening the Word
of God here to seed that is sown, but of incorruptible. By the
Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. For all flesh
is as grass, and all the glory of man is the flower of grass.
The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away.
but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word
which by the gospel is preached unto you. You know the ministry
of the word, the literal letter of the word, the apostle speaking
of the letter of the word, he says the letter killeth, the
spirit maketh alive. You see, we need the quickening
powerful work of the Holy Ghost in our hearts. It says, doesn't
it, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that's the
work of the Holy Ghost, to enlighten. And, you know, we are to study
God's Holy Word. We are to meditate in God's Holy
Word. We are to be familiar with God's
Holy Word. If we desire to be sound in the
faith, if we desire to have true sound doctrine. Where does it
come from? The Word of God. The Word of
God. It's said of John Bunyan, prick
him anywhere and he bleeds scripture. We should be like that. You know,
I've noticed over the years a Dispute comes up perhaps on a
certain doctrine or or this or that and you get these answers
from godly people that well I feel this or I feel that Or this is
what I believe My beloved friends our very first inquiry should
be what? says the scripture It's what
the scripture says not what you feel not what you think But what
the Holy Word of God says is there to instruct us. It's there
to instruct us. Peter, in his second epistle,
he speaks there of the Word of God in the first chapter of his
second epistle. And he says unto them, he's speaking here of leaving
the Word of God for them, so from verse 15, or look at verse
14, knowing that shortly I must put off this tabernacle, even
as our Lord Jesus Christ has showed me. Moreover, I will endeavor
that you may be able after my decease to have these things
always in remembrance. In other words, he was going
to write the word of God down. One of the apostles said he was
divinely inspired to write the word of God. For we have not
followed cunningly devised fables, which we made known unto you,
when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. Now he speaks
of Peter, James, and John as they were on the Mount of Transfiguration.
For he received from God the Father honor and glory when there
came such a voice to him from the excellent glory This is my
beloved son in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from
heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy mountain.
Now he says something very remarkable here. We have also a more sure word
of prophecy. You would have thought that hearing
directly the voice of the Eternal Father witnessing of the glory
of his only begotten son what could be clearer than that but
he says we have a more sure word what he means is we have the
word of god we have the word of god given to us we have a
more sure word of prophecy where unto you do well that you take
heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day
dawn and the day star arise in your hearts knowing this first
that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation
for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man but
holy men of god spake as they were moved by the holy ghost
you see it's a more sure word of prophecy but we can absolutely
depend on the word of God. We can absolutely depend on the
word of God. It's the word of truth. And it was given by God. When Paul writes to his son Timothy
in the faith, in the 2 Timothy chapter three, and we read from
verse 14, but continue thou in the things which thou hast learned
and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them,
and that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which
are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which
is in Christ Jesus. Notice the connection. Which
are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith. Faith is the gift of God. The
scriptures in and of themselves with no power of the Holy Ghost,
it will just feed your intellect. But when the Holy Spirit takes
the scriptures and breathes them into your soul, something completely
different. And that from a child there has
known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto
salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture,
is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God may be perfect and truly furnished unto all
good works. You know, I say unto you all,
but you dear young friends, it's a good thing to habitually study
and read the Word of God. We should each set aside a time,
each day, when we privately read the word of God and pray over
the word of God. Joseph Hart, in one of his hymns,
he says, join prayer with each inspection, that the Lord might
open your eyes and open your heart to receive of those precious
truths of the gospel in your heart. the Apostle James in his epistle,
he speaks there beautifully of the word of truth. In the first
chapter of the epistle of James, he says in verse 18, of his own
will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a
kind of first fruits of his creatures. Wherefore, my beloved brethren,
Let everyone be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath,
for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
Wherefore lay in a part all filthiness, and superfluity of naughtiness,
and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able
to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word,
not hearers only, It's an admonition here, be ye doers of the word,
not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer
of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding
his natural face in a glass, for he beholdeth himself, and
goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man
he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect
law of liberty, continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer,
but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. These are scriptures, my beloved
friends, they are there for our instruction. Jesus answered and
said unto them, ye do err not knowing the scriptures, nor the
power of God. We will err left to our own wisdom. You know, there are great learned men in our universities,
professors of divinity. They know the original languages.
But I would guarantee that there's very few of them know the power
of it in their heart. They're very familiar with Holy
Scripture, but they don't know the power of it in their hearts. What an empty thing that is.
You know, there's a, when I was meditating yesterday morning,
my mind was much drawn, there's a word in the eighth chapter
of the prophecy of Isaiah, and the verse 20, to the law and
to the testimony. speaking of the Old and New Testament,
to the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to
this word, it is because there is no light in them. See the
word of God, we've read it already, it's like an under light. Light
penetrates into darkness. Light takes away the darkness. We by nature are in darkness. We're dead in trespasses and
in sins. And the apostle, he speaks of
it in the Thessalonians. He said, we are not the children
of the night. For they that are of the night, they sleep. But
we are the children of the day. Are we children of the day? Has
that light penetrated into our hearts? Has the quickening power
of the Holy Ghost been known in our souls. Jesus answered
and said unto them ye do err not knowing the scriptures nor
the power of God. You see how the Sadducees were
trying to trip him up and it was part of course of
the law of Moses that if a man died and that his brother was
to take his wife And the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection,
so they tried to trip the Lord Jesus Christ up. The same day
came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection.
Asked him, say, Master, Moses said, if a man die, having no
children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up seed unto
his brother. Now there were with us seven
brethren, and the first, when he married a wife deceased and
having no issue left his wife unto his brother and so it goes
through all seven and that last of all the woman died also therefore
in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of these seven?
Well you see the scriptures do not speak of marriage in heaven
and Christ himself he brings that out here you do err not
knowing the scriptures for in the resurrection that they neither
marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God
in heaven. Sometimes I think you hear people say, and I can
understand the sentiment, but they pray perhaps they've lost
a husband or husband has left a wife and that they so look
forward to dying because you can be united again. In heaven
there's no marriage. That union is gone. The marriage
is to Christ. And the center of all our affections
in heaven is Christ. It's not on any natural relationship. It's on Christ. And this is what
Christ is teaching us. He says, for in the resurrection,
neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels
of God in heaven. You see, and then he, again,
he speaks a very searching word here. But as touching the resurrection
of the dead, Have you not read that which was spoken unto you
by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob. And these are the patriarchs.
These were godly men. These were men called by divine
grace. Abraham was called out of Ur
of the Chaldees. And the promise that Christ would
come through his seed. In thy seed shall all the nations
of the earth be blessed. In thee shall all the families
of the earth be blessed. And of course it's speaking that
through the seed of Abraham, Christ would come. And we're
all blessed in Christ. I am the God of Abraham, and
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. They were quickened
souls. Now what does Christ say? God
is not the God of the dead, but of the living. They were astonished
at his doctrine of the living. You see, my beloved friends,
are you a living soul? Has your soul been quickened
into life? Have you in some little measure
been brought to know yourself? and to know your need as a sinner,
and to feel your need of salvation, and to feel your darkness and
your need of light, and to feel that bondage of sin and corruption
and your need of liberty. If the Son shall make you free,
then shall you be free indeed. For where the Spirit of the Lord
is, there is liberty. And these things are written
in Holy Scripture for our instruction. Do we know that liberty? Do we
in some measure know that light? You know, I'm not setting any
standards here. Some are led deeply. Some are
led gently. Some have clear views of Christ. Some, as it were, stand at a
distance from him, don't have such a clear view. I've often
thought of, it's a wonderful illustration of the children
of Israel in the wilderness. And when Moses lift up the brazen
serpent, the Lord, in his solemn judgments, he sent serpents among them that bit
them. Many, many died of those vipers that went among the camp
of Israel. And then the Lord, in his mercy,
he said to Moses, that make a brazen serpent and lift it up right
in the middle of the camp of Israel. And whoever has been
bitten and looks, they'll live. Because it was a certain death
to be bitten by one of those serpents. What a type that is
of sin. Sin bitten. It was only those
that were bitten. Those that a whole need not a
physician. The only ones that needed the
brazen serpent were those that had been bitten. Have you been
bitten? Do you feel the pain of sin and
corruption in your heart? Do you feel your need? In John
chapter three it says, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, so shall the Son of Man be lifted up. Whosoever
believeth on him shall not perish but have eternal life." Have
eternal life to look. Think of those lovely words.
Look unto me all ye ends of the earth and be ye saved for I am
God and there is none else. But now just think of the camp
of Israel. It was a vast camp. Probably
two million souls in the camp of Israel in the wilderness.
So right in the middle was this brazen serpent There would have
been those who were bitten by those vipers right close to that
brazen serpent. They would look and they would
leave. They would see all the features of that brazen serpent. They could tell you the minute
details because they were so close. But then there would be
those right on the periphery of the camp of Israel. They were
a long way off. They couldn't tell you anything
about the details of that brazen serpent, but they looked and
they lived. Now what an illustration that
is of spiritual experience. Some, they have such clear views
of Christ. They can discourse with you on
the glory of Christ and what they've seen of Christ. Others,
they cannot speak in such detail. They haven't been so close, but
they still live, but they still live. What a lovely illustration
that is of the different experiences of the Lord's living family.
Some are far off, some are very near, but they all look and they
all live. Look unto me. It's Christ that
is speaking there in Isaiah. Look unto me. All ye ends of
the earth, And be ye saved, for I am God, and there is none else. There is salvation in none other,
but in the glorious person of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus answered and said unto
them, ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power
of God. So there's these two vital points. I always think a very good illustration of being familiar with the scriptures
is Joshua. The Lord exhorted him in the
first chapter of Joshua that this book of the law shall not
depart out of thy mouth, thou shalt meditate therein day and
night. That was the word of God that
they had at that time and that was to be his guide. Joshua,
he kept by the grace of God. He meditated constantly. He's one of the few characters
in Holy Scripture that is never rebuked by God. He was a very
faithful man. Doesn't mean he was perfect.
There's no man that's perfect. But he was a godly man. And he
had a great and tremendous influence upon the children of Israel.
Not only during his life, but even after his life. You might
say, what do you mean? Well, in the end of the book
of Joshua it says that the children of Israel followed Joshua all
the days of his life and all the days of the elders that outlived
Joshua. That was the influence he had
upon his own generation and even in the next generation. What
a wonderful thing. And there are men like that.
They have a tremendous influence in their generation. and they
influence the following generation. They shine as lights in this
world. God has put them there and God makes them shine. But
the secret of Joshua's wisdom and grace and light and obedience,
he wasn't just a hearer of the word, he was a doer of the word.
Didn't just hear it, he practiced it. He lived it. Do you? Do I? Do we read the word of
God? We've just read in the epistle
of James, a man that reads the word of God and then goes and
just carries on just as he always has done. It's not profitable
at all. It's not profitable at all. Ye do err not knowing the scriptures
nor the power of God. You know, my beloved friends,
that when we stand for a certain doctrine or a certain practice,
whatever it is, we must be able to prove it from the word of
God. Not just what you think. You've got a fallen nature, I've
got a fallen nature. And we can err so easily when
we're left to our own mind. We've got a sinful nature, a
warped nature. But this book, It's the holy
word of God. It's absolutely sure. It's absolutely
certain. It's God's holy word. It is. You can completely depend on
it. And that salvation that is in
there, it's the salvation which is of God. The salvation which
is of God. You see, how the Lord Jesus put
them to silence. the Lord Jesus, he quotes scripture
continually. And when the Pharisees here in
the latter part of this chapter, says verse 34, but when the Pharisees
heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered
together. And one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question,
tempting him, saying, Master, which is the great commandment
in the law? And the Lord Jesus here, he separates the law into
those two constituent parts, our duty to God and our duty
to man. Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy
mind. This is the first and great commandment, and the second is
like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. You know, friends, We do not
believe a believer is under the law, but we don't reject the
law. It's God's holy righteous law. The Apostle says in Romans 7,
the law is holy, just and good. Nothing wrong with the law. It
says in Romans 8, it was weak through the flesh. Don't mean
the actual law itself was weak. It's our flesh that is weak.
inability to fulfill and honor that holy righteous law of God
that's why Christ came here upon earth to fulfill that law on
our behalf I come not to destroy the law said the Lord Jesus Christ
not to destroy the law no but to fulfill it to honor it on
the behalf of his people and that is where our righteousness
is it's in in the perfect obedience of Christ to the law. He fulfilled
it in every jot and every tittle and he did it as a substitute
of his people. Because you can't do it and I
can't do it. But he has done it. He has magnified
the law and made it honourable. Well, friends, may the Lord grant
that these few remarks may sink into our hearts. Lord may open
our ears and our understanding that we may constantly and continually
read and study and meditate in the word of God. May the Lord
have his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 255 The tune is Oswestry, 387. Happy the men that fear the Lord,
They from the paths of sin depart, Rejoice and tremble at his word,
and hide it deep within their heart. Hymn 255. ♪ The choice that you hold has
been told ♪ ♪ And the guilty will be never found ♪ In His blessing, out through
grace, With His judgment not content, Enriching in their precious place,
And his delight is placed in them. Which near a rich land can bestow,
Riches and soul from pointless pride. ♪ The heart that loves it faithful
♪ ♪ Won't ever give up ♪ ♪ Since we shall meet again ♪ This treasure holds my satisfied
heart, And this is the understanding still. ♪ And everyone that in it dwells
♪ ♪ Has great redemption in his power ♪ 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. Amen.