you Let's commence our service tonight
by singing together hymn number 1147. The tune is Niagara, 877.
The heavens declare thy glory, Lord, In every star thy wisdom shines,
but when our eyes behold thy word, we read thy name in fairer
lines. Hymn 1147. Oh, I will play there thy glory,
Lord, In every star thy wisdom shines. Thou canst arise there,
how I will, Here with thy name in clearer
light The rolling summer, changing light And I shall place my cup
from fetters, And the blest warrior thou hast written Reveal thy
justice and thy grace. Thunder and stars come, may I
pray, crowned the home of the rebel scat. Sir, when thy truth
be found its grace, It's time to spread to ev'ry
land. Nor shall thy giving cost nowhere,
Till the hope of thy Till Christ has bowed the nation's best,
Let's see the light or hear the song. Great Son of righteousness arise,
Blessed of birth in heavenly night, Thy gospel makes the ? Silver light ? ? Thine oars of
pure light ? ? Darkness bright ? ? And lowest wonder ? ? If we knew
? His hopes renewed and sins forgiven. Lord, cleanse my sins,
my soul renewed, and make thy Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in Psalm 104. Psalm 104. Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord, my God, thou art very
great. Thou art clothed with honour
and majesty, who coverest thyself with light as with a garment,
who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain, who layeth the
beams of his chambers in the waters, who maketh the clouds
his chariot, who walketh upon the wings of the wind, who maketh
his angels spirits, his ministers a flame of fire, who laid the
foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for
ever. Thou coverest it with the deep
as with a garment. The water stood above the mountains. At thy rebuke they fled. At the
voice of thy thunder they hasted away. They go up by the mountains,
they go down by the valleys, unto the place which thou hast
founded for them. Thou hast set abound that they
may not pass over, that they turn not again to cover the earth. He sendeth the springs into the
valleys, which run among the hills. They give drink to every
beast of the field, The wild asses quench their thirst. By
them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which
sing among the branches. He watereth the hills from his
chamber. The earth is satisfied with the
fruit of thy works. He causeth the grass to grow
for the cattle, and herb for the service of man, that he may
bring forth food out of the earth. and wine that maketh glad the
heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread
which strengtheneth man's heart. The trees of the Lord are full
of sap, the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted, where
the birds make their nest. As for the stalk, the fir trees
are her house. The high hills are a refuge for
the wild goats, and the rocks for the conies. He appointed
the moon four seasons. The sun knoweth his going down.
They'll make his darkness, and it is night, wherein all the
beasts of the forest do creep forth. The young lions roar after
their prey, and seek their meat from God. The sun ariseth. they gather themselves together
and lay them down in their dens. Man goeth forth unto his work
and to his labour until the evening. O Lord, how manifold are thy
works! In wisdom hast thou made them
all. The earth is full of thy riches.
So is this great and wide sea wherein are things creeping innumerable
both small and great beasts. There go the ships, there is
that Leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein. These wait
all upon thee, that thou mayest give them their meat in due season,
that thou givest them they gather. Thou openest thine hand, they
are filled with good. Thou hidest thy face, they are
troubled. Thou takest away their breath,
they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy
Spirit, they are created, and thou renewest the face of the
earth. The glory of the Lord shall endure forever. The Lord
shall rejoice in his works. He looketh on the earth, and
it trembleth. He toucheth the hills, and they
smoke. I will sing unto the Lord as
long as I live. I will sing praise to my God
while I have my being, that my meditation of him shall be sweet.
I will be glad in the Lord. Let the sinners be consumed out
of the earth, and let the wicked be no more, Bless thou the Lord,
O my soul. Praise ye the Lord. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word. Grant unto us a spirit of real
prayer. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
which is an art, an art to come, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, who
inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy. Oh, we come to worship
Thee this night, the one and only true God. God the Father,
God the Son, God the Holy Ghost. Oh, that we might know that sacred
communion by the Holy Ghost as we gather here around thy word
at this evening hour, that that precious union may be felt betwixt
our souls and thee, and betwixt our souls and each other, and
that thou wouldst make one in our midst, that we may truly
worship thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast
sent. We come to Thee, O Lord God,
in that wonderful name of Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of the
Eternal Father, manifest in the flesh, the Word that was made
flesh and dwelt among us. Oh, we come to Thee, pleading
His precious blood and righteousness, His glorious merits, His person,
who He is, the Almighty Saviour, the Almighty Redeemer, the Holy
One of Israel. We come and desire that those
sacred drawings of our Eternal Father, that we may feel His
precious presence here tonight, that we may have the witness
of the Spirit with our spirit that we are the children of God,
that we have a Heavenly Father and that we are in his son, Jesus
Christ, saved with an everlasting salvation. We come like the dear
apostle that I might know him in the power of his resurrection,
in the fellowship of his sufferings. Lord Jesus, may we see thee,
we think of thee, dear disciples, and they saw no man save Jesus
only, Oh, that that may be our blessed portion here tonight,
that we may see no man save Jesus only, that we may worship in
thy holy hill of Zion. And we think of the words of
the dear apostle, to whom coming as unto a living stone, disallowed
indeed of men, but chosen of God, Lord Jesus, thou art the
eternal rock of ages. We desire to bow in humble worship
before thy glorious majesty. We desire to catch a glimpse
of thee, that glorious light that shines in thee, and to feel
the wonderful power and love of thy grace in our hearts. to have faith in exercising our
souls, to lay hold of that hope that is set before us in thy
person. My beloved is white and ruddy,
the chiefest among ten thousand. Make thyself so to hear tonight. We thank thee for that wonderful
and sacred and precious glory of the eternal word that was
made flesh and dwelt among us. We thank Thee, most gracious
Lord, for the glory of His person and the fullness of His grace,
and that in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Oh, we thank Thee that He was
made of a woman and made under the law, that He might redeem
them that are under the law. Oh, we thank Thee for that holy
life, that perfect obedience of the holy God-man to the law,
and thereby the bringing in of everlasting righteousness. We
thank thee for that everlasting righteousness, Jehovah Sidkenu,
the Lord our righteousness. We thank thee that he suffered
and bled and died for our sins, because our eternal Father laid
upon him the iniquity of us all. Oh, we pray that we may meditate
on the wonderful love of our eternal Father, and the wonderful
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that the sacred and precious
fullness of the Spirit of God. We thank thee that he died for
our sins, and that rose again for our justification, and then
bodily ascended into heaven, and is now at thy right hand.
Help us to look to thy right hand, the right hand of our eternal
Father, for such an high priest have we, who is passed into the
heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. O, there to make intercession
for his people. We do thank thee, then, for the
profound glories of our precious Redeemer. Through him we have
access by one spirit unto the Father, may we have that access
tonight. And we pray, most gracious Lord,
that those make us more spiritually minded. May we be found looking
and hastening unto that great day of the Lord, when our beloved
Redeemer will come in power and great glory, when he will take
his people home to eternal glory, to be forever with the Lord,
Lord, what a unspeakable prospect for poor sinners to be found
in Christ, to be eternally safe in Christ, to be complete in
Him, to be accepted in the Beloved. May we know that tonight. May
the Lord Jesus Christ be exalted as a Prince and as a Saviour,
for to give faith and repentance and remission of sins. Bless
our beloved brethren, the deacons, give them grace, give them wisdom
and help in all their responsibilities. Bless and undertake, we do pray
thee for each one of our brethren and sisters in church fellowship. Prepare us for the coming Lord's
day when we sit around the table of the Lord, that we may truly,
truly worship thee and remember thee, Lord Jesus. in thy sufferings
and thy sorrows, in thy victory over sin and Satan's power. Help us to think on these things.
Unite our hearts to thee. Help us to love each other, serve
each other, bear each other's burdens, thereby fulfilling the
law of Christ. And may that mind be in us which
was also in Christ Jesus. who humbled himself, who made
himself of no reputation. Give us that mind of Christ.
We do humbly beseech thee. And oh Lord, we do pray that
thou would remember the little ones and the children that gather
with us. Bless them indeed. Remember our
young friends and graciously undertake for them, guide them
by thy counsel, Bring them to living faith in Jesus Christ. Grant them the one thing needful.
Supply all their needs, whether it's in their education, employment,
or a partner in life's journey. Lord, we lovingly commend them
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. Remember parents and give them
grace, wisdom, and help to bring up their children in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord. Remember those who are not able
to gather with us tonight, graciously bless them where they are. And
Lord, we pray that thou would graciously deliver us from the
power of sin and Satan's temptations. Oh, we do humbly pray thee, that
when the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord
may lift up a standard against him. We pray, O Lord, that thou
in thy precious mercy would help us to present our bodies, a living
sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto thee, which is our reasonable
service. Remember the prodigals that have
wandered away, cause them to return, O Lord, we do beseech
Thee for Thy great name's sake. And O Lord God, all we do pray
that Thou in Thy precious mercy would send out Thy light and
Thy truth into this village, into the surrounding villages
and hamlets, and bring our sons from far and our daughters from
the ends of the earth Thou hast said in thy word, I, the Lord,
will hasten it in his time. We long for thy appearing. We
long for thine arm to be made bare, thy power to be made known,
that the Lord Jesus may be exalted in all things. Remember those
of us in the evening time of life journey, and graciously
bless us, and enable us to look to thee, for that great change
which is to come, when we shall soar through tracks unknown and
see thee on thy judgment throne. Gracious God, prepare us for
that day. We do humbly beseech you. Remember
all thy servants as they labour in word and doctrine upon the
walls of Zion. Set them free, set them at liberty. O gracious God, and grant mighty
signs and wonders to follow the preaching of the word. We thank
thee for every mercy of thy kind providence. Thy mercies are new
every morning and great is thy faithfulness. Come and touch
one's lips with a live coal from off the heavenly altar. Come
and open the word to our heart and to our understanding. We
ask all for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 88. The tune is Laces, 875. How wondrous are the works of
God, Displayed through all the world abroad, Immensely great,
immensely small, Yet one strange work exceeds them all. M I T A. ? Hosanna ? ? In excelsis Deo ?
? Emmanuel ? ? In excelsis Deo ? Let the saints know that there
exists a God In whom the Son of Man abhors ? Under the stars
? ? Through the night ? ? A bright and solemn ? ? Miracle was found
? ? Long ago ? of Bethlehem. We hope the season's strength
controls, May my spirit and body thrive. Another joy it may give me, And
may the ripples fly in between. The Virgil sings o'er the skies,
o'er all the earth, O'er all heaven and earth, O'er God and
earth. ? Till I have found God so dear
and near ? ? And wonders of redeeming power ? His power beyond all words could
express, Love of saints can feed for angel days. Angels have dimmed the great
fire, golden and fair before them. The highest heaven's love sure
forbids Testing the heart, the heart's affairs Tis more than
thought can ever say Of the richness of faith in thee. Always in God's sight, you can
pray The Lord of life, experience day How it was done, we come here
to trust, That this bringer goes down. Rest with this faith, faith,
and trust, faith. Our hearts in honor, our voice
in praise. All seems to outcrouch the foreboding,
Overwhelmed by passion's deadly twine. ? Let's go, let it be so ? ? Let
it be so ? ? Let it be so ? ? We are with thee ? Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the Psalm 104, And we'll read verse 34 for our
text. Psalm 104, verse 34. My meditation of him shall be
sweet. I will be glad in the Lord. How beautiful is the Holy Spirit
left on record here. the works of nature, the sovereignty
of God, his almighty power over all things that he has created.
God over all, blessed forevermore. We notice that the commencement
of the psalm is the same as Psalm 103. If you look at the language
in these two psalms, I think it can be said almost without
any doubt that this is a psalm of David. Bless the Lord, O my
soul. He speaks here, he dwells upon
the greatness of God. O Lord, my God, thou art very
great. Thou art clothed with honour
and majesty. who covereth thyself with light
as with a garment. In the epistles we read that
he is light itself, immortality. In him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. In Christ that is. And that the
disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration, they had such a view of the glory
of Christ, of who he was. Not just a man, not just a good
man, but the holy God man. And it says in the Gospels that
he was bright and glistering. Such a light, an aura, surrounded
him when they beheld his glory. the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth, who covereth thyself
with light, that our Lord Jesus Christ said, I am the light of
the world. He dwelleth in light inaccessible,
unto which no man can approach unto. Light inaccessible, the
light of his holiness. His justice, His mercy, His grace. But what glorious light there
is that shines from the eternal God who covereth thyself with
light as with a garment. And as we look at these words
and then we think of the words of our text, my meditation of
Him shall be sweet. The glorious person of our Lord
Jesus Christ. There is one God and one mediator
between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. What a glory there
is in Him who gave His life of ransom for all to be testified
in due time. You see, He walketh upon the
wings of the wind. With heaven and earth at His
command, He waits to answer prayer. He speaks of the glory of his
angels, ministering spirits, who maketh his angel spirits,
his ministers a flame of fire. The Apostle Paul quotes that
verse in the first chapter of the Hebrews, who maketh his angel
spirits and his ministers a flame in fire. On the day of Pentecost,
when the Spirit of God descended from heaven, resting upon the
disciples of the Lord. There was like a fire, that wonderful
power of the Holy Ghost. Sometimes I don't think we dwell
sufficiently on the sacred glory of the person of the Holy Ghost,
co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and with the Son.
and the essential nature of the work of the Holy Ghost. It's
He that makes a believer. It's He that dwells in their
heart. And that is what is meant when
the Apostle says, Christ in you, the hope of glory, the Holy Ghost
dwelling in the heart of every believer. Christ in you. He's called the Spirit of Christ
in Romans chapter eight. The Holy Ghost is called the
Spirit of Christ. He's co-equal and co-eternal
with Christ. And when on the resurrection
and ascension of Christ into glory, he sent the promise of
his Father upon the church. They were all gathered together
in one place. The promise of the Father. You
see, who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should
not be removed forever. He speaks here of the great waters
of the oceans, and he goes on to speak of the time of the Noah's
flood. He says, thou coverest it with
the deep as with a garment, like the sea covering the earth, The
waters stood above the mountains. That was in that great flood
at the time of Noah. At thy rebuke, they fled. God
is in control. At the voice of thy thunder,
they hasted away. And then he speaks of these water
in the beautiful scene here of the waters coming From the tops
of the mountains, you go walking in the mountains in Scotland,
you'll find lakes right up in the mountains. They're water
source and they runs down into the rivulets and then coming
into a large river down in the valley. Of course, there is the
natural beauty of this in the earth, but think of it spiritually. How the Lord, he causes the water
of the spirit to run among the hills of Zion in the church of
God. When the poor and needy seek
water and there is none, and their tongue faileth the thirst,
I the Lord will hear them. I will open rivers in high places
and streams in the desert. That river is the divine person
of the Holy Ghost. We often point you to the last
chapter of Holy Scripture And the first verse of that last
chapter, how the river proceeding from beneath the throne of God
and of the Lamb. The throne of God is the Father.
The Lamb is Christ. The river is the Holy Ghost that
flows from the Father and the Son into the Church of God. We have a view given to us this
in Ezekiel chapter 47. Ezekiel 47 we see the river rising
from beneath the sanctuary. The sanctuary represented Christ. It was on that side of the sanctuary
where the Ark of the Covenant was. The Ark of the Covenant
represents Christ. The river arose from there. There's
that lovely word in John chapter 7 where Our Lord Jesus Christ
speaks of the giving of the Holy Ghost and the pouring forth of
the Spirit of God. And how beautifully does it set
before us the work of God in the salvation of his people. Verse 37 in John 7. In the last
day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying,
if any man thirsts, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth
on me As the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers
of living water, but this he spake of the Spirit, which they
that believe on him should receive, for the Holy Ghost was not yet
given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified. So he spake
of the Spirit. I remember reading a piece by
Dr. Owen, speaking of the divine
person of the Holy Ghost. And it says in that beautiful
discourse of John 14, 15, and 16, where the Lord Jesus Christ
beautifully sets before us the divine person of the Holy Ghost. And he says, he shall not speak
of himself. And John Owen adds a comment,
that doesn't mean that we shouldn't speak of him. We should speak
of the person, the power, and the grace of the Holy Ghost and
in this spiritual application of this word in Psalm 104 here. Thou cover'st to it the deep
as with a garment, and the waters stood above the mountains. At
thy rebuke they fled, and at thy thunder they hasted away.
They go up to the mountains, they go down by the valleys unto
the place which thou hast founded for them. The Divine Spirit forms
churches, lives in the hearts of the believers. A building
is nothing. Some people treat a building
as if it's holy. A building is bricks and mortar.
It's a convenient place to meet, to worship the Lord. The important
thing is, is the believers in it. The word church in Holy Scripture
is never used relative to a building. That, just as a point of interest,
that is why our places of worship are called chapels. The church
is the believers united together in fellowship within that place. Nothing to do with the building.
They're united together. Look down through the ages of
time, at times of great persecution in the Wardensian Mountains,
the Scottish Covenanters, they met in the open air. They met
for the breaking of bread together on the Lord's Day, in the open
air, to worship the Lord. You see, that's the church. That's the bride of Christ, that's
the spouse of Christ. Now, as we look at these things,
my meditation of him, of Christ, shall be sweet. When we see that
he's central to it. Yet, have I set my king upon
my holy hill of Zion. My holy hill of Zion. I love that beautiful Psalm.
When sometimes I'm really burdened, concerning the church of God,
I often turn to Psalm 87. And there in Psalm 87 we read,
So beautifully, his foundation is in the holy mountains. The
Lord, Jehovah, loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings
of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of
thee, O city of God, Selah. I will make mention of Rahab
and Babylon. You think of Rahab, she was a
child of God. She was a child of faith. She
was a harlot in Jericho, the most unlikely person you would
ever think. But here was a vessel of mercy,
aforeordained unto eternal glory. And Rahab is in the lineage of
Christ, the wonder and glory of it. And when it says this
here, I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon. You think
in Babylon, the church in Babylon, How it is delivered to them that
know me. It is speaking of the spread
of the gospel among the Gentiles, Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia. This
man was born there. And of Zion it shall be said,
this and that man was born in her. She's called the womb of
the morning. That's the church of Christ.
My meditation of him, yet have I set my king upon my holy hill
of Zion. And of Zion it shall be said,
this and that man was born in her, and the highest himself
shall establish her. How? Yet I have set my king upon
my holy hill of Zion. He shall establish her. She shall
not be moved. She shall not be moved. Who?
Zion, the church of God. The Lord shall count when he
righteth up the people. that this man was born there,
Selah, as well as the singers, as the players on instruments
shall be there, all my springs are in thee. Those springs of
living water that we're reading of in our psalm, all my springs,
the springs in Zion, the divine springing up of the Spirit, like
a fresh spring coming up out of the ground. and running down
the mountains into the valleys. What a wonderful, precious thing,
isn't it? The gospel of Jesus Christ. My meditation of Him shall be
sweet. I will be glad in the Lord. I'll be glad in the Lord. He
sendeth... First it speaks in verse 9, Thou
hast set abound that they may not pass over, that's the waters,
that they may turn not again to cover the earth. Speaking
there, of course, of the promise that the Lord gave to Noah and
to all mankind, of which the rainbow was given as a sign,
that he would no more flood the earth. Instead, the end of the
world will come when all these things are dissolved, and they
shall melt with a fervent heat. He sendeth the springs into the
valleys, which rung among the hills. They give drink to every
beast of the field. The wild asses quench their thirst,
that's naturally. But how much more of this spiritually? He watereth the hills from his
chambers. The earth is satisfied with the
fruit of thy works. Everything, you know, look at
this in a, a natural way, and water is essential to life. Water is essential to life. Nothing
lives without it. No plant, anything that lives,
has to have water. Some can live on minute quantities
of water, but they still have to have water. It's essential
to life. What a beautiful illustration
that is of the divine person of the Holy Ghost. Living water. Doesn't our Lord Jesus Christ,
in John chapter four, where he speaks to the woman by the well,
and he speaks to her, what of the water of life? The water
of life. if any man drink of the water
that I shall give him. Again, he's speaking of the divine
and glorious person of the Holy Ghost. Verse 10 of John 4, Jesus
answered, said unto her, if thou knewest the gift of God, and
who it is that saith to thee, give me to drink, thou wouldst
have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir,
thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep, from whence
then hast thou that living water? Verse 13, Jesus answered and
said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water, that's natural
water, shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the
water that I shall give him, he's speaking of the divine person
of the Holy Ghost, shall never thirst. But the water that I
shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up
into everlasting life. The divine person of the glorious
divine spirit of the living God. You see, shall be in him a well
of water springing up. into everlasting life. The Holy
Spirit will never leave the living child of God, never. That's surely
the meaning of those lovely words. I will never leave thee nor forsake
thee. That once the divine Spirit is
in the heart, and that's why he says here, springing up into
everlasting life. In John 14, Or 15, he says, he shall be in
you. He shall be in you. The divine
person of the Holy Ghost. He shall dwell in the heart. What a wonderful thing, my beloved
friends, if you and I, indeed, have the Holy Spirit dwelling
in our hearts. What does the Apostle Paul say
in Romans 8? If any man have not the Spirit
of Christ, he is none of his. He is none of his. That's a very
solemn thought, isn't it? How vital does it set before
us, the divine person of the Spirit of the living God, my
meditation of him shall be sweet. I will be glad in the Lord. You see, speaks here in verse
14, he causes the grass to grow for the cattle and herb for the
service of man. I understand in the original
where it says herb for the service of man, it means every sort of
vegetable, onions, whatever you like. That is what he meant by
that, those words. that he may bring forth food
out of the earth, and wine that make it glad the heart of man,
and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengthens man's
heart, the trees of the Lord. Again, naturally, trees are beautiful,
aren't they? In a natural way. But how much
more in a spiritual way? In a spiritual way. I've already
quoted to you that beautiful word in Isaiah, that when the
poor and needy seek water and there is none, either Lord will
hear them and I will open rivers in high places, but look at what
it goes on to say. You see, I will open rivers in
high places, this is Isaiah 41, and found it in the midst of
the valleys, I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and
the dry land springs of water, I will plant in the wilderness
the cedar, the shitter, and the myrtle, and the oil tree. I will
set in the desert, the last place you'd plant trees, isn't it? I will set in the desert the
fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree, together they may know. This is speaking of the church
being planted here in the wilderness of this world, and these springs
of water springing up in the church. The Lord grant in churches,
pastors and ministers to minister the word of truth under the divine
power of the Holy Ghost that they may see and know and consider
and understand together that the hand of the Lord hath done
this and the Holy One of Israel hath created it. Hath created
it. You see, my beloved friends,
wonders, the glories of creation, how in the word, the wonderful
things of creation speak to us of the eternal power and Godhood. Paul in Romans chapter one, he
said that man is willfully ignorant of these things, but he says
that the things of creation set forth the eternal power and Godhead
of our God, and that man is willfully ignorant of it. It's willfully
ignorant of it. I think it's in Psalm 8, it speaks
there beautifully of creation. Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent
is thy name in all the earth, who has set thy glory above the
heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and
sucklings hast thou ordained strength, because of thine enemies,
that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. When I
consider thy heavens, and the work of thy fingers, the moon
and the stars, which thou hast ordained, what is man, that thou
art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou
visitest him, that thou hast made, this of
course is Adam, that thou hast made him a little lower than
the angels, that's man, and hast crowned him with glory and honour,
that thou mightest him have dominion over the works of thy hands,
thou hast put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen,
yea, and the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, and the
fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of
the seas, O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name. in all
the earth you see it speaks of his eternal power and godhead
the creation that surrounds us but as the apostle says in that
context in romans one that man is willfully ignorant of these
things he does not desire the knowledge of god nor of his ways
he is willfully ignorant of the He doesn't want to know. You
know very beautifully the first part of Psalm 19. The heavens declare the glory
of God, and the firmness showeth his hand at work. Day unto day
uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There
is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their
line is gone out through all the earth, and their words, it
speaks, their words to the end of the world. In the math he
set a tabernacle for the sun. You see how he speaks so beautifully
there. Speaks of God, which is as a
bridegroom coming out of his chamber and rejoices as a strong
man to run a race. His going forth is from the end
of the heaven and his circuit unto the ends of it. There is
nothing hid from the heat thereof. God is a son. Christ is the son
of righteousness. with healing in his wings. Then
he speaks here first of the wonders of creation, but he goes on,
he says, the law of the Lord, if you have a marginal reference,
the word law there can be translated doctrine, the doctrine of the
word of God, not just the confines of just the law, but the law
and grace. The law of the Lord is perfect,
converting the soul, The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise
the simple. Oh, that the Lord would so pour
forth his Spirit among us as a church and as a congregation,
among all the congregations of the Lord, wherever the Lord's
servants stand, wherever his people gather, may he pour forth. I think of that last verse of
Isaiah 60. I, the Lord, will hasten it in
his time. The Lord will do it. It's a work
of grace, it's a work of Almighty God. Just as the Holy Spirit
alone could move upon the waters and bring order out of chaos
in creation, so we need the Holy Spirit in the church to move
upon the waters of the church, to bring order out of chaos,
to convict and convince of sin, to show us our lost estate, to
show us that we're lawbreakers, that we've offended God, that
we transgressed his holy law and thereby we're under the curse
of God. It's only the Holy Spirit that
can do that. And it's only the Holy Spirit
that can take of the things of Jesus and testify of Christ the
Lamb and reveal the glorious person of our Lord Jesus Christ. A natural man does not know the
spiritual things of God. He doesn't know them because
they're spiritually discerned and man by nature is dead in
trespasses and in sins. You hath he quickened who were
dead. That's where the Lord found you,
dead. That's where the Lord quickened
you. As it says in Ezekiel of that
wretched infant in the 16th chapter. And the Lord passed by and said,
live. That's what happens with every
child of God. And that's an absolutely sovereign
work of the Spirit, to give life. And where there's life, there's
breathing. Bunyan used to call the Psalms
the lungs of the Bible, because he said it's the breathings of
the living church of God. Do you breathe spiritually? Are
you alive spiritually? Do you have spiritual needs,
spiritual longings? Mercy if you do. It's a great
mercy if you do. You see, my beloved friends,
my meditation of him shall be sweet. Very sweet, isn't it? You think of the wonderful glory,
that profound glory of the incarnation of the Son of God. Think of the
eternal love of our Father. God so loved the world, he gave
his only begotten Son, that we should not perish. I
come that my sheep might have life and that they might have
it more abundantly. In him is life. He that hath
the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God
hath not life. These are clear, emphatic statements
of Holy Scripture. Our life is bound up in Christ. The Apostle says, doesn't he,
Christ who is our life. Christ who is our life. I always find that a very beautiful
passage in Galatians chapter two. And the last part of that chapter,
Galatians two verse 19, for I through the law and dead to the law that
I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless
I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me. There were those teachers that
crept in unawares into the church at Galatia, Jewish believers
in the early church, and they were trying to as it were, tell
the believers that they were still under the law. And the
Apostle in Labor's this point here, the believer is not under
the law. I do not frustrate the grace
of God, for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ
is dead in vain. O foolish Galatians, who have
bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth before whose
eyes Jesus Christ had been evidently set forth crucified among you. This only would I learn of you,
received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing
of faith? Are ye so foolish, having begun
in the Spirit? Are ye now made perfect by the
flesh? You see, verse 5, He therefore
that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you,
doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? even as Abraham believed God,
and it was accounted to him for righteousness, know ye therefore
that they which are of faith the same are the children of
Abraham. To be of faith, without faith,
it is impossible to please God, for he that cometh unto God must
believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek him. My meditation of him shall be
sweet. I will be glad in the Lord. My meditation of him, of Christ,
of that holy Redeemer. He lived a life that was pure,
that was holy, that was righteous, a life that you couldn't live,
a life that I can't live, he lived it. That was one of the
reasons the Son of God came here upon earth, as a man, to live
a life that we can't live. And to offer a sacrifice that
we can't offer. Why? Because we're died, we're
sinned. We sin because we're sinners. We're born in that condition. But this man, this holy God man,
without sin, pure, holy, righteous, in all his words, in all his
ways, in all his thoughts. Lovely what Isaiah says in chapter
42, isn't it? He will magnify the law and make
it honorable. And what Daniel says to the bringing
in of everlasting righteousness, that's Christ. He's brought in
everlasting righteousness. My meditation of Him shall be
sweet. Do you see a beauty? Do you see
a loveliness in the holiness of Christ? In the perfections
of Christ? He did no sin. He's called the
Holy One of Israel. And the church is made righteous
in Him. My meditation of Him shall be
sweet. And he offered a sacrifice that
you and I never could. Why? Because it was without sin
and divine justice demanded. A holy sacrifice. Jesus, the
son of God, gave it. I lay down my life, my friends. I have power to lay my life down. I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
of my father. He laid down His life. He gave
His life a ransom for all. My meditation of Him shall be
sweet. Oh, think of that precious blood
that He shed on Calvary. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, that cleanseth us from all sin. Oh, the power of that precious
blood and the dignity and power of that blood lies here. He's
the Son of God. He's declared to be the son of
God with power. My meditation of him shall be
sweet. One hymn writer says, and now
my God's a martyred man. He gave his life for ransom for
all. But the glorious truth is, is
on the third day he rose again. He swallowed up death in victory.
I will ransom them from the power of the grave. I will swallow
up death in victory. That's what Christ has done when
he rose from the dead. He left all the sin of the church
in the grave, atoned for, never to be seen again. As far as the
east is from the west, so far have I removed thy sins from
thee. O Israel, my meditation of him
shall be sweet. I will be glad in the Lord. He
didn't leave it there, did he? He led them out as far as unto
Bethany. He lifted up his hands and blessed
them, and he was received up into glory. Whither the forerunner
is for us entered, even Jesus now to appear in the presence
of God for us. For such an high priest have
we, who is passed into the heavens. Jesus, the Son of God, he sits
at the right hand of the Father. The Lord said unto my Lord, sit
thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. And unto them that look for him
shall he appear without sin. Unto salvation without sin. I've often mentioned it to you.
It was so beautiful to me when I read it, reading Thomas Goodwin,
The Puritan. And he quotes that time. Unto them that look for him Shall
he appear without sin? And he makes this comment, there
is your justification, child of God. When he comes again,
it's without sin. Your sins were left in the grave,
the grave of Christ. Therefore, we're justified. We're
without sin because Jesus rose again and swallowed up death
in victory and says, because I live, ye shall live also. Oh, my beloved friends, let not
your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also
in me. In my father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare
a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself,
that where I am, there ye may be also. My meditation of him
shall be sweet. I will be glad in the Lord. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 472. The tune is Bauman 101. I'll read the first two verses
and we'll commence singing at verse three. When languor and
disease invade this trembling house of clay, Tis sweet to look
up beyond our cage and long to fly away, Sweet to look inward
and attend the whispers of his love, Sweet to look upward to
the place where Jesus pleads above. Hymn 472, commence singing
at verse three. O come, let us adore Him, O come,
let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us
adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him,
? They shall know Christ my Lord
? ? Spirit in me, in me, in me, in me ? ? I'm singing for you, Lord, I'm
singing for you ? Jeter, remember that it was my
death. Oh, sovereign favor, Then return, as best you can
Return, once again, again Swing to experience day by day
Experience with open breath Sweet Memphis, plains of yesterest,
First love, then death, then forest, ? Sweet home, this provident of
grace ? ? For all danger, and all safety, we trust thee ? In the confidence of faith, To
trust His holy grace, sweet to thy path, save thee
in this path. And thou, O Noah, hail not dead, Of the sweetness, of the strength
Of our hearts, of our own kindness 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 for evermore. Amen.