Let us commence our service this
evening by singing together hymn number 35. The tune is Moscow
526. Come thou almighty King, help us thy name to sing, help us to praise, Father all-glorious,
all-victorious, come and reign over us, ancient of days. Hymn 35. O mighty King, Help us thy name to sing, help
us to praise. Father, all glorious, for all
we come and reign over us ancient
of days. Jesus, Lamb of God, Shelter the
pilgrimages and guide them home. Let my almighty aid Thou sure
defense be made As souls on thee be slain Lord, hear our call Come, Thou Incarnate Lamb, Bread
of my mighty soul, ? Come and thy people rest, ? ?
And hear my one success. ? ? Spirit of holiness, ? ? On
us descend. ? How lowly, how broken, Thy sacred
feet must bear In this famine. ? To almighty God ? ? Thou room
in ev'ry heart ? ? And evermore ? ? Sing thou spirit of love
? With the grateful in faith. Eternal praises be, Thanks for
the Lord. His Sovereign Majesty May we
in glory see, And to eternity love and adore. Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the Book of the Revelation and Chapter
3. The third chapter in the Book of
the Revelation. And unto the angel of the church
in Sardis write, These things saith he that hath the seven
spirits of God, and the seven stars, I know thy works, that
thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and
strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I
have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore
how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent, If
therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief,
and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in
Sardis, which have not defiled their garments, and they shall
walk with me in white, for they are worthy. He that overcometh
the same shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will not
blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess
his name before my Father and before his angels. He that hath
an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. And to the angel of the church
in Philadelphia write, these things saith he that is holy,
he that is true, He that hath the key of David, he that openeth,
no man shutteth, and shutteth, and no man openeth. I know thy
works. Behold, I have set before thee
an open door, and no man can shut it. For thou hast a little
strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say
they are Jews and are not, but do lie. Behold, I will make them
to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have
loved thee, because thou hast kept the word of my patience. I also will keep thee from the
hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world. to try
them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly. Hold
that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that
overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and
he shall go no more out. And I will write upon him the
name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which
is New Jerusalem. which cometh down out of heaven
from my God, and I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. And unto the angel
of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith the
Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation
of God. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would thou were cold or hot. So then, because thou art lukewarm,
and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Because
thou sayest, I am rich, and increase with goods, and have need of
nothing. And knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable,
and poor, and blind, and naked. I counsel thee to buy of me gold
tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment,
that thou mayest be clothed, that the shame of thy nakedness
do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with eye-so that they may
see. As many as I love, I rebuke and
chasten, be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at
the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and
open the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him
and he with me. To him that overcometh will I
grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and set
down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. May the Lord bless
the reading of his own 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 bow before thy great majesty. We desire, O Lord, to approach
unto thee in prayer, to call upon thy great and thy holy name. We're solemnly aware that we're
sinners, Each one of us is the fallen son or daughter of Adam,
born in sin and shape and in iniquity, unclean and unrighteous
altogether. Oh, how true what the prophet
says, from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, wounds
and bruises and putrefying sores, there is no soundness in my flesh. And Lord, we painfully feel it
to be so. We often are to say with the
dear apostle, O wretched man, that I am who shall deliver me
from the body of this death. Lord, our only hope is in the
finished work of Jesus Christ. Nothing in my hand I bring, simply
to thy cross I cling. Foul are to the fountain fly,
wash me, Saviour, or I die. O most gracious Lord, we read
of Thee in Thy Word. Thus saith the high and lofty
One that inhabited eternity, whose name is Holy. Oh, we do
pray that we may come to Thee in that precious name of Jesus
Christ, that we may truly worship Thee in Him. For through Him
we have access by one Spirit unto the Father. May we find
that free access this night. May we touch the hem of His garment.
May we draw from that sacred fullness that is in Him. And
may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God our
Father and the sacred fellowship of the Holy Spirit rest and abide
with us, we do humbly beseech them. Oh, to feel those sweet
drawings of our Eternal Father, drawing us unto his best beloved
Son, as thy word declares unto us, none come except the Father
draw. Oh, to know that sacred drawing
of our Eternal Father, to know the truth and the power of that
word. Yea, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness
have I drawn thee. Lord, may we have that witness
with our spirit this night that we are drawn of thee. Oh, we
do thank thee for the eternal love of our eternal Father. God so loved the world he gave
his only begotten Son. On such love my heart still ponders. We have to say, O Lord, have
we sung on the Lord's Day? Why me? O blessed God, why me? Why such a wretched me, that
must forever lie in hell, were not salvation free? O we do thank
thee for that glorious fullness that there is in thy Son, that
fullness of grace, that fullness of love. For in him dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Oh, what a fullness there
is in our Lord Jesus Christ. May we draw from that fullness
tonight. May we be like that dear woman
who pressed through the crowd saying, if I might but touch
the hem of his garment, I should be made whole. draw, may we draw
that precious virtue from our Lord Jesus Christ, the virtue
of his precious blood to cleanse us from all our sin, the virtue
of his glorious righteousness to cover our nakedness, to fit
us to stand in thy presence. Oh gracious God, how vital, how
needful is our Lord Jesus Christ. But we do pray for the divine
power the heavenly unction of the Holy Ghost, to rest upon
us tonight, that the word preached may be in power in the Holy Ghost
and with much assurance, that it may reach into our very souls.
We do humbly beseech thee. We pray to be led and taught
and guided by the Spirit of God. For as many as are led by the
Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Oh, to have that witness
of thy spirit with our spirit, that we are the children of God. And if children of God, then
join heirs with Christ. Gracious God, lead us by thy
blessed spirit experimentally into these wonderful truths of
our most holy faith, that we may know the truth, and the truth
may set us free. Oh, we pray that the eyes of
our understanding may be enlightened, and that we may behold wondrous
things in thy law. We pray that thy word may be
open to our heart and to our understanding, that we may delve
into that deep that couches beneath in thy word. We pray, most gracious
Lord, for our beloved brother here from the USA and his dear
wife. We lovingly commend them to thee
and to the word of thy grace, and may this time that change
be beneficial to their souls, that they may know the renewings
of the Holy Ghost and the sweetness of meeting with the brethren
here. We do humbly beseech them. Make us one in Christ. Unite
our hearts to Thee, dear Lamb. We do humbly pray Thee bless
this cause of truth at home and graciously that grant yet signs
to follow the preaching of the word, thou hast been gracious
unto him and merciful in all his afflictions and troubles
and trials. Thou hast graciously worked in
the midst of it all, and we thank thee for that. Most gracious
Lord, go on, most mighty God, to make known thy wondrous works
and ways. Gather in precious We pray that
thou wouldst send out thy light and thy truth here in this village,
in the surrounding villages and hamlets, that thou wouldst bring
our sons from far and our daughters from the ends of the earth, that
thy gospel may be mighty and powerful and effectual to the
pulling down of the strongholds of Satan and the setting up of
the kingdom of the Lord Jesus in the hearts of citizens. O
Lord of hosts, O God of Israel, O Thou that dwellest between
the cherubim, shine forth. Let Thy hand be upon the man
of Thy right hand, the Son of Man, whom Thou madest strong
for Thyself. So will not we go back from Thee? Turn us again, O God of hosts,
and cause Thy face to shine, and that we shall be saved. Remember
our beloved brethren, the deacons, that give them needed grace,
wisdom, and help in all matters. And not only those things here
among us, but there are many responsibilities among the churches
to graciously guide and direct and undertake for them, give
wisdom. We do humbly beseech them. Remember
each one of our brethren and sisters in church fellowship
Remember each one for good. Help us to love each other, help
us to serve each other, help us to bear each other's burdens,
thereby fulfilling the law of Christ. Lord Jesus, thou didst
say, by this shall they know that ye are my disciples, that
because ye have love one to another, And is it not, oh Lord, a wonderful
evidence of divine grace in the heart? We know that we are passed
from death unto life because we love the brethren. Gracious
God, we do pray that thou wouldst bless the little ones and the
children that come in among us. Oh, do have mercy upon them.
Do put the fear of the Lord into their hearts. We humbly pray
thee in their young and tender years. We thank thee for them. And we thank thee for our young
friends who stand on the threshold of life's journey. 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. Oh, do work mightily in their
hearts. Bring them to living faith in
Jesus Christ. How many things there are when
we are in the slippery paths of youth that will draw us aside,
things in this world. O most gracious Lord, keep and
preserve them from him, and bring them close to thy Son. Make them
true followers of thee and of those who through faith and patience
inherit the promises. Bless them indeed. Help them,
Lord, in all the matters of providence, whether it's in their education
or employment or regarding a partner in life's journey. We lovingly
commend them today. But we pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou wouldst cause the prodigals to return. There are those that
have wandered away from the house of God and the ways of God and
the truth of God. Stretch out thy almighty arm.
Cause them to be in one. cause them to return, and grant
that we may be watching and waiting for them, O that we may watch
unto prayer. Let thy work appear unto thy
servants, and thy glory unto their children, O Lord, we humbly
beseech of thee. And that we do pray that thou
wouldst break down anything that is offensive to them, and bring
them to thy feet, humbled under thy mighty hand. Lord, there's
nothing too hard for thee, for with God, nothing shall be impossible. We pray, most gracious Lord,
for parents, that they may be given wisdom and grace to bring
up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Oh,
do hear us, Lord. We humbly pray thee, and do bless
the families. We thank thee for them. Bless
them indeed. Bless all in the midst of the
journey of life. and deliver us from the temptations
of Satan, whether he comes as a roaring lion to devour, or
whether he comes as an angel of light to deceive. Oh, defend
us and keep us from the power of the enemy. Fulfill that gracious
promise. When the enemy comes in like
a flood, the spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against
him. O Lord, we do pray. that thou
wouldst hear prayer for each in the evening time of life journey. There are those of us, O Lord,
that have passed the allotted time, the span upon earth that
is allotted to the men upon earth, and that we pray that thou wouldst
be with us and that safely guide us unto thy heavenly kingdom.
Keep and preserve us from all evil. We do humbly beseech you,
make us more spiritually minded, set our affections on things
above. We do humbly pray thee. We pray
for all in affliction, trouble, trial, bereavement, do help,
do support, do sustain. Thou hast said, I will not leave
thee comfortless. I will come to thee. O Lord,
we pray for all thy servants as they labour in word and doctrine
upon the wards of Zion, that thou wouldst set them free and
at liberty, that thou wouldst return to Jerusalem with mercies,
that thou wouldst make bare thine holy arm in the gospel. We thank
thee for our little house of prayer. We thank thee for every
mercy of thy kind providence. We thank thee for the open Bible,
the living word of the living God, make it a living word in
our hearts. Oh, we thank thee above all for
Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of the eternal Father, manifest
in the flesh. We thank thee for that profound
mystery of godliness. Oh, most gracious Lord, may we
catch a glimpse of him tonight, that may we touch the hem of
his garment, that may we view him in our wretched room, place,
and stead. We do humbly beseech thee, see
him as our redeemer, as our substitute. O most gracious Lord, so bless
us tonight. We thank thee for the holy life
he lived as a man under the law, and for the fulfilling of that
holy law. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness. Oh, we thank thee for that eternal,
blessed righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. And Lord,
may we lay hold of it, and may we be clothed in it. We thank
thee for the precious blood of the Lamb. He loved not his life
unto death. Oh, gracious God, we thank thee
for Calvary, where the Lamb was slain. where he was wounded for
our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. We thank
thee that he died for our sins and rose again for our justification. And we thank thee that he is
now bodily ascended into heaven and he sits on no precarious
throne, nor borrows leave to be. O gracious God, fill our
hearts with gratitude, with thanksgiving, for all thy tender mercy, for
all thy loving kindnesses. Come and touch one's lips with
a live coal from off the heavenly altar. Come, Lord, and speak
to our hearts, we ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 1062. The tune is University College,
515. King of kings and lord of lords, these are great and awful words, Tis to Jesus they belong. Let
his people raise their song. Hymn 1062. Jesus, Lord Jesus, have mercy
on me. ? And that I may be your child
? ? That I was born at thy feet ? ? Risen in glory new and free
? ? When we wake from our blindness
? ? And all can shake our lost possessions ? ? And all can know
who gave it us ? Returns our love. Gently o'er the plains we'll
sing, When we shall no more be free, ? Lord of my hope, to Thine
be glory ? ? And to Thine be glory evermore ? Day and night our hearts we see,
We just want to enter in, greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the third chapter
of the book of the Revelation, and read in verse 14 for our
text. Book of the Revelation, chapter
three, verse 14. And unto the angel of the church
of the Laodiceans write, these things saith the Amen. the faithful
and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. In the introduction to each one
of these letters to the seven churches of Asia, there is something
from the introduction in the first chapter the Lord Jesus
Christ is spoken of, and at the beginning of the letter to each
church, something is drawn from that which is in the first chapter,
when he first speaks to John about the seven churches of Asia. And this in our text, and what
rested with me in particular, these things saith the Amen.
that in particular seemed to draw me to this text today. The faithful and true witness,
the beginning of the creation of God is the glorious person
of our Lord Jesus Christ, glorified in heaven, the eternal son of
the eternal father that was manifest in the flesh, the only begotten
son of God, As the hymn writer says, begotten, not created. I was set up from everlasting,
or wherever the earth was. That's what is meant when it
says the only begotten Son of God. He's begotten, not created. He's co-equal and co-eternal
with the Father and with the Holy Ghost. And as we read in
the first epistle of John in chapter five, these three are
one. These three glorious persons,
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, are one God. Now the scriptures
maintain very clearly, I think it's in Deuteronomy chapter four,
it's there, the Lord our God is one Lord, is one Lord. And the scriptures always maintain
that. That there is one Lord. Not three gods. God the Father,
separately God the Son, separately God the Holy Ghost. It doesn't
teach that at all. That there are three divine persons. The Eternal Father, the Eternal
Son, and the divine person of the Holy Ghost. But these three
are one, one God. Each one is separately called
Jehovah. Now the Lord is that spirit.
Indeed here in the introduction to the book of the Revelation,
we have a paraphrase of the name Jehovah. And you may say to me,
why was it paraphrased in the New Testament? And it is. The
reason being, in the Greek language, there is not the equivalent word
for Jehovah. And so in the New Testament,
it's paraphrased. And it's done in several places.
In particular here in the Revelation. I am Alpha and Omega. the first and last letters of
the Greek alphabet. I am Alpha and Omega, the first
and the last, the beginning and the ending. And this is a paraphrase
of Jehovah. I am he which is, and which was,
and which is to come. That is the paraphrase of the
name Jehovah. The Apostle Paul uses exactly
the same in relation to Jesus Christ in Hebrew chapter 13.
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. He's eternally the same. God is eternally the same. We read in the Word of God, I
the Lord change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. And in the Hebrews it says, we
preached on it just recently, upon those two immutable things. whereby it is impossible for
God to lie. The gifts and calling of God
are without repentance. God doesn't change his mind.
The choosing of his people is an eternal choice. The redeeming
of his people by Christ is an eternal salvation. the divine
dwelling of the Holy Ghost in the heart of the true believer,
that is what makes a true believer, the indwelling of the Holy Ghost.
He dwells in the hearts of his people. Know ye not that ye are
the temple of the Holy Ghost, if so be that the Spirit of God
dwelleth in you. And then we read in the Philippians,
he, and I believe that is referring to the Holy Ghost, he that hath
begun a good work in you, shall perform it unto the day of Jesus
Christ. The Lord Jesus likens the Holy
Spirit to water, right through Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit
is likened to water. And when he meets a woman by
the well in John chapter four, and he speaks to her, and he
says to her, if any man drink of the water that I shall give
him, it shall be in him. He's speaking of the Holy Ghost.
It shall be in him, a well of water springing up into everlasting
life. It speaks of these wonderful
things, precious truths of our most holy faith, divine certainties. Our gospel is not a yay and nay
gospel. It is a yay and amen gospel. This is what we have in the name
of Jesus Christ here. The Amen, it's a name given to
Christ. When it's used doubly, I think
there are 25 times in the Gospels when we read verily, verily in
the words of Christ. It is translated from the exact
same word as Amen. Amen, Amen. What you might say,
what does it mean? Certainly, definitely, divinely
sure. Amen. So be it. That's the meaning
of it. You see, these, my beloved friends,
are divine certainties. Christ is the rock upon which
we build. He's the eternal rock of ages.
He never changes. Where would we be if the Lord
changed every whim and fancy that we have? If the Lord would
turn away? why my beloved friends would
be lost eternally. You think of the sin, the corruption,
the pride, the disgusting pride of our heart. We all have it. The pride of our nature. The
sin. You know, if the Holy Spirit
gives you but a little sight of what you are and what your
heart is, you begin to realize just how wretched, how sinful
you are. I've been in the way nearly eight
years, and I remember it so distinctly, the Lord teaching me, showing
me with that word from Ezekiel, again and again, over a period
of weeks, several weeks long, turn again, O son of man, thou
shalt see greater abominations than these. And you know, friends,
every time I turn, There was something else and eventually
I saw so clearly, it was a very crucifying sight. All the sin,
all the immorality, all the unrighteousness, all the evil that I could see
in this world. It was here. It was in my heart. It was full of sin. Full of iniquity. Unclean. That's why the dear
apostle, he had such a sight. He says, oh, wretched man that
I am. Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? It's
the old man of sin. Now, there's a big difference,
my beloved friends, between sin living in us and us living in
sin. There's a very big difference
between those two things. It's a very solemn thing. for
a child of God to be living in sin. Habitual sin. But it's something quite different
when the child of God is so sorely afflicted with indwelling sin. That which I would, I do not.
That which I would not, I do. I find a law within my members
that when I would do good, then evil is present with me. You know, What a solemn thing when we get
overcome by sin. We read of some of the prominent
saints of God overcome by sin. Some of the great men of the
Old Testament overcome by sin. It's a solemn thought, isn't
it? You think of the searching things
that our Lord Jesus Christ sends to these seven churches in Asia. Let us just concentrate on this
one, the Laodiceans. And he introduces himself that
these things set the amen, the faithful and true witness, the
beginning of the creation of God. Now, what does he say to
Laodicea? I know thy works, that thou art
neither cold nor hot. I would, that they were cold
or hot. They were neither one nor the
other. They were lukewarm. My dear beloved friends, what
about your religion and my religion and the religion of Lambethurst
Chapel? This is written to a church. What about our religion here
in this chapel? Are we lively in the things of
God? Are we vitally exercised in the things of God? Do the
things of God burden us? Or do we come backwards and forwards
like the door upon it hinges? Just keep coming, a ritual round
of service and nothing going on within the soul. What a terrible
description. If that is the case with us,
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. neither
one nor the other. I would that thou wert cold or
hot. So then because thou art lukewarm,
and neither cold nor hot, solemn words I will spew thee out of
my mouth. What a deeply solemn word that
is to this church at Laodicea. And not only that, And this lukewarm
condition, it produced pride. You might say, what do you mean?
You've only got to look at the next verse, 17. Because thou
sayest, I am rich and increased with goods and of need of nothing.
Knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind
and naked. didn't know that. You know, my
beloved friends, the more closely we know the work of the Spirit
in our hearts and the spiritual exercise in our souls and the
longings after Christ and the preciousness of Christ, the more
we know of that spiritual exercise, the more I know it's perverse
and it's a paradox, but the more that we know that spiritual exercise,
the more also we shall know of the plague our own heart. Those
things go hand in hand together. If they didn't, you'd soon get
lifted up in pride, but the Lord, he balances his teaching. So
on the one hand, to be spiritually exercised with those longings
after Christ. So when you come to the house
of God, you've got a burden on your soul. Lord, with my burden
I begin. Oh, remove this load of sin.
There's a sense of sin and realization of sin and the vital need of
the blood of Christ and the righteousness of Christ. It's only when we
truly know by the Spirit's inward teaching our lost condition,
the wretchedness, that we desire these things and we long for
these things. You know, when we say, give me Christ or else
I die, it's because you need him. And why do you need him?
Because you're a sinner. Because you're undone. Because
you're ruined. And you feel it. And you feel it. And you long
to feel different. You long for the blood of Christ
to be applied. You long for your sins to know
that they're put away. You long to know what is said
in the Passover, when I see the blood, I will pass over you.
And you long to know that. Precious blood of the Lamb. You
know what it is like the dear Apostle when he says that I may
know him. Paul had been in the way a long
time. That I may know him. And the power, this is the thing,
my beloved friends, it's one thing to know the word of God,
to read the word of God, to hear the word of God expounded, to
read good man, it is all good and right and proper in its place. But what about the experience
of in the heart? The sense of that indwelling
sea? The Holy Ghost is called a witness. and he dwells in the heart of
a big believer. And every time you sin, he'll
witness to that sin. He'll witness to that sin. There'll
be a sense of guilt upon your conscience because of your sin. And you know, friends, it's a
deeply sad and solemn thing, but when we grieve the Holy Ghost by living in a way that is not
honoring, glorifying to Christ. The apostle says in Ephesians,
doesn't he? And grieve not the Holy Spirit
of promise whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption. What
happens when we grieve the Holy Ghost? Well, the hymn writer
puts it in a nutshell. No longer burns our love. Our
faith and patience fail. Why? Because the Holy Ghost has
withdrawn his sweet influences within the soul. He'll never
leave you, he'll never forsake you. But as Bunyan puts it in
the Holy War, he goes into the inner keep and he shuts the doors. Silence. I remember a period
in my early spiritual days, a long period, which so tried me when
the Lord never spoke. And it was as if he'd gone into
the inner keep. He never spoke. Eventually, one
Tuesday evening at Black Boys, my late pastor, he was speaking,
and it was the most solemn word of rebuke. But you know, friends,
it entered into my heart with such power. And I fell under
the rebuke. But oh, I was so thankful. You
might say, why? The Lord had spoken. He hadn't
left. I felt like, David, be not silent
unto me, O God, lest if thou be silent unto me, I become like
them that go down into the pit. But oh, what a relief that was,
even though it was a solemn rebuke. What a relief. The Lord had spoken. Oh, I remember the sense of relief
I felt within my soul. The Lord had spoken. He wasn't silent. Do you sometimes
feel like David? Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation. You long for the Lord to speak,
to speak to your soul and to know the living power of his
living word in your heart. And unto the angel of the church
of the Laodiceans write, these things saith the Amen. The faithful
and true witness the beginning of the creation of God. See what he says here to the
church at Laodicea. Because they'll sayest I am rich
and increased with goods and have need of nothing. And knowest
not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind
and naked. You know, friends, we always
need this sense of our own We don't. It's necessary. We need, of course, a sense of
the dying love of Christ and the forgiven love of Christ in
our hearts. But we also constantly need a
sense of who we are. Otherwise, we forget, like the
latter scenes. They forgot who they were. They thought they were rich.
And no, it's not that they're up wretched. and miserable, and
poor, and blind, and naked, I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried
in the fire. You see, thus saith the Amen.
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou
mayest be rich, and white raiment, that gold tried in the fire of
a crucified That white raiment, the everlasting robe of the righteousness
of Christ. That thou mayest be clothed.
That glorious everlasting righteousness of Christ, it clothes the believer. That precious blood of Christ,
it washed the believer. It cleanses from all sin. The
righteousness of Christ clothes them. It covers our nakedness.
It covers our nakedness. that thou mayest be clothed,
that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint thine
eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see, that they were blind,
they were blinded by this awful, what is known
as the Laodicean spirit of neither hot nor cold, neither one thing
nor the other, a great lack of spiritual exercise and concern,
in the individual believers of the church at Laodicea. And one
has to consider that the angel of the church at Laodicea, as
we know, every one of these letters is addressed to the angel of
the church. Angel means a messenger. The
angel of the church is the pastor or the minister of that church,
the set minister of that church. He's held responsible It's a
very certain thing, he's held responsible for everything that
goes on. You read through these seven
churches and what the Lord says to them, but he holds the minister
responsible for what is taught there, for what is practiced
there. And we cannot help but wonder
that the angel of the church of the Laodiceans was in actual
fact lukewarm, neither hot nor cold. And his ministry was lukewarm,
neither hot nor cold. It seems to me to be the obvious
interpretation here. Oh, that the Lord would stir
us up. Now, there's this wonderful word,
as many as I love. You just think that thus saith
the amen, as many as I love. I rebuke and chasten, be zealous
therefore and repent. Do you know that word from Hebrews
was made, you remember, in 2005 when I was laid up for virtually
the whole year. And that word in the Hebrews,
I remember it in the July, I think I'd been in hospital eight times
already that year. And my brother Joe came in to
see me. He was on his way to preach somewhere. And just as
he was leaving, he said, Jay, if I had a word, I'd whisper
it. When I was coming over here,
nevertheless, afterward, that's all he said, and he was gone.
You know, friends, that morning, I think I'd had 10 seizures. I was feeling so ill, and I'd
got into such a terrible, dark place in my soul, I thought I'd
never preach again. I absolutely was sure I would
never preach again. And those words, nevertheless,
afterward, it was just as if the little
hand of faith stretched, afterwards, there's going to be an afterwards,
there's going to be an end of this trial. It was so, oh, okay,
it was a divine cordial. And then of course when you look
at it, whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth
every son whom he receiveth. But you see, there's going to
be an afterwards. It's a wonderful thought, isn't
it? You know, when I came here as pastor in 2007, I honestly, I was in a very weak
state. I really wondered if it wouldn't
be long. I really did. And here we are,
17 years later, and what hath God wrought? And to think how
the Lord has strengthened me and sustained me and helped me.
You see, but we need this rebuking. as many as I love,
it's a mark, it's whom the Lord loved. You know, in my early
days, when coming under the chastening hand of the Lord, I used to try
and get out of it. I used to battle and battle to
get out of it and get through it, I'd do this, I'd do that,
anything to get out of this trouble and this trial. But you know,
friends, as the Lord deepens that work of grace, it's to be
brought into submission Humble yourselves therefore under the
mighty hand of God, that he may exhort you in due season, in
his own time. It's like we read in Malachi,
isn't it? He sits as a refiner to purify
the sons of Levi. When I was in hospital in Eastbourne
on one occasion, and my wife brought in the Zion's Witness,
And at JW Tobit at Hastings, there was a sermon with his,
and it was on those words, he sits as a refiner. I was very poorly, very ill,
I couldn't read hardly anything. But you know, each day I just
looked at that sermon, I read another paragraph. And one paragraph he says, child
of God, on that bed of affliction, he sits. He watches, just as
the furnace is melting the gold. He sits as a refiner. And Tobit
said in his sermon, he's sitting right next to you. Do you know,
friends, it was palpable. It was just as if the Lord Jesus
was sitting next to my bed. He sits, he watches, he waits.
He says, you're not on your own. He watches, he waits. He won't
take his eye off it. until the furnace has done its
work. I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. The furnace
does its work. And some of these afflictions,
I've had to prove it myself, they last for years. But the
Lord, he uses it, as many as I love. And as I say, in my early
days, I used to fight against it. As the Lord deepens that
work of grace in the heart, and as you're brought through fiery
trials, perplexing circumstances, and the Lord, he gives patience. Let patience have her perfect
work. When you feel to need it and
you have to pray for it, Lord, give me patience. Help me to
bear the cross, as many as I love. Thus saith
the Amen, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Amen. The thing is this, my beloved
friends, is that the Lord will safely and honorably bring you
through. I was thinking today, as I was
thinking of this text, and my mind went very much to the words
of the dear apostle in the, second epistle to the corinthians chapter
1 verse 20 and all the promises of god in him are yay and in
him amen unto the glory of god by us all the promises of god
and my mind it ranged over the the promises of god you think
in the prophet isaiah and the wonderful promises of God that
are found there, to the Lord's living family. Who speaks these
promises? Christ. They're yay and amen
in Him. What does it mean? They are divinely
certain in Him. There's no ifs and buts about
it. That's why it's said, upon this rock I build my church and
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. You think of that
well-known, beautiful promise in Isaiah 41, fear thou not,
for I am with thee, be not dismayed. The thing is, my beloved friends,
we do fear, and we do get dismayed. But the Amen, the faithful witness,
what does he say? Fear thou not, for I am with
thee, be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will, notice the I
wills. I will strengthen thee. I've
always thought this verse 10, it's a multitude of promises
all rolled in together. I will strengthen thee. Yea,
I, that's what we call an affirmative. Yes, I will help thee. Yes, I
will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. I will. And where we have to
be brought is to feel our utter weakness, our utter helplessness,
our utter insufficiency, and then we have to lean upon all
sufficient grace that is in the Amen, the faithful witness. And everything in him is divinely
certain. You know, I think we mentioned
heart Sunday morning. Pour not on thyself too long. oust will sink thee lower. Look
to Jesus, firm and strong, mercy joined with power. We need to
look up. Dear Mr. Wood, you say, the uplook,
the uplook. We need to look up. Look unto
me, all ye ends of the earth, and be ye saved, for I am God
and there is none else. He's the amen, he's the faithful
witness. It goes on in that same chapter
41 of Isaiah. And again, these are the words
of the Amen. Verse 13, for the Lord thy God
will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, fear not, I will help
thee. This is for that which is to
come, for the pathway that is before you. Sometimes you may
look at the pathway and say, how can I get through? How can
I manage? I will. These are the I wills
of almighty God. These are the I wills of the
amen, the faithful witness. Goes on straight away into verse
14, fear not thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel, I will
help them, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of
Israel. I will help them. He goes on,
another beautiful sacred promise to the living family of God.
When the poor and needy seek water, you see, thus saith the
Amen. When the poor and needy seek
water and there is numb and their tongue failing for thirst, I
the Lord will hear them. It's a divine certainty, thus
saith the Amen. I the Lord will hear them. I
the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high
places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. What does
David say? Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou
art with me. Fountains in the midst of the
valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry
land springs of water. These are those living waters
that flow into Zion, the divine almighty work of the Spirit of
God who proceeded forth in the Father and the Son. These waters
are divinely sure, they are divinely certain. I will plant in the
wilderness. You say, in a desert, where there's
no water? God plants his church in the
desert of this world. surrounded with death. A little oasis. I will plant in
the wilderness the cedar and the shitter tree and the myrtle
and the ore tree. I will. This is what I find so
satisfying and beautiful. I will. It's what God does. What
God does, it is certain, divinely certain. He's the Amen. I will
set in the desert the fir tree and the pine and the box tree
together 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. You see these I wills of the
Lord God Almighty. And again, we think of the I
will and look at the chapter 43, when thou passest through
the waters, those waters of affliction, those waters of trial, those
waters of perplexity, those waters of losses and crosses that you
feel that will overflow you. Jonah, he said, all thy waves
and thy billows are gone over me. It seemed to overflow him
and overwhelm him. When thou passest, this is the
amen of God. Christ is speaking. When thou
passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the
rivers they shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through
the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God. What
was sweet to me earlier today, It goes on in that chapter 43
verse 5, fear not for I am with thee. I will bring thy seed from
the east and gather thee from the west. I will say to the north,
give up. And to the south, keep not back.
Bring my sons from far and my daughters from the ends of the
earth. Even everyone that is called
by my name. You see, these things are divinely
certain. What does it mean when it says,
even everyone that is called by my name, those that were chosen
by the Father, that were redeemed by the Son, that will be sanctified
by the Holy Ghost. And this is what he's speaking
of here. These wonderful promises to Zion, even everyone that is
called by my name, for I have created him for my glory. I have
formed him, yea, I have made him. This is the amen. The faithful witness. These things,
my beloved friends, they are divinely certain. And all these
promises of God are yay and amen in Christ Jesus. You know, friends,
and my mind was very much drawn this morning when I was reading
to the Valley of Dry Bones. Ezekiel. A picture of utter desolation. Ezekiel 37, the hand of the Lord
carried me and was upon me and carried me out in the spirit
of the Lord and set me down in the midst of a valley which was
full of bones, death. And so it goes on and he says
to Ezekiel, son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, oh
Lord God. Thou knowest. He said, prophesy. Prophesy. You know these sweet
promises. And he says, I'll lay sinews
on him. So I prophesied as I was commanded,
and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a shaking,
and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I
beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and
the skin covered them above. but there was no breath in them.
Then said he unto me, prophesy unto the wind, son of man, say
to the wind, it's the Holy Ghost. The wind bloweth where it listeth. We know not whence it cometh,
nor whither it goeth. So is everyone that is born of
the Spirit. Say to the wind, thus saith the
Lord God, come from the four winds, O breath. Breath is another
name for the Spirit. He's called the Breath of God.
I remember at school, sadly they don't sing hymns like that at
school now, but when we was at school, we used to sing good,
sound, solid Christian hymns. One of them was Breathe On Me,
Breath of God. I distinctly remember singing
it. Breathe On Me, Breath of God. come from the four winds,
O breath, that's the divine spirit, breathe upon these slain that
they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded
me, and breath came into them, and they lived and stood upon
their feet, an exceeding great army. These must live. These were divinely chosen. These
have been redeemed by the eternal Son of the Father on Calvary,
and He rose again for their justification. And these must be quickened and
must come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. And that's where
all these promises are filled. Son of man, these bones are the
whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, our bones are
dried, our hope is lost, and we are cut off for our parts.
Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God,
Behold, O my people, I will open your graves and cause you to
come up out of your graves and bring you into the land of Israel. It's what I will do. And you
shall know that I am the Lord when I've opened your graves.
Isn't that so what we pray for and long for and yearn for? for
Lord to open those graves. Resurrection and life. I am the
resurrection and the life. I am the way, the truth and the
life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. These things saith the Amen.
The faithful and true witness. the beginning of the creation
of God. I was looking at Colossians chapter
one before I came out this evening, and how beautifully in Colossians
chapter one does the apostle speak of our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ. He speaks so beautifully concerning
his person. verse 12 giving thanks unto the
father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in life who hath delivered us from the power of
darkness and translated us into the kingdom of his dear son in
whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness
of sins, who is the image, now he's speaking of the person of
Christ, of God manifest in the flesh, who is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn of every creature, for by him
were all things created. that are in heaven and that are
in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers. All things were created by him
and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things
consist. He is the head of the body, the
church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things he might have the preeminence, for it pleased
the Father that in him should all fullness dwell. Thus saith the Amen. These things saith the Amen,
the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation
of God. May the Lord at his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 14. The tune is Bishop's Thought
104. begin my tongue some heavenly
theme, and speak some boundless theme, the mighty works, or mightier
name, of our eternal King. Hymn number 14. O come all ye faithful joyful
and triumphant O'er the land of the free and the home of the
brave ? Till all is calm ? ? Comes thankfulness
new ? ? And soul is full of joy ? In her sweet love is love its
grace, And there that loving heart Purchase salvation from the Lord,
Courage and dying breath. His hand has rid the sacred world
with an immortal hand. ? E'er grave and hymn ? ? We turn
aground ? ? The nightly promise ? Born in the past of darkness' rays,
chosen the lasting light, He that can pass so much to die,
and make the world in peace, Be sweet and kind, O mighty friend,
Perfect His great decrees. His ev'ry man, all praise be
strong, As that which built the skies, 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.