The notices for the coming week
are God willing as follows. Pastor will preach here next
Lord's Day at 10.30 and 2 o'clock. also on Thursday evening at seven
o'clock. There'll be a prayer meeting
here on Tuesday evening at seven o'clock. It is with sadness we
announce the death of Mr. Ramsbottom, Mr. B.A. Ramsbottom, yesterday morning. He has faithfully served our
churches for over 60 years. So we'll commence our service
today by singing hymn number 664, The tune is Tudor, 252. What solemn tidings reach our
ears, How awful and how grand, A brother landed safe from fears
On Canian's happy land. Hymn 664. Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free of it, the canyons having wept. O come, O come, O come, O come,
O come, O come, to Bethlehem. With him this ever-burning, Nor
can his joy decrease. And I am their Father. To shower with thy love, O Mount
of Jesus, this we come. Though he's not happy, I'm secure, God's promise
cannot fail. Though may I patiently endure,
by heavenly Father's will. The person of the Lord shall
stand, and full peace will be done. Let us read together from the
holy word of God in the First Epistle to the Thessalonians,
and Chapter 4. The First Epistle to the Thessalonians,
Chapter 4. Furthermore then, we beseech
you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye
have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so
you would abound more and more. For you know what commandments
we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God,
even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication,
that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel
in sanctification and honor, not in the lust of concupiscence
even as the Gentiles which know not God, that no man go beyond
and defraud his brother in any matter, because that the Lord
is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and
testified. For God hath not called us unto
uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth,
despiseth not man, but God. who hath also given unto us his
Holy Spirit. For as touching brotherly love
ye need not that I write unto you, for ye yourselves are taught
of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it toward all
the brethren which are in all Macedonia. But we beseech you,
brethren, that ye increase more and more, and that ye study to
be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your
own hands, as we have commanded you, that ye may walk honestly
toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of
nothing. For I would not have you to be
ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye
sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe
that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep
in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you
by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain
unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the
dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air, And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another
with these words. May the Lord bless that portion
of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real
prayer. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
which is an art, an art to come, We desire to bow before thy great
majesty, to call upon thy great and thy holy name. We pray for
grace to humble ourselves before thee, for we come, Lord, as poor
sinners, needy sinners, empty sinners. We come and seek and
hope to find a portion for our souls. We pray that the bread
of life may be broken among us today and the word of life may
be dispensed by thy good spirit into the hearts of poor sinners
and to the feeding of the souls of thy people. And we pray 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 worship Thee in spirit and in truth. O Lord God, we do thank Thee
for the life and witness of our late brother, Mr. Ramsbottom.
We thank Thee for that life and for that witness, having served
his generation. O Lord, he's now with Thee, which
is far better. Oh, we do thank thee for the
sweet memory and we pray that thou wouldst make up the whole
that has now been made in the churches. A great pillar of the
church of God has been taken. We pray for the grieving church
at Bethel-Luton and that thou wouldst graciously draw near
to them this day and help thy dear servant as he preaches the
word among them. giving that special help we do
humbly beseech thee. And Lord, we pray that thou wouldst
keep them together as a church and as a congregation and continue
to work in their midst to the great glory of thy holy name. Oh, we pray most gracious Lord
that thou wouldst continue to work among us, that we may see
thy work and thy power and thy glory as thou usest to be in
the sanctuary. We pray that thou wouldst let
thy work appear unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children.
Lord, we long to see a building up, a renewing, a spiritual building,
a spiritual renewing, a spiritual engathering. Lord, graciously
work and may bear thine holy arm in the gospel. Bless the
young and the rising generation. Fulfill that sweet promise, instead
of thy father shall be thy children, who now must make princes in
all the earth. O gracious God, grant that it
may be so. We do humbly beseech thee that
thou wouldst work mightily and work powerfully and work effectually
in the young and rising generation. Oh, we do pray that thou wouldst
graciously bless them, the dear little ones and the children,
as they're brought into the sanctuary. May the fear of the Lord, which
is the beginning of wisdom, be granted unto them. We do humbly
beseech them. We so often think of those beautiful
words, suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them
not. for us such as the kingdom of
heaven. Oh gracious God, we do thank
thee. Thank thee that thou art God
over all and blessed for evermore. That thou indeed are able to
do abundantly more than we can even ask or think. And we pray
most gracious Lord that thou would work mightily in the hearts
of the dear young friends as they stand on the threshold of
life's journey. Bless them with that rich grace
that is in Christ Jesus. Bless them with light and understanding
in thy word. Bless them with Christ in them,
the hope of glory. We do humbly beseech them that
they may become true followers of thee and of those who through
faith and patience inherit the promises. Gracious God, we pray
that thou wouldst be with them in all the paths of providence.
in their education to give them wisdom and help, help them to
pray unto thee and to call upon thy great name in all those things
that concern them. Help them, Lord, with any future
employment and grant them a partner in life journey, one that fears
thy great and holy name, that they may be heirs together of
the grace of life. O Lord, we do pray that thou
wouldst graciously bless and undertake for parents, give wisdom
and help, guidance and direction in all their responsibilities
in the home, and grant that we may be in samples unto the flock. O Lord, we do beseech thee. We
pray most gracious Lord that thou wouldst keep us from an
evil heart of unbelief. deliver us from the power and
the dominion of sin, and deliver us from the temptations of Satan,
that old serpent, the devil, who goeth about as a roaring
lion, seeking whom he may devour, and also, Lord, as an angel of
light, seeking whom he may deceive. We pray to be delivered from
his power and from his influence. Oh, we pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou in thy precious mercy would send out thy light and
thy truth into this village and return in thy power and in thy
glory among the villages, the farmsteads, the hamlets, precious
souls may be gathered. We plead the promises, O Lord,
that thou hast granted us. I will bring thy sons from far
and thy daughters from the ends of the earth. O gracious God,
we pray that we may see Zion's offspring come. May the power
that brings salvation be exerted in the Word. We do humbly beseech
Thee for Thy great namesake. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that this day we may be led of the Spirit of God, that we may
be led by Him to see our own wretchedness, sinfulness, and
emptiness, and that we may be led of him to see the wonderful
and sacred glories of Christ, and that he may testify of Christ
the Lamb, and breathe light and life into our poor sinful hearts,
that we might know the liberty of the people of God. For we
pray, most gracious Lord, we may know the divine drawings
of a heavenly Father, drawing us unto his best beloved and
all-glorious Son. Sinners can say, and none but
they, how precious is the Saviour. Oh, that it may be so today.
Build up thy people in their most holy faith. Grant that we
may grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour,
Jesus Christ. We do humbly beseech thee. Oh, we pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou wouldst graciously remember all of us in the evening
time of life journey. Be gracious unto us, O Lord,
we pray Thee. Prepare us for all Thy will.
Help us to lean hard upon Thee. Help us to be found continually
looking unto Jesus. For that great change, O Lord,
must come. And that we pray to be graciously
prepared for it. We pray for dear Ina, that thou
wouldst be with her. and graciously bless her and
undertake for her. We think of those of our dear
friends, we think of Jacob and Inika and pray that thou would
bless them. And Ellie and Pete, Lord, we
remember us as a church and as a congregation and work mightily,
powerfully and effectually among us. We do humbly beseech thee. but remember our dear brethren,
the deacons, and give them grace, wisdom, and help in all their
responsibilities. And, O Lord God, do remember
all thy servants as they labour in word and doctrine upon the
walls of Zion. And we pray thee, the great Lord
of the harvest, that thou would send true labourers into the
harvest, and build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Lord, Watch, and
we wait, and we long for thy appearing. We pray for the fulfilling
of that sweet word, for I am returned unto Jerusalem with
mercies. Oh, do grant, Lord, that it may
be so, all for thy great name's sake, that we pray, most gracious
Lord, for thee churches up and down the land, wherever thy servants
stand and wherever thy people gather, We pray for the outpouring
of thy spirit, for the exaltation of Jesus Christ, for the gathering
in of precious souls. O gracious God, incline thine
ear, we beseech thee, and let thy work appear unto thy servants
and thy glory unto their children. Lord, we do pray that thou, the
great Lord of the harvest, would send true labourers into the
harvest, O gracious God, incline thine ear. We humbly beseech
thee. We pray that most gracious Lord
for our government, that thou would give wisdom and guidance
and direction unto all that rule over us, whether it be magistrates
or judges or our elected government. We pray that wisdom and guidance
and help may be given And we pray most gracious Lord that
thy name may be honoured and glorified in the earth. We pray for our king and the
royal household and we seek thy rich blessing upon them. We pray
most gracious Lord for those that labour in word and doctrine
among the various nations of the earth. We think of thy servant
Ian Sadler as he labours in the in India and Pakistan, Africa
and Burma. Lord, help him supply all his
needs, grant good success. O Lord, we do beseech that it
may be to the glory of thy name and the increase of thy heavenly
kingdom and the confirming of the disciples. Remember the Savannah
Education Trust and that great work that they're doing in Ghana
Do graciously help them and supply all their needs and grant that
it may be down to the honour, glory and praise of thy great
name and to the good of thy church in that nation. Remember the
Mombasa mission and that great work that they're doing in Kenya
and grant, Lord, good success to thy servant there. We do humbly
beseech thee. Lord, we pray for thy people,
in those nations of the earth where thy name is hated and where
thy people are persecuted for the name and witness of Jesus
Christ, imprisoned, tortured and killed for thy name's sake. Lord, remember thy people in
those places and graciously send them help from the sanctuary
and strengthen them out of Zion. We thank Thee, O Lord, for all
Thy tender mercies. We thank Thee for all Thy goodness
that has passed before us in the way. Thy mercies are new
every morning, and great is Thy faithfulness. But above all,
we thank Thee for Jesus Christ, the eternal Word that was made
flesh and dwelt among us. We thank Thee that He was made
of a woman made under the law, that He might redeem them that
are under the law. We thank thee for the holy life
he lived as a man under the law, fulfilling and honoring, magnifying
that holy righteous law on our behalf, bringing in everlasting
righteousness. We thank thee for Calvary where
the lamb was slain. We thank thee for the precious
blood of the lamb that cleanses from all sin. Oh, we thank thee
that he died for our sins and rose again for our justification. And as bodily ascended into heaven,
we have a great high priest sitting at thy right hand. We desire
a heart of gratitude, of thanksgiving for all thy wonderful mercies
and for all thy great goodness that has passed before us in
the way. Remember all in the path of bereavement,
grant thy sustaining, upholding and strengthening mercy. We do
humbly beseech come and touch one's lips with a live coal from
off the heavenly altar. We ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 374, to the tune Whitecroft, 566. Send help, O Lord, we pray, and
thy own gospel bless, for godly men decay and faithful pastors
cease. the righteous are removed home,
and scorners rise up in their room. Hymn 374. O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the
bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag
was still there. O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? ? And thy beloved too ? ? Now for
us in Jesus' cross ? ? Our brother with them ? ? How sweet the blue in the morning
dew ? ? And pure the silver from the mill ? O shepherds, will you return? Will you return to your sweet
home? Where yon birds can fly, O'er the ramparts we watched
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the
bombs bursting in air, The Lord's come up like cloud
to make way for the rain. ? And watch the rangers go ? ?
With voice to raise the dead ? ? With peace to call the blest
of men ? ? With thanks to light and conqueror
? ? And water, and love, and wealth,
and riches ? And thy sweet praise, at the
twilight's last gleaming, ? And praise for him on every way
? ? And let us sing thy truth today ? ? That's why we're like Jedi's
? ? Dreadful it's all alone ? ? Let's hurry like Jedi's ? ? To make the gospel known ? ?
And cross the sea ? ? To Jesus' blood ? ? And hands with blood
? Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the chapter
that we read, the fourth chapter of the first epistle to the Thessalonians,
and we'll read verse 16 for our text. The first epistle to the Thessalonians,
chapter 4, verse 16. For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Throughout Holy Scripture, we
are reminded, more prominently so in the New Testament, that
the Lord Jesus Christ is coming again. That he will come a second time,
as it is appointed unto men once to die. And that Christ will come a second
time without sin unto salvation. The Lord himself. He won't send
an ambassador. The Lord's servants are likened
to ambassadors. But in that great day, the heavens
shall melt with a fervent heat. And all these things, what that
means is all physical things around us will be dissolved And in that same moment, the
Lord himself shall descend. And it says the heavens shall
be rolled up as a scroll. You know, before we had books,
they used to have manuscripts, and they were rolled up into
a scroll. And according to what we read
in the Word of God, That is an illustration used of what will
happen when Christ comes again. That the heavens, you know, you
look up into the heavens and you see the millions and millions
of stars and the planets, they shall be rolled up like a scroll. And all things shall be dissolved,
probably Most graphically, this is set before us in the second
epistle of Peter, and in that last chapter, the third chapter,
and how very clearly and emphatically he speaks of the coming of the
day of the Lord. He says about what will happen,
and you know, friends, there is no doubt that these things
are happening now. Look at what he says in the third
verse, knowing this first, that there shall come in the last
days scoffers walking after their own lusts. Isn't that exactly
what we see in the day in which we live? They scoff at the truth,
they scoff at Jesus Christ. They scoff at the holy law of
God and the righteous works of God. And they walk after their
own lusts. And these are the signs that
the coming of Christ is drawing nigh. And the other thing is, say,
where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep,
all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. Say, where is the promise of
his coming? How much more is that said now? But the promise
of His coming, where is the promise of His coming? But notice what
the way that the Holy Spirit puts it here in verse five, for
this they willingly are ignorant of. Notice that, they are willingly
ignorant of. They do not desire the knowledge
of God nor of His ways, They deny that God created all things. They teach us that evolution
and that gradually everything just happened. Absolutely contrary
to what is revealed in the word of God. In the beginning, God
created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and
void and darkness was upon the face of the deep. You see, and
in that first chapter, of Genesis it speaks so clearly there of
the creation by God and we're told in the Colossians
our Lord Jesus Christ that he created all things see for this
they willingly are ignorant of that by the Word of God the heavens
were of old and the earth standing out of the water and in the water
what What we hear so much today, there's no evidence of a flood.
But listen to what it says here, whereby the world that then was
being overflowed with water perished. But then go back to verse five,
for this they willingly are ignorant of. It's a willful ignorance,
a willful denial. And now he speaks to the Lord's
people. He says, but beloved, be not
ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a
thousand years and a thousand years as one day. But the Lord
is not slack concerning his promise. That's the promise of his second
coming. He's not slack concerning his
promise. But his long suffering to us
will not willing that any should perish. When he says to Usward,
he's writing to the Church of God. So when he says to Usward,
he's speaking of Christian believers, the Bride of Christ, the Church
of God here on Earth. His long-suffering to Usward,
not willing that any should perish. And when it says any should perish,
of course, but that all should come to repentance, Nominal Calvinist
and the Arminian or free willer will tell you that means that
God is not willing anyone in this world to perish Well, we
know from Holy Scripture that that is not true When he's he's
speaking here of the Christian Church and he says the what what
the reason that this world remains and Christ does not come Is because
there are yet precious souls to be gathered into the eternal
covenant. It will yet send forth his servants
to preach the everlasting gospel, to gather in precious souls unto
Christ. Those that were chosen by the
Father, redeemed by the Son, will be sanctified by the Spirit.
He's not willing that any of those should perish. And when
that last vessel of mercy has been gathered unto Christ, Then
shall the end be. But the day of the Lord will
come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass
away with a great noise. On this past Monday, I had a
dear sister-in-law. Her mother found her laying on
the settee, dead, like a thief in the night. No warning. She
wasn't sick, she wasn't ill. but she was dead. You see, my
beloved friends, doesn't it remind us of the words of our Lord Jesus
Christ? Be ye also ready. For at such
a time as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh. Oh, that it may
be a speaking voice to us here today. The vital need of being
prepared. And now, my God, prepare my soul
for that great day. and wash me in thy precious blood,
take all my sins away. Oh, how vital to be prepared,
how vital to be born again, how vital to be brought to saving
faith in Jesus Christ. It is something, my beloved friends,
that is absolutely essential, except a man be born of water
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. but the day of the Lord will
come. How many times we read as a thief
in the night. Friends, it's a warning to us
that it will come suddenly. Our end could come suddenly.
And the coming of Christ will be suddenly. Suddenly he will
appear. And then all these things shall
be dissolved as it says here in the second epistle of Peter,
seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner
of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God,
wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and
the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless we,
what's he, he's speaking of the Christian church, nevertheless
we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Oh, that we indeed may be found
looking, waiting, be diligent, he says. Oh, that we may be diligent,
that you may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless,
to diligently watch for our souls, as I would
hope I try to diligently watch for your souls. And to exhort you that that day
is approaching, for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trump
of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. You know the Lord Jesus Christ,
he speaks of several places in the holy scriptures of his second
coming, when he will come with power and in great glory. My
mind just for the moment goes to Matthew chapter 25. And in
Matthew 25, the Lord Jesus very graphically set before us the
day of judgment, what we have in our text. In verse 31, he
says, when the son of man shall come in his glory, and all the
holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his
glory. What is the throne of his glory?
It's the judgment throne. In Revelation 20, John, he saw
a great white throne, and him that sat upon it, from whom the
heavens and the earth fled away, and there was found no place
for them. He says, I saw the dead, small and great, stand
before God. And here in Matthew 25, and he
says, and before him shall be gathered all nations, and he
shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divided
his sheep from the goats. He shall separate them. Mark that. It'll be a time of
separation. The sheep are the true children
of God that have been born again of the Spirit and brought to
faith in Jesus Christ and become followers of him. They die in
hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. That's
the sheep. You may say, what are the goats?
And there's only two types of people. Mark that. There's either
sheep or there's goats. All those that were not called
and chosen and redeemed and delivered and sanctified by the Spirit,
they're the sheep. Everyone else is a goat. Everyone else is a goat. And
here in this, it says, and he shall set the sheep on his right
hand and the goats on his left hand. Then shall the king say
unto them on his right hand, that's his sheep, come. Beautiful
words, aren't they? Precious words, wonderful words
of grace. Come, ye blessed of my father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world. Come ye, blessed of my Father. Oh, what a precious thing to
hear that voice. My sheep, they know my voice
and they follow me. And when he says come, what a thrill will pass through
the hearts of the Lord's people when he says come. You, blessed
of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world. Oh, my beloved friends, these
are divine realities. And what we have here portrayed
is the day of judgment. When Christ will sit upon his
throne, come, he will say to those on his right hand, come,
you, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
but then he will speak to those on the left hand in verse 41
then shall then shall he say also unto them on the left hand
depart from me ye curse it into everlasting fire prepared for
the devil and his angels we've often say to you, do we
not? Heaven is a prepared place for
a prepared people. Hell is a prepared place for
an unprepared people. How vital, my beloved friends,
is the need to be prepared. Now, just as we've said those
blessed words, come ye blessed of my Father, How sacred and
precious to hear that word of Jesus, come ye blessed of my
Father. How awful, how terrible to hear
the opposite. Depart from me ye cursed into
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. The
Lord Jesus elsewhere, he speaks of that place of hell where the
worm dies not, where the fire is not quenched. It's spoken
of in Holy Scripture forever and ever. You know, my beloved
friends, each one of us has before us an eternal destiny. And that eternal destiny is either
heaven Eternal glory or hell? Eternal damnation. There's no
midway. No. The scriptures are very clear
on that. We're either going to heaven
or to hell. All those out of Christ, it says
in the Psalms, the wicked, has everyone out of Christ. The wicked
shall be turned into hell and all nations that forget God. You see, it says here the last
verse of Matthew 25, and these shall go away into everlasting
punishment, but the righteous into life eternal. How poignant that question in
John Kent's hymn. How stands the case, my soul,
with thee? For heaven are thy credentials
clear, Is Jesus' blood thine only plea? Is he thy great forerunner
there? Is he? That's the point. How do things stand between your
soul and God? You know, furthermore, in that
chapter 25 in Matthew, at the beginning of the chapter, we
have the parable of the ten virgins. Now friends, just because it's
a parable, it doesn't lessen the truth of it. The teacher
is our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, manifest in the flesh,
who knows all things. Then shall the kingdom of heaven
be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps and went
forth to meet the bridegroom. What do these ten virgins represent? A parable represents something.
It represents the whole of the professing Christian Church.
That is what is represented by the ten virgins. Mark what I
say, the professing Christian Church. Because the Lord Jesus
goes on today, on to say, he separates them, he says, five
of them were wise and five were foolish. So what distinguished the wise
and the foolish? They that were foolish took their
lamps and took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their
vessels with their lamps. We can be a professing Christian,
but not possess grace. And that is what we see in the
foolish virgins. They professed to be believers
and followers of Jesus Christ. If you want to put it in today,
in the strict Baptist way, they were baptized, they sat at the
Lord's Supper. They made a profession of the
name of the Lord. Or they came and always were
at chapel, openly professing that they were Christians. But the foolish, they took no
oil with them. What does oil represent? It represents
grace. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. They professed to have the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, but they didn't. In reality, they
didn't have the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The wise, they had grace. The Spirit of God had entered
their heart, had quickened their soul. They were brought to saving
faith in Jesus Christ. Notice what it says here. While the bridegroom tarried,
they all slumbered and slept. All of them. That's the ones
that had grace and the ones that didn't have grace. They all slumbered
and slept. At midnight there was a cry made,
behold the bridegroom cometh. Go ye out to meet him. The bridegroom
is Christ. Behold the bridegroom cometh.
Go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins, the ten
of them, arose and trimmed their lamps. A lamp represents a profession
of religion. They trim their lamps, and the
fool is said unto the wise, give us of your oil, for our lamps
are gone out. But the wise answer say, not
so, lest there be not enough for us and you. But go you rather
to them that sell and buy for yourselves. And while they went
to buy, the bridegroom came. In other words, it was too late.
It was too late, the bridegroom What a solemn thought, isn't
it? And they that were ready, this is the central teaching
of, they that were ready, be ye also ready, for at such a
time as ye think not, the Son of Man coming. And they that were ready went
in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. It's a
very, very solemn thought, isn't it? and the door was shut. Now, it's a very sacred thought,
if we look at it in one way, that the righteous entered into
heaven and the door was shut. They were shut in. Just like
Noah was shut in the ark. So, believers in Christ and true
followers of Christ are shut into heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ,
he makes it very clear, concerning heaven and hell in that parable
of his, when he speaks of the rich man and Lazarus. Nobody can fall from heaven to
hell. And nobody can go from hell to
heaven. And it says in that parable there
is a great gulf fixed between those two places. It's a great
gulf that is fixed and it's fixed eternally. as we seek to convey the solemn
truth to you that the Holy Spirit may quicken your soul and may
awaken you to realize your vital need of being prepared. And the door was shut. Afterward
came also the other virgins, those that were not ready, saying,
Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, verily,
I say unto you, I know you not. I know you not. Watch, therefore,
for you know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son
of Man cometh. It will be as a thief in the
night. It will. Oh, my beloved friends,
may the Lord, by His good Spirit, seal these things into our hearts. Now here in the context of our
text in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and the Apostle says in verse
13, but I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning
them which are asleep, that you sorrow not as others which have
no hope, them which are asleep, them which have died, Notice,
and Christ even used this language himself when he was here on earth,
a believer dying goes to sleep. What does it mean? They'll wake
up again. So it's termed going to sleep,
sleeping in Jesus. Ready for his return, ready to
rise again. one of the hymn writers, doesn't
he? Sleep, dear saint, sleep in Jesus. It can be sung at a
funeral. Sleep, dear saint, sleep in Jesus. There's a glorious hope for the
children of God when they die, when they're buried. There's
hope of an eternal resurrection. And this is what the dear apostle
is trying to convey by the sweet spirit But I would not have you
to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye
sorrow not even as others which have no hope. It's a terrible thing to have
no hope. It's a wonderful thing to have
a hope, a sweet hope for a dear departed one. for if we believe that, and this
is the foundation of the hope, for if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with him. And it says, I think it's the
Apostle Jude in his epistle, he speaks of Enoch, the seventh
from Adam. And he speaks there in his epistle,
he says in verse 14, And Enoch, also the seventh from Adam, prophesied
of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands
of his saints to execute judgment upon all and to convince all
that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which
they have ungodly committed, and all their hard speeches which
ungodly sinners have spoken against him. These are murmurous complainers,
walking after their own lusts, and their own mouths speaking
great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because
of advantage." You see, that great day of judgment, And the
Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints to judge the world
in righteousness. For this we say unto you by the
word of the Lord, that we which were alive and remain unto the
coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep,
but the Lord himself. As I said, he won't send an ambassador. He will come himself. Jesus Christ,
the King of glory, he will come himself. Right through the Old
Testament, this is prophesied of the second coming of Christ. The first coming was when he
lived as a man here upon earth, when he was born of the Virgin
Mary, when he was made of a woman made under the law that he might
redeem them that are under the law, when he was a man of sorrows
and acquainted with grief, And we hid, as it were, our faces
from Him. That's Christ in His first appearing. But in His second appearing,
He will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel and the trump of God. And He comes in great power and
in great glory. You see, when He first came,
He was glorified in his humility and in his sufferings, in his
sorrows, in his sacrifice. And then he rose from the dead.
But he reminded the disciples continually that there would
be a time when he would come again. For the Lord himself shall
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
with the trump of God. And you see the first thing,
and the dead in Christ shall rise first. In fact, it's recorded
in the Gospels, I think it's Luke 24, or Matthew 24, how that
when he comes, the very first thing that Christ will do when
he comes, he will send his angels to the four corners of the earth.
That's the very first act of Christ. when he comes a second
time without sin unto salvation. He will send his angels to the
four corners of the earth, and he will gather his elect together
unto himself, those whom he has redeemed and delivered from sin
and Satan's power. They know the glorious liberty
of the people of God. They shall behold him, and they
shall be enraptured when they behold him. The wonderful glory
of their Redeemer of their saviour, the king eternal, immortal and
invisible, coming in great power. For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Now the apostle, he speaks here,
then we which are alive and remain, I believe, My beloved friends,
it shows us very clearly here that there will be those upon
earth who love our Lord Jesus Christ when he comes again. There'll
still be a church on earth. It's often argued by some people
and they say, well, you know, the church will be all gone by
then. No, we which are alive and remain shall meet the Lord
in the air, so shall we ever be with the Lord. You see, wherefore comfort one
another with these words, with these words. Now, my beloved
friends, young and old, are you prepared? You might say, what
is it to be prepared? It's when the Holy Spirit quickens
your soul. It's when you begin to have desires. You feel in yourself to need
something. One hymn writer puts it this
way, an aching void that the world can never fill. Do you
have an aching void that the world cannot fill? A longing, a yearning, a seeking. You may not at this time know
exactly what you want. You don't know perhaps what you
need. You just feel a need. You feel a longing. You feel
a yearning. You're dissatisfied with yourself.
You know that you're a sinner. You know that God is holy and
righteous. And you know that you need to
be prepared, and you feel that need to be prepared. Prepare
me, gracious God. Is that your prayer? Is that
your desire? Prepare me, gracious God, to
stand before thy face. Thy spirit must the work perform,
for it is all of grace. In Christ's obedience, clothe
and wash me in his blood. So shall I lift my head with
joy, among the sons of God, oh, to know that gracious preparation,
to know that need. When He, the Spirit of truth,
is come, when He comes to the heart of a sinner, they will
know their need as a sinner before a holy God. As it says there
in that context of that word in John 16, that he will reprove,
the margin says, convince of sin, of righteousness, of judgment. A person under divine teaching
knows that they must stand at the judgment day of Jesus Christ.
A person under divine teaching knows that they are a sinner.
A person under divine teaching knows that God is holy and righteous
altogether, and that they are unrighteous. And this is the
divine work of the spirit in the heart. And it's these precious
souls that feel and know themselves to be lost and ruined in the
fall. They need salvation. They need redemption. They need
Christ. Jesus said, I am the Word. The truth and the lie. No man
cometh unto the Father but by me. But by me. Or that it may
be that these are the feelings of your soul. These are the longings
of your heart. You know, I look back into my
own personal experience and I'm certainly not setting that up
as a standard for anyone else. But, you know, when this work
of the spirit begins in the heart, there may be times when you feel
such a burden, and you don't know what it is you want, you
don't know what it is you need, but you need something. There's
this aching void in your heart, this longing in your soul. But then, you also may feel so
dissatisfied with yourself but then maybe for some days it seems
to go and there doesn't seem to be that concern there doesn't
seem to be that burden but then another day it comes back sometimes you'll feel that burden
and you feel that aching within your heart and then you'll go
for several days and you don't feel And then you think, well,
I've got rid of that. But it comes back. It comes back. And oh, there's this sense of
need. There's this sense of poverty. There's this sense of emptiness
that is in you. And you long, you desire. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ,
you know, when you feel so dissatisfied with yourself and you feel yourself
to be unclean and unrighteous, and you long for something else. What does Christ say in his teachings?
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness. Why do they do that? Because
you can't find it in yourself, you can't find it in this world.
You may turn to this, you may turn to that, you may immerse
yourselves, perhaps in your work, perhaps in something else, some
worldly pursuit, but you immerse yourself in it to try and push
out these thoughts that are in your mind. You see, this is the paradox
of the spiritual journey. There may be those times when
you're so burdened and so oppressed. You long for something, you pray
for something. You say, God, be merciful to
me, a sinner. Then the next day, You don't
feel that same urgency. You don't feel so much that same
need. But these are the fluctuations
of spiritual life in the soul. But there'll come a time when
that burden will stay and it will not go. And when that burden
stays and does not go, then you'll be crying unto God, pleading
with the Lord to have mercy upon you. And He will. He will. You're among those that
it speaks of in Holy Scripture, ask, you're asking. And you shall
receive. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock,
and it shall be opened unto you. You see, those are the things
that under this sense of emptiness and poverty, you're asking. You're asking, you're seeking,
you're seeking. You're knocking, you're knocking
at mercy's door. You need something, you press
on. There is in one of his hymns,
if unto Jesus thou art bound, a crowd about him will be found,
attending day and night, A worldly crowd to din thine ears, crowds
of unbelieving fears, to hide him from thy sight. What does
he go on to say? If thou press on, the crowds
will flay. If thou press on, the clouds
will flay. The Apostle Paul, he says in
Philippians, doesn't he, this one thing I do, I press toward
the mark. I press toward the mark. Are
you, am I, pressing toward them all? Longing for the Lord's appearing,
longing for the Lord's blessing. Them that seek me early shall
find me. You're among those that it speaks
of in the Proverbs that are standing at the posts of my doors, waiting,
waiting at the posts of my doors, waiting for the Lord's appearing.
Look at those that met Jesus when he was here upon earth,
waiting for his appearing, waiting for his blessing. You think of
the dear woman that pressed through the crowd, saying, if I might
but touch the hem of his garment, perhaps there's some poor soul
here this morning, and that's the very line of your soul as
you've come to the house of God. If I might but touch the hem
of his garment, I should be made whole. And Jesus said, who touched
me? And the disciples said, why the
crowd's thronged them? It's somebody touched me, for
virtue has gone out of me. He knew, he knew. Oh, that the Lord might grant
that to you. The time will shortly come when
you touch the hem of his garment, when you feel the virtue of his
precious grace, the virtue of his precious blood, the virtue
of his glorious righteousness, and then you'll have found the
pearl of great price. Then you will have found the
one thing needful. Him hath God exalted as a prince
and as a savior, for to give faith, repentance, and remission
of sins. Him hath God exalted. Our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, is come to seek and to say that
which is lost. He alone can give you real repentance. You won't say to me, what is
real repentance? It's when you're enabled by God's
grace to turn right round and face toward God. That's what
repentance is. It turns you right round to face God. It brings you, by
his grace, to forsake your sins. and to turn to Jesus Christ in
faith. Faith and repentance are like
twins, they go together. You never find them separate.
Real repentance and real faith are given by the Holy Spirit.
Repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel, with
the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. This
is the glorious hope of the church of God. Then we which are alive
and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air. So shall we ever be with the
Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another
with these words. May the Lord have his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 476. The tune is Abridge 86. I'll read the first two verses.
We'll commence singing at verse three. Oh, the delights, the
heavenly joys, the glories of the place, where Jesus sheds
the brightest beams of his all-flowing grace. Sweet majesty and awful
love sit smiling on his brow, and all the glorious ranks above
at humble distance bow. Hymn number 476. Commence singing
at verse 3. ? I say I deserve ? ? To be with
you ? ? So compassionate you are ? ? To see me true ? ? There is no way to stand ? ?
There is no way to stand ? ? There is no way to stand ? ? There
is no way to stand ? ? There is no way to stand ? ? There
is no way to stand ? ? There is no way to stand ? ? There
is no way to stand ? ? There is no way to stand ? ? Highest of all the stars ? ?
Submissive at His feet ? ? Earth's o'erspreading light ?
? Blessed be He who is at once reliant on thy honor. ? O'er the plains of Georgia, ? In that great nursing-bed ? ?
That cruel, cruel soul did weep ? ? She bowed her head and wept
? ? The altar glory shine ? ? And circle it around ? ? This is the hour ? ? An exalted
man ? ? But we can't see it at all ? ? God bless America ? ? Christ, behold His face ? ? And
action of Him own ? ? Those are all of them ? ? To
see thy blessed birth ? ? At the house where thou art born
? joys in tunes of praise to the
incarnate God. And all of them Faith enjoys
this sight, we vow to live again. And with it my fiery chariot flowed To fetch
the sun. 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. Thank you.