Yeah. The notices for the coming week
are God willing as follows. Pastor will preach here next
Lord's Day at 10.30 and two o'clock. And there will be a prayer meeting
here on Thursday evening at seven o'clock. The collection taken
today is for the support of the Mombasa mission. Let us commence our services
today by singing together hymn number 36 to the tune Mendelssohn
950. Hark the herald angels sing,
glory to the newborn king, Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled, sons of Zion too arise, join the triumph
of the skies, and with angels loud proclaim, Christ was born
in Bethlehem. Hymn number 36. All hail, all angels sing, glory
to the newborn King. Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled. ? Songs of triumph to arise ? ?
Join the triumph of the skies ? ? All religions now proclaiming
? ? Christ was born ? in Bethlehem. Hark! the herald
angels sing, Glory to the newborn King. Bound in flesh the Godhead see,
Heav'nly Father we thank you see, God in ages glory see, ? O let me the glowing light ?
? Glory to the newborn King ? ? Let us merrily at them sing ? ? God
and King ? O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the first chapter of the Gospel according
to Luke. Luke's Gospel, Chapter 1, we'll
commence reading at verse 26. And in the sixth month, the angel
Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the
house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel
came in unto her and said, Hail thou that art highly favoured,
the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women.
And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast
in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel
said unto her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with
God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive
in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name
Jesus. He shall be great and shall be
called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give unto
him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over
the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall
be no end.' Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be,
seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said
unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power
of the higher shall overshadow thee. Therefore also that holy
thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son
of God. And behold, thy cousin Elizabeth,
she hath also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the
sixth month, with her who was called barren. For with God,
nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, behold the handmaid
of the Lord, be unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed
from her. And Mary arose in those days
and went into the hill country with haste into a city of Judah,
and entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass that when
Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her
womb. And Elizabeth was filled with
the Holy Ghost. And she spake out with a loud
voice and said, blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the
fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me that
the mother of my Lord should come to me? For lo, as soon as
the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped
in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed,
for there shall be a performance of those things which were told
her from the Lord. And Mary said, My soul doth magnify
the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour, for
he hath regarded the lowest state of his handmaiden. For behold,
from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he
that is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is his
name. And his mercy is on them that
fear him from generation to generation. He hath showed strength with
his arm. He hath scattered the proud in
the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from
their seats and exhorted them of low degree. He hath filled
the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty
away. He hath holpen his servant Israel
in remembrance of his mercy, as he spake to our fathers, to
Abraham, and to his seed forever. And Mary abode with her about
three months and returned to her own house. We'll leave the
reading there, friends. May the Lord bless his word and
teach us how to pray. Gracious, merciful and eternal
God, Do solemnize our hearts as we come before thee this day,
this thy holy day, to worship thee. May we worship thee in
spirit and in truth. And as we think of those wise
men that came to the birth of Jesus Christ, and we read that
they bowed down and they worshipped him. May we this day bow down
and worship that holy child Jesus, that wonderful profound truth
of our most holy faith, God, manifest in the flesh. And his name shall be called
Emmanuel, which by interpretation is God with us. Oh we do thank
thee for that incarnate mystery of God manifest in the flesh.
And Lord, it is a mystery. It is beyond our comprehension
that the Almighty, the eternal Son of God, from everlasting
to everlasting, assumed human nature in the womb of the Virgin
Mary and that holy thing that was born of her. Most gracious
Lord, We do thank thee for the wonderful account in thy word
of the inception and birth of Jesus Christ. And we do pray
that we may truly worship him today. And we think of the words
of our Lord Jesus Christ, before he was crucified, before he suffered
and bled and died, for this cause came I into the world. Oh, most
gracious Lord, may we ever remember that on this happy day when we
remember the wonderful, precious truth of the incarnation. May
we remember, to this end was I born. Oh, we do pray, most
gracious Lord, that thou wouldst be with us today. We come as
poor sinners before thy great majesty. We come to confess our
sins. and our wanderings and our backslidings. We leave undone those things
that we should do. And solemnly, Lord, we do those
things that we should not do. And we find a law within our
members, that when I would do good, then evil is present with
me. And Lord, this is a painful burden
to bear for thy people, that sin dwells in our hearts. And
as thy word declares unto us, if we say that we are without
sin, we deceive ourselves, and the life of God is not in us.
But we do pray that thou wouldst truly by thy Spirit convince
us of our sin, and lead to Jesus' blood, and to our wandering eyes
reveal the secret love of God. We think of the words of the
dear prophet of old, He knew that truth himself, O Lord, from
the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, wounds and
bruises and putrefying sores. And as the dear apostle cries
out feelingly, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver
me from the body of this day, but I thank God through Jesus
Christ our Lord. We thank thee for that wonderful
glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ. A door of hope is opened
wide in Jesus' bleeding hands and side. We do thank thee for
the wonderful glory of his name, the fullness of his salvation,
the completeness of his work of redemption, the sealing of
that eternal covenant with his own precious blood, which is
of eternal worth and power. Oh, we thank thee for the blood
and righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, it is our
only hope of eternal life and eternal safety is in and through
that precious blood that cleanses from all sin and that glorious
everlasting robe of his righteousness that covers us, that covers our
nakedness. For ye are complete in him, we
are accepted in the Beloved. We do thank thee for thy gospel
and for thy grace and the freeness and the fullness of it. We do
pray that this day we may be led by the Spirit of God, for
as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God. And may we indeed know that we are the sons and daughters
of the Lord God Almighty, May we know the truth of that precious
word, for God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our
hearts, crying, Abba, Father. O most gracious Lord, we pray
that it may be so today. My God, my Father, blissful name,
O may I call thee mine. O we do pray that the wonderful
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ may fill our hearts. We thank
Thee that He is full of grace and truth, and that in Him dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. We thank Thee for our
little house of prayer and the liberties that we at present
enjoy being able to meet together around the Word. We thank Thee,
most gracious Lord, for every mercy of Thy kind providence,
but above all, thanks be unto God. for his unspeakable gift. We pray that thou would bless
our brethren, the deacons, and give them wisdom and grace, guidance
and direction, and that Lord undertake for them in all the
many responsibilities that they have among the churches, and
that we pray that thou would bless each one of our brethren
and sisters in church fellowship, and that we may have an increase
of faith and love, that we may truly love each other, serve
each other, bear each other's burdens, thereby fulfilling the
law of Christ. We pray, most gracious God, that
thou, in thy precious mercy, would remember us as a church
and as a congregation. We thank thee, O Lord, for the
little ones, for the children that are brought into the sanctuary,
that the blessing of the Lord that maketh rich and addeth no
sorrow with it may be their portion, that the fear of the Lord, which
is the beginning of wisdom, may be given unto them. We do humbly
beseech them, each one of the dear children, oh, that they
may be blessed of thee. Our young friends, do graciously
bless them, undertake for them, graciously bring them to living
faith in Jesus Christ, Make them true followers of thee, and of
those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. May the
grace of God that bringeth salvation be found in their hearts. O Lord,
we do beseech thee. Remember them in all the paths
of providence. Remember them regarding their
education and give wisdom and guidance. Remember them, O Lord,
with any future employment, remember them regarding a partner in life
journey. Gracious God we pray that they
may be guided and directed by thee and blessed of thee that
we may see the fulfilling of that precious word instead of
thy fathers shall be thy children who now may make princes in all
the earth. Gracious God incline thine ear
we do humbly beseech thee have mercy upon them Remember the
prodigals that have wandered from the sanctuary. Stretch out
thy almighty arm, cause them to be in want, and O Lord God,
cause them to return. We do humbly beseech them. Return
with a need in their own souls for that glorious salvation that
is in Jesus Christ. Lord, we watch for them, we wait
for them, and we wait for thy appearance. until the Spirit
be poured upon us from on high. Lord, nothing can be done without
thy Spirit. We pray for those in the path
of affliction, and trouble, and trial, and perplexity, sorrow,
sadness, and bereavement, that they may be divinely supported
by thee, and that thou wouldst undertake for each one. And Lord,
when we come to this time of the year when the families meet
together, And, O Lord, there is a loved one that is missed,
and we pray that thou wouldst comfort every lonely, troubled
heart. We do humbly beseech thee. Hast
thou not promised, I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. And, O Lord, we do pray that
thou wouldst remember all in the midst of the journey of life
and graciously undertake for each one and deliver us from
the temptations of Satan, deliver us from the power and dominion
of sin, make us more spiritually minded, set our affections on
things above and not on things of the earth. We pray, dear Lord,
that thou would remember all in the evening time of life journey
and that thou would be gracious unto us and that thou would prepare
us each for that time that will come when heart and flesh shall
fail, when we shall soar through tracks unknown and see thee on
thy judgment throne. Gracious God, hear us, we pray
thee, prepare us for that great day. And, O Lord, remember this
village of Lambethurst and send out the light and glory and power
of the gospel into this village. Bless the word of the Lord distributed,
grant that it may redound to the great honour glory and praise
of thy holy name, we do humbly beseech thee. And remember the
churches up and down the land, wherever thy gospel is faithfully
preached, wherever thy servants stand, that may thy spirit be
poured forth. May there be a turning unto thee.
May we see the fulfilling of the precious promises. I will
bring thy sons from far and thy daughters from the ends of the
earth. and they shall come from the north and the south and the
east and the west. Gracious God, let us see thy
power and thy glory as thou usest to be in the sanctuary. Remember
all thy servants as they labour in word and doctrine today upon
the walls of Zion. Set them free, set them at liberty. We do humbly beseech thee and
graciously remember thy people for good. And we pray, that thou,
the great Lord of the harvest, would send true labourers into
the harvest, and would build the walls of Jerusalem, that
we may see the fulfilling of that precious word, for I am
returned unto Jerusalem with mercies. O Lord, we do pray that
thou wouldst graciously remember those that have the rule over
us, that they always give wisdom and guidance. We're exhorted,
O Lord, to pray for all in authority over us. We pray for our king,
the royal household, that thy rich blessing may be there. We
pray for our government, that guidance and direction may be
given, and that we may live a quiet and a peaceable life. We pray,
O Lord, for those, especially from among us as a group of churches,
that Labour in other countries in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Remember the Mombasa mission and that work that they're doing
in Kenya and grant that they may see yet mighty signs and
wonders to follow the preaching of the word. And remember, oh
Lord, the Savannah Education Trust and that great work that
they are doing in Ghana. Oh, gracious God, do bless their
endeavors so it may redound to the great honor glory and praise
of thy holy name. And O Lord God, we do pray that
thou would remember thy servant Ian Sadler as he labours in so
many different places in the earth to supply all his needs
and do send out thy light and thy truth and return in thy power
and in thy glory as thou usest to be. O Lord, we do beseech
thee We pray, most gracious Lord, that thou wouldst come and touch
one's lips with a live coal from off the heavenly altar, and that
the word preached may be in power in the Holy Ghost, and with much
assurance, we ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 39. The tune is Nativity 192. Come ye redeemed of the Lord,
your grateful tribute bring, and celebrate with one accord
the birthday of our King. Hymn number 39. O grateful tribute we O break the table and set it
free. Amen. Take the right of the road. Take the right of the road. The door of infatuation The door
of infatuation ? Patients are prepared to sing
the hymn ? ? Let knowledge be restored ? ? Let knowledge be
restored ? Where Jesus Christ is born, Where
Jesus Christ is born, ? To the glory of the Father, and
to the glory of the Son ? ? And to the glory of the Father, and
to the glory of the Son ? ? And praise where Christ is laid
? ? And praise where Christ is laid ? ? Blessed are those who
follow his way ? The Maker of this place. The
Maker of this place. The Maker of this place. O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the
bombs bursting in air, ? Had room undone for thee ? ?
Had room undone for thee ? ? For thee ? ? Had room undone for
thee ? ? God has changed the way for those
on the right ? ? In God the angels prayed ? ? In my heart I have
believed ? ? Till heav'n is gone ? ? And angels
cry ? ? We launch him with a gleam ? ? We launch him with a gleam
? ? As the day of the Lord's birth
appears ? ? And as the earth and the sea and the sky appear
? ? Lord of heaven and earth ? ? Lord of heaven and earth
? ? Let our hearts be glad ? ? Let
our hearts be glad ? Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the fourth
chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. And we'll read verse 30 for our
text. the Acts of the Apostles, chapter
4, verse 30. By stretching forth thine hand
to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of the
Holy Child Jesus. It was in particular that expression
here, the latter part of the verse, that rested upon my spirit
to bring before you today by the name of the Holy Child, Jesus. And twice in this chapter, the
Lord Jesus is referred to as the Holy Child, Jesus. And the emphasis of course is
holy. It's probably something that
we don't normally dwell on too much. But it is a vital doctrine of
our most holy faith. The thing that we don't dwell
on is this, that Christ is the only holy child ever born into
this world. Adam and Eve were created by
God and then they fell and so all their seed is died and tainted
with sin. In sin did our mother conceive
us. That doesn't mean to say it was
a sinful act, but we are tainted and died by the sin of Adam. And the word of God is very clear,
as in Adam all die. This fundamental doctrine of
our most holy faith, it's very important. The Apostle, he says we're born
in sin, we're shapen in iniquity. How true that is. How often do
we think about it? And that point that I often make,
we sin because we're sinners. That's the natural propensity
of our hearts. is towards sin, towards unrighteousness. That's in our nature. Sin is
at the root of all the evil that we see in the world. One hymn writer says, doesn't
he, concerning the sin of Adam, the seeds of evil once brought
in, increased and filled the world with sin. How true that
is. So may that be the first point
that fixes itself in our minds today. We're born in sin, we're
shapen in iniquity, we're unclean and we're unrighteous altogether
and therefore the God of heaven has appointed a day when he will
judge the world in righteousness. We must all appear at the judgment
seat of Jesus Christ. And as the Word of God makes
very clear, we must answer for our life. And the Word of God
makes very clear that we need to be born again. Except a man be born of water
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Because we're dead in trespasses and in sins. And it's only as
we're born again by the Holy Ghost that we can then dwell
and understand spiritual things. The Word of God again is clear.
The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God.
They are foolishness unto him. How many of you in this chapel
this morning, when you hear the preacher preaching, you say,
well, it's foolishness. It isn't, my beloved friends,
it's truth. It's truth. We all have sins. and come short of the glory of
God. And we need a savior. And there's
that wonderful word in the angel speaking to Joseph in the first
chapter of Matthew. And he shall call his name Jesus,
for he shall save his people from their sins. That's what
Christ came into the world to do, and that's the meaning of
the name Jesus. He shall save his people from
their sins. Christ, the meaning of it is
the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Anointed Saviour, the Anointed
Redeemer. But then, as we read in Luke's
Gospel, chapter 1, the angel speaking unto Mary, and some
very fundamental precious truths are told us concerning the virgin
birth of Christ. Now, why did there have to be
a virgin birth? Mary, she said, how shall this
be? She says in verse 34, then said
Mary unto the air, how shall this be? See, I know not a man.
How can I have a child when I know not a man? This was prophesied of course
in Isaiah chapter 7, a virgin shall be with child. In Jeremiah it says, who has
heard such a thing? Who has seen such a thing? It is something, what we celebrate
on Christmas Day is something that is so absolutely wonderful
and profound. It's beyond our comprehension.
that the eternal God was made flesh. But in Luke we are given
a little insight of how this was done. The Lord opens to us
a little in his word of how this was done. Now you might again
question, especially in your minds, why was the need of a
virgin birth? Because you and I, born by natural
generation, are born in sin. If Christ had been born by natural
generation, his human nature would have been sinful. That's why it says in our text,
the holy child Jesus, the only holy child that has ever been. So what does it say here in what
we read together when the angel was speaking to Mary? The angel came upon her, verse
28, in unto her and said, Hail thou that art highly favoured.
The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women. And obviously, this was something
remarkable in itself. And when she saw him, she was
troubled at his saying and cast in her mind what manner of salutation
this should be. And the angel said unto her,
Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found faith with God, and behold,
thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt
call his name Jesus. He shall be great and shall be
called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give unto
him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over
the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there shall be
no end. So this holy child would be a
king. It reminds me of those lovely
words of the Apostle Paul when he writes to his son Timothy
in the faith and he speaks to Timothy of his own call by grace,
how the Lord stopped him on the road to Damascus and turned him
and gave him real repentance Godly sorrow for his sin and
faith in Jesus Christ, the very name that he persecuted. And
on the remembrance of that, the Apostle, he says, now unto the
King Eternal, immortal and invisible, the only true God, be honor and
glory everlasting. Amen. The King Eternal. And that is who we're reading
of here, the King Eternal. The Lord promised unto David,
it's written twice in the book of Psalms, how of his seed there
should be a king and he would be an eternal king. And he would
take the throne of David forever. And of course it's a prophecy
concerning the birth of Jesus Christ. And he would be that
king. And so the angel, he says here
to her, he shall be great and shall be called the son of the
highest and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his
father David and it shall reign over the house of Jacob forever. And of his kingdom there shall
be no end. This kingdom, this eternal kingdom
of our Lord Jesus Christ. My dear beloved friends, we've
already said it, I'll repeat it. You cannot enter into this
kingdom unless you have been born again of the Holy Ghost. I repeat the words of Jesus,
except a man be born of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of
heaven. That's this glorious kingdom.
It's a kingdom of peace. It's a kingdom of eternal salvation. It's a kingdom of eternal deliverance
from sin and Satan's power. An eternal kingdom. and an Almighty
King. He's the Prince in the Book of
the Revelation. Christ is called the Prince of
the Kings of the Earth. He's the Prince of the Kings
of the Earth. He shall be great and shall be
called the Son of the Highest. He's the Eternal Son of the Eternal
God. And then it says in verse 35,
And the angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost shall
come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow
thee. Therefore also that holy thing,
that's the important point here, that holy thing, which shall
be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God. You know, friends,
I know it's a great deep. We do not see two persons in
Christ. You might say to me, what do
you mean? We see two natures. A divine nature and a human nature. And the divine person of the
Son of God in the womb of the Virgin assumed human nature. That human nature that the Son
of God assumed was pure and it was holy. Hence it says here,
that holy thing. We see the person of the Son
of God assuming human nature, becoming bone of our bone and
flesh of our flesh. And that's what we seek to remember
today. This profound mystery of godliness,
of God manifest in the flesh, therefore also that holy thing
which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Now, the Son of God assumed that
human nature, and that bond of union between the divine and
the human has never been dissolved, and it never will be dissolved.
That union between the divine and the human in the person of
the Son of God, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, is eternal union. It will never be dissolved. He's
now in heaven. Joseph Hart, in that lovely hymn,
a man there is, a real man. He's enthroned in glory. He's
sitting at the right hand of the Father. And as the Apostle
Paul, he says in the Hebrews, for such an high priest have
we, who is passed into the heavens. Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus, the Son of God. an advocate,
a redeemer. I love those words. I often quote
them. In Timothy, there is one God
and one mediator between God and man, the man. Notice the
emphasis, the man, Christ Jesus. He's the glorious mediator, the
eternal son of the father that was manifest in the flesh. You
know the Apostle Paul in the Epistle to the Hebrews, he lays
a great emphasis and he says about the birth of our Lord Jesus
Christ and that sacred union between the human and the divine,
he speaks of it in the second chapter of the Hebrews. He first speaks of man, and he's
quoting from the Psalm 8, verse 7 in Hebrews 2. Thou madest him
a little lower than the angels. You might say, what does that
mean? Well, we have God, who is that pure, infinite, eternal
spirit, from everlasting to everlasting, unchangeable, almighty, omniscient,
omnipresent, in all places at all times. He's that eternal
God who lives in one eternal now. God is a spirit and they that
worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. And then
we have created angels. See, God is an uncreated spirit.
He always has been and always will be. He created all things. And then we have the angels which
are spirits. And as he says here in the Hebrews,
they are sent to minister to those that shall be the heirs
of salvation. That's what the angels do. But
then we have man. Now man is separated from all
the beasts of the earth in that he has a soul. He has a spiritual
part and he has a physical part, his physical body. If you look
into the book of Genesis, you'll see very clearly there how God
formed the body of man out of the dust of the earth. And then
we read this, and God breathed into man the breath of life,
and man became a living soul. That is what constitutes human
nature, a body and a soul. And that is what distinguished
us from the beast of the earth. We are made in the image of God.
The seat of our reason is our soul. That's why it's often termed
a reasonable soul. Because that is where our reason
dwells. We're different to the beasts
of the earth. We're made in the image of God. And we're made
a little lower than the angels because we are part spirit and
part physical. And that's the meaning of the
term. They made us a little lower than the angels Thou crownest
him with glory and honor, that's Adam, and did set him over the
works of thine hands. But then if you look on, it goes
on in verse 9 in Hebrews 2, but we see Jesus who was made a little
lower than the angels for the suffering of death. That was
the purpose of Christ coming to this earth, for the suffering
of death. And he says we see him crowned
with glory and honor that he by the grace of God should taste
death for every man. Then he speaks of his divinity,
he says, for it became him for whom are all things and by whom
are all things in bringing many sons unto glory to make the captain
of their salvation perfect through suffering. You might say, what
is perfect in suffering? In those sufferings he makes
his bride, his church, perfect. He washes her in that precious
sinotone in blood that he shed on Calvary. He lived for her
the whole of his life, as the Apostle says in Galatians, made
of a woman made under the law, that he might redeem them that
are under the law. That's what Christ has done.
He fulfilled the law. Daniel in the he says in that
beautiful saying in Daniel chapter 9 He speaks to the bringing in
of everlasting righteousness That is what Christ has done.
He's brought in everlasting righteousness for his people You see that's
what he's done he's to make perfect he You are completing him he's
speaking of the church You are complete in Him, we are accepted
in the Beloved. Christ, in Solomon's Song, Chapter
4, He says, Thou art all fair, my love. There is no spot in
thee. This is what is meant here in
the Hebrews when it speaks of the captain of their salvation,
perfect through sufferings. He's made the church perfect. He's made her pure. He's made
her holy. Now it goes on there in Hebrews
2 and he says in verse 14, for as much then as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took
part of the same. Notice the connection. He's speaking
of how he took human nature, that through death. The Son of
God in his divine nature, could not die. God cannot die. But
the Son of God, in that profound mystery of godliness, of God
manifest in the flesh, he's died. He voluntarily died. Death had
no claim on Jesus Christ, as we read here, that holy child
Jesus. He did no sin. Sin is any transgression
of the law of God. He did no sin. He had no sin
in his nature, in his human nature, and he did no sin in his life.
He lived a life that was pure and holy. That holy child, Jesus. You know, friends, you think of what a perfect child
Christ must have been. He lived in perfect obedience
to his parents. He never got angry as a child. He never sinned. That holy child, born holy, living
holy. Now we come back to this, that
Christ has fulfilled the law. Think of those well-known words
of Christ himself, I come not to destroy the law, but to fulfill
it. When he lived as a child, That
holy life, that holy child, it was fulfilling
God's commandment, honour thy father and thy mother. That's
the commandment of God. And that is what Christ has done.
And he's done it for his people. Perfectly fulfilling that holy
law, for as much then as the children are partakers of flesh
and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same. Again
notice that through death he might destroy him that had the
power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them who through
fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him
the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore, in all things it behoved
him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a
merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God,
to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that
he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour
them that are Again in the Hebrews, the Apostle
says concerning Christ, he was tempted in all points like as
we are, yet without sin. And you dear children, you young
people, just remember that our Lord Jesus Christ, he knew what
it was to be a child. He knew it by experience. He
knew what it was to be a young man, to grow up. He fully understands
everything about you. The hymn writer dwelling on that.
He says, doesn't he? Touched with the sympathy within.
And even you dear children and young people. It's true. Touched with the sympathy within.
He knows our feeble frame. He knows what sore temptations
mean. For he has felt the same. He
did as a child. He did as a young man. He knew
the same temptations. He was tempted in all points,
like as we are, yet without sin. What a precious truth and what
a fundamental truth then is this wonderful precious doctrine. And that signs and wonders may
be done by the name of the Holy Child, Jesus, the Holy Child
Jesus. So this is a name that is given
to Christ by the apostles of the Lamb, the Holy Child Jesus, the pure, the righteous one. We read in Isaiah chapter 42,
behold my servant, It's Christ that he's speaking
of. Behold my servant. The Lord Jesus, he said to his
disciples, that I come not to rule over them, but to serve.
When he, just before he was to suffer for them, he washed their
feet. He said, I'm leaving you an example
of what you're to follow. That I, your Lord and master,
am washing your feet. And he said, this is what you
are to do. This holy child Jesus, he came to serve. Behold my servant. It's the father speaking through
the prophet Isaiah. Behold my servant, mine elect. The church of God was chosen
in Christ. The church of God, the law was
fulfilled for them in Christ. When he lived as a Child as a
man here upon earth he fulfilled he honored he magnified the holy
righteous law of god Again, if we go back to isaiah 42 It says
in the latter verses of that chapter in isaiah He will magnify
the law and make it honorable this holy child jesus He magnified
the law the law that you are broken that i have broken He
made it honorable He honoured it, that's what that means, by
living according to its holy commandments. You see my beloved
friends, what an example we have. If I therefore your Lord and
Master wash your feet, you must follow this example. The Lord's servants, it is said
concerning them in the Word of God, They're not to be lords
over God's heritage, but they're to be examples unto the flock.
Just as Christ was an example to his disciples, so the Lord's
servant should seek to be an example to his own flock, his
own congregation. That, my beloved friends, is
why it's so a deeply solemn thing when a minister falls. It does
an awful lot of damage in the Church of God. a man that was
looked up to and honoured, as rightly we should. But when he
falls, then it does terrible damage in the Church of God. Oh, that the Lord might keep
us, keep us in his holy fear, by stretching forth thine hand
to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of the
Holy Child, Jesus. You see, it says here in this
portion here in the Acts, and how, just look at the verse 24,
and when they heard that, they'd heard of the chief priests and
the elders, and it says in verse 23, and being let go, they went
to their own company. You know, You dear young friends,
and those of us that are older, what is our company? When the
apostles were let go, they went to their own company. Who are
your best friends? Who are my best friends? The
word of God says the friendship of the world is enmity to God. and being let go, they went to
their own company. And they reported everything,
of course, that they'd said and threatened them with. And when
they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one
accord and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven and
earth and the sea and all that in them is, who by the mouth
of thy servant David hast said, this is a quotation from Psalm
2, Why did the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing
the kings of the earth stood up and the rulers were gathered
together? Against the lord and against
his christ They're really interpreting that psalm for us They they gather
themselves against christ and they still do and they always
will For of a truth against thy holy
child jesus see this is the place in this where again speaks so
beautifully of our Lord Jesus Christ for of a truth against
thy holy child Jesus whom thou hast anointed both Herod of course
is King Herod and Pontius Pilate the Roman governor with the Gentiles
and the people of Israel were gathered together to do Whatsoever
they saw the sovereignty of God in everything that happened,
you know Christ told them many times when he was with them that
he was going to suffer bleed and die He told them that he
would die on the third day rise again, but they couldn't receive
it We read on several occasions in the Gospels Even the disciples
they couldn't understand what he meant But now you see the
Spirit is poured out upon them. Their eyes are open. They see
so clearly for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determinedly
for to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings
and grant unto thy servants that with all boldness they may speak
thy word by stretching forth thine hand to heal. You know,
the wonderful thing, what wonderful days they must have been. And
you know, multitudes were gathered to Christ at that time. Multitudes. on the day of Pentecost, on other
occasions. There were multitudes that were
gathered and that were given real repentance and faith in
our Lord Jesus Christ. And we read of the Apostle Peter
and of the Apostle Paul that sometimes even a handkerchief
that you had would be given to someone and they would be healed.
This was the wonderful power of the Holy Ghost fell upon the
apostles and the servants of the Lord as they preached. You
know, friends, I often think of that word in Isaiah, until
the Spirit be poured upon us from on high. We long to see
a reviving in the church. We long to see an in-gathering.
We long to see a building of the walls of Jerusalem. We plead
those precious promises that God has given us. But you know,
what we have to be brought to see and to realize and to know
that that word in Isaiah, until the Spirit be poured upon us
from on high. Nothing will ever be done until
the Spirit is poured upon us from on high. That's what happened
with the Apostle when he preached at Thessalonica. And he could
say, he testified, our Gospel came unto you, not in word only,
but in power, in the Holy Ghost, and with much assurance. Isn't
that what we need today? The power of the Holy Ghost. And then, my beloved friends,
poor sinners fall in love with the holy child Jesus. That glorious
divine person of the Son of God manifest in the flesh. And that
holy, pure and spotless life that he lived as a man here upon
earth. And they see in him their law fulfilled. And that righteousness
wrought out by Christ is called in Isaiah a robe, a robe of righteousness. It covers the nakedness of a
poor sinner. The hymn writer says a royal
robe to cover thee. The holy child Jesus wrought
out that robe when he lived as a man here under the law, fulfilling,
honoring, and magnifying the precepts and the commandments
of the holy law of God. Something that you can't do,
something that I can't do. We cannot fulfill an honor and
magnify God's holy law because we're sinners. We're sinners
by our very nature. Nothing wrong with the law. The
law is holy, just, and good. in Romans 8 the Apostle tells
us why it is that the law is weak through
the flesh but the weakness is not in the law it's in our flesh
and in our inability to fulfill and honor its holy commandments
but this holy child he lived a perfect holy life in accordance
perfectly with with that holy righteous law, and he lived it
for poor sinners. He lived it for poor sinners.
Or that you might take home with you today, that thought and realization
of the purity and the holiness of the Lord Jesus Christ. In
the 33 years that he lived here upon earth, he honored. But, What my desire for you is
that by faith you might realize that He did it for you. Whether
you are young, whether you're in the midst of life, or whether
in your evening time of life, He did it for you. And that is
my desire that you might be brought to know that personally. That
Christ fulfilled the law for me. That Christ honored the law
for me. That the obedience of Christ
is my obedience. And that the sacrifice of Christ
is my sacrifice. And when we read, he laid upon
him the iniquity of us all, that we might realize that my sins
were laid on the Lamb. That when he suffered and bled
and died on the cross of Calvary, it was for my sins. He was holy,
he was pure. So death had no hold on Jesus
Christ. We die because we're sinners.
He did no sin. He was pure and holy in his birth
and pure and holy in his life. So death had no hold on him. So you might say, why did he
die then when he was so pure and so holy and so righteous? He was made sin for us. That's why. Our gracious eternal
father took the sin of the church and he laid it on his son, Jesus
Christ. That is why Jesus Christ suffered
and bled and died. Because he laid upon him the
iniquity of us all. That's why. And that's what the
true child of God desires to know. Did Jesus live Did Jesus
live and suffer and die for me? Was it for sins that I had done? He hung and suffered there. You
see, my beloved friends, this is the sacred doctrine of substitution. You know, it's one thing to be
convinced of sin under the law, and it is by the law that we're
convinced of sin. But there's something very precious
and sacred when you get a clear view that Jesus suffered and
bled and died for your sins. That you realise what is said
in Isaiah 53, he was wounded for our transgressions, he was
bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was
upon him and with his stripes we are healed. It's through the
sufferings of Christ that we're redeemed from sin and Satan's
power. And the fact that he has satisfied
the demands of divine justice in that holy sacrifice of Calvary,
and he cries out, it is finished, then on the third day he rises
again, that is the evidence that the Lord gives us that sin has
been put away. If one sin of the church had not been paid for, Christ
would have never risen from the dead. But we bless God that it
was a perfect sacrifice. It was a holy sacrifice by the
holy child Jesus, suffered and bled and died to redeem us and to deliver us from sin. and Satan's power and to rise
from the dead. As it says in the Romans, he
rose again for our justification. He justified his people. And
because of the sufferings and death and resurrection of Christ,
we're justified. Let's go back to the simple way
that dear Mr. Wood used to speak of justification. Because perhaps you younger ones,
you say what does justification mean? It's a long word, it seems
complicated. Mr. Wood used to put it so simply,
just as if I had not sinned. That's what justification means.
Our sins and iniquities, thy sins and thine iniquities will
I remember no more, just as if I had not sinned. What a wonderful
truth, but you only find it in Jesus Christ, and you find it
by faith in Jesus Christ, that your sins and your iniquities
will be remembered no more. As far as the east is from the
west, so far have I removed thy sins from thee, O Israel, and
that signs and wonders may be done by the name of the holy
child Jesus. I hope that you'll take home
from this morning's service that it may remain with you and abide
in your hearts, this holy child Jesus. And I think of those words
of Christ, to this end was I born, to suffer, to bleed and to die.
And as we celebrate the birth of Christ, let us also remember
why he was born and what he came to do and what he came to accomplish. He came to fulfill God's holy
righteous law on the behalf of his people and thereby to make
them righteous. And he came to suffer, bleed
and die in that holy sacrifice of Calvary. It had to be holy. It had to be pure. Divine justice
will only accept a pure and holy sacrifice. That's what makes
him the chiefest among 10,000. He hath redeemed his people.
He shall save his people from their sins. And that signs and
wonders may be done by the name of the Holy Child Jesus. You
know, to reach heaven, that place of eternal glory, of everlasting
happiness, the only ones that reach there are those for whom
Jesus lives. suffered and bled and died and
they are brought in this life to save in faith in Jesus Christ
because they were redeemed by the Holy Child Jesus. May the
Lord add his blessings. Let us now sing together hymn
number 41. The tune is Odeste Fidelis, 804. My God, my Creator, the heavens
did bow to ransom offenders and stooped very low. The body prepared
by the Father assumes and on the kind errand most joyfully
comes. Hymn number 41. ? And on that morning ? ? That
joyfully calming day ? ? Of wonders bestowed I came ?
? To see an angel in ancient of days ? And angels proclaiming their
strange affliction. ? Who fell in the shepherds when
Jesus was born ? ? And telling the shepherds that Jesus was
born ? O say does that star-spangled banner
yet wave For thousands more, seen in the tree-ground and in
the plain. Thy spirit rejoices, ever blissful
doth Thy soul is redeemed, salvation
is found. My soul is relieved, salvation
is nigh. Dear Jesus, my Savior, thy truth
I embrace, thy name and thy greatness and praise the perfect of Jesus
my Lord and glory in Him ? In righteousness abode ? ? And
glory in the crown's famous abode ? ? My God is risen ? ? And in glory
I'll go on ? ? When death makes the last men sway ? Take joy
in the good song of all praise to the star. ? Till there the thrill of inconceivable
come ? ? Till there the thrill of inconceivable come ? 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.