um The notices for the coming week
are God willing as follows. Mr. James Burgess will preach
here next Lord's Day at 10.30 and two o'clock. Pastor will
preach here on Tuesday evening this week at seven o'clock. And
there will be a prayer meeting on Thursday evening at seven
o'clock. The collections taken during
the November amounted to £2,748.62. Donations to the book fund were
£45. We sincerely thank you for your
continued support of this cause of truth. Let us commence our
services today by singing together hymn number 1129. The tune is
Haslingdon, 544. Jesus, we come to meet with thee,
our Lord and King, to bow before thy feet and hear thy praises
sing. Compassion on us have we pray,
and empty send us not away. Him 1129. Jesus, we come to thee. With thee, our Lord and King,
Till earth and heaven o'er thy feet And in thy praises sing. Compassion, Father, how can we
pray when empty sin does not appear? May every worldly care be banished
from our mind. May we live comfortably, ♪ And peace and calm of mind ♪
♪ Refresh us from thy worldly frame ♪ and empty swindles not away. The strength will soon decrease,
unless our souls be ♪ We feel your health and peace dear ♪
♪ And all living pray ♪ ♪ Thy gracious hand ♪ Now love is frail, and empty
strangers watch our way. May all true mothers feel that
we've exchanged our joy ♪ I'm not to them redeem ♪ ♪ And
all their fears destroy ♪ ♪ But when they need me ♪ ♪ I'm bound
still ♪ ♪ They may your tenting have no
place ♪ ♪ May all thy children prove to be true to thee ♪ ♪ His face redeeming love ♪ ♪ And
see thy smiling face ♪ ♪ So shall we go ♪ Let us read together from the
holy word of God in the Gospel according to Luke
and chapter 12. Luke's Gospel, chapter 12, and
we will read down to verse 40. In the meantime, When there were
gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch
that they trod one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples,
first of all, beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which
is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered
that shall not be revealed, neither hid that shall not be known. Therefore, whatsoever ye have
spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light. And that which
ye have spoken in the ear, in closets, shall be proclaimed
upon the housetops. And I say unto you, my friends,
be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have
no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you Whom
ye shall fear, fear him, which after he hath killed hath power
to cast into hell. Yea, I say unto you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for
two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your
head are all numbered. Fear not therefore, ye are of
more value than many sparrows. Also I say unto you, that whosoever
shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of Man also
confess before the angels of God. And he that denieth me before
men shall be denied before the angels of God. And whosoever
shall speak a word against the Son of Man it shall be forgiven
him. But unto him that blasphemeth
against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven. And when they
bring you into the synagogues and unto magistrates and powers,
take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer or what
ye shall say. For the Holy Ghost shall teach
you in the same hour what ye ought to say. And one of the
company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother that he divide
the inheritance with me. And he said unto him, Man, who
made me a judge or divider over you? And he said unto them, Take
heed, and beware of covetousness, for a man's life consisteth not
in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake
a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich
man brought forth plentifully. And he thought within himself,
saying, What shall I do? Because I have no room where
to bestow my fruits. And he said, this will I do.
I will pull down my barns and build greater. And there will
I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul,
soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years. Take thine
ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool,
this night thy soul shall be required of thee, then whose
shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he that
layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. And
he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, take no thought
for your life what you shall eat, neither for the body what
you shall put on. The life is more than meat, and
the body is more than raiment. Consider the ravens, for they
neither sow nor reap, which neither have storehouse nor barn, and
God feedeth them. How much more are ye better than
the fowls? And which of you, with taking
thought, can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not
able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for
the rest? Consider the lilies how they
grow, they toil not, They spin not, yet I say unto you that
Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
If then God so clothed the grass which is today in the field,
and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe
you, O ye of little faith? and seek not ye what ye shall
eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
For all these things do the nations of the world seek after, and
your heavenly Father knoweth the need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom
of God, and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear
not, little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to
give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms. Provide yourselves bags which
wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where
no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let your loins
be girded about, and your lights burning, and ye yourselves like
unto men that wait for their Lord, when he will return from
the wedding, that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto
him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom
the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching. Verily I say unto
you, that he shall gird himself and make them to sit down to
meet, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come
in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find
them so, blessed are those servants. But this know, that if the good
man of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he
would have watched. and not have suffered his house
to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also for
the Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye think not. 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 bow before thy great and eternal majesty. From everlasting to everlasting
thou art God. God over all and blessed forevermore,
the creator of the heavens and the earth, in whom we live and
move and have our being, we would bow before thy great majesty. Indeed, O Lord, we would humble
ourselves before thee, for we are sinners, each one of us the
fallen, sinful sons and daughters of Adam, born in sin and shaped
in iniquity. And Lord, we painfully feel it
to be so. We pray to be delivered from
our sins and from the power of sin and from the influence of
sin. Guide us, O Lord, this day into
thy word, into thy truth, that we may find that way of deliverance
from sin and from its power, in and through the glorious person
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of the eternal Father,
that was manifest in the flesh. Oh, we pray that this day, as
we gather around thy word, that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God the 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. We pray that we may be favoured
with those divine drawings of our eternal Father. For none
come except the Father draw, May we be favoured with the divine
influence and the heavenly power of the Holy Ghost, for as many
as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. May
we have, Lord, in our midst the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that we may behold his glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth, that we may behold
his glory as a man, made of a woman made under the law that he might
that he might reveal those precious things of Christ precious things
of the gospel precious things of our eternal father for through
him we have access by one spirit unto the father may we have that
access today oh lord we do beseech the We pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou wouldst graciously bless the reading of thy word
among us this morning, that it may find an abiding place in
our hearts, young and old, we do humbly beseech thee. We pray that thou wouldst bless
our dear brethren, the deacons, and give them needed grace, wisdom,
and help in their many responsibilities here and elsewhere in the church
of God. Remember each one of our brethren
and sisters in church fellowship. Help us to love each other, serve
each other, bear each other's burdens, thereby fulfilling the
law of Christ. Lord, remember all in trouble
and trial and affliction. We think of our dear aged sister
and pray that thou wilt draw near to her this day at home,
and that she may be enabled to listen to the services Hear us,
Lord, we do pray Thee, and support her in her great age. And remember, O Lord, we pray
Thee, the little ones and the children, as they're brought
into the sanctuary. Bless them with that rich grace
that is in Christ Jesus, and bless and guide them and direct
them, dearest Lord. May the fear of the Lord, which
is the beginning of wisdom, be their portion, We read of one
in Holy Scripture, but a young child in whose heart was found
some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel. May it be so with
the dear children here. We thank thee for them. That
we pray most gracious Lord, thy blessing upon our young friends
on the threshold of life's journey, launching forth, be with them,
Bless them, guide them, but above all bring them to living, vital,
saving faith in Jesus Christ, that they may be brought to know
thee and serve thee and follow thee. Remember them for good. Guide them, O thou great Jehovah. We do humbly beseech thee, and
deliver them from all evil. And we pray that it may be with
them as it was with thy servant Timothy, that from a child thou
hast known the holy scriptures that are able to make thee wise
unto salvation. Lord, we pray for the prodigals
that have wandered, that thou wouldst stretch out thy almighty
arm, that thou wouldst cause them to be in want and to return. O Lord, we do beseech thee. Hear us, we humbly pray thee,
for thy great namesake. We long for that day to see them
return. And Lord, we pray for parents
that wisdom, grace, and help may be given to bring up their
children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We pray that they'll
always be with the families and that the reading of the word
and prayer may be made in the families. for all things are
sanctified by the word of God and prayer. O gracious God, may
it be so among the families here. And may it please thee to deliver
them and us each from the temptations of Satan, whether he comes as
a roaring lion to devour, or whether he comes an angel of
light to deceive. We need thee to deliver us from
him. And thou hast promised that when
the enemy comes in like a flood, that the spirit of the Lord will
lift up a standard against him. We thank thee for the sweet promises
of thy word. And O Lord God, we do pray that
thou would remember each of us in the evening time of life's
journey, and graciously grant thy divine support and blessing
each one of us in our various pathways. Help us to continually
look to thee and to cleave to thee. Lord, remember this village. Send out the glory and light
of the gospel into this village and the surrounding villages
and hamlets, and that precious souls may be gathered into the
sanctuary and brought to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Hear us,
O Lord. We do beseech thee for thy great
namesake. And O Lord God, we do pray that
thou would remember all thy servants as they labour in word and doctrine
upon the walls of Zion today. Set them free, set them at liberty. We do humbly beseech thee, graciously
open the word and give that determination to know nothing among men, save
Jesus Christ and him crucified. And O Lord God, we do humbly
beseech thee, that thou wouldst yet send forth true labourers
into the harvest and build the walls of Jerusalem. And, O Lord
God, we do pray that thou, in thy precious mercy, wouldst remember
the little hills of Zion, up and down our nation, in the towns
and villages of our nation. O return, O Lord, we beseech
thee, and may bear thine holy arm in the gospel, that instead
of a falling away, we may see a building up. Instead of a decrease,
we may see an increase. Hear us, O Lord. We humbly beseech
thee and return to Jerusalem with mercies. And we do pray,
most gracious Lord, for our little group of churches, but a part
of thy Zion, that thou would remember us for good. and blow
with the wind of the Spirit, we do humbly beseech Thee. There
are those things, O Lord, that displease Thee. There is a great
withholding of Thy Spirit's power in our assemblies. Gracious God,
bring us to understand what it is that causes Thee to be grieved
and that we pray for real repentance and a turning again unto Thee
and a reviving. And oh Lord God, do remember
the editors of our magazines and the secretaries of our societies
and the various committees as they gather. And that we pray
most gracious Lord for our nation. We think of our political leaders
and pray that thou would give them wisdom, guidance and direction. We humbly pray that they seem
at times, oh Lord, to be utterly bereft of wisdom. We pray that
thou wouldst hear the cries of thy little remnant. Raise up
those in high places that fear thy name. And O gracious God,
we do pray that thou wouldst remember our king and all the
royal household. We do humbly beseech thee. Remember
them with the favour that thou barest unto thy people. We do
humbly beseech thee. And oh Lord, remember those in
other nations of the earth that suffer persecution. The name of Christ is hated and
thy people persecuted and imprisoned and even unto death. Do be with them and send them
help from the sanctuary and strengthen them out of Zion. Oh Lord, we
do beseech of thee. Lord, remember we do humbly beseech
thee, thy church throughout the nations of the earth. Remember
those that labor in word and doctrine, we think especially
of those that go out from us. We think of the Mombasa mission
in Kenya and pray thy blessing there. We think of the Savannah
Education Trust in Ghana and pray that thou would bless their
endeavors there. and that it may be down to the
honour, glory and praise of thy great name. Remember thy servant
Ian Sadler as he labours in Burma and India and Pakistan and Africa. Lord, help him, we do, humbly
beseech thee and strengthen him and supply all his many returning
needs. We thank thee, O Lord, for all
thy tender mercies. We thank thee for all thy goodness
that has passed before us in the We thank Thee above all for
the glories of Christ and the wonders of redeeming love and
the fullness of that salvation that He has wrought out for His
people. Oh, we do thank Thee for those beautiful words, all
power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. We do thank Thee,
Lord Jesus, our God over all and blessed forevermore. We thank
Thee that the The Lord Jesus has fulfilled and honoured and
magnified thy holy law and brought everlasting righteousness to
light for his people. Jehovah Sidkenu, the Lord our
righteousness, we thank thee for the sacred sacrifice of Calvary. And we thank Thee that sin has
been put away and divine justice has been satisfied and God and
sinners are reconciled in that glorious sacrifice. We thank
Thee for the blood of the Lamb that cleanses from all sin. We
thank Thee that He died for our sins and rose again for our justification
and has now bodily ascended into heaven and sitteth at Thy right
hand. Gracious God, Do hear us. Do have mercy upon us. Do be
with us as we turn to thy holy word. Do touch one's lips with
a live coal from off the heavenly altar. We ask with the forgiveness
of all sin, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 805 to the tune Kensington 166. I'll read the first two verses and
we'll commence singing at verse three. Of all the creatures God
has made, there is but man alone that stands in need to be arrayed
in coverings not his own. By nature, bears and bulls and
swine, with fowls of every wing, are much more warm, more safe,
more fine than man, their fallen king. Hymn 805, commencing in
at verse three. ♪ The wind before the sea ♪ ♪ The
grave before the sea ♪ ♪ The lonely light, the shaken sea
♪ ♪ That we no more must despair
♪ ♪ Exit the shadows, exit the light ♪ 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. Whose broad stripes and bright
stars through the perilous fight O'er the ramparts we watched
were so gallantly streaming? We rise to tell of the place,
your name. ♪ And honor him with righteousness
♪ ♪ Ere anus prospestis ♪ O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? ♪ Peace for all the world ♪ ♪ The
best to me ♪ ♪ Heaven and high nature know ♪ ♪ They heard our
praises ♪ ♪ The king of kings ♪ ♪ The king
of kings ♪ ♪ The king of kings ♪ ♪ The king of kings ♪ ♪ And the rockets' red glare, the
bombs bursting in air, ♪ ♪ Gave proof through the night that
our flag was still there. ♪ Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the chapter
that we read, the gospel according to Luke chapter 12, and we'll
read verse 40 for our text. Luke's gospel, chapter 12, verse
40. Be ye therefore ready also. for the Son of Man cometh at
an hour when ye think not. Be ye therefore ready also. It's that lovely little hymn
that we sometimes sing. 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. That is what it means to be made
ready, to be made ready to die. And each one of us needs to be
made ready to die in the hymn that we've just sung together,
that we need to be clothed because we're naked. We need to be washed
because we're sinful. There is a great need to be prepared. If we live and die unprepared,
we must be lost forever. According to Holy Scripture,
And these searching things that our Lord Jesus Christ speaks
here, there's a day of judgment. If we look at just at verse two,
for there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, neither
hid that shall not be made known. Therefore whatsoever ye have
spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light. and that which
ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon
the housetops. See, all things will be revealed
in that great day when Christ comes a second time without sin
unto salvation. And you see, in the context here,
the Lord Jesus, he speaks of being made ready. It says in
verse 31, but rather seek ye the kingdom of God and all these
things, that's providential things, that's the things that are needful
and necessary in life's journey, all these things shall be added
unto you. In other words, we're not to
be over-anxious about providential things. about what we're going
to eat tomorrow and how we're going to clothe ourselves. It
doesn't mean we don't need to be concerned about it. It doesn't
mean we don't need to be... and planning these sort of things. But we're not to be over-anxious
concerning it. You see, and he gives us here
some very... very solemn words he speaks.
And... It says in verse 4, I say unto
you my friends, be not afraid of them that kill the body, and
after that have no more that they can do. We would naturally be very fearful
of those that can kill the body. And if indeed those days were
to come again, it would greatly concern us. as to whether we
would stand if we would lose our life for the truth's sake.
But the Lord Jesus here, he gives us a comparison. But I will forewarn
you whom ye shall fear. Fear him which after he hath
killed hath power to cast into hell. Yea, I say unto you, fear
him. The Lord Jesus is saying we must
get things into perspective. And he speaks here concerning this perspective.
In verse eight, also I say unto you, whosoever shall confess
me before men, him shall the Son of Man also confess before
the angels of God. But he that denieth me before
men shall be denied before the angels of God. It's a very solemn
thought, and that is what he means about he's able to cast
into hell. We should fear God above all
things. We should have respect unto God
above all things. I often think of the question
in the Westminster Confession, the first question, what is the
chief end of man? And the answer is to live to
the glory of God. To live to the glory of God in
Christ. And to consider that we have
an immortal soul, that we shall live forever, either in eternal
life, and peace and salvation in Jesus Christ, or in eternal
damnation, eternal death with the devil and his angels. And
these things are very clearly and very emphatically set before
us in God's holy word, that before us, each one of us individually,
before us is either heaven or hell, either salvation or damnation. And there are two destinations
for each one of us. And it will be either of those
two. There's no midway between. We're either going to heaven
or we're going to hell. And that is the solemn and awful
reality of these things. And hence the Lord Jesus, be
ye therefore ready also for the Son of Man cometh at an hour
when ye Think not, when you think not. Oh, he gives us warnings
here, in parables that he tells us of. And he says, but one here,
look, in verse 13, and one of the company said unto him, Master,
speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
And he said unto him, man, who made me a judge or a divider
over you? And it gives us a warning. You
know, there are so many warnings. Not only in the teachings of
Christ, it's right boldly in the law of God. Thou shalt not
covet. You know, that is one of the
deep rooted sins that is in the heart of every one of us. The
apostle alludes to it when he writes to his son Timothy. The
love of money. Not money, people often quote
money without saying the love of money is the root of all evil. It's the root evil that is in
every one of our hearts. We want to get this, we want
to get that, we want to get something else, but we're always after
getting something. That is rooted in our fallen
nature, our sinful nature. And the Lord Jesus Christ here,
he warns us take heed and beware of covetousness. For a man's
life consisted not in the abundance of the things which he possesses.
You see, my beloved friends, that's how we look on things.
We as human beings, as fallen sinful men and women, what we
can get, what we can obtain, left to ourselves that will be
the chief focus of our lives. And then he speaks this parable
of those that have plenty, the ground of a certain, verse 16,
the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. And he thought within himself,
saying, what shall I do? Because I have no room where
to bestow my fruits. And he said, this will I do.
I will pull down my barns and build greater. And there will
I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul,
soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years. Take thine
ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, thou fool. Isn't this our nature? That we will get this, we will
get that, we'll get something else. And you know, friends,
with all our getting, we shall never be satisfied. We shall
never be satisfied. The more we have, the more we
want. And that is our poor, sinful, covetous nature. And we're after
this, and we're after that, and we're after something else. That
is our nature, to do that. And to take ease. As he said, soul, thou hast much
goods laid up for many years. Take thine ease. Eat, drink,
and be merry. And God, but God said unto him,
thou fool. to the natural man, that's wise. But to God, it's a fool. It's foolish. This night, thy
soul shall be required of thee. This is what he means when he
says, be ye therefore ready also, this night, thy soul shall be
required of them. Oh, my beloved friends, are you
ready? Am I ready for that great day? Pause, my soul, and ask the question,
aren't they all ready to meet God? Am I made a real Christian,
washed in the Redeemer's blood? Have I union to the church's
living head? You see, these are the vital
questions that we need to ask ourselves. Thou fool, this night
thy soul shall be required of thee. Then who shall those things
be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure
for himself, and is not rich toward God. Rich in faith, heirs
of the kingdom. Rich in faith. What a wonderful
thing. if we are indeed rich in faith. The Lord Jesus, he speaks to
his little flock in verse 32. Fear not, little flock, for it
is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell
that ye have, and give alms. Provide yourselves bags which
wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where
no thief approaches, neither moth corrupted, for where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also. He says here in verse 35, let
your loins be girded about and your lights burning. And ye yourselves
like unto men that wait for their Lord when he will return from
the wedding. Your loins girded. It makes me
think of the, the Passover that we read of in the Book of Exodus
when the children of Israel on the night of that Passover, they
were commanded to take a lamb and they were to slay the lamb
and they were to take it in the house and the blood of the lamb
was to be put onto the side posts and lintel of the doors and that
night a destroying angel was to come through the land of Egypt,
the angel of death. And my beloved friends, the angel
of death will come to you and me at some point. There is a
time to be born and there is a time to die. It's divinely
appointed of God. You are going to die. And in
that lamb, it's a beautiful type of Jesus Christ in the Passover
lamb. That they were commanded to go
into the house, shut the door, put the blood on the outside
of the door. And when that destroying angel
came through the land of Egypt on that night, he said, when
I see the blood, I will pass over you. That's why it's called
the Passover. When I see the blood, I will
pass over you. That precious blood of the Lamb,
of the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. Jesus,
his precious blood, it cleanses from all sin, it delivers from
all sin, it delivers from the power of sin, from the influence
of sin, it does. And it says in that Passover,
and there shall be no leaven in your houses, that means yeast.
To make the bread rise, they would take leavened bread. Yeast
in scripture is a type of sin. And if you put yeast in the flour
that has been mixed, it'll permeate through the whole lump. That
leaven is a type of sin. And they were to go in and roast
the lamb with fire and to eat a bone of it was not to be broken. Why? Because it so beautifully
typifies our Lord Jesus Christ. That's what the Lamb of God speaks
of. John Baptist said, behold the
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. And that
Passover Lamb is a type of Christ. When they were to look for that
Lamb and sought the Lamb out that they were going to offer,
it had to be without blemish. There was to be no disease, no
blindness, no lameness. It was to be without blemish.
Why was it to be without blemish? Because it typifies Jesus Christ,
who himself was without blemish. He was born sinless, he lived
sinless. Jesus, the Son of God, the Holy
One of Israel, who did no sin, neither was guile found in his
mouth. That is why that lamb And it was very important. It
says in Malachi that they used to bring diseased or blind or
lame. And it's abomination unto the
Lord. Why? Because of what that sacrifice
represents. It represents the pure, the holy
sacrifice of Jesus Christ that was without sin. It was without
sin. Now the other thing that when
they were to eat the Passover, with your loins girded, with
your shoes on your feet, with your staff in your hand. Why? Why was that so important? Because
they're pilgrims. And the word of God says to us,
this is not your rest, this world is not your rest, it is polluted.
You're to live as pilgrims here below. Not as though this is
your home. It said of Abraham, because he
sought a city, a city that hath foundations, whose builder and
maker is God. This is not your rest. And we're
to have our loins girded, our shoes on our feet, our staff
in our hand. You see, it's the Lord's parcel,
and we are passing through this world. And we hope we're passing
through to a better world. We have a better hope, a better
kingdom. This world is full of sin and
woe and grief and toil and unhappiness. And that world which is to come,
it is the place of eternal rest and eternal peace in and through
our precious saviour, Jesus Christ fear not little flock for it
is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom which
a look of What we're going to gain in the future world And
he says in verse 33 sell that you have and give arms Provide
yourselves bags which wax not old a treasure in the heavens
that faileth not where no thief approaches neither moth corrupted
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Oh, my dear beloved friends,
may these words sink deep into our hearts. Let your loins be
girded about and your lights burning. And ye yourselves like
unto men that wait for their Lord when he shall return from
the wedding. that when he cometh and knocketh,
they may open unto him immediately. Be ye therefore ready. What does it mean to be made
ready? What is it to be made ready? To be prepared for our death, for eternity,
for the day of judgment. We need to be prepared. Heaven
is a prepared place for a prepared people. Hell is a prepared place
for an unprepared people. My dear beloved friends, you
dear young friends, may these things sink deep into your hearts
that you might be seeking to be made ready for that great
day. We know not how soon our death
will be. We know not how soon we will
launch from time into eternity. But it will come. It says in
Hebrews chapter nine, as it is appointed unto man once to die,
so after death, the judgment. Once to die, after death, the
judgment. We've sung in that lovely hymn
of Joseph Hart, of the need to cover our nakedness. I like the
way Joseph Hart opens that particular point, it is but man alone in
creation that needs garments to cover himself. The animals
all have their fur and their skins, etc., naturally to keep
warm, but man, he needs to clothe himself. He needs a covering, naturally
speaking. And how true that is, spiritually
speaking, even more so, the vital need of a covering. You might
say, why do I need to be covered? Because you're naked. through the fall of man. We read
that when Adam and Eve fell, and one of the first thing that
is said, and they knew that they were naked. They knew that they
were naked. Do you know that you're naked? Do you know that you're unclean?
Do you know that you're unrighteous? You know, friends, when and this
is what it is to be prepared when the holy spirit enters into
the heart and quickens the soul the lord jesus said didn't he
you must be born again except a man be born of water and of
the spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven if you desire
to go to this heavenly kingdom you must be prepared You must
be made ready. Hence the warning here, be ye
therefore ready also for the Son of Man cometh at an hour
when ye think not. You know, this is emphasized
right throughout the New Testament. An hour when ye think not. The
end of the world will come suddenly. The second coming of Christ will
be suddenly. I don't know how many times,
but numerous times in the New Testament that that hour will
come as a thief in the night. It says it again and again and
again to warn you and I that suddenly the hour will come when
we shall die. And after death, the judgment.
and we need to be made ready. When the Holy Spirit quickens
a soul and shows them their lost condition, shows them their sinful
condition, shows them their helpless condition, maybe it's like what
the hymn writer says, an aching void, this is in your heart,
an aching void that the world can never fill. What a mercy
if you do have an aching void. And you cannot find any satisfaction. There is one place where you
will find satisfaction. It's in the glorious person of
our Lord Jesus Christ. It's by faith in him. As the
apostle said to the Philippian jailer, believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and thou shalt be saved. You see, he that believeth. But
how then can we know this true believing? It's by the divine
influence and power of the Holy Spirit in the heart. Not only
bringing us to a knowledge of ourselves, of our need, of being
prepared, but also to bring us to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. The knowledge of Jesus Christ.
And the Holy Spirit will put such spiritual exercises into
your heart, like the Apostle Paul speaks, that I may know
him. And maybe that is the cry of your heart, that I may know
him. You feel your need of Christ. You feel your need of salvation.
You feel your need of redemption. You feel your need of being reconciled
to God. It's like the dove that was let
go from the ark. It found no rest for the sole
of its foot. What a mercy if you're like that
in this world. You can find no rest for the
sole of your foot. The only place the ark was in
the ark and the dove returned to the ark. That ark is a beautiful
type of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was the place of refuge, a
place of safety, the place of deliverance from that great deluge
that came upon the earth. It was a resting place, a hiding
place. A refuge for sinners the Gospel
makes known. It is found in the merits of
Jesus alone. The weary, the tempted, the burdened
by sin were never exempted from entering therein. Sinners can
say, and none but they, how precious is the Saviour. Be ye therefore
ready also. He says here in this context,
and ye yourselves, verse 36, and ye yourselves, like unto
men that wait for their Lord, when he will return from the
wedding, that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto
him immediately. In other words, they're ready,
they open to him immediately. You know, the Lord Jesus, his
teachings. I remember my late brother Timothy,
how often he used to say to me about the teachings of Christ. He used to say, they are so searching,
so separating. And they are. They are, they're
searching and separating. We read in Matthew chapter 25,
again, a parable. by our Lord Jesus Christ. Then
shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins which
took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. This
is what we have in the context of our text. But listen to what
he said. Five of them were wise and five
were foolish. They all went forth to meet the
bridegroom. Five were wise and five were
foolish. I always feel that in these 10
virgins, it represents the professing church of Christ on earth, which
is always represented as being a mixed body. You think of the
power of the tares among the wheat. What does it teach us? That there will be tares. And
what did Christ say? Let them both grow together until
the harvest. They said, shall we go and pluck
out those tares? No, let them both grow together
until the harvest. So these wise virgins were those
that had grace in their hearts, that they'd been born again by
the Holy Ghost, they'd been brought to saving faith in Jesus Christ. They had oil in their lamps. Do you have oil in your lamp?
It's a vital thing. Oil represents grace. It represents
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. It says here, five of them were
wise, five were foolish. They that were foolish took their
lamps and took no oil with them. They had no grace. They professed
to have grace, but they didn't have grace. but the wise took oil in their
vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried,
listen to this, they all slumbered and slept, both the wise and
the foolish. And at midnight there was a cry
made, and again, this is the teaching right throughout scripture,
you see, a cry made at midnight. Suddenly, like a thief in the
night, Behold, the bridegroom cometh, the bridegroom is Christ.
Go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose
and trimmed their lamps. They all arose, they all trimmed
their lamps, and as it says to start with, they all went out
to meet him. And the foolish said unto the
wise, give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. They didn't have grace in their
hearts. They professed Christ. They professed to be followers
of him, but they had no grace. Be ye also ready. Be ye also
ready. Are you and I ready for the second
coming of Jesus Christ? Then all those virgins arose
and trimmed their lamps, And the foolish said unto the wise,
Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. But the wise
answered, saying, 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. You see, those foolish virgins
were not ready. They were not ready. Are you
ready? Am I ready? This is the vital
point. And they that were ready went
in with him to the marriage and the door was shut. They that were ready. Oh, my
dear beloved friends, may it exercise each one of our hearts. Afterward came also the other
virgins saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said,
Verily I say unto you, I know you not. You see, the foundation
of God standeth sure, having this seal upon it, the Lord knoweth
them that are his. And he said to these foolish
virgins, I know you not. They professed to know him, they
professed to follow him. They made a profession in his
name. But he said unto them, I know you not. And here the
solemn warning. Watch, therefore, for you know
neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh. You know of neither the day nor
the hour. Oh, my dear beloved friends,
may it be our chief concern to be made ready. You know, I've
often told you of the story of George Whitefield. Somebody asked
him about He always was very particular when he went to bed
that he put everything in order, his scarf and his gloves, and
everything was all set in order. And somebody asked him why he
was so particular about that. And his answer was, that I might
be ready when my Lord cometh. It just shows you the bent of
his mind. He was always thinking of the
time when his Lord would come. that he would be ready and waiting.
And this is the very thing that the Lord Jesus Christ says. Blessed
are those servants whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching. Verily I say unto you, that he
shall gird himself and make them to sit down to meet, and will
come forth and serve them. They're made ready, they're prepared. and if he come in the second
watch or come in the third watch and find them so blessed are
those servants then we have this solemn warning and this know
that if the good man of the house had known what hour the thief
would come he would have watched and not have suffered his house
to be broken through be ye therefore ready also for the Son of Man
cometh at an hour when ye think not. You know, we can understand
it. There's a lot of people speculating
at the moment how soon the coming of Christ will be. And it isn't
surprising, is it, when we see the evil and the wickedness that
abounds more and more in the earth. And are these not the
signs of the second coming of Christ? And sometimes it appears
to be imminent And it may be so we don't know no one knows
The day nor the hour when he will come but my father which
is in heaven He's the only one that knows when that will be
but the great thing is is that we personally may be ready Ready
when your Lord cometh ready when Christ appeareth made ready quickened
by the Holy Ghost, brought to a knowledge of yourself and brought
to a knowledge of Jesus Christ as the only Saviour of sinners,
and brought to follow Him and serve Him in your day and in
your generation, to be made ready, to be made a true follower of
our Lord Jesus Christ, to serve Him in our day and in our generation. Be ye therefore ready also for
the Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye think not. Doesn't the Apostle Peter so
solemnly in his second epistle, he speaks there in the third
chapter of the vital need of being ready for this great day.
And he says, Beloved, I now write unto you, in both which I stir
up your pure minds by way of remembrance, that you may be
mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets
and the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Saviour,
knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers
walking after their own lusts. Well, we see that so clearly,
don't we? And saying, 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. But notice this, for this they
willingly are ignorant of. They're willingly ignorant of
these things. That by the word of God, the heavens were of old
and the earth standing out of the water and in water, whereby
the world that then was being overflowed with water perished.
They're willingly ignorant of these things. We hear scientists
speaking today, there's no evidence of the flood. This world has
evolved and it's been here for billions of years and it'll be
here for billions of years to come. They are willingly ignorant. They would rather believe a lie
than to believe the truth that is set out in the Word of God.
But the heavens and the earth, which are now by the same word
are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment
and perdition of ungodly men. 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. You must think, and I often think
of it and have read it, that some of the godly Puritans, and
we can understand why they thought it, that the Puritans were a
very, very persecuted minority in the day in which they lived.
They had all their properties confiscated often. They suffered
great hardship and persecution. And there was a number of them
that felt that the second coming of Christ was imminent because
of the wickedness in the world at that time. But here we are
400 years on and it still isn't the end of the world. But what we have here, 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. The Lord is
not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness,
but is longsuffering to usward. What do you mean by that, to
usward? He means the church of God. He means the believers in
Jesus Christ. He's longsuffering to usward,
not willing that any should perish. course the Arminian and and what
we call pseudo Calvinist would interpret that as mean not willing
that any should perish but what he's speaking of is the church
the elect of God is not willing that any should perish all that
the father of chosen and given to the Son. The Son is redeemed
and is not willing that any of them should perish. And the only
reason that this world remains is because there is yet precious
souls to be gathered into that eternal covenant who have been
redeemed by Jesus Christ. And that is the meaning of those
words, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come
to repentance. But the day of the Lord will
come as a thief in the night in which the heaven shall pass
away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat the earth also and the works therein shall be burned up seeing
then that all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons
ought you to be in all holy conversation and
godliness looking for are we Do we often live as though this
world is our rest? We're so comfortable here. Or
that the Lord would truly stir us up, 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, according to
his promise, look for a new heavens and a new earth. wherein dwelleth
righteousness, a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth
righteousness, a city that hath foundations, whose builder and
maker is God. Oh, that it may indeed stir us
up when we stop to consider these things, be ye therefore ready
also For the Son of Man cometh an hour when ye think not. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together Hymn
number 1085, the tune is Blissful Home 302. Hence, vain intruding world,
depart. No more allure nor vex my heart. Let every vanity be gone. I would
be peaceful and alone. Hymn 1085 Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet I will be peaceful all the night. Let me sit down in my own spot. ♪ And thy Israel stay to come ♪
♪ Mercy, great angel, protect us ♪ ♪ And call my blood to drink
♪ ♪ Of action's woe ♪ ♪ Eternity ♪ ♪ Tremendous power
♪ ♪ To guilty souls ♪ Gentle moon, Flutter with light and
heavenly light. How sweet the accent, how divine! Be this, my great one, a lovely
pair, I keep the supine down and tread. An interest in the saviour's
blood. May pardon, save, and peace with
God. Search, Lord, oh, search my inmost
heart, And light, and hope, and joy in heart. No guilt and error
set me free. 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.