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, also on Thursday evening at seven
o'clock. There'll be a prayer meeting
here on Tuesday evening at seven o'clock. Let us commence our services
today by singing together hymn number 481, to the tune David's Heart, 321. Descend from heaven, immortal
dove, stoop down and take us on thy wing. and mount and bear
us far above the reach of these inferior things. Hymn 481. ? I shall from themselves come down ? ? Still down and Take us on thy wings And count
and bear us nigh The breach of day is inferior
to this. Beyond, beyond this hollow sky
And where eternal ages frown, Where solid pleasures melt and
die, ? And purge the mortal ? ? Jesus'
soul ? ? Thou for the sight ? ? The pleasing sight ? O'er the eternal
Godhead throne, There sits the Saviour crowned in white. Loved in a body like a home. Adoring saints around his time, And threads and passage for him
from, That just shines gracious strength, ? And shed sweet glories ? ? For
them both ? ? O God, the days ? ? In joys they
fill ? Bow to their golden flocks they sing And sit on every, every
wheel and spread the triumphs of their
King. Then shall the day, dear Lord,
appear, that I shall mount a gale above, and stand and bow her
arms and lips, Let us read together from the
holy word of God in the book of the revelation and chapter
21. The Revelation, chapter 21. And I saw a new heaven and a
new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed
away, and there was no more sea. And I, John, saw the holy city,
new Jerusalem, coming down from God, out of heaven, prepared
as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out
of heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people,
and God himself shall be with them and be their God. And God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, And there shall be
no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there
be any more pain, for the former things are passed away. And he
that sat upon the throne said, behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, write, for
these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, it is done.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to him
that is a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit
all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful and unbelieving
and the abominable murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers
and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death and
there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven
vials full of the seven last plagues and talked with me saying
come hither I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the
Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city,
the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. Having
the glory of God, and her light was like unto a stone most precious,
even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal, and had a wall great
and high, and had 12 gates, and at the gates 12 angels, and names
written thereon, which are the names of the 12 tribes of the
children of Israel. On the east, three gates. On
the north, three gates. On the south, three gates. and
on the west three greats. And the wall of the city had
twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles
of the Lamb. And he that talked with me had
a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof,
and the wall thereof. The city lieth four square, and
the length is as large as the breadth, and he measured the
city with a reed 12,000 furlongs. The length and the breadth and
the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof
140 and 4 cubits according to the measure of man that is of
the angel. And the building of the wall
of it was of jasper and the city was pure gold, like unto clear
glass, and the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished
with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper,
the second sapphire, the third a chalcedony, the fourth an emerald,
the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite,
the eighth a beryl, the ninth a topaz, the tenth a chrysoprasus,
the eleventh a jacinth, the twelfth an amethyst. And the twelve gates
were twelve pearls, every several gate was of one pearl, and the
street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
And I saw no temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty and
the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the
sun, neither of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God did
lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations
of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it, and
the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it,
and the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day for there
shall be no night there and they shall bring the glory and honor
of the nations into it and there shall in no wise enter into it
anything that defileth neither whatsoever worketh abomination
or maketh a lie but they which are written in the lamb's book
of life May the Lord bless that portion of his most precious
word and grant unto us a spirit of real prayer. Almighty, eternal, ever-living
God, from everlasting to everlasting thou art God, we desire to come
to bow before thy great majesty. Thou art in heaven and we upon
earth. Thy word exhorts us, therefore let thy words be few. For in
the multitude of words there wanteth not iniquity. Lord, we
solemnly cannot come in our own name. We are born in sin, we
are shaped in iniquity, that we are unclean and unrighteous
altogether. And from the crown of our head,
to the sole of our foot, wounds and bruises and putrefying sores,
there is no soundness in my flesh. Prone to wander, Lord, we feel
it. O most gracious Lord, deliver
us from wandering from Thee. Deliver us from the mountains
of error. Deliver us from all unrighteousness. Deliver us from
the temptations of Satan. deliver us from the power and
dominion of sin. And though sin lives in us, may
we not live in sin, but may we live to him that died. May we
be surrendered to the crucified one. May we be followers of the
Lamb and of those who through faith and patience inherit the
promises. And this day, may the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God our Father and the
sacred fellowship of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us. Oh, we pray that we may be led
of the Spirit of God, for as many as are led by the Spirit
of God, they are the sons of God. Oh, we do pray, most gracious
Lord, that we may have that witness of thy Spirit with our spirit
this day, that we are indeed the children of God, that we
have a heavenly Father, that we have an almighty Saviour.
O most gracious Lord, we do pray that the Gospel of Jesus Christ
may be made exceedingly precious unto our souls today, and that
his grace may fill our hearts, that we may truly worship in
thy holy hill of Zion. I have loved the habitation of
thy house and the place where thine Honoured dwelleth, and
we can truly say, how amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of
hosts. My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth
for the courts of the Lord. Gracious God, do be gracious
unto us then. We can do nothing without thee.
We cannot truly worship thee. But without thy heavenly power,
O Lord, no sweets the gospel can afford. No drops of heavenly
love will fall. All that we might know, that
divine anointing of the Spirit, and that divine power of our
eternal Father drawing us into spiritual things. For none come
except the Father draw. Come and reveal the glories of
Christ unto our souls. O Lord, we do beseech Thee, the
wonders of redeeming love, the glories of that eternal kingdom,
ordered in all things and sure. or that everlasting covenant. Gracious God, come and open something
of the secrets of that covenant, of that city that is yet to come,
whose builder and maker is God. Come and grant that we might
know the sweet reality of those words. Let not your heart be
troubled. You believe in God, believe also
in me. In my father's house are many
mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to
prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare a place for
you, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I
am there you may be also. And Lord, we read of the spouse
in the Psalm 45, and they shall enter into the King's Palace. Gracious God, all we do pray
that thou would come and open thy word to our heart, to our
understanding, even this day as we gather round thy word.
Bless us as a church and as a congregation. Remember our brethren the deacons
and give needed grace, wisdom and help in all their responsibilities. Remember, Lord, each one of our
brethren and sisters in church fellowship and grant thy blessing,
we do humbly beseech thee, especially remember dear Jacob and Inika
in Holland, and graciously bless them even this day. And Lord,
we pray that thou wouldst look upon the whole of our congregation,
each one present, and then there are those not present, and we
pray for each one, most gracious Lord, that thou wouldst have
mercy upon them, and that thou wouldst enlighten revive and
renew and replenish. Where there is death, give life.
Where there is blindness, open their eyes. Where there is deafness,
open their ears. Lord Jesus, thou art able to
do these things. Where, Lord, there is that sense
of being far off, make them nigh. Where there is darkness, give
them light. Where there is bondage, give
them liberty. O gracious God, work mightily,
work powerfully. Work effectually among us, to
the great glory of thy name. We do humbly beseech of thee. But we pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou wouldst bless the little ones and the children as they
come into the sanctuary. Bless them indeed. Bless them
with that rich grace that is in Christ Jesus. Bless them,
O Lord, with guidance and direction. Bless them with understanding.
Remember, the dear young friends, each one of them, oh graciously
bless them, we do humbly beseech them, and bring to living faith
in Jesus Christ, guide and direct them in all matters, and graciously
undertake for them. And as it's often said, oh Lord,
in the slippery paths of youth, we pray that thou would be gracious
unto them, for thy great namesake. We pray that most gracious Lord
that there was here prayer for the prodigals, that thy almighty
power may be seen, that they may return into the sanctuary
and that they may come and testify of the wonders of redeeming love
and the preciousness of Jesus Christ and that fullness of his
salvation. Oh gracious God, incline thine
ear. We do humbly beseech you, remember
this village. Send out thy light and thy truth
in this village. Gather precious souls from this
village. Gather them from the surrounding
villages and hamlets. Bring our sons from far and our
daughters from the ends of the earth. O Lord of hosts, O God
of Israel, O thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth
before Ephraim. Benjamin and Manasseh, and come
and save us, O Lord. We do beseech Thee for Thy great
name's sake. We think of those wonderful promises. I will abundantly bless her provision. I will satisfy her poor with
bread. Oh, do hear us, Lord. We humbly
beseech Thee for Thy great name's sake. May we see the pulling
down of the strongholds of Satan. and the setting up of the kingdom
of the Lord Jesus in the hearts of sinners. May we see mighty
signs and wonders that shall follow the preaching of the word. O Lord, we do beseech thee. And
O Lord, we pray that thou wouldst graciously remember parents and
give them wisdom and help in the bringing up their children
in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and graciously Bless
the dear young friends in the home, and may there be a gathering
around thy word in the home. May the word of God be read and
prayer made, for Lord, all things are sanctified by the word of
God and prayer. Lord, we pray that thou wouldst
be with each one in the midst of the journey of life, and thou
knowest all the needs, the concerns, everything is known to thee.
And we would indeed lovingly commend them to thee. Deliver
us, O Lord, from Satan's power. 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. Deliver us from the allurements
of this vain world. We have a heart, Lord, that is
deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Oh, we pray
to be delivered. from its power and from its influence. We do humbly beseech thee. Deliver us from an evil heart
of unbelief. O Lord, we do beseech of thee. And we pray to be made more spiritually
minded. Our heart and our mind, our affection
set upon things above. Remember those of us in the evening
time of life's journey and knowest, Lord, the needs of each one Graciously
guide us and direct us. Remember all in the path of bereavement
and sorrow and sadness, and graciously undertake for them. O Lord, we
do beseech of Thee. And gracious God, we do pray
to be prepared for that great day when heart and flesh shall
fail, when we shall soar through tracks unknown and see Thee on
Thy judgments Prepare me, gracious God, to stand before thy face. We pray, most gracious Lord,
for thy servants, as they labour in word and doctrine upon the
walls of Zion today, grant that they may dip their foot in oil
and be made acceptable unto thee, brethren, and grant that the
Lord Jesus may be exalted and that we may be determined to
know nothing among men, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Lord, we pray that Thou, the
great Lord of the harvest, would send true labourers into the
harvest, with feet to run where Thou descend. Return to Jerusalem
with mercies, O Lord, we do beseech Thee. Remember the little hills
of Zion up and down the land, and graciously bless. Instead
of declension, may we see, O Lord, a building Oh gracious God, do
return, do make bare thine holy arm, help us to confess our sins
and our shortcomings and our heart wanderings, and graciously
give us real repentance and godly sorrow for our sin, we do humbly
beseech of thee. We pray that most gracious Lord
for those that have responsibilities among us as a group of churches,
We think of the editors of our magazines and the secretaries
of our societies, and all others that have, Lord, things to do. We pray that all things may be
done in the fear of the Lord, in accordance with thy word.
O Lord, we do beseech thee. Bless thy Zion, wherever thy
people gather, wherever thy servants stand, and remember our nation,
Give wisdom to our leaders, guidance and direction in all matters.
O Lord, we do beseech thee, bless our king and the royal household
for thy great namesake. Remember those that labour in
word and doctrine among the nations of the earth. We would especially
remember those that go forth from us. We think of thy servant,
Ian Sadler. Pray that thou wouldst graciously
be with him as he labours in so many different places among
the nations of the earth. Guard him with all sufficient
grace. Graciously supply all his returning
needs. Remember, O Lord, we do beseech
thee the Mombasa mission and grant thy rich blessing upon
them there. There may be fruit to the honor,
glory, and praise of thy great name. Remember the Savannah Education
Trust and that great work that they are doing in Ghana. O that
thy blessing, thy favour, may be upon them there, and in that
nation, and in those nations of the earth. Remember those,
O Lord, that live in those parts of the earth where the name of
Christ is hated, where thy people are persecuted, imprisoned, even
unto death. Gracious God, send them help
from the sanctuary and strengthen them out of Zion. O Lord, we
do beseech them. We thank thee for all thy tender
mercies, with their new every morning, greatest thy faithfulness. We thank thee for thy word. We
thank thee for the profound and sacred glories of Jesus Christ,
the eternal Son of the Father manifest in the flesh. Emmanuel,
God with us. Oh, we thank thee for the holy
life he lived as a man here upon earth, bringing in everlasting
righteousness for his people. We thank the most gracious Lord
for Calvary, but where sin was put away, where divine justice
was satisfied, where God and sinners are reconciled, we thank
that he died for our sins and rose again for our justification,
is now ascended into glory at thy right hand. We have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 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 479, The tune is Pastor 205. My thoughts surmount these lower
skies and look within the veil. Their springs of endless pleasure
rise. The waters never fail. Hymn 479. Oh, say can you see
by the dawn's early light What so proudly we
hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? The strings of endless night
arise, their waters never end. ? Then I may hope with stilled
eyes ? ? That a blessed dream may come ? ? And spoil the day
of my life ? ? The world's encouragement ? ?
His promise lasts forevermore ? He writes my name upon his heart. As tears he'll stop this time. High tower of grace, that nature
brings, ? And with eternal future things
? ? The present we promise thee ? ? To the celestial place ? ? Where
I forever ? ? Long to dwell ? ? Here I will be ? I, feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the book of
the Revelation and chapter 21, and read in the last clause of
verse 9. Revelation chapter 21, the last
clause of verse 9. Come hither, I will show thee
the bride, the lamb's wife. Come hither. Come over to me,
that's what he's saying. Follow me, come hither. I will
show thee the bride, the lamb's wife. We read, do we not, of
the marriage supper of the lamb. when the Church will know in
its sacred fullness what it is to be in union with the Lamb
from condemnation free. It will know it in its blessed
reality of what eternal glory is, of what everlasting peace
and salvation is. The Bride the Lamb's wife. The Lamb, of course, is our Lord
Jesus Christ. Just as John Baptist said of
Him, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of
the world. The glorious person of our Lord
Jesus Christ. The eternal Son of the eternal
Father that was manifest in the flesh. Co-equal and co-eternal
with the Father and with the Holy Ghost, and as the scriptures
declare, these three are one. One blessed, infinite, and almighty
and eternal God, whoever has been, whoever will be, as we
read in the book of Psalms, from everlasting to everlasting, thou
art God. So we have then the Lamb, the
Son of God. We have him revealed in Holy
Scripture as he walked upon this earth, the man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief. We see him as the Apostle declares
it in the Galatians, that he was made of a woman made under
the law, that he might redeem them that are under the law. The Lamb of God. the glorious
person of God manifests in the flesh. And of course, the significance
of that term, the Lamb of God, right through the Levitical dispensation,
there was a lamb slain every day. And at once a year, that special
occasion on the Day of Atonement, the blood was shed. That Passover
lamb, Once a year, the blood was shared. They took the blood
in a basin and they painted it on the side posts and the lintel
of their doors and they went inside and they ate the lamb
roast with fire. And the destroying angel came
through the land of Egypt that night. Hence the name, the Passover. When I see the blood, I will
pass over See, shoutering beneath the blood,
the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, that cleanseth us from all
sin, cleanseth us from all sin. My mind just goes to that beautiful
word that the Apostle Peter in the first chapter of his first
epistle, and he says there, verse 18 for as much as you know that
you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from
your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers
but with the precious blood of christ as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot who verily was foreordained before the foundation
of the world but was manifest in these last times for you who
by him do believe in God, that raised him from the dead and
gave him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God. Behold
the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. Emmanuel, that is a beautiful
scriptural term, name given to Christ, Which actually means
God with us. And that is what Christ is, Emmanuel. God with us. God manifest in
the flesh. Made under the law. What condescension? He that was the giver of the
law was made under the law. So that he might redeem his people
that were under the law. And he might live a life that
was holy and pure and righteous, consistent, perfectly consistent
with that holy law, and thereby honoring and magnifying the holy
law of God. That's what he has done. That's
what Christ has done. And in magnifying and honoring
and fulfilling, think of those words of Christ. I often quote
them to you. Very instructive words. I come
not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. And that is exactly
what Christ has done. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness unto all them that believe. The center, the
sum, and the substance of the Christian hope is Jesus Christ
and Him crucified. That's the sum and substance
of our hope. And the question of the believer,
was he crucified for me? Did he die for me? Were my sins
laid upon him? That's what you want to know.
Was he wounded for my transgressions? Was he bruised for my iniquities?
Was the chastisement of my peace upon him? You see, that's what
you want to know. You want to feel it. The precious
sacrifice of Calvary which is represented in the Lamb of the
Old Testament. Hence John, being the last of
the prophets of the Old Testament, ushering in the New Testament,
he says so clearly, behold the Lamb of God. This is what was
typified right the way through at the Levitical dispensation,
and now the time has come when the Lamb of God is made manifest. The Eternal Son of the Father,
was manifest in the flesh and lived perfectly and wholly fulfilling
the law on the behalf of his people. Remember, Adam is the
federal head of the human race, Christ is the great king and
head of the church, and whatever he did was for his church and
for his people. He lived upon earth to fulfill
the law for them. He lived upon earth to magnify
that holy law on their behalf and that perfect righteousness
of Christ. That's what the obedience of
Christ is called, his righteousness. It's spoken of in Isaiah as a
robe, the robe of righteousness to cover his people and it's
spoken of here in the book of the Revelation and I often I'll
quote those words to you from the 7th chapter where we read
of the saints, the elders. Look at verse 13 in chapter 7.
And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these
which are arrayed in white robes, and whence came they? And I said
unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said unto me, These are
they. This is the whole church of God. These are they which
came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore." What
a lovely word, isn't it? Therefore. They've washed their
robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore
are they before the throne of God and serve him day and night
in his temple. And he that sitteth on the throne
shall dwell among them. There shall hunger no more, neither
thirst any more. neither shall the sun light on
them nor any heat for the lamb which is in the midst of the
throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountains
of waters and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes
and the lamb which is in the midst of the throne and then
if you just look for a moment in chapter five and again beautifully
there we have a revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He says
in verse 8, And when he had taken the book, and the four beasts,
and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having
every one of them harps and golden vials full of odours, which are
the prayers of saints, the saints are the bride of Christ. Come
hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And they
sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy, to take the book,
and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain, and hast
redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue,
and people, and nation, and hast made us unto our God kings and
priests, and we shall reign on the earth. You see, look at verse
12. Worthy is the Lamb, that was
slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor
and glory and blessing. And every creature which is in
heaven and on earth and under the earth and such as are in
the sea and all that are in them heard I say in blessing and honor,
glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne and unto
the Lamb forever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen.
and the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him
that liveth for ever and ever. You see those four and twenty
elders, we see them in a different form here in chapter 21 and the
foundation, it speaks of the twelve tribes of the children
of Israel and then it speaks of the twelve apostles of the
Lamb. and that is what the four and twenty elders are they are
the twelve tribes so it's the church of the old testament and
then the twelve apostles of the lamb the church of the new testament
they are united in christ they will be one in glory they will
be one in glory come hither i will show you the bride the lamb's
wife the lamb's wife There's a lovely word, isn't there, in
Jeremiah? For I am married unto you. For
I am married unto you. You think also in Jeremiah, and
these things speak so beautifully of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Yea, I have loved thee. What is it that unites a husband
and wife together where there is that true union? It's love. It's love. And now think of this
in a far deeper, greater, fuller sense, in the spiritual sense. What is it that unites a sinner
to Christ? It's love. It's love. Love unto Jesus Christ. Love
unto his people. I've loved thee. They're the
words of Christ. They're the words of the Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost, to the bride, the Lamb's wife, when she's here
upon earth. Yea, I have loved thee. with
an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness
have I drawn thee. What a wonderful thing to know
what it is to be drawn to Christ, to see a beauty in Christ, to
see a loveliness in Christ, to see a fullness in Christ. Just
like it says in John chapter 1, he is full of grace and truth. Christ is full of grace. He always
has been. He always will be. He's full. He's always full. But what does
that convey to our minds? That it's an inexhaustible supply. It will never fail. It is always
full. What a fullness there is in Christ. The hymn writer picks it up,
doesn't he? A fullness resides in Jesus our head and ever abides
to answer our needs. The weary, the tempted, the burdened
by sin were never exempted from entering therein, into this Christ. That's what makes the Lamb's
wife, I am married unto you. There's another lovely word in
Isaiah chapter 54, Thy Maker, it's written with a capital M,
Thy Maker. It refers to the Trinity. You
might say, why do you say that? because actually in the original
Hebrew, it was plural. Thy maker's. Thy maker is thine
husband. The Lord of hosts is his name. You see, thy maker is thy husband. I am married unto you. These are wonderful words of
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that brings a poor sinner into
union with Christ. Come hither, I will show thee
the bride, the Lamb's wife. I will show thee the bride, the
Lamb's wife. He has redeemed her. He has redeemed
her. Look just for a moment into Ephesians
chapter five. And in Ephesians chapter five,
you will find that beautiful Word, wives, verse 22. Wives, submit yourselves unto
your own husbands as unto the Lord. For the husband is the
head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church. See
the comparison purposely made in Holy Scripture. Christ is
the head of the church. and he is the savior of the body. Therefore, as Christ is subject
unto Christ, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the
wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love
your wives. You think of this. I've often
looked at it, and I think of the language of David in Psalm
139. It is high. I cannot attain unto Husbands love your wives, even
as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. Just
think. That is a precept of the gospel
of Jesus Christ. You know, we often hear this
nonsense said about this equality etc. But the Word of God clearly
states that the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ
is the head of the church. And the precept here to the husband,
love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave
himself for it. What a precept, isn't it? How
short we come. You think of the eternal love
and kindness of Christ to his church and what he did for his
church to redeem her. That is how a husband is to love
his wife. That is the standard of the gospel
of Jesus Christ. And my beloved friends, that
is why the gospel is a higher law than that of the law of the
Ten Commandments. You think of what it lays on
us, the precepts it gives us. Husbands, love your wives, even
as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. that
he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water
by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church,
not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that it much
should be holy and without blemish. Now listen to the precept that
he adds to it. So ought men to love their wives
as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth
himself. For no man ever yet hated his
own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord
the Church. For we are members of his body,
of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave
his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and
they too shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery, but
I speak concerning Christ. and the church nevertheless it's
just as much as to say but don't get so carried away to think
of this between Christ and the church that you don't remember
the precept nevertheless let every one of you in particular
so love his wife even as himself and the wife see that she reverence
her husband come hither will show thee the bride the lamb's
wife. You know what follows here it's
quite I've never really closely studied it before but the city
that is described it is colossal you know we tend to think of
seeing this vision and let's be clear it's a vision it's not
a literal city But if you look at the dimensions of it, it is
1,400 miles long and wide and deep. It's pretty well half the
size of the United States of America. That is what is being
described in this city. And what, of course, is being
conveyed to our minds, it's vast. And within that city is the lamb
and his wife, his bride. his church, his people, from
every nation, kindred, tongue, tribe and people, from the beginning
of time to the end of time. It's a, as it says here in the
Revelation, it's a multitude that no man can number. It's
a vast multitude and it's a vast city. And of course, highly symbolic. We mustn't take it as a literal
city. He says, and come hither, I will
show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away
in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me that
great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from
God. This is the complete and the
redeemed church of Jesus Christ, gathered in one place. I quoted
it in prayer, but as I was reading this yesterday, I kept thinking
of John 14. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be
afraid. You believe in God, believe also
in me. In my Father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you,
and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you unto myself. that where I am, there ye may
be also. And this is in these highly symbolic
language, not to be taken literally, it describes this new Jerusalem
and having the glory of God and a light was like under a stone
most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Everything
about this city Pure gold. So pure, as it says here, it's
transparent. Like glass, it was so pure. And
of course, everywhere, pearls and precious stones. And those
beautiful precious stones would shine. Because the light that
is within thee is from God and the Lamb. That is the light within
the New Jerusalem. And the whole of it radiates
light. So glorious that we could hardly
behold it with that light radiating from it. And this is what is
being described here as the bride, the lamb's wife. You see and
you'll notice in verse 12, had a wall great and high and had
12 gates and gates, at the gates 12 angels and names written thereon
which are the names of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel. And then it goes on and it talks
of the foundations. And in verse 14, and the wall
of the city had 12 foundations. And in then the names of the
12 apostles of the Lamb. You will understand that the
whole of the book of the Revelation is highly symbolic. It shouldn't
be taken literally. It is a vision that was given
to John, and this vision of this city, it's almost beyond our
comprehension. It's so vast, it's so beautiful,
it's transparent like glass, and the foundations are precious
stones. It lists the whole of those precious
stones. And with the light of God and
of the Lamb, you know, what makes a precious stone so beautiful
is when the light shines on it. And then you see the beautiful
colors in those precious stones. And this is what is being conveyed
to our mind. It's most precious. The most
precious things that are on earth are found within the New Jerusalem. That is the idea that is being
conveyed to us. and then you see so we have there
the 12 tribes of the children of israel and then the 12 apostles
of the lamb and again and again right through the revelation
we read of 4 and 20 elders and that is again those 4 and 20
elders 12 apostles of the lamb and the 12 tribes of the children
of israel the lord's chosen people in the old testament and the
Lord's chosen people in the New Testament. And of course the
foundation of this city, my beloved friends, the main foundation
is Christ. And Christ himself answering
Peter, he says, upon this rock I build my church and the gates
of hell shall not prevail against it. Shall not prevail against
it. That's the foundation. And my
beloved friends, that's the foundation of our hope. The Apostle Paul,
he says, other foundation can no man lay than that which is
laid. It's been laid. It's laid in
Christ. It's laid in his holy life. It's
laid in his sufferings, in his death, the sin bearer of his
people. And that's where the church is
redeemed. It's in Christ. His precious blood takes away
all their sin. and his his glorious everlasting
robe of his righteousness it clothes you know the we looked
at it just recently the psalm 45 and in in psalm 45 there there's
some beautiful things spoken there concerning the king and
it starts doesn't it My heart is inditing a good matter, I
speak of the things which I have made, touching the King. My tongue
is the pen of a ready writer. Now he speaks of the glorious
person of Christ, that thou art fairer than the children bend.
Grace is poured into thy lips, therefore God hath blessed thee
forever. This is the Lord Christ. This
is the Redeemer of the church. This is the husband of the church. love so with an everlasting love
and the desire of the church here in verse three gird thy
sword upon thy thigh oh most mighty with thy glory and thy
majesty and in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth
and meekness and righteousness thy right hand shall teach thee
terrible things thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the
king's enemies whereby the people fall under thee that's the lord
christ Now listen to what it says of Christ. Thy throne, O
God, is forever and ever. His throne is here in the New
Jerusalem. The Lamb in the midst of the
throne. Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. And of course,
the interpretation of that is found in Hebrews chapter 1. Unto
the Son, he says, thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of thy kingdom is
a right scepter. It's a royal sceptre of divine
authority that is given unto Christ. It was given him in eternity
past, that eternal covenant that was made between the Father,
Son and Holy Ghost, a covenant of salvation, a covenant of redemption. It's called the eternal covenant.
The eternal covenant. And in Hebrews, it says Christ
has sealed the eternal covenant. His blood is called the blood
of the everlasting covenant. What has that blood done? It's
satisfied all the demands of divine justice that declared
the bride of Christ should be damned forever because she sinned.
But here, the substitute who came and lived for her and suffered
for her and died for her and rose again for her justification. to be justified to be without
sin and the church is justified. The church is without sin. Why
because Jesus suffered and bled and died for the church. And
you know, my beloved friends, the church will dwell forever
in that new Jerusalem. It were to gaze on the glory
of Christ to feed on As it says here, fountains of living waters. One hymn writer, he says, every
wish has full supplies. There's a fullness in heaven.
There's holiness in heaven. It says here, doesn't it, that
there shall nothing enter into it. Nothing shall enter into
it that will defile it in any way. It's a place of holiness. It's a place of righteousness.
And, you know, there in the, I always find it so sweet in
Psalm 45, it goes on, it speaks of the bride of Christ. And in
verse nine, king's daughters are among thy honorable women.
Upon thy right hand is stand the queen in gold of Ophir. That's
the most precious gold there is. Hearken, O daughter, and
consider incline thine ear, forget also thine own people and thy
father's house, so shall the king, that's Christ, so shall
the king greatly desire thy beauty, for he is thy Lord and worship
thou him. Just think of what that beautiful
word in Ezekiel, when it says of the Lord's passing by, and
I said live, It's the Bride of Christ, the Church of God. That's
the individual believer. He passed by and he said, live. But then it goes on and there's
something so beautiful. Comely in my comeliness. Clothed in that glorious everlasting
robe of the righteousness of Christ. Comely in my comeliness. Look at verse 13 in Psalm 45. The King's daughter is all glorious
within. Her clothing is of wrought gold.
She shall be brought unto the king. What a prospect, isn't
it? I go back to what I've quoted.
Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also
in me. In my father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. The king's
daughter. She shall be brought unto the
king in raiment of needlework. The virgins her companions, that's
her fellow believers. that follow her shall be brought
unto thee with gladness, and rejoicing shall they be brought,
they shall enter into the king's palace. They shall enter into
the king's palace. Come hither, I will show thee
the bride, the lamb's wife. You know, it's a very difficult
thing, isn't it, But we need to be very careful when we're
speaking on heaven that we keep to scripture. Because some people
speak in an exceedingly fanciful way about heaven. And we need
to be very careful of that. And emotional. We need to stick
close to the word of God and what the spirit will open unto
us. You see, in John he was carried away into a great and high mountain,
and he saw this city descended. What do we read of Abraham? That he sought a city that hath
foundations, whose builder and maker is God. That's what he
sought for. Are you seeking a city? Abraham
was a pilgrim. He lived in tents. He moved from
place to place. And that's what we should be
like. If you look at the record in Exodus of the children of
Israel when they ate the Passover, what the Lord commanded them
to do? Your shoes on your feet, your
loins girded, your staff in your hand. In other words, a pilgrim. And that's what you and I. And
that is what the bride of Christ here on earth is. She's a pilgrim. She's passing through. As we
read in the prophets, this is not your rest. It is polluted. Your rest is to come. It's an
eternal rest. It's an everlasting rest. And
that everlasting rest is being set before us here in the Word
of God. And you see, he says, I saw,
verse 22, I saw no temple therein for the Lord God Almighty and
the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the
sun, neither of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God did
lighten it, and the lamb is the light thereof." What a light. What a light must shine there.
You know, I was thinking of it and what is described here, that
pure transparent gold and all those precious stones, and that
glorious light that shines within it. You know, we can't really
hardly grasp it, can we? Not only the vastness of the
place, it was a colossal city, but the beauty of it. I love
what, I know I often quote it to you, I love what Rutherford
said, the bride eyes not her garments, but her dear bridegroom's
I will not gaze on glory, but on my King of grace. Not on the
crown he giveth, but on those pierced hands where glory, glory
dwelleth in Emmanuel's land. Come hither, I will show thee
the bride, the Lamb's wife. In the Solomon song, It is, of
course, the most beautiful, sacred portion. It's called, by Dr. Gill and others, the holy of
holies of the scriptures. Some of the Puritans used to
say that. And why is it called that? Because
it's the most intimate relationship that there is between Christ
and his church, his bride. And it starts in Solomon's Song. this is the language of the spouse,
a prayer of the bride of Christ, let him kiss me with the kisses
of his mouth, for thy love is better than worry. It's a song
of love, everlasting love, pure love, divine love. Again in verse
four, draw me, we will run after them, the king hath brought me
into his chambers, we will be glad and rejoice in thee, We
will remember thy love more than Rhine, the upright love thee. You see, this is the language
of the spouse as she seeks her beloved. And in chapter two, I am the rose
of Sharon and the lily of the valleys. Christ is the rose of
Sharon, the lilies of the valley. As the lily among thorns, so
is my love. That's Christ speaking of his
church. among the daughters. As the apple tree, this apple
tree is Christ, as the apple tree among the trees of the wood,
so is my beloved among the suns. I sat down under his shadow with
great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought
me to the banquet in house, and his banner over me was love,
everlasting love, divine love. Verse six. his left hand is under
my head and his right hand does embrace me. So the picture is
of two lovers. Christ, the beloved, she is with
his left hand under her head and his right hand embracing
her. You know, you look at this spiritually, it's such a beautiful
illustration. His left hand, left hand blessings
are providential blessings. All that the Lord gives us to
take us safely and honorably through life's journey. And of
the spouse of the bride of Christ, his left hand, he will never
fail you. The very hairs of your head are
numbered. Not one of them fails. His left hand is under my head.
Oh, she felt the security of that. Oh, that we could know
more of this. My God, shall supply all your
need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus all
your need. His right hand, the right hand
blessings are those sacred eternal blessings of the covenant ordered
in all things and sure secured by the sacrifice of Christ and
his death and resurrection. and his ascension into glory. He's made a new and living way
into the holy place. And his precious blood, they
are right-hand blessings. His glorious righteousness, that
is a right-hand blessing. When he reveals himself, when
your heart is softened, when the Holy Ghost brings you nearer
to Christ and you have a view of Christ by faith, right-hand
blessings. This is the spouse. She's resting
in his love. That's what is being described.
His left hand is exactly the same. I think it's in chapter
8. His left hand is under my head.
His right hand doth embrace me. I charge you, O ye daughters
of Jerusalem, by the rows and by the hinds of the field, that
ye stir not up, nor awake my love till he please. She was
so enjoying his favour, his love, in her soul. Don't disturb him. Don't disturb me. I'm enjoying
the love of my beloved. My beloved. Listen to the words
of the spouse in verse 8. The voice of my beloved, behold
it cometh, leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. my beloved
is like a row or a young heart behold he standeth behind our
wall he looketh forth at the windows showing himself through
the lattice that's the lattice of his word or the lattice of
the ordinances of god's house he shows himself christ is revealed
in those things in the house of god my beloved spake and said
unto me rise up my love my fair one and come away What precious
words of grace rise up my love come away from all the things
of this life. Rise up my love, you know in
a sense. The is the experience of the
Lord's people here in this life, but in another sense that is
what will happen when the believer dies. They go to be with Christ
and it's as much as if he's saying Rise up, my love, my fair one,
and come away. Come away from all this world
of sin and woe. Come to eternal glory, to everlasting
happiness. In the chapter four in Solomon's
Song, we have Christ speaking of his church. Behold thou art
fair, my love. Behold thou art fair. Thou hast
dove's eyes within thy hair, thy hair is as a flock of goats
that appear from Gilead. I won't read through it all,
but you know, friends, this is the language of Christ to his
bride, to his church. And he says in verse six, until
the daybreak, that's the day of death, and the shadows flee
away, I will get me to the mountain of Myrrh, to the hill of Frankincense. Thou art all fair, my love. There
is no spot in thee. That's how Christ sees his church. Thou art all fair, my love. There
is no spot in thee. And that is how Christ will receive
his church into glory. Thou art all fair, my love. There
is no spot in thee. And you may say, well, how can
that be? I'm such a sinner. You're what? You're washed in the blood. Your
sins are all gone. You're clothed, you're clothed.
Your nakedness is covered in that glorious everlasting robe
of his righteousness. And as he looks upon his bride,
he says, thou are all fair, my love. There is no spot in thee. Come hither, I will show thee
the bride, the lamb's wife. May the Lord have his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 934. The tune is Jerusalem 162. Jerusalem,
my happy home, name ever dear to me, when shall my labours have an
end in joy and peace in thee? Hymn 934. ? They never cease to be there
? ? And shall forever be there ? ? The star-spangled banner yet wave ? ? With joy
ev'ry step of the way ? ? With joy and peace there be ?
? With joy and peace there be ? ? And early days begun ? ? Like
the first of May ? ? And strong, the streets of Trinidad
? ? And streets of Trinidad ? ? And streets, and streets of Trinidad
? ? All I share, I share ? ? That
they no more know ? ? Of the endless day ? ? I gave them to
you ? ? And realms of endless day ? ?
And realms of endless day ? ? And realms, and realms of endless
day ? Shining so still and so dim,
When shall I hear thee bespeak? Where I die, though it shall
seem Where I die, though it shall seem 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.