Let us commence our service this
evening by singing together hymn number 1028. The tune is Westminster
865. Sorry, friends, the tune is Deep
Harmony, 869. Come hither, ye by sin distressed,
and hear the Saviour's faithful word. Soon ye shall enter into
rest, and know that he's your conquering Lord. Hymn 1028. You'll never see her face again.
I'll never see her face again. I'll never see her face again.
I'll never see her face again. I'll never see her face again. I'll
never see her face again. I'll never see her face again. I'll never see
her face again. I'll never see her face again. I'll never see
her face again. I'll never see her face again. I'll never see
her face again. I'll never see her face again. I'll never see her face again.
I'll never see her face again. I'll never see her face again. I'll never
see her face again. I'll never see her face again. I'll never see
her face again. I'll never see her face again.
I'll never see her face again. I'll never see her face again. I'll never see her
face again. I'll never see her face again. I'll never see her
face again. I'll never see her face again. I'll never see her
face again. I'll never see her face again. ? And from thy teaching from me go
? ? Come ye that live with Christ
in me ? Though ages fade, exult and sing. First moments passing,
sighs and tears. Breathing your filter, of sin. Does Satan tempt you to give
up, and put all hope on Jesus' name? That's not a way, Lord,
we'll turn away. Now He will help me on the way. Come hither to the Saviour, come! Thou hast abhorred Him any more. In Jesus' house there still is
room For leading sinners such as you. Lover and love in Christ combine,
And make a willing Saviour to. His fears sunburned, Let us read
together from the Holy Word of God in the Epistle of Jude. The General Epistle of Jude. Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ
and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the
Father and preserved in Jesus Christ and called mercy unto
you and peace and love be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence
to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for
me to write unto you and exhort you that you should earnestly
contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept
in unaware who were before of old ordained to this condemnation,
ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness,
and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. I
will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how
that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt,
afterward destroyed them that believe not. And the angels which
kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation,
he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness, unto the
judgment of the great day. Even as Solomon Gomorrah and
the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over
to fornication and going after strange flesh, are set forth
for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise
also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion,
and speak evil of dignities. Yet Michael the archangel, when
contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses,
doth not bring against him a railing accusation, but said the Lord
rebuke thee. But these speak evil of those
things which they know not, but what they know naturally as brute
beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. Woe unto
them, for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily
after the error of Balaam, for reward, and perished in the game-saying
of quarry. These are spots in your feast
of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without
fear, clouds they are without water, carried about of the winds,
trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked
up by the root. raging waves of the sea, foaming
out their own shame, wandering stars, to whom is reserved the
blackness of darkness forever. And Enoch, also the seventh from
Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with
ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment upon all, and
to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly
deeds, which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard
speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. These
are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts, and their
mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in
admiration, because of advantage. But, beloved, remember ye the
words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus
Christ, how that they told you there should be mockers in the
last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These
be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the spirit. But ye, beloved, building up
yourselves in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of
our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some, have compassion,
making a difference, and others, save with fear, pulling them
out of the fire. hating even the garment spotted
by the flesh. Now unto him that is able to
keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before
the presence of his glory, with exceeding joy, to the only wise
God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power,
both now and ever. Amen. May the Lord bless that
portion of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of
real prayer. Gracious, merciful, and eternal
God, all we do desire to bow before thy great majesty, the
only true God. All we do pray for grace to confess
our sins, We do pray for grace to repent of our sins. We do
pray for grace to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, that we
might know that saving grace that is in him. For Lord, we
all have sinned and come short of thy glory. We are all as an
unclean thing. We think of the testimony of
thy word. that the heart of man is deceitful
above all things and desperately wicked. Oh, we prove it to be
so, Lord, the deceit and wickedness of our own hearts. As the dear
apostle himself declares, that which I would, I do not. That which I would not, I do.
I find a law within my members that when I would do good, then
evil is present with me. Oh, most gracious Lord, we do
pray to be delivered from ourselves, this old man of sin which is
corrupt. Oh, we do pray that thou wouldst
revive and renew and replenish the new man of grace. and that
thou wouldst graciously grant even this evening hour thy reviving
hand, thy renewing mercy, a clear revelation of Jesus Christ, we
do humbly beseech thee. For there is one God and one
mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave
his life of ransom for all to be testified in due time. Oh,
we do pray that he may be exalted as a prince and as a saviour,
for to give faith and repentance and remission of sins. Grant
that it may be so. Speak to our hearts, Lord. We
do humbly beseech them, and show us thy ways, and teach us thy
paths. Give us that precious faith that
worketh by love, that we may truly love each other, serve
each other, and bear each other's burdens, thereby fulfilling the
law of Christ. By this shall they know that
ye are my disciples, because ye have love one to another.
Oh, that we might bear that precious fruit, and having exercised that
precious grace of love, we do humbly beseech We think of the
words of the hymn writer, except ye do all things in love, and
then we do all things in vain. Gracious God, we do pray that
thou wouldst grant us more of thy spirit, that the sweet application
of thy truth, the divine seal of the truth in our souls, even
as the dear apostle says, whereby ye are sealed, unto the day of
redemption. Oh may it be tonight here in
the sanctuary that there may be a sealing time and that the
word of truth may be living and powerful in our hearts. Give
ears to hear, eyes to see, hearts to receive thy precious word. Bless us as a church and as a
congregation. Work mightily, powerfully, In
our midst we do humbly beseech them, blessed spirit of truth,
we do pray that thou wouldst take of the things of Jesus and
reveal them unto us. That we do pray that thou wouldst
convince us of our sin, that thou wouldst grant that personal
sacred work which thou alone canst work in our hearts. We think of those lovely words,
I will work, and who shall let it. Gracious God, we do pray
that we may be as clay in the hands of the heavenly potter,
that our heart and our affections may be set upon things above
and not on things of the earth. We pray, most gracious Lord,
for a humble and a teachable spirit. What I know not, teach
thou me. I ought to grant these things,
O Lord, we do beseech Thee, but for Thy great namesake. We pray, most gracious Lord,
for each one of our brethren and sisters in church fellowship,
that Thy rich blessing, that Thy gracious help may be given
unto each one, that we may truly love each other, and that we
may bring forth fruit to the glory of thy great name, that
we may be enabled by thy spirit and by thy grace to love the
Lord our God with all our heart, with all our mind, and our neighbour
as ourself. May we do that in Christ Jesus. We do humbly beseech thee. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that we may be fruitful as a church, and as a congregation fruitful
to the honour, to the glory and to the praise of thy great and
holy name. And thy word declares unto us
that you may neither be barren nor unfruitful. Oh, do grant
that that may be the case, that we may be neither barren nor
unfruitful, but that we may bear fruit. And thy word declares
unto us, O Lord, from me is thy fruit found. As the apple tree
among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sun. I sat down under his shadow with
great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. Lord,
may that be the case here tonight. We do humbly beseech of thee. Oh, we do pray, most gracious
God, that thou in thy precious mercy Earthwards bless our dear
brethren, the deacons, and be gracious unto them in all their
responsibilities. Help them, guide them, direct
them. Continue to grant unto us the
spirit of love and union and communion, one toward another. O Lord, we do beseech thee that
for thy great namesake, We pray for any in trouble or trial or
perplexity or sorrow or sadness or bereavement. We pray for those
that are far off, they may be made nigh. Those that are in
bondage may be brought into liberty. Those that are in darkness, may
they be brought into light. Those that know torment, may
they know the peace of God that passes all understanding. through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Oh do hear us Lord we humbly
beseech of thee those that feel to be so unworthy that they may
be brought to see their all is bound up in the Lamb and everything
they need is in him that they may behold the Lamb of God which
taketh away the sin of the Do hear us, Lord, we humbly pray
thee for thy great namesake. Remember the young of the flock,
the little ones, the children that are brought into the sanctuary.
May thy rich blessing rest upon them. May thy gracious blessing be
known in their hearts, in their young, in their tender years. May the fear of the Lord that
is the beginning of wisdom be granted unto them. We do humbly
beseech thee. The young friends who say, stand
as it were on the threshold of life journey, help them, help
them to look to thee, to cleave to thee, to believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ. Help them to lay hold of that
hope that is set before us in the gospel. and bring them to
living faith in Jesus Christ. Oh Lord, do hear us. We do humbly
beseech them and remember them in all the paths of providence.
If it's in their education, Lord, give them wisdom and guidance
and help them to look to the, any future employment, may it
please you to open the way. And oh, most gracious Lord, We
do pray that thou, in thy great mercy, would grant them a partner
in life's journey, one that shall fear thy great and holy name,
and that they may be heirs together of the grace of life. We think
of that wonderful mercy that thou didst show unto thy servant
Boaz, that when thou didst bring unto him Ruth the Moabite, and
that we think of thy great mercy to thy servant Isaac, when thou
didst bring to him Rebekah. We pray that it may be so with
our young friends here, or we do beseech them, help them to
look to thee and to cleave to thee. And that we do pray for
parents that they may be given wisdom and grace to bring up
their children, the nurture and admonition of the Lord, We pray that the family altar
may be raised. The word of God read, prayer
made in the family. Oh, do hear us, Lord, we humbly
beseech thee. What a sanctifying effect that
has. But we pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou wouldst deliver us from the temptations of Satan,
from the power and the dominion of sin, Sometimes he comes as
a roaring lion, Lord. Sometimes he comes as an angel
of light. And we do not have the wisdom
nor the power to stand against the wiles of the wicked one. For we do pray that when the
enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord would
lift up a standard against him. And we pray Most gracious Lord,
to be made more spiritually minded, our heart and our affection set
upon things above and not on things of the earth. We seek,
most gracious Lord, that thou would remember all of us in the
evening time of life's journey, and that we may have that settled
faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, that we may have clear views
of his precious redeeming love and blood, of the wonderful glory
of his person, of his life, of his sacrifice, of his death and
resurrection, or that we might be well-established in the truth
as it is in Jesus. That we may see the empty tomb,
come see the place where the Lord lay, that we may see him
sitting at the right hand of the Father, our great high priest
who has passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. Hear us,
O Lord, we do beseech thee for thy great name's sake. Bless this village. May the glory
and light of the gospel shine into this village and the surrounding
villages and hamlets. May many, many precious souls
yet be gathered in May there be an abundant harvest in due
time. We're exhorted not to be weary
in well-doing. Bless the distribution of thy
word, that it may redound to the great glory of thy holy name. O Lord, we do pray that the prodigals
may return. We earnestly beseech thee to
gather them to thyself. to draw them away from all created
good, to bring them to see that there is salvation in none other,
save in our Lord Jesus Christ, and that they may return to the
sanctuary. Lord, what rejoicing there would
be to see the prodigals return. How wonderful to see the power
of thy grace and of thy love. There's nothing, Lord, that is
too hard for thee Indeed, they are able to do abundantly more
than we can even ask or think. We thank thee for all thy tender
mercies. We thank thee that thy mercies
to us are new every morning and great is thy faithfulness. We
think of the situation in the world and the wars and thousands
being taken from time into eternity. O we do pray that thou wouldst
put a stop to war, bring to naught the counsels of the ungodly.
O Lord, we do beseech thee, remember thy Zion, make bare thine holy
arm, send out thy light and thy truth, remember thy servants,
help them to preach the word, to be instant in season and out
of season. We thank thee for the sacred
glories of Christ. We do thank Thee for His holy
life, and the law fulfilled, honoured and magnified, and everlasting
righteousness brought in. We do thank Thee, most gracious
God, for Calvary, where the Lamb was slain, where sin was put
away, where God and sinners are reconciled. We thank Thee for
that pure and that holy sacrifice. He died for us, He rose again
for our justification. Oh, the wonders of that empty
tomb and the glories of an ascended saviour. Be with us, Lord, as
we turn to thy word. Come and touch one's lips with
the live coal from off the heavenly altar. We ask with the forgiveness
of all our sins for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 678 to the tune Westminster 865. Behold, sorry friends, There's not a man that's born
of God, but readily will say, if ever my poor soul be saved,
tis Christ must be the way. Hymn 678. Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
Alleluia. This our time, this our hour,
and we shall live the truth. ? And I'll be dancing in your dream
? ? In your dream ? ? In your dream ? ? In your dream ? O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the
bombs bursting in air, ? Mercy can be found in heaven
? ? Mercy can be found in heaven ? We thank you, St. Lucille, that
you have made Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the epistle
of Jude, and we will read the last two verses for our text. The general epistle of Jude,
reading verses 24 and 25. Now unto him that is able to
keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before
the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. To the only wise
God, our savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power,
both now and ever. Amen. Beautiful words of instruction. Very similar to our text last
Thursday evening, when we spoke from the last three verses of
the epistle to the Romans. To him that is of power, the
apostle says, in the Romans. To him that is of power. Here
he says, now unto him that is able. And the rock and the foundation
on which we build is this glorious person of Jesus Christ and this
is who the Apostle is referring to now under him that is able
to keep you. He is able to do abundantly more
than we can even ask or think. He has all power in heaven and
in earth upon this rock. I build my church and the gates
of hell shall not prevail against it. The rock is Christ. The foundation is Christ. Our
stability is in Christ. One thing that the Lord will
teach his people is that we have nothing in ourselves. We have
no ability for anything. We're poor, needy sinners. and
everything that we stand in need of. And the very purpose of the
Holy Spirit given to you to feel your weakness and your insufficiency
is to bring you to trust alone in the finished work of Jesus
Christ, in the power of Jesus Christ, the infinite power and
love that is in Jesus Christ. the unchanging faithfulness. Or as the Apostle, he says in
the Epistle to the Hebrews, the immutability of his counsel. It never changes. And he has
power, all power, not just some power. But those words of our
Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 28, All power is given unto me
in heaven and in earth, that they are spoken to encourage
us. That power that is in Christ,
that power to save, that power to redeem, that power to keep,
that power to deliver, it's all in Christ. When Peter At the
invitation of Christ walked on water. He got out of the ship
and as Christ was walking on the water So he began to walk
on the water but what do we read that he looked down at the wind
and the Sea that was rough And he began to see Isn't that just
what we do? instead of keeping our eyes on
Jesus fix we look down and We look at our troubles, we look
at the storms, we look at the trials, we look at the impossibilities. You see my beloved friends, that
is that natural part of us. And there is, left to ourselves,
within us, an evil heart of unbelief. But if only that we were able
to catch a glimpse of the glory of Christ, of the power of Christ,
of the ability of Christ, of the love of Christ, of the compassion
of Christ, of the kindness of Christ. But then we would realize
that all things, you may be passing through things at this time and
you fear that you're going to sink beneath it. All things, not some things,
all things work together for good to them that love God to
them the other called according to his purposes you may think
that the path you're walking in is all wrong but you know friends it isn't it's according to his will you
might say well why these difficult things to bring you to trust
in him, to bring you to look to him, to bring you and wean
you off yourself and your own wisdom and your own strength,
so that you look to Jesus. That's the purpose of the trials
and the perplexities and the sorrows that come in your pathway.
And the Lord permits Satan sometimes to afflict us all with temptations. And you may wonder why. Well the purpose is to bring
us to the end of ourself and the end of our strength and the
end of all that we can do. And then to bring us in faith
to Jesus Christ. That's the purpose of the Lord.
So that we don't look to an arm of flesh and we don't lean on
an arm of flesh. but we look to the Lord alone.
You know, if you lean on an arm of flesh, it's changeable, it's
movable. But if we lean on Jesus Christ, my beloved friends, it's unchangeable. As he says to his servant, John,
when he introduces himself in the book of the Revelation, I
am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and
the last. I am he which is and which was and which is to come,
the Almighty, the Almighty. All power is given unto me, the
Almighty. Oh, that we may have a clear
view of the Almighty Jesus. wherefore he is able to save
to the uttermost. Maybe in your feelings you've
come to that uttermost place. He's able to save to the uttermost
all that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth. He's promised
to redeem his people, he's promised to keep his people, he's promised
to deliver his people, Whatever it is that you come into, whatever
difficulty, whatever trial, whatever perplexity, whatever loss, whatever
cross, He's promised to deliver. I will deliver thee. In six troubles,
yea, in seven also. The Apostle Paul in his second
epistle to the Corinthians, And he speaks those lovely words,
he speaks of the time that he came into Asia and everything
went against him. Everything went against him.
It was as if there was death on everything. And then he says these words,
he that hath delivered and doth deliver and will yet deliver. You see the three tenses, past,
present and future. The unchangeable God, Jesus Christ,
the same yesterday and today and forever. He that hath delivered
and doth deliver and will yet deliver. Oh, my beloved friends,
look up. Look up. You're not come unto the mount
that might be touched, that burned with fire. that even Moses said,
I exceed in their fear and quake, that mount of course is Mount
Sinai, the law. No, but ye are come unto Mount
Zion, the city of the living God, the spirits of just men
made perfect, and unto Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant.
You come unto one that is supremely kind and compassionate. We spoke
of it on Lord's Day morning, of the love and kindness and
compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ when he walked here below,
or that you may get a clear view that the rod he only lays is
softened in his blood. It is. The purpose to chastise. The devil won't tell you that
he's angry with you. No. It's just absolutely the
opposite to that. The devil says, oh the Lord is
angry with you, he's going to destroy you, he's going to make
a full end of you. But what does God say? What does
his word say? Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth,
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. It's just the opposite
to what the devil is telling you. Whom the Lord loveth, It's
because he loves you with an everlasting love. That's why he brings these things
in your pathway. These troubles, these trials,
these things that you wonder where the scene will end. It's
the Lord's mercy, the Lord's love, the Lord's kindness. And
you see, my beloved friends, may the Lord open your eyes to
it. I remember having such a battle in my early spiritual days when
the Lord began to lead me more deeply, you might say, and many
troubles and trials came in the pathway. And I used to fight
against it. I was like a bullock unaccustomed
to the yoke. But over the years, you're brought
to realize it's His covenant love. It's because he loves you
that he causes these things to come, and he brings you in a
place of dependence upon him, to depend upon his grace. Now, unto him that is able to
keep you from falling, and to present you faultless.
Just think of that, present you faultless. before the presence
of his glory. He's able to keep you from falling,
and he's able to present you faultless. You say, but I'm such
a poor black sinner. I'm such a poor ruined sinner. Well, of course, that is the
case, isn't it? That is what we have to prove. No help in
self I find, you're off to sort it well. The native treasure
of my mind is sin and death and hell. painful thing to prove
Very painful thing, but you know that my beloved friends He's
able to deliver you He's able to keep you from falling maybe
That that is the great temptation and the great trial that you're
walking in at this time as you think Of the path that lies before
you and you say well, it's impossible I'm such a poor, weak, sinful
person. Sinners can say, and none but
they, how precious is the Saviour. So true, friends. You know, when the Lord Jesus
was teaching the disciples, and there were many that came unto
him, and he spoke in the sixth chapter of John, He speaks of
himself as being the living bread, which came down from heaven.
If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever. And the
bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for
the life of the world. That is in verse 51. And many
of those that were following him, they strove. They said,
how can this man give us his flesh to eat? They only received
the word naturally. They hadn't received it spiritually. That they were looking at it
with their natural understanding. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of
Man and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. He so eateth
my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life, and I will
raise him up. at the last day. She's able to
keep you from falling. I will raise him up at the last
day. Because it's eating and this drinking is by faith. It's
receiving Christ by faith. The living bread and eating of
that living bread. And he says here, In the context,
it's the spirit that quickness the flesh prophet is nothing The words this is verse 63 the
words that I speak unto you their spirit and their life But there
are some of you that believe not For Jesus knew from the beginning
who they were that believed not And who should betray him they
were they all profess to be as disciples. They'd seen the wonderful
miracles But he says here he knew which ones were true disciples
and which ones were not true disciples. And this brings them
to a point here. And he said, therefore said I
unto you that no man can come unto me except it were given
unto him of my father. From that time, many of his disciples
went back and walked no more with him. They couldn't receive.
They didn't have a spiritual understanding, that's what that
means. They were looking at everything he said literally and naturally,
with their natural mind, which cannot grasp. Their natural mind
cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God, they are
spiritually discerned. Then said Jesus unto the twelve,
Will ye also go away? What a question, isn't it? Will
ye also go away? What about this question being
proposed to you tonight? Will ye also go away? And then
we have that beautiful answer of Simon Peter. Then Simon Peter
answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of
eternal life. And we believe and are sure that
thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. But then Christ
even tries some further. He says, have not I chosen you
twelve and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot, the
son of Simon, for he it was that should betray him, being one
of the twelve. Will ye also go away? We've sung in our opening hymn,
does Satan tempt thee to give up? Does he? To turn back. Is there a path
that has been set before you, that path of following Jesus,
and you're so fearful, you're so fearful, You feel that you're makeshift
wreck. You fear that it will all come to nothing and that
you will not be able to continue. Now there's a word here for you
tonight. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling.
He's able to keep you from falling. And to present you faultless.
before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. He's able
to do that. You know, in the 40th chapter of Isaiah,
and it speaks there that he will carry the lambs in his bosom.
He will. He will hold them in his arms
to protect them. to keep them, to deliver them. Now unto him that is able to
keep you from falling. He's able. The hymn writer says,
doesn't it? He is able, he is willing. Doubt
no more. It's to keep your eyes on Jesus
Christ. Keep your eyes on him that is
able to keep you from falling. He's able to deliver you from
the temptations of Satan. He's able to deliver you from
the allurements of this world. And let's be fair, my beloved
friends, our flesh loves the things of this world. It does. There's an allurement there.
Now, of course, what might allure you may not allure me. Equally
the other way round. We each have our individual tastes. And you know, there are those
things that sometimes they're a snare to you. But we have a word here. I think
of that beautiful word in the Psalms. It will deliver thee
from the snare of the fowler and from the noisome pestilence. I believe the snare of the fowler
is Satan, The noise and pestilence is the world and the things of
the world that we have to live in. And the Lord Jesus in that
beautiful prayer in John chapter 17, he speaks so beautifully
there. He prays, I should say, so beautifully
there. That prayer of our Lord Jesus
Christ in John 17, it is so full of precious doctrine And we read that Jesus lifted
up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come, glorify
thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee. Now listen to what
is being said here. As thou hast given him power
over all flesh. He has power. He has power to
save, power to redeem, power to deliver from the snare of
the fowler. He's almighty God. He sees all
things, he knows all things, he understands all things. David
said in Psalm 139, At lo, there's not a word in my tongue, but
thou knowest it all together. He knows all things, he sees
your situation. He knows your doubts, he knows
your fears. And so, here he says, As thou
hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal
life to as many as thou hast given him, and this is life eternal,
that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom thou hast sent. That's the great thing, isn't
it? And then in verse 15, I pray
not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that
thou shouldest keep them from the evil and that that's what
he prays for you he will keep you from the evil not take you
out of the world we're not called to live a monastic life and totally
separate ourselves from everybody else we're to be in the world
but not of the world but not of the world i pray not that
thou shouldest take them out of the world but that thou shouldest
keep them from the evil, kept by the power of God. Isn't that
what Peter says? Kept by the power of God, through
faith unto salvation. In the first epistle of Peter
and the first chapter, it speaks there He says in verse three,
a word that has been made so unspeakably precious to me. Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according
to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope,
that's a living hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and
that faded not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept
by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation, ready
to be revealed in the last time, kept by the power of God. He's able to keep you from falling. Now, unto Him that is able to
keep you from falling and to present you faultless before
the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. He's able. Oh, may the spirit of God make
his word a living word in our hearts. Even today, even today,
a living word. in our hearts. The Apostle Paul
in his epistle to the Corinthians, he speaks there, doesn't he,
to make your calling and your election sure. Be diligent, he says, to make
your calling and your election sure. And again we have in the
in that word of exhortation in the second epistle of Peter. And he says in the first chapter
of the second epistle, according, verse three, according as his
divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto
life and godliness through the knowledge of him that hath called
us to glory and virtue whereby are given unto us exceeding great
and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of
the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the
world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence,
add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge
temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness,
and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity.
For if these things be in you, and abound they make you, that
you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of
our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things
is blind and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that
he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore, the rather brethren,
give diligence to make your calling and election sure, For if ye
do these things, ye shall never fall. For so an entrance shall
be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom
of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. An abundant entrance
into that everlasting kingdom, now unto him that is able to
keep you from falling. and to present you faultless. He's able to present you faultless. Christ is. You might say, well,
how can it be that a poor sinner like me can be presented faultless? My mind, it just goes to the
epistle to the Ephesians, and there in the epistle to the Ephesians,
the apostle He speaks of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ,
and how he will present his church. He will present his church. And it says in the latter part
of chapter five, and it speaks of the church of God, and it
uses the husband and wife, Beautiful analogy, is it, as often in Scripture. Verse 23, for the husband is
the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church,
and he is the savior of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject
unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
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, but that it should be holy and without blemish. He'll present it to himself a
glorious church without spot in my mind it just goes to the
first chapter of the Colossians and there is those beautiful
words in verse 21 in chapter 1 and you that were sometime
alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works yet now
hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to
present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight. What a beautiful prospect, isn't
it, to present you. Unblameable, unreprovable, holy. There's that lovely word in Ezekiel
chapter 16, comely in my comeliness. Isn't that beautifully expressive
of the righteousness of Christ? Come thee in my comeliness. That he will present you in the
body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable
and unreprovable in his sight. You know, friends, when we really
think on these things, they are beyond our comprehension. How
can a poor, fallen, wretched, sinful worm of the earth be presented
into heaven Unblameable, unreprovable, holy. But that is the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ. That grace that washes away all
your sin. That blood that cleanses from
all sin, the blood of Jesus Christ. That glorious everlasting robe
of his righteousness. The king's daughter, that's the
church, is all glorious within. Her clothing is of wrought gold. She's all glorious within because
she's washed in the blood of Christ. Her clothing is the everlasting
robe of the righteousness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And that is how he presents his
people in the body of his flesh through death to present you
holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight. What a thought, isn't it? You
think of the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. 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 ye may be also. Now unto him that is
able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless
before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only
wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power,
both now and ever. Amen. See, the only wise God,
think of those words that the apostle writes to Timothy, there
is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man, Christ
Jesus, who gave his life of ransom for all to be testified in due
time. You know, in Isaiah chapter 45,
we read there, Verse five, I am the Lord, and there is none else. There is no God beside me. I girded thee, though thou hast
not known me. You see, there is one God. There is none else. There's only
one Lord. And there's only one Lord over
all. And he is God over all. He's the creator of the heavens
and the earth. And with heaven and earth at his command, waits
to answer prayer you know in that chapter 45 in Isaiah there
are several places where this is emphasized it says in the
last part of verse 14 surely God is in thee and there is none
else there is no God what means there is no God beside him and
then in the verse 22 in fact it starts in 21 and it says there
and there is no god else beside me a just god and a savior there
is none beside me look unto me and be ye saved all the ends
of the earth for i am god and there is none else there is none
else i am the only true god or as it says in our text the only
wise god in him dwell all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge
and of understanding. It's all in Christ for the Lord's
people, for the Lord's people. It's there in our mediator, in
our redeemer, in our deliverer, in that one that is able to save
to the uttermost all that come unto God by him. And this exhortation,
look unto me, or ye ends of the earth for I am God and there
is none else. There is none else. He goes on
and in that Isaiah 45, I've sworn by myself the word is gone out
of my mouth in righteousness and shall not return the unto
me every knee shall bow and every tongue shall swear. Surely shall
one say in the Lord have I righteousness and strength. Even to him shall
men come, and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.
In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified and shall
glory. All the seed of Israel shall
be justified. Think of, I often quote you,
Mr. Wood, because you had that beautiful,
simple way of speaking of the word justification. which especially
to you young friends is a long word, what does it mean? But
what did dear Mr Wood used to say, the simple way of putting
it, just as if I had not sinned. That's what justification is.
Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more, just
as if I had not sinned. As far as the east is from the
west, so far have I removed thy sins from thee, O Israel, just
as if I had not sin justified. Made free from sin, how? Through the blood and righteousness
of Jesus Christ, through his precious merits, not by works
of righteousness that I have done, but according to his abundant
mercy. now unto him that is able to
keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before
the presence of his glory, with exceeding joy, to the only wise
God our Saviour. Be glory and majesty, dominion
and power, both now and ever. Amen. May the Lord add his blessings. Let us now sing together hymn
number 1032 to the tune St. Paul's 62. How shall I give thee
up? Tis Jesus speaks the word. I am the sinner's only hope.
I am thy gracious Lord. Hymn 1032. ? Holy, holy Lord
? ? Holy is your name ? O'er the land of the free and the home of the
brave? ? My promise unfulfilled ? ? I
am the up-singer ? ? Let all the brave men sing ? God bless
America! God bless America! God bless America! God bless America! My son, give me thy heart, let
me thy sorrows bear. Tis no time, nor shall God can save me from despair. God can create my soul. to the path of sin. Thy hope, O rapture, thy control,
thy faith, O God, Now, may the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the sacred fellowship
of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each, both now
and forevermore. Amen.