Thanks. you um Let us commence our service this
afternoon by singing together hymn number 315 to the tune of
Credence, 586. Righteous are the works of God. All his ways
are holy. Just as judgments fit his rod
to correct our folly. Hymn 315. O God, all His ways are holy.
Justly, justly, faithfully, truth, courage, and glory. For His givings, wise and good,
Beautiful were their gifts, Her laced in fine pieces yet, ? God's own bright contest ? ? He's not written having been
? ? We can never speak then ? Red with the great banner's gleam,
Shall we serve in the EU land. ? Our good Lord soon has begun
? ? We may know no reason ? ? Yet we shall give thanks to him ?
? We cherish you, Jesus ? ? Look,
we seek the Holy Spirit ? ? We're coming for freedom ? ? How thy great and God-fondest
light ? ? Precious in all the earth ? ? Let your reminiscence
now ? Which the Prince hath teach'd
us, We determine not to go, But to be in Jesus. Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the Gospel according to Matthew and Chapter
7. Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 7. Judge not that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge,
ye shall be judged. and with what measure ye meet,
it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote
that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam
that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother,
Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye, and behold, a beam
is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, First cast out
the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly
to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Give not that
which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before
swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again
and rend you. Ask, and it shall be given you.
Seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you.
For everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth,
and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there
of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or
if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being
evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much
more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things
to them that ask him? Therefore, all things whatsoever
ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. For this is the law and the prophets. Enter ye in at the straight gate,
for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction,
and many there be which go in thereat. Because straight is
the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and
few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets which
come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits.
Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles? Even so,
every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree
bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth
evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit,
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down
and cast into the fire. Wherefore, by their fruits ye
shall know them. Not every one that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he
that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will
say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in
thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess
unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work
iniquity. Therefore, whosoever heareth
these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a
wise man which built his house upon a rock. And the rain descended,
and the floods came, and the wind blew, and beat upon that
house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. And
every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them
not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon
the sand, and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the
winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great
was the fall of it. And it came to pass, when Jesus
had ended these sayings, that people were astonished at his
doctrine, for he taught them as one having authority and not
as the scribes. May the Lord, at his blessing
to the reading of his own precious word, grant unto us a spirit
of real prayer. Almighty, ever merciful and eternal God,
the creator of the heavens and the earth, in whom we live and
move and have our being. Thou art great and greatly to
be praised and thy greatness is unsearchable, for who by searching
can find out God? Gracious God, we pray that we
may find thee here this afternoon, that thy presence may be felt
and known in this sanctuary, that thou would give us ears
to hear, eyes to see, hearts to receive thy word, and feet
to run in the way of thy commandments. We pray, O Lord, that the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God our Father, the sacred
fellowship of the Holy Spirit may rest and abide upon us. as we gather together for divine
worship. We pray that we may be led by
the Spirit of God, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God,
they are the sons of God. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that thy word may be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our
path. We pray that the sovereign power, the divine unction of
the Spirit of God may apply the word into our hearts. Without
thy heavenly power, O Lord, no sweets the gospel can afford,
no drops of heavenly love will fall. Lord, we desire to know
the living power of the living word in our hearts. O gracious
God, incline thine ear, we do humbly beseech thee. Show us
thy ways. Teach us thy paths. Show us what
we are, and show us what thou art, what we are as poor, lost,
ruined sinners, and what thou art as a holy, heart-searching
God, and what thou art as the great Redeemer of mankind. Reveal
thyself, Lord Jesus, here this afternoon. Blessed, holy, divine
Spirit, truly convince us of our sin, and lead to Jesus' blood,
and to our wandering eyes reveal the secret love of God. Oh, do
hear us, Lord. May we know those divine drawings
of our eternal Father, drawing us unto his best beloved and
all-glorious Son. For thy word, O Lord, is very
plain. None come except the Father draw. and it is our desire to be drawn,
to be led, to be taught, to be guided, to be directed by thee. Gracious God, any among us that
know thee not, that know not thy voice, for thy word is plain. My sheep, they know my voice
and they follow me. Lord, if there are any here,
that know not thy voice. May this be the time, the appointed
time, when they may hear the voice of the Lord speaking into
their hearts, when they may be brought to realise their nothingness
and thy greatness, their poverty and thy riches, their hardness
of heart, yet thou art able to give them a heart of flesh, Gracious
God, we pray that thou wouldst so work among us, that poor sinners
may be quickened and be brought to know their lost condition,
their hopeless condition, their helpless condition, and may be
brought by thy good spirit in the spirit of faith to see that
Jesus is the way to God. Jesus is the way to bless, gracious
God. We pray that the Lord Jesus may
be exalted among us as a Prince and as a Saviour, for to give
faith and repentance and remission of sins. Gracious God, do hear
us, do have mercy upon us, do grant that we may see evidently
among us, my word shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish
the thing whereto I sent it. Those here in the chapel, Lord,
that are listening to the word of the Lord, we pray that they
may hear it under the sweet influence of the Spirit in their hearts. Those that listen online, may
they be favoured to feel thy blessing and thy favour in their
hearts, that the word of the Lord may have free course, that
thy name may be honoured and glorified. We do thank Thee that
Thou art God over all and blessed for evermore. We do thank Thee for the sacred
promises of Thy Word. We do thank Thee, most gracious
Lord, for the person, the glorious person of the Son of God that
was manifest in the flesh, even Jesus Christ, our Lord. We thank
Thee for that profound mystery of godliness, of God manifest
in the flesh. Hear us, Lord. We do humbly beseech
Thee, and have mercy upon us. We do thank Thee that He was
made of a woman made under the law, that He may redeem them
that are under the law. We thank Thee for that holy life,
that spotless righteousness of Jesus Christ. And we can say,
Lord, with the dear Psalmist, concerning Jesus Christ, mark
the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that
man is peace. Oh, we do thank thee that in
him, in that glorious holy person, everlasting righteousness has
been brought in. The law has been fulfilled and
honoured and magnified. Gracious God, we do bless thee
that it is so. and thou hast loved thy people
with an everlasting love. Therefore may we be drawn. Therefore
with loving kindness have I drawn thee. May it be so this afternoon,
Lord, some poor sinners may be drawn to Christ, perhaps for
the first time, and see a beauty in him and a loveliness in him. And thy people may be built up
in their most holy faith and edified. We thank thee that the
Lord Jesus Christ having that perfect everlasting righteousness
and offered that perfect and glorious sacrifice that was pure
and holy on the cross of Calvary. Oh, we do thank thee that he
was bruised for our iniquity. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. Oh, we thank thee
for that suffering Saviour, as he stood in our ruined place
instead, as he suffered and bled and died for our sins. Lord,
this is all our hope, this is all our desire, to know my Jesus
crucified by fire excels all things besides. Gracious God. Oh, this is the sacred substance
of our faith in the glorious finished work of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Having loved his own, he loved
them to the end. And we desire a heart of gratitude
concerning the greatness of that love. Greater love at no man
than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend. We thank
Thee that, having died for our sins, He rose from the dead. Oh, the glory of that empty tomb,
of that living Saviour who has the power of an endless life,
that Saviour that has swallowed up death in victory, that Saviour
that has made a new and living way into the holy place. We desire
a spirit of adoration and thanksgiving, O Lord, unto Thee. for the great
glories of Christ, the wonders of Christ, the fullness of Christ.
We thank thee that he has bodily ascended into heaven and sitteth
at thy right hand, and we have indeed a great high priest. Oh,
we come to thee in his name. We supplicate his grace. Gracious
God, oh, we do thank thee for that profound glory of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Lord, it is beyond our comprehension. High beyond imagination is the
love of God to man, and Lord, it is so. We do pray that thou
wouldst come and bless us here this afternoon. We think of all
those in affliction and weakness and trial, whether young or old,
and we lovingly commend them to thee, to the word of thy grace,
which is able to build them up and to grant them and inheritance
among them that are sanctified. We pray for any that feel to
be completely out of the secret, and perhaps like many bitter
things against themselves, that there was calm and comfort their
heart. And may they be encouraged by
the word of the Lord, ask and you shall receive, seek and you
shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. draw poor
sinners unto Christ, grant that he may be exalted as a prince
and as a saviour, for to give faith and repentance and remission
of sins. O Lord, we do beseech of thee.
Remember the little ones and the children that gather with
us, we thank thee for them and we pray that thou wouldst richly
bless them. And O gracious God, we But we
do pray that thou wouldst bless the dear young friends as they
stand on the threshold of life's journey, surrounded with many
temptations. We pray that thou wouldst bless
them indeed with those rich spiritual blessings in the Lord Jesus Christ
and turn their hearts to thee, turn their hearts to Zion's hill. Gracious God, thou alone are
able to do this. And thou hast said in thy word,
I will work, and who shall let it? And Lord, we long to see
thy work. Let thy work appear unto thy
servants and thy glory unto their children. Bring our sons from
far and our daughters from the ends of the earth. And gracious
God, remember the prodigals that have wandered away, that now
have no desire to come to the sanctuary. Stretch out thy almighty
arm pull down the strongholds of Satan, set up the kingdom
of the Lord Jesus in the hearts of sinners. O Lord, we do beseech
Thee for Thy great namesake. Let us see Thy work, let us see
Thy power, let us see Thy glory in the gospel, in returning prodigals. We do humbly beseech Thee, O
Lord, that beyond Thy power Indeed, thou art able to do abundantly
more than we can even ask or think. Send out the glory, light,
and power of the gospel into this village. Gather precious
souls unto Christ, we do humbly beseech thee. That we read in
thy word, they shall come. Lord, we watch for their coming. We wait for their coming. Oh,
do be gracious, O Lord, we pray thee. We pray. Dearest Lord,
that thou would remember parents as they bring up their children,
that they may be given wisdom and grace to bring them up in
the nurture and admonition of the Lord. And that all in the
midst of the journey of life, remember them for good. Deliver
us from the temptations of Satan. Deliver us from the allurements
of this world. Deliver us from the sinful inclinations
of our own hearts. and be gracious unto us, O Lord,
we beseech thee. Oh, to be more spiritually minded,
our heart and our affections set upon things above. And oh,
gracious God, we do pray for those of us in the evening time
of life journey, that thou would graciously be with us and undertake
for us. We pray for all thy servants
as they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion today.
that thou would set them free and set them at liberty, that
thou would return unto Jerusalem with mercy, that thou wouldst
bear thine holy arm in the gospel, that thou wouldst build up thy
people in their most holy faith. Oh, do incline thine ear, O Lord,
we beseech thee. Thou hast said in thy word, as
soon as Zion travails, she brought forth her children. Oh, that
we may see the bringing forth of spiritual children, and the
building of Jerusalem's walls. And O gracious God, send out
the glory and light of the gospel in the length and breadth of
our land and raise up mighty men of God that shall preach
the everlasting gospel without fear or favour, that shall hold
forth the word of life. O that it may be so, Lord, we
do humbly beseech thee for thy great namesake. to the building
up of thy church and thy people. We think of those words and we
pray that it may be so, for I am returned unto Jerusalem with
mercies. And O Lord, we do pray that thou
wouldst graciously hear prayer for our nation, for our leaders,
that thou wouldst give them wisdom and guidance and direction Give
wisdom and grace unto the king and unto the royal household. O Lord, there's a great falling
away in the Christian church. We pray that thou wouldst deliver
us from the spirit of Antichrist that is so prevalent, and that
thy gospel may have good success, and thy word may have free course,
and that thy servants may speak boldly in the name of the Lord.
We do humbly beseech of thee for thy great namesake. And we think also, Lord, of the
terrible war in the Ukraine and with thousands and thousands
being launched from time into eternity. We do pray that thou
would deliver that country from the oppressor. We do humbly beseech
thee. Oh, do be gracious, Lord, and
put a stop to war. We remember thy people in the
Ukraine, and we pray for them that they may be shouted under
thy care and under thy keeping, and be brought to truly realise
that thou art God over all and blessed for evermore, and send
deliverance unto them. O Lord, we do beseech of thee. We pray, O Lord, that thou wouldst
now be with us as we turn to thy word, and open thy word to
our heart and to our understanding. and grant that we may delve beneath
in thy word, and that thy word may indeed be a living word.
We ask with the forgiveness of all sin, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now Sing together hymn
number 927. The tune is Arizona 284. Thou
only sovereign of my heart, My refuge, my almighty friend,
and can my soul from thee depart? On whom alone my hopes depend. Hymn 927. Oh, have I got the
wrong one? Sorry. 941, friends, I gave out the
wrong hymn. Jesus, my Lord, my life, my all, Prostrate before thy throne I
fall. Fain would my soul look up and
see my hope, my heaven, my all in thee. 941. O say can you see, by the dawn's
early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last
gleaming? I look up and see, I look my
head, my whole in thee. Here in this world of sleep and
love Climb, dear winter, washing tree
and grass, Burdened with sleep and little rest, We trust in Thee, to Thee we
raise ? In faithful preachers now I see
? ? Thou art me, Thou the world, and me ? ? To Thee, O God, I sing ? Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave Give them thy peace and presence,
O Lord. The Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. I do not bow my soul away, but
for my God let it be. I long to be thy home in knowledge,
Worshiping and with my soul rejoice. Strength each be still, the good
and the ill, life, peace, and health of all to Thee. ? Then will we praise the Lord
we love ? ? Christ, all-increasing, so above ? ? And we delight ? ? Through joy
and gladness ? ? The wondrous gift is ours ? greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the chapter
that we read, the Gospel according to Matthew chapter 7, and we'll
read verses 21 to 23. Matthew's Gospel, chapter 7,
verses 21 through to 23. Not every one that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom
of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is
in heaven. Many will say unto me in that
day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in
thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful
works? And then will I profess unto
them I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work
iniquity. The Apostle James speaks a very
solemn word. Whatsoever is not of faith is
of sin. Whatsoever is not of faith is
of sin. So though we may make a profession
of the name of Christ, as to be a believer and a follower
of Jesus Christ. And yet, if we don't possess
that life in our hearts, how vain is that profession? And
this is what the Lord Jesus Christ is speaking of here. It makes
me think of the word that he spoke to the church at Sardis
in the third chapter of the book of the Revelation. Remember he's
writing to a Christian church who professed to believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ. And he said unto them, thou hast
a name that thou livest and yet are dead. What a solemn thought,
isn't it? And you know, the whole thread
of this runs through the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. This
is just the latter part of this beautiful sermon on the Mount,
where the Lord Jesus, he speaks some very beautiful and very
sacred truths, teaching the disciples to pray, and exhorting them to
trust in the Lord, and exhorting them to forgiveness, one toward
another, but he also speaks some exceedingly separating things. You see, what we have in our
text, it's so exceedingly solemn. It makes me think of that word,
let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall. Not everyone that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord. You just think, we can confine
ourselves to our own congregation, of course, but let us think of
the Church of God, the professing Christian Church here on earth. How many millions there are that
profess to be followers of and believers in the Lord Jesus Christ? There are millions of people
that do. And they profess that when they die, they're going
to heaven. They're going to glory. That they believe that they are
safe. Because they've given assent
to the word of God. You know, the apostle, he lays
that emphasis in Romans chapter 10. But if they'll believe this
with all thine heart. But what an emphasis he lays
there, with all thine heart. I should never forget the only
time I knew him quite well and used to stay with him when I
used to preach at Chippenham and that was Mr. Joe Short of
Chippenham. I only ever heard him preach
once and that was at Pickhill Chapel on one Sunday evening.
And there's one thing that he said that has always remained
with me. If all the religion you've got
is above your collar, you will go to hell. I've never forgotten
him saying that, and how true that is. We need a religion that
is in our heart, not in our head. In our affections, not in just
our intellectual feelings. The very same thing is emphasised
by the Lord Jesus Christ, you must be born again. Except a man be born of water
and of the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.
It doesn't matter what you profess before men. Have you got the
life of God in your heart? The hymn writer says, am I quickened
by his spirit? Live a life of faith and prayer. There are many that make great
and extravagant professions of faith. of their love for the
Lord Jesus Christ and of what they do for the Lord Jesus Christ
and they make a great noise about it. But you see friends, the
vital thing, the fundamental thing, what has he done for you? What has he done for you? I mean
that in a personal way because real religion is a very Personal
thing What goes on between your soul and God a holy God? Is there anything that goes on
between your soul and God? You see where there is spiritual
life There will be spiritual exercises and spiritual concerns
They are the evidence of spiritual life in the heart Do you have
those evidences of spiritual life in the heart? It's a very vital thing, friends,
to have this divine work of the Spirit of God in the heart, and
not just intellectually in our head. I never forget, years ago,
reading J.C. Philpott, he said he could see
the day coming among the churches when there will be those that
have a letter experience. Now that's almost a contradiction
of terms, isn't it? A letter experience. What does
he mean by that? Well, they've been brought up
in a godly home to read the Bible, to pray and to seek the Lord. It's quite right that we should
bring up our children to pray and to look to the Lord and They've
sat under a sound ministry. They could even tell you if the
minister says something wrong because they're very familiar
with the doctrine and with what we believe and with the Word
of God. So some would say, oh, they have wonderful discernment. But you can have all those. You
can be brought up a Christian and pass as a Christian You might
be among our own churches and outwardly you conform to what
is considered to be the proper way of dressing and the proper
way of talking and behaving yourself. You can have all these things
and be destitute of spiritual life. And I'll take it one step
further. Judas Iscariot. He was baptized. He was a preacher. He was a disciple
of Christ. and yet he was lost. Have I not
chosen you 12 and one of you is a devil? He was lost and lost
eternally. You see, let him that thinketh
he standeth take heed. The apostle in that context,
he exhorts to make our calling and our election sure. To make
it sure. The living child of God cannot
live on their past experience. They can't live on what they
had 50 years ago, or 20 years ago, or 10 years ago. It's
like you and I, you may have had a lovely meal last week,
but that doesn't do you any good this week, does it? That's naturally speaking. You
still need another meal. So it is continually, but it
is so spiritually. If once you've tasted the love
and grace of God in Christ, you want more. You'll be seeking
more. And not only that, where there
is the true life of God in the heart, that there's a yearning, a longing to follow
Him, to walk closely with Him, as the Spirit of God opens up
inwardly our lost condition, our sinful condition. And we're brought again to feel
the defilement of our sin and the defilement of our heart.
And we're brought again to so need our Lord Jesus Christ. You
so long to lay hold of our Lord Jesus Christ. You see, my beloved
friends, where there's spiritual life, There are evidences of
it. But here in the context, the
Lord Jesus Christ, he speaks of, by their fruit shall ye know
them. By their fruit shall ye know
them. The way that you live. The way that you order your life
and the things that you do. They will speak of where your
heart is. where your heart is, where your
affections are. The apostle says in the Colossians,
set your affections on things above and not on things on the
earth. The Lord Jesus in the commencement
of this discourse, which is of course chapter five, this is
all one discourse, chapters five and six and seven, and he speaks
of those persons that are blessed, what is called the Beatitudes.
And he opened his mouth and taught them saying, blessed are the
poor in spirit. Now there's a mark, there's an
evidence of spiritual life, poor in spirit. You feel your poverty,
you feel your emptiness. And he says, these are blessed
persons, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And you know that
the Lord, he keeps his children. Even as we grow in grace and
in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we
are brought to realize our poverty, our insufficiency, our emptiness,
our inability to do any good. The preacher is brought to feel
he cannot do anything himself. It's only as that divine power,
an unction of the spirit that attends the word that can accomplish
anything. You see, blessed are they that
mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they
shall inherit the earth. These things by the world are
counted as nothing. Someone that is meek, they're
looked upon as being weak. in the worldly sense of the word.
Blessed are they that mourn, because this is one of the things
that is known and felt in the heart of every quickened soul.
They mourn over their sins and after Him. And it's something
that is in the heart of every single child of God. Blessed
are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they
shall be filled. Why do they hunger and thirst
after righteousness? Because they cannot feel any
righteousness in themselves. They feel in fact to be unrighteous. They feel to be unholy. And that
comes from the indwelling of the Holy Ghost in their heart.
So they hunger and thirst after righteousness, not in themselves,
in Christ. They're brought to see that it's
in Christ alone. You see, and the effect of grace,
blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. One
of the effects of the grace of God in the heart is to make us
merciful. As ye have received Christ Jesus
the Lord, so walk ye in him, that you've received that wonderful
mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. See, blessed are the pure in
heart, For they shall see God. When the gospel of the grace
of God reaches into the heart, when the peace of God that passes
all understanding is known and felt in the soul, and when the
blood of Jesus Christ, one little drop of that blood will make
you pure in heart, will cleanse you from all sin. For they shall see God. then
it's the effect of the grace of God. Blessed are the peacemakers.
That's the effect of the grace of God in the heart. For they
shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they that
which are persecuted for righteousness sake. For theirs is the kingdom
of heaven. Persecuted for righteousness
sake. That word was made very sweet
to me many many years ago now. in a particular heavy trial that
I walked in. They that live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution. You see, blessed are they which
are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven. You see these? And blessed are
ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say
all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake, for Jesus
Christ's sake. Rejoice. You know, when the Lord
touches your heart with that wonderful grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, rejoice and be exceedingly glad. For great is your reward
in heaven, for so persecuted are the prophets which were before
you. You see, Blessed characters. He's speaking now here to those
that are called, those that are brought to true faith. You are
the salt of the earth. You are the salt of the earth.
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill
cannot be hid. And do we let our lights so shine He says, neither do men light
a candle and put it under a bushel but on a candlestick and it gives
light unto all that are in the house. Let your light. Do we? Let your light so shine before
men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father
which is in heaven. James, he speaks of this, doesn't
he? There were those that and there
are plenty around in the day in which we live, friends. As
soon as the minister speaks of something to do with works, they
immediately cry out, you'll never get to heaven on good works.
Well, we know that. Equally, you'll never get to
heaven if you do not bring forth this fruit. Faith without works
is dead, being alone. That's what James says. The fruit that is brought forth
in the life of the true believer. In acts of kindness and love
and compassion to your neighbours. Just like it says in the law,
thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The Lord Jesus takes
that very point up. That the fulfilling of the law
is love. It's love. And it's true love. It's when the love of Christ
is shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Ghost. And you feel
a love to Jesus Christ. You feel a yearning to Jesus
Christ. That love, that spirit of love
and of grace. And it gives you that desire
and love to your neighbor. And that is brought out in acts
of compassion and kindness. Apostle in Ephesians doesn't
it exhorts us be kind tender-hearted forgiving one another even as
God for Christ's sake has forgiven you the Lord here he gives us
some very clear teaching on the law from verse 17 in chapter
5 think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets
I'm not come to destroy but to fulfill and that's exactly what
Christ has done in Christ all that the prophets spoken concerning
him were fulfilled. Every minute little detail in
all the prophecies that they spoke were fulfilled in Christ. And the holy righteous law of
God is fulfilled in Christ. I am not come to destroy but
to fulfill for verily I say unto you, now just listen to this
friends, this is very important, this verse 18, the reason it's
so important is that there are those that say the law has been
completely abrogated and absolutely finished with and we have nothing
to do with it. Now the believer is delivered from under the law,
But that law is not altered and it never will alter and you just
listen to the words of Christ here, for verily I say unto you,
till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no
wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled. And of course Christ
has fulfilled it and honored it and magnified it. But listen
to what he goes on to say, whosoever therefore shall break one of
these least commandments, he's speaking here of the law, and
shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom
of heaven. But whosoever shall do and teach
them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. And now we have a very important
verse in chapter 5 verse 20. For I say unto you that except
your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of
heaven. Exceed the righteousness. The
Pharisees were self-righteous. They were. They were completely
self-righteous, the scribes and Pharisees. They believed that
they were able to live holy and righteous. And they believed
that they were going to heaven because they lived so holy and
so righteous. What the Lord Jesus says here
is that they weren't living anywhere near righteous or holy. They
thought they were. You see, my beloved friends,
we think we may be this or we think we may be that. What you
think, is it real, is it true? The Pharisees believed they were
going to heaven. They believed they were the most
holy men on earth. That they believed that they
lived nearer to God than anyone else. The Lord Jesus in his teachings,
he very solemnly separates. There are more woes spoken to
the scribes and Pharisees by Jesus Christ than any other group
of people. They thought they were righteous,
they thought they were going to heaven. despised others. Two men went
up onto the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee the other a scribe. The scribes were considered to
be one of the vilest of people. They were tax collectors and
they took more than was their due. They lived fraudulently
all the time and they were greatly despised because of the way that
they lived. See my Beloved friends, they
thought they were doing the will of God. What about you, what
about me? Except your righteousness exceed
the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no
case enter into the kingdom of heaven. What righteousness do
we need to enter into the kingdom of heaven? Not your own righteousness. The word of God is very clear,
there is none righteous, no not one. We're born in sin, we're
shaped in iniquity. And we shall come under the eternal
curse of God because of that. There's only one righteousness
that will protect you and cover you and deliver you from the
curse of God and that is the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Abraham believed God. and it
was counted unto him for righteousness is believing in the Lord Jesus
Christ. This is the commandment I give
unto you that you believe on him whom God has sent. And in
that Lord Jesus Christ, you'll find a righteousness, an eternal
righteousness that will clothe you forever. But without that
eternal righteousness of Christ, you'll be lost forever. You'll
be lost forever. I say unto you that except your
righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of
heaven. You see, you see my beloved friends,
he goes on here to speak of the way that we are to live and the
way that we are to behave ourselves. You just look here in chapter
five in verse 23. Therefore, if they'll bring thy
gift to the altar, and there remembereth that thy brother
hath ought against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar
and go thy way. First be reconciled to thy brother,
and then come and offer thy gift. In other words, it will not be
accepted while you're holding a grudge against somebody else.
Agree with thine adversary quickly whilst thou art in the way, lest
any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge
deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. You see, the Lord Jesus, we won't
go stage by stage, so he speaks of adultery, and et cetera, and
fornication. These sins that are against his
holy righteous law, But he teaches them how to pray. How to pray. What a mercy, we
have these things left on record. And in chapter 6 he says about
arms, it means the things you do for other people. Acts of
love and acts of kindness. Take heed that you do not your
arms before men to be seen of them. That was exactly the position
of the scribes and pharisees, they did it before everybody.
Look what I'm doing, look what I'm, you know, I'm living a good
life, I'm doing a righteous life. But the exhortation here, therefore
when thou doest thine arms, do not sound a trumpet before thee,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they
may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have
their reward, but when thou doest thine arms, Let not thy left
hand know what thy right hand doeth, that thine arms may be
in secret, and thy father which seeth in secret himself shall
reward thee openly. When thou prayest, thou shalt
not be as the hypocrites are, for they love to pray standing
in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that
they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have
their reward. But thou, when thou prayest,
enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, so nobody
can see you, pray to thy Father, which is in secret, and thy Father,
which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. You see? And then, of course,
we see this in the Church of England, in particular, Catholic
Church of Red read prayers, read prayers for certain days, for
certain months, and the very thing that the Lord Jesus here
speaks against when you pray, use not vain repetitions as the
heathen do, for they think they shall be heard for their much
speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them. And this is a
beautiful word, for your father knoweth what things ye have need
of before ye ask him. We spoke, I think, last week,
wasn't it? While they are yet speaking, I will hear them. Your father knoweth what things
ye have need of before ye ask him. He knows what you need. I don't mean to say you don't
pray unto him, but you trust in him. And then we have this beautiful
Lord's Prayer, so well known, and again it speaks of forgiveness,
lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine
is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever amen for
if ye forgive men that trespass against you your heavenly father
will also forgive you I've actually heard people that have made a
profession and they've actually said I would never forgive them
for that my beloved friends that should never come from the mouth
of a Christian is absolutely opposite to the
Spirit of Christ. Listen to Christ on the cross,
in the midst of all his terrible sufferings. Father, forgive them,
for they know not what they do. That's the mind and spirit of
Christ. It's a spirit of forgiveness,
of love. But if ye forgive not men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
It's a deeply solemn word, isn't it? Again, he speaks of when
they fast and they disfigure their faces so that they may
appear unto men, you see. But then he says in verse 17,
but thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head and wash thy
face, that thou appear not unto men to fast. You see, the Pharisees'
religion was an outward religion. It was all to be seen of men.
That religion which is of the heart is completely different. that thou appear not unto men
to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father
which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. You see, we're given
much exhortation here, my beloved friends, as to lay not up for
yourselves treasures on earth, but lay up for yourselves treasures
in heaven. where moth nor rust doth corrupt,
where thieves do not break through or steal. For where your treasure
is, there will your heart be also. And it says in verse 24, that
no man can serve two masters, for either will he hate the one
and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise
the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Mammon, of course, is this world and all the riches of this world. You cannot serve God and man. And also, you see, he says here,
verse 22 in chapter six, the light of the body is the eye.
If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full
of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be
full of darkness, If therefore the light that is in thee be
darkness, how great is that darkness. How Solomon's searching and separating
these truths are. I think my late brother Timothy,
he often used to say to me, I find the teachings of Christ the most
searching that there is in all the scriptures. And what this
will bring you to is search me, O God, and try my ways, and see
if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Deliver me from these terrible
curses. Not every one that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he
that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will
say to me in that day, that's the day of judgment, Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast
out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye
that work iniquity. You know, it was said of King
Saul, that when he was chosen to be king, he was head and shoulders
above all the others. But he proved to be a very unfaithful
and disobedient servant of the Lord. He wanted to do his own
thing all the time. And yet one time, because he
was found prophesying, they said, is Saul also among the prophets?
Is he a godly man? He appeared to be so to begin
with. They had to search for him, he hid among the stuff.
But look at the outcome, look at the fruits of his life. total
disobedience to God's Word and to God's ways and to God's truth.
In the end, the Lord, through Samuel, he rejected him from
being king over Israel. What was his end? On the Mount of Gilboa, he fell
upon his own sword. What a solemn end, isn't it?
Left to utter despair. Look at Judas Iscariot. He was
a disciple of the Lord. He was a preacher of righteousness. He appeared to be so. One of
the immediate disciples of Christ. He went out after denying his
Lord and Master, regretting it, he went out and he hung himself. Terrible end to that man. You
see, There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end
thereof is death. My dear beloved friends, I preach
these things lovingly to you. There is a way that seems right
and looks right and sounds right. And you can convince yourself
that it's right. It was John Bunyan, I think,
that said, wasn't it, I can't remember the name, the man but
there was a man that he got right to the in that way he got right
to the gates of heaven but there was a there was a place that
led from the gate of heaven down to hell in Bunyan's vision and
he said I perceived that there was a path to hell from the very
gate of heaven. You see appearing to be right
and thinking that you're right or that these things may truly
search our hearts. Not everyone that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he
that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. There's another
precept here, and in verse 12 of the chapter seven, therefore
all things whatsoever ye would that men do to you, Do ye even
to them? This is the law and the prophets. Just what you would expect. And
you just think of this. When you next time see a tramp
in this seat, when you next time see a destitute person, truly
destitute, if you were in that condition, what would you want
someone to do for you? You'd want them to give to you
so that you had what you needed. and yet we make this excuse and
that excuse, oh he'll do this, he'll do that, he'll do something
else, just an excuse so you don't have to give him any money. If you were in that position,
what would you want people to do for you? Just think of this
sacred precept, therefore all things whatsoever you would that
men should do to you, do you even so to them for this is the
law and the prophet. Not everyone that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he
that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will
say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in
thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess
unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work
iniquity. O my beloved friends, may we
lay these things to heart and just think of this latter part
of this chapter after our text. Therefore whosoever heareth these
sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise
man which built his house upon a rock, and the rain descended,
and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that
house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock, that
is founded upon Christ, the eternal rock of ages. And everyone that
heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be
likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand,
and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew,
and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall
of it. And it came to pass when Jesus
had ended these sayings that people were astonished at his
doctrine. For he taught them as one having authority and not
as the scribes. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 927 to the tune Osset 386. Thou only sovereign of my heart,
my refuge, my almighty friend, and can my soul from Thee depart
on whom alone my hopes depend? Hymn 927. This our home ? My refuge, my almighty friend
? ? And by my side, from e'er departing ? ? Out of the emptiness ? ? Whither,
ah, whither should I go? ? From the ancient mountains, From
the northern canvases, ? Of sheep and worm ? ? One little
happy little star ? Eternal life, thy words impart,
Omnipotent Spirit, live! ? This we declare ? ? God's divine
power ? ? And all the power ? ? Made for thee ? You rejoice for my good, while
hell and heaven remain faithful. was born on Christmas night of
thine. And here is full of grace Thy name, my deepest concern,
Thou art my life, my joy, my care, ? They come from thee ? ? Tis the
day, tis the hour ? ? Tis the moment ? ? To redeem this land
? At Thy feet my soul would lie,
If safely dwelt and meet Thee by, still let me live with Thee,
Thine I, all I, eternal I. 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 both now and for
evermore. Amen.