Okay. We commence our service this
evening by singing hymn number 600. The tune is Zurich 703. Truth and mercy meet together,
righteousness and peace embrace, Each perfection of Jehovah meets
and shines in Jesus' face. Here the Father can be just and
saved by grace. What a field of consolation!
Here no jarring notes are found. Zion has a full salvation and
shall all her foes confound. Each believer has for hope a
solid ground. ? Mercy, peace, and heaven ? ?
Precious blessing, peace, and rest ? ? In creation, all in
heaven ? ? Peace and joy to Jesus rest ?
? Hail the Father ? ? Hail the Father ? ? Hear me, Joseph, say
my praise ? ? Holds the field of conservation
? ? In a glory once so grand ? ? The U.S.A. Constitution ?
? And shall over hills of grass
? ? Reach me nearer ? ? Reach me nearer ? ? Lest for a while
? ? Sorrow be found ? Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the
brave? ? Holy, perfect, holy light ? ?
Savior, Savior, Savior, Savior ? ? Most high, truly, worthy
is your name ? ? And all is calm in heaven ? ?
And all is calm in heaven ? ? And all is calm in heaven ? ? Son of man, the host of heaven
? ? Heav'nly King, Lord, Heav'nly
King, Lord ? When can sight of life prevail? Early after seeing its end, there
in Jesus Christ the Lamb. With His Son, You shall be with
us in this morning. ? Shall be friend ? ? And forever
? ? And forever ? ? Shall the grace of Christ be found ? The reading, dear friends, this
evening will be from the Prophet Isaiah. We go to chapters 52
and 55 for divine instruction. Chapters 52 and 55. The Prophet by Isaiah. Awake, awake, put on thy strength,
O Zion. Put on thy beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the holy city. for henceforth there shall no
more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself
from the dust, arise and sit down, O Jerusalem. Loose thyself from the bands
of thy neck, O captive daughter, of Zion. For thus saith the Lord,
ye have sold yourselves for naught, and ye shall be redeemed without
money. For thus saith the Lord God,
my people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there,
and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. Now therefore, what have I here,
saith the Lord, that my people is taken away for naught? They that rule over them make
them to hell. saith the Lord, and my name continually
every day is blasphemed. Therefore my people shall know
my name. Therefore they shall know in
that day that I am he that doth speak. Behold, it is Aye. How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth
peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation,
that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth. Thy watchman shall
lift up the voice, with the voice together shall they sing. For they shall see eye to eye
when the Lord shall bring again Zion. Break forth into joy, sing
together, ye waste places of Jerusalem. For the Lord hath
comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord
hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our
God. Depart ye, depart ye, Go ye out
from thence, touch no unclean thing. Go ye out of the midst
of her. Be ye clean that bear the vessels
of the Lord. For ye shall not go out with
haste, nor go by flight. For the Lord will go before you,
and the God of Israel will be your reward. Behold, my servant shall deal
prudently. He shall be exalted and extolled
and be very high. As many were astonished at thee,
his visage was so much more than any man, and his fall more than
the sons of men. So shall he sprinkle many nations. The king shall shut their mouths
at him, for that which had not been told them shall they see,
and that which they had not heard shall they Consider chapter fifty-five. Ho, every one that thirsteth,
come ye to the waters. And he that hath no money, come
ye buy and eat. Yea, come buy wine and milk without
money. and without price. Wherefore
do you spend money for that which is not great, and your labour
for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and
eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself
in fatness. Incline your ear and come unto
me. Here and your soul shall live. And I will make an everlasting
covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have
given him for a witness to the people, a leader, and commander
to the people. Behold, thou shalt call a nation
that thou knewest not. The nations that knew not thee
shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God and for the
Holy One of Israel, for he hath glorified thee. Seek ye the Lord
while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord. and he will have mercy upon him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not
your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher
than the earth, So are my ways higher than your ways, and my
thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down,
and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, that watereth
the earth, and maketh it bring forth and birth, that it may
give seed to the sower and bread to the eater. So shall my word
be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto
me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall
prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out
with joy, and be led forth with peace. The mountains and the
hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the
trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn
shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the briar shall come
up the myrtle tree. And it shall be to the Lord for
a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. May it please the Lord to own
and bless the sacred truths that we have read now. And may the
Lord help us to pray. Oh Lord, our sovereign and eternal,
yet gracious and ever merciful Lord God, in the greatness of
thy goodness and mercy to us. We are favoured to be gathered
together in the house of God for the week evening service. And we thank thee, O Lord, for
this, another privilege and God-given opportunity to meet together
for worship. May it be in spirit and in truth,
so that we may honour thee, O Lord, in our worship here this evening. Thou, Lord, art worthy to be
praised. to be honoured and glorified,
for thou art the only living and true God, and there is none
else. We pray for due reverence and
godly fear. May we not be left to rush into
thy presence as a horse doth enter battle. But may we be given
that gracious sobriety and reverence and godly fear as we desire to
come before thee. O Lord, we have read, seek ye
the Lord. While he may be found, call ye
upon him. while he is near. O Lord, may it be such a season,
and that we might have thine ear, the ear of the Lord God
of Sabaoth, as we desire to make our petitions known, Lord, to
thee. And Lord, there are Many things
really that concern and lay with weight and burden the hearts
of thy dear people. Together with providence and
grace, the church of the living God, Lord, many things we need
thee to graciously appear and to undertake for us, and to manage
everything for us, and to bring things to pass, and to perfect
that which concerneth us. O Lord, thou hast said, call
upon me in the day of trouble, I will answer thee, and thou
shalt glorify thy name. Lord, much encouragement to continue
in prayer before thee at the throne of grace. We would make
our petition again and yet again in the precious and worthy and
all-prevailing name of Jesus Christ, the righteous, who is
now at the right hand of God the Father, there to intercede
for us as our great high priest, whoever liveth, to make intercession
for us. Oh, we thank thee, Lord. for
this sacred work which thou doth continue in that wonderful office
that thou doth fulfill and will fulfill to the end of all time. For the work of salvation, Lord,
has long been finished, but the work of mediation continues. We thank thee, Lord, for this. May we be the favoured subjects,
Lord, of the prayer that thou didst pray for thy dear people
when thou wast here on earth. Now, Lord, we thank thee for
the opportunity of gathering again with thy dear people here
who worship thee statedly here at Lamberhurst Chapel. We come, Lord, in the absence
of their beloved pastor, who is now in America, and commences
his ministry there on the morrow, we believe it is, and the services
there at Grand Rapids together with other services in another
place. And Lord, we lovingly commit
and commend him to thee and pray that thou will be his strength
and his stay and his portion Lord, thy word exhorts us to
go into all the world and preach the gospel. And so, Lord, he
goes with the wonderful testimony. They're going into the world
in different parts, yea, all the world. And Lord, we thank
that thy word has gone into all countries, of the world, and
we pray for thy people in every land. Lord, we don't know them,
but they are known to thee. And we do pray that thou will
remember thy remnant, thy little remnant according to the election
of grace in every land beneath the sun. And Lord, we pray that
thy kingdom may grow, the kingdom of thy grace, and that souls
might be quickened into divine life, and souls may be raised
to a good hope in the mercy of God, and others may be blessed
with their full assurance of faith. O Lord, do then anoint
all thy dear servants to continue in word and doctrine, and faith
and practice, in the preaching of the gospel. And oh, that as
many as were ordained to eternal life were brought to believe. And so do remember there, dear
pastor, where he is. Take care of him, Lord, and help
him in every way. and return him to his beloved
flock here at the appointed time in peace and safety we pray of
thee. We pray that thou wilt be with
him in his bereavement and that he might know the divine comfort
for thou hast said I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. And do remember
his family also. And do remember, Lord, the families
of thy people. We think of the children and
parents. We think of grandparents. and
those in their teens, and young men and young women. Oh, Lord,
do remember the different generations, the different responsibilities,
the different needs, the different pathways. Lord, do suit thy mercy
and goodness and grace to them each. We do humbly beseech of
thee and may each one be brought to know thee savingly and graciously,
whom to know is life eternal. To this end we pray for the peace
and the prosperity of this cause of truth here. We pray for the members of the
church and the congregation. We pray for the brethren in office
as deacons, deacons of this cause, and also in their denominational
labours and responsibilities that they have, that they may
be equal to these things by the grace and strength and wisdom
of God. And Lord, do remember the beloved
denomination in all the little hills of Zion within the gospel
standard body of churches. And oh Lord, do remember us in
thy divine mercy and grant that building up, that strengthening
of those things that remain, and to give to the idea of people
that faith and love, to persevere, to press on, to wait upon thee
still. And the idea of servants on the
walls of Dion, to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ,
to the idea hungering and thirsting people. And so, Lord, do remember
us for good. And remember us, Lord, in the
nation. We are indeed living in momentous
times. Oh, the Queen Elizabeth II, that
long and good reign as monarch And yet, Lord, although it was
so long, yet she could not continue by reason of death. Now death has taken her away. Oh, Lord, do solemnise the hearts
and minds of men in the land with regard to the solemnity
and the certainty of death and the judgment. We pray for the
king and the queen consort now in his great responsibility and
the supreme office as king, for thy word speaks as the king supreme. Lord, he needs thy grace. He needs thy wisdom. He needs thy help. May he feel
his need and seek thy face for all needed grace and strength
and wisdom and understanding. to conduct the affairs of state
in the fear of the Lord. And so, Lord, do remember the
nation, the Prime Minister and her elected government, and oh,
may they realise, together with the King, their responsibility
He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of
the Lord. Grant to them, Lord, that realization
of that accountability to God as they desire to govern the
affairs of the nation. O Lord, do undertake for us and
manage everything for us. And remember the nation, remember
the royal family, especially on the coming Monday, the funeral
service in Westminster Abbey. And we pray that all will prove
to be well, all will be kept safe and secure. and no one or no body of persons
will attempt to disrupt the proceedings by any act of sin or iniquity. Now, Lord, thy word is before
us. We pray for Ministerial grace,
we pray for God-given ability to rightly divide the word of
truth. Lord, may we prove again that
our sufficiency is of God. You remember thy people in their
afflictions and bereavements and trials, Lord, it is a path
of tribulation that thy people know. Though may each one be
given grace and strength equal to the day. Those unable to be with us this
night in their lawful responsibilities. And our dear sister, aged sister,
Mrs. Fields, in her great age and
infirmity. And thou, Lord, do hear us, we
pray thee, from heaven, thy dwelling place. And when thou hearest,
dear Lord, do mercifully forgive and pardon every sin, as we ask
you For Jesus' sake, with that desire to glorify and praise
the name and person of God the Father, God the Son, and God
the Holy Ghost. God bless her forevermore. Amen. We continue our service by singing
hymn number 978 to Tunes Blockley, 304. How blessed are they who truly
see their emptiness and poverty, whose souls are humbled in the
dust and who in Jesus only trust. These are the souls whom Christ
will bless with all the riches of his grace. And these are they
who soon shall rise to a bright kingdom in the skies. In number 978. ? Which so proudly we hailed at
the twilight's last gleaming ? ? Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the
perilous fight ? ? And to you, dear Jesus ? ? I
will rejoice ? ? And may weakness and woe ? ? O come all ye faithful ? ? Christ
the Lord ? ? O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem ? ? And save the lost ? ? In the
blue ? ? In paradise ? ? The Jesus of the Holy Ghost ?
? Amen ? ? Amen ? ? Amen ? ? Amen ? To thee, O Thee, this hymn was
read, ? To Jesus come ? ? Their souls
present ? ? Let all in praise ? ? Have faith in God ? ? Serving
the good ? Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! ? And all the creatures of this
world ? ? Have peace on earth, good spirits shall rest ? May the help of God, dear friends,
I would ask your prayerful and loving attention this evening
from words to be found in chapter 55 in the prophecy of Isaiah. And we read verse 11 for our
meditation this evening. Verse 11, chapter 55 in Isaiah's
prophecy. So shall My word be that goeth
forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall
prosper in the thing whereto I send it. Perhaps a personal word on my
part to preface my remarks this evening may be acceptable to
you, dear friends. Last Thursday, I took this word
to Hanover-Tunbridge Wells. And when I arrived there, One
of the friends told me concerning the death of Her Majesty the
Queen. What should I do? I felt the need for the Lord
to give me a word to fit the occasion. And the Lord gave to
me that what to read in a moment really. to read concerning David's
death as recorded in the second book of the Kings. And then I
endeavored to speak from those words in Acts 13. David, after
he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep
and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption. But he whom
God raised again saw no corruption. And that's what I endeavored
to speak from. And then this word, upon my spirit
still, and I feel disposed to bring it here for us this evening. Oh, the need to be continually
exercised before the Lord, For circumstances arise that we had
not considered, and matters that we feel the exercise of soul
before the Lord to give us a word suited to the occasion. For we may safely conclude, dear
friends, whatever the path or the circumstances of the Church
of God or the people of God in particular, there is a word from
the Holy Scriptures which will make the case. Well, these words
then have been upon my spirit and this chapter really sets
before us the free and sovereign grace of Jesus Christ. Grace is free, it's sovereign,
it's rich. Her, everyone that thirsteth,
come ye to the waters. And he that hath no money, come
ye buy and eat, yea, come buy wine and milk without money and
without price. There's the gospel in all its
fullness, in all its beauty. It's sovereign, rich, and free. And then the exhortation in seeking
the Lord, the exhortation of faith and love. And then the
blessed estate of believers. Instead of the thorns, you'll
come up the fir tree. Instead of the briar, you'll
come up the myrtle tree. Well, may the Lord help me then
to open this word a little before us this evening. There is really an analogy here
because the Lord speaks concerning the heavens being higher than
the earth with regard to our ways and thoughts And then the
Lord speaks of the rain that comes down and the snow from
heaven. You see, God's wonderful provision,
God's wonderful provision comes down from heaven. And God's ways and thoughts are
much higher than ours. We're on the earth. And we can
look up into the firmament and see the heavens. Now, the heavens
are higher than the earth. And as a result, God's ways are
higher than ours. His thoughts are higher than
ours. It's something that we can understand. And then, the rain. Oh, how needful
the rain is. And we bless God that he has
sent a plentiful rain following the drought. Friends, where does
it come from? It comes from heaven, the firmament. If we look up into the firmament,
we see the sun, the moon, the stars, and the clouds, and the
rain comes down from heaven. Well, perhaps we do not think
of it, but you see, it doesn't come up from the earth. No friends,
doesn't come up from the earth, comes down from heaven. And James takes this out, he
says, every good gift, well the good gift of the rain, and every
perfect gift, the perfect gift of Jesus Christ, the perfect
gift of God's Holy Spirit, the perfect gift of God's truth,
God's Word. You see, it cometh down from
the Father of lights. So, dear friends, there is an
accomplishment in the rain that comes down from heaven and the
snow. It doesn't return. No. No, but
it accomplishes that for which it is sent. It waters the earth. And friends, the effect is so
noticeable. You may have looked at your lawns
of late, of recent weeks, when the drought was so prevalent. And the lawn, the grass looked
dead. And now the beautiful rain has
come. And oh, it looks so green. The
showers have come down upon the grass. What a transformation
there is. You see, it's watered the earth. It's God's provision. wonderful
provision, life cannot be sustained without water. And so, dear friends,
it brings forth and buds and it gives seed to the sower and
bread to the eater. Now God says through the prophet
Isaiah, so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. The Lord has set before us that
relative to the earth in its first creation. And then the
Lord is setting before us the glory of the new creation. Yes, being born again, not of
corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth
and abideth for ever. So God's Word comes down from
heaven, not the firmament that we can see with our eyes, But
it comes down from the third heaven, from paradise, because
the psalmist tells us, forever, O Lord, thy word is settled,
where? In heaven. Oh, the blessed testimony of
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. There are three that bear witness
in heaven. The Father, the Word, Jesus Christ,
the Incarnate Word, and the Holy Ghost. And the Word of God coming
down from heaven. It's settled forever. It can never be altered. It can never be disannulled. It's settled forever. And friends, this is the word
that comes down from heaven. Dear Peter takes this up, does
he not, in his epistle. And let me just quote what he
states. concerning this matter. Unto whom it was revealed that
not unto themselves, but unto us, they did minister the things
which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the
gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. There it is again, dear friends.
You see, the preaching of the Gospel by the Holy Ghost sent
down from heaven. And it's so wonderful that these
things the angels desire to look into, because it's so wonderful.
So precious, so divine, so sacred. So dear friends, you see the
Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. Well, you can go to the day of
Pentecost and there the gift of God's Holy Spirit came from
heaven. The clove and tongues like as
a fire, it sat upon each of them. It came from heaven. Every good
and perfect gift cometh down from heaven. Well, dear friends,
has it entered your heart? With power, you may acknowledge
the Word of God, and that is good. But friends, has it never
entered your heart? Has it never remained there? Has it never brought forth fruit
to the glory of God and for the establishment of your soul in
the truth? So shall my word, God's word. What a wonderful thing we have
the word of God before us. The wisdom of God, the purposes
of God, are all decreed in His Word, which liveth and abideth
forever. The Bible is here in the pulpit. Ministers and pastors cannot
continue indefinitely by reason of death. But friends, it's the
same Bible, it's the same truths that are being preached from
one generation to another. I was thinking the other day,
especially of the priesthood that started with Aaron. And we read in the Hebrews that
You see, they could not continue in their office. They were appointed
to it by God, but they could not continue in it by reason
of dare. And so one priest died, and another
one took the office. It's the same with kings and
queens. The queen has been taken by reason
of dare. She couldn't continue indefinitely.
And now there's the King. But Jesus Christ is the eternal
King of Kings, the eternal Lord of Lords. He's our great high
priest, an unchanging priesthood. Unchanging, continuing, because
he continueth ever. He's eternal. That's the The
subject really matter of my last Thursday. You see, David served
the people and served the Lord in his own generation and fell
on sleep and saw corruption. But he, whom God raised again,
saw no corruption. No corruption, because he was
holy, harmless, separate from sinners, higher than the heavens.
Well, dear friends, God's truth and God's word, it goes forth
out of my mouth. Man shall not live by bread alone. We do eat bread, we have to,
to sustain life. But man does not live by bread
alone, but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of
God. Doth man live? Well, dear friends, my word,
out of God's name, I say again, has it never entered your heart
with divine power? You see, this is the way in which
the Lord brings his chosen people to a knowledge of himself. It's through the revelation of
truth. And the Word is read, the Word is preached. Yes? But we need the Word to
be applied with divine power. Unless it's applied with divine
power, it will not be effectual. It will not be efficacious. It
will not obtain its purpose. The sower and the seed. The parable concerning the sower
and the seed proves that beyond doubt. Four characters. They all heard the word. They
all heard the word. But there was only one out of
the four where it was profitable. The other three heard, but there
was no profit. Very solemn, isn't it? Exceedingly
solemn. For all of us, we've all heard
the word preached. And some of us have been preaching
a good many years. But friends, what about the effect? The abiding effect, the remaining
effect, the gracious effect, the godly effect, the spiritual
effect. That's the thing to consider
and to know. That God's word, friends, goeth
forth out of his mouth. Every word he speaks is true. Every word he speaks is pure.
And it is the office of the Holy Ghost to apply the word with
divine power. It did on the day of Pentecost. Indeed it did. Peter preached
a good sermon. And what was the effect? Therefore let all the house of
Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, whom
ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ, whom ye have crucified. And friends, the divine power
of the Spirit, applied that solemn declaration in their hearts that
they had crucified the Lord of life and glory. When they heard
this, they were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and
to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall
we do? What shall we do? Oh friends,
the charge was laid to the heart. It was applied by the Spirit. What shall we do? That's what a poor sinner says
under conviction. What shall we do? Then Peter
said unto them, repent and be baptized every one of you in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin. and ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Well, dear friends,
this is it, isn't it? The promise is unto you and to
your children and to all that are afar off, even as many as
the Lord our God shall call the elect hath obtained it. The rest were blinded. Well, My word, precious word,
a word of conviction first, and then a word of divine consolation
afterwards. For the Lord Jesus is risen and
exalted, a prince and a saviour. For to give repentance unto Israel,
give, mark the word friend, give repentance unto Israel and forgiveness
of sins. Well, you see, my word be that
goeth forth out of mine mouth. It shall not return unto me void. Like the rain, watereth the earth. Doesn't return, it fulfills its
purpose. And God's Word fulfills its purpose. It shall not return unto me void. What does void really mean? Well,
it means really empty. Empty. Well, friends, we see in the
first creation, When God created the heavens and the earth, we
read that the earth was without form and void. The earth was without form and
void. There was darkness. And then we read this, the Spirit
of God moved upon the face of the waters. A poor sinner created by God
is without form and void spiritually as he's born into this world.
Created by God in that first creation, yes, but without form
and void Void of all that's good. Now, the Spirit of God moved
upon the face of the waters. When God, by His Holy Spirit,
quickens a sinner, He moves upon their heart, upon their conscience,
upon their spirit. And friends, then there's a conformity. What to? the person of Christ. Then that void is filled with
grace and life and love. Because apart from life, there's
no light. God said, let there be light
and there was light. But before the light, there was
life. In him was life, and the life
was the light of men. There's no light, friend, in
a sinner's heart until there's life, the life of God in their
soul, and that flows from the Spirit of God who moves upon
the heart and the conscience of his people. And then they're
being conformed to the image of Christ. And that void is being
filled with light and love and grace and mercy and truth. You see, friends, the first creation
and the second. We have the same in this chapter. We have the creation of God and
the water, the rain. And then we have the new creation,
God's Word performing there. which is pleasing to him, and
accomplishing that which the Lord is pleased to fulfil, and
to prosper in the thing whereto I send it. It needs the word
to come down from heaven. Oh, friends, nothing on this
earth can touch a sinner's heart as dead in trespasses, and see
nothing on the face of the earth. It's got to come down from heaven. It's God's Word. It's God's work
from beginning to end. So, dear friends, God will use
His Word to accomplish His purposes. And this is clearly seen from
Genesis to Revelation. God speaks. Thou set the Lord. time after time, and what God
has said must be fulfilled. On this firm rock, believers
stand, and stand you will. So dear friends, that sermon
on the mount that Jesus taught, whosoever heareth these words
of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a man that built
his house upon a rock. He heard and he did. We want to be not only hearers
of the Word, dear friends, but doers of the Word. Well, the
Word comes down from heaven. It doesn't return to the Lord
void. No, friends. Never, never. His word is too precious. It's
too sacred. It's too blessed. And it accomplishes
that which God pleases. Well, dear friends, what has
God's word accomplished in your heart and life? It's a wonderful
promise, really, isn't it? But it shall accomplish that
which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto
I send. There's a divine authority here from heaven, from God, from
Jehovah, from Jesus Christ, from God's Holy Spirit, the Spirit
of Truth. Oh, friends, the Holy Spirit
is the Spirit of Truth. And he testifies of what Christ
has said and has done and accomplished. Well, blessed be God, his word
will never return unto him void. No. So it shall accomplish. It shall accomplish. There is a lovely word in the
Proverbs concerning this if I can just turn to it and quote it
to you because it's the Proverbs really friends are wonderful
in the truth that they set before us. The desire accomplish is
sweet to the soul. The desire. And I'm sure you
have spiritual desires in your heart. When it's accomplished,
it is sweet to your soul. It shall accomplish. Well, to
enter into the The fullness really of this, we have to go to the
dear Redeemer. Because he said, did he not,
the things concerning me shall have an end. And on the cross,
knowing that all things are now accomplished. said, I thirst. Just prior to the dear Redeemer
in bowing his sacred head and giving up the ghost, all things
were accomplished. And he said, it is finished. And he bowed his head and gave
up the ghost. It is, what was finished? The
work of salvation. That was finished. And friends,
what a work it was. No greater work has ever been
performed on this earth than the work of salvation. God's
creation work was accomplished Through God speaking, the salvation of the Church of
God was not accomplished through speaking. It was accomplished
through the greatest work that's ever been accomplished in sweat
and blood and tears. I have finished the work which
thou gavest me to do. And what a work it was. What
a work it was. But friends, it was accomplished
because it was pleasing to God the Father. And the dear Redeemer
came in perfect obedience to the will of God his Father. to
perform that work which God had given him to do, and only God
could perform it. God, the Eternal Son of God. No man could ever perform that
work. It was God and man. Well, dear friends, this is the
foundation stone. It shall accomplish that which
I please. The work of salvation is accomplished. And therefore, everyone for whom
Christ gave his precious sacred life, that work of grace will
be accomplished in their heart through the word that the Lord
will speak with divine power and efficacy into your soul to
bring a saving knowledge of salvation. The Lord speaks to his people. He speaks and a word in the scriptures
I'm sure that you can say, yes, this is the word upon which the
Lord calls me to hope. This is the word that was brought
with divine power into my soul when I failed to be at the ends
of the earth. Yes, friends, the ends of the
earth and the Lord saves to the uttermost them that come unto
God. by Jesus Christ, seeing He ever
liveth, you see, to make intercession for them. So He ever lives, and
He can save to the uttermost. And that word He brought with
power to your soul, never to be forgotten. And it accomplished
that which the Lord pleased in giving to you a gracious knowledge
of salvation, a saving knowledge of yourself as before God, to
be a saved sinner, saved by grace. And friends, the Lord makes it
known by His Word. Now, it may be one particular
word to one friend and a different word to another, but it's all
the Word of God. It accomplishes that which is
pleasing to God. And then the Lord confirms it,
friends, by another word in the Scriptures, because it's all
truth. And I've said before, but it's
no vain repetition, the wonder and glory of truth is this, it
is self-confirming. And this sacred volume, friends,
the Holy Scriptures, confirms itself. confirms itself, that it's all
the truth of God. And if you've ever been brought
to a saving knowledge of Christ, the Lord will confirm that word
in your heart by another word. But it's all confirming, self-confirming. The church at the Thessalonica,
you see, they received the word, but it was not in word only,
It was in power. It was in the Holy Ghost. It
was in much assurance in their hearts. And it abides and it
remains to the glory of God because it's pleasing to Him. It shall accomplish that which
I please. Every elect vessel of mercy will
be brought to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Oh, his precious
word, friends, and it shall prosper in the thing. Where to? I sent it, it'll prosper. Now
what's the foundation stone for prosperity? It's Jesus Christ,
friends. Indeed it is. Yet it pleased
the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief. When
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed,
he shall see his dear people, the chosen seed, He shall prolong
his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his
hand. So the pleasure of the Lord was
to bruise Christ. He had put him to grief. His
soul was made an offering for sin. You see, but the pleasure
of the Lord shall prosper in that. hands of Jesus Christ. He shall see of the travail of
his soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many. They shall bear their iniquities.
Oh, this glorious doctrine of justification. And friends, this
is from the rising from the grave. He was delivered for our offences. He was raised again for our justification. Now, you see, Christ shall see
of the travail of His Holy Soul, travel and be satisfied. Oh, prospering, prospering in
His hand. Not one of His dear people will
ever be lost. Oh, friends, the blessed prosperity. Every one of his dear chosen
elect people will be brought at the appointed time to a saving
knowledge of Jesus Christ. And as many as were ordained
to eternal life, believe. Every one that's ordained to
eternal life by the elect in love of God the Father will be
brought to savingly believe in Jesus Christ, in his finished
work, in being delivered for our offences, that he was raised
triumphant from the grave to justify his dear church and people. Oh friends, this is the blessed
wonder of the gospel. And it's all according to where
unto I sent it. It's all according to the sovereignty
of God. And that brings us to the doctrine
of election. That is the sovereignty of God.
Absolutely, from beginning to end. Well, dear friends, here's
a foundation stone. Here's a precious word. Waiting in exercise before the
Lord for His word to be accomplished in the hearts of one and another
that exercise your soul and you bear before the Lord. You're
waiting for an accomplishment in their hearts. You're waiting
for the Lord to prosper them in their souls. Oh, prosperity,
spiritual prosperity. Did not the psalmist pray in
that beautiful psalm? What did he say? Let us read
it as it is recorded exactly. And it's this. This is the day
which the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in
it. Save now. I beseech thee, O Lord. O Lord, I beseech thee. Send now prosperity. You see, it's the Lord's doing.
It is marvelous in our eyes. And the stone which the builders
refused has become the headstone of the corner, the Lord Jesus. Well, dear friends, what a good
prayer. Send now prosperity. The psalmist said in another
psalm, the next psalm, the 119th, he said this, it is time, Lord,
for thee to work. It is time for thee, dear Lord,
to work. Well, may the Lord, his word,
it still goes forth, it's still read, it's still preached, still
proclaimed, it's still going forth out of the mouth of the
Most High. Oh, may it enter many hearts
and accomplish that which Jehovah pleases and prosper in the hands
of Jesus Christ because he rides prosperously in truth and righteousness. This is Jesus Christ. He rides
prosperously in truth and righteousness. Well, the time is gone this evening,
dear friends. May the Lord fulfill his gracious
word and promise in each of our hearts and those that we are
exercised concerning. Amen. Conclude our service by singing
hymn number five, the Juniors at Dublin, number 129. The Lord, descending from above,
invites his children near, while power and truth and boundless
love display their glories here, here in thy gospel's wondrous
frame. Fresh wisdom we pursue, a thousand
angels learn thy name beyond whate'er they knew. In number
five. The suns in Columbine Invite
the children in I am true, and God is love, is
faith, and all is near. Here in thy ghost's wondrous
shame, which we still deeply see, A thousand acres in my name,
In your heart my faith I give. Thy name is read in Christians,
Thy wonders hear in saints, Wisdom favor the misty skies, And shine
with daisies fair. And all its destiny enters the
bowing of a dove. And thy repenting door is closed,
It's almost full in this night. God still the last day of thy
days, Thou o'er the woods and groves, Gales low and sweet, with choirs
so rich, And mortals so glad to hear. O Lord, we do pray that Thou
would own and bless Thy known Word in our midst and in our
hearts at this time and indeed at all times. For Thy Word liveth
and abideth forever. May it be so in our hearts. Now, Lord, do dismiss us with
thy favour. Conduct us safely to our homes
in peace. May thy grace, Lord Jesus, the
Father's love, the communion of thy Holy Spirit, be with us
all this night and for evermore. Amen.