The notices for the coming week
are God willing as follows. Mr. Graham Cottingham will preach
here next Lord's Day at 10.30 and two o'clock. Pastor will
preach here on Thursday evening at seven o'clock. There will
be a church meeting here on Tuesday evening at seven o'clock. The collections taken for the
Christian Institute at our Thanksgiving services amounted to £672. Collections
for the chapel during August amounted to £2,269.94. Donations
to the book fund, £95. We want to sincerely thank you
for your continued support of this cause of truth. Let us commence our services
today by singing together hymn number 356. 356. The tune is
Hollingside 514. Does the gospel word proclaim,
rest for those who weary be? Then my soul put in thy claim,
sure that promise speaks to thee. Marks of grace I cannot show,
all polluted is my breast. Yet I weary am I now, and the
weary long for rest. Hymn 356. ♪ Just the thought of her ♪ ♪ Has
taught her to bear me weak ♪ ♪ Let my soul be free ♪ Shabbat shalom. O'er all this place I rest, yet
I'm weary, I know, and the ♪ And we have lost him ♪ ♪ By the
streets of Gentile land ♪ ♪ And we are victorious again ♪ ♪ Alleluia
♪ O my little strength is gone,
Take thy rest with the shepherd. Shobha bhaktiya testa, Kanho
eri vidhata, In Thee alone, O weary one, Thou,
Thou, Thou, Thou resting place, Rest in Christ, ye heart of grace.
Tempest, thou son of the King, Earth of glory, praise his might. Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the prophecy of Isaiah and chapter 26. Isaiah's
prophecy, chapter 26. In that day shall this song be
sung in the land of Judah. We have a strong city. Salvation
will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates that
the righteous nation, which keepeth the truth, may enter in. They
will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee,
because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever,
for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. For he bringeth down
them that dwell on high, The lofty city he layeth it low,
he layeth it low even to the ground, he bringeth it even to
the dust. The foot shall tread it down,
even the feet of the poor and the steps of the needy. The way
of the just is uprightness. Thou most upright dost weigh
the path of the just. Yea, in the way of thy judgments,
O Lord, have we waited for thee. The desire of our soul is to
thy name and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I
desired thee in the night. Yea, with my spirit within me
will I seek thee early. For when thy judgments are in
the earth, the inhabitants of the earth will learn righteousness.
Let favour be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness? In the land of uprightness will
he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord?
Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see, but they
shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people Yea,
the fire of thine enemies shall devour them. Lord, thou wilt
ordain peace for us, for thou also hast wrought all our works
in us. O Lord our God, other lords beside
thee have dominion over us, but by thee only will we make mention
of thy name. They are dead, they shall not
live, They are deceased, they shall not rise. Therefore hast
thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to
perish. Thou hast increased the nation, O Lord. Thou hast increased
the nation. Thou art glorified. Thou hast
removed it far unto all the ends of the earth. Lord, in trouble
they visited thee, They poured out a prayer when thy chastening
was upon them, like as a woman with child that draweth near
to the time of her delivery is in pain and crieth out in her
pangs. So have we been in thy sight.
We have been with child. We have been in pain. We have,
as it were, brought forth wind. We have not wrought any deliverance
in the earth. neither have the inhabitants
of the world fallen. Thy dead men shall live. Together
with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that
dwell in the dust, for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the
earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter thou into
thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee, Hide thyself, as
it were, for a little moment, until the indignation be overpassed. For behold, the Lord cometh out
of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.
The earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more
cover her slain. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word, and grant unto us a spirit of real
prayer. Gracious, almighty and eternal
God, we do desire to bow before thy great majesty, to call upon
thy great and thy holy name. We desire, O Lord, to worship
thee, Thou hast instructed us in thy word that them that worship
thee must worship thee in spirit and in truth. And we pray that
this day there was grant of such worship in spirit and in truth,
and 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, that we may truly worship and follow thee. We pray
to be led, and taught, and guided, and directed by the Holy Ghost. For as many as are led by the
Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. All that we may be led
into thy truth, that thy word may be open to our heart and
to our understanding. And may the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ fill our souls, and may we feed upon that grace,
and may we look to Jesus firm and strong, mercy joined with
power. Help us to lay aside every weight
and the sin that does so easily beset us, that we may run with
patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus. the author and finisher of our
faith, who for the joy that was set before him, O most gracious
Lord, we pray that we may be given the mind of Christ. He
endured. He gave his life of ransom for
all. That one eye, O Lord, was the
redemption of thy people. Give us the single eye of faith
to look alone to him, the almighty Jesus. the same yesterday, today,
and forever. Gracious Lord, may we catch a
glimpse of him today. May he come and stand in our
midst. May we touch the hem of his garment. May we draw from
that sacred fullness that is in him, that precious virtue
that is in him. May we be partakers of it, the
virtue of his precious blood to cleanse away all our iniquity,
the virtue of his glorious righteousness. to clothe us, to stand in thy
presence. Lord, so bless us, we do humbly
beseech thee. We pray, most gracious Lord,
to be favoured with that sacred spirit of adoption, whereby we
may cry, Abba, Father, and that we may experience what the dear
Apostle writes of, for God hath sent forth the spirit of his
Son into our hearts, Praying, Abba, Father, all that it may
be so today. My God, my Father, blissful name. Oh, may I call thee mine. And
we pray, most gracious Lord, that we may have the witness
of thy spirit with our spirit, that we are the children of God,
that we are joint heirs with Christ. We do humbly beseech
of thee. And we pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou wouldst make us more spiritually minded and that our
affections may be set upon things above and not upon things of
the earth, that we may be led by thee. And we pray, most gracious
Lord, that thou wouldst graciously deliver us from that inward conflict
that is within. The flesh lusting against the
spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. May we find some respite
today. O Lord, we do beseech thee for
thy great namesake. May the love of Christ be shed
abroad in our hearts, that our affections may be set upon him,
and upon him alone we do humbly beseech thee. We pray, most gracious
Lord, that thou wouldst grant the spirit of travail, for as
soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. We long to
see Zion's offspring come. We think, O Lord, of the sweet
promises, I will bring thy sons from far and thy daughters from
the ends of the earth. Oh, let them come, Lord, bring
them in. We humbly beseech thee, we humbly
for thy coming wait, Make us true witnesses that we may live
as we ought to live, speak as we ought to speak, that we may
not be ashamed of Thee, O for Thy great name's sake. That we
pray, O Lord, that we may be true witnesses of Thee. We pray
Thy rich blessing to rest upon the whole of our congregation,
that we think of Thee that little ones and the children that gather
with us, we pray that the blessing of the Lord that maketh rich
and addeth no sorrow with it may be their portion, that the
fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom, that may
be granted unto them, O Lord, we do beseech thee for thy great
name's sake. And we pray, most gracious Lord,
that there may be a generation that shall be raised up to call
thee the Redeemer blessed. We think of the young friends
on the threshold of life's journey. Be with them in their education,
in examinations, et cetera. Be with them regarding any future
employment. Guide and direct them regarding
a partner in life's journey. But above all, O Lord, bring
them to live in faith in Jesus Christ. We do humbly beseech
of thee. We pray most gracious Lord that
there would be with all in affliction, even young friends, and that
thou wouldst graciously draw near and sanctify these things
to their souls, that the path may be used of Thee to bring
us into closer union with Jesus Christ. Lord, may it be so. May there be true sanctification
for Thy great namesake. And where, O Lord, it is Thy
heavenly mind and will that we pray that there would be Jehovah
Rophi, I am the Lord that healeth Thee. And, O Lord, we do pray
that they'll always be with and bless and undertake for all in
the midst of the journey of life. Deliver us from the temptations
and power of Satan. Deliver us from the illumines
of this vain world that has the death ten thousands hurled. Deliver
us, O Lord, chiefly from our wicked, sinful, deceitful and
corrupt hearts. Oh, for thy great name's sake,
O Lord, have mercy upon us, we do beseech thee. And we do pray,
dearest Lord, that thou would reveal thyself, even our Lord
Jesus Christ, here today. Come and stand in our midst.
Come and speak to our hearts. We pray, most gracious Lord,
for those of us in the evening time of life journey, that thou
would be gracious unto us, that thou would put the arms of thine
everlasting love around us, and grant us thy divine support and
blessing and help. Hear us, Lord. We humbly beseech
thee and have mercy upon us for thy great namesake. Lord, we pray that thou, in thy
precious mercy, would remember this village, the surrounding
villages and hamlets and farmsteads, gathering, rebuild, renew, revive. For thy great name's sake, turn
us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine. Let
thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, the son of man whom
thou madest strong for thyself, so will not we turn back from
thee. O Lord, we do pray that thou
wouldst hear prayer for not only this little house of prayer,
the little houses and prayer up and down the land, those that
are ready to die, oh, that thou would send them help and richly
bless them and turn us again, oh Lord God of hosts. Lord, we
do pray that thou would graciously hearken and hear and have mercy
upon all thy servants as they labour in word and doctrine this
day upon the walls of Zion, some of them with very long journeys,
graciously help them, grant thy abundant blessing to rest upon
them. We do humbly beseech of thee,
O for thy great name's sake, that we pray most gracious Lord,
that thou in thy precious mercy was return unto Jerusalem with
mercies. We pray thee the great Lord of
the harvest to send true labourers into the harvest. We pray for
the churches in Australia with no minister. Oh, graciously bless
them with a pastor. It is within thy power alone
to do. We think of also Grand Rapids
and Choteau without a minister, so far from other ministers.
We pray that thou wouldst graciously send them pastors, strengthen
them, Revive them, renew them, O Lord, we do beseech of Thee,
for Thy great name's sake. Lord, hear prayer for our nation,
and turn back the tides of iniquity. Arise, O Lord, set one over us
that has integrity and uprightness, O Lord, we do beseech of Thee.
We thank Thee that we have that confidence by me king's reign
and prince's decree justice. Remember our beloved queen and
the royal household and grant thy rich blessing to rest upon
them and oh lord god we do pray hear prayer for those that labour
in word and doctrine among the nations of the earth especially
those places where thy name is hated and where thy people are
persecuted, gracious God, send them help from the sanctuary,
strengthen them out of Zion. We do thank thee, O Lord, for
thy holy day. We do thank thee for the house
of prayer. We do thank thee for the liberties
that we enjoy in being able to meet together around thy word.
Oh, we thank thee for the word of God. Oh, we bless thee for
that precious Christ that is revealed in him, the way, the
truth and the life. We thank thee for the glory of
his name and the wonder of his grace and the fullness of his
salvation. We thank thee that he has swallowed
up death in victory and put sin away and made a new and living
way into the holy place. We thank thee that through him
we know the love of our eternal father, and through him we receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost. We now turn to thee, O Lord,
and pray that thou would come and touch one's lips with a 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 378. The tune is Dale Hurst, 124.
I'll read the first two verses and we'll commence singing at
verse three. A beggar poor at mercy's door,
lies such a wretch as I. Now knowest my need is great
indeed, Lord, hear me when I cry. With guilt beset and deep in
debt, for pardon, Lord, I pray. Oh, let thy love sufficient prove
to take my sins away. Hymn 378, commence singing at
verse three. The wicked God is nice to her,
but my distress I share. ♪ Our free nation, strong and bright
♪ ♪ Through ages past, now and forevermore ♪ His truth is ever straight. The promise shall be thine, divine,
and thine it be thy way. Church of Bethlehem, holy still,
thy wisdom coming on. I still hope soon to make it
there, Till I should bring the mile. ♪ E'r ancient water ♪ ♪ Sing it
round ♪ ♪ Of glory ♪ ♪ Re-awaken ♪ ♪ God redeem ♪ ♪ The noblest
♪ ♪ Era ♪ ♪ From Christ ♪ ♪ Where conscience, love, and self-return
♪ ♪ My home in heavenly peace ♪ ♪ Let it guide me ever to thee
♪ ♪ And always to thee be my glory evermore ♪ And fill it, Lord, with Thy sweet
blood, And enter there, If all thy days are so fine days,
Lord, how well has he stayed? Lift me, my soul, and make me
whole, and love me to the end. Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the chapter
that we read, the prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 26, and we will
read verses eight and nine for our text. Prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 26,
verses eight and nine. Yea, in the way of thy judgments,
O Lord, Have we waited for thee? The desire of our soul is to
thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I
desired thee in the night. Yea, with my spirit within me
will I seek thee early. For when thy judgments are in
the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Yea, in the way of thy judgments,
O Lord. I love the opening four verses
of this chapter 26, so beautifully speaks of trusting in the Lord. And it says, in that day, and
it's referring to gospel days, in that day, for when Christ
has come, when the church has been redeemed, when sin has been
put away through the cross of Calvary, through the blood of
the Lamb, when death has been swallowed up in victory by our
Lord Jesus Christ in that day, when Christ has ascended into
glory and sitteth at the right hand of the Father in that day. And my beloved friends, we live
in that day, that day that is prophesied here in Isaiah, hundreds
of years before it came to pass. In that day, this song shall
be sung in the land of Judah. And we have a strong city. You see, in that day, my beloved
friends, shall the nations of the earth learn righteousness.
In that day, the gospel day, the word of the Lord shall spread
among all nations. and the servants of the Lord
shall preach among all nations. That's the day in which we live. In the Old Testament, it was
confined to the Jews. It was just the odd one here
and there that were called by divine grace, such as Ruth, the
Moabitess, and Rahab, the harlot, and others also that were brought
upon by the Spirit of God. But this day that it's speaking
of here is the gospel day. It's when Christ is to be preached
among all nations. Christ is to be exalted among
all nations, exalted as a prince and as a saviour for to give
faith and repentance and remission of sins. It's alone in Christ. And it says in that day this
song shall be sung a strong We have a strong city, salvation
will got a point for walls and bulwarks. That salvation that
is in Christ Jesus, that redemption that is in Christ Jesus, the
precious blood of the lamb, the blood of Jesus Christ, God's
son, cleanseth us from all sin. And then through this glorious
sacrifice of Christ, he said, I am the way, the truth and the
life. And it says here in verse two,
open ye the gates. That's what Christ has done.
He's opened the gates of gospel day. He's opened the gates of
redemption. He's opened the gates of everlasting
love, of peace, peace by his cross as Jesus made. The church's
ever-living head, open ye the gates. You see, we go back to
the first in that day. Open ye the gates that the righteous
nation not just Israel but the righteous nation which keepeth
the truth may enter in. And then we have this perfect
peace it speaks of in verse 3. A poor sinner called by divine
grace, their soul quickened, spiritually made alive, brought
to know their lost condition and then brought to know the
Lord Jesus Christ as the only Savior of sinners, thou wilt
keep him in perfect peace. Perfect peace. Whose mind is
stayed on thee because he trusted in thee. But why does he trust? Because he has faith. He has
faith. That's what brings a person to
trust. Faith. Faith in Jesus Christ. Faith
in Christ is the light of the world, and that light, if you
have faith, that light has shone into your heart. God who commanded
the light to shine out of darkness has shined into our hearts with
the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on
thee. It's a great blessing, my beloved
friends, if our mind is stayed upon the Lord. In spite of all
that may oppose, in spite of all our sin, in spite of all
the corruption of our heart, of our nature, we hope against hope like Abraham. Sometimes such is the conflict
that goes on in the heart of the true believer, that they
wonder where the scene will end? Because he trusteth in thee.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on
thee because he trusteth in thee. Casting all your care upon him
for he careth for you. Now those of you that indeed
may be walking in much temptation and feeling much of the inward
iniquity and corruption of the heart and have many bitter things
to write against yourself. There's a word of direction here,
trust ye in the Lord forever for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting
strength. I understand if you have a reference
in your, a good reference, Where it says here is For in the Lord
Jehovah is everlasting strength the everlasting strength could
be translated rock of ages Just as we sing in the hymn rock of
ages cleft for me Let me hide myself in thee let the water
and the blood from my riven side which flowed be of sin a double
cure cleanse me from its guilt and power trust ye in the Lord
forever for in the Lord Jehovah we've often explained to you
the meaning of Jehovah is everlasting strength well contained in that
name Jehovah is everlasting and I pointed out to you also
how that in the New Testament is paraphrased and it gives us
what the meaning of it is because there wasn't the equivalent of
word in the greek language it's paraphrased in the new testament
but what a wonderful providence that is because in the paraphrase
we get to know the meaning more fully of what jehovah means i'm
he which is and which was and which is to come the almighty
i'm he which is and that's essentially the meaning of jehovah And where
it speaks of is and was and is to come, it means eternal. I am he which was from all eternity. I am he which is to come to all
eternity. I am the same now. I am Jesus
Christ, the same yesterday and today and forever. That's yesterday
eternal and today. He's unchangeably the same. We've sung in our hymns this
morning of that inward conflict which the true believer knows,
arising from the corruption of his own heart, and also of course
from the temptations of Satan. And so that you wonder greatly,
can ever God dwell here? Can I really be a child of God
when I have rising up in my heart such awful thoughts? the love of Christ is rich and
free blessed to his own eternally it can never change he's the
same you go back to that time when you felt the love of Christ
touched your heart that's never changed and that never will change you change I change but he changes
not. And you go back, it says in our
text about remembrance, and to the remembrance of thee. You
go back to that time when the love of Christ touched your heart,
when the love of Christ constrained you. And there are many, many
days have passed since then. Many things have happened. and many changes. The hymn writer
says, doesn't he, O thou who changest not, he starts that hymn, change and
decay in all around I say, O thou who changest not, abide with
me, trust ye in the Lord Jehovah, for in the Lord, Trust ye in
the Lord for ever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength,
the rock of ages, unchangeable. Upon this rock I build my church,
that of course is the glorious person of the Son of God manifest
in the flesh. Upon this rock I build my church
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. They'll try,
but they will not prevail. You fear that you'll be overwhelmed,
but you will not be overwhelmed. David, the sweet Psalmist of
Israel, he says, when my heart is overwhelmed within me, lead
me to the rock which is higher than I. Poor sinner, you've got to get
to Christ. You've got to get that precious
Redeemer. That's where we find the unchanging love of God. It's
in Christ. It's in his glorious person.
That's where you need to get to. Joseph Hart is so right,
my beloved friends, when he says, pour not on thyself too long,
else you'll sink thee lower. Look to Jesus. Firm and strong,
mercy joined with power. Look to Jesus. Casting all your
care upon him, for he careth for you. Doesn't one of the hymn writers,
so beautifully, mine is an unchanging love. It's an unchanging love. And this is what the prophet
is saying before us here. Trust ye in the Lord, in Jehovah
forever. For in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting
strength. Everlasting strength. In Isaiah 42, we read concerning
Christ, He will not fail. He will not fail. You fail Him. I fail Him. You fail Him. But He will never fail you. I
will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. I will never leave thee,
nor forsake thee. You know, the hymn writer takes
that up, about the soul that has cast their cares, their everything
in Christ. And in the Hebrews where it says,
I will never leave thee, apparently in the original, it's repeated
three times. I'll never, no never, the hymn
writer takes that very point up, I believe it's Joseph Hart,
who of course was a Hebrew scholar. I'll never, no never, no never
forsake. It's an unchanging love. It's
an almighty love. It's an eternal love. The love
of God to his people. You see, We read in our text, yea, which
is another word for yes, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord,
have we waited for thee. The desire of our soul is to
thy name and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I
desired thee in the night. Yea, with my spirit within me
will I seek thee early. in the way of thy judgments. Now these judgments can be looked
upon in different ways. We tend to perhaps have a bit
of a one-track mind when we think of judgments. We think of the
Lord's anger and the Lord's terrible judgments coming upon someone
because of their sin and their waywardness. That is of course
one aspect the word judgment but equally the things that come in your pathway
in your daily life in Providence and things that will humble you things that will bring you down
things that will bring you to the end of yourself Now, the Apostle Peter, he says
in his first epistle, if need be, now God knows that in his
judgment, and this is what I mean, the difference of the nuances
in the word judgment, in God's judgment, he sees what you need. And the Apostle puts it so beautifully,
if need be, you're in heaviness, through manifold temptations,
That means many temptations. It can of course mean the temptations
of Satan, it often is, but it can also mean the temptations
that come through the flesh. And the things that you have
to pass through, when the Holy Spirit opens up something of
the inner sinfulness of your heart, truly convicting you of
your sin, I remember hearing of the late Mr. Hickmore of the
dicker. He briefly held the pastor of
the dicker before Mr. Tyler. And apparently in his
prayers, he often used to say, Lord, keep the lid on the pot.
Of course, what he meant by that was that he felt the rising of
iniquity and corruption in his heart. And he was afraid that
it was like a bubbling pot and it would boil over. And everybody
would see the wicked, evil, sinful, corrupt thoughts of his mind.
Lord, keep the lid on the pot. Do you have to pray that? Lord,
subdue my sins, my iniquity, my evil thoughts, my corrupt
nature. Now, in the judgment of God,
he has brought you to see that. In his judgment, he felt you
needed to know that you're a sinner, that you're lost, that you cannot
save yourself, that you cannot deliver yourself in the judgment
of God. And so therefore, by his spirit,
he will, as it were, like that word in Ezekiel, and I've often
told you about it, turn again, O son of man, and thou shalt
see greater abominations than these. You turn around and you
look within and there's more sin and more sin and more sin
and more corruption. But what's the purpose in the
judgment of God? What is the purpose? To bring
you to the end of self. To bring you to feel and know
and experience that you're a lost sinner. That you cannot do anything
good. that you're unrighteous altogether.
And he'll make you feel it. In the prophecy of Jeremiah,
we read that the heart of man is deceitful above all things
and desperately wicked. And this is what the Lord has
given you to prove. In his judgment, you need that. And one of the principle means
that you need it for is to humble you. so that you don't get lifted
up in pride, so that you don't have this presumptuous Christian
religion. You presume this and you presume
that and you presume something else because the Lord won't let
you, because he keeps you low. He keeps you seeing your lost
condition, your sinful condition. He does. And you know, my beloved
friends, it's a painful thing. Yea, in the way of thy judgments,
O Lord. But this is the point. Have we
waited for thee? It may be, in the judgment of
God, that you have something in your family. Something that
keeps you much in prayer. Something that brings you to
the end of yourself. You can't manage it. It seems utterly impossible for
you to manage it. Now in the judgment of God, he's
put it there. You know, when we think of all
these things, we should think of that word in Romans chapter
eight, all things. How comprehensive that word is,
all things. Not just some things. Not just
the good things, but what we would consider to be bad things.
All things work together for good, to them that love God,
to them that are the called according to his purposes. It's for your
good. It's for the good of your soul.
You might say, but I come to my wits end. It's for the good
of your soul. You go and read at your leisure
Psalm 107 and you'll see the ups and the downs and the ins
and the outs of the sweet Psalmist of Israel. They that go down to the sea
in ships and do business in deep waters these see the works of
the Lord and his wonders in the deep. Now the purpose and it says in that context there
when the great storm comes and the waves roll. And it says there,
and they are at their wits end. You come to the end of everything.
What can I do? The purpose of the Lord in this is
to bring you to feel. You know the most wonderful illustration
of this divine teaching that the Lord gives unto his people
It is found with the Apostle Paul. Now we all know that the
Apostle Paul, he was the greatest of all the apostles. He says
himself, I was one born out of due season. After Christ was
gone to glory, the Lord stopped him. The Lord Jesus Christ stopped
him on the road to Damascus. And what a wonderful conversion
that was. And literally, literally within
days of his conversion he was preaching in the synagogues of
Damascus that Christ alone is the son of God and the savior
of sinners but and he went forth of course and he boldly preached
where no other man preached he went to lots of different cities
and preached the gospel but what do we read in the Corinthians
What was the secret of his success? And he was successful. He actually
says himself, I laboured more than them all. He wouldn't have a wife. And the only reason was because
he said, I want to give myself entirely to the Lord. You see,
the zeal that dear man have had, God had, he denied himself. so that he could give himself
entirely. But then what do we read in the Corinthians? Lest
I should be exalted above measure. The Lord gave him a thorn in
the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet him. Lest I should
be exalted above measure. You know, the Lord knows how
to humble us. And though Paul Because it was
so tiresome and and so painful that thorn in the flesh constantly
festering The pain that it caused him Wisely hidden exactly what
that thorn in the flesh was we know it was a messenger of Satan
But we do not know exactly what it was and that's wisely hidden
Do you have a thorn in the flesh Do you have a messenger of Satan
to buffet you? I besought the Lord thrice to
remove him. But we do not read that the Lord
ever did remove him. But he gave him most sweet promise.
The Lord Jesus speaking to him, my grace is sufficient for thee. My strength is made perfect weakness. You know that's a mystery isn't
it, a paradox. My strength is made perfect in
weakness, your weakness, your insufficiency, your poverty,
your wretchedness, your helplessness. My strength is made perfect in
weakness because of this condition that you're found in, and you're
the only one that knows exactly what it is. Because of the condition
you're found in, it causes many, many errands to the throne of
grace. You're constantly there. Lord,
help me. Lord, help me. It's like that
woman that we read of in the Gospels, and she came to him,
the woman of Canaan, and the lord as it were rebuffed her
the disciples would have sent her away but what do we read she kept
coming and this lovely word and she worshipped him saying lord
help me but what was wrong my group my daughter is grievously
sick that's what the trouble was her daughter lord help me
you see The Lord Jesus eventually said to her, he said, that it's
not meat that the children's bread should be given to dogs.
And she said to him, the dogs eat of the crumbs from beneath
the master's table. Woman, how great is thy faith,
how great is thy faith. And her daughter was healed.
She received what she sought for. The Lord is able to do abundantly
more than you or I can ever ask or think. Abundantly more. He is able. He is able. He's able to do abundantly more.
Why? Because He's Almighty God. He's
the Lord Jehovah in whom is everlasting strength. He's the eternal rock
of ages. With heaven and earth at His
command, He waits to answer prayer. There is nothing too hard for
the Lord. It is for you, but it is not
for the Lord. And what does he say? The cause
that is too hard for thee, bring it unto me. Bring it unto me. Keep bringing it unto me. Don't give up bringing it unto
me. Yea, in the way of thy judgments,
O Lord, have we waited for thee. This waiting, but they that wait
upon the Lord. shall renew their strength, they
shall mount upon wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint. It's this waiting, isn't it? Yea, in the way of thy judgments,
O Lord, have we waited for thee. The desire of our soul is to
thy name. In your utter felt ruin and helplessness,
you don't cast stones at God. No. You're humbled, Andre. And if my soul were sent to hell,
thy righteous Lord approves it well. You're humbled, Andre.
To this man will I look, to him that is poor, and of a contrite
spirit, and that trembleth at my word. It's like that woman
when he rebuffed her. Truth, Lord. She didn't argue
with him. It was true. She was a Canaanite. She was a foreign woman. But she still came, she still
looked, she still wrestled, let patience have her perfect work. You might say, I haven't got
any patience left. Well, you have to ask the Lord
for it. You have to go to the Lord. He alone can give you patience
and love and grace. Not only can, but he will. He
lends an unseen hand and he gives a secret pot. You may think that
perhaps you're going to get some great and wonderful blessing.
It may not be that. It may be day by day, the Lord
will help you through. Day by day, he'll give you a
little strength. Day by day, he'll help you to
pray. Day by day, he'll help you to
cast all your care upon him. For he careth for you. He loves
you. That love has never changed.
That love never will change. In spite of all your sin and
all your waywardness, that love will never change. Yea, in the
way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee. The
desire of our soul is to thy name. How sweet the name of Jesus
sounds in a believer's ear, soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
and drives away his fear. And to the remembrance of thee. and to the remembrance of thee.
There's a exceedingly well-known word in Deuteronomy chapter 8,
and a very well-known word about remembering. Thou shalt remember. You know, may the Lord enable
us to remember, to look to him, And we read in Deuteronomy 8
verse 2, and thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy
God led thee these 40 years in the wilderness. Now, listen to
what it's saying, because this is the very point I'm trying
to make in the way of thy judgments. Listen to what it said, to humble
thee. That's why you're walking the
path you're walking. to humble thee, to prove thee,
to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his
commandments or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered
thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest
not, neither did thy fathers know, that he might make thee
know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word
that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. not
by bread only, not by providential blessings only, but by the Word
of God spoken from His own mouth, sealed into your heart by the
Holy Ghost. Man doth not live by bread only,
but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord
doth man live. You see, thou shalt remember. If you look down that chapter
to verse 18, there's another remembrance. But thou shalt remember
the Lord thy God, for it is he that giveth thee power to get
wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swear unto
thy fathers, as it is this day. And it shall be, if thou do at
all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods and
serve them and worship them, I would testify against you in
this day that you shall surely perish. You see, my beloved friends,
thou shalt remember all the way, all the way, which the Lord thy
God has led thee. There's another thing you've
got to remember. I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
No, never. And you're to remember that. His love is eternal. His love
is unchangeable. It's infinite like He is. What
we read in the first epistle of John, God is love. Infinite
love, eternal love, almighty love. Unchanging love. It is. Free. not by works of righteousness
that I have done, but according to his abundant mercy. That's
where this love flows from, the love of our eternal Father in
choosing you from before the foundation of the world, in giving
you unto his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and sending his
Son to this world to save and to redeem you. to live a holy
life as a man here upon earth, and to fulfill and honor that
holy law that you and I have broken. He came to fulfill it. He came to honor it. I come not
to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. That's what Christ has done,
and he's fulfilled it on behalf of his children. And that fulfilling
of the law is called the righteousness of Christ. And he gives it to
the church. He gives it to the church. And
he knows how to keep you. Kept by the power of God through
faith, unto salvation, ready to be revealed at the last day.
Kept. Delivered. It's that lovely word
in the epistle of Jude. The closing two verses of the
epistle of Jude. 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. He's able to keep you. He's able to deliver you. Yea, in the way of thy judgments,
O Lord, have we waited for thee. The desire of our soul is to
thy name and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I
desired thee in the night. In the night, in a sense here in Holy Scripture,
you have those night seasons in your experience. You have
those seasons when there is light. and blessing and favor. But you
also have those seasons when there's darkness and bondage. And I feel that this is what
it's speaking of here in our text. With my soul have I desired
thee in the night. Do you wake? Do these things
sometimes in the night season overwhelm you? Do you seek the
Lord? Do you have to say with that,
dear woman, Lord, help me? Lord, send deliverance. Lord,
send help. Your desire is to him. In all your helplessness and
hopelessness, your desire is towards him. With my soul have
I desired thee in the night. Perhaps, perhaps you, I've known
it myself when I've had to get up in the night and go on my
own somewhere and kneel down and pray. So great has been the
conflict within. You have to kneel down. A desire
to the Lord. A desire for his help. A desire
for him to reveal himself. A desire for deliverance. He's able. You think of all those
people that came to Christ. It wasn't just this woman that
came with her daughter that was grievously vexed. There were
other people that came. Look at the ruler of the synagogue.
His daughter was near death. In fact, she died. But the Lord
Jesus came and raised her from the dead. You see, my beloved
friends, omnipotence had servants everywhere. I can't quote it
exactly. He never is before his time. And he's never too late. He's
never too late. With my soul have I desired thee
in the night. Yea, with my spirit within me
will I seek thee early. Early will I seek thee. Then
that seek me early shall find me. Shall find me. Psalm 38, the psalmist, he says,
Lord, all my desire is before thee, my groaning is not hid
from thee. And sometimes, you know, friends,
you come into a pathway, you groan, you can't utter in words
what you feel in your soul. When my wife had an accident
on the way home from chapel on one occasion, I was actually
preaching here that day and she'd gone home from chapel and she
was going to get some tea and we were all going to Croydon,
West Street Croydon for the evening service and I came round into
the village and there was blue lights right across the road.
I didn't think anything, I'd just done a three-point turn
and went round the other end of the village and drove in,
no car. immediately i thought oh no you know friends as i drove down
to that place it was a hundred yards from where her sisters
were killed going home from chapel on the sunday afternoon i didn't know what to think but
those words dropped upon my spirit concerning Christ, he groaned
in spirit. And you know, friends, that's
all I could do. He groaned in spirit. You see, with my soul, have I desired
thee in the night? Yea, with my spirit within me
will I seek thee early. For when thy judgments are in
the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. The Lord's judgments. Now, in
the earth, we're still experiencing a drought here. There is no doubt
it's the Lord's judgments. It is. Terrible war in Ukraine. There's many of the Lord's people
in Ukraine. The Lord's judgments upon the
earth. You know, Most Christian people today, they deny that
God would do anything such as that. They only worship a God
of love. They don't know anything about
his holiness, his righteousness, or his solemn judgments against
sin and sinners. But the thing is with the Lord's
people, it brings them to his feet. There's a desire. there's a desire toward his name.
And that's a sweet thing to know, a desire toward his name. You
see, to them that look for him, shall he appear without sin unto
salvation. Yea, in the way of thy judgments,
O Lord, have we waited for thee. The desire of our soul is to
thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I
desired thee in the night, yea, with my spirit within me will
I seek thee early. For when thy judgments are in
the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. May the Lord add his blessings. Let us now sing together hymn
number 132. The tune is Lloyd 172. A friend
there is, your voice is joy. Ye Saints, to praise his name,
whose truth and kindness are divine, whose love's a constant
flame. Hymn 132. He sings to praise his name,
His heaven-high, his holy name. Destiny is helping man. His journey's
always clear. ♪ With His true love ♪ ♪ He waits
to answer prayer ♪ ♪ He is the glory of America ♪ The changes that brought me to
be this way. ♪ Let mercy run its course ♪ ♪
He lies with us ♪ ♪ His song, his praise we raise to thee ♪ and liberty, which thou couldst
rule with all its sovereign will. ♪ Unchained ♪ ♪ How sweet the sound
♪ ♪ That saved a wretch like me ♪ Now, may the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the sacred fellowship
of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each. Amen.