Let us commence our service this
evening by singing together hymn number 221. The tune is Hanover
807. ye children of God, by faith
in his Son, redeemed by his blood, and with him made one, this union
with wonder and rapture be seen, which nothing can sunder without
or within. Hymn 221. O children of God, one faith
in this hour, Faith in thine is pow'r, that in the end may
come, Without them, I am but to be
seen, With no angels sounded, Without hope in me. ? This Jordan which weased, which
her God destroyed, ? ? Which we shall all praise, this heavenly
joy, ? And I ask thee, Father, to take
me to thee. Tis the moment, ye'se, that Jehoshap'h
reigns, and praises to she's, and glories to thine. ? The glories of greatness ? ?
Enchants me from earth ? ? This I can witness ? ? One and only
Jesus Christ ? ? Sing, sing, O Richmond, where
are thy boys now? ? Alleluia, alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia, Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the Book of Joshua and Chapter 1. The first chapter in the Book
of Joshua. Now after the death of Moses
the servant of the Lord it came to pass that the Lord spake unto
Joshua the son of Nun Moses' minister, saying, Moses, my servant
is dead. Now therefore arise, go over
this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I
do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place
that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given
unto you, as I said unto Moses. from the wilderness, and this
Lebanon, even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all
the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea, toward the
going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not
any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life. As I was with Moses, so I will
be with thee. I will not fail thee, nor forsake
thee. Be strong, and of a good courage,
for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the
land which I swear unto their fathers to give them. Only be
thou strong, and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do
according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded thee. turn not from it to the right
hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever
thou goest. This book of the law shall not
depart out of thy mouth, and thou shalt meditate therein day
and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is
written therein. For then thou shalt make thy
way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success. Have
not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage,
be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed. For the Lord thy God
is with thee, with us whoever thou goest. Then Joshua commanded
the officers of the people, saying, Pass through the host, and command
the people, saying, Prepare you rituals, For within three days
ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land
which the Lord your God giveth you, to possess it. And to the
Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh,
Joshua spake, saying, Remember the word which Moses, a servant
of the Lord, commanded you, saying, The Lord your God hath given
you rest. and hath given you this land.
Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle shall remain
in the land which Moses gave you on this side, Jordan. But
ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of
valor, and help them, until the Lord hath given your brethren
rest, as he hath given you. And they also have possessed
the land which the Lord your God giveth them. Then ye shall
return unto the land of your possession, and enjoy it, which
Moses the Lord's servant gave you on this side Jordan toward
the sun rising. And they answered Joshua, saying,
All that thou commandest us, we will do. And whithersoever
thou sendest us, we will go. according as we have hearkened
unto the voice of Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto
thee. Only the Lord thy God be with
thee, as he was with Moses. Whosoever he be that doth rebel
against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words,
in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death. Only
be strong, and of a good courage. May the Lord bless that portion
of his own precious word, grant unto us a spirit of real prayer. Gracious, merciful and eternal
God, all we do desire to bow before thy great majesty, to
call upon thy great, thy holy and thy eternal name. Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost, we desire to bow before Thee. Thou art
the only true God. And we thank Thee for that glorious
and profound mystery of the precious doctrine of the Trinity. And
gracious Lord, we pray that as we gather around Thy Word tonight,
we may feel something of the sweetness and power of those
words. For God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our
hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Thus may we, the Trinity saving
you, unite together, all concerned in our salvation, that we may
know the sanctifying work of the Spirit in our hearts, that
we may know that the Father himself loveth you and has given us to
Christ, May we know that the Eternal Son of the Eternal Father
was manifested in the flesh for us, lived for us, suffered for
us, died for us, rose again for us. May we see the sacred, precious,
substitutory work of the life, of the sufferings, of the death,
of the resurrection and the ascension into glory. of our Lord Jesus
Christ. O Lord, these are the foundation
truths of our most holy faith. We do pray that we may meditate
in these things, and that they may be a living word in our hearts,
a living doctrine, and that we may feed upon that precious doctrine
of truth. We do humbly beseech of thee.
We pray, O Lord, that thou wouldst graciously Bless us as a church
and as a congregation. We remember our beloved brethren,
the deacons, and the various responsibilities that devolve
upon them in the sanctuary. Oh, that thou wouldst be gracious
and have mercy. We do humbly beseech thee for
thy great name's sake. We pray, O Lord, that thou wouldst
graciously hear prayer for us, for real prosperity. That thou wouldst grant that
those of us that do know thee may grow in grace and in the
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, that we may live
to him that died, that we may be surrendered to the Crucified
One, in spite of all the opposition of the world, the flesh and the
devil, which rises up within us. And we do pray that thou
wouldst graciously grant thy ruling grace in our hearts, in
our lives, in our circumstances. We read in thy word unto him
that is able to keep you from falling. And Lord, we need thee
to keep us from falling. We have the most wretched, the
most sinful, the most corrupt heart. And that sometimes, Lord,
we think none can be worse than our own sinful, corrupt nature.
So we come in confession of the wanderings of our heart. And
that we pray to be delivered from temptation. When the enemy
comes in like a flood, may the spirit of the Lord lift up a
standard against him. May grace triumphant reign when
we fear, O Lord, that we're going to be overwhelmed that we pray
that thou wouldst make a way of escape, that we may not be
overwhelmed. Oh, we do pray, most gracious
Lord, that we may be preserved unto thy heavenly kingdom. We
seek thy blessing, dearest Lord, that it may rest upon the whole of our congregation.
We think of the little babes and the children that are brought
into the sanctuary. We pray that thy blessing may
rest upon them, and that thou wouldst be gracious unto them.
We pray, O Lord, that thou wouldst work in their young and their
tender hearts, that the fear of the Lord that is the beginning
of wisdom may be given unto them, that they may be able to say,
like Nehemiah, so did not I, because of the fear of the Lord.
Grant them the fear of the Lord, though knowest the many temptations,
the many allurements there are in the day in which we live,
and we pray to be delivered from them, that the tender filial
fear of the Lord may be an exercise in each one of our hearts. Remember
the young friends on the threshold of life's journey. Remember them
for good. Bring them to living, vital,
saving faith in Jesus Christ. that they might know thee and
serve thee and follow thee in our day and in our generation,
that there may be a generation that shall be raised up, that
shall call thee the Redeemer blessed. Lord, may it be so. We do humbly beseech of thee.
May it be also that other sheep have I which are not of this
fold, them I must bring. Oh, we long to see Zion's offspring
come. We long to see the Prodigal's
return, we long to see thine arm made bare, the Lord Jesus
exalted as a Prince and as a Saviour, for to give faith and repentance
and remission of sins. O do grant it to us, Lord, we
do humbly beseech of thee. Grant that he may be lifted high
this evening hour, that poor sinners may look and live. We pray that when the enemy comes
in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard
against him. We remember all in the midst
of the journey of life, bearing the heat and the burden of the
day. Be gracious, have mercy, O Lord, we do beseech Thee for
Thy great name's sake. And make us more spiritually
minded and set our affections on things above and draw my soul
to Thee, my Lord, let me love Thy precious Word, that we may
be enabled to truly say, I love the Lord, because He heard my
voice, the voice of my supplications. Gracious God, we pray for each
and every one of us in the evening time of life's journey. We would
especially remember our dear aged sister, in her great age,
we pray that thou wouldst continue to support, sustain and strengthen
and help her. And Lord, each one of us, we
pray that as we feel this mud-walled cottage shake, we may long to
see it fall. But all those things, O Lord,
are in thy hand and are wisely hidden from us. We pray for grace
to walk the path by faith and not by sight. We pray for grace
to lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily beset
us, and that we might 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 endured the cross,
despising the shame thereof, and is now set down at the right
hand of the majesty on high. Oh, may we follow him, we do
humbly beseech of thee. Any, Lord, that have come into
the sanctuary and they long for a certain matter and a certain
thing, that we pray that there was grant that those things may
be brought forth, that the preacher may be led of the Spirit of God.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons
of God. Lord, we pray that there was
graciously gathering and build up and renew and revive and replenish
for thy great name's sake. We pray that thou would remember
all thy servants as they labour in word and doctrine upon the
walls of Zion, set them free, set them at liberty, grant mighty
signs and wonders to follow the preaching of the word. Oh, do
hear us, Lord, thou hast promised in thy word I will abundantly
bless her provision. I will satisfy her poor with
bread. Gracious God, may it be so. We
do humbly beseech Thee for Thy great name's sake. We pray that
we may not be weary in well-doing, but that we may constantly keep
our eyes on Jesus' face. Lord, we thank Thee for every
mercy of Thy kind providence. We thank Thee that Thy mercies
to us are new every morning and great is Thy faithfulness. Above
all, we thank Thee for the wonderful, sacred and profound glory of
our Lord Jesus Christ beyond our comprehension, the eternal
Word that was made flesh and dwelt among us. We thank Thee
for the glory of His person, for that profound mystery of
Godliness, God manifest in the flesh. We thank Thee that in
Him the law has been magnified, honoured and fulfilled. Everlasting
righteousness has been brought in. We thank Thee that on Calvary,
where the Lamb was slain, sin has been put away. Divine justice
has been satisfied. God and sinners are reconciled.
Peace is made between God and man. We thank Thee that He died
for our sins. He laid down His life for us. and on the third day he rose
again for our justification. We thank thee, most gracious
God, that he is now bodily ascended into heaven, sitting at thy right
hand. We have a great High Priest,
we have an Advocate with the Father, we have an inheritance
incorruptible and that faded not away, reserved in heaven
through our Lord and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Do come, Lord,
we pray, Remember all in affliction and trouble and trial. Undertake
for them. Thou knowest each one's concerns,
and thou knowest the needs of each one. O Lord, we do pray
that thou wouldst remember us for good. We pray, O Lord, that
thou wouldst be gracious. And as we turn now to thy word,
that thy word may be open to our heart and to our understanding.
that we may delve into the deep that counted beneath in thy word,
that thou wouldst open those treasures, those glorious treasures
of thy grace, those minds, those everlasting minds of the love,
mercy, and grace of God in Jesus Christ. Lord, we ask with the
forgiveness of all our sins for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 174. The tune is Carey's 314. Jesus is precious, says the word. What comfort does this truth
afford? And those who in his name believe
with joy this precious truth receive him 174. His truth proclaim. His truth proclaim. His truth proclaim. His truth proclaim. His truth proclaim. O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the
bombs bursting in air, O say can you see, by the dawn's
early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last
gleaming? ? The free and the home of the
brave ? ? And the home of the brave ? ? Whose broad stripes and bright
stars ? ? Through the perilous fight ? O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the
bombs bursting in air, ? Thee we praise ? ? Thee we praise
? ? Thee we praise ? ? Thee we praise ? O say can you see, by the dawn's
early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last
gleaming? O come, O come, O come, O come,
O come, O come, to Bethlehem. ? Holy night ? ? And with your
light ? ? The stars are all around ? ? Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave ? ? Evermore the gracious grace of
heav'n above. ? Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the prophecy
of Obadiah, and we'll read verse 17. Obadiah comes immediately
after the Book of Amos. Obadiah and verse 17. But upon Mount Zion shall be
deliverance, And there shall be holiness, and the house of
Jacob shall possess their possessions. But upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance. This prophecy of Obadiah, much
time is spent previously on prophesying against the children of Edom.
The children of Edom were the sons and daughters of Esau. And the Lord pronounces some
very solemn judgments against them. We must always remember,
you see here in our text it says the house of Jacob. But Jacob
and Esau were twins. And we have that solemn word.
Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated. Esau was a man of the
world. Jacob was a man of God. As characters,
in reading Holy Scripture, in some ways you would take Esau
to have a better character than what Jacob did. Jacob was like
his name, the supplanter, the deceiver. And we perceive it
in his life, but he was the Lord's chosen servant, Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob, the patriarchs of the children of Israel. But we mustn't move away from
this fact that the Lord, He will pour His judgments, His wrath
upon the wicked in the Day of Judgment, sometimes here in this
world. These solemn judgments will be
poured out. You can't call them chastisements
because a chastisement is something that is used on the children
of God to discipline them and to bring them into closer union
and communion with the Lord. We call it the solemn judgments
of God because they're eternal and it comes out very clear in
this chapter, the solemn judgments against Esau, against the children
of Edom. Now, there's several things in
this text, but upon Mount Zion, Zion is the church of the living
God. Zion, we read of it in Psalm 2, yet
have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. That King is our Lord Jesus Christ. He sat there as King in Zion.
He came here upon this earth. Jesus Christ is the Eternal Son
of the Eternal Father. He came here on this earth to
redeem his people. His name shall be called Jesus,
for he shall save his people from their sins. and this was
accomplished and fulfilled on Mount Zion where Christ was crucified
where he suffered and he bled and died for the sins of his
people but upon Mount Zion so this Mount Zion that is literally
Jerusalem shall be deliverance and there shall be holiness and
the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions in spite of
all the opposition look at the opposition that Jacob had to
endure from his brother Esau on one occasion coming with 400
armed men to slay Jacob and everything that he had but through the mercy
of God he was delivered and so the dealings that Esau and Jacob
had were very contentious. Of course we look forward here
upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance. This is a prophecy of the coming
of Christ. When David's greater son, Jesus
Christ, is born in the manger at Bethlehem and the the holy
sinless life he lived as a man here upon earth, fulfilling,
honoring, magnifying that holy righteous law. And his deliverance that he wrought
was upon Mount Zion in Jerusalem. That scene of matchless grace,
we spoke of it last Lord's Day afternoon. that matchless grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, how willingly He permitted the Father
to lay upon Him the iniquity of us all, that that is what
He was born for. He says Himself, to this end
was I born, for this cause came I into the world. And what was
to be done in the sufferings of Christ, in the sacrifice of
Christ, in the life of Christ, In the death of Christ, in the
resurrection of Christ, in the ascension of Christ into glory,
what was done, what was accomplished, what was fulfilled? Well the
law was fulfilled, the law was honoured, the law was magnified
in the glorious person of Jesus Christ but as a substitute. He magnified, he honoured that
holy law as a substitute for his people. He stood in their
ruined place instead. but upon Mount Zion shall be
deliverance. I know I often emphasize it to
you, but it doesn't say there could be deliverance, there might
be deliverance, there is deliverance. It's upon Mount Zion. And that
deliverance is in a crucified Savior. That deliverance is in
the holy life of Jesus Christ. But a deacon tell me just recently
of a minister that recently said in the pulpit that the life of
Christ means nothing. The death of Christ means everything.
That minister is absolutely and completely wrong. The life of
Christ means everything. That's our righteousness. That's
our obedience. You cannot produce a righteousness
of your own. You cannot live obedient to the
law. But this man, this glorious holy God man, the man Christ
Jesus. He lived a pure, a holy, a spotless,
an undefiled life. He did no sin. Neither was guile
found in his mouth. And he did that upon Mount Zion.
He took our sins. He nailed them to his cross.
He took our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane. He humbled himself. He said, If it be possible, let
this cup pass from me, but not my will, but thine be done. Not
my will, but thine be done. Oh, my beloved friends, how willing. I think it's Swain, the hymn
writer, he says, doesn't he? How willing was Jesus to die.
I lay down my life. I have power to lay my life down. And I have power to take it again.
This is what we see. You see it says here, upon Mount
Zion shall be deliverance. And there shall be holiness.
That holiness is the holiness of Christ. That perfection is
the perfection of Christ. Holy. Pure. Righteous altogether. Thus saith
the Holy One of Israel. He's holy. God is holy, God is
pure. His Son is holy, His Son is pure. When He lived here as a man on
earth, He lived a life that was pure, that was holy, that was
righteous altogether. He had compassion upon the ignorant.
He did good unto all men, especially unto the household of faith. He honoured, He magnified the
holy law of God on the behalf of His people. My beloved friends,
this is where deliverance is. but upon Mount Zion shall be
deliverance. You won't find that deliverance
anywhere else and the scriptures are very clear on that. There
is none other name given under heaven whereby ye must be saved
but the name of Jesus Christ. It's the only place of salvation. It's the only place of deliverance.
The door of hope is open wide in Jesus' bleeding hands and
side. But upon Mount Zion shall be
deliverance and there shall be holiness. Holiness. The holiness of Christ. The perfections
of Christ. There was holiness in his life. It's lovely. I absolutely love
that beautiful expression that is used by Daniel. to the bringing
in of everlasting righteousness. And Daniel there is prophesying
the coming of Christ and the bringing in of his everlasting
righteousness. It's very beautiful and very
sacred and very precious. And it's part of this deliverance
that he has wrought. And it's this holiness that we
have in the text. If you remember the high priest
under the Levitical dispensation he had a gold front to his meter
and on chains of gold it said holiness unto the Lord. Holiness. That high priest is
a beautiful type of our great high priest. Holiness unto the
Lord. Now that holiness doesn't just,
it's part of it that holy life that he lived, that sinless life
that he lived as a man under the law, but that there's holiness
here. The divine justice demanded a
sacrifice that was holy. Nothing short of that would do.
It had to be holy. It had to be pure. It had to
be voluntary. And that is found in the sacrifice
of Christ. How willingly he went and he
offered that holy, sacred, human nature of his upon the altar
of his divinity. Holiness. A holy sacrifice. John Bunyan in that beautiful
sermon, well-known sermon, called the acceptable sacrifice. This
is the acceptable sacrifice. The sacrifice of Christ. It was
acceptable because it was holy. And divine justice demanded a
holy sacrifice. And divine justice received a
holy sacrifice in the glorious person of our Lord and our Saviour,
Jesus Christ. The payment was made good. And
it could only be done by Jesus, the Son of God. It couldn't be
done by a mere man. It was done by the God-man. He
that was made flesh and dwelt among us. That's what He came
to do. That's what He came to accomplish
and fulfill the law and bring in holiness and everlasting righteousness. But upon Mount Zion shall be
deliverance and there shall be holiness. It was because of the
purity and holiness of His sacrifice that it is said so beautifully,
the blood The blood of Jesus Christ, that precious blood that
he shed on Calvary, it was holy blood. It was holy blood. It was acceptable unto God. The
blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. It was holy blood. It purges
away all sin. There's a purity and a holiness
in it that purges away the sin of the Lord's people. Of course it's brought out very
well isn't it in the sacrifice of the Passover. On that night
of the Passover. Just remember what was said and
what the commandment was to the children of Israel. Your lamb
shall be without blemish. Holy. That lamb represented Christ. It says in the prophet Micah
that if any Israelite was to bring, was to decide that He
got a lame sheep or a blind sheep or something with some terrible
disease. If he was to offer that, then
it was an utter abomination in the eyes of the Lord. You might
say, why? Why was that so? Because the
sacrifice of Christ was without blemish. It was spotless, it
was pure, it was undefiled. And only such a sacrifice as
that can satisfy the demands of divine justice. And he paid
the ultimate price. I lay down my life for my friends. And laying upon him, resting
upon him, was the sin of the church. But upon Mount Zion shall
be deliverance, and there shall be holiness, and the house of
Jacob shall possess their possessions. there shall be holiness. Friends,
the only holiness you find in any being upon earth is in Christ. That is what David speaks in
a prophetic sense in Psalm 37. Mark the perfect man and behold
the upright for the end of that man is peace. He's speaking of
Christ. He's speaking of Christ. Mark
the perfect man. Holiness. One hymn writer says, Holiness
without a stain, we are thirsting to obtain. You'll find it in
Jesus Christ. That's where you'll find it.
Holiness without a stain. You'll never find it here below.
You'll never find it in your prayers. You'll never find it
in your walk, in your conduct. You'll never find it in your
heart, in your life. We are all unholiness, we are
all unrighteous, but this man, this holy God man, the man Christ
Jesus, who did no sin, holiness. It's something here, my beloved
friends, that is so sacred and precious in the holy sacrifice
of Christ on the cross of Calvary. So, we have the place, Mount
Zion, We've already referred to that beautiful promise in
Psalm 2. Yet have I set my King upon my
holy hill of Zion. But upon Mount Zion shall be
deliverance. There is salvation in none other.
There is salvation in none other. There is none other name given
unto heaven whereby you must be saved. but the name of Jesus
Christ. Those beautiful words spoken
by Isaiah the prophet, by the divine influence of the Spirit,
look unto me all ye ends of the earth and be ye saved for I am
God and there is none else. That's Christ. Look unto me. That's where holiness is. That's
where righteousness is. It's a great mercy. If the Lord
teaches you and me our unholiness, if the Lord teaches us our sinfulness,
if the Lord in some little measure shows us what we are and where
we are by nature, it's a great mercy. Because you know that
you have nothing to trust in in yourself. It's something that
the Lord continually teaches his children. The Apostle Paul,
I often refer you to it, Philippians 3 verse 8, doubtless I count
all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus
my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do
countenance that done that I may win Christ and be found in him
not having mine own righteousness which is of the law but that
which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which
is of God by faith. Oh my beloved friends, this glorious,
this everlasting road of the righteousness of Jesus Christ,
who are these that have come out, doesn't it say in Revelation
chapter 7, the question that is put to John, who are these? He said, these are they that
came out of great tribulation and washed their robes and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before
the throne of God. No other reason. There'll be
no other reason why you and I ever reach heaven. But only through
the finished work of Jesus Christ. This is the possessions of the
church. of the Bride of Christ. And there shall be holiness in
the house of Jacob. Now the house of Jacob means
the living family of God. It means the Church of Jesus
Christ. It means all those that were
chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and are sanctified
by the Holy Ghost. That's the Church of God, the
Church of Jesus Christ. and they are all brought to trust
in him and the house of Jacob shall. You know friends, these
positive statements of Holy Scripture, on our part they're often many
doubts and many fears. Perhaps sometimes you feel like
doubting Thomas, when he said that unless I see his wounded
side, his wounded hands, unless I thrust in my hand in whose
side I will not believe. What a stubborn man, wasn't he?
The Lord gave him a very gentle, very loving rebuke. Thomas, blessed
are they that have not seen and yet believe. And yet believe. Faith is a substance of things
hoped for yet not seen. It's believing. It's laying hold,
what we hope in. The finished work of Christ.
Now, Their possessions. Eternal life. Eternal life. In Jesus Christ. Heaven. Glory. I'm very much drawn to that beautiful
word in the first chapter of the first epistle of Peter. And
he speaks there right in the beginning of that first epistle.
Look how he sets out. Elect according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience
and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Grace unto you
and peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ. This verse three was the verse
the Lord used to bring me into gospel liberty. Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his
abundant mercy, no other reason, is according to his abundant
mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively, that is a living
hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to
an inheritance You see the house of Jacob shall possess her possessions. To an inheritance incorruptible,
we've often pointed out to you, an inheritance cannot be purchased,
it cannot be brought. An inheritance is something that
is freely left. You can't purchase it, you can't
buy it. It's something that is given. And you and I cannot purchase
or buy heaven and eternal glory and the way to heaven and happiness.
It's given. It's an inheritance. To an inheritance
incorruptible. See this, this precious sacrifice
of Christ, this precious blood of Christ, this glorious righteousness
of Christ, doesn't buy mean things, it doesn't buy you things for
this world, it buys you things for the world to come. It's a
purchased inheritance, which Christ has purchased with his
blood. To an inheritance incorruptible. and undefiled, and that fadeth
not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the
power of God, through faith, unto salvation, ready to be revealed. You see, an inheritance incorruptible. The house of Jacob, the church
of God, the bride of Christ, shall possess her possessions.
You know, friends, They will not be left to another. Every
precious soul that the Lord has redeemed shall possess those
possessions. However little their faith may
appear, they will possess their possessions. They will enter
eternal glory. Of course, in an experimental
sense of the word, the Lord's people, in varying degrees, that
they possess their possessions, what Christ has given them. Eternal
life. Forgiveness of sins. The spirit
of adoption. They're her possessions. They're
what Christ has purchased. He's purchased it for us. To
an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth
not away. Reserved in heaven for you who
are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation
ready to be revealed. That's her possession. You know
we go back to that word concerning faith. Faith is the substance
of things hoped for yet not seen. Hoped for yet not seen. It's
what you're hoping for, it's what you're looking for. Again
in the first epistle of Peter And chapter five, we read in the fourth verse,
and when the chief shepherd, you notice shepherd is with a
capital S because it means Christ, and when the chief shepherd shall
appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away,
that fadeth not away. It's her possessions and she
will possess it. The Apostle Paul, he says, henceforth
is laid up for me a crown of righteousness. There's eternal
glory that is before the people of God. You know, in those beautiful
verses based on Rutherford's last words concerning that eternal
inheritance, glory above. The bride eyes not her garments
but her dear bridegroom's face. I will not gaze on glory, but
on my King of Grace, not on the crown he giveth, but on those
pierced hands where glory, glory dwelleth in Emmanuel's land,
in Emmanuel's land. It is in eternal glory. And that, my beloved friends,
the Apostle, he calls it the prize, the prize of the He was
pressing toward the mark to the prize of the high coil of God
in Christ Jesus. Father, we may see the same,
that prize I was looking earlier today and in the 9th chapter
of the epistle to the Hebrews and we see something of these
possessions, verse 11 but Christ being come, and high priest of
good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle,
that's his holy human nature, not made with hands, that is
to say, not of this building. He is by eternal generation,
he's without beginning and without ending, neither by the blood
of goats and of calves, but by his own blood. He entered in
once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for
us that's what christ has obtained for his people and this is their
possessions and according to our text it's divinely certain
that everyone will obtain it the house of jacob shall possess
their possessions and this is what the possessions are he goes
on for if the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of
an heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifies to the purifying of
the flesh, which it did in a natural sense of the word to the Jews,
how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience
from dead works, to serve the living God? For this cause he
is the mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death for the
redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament,
that of course is the law, they which are called might receive
the promise of eternal inheritance. You see, the promise of eternal
inheritance. He goes on here in this chapter
9 of the Hebrews. He says in verse 24, For Christ
is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which
are the figures of the true. He's referring there, of course,
to the tabernacle worship and the high priest entering once
a year into the holy of holies. But Christ is not entered into
the holy places made with hands, an earthly tabernacle, which
are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to
appear in the presence of God For us. For us. What a precious word, isn't it?
For us. The house of Jacob shall possess. There. They are theirs because
Christ has redeemed them. They are theirs because Christ
suffered and bled and died for them. Rose again for their justification. They are theirs. It's what the
Lord has given them. It's what He's purchased for
them. It's what is purchased for them. And then it says in that last
verse of Hebrews chapter 9, So Christ was once offered to bear
the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall he appear
the second time without sin unto salvation. The house of Jacob
shall possess their possessions. They were given to them from
all eternity. You might say, what do you mean?
Again, I go to 1 Peter chapter 1, and what does it say there?
For as much as you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver
and gold from your vain compensation received by tradition from your
fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb
slain from before the foundation of the world. That's what has
purchased you. And it's an eternal salvation
that has been purchased for you. I give unto my sheep eternal
life. It's their possession. And they
will possess it. What led me to read that first
chapter of the book of Joshua. We see that after Moses had died,
the Lord, he spake unto Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' minister,
saying, Moses, my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go
over this Jordan, thou and all this people unto the land which
I do give them, even to the children of Israel. It was their possession. And it says here in this first
chapter that they will possess it. The Lord encourages his servant
Joshua. He gives him a divine commission. It says in verse 5, there shall
not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy
life. As I was with Moses, so I will
be with thee. I will not fail thee nor forsake
thee. Joshua, of course, is a beautiful
type of Christ. His name is the same as Jesus. You might say, why isn't it written
the same in the Bible? Because in the is completely different in the
Greek and the Hebrew. The Hebrew version is Joshua.
The Greek version is Jesus. But it means exactly the same
thing. It means exactly the same thing.
The Saviour. The Redeemer. It was Joshua that
would lead the children of Israel over the River Jordan into the
Promised Land. And it's our heavenly Joshua,
our Lord Jesus Christ, that will lead us over the Jordan of death
into the promised land, into eternal glory. There may be many
fears in the way, there will be many fears in the way. Sometimes
your heart will be overwhelmed with a sense of your sinfulness,
your wretchedness, the temptations of Satan. There are so many things
that surround the living child of God, so many temptations.
The biggest trial of the living child of God is their own wicked
corrupt nature. One moment you can be so taken
up with the Lord and reading in his word and meditating and
having a sweet time and the next moment your heart can be erupting
with all manner of sin and iniquity. And to the living child of God
that is something that is deeply, deeply trying and it causes many
doubts and many fears. But one of the hymn writers says,
can ever God dwell here? But you see, my beloved friends,
the promises to Joshua, be strong and of a good courage, for unto
this people shalt thou divide and inheritance the land which
I swear unto their fathers to give them. Think of the heavenly
Joshua. He has purchased heaven, eternal
glory. everlasting bliss. Only be thou
strong and very courageous that thou mayest observe. Notice what,
and it's a word of instruction for us. In the day of Joshua they only
had the law. And by the law I mean the five
books of Moses. That's what they had in the day
of Joshua. From Genesis through to Deuteronomy. That was the
extent of the word of God. We have a greater revelation.
We not only have the prophets, but we also have Christ. We have
the finished work of Christ that is set before us, what he has
done, and what he has accomplished. You know, my beloved friends,
these things are a token to us. Only be thou strong and very
courageous at thou's absence. Observe to do according to all
the law, that means according to the word of God, which Moses
my servant commanded thee. Turn not from it, from the right
hand or the left, that thou mayest prosper with us wherever thou
goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth,
but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest
observe to do according to it is written therein. For then
thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good
success. David says, let thy word be a
lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. And my beloved
friends, if we're truly seeking Jesus, if we're truly following
Jesus, your desire that the word of God may guide and may direct
you in that right way, and that you may be given that spirit
of obedience I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service, and
be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind, that you might know what that good and perfect
will of the Lord is. Then thou shalt have good success.
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong. Actually, he goes
on, he says in verse 11, pass through the host and command
the people saying, prepare you victuals for within three days
you shall pass over Jordan to go in to possess the land which
the Lord your God giveth you to possess it. It's a divine
gift. And that land that is before
us now, the land of eternal glory, it is a divine gift. You see,
and he goes on here look at verse 15 until the Lord had given your
brethren rest that was the children of Manasseh and Reubenites the
other side of Jordan and they also possessed the land which
the Lord your God giveth them then shall you return unto the
land that is back to their tribal heritage see my beloved friends
the house of Jacob shall something divinely certain here. The house
of Jacob shall possess her possessions. Just a word comes to my mind.
You know, there may be very deep-seated in your heart a temptation that
because you're so wicked, because you're so vile, because you're
so unrighteous, you feel that you'll never reach heaven. You
feel that you're so defiled. The closing verses of Philippians
chapter 3, they beautifully speak of this. For our conversation
is in heaven, whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be
fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the work in
whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. They shall possess their possessions. He's able to subdue that sinful
heart, that corrupt nature. And when Christ comes again,
we shall be changed as the twinkling of an eye. The dead in Christ
shall rise first, and we that are alive and remain shall meet
the Lord in the air. The house of Jacob shall possess
her possessions. They are hers. They've been purchased
by the precious blood of Christ. And what He has done in purchasing
them, He will fulfill it. He will fulfill it. Just in closing,
there's that beautiful word, the closing verses of the Epistle
of Jude, verses 24 and 25. and those of you that may be
so tried and tempted. 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. You know that my late dear wife
was so fearful She was fearful to presume. She was fearful that
she was not in the way. She had so many great fears.
And yet I so remember sitting by her bed not too long before
she died and holding her hand and bearing in mind just how
fearful she was. To me it was something so sweet.
As I held her hand, I said, how do you really feel, dear? She
said, sometimes I feel really comfortable. Do you know, that
was so much to me. And for her to say that, it was
something she really felt. Sometimes I feel really comfortable. But upon Mount Zion shall be
deliverance, and there shall be holiness, and the house of
Jacob shall possess their possessions. May the Lord add his blessing
to these few remarks. Let us now sing together hymn
number 329, the tune to God be the Glory, 1011. Our firmer foundation, ye saints
of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent word.
What more can he say than to you he has said, you who unto
Jesus for refuge have fled? Hymn 329. O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the
bombs bursting in air, Shall we say then to you we have
said, Give your word to Jesus, ? In secret to him ? ? In the world
to be known ? ? And the meaning proved ? ? And tell him forevermore
? The land of the free and the
home of the brave. Dear Lord, I am with thee, and
be not dismayed. I have found my brother, and
to him be I. The strength of the earthly that
puts me to strife, the faith that my righteous heart may one
time find. When two lovely waters are calling
together, the rivers Thee of the world, for I will
be with Thee at all times. ? And in flesh be shed ? ? When
to the redeemed you go ? My God, where shall I lie? Thy grace,
oh, tell me yet, tell me thy strength. Help the angel of death, hear
my humbling desire, And cross me, cross me, when I come to
reply. and to the angel my people shall
bring. I'm so friendly, gentle, and
changeable now. And when, o'er redemption, their
temples are torn, I can't wait to see my first-born be born. Bless all that love Jesus, let
him no regret. I will not, I will not return
to his place. And shall the whole country endeavor
to change, Now may the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the sacred fellowship
of the Holy Spirit, Rest and abide with us each, both now
and forevermore. Amen.