you. Let us commence our service this
evening by singing together hymn number 599. The tune is Arncliffe,
529. Ye sons of God, be wise, and
learn your father's whim, By faith lift up your eyes to
yonder shining hill. No smoke, no thunderbolts are
there, nor wrath to sink you to despair. Hymn 599. ? And the Rock of Ages will rise
again today ? O come, let us adore Him, O come,
let us adore Him, Christ the Lord! O'er the reserved land of the
free and the home of the brave? To all the church bells, Jingle
all the way, Jingle all the way. He speaks to every troubled person,
helping, serving, T'was in a mistletoe, with gold
the King of Angels, I saw Him reach me. ? There Jesus is, with shining
face ? ? Heav'n-born Savior, Lord of all ? Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the First Epistle of Peter and Chapter
2. The First Epistle of Peter, Chapter
2. Wherefore, laying aside all malice
and all guile and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may
grow thereby. If so be ye have tasted that
the Lord is gracious, to whom coming as unto a living stone,
disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious. Ye
also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house and holy
priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained
in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone,
elect, precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be
confounded unto you therefore which believe he is precious,
but unto them which be disobedient the stone which the builders
disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a
stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which
stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and holy
nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises
of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous
light, which in time past were not a people, but are now the
people of God, which had not obtained mercy, but now have
obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you,
as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which war
against the soul, having your conversation honest among the
Gentiles, that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they
may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God
in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves to every ordinance
of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the king as supreme
or unto governors as unto them that are sent by him for the
punishment of evildoers and for the praise of them that do well.
For so is the will of God that with well-doing you may put to
silence the ignorance of foolish men, as free and not using your
liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour
all men, love the brotherhood, fear God, honour the King. Servants, be subject to your
masters with all fear, not only to the good, and gentle, but
also to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if a
man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if when
ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But
if when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently,
This is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called,
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example,
that ye should follow his steps. Who did no sin, neither was guile
found in his mouth. Who when he was reviled, reviled
not again. When he suffered, he threatened
not. but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously,
who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree,
that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness
by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep grown astray,
but are now returned unto the shepherd and bishop of your souls. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real
prayer. Gracious, merciful, and eternal
God of heaven, help a poor sinner now to bow before thy great majesty
and to call upon thy great and thy holy name. Grant that as
we gather together around thy word at this evening hour, we
may be favoured with thy presence. What is the house, O Lord, to
me, unless the Master I can see? O, that we may have a sweet view
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we may behold the servant of
the Lord, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth. that we may
see no man save Jesus only. We pray that the power that brings
salvation may be exerted in the word, that the word may be in
the power of the Holy Ghost, that we may feel his presence
and his divine unction and the preciousness of Jesus Christ.
For he shall not speak of himself, that he shall reveal the things
of God. Come and reveal the things of
God to us here tonight. Come and bless us with light
and understanding in thy word. Come and deliver us from our
sinful, corrupt, and wretched natures. Come, most gracious
Lord, and draw us to thy cell. Come, we do pray thee, and shed
abroad the love of God in our hearts. by the Holy Ghost. We do humbly beseech of thee.
We're not worthy of thy blessing. We're not worthy of thy favour.
We leave undone things that we ought to do. And we do things
that we ought not to do. But we find a law within our
members that when we would do good, that evil is present with
us. So we come in confession of our sins and our heart wandering
and our backslidings. We come and seek to be delivered
from the temptations of Satan, from the power and the dominion
of sin. We constantly need, O Lord, to
come to Thee, for we find a law within our members that when
we would do good, that evil is present with me. And that which
I would, I do not, and that which I would not, I do. Great God,
but we do pray that thou wouldst be gracious unto us. Thy word
declares, behold the Shulamite, in whom there is, as it were,
a company of two armies. And Lord, we prove it to be so,
that the old man of sin and the new man of grace, the one loves
thee, the other hates thee. The one desires to follow thee,
the other desires not to follow thee. Great God, we do pray to
be delivered from indwelling sin. And though sin lives in
us, may we not live in sin. But may we live to him that died.
May we be surrendered to the crucified one. May we be enabled
to present to our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable
unto thee, which is our reasonable service. And that we be not conformed
to this world, but may we be transformed by the renewing of
our mind that we might know what that good and perfect and acceptable
will of the Lord is. O most gracious Lord, we pray
that thy word may be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our
path. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that whether the enemy comes as a roaring lion to devour us,
or whether it comes as an angel of light to deceive us, we pray
to be delivered from his power and from his influence. Lord,
we pray that this evening hour we may be led by the Spirit.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons
of God. And may we have that witness
with our spirit that we are the children of God. And we do pray,
most gracious Lord, that thou wouldst look upon us as a church
and as a congregation. Remember each one of our brethren
and sisters in church fellowship. Increase our faith and increase
our love. Help us to love each other, serve
each other, and to follow thee. and to love
our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and in truth. Grant that we may
feel the love of our Eternal Father. We think of those lovely
words, for the Father himself loveth you. Oh, that we could
sweetly experience that here, this evening hour, as we gather
around thy word, the love of our Eternal Father. And we do
pray, Lord Jesus, that thou wouldst come and stand in our midst,
even as thou didst with the disciples, and didst say, Peace be unto
you. Lord, we long to see thy face, thy countenance, for thou
art the altogether lovely one, the chiefest among ten thousand,
the centre, the sum, and the substance of all our hopes and
all our desires. Everything is found in thee.
Oh, we do pray that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and
the love of God, our Father, and the sacred fellowship of
the Holy Spirit may rest and abide upon us. That we pray,
most gracious Lord, that thou wouldst remember us as we gather
together We remember before thee now our brethren, the deacons,
and pray that thou wouldst guard them with all sufficient grace,
not only for their duties here among us as a church and a congregation,
but also they have many other duties among the churches, many
other labours. We pray that thou wouldst graciously
help them. We seek, O Lord, that thou wouldst
Look down upon us as a group of churches. Will thou not revive
us again? Turn us again, O God of hosts,
and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. We see many reasons, O Lord,
both personal and collectively, as to why thou should not turn
again and have mercy upon thy Zion. We look at all our shortcomings,
our ill manners in this wilderness journey. Lord, we confess them
before Thee. We pray that Thou wouldst graciously
return unto Jerusalem with mercies. Grant the exaltation of Thy Son
in our assemblies that He may be lifted high. Grant that poor
sinners may look and live Grant that thy people may be built
up in their most holy faith, and that we each may grow in
grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. We do pray, most gracious Lord,
that we may make headway, as it were, in the spiritual journey.
Sometimes we seem to stagnate. Sometimes we seem to take a step
forward and two steps backwards. but O Lord God thou knowest.
Do grant us grace, grant us divine guidance, grant that thy word
may be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. We do
pray that thou wouldst bless the whole of our congregation.
We think of the little ones that gather with us. We're thankful,
Lord, that there's a goodly number of young people among us. And
we pray that they may be blessed of thee. A generation may be
raised up to call thee the Redeemer blessed. Their ears may be bored
to the doorposts of thy house. That they may follow the Lord
Jesus Christ in that right way, we do humbly beseech thee. And
we pray that the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning
of wisdom, may be granted unto them. that they may be graciously
led, guided and taught by thee. Crooked things may be made straight,
rough places may be made plain. Grant them, O Lord, a partner
in life's journey. Graciously have mercy upon them
in this, one that shall fear thy name, that they both may
follow on to know the Lord, And that we pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou would remember the prodigals that have wandered
away, stretch out thy almighty arm, cause them to return, and
have mercy upon them. O Lord, we do beseech thee for
thy great namesake. We pray, dear Lord, that thou
would graciously hear prayer on their behalf. We long to see
them come. We long to see Zion's offspring.
We long to see the appointed time rolled on a place, not to
propose but call by grace, to turn their feet to Zion's hill.
Grant, Lord, that it may be so. We humbly beseech of thee. We pray for any, Lord, that are
in the path of affliction. and of trouble and trial and
perplexity and sorrow and sadness and bereavement, and we pray
that thou wouldst be gracious unto them and have mercy upon
them for thy great name's sake. Oh, we pray, dearest Lord, that
thou wouldst graciously hear prayer for all in the midst of
the journey of life. We pray for those who are not
able to gather with us tonight for whatever that reason may
be, we commend them to thee and to the word of thy grace, which
is able to build them up and to grant them an inheritance
among them that are sanctified. Oh, we pray most gracious Lord
that thou wouldst graciously hear prayer for parents as they
bring up their children. that they may be enabled to bring
them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Gracious God, grant
that the family altar may be raised, the word of God read,
and prayer made in the home, for all things are sanctified
by the word of God and prayer. And we do pray, most gracious
Lord, for those in the evening time of life journey, that they
was graciously undertake for them and bless them, and graciously
draw near, put the arms of thine everlasting love around them,
we think of our dear aged sister in particular, and pray that
she may know thy presence and thy blessing and thy favour in
her soul, that her last days may be her best days. Lord, we
pray that the glory, light, and power of the gospel may shine
in this village and into the surrounding villages and hamlets.
Lord, we pray that the light of truth may shine. The strongholds
of Satan may be pulled down. The kingdom of our Lord Jesus
set up in the hearts of sinners. Lord, we pray for signs to follow
the preaching of the word. As promised in thy word, they
shall come. They shall come from the north
and from the south and from the east and from the west. Gracious
God, oh, that we might see Zion's offspring come, that we might
see the fulfilling of thy promise upon us gathered here. We pray,
Lord, this may happen throughout the little churches up and down
the land. that thou wouldst return, that thou wouldst make bare thine
holy arm in the gospel, the Lord Jesus may be exalted. Bless all
thy labouring servants as they labour in word and doctrine upon
the walls of Zion. Set them free, set them at liberty,
O Lord, we beseech thee, for thy great name's sake. And we
pray that they may dip their foot in oil and be made acceptable
unto the brethren, and that there may be that growth in grace and
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus, the word of God opened
in the congregations. We pray thee, the great Lord
of the harvest, that thou would send true labourers into the
harvest and build the walls of Jerusalem. Lord, we long to see
such a day. Lord, we pray that thou would
graciously hear us. and have mercy upon us. We think,
O Lord, of our little group of churches, a part of thy Zion.
We think of the various committees and the societies to which we
affiliate and those that have responsibility among them. Remember
the editors of our magazines and the secretaries of our societies. O Lord, we do beseech thee for
thy great namesake. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou wilt revive us again, that we might know the renewing
wind of the Spirit blowing among the churches, that we might see
the settlement of pastors and the building up of congregations.
We do humbly beseech of thee. Lord, we thank thee for every
mercy and every blessing. We thank thee for the house of
prayer, We thank Thee for the opportunity of meeting together
around Thy Word. We thank Thee, most gracious
Lord, for Thy Word. This is the Word by which the
Gospel is preached unto you, the Word of Thy grace. We thank
Thee for the wonderful glory of the incarnation of the Son
of God that is revealed in the Word. We thank Thee for the holy,
sinless life He lived as a man here upon earth. And that we
thank Thee that in that holy life everlasting righteousness
has been brought in for Thy people and our Lord Jesus becomes Jehovah
Sidkenu, the Lord our righteousness. And that we thank Thee that He
died for our sins and rose again for our justification. that glorious
sacrifice of Calvary. Oh, that our hearts may be filled
with gratitude, with thanksgiving for the wonderful glories of
Christ. And we thank thee that to us
he is the altogether lovely one. He is the chiefest among 10,000.
He rose again for our justification and has bodily ascended into
heaven and made a new and living way into the holy place, and
we have an advocate with the Father, an intercessor, one that
stands between, a great high priest. Lord, fill our hearts
with gratitude, with thanksgiving for the abundance of thy mercies. Be with us now, Lord, as we turn
to thy word. Come and touch one's lips with
a live coal from off the heavenly altar. We ask all for Jesus Christ's
sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 57. The tune is David's Harp, 321. What shall the dying sinner do
that seeks relief for all his woe? Where shall the guilty conscience
find ease for the torment of the mind? ? This day of pain ? ? Passes quickly
? ? And our heart is full ? ? We shall never be empty ? ? From
chance time ? ? Before the dawning of our lives
? ? God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven ? Christ the King. Glorious King of Kings. Which thou to the Lord didst
crown with sin, Giv'n to the world a righteousness that ever
shall be. In vain we search, in vain we
try, to search for his eyes. ? His heaven and earth ? ? Are
full with bread ? ? Blessed be the day ? ? That shows from heav'n
? ? Beauty and glory fill the whole
world ? ? Heaven and earth are full of His face ? ? Heaven and
earth are full of His face ? When we have reached the end
of the world Our hearts shall never trust in the Lord ? When you are laid to sleep at
night ? ? When angels show their precious light ? ? Holy infant, so tender and mild
? ? Holy infant, so tender and mild ? O Lord God of Hosts, O Lord God
of Hosts, ? Christ the King is born ? ? In
the center of the world of shame ? ? Christ the King of glory
is born ? Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the second
chapter of the first epistle of Peter, and we will read the
fourth verse for our text. First Epistle of Peter, chapter
2, verse 4. To whom coming, as unto a living
stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious. To whom coming. The Apostle Here, of course,
is speaking of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to whom coming. And it says here in the beginning
of the chapter, wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile,
and hypocrisies, and envies, and evil speakings, these things
dwell in our hearts. it is a sad reflection of our
fallen nature that sometimes in our hearts
there is malice and sometimes in our speech there
is guile and hypocrisies and envies evil
speakings if we know anything of our hearts of our sinful nature. We shall know and be convicted
and convinced of these things and we shall have to pray to
the Lord to be delivered from them and that these things may
be subdued within us. And now it is speaking unto those
of course that are born again of the Spirit If you look into
the latter part of the previous chapter, chapter 1, and it says
in verse 22, seeing then, seeing ye have purified your souls in
obeying the truth through the Spirit unto an unfeigned love
of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure
heart, fervently, being born again. He's writing to those that have
been born again. Hence, he says, as newborn babes. A newborn babe, it desires its
mother's milk. And to be nourished and to be
fed. And those newborn babes in the
new birth have we. Have you, have I, been
born again of the Spirit of God? These are very fundamental truths. Have you been born again? Have
you been brought to living faith in Jesus Christ? Have you been
called by divine grace? Being born again, not of corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible by the Word of God, which liveth
and abideth forever See, the Word of God liveth and abideth
forever. This blessed book, the Word of
God, among all nations. The Lord, he sends forth his
Word. His servants are sent to preach
the Word. And we're all exhorted to read
the Word. And to study the Word. And to
meditate in the word. David in his Psalm 119, he says,
let thy word be a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Let thy word, God's word. And it's by that word that we
are born again, being born again, not of corruptible seed, but
of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth
forever." He says in the last verse there, but the word of
the Lord endureth forever and this is the word which by the
gospel is preached unto you. You see, so he's writing to those
that are born again, those that have spiritual life, those that
have begun to see had begun to see. There was a
time when you were blind, but now you see. There was a time
when you were deaf, but now you hear. I'm speaking now of spiritual
things, a spiritual seeing, a spiritual hearing. There was a time when you were
far off and had no desire for the things of God, but now you
desire the things of God. Now you have a spiritual appetite,
you have spiritual desires, you have spiritual concerns, you
have spiritual burdens. And these are the persons to
whom Peter is speaking to here in our text. As newborn babes
desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby
My dear beloved friends, this is a vital point. Are you growing
spiritually? In the second epistle it says,
but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. Do you feed under the Word? Is
your soul strengthened under the Word? Under the ministry
of the Word? Is something going on between
your soul and God and so that when you come to the house of
God you feed under the Word. There are those living desires
as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may
grow thereby. How have you come to chapel tonight? Is there that desire? Is there
that yearning, that longing in your heart? Do you love to meet
among them now, before His gracious feet to bow, though vilest of
them all? You see, as newborn babes desire
the sincere milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby. The Lord Jesus, in the Sermon
on the Mount, He said, Blessed are they that hunger and thirst
after righteousness. How many of us here in this chapel
tonight hunger and thirst after righteousness? After Christ. That's the only place that you
will find righteousness. You won't find it in your heart
You won't find it in your life, you won't find it in your circumstances. You won't find it in your obedience. You'll prove that all our righteousnesses
are as filthy rags. But you will find it in Christ.
There's a righteousness in Christ that is obtained by faith. And
this is what the Apostle here is It is pointing us to, to whom
coming, as unto a living stone, that's Christ, the living stone.
Upon this rock I build my church and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it. As much as the gates of hell
try to prevail against it, they will not prevail against it.
That beautiful truth in Psalm number 2, it stands and it will
stand forever though the heathen rage and the people imagine a
vain thing against his anointed yet have I set my king upon my
holy hill of Zion my king upon my holy hill of Zion upon this
rock I build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it to whom coming as unto a living stone. Now, in
the natural world, the stone is the hardest and most innate
material there is. It's solid. It's a term often
used, it's solid as a rock. So is Christ. to whom coming
as a living... It's a living stone. What a great
mercy my beloved friends that we do not worship a dead Christ. We worship a Christ who has risen
from the dead. We worship a Christ who has destroyed
death and him that had the power of death that is the devil. Behold I am he that was dead
And I am alive forevermore. Forevermore. To whom coming is
unto a living stone. Alive forevermore. He has the
power of an endless life. He's alive forevermore. There's a living Christ. He's
in heaven. He sits at the right hand of
the Father. We read in Holy Scripture how
that he lived here as a man on earth. He lived here without
sin. He lived here a pure, a holy,
a spotless, an undefiled life. And here in this chapter we read
it together, verse 21, For even hereunto were ye called, because
Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that ye
should follow his steps, who did no sin. Sin is any transgression
of the law of God, who did no sin, neither was guile found
in his mouth, who when he was reviled, reviled not again, when
he suffered he threatened not, but committed himself to him
that judgeth righteously, who his own self bare our sins in
his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sin, should
live unto righteousness, by whose stripes ye were healed, for ye
were You know, my beloved friends,
it comes up so many times in the Word of God. What we were
and what we are now. If you've been born again. If
you have spiritual life. What you were and what you are
now. For ye were a sheep going astray. That's where the Lord found you,
a sheep going astray. But are now returned under the
shepherd and bishop of your souls, that's Christ the shepherd and
bishop of our souls, to whom coming as under a living stone,
disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious. In the epistle to the Corinthians,
the apostle there, he goes through a whole list of murderers, extortions,
effeminate and such like. And he says to the church at
Corinth, and such were some of you, but now you are washed. That's what you were. It's not
what you are now. What a mercy if we can see that
change. You're not what you were. You
may not be where you want to be, where you desire to be, But
you're not what you were. The Lord has drawn you away from
what you were. And as he says here, laying aside
all malice. That's what you were. As a Christian
believer, we're to lay aside all malice. We're to put on the
old man. We're to put on the new man.
The old man is corrupt and we're to put on the new man. Doesn't
the Apostle Paul, when he writes his epistle to the Ephesians,
he speaks of putting on and putting off, and what a mercy that he
does speak of that. And he says, putting on the new
man. You know, we have the body of
Christ, and to whom coming, in Ephesians chapter 4 and he says
from verse 14 that we henceforth be no more children tossed to
and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the
slight of men and the cunning craftiness whereby they lie in
wait to deceive but speaking the truth in love may grow up
are we growing up may grow up into him where in all things
that is in Christ which is the head, even Christ. Oh, that we
might grow in that grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom
the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every
joint supplieth according to the effectual working in the
measure of every part maketh increase of the body unto the
edifying of itself in love. Oh, my dear beloved friends,
that we may truly know this this edifying work and it's later
on in that fourth chapter of the ephesians he speaks of those
in verse 19 who be in past feeling have given themselves over to
lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness but ye have not
so learned christ if so be that you have heard him and have been
taught by him as the truth is in Jesus that you put off it's
the same thing here what the Apostle is saying Peter he says
laying aside here Paul he says that you put off concerning the
former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to
the deceitful lust and be renewed in the spirit of your mind that
you that you put on the new man which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore, putting away lying,
speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members
one of another, to whom coming as unto a living stone, disallowed
indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious. Behold I lay
in Zion a foundation chosen of God and precious. And the Apostle
here in verse 6 he quotes, he says, Behold I lay in Zion a
chief cornerstone elect precious and he that believeth on him
shall not be confounded. That's the Lord Christ. It's
the Lord from heaven. It's the mighty power of God. It's the power of God unto salvation. That is what we find in Christ.
There's power to save, there's power to redeem, there's power
to deliver in our Lord Jesus Christ. Just look into chapter
1 and see what he says in verse 18, for as much as ye know that
ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from
your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers
but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot, who verily was foreordained before
the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last
times for you, to whom coming, as unto a living stone." Oh my
beloved friends, he's a living Christ, he's not a dead Christ.
The Apostle, I love what he says in Romans chapter 8, that when
he speaks of our Lord Jesus Christ who loved us and gave himself
for us and he says about Christ being crucified but then he says
this, yea rather he's risen again he has power to save he has power
to redeem he sits on no precarious throne nor borrows leave to be
he's at the right hand of the Father he receives poor wretched
dying sinners He says, come unto me all ye that labour, and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you,
and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall
find rest for your souls. This is where rest is. This is
where peace is. This is where salvation is. This
is where redemption is. This is the way to God. Jesus
said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. To whom coming?
As unto a living stone. disallowed indeed of men, but
chosen of God, and precious. This glorious person, behold,
I lay in Sion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he that
believeth on him shall not be confounded. He that believeth
on him, doesn't it remind us of those beautiful words of the
Apostle Paul and the Philippian jailer, when the poor man was
ready to take his own life and to fall on his sword. And the
Apostle cries out, do thyself no harm. And he comes trembling
unto them, what must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Thou shalt be saved. What a precious, simple, glorious
gospel it is. in our Lord Jesus Christ to whom
coming as unto a living stone disallowed indeed of men but
chosen of God and precious. Doesn't our Lord Jesus Christ
in the seventh chapter of John's Gospel he speaks again there
under poor dying sinners in the verse 37 of john chapter 7 in the last
day that great day of the feast jesus stood and cried saying
if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink he that believeth
on me as the scripture has said out of his belly shall flow rivers
of living waters but this is spake of the spirit which they
that believe on him should receive for the Holy Ghost was not yet
given because that Jesus was not yet glorified. The Holy Ghost
was given on that day of Pentecost and poured forth in all his heavenly
power upon the disciples of the Lord as they preached the word
and thousands were turned from the ways of sin unto the ways
of righteousness, were turned unto our Lord and our Saviour. Jesus Christ. You know, again,
it is a beautiful word in the last chapter of Holy Scripture,
Revelation chapter 22, and in verse 17, we read, and the Spirit,
with a capital S, so it means the divine and glorious person
of the Holy Ghost, and the Spirit and the Bride, the Bride is the
Church of God, the spouse of Christ. and the spirit and the
bride say come and let him that here is say come and let him
that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him take the water of
life freely to whom coming as unto a living stone disallowed
indeed of men but chosen of God and precious. We have those Beautiful
words of grace that are found in Isaiah chapter 55. And there
in Isaiah chapter 55 again, these wonderful gospel words of invitation. The old Puritans used to call
Isaiah the gospel of Isaiah, the gospel according to Isaiah.
Because Isaiah, though in the midst of the Old Testament, is
so full of gospel grace. Ho everyone that thirsteth, come
ye to the waters. He that hath no money, come ye,
buy and eat. What does it mean when it says
he that hath no money? It means he that is absolutely
helpless. He that is absolutely bankrupt. He's got nothing to pay. He that
has no money. Why normally, if you've got no
money, you don't go into a shop, do you? You don't go to purchase
anything because you say, I've got no money to buy it. But with
the gospel of Jesus Christ, it's a free gospel. It's completely
free. Come ye by and eat ye come by
wine and milk without money and without price. That is the wine
and the milk of the gospel. It's the precious blood of the
lamb that cleanses a poor sinner from all sin. It's the glorious
everlasting robe of the righteousness of Christ that clothes a poor
sinner. that brings that poor sinner
into the presence of God, fitly arrayed in royal apparel to stand
in the presence of King. You see, my beloved friends,
this is the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ. And for those
of you that may be trying to come up some other way, trying
to make yourself better, trying to fulfil the law, trying to
be obedient, trying to do this, trying to do that, trying to
do something else. Wherefore do you spend money
for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which
satisfies 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. Who's speaking? Christ is speaking. Hear, and your soul shall live.
whom coming as unto a living stone. Hear, and your soul shall
live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure
mercies of David. Then in verse six he says, 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. You know my beloved friends, the Lord Jesus, it said of him,
this man, forgive his sins. This man, forgive his sins. The
Pharisees, the Sadducees, often challenged
the Lord Jesus. They said, can a man forgive
sins? See, but my beloved friends,
he's not just a man, he's not just a good man, he's not just
a righteous man, he's the God-man. David says of him, but there
is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. Forgiveness. There's forgiveness in our Lord
and our Saviour, Jesus Christ, through his cross, through his
precious blood, His glorious everlasting righteousness. He
reconciles a poor sinner unto God. One of the names in scripture. A daisman. It's only spoken of
in the book of Job. A daisman. What was the office
of a daisman? He was like an advocate. He was to bring two opposing
parties together. He would put his hand on the
shoulder of one, and his hand on the shoulder of another, and
he would, as it were, mediate between those two opposing parties. Now my beloved friends, that
office of a daysman, how glorious when we look at it in Jesus Christ,
the daysman. He's God, And He is man. He's the Eternal Son of the Eternal
Father. He is God, manifest in the flesh. So as God, He puts His hand on
the shoulder of His Eternal Father. And as man, He puts His hand
on the shoulder of a poor coming sinner. And He reconciles the
two together. What a glorious day, isn't it?
We have an Advocate with the Father. Jesus Christ, the righteous,
to whom coming as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men,
but chosen of God and precious. Christ was chosen of God. He was chosen of the Father to
redeem his people. I think of that exceedingly well-known
portion, Isaiah chapter 42, Behold my servant. Who is it? It's Christ. Behold my servant. Who's speaking? The Lord Jehovah.
Behold my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect, and whom my soul
delighteth. I have put my spirit upon him.
He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not
cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.
A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flack shall he
not quench. He shall bring forth judgment
unto truth. He shall not fail. What a glorious truth. He shall
not fail, nor be discouraged, till he hath set judgment in
the earth, and the isles shall wait for his law. You see, my beloved friends,
to whom coming? As unto a living stone, disallowed
indeed of men. The stone that the builders rejected. You see here in verse 7 of this
chapter he says unto you therefore which believe he is precious
but unto them which be disobedient the stone which the builders
disallowed the same is made the head of the corner and a stone
of stumbling and a rock of offence even to them which stumble at
the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed. But ye, ye speak unto those born
again, but ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and holy
nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises
of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous
light, which in time past were not a people, but are now the
people of God. which had not obtained mercy,
but now have obtained mercy. Dearly Beloved, speaks here of
that divine and sanctifying work of the Spirit in every believer.
Dearly Beloved, I beseech you, as strangers and pilgrims abstain
from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul, having your
conversation honest among the Gentiles, that whereas they speak
against you as evildoers, they may by your good works which
they shall behold glorify God in the day of visitation to whom
coming as unto a living stone disallowed indeed of men but
chosen of God and precious. The Apostle Paul when he writes
his first epistle to the Corinthians I believe it's in the third chapter
he speaks there concerning the foundation. And if we look at
1 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 9, for we are labourers together
with God, ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building, he's speaking
to the Corinthian church. According to the grace of God
which is given unto me as a wise master builder, I have laid the
foundation. What was the foundation that
the apostle laid? Jesus Christ and him crucified
that was the foundation he laid I Have laid the foundation and
another that's another minister buildeth thereupon But let every
man take heed how he buildeth thereupon For other foundation
can no man name than that which is laid which is Jesus Christ
Now he says here about building on this foundation And this is
what the church is doing. You know, you don't just erect
a building on sand or on earth. You have to dig down to somewhere
solid. You've got a foundation. And
the apostle says the foundation is Christ. Other foundation can no man lay
than that which is lay. Now if any man build upon this
foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, it's
worthy of note, my beloved friends, that gold, silver and precious
stones, they are not combustible material, they do not burn. But
wood, hay and stubble all burn. He goes on, he says, for every
man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it.
because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try
every man's work what sort it is. If any man's work abide which
he hath built thereupon, he shall receive reward. That wood, hay,
and stubble is the works of the flesh. The gold, silver, and
the precious stones are the work of the Holy Ghost, bringing a
poor sinner into union with Christ, sanctifying that poor sinner,
constantly bringing that Poor sinner, unto Jesus Christ! If
any man's work shall be burned, it shall suffer loss, but he
himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire. Know ye not that
ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth
in you? If any man defile the temple
of God, him shall God destroy, for the temple of God is holy,
which temple ye are. You see, my beloved friends,
let no man deceive himself If any man among you seemeth he
wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world
is foolishness unto God, for it's written he taketh the wise
in their own craftiness. You see, my beloved friends,
this foundation, are you, am I, building on this foundation? This firm, this eternal rock,
And are we building with gold and silver and precious stones
the divine work of the Spirit in the heart, sealing the Word
of God in the soul and growing in grace and the building all
fitly framed together as the Apostle says in the Ephesians.
That building not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. That
building was begun here below. I've often mentioned to you about
Solomon's Temple and the building of Solomon's Temple. And it said
very plainly in the Word of God there was not a hammer or a chisel
heard in the precincts of the temple. Every single stone was
cut out of the quarry and in the quarry it was cut into shape. And then it was transported from
the quarry. The architects They knew exactly
where each stone was going. It was cut to size and it was
placed into that temple building. But not a hammer or a chisel
was heard in the precincts of the temple. You might say, what
does it mean spiritually? The work of grace is done here
below in the hearts of the Lord's children. Now, it's all squared
up. And note this, that stone would
have been very large, but it had to be brought down to size,
to the right shape. A bit had to be cut off here,
a bit had to be cut off there, a bit had to be cut off there,
so it would fit exactly into the building. And that is what
God is doing with His children. I must decrease, He must increase. And so that when you come, prepared
and ready to die, you'll be placed into that temple which is above,
in those eternal mansions, a place exactly prepared for you, and
you'll be placed there in eternal glory, to whom coming as unto
a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and
precious. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 379. The tune is St Helen's, 498. I chose this hymn as soon
as the Lord gave me that word. and it came to me so sweetly
thou art coming to a king large petitions with thee bring come
my soul thy suit prepare jesus loves to answer prayer he himself
has bid thee pray therefore will not say thee nay him 379 ? His truth we know ? ? His righteousness
true ? ? The host of proof ? ? In excelsis Deo ? ? In excelsis
Deo ? The world coming to an end, The
transition can be free. Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the
brave? If I love you, I'll be there,
No matter if you're far or near. ? Make my head full of sin and
sinning ? ? Spare me, Father, from death, from death ? Oh, that they come to me for
rest, and take possession of my breast. you ? As the evening deepens past ?
? The serpents and the eagle ? ? Are all around the stage
? O'er the ramparts we watched
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the
bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag
was still there. God, I ever will revere, and
I love thy spirit dear. Touch my hand, my love, my friend.
Give me tender, tender hand. Oh, tell me, oh, what have you
done? ? Shepherds quake at the sight
? ? Shepherds quake at the sight ? ? Shepherds quake at the sight
? 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.