Let us commence our service this
afternoon by singing together hymn number 1057. The tune is
Heifrodol 643. Light of those whose dreary dwellings
borders on the shades of death, come and thy bright beams revealing,
dissipate the clouds beneath. The new heavens and earth creator
in our deepest darkness rise, scattering all the night of nature,
pouring day upon our eyes. Hymn 1057. Light of the absent, living,
dwelling, God of our hearts, Lord, that shelter each of them. God of life, thy kingdom give,
This we praise, and loud we sing. ? The new heavens and earth created
? ? With a deep and sharpest voice ? ? Chatting gold and silver
? Light of nature, home in nature,
home on earth. ? Still we wait for God and Mary
? ? Life and joy and peace impart ? ? J.C. Rowley, J.C. Rowley
? the perilous fight, o'er the
ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? and gladdened this thy favor.
Thou hast called an ancient grace, Come, thou dear exalted Savior,
Come and break the gospel wing. ? Save us in the great compassion
? ? Where you have found your saving grace ? ? World's adoration ? ? Gave the
thunder of our sins ? ? Oh, sufficient merit ? ? Every
man and soul release ? Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the first epistle to the Thessalonians
in chapter 5. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. But of the times and seasons,
brethren, ye have no need that I write unto For yourselves know
perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in
the night. For when they shall say peace
and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail
upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. But ye,
brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake
you as a thief in the night. ye are all children of light
and the children of the day we are not of the night nor of darkness
therefore let us not sleep as do others but let us watch and
be sober for they that sleep sleep in the night and they that
be drunken are drunken in the night but let us who are of the
day be sober putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for an
helmet the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us
to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who
died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live
together with him. Wherefore, comfort yourselves
together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. And we beseech
you, brethren, to know them that labour among you, and are over
you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to esteem them very
highly in love for their work's sake, and be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren,
warn them that are unruly, Comfort the feeble-minded, support the
weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for
evil unto any man, but ever follow that which is good, both among
yourselves and to all men. Rejoice evermore, pray without
ceasing, In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the spirit, despise
not prophesying, prove all things, hold fast that which is good,
abstain from all appearance of evil, and the very God of peace
sanctify you wholly, and I pray God, your whole spirit and soul
and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you
who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us. Greet
all the brethren with an holy kiss. I charge you by the Lord
that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. The grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. May the Lord bless that reading
of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real
prayer. Almighty, most merciful and eternal
God, we do desire to bow before thy great majesty that thou art
indeed the Lord Jehovah. From everlasting to everlasting
thou art God. Thou art that glorious and eternal
majesty, the creator of the heavens and of the earth, in whom we
live and move and have our being. And we desire to bow before thee
in humble reverence and due solemnity to approach unto thee the living
God, Thou art holy, we are unholy. Thou art righteous, we are unrighteous. Thou dwellest in light inaccessible,
unto which no man can approach unto, the immortal, the only
true God. We come, dear Lord, in that precious
name of Jesus Christ. For, Lord, we cannot come in
our own name, but in that precious name of Jesus. This is the name
the Father loves to hear his children plead, and we pray that
for his great name's sake, thou wouldst bless us here this afternoon,
that thou wouldst set our affections on things above, that thou wouldst
draw us near unto thyself, that we may hear thy voice, that we
may hear that still small voice here in this sanctuary this afternoon,
that voice that will speak right into our very souls. And as the
dear apostle said, ye are our epistle, not written with pen
and ink, but by the finger of the living God upon the fleshy
tables of the heart. Gracious God, we pray that it
may be so here this afternoon that the sweet gospel of thy
grace may be breathed into our souls. Those in darkness may
be brought into light. Those in bondage may be brought
into liberty. Those far off may be made nigh. So bless us, Lord, as we gather.
Guide us by thy word. Grant that thy word may be a
lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. May we know the
truth as it is in Jesus, in its heavenly power, in its divine
unction. O gracious God, do hear us, we
pray thee. Leave us not to empty notion,
the moving lip, the silent heart, but grant that we might know
sweet living realities in spiritual things as we gather together.
That we pray, that we may love thee more, that we may serve
thee better. The sweet psalmist, she says,
I love the Lord because he has heard my voice, the voice of
my supplications. Gracious God, hear our voice,
hear this afternoon. Let my prayer be set forth before
thee as incense. We do humbly beseech of thee.
We pray that thou wouldst bless our beloved brethren, the deacons,
and give them needed grace, wisdom, and help day by day in their
many responsibilities. We pray that those of us that
have put thee on in an open profession, that thou wouldst graciously
grant that we may grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord
and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Grant that it may be so, Lord. Grant
that thy word may indeed be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto
our path, that we may be guided in the way of truth and of righteousness,
that we may be delivered from darkness and bondage. We do humbly
pray thee. And though sin lives in us, may
we not live in sin, but may we live to him that died. that may
we be surrendered to the crucified one. And may the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father and the sacred
fellowship of the Holy Spirit rest and abide upon us. We do
humbly beseech thee, most gracious Lord. We thank thee for the throne
of grace. We thank thee that from time
to time we know that spirit of prayer We thank Thee for the
glorious King that sits upon that throne, who is able to do
abundantly more than we can even ask or think. Oh, we do thank
Thee that Thou art God over all and blessed forevermore, and
there is nothing too hard for Thee. We thank Thee for our little
house of prayer, and Thy many tender mercies to water. We thank
Thee, most gracious Lord, For the dear young friends, the children,
we're blessed with a good number, and we're thankful for it, and
we lovingly 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. Grant that there may be a generation
that shall be raised up here to call thee the Redeemer blessed.
To follow on to know the Lord, we do humbly pray thee, for thy
great namesake. We pray most gracious and merciful
Lord God for truly thankful heart for that profound mystery of
godliness, God manifest in the flesh. For the wonderful glory
of Jesus Christ, the eternal son of the eternal father, we
thank thee for that holy life he lived as a man here upon earth.
The man of sorrows are acquainted with grief. We thank thee for
what he has done to redeem his people, to bring in everlasting
righteousness, to save them with an everlasting salvation. We
thank thee for that perfect obedience of him to the law. And we thank
thee for that perfect sacrifice on Calvary. Sin has been put
away. Divine justice has been satisfied. God and sinners are reconciled. We thank thee for that reconciling
grace that is in Christ Jesus. He died for our sins and rose
again for our justification. We thank thee for that empty
tomb. Death swallowed up in victory. Life and immortality brought
to light through the gospel. We thank Thee that He has ascended
into heaven and sitteth at Thy right hand. Our great High Priest,
what a wonderful glory. We have an Advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous. O Lord, we do pray that Thou
wouldst graciously grant that we may be led of the Spirit into
these wonderful and most precious foundation truths of our most
holy faith. Through him we know the love
of our Eternal Father, and through him we receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost. Lord, we bless thee for the same. We pray that thou wouldst bless
thee, dear children, indeed, with those rich blessings, like
Jabez in Holy Scripture, O that thou wouldst bless me indeed,
and enlarge my coast. May that be the desire of our
dear young friend, We do humbly pray thee, bring them to living
faith in Jesus Christ, that they may follow thee and serve thee
in their day and in their generation. Remember them for good. Remember
the prodigals that have wandered from the sanctuary. None are
beyond thy power nor thy grace. O Lord, we earnestly beseech
thee to have mercy upon them, to open their eyes and to open
their hearts, to receive thy word, we do humbly beseech of
thee. May thy word be like a seed,
underground, not seen as yet, but then first the blade, then
the ear, then the full corn in the ear. Lord, we watch for thy
appearing. But we pray, most gracious Lord,
that the glory, light, and power of the gospel may shine into
this village, in the surrounding villages and hamlets, and precious
souls may be gathered unto thee. May the power that brings salvation
be exerted in the word. May the Lord Jesus Christ be
exalted as a Prince and as a Saviour, for to give faith and repentance
and remission of sins. Let thy work appear unto thy
children. O Lord, we do beseech thee, and
graciously bless thy word. that we may see thy work, thou
hast said, I will work, and who shall let it? Gracious God, may
we see that strange work, that peculiar work, precious souls
brought to know themselves as sinners, and brought to know
the Lord Jesus Christ as the only saviour of sinners. Do hear
us, Lord, we humbly beseech thee, and do, in thy precious mercy,
Remember those in the midst of the journey of life, and graciously
undertake for each one, thou knowest, O Lord, all their pathway. Every heart knoweth its own bitterness,
and we pray, most gracious Lord, that thy delivering grace may
be known and felt, and that work of grace deepened in the heart.
give guidance, give direction unto parents in the bringing
up of their children. We do humbly pray thee that they
may be brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. O
Lord, we do pray that we may grow in grace and in the knowledge
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We do pray for those
of us that are in the evening time of life's journey Thy gracious
hand and blessing may rest upon us, that thy divine guidance
may be given unto us, that the blessing of the Lord that maketh
rich and addeth no sorrow with it may be our portion, that we
may be prepared for that great change that is to take place. Prepare me, gracious God, to
stand before thy face. Thy spirit must the work perform,
for it is all of grace. We remember those that listen
online to the services and pray that the word may be a living
word unto them, whether it be a word of conviction or whether
it be a word of blessing or a word of guidance. Lord, may thy name
be glorified. We do humbly beseech thee and
the word of the Lord have free course. We pray, most gracious
Lord, that thou wouldst Hear prayer for the churches, for
thy servants, that thy gracious spirit may rest upon them, that
we may see mighty signs and wonders to follow the preaching of the
word. Lord, there's a great declension in Zion, there's a great falling
away, and is there not a cause? Search our hearts, O Lord, we
do pray thee that we may discover what that cause is and that we
may repent of our sins and our shortcomings and our heart wanderings,
we do humbly beseech of thee. Take not thy Holy Spirit from
us. We do humbly pray for thy great
namesake, deserving as we are that thou shouldest. But Lord
in wrath, remember mercy. We do pray thee. Lord, as we
come to thy word, we pray that thy word may be open to our heart
and to our understanding, that we may delve into that deep that
couches beneath, that I was touched one's lips with a live coal from
off the heavenly altar, as we ask all for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 726 to the tune Noricum, 887. Christ, whose glory fills
the skies, Christ the true, the only light,
son of righteousness arise, triumph all the shades of night. Dayspring
from on high be near. Daystar in my heart appear. Hymn 726. I serve to thee holy night, Sun
of righteousness, sun of light. I am all the shades of night, They strayed from the light in
Him. They soared by God's hand in. Kakachi Desi Sarovar ? Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen,
amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen,
amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen,
amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen,
amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen,
amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen,
amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen,
amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen,
amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen,
amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen,
amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen
Still day is, the night is bright, Let my eyes have hope, my heart. Is the name of sin and grief,
fill the air. Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the
brave? greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help. I direct your attention to the
first epistle to Thessalonians in chapter 5 and we'll read verses
8, 9, and 10 for our text. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verses
8, 9, and 10. But let us who are of the day
be sober putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for an
helmet the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us
to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who
died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live
together with him. Dear Apostle, here in this epistle,
he speaks of the times and the seasons. And the Thessalonians,
through his ministry and the ministry of others, were very
well acquainted with those times and those seasons, as he says
in the opening verse. But of the times and the seasons,
brethren, you have no need that I write unto you. for yourselves
know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief
in the night. How often, you young friends,
how often do you think of the day of the Lord? Do you stop to think of what
it means, the day of the Lord? It's the day when Jesus Christ
comes a second time without sin unto salvation. And according
to the word of God, that time, the day of the Lord, will be
the end of the world. And the elements, that means
all physical things around us, all material things, the elements
shall melt with fervent heat and all these things shall be
dissolved. Or that you may think on these
things, that there is coming a day of judgment. And there
is coming the day when Christ will come and receive his people
unto himself so that they will be with him, which is far better. And as we're exhorted in the
word of God, think on these things. You may think that as you're
so young that it's not necessary to think on these things. But the word of God exhorts us
to think on these things. and to consider them. We read
in the Word of God, Thus saith the Lord, Consider your ways.
And may you be brought by God's grace to consider your ways and
the way that you are taking. When you're young, in particular,
you tend to set your heart on this or your heart on that, or
you want to do this career or that career, and so you're looking
forward all the time but do you stop to think that the day of
judgment is coming when each one of us must give an account
unto God what a day that will be and he says here in this chapter
for when they shall say that is men will say peace and safety
then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman
or a child, and they shall not escape. They shall not escape. What a solemn thought that is,
isn't it? You know, it says in the word,
but we must all appear before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ,
every single one of us, that we might receive the deeds done
in the body Oh, consider that, my dear young
friends. You must answer before God. And may it be with you as the
Apostle could speak so freely to the Thessalonians, but ye,
brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake
you as a thief. that this is a great point, has
the light of truth entered your heart? We spoke of it this morning,
didn't we? The light of truth entering the
heart. But ye are all the children of
light, he says here. Are we the children of light?
Has the light of truth entered our heart? We are all the children of light
and the children of the day. We are not of the night nor of
darkness. He's using night and day here
in a metaphorical sense, in a spiritual sense, that if we are unenlightened,
if the Spirit of God has not quickened our soul, then we're
still in darkness. We don't know these things and
we don't really care about these things. because you've set your
heart and your affections on other things but oh it may be
true of each one of us here all the children of light and the
children of the day we are not of the night nor of darkness
the unprofitable unfruitful works
of darkness it's called in the word of God That's what we find in this world,
deceit and sin. And that's what we find in our
hearts, deceit and sin. We don't have to go into the
world really, do we? We have much deceit and sin in
our own hearts. But what a mercy if we know it,
and we feel it. And again, he says, therefore
let us not sleep, Awake thou that sleepest, arise
from the dead, we read in the word of God. Are you asleep? Are you not aware of these things?
Do these things not concern you, as to where you will spend eternity? You're only going to be in this
world for a very short period. Even if you live to a hundred
years old, it's still a very short period. and then death and the day of
judgment. And the exhortation here, let
us not sleep, or as others do, but as do others, but let us
watch and be sober. The Lord Jesus in his teachings,
he says, I say unto you therefore, watch. Are you watching? You might say, what do you mean
by watching? Do you wait on the Lord in prayer?
Do you call upon him in secret? Is there something going on between
your soul and God? Something that nobody else knows
about. But it goes on between your soul
and God. There are times when you pray,
when you seek the Lord. Why do you do that? Because you're
not asleep. Therefore let us not sleep as
do others, but let us watch and be sober, for they that sleep
sleep in the night, and they that be drunken are drunken in
the night. What a solemn thing to be taken
up with drunkenness. Alcohol is a very dangerous thing
when it's taken in excess. And it affects our minds. And
all that we may consider these things. Be not drunk with wine
wherein is excess. The word of God exhorts us. For
they that sleep, sleep in the night. And they that be drunken
are drunken in the night. Are you, as we read here in these
language, are we of the night or are we of the day? Are we
enlightened or are we still in darkness? Are we not concerned as to where
we are? It's a solemn thought, isn't
it? As to where we are. And where
we're travelling to. Every single one of us is on
a journey. And we're travelling to eternity. And what takes place at the end
of our lives is death. And after death, the judgment. Moses, he said to the children
of Israel, oh that thou work wise and must understand thy
latter end. Understand what is going to happen.
What is certain and sure that is revealed in the Word of God.
And that is we must all give an account. We must all answer
in the day of judgment. Here he says in this verse of
our text, verse 8, but let us who are of the day be sober.
Let us be sober. Putting on the breastplate of
faith and love and for a helmet the hope of salvation. You know, I'm quite sure that
the dear apostle here is expounding to us the Word of
God. And in the Word of God, in the
prophecy of Isaiah, and I'm quite sure this is what he's expounding
to us here. Isaiah chapter 59. We read from verse 16, and it's
the words concerning Christ, and he saw that there was no
man, and wondered that there was no intercessor, therefore
his own arm brought salvation unto him, and his righteousness,
it sustained him. That's our Lord Jesus Christ.
And it goes on to say of him, For he put on righteousness as
a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head, and
he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with
zeal as a cloak. You see, and it goes on to speak
of the Day of Judgment. According to their deeds, accordingly
he will repay fury to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies. To
the islands he will repay Recompense so shall they fear the name of
the Lord You see a person that has divine light in their heart
However, little that light might be that is what is called the
fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom My dear beloved
friends. Do you have the fear of the Lord
which is the beginning of wisdom? You see my beloved friends and
in the Epistle to the Ephesians, just thinking on this what we
have before us, the breastplate of faith and love, how often
these things are set before us. In the last chapter of the Epistle
to the Ephesians, chapter 6, and we read there in verse 10,
finally my brethren be strong in the Lord, Not in your own
strength, but in the Lord's strength. Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Not
your might, His might. As it says in Zechariah, not
by might nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of
hosts. Be strong in the Lord and in
the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God
that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places. And that the
exhortation here is, wherefore, take unto you the whole armor
of God. This armor is Christ, the glorious
person of our precious Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Take unto you the
whole armor of God. that you may be able to withstand
in the evil day, and having done all to stand, stand therefore,
having your loins girt about with truth. Jesus said, I am the way, the
truth, and the life. He says that, you know, when
he speaks of your loins, they used to have a garment that wrapped
right around you. And this is what he's speaking
of here, a garment that wrapped right around you. having your
loins girt about with truth. That is the truth as it is in
Jesus. That is the truth of salvation,
of redemption through our Lord Jesus Christ. Stand therefore. This will stand you well. This
will stand you in good stead in the day of judgment, having
your loins girt about with truth and having on the breastplate
of righteousness, the hymn writer says, Righteousness within thee
rooted may appear to take thy part, but let righteousness imputed,
that's the righteousness of Jesus Christ, but let righteousness
imputed be the breastplate of thy heart, and having on the
breastplate of righteousness, that is the righteousness of
Jesus Christ. One of the glorious names that
is given unto Jesus Christ is Jehovah Sidkenu. the Lord, our
righteousness. That's what, you see my beloved
friends, that is what is the covering of the Lord's people.
The Lord, our righteousness. So that what it's saying there,
it is Christ's righteousness becomes ours. It's imputed to
us. So that we are made righteous
in Him. And this is the only place of safety and security.
And this is the only place where you can be made righteous. It's
in Jesus Christ. Having on the breastplate of
righteousness. And your feet shod with the preparation
of the gospel of peace. The gospel is a gospel of peace.
It brings peace to the heart of sinful man. It reconciles
them unto God. Peace by his cross as Jesus made. The church is ever-living head.
That is where you'll find peace. In the precious blood of the
Lamb. One of the hymn writers he speaks,
does he, of that precious blood. That rich atoning blood which
sprinkled round I see. Provides a plea with God in it
does. That precious blood of Christ.
Peter says in his epistle for as much as you are not redeemed
with corruptible things such as silver and gold but with the
precious blood of Christ as of a lamb slain from before the
foundation of the world. Your feet shod with the preparation
of the gospel of peace. What do we do with our feet?
We walk or we run. And we need them shod with the
preparation of the gospel of peace so that we run in the ways
of the Lord, so that we follow our Lord Jesus Christ. And we have those shoes upon
our feet. It's a beautiful word in the
book of Deuteronomy. Thy shoes shall be iron and brass,
and as thy days, so shall thy strength be. What a beautiful
promise, isn't it? Fulfilled in Christ, thy shoes
shall be iron and brass. And as thy days, so shall thy
strength be, your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel
of peace. Above all, so there's an emphasis
here, above all, take in the shield of faith, wherewith you
shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. The
shield of faith. What a wonderful thing to have
that shield of faith. Without faith it is impossible
to please God for he that cometh unto God must believe that he
is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek
him. Above all taking the shield of faith. Precious spirit of
faith. It's given by the Holy Ghost.
It breathes into the soul. It's a living sacred grace of
the Spirit. It's a living principle within
the child of God. Faith looks to Jesus Christ.
Faith feeds on Jesus Christ. Faith desires to follow Jesus
Christ. Faith desires to serve Jesus
Christ. Do you, do I, have this spirit
of faith? He calls it the shield of faith,
wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of
the wicked. And in that, what we just read
in Isaiah 59, it just follows on after that. When the enemy
comes in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard
against him. You know, my beloved friends,
that standard is Christ. He's the whole armor of God.
He's the standard that the people of God rally to and look to. That army that is terrible as
an army with banners, that they rally to the cross of Christ.
to the banner of Christ. The Lord has given a banner to
them that fear him. Moses, when they prevailed in
the wilderness against the children of the Amalekites, and all the
time that Moses and her lifted up his hands when he was in prayer,
the Israelites prevailed. And we read he built an altar
there and he called the name of it Jehovah-Nissi. which means
the Lord our banner. The Lord has given a banner to
them that fear him. That banner is Christ. It's his
work. That's how we quench the fiery
darts of the wicked. I've often explained to you that
beautiful story of Martin Luther when the devil brought all his
sins to his mind. And he said it was such a huge
scroll It reached around the world and back. And Luther said
to Satan, is that all my sins? And Satan said, yes, that's all
your sins. He said, then sign the bottom
of it. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's son, cleanseth us from
all sin. He said the devil was gone. The
devil was gone. He can't stand in the presence
of Christ. I knew that. when the Lord delivered
me so wonderfully from a terrible temptation that I was subject
to. And it was an awful temptation. But when the Lord delivered me
from it, oh, how wonderful was that victory when Christ shone
into my heart, lightened my soul. I saw so clearly it was Satan's
temptation. Up until then, I thought I was
losing my mind. But when the Lord came, When
Christ came, when that light shone into my soul, it was gone. The temptation was gone, the
power of it was gone. You see, my beloved friends,
He alone can do that. Even our Lord Jesus Christ, above
all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to
quench all the darts of the wicked, and take the helmet of salvation. Just think of this, the helmet
of salvation. Christ. He shall call his name
Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. This
is the helmet of salvation. What Christ has done, what Christ
has fulfilled, the law he has fulfilled and honoured and magnified
on the behalf of his people. He has satisfied all the demands
of divine justice in that glorious sacrifice of the cross of Calvary. Christ has done that. You see, and this is the helmet
of salvation that will preserve you in the day of battle. And
the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. What a mercy,
when we can wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word
of God, the sweet promises that He has given you, you can plead
them at His throne. The sword of the Spirit. The
sacred doctrine of truth that is found in the Word of God. It's the sword of the Spirit.
The defeat of Satan by Christ, it's the sword of the Spirit.
The power of Christ to save, it's the sword of the Spirit.
It's revealed in the Word of God. You think of that lovely
word, that sweet promise, but they that wait upon the Lord
shall renew their strength. They shall mount up on wings
as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk
and not faint. But let us, who are of the day,
be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for an
helmet the hope of salvation. Now, here we have a most precious
and most sweet word. For God hath not appointed us
to rot, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh,
that that may sink deep into your hearts. Out of Christ, we're
appointed to wrath, but in Christ, we're redeemed from sin and Satan's
power, for God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation
by our Lord Jesus Christ, to obtain salvation. It is to be
obtained. Maybe there's one in another
here and you may have been raised up to a little hope that is in
Christ Jesus. And you may not have as it were
that assurance of faith. But those things that you feel
are so small and so insignificant that goes on between your soul
and God It's the work of the Divine Spirit. Christ is made
precious to you. You see, these are the evidences
for God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation
by our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ is called
Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever. He's eternally the same. Having
loved His own, He loved them unto the end. He saved them with
an everlasting salvation, a perfect salvation, an eternal salvation. For God hath not appointed us
to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. May
this be an encouragement to you to continue seeking. You have
that little hope raised up in your soul you have that which
goes on between your soul and God you do feel at times a love
to the Lord Jesus Christ and a love to his people and this is the evidence in the
Corinthians the apostle he calls this evidence an earnest the sealing of the spirit he
says it's the earnest of our eternal inheritance what things
the Lord has done for you, what he's doing for you, and raising
you up to a hope in his name, it's an earnest. Again, I've
often explained to you what an earnest is. When there was the
sale of a piece of land, this used to happen years ago in this
country as well as in eastern countries, that when a price
was agreed on for the purchase of that land the person that
owned that land would then dig up a small sod of earth and he
gave it to the person who'd purchased it and that was an earnest of
what he'd purchased, his purchased possession. Now the apostle uses
that in a spiritual sense of the word And when the Lord gives
you little tokens of His love and of His mercy, they are an
earnest of your eternal inheritance. They're little tokens the Lord
has given you that you go into glory. And they're a token that
teaches you what we have in our text. For God hath not appointed
us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. The
devil may tempt you that you'll be subject to the wrath of God.
and that you'll be lost forever, and that when it comes to the
end, you have nothing. But this word, it tells us the
opposite. If you've had those little earnest,
for God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation
by our Lord Jesus Christ. You know, some people are seekers
all their days. It's not until they come close
to the end. It was so with my late dear wife.
We come close to the end and the Lord gives them a token for
good. That all is well. That they go into eternal glory.
You see, that he hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation
by our Lord Jesus Christ. You may be tempted many times
to, as it were, give up seeking, to give up looking. You may be
sorely tried, You may say, well, it's not worth it. My dear, beloved
friends, you keep looking. You keep watching, you keep waiting.
Oh, how many times you read in the word of God the exhortation
to watch and to wait. Oh, that the Lord would give
us that grace to watch unto prayer and to wait for the Lord's appearing
for they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they
shall mount up on wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary.
Doesn't say they might do, doesn't say they could do, it says they
shall. These are the eternal promises of our God to these
poor seeking souls. For God hath not appointed us
to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ who
died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live
together with him. This is the hope. We shall live
together with him, with Christ. As the apostle says, to be with
Christ, which is far better. In the fourth chapter, and from
the 13th verse, it speaks there of that hope of eternal life.
But I would not have you to be ignorant brethren concerning
them which are asleep." And now he's speaking of a different
sleep, he's speaking of the sleep in death. To the believer it's
a sleep, it's not eternal death. They're asleep. That means they will wake up.
They will wake up. The time will shortly come when
you with sweet surprise It will be a sweet surprise, shall wake
up in eternal glory, in everlasting happiness. And he says, I would
not have it to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep,
those that have died, those that have died in the Lord, that ye
sorrow not even as others which have no hope. For if we believe
that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep
in Jesus will God bring with him. It says, I saw the Lord
with ten thousands of his saints and all his holy angels. Those
saints will come with him in that great day, in the day of
Christ. For if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again, and we certainly do believe that, we believe he
died for our sins and rose again for our justification. Even so,
them also, which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For
this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are
alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent
them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with
the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air. So shall we be ever with the
Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another
with these words. For God hath not appointed us
to wrath, but to obtain salvation. by our Lord Jesus Christ. We
notice this morning in Psalm 45 that the king's daughter is
all glories within, but we notice this, she shall enter into the
king's palace. She will enter into the king's
palace. And my beloved friends, this is something divinely certain. Because he loved her with an
everlasting love. Therefore with loving kindness
as he draw Do you know those sweet drawings drawing you to
Christ? Drawing you to his people You
know, he says here about faith and love. Do you know that love
to Christ? Do you know that love to the
brethren? You think of the words of our
Lord Jesus Christ by this shall they know that is the world That
you are my disciples because you have loved one to another
What a precious thing that we indeed have this spirit of love. But let us who are of the day
be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love. You see, in
the Colossians he calls it, he says, a faith which worketh by
love. It worketh by love. An essential ingredient of the
gospel of Jesus Christ is the spirit of love. In the fourth chapter of the
first epistle of John, he actually opens up to us that spirit of
love. Do we know this spirit of love? You look at 1 John chapter 4
and verse 7. Beloved, let us love one another.
For love is of God. And everyone that loveth is born
of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not
God. For God is love. Faith isn't
some cold clinical thing. It's a faith that works by love. Love to Christ, love to the Father,
love to the Son, love to the Holy Ghost, love to the Eternal
God. Love to his people. It says in the third chapter
there of John, it says, My little children, let us not love in
word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. Thereby
we know that we're of the truth and shall assure our hearts before
him. This spirit of love in verse 9 of that chapter 4
he said in this was manifested the love of God toward us because
that God sent his only begotten son into the world that we might
live through him here in his love not that we loved God but
that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for
our sins beloved if God so loved us we are also to love one another. No man has seen God at any time.
If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected
in us. Hereby know we that we dwell
in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit,
and that Spirit is a Spirit of love. You see, in verse 16, And
we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God
is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God
in him and in verse 19 we love him because he first loved us. In another epistle the apostle
he says for the love of Christ is shed abroad in our hearts
by the Holy Ghost. Oh that we might know that love
of Christ shed abroad in our hearts. But let us who are of
the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and
love, and for in Helm with the hope of salvation. For God hath
not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord
Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep,
we should live together with him. May the Lord add his blessing
to these few remarks that we have made. Let us now sing together hymn
number 228. The tune is Sheffield 235. Faith owes its birth to sovereign
grace and lives beneath the throne where grace maintains her dwelling
place and reigns supreme alone. Hymn number 228. ? To this golden place ? ? That
gives me heaven ? ? In this radiant happiness ? ? Many years to praise the glory
day ? ? Lord Jesus, you have made us ? Alleluia, it must be true, that
we from suffering raise. ? The precious man to God the Christ
? ? Each a day like a dream ? ? When faith is near, when faith is
near ? Hail! Hail! Hail! Hail! Hail!
Hail! Hail! Hail! ? Take thy servants ? ? Through
the cross ? ? And give to me the strength ? ? That my soul
may exult ? ? Our hearts and arms still keep
the land with you ? ? Still we work on this precious land ?
? Which makes divine with us ? ? The language of Israel ?
? Sing and behold it ? ? Thank you, Saint Peter, come the tree ?
? That buried him that way ? and grace the ground that you
do sleep in night without its day. Then to the man took the whisper,
Then fell it with eager eyes. Vena ocelum in humilium, Judaeae
reiae. ? With tears of joy, faith now
defeats ? ? That day when she'll be found ? ? When he would meet
his cross ? 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 for evermore. Amen.