Well, before we turn to the word
of God, I want to say a little with regards to the history of
this course of truth in Portsmouth. In his opening remarks, I think
Mr. Penton did welcome you all. There were a number who would
have desired to be present and are unable. Friends from other
causes, Mr. and Mrs. Sleeman from Hazelmere
conveyed apologies as did the Woodhouses from South Chard and
also Colonel Underwood at Orange Street. We do indeed thank you all for
making the effort to be with us on this particular occasion. As I said I want to say something
with regards to the history. There is a little book that we
have produced and copies are available. They are quite free
of charge but if anyone wants to help with regards to the cost
of the publication, you can put money in the boxes at the back
of the chapel. The collection today is in fact
for chapel funds, but do please feel free to help yourselves
to copies of this little booklet which outlines something of the
cause of God here at Salem. And I'd just like to read some
extracts which give us some idea of the origins of the work and
how God has preserved and maintained it through 200 years. So if you'll excuse me I'll just
read these extracts. Although this church was not
formally organised until the 21st of March 1813, there is
document among the church records that in its opening section speaks
of events previous to that date. Although undated, it was probably
written in the early 1820s. And it certainly appears to be
the oldest of the church papers that have been preserved. It reads as follows. The case
of the particular Baptist church meeting at Salem Chapel near
Portsmouth, hence under the pastoral care of Mr Richard Young, A few
serious persons, nine in number, members of different churches
of the particular Baptist denomination, having on the 26th of November
1812 been dismissed from their respective churches for the purpose
of being formed into a distinct church of the same faith and
order, were, by the neighbouring ministers, so formed and acknowledged,
and worshipped for some time in a small chapel called Mary
Levone. the world being much blessed
and the congregation amounting to an overflowing house, application
was made for a lease in order that the said chapel might be
enlarged. But it was discovered that such is the nature of the
deeds thereof that it could neither be sold or lent. As no place
whatever could be procured after much deliberation and prayer
we were recommended to build a meeting house and purchase
a piece of ground for that purpose in the vicinity of Marylebone. The building is 32 feet by 40
feet. By our purchasing the materials
and each of us labouring with our hands, we finished at a saving
of £200, expending after consulting every means of economy £700. We have used all exertions and
obtained among ourselves and many friends £170, leaving our
little though we trust useful interest a sum of £530 in arrears. In fact it took them over 60 years
to pay off that £530. which death, our church being
almost to an exception working and poor people, are totally
unable to discharge, and are compelled to solicit the aid
of the religious public, hoping the Lord, whose cause we believe
it is, will incline the hearts of his people toward us. We beg
to add that our dear pastor, who was sent over as laborer
gratuitously, that our chapel is well attended, our number
of members are increased to 71, and last autumn we were as a
church received into the Hampshire Association. The above chapel
is committed into the hands of trust upon the London plan and
it's signed by Richard Young the pastor and John Atkins and
James Reading deacon. Salem was opened on the 26th
of January 1814 when Thomas Tilly preached from Psalm 37 verse
4, delight thyself also in the Lord and he shall give thee the
desires of thine heart. The street on which the chapel
stood duly became known as Salem Street. Richard Young served
in the capacity of pastor of the church from 1813 until 1822. The trust deed dated 30 March
1824 clearly declares the chapel to be a place of public religious
worship for the service of God by the society of Protestant
dissenters of the denomination called Particular Baptists. It's interesting, in the strict
Baptist chapels of England, compiled by Ralph Chambers, we have the
following description of the old chapel. He says it was a
plain, almost square building with a small lean-to vestry at
the rear. A high square pulpit bore the
only suggestion of ornament in the place being supported by
fluted pillars. A single gallery stretched from
side to side and windows too small for the building allowed
a dull light to enter, barely sufficient to enable the worshippers
to read the hymns. built almost entirely by the
labours of its first members, it was really wonderful that
it should have stood for so many years. In the days when it was
erected there were no houses near, no railway station, no
guildhall and no shops. The cutting along which the railway
now runs was then a canal and the open space where the guildhall
now stands was a wharf forming the end of the canal up which
boats came at high tide from Langston Harbour. After the appearance of the Gospel
Standard magazine in 1835, It was not long before the church
at Salem Chapel began to identify with the doctrinal and experimental
distinctives being faithfully contended for in that journal. That same year, 1835, Joseph
Charles Philpott seceded from his ministry in the Church of
England and commenced ministering among those churches in sympathy
with the position being taken by the infant gospel standard. By 1836, together with John Mackenzie,
Philpott was helping in the work of the magazine, though not in
an official editorial capacity. However, from 1840 to 1849, these
two were editors of the Gospel Standard, and after the premature
death of Mackenzie, Philpott was the sole editor between 1849
and 1869. We know that Mr. Philpott preached several
times at Salem Chapel Langford in the decade after his secession. Four of his sermons preached
in the chapel on Lord's Day 15-22 August 1841 are to be found in
Volume 2 of the early sermons. Beside Philpott another who preached
at Salem in those days was John Warburton of Trowbridge and others
very much associated with the Gospel Standard in its early
years also preached at Salem. The obituary of Thomas Node,
who died on the 18th of December 1882, aged 76, appears on pages
187 and 188 of the 1883 Gospel Standard. The obituary is simply
signed W. W. Portman. And in it we are
told that Thomas Node was mainly instrumental in bringing to Portsmouth
some of the most eminent ministers in the GS Connection, as the
late friends Philpott, Tiptoft, Isbell, Godwin, also Mr Smart,
Mr Sears and others by whom he was much respected and he used
to lodge in his house. He made many sacrifices to maintain
the truth in the place and gave much of his substance to the
cause. He was baptized by Mr. Isbel somewhere about 1840 and
was kept steadfast in the truth down to his death, ever contending
for a vital, feeling religion. Though unlearned, there was always
to be seen in him the eloquence of reality. He contended earnestly
for the truth once delivered to the saints and the work alone
of the Holy Spirit in the poor sinners. There are in fact a
number of obituaries of those who were members or at least
attended the services at Salem throughout the 19th century. And then coming to the 20th century,
the year 1913 of course marked the centenary of the formation
of the church. At a church meeting on the 22nd of May 1912 the desirability
of holding special services was raised. It was proposed that
the centenary meeting be held on the 27th of August 1913. The
day began with a prayer meeting at 10am and after this at 11am
Mr A Borman of Maidstone preached from Isaiah 12.6. Mr J K Popham
the pastor of the lead chapel Brighton and editor of the Gospel
Standard then preached in the afternoon and evening taking
for his text Psalm 46 verses 4 and 5 on each occasion. It is recorded in the church
book that after the evening service Mr. Popham read a few extracts
concerning the origin of the chapel and the formation of the
church. The chapel was crowded and the
collections amounted to £14.70 in our present currency. The Old Salem Chapel was destroyed
by enemy action in 1941. Principal damage occurred in
an air raid on Portsmouth on the 10th of January and further
damage occurred in another air raid on the 10th of March. The
war damage claim was acknowledged on the 2nd of September 1941.
The complete chronology of events from the 10th of January 1941
to the 5th of March 1948 is to be found in the church
books. In this chronology it is recorded that on the 24th
of March 1941 members of the church and congregation were
meeting in a private house with a view to resumption of worship
as before. However, after a severe gun in
December 1942 the front gable wall was blown down and with
other damage the building became completely unsafe. A new chapel was not acquired
until 1959 when the present chapel in Shearer Road was opened. According
to church meetings on the 21st of October 1957 and 15th of January
1958 the cost was £7,086 and the Wards Damage Commission agreed
to pay £6,920. During the 18 years from the destruction of
the old Salem in 1941 until the opening of the new
chapel, the principal place of meeting for divine worship was
George Street School, now called Newbridge Junior School. In the
church books the first mention of the Shearer Road site is at
a church meeting of the 7th of October 1949. But it is evident
that the possibility of this site had been in hand a little
while previously. It would be almost 10 years before
the chapel would stand on the site. During the protracted negotiations,
differences emerged between the Church and the Gospel Standard
War Damage Committee, with the Church insisting on its independence.
The consequence of this was that, unlike the Old Chapel, the New
Salem did not appear on the list of Gospel Standard Churches.
However, at a Church meeting on 28 July 1954, the Church's
adherence to the 35 Gospel Standard Articles of Faith was unanimously
reaffirmed. affirmed. The new chapel was
officially opened on Friday 24th of April 1959. In the morning a prayer meeting
was conducted by Mr. R. F. Chambers, in the afternoon
Mr. F. T. W. Bartlett of Acton preached
from Haggai 2-9 and in this place will I give peace saith the Lord
of Hosts and in the evening Mr. Alar Broome of Southampton preached
from Psalm 73-17. until I went into the sanctuary
of God, then understood I their end." Although the Church had unanimously
reaffirmed the 35 Gospel Standard articles on the 28th of July
1954, as the chapel no longer appeared in the Gospel Standard
list of chapels, It is not surprising that a gradual drift away from
gospel standard distinctives began and continued until the
Church was readmitted to the list in 1991. In 1990, In seeking readmission to the
Gospel Standard list of chapels, the pastor, Mr Matronola, was
concerned that there should be a hard acceptance by the Church
of what he was advancing, and he acted in accordance with the
following five points. 1. The members would accept the
35 Gospel Standard articles as expressing the faith and order
of the Church, 2. The pastoral deacons would seek
to keep the pulpit closed to those ministers contrary to these
articles of faith. 3. The Lord's Supper in Salem
would be kept on a narrower understanding of same faith and order than
it obtained in the twenty years prior to 1990. 4. The Church
would seek to remain distinct from all other strict that this
Grouping 5 of the Church would insist upon its scriptural independency
and would not want any Church decisions made by any external
committee on its behalf. At the Church meeting on 29 January
1991 it was unanimously agreed to re-adopt the 35 Gospel Standard
Articles as the fullest expression of the faith and practice of
the Church at Salem. In addition to the Gospel standard, Salem
was readmitted to the list of chapels and subsequently Mr Matronoda's
name was added to the list of ministers. At the end of 1994 I personally
received an invitation to become the pastor at Salem. Having been brought to a Gospel
standard position myself, I certainly felt drawn to the work. I did
however feel the need for clear direction from the Lord. I also still had a deep concern
for the future of the Lord's work at Hagen, where I was the
pastor. Some six months after receiving
the call, I felt it right to respond positively. Although
there had not been the application of any particular scripture,
I could not escape the fact that in the sovereign providence of
God I was at this juncture being invited to become part of a church
that had recently fully committed itself once more to the distinctive
truths of the Gospel Standard Articles. These were the very
truths that God had taught me experimentally. With regards
to the church at Hedgend I said I would like to give them six
months notice and if they so wished I would continue to exercise
pastoral oversight for at least the following two years and be
willing to preach once on the Lord's Day. So it was that when
I commenced as pastor at Salem in January 1996 the church had
again moved their evening service to the afternoon when I usually
preached. Instead of just two years, in God's mysterious providence
this arrangement continues to the present day. On the 10th
of July 1996, at my first church meeting as pastor at Salem, I
remarked that it was the spiritual foresight of Mr Matronola which
had brought the church at Salem back to its historic position,
a position with which I was in full concord. Coming to the end
of this brief history then, and declare that as a church and
congregation we still desire to walk in these old paths wherein
is the good why. That's just some extracts from
the history. As I said you're very welcome
to help yourselves to copies of that booklet and read it. Well let us turn to God's words and that portion that we've just
read in Hebrews and in Hebrews chapter 12 the first verse the
expression that has been more particularly upon my mind is
that that we find here so great the clouds of witnesses in doing
the research and reading in order to prepare that particular booklet. I've read several accounts in
old gospel standards. As I said, there are a goodly
number of obituaries of those who were in attendance, particularly
at the old chapel that was destroyed in the Second World War. It is remarkable that we should
have such a record of the lives and
the experiences of those godly men and women who were blessed
here in Portsmouth and used of the Lord in the establishment
of a cause of truth so great a count of witnesses. But let us read this verse through.
Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great
a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the
sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience
the race that is set before us. The great clouds of witnesses
then are those here who are said to have gone before and it is
clear from the opening words in this chapter the word wherefore
that the apostle has in mind those things that are recorded
in the previous chapter what he's been writing of concerning
those men and women of faith from the Old Testament in the
book of Isaiah in chapter 43 and again in chapter 44 God says
to Israel ye are my witnesses, ye are my witnesses saith the
Lord and in that chapter, that 11th
chapter of course we do have some records of those men and
women of faith from that people of Israel, that people who are
a typical people, a type of the true spiritual Israel, the true
church of God. When we come to the last book
of scripture in the Revelation, remember out there in chapter
7, John also refers to those who have entered into the glories
of heaven. In chapter 7 of Revelation and
verse 13, one of the elders answered unto me, What are these which
are arrayed in white robes? And whence came they? And I said
unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are
they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their
robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. All that
great cloud of witnesses who have gone before who have now
entered into the glory of heaven, having lived their lives according
to God's purpose here upon the earth. And we see that there
are a great cloud of witnesses. In other words, there are many
of them. It is a multitude, is it not,
that no man can number. A multitude out of every tribe,
out of every tongue, out of every people. and the interesting thing
here is the way in which Paul speaks of them as it were surrounding
believers who are upon the earth we are compassed about he says
with so great a cloud of witnesses we are not to imagine that those
who are in heaven are able to behold the things that are done
here upon the earth If that were the case, how could
they really be at rest? How could they be those who have
entered into the bliss which is the paradise of God if they
are beholding those things that are done upon the earth? This
world lies in the wicked one. This world is yet the scene of
much that would bring grief into the hearts of the people of God
and if it brings grief into the hearts of those who are living
in this world how much more must that be the case with those who
have gone before those who are in heaven. We know from what
we are told in the book of the revelation that that place is
indeed a glorious abode There is no weeping there, there are
no tears there. At the end of the revelation
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall
be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there
be any more pain for the former things are passed away. They
are not able then to behold the things that are done here upon
the earth. Some people superstitiously do
imagine that those who have died are able to see things that are
transpiring upon the earth, but there's no warrant in scripture
for saying such a thing as that. Those in heaven, I say again,
have entered into rest and there they are in the very presence
of God and their eyes of course are all together fixed upon Him,
they're taken up with God. Remember the lines from that
poem of Mrs Cousins based on the sayings of Samuel Rutherford
concerning Immanuel's land. The lamb is all the glory in
Immanuel's land. The bride eyes not her garment
but her dear bridegroom's face I will not gaze at glory. but
at my King of Grace. They're not those then who are
beholding anything here upon the earth. What then are we to
understand by the statement that the Apostle is making in this
particular verse? We are compassed about, he says,
with so great a cloud of witness. In what sense? Are they encompassing
believers? Are we not to understand this
simply in terms of the Word of God? This is where we are encompassed
by the saints of old when we come to the scriptures and as
we read the word of God Paul tells us in Romans chapter 15
that whatever things were written for time he says were written
for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures
might have hope the things that are recorded What we can read
there in the Old Testament Scriptures concerning the lives of the people
of God. What we are told concerning Abraham
and Isaac and Jacob and the Patriarchs. What we can read of those godly
kings in Israel. Men like David, men like Hezekiah. What we can read of the lives
of the prophets. All of these things are written
for our learning. that we, through patience and
comfort of the scriptures, might have hope. Does he not also say
something more in 1 Corinthians chapter 10? That all these things
happened unto them for ensamples, for types, all that came to pass
in their lives, their typical experiences. And they are written
for those upon whom the ends of the world are common sense.
The Old Testament is a spiritual book. It's not just that we're
reading there great historic facts. There is that of course
about the Word of God. It is a faithful record, an historic
account. There are historic portions to
the Old Testament. But when we come to the Word
of God we don't just seek to instruct our minds. We want to
receive some instruction and some comfort for our soul. And
as we read these things and ponder these things and pray over these
things is it not a comfort to the child of God to see that
the Lord's ways and the Lord's dealings with his people there
of old have an application to their present experiences. In
that sense then we can say that believers are compassed about
with this great cloud of witnesses, this record that we have. Now
we read in particular here in chapter 11 of a man like Abraham
that he is, remember, the father of all them that believe. Abraham
is the great example, the great pattern of faith and all who
are the children of faith are the children of Abraham and he's
spoken of. Here in chapter 11 we read something
of his experiences, something of his faith, something of the
trial of his faith. There at verse 8, by faith Abraham,
when he was called to go out into a place which he should
after receive for an inheritance, obeyed, and he went out, not
knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the
land of promise, as in a strange country dwelling in tabernacles
with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.
For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder
and maker is God." How we see his faith, he is obedient to
the word of God and he goes out not knowing where he's going.
His trust is in God and what God has said to him. He's a man
of faith. We read also about his faith
was tried at verse 17 by Faith Abraham when he was tried. offered
up Isaac and he that had received the promises offered up his only
begotten son of whom it was said that in Isaac shall thy seed
be called accounting that God was able to raise him up even
from the dead from whence also he received him in a figure oh
he knew faith but he also knew that that must go hand in hand
with true faith a trial of faith a precious trial that that is
more precious than the gold that perisheth. We read then of Abraham
and the remarkable way in which God dealt with him. Now we might
come to read of Abraham and feel that we cannot come up to such
a standard as is recorded concerning Abraham and his faith, his hope. Again in Romans 4 we're told
concerning this man who against hope believed in hope that he
might become the father of many nations. According to that which
was spoken, so shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith,
it seems, he considered not his own body, now dead when he was
about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb,
he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but
was strong in faith, giving glory to God and being fully persuaded
that what he had promised he was able also to perform and
you say well yes but how can I in my poor life draw any comfort
from the example of a man like Abraham that man who had such
a great faith and such a real hope in God I find little comfort
there you sir But you see, we not only read of Abraham, we
also have mention of his wife Sarah. The fate of Sarah is also
mentioned there. Look at verse 11 in chapter 11.
Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive
seed, and was a deliverer of a child when she was passed away,
because she judged him faithful who would promise and yet Sarah
was the one of course who laughed when she was told that she was
going to be with child she was past the age of childbearing
how could it be it was an impossibility and when she was challenged concerning
her own belief she denied that she'd laughed you see there are
events recorded not only concerning the great faith of Abraham he
was not weak in faith but there is also that recorded with regards
to Sarah she is amongst this great crowd of witnesses different
ones are spoken of there in order that we might have some encouragement
and some comfort from the scriptures there is no detail given with
regards to Gideon his name is mentioned as we saw there in
verse 32 of chapter 11 what shall I more say? the time would allow
me to tell of Gideon but what of Gideon's faith? remember how
he had to have some token from the Lord he needs something to
confirm his faith in the matter of the fleece he wants that all
the ground should be dry and the fleece should be wet with
dew and God grants him the sign to encourage him But such is
the weakness of Gideon's faith that that's not enough. He wants
another sign from God. He wants now that the fleece
should be dry and all the ground should be covered with the dew
and God grants it to him. Or there are these various ones
in a film we can read there in the scriptures, the scriptures
of the Old Testament. This is the way in which they
compass us about. seeing we also are compassed about with so great
a cloud of witnesses says the apostle having observed that there are
a multitude of them and should we not be those who would be
plundering the word of God that we might find some that we can
identify with some who we feel to be kindred spirits There's many of them. And that's
why we are to search the scriptures. That we might enter into that
blessing of the doctrine of the communion of saints. Part of
the ancient creed, is it not, that we believe in the communion
of saints? Well, the saints are those believers,
those who've gone before, not the Romish doctrine of sainthood. But the biblical doctrine of
sainthood. Those whom God has set apart
for himself, those whom God has saved, those are the saints.
And even those who have gone before you, we can enter into
communion with. But let us consider somewhat
more carefully this name that is given to them. They are spoken
of here as witnesses. So bright a cloud of witnesses. Now the interesting thing here
is that the particular word that is used and rendered in our English
Bible as witness is the very word from which the English word
martyr is derived. Our English word martyr comes
from this particular Greek word. that's being used here by the
Apostle under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The word
Martyrs, it comes over, it is transliterated as the word Martyr. So great a crowd of Martyrs. And they are all of course followers
of Him who is the Great Martyr. The Lord Jesus is spoken of in
Revelation 3, is He not? As the Amen. the faithful and
true witness the faithful and true martyr and those who come
to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ doesn't Paul tell us what's given
to them it's not only faith that they're given but they're also given to to
suffer at the end of Philippians chapter 1 he says unto you it
is given in the behalf of Christ not only to believe unto him
but also to suffer for his sake having the same conflict which
he saw in me and now here to be in me. These witnesses we can understand really that what they
are is martyrs. Now, we know that there have
been martyrs in a very literal sense, in a physical sense, in
the history of the church. At the beginning of this Christian
era, we know that there was a great deal of persecution from Rome,
pagan Rome. How those early Christian believers
suffered, at the hands of the great, the mighty empire which
was Rome. One of the church fathers, Tertullian,
said that the blood of the martyrs was indeed the very seed of the
church. As they were persecuted, so they
grew. That is the mysterious way of
God. And we know also, of course, in our own country there have
been those who have been martyrs for their faith. At the time
of the Protestant Reformation here in England there were those
who counted not their lives dear unto death there were those who
went to the stake because they denied the doctrine of the Romish
Mass they were very real martyrs here in England and it has often
been said that people Rome was more persecuting than ever pagan
Rome was there have been those then who have been literal martyrs
and doubtless there are those even in our day and generation
we can think of some in lands where Islam holds sway and the
persecution that they have to suffer because of their faithful
adherence to the gospel of Christ their strong faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ and they are persecuted their lives are forfeited or
the great cloud of witnessing But can we not also understand
this expression in a spiritual sense? Not all are physical martyrs,
but surely we recognise that there is that sense in which
all are spiritual martyrs. And we see it so clearly in the
experience of a man like Paul, how he writes of his experiences. What does he say? I die daily. He knew what it was to die daily.
To die, he says, to the Corinthians. And behold, we live. how he knew these things, how
he experienced these things. That was an inward martyrdom
he was experiencing. He was crucified with Christ.
He says as much to the Galatians does he not, nevertheless I live,
yet not I but Christ liveth in me, in the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me
and gave himself for me. Surely friends we have to recognise
in that sense All God's children are called to be witnesses, called
to be martyrs, spiritual martyrs. They have to be mortifying the
deeds of the Buddha, putting to death that old man, that old nature,
that they might live by the faith of Jesus Christ. And again we
see this so clearly what's recorded in the Word of God, what's recorded
in the Old Testament. Think of some of those things
that David makes mention of in the Psalms. Isn't this the great
beauty of the Book of Psalms that it tells us so much of the
inward life of the child of God, tells us so much of those things
that are transpiring in the soul of a man like David, the man
after God's own heart. Now I know David is not mentioned
in any great detail in what we have recorded in chapter 11 but
we have mentioned his name again in that 32nd verse. What shall
I more say for the time would find me to tell not only of Gideon
but of David it seems. Of David. Now think of some of
those things that David writes in the Psalms. Oh David The man
after God's own heart is made to feel the awful reality of
his sinful nature. The man after God's own heart,
and what does David say of himself time and again, he feels himself
to be a sinner. This is how God instructed him,
this is how God taught him. There are so many Psalms we could
turn to, but often think of those words that we have in Psalm 38. All the Psalms are not really
suitable for public worship. We sing Metrical Psalms on occasions,
but surely not all the Psalms are suitable for public worship. Some of the things that David
says, because what he says here in Psalm 38 concerning himself,
verse 3, he says, there is no soundness in my flesh. because
of thine anger neither is there any rest in my bones, because
of my sin for mine iniquities are gone over mine head as an
heavy burden, they are too heavy for me, my wounds stink, and
are corrupt because of my foolishness, I am troubled, I am bowed down
greatly, I go mourning all the day long, for my loins are filled
with a loathsome disease, And there is no soundness in my flesh. He describes himself, and in
many ways he describes himself as one who is leprous. No, he
was not a leper. He was not a leper. Oh yes, we
know that one of the kings, King Josiah, was struck down with
leprosy. But David wasn't. What is David
saying here? He is using that language that
might apply to someone who has been struck down with that awful
disease. but he applies it to what he
feels in his soul. He feels sin to be so grievous
a burden. I acknowledge my transgressions,
he says in Psalm 51. My sin is ever before me against
thee. Thou only art my sin, and I am
this evil, in thy sight. Psalm 51 is great penitential
psalm. He had sinned. He was guilty. He committed adultery with Bathsheba.
But worse than that he was responsible for the death of her husband
Uriah. He was a murderer. And yet he feels his sin ultimately
to be not against Bathsheba or Uriah, but against thee, the
only of thy sins, he says to God. Oh, he feels the awfulness
of his sin before God. Iniquities prevail against me,
he says. But then he goes on, as for our
iniquities, thou shalt purge them. Why? Oh, isn't this the
great comfort of the Christian? That in the Lord Jesus Christ
there is a purgatory. There is a purgatory. Not the
Romish purgatory, but the purgatory of that precious blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ. He purges the conscience from
every dead work. That's what the scripture says.
And what are those dead works? That's the sins. The sins that
his people are guilty of. And the Christian is one who
knows by the grace of God that forgiveness of sin, where sin
abounds, grace does so much more abound. Paul writes into the
Corinthians, there in 1 Corinthians chapter
6, he says, Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit
the kingdom of God? Be not deceitful, neither fornicators,
nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminates, nor abusers
of themselves in mankind, all these awful sins, this catalogue
of sins, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers,
nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. But then
he says this, and such were some of you, but ye are washed, but
ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. Oh, there is forgiveness
with God. There is forgiveness with God,
that he may be freed. But these, you see, who feel
this awful burden, this awful load of sin. Oh, it's like an
inward martyrdom to them. Saints who feel the load of sin,
yet come off victorious, suffer martyrdom within. Though it seems
less glorious, says Joseph Hart, how true it is. We see, I say,
in the life and the writings, the confessions of a man like
David. But think of the Apostle. Come to the New
Testament. Think of a man like Paul. The
human author, we believe, of the epistles of the Hebrews.
writing of course under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit but think
of the experience of that man and he speaks of himself does
he not as a pattern when he writes to his son in the faith when
he writes to Timothy he speaks of himself there as the chief
of sinners In 1st Timothy chapter 1 he says
of himself who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious
but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorant in unbelief
and the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith
and love which is in Christ Jesus this is a faithful sinner and
worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners of whom I I'm the chief. Make a list of all
the sinners in the world, says the apostle. Then you have to
put my name at the head of the list. When he writes to the Ephesians
he would put himself at the bottom of the list of saints. Less than
the least of all saints, he says. The leaster of saints. He coins
a word. You can't get less than the least.
And yet Paul considers himself to be something less than the
least of saints. And the great is the chief of all sinners. But see how he goes on to speak
of himself here in verse 16 of that chapter, that first chapter
in 1st Timothy. Howbeit for this cause I obtain
mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering
for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life
everlasting. He is a pattern. We often say
of Paul he's the pattern believer, not that we're all going to have
the same experience or the same depth of experience. We're not
all called to be Pauls or to do the great work of Paul. No
one is called to be an apostle. But there are those principles,
you see, that we see in the life of Paul that make him the typical child
of God, the typical believer. And does he not then have to,
under the ministry of the Spirit, by the inspiration of the Spirit,
he has to write these epistles. And in some of these epistles
we see how he has to write of himself. It's not that he is
some egoist who wants to be talking only of himself, but this is
the Spirit of God, he's a patron, you see. And so there are these
parts of the epistles which are more experimental, where he writes
of his experience. And Romans chapter 7 of course
is such a chapter, is it not? And what Paul has to say there,
he writes concerning his experiences, we believe, as one who is the
child of God. Oh, do you ever thank God for
those things that are written there concerning Paul and what
he is brought to acknowledge in his own experience. I know
that in my that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing, for to
will is present with me, but as to perform that which is good
I find not, for the good that I would I do not, but the evil
which I would not, that I do. O wretched man that I am! Who
shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God, through
Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself
serve the Lord of God, but with the flesh the law of seeing,
here is the real Paul, you see, I myself, there's an emphasis
he said on, with the mind I myself, that's a real move, wanting to
serve the Lord of God and yet all this body of sin and death
with the flesh, he's still serving the Lord of sin, that's why he's
a wretched man. It's that conflict, you see, what is to be seen in
the Shunammite as it were the company of two armies. The flesh
lusting against the spirit, the spirit lusting against the flesh,
and these contrary one to the other, and you cannot do the
thing that you want. This, I say, is something of
the experience of these witnesses. And it was interesting in reading
some of the accounts, some of those obituaries in the old gospel
standards, I was very struck, I found one in the supplements. The days when they had to produce
a supplement with the gospel standard because there was so
much matter to go in. The supplement for June 1866
and it's account of William Painter who died at Lamport aged 66 in
November 1865. We're told in 1865 his health
began to decline. He said although his afflictions
abounded so did his consolations also. He felt the Lord would
soon take him to himself. For he said he would not show
me such great things. For he takes me by the hand and
leads me about like a little child. Oh, what a father's love! He bestows on me from day to
day. What a poor worthless worm I feel myself to be. I never
knew before so much of the corruption of my nature and my helpless
state before God as I do now. I have read that text and felt
it. Without me you can do nothing. But I am brought to experience
it more than ever. Later he said, my religion lies
in a very small space. It is Christ in my heart, the
hope of glory, and nothing else will do to die by. This is that
great cloud of witness issues. they knew something of that awful
inward martyrdom, the reality of sin and yet the preciousness
of that salvation which is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. But
then besides seeking to describe something of the character of
these witnesses do we not also in this verse, this text of scripture,
you have to recognise how they were moved, what it was that
motivated them. Paul says, Let us lay aside every
weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us
run with patience the race that is set before us. Now, it is
reckoned that what Paul has in mind, as he writes here, is that
that he was quite familiar with of the ancient games, the Grecian
games, the Olympic games. We're told that the practice
was that those who had been engaged in the various competitions,
either running or wrestling or whatever it might be, when they
had completed their particular competition, They didn't receive
the garland immediately, but they were there and they were
gathering around and observing others who were engaged in their
particular pursuits. This is a sort of imagery that
they reckon is behind what Paul is saying here. The great crowd
of witnesses who are looking and observing the others who
are running their race. They're just running. The race
which is set before us, he says, as these others are observing. There is then here a race to
be run. There is a race to be run. Isn't that what Christianity
is likened to? Paul would run his race. He would
press toward the prize of that high calling of God. in the Lord
Jesus Christ. He would press on. Those who
are Christians, you see, they have to persevere. We profess
to believe in that great doctrine, the perseverance of the saints.
When we think of that little mnemonic tulip that summarizes
the great doctrines of Christ, total depravity, unconditional
election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, the perseverance
of the saints. We might think sometimes it should
say the preservation of the saints. God preserves his people. But
we think more especially in terms of the doctrine of perseverance. Let us run with patience. The
word here literally means endurance, persevering, pressing on, seeking
the finishing line and to be the first to break the time.
There is a race to be run. This is the calling of the Christian,
is it not? The Christian doesn't stand still,
he advances. There is also, of course, that
truth of a growth in grace. He grows in grace. And in the
knowledge of our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and that growth
in grace, we're not to think in terms of some sort of progressive
sanctification. It's not a growth in conscious
goodness. It's a growth in felt necessity
and complete and utter dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ. There
is a rise to be run, but then also are there not rules? Are there not rules to be followed? Each competitor, you see, must
run according to the rules. If a man strives for masteries,
Paul says, yet is he not crowned except he strives lawfully. The strife is to be lawful according
to the rules. Those who were engaged in those
wrestling matches, they had to see to it that they abide by
the rules and regulations otherwise they'd be disqualified, they'd
be dismissed. There are rules. that govern those who enter into
this competition. Now, we have to come to this,
do we not, that the great rule at the outset is this, that the competitor must enter properly,
lawfully. He must enter in, to change the
metaphor of the straight guy. He's not to climb up some other
wire. He enters in at the straight guide, he walks in the narrow
way. And where does it all begin? Does it not begin really with
that necessity of a man being born again? He is born into this
world, dead in trespasses and sin. Where does it begin? Where
does he begin to become a witness? Only when he is born again. The
Lord Jesus says, verily, verily, except a man be born again he
cannot see the Kingdom of God. Marvel not! that I said untruthfully,
ye must be born again. Oh, there must be that blessed
new birth, that great work of the Holy Spirit in the soul of
the sinner. And we read of it, did we not,
there in the psalm of Zion, it shall be said this, and that
man was born in her, and the highest himself shall establish
her, and the Lord shall count when he writeth up the people
that this man was born their seer. Are we those friends who
can say yes, we have known in the goodness and the grace of
God that great event to be born again, born from above, born
by the Spirit of God, all things passing away, all things becoming
known. This is where we begin. This
is where the race begins. It begins with the new birth. And then what goes on? Well,
there's a laying aside of every weight and the sin which does
so easily beset us. What is that sin? We all have
our besetting sins, but I don't think we're to understand it
like that. The sin which does so easily beset us, friends,
is the sin of unbelief. It's the sin of unbelief. What
was the sin of our first parents in the garden of Eden? It was
unbelief. Instead of believing the truth of God, they believed
the devil's lie. They embraced the devil's lie,
sadly. Unbelief. Oh, what an accursed
thing it is. But see how Paul writes here
to these Hebrews, in chapter 3, verse 12, he says, Take heed,
brethren, Lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief
in departing from the living God. Oh God deliver us from unbelief. The end of chapter 10 he says
we are not of them who draw back on to perdition but of them that
believe to the saving of the soul. Where there is that new
birth what is the result there is that fire that precious gift
of fire or the sinner that's born again by the Spirit of God.
Here is the evidence of the new life in his soul. He believes
in God. He believes in God. He comes
to trust in God. He runs the race there. But he
stands before Him. He runs with patience. Who does
he look to? He looks to the Lord Jesus Christ.
See how he continues there looking on to Jesus. Or do you want to
obtain that great salvation. Do you want that gift of faith?
It's looking onto Jesus. And you know the force of the
Word, it's looking away from every other object. That's the
force of the Word that's used here. You take your eye off every
other object. It's looking away onto Jesus. It's looking only onto Jesus,
the author and finisher of our faith. or we have to consider
him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself. Oh
God, help us to be those who are looking to. Yes, we speak
of the so great crowd of witnesses. We thank God for those who have
gone before. They served their generation
by God's will. They fell on sleep. We are to
serve this generation. We are encouraged by them. We
are encouraged by the record that we find here in Scripture.
Oh, but above all we are to be those who are looking to the
Lord Jesus Christ. Look unto me you saints and be
you saved. All the ends of the earth for
I am God and there is none else. Oh the Lord help us so to look
as those who feel their complete, their utter dependence upon Him
for all our salvation. Like that dear man of whom we
just read that little extract, William Painter How his religion
came into a small compass, it was Jesus Christ. Wherefore,
seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth
so easily beset us, and let us 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, and he sat down at the right
hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured
such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be weary
and faint in your minds. May the Lord be pleased to bless
this word to us.