Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem

Q: What does the Bible say about the importance of gathering in the house of God?

The Bible emphasizes the joy and significance of gathering in the house of God, as exemplified in Psalm 122:1-2. Psalm 122 expresses the gladness and anticipation of going to the house of the Lord, highlighting the importance of communal worship among the believers. The psalmist's heart leaps at the thought of worship, portraying the house of God as a sanctuary where God’s people gather to grow in grace and fellowship. This gathering is not merely a ritual; it is a profound expression of our unity in Christ and our commitment to the community of faith. To prioritize this gathering is to affirm our desire to be in the presence of our Savior and to encourage one another in our faith journeys.

Q: How do we know that God promises to bring His people safely home?

God promises that His people will be brought safely to their eternal home, which is exemplified in His word, such as Philippians 1:6. The assurance that God will sustain and bring His people safely home is rooted in Scriptures like Philippians 1:6, which states that He who began a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. This promise assures believers that, despite trials and tribulations, God is actively working in their lives to complete the good work He initiated at regeneration. It is a reminder that our ultimate destination is secure in Christ, and it is through His grace and guidance that we will navigate the challenges of our spiritual journey, ultimately standing within the gates of the New Jerusalem.

Q: Why is repentance necessary for salvation?

Repentance is essential for salvation, as it aligns our heart with God's holy nature, enabling us to receive forgiveness. Repentance is vital for salvation because it signifies a turning away from sin and a heartfelt acknowledgment of our need for God's grace. As Jesus stated, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish (Luke 13:3). This gate of repentance prepares the sinner's heart for receiving forgiveness and grace. When one genuinely repents, it reflects the work of the Holy Spirit, who convicts the heart of sin and points us to Christ. True repentance generates godly sorrow over our sinful nature and a deep desire for holiness, showing that we are being transformed by the Spirit and thus fit for God's kingdom.

Q: What does the gate of faith signify in a Christian's life?

The gate of faith signifies the vital entry point into a relationship with Christ and the acceptance of His salvation. The gate of faith is crucial in a Christian's life as it represents the point of trust and reliance on the finished work of Jesus Christ for salvation. As described in Romans 10:17, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. This underscores that true faith is not merely intellectual assent but involves active trust in Christ’s righteousness and His promises. Through this gate, believers enter a new life where Christ becomes precious, sin becomes repugnant, and obedience flows from that faith. It marks a transformative experience where the Holy Spirit opens our hearts to believe, assuring us that we are God’s beloved children.

Seeking the Lord's help and your very prayerful attention, I direct your thoughts this evening to Psalm 122. Psalm 122, and we shall read verses 1 and 2. I was glad. when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. It is the second verse particularly on my spirit. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. You'll notice that this is one of the songs of degrees. There are 15 of them, and it is thought by godly scholars that these were sung by the Israelites on their way to the mandatory worship feasts in Jerusalem.

They didn't idle their time as they went with foolish and frivolous gossip, but they occupied the time that they had singing the Psalms. And you know, dear friends, I think that while the motor car is a wonderful blessing in one sense, I think our forefathers had an advantage over us who had to walk to chapel, some of them many miles. And as they walked, the godly would speak to each other and converse concerning what they hoped to hear on their way back, what they did hear.

And I wonder whether that's so with you. For me, we live in a day of great haste, and we rush hither and thither. I think our forefathers had advantage over us. But may we nonetheless seek grace to come as they used to, as these Israelites did, with their heart and their mind fixed on that that they were hoping to attend to. And it says here that I was glad.

Now, let us be honest, friends, there was a time when some of us weren't so glad to come to the house of God. Some have more of an aversion to it than others, but for the most part, I can remember that the word Amen at the end of the sermon was the most welcome word that one heard. But then there came a change. And some of you can remember the change that was wrought And we look back with shame on those wasted hours in God's house when we didn't listen, and didn't give attention, and our minds were anywhere but on the things of God. In my earlier ministry, I was a preacher at a chapel called Oakington. Some of you have been there.

And the late Mr. Leslie Rowell, who was pastor both at Rochdale and at Evington, was brought up at Oakens under his father, the Mr. E.G. Rowell. And F.L. Rowell in his youth was very antipathetic towards the house of God. And soon as his father would announce the text, he would lean back and put his head on the wall and fall asleep until the amen was sounded. Then he would gladly get up and sing the hymn and go on his way. and he did it so often there was a greasy patch left on the wall where he sat.

Years later he was called by grace and he went to preach at Offington and there hadn't been any decoration in that chapel since his early days and he stood in the pulpit he saw the greasy patch And he remembered with shame why that patch was there, how he had been wasting his time in the Lord's house.

But he thanked God that it was different now. Friends, has God made you to differ? So now that you love the house of God, and you love the people of God, and you love the word of God, you love God's servants, And above all, you love God himself because that is the central reason why you now come to the house of God. I will hear what God the Lord will speak unto me. Well, the psalmist here was glad.

His heart leapt at the thought. And how some of us feel like that about the Sabbath day, the Lord's day, the best day of the week. We are thankful for it and in some respects sad when it ends. And we look forward to that eternal Sabbath where the congregation will never break up and the Sabbath will have no end. I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord.

Now I want just to ponder the little word us for a moment because there's more to it than you might think. If you read in the Song of Solomon chapter 1, you read these words. Draw me, we will run after thee. Why does it go from the singular me to the plural we? I'll tell you. The plural we is you, drawn by the dear Holy Spirit. Without that, friends, we neither come nor are we glad to come.

When the dear Spirit draws us, what an us that is, He abiding in us as we humbly trust a child of God, prompting us to prayer and to praise and to meditation. Let us go into the house of the Lord. And in the most broad sense of our text, The house of the Lord is the end of the journey where David speaks in Psalm 23. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Friends, if ever the Holy Ghost puts you among the us, you'll get eventually in God's time and way to the end of the journey.

Remember our Lord Jesus Christ, what did he say to his disciples? Let us pass over to the other side. Us, that's he, their Lord and Master. He, Emmanuel, God with us. They, the little band of disciples, and the little ships that were following on. Don't forget those. They were with him, in his care, under his control. Other little ships.

You might have thought, dear friends, when that journey began so conspicuously, surely it'd be an easy passage. A safe passage, yes, but not an easy one. And child of God, when you set out, or should I say God set you out on your journey, you felt quietly confident that you'd have a good passage. But it hasn't been quite as you planned, has it?

Storms have come. Snares have arisen. Darkness has overtaken you from time to time. But you know our Lord Jesus Christ let us pass over. And though they came through a terrible storm, they did get to the other side because the Lord was with them. And the little ships didn't sink either. They got there as well.

And you may be one of the little ships tonight. You can't speak so clearly as others. You can't boast of great things, but you do know this. You want to be where the Lord is. And that's why those little ships ventured. They wanted to follow the Lord and to be where He was.

This little word, us, then, is a beautiful word, isn't it? And you go back to Matthew chapter 3, as I hinted this afternoon, concerning the believer's baptism. Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us. Who? The Lord Jesus Christ, the great head of the church, and a believer, made so by the Holy Ghost, who alone can make a believer. It becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.

Here we have a bond then, a union, not just in God's people, and that is a wonderful union. But friends, the union in God's people is only because the union of God's people with them. You see, what is it that binds the church of God together? It's what you see of Christ in a fellow believer. That's what binds you together.

It has to be said, dear friends, that some members of the church would never have been together but for the Christ that was in them by grace. They never would have been in the same company. But with the wolf and the lion that lie down together or words like that, grace does its work. And it brings together the most disparate people by nature.

Great sheet lit at the four corners, all manner of creeping, crawling things inside, but in the sheet, in the covenant, in Christ's care, and they're all loved by him. Bought with the same blood, loved with the same love, quickened by the same spirit, and all are as dependent on the great head of the church as any other. Paul is as dependent as one of those weakest believers, remember that.

Let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. And in that little word, shall, we have a confidence, don't we? They will get to the journey, the end of the journey, that they were engaged in. They didn't say our feet might get there, or maybe, shall.

It's one of God's shells. You've only to go to Philippians 1, verse 6, and you see the root of it. He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. That's why those little ships got to the other side, because the Lord was in the matter. Blessed be his holy name. Our feet shall, shall stand in thy gates, O Jerusalem.

Let us for a moment just ponder the word Jerusalem, then I want to speak of those gates in which believers pass through on their way to the city that have foundations, whose builder and maker is God. The first time we read of Jerusalem or Salem is in the book of Genesis, where we read of Melchizedek, who came to meet Abraham after the slaughter of the kings, to whom Abraham gave tithes. The Apostle Paul, with the wisdom God gave him, unfolds the mystery about Melchizedek. He says he was the king of Salem, first by interpretation king of righteousness, then king of peace.

No, dear friends, the order. Righteousness comes before peace. And you'll never have peace with God, child of God, or poor sinner, we say, unless first, there is a righteousness that God approves of. Do remember that. First, King of Righteousness, then King of Peace. And no, any peace not founded on God's righteousness is no peace at all. It's a false peace, and it will fail you when you most need it.

Blessed be God, if your peace with God is founded on His righteousness, my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ, that solid rock, I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. Peace made by the blood of the cross, by the outpouring of the life of the dear, obedient Saviour.

Jerusalem then. It's another name for the Church of God, isn't it? And it is the New Testament name. You read in Hebrews chapter 12, the New Jerusalem, the one that is above, where the heavenly mansions are being prepared or are prepared for God's people. where God is gathering one by one his saints when the work of grace is done, joining the spirits of just men made perfect. And we have, they've come to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

That is the joy of Jerusalem. You were singing in that very expressive hymn just now. Worthy is the Lamb, within the eternal gates of heaven, This is the occupation. This is the essence of their praises. Worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive blessing and glory and honor, thanksgiving and power, and all friends to get there safely. That's the great end. Surely we have in view to get safer to the end of the journey. Yes, safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on his loving breast. But our psalmist says he'll get there. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. He was assured of it.

Yes, he was speaking first of the literal Jerusalem, yes, on his way to offer up the ceremonial sacrifices that were required. But in the New Testament sense, here is the Lord saying to his dear people, whom he sets out on their journey, they will get safely home. And of course, the Church of Christ is a type, it's a shadowy type. Here below, I'm speaking of the local church, is a shadowy type of the Jerusalem above, where God gathers together his dear people for fellowship and one accord, glad to enter the house of the Lord.

Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Now this afternoon we spoke of the Lord's feet. Oh, I wish we could have spoken better of it. It's a precious subject. But now we have our feet. Oh, let me see thy footsteps, and in them plant my own. My hope to follow duly is in thy strength alone. And Peter tells us in his second epistle, I believe, Christ also hath left us an example that we should follow his steps.

When you go to John 10 chapter 4, when He put forth His sheep, He goes before them. So He never, and never will, command a sheep or a lamb to go in any step that He's not gone before them in. He always goes before them. He always makes the way. They are to tread where He has trodden.

And don't we sometimes sing, dread no ills that may befall you, while you make his ways your choice. And the psalmist here has his feet in a good place. He's standing where the Church of God stands on a precious Christ, where the finished work of Christ is to be stood upon. It reminds me of an incident that perhaps some of you have already heard of, but it won't hurt to repeat it because it's so expressive. There was in the United States of America on the prayer is a very terrible fire once, one of those wildfires.

I'm told those fires can travel sometimes at 40 miles an hour. And if you are, you can't outrun them. And there was a wildfire and it was coming towards a little township as they called it. And it seemed inevitable that it should be burned to the ground and those in it should perish. They couldn't run fast enough to escape.

And there's one wise man in the town. He said, what we must do is this. We must burn a patch ourselves. Set a light enough for us to stand on. Burn it, stamp it out, and stand where the fire has burned. So they did that. They set a light, a little patch, and let it burn for a little while until there was enough room for them all to stand on it. Then they stood on it and they waited. And this great fire came up to them. But it went around them because there was no more fire, there was no more stubble for it to be burned. So it went around them, it went on its way and they were saved.

So what's that to do with our text? Friends, stand where the fire has burned. Where has it burned? Calvary. On him, almighty vengeance fell that must have sunk a world to hell. He bore it for a chosen race and thus became their hiding place, their standing ground. Stand where the fire has already burned. Stand where just has done its work. Stand where the consuming fire that God is has exacted all that he requires on behalf of the coming sinner. Friends, where are you standing tonight? On what ground are you standing? Denominational ground won't do. Family ground won't do. Your efforts won't do. Friends, there's only one place to stand. Only one safe place.

The blood and righteousness and name of our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Our feet shall stand. And if we are to stand in the new Jerusalem, this side of the grave, we must stand on that ground. On Christ, that solid rock I stand. all other ground is sinking sand. Our feet shall stand in thy gates, O Jerusalem.

What are these gates? Let me just hint at one or two of them. And I will say this, you remember in the night of the Passover what was to be done to the doors of the children of Israel, they were to be sprinkled with the Passover blood, weren't they? And when I see the blood, said our Lord, I will pass over you.

But all the gates into Jerusalem are sprinkled with the same precious blood. It is that that has opened these gates, otherwise they wouldn't be opened. Precious blood of Christ has opened these gates, and it sprang from the doorposts and lintels of each one. which makes it safe for the sinner to go through, otherwise it wouldn't be safe. The blood of Jesus Christ cleansed us from all sin. Well, the first gate, then, is the gate of regeneration. You remember how Bunyan's pilgrim was told how necessary it was? See yonder wicket gate? I think I do, he said. And why was he going to flee?

Well, he suddenly realized where he'd been living in the city of destruction. And he'd been quite happy there while his name was graceless. And you're happy in the world while your name is graceless, quite content. But if what happened to you has happened to Christian evangelist sends a row, flee from the wrath to come. It awakened that dear man's spirit. He became a newborn child of God, and he couldn't stay any longer in the city of destruction. Regeneration had done its work, and it made him flee, not loiter, flee from the wrath to come.

But how are we to enter this gate? We are to go, as the Lord showed, to Nicodemus. He must be born again. And friends, unless our religion has that as its source, it's not real. That must be the source of our religion, the beginning of it, the beginning of our confidence. He must be born again. Now, Nicodemus thought he'd gone a long way in religion, didn't he? He was teaching others the way of salvation, apparently, as the Jews understood it. But he realized he hadn't even begun. Marvel not that I say unto you, ye must be born again. How can that be, says Nicodemus? The wind of the Spirit blows where it listeth. It canst not tell whence it cometh or whither it goeth, so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

And friend, the wind has blown in this little house of prayer many, many, many times and blown upon a hitherto careless, indifferent, negligent, rebellious soul. It's made such a difference. Then they began to love the house of God, didn't they? Oh, are you quickened, dear friends, this evening hour? So how will I know? Well, a quickened soul sees a little in God's light, hears with a hearing ear, has a measure of feeling in his heart, and there are desires that he didn't have before.

I thirst, but not as once I did the vain delights of earth to share. Thy wounds, Immanuel, ought forbid that I should seek my pleasure there. So, dear friends, don't climb up some other way. Ask for this precious witness of the Spirit that you are born again. And if one here this evening feels they've not got that blessing, what am I to say to you?

There's a lovely word in the book of, in our Lord's Sermon on the Mount. It comes, oh, so low to that beginning of a work of grace a sinner's heart. If ye being evil, know to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? Friends, if you've never asked God for anything before, begin with that. Ask for that blessed gift, the Holy Spirit. And if that asking is real, it's the beginning of the Holy Spirit stirring in your heart anyway. He's teaching you to long. He's teaching you to thirst. He's teaching you to ache. He's teaching you to hunger. It's His work, but how sovereign He is. in the beginning of it. But make no mistake, friends, ye must be born again. You, dear children, cannot get into heaven on the coattails of your godly parents.

Who said they prayed for me? I'm sure they have. But do you ever pray for yourself? That's the question. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. The next gate is the gate of repentance. You know, friend, some people think you can bypass that gate. What did our Lord say? Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. Oh, this is another work of the Blessed Spirit, isn't it?

In fact, the dear Saviour is exalted to give repentance. To give repentance. And repentance and remission of sins are joined together and you cannot separate them. Show me a repenting sinner and I'm showing you a forgiven sinner. Show me a forgiven sinner and I'm showing you repenting. So the two go together. You can't separate them.

So how vital the gate of repentance is. Godly sorrow over sin. A true hatred what we are by nature. I hate those sins that made the Saviour groan in Gethsemane and mourn on Calvary's cross. Friends, have you ever truly repented? The old nature never will, and don't expect it to. The old nature won't change. It's in the new nature that repentance is found. It mourns over what it sees in the old nature. It weeps over those inclinations that are adverse to God. It longs to be holy. It mourns like Paul, the good that I would, I do not. The evil I would not, that I do. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? That's the language of a repenting sinner. A repenting sinner. and the dear Saviour exalted to give it."

Friends, have you been brought through the gate of repentance? Then there's the gate of faith, isn't there? I do like that lovely language the Acts of the Apostles, where one of the Apostles came back and reported to the others how the Lord had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. You see, the door of faith is barred and bolted by Satan.

He holds sinners in unbelief. It is delight, sadly, solemnly, awesomely to do. But when the dear spirit comes, when the Holy Ghost puts forth his omnipotent arm, then he opens the door of faith. And when the Lord does that, we begin to believe. And not until then, not until then, faith cometh by hearing. hearing by the Word of God. That is the Holy Ghost taking the Word of God, making it spirit and life in our souls. Then we become a believer. The Holy Ghost made believer.

He makes the believer. And he gives him his crown. Friends, have you been through the door of faith then? Have you been brought to, in some little measure, love of precious Christ? Because it says, unto you which believe, He is precious. That's the fruit of God-given faith. It makes Christ precious. It makes sin hateful. And it brings us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, the Word of God, the command of God.

It brings us to another gate, doesn't it? The gate of obedience. You know, the children, our first parents were shut out of Eden through disobedience. It shut the gates of Eden, and the way to the tree of life was guarded by that fiery flaming sword that pointed every way.

Friend, you mark it, dear friend. Disobedience is so offensive to God. It was a severe punishment justly brought, though, on Adam's fallen race through disobedience. Disobedience. There was a minister who used to preach at Bethesda in my early days called Mr. R.J. Hunnicett, a godly man. And if you read his writings, he tells us the first way the Lord began to teach him.

Only a lad. He was going to school, and he was late one day. And the rule was, if you were one of the children or the students, you must not go through the front door. That was the staff only. Well, he was late, so he thought he'd slip in unnoticed. But the headmaster did notice and called him into the study and was going to punish him severely. And he did.

He said, no, honey, he said, why am I going to punish you? Because I've come through the wrong doors. No, he said, disobedience. Disobedience. That's what it is. And friends, all sin is disobedience. You children, remember that at home. Disobedience is sin.

And even more so, to Almighty God's word, And so it's a great mercy when faith that works by love makes us obedient. And you go to the epistle of Peter, the first epistle, and he speaks about being elect unto obedience and the sprinkling of blood. They're joined together. Who's obedient? Well, firstly, it's Christ's obedience. The elect are have that before them. God brings them to it, to shelter in Christ's obedience. In Christ's obedience, clothed and washed me in his blood, so to lift my head with joy among the sons of God. But also, dear friends, God's children are elect unto obedience in walking in faith.

Remember that. Paul and James didn't quarrel, you know. Paul emphasized salvation is not of works, and James agreed with him. But James also said, faith without works is dead. In other words, where there's living faith, there will be obedience. There will be a walking in God's commands as he reveals them to you. Here a little, there a little, line upon line, precept upon precept. And God will chasten his children severely if they walk contrary To any command he's laid on their spirit. Jonah, go to Nineveh. Preach the preaching I bid thee. No, says Jonah. I don't want Nineveh to be saved. There are enemies. They're not Jews. I'm not going there. Anyway, they won't listen to me.

That's what he really felt. So what did he do? He goes down to Tarshish, and everything seems all right, doesn't it? He'll get a job, I should say. There was a ship there. And they had room for him. And he had the fair as well. Everything seemed to shine upon him, didn't it? I think he's thought, oh, I'm all right.

I've escaped the command. I'm going to go outside Israel where it won't affect me. Foolish man, Jonah. Do you think the jurisdiction of God ended at the borders of Israel? It certainly didn't. It's everywhere present. He settles down to sleep in that boat. I'll soon be in Tarshish. Oh, but what happened? That great wind blew, didn't it? And it wouldn't be silent until the reason for it had come to the fore. Jonah said, you don't need to cast lots. They did cast lots, but they didn't need to. I'm the man, says Jonah. Cast me overboard. And he was. And there he was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights. And friends, if you read the book of Jonah carefully, it was only after three days and three nights he began to pray. Then Jonah prayed. So didn't he pray before? He probably thought it was no point. Impossible. I'll never get out of this.

But see, friends, he was a child of God, though a rebel. Blessed be God for that. And the Holy Ghost reminded him of the Lord and of the blood of sprinkling that was for poor sinners. And he said, though I'm cast out of thy sight, yet, yet will I look again. Rebel though I am, disobedient though I've been, yet will I look again toward thy holy temple. And he made a vow. If the Lord will deliver me from this inner tomb, I'll go to deliver and do what God bids me. And the Lord spake unto the fish, and he vomited out Jonah on the dry land. And the Wertherer came the second time to Jonah, Go to Nineveh, preach the preaching I bid thee. And he arose and went. You know, dear friends, it's better to be drawn than driven in the ways of God. Drawing is much more comfortable.

But friends, if a child of God won't be drawn, the Lord will drive him. by terrible things in righteousness, if necessary. The Lord will have His way. He will have an obedient child, come what may. The gate of obedience. And yet you know we read that lovely word, don't we, in the keeping of His commandments, there is great delight. There's nothing sweeter to a child of God when brought into that path of obedience, to whoever God may lay upon them. to feel his approbation of the step you take, and feel his smile upon what he's brought you to do, and to believe that wherever he may call me, no one shall turn me back.

But he is still beside me, and nothing can I lack, and how true that is. When he put forth his sheep, I said, he goeth before them, providing for them, making the way for them. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. And it's very striking, isn't it? In the very last book of the Word of God, the very last chapter, the very last page. Blessed are they that do his commandments. They may have right to the tree of life. Enter the gates into the city. Disobedient, shut our first parents out of the way of the tree of life. Now obedience opens the gate to it. Whose obedience though?

Firstly, Christ's unto her was granted, should be clothed with fine linen, which is the righteousness of saints. It was Christ's righteousness first. Then he gave it to his church. Then it became hers. So it's rightly hers. But who procured it? Who clothed her? Who spent his life weaving it out? Christ did. Jesus Christ, the righteous.

And if you're clothed in that rich garment, friend, you'll want to walk worthy of it. And you won't trust in your own works, but nonetheless, there'll be the movings of faith in your life. Come ye out from among them, be ye separate, touch not the unclean thing. I'll receive you and be a father to you, as you're my sons and my daughters, said the Lord God Almighty.

Blessed are they that do his commandments. They may have right to the tree of life, enter into the gates, enter the city. And his commandment is brought by the Holy Ghost into their soul, believing. This is his commandment. You believe on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's not duty, faith or something. It's the Holy Ghost, friends, making the gospel, spirit and life to a poor sinner. And thus he enters into the text. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. What about the gate of prayer? Friend, that's never shut.

Oh, bless God for that. The other doors aren't shut either, but what a mercy that's never shut. The dying thief, Jonah, Jacob, all in great straits, all at the ends of the earth, all in perilous situations, they prayed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

The gate of prayer was there. And friends, it's never shut. It's never shut. And nor is the door of mercy. The door of thy mercy stands open all day. The poor and the needy are not by the way. No sinner was ever sent empty away who came seeking mercy for Jesus' sake.

I think of another gate that perhaps you might be surprised. Many years ago in Scotland there was an old man who was seeking God's face for many years but never seemed to come to any assurance. And one day his minister, who was a godly man, he said, you know, he said, some of you have been knocking at these gates a long while.

You knock at the gate of election and you don't go through it. And the knock at the word Mark Saint, and no, you don't go through that either. You don't feel worthy of it. He said, have you ever tried knocking at the door of Mark Sinner? And this man thought, I've never knocked at that door. And he did. In other words, he came just as a sinner. We sing, good John Kennick puts it so beautifully.

Lo, glad I come, and thou, blessed Lamb, shalt take me to thee as I am. No improvement, Lord, no promise of any better ways, as I am, nothing but sin I thee can give. Nothing but love I thee can get. Friends, I tell you, if you've got nothing but sin to give tonight, in all humility to all God, I'm not boosting you up in a wrong way, please don't think that. But if you enter this little chapel tonight, say, Lord, I'm nothing but sin. I can't boast of anything else but sin.

That's the door to knock at. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Sinners. The point is, dear friends, we still cling to that legal side. We want a nice frame, a good prayer, perhaps, or just a better day than the day before. Before we come, it won't do. If you go on like that, you'll never come. If you tarry till you're better, you will never come at all. Not the righteous sinners, Jesus came to call. And what a mercy, as a doormat for sinners.

As they pass through it, they prove what our Lord said. All the Father giveth me shall come to me. Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. The doorpost and lintels are the first part of that text. All the Father given shall come to me. Divine purpose, divine sovereignty, you sung of that in your opening hymn. But what is the door? Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise, not under any circumstances, whatever their history, in no wise will I cast them out. Alfie shall stand within thy gate, O Jerusalem. And then, what about the gate of praise? I think that's not a way I've frequented the gate, you know.

Not often enough. He's worthy of our praise. My late grandfather used to say from the pulpit, friends, you're living at Grumble Corner, get the removal van and move to Thanksgiving Street. Bit quaint, but friends, he was right. And sometimes we do live at Grumble Corner. Everything seems wrong, doesn't it? Everything seems out of order. But friends, at a great mercy, when we move to Thanksgiving Street, there's so much to thank God for. You say, but I've got this need and that need. I know you have, friend. Do you have nothing to thank him for? Has he never answered one of your prayers? Has he never opened a door for you? Has he never smiled on your poor soul?

Go to Psalm 37, and it's not the wrong order. Delight thyself also in the Lord. He shall give the desire to thine heart. Or you say, I'll delight myself when he's given them. Faith delights itself first, and then proves the promise true. Think of Hannah leaving the temple that memorable day. No more sad. She hadn't got Sam in her arms yet. She believed it would be so. Already she thanked God, praised God for whom her blessings flow. She was so sure she'd have Samuel as if she'd already got him in her arms. She went away a praising woman, and she proved, delight thyself also in the Lord. He should give thee the desires of thine heart.

And then there's another door, isn't there? Door of utterance. The Word of God speaks about it. And sometimes gods to people are dumb, aren't they? I've been so thankful for that word in the book of the Proverbs. Open thy mouth for the dumb. Sometimes God's people are so struck down with guilt and temptation, they can't pray. They are utterly helpless and impotent before their God. And the Lord says, I'll open that door for you. Open thy mouth for the dumb. The dear Lord Jesus Christ takes up their case. He answers for them. Your late dear pastor Leslie Hyde once gave an excellent address at the annual meetings at Gower Street. Never forget it. And in it he quoted those words, Answer for me, my Lord, very expressively. I've never forgotten it.

That's what we want, isn't it? When we've got no answer ourselves, we're struck dumb. Jesus, answer for me. With thy righteousness, with thy precious blood, with thy name, with thy love, with thy grace, answer for me, my Lord. And that opens the mouth, doesn't it? Then the tongue of the dumb sing. So it is when Jesus comes to our aid. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Then of course there's that last gate into glory itself. And that's a lovely word in the Psalms, isn't it?

The Lord will give grace and glory. Now what God has joined together, let no man put us under. God has joined together grace and glory. Neither you nor I have right to expect glory without grace. Remember that. But blessed be God. If we've been blessed with grace, we have a divine warrant to expect glory. God has joined the two together. And you listen to our dear Saviour's prayer in John 17.

Father, I will. You know, the new versions have it, I want. Friends, it makes me tremble when they say that. As if somehow there was an inability of our Savior to provide it. It's not that. Father, I will, through all that thou hast given me, be within where I am, thou behold my glory, which I have before the foundation of the world. I will. And it shall be so. It shall be so. All the Father giveth me shall come to me. I give unto my sheep eternal life. They shall never perish. And neither shall I pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.

Oh, how blessed was the little hymn writer when he said, There will he own my worthless name before his Father's throne. And in the new Jerusalem appoint my soul. A place, what a wonderful thing, to have a place appointed in glory for poor, wretched sinners as we are. I think good John Newton said there were three surprises in heaven, he thought. One was there'd be those there who never thought to be there, and some not there he thought might be there. So the greatest surprise of all would be if I'm found there.

Isn't that so, child of God? You know yourself so well. So unworthy, such a wretched, so many mistakes, so many follies, so many faults, so many failures. Oh, without the blood of Christ, where would we be? But what a wonderful surprise to safely reach our desired haven, see our dear Savior face to face, and have an eternity to thank Him and to praise Him from whom all blessings flow. Oh, said one, that will be glory, be glory for me, when by His grace I His beauty shall see. Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty. The shame shall, as in our text, they shall behold the land that is very far off. And if that be so, friends, may God help you and I to walk worthy of it and show in the few remaining days of our pilgrim way whose we are and whom we serve.

And let it be plainly shown, as in Hebrews 11, they said, declared plainly they sought another country. It's not plain enough sometimes, Fred. We're too shallow. We're too blurred. But oh, may God make us plain in that respect. They declared plainly they sought another country. I hope you and I are of the same mind. May God bless him. Amen.

Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the importance of gathering in the house of God?

How do we know that God promises to bring His people safely home?

Why is repentance necessary for salvation?

What does the gate of faith signify in a Christian's life?

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Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the importance of gathering in the house of God?

How do we know that God promises to bring His people safely home?

Why is repentance necessary for salvation?

What does the gate of faith signify in a Christian's life?

Sermon Transcript

About Gerald Buss

Comments

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