Well, we're turning back to Isaiah
chapter 33 this morning, the chapter that we read earlier,
and the text is verse 17. Verse 17 reads, Thine eyes shall
see the king in his beauty. They shall behold the land that
is very far off. Thine eyes shall see the king
in his beauty. A glorious sight is promised. This is in the days of Hezekiah. I'm not I'm not 100% sure of
my historical dates, but let's say it's around 700 years BC,
something like that, give or take 100 years, there or thereabouts. Judah, the remnant of Israel
that was left in the south, the one that was preserved where
Jerusalem was, Judah was absolutely terrified because of Assyria.
Because Assyria was threatening to do to Judah exactly what they'd
done to the northern tribes of Samaria, the ten tribes of Israel
in the north, that they had completely subsumed. into the Assyrian nation. They became a mongrel nation
where the Jews were told, Israel was told, not to intermarry outside
of Israel. They were completely mongrelly
mixed with all the nations round about. And Judah was terrified
that Assyria and King Sennacherib would come and would overrun
them as Assyria had done to virtually everybody else that got in its
way. It was one of the great empires of that world at that
time. And the narrative of it, you
can read all about it in 2 Kings chapters 18 and 19, you can read
the history of it. And when we get to Isaiah 36
and 37, there's more narrative in the middle of this prophecy.
It's the perspective of Isaiah on this because Hezekiah, the
king of Judah, came to Isaiah terrified. What should I do?
Inquire of the Lord. And there's his prayer there.
There's what he does there. He takes this threatening letter
from the Assyrian empire into the temple of the Lord and spreads
it before the Lord and says, look what they're saying to you,
the God of heaven. What are you going to do? And
God says by Isaiah to him, don't be concerned. they're not coming
any further and I forget how many was it 180 odd thousand
of them were slain in the night and King Sennacherib went away
terrified obviously because what had gone wrong and he went back
home and he's inquiring of his god in the temple and his two
sons come in and kill him They kill him with the sword back
in Nineveh, in his own place. God said, don't worry about them,
he's going away. The one who, in verse one of
chapter 33, this is who it's speaking to, woe to you that
spoil us, that's Sennacherib and the Assyrians. And you were
not spoiled, you think you can get away with it, with impunity.
You deal treacherously and nobody seemed able to deal treacherously
with you. And when you shall cease to spoil, you shall be
spoiled. And when you shall make an end
of dealing treacherously, they, your enemies, will deal treacherously
with you. And so they did. but it's a picture
you see, it's not a history lesson, we're not here for a history
lesson this morning. I love history, I really do, I find it absolutely
fascinating. The more I know that the history
of this world is his story, history, his story, our God's story, our
God's unfolding of the events of this world, the more I love
to look at history and to see that it's all in his eternal
plan and purposes. But history is not our purpose
this morning. It's to see Christ. And this pictures Christ and
his church. This pictures Christ and his
church in these days of danger from the kingdom of Antichrist
that is all around us. We live in a world of, spiritually
speaking, desolation and danger. We live in a world of threats
and of siege, spiritually speaking, that there's cause just purely
on a physical level of great fear, because the kingdom of
Antichrist is so much opposed to the things that we as the
people of God believe, so opposed to the righteousness of God that's
portrayed in his word. Hezekiah took it to God, the
problem to God, and the answer was deliverance. We take it to
God, show us, and he gives us an answer, deliverance. There
is hope, there is hope. In Isaiah 33, we haven't got
to the stage yet where the deliverance is accomplished. We haven't got
there yet, but we will do in due course as we go through the
book of Isaiah, but here we're told that the true people of
God will be delivered from all the threats of the kingdom of
Antichrist, and there's a heavenly prospect of peace and of safety,
but not before times of trouble. We're living in perilous times.
As Paul writes to Timothy, in the latter days perilous times
will come. I believe we're very much in
those days now. Perilous times. You read the
description of those days, it so much matches, you know, not
the ascent of man, not the gradual improvement of man, the evolving
benefit and blessing of man, not at all, not in the slightest.
We're living in perilous times. 2,000 years, nearly, since Paul
wrote those words, and it couldn't possibly have been truer than
the way he describes it there. So this is exactly what God promises
His true Church today. Just as Assyria was threatening
to subsume Judah, the world around us, the kingdom of Antichrist,
is threatening to subsume the true Church, to just make it
conform so there's no difference. Do you know what is the true
church? Turn to Revelation 11. I don't know how we're going
to get on time-wise this morning. I hope I've not bitten off more
than we can chew. I'm often told by my wife that you try to cram
too much into the sermons. But anyway, Revelation 11, where
John writes this, there was given me a reed like unto a rod. And the angel stood, saying,
Rise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them
that worship therein. But the court, which is without
the temple, leave out, don't bother with that, and measure
it not, for it's given to the Gentiles. And the holy city,
the wider Jerusalem, don't bother with that, they shall tread it
under foot forty and two months. He's given a reed to measure
the temple. Do you know this is talking about who are the
true people of God? In this world in which we live,
there's so many people claim to be Christians. There's so
many claim to be the true church. Who is the true church? John
is given a measuring reed. Just go and measure the core
of the temple. Don't bother with the outer court of the temple.
That's given to the Gentiles, the non-people of God, symbolically. That's given to the non-people
of God. They'll try and make out that they're part of the
temple, but they're not. They're not. This is so much
religion that's all around us. And what about wider Jerusalem?
Wasn't that full of Jews? Yes, again, the picture is of
the world of Christendom, of all the big denominations of
Christendom. They're the false church. And
what is it that marks them out? What is it that makes the difference
between the true core of the temple, which is the true little
flock of the Lord Jesus Christ? What is it that marks them out?
They believe. their hope is in, they rejoice
in the blood redemption that Christ accomplished for his people
and for his people alone. When we summarize the gospel
that we believe, it's a gospel of sovereign grace, in other
words, it's entirely of God. It is of God. God is the one
who says, I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. I
will have compassion on those whom I will have compassion.
It is of God. It is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs,
but of God that shows mercy. That's what we believe, number
one. Sovereign grace. particular redemption, or if
you want it in the tulip way, limited atonement. Who did Christ
die for? You ask any of them, you ask
the church up the road here, they will tell you that Christ
died for everyone that ever lived, to give everyone an equal chance
of believing and thereby saving themselves from this wicked generation. But the scriptures teach us that
Christ died for his people. For the transgressions of my
people, says God, through Isaiah was he stricken. For the transgressions,
where were his people? The ones the Father gave to him
before the beginning of time. The multitude that no man can
number, that's what it is. That marks out the true people
of God, from that which is the show church around us, that which
is the false church around us. reckon that they're gods on the
grounds of all sorts of means of orthodoxy, but when you come
down to that acid test of what is their gospel... It's only
the core, it's only the temple centre that John was told to
measure, who believe in the blood atonement of the elect of God.
And we who seek to preach and uphold the gospel of God, the
gospel as it's revealed in the scripture faithfully, we appear
so small and so insignificant and we're dismissed by the religious
world around us as irrelevant. And we need a message of comfort
and encouragement. And in verse 17. of Isaiah 33,
we have such a message of encouragement. Thine eyes shall see the king
in his beauty. That's a message of encouragement
to us. To them in Judah in that day, it was a message of encouragement. Remember, they were in sackcloth
and ashes. They were in fear and trembling.
The Assyrians were surrounding, besieging them, were threatening
to completely overthrow them. There was Hezekiah the king,
not looking like the king, there was Hezekiah the king, in garments
of sorrow, in sackcloth and ashes, terrified of what would happen,
going before the Lord in the temple in humility, begging for
mercy from on high. Hezekiah in garments of sorrow,
but Judah, the people around him, would see their king in
kingly splendour. They would see him with all of
that threat taken away. And so we have seen Christ, the
man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. We've seen him come
down from glory in humility to this world. We've seen him come
and there's no comeliness says Isaiah in chapter 53 verse 2,
there's no comeliness that we should desire him. Oh don't look
as the artists look, go around the national galleries of the
world and you see these glorious pictures of this beautiful looking
man with a halo around his head looking all saintly, no no no,
it says there is no comeliness that we should desire him. But
one day Having seen him like that in his humility, one day
we can be sure that we will see him as John did in Revelation
chapter one. I'm not gonna get you to turn
there now, but you remember the vision, the glorious vision of
the risen glorified Christ walking among the candlesticks, that
is the churches. Christ is with his churches.
He's saying to us now, he's here with us, where two or three are
gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst. This
is where we're going. We're going to see the king in
his beauty. Your eyes shall see the king
in his beauty. Now you see by faith, but then
your eyes shall see the king in his beauty. What is the end
of your faith? In first Peter, Peter writes
there, you might not be able to keep up with all these references.
Well, that doesn't matter because I'll read them out to you. But
in first Peter, And chapter one, verse six, we read this. Peter
writes to the scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Aetium, Bithynia, all these people who are elect according to the
foreknowledge of God. He says, wherein ye greatly rejoice,
though now for a season, in salvation you greatly rejoice, though now
for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold
temptations. You're burdened down. The trial
of your faith. The kingdom of Antichrist is
constantly trying to knock you off course. The kingdom of Antichrist
is constantly trying to get you to disbelieve. that the trial
of your faith, being more precious than of gold that perishes, though
it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour
and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom, having not
seen, ye love, in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing,
ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Now listen
to this, receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation
of your souls. That's the objective. of salvation,
the end of your faith, the objective of it, the goal of it, where
you're going in your faith and this pilgrimage through this
life, is the salvation of your souls in eternal glory. It's
heavenly glory is where you're going. You see, why are you a
believer now? Paul writes to the Corinthians
in chapter 15, verse 19, he says, if in this life only we have
hope in Christ, you know, he said, I believe in Christ in
this life, it's worth it. If it's only in this life, you're
of all men most miserable. You're of all men most miserable
if it's only for this life, but it isn't. It's for eternal glory. This present life is just a veil
of tears. Then there shall be no sorrow,
nor crying, nor tears. Here's the object of our pilgrimage,
for which we suffer worldly separation, separation from this world and
its culture, and more and more. Don't you find everything that
you come across is tainted by the vileness of this world in
which we live? We went to see a movie the other
day at the cinema, because it's normally a nice experience, it's
a nice thing to do. And we were utterly appalled.
That which is getting such acclaim of the critics as such a wonderful
film, we were absolutely appalled. And you know, quite honestly,
the majority of the audience was of our sort of age. it was
a big audience and everybody came out of that cinema similarly
shocked. Really did. But it's the world
in which we live. That's the world in which we
live. We're constantly at odds with that world in which we live.
You know, we read in Romans chapter eight, in Romans chapter eight,
verse 16, that the spirit The Spirit itself bears witness with
our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children, then
heirs, heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we
suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together. For,
listen, I reckon that the sufferings of this present time, is it not
suffering to find yourself so much at odds with the world that's
all around you? The sufferings of this present
time are not worthy to be compared Don't say, ah, but it's going
to be so much better. Oh, it's going to be so, so much better.
Don't even try to do a comparison. Not worthy to be compared with
the glory which shall be revealed in us. We're heading for eternal
glory. You little flock, you little
flock of the Lord Jesus Christ, so much of a minority, even in
the religious orthodox world that says it believes Christ's
gospel but doesn't really, We're on a journey, but that journey
has a glorious objective in heaven. We're on a journey, on a pilgrimage.
We're waiting. We go through times of trials,
but you have to keep the end in view. It's a simple illustration,
but Christine and I are due to be going to Australia in mid-March
for several weeks, and from this point here, There are lots of
daunting aspects to it. Will the taxi break down on the
way to the airport? Will somebody be flying drones
over the runway at Heathrow just at the time when we want to take
off? Will we be able to survive what will be our longest ever
flight, 13 hours in one hop to Singapore? There's only then
an hour to get from one plane to the next plane down to Sydney.
Will we have time and will all the bags go from one plane to
the next plane? perils of the journey, worries
of the journey, but we have to keep in view what we're doing.
We're going to Australia, we're going to our brethren, we're
going to our friends, most of whom we've never met, but we
know that we will be in the company of those who believe what we
believe, who love what we believe, who are in Christ as we're in
Christ. You see, if you're in Christ from before the beginning
of time, you're destined, now listen to this, you're destined
by divine decree. The king of the universe, the
God of the universe has decreed that you're going to eternal
bliss in intimate fellowship with God. You shall see the king
in his beauty. You shall We've seen him in his
earthly humiliation. In the gospel accounts we read
of a man with his twelve disciples around him and the many others
who followed. In humility, having nowhere to lay his head, he said.
He said, the foxes have holes, the birds of the air have nests,
but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. He doesn't have
a home he can call his own. In humility, in meekness, You
know, he was about 30 years old, but the Jews said he looked more
like 50. When he said, before Abraham was, I am, they said,
you're not yet 50 years old. He was only 30. There was no
comeliness that we should desire him. This Immanuel, which means
God with us, whom the virgin would bear, Isaiah's told us
about this in Isaiah 7, 14. A virgin shall be with child
and shall bear a son and call his name Immanuel. And Matthew
tells us, what does Immanuel mean? God with us. The offspring
of the virgin's womb is God with us. Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh.
And this one who was born in humility The offspring of the
Virgin's womb is the Son who is born to us. Unto us a child
is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government of the world,
of the universe, shall be upon His shoulders, and His name shall
be called. This One who would be born, His
name shall be called Wonderful. counsellor, mighty God, everlasting
father, the prince of peace. Of his kingdom and of his government
there shall be no end. This is the one, this is the
king, the one who is in humility, this is the king glorified. Look
again, I know you know these verses but they're just so good
to keep in mind. Philippians 2 verses 5 to 10,
let this mind be in you. People of God, when you want
to get one over on the person next to you let this mind be
in you which was also in Christ Jesus who being in the form of
God thought it not robbery to be equal with God he took nothing
from he robbed nothing from God in being equal with God for he
was equal with God he is equal with God he is the word who was
in the beginning, John tells us. The Word was in the beginning.
The Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in
the beginning with God. By Him all things were made,
and without Him was not anything made that was made. This is the
one who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to
be equal with God, but being God made himself, being the very
pinnacle of the universe, made himself of no reputation. and took upon him the form of
a servant, and was made in the likeness of men, in the likeness
of sinful flesh, yet without sin. And being found in fashion
as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient. obedient
to his father's will, obedient to the will of God. What is the
will of God? The will of God is that of all that he gave to
the son before the beginning of time, he should lose nothing,
but that they should all be drawn to faith in him and believe in
him and have their sins forgiven by his sacrifice on the cross
of Calvary. He became obedient unto the death
of the cross, even that shameful death of the cross to accomplish
that satisfaction of the justice of God. Do I understand it? Of
course I don't understand it. But do I believe it? Yes, because
God declares it. Again and again this book from
front to back declares that He who knew no sin was made sin,
for me who am a sinner, that I might be made the righteousness
of God in him. Wherefore, this humbled one,
God also hath highly exalted him, and given him the name which
is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth, and things
under the earth, and that every tongue, every tongue, unbelieving
world, hear it, every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord to the glory of God the Father. In his days of humility,
before he went to the cross of Calvary, they crowned him, and
they crowned him with thorns. They plaited a crown of thorns,
and they stabbed it into his brow so that the blood run down
over his face. His face was marred, his visage
was marred more than any man. And he wore that crown of thorns,
that crown of thorns, but we shall see him crowned in glory. Crown him with many crowns, the
lamb upon his throne. Crown him, he's king of kings
and lord of lords. Look at what 1 John says, John's
first epistle and the first three verses, that which was from the
beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,
which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the
word of life. For the life was manifested,
and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that
eternal life, which was with the Father, that was manifested
to us. That which we have seen and heard
declare we unto you, that ye may also have fellowship with
us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His
Son." Look, John says, I handled the word of life. He leaned on
the bosom of the Lord Jesus Christ, this one who when he walked this
earth, in him dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily. This one
who Hebrews 1, first three verses tell us was the outshining of
the person of the Godhead, the express image of his person. The one who, when Philip said
to him, and I know I've told you this many times, but it bears
endless repeating. Philip said to him, show us the
Father, show us the fundamental essence of God, and then we'll
know that we've achieved something. And he said to him, Philip, have
I been so long with you and you have not known me. He who has
seen me has seen the Father. That man said, he who has seen
me has seen the Father. As eternal God, he is king by
virtue of his office as God, the second person of the Trinity,
the manifestation of the God who is hidden. No man shall see
God and live, but the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the
Father, he has made him known. The Word became flesh and dwelt
among us. We saw Him. We beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. He's King by virtue of that office,
but He's also King. by virtue of the merit of the
salvation that he accomplished. In saving his people, you see,
you know how kings in history often got to be kings? By defeating
other kings. By having the conquest, the triumph,
over others. And they led their enemies bound
in chains. The Roman emperors, triumphant,
would lead their defeated enemies in chains behind them. into the
city of Rome, to the accolade of the crowds, praising them
for having triumphed in the like manner Christ has triumphed over
Satan. Just when Satan thought that
he had defeated Christ, in that very moment, Christ defeated
him. Why? Because he utterly disarmed
Satan. Satan was utterly disarmed. Christ
came into the strong man's house, as he says in Matthew 12, 29,
and he bound the strong man. He bound Satan. He triumphed
over all of his enemies in salvation, and so he's king by this triumphant
conquest. This is the king whom we shall
see. This is the one that we shall
see in his beauty, reigning over all things. Having created it,
now sustaining it and upholding it by the word of his power,
we shall see him reigning in the hearts of his people over
all things. All things are put under His
feet. I'll refer you to one more. Maybe
I'll do more than refer you to one more. I'll refer you to Hebrews
and Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 7. Let me read this to you. Speaking
of Christ, speaking to God of Christ, you made him a little
lower than the angels. The Son of Man, you visited him.
You made him a little lower than the angels, or you made him for
a little while lower than the angels. You crowned him with
glory and honor and set him over the works of thy hands. you've
put all things in subjection under his feet for in that he
put all things in subjection under him he left nothing that
is not put under him but now we see not yet all things put
under him that's man in general ruling over properly over the
creation of God but we see Jesus We see the man, the God-man,
who was made for a little while lower than the angels. Why? Why
did he come? Why did he come down lower than
the angels for a little while so that he could die for the
suffering of death? What do we see? We see him, from
his humility, crowned with glory and honor. that he by the grace
of God should taste death for every man, well it means for
every one of the sons that he's going to bring to glory if you
read verse 10. And now he's ruling over all things. I made reference
to Revelation 10, 1 and 2 where we see Christ, a picture of Christ,
standing with one foot in the sea and one foot on the land
with a little book in his hand It's a picture of absolute sublime
sovereignty, ruling over everything. He's king of kings and lord of
lords, ruling in our hearts, ruling, and we see him ruling,
by faith, with the eye of faith. But what this verse is talking
about is that then, in glory, we shall see him with a real
eye, with a real physical eye, not just with the eye of faith.
We shall all join in praise before him and sing with that multitude
in heaven worthy as the lamb that was slain to receive power
and riches and wisdom and glory and honour and blessing. On earth
he had no beauty that we should desire him. His visage, as it
says, his face was marred more than any man. He was despised
and rejected of men, but in glory We shall see him as Job knew
he would see him. Job, probably the oldest book
in the Bible, chapter 19. I know that my Redeemer liveth
and that he shall stand. There he is in his pain and suffering
and his affliction with the boils and he's in sackcloth and ashes
and he's lost everything, but he knows this. I know that my
Redeemer liveth, and He shall stand at the latter day upon
the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body,
yet in my flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for myself,
and my eyes shall behold, and not another. You see, believing,
I see Him now by faith, by soul sight, but then in my flesh I
shall see God. In a new body I shall see God,
the one whom John touched in his human life we shall see as
judge on the last day, separating the sheep from the goats. As
it is written, says Paul to the Corinthians, eye has not seen
nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things
which God has prepared for them that love him. But God has revealed
them to us by his Spirit, and to be part of that church, that
people of God, they're in glory at the great marriage supper
of the Lamb. That is what makes Christ complete, His children,
His bride, that's what makes Him complete. The church, it's
His fullness, it makes Him complete. You believers, weak, despised,
insignificant, in a world of religious falsehood, discounted
as Nothing by the religious world around us. You shall see the
King in his beauty. You shall really see with real
eyes, in close up, high definition. We're not sure exactly what.
As John says, beloved, we are now the sons of God and it does
not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he
shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as
he is with the church made all fair. You know, in the Song of
Solomon, how The Beloved says to the Shulamite, picturing Christ
speaking to his church, you are all fair, my love. Then Christ
has redeemed his church. He's redeemed from all curse
and defilement and spot and wrinkle, a glorious church. And that glorious
church makes up the fullness, the church which is his body,
the fullness of him that fills all in all. Is that not a glorious
hope? Does not the best that the world
can offer seem worthless in comparison to that prospect? Does it not
encourage us to continue until we are there? But I've just got
one word of caution before we finish. When I say you and us
and me, are you confident that the you, the me, are included
in those whose eyes shall see the King in his beauty? Are you
confident that you'll be included? Who shall see the king? Go back
two verses to verse 15. It tells us there, he that walketh
righteously and speaketh uprightly, he that despiseth the gain of
oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes,
that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes
from seeing evil, Those are the ones who shall see the king in
his beauty. Those alone who have the holiness
which God requires. Do you have the holiness which
God requires? If you're a child of God, you
immediately say, absolutely not, I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner. All
that I do and think in this flesh is sin. You say with the apostle
Paul, I know that in me, that is in my flesh, there dwells
no good thing. You say with the apostle Paul
that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. of whom
I am chief. So where do we get the holiness
that's required? Where do we get the righteous
walk that is required? The shunning of evil, the shunning
of corruption all around. Hebrews 12 verse 14 tells us,
follow, pursue, follow peace with all men and follow holiness. You must have holiness without
which no man shall see the Lord. How do I get it? Do I get it
as some would teach us by progressive sanctification, keeping Moses'
law as my rule of life? Read that article by Scott Richardson
I put in the bulletin. No. Romans 3.20 and many other
places tell us, by the deeds of the law, by what I seek to
do, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. For by the law,
the law just tells me what a sinner I am. The law just shines a light
on what I truly am. No, not by what I do, but by
what God makes me in union with Christ. What's that? He made
Him, Christ, who knew no sin, 2 Corinthians 5, 21. He made
Him who knew no sin to be sin. He made Him sin. He made Him
the sin of His people for that transaction on the cross of Calvary
that He should pay the price to the offended justice of God
for the sins of His people. He made Him who knew no sin to
be made sin for us that we, His people, might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. That's how I'm made. the righteousness
of God in him. But I want to tell you, in that
transaction, true righteousness, the righteousness of God is imputed
to the people of God, by which I mean it is made over completely,
without doubt, to the account of his people, so that in the
reckoning and judgment of God, his people are not only judged
as if they might be righteous, but they are made the righteousness
of God in him. That's imputation. But you know
it doesn't stop there. Because to everyone that God
saves and calls out of darkness into his marvellous light. we
read that the Holy Spirit, in parts, gives a holy nature. That's what the new birth is
about. The new man, born of God's Spirit, is given that new nature. Do you know that new man of the
Spirit of God? That new man of the Spirit of
God in 1 John chapter 3 and verse 9? Let me read this. Whosoever
is born of God doth not commit sin. for his seed remaineth in
him and he cannot sin because he is born of God how do you
reconcile that with what John said a few verses earlier in
1 John 1 8 if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and
the truth is not in us and yet here he's saying whosoever is
born of God does not commit sin do you know when I First made
a profession of faith. I remember asking the Baptist
minister. I just couldn't reconcile those two things and he just
couldn't give me an explanation. But do you know what the explanation
is? The true believer is a person with two natures. There's the
old nature of the flesh, and there's the new nature of the
Spirit of God. It's what Song of Solomon says
in chapter 6 and verse 13. What do I see when I look at
the Shulamite? The Shulamite is a picture of
the Church of God, individual. What do I see when I look there?
I see, as it were, a camp of two armies. Two armies that are
contrary to one another. As Galatians 5, 17 tells us,
the old man and the new man, the spirit and the flesh, warring
against each other. They're contrary to one another.
There's constant failure in the flesh. So please, believers,
this is why we're told, do not look at one another, do not judge
one another, but examine self. And then, don't look at your
works as such because you will fail and you will constantly
find, as Paul said, and the chief of sinners. As Paul said, I'm
not fit to be called an apostle. No, but know this. They that
live in a settled state of contentedness with sin, they which do such
things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. The people of
God have a new nature imparted to them. We do not lie. We do not steal. We do not commit
murder. By the grace of God, in the gospel
of God. Not because of restraint of the
law, but by the constraint of the love of Christ. It's the
love of Christ that constrains us. Let me give you an example. Is David, King David, is he worthy
to be in heaven? Is he fit to see the king in
his beauty? Ah, David lusted after Bathsheba. David committed adultery. David
had the husband of Bathsheba murdered in the front line of
battle. How is he worthy of heaven? How is he fit to see the king
in his beauty? Nathan the prophet came to him.
and told him a story of a man who'd stolen another man's lamb.
And David was furious and said, that man should be killed. And
Nathan said to David, David, you are the man. You are the
man. And David was cut to the heart
because he knew he'd sinned. And Nathan said to him, you shall
not die. Your sin is paid for. Two reasons. Christ had paid for his sin.
Nathan assured him of that. This is not a license to commit
sins like that, but he assured him that Christ had paid for
his sin. He was made the righteousness of God in him. And then God gave
him that true heart of repentance. Against thee, thee only have
I sinned and done this evil in thy sight. A true heart of repentance. What's your attitude to sin and
evil? Don't judge one another. Don't
look at other people's actions, but examine yourself for attitude
to the righteousness of God. Is your desire the righteousness
of God? Do you hate sin that would separate
you from God? Do you long for that day when
you see the King in his beauty, when we shall be like him, for
we shall see him as he is? Do you have that hope of heaven? is yours, is mine, what the scripture
calls a good hope. There are people who've got hopes,
but they're foundless hopes. They've got no basis to them.
They've got no solidity under them. But the scriptures talks
about a good hope that the people of God have. Let me read 2 Thessalonians
2 16, talking of our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God, even
our father, which has loved us and given us everlasting consolation. and good hope through grace. Through his grace in the gospel,
he gives his people that good hope. He imparts that holy nature
that though we sin constantly in the flesh, yet our longing
and our desire is to be like the Lord Jesus Christ in his
glory, in his holiness, in his righteousness. And we know, we
know, all the time we know that what he accomplished at the cross
has made us the righteousness of God in him. Is that your experience
in some measure? Is it your experience in some
measure? Then you shall see the King in his beauty. What a glorious
prospect.