Our Lord Jesus Christ bestows
many blessings, many privileges upon his people in this world. We live in a fallen world and
yet we are in that world a blessed people. We have blessings amongst our trials. And I know
because I've had correspondence with some of you over the past
year or so, couple of years, and I know from speaking to Angus
and John from time to time as we have done that, All of us
know about the hardships of life and the trials of this life and
the difficult times that have to be dealt with. It is part
and parcel of our experience in this world. And yet the Lord
gives us blessings in the midst of our trials. But sometimes it isn't easy in
the moment for us to tell what is a blessing and what is a trial. Sometimes our trials are actually
blessings in disguise. And sometimes those blessings
prove to be a trial to us. And what we always have to remember
is that we cannot tell from day to day just exactly what it is
the Lord is doing with us. In the midst of our difficult
times, in the midst of our troubled times, the Lord sustains us,
often by ways that we cannot comprehend. And I believe that
every true believer Everyone who trusts in the Lord Jesus
Christ will someday be able to look back on each trial that
they have been called to go through and recognize that it has been
a blessing from God. Recognize that God was in it
to do them good. And I ask for myself, as I ask
for you, that the Lord might enable us to believe that as
we go through the dark experiences of this life. If here is a blessing that the
Lord is pleased to give us, he is pleased to give us fellowship
one with another. Paul calls it the fellowship
of saints, or the fellowship that we have in the gospel. It is the gospel that melds us
together, the gospel that brings us into a union one with another. We have many differences, many
things that distinguish us in this life, whether that's distance,
whether it's miles, whether it's the things that we're doing,
whether it's those hopes and fears and responsibilities that
each of us individually carry, lots of differences. that the
Lord's people are brought together in the Gospel. It is a unifying
force and power amongst us. And when we meet together, We
meet as a people who are united in the gospel, a gathered people,
a called out people, a people who have been set apart, sanctified
by God the Holy Spirit and brought into a place of union together
in these great foundational truths. that he has given us to lay hold
upon and to sustain us through this pilgrim way. We are a nation,
a called-out nation. Psalm 86 and verse 11 says this,
Teach me thy way, O Lord, and I will walk in thy truth. Unite my heart to fear thy name."
That union that we have is a union firstly and foremost with the
Lord Jesus Christ. And because of the union that
we have, each one with Christ, who trusts in his name, who have
found him to be the source of our life, it is a common union
that extends to one another, so that we find ourselves bound
up as one family. as brothers and sisters in the
Lord, as united in the Gospel. And these truths that we have
come to love and to learn, this way that we have been taught,
teach me thy way. As we have learned the Lord Jesus
Christ, as we have learned the Gospel, as God the Holy Spirit
has revealed these things to us, so we have been able to walk
in the truth. and to experience some of that
union that we have together with the Lord and with His Church. The Lord's people are united
to Him and they are united to one another in Christ and in
His Gospel. We have learned, having been
taught of God, something of that way of life. Our Savior could
say, I am the way. And so as we have learned something
of that way, teach us to walk in that way. As we have learned
something of that way, so though it be narrow, we walk in it. And we walk in that narrow way,
not with a multitude, but with a gathered people, with those
few, with those few souls that the Lord has been pleased to
call out with us, that he gives us the privilege, the blessing
of gathering with regularly, the company of saints, Yes, it's
a narrow way. And yes, few there be that find
it. Yes, it's a wicked gate. That's a term that comes from
John Bunyan and it speaks of a gate that you have to pass
through one at a time. But having entered into this
way, the Lord is pleased to call his people into a body, into
a church, into a congregation, and to give us the blessing of
the help of his people as we go through our Pilgrim Walk. I want to say one thing about Dad
and then I want to concentrate a little bit more on a few thoughts
that I have. The Lord's people, be they ever
so small in number in a particular place, are each one of them important
and necessary for the well-being of that gathering wherever it
might be. None of us here are unimportant. None of us here will be absent
without being missed. None of those who come in to
gather with the Lord's people in a particular place do so casually,
as if there is no difference between them being there or not. You matter and your presence
matters. And as we engage together, we
support one another, we uphold one another, we pray for one
another, we comfort one another, we encourage one another along
the way. Who knows what an individual
has had to deal with today? who knows what the experience
has been, the disappointments and the hurts that one and another
has had. And it may be that I'm reluctant
to share those things with you. It may be that these are things
which I keep down deep in my own thoughts, down deep in my
own heart, and I imagine that it's just something that I have
to deal with alone between me and the Lord. And yet, when the
Lord's people gather, something special happens. because he gives
us a love for one another, a bond of fellowship in the gospel,
a contentment and a peace to be about the business of worshipping
him together and taking that privilege as a blessing from
him. The Lord established his church
as a body fitly framed together, joined together, bound up together
like a building, many varied parts, and none of us are alike,
many varied parts, but joined together to make a holy temple. Moses called it the congregation
of the Lord. Isn't that a lovely phrase? That's
what you are. That's what you are. The congregation
of the Lord. Psalmist says, the congregation
of saints. That's another lovely way to
put it, but you see the point. It's a grouping together, a gathering
together of the Lord's people in a particular place and they
are identified and they are named and they are His. The congregation
of the Lord, the congregation of saints. I'm rejoicing once again in the
privilege of being back here in New South Wales and back in
Nowra. It's very beautiful. You have
a very beautiful country. I watched the sunrise at 30,000
feet on Sunday morning. And I watched
the sun set at Iron Cove on Monday night. And both were beautiful. It's a lovely place. I've seen
some beautiful birds in Centennial Park. I saw some amazing flowers
in the Botanical Gardens. I have seen your spectacular
coastline. some of your peculiar animals,
and spiders as big as my hand. I've even been out looking for
the alignment of the five planets that we're supposed to be able
to see at the moment. And I think I've seen a miracle. I think I've seen a miracle.
the miracle of creation, the wonder of what the Lord has done
in setting in place the beauty of his handiwork. I don't feel
any obligation to defend the biblical doctrine of creation. I don't feel any need to defend
it, because God himself has testified that this is how it is. We're
told the heavens declare his righteousness. They speak it
out. They say, you have to contradict
God. There are many who are able to
contradict me. And if they're wanting to win
an argument, if they want to score points, I'm an easy target. But the very heavens declare
the glory of God. And they speak, and they speak
more powerfully than I ever will. But the more I see of the beauty
of this world and its creation, the more I know and learn of
the natural world around about, the more I rejoice to discern
the power of God and his hand at work. That declaration speaks
of design, it speaks of purpose, and it's everywhere. We see the
glory of the great designer, In the beginning, God created,
and the evidence of His rule over this world is plain to see
for those who look, and all men are without excuse in the face
of that miracle of creation. John chapter 1 verse 3 says of
the Lord Jesus Christ, all things were made by him and without
him was not anything made that was made. Our wonderful Savior
has created a wonderful universe and it is miraculous. And I'm here to see it. I'm here
to see it, I'm here to observe it, I'm here to marvel at its
wonder. And I think that that's a bit
of a miracle too. You're here, and that's a miracle
as well. God made man. God made Adam, and God made Eve. And He gave them names. and names
have meaning. He gave them names because they
were individuals. He gave them names because they
had personalities. He gave them names because they
were rational people and they were created in God's image. and yet they fell into wickedness
and iniquity and sin. They fell from that place of
honour that he had given them, privilege that he had bestowed,
and all the wonders of the world into which they had been set. They fell And though they marred
their own souls, and though they brought death upon their posterity,
and though they have spoiled this world in which we live,
yet there is still the mark of God upon them. Each one and every
man bears that mark of the image of God in his own person and
in his own soul. We are guilty before a holy God. We are deserving of judgment. We are wicked and God cannot
behold wickedness. And yet we're still here. Yet
we're still here. That is a miracle too. There
was a people who were destroyed off the face of the earth for
the wickedness that they perpetrated before God. There was a people
that were set up and rose up against God, and God said, you
will be here no more. And he took them all away. I
wonder sometimes whether the wickedness of the men in the
day of Noah was any greater than the wickedness of men and women
in the days in which we live. And yet we are here. That's a
miracle of God's mercy. God who is rich in mercy, for
his great love wherewith he loved us, has quickened us, has raised
us, and has made us sit in heavenly places with him. And I think
that each one of us in our experience can testify of a thousand reasons
why we shouldn't be here. A thousand reasons why we shouldn't
be here even tonight. We shouldn't be able to hear
this gospel message. We shouldn't be able to share
together in the blessings of that gathered people, that congregation
of the saints. The times when our lives were
touch and go. The times when our willfulness
would have led us into areas and experiences that we would
have been destroyed by. And yet, for some reason, a hedge
was put in the way, a barrier was set, a preservation was enacted. And the Lord has kept his people
and demonstrated to each one of us something of that miracle
of mercy until that day when he was pleased to open our hearts
and open our eyes to see him. Can we not tell of those occasions
when our life has been preserved, when our health has been sustained,
when our sanity has been kept intact? In Luke chapter 12, we are reminded
just of how fickle we are in our physical frames. I love this. This is neat. The Lord says in
Luke 12, 25, which of you, with taking thought, can add to his
stature one cubit? And you know what a cubit is?
About 18, 15 to 18 inches, depending on, I guess, how big you are. It's from the tip of your elbow
to the tip of your finger. That was what traditionally was
a cubit. You can measure out cubits by
simply sweeping your arm back and forward. Now, which one of
us can add a cubit to our height by thinking about it? How can you possibly add a cubit
to your height? You see the little people, people
that don't get very high in stature and they sort of tie weights
to their ankles and hang from trees trying to be a little bit
longer, well they're not going to add a cubit to their height. The Lord says, which of you with
taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do
that thing which is least, adding a cubit to your height
is the thing that is least. So what could possibly be the
thing that's most? If adding 18 inches to your height
is the thing that is least, why take ye thought for the rest? I wish Arminians would hear that. People who think that by an act
of their will, by a thought of their mind, by a work of their
own flesh, that they can do something that is going to please God,
that they're going to do something that can bring them into a relationship
with God, that they're going to be able to manage their eternal
well-being by themselves. Well, let them add a cubit to
their height and then we'll talk about whether they can save their
souls. Then we'll talk about whether
they can open the doors of heaven and enter in by their own thoughts
and by their own efforts. Our God came to earth in order
to secure the salvation of his people. I'm not here to talk
about creation and nature. I'm not here to talk about men
and what men can do. We can analyse every feeling
that we have. We can enlarge our minds to the
best of our ability. We can chase after every new
sensation that this world endeavours to offer, or probably better,
sell to us. We can endeavour to be the best
that we can be. But the reality is that the best
that we can be amounts to nothing. Rather, what was required is
that the best came to this earth. We endeavour to raise ourselves
up, to live on a higher plane, to be better people by our own
self-efforts, and we see it all around about us in society. Self-improvement,
learning to live better one with another, all of these psychological,
emotional, physical improvements that we can make to our minds
and our bodies. This is the age of people who
imagine that they can live forever and if they can't then they're
going to have a jolly good attempt at trying to do it. The best
that we can be The best that we can be is only ever a sinner
before a holy God. And that required that the best
came here to us. And the Lord Jesus Christ came
as a man. This is the real miracle. Our God became a man. He united himself to our flesh. that our souls might be joined
to him. And this is the true essence
of that great work of salvation which the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished
and performed. Here we see him coming as a man
in order to represent men before his Father. Here we see him taking
our flesh, that he in our flesh should deal with every obligation
that we had before a holy God. Here we see him coming as a substitute
and being able to substitute himself for us, taking the curse
in his body, taking into his flesh the damnation which rightly
fell upon us, because he as our brother stood in the gap, took
our place and entered into that place of sacrifice and substitution
for us. This is what we see as the real
miracle. My brother graciously read for
us this evening Philippians chapter 2. I didn't know he was going
to do that and he didn't know that I was going to make reference
to this verse. But this is what we see happening,
that the Lord Jesus Christ made himself of no reputation. that he took upon him the form
of a servant, that he was made in the likeness of men, and being
found in fashion as a man, humbled himself and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross. Creation is a miracle. It's beautiful. The fact that
we exist is a miracle. The fact that we are here is
a miracle of God's mercy. But what a miracle it is that
God should become a man. That God should set his glory
down and humble himself. And having humbled himself, humble
himself again. to the point of death and taking
upon himself the sins of his people and entering into that
suffering for our sake. He took our flesh. He went to
the cross. How amazing is that? I dare say
it is something that, if properly considered, we will always have
cause to wonder and be amazed about it. It may well be that this was
the reason the incarnation, God in the flesh. It may well be
that that is the very reason why Lucifer rebelled and fell
from heaven. It is certainly the reason that
a myriad angels burst through the skies and sang praises to
the child in the manger. Prophets wondered for centuries
about the glimpse that God gave to them about the forthcoming
Messiah. And saints waited with bated
breath in Jerusalem until the appointed time The writer to
the Hebrews says, he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice
of himself. Let us never take for granted
the mystery of godliness. God manifests in the flesh. That is the miracle of the incarnation. But there's more. Because the
testimony of Christ amongst us, while he was on this earth, was
a testimony attested by miracles. We read about several in this
passage in John chapter 6. It is the miracles of the Lord
Jesus Christ's works amongst us that testify to his authority
and his glory. God appearing as a man. You know, if it was just a fable,
if it was just a story, if it was like a Greek odyssey or a
Roman tradition, if it was just a story, it would be a wonderful
story and we would tell it to our children. God becomes a man. Think about how potent, how significant
such a story would be. But this is the reality. God
did it. And God proved that he was God
in the person of Christ by the amazing works which he performed. The factuality of the incarnation
is seen in Christ's works amongst men. He walked on water. He walked on water. He commanded
the wind and the waves, and they gave place to his word. He turned water into wine. He healed the sick. He searched
men's hearts by simply looking at them. He raised the dead. His words, His works, His ways
all testify to His miraculous power. And He was able to overcome,
He was able to deal with the laws of this world in a way which
was miraculous. Why did He do that? Why did the
Lord Jesus Christ perform miracles? Not as an end in themselves,
although undoubtedly the woman that was healed of the issue
of blood would be very grateful for what it was that the Lord
had done for her. That the people that ate the
bread on the day when they sat on the grassy hillside would
be very grateful for the sustenance that they were given. But he
didn't do it in order to give someone a meal. He didn't even
do it in order to make someone feel better who was bereaved
of their loved one. The purpose of the Lord Jesus
Christ miracles were not an end in themselves, but to tell us
that here was God amongst us. and God it was who went to the
cross. In the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ and his miracles all testify to the significance of that work
which he accomplished on the cross. Many people were blessed
by the miracles of Christ but their purpose was to demonstrate
His Godhead and prove His identity. There were many who understood
that, and there were many who did not. Some we read about in
John chapter 6. Those men, when they had seen
the miracle that Jesus did, said, this is of a truth, that prophet,
that should come into the world. The One who came, the Lord Jesus
Christ, is God Almighty, and He is amongst us as Emmanuel,
the mighty God. When we think of the miracles
that the Lord Jesus Christ performed, it should point always to that
miracle which supersedes them all. which is the miracle of
his accomplishments on the cross. We couldn't begin to have conceived
of such a way of salvation had God not set it forth by his prophets,
through his Son, and by the apostles. That which has been accomplished
and secured is a transcendent way of salvation. A holy, just and righteous God
is satisfied. And a guilty, wicked, sinful
people are made at peace with him. That's the greatest miracle
that we could ever imagine. and that's what God has done
for us. This is the miracle of Christ's
accomplishments. Redemption by blood, salvation
through substitution. The death of the Lord Jesus Christ
is in itself a miracle. John, no, Charles Wesley wrote,
"'Tis mystery all, the immortal dies. Who can explain his strange
design?" "'Tis mystery all, the immortal dies. The Lord Jesus Christ need not
have died. He was perfect. He was holy.
He was sinless. The wages of sin is death. But
here, Christ died. His resurrection, in itself,
a miracle. For that which is dead, men don't
come back to life. Sure, there were examples, a
few in the Old Testament, a few more in the New Testament, a
few by the hand of the Lord Himself, but you could count them probably
on the fingers of both hands, the number of times men came
back from the dead. But what was it speaking about?
Pointing to this resurrection. Always showing us that the true
power, the true miracle, the true essence of this great work
was the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ successfully accomplished
everything that he was sent to do. He says, I am able to lay
down my life and I am able to take it again. He died, he rose
again, and he ascended into heaven. Physically ascended up from the
earth, through the air, into the clouds, and into his Father's
presence. The Lord Jesus Christ. What a
miracle the ascension is. And yet so often we just say
these things without truly giving them their proper thought. He
went away and he's coming back again in the same way. This culmination of the Lord's
death, resurrection and ascension is the miracle to which all other
miracles point. Feeding 5,000 with a few loaves,
that he might feed his people with his own body. Healing a
beggar blind from birth, that he might open the spiritual eyes
of those who are blinded by sin. Raising Lazarus from the grave,
that he might breach Satan's fortress and gather out and redeem
and secure and deliver by his death and entrance into Satan's
domain, taking captivity captive and bringing to life his people. All these pictures pointing to
the great miracle of our salvation. And in this, the great themes
of the gospel are focused. Intercession, substitution, redemption. Such a work, transacted on the
cross, that none but God himself and the person of the God-man
could accomplish or fulfil. Paul says to the Corinthians,
for he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that
we might be made the righteousness of God in him. He was delivered
for our offences and was raised again for our justification. He that descended is the same
also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill
all things." This is the victory that we have in the great miraculous
work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our contemplation of these truths,
these matters, they ought to last a long time. There's one
more miracle that I want to speak about And it's this, what will it take for you to
believe all that? What will it take for you to
believe all that scripture says concerning this man, Jesus Christ,
God with us? What will it take? Accept a miracle
of grace. It will take a miracle of intervening
grace. There is evidence of God's miraculous
power all around us. whether it's in the skies or
whether it's in the creation, it's handiwork, and it will be
enough to condemn men, Paul tells us in Romans, it will be enough
to condemn men in a day to come. And we see Christ revealed in
Scripture, and the evidence and the testimony of God is set forth
plainly, easily, so that a ploughboy could understand. the clearness
of the message of God's ways and will for men. And we can
hear the apostolic testimony, those who dwelt with the Lord
Jesus Christ, those who received first-hand His teaching. And there's even a witness in
our own consciences as to those things which are true and those
things which are lies. And yet, in our hearts, we cannot
believe the truth. We will not believe the truth. Such is the depth to which we
have fallen. Such is the consequence of sin
in our souls. John 12 verse 37 says, but though
he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed
not on him. Everything that God has done
is a miracle. though he had done so many miracles
before them, yet they believed nor in him. The Lord Jesus Christ
told Nicodemus, a man who was careful about these things, who
was learned in these things about God, he told him, except a man
be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. And that
new birth is a spiritual work. It is mysterious, it is profound,
it is miraculous. It is a work that cannot be done
by man. It must be done by God. It is a spiritual work, a holy
work, a creative work, and it takes as much, if not more, of
the creative power of God to bring a dead sinner to life. as it did to create the universe
and all the physical and substantial things that we see around about
us. Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit. That is the
gospel of the message of the Lord Jesus Christ and the spiritual
application of it. The pure truth, spiritually applied. Except a man be born of water
and of the Spirit who cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh. And that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee,
ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth,
and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it
cometh or whither it goeth. So is every one that is born
of the Spirit. The salvation of which we speak,
it's not an offer, It's not set before men to be taken or left
at their whim. It's not something that we can
work ourselves up to or work ourselves into. It is a gift
freely bestowed at the behest of God upon the basis of the
Lord Jesus Christ's work and the effectual calling of God
the Holy Spirit. It is a triune work of God. There was a group of people said
to the Lord Jesus Christ, what work shall we do that we might
work the works of God? Well, at best that was presumptuous,
wanting to do God's work for him. Jesus answered and said
unto them, this is the work of God that ye believe. Faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ is a divine, creative work in the heart and
soul of the sinner. It is God who initiates and it
is God who brings to fruition that conversion by which men
lay hold by faith upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything about
the Lord Jesus Everything about the way of salvation is a miraculous
work. Not least is that new life which
is drawn forth from a dead sinner. The miracle of the new birth,
he must be born again from above. Why do we preach the gospel?
We preach the gospel to honour our God, who has commanded that
this message goes forth amongst men. It is the means by which
he gathers his people. We preach the gospel to comfort
the Lord's people, for by this message The Holy Spirit is pleased
to remind us where our help is to be found and how our standing
is secure in Him. And we preach this message to
gather in sinners, for by this message sinners are saved and
brought to a knowledge of the truth, as God the Father, God
the Son and God the Holy Spirit labour in this work of gathering
the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps that holy wind
will blow in places where we least imagine it. Perhaps that
holy wind of God the Holy Spirit will blow upon those whom we
imagine the least likely. Perhaps God the Holy Spirit will
bless us and favour us even with blowing into the heart of one
and another here this evening. We do not know where and when
grace will come. We don't know where or when we
will see the evidence of that wind that blows with power. But we will rejoice with the
angels when we hear the sound of its passage upon the soul
of a poor sinner, because we will know that one has been added
to the congregation of the Lord's people, that one has been redeemed
out of the pit of hell and joined to the congregation of saints. and we will rejoice to be numbered
amongst those who are set on that path to glory as the Lord
is pleased to gather his church and lead us to himself. May the
Lord bless our thoughts on these miracles which he has performed
to the salvation of his people. Amen.