If you turn in your Bibles please
to Nehemiah chapter 8. Nehemiah chapter 8. We're going to read from verse
1 in this book that concerns the return of God's people from
captivity in Babylon at a time when Nehemiah was burdened to
rebuild the walls of the city of Jerusalem. which had been
raised to the ground in former days. Of course this book follows
on from Ezra, which is in the same time, when the temple was
also rebuilt. But Nehemiah's concern is primarily
with the rebuilding of the walls. And that having been completed
in chapter eight, the people are gathered And they gathered
to worship, and we read about this gathering in verse 1, Nehemiah
8 verse 1. And all the people gathered themselves
together as one man into the street that was before the water
gate. And they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book
of the law of Moses, which the law had commanded to Israel.
And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation,
both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding,
upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before
the street that was before the water gate, from the morning
until midday, before the men and the women and those that
could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive
unto the book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood upon
a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose. And
beside him stood Mephiah, and Shema, and Aniah, and Uriah,
and Hilkiah, and Miasiah on his right hand, and on his left hand
Padaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashem, and Hashbatnah, Zechariah,
and Meshulam. And Ezra opened the book in the
sight of all the people, for he was above all the people.
And when he opened it, all the people stood up. And Ezra blessed
the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered,
Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads
and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. and
Jeshua, and Barney, and Cherubiah, Jamin, Aqab, Shabefei, Hodijah,
Miasiah, Kelita, Azariah, Josabad, Hanan, Peleah, and the Levites,
caused the people to understand the law, and the people stood
in their place. So they read in the book in the
law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to
understand the reading. I want to draw your attention
here to verse 5. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all
the people, for he was above all the people. And when he opened
it, all the people stood up. And verse 8. And they read in
the book in the law of God distinctly and gave the sense and caused
them to understand the reading. Now, as I've said, this book
of Nehemiah concerns the return of a remnant of Israel from captivity
in Babylon. The nation of Israel had been
attacked, the city of Jerusalem, the walls, the temple destroyed,
and the people had been taken into captivity for many years,
but eventually broken cast down, brought to cry unto their God
for help. Eventually the Lord hears the
cries of his people and makes the way for that people to return
back to their homeland, back to the city of God, back to Jerusalem. And he moves certain ones to be burdened for the rebuilding
of both the temple and the walls of the city. and Nehemiah's great burden was
for the building of the walls of the city. And this book concerns
the account of his return, and people with him, and their building
of the walls, and the reestablishment of the worship of God in its
rightful place in Jerusalem, following such a time of captivity
in Babylon. This is a people brought out
of captivity, delivered, released, freed, and a people who are gathered
again in that place of worship. People who knew captivity, a
people who knew suffering, hardship, tragedy, people who were once
in bondage, And yet through all this, a people who would come
to know the providence and the keeping hand of their God. A
God who brought them through hard trial to that point where
they cried out again under him for mercy. Where though they
had rebelled, where though they had wandered off, where though
their hearts had grown cold, and though they had known the
chastisement of God in return, and though they had seen and
looked with sorrow upon the place of worship in Jerusalem being
made desolate and though they had to suffer in a land of far
off in bondage not having the freedom to worship their God
as they would and where they would though they had been brought
to know all this they'd also been brought to call upon their
God for help. Their hard hearts have been broken,
their rebellious hearts have been turned, their cold hearts
have been made to cry out for help. This was a people broken
and bruised, a people who had been brought to see their need,
a people who had been given a hunger, a people who had been brought
to have that cry again put in their heart unto their God. A people whose apathy and coldness
have been turned away. A people who long for God and
long to worship God. A people who long for Zion. Now is that you? Where is your
desire and your longing? Is it for Zion, the things of
God, Christ and his gospel? Is it for the glory of God in
the preaching of his gospel, in the gathering up of his people,
in the building of his church? Do you desire to see Zion gathered
and strengthened, to see the glory of God made known in the
gathering of his people? Do you desire to see Christ build
his church and to be glorified in the midst of that church through
the preaching of his true gospel? Do you look around at the world
in which we live today and at the professing church today and
see the desolation of that which was once built up in a way in
which it is not now? Do you see how the people are
scattered? Do you see how few gather? Do
you see how the walls have been crushed down? And do you weep
and mourn over these things? Or do you shrug your shoulders
and say, well, what can we do? God has brought this to pass
in his providence. It's evidently meant to be. We'll
just accept where we are and do our best. Do you sit down
in the midst of Babylon, content with the riches and the comfort
that you find in that land in which you are captive, but which
seems to offer a variety of things in which you can take pleasure.
And look back at Zion as it once was and say, well, that's how
it was then. But it can never be now. God had his temple and his people
in that city once. There was a great glory there
then. But this is where I am now. And I'll accept this and
do my best here. Or do you mourn for the way things
are now? Do you mourn for the state of
the churches, for the way the people of God are scattered,
for the way that the enemies of the truth have come into so
many places, and how they declare a mixed
and a false gospel in so many places in the name of Christ.
And they keep the children's bread from them, and put poison
in it instead. and how the true children of
God are forced out and are scattered and the walls of Zion truly are
crumbled. Does this bring you to sorrow?
Does it bring you to the point of praying to your God that he
should turn the captivity of Zion? That he should rebuild
the walls of Jerusalem? That the true worship should
be established again? Does it bring you to pray that
Christ would build his church, but that it would be seen to
be built, and that the people would truly be gathered, and
that they would be gathered around the true gospel, and know once
again that unity in that gospel, and in the truth, and in the
order of God's house, which was once known in the former day. We live in a land, a country
in Britain here, which has known much greater days in terms of
the building up of the visible church. There have been days
in the past when the gospel has been declared faithfully by many
faithful preachers whom God has sent. And where large congregations
gathered to hear not a false gospel, but the truth. And the preachers like Huntington
or Gadsby, Philpott and others, where several hundred would gather.
And in the case of Huntington, they would gather and they would
listen to that man preach for hours on end, three hour sermons. And the time would go in a moment. Well, those days are gone. And we find our times to be very
similar to the times of captivity from which Ezra and Nehemiah
returned. Days in which Zion has been attacked and in which
the people of God are scattered. And in which many of God's children
starve for want of food. For truly there is a famine in
the land And that famine is a famine of the word of God. Many long to hear the gospel,
and yet where they live they cannot hear it. They can go to
this place and to that place, but they won't hear the truth. Of course we know those who are
scattered throughout this land and throughout the world, who
we come into contact with. One or two here, one or two there.
those who find their food by reading books and by listening
in to recorded messages, perhaps posted on the internet, perhaps
on tapes, because they cannot go to a place and gather with
the people of God and hear a faithful preacher declare the gospel of
Christ. Now if that's you, if you've been there, if you're
there, if you know something of that, Does this burden you? Do you cry out to God that he
might change this? Do you have a hunger for the
truth and a desire to be gathered with God's people and to see
the church built, not just out of the ones and twos which are
scattered, for truly Christ is building his church to the last
day, whatever state it's in. Yeah, but do you long to see
that church gathered? Well Nehemiah did. Nehemiah did. And in chapter 1 we read his
prayer to his God. That his God would show mercy
unto him and the people. He cries out, Let thy knee now
be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the
prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and
night, For the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the
sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against
thee. Both I and my Father's house have sinned. We have dealt
very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments,
nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandest thy servant
Moses. Remember, I beseech thee, the
word that thou commandest thy servant Moses, saying, If ye
transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations. But
if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them,
though there were most of you cast out unto the uttermost parts
of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring
them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.
Now these are thy servants and thy people whom thou hast redeemed
by thy great power and by thy strong hand. O Lord, I beseech
thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant
and to the prayer of thy servants who desire to fear thy name.
And prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him
mercy in the sight of this man, for I was the king's cupbearer. Nehemiah prays as one who confessed
his sin and the sin of the people before the Lord. He knew that
this state had come upon them because they had rebelled against
God, because they'd grown cold, because they'd become disobedient. But he knew that it was only
God's mercy and grace which would turn them and by which they would
be saved and helped. He knew that they'd been scattered
to the four corners They'd been scattered. They were in captivity
in Babylon. But he prays that God would be
faithful and would gather them again as that people whom God
had redeemed by his great power and by his strong hand. And he
longs that God would gather that people and that he would gather
them in Zion. And that Zion's walls would be
built and the temple would be built and Christ would be, God
would be in the midst of his people and be glorified. And that that people would be
gathered around the sound of the truth, the gospel. He longs for it and he prays
for it. He's not complacent, he doesn't
want to stay in Babylon, though God has preserved that people
there. Though he never destroyed them,
though he's kept them. Though he's kept them, he's not
content to remain there. He wants to be in Zion. He wants
to be gathered with the Lord's people in the church. Now Babylon
of course is a figure of the world. we're all by nature captive
in Babylon and believers can be so easily tempted back into
captivity in Babylon because the world promises much ease
and much pleasure and many things which entrance us and entice
us and we can become complacent with the fact that Zion is in
ruins and that the people are scattered and that they're not
gathered. And that the truth in so many places is not preached. And we can become content with
our lives in Babylon. But Nehemiah didn't want to remain
there. He wanted to return, he wanted to see the Lord's glory
established once more in Jerusalem as in former days. Now do you, Is that your hunger
and your desire? Do you hunger for the truth of
the gospel to feed on? And you desire to feed on that
gospel not in captivity, not simply by reading in books the
works of former men from a former day when the Lord blessed. not
simply by listening to recorded messages of those who are gathered
far away but do you long to be gathered? Do you long for the
Lord to use that gospel and to establish his work and to rebuild
the walls? Do you have a hunger? What does
it take to bring people to such a state? What does it take for
them to be gathered as they were gathered here? To no longer be
scattered to be assembled. What does it take for scattered
believers no longer to forsake the assembling of themselves
together but to be assembled, to have the door open that they
may assemble? Well they cannot assemble when
they're captive, when there's nowhere to go, when there's no
one to hear. What does it take to pave the
way? At times it feels and it seems
like it needs a mighty power My God must send a great earthquake,
famine, storms, tempest, like he must shake the world in order
to bring about a change. But though he does use such things
at such times. though he does use all means
to gather and to establish his people in his church. Though
he uses various means to bring those sinners who were in darkness,
outside of the truth, yet to hear the gospel, though he uses
various means to bring them to that point where they're convicted
in sin, where they cry out to God to have mercy upon them.
Though he uses various means, ultimately, ultimately the great
power, the power which he uses both to save the souls of his
children and to gather them together in the church is that still small
voice of the Spirit of God speaking in the heart when he brings the
sound of the gospel in power. That voice calling by the gospel
calling to individuals, lost sheep who've yet to hear and
calling to those who have faith and yet are scattered, calling
by the gospel, come unto me all ye who are weary and are heavy
laden and I will give you rest, come unto me Christ calls, he
reigns on high today, he'd send forth his gospel even at this
hour and he calls by it to his people, to those who yet to know
that they're his people and to those who are his people, come
unto me, come and worship, come and gather, come unto me. Now, of course, in Nehemiah's
day, there was a great company who had been taken into captivity
in Babylon. There were around three million
Jews in Babylon. But only a remnant returned.
Only about 50,000 returned to Jerusalem. Only a few were involved
in the rebuilding of the church there, of the walls of the city.
Only a remnant. And so it is today. Only a remnant
is gathered. Only a remnant appears to be
burdened for the glory of God in his church. Only a remnant
hunger for the truth in purity. How many settle for second best? How many make excuses for where
they remain? For the world? For the world's
religion? For their remaining in captivity
in Babylon? Yes, they have a love of the
truth, but they'd rather hear it and remain where they are.
They'd rather compromise it and remain where they are. Their
hunger's not so great that they cry out like Nehemiah to their
guard, to gather them, to turn them, to lead them under him. O Lord, I beseech thee. let thou
thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant and to
the prayer of thy servants who desire to fear thy name and prosper
i pray thee thy servant this day and grant him mercy in the
sight of this man be attentive oh lord hear us hear us in our
state wherever we are Lord hear us, we want to have the gospel,
we want to feed on your truth, we want to be gathered. Lord
turn our captivity, bring us back, build the walls of Zion
again, build thy church in this day Lord. Christ said, I shall
build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail it
and he does. And we long to see him do it.
We long to see that gospel preached. We long to see it bear fruit
in the hearts and lives of sinners and of his people. We long to
see the people built up in faith. And we long to see it gather
in a people. We long to see it gather. Here,
there, everywhere, in various places we long to see the Gospel
gathering and building. Not simply because we want to
be with others, but because we want to see God's glory in the
midst of that gathered people. Is it right that Zion lies in
ruins? Is it right that the walls are
rubble? Is it right that the heathen
look on and mock and say, Christianity has gone. No it isn't. We long to see the gospel sound
forth. And we long to see God's glory
in the midst of a gathered people that the world, however great,
may look on at that place and say, God is in the midst of her. God is in the midst. Well here's
a people who had this burden. God had put it in their hearts
and God had opened the door that they might return. He'd moved
the hearts of the leaders of Babylon, the kings, and allowed
this people to return. He'd done that which at one time
might have seemed impossible. There were impossible barriers
that is coming about. Yet God made the way. He heard
the prayers and the cries of his people. And he made the way
and he led that remnant, that small company back. And he labored as he moved them
to build the walls again. And this small company of those
who served their God eventually saw the walls rebuilt. Of course,
the rebuilding of the temple and the walls of Jerusalem were
never as great or had the glory of the former days, but they
were built and the people were gathered. And in chapter eight,
our passage, we read of when that people were gathered, of
when they came, when they were gathered by God. And when Ezra
the priest stood up before them, and he stood in the midst of
them and took the Book of the Law, the Book of God, God's Word,
and read it unto the men and the women and all those that
could understand, children included, all those who were attentive
to hear, he stood up and he read. And it says in verse 4 of chapter
8, And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which
they had made for the purpose and beside him on each side there
stood thirteen of the elders of Israel thirteen beside him
and in the midst of them he opened the book in the sight of all
the people for he was above all the people and when he opened
it all the people stood up And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great
God, and the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their
hands, and they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with
their faces to the ground. And Ezra and those with him read
in the book of the law of God distinctly and gave the sense
and caused them to understand the reading. And this is a wonderful
picture of the gathering of God's people and of the preaching of
God's word in the midst of God's people. For their gathering was
not a gathering to do what they wished and was not a gathering
for them all to take that book and to read it themselves and
for one to say I think it is this and another to say I think
it means that and another to say well I've read in this book
that doctor so and so says it means that. and for them to go
to and forth saying this, that and the other, stumbling about
on dark mountains seeking to understand. God doesn't work
in his church in such an orderless way. And there may be people
today who will cite various reasons from the New Testament or elsewhere
why the church should be gathered in such a way. But God's means of gathering
his church from the beginning to the end is through the preaching
of the gospel. And the preaching of the gospel
is by those whom he sent and called and ordered to preach
that gospel. And that people are fed and brought
to an understanding of the truth of the scriptures and of the
gospel and brought to see Christ in the gospel. when a preacher
stands before them and opens up the book, the word of God
to their understanding. Ezra stood on a pulpit of wood
made for the purpose and when he opened the book all the people
stood up and listened. And he and the preachers with
him read in the book of the law of God distinctly and gave the
sense and caused them to understand the reading. And not only is
this a wonderful picture of the preaching of the gospel in the
midst of God's gathered people and the effects that it had upon
that people. as they rejoiced that their captivity
had been turned, as they rejoiced that the Lord's presence was
with them again in the gathering and in Zion, as they rejoiced
at His goodness and provision and grace. Not only is it a wonderful
picture of that gathered church, the gathered Ecclesia, the called
out people, called out from Babylon, called out from the world, called
out to be separated unto God, called out to be separated in
this city of Zion, in this city of God, with a wall around them
to keep them in and to keep the enemies out. not only is it a
wonderful picture of Christ's ecclesia of his gathered called
out people separated unto him but it's a wonderful picture
of that preaching of the gospel which feeds them and nourishes
them and builds them up in the faith and it's a wonderful picture
in Ezra as a type of Christ of the preacher of the gospel in
the midst of his people. For though Ezra is the man here
And though God continues to send and to use men to preach his
gospel, ultimately Ezra here is a picture, a type of Christ,
the preacher in the midst of his people, who feeds and declares
under his people his word, his gospel, his grace and his salvation. Ezra stands upon a pulpit of
wood which they had made for the purpose. Now of course we
can liken that to a platform or a pulpit as we have in modern
days where a preacher may stand and preach to the people. But
as a type of Christ here, as the preacher declaring the gospel
of his salvation, this pulpit of wood, this platform of wood
which lifted Ezra up above all the people that they might see
him, which was made for the purpose is a figure, a picture of the
cross upon which Christ was nailed, upon which he was crucified,
upon which he was lifted up above all the people that they may
behold and see him crucified for sinners. Here we have Christ
crucified for his people. And this is what's at the heart
of the church and the gathering of his people, the lifting up
of Christ crucified, the lifting up of the Savior upon that wood
which was made for the purpose of his crucifixion. That upon
which he was nailed, that upon which he was slain, that upon
which God judged their sins in him, that upon which the blood
was shed, which cleansed them all and washed them. that they
might be pure and perfect. It's when Christ crucified is
declared in the midst of his people that the book of God is
read distinctly, and the sense is given, and they are caused
to understand the reading. And unless Christ crucified is
preached, unless that is the message we preach, unless that
is the gospel we preach, and unless it is preached in the
fullness of its truth, the fullness of its doctrinal parts, in accord
with the revelation of God, that He came, that Christ the Son
of God, very God and very man, was made a man, that He was slain,
that He truly died, that He truly rose again, that He died for
His people, that Jesus came that he was called Jesus for he shall
save his people from their sins that when he was crucified he
had the names of all his people upon his heart and it is the
particular sins of his particular people given to him by his father
from all eternity for whom he died unless it is preached that
he died and he washed all their sins away and that having washed
them away he rose again victorious and that having risen he and
them are one perfect righteous that by his death he brought
in the righteousness of God for them. When this message is preached
then Christ is truly lifted up upon that pulpit of wood made
for the purpose and then the law of God is read distinctly.
the people are made to understand. They're made to understand as
Christ made his disciples to understand following his resurrection
when he talked with them. at the end of Luke in Luke's
Gospel chapter 24 that we read earlier. He said unto that people,
he said, these are the words which I spake unto you while
I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which
were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the
Psalms concerning me. Then opened he their understanding
that they might understand the scriptures. and said unto them,
Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer,
and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance
and remission of sins should be preached in his name among
all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these
things. Yes, He came in fulfillment of all the prophecies concerning
Him, that He should suffer and that He should rise again, and
that the message of this salvation should be preached throughout
all the world, beginning at Jerusalem. The message goes forth from the
city of God, that city which Nehemiah and the children of
Israel, the remnant, rebuilt by the grace of God, by God's
strength, that city in the midst of which Christ was crucified
He's the preacher in the midst. He's the one of whom the preaching
is the subject. He's the subject of that preaching.
He's the message. He's the message to the people
within and he's the message that goes out from it that others
may hear and be gathered. He's the message. Have you heard
him? Have you heard his message? Have
you heard his salvation? Well how shall you hear? How
shall they hear today? How shall any hear? Except there
be a preacher. What was there in the beginning?
What was there in Nehemiah's day? What was true then when
the people needed to hear Ezra read from the book of the law
and give the sense of it and read distinctly in it and cause
them to understand is as true today. We will never understand
the word of God, we will never understand the scriptures, we
will never hear the gospel, except God sends us a preacher. And
the church is built up by the preaching of the gospel. The
people of God are gathered by the preaching of the gospel.
It's God's means of both saving souls and building his church. As Paul says in Romans 10, where
Paul says of the Gospel, that if thou confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the
heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation. For the Scriptures say, if whosoever
believeth on him shall not be ashamed. there is no difference
between the Jew and the Greek for the same Lord over all is
rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Whosoever, whosoever
calls, whoever's had a burden put in their heart, whoever's
taught that they are a sinner, whoever the Spirit teaches that
they are sinners before a holy God in need of righteousness,
in need of their sins being cleansed, in need of the mercy and the
grace of God, whoever's brought here and calls upon the name
of the Lord shall be saved, they shall with a certainty None who
call from such a state, no sinner who knows he's a sinner and who
knows he needs salvation, who calls upon the Lord to save him,
none who calls upon the Lord will be turned aside. But whosoever,
all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. They shall. But Paul says, How
then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?
They can't, we can't believe until we know of him in whom
we should believe. And how shall they believe in
him of whom they have not heard? Well they can't. How can we believe
until we hear of him? And how shall they hear without
a preacher? We can't. Someone must bring
this gospel. someone must preach this gospel
how shall they preach except they be sent as it is written
how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of
peace and bring glad tidings of good things how shall they preach except
they be sent We must hear the gospel. We must. The only way that we will have
faith to believe is when the gospel comes and brings it to
us. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing
by the word of God. We must hear. We must hear the
gospel. We must hear the truth. And we
will only hear when God sends a preacher to preach it unto
us. Now ultimately it is Christ who is the preacher and when
he preaches he sends forth his word in power by his spirit and
unless we heard the spirit's voice then all we hear are the
words. We may hear a man preach but
if all we hear is the man's words all we hear are the words of
man. We must hear the spirit. But when Christ preaches, and
when he sends forth his voice by his spirit, he does so through
those whom he sends forth to preach. He calls men to preach
the gospel. Those men are raised up in the
midst of Zion. They stand in the midst of the
people. The people are gathered, and
they declare the truth unto that people who are hungry to hear
the word of God. Are you hungry for the word of
God? Do you love the gospel? Do you long to hear the gospel?
Do you know your need of the gospel? Do you understand the
gospel? Not merely with the mind, but
with the heart. When Ezra read the book of the
law of God distinctly and gave the sense and cause to understand
the reading. It's one thing to have the sense
given and explained and to understand with the mind. But there's no
salvation if we but understand with the mind. We must have the
revelation of Christ in the heart. that only comes when Christ speaks
by His Spirit and His Spirit only preaches and speaks through
those preachers whom He sends. He doesn't preach through false
prophets and false preachers, and he doesn't speak through
false gospels. Then we can go to this place
and to that place, and if the gospel is not preached, and if
the man who speaks is not sent of God, we will never hear the
Spirit of God speaking through him. But Ezra spake as him whom
the Lord had sent unto that people. And when they heard, they understood.
And when they understood, they rejoiced in Christ's salvation.
They rejoiced that God was in the midst of Zion. They rejoiced. This preaching is vital. The people did not understand
the book of the law of God themselves. They could not. It's a closed
book to us, except God opens it. God sent them, one, to give
the meaning and the sense and to cause them to understand the
reading. And we need that today. We need the preaching of the
Gospel. And we need to be gathered under
the preaching of the Gospel. The Gospel is that which opens
the hearts of sinners and saves. And the Gospel is that which
gathers those sinners together in the Church, in Zion. And the
Gospel is that which keeps them in zion that which builds the
walls around them that's which keeps the enemy outside that
which keeps them strong within that which feeds their faith
and strengthens them in the faith we need the preaching of the
gospel we need the message the message of grace the message
of christ the message of his salvation Do you know your need
of it? Have you heard it? Is he your
savior? Is he your salvation? Is he your
all? Is he? Do you long for it? Do you hunger for it? Do you
long, do you desire and hunger to see a people gathered to see
Zion built? Do you mourn over the state of
the churches? Do you long to be gathered under
the preaching of the gospel? We cannot help it if we are scattered.
We cannot help it if there's nowhere that we can go. In such
a state, it's a wonderful provision if we can listen to messages
recorded by faithful preachers. And I commend it. But if we can
be gathered, then we pray that the Lord would gather us. For
recordings are not enough. There was this wonderful provision
and wonderful sense in which the Lord met with his people
when he gathered them here. And the gospel's purpose is not
to keep his people scattered but to gather them. To gather
them. And it's only by the gospel that
the people are gathered. But it is by the gospel. and
the gospel is preached, and that Christ is building his church,
even in these days, even when many are still in Babylon, even
though we know the captivity and the lure of the world around
us, even though the walls of Zion seem to have been in such
a state for such a long time, even though there are false prophets
deceiving the people on the left hand and the right, Even so,
in this day, today at this hour, Christ is still building his
church and the gates of hell will not and are not and cannot
prevail against it. Christ's gospel goes forth in
power and his sheep are being saved, that sheep are being gathered,
that church is being built and Christ is in the midst of her.
Do you know him? Do you know him? Do you know
his salvation? Do you long to be where he is,
with his people, hearing his voice? Do you know his salvation? For it's by his gospel that Christ
builds his church, and it's by his gospel that Christ saves
sinners. Are you one of those sinners
for whom Christ died? Are you one of Zion, whom he
gathers as he builds his church? Not simply for your good, though
you'll benefit wonderfully if he has, but for his glory, as
the God who dwells in the midst of Zion. Amen.