[0:00] Let us worship God. We shall sing to his praise from Psalm 84. Psalm 84. And we can sing from verse 4 through to the end of the psalm. From verse 4. Blessed are they in thy house that dwell.
[0:22] They ever give thee praise. Blessed is the man whose strength thou art, in whose heart are thy ways. Who passing thoroughbakers veiled at in do dig up wells. Also the rain that falleth down the pools with water fills.
[0:40] So they from strength and wearied go still forward unto strength. Until in Zion they appear before the Lord at length. Lord God of hosts, my prayer hear. O Jacob's God, give ear. See God, O shield. Look on the face of thine anointed dear.
[1:01] For in thy courts one day excels a thousand. Rather in my God's house will I keep a door than dwell in tents of sin. For God the Lord's son and shield. He'll grace and glory give. And will withhold no good from them that uprightly do live.
[1:21] O thou that art the Lord of hosts. That man is truly blessed. Who by assured confidence on thee alone doth rest. We're going to sing these verses.
[1:33] From verse 4 through to the end of the sound. Lest are they in thy house that dwell. They ever give thee praise. Lest your name in thy house that dwell. They ever give thee praise.
[2:03] You, myрачin. That글cazzy. That不会 aż by многие.
[2:15] That raise life. In those who are not only with Him. To pass in the wrong way, make us live.
[2:32] Then in the region west Also the region of the region The most with waterless So deep on the south And the island go Still far and far beyond just yet Until the island of the island It was the Lord and the land
[3:35] Lord God of hosts I pray in the air O Jesus God in the air Seek the ioner Lord and the air The dual kommen to ragout O'er the world is tonight on behalf of Christ, The End
[4:50] The End The End The End
[5:52] The End The End Let us come before God in prayer. Let us pray.
[6:05] Lord, help us to draw near with a spirit of praise and thanksgiving upon our lips and in our hearts as we engage with Thee, our God.
[6:26] And our petition is the petition of Your servant the psalmist. Lord God of hosts, my prayer here, O Jacob's God, give ear.
[6:38] Lord, we give thanks that we know You to be the one who is put an ever-ready disposition towards Your people as they come, unlike the way they are with regard to their God.
[6:58] There are some times when they are, they or we are too busy, too engaged in this world's activities to have time for God or to have time for a wholehearted engagement with You in worship.
[7:19] Lord, we pray for forgiveness for every way in which we neglect our soul and neglect our duty with regard to the worship of our God.
[7:31] For that is the reason for our creation.
[8:01] Lord, we pray for forgiveness for every day.
[8:31] Lord, it's one of those people that do us. Lord, we pray for forgiveness. Lord, we pray for forgiveness at all. Lord, we pray for forgiveness, and grace and grace, if you see any of you, you have your thoughts, your 거죠 and herramient. Lord, it requires respectsgiving 우리가 good-gelinedist отдель Ladies and guardians, hoping to help us and live with your God as you, as we wait throughON through the purpose of life, if you或 Net М distinctly 금den, Lord, USB pen-Cash.
[8:49] Lord, it is the one of your sins. you to the saving of souls, even though there are many here who have gone on without the Lord, who live their lives and whose role it is today to look at the fag end of their life.
[9:09] When they look beyond them, they have no idea of what is beyond, as far as days or months or years is concerned. If indeed they should even live to see the least of these, the breath that we expire may be our last.
[9:31] But when we look back, we see the greater part of our life, and that is what teaches us that here we have no continuing city. We pray your blessing upon the time we have spent in this world and what we have learned at your footstone.
[9:50] Remember all that we commit to your care today that belong to your cause, that belong to your people. You are part of your cause. We pray that you would bless them, body and soul.
[10:01] Build up your church as you have promised to do. Add to the number of those who would be saved. Do not allow us to be distracted by buildings or what is made by man's hands.
[10:17] Do you realise that you are the one who builds up your church and it is not made of bricks and mortar. You have drawn men and women, young and old, male and female to you.
[10:27] And when we read the scripture, we find there all sorts coming, rich and poor. We find that Joseph, who was the husband of Mary.
[10:43] A mere carpenter who probably was at the bottom, end of the spectrum of people who were possessive of the wealth of this world.
[11:01] We have the Joseph of Arimathea. A wealthy man who possessed much of this world's goods. Yet they had an interest in Christ.
[11:13] As we read of the woman who gathered to take responsibility for the burial of Christ. We know that they were there numbered amongst the poor and the rich also.
[11:28] The one who broke the alabaster box was in possession of sufficient wealth to purchase that.
[11:40] And others who were with her were maybe more impoverished of this world's goods. We give thanks that it did not matter who they were or where they came from.
[11:52] But that they came to know Jesus. And to know you with a knowledge that would be the saving of their souls. We give thanks that you have taken them from all parts of the world.
[12:05] We give thanks that we have evidences again within your world. That people came like the wise men to seek you out, to find out more of you.
[12:21] Ethiopian eunuch who was from a part of the world not normally associated with knowledge of salvation.
[12:33] Yet they are there. The Roman soldiers, the centurion, who doubtless if he was spared, returned to Italy. And would have been possibly one of the first spokesmen on behalf of Christ.
[12:50] Your word is a mystery. How it touches lives and how it changes lives. We pray that we would see it even in our own midst here. Homes and families that are ignorant or oblivious to the things of God.
[13:06] May they be touched savingly by a word spoken in season. In the grace that is yours. Hear our petitions on behalf of those who cannot visit the house of God at this time.
[13:19] Bless them we pray. Confined to homes or hospitals. We pray that you would bless them abundantly far above our asking. Remember those who are grieving and sorrowful.
[13:31] May they focus upon the living Saviour, Jesus Christ. Who was in the grave but no longer. Who is alive forevermore. Those who are in him will know that life which has to end.
[13:44] We crave your blessing upon your word that we read and ask that you would hear us as we gather under it today. Pardon sin in Jesus name.
[13:55] Amen. I'm going to read from the book of the prophet Isaiah. In chapter 32. We can read the whole of this chapter. Isaiah chapter 32.
[14:08] Behold a king shall reign in righteousness. And princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind.
[14:20] And a covert from the tempest. As rivers of water in a dry place. As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And the eyes of them that see shall not be done.
[14:34] And the ears of them that hear shall hearken. The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge. And the tongue of the stammerer shall be ready to speak plainly.
[14:45] The vile person shall be no more called liberal. Nor the child said to be bountiful. For the vile person will speak villainy.
[14:56] And his heart will work iniquity. To practice hypocrisy and to utter error against the Lord. To make empty the soul of the hungry. And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
[15:10] The instruments also of the churl are evil. He devises wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words. Even when the needy speaketh right.
[15:21] But the liberal devices liberal things. But liberal things shall he stand. Rise up ye women that are at ease.
[15:33] Hear my voice ye careless daughters. Give ear unto my speech. Many days and years shall ye be troubled. Ye careless women.
[15:44] For the vintage shall fail. The gathering shall not come. Tremble ye women that are at ease. Be troubled ye careless ones.
[15:55] Trip ye and make ye bare and gird sackcloth upon your loins. They shall lament for the teeth. For the pleasant fields. For the fruitful vine.
[16:06] For the land of my people shall come up thorns and briars. Ye upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city. Because the palaces shall be forsaken.
[16:19] The multitude of the city shall be left. The forts and towers shall be for dens forever. A dry of wild asses. A pasture of flocks.
[16:31] Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high. And the wilderness be a fruitful field. And the fruitful field be counted for a forest. Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness.
[16:45] And righteousness remain in the fruitful field. And the work of righteousness shall be peace. And the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever.
[16:58] My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation. And in true dwellings and in quiet resting places. When it shall hail.
[17:09] Coming down on the forest. And the city shall be low in a low place. Blessed are ye that so beside all waters.
[17:20] That send forth thither. The feet of the ox and the earth. Amen. And may the Lord add his blessing. To a reading of his word and to his name.
[17:33] Be the praise. Like us too. Like us too turned. For a short while to the passage we read.
[17:44] And in particular the word we have at verse 2. Isaiah chapter 52. And verse 2. Can read at the beginning.
[17:55] Behold a king shall reign in righteousness. And princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind. And a covert from the tempest.
[18:08] As rivers of water in a dry place. As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. When we read the scripture.
[18:23] We should remember. That the main purpose of God's word. Is to bring to our attention. The word made flesh.
[18:35] There are many things written. About the passion of Jesus Christ. Our focus may fall upon the New Testament. But the Old Testament is full of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[18:48] We are able to read of his birth. In the stones. In the stories of. Of the Nativity. Nativity in the New Testament.
[19:01] We are able to read about the things that he said. The sermons. The parables. The little private discourses. That he had in the company of the disciples. And so on. We are able to read about the time of his death.
[19:15] The circumstances. Who was involved. And who was merely a spectator. We read of Herod. And Pilate. And Simon of Cyrene. Joseph of Arimathea.
[19:27] The centurion standing at the foot of the cross. The two thieves. One on either side of him. But in the Old Testament. While the detail may not be as specific.
[19:40] It is every bit as clear. There are things spoken of. Which may not make much sense. In the context they are found in the Old Testament. But nevertheless.
[19:52] It speaks clearly of the passion of the Lord Jesus. And when he is born. We are told. How he was to be born. Where he was to be born. How he could be recognized.
[20:05] In the day of his birth. In this prophecy. There is much that speaks of the coming Lord. Chapter 7 tells us.
[20:15] Therefore the Lord himself. Shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son. And shall call his name. Emmanuel.
[20:25] Emmanuel. The same prophet tells us much about his death. A favorite passage that many go to. If they want to talk about.
[20:38] The events surrounding his death. Isaiah 53. There are many things there that make sense only. With regard to the.
[20:50] Passion of the Lord Jesus. He is despised and rejected of men. A man of sorrows. And acquainted with grief. And we hid as it were our face from him.
[21:01] He was despised. And we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs. And carried our sorrows. Yet we did. Esteem him stricken. Smitten of God.
[21:12] And afflicted. Words that have. Gilded the hearts of many. As they reflected upon. The saviour.
[21:23] That was. Emmanuel. God with us. At the start of this chapter. References made yet again. To the Lord.
[21:35] He is spoken of as a king. That shall reign in righteousness. To the Jew. These words were acceptable. The Messiah was the long.
[21:46] King. Waited for. King. They had no problem. With the idea. That he was divine. For the words of the verse. Verse 2.
[21:58] Spoken about God. Was not at all strange. We all know the words. Of Psalm 46. God is our refuge. And our strength. In strates.
[22:08] A present aid. Therefore. Although the earth remove. We will not be afraid. But these words. Are amazing. Because. They are not just. Spoken of.
[22:19] A king. Even the messianic king. They are spoken. Of a man. And I'd like us. To think about. How this man.
[22:30] Is described. And then. What. We are told. This man. Is going to do. Let us begin. With the thought.
[22:40] A man shall be. As a hiding place. From the wind. And a covert. From the tempest. And so on.
[22:52] Perhaps you can understand. The dismay. Of someone. Who has. By personal. Experience. Discovered. How. Even the best.
[23:02] Of men. Are. But men. Are the best. We've often. Been a disappointment. To some. And some. Have been a disappointment.
[23:13] To us. Because. All of us. Have sinful. Inclinations. We have sinful. Weaknesses. And we come short.
[23:25] Of the glory of God. In a whole host. Of different ways. If you are familiar. With the word of God.
[23:36] We find again. And again. Warnings. Given. Regarding to the. Futility. Of trusting. In man. In the previous chapter.
[23:48] Chapter. 35. 31. The prophet. Underlines. Follow us. The foolishness of earth. Woe to them. That go down.
[23:59] To Egypt. For the help. And stay. On horses. And trust. In chariots. Because they are many. And in horsemen. Because they are very strong. But they look not.
[24:10] Unto the holy one. Of Israel. Neither seek the Lord. Yet he also. Is wise. And will bring evil. And will not call back. His words. But will arise. Against the house.
[24:21] Of the evildoers. And against the help. Of them. That work in equity. Now the Egyptians. Are men. And not God. And their horses. Flesh. And not spirit. When the Lord.
[24:32] Shall stretch out his hand. Both he that helpeth. Shall fall. And he that is. Helped. Shall fall down. And they all. Shall fail. Together. We know that.
[24:45] To our cost. We trust. In the arm of flesh. More often. Than not. Than behind. That it is. Insufficient. To the demands. That are made upon it.
[24:58] We sometimes. Sing. The words. Of the psalmist. In Psalm 146. And we are told. Trust not in princes. Nor man's sons. In whom there is no stay.
[25:10] His breath departs. To his earth. He turns. That day. His thoughts. Decay. But the man. That we have here. Is not just any man.
[25:22] It is the man. Christ Jesus. How important. That distinction is. That Christ Jesus. Is a man. And that this man.
[25:32] Is Christ Jesus. Because he is the hiding place. Of all the saints. Of God. The late. Professor. Finlayson. Former minister.
[25:42] Of the. Free church college. Has left to us. Some of his writings. And a sermon. That he preached. On the three men. Of Calvary.
[25:54] The man. In the middle. He speaks of him. As the representative man. The last Adam. Taking the field. Where the first Adam. Had failed. Becoming sin bearer.
[26:08] With his perfect manhood. On the altar. He yielded the last sacrifice. Officiated as the last priest. Providing the last altar.
[26:20] Making restitution. Settling a debt. That no bank. In the world. Can pay. There are many things.
[26:33] That we could say. About the manhood of Christ. Never a man. Speak. Like this man. How. Bemused.
[26:43] Many were. When they. Heard his. Speaking. When he heard his. Wisdom. When he heard his. Knowledge. When he heard his. His. Sermons.
[26:55] And his parables. And they were confused. Because they did not expect. Such a source. As that.
[27:05] To provide such insights. Into truth. By doing what he did. What did he become? Well we are told.
[27:18] He became a place of safety. A hiding place. A covert. What does that suggest. To us. You do not need.
[27:29] A fertile imagination. The image is thrown. What kind of storms. Temporal or spiritual. Or even.
[27:40] The storms of the divine. The world is full of tears. And sadness. And we cannot escape them. We may avoid some. But not all. Spiritual.
[27:52] As soon as we must deal. With the consequences. Of our sins. Awareness. Of an angry God. Many are oblivious to it. But still it is true.
[28:04] What we are encouraged to do. Is take shelter in Christ. And the storm. Cannot touch you. Justice will be carried out. The law will be answered.
[28:15] But you will be safe. Why? Because he has already paid the penalty. He is a shelter. A shelter from.
[28:27] The storm. Shortly after I was converted. I was used to. He a different preacher.
[28:38] Preachers. In the congregation. That I grew up in. And one of these preachers. Was the late. Malcolm McLeod.
[28:49] A missionary. From Carlow. He formerly. A missionary. Up in this congregation. Here. And he. Preached a sermon. On this text. And. At that time.
[29:00] I was in the habit. Of taking notes. And retained these notes. And typed them out. In a more fuller.
[29:11] Way. But he tells a story. In a process of preaching. And he says. He remembers. Coming from Shawbust. With a friend.
[29:24] An older Christian. In Taramoth Moor. And he said. It was a terrible night. And there was a storm. Storm. Blowing. The wind.
[29:34] Was in their face. And they were making their way. Up. From Shawbust. To Carloway. But he remembers. Taramoth Moor. Saying to him.
[29:46] Wait until we get. Nearer the mountain. And it will drink it up. And that is the way it is. He said. In spiritual.
[29:57] In a spiritual life. When we get into the. Lee. Of the hill. When we get into shelter. In the. Cover that Christ. Provides.
[30:09] He takes the brunt. And we are spared. The horrors. Of having to deal with it. Not least of these. Is having to deal.
[30:20] With the just. Holy. Righteousness. Of God. It is a place. To find satisfaction. The man shall be.
[30:33] As a hiding place. From the wind. And a covert. From the tempest. As rivers of water. In a dry place. As the shadow. Of a rock. A great rock. In a weary land.
[30:45] There is no craving. Like a raging thirst. And the Bible. Speaks of Christ. As a river. In a dry place. A great.
[30:55] Evangelical preacher. Jonathan Edwards. Took a particular slant. On it. That is interesting. He says. The soul.
[31:07] Craves happiness. And it craves happiness. Because it is. The natural disposition. Of the created soul. To be happy.
[31:20] Perfectly happy. Happy. But as a result of the fall. It is not. Happy. Nor can it be. There is a craving. That can never be changed.
[31:30] Overcome. Or abated. The capacity of the soul. Is as large as the contents. Of the vessel. And if the vessel is not full. The craving will not cease.
[31:41] Christ is able. To fill. Out of his inexhaustible fullness. Nothing. But Christ. Can satisfy.
[31:53] There are so many people. In this world. And. You can see them. And if you are not one of them. Going from one experience. To the other.
[32:04] One moment. Satisfied. The next. Not. One moment. Thinking. This is it. I have secured. What I have sought. The next minute.
[32:16] Empty again. And looking for the next experience. And the next thrill. And the next. High. Christ offers shelter.
[32:30] And those who take shelter in him. Are assured. That what he provides. Is secure. In the Old Testament. We have the story. Of the prophet Jonah.
[32:42] Jonah was disobedient. To the Lord. And he ran away. From the. Will of God. But in process. Of so doing.
[32:52] He discovered. Much about God. That he did not know. Beforehand. He was wanting to die. And he was lying down.
[33:03] Taking shelter. Under a gourd. That God had. Raised up. To provide that. Shelter. From the heat. And the oppression.
[33:13] Of the sun. And he discovered. That it was God. Who provided it. And God. Who could take it away.
[33:23] Persecutions. Persecutions. Persecutions. Afflictions. Buffetings. Of Satan. All of these things. Are in the world. And all of these things. God. In his mercy.
[33:35] Makes provision. For the believer. So that he can. Encounter them. With the assurance. That. With God's help. They are able to. Overcome them.
[33:47] John's. Final. Word. Given to him. By the Lord. As we have it. In the book. Of the revelation. It speaks to us.
[34:00] Of what awaits. The saints. Those saints. Who have. Who have. Gone into glory. In chapter 7.
[34:12] Verse 14. I said to him. Sir. Thou knowest. And he said to me. These are they. Which came out. Of great tribulation. And have washed their robes. And made them white. In the blood of the lamb.
[34:23] Therefore are they. Before the throne. Of God. And serve him. Day and night. In his temple. To he that sitteth. On the throne. Shall dwell among them. They shall hunger.
[34:33] No more. Neither thirst. Any more. Neither shall the. Sun light on them. Not any heat. For the lamb. Which is in the midst. Of the throne. Shall feed them. And lead them. Into living fountains.
[34:45] Of waters. And God shall wipe away. All tears. From their eyes. What God was doing. In time. He will continue.
[34:56] To do. In eternity. But. The assurance. Is given there. That the one. Who provides it. Is the same one. Who provided it. In time. A hiding place.
[35:10] From the wind. A covert. From the tempest. Rivers of water. In a dry place. A shadow. Of a great rock. In a weary land. Have you.
[35:22] Discovered this truth. For yourself. Do you know. The Christ. Of whom it speaks. Those of you. Who do. Have you availed yourself.
[35:32] Of the provision. That he makes. For the likes. Of such as we are. Here in this world. May God. In his mercy. Bless his world to us.
[35:43] Let us pray. O Lord God. In heaven. We give thanks. That even as we are. In this wilderness. Journey of ours. We will meet much.
[35:53] That will be a trial. To us. The wind. And the. Tempest. The drought. And the. Weary land.
[36:04] All of these. Experiences. Are the experiences. Of. You'd sense here. On earth. From time to time. But when they are. Our experiences. You have promised. To shelter us.
[36:16] From the worst of it. Because he. Who is Lord. Over all. Had to undergo. All temptations. And all trials. And all abuses.
[36:27] That came his way. So that those. Who would. Know to look to him. Would know the blessing. That he alone. Could. Confer upon us. Bless us up.
[36:39] Bless us each one. We pray. Continue to watch over us. We ask. And now may grace. Mercy and peace. From God the Father. The Son. And the Holy Spirit. Rest and abide with you.
[36:50] All now and always. Amen.