[0:00] Welcome to our service this evening. We pray God's blessing on our time together under the Gospel.
[0:12] Just one additional intimation. It wasn't in the paper format. A meeting of the Deacons Court will take place on Thursday evening, immediately after the prayer meeting.
[0:25] It is a meeting of the Deacons Court. We can begin by singing from Psalm 90. Psalm 90 from the beginning of the Psalm.
[0:40] And we're singing to verse 7. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in generations all, before thou ever hadst brought forth the mountains, great or small.
[0:54] Ere ever thou hadst formed the earth and all the world abroad, even thou from everlasting earth to everlasting God. Thou dost unto destruction man at his mortal turn, and unto them thou say'st again ye sons of men return.
[1:11] Because a thousand years appear no more before thy sight than yesterday, when it is past or than awash by night. As with an overflowing flood thou carryest them away, they like a sleep bar, like the grass that grows at morn at thee.
[1:31] At morn it flourishes and grows, cut down at the even doth fade, for by thine anger we're consumed, thy wrath makes us afraid.
[1:44] And so on. We can sing verses 1 to 7 of Psalm 90. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in generations all. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in generations all, before the heaven has brought forth, the mother who has been your dwelling place in generations all.
[2:31] Ere ever thou who has formed the earth, and all the world has drawn.
[2:50] In the remember of the God, who ever has gained all.
[3:09] Thou dost a good instruction, my mind is more alert.
[3:28] I've known to them, the spirit is young yet.
[3:40] It is, the love of heaven, and all the world has returned. It calls us, the earth of heaven.
[4:00] No more before I shine. Not yesterday when it is not for life.
[4:21] Not today when it is not for life. As with an open open God.
[4:38] The fire shall away. This night shall sleep.
[4:51] My eyes shall not. Now, O sun, O night.
[5:05] And morning, the rich sun goes.
[5:16] Come, thou who are not healed away. For my anger will consume.
[5:35] Thy unbaked souls of it. Let us join together in prayer.
[5:49] Let us pray. Let us pray. Gracious God, as we come before you at this time, we pray for your own hand to be upon us, mercyfully, undertaken for us in our weakness and importunity.
[6:08] We know not what to pray for or ask as we ought, even when it is our duty or privilege to call upon your name and lead others into prayer.
[6:24] And we know that oftentimes we find ourselves as if dumb in the presence of God, because we feel ourselves to be no better than the brute beasts.
[6:44] And we acknowledge our wickedness, our sinfulness, our disinclination to give you the place that is rightfully yours as God, and to come with praise and thanksgiving into your presence.
[7:07] This is our created want. This is our created want. We were created in your image, and we were created for that specific end. Whatever we see to be done in this world, and we lay claim to ourselves for the great things that we expect to achieve.
[7:30] And yet, the greatest of our experiences or our activities pale into insignificance with the passage of time.
[7:45] And yet, the greatest of our lives of God, and yet you have elevated mere creatures such as we are to a place of privilege. And the psalmist of old asked the question, what is man that you are mindful of?
[8:05] The son of man that you are mindful of? The son of man that you would remember him in this way, that you would visit us so often and so much with your hand extended to us in mercy, and full of the bounties of heaven to impart to us.
[8:25] And yet, we choose to despise these good things, and instead stretch withering hands to lay hold of withering gifts and graces.
[8:40] Our own making and making of others like us, things that perish with the using, are chosen over and against the things that are eternal.
[8:57] We confess our sin in all these ways, and pray for mercy in and through the person of your son Jesus Christ, in whose name we are met, and whose bounties we seek.
[9:14] We pray for our homes, and our families. We pray for our neighbours, our friends. We pray for the extended community, our nation, and all the nations of the earth.
[9:29] We give thanks for the privilege of being so able to do that, that we can bring our concerns and cares into the throne room of heaven.
[9:41] There is no greater privilege afforded us than that we can pour out our heart before you, and yet we so seldom do it.
[9:52] And we confess that and pray forgiveness for the many ways in which we neglect such precious privileges. Even the privilege of being able to come to hear the word of God proclaimed, and to bring the gospel of free grace to our attention.
[10:14] We pray for your blessing and all who endeavour to do that very thing. And we think of what others have experienced in past generations, and how much you chose to bless your word to vast numbers.
[10:33] And yet, it is eternity that will tell where true blessing lay. Who discovered for themselves the preciousness of Christ, and who knew him as their Lord.
[10:50] It is not numbers that determine the success of your word. And it may well be that what was once classified as the proclamation of the gospel were mere gatherings for entertainment.
[11:08] And the more distinct the preacher, the more elaborate the proclamation of the truth, the more we are drawn to it.
[11:19] And yet we know that in our own experience, it is the word that is blessed, and it is in the mouth of those who are diligent in hearing the word that God has given to them to proclaim.
[11:37] And as they so do what they have been taught to do, the blessing follows. And we marvel at the way in which your word describes to us the earnest preaching of our Lord and of his servants, the apostles, even the prophets of old, who were given what filled their mouth from on high.
[12:04] And yet so few chose to hear and to obey what you spoke through them. We pray for your mercy to us, even in our generation, so that we would listen to what God the Lord is speaking, and that we would understand that your voice is to the sons of men even to this day.
[12:28] We ask your blessing upon all who have been entrusted with the proclamation of truth in our villages, in our towns, in our cities, and throughout our land.
[12:41] We pray for the missionaries of the cross, who cross the seas to go to other lands to proclaim the truth, and to do so with a self-denying awareness of the burning necessity that is upon them to preach the gospel.
[13:01] Woe is me, said another, if I preach not the gospel. And perhaps that is how some consider it. They are burdened to set Christ before the men and the women and the children of this world.
[13:17] And we are thankful to you for those who are coming into our own land to preach the gospel. We are thankful to you for the blessing of God, and we are thankful to you for the blessing of God.
[13:32] Now, devoid of such blessing and in need of others to come from foreign lands to preach that same gospel to us. We give thanks for the gospel that is preached, that is the truth of God concerning the salvation of our soul.
[13:52] So blessed we pray, and remember all who are sin-seeked and in desperate need of having an introduction afresh to the person of Jesus Christ as the alone Savior of sinners.
[14:08] We pray that you would lift him up before us even tonight, that we may know something of his glory in his mercy and in his grace.
[14:19] We remember in your presence the needs of the few amongst us as the needs of the many. Those who have temporal need, we commit and commend to you.
[14:31] Those who have illness, for which they need the administration of doctors and nurses, bless them we pray, whether they are in their own homes or being cared for in homes appointed to that end.
[14:45] Remember those in hospital, some of our own congregation who are still very much a part of our fellowship and in need of being appellate in prayer.
[14:59] So we do seek your grace in order that we be faithful in fulfilling that calling. We ask that you would remember the grieving and the sorrowful.
[15:12] There are always many amongst us who, if they are not newly bereaved, that there are memories that are rekindled by the experience of others.
[15:24] And to that end, we seek that you would alleviate their hurts and bind their wounds. So hear our prayers and petitions on behalf of those who do not pray for themselves, those who are incapable of so doing, or who desire not so to do.
[15:48] We pray for them and ask that you would uphold us all on the shoulders of prayer, that collectively we would know your blessing. God, guiding even as we turn to your word in singing your praises, pardon our sins, in Jesus name, Amen.
[16:09] We are going to sing now from Psalm 138. Psalm 138. We can read the whole Psalm.
[16:20] And we are going to sing from verse 3 to the end. Thee will I praise with all my heart. I will sing praise to thee before the gods and worship will toward thy sanctuary.
[16:36] I'll praise thy name even for thy truth and kindness of thy love. For thou thy word has magnified all thy great name above.
[16:48] Thou didst me answer in the day when I to thee did cry, and thou, my fainting soul, with strength didst strengthen inwardly. All kings upon the earth that doth shall give thee praise, O Lord, whenas they from thy mouth shall hear thy true and faithful word.
[17:08] Yea, in the righteous ways of God, with gladness they shall sing. For great's the glory of the Lord, who doth forever reign. Though God be high, yet he respects all those that lowly be.
[17:25] Whereas the proud and lofty ones are far off, knoweth he. Though I in midst of trouble walk, I life from thee shall have. Against my foe's wrath I'll stretch thine hand.
[17:39] Thy right hand shall me save. Surely that which concerneth me the Lord will perfect make. Lord, still thy mercy lasts.
[17:51] Do not thine own hands works forsake. From verse 3 to the end of the psalm, Psalm 138, Thou didst me answer in the day when I to thee did cry.
[18:09] Thou didst me answer in the day when I to thee did cry.
[18:25] I love my pending soul when I to thee did say. Thou didst me answer in the day when I to thee did cry.
[18:42] All kings upon the earth that I shall give thee grace, O Lord.
[18:58] When I to thee did cry. When I to thee did cry. When I to thee did cry. When I to thee did cry. When I to thee did cry. Thou didst me cry. Thy true unfaithful word.
[19:13] Ye in the righteous wisdom God.
[19:24] With gladness they shall sing. For great the glory of the Lord.
[19:40] Who doth forever reign. And the Lord. Though God be high.
[19:54] Yet he respects. All those that lowly be.
[20:05] Where does the proud and lonely was. Of God.
[20:16] How far of no worthy. Though I in place of troubled war.
[20:32] I lie from thee shall have. Yet my whole brother.
[20:45] Let thy heart. Thy right hand shall be saved.
[20:57] Surely thou wish concern me. The Lord will help me.
[21:13] Lord still thy mercy. Lord still thy mercy. Thus do not. Thy own hands work for a day.
[21:31] Amen. We are going to read the word of God. As we have it in the New Testament scriptures. The first epistle general of Peter.
[21:42] And we are reading from chapter 1. 1 Peter, chapter 1. We will read the whole chapter.
[21:54] Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, and to obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, grace unto you and peace be multiplied.
[22:26] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.
[22:59] Wherein ye greatly rejoice, for now for a season if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations. Let the trial of your faith, being much 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.
[23:33] Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls, of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you, searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand, the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow, unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us, did administer the things which are now reported unto you, by them that have preached the gospel unto you, with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, which things the angel desired to look unto.
[24:24] Therefore, wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you, at the revelation of Jesus Christ, as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance, but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, because it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy.
[24:57] And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of patience judges, according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear, for as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.
[25:38] For by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit, unto infinite love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently, being born again not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever.
[26:10] For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away, but the word of the Lord endureth forever.
[26:27] And this is the word, which by the gospel is preached unto you. Amen, and may the Lord add his blessing to our reading of his word.
[26:39] To his name be the praise. We can sing now from Psalm 103. Psalm 103, and we're singing from verse 11 down to verse 17.
[26:56] For as the heaven in its height, the earth surmounteth far, so great to those that do whom fear his tender mercy's heart. As far as the east is distant from the west, so far hath he from us removed in his love all our iniquity.
[27:15] Such pity as our father hath unto his children dear, like pity shows the Lord to such as worship him in fear. For he remembers we are dust, and he our frame well knows.
[27:29] Frail man, his days are like the grass, as flowering field he grows. For over it the wind hath passed, and it away is gone. And of the place where once it was, it shall no more be known.
[27:43] But unto them that do him fear, God's mercy never ends. And to their children's children still his righteousness extends.
[27:54] And so on. Singing from verse 11 to 17, Psalm 103, For as the heaven in its height, the earth surmounteth far.
[28:06] For as the heaven in its height, the earth surmounteth far.
[28:25] So great to those that do him fear, his heaven in its height, As far as he in decision from the west, so far as he, from as we mourn in his love, all our renequity, such fading as the Father, and who is calm and near, like fading shows the Lord to such as the Lord to such.
[29:45] As the heaven in his heart, for he remembers beyond us, and he, O criminal, P WrestleP правильно, and who is manifest in him His love, in our Pages, or Protestant gospel, and who...
[30:27] For B funds are, and who are clothing, that its truly amazing and improves, and who are well with art, blood and flesh, and who do not survive, And in a way is gone And of the place where once it was It shall no more be gone But unto them thy new hymn here God's mercy never ends Unto their children's children's death
[31:30] Is righteous, yes, yes, yes Can we turn to this passage that we read together in the New Testament Scriptures 1st Epistle General of Peter, chapter 1 And we can read again at verse 22 Chapter 1, reading at verse 22 Seeing ye have purified your souls In obeying the truth Through the Spirit And to an faint love of the brethren See that ye love one another With a pure heart fervently Being born again not of corruptible seed But of incorruptible
[32:31] By the word of God Which liveth and abideth forever For all flesh is as grass And all the glory of man As the flower of grass The grass withereth And the flower thereof falleth away But the word of the Lord Endureth forever And this is the word And this is the word Which by the gospel Is preached unto you For all flesh is as grass And all the glory of man As the flower of grass As the flower of man Thursday evening In the prayer meeting We looked for a short time At the words of the prophet Isaiah In chapter 40 And the words that we have
[33:31] In that chapter The glory of the Lord Shall be revealed And all flesh shall see it together For the mouth of the Lord Hath spoken it Now immediately after These words in Isaiah 40 We have the words That the apostle Peter Is quoting here In this chapter Verses 6 to 8 In Isaiah 40 As usual When you do have Quotations Sometimes The quotation Is not as accurate As you would expect it to be For a direct quotation Sometimes It may be paraphrased If you can imagine Many of ourselves If we are asked to pray publicly
[34:32] We refer to passages Of the scripture And we More or less Quote the verbatim Sometimes very accurately Sometimes less so And It is not a word for word Quotation That we find here But that could be That it is Some would suggest That it is done From memory Some suggest That it is done From A different Version of the scripture Now that Brings us all Into all kinds Of Of complicated Arguments Because Of the fact That the scripture As a whole Is God's word And it is inspired As a whole And the inspiration Of the word Demands That we understand That the word Is As it is Meant to be
[35:32] So Peter Is inspired When he quotes The word of scripture And he is referring To the words Of the prophet Isaiah And Whether The accuracy Of What he is Quoting Can be verified Or not Is not really An issue Because Without question The apostle Is Someone who Is sent By God To proclaim His word To us And he may Refer To Other passages Of scripture That are Also God's word Inspired By the spirit Conveying A certain Truth To us Now Looking at These words And remembering Their context In the Old testament We have To Understand That they do Have a Historical context
[36:34] They do Have a purpose Historically As we explored On Thursday evening The Words Prior To this And including The words That are quoted By Peter They were Meaningful To the people Who heard These words Because Sooner Rather than Later They were Going to Encounter Trials And testings There would Be An opposing Force That would Invade the land And many Of that Number Not necessarily Contemporary Of the prophet Isaiah But following On from His ministry Who would Be taken Into Bondage Who would Be taken Us As Slaves And so on Into Babylon And the word Of God Is given
[37:34] To Israel To Judah At that time In order To encourage Them And to Comfort Them Knowing That Such an Oppression May come But God Is in Control Of it Now Looking At the way The apostle Peter Uses These words In his own Situation Remember He is Speaking To a People Who as You saw Described At the Beginning Of the Chapter They are Scattered Believers Believers Who are Gathered From all Over Asia And they Have Come to Know the Gospel Know the Christ of The Gospel And under Persecution They have Been Part of The new Diaspora Forced to Spread Throughout The land Strangers Scattered Throughout Pontus Galatia Cappadocia
[38:35] Asia And Bithynia And so On So Peter Has a Mission Has a Ministry To them To encourage Them And to Build them Up in Their Faith So that What they Encounter Will not Challenge Them Over Much The Temptation Is When Persecution Comes That the Believer May Submit To that Persecution But He takes The words Of Isaiah And he Reminds Them Of who They are And Who they Are Are God's People Who have Come to Faith In the Lord Jesus Christ By the Way Of the Truth Of God And in Verse 22 We read Seeing you Have Purified Your Souls In Obeying The Truth Through The Spirit Unto Unfeigned
[39:35] Love Of The Brethren See That You Love One Another Of A Pure Heart Fervently At At The Heart Of That Statement Is The Understanding That God's Word Is The Means By Which They Came To Faith Whatever Else accompanies It Extends Into All Areas Of Their Life But Essentially For Them They Are Believers Because God's Word Has Come To Them And They Have Been Saved Through It And In Verses 24 And 25 You Appear To Be Confronted With A Deliberate Contrast Made Between Two Things The Flesh And The Word And These Two Are You Know If You Had If You Had The Flesh Or Two Kinds Of Flesh Contrasted It
[40:36] Might Make More Sense To You Or If You Had Two Kinds Of Word Contrasted It Might Be Easier To Understand But What He Is Doing Is He Is Speaking About The Flesh And Saying It Is Of This Sort And He Is Speaking About The Word And He Is Saying This Is What The Word Is Like And It Is A Deliberate Contrast Between Two Things That Might Appear To Us Not Not Suitable For Contrasting But The Reason For Him Doing This Will Become More Obvious As We Explore What He Is Teaching By So The First Thing That He Says Is He Is Speaking About The
[41:36] Flesh Or Humankind Mankind Womankind All Men And All Women Of Every Generation This Is What Is True Of Them They Are Like Grass And The Glory Of Man As The Flower Of Grass The Grass Withers And The Flower Thereof Falleth Away He Is Saying Something Very Particular About Humankind Mankind Womankind He Than Fading Grass The Seed Of The Grass The Flowers Of The Field This Is What Man Is Like But Then He Says Unlike That The Word Of God It Does Not Perish It Endures It
[42:36] Abides It Continues And These Are The Two Things That Are Brought Face To Face As It Were And The Reason He Makes That Contrast Is Because Of How He Concludes This Chapter And Its Connection With What Comes In Verse 23 Remember He Is Speaking To Christians He Is Speaking To Believers And What Is True About The Believer Is That They Are Born Again By The Spirit Of God Through The Word Of God And Because Of The Fact That They Are Born Again By The Spirit Of God Using The Word Of God That Means That Unlike Mankind Womankind Whoever They Are If They Are Born Again This Must Be True Of Them So
[43:38] That's The Three Things That We Need To Focus On First Of All Flesh Is Grass As Grass All Men Are Like Grass And I Think Peter Is In Making This Contrast I Think He He He Understands Better Than We Realize The Nature Of Man In That That Statement Itself Is A Statement That Man Is Uncomfortable With Because If You Think About It We Are Considerably More Important Than Something That Grows Out Of The Ground The
[44:39] Herbs And The Plants And The Flowers No Matter How Useful They Are No Matter How Pretty They Are They Are In Consequential When Compared To Us We Have Purpose We Have A Role To Play We Have Intelligence We Have A Place On The Scene Of Time That Will Be Marked And Remembered Celebrated It Whereas Unlike Us Plant Life We Observe It We Make Use Of It It Comes And It Goes And We Take Note Of It But Barely That It Sustains Us It Gives Us Pleasure Well As Long As You Are Not Cutting The Lawn Too Often But It's Grass Once
[45:39] You Cut It It Dies It Perishes It's No Use It's Of No More Use Usually Anyway But The Thing Is He Says We Are Like The Grass We Are Like A Seed And The Flowers In That It Withers The Flowers Fall Away And This Is What Must Be Accepted No Matter What Now That Should Not Be A Surprise To Us Because In The Scripture We Find It Repeatedly Brought To Our Attention We See It Round About Us We See It Life Telling Us That It Is A Life That Is Short Lived At The Longest Possible Measurement Youth Is Followed By Old Age And Before You Know It Those
[46:39] Of Us Who Enjoyed The Strength And The Vigour Of Youth Will Soon Be Struggling With The Decrepitude Of The Passage Of Years We We're We're All Too Familiar With The Fact Of Of This Modern Generation That Are So Proud Of Their Bodies Of Their Faces Of Their Abilities Be it Mental Or Physical It Doesn't Matter These Are These are The Things That Are Celebrated But What is Forgotten For the Most Part Is that It is a Passage Passing Thing They Perish They The Glory Of Man Is Quickly Gone Away I suppose I'd Better Not Say Sometimes When You See Some Some
[47:39] Past Stars Of Stage And Screen They're Striving To Preserve Their Once Beautiful Figures Or Faces And You Cannot Hide The Fact That Age Is Catching Up On Them Too Often Their Struggles Are Not Serving Them Well But Peter Says That's The Way It Is And There's No Getting Away From It The Psalm That We Sang There Psalm 103 It Tells Us That God Knows That This Is What Is True Of Us Frail Man His Days Are Like The Grass's Flowering Field He Grows For Over It The Wind Does Pass And It Away Is Gone And Of The Place Where Once It Was It Shall No More Be Known I
[48:41] I Was Reminded Of A Number Of Years Ago I Planted A Lot Of Bulbs In The Garden And I Had Never In My Endeavors Had Such A Beautiful Display Of Flowers From Bulbs But In One Night They Were Decapitated The Wind Came And Their Beauty Was Decimated But It Is Like That When It Comes To What Man Is Like By Nature Maybe Not One Night But One Night Or Many Nights And What Is True By Nature Will Be Fulfilled By Nature Man's Glory It Will Be Removed The Grass Withereth The Flower Thereof Falleth Away Now That's What Peter Is Saying This Is How It Is This Is What
[49:41] Is True And There Is No Avoiding The Fact For Every One Of Us The Passage Of Time Will Secure The End That God Has Decreed But The Thing That's Important In This Passage Is This Is Almost A By The Way As Far As Peter Is Concered What's Important For Him Is This The Gospel Of Jesus Christ That Is What He Is Intent On Preaching That Is What He Is Intent On Bringing To The Attention Of The Hearer Because He Knows That The Word That Proclaims Christ To Men And Women Who Are Destined To Suffer Destruction Is The Only Security That Will Prepare Them For It This
[50:42] Is A Positive Message On The Part Of The Apostle Man Is Like That But God Is Not His Word Is Like Himself And His Word Endureth Forever Notice Again The Contrast Proud Man Boasts In Prowess That Is Of The Flesh And Dismisses The Word Of God Is That Not The Case How Much Disdain There Is In The World Directed Against The Word Of God And Yet The Very People Who Despise The Word Of God Are Perishing They Are Destined To Encounter The Truth Being Fulfilled In Their Experience That
[51:43] Their Glory You Know There Are So Many And You Notice That When You Listen To Our Generation And Many Of Them Proudly And Boldly And Repeatedly Proclaiming The Philosophy Of This Generation Concerning Sexuality Concerning All Kinds Of Woke Culture That Is Prevalent And They Do It Knowing That There Are Plenty Of People Who Support What They Say They Can Do It Knowing That They Can Comfortly Assert What They Believe To Be True Even When It Defies God's Truth And Yet These Very People Will Soon Be Perishing Or Have Their Glory Taken From Them Their Abilities Their Proud Possession Of Faculty Of Reason
[52:43] So So Called Will Be Removed And The Very Thing They Despise The Very Thing They Reject Is Still The Way It Has Always Been Lachlan Mackenzie In Preaching On The Words Of The Apostle Peter I Think There Were A Series Of Semons That He Preached On A Prayer Meeting And He Says A Few Words Just A Few Words On The Whole Of The Epistle But He Wrote This The Word That Was Spoken To Adam To Abraham And To The Prophets Is As Fresh This Day As It Was When It Was Spoken To Them Do Do You Believe That It Is The Same Word The Same Word That Convinced Abraham That There Was A Saviour Prepared By God For The Salvation Of Sinners That He
[53:43] Looked Towards And Trusted In For The Salvation Of His Own Soul The Word That Was Meaningful To Him That Sustained Him In His Faith That Made Him The Father Of The Faithful Is The Word That Still Endures Today That Is Still Preached Today In This Pulpit And In The Pulpits Of Our Island And Throughout The Land Where The Gospel Is Still The Gospel The Good News Of Salvation The Same Word Because It Is God's Word And Because It Is God's Word It Endures And That's What Peter Is Saying Remember The Words Of Psalm 102 Of Old Thou Hast Laid The Foundation Of The Earth And The Heavens Are The Works Of Thy Hands They Shall Perish But Thou Shalt Endure Yea All Of Them Shall Walk Sold Like A Garment And A Sabestia Shalt Thou
[54:43] Thou Change Them And They Shall Be Changed But Thou Art The Same He Says And Thy Years Shall Have No End And The God Of Whom That Speaks Is The God Whose Word We Have Before Us And His Word Is A Word That Has A Permanence And A Certainty That Will Not Change No Matter What Culture It Is Presented To No Matter Which Pulpit Is Presented From God's Word As Long As It Is The Word That God Has Given To Us Shall Not Deviate From The God Who Gave It For The Purpose That He Meant It And The Purpose For Which He Meant It Is To Quicken The Lives Quicken The Souls Of Lost Sinners And To Sustain Them Once They Are Quickened To Enliven Them And Maintain That Life In Them This
[55:44] Word Is Not Changed Regardless Of Context Or Century Or Whoever It Is That Proclaims It As Long As They Are Adhering To The One Whose Word It Is Interestingly I Was Looking At The Prophecy In Isaiah And The Comments Of John L.
[56:06] Mackay On That Prophecy And He Maintains That There Is Something Additional That Might Not Be Immediately Obvious Because He Rackoned Anyway That That As Well As It Being A Focus If You Like On The Perishing Nature Of The Outward Beauty That The Flower Or The Grass Presents That There Is More Importantly This Thought Being Found There The Inability Of Mankind To Remain True To Their Word And John L.
[56:53] Quotes A Passage From Hosea Where The Prophet Hosea Says Your Goodness Is As The Morning Cloud And As The Early Jew It Goeth Away In Fact What He Is Saying Perhaps May Well Be Part Of What The Apostle Has In Mind Certainly There Is A A Steadfastness That Can Only Be Achieved By God And Not Man There Is An Honesty And Integrity That Will Not Be Surrendered At Any Level Or For Any Reason Man Does Not Possess That But God Does What He Has Promised He Will Fulfill What He Is Doing He Will Continue Doing And Once He Has Done All He Desires To Do He Will Do Whatever It Is That Will Bring That To An End In His Own Time
[57:54] The Key Thing For Us I Think Is To Notice The Words At The End Of Verse 25 The Word Of The Lord Endureth Forever And This Is The Word Which By The Gospel Is Preached Unto You The Gospel Is A Word That Is Enduring It Doesn't Change Next Week You Will Not Hear Of A Different Christ Next Week You Won't Hear Of A Different Way Of Salvation You Will Not Hear Of A Different Means Of Salvation God Has Decreed The Salvation Of Sinners By Way Of The Cross Of Jesus Christ That Is That Is The Message From Man To Man Whoever It Is That God Has Appointed To Clear That Message You Can Trust In It For That Reason Look
[58:55] At The Way I Saw To Look Link Back To Verse 23 Being Born Again He Says Not Of Corruptible Seed But Of Incorruptible By The Word Of God Which Loves And Abideth Forever The Result Of The Preaching Of The Word Is To Secure Eternal Life That Life Is Initiated By God Created In Us By God You Are Born Again By The Spirit Of God Using The Word Of God Applying The Word Of God To Sin Fractured Hearts God And God Is The Means By Which That Is Done And That Is Not A Thing That Changes Every Christian Is Born Again Why Because Every Christian Must Be Born Again You've Heard That Said Umpteen Times So
[59:56] Rabbi Duncan And One Of The Preachers Who Said That In Response To Why Do You Preach You Must Be Born Again Why Because You Must Well The Preaching Of The Word Is Intent Intent Upon Being The Means By Which You Are Born Again And They Are Born Again Of What Incorruptible Seed He Says The Incorruptible Seed That Is The Word And That Same Incorruptible Word Is What Sustains You A Believer All The Days Of Your Life Keeps You Alive Spiritually Keeps You Close To God Because The Word Is The Word That Speaks To You Concerning The Needs Of Your Soul And How They Are To Be Met In A Commentary Written By Archbishop
[60:57] Leighton He Lowe He Lived In A Day For The Church Of England I Think He Was Church Of England Was Far Sounder Than It Is Today But This Is What He Said As The Word Word Of God In It Cannot Be Abolished But Suppresses The Permanence Of Heaven And Earth It It Provides It It It Brings To Our Attention The Things That Cannot Be Changed By Circumstance Or Events In The World Those Who Have Experienced The Word Of God Quickening Them Enlivening Them Will Always Encounter The Hostility That Is In The Word Against The Word That's
[61:58] Important But All The Attempts He Says Of Men Against The Divine Truth Of That Word To Undo It Are As Vain As If They Should Block The Sun Out Of The Firmin So Likewise In The Heart Of A Christian It Is Immortal And Incorruptible And That Is The Message That The Apostle Wishes To Convey Because It Is God's Word Every Endeavor To Wrench It Out Of Its Proper Order To Make It Say What It Doesn't Say To Pretend That It Is Saying Something That Is Contradictory That May Be Ongoing But The Word Itself Remains Steadfast And Sure Because The God Of Heaven Is
[62:58] The Same God Who Gave That Word The Flesh He Says Is As Grass It Is Displaying All Indications Of Mortality But The Grass That Withers The Flower That Falleth Away Mankind That Comes To Encounter The Living Word Of God Will Live On The Word Lives In Them And They Will Live On With That Word In Their Heart And This Is The Word He Says By Which The Gospel Is Preached Into You It Seems That He's So Emphatic And The Reason He's So Emphatic Is Because Of Of The Hostility There Is In The World To That Gospel To Those Who Believe In That Gospel What's The Answer To That Trust
[63:59] In The Word Trust In The God Of The Word Trust In The Gospel That Is The Only Way By Which Sinners Are Saved Regardless Of What This World Teaches This World Which Have You Believe And Turn Your Back On This Is The World By Which The Gospel Is Preached To You That's What He Says Well May God Encourage Us To Believe That Salvation Is His Doing By Way Of His Truth And His Truth Will Be What Stands Regardless No Matter What This World Teaches And What This World Says The Truth Of God Will Prove Itself To Be That Very Thing True Let Us Pray Help Us Oh God To Remind Ourselves That You Are A God Of Truth That You Are
[64:59] The One Who Is Never Found To Deviate From What Is True The Son Of Your Bosom Is The One By Whom Promises Are Declared And All Promises Are He And Amen Amen Watch over us to nurture and cultivate the truth in our hearts so that we would preserve it with your help and ensure that we would not allow it to be eroded in any way or the veracity of it to be denied to the detriment of our spiritual lives.
[65:45] Watch over us for giving sin in Jesus. Amen. I'm going to conclude by singing some verses from Psalm 92.
[65:56] Psalm 92. Words that describe to us the ongoing engagement of the child of God with God's word and the certainty that they have that this will be true of them.
[66:16] Psalm 92 at verse 12 But like the palm tree flourishing shall be the righteous one he shall like to the seed or grow that is in Lebanon those that within the house of God are planted by his grace they shall grow up and flourish all in our God's holy place and in old age when others fade they fruit still forth shall bring they shall be fat and full of sap and I be flourishing to show that upright is the Lord he is a rock to me and he from all unrighteousness is all together free but like the palm tree flourishing shall be the righteous one.
[67:03] O God's holy, the palm tree flourishing shall be the righteous one he shall lie to the sinner, O that is in Lebanon those that are in the house of God are planted by his grace they shall rule the mountain in the house of God's holy place and in all the children and in all the children they shall be the righteous one they shall be the righteous one they shall be the righteous one they shall be the righteous one they shall be the righteous one
[68:54] Satsang with Mooji Oh yes, I'm here.
[69:32] May grace, mercy, and peace be God the Father, the Son of the Holy Spirit rest and abide with you all, now and always. Amen.