Vile sinners quickened (Quality: Average)

[0:00] The prophecy of Ezekiel, chapter 16, and verse 6, and verse 8.

[0:16] The prophecy of Ezekiel, the 16th chapter, verse 6, and verse 8. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee, When thou wast in thy blood, live.

[0:43] Yea, I said unto thee, When thou wast in thy blood, live. Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, Behold, thy time was a time of love.

[1:00] And I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness. Yea, I swear unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine.

[1:21] Amen. We spoke a little of the sixth verse this morning. We'll just gather, as it were, a few things together, respecting that sixth verse.

[1:40] We said in the beginning that it was a thus saith the Lord to Jerusalem. And although there is, of course, historical purposes in the prophecy, we said that Jerusalem was the type of the Church of Christ.

[2:04] And many places in the Scriptures we are reminded of that. That rather than to keep, as it were, to the historical, which in itself is interesting, and that's all that we might draw from the spiritual, which, if it may please the Lord, may be profitable unto our souls.

[2:30] And the condition that the Lord speaks of here, respecting his national people, is indeed applicable and very true to the Scripture of what it is to be his spiritual people.

[2:50] And this remarkable and blessed work, which we shall attend to this night, is because he would.

[3:03] Because those that are Christ's, those that are, whose names are recorded in the book of life, that they shall be saved from all their sins, they shall be delivered from all iniquity, that they shall be living souls in Zion, and they shall be in that covenant, which is ordered in all things and sure, that eternal covenant of grace and of love.

[3:36] And true religion, a gracious work is of God, and that which is for your salvation, must surely be of God.

[4:14] For there is none I that pitied to do any of these things unto thee. And try as you will, and many do, and think they succeed.

[4:25] It is only by the mercy and grace of God that you shall indeed, and I shall indeed, come into that which shall be for our eternal profit.

[4:40] But the people of God are saved with an eternal salvation. And there is that blessed work which the Lord himself must do, and indeed, for his people shall do.

[4:58] It isn't retrieving something which is a bit better than the rest of this world. It is to retrieve them from their pollution.

[5:12] That is what we discovered when I passed by the I saw thee polluted in thine blood, in thine own blood. How unattractive is a sinner.

[5:26] How unattractive. Is there anything that is of a sinner that is attractive? It cannot be so, my friends, because sin mars.

[5:39] Sin will bring distress. And sin is that dreadful work within which by nature you and I shall know that when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted.

[5:58] He said, can there ever be a more description of mercy? God's eternal choice was not diverted because of the pollution.

[6:12] In fact, that was the cause of his eternal choice because his people were polluted. When he sent his son into the world, it was to save sinners.

[6:25] And so he saw them in their polluted state, polluted in thine own blood, and decreed and appointed their deliverance and their salvation.

[6:38] And we said too, it's this wonderful word which has authority, which has power, and surely which has mercy. And it's the Lord's voice that speaks here.

[6:51] I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thy own blood. I said unto thee, when thou wast in thy blood, live.

[7:02] Yea, I said unto thee, when thou wast in thy blood, live. that wonderful work of regeneration was begun.

[7:15] That effectual calling was begun. That wonderful work of life in the soul was begun. Read again, we mentioned, I think, that word of the Lord Jesus Christ in the third chapter of John's Gospel, and the Pharisee Nicodemus was indeed to be taught what it was to be born again.

[7:47] Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? Well, my friends, what solemn and yet what ignorant views he had of what it was to be born of the Spirit.

[8:02] that life in the soul begun, that life shall not know death. That is eternal death. You and I shall know death because our body shall die.

[8:16] All that is sinful is indeed decreed that it shall be. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

[8:29] And though you may feel your spiritual life is at a very low ebb, though you might come into these places where you might think it's even past that low state and ebb, and you might think it's as dead as your old nature.

[8:47] But it cannot, my friends. It cannot. And sooner or later, the Lord will show you that it isn't. And sooner or later, by good means or hard means, he will prove to you that it is a dead.

[9:06] Because while there's life and the soul, that blessed work of grace will go on and increase. And the purposes of God will never be thwarted by your frames or feelings.

[9:22] I said unto thee, when thou wast in thy blood, live, death, and there's no power in this world, and there's no power in the pit that can prevent it, they will try, and it's one of the most solemn evidences, and yet one of the most sure evidences, though it may be often called a negative evidence, but if you've got a gracious work, you'll have an enemy, and you'll find that that enemy will oppose the work of grace in every step of the way, or he'll try and tear down that comfort and hope that grace will bring, he will pour scorn upon experience of spiritual things, and then he will lead you into paths of iniquity and sin, and then he'll condemn you as a sinner.

[10:19] Oh, I've been in those places and times when I've sat in my seat in the Lord's house, with the fury of Satan in my ears, as it were condemning me for being there, and when I've had to look back in the weakness gone, I've had to say it was you, O enemy of my soul, that brought me there.

[10:42] Yea, I said unto thee, when thou wast in thy blood, live. And we looked at one or two things, which was the evidences of spiritual life, too.

[10:54] And we tried to speak a little too, of what that spiritual life rested upon, what it shall be fed by, how that it shall be kept alive, not that it can die, but it will live on spiritual food, won't live on the husks that the swine shall eat.

[11:12] It will live on the pure truth of the gospel, and it shall indeed rest upon and feed upon the precious person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[11:24] And as in natural birth, so in spiritual birth, there will be the hearing of the ear, there will be the understanding of the spirit, and there will be the sight of the eye, that is faith, working in the heart, and there will be that communication from the glories of Eden, which shall keep this soul and I.

[11:51] And I hope we may look now at verse 8, and it has, of course, its familiarity with the sixth verse, now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was a time of love.

[12:12] We said as we began the sixth verse, it was an evidence of mercy, now it's an evidence of love. And dear friends, whatever you say about the work of grace, and sometimes you perhaps may not recognise it to be the work of grace, but this blessed word that we have here is the foundation of the Lord's dealings with his people, from the beginning to the end, and indeed throughout eternity.

[12:45] Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was a time of love. Oh, I might hear some say, oh, that it might be proved.

[13:01] Oh, that it might be proved even today, in this Sabbath day, even in the evening of the Sabbath day, in the house of the Lord, that we might have it proved to us, by the blessed spirit, not by me, by the blessed spirit, that the Lord's dealings with you are dealings in love.

[13:23] I've said so many times, we might say it again, the Lord knows, my friends, held that you might know this truth in your soul, that thy time was a time of love, from beginning to end, from the first breath of spiritual life that you drew, to that time when he shall take you into the glories of Emmanuel's land, it will be a time of love.

[13:53] And then I hear that some will say, now, if you had my sinful heart, or if you had my tribulation, it seems to be anything but love.

[14:06] Well, my friends, there's two words in the scriptures which you may take heed to this night, words which will indeed perhaps prove to you the truth of what it is to be left, and what it is to be kept, those who are left.

[14:30] We spoke of them this morning to go their way, to go through and by and directed by the inclinations of their old nature, and are left to do so, and shall come to the end of the journey, fall into hell.

[14:46] My friends, there are those who, under the divine grace of God, are kept from that past. God's love. Now, what was it then?

[14:58] What was it that it was determined for his people, and, oh, may we venture to say to us here this night, those amongst us who desire the mercy of God and seek after it, what was it therefore that made the difference?

[15:18] Now, when I passed by thee and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was a time of love. Oh, you'll say, well, here am I, a perishing sinner, and it's just what I want, and it's just what I don't seem to feel.

[15:38] My friends, if he's begun to deal with you, then he's begun to deal with you because he's loved you. If you were able, and I mean in a spiritual ability, not a natural ability, if you by the blessed in shinings of the Holy Spirit was transported by faith to Calvary's tree, you will find there a work that the Lord Jesus Christ was to accomplish.

[16:12] You would find there, if you was enabled to remain there for a few moments of experience, that it was a work of love. It was to deal with the sins of the people of God, and it was to deal with those sins that the blessed Lord Jesus Christ entered into that covenant of love, that covenant of grace, that covenant of mercy.

[16:40] Oh, the depths of that love, the extent of that mercy. My friends, whatever he has done, whatever he will do, will be a time of love.

[16:55] We looked at one or two hymns this afternoon and came across a little encouragement in one of one or two of them.

[17:08] In hymn 96, and the second verse was very applicable, I trust. O grace, thou bottomless abyss.

[17:20] My sins are swallowed up in thee, covered is my unrighteousness. From condemnation I am free, for Jesus blood through earth and skies, mercy eternal, mercy cries.

[17:37] A time of love, or you say it's a time of sorrow. it's a time when I seem to know more about sin than I do about salvation.

[17:50] And that's my, that is why, my friends, that you're under a most blessed teacher then. It will teach you your standing in yourself as to be, as we have read in that fifth verse, none I pity thee.

[18:08] Nothing that nature could do, but the Lord is working in his people's hearts and spirits and shall do all the days of their life to bring them to know their fallen state, to confirm for them no help itself.

[18:28] But on the other hand, and by his blessed spirit he will do so. He will show you your need of the Lord Jesus Christ, the need of his work, the need of his blood.

[18:40] God, you must never think, my friends, that the people of God, after many years in the profession or in the walk and pathway of their profession, you must never think that they come to a time when they never need his grace, nor need his mercy, nor need his blood.

[19:03] There's no time, my friends, when they don't need it. but it is according to his love that he has quickened every soul. It's according to his love that they shall be brought to see their ruined state and condition.

[19:18] And it's according to his love that their names were ever found in the book of life, that they were ever told in that word of the sixth verse that they shall ever breathe spiritual life from their soul.

[19:35] And as far as an interest in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ was concerned, this is the determination and work of the Spirit in your soul and mine if we are living souls, that we shall come into the knowledge of that.

[19:52] Now when I passed by thee and looked upon thee, behold thy time was a time of love. And it is an unchangeable love.

[20:04] My praise, it doesn't ebb and flow. It cannot ebb and flow. I believe this, though it cannot ebb and flow, I believe this, that in the glories of heaven you will know more of his love there and you'll be able to understand more of his love there, the extent of it and the depths of it and the heights of it and the breaths of it more than you will when you're here on earth.

[20:31] When sin has no more control over your old nature because your old nature has been dropped in the grave. When you're free from the body of sin and death where the very faculties of the new nature are set loose in the glories of heaven you will know more and more of his unchangeable and his eternal love there than you will now.

[20:57] Behold thy time was a time of love. But then you know in his dealings with us it is and I trust you will be brought to believe it that it is dealings in love.

[21:13] You know what wonderful word that is though it's so strange and opposite to nature and nature wouldn't want to receive it. My friends is this as many as I love I rebuke and chasten.

[21:26] Be zealous therefore and repent. Thy time was a time of love. The people of God are sons and daughters of the most high God. And they have in the Lord Jesus Christ an elder brother.

[21:42] And they are by calling and by election and by sovereign choice and by sovereign grace a member of that one family and of that one church and of that one people that is some on earth and some in glory some in the church militant some in the church triumphant and the day will come when they will all be together.

[22:08] Now when I passed by then looked upon thee behold thy time was a time of love. Now I want to say something which I hope will be understood because it is first of all it's simplicity but it is also to prove the going on in grace and in the ways of grace.

[22:33] In the sixth verse there was that exercise begun there was that life of God begun there was that living now in spiritual things as it was not previously that this soul that was polluted in thine own blood was now a living soul.

[22:54] But now in this eighth verse there is going on a few more steps in the spiritual pathway and in the spiritual experience. And my friends it is by degrees and by the blessed spirit's revelation that you will come into these seasons when thy time was a time of love.

[23:15] love. And that will be when he shows you the person of Christ. And that is when he will show you the purposes of the covenant.

[23:28] And that is when he will reveal to you the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The complete sealed work of Christ. And above all things my friends when you will be able to have established by the spirit and believed on by faith of your interest in that finished work.

[23:51] You know it is finished and you know it is. But till it is shown revealed and confirmed by the blessed spirit to your poor soul it has no comfort.

[24:05] But when it is revealed and confirmed and as the poet reminds us if I could only just put the words together my interest in the saviour's blood my pardon sealed my peace with God if through the blessed spirit the day shall dawn that you shall be able to lay hold of that truth believe in it and rest upon it and rejoice in it you'll see the purposes of his love more clearer.

[24:34] Behold thy time was a time of love. I say again my friends when you compare the lot of God's dear people with those in the world you might fall into the sin of Asaph and I'm sure that it is possible to be to be found there when he ended the foolish when he saw the prosperity of the wicked and they rejoice in their foolishness and they rejoice in their prosperity and so they go on but what have they got what is it they've got that brings rejoicing my friends whatever it is will not do them any good when their soul enters into eternity eternity but what the Lord does for his people what he has done what he shall by the spirit have revealed to his people what they shall come into into the precious knowledge of the truth of what he's done and enjoy the comfort of that truth in their soul is because he's loved them behold thy time was the time of love and I say it again

[25:58] I'm solemnly aware of the feelings of one's nature too that there's no other ground that he will call you out of nature's darkness and there's no other ground but the ground of love greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends you may see in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ a remarkable example of spiritual love love of a saviour to a sinner love of God the Father to his poor needy otherwise destitute hopeless in themselves but sinners they are my friends these are times of blessing these are times for which you if you're a living soul will pray for these are times when the blessing of the Lord upon your poor soul will bring to that blessed love in your soul to him

[27:11] John said in his epistle we love him because he first loved us when it shall be accomplished in your soul that he loved you then I tell you my friends you will love him in return you will see it such a wonderful blessing such an amazing grace such a wonderful revelation to such a sinner as vile as you feel yourself to be that he could possibly love you he saw me ruined in the fall yet love me notwithstanding all now when I passed by thee and looked upon thee behold thy time was a time of love and there's been some times if this doesn't whet your spiritual appetite my friends when it's what it is as if the glories of heaven have begun there's been some times amongst the people of

[28:17] God when they have as it were basked in the sunshine of his love and felt whatever's before them and whatever the Lord shall bring them into they'll willingly walk because of the love of Christ in them it doesn't always remain with them in that freshness and sweetness and enjoyable nature of it but nevertheless my friends it's a evidence and a token of the glories of heaven because he won't love here and won't love hereafter he cannot love his people here and not love them in glory he cannot love them my friends in this time state and reject them at last oh once but once they've loved been loved and once they are under his love he will never leave but love them to the end now when

[29:19] I passed by thee and looked upon thee behold thy time was a time of love and it matters whether it's one hour or a hundred years my friends you if you are changed if your soul is in health if your spiritual life is there if now you're in the way of the last and though you find it to be a veil of tears my friends you'll be the subjects of his love throughout time and eternity oh how many times have we reminded you of what's written in the first of the revelations unto him that has loved you unto him that has loved us and washed us from our sin in his blood and that's the beginning of blessings is love and every blessing follows because it is a time of love as we said the

[30:21] Lord Jesus Christ suffered and died because he loved his people he rose again that they shall be justified and he rose again that their eternal habitation shall be secure and I spread my skirt over thee and cover thy nakedness my eyes look again at a hymn again in my thoughts in between the services I came across this hymn you've no doubt sung it now I have found the ground wherein my anchor hope shall firm remain the wounds of Jesus for my sin before the world's foundation slain whose mercy shall unshaken stay when heaven and earth have fled away I want to go on to look at just one more verse in the hymn 113 we find this to feel thy shame and nakedness will make thee love that glorious dress that sets from condemnation free and from the curse delivers thee without a seam this glamorous woe bequeathed in everlasting love here time began designed to be a royal robe to cover thee and I spread my skirt over thee and cover thy nakedness remember in the third chapter of ruth when naomi sent ruth to the to boaz and she was found at midnight by boaz and she said to boaz spread thy skirt over me for I am of near kindred to thee that's the possession of those and I spread my skirt over thee and cover thy nakedness what was it that sealed the sonship of the prodigal bring forth the best robe and put it on him this was a fallen sinner this was one that turned away from his father's love as well as his father's house this was one that spent his substance in riotous living what was in store for him a servant's lot no my friends the lot of a son the love of the father but oh the robe and it's the best robe it's not any robe it's the best robe and I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakedness without seeing this garment's worn it's a garment that has been worked out by the holy life walk pathway and ignominious death of the

[33:46] Lord Jesus Christ it's a garment that is not earned by a sinner but it is imputed by a saviour it's a garment that will stand you in good stead on the judgment day and I spread my skirt over thee and cover thy nakedness do you feel to need something that covers thy nakedness do you feel to need something that God approves many of the Pharisees thought they possessed that which God would approve and it was called self righteousness and the Pharisees today are just to say they walk about in their own self righteousness and they do as those of old did say give place to me for I am more holier than thou but this skirt that was to be put over and covered thy nakedness think what was underneath it a first time polluted in thy blood this is what was underneath it in the original this is what the case was in the original beginnings of the way this is what has been provided for them now so does it cover their sin my friends it never does it never covers their sins it's their sins their iniquities

[35:17] God has said will I remember no more I don't want to go on into another verse but verse 9 says then I washed thee with water yea I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee and I anointed thee with oil my friends this skirt doesn't cover up something doesn't cover up some misdemeanor some sin some unpardoned iniquity that will never do but the robe of Christ's righteousness my friends make a redeemed sinner complete and as I said no ground of justice can come against any no ground of justice no circumstance can be raised against those who have been covered with his righteousness and I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakedness yea I swear unto thee and entered into a covenant with thee saith the

[36:31] Lord God and thou becameest thine they always were his before before the dust of this world was put together and called earth before that command went out from all eternity in the work of creation he spake and it was done he commanded and it stood fast before that ever was formed they were his but when they were born in sin and shape and iniquity when they were found polluted in thine own blood they were his when he caused them to live and when he placed upon them his righteousness when they were the subjects of that and shall be till time shall be concluded the time of love when they are brought into the knowledge of what is in that covenant which is sealed by the shed blood of Christ my friends they knew what it is then they know then as they've never known it what it is to be one with him and thou becamest mine my friends how the church has always been in security and safety how they've always been it but they've not always known it to be they've not always felt the sweetness of what it is to be mine they don't often live under the enjoyment of that truth either but dear friends as the

[38:06] Lord deals with your soul from commencement of the work of grace and he goes on there will be those seasons when you will see the safety of the covenant and the seal over that covenant the sureness of that covenant and the personal knowledge of the content of that covenant and then you will see my friends and then it may please the Lord that you might lay hold of this blessed truth and thou becamest mine in the knowledge of it and in the sweet enjoyment of it and in the rejoicing of it because it's an eternal covenant and it is an eternal union in union with the lamb from condemnation free the saints from everlasting were and shall for ever be and thou becamest mine oh that would be a seal wouldn't it if you went home tonight with that truth that he can't be in heaven and leave you behind as the poet says that like it was in the days when Israel came out of Goshen not a host shall be left behind what a blessing and then go back to the beginning of the day the beginning of the text these are those who were polluted in thine own blood what mercy what grace what love the show and all because they were his all because he eternally loved them before they were ever conceived in their mother's womb before ever this world was created in the councils of

[39:54] Jehovah the eternal choice was made and it was made on one condition my friends he placed his love on whom he will and who he will he gave to his only begotten son and the blessed holy spirit will call them and they shall live and they shall come into the knowledge of their pollution and they shall come into the knowledge of his love there's so much been left there's so much been as it were skirted over because it's such a depth and it's such a blessing and it's such a reality my friends but it ends where it should end and thou becamest mine and no one can separate that soul from Christ not a moment will it ever be and they shall be with Christ which is far better Amen smelling through kami内垂 freehost people read them army 3001 ils

[41:19] ST temple空 children The announcements this week are God willing.

[41:31] There will be a prayer meeting on Wednesday evening and our pastor will preach next Lord's Day. This last concludes with the second part of hymn 87.

[41:53] O the mysterious depths of grace, who shall thy wandering mazes trace, surpassing human thought to know where this habits of love shall flow, was hid in God's eternal breath for all his sons in Jesus' flesh, whose mystic members from of old were in the book of life enrolled.

[42:46] Second part of hymn 87. O the mysterious depths of grace, who shall thy heart be.

[43:11] O the mysterious depths of a new covenant, who shall thy father be. was hid in the wilderness of may the what happens to be with the trees or animals of heaven.