[0:00] And in the epistle to the Colossians, the first chapter, part of verse 23. If ye continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, first chapter, the epistle to the Colossians, part of verse 23.
[0:39] Now, this could be described as a conditional word, particularly if we consider the richness of the blessings that preceded.
[0:56] We hope to refer to what will be the privilege of all who are helped to comply through grace with the word we are to consider together.
[1:43] If ye continue. Now, some of you may feel, I suppose this is intended chiefly for the younger people.
[1:57] It is intended for them, but not only for them. I believe I may say to them that they will presently prove as they grow older that they will need enduring grace or rather feel to need it more than ever.
[2:15] It's a word, I believe, it's a word, I believe, which will suit, at least at times, the oldest pilgrim and all the generations and ages between the youngest seeker and that oldest pilgrim.
[2:32] If ye continue, the pathway may at times seem easy, and there may be a mistaken view taken that, having come along so far, I have nothing to worry about now.
[2:48] Oh, but my dear friends, you will presently find that while there may be nothing to worry about, there will be much to pray for, much to seek at the hands of a gracious God to enable you to hold on your way.
[3:07] There are enemies in the path. What are those enemies? The world, the flesh, and the devil. There isn't a child of God being born yet capable of standing against those enemies unaided.
[3:26] It's a wonderful mercy to have hope that there is one. And I believe it would be quite correct for me to say that there are those today who are well instructed in the things of God who often know what this fear is.
[3:46] I'm not here to preach fear. I am here to try to bring before you a word which is essential to continue. Many start well.
[3:58] And there is a word which is not mine, but the word of God. Ye did run well. What did hinder that ye should not obey the truth?
[4:11] I hinted in prayer, I believe, of a tendency to seek an easier path. My dear friends, this is prevalent today as ever it has been.
[4:26] And you and I are liable to temptation concerning it. And if we depend upon our own strength, we had better beware. For another word occurs now, And let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
[4:47] The scripture abounds with warnings, Yet at the same time with exhortations, The word of God does not leave a poor sinner in her helplessness To struggle along uninstructed or unhelped.
[5:08] But at the same time, such words as this Are designed, I believe, to cause us to be more earnest and instant in prayer.
[5:20] If you are honest with yourselves, as I have to be with myself, You will have to confess that when things go smoothly with you, Prayer, instead of becoming any sort of burden or difficulty, It just easily flows out in a very formal manner.
[5:43] But, oh, my friends, how much real matter is there in it? I believe consciousness of the need of grace to endure Will make us seek more earnestly That the only giver of this grace may be favorable toward us And grant all that is needful to us That we may not fall away And prove reprobate silver If ye continue The Lord Jesus Christ uttered a cautionary word When speaking of, among other things, the last times Without going any further in that direction Let me quote his words And because iniquity shall abound
[6:44] The love of many shall wax cold But he that endureth to the end The same shall be saved I've not exaggerated, have I?
[6:58] I haven't overstressed the necessity for prayer That we may be upheld And enabled to continue And that the Lord may graciously bless us With that inflowing of that divine and motive power His own love Feeling this We shall lose for the time being our weakness Be drawn lovingly to him who loves And walk forward even in a triumphal Relying upon the Lord to uphold A word occurred to me Shortly before leaving home A word in the prophecy Which concerns the church of God Who is described in that prophecy As leaning upon her beloved
[8:02] Oh, it seemed to me In my simple way anyway Just the way to proceed safely Just the way to continue Ah, if one could only be found in this posture Leaning at all times on him Who is the power And upholder of his people Then we should need to have no fear Of falling away Or failing to continue So I've said before you I do hope A scripture which Will show you clearly A safe way Of continuing Lean hard Lean harder On him Words that are spoken like that In a simple way Sometimes remain I find in the memory Oh, may it be so Even this evening
[9:03] As the result Of those few words If you continue In the faith What faith? Faith is a word Which is used In various ways In the word of God And used In various ways By us Faith Can be interpreted As a creed A form of belief And this is what is intended In this particular case The form of belief That you have The religion That you profess But what faith is this?
[9:42] Ah It's the faith Once delivered Unto the saints That's the faith That's intended here If you continue In the faith Quite apart from Receiving faith To believe Faith which must be Accompanied with our hearing Which I don't want to Encroach on For the moment In the faith That we have Been brought up in It can include The profession That we have Openly made Of the name of Christ And that's the faith That we need To continue in Are you feeling it so?
[10:30] Are you already Finding that the helper Isn't on earth Now? That he's approachable You may draw near You may Pour out your heart Before him You may prove That he has In his gracious hands All the power That is needed To hold you up And on Even in the faith And isn't it Assailed today?
[10:59] Do you find Yours is assailed? The faith You profess? The Lord Jesus Gave us to understand That the world Hated him And his followers Must expect The world To hate them If the world Hates you You know That it hated me Before it hated you Do you like it?
[11:25] I don't I must Freely confess But it's one of the things That we must expect To endure Not enjoy Endure And this will cause us To look More frequently And earnestly To our leader And Lord And Master Beseeching him To implant Within us That gracious courage Which can only Come from him But shall I tell you Something else That I feel to need Personally It might suit Some of you Perhaps not all But if there is One thing That I feel to need More than another When I am opposed It is a quiet spirit Oh my friends So many I've got themselves Into trouble When I'm speaking From painful experience
[12:26] By being so ready To retaliate So ready To give As good as one Has received And perhaps a little Better The Lord did not Enjoy this He does not Exhort it at all No He Set us a good Example Peter writes of him Like this Who When he was Reviled Reviled Reviled Not again When he suffered He threatened Not But committed Himself Margin says His cause Into the hands Of him That judgeth Righteously Oh my friends We should proceed More Satisfactorily Walk More Circumspectly Walk More Safely If we Might be The more Oftener Kept Quiet Under Provocation If
[13:26] Ye continue In the Faith You see It's Possible For those Who Dislike Us To seek To provoke Us into Saying Something Of which We should Bitterly Repent And feel Extremely Sorry For And how We need To be Preserved From this I'd No intention Of going This way But I hope What I've Said thus Far Along These lines Will be As a Warning To those Of you Who Know Your Tendencies Fear Your Fall I believe You're In a Safer Condition If you Realize What you Are Liable To Than As though You Were Unaware Of it So May we Be Captive Continue In the Faith We've Professed Grounded Grounded And Settled There are
[14:29] Enough Other Illustrations In the Word of God To allow Me to Say That the Children Of God Are Plants Of his Right Hand Planting Rooted And Grounded In Love Is Another Expression In the Scripture Grounded Rooted In Being Held Fast By Him Who Planted Settled My Dear Friends The Hymn Writer Wrote Of an Unsettled State And Some Of us Have Had To Prove How Right He Was And Yet We Would Be Found In The Epistle Of Peter First Epistle Chapter Five Wherein We Read After You Have Suffered A While Make You Perfect Establish Strengthen
[15:30] Settle You I'm Sure If You Are Gracious And Graciously Exercised Child Child Of God You Will Be Praying To Be Brought Experimentally And Feelingly Into That Blessed Condition Described There Established And Strengthened Settled Again You May My My Dear Friends A Quiet
[16:31] Confidence And A Spirit Given Hope In Christ Is Preferable To Anything Else That We May Possess Settlement Rests In A Faith And Absolute Faith And Childlike Trust In The Complete Salvation Wrought Out By The Son Of God You May Feel Confidence In Him Safely Any Other Confidence Is Not Trustworthy So May It Be Ours To Be Warned By This Word Grounded And Settled I Hope I Am Now About To Speak Even More Simply To You But Very Personally For A Moment Or Two I Can Honestly Say
[17:31] As I Stand Here In The Sight Of God That It Is My Desire That You Who Worship Here May Enter Into The Privilege Of Being Settled Here Settled If There Is One Thing That Will Cause Trouble Among Many Others In A House Of God It Is An Unsettled State Among The People It Will Soon Lead To Discontent Dissatisfaction This Will Lead To Dissension I Have No Knowledge Of Any Trouble Of Course But I It Is My Duty To Bring These Things Before You In A Congregation And A Mixed Congregation There Are Obviously Very Mixed Temperaments But The Work Of God And The Grace Of God Is Such That
[18:31] It Can Be A Leveler And Cause A Settling Among The People Which Cannot Be In Nature Opposite Views And Opposite Affections For Various Things Opposite Desires Are Bound To Occur In Any Community But The Grace Of God And The Love Of God And The Power Of God And The Mercy Of God Can Smooth Everything Out And Cause That Even A Numerous Gathering Of People Who Fear God Can Be Grounded And Settled In The Truth As In Jesus All Perfectly Well Knowing That Yes I'm Afraid It Will Have To Come Out Salvation Is Of The Lord That's The Lesson We've Got To Learn All Of Us We're All On One Level
[19:31] In This Man Is Useless In The Matter Of Salvation It It It It Is It It Is Of God And We Are All In The State Of Humble Unworthy Recipients Of Free Grace And Free Mercy That Is Our State Before God Now If We Were All Always Conscious Of This We Should Gather Together Without Any Trouble Each Esteeming Other Better Than Himself Says The Word Of God Is Not My Word And Don't Think That I'm Standing Before You As A Very Paragon Of Example Nothing Of The Kind But I Do Hope That If The Lord Gives Me A Message He Will Help Me Faithfully And Affectionately To Deliver It There Is Some Reason For This Word This Evening
[20:32] Known To God If Ye Continue In The Faith Grounded And Settled I'd Like To Use This Word Settled In One Other Way If You Will Allow For So Long So Very Long You Have Been Privileged With A Subtle Ministry I Had No Intention Whatever Of Broaching Such A Subject But It's Given May The Lord In His Mercy Calls That You With One Mind And Spirit Earnestly Seek To Be Led To This Privilege Again A Settled Ministry So That
[21:32] You Become In Another And Gracious Sense A Settled People I Hope I Said That Kindly And With Every Desire For Your Spiritual Welfare As A People Here You Know That I Am What Is Called Generally An Under Shepherd I'm An Under Shepherd Who Knows How Very Dependent He Is On The Good Shepherd But At The Same Time I Am Able To Say This There Is A Very Different Feeling In My Heart Now To What There Ever Has Been Before As A Supply Minister There Was A Time When I Said To The Lord As A Result Of A Certain Word I Know This Is a Digression Lord I Don't Feel Any Different Toward Anyone People And Yet The Word Would Persist Thou
[22:33] Shalt Go With This People And I Kept Saying What People Lord I I feel I Know God I When The Lord Made His Way Clear To Me I Suddenly Discovered They Were To Be My People And I Am Proving That Now What A Mercy Isn't It Well That's What I Desire For You There's A Knitting and a drawing together in a different atmosphere than I've ever felt before when I go before my people.
[23:11] And I mean that, my people. And that's what I desire may be the case here. There's a great difference. I know some of you older ones know this.
[23:25] I'm prepared to say that you feel the miss of it when your pastor spoke to you lovingly, caring for you as a shepherd will.
[23:38] If he's a good shepherd on earth, he'll care for his flock. And so do the under-shepherds when God has appointed them. And that is what I desire for you now.
[23:49] And I hope you'll excuse this digression. Grounded and settled and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel.
[24:01] Be not moved away. Become unbelieving in the hope of the gospel. You will say to me, yes, but what is the particular hope of the gospel?
[24:15] Well, I've only got the scriptures to guide me. The same as you have. But I find that the apostle Paul attached great importance to the hope of resurrection.
[24:31] Said it was for this cause that he was apprehended. I believe the apostle, when it really came to it, regarded this as a basic doctrine of vast importance.
[24:48] And I believe he confirmed it when under the Spirit's inspiration, he wrote, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we're of all men most miserable.
[25:04] Every reason to be. But it isn't so. The word I have turned to is, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, of the hope and resurrection of the dead, my calling question.
[25:21] And in the next chapter, and have hope, means he had hope, toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.
[25:42] Well, my friends, this hope is not separated in any way from the second form of hope I want to bring before you.
[25:55] And I've already quoted it, you know. Hope in Christ. My dear friends, to lose this is to lose everything.
[26:08] I would exhort, as far as in my power, that you seek grace to cleave fast to this precious hope which God gives, which he implants in the heart of every child of his.
[26:24] Hope in Christ and through Christ. Hope of eternal life. Through having hope of resurrection. Now even the apostle himself, learned as he was and taught by grace as he was, said concerning this, not as though I had already attained.
[26:46] Either were already perfect. But this one thing I do, but I believe I've already quoted this, forgetting the things that are behind, looking forward to those things which are before, I press toward the mark.
[27:04] My dear friends, I want you to be found there, a companion of the apostle, looking forward with gracious hope through Christ and his precious merits, and of course, his actual resurrection.
[27:22] We should never belittle the power of this. We should never lightly esteem the fact of Christ's resurrection. with the greatest reverence, would I say, what use to a suffering people laden with sin would a dead Christ be, as people would, some people would have us believe he was and is.
[27:51] My dear friends, God, in his great wisdom, provided a sufficient number of witnesses to a living Christ to satisfy any law.
[28:08] Two or three, every word should be established, and I read that the apostle Peter, Paul rather, names Peter and John, and then the eleven, and then he says as many as up to five hundred at one time.
[28:27] He knew better than we did. Then he says, and last of all, he was seen of me also. And you can't beat the personal experience and the testimony of an eyewitness.
[28:42] My dear friends, now is Christ risen, the hope of his people, and this is the hope which is set before you in the gospel, and it is, as in verse five, the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.
[29:04] My dear friends, I'm going to come a little closer to you. Quite kindly, I hope, you dare not say you haven't heard the word of the gospel, not in this house of God.
[29:19] You have heard it very, very many times, at least with the outer ear. Has it gone deeper with many of you?
[29:31] I venture to hope it has. And if it has, why was this? To put the matter another way, why is it that some hear and are blessed and benefited?
[29:46] Why is it that some hear and seem to receive no help, no change in life, no walking in newness of life, nothing to say?
[29:58] Maybe? Perhaps that isn't always quite right to include nothing to say, but what I really meant was that there should be nothing that could be said.
[30:11] There are those who do have something to say and do not say it. So you see, I'm trying to be very careful what I say, but when I say nothing to say, I mean nothing.
[30:25] Nothing at all. Nothing done. Why is it? The Word explains it quite simply. Not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
[30:38] I told you there was another aspect of faith and presently we have come to it, you see. A faith which enables one to hear and believe, to hear and receive, to hear to profit, to hear and follow.
[30:59] My dear friends, this is what the Word sets before us. Be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel. It sets before us various tributaries which flow into the heart of God's people from the mainstream of Christ's grace and mercy.
[31:23] And those streams which come to them in the form of hope calls them to hope for mercy when they go before God in their deep distress as a burdened sinner.
[31:38] You been there? I have. I still do. I'm almost ashamed to have to say that as recently as last week I was in the depth of the need of the publican.
[31:58] I didn't go into the house of God. I wasn't found in the temple. But I was found in a certain private room and very glad to be alone for a little while.
[32:12] But I went with hope in the mercy of Christ that if I confessed my sins he would be faithful and just to forgive my sins and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness.
[32:29] Have you found this hope? Has it dwelt in you for a while? Does it still remain? You'll need it.
[32:41] I must say this you'll continue to need the hope that takes you to the refuge for sinners and the hope that enables you to pour out your heart before a gracious God and a loving Savior when your condition is hopeless from all natural standpoint.
[33:02] I cannot preach perfection in the flesh. I find the word becoming increasingly true in my own case though I would be thankful for every evidence that I have the treasure.
[33:19] But writes the apostle we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. Do you realize a little of this?
[33:32] It is because so often of what is within and what doesn't always stop within that makes the way hard for a poor pilgrim.
[33:44] This is where you feel afraid sometimes that you'll fall away. This is why you wonder whether you will continue. I don't believe any graciously taught child of God ever questions the ability of Christ's wonderful grace to save.
[34:04] What they do wonder sometimes is whether grace has ever reached their heart. Whether they've ever really come under the instruction of the Spirit and been born again and born of God.
[34:19] Well, we're not alone in this. I believe it was a gracious hymn writer who wrote this line for the encouragement of poor burdened sinners.
[34:31] Can ever God dwell here in such a heart as mine? You'd wonder, wouldn't you? Ah, but you see there's something we forget.
[34:44] there is a word in the prophecy of Ezekiel which says, a new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you.
[34:57] And this is the gift of God. And it will remain. And it will triumph because it is of God. And it will never depart.
[35:10] God's gifts are without repentance. You ever read this? Pondered over it and thanked God for it? The gifts and callings of God are without repentance.
[35:23] He gives faith, gives hope, gives pardon, gives a new heart, puts a new spirit within you. There will be no repentance of it, no taking it away.
[35:38] You may feel sometimes that it's gone, but yes, you'll have to hear this word. It's such a precious word.
[35:51] He will turn again. He will have compassion to our iniquities, and thou shalt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Who is a God like unto thee?
[36:04] That's where I wanted to come this evening. Seems to have taken me a long time to get there, but I wanted to speak highly of a God ready to pardon, ready to forgive, tolerant of his poor failing people, and yet preserving them still.
[36:24] Preserving them still. I expect that some of you are beginning to use a little prayer more often than you used to.
[36:35] I know I am. I thank God for it, and I still use it, I believe, if he spares me a while. Hold up my goings in thy path, that my footsteps slip not.
[36:55] I am fearful of falling, because I've had it clearly shown to me so recently that if I had my own way I should go the opposite way to Tenderden. yes, it's still there, a will of my own, but it's got to be subdued, my friends.
[37:16] It's got to be brought into sweet agreement and deep submission to the will of God. That isn't always the case. There are times when one willingly goes, feeling a sense of deep indebtedness to a wise and gracious God and a loving Saviour.
[37:41] Can't speak highly enough of him, can't praise him enough. Would say as did one, then will I tell the sinners round what a dear Saviour I have found.
[37:56] I'll point to thy redeeming blood and say, behold the way to God. God, then you go willingly, then you go in a right frame.
[38:09] I'm coming, you know, to a certain end. I have an end in view happily, and it is this. I believe we should continue.
[38:23] I believe we should be grounded and settled in the faith. I don't believe Satan, nor the world, nor our own wicked heart, will be permitted to move us away from the hope of the gospel.
[38:39] I believe we shall walk cheerfully to the house of God in hope of hearing more of his sweet gospel, which is so suited to poor, unworthy sinners.
[38:51] and I believe there will be times when our ears will be graciously opened to hear the prophet, and there will be a little faith accompanying the word that we may be blessed by it.
[39:07] But I believe we shall walk more surely and trust in Christ more fully when we realize our deep indebtedness to him who died that we might live.
[39:23] Mind, as regards my feelings toward the Lord Jesus Christ and my determination as far as possible to still press on in the way to life and to proclaim as I am helped his worthiness, then when I feel my own indebtedness to him, I feel I'd do anything to serve him with his gracious help when I realize what great things he has done for me.
[39:55] The church is reported in the psalm to have said the Lord hath done great things for us whereof we are glad. I like it to come to the personal point of view he's done great things for me, don't you?
[40:13] I'm sure some of you do. And realizing this, what is going to be your answer when this question is put to you as it has been put to the disciples?
[40:28] Will you also go away? Will you? My friends, be careful as you answer. Don't rush into it.
[40:41] Caution is needed here. It was a gracious hymn writer as you well know who wrote that there were times when he feared he would. But he comes to the right decision and I believe the right expression that I would fain join him in the right conclusion.
[41:01] Yet, Lord, depending on thy word, I humbly answer, no. But it must be depending on him, you know, and his word to preserve and keep.
[41:17] Well, I have another comfortable word in mind. It was the experience of the psalmist. He saw that he was in danger, saw that he was slipping, saw mercy extended to him.
[41:35] this is the word. When I said, my foot slippeth, thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. Now, I believe that will be the case and condition of all who put their trust in him.
[41:57] I believe that if we are well aware of danger, when danger appears, and being warned of their own weakness, immediately look up, instead of looking around or within, we should proceed to stand clear of the danger and be preserved from it.
[42:25] But when I say look up, of course, I mean look up prayerfully. When the psalmist says, but mine eyes are upon thee, he doesn't mean that he was only just looking.
[42:39] I believe he meant that his trust was in his God, and his prayer unto him for preservation and upholding and guidance and all that a poor sinner constantly feels to need.
[42:52] Are you poor and needy? I'm not talking about financial positions at all. David wasn't in any financial difficulty.
[43:04] He was the king and very wealthy, but he was brought to this knowledge, I am poor and needy. Ah, but he said, the Lord thinketh upon me, and that is what I want you to go home with this evening, if the Lord will, that however poor and needy you may presently prove you are if you don't know now.
[43:26] You will find that the Lord still thinks upon you for good, will have mercy upon all who trust in him, and though you may feel at times like one in another psalm, my feet were almost gone, almost gone, well may you be helped, as he was helped to go into the sanctuary, find that God in the means of grace can put matters right and show you where a safe standing place is.
[44:03] And so it finally comes to this, that he, in the last verse, really sets before us the cure that I've been trying to arrive at in a wandering way all the time, but it is good for me to draw near to God.
[44:19] It is, my friend, you try it. It is good to draw near to God far better than when you're back on in and proving a castaway.
[44:31] Amen. Let us sing hymn number 350, Eternity, Eternity, Curvy, 821.
[44:56] Ye pilgrims of Zion and children of God, whose spirits are filled with dismay, since ye have eternal redemption through blood, ye cannot but hold on your way.
[45:10] 350. 350. th Aber How people cannot come What is we have us