[0:00] Paul's epistle to the Romans, chapter 2, the 28th and the 29th verses. Paul's epistle to the Romans, chapter 2, verses 28 and 29.
[0:20] For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh.
[0:32] But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is not of me, but of God.
[0:52] Now, the Jewish nation has no doubt that what it is a chosen nation, chosen by God, and a most remarkable nation, when we come to consider the way they've been preserved as a nation, although scattered throughout the whole of the earth, yet still remain a nation.
[1:22] No other people have ever been able to realize the hand of God in their affairs like Israel has, as a nation.
[1:33] And also the prophecy concerning them, and their return to the Holy Land, that promise which is partly fulfilled even in the day in which we live.
[1:48] And I suppose that as we see the way in which they've been favored as a nation, we've known what it is, at least in our own experience, and perhaps others have, and wish that we were part of that nation upon who God has his eye upon continually, who fights their battles, who watches over them and keeps them together as a nation.
[2:22] But how we've had to realize that we need more than that. There is one thing that is lacking, and that is this. As yet, for the most part, as a nation, they do not believe in the Lord Jesus as a risen Christ.
[2:42] They do not believe that he has come upon this earth. Whilst they stick very rigidly to the Old Testament, they cannot and will not accept the new.
[2:55] And therefore, it matters not what they may believe. Their salvation is based upon the law of Moses. They still insist upon that law and the fulfillment of that law.
[3:10] And they're still looking for the Messiah. They know nothing of the power of a risen Christ. They know nothing of the inward work in the Holy Spirit leading them into the truth.
[3:25] And I believe it's right to say that the true-born child of God receives more comfort from the New Testament than the Old.
[3:36] because the Old Testament is that which prophesies the beginning of the gospel dispensation when the Messiah would come upon the earth and those things which are clearly prophesied in wonders and signs would be brought about.
[3:56] And how the Jewish nation were looking outwardly for a king. and how we can be so deceived if we look on the outward appearance of things.
[4:10] We're no different to them. We have our reasoning and if we have our reasoning faculties well then we too are inclined to look upon the outward things the outward walk the outward conversation which are all very good all very proper providing they are prompted from the Spirit and not from a form of pride.
[4:34] Now it says here for he is not a Jew which is one outwardly. In other words all the outward appearance all the sacrifices all the worshipping and the outward show will not save the soul.
[4:55] We're constantly reminded of this and it is a comfort I believe to those who know themselves and when they realise what they are and the outward show of their religion so often appears to be nothing more than a sham and a cover up.
[5:15] It causes them so much concern because they know so much of the inward working of their heart the depravity of their nature not realising that it is the inward working of the Spirit that is revealing these things to them.
[5:32] it is not very pleasant for one who professes to know something of the law to realise his ready condition his dependence upon the law for everything and yet to feel how wretched his heart is how opposite he is to what he should be and however much he may endeavour to walk according to God's word he finds it impossible in and of himself and yet there may be those occasions when he's able and the Lord sometimes permits this he's able to walk according to God's word and he may go on for a considerable time in this and then he'll realise again the wretchedness of his nature because his nature will be packed up with pride and self-conceit in what he's able to do but those who are truly taught by the Spirit will be utterly dependent upon the Spirit for their salvation they'll be brought to realise that whatever they do it will not be acceptable unto God the Father and although there may be that longing desire within their heart to walk in the ways of God and to follow
[7:07] God they'll find it's impossible for them to do it in and of themselves and they have to come to this conclusion that whatever they may do whatever they may try to separate themselves from they cannot do it now man today he tells us that we should separate ourselves well that's bordering as far as I can see on free will that man is capable of separating himself from other people who perhaps cannot see eye to eye with the things of God as we do it is the work of the Holy Spirit to separate all the outward circumcision is of no avail it is the work of the Holy Spirit to separate us and to separate us from the world and to separate us from our own wisdom to separate us from our own understanding and to separate us from our own knowledge of the way of salvation and to bring us into an experimental understanding and knowledge of the things of
[8:21] God you see we are told not to grieve the Holy Spirit and when man tries to do the work of the Holy Spirit well he's grieving the Holy Spirit and there's no argument about it but when the Holy Spirit works within a sinner's heart it shows that sinner his inability to do anything right and therefore it cannot separate itself from the world it cannot separate itself from the flesh there are times when that poor soul would long to be able to separate itself from its own flesh they can't do it let alone separate itself from the world and the things of it we are so part of parcel of it by nature that the weakness of the flesh is such that when we would do good evil is present with us now those who are spiritually taught are favoured in this respect they know themselves as sinners they know themselves and their weaknesses and their frailties and these things become a burden to them they are not able to rest upon the outward circumcision the outward separation and I believe many do today they look on the outward form and the outward appearance it goes such a long way doesn't it with the way of salvation and they do this and they do that and they do it because it's tradition because it's done by others but how we need the
[10:01] Holy Spirit to come and to teach us and to lead us into the truth as it is in Jesus for he is not a Jew which is one outwardly now of course this means that one can become a Jew naturally born into the Jewish nation brought up under the Jewish rites the customs the sacrifices their holy days and yet to know nothing of the work of grace within but the Holy Spirit works inwardly now the Jews of course they represent the people of God as a nation but there is that spiritual Jew the true Israelite those for whom the Lord Jesus came those for whom the Lord Jesus redeemed and that work is not an outward work it's an inward work and therefore there must be the inward witness within our hearts of the reality of the truth of our fallen nature the reality of our inability to procure salvation by any means whatever we may do and that it does not rest upon being born in a certain home that will have no effect upon us it must be the work of the Holy
[11:31] Spirit within our heart there are those and we trust that there's some gathered with us this evening who have been brought up in godly homes and the Lord has used this to lead them into the truth but may we never rest upon that as our hope of salvation when the Lord works within our heart it will all have to be cut away and this cutting is a painful experience when all our hopes are cut away when our hopes of relationships are all cut away and when we've got nothing left apart from the righteousness and the blood of the Lord Jesus to rest upon but he is the dew which is one inwardly now here then we have a very vivid description of a dew by nature and a dew by the working of the Holy
[12:37] Spirit both representing the people of God one of the most interesting parts of God's word naturally speaking is the way in which he brings his people brought his people into Egypt the way in which they were fed and watched over and then the way they were taken out of Egypt how they were driven out they didn't go because of their own accord they were quite happy they were quite comfortable in Egypt they had all the pleasures and all the wealth of Egypt bestowed upon them until another Pharaoh came and that's how it is you see in the experience of the true spiritual church of God they're born in Egypt they continue in Egypt they have all the pleasures and they have no concern at all until that other Pharaoh shows himself and he hates them and how he drives them out of
[13:46] Egypt it is the work of the Holy Spirit and how he will not let them go but how they are forced to go by the powerful mighty God he's leading them and as we have that same truth confirmed in the 107th Psalm he led them forth by the right way it was not the right way according to human nature it was not the right way to our natural understanding the way in which the Lord led his people out of Egypt and there will be many things which will come into our circumstances which will be so contrary to the way in which we consider the way in which the Lord will deal with us but there will be this inward working of the Holy Spirit for he is a Jew but he is a Jew which is one inwardly now he's one on his own in this and I'm certain that when the Lord works within the heart of his people they are one on their own they can't find anyone to talk to they can't think of anyone that will understand them their heart is so wretched they realise it and on the other hand they're seeking after something which will satisfy their soul and they can't find it and they may go on for months or even years in this condition dissatisfied realising that there's something that they need something that they want and something that they cannot attain to and yet there's been such a change in them they can't settle down and enjoy things that they once did and there's something going on within which they can't describe and they feel so wretched in and of themselves they may have some outward form of religion but they're dissatisfied with it and then the time comes when they're brought into trial and this adds to their sorrow it adds to their grief because it would appear that if they were right they would never be brought into such concern and also into such trouble how the
[16:20] Egyptians took away the straw how they added to the burdens and the child of God who is led spiritually he'll know much of the burdens being added to them and instead of obtaining the very blessings which they thought they would do by laboring they're given other tasks which are more heavy more burdensome to carry and thus they go on but from time to time the Lord will reveal himself to them give them all needed strength and wisdom and direct them in their way but that one will never forget the time when they are brought into communication with a fellow traveler when they are able to compare notes one of the greatest blessings that the
[17:20] Lord's people can have apart from communion with him is to have one of the Lord's people who have walked the same pathway and able to communicate one to each other those two on the Emmaus road they were favored because they were walking in a similar pathway they could talk one to each other of the burdens they could talk with regard to the doubts and fears which they had and therefore it was a comfort to them how sad it would have been if they had to have gone on their own but even in that we read that Jesus himself drew near and went with them and Jesus is never very far away from his people and especially when they're in trouble especially when they're in concern but they hear a voice behind them not in front of them not at the side of them but a voice behind them where he can't be seen now this is the way the
[18:29] Lord works inwardly with his people as they journey on the Lord is behind them he's not very far behind them but he's there to catch them if they fall he's close enough to them but he speaks from behind he doesn't speak face to face with them as he did with Moses but how he inclines his people to hear his voice and they hear this voice speaking to them as they journey this is the way walk ye in it as they would turn to the right hand or to the left and as the children of Israel went through the wilderness so there was that God who was leading them from behind now we know then within the east that the shepherd went before the sheep we know that the Lord went before his people but it's the work of the Holy Spirit to come behind and to make sure that everything behind them is alright that as soon as they begin to lose strength how that spirit bears them up how that spirit washes them but Jesus
[19:44] Christ their Saviour Son bids them undismayed go on and when that soul is burdened when that soul is cast down the Lord is leading them in the right way he's showing them that it's not the outward show it's not the things which they're passing through which will bring them to glory these are all things which the Lord brings into their experience to make them utterly dependent upon now whatever we may be trusting in and we'll trust in anything it doesn't matter what it is we shall clutch at a straw but how the Lord will not even allow us to do that the vainest hope that we may have the flesh will have to go and although we may be sinking and sinking rapidly according to our feelings and we may see as it were a little straw that we may grab at but we shall find that that has no support to us whatever we shall find that
[20:54] God's word will have no support it'll be no help to us our outward form of worship will be of no support it won't be of any help to us we shall keep going perhaps to God's house and like so many of the Lord's people they'll be brought to that time when they'll go for the last time it's no good going anymore it's a waste of time the Lord has not chosen us we might have all the outward appearance but inwardly we know nothing of these things and therefore that soul will go and it will go perhaps for the very last time and it may do that several times because the Holy Spirit will keep prompting and prompting that soul until the time appointed comes and the Lord will work inwardly with that soul and reveal the way of salvation to it raise it up to a hope in the mercy of the Lord Jesus do we know anything of these things in and of ourselves have we been stripped of all the outward show of religion you know our nature is such that we're going to follow the crowd but if we follow the crowd today well then we should finish up in a never ending painful eternity but if we follow the
[22:19] Lord there will be a painful pathway at times a difficult pathway we should have burdens which will be laid upon us and not so much today perhaps as in days past the Egyptians the worldly he doesn't lay the burdens upon the Lord's people as at one time he did but Satan is still busy Satan is still having his fling and he works inwardly but he works inwardly in the flesh the Lord works inwardly by his spirit now Satan will come he'll work inwardly within he'll come with temptations he'll try and convince us that we cannot possibly be one of the Lord's people he'll come with such thoughts that he'll almost convince us that it's impossible for us to know anything right and we should be brought almost at least some almost to despair
[23:28] I've heard it said that some of the Lord's people have been brought to despair but they haven't none will ever be brought to despair they may be brought to the brink of despair but never will they be brought to despair because the Lord will see to that the Lord will take good care of his people and he knows exactly how much they can bear and also the Lord will be with them and help them to bear that he lays upon them but he's a Jew which is one inwardly circumcision is that of the heart now the inward working then of the Holy Spirit is that which alone will cleanse us from all our impurities the heart is the seat of affection often mentioned in scripture as the seat of affection set your heart upon things set your affections upon things of mind now the heart you see by nature is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it no one can know it only as it's revealed by the
[24:44] Holy Spirit now the heart is the center of our body and it's the seat of all corruptions it's the seat of life as soon as the heart fails to function well then there's no more life now while that heart is functioning there's the evils there's life and all the evils of Satan all the temptations all the sins which perhaps we are unaware of the seed of every sin regardless of who we are the seed of every sin that you can name is within the body of every person that's born and all it needs is temptation all it needs is the opportunity and the weakness of the flesh and that seed will eventually spring up and it will overthrow that soul and then that soul because whatever there may be naturally good within that soul that will be overgrown with all the weeds of sin now where there is then another seed the seed of grace that is surrounded in such a way that the
[26:09] Lord protects him and as we've said recently he cannot sin so you've got the two seeds you've got the seed which can sin I've heard people say but of course I could never never do that we don't know what we're capable of doing until we're brought into the temptation and this I do know and I believe most of the Lord's people know too that they cannot point a finger at any regardless of what their sin may be and if they are taught they are like the Lord himself they hate sin but they love the sinner the sinner that's redeemed now the Lord then he uses Satan with his temptations to convince us of our sin to show us what we are because Satan will come with the temptations and we shall fall under temptation you see it's a fallacy to believe that the
[27:13] Lord's people never sin that they never fall under temptation temptation because the very purpose of Satan and the very purpose of his being is not only to damn the ungodly but also to tempt the godly to make them rightly exercised and to seek a refuge in the Lord Jesus now the Lord's people are no different to anybody else under the tempter's power they're just as weak just as vulnerable and it's only by the power of God that they are kept but how we read and how God is left on record in his word some of the ghastly sins that were committed by the saints of all now that's not left for us to say well of course David was a sinner Peter was a sinner the woman of Samaria was a sinner and therefore there's hope for us don't let us ever rest upon the sins of others but let us rest upon the salvation of others who were brought into those sins and their salvation was none other than the blood and the righteousness of the dear redeemer that was their salvation now outwardly then they are no different and inwardly they are no different apart from what the
[28:35] Holy Spirit implants within that heart but he is a Jew which is one inwardly circumcision is that of the heart now as the grace of God works within the heart so that heart will be strict or circumcised there will be certain things which we delight in or have delighted in and the Lord will cut them short for instance we may have a godly companion and we may be able to journey with that companion and talk about the things of God and our heart being what it is we can set that one up as an idol and how the Lord will cut that one in a moment we had that in our own experience we've told you about it in times past how the Lord brought us into contact with a gracious soul and how we loved him and we believed he loved us and we walked our hearts were knitted together in the things of
[29:45] God but how he was killed suddenly one Saturday evening by enemy action he was taken but you see the snare how we felt such a love to him but did we feel the same love to his God in a way of course we did but how easy it is to set up something that we can see rather than that holy spirit and that blessed redeemer that we can't see our flesh is such that we want something material we want something to see we want something to hold something to grasp don't we now the Lord will cut these things away that we hold they can be right things they can be wrong things now this also applies to the doctors of grace the Lord teaches his people and he's the teacher now today it's fashionable to follow men to follow tradition man lays down certain ways of salvation all according to scripture or spiritual truths and man will say well now you've got to believe this now
[31:01] I've heard this said as one has come before the church the articles of faith have been put before them do you believe in those articles of faith now there is an outward believing but the only way that you and I can believe those blessed articles is to have the inward work of the Holy Spirit revealing them to us now when all those blessed doctrines have been revealed you're ready for glory one who is making an open profession of religion I don't believe for a moment to say all those articles have been revealed I don't believe they're revealed to all the Lord's servants but the Lord he teaches here a little and there a little and how we may think that we know this particular doctrine I remember in a time of deep affliction how the Lord blessed me in so many different ways that when I came out of that affliction
[32:05] I thought well I know it all now I felt well I knew what faith was I knew what unbelief was I knew what love was and there was so much I thought which I had learned in that affliction but how I had to find out afterwards they had to be cut away that all had to be finished I couldn't rest upon that but there was a lot even today I know so little with regard to the way of salvation even though on the past Lord's days we were trying to talk about the glories of redemption the glories of the Lord we know so little about it it's one of those things that we cannot enter into until the Holy Spirit reveals them to us it must be the inward working of these things but he's a Jew which is one inwardly and that circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter now the letter is the print and the outward appearance now it doesn't matter how much we may read the word it doesn't matter how much we can understand it naturally it is the work of the spirit revealing portions of
[33:22] God's work to our soul now when the Lord does that there will be certain parts that will be cut away for instance you take the doctrine of election it's one of the most hated doctrines I should think of the whole scriptures especially by the professors and the child of God how he's tempted by Satan we regard that doctrine but when the Lord cuts away his own wisdom and his own righteousness that poor sinner sees a beauty he sees that which he hated as being the very best doctrine because it lets him in it doesn't shut him out it lets him in he can see that there's room for the vilest sinner because that vilest sinner was chosen in eternity it doesn't rest upon what the sinner does in this life it's what the Lord has done in eternity but how the Lord you see will cut away all those things which come in our way to believing and we're able to see this is the way walk in it we're able to accept those things which at one time we could not accept and how the Lord will teach us because that's what doctrine is it's teaching that's the meaning of the word and how the Lord will teach us doctrine now man he can go to college he can have commentaries he can have references he can have all sorts of things to regard the scripture but they will never lead him into the truth it is the
[35:02] Holy Spirit now some of the most ignorant men of old and as we go back even a hundred years some of the most godly servants of the Lord were men who were ignorant how they had to be taught even to read some of them by the Lord but how the Lord led them and by the Spirit into the truth and how they were owned and blessed to the Lord's people they didn't come before the people with an education they didn't come before the people full of pride and they weren't able to get anything ready before they came before the people they were dependent upon the Lord and how the Lord used them and how the Lord blessed them but of course those who knew the letter and the outward appearance they looked upon these men with disdain but would to God there was more of them today the Lord would bring those men we remember in our own experience a dear old man up in
[36:04] Yorkshire a coal miner how difficult it was to listen to him but once you were able to pick up his dialing why it was a beautiful gospel the way he set forth the gospel in all his simplicity a man who was taught by the Lord now those men they were led by the Spirit and they had been circumcised from everything else from all natural learning all natural understanding and how the Lord dealt with them and used them for the building up of Zion and the Lord can do the same today too he's the same yesterday today and forever now there are those today that have the letter of the word that have the education and they're able to set it forth and people love it they preach smooth things they'll never offend they'll never they preach as it were part of the gospel they don't preach the whole gospel they don't speak with regard to the depravity of their heart they know so little they look upon the letter and they say God is love and they preach a lovely gospel and the congregations for the most part today they say preach unto us smooth things and that's what they want is smooth things but if you and
[37:26] I are to be brought to see this God in all his beauty to open our eyes upon him as our redeemer it won't be a smooth pathway it won't be by preaching smooth things either it will be preaching with regard to the depravity of man's nature his utter dependence upon the Lord for salvation and how the Lord will cut him very quick and bring him absolutely dependent upon the Lord and the Lord alone now it will be in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God now we need to be very careful here flattery is one of the worst diseases that man can have and yet how we see flattery today and when flattery enters the pulpit when man is seeking after something a little flattery goes a long way doesn't it may we ever be kept from that awful sin of flattery but may our praise be not of men that may be of
[38:46] God now if there's any boasting then as one is led by the spirit that Jew that is led by the spirit he's going to bless and praise his God that's the one he's not going to flatter him because flattery there's a lot of lies a lot of untruth in flattery but that one will praise his God and praising is not flattery where there is praise from the inward work in the Holy Spirit that God who has done so much that soul will be able to trace out the way the Lord has brought him out of Egypt the way the Lord has fed him the way the Lord has gone before him and he'll speak of the mercy of the Lord which the Lord has shown him and will he praise that God of course he will he can't do anything else now he won't always like the religious world be going about praising the Lord praising the Lord but there will be that inward praising it won't be the outward praising you know the evangelicals today they hardly speak a sentence but what they say will praise the Lord praise the
[39:57] Lord but that won't get you anywhere that's all the outward shown and the stanch in the nostrils of the Almighty but when your poor wretched heart can see the mercy of the Lord you can see the way you can see the way which the Lord has kept you you can see the way the Lord has had mercy upon you sinner as you are the Lord has looked upon you in all your weakness and you've been able from your very inward heart to praise the Lord now when you praise the Lord you won't tell others you'll feel that within your heart in such a way what shall I render unto the Lord how can you praise this God submission for if the Lord will only favour us with more of this this heart praising not the outward praising love you and the way of salvation he's shown you his mercy he's shown you compassion and these things have such an effect upon you that you felt praise go up into your heart to the
[41:35] Lord and that's for puny man well what is man I say what is man the more we know of man well then the less we shall like him for the more we know of this God the more we shall love him no good us talking about the love of God until this God has revealed himself to us until the Lord has put a little praise within our heart for the work of redemption a little praise for the way and the glorious plan as he's opened it up to our understanding and we can see that although we have nothing to do with him although we're not deserved of it and yet he has given us the greatest blessing that we can ever have this side of the grave a hope in his mercy but he is not a Jew which is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh but he's a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not of the letter whose praise is not of men but of
[42:40] God and just a warning to regard to this the hymn writer says may we never never dare what we're not to say we are but but you know if you've had a little praise within your heart to the Lord and don't go beyond the limits of what God has given you now there's a great danger in this the Lord can bless us the Lord can put praise within our heart and our whole flesh would like to go well beyond the limits of what the Lord has shown us but if the Lord has shown us a little and the Lord has put praise within our heart for what he has done for us and what he has shown us leave it with the Lord to teach us more and more seekest thou great things for thyself seek them not may the Lord lead you and may the Lord teach you and may the Lord show you these things and may he separate you more and more which he will do as time goes on there'll be this outward religion of course and the outward flesh but the inward work of the Holy
[43:48] Spirit will gradually bring you to this that if ever my poor soul is saved it is Christ must be the way and that is the substance of it there is no other way may the Lord bring these things home to us and teach us by the inward working of his spirit and cut away from us by painful experience everything else which is the flesh Amen in 925 2 3 05 peace by his cross of Jesus name the church is ever rasting here all heaven sinners victory won and with a shout the glory is on in 925 2 3 05 high is ha ge
[45:34] That love's유риз tremendous For all men's sins Has been made by Tuttern most yun Two pinhazẫn Get po' LOVة Get a little recomm раза Thank you.
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[47:27] Thank you. Thank you.
[47:59] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[48:11] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[48:23] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[48:35] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[48:47] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[48:59] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. O Israel's God, my faith shall be.
[49:28] Amen. Now, yet again, Lord, you come to the close of another service.
[49:44] As it's been spoken, but how much praise has there been within our heart unto that God who alone is worthy of praise.
[49:56] Lord, do part again. Anything like your eyes have seen amiss. But do help us to come before thee and praise thee as we worship thee.
[50:10] May we know what true inward praise is. We know something of that peace of which we've been singing. Now be with us as we separate.
[50:23] Take us to our homes in peace. And in safety. And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the sweet communion and fellowship of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us, both now and evermore.
[50:43] Amen. Amen. fian確 E.