Sinners looking up for redemption (Quality: Average)

[0:00] The word which I hope that I might just say a few words is verse 28. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh.

[0:20] Now the context is, as you will see over your Bibles probably, it's concerning first the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem.

[0:34] And of course it came to pass in due course. And I believe it is said that the Romans put a plough through where the temple was.

[0:47] But then it would appear that the Lord Jesus Christ also reminded them too of the times when the second coming shall take place.

[1:02] But I don't want to talk about those two particular things. Although one must admit, as you know the situation in the world today, internationally, how true it is.

[1:21] Men's hearts failing them for fear. Disasters and distresses of great magnitude occur. And there is so much fear as to what the future shall hold.

[1:39] The very nations of the world are unbalanced as far as that is concerned. And great effort, of course, is made by the nations of the earth that they might indeed either prevent or be able to resist the enemy, whoever that enemy might be.

[2:03] But I felt drawn to these words also because of what it refers to, I trust, in a spiritual sense.

[2:16] The nations of the Jews, of course, were severely dealt with by God because of their unbelief, because of their wickedness, because they would not receive nor hear nor believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

[2:38] And so they suffered at the hands of their enemies. Very solemnly they did. They fell by the edge of the sword and would be led away captive unto all nations.

[2:49] And how true it is. Because there's not a nation under the sun where there isn't a Jew. But this verse 28, I just want to say a few words.

[3:03] It may seem to be out of context. But there are certain things that must surely come to pass. In the lives of the people of God.

[3:15] And it is to the people of God these words are written. Because if we rightly use the word redemption, we must surely so speak as they are for the people of God and no one else.

[3:33] And when these things begin to come to pass. Then look up and lift up your heads. I felt how simple was this word.

[3:46] For it is a word of direction to the praying people of God. The worldling has nowhere to look. The unbeliever has nowhere to look.

[3:59] The professor of religion will only look downwards. Will only look at his own walk, pathway and works.

[4:09] But to those who are seeking redemption. And that is every soul that is made sensible by the Holy Ghost.

[4:21] All those who, by that gracious teacher and comforter of his people, will have the need of redemption. And will cry out for that redemption.

[4:35] But in the gracious teaching of the Spirit of Truth, they will know certain things. And they will know that these things will begin to come to pass.

[4:48] Well, for instance, before a child of grace is called by grace, there was never a looking up. There was never a lifting up of your heads.

[5:01] There was no need. There was no desire. No seeking for redemption. And the very blessed word redemption will surely mean that what is to be paid is paid by another.

[5:18] Because to be redeemed is to have the debt taken away. And my friends in salvation, it can only be by the precious person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[5:33] And it can only be by his finished work at Calvary, where the debt was paid. The debt to the Holy Law of God, which was broken when Eve and Adam fell.

[5:47] And every one of their posterity come into the world, broken law sinners. Now, when these things begin to come to pass, when that gracious work begins in the soul, my friends, it will cause you to know that you are in debt to the Holy Law of God.

[6:12] It will bring you in as convinced sinners. These are the things that shall come to pass. And throughout the work of divine grace from the beginning to end, it will be to teach you your sinnership.

[6:30] It will make you aware of the debt that you owe. But the debt has been paid to the church for the church of Christ. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, the apostle wrote.

[6:46] And the debt was paid when he gave his life on the tree of Calvary. There is none righteous, no, not one, not by nature.

[6:59] There is none that shall be dressed in that garment of righteousness, only those who are redeemed with Jesus' blood. There will be none who shall be made aware of the need of that righteousness, only those who know their state and condition as a sinner.

[7:18] When these things begin to come to pass, and one of the most blessed evidences, and it must be surely one of the simplest evidences, is this, they shall look up.

[7:29] There isn't anything more simple than that. If you just go back for the context for a moment, all these distresses and disasters and awful things which shall come upon the earth in the days which followed the return of Christ to glory.

[7:50] There was nowhere else to look because the Romans were too strong. There was no mercy, there was no leniency, there was nothing. There was only to be looked up by the believers in Jesus.

[8:02] If you look at the lives of the apostles, they suffered much for Christ's sake, and their only place of refuge was to look up.

[8:14] Now it is so, therefore, in the spiritual Israel of God. When, through the blessed spirits work, there is to be known a hopelessness, and also a helplessness.

[8:30] That condition will be known little or much as you travel on through your journey of life, through your pilgrimage journey. Sensible sinners are in themselves hopeless and helpless as far as salvation is concerned.

[8:47] You can't lift a finger that will bring your redemption any nearer. Nor can you lift a moment's word which shall relieve or comfort the poor soul in its lost and felt lost condition.

[9:05] But here we have a most glorious instruction. And it will be, it's not that we cannot do this or we cannot do that. As I've often said, when the Lord says, and the Lord will speak through his spirit into your soul and mind, and he shall draw you unto himself, and he'll draw your poor prayers and supplications out of you, they will be but groans and sighs in your estimation.

[9:35] But my friends, prayer, if it is indicted, can only go to one place. then look up and lift up your heads.

[9:47] Oh, sin itself is a casting down influence. It is a darkening influence. It is a distressing influence. It causes sorrow of heart in a believer.

[10:00] It doesn't affect the unbeliever. Another mark of grace is that you will sorrow over the knowledge of sin. Sorrow over it throughout your days.

[10:13] Mourn over it. Be distressed by it. Have to plead for mercy again and again. Have to cry unto Christ and to know his precious blood.

[10:26] You ask any believer in Jesus, you ask any person in the covenant of divine grace. And if I may just speak for others, I would say I need his precious blood more now than I've ever needed it.

[10:43] When these things begin to come to pass. And they are blessed things and they are merciful things and they are wondrous things and they are from God.

[10:57] My friends, redemption won't be found looking anywhere else but looking up. When these things begin to come to pass then lift up, then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh.

[11:14] As it is so in that day we can just say this about the time when the Lord Jesus Christ shall come again. He will come the second time without sin unto salvation.

[11:29] but what will he come for? To take his ransomed people home? That's what he'll come for. They shall enter into the glories of redemption then.

[11:42] And when a child of grace is prepared by the work of the Spirit within for that home above, that glorious place where Jesus is, they shall know redemption here but they shall know it fully and more deeply and more wonderfully not that they shall need redemption in heaven but they shall see the fruit of his sufferings and they shall understand the mercy that's in redemption and they shall understand the love that's in redemption.

[12:15] When these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh. the work of Satan is completely opposite to this.

[12:33] The old nature will not look up. He will look anywhere but up. Even in the trials and troubles of life in all the difficulties in all the oppression that a child of God suffers under.

[12:50] You know, old nature will try to work a way out of it. My friends, what a blessed thing it is. Was it last week we spoke of those of what it is to have a refuge?

[13:06] Other refuge have I none hangs my helpless soul on thee. Leave, ah, leave me not alone. Still support and comfort me.

[13:19] This is a word then of direction but it is also a word of blessing. It isn't ifs or buts or maybes.

[13:30] It's not the improbable. It's not do this and so on. There is a blessed promise here you know. When these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads and this is the promise for your redemption draweth nigh.

[13:51] Oh, and it is only those blessed characters who are brought into this sacred place. Oh, how hopeless and helpless it must and surely is.

[14:02] but at the end of this work and oftentimes throughout the pilgrimage way this blessed exercise will be known that you and I may be enabled in grace and faith to look to Jesus kind and strong pity joined with power because with him is redemption.

[14:28] With him there is plenteous redemption. with him there is mercy for your redemption draweth nigh. It comes from the same place if I might so reverently say so but simply say so from where you're looking.

[14:47] If you are found and I am found looking at lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh. That is where deliverance will come from. That is where redemption shall come from and it will come through the wounds of Jesus.

[15:04] It will come through his own most precious blood. It will come through his sacrifice on the tree at Calvary. That is where redemption, that's where the price was paid.

[15:16] Who can understand it? Not even believers can understand it in the way that they would wish to understand it. The Lord help you to lay it before him.

[15:28] The Lord help you to believe in this redemption. But then you know you must say this about this redemption. It is already accomplished for them.

[15:41] I thought of those words somewhere in the Acts in my meditations through this day at odd times. I thought of those words of the success and I use that in a right sense the success of the apostles preaching.

[16:01] And somewhere in the early chapters of the Acts we could find those words or if I can get them accurately in my mind.

[16:13] It speaks about those who were added to the church daily. Numbers were added to the church daily. But that's only added to the church militant.

[16:29] They were already in the church spiritually. They were already in that great number that no man could number. You won't add to the church no more than you can take anyone out of the church of Christ.

[16:46] Christ. But the revelation of the Spirit's work in revealing Christ to a poor needy soul and bringing them into the time of blessed deliverance and into that glorious time when Christ and a soul is one in experience, in revelation and in truth.

[17:11] And where there is a walking together in the fellowship of the gospel with the church militant, then that is added to the church daily. But you're not increasing the number of the church.

[17:25] Let's not put in one more name in that book of which we read that there is a number in that book that no man can number.

[17:37] So it is here when these things begin to come to pass, look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh that redemption was already accomplished.

[17:48] Before all worlds the glorious plan, you know, that Christ the man should bleed. Salvation was assured before you was ever born, if you were a child of God.

[18:00] Before this world was ever spoken into being, the church was safe eternally. It was as if it was accomplished. promised. But it is in the experience of it when you come to know this promise.

[18:14] For your redemption draweth nigh. Oh, may it be so. Oh, we suffer because of Satan and especially because of self.

[18:26] Oh, you can't lay the blame all on Satan. My friends, this sinful self, it needs that precious blood of Christ to redeem it.

[18:39] Not that it makes self any better, but it puts the sin out of sight of God and it brings them into the sweet knowledge of what it is to be redeemed with Jesus, blood redeemed.

[18:55] Well, may it be a word in season to some soul and when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh.

[19:11] We might not just say this too. Other deliverances sought for. You know in that psalm, that little psalm so precious and sweet in experience and the knowledge of it is anyway, where the good psalmist wrote this, for the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord.

[19:42] I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. Oh, in those deliverances that the child of God needs, cries after, seeks for the Lord's appearance, the Lord's intervention, the Lord to overthrow his enemies, whether it's Satan or sin or self.

[20:05] My friends, the blessed direction here then, the so sacred comforting word of exhortation is, then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth night.

[20:21] There's one more thing that comes to mind. you will notice one thing that's missing here. And what's that? My friends, it's this, that you can't do this yourself.

[20:36] There's nothing here that encourages a sinner to do something. Faith in the exercise of it, the teaching of the Spirit of Truth will cause you to look up, but the redemption cometh from glory at the hand of Jesus Christ.

[20:55] That is where that deliverance will come from. Oh, it's a wonder of wonders when you can stand by as those two dear ones in the book of Judges did.

[21:08] The angel did wondrously and Manoah and his wife stood by. Then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh.

[21:24] Amen. So we now sing hymn 645. Dangerous is the path we go in this wilderness below, savage beasts of every kind, aiming to distress the mind.

[22:03] Scarce an hour but pilgrims see, they from danger are not free. In some unexpected way, something fills them with dismay.

[22:14] Hymn 645. will pls.

[22:36] Sleigh my Thank you.

[23:06] Thank you. Beautiful. Amazing. Thank you.

[23:19] do Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh

[24:23] Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh

[25:25] Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh

[26:27] Oh Oh RISE WITH бог When thyituation Is more Than my wife's Sandwy aí Oh Oh