[0:00] My dependence upon the Lord, who all needed help and grace, I'll ask you to turn with me to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter the 25th, and at verse 34.
[0:23] Matthew 25, verse 34. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come ye, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
[0:43] If we look into the Word of God and read what the Word of God says, we shall soon see this, that there are two peoples, there are two ways, and two eternal destinies.
[1:17] There are the people of God, the children of God, the righteous, those who are the servants of the devil, those who are the wicked, the unrighteous, they are found walking in a path by a road, and the children of God are found walking in a different road.
[1:55] Remember, there was one came to the Lord Jesus, when he was here in this earth, with this question, this inquiry, are there few that be saved?
[2:12] The Lord did not satisfy his curiosity by giving him a number, but he said this to him, Strive to enter in at the straight gate, for straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
[2:37] And there never was a more searching, a more solemn preacher than the Lord Jesus.
[2:51] If you read the words of the Lord Jesus as they are recorded in the scriptures, as the Holy Spirit has recorded them, you will find that he preached much upon heaven and hell, the kingdom of heaven, and he did bring before his hearers the great necessity, the vital necessity, of being prepared, prepared for that time when each one is to leave this earth, for we know not the day nor the hour.
[3:41] Boast not yourselves of tomorrow, says the word. Boast not yourselves of tomorrow, says the word. How often we hear, like, it's a daily, a daily report, isn't it, we have of those that go out in the morning, never to return.
[4:00] Not always those who are older, not always adults, but some children, has happened in the past week. Doesn't this then give us much cause to be exercised, rightly exercised concerning our end, and where we shall spend eternity?
[4:28] For although there are many who say they do not believe in anything beyond this life, they say that when we come to the end of this life, all is finished.
[4:48] It's contrary to what the scripture says, contrary to what God, what the Lord has said, isn't it? There are two ways, two peoples, and two eternal destinies.
[5:04] Here we have it set forth in this chapter. We have it in the account that the Lord has given of the ten virgins.
[5:22] Ten, five wives, five foolish. They all had lamps. They were all dressed the same. They all looked the same from the outward appearance.
[5:40] But oh, when the cry was made, behold, the bridegroom cometh. Five were prepared.
[5:50] Five had their lamps. And five had oil. And they went in, we read, and the door was shut.
[6:01] And I don't know whether there's a more solemn word than that. They that were ready went in, and the door was shut.
[6:13] When I was a lad, a little lad, my brother and I, we used to sit by our mother's knee when she read the scriptures to us.
[6:32] And I remember very kindly her reading this chapter. And when my brother and I, who shared the same room, went to bed, we spoke upon these things.
[6:54] Ah, what if I should be left out? What if my name should be missing when the Lord called?
[7:04] We do not know, do we, the thoughts that our young friends have? But you know this, that the Lord Jesus did call, gather little children unto himself, and said, suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not.
[7:34] And to those things, those words that he did speak to them, we know not.
[7:47] But he would say, speak the same truth, wouldn't he? Same things would be made known to them.
[7:58] You know, when sheep and lambs are in the field, they all gather, they all eat of the same pasture, don't they?
[8:11] They eat the same food. And the sheep must be fed and the lambs also. And there was these virgins who were wise and who had their lambs and trimmed and the oil in their vessels.
[8:38] And they went in and the door was shut. And the others who had lambs, they had vessels but no oil. They had vessels but no oil.
[8:51] Do not see there the work of the Lord begun in the heart of some grace therein, and others lacking.
[9:05] Now the Lord Jesus did speak to one who came to him and said, Lord, what good thing must I do to inherit eternal life?
[9:18] And that young man had much, many possessions. But one thing was lacking. One thing thou lackest.
[9:33] How solemn have we come to the end and is one thing lacking? The one thing needful. The all-important thing.
[9:45] Lacking. Lacking. Well now. We come to our text. We come to what the Lord speaks here.
[9:58] When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory.
[10:10] Before him shall be gathered all nations. He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the gods.
[10:20] We read this, don't we, that they'll all appear before him. We must all appear before Christ, the judgment seat of Christ.
[10:36] It is appointed, a divine appointment. Appointed unto men once to die, and after that, the judgment. How will it be then?
[10:56] You see, with the people of God, they're sinners, as all men are sinners, we're all sinners, we're all sinners in God's sight.
[11:12] We've all sinned and come short of the glory of God. Those who are appointed to life eternal, those who were separated in eternity past, before the foundation of the world, chosen in Christ then, ordained to eternal life, are made believers, are made believers.
[11:39] They don't make themselves believers. And no minister can make another man a believer.
[11:52] It's the work of God, God alone, God the Spirit in the heart. And God alone knows who these people are.
[12:08] From every nation, kindred, tongue and trough it. All men are gathered, and shall be gathered to him.
[12:21] And some on the left hand, and some on the right hand. The goats on the left, and the sheep on the right. Those who are his.
[12:33] The sheep. The foundation of God's standards sure, having this seal. The Lord knoweth them that are his. He knows.
[12:47] And they are blessed. Blessed of God. Blessed of the Father. Come ye, blessed of my Father.
[13:00] Blessed. What are they blessed with? Well, firstly, they are blessed with this, the new birth.
[13:14] Marvel not that I say unto thee, ye must be born again. One of the eternal verities that we read in the third chapter of John's Gospel.
[13:29] Marvel ye must. Ye must be born again. How can one be born when he's a grown man?
[13:46] Can he be born again? Can he be born as he came into the world? Now, not born, you see, there's one birth, one natural birth, isn't there?
[14:00] When the people of God, there's a spiritual birth. When the Holy Spirit begins that work of grace in the heart, marvel not, but I say unto thee, ye must be born again.
[14:25] Blessed of my Father. You see it. Born again. Born of the Spirit. Old things passed away.
[14:36] Old things become new. The Spirit's work to change the heart, renew the will and turn the feet to Zion's hill.
[14:48] It was raised up in the heart that one desire, a desire which the psalmist had, in his own heart.
[15:00] One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.
[15:17] To be found where the Lord's people are. To be gathered with them with one accord, one mind.
[15:33] What for? To be seen of men? Some go into a church to view the architecture, to see the carvings in the stone and the timber work, the beauties of the craftsmanship of the church or the cathedral.
[16:02] Now, with the church of God, with the people of God, it's this, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. It's to see Jesus, isn't it?
[16:14] So as we would see Jesus. To see no man say Jesus only. Is this why you come into the house of God this night?
[16:29] Lord, do meet with me. Lord, do bless me. Lord, give me a token of the good, a crumb of mercy, Lord. Bless me.
[16:44] Bless me with that blessing of thine, which enriches the heart. Leave not my soul, destitute, Lord. Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
[16:59] If that's the language of your heart and mine, if we can find a companion in those that, out of those words, the psalmists and others, why, isn't that a sign of the new birth?
[17:20] Isn't that a sign that the Spirit has begun a work of grace in your heart? When there is a seeking after those things which abide, those things which remain, those things which are eternal, those things which can never be removed, fruit, when the Lord seals a word into the heart, when the Lord gives you a token, when the Lord blesses you?
[17:54] It's not for one day and then removed another day, is it? I know the child of God doesn't live every day in the sweet enjoyment of these things.
[18:10] I know there are those days of darkness, there are those days when one walks in the valley, when one is in the dark, when the clouds cover the sun, but the sun is still there, the sun still shines, and the Lord is there, isn't he?
[18:35] The Lord is upon the throne, the Lord is seated upon that mercy seat, there will I commune with thee, there will I meet with thee, from above the mercy seat, come ye blessed of my father, blessed with the spirit of prayer, blessed with that spirit of wrestling prayer, Lord I cannot let thee go, except thou bless me, do not turn away thy face, mine is an urgent pressing case, come ye blessed of my father, ah, you say, if only I could pray, if only I could put into words what I feel, the Lord knows the Lord knows your heart, the Lord knows your desires, the Lord knows how you feel, the Lord knows the exercises from within your heart, your soul, your breast, and those cries which go up from within,
[19:50] Lord, I do need thee, Lord I cannot live without thee, and if ever my poor soul be saved, tis Christ must be the way, it's a wonderful privilege you know, that the child of God has, the privilege of prayer, have you ever thought, have you ever really seriously considered this, that the Lord permits poor sinners to draw near unto him, he is seated as king upon the throne of grace, king, we read, do we not of him as the king, king, king, king, king, king, king, king, king, when the son of man shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory, sit upon that throne, a king sits upon the throne, here we have king
[21:04] Jesus, I say, isn't it an honor, an honor, given to a poor sinner, to draw near to God, to come to the throne of grace, and to knock upon mercy's door which is open, ever open, no matter what time of the day or night it may be, you'll come, the Lord will see to it that you come again and again, the Lord will put something into your pathway, the Lord will give you that great need, saying, Lord, I cannot do without thee, Lord, I come again, I knock upon mercy's door, ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you, come ye blessed of my father, blessed with that new power, blessed with the spirit of prayer, blessed with faith, oh, could I but believe, then all would easy be, you say, and you weren't the first one to say it, could I but believe, then all would easy be, would it, there's a trial of faith, isn't there, a trial of faith, which is much more precious than a gold to perish, it, faith is tried,
[23:03] Abraham, how we read, a man of faith, when you speak, when you hear of Abraham, you immediately think of that, don't you, man of faith, that faith was tried, the Lord gave him faith, the Lord tried that faith, he had to go up into the mount with his son, his only son, Isaac, to offer him a sacrifice there, oh what a trial of faith, a trial of faith that must have been for Abraham, three days journey into the mount, and the prophetic words that he uttered to his son, when Isaac said, behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering, the Lord will provide himself a sacrifice, the Lord did provide for Abraham in the mount, in the mount of the Lord, it shall be seen,
[24:26] Jehovah, Jireh, the Lord will provide, blessed of my father, blessed with faith, yes, faith in the providential way, and faith in the spiritual way, he is the God, isn't he, the God of providence and the God of grace, have he not said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee, now I'm with you all the even unto the end, you see, the Lord manifests his gracious presence to his people in the beginning as he begins with them, speaks to them, doesn't he, and what a word that is, isn't it, which the
[25:33] Lord did speak to Moses of old, my present children with thee, now I'll give thee rest, I'll make all my goodness pass before you in the way, those of you who can look back, those of you who have a sweet hope that the Lord did begin, the Lord was in the beginning, he has helped you, helped you day by day, helped you hitherto, hitherto, hitherto, hitherto, hitherto, hitherto, hitherto, hitherto, raised up those Ebenezes, Ebenezes, to his prayers, helped, stones of hell, come ye, blessed of my father, blessed with faith, blessed with faith, blessed with faith, you know, if you have a case, and I have a case, deep felt need of him, there will be a drawing here unto him,
[26:56] Lord, this is my case, this is my need, I'm a poor, helpless sinner, Lord, help me, be thou my helper, help me now, and if spared, help me on the morrow, and if I'm spared, help me through every day until the end, and you know, it matters not what age we are, those who are older, why they need help, don't they, help in their weaknesses, help in their infirmities, help in their afflictions, help they feel very keenly, the weakness and the frailty of the human body, those who bear the heat and the burden of the day, help, as they go about their daily calling, and the mother and the housewife, help in the home, those who have a great responsibility, responsibility, responsibilities in the church of
[28:26] God, help, that things might be done rightly, decently, and in order, and younger friends, help, I wonder, do you ever pray about your lessons, things that you find difficult, hard, perhaps you do not understand, do not understand the questions, so how can you give an answer, is there a lifting up of the heart to heaven, Lord, I'm but a child, but do help me, Lord, I don't understand this, help me to understand, you see, those who are self-confident, those who can rest in the creature, and feel they have no need, why, they do not ask, do they?
[29:38] they do not draw near unto the Lord, but those who have a need, those who have a place, by each one, may come, draw near unto him, and seek that help, seek that strength, seek that deliverance, come ye, the blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, now, you know, we read this, that the Lord, Jesus, spoke to his beloved people, his little flock, a little remnant, and said, fear not, little flock, it is your
[30:41] Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom, his good pleasure, there is an inheritance, which is incorruptible and undefiled, and that fight it not away, reserved in heaven, for you, said Peter, for you, who are these, kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, they know they cannot keep themselves, and they know that salvation is not of works, see how humble these people were, they did not expect an entrance into heaven, they did not see that inheritance by works, did they?
[31:50] What they had done, why they seemed surprised when the Lord spoke to them, along these lines, and then the righteous shall answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee and hungered and fed thee, or thirsty and gave thee drink, when saw we thee a stranger and took thee in, or naked and clothed thee, when was this, Lord?
[32:25] You know, as I sat in the vestry and pondered over these things, I thought, yes, the Lord remembers, doesn't he? The Lord remembers. The Lord remembers everything.
[32:40] Everything is remembered by the Lord. And you and I and I, we've got to give an account in that great day of our deeds.
[33:02] And the psalmist cried today, remember not, remember not the sins of my youth, remember not these things, Lord, against me.
[33:15] remember the words, the language used by the dying thief on the cross on the right hand of the Lord Jesus of Calvary.
[33:33] Remember me, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. why you say, his deeds, they were sinful, weren't they?
[33:51] He suffered there in the cross because of the crimes that he committed. And he was dying, crucified, could he plead any good works?
[34:19] Any creature married? Why, it was mercy, and mercy alone, wasn't it? Mercy through blood I make by plea, O God, be merciful to me.
[34:35] But you see, how those who are blessed blessed of the Father, blessed with a new birth, blessed with a spirit of prayer, blessed with faith.
[34:50] And they walk, do they not, in the footsteps following the Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus, and we read what it says in John chapter 13, the Lord Jesus took a basin of water and a towel and girted himself with a towel and washed the disciples' feet, performed that task of the meanest slave.
[35:30] I know there was a deep teaching in that. The Lord would teach his disciples, teach Peter this, that he needed washing, and they all did.
[35:43] And we each need washing, don't we? In that fountain open for sin and for uncleanness.
[35:57] But the Lord Jesus humbled himself. And he never asked any of his followers to do something that he did not do himself.
[36:13] do you notice this? He says, I was unhungered, I was thirsty, I was a stranger, naked and declydly, I was sick, I was in prison, I, I, I.
[36:39] The Lord speaks of himself to me. you see the oneness, see the union between the Lord Jesus and his people.
[36:59] And you read John chapter 17 when you go home, see the oneness, the union between the Lord Jesus and his people and the Lord Jesus and his father.
[37:23] One, can two walk together except they be agreed? Can you walk with Jesus? Jesus. If you walk with Jesus, you must be agreed with him.
[37:39] And walking with Jesus, you must be humbled and so must I. Cannot be too loud, can we, for Jesus. Jesus.
[37:49] humbled, humbled by grace, humbled under the mighty hand of God, that he might exalt us in due time, casting all our care upon him.
[38:05] then shall the king say unto them on his right hand, the king, he is king, king to reign, king to rule, king over the kingdom, supreme authority.
[38:30] King of the kingdom, his subjects are under him, aren't they? The king reigns.
[38:46] Those who are his subjects are loyal to him, aren't they? Loyal to him, faithful to him.
[39:01] And the Lord is faithful to his people. faithful is he the calling to you. God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of his son, Jesus Christ.
[39:15] There is a union, a walking together, a oneness. man, then shall the king say unto them on his right hand, come ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
[39:37] An inheritance prepared, an inheritance for his dear people. and they will enter into that inheritance.
[39:56] We hear this expression, don't we? That the Lord has prepared a place for his people who are prepared for that place here.
[40:15] There is a beautiful verse or verses that are written for the sweet encouragement of the Lord's people.
[40:38] They live in a world, they know what trouble is, don't they? They know what conflict is, they know what opposition is, they know what sorrows are.
[40:53] Let not your heart be troubled, said Jesus, shortly before going up to Calvary. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me.
[41:07] In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
[41:24] That's heaven, isn't it? That's heaven, that where I am, there you may be also. The Lord's dear people have a touch of it here upon earth when the Lord draws near.
[41:39] When the Lord comes to them, manifests his sweet presence. It was a sacred place, you know, that spot in the wilderness where Jacob was and the Lord gave him a revelation in his dream of the ladder reaching from the earth into heaven, the angels descending and ascending, the Lord was above it.
[42:16] How awful is this place, he said, why the Lord is here. This is none other than the house of God and the gate of heaven, the very gate of heaven.
[42:30] child of God, why the Lord found him. And where did he find him?
[42:42] In the waste howling wilderness. And that's where he finds his people, in the waste howling wilderness. In this world, which is a waste howling wilderness to them.
[42:55] he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. And when Jacob came to the end of his life, you know, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, was there?
[43:08] Not a cloud in the sky. But you know, he had many a trial, many a conflict. All these things are against me, he said.
[43:21] what trouble he had with his family. Bring down my grey hairs to the grave in sorrow.
[43:41] But were those things against him? Are all these things against you? Solemn thing, as I said earlier on in the day, solemn thing is God is against you.
[43:55] But if God is for us, who can be against us? God was with Jacob, wasn't he? God led him on, brought him on.
[44:08] There were many things in Jacob's life that were not commendable. many things in the book of his life that he would like to erase.
[44:31] Many things in the book of our life that we'd like to tear out, as it were. God said, but the Lord is good, the Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knoweth them that put their trust in him.
[44:57] Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand, come, ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared you from the foundation of the world, a kingdom prepared, an inheritance, not bought, not earned, not merited, but a gift, isn't it?
[45:23] A gift, divine grace, a covenant is made, a covenant ordered in all things and sure, and that's where David rested.
[45:35] There were things that troubled him, many things. Although my house be not so with God, yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure.
[45:48] This is my salvation, this is where I rest, this is my covenant of grace, salvation by grace.
[46:01] May the Lord add his blessing and pardon that which is pure ICMS. For his name say, Amen. Amen.