Spiritual blessings and leadings through Christ (Quality: Good)

[0:00] The End The End The End

[1:30] The End The End The Dear Lord God would so favour us, I would draw your attention to the twelfth verse in the general epistle of James, the first chapter.

[2:51] The end of the sanctuary this morning.

[3:53] We must be faithful.

[4:25] The end of the囚s of our own sin and our own sin and our own pride and the spirit of a wicked heart is working within us.

[4:37] but having been cut down and separated and knowing the power of the almighty those of you will know the necessity of an honest heart oh to be honest you see the times coming when we yield our breath to God and not one of us have anything to rest on in ourselves but that which the Holy Ghost has given us you see everything must be tried and all sin and flesh must be burned up from our nature only that which comes from God will endure so if we are favoured to look at these words we could look at them one by one we would not just rush through the text and think well that's just another text but the solemnity and when we think of the dear saints of God that have come and gone from the place of the holy they were on the stretch for better things don't we want to be numbered amongst them who through faith and patience now inherit the promises or are we satisfied with a mere form of religion coming in and out in our Sunday suits perhaps coming out once or twice in the week so happy go home can quote the text the next day is forgotten nothing in it just a head knowledge of religion but you see we've got to die and we've got to come before the holy God and we've got to give an account of the deeds done in the body doesn't it make you tremble or are you amongst those that are happy that endure for we read in this book of James behold we count them happy which endure and all to be enduring Christians to have a holy ghost religion to be filled with the spirit and to mourn when we do not have the grace of God to that spirit of contentment within for when the holy ghost blesses you know what he'll do he'll leave behind an aching void oh he will the aching void in the heart without Christ but with him with him you can endure all things so we read here blessed is the man that endureth temptation you see the wicked know not anything they are bent on this life solemn isn't it oh to be delivered from the forms of religion and yet be numbered with the wicked oh we do want to be separated don't we for we cannot call one bomb at our hour some of you perhaps with myself have had those solemn warnings you say well I'm young

[7:56] I've got about 40 years in front of me but have we those of us that have got loved ones gone into eternity in a moment we do want to impress upon our hearers the solemnity of having a form of godliness and denying the power thereof we want to be found amongst them who live under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit those of you dear hearts that know the power and joy of the Holy Spirit for there's no joy on earth in the heart of a sinner that can compare to the joy that the Holy Spirit brings even in a word of reproof oh yes a word of reproof because you'll feel so sweetly drawn back to see the Holy Spirit you may wander for a time but where there's the real work of grace you'll be drawn back you won't be left to wander off for long there's so much to come and mourn over in our walk and our conversation and in our profession why our very walk is our profession isn't it do they look on you and say a godly man or do they look on you and say well he's different Sundays in the week he's quite good but Sundays you can't get near him or do they say he's a godly man he walks his religion oh it's nice and I remember as a little child we heard mention about the war didn't we and we've been so wonderfully delivered you think what that means

[9:37] God of all grace watching over us we would remember the families that are bereaved the dear young men that laid down their lives which brings us to that one precious foundation but may the dear Lord help us to look into that a little later but when we think of the dear ones young men in the bloom of their age gone off to war and here we are are we thankful for the most part we're not we're so complacent we take so much for granted we've got the house of God we've got our liberties but we take it for granted how many of you dear hearts have been down on your knees this morning prayed for a blessing in the house of God prayed to be kept prayed to have his spirit in your heart prayed with a psalmist show me a token for good do you need a token do you need to know that you're in the way that leads to eternal life or do you just pray that it might be another Sunday the minister might be helped only if only we can get through to Monday and we can get back and enjoy those things that take their heart or are you separated are you pursuing to that narrow path are you desiring to be found in it so that you'll be safe for time and for eternity blessed blessed isn't it we read blessed is the man that endures temptation or are you not tempted do we have to go through life so happy with all that we've accumulated if only we could expand a bit more if only we could just have that or if we could just have that and have religion so that we're happy or does the Lord separate you so that you don't find rest or peace in anything only in him people might look at you and they say well he never seems content with anything you can't be content in the earth can you dear heart it's Christ isn't it it's to be prepared for eternity if the dear Lord has begun that work of grace why you can't live without him can you it must be from his fullness that you're supplied nothing short of his grace will do a poor heart any good and with you dear young ones bringing up your families don't you look on the people of God don't you think if only I had grace like that God or are you happy not wanting to know or are you on the very stretch when you hear the gospel and the dear Lord's servants breaking the bread of life to poor needy sinners does your heart go on the stretch to enjoy the favours that the people of God enjoy you see it's rather wonderful that the vilest of sinners and when we look back through the history not that we're given to much reading but if you're favoured to read a little of the autobiographies of some of the dear old signs one or two perhaps we've read oh where they had a change of heart what rejoicing it gave them a real a real change of heart beautiful that is to be found in the first word of the text blessed there's several ways we can be blessed for the dear Lord will bless us with a law work though painful and you might say well how shall we know that we're under the law when shall we know that we're delivered when the arrow goes in that is wonderful painful work but I say wonderful because you see without this there would never be prosperity in Zion when the dear hearts come with an arrow in them when they mingle amongst the people of God and they find no comfort anywhere on earth when they must have the healing barn you see the more you try to pull an arrow out the more damage it does and so you see it's only fit work for the Holy Spirit of God that where he sends an arrow isn't that blessed work don't some of you older ones pray if you've not got it yourself that you see it in all the young that their ears may be bored to the doorpost as it was in ancient times that there might be a godly increase that all your dear ones have been numbered amongst the elect we are so complacent we come in and out we have a good service and it does us good and it lasts about five minutes but where there's a real conviction of sin oh we've got the pain and the sorrow and we must have for this malady the sweet remedy and we can't come there all at once but so you see it is a blessing even in early life to be cut down not cut off because if we were cut off we would have been in the pit dig for the wicked but to be cut down this is lovely work because you see the people of God look on and see the work of grace a poor sinner cut down nowhere to hide that'll make you hate self sinful self when you feel the eye of God looking over you not just for five minutes but day and night wake up in the night and find that you're a sinner before God you see in these days when the roads are so full that in a moment you see poor poor souls step off the pavement and are gone into eternity and we cannot keep ourselves we do not know in the old days when when we were boys you see they used to have horse and carts and things were much slower and they used to go down into the fields dear old souls used to pray by their wagons not all because there were the ungodly but we live in such a different age but all to be found amongst the blessed you see time is short for the best of us whether we're 80 it's not long is it you look back over 80 years does it seem a long time you say well I wonder what I've done with my life this will make you flee to the refuge won't it oh to have that work of grace dear lord if it's not in my heart do begin that work of grace heavenly grace you see there's a better country there are better things for the children of God we want that right beginning we want a real beginning some of you dear hearts might be coming back to me and say

[17:21] I believe I knew I believe I knew that I walked in there afraid to get out of bed afraid to get into bed when anybody called you frightened wasn't see we don't hear much of that these days you see we often hear free and sovereign grace but oh the condemning power to be made right for God it's his work his blessed spirit you'll want to bear witness that he's begun with you that you have got the blessed spirit of God it's easy enough to take things isn't it you see we promise our children do we not perhaps the godly don't they won't permit it but you hear people promise their children if only they do this or that we'll give you this or we'll give you that you see isn't it solemn days we live in we used to have correction and we we weren't promised this or that if we didn't behave it was up to bed and so you see the dear lord corrects his dear children and it's so lovely to have that heavenly discipline and so you see this is where the dear lord begins with his dear children with heavenly discipline and he brings them under the law and they realise then that there is a heaven and a house the dear lord won't promise you everything and say if only you do this

[18:57] I'll give you that no no that's that's how the earth's got families have got like that they call a child and it's disobedient and they say we'll put you to bed but does it happen no the child's still naughty and disobedient so the parents don't mean what they say but God means what he says and so you see when he cuts the soul down because he has sweet favours ahead for them but you see you must have a right beginning you want to be found in this text blessed is the man that man doesn't mean the male it means all of us blessed is the man the ladies are not left out blessed is the man so you see before and we have many temptations in the earth but we read blessed is the man that endures temptation but you see it's to the children of

[19:59] God blessed are the children of God we read that the dear Lord Jesus said blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven for theirs is the kingdom of God you see it's not to all and sundry the word of God is to his dear children it doesn't mean to say any are excluded that come seeking mercy but it doesn't mean that you can just hand out religion in the world like they do very solemn isn't it they have these great revivals and great meetings hand out religion say that you can take on the Lord Jesus but to the hungry soul that will never do where the dear Lord has planted this grace it'll never do to hear somebody say take home the Lord Jesus we want to those of us here that are quickened by his spirit we want to take home the dear Lord

[21:04] Jesus we want to hold him in our breast and never let him go but we do for those little seasons there are little seasons to these that are blessed when he'll make himself sweet in his discoveries because he's so precious to the living family when the dear souls that have come under the law quickened by the spirit of God and made to roar for forgiveness made to suffer that disquietness of heart when they feel that they're lost forever that they'll perish if anybody said to them well you're safe in the covenant why it would be like a foreign language they wouldn't understand it see God must bring them there the spirit of the Lord does his own work isn't that beautiful I don't know how they and I wouldn't be too critical not in that sense

[22:08] I haven't come here to criticize the world but how do they get comfort when the poor child of God is in those experiences of tossed up and down like the locust when they have tribulation and suffering you see you have the throne of grace that you can go to you have that dear refuge that you can flee to you have the comfort from time to time of hearing his dear voice love why the lower you get when you're blessed he'll whisper those sweet beautiful beautiful sentences into your soul it is on those that the dear family of God live isn't it your soul hangs upon his promises doesn't it if only you can get low enough to hear his promises to hear his dear voice to hear his love made now why sometimes he hides the purpose of his grace to make them better now sometimes he's silent for merciful ends so that you should keep going again to him but blessed is the man and so you see when you have known the blessing of God that maketh rich and to everyone that comes under the law for we must solemnly declare that if we live and die under the law we should never reach heaven you see

[23:42] Jesus is the end of the law for righteousness sake he'll bring his dear souls under a low world to see his glory so you see if you're left under the law you're without any comfort aren't you because there's no comfort under the law under the law we must do something but under grace you see it's a done it's a finished work so we want to know that don't we to be delivered but to be delivered from a law brought under grace why that's the beginnings of heaven isn't it and then you see having known that having known these temptations and trials come in and out of the house of God and feel left out of the secret perhaps for a long time come in and out no comfort the people of God feasting upon grace and there's a poor heart under the law no comfort only condemnation but you see I believe and we firmly believe that where the Lord has planted grace a dear heart one day will be brought out into such liberty and oh the liberty of the sons of

[25:06] God but you see there are these temptations to pass through but also there are the temptations to the living family that perhaps have known a law work been brought out under grace and enjoyed that sweet season of love and forgiveness and then when the dear Lord withdraws himself the days of darkness are many the days of temptation are strong looking back perhaps 20 years you feel if only I could have a sip of those days when the Lord was with me and like dear Job declared when the candle of the Lord shined upon me oh those happy days when we held Christ in our heart who would not let him go perhaps days and nights together the joy of the

[26:07] Lord it was so precious his forgiving love have you ever known dear heart what it was under the sweet days of espaceous not to even want your meals when you felt so contented with that heavenly gracious love that you went from day unto day not knowing what day of the week it was when his love was sweet and precious when you didn't want any food and perhaps didn't want anyone to speak to you because of the anointings of the spirit these are blessings aren't they these are the blessings that he refers to in the text blessed is the man oh happy days but oh the trials the days of darkness did not dear Job say oh that I were cut off before the days of darkness you see there is a a real walking out isn't there with the family of

[27:15] God it's not all joy to heaven is it as we once thought under his pardoning love we thought we could endure all things temptations and sufferings into hospital the pain it was all counted joy because of the love of Christ shed abroad in our heart we never thought there would be those mountain experiences of difficulty there is such a thing as walking on the mountain top of his love but when there are those mountains before us and we have to groan oh who art there oh great mountain and then to know his whispers before us irrevable thou shalt become a plight oh they're tossing up and down to the dear children of God but we read blessed it is the man that endures all the pain sometimes that you're brought into by affliction you know not how to endure do you and those far off days when you could when you feel the dear Lord has withdrawn when he hides himself and like I said he hides himself to make it better known we would have our healing in a few moments wouldn't we we wouldn't go in pain for a night but you see when we when it's sanctified and when we are brought to see and to taste and to know his sufferings for us when through the blessed teaching of the Holy Spirit there's a little revival in the heart when we're shown a little that our sufferings are nothing to what the dear Lord suffered for us and when you get a little glimpse of his sufferings and he whispers to you yes my dear child it was for you so that you're revived and for a few moments you'll be able to say with the hymn writer yes

[29:20] I can easily all things endure and so the dear Lord lays these things on us to teach us to bring us out near the kingdom to make that grace of his in us shine more more and more unto the perfect day dear heart you'll hold on won't you you'll hold on if he set that beauty before you heaven at last we must taste these trials we must go through these temptations we want to be tried don't we we've asked the dear Lord that we could grow in grace and then when he brings us into these things isn't there grace tried but oh when he brings us out nearer the kingdom when he tells us that these trials are not in anger when the suffering is not in anger but in his and from his dear covenant love that covenant of grace you want to be under the covenant of grace don't you not under a covenant of works but under grace so that heaven is a divine reality you're looking for it aren't you your heart set upon it you're on the stretch aren't you sometimes dear Lord prepare me for that time prepare me to be with thee because thou hast given us little taste sweet foretaste of heaven sweet blessings that he's laid up for his dear family and so you see we've got to pass through the text to be found in it blessed is the man that endures temptation we read of temptation in different parts of the scriptures but you see sometimes the dear Lord will leave us for a season and we look on the things of others and we can perhaps sympathize in our small way but you see the dear Lord will bring us if we're amongst that living family for those sharp reminders it's not enough to be sympathetic forty years ago no you'll want that life of godliness within you now daily and hourly so that you're sympathizing with the living family of god and that's why the dear Lord keeps showing us these things isn't it to teach us to bring us out nearer the kingdom and to be made more like him our dear once suffering redeemer we can't talk of these things with empty notion but we do pray that we might be blessed with a feeling heart we would feel after the dear

[32:32] Lord Jesus because you see although the dear Lord is not hanging upon the cross suffering now and yet you see to the living family they want to know those divine heavenly realities for the dear Lord walked in everything temptations and sorrows and sufferings so that he could succor his dear children and by the blessed power of the spirit and the preaching of the gospel these things are made now I used to think as I sat in chapel as a little lad how could we enter into the sufferings of Christ when we heard the dear old ministers tracing it out not that there was anything in me in those days I mean just like just childlike just perhaps hearing the word of the minister but when you think when you're brought into sufferings and it's sanctified oh the temptation until it's sanctified have you ever asked yourself and got down under the bedclothes in the hospital with with no sweet sense of forgiveness no blessings in your heart in those early days did you have to hide under the bedclothes and think if you if you never went out from the hospital but went to eternity what would become of you oh the reality of those things and the reality of those days but blessed be his dear name when when he makes himself now when he draws near sheds his love in your heart when you see in him in his sufferings in such on such love my soul still ponders such love to sinful me oh the preciousness of the dear

[34:46] Lord Jesus and when he says make it plain that they may run that readeth it and we want you dear hearts to know and I believe many dear praying hearts amongst us here in this dear house of God one day you'll be crowned at home one day to see the dear Lord oh you'll know then what he passed through to redeem you oh that redeeming love isn't it wonderful these things when made known in the heart seem almost too good for words too good to put into words aren't they his redeeming love the precious blood shed for without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins so you see it must be through the precious shed blood redeeming love and the dear Lord so lovingly so sweetly gave that precious life that the vilest of sinners not good people but the vilest of sinners redemption should find to know his redeeming love oh it makes you feel that he's more precious doesn't it

[36:07] Jesus in the sinner's place sinners deserving hell deserving to be cut off forever redeemed redeemed by his precious blood found amongst this first clause blessed is the man so you see with that you'll endure this temptation this is why the dear Lord Jesus makes himself precious so that we're able to endure temptation we could speak of temptation but there's not much profit in that the profit is in him who has endured for us oh if we could see the dear Lord and a poor heart that feels burdened by sin and feels if only they could see the dear Lord if only they could have the sweet witness that he died for there you see you can't give yourself the work of grace can you it must come down from his fullness and this is what

[37:11] I would ever try to declare you see it's one thing to say give yourself but it's another thing when he gives himself the beauty of it free and sovereign grace when he gives himself when he comes into your heart dear soul and you won't want anything else you have your precious Jesus and you never think then when you have Christ perhaps it never even occurs to you that you've got to pass through days of temptation fierce temptation but if we're favoured to come again this afternoon we will look into these things if the dear Lord helps us if the dear Lord helps me I'll read the text and have done for this morning blessed is the man that endureth temptation for when he is tried he shall receive the crown of life which the

[38:28] Lord hath promised to them that love him amen our concluding hymn this morning is number 351 to the tune Billing 849 351 351 the sinner that by precious faith has felt his sins forgiven is from that moment passed from death and sealed an air of heaven though thousand snares enclose his feet not one shall hold him fast whatever dangers he may meet he shall get safe at last 351 home ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho

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