Luke

[0:00] In number 257, June 418, May humble souls complain no more, Let faith survey your future store, How happy and divine you bless, The sacred word of truth and death.

[0:30] Thank you. 257, June 418.

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[6:36] The text for this evening to my heart is very sorrowful to commence with and has caused me a few heavy hours today.

[7:03] And I hope there is the second part of it which I pray and trust we shall all be found in.

[7:16] From the 22nd chapter of the Gospel of Luke we read verses 31 and 32.

[7:27] St. Luke's Gospel chapter 22 verses 31 and 32. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, Behold, Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat.

[7:53] But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not. And when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

[8:08] The Gospel of Luke chapter 22 verses 31 and 32. The Lord said, Simon, Simon, Behold, Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat.

[8:34] I don't know what effect such words have upon your soul.

[8:47] But upon my soul today they've made me tremble within. Because you see, this was a declaration of Jesus Christ.

[9:05] And it was made to a poor sinful sinner. Though he was called to preach the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ.

[9:18] Yet there was one more who desired to have him. You look, we sometimes speak of that one word desire, do we not?

[9:34] This desire was an evil desire and it still is an evil desire found in the very spirit and being of the prince of hell.

[9:49] Don't you think that that's any exaggeration, friend. And don't you imagine for one moment there's one of us in this chapel or outside of it that are outside of the scope of the prince of hell.

[10:07] For we're not. And if grace has made its mark within our soul then the prince of hell will also make his mark.

[10:23] You may say, well, we wanted something to comfort us tonight. The comfort is in the 32nd verse. We cannot have the comfort there except first of all we have to trace out and experience and know and to feel and understand what this one great word is temptations.

[10:50] I couldn't help thinking of this today where Jesus said ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations.

[11:03] Have you ever considered that? Here was two arrayed in battle one against the other.

[11:16] The prince of peace and the prince of hell and all for the good of the church of God and sinner all for your good if you've been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

[11:37] And I say to you this evening where Satan sees and beholds the mark and the sprinkling of atoning blood there he will make his onslaught because he desires still to have you sinner.

[11:57] he'll make your life at times intolerably miserable with the onslaught that he brings against your soul in all manners of temptations.

[12:12] If one said to me tonight well I never suffer this way and this has been said to me Satan never interferes with me then that shows that there's no grace friends.

[12:28] Make sure of that. There's no grace where Satan the prince of hell doesn't try to interfere.

[12:42] Because you see that's the mark of Christ and that's the spirit of Christ and where the spirit of Christ is found the prince of hell Satan is surely to be in a ray battle a ray against it.

[13:02] And make no mistake friends he knows exactly where the weak places are in every child of God.

[13:12] Don't you think you're strong? Let him who thinketh he standeth beware lest he fall. It's easy to suppose we are strong in grace.

[13:29] It's easy to suppose we know all there is to know in religion and of Jesus Christ. When we get into those places we are in a dangerous situation very much so.

[13:47] Now you see this Satan he probes and he does exactly like an army would do one against the other and he probes and probes and probes until he really finds out the weakest spot in every child of God and every one of us have got a weak spot and it will cause us sorrow friends if we're a child of God it will we only spoke of these two things that have Peterborough on Tuesday evening the exceeding sinfulness of sin and against this is the exceeding riches of his grace one set over against the other and the Lord teaches these people of his now you may say well you've mentioned about these temptations now what sort of temptations are they well

[14:53] I don't suppose many of the Lord's people would want to tell each other what their temptations are do they and it's not always prudent that you should open all your heart is it but there's one place I'm sure that you will have to tell and that is you will have to pour it out before your God at the throne of his heavenly grace pour it out temptations make us to realize friends how weak we are not as strong but it's a mercy if this is true of us temptations will bring about new life to prayer because temptations are trials aren't they and trials do bring new life to prayer you can have ever so many other trials but you may be under some severe temptation this evening and you fear there's no way of escape out of it the Lord always brings and always makes a way of escape for his own dear people he does and if he doesn't make the way of escape the mark is bad against that sinner it's bad

[16:19] I don't know if I've ever told you there was a poor old man years ago when my father was 19 18 or 19 and he went to chapel my father because more out of restraint like a good many more of us when we were young restraint and he used to go afternoons and sit in the gallery of Staples Chapel Kent on this special Sunday afternoon he took his seat and a man came and sat next to him and the man sat there sabbath after sabbath and he was a member of that church on this afternoon he took his seat and he sat down and he put his head in his hands and he sat there throughout the whole service over an hour and a half immediately the service was over he was the first out of that chapel he went straight to the late pastor's wife she was indoors said I want a word with you

[17:27] Mrs. Lewis she said whatever is your trouble I've made a league with the devil this afternoon and I have more peace in my soul than I for six months and he said now this is the end this is the end have you ever come to that place friend where you thought God would leave you he left him he hasn't left you and the poor man went down to the rails his head was severed in eternity he knew the awfulness of it when you consider deception Satan's deception sinner all to be delivered from temptation and this awful power of this prince of the power of the air I thought this afternoon as we were coming along you consider what he is as a roaring lion going about seeking whom he may devour and the more you want

[18:31] Christ sinner the more he'll be after you the more you want a living religion the more he'll try and annihilate you and the more will he set his teeth on edge against you and it doesn't matter he doesn't mind what means he uses he'll use his own agents he'll use his professors of religion he'll use the wicked instincts of your own human wicked heart and all these converge upon your poor soul until presently you wonder where the scene will end you don't want a religion from books you'll have it written here fellow sinner until you wonder whether God will ever deliver you out of the claws of this devil this lion this adversary make no mistake these poor things they're to be truly pitied pitied pitied and to be prayed for do you know anything of it going about as a roaring lion seizing making your poor soul his prey desire desire to have you at all cost determined but you see there's one other determination determined to say thee watched over my path this precious

[20:01] Christ he said to Peter I know oh what's going to happen but I have prayed for you prayed for you don't you hope that's in your experience sinner you'll need it we all need it I know I've needed it thousands of times friends thousands of times you thought sometimes the devil was going to overthrow you have you have you ever lived with that poor lad poor lad poor man when he had to say my name is legion my name is legion Jesus had compassion on him he had compassion on him if you ever felt ever had to confess this to the lord my name is legion you haven't a stone to throw at a poor sinner not even a murderer if he was taken to the gallows today you couldn't throw a stone at that one could you not my name is legion you see you will be brought the same place if you never as that dear man presently he was found sitting the feet of Jesus clothed and in his right mind a right mind before it was a bad mind a wrong mind or through temptation that's a strong word but it is a stronger experience to have to pass through it and prove it isn't it consider that poor man a stapler so there was never any return never any return see he went his own way the lord went his way and that poor man went his own way

[21:53] I often thought of the effect that had on my poor father the years I heard him speak of that awful thing after and how it made such an impact upon his spirit for years and so it would you know if there's any of us here had we anyone left to such a thing as this and you may have been passing through and may have had the same experience may have been tempted well this will be the end by my own hand by my own hand don't be surprised it'll come from this prince of hell so you I don't believe the lord's people have it well let's go back to the early days of the lord in his temptations and I'm going to use a word which is very plain but this is expressed and revealed to us in the word of god to mean this when the devil he took

[23:00] Jesus up on the pinnacle of the temple and he said unto him cast thyself down now you consider the pinnacle of the temple we don't know what height that was but the pinnacle or the tower of our churches are very high and if you were to consider any of us being left to go up there and cast ourselves down it would be immediate death for us immediate death do you see how far the devil went in his temptations with Jesus Christ this is not what I'm supposing this is truth from the word of God so dear child of God don't you understand that this path you must taste and I believe this that you and I need daily daily daily more than ever to beware of the wiles of the devil and to put on the whole armor of

[24:05] God because you know if we don't mind he's going to penetrate that armor where he sees a weak spot God say you what you think he will have such business with me he will child of God he will I can't give you any quarter here tonight I believe this if any real child of God has ever got to this condition where they felt they could withstand Satan it's not very long before he will begin his pranks and he will spare no mercy at all with them no mercy if we could begin to get and grow self righteous and if we feel we can stand it won't be long before the devil will begin to throw his ammunition at our soul and he will soon make a hole in the wall and that is where we thought we had so much faith and we shall be brought here oh ye of little faith little it isn't great is it

[25:21] I wondered often late years and I begged of this many many times and said to the Lord Lord is there enough grace for me tomorrow if I if I am out through today is there enough for me tomorrow you see you will want to feel this friend to be helped through carried through you consider the one army against the other what will we see in the Shalomite a company of two armies you may get up in the morning you may have it all quiet before dinner the battle is right on friends the battle is right on with all his vile accusations and insinuations and awful vile and filthy suggestions that the devil the prince of hell will bring into your soul

[26:22] I tell you he'll have no mercy if you have grace say I didn't think it was quite as bad as this well it will be before you get home to glory you know he's going to make a mark somewhere you'll have a few bruises you certainly will and those bruises that he makes you know you'll have to take them to the precious saviour because you'll be brought to this place it doesn't mean that you're out of grace or you're fallen out of grace you'll have it proved to you that you've been called by grace that's the blessed part chosen of God ere time began and you hoped it's you sinner you'd choose him in return a sinner like you nothing to boast of have you nothing to boast of all you can say lord it seems that for the most part my wicked heart takes the part of the devil and you don't want to is that so taking the part of the devil when he suggests there's something in your heart would go hand in hand with him if not outwardly inwardly you do you consider from an evil temper to ever so many other things which all of us we are subject to it any of us and this is the one that is going to make your life very very trying from time to time peace

[28:14] I will remember as I look back and a little while ago it was brought back to me with such sweetness and it brought rapture and surprise back into my soul where I felt that this devil he haunted me haunted me for six months and I thought there would be never never be any peace it was in the days when we lived in a little cottage at Bexley and I used to just groan not pray groan and I used to feel another day another burdensome day gone by another day when the devil has made another onslaught six months and I went in the pulpit and I had a little light and when I went to get out the Lord drew the blind of his love and I felt all the powers of hell were set against me and I woke one

[29:22] Tuesday morning and as soon as I felt my eyes were open and I could think it was as if the very devil was at my right hand and all these evil dreadful suggestions day and night if you're awake have you ever had and I groaned do appear Lord I can't go on I can't go on it's no good do appear to die and I went down the stairs and put the kettle on and walked back into the little middle room alone I said Lord do appear to me I'm but a poor wretched sinner with no one to help me do come the brokenness into my most soul I bound the up secure midst all the rage of hell the curse thou never shall endure for

[30:29] I'm unchangeable oh friends the wonders of love that entered into my soul the rest of that day I worship the blessed prince of peace in the beauty of holiness when I went about my work I didn't know hardly what I was doing I could feel precious Jesus friend of sinners thee as such to do draw near to one as I like I feel I am and my my my language all that day was of love and adoration of this blessed Jesus Christ and the devil was silent and in my soul I had this blessed knowledge I know that my redeemer lived the prince of peace have you ever passed that way when he's silent and you look round for him and he's gone you've had months and weeks or days and nights of it and you wondered if after all you were a child of

[31:49] God if you'd made a dreadful mistake and here the whole matter is settled friends it's settled settled and in your inmost soul he's written this when I see the blood sprinkling of it I will pass over you no curse no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus all to be found in him and if you are found in him the devil will try and bring you out of him that's what he's trying to do heritate your soul distract your spirit harden your heart turn you away from the throne of grace telling you it's no good you ever praying anymore and the word of God is untrue and sometimes to bring such atheistic thoughts and views into your inmost soul to tell you there's no

[32:53] God a child of God has to endure these things friends and a thousand more that I'm not going to mention to you because some of you know them and all you can write after your own name is this can I deem myself a child of God can I indeed you want to but you cannot see it you cannot feel it and you only feel the worst of sinners without hope but there is hope there is hope you see having passed through this way you will know what it is to enter presently to have fellowship with this precious Jesus in his temptation when you get home if you only do this look at that verse and read it a few times ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations continued and upset you and you will have temptations in those when the

[34:46] Lord doesn't appear to you and the devil says well because of this the Lord has turned against you because of this thing and he'll bring you to have an exercise of faith and prayer but that's a mercy and the devil doesn't know he's doing this to you he really doesn't understand yet friends what a sheep dog he is to drive the sheep of Christ to the throne of grace because that's what he's doing he brings them to that place in distraction and despair that they're driven out of despair to the throne of his heavenly grace and all because he continually prods held and roars now what a mercy the lord warned peter he warned him don't know if there's one here and you may heed the warning don't say well

[35:50] I've had all this and I shan't pass there again ah friend be careful you may I never want to I said to the lord sometimes I been down deep enough no more it is enough it is enough of being deep enough no more we don't know all I want to this while I live on this earth now I hope is this ever on my captain calling day by day keep me lord help me lord hold thou me up lord support me lord maintain my lot sustain me in this way deliver me out of temptation don't let me let them come into my path do give me the grace that I can fight against anything like this where is that word found in

[36:50] Peter I read in the vestry resist the devil and he will flee from you but we've got a heart which wants to court him it's true and we want to mind you know some things that we think are from God they're from the devil friends so you have that I know ever so many people in my time and I still know many and have many dear friends I thank God for them and a good many of them have told me this I thought I had so and so from the Lord but it wasn't from him I was thinking of a dear soul that's now in glory they said once do us well I believe the Lord spoke so and so into my soul it was concerning something providential that thing never come to pass but that never altered the fact that that soul was redeemed and is now in glory we sometimes listen friends with the wrong ear there's the spiritual ear the ear of faith and there is the natural ear and the devil has a trick of speaking into the natural ear and at the opportune moment we are ready to believe him especially if it's something suitable to our natural ear and our natural taste so we want to beware and

[38:44] I believe this the Lord's people need to be confirmed again and again and again you want it from God you want him to confirm it in your heart that it was from himself that it was him that spoke you don't want Satan to appear unto you or me as an angel of light do we that's a terrible thing to me terrible thing and yet we all may fall to this friend we may fall to it for a while until the Lord opens our eyes I only warn you in love and affection beware of him friends he's not going to be very pleased with me tonight I know but beware of him beware he stirs up he stirs up in your heart you know he does he stirs up everything in hell to fight against you and I prove he can fight he can use men devils he uses professors and I've had more trouble from professors than I have from profane certainly I have but remember this prince of peace the king of kings he reigns and he rules over the prince of hell he'll lay all his foes and all your foes low he certainly will it's not always easy to believe it but I know he has promised this the lord god omnipotent reign death and so you'll be drawn out of temptation the fire of temptation you'll be drawn out of the pursuit of the prince of hell he doesn't mind what pains he takes remember he cannot annihilate a grace that is found in the heart of a child of god but he can tease aggravate and annoy and that is his work and he certainly lives up to his character in it now the lord said but I have prayed for thee and I see our time has gone

[41:17] I didn't know the opening would be so long on this part that satan hath desired to have thee that he may sift you as wheat I tell you this tonight my one desire all day long is this I've had visions there may be one or more in this chaplain congregation who may have to suffer and be sifted as weak yet in your religion my prayer is this lord have mercy upon them because if he does this some of us can tell you you'll have to look round presently and you'll have to wonder if you've even Jesus Christ is your hope you certainly will there will be a time when there will be a stopping of the proud waves of the adversary then it'll be your turn of blessing of quietness and of calm when

[42:29] Jesus with his mighty love visits your troubled breast and then you'll have a sacred love and a holy peace which will pass all knowledge of understanding we must leave it for the moment and trust the Lord for the future for the text may we not have labored in vain and may this same Jesus ever be your comfort Amen Lord will all the following of creatures on Sunday morning and evening and Mr.

[43:29] Smith Monday and next week this goes to hymn number 232 June 815 Come unbelief my Savior is near and for my relief will surely fear I prayer that we wrestle and he will perform with Christ and the vessel I smile at the stone 232 815 Good CHOIR SINGS

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[50:46] CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS Gracious Lord, do kindly dismiss us with thy blessing and grant each one journeying mercies.

[51:28] May the angel of thy presence encamp round about each one. Now may the grace of Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the fellowship and sweet communion, the Holy Spirit a comforter, to rest and abide with you each this night and forevermore.

[51:54] Amen.