John

[0:00] As the Lord may be pleased to help me this evening, I would direct your minds to the Gospel of John, chapter 19, and reading in the way of a text, the last clause in verse 26.

[0:26] Woman, behold thy Son. The Gospel of John, chapter 19, we'll read the verse 26.

[0:45] When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by whom he loved, he said unto his mother, Woman, behold thy Son.

[1:11] We're drawing near the sacred ground. To the place where Jesus, the beloved Son of Almighty God.

[1:40] That dear man, who was sent by the Father as a servant, sent up to this lower world to be the Redeemer of all whom the Father had chosen and loved.

[2:11] A mystery. A mystery. A mystery. A mystery. A mystery. Oh, little do we understand. The greatness.

[2:27] And the Son. And the Holy Spirit. Three in one.

[2:39] Full of wisdom. Full of grace. Full of mercy. Full of love. Full of love. Full of love.

[2:54] Jesus. Born into this world. Matter. Almighty. Holy, God. The einen. Ring,ude. Aなた.

[3:04] For it. A trust. A God To a não pun. And have the two in our text. Woman. Mary. The Mary.

[3:15] The mother of Jesus. The mother of Jesus. She was his real mother. She gave birth to that baby.

[3:29] at Bethlehem. Great is the mystery of it, overshadowed by the Holy Ghost.

[3:45] She gave birth unto the one mentioned in our text, Jesus. Amen.

[4:03] The love of the Lord Jesus Christ as he was hanging upon that cross at Calvary.

[4:18] May the Lord help us to enter into it a little. Therefore, there seems, and we know, there's a great depth in this.

[4:30] And at times I fear to approach Calvary and the Garden of Gethsemane. Yet I believe it's to be breached. It's not to be forgotten.

[4:42] In respect of his supper, do this in remembrance of me.

[4:52] So we desire this evening, by the help of the Holy Spirit, to enter a little into the feelings, the love, of this dear man, Jesus Christ.

[5:11] And first I would notice, though he was in pain, in grief, in his own body, and in heart, and in soul.

[5:30] Yet, his love flowed toward his mother. As I said, he was in much pain.

[5:46] And yet that love seemed, as it were, overflowed all his pain and his grief. His love went to his mother.

[5:59] He knew that she was a poor woman. He got nothing to leave. Nothing, as it were, to provide for her isma.

[6:16] The foxes have holes, the birds of the hair have nets, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head. All the love, dear friends, that must have flowed, as it were, from his heart onto his mother, when in that great pain and grief of soul.

[6:47] I would just notice this in passing. He knew what the pain and grief was in her heart, in Mary's heart.

[7:05] He did not say on this occasion as she stood before the cross, Mother, he said, Woman.

[7:18] I believe we know a little if he had said, Mother, it would have been very keen. It would have entered into her sorrowful heart as she saw her dear son suffering there.

[7:39] So, out of his wisdom and his love to water, he said, Woman, behold thy son.

[7:52] and so deep was the love to her in his heart that he looked to the disciple whom he loved.

[8:09] And we can say that that disciple was John. John. as if he might have said to John, Well, I'm about to depart.

[8:27] He'd already told John that and the other disciples. He'd already told them that he was going to leave them.

[8:38] He now have sorrow, but I will see your gain. Let not your heart be troubled.

[8:51] Believe in God, believe also in me, and so on. that he looked to John. And we understand that John the disciple took that dear woman, the mother of Jesus under his roof and provided for.

[9:21] I made these remarks, dear friends, that you could see the love of Christ to his own mother.

[9:35] And I think we can read our text this evening. Woman, my daughter to speak, the church of God.

[9:48] The church of God. or in other words, woman. Behold thy son.

[10:03] Can I say, will you be offended if I should say sinner? Behold thy savior, thy redeemer.

[10:16] Now, just for a few moments before we pass on, so Mary and Mary's sister and Mary Magdalene, as well as others, stood beholding this wonderful scene, blessed scene, and yet all have so.

[10:45] joy. I believe if we could do it rightly, there would be a mingled feeling of sorrow and of joy.

[11:00] Sorrow to see one there suffering who had never committed a sin. and yet joy.

[11:14] If we could see our sins upon that dear man, Jesus, a mingled feeling of sorrow and of joy.

[11:30] and know that there was many experiencing those too, grief, sorrow, and yet there was a little gladness and joy.

[11:46] woman, behold thy son. And we understand that this crucifixion took, was taken, or rather Jesus was crucified on the road to Jerusalem.

[12:15] So many saw him. And though there was many that passed that way, but did not behold him as God, the son of God, there was those who had blessed him his holy name.

[12:44] There was those who said, away with him, crucify him. But there were a few, as we have led, who believed in him, who loved him, and who desired to witness that solemn scene.

[13:06] Woman, behold thy son. for a few moments, Calvary, the place of scar.

[13:21] No doubt many had been put to death, perhaps on that very spot, previously, some possibly later date.

[13:38] Whether many or few, every one that went to that cross, to thee, put to death, were sinners.

[13:53] Sinners. But this dear man, Jesus, he went to that place, sinless, no sin, not even a sinful thought, not a sinful thought to those soldiers who led him.

[14:24] no sinful thought to those who condemned him. He was sinless. The only man ever born into this world, sinless, the only man went to Calvary without a sin of his hope.

[14:52] And yet we can say that this dear man, the Son of God, carried, endured, bore, more sins than either the others.

[15:10] Upon his shoulders, in his heart, upon his spirit, he carried the sins and bore the sins of every individual child whom the Father had placed in his hands to live.

[15:38] That's love, dear friends, as we heard of the love this afternoon. That's love. we shall never get to the height, the breadth, the length of the love of the Lord Jesus Christ who came in love, lived in love, suffered in love, preached his gospel in love, looked upon poor sinners in love, walked his pilgrim in love, went to the garden in love, drunk of the cock of wrath due to you and I, in love, right to the very dregs of it.

[16:31] Yes, this dear man spoke in love, he prayed in love, he walked in love, he entered Calvary in love, he suffered in love, he gave his life in love, he rose again in love, he's now in heaven in love, loved, loving his people, every son, every daughter, every child, that belonged to the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

[17:18] I've already said this evening, oh, the depth of it, we shall never get to the depth. No, woman, behold, behold, he suffered upon, and in his own soul, woman, behold, thy son, have we, dear friends, ever had a little view of Jesus, not by the natural eye, of course.

[18:11] These things took place long before we entered this world, but I believe the Lord's people are given faith, a little faith, and we are exulted, as it were, to pray for this faith.

[18:39] Let us run in the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith. Some people say, well, I've never had a faith view of Jesus.

[18:59] But is there a desire, a deep desire, a prayerful desire, in our hearts, Lord, give us faith. Faith to believe, faith to be old, is to be seen different, by faith, Calvary, oh, it still stands out, and it will do, for eternity.

[19:29] A man, a real man, with wounds, still gaping wide, in heaven, in heaven above. Some of you have lost, dear and dear ones, you have every hope that they're there in heaven.

[19:50] They are viewing that dear man that we are trying to speak of this evening. A man, a real man, with wounds, still gaping wide.

[20:07] He's to be seen by faith, oh, that we might be able to earnestly plead, with the Holy Spirit, to lead us to Calvary.

[20:22] I believe I had one little view, never lasted many moments, seconds, but, dear friends, it was a view of Calvary, a little view of Jesus, this one in our text, hanging upon that tree.

[20:52] If you have it, I'll tell you what it will do. It will do this. It will crumble you to the dust. It will bring you down and down as low as you could stoop, and your heart will be broken to pieces, and the love of God felt within your soul.

[21:22] Women, behold thy son. Just a few words, respecting his suffering.

[21:38] we've often read of the sufferings of Christ. He was taken by those soldiers to Calvary.

[21:59] He would have gone there without soldiers, because it was appointed from all eternity that Jesus should come as we heard this afternoon to fulfill the law and make a way for the Lord's people to enter heaven.

[22:26] The sufferings of the Lord Jesus. yes, on that accursed tree, they lifted the face, nailed him to the cross.

[22:51] How was it done? it has been spoken of as the cross laid upon the ground and Jesus laid there and those awful nails pierced through his hands.

[23:19] One know both. to those sacred feet of his that walked in the paths of righteousness, moved for the benefit of his people.

[23:37] Think of it. Nailed to that accursed tree, no doubt lifted and wouldn't do the socket for the cross.

[23:56] I believe we read in the sound 22 that every bone, every joint was as a place.

[24:10] Oh, think of it. As they thrust that cross into the ground that every not a bone broken dove dove, dove, that his joints was out of blood.

[24:30] Oh, can it take us a little, my friends, to have a little idea of the sufferings of this dear son of God.

[24:42] God on the ark of his church, not for the world. We've heard this afternoon that he played not for the world, but for those whom the Father had given him.

[25:01] Oh, the suffering to be led to Calvary and to see a little by faith and to have, shall I say, a little view, sight, and if so, the feeling of it within our soul.

[25:27] And what will that do? Well, I believe it will draw out our hearts and our affections toward that one, who so willingly passed this way and do it.

[25:44] What he endured no tongue can tell, to save, can I say, ourselves from hell.

[25:56] Woman, behold thy son. at Calvary. And these dear women, Mary, mother of Jesus, was there when he said, I thirst.

[26:18] There was a witness to it. And I believe we've been thankful at times that these things are left on record, that we were unable to read them and to meditate upon them.

[26:35] And sometimes in meditating upon it, we've gathered a little, we've gleaned a little, as Ruth did in the fields of Boaz, and we've gleaned a little from Calvary.

[26:56] Oh, how good the Lord has been still in leaving his world for our meditation. And oh, how good the Holy Spirit is when the Spirit leads us into it, that we are then able to gather a handful, shall I say, just a little, here and then, and what will it do?

[27:25] Why, it will strengthen our faith and help us to press on, believing that we shall endure unto the end.

[27:41] Then Jesus, when Jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciples standing by whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son.

[28:07] Woman, behold thy son. I mentioned this evening about faith, beholding him.

[28:28] There was many, as you know, on this earth when Jesus was living here at natural life, and yet a spiritual life, and many beheld him.

[28:49] Many beheld him as a robber, thee, many beheld him as a blasphemer.

[28:59] it reminds me of the word in Psalm 37, Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace.

[29:18] Why those, shall I say, wicked men and women, those who are unbelievers, they marked him, but not in love.

[29:31] They marked him in envy, in malice, they marked him, yea, when they said away with him, that there was a few round the cross and others that believed on him, and they marked him as a perfect man.

[29:54] we can say, cannot we not, behold the son of God, a perfect man.

[30:08] Yes, perfect. That cannot be said of any other. We are not perfect, but Jesus was perfect, perfect in every way.

[30:23] He shed a perfect blood. He brought out a perfect righteousness, perfect in every way, shape, and forth.

[30:36] You say, well, how can you bring the church of God into that word that I have quoted Mark the perfect man.

[30:51] Well, it's not in us, dear friends. It's not. And yet I believe that word is spoken for and on behalf of the church.

[31:02] You say, how can it be? Well, in simple words, and let me first lead you to the point when he said, a sinner is a sacred thing.

[31:16] The Holy Ghost has made him so. That's the secret of it. That's the commencement of a perfect man. When we become the temple of the Holy Ghost, nothing perfect in us by nature, but the perfection is in that which the Lord has implanted within our temple, within our earthly bodies.

[31:45] That is a perfect. perfect. So as we read those words, we may look upon the inner man, the man of divine grace, which is perfect.

[32:00] And behold, the end of that man is peace. Now where was peace wrought? Right into the text. behold, the son on Calvary.

[32:16] That's where peace was wrought. That's where peace came in and through Jesus Christ. No. If Jesus had not been born here, if Jesus had not suffered, if he had not bled, if he had not died, there would have been no salvation.

[32:39] No salvation, no peace, no pardon, no washing, no cleansing, yea, no heaven.

[32:53] We shouldn't have been here this eve, but through the wisdom of the Trinity, the wisdom and love of the Father, as I've already said, sent his dear beloved son, as a servant, yea, and he willingly came as a servant, and he willingly came as a redeemer.

[33:19] I believe Jesus knew Calvary even from the manger, as a babe. He could see Calvary. He knew the path he was to tread.

[33:33] He knew the outcome of it, and no doubt at times there was a longing desire to come to that time of suffering, that he might return unto his Father in heaven as much as at times there's a desire in our hearts to leave the world to go unto him.

[34:02] I believe I have a few here this evening and have uttered the words of the poet at times weary of earth myself and sin. Dear Jesus set me free and to thy glory take me in for there I long to be.

[34:21] There was those pilgrims of old, those saints that we read of in the 11th of Hebrews. they looked, they desired a better country.

[34:35] Not satisfied with things here, nor was Christ. He came to the work, he accomplished the work, he was pleased to return unto his Father in heaven.

[34:52] Woman, behold thy son. well friends, can I say to you this evening, child of God, have you beheld this son of God as your saviour and your redeemer?

[35:16] You say I can't rise so I. Though maybe some hear this evening not in the dark in these matters, much in the dark cannot read your election.

[35:33] You fear at times all your religion is vine, not of God, something that has grown upon you from childhood days.

[35:47] You sat under the truth so many, many times and heard the word, read the word, and you fear it's only in the letter. You're still in the dark, cannot take anything to yourself that is of the spirit.

[36:05] You fear it's all of the creature, all of self, and I will tell you this, there's one ready to give the answer, and that is that one who goeth about, ready to deceive, and he will, tell you that all your religion is blind.

[36:26] You've never seen this son of God, you never will, he'll say, you never will, you're deceived. Have I a poor soul here this evening in much darkness, cannot take over anything, nothing but promise?

[36:46] Well, if I have, what's going on in your heart, you say, well, there's a cry, there's a concern, there's a prayer, what is it?

[36:59] Remember me, with the favour that thou bearest under thy people. My friends, if it comes from thy heart, there's something in your heart that is of the Holy Spirit, there's something there in thy earthly tabernacle that has come from heaven, something holy.

[37:24] Yes, you know the devil is ever ready to devour the Lord's people. But, let me take you for a few moments to Joe, that poor man, yet blessed, oh, the grace so manifested in him and in his life, and God gave permission, can I use the word rightly, gave Satan the permission to deal with Job, a servant of God, do not forget it, a child of God, yes, one whom the God had loved with an everlasting love, one in the covenant of grace, named written in heaven, and yet God gave him, as it were, to Satan, yea, Satan tormented him, that e'er God said unto

[38:25] Satan, what did he say? Well, in simple words, he has a spirit within him, that's mine, that's the secret of it.

[38:38] Yes, sometimes the Lord's people have to go through some dark places, losses, yes, crosses to carry, dark places, deep walkers, and seems that the devil goes with us sometimes, but the soul, the soul, and Satan had some discernment, because he said, thou hast put a edge about it, or how sweet, you say sweet, yes, God has an hedge of his love, and it's around every individual child of his, it's around his old church, yea, those souls on Christ redeemed, can they be left to the hands of the devil, never, never, we may be sorely tried, he may follow us here and there, he's been the forfeit with me more than once, on one occasion,

[39:46] I shall not forget, when trying to speak in London, on one occasion, he followed me in the forfeit, he stood beside, I tried to read, he was speaking to me, you know, this is here, you can't preach, sometimes the devil speaks the truth, my friends, I've had to say yes, amen to that, I can't, and as so, he has tormented me, and I believe he has to others, but I must tell you the other side, when the reading had finished, and I tried to open my lips in prayer, then, Satan was gone, and the Lord appeared, and the Holy Spirit in that, may I give that word of encouragement to the

[40:48] Son, who may be present, who was often tormented, and tried, with the power of the devil, he goeth about ready to devour, but as I said, the Lord has put an edge, around his dear people, I have said, there's a gap in that hedge, the devil will be the first through it, but there isn't, there isn't, never has been, never will be, every child stands, if he stands, yea, upon the rock, and the ring of his love is around them.

[41:35] women, behold thy son, well friends, have we beheld this Son of God, beheld him as our mediator, have we beheld him as our friend, have we beheld him as our counsel, have we beheld him as our redeemer, have we beheld him as our shepherd, David did, I believe I mentioned it this morning, David said, you've longed to say it, the time will come when you're unable to say it, he is my shepherd, you say, will that time come?

[42:26] My friends, if you've got a deep concern to see and to know this Son of God, the time of love will come when thou shalt clearly see, not only that he shed his blood, but thou shalt save for me, and you see him then, as the one who has shed his blood, that you might find cleansing.

[42:55] Can you behold this dear Son of God as your righteousness? refuge? Can you behold this dear Son of God as your refuge?

[43:07] Can you behold him this evening as the foundation of your religion, of your never dying soul? Can you say this evening, my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness?

[43:25] goodness, woman, behold thy Son, poor sinner, behold him, this Son of God, as your all in hope.

[43:40] Behold him as the creator of the heavens, the mansion. What did he say to his disciples? And I may have one here this evening.

[43:52] Troubled, troubled, deeply stride, may not your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me, for in my Father's house are many mansions.

[44:04] If it were not so, I would have told you. God doesn't deceive his people. I would have told you, but I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself.

[44:24] that where I am, there he may be also. Behold him, and dear friend, the time is coming when each of us will behold him as a son of God.

[44:40] The day is coming, it may not be far away, when he will come again in the clouds, as it were, down from the realms of bliss.

[44:52] Yes, not to suffer, not to come to Calvary, not to shed blood, as all done, finished, accomplished, to perfection, but he ha' come, what, to look upon his bride, to take them, yea, his bride, the old church of God, to himself.

[45:12] I've said, every eye in this little course this evening will behold him. Yes, but I do sincerely hope that each of us will behold him as a son of God, and behold him as our Savior and our Lord.

[45:36] One portion of scripture that is recorded will be spoken it will be this. Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom, prepared for thee.

[45:52] Then what, dear friends, why, behold him there. Oh, think about it. Behold him there, in the realms of bliss, where there's no sorrow, no grief, no pain, no devil, no, er, old nature, all finished, body of sin, be finished, yes, laid aside, what will continue, joy, happiness, love, praise.

[46:32] Oh, may we each be among them who desire now to behold the Son of God, and if so, we shall behold him in his glory, and he will behold us, yea, the Father will behold us, in and through his dear beloved Son, a perfect man.

[46:57] Amen.