Romans (Quality: Average)

[0:00] Depending upon the help of the Lord, dear friends, I invite your prayerful attention to Romans chapter 12.

[0:26] I want to look for a little this morning at verse 12. Romans chapter 12, verse 12. Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer.

[0:48] This word is a special word, I believe, in my own experience.

[1:03] And it's come to my mind to bring before you this morning, just for a little while. I believe and trust the Lord has laid it upon my mind so to do.

[1:16] Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer.

[1:27] I have a vague recollection that I mentioned to you once before whilst I was here, that the Hebrew way of writing is often to make an announcement and then to go on to show how that can be attained or how it has already been attained.

[1:50] Rejoicing in hope is something high, isn't it? To rejoice in hope. To rejoice in the hope of what?

[2:05] We don't want a vain hope. We don't want a worldly hope which is vain. The sort of hope that these people we see will go and waste money on hoping to win the lottery.

[2:19] What a vain hope, you see. But this hope is not like that. This hope that is spoken of here by the Apostle is a hope with an expectation by faith.

[2:35] The hope spoken of here is not a vain hope of the world or of the mind because this hope is the hope which is the gift of the Holy Spirit to all His covenant people.

[2:48] And you say to me this morning, well, I wish I knew more of it. I wish I could feel it. I wish I knew so much more of it as the days of our lives pass.

[3:00] But my dear friends, you know, sometimes that hope is very low. But let us look now, bearing in mind what I said about the announcement, rejoicing in hope, this hope which is the gift of the Holy Spirit to a living soul, sometimes, as I've said, it becomes very low.

[3:22] But if we now start at the third part of our text, continuing instant in prayer, why is that so readily caused and so readily needful in the life of a believer?

[3:38] Well, I believe it's because we are in tribulation. In the world ye shall have tribulation. Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world, the Saviour said to His disciples.

[3:55] And so it should be no surprise to the true followers of the Lord to realise the tribulation. And those of you who have gone a few steps in the pathway of the Christian walk will soon know that there's not long before we've proved some tribulation.

[4:20] So the Lord's word to His people is, continue instant in prayer. The remedy for the tribulation, whatever it might be, and it can come in many ways, and starting with the dear children.

[4:36] At school, you have difficulties perhaps when you meet amongst others in the world at school, when you have to try to do what you know is right, and you find it hard, and you can't always feel to succeed.

[4:53] Well, there's that ear that is never shut. Lord Jesus' ear is ever open, and He said, Suffer little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.

[5:07] And my dear friends, how needful that is. And it's good to see so many children here this morning. And I do pray that you may each be early taught to call on the name of Jesus.

[5:22] You know, people who don't believe in prayer are those who haven't tried it, who have never truly tried it. Now, we know that prayer is a gift of God, true prayer, but where we know of it, and where we find it, try it, my dear young friends.

[5:40] You prove the faithfulness of God. And you know, I remember many, many years in my earlier days where I wondered whether it was any good praying.

[5:53] And yet, as I look back, I was kept through all those years in my unbelief, and not really praying as I should have prayed in my childhood, and not really knowing God in the way that later the Lord revealed.

[6:11] And yet, you know, as we look back, and I think some of you older ones would agree with me, as you look back over your childhood and your youth and your early days, though you were rebellious, though you didn't always do those things which you knew to be right, God in His mercy kept you with His keeping hand so that He would show Himself to you at that appointed time.

[6:36] The appointments of the Lord in dealing with His covenant people. There's a reason to rejoice in that good hope. Parents, pray on. Wrestling prayer.

[6:47] Wrestling prayer can wonders do for your offspring. You know, it's such a true word that hymn writer says. It's a favorite verse of mine. Wrestling prayer can wonders do.

[7:00] Bring relief in deepest straits. Prayer can force a passage through iron bars and brazen gates. And some of you have proved it and some of you are going on to prove it, I believe.

[7:10] And what a mercy that is. And my dear friends, the day will come in this rejoicing in hope when you can rejoice in hope and say, and for the wonders He has ruled, let us each our praises give and, by sweet experience taught, call upon Him while we live.

[7:32] If you've experienced answers to prayer, my dear friends, though Satan may harass deject and dismay you, pray on. Press on. Be instant in prayer.

[7:43] prayer. I'm not criticizing friends. I speak to myself, but I think if there's anything we need today in the church, it's more prayer. It's a constant lifting up of our hearts to the Lord for its strength into faith.

[8:01] How often we come in, as we read in that chapter in the Psalms, then they cried unto the Lord, why? Because they were in trouble. You see, the Lord uses trouble graciously to bring us to Himself because we're apt to wander.

[8:19] Our friend, we happen to quote that, one of us, I can't think which, prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. It's what we are by nature.

[8:29] It's our own evil, unbelieving heart that's the center and source of it. But my dear friends, there is a remedy. There is a remedy for it. Not in ourselves.

[8:41] No. No. Not at all. But we need to continue instant in prayer. How often through the daily life of a true believer, he comes suddenly into a difficult situation.

[9:00] There's not time, as it were, to go and make formal prayer, but there's a word rises from the heart, not even a spoken word, Lord, help me in this. And how often you prove over and over again that there's a help given and sometimes in a way you didn't expect.

[9:19] And so then you can rejoice in that hope because that hope was made shorter, wasn't it? The proof of prayer. You see, it's something that even Satan has difficulty to snatch away, though he will try.

[9:36] He will tell you that the answer to your prayer was a coincidence. But he's a liar and always was. So the Father of lies, the Lord Jesus said so from the start. My dear friends, what a mercy it is and what a privilege it is that we have a God who hears and answers prayer.

[9:58] We don't go to a God of idolatry, of the work of man's hands. We come to the living God. we come to the one who's risen, who could not be held by the power of death.

[10:16] He burst its powers. He rose again. He's ascended into heaven, all glorious and victorious. He sits this very morning at the right hand of the Father with a purpose.

[10:29] The work of redemption for his covenant people is done. But the work of his high priestly office in intercession continues. He sits there this morning to hear the prayers of his people and to answer them and to offer those prayers accepted in his own name by the Father.

[10:51] The holy, holy, holy God who cannot look upon sin with any degree of allowance looks upon sinners in his beloved Son. Why?

[11:02] Because of that robe of righteousness which is worked out by the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ to cover the sins of his people as if they had never sinned.

[11:15] My friends, what a wonderful mercy and what a wonderful blessing there is. The point is, do you know the power of prayer? Do you prove the power of prayer?

[11:28] You each have an eternal and I each have an eternal never dying soul. Our souls are that precious jewel which is given.

[11:43] I can't remember because I suffer with a rather bad memory whether I've ever spoken to the younger ones regarding that precious jewel. But you know it's the most precious jewel that you can have your eternal soul.

[12:00] And where will it spend eternity? If you die as you were born if I die as I was born in sin we should be banished from God into everlasting misery which is called hell.

[12:18] But if that jewel is the subject of the love of God upon it in salvation you'll spend eternity in eternal joy and praise to God.

[12:31] And children when we come to the end of life and the body is laid in the grave the spirit returns to God who gave it. Remember that.

[12:43] Wait in the resurrection morning. It's as if God lays the body in the grave of his saints and he keeps an eye on it.

[12:55] I speak very reverently. He keeps an eye on that dust until the awaited appointed return of that great trump on that resurrection morning when the dead in Christ shall rise first and body and soul will be reunited in eternal joy in heaven.

[13:15] As long as God shall God remain so long shall last hell's lingering pain so great the joys of heaven shall be long delights long misery.

[13:30] These things are important my dear friends young and old alike where will their souls spend eternity? Do you know when I was on that bed on that night I had three heart attacks successively one after the other and in that point I felt that great peace and to depart with Christ which would be far better and then at some point it came later in that night and I don't know how long the time was I can't tell for you it is more needful my dear friends when we come to that point and we think life is finished we then know the value and the preciousness of the salvation of our soul and then we know that the Lord hears and answers prayer and then we prove that in that place where we are then that we must be faithful to him and to his word then we prove that there's no help in any other but in him

[14:45] Lord help me Lord God be merciful to me a sinner that's the prayer then there's not time or strength for long prayers but he hears and he answers prayer and the heart of the believer ascends as it were in that trouble then is real trouble when you come to that point but oh he says when there passes through the waters I will be with thee and I prove that promise and so have some of you you've been in deep affliction and you prove that he's with you in it he didn't leave you in it I like that word in revelation who are these they know it these are they that came out of great tribulation they didn't sink in it the Lord was holding their hand he brought them out of tribulation into eternal joy and felicity in his presence they were there with white robes in glory or was that your ambition my friend

[15:48] I hope it is Paul's ambition was that I might win Christ and be found in him rejoice my dear friends rejoice this in this good hope this good hope through grace be patient in tribulation continuing instant in prayer I speak reverently but I think there's a sandwich here a beautiful truth sandwich you see because the rejoicing in hope is that lovely topping which you see to the sandwich tribulation is the centre the reality of it and the way to obtain it is continuing instant in prayer oh how the saints of God feel at times so relieved in prayer do they not I remember when I was running the business sometimes

[16:50] I felt absolutely finished by Saturday hardly knowing how to go on and I would drag myself out of bed and go to the services the Lord's house to seek a little help there and how through the day though perhaps not with a special word given but in the atmosphere and the worship the prayer and the praise how we feel strengthened physically mentally and spiritually and that's that enabling grace that the faithful God gives in the house of prayer the disciples returned to Jerusalem after they witnessed the Lord's ascension to heaven what did they do they continued in prayer in the breaking of bread and in reading and in prayer in the worship the infant church was formed at that point wasn't it and it's been that which has kept alive souls under the mercy and blessing of

[17:59] God down through the years and it's an appointment of God to pray to continue instant in prayer and it's vital as our daily food is to our bodies and my dear friends when we become prayerless it's the same symptom as when we are off our appetite and we're sickening for something and we don't know what we feel off our appetite for a day or two and then suddenly we either have a nasty flu cold or a tummy upset or something it reveals itself my friends when prayer is a burden and task no wonder we little receive oh Lord make us willing to ask since thou art so ready to give what a mercy it is then dear friends if you know a little of this desire to continue in prayer you might look at the word instant and be troubled by it continuing instant in prayer it doesn't say without interruption does it we all have to live our daily life there are those rights responsibilities for young and old to fulfil in the world in which we live in our daily responsibilities the thing is the right way forward is that we should do them as unto the Lord as unto

[19:45] God with all our might and that in so doing where we feel that need we seek it with him how often we have to pray for wisdom and grace and the Lord and the Lord's things I remember one occasion I used to when I was running my business I had a godly man work for me as my personal assistant he used to look after the workshop and the offices in my absence and take deliveries and things and he knew very well some of the problems which cropped up and one day I had a meeting with three or four officials and a client and one piece of paper which was an important document I needed from the file and for some reason it had disappeared and we couldn't find it and I had very few minutes to find it and we prayed over it he said to me we shall only find this if we pray and he prayed that we find it and you know my dear friends he put his hand in the file and lifted out a file the first one he lifted out it was not the same alphabet position that it should have been in and on the back of it with a paper clip it had picked up off the desk on the back of the other paper with the paper clip on the other file and

[21:13] I was able by speedy driving to make that appointment as an answer to prayer immediate answer to prayer and on another occasion we had something occur we couldn't make out what the noise was it was a very hot summer's day and we could hear the crackling noise in the distance and we went to the back of the yard the workshop and I stood up on top of some bricks we got there in pallets and there was a fire coming toward us at great speed along a hedgerow the whole crop in the fields behind us was on fire and there was one connecting hedge which went along away from us and the wind was bringing it in the flame was coming along the hedge right toward us where I've got a welding shed with oxy settling and lots of inflammatory stuff in and I was getting very worried about that we prayed about that and the fire came as far as the cross hedge and the wind changed and it went along that hedge and it didn't come within the next say hundred yards of us and it went along that hedge and it suddenly got into a field of linseed rape which is oil based and it went and a man on a race horse couldn't have kept him front of the flame it was an alarm and sight answer to prayer I can stand and witness it my dear friends

[22:40] God is a real God he's a living God he's in heaven and if I never come to speak to you again through whatever circumstances may be you remember that there's a God in heaven that answers prayer and if you forget everything else I ever said remember that there is a God in heaven you dear young people who hears and answers prayer and I've proved it and I've witnessed to it and some of you here know exactly what I mean I believe and we can rejoice in hope rejoice in this God of hope this God who is our hope our hope is built as our friend mentioned in prayer this morning our hope is built on nothing less and I speak very reverently than Jesus precious blood and righteousness he has done all things needful for the salvation of the souls of his church rejoice dear friends the work is done the work of salvation is complete you come and you feel your sin and rightly so you come and you feel whatever I do I sin and stumble but the more till late I heard my saviour say come here the soul I am the way there is one way and one only way and never mind what political crack this says there's one way of salvation through the lamb's redeeming blood

[24:15] Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh unto the father but by me is there there's the truth my dear friends there's the words of the saver himself in your tribulation what a tribulation it is to the heart of the lord's dear people when they realize their sin and when they realize that they can't seem to cease from it as they would like to when they come to the end of the day and they think it's been a bad day again today and they think of their sin and the failings the stumblings you have to remember the words of the apostle Paul the good I would I do not the evil I would not that alas I do oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Jesus there is hope in him rejoice in that hope rejoice in him

[25:16] I'm not speaking of a vain hope my dear friends I'm speaking of a sure hope built on a sure foundation yes the rock well my top lady son rock of ages cleft for me if you can't sing cleft for me sing shout for me let me hide myself in thee if you have a hymn my dear friends I say this to my people sometimes sometimes we have a beautiful hymn and at the time that that composer wrote it he was living there or she was living there we sing it and you can't perhaps enter into it because you can't experience it yourself then sing it as a prayer my old pastor used to tell us that years ago sing it as a prayer then in your heart that you'll be brought to this blessed experience which the hymn writer is in when he wrote that time there's another aspect to that you know we sing lovely hymns and great truths the same hymn writer if you look sometimes you'll find a beautiful hymn of hope and joy you'll find the same hymn writer has written another one in a completely different vein seeking a special help and so on you see

[26:44] Job said he went forward and he couldn't find the Lord he went backward he went to the left he went to the right and he would come to his seat oh that I knew where I might find him this is Job but it's the same Job that says I know that my Redeemer liveth it's all a part of the experience of the believer my friends and it's all to make us sick of self and fond of him so we have much my dear friends to rejoice in we have much to pray for and what is their tribulation in comparison with his think of that I heard a testimony not so long ago of a man that suffers regular pain his injury is called to a condition where he is in continual pain and he said this and I was so touched in hearing his testimony he said that compared with what his sins deserve how easy was his pain filled me up filled me up that's grace my friends that's the grace of God that didn't come from nature did it what a mercy that God gives his children grace coming back to that point think of

[28:18] Job again Satan and God in the first instant God throws a challenge to Satan has so considered my servant Job I won't go into it because I believe you all know the record of it the things that occur the losses which occurred but the point I want to make briefly is this that God was able to give Job grace sufficient for all that Satan could throw at him and he did and in the end Job had twice as much as he had before God doubled his losses in benefit what a gracious God we have how we need to worship him in spirit and in truth how we need to seek continually grace day by day to walk according to his word and to do those things in the honouring of his name to be faithful to the word of God rejoicing in hope patient in tribulation continuing instant in prayer my dear friends I believe that this privilege which is given us the living church has this privilege of prayer and you know

[29:54] I believe it's something as I did say earlier on we lack the zeal that we should have in it there seems a tendency today that there's such likeness in many circles and I'm not getting at anyone here let me make that quite clear but you know if you're convicted of your sin and you know how deep your sin is and my sin is and then by the grace of God we are given a face-eyed view of the suffering of the dear saviour in which our hope of eternal salvation and pardon rests shall look at sin lightly we realise a little of the awfulness of sin the wrath of an offending

[30:55] God against sin poured on the dear saviour in the garden my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death even unto death his soul who is this speaking the son of God the son of man God man in that mystery that way appointed of God to pardon and forgive sin that he must need to punish that sin and so Jesus said he bear the punishment instead all my dear friends what grace what love well I might Sir Newton have written those words amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me can you go on friend answer before God in your conscience

[31:58] I once was lost but now am found was blind but now I see you see the dear saviour when on the earth he touched the eyes of the man born blind and the Pharisees with all their manoeuvrings and wickedness tried to discredit what the Lord Jesus had done and in the end though an uneducated man he said one thing I know whereas I was blind now I see and I won't be moved from that because I can see and it didn't matter what they said he wouldn't back down or bow down to them would he you see he knew dear friends what a precious knowledge it is if your eyes have been opened opened firstly to your lost and ruined condition in the fall and as you're born and as you and I are sinners day by day open to our need of pardon and forgiveness through the confection of the Holy Spirit upon our spirits then in the mercy of

[33:02] God he gives a true spirit of repentance and there's a repentance for that sin and an endeavouring to leave that sin I could say quite a lot about things that have happened but I won't bother I don't think you need me to in the country about the so-called confession of sin and hypocrisy but my friend contrition for sin godly sorrow for sin a true repentance of spirit a seeking of pardon and peace through the lamb's redeeming blood shed on calvary that was the cost of the sin and my friends when the dear saviour came with all the weight of the sins of his church upon him he said this in that darkest hour of time or eternity my god my god why has thou forsaken me the son of god's love forsaken of the father bore the hiding of his father's face at the darkest hour and the earth showed her disapproval in the earthquake and the darkness and the veil of the temple was rent from the top to the bottom showing that that veil which dropped in the Adam fall between

[34:32] God and man was opened up and a way of access in and through the name of the dear lord and saviour jesus christ in prayer in his name has opened up for poor sinners and i said they laid him in the tomb and satan thought for a moment i think that he won the ascendancy but he arose sin could not hold him he arose triumphant over all his foes as we sing in those easter hymns in various forms of words he sits this morning my friends in heaven to hear your prayers may he often hear your prayers may he often hear mine and because he lives he said this to his people because i live ye shall live also there's not a might be perhaps about it is there no it's the word of the eternal god because i live ye shall live also eternal life at his request to every saint is given safely on earth and after death the plenitude of heaven amen the collections taken last lord's day for the church fund amounted to 499 pounds and for the carat 35 pounds thank you for your very generous gift to give to the lord's will mr rams rock will preach here on friday evening and next lord's day mr chapman is engaged to preach here let's close with him 242 to 721 good hope through grace the saints possess the fruit of jesus righteousness and by his spirit given they rise the promise firm and sure and hope expects forevermore to dwell with christ in heaven in 242 to 721 and form in 1 to 721 as of j≫ or as asąd and come in amen so inベi the term going as

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