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[0:00] the words which I trust the Lord will enable me to make a few further remarks will be found in Psalm 27 the 4th and the 5th verses Psalm 27 verses 4 and 5 one thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple for in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me he shall set me up upon a rock how Satan seeks to confuse all those who are seeking the truth how he brings them into consideration of many things and how those who are seeking the way to Zion may not be aware of the power and the craft of the adversary if he can confuse he seeks to overthrow the work of the Lord and if ever there was a day where confusion exists it is the day in which we live especially in the churches there are those who tell us we must do this others tell us we must do that some say we must belong to this particular section or some particular denomination and how our minds can become so confused and then perhaps how Satan will point out especially to the young how dull how uninteresting the services of the Lord's house are and that surely this is not true worship and how he may even tempt you to seek something which will be more beneficial to your flesh and so we need to be very careful of those things which confuse us ever bearing in mind that confusion is the devil and not of the Lord now you see

[3:19] David here was brought to realise that there was only one thing or if we leave out the italics one have I desired of the Lord and it is good when we can see the Lord in our worship there is much which will entertain the flesh elsewhere but we don't have to come to the house of God for that I say if you want entertainment for the flesh well then you don't have to come to the house of God for it but if you want something for your soul if you want to know your soul standing for eternity it's good to come to the house of God and to inquire in the temple of the Lord with regard to your standing and also to inquire whether the Lord has a favour toward you so David was brought to see this one thing have I desired of the Lord and that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life now there are many various interpretations one could put to this word with regard to church membership with regard to the ordinances of the Lord's house but the most important thing of all you see we can be a member of a church we could be a deacon we can be a so called minister and still be destitute of the grace of God and the most important thing is to have the foundation right to make sure our foundation is right before we ever begin to build and may we never be left to build ourselves but may the Lord be the builder and the finisher of our faith that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life give me oh Lord a place have you ever desired this that you might be given a place in the house of the Lord a most humble place a place where the Lord will look upon you where the Lord will consider you a place where you can come and pour out your heart unto the Lord and what better place is there upon the earth that place where the Lord comes to his people and in the house of the Lord where the Lord resides and then to have that desire all the days of your life not to go and shut yourself away in a convent or a monastery it doesn't mean that at all but it means that whenever you're able whenever you have the strength whenever the circumstances of this life you're able to enter into the house of the

[6:42] Lord to be there not to forsake the assembling of yourselves together we were speaking to one of our own people recently one who comes only once in a week and he was complaining because he didn't get what he wanted I said the things that you want I said they're here when you're not at the chapel I said we have them on the Sabbath morning the things that you want and on the week evening service but not just the Sunday evening I said the things that you want are not available then you see if you have a desire you won't miss a service there'll be that within your heart you'll long to be in the habitation the dwelling of the Lord that is if you're able I know that there are those things which lawfully prevent we would be the last to condemn such but we do know that there are those that they speak about having these desires and quite honestly they have not the desire otherwise they would be in the house of the

[7:57] Lord wouldn't they now one thing have I desired of the Lord and that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple we spoke a little this morning of the beauty of the Lord in his sufferings and one of the greatest beauties of the Lord can be seen in his forgiveness he's a God who forgives a God who ponds and also he's a God who understands he understands our weaknesses he understands our shortcomings he doesn't condone our sin of course but he does understand the power of the tempter he knoweth our frame he remembereth that we are dust and there's a beauty in this this is not a God who is beyond our understanding there are so many in the world today they cannot understand us they cannot understand our religion they cannot understand those things that we love but this God he can understand every one of us from the youngest to the oldest and whatever case and whatever condition we take to him there's a beauty in this that he understands a sigh divine or marks a secret road

[9:36] I say there's a beauty in this and then there's a beauty that he's the intercessor that as we feel to be so far off in our prayers unable to present our petitions as we would we see him as an intercessor one who is able to present our case to the father in such a way or in so far better way than ever we could and in such a way that the father hears his petitions to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple it is sad that so many of the Lord's dear people and here I'm speaking of the Lord's dear people not professors those who have known and those who have realized the power of

[10:38] God and the wisdom of God and the beauty of God how little they inquire in his temple how often we are left to follow our own inclinations our own wisdom and if I can give you young friends a little advice here never do it never follow your own inclinations inquire of the Lord ask the Lord the way or how the Lord will favor you how the Lord will as he has promised to give you that wisdom and I believe even those who are not even objects of his choice if they honor him he will honor them and if we are able to inquire the Lord we shall see a beauty in this God in answering our inquiries and another beauty too it matters not how great the case may be or how small it may be we can take it to him and inquire of the

[11:51] Lord so there is a beauty in that but the greatest beauty is to feel the warmth of his person the person of the Lord Jesus to feel the warmth of his presence you know there is something very attractive in the warmth of a person that you love the bodily warmth and how one finds this with the Lord Jesus there is something very attractive in the warmth of his presence and for one to be brought into the realisation of it there is such a warmth there is such a reality in it it is not something which we imagine it is not something that we read about and have heard of there is the actual warmth of his person felt by the believer as he feels the love of

[12:57] God shed abroad within his heart as he feels the reality of these things within his heart and as he is able to inquire of the Lord in his temple we spoke this morning of his temple being heaven that place where he resides where he has risen as a conquering Lord where he will eternally reign for in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me this word pavilion means tent and it represents a large tent where in times past sports and all manner of games were carried out but the pavilion of the Lord is not a place of sport and it's not a place of games it is his pavilion it is the place where the

[14:03] Lord is a great place where his people are able to obtain pleasure you see a place of sport is for pleasure of the flesh but the pavilion of the Lord is for the pleasures of our souls and surely this can be considered as the house of God as a temporary dwelling where the Lord dwells but also it goes on to speak of the secret of his pavilion the secret of his tabernacle for in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me now in the tabernacle there were no windows and therefore there was complete darkness and one could hide in that darkness and so it is today that none in the tabernacle being having no windows no natural light could penetrate into that tabernacle and therefore you see this represents something very beautiful with regard to the things of

[15:28] God no natural light no natural understanding can penetrate into the tabernacle of God those things which I've been speaking of you cannot possibly understand unless you have the light of the glorious gospel the light of the Lord Jesus now in the tabernacle there was the table and there was the candlestick there was the show bread there was the ark there were the tables of stone and all these things were representative and shadows of those things which were to come now you see the tabernacle was built and erected by Moses but this is his tabernacle and no natural light can penetrate because there's no windows to the outside world in his tabernacle now I say there's something very wonderful and very comforting in this because if you've seen some beauty in the

[16:39] Lord Jesus you haven't seen it with a natural light or a natural understanding if there is a desire within your heart to know more of this Lord Jesus to know something of him and his beauty and a desire to as you come perhaps the hymn writer puts it better than I can oh that my soul could love and praise him more his beauty see his majesty adore you see if this is your desire that's not the natural light because the world are in complete darkness with regard to his beauty the world are in complete darkness with regard to his love and the warmth of his person and therefore there must be spiritual light now you see it comes from that wonderful candlestick the golden candlestick which represents the Lord

[17:41] Jesus and as that is placed upon the table there's the show bread and so you're able to see the bread of life through the light of the Lord Jesus and these desires which you have for the bread of life are true desires they are desires which the Lord has given you and which no natural light has ever penetrated and then as one is able to go more and more into the tabernacle there's some wonderful truths with regard to those things as there was in the priesthood I believe we've spoken here at least on one occasion with regard to the golden bell and the pomegranate on the hem of the priest garment on the breast plate with the names of the twelve tribes the two chains of providence and the chain of grace and so in the tabernacle everything is represented and everything is commanded by the

[18:49] Lord which is necessary and was necessary for true worship but there was only one thing without that candlestick in the tabernacle nothing could be seen nothing could be seen at all the table couldn't be seen the show bread couldn't be seen nothing could be seen apart from that candlestick being lit and Moses was commanded to light the candles and everything had to be touched and covered with anointing oil sprinkled with anointing oil and that anointing oil you see cleanses and it anoints and it also signifies kingship there's a wonderful reality in these things now in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me you don't want to hide in forms and ceremonies and all those things which are so hard to the flesh and bring no profit to the soul do you you don't go to hide in a convent or a monastery but to hide in the to shelter in the side of the Lord

[20:12] Jesus to be able to come in the time of trouble now for in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion now there's something a beauty of the Lord in this to hide in that pavilion in this 31st psalm which we read it speaks thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man so that pavilion is the secret of his presence or his person from the pride of man thou shalt keep them secretly in the pavilion from the strife of tongues now the strife of tongues the child of God has to suffer so much from and especially the tongue of the tempter as he tempted the Lord Jesus if they would be the son of

[21:14] God so often he comes to his people has the tempter ever come to you like this if you were a child of God you wouldn't have these doubts you wouldn't be in distress about your soul you wouldn't be in doubt about your religion if you were a child of God you would be happy you would be assured but oh to hide once it hide me oh thou saviour hide till the storm of life be past safe into the haven guide oh receive my soul at last for in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion now you see everyone from the youngest here to the oldest knows what trouble is but the child of God has troubles which are different to the normal troubles of life one of his chief troubles is this is he a hypocrite is he deceived has he come in the right way and these are real troubles to him a real concern to him and he wonders at times whether all his religion is vain but now first of all you will never find a hypocrite that is concerned with regard to his standing you may feel to be the biggest hypocrite that ever walked the earth and so does the one before you and especially as he stands up in the name of the

[23:05] Lord but to hide in his pavilion to say Lord thou know it's the wretchedness of my heart but thou know it's that this is not my desire I would be free from it all I would be more holy I would be more Christ like I can see a beauty in the Lord Jesus which I don't possess and this is what I am seeking after this is what I want I want that Christ like spirit and it's a concern to me because I don't feel to possess it and the word of God says that unless we have the spirit of Christ we are none of his or what a concern this is to the child of God but it's not to the empty professor because he feels to have the Christ like spirit and he's quite happy in his belief and then you see there's this concern as to whether he's deceived or not well rest assured of it you would never be concerned as to whether you were deceived if you were deceived there would be no concern to you

[24:25] Satan would never bring such a thought to your mind and these are the thoughts of the tempter temptations as he brings them and causes you to doubt as we said in opening he tries to confuse you tries to tell you that your religion is all in vain you see well now Satan would never bring these things and these accusations against you if you were not a child of God we said recently I can't remember what it was here it could have been there's a terrible thing to have our prayers answered by Satan there's so many who say Satan as soon as they're brought into temptation Satan get behind me Satan do this Satan do that and he does it when now

[25:27] Satan doesn't ask the prayers of the Lord's people it's the Lord that answers their prayers but so many are pleased because they feel they have power over Satan but it's a terrible thing to have your prayers answered by Satan now you see Satan would never answer your prayers if you're a child of God and if you're concerned with regard to your soul in eternity Satan has never Satan would never bring that temptation before you but what he does is this he brings these very things to confuse to try to cause you to doubt to undermine your faith in the Lord Jesus and so one is able to hide when all all the guilt all the sin all the corruption of your heart seem to be against you and the strife of tongues and then the

[26:29] Lord Jesus draws near we read about it this morning didn't we that one on the Jericho road how he was robbed how he was stripped how he was wounded and how clearly that typifies the child of God how he was robbed of his religion how he was robbed of his faith how he stripped of his garments of righteousness how he lays naked and then the wounds of the enemy but what did we read the good Samaritan he came where he was he felt the warmth he felt the love of that one as he took him and bound up his wounds and poured in this oil and it was the same oil that was in the tabernacle the anointing oil and that's what we want in the wounds of sin is the anointing oil of the Lord or how it soothes and then to bind up our wounds and then to be carried upon his own beast taken to the inn the house of

[27:36] God there's no better place one thing if I desire to the Lord that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life so he took him to the house of the Lord you see and then said to the ministers of the Lord look after him until I come again and I will repay thee about how we need the Lord to come and show us our interest in these things for in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion now we can see some of the troubles coming upon the earth today can't we those things which the word of God testifies those evils which will come upon the earth and how we can clearly see that men are waxing worse and worse and that trouble as times will come and how they are upon us but there's going to be that great time of trouble and some of you young friends we know not what the future may hold for you but if the

[28:47] Lord tarries and if you have the grace of God within your heart you'll have much to go through but to have faith in God and be able to hide in his pavilion in the time of trouble but there is a time of trouble which will come upon all the earth and that is when the Lord comes again at his second coming and how clearly the Lord has promised this and how one is able to see that naturally speaking it can't be long it can't be long before the Lord comes again but whether it's long or short the fact remains that the Lord is coming again and he's coming to judge the earth what will your desires be then or many will come to him in that great day and how they will speak of those things which they have done but there will be a company around him will be able to speak of what he has done of what he has done for them how they have loved him and how the

[30:04] Lord has drawn nigh unto them and how he has set them up upon the rock now this rock is a sure foundation the rock Christ Jesus do you know anything of this rock a rock is very solid a rock is immovable is firm how firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord is laid for your faith in his excellent word to have that sure foundation the rock the Lord Jesus the sum and substance of true religion is this the Lord Jesus must be the beginning he must be the end of all true faith all the ordinances mean nothing

[31:07] I know not what happened to the old tabernacle I know not what happened to all those utensils and that which were used in the sacrifices and the altars and so on they're all gone there's plenty today who would worship them if they had the opportunity but they've all gone and here we have that one true God they were but types and shadows of those things which were to come and in the Lord Jesus there's everything those things which were typified in the tabernacle we see reality in the Lord Jesus he's the light he's the one who has shone within our dark hearts and shown us the evils within he's the one who has shone upon his word the bread of life and revealed to us the hidden truths if you know anything of the hidden truths and the secrets of those hidden things and the word of

[32:18] God the Lord has shone upon it as the light of that candlestick shone upon the show bread so the Lord shines within the hearts of his people he also shines upon the word and there is this unity there is this oneness and then you see as we spoke of the warmth of the person of the Lord Jesus there was warmth from those candlesticks that warmth you see would penetrate into the very tabernacle itself and so the warmth of the reality of the Lord penetrates into the hearts of his dear people in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me you know sometimes as the Lord's people often are overwhelmed with trouble and grief their secret prayer going up and the world know nothing of it and the ungodly how they pray you see the ungodly cannot realize that the

[33:34] Lord is hiding them that the Lord has put a hedge around them that the Lord is working on their behalf I remember some years ago or a year or two ago anyway an architect had spent more money than he should have done and how he accused us of paying a contractor money which he was not entitled to and this was a heavy burden upon us and as we thought upon this the case seemed to be so clear against us and how we had to go to the Lord and tell the Lord that he knew all about it and a meeting was called the very day of the meeting this man was suddenly struck down and rushed to hospital and when things were gone into it was quite clear what had happened there so few

[34:36] I doubt whether anyone else at that meeting knew what it was to hide in the Lord Jesus we were assured that whatever took place our God would protect us but you may say well of course you were innocent you had nothing to fear or not so you know so much of the tempter when the tempter comes with his itch with his butts however innocent one may be but what will it be in the day of judgment when Satan himself will be judged when you have to come to this gathering when everything will be sorted out your sins your short comings your unbelief in God how will things be then for in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me he shall set me up upon a rock the

[35:40] Lord's people will be able to speak of what the Lord has done the Lord will never be able to condemn them it will be a wonderful thing in a time of trouble as we proved it in times of natural trials the trials of this world to have that rock to go to but in that day of judgment I know we often fear it we often tremble as we look to ourselves but could the Lord say in that day of judgment he cursed I never knew you when he's been such a good God to us when he's known our desires when he's known our longings when the Lord has given us a little light upon his word and when it's been complete darkness to others when we felt the warmth of his person and the love of his heart as they could the Lord truly say that he never knew us it's a wonderful thing to have any knowledge of this

[36:43] God and I would much rather have a knowledge of this God than all the up would show all the ceremonies all those things which man so much esteems but to be brought into the true knowledge of the love of God within our heart well now what do we know by experience of this God not what we've learnt in the chapel what we've been told what we've been brought up to believe but what do you know by experience when have you been brought into trouble and when have been able to hide under the shadow of his wings when have you felt the love of God shed abroad within your heart when you felt that you went to the Lord with all your sin you felt his pardoning love when he saw a beauty in him oh this is what I want

[37:43] I want more of I want to see more of his beauty I want to feel more of his love coming back to our opening remarks this morning I believe the Lord's people as they are brought into these experiences there will be that desire within their heart to depart and be with him what is there in this world what is there even in our best times compared with Christ in all beside no comeliness I see the one thing needful dearest Lord is to be one with thee and he prayed that his church might be one with him do you ever pray with them numbered may I be now and in eternity one thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after and do you desire to be with his people in eternity or may you seek on until you arrive at

[38:50]  Zion's hill we must leave it may the Lord have his blessing Amen