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[0:00] I ask your careful attention to the first epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 2, and especially verse 9.

[0:13] The first epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 2, verse 9. But as it is written, I hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

[0:42] This came to my thoughts we trust by the Lord's leadings in connection with the death of our friend Mr. Quentin Palmer at Westbrook.

[0:57] Last Lord's Day he was present at their chapel in the afternoon. And by Monday night he'd passed from time to eternity.

[1:08] His funeral, God willing, is on the 9th of October at 2 o'clock. Mr. Pont taking the service and, if the Lord will, myself the intern.

[1:22] But the connection with this text is this. When I have visited him, almost always he has said that him was on his mind.

[1:35] Thou shalt see my glory, say, when the work of grace is done. Partner of my throne shall be.

[1:50] Say, poor sinner, lovest thou me. Since his stroke a few years ago he has not said much. But invariably he has quoted that verse.

[2:06] And my thoughts went to this essential God-given grace. Whether we love him.

[2:19] And if through his grace we do love him. Then these things of this text will apply to us. The things which God has prepared.

[2:34] Both in this life and in that which is to come. But we cannot take some wonderful verse of the word of God and say, I will claim that as mine.

[2:51] That would be stealing. We cannot borrow it from someone else. But we can pray that the Lord will give us his word.

[3:03] His word of promise. And faith to believe in. In the natural things when some privilege, perhaps to people of a certain age or a certain condition, is announced.

[3:21] Do we not examine ourselves to see whether that privilege applies to us? And so I feel the first thing I want to draw to your attention, for us each to examine ourselves, is whether we love him.

[3:46] Do we love God? Do I love God? Love is a most misused word.

[3:59] When enjoy, interest, or the milder worm-like, would be more appropriate. We could say that where there is love, there is a willingness to make sacrifices for the object of our love.

[4:22] I think I have told you before, if a person says they love their work, and you said, are you willing then to pay your employer to allow you to work, you'd soon find they didn't love their work, though they might enjoy it.

[4:41] But the parent who gets up on the cold winter's night to see to their child, does not do that for wages. They are motivated by love.

[4:52] Do we not often read how a person will give their own life to rescue another one in difficulties?

[5:07] Indeed, the Lord said, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever.

[5:24] I command you. And my thoughts went to Samson. We read he loved a woman whose name was Delilah.

[5:38] But that was really, it would appear to be lust. Lust. And how solemnly James writes concerning that, Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know not ye that the friendship of the world is enmity with God.

[6:01] Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is an enemy of God. Though he had been used by God to defend the land of Israel at those various times in the past, when with that jawbone of an ass he slew so many, when he took away the gates and so on, it would appear, I put this thought to you, that he was not called by grace until he was blind.

[6:37] I would not be dogmatic, but I would think it could well be so. Indeed, if we did not read in the 11th of Hebrews how that he was amongst those who brought righteousness through faith and so on, we might question whether he was indeed a child of God.

[7:00] Three times he lied, deliberate lies to delight. Her love to him was only to get the money from the Philistines, what we might call cupboard love, perhaps with an animal who comes to us when we call in the hope of being rewarded.

[7:26] And so, Samson lied. But eventually, one would have thought his common sense would have warned him.

[7:38] This woman wanted to know his strength for some other purpose than curiosity. But he told her all his heart. And he disobeyed God's word.

[7:56] that had been that no razor should come upon his head. And by his disobedience, he was taken by the Philistines.

[8:11] We read, before his mighty axe, on most occasions, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him.

[8:23] But that was to give him that unnatural strength to slay his enemies. And that latter part of verse 20 in Judges 16 seems one of the most solemn words in the Scriptures.

[8:40] He knew not that the Lord was departed from. He was unaware that the Lord was departed from.

[8:52] What a solemn condition his soul was in. And how solemn if you and I get in that same condition.

[9:05] We cannot love the world as set forth by Delilah and love God. No man can serve two masters.

[9:17] Either he will hold to the one and despise the other. He cannot serve God and man. if you and I are disobedient to the Lord's revealed will and do not repent of that disobedience, we may spend our last days in darkness, grinding in the prison.

[9:48] The Lord is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he surely reign. He shall surely reign.

[10:02] And so the Philistines took him and put out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with fetters of brass and he did grind in the prison house.

[10:16] But in the 28th verse we read how he called unto the Lord. Remember me, O Lord, I pray thee.

[10:29] Strengthen me, I pray thee. Only this once. He felt his work was finished. But he desired again to deliver the children of Israel from the hand of their enemies.

[10:46] I do not feel this was in any way suicide. But rather he had that spirit of the psalmist. O that I had the wings of a dove that I might fly away and be oppressed.

[11:03] There will be no reluctant saints in heaven. I'm sure of that. Sure that each of the Lord's people when they come to their end will desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better.

[11:26] So he bowed himself and those two pillars gave way and those that he slew at his death were more than they which he had slain in his life.

[11:44] Do you and I love God? Now I read in John 14 and there we can bring our test as to whether we love God.

[12:01] He that loveth me keepeth my commands. Samson did not. So what a sad end he came to.

[12:19] If ye love me keep my commands. The child of God as we have spoken before from Romans is not under the law that is in keeping the law through field of punishment but as the law defines that which is evil so he will pray to be kept from those sins as defined by the law because sin will be hateful to and disobedience to the Lord's commands is sinful.

[13:01] And how do we know whether we do love him? He that hath my commandments and keepeth hath my commandments laid upon his mind in exercise and not only as it were is a hearer but a doer he that hath my commandments and keepeth he it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my father and I will love him and will manifest myself to him in the prophets we are reading through Jeremiah in our morning readings at present how often Israel was compared to an unfaithful wife they had turned aside from loving

[14:09] God and his commandments to the idols of the nations that were about them and so he permitted their enemies to rule over them to take them captive and to slay many of them yes if you and I are the Lord he will not leave us to go unpunished in our sins whom the Lord loveth he chasteleth and scourgeth every son whom he received scourging scourging was not a pat on the back of the hand the scourge was a whip with many thorns and pieces of metal fastened to those thorns we read of how it made furrows as it were in the backs of those that were scourged he scourgeth every son whom he received and so it was with

[15:16] Samson as a child of God he was spiritually scourged and so will you and I be if we are disobedient to his commands and his revealed man now this verse is a quotation from Isaiah 64 with slightly different words and we read there let me read it out to you for since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear neither hath the eye seen O God beside thee what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him waiteth for him there is no discrepancy or contradiction in the scriptures do we not wait for those that we love we would rather be in their company as it were waiting for them than to go on in our own unknown and those that wait upon the

[16:49] Lord shall renew their strength we read they shall mount up with wings as eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not fail John in his epistle speaks much of love and it is spiritual love that is spoken of there he that loveth is born of God clearly does not apply to natural love but applies to spiritual love but especially we have this evidence there that we know that we have passed from death from the centers of death unto life because we love the brethren spiritual love as it's beginning with

[17:55] God given to his people firstly as it were from eternity past but they are brought to love him in this present time his love at no beginning theirs has do I love God in connection with Samson's words or rather Delilah's words thou hast mocked me these three times how canst thou say thou lovest me I think of the Lord's words to Peter in the last chapter of John three times he had denied his Lord and I know not what thou say he said know not him of whom thou speak denied knowing his

[18:55] Lord with oath and counsel and you and I can do the same thing we can indeed when like Peter we are unnecessarily in the company of the world for Peter was there unnecessary with those enemies of the Lord oh may we be kept from the company of the evil the man is known by the company that he keeps he cannot serve God and so he unnecessarily exposed himself to temptation and succumbed so three times the Lord said to him Simon son of Jonas lovest thou me and have you and I as it were mocked him three times how can we say we love you but there is forgiveness with them now often we read of that in the prophets when they condemned

[20:11] Israel and said if they turned to the Lord in repentance he would restore them coming to the first part of the verse then I have not seen nor hear the things of God are spiritually deserved man as we read later God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit for the spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God for what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him even so the things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of

[21:11] God the natural man receiveth not the things of God for they are spiritually deserved if we take a dead body no use putting something before its eyes it will not see it no use speaking unto it for its ears will not hear we read in the psalm of those that make idols eyes of they but they see not ears but they hear not hands but they handle not neither do they walk with their feet they that make them are like unto they that make them oh how easy it is to raise up idols we cannot cast them down our sins but if we are the Lord's as it was when that temple of

[22:15] Dagon when the Philistines took the Ark of the Covenant and put it in the same house as Dagon their God in the morning Dagon was fallen down upon his face before the Ark foolishly they set up their idol again and the next morning down it was once more and this time his head and hands were broken up and only the stump remained to remind them that sometimes the Lord leaves a stump of an idol in our hearts as a warning that we should not raise up idols again I say again ye cannot serve God at moment in the previous chapter we read of how God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to condemn the wise

[23:20] God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty the world by wisdom knew not God it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe this clearly is his ordained way of salvation to be made known to the soul therefore should we neglect the preaching of the gospel not if we value our soul salvation the Jews required a sign they said to Christ show us a sign he said there shall be no sign given you but that of the prophet

[24:21] Jones the Jews require a sign the Greeks seek after wisdom but by contrast we preach Christ crucify unto the Jews a stumbling and unto the Greeks foolishness eye hath not seen nor hear neither have entered into the hearts of men in Romans in Hebrews there is a somewhat similar word if I can see it how the Lord speaks of writing his word upon his people's hearts after speaking of the old covenant which was of works this do and thou shall live that do and thou shall die the children of

[25:24] Israel did not continue in that covenant and I regarded them not saith the Lord but this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel the Lord's people after those days when they are no longer under the law saith the Lord I will put my laws into their mind and write them in their hearts this is not tautology saying the same thing with different words the mind sets forth our understanding how we need his gospel commandments in our mind of understanding if not we fall into error into free will and many other errors and write them in our hearts the heart metrophorically is the seat of affections and desires we need our mind to have his laws we need them written in our hearts not like that little word written you know in so many things in the legal profession and so on something is not a force unless it is written down unless the person signs it it has no effect but once it is in writing and sign then it is binding

[27:14] I will write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a people they shall not teach every man his neighbor and every man his brother saying know the Lord for all shall know me from the least to the great the Lord said this is life eternal that they may know thee and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent neither hath entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that are I said earlier there are things in this life that God has prepared and there are things in eternity and when something is prepared it is complete it is ready has he begun that good work in your soul and mind it is our constant prayer for our loved ones that each will know themselves as sinners by the new birth and know

[28:52] Christ as their personal saint we would rather they were sweeping the streets or in some humble occupation and have the fear of the Lord in their hearts than to be raised to an eminent position and have the world in their hearts the things which God has prepared and this preparation took place in eternity past that he would choose some from lost mankind the Holy Spirit came to give them the new birth Christ came prepared as a sacrifice a body he said as thou given me he came prepared to die he said for this reason came I into the world should I say father save me from this hour for this hour came I into the world a body as thou prepared me but these trials that give new life to prayer are also prepared for us those

[30:25] Arabians the Sabeans the Chaldeans and the others that took away Job's flocks were all prepared by God to come upon him that his trials should deepen the work in his heart when Jonah the disobedient prophet was given the word of the Lord to go unto Nineveh and went in the opposite direction how many things God prepared for him God prepared or sent God sent a great wind into the sea that the ship was like to be bowed God prepared the great fish to swallow him up God prepared the God to give him shelter from the Bahamut east wind and the sun and God prepared the worm to cause it to weather nothing comes by chance in the powers of the

[31:35] Lord's people providentially or spiritually but they are sent or permitted by God the wind that came upon the obedient disciples was not like the wind that came upon Jonah that was sent by the Lord but the wind that came upon the obedient disciples was permitted by God and was rebuilt by the Lord so that there was a great come but the things in heaven especially are prepared for the Lord's name come ye blessed of my father we read in Matthew 25 come ye blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world years ago in my business dealings

[32:54] I had a brass plate with my name on it which I still have at home and when I went to a meeting that would be put before my chair with usually details of my responsibilities at that particular meeting and that seat was therefore reserved for me so we might say in heaven there is near a vacant throne for the Lord's people will be as kings they will be given crowns though they will cast those crowns before but they are all prepared heaven is that prepared place for his people who are prepared here below prepared by the spirit's teaching prepared by the paths in which the

[34:01] Lord has led them and brought them to that place we do not know a great deal about heaven most of what we do know is in the book of revelation revelation we read how that his people the tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and be their God God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor cry neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away oh what must it be to be there that what a dreadful end awaits those that are not made ready the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and all mongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and blimstone which is the second day in the second epistle to the corinthians we read such were past tense some of you but ye are cleansed then again the greatest blessing the lord's people should look forward to seeing jesus face to face there shall be no more curse but the throne of god and of the lamb shall be in it and his servant shall serve him and they shall see his face and his name shall be in their foreheads when the door of our life closes there will be then no possibility of change no purgatory as the

[36:25] Roman Catholics teach by which if money is paid to the church so the soul can be released from purgatory he which is unjust will be unjust still he which is filthy will be filthy still he that is righteous will be righteous still he that is holy will be holy still remember one week evening when I was due to preach at Hines many years ago we had no text up in the mind to speak from but I was held up on the road while a large tree by the roadside was found that word entered into my mind and I spoke from it that evening where the tree falleth there it shall lie and where does the tree fall in what direction the way it has been leaning and the way the wind blows it is not the wind used as a type of the Holy

[37:40] Spirit in the scriptures which direction as it were will you be for which direction are you leaning at the moment are you inclined to spiritual things or to the things of the world so though the Lord's people may fall into such grievous sins as Samson did yet they will be taken safely to be with the Lord in his way and we may make our calling and election sure in our experience by the evidence of loving God and loving the brethren loving his commandments loving his house loving the preaching of the gospel making sacrifices for all these things and God will reveal these things to us by his spirit searching all things yea the deep things of

[39:04]  God as it is written I hath not said nor hear her neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him Amen