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[0:00] For a short time I will call your attention again to the 8th chapter, Nehemiah, and verse 10.

[0:16] Nehemiah chapter 8 and verse 10. This morning, as you know, we were considering the whole chapter.

[0:35] And saw that it was a beautiful example, a pattern of what it is to worship God in the beauty of holiness and in spirit and in truth.

[0:55] And the people had gathered themselves together after their return from the Babylonian captivity.

[1:06] In the preceding chapter, we have a register of those that returned from captivity. And they gathered themselves together as one man.

[1:21] And there was a unity in that gathering because it was a gathering of the Holy Spirit. And in this piece, or what is now this service, the Holy Ghost was there.

[1:44] Broken-hearted sinners were there. Repenting sinners under conviction of sin, as the book of the law was read to them from the morning until midday.

[1:59] And they were gathered together under exercise of soul. And for substance, as we read the chapter through, though not in the same words, they gathered under the exercise of our first hymn.

[2:18] It's a wonderful thing to take notice, as we said this morning, how we come to a service. To take notice of the attitude of our soul.

[2:34] Whether we are judged in a state of indifference. Or whether we are hungry and thirsting for the living God.

[2:47] I seek and hope to find a portion before my soul. And Jeremiah, he so sought this portion that he could leave everything else.

[3:11] The Lord is my portion. My soul says so. Therefore I can leave every other hope. And my hope is in Him.

[3:21] And this is a very important point in our religion, in our experience. For God will be first.

[3:34] And if we are under divine teaching, He will be the object of our first desire. And that will mean that we will seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

[3:49] And we do well if we consider from time to time whether that is really so with us. Because there is an end in view.

[4:03] The end for which Jehovah sovereignly created was first His own glory.

[4:16] And secondly, the glory of Christ in the church. And if we are in the covenant of grace. And if we are in the covenant of grace and objects of His love.

[4:27] And subjects of the work of grace in the heart. Then our end and object will be the same thing. The Lord Jesus.

[4:39] The Lord Jesus.

[5:09] The Lord Jesus.

[5:39] God. So that they had Him in reverence. He is to be had in reverence of all them that are about Him.

[5:51] Oh what a blessed example. was this feast, this service. What true worship is.

[6:02] What a blessed congregation. So he commenced. Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God.

[6:16] There was the object. And no other object. Here was one thing needful. Nothing else is needful. Because everything is in him.

[6:30] The fullness of grace. The fullness of salvation. And also the fullness of creation is in him. Oh to have some right conception by the spirit.

[6:44] Of this eternal infinite God. That we may be brought from time to time. To an amazement of faith.

[6:54] As was Solomon at the dedication of the temple. But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth.

[7:05] Behold heaven. And the heaven of heaven cannot contain thee. How much less this house that I have built.

[7:17] Oh to be thus impressed by the spirit. Of the majesty, glory and holiness of Jehovah. As we meet together.

[7:28] The wonderful congregation. The wonderful congregation that we read in this chapter. And all the people. And all the people answered. Amen.

[7:39] Amen. Amen. Amen. With lifting up their hands. They bowed their heads. And worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

[7:52] Oh that it might be so. That we might be thus renewed in the spirit of our minds. And as we said this morning.

[8:05] That the Holy Ghost might return to us individually. And awaken us out of slothfulness. And that he may put a new violence in our prayers.

[8:19] And in our faith. To stir us up to take hold of him. Bowed their heads. And worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

[8:34] And so he came down to the text. They were a weeping morning people. So Nehemiah said.

[8:46] This day is holy. Unto the Lord your God. Mour not. Nor weep. For all the people wept.

[8:57] When they heard the words of the Lord. And in the next chapter. You will see a good deal of what was read. The rebellion.

[9:07] In gratitude. Of the people. Of the people. And the goodness. Of the Lord in his long sufferings. And it entered their conscience. It broke their hearts.

[9:20] And said unto all the people. This day is holy. Unto the Lord your God.

[9:31] Mour not. Nor weep. For all the people wept. When they heard the words of the law. And so he comes down to the text.

[9:41] And he said unto them. And he said unto them. Go your way. Eat the fat. And drink the sweet. Send portions unto them.

[9:52] For whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy. Unto our Lord. Neither be ye sorry. For the joy of the Lord is your strength.

[10:04] This is a comforting word to mourning souls. It wouldn't be wise. It wouldn't be wise to use this language to all and sundry. The Lord only comforts those that mourn.

[10:19] He only strengthens the weak. He only gives beauty for those that have been burned to ashes. Opposites meet in the gospel.

[10:34] As we often say. And if it were not that opposites meet. We should be in complete despair. I believe that that truth.

[10:46] Has kept me from time to time from sinking. Yes. Life comes to death. Unsearchable riches come to bankrupt.

[11:00] Infinite wisdom comes to fools. Graces make greater in the heart than sin. Opposites meet. Are you thankful my dear friends.

[11:12] It will help you sometimes to pray. When you feel too bad. Too wicked to pray. When you feel that your sins are not only innumerable.

[11:24] But the nature of them is such. That you feel unable to confess them. You could never do it. Never get to the depths of them.

[11:36] But the Lord can. The Lord can. And it will help you too. To read that good word at the end of the 130th Psalm.

[11:49] Let Israel. Let Israel. Hope in the Lord. For with the Lord there is mercy. And with him is.

[12:02] Plenty of redemption. Plenty of it. Oh. That is a word that will suit a great sinner. Whose guilt rises high.

[12:16] And that redemption is not silver and gold. But the price. His own precious blood.

[12:29] Infinite in its virtue. Contains in it the unsearchable riches of Christ. Sufficient riches to abundantly pardon.

[12:43] Not just make two ends meet. But abundantly pardon. And will give his people at last an abundant entrance. To the everlasting kingdom.

[12:54] And enough also to purchase. An inheritance incorruptible. Undefiled. And that can never fade away. He said unto them.

[13:11] Go your way. Eat the fat. And drink the sweet. We did just refer there. As you know. To the 25th of Isaiah. And in this mountain.

[13:24] There shall be a feast. Of fat things. Of wines on the leaves. Of well refined. And it is just this. It is the gospel.

[13:36] And all the gospel contains. It contains the fullness. Of the Lord Jesus. That it pleased the Father. Should be there.

[13:48] And it pleased the Holy Ghost. That all the fullness. Should be in him. And it pleased the poor empty sinner. That that fullness. Should be there.

[13:58] It is the fullness. Of the gospel. With all these riches in it. That his people here. Are exalted to eat.

[14:14] And that fullness. Of the gospel. Is a completeness. Of everything. That the church will need.

[14:26] To take them to heaven. And to make them fit to be there. It contains all. That accompanies. And constitute salvation.

[14:39] It contains everything. That pertains to life. And godliness. All the fullness. Is in Christ Jesus. There is another fullness.

[14:55] In the next chapter. To that in the Colossians. In him dwelleth all the fullness. Of the Godhead bodily. And those two fullnesses.

[15:09] Will be made something. To a poor sinner. Who has been made to know. By experience. By experience. That his wreckage.

[15:20] And ruin. And pollution. In the fall. Is so complete. That nothing can be added to it. Because.

[15:32] That fullness. Of the Godhead bodily. In Christ Jesus. Is not the same fullness. That it pleased the Father. Should dwell in him. He.

[15:44] Possessing the fullness. Of the Godhead bodily. Or their blessed world bodily. In him. All divine perfections meet.

[15:56] And though he became man. He did not cease to be God. Oh. What a. What a person. For a poor sinner. To look at.

[16:07] As he condescended. To come. This is what they eat. Eat the fat. And drink the sweet. He brought. This provision.

[16:17] Of the gospel. With him. But he. In whom. All divine perfections. Meet. His deity. Gives divine authority.

[16:30] To everything. That he became. Everything. That he accomplished. In salvation. Every word. That he spoke. Gave divine authority.

[16:42] Even. In his sufferings. For he was made. Perfect. Through sufferings. Through sufferings. Perfect.

[16:53] He could not be made. Perfect. In his person. He could not be made. Perfect. In his humanity. His humanity. Was perfect.

[17:04] Sinless. Impeccable. And this means. This means something. To a vile sinner. Oh. This is the. This is the fat. This is the drink. This is the sweet.

[17:17] By these things alone. We can live. As the Holy Spirit. Takes of them. And brings them. Into our heart. To a vile. And.

[17:27] He said. Unto them. Go your way. Eat the fat. And drink the sweet. And that is.

[17:39] To partake of Christ. And nothing less. Nothing different. Oh. It is a great thing. To partake of him. That really.

[17:51] Was in the chapter. That we read. And the secret. Of that chapter. Is the secret. Of all vital. Godliness. Union. Union. With the Lord. Jesus Christ.

[18:04] A union. That was made. In the covenant. Of grace. A union. Which is. Indissoluble. And also. Eternal.

[18:16] A union. That nothing. Can break. Eat the fat. And drink the sweet. And to do this.

[18:27] We must partake. Of Christ. To hear about him. Is not enough. To talk about him.

[18:40] Is not enough. We must. We must. Absolutely. Partake of him. By faith. And that is. Only. By being.

[18:51] A living branch. In the living vine. And therefore. That is. Of paramount importance. Of paramount importance. To know.

[19:01] That we have. Union. Vital union. With the Lord. Jesus Christ. And that union. Was made possible.

[19:12] Only. By his. Matchless condescension. In taking. Human nature. Human nature. It is. It is. One of the most. Amazing things.

[19:23] In. In. A salvation. That he took. Human nature. That his people. Might be made. The partakers. Of.

[19:33] The divine. Nature. Nothing. Less will do. In this union. Firm. And strong. A union. A union. A union.

[19:44] That was made. In the covenant. Of grace. A union. Which in experience. Begins. When one is born again. Then.

[19:54] There is a living. Upon him. Partaking. Of him. A union. So real. That all that he is. And all that he has.

[20:08] And all that. And all of his finished work. Is ours. This is. The gospel. Go your way.

[20:19] Eat the fat. And drink the sweet. Has the Lord ever made this. A place. A sanctuary to you.

[20:30] A house of bread. To the hungry. Are you hungry. Thirsty. For the living God. Has he ever made this place.

[20:43] A house of rest. Have you ever come to it. With your perplexities. And he has been made. An interpreter. To your case.

[20:56] But oh. The savor of his name. Eat the fat. And drink. The sweet. So.

[21:07] That. Where there is the life of God. In the soul. There is a taste. If so be. He hath tasted. That the Lord. Is gracious.

[21:19] There is. An ear of faith. Which ear alone. Can hear his divine. Voice. Oh. When. He.

[21:30] Arrends the heavens. Opens the heavens. And pours you out. A blessing. Individually. And personally. And you'll be brought.

[21:40] Really. Too long. For this. Oh. An all-consuming. Desire. For the Lord. Jesus. And all that he is. That you might be taken up.

[21:51] In him. And by him. When he does. Condescends to come. You will be. Unconscious.

[22:02] Of anybody else. In the congregation. And you'll be brought. To such. An intense desire. And need. Together. That.

[22:14] You will need. All that he is. You tell him so. I believe. I had to tell him so. You will feel.

[22:24] That there is a completeness. In him. Which is greater. Than the completeness. Of your ruin. And oh. How then you will partake.

[22:36] Of Christ. Of his precious. Sin atoning blood. Yes. There are two completenesses. And we shall know one.

[22:48] And if we know one. By the teaching of the spirit. We shall know the other. Complete. In our. Wreckage. And pollution.

[22:59] And ruin. Good for nothing. But to be cast out. And trodden. Under the foot of men. In. But the completeness. Of his people.

[23:10] In Christ. Is infinitely greater. Than that completeness. Of ruin. And it will swallow it up. Christ will swallow. Everything that his people.

[23:21] Are. In themselves. By everything. That is in him. In his fullness. This is the fact. This is the drink. This is the sweet.

[23:31] And he said unto them. Go your way. Eat the fat. And drink the sweet.

[23:43] But he is dismissing them here. The feast was done. And if. As you. Are thus favored. At any time. With such communion.

[23:53] With the Lord. And. Have communications. From heaven. To your soul. And. Find. That your little. Earthen vessel.

[24:04] Is refilled. With the oil of grace. And you get. Some fresh strength. Communicated. To your soul. Some fresh direction. For your journey. On the pathway.

[24:15] Through life. It will leave a savor. Upon your spirit. And so he says. Go. And go your way. And there will be.

[24:28] A coming in. And a going out. To receive pasture. You'll come in. And if the Lord is with you. And replenishes you.

[24:42] Replenishes you. With the oil of grace. Strengthens your heart. And establishes you in his ways. Gives you to feel once more. That he is precious.

[24:53] Gives you to realize. That you yourself. And your times. Are in his hands. And you'll feel his divine favor. In your soul. There will be.

[25:03] A savor resting upon your spirit. And you'll go out with it. That's the point here. Go your way. Eat the phantom. Drink the sweet.

[25:16] You'll chew the cud. As you've found sometimes. After you've felt the presence. And function of the Holy One. Under the preaching of the gospel.

[25:28] That it has had. A sobering. Sanctifying influence upon your spirit. And made you go softly. In the tender fear of God.

[25:39] And perhaps upon your bed. The night after. Things may come back to you. But we mustn't.

[25:53] Go over this. This again. And send portions. Unto them. For whom nothing. Is prepared.

[26:05] That is the same. Among other things. That you won't look. At your own things. But at the things. Of others. Also. It takes in a variety.

[26:17] Of circumstances. As for instance. To the Lord's afflicted people. That cannot get to the services. And it is good to realize.

[26:31] That that spirit is among us. There are those. Who have received something. In the service. And that have taken it.

[26:42] And made it on notes. Of the service. And taken it to those. That couldn't get there. Our hearts will be enlarged. If the Lord blesses us.

[26:54] And blessed is the man. That heareth me. Watching daily. At my gates. That is. Watching at the gate. Of the word of God.

[27:05] And watching. At the gate. Of the throne of grace. Waiting at the posts. Of my doors. The services.

[27:17] Come. As did these people. Gather together. And when they receive. Something. They go. And scatter the seed. Oh my friends.

[27:30] The communion of saints. Is very sacred. We did just mention. That word. In the first epistle of John. This morning.

[27:42] If we walk. In the night. Then. We have fellowship. One with another. It will produce. The fellowship of the saints.

[27:54] If we have union. With the Lord Jesus. For this day. Is holy.

[28:04] Unto the Lord. Neither. Be. Be. Sorry. He said that. Because they were mourning. Broken hearted. Sinners. But then.

[28:16] He. For their consolation. And shows them. The fountain. Of all. Consolation. Strong. Consolation.

[28:29] For the joy. Of the Lord. Is your strength. Now. This is the joy.

[28:40] Of the Lord. Joy. Joy. Is a fruit. For the joy. For the joy. For the joy. For the joy. There are. Many. Carnal joys. Of a natural man.

[28:51] But this is a spiritual joy. And. It is among. The graces. That the Lord. Gives to his people. I believe it is true.

[29:04] What we were seeing. Just now. Joy. Is a fruit. That will not grow. In nature's barren soil.

[29:16] Or we can boast. Till Christ. We know his vanity. And toil. Have you proved it? Do you believe it? From your own experience.

[29:28] In my little way. I believe I do. There's nothing else. No help in self. We find. And yet have sought it well.

[29:40] The natural mind. Is sin. And death. And hell. Nothing else. And we shall learn this.

[29:53] I believe. There are two. Directions. Of faith. In the main. While we.

[30:04] Walk through this wilderness. He. Must increase. But I. Must decrease. For the joy.

[30:16] Of the Lord. Is your strength. For the joy. Well this joy. Of the Lord. Is the joy. Of the Holy Ghost. And in the first place.

[30:30] I. Would say. That it is. A mutual joy. Perhaps you noticed it. In the reading. These things.

[30:43] Have I spoken unto you. That my joy. Might remain. In you. And that your joy. Might be full.

[30:55] And that's very blessed. It is. Faith. Reciprocating. The joy. Of the Lord. In the heart. Now.

[31:07] You take these two joys. As we have it. In the word of God. Take for instance. The opening verse. Of the twelfth chapter.

[31:18] To the Hebrews. There. The Lord Jesus. Had a joy. Set before him. Who.

[31:29] For the joy. That was set before him. Endured the cross. Despiteing the shame. And is set down. At the right hand. Of God.

[31:40] Now he had a joy. It was set before him. And that joy. That joy was his church. He had that joy.

[31:53] Even. When he was upon the cross. When thou shalt make his soul. An offering for sin. He shall see his seed.

[32:05] He shall prolong his days. It seems almost. Beyond.

[32:16] Comprehension. But that is a very significant word. He shall see his seed. When he bowed his sacred head.

[32:29] He knew for whom he suffered. He knew for whom he died. And he saw them. It tells us this.

[32:39] That the infinite mind. And full knowledge. Of God. Was such. That he recognized. Every one of his people. That were given to him.

[32:51] He saw them. He loved them. He loved them. In the covenant of grace. It was a joy. That was set before him. When he died. It was the joy.

[33:02] Of divine. Everlasting love. And he held. His sacred head. Did he see you. Did he see me.

[33:14] My friends. If we. If we. Limit the holy one. And say. It's impossible. That he should see. The. The. The.

[33:24] The. The. The. A. A. Number. That. Cannot be numbered. And recognize them. How much less. Are you going to reduce it? Do you think.

[33:36] That the infinite mind. Of God. Saw just a nebulous mass. Unrecognized. The foundation.

[33:50] The foundation. Of God. Standeth sure. Having this seal. The Lord. Knoth them. That are his. Oh. What a comfort. That is.

[34:02] Well. That was the joy. That was set. Before him. In the chapter. That we read. These things. Have I spoken. Unto you.

[34:13] That my joy. Might remain. In you. There is another expression. Of the Lord's joy. He shall see. Of the travail.

[34:24] Of his soul. And shall be satisfied. Does he see. The travail. Of his soul. In you. It is. The accomplishment.

[34:35] Of redemption. In a sinner. He rests. In his love. The whole. Of the work. Of redemption. Terminates.

[34:47] In the salvation. Of one of his people. It rests there. Goes no further. With respect. To every individual. Of his people.

[34:59] The whole. Of the gospel. The whole. Of the streams. Of salvation. Terminate. In their salvation. He sees that. He sees that.

[35:09] His grace. Has saved them. That his redemption. Has redeemed them. That his precious blood. Has cleansed. The healed. And pardoned them. This was his joy.

[35:21] His satisfaction. Now. These things. Have I spoken unto you. That my joy. Might remain. In you. It does remain.

[35:33] Because. Whatever he does. Is done forever. We said just now. That all the divine perfections. Were in Christ. And therefore.

[35:44] Everything he does. In his people. Partakes of his immutability. His divine sovereignty. So.

[35:55] It is. An everlasting joy. My joy. My joy. Might remain. In you. And that your joy.

[36:05] Might be full. What is the joy of his people. Why. It is the Lord himself. I often think.

[36:16] Of a verse. And I have. And I have. And I have. And I have. And I have. Desired that our dear young people. Might commit it to memory. Knowledge.

[36:28] Of all terrestrial things. Knowledge of all terrestrial things. Near. To my soul.

[36:40] True pleasure brings. No joy. But in the son of God. No peace. But through his pardoning blood. We shall learn this.

[36:51] This is the joy. And there is a strength in it. Oh. There is a strength in it. Because. You cannot joy. In the Lord. Unless you partake of him.

[37:03] And so. It is the joy of him. In all the offices. That he condescended. To occupy. And execute. For his people. And when he dwells in your heart.

[37:17] By faith. That joy will be there. He will dwell there. As the hope of glory. Because. He will dwell in your heart.

[37:27] As your redeemer. As your mediator. Between God and your soul. He will dwell in you. As your counselor. He is dwelling you.

[37:39] In the wonders of his grace. Oh. The joy. Of the presence of the Lord. And that's the thing.

[37:51] His presence. For the joy of the Lord. Is your strength. And there's another joy too.

[38:02] And that is. The joy of the covenant of grace. The joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord.

[38:13] The joy of the Lord. In every state. Divine decrees. Oh. I. I've got no memory now.

[38:28] It's a good thing that salvation isn't in the memory. But this is a joy. Rejoice ye saints.

[38:38] In every state. Divine decrees. Remain unmoved. No turns of providence. Abake God's care.

[38:49] For those he once has loved. Firm within heaven. His covenant stands. Though earth should shake. And skies depart.

[39:00] You are safe in your redeemer's hands. Who bears your names upon his heart. Do you think there's any joy in the covenant? It's ordered in everything.

[39:14] And that is. And that is intimately connected. With that. That gracious statement. In the Romans. The covenant is ordered in all things.

[39:28] And sure. Therefore. Therefore. Because of that. All things must work together for good. To them that love God. And are.

[39:42] To them that love God. Well. This is a strength. For the joy of the Lord is your strength.

[39:53] And you're weak. And you're weak. When this joy is removed. You take the case. Of David. In the 51st Psalm. That beautiful Psalm.

[40:06] He'd lost. The joy of salvation. He hadn't lost salvation. But he'd lost the joy of it through sin. And he couldn't bear it.

[40:17] And he couldn't bear it. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. And so. The joy of the covenant is this.

[40:28] That the Lord Jesus has laid himself voluntarily in the covenant. To bring every one of his people safely through this wilderness to heaven.

[40:38] So that everything that concerns them. Is under the conduct of the covenant of grace.

[40:50] Their worst conditions. Their greatest losses. Their most severe conflicts. Their pains. Their sins. Are all under the covenant of grace.

[41:06] Oh the joy of that covenant. It was a joy to David when he came to die. Although my house be not so with God.

[41:17] Yet hath he made with me an everlasting covenant. And everything he thus gives to his people. It has eternity in it.

[41:28] And derives its eternity and immutability from his person. Oh the strengthening of the soul. By this joy of the Lord.

[41:40] Oh I have desired. That you may know it. More and more. For the joy of the Lord is your strength.

[41:54] There is another joy of the Lord. And that is a communion with him. Whoever has felt that joy in the gospel.

[42:08] In the gospel. So as to be able to sing. The gospel bears my spirit up. A faithful and unchanging God lays the foundation of my hope.

[42:24] In oaths and promises and blood. And all these things are brought into your heart. It will strengthen you like nothing else will.

[42:34] And it is a mercy to have a life that needs to be strengthened and maintained. Go your way.

[42:46] Eat the past. Drink the sweet. Send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy unto the Lord. And it will be.

[42:56] You know in reading this chapter. You read it when you get home. And see the beauty of it. I do feel that we are warranted to take this as a pattern.

[43:14] For the true spiritual worship of God. Blessed congregation that are in such a case. For the joy of the Lord is your strength.

[43:28] Well then there will be the end. To his servants. Not only those that preach.

[43:39] But every one of his people are his servants. It shall be said. Thou hast been faithful in a few things. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.

[43:52] Lord. You take the conclusion of the 35th chapter of Isaiah.

[44:06] And that will give us this joy. The ransomed of the Lord shall return. And come to Zion.

[44:17] With songs and everlasting joy upon their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness. And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

[44:30] What do you think of this gospel my dear friends. An ultimate amount of people that have us gathered together. As we try to speak of this morning.

[44:42] Well it's warm and my little strength is gone. But oh may the Lord give us to seek larger communion with him.

[44:56] And to know more of the joy of salvation here. And to enter at last. And to enter at last. Into that everlasting joy. Our dear friend.

[45:10] And a servant. Whose dear partner. Is just about to enter in. Oh what a consolation. To be given an abundant entrance.

[45:23] Into the everlasting kingdom of God. Because you have known here the earnest. And have been abundantly satisfied.

[45:37] With the fatness of his house. Even of his holy temple. Amen. Amen.

[46:14] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[46:34]  Amen. Amen.