Transcription downloaded from https://sermons.heritagesermons.org/sermons/17212/evidences-and-exercises-of-gods-children-quality-good-quiet/. Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions. Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt. [0:00] This evening, in directing your thoughts to a word you will find in the prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 60, reading the second part of verse 4. [0:22] The prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 60, reading the second part of verse 4. [0:34] Thy sons shall come from Thine, and Thy daughters shall be nursed at Thy side. [0:47] Thy sons shall come from Thine, and Thy daughters shall be nursed at Thy side. [1:01] I sought this morning to speak concerning the everlasting love of God as it is made known in election. [1:17] And this word as it speaks, Thy sons and Thy daughters. These are the sons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty. [1:35] Everyone that belongs to Christ. Everyone whose name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life from before the foundation of the world. [1:50] And yet the wonder of redeeming love and mercy in this, that everyone who has been given by God the Father to God the Son in the counsel of Jehovah before the foundation of the world will most surely be wrought as sons and daughters, and in this as sinners to the feet of Jesus. [2:33] Not a hoof shall be left behind. Not one for whom Christ has died can ever be lost. However far off they may be permitted to go in their life, the Lord will bring them in His own divinely appointed time and way as sinners to the feet of Jesus. [3:03] Now this evening, I must seek with the Lord's help to speak concerning the sons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty. [3:21] And with the help of the Holy Spirit to speak of what I would term as marks of sonship. [3:34] That is, that we might seek to speak of marks of grace which reveal to those that are brought by the Spirit of God through the gateway of regeneration into the fold of Christ to know that they are sons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty. [4:05] there is a very beautiful word in the first epistle of John. And I just turn and read this, hoping that it may find a place in our hearts this evening. [4:27] for this is what we need. behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God. [4:42] Of course, it can be rendered that should be called the daughters of God. therefore the world knoweth us not. [4:55] This is indeed a mark of sonship. Therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew not him. Because it knew not him. And then we have this very blessed word, that beloved, now are we the sons of God. [5:14] And it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. [5:33] Now what a thought that is. There is a hymn that puts this truth, I feel, in a nutshell. Those souls who long to see him now. [5:47] Dear friends, this is very vital teaching. Could we sincerely say this evening as we've come to the house of God, sir, we would see Jesus. [6:00] Is this the burden of your heart? Now it says then, those souls who long to see him now shall see him face to face without a veil between. [6:17] And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Thy sons shall come from far and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. [6:33] the first mark or evidence of sonship that I would now bring before you is this. An evidence of being among the sons and daughters of God is to be known in the fulfilment of the words of Jesus in the sixth chapter of John's Gospel. [7:00] and it goes like this. I have often been compelled to mention it in preaching but the Lord says this, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. [7:24] and then again the Lord says no man can come unto me unless or except the Father which is in heaven draw him and I will raise him up at the last day. [7:42] Now can you come in with this? Have you been compelled? Have I been compelled to come to Jesus? [7:52] I do hope that the Lord will so help me to preach this evening that there may be those who I would that everyone could be favoured in this but you might go home with this sweet knowledge in your heart sacred assurance of this and to be able to humbly say yes I believe I am a son or a daughter of the Lord God Almighty that is my desire so have we this month have we been compelled to come to Jesus as sinners needing mercy needing repentance needing a saviour love and I can tell you this that those that are brought to the feet of [8:57] Jesus in their needs and with their needs will not only come in the first instance that they will go on coming you will remain a seeker all your life you will remain a coming one all your life right through to the very end it will be this that you must come to Jesus but we would also emphasise another truth again the words of Jesus but with everyone that is brought to come to the feet of Jesus in and with their needs what is it that will bring them it certainly isn't their own power or their own will we shall never come to Jesus in a gracious sense like that because in our natural state we have no desire to come to Jesus and those that speak concerning the free will of man and suggest that all men can come to Jesus just as they wish or they can only come and they will only come as they are motivated by the power of the spirit and to seek to bear this out [10:33] I bring before you the words of Jesus he came unto his own and his own received him not that is the Jewish nation but as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name now how they brought how they born how they quickened which were born that is born again which were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God because it is not of him that will it nor of him that run it but of God that showeth mercy now have we then been brought in this way sovereign grace source in abounding brought by the grace of God to begin to continue to feel our need as sinners and in this our need as a saviour thy son shall come from far and thy daughter shall be nursed at thy side but then we have also the words of [12:05] Jesus as he taught his disciples his people to pray I think of the opening desires contained in what we know as the Lord's prayer and it's this our Father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name now if you possess life if you're among the sons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty then you will begin to understand this you will go on to understand this our Father if indeed God is our Father then you will have this mark of sonship of being a son or daughter our [13:12] Father which art in heaven have we been made aware that this great God is in heaven he is holy and just and pure and if we have we shall very feelingly say hallowed be thy name another mark of sonship we shall reverence the name of God we shall tremblingly come into his presence we are permitted to in and through the Lord Jesus Christ come thou burdened sinner come you are welcome to the throne of grace the saviour blood to please the Lord has bid you come and because there is life in your soul you must come and you come with all your need your exercise the burdens of your heart and life and you come to [14:12] Jesus with it but you do know this may we go on to know this it is something that I so feel is needed in these degenerate days and that is that we may reverence God we shall the more we know of him the more we shall reverence his holy name oh how many people bring God down to their human level today a friend was showing me recently a card that a woman spoken of as a reverend in one of the churches came into St. [15:05] Mary's Hospital recently and brought a card with her name and on the card were quite a number of prayers and yet as I looked at this all the prayers that were contained on this card really you could say it was bringing God down to our level speaking to him as though he's one of us that oh friends if we are sons and daughters of the Lord God almighty we shall reverence his holy name we shall not want to be familiar with him as thousands are today and as they address God as you why to address God as you is to bring him down to our level and all this kind of way of speaking which to one's own heart is just something that we shrink from and are poor in our own soul's feelings where there is life and if we have been brought as sons and daughters of the [16:21] Lord God almighty we shall reverence his holy name we shall bow before him we shall understand his word that says God is in heaven and thou upon earth therefore let thy words be filled oh we shall want to cleave to what people speak of today as archaic language and all the different versions of the bible and so many of them even in this they turn as it were God into a man they turn the Lord Jesus into a man and they bring these things down to a human level which I am sure is in the eyes of our God it is something that he abhors reverence to God is a mark of sunshine and then another mark of being a son or daughter is truth that I know [17:28] I mentioned on the past Wednesday evening but I am compelled to bring this before you again this evening and the truth is this and if we belong to Christ if we have been brought as a son or daughter to his feet we shall be very exercised about our life when a person is really born again they become a new creature in Christ old things have passed away and behold all things have become new they cannot live any longer in the way that they did live when they walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience our dear friends if we belong to the lord's people if we are his sons and daughters we shall be very concerned about how we live our burden will be that we may live to him that dies we shall be very concerned about our relationships in life and so [18:47] I bring this before you again this evening be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness and what communion hath light with darkness and what concord hath Christ with being for what part hath he that believeth with an infidel and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols for ye are the temple of the living God as God has said I will dwell in them and walk in them here are evidences of sonship and I will be their God and they shall be my people and then we have this very clear mark of sonship if we possess life it will bring about inward separation in our hearts this is where it will begin the separation will begin in our hearts and that will bring about gracious separation in our life come out from among them and be ye separate and dear friends it means separation again the [20:35] Lord Jesus declares this ye cannot serve God and mammon one of the meanings of the word mammon is money it has other meaning it really means the things of this world if we have been separated by the grace of God we will not be able to serve God and mammon it will be Jesus only we shall want to follow the lamb once slain we shall want to live to his glory we shall want to walk in accord with his holy word it will indeed become our rule and our map in our life and we shall be compelled to go to it and there's nothing that you can come into in your life but what you will find an answer in the word of God thy son shall come from far and thy daughter shall be nursed of thy side another gracious mark of sonship is known in this the words of the apostle [21:51] Paul as he wrote to the church at Rome in these words you'll find it in the eighth chapter of that epistle for as many as are led by the spirit of God they are the sons of God of God of God now again if there's life in our soul if we are among these beloved of the Lord we shall certainly feel our need to be led by the Holy Ghost before the Lord quickened your soul into life you were quite happy to live your own life you thought in those days that you could do as you liked you were determined to have your own way to go your own way and you turned your back upon the word of [23:02] God and the ways of God and his people and his house and in those days you thought that you could control your own life and do as you like and you certainly said we will not have this man to reign over us now that is the attitude of the human heart that when grace takes control of it when there's life there and evidence of sonship of being a daughter is known in this that we shall feel our need of God the Holy Ghost we shall be shown and taught that there are three persons in the God head God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost and it is the Holy Spirit's divine work to quicken souls into life it is the [24:02] Holy Spirit's divine work to lead souls to Christ and to reveal Christ to their souls so has the Lord then brought us to feel our deep need of being led by the Spirit and dear friends this will take in everyday things you often need to make decisions you need from time to time to go here or there to buy the things that you need in your life I can tell you this that the more exercised you are about the things of this life as before God you will know what it is to pray over it yes and when you have to go and buy things you need in your life friend you will be compelled to pray over it you will want to do the right thing whether it is another car a new car if the [25:07] Lord has given you the wherewithal to buy one whatever it is and God's sovereignty is over all this a new home clothes furniture whatever we might name if we are graciously exercised you'll feel your need of guidance in this you'll need the Holy Spirit to lead you oh have you known what it is when the sun not only the bigger things but the smaller things in our life but friends have we known what it is to have to bow before our God before we go to buy something we've had to ask to be guided we've needed the Holy Spirit then we shall so need the Holy Spirit to lead us to Christ this will be our chief concern lead us to Christ our only rest and in his love may we be blessed again then this is a mark of sunshine for as men notice how it's worthy or as men as are led by the [26:20] Spirit of God they are there's no doubt about this they are the sons of God and surely the answer if one might put it in this way is in your heart and mine do you need the Holy Ghost do you need him to help you to pray you will be taught that you cannot pray a right without the teaching and help of the Holy Ghost you will be shown that you cannot understand anything that is I'm speaking of spiritual things that you will understand this you cannot understand spiritual things without his guidance and teaching when we think of God the Father and God the Son it is true that as the hymn writer puts it concerning the Holy Ghost thy power conveys the blessing down from [27:21] God the Father and the Son dear friends every one of God's servants they need the Holy Ghost in preaching God they're made aware of this whatever the Lord may help them to say it needs the Holy Ghost to be in it the Holy Ghost to convey it into the hearts of the hearers and there are those of you here tonight that have known something of this and when you've lost sight of the poor preacher but you've heard the voice of God and it's come from God and it's brought you to the feet of Jesus let me encourage you then to ask for the guidance of the Holy Ghost in your religion in your need as a sinner when he the spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth he will take of mine and will show it unto you a mark of sonship for as many as are led by the spirit of [28:29] God they are the sons of God and then again another very important word or truth that speaks of this blessing of knowing that we are sons and daughters of the Lord God almighty in the third chapter of Proverbs we have these words in in the Lord with all thine heart and you'll feel your need that the [29:29] Lord should have all your heart there's another word in this same book and it says this my son my daughter give me thine heart and that is a mark of sonship I say it with reverence you'll want to give the Lord your heart you want him to have your heart you will say here's my heart Lord take and seal it seal it from thy courts above and then we come to this and this is another mark of sonship my son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord neither be weary of his correction for whom the Lord loveth he correct it even as a father the son in whom he delighted now do we know then what it is to be under the chastening hand of [30:38] God the correcting hand of God in our life the great mercy when we view the things that the Lord brings upon us in this life and to understand it that God has brought it upon us oh do you know something of this when you're made aware that God is correcting you that he's correcting you as a father that loves his children and you're made aware of it and as the Holy Spirit shines into your heart you know that you need this we need correction it is so in a natural sense with parents and their children there is the need of correction and I feel that this is truth that is so lost sight of today and [31:42] I know that true correction with parents and their children it is only right correction as it is administered in love what does the Bible say chasten thy son while there's hope and let not thy soul spare for his crime there's the need of chastening correction discipline in the lives of parents with their children how much more than in this sacred relationship and the word here tonight is this my son my daughter despise not the chastening of the Lord oh when the Lord favours you in this you'll thank him for it have we known what it is to be able to thank God for correction and to understand this that a father's hand prepares the cup and what he wills is that to feel that it's correction that has been delivered to our souls in love because of the love of [32:52] Christ to sinners and we shall know something of this correction if we're among his people and when there are the things that take place in our life and the Lord will show you that it is the hand of God and you'll understand what Eli said it is is the Lord let him do what seem to him do happy is the man whom the Lord corrected well think of it indeed a mark of sonship to know that God is our father in correction and yet I just think of another word in one of the psalms like as a father pitieth his children so the Lord pitieth them that fear him he knoweth their frame he remembereth that we're done the [33:57] Lord fits his correction to our name there are parents here tonight and you will understand me when I say this that some children will respond to a look some will respond as it were to a word but other children because of their disposition and their character they will respond to nothing else but severer treatment and those of us here tonight who look back in our life even in a natural way and can thank God for fathers and mothers and thank God for their correction and the discipline that they gave us how much greater to be under the correcting hand of God it's one of the wonders of redeeming life thy son shall come from far and thy daughters shall be nurse at thy side but [35:09] I'm a soon leader that I do hope that there will be those that will go home tonight with that sweet hope that you belong to Christ sons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty because of what the Lord has done for you and because you have that heart and are able to say with Thomas my Lord and my God I just read again what I read at the beginning hoping the Lord may grant it as it were as a sealing word in our hearts as we go home tonight in these words behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of [36:10] God therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not beloved now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is amen through their service for seeing him eighteen blessed are the sons of [37:12] God they are bought with Jesus blood they are ransomed from the grave life eternal they shall have him eighteen one 捌 a one Thank you. [38:13] Thank you. [38:43] Thank you. [39:13] Thank you. Thank you. [40:13] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. [40:45] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. [40:59] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Amen. [41:39] Get your word Broadcast. [41:51] Amen. O Lord, can it please Thee to bless Thy Word. [42:09] May it remain in our hearts. O may we bring forth fruit to Thine honour and glory in our lives. O Lord, take control of our hearts and our lives and make us live to Thee. [42:32] O Lord, we would bring everyone that's here tonight to Thy feet and ask Thee to bless them with these sacred blessings that we may know that we are among Thy sons and Thy daughters that have been brought from far or as Thy daughters' nurse at Thy side. [43:04] Lord, hear us. We thank Thee for Thy merciful help. Amen. A Lord, take care. [43:22] Amen. Amen. Overflows