Seeking the Lord's help and your very prayerful attention, I would direct your thoughts this afternoon for a few moments to the psalm that we read, Psalm 68. We shall read verses 11 and 12. Psalm 68, reading verses 11 and 12. The Lord gave the word. Great was the company of those that published it. Kings of armies did flee apace, and she that tarried at home divided the spoil. In this chapter God's servant David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, was given a prophetic glimpse of the glories of the New Testament church. especially the fruit that would follow the ascension of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, after His victorious work in living and dying on behalf of sinners and rising again. And as He took eventually His rightful place at the right hand of His Father, now He sits, a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and remission of sins to the Church of God in the day in which we live, and will be to all the days of time until time shall be no more. Now our text that we have read this afternoon gives the means by which God the Son has ordained with his heavenly Father and with the gracious Spirit to accomplish the great work of salvation. If you read in the book of the Judges, you will find much of the sword, in fact throughout the Old Testament, the natural sword is very evident, but especially in the book of the Judges. But you know, dear friends, the New Testament is the dispensed haste of the sword too, but not a carnal weapon. But the Word of God is, as Paul tells us, mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. And it is that Word of which the psalmist speaks in prophecy, himself being a partaker of it. It is that glorious weapon, the sword of the Spirit, of which we speak this afternoon. The Lord gave the Word, not man, The Lord gave the word, great was the company of those that published it. Kings of armies did flee apace, and she that tarried at home divided for spoil. I want to bring before you four great gifts from these two verses which the Lord, our God, has given. Firstly, the Lord gave the Word. Secondly, the Lord gave the publishers. Thirdly, the Lord gave the success. And fourthly, the Lord gave the reward. Those four gifts have come from the hand of our covenant God. And we read the gifts and the calling of God are without repentance. That is, God will not change His mind. They're not uncertain gifts. They're not conditional gifts. They're gifts of covenant decree and they will accomplish the purpose to which Almighty God has sent them. First of all then, the Lord gave the Word. If we didn't believe that, friends, we wouldn't be here this afternoon. The very basis upon which the Trinitarian Bible Society is founded is that it is God's Word, not man's. The Lord gave the Word, and he gave the Word in three specific ways. First of all, the written Word is given by Almighty God's inspiration. Holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Spirit of God. David himself said, the Spirit of God was with my tongue. His Word was in my mouth. Yes, and in his heart too. So that those things that are recorded on the page of scripture have an authority that no other book that has ever been printed or produced on the face of this earth can ever compare with. This blessed book that we love so much is the holy, infallible Word of Almighty God. value it, pray over it, and may it make you wise under salvation, under the Spirit's power. But remember whose word it is, and remember the hedge that Almighty God has put around it. Whoso addeth to these words, God, the God who wrote the word, shall add to him, to them, the place that are written in this book. And whoso taketh away from the things in this book, The word of God is equally emphatic. God shall take away his name out of the book of life. I think it was Martin Luther who once said that the devil has been striving ever since the world began to try and corrupt the word of God either by adding to it or taking from it or amending it. The devil is still active in that sphere and we should be guarding against it. And may God help the Trinitarian Bible Society still so to do. This is the written word of God. And Peter in his second epistle speaks so highly of it, even though he had been on the Mount of Transfiguration. And to see with his physical eyes the dear Lord and Saviour transfigured in that amazing way. Yet he said we have a more sure word of prophecy. That is the blessed word of God before us this afternoon. You may wish you had seen the dear Redeemer in the flesh. But my dear friends, he himself has left on record in his holy word, but these things are written that ye might believe on the name of the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his name. So my first point then is that the written word of God has come from the hand of God, and we bless God for the preservation of the faithful translation before us this afternoon, that we may go to with that authority, believing it is not being tampered with, not being added to, not being amended, but it is as God would have us read it, for the good and the profit of our never-dying souls. Secondly, God not only gave the written word, but my dear friend, he gave the incarnate word. And remember, the name given to his dear son in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This blessed book would mean nothing to us Were it not that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has been revealed in it to many of us here this afternoon. It is that that makes the word precious. As the poet said, divine instructor, gracious Lord, be thou brethren here. Teach me to love thy sacred word and view my Saviour there. Many view it as a book of doctrine. It is that. Many view it as a book of theology. It is that. To some it is a book of history. It undoubtedly is that. To some it is just a book of classical language. Well, friends, the language is beautiful, but none of that would save your soul or mine. It is that Christ is there. in the Scriptures that makes it what it is to believe us. Oh bless God then that God the Lord gave the Word. And we have many instances of the Word of God where that is so sacredly referred to. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. He who came forth from the womb of the dear Virgin Mary, that favoured woman, though we don't adore her or worship her, she was a poor sinner like you and I are, needing salvation. Yet she was highly favoured to have that great privilege to bear the holy, harmless, undefiled Son of God in that miraculous way in which she, Fred, was completely passive. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee. And the power of the highest shall overshadow thee, so that that holy thing, mark that, the holy word of God written, the holy word of God incarnate, that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glories of the only begotten, of the Father, full of grace and truth. O abodliest thou prepared me, said the dear Saviour in prophecy, and it was his delight to dwell among the sons of men as the Incarnate Word. Why did he bear that name? Two great reasons. One, he's the author of it, with the Father and with the Gracious Spirit. Secondly, he is the great fulfiller of it. He came not to do his own will, that is distinct from his heavenly Father, but to do his Father's will. And what would his Father's will? To fulfil this blessed book, all that it spoke of him, vital for the salvation of his church. Oh friends, we owe a debt, you've been singing of it, that we can never ever measure. to the dear Son of God for fulfilling what was spoken of Him in His human nature and in His divine Godhead tomb on behalf of poor sinners. Ah, not till we reach that blissful land above and see Him face to face will we then begin to know how much we owe to Him for leaving His Father's throne on high, for coming down into this sin-cursed earth, for living under the law that you and I have broken, magnifying it, honouring it, obeying it, fulfilling it, and then laying down that pure, holy, sacred life on behalf of sinners, shedding his precious blood, taking it again as he rose again, ascended on high, and now he shall see that the travail of his soul and he shall be satisfied. This is the message of the Word of God, it portrays Christ And without Christ, it would not be the Word of God to us. Bless God, then, for the incarnate Word. Oh, till God in human flesh I see, my thoughts now comfort find. Ah, but when we see God in Christ, ah, then, then there's hope for the vilest sinner out of hell who lives to feel his name. Thirdly, and this is absolutely vital, often forgotten in the day in which we live, when people are so superficial. But friends, the word of God is not superficial. And that is, we not only need the written word, not only the incarnate word, but evidently made spirit and light to our souls, we need the applied word. One man said, and I believe there's a lot of truth in what he said, The Word without the Spirit is dead, and the Spirit without the Word is done. Friends, it's the Word of God that God the Holy Ghost uses to quicken souls. That is his sword, that is the blessed weapon that he successfully uses when he quickens dead sinners with his divine knife, when he leads them to the cross of Christ after showing them their sinnership, under God's Holy Law. It is the Blessed Spirit's office to take of the things of Jesus and reveal them unto us. Without that, the Word remains dead and Christ to us is dead. Not that He is dead. Because of our dead hearts, He's dead. But my dear friends, when the Holy Ghost comes with living power in the heart of a sinner, the Word becomes alive and Christ becomes precious. And we can say, I know whom I have believed, and then persuade that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Friend, we need application of the Word, for no man can say that Jesus the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. Let me give you just one example of that. Of all the men you might have thought would have known who the dear Saviour was, you would have thought John the Baptist would be the man. But he says his own confession, I knew him not. But he that sent me said, Upon whom thou shalt see the Holy Ghost descending and remaining, the same is he which baptiseth with the Holy Ghost. And it was when our Lord was baptised by John that he saw the Holy Ghost descend on him as a dove. And I saw and beheld He was the Son of God. Friends, that's revelation, and it's needed. It's revelation that makes a believer. And may God make you and I believers too. If we're not already so, and if already so, may He deepen that revelation. So first of all then, God gave the Word sovereignly, effectually, powerfully, and it must succeed. His Word will not return unto Him void, neither the written Word, nor the Incarnate Word, nor the Applied Word. It will accomplish that whereto He sends it. Secondly, Almighty God has decreed in His sovereign purposes that the Word of God must be published. That is, a public witness to the truth of the book that we so highly treasure and value. Again, this is why the Trinitarian Bible Society exists, to publish, to proclaim the pure, unadulterated Word of God. And what I find so refreshing about the Trinitarian Bible Society is that it allows, if I may say that most reverently, the Word of God to speak for itself. And friends, under the Spirit's power, that's sufficient. Oh, friends, the Word of God does speak for itself. We know it, some of us, in our hearts and in our lives. But He has ordained those who should be in His hand, His witnesses, His publishers, shall we say. Throughout the ages of the Old and the New Testament, there were the prophets, then the apostles, who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. They were the pen that God used to record the truth that now He applies to sinners in the work of salvation. And we should be thankful for the Publishers, God who at sundry times and in diverse man-speaking times passed unto us by the Prophets. But now Paul goes on, and all Prophets and Apostles must fade into insignificance now, having these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds." Oh, there is the true and the faithful witness, that one who is, oh, the most faithful of all witnesses, the witness with a capital W. And what do we witness concerning him? This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am she. That's Paul's witness to the faithful witness, his Lord and Saviour. Secondly, it is the Lord's ordained way through the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. So he ordains his servants, and has done throughout the ages of time, And his ascension gift is to give apostles. First he did at the New Testament church, then we speak of evangelists and pastors and helps. And we know the apostolic age is now gone. But he still gives ministers, still gives helps, still gives evangelists, still raises up men anointed and appointed. And how shall they preach? except they be sent? Oh, friends, anointing is so important in this great work. How shall they preach except they be sent? But how shall they hear without a preacher? And so the Lord sends his servants to the four corners of this earth, not with opinions, for opinions don't save, not with theories, for theory doesn't save, but with the word of God, the unashamed testimony. I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. men who have proved its power, who have known the condemnation of God's holy law, and have trembled under the sense of being a lost sinner, but have found mercy through grace, under the blood of Christ, and can speak of its power, and can speak of its unction, and can testify, just like Paul did. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. And that's how God's servants go forth, not looking down to sinners. There are sinners preaching to sinners, tempted sinners often, devil-dragged sinners often, but they need the Word, and they've fed on the Word, and they've been led into the Word, and they preach the Word, and they've no other authority. The same hedge that God puts around the written word that I mentioned at the outset. It's just the same hedge he puts around his servants. They must not add to it. They must not take from it. They must not amend it. They're ambassadors. An ambassador takes the King's message without adding to it, without taking from it, and without amending it. For if he's a good ambassador, he'll love the one who sends him, and he'll love the message that he comes with, and he'll be as delighted to see the Lord use it. Oh, bless God still, the Lord still gives this blessed gift. Those who publish his word, may he yet raise up more in this dreadful day in which we live. Friends, the only answer to the ills of Great Britain, indeed the world in our day, is the Gospel. Politicians may say this, that, and the other. Men may say, we've got the answer, change the environment, and you'll change men's hearts. You never will. George Whitefield's favourite text is still the truth. Marvel not that I say unto you, ye must be born again. And what weapon does the Holy Ghost use to quicken sinners into divine life? Peter tells us. Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." Thirdly, friends, this may surprise you, but ministers are not only the only publishers, nor the prophets, nor the apostles, but every child of God is in their way a publisher of the Word of God. In what way? Paul says, concerning the Corinthian church, Ye are our epistles, written not with the hand of man, not with the hand of flesh, but with the pen and the spirit of the living God. When Barnabas went to Antioch, he saw living epistles, men and women whose lives had been transformed by the words We read, when he went to Antioch, he was glad. Why? Because he saw the grace of God. Now, friends, you cannot see the grace of God in one's head. It's an inward work. It must be a hard work. No other work will save. But, friends, it transforms the life. By their fruits, ye shall know them. As I tell my own congregation at home, and thou know it when I say it, you're living a gospel, a chapter each day, in the things that you do and the things that you say. Men, watch what you do. They hear what you say. So what is the Gospel according to you? What is it according to you? Men, watch your walk. What epistle, what witness, what testimony, what publishing is there of the Word of God in your life and in mine? In all these things, dear friends, we see the sovereign hand of Almighty God. Is His power alone? that can give power to the Word. His power alone can give life to the sacred page. Only He can give life to the ministry. Only He can give life to the hearts of the hearers. So I come to my third point, the great gift of the success of the ministry, because the Word of God says here, the Lord gave the Word, great was the company of those, that marginary army, and we read the Song of Solomon, that the Church of God is terrible as an army with banners, not with natural weapons, but the Word of God. And then we read the success, kings of armies did flee apace, and she that tarried at home divided the spoils. See the effect of the Word of God. Kings of armies fled apace. You see, the chapter begins, let God arise, let his enemies be scattered. Now God has many weapons, he could and does use, but there's no greater weapon he uses than this weapon, the Word of Almighty God, the breath of his Spirit. Oh, there are more things wrought by prayer and by the word of God than this world dreams of. Now, God alone can give success to the world. Do remember that. And every minister of the gospel, every publisher, whichever way I've hinted at in my poor way this afternoon, is totally dependent upon the Holy Ghost for any success there has to be. Poor may plant, and Paul was good at planting as the Lord helped him. Apollos made water and Apollos was an eloquent waterer and God helped him. But God, those two words so important in Scripture time and time again, but God giveth the increase. And if the Lord withhold His power, all of Paul's planting will mean nothing. And if God withhold his power, all of Apollos' eloquence will mean nothing. But if God blesses Paul and his planting, and Apollos and his watering, then God will get an increase. God will cause success to follow the word. His word will not return until we avoid it, shall accomplish that thing whereto he sends it. And friends, he sends it into the most unlikely places. Was it the church? I think it was Pergamas. where Satan's seat dwelt. Who would have thought that a church of Christ could be planted there? But by the word of God it was, and maintained there. Oh, the success God gives, and he still gives, the success to his holy word. The Lord gave the success. Paul may plant, Apollos may water, but God giveth the increase. And friends, it should be much on your mind and spirit that God give the increase. We need to wrestle, as God helps us in prayer, for God to give the increase. If prayer is withheld in this respect, it's no wonder that the word is little blessed. Or the word needs to be watered with the tears of prayer. over it, if there is to be that success. May God give us such wrestling prayer in private, in secret, that we see the success of the Word in public, in a way seen to the honour and glory of Almighty God. The Lord gave the Word. But now we come to the reward. Now the Text says that she that tarried at home divided the spoil. Kings of armour were fleeing apace. There we see the work of Almighty God on the front line of the battle, we might say, and some are called to the front line of the battle. Every child of God is in one sense There's a front line in his heart, between the flesh and the spirit, and that's a very hot battle line, I tell you. But especially God's servants are called to the front line of the battle. But you must not forget to remember those who tarry at home, those behind the scenes ones. You see, even in the work of the Trinitarian Babel Society, there are those whose work is not seen much by others. How vital it is, the packers, for example, and those who do the typing, and those who do the letters, and those who bank the cheques. It's only a menial task, you might say, but friends, they are the ones who tarry at home. But in God's eyes, in God's eyes, they share the spoil, just as much as those who perhaps have the more prominent position. In God's hand every member of the body has a part, and to mercy we may look at the work of God in that way, and though we be but the most small part, the most insignificant part, what a privilege to be used by Almighty God. And he says here that those that tarry at home divided the spoil. William Gadsby, of course, who is known to many, the Strip Baptist here this afternoon, is an eminent minister here, the bygone generation, was, as you know, a very prosperous preacher under God's hand. And someone said to him, well, what is the secret of your prosperity? And he took this person to an attic in one of the downtown parts of Manchester where there was a slum. And he went up this rickety stead and there lying on a bed in a shabby room was an old woman. He said, there is the secret of my ministry. She's praying for me night and day. And she's the one who's thankful, thankful to see the success that God is attending it. They that tarry at home divide the spoil. And friend, what is the spoil when all is said and done? Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thine aim give glory for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake. My dear friend, surely the aim and the ambition of every living child of God here this afternoon is for the honour and glory of him who is the Word, And it is our desire and delight to see His name recorded, His name published, His name extolled, His name honoured, and in some little way to praise Him and to love Him in a personal way, and to see others brought into the same blessed place by the Spirit's power, to say of this Jesus, this Word with a capital W, He's precious to me, unto you therefore which believe he is precious. Now that's dividing the spoil. Bless God for it. So we have our text, the Lord gave the word. Great was the company of those that published it. Kings of Armageddon flee apace. And she that tarried at home divided the spoil. Now two last things I'd like to mention. The first is what a solemn responsibility we have here. This immense gift that God has given. All the Word of God says, neglect it at your peril. Neglect it at your peril. There are chapters in the Word of God to make us tremble, not handling the Word of God deceitfully. Oh friends, it is no mean book before you this afternoon. Buy it, in it is your eternal destiny, heaven or hell, it is. May God the Holy Spirit so lead you to examine it, to pray over it, and to prove the power of it in a saving way. It is not a book to be despised. You know when the blood was shed on the Passover night, there was a place they were not to put it on the threshold, not to be trodden underfoot. And my dear friends, he whose blood it is, is not to be trodden underfoot. He whose word it is, is not to be trodden underfoot as a thing of gnaw. God will call you to account if you so do. Secondly, but only is it a great solemn responsibility before us this afternoon. May God wait on our spirits as only he can. But friends, what a wonderful privilege. Who can value the word of God? And those of us here this afternoon that have received it by God-given power, unction, favour in our hearts, and have it their treasure, then? Why, friends, it will take all eternity to thank God that he opened our eyes to see its beauty, opened our hearts to receive it as the Word of God, gave us the faith to lay hold of it, and gave us the love to love Him in return. This is the great privilege of our text. It's a personal word, as well as one for the Church of God in general. The Lord gave the word. Friends, I ask you now, in that way before Almighty God, how many can honestly say, it's been given to us. I don't mean you hold it in your hand, you've got that gift, but I mean in that saving way. Oh, don't rest, Sure, may God teach you not to rest short of this great point. Do I know him in my heart? The word of God is thy word. Have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee? Friends, may God give you a heart so to receive the word. Your natural heart will never do so. It's the new heart that will do so. May God give you such a heart like David's was. And then you will be able to say of this word, like Jeremiah did, Thy words were found and I did heed them, and they were to me, to me, you see, God's gift, sovereign, free, undeserved, unmerited, to me, the joy and the rejoicing of my heart. May God have His blessing. Amen.