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From the Free Presbyterian Church
of Ulster we present Let the Bible Speak. It's good to have you join us
today as we spend time around the Word of God, preaching Christ
in all His fullness to men and women in all their need. O soul, and praise the Lord,
who hath redeemed thee by his blood. Deliver me from chains
that bind, and walk me to redemption ground. Redemption ground, O
cloud of peace. Redemption ground, O wondrous
place. ♪ Dear God of love, where's Jesus? Oh, he left and ran. ♪ ♪ Good God, our God ♪ ♪ Our Saviour,
Lord, Redemption, God ♪ ♪ Redemption, God, the God of peace ♪ ♪ Redemption,
God, the one most grace ♪ ♪ Here in our praise, good God, our God ♪ ♪ The works go fair and now I'm
clean ♪ ♪ On Jesus' name for all I need ♪ ♪ The righteousness
in me is done ♪ ♪ Except upon redemption run ♪ ♪ The crown of peace, redemption
crown ♪ ♪ O wondrous grace, the ever-praising God ♪ ♪ Who saves
us all, redemption crown ♪ ♪ A weary soul, but here I rest ♪ The Christ who died, my God,
is come, To pour out of redemption ground. Redemption ground, the ground of peace,
Redemption ground, O wondrous place, God our God, who saves us all,
he then shall rise. Our gracious Lord, our loving,
eternal Heavenly Father, we bow before thee humbly and reverently
today in the name of the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank
thee for the theme of which we have been singing, Redemption
Ground, the place where the blood was shed. We thank thee, O Lord,
for the Son of God, the one who loved us and gave himself for
us, the one who shed his precious blood that we might be forgiven.
We thank thee, O Lord, for a full and free salvation. We thank
thee, O Lord, we're still in the day of grace. We thank thee,
Lord, whosoever will may come and drink of that fountain of
life freely. We pray, O Lord, that through this ministry that
souls will be saved through the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ,
God's people encouraged and edified. Meet with us now, we pray. Open
now the word to our hearts, we ask, meet with us and bless us.
In Jesus' precious name we ask it. Amen. We're going to turn
to the Word of God for our reading. It's found in Revelation chapter
21 and verse number 23. And the city had no need of the
sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it. For the glory of
God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the
nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it,
and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into
it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day, for
there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory
and honor of the nations into it. And there shall no wise enter
into it anything that defileth. neither whatsoever worketh abomination
or maketh a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb's book
of life. And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear
as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the
Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of
the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner
of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month. And the leaves of
the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall
be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall
be in it, and his servants shall serve him, and they shall see
his face. and his name shall be in their
foreheads. And there shall be no night there,
and they need no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord
God giveth them light, and they shall reign forever and ever. Amen. Our next hymn is, There is a
Story Sweet to Hear. I love to tell it to you. It
fills my heart with hope and cheer. Tis old, yet ever new. There is a story sweet to hear,
I love to tell it to you. It fills my heart with romantic,
it's old memory. I know, I'm sure it's true, this
hope will ever be. It tells me, God, there's something
done, from lowly stone to high, that I might live and care and
cry and reign with Him on high. Whatever you disown, whatever
you, I know I'm sure to disown. ♪ Since He bore the cross for me
♪ ♪ And suffered in my place ♪ ♪ When I crossed Him I fastened
faith ♪ ♪ And praised Him for His grace ♪ ♪ Tis all, yet ever
new ♪ ♪ Tis all, yet ever new ♪ ever new. I know, I'm sure this truth is
old, yet ever new. Oh, what rest of so great, so
vast, so boundless, and so great! I know my church is true. 1 Corinthians the 2nd chapter and
the verse 9, Paul is writing and he says, But as it is written,
I have not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the
heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that
love him. In terms of splendor and magnificence,
nothing in our modern world could match the ancient city of Corinth. standing on a narrow piece of
land washed by seas on either side. One of the seas was bringing
in all the commerce out of Europe, and the other was conveying in
that which was coming from Asia. With a magnificent mass of columns
and statues and towers and temples, Corinth, for those who visited,
they find their breath taken away from them. So when Paul
wrote the words of this text in 1 Corinthians 2 verse 9, he
wasn't addressing a squad of rough, common rustics. Men who had never in their lifetime
seen anything grand. These men had spent their whole
lives surrounded by the sounds of the best music, by the most
beautiful pictures, sculpture and architecture, and by all
of this Corinthian brass for which the area was famous, molded
and shaped into their chariot wheels and towers and gateways
right through the city and country. And yet in spite of all of this
splendor surrounding them, Paul writes, but As it is written,
I have not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the
heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that
love him. In fact, Paul was saying to these
in Corinth, you Corinthians reckon that you live in a splendid city,
and in many ways you do. But you think you've heard all
the sweet signs and seen all the beautiful sights, but let
me tell you something. All that you've ever known is
but nothing. in comparison to what I'm speaking
about. 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. And ultimately, in
mine term, he has the whole vista of heaven in front of his sight. Heaven far surpasses anything
we have ever seen or known on earth. So our first comment tonight
on this passage is simply this. While we live in the world, we
can get just a little idea of the splendors of heaven. John, another apostle, tried
to describe those and said, the twelve gates are twelve pearls. Then he went on to say, and the
street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. And he takes us further in the
21st chapter of Revelation, the verse 21, down to the foundations
of the wall of the city, they were garnished with all manner
of precious stones. As we stand behind John and we're
looking through his telescope, we see a blaze of amethyst, and
pearl, and emerald, and sardonyx, and sapphire. There's a mountain
of light in front of our eyes, a whole cataract of colour, a
sea of glass, a city like the sun. But then John tells us,
look again. And as we look, we see thrones,
the thrones of the prophets, thrones of the patriarchs, thrones
of the angels, thrones of the apostles, thrones of the martyrs,
and then in the center, that imposing throne, the throne of
Jesus, the throne of God. John tells, look again, there's
more to be seen and we see that great procession of the redeemed
passing by. Christ Jesus on that white horse
leads the march. The armies of salvation follow. There's a cavalcade en route
here. Ages upon ages of time are represented. We have Europe, we can see Asia,
Africa, Australia, North and South America, and they're pressing
into line. Generations before the flood,
generations after the flood, and as Jesus rises at the head
of this great host, and he weaves his sword to signal final victory. Out of this mass of men and women,
all crowns are lifted, all flags unfurled, all chimes ring out,
and the hallelujahs begin to be chanted, and everybody cries. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. Every house here is a palace.
Every step is a triumph. Every meal a banquet. Every stroke
coming out of the tower a celebration bell. Every day is a jubilee
and every moment is one of ecstasy. And so Paul is saying, I tell
you I have not seen nor ear heard the splendors of heaven. Again while we're here on earth
we can get very little view of the society of heaven. A number of years ago the Daily
Mail told the story of two pairs of childhood sweethearts. They
were brought together again for a meal to reminisce over past
events. They had lived separate different
lives for twenty and twenty-six years respectively. None of the
four persons involved had regretted the lives that they had lived,
or the partners that they had eventually married, but they
were still delighted to meet up again with one another, meditate
over mews, exchange notes over times gone by. What will our
joy be like after we have passed through and over the sea of death
and we meet in the bright city of heaven those from whom we
have long been parted? Oh, what a meeting, there in
disguise. No tears nor crying shall dim
our eyes. Loved ones united eternally. Oh, what a daybreak that morn
shall be. After we've been separated from
friends maybe 10 years, 15, 20 years, and then we come upon
them, maybe a chance circumstance, we think, and we notice the changes. Well, the hair has changed. There's
been a whole invasion of wrinkles over their faces and their brow,
and we say, ah, you've changed. When we stand before the throne,
all anxieties wipe from our faces, all marks of sorrow erased, all
lost teeth and hair replaced. And feeling the joy of this blessed
land, I think we'll say to each other with the kind of exultation
that even now we can't imagine how you've changed in that glorified
body. In this world, we meet only to
part. It's goodbye. Goodbye. We hear it at the harbor. We
hear it at the airport. Goodbye. Sometimes it's in a
light way, and we let the word fly into the air lightly. Goodbye. Other times, it's with anguish,
and the soul is breaking down under some weighty burden, and
it's a painful goodbye. But not so in heaven. welcomes
in the air, welcomes at the gates, welcomes throughout the house
of many mansions, and no goodbyes. One by one, their seats were
emptied. One by one, we go away. But soon all of us who were saved
by Jesus' blood, we will all be over. I imagine when a soul
arrives in heaven, some angel, I'm speculating here takes it
around and shows that soul the wonders of this blessed place. This usher angel will say to
the newly arrived, here are the martyrs that perished at the
stake in England and Scotland and all over Europe. And look
at these ones. They're the ones who were torn
to pieces so brutally during the Inquisition. Here's the throne
of the great Jehovah. This is Jesus. to stand in His presence. This will be heaven. To put our
hand into the hand that was wounded for us on the cross. To mingle
with all the groups of the redeemed and shake hands with the prophets
and with the apostles and martyrs and join up again with our own
dear loved ones who have gone before. What a great reunion. We can't imagine it now. Our
loved ones seem so far away. There are times where we are
lonely and we're in trouble and they don't come again to us.
We don't have their ear to pour our trouble into. Unbelief is
then whispering. They're dead. They'll never live
again. But we have a Bible that tells
us differently. We open it, we find they are
not annihilated. They never were so much alive
as they are today. They're waiting for our coming,
and we will join with them on the other side of the river.
It's a brilliant reunion. We can't fully grasp it now,
and so Paul says, 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." This side of that world, we can only
get a faint idea of the splendors of heaven, of the society of
heaven, and of the song of heaven. In the battle of Waterloo, the
Scots Highlanders were giving way. Wellington discovered the
bands of music they'd stopped playing, and so we sent out a
quick message telling those bands to play with utmost fervour a
battle march. That music started. The Highlanders
rallied. Gordon Highlanders, Cameron Highlanders,
playing out in the pipes, war or peace. And the poet said,
wild notes playing, streamers flying, defiance to the foe was
thrown. And with that pipe music going
out over that hillside and battlefield, boldly they marched on until
they secured the victory. Now we appreciate the power of
martial music such as that, but there's nothing more inspiring
than a whole congregation that is lifted up on a weave of sacred
song to the Lord Jesus Christ. When we sing some of those grand
old songs, they stir up the memories of the past. They were sung by
our mothers and fathers. They were sung by our brothers
and sisters. We associate them with our grandfathers
and our grandmothers who are gone now. When I hear them, Amazing
grace, blessed assurance, Jesus thy blood and righteousness,
redeemed, how I love to proclaim it. It seems as if all those
old country meeting houses have joined together in the chorus
until the whole continent of the redeemed is lifting up this
grand doxology. When generals come back from
victorious wars, we cheer them on enthusiastically. And when
Jesus passes along, after the conquest of Calvary and his redeemed
ones all brought home, shall we not have for him one loud
ringing cheer? All hail. Can you anticipate
the song? All hail the power of Jesus'
name. Let angels prostrate fall. Bring forth the royal diadem
and crown him Lord of all. But if music on earth is so sweet,
what will it not be like there in heaven? We'll have David on
his harp, he'll be accompaniment. We'll have Gabriel on the trumpet,
he will be there. We'll have Germany redeemed,
pouring its deep guttural bass voice into the song in African. They'll be adding to the music
with their inimitable voices. I wish even now we could anticipate
and hear a little preview of that song. God grant that through
the rich mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, all of us will be there. There's only one way to get there.
It's not your way. It's not my way. It's nothing
to do with our efforts or our supposed goodness, for we are
full of sin and can do nothing to earn the favor of a holy God. From the day of our birth, we're
on the wrong way, facing sin, loving sin, scooping up sin with
both of our hands, grieving God all the time. And all the rituals
of religion will not turn us around. We need to see by God's
revelation the kind of sinners we are. And we need to understand
all that the Savior of sinners has done for us. Then turn from
that love of sin and turn to Christ in love to Him. There's one way. It's pointed
out again and again in this book. Jesus said, John 14, verse 6,
for example, I am the way. No man cometh unto the fathom,
but by me. Jesus is the only Savior, now
and forever. Through him alone, God is revealed
and heaven is reached. Someday, my earthly house will
fall. I cannot tell how soon it will
be, but this I know, my all in all has now a place in heaven
for me. Someday when fades the golden
sun beneath the rosy tinted west, my blessed Lord will say, well
done. And I shall enter him into rest,
and I shall see him face to face, and tell the story saved by grace. And I shall see him face to face,
and tell the story saved by grace. We've only got a little preview.
That's the point of emphasis that Paul has inscribed by the
Spirit on the page of Scripture. 1 Corinthians 2 verse 9, I have
not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of
man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we come before
Thee, we thank Thee for the word of truth. Praise Thee for the
little glimpses that we have of the glory in the book of God.
We'd love to see more, but what we see really whets our appetite. We thank Thee for the reading
of Thy word. We thank Thee for those grand passages in Revelation. that pulled back the curtain
and let us have a little glimpse of that majestic throne of God. Help us, Lord, to be in practice
down here for heaven. Maybe, Lord, tune our voices,
tune our hearts to sing, as we will do when we reach there,
the song of Moses and of the Lamb unto Him who has loved us,
washed us from sin, Unto Him be the glory forever. Amen. Take our praise. Lead us
after Thyself, and we thank Thee in heaven. Thou wilt still be
leading us by those living fountains of waters, washing every tear
from our eye, filling our hearts with those grand old throbbing
amens and hallelujahs. Take her, please. Thou art worthy,
O Lord. Amen. Thank you for spending some time
with us today around the Word of God. We look forward to joining
with you next time as we seek to let the Bible speak once again.
For further information, visit our website at ltbs.tv.
LTBS TV Broadcast Two
| Sermon ID | 61517511525 |
| Duration | 28:34 |
| Date | |
| Category | TV Broadcast |
| Language | English |
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