The Ascended Lord

Well, we're going to begin our worship now, and our first psalm of praise is Psalm 68.

Psalm 68, that's in the Scottish Psalter, page 301.

Tune is St Andrew.

We're singing verses 1 to 5.

Let God arise, and scattered let all his enemies be,

and let all those that do him hate before his presence flee.

As smoke is driven, so drive thou them, as fire melts, walks away.

Before God's face, let wicked men so perish and decay, but let the righteous be glad.

Let them before God's sight be very joyful.

Yea, let them rejoice with all their might.

Verses 1 to 5 in Psalm 68.

Let God arise.

For Christ unscathed him, let all his enemies be,

and let all those that do him hate before his presence flee.

Let them rejoice with all their might.

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Should every time be king, let them grow with all our might.

God's side, in many joy, who yield and can rejoice with all their minds.

We all sing to His names in praise, extraordinary when your voice

and lies on Him by His name John, before His face rejoice.

Because the Lord the Father is, until the Father rests.

For this the way, O stars within, is grace of holiness.

Let's unite now our hearts in prayer. We're going to call upon the Lord in prayer.

Amen. Gracious and Almighty God, we give thanks that we tonight are appearing

before this God of whom we have been singing.

God who is so immense in His might and power, in His authority, in all aspects of His being.

We thank you, Lord, for the privilege of being able to draw near to you

and to do so in a way that is not intimidated by your greatness.

And for we have come, O Lord, before you tonight to use that new and living way that you have opened up for us,

that we may have access into your presence, that we may come even with boldness to the throne of grace,

so that we may receive grace and mercy in our time of need.

Lord, bless us, we pray, as we come together in this way and as we together call upon your name

and sing your praises and dwell our mind upon your word.

We ask again that you would draw near to us and by your Holy Spirit bless us

so that your word may find lodgment in our hearts.

Give us, Lord, we pray, to increase in our knowledge of you and our commitment to you

in all aspects of what we ought to be in love and in belief, in faith, in hope.

We ask that all of these and all our other graces that come from your Spirit might be multiplied in our hearts.

We thank you, Lord, for the life we enjoy as a congregation of your people,

for the way that we are enabled together to progress those matters that are on our weekly bulletin sheet,

not only in the worship services of the congregation,

but also, Lord, in the many other activities that we engage in

and that we seek from you, your blessing, that they may be blessed to us.

We ask again, O Lord, for this coming week

that you would be with us in all that we anticipate taking part in.

We thank you for the facility of being able to draw near to you

and draw together from those privileges that we have.

We pray that you would bless us, Lord, as we set out these gatherings and groups of various kinds.

We ask your blessing for our children, for our young people.

We pray that you would continue, Lord, to bless them in Sunday School and Bible class

and also in Twinnies and in Cresce,

in all the activities that take place relating to them from week to week.

Bless them, Lord, we pray, and bless their homes and families.

Be pleased, we pray, to strengthen them in these difficult days

against all the attempts that are made to take our mind away from the principles of the Gospel

and from those ways of life that are pleasing to you.

And we ask, Lord, that you would provide us with further help in teaching our young people in Sunday School.

We pray that you would move some in the congregation to offer themselves for that work

and give them, Lord, we pray, a burden for these young souls.

We pray that you would grant us that provision, O Lord, at this time,

for we would want to see your own cause advance amongst our young people and children.

And we pray, to that end, that you would provide us, Lord, with that help.

We pray, too, for all other meetings anticipated this week,

for the prayer meetings, for the annual meeting, for the 55-plus fellowship.

Lord, we ask that all of these might be blessed by you

and may be of benefit to all who attend.

We thank you again for your upholding of us through this year

as we reflect upon another year and find another report

of the year's life in the congregation.

We ask, O Lord, that we may continue to depend upon you.

And as we face various restrictions and challenges,

both financially and in other ways,

in such times as we live in, Lord, we give thanks

for those who uphold your cause financially,

for those who pray for the ministry of the gospel,

for those, O Lord, who themselves would want to see your cause flourish.

We pray that you would continue to provide for us with these resources,

and that you would help us in all the activities of the congregation

to see that growth that we pray for and yearn for.

Remember those of particular responsibilities in the congregation.

Help those who are in office, both as elders and deacons.

We commit the life of the session and the deacon's court to you.

We ask, O Lord, as we set about our tasks from month to month,

that you'd be pleased to bless us.

Give to us the guidance of your Holy Spirit.

Bless those who are involved, Lord, in leading the congregation in praise.

We thank you for all of them, both in English and Gaelic.

We pray that you would provide us with further resources in that regard as well.

Maintain us, Lord, we pray, in a way that would, in a healthy fashion,

reach forward in witnessing and testifying to you

in the community we belong to.

We remember, Lord, also all others who help in the congregation.

Remember the various groups that meet from time to time,

and we ask that you would continue to bless them too.

And be with Marianne and with Roddy and with Lizzie as well in their tasks,

and with all who help with the live stream and with the IT system that we have.

We thank you for them, and we pray that you would grant us, Lord,

that we may continue to have these resources provided for us

and people who are sufficiently active and interested in them.

Bless, we pray, all the congregations of the town.

We thank you for the ongoing witness of your people in different denominations,

and we pray that you would continue to bless us, Lord, in our generation

with people who will take up the burden and the responsibility

and the privilege of serving you openly and testifying to your grace.

And we ask, O God, that you would continue to hear our prayers

for your cause in our midst, in our locality.

Bless those who are involved in various activities in our community as well.

We thank you, Lord, of those who provide us with nursing care and expertise

in our hospital and hospice, in our care homes, in our surgeries and in our clinics.

We ask, O Lord, that all of these will continue to be blessed to us

and that you'd bless those who are actively involved in them.

We pray that you would grant blessing to those who help us

in our times of bereavement and sorrow.

Bless the undertakers who so willingly give of their time and of their gifts.

And we thank you for their demeanor and the way in which they so willingly help

bereaved families virtually every week of life.

Bless those, Lord, in the congregation who are bereaved in these days.

And we ask that you bless them as they experience the pain of loss.

Grant to comfort them, we pray, and guide them in your way

and draw them to yourself and speak to them, we pray, and to their pain

so that by your own comfort they may advance from day to day.

And so be pleased to bless us now as we further wait upon you here.

And in all of these things, we ask, O Lord, that you would forgive our sins

that we now confess before you.

And we pray that you would cleanse us from our iniquity.

Wash us freely, we pray, and present us before you

as clean in your sight.

Grant all these mercies to us, we pray.

In Jesus' name and for his sake.

Amen.

We're going to sing again to God's praise.

This time our psalm is Psalm 130.

130.

That's on page 421.

The tune is Martyrdom.

Lord, from the depths to thee I cried.

My voice, Lord, do thou hear, and to my supplications voice

give an attentive ear.

Lord, who shall stand, if thou, O Lord, shouldst mark iniquity?

But yet with thee forgiveness is, that feared thou mayest be.

We're thankful to God for all these great contrasts that he brings us in his word.

The contrast here in Psalm 130 between what would be the case

if God were to hold our iniquity against us

and mark them against us forever on our account.

The contrast between that and the wonder of his forgiveness

that he so freely bestows.

So Psalm 130, the whole psalm.

Lord, from the depths to thee I cried.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

To thee I cried.

My voice, Lord, do thou hear.

Unto my soul, the gracious voice

And the gospel voice

And the glory of God, O Lord, shouldst mark iniquity?

Lord, who shall stand, if thou, O Lord, shouldst mark iniquity?

I can't with thee forgiveness is that near the mercy.

I wait for God, my soul not wait, my hope is in His word.

For that may die, for glory watch, my soul rich for the Lord.

I say, Lord, I may come to watch the morning light to see.

Let Israel hold with the Lord, for with Him ever cease to be.

Thank Jesus' redemption, it's ever come with Him.

And from all His daily riches, He is the child redeemed.

Now let's turn to read God's word now.

Our reading this evening is from Paul's letter to the Ephesians, chapter 4.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

And we'll read from the beginning of chapter 4, down as far as verse 16.

Ephesians chapter 4, from the beginning.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

I, therefore a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

with all humility and gentleness and patience, bading with one another in love,

eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call.

One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all,

who is over all and through all and in all.

But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.

Therefore it says, when He ascended on high, He led a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.

In saying He ascended, what does it mean but that He had also descended into the lower parts of the earth?

He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all heavens, that He might fill all things.

And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,

to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.

Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,

to mature manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

So that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves

and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes.

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head into Christ,

from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped,

when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Amen. And may God again bless to us, reading that portion of His Word.

We'll sing again in Psalm 76 this time.

Psalm 76, that's on page 99 to a tune martyrs.

And we're singing verses 1 to 7.

In Judah's land, God's name is known.

In Israel, He is great.

In Salem, He has pitched His tent.

His home in Zion set.

He broke the fiery arrows there, the military might of those who with their swords and shields against us came to fight.

Your splendor is more glorious than hillsides rich with prey.

Brave men were stripped of all their spoil.

Asleep in death they lay.

Not one of those great warriors could lift his hands to kill.

At your rebuke, O Jacob's God, rider and horse lay still.

For you alone are to be feared.

Before you, who can stand?

Who can endure your anger, Lord?

The judgments you command.

These verses then to the tune martyrs in Judah's land.

God's name is known.

God's name is known.

He is great.

In satisfaction from the Great Lakes

Is the Son of God

The Holy Child

The will and dirty might of those who with their swords and shields

And his love came to light Your splendor is more glorious

On hillsides rich with rain They've been western of all their spoils

Our sweet red dead they live

No one of those great warriors To lift his hands to kill

And you renew, O Jacob's God

My God and heart stay still

For you alone are to be feared Before you who can stand

Who can endure you and the Lord The judgment you've all done

If you turn with me please now to the book of Psalms and Psalm 68

Tonight we're going to look mainly at verse 18

You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train

And receiving gifts among men

Even among the rebellious that the Lord may dwell there

Blessed be the Lord who daily bears us up

God is our salvation

Our God is a God of salvation

And to God the Lord belong deliverances from death

Well it's no accident that you find the words of verse 18

Coupled with verses 19 and 20

Verses 19 and 20 that speak of the Lord

Who upholds his people

Who is a God of salvation

And to him belong deliverances from death

It's no accident that that is closely related to

What you find in verse 18

The Lord ascending on high

Leading a host of captives in his train

And as we read in Ephesians chapter 4

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

As you well know these words are taken by the Apostle Paul

And quoted in Ephesians chapter 4

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

To fit in with the emphasis that he's giving there

Of the Lord and his church

And the provision he has made for his church

He's especially concerned to emphasize there in Ephesians 4

The various gifts that Christ has bestowed upon his church

To endow his church for the work that he has given his church in this world

And on into the next

And in this psalm we find a wonderful emphasis all the way through

It's really in a sense a military psalm

A military type psalm

Which speaks of the exploits of God

As he goes before his people

And as he gives them the capacity and the power to overcome their enemies

We need the Old Testament here and the New Testament

To fully explore the contents of this psalm

But especially where we come to Jesus

Where we come to his death and resurrection

And as we're looking at tonight

His ascension to the throne of God on high

To the Father's right hand

And so the psalm really begins with that great cry

God shall arise or let God arise

Let his enemies be scattered

And these words were in Numbers chapter 10

Numbers 10 · chapter mention

They were associated with the carrying of the ark forward

Chapter 10 verse 35 I think it is

They were carrying the ark forward

And whenever the ark was to move forward

The people were to cry

Let God arise

And let his enemies be scattered

Because the ark of caution in itself represented

The dwelling of God amongst his people

So that as the ark moved

It was symbolical of the Lord being with his people

Moving with his people

And setting out as it were ahead of his people

To lead them against whatever difficulties and enmity

They met with on the way

But then the psalm moves on

To speak about a battle scene

And a victory scene

And a procession of victory

As you find here in verse 18 especially

And ending with the Lord on his hill

Near the end of the psalm

But also an emphasis on dispensing the spoils

As we'll see the spoils of victory

As these are dispensed to his people

Fitting in with what you find in Ephesians Chapter 4

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

The Lord dispensing the various gifts

That he has actually obtained for his church

As a consequence of his own great work of redemption in Christ

And so as we look at these

We can see tonight that these are emphasizing

The privilege that God's people have

Of having this God not only in their midst

But going before them

Because the same principle follows through

From what you find in the psalm

And in the Old Testament

And Ephesians Chapter 4

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

That same principle remains for us today

That God goes before us

That God is with us

That God in our midst is mighty

That none of his enemies will overcome him

And therefore none of the enemies of his church

Will overcome them either

Because they are led by him

And they are safe in him

You know that in some church calendars

Some denominations

Anglicans for example

And others

They have what's known as

An ecclesiastical calendar

There are certain days appointed through the year

That they in a rota year by year

Actually associate with certain aspects of biblical truth

And apparently we don't follow that

Not that I'm saying there's anything wrong with it

But last Thursday was what's known as Ascension Day

A day that's focused on the ascension of Jesus

To the right hand of the throne of God on high

And although we don't mark that as a day

The ascension of the Lord is really hugely important for us

It's something perhaps we don't give as much attention to as we should

We do give attention more to the resurrection of Christ

The death of Christ

The resurrection of Christ

Perhaps even the intercession of Jesus at the right hand of God

But the ascension in itself is also critically important

To our understanding of what really forms the basis of our redemption in Christ

Because the ascension of Jesus is something that sets out the Father's acceptance of him

And of his work beginning with his resurrection from the dead

And then that moving into his ascension

Where he is taken from earth to heaven

And now sits at the right hand of the throne of God

And so thinking of the ascension

Tonight we're looking at that in the light of these words in verse 18

But also of course as we said taking account of the fact that

That is all fitting into the New Testament emphasis too

So we're looking firstly at the Lord's ascension in victory

And then secondly at the Lord's distribution of gifts to his church

In consequence of what he has done and of the ascension itself

And of course Ephesians 4 reminded us that you cannot think of the ascension

Without thinking first of the incarnation of the descent of the Lord of Jesus

Of Christ the second person of the Trinity

You cannot think of his ascension without as Paul saying

First of all thinking of his descending

He descended into the lower depths of the earth

By which he meant his death

He came into the world specifically to give himself as a ransom in his death for his people

And that precedes logically

It precedes not just logical but theologically

It precedes his ascension

It's only as he has died and then risen from the dead

Or been raised from the dead

It's only then that you can think of his ascension

But his ascension to the throne of God on high

As it logically follows his death and resurrection

So it also theologically follows

Because the Lord's approval, the Father's approval of him

Is set out and approval of his death

As fully sufficient for the salvation of his people

Is set out and everything that follows on

And then they come to the gifts that he bestows upon his church as well

So the incarnation is an important fact that precedes the ascension of the Lord

But as you look at the ascension

You ascended on high

Leading a host of captives in your train

The first step towards the ascension

As we said is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead

We have to take these things as factually and literally correct

These are not the Bible setting out things symbolically

As if there was no actual physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead

That's a popular opinion

That's something that we find difficult to accept

Until the Lord lays it upon our hearts

And opens our minds

And opens our heart to the fact of that

That if there's no actual resurrection

It's not all that long ago

We took some time to go through 1 Corinthians 15

Where Paul very emphatically says

If there has been no resurrection from the dead

On the part of Jesus

Then there is no point to the gospel

There's no salvation for us

There's nothing of the kind of life

That Jesus in the Bible has said to bring to us

The eternal life

Everything stops

If Jesus has not been raised from the dead

It ends with his death

That's it

Finished

So there's no resurrection for us afterwards either

Life is done

When you die

When your body is laid into the grave

That's it

Paul is saying

If that's our opinion

If that's what we think

We are of all people most to be pitied

Our faith is in vain

Our preaching is in vain

There is no point to anything of what we're doing tonight

If Jesus isn't at the right hand of God tonight

If Jesus hasn't in fact literally

Risen from the dead

And been raised from the dead by the Father

You know that yourselves

But Paul saw fit to emphasize it

For the church at Corinth

And we need to re-emphasize it for ourselves

That our salvation deals with facts

The fact of the incarnation

The fact of the death of the cross

The fact of Christ's burial

The fact of his resurrection

And now the fact of his ascension

To the right hand of God

And it's important that

What's important certainly

In the theology that we follow

As Reformed theology

It's important that we

Think particularly of the continuity

Of the person of Christ

All the way through

That this is not a different person

Who ascended on high

After he died on the cross

It's the same Jesus

The same person

And the same person of the Godhead

As well

Second person of the Trinity

The Westminster Confession of Faith

Which we use in our church

And have been using

Ever since we were established

As a church

It says in chapter 8 verse 4

On the third day

He rose from the dead

With the same body

In which he suffered

And that's an important emphasis

He rose from the dead

With the same body

In which he suffered

With which also

He ascended into heaven

And there sitteth

At the right hand

Of his Father

Why is that important?

Because the continuity

Of his person

Is important for yourself

And myself

That we can see

That in this one person

Of Jesus Christ

All the way through

From the incarnation

To the death of the cross

The resurrection

On to ascension

It's the same person

Death has not interfered

With his person

Death hasn't done anything

To stop that whole process

Of incarnation

Death

Resurrection

Ascension to glory

And that's part of

What lies for us tonight

As the basis of our hope

Our hope

For eternal life

And remember

Philippians 2

Verses 11 to 9

Tells us

How high Jesus

Has been set

In his exaltation

His ascension to heaven

And his exaltation

And session

At the right hand of God

God has highly

Exalted him

How highly

Is Jesus exalted

How highly

Is the saviour

Tonight

Whom we worship

In our worship service

How high is he

He's at the right hand

Of God

What does that mean

It means he's as high

As you can possibly

Conceive of

And indeed

If you followed

Professor John Murray

In one of his comments

In his volume

One of his volumes

Not even God

He says

Could conceive

Of a higher

Than the position

That Jesus occupies

Because it's

Deserving of

The highest

Possible place

That God

Could give him

In consequence

Of all that he has done

And that's where he is

And that's where he is

Until he returns

To earth

But that is his position

That's his status

That is the saviour

You believe in

That's the saviour

We worship

That's the saviour

We expect to come back

To this world

Not some puny figure

And not even

The son of God

In the incarnation

As he came

In the form

Of humanity

Bearing the sin

Of his people

He will come

As he now is

The glorious

Exalted

Ascended

Son of God

And that's what we

Hold out

As part of

What we hope

Towards

On the day

That Jesus returns

But there's a procession

Here is the Lord's

Ascension and victory

Incarnation

Followed by ascension

But there's a procession

Mentioned here

And it's picked up again

In Ephesians

Quoting this verse

You ascended on high

Leading a host

Of captives

In your train

When you go to the older

Authorized version

The way that's

Translated there

He

Leading captivity

Captive

And possibly

That's a better way

Of translating

What you have

In the text

Of the psalm

You ascended up on high

Leading captivity

Captive

Or you led

Captivity

Captive

What does that

Actually mean?

Well it means

Essentially

That

Those who held

Us the powers

That held

Us captive

The powers

Of sin

The power

Of satan

By the death

Of jesus

By his resurrection

By his ascension

The picture you have

Here is of these

Great powers

Greater than

Ourselves

These powers

Being vanquished

These powers

Now being overcome

By the lord

He has as it were

Led them away

In triumphant

Procession

Displaying them

As defeated enemies

In ancient times

That would have

Been the practice

If a general

Went out

With his army

Against enemies

And overcame

The enemies

The Romans

Especially

Were very much

This was very much

Their practice

Though it wasn't

Confined to them

If the general

Came back

If he had been

Victorious in battle

And he made his way

Back to his homeland

It was often

The practice

That those

That he had defeated

Or a great selection

Of them anyway

Would actually be dragged

Usually behind his chariot

Brought back

To be put on display

As defeated enemies

So that everyone

Could see

That this general

Had been successful

And victorious

In battle

And these

His enemies

That had

Fought against him

Were now completely

And utterly overcome

They were chained

They were made

Slaves behind him

That's

Our Jesus

That's the Lord

In his ascension

To glory

That's the position

He occupied

That's what was put

On display

The principalities

And powers

As Paul calls them

These great

Spiritual forces

Of darkness

That held us

Captive

They were put

To flight

They were overcome

By the Lord

When you think

Of Jesus

Ascending up

On high

Here is what you find

Spiritually

And theologically

True

About that

Great procession

You think of Jesus

Just imagine him

Ascending up

On high

You couldn't see

This necessarily

For yourself

Of course

But spiritually

And in the unseen world

This is what was

Taking place

His enemies

Were being dragged

Behind his chariot

Of triumph

As he went

To take his place

At the right hand

Of God

And isn't that

Why so often

The psalmist

Himself says

In regard to

God being

His salvation

And his salvation

Being in God

Whom shall I fear

And that's why

Paul in Romans 8

Echoes that same

Emphasis

That same

Sentiment as well

Who shall separate us

From the love of God

In Christ Jesus

Not even death

He says

Nor principalities

Nor powers

Things present

Things to come

Not even death

Because death

Has been overcome

Death is dragged

By Jesus

As he rose

From the grave

As he ascended

To glory

There you see

Death as the wages

Of sin overcome

And there is death

Defeated

For us

Tonight

Are you still

Detached

As it were

From Jesus

Is your life

Tonight

Lived by faith

In him

Through trusting

In him

Is your life

Joined to his

And is your life

Joined to him

In victory

Over death

And over all his

And your enemies

Is the triumph

Of Jesus

Your triumph

Tonight

Not unless

Your trust

Is in him

Not unless

You've put

Your life

In his hands

Not unless

You're joined

To him

In such a way

That his victory

Becomes your victory

And his ascension

Becomes your ascension

When it comes

That's the great privilege

Friends we have

This is what the gospel

Sets out for us

This is what we seek

To emphasize

In the preaching

Of the gospel

That we worship

A victorious

Savior

An ascended

Savior

A savior

Who has dragged

Behind him

Victoriously

All that stood

In enmity

Against him

And against his people

You ascended

On high

Leading captivity

Captive

Remember how Paul

Again put this

Very similarly

At least in

His letter

To the Colossian church

The Colossians

Were facing

All kinds of

False teaching

That sought

To draw them

Away from

Jesus being

Fully complete

And sufficient

As their savior

That they had

Many things

To do themselves

By which they reached

Step by step

By their own efforts

Towards final victory

Well

In the Colossians

Paul in chapter 2

Of Colossians

In verses 13 to 15

Was teaching them

And is teaching us here

As we read it

Where he speaks of

Being buried with him

In baptism

Raised with him

Through faith

In the powerful

Working of God

Who raised him

From the dead

And you

Who were dead

In your trespasses

And in the uncircumcision

Of your flesh

God made alive

Together

Or in union

With him

Having forgiven us

All trespasses

By cancelling

The record of debt

That stood against us

With its legal demands

This he set aside

Nailing it to his cross

And then listen

To what's next

He disarmed

The rulers

And authorities

And put them

To unopened shame

By triumphing

Over them

In him

You see

That's Psalm 68

He put them

To unopened shame

These powers

These spiritual forces

Of darkness

He put them

To unopened shame

Triumphing over them

In the Lord

And in the cross

And his resurrection

And all that followed

Putting them on display

And really that's part

Of the gospel call

As well isn't it

That we emphasize

Your need

And my need

To come to Jesus

Because the Bible

Presents us

As in enmity

Against God

That's our natural

State

Our natural state

Of mind

Our natural bias

Of soul

That we are in enmity

Against God

But God has come

To provide

Reconciliation

For us in Christ

In other words

When the Bible

Calls us to come

To Jesus

When he gives us

That invitation

And call

Come to me

And I will give you rest

What he's really saying

Following the military language

If you like

Of this Psalm

Is lay down

Your arms

Of rebellion

Don't keep them up

Against the Lord

Lay down

These arms

Lay them at his feet

And say

Lord you

Who defeated sin

Who defeated the devil

Who defeated

These forces of darkness

I give myself

To you

I lay down

My rebellion

I lay down

My arms

Of rebellion

Against you

Against you

And I place them

Here before you

And I want you

To rule over me

And not them

You led captivity captive

He ascended on high

Leading a host

Of captives

In your train

The Lord's ascension

In victory

And how it's

Very much related

Practically

To our salvation

And our experience

Of salvation

And our comfort

Indeed

In salvation

That this is

Our God

Our Saviour

The Lord Jesus Christ

And then the Lord's

Distribution of gifts

To his church

You notice what it then says

Receiving gifts

Among men

Even among the rebellious

That the Lord

May dwell there

There's a difference

Really

In

A difference of emphasis

In the Ephesian text

To what you find here

In the psalm

The psalm says

You received gifts

Among men

Or for men

Whereas Ephesians

Speaks about

He gave gifts

To men

But there's

There's no

Contradiction there

What it's really saying

Is when you take

Both together

The Lord received

By virtue of

His resurrection

And ascension

He received gifts

In order to

Dispense them

To his church

So he's giving them out

After receiving them

By way of

A reward

If you like

For

What he has done

And it's distribution

Dividing the spoil

Was a practice

When armies

Came back

Victorious

Very often

They brought back

The spoils

Of war

These would be

Distributed

Amongst the people

That they themselves

Belonged to

And different kinds

Of spoils

If you like

And in verses

11 and 12

In the psalm

You find

The same thing

Emphasized there

Or similarly

There's the picture there

The Lord gives

The word

The women

Who announce

The news

Are a great host

The kings

Of the armies

They flee

They flee

The women

At home

Divide the spoil

And so on

You find the emphasis

There

What happened

Literally

As you think

About it

Spiritually

God

Jesus

Dispenses

The gifts

That

Ephesians 4

And let me just

Remind you

Around ourselves

Of what it says

Where Ephesians

There

Speaks about

The dispensing

Of the gifts

That Jesus

Has obtained

For his church

In saying

He ascended

He descended

First of all

Far above now

All heavens

He's ascended

And he gave

The apostles

The prophets

The evangelists

The pastors

And teachers

There are his gifts

That's what he bestows

In consequence

Of obtaining them

For him

By his death

And resurrection

And ascension

And

To equip

The saints

For the work

Of ministry

That work

Of ministry

Is not just

The ministry

Of the gospel

And preaching

The gospel

It's ministry

That's carried out

In a wider sense

By the Lord's people

And the Lord

Has gifted

His people

He's gifted

Especially as we'll see

The Holy Spirit

To his church

But all of this

Is so that

His church

Will grow

That we may

No longer be

Tossed to and fro

Carried about

By every wind

Of doctrine

And so on

Speaking the truth

In love

All of that passage

Really speaks

About God

Jesus dispensing

The gifts

To his church

To enable them

To grow

Towards

Final maturity

That's a great

Privilege

Tonight

You know

There are many

People throughout

The world

Tonight

Who would

Dearly love

To have a

Regular ministry

Of the gospel

Who would

Dearly love

To have

The bible

Explained

To them

Preached

But they don't

Have that

They don't have

Access to that

They're dependent

On books

Good books

And so on

They're dependent

On hearing

From time to time

Somebody coming

To explain

The bible

To them

And here we are

In this community

What a great

Privilege

There is

That there's

A free access

To the gospel

And to the preaching

Of the gospel

And to the worship

Of God

And yet all these

Pews are empty

Last week we heard

Derek Maxwell

Reverend Derek Maxwell

Speak about

Work of SGA

In Ukraine

And other places

In Central Europe

He spoke especially

About Ukraine

And the effects

Of the terrible war

That still rages

In Ukraine

But one of the things

He did say

And make clear

And he was very

Moving in saying

So

How the church

Has grown

How people

Are pressing

Into places

Of worship

Because they see

That the devastation

Of this war

Has really taught

Them and shown

Them the things

Of this world

Are essentially

Valueless

Compared to

The salvation

And compared

To eternity

And these people

Are coming

And saying

Well

These things

That we've lost

They're earthly

Things

They're precious

Things

But they're gone

But we want

Something that

Cannot be taken

From us

We want the life

That God promises

In Jesus Christ

And there was a

Wonderful story

He told about

A count of

A seminary

Or college

There

Which had been

Hit by a Russian

Missile

And virtually

All destroyed

And gone up

In flames

Apart from

The library

Which held

Many irreplaceable

Books

That library

Was untouched

While the rest

Of the building

Went up in flames

Not only untouched

But he said

There wasn't even

The smell of smoke

From any of the books

Contained in that library

Why was that?

Why would the Lord

Protect these books?

Well because

As he showed

In his next slide

That place

Has 880 students

Studying

The word

Of God

You see

When war comes

Terrible as it is

Devastating as it is

We'd never want

To see it

But one thing

The Lord

Teaches his people

Is

The value

Of what's precious

And what is not precious

And the importance

Of things

That are his gift

To the church

Rather than

What we might say

Are our contribution

And these material

Things especially

You received

Gifts

For men

Or amongst men

Gifts purchased

Procured

Given out

By Jesus

And the one

Grand objective

You see

That's mentioned here

Above the rest

You see

He's mentioning

It's for the rebellious

Even for the rebellious

That's you and I

But even for the likes

Of us

God has done this

Jesus has ascended

Up on high

For the benefit

Of rebellious

Sinners

Who come through

Salvation

To enjoy

The gifts

That God

Dispenses to his church

Does that not amaze

You tonight

Does it not amaze

You that

You and I

Who are naturally

At enmity with God

Are the very people

The very kind of people

That he died for

And rose from the dead for

And ascended up to glory

For

To dispense gifts to us

That we would enjoy

In this life

And enjoy throughout eternity

What a great God

How different

In his mercy

In his grace

In his forbearance

In his love

To what you and I are

By nature ourselves

This is the grand objective

That God has

That the Lord God

May dwell there

Or dwell amongst them

The presence of God

The gift of the Holy Spirit

Through which God comes

To inhabit his church

That's the great objective

In the exaltation

And ascension

And ascension

Of Jesus

Because after he had sat

At the right hand

Of God on high

As Acts chapter 2

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Demonstrates for us

Verses 32 to 33

As Peter spoke

And preached

As to what had happened

In the coming of the Spirit

This Jesus

He says

Who was crucified

He has poured this out

Which you now see

And hear

You see it's Jesus

Dispensing the gift

Of the Holy Spirit

Upon his church

In Eden

We were driven out

Of the garden

Where God dwelt

With us

Mankind

Rebelled against God

And rightly

And justly

God closed the gates

Of Eden

And said

No you can't

Go back there

And he placed

A flaming sword

And cherubim

To keep

The way it says

Of the tree of life

There was no going back

That way

And it's even more amazing

That God provided

Another way

That he opened up

A new and living way

As Hebrews 10 puts it

That is through the flesh

Through the person

Through the incarnation

The death

The resurrection

The ascension

Of Jesus

And where

You might say

That

On the gates

Of

Just imagine

On the gates

Of Eden

It's as if God

Had placed a sign

Saying

Here God

Once lived

But he's no longer

Here

He's gone

He's deserted

The place

And the man

The mankind

That lived here

With him

There now

Outside

But then

When you take that

Forward into the

New Testament

You find something

Amazing taking place

The crisis

Of Eden

Is answered

In the crisis

Of the cross

And the resurrection

And the ascension

Of the Lord

Because when you

Come to Calvary

It's Jesus

That's outside

It's Jesus

That's taking

The curse

It's Jesus

That's going to die

In the place

Of his people

And having risen

From the dead

And overcome

Death

And ascended

To glory

He dispenses

The gifts

That he purchased

To his people

And they are

Still being

Distributed

The gifts

That God

Gives

To his people

Not just

Endowments

The spirit

Of God

And so on

Of course

Central to it

But there are

Various gifts

That he gives

To his people

In the work

Of the gospel

In the work

Of the church

There are

Some that are

Given

Gifts

In order

To be

Elders

In the church

Gifts

To be

Deacons

In the church

Gifts

To work

Amongst

Young people

Gifts

To work

With older

People

All kinds

Of gifts

They all

Flow

From the

Ascended

Lord

They all

Come from

His

Wonderful

Position

At the

Right hand

Of the throne

On high

And they're

All preparing

Us

Those of us

Who trust

In the Lord

Tonight

They're preparing

Us

These gifts

Are part of

The way

God's

Preparing

Us

For our

Final state

In glory

With him

Remember how

It is with

Revelation

At the end

Of the Bible

The Revelation

Revelation 21:1–4

Chapter 21

Verses 1

To 4

And I saw

A new heaven

And a new earth

For the first

Heaven and the

First earth

Had passed away

And the sea

Was no more

And I saw

The holy city

New Jerusalem

Coming down

Out of heaven

From God

Prepared as a bride

Adorned for her

Husband

And I heard

A loud voice

From the throne

Saying

Behold

A dwelling

Place of God

Is with man

He will dwell

With them

And they will

Be his people

And God

Himself

Will be with them

As their God

He will wipe

Away every tear

From their eyes

And death

Shall be no more

Neither shall

There be mourning

Nor crying

Nor pain

Anymore

For the former

Things

Have passed away

It's as if

Jesus is saying

To us tonight

Don't cry

Not that there's

Anything wrong

With weeping

And there are times

When we need

To weep

Weep

But we don't

Weep

In despair

When our trust

Is in him

Instead we say

And we hear him

Saying

Weep no more

For he has

Prevailed

He has ascended

On high

Everything we need

Is already in himself

As the psalmist

Said in psalm 23

Surely goodness

And mercy

Will follow me

All the days

Of my life

And I will dwell

In the house

Of the Lord

Forever

And as Jesus

Said in John 14

Where he spoke

About going to

Prepare a place

For them

Where he actually

Drew the mind

Of the disciples

As to where

He was heading

What would happen

After the cross

If I go

To prepare

A place for you

I will come again

And receive you

Unto myself

That where I am

There you

May also be

And the Lord

In his ascended

Glory tonight

Through the gospel

Is assuring you

And assuring me

Assuring us together

That when our trust

Is in him

When we live

Through faith in him

When we accept him

As he is

In all his fullness

For us as saviour

This is our future

What a glorious future

It is

Is it your future?

Is it my future?

Well your relationship

To Jesus

Is what establishes

That for you

Let's pray

We thank you

Lord tonight

That we

Know that you are

Set at the right hand

Of the Father

On high

We thank you

Father

That you sent

The Son

Into the world

That he came

To give his life

A ransom

For his people

We thank you

That all he did

Was acceptable

In your holy sight

And that you come

To give to us

In your word

That record

Of his death

And resurrection

And ascension

To glory

And Lord we pray

That you would

Grant us faith

To anticipate

His return

So that we may be

Ready to receive him

In his glory

When he comes

Make us ready

Lord we pray

For that great day

For your word

Encourages us

To prepare

By using the means

That you have given us

Help us to be thankful

As we look out

Over this fallen world

As we see the devastation

Of this world

As we see the enmity

In men's hearts

Being carried out

In atrocities

And terrible situations

Against each other

O Lord

Point us

We pray

To that great fact

That remains

That you are set

Above all these things

That you preside over them

In your sovereign power

And that you have ascended

To the throne on high

To assure your people

That you continue to reign

And that your will is best

Hear us we pray now

For Jesus' sake

Amen

Well let's conclude tonight

By singing in Psalm 110

It's one of the great

Messianic Psalms

As they're called

Psalm 110

On page 149

We're singing to the tune

Dennis

Verses 1 to 4

And of course

Jesus himself

In the Gospels

Quoted from this psalm

To set forth

His own

Authority and status

As he spoke

To the people

The Lord said

To my Lord

Sit here

At my right hand

Until I make

Your foes a stool

On which your feet

May stand

The Lord

Will make your reign

Extend from

Sion's hill

With royal power

Your rule among

Those who oppose

Your will

When you display

Your power

Your people

Flock to you

At dawn

Arrayed in holiness

Your youth

Will come like dew

Unchangeably

The Lord

With solemn purpose

Swore

Just like Melchizedek

You are a priest

Forevermore

These verses

The Lord said

To my Lord

To my Lord

Sit here

At my right hand

Until I make

Your foes a stool

On which your feet

May stand

The Lord

Will make your reign

Exceed from

Sion's hill

With royal power

Beautiful and high

Those who oppose

Your will

When you display

Your power

Your people

Fall to you

At dawn

The great

In holiness

Your youth

Your youth

Will come

Like dew

And change

And change

And lead

The Lord

With solemn

Power

The storm

Just like Melchizedek

In holiness

That make

You are

A priest

Forevermore

I'll go to the main door

After the benediction

Now may the grace

Of the Lord Jesus Christ

The love of God the Father

And the communion

Of the Holy Spirit

Be with you now

And evermore

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Ihnen

Well

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Now

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen