The resurrection of Lazarus from John 11, presenting Jesus as the resurrection and the life, capable of overcoming death itself. It contrasts the sisters' initial disappointment with Jesus' delayed arrival with their eventual faith and Jesus' demonstration of divine power. The message highlights that Jesus' love for Lazarus was not diminished by his death, and his delay was for God's glory and to strengthen faith, ultimately leading many to believe. The sermon also touches on different perspectives of Jesus in the Gospels and uses the story of Lazarus to illustrate themes of faith, disappointment, and God's sovereign appointments.
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Now you already have been welcomed and we welcome you again. In the name of the Lord and trust you all be blessed through the word. Perhaps for the benefit of some who were not here last night nor this morning, and even if you were here this morning, and that was your first visit, I don't think you would know that we had already announced that during our stay through the conference this week and over the Lord's day we would be in the Gospel of John starting this morning with chapter ten and taking a chapter each time we should be on the platform successively so this morning we come this evening we come to chapter eleven John's Gospel chapter eleven and in a certain respect the respect of sickness that leads to death I don't believe there's a chapter in the Bible comparable with it.
This is one of those outstanding chapters in our Bible. May the Lord give us that Holy Spirit help and wisdom that makes it necessary to present it as it should be presented. Verse one, now a certain man was sick named Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
Now Jesus loved Martha. and her sister and Lazarus. When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. Then after that said he to his disciples, Let us go into Judea again. His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone me, and rose thou thither again. Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbles, not because he seeeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbles, because there's no light in him. These things said he, and after that he said unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth.
But I go that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. I'll be at Jesus' sake of his death. But they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest and sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sake that I was not there, for the intent you may believe. Nevertheless, let us go unto him. Then said Thomas, which is called, Liven us unto his fellow disciples, let us also go, that we may die with him. Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already. Our bettany was nigh unto Jerusalem about fifteen furloughs up, and many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning their brother.
Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him. But Mary sat still in the house. Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hast been here, my brother had not died. But I know that even now whatsoever thou wouldst ask of God, God will give thee Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus saith unto her, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though we were dead, yet shall he live? And those who ever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
Believers thou this, she saith unto me, yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ. son of God which should come into the world. When she had so said, she went her way and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The masters come and call us for business. As soon as she heard that, she rose quickly and came unto him. Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. The Jews then which were with her in the house comforted her when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her saying, She goeth under the grave to meet there. Then when Mary was come where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord of thou, let's be here, my brother, not I.
And Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping, which came with her. He groaned and spirtless troubled, and said, Where have you laid him? And said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus went. Then said the Jews, Be old, how he loved him. And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? Jesus therefore again groaning in himself, coming to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take away the stone, Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto the Lord, by this time he's taken, for he had been dead for days.
Jesus said unto her, It said, I not unto thee, that if thou wouldst believe thou should see the glory of God. Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast hurt me. And I knew that thou hearest me always. But because of the people which stand by, I said it that they may believe that thou sent me. When he thus had spoken he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. He that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said unto them, loose him, and let him go.
And many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed it on him. God blesses her. I don't think we could have broken in very well into the portion that we read. without in some way spoiling it. So I hope you didn't mind my reading all forty-five verses. Now in the Gospel of John, perhaps we should point out that the Lord Jesus Christ manifested himself in seven signs. And it's rather interesting to notice that it's only in the Gospel of John that the miracles, for that's what they were, that he performed were called signs.
and that there is a good reason for it. John who wrote the Gospel, as he closes it, he says that the signs were given that men might believe that he was the Son of God. It's very interesting to sometimes sit down and look at the four Gospels together because it's interesting to find that each one has a different view of the Lord Jesus. When Matthew is writing, you will find that he's prominent as a king. And when Luke is writing, you'll find that he's very prominently set forth as a man.
Come into close to us, laid in a manger, sleeping on the hills. Oh yes, he's a man. Then when Mark writes, Mark uses a word which is used many times And there's another word comparable with it, and it's the word immediately. And again and again it's telling you how well he worked, how fast he worked. And I think when Mark writes, he says, here he is a servant. But when John writes, John writes, they all acknowledge his mediator. But John's point in writing is to give us a gospel that without any shadow of a doubt leaves us a no doubt whatever that he has got over all this forever.
And in that respect, it's interesting to notice John gives us no genealogy. I love the majestic opening of John's gospel in the beginning of the West. And the word was... And the word was God. You didn't look at it that way, Matthew. Neither did you, though. You each gave us a genealogy. But someone might type up and say, Aye, but neither did Mark give a genealogy. And isn't that true? Oh, the perfection of our pride, though. Did any of you folks ever hire or serve?
And when he or she were being interviewed by you, did you ever go into the question of the genealogy? Who was your mother? Who was your father? Tell me your grandparents, or forget it. That's right, forget it. We're not interested when we're hiring a servant, this genealogy. What we want to know is, are you capable of doing the job that is open? And when we're satisfied, we give him the job. Mark says, I've given you no genealogy. He's absurd. But Matthew, he says, I see him as a king, and I'm going to show you in my genealogy that I can treat them right by this king's face.
Luke says, I'm a doctor, and as a doctor, I know humanity. And I want to show you that he is a man, real man. And he takes us right back to the dust, takes us right back to Adam. When we come to John's Gospel, number seven, number of completeness in the life of the Lord Jesus, and here we have seven signs beyond all shadow of an hour that Jesus is God of God. You were the first sign? Chapter two, ready. This sign, the last one, reason. Two extreme. Two extreme.
The first one is an occasion of gladness. The last one, an occasion of sadness. First one, humanly arranged. The last one, divinely arranged. We arranged all our readiness. The Lord can stay out of the picture. I mean that in a certain way you know that. Oh, another spirit. We never plan for you. God, thank you. God, thank you. Beloved saints of God, let us remember that we were not born, nor to have our deaths in the years.
We were born for eternity, and we must learn in life experiences a balance between sorrow or sadness You know, the wedding was arranged, and when it was arranged, thank God the Lord Jesus Christ was there. When the funeral was arranged, or the bereavement, as we might speak of it, God arranged his son would be there, and this is what is beautiful. On both occasions, it was for his glory. That will be read in chapter two, and that will be read in chapter eleven. Are there any of our young folks in the meeting this evening?
Maybe not necessarily young folks in your planning a wedding. Could I speak lovingly to your heart? And could I suggest that you make sure that you have a wedding that the Lord Jesus Christ would never blush at if he came in person? Jesus and his mother were there. Sometimes I have the privilege again and again of kind of not as you call it. And sometimes I've been a little saddened, even at a wedding. I have thought that the Lord suddenly had appeared. He might have been a little bit embarrassed. So, beloved friends, in the meeting, before I go on with the message tonight, if you plan a wedding, try and remember it should be planned for the glory of the Lord Jesus.
This is the outstanding chapter, as I mentioned earlier in my message, in the matter of sickness. I'm going to have to talk to you a little while about sickness. I'm interested in sickness in relation to the faith. This time I'm not thinking of the sinner. I want to point out that there are different occasions in the Scriptures, three others we think of, and besides Lazarus' case, where sickness came into the home. And the first one I want to think of is Jew. Second time I want to think of is the second man will be Hezekiah. Then we'll have a look at David, and then we'll come to Lazarus.
And the four of them present to us a rounded view of what we ought to learn in the matter of sickness when it crosses our pathway. In the case of children, it was the vindication of Christ. And sometimes it's that, thank God, in our experience. It may be painful, but in a final analysis, God is able to pray to Satan, I told you so. Job was blessed of God above men tremendously, so much so that one day God could say to Satan in the parlance of today, there's a Christian for you.
Never studied him? Yeah, yeah. Christian, all right. No wonder. Anybody would be a Christian. This is Satan's opposite of the Lord. Anyone would be a Christian if they got from your hand with you, give them the joke. And that's why he's such a wonderful Christian. They're wrong, says God. I could strip them of everything he has. He'd still be a wonderful Christian. Now do it. All right, says God. You stress. You know I can't. You've got a hedge, right? The Reverend says, thank God for that hedge.
I tell you, I thank God for that hedge. You know, you wouldn't get home tonight from the grounds if you lived somewhere that hedge wasn't there. Your car would be right if you'd be killed. That hedge is right. Satan hates you, right? You wouldn't want to stress him. The Holy Kept, the prodigal Kept, hit holy water. But he hits him. I tell you, he hits us. And so God has to, oh, all right, I'll lower the hedge. And he lowers the hedge and sings with that whole hammer and falls. I tell you, he hits. You know, Job, the story of Job's true. But you could say to yourself, maybe that's just a fairy tale.
Why? It's so fantastic. Did you ever hear of anyone losing ten children at one watch? Ten of the seven trees, God, like that? How would you react? Oh, dear Savior God, I want to tell you two of a man in one's name. He stands head and shoulders. Spiritually speaking, bang, bang, bang, there are four of them. Jill stripped of everything. And worst of all is life. Oh, she says, I don't need to get some satisfaction out of it. First, go on and die. Tell them what you're thinking. The Lord gave, and the Lord had taken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord. I tell your friends, God would say to Satan, I... You know, in our school day, I think the system would be much the same as here, we had an inspector come in now and again, and we never liked them. I don't think the teachers liked them either. All inspectors, like a bank inspector, just drop in on you. And, oh, we all knew. And so you could see the teacher and the inspector with her heads nodding together up at her desk. We're all waiting for us to come, sure enough. with words that seem to drip the void, he says, with morning voice and girls.
And then the teacher says, Mr. Green is going to answer a few questions. We're glaring at him. We don't like him. She doesn't like him, and we're not going to play along. So we don't have to answer when he asks us a question, and we just sit down and stare at him. But the teacher says, John, you'll catch him. He's asked, what are the rivers of Ireland? She knows John knows. So John gets up and he mutters the rivers of Ireland. Yes, thank you. And then perhaps tell me the chief industries of Birmingham. No response of the teachers.
Mary Hicks. Mary Hicks. She gets up and she... This is how it goes off. It's all over. Here I write something, I suppose. Close the door. The way he goes, we all hear the silence. I've often thought. You see, the inspector is going to give us a test. And what Mary the teacher said, our teacher says, John, you take that. Mary do take that. And so, beloved friend, I don't know if you've ever found out. I don't know if they ever found out. Somewhere beyond the scene in which he lived.
God and Satan had a conversation and he was the beast. So it might be, beloved saints of God, there are times when God has tested us and we never found out. But I'm sure that today it still would be the same. If you let me out on my shoulder, I'll show you how much he is a Christian. Thank God then. When we have our testing, we can bow broken in spirit perhaps. The tears in our eyes and cheeks must say, The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Let us be the name of the Lord. But then Hezekiah was this. Hezekiah was told he was to set a house in order in his sickness, for he would die and not live.
And Hezekiah turned to the Lord, and he said, Lord, I don't want to die. And he turned his face to the wall and he went, rebelling against the will of the Lord. And the Lord said to the servant Isaiah, tell him I'll give him fifteen years. I suppose Hezekiah rejoiced. He was glad when he got that message. And it was a true message. And he lived for fifteen years. If I could bring him from heaven tonight and put him on the platform beside me and ask him the question, Hezekiah, now my friend. If you could or put the clock with calendar back, what would you say? Oh, he would say, and I hear him say it, I would have doubted God's will, and would not have resisted it, as I did why.
During those fifteen years there was a son born to him whose name was Manasseh, and he lived to be the wickedest king that reigned in Israel or Judah, and he filled the street of Jerusalem as well. He'd never be born God. and had his way. Sometimes we love to save Jesus. Then there was a case of David. David wasn't straight. But David's baby was straight. That was David's face. Souls have raised children, and there have been times when the little bodies have been wrapped up in fever. And we've looked at that little face like a carrot, and the sweat breaking down that little face.
Oh, of all the ashes! will ever be worse for the child to suffer and the will be for me. And as David looked upon that baby, God says in his word, the baby was there. And David, if you haven't seen me, there will never be more. Because by your action you have given the enemies of the Lord occasion to blaspheme the child is ready. The child will die. Beloved, think that, Lord, we must live with them through God. We must live with Father, not with you. Lord, I must go. Remember, if we sinned against him, God will in his mercy and in his wisdom put his hand upon us, and we realize sickness is for a definite victory.
But the rapture says, there was no reason that we could learn at the time But when he rose from the grave, many believed in him. We will find out what was it? Will it lower you? You know, in this story, I think it's very interesting to notice that we have disappointment. These two dear sisters have sent a message to the Lord Jesus Christ, and Jesus had received that message, and he stayed where he was. I think I see Miriam much talking about And as they look at Lazarus, stabbed, and the sounds are getting lower in his blood.
And I think I hear Mary say, we should tell the Lord. And they send a messenger for the Lord. And as soon as the messenger goes, I think I see Mary and Martha sitting down beside their brother Lazarus and say, Lazarus, we stand for the Lord. It will be all right, dear. I'm sure he'd be right here as soon as he comes. Finally, Lazarus. What a disappointment. And when the two sisters meet him, they both say the same thing. And you can see the disappointment. Lord, have thou have been here. My brother had not died. Oh, that disappointment. Someone wrote a verse like something like this.
I sat and thought of my shattered plan, of things I had been to do. But disappointment in one and all has followed me through and through. An angel gave hand, stooping root. Place H. Where I have been, for disappointment and earthly plan, are this His appointment for me. Oh, beloved, strength of God in the meeting, that I thank God it can be this way, that our disappointment can turn out to be His appointment. Mary and Martha asked me to the Lord, and they said, He will say things. I said that. But I wonder, did they say it?
the same way. I don't know if you've read, Moses, and I read it, that I am slacked at one word differently from the word in the other, Satan. This is not it. I'm used to. I'm against it, my late brother, James, think of this. I'm not sure that Jim was right. And I'm not sure that I'm right then when I say it. But somehow or other, I think perhaps we are right. Mr. Sphinx suggested when Martha Meckons had worded her, if thou had been here, my brother had not died. But not merely. He suggested Mary would say, if thou had been here, my brother had not died.
But, beloved friend, perhaps Mary was really. But all would have been different, Lord. If thou hadst been here, Mary, Martha's saying, Lord, you should have been here. Martha has questioned the rolling of the stone, though it seems to me so. She's not prepared that even her may be answered. And when our Lord Jesus Christ came, I want you to find that Martha suggests the pessimist. And Mary would suggest the optimist. some little boy was asked, what's the difference between a pessimist and an optimist? And he got his words twisted, but it was all right. He thought the word pessimist has something to do with the feet, and the optimist had something to do with the eyes.
And maybe he was right, the pity, the pity, whatever that petty fella is that takes care of your feet, and the occupation that takes care of your eyes, and then you know if you're looking at your feet, you'll never look at them. but martyrs that were looking down at her feet, and Mary, she, eluding up, and it reminded me of a little, oh, it's only an ace of fables. But friend, there's some truth sometimes in those fables. And two frogs fell into a veil of greed and started paddling for dear life. By and by one who was called little pessimist, retired, and said to brother Optimus, what's the use? We're going to drown anyway. So we're made as well drown now and paddle and paddle for nothing.
And he said goodbye and disappeared in the bottom of the cave. But little optimist that he said, goodbye, said, I'm going to keep on paddling. For who knows what may happen. And he paddled on and he paddled on all through the night in the creed. And when the sun rose in the morning, he was sitting on a little caterpillar. Beloved saints of God, God save us from pessimism. And God instilled into us all a little spirit of the optimist. Our God lives and our God knows and our God is able, no matter what, the difficulty in life are going to be. I think it glorifies him when the Lord Jesus is born. But this is part of the story that's rather hard to appreciate.
Do you notice the Navy is hidden? It says that when he heard they were sick, he said, where he was. Then I have left. And that phone has run for me again and again. In the last twenty-seven years of our life, I've had to break my leeches and go home again and again steal on a stick. And I've got to be there. Jesus loved Mary and Martin as he stayed where and why. Take where he was.
Lord, if you love him, you'll get there, won't you? You know he would have thought, oh, I didn't know. He didn't, oh, just two days later. And then he went two days later, the disciples are marching at him, and he talks to them about the light of the day and walking in the light and not stumbling. I don't know if I could take, as we'll take longer than that might have supposed at this moment to enlarge on us. But very briefly, this is the point he's making. My father said, no, stay where you are. Now my father says, you go.
You'll be good today, so still you... No, my father has said, go. So as a man literally will walk in the light and not stumble, now figuratively, I'm walking in the light of this will, and all will be well. And I believe this is a divine example of the cliché. We are infallible until our work is done. We cannot die before our time. And, beloved friends, another attitude and action, another irrespective which we can consider as not someone. You know, it was an almost open heart. And with eyes it could be wet with tears.
It was made of stones. of those of the Lord's servants who have been in the forefront of the battle, and they have stumbled. Let me say, beloved Savior, God, no matter who you are, if you stumble, if you fall as a believer, one thing you make, you're off. You're out of fellowship with the divine will. A man walked in the right knee to stumble. But now, the Lord tells you that you're not. the Lord Satan's right clothes and when he comes. He stands outside the grave. Two words are written, Jesus says.
Oh, friend, I love that. To me, that's what I want. How could I? I don't know how to express with it. It's a wonderful story. It never had been written. But what this does for me, that's what I mean. How do you expect something like that? Oh, people have been saying to God, that it's that Peter Pigor? I want you to go to a bed for me. Lazarus has died. Listen carefully to me. Go to the cemetery. Get the sisters. Take them with you. When they get there, tell the folks to roll away the stone. Listen carefully to me. And I want you to drop three words. I'm staying out of the loud noise. Lazarus, come forth. Lazarus will rise. And you have them stripped of the bed that today goes and deliver them to the sisters.
Yes, Lord. I go. I know that's what I was Oh, I couldn't get that signal. And when Peter would have arrived, can you see him? First of all, he gets marshal weeping. And then he gets a merry weeping. What do you think he meant to say? Now look, sisters, you needn't bother shedding another tear. Dry your tears. You can dry your tears. And I'm going to show you something out in that cemetery day. You'll come on with me. I'm sure, friend, that's the way I went and reacted. I'd have been so thrilled with the process of raising a man for the grave. then I would have got them there without the tears. Not the Lord Jesus. Can I draw on my imagination without in any way disturbing you?
The two sisters that night went on dressing in the room. Lying down after having a little look at your dear brother who had been in the grave for days. Good night, Nazareth. And I'll be back. Neri, can you ever forget it? Wasn't that a wonderful moment? Mind you, I'm suggesting, not just a moment when it came. From the day, but that moment when the Lord needed to survive, there was a fear thrown out of his mind. Oh, beloved, thank you, God, I think that there's one thing that we should rejoice in, that we not only have a savior, thank God it might have saved us, but we have one minute already.
And he still feels that tender heart. Every member feels good for you. That's something, isn't it? If you were standing by the task of a loved one, if you were standing by the dead side in the hospital, and the doctor said, I'm going to talk to you for a moment, and the doctor said, there's no hope for now. If at that moment you could just get a glimpse of the patient's low rate, and those eyes looking upon you, and perhaps the tears filling the eyes. I, beloved, say to God, you need what there would be a strife within that would bury you up, and bore you up, bring you through the deepest trial we can ever know.
Jesus, Jesus, when the stones rule of rain, night and friend are the message there, We have one who's the resurrection and the life. By the way, in that little prayer meeting tonight, we learned that there are rightly some in this meeting tonight who are not saved. Now, beloved friend, can I speak to you for a moment or two? You know who I mean, don't you? If you're the one who's not saved, you're the spirit of Lazarus. And I hate to take the words on my lips, but you know what Martha said about Lazarus? Don't lard.
Don't roll away that stone. He's dead four days, and by this time... Sink it. Remember, friend, I'm saved in the meeting tonight. You're spiritually dead. You're a spiritual corpse. And the abamer has not been able to put a flu in your system to preserve corruption. And that's your condition, spiritually... peakings in the sight of God. Can God take you and put you in the Holy Heaven? Of course not. Of course. You must be washed in the blood of the Lamb.
In thy blood. That's the gospel message. Now brethren, are there any stones in the way? Maybe there will be a dear sinner saved in the meeting tonight. And possibly there could be a stone. some barrier, some hindrance between the Lord's working and the dear one upon whom he wants to work. Dear saints of God, who meet from time to time in part of the palm, speak to an individual who will never allow a stone to come in the way of the blessing of God. We thank God that it's your responsibility to roll with. Closing, the Lord Jesus Christ said, our friend matters. Now, There is something that I've never had preached from my satisfaction.
Something that I've never read about to my satisfaction. And that is the relationship between sleep and a believer when he dies. You see, we often say it's the body sleeps. When you go to bed at night, are your body sleeping? Yes. Do you know when you sleep? Oh, yes. Do you talk in your sleep sometimes? Do you dream in your sleep? Oh yes. Do your body sleep? And yet you dream? You move and you talk? Can't we ask? Can't we get permission? Because the dear one we lay awake doesn't move, doesn't dream, doesn't talk.
What can a parallel be between a believer sleeping and one who is dying? I'm going to help you with this. Great suggestion. First of all, when a dear one goes to sleep, do you ever disturb? Of course not. Why aren't you disturbed? They're not talking to you anymore. They're not listening to you anymore. They're absolutely oblivious of all your sayings to me. I know. Why are you disturbed? No. Why? It's only temporary. It's only temporary. It's only temporary. But wait a minute. Don't you feel that? You should wait for them. No, it's good for them. This is a good experience when we go to sleep.
We wait in the morning, refresh, and we thank God for a good sleep. Well, what can you do to make in your loved one, supposing now someone working shift hours? Oh, it's a simple matter. He starts work at five o'clock, and all I do is around four. I say, John, can you get up? Who? Well, now it's getting on to four. Don't try to be waiting. Did you hit him in the head or something? No. He spoke it once. And he waited. Our beloved dear says that God, sleep on, beloved. Sleep and sleep like that. We love the well of the Jesus. Love the best. Thank God he's there. It's only till he comes.
Thank God that all could say it's far better. And if they could speak to us, they'd say, the love done there. Please don't wish us back. We'll only wish you as soon as possible. You will join us here for as much our better affair. Well, then how will we ever come to get together again? That circle matters. The resurrection and life will fade. Rise up, my love, my dear one, and come away. And will save them sleeping and waiting. And those that have gone before them those who are at night will be caught up in the gallery and meet them in the air. I would like to say for a day the offering of him.
Our Father would do, thank you, from the death of our heart for John the lesson. We thank you, Father, for the comfort it has brought to thy beloved saints done through almost two millennia of troubled times. We thank you, Lord, too, for they have stated in parts to us of that glorious reunion in a day that's not very far distant. And of those two sisters, dear sisters, loved the Lord Jesus before the resurrection of Lazarus. How much did they love him afterwards? Perhaps, Lord, in our next message, we'll see the expression of that love when we watch Mary anoint those blessed, sleepless appointments.
And her father, we believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming. And if we love him now, how will we love him when we see him face to face? No wonder the hymn writers again and again have anticipated that moment, face to face, for Christ must face. Face to face, what will it be when the rapture eye will open? Jesus Christ will guide before me. We remember that dear Joseph, who was absent from his father for twenty-two years met and said we love that little word that when they met the dear Jacob Joseph was dead but he wasn't dead and he wept on his neck a good wife then the Lord would remember how he turned to the bystanders who were watching the touching scene and said now let me die since I've seen my Joseph's face the Oh, Father, we thank thee for the beauties and the glories of that wonderful place that we call heaven, but we believe we'll be able to appreciate the truth of Rutherford's word.
The Lamb is all the glory in Emmanuel's land. So bless thy dear people, and choose every one in the gathering tonight a stranger to thy great mercy. May thy dear will not leave this building tonight, until he knows that it may fit for the holy presence of God through his making. He asked, by dressing and separating in the Lord Jesus Christ his name.