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. Singing me Jesus my savior in death and my soul he set free. Oh, what a most wonderful life it will be, dying for me, for me. Dying for me, for me. Dying for me, for me. Oh, it was wonderful how good it'd be, Dying for me, for me. ♪ I was wondering how far from the road ♪ ♪ Can we end up living with my soul ♪ ♪ Calling for me, for me ♪ ♪ Calling for me, for me ♪ ♪ Calling for me, for me ♪ ♪ Tenderly and lovingly with my soul ♪ ♪ Calling for me, for me ♪ ♪ Oh I shall see Him descended from the sky ♪ ♪ Coming for me, for me ♪ ♪ Coming for me, for me ♪ ♪ Coming for me, for me ♪ ♪ Oh I shall see Him descended from the sky ♪ Godly for me, for me. We're delighted you're able to join with us for this special LTBS broadcast, and we welcome you in the Savior's name, and we would appreciate it if you're able to stay with us for the duration of this broadcast. But at this stage of our meeting, let us please still ourselves in the attitude of prayer. Let us come before the throne of grace. and ask for God's presence and indeed His blessing upon this meeting here today. Let us pray. Our Father, we do thank Thee for such opportunity to be able to come into Thy presence even this day afresh. We thank Thee, Lord, for Thy goodness, for Thy mercy that even sees broadcasts like this able to go out. We thank Thee, Lord, for the liberty that we have, dear Father, without let or hindrance. to be able to open Thy Word together, to be able to open the hymn book and even sing at the very top of our voices. And Lord, I pray that Thou would be pleased to bless what is of Thee in this service today. We pray for Thy servant that would come in a little while and minister the Word that Thou hast laid upon his heart. We pray that Thou would bless Mr. Maxwell, that Thou would help him and even bring to his remembrance, his thoughts, those things that thou would have him to say. We pray for every individual that's gathered here, even in this place, but especially, Lord, for all those across the world today who would indeed be in receipt of thy precious word as it goes forth in this way. It's for thy glory and thy glory alone we do plead. Bless us and help us now, dear Father, we pray. Amen. We're going to open God's word together, please, and read from a portion in the New Testament. Luke chapter two, verse one, right through to verse 14, please. And perhaps if you are at home, you can follow along the reading with us here in the meeting. Luke 2 verse 1 reads, and it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed, everyone into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, onto Judea, onto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. The angel said unto them, fear not. For behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest, on an earth peace, goodwill towards men. Amen, we do pray that the Lord himself might bless this, the reading of his own inspired word in our midst even today. Hymn number 79 in our own hymn book, It reads, O come, all ye faithful, joyfully triumphant, to Bethlehem hasten now with glad accord. ♪ Joyfully triumphant to Bethlehem ♪ ♪ His Savior with man abhorred ♪ ♪ Lo, in a manger lies the King of angels ♪ ♪ Give praise to the Lord ♪ ♪ O true God, O true God ♪ ♪ Light of life eternal ♪ ♪ The womb of the Virgin we have borne ♪ O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord. ♪ Richly inspires all angels ♪ ♪ Songs of harvest triumph through heavens ♪ ♪ High arches bring your praises home ♪ ♪ Gods of our glory, glory in their light ♪ O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord. Amen. Lord, we bless thee, Lord, for our salvation. ♪ Forever be thy name in my heart ♪ ♪ Word of the Father ♪ ♪ Now in faith shall near him ♪ ♪ O come let us adore him ♪ ♪ O come let us adore him ♪ ♪ O come let us adore him ♪ Thank you, Reverend Hannah, for leading the meeting. And our text tonight is found in 2 Corinthians and the chapter 8 and the verse 9. I read the text to you. The apostle Paul said, for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. The Apostle Paul made his great gospel declaration based on historical fact. We've just had read to us the narrative of the occasion. Who said what and where, as recorded by Luke. In his introduction in chapter 1, verses 1 to 3, Luke tells us, first of all, that he had heard many credible firsthand accounts, which many surely believed. And then he tells us that he had now, as we have before us, his own account, which was from the very first, or as it can be translated, from above. In other words, he wrote by inspiration and gave us a preserved account. Luke, he says, had perfect understanding. We know also from elsewhere that Luke, the writer of the gospel here, was a companion of the Apostle Paul, Paul who wrote the words of our text. The first thing that we want to see this evening, number one, is this, the riches which Christ enjoyed. It says there, though, he was rich. The Son of God enjoyed a pre-Bethlehem existence. Someone has noted that his birth was just another event in his life. We know that he was there in the beginning with God, and the Bible says that he was God. He enjoyed glory with the Father before the world was. And he tells us himself in John chapter 6 how he came down from heaven. He is not only the Son of God, therefore, but also God the Son. we say tonight, hail the incarnate deity. His riches include his pre-Bethlehem communion with the Father and also with the Holy Spirit and Trinity. He was daily in that past eternity, the Father's delight. And as such, He enjoyed the worship and the obedience of the angels. Unto the Son, God saith, let all the angels of God worship Him. All things in creation were created not only by Him, but they were also created for Him. One of the commentators said, every flower was fragrant with his perfume. Every brook murmured his goodness. Every breeze wafted his praise. Every sun displayed his splendor. And every star was brilliant with his radiance. These riches that he had were underrived because he had them inherently as God, enjoying the same substance and co-equality with the Father and the Spirit. These riches that he had are eternal and inexhaustible. Therefore, we say tonight that we worship the King, all glorious above. But secondly, as we look at our text again, we see here the poverty that Christ embraced. For the Bible says, though he were rich, yet it says that he became poor. Now he did not, nor could he not give up his deity, because he cannot cease to be God. But he could, and he did take on to him a human nature. at Bethlehem. Our catechism reminds us Christ, the Son of God, became man by taking to himself a true body and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin Mary and born of her yet without sin. By and large, in his time on earth, he veiled his glory, although there were regular glimpses of it. But he took on the poverty of human weakness. He knew what it was to be tired. He sat at Jacob's well because he was tired. He asked for a drink because he was thirsty. He knew what it was to have sorrow and to experience hunger. The Bible says, as we have read, that he was born in the poorest of circumstances. He was brought into the world in a rough outdoor stable. His parents were poor. Joseph, his perceived father, his guardian, struggled at times as a poor carpenter to put bread on the table. He was born under the dictates of the Roman Empire. He placed himself voluntarily under his own law. made of a woman, made under the law, is what the Bible says, an ode to redeem guilty sinners from the curse of the law. To this end, he willingly impoverished himself by enduring the contradiction of sinners against himself. We read of him as he went about doing good, that he was dogged by his enemies, who continually slandered his character and who attributed his most gracious works even to the devil himself. He submitted himself to the betrayal of Judas Iscariot and also to the denial of Peter. and to being forsaken by the entire apostolic band. To this great end, he went willingly to soak the grass in Gethsemane with drops of sweated blood. He allowed himself to be arrested and to be judged in Pilate's judgment hall. He allowed himself to be beaten by a Roman garrison and abolished with the Roman whip, and then to go to the excruciating pain of the cross, where the Bible says he bore our sins in an atoning death. He knew what it was in that most extreme poverty to be forsaken even by his own follower, his follower in whose bosom he had lay in the great eternity past. The hemrider wrote those words. They're very poignant words. They're very powerful words. None of the ransomed ever knew how deep were the waters crossed, how dark was the night that our Lord passed through, ere he found the sheep that was lost. He was not dragged to the cross. He was not drugged and taken to the cross, but he volunteered. As he incarnate God, he had power to lay down his life of himself. And yet he went willingly as a lamb to the slaughter, all the time saying, I delight to do thy will, O my God. Thirdly and lastly, we have here the salvation which Christ imparts. It says, though he were rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich, who are the we in the text. It's us, it's guilty sinners, hell-deserving and hell-facing sinners, the ungodly, the chronically wicked. And we too are poor, sinfully poor, because of our sin guilt. The whole world, the Bible says, lies in wickedness. It is only fools who mock at sin. It is only fools who want to redefine sin and move it out from the vocabulary of life. This is both spiritual and intellectual madness. That is papering over the cracks, and it doesn't strengthen the wall. Sneering, as many do at the Bible, is no argument against it. Men sneer because they cannot answer it. Men sneer because they refuse to face its claims that they are bankrupt sinners, unable to pay the great debt, nor even contribute one iota toward its removal. The hemrider said, is there anyone can help us who can give the sinner peace? When his heart is burdened down, with pain and woe. I wonder, is that you tonight? You're wondering where to find peace. Your heart is burdened down with pain and woe. Who can speak the words of pardon that afford a sweet release, and whose blood can wash and make as white as snow? The chorus of that hymn goes on to say, yes, yes, there's one. There's only one, the blessed, blessed Jesus. He's the one. What riches he gives to the repenting and to the believing sinner. He gives immediate pardon. All his sins are taken away. He gives cleansing from the pollution of sin. He gives freedom. from the power of sin. He gives redemption through His blood. He gives justification, putting us on a standing with God, just as if we had never sinned. And into the heart of the believing sinner, He sends the Spirit of God to indwell him forever. He gives him at the last entrance into glory. I wonder will you come to him today for salvation. He invites you to come. He pleads with you to come. He says, if any man thirst, let him come on to me and drink. There's a sufficiency in the work of Christ that can meet the every need of the sinner. All I need in thee I find, O Lamb, of God I come. But you need to come. If you will not come, then you will not be saved. And you will not enter into all those riches purchased for us upon the cross of Calvary. Who is he? And you understall, at whose feet the shepherds fall. Tis the Lord, O wondrous story. Tis the Lord, the King of glory. At his feet we humbly fall. Crown him, crown him Lord of all. Will you crown him Lord of all as you hear my voice? No matter where you are, no matter where you've been, no matter what you have done, the Son of Man came into the world to save sinners, to seek and to save that which is lost. And he gives a cast-iron guarantee. He says, him that cometh to me, I will in no ways cast out. It would be a great thing if you came to him, even at this special season of the year. We say thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. we'll seek the Lord now in prayer. Our gracious God and eternal, loving, heavenly Father, we thank Thee for these wonderful truths that we have read in Thy word, that the Son of God, who was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, that we, through His poverty, might be made rich. Lord, these are riches, indeed, Money cannot buy them, for we're not redeemed with corruptible things such as silver and gold, but by the precious blood of Christ, that blood that he shed freely upon the cross, and that blood that cleanseth us from all sin. Bless thy word to each and every heart. Let it return not void unto thee, let it accomplish that to which thou hast sent it, and to prosper in that whereto thou hast sent it. And may we hear of many precious souls closing in with your offer of mercy and passing from death unto life. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you for spending some time with us today around the Word of God. For further information visit our website at ltbs.tv. We look forward to joining with you next time as we seek to let the Bible speak once again.