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. ♪ Above thy deep and dreamless sleep ♪ ♪ That silent star so high ♪ ♪ Yet in thy arms reshineth ♪ ♪ The everlasting light ♪ The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight. I silently, I silently, the wondrous gift is giv'n. God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven. All who hear may hear His calling. is is is is Oh Oh I'd like to welcome you in the Saviour's name to this Let the Bible Speak meeting, and we trust the Lord will bless us, and He will be one of our number as He's covenanted to be, even as we gather around His Word and seek to worship Him in spirit and in truth. I'm going to bow for a word of prayer and look to the Lord's help and blessing, even as we wait in His presence. Let's pray. Our gracious God and eternal loving Father, rejoice, O God, that we have access unto thy throne of heavenly grace, in and through Christ Jesus. We thank thee for the one who has been sent by God into this world. We rejoice in the one who became flesh and dwelt among us. We thank the Lord for his sinless life. We thank the Lord for his atoning death and the shedding of his precious blood. We give you thanks and praise that not only did he die, was he buried, but we thank you that he rose again and ascended up triumphant into glory. And Lord, we thank you that we come to worship and praise thee. And we pray that, Lord, even as we gather around your word and hear a message from the Lord, we pray for thy servant, the Reverend Woods, that he'll know the infilling of the Spirit, that you'll help him and grant unto him the grace and the blessing that he needs, Lord, to rightly divide the word of truth. So therefore, O Father, hear us and be one of our number, even as we wait on thy presence. For this we ask, in Jesus' name, with an eye to thine everlasting praise and glory. Amen. We're going to have a Bible reading, and we'll turn to Matthew's Gospel, chapter 1, reading from verse 18 through to verse 25. Let's hear the word of our God. Now, the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise, when, as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son. They shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife. And knew her not till she brought forth her firstborn son. and he called his name Jesus. Amen. And we trust the Lord will bless the reading to all who have heard it. We're gonna have our second hymn. It is a hymn number 62 in our hymn books. How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds in a Believer's Ear. of Jesus Christ, in happy liberty. His sufferings, his sorrows, heals his wounds and drives away my shepherd, Savior, friend, my prophet, priest, and king. My Lord, my life, my way, my end, accept the praise I bring. Be this the effort of my heart, I see thee as the Lord, I praise thee as my own. Till then I would line up proclaim, with every fleeting breath. I want to thank the Reverend Stewart for leading the meeting thus far, and I'd like to turn your attention back to Matthew chapter 1, and particularly the verse 21. And there in Matthew 1 and the verse 21, we read these words, and she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins." Matthew Henry, the commentator, said concerning the mystery of the incarnation of the Lord Jesus, that it is something to be adored and not pried into. And here in Matthew chapter 1, and the portion that was read from the end of that chapter, in verse 18, we read, now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise. And then we are given some of the details surrounding the birth of the Lord Jesus. Some of the details concerning how the Son of God came into this world as perfect man. Some of the details concerning how the one who had always existed as the eternal Son of God became man and came into this world as the Savior. And what a miracle took place when the Son of God came into this world as perfect God and perfect man. One person with those two distinct natures. Not only was it a great miracle, But it was the demonstration of great mercy to sinful mankind, that the Son of God should humble himself to come into this world as the God-man, to come as one who made himself of no reputation, one who took upon him the form of a servant. And these verses that have been read to us just give us some of the details surrounding the coming of the Lord Jesus into this world. We learn, of course, that Mary was the one chosen by God to be the mother of the Lord Jesus. We read that she was espoused to a man called Joseph, That is, they were not yet married, although Joseph is referred to as her husband here in Matthew chapter 1. But they had been promised to one another in marriage. They had not yet come together to consummate that marriage. And so we are told in the portion that before they came together, verse 18 of Matthew 1, that Mary was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Here was the great miracle which took place. She was found of child by the Holy Ghost. This was a great miracle. It was the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah Isaiah 7 and verse 14 is referred to here in Matthew chapter 1 and the verse 22 and 23, because we are told that what is recorded in this portion, in verse 22, now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. And while a great miracle had taken place, we learn in this passage that Joseph at first was afraid that Mary had conceived a child by another man, that she had been heaved in a sinful manner, and therefore he was carefully considering the action that he should take as a result. We learn in the portion in verse 19 that he was minded to put her away privily or secretly. But in verse 20, we discover that while he thought on these things, while he carefully considered what he should do, while he did not act rashly, that the angel of the Lord appear to him in a dream. And the words that the angel brought as a message from God must have brought great comfort and encouragement to Joseph, because the message was this, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not, to take on to thee, marry thy wife. for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And again, it was declared to him what a great miracle had taken place. And we discover in verse 24 that when Joseph was raised up from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him and took onto him his wife. And in the verse 21 where we find our text tonight, I want us to focus in upon the fact that he was given this particular detail, not only that Mary would bring forth a son, And he was to call his name Jesus, that name, of course, which means Savior, that name which is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament name, Joshua. And then these words, for he shall save his people from their sins. The great purpose for which the Lord Jesus came into this world For he shall save his people from their sins. And I want us to think upon the people the Lord Jesus came to save. The people Jesus came to save. And the first thing we can say about this people is that they are a people set apart. Those words in verse 21 declare, for he shall save his people from their sins. Joseph was given these directions that the name of the son that would be born to Mary should be called Jesus, meaning Savior. For he would save his people from their sins. A people set apart in God's eternal purpose. The Lord Jesus himself, during his public ministry, he referred to this people. This people who had been set apart from all eternity. This people who had been given to him by his father. There is a verse in John's Gospel, chapter 6 and the verse 37, where the Lord Jesus referred to his people, this people given to him by the Father, the people that he had come to see. This is what he said in John 6 and the verse 37. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me. and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. He referred to the same people that are referred to in our text. That message from the angel to Joseph said, he shall save his people from their sins. And here the Lord Jesus is declaring, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, a people given to him by his Father, a people whom he came to save. Later on in John's Gospel, chapter 17, and the verse 2, as the time came nearer when the Lord Jesus would go to the cross, as he prayed to his heavenly Father, he said this, As thou hast given him, referring to himself, power or authority over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. Here again, he refers to this people given to him by the Father. And as we continue to go through other portions of Scripture, we find this same people referred to, this people who are set apart in God's purpose from all eternity. When the Apostle Paul was writing to the Ephesians, in Ephesians 1 and verse 4, he wrote these words, according as he hath chosen us in him. before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. And once again, Paul is referring to this people chosen in Christ from before the foundation of the world. The Lord Jesus himself on another occasion in Matthew 20 in verse 28 said, even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for the many. And that many are this same people. set apart in God's great purpose. And therefore, if you are saved by the grace of God today, you have reason to humbly thank God that you're one of those who were set apart in God's great purpose. And it can be said of you tonight that you are one of those referred to in Matthew 1 and 21 when it was said of the Lord Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. And yet if you are not saved, if you are still out of Christ, you should think again upon the words that we have referred to in John 6 and 37, where the Lord Jesus said, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out. If you will come to Christ as a sinner, if you will turn from your sin, if you will trust in Christ and his finished work for salvation, you will be saved, you will not be cast out, and you will have that assurance. that you have been set apart in God's great purpose to be saved from your sins. But as we come back to Matthew chapter one and verse 21, this people who the Lord Jesus came to save are not only a people set apart, they are a people who are sinful. Because again in Matthew 1 and 21, Joseph was told concerning the Lord Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. If we were not born into this world as sinners, we would not need salvation. We would not need a savior. But we do learn in the word of God that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And because of our many sins, we are condemned by a God who is holy and just. We deserve everlasting punishment for our sins. We sin in thought, in word, and in deed. We break the law of God. So often we do what God forbids. And we fail to do all that he commands. Sins of commission, sins of omission. Satan comes and he tempts us to sin. And there is that within our sinful hearts that is most capable of yielding to all those temptations. By nature, we are in bondage to Satan and sin. But Jesus came to save his people from their sins. That is the great message of our text. The Lord Jesus came as perfect man. He lived that sinless life that we are not capable of living. He kept the law of God perfectly. And then he went to the cross at Calvary. He was obedient unto death. He bore in his own body our sins to the tree. He shed his blood. He suffered unto death, and he arose again. He suffered as the just. for the unjust that he might bring us to God. He has provided a perfect righteousness for those who turn from sin and trust in him. He has provided atonement for our sins. The great challenge to your heart is this. Have you taken your place as a sinner before God? Have you turned from your sin? Have you trusted in Christ and His finished work for the salvation of your soul? There are many who seek to cover their sins, and yet the Word of God declares that those who seek to cover their own sins shall not prosper, but it is those who confess and forsake their sins that will receive mercy. There is no one else who can save you from your sins. You need not fool yourself into thinking that you do not have sins which need forgiveness and salvation. Yet the Lord Jesus, he came to save his people from their sins. Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven. given among men, whereby we must be saved. And so our text sets before us the people Jesus came to save. They are a people set apart, his people. They are a people who are sinful. He came to save his people from their sins. And therefore they are a people who receive salvation. from sin. And thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins." The word save, of course, means to deliver or to make whole. The Lord Jesus delivers us from our sin. He saves us from our sins when we are brought to turn from them and to trust in him for salvation. When we come as sinners and trust in Christ for salvation, we are justified before God, therefore saved from our sins. We are declared righteous before God. The perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus is put over to our accounts, as if we have lived that sinless life. And of course, he saves us from our sins because the work of sanctification begins and continues as we are enabled to die more and more onto sin and live more and more onto Christ and righteousness. We become like Christ. And then at death, our spirits are made perfect. The spirits of just men made perfect. At the coming resurrection, body and soul of the child of God will be reunited and glorified. The work will be complete. He came to save his people from their sins. The work that begins within us when we are brought to trust in Christ will be brought to perfection. The challenge of God's word is this. Are you saved from your sins? Are you saved from the guilt of your sin? Has the power of sin been broken? Are you saved from the eternal consequences you deserve for your sins? If you are tonight, you have reason to thank God. But if you're not saved at this moment, you're still lost in your sin. You're still condemned. You're still in danger of everlasting punishment. You need to turn from your sin and come and trust in Christ, for he came to save his people from their sins. May God bless his word to our hearts. Let's just seek the Lord in prayer as we bring our service to a close. Heavenly Father, we thank thee for the Lord Jesus. We thank thee for this name that he was given For He came to save His people from their sins. We thank Thee that He finished the work that He came to do. Even as He hung on the cross, He could say, finish. And we rejoice that at this moment there are many who are saved from their sins because of what He accomplished. And we thank Thee there are those who will yet be saved from their sins because of the work that He accomplished. And so we pray that Your Word will be hidden in our hearts. And we rejoice that Your Word will not return onto you void, that it will accomplish that where to Thou dost send it. Hear and answer our prayers we ask 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.