Thank you very much for the kind welcome and, prior to that, the invitation to Minister Gotthard on this special occasion. It has been a great joy to see the work of the Auxiliary prospered over the past 10 years, and I have been much encouraged to hear about things and the distribution of the Word of God to many, many souls. And we still pray that God's Word given into their hands will be given by the Spirit into their hearts, and that many will come to a knowledge of the Saviour So it's a joy for me to be here today, and although I would dearly like to have been here in person and meeting many of you, I nevertheless bring warm Christian affection to you all, and I trust the Lord will be with us in this further time around his word. I turn you, if I may, to Hebrews chapter 9, Hebrews chapter 9 and I want to concentrate on some words of verse 19. When Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of cows and of goats with water and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. The apostle in this place recalls something which took place many years before at the foot of Mount Sinai. Moses had been summoned into the presence of God and he then wrote down He built an altar which represented God and erected 12 pillars which represented the people, the 12 tribes. And then there were offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And it was at that time that Moses, using scarlet wool and hyssop, plant which was herbal, with branches exuding a sweet savour, and by means of this he sprinkled the book which contained God's Word. He sprinkled the altar and the people. The sprinkling of the book, the ancient Bible, was a significant act and it became what one preacher called it the Crimson Book. Now this afternoon I would like to draw your attention to three things using verse 19 of Hebrews chapter 9. And my three headings would be the book, the blood and the believer. First of all, the book. The book, which is referred to as a testament in the previous verse, verse 18, dedicated with blood. The book was sprinkled with blood. And that book contained, as we have already noted, the words of God, the truths, the precepts, and the promises which God had made known. Just like our much former Bible today, and it is called a testament. in verse 20. That is what the Bible, either in this smaller edition of it, given at Mount Sinai, or in the much fuller edition of it, in the whole of the revelation of God in the Scriptures, it is a testament. It is the Lord's will. concerning the gifts and the legacies made over to believers. It is a testament containing all that God intends to be ours. It speaks of all the blessings which we have through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is Therefore, even today, in the fuller Bible that we have, a testament, and the wording at the front of our Bibles is the Old Testament and the New Testament. And so the scriptures contain what God has made up for us in Christ and what he is more than willing to give to us and cause us to enjoy. God has made known to us all the blessings that he has willed for us. And it's been set forth in a book which we call The Book, the Bible. The fact that it's in a book friends, indicates that God would make it plain, God would make it sure, as if he says, what I've written, I've written, and I stand by it. The book is a book without deception, without falsehood, It's a book with no mixture of error. It's a book that can be trusted absolutely. And what God has said in his book is true, because it's his book and he is the God who cannot lie. He is the author of this book. What it contains, God has declared. and therefore it's a testimony to him and it contains no deceit but it is true from cover to cover. It's unspeakably solemn to be confronted with such a book because we have in this book the word of the living God. It's called several times in scripture, the oracles of God, meaning the utterances of God. We hold in our hands the written word, but this is what God has spoken. It's from Him. It's the out-breathing of His mind, His will, His truth. So it's solemn to hold this word and to be confronted with this word. And it tells us something of God, doesn't it, that he would have certain great truths known, truths concerning himself, truths concerning what is laid up for his people, truths concerning what they would enjoy in time and in eternity. These things are so important and they are so vital to us, our happiness, our peace, and therefore God would have us know them. He's written these things down for us through his holy servants and here they are revealed. What grace! that God has not only given undeserved blessing, but he's revealed the nature of that blessing. Grace upon grace. And this makes the Bible a very precious volume because it is the Word of God containing what God will do will be to us, what God will bestow upon us. And we love to read this word, written in love, written for our benefit, written that we might realize how rich we are through our Lord Jesus Christ. We're thinking under this first head of the book. And it is called the testament. A testament, a will, is made because someone intends that benefits will come to others. And the Lord Jesus Christ has that very purpose and desire that the benefits which he has should be realised as benefits given to his people, and that that may be a comfort to us and a hope to us. And when I think of the book as a testament, I realise that all our benefits of grace and glory are with Christ and he is able to pass them on to his people and assure them of blessing in life and in death. He is able to tell them what they might expect, how rich Where are all these blessings? They are all made up in Him. So the scripture speaks in those terms, the Father hath given everything into His hands. It leads the with the possession of blessings spiritual and blessings eternal. And he has a right to bestow those blessings on whomsoever he would. It is a testament. How does it come to be that the Son of God Our Lord Jesus Christ has all these benefits to dispose of and to give freely to his people. The answer to that must be, in part, that he has been appointed to be the possessor and the custodian and the distributor of these blessings. Appointed from all eternity in the purpose of God. He has become the heir, and as the heir, he passes on what he owns and knows to his people. It's all in his hands. He was appointed to it. And secondly, not only was he appointed to it, He, of course, in what was agreed in the eternal covenant, he obtained these blessings for us. He came into this world in order that there may be blessings to give, the blessings of forgiveness, of acceptance, the blessings of salvation itself. And he obtained these blessings that he might have somewhat to give to us, so that he might have everything to give to us. He obtained them at a cost. He obtained them by his humiliation, his humbling himself unto death, and by his sufferings, and by the shedding of his blood. He obtained these things. So the provisions are in him by sovereign appointment, and they are in him by procurement on his part. And now he is able not only to have these blessings to give, but because appointed thereto, and because he's obtained them by life and by death, he's now exalted in glory, sitting at the right hand of God, and has the authority to bestow them. As Peter said on the day of Pentecost, he being at the right hand of God, exalted, he hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear. So the blessing is with him. And if we are to be blessed, it must be through him. He is the one who conveys these blessings and grants these blessings to his people. And so we read in the scripture that of his fullness we have received grace upon grace. I like to think of our Lord now in glory, so blessed by means of what was planned and fulfilled. And the blessings he has are in him, not to remain only so, but in him to be passed on, in him to be granted to others. that men might be blessed in him and blessed all nations shall him call. The fact that they are, this book tells us that everything is with Christ by appointment, by procurement and by way of donation. But we are also told that the blessings are beyond degree. They are exceptional. Scripture speaks of the unsearchable riches of Christ, which he has under his control, and he has freely to grant to others. What grace this is. There are no conditions on man's part. These things now, because Christ has fulfilled the condition in life and in death, these things are without condition to his people freely, graciously, sovereignly bestowed upon them. And all because of that. purpose and grace which was given us in him before the world began. Christ is now the administrator of this testament wherein all the blessings are set down and set forth. He is the one who is appointed to see that every legacy reaches its destination, that every benefit is given to those for whom it is intended. Special grace and eternal glory all in this book, all in this And well, what he's appointed to bestow, what he's secured by his merit, and what now he is exalted to give, it's all with Christ. And how wonderful it is that we have this book, Fransch. We have this book. It could have been a great secret. It might have been unknown. And we might have wondered, if ever we could be blessed in God. And it was secret from eternity. It was hidden in God, within the Godhead. But God willed that the secret should be revealed. And through the spirit of revelation, the secret has been made known. and now by the preaching of the gospel, it is made known and sinners are being told of what is laid up for such as they are in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what the gospel is when it is preached fully. It's a declaration of what God is prepared to give to poor, needy sinners. that those who are poverty-stricken and spiritual bankrupts may be made wealthy and rich in grace and in glory. And you say to me, well, how can you know that? How can you say that with such certainty? It's in the book. The book contains the testament, what God through Christ is willing to give, all those legacies. To them he bears testimony and they are made precious to us through the Word of God. What a wonder the Word of God is when viewed in this light. It is Christ's will and testament It is something that He has to bestow upon us. And when we hear the gospel, we realize just how blessed we are in Him. We can say with Paul, He hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places, in Christ. We would never have them without Christ. He is the one who has taken hold of them, possessed them, that they might all be made a gift to his people. How wonderful to hear these things. People will sometimes gather as families to hear someone with legal authority reading the last will and testament of someone deceased. There's usually silence at such a time, unspeakably solemn, but wonderful too. And as people listen to what is made known in such a document, they are surprised and they are perhaps overwhelmed that there is something, perhaps a great deal, for them and it can be news that is life-changing. Whilst they have limited resources, now, perhaps through the kindness of the testator, they have unlimited provisions. And so it is with God's Holy Word, the testimony of Christ, when it's read, We're amazed. We're amazed that we've been included. We've been amazed by how generous God has been to us through Christ. We've been amazed at our sufficiency in the gospel that God has provided for our every need in life and in death and in eternity. No wonder Paul the blessed God. It's the greatest thing ever documented. Glorious gospel. And it shows how generous and lavish is the grace of God, the glorious gospel of the blessed God, the one in whom all the blessing is to be found. The book declares that that blessing is for believers, it is for us. The secret's out, it's now made known. When we hear what the gospel offers to us and presents to us, how wonderful it is. Wonderful because we're We're totally unworthy of any blessing. We're sinners. And we merit judgment, not salvation. But the testament of God's holy word reveals that there is not perdition prepared for us, but salvation. And it's brought into our possession. It's all written in the book, and God-given faith is the means whereby we lay claim to these things as believers, and whereby we are blessed in these things. And Christ sees to it that they are not only made known He ensures that his Spirit is sent so that it's not simply the Gospel which is made known to sinners, but the Spirit of God convicts sinners of sin, convicts them of their need of what Christ is willing to give and able to give, and draws them powerfully, irresistibly to Christ. that these blessings may be theirs. Is it sure? Absolutely sure. Why, it's written out in the form of legacies to be disclosed. And Christ has no inclination to deceive us, but he is the one who is faithful and true and his words are trustworthy, this is how he will bless us. It's set forth in the will and in the testament of our Lord Jesus Christ in this book which we call the book of all books. So what are the benefits that the Lord reveals his to give, and ours to know. What are they? Well, the testament of the will must include the Lord himself. He is the one who is a son given, a child born, and he's part of the great provision. The Lord Jesus Christ I opened the book and I said, what do I have as a believer from God, through Christ, what do I have? And the answer immediately given is, first and foremost, you have a saviour, who is Christ the Lord. He could not give anything more that level to us than a saviour. He hasn't given a judge, but a saviour. Christ Jesus the Lord. And we not only have the Lord himself as a saviour, but we read on, friends, we have his righteousness. Righteousness is conformity to God's law, which was revealed from the beginning. And Adam was told to conform to that law that he might have continuing spiritual and ultimately eternal life. And he didn't continue, and he lost it for himself, and he lost the blessing for all his posterity. But read now. what is written herein, that whereas we have condemnation through Adam, we have righteousness through Christ the Lord, our righteousness. And the righteousness of Christ, whereby he lived under the law's precept and died under its penalty, and thus answered the law for his people. That righteousness, according to Romans 4, upon believing is imputed to the believer, it's credited to the believer, as if it were ours, it's put down to our account, it's given over to us. And if we have righteousness before God, albeit Christ's righteousness, put down to our account, That righteousness is rewarded with eternal life. And if we have the means, we have the end. If we have the righteousness, we have the everlasting prospects. So we have a righteousness which provides for us before God. A righteousness through which Blessing will come to us here on earth, there in heaven. A righteousness which will merit all the joy and all the peace of being forever with God. That's one of the provisions. Then again there is the Spirit of God. He's mentioned as one of the legacies. my spirit. And that spirit is given to God's people, a spirit which changes them, which renews them, which enables them to come to Christ, which brings faith, and brings repentance, and which makes a difference in a poor, poor sinner, is to make him through the spoken of Christ, but what of his love? He says to his people, I have loved you and loved you with an everlasting love. Jesus having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them to the end. Oh, to know the wonder of divine love given to us glory and His love is the means whereby this comes to pass. It's invaluable in a time of affliction, in a time of temptation, in a time of depression, to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge. We have that. I'll tell you what else. consolations of Christ. Paul writes in Philippians 2 and verse 1, if there be any consolation in Christ. But there is consolation in Christ. There's wonderful consolation in Christ, abounding consolation in Christ, everlasting consolation in Christ. So that in this world where we are buffeted and sometimes so badly treated, whereby we are overcome sometimes with evil, there is comfort, effective comfort for us in the Lord Jesus Christ. And where that comfort is known, we can know that all will be well. We can go on, we can endure, we can survive because of his confirmation. There is power given to the weak, strength to those that are ready to fight. Strengthened we are by His Spirit in the inner man, so that when we come to an end of ourselves and feel we just can't continue, the Lord says, ah, wait a moment, I have something for you in this experience, something for you. In your desperation, what is it, Lord? It is strength to remain, strength to go on with me to the end of the journey, strength to proceed to heaven. That is in the Testament. And it follows that there is victory. and the grave. Thanks be to God which given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Who would have thought it that we should have victory over the last enemy? The Lord has ensured that we will have. We will have that victory. We will reach heaven's side. We will enter the glory prepared for us. We will see the Lord Jesus Christ. In all the wonder of His person, we will see Him as He is. Victory! Victory! And friends, Christ is held out to us as the one in whose hands are all, are all And if you and I have Him, we have everything in Him, with Him. He that spared not His only Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? So if we have the Redeemer as our Redeemer, our Saviour, much more In addition is granted to us all the blessings of grace, all the prospects of glory. It's all written down in the book and it's all available to believers and it's all that will come to their hearts and make heaven wonderful one day. The book It's a testament. Now, we read secondly here, the blood. He took the blood with water and scarlet wool and hissed it, and he sprinkled the book. It became One preacher of the 19th century called it a crimson book, blood sprinkled. And that was true of the smaller edition of the book, as we read a bit in Exodus chapter 24, where Moses appeared at the altar. and he availed himself of the blood of burnt offerings and peace offerings and he deliberately ensured that the blood fell upon the block. A blood that sprinkled the block. Now what does that tell us? Of course the blood of those victims in Exodus 24 was typical shed for sinners, shed for us. And the fact that the blood was sprinkled on the book, if the blood prefigures the blood of Christ, then it shows, my friends, that this was no ordinary book. What was sprinkled with blood us holy. When we think of the book we have in our hands, and I trust in our hearts, and it also is blood-sprinkled, it indicates that this book, through the blood, is the Holy Scripture. There is nothing comparable to it in the whole of human experience. We cannot read another piece of literature which in any way resembles what is written and to be read in this book. It is awesome. It is remarkable. It is singular. It is sacred. The blood-sprinkled book indicates that this book contains truths nowhere else to be found. This book is precious beyond words. The man or woman who understands this Secondly, it not only marks the book as different, but does it not guarantee the truthfulness and the veracity of what is written in this book? Blood. Even that blood, which was typical, indicated the divine endorsement of that book in Exodus 24. But the book that we have now is, in a sense, blood sprinkled. And it's the blood of Christ which ensures that everything in this book will be ratified. Every promise will be fulfilled. Every benefit will be passed on. so we can trust this blood-sprinkled book. It contains wonderful things, and those things have been divinely endorsed. And thirdly, this book comes to us as blood-sprinkled with authority. The blood upon the book is like the seal to give it validity. So when we remember that the Son of God has shed his blood, make the things in this book real, true, and ours. It's as if God says to the mirror, it's all for you. all for them whom I love." The blood-sprinkled book. Undoubtedly, my friends, the blood pointed, even in Exodus 24, to Christ's atonement. It showed that an atonement had been provided, and therefore that there was nothing to fear. We open the book and we say, what are we going to read? What is God's Word going to declare? Perhaps it will pronounce our doom. No, it will not pronounce our doom because the blood of atonement is upon it. Christ has atoned and covered our sins and He removed our transgressions far from us. And we, by the grace of God, are forgiven, there is atonement and therefore there is no fear, no dread. The blood which sprinkled the book I think showed that the great theme of the book is the cross and that thread of redemption blood-sprinkled, and therefore in the Old Testament we have promises of a Christ who is to come who will be wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. It's there in the book and in the types, particularly the bringing of sacrifices to the tabernacle, slaying of the victim, the shedding of the blood, it was all revelatory of Christ, who would be prepared to die for us. And then, in the New Testament, it's made known in a fuller, clearer, and more amazing way. And so, the Blood Sprinkle book shows us the grand theme and disclosure of the testament. It tells of Christ and his love and his blood. If that were not so, we would with fear and trepidation open the scroll, wondering what might befall us. But there is redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. The book is blood-sprinkled, reminding us that the thunders of Saria did not come to us. As Toplady says, the terrors of law and of God with me can have nothing to do. My Saviour's obedience to blood hide all my transgressions from view. It's a blood-shrinkled book. And by the shedding of that blood, he has made peace with God for us. And God is no longer provoked towards us, no longer threatening the most awful of judgments to come our way. He is reconciled to us. In him we have peace. with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, we take this book and we thank God for it. The blood-sprinkled book. He took the blood and sprinkled the book. And that is what has been done to a fuller Bible than ever Moses had and the Jews had. The Bible, which is the New Testament, the fuller disclosure, the clearer representation of these things, the believer can receive that and trust it. Trust it that men shall be blessed in Jesus Christ. If they have Him, they will be blessed. This life as his life is in his Son. He that has the Son has life. So it's in our entrance and it's to our peace that we take this book which assures us of so much, which promises us grace and glory. And we believe that. We believe that in Christ the curse has been turned to a blessing. Hell has given way to heaven. Darkness has ended in light. The blood-sprinkled book. It's this testament I want, when I'm feeling low, when I'm depressed, when I'm harassed, anxious, and fearful for the future, this is the book to which I turn the testament, which brings me sweet assurance and tells me there is nothing to fear, the blood sprinkled We've considered the book, we've considered the blood. Let me end with reference to the believer. Why do you think the Lord has gone to the trouble of giving us the gospel, making known the testament, informing salvation. Why? It's so that none of his people might despair. And we might say, especially when we examine ourselves and look into our hearts, there's no good in us. Well, that is true. But there's all good in him. and that which is in him is for us who believe. And so the believer is greatly comforted in the knowledge of that. The believer can know, he can know the blessing of these benefits in Christ transferred to us Though we are poor, yet by a miracle of grace we have been made rich. See, the blood-sprinkled book. When I begin to read what the Lord has laid out for me in my Saviour, my conscience, My soul. Because of what I've done? No. Because of what he's done. I have peace. I have joy. I have hope. How can you say that? Says someone. How can you say that when you're so troubled and so full of sorrows and you're struggling? Along the Christian way, I can say that because of what I read here. Christ will bless me. He will daily love me with blessings. He will increase grace throughout my life, and at the end, He will give me heaven as well. He'll give me the vision of God. He'll give me a place before the eternal throne. He'll give me all the blessedness of the redeemed. Is it too much to believe? No, it's all in the book, in the promises, in the assurances of his last will and his person. We believe that through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved. There it is. There it is. We believe. Friends, I must ask the right course. Do you believe? Have you received Christ for yourself? Have you trusted him with your spiritual concern on him and what he's done as the ground of your everlasting hope and expectation. If you have, you're a believer. And if you are a believer, you are blessed. Whatever the world says of you, whatever you think of yourselves, you are blessed. Men shall be blessed in him, and all nations shall call him blessed. What a sweet, what a blessed state we are in. You may say to me today, I need more grace, but there's a legacy of it. He giveth more grace? Is there a need for stronger faith? Is there a legacy for that? That he gives strength, he increases our faith. Is there a need for a brighter hope? He gives us hope and everlasting conservation. There is not a benefit of which you can think If it's required for your blessings and your happiness, it is provided. How indescribably rich Christ is. How generous that he shares those riches with the children of men and with sinners as we are. How bright our prospects exhausted the legacies. We've not yet enjoyed all that is coming our way. But, dear friends, we shall enjoy them. Yes, I, to the end, shall endure, as sure as the earnest is given. More happy, but not more secure, are the glorified spirits And Moses sprinkled the blood on the book. The book. The blood. And praise God. The blessing to every believer. Friends, may God bless His Word to us this afternoon, lift us up if we be fallen, and send us on our way rejoicing. Oh man.