Hymn 290
Psalm 122, “I was glad when they said unto me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord.’” I hope that has been the case with us before we came to the meeting, that we are glad. I hope I will never get to the place where I am not glad to come into the house of the Lord. If we came in feeling we were not as glad as we should be, we can go out feeling gladder, can’t we?
Also Psalm 27:4, “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in His temple.” There are so many beautiful things that we see in Jesus: to enquire or to consider in His temple. There’s so much for us to enquire and learn, and we never get to the place where we won’t be learning more. Thinking of some things that would make us realise and seek after that desire.
Timothy chapter 4, “Now the spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.” Someone said that the latter days are from when the Lord ascended to when He returns: so that means now! Just a little thought perhaps, giving heed to deceiving spirits that put those little thoughts into our minds; also doctrines and devils. Any doctrine that isn’t of the doctrine of Christ is the doctrine of devils.
Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” This made me think also in Revelation of the church of Ephesus, “I know thy works and thy labour and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil; and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars. And hast born, and hast patience, and for My name’s sake hast laboured, and has not fainted.” So many things were in place but one thing was out of place and that was important, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” It wasn’t that they had lost their first love, but they had left it! I thought of the danger of not having the same love for God: with all our heart, our mind, our soul and our neighbour as ourselves – and not loving God as we did once, but left it. Maybe we haven’t got so much love for the children of God or those in the church that we had once, but left it behind. That doesn’t leave us without hope: even as in this church, “Remember therefore from when thou art fallen.” There are a lot of things we forget, but we don’t often forget when we have fallen. That would affect all the individuals of that church to have their candlestick removed.
Psalm 125:1-2, it’s very important and helps us to be among those that would always have that desire to be in the house of God, to dwell in the house of the Lord forever. “They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion which cannot be removed but abideth for ever.” As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about His people from henceforth even forever. Lovely words and they give us hope. Whatever we have been in the past we can turn back to God and trust Him: keep that desire in our heart to dwell in the house of the Lord forever, and to keep seeking for it forever. “If ye seek, ye shall find it.” It’s very nice to be here again and I have valued your friendship and fellowship over the last 43 years.