The sinner’s Friend

Gospel news for eternal salvation

SAMPLE

SAMPLE

1

The sinner’s FriendRecord of preaching in gospel hall

Psalm 1: 1–3; Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked, and standeth not in the way of sinners, and sitteth not in the seat of scorners; But his delight is in Jehovah’s law, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he [is] as a tree planted by brooks of water, which giveth its fruit in its season, and whose leaf fadeth not; and all that he doeth prospereth.Psalm 119: 1, 2; Blessed are the perfect in the way, who walk in the law of Jehovah. Blessed are they that observe his testimonies, that seek him with the whole heart;Psalm 119: 15, 16; I will meditate upon thy precepts, and have respect unto thy paths. I delight myself in thy statutes; I will not forget thy word.Psalm 119: 97; Oh how I love thy law! it is my medi-tation all the day.Psalm 119: 148; Mine eyes anticipate the night-watches, that I may meditate in thy ·word.

The object in reading from these two Psalms is to seek some impression from the Lord as to how we might experience the needed power to stand by our committal. It’s a fine thing when we come to the point in our lives when we make a committal,

SAMPLE

2

take a stand, make a resolve to go another way, to go the way that’s pleasing to God. We know what it is to please ourselves; we’d all have to say that. The eldest of us would say it more definitely, even, than the youngest of us. How much in our lives has been to please ourselves. Christ never did that, never pleased Himself. He is the One that’s the object in the glad tidings, blessed subject of them, blessed object of them, blessed and sufficient object.

But I think there’s a correspondence between the two Psalms that would point to the exercises and experiences that bring a soul through to some sense of strength to stand by a committal. Psalm 1, I think it’s clear it points to Christ personally. You can understand the Psalms beginning that way. They’re compositions of God’s people in response to His law, in response to His service through the prophets. The Psalms are what His people have written. And you can understand how David, in making up this wonderful book, would put this Psalm first. It’s morally right that it should be put first because it’s a Man whose whole heart and

SAMPLE

3

whole being, speaking reverently, as Man, was to please God, please His Father. He said, I do always those things that please the Father. The apostle tells us in Romans that Christ pleased not Himself. You wonder at the language used to convey such an idea to us. There couldn’t be a thought that there was ever anything in Jesus contrary to His Father’s will. That’s not the point. He says, I came not to do Mine own will. It isn’t that there’s any possibility or thought that there’d be anything in Christ contrary to His Father’s will. Scripture’s clear about it, definite about it. It’s the very rock of Christianity, the very rock of the universe, the perfection of Jesus. What a glorious object, what a glorious sacrifice. It says, He knew not sin; Him who knew not sin was made sin. Couldn’t have been otherwise; no other sacrifice could have met it. The outstanding guilt that we’ve sung about so beautifully—Lamb of God, for sinners wounded, sacrifice to cancel guilt. I love that word. I think it should charm every convicted heart. You see, we’re all sinners.

We were trying to say something earlier today about what they were bringing against

SAMPLE

Jesus, that He was a friend of sinners. What we tried to point out was that He was a friend of convicted sinners, convicted sinners, persons who know that they’re sinners. Not only sinners, but convicted about it, feel their lost condition, their distance from God, feel the utter helplessness of the condition that I’m in through being a sinner. That’s the kind of sinners that Jesus was a friend of. Of course, He would be that to every one. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—no limitation on it. You come to a vast city like this, or a vast country like this, and you think of how many millions there are. Persons always seem to be going so fast, so interminable, endless. And God counts every one. Jesus came into the world to save sinners. He didn’t make any limi-tations. God, it says, would have all men to be saved, all men to be saved. But it’s con-victed sinners that prove His friendship. Oh, to be among the convicted sinners today, find that Christ is your friend. Sacrifice to cancel guilt—cancel it! Are you feeling your guilt? Maybe you’ve felt it for a long time, but haven’t confessed your guilt. We’ve

4

SAMPLE

5

had that, persons going on for a year, two years, three years, four years, going on with things that were not right, contrary to the truth. They know they’re not right—haven’t broken down, haven’t confessed it. We can’t cancel the guilt, we can’t cancel it if it’s not declared, if it’s not exposed. The sacrifice is great enough for it, but you can’t get the gain of the cancellation until you admit the debt. What’ll happen? Will something work? You’ll stay in your sins; and what’s worse, you’ll stay on sinning. You can’t stop sinning till you start to confess. That’s the solemnity of the moment.

But what a thing it is to know Jesus is a friend of convicted sinners, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners. And how often that is referred to, the Scripture of the woman that came to the gate. How lovely it is. We never tire of reading about her. We won’t tire of reading about you when you’re a convicted sinner, confess your sins, and get that word, Her many sins, for I say, her many sins. Simon knew she was a sinner, and he was complaining about Christ because He received ministration from a woman that

SAMPLE

6

was a sinner. But what Simon didn’t know was that her many sins are forgiven. She wasn’t going on sinning then. She wasn’t sinning when she came to serve Jesus in Simon’s house. That’s what constitutes the church, you know, forgiven sinners. Well, that’s Jesus—came not to do Mine own will, it says, but the will of Him that sent Me. My food—at one point the disciples were so occupied about getting food prepared. It’s not as important as we think it is, you know, not as important. You get a little bit sick, you don’t want your food. You find you can do without it a little better than you thought you could. Not that I’m advocating people getting sick; I don’t mean that.

This psalmist says, 119, Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but then he says, it was good for me that I was afflicted. Ever been afflicted? Well, the psalmist says, it was good for me, because he knew God. It’s not a sinner away over there in the distance, away from God, in rebellion and self-will and bitterness. That’s not this psalmist, Psalm 119. He’s come to appreci-ate Christ. It goes on to say—you’ll notice

SAMPLE

7

the connection—Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked, standeth not in the way of sinners, and sitteth not in the seat of scorners. Think of the imperial majesty of Christ as coming among men, entirely, absolutely free. We quoted one reference. In Him sin was not, and Him who knew no sin. Worthy Saviour. I love that word of that hymn—’Tis the Word, ’Tis God’s Anointed—think of it—Son of man and Son of God. Everything, every glory centred in Christ, every expression of God manward is in Jesus, and every expression of man Godward is in Jesus. That’s the centre, the centre of time and eternity, is Jesus. Every thought of God for man is expressed in Him; every thought of man towards God is expressed in Jesus. You can understand why the psalmist in 119 is so occupied, so intense, so determined, so definite. Just read the Psalm. You could read it a hundred times and you couldn’t compass it.

But I just thought of this beautiful link, it says, his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.

SAMPLE

8

The psalmist here refers to the blessing upon the perfect. You read through the Psalm; he doesn’t take the ground of being a perfect person. He says his soul cleaves to the dust in one place. Another place he says he’d gone astray like a lost sheep. You wonder what it all means. It just means the inward resolve of the soul to be for Christ. That’s all it is. He goes over it, letter by letter, word by word, line by line, he let the thing sink into him, that the law of the Lord, the word of the Lord, commandments of the Lord—he says he loves them. One place he says he loves them as much as all wealth; he regards them as much as all wealth. Another time he says they’re better than thousands of gold and silver. Another time he says, it’s better than gold, yea than fine gold. You see, he’s growing, he’s growing in his appreciation of the declaration of the mind of God in Jesus. I never noticed it quite so pointedly, that hymn we sang. ’Tis the Word—that’s the One who made God known—’Tis God’s Anointed, Son of man and Son of God. He’s the only object that can control our lives according to God’s

SAMPLE

9

pleasure. That’s the secret of a delivered believer, is that Christ is His law. That’s this Psalm 119.

I only read a few verses. I feel I’m so shallow. How he’s coming into accord. He says, it’s my meditation. He says, I love Thy law! it is my meditation all the day. Finally he says, Mine eyes anticipate the night-watches, that I may meditate in Thy word. That means night and day, all he’s think-ing about is God’s word, God’s law, God’s pleasure, God’s delight. He’s coming into accord with Jesus. I think that’s the secret that will enable us to go through life true to our committal to Christ. May we know it. For His name’s sake.

J.S. Hales

SAMPLE

Other booklets are available from:Christian Doctrine and Gospel PublishingChelwood House, Cox Lane, Chessington

Surrey, KT9 1DN, Englandwww.christiandoctrineandgospelpublishing.org

SAMPLE