The Lord's coming is very near

… The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 24, referring in verse 48 to what the evil servant says, he says, Lord, and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, my Lord, delayeth his coming. Chapter 25, from verse 5, while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, behold, the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him. John's Gospel, chapter 20. The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth a stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciples whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, they have taken away my Lord out of the sepulchre. And we know not where they have laid him. Verse 11, but Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping. And as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the sepulchre, and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus was laid. Then they saith unto her, woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary, she turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni, which is to say, master. Jesus saith unto her, touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, to my God, and to your God. Verse two in the forty-fifth Psalm. I read from verse eight. All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. King's daughters were among thine honourable women. Upon thy right hand did stand the Queen in offer, in gold of offer. Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear. Forget also thine own people, and thy father's house. So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty, for he is thy Lord, and worship thou him. The verse in the last chapter of Revelation. The twentieth verse. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus. It's over sixty years since I first put my trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. And ever since that moment, or that time, I heard it expressed by all who knew the things of God. The Lord's coming is very near. Why is it then that we get in the twenty-fourth verse, the twenty-fourth chapter, verse forty-eight, about an evil servant saying in his heart, My Lord, delayeth his coming. I wonder if it is. Because of the way things are in the world at the present time, I don't refer to the evil and all the things that we suffer because of it. I refer to the things that are making things easy. What one speaks of as the affluent society. We have all that we need down here. And I'm quite content to stay here. Is that what we say? Is it also that we're saying, like this man, this evil servant, he says it in his heart, My Lord, delays his coming. I wonder if I might say it. When I heard it said the first time, I was under the influence of it, and I felt, well, it will surely be very soon. I've waited sixty years. It still hasn't come. Am I like that man? He delays his coming. Now it's remarkable that the Lord starts in chapter twenty-five with a parable which he does well for us to meditate upon. It answers that servant. He gives him his answer. He delays his coming, doesn't he? We find in the sixth verse, at midnight, when we least expect it. At midnight a cry is made, Behold the bridegroom. No, I stop there. Because I understand that the best version does not come out. Now that's what we have to see. Behold the bridegroom is here. It ought to be, to both you and me, that he is present to me, to my heart. Behold he cometh. Now, behold the bridegroom. Have our hearts got so set upon the Lord Jesus Christ that to us he is present with us? If that were so, as we've had it put before us very much this week, we would not be occupied with all that we see in the world. It would not hold us, the things of the world. We say no. We want to go out and meet him. Behold the bridegroom is there at the door. Now that's what the Lord wanted his servants, what he wants you and me to be. That we're waiting, expecting him, right at the moment we're meeting him. Shall the things of this world hold us? We say I don't want anything. All I want is the one upon whom my heart is set. I want my blessed Lord. I want to fall at his feet. I want to be with him. I want to be where he is. Behold the bridegroom. Go ye out to meet him. It's nearer time. The twentieth chapter gives us an illustration. He was Mary Magdalene, out of whom was cast seven devils. I venture to say she got the seven spirits. I leave it for you to judge. But here it is. She was under the absolute power of Satan and the devil. She needed someone to release her, to set her at liberty. She met that blessed man. And he set her at liberty. He won her heart. Sure he did. He won her heart. I wonder if it is that we have realized, all of us, you and I have realized in our hearts, that from which we've been delivered. By the intervention of the Lord himself, in our lives, we've been delivered from the thralldom of sin and Satan, set at liberty. Is that why you've come here? Because the things of the Lord are first place in your heart? Is it that you want to know more of that better person? That you want to walk here according to him and his will, revealed in his word? Is that the purpose? Do you love him? You say, yes, I love him. I love my blessed Lord, who died on Calvary's cross. He suffered such shame and loss that he might win me, that he might have me. Is your heart one like Mary Magdalene's? She saw in that blessed Lord, she says, that's the man for me. Where I am, I want him with me. He's been crucified. She saw it. He was laid in the grave, dead. Tears fell down those cheeks. The one whom I loved, I've lost. I only want him back again. So on the third day, she goes to where she knew his body lay. She looks in. It's not there. Oh, it's not there. Whatever has happened? Someone's taken that body. If I cannot have him alive, I'll have his body, she says. Somebody's taken him. She runs after the disciples. She tells them, she says there, that they take very little notice of her. But Mary stood without a sepulcher weeping. I wonder if we have ever wept for our blessed Lord because we want him. Not just exactly because he suffered on the cross for us, but that we want him. There's no one else that will fill your heart or mine but that blessed person. Do we ever weep for him? Her heart was one, but she was a dissatisfied heart. I haven't got my blessed Lord whom I love, loved dearly. I want him. So she says, seeing two angels in white sitting, one on the right head and the other on the feet, where the body of Jesus is laid, and they say to her, woman, why weepest thou? She says unto them, because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they've laid him. She views it from an earthly standpoint. They've taken him away and I don't know where he is. Oh, let me know where he is and I'll be satisfied. When she had thus said, she turned herself back and saw Jesus standing and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus said unto her, woman, why weepest thou? Why are you crying? Why are you shedding those tears? Whom seekest thou? She supposing him to be the God that is said unto him, sir, if thou art born in hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. The Lord so filled her up. She says, I want him and him only. If I cannot have him alive, I'll have him dead. But the Lord knows how to meet him. And he says, Jesus said unto her, woman, he touched the cord in her heart. Previously, she hadn't recognized that voice, but when she heard her own name mentioned, yes, that's Jesus. That's my Lord. He says, sir, if thou art born in hence. No, she turned herself and said unto him, Rabona, which is to say master. Jesus said unto her, touch me not. I can imagine what that woman was like. Here she says, my Lord, he's alive. I want to hold him and never let him go. Touch me not. Touch me not. I have not ascended to my father. But go to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend unto my father and your father. My God and your God. He'd often spoken about his father. He'd spoken many times to them about his father in heaven. He says, I'm going there, but all the blessed thing which he revealed to that woman, my father is your father. That's the point that she got. My father is your father. Have you realized that? That the father of the blessed Lord himself is our father. Our father. What a near place. It's only ours as we realize it. He tells her, no, I'm going away. I'm going up into heaven. In his humiliation, he won that woman's heart. Because of his humiliation, he's won yours and mine. But in the glory where he is at the present time, in the greatness and majesty of his glory, that's where we have to be. I want you there, he says. I want you there. Tell my brethren. Tell them all. Oh, she was satisfied now. Fully satisfied. Her heart was pushed forward. Well might we say then. As we get into the last chapter of Revelation. It says, the one that says these things, says surely, I come quickly. I come quickly. Oh may that hope, the greatness of it, the constant hope in our hearts, ever be with us, right through. I say to you, as I say, often to myself as a young lad, as I heard these truths being brought before us. The Lord is coming. It's more real, it's greater to me now. The Lord is coming. It's the only thing that's going to sustain us down here. The fact that the Lord is coming. What will you be doing? What are you doing? What should I be doing? If he comes this very night, what will you be able to say to him concerning your life down here? Be exercised about it. We've had much before us these days. Much before us. May these things work in our hearts and get us to realize that we are here for him. The short while, it's not long. He's coming again. May we ever be ready for him. But there's a few thoughts expressed which I must speak about and that is in the 45th Psalm. I know that's Jewish, entirely Jewish. But I see in it thoughts which we can take to our own hearts. Look at verse 10. Harken, O daughter, harken. Listen to what God is saying. What he would have us to know. Harken. I'm afraid sometimes the things of this world make us very deaf to the things of God. Don't harken. But having harkened, let us consider. Harken, O daughter, and consider. Yes. Ponder those things we've had before us these past few days. Consider them. Consider them. They're for our good. They're vitally important to us. Let that ear of mine be ever ready. The Lord's ear was ever ready to listen to the voice of his Father every day of his life down here. I wonder if I was hard. Another thing. Forget. Forget. How are we told to forget? It says there in the 24th of Matthew, I think he'd forgotten that servant that the Lord was coming. He says here, forget. Forget what? Forget also thine own people. Is it that I am so concerned about my natural relationships, the things that are mine down here, as to make me forget the things of the Lord? The Lord would turn it round and say, no, forget those things. And how easily our hearts and minds are taken up with the things of this world. He says, forget them. May we be given grace to forget those things. More than that, my Father's house. Yes, it's well sometimes to forget our natural relationships. Forget them. There's sometimes just trammel and tiggle our feet, as someone told me today. Prevent my going in the things of the Lord. Hold them lightly. Don't let them hold you back. You have only one life to live, beloved brother, beloved sister. You have only one life to live down here. Live it for the Lord. So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty. Who can it be that the Lord himself sees in you and me, as belonging to himself down here, beauty. Yes, beauty. Beauty. And more than that, his soul fills his own heart with so filled his heart. But he says, I want him. He desires us. Mary Magdalene says, I want my Lord. Here we find the Lord says, I want you. I want you. I'm coming again for you. So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty. The beauty which he has clothed us with. We've had it before us, the white robe. The things that were going to shine in that coming day. When in his infinite grace, he enables us to be in his presence. And to know and enjoy his things. And be in his kingdom throughout the whole eternity. Where, as we said, the glory of God shall be revealed in us. For he is thy Lord. May we never forget it. He has a right to us. He came into this world and died for us. He purchased us with his precious blood, that is. And then, worship thou he. It's the occupation which he wants each one of us to have. To worship our blessed Lord. May grace be given to each one of us to do that. …