John 16. 14[1]. There is no subject between the covers of the Bible more important than that which is before us each Whit Sunday[2]. The coming into this world of Holy Spirit (sic), the third person in the blessed Trinity. I know there are many who would disagree with me on this point and would argue, that the coming of Christ must take precedence. And without wishing to argue I would only say, that without the coming of the Holy Spirit we could not properly and rightly estimate the value of Christ’s coming to earth as a baby in Bethlehem for the purpose of our Redemption. Nor His coming again to take us to Himself. So the two are equally necessary and it is our joy to celebrate this second wondrous event. Now this evening I want by God’s help to show from God’s word how absolutely necessary it is, both for St. and sinner, saved and unsaved.. and how gloriously, He is fulfilling the stated purpose of His coming into this sin stained world in which we live. There was an extensive Knowledge of the OT Scriptures in the world before the crucifixion of our Lord, but the question asked by the Ethiopian eunuch revealed and ignorance of its meaning that was not confined to his own race by any means. And it was not until the advent of the Holy Spirit that the teaching of many of the Psalms was understood. Take for instance the second Psalm and compare it with Acts 4. 25-28. The statement of verse 28 could not have been made but by the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. And the same might be said of Isa 53.. and the explanation given by Phillip to the Ethiopian eunuch[3]. And this evening I want to show that the same thing applies the Psalm 16. I have recently dealt with this Psa in ministry for the Lord’s people[4] and it is equally applicable to those who are unbelievers and this is quite clearly set forth by our Lord in the chapter from which our text is taken: Where we read of His gracious work enlightening the apostles, concerning Himself, and also of His work in reproving the world of sin, righteousness and judgment to come. Now there are seven things in Psalm 16 which are very clearly seen by the guidance of the Holy Spirit and just to help you remember them you’ll notice they begin with the P. Prophecy. Prayer. Path. Peace. Pleasures. Purpose and Priesthood. Now I fully realize that in the time at my disposal I shall only be able to touch, briefly on each of these points, and let me remind of the word of Peter in his epistle Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost is, and he himself is facing a large crowd on the day of Pentecost and the circumstances demand an explanation of the strange currents that these Galilean men so spoke to that mixed crowd, gathered from practically all over the then known world, and yet they heard every man in his own tongue (or language) in which he was born. And Peter answered that question and showed plainly that it was in fulfillment of prophecy of Joel and passed on to show also that Psalm 16 referred to the Lord Jesus. Holy Spirit (sic) was just fulfilling the words spoken by our Lord, that He would + take[5] of the things that were His and shew it unto them. And coming to the second point in our list Prayer. Christ is presented to us in the opening verse as the Son of Man, and as such prayed as we need to pray, Preserve me Oh God. It is the cry of man that began in Eden, when sin entered and has been the cry of man ever since. Man’s consciousness of sin first brought home the need of preservation and he sought to preserve himself by the fig leaves[6], and man is still conscious of his need. I say man but it is not confined to adults. I have told you of a small girl not more than 4 years old who was my constant companion in the garden in which I worked, helping herself to the Raspberries, and as soon as she discovered that I was watching her, ran away, instead of towards me as she would have done normally. Why? I answer in one word Preservation. There would never have been this need in any shape or form word is not for sin. And our Lord prayed that prayer, not because of since he himself had committed, but because of our sins. And then we read of His path of life, and a close study of the whole Psalm shows plainly it the resurrection path out of the grave. And the Holy Spirit shows Peter the meaning of this at Pentecost, and he tells emphatically that it pointed forward to our Lord going down into death, and being raised again, and then in view of His sufferings, we read that Because Jehovah God was at His right hand He was not moved, and His heart rejoiced and His tongue was glad and His flesh rested in hope. What a picture we have here of our Lord’s attitude to all the sufferings of Calvary. Why this piece? Because He was sure of resurrection. He knew he would not see corruption. Then the next word is Pleasures. Yes let us not forget the letter S on the end of the word. In His life there were pleasures. The lines had fallen unto me in pleasant places Yea I have a goodly heritage. Wherein were His pleasure in His life. Do you not think the joy that came to the widow of Nain[7]. Mary Magdalene[8]. Blind Bartimaeus[9]. The demoniac of Gadara[10]: the mothers of Salem[11]. Jairus and the woman that touched the hem of His garment[12] and many others unrecorded. Was it not a joy to alleviate the sufferings of fallen man on all hands. I’m sure it was. And is that all. No. No. At the right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Don’t apply this verse to yourself only. You have found it comforting to do so. Don’t let me rob you of it. But I say unhesitatingly. Primarily it refers to the Lord’s joy in Father’s (sic) presence. What is He doing there? Interceding for us I never tire of this precious truth. When Satan intends me to despair And tells me of the guilt within Upward I look and see Him there Who made an end of all my sin. And this is the pleasure for evermore[13]. Just meeting the need of His loved ones. Purpose. What is it? Why did He come. There was a twofold purpose in all that Christ did hear: To satisfy the heart of His father, and reinstate us in His presence in all the sinlessness Adam enjoyed before he fell, and pronounce us justified. And His Priesthood. Just as Aaron entered the Holy Place with the blood of the Sin offering. So our Blessed and Adorable Lord entered the Presence of God for us, with His own blood, shed for the remission of sin, and, these are the truths the Holy Spirit reveals to us today concerning the work of Christ and it is only by Him that we grasp them
[1] He shall glorify me:
for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you
[2] Until 1978 the Monday after Whit Sunday (Pentecost) was a public holiday and traditionally a time for fairs and other celebrations. This has now become Spring Bank Holiday which is always on the last Monday in May. In the 1950s, therefore, there would have been a much more widespread awareness of Whitsun in the general populace.
[3] This is an ancient theological perspective which is recently being recovered in the SCM Theological Commentary on the Bible Matthew Levering in his commentary on Ezra & Nehemiah comments "Aquinas perceives the whole biblical narrative, Old and New Testaments together, as proclaiming the one complete gospel, and thus it is only in the interrelationship, and so the interweaving, of the whole biblical content that one is able to come to a full understanding of that gospel". This quote sums up Lloyd's approach.
[4] Two weeks previously in Plaistow
[5] take is inserted above the line
[6] Genesis 3:7
[7] Luke 7:12-15
[8] Luke 8:2
[9] Mark 10:46
[10] Mark 5:15
[11] It is not clear what is being referred to here
[12] Mark 5:21-43
[13] This is taken from the hymn The Advocate by Charitie Lees Smith
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great High Priest whose name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Saviour died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.
Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Saviour and my God!
Charitie Lees Smith (1841–1923) also known as Charitie Lees Bancroft an Anglican Irish American hymnwriter.
In 1860 one of Charitie's first compositions O for the robes of whiteness appeared in leaflet form in the immediate aftermath of the Irish 1859 revival. In 1863 she wrote perhaps her best known hymn "Before the Throne of God Above" which she entitled The Advocate (a hymn which was revived in evangelical circles in the late Twentieth Century). In 1867 Charitie's father took the family to Tattyreagh, Omagh, County Tyrone, when he became the rector of St Columba's Church. Charitie continued with her compositions eventually publishing them in a volume entitled Within the Veil in 1867.