A Golden Verse

[0:00] Well, if we could, with the Lord's help and the Lord's enabling, if we could turn back to that portion of scripture that we read, the book of Proverbs, Proverbs chapter 16.

[0:19] And I'd like us just to look at one proverb this evening, and it's the proverb in verse 6. Proverbs 16 at verse.

[0:30] 6. Where Solomon writes, by steadfast love and faithfulness, iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord, one turns away from evil.

[0:43] By steadfast love and faithfulness, iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord, one turns away from evil.

[0:54] Now, I think it's safe to say that words are important. And words are important because they communicate to us what's going on in our lives.

[1:07] Words express our feelings. Words describe our situations. Words convey our mood. Words reveal our opinions. Words are important.

[1:19] And how we use words are important. Because we can use our words to encourage people or discourage people. We can use our words to defend or condemn.

[1:29] We can use our words to love or hate. We can use our words to, well, we can use our words wisely or foolishly. Words are important.

[1:40] And, you know, when we come to the book of Proverbs, we see how important words are. Because the book of Proverbs is a book written by Solomon, and it's full of wise words.

[1:53] And when you read this book, and I'd encourage you to read it, it's a wonderful book. But when you read this book, you realize how important words are and how powerful words are.

[2:04] Because the book of Proverbs, it's just a collection of wise words that are used to teach wisdom. Solomon wants us to be wise. He wants us to possess through wisdom.

[2:18] But as you know, wisdom isn't knowledge. Because knowledge can exist without wisdom. Someone can be knowledgeable without being wise.

[2:29] And according to Solomon, through wisdom is the ability to discern between right and wrong. Between good and evil. Righteousness and sin.

[2:40] Through wisdom is seeking to live your life in a manner that is pleasing to God. By keeping his commandments. And upholding his covenant. And, you know, that's how Solomon actually introduces his book on the book of Proverbs.

[2:56] He writes in chapter 1. He introduces it. He says, The Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king in his room. And then he says, To know wisdom and instruction. To understand words of insight.

[3:09] To receive instruction in wise dealing. In righteousness, justice and equity. To give prudence to the simple. Knowledge and discretion to the youth. Let the wise hear and increase in learning.

[3:22] And to the one who understands, obtain guidance. To understand a proverb and a saying. The words of the wise and their bridles. Then he says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

[3:35] Fools despise wisdom and instruction. And so for Solomon, words are important. Because words convey wisdom and understanding.

[3:45] But what I'd like us to see from this one verse hidden in the book of Proverbs. What I want us to see is that this verse is a golden verse. And it's a golden verse because it contains the greatest wisdom.

[4:00] And it expresses to us the beauty of our gospel. And in this golden verse. There are only eight words. There are eight Hebrew words in verse six.

[4:13] And each word teaches us how important. How important. Well, there's three things it teaches us. It teaches us about the covenant, the cross and the Christian.

[4:25] So each word is important in this verse. And they teach us about the covenant, the cross and the Christian. So if we look first of all at the covenant.

[4:36] Look again at this one verse. Verse six. By steadfast love and faithfulness, iniquity is atoned for. And by the fear of the Lord, one turns away from evil. And as we said, words are important.

[4:49] The first two words in this golden verse are the words by steadfast love and faithfulness. And although there are a few words in English, there are actually only two words in Hebrew.

[5:02] Steadfast love and faithfulness. And those two words, they are there to remind us of God's covenant promise. They are covenantal words. And the word steadfast love, it refers to God's covenant love towards his people.

[5:18] That God has graciously and mercifully acted towards us. Not because of our merited righteousness, holiness or goodness. But God has acted towards us solely because of his great love towards us.

[5:34] And you know, this is what the Lord often reminded the people of Israel. He reminded them, even in Deuteronomy chapter seven. The Lord reminded his people that he saved them.

[5:45] And he delivered them from bondage and slavery in Egypt. Not because they were greater than anyone else. Not because they were more important than anyone else. He saved them simply because he loved them.

[5:59] And you know, I love what we're told in Deuteronomy seven. It just says, the Lord did not set his love upon you. Or choose you because you were greater than any other people. The Lord set his love on you.

[6:11] Because the Lord loved you. The Lord set his love on you. Because the Lord loved you. And you know, this is our great hope and assurance as a Christian tonight.

[6:25] That the Lord has chosen us. And he loves us. Not because of who we are or what we've done as a Christian. But the Lord has set his covenant love upon us.

[6:37] Just because he loves us. It wasn't anything to do with us. Or our upbringing. Or our family. Or our knowledge of the Bible. Or even our church attendance. The Lord loves us because he has chosen to love us.

[6:51] And the Lord loves us and cherishes us with an everlasting love. In fact, it's not only an everlasting love. It's an eternal love. It's a love.

[7:02] Let me make it personal. It's a love that knew you. And chose you. And cared for you. Before the world began. That's how beautiful God's love is for you.

[7:16] That you were known to him. That you were loved by him. With his covenant love. And you were known to him. And loved by him. And chosen by him. Before he had even spoken into the darkness.

[7:28] And said, let there be light. And this is the wonder of our salvation. That in the realms of eternity. Before the world was. God the Father and God the Son.

[7:39] They entered into this great covenant of redemption. And that covenant. It was signed and sealed by the Holy Spirit. Where you could say. God the Father.

[7:50] He chose us. And he loved us as fallen sinners. God the Son. He was willing to die for us. As fallen sinners. And God the Holy Spirit. He was willing to dwell within us.

[8:01] As fallen sinners. And this is the beauty of the gospel. That even in the realms of eternity. Your name was known to God. And you were part of his great plan.

[8:15] And covenant of redemption. Through which he would bless his people. And what's amazing is that. Despite our unfaithfulness to the Lord. The Lord remained faithful to his covenant of redemption.

[8:31] And that's what these two opening covenantal words emphasize. They emphasize God's steadfast covenant love. And his faithfulness towards his covenant. And you know this is something we have to remember.

[8:45] That God in his love. And out of his own good pleasure. He chose to make this covenant. This binding promise. And the wonder of it is.

[8:57] That the Lord sought to do something. In order that there was nothing that could break this covenant. The Lord sought to redeem a people to himself.

[9:09] Regardless of how wayward they could be. And the wonder of it all. Is that the Lord graciously bound himself. To the covenant. He bound himself to his people.

[9:20] And he promised to fulfill his covenant promise. With steadfast love. And faithfulness. And so what we're reminded here. Is that the God of the Bible.

[9:32] Is a covenant making. And a covenant keeping God. He is faithful to his people. And he is faithful to his promises. And you know whatever you may be going through tonight.

[9:44] Whatever is in your cup. Whatever is in your experience. You can be assured by God's covenant. That you are valuable to him. Not because of who you are.

[9:57] But because of whose you are. You are valuable to the Lord. Not because of who you are. But because of whose you are. And the truth is.

[10:07] By his covenant. You belong to him. He has covenanted himself to you. Which means that he will never cast you off. He'll never leave you.

[10:18] And he'll never forsake you. And you can have assurance tonight. Because the Lord has bound himself to you. With his steadfast love and faithfulness. And that's where our assurance is tonight.

[10:31] That's where our hope of salvation is. Our hope of salvation. Is in the heart of God's covenant promise. Because there's nothing we can do. To make God love us any more than he already does.

[10:44] And there's nothing we can do. To make him love us any less. And through our faith in Jesus Christ. We are part of this covenant of redemption. Not because of anything we've done.

[10:56] Or anything we've achieved. But solely according to his abundant grace. But you know what's remarkable. Is that God's steadfast love and faithfulness. It was not only a promise.

[11:10] It was also a passion. And you know this is what I love about the Bible. You know I love studying the Bible. It's a great privilege. But what I love about the Bible.

[11:21] Is that these two important words. Steadfast love and faithfulness. They're repeated throughout the Bible. As God's promise of salvation. God's promise that he's going to save.

[11:32] His people from their sins. But they're not only the promise of salvation. They also refer to God's portion of salvation. Because when we come into the New Testament.

[11:42] These two words. Steadfast love and faithfulness. They're translated. As we've mentioned before. They're translated as grace and truth. And we see that when the Apostle John writes his gospel.

[11:54] One of the first things that he says. About God's covenant promise. He says this covenant promise. It has been revealed in person. The eternal word of God he says.

[12:06] Has become flesh. And it has dwelt among us. And in Jesus Christ he says. We have beheld the glory of God's covenant. Which is full of grace and truth.

[12:18] Full of steadfast love and faithfulness. You know it's wonderful. But you know what makes the Bible such a beautiful book. To read and to meditate upon.

[12:31] Is that Jesus is not only the person of the covenant promise. He's also the purpose of the covenant promise. The Apostle Paul later reminds us.

[12:43] That God has demonstrated his covenant. He has demonstrated his steadfast love and faithfulness. In this way. And he says that whilst we were still sinners.

[12:54] Whilst we were still strangers to grace and to God. Whilst we were still in the far country. Still prodigal. Still without hope in this world. Still enemies of the cross.

[13:05] Whilst we were still strangers to grace and to God. But God demonstrated his love towards us. In that Christ died for us.

[13:17] It's wonderful. And you know I don't know if you noticed in Psalm 85. But that's what we were just singing about. We were singing about the promise.

[13:29] The person and the purpose of the covenant. In Psalm 85 we sang that at the cross. Truth met with mercy. And righteousness and peace kissed mutually.

[13:43] At the cross. Faithfulness met with steadfast love. And righteousness and peace kissed mutually. At the cross. The promise.

[13:54] The person and the purpose of God's covenant. It all came together. As Jesus bore our sins. In his own body. On the tree. And so when we come to this proverb.

[14:07] We see. Words are important. And words are precious. And these words especially. Steadfast love. And faithfulness. And they're important.

[14:18] These words are important. And they're precious. Because they remind us about the covenant. And they remind us about a covenant. That was revealed. At the cross. And that's what we'll see secondly.

[14:30] So the covenant. The cross. So secondly the cross. Read this verse again. By steadfast love and faithfulness. Iniquity is atoned for.

[14:40] And by the fear of the Lord. One turns away. From evil. So as we've said. Words are important. And having described God's covenant of redemption.

[14:51] With the first two words. Steadfast love and faithfulness. Solomon now describes the cross of redemption. With the next two words. Iniquity is atoned for.

[15:02] So it's iniquity and atonement. And in these two words. Iniquity and atonement. We're given the reason for the cross. And the remedy of the cross. We're given the problem of sin.

[15:13] And the provision of a saviour. And with the word iniquity. Solomon highlights. The reason for the cross. Because well. Iniquity is just another word.

[15:24] For sin. But you know. Having spent time thinking about this. In a sense. Iniquity is not just another word for sin. Because in the Bible.

[15:36] There are three words. That are used to describe sin. Sin. There's transgression. Iniquity. And sin. And these three words. Describe different aspects.

[15:47] And different actions. Of our sin. And each of them. Gives to us. The reason for the cross. Because transgression. Transgression is the outward act.

[15:57] Of wrongdoing. That's premeditated. Transgression is the active desire. To have our own way. It's a desire to do what we want to do. Transgression begins with.

[16:10] I. I want. I need. I will have. Transgression revolves around self. And it involves making a deliberate act of disobedience.

[16:21] Transgression. And transgression. It gives to us the illustration of walking across. Or stepping over a boundary line. Which God has set in his word.

[16:32] And when we commit an act of trespass. We're entering into a forbidden territory. We're crossing the forbidden boundary line. Transgression is the outward act.

[16:42] Of wrongdoing. But iniquity. Iniquity is the inward act. Of wrongdoing. Iniquity. Means perverseness.

[16:54] Or crookedness. And iniquity. It comes from the heart. It goes deeper than transgression. Transgression is the outward act. Of crossing the boundary line of God's word.

[17:06] But iniquity. Is the inward reality. That there's a crookedness. And a perverseness. In the human heart. And the biblical diagnosis of our heart.

[17:17] As you know. Is that it's deceitful. Above all things. And desperately wicked. Our hearts are full of iniquity. They're twisted.

[17:28] Bent. And perverted. And you know. Jesus knew that iniquity. Would be a problem for us. Because transgression. Well that's the boundary line.

[17:39] That everyone can see us crossing. Everyone can see us crossing. The boundary line. When we transgress. But iniquity. That's a boundary that. No one can see us crossing.

[17:50] Except for God. And our heart is something. Jesus says we need to watch. Jesus warns us. That out of the heart. Come evil thoughts.

[18:00] Murder. Adultery. Sexual immorality. Theft. False witness. Slander. These says Jesus. Are what defile a person. And when you combine.

[18:12] Outward transgression. And inward iniquity. You have sin. And sin means. To miss the mark. It's the image of the arrow.

[18:23] Being fired. And it dips below the target. It misses the mark. And that's what sin is. It's to fall short. Of the standard. That God has set in his word. It's to fall short.

[18:34] Of God's glory. Both inwardly. And outwardly. And so the Bible tells us. That the reason for the cross. Is simply because all have sinned. And come short of the glory of God.

[18:45] The reason for the cross. Is our transgression. Iniquity. And sin. The reason for the cross. Is because. God is of purer eye. Than to behold iniquity.

[18:55] And to look upon sin. God hates sin. He can't look upon sin. And our sin. Deserves God's wrath. And punishment. My friend.

[19:06] The reason for the cross. Is because our sin. Deserves the fire. Of hell. And you know. Is that what the psalmist. Was reminding us. In Psalm 130.

[19:18] He asks the question. Lord. Who shall stand. If thou Lord. Should mark iniquity. And what he was saying.

[19:28] Was that. Lord. If you were to mark down. And take note. And keep a record. Of all my transgressions. Iniquities. And sins. I could never withstand.

[19:40] Your righteous judgment. I wouldn't be able. To defend myself. Against your accurate. Description of my heart. I couldn't endure. The wrath and hell. That my sin deserves. Lord.

[19:50] Who shall stand. If thou Lord. Should mark iniquity. But this is the wonder. Of this golden verse. That he says. By steadfast love. And faithfulness.

[20:02] Iniquity. Is atoned for. By the promise. Of the covenant. There is a provision. In the cross. And what Solomon. Is affirming to us here. Is that.

[20:12] In these two words. Iniquity. And atonement. We're given the reason. For the cross. And the remedy. For the cross. We're given. The problem of sin. And the provision.

[20:23] Of a savior. Because. The problem of sin. Is that. God. Is of purer eye. Than to behold. Iniquity. And to look upon sin. God.

[20:36] Cannot. Look upon sin. And because of this. We need the provision. Of a savior. We need someone. To cover. Our iniquity. We need someone. To avert. The wrath.

[20:46] Of God. And hide. Our sin. From God's face. And that's what the word. Atonement means. It means to cover. To cover our sin.

[20:58] And what's interesting. What's interesting. About this word. Is that the only. Other time. That this. The form of this word. Is really used. In the bible. Is in Leviticus. Chapter 16.

[21:09] And 17. And those two chapters. Leviticus 16. And 17. They present to us. The most important day. In Israel's calendar. The day of atonement.

[21:23] Leviticus 16. And you should read it. It's a wonderful chapter. Leviticus 16. It describes to us. The actions of Aaron. The high priest. And the duties. That he had to perform.

[21:34] Once a year. In order to make atonement. For his people. And Leviticus 16. It's. It's a great chapter. To meditate. And to read upon. We don't have time. To go into it.

[21:44] This evening. But. We're told there. In Leviticus 16. That on the day of atonement. The priest. Shall make atonement. To cleanse the people. That they may be clean.

[21:56] From all their sins. Before the Lord. Before the eyes. Of the Lord. And then. When you go into. Leviticus chapter 17. That chapter reminds us.

[22:06] That atonement. Can only be made. By the shedding. Of blood. The Lord said. In Leviticus 17. It is the blood. That makes atonement.

[22:17] For the soul. It is the blood. That makes atonement. For the soul. And my friend. That's how. Iniquity. Is atoned for. That's how the wrath of God.

[22:28] Is averted. It's covered. By precious blood. And that's the remedy. Of the cross. Because when we look. At the cross. We see. A crucified Christ.

[22:40] And we realize. That without. The shedding. Of his blood. There's no forgiveness. Without the shedding. Of his precious blood. There's no atonement.

[22:51] There's no mercy. There's no reconciliation. With God. There's no peace. With God. There's no redemption. Because. As Peter reminds us. We are redeemed.

[23:02] Not with corruptible things. Such as silver and gold. But only. By the precious blood. Of Christ. And so my friend. The reason for the cross. It was all our transgression.

[23:13] Our iniquity. And our sin. But the remedy of the cross. Was the blood. Of Jesus Christ. And you know. If any of the apostles.

[23:24] Understood this wonderful concept. It was the apostle John. When you read his. First letter. To the churches. John assures us.

[23:35] That it's the blood. Of Jesus Christ. That cleanses us. From all. Sin. And then he says. We should have confidence. Because of the blood.

[23:46] That if we confess. Our sins. God will be faithful. To his covenant. And because he was just. At the cross. In condemning his own son. He will cleanse us.

[23:56] From all unrighteousness. But then. When you go on. In John's first letter. John went on to write. About the reason for the cross. And the remedy of the cross. Because he says.

[24:08] In chapter 3. Here in his love. Not that we loved God. But that he loved us. And he sent his son. To be the propitiation.

[24:19] For our sins. Here in his love. This. Is love. Not that we loved God. But that he loved us.

[24:30] With his covenant. Love. And faithfulness. And he fulfilled his covenant. John says. By sending his own son. To be the propitiation.

[24:41] For our sins. To be the atoning sacrifice. For our sins. To cover our sins. By his own blood. And to avert. The wrath of God.

[24:51] That's what the word. Propitiation means. It means to cover our sin. And to remove the wrath of God. That's how we can be forgiven. Our sins are covered by blood.

[25:01] And the wrath of God. Is removed. He is the propitiation. For our sins. And he did it all. At the cross. He did it all.

[25:12] At the cross. And you know. It doesn't matter. How many times. I come and consider. The cross of Jesus Christ. Every time I do. I always have in my mind.

[25:23] The words of that famous hymn. You'll know it. Man of sorrows. What a name. For the son of God. Who came. Ruined sinners. To reclaim. Hallelujah.

[25:34] What a savior. Bearing shame. And scoffing rude. In my place. Condemned. He stood. Sealed my pardon. With his blood. Hallelujah. What a savior.

[25:46] Guilty. Violent. Helpless. We. Spotless lamb of God. Was he. Full redemption. Can it be. Hallelujah. What a savior. Then he goes on to say.

[25:56] Lifted up. Was he to die. It is finished. Was his cry. Now in heaven. Exalted high. Hallelujah. What a savior. When he comes. Our glorious king.

[26:08] To his kingdom. Us to bring. Then I knew. The song will sing. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. What a savior. It is. It is wonderful.

[26:19] To see that words. Are important. And the words. Of this golden verse. Remind us. That through the promise. Of the covenant. There was the provision. Of the cross. Through the promise.

[26:29] Of the covenant. There was the provision. Of the cross. But then lastly. And more briefly. There is the purpose. Of the Christian. The covenant.

[26:40] The cross. And the Christian. The covenant. The cross. And the Christian. Solomon says. By steadfast love. And faithfulness.

[26:50] Iniquity. Is atoned for. And by the fear. Of the Lord. One turns away. From evil. So words. Are important. And having used.

[27:01] Only eight words. Eight Hebrew words. Solomon has described. First of all. The promise of the covenant. Steadfast love. And faithfulness. He's explained. The provision. Of the cross.

[27:12] Iniquity. And atonement. But in the last. Four Hebrew words. Solomon reminds us. Of the purpose. Of the Christian. Because the purpose. Of the Christian.

[27:23] Is to fear the Lord. And to turn away. From evil. And that's what we have to see. Is that. One. One will result. In the other.

[27:33] By fearing the Lord. He says. The result will be. That we turn away. From evil. So by fearing the Lord. We will turn away. From evil. And he says. That's the purpose. Of the Christian.

[27:45] Now as we said earlier. Solomon introduced. His book of Proverbs. To us. With the statement. The fear of the Lord. Is the beginning. Of knowledge. Fools despise wisdom.

[27:56] And instruction. And what we see. Throughout the book of Proverbs. When you read it. Is that Solomon. Continually. Or repeatedly. Explains. What it means. To fear the Lord.

[28:07] Because Solomon. Says that the fear of the Lord. Is not only the beginning. Of wisdom. He says. It is wisdom. He says. The fear of the Lord. Is to hate evil. He says.

[28:18] Another time. The fear of the Lord. Prolongs our days. The fear of the Lord. Is strong confidence. In the Lord. Solomon says. The fear of the Lord. Is a fountain of life.

[28:29] The fear of the Lord. Is great treasure. The fear of the Lord. Leads to life. The fear of the Lord. Is riches. And honor. And life. And you know.

[28:40] When you read. This verse. In that context. You realize. How precious it is. By steadfast love. And faithfulness. Iniquity. Is atoned for. And by the fear of the Lord.

[28:52] One turns away. From evil. By the fear of the Lord. One turns away. From evil. But what does it mean. To fear the Lord. Well.

[29:03] To fear the Lord. Is to submit. To the authority. Of the Lord. It's to have Jesus Christ. As Lord. Lord over. Every area.

[29:14] Of our life. To fear the Lord. Is to live in. In submission. To Jesus. And live in obedience. To his word. And you know.

[29:25] That's what David. Reminds us. In Psalm 19. We'll sing it. Shortly. But when David. Considered the wonder. Of God's word. In Psalm 19. He used all these.

[29:36] Different terms. To describe God's word. He described God's word. As his law. His testimony. His statutes. His commandments. His fear. And his judgments.

[29:49] And he says. I'm sure you'll know it yourself. From verse 7. God's law is perfect. And converts. The soul and sin that lies. God's testimony. Is most sure. And makes the simple wise.

[30:00] The statutes. Of the Lord. Are right. And do rejoice. The heart. The Lord's commands. Are pure. And doth. Light to the eyes. Impart. Then he says.

[30:11] Unspotted. Is the fear of God. And doth endure forever. The judgments. Of the Lord. Are true. And righteous. Altogether. And what David. Teaches us. In Psalm 19.

[30:22] Is that. To fear the Lord. Is to live. In submission. To Jesus Christ. And live. In obedience. To his word. And by fearing the Lord.

[30:34] Solomon's emphasizing to us. That we're not to pick and choose. Which parts of the Bible. That we want to adhere to. And just leave the other parts. No. To fear the Lord. Is to have the Lord.

[30:46] Over every area. Of your life. Jesus. Is Lord. Over every area. And you're submitting. To the authority. And you're being obedient. To the authority.

[30:56] Of God's word. My friend. To fear the Lord. Is to say. As David did. About God's word. Yea. More than gold. Yea.

[31:06] Much fine gold. To be desired are. Than honey. Honey. From the comb. That droppeth. Sweeter far. To fear the Lord. Is to put the Lord.

[31:17] First. And to live. Under his. Submission. And his authority. And what Solomon. Reminds us here. Is that. The purpose of the Christian. Is that.

[31:28] By the fear of the Lord. By submitting. To the authority. Of God's word. We will. Turn away. From evil. And you know. We're often told.

[31:39] That Jesus. Is our example. To follow. The Bible. Tells us. That we're to imitate. And mirror. Our lives. On the life. And conduct. Of Jesus.

[31:50] So Jesus. Is to be our example. But he's also. An example. Of what it means. To fear the Lord. Because you know. When Isaiah. Spoke.

[32:01] Prophetically. About the birth. Of Jesus. He said. In Isaiah 11. The spirit of the Lord. Shall be upon me. The spirit of wisdom. And understanding. The spirit of counsel. And might. The spirit of knowledge.

[32:12] And the fear. Of the Lord. And you know. If there was anyone. Who feared the Lord. It was Jesus. If there was anyone. Who lived in obedience. To God's word.

[32:23] And submitted. To the will. Of his father. It was Jesus. If there was anyone. Who upheld the promise. Of the covenant. It was Jesus. If there was anyone.

[32:33] Who fulfilled the provision. Of the cross. It was Jesus. If there was anyone. Who set out the purpose. Of the Christian life. It was Jesus. Because Jesus feared the Lord.

[32:46] He was obedient. In life. And he was obedient. Obedient unto death. Even the death. Of the cross. And so the purpose. Of the Christian. Our purpose.

[32:58] Is to fear the Lord. So that we will turn away. From evil. That we will keep walking. The narrow path. That leads to life. And you know.

[33:08] With Spurgeon. He very helpfully. Put it simply for us. He said. To fear the Lord. Is to love. Worship. And serve.

[33:18] The Lord. To fear the Lord. Is to love. Worship. And serve. The Lord. And so as Christians. Our response. To the covenant.

[33:29] And the cross. Is to love. Worship. And serve. The Lord. By steadfast love. And faithfulness. Iniquity is atoned for.

[33:41] And by the fear of the Lord. One. Turns away from evil. Words are important. And the words of this. Golden. Verse.

[33:52] If I can call it that. They're important. Because they remind us. About the covenant. The cross. And the Christian. May the Lord bless.

[34:02] These thoughts to us. Let us pray. Amen. O Lord. Our gracious God. Help us to be like David. That when he spoke about thy word.

[34:15] That he said. Yea more than gold. Yea much. Fine gold. That we would see thy word. As one that is precious. That it is a word. That is living and active.

[34:27] That it speaks into every situation. In our lives. That it is able to address us. And as we read it. Day by day. Help us to see. That it is a word. That is reading us.

[34:38] Day by day. And that we. O Lord. Would be conformed. More and more. To thy word. That we would submit. To its authority. And realize. That every promise.

[34:49] In thy word. Is to us. Yea and amen. In Christ. It is sealed. By thy spirit. That we might read. Thy word. And see the beauty. Of the cross. And be reminded. Daily.

[35:00] That he was wounded. For our transgressions. And bruised. For our iniquities. And Lord. We give thanks to thee. That thou art the one. Who gives us guidance. And even how to live.

[35:10] As a Christian. Help us. We pray. To. Or to take up. Our cross daily. And to follow. In the footsteps. Of Jesus. To emulate. This Christ.

[35:21] Who showed. And who lived out. The fear of the Lord. Where he was obedient. Unto death. Even the death. Of the cross. Lord. Keep us. We ask thee. Bless our time.

[35:32] Together this evening. And Lord. That thou wouldst go with us. Keep us in the week. The rest of the week. That lies ahead. That whatever is before us. That we would have. The greatest assurance.

[35:44] As the psalmist. Reminds us. That behind. Before thou hast beset. And laid on me. Thine hand. All such knowledge. Is too strange for me. Too high.

[35:54] To understand. Keep us. Lord. We pray. And go before us. For Jesus sake. Amen. Well we'll bring our service.

[36:07] To a conclusion. By singing. Those words of Psalm 19. Psalm 19. In the Scottish Psalter. Page 223. Psalm 19.

[36:20] We're singing. From verse 7. Down to the verse. Marked 10. God's law is perfect. And converts the soul. In sin that lies. God's testimony.

[36:32] Is most sure. And makes the simple wise. Down to the verse. Marked 10. To God's praise. God's law is perfect.

[36:45] God's prayer.

[36:59] He does say, so might's complimentary. God's law is perfection. Be excellent. simple wise.

[37:14] The statutes of the Lord are right, and to rejoice the heart.

[37:31] The Lord's calm is pure and dark, light to the eyes impart.

[37:49] I spot it is the fear of God, and doth endure forever.

[38:05] The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous all together.

[38:24] They more than gold did much find poor to be desired time.

[38:42] And honey, honey from the poor that drove the sweeter farm.

[38:57] the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all, now and forevermore.

[39:08] Amen.