Address—G. Hayhoe
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From the home of joy and love came the Lord Himself to seek us. He would have us there above 93.
From the palace of his glory.
From the home of joy and love.
Came the Lord himself to.
Seek us.
Hey, what have I?
There.
From the Eternal.
Pride.
How his thoughts flow forth in love.
Hey, there's Great Love.
Of us ever there will sail power.
Trembling we had.
A farmer safe?
So I'm alone place where there is dark.
But the round of the arthritis?
There we were.
Oh hey, one where I still share.
Shall we pray together?
Our blessed God and our Father, we look up to thee and thank thee for the truth of these words that we have been singing. Truly they cause marvel in our hearts as we think without its Leave Lord Jesus, the palace of Thy glory, and come down into this world of sin and sorrow, because thou would have us to share all the fruit of thy toil and victory, that which thy love had prepared, and not for just a little while, but for all eternity.
All we thank Thee for thy wondrous grace. We pray that that love and grace in thy heart might stir up each one of us to more desire to follow thee, to walk in devotedness and have thyself as our object as we wait. That blessed moment, Lord Jesus, when faith will be changed to sight, when the church will be presented, A glorious church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. And I joy will exceed ours when that day of glory dawns.
We thank thee for this blessed hope. And now we just pray that what is before us may stir each one of our hearts affections and draw us with thy cords of love. We ask this as we commend the meeting to thee. We also would pray again for our dear brother Eric, that thou will sustain and comfort him and his loved ones. And if it be thy will that thou will come in and restore him, we leave him in thy hands, confident in thy love. And we ask all in thy worthy name, Lord Jesus, our Savior.
Amen.
I had it on my heart this afternoon to talk about the goodness of God and the different ways in which it has been displayed. It has been said, perhaps many have heard the comment that all our failure comes from unbelief of the goodness that's in the heart of God. The enemy brings before us trials and difficulties instead of occupying our hearts with the goodness of God, and we get discouraged because we get occupied with those things instead of His goodness.
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But oh, how good he has been. When we think of it, we think of it in creation.
We think of it in redemption. We think of it in the place of nearness that we have been brought. We think of it in connection with the future that awaits us, how good he has been. And we think of Adam there in the garden, surrounded with all that goodness of God, because God had made everything for his happiness and enjoyment. And instead of rejoicing in that goodness of God, he reached out his hand for something that was forbidden. It is not true with so many of us.
If someone has said, how often does one forbidden thing hide from our view? 1000 Blessings. We reach out for something that is not the will of God for us, and it spoils our happiness and joy, where we could have been enjoying all the good things that He delights to shower upon us. Well. I trust with the Lord's help we'll be able to look at some of these things where He has displayed His goodness and that our hearts might be encouraged to appreciate that, to walk in the sense of His goodness.
And with praise and worship in our hearts. Well, the first one I was thinking of was Proverbs 8, which has to do particularly with creation.
Proverbs, Chapter 8.
Beginning at the 22nd verse.
The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
Where there were no depths I was brought forth. When there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth, while as yet He had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. When He prepared the heavens, I was there, but He said a compass upon the face of the deep depth. When He established the clouds above, when He strengthened the fountains of the deep, when He gave to the sea His decree that the water should not pass His commandment.
When he appointed the foundations of the earth, then I was by him.
As one brought up with him, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him, rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth. And my delights were with the sons of men. Now therefore hearken to me children. Blessed are they that keep my ways, hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates.
Waiting at the pulse of my doors, whoso findeth me, findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord.
But he that sinneth against me wrong with his own soul, all they that hate me.
Love. Death.
As I said, I believe this passage particularly brings before us the goodness of God in creation. There's a verse in Romans that says, and almost thou not, O man, that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. And what is repentance will repentance in the simplicity. The word means a change of mind. You know, the natural man and our natural hearts. We have wrong thoughts about God. We have wrong thoughts about many things.
But how often a change of mind makes a complete change of attitude. And so God would have, if there's someone going on in his sins to realize where those sins are going to lead him and where the what the judgment is that is going to fall upon him. If he listens to God and to God's warnings, if he accepts the pardon that God has to offer, his mind is changed. He condemns himself instead of God.
He says I'm the guilty one, and I'll take my place as a guilty one, and I'll receive from the hand of God what he has for me pardon and untold blessing. And so, with us as Christians too, it's the goodness of God that leads us to a change of mind. Why do we go after things that are often forbidden?
Because we think, just like Adam thought, that we're going to get some pleasure in the path of disobedience.
Only to find out that in the end it doesn't bring the joy and the happiness that we expected.
To say nothing of this life than to think of eternity, eternity, because every act in our lives has a present and eternal consequences. So how important it is, oh the goodness of God, may we dwell upon that for a little while. And this portion here in the 8th chapter of Romans and 8th chapter of Proverbs brings before us the goodness of God in creation. You know, I love that little expression that's here in this chapter.
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His delights were with the sons of man. You ever think of that? When you think of all the pleasures that we have, nice food, all the things that we see that are so beautiful, and this world, things that God has made as it tells us in Timothy richly to enjoy, Why should we want to enjoy them in a way that his word has forbidden? He has a plan, and he made this world. And I've often thought as we look out on a beautiful scene, say a lake or something, that we enjoy.
And we see the wonders of God in creation. Isn't it nice to thank God was thinking of man when he made this?
And He made it for our pleasure, not only for his pleasure. It's true. It's for his pleasure tells us in Revelation 4. For thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. God takes pleasure even in the creation that he has made, that blooming flower, that beautiful landscape, He takes pleasure. He made it for man to enjoy, and he takes pleasure when he sees boys and girls.
Enjoying it, it tells us in the New Jerusalem that will take place in the millennial day, the street will be full of boys and girls playing in the streets. You know God delights in the blessing of man, and he has made this creation as a testimony to man. He speaks of it in the first chapter of Romans as being a testimony even to the heathen when they see all this wonderful creation about them, that they would say that there's no creator.
Or that this creation was made by a God that I made with my own hands.
God says that heathen is without excuse. He has a testimony in God's creation.
Of all his goodness in providing this and providing us with the capacity to enjoy what he has created.
How many people never think of thanking God? They get up in the morning, they never get on their knees and thank the Creator for all the good things.
Even a dog will wag its tail when you feed it, but a man will sit down and he'll never think about thanking his creator for the good things that he has provided.
Brethren, we need to be reminded of these things, the goodness of God, all that we see around us, that tells us of that goodness. And isn't this a very simple expression in this chapter where it says when he prepared the heavens, I was there.
When He said, when He laid the established the clouds above, when He gave to the sea His commandment that the waters, His decree that the water should not pass His commandment. When He appointed the foundations of the earth He was there is not a very simple answer to creation. Men spend 1,000,000 billions of dollars trying to find out how this earth came into being, and here's the person who was right there when it was made.
Who had his very hand in it. Because he is the Creator. And he says I was there and when I made this earth, I made it so you could enjoy it. Are you going to shut me out of your thoughts? Are you going to leave me out? Are you going to find some other solution for how the creation came about because you don't want me? Well, what a solemn thing it is. That man goes on in his willful course rejecting it. But oh, how lovely it is when we even see in the creation.
The handiwork of God, the one who made it all. They heard a story about two men that were standing on the side of a ship, looking over the side of the ship at a sunset at sea. One man was an unbeliever, the other was a Christian. The unbeliever said to the Christian, he said, Do you know of anything more wonderful enough to watch a sunset at sea? Oh yes, said the Christian man. I know the person who made it and I know him.
As my father, I know his son as my savior, and it means a lot more to me.
When you have something that you bought in the store and you don't know the person who made it, maybe that thing is just a piece of furniture to you. But when you can say the person I love most in the world made this and he made it for me, doesn't that mean more to you? Oh friends, let us realize the goodness of God in creation. But I just like to say this, are we going to use the creation for our own self will and disobedience to God? How many people there are?
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Let's just use things that God has given. They use their bodies as they like. They don't listen to how God says when he gives us directions as to moderation in food, as to moral standards, as to all those things that would help us to enjoy His creation, well, that's what it means when it says here they're now. Therefore hearken unto me, O ye children, for blessed are the they that keep my ways.
Did you ever give a toy to your child and say now you can have a lot of fun with this, But I must warn you, you can hurt yourself with this too. You can hurt yourself because just listen to me. You can enjoy and get a great deal of fun. But listen while I give you the warning and a child says I don't need to listen to you. I can do as I like. Then the child comes to you crying and saying the door you gave me I got hurt and and so on and you say, well if you'd only listen to me.
You could have really enjoyed this. Now you brought sorrow on yourself. That's what the Bible says here.
He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. Who do you harm the most? Who do I harm the most? When I decide to walk in self will, when I decide to set aside all God standards as to even the use of this creation that he has made, Well, who do I run? Myself. Myself. I am ungrateful to my creator, that's true. But he that sinneth against me wrong with his own soul.
Dear young people, can I say a word to you? You're starting out in life. Make the word of God your guide. There's a verse in Jeremiah and it says this. Wilt thou not from this time cry my father? Thou art the guide of my use.
Poor, dear young people, You can save yourself a tremendous amount of sorrow and trouble in your life if you listen to what God says in connection with this use of this creation in your very body, which, if you're a believer is the temple of the Holy Ghost, that you use it in a way that is within the instructions that God has given to us in His word. You'll be thankful later on that you listened, because you'll enjoy what God gave you to enjoy.
Are you going to leave him out? Are you going to go on and run your own soul by choosing a path of your own?
And saying I won't listen to my creator when he tells me you say my creator isn't interested in me. Yes, this chapter says his delights are with the sons of men sometimes up at Outer Lake. When we look at that lake and think of how many happy times we had, I often have thought, Isn't it wonderful that when God made this lake he knew there was going to be a group of young people? And he just made it so nice for us? Because he said I want them all to have a happy time.
And enjoy what I have made. And the world has been spoiled, because man goes against all God's instruction and he says I'm going to go my own way. Are we like sheep have turned gone astray? We have turned everyone to his own way. But there's more to the verse. But the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Just think of it.
Just think of it when man spoiled this world through sin.
God looked down and said, You spoil this world that you could have enjoyed without death. You could have enjoyed it Of all the trees that thou mayest freely eat, but just one, that would test their obedience, but they reached out for the one forbidden 1 instead of enjoying the rest.
But when sin entered, what did God say? I like to think of it this way, as though he looked down and he said, you've spoiled this world.
That I made for you, but I love you so much.
That I'm going to prepare something you can't spoil and I'm going to prepare the way that you can be there.
To enjoy what I have for you with all eternity, For all eternity. What can we say to that? That's redemption. That's what God has done for us in redemption. Surely, when we think of the goodness of God in creation, yes, this wonderful creation, it is spoiled by sin. But there are still many things in God's creation to give us tokens. Sometimes it's like something that you break and you see, oh, there's part of it that's still preserved. That's good.
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And a little man has spoiled this world. There's still a great deal of it that's preserved, in which man can enjoy the goodness of God, but it spoiled brethren. But now it brings us to redemption. God could create this world by the breath of his mouth that says He's fake. And it was done. He commanded, and it stood fast. He just made it by the very word of his mouth. But to save 1 poor Sinner like me was a greater work than creation itself.
You lookout and you see not only this world that we live in, but all that canopy of stars.
All above us the wonders of creation, which man cannot measure. All about him, because the heavens declare the glory of God. The firmament shows his handiwork. God has created all that, but to save my soul it cost him more. Was he willing to pay the price? Yes. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish.
But have everlasting life. All friends. Think of the goodness of God.
What it cost him to provide redemption for sinners like you.
And like me, oh, what wonderful grace did he stop at it? You know all this. In the Gospels we find about the pathway of the Lord Jesus, trading through this world on his way to the cross, despised and rejected of man, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, despised and rejected. I say he went on in love, and is a lovely passage there in the Gospels. I won't turn to it, but it says when the time came that he should be received up he sat his face.
To go to Jerusalem. You know when the time came that he would be received up. The time came in the life of the Lord Jesus when he had done what his father had sent him to do as far as healing the sick and raising the dead and cleansing, the leper was concerned. And he could have gone back to heaven in his own right. He was the only person that could. I couldn't go to heaven in my own right, but he could. He could have gone back to heaven in his own right. But he was like the Hebrew servant.
When the time came that he could have had his liberty, he had a choice to make. He could go out free by himself, but if he wanted the company of his wife and children, he had to go to the judges. He had a decision to make. Did he love his wife and children enough to go to the judges so he could have them? The time came that he would be received up.
He set his face to go to Jerusalem. And, brethren, that's what we remembered this morning. He went to Jerusalem. What for? To die? That we might live. To tell out the heart of God his Father, to glorify him about the whole question of sin, so that you and I could be fitted for that which I spoke of a moment ago, a scene of glory that we couldn't spoil, a place where sin could never enter the first creation He made by the word of his mouth.
But new creation, the cost was His precious blood. We often sing we are by Christ redeemed.
The cost his precious blood be nothing by our souls esteemed like this.
Great, good. We're the vast world our own with all its varied store. And Thou, Lord Jesus, word unknown, we still were poor. Is there anyone here who doesn't know Him? What about those of us who know him? Isn't our appreciation for what he did very small? Well, I think of that moment when the Lord said I love the people in this room who belong to me. I'm willing to go to Calvary in order to have their company, in order to make them happy for all eternity. I want them.
And he went on to that cross, and on that cross of Calvary he glorified God. He settled the whole question of sin.
And guilt that you and I might be brought into blessing.
The goodness of God. The goodness of God. I quote the verse again. It never wears out. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Or to make it very personal, the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. That was the Apostle Paul, who called himself the chief of sinners.
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Oh, are we appreciating like we should? Well, none of us like we should, because we never will. But we can't appreciate him more than we have for what he has done. I say again, the goodness of God leads us to change of thoughts, doesn't it? We're awfully selfish. We think about ourselves, but don't we owe a debt of gratitude to the one who did all that? I'd just like to turn over to Acts 13, because I think we have this nicely brought before us.
Where Paul is preaching in Acts 13 and Speaking of these things.
We'll begin at verse 32.
And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made under the Father's God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children in MIDI hath raised up Jesus again, as it is also written in the second Psalm. Thou art my son this day, have I begotten thee.
And it's concerning that he raised him up from the dead. Now no more to return to corruption.
He said. On this wise I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith it also in another solemn Thou shalt not suffer thine holy one to see corruption. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his Father's, and saw corruption. But he whom God raised up saw no corruption. This particularly is what I had before me. Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.
And by him all that believe are justified from all things from which he could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets. Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish. For I work a work in your days, I work with Ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.
As I said, man rejects the testimony of God in creation, tries to find some other way that the world came into being. He won't have the goodness of God in creation. And God always gives a warning, you know, He said that those who reject the testimony of creation are without excuse. They're really.
They're really not recognizing the goodness of God in his creation. And here there's a warning too, But I like to speak particularly of the blessing.
Here he's talking about the Lord Jesus, the one who came to this world, the one who accomplished that work upon the cross. And God dealt with him in my place and in the place of every one who would put their trust in him.
It says near Isaiah chapter 53 the Lord hath laid on him.
The iniquity of us all. I'm glad it says that because, you know, if it depended on me to remember all my sins in order to get forgiveness, I'm afraid I would be unforgiven for a great many because I don't know that I could remember them all. But isn't it wonderful God who had the record?
God who knew every wrong thing that I had ever done and that you had ever done. God.
Took that question up, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. What a wonderful blessing to know that your sins are gone. Little chorus, we used to sing. You asked me why I'm happy, and I'll just tell you why. Because my sins are gone. Is there one who doesn't know that? You can know it, you can know it. Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.
Now God has to be righteous in what he does, and if He's going to forgive, he has to have a payment because it says in Hebrews chapter 2 every transgression, disobedience receives a just recompense of reward. God never passes over sin. Sin has to be punished, and it's either punished on the head of your substitute or it's still upon your head and you will have to bear the punishment if you refuse the substitute work.
Of the of the Lord Jesus. It's it's a pardon that is offered all of believe are justified from all things.
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You know, brethren, justification goes farther than forgiveness, farther than forgiveness.
I've sometimes put it like this. Some people say, well, it's just as if you never sinned. No, it's more than that. Because if you forgave me something wrong that I had done to you.
And you looked at me just as if I had never done it. I'd be in the same position as I'm fallen at them because I might do it again.
But God does more than that. God does more than just look at me as if I had never seen him. He places me in Christ and makes me the righteousness of God in him. And so it tells us in the and they if you forgave me.
I might always wonder what you thought about me, even if you though you'd forgiven me. But if when you forgave me you said. Now listen, Gordon, every time I look at you, I look at you as though you had never done that deed and never could do such a thing. And I'll look at you in all the favor and love and acceptance of my dearest friend. Now I can be at ease. And you know that's where God places the one who believes justified. He places us before him in Christ. We are made the righteousness of God in him.
And let's enjoy this, brethren. This is the goodness of God. He's not only forgiven you, he's looking at you tonight, this afternoon. If you're a saved person, he's looking at you with all the love and with all the favor and acceptance of his own Beloved son. He's made us accepted in the beloved 1 Isn't that goodness? Isn't that tremendous goodness? Do we appreciate it like we should?
Oh, when we think of it, And who is who is it made known to be? It known unto you, Therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that believe, Who's it for?
For all who believe, are you enjoying this? Are you sitting there and saying, oh, isn't that wonderful?
I'm not only forgiven, but God looks at me in all the perfection.
Of his own beloved son. He's looking on me with love and I can walk down the street here.
In Bridgeport as an object of his love, and that he's looking forward to the day when he's going to.
Take Me Home and give me a body of glory like his son. And his joy is going to exceed ours. Because it says he shall joy over thee with singing. He shall rest in his love. That's redemption. That's what God has done through redemption. He's not only forgiven you, but He's justified you. Does this create a response in your heart?
This create a response in your heart. How could we think of love like that and not feel that we wanted to at least express our gratitude? You remember the Lord cleansed 10 lepers and only one came back to give Him thanks. How often we say we're too busy?
To spend a little time just praising him, too busy to spend the time on Lords Day morning, sitting in his presence and responding to his dying request. We're too busy, too many other things to do that we can't give a little time to the person who brought this blessing to us. Oh, I say it's the goodness of God in redemption, what he has done to save your soul and mine. Are we enjoying this?
Well, there's more, because we're really blessed in this Ephesians chapter one.
Ephesians chapter one verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated us under the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself.
According to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
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How has he blessed us?
Well, you know, it's a wonderful thing to be forgiven. It's a wonderful thing to be justified from all things. But as we sang, our little hymn trembling, we had hope for mercy Some low place within his door. But the crown, the throne, the mansion, all were ready long before, and in dim and distant ages, in those courts, so bright and fair ere we were, was he rejoicing all he.
With us to share how are we blessed all spiritual blessings? Is it true? Yes, it's true. Who said it? God said it. The one who cannot lie. He's told us He let us enjoy His creation. He let us enjoy forgiveness. But he said, I don't want you just to know that you're forgiven but still living in a world that's so full of sorrow like this, He said, I want you to know what's ahead for you. I want you to know how richly you're blessed.
And it's not conditional. Every Christian is equally blessed as far as these spiritual blessings are concerned, All spiritual blessings, well, you say I have a lot of trouble, but our blessings are heavenly. We're waiting. We're still here in this world.
Everything isn't altogether right. And that's why it says in Romans, now is our salvation nearer than when we believe. When God saved us, He cleansed away all our sins. He made us accepted in the beloved. He blessed us with all spiritual blessings. But he said you have to wait for one thing. You have to wait for the redemption of your body, the redemption of your body. So we're still here and as we had in our chapter that we were reading in the Bible readings.
In John chapter 17, it tells us that he's left us here. He says, as my father has sent me into the world, Even so have I also sent them into the world. He sent us into this world, and he wanted us to tell others how richly we're blessed. Did you ever go on on a vacation? Perhaps? And he came back and you wanted to tell all your friends what a grand time you had, what wonderful things you saw.
Well, they couldn't get there for nothing. They couldn't share it for nothing. But we have good news to tell to our friends that when the Lord saved us, He not only saved us, but He is willing to save all who will come. And he says, I'm leaving you here to be my ambassadors, to have a message for this world that they might have this blessing too. Would it be nice, if you really enjoy the vacation, to be able to go to your friend and say.
You can have all this. You can enjoy what I enjoy, and it won't cost you one cent, and you can have it just as freely as that. Dear friends, we have a wonderful message to proclaim. We not only preach the forgiveness of sins, but we tell sinners that when they accept Christ as their savior, they're made heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. And he left us here in a world full of trouble, just as a country sends an ambassador to another country.
There may be quite a bit of trouble in that other country, but they send them there and they're expected to endure a few hardships, perhaps, as they represent their country. But they carry a message to the country where they are. And we have a message, a wonderful message, to carry from the heart of God to this world, and that's why he's left us here. But I just want us to enjoy a little bit, just to bask, as it were, in the sunshine of what we have.
It says he's blessed us with all spiritual blessings.
In heavenly places in Christ, not some people talk about getting the second blessing, but every believer has all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies.
Doesn't that rejoice our hearts when we think about it? We think of what we have in Christ. Oh how wonderful this is. I just like to turn to this in in Romans chapter 8 and see how God has mentioned here about our bodies.
I'll start from the 22nd verse of Romans 8. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and traveleth in pain together until now, and not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the spirits. That spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope, or in hope, but hope that his seed is not hope.
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For what a man seeth white at the yet hoped for, But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities. For we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts know of what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the Saints.
According to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.
To them who are the called according to his purpose, for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first born among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called, and whom he called them he also justified, and whom he justified them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things, if God before us?
Who can be against us?
I was just saying a moment ago how we have already the salvation of our souls that's secured to us. Our standing before God is in Christ, we're holy and without blame. Before him, in love we are accepted. In the Beloved. All this is ours but.
It's necessary that God should explain to us why we are still here, groaning, suffering things going wrong in our lives. And he's explaining to us, isn't this wonderful? You know, I think it's so marvelous that God says, I know you're going to have a lot of questions and I'm going to explain everything because I want you to really enjoy your portion. And so he tells us that Lowy already have the salvation of our souls, that we must wait.
The redemption of the body. And He tells us that in this Tabernacle we groan.
Says we that are in this Tabernacle, the whole creation, the 22nd verse, groaneth and travelleth in pain together until now, and not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves. Yes, we still are linked with this groaning creation, with these bodies of humiliation, but we have two things that the unbeliever doesn't have.
We have. We have the Holy Spirit of God who helps our infirmities and makes intercession for us. Isn't that lovely? Helps our infirmities. Do you ever come to the meeting with a headache and lovely ministry? In the meeting? And the headache was still there, but you almost forgot about it because it gave you help from that infirmity. And instead of just feeling down and pressed with it, he says, Oh, I got a lift in that meeting.
That's what he does. He helps Our infirmity doesn't remove them, necessarily. That waits the time when they're all going to be removed at his coming. But he helps our infirmities, and more than this, he may he. He sympathizes with us. He makes intercession with groanings which cannot be uttered. You say, Oh, nobody knows how I feel. Yes, you've got a divine guess for them. Who feels all those infirmities that you feel and feels them perfectly. You've grown, He groans. Someone has said, God permits us to groan, not to grumble.
Yes, we groan. We feel things God didn't make us without feelings, and we feel them, but we don't face them the same as the world, because we know quite a few things that the unbeliever can't know because he doesn't belong to Christ. We know that the Spirit helps our infirmities.
We know that he makes intercession for us and we know that he takes our prayers.
And answers according to God's perfect will. And that we know of something very wonderful. We know that all things work together for good to them that love God. We know that God, who purpose such blessing for us, who plans to have us eternally blessed in His home. We know that He knows what He's doing in all the things that happen in our lives so often misunderstood by us.
But he knows no brethren. I like the way this is worded, it says here in the.
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It says here in the 26th verse we know not what we should pray for as we ought.
In the 28th verse, notice we know not in the 20, the 25th verse, but here it says and we know or in Mr. Darbys it says but we do know that all things work together for good to them that love God. But perhaps you come to a circumstance like I do sometimes and I say to myself, but how can this work for good? How can this work for good? You know, I often say, I think you should read the two verses following.
Because it helps you to. It helps me at least to understand the 28th verse. I'm going to read those.
29th and 30th verse. Four whom he did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the first born among many brethren. More Who, moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called, and whom he called them he also justified. And who he justified them he also doesn't say, will glorify, but them he also glorified. You know, I like to think of it this way, brethren, when you come to a difficult chapter in your life, to me it's just like reading a story book.
And I guess we've all done that. You read the story book and you come to real one real sad chapter. Tears are running down your face because you feel so sorry for the people that are going through this problem. What do you do? We usually turn over and see how the story ends. And if the story ends, OK, if it ends right, you go back and you say, well, you keep saying to yourself, it's all going to work out. I don't know how, but it's all going to work out because I read the end of the story.
And God says, I know you're going to go through situations where you're going to say just that. I don't see what good there ever can come out of this. So God says, I'm going to tell you the end of the story. I knew about you before, before you were ever born. I planned your whole life.
I predestinated you for blessing, and in my account the story is all finished. The story's all finished. Doesn't say them you also will glorify, but them he also glorified. And Satan comes and says God's against you like he did to Joel. No, he's not. If God before us, who can be against us in those situations that we go through in life, when in that coming day everything is made plain as it will be, the rough places will be made plain.
The crooked will be made straight, and it says we shall know even as also we are known.
We're going to see. But here what God is saying. Can you trust me? Can you leave that with me? Because I know what I'm doing. That's what it means, brethren in First Peter, where it says the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth. Some people read that as though it said that the trial was precious. It isn't that. It's the trial of your faith that's precious because it says in Hebrews.
Cast not away, therefore your confidence. Let me illustrate it something like this.
You have a child. You have to do something for the child that really hurts.
And you say to the child, well, I'm going to have to do this. I know it'll hurt, but it'll all be over in a minute and it's really for your good. And the child looks up with a smile and says, Dad, I trust you, Dad, I trust you. Don't you appreciate that?
That's what it means, the trial of your faith being much more precious. When in faith we accept a circumstance that we just can't understand and say God loves me. I believe His word that says all things work together for good. I'm confident in His goodness and in His love. I'll just trust Him. God says in the coming day, and that all comes out as it will in the day of manifestation. It'll be found under praise and honor and glory.
That the revelation of Jesus Christ, God has, as I say again.
He's been good to us in creation. He's been good to us in saving our souls. He When He saved us, He blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. And he says you're going to have troubles because your body is still part of this groaning creation. But if you'll just trust me, you'll be able to go through these trials and you can. They can actually turn into a blessing in your life, drawing you nearer to me as you trust me.
And no more of my love and of my ways, I've often said.
Someday I'm going to talk to many of these dear ones that we read about in the Bible, and I often think I'm, I'd like to say to Shade Wreck Music and Abednego, can you tell me what's the best experience that you had down on planet Earth? Where? What was the best experience you ever had? You think they'll talk about some time when they enjoyed the sunshine and had a good time? No, I don't think so. I expect that they very likely will say the most wonderful experience we had was when.
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They were. They cast the king, cast us into the fiery furnace, and the Lord walked with us. It was an experience so wonderful we'll never forget it. So wonderful. He walked with us in the fire. Brethren, we don't always understand. God may not let us understand. Down here, the coming day will declare those things we don't understand some of them He does. Let us understand. Some of them we don't. But it's as goodness.
His goodness that leads us to change of thoughts in these things. And so it tells us here, what shall we then say to these things if God before us, who can be against us? Who can be against us? Can all the powers of darkness hinder the purposes of God for blessing for you and for me? No, they're all going to be fulfilled in a coming day. But here, brethren, we walk by faith, not by sight.
Well, there's another thing I'd like to look at in John Chapter 15.
John, Chapter 15.
In verse 14.
Here, my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you henceforth I call you not servants. For the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth. But I have called you friends. For all things that I have heard of my father, I have made known unto you. Now if you turn back to Ephesians one again, I'd just like to connect this with Ephesians 1.
Verse 8.
Were any of the bounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of his will?
According to his good pleasure, which he hath purpose in himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth even in him.
Here the Lord distinguishes between being a servant and a friend. Now of course it is true that in a sense we are servants. But he says a servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth, because we are more than servants. We had children at home. They did lots of things to serve us, but they weren't servants. They were our children. And God has brought us into his family. And you might ask a servant to do something and not explain what you had in your mind.
But if it's your child, you explain to them, because they are your child.
Isn't that wonderful, brethren, that it tells us here? The Lord says, I haven't called you servants, I've called you friends.
For all things that I've heard of my Father, I've made known unto you. You know God has opened up his heart to us. We often sing a little him what a friend we have in Jesus. But did you ever turn it the other way, as this Scripture does, and thinks it's? I say the Lord Jesus is my friend, but isn't it more wonderful that he says to me you're my friend?
Is that wonderful? He says. You're my friend. Abraham was called the friend of God. So what do you do to your friends? You have to say, Well, I wouldn't tell everybody, but you're my friend. I'll tell you something. I have a little plan. I wouldn't tell it to everybody, but you're my friend. Isn't it wonderful? There's a whole lot of things are going on in this world.
Puzzling things to great statesman and people of the world, but I often say the Christian is the only person who has an intelligent outlook on what's going on in the world.
We can pick up the daily newspaper. We know it's going to happen before it comes out in the newspaper. We know because God has told us how the nations are going to arrange themselves. He told us about how conditions would be in these last days. He told us that instead of getting discouraged that we would just see by all these things that would happen the nations blocking up the way God says they would.
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Them overthrowing all the claims of God tells us in the second Psalm, why do the heathen bridge and the people imagine a vain thing?
The kings of the earth gathered together and take counsel, saying let us break their bands, asunder and castaway their cords from us. Isn't that what's taking place? We're not going to be restrained by what the Bible says. That's an old-fashioned book. We got our own ideas. We're living in 1993. God told us long before in the BCS that this was going to happen. He told us they'd come together and they'd say, let us cast their He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in derision.
Says I've set my king on my holy hill of Zion, and he says to his son, ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Who's going to take possession of this world? Is it going to be some great nation? Now the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. Isn't it lovely, brethren? In a world full of disturbances, you're almost afraid to pick up the newspaper to know what's happening, that you and I have got advance notice of what's going to happen.
And we can meet all these situations in peace and say the one who created this world, the one who controls this whole thing, the one who's head over all things to the church, which is his body, the one who in grace has saved my soul, who's made known his will, has gathered me to his precious name, he says, I've told you all things. You can go through this world knowing what's going on.
And you can go through in the conscious knowledge that the Creator of all things loves you.
That the Lord Jesus died for you, that every event in this whole world is under his control.
Oh, what a lovely thing to belong to Such a friend, such a savior, such a Lord.
What claim does this produce in your heart and mind when we think of it, brethren, What does it mean to us? We don't need to be like the world. Discouraged, disappointed. Cast down as they see everything turning the very opposite, the way they'd like it. Isn't it wonderful to know this?
Cast not away, therefore, your confidence which hath great recompense of reward. Just before we close, I'd like to turn to Romans. Romans, chapter 12.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable or intelligent service, And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
You know God doesn't.
Shall I say, tell us that we have to do this or that in Christianity. So Paul here he has revealed what God has done to meet our need as sinners. And now he says, what return do you want to make? I always like the way the little hymn puts it. I think we sang that little hymn. When we survey the wondrous cross on which the Lord of glory died, our richest gain, we count but loss and poor contempt on all our pride.
Then we sing.
Love that transcends our highest powers demands our soul.
Our life are all so. God is for us. He's made known to us. The goodness of God leads us to a change of mind. Perhaps you came to these meetings discouraged, all cast down. I hope you've been encouraged as you realize the Lords in control, Everything is under his hand. You're blessed in him. You couldn't be blessed more abundantly than you are. God's making all things in your personal life and even in the assembly, He's making all the things work together for good.
He's working out his own purposes in a way that we may not fully understand, but we'll understand another day. But he says, trust in my goodness, leave it with me. And So what do you do? Well, Paul says, I beseech you that you just say, Lord, here I am. I'm not my own. You're not your own. You're bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit. May this response be created in our hearts, brethren.
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The Lord couldn't have done more for us than He has done. Eternity is going to be too short to utter His praise, and more than this you can see the wonders of this world. Satan showed the Lord the wonders of this world in the moment of time. All the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them must have had a great television set up there, showed it all to the Lord in a moment of time. But the Lord said, what I've got for you is going to take longer than that, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness toward us.
Kindness is never going to run out. The exceeding riches of his grace is never going to run out. I say again, what response does it create in your heart and mind do we say, Lord, here I am. I belong to thee. I belong to thee. I don't belong to this world that rejected thee. I belong to Thee.
I don't want to follow the pattern and thinking of this world. I want to live for the one who died for me. May God grant that that response will be created in our hearts, brethren, not because we have to, but just the response of love that says I'm Thine, O Lord, I've heard thy voice. What if we could sing that little hymn we quoted?
It's 283, I think, when we survey the wondrous cross.
On which the Lord of Glory died. Her richest gain, we count, but loss and poor contempt.