Conference: 1973
Table of Contents
Two Families
Paths
Three Fishing incidents in Peters life
Righteous Acts of God
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
To turn with me, your young people, to First Samuel.
First Samuel, chapter 8.
First Samuel, chapter 8.
And the fourth verse. Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, Behold our old and thy sons, walk not in thy ways. Now make us a king to judge us like the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us.
And Samuel prayed unto the Lord.
How you turn over also to the 12TH chapter.
First Samuel, chapter 12.
And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you. And now behold, the king walketh before you, and I am old and Gray headed. And behold, my sons are with you, and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day. Behold, here I am witness against me before the Lord, and before his anointed.
Whose ox have I taken?
Or whose *** have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? And I will restore it you. And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken away ought.
Out of any man's hand. And he said unto them, The Lord is witness against you, and his anointed his witness this day that ye have found.
That she have not found out in my hand. And they answered, He is witness. And Samuel said unto the people, It is the Lord that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your father's up out of the land of Egypt. Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord, of all the righteous acts of the Lord, which he did to you and to your father's.
When Jacob was coming to Egypt, and your father's cried unto the Lord, then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place. And when they forget the Lord their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and unto the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.
And they cried unto the Lord, and said, We have sinned.
Because we have forsaken the Lord, and have served Balaam and Ashtaroth. But now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee. And the Lord sent Jeroboam and Jephthah and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwell safe. And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon, came against you, he said unto me, Nay.
But a king shall reign over us, when the Lord your God.
Was your king. Now therefore, behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired, and behold, the Lord hath set a king over you. If ye will fear the Lord, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the Lord your God.
But if he will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you, as it was against your father's. Now therefore stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes. Is it not we harvest? Today I will call unto the Lord, and he shall send Thunder and rain, that ye may perceive, and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the Lord in asking you.
King. So Samuel called unto the Lord, And the Lord sent Thunder and rain that day, and all the people greatly feared the Lord. And Samuel. And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not, for we have added unto all our sins this evil to ask us a king. And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not.
Ye have done all this wickedness, yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart, and turn ye not aside. For then shall ye go after vain things which cannot profit nor deliver, for they are vain.
For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sake, because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people. Moreover, As for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you, and I will teach you the good and the right way. Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart, for consider how great things he hath done for you.
00:05:26
But if ye shall still do wickedly, he shall be consumed.
The both ye and your king.
Now would you also turn with me to one other passage in Matthew chapter 17, Matthew chapter 17, and verse 3. And behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here. If thou wilt, let us make here 3 tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias, while he yet spake, behold a bright.
Cloud overshadowed them, And behold the voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man save Jesus only.
Day.
Elder young people, the reason I have read these verses this afternoon is because I believe they bring before us the importance of having the Lord alone before us.
You know, we're living in times where there is much to discourage, there is much to cause us to feel that is it really worthwhile to wholeheartedly follow the Lord Jesus? And we see a similar time in Israel's history. And there came a turning point in God's ways with them. And there came a great sorrow. And it was very necessary that the people should be.
Encouraged to look away from all the instruments and to look to the Lord.
Alone. And this is the desire of my heart for you this afternoon. There are a great number of us here this afternoon, but we come from small meetings and some come from very small companies. Perhaps there are no other young people in the gathering and it's very nice to be with a large group like this. But you say, oh, how different it is. When I go back home, there's very little fellowship. We don't have good times together. And perhaps.
You feel discouraged, and I've read these verses this afternoon in order that we might see that the Lord is the one to whom we should look. He is the All sufficient 1 He is the one that can sustain us no matter how dark and difficult the day.
The reason I read that in the 8th chapter of First Samuel is to show that it was the occasion of Samuel's failure in his household that caused the people to turn away from the Lord and to desire to choose a king. And how often we who are older can give occasion, perhaps without realizing it, that others should be stumbled by our actions. And we see here that in this case it was so with Samuel and the people.
And asked a king. And it doesn't say that Samuel was grieved over what they said to him. He took that from the Lord, but he was grieved that they turned from the Lord to some other person to make the other person their object instead of having the Lord as their king. And perhaps, dear young person, you have been stumbled by someone to whom you looked. You thought that person would be an example, and he has not been an example to you. And you have said.
Well then I don't see how I should follow the Lord. He's older. Well, dear young person, it grieves our hearts that we fail, but it grieves our hearts more that anyone here should be turned aside from following the Lord and should choose some other person and have that person as your object instead of Christ.
And so we find that there was a reason why the people wanted a king. What was?
The reason they wanted to be like the nation. And isn't that like us? You know, we like to be accepted, don't we? We like to be accepted. Well, I've often said God has made us accepted. It tells us that we're accepted in the Beloved. It tells us about Paul, that he labored that whether present or absent, he might be agreeable to the Lord. And I don't blame you young people for wanting to be accepted, but I ask you.
00:10:05
Who do you wish to be accepted by? Are you like the apostle Paul who labored that he might be accepted by the Lord in everything in his life? It wasn't just to be accepted by others, but it was by the Lord. And he said in this life, and when I stand at the judgment seat of Christ, I labor that I might be acceptable to him.
But all there's a great danger in wanting to be acceptable to others who might turn us away. And that's what happened in Israel. They wanted a king to be like the nations. And if you and I are just seeking to be like the world, because we haven't found our satisfaction and joy in the Lord, we have begun to tread the path of danger. And we don't know where that path may lead. Dear young people, it's a slippery path it may be.
By something that doesn't look like very much, but it began with Israel when they eyed the nations around them and thought, we just like to be the same as they are. And we'd like to go out with a visible head before us. We'd like something for sight instead of walking by faith. And this grieved the heart of dear Samuel. But it tells us that the Lord said.
Well, Samuel, that's what they want. And so you can choose them a king.
And now, dear young people, this is a very serious thing, and that if, if you and I were to desire to go on in the world, the Lord might allow us to go in the way that we wanted. It says in the Psalms, He gave them their desire, He sent leanness into their souls. And if you are desiring to go on in a way like the world, perhaps the Lord will say, well, I'll just have to let you go along and see.
Where that path leads, Oh, I plead with you, dear young person, don't make such a start. A start in a thing is so important. And if you start in the wrong direction, why? There's no telling where that path will end. It's all too easy to make a bad start, and it's very hard afterwards to apologize and say I'm sorry. It's one of the hardest things for any of us to say, Well, I'm sorry I made a mistake.
Our natural hearts don't like that and the devil knows that very well and I believe that one of his greatest smears for Christians and I don't only say young people, perhaps it's worse when we get older. What the devil does is try and get us to make some false step and then when we realize that it was a foolish step, he says now don't say you're sorry. Don't go back, don't be a fool and so instead of acknowledging it, we.
Continue all I ask you, if you've taken the first wrong step, ask the Lord for grace to say at once, Lord, I have made a mistake, and seek to come back to Him at once. As it's often said, short accounts with God are best.
Well, now we come over to this 12TH chapter, and here it tells us that Samuel had grown old. And perhaps you wondered as you read this first part of the 12TH chapter, if Samuel was boasting. Perhaps you say, why did he say all those things? It looked as if he was boasting about his own integrity. Well, may I pause here to speak a few words to those of us who are older, and I speak to myself. If I speak to you, who?
Older. I believe there's a deep lesson for us in this, and I believe the lesson is just this, that Samuel sought to walk with a good conscience, but he said something like this. If I have done anything to stumble my brethren, I want to say I'm sorry. I want to say I'm sorry. And you know, sometimes we were older, do things that stumble young people. We do things that are inconsistent with our testimony as older ones.
Have we got the grace that Samuel had to stand up before his brethren and ask them, is there something that I have done that stumbles you? Is there something that I have done that's hurt you and wounded you, and been the occasion that you should have asked for a king? Oh, may the Lord give those of us who are older this grace. I can tell you that there's an untold amount of good can be done by the humility of those of us who are older.
It's so important as we go on in the path.
Way of following the Lord that we walk in humility because surely as we grow older, what do we find out do we find out that we're better as we get older Oh no the older you get the more you realize what a poor failing thing you are the older you get the more you realize the wonderful grace of God. But you certainly don't think more of yourself and dear older ones, may I say this this to me is very challenging what Samuel did on.
00:15:19
Occasion in standing up before these who had asked for a king, and seeking to maintain a good conscience before them and to be willing to acknowledge any mistake. And he said, I'll restore it if there's anything that I can do to help out so that you might go on for the Lord. Oh, may there be this desire in our hearts.
And now he comes in the sixth verse. And Samuel said unto the people, It is the Lord that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your father's up out of the land of Egypt. Now, therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord, of all the righteous acts of the Lord which He did to you and to your father's. He takes them back to the beginning of their history, and shows that in His.
Goodness and grace He had delivered them from that slavery in which they were in the land of Egypt and all. I trust this time has come in the life of each young person here. When you have been delivered from the slavery of sin and Satan, I hope that each one in this room can say, well, the Lord has set me free. I was once a slave to sin. I was once under the ******* of Satan.
But I thank God that he raised up an instrument who spoke to me about my soul.
And he has brought me to himself, Oh, what wondrous love it was that picked us up in the 1St place. And so he says now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you. Now sometimes it said, well we shouldn't reason. But here we find that Samuel wanted to reason with them. It's fine when we reason out of the Scriptures. God has given U.S. intelligence, but our intelligence should be in subjection to the Word of God.
The thought should be governed by the Word of God, for it's only from the Word of God that we will get the wisdom that comes from above, the true wisdom that is really worthwhile. And so he said, now just stand still. And dear young people, will you just stand still as it were? Will you just pause for a moment now and go back in your mind and think of how the Lord saved you, how he brought you to himself?
And how he has a claim over you he are not your own.
Here bought with a price, we belong to Him. The price he paid for us is more than we can ever measure. And as we have had in these meetings alone that he has for us is absolutely beyond our comprehension. The place that he has prepared for us is so wonderful that I'm sure when we get there we'll say the half was not told me. Doesn't he then have a claim? And I think this is very lovely what he says that I may reason with you before the Lord of all the righteous.
Acts of the Lord, isn't this beautiful? He doesn't say all the gracious acts of the Lord. There were many gracious acts of the Lord. Why does he say the righteous acts of the Lord? Oh, isn't this lovely? God has found a righteous basis by which He can bless you abundantly. God has found a righteous basis through the cross of Calvary that His heart can flow out without limit to you. There is absolutely no limit to the blessing that's in His heart for you.
And he can do it righteously because the whole question of your sins and mine was settled once for all at Calvary. The barrier has been removed. Jesus said I have a baptism to be baptized with and how am I straightened until it be accomplished? He was really saying like this. He said my heart is restricted in the outflow of blessing until that question of sin has been settled. And when that question was settled, now there's.
No longer any hindrance and I can reason with you how the righteous acts of the Lord, of how He can bless you, dear young person, without limit because of that work that Christ has accomplished.
And so he tells them, when he goes back, when Jacob was coming to Egypt, and your father's cried unto the Lord, And the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your father's out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.
Yes, God. God delivered them, as I said, from the ******* and he brought them into that good land, that land flowing with milk and honey, that land where he wanted to bless them so marvelously.
But it says in the ninth verse, and when they forget the Lord, they're gone. They forgot Him. And aren't we forgetful too? Don't we get so involved in enjoying the blessings? A nice sunshiny day comes and we get more occupied with the blessings and the blesser.
00:20:18
We meet some nice friends and we get so occupied with the pleasure of meeting one another that we forget the blesser. How easy it is for us to do that. How easy for us to forget the one who sends all the good things that we have. And so they forgot the blesser. And then God dealt with them. He delivered them into the hand of Sisera and into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought.
Against them, yes, God in his governmental ways allowed these problems to arise in their lives. They might have said, oh, it's Sisera, that terrible, cruel man, why doesn't God punish him? Well, they had to first of all be brought to humiliation themselves. They had to look at themselves and say, why did God allow Sisera to come up against us? They had to be brought to the point where they said.
Why did the Lord allow the Philistines to have such power over us? Why did he allow the King of Morgue to rise up against us? And Oh dear young people, don't look at the the second cause. Look at the first cause.
You say what do you mean the second cause? The second cause is what appears on the surface, but the first cause of everything is God.
Behind everything, as it was remarked in the meeting here, there's nothing. We can look at the instrument, we can look at the hand of the person that says or does the thing that has hurt, but God has allowed it. And why did God allow these things? He allowed them to bring his people back to Himself.
It didn't justify some of the things that the people did against Israel. And God finally dealt with Cicero and he dealt with the King of Mom and he dealt with the Philistines, but he had something to say to his people too, and he has something to say to us. And all that happens. There's absolutely nothing that happens in your life or mine by chance. If we would only get before the Lord and ask him as to why things have come, why the Lord has allowed.
It and he has allowed it for some purpose, and so it tells us here. And they cried unto the Lord, and said, we have sinned.
When they cried to the Lord and just looked at the at Cicero or at the king of Moab, they didn't get deliverance. But when they pointed the finger itself and said we have sinned, then the Lord came in. Then the Lord graciously raised up deliverers. And it says in the 11TH verse. And the Lord sent Jeroboam and Bedan and Jephthah and Samuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side.
And she dwells safe.
How often over and over again he graciously came in and can you look back on your life and see how the Lord has helped you? In many situations, difficulties have arisen, trials have come, and the Lord has come in what you say. But there's something I'm facing right now and I just can't see any way out of it at all. And that's just exactly what happened here.
They forgot about the past and how the Lord had come in and delivered them.
And they looked at the now situation, and they said, well, yes, but what's happening now? Here's Nahash, the king of the children of Ammon. And so they said, we'll have to have a king to defeat him. We have to have somebody to help us out of this difficult situation. And instead of turning to the Lord, they chose the king. And this is the condition, This was the circumstance that we began to speak about when they chose this king.
So.
We see here and it may be, as I say, a similar situation in your life, dear young person. Perhaps right this afternoon, there's something come up in your life, something come up in your meeting, something come up and you say, well, why can't somebody help me out of this? And.
So you look to man, but have you looked to the Lord? Have you really turned to Him in brokenness of heart before Him and taken the humble place that's the place of blessing?
And so it tells us here in the 13th verse. Now therefore, behold the king whom ye have chosen and whom ye have desired, and behold, the Lord hath set a king over you. Was this king, was this king, able to deliver them from all their enemies? It's true He did help them in some of their situations. And perhaps you say, well, I've got some help from people here and there, but there's one who can deliver you in every situation. There's one.
00:25:19
Sufficient for every problem. His name is wonderful Counselor, the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. He's sufficient for these situations that come in your life. Have you turned to Him? Have you really got down before Him for the answer that He alone can give?
10 says in the 14th verse, If ye will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the Lord your God. Here is something interesting too. You might say, oh, but I've got myself into a situation now. There's no getting out of it. I just said there's no getting out of it. Oh, isn't this wonderful? The Lord said, well, you've got yourself into that.
Situation and I'm not going to let you get out of it. It's part of my government that you're going to have to suffer because of getting yourself into it. But I'll be with you in it and I'll come and comfort you and I'll come and sustain you. That's the kind of a God we have. Dear young people. That's the kind of a God we have. When the children of Israel were going through the wilderness and they sinned and they and they rebelled against the Lord.
The Lord said you're going to have to wander for 40 years in the wilderness. But he said, I love you so much that if you'll make a tent, then I'll come down and dwell in that tent with you and provide a way of my approach into my presence. And while you wander those 40 years in the wilderness in your tents, I'll live in a tent with you, and I'll provide a way that I can go on with you.
Oh dear young person, don't be discouraged.
The devil wants you to give up. He wants you to say it's no use. I made a mass of my life and I I don't see any way. No, dear young person, the Lord doesn't give up those who belong to him. He never does. It's true He may not remove his governmental hand. It's true we may have to pass through things and they may remain with us the rest of our lives. But the Lord came down and it says in all their affliction, he was afflicted never.
That they fell in those forty years that he didn't feel it to never a trial that they had, that he wasn't right there and felt it fully. And after they got into the land and David said that he would like to build a house for the Lord, the Lord said to the prophet, no, no.
Nathan, don't tell David that I don't want him to build me a house because he said the land doesn't have rest yet. And he said I won't dwell in the house until my people have rest, and when they have rest, then I'll rest with them. Oh, isn't that a wonderful thing? The God who has saved you is not going to forsake you. He's always with you, and there's a day coming.
When then you and I will find, as the little hymn says, the rest of God, our rest to come.
Our place of liberty, that's the home that we're going to enter. But now to go on with this, it tells us here.
Then in the 16th verse, now therefore stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes, and then it tells us here that it was wheat harvest, and God allowed this Thunder and rain to come, and hindered the harvest.
Well, I believe, dear young people and older ones too, that we should realize that our failure is often the hindrance to blessing amongst us. And God would have his people realize this. He would have them realize it. And so Samuel said, we want you to realize that your failure has been the 'cause he was a great harvest, that God sent Thunder and rain. And I believe, brethren, that the fields are white to harvest, but we're the hindrance.
Where the hindrance, because we haven't been going on for the Lord and the blessing that's within our reach, the privilege we could have of having share in God's work here in this world is often denied us because we're not going on with the Lord as we should ourselves, individually and collectively. And then the people, when they saw this, they really feared, they felt sad, they felt cast down, and we might.
Acknowledge that there is a great work to be done. We hear about it everywhere of God working in the blessing of souls. And we can, we can say that we seek to go on in the path of obedience. But I, I believe that we have much that we can challenge our own hearts about. Is there not a great hindrance in our own walking ways? Is there not often a hindrance to blessing? Because as people look at us, they say.
00:30:27
Well, I don't see.
That what you profess has brought you real happiness, you're not rejoicing in the Lord. Mr. Darby said our testimony to the world is our joy in the Lord, but we're not going on in this way. And so here the people had to acknowledge this. But now the 20th verse. And Samuel said unto the people, fear not, ye have done all this wickedness, yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.
In the 19th verse they had said.
Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not, for we have added unto all our sins this evil to ask us a king. And now when they had acknowledged their sin, isn't it beautiful to hear Samuel turn to them and say, fear not, fear not, That is, even although they had failed, he said, don't get discouraged.
Don't give up, he said. Yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve him.
And the reason I felt this burden particularly on my heart today is because as I look over the number of young people that are here today, and I think of what a wonderful privilege we have to be saved and to know the truth that has been committed to us. And yet how often it's true that we're not walking in these things. And I believe that many of our young people today are thoroughly and utterly discouraged.
And they're discouraged and they're sort of to the point where they're feeling like giving up. And he says here.
Follow the Lord and serve the Lord in spite of it all. Dear young people, perhaps we have failed as older ones, perhaps like Israel, we failed collectively. But the Lord has not changed. The Lord has not changed. And all I want to encourage you don't give up. But instead it says, do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.
Or put your heart into it.
The Lord has won your heart and mind, and if you feel discouraged this afternoon and you say it's no use, oh, don't turn aside. Oh, don't give up. And so Samuel repeats this. He said, and turn ye not aside. Turn ye not aside. That is, continue in the path. But now he said for them, should ye go after vain things which cannot profit nor deliver?
For they are vain. And isn't it true that if we turn aside, then what will we turn to? Just like the disciples, they were very, very discouraged. And the Lord said, will ye also go away? And Peter said, Lord, to whom shall we go? To whom shall we go? And dear young person, do you say, Well, I am discouraged, I just feel like giving up. Then I say, to whom are you going to go? Where are you going?
You. Surely the Lord hasn't.
The point of you, he's still the same. He's the same yesterday and today and forever. And if you do, what do you turn aside to? But the things that will not deliver, the world can't deliver you. It can't satisfy your heart. And many a dear Christian who has perhaps in later life been restored to the Lord, he was turned aside over something that happened and he left, and he comes back and he finds that he spent his life serving the things.
That don't deliver.
The things that don't bring happiness. And so I just want to say this to you this afternoon, Don't turn aside. I know that we're living in days of failure. We older ones have failed, Brethren collectively gathered to the Lord's name have failed. There's much to humble us. There's much to keep our heads down, but all how encouraging this word for the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sakes, because it hath pleased the Lord.
To make you his people? Yes, Isn't this lovely? It has pleased the Lord to make you his people, and we can say we belong to Him. And now he brings before them the resource of faith in an evil day. In this 23rd verse. Moreover, As for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you. But I will teach you the good and the right way. Here is the result.
00:35:15
Exactly the same resource that Paul brought before them at Ephesus. He told them when he talked to them in the 20th of Acts, that of their own selves would men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them. He told them about what was going to happen from without and from within. And then he said, And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace. And here at the close of this message from.
He says there are two resources and that's prayer and that's the word of God and that's the resource. Dear friends, today, dear young people, this is our resource. It's a sin against God not to pray for the people of God. And may we teach as ourselves. Are we praying for others? We had a brother in Ottawa many years ago and he used to so often remind us about.
Paul, he said. We never read Paul.
Telling us that he was praying for the Saints when they were going on badly. He said we read about him praying for them when they were going on. Well, perhaps that's a striking statement to you. And why did he pray for them when they were going on well? Well, they knew Satan would make an attack on them and try to turn them aside. And dear young people, we want to, we want to pray for you. And those of us who are older, are we praying that our dear young people might be preserved and that we might walk before them in such?
The way that they would see that Christ is our all. Are we turning them to the word of God? This is a day of inquiry. This is a day when young people everywhere are asking questions.
And one of our brothers has said some time ago, he said there are no bad questions, There are only bad answers. And you know that that has struck me. It's, it's remained with me. They, they asked many strange questions of the Lord, but those strange questions.
Only brought out the wisdom and love of his blessed heart. And he always answered the questions wisely. He answered them wisely. And young people are full of questions. Are you and I, who are older trying to answer these questions? This book has the answer. They need answers to their questions. They're in a day far more difficult than we lived in. They're exposed to far more than we ever were exposed to. But this book is still up to date.
It's still the answer.
For every day and for all the situations that arise in 1973, may we then remember this resource. And then it says, only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart, for consider how great things He has done for you. And then again I would mention what I read in the in connection with the Transfiguration. There were two great men, Moses and Elias, and on that mount of Transfiguration.
They saw Moses and Elias talking with.
Jesus and they got their eyes on Moses and Elias and the Lord had to the voice from heaven had to say, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. And perhaps when you've come to these meetings, you may have got your eye on some person, but God wants you to see no man anymore save Jesus. Only every person may disappoint you, but the the Lord Jesus never will. He's the same yesterday and today.
And forever. And may the Lord grant that we will serve Him in truth with all our hearts, that we will consider how great things He has done for us and as time goes on in our lives, and that we all seek to look away from all those things that would distract and discourage and see no man anymore save Jesus only. O dear young people, I want to encourage you to follow the Lord as I said at one of the other meetings, and I I say it again to you here.
And I was very much struck in reading, and I believe it's Deuteronomy and it talks about the value of the different ages of life. And it says from the age of from the age of 20, I believe it is until 60, the value of a man was about two or three times as much as after he was 60, indeed after.
Up to the age of 20, he was worth more than the man who was past 60.
And so, dear young people, you're very valuable if the Lord leaves you here. You have helped, you have energy, God has given you a keen mind, and oh, I do desire to see you go on for the Lord Jesus. May the Lord grant that you will see no man anymore, save Jesus only.
Order leading to New Beginning
Barnabas
Pictures of the Church in the Building of the Solomon's Temple
Joints of Supply
Rejoicing
Comfort in the Unchanging One
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
I'd like to turn first of all to the 8th chapter of Luke, the 8th chapter of Luke and the 22nd verse.
Locate verse 22 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples, and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake, and they launched forth.
But as they sailed, he fell asleep.
And there came down a storm of wind on the lake, and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him and awoke him, saying, Master, Master, we perish. Then he arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they, being afraid, wondered, saying one to another, what manner of.
The man is this, or he commandeth even the winds and the water, and they obey him.
Now would you also turn with me to Malachi?
The last book in the Old Testament, Malachi and the 3rd chapter and the fifth verse. And I will come near to you and judge to judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false wearers.
Against those that oppress the hireling in his wages the widow and the fatherless, and the turn aside the stranger from his right. And fear not me, saith the Lord, For I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. We turn also to Hebrews chapter 1.
Hebrews chapter 1 and the 10th verse. But thou and thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thine hands. They shall perish, but thou remainest, and they all shall wax old as that the garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
And then in the 13th chapter of Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 13.
And verse 6 so that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you, the word of God, whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today.
And forever.
Now one more passage in Matthew chapter 24.
Matthew chapter 24, verse 35.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
For older, young people, in reading these verses this afternoon, what I had before me was that this is the time of change. But it's a wonderful thing to have something that doesn't change, to have a person who doesn't change so that we might know what to do in a day like this.
We know that the world is full of uncertainty because they see these changes coming and they don't know what is the answer to their problems. They're turning here and there trying to find an answer to the problems of life. But it's a blessed thing that whether it's a crime of change or not, God's Word doesn't change. The Lord Jesus is the same yesterday.
And today and forever, everything in this room might change.
And yet the lights be exactly the same. And the fact that the lights were the same would illuminate whatever condition existed in the room. Whether it was a group of happy believers is this afternoon, or whether it was a group of whirlings wouldn't change the character of the lights. All that the lights would do was illuminate the situation. And isn't it a wonderful thing that in a changing world like this in which we live, we have that which is stable?
Now that which we can rely upon, if we didn't have that, we would certainly be in uncertainty. It tells us about men of the world in such times. It says men's hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things that are coming upon the earth. And we can see that today men's hearts are failing them. They just wonder what is ahead. But all I must say, dear young people, how thankful you and I can be.
00:05:01
To have the precious living word of God. And I was thinking of 2 verses in the 119th Psalm 1 is the 89th verse forever? O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. And then another verse. I've just forgotten the verse in the chapter that says.
Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee. There is nothing that happens in this world, and it is a surprise to God always known to Him beforehand. And His word was prepared for this very time in which we live, so that we might know the way in which we should walk. It says in the 142nd Psalm, When my spirit.
Within me was overwhelmed then.
Wall knew us, my path, and perhaps there's some young person here this afternoon and you say that's true of me. My spirit is overwhelmed. I just hardly know what to do. There are situations coming up in my life that I just don't know what to do. Isn't there a lovely second part to that verse? Then at that very time, then thou knewest my path. And so you can turn to one who.
Know your path and He not only knows your path, but in His Word He has given you instruction and wisdom for your pathway.
Oh, how many very young people erect their lives. They try to find out things for themselves apart from the wisdom of God's word. We think of how men began on the earth and sin came in in this very way. God told Adam and Eve not to eat of that one tree of the garden. He knew that it wasn't for their good to do it.
He was testing their obedience to him, and he put that one to a bit prohibition.
To test whether they would rely upon him and believe that he really loved them and thought they're good. But what did they do? Well, they reached out to try that one thing that had been forbidden. And as another has said, how often does one forbidden thing hide from her eyes? 1000 blessings. Because there's something that we say.
Well, I want it. I'm going to have it.
And it doesn't matter what anyone says or thinks. Oh, what a solemn thing it is to make such a decision. Or that you say we're young and we have to learn by experience. Yes, Adam was young in that sense. He had just been placed in the garden. His wife was young, and they were there to enjoy life. Because when the foundations of the earth were laid, God's delights were with the sons of men, and he made a partner.
Adam for his good and for his happiness in a natural sense.
But they thought they must try this. And as we often hear the expression, I'll try anything once, That's all they did. They tried something once. But we know the sad results of this decision. We know what it brought upon themselves and upon the human race and their young people.
How serious it would be if you should try something that would just ruin your life as it would spoil it for the rest. Now I know that the Lord can restore your soul. I know he can bring you back.
One time we know that King David took a look at someone who pleased him very much. He thought he couldn't live without this girl, and so she was brought into his life. But it was to his own sorrow and to his own loss.
Because of that sin, God said, the sword shall not depart from thy house forever. And David had a course of sorrow in his life because of that one sin, that look, that desire unchecked, which led him to a force that was to the spoiling of his life. Now you say.
What wasn't David restored? Oh yes, David was restored. Some of the most beautiful.
Forms were written after David's restoration, but he didn't escape the government of God. He didn't escape that which he brought upon himself by doing it. And as I look into your faces, dear young people, I think if the Lord leaves us here of you having life before you, and what happiness God wants to bring to you, and what blessing you can be to others, if you will just walk in the light and wisdom of God's Word.
00:10:03
Faith said to Abraham, I will bless thee, and thou shalt be a blessing.
And so it's God's desire to bless you and to make you a blessing. Now, when we speak of blessing you, I don't mean that He necessarily promises you all the material things that you and I might seek after, but are those really the things that bring happiness?
The Scripture says the blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich and he addeth no sorrow with it. And perhaps you have noticed in the J&D translation there's a little footnote on that verse and it says this, that it could be translated. The blessing of the Lord it maketh rich and toil addeth nothing to it.
We the natural things, we work hard to get the things that we really want. And we've heard people say, well, I worked hard to get that car, I worked hard to get that home. I worked hard to fix up my garden like that. Yes, I'm sure you did because we always have to work for anything materialistic. But the blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich. That's the true riches and toil adds nothing to it. Why doesn't toil add?
To it well, because as we had this morning, every spiritual blessing is a gift. The Torah was through our Savior's work. It's because of what he did and to be in the enjoyment of what we have in him, his true riches. So it adds nothing to it that is, we can work for material things, but for the spiritual things they're a gift and we're just given the privilege of enjoying them in the path of.
And you know, I just like to look at this little portion in the 8th chapter of Luke that we read as a little picture.
First of all, I'd just like to read the 18th verse of this 8th chapter. It says, Take heed therefore how ye hear. For whosoever hath to him shall be given, and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.
And so this is a little word for a song, isn't it? Take heed how ye hear.
Because it isn't just hearing my voice this afternoon that's going to do anything. It's my desire that you would hear the Lord's voice speaking to your heart. Now, my voice may be just like a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal to you, but my desire is that you would hear the Lord's voice speaking to your heart. And if you hear His voice speaking to your heart, I'm sure you're going to get a blessing because He wants to bless you. He wants to encourage you in the pathway.
And it says, Whosoever hath, to him shall be given. It's a wonderful thing to have the privilege of being brought up in a Christian home. It's a wonderful thing to sit under the sound of His word, as we have in these meetings, and as we have so much from Him. He delights to give more, as the little hymn says, For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, he giveth, and giveth, and giveth again. But then it says.
Whosoever hath not from him shall be taken, even that which he seemeth to have. There may be some young people here who seem to have something. Perhaps your parents think you're saved. Perhaps your friends think you're saved. But you only seem to have it, and the task is going to come in your life sooner or later as to whether what you seem to have is real. In other words, whether you really have it or just seem to have it, that test is going to come.
And you may lose even the things you seem to have today. Yet as we have seen, dear young people who have sat in the seats in the meetings, they seem to have a great deal. But today you'll wonder what they do have because they have lost the things they seem to have. And why? Well, just because of what follows here. Change has come, and they weren't prepared for those changes.
Because they didn't have the Lord in the boat.
They didn't have the Lord in the boat with them. And that's the only way that we can be prepared for the changes that come in life is to have the Lord in the boat with us. So notice this 22nd verse. Now it came to pass upon a certain day that He went into His ship with His disciples. Isn't that lovely? He went into a ship with His disciples.
Your life and mine is like sailing over the sea of time. We're like little ships going over the sea of time.
Time Oh, I ask you, dear young people, have you got the Lord Jesus in the boat with you? Do you really know Him as your Savior? Are you really conscious of His presence too, with you?
00:15:09
Well, He entered into a ship with His disciples, and He said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. This was what I had in regard to change. It seems that in these last few years that the Lord has been saying, as it were, that we have to go to the other side of the lake. That is, things have gone along very stable. Things went along in a fairly even keel, but I suppose we could say there has been more change in.
10 years than perhaps in any other time of the world's history, tremendous changes have taken place in all kinds of things, in people's ideas of what is right and wrong in the scientific world. Or you can hardly think of anything that we have known in the past to be somewhat stable that hasn't gone through a period of great change.
And isn't it nice that the Lord can be with us in these changes?
As we sail across the sea of time to the other side, as we sail toward the time when the Lord is about to intervene in the affairs of this world, isn't it lovely to hear him say, but let us go unto the other side? O dear young people, have you heard his voice speaking to you in this way? That in the midst of these changes, instead of listening to all the voices of man that will say, Oh well.
They used to think that was wrong, but you know, people's ideas have changed today.
Here's the thing that you shouldn't go here or there, but you know, we're living in a changing time. I ask you, in the midst of these changes, are you conscious of having the Lord with you? Because He's the one that changes not. He's the same yesterday and today and forever. And He's able to steer us through all these changes that come and are going to come in this world in which we live.
He said, let us go unto the other side of the lake, and they launched forth. We can't stop the movement of time. We can't stop these changes because they must come. But as I say, the Lord is with us in the midst of this changing world, and He is able to direct our little ship. He is able to lead us in paths that are pleasing unto Him.
But it says as they sail.
He fell asleep.
Well, I just look at this in a sort of a figurative way now, that is, does it seem as though the Lord were asleep as to all that's going on to these changes, perhaps it does seem to us sometimes you say, well, I've seen young people do this and that and everything seems to work out for them. I think the Lord must be asleep for his things would be different. And perhaps that's the feeling that you have in your heart. You say, oh, the Lord must be.
In the midst of these changes, all near young people, it may seem that he's asleep, but he knows all about the situation in which you and I find ourselves now. That is, he knows about the cause and he knows about the effect, because the cause was the wind and the effect was the storm. Yes, he knows about the cause of every situation.
I remember hearing of a brother who left the meeting many years ago.
And perhaps 30 years afterwards, he said to somebody, well, I'd still be in the meeting if it wasn't for that particular brother. And he mentioned a name, should I still be in the meeting if it wasn't for him? And his brother said to him, yes, he said, but God put that man there. All you say, does God really allow the storms? Is he the cause behind everything?
Why? If you read in the Psalms, I think it's the 107 Psalm.
It tells us in that Psalm, He turned their hearts to hate His people, to deal subtly with His servants. Does the Lord actually control people's attitudes toward us? Yes, He does. Yes, He does. Why did He allow that to take place? Well, He wanted to stir up the nest of the children of Israel. They were just a little too comfortable there in the land of Egypt. They would have just enjoyed looking at the finished product of those. Fine.
Cities that they were engaged in building, if the slavery hadn't been so hard, but the slavery was such that they cried unto the Lord. The pleasure of building those treasure cities was absolutely lost in the slavery of trying to build them. And isn't that just like what the world is today? You worked so hard that when you get the thing you say, I wonder whether it was really worth.
00:20:15
All the effort, yes.
The Lord turned the hearts of the Egyptians to hate his people and to deal subtly with them, to make their burdens heavier. And why? Well, because he didn't want them in Egypt. He wanted to bring them out of that land, and he allowed this so they wouldn't be comfortable there. And you know, if the Lord has some lesson to teach me, he might use a very strange means. He owes Job's friends to say some things that weren't very kind about him.
Come about, God blessed the latter end of Job more than the beginning. And I want to say to you, dear young people.
That if things have gone wrong, if there's a cause, and you can perhaps point your finger and say, well, that brother or that sister, you just don't know how they acted or what they did. Yes, but God did and God allowed it. It would never have happened if he hadn't have allowed it. And he's not a slave. He may seem to be asleep, but he's not. He has a blessing in store for you, just as he had for Job and when the children of Israel.
Had finally entered the promised land.
And they didn't look back and say, oh, we wish that we had been more comfortable in Egypt. We would have stayed there. No, when they finally entered the land, they said, there hath not failed one word of all his good promise. And so we see that this storm that had come up on the lake, the Lord was behind it all, and he allowed them to come to the point where they were filled with water and were in jeopardy.
He could have stopped it when the storm had begun to progress. Sometimes when we're driving and a storm comes up and then it kind of lets down a bit, we think, isn't that wonderful? The Lord stopped it. But the Lord didn't allow this storm to stop. He just kept on getting worse until their bullet was just about full and they realized that they just couldn't get along without Jesus. They just couldn't get along without Him.
And dear young person.
That's what the Lord wants to teach you and me. We just can't get along across the sea of life without Jesus. We need to have Him. And in one sense, he's always with us because he says I'll never leave thee nor forsake thee. But we can easily lose the enjoyment of His presence, the sense of His presence. And so isn't it nice what they did here?
And they came to him and awoke him, saying, Master, master.
We perish. Yes, they were brought to extremity and they turned to Him as though he didn't know the situation and all. I ask you, in your extremity, have you really cried out? Master, Master, we perish. Have you really come to the point where you find out that He is the only one who can direct your life? Right? Well, what did the Lord Jesus do?
When they cried out, then he arose.
And rebuked the wind and the raging of the sea, and they ceased and there was a calm. Now, as we've been having in the meetings, the Lord doesn't promise to remove all the difficulties. But what happened here was that He stopped this storm and gave them peace, as another place says. And it says here there was a calm. Another scripture says there was a great calm.
And now without the Lord removing the difficulties for us.
For I apply this in a spiritual sense. He can give us a calm in our soul.
And that's what we find in the 4th chapter of Philippians. There it tells us about all difficulties and all the things that we find so hard to overcome. And then it says, Let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. The Lord may not stop the storm, but He can.
Give you peace in your heart, and it's a wonderful thing to go through life without peace in your heart. That realization of His presence and His company and that is each difficulty arises just to hear Him within whisper those lovely words. Peace be still, peace be still. Yes, dear young person, He can give you that. And I know when you come to meetings like this, there are a lot of conflicts that go on.
00:25:04
There are a lot of things that we face in a very special way of such meetings as this, as regards friendship and as regards things that mold our lives. I believe young people go away from meetings like this having made decisions in their hearts in a marvelous and a remarkable way. I believe that the result of these meetings very often can be a turning point in your life, either to go on for the Lord Jesus or perhaps to say.
No use, I think I I'm going to give it up and perhaps our turn aside into the world and to worldly things. Well, may the Lord speak those words to your heart. May you hear Him say to you this very afternoon, peace be still. He controls the 'cause He controls the effect. Both the wind ceased, which was the cause, and the waves too, which was the effect, and He can control the whole situation.
All this go on here and notice in the 25th verse and he said unto them, where is your faith? Well that is, could they not trust him? Could they not have confidence in him. Can I ask my own heart and I ask yours. Can we not have confidence in him that he is overall that he is able to work everything out and if there's something that is troubling you at this very moment. If there's some situation that seems.
Overwhelming to you. He knows your path, he knows all about it, and he wants to whisper in your ear right now. Peace be still. Oh how lovely it is to have Jesus in the boat, to know that he's with us, that he's not going to forsake us. And I can I say it may seem that he's asleep to your situation, but he isn't. And if you think he is, just speak to him and he'll reply. Just speak to him and you'll find that he's ready as a little.
Says he'll speak peace to your soul at this very moment.
And now I'd like to turn to that verse we read in Malachi, Malachi chapter 3.
And the fifth verse.
And I will come near to you to judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false wearers.
And against those that oppressed the hireling in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, and the turn aside the stranger from his right. And fear not me, saith the Lord. For I am the Lord, I change not.
Here there was a condition of things, and that is described here in very solemn words. And as we read them we think of the very days in which we live, the description of all kinds of things going on. And as it tells us here, God wasn't interfering, but He said He would, said the time was going to come when He was going to set things right. But for the time being it seemed as though He were not interfering. But was that because He had changed?
No, it wasn't because he had changed.
He said I am the Lord.
I change not isn't that a comfort to your heart and mind? And then he says, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed, and that is where poor failing things at best. Oh, how often we fail. And here I think in this chapter we have described A moral condition of things such as we find in the world, and what is the thing that is the stay of our souls is that the.
The Lord doesn't change, and I just like to say to you, dear young people, to be very careful about accepting the ideas of the world today as to the change of moral standards. God hasn't changed. It tells us, you know, in His Word quite often. In fact, the word same is one of the titles, one of the names of God himself. He doesn't change, and his thoughts about sin are just the same now as they always.
Were, and I beseech you dear young people, not to allow the current thoughts of the day to affect your mind in these things. We need to have God's standards because when He judges, He judges according to his own standards and not the standards of man. It says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. It isn't according to human standards, but according to the word of God.
And we can certainly see that the fear of God is disappearing, but he changes not. And then it says, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Now you know, Jacob was a poor failing thing. Many of us are well acquainted with the life of Jacob, and all the strange things that he did to try and scheme his life for the very best advantage for himself.
00:30:09
But those schemes of Jacob didn't really get him anywhere in the end.
Those schemes brought a lot of trouble on him, but the things that he was seeking after God had promised to him In any case. He had said that he would take care of him and bless him and bring him back to his own land in peace. But he schemed to get all the things that God had promised to give him apart from his scheming. But did he change in his feelings toward Jacob? Oh, this is what I want to impress on you, dear young people. The world may change. Its standards may change.
The condition of things all about us may seem to change, but here's one who changes not. And we change because we are affected by the spirit of the age in which we live. But he doesn't. And he says therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. All how patient he is. Perhaps there's a young person here today and you say, well, I've made a mess of my life. I'm afraid I've ruined my life.
For all he's not going to.
Seeing you, he still loves you. Come back to him and you'll find his heart is still the same. You'll find that he hasn't in any way changed in his love towards you. He tells us in the 13th chapter of John having loved his own, which were in the world. He loved them unto the end.
And when we have failed as believers, Satan likes to come and say to us, well, it's all up with you now.
You're no use anymore. Oh dear young person, you are of some use. The Lord can restore you and bless you. You may still have to suffer like David did in the government of God. But also, some of the lovely utterances of David in the latter part of his life showed that the Lord hadn't changed, that he was still precious to his heart. And He can be to yours too. And He can encourage you even in the midst of failure.
Now let's turn over to Hebrews chapter 1.
Hebrews, chapter 1.
The 10th verse. And our Lord in the beginning hath laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thine hands. They shall perish, but thou remainest, and they also wax old as doth a garment.
Well, here we find.
The material things, the universe all about us, we even this is going to pass away. In the passage in Malachi, we see moral values had changed, but the Lord hadn't changed. Here we find that even the material universe is going to be taken away. They shall perish. And we see a little bit of the material things failing even today, the present oil shortage.
The energy shortage. Men are beginning to realize that things just are not going to go on in this world without some change forever. They realize that material things are going to change. And if the Lord leaves us here, we don't know what material changes may be ahead even in this country when hardships we may have to face. But in the midst of all this, there is a one in whom we can turn to whom we can turn. And isn't this lovely?
But it says here they shall perish, but thou remainest, they all shall wax the oldest of the garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, thou art the same. And so there may be someone here, and you have suffered some kind of a material disappointment.
Maybe something that you held dear has been spoiled.
Perhaps you've lost your health. All may these words ring in your ear today. Thou art the same. Now there's one who can be with you. There's One who can sustain you in the midst of all this. And he is the same. And his years won't fail. And we don't know what is ahead in 1974 if the Lord doesn't come. But his years don't fail. He loves his own to the end. And he's sufficient for you in.
1975 If He should leave us here, He's sufficient for you. If it's next year or the year after, and we can count upon Him, His years don't fail. How lovely it is to them that there is one who changes not. Now let us turn to this other passage in the 13th chapter of Hebrews and the sixth verse.
So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever.
00:35:24
Business ground that we can boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. And then it speaks here of those who are the leaders of the guides. It says, whose faith follow. And may I just mention here what my father used to very often say to us. He used to say, remember.
Boys, it doesn't say whose failures follow, it says whose faith follows.
Perhaps some older person, perhaps myself. I've been a disappointment to you. Well, the Lord isn't a disappointment. And perhaps there's someone that you may have looked up to and he has disappointed you because it tells us in the Psalms I have seen an end of all perfection. The the 11TH chapter of Hebrews gives us the history of a large number of faithful ones, but they weren't without failure.
God gives us in the assembly those who.
Take our good, but they're not without failure. But they point you to Christ. And today I want to point you to the Lord Jesus. When they spoke against Paul in Corinthians and said his bodily presence was weak and his speech contemptible, what was his reply? He said we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord. How may you look beyond even those who should be the guides and.
May you see the Lord Jesus, he's the same yesterday and today and forever. So we see there may be a moral breakdown, there may be the turning away from all those standards that God has established. But he says I am the Lord, I change not. There may be a breakdown of all kinds of material things, but it says thou art the same, and thy ears shall not fail.
And those who have been guides may at time.
And disappoint us, we may see failure in them as you see in me.
But what a privilege to point to the Lord Jesus, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today and forever. Oh dear young people, I want to say to you that if you make him the guide and the object of your life, you will have in your ship one who is able to lead you across to the other side. One who is able to take you through all the storms, One who will never fail you all the way.
And oh, it's my desire that you might realize this in your youth. And if you have never stopped to think of this before, may you realize that he has said, let us go to the other side. He has allowed this change that's taking place in this present period, but he also wants to guide you and direct you and bless you. And I just like to close, if you will, for a moment by looking at at Habakkuk the.
Last three The last three verses I think it is of the prophet Habakkuk. I think it's the 5th last book in the Old Testament.
The 5th last book in the Old Testament.
And I just like to read here the last three verses. Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines. The labour of the olives shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat. The flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation.
For the Lord God is my strength, and He will make.
Feet like Hinds feet and he will make me to walk upon mine high places to the chief singer on my stringed instrument. Isn't this a beautiful ending to this prophet here he says no matter what goes wrong, he enumerates a lot of things and says supposing everything fails, supposing everything goes wrong. He said that doesn't touch my portion because he said yet.
I will rejoice in the Lord.
I will joy in the God of my salvation, and that's the one to whom I want to point you this afternoon, dear young people, that you might joy in the God of your salvation. And just a little comment again. We mentioned this the other day, but perhaps it will bear repeating. The Lord God is my strength and he will make my feet like Hinds feet. As we were traveling out here, we saw one of those little Hinds, one of those young deer and.
00:40:16
As it came to a fence, oh, it was so nice to see that little deer take that spring and go up over the fence. It was so graceful. They didn't have to open a gate like they would with a cow, nor that little deer. It just took such a nice spring and went over. But you know, I've always enjoyed what it says here. It says and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.
When that little deer took that spring, it came down on the other side.
But the Lord says you don't have to come down on the other side because you might feel well, I've come to the meetings and somehow I think I have got up, but I'm afraid I might come down on the other side. It might be quite a bum. Well, isn't this lovely? The Lord says you don't have to come down on the other side. He says you can walk on your high places. And that is he says, I'll take you up and I'll provide a place where you can walk right above the whole situation.
All the rest of the way. And so he can make the wind cease, he can make the waves cease. And he can say to your soul and mine this afternoon, peace be still. He can be with us and so and have a cup. Thought about this. He turned to his chief singer and he says make a song out of that. Put this to music. He said this is worth thinking about. And dear young people, this is worth singing about. The world's songs pass away. But if you and I.
Find a sure and blessed resource in the Lord Jesus that we'll say to the chief singer on my stringed instrument, I've got something to sing about now because I've got the one who's the same yesterday and today and forever. And I know that He's in control and He's going to guide me through all the changes. Guide me safely home. May the Lord give us more of the joy and sense of His presence all the way.