Address—P. St.Vincent
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Our times are in thy hand.
Father, we wish them there.
Our life.
Our soul, our all, we leave entirely to thy care.
Our times are in thy hand, whatever they may be, pleasing or painful, dark or bright, as best may seem to thee.
Our times are in thy hand.
We'd always trust in Thee until we have left this weary land and all Thy glory. See number 257.
What if we might turn to the Book of Hebrews chapter 3 for a verse? Tended just to read a few verses together.
Here and there.
Hebrews 13. Hebrews 3. Sorry.
In verse 13.
But exhort one another daily while it is called today.
Where the word exhort is to encourage one another daily.
Wildest call today, the desire today to encourage one another from the Scriptures. Tonight we read also in Hebrews chapter 13 that.
We are exhorted there also to encourage one another, and so much the more as we see the day approaching.
And then it's turned to Romans chapter 14.
All well known verses of scripture.
I'm sorry, Romans 15, verse 4.
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning.
That we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope.
You know, we all, we all need encouragement. We all need comfort, young and old alike. We're all passing through trials and difficulties. We all need comfort and encouragement, and it's nice to get it from one another. Thank the Lord for the measures that we do.
We need each other, but there's nothing like getting it from the scriptures.
For our own heart to rest in.
How we need the scriptures before our souls.
In these days.
I'd like to turn to Psalm.
56 in verse 9 for part of a verse.
And the end of verse.
End of verse nine. I've enjoyed this verse, this portion, the end of the verse for myself many times in the past. The last part of verse 9. For this I know.
God is for me.
Do you? Can you see that, dear ones tonight?
That God is for me. I know this. You know, this isn't just for old folks. This is for everybody. Can you say you're young folks also that you know that God is for you? How wonderful to know that that God is for me. Can you say that? Oh, he wants to reveal himself to you if you haven't received the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
He wants to know that he is for you, so much so that he's provided the Savior for you, that you might be saved and that you might know him each day of your life. And so how wonderful to know and be able to say with the psalmist here is this, I know God is for me.
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If God before us.
Who can be against us?
You got you're on the witting side here once if God is for us.
Who can be against us? There can't be.
Not even Satan.
He has no power over us anymore.
Having believed in the Lord Jesus, oh, he may seek to oppress us.
And ensnare us and things like this. But God is for us. Oh, how wonderful to believe that the God of heaven is for me. Dear a young one, you could say that for yourself. I'd like to turn to Psalm 34.
Solve 34.
I'll start reading at the heading of the song.
The Psalm of David when he changed his behavior before Abimelech or ash ASIC Asus who drove him away and he departed.
Now, if you know that, what happened here, David?
Was fleeing from Saul. He was fearful.
That Saul was after him and that he was going to kill him and take his life. And so Saul was after David, we know. And David flees from him, and he goes to Gath, and he puts himself under the care of the king of Gas Achish. But you know he isn't there very long.
And he finds himself in deep trouble. He finds he begins to fear for his own life.
And how does he behave? It says he changed his behavior.
I think of David, who had slain Goliath.
And he finds himself in a kish. He thought by reasoning in his own mind.
He said, well, I'll find a place of refuge over there in gas, get away from Saul. But he got us such straits and difficulties.
And he saw that his life was in jeopardy even there in Gath. So how is he going to get out of this predicament that he got himself into by his own unfaithfulness, shall we say, his own reasoning?
He acts like a madman. He gets on his knees and he starts scratching at the door and spit runs down his beard and he acts like a crazy man. And the king says get him out of my presence. Well, what a humiliating experience for David to pass through. Very humiliating.
But he got out of that situation.
And we find him next in The Cave of a Dalam.
And I believe that that's where this Psalm 34 was written, in The Cave of Adolf. So having experienced this sad humiliation that he had just passed through.
We read here from the words of David.
He says I will bless the Lord at all times.
And it's just thought blessing. I will bless the Lord.
At all times that I have on my heart tonight, a little bit to speak on and also.
Some of the all things, just in a brief, broad measure.
You know these times that we have in our life, and we all have them, young and old alike. This time is a season, a period of time in our life that we may pass through. It may last for a few moments. It may last for hours, days. It may last for a week. Months may last for a year or more.
There are times in our life that we pass through in the ways of circumstances in our life. Some are more difficult than others.
As we sang in the hymn, Pleasing or painful?
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Some of these things that God allows in our life in the circumstance of our life.
Are these periods of times? I will bless the Lord at all times. You know, God never intends that the trials in our life should cause us to doubt His love, but yet we might trust Him more.
It's easy to praise the Lord and to go on in a happy state when everything is going our way, as it were, when things are are pleasing to us.
Things are going smoothly, no rough waters like when Peter was walking on the water and looked around and saw all the waves and the storm. Now, it's easy to be a Christian and be happy as a Christian when things are nice and smooth. But what about when the circumstances of life come our way? And you know, beloved, I'm not talking.
To anybody, I'm talking for myself.
All here we all need the encouragement of the scriptures.
How is it are we able to trust the Lord to be able to bless Him at all times in the midst of these circumstances and trials that we might be called to pass through?
Let's turn to Romans chapter 8 again for a well known verse. Hold our place here.
Let's turn to.
First Peter. Chapter one first.
We are all called to pass through.
Situations that the Lord allows in our life.
As we will see, it's all for a purpose of blessing, as we read here in first Peter chapter one.
We read about the inheritance of verse four that were kept by the power of God through faith and then in verse 6.
We're going to be greatly rejoice, but now for a season.
For a season.
Ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations.
For a season, you are a manifold temptations. I left out three words.
If need be.
If now for a season, if need be your heaviness through manifold temptations, you know that word manifold means various. And you know every one of us can relate to this various trials, how numerable they are. Each one of us knows the trials that we all pass through.
But how precious to realize that is for a blessing.
For blessing to us, and as a needs be and needs be on God's part for us in His love.
You're in heaviness through manifold temptations at the trial of your faith. Be much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found under praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Well, when these distresses and griefs come into our lives, that we can realize.
That it's a needs be that God has purposes of blessing for us.
Oh, I remember Chapter Brown years ago used to tell us that you know when a trial comes our way.
It's already been weighed out in the balances of the sanctuary before the Lord sends it our way. He's already waited before he says it, as it were.
Now we read in First Corinthians chapter 10 that there is no temptation or trial.
Let me just read that verse.
In verse 13 there is no temptation taking you, but as such as common demand, but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tried or tempted above that you're able, but will with the temptation also make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. Oh how God, I want to realize.
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That in these needs be these trials, these various manifold trials that come our way.
That is a needs be, but it's all weighed in the balances of the sanctuary before it comes to us, and He has given us that which will enable us to make a way of escape that He may be able to bear it. Dear young child, young person here, even you have trials in life, but how wonderful to realize that the Lord's over at all, and He loves you and He desires.
Blessing and all, He wants you to trust in Him and commit all things into His hands. We have to take up a little bit later. Let's now turn over to Romans chapter 8.
Verse 28.
We know that all things work together for good. To them who are to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.
Oh, how wonderful to realize that all these things, all these times.
All these trials are working together.
For good.
As though they are all shaken together in our life. They have a purpose. They're working together. Each one is working with each other. These trials, these circumstances in life are working together.
For good to them that love God, you know, wonderful to know these things. It says that we know that all things work together for good.
Do we know that when we pass through trials, you know many Saints in this various room, this very room here tonight, many are passing through various trials and circumstances of life.
Multitude of the various kinds.
But do we realize?
That they're all working together for good to them, that love God, they're working together for your good. Oh, how wonderful to realize this and to know it. And you know, there are trials sometimes.
That come into our life that we've grown as we read earlier on in Chapter 8.
So much so that we don't even we can't even speak about them, we can only grow about them. But even in this.
In the earlier verse it says the Spirit likewise help with our infirmities, for we know that we should.
We know not what we should pray for.
Or as we ought. But the spirit itself maketh intercession.
For us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Oh, how wonderful to know that even in the deepest of trials.
But all we can do is simply to grow that the Holy Spirit takes those groans, translates them into the language of heaven and all how God hears those and he understands and He knows.
Two Corinthians, chapter 4.
Verse 15. The first part of the verse.
For all things are for your sakes. Think of it. Here's the all things again, all things ALL all things work together for good. All things are for your 60 How wonderful to realize that these circumstances that God allows us to pass through.
Or for us.
For our sakes, they are never against us. Isn't it wonderful to realize that whatever is allowed or a life.
Is never against us, but always for us.
That we may get the comfort from the scriptures and we spoke earlier the comfort of the scriptures.
To be able to lay hold of these things by faith, to enjoy them as we pass through these trials, and yet to be able to bless the Lord at all times.
First Thessalonians, chapter 5.
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Verse 18.
In everything.
In everything.
Give thanks.
For this is the will of God.
In Christ Jesus.
Concerning you.
In the midst of these things, these trials, these difficulties.
We are burdened, Brian. We're not aloof from them. We suffer. We roam.
But to be able in the midst of it.
To give thanks, I will bless the Lord, David said at all times.
Is it possible?
Well, here's the comfort of the scriptures to realize.
In these things that it is the will of God for us. Think of it.
That this is the will of God.
In Christ Jesus concerning you.
To be able to rise above the trial or we suffer, we groan.
But be able to still trust the Lord.
To be able to give thanks to praise his name.
Well, there's always room for praise. There's always room for Thanksgiving. In the midst of everything that we may be called to pass through, may the Lord, by His grace, encourage our hearts to be able to trust Him more in these difficulties and trials.
It says in Ezra is the part of a verse peace and it's such a time.
Peace and at such a time, oh how wonderful to have.
Peace in our hearts.
In the midst of trials and difficulties. And again, beloved.
I need this verse for my own soul as well as anybody.
The Lord lays things in our hearts and allows us to pass through circumstances that maybe we might understand these things a little bit more.
But to be able to everything to give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.
Concerning you.
No, we are not indifferent to the trials that we have passed through.
We suffer.
We pass through chastening. Hebrews tells us that.
Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth. How wonderful to realize when things are allowed in our life, that because our Father loves us.
He loves us. It says in Corinthians that he chastened the people there in Corinth, that with sickness and even death.
It's trials that they might not be judged with the world. The Lord deals with us now in this life and he has a purpose which we'll speak on here in a little minute. Oh, it's that we might be conformed to the image of His son, to be conformed.
To the image of His Son. All this is working in a process in our souls and in our spirits, that we might be conformed to the image of His Son. This is His purposes with it, is it not, beloved brother?
And so we are exercised by these things.
David says in Psalm 23, Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Oh, that Rod, perhaps in discipline that we need.
Oh, it's done in love if it's applied. Or that staff, that crook and the staff that grabs the little sheep and grabs it, pulls it into the pathway again.
Keeps it from going out of the way.
Supplements said by others that.
There are three things in the ways of God's dealings with US1 is punitive, and that is.
That if we fail, if we've sinned, the Lord may deal with us regarding that sin and allow things in our life that would bring us to a point of repentance and with the purpose of restoring us.
There's also the purposes of things allowed in our life to prevent us, that staff to keep us in the right way, the narrow way.
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And then there's that also. That would prepare our souls.
Glory. There are souls that pass through trials, you say, Well, why does the Lord pass them through a trial? Surely it should have been somebody else.
But are not hearts being prepared for His presence in all these things? All of our hearts are being prepared, whether it be through this discipline.
In one form or another, our hearts not be prepared.
Well, how wonderful. Know that the Lord knows the end from the beginning.
We come to a trial, a circumstance that all here it is before us.
It seems such a burden to us.
But you know the Lord, He's already seen the end results.
We don't see the end results. Our place is to trust Him for each step of the way through that circumstance, not to doubt His love, to be able yet to bless Him at all times.
Jacob says all these things be against me. We were just reading about. All these things are for us.
Jacob saw them in the light of being against him.
And he had all these disciplines, the punitive, the preventative and the reparative disciplines in his life.
He said all these things be against because lovely brother and young people and old one as well. All these things are for us all that we might lay hold of that more and more. Let's turn back to Psalm 34. Just quickly want to touch on about four verses.
I believe this is a precious Psalm and I.
Believe in the song of these 4 verses that we will see.
The various types of trials difficulties that one may pass through.
Verse four, and these are an application. I'm not saying that they're full teaching, but at least an application. I'd like to make them tonight. Verse 4I sought the Lord, and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears.
We've all experienced fears of one sort of another, haven't we?
I sought the Lord and He delivered me from all my fears. I remember years ago a brother saying that most of our fears never materialize. They are Dragons.
Imaginary.
And if we think back how we've been in situations, I've had three or four major things facing me, perhaps at work.
You know, I say, Lord, how are we going to get through these? You know, a week or two later, they're all gone. For example, they're all gone.
Lord's worked about I was facing putting big burdens up there problems.
The Lord worked him out. We've all experienced this, I'm sure. I'm not saying anything anybody else has an experienced. So there are fears that the Lord was to deliver us from. Seek the Lord and He'll deliver us from those fears.
Verse six. This poor man cried.
And the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. Here again the Lord hears and he says out of all his troubles, the other was all his fierce. Here's all his troubles. Where the word is distresses could be word distresses. And this is something that we could all, we all experience our distresses in life. How broad that might be distresses, whatever it might be in life, a distress.
Health, financial, family, whatever it might be.
This poor man cried. The Lord heard him, he hears, and saved him out of all his troubles.
Quickly move on here to verse 17.
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The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
You know there is suffering because one is a Christian in this life, suffering with Christ and suffering for Christ in this life.
Suffering as a righteous person in this life. Oh how we suffer, just growing by the things that are around us, the evil, the violence, the corruption. We suffer in that way.
We suffer because we want to take a stand.
For the Lord Jesus.
They're young people.
If there comes a time in your life.
That you're put on a test as to whether you're going to confess that you're the Lord's.
Confess him, trust him for the courage, and he'll help you through it.
Suffered as a righteous person, we belong to the Lord, and now we suffer because we're Christians. The world does not understand us, but it says here the Lord delivereth them out of all their troubles.
You know some of this deliverance may be through debt. How many martyrs have stood for Christ?
Faithful to the end, and they cost in their lives. They were delivered. That which was a fear at one time has now been a blessing to them. Death ushered them into the Lord's presence. We sometimes think the worst that can happen, but Usher says not quite remembered into the Lord's presence.
So there's deliverance, maybe even through death.
The Lord is near unto them thereof a broken heart.
Save as such as be of a contrite spirit.
This word broken has the thought of being shivered shattered.
The Lord is near someone today whose heart whose affections have been shattered.
Just shivered apart.
Is there one here tonight? The Lord is near.
For a broken heart. For broken relationships.
The Lord is near. Oh trust him. Bless the Lord at all times.
Till they save us. Such as be of a contrite spirit. The word contrite has the thought of bruising, bruising.
When the Lord was in the synagogue, he stood up for to read, and he read from Isaiah the prophet. He says I was sent to preach deliverance to the captives and to the broken hearted. I better read it till I get it right. But.
Recovered his sight to the blind, and descended at liberty. Them that are bruised, them that are bruised, the thought there is bruised by calamity. Anybody had any calamities in their life?
Here we have the verse The heart is broken.
And the spirit is bruised.
These are trials that we pass through from time to time, yet the Lord is near. He's never far off. All beloved, may you, young and old alike, if you pass through the experience.
Look to the Lord Jesus to trust Him, to look at Him. When all else fails around you, there's one refuge, one resource who is always the same. He never changes. He says I've loved you with an everlasting love.
You know, it says here that in verse.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth them out of the mall. Here again there's the deliverance out of the mall ALL.
And you know that deliverance is soon to take place for every child of God in the face of this world. The coming of the Lord draweth nigh. He's going to catch his own out of this world. The Lord himself is going to descend from heaven with a shout, and with the voice of the Archangel, and a trump of God. And we wish our lives and the dead in Christ shall rise 1St, and we which are alive shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. That word caught means to be snatched away.
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Just take it away.
That could happen. Why we're here tonight. Isn't it a wonderful prospect? What a comfort of scriptures this is. The end of that Portage is wherefore comfort one another with these words. We started out with comfort of the scriptures. Oh, are these scriptures a comfort to our heart that we might trust the Lord more to know that our times are in His hands as we read.
In Psalm 31, we sang in the song.
My times are in thy hand, Father. We wish them there.
You know, a Christian should never use the expression that he is devastated. I've heard that expression.
And a Christian should never say that he's devastated. He may be going through some very serious trials and difficulties.
But you know.
We always have the Lord. We always have the Lord Jesus. Isn't that a comfort to know that we have Him, that we are never without Him?
So in Psalm 55, just in closing, it says.
Cast thy burdens upon the Lord, and He will sustain thee.
If you read the margin in Mr. Darby's translation, it says.
Cast thine assigned portion upon the Lord, and He will sustain thee.
Oh, what a comfort we have in the Scriptures. Encouragement to cast it all on the Lord, to encourage us to walk with Him, to call upon Him in the day of trouble. He is near. He will never leave us or forsake us. That's a promise. Again, the comfort of the Scriptures, or may be encouraged tonight by going over.
In a simple way, these few scriptures, may they be a blessing to our souls.
And turn our hearts and our thoughts heavenward to see the Lord Jesus there, there on the throne who's always interceding for us. We have an intercessor there on high in the glory. And oh, he's there to hear our cry and to bring us to this wilderness scene is soon going to end at his coming, and it may be tonight Even so, come Lord Jesus, what the Lord?
Our God and our Father, we come to Thee now, and we thank You for these few moments we can have over Thy precious Word.
And what a comfort the Scriptures are to our hearts. O our God and our Father, we pray that Thy word might be precious to each one. We think of the dear children here, and the young people and each one of us who are older, that there might be that comfort from the Scriptures. That the Lord Jesus may be made more precious to our hearts to realize that He is with us as we walk through this wilderness scene.
And all that there might be.
That calling Him and seeking His presence in this sea, oh, we thank Thee, He's always with us, but that we didn't lose that sense of His presence. Blessed Savior, we pray for each one in the room once again and ask Thy blessing as we commit ourselves to Thee for the night, asking for Thy care and keep Thee now. Thank Thee again for this time the worthy name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
I was thinking perhaps we could sing one hymn.
146 is it?
Let's see here.
Yeah, let's see. Yeah.
Perhaps the?
1St 2:00.
And the last verse.
So let's start it please.
Hello.